GOVTBRIEFS PANELONUKRAINEPAGE 8

DA ILY FROM: AHMEDABAD , CHAND IGARH , DELH I , JA IPUR , KOLKATA , LUCKNOW, MUMBAI , NAGPUR , PUNE , VADODARA

FRIDAY, MARCH 4, 2022, NEW DELHI, LATE CITY, 20 PAGES `6.00 (`8 BIHAR & RAIPUR, `12 SRINAGAR) WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM

ABHISHEKANGADJAMTARA,MARCH3

INDECEMBER last year, PanchuMandal, who is in hismid-70s,was toldabout theconstructionofabuildinginhisblocktargetedsolely for the recreation of theelderly (aged 60 and above). Hewas confused and he walkedfrom his village in theNarayanpurblockofJamtaradis-

trict in Jharkhand to the block’sheadquarters to find a yellowpainted building with an at-tachedplayareaforchildren.Hecould not understand thewrit-ing on the top of the building:‘Elder's Club’. He was told thatthe ‘Sarkar’ (government) hadmadeaplaceforpeoplelikehimwhere theymay gather at any

time, barring during the night,andenjoyeachother’scompany.As he entered the building,

he found books, newspapers, arefrigerator, board games, a tel-evision, a sofa, a drinkingwaterfacility — all for use for peoplelike him. Tears rolled down hischeeks. After spending an hourin the evening, he had foundpeoplehisagesharingcommonproblemsofhappinessandgrief.Laterintheevening,heshared

howhissonanddaughter-in-lawhadneglectedhiminthelastfewmonthsandhowhewasnoteven

CONTINUEDONPAGE12

PAGE1ANCHOR

Thecluboffersseveral recreationaloptions, includingboardgamesandbooks, to itsvisitors.AbhishekAngad

In Jamtara, an Elder’s Club where senior citizensget some company, a voice — and tea on call

JOURNALISM OF COURAGESINCE 1932

GEORGEMATHEWMUMBAI,MARCH3

THERUSSIANinvasionofUkrainethreatenstoderailtheinflationcal-culations of theReserveBankofIndia.Withretailinflationlikelytoseeaspikeinthewakeofthesharpriseincrudeoilprices,theRBIfacestheriskoffallingbehindthecurveincontrollinginflationgivenitsac-commodativepolicystance—sur-plus liquidity in the financial sys-temandlowinterestrates—sofar.Consumer price inflation

which crossed the RBI’s uppertolerance level of six per cent to6.01per cent in January is likelytohitthesevenpercentmarkascrude prices touched $116 perbarrel recently. The RBI had re-taineditsaccommodativepolicystance andmain policy rates intheFebruarypolicy review.“Ihaveargued inmysucces-

sive dissents formanymonthsnowthatachangeintheaccom-modative stance is long over-due,” said Jayanth Varma,Memberof theMonetaryPolicyCommittee (MPC) of the RBI,whohasbeenopposingtheRBI’saccommodativepolicy stance.“My concern is that the ac-

commodativestancecarrieswithit the risk of falling behind the

curveinfuturebecausethestancelimits theMPC’s freedomof ac-tioninensuingmeetings,”Varma,whoisaProfessorof financeandaccounting in IIMAhmedabad,toldTheIndianExpress.“My position is not that we

shouldpull the trigger now, butthat we should have our handson the trigger, ready toact if theneedarises,”hesaid.TheRBI’spolicypanelsetthe

retail inflation target to average4.5percent inFY2022-23inthe

CONTINUEDONPAGE12

DEVENDRAPANDEY&NIHALKOSHIEMUMBAI,NEWDELHI,MARCH3

WHENWRIDDHIMANSahaex-pressedshockatbeingdroppedfrom the Test team despite as-surances from Sourav Ganguly,the Bengal wicket-keeper un-wittingly drew attention to anew practice that's making amockery of the cricket board's

CONTINUEDONPAGE2

SREENIVASJANYALAHYDERABAD,MARCH3

INAsetbackfortheYSRCongressParty (YSRCP) government'sthree-capital plan, the AndhraPradeshHighCourtThursdaydi-rected it todevelopAmaravati asthestatecapitalasenvisagedun-der the Capital RegionDevelo-pment Authority (CRDA) Actbrought by the previous TeluguDesamParty(TDP)government.The high court's directions

came on a batch of PILs filed byfarmers of several villages inGuntur district, who had givenuptheiragriculturallandsforthedevelopment of the capital cityproposed by erstwhile ChiefMinisterNChandrababuNaidu.A three-member division

bench, headed by Chief JusticePrashant Kumar Mishra, di-rected the government to de-velop the plots allocated by thegovernmenttofarmersinlieuoftheirlands,andreturnittothem

CONTINUEDONPAGE2

RUSSIA,UKRAINEREACHAGREEMENTONSAFECORRIDOR

MEAsays1000Indianshavemadeit toasafepointnearKharkiv

SHUBHAJITROYNEWDELHI,MARCH3

HOURS AFTER India said it had"not received any reports of anyhostage situation regarding anystudent", Russian PresidentVladimirPutinsaidThursdaythatmore than3,000 Indian citizensarebeingkeptattheKharkivtrainstation ineasternUkrainebytheUkrainianmilitary.InNewDelhi,officialsviewed

this as a difficult situation in aconflict zone where citizenshave been hunkering down in

CONTINUEDONPAGE12

SHUBHAJITROYNEWDELHI,MARCH3

WITH THE Russian invasion ofUkraine dividing the interna-tional community, PrimeMinisterNarendraModijoinedavirtualmeeting of Quad leadersThursdaywheretheypubliclysetaside theirdifferenceson the is-sueofUkraineandagreed toes-tablisha“newhumanitarianas-sistance and disaster reliefmechanism”whichwill“provideachannel forcommunicationas

CONTINUEDONPAGE12

StudentswhowereevacuatedfromUkrainearriveat theHindonIAFairbase inGhaziabadonThursday.PraveenKhanna

BUSINESS AS USUAL

BYUNNY

In Varanasi, Mamata at SP’s side,targets Modi, Yogi: khela hoga

LALMANIVERMAVARANASI,MARCH3

TARGETING PRIME MinisterNarendra Modi and UP ChiefMinister Yogi Adityanath, TMCleader andWest Bengal ChiefMinister Mamata BanerjeeThursday invoked her party'sBengalpollslogantopredicttheendofBJPruleinUPsayingtherewill be "khela hoga" thisAssemblyelections too.AddressingarallyinVaranasi

— it is Modi's Lok Sabha con-stituency and Assembly elec-tionswillbeheldhereinthesev-

enth and last phase onMarch 7— in support of the SP-led al-liance, Banerjee said: “Last time

CONTINUEDONPAGE2

DECISION2022

TURNOUT

UPPHASE6

55.15%(till10pm)

Gangulywith formerselectorMSKPrasad,BCCIsecretaryJayShah,andplayersandofficials in2019.BCCI

PrimeMinisterNarendraModiwithstudentswhoreturnedfromUkraine, inVaranasionThursday.ANI

THEUKRAINEconflict isa threat tobothgrowthand inflation. Somecountries inWesternEuropemightactually tipinto recession, and Indiatoocould faceheadwindsparticularly (butnotonly) in termsof exports,saidMPCmemberJayanthVarmawhohasflagged thatachange intheaccommodativestance is longoverdue.

ShadowofwarovergrowthE●EX

PLAINED

Develop Amaravati ascapital, HC tells Andhra

Risk of RBI fallingbehind curve oninflation: memberof monetary panel

GOVERNANCEAN EXPRESS SERIES

JHARKHAND

MamataandAkhilesh inVaranasionThursday.PTI

KYIV SUMY

UKRAINE

RUSSIABelarus

Romania

CRIMEA

Divided over Russia, Quad on samepage: channel for relief on Ukraine

NIRUPAMASUBRAMANIANCHENNAI,MARCH3

UNDERLININGTHATitwouldbedifficult for any country to con-tinue buyingmilitary hardwarefromRussiaafterUSsanctions inresponse to Putin’s invasion ofUkraine, Assistant Secretary ofState forSouthandCentralAsianAffairsDonaldLutold theSenate

Foreign Relations CommitteeWednesdaythat inthe“last few”weeks,“whatwe'veseenfromIn-dia…isthecancellationofMiG-29orders,Russianhelicopterordersandanti-tankweaponorders.”When contacted in New

Delhi, a Defence Ministryspokesman declined to com-mentonLu’s remarks.Lu,whocalled Indiaa“really

importantsecuritypartner,”wasCONTINUEDONPAGE12

Students stuckin east Ukraine,Russian officersays 130 buseswait at border

JAYPRAKASHSNAIDU&SHUBHAJITROYMUMBAI,NEWDELHI,MARCH3

HUNDREDSOF Indianmedicalstudents stuck at a university ineast Ukraine’s Sumy city mayhavefoundapotentialevacuationroute — via buses across theRussian border— but need thegovernment’s help in getting tothem, saidoneof these studentsThursday,citinginformationpro-videdbyauniversitycoordinator.A top Russian army officer,

too, said his countrywas readywith 130 buses to help Indianstudents exit the battle zonethrough itsborders.The remarks by RussianCONTINUEDONPAGE12

Delhi saidno infobutPutin claims3000Indiannationalsbeingheld inUkraine

WORLD

1MILLIONFLEEUKRAINE;ZELENSKYYSEEKSMILITARYAID;MARIUPOLENCIRCLEDLIBERALRUSSIANRADIOSTATIONSHUTSAMIDPRESSUREOVERWARCOVERAGEPAGE13

India cancelled orders of Russian jets,weapons: US official at Senate hearingOnS-400sanctions,official sayscan’t ‘pre-judge’ Biden

Says Indianskeptat trainstation inKharkiv.

Ganguly oversteps crease andrules to sit in selection meetings

THEEDITORIALPAGE

THEN-WORDPAGE11

New Delhi

THESECONDPAGE2 WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COMTHEINDIANEXPRESS,FRIDAY,MARCH4,2022

Mamata targetskhela hua, Bengal mei BJP koharaa diya. Abhi aap ka chunavmei khela hoga. Aur Akhileshjeetega, uska gathbandhanjeetega aur BJP haarega (In thelast game, theBJPwasdefeatedinBengal.Now,inyourelection,thegameison.Akhileshandhisalliancewillwin, theBJPwillbe

defeated)."DescribingSPchiefAkhilesh

Yadav as her younger brother,shesaidAkhileshandRLDchiefJayantChaudharywere"sonsofUP"whowill develop the state."WhatwillYogigive?Heisayogionlyinname,heisabhogi.Thereisnopoint voting forhim... Yogisarkarkopaltado(ousttheYogigovernment)," shesaid.

AllegingthatBJPworkersat-tackedhercarwhileshewasonherwaytotheghatsofVaranasi,shesaid"Irealisedthenthattheyare going out of power... Yehpoora haar raha hai (they areheading to amassive defeat)... Iamnotafraid. Iamnotacoward.I am a fighter (ladaku). I havebeenattackedmany timesbut Ihaveneverbuckled."ShesaidtheBJPgovernment

"insultedwomen" in the nameofanti-Romeosquads."Hamarachhota chhota bhai log kyakarega,chhotachhotabehenkyakarega, uska azadi hai (ouryoung brothers and sisters arefree to make their own deci-sions)."ShecriticisedPrimeMinister

Modi,sayinghewasgivingmoreimportancetoelectionmeetingsin UP instead of concentratingon bringing home Indian stu-dents stranded in Ukraine. "Ifyou have such good relationswith (Russian PresidentVladimir) Putin and you knewthreemonthsagothatawarwasgoing to take place, why didn'tyoubringback Indians then?""When elections come, the

BJP starts speaking about thetemple, Hindu-Muslim. I havenoobjection to the sloganof JaiSiya Ram. Butwhat do you do?You don't take the name of SitaMata. You say Jai Shri Ram. Butit is Jai Siya Ram," she said,adding that the BJP should notlecture her since sheworshipsthe Goddess Durga who wasworshippedbyLordRam.Akhilesh Yadav said the BJP

had promised to transformVaranasi intoacity likeKyoto inJapan. "People of Banaras willcalloutBJP'slies.IthasdestroyedKashi in the name of turning itinto aKyoto. This election is be-tweenBanarasvotersandthosewho promised to build a fic-tionalKyoto,"hesaid.

Gangulygovernancenorms: the formerIndia captain and present BCCIpresident's unauthorised say inselectionmatters.TheBCCIconstitutionbarsits

president fromhaving any rolein picking the national team inorder to retain the independ-enceandautonomyoftheselec-tion committee. “The Presidentisshornofhissayinselections,”

the Supreme Court-approvedconstitutionsays.TheonlyBCCIoffice-bearer authorised to bepresentisthesecretary,whoactsas a convenor without a say inselection.However,TheIndianExpress

spoke to threepast andpresentselectors under Ganguly'stenure, who confirmed that hewasaregularfeatureatselectionmeetings. A senior BCCI func-tionary went to the extent ofclaiming that Ganguly has at-tendedeveryselectionmeetingsincehe tookoverasBCCIpres-ident inOctober2019.Raising the issue of propri-

ety, two selectors said Gangulywouldloginforonlineselectionmeetings and “because of hisstature and position, no onecould object”. One of them re-vealed that they often felt “bul-lied” by his presence. “It mademanycommitteemembersun-comfortableandguardedinex-pressingtheiropinion,”saidtheselector, speakingonthecondi-tionof anonymity.With Ganguly as BCCI chief,

the selection committee hastaken some key decisions, in-cludingtheousterofViratKohliasODIskipperandcaptaincyforRohit Sharmaacross formats.Multiple sources in the

Indian board confirmedGanguly's presence at selectionmeetings.Theysaidthatconsid-ering the former captain'sstature -- he played 113 Testsand311One-day Internationals--theless-experiencedselectorswere“reluctant toexpress theiropinion”. This has underminedthepowerof Indiancricket'sall-important decision-makingcommittee, theysaid.The current chairman of se-

lectors,ChetanSharma,hasfea-turedin23Testsand65One-dayInternationalsandhispredeces-sorMSKPrasad insixTestsand17ODIs.Thecombinedexperienceof

the current group of selectors,which also includes DebashishMohanty, Sunil Joshi andHarvinderSingh, is43Testsand195 ODIs. The previous panelhad played nine Tests and 28ODIsbetweenthem.Last month, Saha spoke

about the message he had re-ceived fromGangulyafter scor-ing a half-century against New

Zealanddespiteaneck injury.“After scoring 61 against

New Zealand at Kanpur, Dadi(Ganguly) congratulated meoverWhatsAppandmentioned,‘AslongasI’mhere(helmingtheBCCI),youwouldbeintheteam’.Such amessage from the BCCIpresident really boosted myconfidence.WhatI’mstrugglingto understand is how thingshavechangedso fast,” Sahahadtold The Sunday Express, refer-ring to his omission from theteamfor theSri Lankaseries.Ganguly's proximity to the

selection committee first cameto light on October 24, 2019, aday after he was elected BCCIpresident, when the boardtweeted a picture with a cap-tion: “All smiles at the SeniorSelection Committeemeetingearlier this afternoon as theteams for the forthcomingT20I&TestseriesagainstBangladeshwereannounced.”The image showedGanguly

seated between the then chiefselector,Prasad,andBCCIsecre-taryJayShah,andalongwiththethen skipper Kohli, RohitSharmaandother selectors.Recently, when the picture

started doing the rounds againonsocialmedia,Gangulydeniedthe framewas from a selectionmeeting. In an interviewwithPTI, he said: “I want tomake itclear that the picture wasn'tfrom a selection committeemeeting.”About allegations of him in-

fluencingteamselection,hetoldthenewsagency:“Idon’tthinkIneed to answer anybody, any-thing(onthis)anddignifyanyofthesebaselessaccusations. Iamthe president of the BCCI and Idothejobofwhatthepresidentof the BCCI should be doing. (Ihave played) 424 internationalmatchesforIndia.Notabadideaattimestoremindpeopleaboutit, isn't it?”WhenTheIndianExpresssent

a detailed questionnaire toGangulyontheissue,hedidnotrespond.

Blow to Andhraover the next threemonths. Italsodirectedthegovernmenttodevelopall infrastructure facili-tiesaroundtheplots.The court observed that the

stategovernmentdidnotfollowproper procedures in strikingdown the orders issued by theprevious government over theproposed capital Amravati. Itasked the government not tomortgageanyof farmers' lands.The government was di-

rected to develop nine themecities –knowledge city, healthcity,electronicscity,tourismcity,justice city, media city, sportscity, finance city, and govern-ment city – inAmaravati as en-visaged under the TDP govern-ment's CRDA, with the highcourt asking the Y S JaganMohanReddy-ledYSCRCPgov-ernment to stick to the capitalcity'smaster plan drawn up by

thepreviousgovernment.The YSRCP government's

proposal to develop three capi-tals instead of Amaravati wasearlier stayed by the high courtafter several farmers and TDPleadersfiledPILschallengingthemove.TheTDPgovernmenthadspent nearly Rs 10,000 crore tobuild the AP High Court com-plex, Legislature complex, highrise government buildings, androads as part of the Amaravaticapitalproject.The TDPwelcomed thehigh

court's order, with partyspokesperson K Pattabhi Ramsaying that the protesting farm-ersaswellaspeoplewhosupportAmaravatiascapitalare“happy”.A TDP Politburo meeting,

chairedbyNaidu,was alsoheldto discuss the court's order,which noted that it upheld the“merit and value” of the party'sCRDA. “We welcome that thecourt decided to review the fu-ture progress of capital cityworks,” party leader KalvaSrinivasulusaid.Municipal Administration

and Urban DevelopmentMinister Botsa Satyanarayanasaid the governmentwill studytheorder.A farmer body Amaravati

ParirakshanaSamiti's convenerP Sudhakar Raowelcomed thecourt’sdecision.“Weasapeoplewonthis. This is to thepowerofpeople who protested for over800days,’’ he said.After stormingtopower ina

landslide inMay 2019, the YS-RCP government struck downtheTDPgovernment'sproposaltodevelop29villagesofGunturandKrishnadistrict as thecapi-talcityofAmaravati.OnJanuary20,2020,theReddygovernmentpassed the APDecentralisationand Equal Development of AllRegionsAct,2020,whichclearedthedecks for establishing threecapitals including Amaravati asthe “legislative capital”,Visakhapatnam as the “execu-tivecapital”, andKurnoolas the“judicial capital”.Initiatingadiscussiononthis

legislation during a specialAssemblysessionthen,FinanceMinisterBRajendranathsaidtheYSRCP government wanted toensure equal and balanced de-velopment instead of focusingon justonce region.The government charged

that the previous dispensationindulgedincorruptionandtherewas “insider trading” as TDPleaders,MLAs,MPsandinfluen-tial businessmen allegedly hadknowledge about the belt to bedeclared as the capital regionand had purchased land therewhoseprices later soared.Speaker T Sitaram directed

thestategovernmenttoconducta probe into the allegations of“insidertradinginAmaravati”towhich CM Reddy agreed. Thegovernment ordered a CIDprobe,which isstill continuing.

FULLREPORTSONwww.indianexpress.com

Chief Guest:

Satyendar JainWater Minister and Chairman, Delhi Jal Board

on Friday, 4th March, 2022

Key Highlights:

For Shahbad-

• Laying of 250mm to 700mm Internal &

Peripheral sewer line in 16 colonies of

Shahbad GOC falling under Rohini WWTP

at a total cost of Rs. 57.15 crore.

• Approx. 2,92,000 people will be benefitted.

Urban Development Department, Government of NCT of Delhi

laying of 79.8 kms sewer line at

ShahbadGroup of Colonies

10 kms of sewer line at

SinghuGroup of Colonies

Inauguration Ceremony

and

For Singhu-

• Laying of 300mm to 635 mm Internal &

Peripheral sewer line in 2 colonies and 1 village

of Singhu GOC falling under Narela WWTP

catchment area at a total cost of Rs. 21.37 crore.

• Approx. 15,000 people will be benefitted.

ne at

ghu-

of 300mm to 635 mm Internal &

ral sewer line in 2 colonies and 1 village

hu GOC falling under Narela WWTP

ment area at a total cost of Rs. 21.37 crore.

ill fi

DIP/Shabdarth/D/0225/21-22

Contact for Advt. Booking: M/s Friends Publicity Service

(M): 9212665841, 9212008155

EXP E S EDU TIONR S CA

FROMPAGEONEWWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM

India’sevacuationchal-lenges, climatechangereport,AshneerGroverNEWEPISODEEVERYDAY

Theevacuationchallengesaheadof IndiainUkraine, thehighlightsof the latestIPCCreport, andBharatPe’sactionagainstAshneerGrover

DOWNLOADAPP

SCANTHISQRCODETODOWNLOADTHEAPP

■VISUAL STORIES

■ DAILY BRIEFING

■ PODCASTS

■ CUSTOMIZABLENEWS EXPERIENCE

IndianExpress★★★★★■4.6

New Delhi

GAYATHRIMANINEWDELHI,MARCH3

AFTER SEVEN misseddeadlines, the much-awaitedAshramunderpassinSoutheastDelhiwill finallybecompletedbythemonth-endandbeoper-ational on or beforeMarch 31,saidofficials.“Work on the Ashram un-

derpassisnearlydoneandisontarget — only the roof, rampsand finishing touchesare left—and will be completed byMarch-end. Once it is inaugu-rated, commuting to CentralDelhi and Faridabad will be-come smooth,” said a seniorPWDofficial closely associatedwiththeproject.Ashram Chowk, Ring Road

andMathura Road are chokedforhours as a result ofworkonthestretch,whichseesnearly3lakh vehicles every day.Workon the 750-metre-long under-passbegan in2019butwasde-layed by road closures due tothe Shaheen Bagh protest andtheCovid lockdown.Extension of the six-lane

AshramFlyovertoDNDwilltakeatleasteightmoremonthstobecompleted.Itisexpectedtoeasetraffic snarls on the Sarai Kalestretch and provide a smoothcommute fromNoida DND tillLajpat Nagar and from LajpatNagar toSaraiKaleKhan.Meanwhile, PWD officials

said the 1.8-km-long BenitoJuarez (BJ) Marg underpass isalsonearingcompletion.“99%ofcivilworkiscompletedandonlyworkonthefinalsegmentofthe670-m-long skywalk is under-way. It will be done in 10-15days,” saidtheofficial.As per the plan, the under-

pass will start from DurgabaiDeshmukh South CampusMetrostationandwillsplit intotwowingsina ‘Y’shape.Nearly

2.5 lakhcommuterswillbene-fit fromtheunderpassandsky-walk.Currently, people coming

fromGurgaon and IGI Airporthave to take the Dhaula KuanroutetoreachAIIMSandCentralDelhi. Once the underpass isready, they can take the OuterRingRoadviaBJMargunderpasstoreachAIIMSandMotiBagh.“ItwilleasethecommutebetweenIGI Airport, AIIMS, NewDelhiandCentralDelhiwhilethesky-walk will benefit those livingnear DU’s South Campus andstudentsofnearbycolleges,”saidaPWDofficial.“The skywalkwill provide a

safepassageforpedestrians,andconnectDurgabaimetrostation,SatyaNiketan,JMCandMaitreyicolleges,”addedtheofficial.The projectwas initiated in

2015 and civil work started in2016butit facedseveraldelays.It was scheduled to be com-pleted by January but was de-layed further due to the recentconstruction ban following in-creasingpollution levels.

Opening thismonth: Ashramunderpass

Traffic snarlat theDNDflywayduetoconstructionworkatAshram.AbhinavSaha

EXPRESSNEWSSERVICENEWDELHI,MARCH3

AFTER ITS decision to prohibitthe issuance of discounts or re-batesbyretailliquorsellerscameunderchallengebeforetheHighCourt, the Delhi governmentThursday told the court that thegivingofhugediscountsbyliquorvendswasanattemptbyafewto“monopolise”thewholesystem.“Thegovernment found, as a

policymeasure, thatDelhi couldnotbecomeacity forpromotingdrunkenness throughthemeas-ure of discounts. Thiswas beingmisused over andover andoveragain by attracting and luringpeople by absolutely unreason-ableandstrangediscountingpoli-cies. Itwas used as ameasure ofmonopolising,”submittedsenior

advocateAbhishekManuSinghvionbehalfof thegovernment.The submission wasmade

during the hearing of a batch ofpetitions challenging theFebruary 28 order passed byCommissioner (Excise) whichstatedthatthegatheringof largecrowds outside liquor stores on

accountofdiscountswasleadingtoalawandordersituation,caus-ing inconvenience to the localpopulation. The order also saidsuchdiscountingwas leading tounhealthymarketpractices.Opposinganystayonthede-

cision, the government told thecourtthatatthehighest,ifthepe-titioners succeed in their case,the licence fee can be adjusted.Singhvi argued that the courtshouldawaittheformalresponseof the government before pass-ing any order. “It felt necessarythat as a larger policy approachthis shouldbestopped immedi-atelyanda lotofmalpractices inthe guise of calling it a discount

weregoingon,”heargued,whilereferring to the promotion of“drinking beyond reasonablelimits”andmonopolisation.Issuing notice to the govern-

ment, Justice V Kameswar Raoasked the government to file acounter affidavit by Fridayevening, andasked thepetition-ers to file a rejoinder one daythereafter. The court listed thecasefornexthearingonMonday.Thelicenceholdersinthepe-

titionhavearguedthattheliquorpolicyandtenderexpresslyper-mittedthegrantofdiscountsbutwithout any opportunity ofhearing, theorderprohibiting itwaspassedonFebruary28.“The

fundamental policy of doingbusiness cannot be changedmidway after huge licence feeshave been taken and are beingdemanded,” reads theplea.Senior advocate Mukul

Rohtagi, representingoneof thepetitioners, told the court thatsaleshave fallenconsiderably inthe last two days and businesshas now gone back to UttarPradeshandHaryana.“TodaythepolicyistillMarch31.Icannotes-timate which customer willcomeorwhichcustomerwouldhavecomeandIcannotbecom-pensated in termsofmoneybe-causethepositionisirreversible,”Rohtagi toldthecourt.

Liquor vends challenge no discounts order,govt says can’t promote drunkenness in city

Abatchofpetitionschallengedtheorderpassedbytheexcisecommissionerwhichstatedthatcrowdsoutside liquorstoresduetodiscountswerecausing inconveniencetothe localpopulation

Gurgaon: Fiveofficialsofa logis-tics firmwere killed after theircar allegedly rammed into thebackofacantertruckonNH-48at Bilaspur in the early hours ofThursday.Policesaidtheyweregoingfor

dinner after celebrating a birth-day party, and the car, a Celerio,was completelymangled uponimpact.Thevictimswereallkilledon the spot. Police said it tookmorethananhourtoretrievethebodies as theywere trapped inthe remains of the car and thecar’schassishadtobecut.Subhash Boken, spokesper-

son, Gurgaon police, said, “Thetruckdriverfledafterthecollision.Histruckhasbeenseized.”ENS

5 men killedafter car hitstruck on NH-48

GONDWANA UNIVERSITY, GADCHIROLI

E-Tender Notice No.: 1) GUG/ELECTRICAL/01/2021-2 (First Call)2) GUG/ELECTRICAL/02/2021-22 (First Call)

Sealed online following tenders are invited by Registrar, GondwanaUniversity, Gadchiroli from registered contractors in respective field for theworks mentioned below.NAME OF WORKS:- 1) TENDER FOR PROVIDING AND INSTALLATION

ELECTRICAL LV SYSTEM IN EXAMINATIONCENTER BUILDING AT GONDWANA UNIVERSITY,GADCHIROLI.ESTIMATED COST is Rs. 23172231/- (B-1 TENDER)2) TENDER FOR PROVIDING AND INTALLATIONOF FIRE FIGHTING, LIFT AND HVAC SYSTEM INEXAMINATION CENTER BUILDING AT GONDWANAUNIVERSITY, GADCHIROLI.ESTIMATED COST is RS. 9689513.00/- (B-1 TENDER)

Work description can be seen on notice board in the office of Registrar andall details are also available on e-portal www.mahatenders.gov.in and liked toGondwana University portal www.unigug.ac.in. Tender to be submitted byonline process, from 04.03.2022 to 14.03.2022 and online submission isacceptable upto 14.03.2022 5.00 P.M. on www.mahatenders.gov.in and will beopened on 16.03.2022 at 1.00 PM (if possible) in the presence of intending con-tractors or their authorized representative.

Right to reject any or all tenders without assigning any reason, reservedwith the competent Authority.Date:- 04.03.2022 Dr. Anil Chitade

Registrar (I/c)Gondwana University, Gadchiroli

E-TENDER NOTICE

CHAUDHARY CHARAN SINGHHARYANA AGRICULTURAL UNIVERSITY, HISAR

(Established by Parliament Act No. 16 of 1970)Advertisement No.1/2022

(BEFORE APPLYING FOR THE POST, THE CANDIDATES SHOULD GOTHROUGH THE INSTRUCTIONS/CONDITIONS CAREFULLY)

Applications are invited from eligible candidates through online mode for fillingup the Post of Dean, College of Home Science in the Pay-Scale of Rs.144200-218200 in AL-14 with unfurnished rent free accommodation. The detailof essential qualifications, application processing fee, general instructions/ con-ditions etc. can be downloaded from the University Website. The eligible candi-dates may apply through the University online portal https://hau.ac.in andhttps://recruitment.hauiums.in from 05.03.2022 midnight onwards which willbe closed on 04.04.2022 midnight. The candidates are also requested to visitUniversity website regularly for Notifications/ Updates/ Corrigendum/Amendment, if any, with respect to above advertisement.

Sd/-REGISTRAR

THECITY 3WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COMTHEINDIANEXPRESS,FRIDAY,MARCH4,2022

AFTER7MISSEDDEADLINES

New Delhi

4THEINDIANEXPRESS,FRIDAY,MARCH4,2022

THECITYWWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM

WINTER WANESVisitorsatLodhiGardens.Thursday’smaximumtempsettledat29.4degreesCelsius.Delhi islikely towitnessasunnydaywithstrongsurfacewindsduringthedayonFriday.AmitMehra

CARDRIVERARRESTED

EXPRESSNEWSSERVICEGURGAON,MARCH3

FOUR EMPLOYEES of a restau-rantwerekilledafteraspeedingSkodacarallegedlyrammedintotheirmotorcyclesonGolfCourseRoadinGurgaonlateWednesdaynight.Policehavearrestedthecardriver,who,theysaid,washeav-ily inebriatedat thetime.Police said the victims have

been identified as JitendraMandal(35);hisnephew,RajnishKumarMandal(21);GopalSingh(27); and Govind Pratap Kurmi(28).All fourworkedatChacha’sTake Away restaurant in QutubPlaza inDLFPhase1.Police said Jitendra was a

head cook, Rajnish a helper andcleaner,GopalSinghwasawaiterand Govindwas a delivery boy.JitendraandRajnishwerenativesof Bihar’s Sitamarhi district.Govindhailed fromDamohdis-trict in Madhya Pradesh andGopalwas fromNalni village inNainital,Uttarakhand.Police said the accused,

Harsh Singh (26), works as asalesmanager at aprivate com-panyin32ndMilestone.Hewasreturning to his residence inSector43afteraparty.Accordingtopolice, the inci-

dent took place at 12.43 amwhen the four victimswere re-turning to their homes inChakkarpurvillageafterwork.In the FIR, the restaurant

owner,ManojSingh,saidthatat12.30, they had all left from therestaurant.“JitendraandGovindwere driving twomotorcyclesand the other two employeeswereseatedpillion.Iwasbehind

theminmycar,” saidSingh.HesaidastheycrossedArjun

Margneargatenumber11inDLFand got on to the Golf CourseRoad, a SkodaRapid car comingfrom the Sikanderpur siderammed into bothmotorcycles.“Allfourwerethrownoffthemo-torcyclesand fell atadistanceofover 30 feet. They sufferedmul-tipleseriousinjuries.Govindwasstuck between the car and apole,” saidSinghintheFIR.Policesaidthe impactof col-

lisionwas such that themotor-cycleswerecompletelycrushed.The Skoda was mangled, itswindshieldwasbrokenandbothairbagshadbeendeployed.CCTVfootageof the incident

recoveredbypolice showsbothmotorcycles turning turtle sev-eraltimesasthecarhitsthemathigh speed. Police said Govindwas killed on the spot. JitendraandRajnishweredeclareddeadonarrivalataprivatehospital inSector56,whileGopaldieddur-ing treatment.Virender Vij, DCP, East, said,

“Lastnightatabout12.40am,an

accident happened on GolfCourse Road where a Skodabangedintotwomotorcycles.Allfourpersonsonthemotorcycleswere killed. The carwas drivenbytheaccused,HarshSingh, inahighly drunken condition. Hewas arrested and sent to jail.Furtherinvestigationisgoingonregardingevidence.”A police officer, requesting

anonymity, said, “The accuseddidnotsufferinjuriesintheinci-dent.Hewastakenforamedicalexamination, which confirmedthathewasinebriated.Headmit-tedthathewasreturningfromaparty and lost control of the ve-hicle as hewas under the influ-ence of alcohol. He was takeninto custody after a police teamimmediatelyreachedthespot.”On the complaint of the

restaurant owner, police havebookedtheaccuseddriverunderIPCsections304(culpablehomi-cide not amounting tomurder),308(attempttocommitculpablehomicide)andSection185oftheMotorVehicles Act atDLF Phase1policestationonThursday.

Policesaid theaccusedwas inebriatedat thetime.Express

Days after he was‘assaulted’, pastorsays scared to stepout; cops file FIRJIGNASASINHANEWDELHI,MARCH3

DAYSAFTERa35-year-oldpastorwas allegedly tied up, thrashed,and abused by amob in SouthDelhi’sFatehpurBerioversuspi-cion that he was indulging inforced religious conversion, po-liceregisteredanFIRonThursdayatMaidanGarhipolicestation.The alleged incident took

place on February 25when thepastor,KelomTet,waswalkingtowork.He alleged that a groupofthree-fourmen tiedhimup to aroad divider and tortured him,forcinghimtochant‘JaiShriRam’in the crowded area. AdditionalDCP (South) Harsha Vardhansaid: “An FIR under IPC sections323 (voluntarily causing hurt),365(abduction)and341(wrong-fulrestraint)hasbeenregistered.”SpeakingtoTheIndianExpress

onThursday,thepastorsaidheisafraid to stepout of his house toconductprayers.“Ihavebeenliv-ingherefor18years...They(mob)beatmeupfornearlytwohours.I was begging them to stop buttheydidn’t.Therewerehundredsofpeopleinthemarketwhosawit all happening but didn’t say aword.Idon’twanttogooutnow.Over15yearsago, a similar inci-dent happened where a mobsurroundedmebut itwas ami-nor scuffle. I didn’t file a com-plaint then as I thought it didn’tmatter,”hesaid.Kelom, who works for the

Jerusalem Prayer FellowshipChurch,fearsthemobwillharassother Christians in the area. Hesaid he has cancelledmass onFridayaswell.Inhis complaint topoliceon

the assault, Kelom alleged, “IwenttoBhatiMinesareatomeetafriendandwasonmywaybackwhen two-threemen stoppedme and forcedme to chant ‘JaiShriRam’.Theycalledmenamesandaskedmewhy Iwas there. IsaidIhadcometomeetafriend.They called another man andstarted discussing something.After some time, they accusedme of indulging in forced reli-giousconversion.Theysnatched

my phone, bike papers and theBible. Theywere beatingmeupandmaking a video. A group ofwomen objected but the mentoldthemtheywouldtakemetoMaidanGarhipolice station.”Kelomallegedthattheyforced

himintoacaranddrovetowardsFatehpurBerichowk,wheretheytiedhishandstoaroaddivider.Hefurther alleged that the menpunchedhim,kickedhimandspiton him for nearly half an hour.“Theyalso toremyclothes. Iwasinjured... bloodwas gushing outofmynose...Theykeptthrashingme... Around the same time,schoolchildrencameoutandthemob incited them to chant slo-gans andbeatme,” he alleged inthecomplaint.Kelomsaidhewasabletoes-

capeaftertheropebroke,reachedhomeandcalledhis friends.Purportedvideosof theinci-

dentshowagroupofmenstand-ing on a crowded roadwith thepastor. Shopkeepers near thespot refused to speak about theincident and said they didn’thearor seeanything.Thepastoralsoallegedpolice

inaction: “I was able to get mybike papers and phone from ashop,butIcouldn’tfindmyBible.I told police everything onFebruary 27, but they filed thecomplaint and didn’t do any-thing. Iwas scaredasmywife ispregnantand is in Jharkhand.”Kelom onWednesday also

wrote to Police CommissionerRakesh Asthana about the case,allegingthatthemobcalledhimnames like “Bangladeshi” and“Jungli”alongwithothernames“related to his tribe”. He alsonamed aman in his complaint,sayinghe livesnearhishouse.He also alleged that police

havenot invokedsectionsunderthe SC/ST (Prevention ofAtrocities)ActdespitehimsayinghebelongstoanSTcommunity.Denying the claims, a police

officer said: “Thematter is be-inginvestigatedfromallangles.Therewas no delay as his com-plaintwastakenintimeandtheMLC was prepared by police.Further sections will be addedasper theprobe.”

DIVYAANEWDELHI,MARCH3

LAST YEAR in February, whenPresidentRamNathKovindvis-ited the Statue of Unity inGujarat’sKevadia,hecamebackwithathought.Itwastodevelopamedicinal gardenwithin thecampus of the RashtrapatiBhavan on the lines of theArogyaVan at Kevadia, a touristspot that exhibits awide rangeofmedicinal plants and health-

related landscapes.Andso,workonreplicatingit

at the Rashtrapati Bhavanstarted in the same month. Ayearlater,notwithstandingpan-demic-relatedobstacles,thesix-acreArogyaVanamwasinaugu-ratedbythePresidentonMarch1, in the presence of PrimeMinisterNarendraModi.ArogyaVanamhasbeencon-

ceived and developedwith theaim of publicising the impor-tance of Ayurvedic plants andtheir effects on human organs,

said a statement from theRashtrapati Bhavan. Itspurposeis also to spread awareness sothat guests coming to visitRashtrapatiBhavancanbecomeaware of the properties of vari-ous types of medicinal plants,their aroma and their impor-tance, it adds.The structure of Arogya

Vanamismadeintheshapeofahuman sitting in yoga posture(ArogyaManav). Alongwith it,there are fountains, a yogaplat-form, a viewpoint, water chan-

nels, a lotus pond, and a green-house.Therearesix flowerbedsintheshapeofapeacockfeathertowardstheheadandfeetof theArogyaManav.Thewalkingpathmeasuring2kmhasbeenmadewith redandwhite sandstone.Thehelpoftheforestdepart-

ment of Gujarat, which createdthe Arogya Van in Kevadia, was

taken for conceptualisation, se-lection and procurement ofplants. Asmany as 215 types ofplants — including arand, aloevera, giloy, neem, drumstick,tulsi, harsingar, arjun, lemon-grass, ashwagandhaandpeepal—makeuptheplace.Interestingly, the location of

the plants on the ‘body’ ofArogyaManav corresponds totheirbenefitsforthatspecificor-gan of the human body, said ahorticulture expert who waspartof the team.

