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ADAHSHARMA

PNS n VIJAYAWADA

Over 100 cows died of poi-soning in a gaushala on theoutskirts of Vijayawada,police said on Saturday.

The incident occurred lateon Friday night after the cowswere given their feed at thecow shed run by non-gov-ernmental organisation atKothuru Tadepalli.

While 98 cows died hourslater, the remaining are bat-tling for life, police said.Sahu, a cow shed committeemember, said the cows start-ed collapsing a couple ofhours after they were giventhe feed.

Officials suspect food poi-soning as the cause of thedeath. Police summoned vet-erinary doctors to conduct anautopsy on the dead cows.

Differences between thecow shed management arebelieved to have led to theincident as one group sus-pects that the feed was poi-soned. Krishna DistrictCollector Mohammed Imtiazvisited the gaushala andordered a probe. He said thedeath of a large number ofcows was unfortunate.

It may be recalled that asmany as 24 cows had died atthe cow shed run by the samecommittee near KanakaDurga temple in Vijayawadatwo years ago.

The cows were fed withstale wheat flour that result-ed in their falling sick andultimately their death. Gosalageneral secretary Sahu lodgeda complaint with Two TownPolice in the early hours of

Saturday over the incident.He said "There are about1,450 cows in gosala.Veterinary surgeon Sreedharvisited the spot and the deadcows were being shifted to theGovernment Veterinar y

Hospital for post-mortem."Police collected samples offodder and water served tocows in the shed. "We are ver-ifying the CCTV footage inthe vicinity", said Two TownCircle Inspector Md Omar.

PNS n VIJAYAWADA

With the State government'sapproval, an Advanced AirTraffic Advisory System(AATAS) will now be opera-tional for Kurnool night land-ing facility. Through the system,all non-scheduled flights willnow be able to operate withoutAAI-ATC (Airport Authority ofIndia - Air Traffic Control),which would bring lakhs ofrupees in savings per month.

Principal Secretary (Industryand Infrastructure) RajatBhargava on Saturday statedthat the AATAS was approvedby the International body ofFAA (Federal AviationAdministration) in the USA,and that it was being usedworldwide to manage smallairports without ATC systemsfor non-scheduled flights.

In India, only the AAI hadbeen authorised in airports to

allow the operations of flights.The cost for one shift itselfwould go up to Rs 25 lakh foronly day operations of 12 hours.The Principal Secretary statedthat with the AATAS, theycould avoid the AAI ATC dur-ing non-watch hours and bringsin saving of around Rs 25 lakhper month. He also stated thatthe AATAS could be used by theupcoming Amaravati AeroSports Academy and AviationAcademy at Kurnool Airport atany point of time, which wouldalso bring considerable savings

of about Rs 50 lakh per month.The AATAS helps aircrafts fly-ing overhead or planning toland from a distance of almost50 km, to get weather condi-tions at the airport, such as windspeed, rain or no rain, cloudbase, wind direction, and statusof the runway, throughunmanned RT sets. The Stategovernment had cleared theproposal in the first week ofAugust, and the system wasinstalled on Saturday, and willbe synced with satellites soonand be available for use.

PNS n VISAKHAPATNAM

Indian universities have thepotential to be leading insti-tutions in the world if acade-mic freedom is endured,observed former Presidentand Bharat Ratna awardeePranab Mukherjee here onSaturday at GITAM Deemedto be University. He was thechief guest at GITAM 39thFoundation Day celebrationsand was conferred GITAMFoundation Award.

While delivering GITAMendowment lecture, he saidthat Indian institutions mustpursue excellence in everysphere of academic activity, beit teaching, evaluation,research or project work andacademic management. Hementioned that future growthwill result not so much fromthe utilisation of resourceswith existing technology, butbetter usage through moreadvanced technology andinvestment in research.

He said that research andinnovation are the keystonesfor widening the country'sproduction potential. He men-tioned that the R&D expen-diture as percentage of GDP isa mere 0.8 per cent in Indiamuch lower compared toJapan, the US and China. Hesaid that a strong researchecosystem has to be built onthe plank of institutional col-laborations, research parks

and talented researchers."Our innovations have to

address many social chal-lenges by adopting innovativeproblem-solving approaches,which require a new mindsetof interdisciplinary and mul-tidisciplinary education",' hesaid and advised that the uni-versity education and industryrequirement has to be effec-tively bridged through indus-try interface cell. The devel-opmental challenges likerenewable energy, climatechange, drinking water, sani-tation and urbanisation callfor an inspired response fromthe higher education system,

he added. The formerPresident observed that Indianexpertise and talent havemuch demand worldwide andthe prospects in a liberal eco-nomic environment areimmense.

"We must take advantage ofunfolding opportunities in aglobalised market and uni-versities in our country haveto cope with these dramaticchanges and sustain theirgrowth", he added.

GITAM President MSribhrath presented theGITAM Foundation Awardto Pranab Mukherjee as partof GITAM 39th Foundation

Day celebrations. GITAMDeemed to be University Vice-Chancellor Prof KSivaramakrishna briefed aboutthe university vision andgrowth. Vice-President ProfM Gangadhara Rao, Pro Vice-Chancellors Prof N SivaPrasad, Prof Sivapullaiah,Registrar Prof KVGD Balaji,Secretary BV Mohana Rao,Joint Secretary M Bharadwarjand others participated in theprogramme.

Earlier, chief guest PranabhMukherjee unveiled the stat-ue of GITAM FounderPresident late Dr MVVSMurthi at GITAM campus. Healso presented the best teacherand best non-teaching staffawards during FoundationDay celebrations. Best stu-dent speaker awards also pre-sented on the occasion.

PNS n AMARAVATI

Former Minister N Lokeshhas objected to Chief MinisterYS Jaganmohan Reddy seekinginvestments to AndhraPradesh claiming the State tobe very poor at the inauguralceremony of the DiplomaticOutreach programme in the city.

"While inviting investmentsto the State, plus points arehighlighted and progressachieved is projected. TheState has many achievementsto woo investors. The progressis achieved during the TDPregime. Since the TDP isinstrumental for these achieve-ments, if the YSRCP simplyhighlights the number of seatsit has won in the Assembly andParliament, investments arehard to come by", feels Lokesh.

Envoys and HighCommissioners of not lessthan 35 countries, includingthe USA, Australia, the UK,Japan, Singapore, Canada,Korea, Austria, Poland and Turkey, attended the con-ference.

The conference objective isto woo investments in phar-

maceuticals, automobiles, steel,textiles, food processing andelectronics sectors.

Continued on Page 3

Lokesh sore atgovernment for showingState in poor light

PNS n VIJAYAWADA

Government schools are allset have a face-lift with ChiefMinister YS JaganmohanReddy instructing the offi-cials to ensure that the infra-structure is in place at theearliest.

During a review meetingon education with officials,the Chief Minister said thathygiene should be main-tained properly in everyschool.

Focus should be laid onmaintenance of toilets, run-ning water, lights, drinkingwater, fans, furniture, blackboards and other amenities inthe school and their upkeep.Additional classrooms shouldalso be constructed wherev-

er necessary, he told the offi-cials.

In the first phase 12,918primary schools and 3,832high schools should be takenup for renovation, includingrepairs, for proper upkeepand maintenance.

The education departmenthas taken photographs ofover 98% of the schools andthe condition they lay in andwould be compared with thephotographs that would betaken after renovating them.

The Chief Minister wastold that a single teacher washandling all the subjects dueto paucity of staff. In turn, hesaid that the student-teacherratio should be maintainedwithout fail and vacant postsshould be filled up.

PNS n VIJAYAWADA

The just concluded DiplomaticOutreach initiative seems to besuccessful in more than oneway with Chief Minister YSJaganmohan Reddy stealingthe show with his honesty andurge to develop the state.

Delegates cutting acrosscontinents have expressed con-fidence in the Chief Ministerand about his style of func-tioning and have given affir-mative assurances about thepossible investments in thenew state in manufacturing,pharma, energy, IT, food pro-cessing, bio-technology andother fields.

There were enquiries fromGermany and OPEC nations aswell which would materialisein big ventures in the State andthe delegates were impressedby the way the Chief Ministerhas packaged the state as a des-tination for investment andtrade.

Denmark Consul GeneralJette Bierum said: "Our coun-try has interest in maritimesolutions besides ports and wewill work in areas of mutualinterest. When we had anexclusive talk, the ChiefMinister sounded very positiveand honest and his presenta-tion has been very impressive".

"We understand the needs,expectations and interests ofDanish companies and that ofthe people of Andhra Pradeshas well. I am very muchimpressed with the ChiefMinister's assurance of onepoint (single window) contactand there is a scope for build-ing partnerships in SMEs andthe PPPs", she said.

The Indonesian CouncilGeneral Ade Sukender said,the trade relations between thetwo nations goes back a longway and there would be scopefor investment in palm oil,coal, agri products, rice, garlic,sugarcane, chilli and otherproducts.

Continued on Page 3

CM wins confidence of delegates

AATAS system to be operational at Kurnool airport

Indian varsities needacademic freedom: Pranab

100 cows found dead

GITAM University President M Sribharat conferring GITAM Foundation Award toformer President Pranab Mukherjee at the campus in Visakhapatnam on Saturday

l Officials suspect foodpoisoning as the cause ofthe death. Police summonedveterinary doctors toconduct an autopsy on thedead cows

l Minister VellampalliSrinivas, MLA Malladi Vishnuand others visited the spot.The minister ordered a probeinto the cause of mass deathof cows.

l The incident occurred late on Fridaynight after the cows were given their

feed at the cow shed run by non-governmental organisation at Kothuru

Tadepalli.

l While 98 cows died hours later, theremaining are battling for life, police

said

l Sahu, a cow shed committeemember, said the cows started

collapsing a couple of hours after theywere given the feed.

It appears to be intentionally somebody had poisoned them

— LANKA DINAKAR, BJP Leader

DIPLOMATIC OUTREACH PROGRAMME

l Deputy High Commissioner of UKsaid that his country would be

interested in electric vehiclesl Denmark Consul General Jette

Bierum said: “Our country hasinterest in maritime solutions

besides ports and we will work inareas of mutual interest”

l In all eight ambassadors, fourHigh Commissioners, 13 ConsulGenerals, two TradeCommissioners and one DeputyConsul General, Charge DE 'Affairs,Technical Director and TradeAttaché attended the event from25 countries.

l He slammed Chief MinisterYS Jaganmohan Reddy for nothighlighting the progressachieved by Andhra Pradeshl The State has manyachievements to woo investors.The progress is achieved duringthe TDP regime. Since the TDP isinstrumental for theseachievements, if the YSRCPsimply highlights the number ofseats it has won in the Assemblyand Parliament, investmentsare hard to come by, feelsLokesh

Govt schools to havea new look soon

10 gatesopened atSrisailam

Cong stays with‘Gandhi parivar’NEW DELHI: Sonia Gandhiwill be the new Congresspresident, the party's topdecision-making body, theWorking Committee, decid-ed today after a meeting tochoose her son RahulGandhi's successor as theparty chief.

The decision signalled afailure of the party to pick achief outside the Gandhifamily that has led it formost of its 130-year-old his-tory. Rahul Gandhi hadannounced his decision toquit the party's top post inMay after its disastrous per-formance in the Lok Sabhaelection.

HYDERABAD: With heavyrains continuing to lashKarnataka, the Srisailam pro-ject is receiving copiousinflows. Therefore, officialshave opened 10 out of the total12 gates to let out excess waterto the Nagarjuna Sagar Project.

As of Saturday, the Srisailamproject received more than 4lakh cusecs of water. Thewater level is at 882 ft, againstFRL of 885 ft, with 202 TMCwater available in the project.In all, 4 gates were opened onFriday, releasing water for thefirst time in the season.However, with inflows cross-ing all expectations, officialswere constrained to open sixmore gates for releasing excesswater to NSP.

Prohibitoryorders lifted inJ&K; SchoolsreopenJAMMU: Prohibitory ordersunder CrPC section 144 werelifted in five Jammu districtsand restrictions were relaxedin Doda and Kishtwar, pavingthe way for resumption of nor-mal activities that were badlyhit after special status of J&Kwas abrogated, officials saidtoday. All schools and collegesreopened in five districts of theJammu region, besidesincrease in attendance in gov-ernment offices, a senior offi-cial said. "All kind of restric-tions in these five districts ofJammu, Kathua, Samba,Udhampur and Reasi havebeen withdrawn and all edu-cational institutes havereopened today," the seniorofficial said.

Principal Secretary (Industry and Infrastructure) Rajat Bhargava on Saturday stated that AATAS wasapproved by the International body of FAA (FederalAviation Administration) in the USA, and that it wasbeing used worldwide to manage small airportswithout ATC systems for non-scheduled flights

l Indian institutions mustpursue excellence in every sphereof academic activity, be itteaching, evaluation, research orproject work and academicmanagement, former Presidentsaid

l Future growth will result notso much from the utilisation ofresources with existingtechnology, but better usagethrough more advancedtechnology and investment inresearch, he pointed out

Coming out of ‘Baahubali’was not easy: PrabhasPNS nMUMBAI

South actor Prabhas is gearingup for the release of his film"Saaho", but the actor, whobecame a pan-India star postthe success of "Baahubali" fran-chise, says it was difficult forhim to come out of the worldof the epic fantasy drama.

The actor said after spendingfive years on the SS Rajamouli-directed magnum opus hewanted to do live up to hisfans' expectations by givingsomething at par to"Baahubali".

"Coming out of 'Baahubali'was not easy, it was difficult. Ihave spend two years on 'Saaho'and I think my fans willkill me for that. Sujeeth(director) designed thisfilm... It is very inter-

esting the way he wrote thescript. I hope the audiencelikes this film," Prabhas toldreporters here on Saturday atthe trailer launch of "Saaho".

The actor said "Saaho" tooktwo years to be made becausethe makers wanted to mountthe action sequences on a bigscale. "I did not want to givetwo years to Saaho after giving

four years or so forBaahubali. Butthere was somuch actionand the actions e q u e n c e srequired a lot of

time.

