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Three siblingsdrown in tankin Krishna dist

GO on leaseamount toryots released

New sandpolicy fromSept 5

HC nod forACA polls VIJAYAWADA: The AndhraPradesh High Court atAmravati in its order datedAugust 22 has permittedAndhra Cricket Association(ACA) to go ahead with theelection process of the ApexCouncil of the ACA slated tobe held on September 14. TheWrit appeal was posted forAugust 29 said a release fromACA here on Tuesday.

VIJAYAWADA: Minister forMining & Panchayat RajPeddireddy RamachandraReddy has said that the newsand policy will come intoforce on September 5 and thegovernment will not allow anydeviation from it. Speaking tothe media here on Tuesday, hesaid that the Andhra PradeshMineral DevelopmentCorporation (APMDC) willlook after sand sales and reach-es, including stock points.Village Secretariats will startfunctioning from October 2.

VIJAYAWADA: The farmersof Capital villages have receivedlease amount for this year withthe State government releasingRs187.44 crore for the purpose.Farmers, who have given landsfor the Capital, came onto thestreets in the past one week,protesting against non-pay-ment of the lease. It seems thatkeeping the protests in mind,the Chief Minister decided topay the lease amount to farm-ers. Within a few hours after theGO was released, farmersowing allegiance to YSRCPstaged a protest against TDPand BJP. They alleged that theOpposition parties had carriedout a misinformation cam-paign.

VIJAYAWADA: In a tragicincident, three childrenbelonging to the same familydrowned in a water tank atPerakalapadu village underKanchikacharla mandal ofKrishna district on Tuesday.Ganjilanka Ganesh (10),Srimantudu (8) and Gautam(6) sons of daily-wage work-ers Ganjilanka Ramu andSwarnalatha and studying inClasses V, II and I respective-ly at a local government schoolhad bunked school to play inthe tank. Nandigama MLA MJaganmohan visited the villageand Kanchikacharla police areinvestigating the case.

PNS n AMRAVATI

The YS Jaganmohan Reddygovernment will not go aheadwith the proposed 'iconic'bridge across the KrishnaRiver, throwing another indi-cation that its plans for the newcapital Amravati will not be asostentatious as envisaged byformer chief minister NChandrababu Naidu.

The 3.2-km long six-lanebridge that is intended to con-nect Amravati withVi j ay aw a d a - Hy d e r a b a dNational Highway will be sim-ple and not iconic, and maycost around Rs 400 crore,down from the earlier pro-posed cost of Rs 1, 387 crore.

The National HighwayAuthority of India (NHAI) isexpected to soon complete aDetailed Project Report(DPR) for the bridge, which isexpected to reduce the dis-tance from Amravati toHyderabad and Amravati toJagdalpur in Chhattisgarh byaround 40 kms.

Naidu had on January 12laid the foundation stone forthe 'Kuchipudi iconic bridge'.With a 170-metre-tall pylon, itwas one of the many "iconic"structures planned by Naidu,who wanted to developAmravati as a world-class city.

Officials of the AmravatiDevelopment Corporation Ltd(ADCL) had then said that the

bridge would be completedwithin two years.

However, the Centre didnot show much interest in theproject due to the high costinvolved. It wanted the State tobear the additional expendi-ture for the project followingwhich the new governmenttold the NHAI that it prefers asimple bridge, which wouldmeet people's needs.

The decision to dump the'iconic' bridge plans comesamid confusion over future ofAmravati after UrbanDevelopment Minister Botsa

Satyanarayana recentlyremarked that the city wasflood-prone. The remark trig-gered speculation that the cap-ital may be shifted to someother place. BJP MP TGVenkatesh's claim that Jagan isplanning four regional capitalsfurther added to the confusion.

But leaders of the YSRCPmaintained that only the pre-vious government's plan foriconic structures had beenshelved, and there was no pro-posal to shift the capital fromAmravati.

Govt drops plansfor ‘iconic' bridge

The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) isexpected to soon complete a Detailed Project Report(DPR) for the bridge, which is expected to reduce thedistance from Amravati to Hyderabad and Amravati toJagdalpur in Chhattisgarh by around 40 kms

CM proposes‘CoffeeTogether' forCollectors, SPsPNS n VIJAYAWADA

Chief Minister Y SJaganmohan Reddy hasinstructed al l DistrictCollectors andSuperintendents of Policeto have 'Coffee Together'meetings every Tuesday sothat revenue land problemscan be solved with mutualcoordination. He reviewedthe Spandana programmeand found that more com-plaints were coming fromthe people on revenue landissues.

Asserting the proposals ofthe Collector and the SP ofPrakasam, Jagan proposedthe 'Coffee Together' meet-ings as a workable solution.

"After having a meetingon Tuesday, they have to listout the issues and send it toTahsildars. On Thursday,Tahasildar, SI, Surveyor, RIand VRO have to discuss theitems on the l ist ," heinstructed.

Jagan reiterated that theofficials should shun corruptpractices in administration.He urged them to root-outcorruption at all levels andannounced that supply ofquality rice through rationshops wil l start atSrikakulam in September.

Ministers Kodali Nani,Peddireddy RamachandraReddy and Chief SecretaryLV Subramanyam partici-pated in the meeting.

PNS n VIJAYAWADA

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)State Chief KannaLakshminarayana has said thathis party is committed to sup-porting Amravati as Capitaland asserted that any move toshift it will be opposed, toothand nail. He, along with MPSujana Chowdary and a fewother BJP leaders, visited villagesin the vicinity and interactedwith farmers on Tuesday.

At a meeting with farmers,

Kanna said Amravati shouldremain the Capital city of theState and supported the agitationby farmers to maintain statusquo. Lashing out at MunicipalAdministration Minister BotsaSatyanarayana for making whathe called 'irresponsible' state-ments, he said, "Tenders wereinvited for Rs 39,000-croreworks and Rs 9,000 crore hadalready been spent on theCapital. How can they leave theproject half-way through?"

He recalled that even Chief

Minister YS Jaganmohan Reddyhad, during his padayatra,assured that the Capital will bebuilt at Amravati. "How can henow change the decision?"Kanna wondered.

Stating that the Jagan MohanReddy's government is showingdesperation instead of working,he opined that Jagan was takinghasty decisions. "Naidu felt thatthe State was his own property.If Jagan too thinks in a similarway, then he will meet the samefate as his predecessor," he said.

BJP warns govt against shifting of Capital city

PNS n VIJAYAWADA

There seems to be no end to thewar of words between the rul-ing YSRCP and the Opposition. In the latest flare-up, farmersbelonging to 29 Capital villageshave thrown their towel in.

The challenge thrown atRajya Sabha MP SujanaChowdary by MunicipalAdministration Minister BotsaSatyanarayana and the counter-challenge by the former aremaking waves now.

When Satyanarayana held apress meet here on Tuesday,everybody thought that hemight provide clarity onAmravati, but he devoted mostpart of it to Sujana Chowdhary.

The Minister announced thatJatin Choudary, brother ofSujana Chowdhary, owns 114acres at Gudimetla village underChandarlapadu mandal inKrishna district. Besides, 100acres of land is in the name ofhis brother's daughterRushikanya at Veerulapadu inKrishna district. He furtheralleged that 500 acres of landwas acquired by Sujana's com-pany at a cheaper price fromAPIIC and given to CRDA.

He said relatives of NaraLokesh's co-brother and othersprocured lands in the Capitalregion.

Immediately, the otherYSRCP leaders started targetingSujana Chowdary saying that hehas lands in the Capital and isalso involved in the insidertrading. In his onslaught,Chowdary challenged the YSRCgovernment to make publicdetails of his lands and clarifiedthat there is no single cent ofland in his name in the Capitalregion. He dared Satyanarayana

to prove his allegations, whilespeaking during a protest pro-gramme by farmers inAmravati. He opined that theMinister does not even haveknowledge of the boundaries ofthe Capital region. "The minis-ter doesn't know the differencebetween Seed Capital and theCRDA region," he added. Heclarified that his native place isVeerulapadu and that hisgrandmother's properties arethere. He further asked theMinister to reveal the dates ofprocurement of lands atGudimetla, Veerulapdu andfrom whom they have been pro-cured as the government is intheir hands. "Then, it will beclear whether it is insider trad-ing or not. If we want to procureland, we can do it in the seedCapital region itself. Why wouldI acquire lands in native placeareas?" he wondered.

PNS n TIRUPATI

Former TTD Trust Boardmember G BhanuprakashReddy has alleged that anAssistant Executive Officer(AEO) is responsible for 5-kgsilver crown, two gold ringsand a gold chain that havegone missing from theDevasthanam's treasury.Though no criminal action hasbeen initiated against him, anamount of Rs 7.36 lakh, whichis equivalent to the value of themissing ornaments, is beingrecovered from the AEO'ssalary, he claimed.

Speaking to the media hereon Tuesday, he said the TTDhas impregnable security sys-tems in place, including armedguards and a closely-moni-tored CCTV network. He

wondered how it was possiblefor anyone to carry a crownout of the treasury.

"Is the TTD trying to saveanyone? Has a recovery pro-cedure been initiated in thepast? The common devotees ofLord Venkateswara want toknow the answers," hequipped. According to him,the TTD estimated the valueof the lost ornaments at Rs7.76 lakh. The TTD is puttingthe entire blame on a singleofficer and demanded that itcome up with a white paper onthe missing ornaments fromthe treasury.

"The ornaments weredonated by devotees and theTTD should come clean,'' hedemanded and threatened tolaunch an agitation if the TTDdid not clarify on the issue.

‘Catch the real culpritbehind TTD gold heist’

Botsa, YS Chowdary war of words touches new low

Stealing from RBI won't work: Rahul attacks CentrePNS n NEW DELHI

Congress MP Rahul Gandhitoday made lacerating com-ments against the governmentafter the Reserve Bank of Indiaapproved a record Rs. 1.76 lakhcrore payout to it, a move thathe alleged was the same as"stealing from the RBI".

"PM & FM are clueless abouthow to solve their self createdeconomic disaster. Stealingfrom RBI won't work - it's likestealing a Band-Aid from thedispensary & sticking it on agunshot wound," Mr Gandhitweeted.

The record payout by the RBIcomes at a time when there aresigns of severe stress in severalsectors, from housing to man-ufacturing. The total payout ofRs. 1.76 lakh crore includes Rs.1.23 lakh crore as dividend and

Rs. 52,640 crore surplus capital,the RBI said in a statement. Thedividend payment includes Rs.28,000 crore already transferredto the government in February,before the national election.

"Rs. 1.76 lakh cr given to thegovt by RBI is almost the exactsame amount missing fromBudget 2019 announcement.Where was that money spent?

Why was it missing from theBudget? Looting the RBI likethis only devastates our econo-my further & reduces credit rat-ing of the bank," the Congressparty tweeted.

During the UnitedProgressive Alliance (UPA) rulein 2009 or 10 years ago, the RBItransferred Rs. 25,000 crore tothe centre.

In comparison, the amount oftransfer this year is more thandouble the Rs. 68,000 crore thatthe RBI provided to the Modigovernment last year. It exceedsthe centre's budget estimate ofRs. 90,000 crore as dividendfrom the RBI this year.

The centre last week said itwill infuse Rs. 70,000 crore topublic sector banks to boost eco-nomic growth from a five-yearlow. Analysts say this amountmay come from the RBI payout.

NIRMALA DISMISSESCRITICISM OF RBI PAYOUTTackling criticism of the Reserve Bank of India's

decision to transfer a record Rs. 1.76 lakh crorefrom its surplus and reserves to the government,Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman Tuesdaydescribed as "outlandish" any questions raised onthe credibility of the committee that recommendedit. "This committee (Bimal Jalan Committee) isappointed by RBI, it had eminent experts in it, they gave aformula based on which the amount was arrived at, now anysuggestions about credibility of RBI, therefore, for me seems a bitoutlandish, considering the committee was appointed by the ReserveBank themselves," Sitharaman told reporters in Pune. She wasresponding to a question on whether RBI's international credibility AAArating could be affected as it has reduced its surplus by transferring theamount to the government. The transfer, including a surplus of Rs. 1.23lakh crore for 2018-19, will boost the government's finances at a time itstrives to tackle a nearly five-year low economic growth with lakhs ofestimated job cuts across sectors, and defend its ambitious target ofcontaining fiscal deficit at 3.3 per cent of the GDP.

Telangana State Sports Minister Srinivas Goud welcomes PV Sindhu on her arrival at the Begumpet Airport in Hyderabad onTuesday. The newly crowned World champion earlier in the day met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi. The UnionSports Ministry announced a cash reward of Rs ten lakh for Sindhu Report in Page 12

WORLD CHAMPION COMES HOME

The Minister announcedthat Jatin Choudary,brother of SujanaChowdhary, owns 114acres at Gudimetlavillage underChandarlapadu mandalin Krishna sistrict

Will live to be110 years:Dalai LamaPNS n DHARAMSHALA

Brushing aside concerns abouthis health, the Dalai Lama, 84,has assured his followers, espe-cially Tibetans, that he is in thebest of health and will live tobe 110 years old. A video of hisaddress to members of theMinnesota TibetanAssociation at the Von NgariMonastery on August 18 hasbeen widely circulated onsocial media and was receivedwith joy and relief by his fol-lowers around the world.

Concerns about his healthwere voiced following newsthat he had been admitted toa private hospital in Delhi dueto a chest infection in April.

In his address, while con-soling his followers, some ofwho could be heard weepingoccasionally, the Dalai Lamarecalled a dream in which thegoddess of glory, PaldenLhamo riding on the back ofthe Dalai Lama proclaims thathe will live for 110 years.

PNS n NEW DELHI

Prime Minister Imran Khan wasconsidering a complete closureof airspace to India, a Pakistanminister tweeted on Tuesday,adding that closing Indian traderoute to Afghanistan passingthrough the country was alsodiscussed at a cabinet meeting.The remark comes amid tensionbetween India and Pakistanover the scrapping of special sta-tus to Jammu and Kashmir andthe state's bifurcation.

"PM is considering a com-plete closure of Air Space toIndia, a complete ban on use ofPakistan Land routes for Indiantrade to Afghanistan was alsosuggested in cabinet meeting,

legal formalities for these deci-sions are under considera-tion...Modi has started we'llfinish," Pakistan's Science andTechnology Minister FawadHussain tweeted.

Prime Minister Imran Khan

Pakistan to closeair space to India

70 held in 38cases of PonzischemesPNS n HYDERABAD

In what looks like a coordi-nated action, the UnionMinistry of CorporateAffairs on Tuesday initiatedwinding up proceedingsagainst Vihaan Direct SellingPvt Ltd, a QNet sub-fran-chisee alleged to be runningponzi schemes here, whilethe Cyberabad Policeannounced the arrest of 70persons so far in 38 casesregistered against the com-pany, issue of notices toseven film personalities aswell as the freezing of Rs 2.7crore deposits related to thepromoters. The cases, regis-tered under various policestations of CyberabadCommissionerate, pertainto alleged multi-level mar-keting schemes involvingQNet.

Police Commissioner ofCyberabad, VC Sajjanar, saidthat notices had been servedto actors Anil Kapoor, ShahRukh Khan, Boman Irani,Jackie Shroff, Vivek Oberoi,Pooja Hegde and Allu Sirishfor participating in the com-pany's programmes. WhileAnil Kapoor, Shah Ruk Khanand Boman Irani respondedto the notices through theiradvocates, replies from theother celebrities are awaited.

Current Weather ConditionsUpdated August 27, 2019 5:00 PM

ALMANACTODAY

Month & Paksham:Shravana & Krishna PakshaPanchangamTithi : Trayodashi: 11:28 pmNakshatram: Pushya 10:55 pm Time to Avoid: (Bad time to start

any important work)Rahukalam: 12:17 pm – 01:50 pmYamagandam: 07:38 am – 09:11 am

Varjyam: 08:27 am - 09:54 am

Gulika: 10:44 am - 12:17 pmGood Time: (to start any important work)

Amritakalam: 05:08 pm - 06:35 pmAbhijit Muhurtham: NIL

VIJAYAWADAWEATHERForecast: Partly CloudyTemp: 37/27Humidity: 64%Sunrise: 06.01Sunset: 06.33

Printed and Published by B Krishna Prasad on Behalf of CMYK Printech Limited. Printed at Jagati Publications Limited, Sakshi Press, Door No. 5-625, Vadlamudi Road, Atmakuru Village, Mangalagiri Mandal, Guntur District, Andhra Pradesh.Published at Door No. 40-4-11, Flat No.501, Sujatha Citadel, Jasti Venkataratnam Street, Behind DV Manor Hotel, Vijayawada, Krishna District, AP. Resident Editor B Krishna Prasad RNI title Code no. APENG03628. Phone No. 0866-2479001.

Although every possible care and caution has been taken to avoid errors or omissions, this publication is being sold on the condition and understanding that information given in this publication is merely for reference and must not be taken as having authority of or binding in any way on the writers, editors, publishers, and printers and sellers who do not owe any responsibility for anydamage or loss to any person, a purchaser of this publication or not for the result of any action taken on the basis of this work. All disputes are subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of competent court and forums in Delhi/New Delhi only. Readers are advised and requested to verify and seek appropriate advice to satisfy themselves about the veracity of any kind of advertisement beforeresponding to any contents published in this newspaper. The printer, publisher, editor and any employee of the Pioneer Group's will not be held responsible for any kind of claim made by the advertisers of the products & services and shall not be made responsible for any kind of loss, consequences and further product-related damages on such advertisements.

CAPSULE

WORKSHOP ON‘EXPERIMENTALDEMO OFELECTRICITY’VIJAYAWADA: Andhra LoyolaCollege's Physics Department onTuesday organised a workshopon the ‘experimentaldemonstration of electricity andmagnetism and its application ineveryday life’. Resource personLakshmana Suri, sciencepromoter and executive memberof Indian Association of PhysicsTeachers, demonstrated nearly30 experiments onelectromagnetic induction and itsapplications for the students. Hesaid that the only way to findalternatives for energyconversion was when peoplewere willing to think differently."Today's power generation,distribution and consumptionare based on principles ofelectromagnetic inductioninvented by Michel Faraday.India needs people with scientificspirit rather than technocrats,"he said. HoD of PhysicsDepartment Rev Fr VictorEmmanuel, Dr G SahayaBaskaran, Dr T Srikumar andother lecturers participated in theworkshop.

SPL TRAINS FROMSEC'BAD ANDGUWAHATI FROM TOMORROWVisakhapatnam: In order toclear the rush of passengers, therailways has decided to runspecial trains betweenSecunderabad and Guwahati for10 trips from August 29 toNovember 2. Train No. 02513Secunderabad- GuwahatiExpress will leave fromSecunderabad on Thursdays at5:40am from August 29 toOctober 31, and will reachGuwahati at 8.45am onSaturday. Train No. 02514Guwahati-Secunderabad Expresswill leave Guwahati on Saturdaysat 11:55pm from August 31 toNovember 2, reach Duvvada onMondays at 2.03pm and reachits final destination on Tuesdaysat 4am. These pair of trains willhave stoppages at Duvvada,Kottavalasa, Vizianagaram,Srikakulam Road, Palasa,Brahmapur, Khurda Road,Bhubaneswar, and Bhadrak overEast Coast Railway.

FARMER DIES OFSNAKEBITEAvanigadda: A farmer identifiedas Mummareddy Ankala Rao(50) belonging toBhavadevarapalli underNagayalanka mandal in Krishnadistrict died of snakebite onTuesday. The incident took placewhen Ankala Rao was going tohis fields at 4.30 am. Hereturned home immediately afterhe was bitten by a snake andthen headed for the AvanigaddaArea Hospital. However, he diedminutes after reaching thehospital. This was the secondcase of death due to snakebite inthree days in Avanigaddamandal. As many as ninepersons died of snakebite in thearea in the last eight months.

VIJAYAWADA | WEDNESDAY | AUGUST 28, 2019 vijayawada 02

EGGRATES

` 39,870 (10 gm)

` 1170

GOLD

` 46, 700 (1kg)

` 1600

HYDERABAD 315VIJAYAWADA 336VISAKHAPATNAM 361RETAIL PPRICE `3.36

SILVER

VIJAYAWADABULLION RATES

`/100

CHICKENRATES

Dressed/With Skin `129

Without Skin `147

Broiler at Farm `89

`/KG

(IN VIJAYAWADA)

Jagan has no control overCabinet colleagues: APCCPNS n VIJAYAWADA

Andhra Pradesh CongressCommittee Vice-PresidentTulasi Reddy on Tuesday saidthat Chief Minister YSJaganmohan Reddy has nocontrol over his Cabinet min-isters and lacked the qualitiesof good administrators as sev-eral decisions taken in thesethree months have proveddetrimental to the growth ofthe State.

Speaking to media personsafter meeting the farmers fromAmaravati region, he said theadamant nature of ChiefMinister was quite evidentwhen he decided to initiate theretendering process forPolavaram project eventhough AP High Court foundfault with his step.

"Jagan has lowered theimage of Andhra Pradesh andmade the State a laughingstock in the eyes of people,thanks to poor administrativeskills of YSRCP ministers".

He said retendering willdelay the Polavaram projectand will push the State gov-ernment to difficulties. "ThePolavaram Project AuthorityChief Executive Officer hascategorically said that anyplan to retender the projectwill lead to further delay".

He also said that the ChiefMinister should come clean oncapital city formation andquell the confusion amongthe farmers who gave theirland for the capital city pur-pose.

"Nearly, 30 per cent of theworks were completed in

Amaravati. Judges' bungalowsare nearing completion.Shifting the capital city to anew place will push the Statebackward".

He said farmers gave theirfertile land not for any polit-ical party, but for the Stategovernment to build a capitalcity. "Just like how the ChiefMinister has clarified theAmma Vodi programme, heshould make a clear statementon capital".