Spread over 6.16 acres oflandwhichwasearlierused forparking and miscellaneouspurposes, the area was devel-oped into the herbal garden inabout10months’ time.ArogyaVanam has three differenttypesof fountains,whichare29innumber.Theviewpointgivesa panoramic view of ArogyaManav.The place is now open to

public. A tour to Arogya Vanamcan be booked online on theRashtrapatiBhavanwebsite.

Aerialviewofthemedicinalgarden.Source:RashtrapatiBhavan

ON THE LINES OF AROGYA VAN AT GUJARAT’S KEVADIA

At Rashtrapati Bhavan, a new attraction for visitors: Arogya Vanam

4 restaurant employees dead as drunk driverrams theirmotorcycles onGolf Course Road

PAVNEETSINGHCHADHAGURGAON,MARCH3

INANOTHERsixweeks,GovindPratap Kurmi (28) would havebeen happilymarried. The datewas yet to be finalised but thearrangements had started. Hehad asked his employer to holdhis salary for twomonths for aconsolidatedpaymentwhichhecould use for the wedding ex-penses.However,anaccident, inwhich he was among the fourkilledonWednesdaynight,shat-teredthoseplans,saidhisfamily.His brother-in-law Deen

Dayal Kurmi said, “Hehadbeensavingfortheweddingthatwasscheduled for nextmonth. Thisisveryunfortunate.”Govindhadbeenworkingat

Chacha’s Take Away restaurantsinceDecember2021.Hestayedin a rented room inChakkarpurvillage. Youngest among threesiblings,hehadcometoGurgaonfromavillage inDamohdistrictinMadhyaPradeshtomakealiv-ing. He was paid Rs 14,000 amonth as a delivery boy at therestaurant.“He was supposed to get

married last year. But, themar-riagewasdelayedduetotheon-setof thesecondwaveofCovid,”saidDeenDayal.Outside the DLF Phase I po-

licestation, thevictims’ familieswere united in grief as they re-

peatedly brokedownwhile po-lice recordedtheir statements.Birender Mandal said his

younger brother Jitendra, whowas among the victims, used tosend money to his wife inSitamarhi,Bihar,everymonthfortheir sons’ education. “Hewas acook,andwantedhistwosonstohaveaccess toqualityeducationand a bright future. He had notbeenpaidforseveralmonthsbuthenevercomplained.Duringthepandemic,whenworkwashardto come by, he had to borrowmoney from friends.Wo nahichaahta thaa ki uske bachhe isslinemeinaayen(Hedidnotwanthis children to follow his path).Whowilltakecareofhiswifeandchildrennow?”heasked.Hesaidhisbrotherhadcome

to Gurgaon in 2004 and hadworked as a cook at severalplaces. “He wanted to build apucca house in his village andopen a dhaba. All their dreamsarenowin limbo,”headded.RajnishMandal(21),nephew

of Jitendra, had startedworkingas a helper at the same restau-ranta fewmonthsago.“Jitendra had got him this

job. They stayed in a rentedroom inChakkarpur village. HewaspaidonlyRs7,000amonthfor a 13-hour job. He was soyoung. It is tragic that all theselivesweresnuffedout.Wehopethat the families of the victimsget compensation and that theaccused gets the harshest pun-ishment,” said Rajnish’s elderbrother,ManishKumar.

No consensus overearly release of 1993Delhi blast convict

Study finds over 9khouseholds live onYamuna floodplains

DU’s centenary celebrations tokick off from May 1, says V-C

(Fromtopleft) JitendraMandal,GopalSingh,GovindPratapKurmi

PRESSTRUSTOFINDIANEWDELHI,MARCH3

DESPITEHIS“poorhealthcondi-tion”and“vegetativestate”,somemembers of a board reviewingthe sentence of Davinder PalSinghBhullar,a1993Delhibombblast case convict, are not infavour of his early release, argu-ing that the “dreaded terrorist”was behind the death of severalpeople,sourcessaidonThursday.However, Home Minister

Satyendar Jain, who heads theseven-memberSentenceReviewBoard (SRB), during a recentmeetinghadpointedoutthatthedirections of the Centre to givespecialremissiontoBhullarwerebindingontheDelhigovernment.“The direction for remission

ofBhullar’ssentenceweremadebytheCentreexercisingitsrightsunder Article 161 of the

Constitution, and therefore theDelhi government ought to re-lease him,” the sources quotedJainassayingduringthemeeting.The Board had on

Wednesday deferred the deci-sion on the early release ofBhullar,whoiscurrently lodgedin Amritsar jail. It also decidedtoexaminethe legalpositionoftheboardregarding its call onamatter and if the issue shouldbe directly placed before L-GAnil Baijal for a final decision,sources said.The Ministry of Home

Affairs, in a letter to the ChiefSecretaryofDelhionSeptember29,2019,hadinformedthestategovernment about its decisiontogivespecialremissiontoeightSikhprisonersfacinglifeimpris-onment, including Bhullar, onthe occasion of commemora-tionof the550thbirth anniver-saryof GuruNanakDev.

EXPRESSNEWSSERVICENEWDELHI,MARCH3

DELHIUNIVERSITY(DU)willbe-ginitscentenarycelebrationsonMay1thisyear,Vice-ChancellorYogeshSinghThursdaysaidatapressconference.Theuniversityhas planned year-long celebra-tionswhichincludescommem-orations as well as long-termplans,includingtheconstructionof hostels, new buildings andstartingnewcourses.May1marksthe foundation

dayoftheuniversity.“Centenarycelebrations are historic. Such

opportunities comeafter a longwaitof a100years. It isamatterofprideforallpeopleassociatedwith the University thatwe aregetting theprivilege tobeapartofthishistoricevent,”saidSingh.Reiterating his previous an-

nouncement,SinghsaidDUstu-dents whose studies remainedunfinished would be given a“centenary chance” to finishtheirstudiesandobtaintheirde-grees.Healsoinformedthat,forthe

firsttime,technicalcoursesshallbestartedintheUniversitysuchas B.Tech. in Computer Science& Engineering, Electronics &

Communication and ElectricalEngineering, and UG and PGcourses in Management andEconomics at Campus of OpenLearning.Singhreleasedthecentenary

tagline and logo created byKratikaKhinchi,astudentofGargiCollege, based on entries thatwere invited from the studentsthroughanopencompetition.Singh said the celebrations

would begin onMay1with therelease of theUniversity’s com-memorative stamp. He said acommemorative coin and aCoffee Table Bookwere also inthepipeline.

ABHINAYAHARIGOVINDNEWDELHI,MARCH3

WHOLIVESonthefloodplainsofthe Yamuna in Delhi andwhatdo they do? A report launchedThursday, ‘Bottom-UpMappingof the Yamuna’, sought to an-swer these questions bymap-ping the floodplains along the22-km stretch of the river thatflows throughthecity.As many as 56 bastis, with

about 9,350 households, androughly 46,750 people, are onthe floodplains, Zone O in themasterplan,thereportfound.Ofthetotalnumberofhouseholds,a little more than half (4,835)practise farmingas a livelihood.Others relyondailywagework,fishing, nurseries, and animalherding, as per the report, pre-pared by Social DesignCollaborative, members of theMainBhiDilli campaign, andBasti SurakshaManch.Theexercise consideredone

basti as having 15 or morehouses, with five people as theaverage size of a household. Adoor-to-door survey was notconducted, anda10%marginoferrorwouldhave to be factoredin,notedthepresentationmadeat the report'sonline launch.The presentation added that

the56bastisdonotfeatureinthecity’s listof JJ clusters.Thereportalsomarkstheevictionsthathavetakenplacealongthefloodplains,includingcontinuingonesfortheDDA’s Yamuna floodplain

‘restoration’project.Athree-memberexpertcom-

mittee,constitutedontheNGT’sorders in 2013, had said that allcattle farms, farmhouses, andnurseries on the active flood-plains must be relocated. TheDDA is undertaking a project torestorethefloodplains,whichin-cludes walkways, cycle tracks,creatingwetlands,plantingtrees,andeco-tourismactivitiesalongtheentirestretchoftheriver.Thefirst phase involves removal ofencroachmentsalongthestretch.On the DDA’s plans, Pooja,

who lives and runs anursery onthefloodplainsnearCWGvillage,where a section of the project isproposed, said at the launch, “Itwouldbegoodiftheycanaccom-modateusalongwiththe jheel.”TheNGTinanorderissuedin

2015,whilehearing amatter re-latedtopollutionof theYamuna,hadsaidthatagriculturalactivityneedstobestoppedimmediatelytill theYamuna is “restored to itsoriginal status”. Theworry thenwasthatpollutedwaterfromtheYamunawas being used to irri-gate the farmlands.Members oftheorganisationsthatconductedthestudy,however,saidThursdaythatfarmersalongthefloodplainsusegroundwaterfor irrigation.Thestudymakesrecommen-

dationsincludingthatofintegrat-ingthedevelopmentprojectwithfarming,making farming viablebyprovidingwelfare schemes tofarmersalongwithtrainingforor-ganic farming, andrehabilitationifevictionmustberesortedto.

SENTENCEREVIEWBOARDSPLIT

One was saving up for wedding,another for his kids’ education

The impactwassuchthatthemotorcycleswerecompletelycrushed

Bailpleaofaccusedinmulti-crheistcasedismissedGurgaon:Observing thatallfactsrevealthatitwasamulti-crore burglary bygangsterVikasLagarpuriain criminal conspiracywith thepetitioner, a dis-trictcourtWednesdaydis-missedthebailapplicationof an accused in theGurgaonheist case. In anorder on March 2, thecourt said, “The name ofthepresentpetitionerhasclearlyappearedinthedis-closure statementmadebyASI Vikas and even anamount of Rs 3.90 crorehas also been producedvoluntarily by the peti-tionerhimselfattheofficeof theSpecialTaskForce.”

GGSIPUstartsonlineadmissionprocessNew Delhi: The GuruGobind Singh IPUniversity has started itsonlineadmissionprocessfor the academic year2022-23,withmorethan40,000 seats on offer forits various courses. Theuniversity has alsolaunched six new pro-grammes in the comingacademicsession.ENS

BRIEFLY

Total VacantHOSPITAL BEDS 10,771 10,638ICU BEDS 2,418 2,357

CORONAVIRUSIN THECAPITAL

VACCINATIONS INLAST24HOURS39,396

NOIDAMar2 Mar3

Cases 34 31Deaths 0 0GURGAONCases 118 132Deaths 0 0

PATIENTS INHOSPITAL: 90OXYGENSUPPORT 29VENTILATORSUPPORT 11

DELHI: TOTALCASES18,60,887

Cases Recoveries Deaths TestsMar2 325 440 1 40,284Mar3 326 388 3 42,542Total 1,588* 18,33,169 26,130 3,65,05,716*Total active cases inDelhi

New Delhi

Inviting investors, angel investors, venture capitalists and all residents of Delhi to interact, support andinvest in over 100+ promising startups led by budding student entrepreneurs of Delhi Government Schools.Delhi Government school students have taken up the challenge to take our country’s economy forward by

becoming job providers rather than job seekers.

Mark your calendarsTomorrow, 10 am- 5 pm,

at Thyagraj Stadium, Delhi

Directorate of Education, Govt of NCT of Delhi

100+ START-UPSWAITING FORYOU100+ START-UPSWAITING FORYOUINVESTMENT SUMMIT

& EXPO

Delhi Government School Students are nowbecoming Job Creators instead of Job Seekers

Register on : thebusinessblasters.in

DIP

/Sha

bdar

th/D

/022

6/21

-22

WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM

THEINDIANEXPRESS,FRIDAY,MARCH4,2022

6 DECISION 2022U T T A R P R A D E S H ● U T T A R A K H A N D ● P U N J A B ● G O A ● M A N I P U R

OTINGDEATHSSAWNEWPUSHFORREPEAL

In yet another Manipur election,AFSPA poll talk but not poll issueNaga-dominatedUkhrul saysangeroverAct remainsbutwon’t influencevotingcomeMarch5

TORAAGARWALA&JIMMYLEIVONUKHRUL (MANIPUR)MARCH3

SHEMAYshyawayfromtalkingabout politics, butmention theArmedForcesSpecialPowersAct(AFSPA), and Ukhrul’s SopemSoyarpem Shangchiri, 24, says:“It’s simple. AFSPAmust go.Wehave lost far toomany lives.”Like Sopem, everyone in

Ukhrul, the Tangkhul NagaheartlandofManipur,hasasim-ilarviewonthecontroversialAF-SPA,whichgivessweepingpow-ers to the armed forces in‘disturbedareas’.While its repeal has long

been a demand across theNortheast, itgotarenewedpushlastDecember,afterthedeathof14Nagaciviliansinabotched-upsecurity ambush in Oting,Nagaland. Itsrippleswerefelt inManipur, hometoa largepopu-lation of Nagas, which also sawprotestsover the incident.The far-reaching resonance

ofAFSPA isnot lostonparties intheManipur poll race. BarringtheBJP,all, fromtheCongress tothe little-known Kuki People’sAlliance (KPA), have AFSPA re-pealon theirmanifestos.But thepeopleofUkhrul say

they know better. “Honestly,when parties put it on theirmanifesto, we have a laughabout it,” says an entrepreneurfromUkhrultown,whodoesnotwish to be named. “Electionscome,AFSPA(issue)comes,elec-tionsgo,AFSPAalsogoes.”While a state can recom-

mend the repeal of AFSPA, it isthe Centre that decides. “Sowhile we feel strongly about it,the issue takesabackseatwhenwevote,” shesays.Scarred by multiple insur-

gencies,Manipur has borne theimpact of AFSPA—whether theMalomMakhaLeikaiincidentof2000,where10civiliansdied infiringbythe8thAssamRifles,orthe killing and alleged rape ofThangjamManorama in 2002,which led towomenprotestingnaked in front of the historic

KanglaFortof Imphal.AschoolteacherinUkhrulre-

callshowwhenhewasinClass3,theAssamRifleshadopenedfirenear their school, leading to thedeath of a student. “Such inci-dents are rare now, but alongcomesanOting,andsuddenlyithits... itcouldhappenstoustoo.”AMeitei civil society leader

inImphalsaysAFSPAmaynotbean electoral issue also becausepolls“panoutverydifferentlyinManipur”. “They are shaped bytherelationshipwith thecandi-date,money,musclepower.”Activist Irom Sharmila’s un-

successfulelectoralforayin2017is an example. Ending her 16-year-longhunger strike in2016,Sharmilahad jumped intoelec-toralpoliticsunderthebannerofanewparty,People’sResurgenceand Justice Alliance (PRJA). Shegotbarelyahundredvotes.PRJA is still registered as a

party, but is not contesting theelections. Its young activistshope to make a comeback.Leichombam Erendro, PRJA’sformer convenor, says they lostbecause theelectoratewas “notready” for issues likeAFSPAyet.

“Electionsarenotfoughtoncon-crete issues in Manipur... Theelectorate ismore interested infreebies... And I don’t blamethem...Aslongaspovertyisabigissue,itwillbelikethat,”hesays.Erendrowasincidentallyde-

tained last May under the NSAforaFacebookpost.Others point out that

whether it decides elections ornot, it iswelcomethatAFSPAre-mains a talking point. ShimriRaising, president of theTangkhulKatamnaoSaklong,theapex student body of theTangkhul Naga tribe in Ukhrul,says:“Itgivesanassurancetothepublic that the government hastheir interests, their aspirationsinmind.Perceptionmatters.”AtarecentrallyinUkhrul,the

declarationagainstAFSPAbyfor-mer Nagaland Chief MinisterShurhozelieLiezietsuoftheNagaPeople’sFront (NPF)—apartnerintheBJP-ledgovernment—wasmetwith loudcheers.Manipur has in 11 Naga-

dominatedconstituenciesinall,with twoof theminUkhrul.ThehubofNagapolitics,and

also the home district of

ThuingalengMuivah,thegeneralsecretary of the NSCN (I-M),which is in talks with the gov-ernment over the Naga disputeof 60 years, Ukhrul wears itsNaga identity on its sleeve.Marking the boundary of thegroundwhereLiezietsuheldhisrally was a large mural ofMuivah, IsakChishiSwuandSSKhaplang, the three leaders ofthe Naga movement. BehindthemwereminiatureNagaflags.It is the flag that has been a

sticking point in the Naga talkssince2019.Closeby inhisoffice,RaisingsaystheNagaissueis“intheirblood”.“AFSPAtoo,buttheNaga issue ismain,”hesays.ThatiswhytheNPF,whichis

a Nagaland-based party, hassupportinNaga-dominateddis-tricts.“Ourmainagendaispeace.One,theNagasolutionshouldbereachedat theearliest, and two,AFSPAshouldberepealed,”saysAwangbowNewmai, presidentofNPF,Manipur.Ironically, while there is

angeragainsttherulingBJPoverfailure on both these fronts, thepartymightbeabletoshrugitoffdue to its partnershipwith the

NPF.Thoughnotinapre-pollal-liance, the two are expected totieupaftertheresultsif thisaidsgovernment formation.“When the Narendra Modi

government signed the frame-workagreementwiththeNSCN-IM in 2015, peoplewere happy.But there there has been noprogress,”saystheentrepreneurquoted earlier. Adds Raising,"The state government ofNagalandtookadecision,passedaresolutionagainstAFSPA.Whatdid Manipur do? Nothing. Atleast, showthere isan intent."AthisofficeinImphal,incum-

bent CMNBiren Singh doesn’tseemtoobotheredaboutAFSPAbeing an issue, perhaps on ac-countoftheNPFbacking.“PeoplearenotsobotheredaboutAFSPAnow. The relationship of the se-curity forceswith thepublichasbecome better,” claims Biren,who incidentally contested hisfirst election, in 2002, on theplankof “fightingAFSPA”.However, he is quick to

add:“Having said that, repeal ofAFSPA has been our govern-ment’scontinuingdemand,andwill remainso.”

SINCEITcametopowerin2014,theBJPhasnudgedtheCongressoutofallstates intheNortheast.Themostbitterof thosedefeatswasinManipur,whenthepartycouldnot formthegovernmentdespitebeing thesingle-largestafter2017.Sincethen,aseriesofsenior leaders have left theCongress. JAIRAM RAMESH,the AICC observer forManipur,who has been in the state for amonth now, leading theCongress campaign, speaks toTORAAGARWALA on the chal-lenges facing the party and itshopesof bouncingback.

TheCongresshadwon28seats in2017,but its strengthisnowdownto13.Whatdoyouthinkis thereason?Itwasnotapushexodus,but

a pull exodus. The BJP broughtinto play full force of moneypower,andalotofourcolleagues,including theManipur PradeshCongress Committee president(KonthoujamGovindas) left us.They were pulled by superiormoneypower.

WhycouldtheCongressnotholdthemback?The problem is not somuch

with theCongress, theproblemiswiththepeoplewhoare leav-ing. For example, inMeghalaya,Mukul Sangma (who jumpedship to the Trinamool Congressin November, which is now theprincipal opposition party inMeghalaya)hadmetbothSoniaand Rahul Gandhi. What didSushmita Dev (also in theTrinamool now) not get in theAssamCongress?Shehadevery-thing.Inallthesecases,wemadesincereefforts... but theirmindswere made up. In Manipur, Ihave heard that many peoplejoinedtheBJPbecausetheywerepromised their debts would besettled. TheCongress cannotdothat... we are not in power. Theexodushasmoretodowithper-sonal ambitions and priorities,rather than theCongressparty.

Howwill itaffect theCongress?We have lost people. How

can we deny the evidence?While well-known faces haveleft, theCongresshas retaineda

largecadreanditssupportbase.Butyes,ithasbeendamagingforus... we have been weakened.Wedon’t have a government intheNortheast,asituationwhichis dramatically different from,say,2017.

HowistheCongressplacedinthiselection?Under the best of circum-

stances, elections in Manipurareverychallenging,becauseofthefinancialaspect, lawandor-deraspect...However, this elec-tion is even more challengingbecausenormally itwould be aBJPversusCongresscontest,butnowwe have regional partieslike the NPP (National People’sParty), JD(U)... all contesting anumber of seats, making a de-terminedeffort.

Haveyoureachedouttotheseparties?All depends on 10thMarch

(results).Wearehopingwewill

getamajorityonourown.But ifpushcomestoshove,wearepre-paredtoworkwithanypoliticalparty, provided they sever tieswith the BJP. (The NPP is an al-liancepartneroftheBJP-ledNDAat the Centre, also a partner inthe current coalition govern-mentinManipur,butcontestingon itsownthis time.)

Manysaypre-2017,15yearsoftheOkramIbobiSinghgovernmentwereturbulent...Twopeople transformed the

Northeast.OnewasTarunGogoiin Assam and the second, IbobiSinghinManipur.Bothcameatatimewhen insurgencywasat itspeak in their respective states,both had 15-year tenures, andbothmanagedtoputtheirstatesback on track. Thingswere verytenseinManipur,andittookhimfour-five years to settle it. Ibobiwasverytoughonlawandorder...HestoodfirmonManipur,ontheNagaissue,onterritorialintegrityofManipur.Thesewerenon-ne-gotiable.Hehadagoodrecord.

ButtheBJP isclaimingtheyaretheoneswhohavebroughtstability,peaceandnormalcytoManipur…The BJP is an expert in four

Rs: recycling, repackaging, re-branding and renaming.Whatever theyare takingcreditfornow, thework started inourtime. Like the rail link betweenJiribam-Imphal,70%of theworkwas done by 2017. But they arecertainly far more aggressivemarketers... One telling statisticgivestherealpictureofManipur:as of recently, only 48% hadtakenadoubledoseof vaccine.

TheCongress isoftenaccusedof ignoringthehilldistricts inthestate...Whatareyourprospects this time?Wehaveanumberof strong

candidates in the hills, andwewilldowellifafreeandfairelec-tiontakesplace,andif thereisnointimidation.TheBJPtalksabout‘goingtothehills’,butthetruthisthat Autonomous DistrictCouncil(ADC)electionshavenotbeen held in the last three-fiveyears. If you reallywant to go tothe hills, then hold elections totheADCs.

MAULSHREESETHLUCKNOW,MARCH3

FOR THE final lap of the UttarPradeshelections,Congressgen-eral secretary Priyanka GandhiVadrahasmovedintoVaranasi’sKabirChauraMutt.Thechoiceofherstaytilltheendofcampaign-ing on March 5 is significant,given Vadra’s pitch that votersshouldriseabovecasteandreli-gion to exercise their franchise,andgivenVaranasi’scentralitytotheBJP’sHindutvaproject.Among those also camping

in Varanasi from Thursday tillMarch 5 is Prime MinisterNarendraModi.HeisstayingataRailway guesthouse in what ishis LokSabhaconstituency.Kabir ChauraMutt iswhere

Kabir, the15th-centurypoetandsaintwho preached against or-

thodoxy across all religions andcastes,grewupandspentalargepart of his life in. It compriseseight-10 rooms andhallswherevisitorswhowanttocanstay.Congress leaders said Vadra

would bemaking themutt herbaseasshecampaignsacrossthePurvanchal region that votesnext, onMarch7.Pramod,who looksafter the

functioning of the mutt, saystheygetvisitors fromacross thecountry. “We are open to all.Priyankaji,Yogiji,Modiji,anyonecanstayhere. It is anashramforallwhobelieve inKabir.”VadraarrivedearlyThursday

and interacted with the muttPeethadeshwar. Later, sheheldaroadshow inVaranasi and cam-paignedinnearbydistricts.Reiterating her call to voters

tonotgobycasteandreligionastheBJP,SPandBSPwantedthem

to, Vadra said: “Chutta janwaraapka khet charta hai toh kyacharne se pehle poochchta hai kikiskakhethai.Hindukakhethaikimusalmanka(Dostraycattle,be-fore destroying your field, askwhose field is it? A Hindu or aMuslim’s)?Whenmehengai(in-flation)hitsyou,doesitknockon

your door and askwhat is yourreligion or caste?... Does beroz-gari (unemployment)?”Vadra’s appeal notwith-

standing, the Congress has asteepuphillbattleinVaranasi,allof whose eight Assembly seg-ments were won by the BJP in2017. The BJP top brass and

Sangh leaders have been sta-tionedhere toensurea repeat.VaranasiSouthconstituency,

whichcoversKabirChauraMutt,has been represented continu-ously by the BJP for asmany asthree decades, since 1989. In2017, the BJP replaced its eight-term MLA Shyamdev RoyChaudhary with NeelkhandTiwari.When Tiwari also won,hewas inductedasminister.The BJP has again fielded

Tiwari, while the Congress haschosen newcomer MuditaKapoor, an architect, classicalsinger and social worker. Amarathon held as part of theCongress’s ‘Ladki hun, lad saktihun’ campaign had attracted ahugecrowdinVaranasidistrict .Withabout40%of its2.72 lakh-oddvoterswomen,theCongressis hoping both of this translatesintosupport forKapoor.

THE EXPRESSINTERVIEW

WITH

JAIRAMRAMESHAICCOBSERVER,MANIPUR

LALMANIVERMAVARANASI,MARCH3

HOURSTOgoforPrimeMinisterNarendra Modi’s visit to theKashiVishwanathTemplehere,theshrineattheheartofhisam-bitiousprojectreshapingthecitysawhecticfinishingtouchesbe-ingputonanothermakeover.So when Modi did offer

prayersonSundayFebruary27,itwasatasanctumsanctorumlit-erallyglitteringwithgold.An official of the temple

trustsaidthegoldplatingof theinner walls, using 37 kg gold,was completedover threedays

— February 25 to 27 — thoughthe exercise for it began a fort-night ago.In the next phase, gold plat-

ingwould be done of the outerwalls.The official, who did not

want to be named, said ananonymousdevoteefromSouthIndia had donated over 60 kggold to the temple, specifyingthat 37 kg of it be used for goldplating the innerwalls.BJPsourcessaidthebusiness-

manwanted 37 kg for the innerwalls as thiswas “equivalent tothe weight of” Modi's motherHeeraben. According to partyleaders,thebusinessmanfeltthis

wasoneway fordevotees to ex-press gratitude toModi for “hiscontribution” to the temple andsurroundings, through buildingof thecorridor totheGanga.Officialssaidthelasttimethe

temple saw gold plating waswhen Maharaja Ranjit Singhfrom Punjab had offered about23mann (1mann is more than35kg)ofgoldtocoverthedome,in the 18th century. “This is thefirsttimesuchahugequantityofgoldhasbeendonatedbysome-one for the temple. Earlier, peo-ple donated gold in the form ofjewellery,”thetrustofficialsaid.Theoriginal innerwallshave

marble upto a height of 12 feet

andredsandstoneabove, all theway to the dome. The templetrustofficialsaidpatcheshadap-pearedonthemarbledueto thesmokeofdiyas litforprayers,andcouldnotbecleaneddespitesev-eralefforts.So a fortnight ago, a layer of

silicon fibre was laid over themarble and sandstone. Copperframeswerealsopreparedofthesculptures of gods and goddessandHarHarMahadevcarvedonthe marble, and gold platingdoneof thesameandthewalls.Theofficial said the silveron

thefourdoorframesofthesanc-tum sanctorumwould also bereplacedwithgoldverysoon.

Om PrakashMishra, the ar-chak (priest)at thetemple, said:“Gold plating has enhanced theaura of the temple. It glitterswhenlightsareswitchedon.”Headdedthatthetemplewouldbeoneof itskindwhengoldplatingisdoneofthedoorframesaswellasouterwalls.Deepak Agarwal, Divisional

Commissioner,VaranasitoldTheIndianExpress: “Wereceived in-formation that 60 kg gold hadbeen anonymously donated tothe temple in the formof adec-orative structure. Thedonor gotthe structuremade by a Delhi-based jeweller, who came andinstalled it in the garbh griha

(sanctum sanctorum). The re-maininggoldwillbeinstalledinthe tower structure. The donorremained anonymous and onlydetails of the structure weremadeavailable.”Onwhether gold equivalent

tothePM’smother’sweighthadbeenused for the innerwalls ofthe sanctum sanctorum,Agarwaldeclined tocomment.Backingtheideaofgoldplat-

ing,anofficialsaid,“If somebodydonates gold and other valu-ables,otherpeoplecannotseeit.Butsincethegoldhasbeenusedfor plating, pilgrims and all vis-itors can see it. They will blessthedonor.”

The innerwallsof goldat thesanctumsanctorum. Express

Vadraat theKabir temple inVaranasi, Thursday.PTI

AmuralwiththethreebigNaga leaders inUkhrul, thesiteof arecentpoll rally. ToraAgarwala

S H O WS I D E

In final blitz as elections wrap up, Priyanka seeks tomake a point with her Varanasi address: Kabir mutt

I Hereby DeclareTheUttar Pradesh ElectionWatch andAssociation forDemocratic Reforms(ADR) have analysed assets of 4,406 out of 4,442 candidates contesting in theUPAssembly polls. The average assets stand at Rs 2.87 crore. The percentage of

crorepatis has increased, to 39%, from 30% in 2017.

THERICHEST

ZERO-ASSET CANDIDATES

CROREPATISAparty-wisebreakdownofcandidates

RLD: 94% (31)

BJP: 90% (335)

SP: 87% (302)

BSP: 79% (315)

ApnaDal(Sonelal) : 71% (12)

SBSP: 68% (13)

Cong: 50% (198)

KailashKumar (BahujanMuktiParty,Atrauli inAligarh);RajmaniMishra (Independent,Nizamabad inAzamgarh);RajaBabu (Independent, Jalesar inEtah);RahulPratapSingh(Independent, Jalesar inEtah);VijayKumar (AAP,Khaga inFatehpur);ManojYadav (BahujanMuktiParty,Malhani in Jaunpur);Priti (RashtraNirmanParty,Meerapur inMuzaffarnagar)

SHIVNARAINRAJPUROHIT

THE POOREST

■ NawabKazimAliKhan,Cong,RampurASSETS:`296crore

■ ShahAlam(GudduJamali),AIMIM,Mubarkpur(Azamgarh)ASSETS:`195cr

■ SupriyaAron,SP,BareillyCantonmentASSETS:`157cr

■ DeepakSrivastava,AamJantaParty, Siswa(Maharajganj)ASSETS:`500

■ ShivCharanLal,Independent,Etmadpur(Agra)ASSETS:`1,000

■ AmbedakariHasanuramAmbedakari,Independent,Kheragarh(Agra)ASSETS:`1,100

‘If push comes to shove, wecan work with any party,given it severs ties with BJP’

UKHRUL

Imphal

Manipur

UKHRULDISTRICTUKHRULSEAT(ST)2017:Congwonby300votes;Runner-upBJP2012:NPFwonby70votes;Runner-upCong

CHINGAISEAT(ST)2017:NPFwonby700votes;Runner-upBJP2012:Congwonby800votes;Runner-upIndependent

God meets gold meets faith in ‘PM’s works’ at Kashi Vishwanath Temple

New Delhi

GOVERNMENT OF ASSAMOFFICE OF THE COMMISSIONER OF

TRANSPORT, ASSAMPARIBAHAN BHAWAN, JAWAHARNAGAR,

KHANAPARA, GUWAHATI-22PH No.-0361-2304110 (O): E.mail- report.ctassam@gmail.com

Website- https://www.comtransport.assam.gov.in

No. CT/MV/264/2022/971 Dated Guwahati, the 3rd March 2022

Invitation for Application for setting up ofAutomated Testing Station in Assam

The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH),Govt. of India has prescribed rules under the Central MotorVehicles (Twenty First Amendment) Rules, 2021 videNotification No. G.S.R 652 (E) dated 23rd September 2021for setting up of Automated Testing Station in the country.The Commissionerate of Transport, Assam invitesapplication for Setting up of “Automated Testing Station”in Assam as per the Central Motor Vehicles (Twenty FirstAmendment) Rules, 2021.Application form and details are available onhttps://www.comtransport.assarn.gov.in/For any query, email at ats.assamtransport@gmail.com orWhatsApp at 9531107518.

Sd/-Joint Commissioner of Transport, Assam

JANASANYOG/D/16623/21 Khanapara, Guwahati-22

DELHICONFIDENTIAL

SILENT VISITAFTERSPENDINGthreedays inthenationalcapital,TelanganaChiefMinisterandTRSsupremoKChandrsekharRaowillleavefor Ranchi on Friday for a lunchmeetingwith his JharkhandcounterpartandJMMleaderHemantSoren.Contrarytoexpec-tations,KCRdidnothaveanymajorpoliticalmeetingsinDelhi.HemetBKURakeshTikait andBJP's SubramanianSwamyonThursday. But thatwas about it. Swamy, incidentally, hadmetWestBengalChiefMinisterMamataBanerjeewhenshewasinDelhi inNovember. Sources saidKCR andhiswife had somemedicalcheckupsonTuesdayandWednesday.WiththewarinUkraineandtheevacuationof Indianstrappedthereemergingasamajorconcern,somemayarguethatthetimingofhisDelhivisitwasperhapsnotright.

IN PM’S PRAISEWITHUNIONministerswelcoming Indian students beingflownback fromUkraine,Minister of State for Defence AjayBhattonThursdaymorningturnedupatHindonairbasetore-ceiveafreshbatchofevacuees.Butalongwithwelcomingthem,andappreciatingtheIndianAirForceofficers,Bhattdedicateda large part of his speech praising PrimeMinister NarendraModi. “Hadwenot got the leadership ofModi, I don't knowwhatwouldhavebeenthesituationtoday,”hesaid,andcom-paredthePrimeMinister'sconcerntothatofparentsofthestu-dents.Heendedhisfive-minutespeechbysayingthat“lifehasbeen saved because ofModi’s efforts, and everythingwill befine”.After“BharatMataki jai”,Bhatteventriedtogetthestu-dentstochant“Modi jizindabad”.

MONKEY HEADACHESUPREMECOURT on Thursday invited tenders fromhouse-keeping agencies to providemanpower to drive awaymon-keysatresidentialbungalowsofjudges.Theperiodofcontractwill be initially for sixmonths from the date of award of thecontract. The contractmay be extended if the serviceswerefoundtobesatisfactory,saidanotice.Itsaidthecontractorshallberesponsibleforanyclaimofdamagesthatmayariseduetoanyaccidentandconsequentinjurytoanyoneandnoliabilityshall restontheSCRegistry.

7THEINDIANEXPRESS,FRIDAY,MARCH4,2022

WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM

GOVT& POLITICS

EXPRESSNEWSSERVICENEWDELHI,MARCH3

THE SIXTH phase of the UttarPradeshAssemblyelectionswit-nessed a voter turnout of 55.15per cent till 7pm, adipof nearly1percentagepoint vis-a-vis the2017Assemblyelectionsandal-most same as compared to the2012 polls, according to theElectionCommissiondata.According to the EC's data,

Ambedkar Nagar districtrecorded the highest turnout at62.22 per cent, followed byMaharajganj at 59.63 per cent.The lowest turnout was, how-ever, recorded in Balrampur,whereonly48.64percentof theeligiblevoters cast theirvote.In the 2017 election aswell,

Ambedkar Nagar had recordedthe highest turnout in the fifthphaseat64.05percent,followedbyMaharajganjat62.21percent.Theprominent faces among

676candidates inthisphase, in-

cluded Chief Minister YogiAdityanath from GorakhpurUrbanandstateCongresspresi-dent Ajay Kumar Lallu fromTamkuhiRaj.The nine Assembly con-

stituencies in Yogi Adityanath'shometurfofGorakhpurhogged

the limelight in thisphase,withthe CM contesting from theGorakhpur Urban seat againstSamajwadi Party's ShubhawatiShukla.FromDeoria, ShalabhMani,

themediaadvisortotheCM,wasgiventheBJPticket.Besides,Lallu

isalsovyingforathirdtermfromTamkuhiRaj,wherehewaspit-tedagainstBJP'sAsimKumar.Of the 57 seats, the BJP had

won 46 in the 2017 Assemblyelections, followed by the BSP(5), and the SP (2) and BJP's allyApnaDal(Sonelal)alsomanagedto win one seat. In the 2012Assembly elections, however,the SP hadwon 32 seats, whilethe BJP managed to win onlyeight.Around 2.15 crore people

were expected to exercise theirfranchise at nearly 25,326polling booths and 13,936 cen-tres spread over 57 constituen-cies in 10 districts in the fifthphase,thevotingforwhichcom-menced at 7 amand concludedat6pm.The districts where polling

was held on Thursday wereAmbedkarnagar, Balrampur,Siddharth Nagar, Basti, SantKabir Nagar, Maharajganj,Gorakhpur, Kushinagar, DeoriaandBallia.

PRESSTRUSTOFINDIAJAUNPUR,CHANDAULI (UP),MARCH3

PRIME MINISTER NarendraModi on Thursday accused theoppositionoftryingtodivideso-ciety for votes at a time whenIndia needs to be strong to dealwith "serious challenges" theworld faces.Thepossiblereferencetothe

war in Ukraine came at a pollmeetingduringwhichModialsosaidtheBJP'svictoryintheUttarPradesh Assembly elections isnecessary to ensure that thestate continues on the path ofdevelopment.Addressing a rally in

Chandauli, the PM termed thepollalliances forgedbytheBJP'srivals as "adulterated" and saidthese "dynasts" are still stuck inthe old politics of tie-ups withthemafia.Healsoaddressedan-otherpollmeeting in Jaunpur."The time for serious chal-

lenges for the whole world iscomingup.So,yourvoteismak-ing India strong to deal withthesechallenges,”hesaid.“Ononehand,therearethose

whoarebusydividingsocietyforvotes even at such times, whileontheothersidethere is theBJPand our allieswho are devotingthemselves wholeheartedly tothedevelopmentofthecountry,"headded.Inthepastsevenyears,theBJPhasdoneimportantworkforeveryone'sdevelopmentandmade sure that the benefits ofgovernment schemes reach theneedy,Modi said. "Wepractisedthepoliticsof 'SabkaSaath,SabkaVikas', insteadof votebankpoli-ticsanddiscriminationontheba-sisof caste,”hesaid."The alliance of the opposi-

tion is 'milawati gathbandhan'(adulteratedtie-up)whileoural-liance iswith thepeople.BeforetheBJPalliance,thedynastscan-notstand,"hesaid inanindirectreference to Akhilesh Yadav'sSamajwadiParty.