Current Weather ConditionsUpdated August 10, 2019 5:00 PM

ALMANACTODAY

Month & Paksham:Shravana & Shukla PakshaPanchangamTithi : Ekadashi 10:52 amNakshatram:Mula 12:46 am(Next Day)Time to Avoid: (Bad time to start

any important work)Rahukalam: 05:05 pm – 06:40 pmYamagandam: 12:21 pm – 01:56 pmVarjyam: 07:39 am - 09:22 am

11:03 pm - 12:46 amGulika: 03:31 pm - 05:05 pmGood Time: (to start any important work)

Amritakalam: 05:55 pm - 07:38 pmAbhijit Muhurtham: 11:55 am - 12:46 pm

VIJAYAWADAWEATHERForecast: CloudyTemp: 35/27Humidity: 69%Sunrise: 05.57Sunset: 06.45

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VIJAYAWADA | SUNDAY | AUGUST 11, 2019 vijayawada 02

CAPSULE

HAMSA SHINES INSZ VICTORYVIJAYAWADA: South Zone,powered by an unbeaten 106by Hamsa, defeated CentralZone by 32 runs in the ACAU-19 women Inter-Zonallimited-overs match held atACA Women’s Academy, JKCCollege campus in Guntur onSaturday. South Zone made196 for six in the allotted 50overs with Hamsa cracking anunbeaten106 in just 88 balls.In reply, Central wasrestricted to 168 in 490overs. U. Sandhya was thetop scorer with 86.The scores: South Zone 196for six in 50 overs (K Hamsa106 n.o., P. Pallavi 40, GHema Madhuri two for 29, V.Sravanthi two for 35) btCentral Zone 168 in 40 overs(U Sandhya 86, M Divya Sreethree for 34, Thabusham fourfor 17).

APPLICATIONS FORSCHOLARSHIPSFROM AUG 15:BRAHMIN CORP VIJAYAWADA: AndhraPradesh Brahmin WelfareCorporation is acceptingapplications to sanctionscholarships under theBharati Scheme from August15. The officials urged theeligible students studyingfrom Class 1 to 10 to applyfor scholarships betweenAugust 15 and 30 online. Heurged students to upload thefollowing documents to getscholarships. The candidatesmust have registered theirdetails in the PrajasadhikarataSurvey. If they did notregister, they must registerimmediately. Aadhaar card,caste certificate, incomecertificate or ration card,study certificate, marks list,bank passbook in AndhraBank or SBI, phone number,e-mail should be uploaded toandhra brahmin.ap.gov.in.

BIG WIN FORNELLOREVIJAYAWADA: Nellore, poweredby 172 by Aswin Hebbar,defeated Kurnool by 151 runs inthe ACA South Zone Senior OneDay Cricket Tournament atAnantapur that concluded hereon Sunday. Batting first, Nelloremade 308 in 47.3 overs withAswin slamming an attractive172 with ten boundaries andfour sixes. In reply, Kurnool wasall out for 157 in the 44th over.The scores: Nellore 308 in 47.3overs (K. Aswin Hebbar 172,Farhad Khadri 64, Sanjay Naiduthree for 53, Uday Teja Reddytwo for 48, Anjaneyulu two for42, Shabbir two for 25) btKurnool 157 in 43.5 overs (Shabbir 32, Siddartha Prasadfour for 24, Harikrishna two for28, Akhil Sallanke three for 25).

‘VMC should encourage its own nurseries’ G RAVI KIRANn VIJAYAWADA

VMC horticulture department ismaintaining 134 parks in the cityand also developing greenery inidentified places such as dividerson highways, sides of highwaysand on canal banks.

VMV greenery works aregiven to contractors on a tenderbasis, which include the cost ofthe plants also. Under the VMCthere are two nurseries - one atMadhuranagar and another atAPIIC Bhavan.

There are allegations that theparks are not maintained prop-erly. Rather than encouragingplants from its own nurseries,VMC is procuring plants fromlocal nurseries and from Kadiamin East Godavari district.

The contract is given, includ-ing plants and the contractor pur-chases plants to complete thework.

For instance, work at the outerring road of Jakkampudi was exe-cuted with the budget of Rs 1.5crore in which 70% of theamount went to plants procure-ment. “Only for the stipulated

period, the contactor maintainsthe project. After that it is the dutyof VMC to maintain for whichbig chunk of money is required,

especially for buying plants”. S Hanumanta Rao, an ex-employee of VMC, said: “We canmaintain our own nurseries. We

can produce new varieties if offi-cials permit the staff. We are hav-ing a good infrastructure atVMC parks and we can supplyplants for green development inall required areas in the city. But,officials feel that maintainingnurseries is a cumbersome work.Instead of procuring from privatenurseries it will be easy to devel-op our own nurseries”.

“Though the department is hav-ing staff, it doesn’t want to take upthe greenery works directly. Themaintenance of parks is given tooutsourcing workers in manyplaces. If VMC could supply plantsfrom its own nurseries and almost30% of the cost can be saved, hesaid.

There are allegations of kickbacksin these procurements from privatenurseries. As planning is going onfor the renovation of several parksand also nurturing new areas withgreenery, VMC should opt fordirect works instead of giving on acontract or procuring plants fromprivate nurseries.

They have to first renovate thenurseries and strengthen them sothat they can supply for allrequired works.

“Though the horticulture dep is havingstaff, it doesn’t want to take up thegreenery works directly. Themaintenance of parks is given tooutsourcing workers in many places.If VMC could supply plants from itsown nurseries and 30% of the costcan be saved”, an ex-employee said

Coop Housing Society to layfoundation for colony on DasaraPNS n VIJAYAWADA

The members of AndhraPradesh State GovernmentEmployees Mutually AidedCooperative HousingBuilding Society Limited onSaturday organised an annu-al conference at PBSiddhartha Auditorium.

On the occasion, SocietyPresident Addala Subbarajuexplained the development ofthe society in the past finan-cial year. He stated that soci-ety was one of the biggestsocieties of the governmentemployees formed with a totalnumber of 3,700 membership.

He said that they planned thefoundation day programmeon Dasara and Chief MinisterYS Jaganmohan Reddy will beinvited for the event. Thegovernment has allocated 73acres at Kethanakonda pan-chayat.

He said that the allocatedland was 20 minutes fromCapital city Amaravati.

He felt that they will get theapprovals from the APCRDAwithin three months. He alsosaid that they planned todevelop the layout byFebruary 2020. He informedthat the layout was named asSriharipuram EmployeesColony. On the occasion, thedraft design of the layoutwas exhibited at the meetinghall for the members.

Society Secretary NadendlaViswanatha Naidu, Vice-President Manne Sarada anddirectors were present.

The draft design ofthe layout proposedcolony was exhibitedat the meeting hallfor the members

Diplomats visitBuddhistcaves at VundavalliPNS n VIJAYAWADA

Two diplomats - BridgetteOppinger of Australia andEleonora Dimitrova ofBulgaria visited the Buddhistcaves at Vundavalli in Gunturdistrict on Saturday. They hadcome to attend the DiplomaticOutreach Programme organ-ised jointly by the Governmentof India and Andhra PradeshGovernment in the city.

As per the instructions ofthe Principal SecretaryTourism and Culture, DrSivanagi Reddy, Buddhistexpert and CEO, CulturalCentre of Vijayawada &Amravati (CCVA), briefed thediplomats the history, art andarchitecture of the 4th-5thcenturies AD.

Referring to the four-storeyed rock-cut caves, hesaid that they are one of itskind in the country meant forthe rainy retreat of theBuddhist monks.

The Ambassadors keenlyobserved the cave structureand went up to the 4th storey.

Dr Ready explained theindividual cells were used bymonks for meditation pur-pose. Diplomats appreciatedthe architectural opulence ofthe caves and suggested thatthe caves could be developedas a destination for Buddhisttourists coming from SouthEast Asian Countries.

Officers from Tourism,Revenue and PoliceDepartment accompanied theDiplomats.

Hamsa of South Zone who madean unbeaten 106

PNS n VIJAYAWADA

Democratic YouthFederation of India(DYFI) DistrictSecretary T Praveenon Saturday said that anawareness programme forcandidates appearing for theentrance exam for jobs in VillageSecretariats will be held atSiddhartha Auditorium onAugust 17 under the supervi-sion of MLC Lakshmana Rao.

He said the Andhra Pradeshgovernment has issued notifi-cation for 1.30 lakhs jobs and ason August 9, the applicationsreceived through online hastouched 21 lakhs. “The appli-cations may cross 25 lakhsbefore the last day,” he felt.

Praveen said as many 14,000jobs are available in Krishnadistrict. “Hall tickets will beissued from August 12 and theoff-line exam will be held onSeptember 1 and 8”.

He said on September 16 themerit list will be checked andon September 20, the certifi-

cates verification becompleted. “OnSeptember 26, theresult will be out andthe elected candi-

dates will join duty onOctober 12”.He said though the jobs

offered were 1.30 lakhs, thereis hectic competition and aplanned preparation was amust for the candidates appear-ing for the exam.

He said experts BurraSrinivasa Rao, Sridhar, UmaMaheswara Rao, Lenin Babu,along with MLC LakshmanaRao, will teach various subjects.

Free materials complied byLakshmana Rao on the welfareschemes of the AndhraPradesh government and bifur-cation problems will be dis-tributed to the candidates.

Those willing to take part inthe awareness campaign shouldapproach MakineniBasavapunnaiah VignanaKendram personally or contact94900-98408, 93940-82402,and 99511-66978.

DYFI to organiseawareness meet onVillage Secretariat jobs

TPA demands old method forcalculating water chargesPNS n VIJAYAWADA

Tax Payers AssociationSecretary MV Anjaneyulu onSaturday said that the effortsshould be made exert pressureon Vijayawada MunicipalCorporation to roll back thepresent method of calculationof water charges and revert backto the system in vogue in March2013.

Speaking at a meeting orga-nized with the city house own-ers on civic issues, he said thecorporation had introduced anew method of collecting watercharges, including it in proper-ty tax, after bifurcation.

“The water charges witnesseda steep increase after it’s linkingwith property tax. Nearly, 400per cent increase was witnessedin the last slab of the propertytax”.

He said the fourth StateFinance Commission, whichwas all set to submit its recom-mendations to the State gov-ernment by October 2019, wascontemplating scrutinising thepossibility of commercialisationof public services like drinkingwater charges, sanitation, streetlights by imposing user chargesand updating the rates of levies,taxes and fees. It is also planningto suggest privatisation of pub-lic transport system.

He said there was every pos-sibility of YSRCP government

increasing the water charges asit had asked the 4th StateFinance Commission on com-mercialisation water, sanitationand how mush user charges canbe levied on the public”

“The government did notknow how to take up thedrinking water supply andhow to dispose of garbageeffectively. Instead, it had askedonly about the user charges”

He said Tax PayersAssociation has requested thecommission not to recom-mend for the commercialisa-tion of the water, sanitation andstreet lights and not to recom-mend for the privatisation ofthe public transport services.

He said the State governmentas already hand over a collectionof property tax to theCommissioner and DirectorMunicipal Administrant(CDMA) from VMC.

“Soon collection of watercharges will be handed over toCDMA”.

He said the paltry allocationfunds to the urban developmentby the Jagan government was anindication that financial burdenswill be increased on denizensliving in urban areas.

Association President SambhiReddy said that efforts should bemade to utilise the water fromthe Prakasam Barragem goingwaste towards the sea.

“The Krishna water aftercrossing the barrage headstowards the sea.

The government should con-struct a storage facility nearYanamalakuduru to take updrinking water supply to theever-increasing denizens ofVijayawada. Experts feel that wehave the capacity to store fivetmc feet of water which will ful-fil the drinking water needs forone year”.

Tax Payers Association secretary MV Anjaneyulu addressing a meeting withhouse owners in Vijayawada on Saturday

The Krishna water after crossing the barrageheads towards the sea. The governmentshould construct a storage facility nearYanamalakuduru to take up drinking watersupply to the ever-increasing denizens ofVijayawada. Experts feel that we have thecapacity to store five tmc feet of water whichwill fulfil the drinking water needs for one year

Diplomats Bridgette Oppinger of Australia and Eleonora Dimitrova of Bulgaria atVundavalli caves near Vijayawada on Saturday

Diplomats appreciatedthe architecturalopulence of the cavesand suggested thatthe caves could bedeveloped as adestination forBuddhist touristscoming from SouthEast Asian countries

PNS n VIJAYAWADA

World Biofuel Day wasobserved on Saturday by oilmarketing companies acrossthe country and a programmewas held at HPCL Terminal atKondapalli near Vijayawada,with the participation of oil offi-cials and stakeholders.

Speaking on the occasion B Ajaya Babu, DGMVijayawada Terminal, HPCL,said the day was observed underthe aegis of Ministry ofPetroleum. “The theme for thisyear is ‘Production of Biodieselfrom Used Cooking Oil’.

He said consumption of UsedCooking Oil (UCO) posed anadverse health effect. "Duringfrying, several properties of the

oil were altered leading to theformation of Total PolarCompounds(TPC) on repeatedfrying”. “The toxicity of thesecompounds is associated withseveral diseases such as hyper-tension, liver diseases. In orderto safeguard consumer health,FSSAI has fixed a limit for TotalPolar Compounds at 25 percent, beyond which the veg-

etable oil shall not be used”.State Level Coordinator for

Oil Industry (AP) UmaShankar, said that bio-fuelshave benefits of reducing importdependency on crude oil, acleaner environment, addition-al income to farmers andemployment generation in ruralareas. He further said that theCentral government hasapproved the national policy onBio-fuels in 2018. “Now plansare on for the production ofbiodiesel from UCO”.

GHV Rao, DGM (Retail),HPCL, GBVN Kumar, C.Nageswar of IOC, U.V. SubbaReddy, Harihara Varma andBhagwat Singh from BPC andstakeholders took part in theprogramme.

Oil companies observeWorld Biofuel Day

Oil marketing companies observing World Biofuel Day at HPCL terminal in Kondapalli near Vijayawada on Saturday

The theme for thisyear’s World BiofuelDay is ‘Production ofBiodiesel from UsedCooking Oil’

Nandigama manattempting a recordVIJAYAWADA: ANandigama youngsterMohammad Nooruddin isall set to attempt an IndiaBook of Records on Sundayat 6 am at the indoor stadi-um of the Zilla ParishadHigh Scholl in front of walk-ers, gum members and theobservers and jury of thebook. He is going to perform95 push-ups in 60 seconds byhis knuckles by keeping hisboth legs on a three-foot-hightable.

CAs role vitalin financialissues: CPPNS n VIJAYAWADA

City Police CommissionerTirumala Rao stated that thejob of Chartered Accountants(CAs) is crucial in financialissues and that they play vitalrole in society. He was speak-ing at the concluding event ofa two-day conference organ-ised by the Institute ofChartered Accountants ofIndia (ICAI) here on Saturday.

Speaking on the occasion,the Commissioner said thatCAs are playing a key role inthe nation's financial growth.He recalled that in a few casesof financial fraud in the coun-try, the department wasinvolved CAs to crack thecases and added that in mostof the banking frauds, the CAsrole was essential to evaluatethe statements and fraudaccounts.

CA P Sharath Kumar alsospoke about 'Forensic Audit -Role of CAs' on the occasion.ICAI Vijayawada ChapterChairperson Dr CANagalakshmi, Secretary CA KPoornachandra Rao, Ex-Officio member T ChinaMastan and others were alsopresent.

