WINDOWS

NEWDELHI

india set a record on Friday by adminis-tering over two crore COViD-19 vaccinedoses, in a major push to the inoculationdrive on the occasion of Prime MinisterNarendra Modi's birthday. The cumula-tive doses administered in the countryreached 2,03,68,343 at 5.27 pm, accord-ing to data on the Co-wiN portal. Thetotal number of doses administered inthe country has crossed 78.72 crore. "agift to the prime minister on behalf ofhealth workers and people of the coun-try. On the birthday of Prime MinisterNarendra Modi today, india has crossed

the historic figure of administering 2crore vaccine doses in a day, setting anew record. well done india!" Unionhealth Minister Mansukh Mandaviyatweeted in hindi.

The daily vaccinations crossed theone-crore mark for the fourth time inless than a month. Mandaviya said thisis the fastest pace at which one croredoses have been administered. "On PM@Narendra Modi Ji's birthday, till 1:30pm, the country has crossed the mark of1 crore vaccines, the fastest so far, andwe are continuously moving forward. ibelieve that today we will all make a newrecord of vaccination and give it as a gift

to the prime minister," he said in a tweetin hindi earlier along with the hashtags"VaccineSeva" and "happyBdayModiji".The daily COViD-19 vaccination in thecountry was over 1 crore on September6, august 31 and august 27.

Mandaviya on Thursday had called fora major push to the COViD-19 vaccina-tion drive during Prime Minister Modi'sbirthday on Friday, saying it would bethe perfect gift for him. The BJP hasasked its units across the country to helpget a large number of people vaccinatedon the occasion. india took 85 days totouch the 10-crore vaccination mark, 45more days to cross the 20-crore mark

and 29 more days to reach the 30-croremark, according to the ministry. Thecountry took 24 days to reach 40 crorefrom 30 crore doses and then 20 moredays to cross the 50-crore vaccinationmark on august 6, it said.

it took 19 more days to go past the 60-crore mark and took only 13 days toreach 70 crore from 60 crore on Septem-ber 7, the ministry said. The total num-ber of doses administered crossed the75-crore mark on September 13. Thecountrywide vaccination drive wasrolled out on January 16 with healthcareworkers (hCws) getting inoculated inthe first phase.

2 CRORE VACCINE DOSES ADMINISTERED ON MODI’S BIRTHDAY

NEWDELHI

PriMe MiNiSTer Naren-dra Modi on Friday said therecent developments inafghanistan have demon-strated that increasing rad-icalisation was the "rootcause" of biggest challengesrelating to peace and secu-rity in the region andpitched for developing acommon template by theSCO to deal with thesechallenges.

“The global communityshould decide collectivelyand thoughtfully on recog-nising the new set-up inafghanistan in view ofquestions over its accept-ability as the change ofpower was not inclusiveeven as he warned that con-tinuing instability and fun-damentalism in that coun-try will embolden terroristand extremist ideologies allover the world.”

Speaking at the meetingof the Shanghai Coopera-tion Organisation (SCO)

Council of heads of State,Modi also called for en-hancing connectivity be-tween land-locked Centralasia and india and notedthat such projects shouldbe transparent and respectthe territorial integrity ofall countries, in commentsthat came amid growing

criticism of China's Beltand road initiative (Bri).in his virtual address at themeeting, held in Dushanbe,Tajikistan in a hybrid for-mat --virtual as well as in-person, the Prime Ministertalked about Sufism andcultural heritage of Centralasia and said the SCO

should develop a commontemplate to fight radicali-sation and extremism onthe basis of the historicalheritage of the region. "The20th anniversary of theSCO is also a suitable occa-sion to think about the fu-ture of the SCO. i believethat the biggest challengesin this area are related topeace, security and trust-deficit and the root cause ofthese problems is increas-ing radicalisation," thePrime Minister said. Therecent developments inafghanistan have made thischallenge more apparentand the SCO should take aninitiative on this issue, heasserted. "if we look at thehistory, we will find that theregion of Central asia hasbeen a bastion of moderateand progressive culturesand values. Traditions likeSufism have flourishedhere over the centuries andspread throughout the re-gion and the world," thePrime Minister said.

NEW DELHI

Badminton rackets used by the Paralympicgold medallist, the javelin which brought in-dia its first gold in the Olympics and glovesworn by the bronze medal winning athlete areamong Prime Minister Narendra Modi's me-mentos which are drawing the highest bidscurrently on the Culture Ministry websitewhich is e-auctioning them.

The highest quoted bids for the badmintonracquets of Krishna Nagar, the badmintongold medallist and that of Noida DM Suhaslalinakere Yathiraj, who won the gold and sil-ver medals at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympicgames respectively have gone up to rs 10crore.

The base price of Nagar's racket is rs 80lakh while that of Yathiraj is set at rs 50 lakh.

The fence used by Ca BhavaniDevi in fencing at theOlympics 2020 also received ahighest bid of rs 10 crore whileits base price is rs 60 lakh.Devi is the first indian fencerto ever qualify for the TokyoOlympics after qualifying forthe 2020 Summer Olympics.

The boxing gloves worn byboxer lovlina Borgohain, whowon a bronze decoration in thewelterweight (64-69kg) classi-fication semi-final for womenat the Tokyo Olympics, becom-ing the third indian boxer towin at Tokyo Olympics has re-ceived a bid of rs 1.80 crore.The base price for the gloves is

rs 80 lakh. The highest bids for the

javelin which gave india itsfirst gold in the 2020Olympics is over rs 1.20crore while its base price isrs 1 crore. The sharp-shoot-ing glasses worn by ManishNarwal, who bagged a goldmedal in the mixed 50m pis-tol Sh1 final at Tokyo 2020Paralympic games has so farreceived a highest bid of rs95.94 lakh.

The shooting glasses werepresented by him to theprime minister The proceedsfrom the e-auction will go tothe Namami Gange Mission

aimed at conserving and rejuvenating theGanga river.

The memorabilia include sports gear andequipment of the medal-winning Olympiansand Paralympians, a replica of the ayodhyaram Mandir, Chardham, sculptures andpaintings among others.

The wooden model of the ram Mandirplaced inside a glass box has received thehighest quoted of rs 3 lakh so far. another in-teresting memento which has grabbed eye-balls is the replica of the rudraksha Conven-tion Centre in Varanasi which has got thehighest bid of rs 40 lakh. individuals and or-ganisations can participate through the web-site pmmementos.gov.in between September17 and October 7. after the auction ends, theministry will notify the highest biddersthrough email.

www.thehansindia.com VOL. 4 | NO. 320 | SATURDAY 18 SEPTEMBER 2021 | DELHI | PAGES 8 | `8.00

Simultaneously published from Hyderabad | Warangal | Tirupati | Amaravati | Visakhapatnam | Khammam | Kurnool | Delhi: RNI No: DELENG/2017/74095

Forecast: Showers late. Cloudy. Temp: Max.33°C. Min.27°C. Humidity: 59% Sunrise: 05:54 Sunset: 06:43

P3

RADICALISATION BIGGESTCHALLENGE TO PEACE: MODI

Fire breaks out inCBI office in DelhiNEW DELHI: A fire broke out in-

side the basement of the CBI

building the CGO complex here,

officials said on Friday. The infor-

mation about the fire at the Cen-

tral Bureau of Investigation office

was received at 1.40 pm following

which eight fire tenders were

rushed to the spot. The fire broke

out in the panel board, a senior

fire official said. The blaze was

doused at 2.30 pm and no one was

injured in the incident, they said.

Auction of PM’s mementos: Noida DM’s badminton racket bid at `10 cr

Eight names for appointment aschief justices in HCs recommendedNew Delhi: The Supreme Court

collegium headed by CJI N V

Ramana is learnt to have rec-

ommended eight names of

judges, including acting chief

justice of Calcutta High Court

Justice Rajesh Bindal, for their

elevation as chief justices of

different high courts. Besides,

the marathon collegium meet-

ings on Thursday and Friday

have led to recommendations

of transfer of five chief jus-

tices, including that of Tripura

High Court Chief Justice Akil

Kureshi, and 28 other high

courts judges, reliable sources

told PTI. Justice Bindal of Cal-

cutta High Court has been in

news recently due to his ad-

ministrative and judicial deci-

sions in matters related to po-

litical stand-off between the

BJP and the Trinamool Con-

gress in West Bengal. Justice

Kureshi, one of the senior-

most high court judges in the

country, was originally ele-

vated as a judge in the Gujarat

High Court and has been in

news due to his non-elevation

as a judge of the apex court.

The sources said the three-

member collegium, headed by

Chief Justice of India N V Ra-

mana, has decided to recom-

mend names of judges for ele-

vation as chief justices of the

high courts of Allahabad, Cal-

cutta, Andhra Pradesh, Kar-

nataka, Telengana, Megha-

laya, Gujarat and Madhya

Pradesh. They said the three-

member collegium, dealing

with appointment in high

courts, included Justices U U

Lalit and A M Khanwilkar and

it has recommended transfer

of Justice Bindal as the chief

justice of Allahabad High

Court. They said the collegium

has recommended that Justice

Kureshi be transferred to the

Rajasthan High Court.

Doc held in blood smuggling racketLUCKNOW: The Uttar Pradesh

Special Task Force has arrested

two persons, including an assistant

professor at Sefai Medical College

in Etawah, for allegedly running a

blood smuggling racket.

As many as 100 units of blood

have been recovered from their

possession. According to sources,

the STF had busted a syndicate in-

volved in the purchase and sale of

adulterated blood two and a half

years ago and the team since then

had been closely monitoring blood

smuggling gangs.

The STF spokesman said, "Two

people involved in smuggling blood

have been arrested once again. As-

sistant professor Dr. Abhay Pratap

Singh, who was involved in smug-

gling blood from UP to Rajasthan,

Haryana and Punjab, was arrested

with 45 units of blood during smug-

gling on the Lucknow-Agra Ex-

pressway."

‘Tiranga Yatra’ to celebrate PM's b’dayNEW DELHI: A 'Tiranga Yatra' was

taken out by social organisations

from ITO to Red Fort in the na-

tional capital marking the 71st

birthday of Prime Minister Naren-

dra Modi on Thursday.

Participants carried the national

flag and placards bearing names

of various schemes and pro-

grammes of the Modi government

and marched from Feroz Shah

Kotla near ITO to the iconic Red

Fort, under the leadership of for-

mer Union minister Vijay Goel.

"The 20 years of public life of

Prime Minister Narendra Modi

that he has spent capably in gov-

ernance and social development

is an inspiration for the people of

the country," Goel said on the oc-

cassion.

NEWDELHI

The indian Youth Con-gress on Friday cele-brated Prime MinisterNarendra Modi's 71stbirthday as “NationalUnemployment Day”, al-leging that the Modi gov-ernment had been "lyingfor the past seven yearsin the name of employ-ment”.

Terming the indianYouth Congress' (iYC)“halla Bol” programme a"revolution" against un-employment, iYC na-tional president SrinivasB V said unemploymentin the country has se-verely increased underthe Modi regime.

“Today on the occasionof Prime Minister Naren-

dra Modi's birthday, arevolution against unem-ployment is takingplace.

The birthday ofChacha Nehru is cele-brated as Children's Dayand the birthday of PM

Modi, who made indiaunemployed, is being cel-ebrated as National Un-employment Day. “Theprime minister has in-creased the unemploy-ment rate instead of in-creasing the GDP rate.

New Delhi: Gujarat-cadreiPS officer rakesh asthanahas told the Delhi high Courtthat there is a sustained socialmedia campaign against himand the legal challenge to hisappointment as Delhi PoliceCommissioner was an abuseof process of law, arising fromvendetta.

in his affidavit filed on apublic interest litigation (Pil)against his appointment,asthana said that ever since

he was appointed Special Di-rector, CBi, proceedings arebeing consistently filedagainst him by certain organ-isations as part of a “selectivecampaign”.

“There are two organisa-tions namely Common Causeand Centre for Public interestlitigations who are profes-sional public interest litigantsand exist only for filing litiga-tions as the only way of publicservice.

NEWDELHI

ShirOMaNi akali Dal (SaD) presidentSukhbir Singh Badal and former Union min-ister harsimrat Kaur Badal were detainedby the Delhi Police on Friday as they led aprotest march in the national capital to markthe first anniversary of the passage of threecontentious farm laws. The SaD, whichwalked out of the ruling coalition at the Cen-tre last year over the farm laws, is observingSeptember 17 as Black Day. The protestmarch was taken out from Gurudwara rakabGanj to the Parliament house.

"The protest march today not only sym-bolises the farmers' dissent but will also beremembered as a historic event that struckat the root of tyranny. let's unite to markthis day as the beginning of a renewed revoltto bring justice for farmers," the SaD presi-dent tweeted.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (NewDelhi) Deepak Yadav said SaD presidentSukhbir Singh Badal, former Union ministerharsimrat Kaur Badal along with 15 otherparty leaders have been detained at Parlia-

ment Street police station. according to thepolice, the leaders were detained for takingout the protest march in violation of COViD-19 guidelines. They were subsequently re-leased. The protest march led to massive traf-fic snarls in several parts of the nationalcapital, including lutyens' Delhi and iTO.Former Union minister harsimrat KaurBadal, who resigned from the governmentlast year over the farm laws, said in a tweetthat the massive participation in the protestmarch shows the public anger.

‘Thoughtful and collective decision neededto recognise Taliban govt in Afghanistan’

Sukhbir, Harsimrat held‘Not the right timeto bring petrol anddiesel under GST’New Delhi: Finance MinisterNirmala Sitharaman on Fridaystated that the Goods and Serv-ices Tax (GST) Council discussedthe topic of inclusion of petroland diesel under the tax structureafter the Kerala high Court order."On the direction of court it wasbrought on to table but membersspoke very clearly they do notwant it to be included in GST," MsSitharaman said. "This will be re-ported to the high court as theGST Council felt it was not thetime to bring petroleum productsunder the GST," she added.

Sitharaman announced thatthe GST Council decided to ex-tend the concessional rates ondrugs used in COViD-19 treat-ment till December 31, 2020. Theprevious deadline was September30. in June, the Kerala highCourt, based on a writ petition,had asked the GST Council to de-cide on bringing petrol and dieselwithin the GST ambit.

IYC celebrates PM’s birthday as ‘national unemployment day'

Protest march against farm laws

Vendetta: Asthana tells High Court

Noida DM Suhas Lalinakere Yathiraj

in action at Paralympic in Tokyo

2

Relax, Recharge and Reflect.

Sometimes it’s OK to

do nothing.