ARUNJANARDHANANCHENNAI,MARCH3

DAYSAFTERwinning theurbanlocal body polls with a thump-ing majority, the DMK onThursday released the list ofMayor and DeputyMayor can-didates, giving a sizeable num-berof thetoppoststoitsalliancepartners.The Congress, its most

prominent ally, got oneMayorand two Deputy Mayor posts,whiletheotherkeyallies—CPM,CPI, Thol Thirumavalavan’sVCKand Vaiko’s MDMK— have re-ceived one DeputyMayor posteach. The local body headswillbeelectedonFriday.Asmost of the DMK candi-

dates are set to win across thestate, considering themajority the ruling alliance enjoys in the

localbodies,Chennaiissettogetits firstDalitwomanasMayor.R Priya, 29, is the grand-

daughter of Chennai Sivam, aformer DMKMLA. MMaheshKumaristheDeputyMayorcan-didate in Chennai. The ChennaiMayor's post reserved forScheduledCastewomenhelpedPriya assume the key position,which was once held by ChiefMinisterMKStalin.Though thenumberof seats

it contested andwonwas rela-tivelylesserintheDMKalliance,teh Congress has got six presi-dentialcandidatestomunicipal-ities.TheCPMandtheVCKhavetwomunicipality heads each,andtheCPIandtheMDMKhaveoneeach.Besides Priya, the DMK has

deputed several women toMayorandDeputyMayorposts,

includingKalpanainCoimbatorecity corporation, an AIADMKbastion, where she would notonly be the firstwomanMayor,butalso the first fromtheDMK.Eleven of the 20Mayor and

five of the 15 Deputy Mayorposts have been assigned towomen. Kavitha Ganeshan inKarur, Indrani in Madurai,VasanthakumariKamalakannanfor newly created Avadi andTambaram corporations inChennai, Mahalakshmi Yuvarajfor Kancheepuram, SujathaAnandakumar for Vellore andSundari forCuddaloreare someof theotherwomenMayorcan-didatesof theDMK.When it comes to seat shar-

inginTamilNadu‘selectoralpol-itics,itusedtobeoftenapittancethat allies get fromeither of thetwoDravidianmajors.

Polls swept, DMK allies get big share of posts

TRADITIONALLY,ALLIEShavenotreceivedmuchtraction inseat-sharingformulaworkedoutbyTamilNadu'sbig twopar-ties. In thatcontext,evensmalleralliesgettingMayororDeputyMayorposts inurbanlocalbod-ies isbeingseenasan im-portantsteptowards in-clusivepolitics—amoveseenasanassurancetoalliancepartnerswithaneyeonlong-termgoals.

OutreachwithaplanE●EX

PLAINED

HAMZAKHANJAIPUR,MARCH3

REPLYINGTO thebudget debatein the Assembly on Thursday,Rajasthan ChiefMinister AshokGehlot defended the govern-ment’sdecisiontoimplementtheOldPensionScheme(OPS)sayingthat it is “beingdiscussed acrossthe country and is a very senti-mentalandhumanitarianissue.”Quoting an article he had

writtenforsomenewspapers,theCM said that theHumanRightsCommissiontoohadsaidthattheNewPension System should bereconsidered. “The NationalJudicialPayCommissiontoohadsaid that this should not be im-plemented,”Gehlotsaid.Next, he said that the

ComptrollerandAuditorGeneral(CAG) had constantly pointedoutissueswiththeNPS,“(UnderNPS)allthemoneyisinvestedinthesharemarket.Nowhowdoesoneknowwhattheconditionofthe sharemarket will be in 30-40years?Themutual fundsand

sharemarketsfluctuates,whichhad led to concern among thepeople, that what will happenwhentheyretire.”Hesaidthat incontrast,peo-

ple knowOPS “and the countryhasdevelopedin70yearsduetoOPS. That experiment is beforeyou all…History is made bythosewhoareseriousabouthis-toryandappreciate it.”The CM also referred to an

The Indian Express articlewhichcriticisedthestategovernment'sdecision to implementOPS.“Iheardtoday–Ihaven’tread

–thataRajasthancadreIASoffi-cer who became the C&AG,made comments in The IndianExpressthatthisshouldn’tbeim-plemented. Iwant toask theof-ficialwhowrotethisarticle,thatwhen the scheme was imple-mentedin2004, if itwas imple-mented in a way that theschemewillbeimplementedforall the old employees and thenewemployees, then hewouldhaveknownhowthingsare…hewouldhaveknownwhathis fu-ture is,”Gehlot said.

Amid backlash, Gehlotdefends old pension plan

Opp dividing society whenIndia needs to be strong: PM

UPCMYogiAdityanathatapollingstation inGorakhpur.PTI

PRESSTRUSTOFINDIAVARANASI (UP),MARCH3

PRIMEMINISTERNarendraModion Thursday blamed previousgovernmentsforalargenumberof Indian students going abroadtopursuemedicaleducationandasserted that his dispensationhas beenworking to augmentthe number ofmedical collegessothatstudentscanenrolthem-selveswithinthecountry.In an interaction with stu-

dents who returned from thewar-hit Ukraine amid a large-scale evacuation exerciselaunchedbythegovernmentun-der "Operation Ganga", Modialsoempathisedwiththosestu-dents and their families who

haveexpressedtheiranger,evenathim, after facinghardships inUkraine. "I think it is natural forthemtofeelangry inthiscrisis,"hesaid.Whentheyarenolongeragitatedandwillbegintounder-stand themagnitude of the ex-ercise,theywillshowtheiraffec-tion as well, he said, as manystudentsexpressedtheirthanksto him and lauded his govern-ment for rescuing themwhentheyhad lostallhope.A strong India is the answer

to these troubles,Modi said, ex-pressinghissympathieswiththestudentswho, he added, had togo through such an experienceat a young age. "If medical edu-cationpolicieswererightearlier,then youwould not have to goabroad,"hesaid.

Modi blames past govtsfor students going abroad

UP: Turnout dips slightly in Phase6

QUOTES INDIANEXPRESSARTICLE INHOUSE

New Delhi

GOVT&POLITICS8 WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COMTHEINDIANEXPRESS,FRIDAY,MARCH4,2022

EXPRESSNEWSSERVICENEWDELHI,MARCH3

IN YET another setback to theMaharashtra government,SupremeCourtonThursday re-jected the interim report of theState Backward ClassesCommission,whichhadrecom-mendedrestorationof27%quotaforOtherBackwardClassesinlo-calbodies.“The report itself mentions

that the same isbeingpreparedin absence of empirical studyandresearchbythecommission.Having failed to do so, theCommission should not havefiled the interim report,” said abench of Justices A MKhanwilkarandCTRavikumar.“As a result, it is notpossible

to permit any authority, muchless the State ElectionCommission,toactupontherec-ommendationsmadeinthesaidreport.Forthetimebeing,wedonot intend to dilate on the cor-rectness of eachof the observa-tionsmade by the commissionin the interim report.We, how-ever, direct all concerned not toact upon the interim report assubmitted,” thecourt said.The bench also directed the

State Election Commission tonotifytheelectionprocess in lo-cal bodieswhere it is duewith-out furtherdelayandtocomplywithitsearlierorderbywhichithad directed that the OBC seatsbe treated as general categoryones.On December 6, 2021, the

apex court had stayed electionsto the 27per centOBC categoryinMaharashtralocalbodies,stat-ing that the state governmentbefore deciding to earmark thequota had not followed themandatorytriple-testlaiddownby it.The triple test requirement

isathree-prongedcriteriasetupby the top court in previousjudgments to mandate OBCreservation. It requiresthestate(1) to set up a commission to

conduct rigorous empirical in-quiry intothenatureandimpli-cationsof thebackwardnessqualocalbodies,withinthestate;(2)to specify the proportion ofreservation required to be pro-visionedlocalbodywiseinlightof recommendations of thecommission,soasnottofall foulof overbreadth; and (3) in anycase such reservation shall notexceedaggregateof 50percentof the total seats reserved infavourofSCs/STs/OBCstakento-gether.On December 15, Supreme

Court asked the Maharashtragovernment and State ElectionCommission to renotify the 27percentseatsreservedforOBCsas general category and holdelectionstothemalongwiththepolls to the remaining 73 percent.Subsequently, the state gov-

ernmentmoved an applicationurging the court to permit it toconduct the remaining electiononthebasisof information/dataalready available with it con-cerning theOBCcategory.The court, however, asked

the state to produce the dataavailable with it to theMaharashtra Backward ClassesCommission so that the com-mission canmake suitable rec-ommendationstothestategov-ernment.Following this,Maharashtra

againapproachedthecourt,say-ing it had provided the data tothe Backward ClassesCommission, which in an in-terim report, “thought it fit torecommend,torestoreandgrant27% reservation (which is al-readyprescribedbyvarious en-actments), excluding the areasnotifiedbythePESA(Panchayats(Extension to Scheduled Areas)Act,1996andsubjecttopermis-sible upper limit of 50% toBCC/OBC category in local self-governmenti.e.excludingstatu-tory reservationmeant for SCsandSTs”.But on Thursday, the court

refused toaccept the report.PRESSTRUSTOFINDIAISLAMABAD,MARCH3

A COURT in Islamabad onThursdayaskedIndiatoappointalawyerfordeath-rowprisonerKulbhushan Jadhav by April 13toarguehis case fora reviewofhis conviction and sentencingbyaPakistanimilitarycourt.Jadhav,a51-year-oldretired

Indian Navy officer, was sen-tenced to death by a Pakistanimilitarycourtonchargesofes-pionage and terrorism in April2017. India approached theInternational Court of Justice(ICJ)againstPakistanfordenialofconsularaccesstoJadhavandchallengingthedeathsentence.Afterhearingbothsides,the

Hague-based ICJ in July 2019askedPakistantogiveIndiacon-sular access to Jadhav and alsoensurereviewofhisconviction.The Islamabad High Court

formed a three-member largerbench comprising Chief JusticeAthar Minallah, Justice AmirFarooq and Justice MiangulHassan Aurangzeb in August2020whichhasrepeatedlyaskedIndiatonominatealawyerfromPakistan for Jadhav but NewDelhi so far refusedby insistingthat it shouldbegivena chancetoappointanIndianlawyer.Afterhearingargumentsby

Attorney General of PakistanKhalidJavedKhan, thecourtonThursdayaskedIndiatoappointa lawyer for JadhavbyApril 13.

ABHISHEKANGADRANCHI,MARCH3

JHARKHANDGOVERNMENTonThursdaypresentedRs1.01-lakhcrore budget for the next fiscal(2022-23)with a focus on capi-tal expenditure (capex) forboosting the infrastructure-ledgrowth,andsocialsectorforgiv-ingmoney in the hands of peo-ple.Therevenuereceiptsarees-timatedatRs83,025.16croreandrevenue expenditures at Rs76,273.30crore.After presenting the budget

in the Assembly, FinanceMinisterRameshwarOraontoldthemedia that the governmenthas increased the capex for the

thenext fiscal by around59% toRs24,827crorewhencomparedwith Rs 15,843.92-crore outlayforthecurrentfinancialyear.Thecapexwasaround16%of theto-talbudgetoutlayinFY’22,hikedto24.8% inFY ’23.Theoutlayforsocialsector is

Rs37,313crore,whichis37.3%ofthe total budget, against Rs23,003.16crore(25%)earmarkedinFY ’22.Oraonalsoannouncedsome

schemes,includingGurujiCreditCard Scheme to fund thehighereducation of students ‘withoutcollateral’ under which loan intherangeofRs10-20lakhwillbeprovided at ‘nominal’ interestrateatstate'sguarantee.Another major announce-

mentwasgivingonekilopulsespermonthtoeachfamilyatRe1to alleviate malnutrition. Thegovernment also announced toadd five-lakh beneficiaries toJharkhand State Food SecurityScheme.Itwillbeoverandabovethe allocations under theNationalFoodSecurityAct.

Newproposals■ Government will buy cattledung from farmers and convertit intobiogasandmanure.■People availing the PMAwasYojanawill get Rs 50,000 extrafrom the state government forconstructinganadditionalroom.■100unitsof power.■33newdegreecolleges/womencollegeswillbemadefunctional.

SHUBHAJITROYNEWDELHI,MARCH3

THEUSStateDepartmenthasre-calledacabletoAmericandiplo-matsthat instructedthemtoin-form counterparts from Indiaand the United Arab Emirate(UAE)thattheirpositionofneu-trality on Ukraine put them “inRussia’scamp,”Axios,aUSnewsoutlet, reportedonThursday.Thecable,ratedsensitivebut

unclassified,wassenttoUSem-bassies in nearly 50 countriesrepresented at the UNHumanRights Council onMonday, butwas recalled on Tuesday after-noon,Axios reported.“The language in question

wasneverintendedforclearanceandthecablewasreleasediner-ror,whichiswhyitwasrecalled,"a US State Departmentspokesperson said onWednesday.“Theinquirywasnottherea-

son for the recall.”AUSembassyspokesperson

in New Delhi told The IndianExpress on Thursday night, “Asthe [US State Department]spokesperson stated, the cableincluded inaccurate languageandwasreleased inerror.”The embassy spokesperson

said, “TheUnited States contin-ues to engagewithourpartnersin Indiaandaroundtheworldtodiscuss the importance of astrong collective response toRussia’s invasion of Ukraine.Indiahasexpresseditsdeepcon-cernoverthesituationinUkraine

andhasreiterated itscall for im-mediate cessation of violenceandanendtohostilities.AsIndiahas stated, ‘allmember states ofthe UnitedNations are not onlyobligedtofollowtheUNCharterbut to respect international lawandterritorial integrityandsov-ereigntyof states’.”On Wednesday, the UN

GeneralAssemblypasseda res-olution —with support of 141countries—“deploring”Russia'saggression against Ukraine.While India abstained; theUAEvoted for it.Lastweek,India,theUAEand

China abstained on a US-spon-sored Security Council resolu-tionthatcondemnedMoscow’s“aggression.” Russia ultimatelyvetoed it. The UAE's decision toabstainwas largely due to frus-trationsover theUSresponse toan attack on Abu Dhabi sixweeksearlier.Therecalledcablesuggested

some candid language for USdiplomats touse to try andper-suade India and the UAE tochange their positions.“Continuing to call for dialogue,as you have been doing in theSecurity Council, is not a stanceof neutrality; it places you inRussia's camp, the aggressor inthis conflict,” according to drafttalkingpointsinthecable,atem-plate for conversations withIndianandEmiratidiplomats.“Westronglyencourageyou

to take the opportunity to sup-port Ukraine in HRC [HumanRights Council], an opportunityyou failed toseize in theUNSC.”

EXPRESSNEWSSERVICETHIRUVANANTHAPURAM,MARCH3

THE CONGRESS is flirting with“softHindutva” and theparty isunabletotakeonthechallengestheideologyposes,CPI(M)gen-eral secretary Sitaram YechurysaidThursday.AstheBJPgovernmentatthe

Centre is “systematically andrapidly” advancing the “fascist,Hindutva project of the RSS”, itisalso“absolutelyimperative”toisolate the saffron party, headded.“Compared to the past, the

Congresstodayhasbeenconsid-erablyweakened. Andmany inthe BJP and the RSS do not seeCongress as a major threat.Becauseanyof its leaders,atanypointoftime,canleavethepartyto jointheBJP,”Yechurytoldthemedia during the party's stateconference inKochi.“What is required is a

stronger Left that can bring to-getherall secular forces.’’Accusingitof“playingintan-

dem”with the BJP in Kerala totake on the LDF government,Yechury said the Congress's“compromisingattitude”cannothelpinachievingtheobjectiveofremoving theBJP frompower.“Thecoreofthebattleagainst

BJP would be the independentstrengthof CPI(M), the strengthand unity of Left forces, thestrength and unity of Left anddemocratic forces,andfinallytogetthebroadestplatformofsec-ular forces to defeat HindutvaforcesandtheBJP,’’ he said.“Recently, Prime Minister

NarendraModi, inapre-scriptedinterviewtoaTVchannel,said...the Left is a dangerous ideologyand has to be defeated for thesuccessof theirproject.“Because,onlytheLeftiside-

ologically,politicallyandorgan-isationally able to take on thischallengewithout anycompro-mise,”headded.

27%QUOTA INLOCALBODIES

SC rejects reportof Maharashtrabackwardclasses panel

ExternalAffairsMinisterS JaishankarandCongress leaderRahulGandhi (pic: right)after theconsultativecommitteemeetingonUkraine inNewDelhionThursday.Anil Sharma

Appoint lawyerfor Jadhav byApril 13: Pakistancourt asks India

Infrastructure, social sector getlion’s share in Jharkhand budget

Congress flirting withHindutva, Left key infight with BJP: Yechury

US says neutrality putDelhi in Moscow camp;recalls cable: report

MANOJCGNEWDELHI,MARCH3

WHILECONGRESShasbeencrit-icalofthegovernment’shandlingof theevacuationof IndiansfromUkraine, a consultative commit-teemeetingoftheExternalAffairsMinistry on Thursday saw theOppositionmembers largely ap-preciating efforts of the diplo-matic corps,with RahulGandhisayingwar situations are alwayschallengingand“therearenoper-fectsolutionsinsuchsituations”.Oppositionmembers on the

panel, particularly Congress’sShashiTharoor,didpointoutthatthe government did not take“timelyaction”toget Indiansoutof Ukraine but, displaying a raregestureofbipartisanship,theyre-frainedfromindulginginapoliti-cal blamegameat the two-and-half hour meeting chaired byExternal Affairs Minister SJaishankar. Foreign SecretaryHarsh Vardhan Shringla have adetailedpresentationtotheMPs.TheOppositionMPs said the

atmosphere at themeetingwasvery“amicableandconstructive”.Themeetingwasattendedby

nineMPs– three fromCongress,two fromBJP andoneeach fromShivSena,RJD,YSRCPandBJD.Given that China andRussia

are growing closer, Rahul askedwhetherMoscow, India’s largestarms supplier, would now be-comemoredependentonBeijingfollowing severe sanctions im-posed by theWestern bloc andEuropeancountries.JaishankarislearnttohaverepliedthatIndiaistoobig a country andRussia un-derstandsIndia’s importance.Rahulalsoaskedwhetherthe

Russian attackwould become atemplate for China inArunachalPradesh and Ladakh. Jaishankarreplied that India is India andUkraineisUkraine.Rahularguedthatthegovern-

ment’sprioritynowshouldbe toget all Indian students out ofUkrainesafely.He,however,addedthat war situations are alwayschallenging.“Therearenoperfectsolutions in such situations,” hesaid,andappreciatedeffortsbeingtakenby the Indianofficials andthemission.Hourslater,heputouta tweet saying, “Evacuation is aDuty,notaFavour.”Tharoor askedwhy the gov-

ernmentditheredonevacuating

Indiansbeforethewarbrokeout,pointing out that theUSandUKasked their citizens to leave thecountryatleast10daysearlier.Hesaidwhile the government hassaid there are no Indians left inKyiv, videos circulating on socialmedia show Indians are stilltrappedintheUkrainiancapital.Tharoor reiterated his criti-

cismof thegovernment’s stancevisavistheRussianaggression.Heargued that India in its earlierspeechesattheUNfailedtoreiter-ate the “principles” that NewDelhialwaysstoodforininterna-tionalaffairs.HesaidIndiadidtalkabout the “principles” in its laterspeeches. Jaishankar repliedthatNewDelhi’s initial statementswere before thewar broke out.Tharoor countered, saying Indiadidnotunderscoretheprinciplesinitsfirstexplanationnoteonab-stention.HealsoaskedaboutNewDelhi’s assessment of Russia’sstrategic objectives and their in-tent.Thegovernment, it is learnt,wasnotforthcomingonthis.SeniorCongressleaderAnand

Sharmapointedout that India isinatightdiplomaticpositionandithas todoa“finebalancingact”.He saidNewDelhi cannot take a

partisanpositionand should en-gagewithbothsidesifithastouseitsinfluenceandgoodwill.Hesaidthelargernationalinterestshouldbeborne inmind. If India takesapartisanapproach,thereisapos-sibility that oneof the sidesmaynotengagewithNewDelhiatall.Against the backdrop of her

Twitter spat with AdamBurakowski, Ambassador ofPoland to India, Shiv Sena’sPriyankaChaturvedibroachedthetopic. Shesaid itwasnotrightonpart of theAmbassador to targetherandaskhernottospreadfakenews. It is learnt that Jaishankarempathisedwithher.TheBJP’sGVLNarasimhaRaosaidIndiaistheonlycountrywhichisconductingorganisedevacuations.Calling themeeting “excel-

lent”,TharoorinatweetthankedJaishankar andhis colleagues forgivinga“comprehensivebriefingandcandidresponsestoourques-tionsandconcerns”.“Thisisthespiritinwhichfor-

eign policy should be run,” hetweeted. “Frankdiscussionstookplaceinanamicableatmosphere,areminderthatwhenitcomestonational interests, we are allIndiansfirstandforemost...”

Govt briefs panel on Ukraine,OppMPs call meet amicable

REPORTBYNEWSOUTLETAXIOS

RAVIKBHATTACHARYAKOLKATA,MARCH3

THERISEof HamroParty,whichmeans‘OurParty’inNepali,intheHillswithinthreemonthsofitsin-ceptiontookmanybysurpriseonWednesdaywhenitwon18ofthe32wardsofDarjeelingmunicipal-ity, thereby stopping the rulingTrinamoolCongress’s juggernautinthehillydistrictofWestBengal.However, the results did not

surprise the party’s chief – 47-year-oldAjoyEdwards, a formerGNLF leader— and itsworkers.Their conviction stemmed fromovereightyearsof socialwork—most notably convertingEdwards’s iconic Glenary’sRestaurant in Darjeeling into aCovid-19 centre during the sec-

ondwave of the pandemic lastsummer. Edward andhis groupmembers’ efforts in arrangingoxygencylinders,medicines,foodhadwon the residents’ hearts.Also,thegroupiscreditedforlay-ingdown140roads,andotherini-tiativesintheHills.Buoyed by the civic poll re-

sults, theparty—which is yet tobe recognised by the ElectionCommissionandhasjustanameand flagwith ‘khukri’ symbol asitsidentity—hasnowsetitseyesonbecomingaprominentpoliti-cal force in theHills, longdomi-nated by TMC partner GorkhaJanmuktiMorcha(GJM)andBJP-backed Gorkha NationalLiberationFront(GNLF).The party counts “like-

mindedpeople”fromallwalksoflife—beitsocialworkers,bakery

owners,architectsandbusiness-men—amongitsranks.“Weare yet tohave a (party)

structureandportfolioslikepres-ident, vice-president, secretaryand others.Wehave submittedpapers to the ElectionCommission for recognition,”Edwards told The Indian Express

overthephonefromDarjeeling.Before forming the party on

November25,2021,Edwardsandhissupportersheldanonlinecon-testtochooseitsname.Thenamewasselectedfromtheshortlistedfive– JanShakti,JanKalyanParty,JanAwazandHamroParty.“We launched our party so

thatlike-mindedpeoplefromvar-iousbackgroundsandprofessionscould come together,” he said,maintainingthathispartywouldneveralignwiththeBJPorTMC.Edwardswasaclosefriendof

GNLF presidentMannGhising.After the rise of BimalGurung’sGJM, Edwardswas “forced” toleaveDarjeelingandspendhislifeinBagdografrom2007to2014.HisdifferenceswithGNLFfirst

appearedwhenhewasdeniedaticket to contest fromDarjeeling

during the2021Assemblypolls.Another reasoncited for the fall-outwas that Ghising allegedlykeptEdwardsinthedarkaboutameeting with Union HomeMinister Amit Shah last year ontheDarjeelingstatehooddemand.This,his closeaidessaid,was thefinal blow, and the restaurateurquittheGNLFinAugustlastyear.By the end of November, he

and his supporters formed theHamroParty.Initscivicpolldebut,theparty

fielded19women. It focusedoncivic issues, healthcareandbasicamenities.ItsleadersarguedthatDarjeelingmunicipalitycangen-erateRs100croreinrevenueandpromised free yearly healthcheck-up for senior citizens anddevelopmentoftourismthroughfreebiesanddiscounts.

EXPRESSNEWSSERVICENEWDELHI,MARCH3

PAKISTANHASassuredIndiathat“all necessary actions”will con-tinue to be taken to ensure freeflow of Fazilka drain into theSutlej, theMinistry of ExternalAffairs(MEA)saidonThursday.Theassurancewasgivendur-

ing the117th meeting of thePermanent Indus Commission(PIC),heldMarch1-3inIslamabad.The PIC comprises Indus

Commissionersofbothcountries.

Theissueofhydropowerprojectswas also discussed during themeeting,where the Indian sideconveyed that all its projects are“fullycompliant”withprovisionsoftheIndusWaterTreatyof1960,theMEAstated.“Duringthemeeting,technical

discussionswereheld regardingongoingprojects, includingPakalDul, Kiru and LowerKalnai. TheIndiansideunderscoredthatallitsprojects are fully compliantwiththeprovisions of the Treaty andprovidedtechnicaldetails insup-portof itsposition,”theMEAsaid

inastatement. “TheCommissiondiscussedtheexchangeofhydro-logicalandflooddata.”“Bothsidesdiscussedtheissue

of theFazilkadrain, andPakistanassuredthatallnecessaryactionswillcontinuetobetakentoensurethe free flowof Fazilkadrain intotheriverSutlej.”Thedevelopmentissignificant

as blockage of Fazilka drain inPakistan’sterritoryhasledtolarge-scale accumulationof untreatedwaterinIndianterritory.ThenextPICmeetingwill beheld inDelhi“onmutuallyconvenientdates”.

Pak assures all action to ensurefree flow of Fazilka drain: MEA

Running iconic eatery to civic body, a force emerges

AjoyEdwards

CIVICPOLLS INBENGALHILLS

New Delhi

THEINDIANEXPRESS,FRIDAY,MARCH4,2022

EXPRESSNETWORKWWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM

9

Among returnees, a sisterasks: ‘What about studentswho are caught in the war?’ANANDMOHANJNEWDELHI,MARCH3

THEAIRraidsirensstillringintheirearsandbruisedsolesfromfrostymidnightwalk to theborders ofUkrainetoescapethewarremindsthemofalifetheyleftbehind.Mostofthenearly800Indianstudents,whomade theirwaybackhomeon four IAF aircraft onThursday,hadtoleavetheirbooksandotherbelongingsbehindandtravelwithjust a single bag with a sparechangeofclothes.Some brought back with

them pets, from an AlaskanHusky tocats locked incages.Whenthestudentslandedat

Hindon Airbase in Ghaziabad,theydesperatelylookedforWiFiconnectiontosendamessagetotheirparentsthattheyweresafe.Thesecondsetofmessageswasimmediately sent to theirUkrainian friends praying thattheyreceivea reply.For Vishaka, a 21-year-old

medical student, it was a textmessage she has not receivedyet.Herbrother,KumarRaghav,20, was in Kharkiv, where in-tense fighting between Russianand Ukrainian troops is under-way. She left Ivano-FrankivskNational Medical Universitywhenthewarbrokeoutandhadto use a small boat to get closerto theRomanianborder.“ButmybrotherisinKharkiv,

which is in the eastern part ofUkraine.TheIndiangovernmentshouldhaveairliftedstudentsout

of Kharkiv. Instead, they weregiven last-minutenotices to fleethecityandreachtheborderar-eas... We took all the pains toreach theRomanianborder.Youaregivingusfreeflights,butwhatabout the students who arecaught inthewar?”sheasked.SafwanMalik,whoreturned

fromVinnytsia in central-westUkraine, also said his cousin,Naseem, is still stranded inKharkiv. “There isnoword fromhim so far. His last message tome was that the Russians areshelling thecity,”hesaid.Malikwassupposedtocele-

bratehisfriend'sbirthdaywhenthe sound of an explosion nearhiscollegeannouncedthewar’sarrival. “Thenwe spentmost ofourtimeinbunkersmadeatourcollege.”Aasiq Ali, a student at

Uzhgorod University in westUkraine's Uzhgorod, said hemisses his Ukrainian friends.After last-minute farewells, the20-year-old fled UkrainethroughtheHungaryborder.

“Most ofmy friends used todriveataxiinUkrainetoearntheirpocketmoney.Weused tohangouttogetherandhavealotoffun.Nowtheyhavepickeduparms. Isawa recent photoofmy friend,distributingarmsinhisvillage.Somuchhaschangedinsuchashortspanof time,”Alisaid.Sharukh Khan, from the

same University, said hisUkrainian friends are trauma-tised.“Theywerealltryingtofleethecountry.Weallbecamecloseduringthesedays,runningtothebunker and waiting for hourshearing explosions. They couldnot flee their country and havenow picked upweapons. Theyare doing it for their country, Iunderstand,”Khansaid.SureshandothersatUzhgorod

University never got to makefriendsas thiswastheir firstyear.Instead,theybecamefriendswithlocalresidentsastheytookshelterinabunker.“Weusedtojokeaboutrunningtothebunkerallthetime.Nowmy ears ringwith air raidsirenseventhoughIaminIndia. Ihopetheyaresafe,”hesaid.As Yukta fled Ukraine

through Poland, she broughthome a part of it with her— anAlaskanHuskynamedNeelaaf-ter itsbrightblueeyes.Minister of State for Road

Transport andCivil AviationVKSingh tweeted on Thursday,“Happy tobeof service. I'm sureNeelawouldhavebeenawell-be-havedpassenger.Willseebothofyou againwhen I amback. Takecare. JaiHind.”

Studentsevacuatedbythe IndianAirForce fromUkrainearriveat theHindonAirForceStation inGhaziabadonThursdaymorning. PraveenKhanna

AMILBHATNAGARHARDOI,MARCH3

ASRUSSIA’Soffensive inUkrainebecamemoreintenselastweek,a25-year-oldmedicalstudentfromHardoi, likemanyotherstrandedIndian students, appealed for asafepassagebackhome.Vaishali Yadav talked about

how she and other studentswererunningoutofsuppliesandwere hoping for a quick resolu-tion.Hervideowentviralonso-cial media and, within a fewdays, landedher inaspot.

Athird-yearstudentinIvanoFrankvisk city of Ukraine,Vaishali was elected PradhanAdhyhaksh in Teri Pursauligram panchayat last year.According to officials, a monthinto her five-year tenure,Vaishali left for Ukraine onSeptember 23 to complete hermedicinedegree.WhenVaishalisoughthelpto

return to India, objection wasraised regarding her absencewhilebeingapublicrepresenta-tive. TheHardoi administrationhas nowgivenher a showcausenotice and is probing the func-

tioning of the gram panchayatsince the timeshewaselected.On February 22, Vaishali

contactedher fatherMahendraPratapSingh, formerblockpra-mukh from Sandi, discussingher return to India amid risingtension in Ukraine. A flightticketwas booked for February24 but an explosion at theUkranianairportpreventedherdeparture.“We tried to gether out ona

flight in time but there weremanyissues.Sheeventuallyhadtostaybackandhad tonavigateonherown.Therewere120stu-

dents along with her whobookedtwobusesandmanagedtoreachRomania.Sheappealed

for help on Twitter and peoplegaveitapoliticalcolour.Iamjustgladsheissomehowabletofindherwayback,” saidSingh.In a video posted last week,

Vaishalisaid,“Weareallstuckinourflats.Wecannotstepoutbe-causethereisconstantbombing.Our hopes are pinned on theIndiangovernmentthatitwouldhelpusescapeasfastaspossible.”Shortly after the video, a

message was circulated thatVaishalihadbeenarrestedbyUPPolice for the “fakemessage” asshe was never present inUkraine. Hardoi Police denied

the arrest. But the fact that shewas present inUkraine compli-cated things further.Accordingtorules,grampan-

chayat is supposed to bemeetonce amonth. The gapbetweentwomeetingscannotexceedtwomonths.Also,apanchayatmem-bercannotbeabsentinthreecon-secutivemeetings,officialssaid.In caseof absence, theprad-

han has to give in writing, ex-plainingthecause,whichwillbepassedon toagovernmentoffi-cial atpanchayat level.Since Vaishali left within a

monthofherelection,questions

were raised about her absence.Herfather,however,saidshere-mained in touch with peopleback home throughWhatsAppand Internet calling.“Whatever the issues were,

theywere conveyed to her andshe was actively managing it.She attended onemeeting andwouldhavebeen in timefor thesecond meeting. The presentgovernmenthasnot carriedoutany development and the onusis on us to make sure facilitiesreachpeople,” saidSingh.The Hardoi administration

has ordered to probe into the

matter.“Weare followingtheprovi-

sionsgiveninthePanchayatiRajAct. Since she is an elected rep-resentative, therewill be a pro-cedure followed.Wehavegivenherashowcausenoticeandare-plywill besought.“A report will be handed to

the administration by a blocklevel officer. Once all the detailsareobtainedwithregardstothenumber of meetings held androle of all people concerned,thenonly actionwill be consid-ered,” said Avinash Kumar, DMHardoi.

VaishaliYadav

UP pradhan-student in a spot after her video from Ukraine goes viral

OFUKRAINE

RUSSIANINVASION

EXPRESSNEWSSERVICENEWDELHI,MARCH3

THE MINISTRY of ExternalAffairs (MEA) on Thursday saidthe pace of India’s evacuationoperationfromUkraineisaccel-eratingandabout1,000 Indianshave left Kharkiv to nearbyPisochynpursuanttoitsadvisoryadayago.MEAspokespersonArindam

Bagchi said at amedia briefingthat the Indian side is in touchwithbothUkrainianandRussianauthorities to examine themodalitiesofhowIndianscanbeevacuated from both KharkivandSumy.“We are closely following

the developments in Kharkiv,Sumyandothercities ineasternUkraine.Asyouknowyesterdaywe issued an advisory forIndians in Kharkiv to leave thecity by 6 pm local time.Pursuanttothis,a largenumberof students have left Kharkivand are currently in thenearbyissue of Pisochyn.We estimatethis number to be around1,000,” he said.“Weare currently looking at

transportation options tomovethem from there to westernUkraineorsouthernUkrainede-pending on the transportationoptions,”Bagchi said.The Indian embassy in

UkraineonThursdayadvisedallIndiannationalsinKharkivtofillup an online formon an urgentbasisastheRussianonslaughton

the eastern Ukrainian city con-tinued.ThedetailssoughtintheGoogle form are name, email,phone number, address inKharkiv, passport number andadditional people accompany-ingany Indian.Bagchi said a few hundred

Indians are believed to be stillstuckinKharkivandthatIndiaiscloselyfollowingdevelopments

in the city alongwith the situa-tion in other conflict zones ineasternUkraine.Aswar rages on in Ukraine,

India on Thursday bolstered ef-fortstoevacuateitscitizensfromthestrife-torncountry,withfourIAF aircraft bringing back 798people.Ministry of External Affairs

said around 6,400 people have

been brought back underOperation Ganga that waslaunchedtoevacuateIndianna-tionals, while over 7,400moreare expected to return home tosafetyover thenext twodays.Bagchi said the number of

people who have left Ukrainesince advisories were issued tothemtoevacuatestoodatnearly18,000.

“ThepaceofOperationGangacontinues to accelerate. Duringthe last 24 hours, 15 flightslanded in India, bringing backmorethan3,000Indians,”hetoldamediabriefing inNewDelhi.On Thursday evening, he

said,“Withthis, it takesthetotalnumber of flights under opera-tion Ganga to 30. So, we havebrought back around 6,400Indiancitizens.”In the next 24 hours, 18

flightshavebeenscheduled, in-cluding threebyC-17 IndianAirForce aircraft and the rest com-mercial airliners,hesaid.In terms of the departure

pointsfromEurope,therewillbeseven flights from Bucharest(Romania), five from Budapest(Hungary), three fromRzeszow(Poland) and one from Košice(Slovakia), Bagchi said.He said the increased num-

ber of flights reflects the largenumber of Indians who havecrossed over fromUkraine andare now in the neighbouringcountries.“Wewill further step up ef-

forts to bring all these Indians,who are now in safety, back toIndia at the earliest...We hopethat over the next two-threedays, a large number of thesepeople will be back home. Tillthey are brought home, afterhaving crossed the Ukrainianborder, our embassies in coop-eration with the host govern-ments and local partners areproviding food and accommo-dation to them,”hesaid.

EXPRESSNEWSSERVICENEWDELHI,MARCH3

LISTING OUT what Indian na-tionalswhoarestuck in thewarzone in Ukraine should do, theDefenceMinistry on Thursdayissued an advisory about whatto expect and how they shouldconductthemselvesintheongo-ingsituation.The advisory said “poten-

tially dangerous/ difficult situa-tions to be expected” includedaerial raids, attacks by dronesand aircraft, missile attacks, ar-tilleryshelling,gunfire,bombex-plosions, falling debris and col-lapse of buildings. It also said

they could expect lack of elec-tricity, food andware, exposureto freezing temperatures, psy-chological trauma, encounterwith armed fighters and lack of

transportation.Sharingsomegroundrules, it

asked people to compile andshare information with otherIndians, not to panic, organisethemselves in small groups andhave a buddy, pair systemwhoshouldbeinformedatalltimesoftheir whereabouts. “Make aWhatsAppgroup,compiledetails,names, addresses,mobile num-bersandcontactinIndia/Sharege-olocation on WhatsApp withControlRoom(s)inEmbassyorinNewDelhi/Update informationevery 08 hours/Keep frequentheadcount/Group/Squadcoordi-nators to report their location toControl Rooms/HelplineNumbers,” itsaid.

ANONNADUTTNEWDELHI,MARCH3

“HOW IS this an evacuation,”askedAnimeshMishra,22, froma hostel room in westernUkrainiancityofPesochin,hav-ingescapedwar-tornKharkivonWednesday, after being holedupinahostelbunkertherewithfellow students since theRussian invasion began eightdaysago.Mishrawasoneofhundreds

ofmedicalstudentswhowalked25 km to reach Pesochin lateWednesday, after the Indianembassy gave an urgent call onTwittertoallstudentsinKharkivto leave within four hours andreach shelters at three location

around thecity.He had attempted to leave

thecitybytrainadaybeforetheembassy’s call but couldn’t findany vehicle to the station. OnWednesday morning, he waslucky to get a taxi. But that’swherehis luck ranout.“Itwasastampede-likesitu-

ation,” Mishra said. “Some stu-dents were able to get on thetraintoLviv,butmostofuswerestranded at the station. That’swhenwedecidedtowalktothetownstheembassyhadadvised(themto reach).”As the group started walk-

ing, therewasablastacoupleofhundredmetres away.“We were shell-shocked.

Some people fell down eitherbecause of the force or the

shock. All of us walked yester-day, riskingour lives.”Describing the place where

students have been put up,Mishra said, “Yesterday it wasquiethere. Ididn’thearblastsforthefirst timeindays.Nowithasstarted again. Arewe even safehere?”Dr K P S Sandhu, one of the

education contractors (whoarranges for admissions, traveland stay of Indian students inUkraine) for the region, in hisvideoupdatesonInstagramsaidtherewere1,200studentsstuckin Kharkiv. While a couple ofhundredmanaged toboard thetrains, around 500 stayed backat the station bunker, and theothers walked to the threetowns.

Hewas trying to arrange forbusestotakethestudentstotheborder.“I know that a couple of my

friendswerestuckinKharkivtillafternoon;noweventheymighthave started walking to theseshelters,”Mishrasaid.“Buthowdoesthatmatter?It’snotlikeweknow how to reach the borderfrom here. We haven’t heardabout any plans from the em-bassy.“The government is calling

this an evacuation...but theyhave been flying out peoplefrom the western parts of thecountrywhowerealreadysafe.Those who managed to reachthebordersdidsoontheirown.Nobody was there to helpthem.”

Indianstudents, evacuatedfromUkraine,arrive inMumbai fromBucharest. PradipDas

ApetcatbroughthomebyanevacueefromUkraine.

StudentswhoarrivedfromUkraine,at JaipuronThursday.