"There is no flood threat toAmavarati as perceived byYSRCP leaders. There is nothreat even fromKondaveetivagu".

He said Jagan will face thewrath of the voters, who gavehim a thumping majority if hehad decided to shift the cap-ital city. "The Chief Ministershould control the ministersfrom making inappropriateand inconsistent comments

on sensitive issues. TheCentral government underPrime Minister NarendraModi will not be a mute spec-tator and it should interveneat an appropriate time".

He questioned how Jagancan build three or four capi-tal cities when building one inAmaravati seems like aHerculean task.

He said the YSRCP gov-ernment should take steps tounearth corruption, ifoccurred, under the TDPregime and punish the cul-prits, but should not takesteps that would hamper theprogress of the State.

Farmers gavetheir fertile landnot for any

political party, but for theState government tobuild a capital cityTULASI REDDY,APCC Vice-President

Tulasi Reddy saidJagan will face thewrath of the voters,who gave him athumping majority ifhe had decided toshift the capital city."The CM shouldcontrol the ministersfrom makinginappropriatecomments onsensitive issues.The Centre underthe PM will not be amute spectator andit should interveneat an appropriatetime"

PNS n VIJAYAWADA

The Bhavani Island will bereopened for tourists andrevellers from September 1,according to Minister forTourism Avanthi Srinivas.

Speaking to media per-sons here on Tuesday aftertaking stock of the damage atthe island owing to the recentfloods, he said AP Tourismincurred a loss of Rs 2 crore."Both the safety wall and thewater plant were badly dam-aged".

He said owing to heavyflooding, the Krishna basin

was submerged. "There areSupreme Court directivesnot to build permanentstructures in the river basins.We strictly follow the rulesand that is the reason we

indicated that temporarystructures should be con-structed in the catchmentareas".

He said efforts will bemade to develop the island as

an eco-friendly destination."Unlike the previous gov-ernment, which relied onfalse promises. We will stickto the rules and develop theBhavani Island on par withthe best resorts in the coun-try", the minister promised.

Measures will betaken to develop the

island as an eco-friendly destination

— MINISTER FOR TOURISMAVANTHI SRINIVAS

Bhavani Island to reopen on Sept 1

311 GITAMstudents selectedin Accenturecampus drivePNS n VISAKHAPATNAM

Accenture India selected 311students from GITAM(Deemed to be University) inits campus placement drive onTuesday. The selection processinvolved pre-placement talks,online test, technical test forFSE, as well as group inter-views held for the past threedays in GITAM campus.

The recruitment team wasled by Accenture Solutions PvtLtd Managing Director G SRao. University Training andPlacements DirectorGurumoorthy Gangadharaninformed that this year,Accenture had come up witha differential package for theroles of FSE & ASE. 21 stu-dents had been offered the roleof Full Stack Engineer with apackage of 6.5 LPA and 290 asApplication DevelopmentAssociate with a package of 4.5LPA. Students from allBranches of BTech and MCAgot an opportunity to presenttheir skill sets.

Top performers in the selec-tion process will get to workwith industry professionalsfrom Accenture as part oftheir Internship programme inthe second semester of theirfinal year to get a hands-onexposure prior to joining thefirm.

GITAM Vice-ChancellorProf K Sivaramakrishna andRegistrar KVGD Balaji appre-ciated the students for theirachievement and thankedAccenture for the large scalerecruitment. Accenture is aleading global professionalservices company, providing abroad range of services.

PNS n VIJAYAWADA

Hundi collection at Sri DurgaMa l l e s w a r a s w a my v a r l aDevasthanam crossed Rs 2crore-mark here on Tuesday.

Officials of the dev-asthanam counted the hundidonated by devotees for thelast 20 days. Priests andemployees took part in the

process and counted as manyas 29 hundis installed at vari-ous places in the temple.

"During the counting, wereceived Rs 2,64,03,579 asofferings from devotees," saidExecutive Officer Suresh Babu,who supervised the count-ing. A total of 610 grams ofgold and 7.8 kgs of silver werealso part of offerings.

Durga temple employees counting the cash in hundies in Vijayawada on Tuesday

Seven danceforms on oneplatform onAugust 31PNS n VIJAYAWADA

Natya Saraswathi, CulturalCentre of Vijayawada andAmaravati (CCVA), AndhraPradesh State Creativity andCulture Commission (APSC-CC) and Hotel Aira SmartStay are jointly organising adance festival - NrithyaBharathi - 2019 on August 31in seven different Indian clas-sical dance forms as a tributeto Mother India, said SivanagiReddy, CEO, CCVA, onTuesday.

The festival is the 10th edi-tion choreographed bySaraswathi Rajathesh,Director of the DanceFestival, presenting seveneminent dancers from acrossthe nation coming together toperform on a single plat-form.

“Bharatanatyam byMoupiya Dutta from WestBengal, Kuchipudi byManjula Indraganti fromTelangana, Mohiniattam byRamya Renjith from Kerala,Kathak by Nithin Shiralefrom Aurangabad, Manipuriby Macha Chaoreikanbafrom Manipur, Odissi byJivana Devi from New Delhi,Sattriya by Monisha DeviGoswamy from Assam fol-lowed by a special thematicdance by Guru Shri Khaleel,will be held”, he added.

The finale of the festivalwill feature Vandemataramchoreographed by all theartists, a special music com-posed by Praveen D Rao, aninternationally acclaimedmusician and music com-poser from Bengaluru.

PNS n VIJAYAWADA

CPI National Secretary D Raja said that measureswould be taken for the unifi-cation of Left parties to tack-le the marauding march of theRSS-BJP combine.

Speaking at the Meet-the-Press programme organisedby Andhra Pradesh Unionfor Working Journalists hereon Tuesday, he said soon ameeting would be held withCPM and other parties toarrive at a consensus.

"The country is at thecrossroads. The right wingextremists' forces are callingthe shots and the time hascome for all the secular partiesto join hands to resist theaggressive move of the ele-ments".

He said the RSS-BJP duowas constantly harming theconstitutional and democrat-ic rights of citizens. "Scrappingof Article 370 in Jammu andKashmir was done in anundemocratic and unconsti-tutional manner".

He said the CPI opposedthe abrogation move bothinside and outside Parliament."The Jammu & Kashmir issueis a bilateral issue, whichshould be resolved by Indiaand Pakistan, and there shouldnot be a third party interven-tion".

However, he found faultwith top BJP leaders, whowere voicing contradictory

statements on the sensitiveJ&K issue. "It is unfortunatePrime Minister NarendraModi, Home Minister AmitShah, Minister for ExternalAffairs Jayasankar, are makingdifferent statements onJammu and Kashmir.

Senior Left leader said:"India is not fit for the two-party rule. Keeping in view thevaried culture and diversified

outlook, the Father of IndianConstitution Ambedkarrejected the two-party system.He felt Parliamentary democ-racy was suited for India as itwas bestowed with differentcultures. Diversif icationshould not be treated as weak-ness".

He said certain right-wingforces were keen to destroy thecomposite culture of India by

introducing fascist culture.He said the major step of

Prime Minister Modi towardsimplementing the new orderwas scrapping of PlanningCommission and the intro-duction of Niti Aayog.

Niti Aayog is the think tankof the government. It is advo-cating privatisation of all pub-lic sector units and help themarket forces and corporatesector. He said the PrimeMinister proved his allegianceto the corporate world byasking people to respect thewealth creators. "He is for thecorporate world and not forthe working class, farmers,agricultural labourers and thepoor. Modi added 'Sab KaVishwas' to his rhetoric as hefailed in his earlier two pur-suits 'Sab ka Saath' and 'SabKa Vikas'.

Raja reminded the gather-ing how Finance MinisterNirmala Sitaraman came outwith a slew of measures help-ing the corporate sector. "Butthe issue of minimum wagesfor the workforce is still beaddressed by the FinanceMinister. The government hasnot addressed improving theliving standards of the poor",he added.

He said the Modi regimehad failed in job creation."Modi is bothered about one-nation-one tax, one-nation-one-flag, one-nation-one-elec-tion and neglecting realissues".

Unification of Left partieson the cards, says Raja

CPI National Secretary D Raja addressing the media in Vijayawada on Tuesday

Elocution on economics conductedPNS n VIJAYAWADA

Maris Stella College'sEconomics Department hasorganised the 55th ShroffMemorial ElocutionCompetition on the collegepremises on Tuesday.

Dr B Josephine SandhyaRani, HoD, Economics, in herspeech said that the depart-ment had a consortium withMumbai-based Forum of FreeEnterprise, which is a non-political and non-partisanorganisation, and this compe-tition was conducted for BAand MA (Economics) stu-

dents since 2007. She said theobjective was to encouragecollege students to think and

speak on economic issuesbesides enabling them to dis-play their oratory skills.

As many as 25 participantsfrom UG and PG sections par-ticipated and expressed theirviews on the topics such asquest towards inclusive growthin India, health for all, reform-ing national health policy androle of a model citizen indemocracy.

Dr VN Mangadevi, HoD,Telugu, P Nitya Jeeva Prada,HoD, Zoology and Dr Sarvani,HoD, Commerce, acted asjudges. Cash prizes were givento winners.

PNS n VISAKHAPATNAM

A two-day international work-shop on 'Coastal ReservoirsSustainable Solution to WaterScarcity' began at theDepartment of CivilEngineering, AndhraUniversity, here on Tuesday.

Professors, scientists andresearchers from across theworld, such as Prof Shu-QingYang from University ofWollongong in Australia, ProfRamesh from NIT- Suratkal,Associate Professor DrSreevalskolathayar from VIT,and scientist Dr Jena fromNIOT, Chennai, will be deliv-ering lectures during the work-shop as resource persons.

While addressing the gath-ering, chief guest of the func-tion

Prof Peri Srinivasa Rao,

Principal, Andhra UniversityCollege of Engineering(AUCE) elaborated the grow-ing requirement of new tech-nologies in the field of watersupply for municipal andindustrial needs of the coun-try.

Prof V Krishna Mohan,Registrar, Andhra University,highlighted the importance ofwater conservation and watermanagement. The guest ofhonour, Prof Yang, discussedthe concept of coastal reser-

voirs and their applications indifferent parts of the world.

Prof TV Praveen, Head,Department of CivilEngineering, presided over theinaugural function andemphasised the requirement ofenvironmental impact assess-ment of costal reservoirs. ProfMG Muni Reddy, coordinatorof the workshop, stated thatsuch technical endeavourswould be pragmatic if theissues concerned wereaddressed and hoped that thesystems would bring in theprosperity and well being ofmankind.

Around 70 participants con-sisting of engineers from gov-ernment departments, stu-dents from universities, engi-neering colleges and researchscholars were present at theworkshop.

Prof V Krishna Mohan,Registrar, AndhraUniversity, highlightedthe importance of waterconservation and watermanagement

‘There is a growing requirementfor new tech in water supply'

The Prime Minister proved hisallegiance to the corporate world byasking people to respect the wealthcreators. "He is for the corporateworld and not for the working class,farmers, farn labourers and the poor”,says CPI National Secretary D Raja

As many as 25participants from UGand PG sectionsparticipated andexpressed their viewson the topics such asquest towardsinclusive growth in the country

Offerings cross Rs 2 crat Durga temple

PNS n VIJAYAWADA

National OBC CommissionBoard member T Achari onTuesday said efforts would bemade to include 15 castes intothe OBC list.

Participating in the AndhraPradesh BC Employees WelfareSociety conference at Patamatahere on Tuesday, he said themain aim of the commission isto render justice to all the BCcastes. "We will review allappointments and promotions ofBC employees and strive to ren-der justice to them. We will alsoundertake district-wise tours".

Leaders also promisedunions to discuss all the rele-vant issues and seek justice toBCs. Achari said for the past 25

years, the OBC Commissionhad no legal or constitutionalrights. "Thanks to Prime

Minister Narendra Modi, theOBC Commission wasbestowed with both legal and

constitutional rights on theFloor of Parliament".

Many leaders said that therewere 189 BC castes in the Stateand they wanted political, eco-nomic, educational and

employment opportunities forthe development of those castes.

"We were asking the gov-ernments time and again tocount the BC population. Butthere is no response".

Andhra PradeshVishwabramana, VishwakarmaJoint Action CommitteeChairman PavuluriHanumantra Rao said that thelegislature should provide 50per cent reservation to BCs andalso in the promotion of BCemployees. General Secretaryof Welfare AssociationYugandhar, ElectricityEmployees Union leaderGanesh, committee members,leaders of various caste associ-ations and BC unions partici-pated.

National OBC Commission Board member T Achari addressing the media in Vijayawada on Tuesday

Achari said for the past25 years, the OBCCommission had nolegal or constitutionalrights. "Thanks to thePM, the OBCCommission wasbestowed with both legaland constitutional rightsin Parliament"

‘Efforts will be made to include 15 castes in OBC list'

VIJAYAWADA | WEDNESDAY | AUGUST 28, 2019 vijayawada 03

CAPSULE

‘DEVELOPMENT OFAP WENT BACK BYAT LEAST 20 YEARS’ Srikakulam: TDP AP unitpresident Kala Venkata Raocriticised the YSRCPgovernment as thegovernment of cancellations. Speaking to the media hereon Tuesday, he said that thedevelopment of the Statewent back by at least 20years in the three monthsadministration of the YSRCPgovernment.He sought to know whyJaganmohan Reddy remainedtight-lipped on the newcapital in Amaravati andaccused him of insultingfarmers, who sacrificed their35,000 acres of land for thecapital. He breathed fire onthe YSRCP leaders whom heaccused of deriving sadisticpleasures at the woes of thefarmers. He accused theYSRCP of engineering floodsonly to inundate the house offormer CM ChandrababuNaidu.

INTER-SCHOOL QUIZHELD AT VPSPSVijayawada: The Ministry ofExternal Affairs conducted aninter-school quiz programmefor high school students inassociation with The IndianJournal of Diplomacy at VPSiddhartha Public School onTuesday. As many as 14teams from different schoolsin Vijayawada and Gunturparticipated in the quiz inwhich questions on thecountry's polity and its globalrelations figured. The teamscompeted against each otherin the qualifying rounds.Three teams out of the 14 -NSM Public School, NirmalHriday School and AtkinsonSenior Secondary School -were selected to competeagainst three teams fromHyderabad in the finals,which will be held onSeptember 6 in Hyderabad. The teams that cleared thequalifying round werefelicitated by Gajarao Bhupal,Commandant 6th Battalion.Those who gave the correctanswers were awarded pendrives.

FIVE-WICKET WINFOR SECRETARY'S XIVIJAYAWADA: Secretary’s XIdefeated President’s XI by fivewickets in the ACA under -16women inter-state probableslimited-overs tournament held atACA Women’s Academy in JKCCollege campus, (Guntur) onTuesday. The scores: President’s XI 125in 50 overs (Mayassar Anjum24, G Hema Madhuri three fornine) lost to Secretary’s XI 126for five in 30.4 overs (G NagaLakshmi 43, P Vinny Sujan 28).

It was certainly not the sortof homecoming that ChiefMinister YS Jaganmohan

Reddy hoped for when hereturned from his tour of theUnited States. Truthfullyspeaking, it was double wham-my, and something that henever imagined would befallhim.

It has been to such extremesthat he has to get into a fast-paced damage-control modeand do a thorough job of it.

The setbacks came in quicksuccession. The AndhraPradesh High Court's observa-tion with regard to reverse ten-dering of Polavaram irrigationproject and construction workof hydel project must havecome as a major blow to Jagan.By finding fault with the deci-sion of the State Governmentof doing away with the origi-nal contracting firm has puthim on a sticky wicket. He isbelieved to be clueless on thepossible recourse to stem therot, despite taking stock of thesituation with the Advocate

General. If that were notenough to cause heartburn, hehas been pushed to the brinkby a senior Cabinet colleagueon an issue that is particular-ly sentimental to the ChiefMinister. The Minister hasopened a Pandora's Box withhis adverse comments on con-tinuance of Amravati as thecapital city, in the wake of theinundation caused by theRiver Krishna floods at theproposed dream capital.

Out of all the develop-ments that irked the govern-ment, High Court's observa-tion on reverse tendering hasput the Chief Minister in aspot of bother. Anotheraspect is that by going to aDivision Bench of the HighCourt on the decision of thesingle judge regarding reversetendering could possibly gen-erate more heat in the daysahead. He will be in a dilem-ma even if wiser counsel tellshim to wait for some moretime and see the develop-ments and decide to move

further. But it would cer-tainly be detrimental to theinterests of the State as it maybe viewed by both outsidersand people of the State in asimilar manner with neitherbeing pro-government.Moreover, none from hisimmediate advisers can dareto open their minds in anattempt to judge whetherthings done so far were goodor bad!

Given the precarious cir-cumstances, the Chief Minister

chose to observewhether the 'setbacks'would become toolsin the hands of hisdetractors and thepolitical fallout,thereof.

In the mean-time, the thing onhis mind must be in devisingways and means to tackle theconfrontation-like situationwith BJP leadership, giventhat his trusted aide VVijayasai Reddy claimed that

the State Government waskeeping the Union govern-ment posted of every develop-ment pertaining to Polavaramproject, while responding to aUnion Minister's commentson the reverse tenderingmove. It can be viewed as a

serious issue as Vijaysai'swords did not corroboratewith that of the UnionMinister's!

The Centre has specificallysaid that it should be informedof every development regard-ing the construction ofPolavaram as it pays everyrupee after it attained the sta-tus of a national project. Inthis backdrop, there is a com-pelling need for Jagan toassuage the BJP leadershipand clear all such misnomers.

It may be noted that BJP isalso making an issue of thenon-Hindu religious 'cam-paign' on RTC bus tickets atTirupati. That 'friendly' partyof YSRCP is vigorously mak-ing it a platform for itself topenetrate into the religiousvote bank. There definitelywill be a problem for the

State's ruling party politically,if the issue emerges as a majortalking point.

The negative propagandaover the continuance ofAmravati has irked Jagan asthe needle of suspicion willautomatically point at him,irrespective who has started it.Initially, Jagan expressed dis-pleasure over the pace ofprogress and accused theChandrababu Naidu regime ofnot laying foundation stoneeven for one permanent build-ing in the seed capital.

However, Jagan is surelynot contemplating action onthe lines of his TelanganaState counterpart to possiblysack his Cabinet colleague for'breach of trust' in the form ofbringing confidential policymatters to public domain.

It is a different matter alto-gether that Jagan himself hasbeen reluctant on the presentsite of Amravati. But he has tobear the brunt if the govern-ment plans to shift the capitalelsewhere. That explains his

guarded approach in thisregard.

On the other side, JanaSena party chief Pawan Kalyanhas categorically stated thatAmravati would be there atthe present site and he went tothe extent of reassuring thesame to farmers, who collec-tively handed over 33,000acres to the government underland-pooling system for theconstruction of the capitalcity.

Jagan, who aspires to con-tinue the same surge of hightide in YSRCP favour, is keenthat no scope is given to theprincipal opposition party toregain lost ground.

But then, policy-makingshould be entirely differentfrom that of a vendetta-drivenpolitical attitude, irrespectiveof one's clout, political one-upmanship and reverence!Only then can one avoid thefate of Captain Joseph BruceIsmay, who steered the ill-fated Titanic into Atlantic onApril 14, 1912!

M D RATNA KUMAR Senior Journalist

The setbacks came in quick succession. The Andhra Pradesh High Court's observationwith regard to reverse tendering of Polavaramirrigation project and construction work ofhydel project must have come as a majorblow to Jagan

A tight-rope walk for Jagan

PINPOINT

Wanna have a project for enggcourse? Shell out Rs 5,000!CH SHARMILAn VIJAYAWADA

It appears that anything is pos-sible in the capital city if youhave money, particularly inthe educational sector. For finalyear engineering and manage-ment graduates, it is difficult tocomplete their mandatory pro-jects. But, of late, a number ofinstitutes have sprung up inVijayawada to make their jobeasier. All they need is just Rs5,000 to get their project workdone. The students are makinga beeline to such institutes.

Engineering students aresupposed to choose a topic andwork on it in their final year.They are required to completetheir study and do a project fora total of 100 marks. Instead ofgoing through this ordeal, thestudents are approachingcoaching institutes and enter-ing into a deal with them.

When The Pioneerapproached one of the coach-ing institutes, the person at theother end said, "All you have todo is choose the project andnegotiate a price. We will giveit to you in a short time."Interestingly, they also trainthem in not being found by theteachers. The person said, "Donot worry. We will also coachyou on the project so that theexaminers will not have anydoubts on whether you havedone it, or somebody else."

Satya, a student, said in herclass of 60, only three or threedid their projects on their own.Among the remaining, some

bought projects wholesale,while others bought projects inbits and pieces. "Our professorsare aware of this practice. So,they review our projects everymonth. To prevent us from get-ting caught, these 'companies'prepare our project accordingto our needs."

Explaining the importance of

doing a project, Udaya, a pro-fessor, says "While doing aproject, over a period of time,you would begin to understandyour strengths and weakness-es. For example, when I did myproject, I understood that I wasdecent enough in coding, goodin problem-solving andresearch, good in leadership,

and bad in setting deadlinesand presenting my ideas.Similarly, anyone can identifytheir strengths and weakness-es if they do their own project".

Kishore, a private collegefaculty, says "Creating projectsgive a hands-on experience onthe related technology. Thisexperience cannot be gained

only through theory. Though,we ask our students not to buyprojects due to their lazinessthey will buy them. A foolproofsystem should be evolved forthis and every project should bestored in the database andbefore approval, it should bechecked twice by the universi-ty concerned".

Ravi, a graduate, said lack ofknowledge and support struc-ture in the institutions lead stu-dents to buy projects. No won-der, the sources said 20-33% outof 1.5 million engineers in thecountry passing out every yearrun the risk of not getting a jobat all. The entire system shouldchange and every collegeshould support the students'individual innovative projectsand assign faculty to help them,only then the problem can besolved.