- Izey Victoria Odiase

KAJOL

@ITSKAJOLD

TWEE

T PA

TROL

DLEHI SATurDAy 18 SEPTEMbEr 2021

SOLU

TIO

N TO S

EPTEM

BER 1

7

SOLU

TIO

N TO S

EPTEM

BER 1

7

Across

4 Voracious insect (6)

7 Hawaii capital (8)

8 Hill's partner (6)

10 Marsh grasses (5)

13 Just (4)

14 Western card game (4)

15 Perfumer ___ Ricci (4)

16 Marry (3)

17 Philosophers' questions

(4)

19 Skirmish (4)

21 German parliament build-

ing (9)

23 Pottery oven (4)

24 Chemical ending (4)

26 Cram (3)

27 Local headgear ? (4)

29 Fine open fabric (4)

32 Hair applications (4)

33 Overexcited (5)

34 Byzantine gold coins (6)

35 Intense, forcible (8)

36 Stick to or hold closely to

(6)

Down

1 Pier (5)

2 Scoff (5)

3 Misfortunes (4)

4 Unit of light (5)

5 Stone walls do not a

prison make, nor iron

bars a ___ ? (4)

6 Dreamy (6)

9 Cunning (6)

11 Devour (3)

12 Wooden peg (5)

13 Accidents (7)

15 The Big Apple (3)

16 Move from side to side (3)

18 Implied subtly (6)

20 Inspire anew (5)

21 Outer edge (3)

22 ___ Lanka (3)

23 Knocked out in boxing

match (6)

25 Expert (3)

28 Oily fruit (5)

30 After in Alsace (5)

31 Muse of poetry (5)

32 Bestow (4)

33 Boot part (4)

l CROSSWORD l SUDOKUInternational RedPanda Day

With the decline of available opportunities tolive and thrive in their natural habitat, Red

Pandas are struggling. International Red Panda Day hopesto encourage people to learn about these adorable crea-tures and help save the biome in which they live.

Red pandas are native to the Eastern Himalayas and cansometimes still be found roaming there. These animalsspend most of their lives in trees and even sleep aloft.When foraging,they are mostlynocturnal butthey also foragein the gloaminghours of duskand dawn.

Due to theencroachmentof human activ-ity and expan-sion, these rust-colored creatures are experiencing a lossof nesting trees and bamboo, leading to a decline in thepopulation. With less than 10,000 in the wild efforts aredoubled every year to help these little firefoxes!

Red pandas are smaller than many people expect, sincetheir name is often associated with the giant panda. Infact, these little creatures typically only grow to about thesize of a house cat, though their big, bushy tails add an ad-ditional 18 inches to their size. Red pandas have a taste forbamboo but, unlike their larger relatives, they eat manyother foods as well—fruit, acorns, roots, and even eggs.Like giant pandas, they have an extended wrist bone thatfunctions almost like a thumb and greatly aids their gripwhen climbing.

SIDDHI JAIN

The pandemic has transformed the art landscape in India, driving artexhibitions to the digital medium and an influx of pandemic-inspired

themes on the canvas. How has the art landscape in India changed from 2019to now? Is there a specific impact of the pandemic on women artists? FourIndian female artists assess its tangible impacts on the art world.

Santosh

Jain

Viewing of art on digital

platforms gained almost

sudden popularity after 2019.

Indian artists took to social

media to share their works,

form artist groups and even

tag peers in art challenges. It

was as if the artist community had come together; this was in-

spiring. One could see works of artists one hadn't come across ear-

lier, and virtual interactions helped support each other during the

lockdown. But the ease of posting and over one year of just digitally

viewing art also led to 'art fatigue' and a dilution in quality! Art gal-

leries and museums have reopened in the last 2 months. And even

though there are strict guidelines on admissions, timings, etc., it feels

great to see art lovers step out to experience art.

I know women bore a disproportionate share of the burden during the

pandemic. But I cannot comment on how that affected their practice. In-

stead, I can speak about myself and how the pandemic impacted me as a

woman artist. The pandemic affected me quite badly. I felt pressed down

with so much dread around, updates on TV, ambulance sirens, eerie silence

and WhatsApp messages bearing sad news. Fear and uncertainty haunted

me day and night. My art helped me express my inner concerns and come

to terms with the new 'normal'. I created works across mediums almost

daily - Multi Media works, Digital Paintings and even Linocuts in 2020 -21.

For The Lockdown Series, I experimented with art material that was avail-

able at home; bills from home deliveries, kitchen foil, laundry strips, cof-

fee, old cards, etc., My colour palette turned gloomy during the second

wave. I also explored the concept of 'shadows' in The Languish Series. I

feel no one stays with us forever except our shadow. In good times, in

bad times and even in death.

India’s women artists weigh inon the impact of the pandemic

Sonali Chaudhari

The years 2019 to 2021 have seen significant changes in each and everysphere. The Covid-19 pandemic has had lasting implications on every level

of society. Art forms of any period are a reflection of that era. Needless to say,much of the art created during these years will remind us of these difficulttimes for generations to come. Furthermore, locked in the confines of theirhomes, people have become more conscious of the impact of art in their lives.Instead of being something elitist, art also has a vital role in stress relief andmental health. More and more online exhibitionsmade art easily accessible to all people. As an artist,I have seen many people approach me for art thatthey can identify with and uplift them. During theprolonged lockdowns, my studio was my sanctuary.It gave me much time for self-reflection andexploring various facets of my work in ways that areimpossible without complete solitude.

The pandemic has affected every single personand has had an impact on women artists too.However, as in all cases, the level of that impactvaries from person to person, based on their socio-economic background. So it cannot be generalised inthis case. We have all been through the same storm but in different boats.

Seema Kohli

Post the pandemic, art became much more accessible andeasier to procure. People had the time to virtually explore

art. Most established art galleries already had online presence.The pandemic allowed them to gear up the virtual experiencewith enhanced technology such as online viewing rooms, artisttalks and so on. I think, in spite of the fact that the pandemichad lot of lows, there was room for people to sort of alter theirlives and move into different spaces online. I see myself as anartist first and then as a women artist! On the whole, theimpact on the artist community was more of an emotional setback, despite having all the time to themselves to create art.Most of us felt that it was time when we could introspect, sit-down, experiment and work a lot more than otherwise. I thinkthere was no social compulsion which also made it easier for usall to work in our own space and embark on our own journey.

Brinda Miller

Iwouldn't say that the current art landscape has been a reason for artists tomake time for introspection and I find a lot of artists posting their best work

on social media, especially women artists. I have spent a fair amount of time dab-bling in different art experiments. More for my enjoyment and pleasure ratherthan thinking about the future of art in terms of a career. The shift has been fairlysatisfying. The works are brighter than ever as times maybe uncertain and grim. Ihave always been inspired by my travel but now I am looking at other things.

Art is a form of meditation. Colour is therapy! I try to lead a normal life and keepmyself busy. I miss a few things like meeting people and travelling but there areother things to keep me going. I have recently begun travelling again -I was in Ladakhlast week where the landscape was spectacular, and hope to travel to new places. Therainy weather outside my window is awesome and Mumbai as a city inspires me a lotas do the people of Mumbai who go on with their lives and deal with every issue andsurvive so well.

Rashmi Agdekarsays ‘The Interns2’ is close to herheart‘Rasbhari' actress Rashmi Agdekar will be

seen in the upcoming web series 'The In-terns 2' on September 24.

The young actress is known for her debut webseries 'Dev DD' and 'I'm Mature', where sheplayed the lead role.

In a candid chat, Rashmi shared about beingpart of 'The Interns 2'.

"I'm so excited for this season. 'The Interns' sea-son 1 received so much love. This season we'll seemore of the intern life, everyone who has gonethrough an internship will totally relate to the se-ries," said Rashmi, who made her Bollywood debutin 'Andhadhun'. The actress will be seen alongsideAhsaas Channa, Revathi Pillai and Khushbu Baid,in the series directed by Durin Das.

In this world full of technological ad-vancement where everything is now

home-delivered, even the most essentialbeauty services are now available at yourdoorstep? Let the pampering sessions be-gin. The whole salon environment at homebelieves that services at home are un-doubtedly the best option during the un-usual crisis.

Co-founder of ‘Yes Madam,’ MayankArya speaks of the benefits of at-home sa-lon services.

ComfortWe all prefer comfort over anything and

everything. Nothing is more comfortablethan getting everything under your ownroof. One of the most amazing perks ofsubscribing to an at-home salon serviceprovider is that you can watch yourfavourite TV show or OTT series whilehaving your hair treated or nails done.Amidst, Covid-19 and working from homesome of the beauty services can be takensimultaneously. Getting beauty services atyour home keeps you relaxed and calm.During festivals when you are already busythe on-demand salon services can do won-ders for your mind, body and soul.

Hygienic surroundingsUsually many customers have problems

related to hygienic surroundings. Ofcourse, they do not know if the place isproperly sanitized or not. For such kinds ofcustomers "At home Beauty services" isnothing but the most appropriate option.There is something about being in a famil-iar environment that makes you feel at to-tal comfort instantly and allows you to en-joy the treatment in a much better way.Create your own bubble with the most ap-propriate hygienic conditions according toyour requirements and take the at-homesalon services.

SafetyThe biggest and the major concern dur-

ing the times of the Covid-19 pandemic. Inthe duration of time where the whole

world is fighting a virus, we all need to beextra careful about exposure to any kind ofinfection. With at-home salon services,you do not have to expose yourself todozens of people on your way but you canallow yourself to enjoy excellent serviceswithin the safety of your home. With vacci-nated beauticians, it becomes much saferto get the treatments done. In at-home sa-lon services, the beauticians wear a PPE kitthat includes a mask, gloves, bodysuit, anda face shield. They utilize only monodose(single-use) products. Moreover, they alsosanitize the area where the set-up is doneto deliver the services.

ConvenienceSometimes, even if you book an appoint-

ment, you have to travel a lot far and stillthe beautician keeps you waiting. The in-house beauty treatment services are muchmore flexible. It's all up to you, one canbook the date and time whenever theyneed the service, and the beautician will bethere at your doorstep. If it is a busy weekor an impromptu decision, one can alwaysrely on the on-demand salon services.

The session with family and friendsWho doesn't love to gossip around and

chill with friends and family while gettingtheir manicure and pedicure done? Thereare so many nosy customers while you visitthe salon that just kills your buzz. But a sa-lon at home with your friends and familyespecially during the times of festivals pro-vide you with the most relaxing and happyvibes.

Salon services at home arebest in festive season

IN THE NEWS

DELHI

the sP, BsP and the Congress arecompeting for power in uttarPradesh without any base amongthe masses, union ministerMukhtar Abbas naqvi said on Fri-day, asserting that the oppositionparties were fighting to become a"landlord without land". he said

the mafias that were flourishingunder the previous governmentsin uttar Pradesh have been put be-hind bars during the YogiAdityanath dispensation, and as-serted that there was a sense of se-curity in the state. While partici-pating in various programmes on'seva Diwas' in uttar Pradesh'srampur, naqvi told reporters that

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanathwas taking “stringent actionagainst goons and mafias" due towhich "their political protectorsare being hurt the most”.

For the people of the state it is achoice between "apradhiyon ki hi-rasat (detention for criminals)"versus "apradhiyon ki hifazat (pro-tection for criminals)". the peopleof uttar Pradesh are living with asense of security under theAdityanath government, but thishas made those people restlesswho had been "reaching the throneof power by sitting on the shoul-ders of these goons and mafias",naqvi was quoted as saying by astatement from his office.

the samajwadi Party, the Bahujansamaj Party and the Congress are ina competition for power without anybase among the masses, he said,adding that they are fighting to be-come a “landlord without land”. in-

dian politics has taken a positiveturn due to the “politics of commit-ment to performance, good gover-nance and integrity” being practicedby Prime Minister narendra Modi,naqvi said. But those political par-ties who are confined to the "familynest" can neither understand nor ac-cept this positive change in politics,naqvi said.

Prime Minister Modi is synony-mous with determination, dedica-tion and development without dis-crimination, the minister said. naqvisaid that Prime Minister Modi andChief Minister Yogi Adityanath haveplayed the role of “trouble-shooters”during the coronavirus pandemicand led the fight against the pan-demic from the front. Modi's com-mitment to the health and well-be-ing of the people has ensured thatindia, despite having a huge popula-tion, is strongly coming out of thecoronavirus pandemic.

Opposition fighting UP polls to become ‘landlord without land’: Naqvi

CITY/REGION 3DELHI SATURDAY 18 SEPTEMBER 2021

CHANDIGARH

PunJAB Chief MinisterAmarinder singh on Friday de-manded immediate scrappingof the Centre's new farm laws,calling for detailed discussionswith farmers to find a way for-ward.

Pointing out that many farm-ers had died in the protestsagainst these laws, which werepassed by the parliament a yearago, he said the Centre shouldwithdraw the legislations in theinterests of farmers and the na-tion. singh was speaking afterinaugurating the third state-level virtual Kisan Mela organ-

ised by the Punjab Agriculturaluniversity (PAu), Ludhiana.

“it is high time the centralgovernment realised its blun-der and withdraw the legisla-tions in the interest of farmersand the nation,” he said. thechief minister, who wore a ‘nofarmers, no food' badge, said,“till date, the Constitution ofindia has been amended asmany as 127 times, so why canit not be amended once again toscrap the farm laws and resolvethe imbroglio resulting fromthem? “What is the problem indoing it a 128th time?” hesought to know from the BJP-led central government. he

also alleged that the Centre wasout to “ruin the farmers”.

the senior Congressleader further saidwhat was hap-pening with thefarmers todaywas “ex-tremely sad”,given the im-mense contri-bution made bythem to india'sdevelopment andprogress. the two-dayKisan mela is centred on thetheme “Karie Parali Di samb-hal, Dharti Maa hove Khushal”in line with the state govern-

ment's focus on eliminatingstubble burning, an official

statement said. recallingthat he was asked by

the Centre to stopPunjab's farmers

from going toDelhi last no-vember, singhsaid he had out-

right refused todo so as protest is

the democratic rightof farmers.

he made it clear that hecontinues to stand with thefarmers in their fight againstthe “draconian legislations”,with his government continu-

ing to give compensation andjobs to families of deceasedfarmers. noting the contribu-tion of Punjab and its farmersto the country's growth, thechief minister said the state,with only 1.53 per cent of totalgeographical area of india, pro-duces about 18 per cent of thecountry's wheat, 11 per centpaddy, 4.4 per cent cotton and10 per cent milk.

For the past many decades,Punjab has been contributingabout 35-40 per cent of wheatand 25-30 per cent of rice tothe central pool, he said, ex-pressing pride in the achieve-ments of the state's farmers.

Scrap farm laws, talk to farmers: Amarinder to Centre

SHIMLA

PresiDent ram nath Kovindon Friday hailed himachalPradesh's contribution to armedforces, saying he salutes the bravesoldiers from the state who areserving the nation. he also saidthat Major somnath sharmafrom the state was the first recip-ient of the prestigious Param VirChakra.

the president was addressinga special one-hour session of thehimachal Pradesh Assemblyhere to mark the golden jubileeof its statehood. the hill state at-tained golden jubilee of its state-hood on January 25, 2021, but thespecial session was delayed dueto COViD-19 pandemic. the cel-ebrations will now continuethroughout the year. Kovindnoted that as many as 1.20 lakh

soldiers from himachal Pradeshare presently serving the nation.