MoD issues ‘survival guidelines’for students stranded in Ukraine

EXPRESSNEWSSERVICENEWDELHI,MARCH3

THE SUPREME Court onThursdayurgedAttorneyGeneralKKVenugopal to look intoapleathatsomeIndianstudentstryingtofleeUkrainewerestuckontheRomaniaborderastheywerebe-ingpreventedfromcrossingover,andsee if hecanusehisgoodof-ficetoprovidesomehelp.A bench headed by Chief

Justice of India NV Ramana di-rected that the case file be senttotheAGbyaspecialmessenger.“Wewill send the copy to youroffice now through a specialmessenger. Please look into thecontents and if you can helpsomething.”Appearingforthepetitioner,

SeniorAdvocateAMDartoldthebench, also comprising JusticesASBopannaandHimaKohli,thathis client, a student of NationalMedical University in Odessa,Ukraine, is stuck inMoldova onthe Romanian border. Thoughevacuation flights are being op-erated from Poland andHungary, there are none fromRomania, he said, adding thatmany other students, too, are

stuck there without food andmoneyinsub-zerotemperature.“Of course there are thou-

sands of people like this.Anyhow, some students havecome,wecan’tsayno.Pleaseuseyourgoodofficesandseeifsomehelp can be provided,” the CJIthen told theAG.Responding, the AG told the

bench“Iwillverifybutwhathashappened is that the PrimeMinister had spoken to bothVladimir Putin and VolodymyrZelensky, and asked the peti-tioner’scounselwhetherthestu-dents have crossed over toRomaniaorat theborder?”Darrepliedthat thestudents

werestillinUkraineandwereyettocrossover.“Theyarenotallow-ing.That’stheproblem,”hesub-mitted, adding the temperaturewasminus7degreesCelsius.TheAGsaid“thegovernment

of India has sent a minister toRomania to ensure that oncetheycross,theyaretakencareofand a relief plane is arranged”.He added “sowhat I wanted toknow was why are they notcrossing over? Are they beingprevented if theyareat thebor-der from crossing over intoRomania?”

SC asks AG to see if hecan help students stuckon Romania border

IndiansonboardanIAFC-17Globemaster inBucharest,Romania.Theplanecarrying200passengers,mostlystudents, returnedtoHindonairbaseearlyThursday.PTI

25 km on foot to escape Kharkiv:‘There was no one there to help us’

WESTWARDJOURNEYTOPESOCHIN

PraveenKhanna

Rohit JainParas

Evacuation speeds up, 7,400moreto return home in two days:MEA

New Delhi

10WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM

THE N-WORDRussia’spointedreferences toanuclearwararedisturbing,

unlikely tohelpreadythegroundforpeace

R USSIANFOREIGNMINISTERSergeiLavrovisnotanovice.Hehasbeenlead-ingRussia’srelationswiththeworldfornearlytwodecades,andbeforethathewashiscountry’sPermanentRepresentative totheUnitedNations foradecade.Heknowswhat impactthewordsofasenior functionarylikehim-

self can carry across the world, as the country that he represents has only days agolaunchedamilitary invasionof itssmallerneighbour.Sowhenheletsdropthesentence(inan interviewto theRussiannewsagencyRIA) that “if a thirdWorldWarwere to takeplace, it would involve nuclear weapons and be destructive”, he does so deliberately,knowingly.ReadtogetherwithRussianPresidentVladimirPutin’swarningtotheworldashesenthistroopsintoUkrainelastweekthatanyattemptto“interfere”withtheRussianactionwould lead to “consequences never before seen”, his orders puttingRussia’s nu-clear forces on alert, and the RussianNavy’s reported drill, completewith nuclear sub-marines in theBarentsSea, Lavrov’swordsarealarming.Lavrov’s claims thatUkraine “possesses Soviet technologyandmeans todeliver these

weapons”andhisaccusationsagainsttheWestforbeing“fixated”onanuclearwararees-calating the tensions inEurope. For the record, undera1994agreement,UkrainegaveupallthenuclearweaponsstationedonitsterritorybytheSovietUniontoRussiainreturnformonetary compensation, and joined theNuclearNon-Proliferation Treaty. Russia, on theotherhand,hastheworld’slargestnucleararsenal,accordingtotheStockholmInternationalPeaceResearchInstitute.Thenuclearsabre-rattlingbyLavrovcanonlyshrinkthespaceforpeaceful conflict resolution. Despite tremendous pressure from theUS andpartners inEuropetojointhemincondemningtheinvasionofUkraine,Indiawasamong35countriesthatabstainedfromvotingonaresolutiondenouncing“Russia’saggressionagainstUkraine”intheUNGeneralAssemblyonTuesdayandattheSecurityCouncil lastFriday.Delhihasmanyreasons toholdonto its independentposition,not least its longpart-

nershipwithMoscow.Ithassoughttoexplaintheabstentionsasanattempttogivediplo-macyachanceandfindamiddlegroundfromwhichtoreachouttobothpartiesforpeace-fulresolutionofthecrisis.ButLavrov’snuke-wartalkmakesDelhi’schallengemoredifficultthan it is, particularlywith thousandsof Indian students still stranded inUkraine.A sec-ondroundof talksbetweenRussia andUkrainegotunderwayonThursday.But Lavrov’sdeclarationrightbeforethatRussiawillcontinuetargetinganddestroyingUkraine’smil-itary infrastructure, ishardlyhelpful.Delhimustcontinueefforts topersuadeMoscowtodeclareaceasefire.ThatwillnotjustenableIndiancitizenstoleaveUkrainesafely,butalsocreate therightconditions foradiplomaticresolutionof thecrisis.

AFTER THE ARRIVALStudents returning fromUkrainemustnotbe left in lurch.Governmentsmust findawayfor theireducationtocontinue

AFTERANXIOUSDAYSandnightsandmanyperilousjourneys, thousandsofIndian students aremaking theirway back home fromwar-torn Ukraine.Around4,000Indians,mostlystudentsinmedicalcolleges,remainincitiesunderRussianattackandshelling.Theirevacuation,underextremelydiffi-

cultcircumstances,mustremaintheforemostpriorityofthegovernmentof India.Butthetaskdoesnotend there. Loomingover the20,000-oddmedical students,whoseeduca-tionnowstandssummarilydisrupted, isthequestionof theirfuture.TheRussianassaultonUkrainehasnotonlyupendedseveralcertaintiesof theglobalorder.Eventhemostop-timistic strategic expert doesnot count on this conflict to be a short one. The likelihoodof IndianMBBSstudentsbeingable toresumetheirclasses inUkraine inthenear futureappearsdistant.But theycannotbe left in the lurch.Thegovernments,bothat thestatesandtheCentre,mustconsultwithotherstakeholders, frommedicalcollegeadministra-tionstoteachersandhospitals, tofindawayforthesestudentstocompletetheirstudies.Theplight of the students inUkrainehas also turned the spotlight on the inadequa-

ciesofmedicaleducationinIndia,whichleadsthousandsofMBBSaspirantstogoabroadeveryyear.Themismatch lies in theshortageof affordablemedical seats.TheparentsofNaveenShekharappaGyanagoudar,whowaskilledinKharkiv,areonrecordsayingtheydidnothavethefinancestosecureanMBBSdegreeinIndia.Whilegovernmentmedicalcollegesarerelativelymoreaffordable,theyaccountforonlyhalfof the90,000-oddseatsonoffer—anddemandextremelyhighNEETscores. Toput this figure in context, seventoeight lakhstudents clearNEET, theeligibility test formedical education, everyyear.India needsmore doctors andmedical professionals — as perWHO standards, the

countrymusthave1.38milliondoctorswhereas,accordingtotheNationalHealthProfile2021, it has just 1.2million registeredmedical practitioners. Foreign universities havebeenbeneficiariesof theshortfall inmedical seats in India, a resultof inadequatepublicinvestment inmedicaleducation—inthepast fiveyears, therehasbeenathree-fold in-crease in thenumberof candidates taking theForeignMedicalGraduatesExamination,themandatorytestthatgraduatesfromforeignuniversitiesneedtocleartopractisemed-icineinIndia.Therearelong-termconsequencesforequityandpublichealthifvastnum-bersof students continue tobe trippedbyhighpricebarriers andare forced to seeked-ucation outside India. In the long run, the government has to investmore inmedicaleducation. That is a significant takeaway fromtheordealof thestudents inUkraine.

NOT WITHOUT MY DOGRefugees fromUkrainewant toevacuate theirpets tosafety.

Governmentshavedonewell tohelp them

THEREWOULD BE no journey homewithout Zaira: Thismuch Arya Aldrinknew,evenasshebegantoexploreanescaperouteoutofabesiegedUkraine.Themedical student fromKeralawalked nearly 20 kms in freezingwinterweather to cross the border into Romaniawith her five-month-old dog. A

photo of the youngwomanwith her pet,waiting for a flight back to India, is one of themanyimagesthattellastoryof love, loyaltyandwarmthamidst theshockandhorrorofshellingandbombing—ofpeoplerefusingtoabandontheircompanionanimalsevenasthey flee thewarzone.Inresponse,theEUauthoritieshaveremovedhurdlessuchasthemandatorypetpass-

portsandvaccinecertificatesfortherefugeeswhowishtokeeptheircompanionanimals.TheIndiangovernmenttoo,inawelcomemove,hasissuedamemorandumgivinga“one-time relaxationmeasure” for Indians stranded inUkrainewhowish to returnwith theircatsanddogs.There’sareasonwhystoriesofpeoplewalkingacrosstheborderwiththeirdogsorhuddlinginbombshelterswiththeircatsmoveusall—includingthenotoriouslyheartlessbureaucracies.Theyremindus that lovecangivecourageeventothemostvul-nerable.Howelse toexplainwhyAldrinandothers likeher, stuck inadangerous,unpre-dictablesituationinaforeignland,refusedtoboardflightstosafetyif itmeantleavingtheirpetsbehind?Orconsiderthecouple inLvivwhodecidedagainstevacuatingtosafetybe-cause itwouldmeanshuttingdowntheircatcafe,which ishometo20felines.There is something deeply humane about these stories of peoplewho refuse to let

anyadversity—flood,fire,war—separatethemfromtheircats,dogs,birdsandfish.Afterall, inan increasingly lonelyandscaryworld, animalsofferusameasureof companion-shipandsolace.Thatgovernmentstoohavestartedtorecogniseitisacomfortingthought.

Sajjid ZChinoy

Narendra Pai, Ashok Sreenivas andAnn Josey

Surgingoilpricesconstitutediscernible termsof tradeshockandwillnecessitatedeftmacromanagement

THE ONLY FUELElectricity, biogas, andPNGareunlikely toemergeas substitutes toLPG

ECONOMICPOLICYMAKERSGLOBALLYcan’tseem to catch a break. 2020witnessed thelargestcontractionsinceWorldWar II. Justaseconomiesbegantorecover,2021wastheyearof intransigent inflation. Justwhenmarketsbeganto internalise that theFedmaybeonaratehike spree, 2022bringswith itworryinggeopolitical developments,with significanteconomicimplications.Prima facie, there are several channels

throughwhichtheRussia-Ukraineconflictwillimpact India’s economy,but it’s important toseparatethewheatfromthechaff.Thefirstor-der impact, in our view, emanates from thenegative terms of trade shock fromhighercommodityprices,particularlyoil.Tobesure,thereareseveralotherchannels:Adirecttradechanneltotheaffectedregion,anindirecttradechannel fromweaker global growth, and atighteningof financial conditions andcapitalflows as global risk appetitewanes. These ,however,canbeexpectedtobemoresecond-ordervis-à-visthecommoditypriceshock.Crude prices have surged well past a

$110/barrel and though therewill be anele-mentof overshooting, there is a growingex-pectation that, as the conflict getsmore en-trenched, crude could remain elevated formuchlongerandaveragecloseto$100/barrelin 2022, vis-a-vis $70/barrel in 2021. Thiswould constitute a large, negative terms oftradeshocktoIndiatothetuneof1.2percentof GDP. Put simply, the economywould betransferringoutanincremental1.2percentofGDP for the samenet oil imports. The size ofthecommodityshockrisesoncehigherpricesforcoalandgasimportsareincluded.Unfortunately, this is akin to an adverse

supplyshocktotheeconomythatsimultane-ously impacts growth, inflation and the cur-rentaccountdeficit(CAD).Thegrowthimpactwillmanifest through constraints on fiscalspace,householdpurchasingpowerbeingim-pingedandfirmmarginscomingunderpres-sure.Thatsaid,thequantumofthegrowthim-pact will depend on how the shock isdistributed across the fiscal, households andfirms because of the different marginalpropensitiestoconsume.Forexample,theex-cisedutycutslastNovemberhavealreadyab-sorbedabout one-thirdof the shock fromoil(0.4percentofGDP).Thecostofthis,however,iscommensuratepressuresonfiscalexpendi-turesandgrowth,agnosticallyassumingafis-calmultiplierof1.Thisyear’sbudget,therefore,forecastedlowerexcisedutiescollectionsbut

alsohad less spending space. In contrast, themarginalpropensitytoconsume/investoutofincome/earnings is typically lower than1 forhouseholds/firms.So, the greater the fraction of the shock

absorbedon the fiscal, thegreater thehit todemand and growth. This is not to suggestthat policymakers should not consider anyexcise duties cuts, because higher retailprices could furtherharden inflationaryex-pectations. However, when calling for fueltaxcutsthistrade-offneedstoberecognised.All told, thehit togrowth in2022fromoilat$100/barrel can be expected to be between0.9-1.1 per cent of GDP depending on theburden-sharingbetweenthepublicandpri-vate sectors.Growthapart,oilat$100willleaveatangi-

ble imprint on India’s external balances. TheCADaveraged just 1.1 per cent of GDP in thesevenyears before thepandemic, helpedbylower commodityprices, enabling largeBoPsurpluses andcreatinga “problemof plenty”forpolicymakers.Butthosedynamicsarefastchanging.TheOctober-DecemberCADistrack-ing3per centofGDPand theCAD is likely tostayclosetothoseelevatedlevels inthecom-ingquarters if crude is intripledigits.TheRBIhas awar chest of foreign currency reserves,so there is no imminent threat tomacroeco-nomic stability. But the current account andbalanceofpaymentswillneedclosemonitor-ing,afteralongtime.Finally,highercommoditypricescanpres-

sure inflation. 2022was supposed to be theyearthatsupplychainsnormalisedandgoodsprices disinflated, offsetting rising servicespricesasthepandemicfadedandconsumersswitchedexpenditures away fromgoods to-wards services. But if energy andother com-modityprices remainelevated, firmswill re-main under pressure to eventually pass oninputcosts.Sohowshouldpolicyrespondinthewake

ofatermsof tradeshockandwhataretheas-sociatedtrade-offs?Perhapstheclearestprescriptionisonthe

external front. Thewideningof theCADandassociatedBoPpressureswillcreatesomede-preciationpressuresontherupee.Morefunda-mentally,apersistentnegativetermsof tradeshockwillargueforaweakerequilibriumrealeffectiveexchange rate. Policymakers shouldlet therupeereachthisnewequilibrium–al-beit in a gradual andnon-disruptivemanner–andnotprevent this adjustmentbecause it

will facilitate the necessary “expenditureswitching” to reduce imports, boost exportsandhelpnarrowanelevatedCAD.A real de-preciationof thecurrencythatactsasashockabsorber for the economy is the optimal re-sponsetoanegativetermsof tradeshock.That said,while a realdeprecationcanbe

expansionary,itcanalsobeinflationaryonac-count of a greater pass-throughof importedprices andgenerating an aggregate demandboostinthewakeofanadversesupplyshock.Allthiswillcontributetoinflationarypressures,andwillwarrant a commensuratemonetarypolicyresponse.On the fiscal, there are no easy choices.

Cuttingexcisedutieswouldbuffertheimpactonhouseholdsandprotectconsumption,butpotentiallyresult ina largerhit todemandbyshrinking fiscal space tospend. If thegovern-mentdoesn’t cutduties, it has resources thatcanpotentiallybeusedtomoredirectlytargetaffectedhouseholdsatthebottomofthepyra-mid.Butthiswillmeanhigherretailpricesthatcanhardeninflationaryexpectations,increas-ingthechallengesformonetarypolicy.Finally,policymakerscouldalwayscutduties,notcutspendingandletthedeficitwidencommensu-rately—effectively pushing out someof thetermsof tradecosts tothefuture—butnega-tive surprises on the fiscal during periods ofheightenedmacrouncertainty cangeneratesignificantly risk premia inmarkets. All told,the fiscalwill confront several trade-offs, andshould try avoiding corner solutions.Whatshouldbeclear is thatassoonasmarketsbe-gintostabilise,authoritiesmustploughaheadwithplannedassetsales/disinvestmenttocre-atemore fiscal headroom,without trying toperfectlytimethemarket.Apersistentadversesupplyshockiscom-

plicatedandchallengingtorespondto,andthenewequilibriumwill inevitably need somecombinationof aweaker rupee,higher rates,andjudiciousfiscalmanagement.Beyondtheverynear term,policymakersmust seriouslyconsider systematically hedging crudepriceimportsinglobalmarketstoprotecttheecon-omyfromperiodsofoutsizedvolatility,apartfromthemedium-termobjectiveofreducingourdependenceonimportedcrude.For now, thekey is toweather the storm.

Wecanpickupthepieceswhenthecloudsbe-gintoclear.

ThewriterisChief IndiaEconomistatJ.P.Morgan.Allviewsarepersonal

EVENAFTERMOREthanRs12,000crorewasspentonnearuniversalaccesstoLPGconnec-tions,itisestimatedthataboutsixlakhpeopledie every year due to air pollution in Indiankitchens.Overhalfof rural Indiacontinuestoprimarilyrelyonburningsolidfuelsforcook-ing, increasing the likelihoodof illnesses, in-cluding ischemic heart disease, cataract andlungcancer.Recentevidencealsoshowsthatit increases the risk to Covid-19 infections.Clearly,connectionsarenotenoughtoaddressthischallengeandsustainedusewouldneedinvestmentstowardsincreasingaffordability,behaviour change, andqualityof supplyandservice.RisingdomesticLPGprices,removalofsubsidies,growingretailinflationanddistressowing to the pandemic have squeezed thepockets of low andmiddle-incomehouse-holds,makingitdifficulttoshifttoLPG.Inthissituation,itispertinenttoask—isthereanef-fectivealternativetoLPGonalargescale?Canelectricitybeanalternative?Sincein-

duction stoves are flameless, switching tothemwould have to address some culturalandbehaviouralbarriers.Butelectricitymaynotbean immediatelyviablealternativebe-causeoftwomajorconcerns.First,householdsthatgotelectricityconnectionsundertheru-ral electrificationschemeshaveamaximumconnectedloadof500W.Inductionstovesare

ratedattypicallymorethan1500W.If asize-ablenumberofhomesmovetoelectriccook-ing,therewillbesignificantissuesinreliabil-ityof supplydue todistribution transformerfailures.Largeinvestmentsindistributionnet-workaugmentation,alongwitheffortsatbet-terpeakloadmanagementwillbeneededbe-foreelectricitycanbecomeatechnicallyviableoptioninruralareas.Eveniftheaboveissuesareaddressed,affo-

rdabilitywillremainaconcern.Therequireme-ntsofaruralhouseholdareusuallymetwithin100units/month.Thisgetscoveredbyconces-sional tariffs or subsidisedpower schemes inmoststates.However,beyond100units,con-sumershavetopayaboutRs7-8perunitused.Exceptinstateswheresubsidiesareextendedbeyond100units, induction-based cookingalonewoulddriveupthemonthlyelectricbill.Pipednaturalgas(PNG)couldbeanalter-

nativetoLPGindenselypopulatedurbanareas.Butitisnotdesignedtosupplementthecook-ingneedsofruralIndiaasnetworkexpansioncostscouldbeprohibitive.SincethelaunchofUjjwalaYojanain2016,

therehavebeensignificanteffortstoaugmentthe domestic LPG distribution network,adding12newbottlingplants(withanaddedcapacity of 6,200 thousandmetric tons perannum) and about 9,000 newdistributors.

Giventhedifficultiesinscalingupalternativesintheneartolongterm,theonlyimmediatelyavailableoptiontoaddressthehouseholdairpollutionchallengeisLPG.However, budgetary allocations to LPG

havebeenrapidlyshrinkingintherecentpast.TheoutlayforLPGdirectbenefittransfershascome down from about Rs 31,400 crore in2018-19toonlyRs4,000croreinfor2022-23.At the same time, pre-election promises insomestatestosupplyfreeLPGcylindersseemtoacknowledgeLPGaffordabilityasanissue.Therefore, a coherent, targeted approachbackedbyrequisitefinancialandinstitutionalsupport isneededOneway toachieve this is to resumeLPG

subsidies and rationalise them. A taperingsubsidycouldbeprovidedonlytoconsumerswith historically low consumption. In addi-tion, revising LPGprices could be limited totwiceinayeartoprovidepricecertaintyinthecontext of volatile oilmarkets.While effortstoenhancealternativescanhappen inparal-lel, onlywith adequate, immediate and sus-tainedsupporttoruralandpoordomesticLPGconsumers,canthegovernmentmakeanim-pact on themanifold developmental issuesassociatedwithhouseholdairpollution?

ThewritersareatPrayas(EnergyGroup)

A persistent negative termsof trade shock from highercommodity prices will arguefor a weaker equilibrium realeffective exchange rate.Policymakers should notprevent this adjustment andinstead let the rupee reachthis new equilibrium —albeit in a gradual and non-disruptive manner —because it will facilitate thenecessary ‘expenditureswitching’ needed to reduceimports, boost exports andhelp narrow an elevatedcurrent account deficit. Areal depreciation of thecurrency that acts as ashock absorber for theeconomy is the optimalresponse to a negative termsof trade shock.

Since the launch of UjjwalaYojana in 2016, there havebeen significant efforts toaugment the domestic LPGdistribution network, adding12 new bottling plants andabout 9,000 newdistributors. Thus, havingalready made the investmentinto domestic LPG, andgiven the difficulties inscaling up alternatives in thenear to long term, the onlyimmediately available optionto address the household airpollution challenge is LPG.

FOUNDED BY

RAMNATH GOENKA

B E C A U S E T H E T R U T H I N V O L V E S U S A L L

§ §

THEINDIANEXPRESS,FRIDAY,MARCH4,2022 WORDLYWISENow, I am becomeDeath,the destroyer ofworlds.

— ROBERT OPPENHEIMERTHEEDITORIALPAGE

FARE CONCESSIONSRAILWAY MINISTER P C Sethi agreed tolighten the burden of over Rs 260 crore im-posedonrailwayusersinhisbudgetbyapal-try sumofRs4crore.Prominentamongtheconcessions announced in the Lok Sabha istherestorationof theagelimitforfreetravelofchildrenuptofiveyears. Indoingso,SethibowedtotheseverecriticismfacedbyhimintheHousefortakingawayaconcessionthathadbeengiven in theYearof theChild.

BAR VS BENCHASPECIALBENCHof theSupremeCourtvir-tually soughtanapology fromthe five sen-

ior lawyers who made the controversialstatementallegingbiasagainstsomesittingjudges, of the court. When the lawyersshowedreluctance, the judgesasked themto submit inwritingwhatever they had tosaybeforethenexthearingsothatthecourtcould consider it “coolly and dispassion-ately”. Chief Justice Y V Chandrachud andfoursenior judges interruptedtheirnormalworktotakeupthecontroversialstatementmade by A K Sen and other senior lawyersrepresenting the Congress-I group of re-spondents intheBengalpollcase.Senisalsothe president of the Supreme Court BarAssociation. The CJI allowed only Sen tospeakonbehalf of the group.

UP ENCOUNTERSTHEALLEGEDMASSACREofHarijansinfalseencounters inUttar Pradesh rocked the LokSabhawhentheentireOppositionexcepttheDMKstaged awalk-out aftermaking a vainbid to table an adjournmentmotion on theissue.TheHousewitnessednoisyscenesforover 20minutes when the Opposition de-mandedastatementby thegovernment.

FIRAQ IS DEADRAGHUPATI SAHAI FIRAQ Gorakhpuri,renownedUrdupoet,diedinDelhi.Hisbodywillbe takentoAllahabad,wherehewillbecremated.

MARCH 4, 1982, FORTYYEARSAGO

Crude pressures

New Delhi

11THEINDIANEXPRESS,FRIDAY,MARCH4,2022

WHATTHEOTHERSSAY“Ukraine should have been a bridge across Eurasia, and its people should nothave been the victims of Washington’s ideology and military expansionism.”

— GLOBALTIMES,CHINATHE IDEASPAGEWWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM

Based on data on non-SC/ST/OBC, we found that99 per cent of ruralhouseholds and 95 per centof urban households hadmonthly earnings less thanRs 66,667, which wouldtranslate to approximatelyRs 8 lakh annually.Moreover, the medianhousehold monthly earningsin rural areas were Rs 9,000,which was about seven timesless than the earnings cutofffor EWS, while in urbanareas, it was Rs 15,000,which was approximatelyfour times less than theearnings cutoff for the EWSset by the GoI.

THEUNEXPECTEDRUSSIANmilitary inter-ventioninUkraineismerelythelatestsymp-tomofanunderlyingcauseofdecayinthein-ternational “rules-based” order. To fullyappreciate the context inwhich VladimirPutinhas come to this dangerouspoint, it’sbest to startwith a little bit of history. First,wheredidthisideaofan“internationalrules-basedorder”originate?Towhatextentdoesa rules-basedorder really exist, towhat ex-tentisitmerelyaconvenientillusion?In quick summary, it was the Diet of

Westphalia(inthethenHolyRomanEmpire)in1648thatfirstsetoutwhatourpost-WorldWarIIglobal institutionalframeworkestab-lished as the principle of “sovereignty”.Sovereigntywas for a long time the veryfounding principle that the UN Chartersought to firmly establish, in order tomakewars of aggression (as opposed to self-de-fence)illegalunderinternationallaw,andli-abletobepunishedbytheinternationalcom-munity via theUNSecurity Council and itsrighttousecoerciveforce.Asmostscholarsofinternationalrelations

know,therehasalwaysbeenatheoreticalde-bate in thedisciplineonwhetherornotweactually live in an international “society ofstates”(acommunitythatfeelsasone,acceptsasetofcommonguidingprinciplesandiscon-stitutedbymemberstateswhoarewillingtooperateaccording to rules/normsof behav-iour)orwhetheritisstillmerelya“systemofstates”—acomplex landscapeconsistingofindividualactorswhopossesscoercivepowertovaryingdegrees,havezero-sumambitionstovaryingdegrees,adheretoglobal“rules”totheextentthattheyareconvenient.Inthesec-ond interpretation, states are engaged ingame-theoretic,rational-utilitariancoopera-tion,competitionandevenconflict,depend-ingon the situation. This assumptionof ra-tionalityisseldomfullytrue,assub-rationalityandevennon-rationalityarealltoocommonwhenitcomestonationalidentity.Back in2007-8,asayoungundergradu-

ateattheLondonSchoolofEconomics,Iwasstillfairlyidealisticandwastemporarilycon-vincedthatstate-to-staterelationswerenowsignificantly constrained, curtailed even, byglobalrules,economicinterdependence,andthecourtofglobal“publicopinion”.Isawthegeneralarcoftheinternationalsystemastilt-ing towards the formation of a genuinelyglobal community.A lot of us trained in theWestwerelulledintoaninnocentoverconfi-dence.Thebiggestchallengetothiskindofper-

spectiveusuallycamefromthe“realist”campof international relations researchers,whoargued that in the absence of effective en-forcement of rules, thenotionof such ruleswasanempty idea. Enforcementwas theo-retically meant to happen through theSecurityCouncil.However,thisplanwasstill-

bornduetothe fundamentalunwillingnessof the fivepermanentmembers to counte-nance a possibility of global action againstthemselvesandtheconsequent injectionofthe notion of a “veto”. This hasmeant thattrue Security Council intervention in an in-ternational crisis has only beenpossible intherarestof rareexceptions.Thisdynamicbegsthequestion:Arethe

onlyrealandultimatearbitersofstateactionnational interests and relative power posi-tionsbetweenstates?Therealist-structural-ist campof IR scholars has argued this fordecades.The foregoinganalysis allowsus to con-

cludethatfarfrombeinganisolatedincidentthat for the first time since theUNCharterwasdraftedhasbesmirchedourrules-basedorder, theRussianinterventioninUkraineisasignificantfurthererosioninthebelievabil-ityofanyone’sclaimsthatsuchathingactu-allyexists.Moststatesinthelastfewdecadeshaveprovidedinternationalruleswithalotof“lip-service”whileusing clandestinemeth-odstoachievetheiraims.However, anotherkeysourceof stability

in the international systemwasdrawnnotfrom rules, but the presence of nuclearweapons.Thenotionof“mutuallyassuredde-struction” createda tension that seemed toprecludeevenconventionalwarfarebetweentwonuclear-armedrivals.Mostinterestingly,withtheseparationofsevendecadesbetweenHiroshima/Nagasakiandthepresent,agrad-ual shift in the calculusof defenceplannersseemstohaveoccurred.Fromthesensethatamereconventionalconflictwouldbeasuf-ficienttriggerforapowertoexerciseanuclearoption,plannersseemtohavegainedanewcomfortwithnuclearweapons inexistence.Theyno longer seemtobelieve theywill beusedshortofanexistentialthreat.So, India now feels comfortablewith

cross-borderairstrikes,callingPakistan’sbluffonanuclearresponsetomerelyanairstrikeonmilitant targets.Russiaequally feelscon-fidentthatmerelyassertingitscoresecurityinterests inUkrainewill not drawanuclearresponsefromNATO.WillChinabewargam-ingasimilarquestionrelatedtoTaiwan?Andwhatdoesthisimplyforoursystemoverall?Waning American dominance combinedwitharetreatofglobalnormsandalesseningnucleardeterrent to armedconflict and theriseofnewpowercentres inAsia isapotentmixofnewdynamicsinourworld.Notsincetheestablishmentofourpost-

warglobalsystemhasitbeenundersuchsig-nificantthreat.Mostnationsareplanningforenvironmentaldisaster, shortagesofkeyre-sources,multipolarityandinstabilitybyturn-inginward.Ironically,itisatperhapsthemostcriticalmomentinhumanhistory,whentheforcesof technologyandecological disasterarrive together, thatwe seemtobedisinte-grating into pieces rather than coming to-getherasone.Indiamusttakestockandwithextremevigilanceapproachitsentiregamutof cooperative, competitive andadversarialoptionswhile navigating thiswholly newworld.

ThewriterisanalumnusoftheLondonSchoolofEconomics,Cambridgeand

Harvard,andlivesandworksinMumbai

ON JANUARY 31, 2019, the Government ofIndia (GoI) issuedacircular,whichguaran-teed 10 per cent reservations in civil postsandservicesof theGoI to theEconomicallyWeakerSections (EWS)of thesociety,whowere not covered under the reservationscheme for Scheduled Castes (SCs),ScheduledTribes(STs),andOtherBackwardClasses (OBC).TheGoIusedtwocriteria forthe definition of the EWS: One, the grossfamily income from all sources — agricul-ture,business,professional,etc.—forthefi-nancial year preceding the applicationshould be less than Rs 8 lakh; Two, if thefamily owned or possessed assets, such asfive or more acres of agricultural land, orresidential flatof1,000squarefeetormore,or a residential plot of 100 square yards ormore in notified municipalities, or a resi-dential plot of 200 square yards ormore innon-notifiedmunicipalities, thenirrespec-tiveof theincomecriteria, thefamilywouldbeexcludedfromthedefinitionofEWS.Thefamily includes those who seek the bene-fit, their spouse, parents, siblings, andchil-drenbelow18years.However, theRs8lakhcut-offhascome

under the scrutiny of the Supreme Court(SC).TheSChassoughtclarificationfromtheGoI regarding the basis for the income cut-off.WeexplorethisissueusingearningsdatafromthePeriodicLabourForceSurvey(PLFS)from July 2018 to June 2019. The GoI con-ducts thePLFStomeasure labour forcepar-ticipation, employment status, hoursworked, and earnings for theusual and thecurrentweeklystatus(CWS).Thegeograph-ical coverageof thePLFS is theentire coun-try, except for villages in Andaman andNicobar Islands that are difficult to reach.The PLFS covers all sectors of the economy,agriculture,secondary,andtertiary,andem-ployment status, whether individuals areself-employed,havearegularwage/salariedjob,orarecasualworkers. Inaddition, italsocollectsdataonearningsbasedontheCWS.The ultimate stage units of the PLFS werehouseholds,whereinformationonemploy-mentandunemploymentissoughtfromallfamilymembers of thehousehold. In addi-tion, data is also collected on socio-demo-graphic characteristics of the household,suchasthereligiousandsocial statusof thehousehold, whether it belonged toSC/ST/OBC or the general category. Ouranalysis isbasedonthePLFSconductedbe-tween July 2018 and June 2019, covering101,579households,ofwhich31,796(31percent) households did not belong toSC/ST/OBC. Inaddition,weexploit thesam-plingmethodologytoarriveattheestimates.Based on data on non-SC/ST/OBC, we

found that 99 per cent of rural householdsand 95 per cent of urban households hadmonthlyearningslessthanRs66,667,whichwould translate to approximatelyRs8 lakhannually.Moreover, themedianhouseholdmonthly earnings in rural areas were Rs9,000, which was about seven times lessthan the earnings cutoff for EWS, while inurbanareas, itwasRs15,000,whichwasap-

proximately four times less than the earn-ings cutoff for theEWSsetby theGoI.However, suppose wewere to exclude

householdswithzeroearnings. Inthatcase,ouranalysisreveals that fornon-SC/ST/OBChouseholds,99percentof ruralhouseholdsand 94 per cent of urban households hadmonthly earnings less than Rs 66,667,which would translate to approximatelyeight lakh rupees annually. Moreover, themedianhouseholdmonthlyearnings inru-ral areaswere Rs 10,000,whichwas aboutsix and a half times less than the earningscutoff for EWS,while inurbanareas, itwasRs20,000,whichwasapproximately threeandahalf times less than theearningscut-off for the EWSset by theGoI.Giventhesensitivenatureof theissue, it

is essential to highlight the limitations ofthe earnings data from the PLFS. First, thePLFS data is based on the current weeklystatus; there isapossibility that thehouse-hold had positive income at other times ofthe year but not the week preceding thesurvey. Therefore, the earnings data is anunderestimate.Toovercomethis limitation,wedidthesecondanalysisof includingonlythose households with positive earningsand found that the underlying results didnotchangesignificantly; that is,more than90 per cent of rural and urban non-SC/ST/OBC households hadmonthly earn-

ings less than the cutoff set by the GoI forEWSincomecriteria.Thesecondlimitationof the study is the definition of family. ThePLFSdefinesahouseholdasagroupofper-sons who usually stay together and takefood froma sharedkitchen. It is hard to as-sess how differences in the definition offamilywouldimpacttheanalysis.Ourguessis that household or family definition inPLFS is more inclusive than GoI definitionof family for theEWScriteria,whichwouldsuggest that these estimates are likely tooverestimatethedistributionofhouseholdmonthly earnings.In the absence of any objective data on

the family’s earnings,weuse thePLFSdatafrom 2018-2019 to estimate the distribu-tion of monthly family earnings from allsources (self-employment, regularwage/salary,andcasualwork).OurprimaryobjectivewastocomparetheEWScutoff ofincome criteria set by the GoI at Rs 8 lakhannual income (approximately Rs 66,667monthly income) with the distribution ofhouseholdmonthlyearnings fromthePLFSdata.Ouranalysisrevealsthatmorethan90percentof ruralandurbannon–SC/ST/OBChouseholdswillmeet the EWScriteria.

Ravi is Vice President, Observer ResearchFoundation, andKapoor is AssociateProfessor, Indian Statistical Institute

A disturbingnewworld

RESCUE PRESSURESTHIS REFERS TO the editorial, ‘Safepassage’(IE,March3). Thedeathof anIndianstudent inKharkiv isacause forconcern – 4,000 students have beenstruck in the city. The government’sefforts tobringbackIndiancitizensarecommendable. This is also importantfromadiplomaticpointof view.Withevery Indian casualty, pressure onDelhi — both from theWest and do-mestic population —will rise to takea firm stand against Russia, which isdetrimental for India’s strategic inter-ests. The Indianembassy inUkraine isalso doing a great job by bringing outadvisories and keeping the hopes ofcitizens alive to come back from theconflict . Nevertheless, the govern-ment should work to increase thepace of ‘OperationGanga’.

DewangGanesh Thosar,Raigad

INVISIBLE CRISISTHIS REFERS TO the article, ‘The lin-gering pandemic’ (IE, March 3). Anti-microbial resistance isapandemic-in-waiting if the use of antibiotics is notregulated. In thepast five years, sinceNationalActionPlan forAMRwasap-provedin2017,onehasn’tcomeacrossanyawarenessposteronbillboards, inpublic transport or government dis-pensaries in Delhi. It’s a harsh realitythat suchactionplanswill remain fu-tile if peoplearen’t awareof theharmof leavingantibioticsmidway.AMRisan invisible, not easily detectable,health issue,whichcanbedisastrous.

Ground reality has to be recognisedandupcomingpolicyandactionplansshould bemade accordingly.

DimpyBhatia,NewDelhi

CHEERS TO VODKATHIS REFERS TO the editorial, ‘In thewrongspirit’, (March3). It is absolutelycorrect that boycott through food anddrinkshasnothingtodowiththediplo-maticandhumanitarianboycottvisavisRussia.VodkaandRussiaarehistoricallydeeply connected but the scenario haschanged.Vodkahasbeenacommoditytocheeracrosstheworld,withmultipleflavours.Suchboycottsareundesirable.

KirtiWadhawan,Kanpur

PREMATURE STEPTHIS REFERS TO the editorial, ‘Divest,but…’ (IE, March 3). The decision byIlker Ayci regarding his prospectiveleadership of Tata-owned Air Indiawaseitherdue todiscretionorappre-hension.Thepresentgovernmenthasapproved the selection of foreignersto toppositions in theaviation indus-try, including for Tata-Vistara. In thepast, thegovernmenthasused itsownassessmenttodecide industrial issues,oftenagainst the adviceof RSS-basedentities. As such, Ayci should havewaited for the government’s move.Therewasalso theapprehension thathisclosenesswithandcontinuing loy-alty to Erdoganmight be seen as cre-ating a conflict of interest.