Sanath, principal of privatecollege, says "Gone are thedays when getting admission inan engineering college wastough. Now, anybody can getadmission due to a large num-ber of colleges everywhere.There is another factor at play.Everybody wants to get intoengineering and learning thesubject by heart they want tobecome engineers. Also, mostengineering colleges do notimpart quality education. Iknow many people, who failedto get engineering jobs, andnow teach at colleges. I wonderwhy such teachers turn a blindeye to students buying projects;they are equally responsible forthe trend."

n When The Pioneerapproached one of thecoaching institutes, theperson at the other endsaid, "All you have to do ischoose the project andnegotiate a price. We willgive it to you in a short time

n Engineering students are supposed to choose a topic andwork on it in their final year

n They are required tocomplete their study and do aproject for a total of 100marks. Instead of goingthrough this ordeal, thestudents are approachingcoaching institutes andentering into a deal with them

Udaya, a professor,says "While doing aproject, over a periodof time, you wouldbegin to understandyour strengths andweaknesses”

The world is lookingat India, says V-PPNS n VIJAYAWADA

The world is looking at Indiathese days like how it viewedthe US in the past, accordingto Vice-President M VenkaiahNaidu. He was participating ina programme here on Tuesdayorganised to celebrate comple-tion of two years completionas Vice-President.

He said the duty of Vice-President is to provide guid-ance to people. "I rendered jus-tice to the responsibility givento me. My friends and partyare responsible for my eleva-tion. I toured nearly 500 dis-tricts in the country and stud-ied the life of the people".

He advocated SpecialJudicial Tribunals to conducttrials on the criminal casesagainst political leaders andbemoaned that criminal casesinvolving political leaders wereincreasing. "The political lead-ers are even involved in rapeand murder cases. Along withtheir reputation, goodwill ofthe county is maligned," hecommented.

He suggested governmentsto increase wealth and distrib-ute it to the people. "Politicalparties and their membersshould have high values andset an example to others to fol-low".

He said Prime MinisterNarendra Modi has taken sev-eral reforms for the progress ofthe country. He said languagereflected the culture andexhorted State governments toteach basic education in moth-er tongue. He asked the rulingand opposition parties torespect one another in order tonurture democratic system.

On the abrogation of Article370, he said that it was not apolitical issue, but a nationalone. "It was long overdue.Abrogation of Article 370 isgood for the country thoughthere could be some tempo-rary issues".

He said he was anxiouswhen the Bill was introducedin the Rajya Sabha. " I studiedthe rules and regulations care-fully and wished there wouldbe a debate, discussion anddecorum in the House".

Describing JawaharlalNehru's speech of November1963, the Vice-President notedthat Article 370 was only"temporary and transitory".

"While 110 laws made byParliament were applicableacross the country onlyJammu and Kashmir wasexempted. Even reservationswere not being implemented",he pointed out.

"Some parties realised theinjustice and supported abro-gation of the Article", headded. Though only fourhours were allotted for discus-sion on Article 370, the Housedeliberated on it for over six-and- a-half hours with everymember getting an opportuni-ty to speak".

He said the Rajya Sabha hasadopted the Bill with a two-thirds majority while the LokSabha passed it with 4\5thmajority.

Vice-President M Venkaiah Naiduspeaking at a programme inVijayawada on Tuesday

n M Venkaiah Naidu saidthe duty of Vice-President isto provide guidance topeople. "I rendered justiceto the responsibility given tome. My friends and partyare responsible for myelevation. I toured nearly500 districts in the countryand studied the life of thepeople"

n He suggestedgovernments to increasewealth and distribute it tothe people. "Political partiesand their members shouldhave high values and set anexample to others tofollow"

n On the abrogation ofArticle 370, he said that itwas not a political issue, buta national one. "It was longoverdue. Abrogation ofArticle 370 is good for thecountry though there couldbe some temporary issues"

Jagan doing harm to AP: TDPPNS n VIJAYAWADA

Former minister YanamalaRamakrishnudu alleged thatChief Minister YSJaganmohan Reddy is deliber-ately causing harm to theinterests of Andhra Pradesh tobenefit his Telangana counter-part K Chandrashekar Rao asper a secret agreement.

Speaking to the media hereon Tuesday, he opined that'reverse administration' ofJaganmohan Reddy is themain reason for the financialcrisis in the State. He said,"YSRCP has derived benefitfrom the TRS government inthe recent elections and nowit is paying back to KCR.

Agriculture, industries andother sectors suffered damagedue to the decisions ofJaganmohan Reddy".

Former minister KalavaSrinivasulu lashed out at thegovernment saying that the90-day old YSRCP govern-ment is a dampsquib. Jaganshould clarify on Amaravatiwithout any further delay,

otherwise his image would bedented, he added. Srinivasulualleged that the furore onCapital was created by BotsaSatyanarayana at the behest ofJagan.

Former minister KolluRavindra also criticisedJaganmohan Reddy's govern-ment dubbing it a 'reversegovernment'.

YSRCP has derivedbenefit from the TRSin the recent polls andnow it is paying backto KCR: Yanamala

Ecourage sportspersonsat all levels, says CMPNS n VIJAYAWADA

Chief Minister YSJaganmohan Reddy said thatsportspersons at all levelsshould be encouraged in theState. He instructed the offi-cials to list out the sportsper-sons, who bagged medalsafter the division of the Statein 2014, and the governmentwould felicitate them.

He said sportspersons,who won gold medals, willbe given Rs 5 lakh and thosewho won silver medal andbronze medals Rs 4 lakhand Rs 3 lakh respectively as

an incentive from the gov-ernment. He asked the offi-cials to identify junior andsub-junior sportspersons inthe State, who baggedmedals at the national-levelso that they can be felicitat-ed.

He said, "On August 29,on the occasion of theNational Sports Day, a week-long programme would bestarted to honour sportsper-sons. If we encouragesportspersons at all levels,then stalwarts l ike PVSindhu will emerge in theState".

A tale of two SandhyasPNS n VIJAYAWADA

A woman gave birth to a babygirl on the national highwaynear Gannavaram on Mondaynight. Sandhya fromKoyyagurapadu of Unguturumandal had arrived atGannavaram by an auto-rick-shaw. As she was alightingfrom the vechicle, she devel-oped labour pains and tried towalk towards the GannavaramGovernment Hospital.

As the pains increased, shesat on the side of the road andgave birth to a baby girl on thehighway at around 9.30pm.Locals immediately informed108 and the ambulance staffshifted her to a hospital.

In another incident, anoth-er pregnant woman with thesame name- Sandhya - deliv-ered a baby boy at her resi-

dence due to the unavailabil-ity of 108 ambulance. Theincident happened atKesarapalli village inGannavaram mandal.

According to reports, theparents called the 108 toll-freenumber, while their daughterdeveloped severe labour pains.As the 108 teams expressed thenon-availability of the ambu-lance, Sandhya's parents went

out for a taxi. Meanwhile, shedelivered a baby boy. Afterreaching the GannavaramGovernment HospitalSandhya, parents faced apiquant situation as there wasno doctor, or nurse to attendto their daughter. After repeat-ed phone calls, a doctor cameand referred Sandhya toVijayawada GovernmentGeneral Hospital.

People exhorted to carry cloth bagsPNS n VIJAYAWADA

The environment is deteriorat-ing day by day due to industri-al pollution, toxic chemicals,automobile emission and nat-ural resource exhaustion.

Pollution in its various formsis increasing and that's the rea-son we are experiencing soar-ing temperature in the rainyseason and devastating effect ofclimate change.

With a strong desire to givea pollution-free environmentto the coming generations,denizens of Vijayawada spoketo The Pioneer and sharedtheir ideas.

Aslam, a student of environ-mental science, believes in lit-tle efforts can make a huge dif-ference. "Going green is easi-er than you think. There are lit-tle things, we can do as an indi-

vidual every day to help reducegreenhouse gases and make aless harmful impact on theenvironment".

He adds "Try to have mini-mal use of plastic, polytheneand non-bio-degradable stuff.Carry your own cloth bags forshopping and groceries, insteadof getting a new polybag everytime. Switch off the lightswhen they are no longer need-ed. Use energy-efficient light

sources." Says Sri Ram, adegree student, "Plug outappliances from the sockets ifthey are not likely to be usedfor seven to eight hours. Forinstance, TVs can be pluggedout overnight. This is a verysmall gesture, but if a largenumber of people do it, it canactually cause a noticeable dif-ference, minimal use of plastic,polythene and non-bio-degradable stuff. Carry your

own bags for shoppingand groceries, instead of

getting a new poly-bag every time".

Uday, an ITemployee, saysrecycling was thefirst thing thatcomes to mind forreducing environ-mental footprint.

"But beyondrecycling, there are many

small things you can do thatand have a big impact on pre-serving the environment. Stopusing single-use plastic items.Plastic bags can take up to1,000 years to decompose.They're also not recyclable,and often clog up recyclingfacilities and trucks. Search forvolunteer opportunities whereyou can clean up a local beachor park".

A woman suffering fromlabour pains delivered ababy girl on the nationalhighway nearGannavaram due tounavailability ofambulance

Pollution in its various forms isincreasing and that's the reason weare experiencing soaringtemperature in the rainy season anddevastating effect of climate change

VIJAYAWADA | WEDNESDAY | AUGUST 28, 2019 region 04

CAPSULE

SPORTS MEET FOR SCHOOL KIDSTOMORROWViskahapatnam: Gajuwaka MLATippala Nagi Reddy on Tuesdayunveiled the brochures andchampionship cups of theupcoming one-daychampionship to be organisedby Culture Foundation tocommemorate the NationalSports Day that is held everyAugust 29 marking the birthanniversary of hockey wizardDhyan Chand. The championshipfor school children will be heldVVV School premises.Speaking on the occasion, NaagiReddy said that sportspersonswould have a bright future underthe YSRCP regime as the StateGovernment was keen onpromoting every discipline. Helamented that the growing fadfor video games and televisionand devoid of physical activitywas making children lethargicand inactive. TournamentSecretary KaranamreddyNarasingh Rao said that sportsand games were the way toenhance children's mental andphysical robustness besides helpin character-building.

CHAIN SNATCHEDFROM ELDERLYWOMANHyderabad: Chain snatchersstruck again in the city, this timetargeting an elderly woman atVenkataramana Colony in Alwalon Monday. The robber snatcheda gold chain weighing 4 tolafrom the woman before makinggood his escape.According to the police, 60-year-old Venkatamma was standing infront of her house in theafternoon when a bike-borneyounth approached her to askfor directions. Suddenly, hesnatched the gold chain fromher neck and sped away, saidpolice. Special teams wereformed to nab the accused andverify CCTV footage from thearea.

PVR MULTIPLEXGETS NOTICE OVERLICENCEHyderabad : PVR multiplex inPanjagutta reportedly does nothave a trade license. GHMCissued notices to the multiplexon Monday and sought aresponse within two days.Faluire in replying to the noticeswere may lead to closing of thetheatres.Khairatabad zonalcommissioner MusharrafFarooqi, deputy commissionerGeeta Radhika, town planningwing's CP Bhavani stumbledupon the fact that the multiplexdid not have commerciallicenses during routineverification of retailestablishments.

They demanded thegovernment toimplement middaymeal scheme at allgovernmenteducationalinstitutions

Fishermen dump tuna fish into the fishing harbour in Visakhapatnam on Tuesday as they could not good price

FISHERFOLK DDUMP FFISH

Actor Venkatesh Daggubati along with K.R.Nagarajan - CMD Ramraj, at the Launch of the 100th Showroom of RamrajCotton in Nellore at Trunk Road on Monday.

VENKATESH IINAUGURATES OOUTLET

HC breather for Ganta's office PNS n VISAKHAPATNAM

The Greater VisakhapatnamMunicipal Corporat ion(GVMC) might have to puton hold its mission to knockdown the 'illegal' buildinghousing the office of TDPheavyweight Ganta SrinivasaRao at Bhimli in the district.

The municipal authoritieshad labelled the building as'illegal,' citing violation ofCoastal Regulation Zone(CRZ) norms.

Responding to a writ peti-tion on Tuesday, the HighCourt at Amravati extendedthe stay for another threeweeks. Pujitha, daughter in-law of Srinivasa Rao, hadfiled the writ petition againstGVMC officials.

It may be recalled that theGVMC had served a noticeto the owner of the land KR avindranadh Babu onAugust 10 and 11, stating thattheir application to regu-larise it under BuildingPenalization Scheme (BPS)was rejected. Thus, themunicipal authorities were allset to bulldoze it.

However, a writ petitionfiled in the High Court hadsecured a stay order for the

building owner, preventingthe GVMC from taking anysort of coercive steps againstthe scheduled property for aweek.

On Tuesday, the HighCourt extended the stay foranother three weeks andordered the civic body tosubmit the rejected BPSapplication.

The building was used bythe former HRD Minister asa party office from 2014-19after acquiring it on leasefrom K Ravindranadh Babu.

Cops set up one-point Ganesh pandals system PNS n VISAKHAPATNAM

In order to smoothen theprocess of approval forGanpati pandals, the Vizagcity pol ice on Tuesdaylaunched a websitehttp://ganeshutsav2019.comwhich will provide a single-window clearance from var-ious departments. The web-site has been opened forregistration.

City police Chief RKMeena said that as per theguidelines, the organisers ofPandals have to get approvalsfrom the Revenue, Electricity(EPDCL), Transport, GVMCand Police departments. "Toimprove the approval rate,we introduced a single-win-dow clearance," he said.

"We have been appealingto the organisers to use clayidols instead of Plaster ofParis, not to indulge inforcible collections frompeople and not to use loudmusic and firecrackers dur-ing the immersion," Meenaadded.

The police, in associationwith Fire Service, Fisheries,GVMC and other depart-ments, have identified 19spots (15 along the beachesand four local tanks) forimmersion, although thestretch between Park Hoteland Coastal Battery is strict-ly prohibited.

Cops hunt for TDP leader for abusing govt officerPNS n VISAKHAPATNAM

Former government whip KunaRavi Kumar has landed himselfin trouble after he was bookedfor misbehaving withDevelopment Officer ADamodara Rao of Sarubujjilimandal parishad during theSpandana grievance pro-gramme on Monday.

Tension prevailed inAmadalavalasa Assembly con-stituency on Tuesday whenSarubujjili police registered var-ious cases, including Preventionof Damage to Public Property

Act, 1984. On charges of dis-turbing the government pro-gramme and preventing a gov-ernment officer from discharg-ing his duty, the local cops reg-istered cases against Kuna RaviKumar and his 11 coteries.

Srikakulam Superintendentof Police RN Ammi Reddyconfirmed that they registereda case against Ravi Kumar onTuesday based on a complaintfrom the officer on Mondaynight. The police team went toAmadalavasa to take RaviKumar into custody, but he hadnot been available. The police

then launched a look-out toarrest Ravi Kumar.

The Sarubujjili police saidthat Kuna Ravi Kumar misbe-haved with the Group-1 leverofficer over the grievancesreceived at the Spandana pro-gramme. He allegedly abusedthe officer using indecent words,the police said, quoting thecomplainant's version.

TDP sources, however,argued that that the governmentofficers were not consideringthe grievances of some peopleby labelling them as TDP sup-porters.

PNS n VISAKHAPATNAM

Left party student organisa-tions Student Federation ofIndia (SFI) and All IndiaStudent Federation (AISF)on Tuesday gave a call to alleducational institutions tostay closed on Thursday inorder highlight the variousproblems faced by students.

Speaking to the media,District Secretaries of boththe organisation's, GPhaneendhra Kumar and LJNaidu, said that althoughthe academic sessions hadbegun two months back, theState Government had failedto provide basic amenitiesand a majority of the secondand final year students didnot receive their scholarshipsand fee reimbursements.

They demanded the gov-ernment to implement mid-day meal scheme at all gov-ernment educational institu-tions. The leaders alsodemanded for a supplemen-tary examination for stu-dents who had backlogs.

Railways to enquire into Visakha Exp detachment

Responding to a writ petition onTuesday, the High Court atAmravati extended the stay foranother three weeks. Pujitha,daughter in-law of Srinivasa Rao,had filed the writ petition againstGreater VisakhapatnamMunicipal Corporation officials

Left studentbodies give bandh call fortomorrow

City police ChiefRK Meena saidthat as per theguidelines, theorganisers ofPandals have toget approvals fromthe Revenue,Electricity (EPDCL),Transport, GVMCand policedepartment

PNS n VISAKHAPATNAM

The South Central Railway(SCR) has issued a clarificationover the incident where theengine of Visakha Express gotdetached from its coachesbetween Narsipatnam andGullipadu railway stations onthe Visakhapatnam-Vijayawada section on August20.

The train operates betweenBhubaneshwar andSecunderabad, The clarifica-tion was made after mediareports claimed that that theengine travelled at least 10 kmwithout the bogies.

However, the Railwaysclaimed that the loco-pilot,after noticing the sudden dropof brake pressure and loco

getting uncoupled with thebogies, acted diligently to bringthe loco to a halt at a distanceof about 300 metres, and not 10kms as reported in the newsitems. The loco pilot took thestep after ensuring that thetrain formation came to a total

halt to avoid collision. Enquiry is being conducted

on the matter to assess the rea-sons for the uncoupling of thelocomotive and the formationto initiate further action on thematter, according to SCRauthorities.

On discovering the trainwithout an engine, the passen-gers informed railway author-ities and a team of technicianswere deployed to connect theengine with the bogies. Thetrain resumed its journey aftera short delay.

The train operatesbetween Bhubaneshwarand Secunderabad, Theclarification was madeafter media reportsclaimed that that theengine travelled at least10 km without thebogies

Youngster held forblackmailing minor girl

PNS n VIJAYAWADA

The Machavaram police onMonday arrested a 19 year oldyouth for allegedly extortingand blackmailing a minor girlby uploading her private pho-tos online.

According to MachavaramCI Kanaka Rao, the accusedwas identified as GaddamJagadish,, a BBA student froma private college in Vijayawada.Jagadish reportedly met thevictim on Facebook two yearsago. After befriending her andgaining her trust, he assaultedthe girl sexually and recordedthe whole thing.

When the girl asked him todelete the photos and videos,Jagadish started demandingmoney and threatened herthat he would upload it online.Unable to bear his torture, thegirl gave all the gold she hadto Jagadish.. She eventually

narrated the incident to herparents, who immediatelyapproached the Machavarampolice and lodged a com-plaint.

"Based on their complaint,we initiated a manhunt forJagadish and arrested him onMonday while he was takingshelter in Gannavaram," saidinspector Rao.

A case has been registeredunder Sections 376, 506 andother relevant sections of theIT Act against the accused. Itis learnt that some politicianstried to bring Jagadish out ofthe case, but in vain.

PIAGGIO'S APE' CITY+ ENTERSTIRUPATI MARKETTirupati: Piaggio Vehicles PvtLtd (PVPL), a 100 percentsubsidiary of the Italian PiaggioGroup and India's leadingmanufacturer of small com-mercial vehicles, launched itsnew Ape' City+ for the Tirupatimarket. It took-off at themaker's main dealer for thetemple town, at RK Enterprises,when it was formally inaugu-rated by Syed Mustafa (DeputySuperintendent of Police-Traffic) in the presence ofPiaggio's zonal representativeRaghava Rao. Ape' City+ willbe available in two fuel variants-LPG and diesel, according toMalind Kapur, Senior Vice-President, Marketing.

Based on acomplaint, policelaunched a man-huntand arrestedJagadish on Monday

PNS n HYDERABAD

It was a black day on August27, 1948 when 127 personswere slain by the erstwhileruler of Hyderabad StateNizam's Razaakars atBairanpally, described as theJallianwala Bagh of Telangana.

The bloodbath turned 71 onTuesday. The incident at lastliberated the Telangana, whichlanguished in Nizam's dra-conian rule for over 13 monthseven after the country becom-ing independent, and helped itjoin the national mainstream.

After the British rulers leftthe soil of the country, Nizamdeclared the Hyderabad State asan independent country. Heconstituted the Razaakar force,headed by the blood thirstyQasim Rizvi, to create a reignof terror among the people. Toresist the atrocities of theRazaakars, Bairanpally youth,led by Immadi Raji Reddy,constituted teams to protect thevillage giving no leverage to thecruel Razaakars. In fact, theRazaakars found them to be athorn in the flesh.

In a raid on the village,Razaakar leader Awwal Saab'sson met with death at thehands of the villagers, provok-ing the Razaakars to avenge theinsult. In retaliation, theRazaakars raided on the village

at least five times, but of noavail. The alert village protec-tion squads were successful inrepulsing their attacks. Theattacks lead to death of nineRazaakaars. This has sentthem fly out of the handle.

With the help of Nizam's

army, Razaakars launched amajor offensive on the village onAugust 27, 1948. Pitted againsta strong force of over 1200, thevillagers fought pitched bat-tles. Ultimately, the Nizam'sforces gained the upper hand.

In all, 96 villagers wereordered to be executed by fir-ing squad. Piling up the bodiesin one heap, the raiders perpe-trated atrocities on women anddisrobed them. They madewomen play Bathukammagoing round the heap. InKootigal, the Razaakars execut-ed 31 villagers. The villagersappeal to the state governmentto provide freedom fighters'pension to all those who foughtagainst the Nizam and hisRazaakars.

The revolt,described asTelangana’sJallianwalaBagh, claimedover 127 liveson August 271948

The unsung heroes ofBairanpally revolt

PNS n HYDERABAD

The All India Institute ofMedical Sciences (AIIMS) atBibinagar in YadadriBhuvanagiri district started itsfirst MBBS batch on Tuesdaywith 50 freshmen.