PNS n TIRUMALA

The annual Chatrasthapanotsavam fete will be held at theNarayanagir i peak inTirumala on August 12.

The sacred umbrella festi-val assumes importanceamong the 450 festivals thatare observed in Tirumalathroughout the year.

It is bel ieved thatNarayanagiri is the highest ofthe seven peaks where Lord

Venkateswara first steppedon to.

Another belief is that, asthe Narayanagiri is the high-est peak in the region, thewind blows with the greatestforce there during the sea-son.

To appease the Vayudevaor the Wind God, a new setof Chatram-umbrellas willbe offered at this time of theyear and devotees can see thedivine padalu.

Chatrasthapanotsavam tobe conducted on Aug 12

EGGRATES

` 37,500 (10 gm)

` 230

GOLD

` 43, 300 (1kg)

` 300

HYDERABAD 315VIJAYAWADA 339VISAKHAPATNAM 352RETAIL PPRICE `3.39

SILVER

VIJAYAWADABULLION RATES

`/100

CHICKENRATES

Dressed/With Skin `129

Without Skin `147

Broiler at Farm `89

`/KG

(IN VIJAYAWADA)

VIJAYAWADA | SUNDAY | AUGUST 11, 2019 vijayawada 03

CAPSULE

PACE FACULTYAWARDED PH D Vijayawada: Katta Arjuna Rao,Associate Professor from theEnglish Department at PaceInstitute of Technology andSciences, was awarded PhDfrom Andhra University. He wasawarded the degree for histhesis on 'Dalit consciousness asreflected in the select works ofMulk Raj Anand, Arundhati Royand Narendra Jadhav' under theguidance of Prof P RajendraKarmarkar, Professor in English,Andhra University.Secretary and Correspondentfrom Pace Dr M Sridhar,Principal Dr M Srinivas, HoD ofHumanities Dr Ch KrishnaKishore Reddy and other staffcongratulated Dr K Arjuna Raoon his achievement.

Why did all the threeregional parties thatmatter in Andhra

and Telangana pitch in their lotwith the BJP for scrappingArticle 370 that gives specialstatus to Jammu & Kashmir?None among them - TRS,YSR Congress and TDP - is afriend, leave alone a formal allyof the saffron party, and yetthey backed the BJP when itneeded support from everyquarter.

All these parties fancythemselves as votaries ofgreater autonomy to States,especially their own. But,when it came to the Centreusurping the extraordinarypowers enjoyed by J & K,bifurcating the State anddowngrading it into two

Union Territories, they toedthe BJP line.

Doesn't the Telugu Desam'spresent stand militate againstthe principle espoused by itsfounder N. T. Rama Rao ofopposing the Centre's domi-neering attitude towards theStates? Has a year passed yetsince the Telangana RashtraSamithi supremo K.Chandrashekar Rao floatedthe concept of a Federal Frontto challenge the Centre'sauthority in appropriating sev-eral powers that should right-fully be exercised by States?Was it not YSR Congress chiefY. S. Jagan Mohan Reddy whoeagerly lent an ear to KCR insupport of his ideological bat-tle? So, what has changed?

Primarily, being hard-head-ed leaders, they understand thepower that the Modi-Shah

duo wield and the ruthlessnesswith which they exercise it.The defections and resigna-tions to shore up the BJP'snumbers in the Rajya Sabha,toppling of the Congress-JD(S)Government in Karnataka,the virtual collapse of Congressin Goa are some recent exam-ples.

KCR, Jagan andChandrababu Naidu realisethat their political safety lies inbeing on the right side ofIndia's most powerful PrimeMinister after Indira Gandhi.

KCR and Naidu have made thequickest political turnaroundfrom their bitter criticism ofModi during the Lok Sabhaelection campaign.

The results had a soberingeffect on KCR after the BJPwrested four seats and inflict-ed a humiliating defeat on hisdaughter Kavitha fromNizamabad. His 'Congresshatao' strategy had an unin-tended effect as the BJP is fill-ing the vacuum caused bydefections from the grand oldparty. The TRS's bluster is

gone and there are reports ofKCR developing cold feet inholding municipal elections inAugust following popularupsurge in BJP's favour afterthe J & K developments.

Also, KCR needs all the

help he can get from theCentre. Telangana started itsexistence with an enviable rev-enue surplus, but has splurgedhuge amounts on non-devel-opment expenditure due topoor financial management,according to an RBI report. Itbadly needs funds as theRs.88,000 crore Kaleshwaramproject has drained its financesand the State's debt has mount-ed to Rs. 2.2 lakh crore.

KCR's opposite number inAndhra, Jagan is no less des-perate. He won by lampoon-ing Chandrababu Naidu forhis U-turns over the SpecialCategory Status (SCS) forAndhra. Now, the shoe is onthe other foot and Jagan is theChief Minister. After scrap-ping special status for Jammu& Kashmir, it can be fairly saidthat the Centre will not budge

on its stand of denying SCS forAndhra.

It can only give him a face-saving plan like the specialpackage it offered to Naidu.Jagan can only plead for bet-ter packaging and gift-wrap-ping of the fresh offer, if any,as otherwise Naidu will wrestthe political initiative. Jagansorely needs Modi's blessingsto keep at bay the centralagencies inquiring into cases ofdisproportionate assets againsthim.

However, as they say, ittakes two to tango. The BJPcould also do with the help ofYSR Congress with its hand-some numbers in Parliament.This was evident from theaudience that Modi and AmitShah readily gave Jagan amidtheir hectic schedule of super-vising developments in

Kashmir valley and attendingthe last rites of their party col-league Sushma Swaraj.

On his part, Naidu hasnothing to lose, except perhapsa bit of self-respect, and every-thing to gain by inching clos-er to BJP. The Congress as anally is not worth a penny nowand the TDP leader has beenkeeping a safe distance fromthe party ever since the elec-tions. The BJP has inflicted allthe damage it can on TeluguDesam by enticing four RajyaSabha MPs. There is the threatby Jagan of ordering investi-gation into corruption duringhis rule. Naidu's interests,therefore, lie in making anoth-er U-turn and embracing theBJP. One wonders how twofriends of BJP who are at dag-gers drawn against each othercan co-exist in Andhra.

KCR, Jagan and Chandrababu Naidurealise that their political safety lies inbeing on the right side of India's mostpowerful Prime Minister after IndiraGandhi

S NAGESH KUMARFormer Resident Editor,

The Hindu

‘ALL ANDSUNDRY’

Why did Telugu parties support BJP on Art 370?

AI catches attention of students CH SHARMILAn VIJAYAWADA

In the modern era, ArtificialIntelligence (AI) is seen to beevolving much faster thanhuman intelligence has evolvedhistorically over the centuries.AI (Artificial Intelligence) is acomplex computer networkthat deals with the simulationof intelligent human behav-iour. An AI computer/machinecan think on its own likehuman beings and do notnecessarily rely on humaninput. Many students fromthe capital city are now begin-ning to show interest in thestudy of this kind of advancedtechnology.

"An AI machine can solvecomplex things easily. It willhelp people to grow their busi-nesses and complete tasks eas-ily. It is an intelligent machineand it is developed to makehuman life easier. It is thefuture," says Anirudh, a formerstudent of IIT Kanpur.

Many opine that the arrivalof Artificial Intelligence and

Machine Learning (ML) haschanged the way businesseswork. "It has created a pletho-ra of job opportunities in themarket and the field is not aseasy as it may seem. To makeyour mark in the world of AI,you need to acquire certainskill sets that can demonstrateyour mastery in AI and ML. Ifa person wants to choose theircareer in AI they should havestrong hold on mathematics,

algorithms, physics, engineer-ing and robotics, as well as

computer science, program-ming languages and coding.

Learning is still difficult evenif you know all that, but youare guaranteed a fantasticcareer," says Sri Ram, an AIStudent.

"Every aspect of these tech-nologies has been put into use.It is now turning a basic partof human lives and peopleneed this technology in enter-prises and even households.Every person is using thistechnology in some or theother way. Moreover, it ismodified for different agegroups and industrial sectors.The future of AI is more fas-cinating than ever. It is theability to process informationin a way similar to the thoughtprocess of humans in learning,decision making and problem-solving. AI in enterprises israpidly moving beyond hypeand is expected to become oneof the most significant tech-nological segments.Enterprises are now identify-ing the value associated withintegrating AI into their busi-ness processes," opined Kritik,a freelance AI professor.

n "An AI machine can solvecomplex things easily. It willhelp people to grow theirbusinesses and complete taskseasily. It is an intelligentmachine and it is developed tomake human life easier. It isthe future," says Anirudh, aformer student of IIT Kanpur

n Many opine that the arrivalof Artificial Intelligence andMachine Learning (ML) haschanged the way businesseswork

Many opine that the arrival of ArtificialIntelligence and Machine Learning(ML) has changed the way businesseswork. It has created a plethora of jobopportunities in the market , but themarket is not as easy at it may seem

GVL paints rosypicture of YSRCP govtG RAVI KIRANn VIJAYAWADA

There are no permanent foesand pals in politics. It wasproved time and again. Partieschange their statements andleaders switch over their loy-alties as per their wish to be ingood books of ruling party, orfor personal gains.

Interestingly, BJP NationalSpokesperson GVLNarasimha Rao, who used totarget the YSRCP govern-ment, surprised many bybacking it in a press confer-ence in Vijayawada two daysafter Chief Minister YSJaganmohan Reddy met PrimeMinister Narendra Modi,Finance Minister NirmalaSitaraman and Minister ofRoad Transport and HighwaysNitin Gadkari in Delhi.

He stated that one should begiven six months time beforeanyone makes a judgment onthe administration. He lashedout at former Chief MinisterN Chandrababu Naidu regard-ing the loan waiver install-ments, questioning whyYSRCP has to fulfil it if he hadbeen the one who promised it.Regarding the Polavaram pro-ject tender cancellation,Narasimha Rao said, "Thegovernment is saying that itwill save the budget, finish thework, and it is in the rightdirection".

But a day after the pressmeet, KannaLakshminarayana lambastedthe Chief Minister inVizainagaram alleging thatthe Village and WardVolunteer programme was aYSRCP influenced pro-gramme and it would repeat

the fate of JanmabhoomiCommittees.

He wrote a letter to theChief Minister requesting himto clear the loan waiver install-ments and resolve the Kapureservation issue. Even PartyGeneral Secretary RamMadhav had stated that thepeople of AP had been feelingthat they had been thrown intoa frying pan due to YSRCPrule.

Despite these statements,Narasimha Rao has painted adrastically different picture ofthe present government. Theonly critique he stated was thatthe YSRCP had to stop fol-lowing the path of TDP, anddid not comment on the issuesof Polavaram, Amaravati,Bandar Port and PPAs.

This sudden change in theBJP's attitude can supposedlybe attributed to JaganmohanReddy's meeting with thePrime Minister or NarasimhaRao's soft corner towards him,irrespective of his own party'sstand.

GVL stated that oneshould be given sixmonths’ time beforeanyone makes ajudgment on theadministration

TTD HOLDS REVIEW MEETING

State-of-the-art gosala atPalamaneru in the offingPNS n TIRUMALA

A review meeting on the devel-opment activities pertaining tothe TTD's SVGosamrakashanasala was heldat Tirumala on Saturday.Manmohan Singh, Special ChiefSecretary to Government ofAP, held the review meeting atAnnamaiah Bhavan, along withTTD EO Anil Kumar Singhal.

The Special CS and the EOdirected the CE In-charge,Ramachandra Reddy, to lookinto the work of the state-of-the-art goshala that was beingplanned in the sprawling 450acres of land at Palamaneru ina year's time.

Speaking to the media,Manmohan Singh stated thataround Rs 40 crore was sanc-tioned to develop the goshala."We discussed the progress of thework. There are about 39 desibreeds of cows in the country.And there is a need to protect allthese cows. We will invite tendersfor the work soon", he said. He

also added that they were con-templating on starting a CowTourism Project to make peopleaware about various indigenouscow breeds.

Special Officer of TirumalaAV Dharma Reddy, JEOTirupati P Basant Kumar andGosala Director Dr HarnathReddy were also present duringthe meeting.

Manmohan Singh, Special Chief Secretary to Government of AP, addressing areview meeting at Tirumala on Saturday

Manmohan Singhstated that around Rs40 crore wassanctioned to developthe goshala

PNS n TIRUMALA

TTD Trust Board ChairmanYV Subba Reddy transferredoffice staff, who were allegedto be involved in misappro-priation of VIP Break Darshantickets, and sought for sternaction against the accused.

The TTD Board Chiefinstructed the TTD VigilanceWing officials to take up thor-ough checks to verify if any

misappropriation was takingplace with respect to VIPBreak Darshan tickets, Sevatickets, accommodation andladdu prasadams, including athis office.

During the vigilance raids,it was found that a couple ofemployees were involved inwrongful practices and thesame was informed to theChairman, who promptlyissued transfer orders for them.

ICICI opens itsbranch in KadapaPNS n KADAPA

District Collector C HariKiran inaugurated the newbranch of ICICI Bank at TrunkRoad in Kadapa district onSaturday. The branch offerslocker facility and a 24X7 in-branch ATM and will remainopen from 9.30 am to 3 pmfrom Monday to Friday as wellas on the first, third and fifthSaturdays of the month.

Prasanth Bondili, ZonalHead-Retail, Andhra Pradeshand Telangana, ICICI Bankstated that, "ICICI Bank iscommitted to provide world-class banking services andinnovative products to its retailcustomers. We believe that awide branch network is a cor-nerstone of retail banking.This branch is located in themarket vicinity and will caterto traders, merchants, resi-dential and commercial com-

plexes, government organisa-tions, schools, colleges andhospitals present in the area.This branch will enable thecustomers of the locality withtheir day-to-day bankingneeds and also form a focalpoint for a range of products& services like mortgages,other loans and investments."The branch will offer a com-prehensive range of retailproducts and offerings likeaccounts, deposits, mortgages,as well as loans such as auto,personal, home and commer-cial equipment. The branchwill also offer banking servicesto NRI customers.

CM Jagan opensYSRCP headquarters at TadepalliPNS n VIJAYAWADA

Chief Minister YS JaganmohanReddy inaugurated the newheadquarters of the party atTadepalli on Saturday. Later,the Chief Minister inspected allchambers of the party office.Party National General Secretaryand Rajya Sabha memberVijayasai Reddy congratulated

Jagan on the occasion.Ministers, MPs, MLAs, MLCs,State Representatives,Parliamentary constituencycoordinators, Assembly con-stituency coordinators and otherleaders and followers were pre-sent. Earlier, Jagan hoisted theparty flag and installed the stat-ue of YS Rajasekhara Reddy onthe premises.