YGChouksey, Pune

LETTERS TO THEEDITOR

SPORTSMENAREOFTENjustsportsmen,in-habiting their own rarefied space.Sometimes,theyaremetaphorsfortheirmi-lieu, both sporting and cultural. SunilGavaskar and Kapil Dev embody the com-ing-of-age years of Indian cricket, SachinTendulkarisseenasthefaceof India’semer-gence as amarketing force in the game, inthe backdropof a liberalised economy, VVSLaxman represents an era of miracles andMSDhonimirrors thepeakyearsof Indiaasawhite-ballsuperpower.ViratKohliisasym-bol of the game’s global power shifting toIndia aswell the country’s altering percep-tionsof ahero.Kohli is themost powerful Indian crick-

eter — primarily because of his batting ge-nius and partially because of his dominantpersonality — in themost powerful era ofIndiancricket.TheBCCIhadbeenthewealth-iestcricketinggoverningbodysincethelatelastcentury,butitsemergenceasamonarchof the cricketing empire, more so after thelaunch of the Indian Premier League, runsparallel to the rise of Kohli. The board’swealthrunsintotwobillionpounds,Kohli isthemostfollowedIndianonInstagram(183million followersandswelling), andbehindonly LionelMessi and Cristiano Ronaldo asthemostfollowedsportspersonintheworld.It might have been a coincidence — or

destiny, the word the country is obsessedwith— but the commonness of the defini-

tive virtues of Kohli and the board is irre-pressible. Kohli and his traits would havebeenslightlyoutof sync inadifferentera—for instance, the ’90s. He would not havebeen themetaphor for those times, despitehisgift forbendingnarratives.Swaggeringandaggressive,ruthlessand

fearless, Kohli strode out onto the field likethewaytheboardfunctioned.Until thefirstfissures between them emerged openlysome sixmonths ago, hewas thebatsman-leader forged in the ideals and imageof theboard, just as his teamwasmorphed in thespirit and convictions of the captain. And adelicious irony itwas thatKohli tookon themightyboardthatcouldendcareers,asonlyhe couldhave, just as theboard tookon themighty Kohli — hewho could change per-ceptionswithahashtag—onlyastheIndiancricketboardcouldhave.In essence, thus, Kohli is an atypical

Indian sporting idol. The archetypal hero—sensibilitiesshapedperhapsfromepicsandfolklore—wasmonkish, selfless and sacri-ficing, takingarrows tohis chest andhidingthepainbeneathastoic face.Tendulkarwasalmostdetachedinhisdevotiontohisart,anasceticwedded tohis dharma, pouring fewemotions on the field. His great contempo-raries, Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman, toowere sculpted in the Ramayana-Mahabharata ideals of heroism. EvenVirender Sehwag, temperamentally so dif-

ferent to them,wasa littleBuddhawith thewoodwhenhebatted in that impenetrabletranceof his.Kohliswaggersontothefieldlikeacom-

manderwithhisfleet.Heisfazedneitherbytheoccasionnorthearenaandisn’tdauntedeitherby thebowlersor thehostile crowd.Hisbattingcaptureshisassertiveness.No

strokeabsorbs this spirit to the fullest ashiscover drive. At his hands, it is notmerely astroke, but a tool of domination. The frontfoot striding out, the eyes hooked on thehurtling sphere of leather, the body follow-ing inballeticharmony, thebatbristlingoutandtracingthemostsymmetricalparabola,andball crackling intothedistance, fleecingthegrass.Not themostpicture-book cover-drive,butashudderingpunchonthefaceofthe bowler. Viv Richards found his spiritualsuccessor in him, just as The Don hadTendulkar.He evokes different emotions from the

audience.Tendulkarmadetheaudiencetra-verse a wide spectrum of emotions, fromhopeandjoytoagonyandanguish,Sehwagbrought about a surge in adrenaline andLaxman’sbattingwasaboutpeace.ButKohliwasaherofromafilmratherthananepicora novel. He provokes rage, a happy rage.Whenhe fumes,we fumeaswell. Hedoes-n’ttransportustoadifferentworldorofferanescape from it. They infuse self-belief. Hishundredsanddoublehundredshavenotex-

haustedus,onthecontrary, theyhaveener-gised us. Few Indian batsmen have exudedaraw,transmittableenergyasKohli,andfewhaveunfurledorthodoxshotswithabatthatseemedtobeexhilaratinglyalive.Evenade-fensivestrokeisseldomashotofpassivere-sistance.Kohlimightembodyall thebrashnessof

the IPL generation, but he has also told thegeneration that cross-format mastery isachievable.Hisrecentforminred-ballcricketmight have slumped, but he has still per-formedatanall-formatplateaubeyond thereachof anyotherplayer in thecurrentera.Thus, he has changed the concept of an

Indianbattinghero. Theyareno longer castin the Gavaskar-Tendulkar-Laxman-Dravidmould ofmonkish and selfless heroes. Likehim,thegeneration-in-waitinghasinkedtat-toosontheirbody, flauntneatly-manicuredbeards, chisel their abs and pecs, exude anirresistible fearlessness, andwant to attaincross-formatmastery.Ganguly’swasabravenewIndia;Kohli’s abrashnewIndia.While Kohli belongs to the IPL genera-

tion, his devotion to Test cricket has helpedsustain the format’s superiority in the T20era.Thus, there isnobettermetaphorof thecricketingmilieu, or the power invested inthe hands of the Indian cricket board, thanKohli.

sandip.gopal@expressindia.com

Acricketer for our timesInhisbatting,persona,ViratKohlisymbolisesthegame’spowershiftingtoIndia

Counting the EWSRussia’sUkraineinterventionisonlythelatest—mostjarring—symptomthat

aglobal‘rules-basedorder’isanidealisticmyth

Studyrevealsthatmorethan90percentof ruralandurbannon–SC/ST/OBChouseholdswillmeetGoI’scriteriaforEconomicallyWeakerSections

Sarjan Shah

ShamikaRavi andMudit Kapoor

Sandip G

Illustration:C R Sasikumar,Graphic:RiteshKumar

Empirical Cumulative Distribution Function ofmonthly household earnings of General category

Rural9,000

Urban15,000

40000 Ews66,667

Rural9,000

Urban15,000

40000 Ews66,667

100%

75%

50%

25%

0%

100%

75%

50%

25%

0%

Excluding householdswith zeromonthly earnings

Monthlyearningsofhouseholds

Note:We includeallhouseholdswithearning>0.DataSource:Periodic LabourForceSurvey,2018-19.Nydut Jaoiir (ISI,Delhi)&ShamikaRavi (ORF)

■Rural ■Urban

New Delhi

EXPRESSNETWORK12 WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COMTHEINDIANEXPRESS,FRIDAY,MARCH4,2022

ANJUAGNIHOTRICHABAJALANDHAR,MARCH3

AWEEK after the principal of aprivateschool inaRopardistrictvillagewasarrestedforallegedlyrapingandmolestingseveralmi-norstudentsoveradecadeback,avictim in thecase finally cameforwardandrecordedherstate-mentThursday.The accused, Amritpal

Dhiman (54), was arrested onFebruary25aftersomeobscenepictures, believed to be over 10years old, got leaked on socialmedia. He was booked underSection376(2)(d)of theIPCandSection 6 of the Protection ofChildren from Sexual Offences(POCSO)Act.OnWednesday,hewas sent to judicial custody af-terhispolice remandended.A local pharmacist, Shiv

Kumar, isalsoinjudicialcustodyafter his arrest for allegedly up-loading the objectionable pho-tosandvideosonsocialmedia.Police sources confirmed

that a victim came forward onThursday and recorded herstatementafterwhichhermed-icalexaminationwasconductedatagovernmenthospital.Allef-forts are beingmade to protecther identity, theyadded.Thegirl, inherstatement,has

alleged that she was sexuallyabusedbyDhimanoveradecadeago when she was around 13years old. Dhiman, she added,hadmadeavideoof theact andclicked someobjectionablepic-tures of her, which he used toblackmailher.According to police sources,

Dhiman allegedly preyed onnearly30-40victims.RoparSSPViveksheel Soni said that policewere trying to identify the vic-tims based on the photos andvideoswhichdatebackto2008.Meanwhile,thecomplainant

in the case, Ashwini Kumar, haswrittentotheRoparDC,SSPandthe local ChildWelfare Societyasking themtoorderhigh-levelprobe to unearth alleged in-volvementofpolitical leadersinthescandal.DSP Jaspreet Singh told The

Indian Express theywere prob-ing the case from "every possi-ble angle". Kumar has claimedthat villagers were aware ofDhiman's actions, but did notcome forward to lodge a com-plaint “to protect the girls”,while thegirlskeptquietduetothreats by Dhiman. “Over 180objectionable photos and avideo, all of which are over 10years old, went viral on socialmedia a fewdays ago,” said thecomplainant.

EXPRESSNEWSSERVICENEWDELHI,MARCH3

NINETY-TWO per cent of allCovid-19deathsduringtheomi-cron-driven surgewere amongunvaccinated people, Director-General of Indian Council ofMedical Research Dr BalaramBhargavasaidThursday.“During2022, 92per cent of

the deaths have been (among)the unvaccinated. This is datafromthreedatabaseswithmorethan 94 crore population. TheIndiangraphisverymuchlowerthan the other countries, manyofthemdevelopedcountries(re-ferring to graphs on cases anddeaths in various countries).Why didwe see less cases anddeaths during the omicronsurge? We had our own vac-cines, we had extremely excessproduction, we had a rapid de-ployment, we had tremendousamount of vaccine acceptance(which resulted) in wide scalecoverageof thevaccineandulti-matelyprotected India.”About 32,900 Covid-related

deathshavebeen registered thisyear. According to government’sfiguresthen,over30,000ofthesewouldbeunvaccinatedpeople.At the endof 2021, nearly 65

per cent of the adult population,

morethan60crorepeople,hadre-ceivedbothdosesof thevaccine,whileover84crorehadreceivedat least onedose. That left about10croreadultsinIndia—theadultpopulation is estimated tobe94crore—withoutvaccination.A significant proportion of

the below-18 population wasalsoinfectedduringtheOmicronwave,muchhigherthanthepre-vioustwowaves.Thisagegroupwasentirelyunvaccinatedatthestartof the thirdwave.The government’s figures

point to remarkable effective-ness of vaccines in preventingserious diseases and deaths,something that has been em-phasised repeatedly by healthexperts and scientists. Thatmeans it would be in the inter-estofpeopletogettheirboosterdoses as well. As of now, onlyabout twocrorepeoplehavere-ceived the ‘precautionary’ thirddose.But that ismainlybecauseonlyfewgroupsarecurrentlyel-igible for the precautionarydoses.Therehasbeena96.4percent decline in Covid-19 casessince the peak of the omicronwave during the January 19-25week, and a decline of 76.6 percent in deaths since it peaked acouple ofweeks after the cases,said the Union HealthMinistryinabriefingonThursday.

92% third wave deathsamong unvaccinated: govt

ROPARSCHOOLSEXUALABUSE

NAVEEDIQBALSRINAGAR,MARCH3

HURRIYATCONFERENCE(G)vice-chairman GhulamAhmadDarhasbeenbookedunderthePublicSafetyAct (PSA) and arrestedbyJ&KPolice.Accordingtoseniorpoliceof-

ficials,Darwasbookedfor“givinginciting statements and state-mentsadversetopublicpeaceandtranquility of Kashmir Valley ingeneralandSrinagartowninpar-ticular”.Originally from North

Kashmir's Baramulladistrict, the65-year-oldseparatist leaderhasbeen living in Srinagar for a longtimenow.HeheadedtheJammuandKashmirInsafParty,andwasamongthefewseparatistleaderswhohadnotbeenjailedyet.Darwas a close associate of

People'sConferenceleaderAbdulGaniLone.AfterLone'skilling,hefell apart fromhissonsSajadandBilalLone,andjoinedtheHurriyatConference faction then led bySyedAliShahGeelani.Helaterbe-cameGeelani'spressaide.Last year, Darwas appointed

vice-chairman of HurriyatConferencealongwithjailedsep-aratistleaderShabirAhmadShah.Accordingtosources,Darwas

bookedandarrestedonFebruary28.The PSA dossier filed by the

police cited “strong inputs from

credible sources” that Darwasconducting “room-boundmeet-ingswithHurriyatworkerstocon-vince themto continueHurriyatactivities in Srinagar and otherpartsof theValley”.It saidDarwasallegedly“try-

ing hard tomotivate” workerswho in the recentpasthad“sup-ported the Pakistani claim thatKashmiristheunfinishedagendaof the Partition andneeds to besolvedaspertheaspirationsofthepeopleof JammuandKashmir”.The dossier prepared by the

policealsoaccusedDarof“wield-inghisconsiderablecloutinseces-sionist circles” todecide strategyto formulate programmes to“stokelawandorderproblems”inJ&K.Making a case for his arrest,the police cited technical inputsthat if left to be free, therewasevery chance that he “will con-spirebyraisingfundsforterroristorganisationsbywayofdrugped-dlingwhichwillhelpterrororgan-isationsplanmajoractsofterror...”Dar’s activities, according to

the police, have “created a con-stantthreattomaintenanceofse-curity of UT of J&K” and he hasbeen“foundresponsibletocreat-ing circumstances conducive tothepropagationof anti-nationalideology”.Based on these charges, Dar

was booked under the PublicSafetyAct, 1978. After his arrest,hewasmoved to Central Jail inSrinagar.

Hurriyat vice-chairmanDar held under PSA

Students hostagebunkers andunderground shel-ters, andmovement is restricteddue to the curfew-like situationonthestreets.ShortlyafterPutin'sremarks,

the Associated Press quotedUkrainian and Russian officialssaying they reached a tentativeagreement to arrange for safecorridorstoevacuateciviliansanddeliverhumanitariansupplies.OnWednesdaynighttoo,the

Kremlin had spoken of Indiansbeingkepthostagein itsreadoutof the phone conversation be-tweenPrimeMinisterNarendraModiandPutin.InMoscow Thursday night,

Putin, speaking in Russian, said,"Thousandsofyoungpeople,stu-dents who were studying inUkraine's collegeswere kept formore than one day... more than3,000 Indiancitizensat the trainstationinKharkiv.Andtheycon-tinuekeepingthemthere,includ-ing 576 people in the city ofSumy."He said "neo-Nazis opened

fire on Chinese students whowantedtoleaveKharkivandtwoof themwerewounded"."Hundredsofforeignerswant

to leave the hostilities zone butthey are not allowed to do that.Basically, theyare takingprison-ers, trying to delay their relief...Ourmilitary (has) opened safepassage,greencorridorstoallowthem to leave safely and as theyaregivingthemtransportsothatcivilians, foreign citizens get anopportunity to move to saferzonesandonceagain...arenotal-lowingthistohappen,"Putinsaid,adding,"Basically,theyarethrow-ingthemundergunfire".Earlier intheday, inresponse

tomedia queries regarding re-ports of Indian students beingheldhostageinUkraine,ArindamBagchi, spokesperson for theMinistryof ExternalAffairs, said,"Our Embassy in Ukraine is incontinuoustouchwithIndianna-tionals inUkraine.Wenote thatwith the cooperation of theUkrainianauthorities,manystu-dentshaveleftKharkivyesterday.Wehavenotreceivedanyreportsof any hostage situation regard-inganystudent.""Wehave requested support

oftheUkrainianauthoritiesinar-ranging special trains for takingout students fromKharkiv andneighbouring areas to thewest-ernpartof thecountry,"hesaid.At a media briefing hours

later,Bagchireiteratedthattherewas no hostage situation andIndia doesnot have any such re-ports. He said Foreign SecretaryHarshVardhanShringlaspoketothe Ukrainian deputy foreignminister late WednesdayeveningonthesafeevacuationofIndianstudentsfromKharkiv.It is estimated that around

4,000Indians,mostlystudentsinmedicalcolleges,arestuckintheeastern andnorth-eastern partsof Ukraine, close to the Russianborder.The MEA said about 1,000

Indians have left Kharkiv fornearby Pisochyn, pursuant to itsadvisoryadayago.Bagchi saidafewhundredIndiansarebelievedto be still stuck in Kharkiv andIndia is closely following devel-opments in the city alongwiththe situation in other conflictzonesineasternUkraine."We are currently looking at

transportation options tomovethem from there to westernUkraineorsouthernUkrainede-pending on the transportationoptions,"hesaid.The Indian embassy in

UkraineonThursday advised allIndiannationals inKharkiv to fillanonlineformonurgentbasisastheRussianonslaughtonthecitycontinued.After Kremlin said

WednesdaynightthatIndianstu-dentsinKharkivhadbeen"takenhostage" by Ukrainian securityforceswhowere using themas"humanshield"to"preventthemfrom leaving for Russian terri-tory", the Ukrainian ForeignMinistry "urgently called on thegovernments of India, Pakistan,Chinaandothercountrieswhosestudents have becomehostagesof theRussianarmedaggressioninKharkivandSumy,todemandfromMoscow that it allow theopeningofahumanitariancorri-dortootherUkrainiancities".

Quad channeltheyeachaddressandrespondtothecrisis inUkraine”.Thewar in Ukraine has had

threeof the fourQuadpartners--US, Australia and Japan -- criti-cisingRussiawhileIndiahascho-sen to remain "neutral" andabstain during votes against theKremlinattheUN.Acarefullycraftedjointstate-

ment,devoidoftherhetoricfromWashington,CanberraandTokyo,said,“TheQuadleadersdiscussedtheongoingconflictandhuman-itarian crisis in Ukraine and as-sesseditsbroader implications.”“They agreed to stand up a

newhumanitarianassistanceanddisasterreliefmechanismwhichwill enable theQuadtomeet fu-ture humanitarian challenges inthe Indo-Pacific and provide achannel for communication astheyeachaddressandrespondtothecrisis inUkraine.”In New Delhi, the Prime

Minister's Office said,“Developments inUkrainewerediscussedinthemeeting,includ-ingitshumanitarianimplications.The PrimeMinister emphasisedtheneedtoreturntoapathofdi-alogue anddiplomacy.” This hasbeen the consistent Indianposi-tionoverthelastmonthorso.The coming together of the

Quadleadersandthedemonstra-tion of unity, despite the diver-gence of views on the Russia-Ukraine crisis, also underlinedtheir common position on theChinese challenge. “Today theQuad Leaders – PrimeMinisterScottMorrisonofAustralia,PrimeMinisterNarendraModiof India,PrimeMinisterFumioKishidaofJapan,andPresidentJoeBidenoftheUnited States – convened toreaffirm their commitment to afree and open Indo-Pacific, inwhich thesovereigntyandterri-torial integrity of all states is re-spected and countries are freefrommilitary,economic,andpo-liticalcoercion.”Thiswas a clear reference to

Beijing'sbelligerenceandaggres-sive activities in the Indo-Pacificregion -- from the India-ChinaboundarytotheSouthChinaSeato economic coercion againstAustralia.“They reaffirmed their dedi-

cation to the Quad as amecha-nismtopromote regional stabil-ity and prosperity,” the jointstatementsaid.“Intheircontinuingpursuitof

a free andopen Indo-Pacific, theQuad Leaders agreed tomeet inperson in Tokyo in the comingmonths,” it said --official confir-mation of aQuad leaders' sum-mitinTokyointhefirsthalfoftheyear.Biden, in a Twitter post after

themeeting,said,“Imetwithmyfellow Quad leaders PrimeMinister ScottMorrison, PrimeMinister Narendra Modi, andPrimeMinister Kishida FumioaboutRussia’songoingattackonUkraineandourcommitmenttosovereignty and territorial in-tegrityaroundtheworld,includ-ingintheIndo-Pacific.”Kishida said, “Unilateral

changestothestatusquobyforceorcoercionliketherecentRussianaggression against Ukraine arealso unacceptable in the Indo-Pacific region. It is critically im-portantforustobringaboutafreeandopenIndo-Pacific.Weagreedwewillworkinclosecooperationtoensurethesuccessofournextface-to-faceQuadsummit,whichwillbeheld inTokyointhecom-ingmonths.”The PMO saidModi “under-

linedthattheQuadmustremainfocused on its core objective ofpromoting peace, stability andprosperity in the Indo-Pacific re-gion”."The leaders also discussed

othertopicalissues,includingthesituation in Southeast Asia, theIndian Ocean region and thePacificIslands.PrimeMinisterre-iteratedtheimportanceofadher-ing to the UN Charter, interna-tional law and respect forsovereignty and territorial in-tegrity," thePMOsaid.Thiswas reiteration of New

Delhi'sposition--ofabstainingatUNvotes on the Russia-Ukrainecrisis, yet sending amessage toRussia for violating the sover-eigntyand territorial integrityofUkraine.None of the tough language

condemningRussiawasthere inthe Quad joint statement, andthatdisplayedaccommodationoftheIndianposition.Modi called for concrete and

practical forms of cooperationwithintheQuadinareaslikehu-manitarian and disaster relief,debtsustainability,supplychains,cleanenergy,connectivityandca-pacity-building, thePMOsaid.

Senate hearingspeaking at the Senate hearinghours after the vote in the UNGeneral Assembly on “Russianaggression”, fromwhich India,alongwith34othercountriesin-cluding China, Pakistan,Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, ab-stained.Askedspecificallyif,inviewof

India's abstentions, the BidenAdministrationwas consideringinvoking CAATSA sanctions onDelhiforpurchasingtheS-400airdefence system fromRussia, Lusaidhewasnotableto“prejudge”decisions of the President or theSecretary on this issue, orwhether Russia's invasion ofUkrainewillbearonthatdecision.CAATSA or Countering

America's Adversaries throughSanctionsActisa2017USlawtar-geting Iran, North Korea andRussiaandcanbeinvokedagainstanycountryorentitythatcarries

out business transactionswiththem.In 2020, the US sanctioned

TurkeyforpurchasingtheS-400.Delhi signed a $5.3-billion dealfor the S-400withMoscow in2018,andRussiabegandeliveriesof the system to India inNovember2021.Delhiwas confident that the

Biden Administration wouldmakeanexceptionfor theS-400deal in view of the expandingstrategic partnershipwith India,including in the Quadrilateralgrouping.However,Russia'sinvasionof

Ukraine, the BidenAdministration's new sanctionsto punishMoscow, and India'sneutralpositioningintheconflicthaveputtheS-400dealbackun-derthespotlight."I canassureyouthat thead-

ministration will follow theCAATSAlawandfullyimplementthat law andwill consult withCongress as wemove forwardwithanyofthem.What,unfortu-nately, I amnot able to say is toprejudge the decisions of thePresident or the (Secretary ofState) on thewaiver issue or onthe sanctions issue, orwhetherRussia's invasion of Ukrainewillbearonthatdecision,”Lusaid.LusaidthattheBidenadmin-

istrationisyettodecideonapply-ing sanctions on India underCAATSA.“Indiaisareallyimportantse-

curity partner of ours now. Andthat we valuemoving forwardthat partnership and I hope thatpartofwhathappenswiththeex-treme criticism that Russia hasfaced is that India will find it'snowtimetofurtherdistances,”Lusaid.India's record of abstention

and “non-alignment” at theUnitedNationsontheUkraineis-suedominatedthehearing,withcommitteemembers question-ing Lu about how this squaredwith the US-India partnershipandIndia'sowncredentialsastheworld's largestdemocracy.Lu said therewas a “pitched

battle”onthe issuewith India to“urge it to take a clear position”,and that it had led to an “evolu-tion”of theIndianposition.“Secretary(Tony)Blinkenhas

beenonthefrontlinesofthatbat-tle.ThePresident,otherseniorof-ficials in the State Departmenthave been relentlessly conduct-ing very serious high-level dia-loguewith their Indian counter-parts overUkraineover theoverthe course of months now,” Lusaid,notingIndia'scalltoallstatesto abide by the UN Charter, re-spectsovereigntyandtheterrito-rial integrity of other states, andtosendhumantariansupplies toUkraine as indications of “smallsteps”.The death of the Indian stu-

dent in the bombardment ofKharkiv had also begun to turnpublic opinion in India, againstRussia,hesaid.“Wehave sparedno effort to

trytoconvinceIndiabothtovoteinUN sessions but also to showsupport forUkraine at this criti-calmoment. Those effortswereled by Secretary Blinken. He ismultiple,multipletimesbeenonthe phone with MinisterJaishanker,” theofficialsaid.

(WITHKRISHNKAUSHIK,NEWDELHI).

A way outNationalDefenceControlCentrehead Colonel-General MikhailMizintsevcameadayafterPrimeMinisterNarendraModispoketoRussianPresidentVladimirPutinanddiscussedthesafeevacuationof Indians.“A total of 130 comfortable

buses are ready to depart toKharkov (Kharkiv) and Sumyfrom the Nekhoteyevka andSudzha checkpoints in theBelgorodRegionsince6amtodayinordertorescueIndianstudentsand citizens of other foreignstates,” Colonel-GeneralMizintsevwas quoted as sayingby the state-owned TASS newsagency.The Indian student, mean-

while,toldTheIndianExpressoverthe phone from Sumy StateUniversity that the students hadreceivednowordfromtheIndianembassy on their evacuation,aside froman earlier communi-cationaskingthemtostayputatthecampus.MayuriAher,21,said:“Renish

Joseph, who coordinates ourdealingswiththeuniversity,istheonlypersonmakingeffortstores-cue us. He informed us aboutbuses to evacuate us fromSudzha,acrosstheRussiaborder.Butwe need safe passage fromourcampus till Sudzha,which is65kmaway.Weurge the Indiangovernment to coordinatewiththeUkraineauthorities.”Aher,whoisfromMumbai,is

among several students hun-kereddownattheuniversitywhohavedocumentedtheirterrifyingordealinmultiplevideos,sharingdetailsofshelling,gunfireandex-plosions. Thewar has left them

strandedwithdepletingcashandsupplies in cramped, freezingbunkers. Public transport is shutinthecityandacurfewisinplace.She told The Indian Express

onThursday:“OnWednesdayanexplosion took place in a closedArts school to thesouthof Sumycity.Today,wesawahugeexplo-sion from our university, ataround7pmlocaltime.Weweretolditwasclosetoachemicalfac-tory.”Aher andother students feel

the eastern bordermakes for arelativelylessarduousevacuationroute.SaidMumbairesidentShaikh

Namira in one of the aforemen-tioned videos: “Weare stuck onthe eastern side of Ukraine (inSumy).WearesurroundedbytheRussianborderonthreesidesandKharkivononeside.Ifwehavetotravel to the western border(where evacuation is being car-ried out by the Indian govern-ment), it is not at all safe.Throughout the day bombard-ments and shelling are takingplaceontheeasternsideandweareveryunsafe.”Ahersharedthemessagesent

bytheircoordinatoronThursday,whichreads:“Attentionstudents.AccordingtocurrentinformationIndianauthoritiesareinborderofSumy-Russiawithbuses (place-Sudzha) .! FromIndianembassyinUkraineandUkrainiangovern-mentstillnotgivenpermissionorclearancetotravel.!Withouttheclearanceifallstudentstravelandif somethinghappenedthenno-bodywill takeresponsibility.!Sowecannottravelwithoutpermis-sion.this is our only chance toevacuate from Sumy safely.Request to all students andpar-ents tomaximumshare this in-formation so that thehigher au-thoritiesof Indiatoconsider thismatterandtoget immediateac-tionstogetclearnessfortravel.!”Colonel-General Mizintsev

saidplacesfortemporaryaccom-modationandresthavebeensetupatthecheckpoints."The evacuees will be then

transported to the city ofBelgorod for subsequent depar-ture totheirhomelandbyair, in-cluding via Russianmilitary air-planes,”hesaid.Meanwhile,thestudentssaid

in their videos that they have torush to underground bunkersfromtheirroomseverytimetheyhear air raid sirens. Inside thecrampedbunkers,healthandhy-giene,too,havebecomemajoris-sues— they do not havewash-roomsorwater.Studentssaytheyarealsorunningoutof foodsup-pliesandmoney.“We cannot step out to the

grocery store to get supplies.Today morning we sawmanysnipersnearourbuildingandwewerewarned to stay away fromthewindows.We canbe evacu-atedfromtheRussianborder.WeappealtotheIndiangovernmentand Prime Minister NarendraModitorescueus,”saidNamira.OnThursday,studentsalsore-

portedseeinggunmenincivilianclothesinsidetheircampus.Aher said, "Even civilians are

roaming around with rifles.Seeing it we get very scared.Whenweare in thebunkersourfamilycannotcontactus.”Another student, Mehtab,

said:“WhenwepeekoutsideourwindowweseeUkrainianshold-ing arms. On Wednesday, wewokeuptoanexplosion.WehaveheardwewillbeevacuatedfromtheRussianborderbutnoofficialhastoldusanything.”

Risk of RBIFebruarypolicyreview.There’safeelinginsomeother

quarterstoothattheRBIneedstodomore in controlling inflationwhile retaining the current pol-icyinterestrates.According to Radhika Rao,

Senior Economist, DBS, the cen-tralbankmightciteweakgrowthprints and need for administra-tion measures to contain thespilloverfromhigheroil/gasontoinflation, backstopping theirdovish bias. “Nonetheless, givenrisks to the price outlook andtighterglobalfinancialconditions,weexpectthemtolaythegroundfor a gradual exit from their ac-commodative stance and adjustbenchmark rates to pre-pan-demiclevels inFY23,"shesaidinarecentreport.TheRBIhasbeenputting the

emphasis on growth.While un-veilingthepolicyonFebruary10,RBI Governor Shaktikanta DassaidtheMPCwasoftheviewthatcontinuedpolicysupport–statusquo on interest rates -- is war-ranted for a durable and broad-based recovery after taking intoconsiderationtheoutlookfor in-flation and growth, in particularthecomfortprovidedby the im-provinginflationoutlook,theun-certainties related to Omicronandglobalspill-overs.FortheNDAgovernment,the

surge intensifies thepressureonthe state-owned oil retailers tohike retail prices. These hikes

have been put on hold in thewakeofthestateelectionsandanincreaseisexpectedimmediatelyafterthepollingisover.Acalibra-tion of the hike is now amorecomplex task, given the cascad-inginflationimpactthatcouldfol-lowinthewakeoftheanticipatedrise inprices.Varma also batted for a

change in the approach of thecentralbankwhiletacklinginfla-tion. “Monetary policymakersmust proceed with humility,recognisethatrealitymaynotun-fold according to their expecta-tions, and stand ready to adaptrapidly to the changing condi-tions.Aboveall,theyshouldavoidmaking commitments that re-strict their freedomof future ac-tion,”Varmasaid.“I do not have a crystal ball,

and Istronglybelievethatpolicymakers should not pretend thattheyhaveacrystalball,”hesaid.There’s also a demand for

delinking Covid pandemic fromthemonetarypolicyastheprob-lems impacting economy havenothingtodowiththepandemic.Theproblemisthattheeconomyhas been growing too slowly, atleast, since2019. Investmenthasbeenlow,privateconsumptionisstilllaggingbehindandtheecon-omyisbeingbolsteredprimarilyby fiscal support. There is anur-gent need to push the economyonto the path of self-sustaininggrowth thatwouldmeet the as-pirationsofourpeople.“Thechal-lengeisthatthishastobedoneinthe context of undesirably highinflation. Also, as I argued inmyMPCstatement,geopoliticalten-sions arenowoneof thebiggestrisks to the global economy,”Varmasaid.The Ukraine situation is a

threat to both growth and infla-tion. “While you have empha-sised the inflation shock, thegrowth shock should not be ig-nored. Some countries inWestern Europemight actuallytip into recession, and India toocouldfaceheadwindsparticularly(butnotonly)intermsofexports.Wedonotknowhowlonglastingandhowseverethesetwoshockswouldbe,”Varmasaid.Governmentsourcessaidthe

RBI view till recently (before therecent geopolitical develop-ments)hasbeenthatsincethefis-cal policy is in “contraction”mode,themonetarypolicymustmaintain an accommodativestance. The government haspeggedthefiscaldeficitat6.4percent of GDP in 2022-23, downfrom6.9percentin2021-22and9.2percent in2020-21.“From the levels of 9.2 per

cent, the fiscal contraction nextyear will almost be 3 per cent,nowthisisahugecontraction.Atatimewhenfiscalpolicyisincon-traction, and private consump-tion is still belowprevious levelswith no likelihood of economyoverheating,themonetarypolicymustremainaccommodativeun-der such circumstances. See, ittakes the twoto tango,” a sourcesaid,explainingthecentralbank’srationale.Theoil shockwouldnotonly

leadtospikeininflation,butalsoa“massivehitongrowth”,hittingtherecoveryprocessthathasbe-gunonlyrecently, theysaid.Spiralling oil priceswill also

impact the budgetmath as thegovernment has projected oilpricesinrangeof$70-75perbar-rel for the next year. “…India’sGDP is projected to grow in realtermsby8.0-8.5percentin2022-23.Thisprojectionisbasedontheassumptionthattherewillbenofurtherdebilitatingpandemicre-latedeconomicdisruption,mon-soonwillbenormal,withdrawalof global liquidity bymajor cen-tralbankswillbebroadlyorderly,oil priceswill be in the range ofUS$70-$75/bbl, and global sup-plychaindisruptionswillsteadilyeaseoverthecourseof theyear,”aspertheEconomicSurvey2021-22.(WITHINPUTSFROMSUNNY

VERMAANDAANCHALMAGAZINEINNEWDELHI)

Jamtara Clubgiven enough food to eat. Ameeting of the Clubmembersensued. Mandal’s family wassummonedandtheyweremadeawareofhisgrief.Hissonprom-ised to takebetter careof him.“Takleef hota tha aur jo

dikkathota thabolehumyahanpar, ab gharmein khana peenamilta hai.Yahan par aakar achalagta hai (I sharedmyworrieswith the Club members, andnow I get food at home. I feelgoodcomingtotheClub),”saidahappy PanchuMandal as he satsurrounded by more than 20membersof theElder'sClub.Eachmember had a story to

tell. One person had found aplacetorecitehispoemsdealingwith nostalgiawhile some oth-ers engaged in plain conversa-tions about their family, grand-children and health. A few saidtheynowunderstoodvariousre-ligions better, thanks to the di-

verse set of people who werepartof thisClub.Jamtara has a population of

nine lakh and roughly 10 percent are people above 60 yearsof age. Narayanpur block is nottheonlyonewithanElder'sClub.Fivemoreblocksof Jamtaradis-tricthavealsogotanElder'sClub.The district administration,whichhadpreviouslyconverted118 dilapidated governmentbuildingsacrossthedistrict intolibraries, has now turned an-other six non-functional andrun-down buildings into theseclubsfortheelderly.Onaverage,repairs cost Rs 3-3.5 lakh perbuilding. The administration fi-nanced this by using the fundsprovided by the FifteenthFinance Commission. All otheramenities have been crowd-sourced.At the Elder’s Club of

Narayanpur, eachmember hasvoluntarily decided to help outin running the Club. For exam-ple, some help out by cleaningup the placewhile some otherswater the plants etc. Somewomen can often be foundwatching TV -- spiritual showsareadistinct favourite. Itmakesthem very happy as none ofthem can afford a TV in theirhomes. There isno food, but teaisavailableoncall.People from different eco-

nomic layers, castes and reli-gions come to this space. Theyexchange ideas, seek help, andmakenew friends. This has hada salutary impacton theirmen-talhealth.Jamtara Deputy

Commissioner Faiz Aq AhmedMumtazsaid that thebasic ideawas to create a space like the‘Elder’sClub’ineveryblockofthedistrict to deal with the loneli-ness,depressionandothermen-tal health issues that often ac-companyoldage.“We wanted to provide a

place for dignified ageing. Nowthere's a club in each of the sixblocks (of the district). Theseclubs also serve as an interfacebetweentheelderlyandthegov-ernmenttodealwithissuessuchas pension and health careamongothers," saidMumtaz."Beyond this, we have also

directedtheofficialstokeepalistof problems being faced by anyseniorcitizenintheirpanchayat,andapproachuswheneverany-one is mistreated or in need ofsomething,”hesaid.Hehighlightshoweveryone

-- not just the government --came together tomake this ini-tiative a success. “For example,indoorgameswerecontributedby the government officials, TVsets were bought by the localbusinessmen and refrigeratorsweredonatedbylocalfuelpumpdealers inourdistrict,”hesaid.Like PanchuMandal, many

face similar problems. InMandal's case, thematter wassolvedinonemeeting.Butinthecase of some other members,stricter andmore formalmeth-odshad tobeemployed.For instance, 75-year old

Dhananjay Mandal, who be-longs to the Nala Block’s Clubandsuffersfromkidneydisease,apprised the Jamtara SubDivisional Officer in DecemberthatMandal'ssonhadseparatedhim from his wife. Mandalpleaded for food and mainte-nanceofpeaceatthehouseholdandalsodemandedmoneythathissonowedhim.OnJanuary31,a meeting, headed by officials,was convened in Nala's Club. Itwas decided thatMandal's sonwill payback themoney in fourinstallments.Asettlementdeedwassigned.Mandalsayshecan-not thank the officials enoughandthathe isat ‘peace’now.Someofthesegrievancesare

stillbeingresolved.Forexample,Bisherwar Mandal, part ofKarmatandElder’sClub, filedanapplication explaining howhisnephew, whomMandal raisedafter the death of the nephew'sparents, had forcedMandal outof hisownhouse.“Ihopetheofficialswillreach

a conclusion soon, but (in themeantime) the Elder’s Club hasgivenanoldman likemeanav-enuetovoicemyproblem,”saidMandal.Formanyothers, joining the

clubwassimplyaboutgaininganewleaseof life.Inside the Jamtara Elder’s

Club, 64-year-old Fani BhushanMishra is cracking jokes on his‘newlymadefriends’whileplay-ingaboardgame.Hesaidthatheusedtosit inhishomeworryingabout the next day, but sincejoining the Club he has madenewfriendsand feelsengaged.Recently, one of the Justices

of theJharkhandHighCourtvis-ited theclub.“We never imagined we

wouldbeabletomeetsomeonelikehim. I can'texplainhowourlives have been refreshed.Hamara longevity badh gaya hai(Our life span seems tohave in-creased).”

FROMPAGEONEFirst victimsays ‘raped,blackmailed’

New Delhi

13THEINDIANEXPRESS,FRIDAY,MARCH4,2022

THEWORLDWWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM

MEANWHILE

JAPANTOFREEZEASSETSOFRUSSIANOLIGARCHSJapanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida says his country will freeze the assets of Russianoligarchs close to President Putin as Tokyo steps up sanctions over Russia’s invasion ofUkraine. Kishida said Thursday that Japan is adding oligarchs to the list of sanctions aspart of a collective effort by the United States and European countries. The step adds toJapan’s freezing of the assets of Putin and top officials in his government.