“Being the head of the defenceforces, i salute all the brave sol-diers of himachal Pradesh forserving the nation,” he said. inhis 18-minute address, the presi-dent also said that the entire stateshould become 'sirmaur' interms of development in the en-tire country. ‘sirmaur', meaningcrown, is one of the districts of

himachal Pradesh. he urged thefarmers of the state to adopt nat-ural farming to preserve thebeauty of the state.

the president said he had beenattracted to the natural beauty ofhimachal Pradesh for the last 45years. he visited the state for thefirst time in 1974, and at thattime, he came to Kullu-Manaliand since then, he kept on visit-ing the state every now and then.he said Prime Minister narendraModi also extended his wishes forthe hill state.

he noted that all successivegovernments led by Yashwantsingh Parmar, thakur ram Lal,Virbhadra singh, shanta Kumarand Prem Kumar Dhumal playedvital roles in bringing himachalPradesh where it is now. he saidthe hill state also set an examplefor other states as the state as-sembly became the first paper-less Vidhan sabha in the countryin 2014. he also congratulatedthe hill state with regard to nitiAyog 2020-21 report, wherebyhimachal Pradesh is on secondnumber in the entire country.

Kovind addresses special Himachal Assembly session

Seven people killed in house, wall collapse

PRATAPGARH

SEVEN more people, including a

child, died in separate incidents of

house and wall collapses in Prat-

apgarh due to heavy rains, taking

the death toll due to the downpour

to nine in the district, police said

on Friday.

Altogether, at least 19 people

have died due to heavy downpour

in Uttar Pradesh since Wednesday.

Amid incessant rains on Thursday,

Amit (4) and Om Prakash (50) died

in separate villages under Antu po-

lice station area in the district due

to wall collapses, police said. Ka-

lika (80) in a village under Sagipur

police station area, Kalawati (65)

in Kohdaur police station area,

Chamela Devi (54) and Kusum

Maurya (25) in different villages

under Kotwali Patti police station

area, and Amarjit Singh (65) in a

village under Udaypur area died in

similar incidents of wall and house

collapses, police said.

The bodies of all the deceased

have been sent for post-mortem, it

said. Earlier, officials had reported

on Thursday that two people had

died due to rain-related incidents

in the district.

The Hans India has proved to be a perfect

blend of daily news and features. It has

been covering various issues of local, national and international

importance with due space. The Reader's Page in the Sunday edition is an

additional attraction and providing a wonderful platform for aspiring

writers. 'Womenia' is certainly the only kind of its features page in an

English daily and has been highlighting the women-specific issues daily.

The City Hans and the pillar column in the editorial page are effectively

catering to the needs of all readers. I wish the Hans India a very happy

10th anniversary.

MY HANS

A PERFECT BLEND

OF NEWS, FEATURES

A great idea to curb crime

rate, reduce accidents

Satish Reddy Kanaganti,

Nalgonda.

I believe that linkingliquor sales with Aad-

haar is an innova-

tive and great idea.

The present YSRCP

government has com-

mitted to go in for total

prohibition in phased man-

ner. If the proposal of linking

Aadhaar to the sale of liquor is accepted, it would streamline

the sales of liquor and also bring down crime rate. This will

also help in preventing the students from buying liquor and

hence linking of Aadhaar to the sale of liquor will be a bless-

ing in disguise on the part of women. Apart from that, acci-

dent rate will also come down. It is a wonderful reform and

should be welcomed by one and all.

P V Phani Rajya Lakshmi,

KR Palli, Chittoor

Union MinisterMukhtar AbbasNaqvi participatesin ‘Sewa Diwas’,organised tocelebrate birthdayof Prime MinisterNarendra Modi, ata vaccinationcentre in Rampuron Friday

CHANDIGARH

the Punjab BJP thursday tar-geted state Congress chiefnavjot singh sidhu over hiscriticism of the Punjab Con-tract Farming Act, 2013, askinghim why it took him eight yearsto understand the law "was notin the interest of farmers".

BJP state general secretarysubhash sharma said sidhu'swife navjot Kaur was part ofthe then sAD-BJP governmentin the state when the contractfarm law was enacted in 2013,

asking him why he did not op-pose it then.

he further questioned himwhy the Congress-led govern-ment in Punjab which has beenin power for the last four-and-a-half-years did not reject thelaw yet.

sharma criticised sidhu a dayafter the Punjab Pradesh Con-gress Committee chief accusedthe Badals of the shiromaniAkali Dal of laying the founda-tion of the Centre's farm laws,which have prompted the ongo-

ing protests by farmers. the Congress leader had al-

leged that the Centre's Farm-ers' (empowerment and Pro-tection) Agreement on PriceAssurance and Farm servicesAct, 2020 was a "photostatcopy" of the Punjab ContractFarming Act, 2013 enacted dur-ing the previous sAD-BJP gov-ernment led by Parkash singhBadal.

he had also alleged that theCentre's farm laws were framedto benefit corporates.

BJP targets Sidhu over criticism of state’s Contract Farming Act

Minister of Railways Ashwini Vaishnawlaunched the Rail Kaushal Vikas Yojana(RKVY) to empower youth by way ofproviding entry level training in industryrelevant skills through Railway traininginstitutes as part of 75 years of Azadi kaAmrit Mahotsav. The programme isorganised under aegis of PradhanMantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY) -

a scheme of the Ministry of SkillDevelopment & Entrepreneurship(MSDE) to achieve the vision of AatmaNirbhar Bharat.Suneet Sharma Chairman &CEO RailwayBoard, Alka Arora Misra AdditionalMember/Human Resourceand all theGeneral Managers of Indian Railwaysjoined the online launching event.

RAIL KAUSHAL VIKAS

YOJANA LAUNCHED

Minister of railways AshwiniVaishnaw visited new Delhirailway station to initiate thecleanliness drive the ‘swachhataPakhwada’. the Minster wasaccompanied by suneetsharma, Chairman and CeOrailway Board, Ashutosh Gan-gal, General Manager northernrailway, Dimpy Garg, Divisionalrailway Manager, Delhi Divi-sion and senior officials of rail-way Board, and northern rail-way. On reaching the station thehon’ble minister was briefedabout the cleaning methods ofthe station platforms and tracks.

‘SWACHHATA PAKHWADA’

For Advertisement please Call: 9717809984/ 9718673567

4 EDIT

Revival of MSME sector canboost rural employment: Report

The issue of non-procure-ment of coarse variety ofpaddy by FCI has now

taken political overtones. Telan-gana government has raised ob-jection over the “sudden”change of stand by Food Corpo-ration of India (FCI) on rice pro-curement and the officials ac-cording to the Chief Ministerhave recommended that thearea under paddy cultivationshould be reduced.

But the question is did FCIsuddenly make this announce-ment? Was the governmentcaught off guard or is it beingused as yet another weapon inthe battle for Huzurabad by-elections?

The fact is that in April thisyear, the FCI had agreed to pro-cure 80 per cent boiled rice and20 per cent raw rice from Telan-gana this rabi (yasangi) seasonfollowing Chief Minister K.Chandrasekhar Rao’s request.This was the statement ofChairman of Telangana stateCivil supplies Corporation Msrinivas Reddy.

He further said that he hadhowever suggested the farmingcommunity not to grow com-mon grade (doddu rakam) paddyfrom which boiled rice isprocessed, from the next seasonas the FCI was not willing toprocure it. It was unwilling toaccept boiled rice from Telan-gana this season but had agreedafter much persuasion, hestated. Apparently, the govern-ment was in know of things.

The Centre has been comingto the rescue of rice millerswhen huge quantity of boiledrice stocks were piled up thoughthere is no such mandated lawor act to the procurement ofboiled rice.

In the last agricultural seasonin April, the FCI agreed to buy80 per cent of five lakh tonnesof boiled rice after the millers

failed to export the stocks toTamil Nadu, Kerala, West Ben-gal, Odisha and Karnatakawhere the boiled rice consump-tion is high. since three years,boiled rice millers from Telan-gana have been struggling hardto sell the product to in otherstates where the boiled riceproduction had registered con-siderable increase. The stategovernment too has no specificpolicy to buy boiled rice frommillers.

The state BJP says that gov-ernment was targeting the Cen-tre repeatedly and wants toproject as if the Centre was notdoing justice to the state andwants to appeal to the people todecide whether they want TRsor BJP. The dance of democracyhas resulted in war or words be-tween the pink and the saffronparties.

While the Finance minister THarish Rao criticised the Centreon this issue, BJP NizamabadMP D Arvind countered Harishby saying that Centre always res-cued the millers by procuringunsold boiled rice in every sea-son. TRs wants to derive politi-cal benefit out of the boiled riceprocurement issue.

Well what one fails to under-stand is why can’t the state gov-ernment while playing its ownpolitics think of innovative waysto explore the possibility of in-creasing the scope of export ofboiled rice and other productsto countries like Korea, Viet-nam, Bangladesh etc. There isgood demand for para boiledrice in Bangladesh, Thailand,Vietnam and some Africancountries as well.

May be the government canexamine the Korean method ofmarketing strategy. It could bea multi-pronged strategy to pro-mote our tourism sector as wellas export of boiled rice and sev-eral other products. Well maysound funny but let’s examinewhat Korea is going to showcaseits products for the Indian cus-tomers.

starting from september 17,the Korea Tourism Organization(KTO) which had collaboratedwith multiple brands for a seriesof virtual Korean experiences,will be holding social media con-test on its products for Indian

travellers. The KTO decided onthis module in view of the cur-rent prevailing travel restric-tions due to the pandemic. It hasdecided to step forward and getKorea to its Indian audience andcreate an experience that can beenjoyed by the travel seekersand Korea lovers until Novem-ber 15. The event comprises K-Food, K-Pop, K-Beauty, K-Drama and Korean productdiscount offers.

The Ts government too canconsider such events so that thegreat tourism potential the statecan be explored and productslike rice, millets and other foodgrains and artefacts, handloomscan be promoted. Even culturalevents can be showcased to theother parts of the globe. If Ko-rean artists can give a demon-stration of their dance forms

and display the richness of theirmusic, Telangana which doesnot lag behind any other countryin all these aspects too can at-tract the attention of friendlycountries.

Different varieties of Telan-gana cuisine with para boiledrice, bajra, millets etc can bepropagated on OTT platforms.Agricultural practices can bedisplayed which can also help ininviting queries from prospec-tive customers. It will also pro-vide an opportunity to propa-gate the eco-friendly and herbalproducts for which there is greatinternational market. similarly,the lives of popular people in-cluding poets, singers, musicianscan be highlighted. Even the richreligious traditions which hadgained greater popularity afterthe new state was formed can be

shown to the world. All thesemeasures can help in promotingthe state products, art and cul-ture to other parts of the worldand the problems that hadarisen out of Covid pandemiccan be converted into a new ad-vantage. If such measures aretaken now, by the time the travelrestrictions are lifted, Ts can beon the world map of Tourismand trade prospects can improvedrastically.

Korean audiences have al-ways admired the dancers inBollywood movies, and are start-ing to understand that both Ko-rea and India share a traditionand love for song and dance. Ifthe government works on theselines even Telangana share oftradition can become more andmore popular among othercountries. Audiences from othercountries can be brought closerto our culture and similarly,traders from other countries canlook at Telangana as a destina-tion for their shopping whichcould include food grains andmany other products.

Its time we give up myopicview of issues and go in for in-novative ways to promote ourproducts so that the dependenceon centre can be reduced. Wehave been seeing that the centreis slowly washing its hands offfrom many things whether it beprivatising of public sector in-dustries and even railways.Hence states too need to wakeup and work out alternate plansto see that they come up withnew ideas.

If we keep shouting from rooftops quoting statistics on howcentre has been “inflicting” in-justice on state it does not reallyhelp anyone. Because we haveseen how centre has been push-ing ahead with its agenda andpolicies no matter whatever theprotests and objections from thepeople and political parties be.

Moreover, the governmentswhich display all their lungpower from public platforms failto put pressure on the Centre toget their opinion accepted. Thenwhy all this noise? Why not dosomething differently and be-come role model for otherstates? Its time, the bureaucracyand political executive thinksabout it.

It is difficult to overstate the depth of In-dia’s opposition to Afghanistan-based

militancy that bears a Pakistani signature,and India’s corresponding commitmentto fortify Kabul as a counterterrorismpartner. The era of Taliban rule (1996–2001) was the nadir of India-Afghanistanrelations. India had reasonably good tieswith Afghanistan’s monarchist, republi-can, and communist regimes precedingthe Taliban’s ascendancy.

New Delhi hastily evacuated its em-bassy after the Taliban swept into Kabulin 1996, and the Taliban, with militarybacking from Pakistan, forced India’sAfghan allies to retreat into an embattlednorthern redoubt. Pakistan’s military es-tablishment envisioned the emergenceof the Taliban “as a fortification againstIndia to the East.” Under the Taliban,Afghanistan became a training ground forIslamabad-sponsored militants waging aguerrilla war in Indian-administeredKashmir. During the late 1990s, Pak-

istan’s principal intelligence agency, theInter-services Intelligence (IsI), relo-cated many of its Kashmir-focused prox-ies into eastern Afghanistan to evade Uspressure on Pakistan to curb militant in-filtration. The last publicly known nego-tiations conducted between the Talibanand New Delhi in 1999 also cast an en-during shadow over Indian perceptionsof the group. At the time, militants affili-ated with the Pakistan-based outfitHarakat-ul-Mujahideen hijacked an In-dian commercial plane, eventually forc-ing it to land in the Afghan province ofKandahar.

The Taliban government mediated ahostage exchange that led to the releaseof extremist leader Masood Azhar—aswap that continues to haunt India to thisday. shortly after his release, Azharfounded Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM), agroup that attacked the Indian Parlia-ment building in December 2001. In 2016,JeM reportedly carried out a major attack

on an Indian air base, and in February2019 it claimed responsibility for theworst terrorist act committed in Indian-administered Kashmir in three decades.

The UN later sanctioned Azhar for sup-porting terrorism, yet he remains at largein Pakistan and probably shielded by itssecurity agencies. JeM plays a minor rolein the Taliban’s war against Kabul, andthe group splintered soon after Pakistanbacked the Us invasion of Afghanistan in2001. still, JeM’s long association and ide-ological kinship with the Taliban remainof grave concern to us.