Chief Minister YS Jaganmohan Reddy inaugurating the YSRCP office at Tadepallion Tuesday

YSRCP objects to Naidu'stweet on Asha workersPNSn VIJAYAWADA

Taking strong objection to NChandrababu Naidu's tweet onAsha workers, the YSR CongressParty has stated that the tweet wasunwarranted and in a poor taste.

Speaking to reporters at thenew Party Central Office atTadepalli, after it was inaugu-rated by Party President andChief Minister YS JaganmohanReddy on Saturday, PartySpokesperson and MLA AmbatiRambabu stated that the tweeton Asha workers was juxta-posed with two different contextsand timelines, and that hiscomment was uncalled for andout of place.

He stated that the presentChief Minister had increased thepay of Asha workers from Rs3,000 to Rs 10, 0000, which wassomething that the TDP wasunable to digest and that theyhad been spreading rumours

ever since. "Chandrababu's sim-ile of rejecting the cow that givesmilk is totally inappropriate.The previous government waslike a leech that sucked theblood of the people by stallingwelfare schemes and failing tofulfil poll promises", he said.

He stated that the over-whelming mandate of 151 seatsout of 175 clearly spoke as to

whether the TDP was a milchcow or blood sucking leech. Headded that the unwarrantedtweet came out only because theTDP leader was unable to digesthis defeat in 2019 elections. "Intwo months, our leader hasshown what good governance isand has been putting the stateback on the development path,"he said.

Chief Minister hadincreased the pay ofAsha workers from Rs 3,000 to Rs 10,0000, which wassomething that theTDP was unable todigest and that theyhad been spreadingrumours ever since

TTD Chairman transfers errant staff

NEGLECT OF STUDENTS' PROBLEMS

SFI to lay siege to MRO officesPNS n VIJAYAWADA

Students Federation of Indiastate president Ashok onSaturday flayed the State gov-ernment for not solving theissues pertaining to students.

He said the union will laysiege to the MRO and RDOoffices on August 19, 20 and onAugust 22 it will take up 'ChaloCollectorate' rally.

He asked the college studentsto take part in big numbers andexert pressure on the govern-ment to solve their problems."The importance the Jagan gov-ernment is giving to 'RajannaBadi Bata' is not shown onother issues".

He said as many as Rs 2,314crore were spending on scholar-ships and sops to the students."Earlier, the TDP governmenthad failed to give cosmetic, messand fees reimbursement andpending scholarships owing toelection notification. Many stu-dents are suffering owing to the

non-payment of the aboveschemes. The YSRCP govern-ment, after assuming charge, is

yet to react to the demands andit should immediately pay thepending scholarships, fee reim-bursement, along with cosmeticand mess charges".

Ashok said the earlier TDPgovernment had provided mid-day meals to Intermediate stu-dents in junior colleges, but theJagan government scrappedthe project much against thewishes of most of the students,who belonged to below poverty line.

The Jagangovernment scrappedthe mid-day meal forInter students muchagainst their wish,alleged SFI

Live-in partnerkills woman

PNS/GunturIn a tragic incident, a

woman was killed atDuggirala in Guntur district.The deceased was identifiedas Padmavati, who was mur-dered by Subba Reddy.According to police, SubbaReddy of Gandhi Nagar andPadmavati who belongs toChennakesava Nagar, arehaving live-in relationship. It'slearnt that Subba Reddyattacked Padmavati suspect-ing her fidelity.

VIJAYAWADA | SUNDAY | AUGUST 11, 2019 region 04

CAPSULE

PRSI HOLDSINVESTOR'S MEET Visakhapatnam: PublicRelations Society of India(PRSI), Visakhapatnam Chapter,in association with the NationalStock Exchange (NSE),conducted a meeting on investorawareness here on Saturday. Addressing the investors,Abhishek Goud,Senior Manager(NSE)explained thedifferent typesof capitalmarketinvestmentsamong equitymarkets, exchange trade funds,gold bonds and othergovernment schemes. G SVinayak, Deputy Manager ofNSE, Hyderabad unit, alsoelaborated on new investmentplans. The meeting wascoordinated by Y SrinivasaKumar, Former Vice-Chairman ofVisakhapatnam Chapter.Chairman of PRSI P L K Murthy,, U S Sarma, Vice-President(South), Vikram Kumar,Secretary, Vijay Prasad, Vice-Chairman took part in themeeting.

Traditional boat man and modern warship seen on Bay of Bengal off Visakhapatnam on Saturday-photo-Tirupathirao G

MODERNITY MMEETS TTRADITION

Internet aiding copyrightviolations, says Prof AhujaPNS n VISAKHAPATNAM

"The Internet is infringing oncopyrights by processes likelining, framing, archiving,streaming, and file-sharing,"said Professor VK Ahuja, In-charge of Law Center, DelhiUniversity.

Ahuja, who was the chiefguest at the seminar on`Copyrights and the InternetRevolution - ChangingLandscapes,' organised byDamodaram SanjivayyaNational Law University(DSNLU) near here onSaturday, spoke about the con-cept of Information RightsManagement, Internet ServiceProviders, and ArtificialIntelligence.

G Raghavendra, JointSecretary, Ministry of Law andJustice, stated that, "though wethink we know everything, weactually know nothing, '' whichhe explained by taking theexample of Amitabh Bacchan's

and Kumar Vishwas's conflictwith respect to copyright

infringement. He opined thatmore than commercialization,

honoring the copyright ofanother was the most impor-tant thing. He spoke about var-ious conventions and the com-ing up of the WTO TRIPSagreement and WIPO to pro-tect IPRs. He explained theconcepts of creation, adop-tion, accession, ratification,reservation and interpretationof a treaty under the ViennaConvention on the Law ofTreaties. He elaborated on theexisting laws on copyrights invarious nations such as France,the US, the UK and Japan andIndia and how the Indian Lawsare effective, as opposed to thelaws of the countries men-tioned above. He also touchedupon a few aspects of AI andenlightened the students. Vice-Chancellor DSNLU Prof SSurya Prakash delivered thewelcome address and Prof B PPanda, Professor of Luminanceat DSNLU, spoke about the ori-gin, development and impor-tance of copyright law.

Police arrest man forfaking robberyPNS n VISAKHAPATNAM

The City police arrested anoffender who tried to fake arobbery and take away Rs 20lakh from the private compa-ny where he worked.

Addressing a press confer-ence here on Saturday, PoliceCommissioner RK Meenastated that the man was iden-tified as N Srininvasulu, aresident of Thokada,Autonagar under Gajuwakalimits. He had been working asSupervisor for City Transport,located at BHEL underGajuwaka police limits, sincethe last 12 years.

The owner of the company,Poornendra, resided inHyderabad and occasionallyvisited the company inVisakhapatnam. He trusted

Srinivasulu to look after theentire financial transactions of

the transport company. OnAugust 6, Poornendra gave Rs20 lakh to Srinivasulu atHyderabad and asked him tohand over the cash toAbhishek Company located inthe city. The accused, who haddebts to clear, immediatelychalked out a plan to steal themoney.

He executed the plan onAugust 7 and reported to thepolice that two men had way-laid him and stole the money.After a complaint was lodged,the police deployed a specialteam which nabbed theaccused on Saturday.

They also recovered theentire amount from him.During police investigation, heconfessed to the crime andsaid that he wanted to clear hisdebts with the money.

G Raghavendra, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Lawand Justice, stated that, "though we think we knoweverything, we actually know nothing, '' which heexplained by taking the example of AmitabhBacchan's and Kumar Vishwas's conflict withrespect to copyright infringement

Commissioner of Police RP Meena briefing the media on fake robbery in Visakhapatnam on Saturday

He executed theplan on August7 and reportedto the policethat two menwaylaid him andstole the money.After acomplaint waslodged, thepolice deployeda special teamwhich nabbedthe accused

Corporate collegeslooting students: JJSPNS n VISAKHAPATNAM

Jana Jagarana Samiti (JJS)State Convenor, K Vasu,alleged that corporate col-leges in the State were lootinghundreds of crores of rupeesunder the fee reimbursementscheme. The JJS conducted around-table meeting with stu-dents who were alleged to bevictims of the corporate col-leges’ exploitation, here onSaturday.

Speaking on the occasion,Vasu demanded the State gov-ernment to constitute a specialinvestigation team to enquireinto the scam. "The lack ofawareness over fee reimburse-ment among the students ofjunior colleges had become ablessing for the corporate col-leges. We have received sever-al complaints from the stu-dents of various corporatecolleges in the city," said Vasu.

The fee reimbursementamount against the tuitionfee is generally credited to theaccount of the colleges.However, students at many of

the colleges do not know thetechnicalities of the fee reim-bursement scheme and areforced to pay the full amount.

"The corporate colleges arelooting the fee reimbursementamount without informingthe students. When the par-ents question the college man-agements, they are threateningthe parents in the name ofreducing the practical marksand delay in issuing certifi-cates. The officials of theSocial Welfare Departmentare in cahoots with these cor-porate colleges and sharing themoney," claimed Vasu. APNirudyoga Samithi RashtraSamithi PresidentMarrivemula Srinivas, andothers were present.

Students staging a protest against corporate college in Visakhapatnam (Filephoto)

JJS conducted around-table withstudents who werealleged to be victims ofthe corporate colleges’exploitation

GAV demands TribalUniversity in Araku Valley PNS n VISAKHAPATNAM

Representatives from GirjanAikya Vedika (GAV) appealedto Andhra University ViceChancellor and Mentor forCentral Tribal University(Vizianagaram) PVGD PrasadReddy to establish the CentralTribal University (CTU) atAraku Valley inVisakhapatnam district.

Speaking to the media, StatePresident of GAV, O RamaMurthy, stated that the Centralgovernment had released agrant of Rs 4 crore initially tofacilitate infrastructure for theUniversity purposes at S Kota.The Andhra Pradesh govern-ment had also allocated Rs 50crore, hoping that the univer-sity would come up at ArakuValley.

GAV members hailed thedecision of Chief Minister YSJaganmohan Reddy for work-ing towards the interest of thedowntrodden communities,including the adivasis. TheGAV submitted a memoran-dum to the Chief Minister forestablishing the CTU at Araku,which is easily locatable andreachable to a majority of thetribal communities.

"The Araku valley would be

the right place to establish theCTU considering the tribalpopulation, as well as the avail-ability of rail transportationinfrastructure like rail androad connectivity, ' ' saidMurthy.

District President of GAV, LChitti Babu, requested the AU

Vice Chancellor to recom-mend the Central governmentfor the establishment of theCTU. The members also gavea representation to theVisakhapatnam DistrictCollector and Commissionerof Tribal Welfare.

f rail transportation infrastructure like rail and road connectivity,'f railtransportation infrastructure like rail and road connectivity,'

GAV members hailed the decision of ChiefMinister YS Jaganmohan Reddy for workingtowards the interest of the downtroddencommunities, including the adivasis

President of AP Chambers of Commerce and Industry Federation G SambasivaRao and others seen with chief minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy in Vijaywada onFriday.

APCCI CHIEFCALLS ON CMPNS n VISAKHAPATNAM

President of the AP Chambersof Commerce and Industry(APCCI) Federation GSambasiva Rao met with ChiefMinister YS JaganmohanReddy and Industries MinisterMekapati Goutham Reddy,along with core committeemembers, during the Diplomatic Outreach Event onEconomic and InvestmentOpportunities in AndhraPradesh, organised by the Stategovernment in association withMinistry of External Affairs onFriday in Vijayawada.

The Federation Presidentthanked the Chief Minister for

appointing an exclusiveManaging Director for AndhraPradesh IndustrialInfrastructure Corporation Ltd(APIIC), through which invest-ments would get a boost, andpending issues could be sortedout with the help of senior offi-cials.

He requested the ChiefMinister for a quarterly inter-active meet with the tradeindustry to understand theground realities which wouldenable them to create a con-ducive atmosphere and retainthe investor's confidence. TheChief Minister responded pos-itively to the proposal andassured help from his office.

Train servicesresume tonormallyPNS n VISAKHAPATNAM

Train services that wereaffected due to washout ofboth up and down line rail-way tracks in the Daikalu-Ambadola section ofRayagada-Titlagarh line hasresumed after railway author-ities carried out the restora-tion works on a war footing.Though the services resumedby 11.15 am on Friday, sometrains were cancelled andshort terminated due to laterunning or cancellation of thepairing trains.

The cancelled trainsinclude the Sambalpur-Koraput-Sambalpur passen-ger trains, Sambalpur -Junagadh Road-Sambalpurpassenger train, Durg-Visakhapatnam-Durg pas-senger train and Tata Expressleaving Visakhapatnam onSunday.

The Jagdalpu-HowrahExpress will leave fromTitlagarh to Howrah onSunday but will not be avail-able between Jagdalpur-Titlagarh.

The Raipur-Visakhapatnam Passengerleaving Raipur from August11 to August 13 will be shortterminated at Titlagarh andwill return from Titlagarh toRaipur. Similarly, theVisakhapatnam-R aipurPassenger leavingVisakhapatnam from August11 to August 13 will be shortterminated at Rayagada andreturn from Rayagada toVisakhapatnam.

Hence, the services ofthese trains will not be avail-able between Titlagarh andRayagada.

PNS n KHAMMAM

The Telangana State commit-tee of outlawed CPI Maoists onFriday called the people of theState to observe August 15 asblack day protesting theCentral Government's deci-sion to scrap special status toJammu and Kashmir anddividing it into two UnionTerritories. The official repre-sentative of the CPI MaoistTelangana State committee hasreleased a statement to themedia organisations in thisregard.

In the statement, CPI MaoistTelangana State committee sec-retary Jagan came down heav-ily on the BJP and TRS andtheir MLAs and MPs for cele-brating the revoking of theArticle 370 and 35 A of theJammu and Kashmir. The state-ment exhorted the people of the

State to oppose the leaders ofthese two parties over their fes-tive moods and called upon thepeople, democratic forces,Minorities, Dalits, left forces,and all others working againstBJP to join hands with eachother against the Centre's deci-sion. A two-page communiqué

sent to the media discussed inlength about the chronology ofevents that took place before theimplementation of the centralgovernment's decision on theKashmir issue.

"The BJP governmentplanned meticulously toimpose restrictions on the

Kashmir people for the pastfew months and it has tight-ened the law and order situa-tion over the past few days. Thegovernment deployed a heavycontingent of forces in theKashmir by conducting thereview meetings of higher offi-cials along with the Home

Minister Amit Shah, Nationaladvisor Ajit Doval, and HomeSecretary Rajiv Gouba. Theyeven promulgated 144 sectionin the valley and imposedalmost an emergency. Similarly,the tourists and students in theKashmir were advised to stayaway from the region in the

name of security", the state-ment alleged. The Central gov-ernment and its emissarieshave even put the two formerChief Ministers of the StateMehbuba Mufti and OmarAbdullah in house arrest.