The first batch of students atthe Bibinagar institute tookpart in an orientation pro-gramme on the first day.AIIMS-Bhopal directorSharman Singh, local MLA

Shekar Reddy, MLC KrishnaReddy, Bhongir ex-MP BhooraNarsaiah Goud were present atthe event.

AIIMS-Bhopal has beengiven the in-charge responsibil-ity of the institute at Bibinagarfor the initial period. It is alsofollowing modifications sug-gested by AIIMS Bhopal.Construction work is still on atthe campus, though depart-ments such as anatomy, bio-chemistry, physiology and some

others are complete and fullyfunctional. Earlier, the BhopalAIIMS had decided to start theBibinagar institute by the firstweek of August, but it gotdelayed due to the infrastructureworks currently on there.

"AIIMS-Bibinagar inTelangana will mark a newbeginning in the area of med-ical sciences in Telangana,"tweeted Union Minister of Statefor Home Affairs G KishanReddy.

AIIMS-Bibinagar opens with MBBS' first batch

VIJAYAWADA | WEDNESDAY | AUGUST 28, 2019 nation 05SHORT READS

Over 40 injured as busfalls into gorge inUdhampurUDHAMPUR (J-K): Over 40passengers were injured onTuesday when an overloadedmini bus rolled down into agorge in Udhampur district ofJammu and Kashmir, policesaid. The accident took placeshortly after the vehicle leftChunanta village for Udhampuraround 7.30 am, a policeofficial said. He said the driverof the vehicle lost control overthe vehicle while negotiating acurve in Ramnagar area as aresult of which the vehicleoverturned before rolling downinto a 70-feet gorge. A rescueoperation was launched and 41injured persons were shifted tohospital. "The vehicle wasoverloaded and some of thepassengers were sitting on itsrooftop when the accidentoccurred," one of the injuredpassengers, undergoingtreatment at district hospitalUdhampur, said. Police haveregistered a case.

Chartered planecrashes in Aligarh, sixon board safeALIGARH : A chartered planefrom Delhi crashed whilelanding near the Dhanipurairstrip of the air training centrehere on Tuesday, with all sixpersons on board escapingunhurt, a senior official said.The chartered plane wasbringing a technician and someequipment for repair of anaircraft at the air training centrefrom Delhi when it crashed.Additional District MagistrateRanjit Singh said all the sixpersons on board, including thepilot, were safe. According to apreliminary inquiry, the planetouched a high tension wireand crashed. Fire tenders wererushed to the spot to douse theflames, the ADM added. Seniorofficials of the State ElectricityDepartment, who rushed to theincident site, said an error ofjudgement on the part of thepilot may have led to the crash.Senior engineer in the stateelectricity departmentDharmendra Saraswat toldreporters at the accident spotthat "according to preliminaryreports, the pilot tried to land ata strip of the runway which isstill not operational." He saidthe existing runway atDhanipur is being expandedand work of shifting the 33KVA high tension cable is still"not complete". Instead oflanding at the regular run way,the pilot tried to land on the"non commissioned airstrip,"he said. Work on shifting theexisting cable "would takeanother week before it isshifted underground,"Saraswat added.

PNS n LUCKNOW

They may not have touchedthe moon but they will wit-ness the historic landing ofChandrayaan-2 on the moonalong with Prime MinisterNarendra Modi at ISRO con-trol room in Bengaluru nextmonth.

Two students from gov-ernment schools in UttarPradesh would be chosen towitness the historic landing ofChandrayaan-2.

Centre's Principal ScientificAdviser K. Vijay Raghavanhas written to the UttarPradesh Chief SecretaryAnoop Pandey, to conduct aquiz for the students. Thewinners of the quiz will wit-ness Chandrayaan-2 landingin early September.

Principal Secretar y,Secondar y Education,Aradhana Shukla, hasinstructed officials to circulatethe information on WhatsApp

groups at schools in the state.Shukla said: "Children from

class 8-12 are eligible to par-

ticipate. It will be a momentof a lifetime. The success ofChandrayaan-2 has been a

proud moment for us and ournation. We will shortlist stu-dents after they take part inthe quiz." Shukla has alsoasked the District Inspector ofSchools (DIOS) to immedi-ately hold a meeting withprincipals and apprise them ofthe competition and alsoshare the link with them.School principals would bemade nodal officers and edu-cation officials have also beentold to seek help from otherdepartments to ensure greaterparticipation in the quiz.

In the rural areas, develop-mental officers, block educa-tion officers and PanchayatiRaj officers have been ropedin to spread awareness aboutthe quiz.

District Inspector ofSchools, Lucknow, MukeshSingh said: "Students areexcited to witness the eventwith the Prime Minister andare preparing for the quiz thatwill focus on science."

Two UP students to witnessChandrayaan 2 landing with PM

PNS n AIZAWL

To further tighten vigil along thefrontiers, the border guards ofIndia and Bangladesh will con-duct joint patrolling and set upmore Border Out Posts (BOPs)along the unfenced borders inMizoram, a BSF official said onTuesday.

The decision was taken at ameeting of the DistrictMagistrates and DeputyCommisioners of Mizoram andRangamati and Bandarban hilldistricts of south-eastBangladesh and senior officialsof Border Security Force (BSF)and Border Guards Bangladesh(BGB) last week in Aizawl.

The meeting was also attend-ed by officials from the min-istries of Home, External Affairs,Commerce and Industries, andLand Record of both the coun-tries.

Mizoram has an unfencedinternational border of 404 kmwith Myanmar and 318 km withBangladesh. While the BSFguards the Bangladesh border,

the border with Myanmar issecured by the Assam Rifles.

"More BOPs would be set upand the telecommunication net-works would be improved inthese BOPs and bordering areasto check all types of cross-bor-der crimes, smuggling andtrans-border movements of mil-itants and unauthorised people,"said a BSF official.

He said that border tradesand setting up of "Border Haats"

(markets) between India andBangladesh were also discussedin the meeting.

Several terrorist outfits fromnortheast India had earlier setup their hideouts and trainingcamps in the Chittagong HillTracts, comprising Rangamati,Bandarban and Khagracharidistricts of southeastBangladesh.

The official said that bothsides also discussed and for-

mulated strategies to preventtrafficking of women and chil-dren, smuggling of narcoticsubstances and forest productsto Bangladesh and illegal cross-border trade.

"In the day-long meeting,the officials also discussed estab-lishment of deportation centrefor illegal migrants and crimi-nals and joint border survey ofland along the border area," theofficial added.

India, B’desh to tighten vigil along the border

PNS n GANGTOK/KOLKATA

The Sikkim government hasurged the Centre to withdraw itsnotification which opened up 24peaks of the state to moun-taineers, a top official said. TheCentre has recently allowedmountaineering and trekking in137 peaks across the country,including 24 peaks in Sikkim, ina bid to boost tourism. The stategovernment has sent a letter tothe Centre stating that the open-

ing up of the peaks in Sikkim tomountaineers is a "matter ofgrave concern" for the state andsought immediate withdrawal of

the notification, Chief SecretaryAlok Kumar Shrivastava said onMonday. During a meeting withEcclesiastical DepartmentMinister Sonam Lama and homeand tourism secretaries, ChiefMinister Prem Singh Tamangsaid he, along with Lama, will fol-low up the matter with theUnion Home Minister in view ofsensitivity of locals towards themountains, an Information andPublic Relations Departmentrelease said.

Sikkim urges Centre to withdrawnotification opening up peaks

PNS n BENGALURU

Karnataka Chief Minister BSYediyurappa, who got a cabi-net three weeks after he tookover, will have three deputiesand one of them has alreadycaused a stir. A BJP MLA hasquestioned the choice ofLaxman Savadi, who wascaught watching porn in thestate assembly.

Laxman Savadi, along withGovind Karjol and AshwathNarayan will all be DeputyChief Ministers in the newcabinet. He will be in charge ofthe transport ministry.

BJP MLA MPRenukacharya, a close aide ofMr Yediyurappa, has protest-ed Laxman Savadi's inclusion."What was the necessity orurgency to induct him(Laxman Savadi) as a ministereven though he lost the elec-tion?" he asked on Friday.

Mr Savadi lost in last year'sstate election to Congress'sMahesh Kumattalli, who iscurrently among the MLAs

disqualified from the assemblyafter they quit the Congress-Janata Dal Secular coalitiongovernment, causing its col-lapse.

"National and state leadersmade me Deputy ChiefMinister, they have shownfaith in me. I will make theparty stronger and bring goodname to the government. I didnot ask for this post, seniorleaders gave it to me, I accept-ed it," Mr Savadi told newsagency ANI in Bengalurutoday.

In 2012, Mr Savadi and twoothers were caught watchinga pornographic video clip inthe assembly, to the BJP'sembarrassment. He latersought to clarify that theywere watching it for "educa-tional purposes, to knowmore about the rave parties,"as the assembly was about todiscuss a rave party scandal inMangaluru.

All three, Mr Savadi, CCPatil and Krishna Palemarresigned as Karnataka minis-ters at the time. Mr Patil is alsoback in the government.

Mr Savadi has apparentlybeen rewarded for his part indestabilising the Congress-JDS coalition. He is a closefriend of disqualified MLARamesh Jarakiholi, a Congressrebel, and is believed to havepersuaded at least half-a-dozenmembers to cross over.

Though he lost his lastelection, Mr Savadi is seen tobe a very powerful Lingayatleader known for his organi-zational skills.

BJP leader caught watching porn

among Karnataka's 3 Dy CMs

PNS n NEW DELHI

With an eye on upliftingtourism in the Valley, a Centraldelegation will visit the newly-formed Union Territories ofJammu and Kashmir, andLadakh in September thisyear. A team from the Ministryof Tourism will earmark placeswhere tourism can be fast-tracked.

To increase travellers foot-falls, the Home and DefenceMinistries have alreadyapproved 137 mountain peaks,including in the KashmirValley. The Centre will alsoprovide high-level training tothe tourist guides in the stateand ensure proper facilities forthe visitors.

Tourism Minister PrahladPatel, who is scheduled tojoin the delegation inSeptember, will first visit Lehand then travel to the Valley.

The ministry will alsoexplore opportunities aroundmountain sports, training ofporters for trekking purposesand finding alternatives to

hotels that will benefit the localpopulation. It hopes to projectthe entire Ladakh region as atourist hub to experienceBuddhism and its teachings,reported news agency IANS.

The state is all set to host thefirst-ever global summit herewith a three-day event plannedfor investors starting fromOctober 12 to showcase thepotential that the newly-formed union territory has.

After the Centre abrogatedArticle 370 and 35A whichgave special status to the erst-while state of Jammu andKashmir, several developmentmeasures are being pushed togenerate opportunities.

The passed the J&KReorganisation Bill, bifurcat-ing the state into two unionterritories: Jammu andKashmir and Ladakh. ThePrime Minister, in a 45-minutetelevised address to the nationlater, said that the decision"will give impetus to the over-all prosperity of the region andensure better developmentalfacilities."

PNS n NEW DELHI

Indian Air Force (IAF) WingCommander AbhinandanVarthaman will be flying theMiG-21 jet during the induc-tion ceremony of Boeing AH-64E Apache Guardian AttackHelicopters on September 3 atthe Pathankot Air Base. WingCommnader AbhinandanVarthaman, who was capturedafter his MiG-21 was broughtdown during the February 27dogfight with Pakistani AirForce F-16s one of which heshot down, was conferred withVir Chakra on the 73rdIndependence Day.

The first batch of the BoeingAH-64E Apache GuardianAttack Helicopters, which isworld's most lethal attack heli-copter, arrived in India in Julyat the IAF Hindon Airbase inGhaziabad. After a series ofuser trails, the Apache heli-copters were sent to thePathankot Air Base for a finalinduction into service.

Wing CommanderAbhinandan Varthaman washonoured for displayingexemplary bravery during theaerial conflict that occurred

after India carried out anairstrike on Jaish-e-Mohammad terror camps inPakistan's Balakot to avengethe Februar y 14, 2019,Pulwama suicide bombing.He was in Pakistani custodyfor almost 60 hours and wasreleased after India appliedpressure on its western neigh-

bour. New agency ANI hadearlier reported that the heli-copters will replace the Mi-35choppers stationed inPathankot. It also added thatGroup Captain M Shaylu willcommand the squadron.

The AH-64 Apache is used bythe US Army and a number ofdefence forces of other coun-

tries. The helicopter is equippedwith a 30-mm machinegun, which can fire upto 1,200 rounds at atime. Apart fromthis, it is alsoequipped with theanti-tank Hellfiremissile, which isbelieved to be capa-ble of destroying atank. As an additionalweapon, a Hydra UnguidedRocket, capable of perfect exe-cution of any target on land, isalso installed. The helicopter canfly at a speed of 150 nauticalmiles per hour, which helps it toreach the enemy at a tremen-dous speed in the air.

The helicopter has the capa-bility to carry out precision

attacks at standoffranges and operate in

hostile airspace withthreats from theground. The abili-ty of these heli-copters, to trans-

mit and receive thebattlefield picture, to

and from the weaponsystems through data net-

working makes it a lethal acqui-sition. These attack helicopterswill provide a significant edge inany future joint operations in sup-port of land forces and also helpIndia in fortifying its borderwith Pakistan.

Wing Commander Abhinandan to fly MiG-21 AH-64E APACHE GUARDIAN INDUCTION CEREMONY

Shukla said: "Children from class 8-12 areeligible to participate. It will be a momentof a lifetime. The success ofChandrayaan-2 has been a proud momentfor us and our nation. We will shortliststudents after they take part in the quiz"

The first batch of the Boeing AH-64E ApacheGuardian Attack Helicopters, which is world's mostlethal attack helicopter, arrived in India in July at theIAF Hindon Airbase in Ghaziabad. After a series ofuser trails, the Apache helicopters were sent to thePathankot Air Base for a final induction into service

Centre fast-trackstourism developmentin Kashmir Valley

More BOPs would be setup and thetelecommunicationnetworks would beimproved in these BOPsand bordering areas tocheck all types of cross-border crimes, smugglingand trans-bordermovements of militants andunauthorised people"

PNS n KOLKATA

The Mamata Banerjee govern-ment in West Bengal is plan-ning to introduce a bill in theAssembly to check incidents ofmob assault and lynching,sources said. The West Bengal(Prevention of Lynching) Bill,2019 is likely to be tabled in theHouse on August 30, they said.

"The bill aims to protect theconstitutional rights of vul-nerable persons and preventincidents of lynching. It alsoproposes action against thoseinvolved in perpetrating thecrime," a senior TMC ministersaid on Tuesday. The legislationwill pitch for a jail term, whichmay vary from three years tolife, for those involved inassaulting and injuring a victim.

In case of death, thoseresponsible for the incidentwould be punished with rigor-ous life imprisonment and fineup to Rs 5 lakh, he said.

WB govt to tablebill against mobassault, lynching

PNS n NEW DELHI

The Supreme Court on Tuesdayextended, by one more day, itsprotection to former FinanceMinister P. Chidambaram fromarrest by the EnforcementDirectorate (ED) in INX Mediacase. Extending the protection tothe Congress leader, now inCentral Bureau of Investigation(CBI) custody in the case after hisarrest last week, the courtobserved that the arguments onthe matter will continue onWednesday. Hearing the matteron Monday, the court hadextended Chidambaram's pro-tection till Tuesday.

On Tuesday, Chidambaram'slawyers, seeking pre-arrest bail forthe senior Congress leader,argued that the anti-money laun-

dering act was being imple-mented retrospectively.

Senior advocate AbhishekManu Singhvi, representingChidambaram, told the courtthat the offence allegedly datedback to 2007 but the Preventionof Money-Laundering Act(PMLA) provisions came intoeffect in 2009. Despite this, theED had invoked these provisions

against Chidambaram, he said.Singhvi contended that the

main provisions of law againstChidambaram became sched-uled offences under the PMLAonly in 2009, after a year whenthe alleged FIPB approval wasgiven in 2007-08. "You are tryingto paint a person as kingpin. Andit is on the basis of offences thatdid not exist at that point in time,"he submitted.

Arguing about the line of

questioning adopted by the inves-tigating agencies, Singhvi said itappeared they were attempting toextract a confession fromChidambaram.

He also told the court thatinvestigating agencies were paint-ing a wrong picture thatChidambaram was evasive.

During questioning, the offi-cers expect the person to give theanswer they want or continue toface questions till the time they

get a favourable answer, Singhviargued.

Meanwhile, senior advocateKapil Sibal, also representingChidambaram, filed an applica-tion for the production of thetranscripts of custodial interro-gation of Chidambaram, who isin CBI custody.

Chidamabaram on Tuesdayfiled a rejoinder to theEnforcement Directorate affi-davit, which details the list coun-tries where he and "his co-con-spirators" allegedly held bankaccounts and properties.

Sibal told the top court that heopposes ED's request to submitrecords in sealed cover in thecourt, saying that the ED cannotplace documents behind hisclient's back and then seek arrestand interrogation.

SC protection to Chidambaram from ED arrest till WednesdayKarti hits out at media, says he has no undeclared assetsPNS n NEW DELHI

Karti Chidambaram, son offormer Finance Minister P.Chidambaram, on Tuesdaylashed out at the media forreporting about his allegedundeclared assets which he saiddid not exist. "I have said this adnauseam. My assets are all dulyaccounted for and disclosed inall statutory filings. I have con-tested two elections, one suc-cessfully. I am obligated to pub-licly declare my assets and I havedone so," Karti Chidambaramsaid in a statement.

"If the agencies, including theIT Department, had proof of

'undeclared assets' or 'undis-closed sources of income', theycould have easily proceededagainst me under the relevantprovisions of law. "Let meremind you that I am liable fordisqualification from Parliamentif I have misstated my assets," he

said. Sarcastically, he called him-self a "Politically ExposedPerson".

"The level of scrutiny that Ihave to go through to open bankaccounts and transact business isonerous. There is absolutely noway that I could hold assets with-out provenance of source offunds. "So, I ask TV anchors tobe a bit more tempered in theircoverage of 'stories' about my'global wealth'. Meanwhile, hisadvocate Arshdeep SinghKhurana has expressed shockover alleged leaks that have ledto speculation in sections of themedia about the Chidambarams'undeclared wealth.

Singhvi contended that the main provisionsof law against Chidambaram becamescheduled offences under the PMLA only in2009, after a year when the alleged FIPBapproval was given in 2007-08

The Indian Army has held Jammu& Kashmir (J&K) together sinceOctober 27, 1947, when troopswere airlifted into Kashmir Valley,hours after the Instrument of

Accession was signed by Maharaja Hari Singhthe day before. October 27 is celebrated asInfantry Day; ‘Infantry’ being the queen of thebattlefield. Infantry and the Army havebecome synonymous. The latter has since notceased fighting, defending and protectingJ&K. Every Infantry soldier has spent the bestpart of his youth on the Cease-Fire line (CFL)and after the 1971 war, Line of Control (LoC).Nearly one-third of the Infantry is deployedon the LoC along with sizeable other support-ing units of the Army. Previously, they weredeployed only on CFL/LoC but now, they arein the rear areas, too, protecting the lifelineto forward posts. The Army is twin tasked:Defending the LoC and fighting insurgencybehind LoC, thus maintaining the sovereign-ty and integrity of J&K. Intermittently, a debatestarts on whether the Army could have re-taken one-third of Pakistan-occupiedKashmir (PoK) still held by Pakistan. Giventhe geopolitics of Partition, balance of mili-tary forces and historical evidence, this wasnot feasible. It is wrong to blame JawaharlalNehru and indulge in wishful thinking.

My own tryst with J&K began days aftermy commissioning on December 15, 1957,when I arrived in Srinagar on my way to join2/5 Gorkha Rifles (FF), winner of threeVictoria Crosses. The battalion was deployednear Uri in a blissfully serene environment.Roads and tracks near villages and townswere lined with rosy-cheeked kids offeringapples, flowers and smiles to the troops.Soldiers would visit Srinagar on weekendsto exult in the magic of the Dal Lake andShalimar Gardens. Kashmiris were friend-ly and inquisitive. Those days, some officersdid not even own a watch and when theyasked for local time, it was indicated butaccompanied with the wry question: “Butwhat is the time in India?” Ten years afteraccession, for Kashmiris, across the Banihalwas another country.

The 1965 war triggered off by Pakistan’s‘Operation Gibraltar’ started in Rajouri sec-tor, south of Pir Panjal. The battalion was inthe thick of it. Because of local Kashmiri sup-port, Operation Gibraltar failed. The kids wereback with apples and smiles. I returned a third(and a fourth) time to J&K with my Gorkhasto Kargil-Leh after fighting the 1971 war inthe east and west. Pakistani troops were ontheir best behaviour, thanks to the SimlaAgreement which had put a lid on violence.The insurgency, which started only in 1987after the rigged elections in J&K, has waxedand waned since recording high points in the1990s, 2008, 2010 and 2016. The big change:Flowers and fruit offerings changed to stones,abuses and cries of azadi. My visits to J&Kcontinued in the 1990s and a decade later atthe peak of insurgency. I joined a People’sGroup concerned about the difficulties faced

by Kashmiris and Jammuites, invillages divided by the fencing onLoC. After investing most of myArmy time understanding theinternal factor in J&K, uponretirement, I joined the seminarcircuit to understand the jugularvein of J&K in the Pakistancard.

In 2003, following the attackon Parliament by Lashkar andJaish terrorists from Pakistan, Iwas appointed convenor of theIndia-Pakistan Track II initiative,which survived uninterrupted tilllast year when even Germansponsors thought the invest-ment risked its own good offices— so deep was the India anti-Pakistan sentiment following Uriand Pulwama.