Years after the hostage exchange, AjitDoval, one of the key negotiators involvedand who is now India’s national securityadviser, lamented, “Nobody should havebeen swapped, least of all Masood Azhar.”Moreover, India is alarmed by the pres-ence of another anti-Indian terroristgroup in the Afghan conflict, Lashkar-e-Tayyiba (LeT). LeT, a loyal proxy of thePakistani military more cohesive and

lethal than JeM, was forged in the cru-cible of the anti-soviet war. In 2008 thegroup carried out multiple attacks in In-dia’s financial capital of Mumbai that left166 dead, including six Americans.

In Afghanistan, LeT has attacked In-dian diplomatic facilities, governmentemployees, and aid workers. LeT aug-ments the Taliban’s capabilities with ex-pertise and fighters. Yet LeT does notclaim responsibility for the violence itperpetuates in Afghanistan to avoid pro-voking international pressure on Islam-abad, according to former state Depart-ment intelligence analysts.

LeT’s influx into Afghanistan enablesIsI to gather intelligence on the “militantstate of play across the border.” Indiansecurity officials estimate “hundreds” ofLeT militants are fighting in Afghanistan.Modi-baiters are questioning India's sen-sitive handling of the Afghan situation ig-noring contemporary history. Or is it theirignorance?

Taliban: India’s continuing blind spot

Adopting the Korean model for TS tourismIN MY OPINION

V RAMU SARMA

Different varieties of Telangana cuisine withparboiled rice, bajra, millets etc can be

propagated on OTT platforms. Agriculturalpractices can be displayed which can also help ininviting queries from prospective customers. Itwill also provide an opportunity to propagatethe eco-friendly and herbal products for whichthere is great international market. Similarly,the lives of popular people including poets,

singers, musicians can be highlighted. Even therich religious traditions which had gainedgreater popularity after the new State was

formed can be shown to the world

Amajority of Indian companies (57 per cent) believe there is aneed to revive the micro, small and medium enterprises (MsMEs)

sector, which has been hit due to the COVID-19 pandemic, in orderto boost rural employment, according to a report.

According to the re-port by Genius Con-sultants, titled the'sudden Rise of RuralUnemployment', thecountry's economy wasadversely affected bythe pandemic and al-most all sectors and in-dustries were im-pacted, especially theMsME sector thatfaced a huge set-back.

The report, which isbased on a survey, saidmost of the respon-dents believed that thereason behind the highunemployment rate isthe lack of employment opportunities available in the areas con-cerned. The survey is covered 1,100 business leaders between August1 and september 10. They include those in sectors such as bankingand finance, construction and engineering, education/ teaching/training, FMCG, hospitality, HR solutions, IT, ITes, and businessprocessing outsourcing, logistics, and manufacturing, among others.

The report further showed that more than 57 per cent of the totalrespondents strongly agreed that the revival of MsMEs would aid inimproving the current employment situation. About 14.3 per cent ofthe respondents believe that the reason behind the rural unemploy-ment was the lockdown restrictions, and another 14.3 per cent saidit was due to the rise in the COVID-19 cases, according to the report.

The remaining respondents believed that it is a result of all reasonsmentioned above that led to a spike in unemployment in rural areas,it added. Meanwhile, the report found that over 85 per cent of re-spondents stated that the manufacturing sector, which has been wit-nessing a slowdown, has been a major contributor to the rise in un-employment in the rural areas.

As factories and production are one of the major contributors ofrural employment and with the pandemic halting businesses, themanufacturing sector has majorly impacted rural unemploymentcompared to the service sector, it said.

Genius Consultants Chairman and Managing Director R P Yadavsaid, "Rural unemployment has always been a major concern evenbefore the pandemic. With businesses and manufacturing slowingdown, the situation has deteriorated even further." Yadav added thatthere is a dire need to bring in a swift course of action to elevate em-ployment opportunities in the rural parts of the country. (PTI)

NPAs in banking sectorunavoidableTHE honourable Finance Minister statedthat with a promise of the government tostand as guarantor to the NARCL, the en-tire cycle of cleaning up the public sectorbanks that began with the recognition ofthe extent of bad loans in 2005 is over.she says that the government back-stopwill come in only as much as to pay thegap between the realised value and theface value of those receipts and this willhold good for only 5 years. so far so good.We presume that the existing NPA messis resolved.

Avoiding NPA in the banking sector isa myth. Then what for this exercise isdone? It is presumed that after cleaningthe NPAs, most of the banks except a fewwould be privatised. This is a dangerousproposal if undertaken as the welfare pro-grammes so far done through bankswould be put to a halt and this would be adent in the Indian economy.

TSN Rao, Bhimavaram

II

“Govt sets up bad bank to clear theNPA dues" (sept 17). Does it not

seem awkward, embarrassing and stigma-tainted to name a newly coming up statu-tory financial institution as a 'bad bank.'Notwithstanding its assigned nature ofobligations and functions it is entrusted

to perform by an act of the Parliament,such pungent terms, ipso facto, by them-selves stand no likelihood of their inclu-sion in a corporate entity. Alternatively,we have several other terms coming upsuch as (other than reconstruction, whichis already used in IBRD for InternationalBank for Reconstruction and Develop-ment) rehabilitation, rejuvenation, resus-citation, among a host of similar words,which may be considered.

Seshagiri Row Karry, Hyderabad

IIITHAT the Union cabinet approves settinga bad bank to resolve the issues of non-performing assets and clean up the booksis a good step. Thus, it creates a separatesystem to take over the burden of NPAsfrom the shoulders of commercial banksand give them space to improve their effi-ciency. It can declutter the mess bychanging the place of NPAs but may nothelp the economy much. We cannot ex-pect revolutionary changes from bankingsector regarding mounting NPAs, unlessthe bankers are made more accountable.

Dr DVG Sankararao, Vizianagaram

Worrying less about ageing

IN one's life, ageing is unavoidable,which also brings problems of health,

finance and imbalance in social statuswithin the family and outside. (Coming

to terms with ageing, september 16). Hav-ing said that, one need not get frightened,but prepare well from pre-retirement ageitself. Regular medical check-ups, takingpreventive measures to avoid diseases bydiet control and exercises, planning tohave financial resources are more vital,besides maintaining healthy relationswith all. With these steps, instead of wor-rying about ageing, we can invite ageinginto our life, enjoying the bliss of livinglong to the extent commensurate withgood planning and preparedness.

GVN Murthy, Hyderabad

UDF left to cry hoarse

The write-up, by Prema Chandran,made an interesting read as the Con-

gress in Kerala witnessing its members be-ing poached by the ruling LDF in the statewith impunity. Congress cries foul to theundemocratic exercise practiced by theCPM in receiving renegade UDF memberswith open arms, which the writer attrib-uted to the shameless behaviour of theLDF in doing so. When the UDF undulyrelies upon the high command to solve andredress their basic and regional issues,such things are bound to happen. The lead-ers of the party must not be reduced to thestate of zombies, unable to decide theirown day-to-day issues, on their own, whichis shameful and unthinkable.

S Lakshmi, Hyderabad

Revanth made to eat crow

The verbal diatribeof Revanth might

have died down asshashi Tharoor seemsto have accepted hisapology. Once IndiraGandhi said that Con-

gress did not need any outside enemiesto destroy it. They have aplenty withinthe party. How true is she even today!Otherwise, how would you explain Re-vanth Reddy calling shashi Tharoor adonkey, notwithstanding the fact that thelatter missed the post of secretary Gen-eral of the UNO narrowly? I just want toknow from Revanth whether a donkeycan be an award-winning author of 22books, the latest one being 'The battle ofBelonging.'

In the course of his diatribe againstTharoor, Revanth made the English lan-guage a scapegoat, while referring to for-mer's bonhomie with KTR. Though it is"all is well that ends well," it is hoped thatshashi Tharoor will come up with thetoughest rejoinder in the form of one ofthe lengthiest words he is familiar in coin-ing without disappointing his ardent lit-erature fans.

I am sure such a word would rattle Re-vanth so much that he will be needing aprofessional external help in decoding themeaning before he again equates himwith perhaps another animal that can puta donkey to shame.

D Nagarjuna, Hyderabad

LETTERS

The report, which is based on a survey,said most of the respondents believed

that the reason behind the highunemployment rate is the lack of

employment opportunities available inthe areas concerned. The survey is

covered 1,100 business leadersbetween August 1 and September 10.They include those in sectors such as

banking and finance, construction andengineering, education/ teaching/

training, FMCG, hospitality, HRsolutions, IT, ITeS, and business

processing outsourcing, logistics, andmanufacturing, among others

thehansreader@gmail.com

DELHI SATURDAY 18 SEPTEMBER 2021

As schools are closed in West Bengal because of the pandemic forone-year-and-a-half, a teacher in Paschim Bardhaman district

has brought the classroom to the doorstep of students. The 32-year-old man has painted blackboards on mud walls of several houses onboth sides of Jaba village so that children get to know the three Rs ofeducation - reading, writing and arithmetic.

"Bengali and English alphabets and mathematics problems andtheir solutions are written on those blackboards with chalk," saidDwipnarayan Nayek, who has earned the sobriquet "Rastar Master"(the master on the road). The walls on which the makeshift black-boards came up have been given a fresh coat of paint. Colourful graf-fiti, nursery rhymes and social messages including the need to takevaccines were also painted on them.

Classes are taken at regular intervals in the village in Jamuria areaof the district, making both students and their parents happy. BeforeNayek, a teacher of Tilka Majhi Primary school in the area, broughtthe classroom to the doorstep of students, he had started takingclasses beside a road under trees in eight spots. "But attending classesunder trees was not feasible for everyone due to the presence of in-sects. Besides, some of them have to help the elders in farming activ-ities. so I decided to draw blackboard on the walls of their homesand take classes there," he said.

Initially, there were only two students and now their number hascrossed 100. Nayek also considered it important to fight superstitionamong the villagers. A section of the parents thought that those in-fected by malaria were possessed by ghosts. "I have managed to bringa microscope to the class in the village and showed them the virus ofmalaria. I showed them how flowers bloom and how trees grow. Mostof these children are in primary stage and they are first generationlearners," said the teacher.

"I have invented my own teaching manual for them," Nayek smiledas he asked his students, many of them girls, to chant a rhyme writtenby him on the need to wash hands regularly, and clap after every line.Nayek does not charge anything from his pupils for the service andpulled all his resources. He also gets help from family and friends.

"I hope I will be able to ensure zero dropout among children inthe area when the school will reopen. But I would like to continuewith the present initiative," he said. Rimki Oraon, a student of classsix, said they were sad when the school got closed due to corona. "Butlater, sir started taking classes on road and then at our doorstep. Weare very happy now."

sital Baski, a villager, said they thank Nayek for coming forwardto teach the children when the school is closed. "The initiative of theteacher is laudable. We are on his side," Jamuria MLA Hareram singhsaid. (PTI)

Bengal teacher brings classroom to students’ doorstep

AP/TELANGANA 5DELHI SATURDAY 18 SEPTEMBER 2021

GST COUNCIL

Extend compensationbeyond ’22: Buggana

HANSNEWS SERVICEAMARAVATI

FINaNCe minister buggana ra-jendranath reddy raised severalissues which impact the revenuesof the state, the taxation powersof the state under federal struc-ture enshrined in the Constitu-tion and also the functioning oftrade and industry in the state inthe 45th GST Council Meetingheld at Lucknow on Friday underthe chairmanship of Union fi-nance minister Nirmala Sithara-man.

rajendranath reddy was ac-companied by revenue specialchief secretary dr rajat bhar-gava, chief commissioner of statetaxes ravi Shankar NarayanSudagani and senior officers ofthe commercial taxes depart-ment.

The finance minister said withregard to extension of GST com-

pensation beyond 2022, that therevenues of the state under GSTdo not match the revenues underthe earlier VaT regime. While thestate recorded an average annualgrowth of 14 to 15 per cent forthree years prior to introductionof GST in 2017, the averagegrowth of GST in the last fouryears after its introduction wasaround 10 per cent only necessi-tating provision of compensationevery year.

Moreover, the two pandemicyears — 2020-21 and 2021-22 —saw plummeting of tax revenuesof the state, including GST, seri-ously affecting the developmen-

tal and welfare activities. Thoughit is predicted that the revenuesof the state will rebound nextyear, such rebound may not be tothe extent of 14-15 per centgrowth. Therefore, aP requiresadditional funds in the form ofcompensation, too, from the Cen-tre. He stressed the need to ex-tend the compensation beyond2022 also for a few more yearsassuring 14 per cent growth everyyear.

The other issue raised by thefinance minister is the rate of taxon Kadapa slabs. He stated thatas per the existing notificationsand the proposals of the Fitment

Committee constituted by theGST Council, the rate of tax ap-plicable to polished Kadapa slabsis 18 per cent. In case of similarlow end stones such as Kota stoneof rajasthan, the rate of tax ap-plicable to polished stones is fiveper cent only except those withmirror finish. He pointed out thatKadapa slabs are not amenablefor mirror finish. He requestedthe council to consider the caseof Kadapa slabs favourably andreduce the tax on to 5 percent byway of clarification.

The other goods and serviceson which rajendranath reddyrequested the Council to reducethe rate of tax were solar powerplants and on job work in liquormanufacturing activity. He re-quested the council to reduce thetax rate to 5 per cent on them andalso to make a study whether totreat spice water on par with aer-ated drinks which attract 28 percent GST + 12 per cent compen-sation cess.

The finance minister also metthe Union finance minister per-sonally and submitted represen-tations on all the issues and alsorequested her to release the com-pensation dues to the State of aPfor the period till august, 2021expeditiously as the state is hard-pressed for revenues to carry onits welfare measures.

Chief Minister of UP yogiaditya Nath also attended themeeting.

Finance minister Buggana Rajendranath Reddy, revenue principal secretary RajatBhargava attend the GST Council meeting at Lucknow on Friday

l Finance minister pointsout that revenues underGST don’t match therevenues under the VATregime it replaced

l Urges Union FinanceMinister to reduce tax onKadapa slabs, solarpower plants and jobwork in liquormanufacturing activity

YSRCP, TDP cadres clash atNaidu’ Undavalli residenceHANSNEWS SERVICE

AMARAVATI

TeNSe situation prevailed atthe residence of former chiefminister and TdP supremo NChandrababu Naidu in Un-davalli on Friday when ySrCPactivists led by Pedana legislatorJogi ramesh tried to lay siege tothe house in protest against theremarks of former TdP ministerCh ayyanna Patrudu againstChief Minister y S Jaganmohanreddy during KodelaSivaprasada rao’s memorialmeeting in Guntur on Thursday.

When the ySrCP activiststried to stage a protest at the res-idence, the TdP leaders includ-ing former MLC buddhaVenkanna, MLa Gadde rammo-han and others tried to preventthem. Heated arguments tookplace between the both groupsand scuffles followed amidst slo-gans. In the melee, some per-sons received injuries, clotheswere torn and Venkanna fell un-conscious when the members ofboth sides attacked each otherwith flag poles. during the stonethrowing by rival groups, glassof Jogi ramesh’s car was dam-aged. as the situation was goingout of control, the police re-sorted to lathi-charge andchased away the clashinggroups.