The statement went on to saythat the Centre has deployedheavy forces on the Indo-Pakborder and it then has tabledthe revocation of 370,35 Aarticles bill and the bifurcationof Jammu and Ladakh as twoUnion Territories, the Maoistparty alleged. Terming the BJPsdecision as anti-people, theMaoist party leader said theBJP has included the revokingof Article 370 and 35A in itsmanifesto to indulge in anti-Kashmiri stand. It furthersaid the PM was trying tounfurl the tri-colour inKashmir on August 15 insteadof Red Fort.

Maoists give call for ‘black day’ on August 15They came downheavily on theBJP and TRS and their MLAsand MPs forcelebrating therevoking of theArticle 370 and35 A of theJammu andKashmir

CM wins confidence of delegatesContinued from Page 1

Botswana High CommissionerLesego Motsumi said that theChief Minister's assuranceshave put the proposed partner-ships on a win-win situationand is mutually beneficial. "Wehave interest in textile, pharmaand allied fields. The econom-ic engagement with the Statewould be encouraging and theassurance of corruption freegovernance is a welcome sign".

She said their country isknown for its diamond reservesand diamond polishing unitscould be a potential area. Thereis also scope for medical

tourism in Andhra Pradesh.Turkmenistan representative

has shown interest in invest-ments in agriculture, fertilisersand textiles while Sri LankanHigh Commissioner said thatthere is scope for expansion ofBrandix. Deputy HighCommissioner of UK said thathis country would be interest-ed in electric vehicles. In alleight ambassadors, four HighCommissioners, 13 ConsulGenerals, two Trade Commissioners and one DeputyConsul General, Charge DE'Affairs, Technical Director andTrade Attaché attended theevent from 25 countries.

Lokesh sore at govt forshowing State in poor light atDiplomatic Outreach progContinued from Page 1

In a tweeted message, Lokeshalleged that the Chief Ministeris projecting Andhra Pradesh ina poor light out of rivalry withthe TDP and urged him to beproud to project achievementsof Andhra Pradesh.

He asked Jaganmohan Reddyto highlight the positive aspectslike ease of doing jobs so thatmore companies will set upshop in Andhra Pradeshimproving employmentprospects of the unemployed.What is the use in projectingthe electoral success of theYSRCP at the conference, hesaid taking a dig at the CM.

During the past three years,Andhra Pradesh ranked num-ber one in Ease of DoingBusiness, he said. The Stateranked second position in thecountry in terms of healthindex. He advised him not toforget the largest investmenthad flown to AP in the form ofKia Cars. He also said that care

has been taken to ensure thatthere was no water problem inthe State by inter-linking therivers. He asked Jagan to prevailupon the prospective industri-alists that the State also rankednumber one in agriculture sec-tor growth rate. He also askedthe CM to tell the industrialists700-odd awards won by theprevious regime.

It may be recalled that theChief Minister in his address tothe envoys of various countriessaid that there are four portsand ample investment oppor-tunities in the State. He also toldthem that there is a stable gov-ernment in the State with astrength of 22 MPs and 151MLAs.

He also said that the State ispoor and devoid of a major citylike Hyderabad. However, theinvestment potential is veryhigh. Stating that the adminis-tration is transparent, he saidthe entire process right fromtenders to allotments are freefrom corruption.

Prof VK Ahuja addressing a seminar on ‘Copyrights and the Internet Revolution -Changing Landscapes' organised by Damodaram Sanjivayya National LawUniversity in Sabbavaram near Visakhapatnam on Saturday

PNS n NEW DELHI

Two former Samajwadi Partyleaders, who had quit theirparty and Rajya Sabha mem-berships recently, joined the BJPon Saturday, lauding the lead-ership of Prime MinisterNarendra Modi.

Surendra Singh Nagar, atwo-time Member ofParliament, and Sanjay Seth, awell-known realtor of UttarPradesh who was the SP's trea-surer, joined the BJP in the pres-ence of its general secretaryBhupender Yadav and its mediahead Anil Baluni. Both Nagarand Seth hailed Modi's leader-ship and lauded his govern-ment's decision to scrap theprovisions of Article 370 to endJammu and Kashmir's specialstatus in the Constitution.

Yadav said Nagar has been animportant leader in UttarPradesh, while Seth too held

significant positions in the SP.The SP no longer represents itsfoundational values, he said.

Nagar, a Gurjar leader fromwestern UP, and Seth had quittheir party during the recentParliament session.

The BJP may name the twoleaders as its candidates for thebypolls to contest the RajyaSabha seats vacated by them.

The BJP's win is all but cer-tain due to its huge majority inthe state Assembly.

The BJP has successfullywooed a number of RajyaSabha MPs from rival parties,including the Congress, TeluguDesam Party and the SP, recent-ly. The rise in the saffron party'snumbers in the House, coupledwith its success in securing sup-port from several regional par-ties, has resulted in the Uniongovernment being able to pushits legislative agenda in theRajya Sabha.

Nagar, Sanjay Seth joinBJP after quitting SP

VIJAYAWADA | SUNDAY | AUGUST 11, 2019 nation 05

PNS n DEHRADUN

The Uttarakhand High Courthas come down heavily on thestate government for not com-plying with its order prohibit-ing slaughter of animals in theopen.

Slamming the state gov-ernment, Chief Justice RameshRanganathan and Justice AlokKumar Verma said if it failedto produce an order stayingthe high court's prohibition onslaughtering of animals byAugust 20, sale of all meat inthe state will be stopped unlesstheir source was verified.

Warning against non-com-pliance of court orders, thebench said in case the statefails to produce a stay orderwhen the petition is heard nexton August 20, the court maydirect senior superintendentsof police and district magis-trates of all districts to stop saleof any meat which has notbeen slaughtered in a legalslaughterhouse.

The High Court hadbanned slaughter of all ani-mals in the open in September,2018 asking authorities to

ensure that they are slaugh-tered only in legal slaughter-houses.

Arguing on behalf of thepetitioner, counsel KartikeyaHari Gupta informed the courtthat the state government hasalready filed a petition in theSupreme Court against the HCorder banning slaughter ofanimals in the open but theapex court has granted no stayagainst the HC order.

The chief justice observedthat notices on the petitionwere issued by the apex courtin April but till date the statehas failed to show any stayorder.

In this light, the HC orderbanning the slaughter of ani-mals in the open stands andneeds to be complied with inletter and sprit, the ChiefJustice said.

PNS n NEW DELHI

The Congress WorkingCommittee met on Saturdayand began deliberations onfinding the new party presidentthrough a consultative processthat would involve all state unitchiefs and legislature partyleaders.

According to sources, theCWC has decided to have con-sultations with leaders fromacross the country and theparty's top decision-makingbody then was divided into fivegroups for different regions --northeast, east, north, westand south.

The party's top brass, includ-ing Rahul Gandhi, UPA chair-person Sonia Gandhi, formerprime minister ManmohanSingh, party general secretariesPriyanka Gandhi Vadra,Ahmed Patel, A K Antony,Ghulam Nabi Azad and PChidambaram, went into ahuddle at the All India CongressCommittee headquarters here.

They are seeking to find asuccessor Rahul Gandhi whoresigned as party chief on May25 after the Congress' polldebacle, throwing the partyinto a leadership crisis.

Significantly, besides CWCmembers, several state unitchiefs of the party, includingCongress' Rajasthan presidentSachin Pilot and Punjab headSunil Jakhar, as well as someother office bearers were pre-sent at the meeting.

All the CWC members havebeen assigned the task of hold-ing consultations with stateunit chiefs, legislative partyleaders and heads of frontal

organisations across the coun-try. They will hold these con-sultations in groups.

While the CWC group fornortheast region will be led byArun Yadav, it will include topparty leaders like Ambika Soniand Ahmed Patel. The groupfor eastern region will be led bySushmita Dev and will includeSonia Gandhi and K CVenugopal.

The northern region groupwill be led by Rajni Patil andwill include Priyanka GandhiVadra and P Chidambaram.The western region group willbe led by Gaurav Gogoi andwill have Rahul Gandhi,

Mallikarjun Kharge, GhulamNabi Azad, AK Antony andMotilal Vora.

The group for southernregion will be headed by RajivSatav and will includeManmohan Singh, AnandSharma and Mukul Wasnik asits members.

The consultations with stateleaders would take place at theAICC headquarters, and wouldstart soon after the CWC meet-ing, the sources said.

The top Congress leadershipheld a meeting on Friday withits state unit chiefs, leaders of itsstate legislature parties, gener-al secretaries and in-charges,where they were told by RahulGandhi that the new partychief would be appointed with-

in the next few days after widerconsultations, sources said.

The meeting was held at theparty's Gurdwara Raqab GanjRoad "war room" to discuss thegovernment's decision to abro-gate the provisions of Article370 of the Constitution inJammu and Kashmir anddivide the state into two Unionterritories.

The meeting comes after sev-eral senior party leaders such asAmarinder Singh, Karan Singhand Shashi Tharoor voiced con-cerns over lack of clarity on theleadership issue.

Senior Congress leaders alsomet Sonia Gandhi at her resi-dence here on Friday. Sources said senior leadersAhmed Patel, A K Antony and

K C Venugopal were learnt tohave discussed with Gandhicertain names of probables, oneof whom could be made theinterim president of the party.

The names of seniorCongress leaders MukulWasnik, Mallikarjun Kharge, aswell as younger leadersJyotiraditya Scindia and SachinPilot are doing the rounds forthe top post.

Mumbai Congress chiefMilind Deora earlier this weekbatted for either Scindia orPilot to succeed Rahul Gandhi.

A number of partymen haveexpressed their opinion in pub-lic, saying the delay in select-ing the new Congress chief isharming the party.

Last Sunday, Tharoor hadsaid the Congress WorkingCommittee or CWC shouldappoint an interim presidentimmediately and then holdpolls for the party chief 's postas a leader elected by workerswill be empowered and havemore credibility.

At Cong meet, top body divided into regional groups

PNS n BENGALURU

With no let-up in rains, theflood situation in Karnatakaremained grim on Saturday asmost of the rivers in the statewere in spate.

Chief Minister B SYediyurappa asked people ofthe state not to worry as reliefmeasures were his govern-ment's top priority.

He also said the Centre wasmonitoring the situation.

"Relief and rehabilitationwork is our top priority.Farmers and people need nothave to worry," Yediyurappatold reporters here.

So far 12 people have died inflood and rain-related inci-dents in the state.

The chief minister had onFriday announced a compen-sation of Rs five lakh each tothe families of those killed inthe flood and rain related inci-dents.

As an instant relief, thefinance department hasreleased Rs 100 crore towards

flood relief.According to an official

release, Union FinanceMinister Nirmala Sitharamanwould visit areas affected byfloods and rains to assess theprevailing situation, onSaturday.

Besides Belagavi, the affect-ed districts are Bagaklote,Vijayapura, Raichur, Yadgir,Gadag, Uttara Kannada,Haveri, Hubballi-Dharwad,Dakshina Kannada,

Chikkamagaluru, and Kodagu.The backwaters of

Tungabhadra flooded parts ofDavangere district blockingmany roads.

Landslides were reportednear Maranahalli inSakaleshpur, said officialsources.

Vehicles moving towardsDhramastala and Mangaluruwere turned back toSakaleshpur fearing furtherlandslide.

The entire Pane Mangaluruvillage in Dakshina Kannadadistrict was inundated by theswollen Netravati river, theysaid.

According to reports, sever-al houses in bantwal in that dis-trict, including that of formerUnion Minister JanardhanPujari, were inundated.

However, he and his familymembers were rescued.

Four helicopters have beenpressed into service in wort-hitareas.

Officials said the civildefence volunteers carried out36 sorties in the last six hoursin three boats and rescued270 people and 43 cattles.

PNS n NEW DELHI

A man has been arrested inDelhi for divorcing his wifeafter pronouncing the word'talaq' thrice, police saidSaturday. The arrest was madeafter a complaint was lodgedin north Delhi's Bara HinduRao police station on Friday.The 29-year-old woman gotmarried to Atir Shamim, a res-ident of Azad Market area, inNovember, 2011. "On June 23,her husband pronounced talaqthree times upon her and senta fatwah on Whatsapp men-tioning that triple talaq waspronounced," said NupurPrasad, Deputy Commissionerof Police (North).

He has been booked underthe Muslim Women(Protection of Rights onMarriage) Act, 2019, the offi-cer said. The law, which cameinto being last week, makestalaq-e-biddat or any othersimilar form of talaq havingthe effect of instantaneousand irrevocable divorce pro-nounced by a Muslim hus-band void and illegal.

SHORT READS

Kerala man wins USD .27 million inUAE raffle draw DUBAI: A 43-year-old driverfrom Kerala has won USD272,260 in a mall raffle drawcontest here, according to amedia report on Saturday.Speaking to Khaleej Times,Abdul Salam Shanavas, whohails from hiruvananthapuram,said, "Even if I had worked for50 years, I wouldn't have earnedanything close to this amount. Iarrived here in 1997 empty-handed, but with lot ofexpectations. I took my driver'slicence and started off as adriver in Sharjah but couldn'tsave much. I then moved to AbuDhabi as a family driver andnow earn Dh2,500 (USD 650)."Shanavas won the prize through'Mall Millionaire' campaignwhich is part of the 47-dayRetail Abu Dhabi summer salesby the Department of Cultureand Tourism - Abu Dhabi. Hespent about USD 54 for enteringthe draw. "I was informed onAugust 5 that I am the drawwinner and had to keep it asecret till official announcementwas made. I didn't even tell myfamily back in Kerala. I just toldmy wife there's a big surprise instore," he said. However, all wasnot smooth sailing forShanavas, as he deleted themobile message which was sentto him after registering for thedraw.

2 GoAir staffersbooked for abettingemployee's suicideNAGPUR: Two staffers ofprivate carrier GoAir have beenbooked for allegedly abettingthe suicide of a 19-year-oldemployee of the airline here,city police said. ManthanChavan, who worked as GoAir'strainee ramp officer at Nagpurairport, had allegedlycommitted suicide at his homein Nagpur on May 30, policesaid. In a statement issued onFriday, Ajni police said that anoffence was registered againstAkshay Patil, manager of GoAir(Nagpur) and Nilay Janbandhu,senior officer of rampoperations, under IPC sections306 (abetment of suicide) and34 (common intention) onThursday. "During theinvestigation, it was found thatthe deceased, Manthan Chavan,was on sick leave (when theincident happened).