The Kashmiris have bornethe brunt of both the predomi-nantly Pakistan-instigated insur-gency and cross-border terror-ism. The Army is entrapped bythese two evils. It is true that dur-ing 1947, 1965, 1971 and 1999wars, the people of J&K stoodshoulder to shoulder with Indiaand the Army. Kashmiri shep-herds were the ones who gaveearly warning about Pakistaniintrusions in 1965 and 1999conflicts. The Army has held theState together despite politicalinstability, corruption and mis-governance of both State andCentre through most of the 72years. Its several Sadbhavanaprogrammes, rescue and reliefmissions during floods and earth-quakes and people-friendly pro-

jects, which captured hearts andminds, were marred only byrare fake encounters.

Without meaningful politi-cal initiatives, parts of Kashmirhave turned into hot-beds ofinsurgency and terrorism. TheArmy’s Operation All Out hascertainly put it and other securi-ty forces on top, confining terror-ism to few of 10 districts of theValley but without addressing theexponentially growing alienationand radicalisation.

The 250-odd militants in theValley are mostly locals, poorlytrained but highly motivated,especially in the post-BurhanWani period. But motivation, nosubstitute for lack of terrorismskills, has restricted the life cycleof militants to a few weeks andmonths, not years as in the past.The Army has forfeited its pop-ular local support as civilians nowglorify martyred militants andactively disturb its military oper-ations. Yesterday’s apple givershave turned stone-pelters.

The Army is in aid to civilauthority since the late 1980s inJ&K where the Disturbed AreasAct, Armed Forces (SpecialPowers) Act and Public SafetyAct are promulgated. Its missionin internal conflict situations is tocreate an environment conduciveto conflict resolution, which it hason several occasions, without thepolitical class displaying requisitewill to engage with internal andexternal stakeholders. Now, afterthe momentous decision of de-

operationalising Articles 370 and35A, a new and unknown terrainlies ahead for the Army — thisfollowing the loss of identity byKashmiris and the unprecedent-ed step of demoting the State intoa Union Territory. These per-ceived punitive actions ratherthan ending terrorism, as envis-aged, will spike insurgency andextend its life for another 30 years,according to the ObserverResearch Foundation’s Kashmiriresearcher, Khalid Shah.

The enduring image ofKashmir in lockdown will con-front the Army as it comes togrips with escalating resentmentand radicalisation and remainsstuck for a few more decades.Despite our denials, the interna-tionalisation of Kashmir hasalready begun, thanks to MessrsXi Jinping and Donald Trump.Two futures are envisioned. Oneby New Delhi, of Kashmir turn-ing into a land of milk and honey;and the other by the silent few:Of more and worse of the same.Only the Supreme Court canreverse the triumphalist action ofthe State — involuntary integra-tion of J&K with the rest of India.Either way, for most Kashmiris,across the Banihal will remainanother country. For Army’ssake, one hopes it is otherwise.

(The writer is a retired MajorGeneral of the Indian Army andfounder member of the DefencePlanning Staff, currently therevamped Integrated DefenceStaff)

The problem with discussions around cli-mate change is that they often veeraround the imminence of a cataclysm

when fact remains that it has not only becomea real-time crisis but is also impacting our dailylives. If a report by the Wildlife Institute of India(WII) is to be believed, around 150 fish speciesin the Himalayan region, including the territo-ries of Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh,Jammu & Kashmir and Arunachal Pradesh,are facing extinction. Admittedly, climatechange and resultant warming have meant an

altered temperature of waters that host schools of fish and most importantly theirfood chain. This has further meant new predatory species are breeding and gain-ing ground in warmer waters. Then there are changes in river flow patterns dueto ill-planned constructions and dams. Even now fisheries experts are rarely con-sulted before riverine projects are cleared. But the trigger this time seems to behuman activity which is relentless about ignoring the environment for econom-ics. The numbers of the much-vaunted golden mahseer, for example, have declinedin much of its distribution range and are now considered threatened due to pol-lution and waste overload in the rivers, habitat loss and over-fishing. Mahseeris an extremely sensitive species that can hardly tolerate a modified water envi-ronment and has decreased in size over the last century. Why this is alarmingis because India is home to 15 of the 47 mahseer species in the world. Freshwaterfish species globally are under grave threat, according to the International Unionfor Conservation of Nature (IUCN)’s Red List. Over half of Japan’s endemic fresh-water fishes and more than a third of freshwater fishes in Mexico are threatenedwith extinction, the report said. Even India’s fish population is dipping. Combinethis with a decline in resources due to overfishing and a weakened output betweenspawning cycles. One cannot forget how hilsa, Bengal’s most favourite fish, hasseen a sharp fall in recent times. This forced the State Government to ban fish-ing for a while. Consequently, the delicacy had to be imported from Bangladesh.Yet unlimited demand has led to illegal fishing. One cannot really blame the des-olate fishermen, who have been battling dwindling catches and returns.

The fishery crisis is growing bigger by the day considering marine fish pop-ulations are rapidly vanishing too. With our seas and oceans now a dumpingground for waste and plastics, there are reports of schools of fish being washedup ashore. In May, a report by the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platformon Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services presented an alarming picture of theglobal health of marine ecosystems. It said that one million species around theworld are on the brink of extinction and called for the need to put fisheries reformsin place so as to encourage sustainable seafood production and resilient ecosys-tems. It further said that a third of fisheries are presently overfished and that morethan 33 per cent of marine mammal species are threatened with extinction. Backhome, the internet was flooded with pictures of “blue waves” along Marina beach,an indicator of luminescent planktons which are detrimental for fish populations.Reversing this trend is of utmost importance whereby we need a “Project Tiger”like status for our fish wealth, be it in the rivers or sea. There must be a stan-dardised fishing code that binds bonafide permits limiting catch amounts andtime slots, pacing catch cycles according to seasons, encouraging safe breed-ing waters, issuing species-specific advisories and awareness pamphlets andmost importantly bringing in a law on ensuring fish diversity (it is not includedin the Wildlife Protection Act). Otherwise, we could look at a bigger collapse ofour riverine and coastal economies.

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has beenquietly stashing away funds for a rainyday, and despite the costs of printing new

notes and the headaches of demonetisation,they are not a problem for it. So why is so muchnoise being made about the fact that the RBIis paying the government a special dividendof `1.76 lakh crore? Maybe it is because ofthe sum itself, which sounds familiar being thesame number that the Comptroller and AuditorGeneral (CAG) alleged had been lost in the 2Gscam. Or as the opposition Congress point-

ed out, the figure is almost the exact same amount missing from the Budget 2019announcement. But the big affront, according to some economists and experts,is that this presents a clear and present danger to the autonomy of the RBI, whichseems to be kowtowing to the government after the exits of two high profileGovernors, Raghuram Rajan and Urjit Patel, over such lendings. Would this seta wrongful precedent, even dent the bank’s credit ratings?

A few things have to be made clear now. First, the RBI, while independent,has always been in lockstep with the government of the day. More importantly,the money being stashed away by it in case of a sudden foreign-exchange orrelated crisis, is unlikely to happen now. But there is a criticality in public sectorbanks and they desperately need to be recapitalised, a stimulus of sorts has tobe given to the industry, certain public sector units have to be eased out of adebt crisis before being privatised and social sector programmes need to be fund-ed. Usually such schemes occur from your taxes but with individuals cribbingabout high income tax and GST rates hitting consumption, there is little or noscope of generating additional revenues from them. In such circumstances, theRBI’s rainy day fund is not just a piggy bank being raided, it is being used forexactly the purpose it was designed for, helping the government cope with aneconomic crisis. Of course, a logical question that follows when a governmentis flush with funds is whether an income tax cut might follow. Logically, one shouldfollow, but with spending priorities such as bank capitalisation and even a par-tial bailout of Air India ahead of income tax relief, that is unlikely. However thecurrent infusion will allow the government to clear its debts and pay the refundsit owes. That will be a big boost to the economy and increased funds might meanthat some industries could have GST rates cut, helping spur demand and allow-ing money to enter the economy, albeit indirectly. In addition to the announce-ments made by the Finance Minister, this could be the boost that the Indian econ-omy needs ahead of the festive season. Many of the problems with the econo-my right now stem from the cycle of negativity that is driving sentiment lowerand lower. That seems to have been broken but it might still take a few monthsfor the effects to come through. Global rating agency S&P predicts that someIndian companies with high leverage and persistent negative free cash flows wouldbe susceptible to funding and liquidity challenges over the next 12-18 months.So we need the big push than a heave. Simultaneously, we must build on fun-damentals, reform structures and not depend on such bailouts going forward.

Funding the economy

Man of many shades

Sir — In Arun Jaitley’s death, thecountry has lost a gentle politicalgiant who had admirers across thepolitical spectrum. He wasrespected even by the Oppositionfor his calm temperament andconsensus-building approach. Forall his contempt for “Lutyens’Delhi”, Prime Minister NarendraModi’s love for one of its elite,Arun Jaitley, was well-knownalthough it may have been bornout of necessity. Modi and the BJPwill miss Arunji, as Jaitley wasaddressed in party circles, formany reasons. When the “out-sider” Modi was gearing up torule the country from Lutyens’Delhi in 2014, he picked Jaitley asthe only “insider” he could bankon to negotiate the capital’slabyrinthine power circuit.

Though not from the originalRSS stock, Arun Jaitley was seenas the only “credible talent” in asea of mediocrity, the most soughtafter “bright star” in times ofcrises and not just political ones.He was possibly the only BJPleader seen as an entrenchedrepresentative of Delhi’s powerelite and as someone who couldarticulate Modi’s line in both

English and Hindi. He regularlywrote interesting articles andblogs, explaining the rationale ofthe Modi Government’s deci-sions and was particularly pivotalto the party’s outreach to the intel-ligentsia.

KS JayatheerthaaBengaluru

Sky is the limit

Sir — This refers to the editori-al, “Global star” (August 27).Becoming the first Indian to winthe Badminton WorldChampionships, PV Sindhu haswritten history. Her win speaks

volumes about what hard workand determination can do.

With this, Sindhu will be partof a formidable badminton ecosys-tem that has risen in the last fewyears. Several badminton players,including Pullela Gopichand andPrakash Padukone, have per-formed exceedingly well at inter-

national forums. At the Olympicsin 2016, Sindhu had came close towinning the gold but had to set-tled for silver. But this, too, wasIndian badminton’s first-ever. Thesobriquet of ‘World Champion’title will only go on to add brandvalue to her name.

Devendra KhuranaBhopal

Legendary composer

Sir — It is unfortunate thatMohammed Zahur Khayyam, the“musical magician” behind someof Bollywood’s most celebratedsoundtracks, has passed away. Hiscontributions to the music indus-try are immense. Unlike present-day composers, he couldexpertly fuse Hindustani classicalmusic with “filmy” styles.Khayyam’s compositions oftenoutshone those of his contempo-raries. The melodies of KabhiKabhie, Umrao Jaan and Noorie areamong classics. Lata Mangeshkarhad rightly said that his demise sig-nals the “end of an era.”

M PradyuKannur

P A P E R W I T H P A S S I O N

www.dailypioneer.comfacebook.com/dailypioneer | @TheDailyPioneer | instagram.com/dailypioneer/

op nionVIJAYAWADA | WEDNESDAY | AUGUST 28, 2019

06

Soldiers battle two fronts

ASHOK K MEHTA

The abrogation of Articles 370 and 35A has put the Army in a new and unknown terraineven as it comes to grips with escalating resentment and radicalisation in the Valley

We will not spare anybody,irrespective of whether heis a TMC worker or apoliceman, beat him up. Ishall take care of the rest.

BJP leader—Dilip Ghosh

I feel people get scared tomake big musicals becauseright now the situation issuch that it's said, ‘Don't dothis’, critics will cut it.

Filmmaker—Farah Khan

The first lady has gotten toknow Kim Jong Un and Ithink she’d agree with me, heis a man with a country thathas tremendous potential.

US President—Donald Trump

S O U N D B I T E

L E T T E R S T O TT H E E D I T O R

The Amazon must be protected

The fires in vast stretches of the Amazon rainforestsin northern Brazil (the world’s largest, covering anarea of some 5.5 million sq km) are causing an

immeasurable damage to the ecosystem. Evidently, thefires deplete the carbon storing capacity of the forestsand, thus, accelerate the pace of global warming. Calledthe earth’s green lungs, the Amazon forests are in thecollective consciousness of humanity. They are also richin wildlife and home to one-tenth of all species of floraand fauna. The importance of protecting the Amazonforests cannot be overemphasised. Most of the wildfiresdo not occur naturally but are caused by humans.

Local populations — farmers, cattle ranchers andloggers in the forefront — are organising “fire days” inthe dry season (called queimada in the local parlance)to clear the land. Conservationists and climate activistsblame the new Right-wing Brazilian Government for beingsupportive of them on the pretext of “access to natur-al resources to improve the economy.” Fires are ragingat a record speed and an area of roughly the size of afootball pitch is now being lost every single minute. Ifno timely action is taken to put out the raging fires and

prevent them from spreading, the Amazon forests willbe reduced to a treeless plain, a sort of savannah, dis-rupting the delicate balance of nature. If we are to sur-vive and preserve the planet for posterity, we must adopta development model that is sustainable and does notgo against conservation. Amazon forests are a naturaltreasure and a life-supporting system. Their protectionis of utmost importance for the planet’s health, withoutwhich man and other life forms cannot survive.

G David MiltonMaruthancode

IT IS TRUE THATDURING 1947,

1965, 1971 AND1999 WARS, THEPEOPLE OF J&K

STOOD SHOULDERTO SHOULDER

WITH INDIA ANDTHE ARMY.KASHMIRI

SHEPHERDSWERE THE ONES

WHO GAVE EARLYWARNING ABOUT

PAKISTANIINTRUSIONS IN1965 AND 1999

CONFLICTS

Send yyour ffeedback tto:letterstopioneer@gmail.com

No big fish

PM and FM are cluelessabout how to solve theirself-created economic disaster. Stealing from RBIwon't work.

Congress leader—Rahul Gandhi

The critics of the Government are screaming murder at theRBI’s special dividend. They shouldn't in such a crisis

With dwindling sizes and numbers reported for Himalayanspecies, we are staring at a crisis in our economy and ecology

Free the caged parrot

THE OPPOSITION IS USING MARAK SHAKTI TO HARMTHE BJP LEADERS. EVIL POWER IS BEHIND THE

RECENT DEATHS OF FORMER UNION MINISTERS.—BJP MP

PRAGYA SINGH THAKUR

THE BJP MUST INTROSPECT FOR GIVING CHANCE TOSUCH A PERSON BECAUSE UPHOLDING STANDARDSOF POLITICS HAS BECOME A DAUNTING TASK.—SENIOR CONGRESS LEADERJYOTIRADITYA SCINDIA

POINTCOUNTERPOINT

India’s education sector has expanded rapid-ly in the last decade but the quality of learn-ing remains pathetic on account of unimag-

inative and misguided policies. In an increasing-ly knowledge-based global economy, quality edu-cation is more important than ever. The purposeof education has to be, to inspire and developchildren to think creatively, reason systematical-ly and release their potential to shape their ownfuture. The call for higher investments in edu-cation has been made since Independence; yeteven after more than seven decades, an indepen-dent India continues to grapple with the issuesplaguing its education policy. The skewed pri-orities of the government in this vital sector man-ifest in low learning levels. The UN’s SustainableDevelopment Goals (SDGs) include a commit-ment to provide every child with access to freeprimary and secondary education by 2030.While we are on the right course, our obsessionwith universal coverage of education has com-promised the quality of learning. It is time thatIndia moves beyond a singular focus on enrol-ment numbers and grapples with the problem ofpoor quality of education.

More Indian children are in school todaythan before but the quality of public schools hassunk abysmally as Government schools havebecome the reserve of children at the very bot-tom of India’s social ladder. The present-day edu-cation reformers believe that market solutionsand technology can remedy the situation. Theyblame the proponents of status quo of failing toleverage the benefits that technology has broughtto other sectors such as health, travel, financialservices and communications. Many of themadvocate disruptive innovations, primarilythrough online learning. There is a strongbelief that real breakthroughs can come onlythrough the transformative power of technolo-gy or the invisible hand of the market. However,experience tells us that teachers are the key piecein the educational ecosystem. Without commit-ted and devoted teachers, the other levers can-not work.

However, findings suggest that this strategyhas not lived up to its hype and with valid rea-son. We need to be wary of the idea that tech-nology on its own can revolutionise education.Teachers are and always will remain the mostimportant factor in a pupil’s success. Studentsneed to believe that they have a stake in thefuture, a goal worth struggling for if they aregoing to make it in school. Education shouldcombine just the right amount of physicaladventure and intellectual stimulation. Themost effective approaches are those that fosterbonds of care between teachers and students. Theprocess of teaching and learning is an intimateact that neither computers nor markets can repli-cate.

The usually parroted reasons for the poorstandard of education are teacher absenteeism,poor student attendance, bad infrastructure,inadequate teacher preparation programmes androte learning practices. The most commonrefrain is, “The ones who understand educationare not empowered, while the ones empoweredhave no idea about education”. While these issuesare valid, they do not fully explain the learningcrisis apparent in our classrooms.

India’s emphasis on rote learningand its rigid examination system do notencourage creative thinking. The roteteaching methodology has demon-strated shortcomings. Surveys indicatethat students at the primary and sec-ondary school level have regressed inmathematics, science and reading abil-ity. Not only is the rote method detri-mental, it has long-term implications asit has become an institutionalised prac-tice.

Einstein was a sworn enemy of rotelearning and he found sheer beauty andcreative joy in science and equations.If we could convey that in the way weteach science and mathematics, maybewe could nurture an Einstein. WhatEinstein was able to do was to thinkvisually. When he looked at Maxwell’sequations as a 16-year-old boy, he visu-alised what it would be like to ridealongside a light wave and try to catchup. He realised those equationsdescribed something wondrous in real-ity. Einstein believed in intuition andinspiration. Science has always beenconsidered more about what you cansee, experiment or prove with formu-las and expressions. Imagination is onlyas limited as you want it to be. It isshaped by the books you read, the peo-ple you hang out with, your parents,society, culture and the places you trav-el. All these mould your perspective andview of life. The less you experience, theless you explore and the more likely youare to narrow your scope.

A society that restricts imaginationis unlikely to produce many geniuses -no matter how many educated peopleit has. And a society that doesn’t stim-ulate imagination when it comes toScience and Mathematics won’t either.

Formal teaching needs to be supple-mented by in-school pull-out pro-grammes, after-school tutoring andsummer camps supervised by voluntaryorganisations, with emphasis on non-conventional innovative pedagogies.Much of the malaise in the realm ofpublic education has less to do withsalaries and more to do with lack ofaccountability and corruption inrecruitments and transfers of teachers.The stark reality is that India is not get-ting even a modest return on its invest-ment in the education sector.

India must reorient its educationpolicy which is very result-oriented, sys-tem oriented, policy-oriented but notvery child-oriented. It risks squander-ing the future of millions of children,as well as the entire country’s econom-ic prospects. There has to be a directteacher-development pipeline and eval-uating systems for monitoring andupgrading teaching skills. There is adearth of ideas for reforms to addressfundamental flaws in the system.

The fourth Industrial Revolution isgoing to be a major test for the educa-tion system focussed on reciting factsand performing formulaic calculations,precisely the areas where humans can-not compete with intelligent machines.With all of our technological develop-ments, human ingenuity and creativi-ty remain unmatched. We should cap-italise on it and give our young peoplethe opportunity to use their innateadvantages as effectively as possible.

It is in this context that soft skillsassume great significance. When taughtwell, these skills can enable students toadapt to change more easily, gain agreater understanding of the worldaround them and ultimately progress

further in their chosen field. Technical,practical and more easily quantifiableknowledge and skills are important andmay help a student secure a job, but softskills will help them disrupt it, creatingchange for the better and achieving awider impact in their career. Soft skillssuch as possessing insights into otherpoints of view, being good at interper-sonal relationships, critical thinking andproblem solving, and being able tomake connections across complex ideasare those fundamentally human, emo-tional and social skills which need tobe nurtured and developed as the keyto future success and prosperity.

Education needs more championsthan health and environmental advo-cates because it is one rising tide thatcan lift all the boats. Since, educationhas more room for innovation than anyother development sector; there is aunique opportunity for social entrepre-neurs. We need to transform curricu-lum and teaching practices to focus lesson rote learning or straightforward cal-culation and more on relevant skills, likecommunication, reasoning ability,problem-solving and critical and inde-pendent thinking.

We are under an illusion that ourchildren are digital technology savvy,but more often their knowledge is onlyscreen-deep. If young people are to beempowered citizens, they will need tounderstand how technology affectsevery aspect of our life. Greater techliteracy will be essential to ensure thatthe human implications of the ongo-ing fourth Industrial Revolution are positive.

(The writer is Member, NITI Aayog’sNational Committee on FinancialLiteracy and Inclusion for Women)

The education system fails to inspire and encourage children to think creatively,reason systematically and release their potential to shape their own future

analysis 07F I R S T C O L U M N

Analyse mutualfunds smartly

HIMA KOTA

A knack for understanding mutual fundperformance can help investors make better

decisions and get returns

MOIN QAZI

FORMALTEACHING NEEDS

TO BESUPPLEMENTED

BY IN-SCHOOLPULL-OUT

PROGRAMMES,AFTER-SCHOOLTUTORING AND

SUMMER CAMPSSUPERVISED BY

VOLUNTARYORGANISATIONSWITH EMPHASIS

ON NON-CONVENTIONAL

INNOVATIVEPEDAGOGIES.MUCH OF THE

MALAISE IN THEREALM OF PUBLIC

EDUCATION HASLESS TO DO WITH

SALARIES ANDMORE TO DO

WITH LACK OFACCOUNTABILITY

AND CORRUPTIONIN

RECRUITMENTSAND TRANSFERS

OF TEACHERS.THE STARK

REALITY IS THATINDIA IS NOT

GETTING EVEN AMODEST RETURN

ON ITSINVESTMENT INTHE EDUCATION

SECTOR

Even though the past performance of a mutual fund may notbe a guarantee of future results, but a knack for understand-ing mutual fund performance can help investors make bet-

ter decisions if they are able to pick and avoid funds based onobservation and smart analysis. Here are some measures thatthey must keep in mind in order to make informed decisions.