However, as the clashes con-tinued, additional forces werebrought in and MLa rameshwas taken into custody. resist-ing the arrest, ramesh said thatChandrababu Naidu was behindthe comments of ayyanna Pa-trudu and alleged that TdP ac-

tivists hurled stones on him andbroke his car glass.

Meanwhile, the TdP leaders,including Gadde rammohan, KPattabhi ram alleged that thepolice instead of preventing theySrCP activists who were rush-ing towards Chandrababu’s res-idence, had tried to stop theTdP activists who tried to stop

the advancing ySrCP activists.Venkanna said the incident re-flected the highhandedness ofstate government and the rulingySrCP leaders.

The police set up barricadesat several places leading to theCM camp office, dGP office asthe TdP leaders gave a call forprotest against the incident.

l YSRCP activists led by Pedana MLA Jogi Ramesh try to laysiege to former CM’s house at Undavalli in protest againstthe former minister Ayyanna Patrudu’s remarks against CM

l Police resort to lathi-charge to disperse the clashing groups

l Ex-MLC Buddha Venkanna falls unconscious as two groupsindulge in stone pelting and attacks with flag poles

YSRCP MLA Jogi Ramesh and TDP leader Buddha Venkanna during the scufflebetween two groups at former CM N Chandrababu Naidu's residence at Undavallion Friday

HYDERABAD: With Ganesh Visarjan to

be held on September 19, Sunday, the

Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corpora-

tion (GHMC) has initiated special meas-

ures to prevent the mixing of idol

colours, Plaster of Paris (PoP), and

other adverse materials with water dur-

ing the immersion.

Minister for Animal Husbandry Ta-

lasani Srinivas Yadav along with GHMC

Mayor Gadwal Vijayalaxmi, Hyderabad

City Police Commissioner Anjani Kumar

and various other department officials

inspected the Hussainsagar lake on Fri-

day. According to GHMC Commissioner

Lokesh Kumar, all necessary arrange-

ments have been made to remove the

idols immediately after they were im-

mersed in the ponds designated by the

crane. He said a total of 330 mobile and

static cranes with different lifting ca-

pacities have been deployed for the im-

mersion of idols with an estimated cost

of Rs 10 crore. This includes 33 cranes

at Hussainsagar lake and 11 on NTR

Marg Road. In the GHMC limits, 106

static cranes and 208 mobile cranes

have been deployed through agencies

at different lakes, tanks, and baby

ponds.

“For the immersion process 162

‘Ganesh Action Teams’ have been

formed in the city and a total of 8,116

personnel have been recruited in these

teams. These teams will work in three

shifts and 25 dedicated ponds have

been created for the immersion,” said

the Commissioner.

For the removal of immersion waste,

GHMC has pressed a total of 20 vehicles

with excavators along with 21 JCBs, 39

mini tippers, and 44 vehicles with a ca-

pacity of 10 tonnes. For the illumination

purpose 41,284 streetlights have been

installed.

In order to prevent any kind of dam-

age to the newly-installed ornamental

lamps, laid pavements and railings, the

agencies have provided a large number

of sandbags and other suitable materi-

als. The Hyderabad Metropolitan Water

Supply and Sewage Board (HMWS&SB)

have set up camps in 101 areas and

staff has been deployed to provide

drinking water to devotees. About 30

lakh water packets will also be distrib-

uted and to remove debris along the

way to Hussainsagar. Around

To avoid accidents the Roads and

Building (R&B) Department have in-

stalled barricades, watchtowers and

view cutters will also be set up. The fire

department had set up three boats with

38 fire vehicles each at Saroor Nagar,

Pragati Nagar, and Kapra lakes on the

immersion routes to deal with any dis-

asters. The Department of Tourism has

arranged three boats and four speed

boats and ten swimmers on the Tank

Bund. To ensure uninterrupted electric-

ity supply the TSSPDCL has set up 101

transformers at various locations, 48

transformers in the Hussainsagar area,

and 5 transformers at Saroor Nagar.

All set for Ganesh immersion • 330 mobile and static craneswith different lifting capacitieshave been engaged for theimmersion of idols with anestimated cost of Rs 10 crore

• 162 ‘Ganesh Action Team’with 8,116 personnel havebeen formed in the city

RANIDEVALLA AND

VASU POTNURU

VISAKHAPATNAM

MaSKS are getting exchanged andso are the lunch boxes. While someare unable to stick to the mask man-date for hours, others find it impos-sible to maintain a safe distancewith friends.

It has been a month since Covid-19-hit schools reopened.

despite a substantial rise in theattendance, measures taken tomaintain safety protocols appear totake a backseat.

although the government schoolsstarted functioning from august 16,Covid-19 tests were not being con-ducted for students in many schoolsacross the rural region and parts ofurban areas except a few randomtests.

With already more than 15

schoolchildren being infected withCovid-19 in various schools acrossVisakhapatnam, the fear of infec-tion spreading among students con-tinues to haunt parents as well asteachers.

as the days pass, there is a grow-ing concern over maintaining per-sonal hygiene, safety, sanitationstandards in educational institu-tions.

"Most of the schools register 70to 75 percent attendance com-pared to the initial statistics of 40to 45 percent in Visakhapatnam.There is a strict compliance withmaintaining the total strength of aclass which is not exceeding 20 asper the guidelines," says bLingeswara reddy, district educa-tion Officer.

even in a majority of schoolswhere the 20 students per class ra-tio is followed there is a violationat times as the strength for offline

classes is gradually swelling. In order to put up a collective

fight against the pandemic, follow-ing Covid safety protocols such aswearing of masks, maintaining so-cial distancing and sanitisinghands at regular intervals shouldbe strictly monitored. For teach-ers, keeping a tab on the childrenduring lunch break or play timeturns out to be a daunting task.“Constant awareness is required tomake children understand the im-portance of adhering to Covid-19norms. recently, the departmenthas carried out a special drive onschool safety. additionally, sur-prise visits are made to the schoolsacross the state to check the statusfrom time to time,” shares VadrevuChina Veerabhadrudu, director ofSchool education department, withThe Hans India.

Though there is an app to moni-tor the condition of washrooms on

a daily basis, the school manage-ments say that nothing concretewould emerge to resolve issues ifany despite the images being up-loaded on the Integrated Monitor-ing System for Midday Meals andSanitation (IMMS) sanitation app.

another major issue shared bythe teachers and the school man-agements alike is the lack of intenseCovid-19 testing conducted in edu-cational institutions. They say thatthe district administration shouldconsider conducting Covid testsonce in two weeks in schools tomake sure that the school environ-ment is safe for the teachers, stu-dents and their family as well.

Though the parents have submit-ted the consent letters to the schoolmanagements about their willing-ness to send their wards to the edu-cational institutions, the least theyexpect in return is a safe environ-ment for their children.

HANSBUSINESS

HYDERABAD

PUTTING an end to the jute crisis in Telangana,

three companies took a bold step to set up jute

mills in the State with an overall investment of Rs

887 crore. These jute mills will not only make the

State self-reliant in jute manufacturing, but also

provide employment opportunities to more than

10,400 people.

This is a result of ambitious decision taken by

Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao to achieve

self-sufficiency in jute production and crop diver-

sification. The State Government has offered buy-

back guarantee for 20 years, transport subsidy

for five years, and other support to encourage

these firms.

On Friday, three companies – Gloster Limited,

MBG Commodities and Kaleshwaram Agro –

signed an MoU with the State Government for es-

tablishing the jute mills in Warangal, Rajanna Sir-

cilla and Kamareddy with an investment of Rs 330

crore, Rs 303 crore and Rs 254 crore respectively.

On the occasion, IT and Industries Minister KT

Rama Rao said: “It is a challenge to start jute

mills in the State where the jute cultivation is

less. Also, there is a huge opportunity as the de-

mand for jute bags has been growing due to in-

creased farm produce and procurement in the

State.”

He said that the Telangana government is

procuring 1 crore MT of paddy alone, while an-

other 2 crore MT of paddy is going to the retail

market. Considering the production of other food-

grains, more and more jute bags were needed for

packaging in the State.

“As the food processing policy aims to create

10,000 acres of special food processing zones

across nine districts, the requirement for jute

bags will further scale up in the State,” said the

minister urging more industrialists to come for-

ward to set up jute mills here and assured to offer

the same benefits.

Rama Rao also suggested the farmers to grow

alternate crops for sustainability. He said that the

government will encourage the farmers to take

up jute production. “A few farmers from the State

will be taken on a tour of agricultural lands in

West Bengal and Bihar to sensitise them towards

jute cultivation,” he said.

HANS NEWS SERVICENIRMAL

THe bJP chose TelanganaLiberation day to launch avitriolic attack against the TrSand kicked off the campaign forthe Huzurabad by-electionroping in Union Minister amitShah. It is learnt that they mayinvite more Union ministers asthe poll date approaches afterthe election Commission ofIndia announces the dates.

addressing an impressive biggathering at Veyi Udala Marrivillage in Nirmal district amitShah recalled the process ofhow Telangana got freedomfrom the Nizam’s rule and theefforts made by the Iron Manof India Sardar Patel which wasknown as ‘Operation Polo’. Hesaid bJP was not scared of

anyone, including Majlis andonce it comes to power, itwould officially celebrateSeptember 17 as the Liberationday in the State. This wouldhappen in 2024, he said. Hesaid Telangana attainedfreedom 13 months afterIndia’s Independence. “Wedon’t believe in the politics ofappeasement,” he said.recalling the heroes ofTelangana struggle ramojiGond, Komaram bheem,Pandit Narendra, SuravaramPratap reddy, Poet dasaradhirangachari and PV Narasimharao, amit Shah reminded theTelangana Chief Ministerabout his promise ofcelebrating the Liberation day.

“I came to remind the chiefminister that when theTelangana agitation was on- heused to say we will officiallycelebrate Liberation day onSeptember 17. I was in Gujaratand used to hear the speechesof Chief Minister KChandrasekhar rao, whodemanded the celebration ofLiberation day from thegovernment. I want to ask him:brother what has happened toyour promise,” he said.

“Karnataka and Maharashtrawere celebrating theirLiberation days, what preventshim (KCr) from celebrating inTelangana? Whom is he afraidof ? I wonder if he remembersthe sacrifices of the innocent

Tribals,” he said.For bJP, he said, welfare of

tribals and poor was like a‘yagna’ under the leadership ofPrime Minister NarendraModi. “We gave Jan dhan bankaccount, houses, toilets, power,safe drinking water, rs 5 lakhinsurance under ayushmanbharat and this will continue,”said Shah.

Shah said that the PrajaSangram yatra would becomethe foundation for the bJPgovernment in Telangana andadded that the yatra wouldcontinue in 119 constituencies.“The Sangram is for ending thegovernment running on thecrutch of Majlis and to endfamily rule. “yahan keval pitaji,

beta aur beti ki sarkar chal rahihai',” Shah quipped. Statingthat the Congress party hadlost its existence in the entirecountry, Shah said that itcannot be an alternative toTrS. even if the Congressbecomes an alternative, it willdo the same thing in fear ofMajlis and no one can fightthem like the bJP. The bJP willend the ‘Pariwarwad’ inTelangana. He said bJP wasagainst reservations based onreligion.

Shah introduced bJP leadereatala rajender and askedpeople to see that he wins witha huge majority. He allegedthat the TrS believes it can winelections with money. Therewas a huge applause whenamit Shah called rajender tocome to the front andintroduced him to the public.

Safety protocols go for a toss in schools 3 jute mills to come up in TelanganaWith an investment of Rs 887 cr, these mills will provide 10,400 jobs

AMIT SHAH STIRS UP BYPOLL FEVERSees Huzurabad win as harbinger of BJP govt in 2024

Hyderabad: GrMb andKrMb (Godavari and Krishnariver Management boards)cracked the whip on Telanganaand andhra Pradesh even beforethe gazette notification on thejurisdiction of the two boardshad come into effect.

The boards have set 6-monthdeadline from now to the twoTelugu States to seek all requiredclearances to the illegal projects,taken up by the two govern-ments on Krishna and Godavari,from the Central agencies.

It may be mentioned here thatthe Union Jal Shakti in thegazette notification has declared11 projects, including the Kalesh-waram project (additional 1 tmcft), Sitarama (rajiv dummugu-dem) lift irrigation scheme andTupakulagudem barrage, takenup on river Godavari by theTelangana Government, as ille-gal projects.

On river Krishna, Palamururanga reddy and dindi wereamong the 12 projects whichhave been listed as illegal proj-ects.

The boards in the separatemeetings with the state Irriga-tion officials enquired about thestatus of the ongoing illegal proj-ects and questioned for contin-uing the works without clear-ances from the Central WaterCommission, Union environ-ment and Forests departmentand other central agencies. Theboard officials warned the Statesto submit all the required clear-ances within six months. If thegovernment did not fall in line,the officials said that the boardswould stop the works and seizethe projects.

River Boards roll up sleevesAP, TS told to get clearancesfor illegal project on Krishna,

Godavari within 6 months

NATION/WORLD

Padmanabhaswamy offerings insufficient to meet expenses, SC told

WINDOWS

NEW DELHI

The Administrative Committee of Sree Pad-manabhaswamy Temple in Kerala told theSupreme Court on Friday that the temple ispassing through very difficult times and theofferings are not sufficient to meet the ex-penses, while seeking an audit of the Trust.

All Kerala temples are closed, Senior advo-cate R Basant, appearing for the Committee,told a bench headed by Justice U U Lalit. "Rs1.25 crore is the monthly expense we are ableto hardly get 60-70 lakh rupees therefore wehave sought certain directions," he added.There is a trust constituted as per court's or-der and it must contribute to the temple, Bas-ant told the bench, also comprising Justices

S Ravindra Bhat and Bela MTrivedi. Senior advocate ArvindDatar, appearing for the Trust,argued that it is a public trustmade by the Royal family, has norole in administration, and is notthere in the petition. The trustwas just mentioned by the Ami-cus Curiae in the case, he said.

"The Trust was constitutedonly to oversee the pujas and rit-uals of the Temple involving thefamily, with no role in the ad-ministration. It came into pic-ture only before the SupremeCourt after the amicus curiaedemanded that the accounts of

the trust also should be au-dited," he said, adding that itneed not be audited as it isseparate from the temple.

The top court, after hear-ing the submissions, re-served its order on the appli-cation filed by the SreePadmanabha Swamy TempleTrust to exempt it from theaudit of 25 years ordered bythe court last year. The topcourt had earlier set asidethe 2011 verdict of the Keralahigh Court which had di-rected the state governmentto set up a trust to take con-

trol of management and assets of the historicttemple.