Centre inks pact withTripura insurgent groupPNS n NEW DELHI

The Centre signed on Saturdaya pact with an insurgent groupof Tripura under which it hasagreed to lay down arms andjoin the mainstream.

According to a HomeMinistry statement, the tri-partite Memorandum ofSettlement (MoS) was signedhere by the governments ofIndia and Tripura, and theNational Liberation Front ofTwipra led by Sabir KumarDebbarma (NLFT-SD).

The NLFT-SD has agreed toabjure the path of violence, jointhe mainstream and abide bythe Constitution of India, itsaid.

The group has agreed to thesurrender of its 88 cadres withtheir weapons.

The surrendered cadres willbe given benefits under theSurrender-cum-RehabilitationScheme, 2018 of the Ministryof Home Affairs.

The Tripura governmentwill help the surrendered

cadres in housing, recruit-ment, education, etc, the state-ment said.

The central government willconsider the proposals of theTripura government regardingeconomic development of trib-al areas of the state.

The NLFT has been bannedunder the Unlawful Activities(Prevention) Act since 1997and has been involved in vio-lence, operating from theircamps across the internation-al border.

The NLFT has been respon-sible for violent activities,

including 317 insurgency inci-dents, in which 28 securityforces personnel and 62 civil-ians lost their lives between2005 and 2015.

Peace talks with NLFT wereinitiated in 2015 and there hasbeen no violence by NLFTsince 2016.

The MoM was signed bySatyendra Garg, Joint Secretary(Northeast) of Ministry ofHome Affairs; Kumar Alok,Additonal Chief Secretary(Home), Tripura; and SabirKumar Debbarma and KajalDebbarma of NLFT-SD.

PNS n NEW DELHI

Former Union minister ArunJaitley, who has been admittedto the AIIMS here after hecomplained of breathlessnessand restlessness, is stable andresponding to treatment, theVice President's office said onSaturday after Venkaiah Naiduvisited the hospital.

Vice President M VenkaiahNaidu visited the All IndiaInstitute of Medical Sciences toenquire about his former cab-inet colleague's health.

"The doctors informed theVice President that Shri Jaitleyis responding to the treatmentand his condition is stable.

The Vice President also metShri Jaitley's family memberswho were present," the VicePresident's secretariat tweeted.

Former finance ministerArun Jaitley was admitted tothe AIIMS Intensive Care Unit

on Friday morning after hecomplained of breathlessnessand restlessness but doctorssaid he is "haemodynamicallystable".

A hemodynamically stablepatient has a stable heart pump

and good blood circulation.A multidisciplinary team of

doctors is supervising Jaitley'streatment, the AIIMS said onFriday.

Prime Minister NarendraModi, Home Minister AmitShah, Defence MinisterRajnath Singh, Lok SabhaSpeaker Om Birla, UnionHealth Minister HarshVardhan, Finance MinisterNirmala Sitharaman, MoS forHealth Ashwini Choubey, BJPworking president J P Naddaand Loktantrik Janata Dal chiefSharad Yadav among othersvisited the hospital on Fridayto enquire about Jaitley'shealth.

VP'S OFFICE AFTER NAIDU VISITS AIIMS

Landslides werereported nearMaranahalli inSakaleshpur,said officialsources

K’taka flood situation grim, 12 dead

PNS n THANE

A special court here has award-ed 10 years of rigorous impris-onment to a 35-year-old vandriver for raping two girls,whom he used to drop at alocal school.

Special POCSO (Protectionof Children from SexualOffences Act) court judge S PGondhalekar convictedTulshiram Manere and award-ed the sentence to him onFriday.

The court also imposed afine of Rs 28,000 on the con-vict. According to the prose-cution, the convict, who usedto drive a van to ferry school-children, had raped the twogirls, both aged around eightthen, on multiple occasionsbetween June and December2016.

Additional public prosecu-tor Ujjwala Moholkar saidManere used to ferry theschool students in his vandaily.

"On Saturdays, the schooltiming of these two girls usedto be different. Taking advan-

tage of the situation, he wouldtake the victims to an isolatedplace and molest and rapethem. This happened on mul-tiple occasions between Juneand December 2016," she said.

He had applied sun films onthe windows of his vehicle inorder to hide his acts, she toldthe court. He also threatenedthe girls with dire conse-quences if they revealed abouthis acts to anyone.

"As the girls were underpressure, they did not talk

about it to anyone. However,due to the sexual harassment,they stopped attending schoolson Saturdays. When the teach-ers once asked them the reasonbehind their not attending theschool on Saturdays, theybroke down and narrated theirordeal to her," Moholkar said.

The teacher took the victimsto Nizampura police stationand lodged a complaint againstManere, following which hewas arrested.

The court held him guiltyunder IPC sections 376 (rape),323 (voluntarily causing hurt),354 (assault or criminal forceto woman with intent to out-rage her modesty) and 506(criminal intimidation) andunder provisions of thePOCSO Act.

‘Haryanvis canbring Kashmirbrides now’ PNS n CHANDIGARH

Haryana Chief MinisterManohar Lal Khattar hascourted a controversy with hisremarks that people ofHaryana are saying that they"can now get brides fromKashmir", apparently in a ref-erence to the scrapping of thespecial status for Jammu andKashmir under Article 370 ofthe Constitution. "There canbe problems if the number ofgirls are lesser than boys. Our(O P) Dhankarji had said thatthey (brides) will have to bebrought from Bihar. Nowsome people say, Kashmir isopen, they (brides) will bebrought from there. But jokesapart, the question is if (sex)ratio is right, then there will bea right balance in society,"Khattar said at an event atFatehabad on Friday.

Notably, Dhankar in 2014had said that he would bringbrides from Bihar for youthsof Haryana if they were unableto find a match in the state,which was infamous for itsskewed sex ratio.

Sonia Gandhi, Rahul recusethemselvesPNS n NEW DELHI

As the Congress WorkingCommittee began consulta-tions on Saturday to find itsnext president, UPA chiefSonia Gandhi and outgoingparty head Rahul Gandhileft the meeting midway, say-ing they couldn't be part ofthe process.

"We cannot be part of thisprocess," Sonia Gandhi saidafter she recused herself fromthe deliberations.

Rahul Gandhi left soonafter, saying he would be vis-iting his parliamentary con-stituency Wayanad in Kerala,which is currently ravaged byheavy rains.

Sonia Gandhi said hername was included by defaultin the region-wise commit-tees formed for wider con-sultations on selecting a newparty chief.

According to the prosecution, theconvict, who used to drive a van toferry schoolchildren, had raped thetwo girls, both aged around eightthen, on multiple occasions betweenJune and December 2016.

The consultations with state leaderswould take place at the AICCheadquarters, and would start soon afterthe CWC meeting, the sources said

UP: Two criminals killed inseparate police encountersPNS n LUCKNOW

Two criminals were killed inseparate police encounters inUttar Pradesh, a senior officialsaid on Saturday.

According to AdditionalChief Secretary (Home)Awanish Awasthi, three police-men were also injured in theencounters that took place inBaghpat and Saharanpur.

In Baghpat, the encountertook place early Saturday morn-ing, in which a criminal, iden-tified as Vikas alias Phoni, wasinjured in Doghat police stationarea, Awasthi said in a state-ment issued here.

Vikas was taken to a hospi-tal, where he was declareddead, the statement said.

"In the encounter, policeconstable Anuj was hit by a bul-let in his stomach, and is under-going treatment. Another crim-inal managed to escape from

the encounter site," it added.Vikas was named in dacoity

and murder cases (in Meerut).A .32 bore pistol and hugecache of cartridges was recov-ered from the criminal. He wascarrying a cash reward of Rs1.25 lakh on his head, CircleOfficer Ramala AnujChaudhary said.

Two unidentified criminalsstarted firing at a police team in

Saharanpur district late Fridaynight, triggering an encounter,according to the statement. Asa result, Sub-Inspector AmitSharma and constable VineetKumar were injured, it said. Acriminal carrying a reward ofRs 50,000 on his head was killedin retaliatory firing, Awasthisaid.

The criminal, identified as'Muqueem Kala gang' memberHafeez, was injured in thepolice firing. He was taken todistrict hospital, where he wasdeclared dead, Awasthi said,adding that more than twodozen cases were registeredagainst Hafeez in districts ofMuzaffarnagar, Meerut,Gautambuddhnagar andSaharanpur. Two pistols werealso recovered from Hafeez,according to the statement.

An accomplice of Hafeezfled the spot and efforts are onto nab him, officials said.

HC pulls up govt foropen animal slaughter

Man arrestedfor divorcingwife through‘triple talaq'

According toAdditional ChiefSecretary (Home)Awanish Awasthi,three policemenwere also injured inthe encounters thattook place inBaghpat andSaharanpur

‘Jaitley responding to treatment’

School van driver gets 10 yrsRI for raping two girls

CAPSULE

Avenue Supermartspromoter sells sharesworth Rs 561 croreNEW DELHI: PromoterRadhakishan ShivkishanDamani on Friday offloadedshares worth Rs 561 crore inAvenue Supermarts, whichruns D-Mart supermarketschain through open markettransactions. According todata available with the BSE,the promoter offloaded 40lakh shares at Rs 1,404.10 perscrip, translating it into a Rs561.64 crore transaction.The buyer, however, could notbe ascertained immediately.According to the shareholdingpattern available, Damani held23,96,89,156 shares or 38.41per cent stake in AvenueSupermarts at the end of June2019 quarter.Shares of Avenue Supermartsended at Rs 1,452.85 apieceon the BSE, up 1.58 per centfrom previous close.

Future EnterprisesQ1 net loss narrowsto Rs 8.5 crNEW DELHI: FutureEnterprises Ltd on Saturdayreported narrowing of itsconsolidated net loss to Rs8.59 crore for the quarterended June 2019. Thecompany had posted aconsolidated net loss of Rs16.80 crore in the year-agoperiod, Future Enterprises Ltdsaid in a BSE filing.However, consolidated totalincome of the companyincreased to Rs 1,424 crore,from Rs 1,353.31 crore in theyear-ago period. Consolidatedtotal expenses increased to Rs1,440.93 crore, as comparedto Rs 1,388.15 crore earlier.

Forex reserves downby $ 697 mn due tofall in currency assetsMUMBAI: The country'sforeign exchange reservesdeclined by USD 697.2 millionto USD 428.952 billion in theweek to August 2, due to fallin foreign currency assets, thelatest weekly RBI datashowed. In the previousreporting week, the reserveshad declined by USD 727.1million to USD 429.649 billion.The reserves had touched alife-time high of USD 430.376billion in the week to July 19,2019.In the reporting week,foreign currency assets, whichare a major component of theoverall reserves, reduced byUSD 633 million to USD398.724 billion, the Centralbank said on Friday. Expressedin dollar terms, foreigncurrency assets include theeffect of appreciation/depreciation of non-US unitslike the euro, pound and yenheld in the reserves. Thecountry's gold reserves fell byUSD 166.4 million to USD25.163 billion, according tothe Central bank data.

Reliance NavalJune-quarter losswidens to Rs 371 crPTI n NEW DELHI

Reliance Naval andEngineering Ltd on Saturdayreported widening of its con-solidated loss to Rs 370.95crore for the quarter endedJune. The company had post-ed a consolidated loss of Rs361.31 crore in the year-agoperiod, Reliance Naval andEngineering Ltd said in a fil-ing to BSE.

Consolidated incomedeclined to Rs 26.85 crore inthe quarter under review,from Rs 37.31 crore in theyear-ago period. The com-pany is engaged in the busi-ness of ship-building andrepairs.

VIJAYAWADA | SUNDAY | AUGUST 11, 2019 money 06

PNS n NEW DELHI

State-run oil marketing compa-nies IndianOil, Bharat Petroleumand Hindustan Petroleum onSaturday launched a programmeto procure biodiesel made fromused cooking oil in 100 citiesacross the country.

The programme was for-mally launched by Petroleumand Natural Gas MinisterDharmendra Pradhan, underwhich the three OMCs wouldinvite expression of interestfrom private entities for settingup plants to produce biodieselfrom used cooking oil.

Initially, the biodiesel wouldbe procured by the OMCs at anassured rate of Rs 51 per litre,which would be increased to Rs52.7 in the second year and Rs54.5 per litre in the third year.

The minister also launchedRepurpose Used Cooking Oil(RUCO) sticker and a mobilephone application for collec-tion of used cooking oil (UCO)to ensure that it does not comeback to ecosystem.

The sticker would affixed bythe food joints, hotels andrestaurants in their premises toshow that they supply UCO forproducing biodiesel.

Addressing an event to mark'World Biofuel Day' here,Pradhan said, "Biodiesel isavailable in many forms otherthan used cooking oil. It iswaste to wealth. We will cele-brate World Biofuel Day as

alternative energy day.""Like Amul, where milk is

collected from households andthen converted into a com-mercial product, there will beRUCO movement. The biggestissue (with biofuels like com-pressed bio gas) was offtakeguarantee. More than 300 firmshave got letter of intent forcompressed bio gas. Its imple-mentation is a challenge. Butwe are targetting 5,000 suchunits till 2024."

He also said, "China has alarger population but its (ener-gy) distribution is not thatorganised as compared to our

three oil marketing companies.That includes city gas distrib-ution firms also.

"Under the Pradhan MantriUjjwala Scheme, we wouldachieve the target of providing8 crore LPG connections by

September end. Already, thereis 20 per cent reduction in chestcongestion disease reported inIndia due to the clean fuelmovement."

Regarding ethanol blending,he said,"We would also make

ethanol from surplus food stock.At present we produce ethanolfrom sugarcane molasses. Non-subsidised bio mass would beconverted into energy."

"About four-five years ago,we had decided to increaseethanol blending with petrol. Ithas increased from 1.5 percent to 7 to 8 per cent. It willsoon be 10 per cent. Our ulti-mate goal is to achieve 20 percent ethanol blending withpetrol," the minister added.

At present, 850 crore litres ofdiesel is consumed everymonth in India. The govern-ment aims to blend 5 per centof biodiesel in diesel by 2030.Thus, 500 crore litres ofbiodiesel is required in a year.

In India, 2,700 crore litres ofcooking oil is used, out which140 crore UCO can be collect-ed from bulk consumer such ashotels, restaurants and canteensfor conversion, which will givearound 110 crore litres ofbiodiesel every year.

At present, there is no estab-lished chain of collection forUCO, which presents a hugeopportunity.

Speaking on the occasion,Health Minister HarshVardhan lauded the efforts ofthe oil ministry for convertingUSO into biodiesel.

He said the repeated use ofUCO can cause diseases likehypertension, atherosclerosis,Alzheimer's and liver ailments,among others.