NYT& APKYIV,MARCH3

AMEMBERof Ukraine’s delega-tion in talks with Russia onThursday said the parties havereachedatentativeagreementtoorganise safe corridors for civil-ianstoevacuateandforhuman-itariansupplies tobedelivered.Mykhailo Podolyak, an ad-

viser to Ukraine’s PresidentVolodymyrZelenskyywhotookpart in Thursday’s talks inBelarus near the Polish border,said that Russia and Ukrainereached a preliminary under-standingthatcease-fireswillbeobservedinareaswherethesafecorridorsareestablished.Russian President Vladimir

Putin says the Russianmilitaryhasofferedsafecorridorstocivil-ianstoallowthemtoleaveareasof fighting in Ukraine. TheRussian leader said the groupswere also using civilians asshields,takingupfiringpositionsto provoke the Russian retalia-tory fire. Putin’s claim couldn’tbe independentlyverified.Russian forces on Thursday

continued to lay siege to urbanareas across the country in agrindingoffensivethathaspum-meled civilian neighbourhoodswithincreasinglyheavyartilleryand reduced basic services torubble. The assault has alsodeepenedahumanitariancrisisthathaspushedonemillionpeo-ple to flee thecountry.Zelenskyy’sinanewbriefing

on Thursday challenged Putinfor a talk. “Sit downwithme tonegotiate, justnotat30metres,”hesaid,addingthat,“Idon’tbite.Whatareyouafraidof?”ThetalkscameastheRussian

militarymade significant gainsinthesouthofUkraineaspartofan effort to sever the country’sconnectiontotheBlackandAzovseas. Russiantroopshaveencir-cled the port city ofMariupol, akey point between the RussianborderandtheRussia-controlledCrimean Peninsula, and fartherwest, justnorthofKherson,theywerebearingdownonMykolaiv.Militaryexperts say thatcap-

turingthosecitieswouldaccom-plishMoscow’sstrategicobjectiveofcuttingoffUkrainianforcesthathavebeenbattlingRussia-backedseparatists in eastern Ukrainefromtherestof thecountry.After capturing the strategic

city of Kherson, Russian forces

pushedwestonThursday,bearingdownonanother importantportcity,Mykolaiv, the city’smayor,Oleksandr Senkevych, said in aninterview. Senkevychsaidroughly800Russianvehicles, includingacolumnof rocket launchers,washeadedtowardMykolaivfromthenorth,eastandsouth.Theonemillion tally theUN

refugee agency released wasreached Wednesday andamounts toover2%ofUkraine’spopulation being forced out ofthecountry insevendays.With a column of tanks and

othervehiclesapparentlystalledfor days outside the capital ofKyiv,fightingcontinuedonmul-tiple frontsacrossUkraine.Withthehumanitariancrisis

deepening, Zelenskyy said thegovernmentwasdoingallitcouldtoproviderelief.“Ourguysontheground areworking hard to or-ganise ‘greencorridors,”hesaid.

Awoman fleeswithher familyacrossadestroyedbridge intheoutskirtsofKyiv,UkraineonWednesday.AP

ELSEWHERE IN THEWORLD

INBRIEF

TheDutcharesendingrocketlaunchersforairdefence.TheEstoniansaresendingJavelinantitankmissiles.ThePolesandtheLatviansaresendingStingersurface-to-airmissiles.TheCzechsaresendingmachineguns,sniperrifles,pistolsandammunition.EvenformerlyneutralcountrieslikeSwedenandFinlandaresendingweapons. Inall,about20countriesarefunnelingarmsintoUkrainetofightoffRussianinvadersandarmaninsurgency,ifthewarcomestothat.NYT

Lithuanianforces loadStingeranti-aircraftsystemsandbodyarmourboundforUkraine.AP

Sean Penn joinsUkraine exodusto Poland on footDaysaftervisitingtheUkrainiancapitalKyiv tofilmscenes forhisdocumentaryonRussia’sinvasion,actor-directorSeanPennfoundhimselfamongthousandsofrefugees fleeingtoPoland,joiningtheexodusonfoot.Penn,61,postedaphototohisTwitter feedonMondayshowingthemoviestarwearingabackpackandtotingapieceof luggageonwheelsashetrudgedalongtheshoulderof aroadbesidealineof carsstretching intothedistance.Reuters

ICC fast-trackspossible warcrime probeTheprosecutorof theInternationalCriminalCourthaslaunchedanimmediatecriminalinvestigationofpossiblewarcrimesinUkraine.Theprosecutor,KarimKhan,saidlateWednesdaythathewouldfast-tracktheinvestigationafterreceivingrequestsfrom39membercountries,mostof themEuropean.Suchamoveisunprecedentedatthecourt,whereprosecutorstypicallywaitmonthsforapprovalfromapanelof judges.“Ourworkinthecollectionofevidencehasnowcommenced.”NYT

JUSTINSPIKEZAHONY,MARCH3

SOMEOFUkraine’smostvulner-ablecitizenshavereachedsafetyin Poland through an effort ofsolidarity and compassion thattranscendedbordersandraisedapowerful counterpoint towar.OnWednesday,atrainpulled

into the station in Zahony,Hungary carrying about 200peoplewithseverephysicalandmental disabilities — residentsof two orphanages for the dis-abledinUkraine’scapitalofKyivthatwere evacuated as Russianforcesbattered thecity.“Territorially,theorphanages

are where the rockets flew,where therewerebursts of riflefire.Ametrostationneartheor-phanage was blown up,” saidLarissaLeonidovna, thedirectorof theSvyatoshinksyorphanageforboysinKyiv.“Wespentmorethananhourundergrounddur-ingabombing.”The disabled refugees, most

of them children, disembarkedthe train into the cold wind ofthe platform and into the armsof dozens of Poles andHungarians waiting to receive

them.Fromthere, theywerees-cortedtofourwaitingbuses,sentfrom Poland by the Catholic re-lief organizationCaritas.With the help of the deputy

mayor of Kyiv along with thecity’s child protection office,Caritasorganisedtheevacuationfromthecapital asaRussianas-sault intensified.BarbaraSmyrak, the leador-

ganizerof theCaritasdelegationtransporting the children, saidtheywillbeplacedinrehabilita-tioncentersinthesouthwesternPolish city of Opole after com-pletingthe560-kilometer(350-mile)drive. AP

Disabledchildren escortedtowaitingbuses, inZahony,Hungaryon Wednesday.AP

NYT & APMARCH3

AWESTERN intelligence reportsaidseniorChineseofficialstoldsenior Russian officials in earlyFebruary not to invade Ukrainebefore the end of the WinterOlympicsinBeijing,accordingtoseniorBidenadministrationoffi-cials andaEuropeanofficial.Thereportindicatesthatsenior

Chineseofficialshadsomelevelofdirect knowledgeaboutRussia’swarplansor intentionsbeforetheinvasion started last week.PresidentVladimirV.PutinofRussiametwithPresidentXi JinpingofChinainBeijingonFeb.4beforetheopeningceremonyoftheOlympics.

MoscowandBeijingissueda5,000-wordstatementatthetimedeclar-ingthattheirpartnershiphad“nolimits,”denouncingNATOenlarge-mentandassertingthattheywould

establishanewglobalorderwithtrue“democracy.”China on Thursday de-

nounced the claim as “fakenews” and a “very despicable”attempt to divert attention andshiftblameover theconflict.ForeignMinistryspokesper-

son Wang Wenbin also re-peatedChina’saccusationsthatWashington provoked the warby not ruling out NATOmem-bership for Ukraine. “We hopethe culprit of the crisis wouldreflect on their role in theUkraine crisis, take up their re-sponsibilities, and take practi-cal actions toease the situationand solve the problem insteadof blaming others,” Wang toldreporters at a daily briefing.

US officials claim China asked Russia todelay war until Olympics; Beijing denies

PresidentVladimirV.Putinleft,andPresidentXiJinpingofChinameetlastmonth. Reuters

PRESSTRUSTOFINDIAWASHINGTON,MARCH3

THEWORLDBankhasannouncedthatitwillstopallitsprogrammesinRussiaandBelaruswith“imme-diate effect” in response toMoscow’smilitaryoperations inUkraineand“hostilities”againstthepeopleofthewar-torncountry.Thedecisioncomesasalarge

number of countries, organisa-tions and businesses are sever-ingtiesandhave imposedsanc-tions on Russia over thecountry’s invasion of Ukraine,andwithBelarus for its supportandcooperationwithMoscow.“TheWorld BankGrouphas

notapprovedanynewloanstoorinvestments inRussiasince2014.Therehasalsobeennonewlend-ingapprovedtoBelarussincemid-2020,” the Washington-basedgloballendersaidonWednesday.Thebankingorganisation,with

189membercountriesacrosstheglobe,hasnotapprovedanynewloans or investments in Russiasince2014,whenthecountryan-nexed theCrimeanPeninsula inUkraine,or inBelarussince2020,followingadisputedpresidentialelection,TheHillreported.World Bank PresidentDavid

Malpasscondemnedtheassault,sayingthegroupwas"horrifiedbytheshockingviolenceand lossoflifeasaresultoftheeventsunfold-ing inUkraine." "Weare a long-standingpartner of Ukraine andstandwith itspeopleat thiscriti-calmoment,"Malpasshadsaid.

World Bankstops allprojects inRussia, Belarus

ANTONTROIANOVSKIMARCH3

THE KREMLIN forced Echo ofMoscow,Russia’sflagshipliberalradiostation,toshutdownitsra-dio broadcast and website onThursday,turningasymbolofthecountry’snewfoundfreedomaf-ter the collapse of the SovietUnion intoasymbolof therapidcrackdown on dissent in thewakeof the invasionofUkraine.AlekseiA.Venediktov,thera-

diostation’slongtimeeditor,saidthe station’s board of directorshad“madethedecisionto liqui-

datetheradiochannelandwebsiteEchoofMoscow.”Itwasnotimme-diatelyclearwhetherEchomightbe able to maintain a voice on

YouTubeorotheronlineplatforms.Gazprom, the state-run en-

ergygiant,ownsthestation,buthas long allowed it to operatewith somedegreeof independ-ence inwhat analysts sawas anattemptbytheKremlintomain-tain a facade of pluralism amidits creeping authoritarianism.Yet thatmaskcameoff after theinvasion of Ukraine lastThursdaypromptedanoutpour-ingof anger insideRussia.ThegovernmenttookEchoof

Moscowoff theaironTuesdayforthefirsttimesinceitsfamedcover-ageofthe1991Sovietcoupattempt,anditblockeditswebsite. NYT

Alivebroadcastat theEchoofMoscowin2019.NYT

Echo of Moscow, liberal Russianradio station, website shut down

THENEWYORKTIMESMARCH3

APHONEconversationbetweenPresidentEmmanuelMacronofFranceandPresidentVladimirV.PutinofRussiaonThursdayofferedlittle hope that the fighting inUkrainewouldabateanytimesoon,withtheKremlinsaying ithadnointentionofbackingdownfromawarthat“isgoingaccordingtoplan”andtheFrenchpresidencywarn-ing that Putin appeared deter-minedtoinvadetheentirecountry.“Our analysis of themilitary

operations is that the Russianambitions are to take control ofallofUkraine,”saidasenioroffi-

cial in the French presidency,adding thatMacron expressed“pessimism”after thecall.Nothing is certain about the

success of Russia’s operations,but “we have to expect that theworst is to come,” said the offi-cial. “There is nothing in whatPresidentPutinsaidthatshouldreassureus,” theofficial added.The call, which the French

presidency said came at theKremlin’s request,was the thirddiscussionbetweenthetwolead-ers since the start of the war.Macron,whowasexpectedtoan-nouncehiscandidacyforre-elec-tioninAprillateronThursday,haspositionedhimself at the centerof thediplomacyinEurope.

Weapons donations pour into Kyiv

200 gunmen killed in Nigeriasecurity operation: OfficialGARBAMUHAMMADKADUNA,MARCH3

AT LEAST 200 gunmen werekilled in the past three days inNigeria's central-northern stateofNigerduringasecurityopera-tion to clear armed gangs fromthe area, a state commissionersaidonThursday.Gunmenhaveterrorisedcit-

izensinthenorthandnorthwestof the country and have gainednotoriety for kidnapping hun-dreds of students and villagersfor ransomandkillingdozens.The Niger regional commis-

sionerinchargeof internalsecu-rity,EmmanuelUmar,saidsomeleaders of the armed gangs,known locally as bandits, wereamong those killed during anoperation led by the army andvolunteers from local vigilante

groupsandcommunityleaders.In a statement, Umar said

60 motorbikes, which thegangs use to raid villages,weapons and cattle, were re-covered fromgunmenoperat-ing fromcampsdeep inside thevast forests in the state.An army spokesman did

not immediately respond toquestions. At least fourNigerian security personnelwere killedwhen their patrolvehicle detonated a land-mine in Niger last month,and gunmen killed an un-known number of peopleNigerregionalauthoritiessaid

last year that Islamistmilitantshadestablishedapresenceinonelocality for the first time. Lastmonth, PresidentMuhammaduBuhari said themilitary had be-gunamajoroffensiveagainstmil-itantsthere. REUTERS

Law introduced in US Senate to stop abuse of H-1B visa

ASSOCIATEDPRESSWASHINGTON,MARCH3

THEHOUSEpanelinvestigatingtheJan.6insurrectionattheUSCapitolsaid onWednesday for the firsttime that its evidence suggestscrimesmayhavebeencommittedbyformerPresidentDonaldTrumpandhisassociates in the failedef-forttooverturntheoutcomeofthe2020presidentialelection.Trumpandhis associates en-

gaged in a “criminal conspiracy”topreventCongressfromcertify-ingDemocrat JoeBiden’s victoryintheElectoralCollege,theHousecommittee said in a court filing.Trumpand thoseworkingwithhim spread false informationabout the outcome of thePresidential election and pres-suredstateofficialstooverturntheresults,potentiallyviolatingmul-

tiplefederal laws,thepanelsaid.“TheSelectCommitteealsohas

agood-faithbasis forconcludingthatthePresidentandmembersofhisCampaignengagedinacriminalconspiracytodefraudtheUnitedStates,”thecommitteewroteinafil-ingsubmittedinU.S.DistrictCourtintheCentralDistrictofCalifornia.The 221-page filing marks

the committee’smost formal ef-forttolinktheformerpresidenttoafederalcrime,thoughtheactualimport of the filing is not clear.LawmakersdonothavethepowertobringcriminalchargesontheirownandcanonlymakeareferraltotheJusticeDepartment.

FormerUSPresidentDonaldTrump

Jan 6 panel sees proof ofTrump ‘criminal conspiracy’

LALITKJHAWASHINGTON,MARCH3

SEEKING TO comprehensivelyoverhaul the H-1B and L-1 visaprogrammes,abipartisangroupof influential senators have in-troduced a legislation in the USSenate, which they arguedwillprotect Americanworkers andcrackdownonforeignoutsourc-ingcompaniesthatexploitthese

popularvisaprogrammestode-prive qualified Americans ofhigh-skilled jobs.TheH-1Bvisaisanon-immi-

grantvisathatallowsUScompa-nies to employ foreignworkersinspecialityoccupationsthatre-quiretheoreticalortechnicalex-pertise. TheH-1B and L-1 VisaReformActwillreducefraudandabuse, provide protections forAmericanworkersandvisahold-ers, and require more trans-

parencyintherecruitmentoffor-eignworkers, thesenatorssaid.IntroducedbySenateMajority

WhipDickDurbin, Chair of theSenate JudiciaryCommittee,andSenatorChuckGrassley,RankingMember of the Senate JudiciaryCommittee, the legislation is co-sponsored by Senators RichardBlumenthal, TommyTuberville,SherrodBrown,BillHagerty, andBernieSanders.The H-1B and L-1 Visa

Reform Act will require USCitizenship and ImmigrationServices toprioritise for the firsttime the annual allocationof H-1Bvisas.ThenewsystemwouldensurethatthebestandbrightestSTEMadvanceddegreestudentseducatedintheUnitedStatesre-ceivepreferenceforanH-1Bvisa,and also prioritise other US ad-vanceddegreeholders,thosebe-ing paid a highwage, and thosewithvaluableskills. PTI

London:SanjayBhandari, anac-cusedmiddleman and consult-ant in armsdeals, appeared at aLondoncourt for the start of hisextraditionhearingonThursday.The 60-year-old faces two

extradition requests from theIndian authorities, the first re-lated tomoney laundering and

thesecondto taxevasion.District JudgeMichaelSnow

heard that for the purpose ofthe hearing at WestminsterMagistrates’ Court, the thresh-old was “relatively low” to es-tablish a prima facie case, orthat the accused has a case toanswer in the Indiancourt, and

nothavetoproveeverypointasif itwere a trial.“Bhandari was resident in

India for taxpurposesbut failedto declare overseas assets,” saidbarrister Ben Lloyd, appearingfor the Crown ProsecutionService (CPS) on behalf of theIndiangovernment.

Openingthecaseondayone,he outlined that Bhandari is ac-cusedofconcealingassets,usingbackdated documents, benefit-ing fromtheassetsnotdeclaredtotheIndiantaxauthoritiesandthen falsely informing the au-thorities thathedidnotpossessanyoverseasassets. PTI

Ukraine, Russia agree to create safe corridors

ARMSDEALACCUSED

Sanjay Bhandari’s extradition hearing begins in UK

RUSSIANTROOPSENCIRCLEMARIUPOL,arebearingdownonMykolaiv

1MILLIONPEOPLEFLEEUKRAINE,UNsays10millionUkrainianscouldbedisplaced

ZELENSKYYSEEKSMOREMILITARYAID,asksPutin tositdownfor talks, says Idon’tbite

Disabled orphansfleeing Kyiv land inPoland, Hungary

‘Worst is yet to come’: Franceafter Macron-Putin phone call

New Delhi

CLASSIFIEDS&TENDERS14 WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COMTHEINDIANEXPRESS,FRIDAY,MARCH4,2022

Government of MaharashtraPublic Work Department

Executive Engineer, P. W. North Division, RatnagiriE-TENDER NOTICE NO. 83 FOR 2021-2022

ONLINE Tenders (e-tender) in 'B-1' form for the work is invited by the Executive Engineer, Public Work North Division, Ratnagiri (Phone No.(02352) 223505) on Government of Maharashtra Electronic Tender Management System, http://mahatenders.gov.in from the Appropriate Contractor.

Name of Work :

And the details can be viewed and downloaded online directly from the Government of Maharashtra e-tendering Portalhttp://mahatenders.gov.in and www.mahapwd.gov.in

Sd/-No. NRD/AB/TC/83/1564 Executive EngineerOffice of the Executive Engineer, North Ratnagiri P. W. DivisionNorth Ratnagiri P. W. Division, Ratnagiri Ratnagiri.Date : 28.03.2022 DGIPR/2021-2022/4862

1 Renovation to Residential Building No. 9 at Mazgaon, Tal. and Dist. Ratnagiri. Tender Cost Rs. 44,11,307/-.

2 Renewal and Strengthening to Rajapur Kelwali Jawalethar Road with Kelwali Thithawali Branch MDR-73 Km. 12/500 to 14/00. Tal. Rajapur,Dist. Ratnagiri. Tender Cost Rs. 34,64,571/-.

3 Reconstruction of C.D. work on Vhel Ringane Pachal Moor Jawalethar Road MDR-64 ch. 28/590. Tal. Rajapur, Dist. Ratnagiri. Tender CostRs. 24,79,595/-.

4 FDR to Rajapur Kaneri Dongar Sagave Road MDR-72 Km. 0/0 to 27/400 (Filling Pot Holes) Tal. Rajapur, Dist. Ratnagiri. Tender CostRs. 16,59,876/-.

5 FDR to Kharepatan Shejawali Valye Bandiwade Prindawan Upale Taral Kumbhawade Nanar Katradevi Shise Road MDR-11/0 to 13/00 and23/00 to 24/00. (Filling Pot Holes) Tal. Rajapur, Dist. Ratnagiri. Tender Cost Rs. 13,01,772/-.

6 Reconstruction of C.D. work on Moor Kajirda Road MDR-65 in Km. 4/890, 6/750, 6/800 and 6/950. Tal. Rajapur, Dist. Ratnagiri. Tender CostRs. 38,32,861/-.

GOVERNMENT OF ODISHAOFFICE OF THE CHIEF CONSTRUCTION ENGINEER

RURAL WORKS CIRCLE, SUNABEDA

No: Date:

e- Procurement Notice for Bridge & Road works

5. The details of works can be seen from the web site https://www.tendersodisha.gov.in

6. Any Corrigendum/Addendum will be displayed in the above e-tender web site.

Chief Construction Engineer,Rural Works Circle, Sunabeda.

OIPR- 25045/11/0036/2122

ProcurementOfficer

BidIdentification

No.

Availability of TenderOnline for bidding

Last Date &Time ofSeekingTender

Clarification

Date & Time of openingof tender

From ToThechnical

BidFinancialBids

1 2 3 4 5 6 7Chief

ConstructionEngineer,

Rural WorksCircle,

Sunabeda

CCERWCSBD- Online -34/2021-22

07.03.2022at

11.00 A.M.

21.03.2022up to

5.30 P.M.

17.03.2022up to

2.00 P.M.

22.03.2022 at11.00 A.M.

To beintimatedseparately

1 Name of the work : Construction of Road & Bridges as per Annexure(10 Nos)

2 Class of contractor : "B", “A”, Special & Super Class of (Odisha PWD)or relevant class of other licensing authority.

3 Estimated Cost : Varies from Rs. 158.12 Lakhs (Approximately)

4 Details projects as perAnnexure attached.

:

O-1760

E-Tendering NoticeU.P POWER TRANSMISSION CORPORATION LTD.

E-Tender Notice 14/ETD-III(A)/2021-221- E-Tender No.: 14/ETD-IlI(A)/2021-22 online e-Bids are invited for the“Miscellaneous work in different Sub-station Under ETD-III Agra” EMD costof Rs. 2,000.00, Tender cost Rs. 590.00, Last date of tender: 21-03-2022 at 12:00Hrs. Total quality of work, tender No & other terms & Condition is as per tenderdocument available on the e-tender portal. Undersigned reserves the right tocancel any or all the e-Bids without assigning any reason. Corrigendum,Addendum, Extension if any shall be uploaded only on the given website. Biddersare advised to visit the website http://etender.up.nic.in regularly for updatedinformation from time to time. Cost of Tender and Earnest Money Submitted in theAccount of Executive Engineer, Electricity Transmission Division-III, (Agra) withA/C No- 628705501013, IFSC Code- ICIC0006287 Payble at ICICI Bank SanjayPlace, (Agra) Bank Code- 6287, through NEFT/RTGS. Executive Engineer,Electricity Transmission Division-III Agra. Þjk"Vª fgr esa ÅtkZ cpk;sÞ Ik=kad% 1686fo0ik0[ka0vk0@fufonk @fnukad% 03-03-2022

OFFICE OF THE CHIEF ENGINEER PROJECT, PUBLICHEALTH ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT, JODHPUR

Tel. 0291-2651700 E-mail: rj_cejod@nic.in

No.CE(P)/PHED/Ju/21-22/16127-170 Date: 16-2-2022

Corrigendum No.1 in Notice Inviting Bid(NIB No. 25/2021-22)

The following corrigendum is hereby issued in NIB as below:

“is invited from interested bidders up to 14.00 hrs, 04/03/2022 bereplaced and read as up to 14.00 hrs, 03/03/2022”

Sd/-(Neeraj Mathur)

Chief Engineer ProjectDIPR/C/2921/2022 PHED Jodhpur

TENDER CALL NOTICEOMFED invites sealed tenders from experienced manufacturer, suppliers/contractors having adequate experience forthe following works.

1. Design, construction, fabrication, supply, erection, testing and commissioning of EFFLUENT TREATMENTPLANT at Rourkela dairy, Luakera, Dist. Sundargarh on Turnkey execution basis.

2. Certification of ISO 22000:2018 at different dairy plants of OMFED.3. Engagement of Consultancy Agency for assistance and guidance, documentation and other scope of work for

ISO 22000:2018 certfication at different dairy plants of OMFED.4. Hiring of insulated Road Milk Tankers for transportation of milk from one dairy to other dairy within the State of Odisha.

Interested eligible bidder having experience of similar type of works may download tender document along with all otherinformation from the OMFED website www.omfed.com. The corrigendum /amendment if any to this notice shall bepublished only in the OMFED website www.omfed.com and will not be published again in the newspapers. Themanagement reserves the right to cancel any or all bids without assigning any reason thereof.

Sd/-OIPR-06063/11/0025/2122 Managing Director

CAD-3048

ClassifiedsPPEERRSSOONNAALL

II,,TTuusshhaarrWadhwani S/o,LateChanderBhanWadhwani R/o-BS-142-C, Shalimar-Bagh,N.Delhi-88,thatmy father’snameChander BhanandChanderBhanWadhwani bothnames indicate oneandsame-person. 0040605075-1

I,BASUDEOMISHRA, S/O.SHIVPRASADMISHRA,ADD-BASTIDEI, BENIPURBALDEO,AMETHI,GAURIGANJU.P-227409,ChangedmynametoBASUDEVMISHRA,permanently.

0040605027-1

II,,SSWWAARRNNJJIITTKAURW/OGURDIALSINGH, RESIDENT-368/12,DELHIROAD,DELHI CAMP,SONIPAT,HARYANAHAVECHANGEDMYNAMETOSWARNJEETKAUR.

0040605027-3

II,,RRUUPPAA SARKAR,W/oPALTUSARKAR, ADD-RZ-3012,GROUND-FLOOR,GALI.NO.34,TUGHLAKABADEXTENTION,NEWDELHI-110019,Changedmyname toROOPASARKAR.

0040605027-6

II,,RRAAVVIINNDDAARRKOUR ,W/OAjitSingh,R/OC-22/2,Gali No.5,NewGovindpura,KrishnaNagar,Delhi-110051,ChangeMyName RAVINDERKAUR.

0040605050-1

II,,PPOOLLTTOO SARKAR,S/oTRISHANKARSARKAR,ADD-RZ-3012, GROUND-FLOOR,GALI.NO.34, TUGHLAKABADEXTENTION,NEWDELHI110019.Changedmyname toPALTUSARKAR. 0040605027-5

II,,NNiisshhuu Sharma,guardiannameRamnathSharma,Residence-A-150A,SudarshanPark,NewDelhi-110015,is nowNishuPriya,father nameAmarnathSharma,both thenames,are ofone,person 0040605075-5

II,,MMeehhaarrWadhwani,W/o-AkshayWadhwani,R/o-BJ 54,WestShalimarBagh,Delhi-110088,have changedmynameaftermarriage,fromVarshaNangia,toMeharWadhwani,for allfuturepurposes.

0040605075-4

II,,MMEEEENNAABAJAJW/OSUKESHBAJAJR/OC-3/29-30,THIRD-FLOOR,SECTOR-11,ROHINI,DELHI-110085. HAVECHANGEDMYNAMETOMEENUBAJAJ.

0040605082-1

II,,KKaallyyaann SinghAliasKalyanBhartiya,S/oManohar SinghGaur,R/oB-43,UGF,RightSide,Sitapuri-Part-1,Dabri,Delhi-110045, havechangedmyname toKalyanBhartiya,for all,futurepurposes. 0040605072-1

II,,KKUUMMAARRIIGUDIYA,W/ORAJESHKUMARCHOUDHARYR/OA-3/50,3rd-FLOOR,SECTOR-3ROHINI,DELHI-110085.HAVECHANGEDMYNAMETOGUDIYACHOUDHARY. 0040605072-2

II,,MMaannoohhaarr LalMakhija,S/o-Krishan LalMakhija,R/o-22/6,PantNagar,JangpuraExtension,NewDelhi-110014,herebydeclare,thatManohar LalMakhija,andMLMakhija,andManohar Lal,arethe sameand,oneperson,Henceforth I,will be known,asManohar LalMakhija,for allpurposes,and in all,regards.

0040605075-3

II,,RRiiyyaaMathur S/oArunNarainMathur,R/oTower-1 FlatNumber 902,SunworldVanalika,Sector-107Noida,Gautam,BudhNagar-201301,Uttar Pradesh.Thatmy father’snamehasbeenwrongly-writtenasArunMathur insteadofArunNarainMathur inmy10thand12th class-Certificate

0040605050-3

II,,No-9076179,Ex-NKAliMohammadWani, S/O-AbdulGaffarwani ,R/O-Lalpora,Tehsil- Tangmarg,District-Baramulla. Inmyservicerecords thename&DoBofmydaughter hasbeenwronglymentionedasTaraqAhmad (DoB-15-12-1976) insteadofTarikaBano (DoB-03-03-1976.It needs correction.Objectionsbe filed to 9th JAKLIwithinsevendays. 0020434854-1

II,,KailashChand, S/oSh.Bharpur Singh, R/oD-284-A,SudarshanPark, RameshNagar, New Delhi-110015, havedeclare that inmyservicerecordmynamemention-asKailashChandandotherdocumentsKailash Kumar. Infuture I,will be knownasKailashKumar for all purposes.

0070775422-1

IIMeharVishalManyalW/o-VishalManyal R/o-15,ParmanandSociety,Mumbaihave changedmyname&address after divorce&remarriage.Myname isAanchal AroraW/o-Akhil AroraR/o-B-6/95, SafdarjungEnclave, Delhi-110029 for allpurposes. 0040605007-1

IIMAHESHKUMARKHEMKAaliasMAHESHKHEMKA S/o Late Sh.MohanLal Khemka, R/oD-102ClassicApartments, PlotNo.11,Sector-22, Dwarka, NewDelhi-110077 have changedmynamefromMAHESHKUMARKHEMKAaliasMAHESHKHEMKA toMAHESHKHEMKA for allpurpose 0040605000-1

II,,BBaallaa alias BalaRani,D/o-RajKumar JainW/oSanjay Jain,R/o-P-45,Gali.No.3,Shankar-Nagar.Ext.,Krishna-Nagar,Delhi-110051,have changedmyname to Indu Jain,for allpurposes.Bala alias BalaRaniand Indu Jain is one-& the sameperson. 0040605027-9

IIManoj Kumar S/O, RamParshadR/oA-88, First Floor,VijayVihar Phase 1, Delhi110085 have changedmynametoManoj KumarThakur for allpurposes. 0040604995-1

II,,JJaaiinnmmaattii JainW/oLate ShriDhanKumar JainR/o-H-34/23,Sector-3,Rohini,Delhi-110085,inform that JainmatiDevi Jain and Jainmati Jain areoneand the same-person.Mycorrect date of birth is-21-06-1949. 0040605027-10

II,,RRiittuu FulwaniW/oNareshKumarR/oV-1/25 and 26, Budh,Vihar Phase-1,Delhi-110086,have changedmyname toRitu.

0040605050-4

II,,CCHHAANNDDEERRKANTA,W/o HARSHNATHTIWARI,R/oB-225,P-2,HARI-NAGAR, SOUTH-WEST-DELHI-110064 has changedmyname toCHANDRAKANTATIWARI. Thatmycorrect.Date-of-Birth is-01-10-1947.

0040605075-2

II,,BBAALLDDEEVV SINGH, S/oSansarChand Jaryal, R/oH.No.262,DivineGrace,Omega-I, GreaterNoida, GautamBudhaNagar-201308, have changedmynametoBALDEVSINGH JARYAL.

0040605027-7

II,,AApprraajjiittaaKiran,W/o SandeepMehrotraAddress:N-24Rajouri-GardenNewDelhi,110027.Changedmyname toAprajitaMehrotra.

0040605027-4

II,,AAkkaasshhChandS/oKishanChand,R/oA-24-A,Block-A,DDA-Flats, Shivaji-Enclave, Rajouri-Garden,NewDelhi-110027,havechangedmyminor daughtername,fromGauranshi toGauranshi Chand. 40605050-2

II,,AABBDDUULLQUDDUS, S/O.TAHERUDDIN, ADD-6/14,3RDFLOORRAMESHNAGAR ,WESTDELHI110015, Changedmyname toKUDDUSALI. 0040605082-2

II,,VijetaKhan,W/oAfzal Khan,R/o 4/209, Third Floor, SubhashNagar,WestDelhi-110027, havechangedmynameandshallhereafter be knownasAliaKhan. 0070775375-1

II,,TanyaMittalw/oAbhinavMittal r/o 364, SectorAPocketC, VasantKunj,NewDelhi-110070have changedmynamefromTanyaBhargavaMittal toTanyaMittal for all futurepurposes 0040604992-1

II,,Sumira Singla,W/o- RajkumarDey, R/o: B-604, VasundhraApartment, PlotNo-16, Sector-6, Dwarka, NewDelhi-75, havechangedMyName toSumiraDey for all FuturePurposes.

0070775400-1

II,,SantKumarKharb, S/OOmParkashKharb, R/oNearBusStand,Gurauthi(92)/Gharawathi, Rohtak, Haryana-124514. I have changed thenameofmyminor daughterYogita agedabout 15Years andShe shall hereafter be knownasYogitaKharb. 0070775387-1

II,,Sahul Sharmas/oKulbhushanSharmaR/o 219, SF, AvtarEnclave, PaschimVihar, NewDelhi-110063have changed thenameofmyminor daughterfromKarunyaSharma toDrishti Sharma, permanently

0040604993-1

II,,Sahil Sekh, S/oMd. Nastar, R/oC-652, J.V.T.SGardenColony,Chatterpur Ext, Chattar Pur,SouthDelhi-110074, havechangedmynameandshallhereafter be knownasSahilMeena. 0070775378-1

II,,SHEETALSAHUNJACHOPRA,W/oARUNCHOPRA, R/oB-260,LowerGroundFloor, GreaterKailash, Greater KailashPart-1,SouthDelhi-110048, havechangedmyname toSHEETALSAHUNJA for all purposes.

0070775355-1

II,,ReetaBhardwajW/oParmodBhardwaj R/oGanga 313,AgrasenAwas, 66,I.P.Extension, Patparganj,Delhi-110092have changedmyname toRitaBhardwaj for allpurposes. 0040605011-1

II,,RajuGoyal S/oAmrit Lal GoelR/o 110Church Lane JangpuraBhogalNewDelhi-14, havechangedmyname toRajuGoelfor all purposes. 0040604985-1

II,,NiharikaW/oTusharRajanSharmaR/o-F-36, LajpatNagar-1, Delhi-110024,have changedmyname toNiharikaKumar,for all futurepurposes.

0040604996-1

II,,NarendraKumar Tomar, S/oSompal Singh, R/oC-563,Sector P-3, GreaterNoida,GautambudhNagar, U.P.informs thatNarendraKumarTomar, NarendraTomar&NarendraKumarall aremynames& reconised tomebyallthesenames in future.

0070775418-1

II,,Ms. ShwetaBansal, D/o VinodBansal, EmployasAsst.Teacher (Primary) IDNo-20196074 inDirectorate ofEducationDelhi, R/o E- 206A,VishwasPark, UttamNagar,WestDelhi- 110059, havechangedmynameandshallhereafter be knownasShwetaGupta. 0070775379-1

IISuchit Prasadalias SujeetKumar S/oSh. SugreevMahetoR/oSorkha, Sector-115, SorkhaJahidabad, GautamBuddhaNagar, Uttar Pradesh-201304have changedmyname toSujeet Kumar for all purposes.

0040604984-4

IIMohammedRizwanMohammedAmanullahS/O,MdAmanullahR/oS-11/5, FirstFloor, Back Left Side, JogaBaeExtn, JamiaNagar, NewDelhi -110025 have changedmynametoMdRizwanShaikh

0040605025-1

II,, Kamal Kasana,S/o-Sh.SardarSingh,R/o-B-959,MIG Flats,LoniRoad,Shahdara,Delhi-93,inform thatKamal KasanaandKamal SinghKasana, bothnameare sameandoneperson. 0040605075-8

II,, JAYASHREESANKARANARAYANANW/oSH.SANKARANARAYANANR/oD-101, SECTOR-55, NOIDA, DISTT.GAUTAMBUDHNAGAR (U.P.),have changedmyname (Aftermarriage) from JAYASHREEHARIHARAN to JAYASHREESANKARANARAYAN, for allpurposes. 0040605027-8

II,, InduBala Jain,W/oAshokKumar Jain, R/oTower-V, FlatNo. 301, SupertechEcociti,Sector-137, NoidaU.P., havechangedmyname to Indu Jainfor all futurepurposes.

0070775404-1

II,, HarishChhabra, S/o Sant LalChhabra, R/oHouseNo-10,Bharmpuri, ShantNagar, Hisar,Haryana-152001, have changedmynameandshall hereafterbe knownasHarreshChhabra.

0070775383-1

II,, HARINARAYANSINGH, S/oMADRAKHANSINGH, R/o 71,BELAWANBALAWANKHARSENDWAFATEHPUR,UTTARPRADESH-212641, havechangedmynameandshallhereafter beknownasPAPPUSINGH. 0070775245-2

II,, DigamberYadav, S/oHukamSinghYadav, R/o FlatNo-270,Sector E, Pocket 2, VasantKunj,Delhi-110070, have changedmyminor Son’s name fromAhaanYadavaged 05 years toAyanshYadav forever.

0070775397-1

II,, Chirag, S/o Jaiparkash, R/o235, Bohar (Part) (68), Rohtak,Haryana-124021, have changedmynameandshall hereafterbe knownasChiragKaushik.

0070775386-1

II,, AshishGupta, S/o Shri AlokKumarGupta, R/oB-77, Sector-14, Noida, UP-201301, havechangedmydaughter namefromAshmeeGupta toAashmeeGupta. 70775420-1

I,RANJEETAASIJA,W/O.SACHINNARANG,ADD-A-85,TOP-FLOOR,NEARSHEETLAMATA-MANDIRRADHEY-SHYAMPARK-EXTENSIONKRISHNA-NAGAREASTDELHI-110051,changedmyname toRADHIKANARANG,permanently. 0040605027-2

II,,SSaappnnaaw/oLate DeepakNathR/o D-175Gokalpuri North EastDelhi 110094declare thatmydaughter’s correct name isEshika Goswaminot Eshikaandher dateof birth is11/6/2010 0020434855-1

II LokeshS/o-AshokKumarR/o-F-167, VijayVihar Phase-1,Delhi-110085havechangedmyname to LokeshGarg for allpurposes. 0040605005-1

II,, Ankit Bansal, S/oNeerajKumarBansal, R/oB1/101, T-5,Purvanchal Silver City-2, Pi-2,GreaterNoida, U.P., havechangedmyname toAnkitNeeraj Bansal for all futurepurposes. 0070775415-1

II,, AbhayNarainGupta, S/oAjayNarain, R/o I-62, Sector-41,Noida, GautamBuddhNagar,U.P., have changedmyname toAbhayNarain for all futurepurposes. 0070775425-1

II,, GirijaNanda, D/o-RCKatyal,R/o: DE-110, TagoreGarden,NewDelhi-27, have changedmyname toGirja Katyal.

0070775399-1

II have changedmyname fromRinakshi Singh/RinakshiMehra toReenakshi Singh forall futurebepurposes.Reenakshi Singh,W/oRanbirSingh, R/o L-2/405, GulmoharGarden, Rajnagar Extn.Ghaziabad, U.P. 0070775408-1

II have changedmyname fromRanbeer Singh toRanbir Singhfor all futurepurposes. RanbirSingh, S/o FagganSingh, R/o L-2/405, GulmoharGarden,Rajnagar Extn. Ghaziabad, U.P.

0070775407-1

IIWaliwallah S/o LateAbdulVahidR/o 265, F-Block,MangolPuri, NorthWestDelhi, Delhi-110083 have changedmynametoVali Ullah for all purposes.

0040604984-3

II VinodKumarBhatia S/o LateSh. Hansraj Bhatia R/oC-3/30,Sector-15, Rohini, Delhi-110089have changedmyname toVinodBhatia for all purposes.

0040604984-2

II Tushar SinghS/O,ManojKumarThakurR/oA-88, FirstFloor, VijayVihar Phase 1 ,Delhi 110085 have changedmyname toTushar SinghThakurfor all purposes. 40604994-1

CHANGE OF NAMEI, MAHESH CHANDER S/o SHRIKRISHAN R/o HOUSE NO. 1787,PANDIT BALKRISHAN WALI GALI,NARELA, DELHI- 110040, herebyinform that my, My Father's namehas been corrected as below.My correct name will be MAHESHCHANDER instead of old nameMAHESH CHAND SHARMA aliasMAHESH CHANDER SHARMA.Also: my father's correct name willbe SHRI KRISHAN instead of oldname S. K. SHARMA for all futurepurposes.