The apex court upheld the rights of the Tra-vancore royal family in the administration ofthe temple, considered one of the richest tem-ples in the country. It had directed the Ad-ministrative Committee to order an audit ofthe temple's income and expenses for the past25 years, as suggested by amicus curiae senioradvocate Gopal Subramanium.

The sprawling temple, an architecturalsplendour in granite, was rebuilt in its presentform in the 18th century by the TravancoreRoyal house, which had ruled southern Ker-ala and some adjoining parts of Tamil Nadubefore integration of the princely state withthe Indian Union in 1947.

YouTube pays Gadkari`4 lakh a monthNEW DELHI: Union Minister of Road Transport

and Highways Nitin Gadkari in the news yes-

terday for his inspection tour of the upcoming

Mumbai-Delhi Expressway gives away a peek

at his earnings. " In Covid time, I did two

things -- I started cooking at home and giving

lectures through video conference. I delivered

many lectures online, which were uploaded on

YouTube. Owing to huge viewership, YouTube

now pays me Rs 4 lakhs per month," the min-

ister, known for his plain-speak said. Gadkari

had also said yesterday that that politicians

should not create impediments in develop-

ment works and shared that he had once de-

molished his father-in-law's house without

telling his wife.

Policeman killed inmilitant attack SRINAGAR: A constable of the J&K Railway Po-

lice was killed in a militant attack in J&K's Kul-

gam district on Friday, police said.

Police sources said militants fired at consta-

ble Bantu Sharma in Wanpoh area of Kulgam

district in the afternoon.

"He was shifted to hospital for treatment,

but he succumbed to critical injuries," a

source said that the area has been cordoned

off for searches and senior police and other

security officers have reached the spot.

Man arrested for worshipping weapons PATNA: A man in Bihar's West Champaran was

arrested on Friday for 'worshipping' illegal

arms and ammunition on the occasion of Vish-

wakarma Puja, police said.

As soon as photographs and videos of the

puja by Simpu Singh went viral on social me-

dia on Friday afternoon, Superintendent of Po-

lice, Bagha, Kiran Kumar Jadhav immediately

directed Dhanaha police to arrest the ac-

cused. As per the viral video, Singh was sitting

along with a priest and placed the firearms,

ammunition, a tractor, and some bikes for

Puja. "As soon as we learnt about the incident,

we raided the house of Simpu Singh in Pi-

parpati village and seized the three firearms.

He showed us an arm license but failed to

clarify the procurement of other illegal

weapons," Dhanaha SHO Shashi Shekhar

Chauhan said.

MUMBAI

MAhARAShTRA Transport Minister Anil Paraband his then cabinet colleague Anil Deshmukh al-legedly received Rs 40 crore from 10 DCPs inMumbai to reverse the order of their transfer is-sued by the then city police commissioner ParamBir Singh, dismissed police officer Sachin Wazehas claimed in his statement to the enforcementDirectorate (eD). This statement is part of chargesheet filed recently by the eD against Deshmukh'sformer personal secretary Sanjeev Palande andpersonal assistant Kundan Shinde in connectionwith a money laundering case.

In July 2020, Param Bir Singh had issued an or-der of transfer of 10 DCPs in Mumbai.

Waze, in his statement claimed that Deshmukh,who was then the home minister, and Parab werenot happy with the transfer order issued by Singh.

"Later I came to know that a sum of Rs 40 crorewas collected from the police officers listed in thetransfer order. Out of that Rs 20 crore each weregiven to Anil Deshmukh and Anil Parab," Wazeclaimed.

Besides the arrested duo - Palande and Shinde- the charge-sheet filed in the money launderingcase also names Waze as an accused. however, nei-ther Deshmukh, an NCP leader, nor his familymembers were named as accused in the chargesheet.

Palande and Shinde are currently in judicial cus-tody in the case.

Waze, an assistant police inspector in Mumbai,was arrested in March this year in connection withthe explosives-SUV found parked near industri-alist Mukesh Ambani's south Mumbai residenceand the murder of Thane businessman Mansukhhiran.

Miffed over 78 adjournments, SC orders to finish trial in 6 monthsNEWDELHI

MIFFeD over 78 adjournments granted by a lowercourt in Dehradun, the Supreme Court has di-rected it to complete the trial within six monthsin a 2014 case of cheating and forgery against threepersons. Noting that the trial court has not movedan inch despite having taken cognisance of casealmost seven years back, a bench headed by JusticeA M Khanwilkar directed the Investigating Officerto ensure that the witnesses are made availableon the scheduled dates for being examined by thetrial court.

"We direct the trial court to ensure that the trialis concluded not later than six months from thedate of receipt of the copy of this order. "We arerequired to issue this direction as we have noticedthat the trial court, despite having taken cog-nizance almost seven years back, has not moved

in the matter even an inch thereafter, includingto frame charges, as may be necessary, despite 78adjournments in the case," the bench, also com-prising Justices Dinesh Maheshwari and CTRavikumar, said.

The bench also enlarged the accused -- ManishVerma, Sanjeev Verma and Neetu Verma -- on bailon terms and conditions which were imposed bythe trial court and directed them to extend full co-operation in the case for early disposal of the mat-ter. "In case, the trial court is of the opinion thatthe private respondents are not cooperating in theprogress of the trial or are taking unnecessary ad-journments, it must record that opinion in the roz-namcha (diary) and if that is a persistent approachof the private respondents, it will be open to thetrial court to consider cancellation of bail in ac-cordance with law," the bench said. Needless toobserve that the order of cancellation of bail of the

private respondents will not come in their way andthe trial must proceed on its own merits and in ac-cordance with law, it said.

The apex court's order, dated September 15,came on an appeal filed by Dr Atul Krishna againstthe Uttarakhand high Court order dismissing hisplea seeking early disposal of the case. As per theappeal, an FIR was registered in 2012 by the peti-tioner at police station Jaani in Meerut districtagainst the respondents for commission of offenceunder section 420 (cheating), 406 (Punishmentfor criminal breach of trust), 467 (Forgery of valu-able security, will), 468 and 470 ( Forged documentor electronic record) of the Indian Penal Code atMeerut with regard to a land deal. Subsequently,on account of the fact that the major propertiesand documents, which were subject matter of thecomplaint in the said FIR are and all the docu-ments pertaining to the commission of the said

offence, since were falling within the domain ofdistrict Dehradun, the matter was transferredthere.

The appeal filed through advocate Vivek Singhsubmitted that a perusal of the order sheet of thetrial court from June 28, 2014 to October 15, 2020will show that from the date of taking cognizancethat is June 28, 2014 as many as 78 dates had beenfixed by it for hearing of the said case till October15, 2020 but even the charges have not beenframed against the respondents in these years.

"The high Court gravely erred in holding thatthe writ petition of 2020 for the relief of timebound dispose it of the trial case cannot be invokedas the petitioner earlier in 2015 had approachedthe high Court for the same relief and it had re-quested the trial court in 2015 to make an endeav-our to decide the case as early as possible," theplea said. PTI PKS

Earlier, the apex court upheld the rights of the Travancore Royal family in the administration of the temple

GUWAHATI

A 19-year-old girl appearing for

an examination in Assam was

made to wrap a curtain around

her legs by an invigilator who

chafed at her wearing shorts,

provoking outrage and allega-

tions of gender bias, and

prompting university au-

thorities to order an in-

quiry.

The girl's family has,

however, decided against

taking the matter further in

the interest of her mental

well-being and academic

future.

The incident occurred

when the girl had gone

from her hometown

Biswanath Chariali to

Tezpur to appear for the

entrance examination of

the Assam Agricultural Uni-

versity (AAU). She had un-

hindered access to the

venue but an invigilator in-

side the examination hall

objected to her wearing

short pants.

Her father Babul Tamuli told

PTI on Friday that after the in-

vigilator at Girijananda Chowd-

hury Institute of Pharmaceutical

Sciences (GIPS) told her that

she will not be allowed to ap-

pear for the exam wearing

shorts, she took up the matter

with the authorities there and

insisted no dress code was men-

tioned on the admit card. She

also told them she had appeared

in the NEET exams recently in

shorts.

However, as they were unre-

lenting, the girl rushed to her fa-

ther waiting outside the venue.

Tamuli made a dash for the

nearest market to buy a pair of

trousers. But before he could re-

turn with trousers the authori-

ties had provided the girl a cur-

tain to wrap around her legs

which she did and wrote her pa-

per.

"My daughter was trauma-

tised and spoke to a few local

journalists about the humiliating

incident and the issue became

viral on social media. There are

many who have condemned the

incident but many have attacked

my daughter for not following a

dress code in an educational in-

stitution which has left her more

mentally disturbed," Tamuli

said.

He said despite suggestions

by many people to press for ac-

tion against the authorities the

family has decided to put the

matter to rest. "We have de-

cided not to proceed further and

let the matter rest here in the

interest of my daughter's men-

tal well-being. We want her to

concentrate on her academic fu-

ture," he added.

‘Dehradun trial court has not moved an inch despite having taken cognisance of case almost seven yrs back’

10 DCPs paid `40 cr to Anil: Waze

SC ALLOWS KERALA TO HOLD PHYSICAL EXAM FOR CLASS 11Top court convinced by the state govt explanation

NEWDELHI

The Supreme Court Friday allowed theKerala government to hold physical examsfor Class 11 amid the COVID-19 pandemicand expressed satisfaction over the stepsbeing taken by it to ensure that no unto-ward situation is faced by students.

The top court said holistic approach hasto be taken in the matter and the authori-ties concerned are conscious of their duties.A bench of Justices A M Khanwilkar and CT Ravikumar dismissed an appeal filed byadvocate Rasoolshan A, challenging theKerala high Court order refusing to inter-fere with the state government's decisionto hold offline exams.

The apex court said a detailed affidavithas been filed by the state and it is takingall measures related to the coronavirusprotocol. "We are convinced by the expla-nation offered by the state and trust au-thorities will take all precautions and nec-

essary stepsso that no un-toward situa-tion is facedby studentswho are oftender ageand appearingfor the pro-posed exami-nation. Dis-missed," itsaid. The apexcourt said it

had intervened on the earlier occasion asthere was a possibility of a third wave ofcorona by September.

"Third wave is not in offing immediately,"it added. Advocate Prashant Padmanabhan,appearing for the petitioner, submitted thatthe state government's affidavit does notspell out satisfactory reasons and the ques-tions put forth by the apex court. Padman-

abhan said the top court had asked thestate's counsel if the decision was taken af-ter taking into account increase in COVIDcases in Kerala but the affidavit did not an-swer that or whether experts have beenconsulted on the issue. The bench, however,said the Kerala government has given con-vincing explanations. The Kerala govern-ment in an affidavit had told the top courtthat online examinations will be a disad-vantage for students with no access to lap-tops and mobile phones.

The conduct of examinations throughonline mode will prejudice a large numberof students who have no access to laptops,desktops or mobile phones, it said, addingthat students from the lower strata of soci-ety depend on mobile phones or tablets forattending online classes. "In many areas,internet connection or mobile data are notavailable. These students will never be ableto write online examinations," the stategovernment had told the court.

Workers inspect after a girder of an under-construction flyover on Santacruz-Chembur Link Road (SCLR) collapsed, in Mumbai on Friday. 15 people were injured

MUMBAI

The Income Tax Department has widened itstax evasion probe against actor Sonu Sood as itraided multiple premises here on Friday, officialsources said. The department had launched theaction against the 48-year-old actor and somepeople linked to him on Wednesday and the ac-tion continued.

The searches have now been extended to morelocations in the city, they said. On Wednesday,the action was carried out in at least half a dozenlocations in the metropolitan city and Lucknow.A real estate deal and some other financial trans-actions linked to Sood are under the scanner ofthe department, official sources had said.

The actor grabbed the national spotlight forhelping migrants reach their home states during

the nationwide lockdown clamped last year inthe wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Delhigovernment, led by Chief Minister Arvind Ke-jriwal, had recently declared that Sood will bethe brand ambassador of the Aam Aadmi Partygovernment's 'Desh ka mentors' programme un-der which students will be guided in makingtheir career choices. Kejriwal had said on Sat-urday that Sood had the prayers of lakhs of fam-ilies of India who got his support in difficulttimes.

The Shiv Sena slammed the BJP over the In-come Tax Department's action against actorSonu Sood, saying that although the party earlierpraised him for his work during the lockdown,it now considers him a "tax evader" after theDelhi and Punjab governments tried to joinhands with him in his social work.

‘Third wave is not in offing immediately’

UNDER-CONSTRUCTION FLYOVER COLLASPES, 15 HURT

I-T dept widens probe againstSonu Sood; Sena slams BJP

Girl given curtain for wearing shorts at exam in Assam

The I-T searches have now been extended tomore locations in thecity for the third day

6DELHI SATURDAY 18 SEPTEMBER 2021

TODAY’S QUOTE SOCIAL MEDIA

With the trend of peddling brands over social media

platforms catching up, influencer marketing is pegged to

be a Rs 900 crore market in india by the end of the year,

according to a report by media buyer Groupm. The

fledgling category is expected to grow 25% annually to

become Rs 2,200 crore industry by 2025

Influencer marketing to be `2,200 cr industry YouTube pays me `4 lakh per monthDuring Covid-19 times, i became a chef and startedcooking at home and giving lectures through video

conference. i delivered more than 950 lectures online,including lectures to foreign universities students, which were

uploaded on youTube. Viewership of my youTube channel increasedand youTube now pays me Rs 4 lakh per month as royalty

– Nitin Gadkari, Union Minister

biz briefsIndya ropes inShraddha Kapoor

indya, an high street essentials

indian wear brand,has signed

Bollywood actress Shraddha

Kapoor as its first brand ambas-

sador. The actress will be seen

as the face of the brand, pro-

moting its contemporary indian

wear in a variety of campaigns

across media platforms.The

fashion company was born out

of a thought to re-look ethnic

fashion and design by consider-

ing the lifestyle and changing

needs and choices of the mod-

ern indian woman. Tanvi Malik

and Shivani poddar, Co-

founders, indya, said: “Shrad-

dha Kapoor truly exemplifies

the confidence and determina-

tion of the free spirited indya

woman. Our association with

her is a step towards strength-

ening the connection with our

customersand reaching out to

millions of more women.”

DElhi SaTuRDay 18 SEpTEMBER 2021

US Dollar 75.33

Euro 87.58

UAE Dirham 20.41

Thai Baht 2.32

British Pound 102.67

Australian Dollar 54.42

Canadian Dollar 58.81

Swiss Franc 80.22

FOREX (buy rates in `)

South

African Rand 5.33

Hong Kong Dollar 9.63

Japanese Yen 0.77

New Zealand Dollar 52.67

Saudi Riyal 21.55

Swedish Krona 8.75

Singapore Dollar 55.24

New collection from Reliance

Reliance Jewels launched

new designs in their exclu-

sive jewellery collection, ‘Bella-

Make Every Day Special’ which

celebrates the essence of mod-

ern women. The brand has

carved a niche for itself in the

fashion jewellery market. From

exclusive and dazzling designs

to premium quality, the new

collection highlights each pre-

cious piece uniformly. The

pieces from Bella are minimal-

istic, contemporary making it

an ideal buy for millennials and

women. Sunil Nayak, CEO of

Reliance Jewels said, “We are

extremely overwhelmed with

the launch of Bella Collection.