Use a benchmark to compare fund performance: Anyreturn or result doesn’t have a value unless it is compared toa benchmark. A score of 75 for a school student has no rel-evance if it is not compared with the highest scorer. Similarly,any mutual fund performance has to be compared with abenchmark. However, comparison should be done using a fairand appropriate benchmark. Using the wrong yardstick willonly give misleading data. For example, the performance ofany small-cap mutual fund cannot be compared with a broad-based index like Nifty 500. Instead the benchmark, in this case,should be the small-cap index, like S&P BSE Small Cap TRI.If the fund has delivered higher returns consistently, then it’sa good fund to invest in.

Analyse fund history: The longer the history of the fund,the better it is as a history of five to ten years would have bornethe brunt of market vagaries. It would be a better candidate forcomparing performance across different time intervals and busi-ness cycles. The real mettle of a fund can be observed in amarket downturn and if it gives even an average performanceit should be added to the portfolio.

Understand the expenses: According to the Securities andExchange Board of India (SEBI) guidelines, expense ratio shouldnot be more than 2.5 per cent of the fund’s average asset undermanagement (AUM). So, understanding the expense ratio beforeinvesting in a mutual fund is absolutely important. Since, expenseratios are charged out of fund returns, higher the expense ratio,lower the returns. Always look for a fund which offers similarreturns at a relatively lower expense ratio. The same mutual fundis available as a direct plan and a regular plan. Direct plans ofmutual funds come at a lower expense ratio; which translatesinto higher returns. Also, investing in direct plans can save youloads on commissions as against investment in a regular plan.

Returns must be compared to the risk taken: Returns shouldnever be taken singularly. They must always be adjusted for risktaken by the mutual fund to generate that return. The risk is mea-sured with the help of standard deviation. Using Sharpe ratio helpsto ascertain whether the fund is giving higher returns on everyadditional unit of risk taken. A fund with a Sharpe ratio higherthan the category average shows that the fund manager deliv-ered higher returns for the extra risk taken.

Give weightage to fund performance: Common time peri-ods for mutual fund performance available to investors includeone-year, three-year, five-year and ten-year returns. An investorcan create an evaluation system based upon percentage weights.If weightage of 40 per cent is given to the five-year period, 30per cent to the ten-year period, 20 per cent to the three-year peri-od and 10 per cent to the one-year period, then one can multi-ply the percentage weights by each corresponding return for thegiven time periods and average the totals. This can then be usedto compare funds to each other.

Don’t forget the Alphas and the Betas: Alpha measuresexcess returns generated by the fund when compared to thebenchmark. On the other hand, Beta measures the riskinessof a fund. If the Beta value is more than one, it shows thatthe fund gains more than the benchmark on an upturn andloses more than the benchmark in case of a downturn. A Betavalue of one indicates that the mutual fund’s returns movethe same as the benchmark. If the Beta is less than one, thenthe fund gains less than the benchmark during a rally andloses less than the benchmark on a downward spiral.

Keep in mind the Portfolio Turnover Ratio: The PortfolioTurnover Ratio (PTR) tells you how often the fund managerbuys/sells securities in the portfolio. In case of equity funds, itshows the level of trading taking place in the fund, which in turnattracts transaction charges like the brokerage. Frequent trad-ing could ultimately increase the expenses and is reflected asa higher expense ratio, thereby reducing the returns of the fund.Therefore, while choosing a fund, look for one with a lower PTR.

Although these are not foolproof guidelines, they are impor-tant factors that can help any investor make smart decisionsabout buying the best mutual funds for his/her portfolio depend-ing upon the risk appetite.

(The writer is Assistant Professor, Amity University)

Congress president SoniaGandhi’s comeback as the chiefrecently might have silenced

the Young Turks as well as the oldguard in the party about who shouldreplace Rahul Gandhi, but she has hertask cut out.

However, it’s not as if Sonia does-n’t know the problems that beset theparty and the challenges that lieahead, as she was the Congress pres-ident for almost two decades beforeshe relinquished the post and Rahulwas elected president in 2017.

Sonia took charge of the Congressin 1998 when it was at its lowest ebb,with many leaders leaving the GrandOld Party, but she was able to stop theexodus. She even brought the party

back to power in 2004 and then againin 2009.

Now again, an ailing but deter-mined Sonia has taken the reins at atime when the party is totally demor-alised after its humiliating defeat in therecent Lok Sabha polls and conse-quent desertions by party workers andleaders. But 2019 is not 1998.

The Gandhis have deftly resolvedthe leadership issue albeit temporar-ily. The old guard propping up somesenior leader and the younger lead-ers suggesting names like SachinPilot and Jyotiraditya Scindia werequickly silenced after Sonia cameback, stifling the debate about Rahul’ssuccessor. Her return provided themwith relief even as it scuttled chancesof any non-Gandhi becoming partypresident.

The other challenge for Sonia isthe growing erosion and indisciplinein the party. On August 18, formerHaryana chief minister BS Hoodagave an ultimatum that unless he wasmade the chief of the party unit in theState, he would explore other options.The impressive rally at Rohtak was ashow of strength. Though the

Congress leadership has not reacted,it may send a wrong signal if Hoodaleaves the party now. As it is, thechances of the faction-riddenCongress in the State are bleak. IfHooda departs now, he may not ben-efit but the party will get zero seats inthe ensuing Assembly polls. There isnot much time left for damage con-trol as three states, Maharashtra,Haryana and Jharkhand, will go topolls later this year and Delhi will fol-low suit early next year.

In a trend that is bound to worrySonia, ten Congress legislators recent-ly shifted to the Bharatiya Janata Party(BJP) in Goa. In Telangana, 12 of the

18 MLAs went over to the rulingTelangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS)and Maharashtra too saw defections.The party saw its strength reduced inthe Rajya Sabha, too, as senior lead-ers Sanjay Sinh and BhubaneswarKalita resigned their membershipand joined the BJP. All these do notaugur well.

The third urgent matter onSonia’s plate is the need to contain thediscordant voices emerging fromCongress leaders on various issues.There’s a division in Congress rankson the party’s response to key issuessuch as the Triple Talaq Bill, abroga-tion of Article 370 and bifurcation of

Jammu and Kashmir (J&K). Moreover, leaders like Jairam

Ramesh, Abhishek Manu Singhviand Shashi Tharoor suggesting thatthe Congress stop demonisingNarendra Modi was embarrassing tothe Congress leadership, which hasbeen making personal attacks on thePrime Minister. Do they perhapsmean that there’s a need for change ofstrategy or are they emboldenedbecause of a weak leadership?

Fourth, more than anything,Sonia has to think of organising abrainstorming session to thrash outseveral issues, including the reasonsfor the 2019 poll defeat and come upwith a new strategy to take on the BJP.The party leaders should be given achance to speak their mind in the ses-sion. This might stop them from voic-ing their views in public.

If the party could win even oneof the three poll-bound states, it wouldgo a long way to revive the party thatreceived yet another body blow withthe recent arrest of senior Congressleader P Chidambaram in the INXMedia case.

Fifth, the Congress should be

clear about what it stands for. The ear-lier planks of unity and diversity pop-ularised by Indira Gandhi havebecome an old concept. Secularismversus communalism also has lost itsappeal as seen in the last two LokSabha polls. The Congress only endedup with being perceived as a pro-Muslim party, which ignores themajority community. Therefore thereis every need to come up with a catchyslogan like the Aam Aadmi as it didin 2004, to lure the voters. In fact, theCongress leadership should offer a‘new Congress’ to the voters to attractthem like the Labour party in the UKcame up with a ‘New Labour.’

Above all, with so much waterunder the bridge, is the Congressready for a course correction? Is itready to look back and introspectwhat has gone wrong? If not, it cangive up hope of a revival as things havechanged, voters have changed, aspi-rations have changed and leadershipis in transition.

The defeat should be viewed as anopportunity and a new Congressshould emerge out of a party conclave.

(The writer is a senior journalist)

Can Sonia save a sinking Congress ship?A determined matriarch has taken the reins at a time when the party is totally demoralised. The Congress leadership

should offer a ‘new Congress’ to the voters to attract them like the Labour Party in the UK came up with a New Labour

KALYANI SHANKAR

VIJAYAWADA | WEDNESDAY | AUGUST 28, 2019

www.dailypioneer.com

F O R E I G N E Y E

Preserving rainforests is aneconomical way to meetclimate change targets. TheG7 aid package to helpAmazon countries fightwildfires is a start. Buttargets and protections areonly effective when they arestrictly applied. Europeansneed to change their dietsto reduce demand forcarbon-intensive foodstuffs.They must also restrictmarket access unlessconservation policies arereintroduced along withlaws that can be enforced.(The Guardian editorial)

EUROPE NEEDS TOINTROSPECT

PNS n MUMBAI

The subdued demand condi-tions that led to weak perfor-mance by Indian automakersin the first quarter of 2019-20,will likely persist, adding to thechallenges from the imple-mentation of stricter emissionnorms under BS6 from April2020, Fitch Ratings said onMonday.

However, Fitch Ratingspointed out that government'sfocus on improving liquidityand recent measures to reviveauto sales will stabilise vol-umes in the coming quarters.

The research note assumessignificance as it comes daysafter Finance MinisterNirmala Sitharaman gave amajor boost to the automobileindustry by announcing a slewof measures to reverse slow-down denting the sector.

"We expect overall domes-tic auto sales volume to declinein FY20, although volumesmay stabilise in the comingquarters due to government'sfocus on improving liquidity atlenders and recent measures torevive auto demand," FitchRatings said.

"The improved likelihood of

adequate rainfall and recentcut in interest rates should alsohelp demand in 2HFY20.However, the lower volumeswill weigh on automakers'profitability in FY20 and couldoffset the benefits from lowercommodity prices."

Last Friday, FinanceMinister Nirmala Sitharamangave a major economic boostto diverse sectors such asNBFCs, auto, housing,MSMEs, equity markets andbanking via a slew of measureson tax surcharge, GST refunds,easier loans and demand gen-eration.

In terms of auto sector,Sitharaman allowed govern-ment departments to pur-chase new vehicles to replaceold ones.

She further announced thatall vehicles purchased tillMarch 31, 2020 shall avail ofthe benefit of additional depre-ciation of 15 per cent. It shallincrease the higher deprecia-tion on all vehicles to 30 percent.

The minister said that BS IVvehicles purchased till March31, 2020 shall remain opera-tional for the entire period oftheir registration.

PNS n BENGALURU

Global e-tailer Amazon'sIndian arm has launched amilitary veterans' employmentprogramme to offer jobs to ex-servicemen and their spousesat its fulfilment, sort and deliv-ery centres across the country.

"The programme will beimplemented in partnershipwith the Director-General ofResettlement and the ArmyWelfare PlacementOrganisation," Amazon Indiasaid in a statement here onMonday.

The e-commerce giant hasabout 50 fulfilment and 200delivery centres in cities andtowns across the country.

The company did not, how-ever, disclose how many sortcentres it has at its fulfilmentand delivery centres.

A company spokespersonsaid that as a policy, it does notdisclose how many people arecumulatively employed at therespective centres in the Indiansub-continent.

"The employment at thecentres, most of them on con-tract basis, varies as more arehired at peak sales seasonaround festivals and otheroccasions when special salesare held with discounts andcompliments," the spokesper-son told IANS.

"The novel programme cre-ates continued job opportuni-

ty for military families, whichrespect principles and workethics," said the statement.

In defence of employing ex-servicemen, the company saidthat it was committed todiverse and inclusive hiring,creating opportunities fordiverse individuals to realisetheir potentials.

VIJAYAWADA | WEDNESDAY | AUGUST 28, 2019 money 08

CAPSULE

Amit Nayyar to leadfinancial servicesbusiness at PaytmNEW DELHI: Digital paymentscompany Paytm has appointedex-Goldman executive AmitNayyar as President, financialservices business. Reportingto Vijay Shekhar Sharma,Founder and CEO of Paytm,Nayyar will lead thecompany's efforts to furtherits footprint in lending,insurance, wealthmanagement and brokingbusinesses, the company saidin a statement. "As we focuson expanding our offerings infinancial services, we areexcited to welcome Amit to thePaytm team. His experienceand track record in the BFSIsector will help us accelerateour vision of bringing new-ageFinancial Services to Indians,"said Sharma.

5% duty hikemooted on refinedMalaysia palm oil NEW DELHI: The DirectorateGeneral of Trade Remedieshas recommended to raisecustom duty by 5 per cent onthe import of "RefinedBleached Deodorised Palm Oil"and "Refined BleachedDeodorised Palmolein" fromMalaysia. Accordingly, theDGTR's Bilateral SafeguardInvestigation notification"recommended an increase inrate of customs duty onimports of subject goodsoriginating in Malaysia by 5per cent, for a period of 180days which is consideredappropriate to safeguard theinterest of domestic industry".The product also known asRBD palm oil and RBDPalmolein is refined, bleachedand deodorised form of palmoil which is extracted aftercrushing palm fruit.

Meghalaya to gethelp for developingtextile sector: IraniNONGPOH (MEGHALAYA):Textiles Minister Smriti ZubinIrani here on Monday said thecentral government wascommitted to supplement allthe endeavours of theMeghalaya government in thedevelopment of the textilesector. Irani was speakingafter laying the foundationstone for the IntegratedTextiles Tourism Complexhere, the headquarters of theRi Bhoi district, in presence ofChief Minister ConradSangma. Stating that 30,000people from Meghalaya will beeligible for skill developmentprogrammes under theSamarth scheme of theMinistry of Textiles, She saidRs 8 crore has already beensanctioned for skilldevelopment of 7,200Meghalaya people, in thetextile sector.

Cashify launches e-store forrefurbished gadgetsNEW DELHI: After recentlycompleting six years in the re-commerce business, Cashifyon Tuesday launched an onlineportal to sell refurbishedsmartphones, laptops andmobile accessories in India."As a re-commerce brand, weare hopeful of making a bigimpact in the refurbishedgadget market, starting offwith smartphones and laptopsas our star categories. We willbe adding new productsegments in the future," saidMandeep Manocha, Co-Founder and CEO - Cashify.To start with, Cashify is sellingselect smartphone modelsfrom brands like Xiaomi,Apple, OnePlus, Samsung,Vivo, Oppo and laptops frombrands like HP, Lenovo, andDell, the company said in astatement.

PNS n UDAIPUR

South Korean auto majorHyundai plans to start rollingout upgraded BS6 compliantmodels, including diesel trims,on a regular basis by early nextyear, a top company official said.

The company, which is pre-sent in the country through awholly-owned subsidiary, alsoplans to simultaneously keepselling BS4 vehicles till end ofMarch next year in order tooffer lower priced units toprospective customers.

"I estimate that by the end ofthis year or early next year, theintroduction of BS6 vehicleswill happen," Hyundai MotorIndia MD and CEO SS Kimsaid in an interview.

In terms of technology, thecompany is ready with most ofthe work from research anddevelopment perspective, headded.

Kim, however, clarified thatthe ramp up of BS6 models isgoing to happen in a gradualmanner.

Hyundai currently has justone product, the recentlylaunched Grand i10 Nios, thatis BS6 compliant. The model'spetrol trim is BS6 compliantwhile the diesel variants are stillconform to BS4 regulations.

In comparison, MarutiSuzuki has seven petrol mod-els that are now BS6 emissionnorms compliant.

When asked if the company'sentire current product portfo-

lio would see an upgrade to BS6levels, Kim said, "As per ourplan, all products, includingdiesel variants, will be upgrad-ed to BS6 level."

He said the company willcontinue the production andsales of BS4 vehicles until theend of next year.

"With BS6, the prices of carsis expected to go up so if thecustomer wants to buy someeconomical product, it is ourresponsibility to provide andsupply that," he added.

When asked if the companyexpects decent pre-buying ofBS4 vehicles taking place before

April 1, 2020, Kim said thatHyundai's global experienceshowed that whenever normsgot changed, there were signif-icant sales as people wanted tobuy cars at a reasonable price.

With government clearingair on BS4 registrations, thereare no uncertain factors leftanymore regarding the tech-nology, he added.

The Finance Minister hadlast week clarified that BS4vehicles would remain opera-tional till the entire duration ofthe registration timeframe.

When asked if the companyplans to get into new seg-

ments, including launching amulti-purpose vehicles, Kimsaid, "There are no immediateplans right now, but at the sametime lot of studies are beingconducted."

If the market demands thatHyundai to have a strong pres-ence in the MPV segment, thecompany would think serious-ly about it, he added.

Kim said the company mayalso look at various optionsincluding changing some SUVbody style into other styles tocater to customer requirements.

"It is kind of smart engi-neering. I think that it will bea better solution in terms of costas well as pricing," he added.

When asked if new productlaunches would impact thesales of its popular SUV Creta,Kim said the model has largecustomer pool and has estab-lished itself over the years interms of quality.

‘GST shortfall may force RBI to usesurplus for meeting fiscal deficit'PNS n MUMBAI

The transfer of Reserve Bankof India (RBI) surplus willonly give marginal relief, whilerisk to the fiscal remains onaccount of the expected short-fall in Goods and Services Tax(GST) revenues, Kotak Equitiessaid on Tuesday.

Another analyst firm, IDFCAMC, is of the view that anytemptation to use this amounttowards a "fiscal stimulus" risksregenerating worries aroundthe quality and effectiveness ofmeeting fiscal deficit targets.

"Based on the JalanCommittee's recommendation,the RBI will transfer Rs 52,600crore as per the revised ECF(Economic CapitalFramework). This is in addi-tion to the surplus transfer ofRs 1.23 trillion (including Rs28,000 crore of interim divi-dend for FY2019) in FY2020,"said a Kotak Equities report.

"The government will gainaround Rs 58,000 crore fromthe RBI compared to FY2020budget estimates. This willhelp to some extent in bridg-ing an estimated Rs 1.5 trillion

of shortfall in GST revenueseven as the fiscal continues tobe strained due to weak taxrevenues".

The Kotak report said the2019-20 Budget had assumedan RBI dividend of Rs 90,000crore and ARBI has trans-ferred Rs 1.23 lakh crore,including Rs 28,000 crore ofinterim dividend in 2018-19.The government will receive Rs95,400 crore as dividend for thecurrent fiscal, assuming nointerim dividend is announced.

According to Kotak, opti-cally, the excess provisiontransfer of Rs 52,300 crore, aswell as the Rs 54,000 crore ofhigher dividend, will seempositive for bonds.

"The market, however, wasexpecting a transfer of aroundRs 1.5-2 trillion though wehave firmly believed that alarge transfer would be unlike-ly," Kotak said.

"Fiscal slippage risks remaingiven our estimated shortfall ofaround Rs 1.5 trillion in GSTrevenues and around Rs 95,000crore in net tax revenues. Ifdirect taxes disappoint too,fiscal pressures will intensify(amidst slowing growth).While the initial reading couldbe positive for GSec, fiscalslippage risks will continue toweigh on yields," it added.

IDFC AMC Head (FixedIncome) Suyash Choudharysaid that from a budget stand-

point, the extra "windfall"owing to the Jalan committeeis Rs 58,000 crore.

"Given the expected rev-enue shortfalls in a slowingeconomy and especially vis-a-vis the aggressive assumptionsin the budget, it would beprudent to keep this amount inorder to meet the budget num-bers more credibly,"Choudhary said.

"So far, any hope of meetingthe budget targets rests on asimilar expenditure compres-sion as that undertaken lastyear including via movingsome items of spending 'belowthe line'. Any temptation to usethis amount towards a 'fiscalstimulus' risks regenerating

worries around the quality andeffectiveness towards meetingthe deficit targets," he said.

"Overall the identified'excess' transferrable capital bythe Jalan committee is only justabove Rs 50,000 crore, farbelow the hopeful bountiesbeing talked about. Not justthat, future pay-outs are nowformula driven and subject tosome constraints with respectto the maintenance of a mini-mum CRB (contingent riskbuffer)."

Some foreign broking hous-es have said that the RBI wind-fall would be used in achievingthe fiscal deficit target.

Nomura said: "RBI's highnet income in 2018-19 easethe fiscal pressures and divi-dend transfer will help thegovernment achieve 3.3 percent fisc deficit target. BimalJalan committee suggests aconser vative EconomicCapital Framework."

Morgan Stanley was of theview that the "governmentcould intend to use theenhanced transfer to help meetthe fiscal deficit. Enhancedtransfer to aid fiscal flexibility."

"I estimate that by the end of this yearor early next year, the introduction ofBS6 vehicles will happen," HyundaiMotor India MD and CEO SS Kim said inan interview

PNS n MUMBAI

Domestic equity benchmarkBSE Sensex opened over 150points higher on Tuesday ledby gains in index heavyweightsL&T, ICICI Bank, SBI andHDFC Bank amid positivedomestic and global cues.

The 30-share index wastrading 123.95 points, or 0.33per cent, up at 37,618.07 at0930 hours, while the broaderNifty rose 43.45 points, or0.39 per cent, to 11,101.30 inearly trade.

In the previous session, theBSE barometer closed 792.96points, or 2.16 per cent, high-er at 37,494.12; and the Niftyreclaimed the 11,000-level,advancing 228.50 points, or2.11 per cent, to 11,057.85.

Top gainers in the Sensexpack in early trade on Tuesdayincluded Tata Motors, SBI,Tata Steel, L&T, Axis Bank,Bajaj Finance, IndusInd Bankand NTPC, rising up to 2 percent.