The Union Minister for Petroleum & Natural Gas and Steel, Dharmendra Pradhan and the Union Minister for Health & FamilyWelfare, Science & Technology and Earth Sciences, Dr. Harsh Vardhan releasing the publication at the inauguration of the “WorldBiofuel Day”, in New Delhi on Saruday. The Secretary, Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas, Dr. M.M. Kutty is also seen

The minister also launched RepurposeUsed Cooking Oil (RUCO) sticker anda mobile phone application forfecilitating collection of used cookingoil (UCO) to ensure that it does notcome back to ecosystem

PTI n NEW DELHI

A CBI court on Friday declaredsacked Income TaxCommissioner Sanjay KumarSrivastava absconder in a casefiled by the investigative agency.

Last month, the CentralBureau of Investigation (CBI)had filed a case against thesacked officer, alleging cheat-ing, forgery and passing back-dated appeal orders to obtainundue benefits asCommissioner of IT (Appeals)in Noida.

Special Judge (anti-corrup-tion) CBI Gazhiabad hasdeclared Sanjay KumarSrivastava, compulsorilyretired by the governmentunder 56J of FundamentalRules, proclaimed offender.

The order directed theoffender to be present in thecourt on September 9, 2019.

The case was registered bythe CBI under section 120 B,420, 468 of Indian Penal Codeand 7 of Prevention ofCorruption Act.

The investigative agencyhad carried out searches at hisresidence and office.

The CBI had claimed tohave recovered fromSrivastava's residence jew-ellery worth Rs 2.47 crore, Rs16.44 lakh in cash, watchesapproximately valued at Rs 10lakh, over Rs 1.30 crore ofbank deposits in the name ofthe former officer as well as his

family members, incriminat-ing documents related to twoimmovable assets and a banklocker.

It was alleged that Srivastavaas Commissioner, Income Tax(Appeals), Noida passed 104backdated orders in June, 2019- in the month he was givenforced retirement by the gov-ernment.

Srivastava was given com-pulsory retirement on June 10,2019, but these orders wereuploaded on the Income TaxBusiness Application (ITBA)between June 11 and June 13by alleged misuse of RSAtoken, a kind of access systemin the department.

Searches were carried out at13 locations, including a bou-tique in Vasant Kunj alleged-ly run by Srivastava's wife, res-idence of Amar Das whoseservices were used by the offi-cer to write orders, twoChartered Accountants AnilPrahlad Kumar and K P Gargin Ghaziabad and NehruPlace, Delhi, respectively.

CBI court declaressacked I-T babuabsconder

Pakistan formally suspends trade ties with IndiaPTI n ISLAMABAD

Pakistan has formally sus-pended its trade relations withIndia after New Delhi revokedJammu and Kashmir's specialstatus.

On Friday, the federal cabinetheaded by Prime Minister ImranKhan endorsed the decisionstaken by the National SecurityCommittee and the joint sessionof parliament, which include sus-pension of trade ties with India,the Dawn reported.

Trade relations between thetwo neighbours were alreadystrained following the Pulwamaterror attack as India imposed200 per cent customs duty onall goods imported from theneighbouring nation.

Imports from Pakistandeclined by 92 per cent to USD2.84 million in March this yearcompared to USD 34.61 mil-

lion in March 2018, accordingto the commerce ministry data.During January-March periodof 2018-19 fiscal, imports from

Pakistan declined by 47 percent to USD 53.65 million.

Two notifications wereissued soon after the cabinet

meeting to implement the deci-sion to suspend bilateral tradewith India with immediateeffect and until further orders,

the report said. One notification suspends all

kind of exports to India, whilethe other banned import ofgoods of Indian origin or thoseimported from it. Earlier, thisban was only limited to importsfrom Israel with whichPakistan has no trade ties at all.

Pakistan's imports havealready entered negativegrowth with almost all coun-tries, except India, as Islamabadmostly imports raw materials

from India, the report said.According to a data of Indian

Council for Research onInternational EconomicRelations (ICRIER), the totalexports from India to Pakistanin the financial year 2018-2019 was around USD 2 billion.The major items exported byIndia include chemical prod-ucts and textiles among others,and the imported items includemineral products and veg-etable items.

On Monday, India revokedArticle 370 to withdraw thespecial status to Jammu andKashmir and bifurcated theregion into two UnionTerritories - Jammu andKashmir, and Ladakh.

In reaction to India's move,Pakistan on Wednesday down-graded diplomatic ties withIndia by expelling Indian HighCommissioner Ajay Bisariaand announced that it wouldalso suspend trade relationswith New Delhi.

India has said Jammu andKashmir was an integral part ofIndia and the issue was strict-ly internal to the country.

Pakistan has also suspendedimport of Indian goods underthe Pak-Afghan transit treaty,Special Assistant to the PrimeMinister on InformationFirdous Ashiq Awan told amedia briefing on Friday.

On Friday, the federal cabinet headedby Prime Minister Imran Khanendorsed the decisions taken by theNational Security Committee and thejoint session of parliament, whichinclude suspension of trade ties withIndia, the Dawn reported

DGCA suspends2 pilots forovershootingrunwayPTI n NEW DELHI

Aviation regulator DGCAon Saturday suspended twoSpiceJet pilots for a year astheir B737 aircraft made alate touchdown at theMumbai airport overshoot-ing the runway on July 2,sources said.

"The DGCA found thatSpiceJet's Coimbatore-Mumbai flight, which wasbeing flown by the two pilots-- Captain Karun Gujral andCaptain Arpit Gandhi -- onJuly 2, touched down approx-imately 4,462 feet from therunway threshold. This led torunway overrun," one of thesources told PTI.

The runway threshold areais the point from where therunway begins.

"The B737 aircraft flown bythese two pilots was floatingfor a long time before touch-down, the DGCA found in itsinvestigation," the sourceadded.

Both the pilots were issuedshow-cause notices on July 4and they were asked to givea reply within 15 days by theDirectorate General of CivilAviation (DGCA), thesources said.

"Their replies were notfound to be satisfactory. As aresult, this action has beentaken by the DGCA," thesource said.

Both the pilots have beensuspended for a period of oneyear from the date of the inci-dent, the sources said.

‘Coastal shipping,inland waterwayto handle 25%of cargo by 2030'PTI n MUMBAI

Union shipping ministerMansukh Mandaviya Fridaysaid the government has set atarget of transporting nearly 25percent of cargo through coastalshipping and inland waterwaysover the next 10 years.

Speaking at the 30thanniversary celebrations of thenation's largest container portJNPT this evening, he said theport-led development initia-tives taken by the governmentwill help achieve this target.

"We have set a target ofachieving 25 percent of cargomovements through coastal-shipping and inland waterwaysover the next 10 years. Whenwe reach this target, we believeour exim cargo will increase by25 percent," he said.

The minister further saidincrease in exim cargo will helpus reduce inflation by nearly2.5 percent.

"Our focus is not just devel-opment of ports but an inte-

grated development of associ-ated infrastructure, includingrailways, roads and airports.We are working towards thatvision," the minister said.

He further said these initia-tives are aimed at making theeconomy competitive in glob-al markets and for that it isnecessary to bring down thecost of logistics.

"Our logistics cost is around14 percent, while the globalaverage is 9 percent. We arestill 5 percent costlier. If wehave to become competitive,we need to explore all avenuesto bring down this cost struc-ture. The government is takingall the steps to make our eximcargo competitive in the worldmarkets," Mandaviya added.

The Minister of State for Shipping (Independent Charge) and Chemicals &Fertilizers, Mansukh L. Mandaviya watching Liquid Cargo Jetty map, at thefoundation stone laying ceremony, at Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust, in RaigadhDistrict, Maharashtra

UCO, Allahabad Bank cut MCLRPTI n KOLKATA

Days after the 35 bps repo ratecut by the Reserve Bank ofIndia, state-run lendersAllahabad Bank and UCO Bankon Friday slashed marginal costof funds- based lending rate(MCLR) across all tenors.

Allahabad Bank said it hasreduced its MCLR by 15 to 20basis points (bps) for differenttenors, effective from August14 while another public sectorlender UCO Bank announcedthat it has cut the same by 15bps across all tenors.

"The benchmark one-year

MCLR has been reduced by 15bps to 8.5 per cent as against8.65 per cent earlier," UCOBank said in a statement.

The one-year MCLR is therate based on which the retailloans such as home, car andpersonal advances are linked,the lender said. UCO Bank isplanning to link the rate ofinterest with RBI repo rates, topass on the benefit to cus-tomers.

Allahabad Bank also said ithas decided to reduce the rateof interest on retail termdeposits by 10 bps across allterms over one year.

PTI n NEW DELHI

Commerce and IndustryMinister Piyush Goyal willlead a delegation of five chiefministers, including from UttarPradesh and Gujarat, and busi-ness leaders to Vladivostok inRussia from August 11-13, anofficial statement said onFriday.

The commerce ministry saidthe visit is aimed at exploringinvestment opportunities andstrike close partnerships withthe Far East provinces ofRussia.

"The delegation includeschief ministers of Goa, Gujarat,Haryana, Maharashtra andUttar Pradesh and an officialfrom the State of Assam," itsaid.

The chief ministers will beaccompanied by business del-egations who will engage with

officials and businessmen fromthe provinces in Russia's east-ern most territory.

The minister's visit, it said,is a precursor to the visit of thePrime Minister NarendraModi to Vladivostok in earlySeptember for the EasternEconomic Forum, where hewill be the chief guest.

The commerce minister'svisit would see major

announcements on collabora-tive projects for the economicsuccess of the Far East regionof Russia.

"India is looking to gainfrom the investment-friendlyRussian stance in the naturalresource-rich region, whichincludes significant incentivesand tax breaks allowing Indianinvestments and labour forprojects," it said.

Indian entities are alreadyengaged in key sectors likepower, coal, oil and gas.

The delegation includesmore than 125 representa-tives from business stake-holders, who will interact withRussian counterparts onopportunities in the miningand processing of diamondand rare metals, railways, agri-culture, food processing, oiland gas, coal and power, andpharma.

Goyal to lead team of five CMs,biz leaders to Vladivostok

US tariffs could cut China growth sharply: IMFAFP n WASHINGTON

China's economy already isslowing amid the trade con-flict with the United States,but if Washington were toramp up tariffs even further itcould cut Chinese growthsharply, the IMF warnedFriday.

The InternationalMonetary Fund trimmed itsgrowth forecast for China to6.2 percent this year, assum-ing no new tariffs areimposed, but additional UStariffs of 25 percent onremaining Chinese goodswould cut GDP growth in thefollowing year, the IMF said ina report.

The annual review ofChina's economy -- known asthe Article IV report -- wascompleted before PresidentDonald Trump announcedplans to impose 10 percentpunitive tariffs on USD 300billion in imports, whichmeans that startingSeptember 1 all productsfrom China will be subject toduties in the intensifyingtrade war.

The Washington-basedglobal crisis lender once againcalled for a quick resolution tothe trade conflict betweenthe world's economic super-powers.

"A further escalation of thetrade tensions, for example

the US raising tariffs to 25percent on remaining importsfrom (China) , could reducegrowth by around 0.8 per-centage points over the fol-lowing 12 months," the IMFsaid.

The impact would have"significant negative spillovers

globally." However, Trumpearlier Friday cast doubt onthe chances for a deal, and sig-naled he might cancel talksplanned for September.

Relations have soured fur-ther in the past week afterTrump announced a newround of punitive tariffs onChinese goods, despite a truceagreed with President XiJinping in May, and Beijingresponded by halting all pur-chases of US agriculturalgoods.

The US Treasury thendeclared China a currencymanipulator, after the yuanlost value in the face of thenew round of tariffs due totake effect September 1.

Oil marketing firms to procurebiodiesel from used cooking oil

Have you ever seen a pendantthat has an intricate patternincased? Or a table top that

has a sheen to it with myriad colourssplashed? Have you ever wonderedhow it is made? Welcome to theworld or resin art that almost every-one wants to own. So much so thatthere are DIY videos that teachbeginners on how to own a piece ofthis art.

Abhigna Kedia a blooming resinartist based out of Bengaluru whodraws motivation from Nature tellsyou this art form has been in Indiasince for over a decade, but it is onlynow that paintings with resin aretrending. This is due to several rea-sons. First, the painting will last forcenturies without turning yellow.Second, the painting has a shine toit that attracts buyers.

She tells you that resin is achemical that is extracted fromplant. The liquid is used to layer thepainting to give it a shine. While itis a difficult medium to use, once itis used to create art pieces, the endproduct is electric after it dries.Originally, resin was used to coat theoutside of ships and boats since it isindestructible and therefore lastsfor decades.

A painting with resin starts tak-ing shape once a painting has beencompleted. Kedia uses wood to cre-ate her art pieces since resin tends tocollect in the centre. She used around or a semi circular piece. Ifpainting has to be square or rectan-gular, canvas is used. Also theprocess used while working in woodand canvas is different.

“While I am painting, there aremultiple layers. I use my fingers topaint. It could be just start by usingresin and then use colour or usecolour and then put resin. This caninvolve seven to eight layers of resinis used by the end of the painting,”Kedia says who works with ink, oils,acrylic and even pigments. However,care has to be taken when using oilssince the resin doesn’t stick well and

hence it needs to dry before the nextpaint is used.

She tells you that each paintingtakes nine to 12 days. But as Kediauses seven to eight layers, it takestime. Time also has to be given forresin to dry which in turn dependson the weather.

While resin is not a medium thatis widely used in paintings, theproduct itself has been in use in the

country in fibreglass. It’s popularityin paintings is now being extensive-ly used.

“There are many people espe-cially those who are looking forcolour therapy courses and experi-menting with colours. A lot of work-shops are now being held where resinis used,” Kedia says whose paintingsthough abstract have a lot emotionsthat she is going through at thatpoint in time but that mean muchmore personal as she sees emotionsin colours.

Her latest collection — Heavenon Earth — which is about every-thing between heaven and earth lit-erally. There are paintings that talkabout her feelings and experiences.Interestingly, the colours that sheuses doesn’t depend on theme thatshe is working on but on the emo-tions that she going through. Colourslike bronze, gold, silver and metal-lic are her favourite.

Kedia’s journey began when shespent seven years in learning art.After she completed her BBA shewent on to do her advanced diplo-ma. “I always knew that I wanted tobe an artist but not clear what medi-um to use. She experimented withdigital illustrations before she start-ed using resin. But it was difficultand took time to perfect it. But in theprocess fell in love with the mediumand love working with it,” Kediaexplains and says that there is goodnews for resin artists in India sincethere are several takes for this artform especially in cities like Delhiand Mumbai.