Each design from the collection

displays elegance and creative

elements that will spark a

sense of style and elegance in

the women of today.”

iNDiA'S residential propertymarket is expected to witnessa strong consumer demandduring the festival season withvarious banks, including SBi,providing concessional inter-est rates on home loans, ac-cording to real estate develop-ers and consultants.

They also hoped that otherpublic and private bankswould soon announce theirfestival offers on interest rateson home loans and processingfees. On Thursday, the coun-try's largest lender State Bankof india announced variousfestive offers for prospectivehome loan customers, includ-ing a credit score-linked homeloan starting at 6.70 per cent,irrespective of the loanamount. earlier, a borroweravailing a home loan above Rs75 lakh had to pay an interestrate of 7.15 per cent. Anarockgroup Chairman Anuj Purisaid: "This is an extremelycompetitive move by SBi, andit virtually negates all the pre-vious limitations which ap-plied to special home loan in-terest rates. instead offocussing on just budget hous-ing, this new interest rate isgenuinely democratic as buy-ers from any budget band-width will benefit."

Puri termed the SBi's deci-sion as "aptly timed" ahead ofthe festive season. "This year,we are likely to see signifi-cantly improved traction inthe housing segment duringthis period. Waiving of pro-cessing fees and occupation-

linked interestpremium areadded levels ofsavings," hesaid. Puri ex-pected otherlenders to fol-low SBi's foot-steps in orderto remaincompetitive.

Vikas Wad-hawan, GroupCFO, hous-i n g . c o m ,Makaan.coma n dProptiger.com, said the reduc-tion in home loan interestrates by SBi will help the sec-tor gain further momentum."Prices are already subduedand buyers will be able to savea little more money," headded.

Amit Goyal, CeO, indiaSotheby's international Re-alty, said the rate cut by someof the country's leading bankswill act as a catalyst for faster

decisions. "SBidecision to of-fer lower in-terest rate ir-respective ofthe prices ofthe unit orloan amount islikely to bene-fit buyers inthe luxury seg-ment as well.Given the up-coming festiveseason, whichis consideredauspicious by

a large number of indians tomake big-ticket purchases, thetiming of reduction in interestrate couldn't have been bet-ter," he added.

Raoul Kapoor, COO, An-dromeda, said the reductionin interest rates by majorbanks is expected to give aboost to the resurgent real es-tate market, especially duringthe busy festive season. Signa-ture Global founder and chair-

man Pradeep Aggarwal said:"The market is already on theup, and we expect that the re-cent decision by the SBi willhelp turn the table and lead toa substantial increase insales." Nayan Raheja, execu-tive Director, Raheja Develop-ers, said the demand for af-fordable and mid-segmenthouses will go up as afford-ability improves. "This will bea double dose of benefit forbuyers as developers have al-ready kept the prices on aleash, even though construc-tion cost is going up," Rahejaadded.

Noida-based ABA Corp Di-rector Amit Modi hoped thatother private and public sec-tor banks would also an-nounce similar initiatives torevive the market confidence."The market has alreadystarted seeing sales increasepost-May 2021, and the homeloan interest rate reductionwill further boost the buyingsentiment. We are looking for-ward to a faster recovery andhope the measure will expe-dite the sector to reach pre-COViD levels sooner than ex-pected," he added.

With the introduction ofthe new offer by the SBi, a bor-rower can now avail homeloan for any amount at a rateas low as 6.70 per cent, Thiswill result in a saving of 45 ba-sis points (bps) which trans-lates to an interest saving ofmore than Rs 8 lakh, for a Rs75 lakh loan with a 30-yeartenure, SBi said.

HANSBUSINESS

HYDERABAD: Livspace, a Singapore

based home interior and renovation

company, announced its expansion

plans across 80 markets, including 60

new market entries across India and

20 Asia Pacific cities.

Consolidating its leadership in the

segment, the company which holds

a 65 per cent market share in the or-

ganised home interiors sector, plans

to set up 150 Design Experience Cen-

tre (ECs) over the next 18 months.

With this phase of expansion, the

company is best placed to capture

the demand for modular solutions

from markets such as Indore, Surat,

Lucknow, Mysore and many more.

The new centres will supplement an

existing network of over 25 stores in

both metros and non-metros, such as

Delhi-NCR, Bengaluru, Mumbai,

Ahmedabad, Jaipur, Kochi, etc.

In addition to this, the company

plans to invest $50 million to rapidly

expand its business and grow the

team overseas. It will also look to on-

board over 1000 new design entrepre-

neurs across the country.

Housr unveils 2 co-livingproperties in Hyderabad

HANSBUSINESS

hyDeRABAD: As part of its expansion plans, co-living brand housr has unveiled its two new prop-erties in hyderabad’s key financial district (hiTech City and Kondapur). The company aims toexpand to 10-12 properties in the city by Decemberthis year.

With the addition of these two boutique prop-erties to its portfolio, the company has more than20 properties across NCR, Pune and hyderabad.The company is aiming to aggressively launchmore properties in the next six-nine monthsacross the country.

Recognising the need for modern living spacesconducive to the needs of today’s technologically-savvy professionals, the company ensures ameni-ties such as, Wi-Fi, laundry, F&B (meals), com-munity events and access to common areas likelounge, gym, cafeteria etc, all under one roof atthe most affordable prices.

The rentals range from Rs 12,000 to 18,000 fortwin sharing and Rs 22,000 to 35,000 for singleoccupancy rooms. With these additions, the co-living major will offer morethan 1,500 beds in mul-tiple formats across studios and BhK formatsranging from 75 to 500 beds in each building.Deepak Anand, co-founder and CeO, housr,said:“We are excited to venture into hyderabadmarket. The city holds massive potential for realestate and rentals, which is being unfolded despitethe ongoing pandemic. it is showing positive mar-ket sentiments and the response is encouragingfor us to plan more properties in the comingmonths.”

“housr has already taken steps to enhance ouroperational strength, technical capabilities andservice delivery in a post Covid-19 landscape. Wewill continue to evolve our business and productofferings to cement housr’s position as a dominantco-living player and deliver more value for ourresidents and business partners,” Deepak added.

With the introductionof the new offer by the

SBI, a borrower cannow avail home loanfor any amount at a

rate as low as 6.70 percent, This will result in

a saving of 45 basispoints (bps) which

translates to aninterest saving of morethan Rs 8 lakh, for a Rs75 lakh loan with a 30-

year tenure

HANSBUSINESS

HYDERABAD

The fallout of Covid-19 on globaleconomies and job prospects hasonce again rekindled housing de-mand from NRis (non-residentindians). in a recent survey,at least53 per cent of NRi respondents,who scouted for properties in in-dia,will buy properties in the com-ing months for self-use, while 47per cent for investment.

As per the Cii-Anarock Con-sumer Sentiment survey, therewas a reverse trend with the end-use to investment ratio at 32:68during pre-Covidtimes in h1 2019.One major factor influencing thischange could be that many NRissought to return to india amid thepandemic-infused uncertaintiesand dwindling job prospects glob-ally. Most saw the top seven citiesas the best options, though manyare also considering smaller citiesto be close to their families. Withmany intending NRi propertybuyers preparing to return to in-dia, the highest demand is for lux-ury properties with state-of-art

amenities. The survey also high-lighted the demand for biggerhomes. Significantly, 24 per cent-NRi respondents prefer 4BhKsor higher configurations.At least48 per cent prefer larger homesof 3BhK configuration around1,500 sq ft while 28 per centinfavour of 2BhKs. Almost 50 percent prefer luxury propertiespriced above Rs 1.5 crore, and 32per centin favourof premiumproperties priced between Rs 90lakh - 1.5 crore. Developer credi-bility is the top priority for mostNRi respondents scouting forproperty in india. Constructiondelays have cast a long, persistentshadow of doubt in the minds ofexpatriate indians who havespent many years abroad - andtherefore out of sync with on-ground market developments.

Cheaper home loans will fuel demand for houses

HYDERABAD

BhARAT Biotech, a city-basedbio-technology firm, on Fridaysaid it has submitted all the datapertaining to its Covid-19 vac-cine ‘Covaxin’ to the Worldhealth Organisation (WhO) foremergency use listing (euL)and is awaiting feedback fromthe global health watchdog.

The WhO is currently re-viewing the data submitted bythe vaccine maker and the datefor a decision on the jab is ‘yetto be confirmed’, according tothe update available on WhOwebsite. A tweet from biotech

firm goes reading: "#Covaxin”clinical trial data was fully com-piled and available in June2021. All data submitted foreuL application to WhO inearly July. We have respondedto any clarifications sought by#WhO and are awaiting fur-ther feedback,"

As a responsible manufac-turer with past approvals for itsother vaccines, the companysaid it would not find it appro-priate to speculate or commenton approval process and itstimelines, it further said thatthey are continuing to workdiligently on obtaining WhO

euL at the earliest, the vaccinemaker added in a series oftweets.

in an update on its website,the WhO said it began rollingdata of the vaccine on July 6.Rolling data allows the globalhealth watchdog to start its re-view right away, as informationcontinues to come in, to accel-erate the overall reviewprocess.

Suchitra ella, joint managingdirector of Bharat Biotech re-cently had earlier said the euLprocess is a step closer to the fi-nal decision on Covaxin's‘global acceptance’.

Cipladine unveils first aid campaign

HANSBUSINESS

HYDERABAD: Cipladine, a medicated antiseptic brand from Cipla

Health Ltd, launched ‘Life ka First Aid’ campaign following the oc-

casion of World First Aid Day. The campaign utilises a multi-

pronged strategy to raise awareness of the importance of first

aid. As a topical antiseptic-germicidal brand, Cipladine was for-

mulated to provide first aid treatment for minor cuts, wounds,

burns and skin infections. ShivamPuri, CEO, Cipla Health Ltd, said:

“The World First Aid Day was devised to raise public consciousness

about how First Aid can save lives in case of an accident or crisis.

Unfortunately, there is still a lack of general awareness about this

very vital life-saving skill. Through this campaign, we hope to raise

awareness on this very critical aspect of emergency care in line

with our commitment to disseminating information regarding

health and wellness issues among the general public.”

India requires more techcentres: MSME ministerNEW DELHI: Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Minister

Narayan Rane on Friday said that for a population of 135

crore, the nation needs more technology centres which need

to be speedily constructed.

He said this while virtually inaugurating a Technology

Centre at Rohtak, Haryana. He added that the new technol-

ogy developed in these centres should be taken to more

and more people, for building a nation of entrepreneurs.

"The technology developed in these MSME centres will give

a good impetus to the Aatmanirbhar Bharat initiative, during

the tough times of the COVID-19 pandemic," he added.

In a separate statement, the ministry said the Khadi

and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) launched the

SPIN (Strengthening the Potential of India) scheme and

set up a pottery cluster under SFURTI Scheme in Varanasi

to empower over 1,100 people of the marginalised potters'

community.

Covaxin still waiting for WHO nod

7

MUMBAI

equiTy benchmarks surged tofresh lifetime peaks on Fridaybut finished with modest losses,snapping their three-sessionwinning streak, as investors ro-tated out of RiL, metal and iTstocks at higher levels.

After gyrating 866 points dur-ing the day, the 30-share BSeSensex settled 125.27 points or0.21 per cent lower at 59,015.89.it had surged to a lifetime highof 59,737.32 in the morning ses-sion. Similarly, the broader NSeNifty slipped 44.35 points or0.25 per cent to close at17,585.15, after touching an in-tra-day record of 17,792.95.

Tata Steel was the top laggardamong the Sensex components,tumbling 3.57 per cent, followedby SBi, TCS, huL, Reliance in-dustries, Sun Pharma and iCiCiBank. in contrast, Kotak Bank,

hDFC Bank, Bharti Airtel,Maruti, Nestle india and BajajFinserv were among the promi-nent winners, climbing as muchas 5.26 per cent. During theweek, the Sensex surged 710points or 1.21 per cent, while theNifty advanced 215.90 points or1.24 per cent.

"While the pace of vaccina-tions and encouraging exportdata helped bulls get closer tothe 60K mark amidst theFTSe and MSCi rebalancingof flows, profit-taking tookaway all the gains ahead of theoutcome of GST Councilmeet," said S Ranganathan,head of Research at LKP Se-curities. Vinod Nair, head ofResearch at Geojit FinancialServices, said despite a strongopening, domestic indicesgave up early gains to tradeflat, driven by profit bookingand mixed global sentiments.

Market ends lower on profit-booking Sensex closes in red after touching fresh

lifetime peak; Nifty slips 44 pts

As a festive offer, SBI has launched credit score linked home loan with interest rates starting from 6.7%

Renewed housing demand from NRIs

Livspace announces robust expansion plans

NEWDELHI

The World Bank Group has de-cided to discontinue publicationof its Doing Business report oncountry investment climates fol-lowing allegations of irregularities.The decision was taken after aprobe of data irregularities al-legedly due to pressure by sometop bank officials to boost China'sranking in 2017 came to light.

"After reviewing all the infor-mation available to date on ‘Do-ing Business', including the find-ings of past reviews, audits, andthe report the bank released to-day on behalf of the board of ex-ecutive directors, World BankGroup management has takenthe decision to discontinue theDoing Business report," theWorld Bank Group said in a state-ment on Thursday.

The group remains firmly com-mitted to advancing the role of theprivate sector in development andproviding support to governmentsto design the regulatory environ-ment that supports this, it said."Going forward, we will be work-ing on a new approach to assessingthe business and investment cli-mate. We are deeply grateful to theefforts of the many staff memberswho have worked diligently to ad-vance the business climateagenda, and we look forward toharnessing their energies and abil-ities in new ways," it said.

Observing that the trust in the

research of theWorld Bank Groupis vital, it said,World Bank Groupresearch informsthe actions of pol-icymakers, helps

countries make better-informeddecisions, and allows stakeholdersto measure economic and socialimprovements more accurately.Such research has also been a valu-able tool for the private sector,civil society, academia, journalists,and others, broadening under-standing of global issues, it said.

After data irregularities on Do-ing Business 2018 and 2020 werereported internally in June 2020,it said, World Bank managementpaused the next Doing Businessreport and initiated a series of re-views and audits of the report andits methodology.