On the other hand, Infosyswas the biggest loser on the

index, shedding over 2 percent, after the IT major hasbought back 11.05 crore of itsshares under its Rs 8,260-crorebuyback offer that began inMarch this year.

HCL Tech, TCS, TechM,Kotak Bank and Asian Paintstoo fell up to 2 per cent.

Domestic equities followedglobal stocks, that rallied afterUS President Donald TrumpDonald Trump said China-UStrade talks would resume soon,traders said.

Investor sentiment wasrevived by the government

move to withdraw additionalsurcharge on foreign investorsand initiate measures to revivethe economy.

According to Vinod Nair,Head of Research, GeojitFinancial Services, thestrongest message to the mar-ket is that government is con-cerned about the slowing econ-omy and intends to support thesituation with corrective mea-sures.

"The initial set of actions,though small, has enhancedmarket's sentiment and confi-dence," he said adding that the

market will trade in a positivebias awaiting further develop-ment regarding additionalmeasures and US China tradetalk.

Meanwhile, the ReserveBank of India (RBI) onMonday approved the transferof record Rs 1.76 lakh croredividend and surplus reservesto the government, boostingPrime Minister NarendraModi-led regime's prospect tostimulate the slowing economywithout widening fiscal deficit.

Foreign portfolio investorssold shares worth a net of Rs752.90 crore on Monday, whiledomestic institutional investorspurchased shares worth Rs1,272.29 crore, provisional datashowed.

The rupee, meanwhile,appreciated 22 paise against itsprevious close to trade at 71.80in early session.

Elsewhere in Asia, boursesin Hong Kong, Korea,Shanghai and Japan were trad-ing significantly higher in theirrespective late morning ses-sions.

Ex-servicemen, spouses toget jobs at Amazon India

Hyundai plans to start rolling out upgraded BS6s

PNS n MUMBAI

The rupee appreciated by 32paise to 71.70 against the USdollar in early trade on Tuesdayamid revival of US-China tradetalk hopes and gains in domes-tic equity market.

The rupee on Monday haddeclined by 36 paise to closebelow the 72 level against theUS currency for the first timein nine months, hit by a 'flashcrash' in global currencies dueto uncertainty over the tradefront.

At the interbank foreignexchange on Tuesday, therupee opened at 71.70, regis-tering a rise of 32 paise over itsprevious close of 72.02.

The domestic unit paredsome gains and was trading at71.85 against the dollar at1001 hrs.

Forex traders said higheropening in domestic equitiesand the latest remark by USPresident Donald Trump ontrade talk with China enthusedinvestors.

Trump said his trade nego-tiators had received two "verygood calls" from China and itwas a sign that China is seriousabout reaching a deal and thattalks would begin soon.

"I think we're going to havea deal, because now we'redealing on proper terms. Theyunderstand and we under-stand," Trump said.

Market participants, howev-

er, said rising crude oil pricesand foreign fund outflowsweighed on local currency.Foreign institutional investors(FIIs) remained net sellers inthe capital market, pulling outRs 752.90 crore on Monday,according to provisionalexchange data.

The dollar index, whichgauges the greenback's strengthagainst a basket of six curren-cies, fell 0.08 per cent to 98.00.

Domestic bourses openedon a positive note on Tuesdaywith benchmark indices Sensextrading 83.20 points higher at37,577.32 and Nifty up 45.80points at 11,103.65.

The 10-year governmentbond yield was at 6.44 per centin morning trade.

At the interbankforeign exchangeon Tuesday, therupee opened at71.70, registeringa rise of 32 paiseover its previousclose of 72.02.

Domestic equitiesfollowed globalstocks, that ralliedafter US PresidentDonald TrumpDonald Trump saidChina-US tradetalks would resumesoon, traders said

Rupee opens 32 paise higher at 71.70 against dollar

PNS n NEW DELHI

In a race to be the top state inIndia, IEEFA has modelled theeconomic powerhouse Gujaratadding a staggering 46gigawatts (GW) of new renew-able energy capacity by 2029-30, a new report said onTuesday.

The report, "Gujarat's elec-tricity sector transformation -A role-model of India's elec-tricity transition", identifiesGujarat as one of the fiveleading states for renewableenergy in terms of both exist-ing generation capacity as wellas future potential.

Tim Buckley, co-author ofthe report and director ofenergy finance studies with theInstitute for EnergyEconomics and FinancialAnalysis (IEEFA), said theIndian government has right-ly identified the need to reduceits exposure to imported fos-sil fuels, including oil, coal andgas, setting the stage for a mas-sive transformation across thecountry.

"The government knows anover-reliance on importedfuels adversely affects India'strade account deficit and putsthe country's energy securityat risk," Buckley told IANS ina statement.

"Setting an ambitious newrenewable energy target of523 gigawatts by 2030 is a clearindication by the central gov-ernment of the direction thestates must pull towards," hesaid.

"Although Gujarat hasincurred the cost of the recentbailout of its unviable import-ed thermal coal capacity atMundra, refocusing efforts oncontinuing its already promis-ing renewable capacity addi-

tions would see the state comeout on top as the country'srenewable leader."

While Gujarat lifted itsrenewable energy target to30GW from 17GW in July, thestate could be more ambitious,with the Ministry of New andRenewable Energy estimatingGujarat's renewable energypotential to be 72.7 GW, equal-ly balanced between solar andwind energy potential.

IEEFA models renewablesadditions of 4-5 GW annual-ly to ensure all of Gujarat'sincremental demand goingforward is supplied by renew-ables.

This would be a dramaticshift in Gujarat's electricitysector composition, withrenewables forming 70 percent of its capacity and 48 percent of generation by 2029-30.

Gujarat can leadrenewables race inIndia: IEEFA

"The governmentknows an over-reliance onimported fuelsadversely affectsIndia's tradeaccount deficitand puts thecountry's energysecurity at risk,"Buckley said

Truecaller has1 mn payingsubscribersPNS n BENGALURU

Swedish caller identificationapp Truecaller on Tuesdayannounced that it has crossedone million paying subscribersglobally and has added a seriesof new features to its paid sub-scription service, TruecallerPremium. "We are happy to seethis growth and it makes usproud that users value thebenefits of our Premium fea-tures. We are also excited toannounce these new upgradesthat would help us add evenmore value to our growingPremium users and help themmake their communicationmore safe and efficient," saidCo-founder and CEO AlanMamedi. Rolled out globally,the premium subscription ser-vice would now incorporateseveral advanced and morepowerful spam blocking fea-tures that include automaticallyupdating and blocking topspammers in your region.

"The novelprogrammecreates continuedjob opportunity formilitary families,which respectprinciples andwork ethics," saidthe statement.

The government will gainaround Rs 58,000 crorefrom the RBI compared to

FY2020 budget estimates. This willhelp to some extent in bridging anestimated Rs 1.5 trillion of shortfall inGST revenues even as the fiscalcontinues to be strained due to weaktax revenues.

Sensex jumps over 150 points

‘Auto sector'sdemand conditionslikely to persist'

Going green and going organicare terms that are used

interchangeably although theyare two completely different

aspects. Hyderabad-basedGoodSeeds tries to help people

figure out the difference byhelping farmers get a goodprice for their produce and

inspiring people to lead an eco-friendly lifestyle, finds

V SATEESH REDDY

oodSeeds, a com-munity-based mar-keting platformwith presence bothonline and offlineis promoting farm-

ers to produce crops in anorganic manner keeping sus-tainability in mind. It alsoencourages consumers totread the eco-friendly path.Every year, over 5,000 farmersacross the country benefitthrough GoodSeeds.

Narayan Murthy and hisfriends started GoodSeeds inAugust 2014 to help peopleinculcate eco-friendly habitsin their life.

Narayan Murthy says, “Weorganise monthly organicmarkets called Organic EarthMela in Hyderabad to pro-mote producers of sustainableproducts like handloom,khadi, terracotta, organic veg-etables and fruits and season-al items such as clayGaneshas/Holi colours etc.We also have an online portalcalled goodseeds.in throughwhich we distribute productsdirectly to customers.”

Murthy said that their mainobjective is to promote holis-

tic health through traditionalwisdom — health of families,environmental health andsocietal health through locallivelihoods.

When asked what spurredhim into starting Goodseeds,Murthy said, “My friends andI always wanted to keep ourfamilies healthy, by not compromising the environ-ment for future generations.When we tried understandingmore about food and thefarmers, we realised that ourfocus should be on the entireecosystem, which meant thatpeople around us should alsobe in line with our goals. Tounderstand organic farming,we visited Tamil Nadu, Kerala,Karnataka and AndhraPradesh in the South andHimalayan regions such asHimachal Pradesh,Uttarakhand and Kashmir inthe North. We interacted withfarmers, self-help groups andNGOs and learned a great dealabout our traditional way ofliving and how it helps theenvironment and local liveli-hood.”

“Over 5,000 farmers areassociated with us,” said

Murthy adding, “These farmers get a fair price fortheir product as we promoteit’s uniqueness, usage andhealth benefits to customers,which in turn helps fetch better rates. We have looselytied up with many farmsacross the country and havesuppliers all over India.Timbaktu cooperative andNavadarshanam have beenour longest supply partners.”

Murthy adds, “We havestrong beliefs about ourimpact on health andenvironment andthat is the rea-son why weregularlyconductt a l k sa n dd i s -c u s -

sions.W ea l s op r o -m o t eour phi-l o s o p h yt h r o u g hevents.”

Murthy further said thatthey are the first and old-est ones in Hyderabadto organise organicmelas. He shares,“We want toexpand ouronline offeringsand launch ourown experiencestore and planto expand toother cities inthe South verysoon.”

PAINTINGMARKETSGREEN

G

We organise monthly markets called Organic Earth Mela inHyderabad to promote producers of sustainable products likehandloom, khadi, terracotta, vegetables and fruits and seasonal itemssuch as clay Ganeshas/Holi colours etc. We also have an online portalcalled goodseeds.in through which we distribute products directly to customers

— NARAYAN MURTHY

‘7 RAYS’ OF HOPEHyderabad-based M Saratha is

helping underprivilegedstudents to get basic amenities

and pursue their education

hile education is af u n d a m e n t a lright, it is, howev-er, not a possibil-ity for many chil-dren in India.

Regardless of governmentschools and other facilities,many underprivileged stu-dents find it difficult to stayin school and continue theireducation because of pover-ty or lack of resources. Whilepoverty is a systemic issue,lack of resources can be dealtwith, at least to a limit. Thatis exactly what Seven Rays, anNGO, is trying to do.

“Through our educationalsupport for school-going chil-dren, we provide underpriv-ileged children in Hyderabadwith books, bags and sta-tionery, while also financial-ly helping their families.These children come fromdifficult situations, and mostof their parents cannot bearthe educational fees of theirchildren,” said M Saratha,founder of the Seven Raysorganisation, which is work-ing towards the betterment ofthe society through variousactivities.

Through Seven Rays,Saratha has helped more than30,000 students in the city andhas covered more than 30government schools. Saratha,who quit her job at T Hub tostart the organisation, says,“Once I was invited as a guestto a government school andI witnessed that there were nobasic facilities for the students.Most of us think that govern-ment schools get funds andface no difficulties, but thereality is very different. Afterwitnessing the situation of theschool, I decided to do some-thing for them and started mySeven Rays in 2016.”

Along with helping stu-dents, Saratha also distributesfood and clothes to orphan-ages. She regularly conductsactivities for orphan childrento encourage their passion forgames.

“We regularly conducthealth camps in the city andprovide them with three-months worth medicines. Inour research, we found thatmost of class VIII and IX stu-dents of government schoolssuffer from vitamin deficien-cy and we are helping them to

overcome that problem,” sheadds.

Saratha, along with herteam, also conducts aware-ness activities about theimportance of having a girlchild and hygiene issues. Theydistribute pads for girls ingovernment schools whileexplaining to them the impor-tance of hygiene. They arealso planning to give a healthkit to every governmentschool in the city.

Saratha is not in this ven-ture for the monetary bene-fits, in fact, she urges peopleto donate materials instead ofmoney.

“I usually post about myactivities on Facebook andasks people for their support.I don’t believe in collectingmoney and so my advice forpeople is to donate materialsand/or come along with us toparticipate in the activities.”She has won many awards forher social services.

Saratha has also adopted agovernment school in OldSafilguda in Moula Ali. Sheinforms, “The school hasmore than 220 students, butthey don’t have any proper

facilities. Due to this, manyare not regularly attendingschool. We make sure tocover all the basic amenitiesfor students. We are also pro-viding snacks for students ingovt schools to encouragethem to attend special class-es.”

Apart from providing theamenities, the group has alsotaken it among themselves topaint the surroundings toattract them towards theschool.

Now, they are planning toset up a library for them andrequested school authoritiesto arrange a library periodevery day.

After witnessing Saratha’sefforts, many from rural areasof Telangana are requestingthe organisation to do thesame for their kids. She hasinformed that they will soonextend their activities to therural areas.

— VSR

w

I was once invited as a guestto a government school andI witnessed that there wereno basic facilities for thestudents. Most of us thinkthat government schools getfunds and face nodifficulties, but the reality isdifferent. After witnessing thesituation of the school, Idecided to do something forthem and started my SevenRays in 2016. I don’t believein collecting money and somy advice for people is todonate materials and/orcome along with us toparticipate in the activities

— M SARATHAFOUNDER OF SEVEN RAYS

WednesdayAugust 28, 2019

Follow us on@TheDailyPioneerfacebook.com/dailypioneer

Actress Amy Jackson shared that she is expecting a son at hergender reveal party. The actress took to Twitter on Monday

to share a video from the gender reveal party. In the clip, anecstatic Amy shouts, “It's a boy.” The 27-year-old had earlier shared

on Instagram that she is in her 35th week of pregnancy. She isexpecting her first child with fiance and businessman George

Panayiotou. She made her actingdebut with the 2010 Tamil

movie Madrasapattinam andhas featured in several

Telugu, Hindi and Kannadafilms apart from Tamil

films.Her last big release was

the Rajinikanth-starrer2.0 in 2018, which

released in Tamil, Hindiand Telugu versions.

Her notable Bollywoodfilms include Ekk

Deewana Tha,Singh Is

Bliing andFreaky

Ali.

Actress Eva Longoria will direct Flamin Hot, a biopic about the man who created the spicyFlamin Hot Cheetos. It was first reported in February 2018 that Searchlight and DeVon Franklinwere set to produce the film Flamin Hot, which will tell the true story of Richard Montanez,

who rose from humble beginnings to being a wildly successful businessman when he created afood phenomenon — Flamin Hot Cheetos. The film will follow Montanez, the son of an immigrant,who grew up as a migrant farm worker picking grapesin the fields of Southern California beforebecoming a janitor at Frito-Lay, reportsvariety.com. While working at the company,Montanez came up with the idea to createFlamin Hot Cheetos, transforming the brandinto a pop culture phenomenon andcreating a wildly popular category ofcrunchy snacks. Longoria will direct froma script by Charlie St. Cloud and OctoberSky writer Lewis Colick. Longoria is alsoattached to direct and produce 24/7, inwhich she stars with KerryWashington. She is also producingMy Daughter's Quinceañera and

stars in Dora the Explorer.

EVA LONGORIA TURNS DIRECTOR FOR‘FLAMIN HOT' CHEETOS MAKER

AMY JACKSONHAVING A BOY

Vijayawada Wednesday August 28, 2019

10

celeb talks

WHEN A TAMIL PRODUCER

MADE VIDYA BALAN FEEL UGLY

Vidya Balan is one of the most sought-after

actresses in Bollywood, but she had faced a lot of

rejections in the south film industry. She says

there was a time when a Tamil producer made

her feel ugly. “There were a lot of rejections down

South. There were a lot of Malayalam films, but I was

replaced in each of them. There was a Tamil film I was

doing and I was thrown out of the film... I remember my

parents had come with me because they were so worried

about me... I had really begun to fade,” she said in an

interview to an entertainment portal.

“We went to the producer's office. The producer

showed us the clippings from the film and he said, ‘Just

look at her, does she look like a heroine’. He said ‘I was

not in favour of taking her at all, it was the director who

insisted'.”The Dirty Picture actress added, “They had already

replaced me and my father after knowing that, called up

the producer asking if they can meet because he wanted

to know what was going wrong. They wanted to know

what was the problem.”

Vidya said she had a difficult time dealing with the

rejection. “I felt ugly... I felt like sh*t for months and I

don'’t think I looked at myself in the mirror... I didn't like

what I saw because I thought I was ugly... For the longest

time, I did not forgive that man, but today, thanks to that,

I realised that I have to love and accept myself the way I

am.”Talking about another experience in Tamil filmdom,

she said, “There was another Tamil film that was locked

on the phone and it was not organised in the way that

they are today... I didn't know any better so I was like

okay and committed to doing the film. I landed in

Chennai and I shot with him for a day and really felt

uncomfortable with the kind of humour that was in the

film. I left the film and then they sent me a legal notice.”

The life story of former Prime Minister Atal BihariVajpayee is set to unfold on the big screen.Vajpayee, a senior BJP leader and one of the

founding members of the Bharatiya Jana Sangh(BJS), died on August 16 in 2018, after aprolonged illness.

Shiva Sharma and Zeeshan Ahmad, owners ofAmaash Films, have acquired the official rights ofthe book, The Untold Vajpayee, written byUllekh NP, and has decided to unveil the severalaspects of Vajpayee's life from his childhood,college life, him turning into a politician.

“The Untold Vajpayee is one of my mostambitious projects and it gives me a feeling ofimmense honour and joy to be able to put upthis unsung hero onto the big

screen. Also, I believe not everyone knows the realside of Atal Bihari Vajpayeeji. While reading this

book, I also discovered quite a lot about hispersonality traits, the work done by him

during his tenure as a Prime Ministerfor our country,” said Sharma.

“These unseen and untold traitsof his personality inspired me to puthis story out to the world andinspire other people as well.”

Ahmad shared that the scriptingof the movie has already started.“Once the scripting is completed,we shall finalise the director and the

actors for the film. The tentative titleof the movie is The Untold

Vajpayee,” he added.

VIOLA DAVIS TO PLAY MICHELLE OBAMAIN SHOWTIME'S ‘FIRST LADIES’

The Oscar-winning actress will portray MichelleObama in First Ladies — a Showtime serieslooking at several US presidents' wives

throughout history.Michelle, Eleanor Roosevelt and Betty Ford will be

the focus of the first series, written by novelist AaronCooley.

First Ladies will aim to provide insight into both thepersonal and political lives of presidents' spouses.

It will also show how many major political decisionswere made in the White House's east wing, where theFirst Lady and her staff are based. The Obamas spenteight years in the White House from 2008 to 2016.

Michelle Obama has met the actress on severaloccasions. In 2017, Davis posted a tribute to Obamaon Facebook, uploading a picture of the pair togetherand writing, “May you continue to shine your light andimpact future generations to come.”

Davis won her Oscar for best supporting actress in2017 for Fences, and has also previously starred inThe Help, Widows and Suicide Squad.

AYUSHMANNKHURRANA FEELSTHE ‘GOODPRESSURE'National Award-winning actor Ayushmann Khurrana

says it''s great to know that the audience expects himto do good cinema and considers it a “good

pressure” to have.With back-to-back hits — Andhadhun, Badhaai Ho and

Article 15 — in recent times, the audience's expectationfrom the actor has gone up, and he is loving it.

With his upcoming Dream Girl, Ayushmann continuesto deliver quality content that is hugely entertaining. He hasproven that he is the go-to star for the best scripts in town.

“I do feel that audiences expect me to disrupt contentwith every single film and I'm loving this expectation. It'sgreat to know that they expect me to do good cinema. It'sgood pressure to have and always motivates me todiscover and endorse some of the best scripts that arebeing written in our industry. I'm truly fortunate thataudiences are placing their trust in me to be thetorchbearer of good cinema in India,” Ayushmann said.

In his upcoming film, Dream Girl, he will be seenplaying the role of a man who can speak in a woman'svoice.

“Dream girl, in its own way, is about gender fluidity insociety. We have always spoken about a woman in a man'sworld and this film reverses that equation on its head andputs a man in a woman's world as a social experiment,” hesaid.

“In the film, my character is absolutely okay doing whatis traditionally looked at as a girl's job and doesn't feelawkward about doing it,” he added.

He believes in the need for society to champion equalityamong genders. “Even a girl in today's world should feelabsolutely okay to chase her dreams and take up a job ofher choice without thinking of societal stereotypes orconsequences. That's the kind of society I would like to livein, celebrate and champion.

“The power to create equality iswith us and we need toensure that genderdoesn't come at play atany cost. Women areequal to men andthat's what weshould always striveto achieve in every-day life to seeeffective change,” hesaid.

ATAL BIHARI VAJPAYEE'S LIFE STORY TO HIT BIG SCREEN

ilmmaker Sekhar Kammula believes the Centre’s deci-sion to allow uranium mining in the Nallamala for-est would inevitably damage the delicate ecology ofthe region, and claimed that Chenchu tribes of thearea would be immediately affected.

In a lengthy post on Twitter, he posted, “The uranium min-ing in the Nallamala forest would seriously affect the ecosys-tem in Telangana and Andhra regions. We will lose three lakhacres of forestland and its wildlife habitat. It will destroy thesecond largest tiger reserve in India. The Chenchus, the mostprimitive tribal group who live in the Nallamala will be extinct.It would deplete springs and rivulets, and contaminate RiverKrishna with truly frightening implications. The radon emis-sion resulting from the mining is proven to be cancerous. Itwould be catastrophic to go on with the mining. TheGovernment should react and see to it that we save Krishna,the Chenchus and the Nallamala forest (sic).”