MOHINDER DHAWAN (Advocate)

Bar Room 3 Civil Side TisHazari, Delhi-54

This is to inform to all general public

that my clients Vijay Kumar Bajaj S/o

Joginder Kumar Bajaj and Savita Bajaj

W/o Vijay Kumar Bajaj R/o House No.

351, Pocket D-11, Sector-7, Rohini,

Delhi-110085 have disowned and

debarred their Son Shubham Bajaj &

his wife Neha Bhambri from all their

moveable and immovable properties

and severed all relations. Any body

dealing with them in any manner

whatsoever will be doing so at his/her

own cost, risk & responsibilities. My

clients and their family members will

not be responsible for any of their act.

PUBLIC NOTICE

II,, Inderjit KaurW/oLabhSinghhave lostmyoriginal allotmentandPossession letter of ofmyresidenceproperty videaddress FlatNo.100, KsheerSagarCGHSLtd knownasKailashApartmentsPlotNo.45,I.P. Extension, Patparganj,Delhi-110092. Finder contact atabovementionedaddress.

0040605009-1

NNOOTTAARRIISSEEDDAGREEMENTFORSALEDATED01.09.2008DULYEXECUTEDBETWEENSH.SHAUKATALIANDSMT.NAIMAHASBEENMISPLACED INRESPECTOFPORTIONOFFIRSTFLOOR (WITHOUTROOFRIGHTS)AREAMEASURING35.8SQ. YDS., BEINGPARTOFPROPERTYBEARINGNO.T-6486(WESTERNSIDEPORTION),SITUATEDATNAWABROAD,SADARBAZAR, DELHI-110006.

0040604984-5

LLOOSSTT&&FFOOUUNNDD

''IMPORTANT''Whilst care is taken prior toacceptance of advertisingcopy, it isnotpossible toverifyits contents. The IndianExpress (P) Limited cannot beheld responsible for suchcontents, nor for any loss ordamage incurredasaresultoftransactions with companies,associations or individualsadvertising in its newspapersor Publications. We thereforerecommend that readersmake necessary inquiriesbefore sending any monies orentering into any agreementswith advertisers or otherwiseacting on an advertisement inany manner whatsoever.

New Delhi

TRACKING INDIA’SCOVIDCURVE

DASHBOARD,ASONMARCH2

TOTAL TESTS 77,00,50,005

INDIA TOTAL DOSES 178,02,63,222(Adults 1st dose: 90,96,46,017; 2nd: 76,66,01,938; 15-18agegroup1st dose: 5,50,25,490;2nd:2,87,35,449;Precautionary: 2,02,54,328)

Newcases6,561

Active cases77,152

Deaths142

Weekly CFR:0.53% | Overall CFR: 1.20% | Total deaths:5,14,388

TESTSONMARCH2 WEEKLYPOSITIVITY OVERALLPOSITIVITY8,82,953 0.99% 5.58%

731DAYSSINCEPANDEMICBEGAN

State ONMARCH2 WeeklyNewcases Activecases Deaths positivity

Kerala 2,373 22,467 96 7.40%Mizoram 680 6,015 0 17.00%Maharashtra 544 5,643 0 1.05%Delhi 325 1,653 1 0.89%TamilNadu 320 4,437 3 0.72%

NEW CASES,DAILY

SURGE IN THE STATES

DELHI

Feb21 March2

800

400

0

446325

MUMBAI

Feb21 March2

200

100

0

96100

PUNE

Feb21 March2

600

300

0

130

BENGALURU

Feb21 March2

800

400

0

346

106

KOLKATA

Feb21 March2 Feb21 March2

60

30

0

4332

CHENNAI

300

150

0

191

89

■Firstdose ■Seconddose MARCH 2:22,70,245

Feb21 March2LAST 10 DAYS

25,000

12,500

0

13,405

15,102

14,148

13,166

11,499

10,273

8,013

6,915

7,554

6,561

CASES IN THE CITIES, LAST 10DAYS

233

HARISHDAMODARANNEWDELHI,MARCH3

THECURRENTRussianinvasionofUkraine—unlikepreviouswarsinIraqandLibyaorsanc-tionsagainstIran—ishavinganimpactnotjustonenergyprices. The effects of shippingdis-ruptionsthroughtheBlackandAzovSeas,plusRussianbanksbeingcutoff fromtheinterna-tional payments system, are extending eventotheglobalagri-commoditiesmarkets.The reasons aren’t difficult to see: Russia

is not only theworld’s thirdbiggest oil (afterthe US and Saudi Arabia) and the secondbiggestnaturalgas(aftertheUS)producer,be-sidestheNo.3coalexporter(behindAustraliaandIndonesia),itisalsothesecondlargestex-porter of wheat. The US Department ofAgriculture (USDA), in itsmost recent reportonFebruary9, estimated thecountry’s ship-ments for 2021-22 (July-June) at 35milliontonnes (mt), next only to the 37.5mt of thewholeofEuropeanUnion.Butthestorydoesn’tendthere.AtNo.4po-

sitioninwheatexports,aftertheEU,RussiaandAustralia(26mt),isUkraine,at24mt.Ukraine,moreover,istheworld’sthirdlargestexporterof corn/maize, with a projected 33.5mt in2021-22,aftertheUS(61.5mt)andArgentina(42mt). Ukraine andRussia are also the toptwoexportersofsunfloweroil,at6.65mtand3.8mt,respectivelyin2021-22,asperUSDAin2021-22.Ifthatweren’tall,Russiaanditsnext-doorallyBelarusaretheworld’sNo.2andNo.3producers ofmuriate of potash (MOP) fer-tiliser,at13.8mtand12.2mtin2020,respec-tively,behindCanada(22mt).It should not surprise, therefore, that

Russia’swaronUkrainehasn’tstoppedatdriv-ingupBrentcrudeto$110-15/barrelandinter-national coal prices to unprecedented$440/tonnelevels.Theshuttingdownofportsin theBlackSeahasalso sentpricesofwheatandcorntradedatChicagoBoardofTradefu-tures exchange soaring to their highest sinceMarch2008andDecember2012,respectively.

What itmeans for IndiaSkyrocketing global prices havemade

Indianwheatexportsverycompetitiveandinaposition to at least partially fill the void leftbyRussia andUkraine.Wheat fromGujarat,RajasthanandUttarPradeshisnowbeingde-liveredbyrailwagonsortrucksatwarehousesnearKandlaportatRs2,400-2,450perquintal,as against Rs 2,100 or so hardly 15days ago.

This is above the govern-ment’sminimumsupportprice (MSP) of Rs2,015/quintal for the newcrop thatwill arrive in themarketsfrommid-March.Highexportdemandfor

wheat – India has alreadyshippedout 5.04mtof thecereal in April-December2021–couldresultinlowergovernment procurementthis time, compared to therecord43.34mt and38.99mt fromthe2020-21and2019-20 crops, re-spectively. A lot ofwheat fromwestern andcentral Indiamay end up getting exportedratherthanintheFoodCorporationof India’sgodownsand,inturn,puttingpressureonpub-lic stocks: These, at 23.66mt as on February28,werethelowestforthisdateinthreeyears.“Thegovernmentmight,soonerthanlater,

have to impose somekindof a tariff or other restric-tions on exports,” said SPramodKumar,seniorvicepresident, Roller FlourMillersFederationof India.Whether required or not,the situation post Ukraineis a far cry from the FCI’soverflowing granaries thatenabled, if not forced, freedistribution of this excesswheat and rice to some81crorepeople.Thefreegrain

scheme, introduced inApril 2020 followingtheCovid-19-inducedlockdown,willendthismonthwith the conclusion of elections inUttarPradesh.According to Kumar, the government

wouldhereonneedtocarefullymanagebothits own stocks and also the overall domesticavailabilitypositioninwheat.

TheotheroilTheUkrainecrisishasalso led topricesof

vegetableoilsandoilseedsskyrocketing.Thatincludesnotjustsunfloweranditsimmediatecompetitor,soyabean.PalmoilinMalaysiahashitall-time-highs,evenscaling7,000ringgits-per-tonne levels briefly in thepast fewdays.Thebenefitsofitshouldflowtomustardgrow-ersinRajasthanandUP,whoaresettomarkettheircropinthecomingweeks.MustardpricesarerulingatRs6,500-plusperquintal,whichisagainabovetheMSPofRs5,050.Brentat$110-115/barrelisalsohelpinglift

thepricesofcotton(becauseofsyntheticfibresbecomingcostlier)andagri-commoditiesthatcan be diverted for production of ethanol(sugarandcorn)orbio-diesel (palmandsoy-abeanoil).Highprices(aboveMSP)andagoodmonsoon(hopefully)canactasaninducementfor farmers toexpandacreagesundercotton,soyabean, groundnut, sesamum and sun-flowerintheupcomingkharifplantingseason.Thatwillservethecauseofcropdiversification– especially weaning farmers away frompaddy, ifnotsugarcane.But there is a flip side. TheongoingBlack

Sea tensionsare impacting fertiliserpricesaswell. TakeMOP, a nutrient that Indiawhollyimports.Outof thetotal5.09mtthatwasim-ported in 2020-21, nearly a third came fromBelarus (0.92mt) andRussia (0.71mt).Withsupplies from there virtually choked,morequantitieswould have to be procured fromotheroriginssuchasCanada,JordanandIsrael.International prices of other fertilisers

(urea, di-ammoniumphosphate and com-plexes) and their rawmaterials/intermedi-ates(ammonia,phosphoricacid,sulphurandrockphosphate),too,havegoneupinthepastonemonthandmore.Thesecommoditieses-sentiallytrackcrudeandgasprices.Itdoesn’thelpwhen China is also India’s largest sup-plier of urea (UkrainewasNo. 3 in 2020-21,afterOman)andsecondlargestofDAP(afterSaudiArabia).In short, the challenges thatUkrainewill

present in the coming days are going to bevastlydifferentfromthoseintheaftermathofCorona.Andthiswarandtheassociatedsanc-tionsarealsodifferentfromthoseexperiencedvis-à-visIraq,LibyaandIran.Theeffectsarenotconfinedtooil.

(ThewriterisNationalRuralAffairs&AgricultureEditorofTheIndianExpressandSeniorFellowattheCentreforPolicyResearch,

NewDelhi)

15WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM

STOCKMARKETShave takenabeatingoverthe last 10days following theRussian inva-sionofUkraine.Asoilpricescontinuetorise,theSensexhaslost3.7%inthefivetradingses-sionssinceFebruary24.Thishasraisedcon-cerns about the initial public offering (IPO)market,particularlyupcomingIPOs,with51companieshavingreceivedmarketregulatorSEBI’s approval for their IPOs.While the IPOmarketwitnessedaboomin2021, investors

needtobewaryaboutupcomingissues,andshouldinsteadlookatalreadylistedcompa-niesthathavegoodfundamentals.

WillcompaniesdeferplansforIPOs?IftheUkraineconflictdragsonandcrude

prices remain elevated, there’s a possibilitythatthestockmarketswillremainsubdued.As the IPOmarket is linked to theperform-anceof thestockmarket, issuersarelikelytowaitforabettertime—untiltheUkrainecon-flictendsandstockmarketsstabilise, invest-ment bankers said. The LIC public issue,throughwhich the governmentplanned toraise aroundRs60,000 crore, is expected toget deferrednow. Experts say that even if acompany comes outwith a public issue, itmaynotseetheenthusiasmseenoverthelastoneyear,andthereturnstoomaybelimited.

Howhaverecentissuesperformed?Over the last 11months, 50 companies

managedtoraiseoverRs1.1 lakhcrorefromtheequitymarkets— thehighestmobilisa-tion in a year. Retail investors queuedup inlargenumbers andmany returned empty-handed as the issues gotmobbed; someofthemevengotsubscriptionofover100times.Theperformanceoftheissuesshowswhy

the investorneedstobecareful.While22ofthe50issueslaunchedthisfinancialyeararetradingbelow their issueprice, nine gener-atedreturnsoflessthan11%–theSensexgainsinceApril1,2021.Somenew-agecompanieshavefalleninthemarketvolatilityrecently.

Shouldyouinvestinnewcompanies?Market experts say investors need tobe

very careful about these. Currently, One97Communications(PayTM)istradingatadis-countof63%to its issueprice,andCarTradeTechatadiscountof65.8%.FSNE-CommerceVentures(Nykaa),whichhitahighofRs2,574over its issue price of Rs 1,125, closed at Rs

1,502onThursday—apremiumof33.6%overthe issueprice.Zomato,whichsawits sharepricemore thandouble after listing, is trad-ingatapremiumof8.1%overitsissueprice.Experts feel thatwhile these new-age

technologycompaniesdemandedhighpre-miumandbenefited frommarket liquidityand investorenthusiasm, sentimentsare ta-pering. “Globally, there is lot of irrationalityaroundstart-ups.Itisimportanttounderstandthatwhen themarket corrects, the investorconfidencegetsshakenevenifacompanyde-claresadeclineinprofitsinonequarter.So,inmostof thesecompanieswhereprofitabilityisnotvisible for thenext fiveyears, it is verytoughforaninvestortostayinvested,andthatiswhathasbeenhappeningoverthelastcou-pleofmonths,”saidtheheadofresearchwithaleadingfinancialservicesfirm.

ShouldyougoforcurrentIPOs?After the buoyancy over the last 11

months, equitymarkets are expected to re-mainvolatileinthenearfutureonvariousac-counts:globalinflationconcerns,withdrawalofglobal liquidity,rise inbondyieldsandin-terest rates—andnowgeopolitical tensionsandrisingcrudeoilprices.Upcoming issuesmaynotbeabletomatchtheinterestreceivedbythoselaunchedoverthelast11months.While thatmay limit listing gains, in-

vestors can go for companies that have asoundbusinessmodelandgrowthpotential.Relativelyweakequitymarketswould alsomean that the issuesmaybemore reason-ablypriced,whichisgoodforinvestors.

Ishighsubscriptionagoodindicator?Inmanycases,itholdstrue.Ifthequalified

institutional segment gets strong subscrip-tion, it indicates institutional investors,whohave the resources to doduediligence, arecomfortablewiththecompany’sprospects.However, in several issues in the last 11

months, this has not been the case. KrsnaaDiagnosticsLimited,whoseissuehadanover-subscription ofmore than64 times, is cur-rently trading at 41.5%below its issueprice.Windlas Biotech, oversubscribed over 22times, istrading47%belowitsissueprice.

Whatshouldinvestorslookat?An IPO is a derivative of the secondary

market. If thesecondarymarketsarestrong,investorsentimentsarehigh,andIPOstendtofarewell.However,thatisnottrueforallcases.Investorsneedtothoroughlystudythecom-pany—qualityofpromoters,businessfunda-mentals,andfinancialandpeerreviewanaly-ses. Corporate governancepractices shouldbe given toppriority. Investorsmust studyotherlistedcompaniesinthesectorandcom-paretheirgrowth,andtheirPEratio(marketprice to earningsper share). If the companycomingwith its IPO is demanding ahighervaluation,theycanchoosetoskiptheissue.

War impact, beyond oilSIMPLYPUT

@ieExplained#ExpressExplainedIf there are questions of current or contemporary relevance that youwould likeexplained, pleasewrite to explained@indianexpress.comE EXPLAINED

THEINDIANEXPRESS,FRIDAY,MARCH4,2022

25,00,000

12,50,000

0

18,90,027 13,26,184

Feb21 March2LAST 10 DAYS (daily)

3,25,482

NAVMIKRISHNAKOCHI,MARCH3

SWITZERLANDHASbroken its 200-year-oldtraditionofinternationalpoliticalneutralitytojointheEuropeanUnioninimposingsanctionsonRussiaandits leaders.Thesanctionscouldlead to the freezing of billions of dollars ofRussian-owned assets in Switzerland, afavouritedestinationforsuperwealthyRussianoligarchs to park theirwealth. According to2020datafromtheSwissNationalBank,indi-vidual Russians and companies held assetsworthmorethan$11billioninSwissbanks.

The famedneutralityThe tiny Alpine nation at the heart of

EuropethesizeofHaryanaandwithapopula-tion a littlemore than a quarterDelhi’s, hasbeenmilitarily neutral since 1815,when itadoptedthispolicyat theCongressofViennathat was convened to reconstitute theEuropeanpoliticalorderfollowingthedefeatofNapoleon. Theoriginsof thepolicy,however,gobackanother300yearstothetreatyof“per-petualpeace”signedattheendoftheBattleof

Marignano(1515)betweenthekingofFranceandtheoldSwissConfederacy.Switzerland’s Federal Department of

ForeignAffairsdeclares “permanentneutral-ity”tobe“aprincipleofSwissforeignpolicy”,and“asameanstoanend”.Theneutralityhaslong taken the formof stayingaloof fromtherestofEurope—SwitzerlandisnotapartoftheEUorNATO. It is also outside the EuropeanEconomicArea(EEA),eventhoughitispartoftheEUsinglemarket.It tookSwitzerlanduntil 2002 tobecome

partoftheUN,after54%ofitspopulationvotedinfavourinanationwidereferendum.This,de-spiteGenevabeingamajorUNhub,andsev-eralUNagenciesbeingheadquarteredthere.

WorldWar IIHitlermockedSwitzerlandas“apimpleon

thefaceofEurope”,andhispropagandamin-ister JosephGoebbels referreddisparaginglyto“thisstinkinglittlestate”.Despitedeclaringthat“alltherubbishofsmallnationsstillexist-ing in Europemust be liquidated”, however,HitlerneverorderedOperationTannenbaum,hisplannedinvasionofSwitzerland,tobeputintoaction.

TheSwissusedacombinationofmilitarydeterrence,strategicplanning,andeconomicneutralitytoholdtheirown.Leveragingtheiruniquemountainous terrain, they put to-getheranintricatesystemofdefencesbypack-ing explosives into structures at strategic lo-cationsonitsborderandmajortransportationroutes,manyofwhichweredismantledonlyrecently. Their policywas of armedneutral-ity,puttinginplacecompulsorymilitaryserv-ice(whichcontinuestilldate),whilecontinu-ingeconomiccooperationwithboththeAlliedandAxispowers.

Whathas changed“We are in an extraordinary situation

where extraordinarymeasures couldbede-cided,”PresidentIgnazioCassissaidwhilean-nouncingthedecisiontoimposesanctionsonRussia. The Swiss government said “Russia’sunprecedentedmilitaryattackonasovereignEuropean countrywas thedeciding factor intheFederalCouncil’sdecisiontochangeitspre-viousstanceonsanctions.”TobiasVestner,whoheadsthesecurityand

law programme at the Geneva Centre forSecurityPolicy,saidtoTheIndianExpress inan

email that the Swiss government had beennudgedbypopularoutrage.Thegovernment,he said, had initially adoptedanarrow, tradi-tionalinterpretationofneutrality,whichtrans-lated to adecision tonot issueany sanctions.However, the Swiss parliament and citizenspushedbackstrongly,arguingthatRussia’sag-gressioncouldnotbetolerated.Thisforcedthegovernmenttoreconsideritsposition.Political scientist Dr Laurent Goetschel,

whoheads Swisspeace, a research institutebased inBern, pointed out that Switzerlandhad relaxed its neutrality earlier too.DuringthewarintheBalkansandthecivilwarinSyria,it had adopted sanctions decidedby the EU,eventhoughtheywerenotbackedbyaUNSCresolution,DrGoetschelsaidinanemailtoTheIndianExpress.Is this a lasting policy shift? That, Vester

said,remainstobeseen.“Itseemsclear,however,thatSwisscitizens

haveincreasinglybecome‘globalcitizens’thatcare aboutwhathappens around theworld.Swiss neutralitywill thus remain an instru-mentofSwissforeignpolicy,butitwillproba-blynotbeappliedas‘business-as-usual’para-digm,”hesaid.

The neutrality that Switzerland has abandoned

HOWGLOBALCOMMODITYPRICESHAVEMOVED

March2 Yearago Monthago PricesinBrentcrude 112.93 62.70 89.47 $/barrelCoal 440.00 87.50 220.10 $/tonneforNewcastle

(Australia)coal futures

Wheat 1,058.50 663.25 755.00 Cents/bushel formostCorn 739.00 560.75 622.50 actively-tradedfuturesSoyabean 1,677.50 1,414.00 1,545.25 contractatChicago

BoardofTradeSkimmilk 4,481.00 3,302.00 4,051.00 $/tonneforaveragepricepowder at fortnightlyGlobal

DairyTradeauctionsCotton 138.70 94.25 141.50 Cents/poundforaverage

Cotlook ‘A’ indexpriceCrudepalm 6,660.00 3,735.00 5,523.00 Ringgit/tonneformostoil active futurescontract

atBursaMalaysiaderivativesexchange

Sugar 18.64 16.43 17.93 Cents/poundformostactiverawsugar futurescontractatNewYork’sInterContinentalExchange

Urea 900.00 390.00 596.00 $/tonnefor landedMOP 587.00 247.00 447.00 importprice (costplusDAP 950.00 504.00 900.00 freight) in IndiaPhosphoricacid 1,530.00 795.00 1,330.00

1,80,401

EXPLAINED YOURMONEY

Sandeep Singh &GeorgeMathew

OFUKRAINE

RUSSIANINVASION

Theeconomic impactofRussia’swar inUkraine isnotconfinedtooil. It extendsasmuchtoagriculturalcommoditiesandfertilisers.Whatdothesoaringpricesof thesecommoditiesmeanfor India?

War in Ukraine and the IPOmarket: what investors need to look at

New Delhi

16

NIT No. 22/ACE(M-10)/EE(T)M-10/2021-22Press Tender

It is for publishing in the leading newspaper please. Further details in this regard can be seen atgovtprocurement.delhi.gov.in

ISSUED BY P.R.O. (WATER)Advt. No. J.S.V. 1197(2021-22)

Sd/-(B.N. Gupta)

EXECUTIVE ENGINEER (T)M-10

S.No

Name of Work Reserveprice

Date of release oftender in

e procurementsolution

Last date and time fordownload & RTGS

through e procurementsolution

1 lmprovement of sewerage system by replacement ofexisting old/damaged /silted up sewer line in Gali No.1Govind puri in AC-51 Kalkaji

3676963/- 2021_DJB_217798_12.3.2022

16.3.2022 upto 2.00 PM

2 Improvement of sewerage system by replacement ofexisting old/damaged /silted up sewer line in Gali No.9Govind Puri in AC-51 Kalkaji

4542976/- 2021_DJB_217798_22.3.2022

16.3.2022 upto 2.00 PM

3 Improvement of sewerage system in G-Block Lajpat Nagar -II under EE(M)-41 (AC-41 Jangpura)

3936715/- 2021_DJB_217798_32.3.2022

16.3.2022 upto 2.00 PM

4 Improvement of sewerage system af Block -A (A-12 to A-45)Lajpat Nagar -II under EE(M)-41 (AC-41 Jangpura)

3564137/- 2021_DJB_217798_42.3.2022

16.3.2022 upto 2.00 PM

5 Improvement of sewerage system oF Block -A (A-81 to A-89) Lajpat Nagar -lI under EE(M)-41 (AC-41 Jangpura)

3105458/- 2021_DJB_217798_52.3.2022

16.3.2022 upto 2.00 PM

6 Improvement of sewerage system in B & D-Block LajpatNagar -lI under EE(M)-41 (AC-41 Jangpura)

3515603/- 2021_DJB_217798_62.3.2022

16.3.2022 upto 2.00 PM

7 lmprovement of sewerage system in E-Block La]pat Nagar -ll under EE(M)-41 (AC-41 Jangpura)

4140395/- 2021_DJB_217798_72.3.2022

16.3.2022 upto 2.00 PM

8. Improvement of Sewerage system of Servant Quarters in JalVihar and extending the sewer line upto M/H existing neardrain in I-Block of Lajpat Nagar under EE(M)-41 in AC-41,Jangpura.

3383729/- 2021_DJB_217798_82.3.2022

16.3.2022 upto 2.00 PM

9 Improvement of sewerage system by providing and laying250mm dia sewer line in front side from Block No.6 to BlockNo, C Old Double Storey Lajpat Nagar-IV under EE(S) II AC-42 Kasturba Nagar) (Re-invite)

4669811/- 2021_DJB_217798_92.3.2022

16.3.2022 upto 2.00 PM

10 Improvement of sewerage system by providing and laying250mm dia sewer line in front side from Block No.E to BlockNo.K Old Double Storey Lajpat Nagar-IV under EE(S) II (AC-42 Kasturba Nagar) (Re-invite)

4670316/- 2021_DJB_217798_102.3.2022

16.3.2022 upto 2.00 PM

“STOP CORONA: Wear Mask, Follow Physical Distancing, Maintain Hand Hygiene”

DELHI JAL BOARD: GOVT. OF N.C.T. OF DELHIOFFICE OF THE ADDL. CHIEF ENGINEER (M-10)

ENGINEERS BHAWAN, 2ND FLOOR, ANDREWS GANJ,NEAR MOOL CHAND CROSSING, NEW DELHI- 110049

Mail Id: acem10djb@gmail.com

WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COMTHEINDIANEXPRESS,FRIDAY,MARCH4,2022

GOVERNMENT OF ODISHAPR&DW DEPARTMENT

OFFICE OF THE EXECUTIVE ENGINEERRWS&S DIVISION, MALKANGIRI

e-Mail - eerwss_mal@nic.in, eerwssmlkg@gmail.comINVITATION FOR BIDS

NATIONAL COMPETITIVE BIDDINGBid Identification No: RWSS_MKG_ONLINE_05/2021-22 DATED:- 02.03.2022The Executive Engineer, RWS&S Division, Malkangiri on behalf of Governor of Odisha invites from bidders of eligible classregistered with the State Government and bidders of equivalent Grade / Class registered with Central Government / MES /Railways according to the norm of “e” Procurement system in online mode for the works detailed in the table below to beeventually drawn up on turnkey basis (i.e. with design and execution).1. Name of the Work : Execution of 03 (Three) Nos. clubbed RPWS schemes in different villages of

Chitrakonda, Kalimela & Khairput Block in Malkangiri District under JJM programmeincluding 05 (Five) years Operation & maintenance cost.

2. No. of Works : 03 Nos.3. Estimated Cost : R. 289.19 Lakhs to R. 345.03 Lakhs4. Tender Paper Cost : R 10,000/-5. Class of Contractor :

6. Period of Completion : 11 (Eleven) calendar months7. Critical dates :

O-1751

Estimated costR 40.00 Lakh to 3.00 Crore

Estimated costR 3.00 Crore to 6.00 Crore

‘B’ & ‘A’ class ‘A’ & ‘Special’ class

Procurement Officer Bid Identification No. Availability of Tender online forBidding

Last Date ofseeking tender

clarification

Date of openingof Technical Bid

From ToExecutive Engineer, RWS&SDivision, Malkangiri

RWSS_MKG_ONLINE_05 of 2021-22

09.03.2022 at09.00 A.M

25.03.2022 upto 05.00 P.M

22.03.2022 28.03.2022 at11.00 A.M

Further details can be seen in the bidding documents, which is available in the e-procurement portalhttps://www.tendersorissa.gov.in.

Subsequent corrigendum if required shall be appeared in the web site only.

The Authority reserves the right to reject any or all tenders without assigning any reason thereof.Sd/-

Executive EngineerRWS&S Division, Malkangiri

OIPR-25044/11/0008/2122

IYF¹FFÊÕX¹F IYF¹FÊ´FFÕX³F Ad·F¹Fa°FFÕXûIY À½FFÀ±¹F ¹FFadÂFIYe J¯OX SXF¹F´FbSX (LX.¦F.)

d³Fd½FQF ´Fi´FÂF kkAll ¸FZÔ EIYeIÈY°F ´FaªFe¹F³F ´Fi¯FFÕXe Aa°F¦FÊ°F ÀFÃF¸F ßFZ¯Fe ¸FZÔ ´FaªFeIÈY°F NZXIZYQFSXûÔ ÀFZ JJM IZY dÀFa¦FÕX d½FÕZXªF ³FÕXªFÕX ´FiQF¹F¹FûªF³FFa°F¦FÊ°F d³F¸FFʯF IYF¹FÊ IYe AFG³FÕXFBʳF d³Fd½FQF AF¸FadÂF°F IYe ªFF°Fe W`XÜE³F.AFBÊ.MXe. IiY¸FFaIY IYF¹FÊ IYF ³FF¸F ÕXF¦F°FdQ³FFaIY dÀFÀMX¸F MZÔXOXSX IiaY. (ÕXFJ ¸FZÔ)331/25.02.22. 93872 d½FIYFÀFJ¯OX ²FSXÀFe¹FF IZY ¦FiF¸F ²F³FZÕXe 213.39332/25.02.22. 93873 d½FIYFÀFJ¯OX d°F»QF IZY ¦FiF¸F Jü³FF, AÀFüÔQF, ¸FbSXF, ´F¨FSXe 320.76333/25.02.22. 93874 d½FIYFÀFJ¯OX d°F»QF IZY ¦FiF¸F IbY¸WXFSXe ªFFSXF, RYSXWXQF 252.19334/25.02.22. 93875 d½FIYFÀFJ¯OX d°F»QF IZY ¦FiF¸F IbaYQøY, ¶FSXüOXF, ¶FbOZXSXF 335.48335/25.02.22. 93876 d½FIYFÀFJ¯OX d°F»QF IZY ¦FiF¸F ÀFû³F·F˜XF, ´FFOXF·FFMX, ¶FZÕXQbIYSXe 293.81336/25.02.22. 93877 d½FIYFÀFJ¯OX AFS¦F IZY ¦FiF¸F AIYûÕXeJbQÊ, AIYûÕXeIYÕXF, ¶F³F¨FSXüQF 312.10337/25.02.22. 93878 d½FIYFÀFJ¯OX AFSX¦F IZY ¦FiF¸F IYF¹FF¶FFa²FF, ÀFZÔ§F 211.53338/25.02.22. 93879 d½FIYFÀFJ¯OX AFSaX¦F IZY ¦FiF¸F IbY÷YQ (IbYMZXÕXF), ¶FSXLXF, ªFSXüÔQ (IYÕXFBÊ) ¦FbQ¦FbQF 258.38339/25.02.22. 93880 d½FIYFÀFJ¯OX A¸F³F´FbSX IZY ¦FiF¸F d³F¸FûSXF, ³FF¹FIY¶FFa²FF 276.92340/25.02.22. 93881 d½FIYFÀFJ¯OX A¸F³F´FbSX IZY ¦FiF¸F ÀFFSXJe, d¶FSXûQF 320.24341/25.02.22. 93891 d½FIYFÀFJ¯OX AFS¦F IZY ¦FiF¸F d³FÀFQF 169.52342/25.02.22. 93892 d½FIYFÀFJ¯OX AFSX¦F IZY ¦FiF¸F ªFF½FF 48.58343/25.02.22. 93893 d½FIYFÀFJ¯OX ²FSXÀFe½FF IZY ¦FiF¸F ÀFFSXF¦FF½F 113.33³FûMX:-CX´FSXûöY d³F¸FFʯF IYF¹FûÊ IYe d³Fd½FQF IYe ÀFF¸FF³¹F ¾F°FZÊ, ²FSXûWXSX SXFd¾F, d½FÀ°FÈ°F d³Fd½FQF d½FÄFd´°F, d³Fd½FQF QÀ°FF½FZªF ½F A³¹F ªFF³FIYFSXe BÊ-´Fiû¢¹FûSX¸FZÔMX½FZ¶F ´FûMÊXÕX https://eproc.cgstate.gov.in A±F½FF d½F·FF¦Fe¹F ½FZ¶FÀFFBÊMX https://eproc.cgstate.gov.in ¸FZÔ dQ³FFaIY04.03.2022 ÀFZ QZJe ªFF ÀFIY°Fe W`X E½Fa d³Fd½FQF OXFCX³FÕXûOX IYSX³FZ IYe Aad°F¸F d°Fd±F 19.03.2022 WXû¦FeÜ

WXÀ°FF/-IYF¹FÊ FFÕX³F Ad·F¹Fa°FF

ÕXûIY À½FFÀ±¹F ¹FFadÂFIYe J¯OX,68292 SXF¹F´FbSX (LX.¦F.)

BÊ-´Fiû¢¹FûSX¸FZÔMX d³Fd½FQF ÀFc F³FF

226/22(D)North central railways @ CPRONCRwww.ncr.indianrailways.gov.in

IYF¹FFÊÕX¹F IYF¹FÊ´FFÕX³F Ad·F¹Fa°FFÕXûIY À½FFÀ±¹F ¹FFadÂFIYe J¯OX ¶FFÕXûQ, dªFÕXF- ¶FFÕXûQ (LX.¦F.)

d³Fd½FQF IiY. 327 ÀFZ 346/ÕZX.¾FF./IYF.A./ÕXû.À½FF.¹FFa. J¯OX/2022 ¶FFÕXûQ, dQ³FFaIY-28/02/2022

AFG³FÕXFBʳF d³Fd½FQFE ´Fi´FÂF-E ¸FZÔ ´Fid°F¾F°F QSX ´FSX ³Fe¨FZ CXnZdJ°F IYF¹FÊ IZY dÕX¹FZ IYF¹FÊ´FFÕX³F Ad·F¹Fa°FF ÕXûIY À½FFÀ±¹F¹FFadÂFIYe J¯OX ¶FFÕXûQ õFSXF IZY EIYeIÈY°F ´FaªFe¹F³F ½¹F½FÀ±FF BÊ-SXdªFÀMÑZX¾F³F IYe ÀFÃF¸F ßFZ¯Fe ¸FZÔ ´FaªFeIÈY°F NZXIYZQFSXûÔ ÀFZAFG³FÕXFBʳF d³Fd½FQF AF¸FadÂF°F IYe ªFF°Fe W`XÜIYF¹FÊ IYF d½F½FSX¯F:- ¶FFÕXûQ dªFÕZX IZY d½F.J. ¶FFÕXûQ, OXü¯OXe, OXü¯OXeÕXûWXFSXF E½Fa ¦FbøYSX IZY d½Fd·FÖF ¦FiF¸FûÔ ¸FZÔªFÕX ªFe½F³F d¸F¾F³F Aa°F¦FÊ°F SmXMÑXûdRYMX E½Fa EIYÕX ¦FiF¸F ³FÕXªFÕX ´FiQF¹F ¹FûªF³FF IYF IYF¹FÊÜ

d³F.ÀFc. IiY./ IYF¹FÊ IYF d½F½FSX¯F A³Fb¸FFd³F°F ÕXF¦F°FdÀFÀMX¸F ³Fa. (÷Y. ÕXFJ ¸FZÔ)

1 327/93986 d½FIYFÀFJ¯OX ¶FFÕXûQ ¦FiF¸F WX±FüQ ÷Y. 93.24 ÕXFJ2 328/93987 d½FIYFÀFJ¯OX ¶FFÕXûQ ¦FiF¸F A¸FÕXeOXeWX ÷Y. 78.35 ÕXFJ3 329/93988 d½FIYFÀFJ¯OX ¶FFÕXûQ ¦FiF¸F ·FûBʳFF´FFSX ÷Y. 111.98 ÕXFJ4 330/93989 d½FIYFÀFJ¯OX ¶FFÕXûQ ¦FiF¸F ²FüSXF¸FFNX ÷Y. 70.67 ÕXFJ5 331/93990 d½FIYFÀFJ¯OX ¶FFÕXûQ ¦FiF¸F ¶FûOXIYe ÷Y. 81.87 ÕXFJ6 332/93991 d½FIYFÀFJ¯OX OXü¯OXe ¦FiF¸F d¶FMXFÕX ÷Y. 94.19 ÕXFJ7 333/93992 d½FIYFÀFJ¯OX OXü¯OXe ¦FiF¸F ªFF¶FbOX½FFWXe ÷Y. 64.52 ÕXFJ8 334/93993 d½FIYFÀFJ¯OX OXü¯OXeÕXûWXSXF ¦FiF¸F IYÀFWXe ÷Y. 56.59 ÕXFJ9 335/93994 d½FIYFÀFJ¯OX OXü¯OXeÕXûWXSXF ¦FiF¸F J`SXIY˜XF ÷Y. 64.69 ÕXFJ10 336/93995 d½FIYFÀFJ¯OX OXü¯OXeÕXûWXSXF ¦FiF¸F IbYAF¦FF½F ÷Y. 83.28 ÕXFJ11 337/93996 d½FIYFÀFJ¯OX OXü¯OXeÕXûWXSXF ¦FiF¸F ¸F³FIYe (IY) ÷Y. 77.91 ÕXFJ12 338/93997 d½FIYFÀFJ¯OX OXü¯OXeÕXûWXSXF ¦FiF¸F ´Fe´FSXJFSX ÷Y. 70.20 ÕXFJ13 339/93998 d½FIYFÀFJ¯OX OXü¯OXeÕXûWXSXF ¦FiF¸F ÀF¸¶FÕX´FbSX (IY) ÷Y. 73.34 ÕXFJ14 340/93999 d½FIYFÀFJ¯OX OXü¯OXeÕXûWXSXF ¦FiF¸F ·FbSXIYF·FFNX ÷Y. 70.01 ÕXFJ15 341/94000 d½FIYFÀFJ¯OX OXü¯OXeÕXûWXSXF ¦FiF¸F WXOX¦FWX³F ÷Y. 112.82 ÕXFJ16 342/94001 d½FIYFÀFJ¯OX ¶FFÕXûQ ¦FiF¸F dÕX¸FûSXF ÷Y. 109.35 ÕXFJ17 343/94002 d½FIYFÀFJ¯OX ¶FFÕXûQ ¦FiF¸F ¶FZÕXûQF ÷Y. 95.38 ÕXFJ18 344/94003 d½FIYFÀFJ¯OX ¶FFÕXûQ ¦FiF¸F IY´FSX¸FZMXF ÷Y. 86.78 ÕXFJ19 345/94004 d½FIYFÀFJ¯OX ¶FFÕXûQ ¦FiF¸F IYû¨F½FFWXe ÷Y. 116.40 ÕXFJ20 346/94005 d½FIYFÀFJ¯OX ¶FFÕXûQ ¦FiF¸F ´FZZÔ½FSXû ÷Y. 125.09 ÕXFJ1. d¶FOX ÀF¶Fd¸F¾F³F ´FiFSaX·F IYe d°Fd±F- 08/03/20222. d¶FOX ÀF¶Fd¸F¾F³F IYe Aad°F¸F d°Fd±F- 21/03/2022GCX´FSXûöY IYF¹FûÊ IYe d³Fd½FQF IYe ÀFF¸FF³¹F ¾F°FZÊ, ²FSXûWXSX SXFd¾F, d½FÀ°FÈ°F d³Fd½FQF d½FÄFd´°F, d³Fd½FQF QÀ°FF½FZªF ½F A³¹F ªFF³FIYFSXeBÊ-´Fiû¢¹FûSX¸FZÔMX ½FZ¶F ´FûMÊXÕX http://eproc.cgstate.gov.in dQ³FFaIY 07.03.2022 ÀFZ E½Fa IYF¹FFÊÕX¹Fe³F ÀF¸F¹F ´FSXIYF¹FFÊÕX¹F ¸FZÔ QZJZ ªFF ÀFIY°FZ W`XÜ

WXÀ°FF/-IYF¹FÊ´FFÕX³F Ad·F¹Fa°FF

ÕXûIY À½FFÀ±¹F ¹FFadÂFIYe J¯OX ¶FFÕXûQ68264 dªFÕXF- ¶FFÕXûQ (LX.¦F.)