NO MORE ‘DOING BIZ’RANKINGS FROM WB

World Bank has decided to discontinue Doing Business report after Chinese irregularities surfaced

‘India at advantage’NEW DELHI: The World Bank (WB)

Group's decision to discontinue publica-

tion of the Doing Business ranking report

has exposed China's fraud and would

lead to shifting of manufacturing bases

to India, a government source said on

Friday. The WB Group has decided to dis-

continue publication of the report on

country investment climates following

allegations of irregularities by China. "No

irregularities were found in Indian data.

India remains the preferred investment

destination for the world and a reliable,

trustworthy destination while China slip-

ping in attractiveness. "Fraud by China

will boost multilateral initiatives like Sup-

ply Chain Resilience Initiative to move

manufacturing to India," the source said.

India had jumped 14 places to the 63rd

position in the WB's ease of doing busi-

ness rankings released in October 2019.

8 SPORTSDELHI SATURDAY 18 SEPTEMBER 2021

Printed and Published by K. Hanumanta Rao, on behalf of Hyderabad Media House Pvt. Limited, Flat.No.609, 6th Floor, Kirti Shikhar Building, Plot.No.11, Dist.Center, Janakpuri, New Delhi- 110058.

and Printed at M/s. Marutinandan Printers & Publishers, A-15, Bara Bagh, G.T Karnal Road, Industrial Area, New Delhi - 110033. Editor: V Ramu Sarma. RNI No: DELENG/2017/74095

KOLKATA

FoRMER champions ArmyGreen beat I-league side SudevaDelhi FC 1-0 to enter the quar-ter-finals of the 130th DurandCup here on Friday. DeepakSingh, their two-goal hero fromtheir 3-1 win against JamshedpurFC (JFC) earlier in the tourna-ment, was on target again to seethe Greens through.

The two sides clashed at theMohun Bagan ground in the finalgame of Group B, with both ofthem as well as JFC, also playingtheir final game simultaneouslyagainst FC Goa at theVivekananda Yuba Bharati Kri-rangan (VYBK), having a shot atthe knockout stages.

JFC, however, went down 0-5in that game, allowing ArmyGreen to go through along withgroup toppers FC Goa, who hadthree wins out of three.

In the initial quarter of the firsthalf, both Army Green andSudeva created opportunities butit was all Greens after that. In the9th minute, the Greens had theirfirst major scoring opportunity

when Lallawmkima took a bril-liant header, but could not go pastSudeva keeper Sachin Jha. Shub-ham Rana took another shot atgoal on the rebound, but Sachincame up with another brilliantsave.

The ball hovered around theSudeva goal for most of the firsthalf. Thirty minutes into thegame, two back-to-back cornersalmost got the Greens on theboard, but Sachin made sure itwas goalless at halftime.

Sudeva looked all charged upin the second half, however. Inthe 46th minute, William Pau-liankhum had the ball just a few

yards away from the goal butfailed to score.

Army Green came back strongand in the 51st minute courtesyof a nice setup and a wonderfulassist by Dip Mazumdar, Deepaktapped the ball into the net.

The Delhi side did have a fewchances to equalize but theycould not go past Army Green'sdefense to end the campaign withthree losses.

In the day's second game, FCGoa authored a dominating per-formance to blitz JFC 5-0 to fin-ish on top with nine points andpush their ISL rivals out of the130th Durand Cup.

It was an incident-free firstquarter of an hour, with Goakeeping the likes of Glan Martinsand Makan Chote on the benchand giving Brandon a start alongwith a third keeper in the tour-nament in Hrithik Tiwari.

They were looking to take con-trol and eventually Devendra gota free header off a corner in the20th minute and nodded homefrom close to give Goa their firstof the game. Then six minuteslater, Princeton Rebello got twobites of the cherry inside the JFCbox and blasted the second onehome past a hapless Vishal Yadavunder the JFC bar.

Murgaokar then tapped in athird, his second of the game andthird of the tournament, aminute before a break to make it3-0 for the Goans at halftime.

The talented Muhammed ne-mil then made the second half hisown with a double strike. Hescored the first just after com-mencement and then in the 81stminute smartly chipped thekeeper for his third o' the tour-nament and Goa's fifth of thegame. (IAnS)

NOIDA

LAKHMEHAR Pardesi gave her-self an early birthday present asshe claimed a breakthroughmaiden title in the 9th leg of theHero Women's Pro Golf Tourhere on Friday. The Chandigarhgolfer, who turns 22 on october15, stayed calm in the closingstages after trailing for most partof the final day.

needing a clutch putt fromaround eight feet to ensure anoutright win over Jahanvi Bak-shi, Lakhmehar drained the puttand heaved a sigh of relief. Herprevious best on the Tour wasa fifth place and she said, "Thisis a big win for me."

Lakhmehar carded 2-over 74in the final round to total 227,while Jahanvi (75) was one be-hind at 228.

Amateur Avani Prashanth,who has regularly figured incontention, was once again thetop amateur and was overallthird at 230. Avani had the bestround of the day at even par 72.Avani shared the third spotwith Hitaashee Bakshi (76). ForAvani, this was the sixth topamateur prize in 12 starts on the WPG Tour. of the sixtimes, she was once the overallwinner.

The lanky Lakhmehar, whohas worked on physical fitnessand the short game, was in a tiewith the normally consistentJahanvi when play began on thefinal day. As conditions contin-ued to be difficult, the golferswere spared any rain stoppages.

Lakhmehar went into solelead on the very first hole as Ja-hanvi dropped a shot on thePar-5 first. However, theChandigarh golfer gave back thatadvantage with a bogey onfourth. She then dropped shotson seventh and eighth, even asJahanvi picked a birdie on eighth.At the turn, Jahanvi had built upa three-shot lead.

on the 11th, Lakhmehar bo-geyed but Jahanvi double bo-geyed and the gap narrowed totwo. Then Lakhmehar nailed two

fine birdies in a row on 13th and14th to get into a share of the leadonce again.

Jahanvi bogeyed the Par-17thwhile Lakhmehar holed a crucialpar putt to move ahead.

on the 18th, Jahanvi was justoff the green, but she rolled it infor par from almost 10 feet. Thatleft Lakhmehar needing to holethe 8-footer for an outright winor go into a play-off. She parredand took the title.

"I have been waiting for thisfor a long time. I am so gratefulto my coaches, parents and thenoIDA Golf Club," said theyoungster.

Avani, who had two disap-pointing days with 78-80 intough conditions, was in excel-lent form on the final day. Shebirdied first, ninth and 18th butdropped shots on sixth, seventhand 12th.

Shweta Mansingh was sixth,while amateur nishna Patel wasseventh and Trimann Saluja waseighth. Siddhi Kapoor, the toppro last week, was ninth. The10th spot was shared by amateurRishika Muralidhar, SaaniyaSharma and Seher Atwal.

The Tour now takes a break forfour weeks and action resumeson october 13 with the tenth legat the Chandigarh Golf Club.

BELLARY (KARNATAKA)

HARYAnA boxer Sachinmade a spectacular start to hiscampaign at the 5th EliteMen's national BoxingChampionships as he de-feated World Championshipsbronze medalist Gaurav Bid-huri at the Inspire Instituteof Sports in Bellary, Kar-nataka, on Friday.

Playing in the 57kg openinground match, Sachin was up

against one of the strongestcontenders for the title, Gau-rav Bidhuri of Railways SportsPromotion Board. However,Sachin held his nerves andcame up with a skillful boxing

display before completing a 4-1 victory.

Another Haryana pugilistand South Asian Gameschampion Ankit Khatanamade his way into the 75kgquarter-finals after he out-shined Himachal Pradesh'sDharm Pal by unanimousmargin.

Meanwhile, Telangana'sSavio Dominic Michael(54kg) and Goa's Ashok Patil(67kg) too progressed into the

last-eight stage with identical4-1 victories. While Savio de-feated Jharkhand's KrishnaJora, Ashok Patil got the bet-ter of Himachal Pradesh'sMohan Chander. Chandi-garh's Kuldeep Kumar (48kg)and Sachin were among theother boxers to make progresson the third day of the Cham-pionships. Kuldeep booked aberth in the quarter-finals af-ter an easy 4-0 win over Ra-jsthan's Sushil Sahran.

NEWDELHI

nEW Zealand's last-minute decision tocancel their limited-overs tour just be-fore the first oDI in Rawalpindi has leftformer Pakistan pacer Shoaib Akhtarfuming. He slammed the touring team,saying "nZ just killed Pakistan cricket".

"Sad scenes & news from Rawalpindi.Following points for new Zealand to re-member: 9 Pakistanis were killed in theChristchurch attack. Pakistan stoodstrong with new Zealand. Pakistantoured new Zealand in the worst ofCovid circumstances regardless of thecrude treatment by nZ authorities onthat tour.

"This was just an unverified threat, itcould have been discussed. Prime Min-ister Imran Khan personally spoke tohis nZ counterpart and assured but itwas still refused. Pakistan has safelyhosted South Africa, Bangladesh, West

Indies, Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe & PSL,"Akhtar tweeted.

new Zealand, who were touring Pak-istan for the first time since 2003, aban-doned the tour due to a security alert.

Pakistan captain Babar Azam also ex-pressed his disappointment followingthe announcement.

"Extremely disappointed on theabrupt postponement of the series,which could have brought the smilesback for millions of Pakistan CricketFans. I've full trust in the capabilitiesand credibility of our security agencies.They are our pride and always will be!Pakistan Zindabad!" he wrote on Twit-ter. (IAnS)

Sharathnamedchairman ofBCCI juniorselectioncommittee

NEWDELHI

THE Indian cricket board(BCCI) on Friday appointedthe national junior selec-tion committee with formerTamil nadu batsman Srid-haran Sharath as its chair-man.

While S. Sharath is therepresentative selectorfrom South Zone, formerGujarat wicketkeeper-bats-man Pathik Patel is the se-lector from West Zone andformer Bengal medium-pacer Ranadeb Bose is fromEast Zone.

Former Punjab batsmanKrishan Mohan, who is nowwith Himachal Pradesh incoaching capacity, is thenorth Zone selector whileex-Madhya Pradesh pacerHarvinder Singh Sodhi isthe selector from CentralZone.

"Former Tamil nadu cap-tain Mr Sharath Sridharanwill head the committee,"said a statement from theBoard of Control for Cricketin India (BCCI).

The first cricketer to play100 Ranji Trophy matchesfor Tamil nadu, Sharathscored 8700 runs, including27 centuries and 42 half-centuries in 139 first-classmatches with an impressiveaverage of 51.17, during his15-year-long domestic ca-reer. He also played 116 ListA games scoring 3366 runs.He has also been a BCCImatch referee.

The committee is as

follows:

1. Sharath Sridharan (South

Zone) - Chairman

2. Pathik Patel (West Zone)

3. Ranadeb Bose (East Zone)

4. Krishan Mohan (North Zone)

5. Harvinder Singh Sodhi (Cen-

tral Zone)

MACKAY

InDIAn cricketers could take part inthis year's Women's Big Bash League(WBBL) despite no current player hav-ing signed up for the league yet. The In-dian team is currently in Mackay,preparing for the multi-format seriesagainst Australia with the first oDI fromSeptember 21. Previously, openerShafali Verma and left-arm spinnerRadha Yadav were strongly linked tohave signed up with Sydney Sixers butnothing happened.

"I know there's been lots of excitingconversations going on (between clubsand India players). They're such a popu-lar team, and popular players in theirown right, that if we were able to seesome of those players in the WBBLthat'd be really exciting. All our clubsare having lots of conversation, so we'llwait and see," said Alistair Dobson,Cricket Australia's General Manager ofBig Bash Leagues to cricket.com.au.

Harmanpreet Kaur (Syndey Thun-der), Smriti Mandhana (Brisbane Heatand Hobart Hurricanes) and Veda Kr-ishnamurthy (Hobart Hurricanes) werethe Indian cricketers who featured inthe tournament in previous seasons.But a clash with a tour of the West In-dies prevented Indian cricketers fromtaking part in the 2019 season. SeveralIndian players had been lined up to fea-ture in it but could not take part due to aclash with the Women's T20 Challengein 2020. Kaur and Mandhana will be inhigh demand for the upcoming season

apart from the likes of Shafali, Radha,Jemimah Rodrigues, Deepti Sharma andPoonam Yadav.

As of now, nine overseas signings havebeen confirmed for the seventh seasonof WBBL with 13 spots still either avail-able or yet to be announced by clubs.only Perth Scorchers have confirmedtheir three overseas players in newZealand's Sophie Devine, South Africa'sMarizanne Kapp and Sri Lanka'sChamari Athapaththu.

Brisbane Heat have signed SouthAfrica duo of nadine de Klerk and An-neke Bosch. But they have one spot leftafter new Zealand's Amelia Kerr pulledout of the tournament last week due tomental health reasons.

Hobart Hurricanes also have one spotafter announcing the re-signing of newZealand's Rachel Priest and SouthAfrica's Mignon Du Preez moving fromthe Melbourne Stars. Stars have re-cruited Ireland all-rounder Kim Garthand have two overseas slots remaining.Adelaide Strikers confirmed the returnof South Africa batter Laura Wolvaardtthis week. Melbourne Renegades, Syd-ney Thunder and the Sixers are yet toannounce their signings of overseasplayers. (IAnS)

SHEFFIELD

Don Root, the grandfather of England Testcaptain Joe Root, has slammed The Hun-dred which had its inaugural edition in Julyto August this year. In a letter to The Crick-eter Magazine published on Friday, Rootcompared the 100-ball tournament to theCoVID-19 virus.

"The Hundred is among us. So is Covidand it's just about as welcome. We are con-stantly being lectured about the necessityto attract more funding to spread thegospel and nourish the grassroots ofcricket," wrote Root. He also stated thatthe Hundred has led to the downfall of Eng-land in Test cricket. "Apparently this canonly be done by an increase in some form

of the white-ball version of the game. Atwhat cost to the red-ball version? onwardsand downwards would appear to be thenew ECB mantra. The results of this policycan be seen in the Test series."

Root expressed that there is unevennessbetween red and white-ball cricket at pres-ent in the country. "of course, every sportneeds sound financial resourcing, but dowe have the balance right at the momentbetween financial needs and performanceon the field? As far as red-ball cricket isconcerned, I think not." In the Test seriesagainst India, Root had an exceptional se-ries as a batsman. He scored 564 runs at anaverage of 94 and making three centuries,the only batsman from his side to reach thethree-figure mark.(IAnS)

DURAND CUP

Army Green enter quarters; FC Goa push Jamshedpur out

Golfer Lakhmehar winsmaiden WPG Tour title

Sachin stuns World C’ships medallistGaurav Bidhuri at Men’s National Boxing

New Zealand just killed Pakistan cricket: Shoaib Akhtar

Indian cricketers could take part inupcoming Women’s Big Bash League

Root’s grandfather slams TheHundred, compares it to Covid-19