However, working with resincomes with several challenges. First,the room has to be dust free. Theroom where she paints has no venti-lation, no fan and no air conditioning.This is because any dust that settles onthe surface will show the minute itdries. “One would be able to see thedust particles clearly once resin cures.A small piece of art work is easy towork with but larger ones need a lotmore care. A room with no ventilationcan get uncomfortable at times.Second, one has to wear and gloves atall times,” Kedia says whose resin artcosts `12,000 to `15,000 per sq foot.

backpack 07VIJAYAWADA | SUNDAY | AUGUST 11, 2019

nHow did you become a singer?I think I was destined to be a singer, to be in this industry.

On a more serious note, there of four years back when I uploadeda song. The song went viral in Punjab. This got me offers fromthe Punjabi industry. I decided to go with the flow. The subse-quent songs that were released did well. The rest is history.nDid you train professionally?

No, not really. I had never envisioned that I would end upsinging. The video that I had uploaded brought me instant star-dom that didn’t leave much time to learn. But, since coming intothe industry, I have worked hard and learnt the ropes.nWhat is your latest song about?

The song — Ban— is set in 2030 when the Government hasbanned gun culture. A girl taking a peg from this, is singing inher praise and says that she is so pretty that she needs to keepher eyes under lock and key just like the Government has bannedthe guns. nDo you feel that you are at a disadvantage since you havenot learnt music professionally?

Yes, definitely. It is like giving a child a college course bookand then ask him to ace the exam. It would be difficult for him.I am in a similar boat. I got fame so fast that I didn’t have timeto learn. I am doing my best to learn. But, there is so little time.We have public appearances, interviews to give and performances.But whatever time I get, I learn and pick up anything and every-thing related to music.nYou released a single first instead of making a debut inBollywood?

Like I mentioned before, it was never my intention to enterthis industry. The song that had gone viral was shot while I wassitting at home and just started singing and make a video anduploaded. As luck would have it, the song got noticed by a pop-ular singer who put it up on his Facebook. Singles came next andthen came Bollywood.nYou have playbacked for two Bollywood songs. Has thatchanged your career path?

Playback may not give you face recognition but it helps youreach out to more people. It adds to your profile. Bollywood isso professional. In Punjab, the level at which I have reached, itwould have taken me such a long to be where I am today.Bollywood propelled me to stardom.nHow did acting happen?

I did Sajjan Singh Rangroot back in 2018 with Diljit Dosanjh.Though I am not working on a film, we are looking at a fewscripts. We are artists, you can make us do anything that involvesperforming. All that matters is to be professional. How you aredoing it matters as well.nWhat next — films or music?

I am working on a few Punjabi songs for an album. Thenthere are a few Bollywood projects lined up as well.nTell us about your association with Gaana Punjabi.

The platform is very popular. Many of my songs are doingwell on the platform, it gives me the much needed recognition.Now that Gaana Punjabi has been launched, it is a great oppor-tunity for artists like us. nHow do such platforms help regional musicians?

People love music and listen to songs that are played onGaana. People world over listen to the songs played here. Thiswill help more talent come out from the State. And not justPunjab, it gives all artists a platform where their songs are heardby millions.

SUNANDA SHARMA, whodebuted with the song Billi Ankh,speaks with SHALINI SAKSENAabout her latest track and how sheended up doing a film with DiljitDosanjh and Yograj Singh

‘It is tough tobe untrainedperformer’

nWhy choose The Holiday to makea debut in the digital space?

There are a lot of things in mindwhen one says yes for a project. Theconcept of this series was different. Noone makes a show or series with onegirl going on a trip with three boys.

We had films like Dil Chahta Hai,Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara and

Veere Di Wedding but it waseither based on boys or girls.I also go with my intuitions.The moment I heard thescript and got to know aboutmy character — Mehak, Iwas sure of playing it. I hadnever played a fun-lovinggirl. Also, the platform on

which it was going to be aired— Zoom Studios, left no rea-

son to turn down this project. nHow was the experience work-

ing with Priyank Sharma?The first day I met the three boys

— Priyank, Veer and Aashim we allwere quiet and shy. But within a cou-ple of hours we started talking anddropped all our inhibitions becausewe found out that all of us are halfmad people.

We started off as strangers, but wegot comfortable with each other andit looked like as if we were friendssince childhood. The one qualitythat we all found out about each otherwas we were non-judgemental peopleand easy to get along with. This helpedus more. On day two, all the threeboys bro-zoned me and I was a boyfrom that day.nHow did you come on board for1920?

I gave an audition for it. The rolewas of a possessed girl. The teamcalled me for a look test after the audi-tions as they were not very convincedthat I can look Anglo-Indian. Theythought that I was too Indian to look

like a foreigner. Originally, the rolewas of a north-Indian girl but becausethey liked my audition they made itlook like half Indian and half for-eigner.

A lot of people didn’t recogniseme in the film. We had to do a lot ofprosthetics for the role. But, that wasa good start for me because immedi-ately after my first film people believedthat I was a good actor. I am fortunatethat I could prove myself with my firstfilm.nDoes playing a supernatural char-acter affect you in any way?

There were 30-days straightaction scenes where we had to useharness and other stuff. It gave mebruises. But, mentally it did not affectme much. Though, one day I had avery weird dream. In the movie,there was a pillar climbing scenewhere I am climbing the pillar back-wards. With the help of computer

graphics we did that and people saidthat I was looking like a lizard. Andin my dream too, I saw a lot of lizardsand it was very weird. So, when youare shooting such things for 14 hoursa day it does have some impact onyou. Also, shooting such things doesnot come easy. For instance, say ascene is that you are alone in adeserted haweli but actually there arealmost 40 people standing right infront of you and watching you.Therefore, to pretend that you arealone and to do that convincingly isa big task. nDid you always want to act?

I was good at acting, but I wasmore inclined towards my studies. Bythe time I came to Class XII, I decid-ed not to go to college and pursue act-ing. I don’t know what I was thinkingthen but if I had some rationalthoughts, I wouldn’t have done it. Ididn’t have any clue of the field back

then. If I had, I wouldn’t have becomean actor.nDoes that mean you are not enjoy-ing being in the industry?

No, I am enjoying every bit of act-ing and being in the industry. Butsometimes you feel that if you hadknown something about the field youwould not have chosen it. However,I am lucky that people are acceptingme. It is liking jumping off a cliff. Ifyou think about it, you won’t do it.nA role that you would say no to?

I have done a variety of roles.There is no role that I would turndown. I am an intuitive person. So, ifmy intuition says that something isright for me I just take it up.nWhat is there in the pipeline?

I am doing Commando 3 oppo-site Vidyut Jamwal. I am also doingMan to Man, where I am playing amale character. Then, there is BypassRoad where I play Radhika.

From dumbbell shaped rakhisfor your gym-freak brother

to beard shaped for the beardlover and to bike shaped for thebikers, the new rakhi trends area sure shot to up your rakhigame this year. Impress yourbrothers with the most quirky,unique and customised rakhisand expect a wonderful gift inreturn. Here are a few optionsto choose from:

nFlower power

Ferns N Petals has come upwith environment friendlyrakhis and gifts this year tomake the brother-sister bond oflove stronger and fresh forever.These rakhis are made of freshflowers.

nSeeding love

Celebrate this Rakhi withSeedRakhi, a rakhi which has aseed attached to it which willgrow into a plant once sowedand nurtured.

nPicture perfect

Ferns N Petals is also offeringpersonalised rakhis, where youcan get your siblings’ pictureprinted or name embossed.Through personalisedrakhis/gifts one is able toexpress his/her feelings better,which they wouldn’t have oth-erwise done by sending a casu-al rakhi.

nBe traditional

To honour the long-lastingbrother-sister bond and pre-pare you for the festivities thatlie ahead, Talisman presents

it’s Raksha Bandhan collec-tion. The designs are reflectiveof a brother-sister relation-

ship; they are cute, funky,playful with a touch of tradi-tion.

‘I had a good start in industry’

TalktimeADAH SHARMA

Known for her stellar performances in 1920,Hasee Toh Phasee and Commando, Sharma

has left ber mark in the industry. Shespeaks with Musba Hashmi about

her experience in the industryand upcoming projects

Quirky ties for your brother

From furniture topendants to tiles to traysto now paintings, resin is

being used to createbeautiful pieces of art.

SHALINI SAKSENA tellsyou more about this craft

that everyone wants toown

Resinthe bar

WORKING WITHRESIN COMES WITH

CHALLENGES. THEROOM HAS TO BE

DUST-FREE. THEROOM HAS TO HAVENO VENTILATION, NO

FAN AND NO AIRCONDITIONING. THIS

IS BECAUSE ANYDUST THAT SETTLES

ON THE SURFACEWILL SHOW THE

MINUTE IT DRIES

Twenty seven-year-old Jaya Gopalhas been planning her upcomingwedding very meticulously. From adestination wedding at a heritageresort to a diving trip to Galpagos

Island for her honeymoon, she has it all sort-ed. However, it is her bachelorette inMykonos, Greece that has her closest crewmost excited. What makes it off-beat is thatGopal has booked a B&B (Bread andBreakfast) space for her celebratory experi-ence. “I’d be hosting my bachelorette at abeautiful villa with a sea view and a pool ofits own. I have planned a theme pool partyand my closest crew is looking forward to avery exciting holiday,” she shares. Gopal isonly one of the increasing number of trav-ellers who are opting for B&B arrangementsfor a personalised experience to travel theworld.

While Indians have caught up to thetrend, customising it to fit their experiences,in the recent times, the world travellers hadembraced made the shift over the past coupleof years. Travel surveys indicate that therental homes got really popular with the trav-ellers around 2018, with as many as one outof three travellers choosing to stay in oneover a hotel and one in five home ownerssigning up to list their home on a travelaccommodation site.

FEELS LIKE HOMEThe travellers these days are keen to have

a local experience and are increasingly seek-ing to stay at a place that provides them thefeel of being at a home in another country.There is an increasing tribe of celebrities whoare signing up for AirBnb experiences toavoid public glare and enjoy their momentsof privacy. Very recently, Lara Dutta andMahesh Bhupathi chose to stay at AirBnbspace during their Wimbledon trip. As didRohan Bopanna and Leander Paes. In an ear-lier interaction, Dutta had shared about herpreference for “homes with outdoor spacesand calming interiors” as these allowed her tomake most of her family time. “My daughterloves to play in the gardens and splash in thepools,” she had shared.

While 11-year-old tech-hospitality plat-form, AirBnb is counted as a leader among

the platforms for accommodation, there areothers such as Booking,com, Homestay,Flipkey and Homeaway (to name a few) thatare gaining popularity. The young travellers,especially the millennials are increasinglyopting for B&Bs for the value that thesespaces offer, especially to those travelling onbudget. They are getting hooked to the expe-rience of staying in unique locations with thepersonal touch and comforts of home. Justlike a local.

“I prefer to stay in spaces that allow methe comfort of home, especially during longerstays,” says Manish Mehrotra, CorporateChef, Indian Accent restaurants. For some-body who divides his time between New Yorkand India, Mehrotra prefers the comfort of arented apartment when not at home. “I nowwant spaces that allow me to cook and do lit-tle things by myself,” shares Mehrotra of hispreference for apartments over hotels. “Someeven come with a personal touch like a bottleof wine and launderette facilities. I try to finda place closer to my workplace, so I can evenwalk to work,” he shares.

THE COST FACTORThe inherent value of a B&B lies in the

fact that when travellers book a B&B, theydon’t just get a bed—their reservation is com-plemented by various invaluable amenitiessuch as homemade food, free Internet, and,most importantly, a hospitable staff.

A fully furnished set in a foreign locale

works out so much cheaper than staying in ahotel, especially if on a longer trip. So foundout frequent traveller and travel writer AlkaKaushik, who is now a B&B convert, especial-ly when travelling with family. “Recently, Itravelled to Spain with my elderly mother,who is a strict vegetarian. We chose spacesthat were centrally located, with a livingroom and operational kitchen to ourselves.This worked really well in terms of budget aswe could save on eating out and commutewithin the city,” she shared.

Her mother was most happy with thehome like arrangement, where she did nothave to struggle for food and could cookwhatever she liked. Somebody who often liketo travel solo and sometimes with a pet, shedoes not hesitate to share and recommendsome safe and pet friendly options that shehas stayed in. “All you need to do is put yourrequired filter before making a booking,” shesays. Kaushik has been booking her accom-modations via Booking.com.

“Travel has always been something that Iassociate with freedom and independence. Ilike to revel in the unknown and loveimmersing myself in new cultures. While Inever hold back when it comes to tryingsomething new, I treasure the safe and famil-iar feeling of home no matter where I am,”shares Actor Mandira Bedi, for choosing tobook B&B space on her travels. Bedi bookedthrough AirBnb for her travels to Colombo,Goa and Portugal in the recent times.

THE POWER OF RECOMMENDATIONSB&B booking sites thrive heavily on recom-

mendations and have formulated a reviewalsystem of their own. Platforms like AirBnballow both a host and the guest to share theirreviews on the other. These reviews become likeyour points for future bookings where the boththe guest and host can refer to before choosingto rent/host. “As a guest, you can be rated onwhether you were responsible, polite and nonuisance during your stay and likewise, as ahost on whether you provided the guests withall that you had promised,” shares Kaushik.

Something like word of mouth where peo-ple trust their friends more than they trust tra-ditional advertising. Studies show that travellersare willing to overlook a notable brand name,and even a low cost, in favour of a positive rec-ommendation. This encourages the B&Bs tostand out for a good business. Another surveyreports points out that over 75 percent of peo-ple do their own travel planning and 76 percentof people ranked recommendations as their pri-mary consideration when booking lodging.

Most platforms allowed the host and theguest to interact before finalising their bookingand even gave the host the right to refuse aguest. Some places even come with a humanless contact, where the entire interaction playson the app and the host and guest don’t have tomeet in person.

sundaymagazineVijayawada, August 11, 2019

I expect I should be more calloused by now,but I am so sensitive

about not ever living up toanybody's worst ideaabout an actor who is

well-known— Sarah Jessica Parker

We carry a stockpile of impressionsin our minds that keep playing,making us flirt with random thoughts

F R O M T H E I N S I D ERein in your monkey mind

>> p9

Increasing number of travellers are gettinghooked to bread and breakfastarrangements that allow them theexperience of staying at unique locationswith a personal touch and comforts of home,writes NAVNEET MENDIRATTA

THE INHERENT VALUEOF A B&B LIES IN THE

FACT THAT WHENTRAVELLERS BOOK A

B&B, THEY DON’TJUST GET A BED—

THEIR RESERVATIONIS COMPLEMENTED

BY VARIOUSINVALUABLE

AMENITIES SUCH ASHOMEMADE FOOD,

FREE INTERNET, AND,MOST IMPORTANTLY,A HOSPITABLE STAFF

Serendib: A tale of two citiesThe island country of Sri Lanka offersan array of experiences and activities

for nature lovers and adventure seekers09 11