Sekhar is the first noted face from Tollywood to have react-ed on this issue. Environmentalists, social activists and manyother people, cutting across regions, have raised their con-cerns over the Centre’s plan. Nallamala forest is spread acrossfive districts in Andhra Pradesh and two erstwhile districtsin Telangana — Mahabubnagar and Nalgonda. The forest maysoon face what is being dubbed as an environmental catastro-phe by activists.

aunched earlier this April with an intention ofgoing to f loors in June or September,Venkatapuram director Madikanti Venu’s secondproject, Visakhapatnam (tentatively titled) withNaveen Chandra has been called off, The Pioneer

has reliably learnt. A crime thriller set in a political back-drop, the film, with Kota Sreenivas Rao, Naseer, Brahmaji,Rao Ramesh and Avasarala Sreenivas in supporting roles,was to see Naveen in a role he hasn’t played thus far. “Itran into some production issues and Naveen decided thatit’s better not to associate with it at this stage of his career.He, however, assured Venu that he would be doing a pro-ject with him for sure. He rates the director very high andwas impressed with the content of Visakhapatnam,” con-firmed our sources.

Meanwhile, Naveen, who is basking in the accolades heis continuing to receive for his psycho turn in Evaru, isjuggling between the sets of the next films of Dhanush,Manchu Vishnu and Keerthy Suresh, playing key support-ing roles. — NG

NAVEEN's projectwith Venkatapuramdirector shelvedThe project ran into some production issuesand the actor decided that it's better not toassociate with it at this stage of his career

art of promotions of DearComrade, which saw herteaming up with VijayDeverakonda for the secondtime after the blockbuster

Geetha Govindam , RashmikaMandanna had declared that she does-n’t have time to date and is very much

single now. The actress reiterated thesame while recently interacting

with her fans on her Instagrampage. When an Insta user,praising her pairing with

Deverakonda asked why

they both couldn’t date, she replied,“Sorry to disappoint you my love, butwe have a lot more work to do than justsit and date each other. We show loveand respect through work. Also, I haveirritated him enough that he doesn’twant to sign any more films with mefor the next two years at least (sic).”

Rashmika is presently busy withBheeshma alongside Nithiin. She hasrecently participated in a schedule ofMahesh Babu-starrer SarileruNeekevvaru. She will be also seen inAllu Arjun’s next with Sukumar.

For at least next 2 years,VIJAY will not sign a filmwith me, says RASHMIKA

Vijayawada Wednesday August 28, 2019

11

he Pioneer was the first toreport that Adith Arun,Saptagiri and Madhunandanare coming together for acrime-comedy (on June 29),

which marks the directorial debut ofSrinath, who has written NaveenChandra and Nivetha Thomas-starrerJuliet — Lover of Romeo. To this end,the latest we hear is the film has beentitled Thagithe Thandana, with a cap-tion ‘drink and think’.

A Hyderabad-set drama, the storyis about how three guys are frustrat-ed with their boss and the followingsequence of events. “It’s a madcapcomedy interspersed with somethriller elements as well. It has a cer-tain Hangover flavour to it, as one

error leads to another, and so on.Seventy per cent of the film has beenshot and the remaining shoot will bewrapped in the next two months in an11-day schedule,” chips in a source.

Anil, an entrepreneur, is producingthe f i lm under Right TurnProductions, while model-dancerSimran Gupta, who sizzled in a songin Vijay-starrer Sarkar, is making herTelugu debut with the project.

— NG

IT'S LIKE LIVING A DREAM:Prabhas on life post BaahubaliThe actor speaks to NAGARAJ GOUD about being grounded despite the successof Baahubali, doing action scenes for Saaho, and its making

or the past month or so,Prabhas has been jug-gling between multiplecities across the coun-try to promote hisaction extravaganza

Saaho, which will storm into cin-ema halls this Friday. Yet, heretains the same zeal when talkingabout the film, hardly breaking asweat. For someone who rarelyenjoyed giving interviews beforeBaahubali made him a nation-widephenomenon, he seems to beenjoying this new side of his. “I’vegot a very warm welcome fromwherever I’ve been to, promotingthe film. It, in turn, is making mepromote it more,” he begins.

With attention all around, hebelieves in staying grounded. Hisfamily and friends such as SSRajamouli and VV Vinayak keephim on his toes. “Rajamouli, espe-cially, has seen more success thanme, yet he’s so humble. Chiranjeevigaru and Rajinikanth garu are stillthe same people,” he shares, admit-

ting that life has changed afterBaahubali. “It’s like I’m in a dream.Rajamouli has weaved somemagic.”

Following Baahubali withanother action film was not on hisitinerary. He wanted to do an out-and-out love story but couldn’t getone. It was when Sujeeth narratedhim Saaho. “Initially, I thought wecould make it on a scale of `100crore, but the director started todevelop it further. After Baahubali,the design became bigger.However, I still wanted it to bearound ̀ 150 crore but my produc-er friends Vamsi and Pramoddon’t believe in compromising onthe quality. They spent ̀ 9 crore onRun Raja Run alone. We ended upspending ̀ 350 crore for Saaho and

every time the budget shot up, Ihad sleepless nights,” he points out,adding that setting up the actionpart alone required them to spenda bomb as they were new to suchaction pieces and had to under-stand a few technicalities beforeproceeding with the shoot. “Wehad to create a factory in AbuDhabi and some cars which wereremotely operated. Stunt masterKenny Bates possesses a black carwith a camera inserted in it, spe-cially designed by him. We had toship it from his place in Prague.Many more such props wereshipped from different parts of theworld. The Transformers editor cutthe action part.”

While his prep for the actionpart was more on the technical

lines, he admits he is no longer tak-ing the risks that he took earlier.“Safety was given utmost impor-tance on Saaho’s sets. In fact,there were three teams takingcare of safety alone. Five years ago,I might’ve not used a body doublebut I feel the need now and weeven used one for Saaho. Guess,I’ve had my share of hardcoreaction in the past,” he quips,adding that if Saaho clicks at theticket counters, he doesn’t rule outthe chance for a franchise. “Thecontent’s thread allows for asequel.”

Uncle Krishnam Raju, heinforms, is naturally happy with hissuccess. “His chest swells withpride when someone keeps men-tioning me in a positive light. Heis the head of the family and for hisage, he is very modern, which iswhy he is investing in my next film,a love story. When he agreed toproduce a treatment-based filmlike Billa, long back, I understoodhow much he is in tune with the

current generation,” he main-tains.

While he is doing all theheavy lifting, promotion-wise,and taking in all the pressure,one wonders when he would geta life partner who will take thepressure off him. “I don’t knowwhether I’ll get someone whorelieves my pressure or adds to it,”he concludes, flashing a widesmile.

fSafety was givenutmost

importance onSaaho’s sets. In fact, therewere three teams takingcare of safety alone. Fiveyears ago, I might’ve notused a body double but Ifeel the need now and weeven used one for Saaho

PRABHAS

tollywood

FOLLOWING BAAHUBALI WITH ANOTHER ACTIONERWAS NOT ON HIS ITINERARY. HE WANTED TO DO ANOUT-AND-OUT LOVE STORY BUT COULDN’T GET ONE

Seventy per centshooting of theHyderabad-set

drama has beencompleted andthe remaining

will be wrappedup in the next

two months

t p

fl

ADITH ARUN's madcap comedytitled THAGITHE THANDANA

The actress wasreplying to her

fans on Instagram

KAMMULAraises concern

over uraniummining in Nallamala

Adith

Aru

n

sport 12VIJAYAWADA | WEDNESDAY | AUGUST 28, 2019

PTI n NEW YORK

The improbable did not hap-pen but India’s Sumit Nagalexited the US Open fighting,

stretching and even earning therespect of his opponent, the incom-parable Roger Federer.

In another first-round matchfeaturing an Indian, PrajneshGunneswaran got a taste of high-level tennis, losing to world num-ber five Daniil Medvedev in straightsets at the Flushing Meadows onMonday night. With their losses,India’s singles challenge drew to aclose on the opening day itself.

After taking a set off Federer,Nagal lost 6-4, 1-6, 2-6, 4-6 in amatch that lasted two hours and 50minutes here on Monday night tobow out after making his maidenGrand Slam main draw.

“I think he knows what he canbring. That’s why I think he’s goingto have a very solid career,” saidFederer after the match.

The debut, at least in the open-ing set, was impressive as hestretched the “rusty” Federer, a five-time champion here with a careertally of 20 Slams.

But the gulf between Prajneshand his fancied Russian opponent,who recently vanquished multipleGrand Slam winner NovakDjokovic, was wide and apparentas he lost 4-6, 1-6, 2-6.

Nagal was more competi-tive. The 24-year-old troubledFederer quite a bit during themuch-anticipated match andthe Swiss legend’s problemswere also compounded by hisown unforced errors.

One of the game’s all-timegreatest players, Federer had aword of praise for his opponentfrom India.

“...Of course it’s not thegame that comes out withthe biggest surprises. It’sreally consistent. I thinkhe did it very welltonight,” Federer saidafter the match.

Asked what hethought was the stand-out feature of Nagal,Swiss legend Federersaid, “I guess maybe howhe handled the moment.”

“I think his game isbased on being really con-sistent, moving well, mov-

ing the ball around well. Sort ofvery much a clay-courter.

Nagal became only the fourthIndian to win a set in the maindraw of a Grand Slam inthe last 20 years.What made itspe-

cialwasthati t

came against Federer, a colossal fig-ure across all sports globally.

Only Somdev Devvarman,Yuki Bhambri and Saketh Mynenihave managed to win a set in aGrand Slam main draw beforeNagal, in the last two decades.

Nagal, who made the maindraw through qualifying, returnsfrom the US Open not onlyricher by $58,000 but alsowith the experience of what ittakes to compete at thebiggest stage.

“It was a tough first setfor me. He played prettystrong so credit to him. Iwas missing a lot of ballsso I was trying to cutdown the unforced errors.

Hopefully it will get bet-ter,” said Federer.

The Swiss let out afirm “No” when askedif he felt for a second

that it was ‘Nadal’and not ‘Nagal’if the name ofhis rival on thes c o r e b o a r dhad a ‘D’

instead of a ‘G’.“For you guys

and social media, itis,” he quipped.

“I was rusty, Iwill shake it off,”

said Federer.

AFP n NEW YORK

Serena Williams overwhelmedMaria Sharapova 6-1, 6-1 on

Monday to reach the second roundof the US Open in search of her 24thGrand Slam title.

Six-time US Open championWilliams crushed the five-timemajor winner from Russia in only 59minutes, beating Sharapova for the19th consecutive time and improv-ing to 20-2 in their all-time rivalry.

“Whenever I play her I bring outsome of my best tennis,” Williamssaid. “When you play her you haveto be super focused.”

Williams, who next plays 121st-ranked US wildcard Caty McNally,blasted five aces and 16 winnerswhile Sharapova made 20 unforcederrors.

“She served really well. Foundher spots really well,” Sharapova said.“I think that’s where she hurt me alot.”

The 2006 US Open winner whodefeated Williams in the 2004Wimbledon final, upset SimonaHalep in the first round two yearsago but could not revive that magic.

DJOKOVIC CRUISESTop-ranked defending champi-

on Novak Djokovic cruised into thesecond round while French Openchampion Ashleigh Barty and thirdseed Karolina Pliskova struggledbut advanced.

Serbian star Djokovic, who haswon four of the past five Grand Slam

singles titles, dispatched Spain’s76th-ranked Roberto CarballesBaena 6-4, 6-1, 6-4.

“Getting out of the blocks, ittakes time for you to feel comfort-able on the court,” Djokovic said.“I’m quite pleased with my perfor-mance and looking forward to thenext one.”

Djokovic, trying to become thefirst back-to-back US Open winnersince Federer won from 2004-2008,will next face Argentina’s 56th-ranked Juan Ignacio Londero.

Pliskova, a 2016 US Open run-ner-up, edged 138th-ranked Czechcompatriot Tereza Martincova 7-6(8/6), 7-6 (7/3) after exchanging ser-vice breaks over the first six games.

“Not my best performance,”Pliskova said. “Not happy that I lostthree breaks of serve in a row.”

Japanese seventh seed KeiNishikori, the 2014 US Open run-ner-up, won 6-1, 4-1, whenArgentine qualifier Marco Trungellitiretired with a back injury.

“I’m happy with the way Iplayed,” said Nishikori, who getsAmerican Bradley Klahn next.

AFP n MILAN

Belgian forward RomeluLukaku scored on his Inter

Milan debut as new coachAntonio Conte’s reign got offto a perfect start with a 4-0win over promoted Lecce onMonday.

“There was a spark, butnow we must become dyna-mite,” said Conte as he beginshis campaign to topple eight-time holders Juventus.

Lukaku — a 65 millioneuros ($73 million) summersigning from ManchesterUnited — scored the thirdgoal on the hour mark at theSan Siro.

A blunder by Lecce goal-keeper Gabriel parried the ballinto the path of LautaroMartinez allowing Lukaku tofinish off.

The 26-year-old turnedand took a bow in front of thejubilant Inter fans among the65,000 crowd.

“Lukaku entered theworld of Inter in the best way,with great humility,” saidConte.

“He’s a gentle giant, agiant with a smile. He is readyto work for the team. But notonly Romelu, Lautaro alsoplayed very well.”

Croatian MarceloBrozovic had opened the scor-ing after 21 minutes with apowerful strike for his 15thgoal in his sixth season withInter.

But another new signingStefano Sensi, a summer loan

from Sassuolo, alsofound a way throughthree minutes later.

Lecce played thelast quarter of anhour a man downafter Brazilian DiegoFarias saw red in hisfirst game for a studs

on tackle on his formerCagliari teammate NicoloBarella.

Antonio Candreva blast-ed in the fourth goal on 84minutes, allowing Inter to

match champions Juventusand runners-up Napoli whoboth won their openingleague matches at the week-end.

Juventus beat Parma 1-0,with Napoli edging a seven-goal thriller at Fiorentina 4-3.

“We started off well withthe right intensity and desire,respecting the idea of what Iwanted,” said Conte.

“Then at 2-0 I didn’t likewhat I saw from the lads. Toorelaxed, losing intensity underpressure.

“We need to improveboth mentally and physical-ly but I am very happy andsatisfied, I like working withthese guys who have alwaysshown great commitment.

“Let’s celebrate until mid-night, from tomorrow wethink of Cagliari, it will be adifficult trip,” he added ofnext weekend’s game inSardinia.

PNS n NEW DELHI

The feeling has not yet sunk in,said India’s first badminton

world champion Pusarla Venkata(PV) Sindhu on Tuesday after shewas given an exuberant welcomeon her return to the countrywhich included a meeting withPrime Minister Narendra Modi.

The 2016 Olympic Silver-medallist, who out-played Japan’sNozomi Okuhara 21-7, 21-7 in aone-sided final of the big event inBasel on Sunday, was mobbed atthe airport after she toucheddown with national coach PullelaGopichand by her side onMonday night here.

“I am really happy, I am veryproud of my country. It’s a much-awaited win and I am very happyabout it,” she said in response toa barrage of questions that werethrown at her once she came outof the airport.

Within a few hours of that, the24-year-old had breakfast withsports minister Kiren Rijjiju fol-

lowed by a meeting with Modi.The Prime Minister posted

pictures of the meeting on his per-sonal Twitter page and describedthe affable player as “India’s pride”.Rijiju, on the other hand, felicitat-ed her with a cash award of ` 10lakh.

“It hasn’t yet sunk in and wedidn’t get much time to celebratebecause I had to come back earlyafter the match and then next daytake a flight back to India,” shesaid.

The Hyderabadi, who hashad little time to reflect since herhistoric achievement, headed toher hometown in the afternoon.

“I will work more hard andwin many more medals,” shepromised when asked about herplans from now given that theOlympics is less than a year awayand she is faced with expectationsto finish on the podium for a sec-ond successive edition.

Sindhu was also asked aboutthe moment she got emotionalafter the medal distribution cer-

emony in Basel.The five-time world medallist

had tears in her eyes when thenational anthem played. She hadclaimed Silvers in the past two edi-tions, besides a couple of Bronzemedals earlier.

“I had tears and there were alot of emotions, it was a greatmoment for me. Thanks to all myfans for your blessings, your bless-ings have brought me here,” shesaid.

“I can’t express how it felt onthe podium. It gave me a lot ofconfidence to improve and winmany more tournaments.

“I would like to thank mycoaches Gopi sir and Kim (JiHyun). They have put in a lot ofeffort and done a few changes inmy game,” she added.

Kim Ji Hyun, a former inter-national from South Korea, joinedthe coaching staff earlier this yearon Gopichand’s recommenda-tion.

Gopichand said Sindhu’s Goldwas special but her past medals atthe big event should also never beforgotten.

“It is phenomenal. This waitwas definitely long but everymedal that she has won is special,”he said.

“We won Bronze and Silver(in the earlier editions). The ques-tion-mark was over Gold. Goinginto the Olympics with this win isphenomenal. They way she did itwas such a pleasure,” he addedreferring to her dominant perfor-mance in the final.

PTI n NEW DELHI

The Delhi and DistrictCricket Association

(DDCA) on Tuesday decided torechristen Feroz Shah KotlaStadium as Arun Jait leyStadium in the memory of itsformer president who passedaway on Saturday.

The renaming will takeplace on September 12 at afunction where a stand at theKotla will be named after Indiacaptain Virat Kohli asannounced earlier.

Speaking on this initiative,DDCA president Rajat Sharmasaid: “It was Arun Jaitley’s sup-

port and encouragement thatplayers l ike Virat Kohli,Virender Sehwag, GautamGambhir, Ashish Nehra,Rishabh Pant and many otherscould make India proud.”

Jaitley, during his tenure atDDCA, is credited with reno-vating the stadium into a mod-ern facility, increasing its capac-ity to accommodate more fansbesides constructing world classdressing rooms.

The function, to be held atthe Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium,will be graced by the presenceof Home Minister Amit Shahand Sports Minister KirenRijiju.

AFP n KARACHI

Former captain Misbah-ul-Haq on Tuesday

emerged as the favourite totake over as Pakistan’scricket coach after MickeyArthur was axed followinga disappointing World Cup.

Misbah, Pakistan’s mostsuccessful Test captain, hasstepped down from thePakistan Cricket Board’sexecutive committee toclear the way for his appli-cation.

“I have resigned fromthe cricket committee andhave applied for the post ofPakistan's head coach,” saidthe former batsman,describing the position as a“dream”.

The four-memberexecutive committeedeclined to renew Arthur’scontract after Pakistanfailed to reach the semi-final of the World Cup inEngland and Wales.

The PCB did not revealwhether anyone else hadapplied for the post.However, Pakistani mediasaid former Australian

batsman Dean Jones andex-West Indies pacemanCourtney Walsh wereamong the applicants.

Misbah said competi-tion for the job would betough.

“It is interesting to seemy name emerging in themedia even before I hadapplied... I envisage therewill be a few more verycompetent and highly qual-

ified people applying forone of the most challengingjobs in the game,” he added.

Misbah totalled 26wins in 56 Tests as captain,with 19 losses and 11draws. He retired in 2017.

Pakistan are likely toannounce their new headcoach ahead of the limited-overs series against SriLanka starting in Karachifrom September 27.

Nagal stretches great Federer

Sumit Nagal returns to Roger Federer during the first round of the US Open tournament in New York on Monday (Tuesday morning IST) AP

“I think he (Nagal) knowswhat he can bring. That’swhy I think he’s going tohave a very solid career.

—Roger Federer

“He (Nagal) showedincredible composureagainst the greatest playerin the world and held hisown. I think both he andhis coaching team shouldbe very proud of theimprovements they havemade this year,”

—Mahesh Bhupati

Serena Williams, left, shakes hands with Maria Sharapova after their first-round match AP

“You can write me off. There are manypeople that can write me off,especially after going down 6-1, 6-1 inthe first round of the US Open. Aslong as it’s not the person that’s insideof you, you’ll be OK. Bottom line is Ibelieve in my ability."

—Maria Sharapova

Twisted ankle didn’t allowme to be aggressive: PrajneshPTI n NEW YORK

Prajnesh says he “didhit” world number five

Daniil Medvedev with hisgame in the US Open firstround but a twisted ankle did notallow him to be consistently aggres-sive.

The Indian left-hander beganaggressively but could not maintainintensity after losing a well-foughtfirst set at the Louis ArmstrongStadium.

“He is very consistent. He doesnot make many errors. But I did feelI was able to hit him with my game.I needed to do it consistently and forthat I needed to move well, but Itwisted my ankle and it made it a bitdifficult,” Prajnesh said, reflecting onhis defeat.

“He is very good on the back-hand corner. Even if he goes on therun, he was good with his crosscourt, so that was one of the shotshe used to neutralise my forehandeven when I hit it well. But, over-all, a good experience,” added the 29-year-old from Chennai.

Unforced errors from Prajneshwhen Medvedev served for the

opening set made the job easy for theworld number five.

“I was very excited to play onStadium court, the atmosphere.Someone, who is on top of his game,the world number five, I wanted toplay him to see where I stand asopposed to his level,” he said.

So what’s his assessment then?“I am playing well, I do need to

improve things here and there.That’s always going to be the case.Probably I need to be little more con-sistent when I am aggressive. Not theway I did in the second and thirdsets. “That was because I twisted myankle. But in general I need to be lit-tle more consistent,” he said.

FEELING YET TOSINK IN: SINDHU

Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju meets World Champion PV Sindhu at his residence in NewDelhi. Sindhu became the first Indian to win the Gold at World’s on Sunday PTI

PV Sindhu poses with World C’ship Goldafter her arrival in Delhi on Monday night

Conte’s Inter starts in style

Inter Milan's head coach Antonio Conte hugs Romelu Lukaku after he scores AP

Kotla to be renamed asArun Jaitley Stadium

Misbah front-runner for Pak coach

Serena routs Sharapova