BÊ-´Fiû¢¹FûSX¸FZÔMX ´Fi±F¸F d³Fd½FQF AF¸FaÂF¯F ÀFc¨F³FF

IYf¹ffÊ»f¹f Ad°fdSX¢°f ¸fb£¹f Ad·f¹fa°ff,Àff½fʪfd³fIY d³f¸ffʯf d½f·ff¦f, Àfa·ff¦f Aªf¸fZSX

IiY¸ffaIY:- A¸fbA/Aªf./°fIY./ERY-2(30E) d³fd½fQf/OXe-3970 dQ³ffaIY - 24.02.2022NIB NO. : PWD2122A3329d½f¿f¹f :- d³fd½fQf Àfc¨f³ff Àfa£¹ff 13 ½f¿fÊ 2021-22 IZY A³°f¦fÊ°f À½feIÈY°f ·f½f³f d³f¸ffʯf IYf¹fÊ ¶ff¶f°fÜ

SfªfÀ±ff³f IZ Sfª¹f´ff»f ¸fWûQ¹f I e AûS ÀfZ ½f¿fÊ 2021-22 IZ °fW°f EI ·f½f³f I f¹fÊ IZ d»fE C´f¹fb¢°fßfZ¯fe ¸fZÔ Àff½fʪfd³fI d³f¸ffʯf d½f·ff¦f SfªfÀ±ff³f ¸fZÔ ´faªfeIÈ °f Àfa½fZQI ûÔ E½fa IZ ³Qie¹f/Sfª¹f ÀfSI fS ½f C³fIZAd²fIÈ °f Àfa¦fN³fûÔ/IZ ³Qie¹f »fûI d³f¸ffʯf d½f·ff¦f/OfI E½f¸fÐ QcS Àfa¨ffS d½f·ff¦f/Sm»f½fZ B°¹ffdQ ¸fZÔ ´faªfeIÈ °fÀfa½fZQI ûÔ, ªfû dI SfªfÀ±ff³f ÀfSI fS IZ EE ßfZ¯fe IZ Àfa½fZQI ûÔ IZ Àf¸fI Ãf Wû, ÀfZ d³f²ffÊdS°f ´fi´fÂf ¸fZÔIb »f 01 I f¹fÊ dªfÀfI e »ff¦f°f SfdVf ÷ . 460.05 »ff£f W`, IZ d»fE BÊ-MZ¯OdSa¦f ´fidIi ¹ff WZ°fb Afg³f»ffB³fd³fd½fQf Af¸fadÂf°f I e ªff°fe W`Ü

d³fd½fQf ÀfZ Àf¸¶fd³²f°f Àf¸fÀ°f d½f½fS¯f ½fZ¶fÀffBM : www.dipronline.org ´fS E½fa d³fd½fQf

QÀ°ff½fZªf I f d½f½fS¯f ½fZ¶fÀffBÊM http://eproc.rajasthan.gov.in E½fa sppp.raj.nic.in´fS QZ£ff ªff ÀfI °ff W`Ü Àf¸´fc¯fÊ d³fd½fQf ´fidIi ¹ff http://eproc.rajasthan.gov.in ´fS

Afg³f»ffBʳf Àf¸´ffdQ°f I e ªff¹fZ¦feÜ

UBN No. PWD2122WSOB15914 WXÀ°ff/-

(dQ³fZVf IbY¸ffSX A¦fi½ff»f)

Ad°fdSX¢°f ¸fb£¹f Ad·f¹f³°ff,

DIPR/C/2679/2022 Àff.d³f.d½f., Àfa·ff¦f, Aªf¸fZSX

d³fd½fQf RYf¸fÊ OXfCX³f»fûOX E½fa A´f»fûOX IYSX³fZIYe °ffSXe£f E½fa Àf¸f¹f

Àfû¸f½ffS 28 R S½fSe, 2022 ´fif°f: 9.30 ¶fªfZ ÀfZÀfû¸f½ffS 21 ¸ff¨fÊ, 2022 Àffa¹f: 6.00 ¶fªfZ °fI Ü

Govt. of Jammu & KashmirOFFICE OF THE EXECUTIVE ENGINEER

WATER SUPPLY MASTER PLAN DIVISION SRINAGARFax/Phone: 0194-2401904, E-mail ID: xenwsmp@gmail.com

Subject: CANCELLATION NOTICE

As per minutes of meeting circulated by the worthy Chief Engineer Jal Shakti PHE DepartmentKashmir vide his No. CE/PHE/DB/42888-94 dated 25.02.2022 for the work namely “Design(Including Geo- Technical Analysis Soil Investigation) construction, successful testing andcommissioning including trial run for 06 months Of 5.5MGD (25MLD) rapid sand W.T.P compris-ing of intake chamber, 02 no Clarifloculator with flash mixers, filter house, Raw water main,Delivery main, clear water sumps, backwash tank with all electro Mechanical, instrumentsinstallation as a composite unit to be constructed at Alusteng.” put to tenders vide E-N.I.T NO:-17/WSMP of 09/2021 DT: 15.09.2021 issued under endorsement No. 4020-31 Dated 15.07.2021 ishereby cancelled.

Sd/-Executive Engineer

Water Supply Master Plan Division, SrinagarNo: WSMP/CC/9278-92Date: 02.03.2022 DIPK-18954

E-TENDER INVITING NOTICE Open tender is invitedthrough e-tendering for supply of 5000 Km ACSR WeaselConductor against tender specification no. PVVNL-MT/MM/120/21-22. Tender Cost:- Rs. 11,800.00 (withGST), Earnest Money Deposit (EMD):- Rs. 11,09,100.00,Last Date of tender submission & Time:- 04.04.2022 at2:00 PM, Date of tender opening (Part-Ist & IInd) & Time:04.04.2022 at 5:00 PM Note:- In case of any amendment &detailed information in tender specification or date ofextension, the same shall be uploaded on e-tender websitewww.etender.up.nic.in and www.pvvnl.orgSuperintending Engineer (MM-I) “Help line Number ForInformation of Theft of Electricity: “1800-180-3002 (Meerut),1800-180-8752 (Lucknow)” Sd/- Superintending Engineer(MM-I) “SAVE ELECTRICITY IN THE INTEREST OF THENATION” No. - 1728, Date 03.03.2022

Paschimanchal Vidyut Vitran Nigam Ltd.,Victoria Park, Meerut

New Delhi

17SENSEX: 55,102.68 ▼ 366.22 (0.66%) NIFTY: 16,498.05 ▼ 107.90 (0.65%) NIKKEI: 26,577.27 ▲ 184.24 HANG SENG: 22,467.34 ▲ 123.42 FTSE: 7,371.54 ▼ 58.02 DAX: 13,875.34 ▼ 124.77

THEINDIANEXPRESS,FRIDAY,MARCH4,2022

ECONOMYWWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM

Internationalmarketdatatill1900IST

GOLD`51,670

RUPEE`75.94

OIL$111.99

SILVER`68,425

Note:Gold, silverratesatDelhi spotmarket,goldper10g, silverper1kg;Crudeoil (Indianbasket)asofMarch2

KARUNJITSINGHNEWDELHI,MARCH3

CONSUMERSAREset to face sig-nificantlyhigherpetrolanddieselprices starting nextweek, as oilmarketing companies (OMCs)restartdailyprice revisions, amidsoaringcrudeoilpricesduetotheongoingRussia-Ukraineconflict.The price of Brent crudehas

risenaround30percentsincethebeginning of February amidmounting concernsabout stablesupplyofoilandgas.Indiaimportsabout85per centof its crudeoilrequirements. Brent rose to$119.84abarrel,thehighestsince2012.By1:38pmET,itwas0.7percentintra-daydownat$112.14.Despite rocketing crude oil

pricesandcalls for increaseinoilproduction, theOPEC+ group ofoil exporting countries has an-nounced that itwouldmaintainaplannedproductionincreaseofonly 4,00,000 barrels per day inApril,keepingproduction8.3percent lower than reference pro-duction levels. “Our estimate isthat at current levels of exciseduty an increase of Rs 10-12perlitre (in the price of diesel andpetrol)toallowOMCstogetbacktosomepositivemarketingmar-gins. The governmentmay re-

duce excise duty to alleviate theimpact of any such increase to acertain extent,” said Probal Sen,analystatICICISecurities.InDelhi,petrol is currently retailing at Rs95.41 per litrewhile diesel is re-tailingatRs86.67per litre.Sen added City Gas

Distribution companieswouldalso likely have tohike prices inApriltopassona$2-3permmbtu(MetricMillion British ThermalUnit)increaseinnaturalgasprices.State-ownedOMCshavekept

thepricesofpetrolanddieselcon-stantsinceNovember4,whenthegovernment cut excise duty onpetrol anddieselbyRs5per litreandRs 10per litre, respectively.ThepriceofBrentcrudehasrisenaround44per cent since the lastrevision in pump prices. Dailyprice revisions are likely to be

restartednextweekasAssemblyelectionsinUttarPradesh,Punjab,Uttarakhand, Goa andManipurconclude.OMCshadalsoheldfuelprices constant for over twomonthsduringkeystateelectionsin2021,withpumpprices risingsharplyafterthepolls.Ordinarily,domesticprices are reviseddailyand benchmarked to a 15-dayrollingaverageof globalpricesofpetrolanddiesel.Experts noted that theOMCs

hadbenefited fromhigher refin-ingmarginssinceNovemberandthatinventorygainsfromtheriseincrudeoilpriceswouldalsopro-tect their earnings from the im-pact of negativemarketingmar-gins in the short run. GrossRefiningMargin is thedifferencebetweenthepriceofcrudeoilandthevalueof petroleumproducts

producedusing crudeoil in a re-finery. Inventory gains are gainsfromrevaluation crude oil stockheld with OMCs in line withhigherinternationalprices.“OMCswill also take into ac-

countthehigherrefiningmarginsthey aremaking. InNovember,benchmarkSingaporeGRMswereat$5perbarrel and theFebruaryaverageis$7.3perbarrel,”saidSen.Despite theexcisedutycut in

November,CentralleviesonpetrolanddieselarestillRs8andRs6perlitre higher than pre-pandemiclevels.Icraestimatedthatafullroll-backof exciseduties topre-pan-demiclevelwouldcostthegovern-mentRs90,000croreinrevenuesin thenext fiscal, taking into ac-count aRs2-hikeonexcisedutyon unblended fuelswhichwillcomeintoeffectinOctober2022.

REVISIONS LIKELYTORESTART;BRENTAT10-YEARHIGH,NEARS$120

ENSECONOMICBUREAUNEWDELHI,MARCH3

THEMINISTRYof Electronicsand Information Technologyisstudyingtheinputsithasre-ceivedonthedraftof thedataprotection Bill andwill notrushwiththetablingoftheBillinParliament,MinisterofStatefor Information TechnologyRajeevChandrasekharsaid.Speakingon the sidelines

oftheNICTechConclave2022,Chandrasekhar said the gov-ernmentwas“clearandstead-fast”ontheneedfortheBilltoactasanenablerof thedigitalecosystem. “As far as govern-ment is concerned, it is veryclear,steadfast,wewouldlikea data protection Bill. Wewould rather comeupwithlegislations that are futureproofandthatarecatalystandcreatemore fuel to startupsuccess, rather thangoby anartificial timeline, and createproblems for our entrepre-neurs and startupsgoing for-ward,”theministersaid.LastDecember, the Joint

Parliamentary Committee

onPersonalDataProtectionBill tabled its final report inParliament. The Bill, whichnowincludesnon-personaldata in itsambit,will simplybe known as DataProtection Bill. Itwas intro-duced in the Lok Sabha onDecember 11, 2019 by thenTelecom Minister RaviShankar Prasad and referredtothestandingcommitteefivedayslater.TheMinistry,hesaid,was

being “extremely careful”with the legislation so that itimproves momentum ofgrowth of the digital econ-omyratherthancreatinganyproblems.

POLICYWATCHDATAPROTECTION

‘Manipulated books’ to cut ‘taxableincome’: Huawei under I-T lensENSECONOMICBUREAUNEWDELHI,MARCH3

POINTINGTOallegedmanipula-tionof account books to reducetaxable income in India, the in-cometaxdepartmentonThursdaysaid amultinational group, en-gaged indistributionof telecomproducts andproviding captivesoftwaredevelopmentservices,in-flatedpaymentsagainstreceiptoftechnical services fromits relatedpartiesoutsideIndia.Thereferencewasmadeforsearchesandseizuredone on February 15 againstChinese telecom companyHuawei,anofficialsaid.Withoutnamingthecompany

initsofficialstatement,theCentralBoardofDirectTaxes(CBDT)saidthegroup“manipulateditsbooksofaccounttoreduceitstaxablein-comeinIndiathroughcreationofvariousprovisions for expenses,

such as provisions for obsoles-cence, provisions forwarranty,doubtful debts/loans and ad-vancesetc.,whichhavelittleornoscientific/financial rationale”.“During the investigation, thegroup has failed to provide anysubstantialandappropriatejusti-ficationforsuchclaims,”italleged.“...suppressionofincomeofRs400crore has been detected,” itclaimed,addingfurtherinvestiga-tionsareinprogress.WhencontactedbyTheIndian

Express,theHuaweispokespersondidnotofferanycomment.The company, during the

searches, had said itwas firmly

compliantwithIndianlaws,asperaPTIreport. “Huawei isconfidentouroperations in Indiaare firmlycompliant toall lawsandregula-tions.Wewill approach relatedgovernment departments formoreinformationandfullycoop-erate as per rules and regula-tions...,”PTIquotedanearliercom-pany statement. The assesseegroup has debited over Rs 350croreinitsbooksofaccountinre-cent financial years towards roy-alty to its relatedparty, theCBDTsaid.“Theassesseecompanycouldnot justify thegenuinenessof ob-tainingof suchalleged technicalservices inlieuofwhichpaymenthasbeenmadeasalsothebasisofdeterminationofconsiderationforthesame.Theexpensesdebitedbytheassesseecompanytowardsre-ceiptofsuchservicesaretothetuneof Rs129croreoveraperiodof 5years,”itsaid. Full report on

www.indianexpress.com

ENSECONOMICBUREAUMUMBAI,MARCH3

EVEREADYINDUSTRIESchairmanAdityaKhaitanandmanagingdi-rector AmritanshuKhaitan quitfromtheboard following thede-cisionoftheBurmanfamilytotakecontrolofthecompany.The board has requested

Suvamoy Saha, JointManagingDirector of the company, to as-sume the responsibilities as theMDtillsuchtimethesameistakenonrecordbytheboardontherec-ommendationoftheNomination&RemunerationCommitteeoftheboard at itsmeeting to be con-

vened shortly, the company saidinanexchangefiling.Aditya Khaitan and

AmritanshuKhaitan, tenderedtheirresignationwitheffectfromMarchinviewoftheaboveexpres-sionofinterest,toenablethecom-panytobenefit fromnewleader-ship anddirection, the companysaid.TheBurmanfamily,promot-ers of Dabur India, recently an-nouncedanopenofferonMondayfor a 26 per cent holding inEveready Industries India, a yearand a half after it became thelargest shareholder in the BMKhaitan family-controlled com-pany.TheKhaitansholdonly4.84percentstakeinEveready.

NewDelhi:Reliance Industries’subsidiary RSBVL and SanminaCorporation on Thursday an-nounced setting up of an elec-tronicmanufacturing joint ven-ture in India that will focus onhi-tech infrastructurehardwareacross diverse sectors, includingcommunicationsnetworking,de-fenseandaerospace.Reliance Strategic Business

Ventures Limited (RSBVL) willhold50.1percentequity stake inthe joint venturewhile Sanminawillhave49.9percentsharehold-ing.RSBVLwillachievethisowner-shipprimarily throughaninvest-mentofuptoRs1,670croreinnewsharesinSanmina’sexistingIndianentity,accordingtoastatement.Thejointventurewillbecapi-

talisedwithover$200million.PTI

RIL subsidiary,Sanmina to setup electronicmanufacturingjoint venture

REUTERSWASHINGTON,MARCH3

RUSSIA’SWARinUkrainecouldhittheUSeconomyacrossavarietyofchannels fromhigher prices todampenedspendingand invest-ment, US Federal Reserve ChairJerome Powell said Thursday,thoughit isunclearwhattheulti-mateimpactwillbe.“Whatweknowso far is that

commoditypriceshavemovedupsignificantly,energyprices inpar-ticular.ThatisgoingtoworkitswaythroughourUSeconomy,” in theformofhigher inflationat least inthe short term, Powell told theSenateBankingCommittee.“Inad-ditionwecouldseerisksentimentdeclinesoyoucouldseelowerin-vestment. You could seepeopleholdbackonspending.”

War impactuncertain, mayhit spending:US Fed chief

INDUBHANNEWDELHI,MARCH3

FUTUREGROUPandAmazononThursday agreed to initiate dia-loguestoexplorethepossibilityofanout-of-court settlement overthe former selling its retail assetsto Reliance Retail. Amazon hasbeenobjecting to the saleon thegroundthatithasafirstrightofre-fusal over the retail assets asperthe 2019deal it struckwith theKishoreBiyanientity.The Supreme Court, where

lawyersofboththesidesagreedtoexploreout-of-court settlement,has given the parties time tillMarch15toseewhethertheyareable to amicably resolve thedis-pute.FutureGrouplawyersHarishSalveandMukulRohatgiassuredthebench ledbyChief JusticeNVRamana that during this periodthere’snochanceofanyorderbe-ingpassedon the casespendingbefore theDelhiHighCourt, theNational CompanyLawTribunal(NCLT) andNational CompanyLawAppellateTribunal(NCLAT).TheCJIwelcomedthemoveby

thepartiestoengageintalkssay-ingthatitisintheinterestofallthestakeholdersandalsoofferedtofixanydateorappointanyoneforthethree“giantbusinesses”toresolvetheissue.

“Wewill simply adjourn thematter...Workoutbygentleman’sunderstanding. Itwillbebetterininterestof threebusinessgiants...Amazonhasnotmentionedme-diation,but iswilling to talk,” theCJIsaid,whileobservingthatifthecompanies fail to finda solution,theoptionof courtsdeciding thematterwasstillopen.The dispute between the

Future Group andAmazon hasbeen raging since October 25,2020, when the Singapore’sEmergencyArbitrator restrainedFuture Retail fromgoing aheadwith its `24,500-croredealwithRelianceRetail.Whilethelegalbat-tle between the two sides arepending in theNCLT,NCLAT, andDelhiHighCourt, apart fromtheSupreme Court, in the last fewdays,Reliancehastakenover200storesofFuture.FE

Future, Amazonready for talks toexplore settlement

Eveready chairman,MD quit as Burmansclose in on takeover

BothpartieshavebeengiventimetillMarch15bytheSupremeCourt. File

Huaweihadinanearlierstatementsaid itwascompliantwithalllaws,asperaPTIreport

E-Tender NoticeDAHOD SMART CITY DEVELOPMENT LIMITED

Dahod Smart City Development Limited (DSCDL) invites online E-Tenders for “Request for Proposal forDesign, Engineering, Procurement, Construction of Slum Redevelopment Buildings at Dahod on DesignBuild basis”. Tender ID: 509016Estimated Cost (In Rs.) Rs.11.90 Cr/-EMD (In Rs.) Rs. 11,90,764/-Tender Fee (In Rs.) Rs. 18,000/-Last Date for online Submission of Tender Document Date/Time 11/03/2022 up to 18.00 Hrs

GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS: (1) The tender document for this work can be downloaded from websitewww.nprocure.com. (2) Other Details of NIT shall be seen onwebsite. (3) Copy of Technical Bid includingall drawings, data sheets and duly filled up formats excluding the Financial Bid along with original TenderFee and Bid Security to be submitted to the Chief Executive Officer (DSCDL), Jilla Sewa Sadan, Chhapri,Dahod-389151, by RPAD/ speed post only on or before Date: 17-03-2022 up to 17.45 Hrs.ChiefExecutive Officer, DSCDL reserves the right to accept or reject any or all tenders without assigning anyreason thereof. This Tender notice shall form a part of contract document.Tender No. 04 of 2021-22 Chief Executive Officer

Email:dahodsmartcity20@gmail.com

Government of India, Department of Atomic Energy,Heavy Water Plant (Kota)

1. e-Tender invitation notice no.- HWPK/CIVIL/2022/401Online item rate tenders are invited through e-Tendering mode for “Biennial contract for internalpainting of Residential quarters at HWPK housing colony, Rawatbhata for the year 2022-23.”by General Manager, Heavy Water Plant (Kota), Post: Anushakti 323303, Via- Kota (Rajasthan) forand On behalf of the President of India, from approved, eligible and experienced contractors.Estimated cost of work: Rs. 65,64,123/-, EMD. Rs. 1,31,282/-, Work Completion Time 24 Months.Tender document can be viewed/ downloaded from 04.03.2022 (10:00 hrs) to 12.03.2022 (14:30hrs). The last date for online submission of tender is 12.03.2022 (14:30 hrs). The technical bids willbe opened on 15.03.2022 at 15:00 hrs.2. e-Tender invitation notice no.- HWPK/CIVIL/2022/402Online item rate tenders are invited through e-Tendering mode for “Miscellaneous civilmaintenance works at HWP(K) Plant Site for the year 2022-23” by General Manager, HeavyWater Plant (Kota), Post: Anushakti 323303, Via- Kota (Rajasthan) for and On behalf of the Presidentof India, from approved, eligible and experienced contractors. Estimated cost of work: Rs.39,84,448/-, EMD. Rs. 79,689/-, Work Completion Time 18 Months.Tender document can be viewed/ downloaded from 04.03.2022 (10:00 hrs) to 16.03.2022 (14:30hrs). The last date for online submission of tender is 16.03.2022 (14:30 hrs). The technical bids willbe opened on 19.03.2022 at 15:00 hrs.3. e-Tender invitation notice no.- HWPK/CIVIL/2022/403Online item rate tenders are invited through e-Tendering mode for “Biennial Contract for Sweepingof Roads and cleaning of Drains in HWPK Housing Colony for the year 2022-23.” by GeneralManager, Heavy Water Plant (Kota), Post: Anushakti 323303, Via- Kota (Rajasthan) for and Onbehalf of the President of India, from approved, eligible and experienced contractors. Estimatedcost of work: Rs. 63,02,406/-, EMD. Rs. 1,26,048/-, Work Completion Time 24 Months.Tender document can be viewed/ downloaded from 04.03.2022 (10:00 hrs) to 12.03.2022 (14:30hrs). The last date for online submission of tender is 12.03.2022 (14:30 hrs). The technical bids willbe opened on 15.03.2022 at 15:00 hrs.The detailed NIT and Tender Documents are available on the websitehttps://eprocure.gov.in/eprocure/app for free to view/download. The detailed NIT can be seen atwebsite www.hwb.gov.in For further information please contact Telephone no. 01475-242201/242231/242225, fax- 01475-242203 on all working days.

General ManagerFor & on behalf of President of India

THEGOVERNMENT’Sthoughtprocessbehindthelegislation is that it shouldprovidemomentumofgrowthtothedigitalecon-omyratherthancreatingproblems.

BehindthedecisionE●EX

PLAINED

MoS IT: Studyinginputs, won’t rushwith tabling data Bill

INUKRAINE

RUSSIANINVASION

Vi gets board nod to raise `14.5K crNewDelhi:VodafoneIdeaLtd(Vi)onThursdaysaiditsboardhasap-proved raising funds up to Rs14,500 crore, includingRs 4,500croreviapromoterentities.AnamountofRs10,000crore

wouldberaisedbywayof saleofequity or through debt instru-ments, likeAmericandepositoryreceipts(ADRs),globaldepositoryreceipts (GDRs) and foreign cur-rencyconvertiblebonds(FCCBs).

In a filing, the telco said itsboard has approved issuance ofupto338.3croreequitysharesoffacevalueofRs10eachatanissuepriceofRs13.30perequityshareforanaggregateconsiderationofuptoRs4,500crore.Theseshareswill be issued to Euro PacificSecurities Ltd andPrimeMetalsLtd(VodafoneGroupentitiesandpromoters of the company), andOriana Investments Pte Ltd (an

Aditya Birla Group entity) on apreferentialbasis, thefilingsaid.Further, theboard cleared is-

suanceofequitysharesorsecuri-tiesconvertibleintoequityshares,amongotherinstrumentstoraiseup toRs10,000 crore. Itwill alsolookatraisingtheamountbywayofGDRs,ADRs,FCCBs,convertibledebentures,warrants,compositeissue of non-convertible deben-turesandwarrants. ENS,WITHPTI

‘Russia downgraded to junkrating afterWestern sanctions’After sanctions bywestern countries,whichwill shoot upofborrowing cost of the Putin administration,Moody’s andFitch downgradedRussia’s sovereign rating to ‘junk’ grade

Moody’s InvestorsServicecutRussia’s long-term issuerand senior unsecured (local-and foreign-currency) debtratings to ‘B3’ from ‘Baa3’

FitchRatingspulled down therating on the country to ‘B’from ‘BBB’, putting it on‘RatingWatchNegative’

Source: Moody’s & Fitch/PTIIKEAstorenearMoscow. Reuters

Mumbai/NewDelhi: The ru-pee declined by 14 paise tocloseat75.94against theUSdollar on Thursday, pres-sured by surging crude oilprices. The Sensex, mean-while, closed at 55,102.68,down 366.22 points or 0.66percent, asperaPTI report.

‘Relief for exporters’The government is con-

sidering guarantees oflenders’ letters of credit andsoftloansforexportershitbya cash squeeze followingWesternsanctionsonRussia,sourcessaid,asperaReutersreport.AGENCIES

Rupee slips 14p, Sensex down

Globalrally, local rise:FuelhikeloomsasOMCstoreviseprices

Mumbai: The Securities andExchangeBoard of India (Sebi)hasdeniedpermissiontocrisis-hit PTC India Financial ServicesLimited (PFS) to hold a boardmeetingwithout independentdirectors, the company said. InJanuary, all three independentdirectorsonPFC’sboardhadre-signed over corporate gover-nanceissuesandothermatters.“... it is tobementionedthat

SEBIvideitse-maildatedMarch02, 2022has informed that theCompany’srequestforconduct-ingBoardmeetingwithoutanID(independent director) has notbeenacceded,”PFSsaidinastockexchangefiling.This is the second time in a

row, after January 22, that themarkets regulator has deniedpermission to PFS to go aheadwithitsboardmeeting. PTI

Sebi deniesnod to PFSfor holdingboard meet

BRIEFLYPinnacleunitsMumbai:PinnacleIndustriesCMDSudhirMehtasaidthecompany, among 20 to beclearedtolaunchEVmanu-facturingunderPLIscheme,will investRs2,000croretosetupelectricvehicleman-ufacturingunitsinPuneandIndore. “The plants shouldbereadyoverthenext12-18months,”Mehtasaid.

RBIsurveysMumbai:RBIlaunchedMar-ch2022 roundsof househ-oldsurveystocaptureinflat-ion expectations andconsumer confidence, Inf-lation Expectations Surveyof Households andConsu-merConfidenceSurvey.

‘LICnamesCFO’NewDelhi: Life InsuranceCorporation (LIC) namedSunil Agrawal as it chief fi-nancial officer (CFO),whotookchargeonWednesday,sourcessaid.

EoIsforPDILNewDelhi: The Centre re-ceivedmultipleexpressionsofinterest(EoI)forprivatisa-tion of Projects & Deve-lopmentIndiaLtd(PDIL),DI-PAMSecretaryTuhinKantaPandeysaid. PTI

GoogledealParis:Atradebodyof about300FrenchnewspapersandGoogle reachedanewdealregarding issue of contentpublishingrights.REUTERS

NewDelhi:CommerceMinisterPiyushGoyal onThursday calledon industry to support domesticmanufacturing andaim toboostIndia’s share inglobal trade to10percentandraisetheshareofex-portsintheGDPto25percent.Addressingapost-Budgetwe-

binarorganisedbyDPIITon‘MakeinIndiafortheWorld’,Goyalsaid,“Other countries are also talkingof programmes very similar toAatmanirbharBharat.”At theDPIITwebinar, Prime

MinisterNarendraModicalledonindustry to cut imports of goodsthat canbemanufactured in the

country.“Today,theworldislook-ing at India as amanufacturingpowerhouse.” ENS

PrimeMinisterNarendraModiaddressesaDPIITwebinar,Thursday. PTI

PM,COMMERCEMINISTERTO INDIA INC

‘Cut imports, supportlocal manufacturing’

New Delhi

NOTICEBOARD CORPORATE ASSOCIATE DIARY E V E N T S , H O N O U R S

PNB In a move to protect the bank customers againstlarge value cheque frauds, PNB will make the PositivePay System (PPS) mandatory from April 4, 2022. As perRBI guidelines, PNB had introduced PPS for cheques ofRs. 50,000 and above presented in CTS clearing fromJanuary 1, 2021, which will now become mandatoryfrom next month for the cheques of Rs. 10 Lacs andabove. As per the PPS developed by the NationalPayments Corporation of India (NPCI), a customerissuing the high-value cheque has to reconfirm someessential details which are cross-checked whilepresenting the cheque in clearing before payment.

CONCOR recently flagged off the first batch of full rake of40 feet loaded Export containers carrying auto parts andassembly plant components from its CFS at Majerhat(Kolkata) to Bangladesh (Benapole) on 23/02/2022.

FLAG OFF - CONCORPOWERGRID, NR-I, handed over Neo-Natal Ventilators to Dr.Virender Yadav, CMO, District Hospital, Gurugram. This CSR ini-tiative of Powergrid marks the second & final phase of pro-viding lifesaving medical equipment to 3 districts of Haryana.

CSR - POWERGRID, NR-IDr SSV Ramakumar, Director (R&D), IndianOil and Prof.A.S.K. Sinha, Director, RGIPT, signed a MoU wherein Indi-anOil R&D would engage PhD Research Fellows under theIndianOil-CSIR-RGIPT Research Fellowship Scheme.

MoU - INDIANOIL

Y Malik, Dir. NBT, Prof (Dr.) Rama, Principal, Hansraj College, &Prof. RK Tripathi, Joint Dean of Colleges, DU, inaugurated aReadingCorneratHansrajCollege,DU,asapart of theRead In-dia Campaign where 200 books were donated by NBT-India.

INAUGURATION - NBT-INDIAPradeep Kumar, SDM, Pataudi and Rajendra Chaudhari, Se-nior ED (Co-ord.), NBCC, inaugurated a multipurpose hallconstructed by NBCC at Government Senior SecondarySchool Pahari, Gurugram, Haryana.

CSR - NBCC

At the inaugural function of the 15-day-long HandloomExpo, Jyoti Kalash, IAS, Chief Resident Commissioner, NewDelhi & Addl. Chief Secretary, Nagaland was the Chief Guestwherein he inaugurated the expo in the presence of Wen-nyei Konyak, NCS, DRC, Nagaland House and other offi-cials from Nagaland House, various Ministries and Direc-torate of Industries.

INAUGURATION – MINISTRY OF TEXTILES

Muskan Thareja, a student of LSR College, DU, has beenawarded with prestigious University Medal and degree forachieving highest marks in BA Psychology (honors) in thepresence of Rajnath Singh (Minister of Defence).

AWARD - DU

Apeejay International School recently celebrated its annualappreciation day “Abhyudaya- A New Beginning” in virtualmode wherein Dr. Mahesh Sharma (Member of Parliament) was the Chief Guest.

ANNUAL DAY - APEEJAY INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL

The Polo team of CRPF Imphal Group Centre won the 1st Dis-trict Level Sangol Kangjei Tournament held recently at ThoubalDistrict, Manipur. The Tournament was organized by IkopNingthou Sangol Kangjei Club, Khangabok at Thoubal District.

TOURNAMENT - CRPF

Committed to Skill India Mission, Honda Motorcycle andScooter India Pvt. Ltd. (HMSI) inaugurated Delhi’s 3rd Skill En-hancement Centre at Malviya Nagar in collaboration with Gov-ernment Industrial Training Institute (ITI), Delhi.

INAUGURATION - HMSI

Belgian Ambassador H.E. François Delhaye along with SChakravorty, Joint Secy and Head of Europe West Division,MEA, GoI, recently released the logo to mark the 75th an-niversary of diplomatic relations between India and Belgium.

LAUNCH - EMBASSY OF BELGIUM IN NEW DELHI

HIMACHAL PRADESHPUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT

e-Procurement Notice

The Executive Engineer, Electrical Division HPPWD, Una on behalf of the Governor of HimachalPradesh invites/reinvites the short terms item rate bids, in electronic tendering system from the eligible classof contractors registered with HPPWD/Principal manufacturers of Principal manufacturer fulfilling the quali-fying criteria along with documents on a single/two bid system for the works as detailed in the table: The Feepayment Mode may be considered online.

Key Dates:

1. Date of Online publication: 16-03-2022 at 17.00 HRS.2. Document downloads start and end date: 16-03-2022 at 17.30 HRS upto 24-03-2022 at 17.00 HRS.3. Bid submission start and end date: 16-03.2022 at 17.30 HRS upto 24-03.2022 at 17.00 HRS..4. Physical /Original tender documents are 25-03.2022 at 11.00 HRS.

Not required to submit this office and only online uploaded documents will be considered . If any document isnot found readable then the same should be submitted physically in this office of the undersigned, within threedays positively.

5. Date of Technical Bid opening, evaluation of 25-03.2022 at 11.30 HRS.Technical Bid followed by opening of Financial bid:

BID OPENING DETAILS:

1. The bids shall be opened on dated 25-03.2022 at 11.30 HRS. in the O/o Executive Engineer, ElectricalDivision HPPWD, Una by the authorised officer.

2. If the happens to be holiday on the date of opening of the bids as specified, the bid will be opened on thenext workings day at the same time and venue and no separate notice will given in this regard.

3. The bids for the work shall remain valid for acceptance for a period not less than 120 days after the dead-line date for bid submission.

4. Other details can be seen in the bidding documents. The officer inviting tender shall not be held liable forany delays due to system failure beyond its control. Even though the system will attempt to notify the bid-ders of any bid updates, the employer shall not be liable for any information not received by the bidder’sto verify the website for the latest information related to the tender.

5. The competent authority on behalf of Governor of H.P. reserves the right to reject any or all the tendersreceived without assigning any reason.

Executive Engineer,Electrical Division,

HP PWD UnaSUCHNA AVAM JAN SAMPARK VIBHAG

Sr. Name of work Estimated Earnest Time Cost of Eligibility ofNo. Cost. Money (In `) limit form(In `) contractor

1. Rs. 16,70,000/- Rs. 32,700/- 45 Days 500/- Specializedjob

2. Rs. 31,00,000/- Rs. 32,700/- 45 Days 1500/- Specializedjob

3. Rs. 18,64,107/- Rs. 35,500/- 45 Days 500/- Specializedjob

4. Rs. 20,20,663/- Rs. 32,700/- 45 Days 500/- Specializedjob

5. Rs. 37,80,573/- Rs. 64,300/- Two Months 1500 Specializedjob

6. Rs. 25,01,054/- Rs. 45,000/- Two Months 1500 Specializedjob

7. Rs. 33,59,793/- Rs. 57,900/- Two Months 1500/- Specializedjob

8 Rs. 1,61,21,519/- Rs. 1,93,700/- Two Months 5000/- Specializedjob

9. Rs. 19,95,900/- Rs. 37,500/- Two Months 500/- Specializedjob

10 Rs. 24,44,112/- Rs. 44,200/- Two Months 500/- Specializedjob

11 Rs. 11,29,483/- Rs. 22,600/- Two Months 500/- Specializedjob

12 Rs. 11,06,241/- Rs. 22,200/- Two Months 500/- Specializedjob

13 9,91,874/- 20,000/- Two Months 350/- C

14 5,88,421/- 12,000/- Two Months 350/- C

C/o Warehouse for storage of EVM Machine &VVPATs at Bilaspur in Distt. Bilaspur H.P (SH:-Providing One No. 06 Passenger Elevator therein)

C/o Mother Child Health Care Centre in RegionalHospital at Bilaspur in Distt. Bilaspur H.P. (SH:Providing One No. 26 passenger Elevator there-in).

C/o Ware House for storage of Storage ofElectronic Voting Machine at Bilaspur H.P. (PITCFire Fighting System therein).

C/O Ware House for Storage of Electronic VotingMachine at Hamirpur(HP).(SH:-PITC FireFighting system therein).

C/o Indoor Auditorium building at Bilaspur (H.P)(SH:-Providing Installation testing and commis-sioning of fire fighting and sprinkler system)

C/o Indoor Auditorium building at Bilaspur (H.P)(SH:-Providing Video Projection system therein)

C/o Indoor Auditorium building at Bilaspur (H.P)(SH:-Providing Digital Sound system therein)

C/o Indoor Auditorium building at Bilaspur (H.P)(SH:-Providing VRV/VRF bases HVAC system)

C/o Indoor Auditorium building at Bilaspur (H.P)(SH:-Providing Installation testing commissioningof UPS system therein)

C/o Indoor Auditorium building at Bilaspur (H.P)(SH:-Providing Stage light system therein)

C/o Indoor Auditorium building at Bilaspur (H.P)(SH:-Providing Yard Lighting/ Campus Lightingtherein)

C/o Indoor Auditorium building at Bilaspur (H.P)(SH:-Providing Motorized Stage Curtain therein)

Providing 250 KVA Servo oil cooled voltage stabi-lizer for PSA Plant (1000 LPM) in Dr. RKGMC,Hamirpur H.P.

Providing 20 Meter High Mast Lighting system inthe NSCBM Govt. Degree College ground com-plex at Anu Distt. Hamirpur H.P

7330/HP

NOTICE INVITING TENDERUnder Small Hydro Power Policy -2007 read with GFR, the Department ofHydro Power Development, Government of Arunachal Pradesh is herebyinviting BID Proposals from interested power developers for the development ofKhangtang HEP (3x2.5MW), a brown project in Build, Own, Operate & Transfer(BOOT) basis in Tawang District of Arunachal Pradesh for 50 years.The interested power developer shall mean sole proprietorship/ company/NGO/ Cooperative Society/ JV Company/ Consortium of Companies either inPublic or Private sector and either Indigenous or non-indigenous dealing withdevelopment of Hydro Power Project on Retrofit basis. Joint Venture/Consortium eligible to participate in the tenders, should have following eligibilitycriteria:-

a. Either or any of the partner of Joint Venture/Consortium should betechnically qualified

b. Each partner of Joint Venture/Consortium shall fulfil the financialqualifying criteria up to its share in JV/Consortium.

C. The share of any partner of the Joint Venture/Consortium shall not be lessthan 30%

1. The bidder should have completed & commissioned Hydro Power Projects inBOOT basis in last 7 yearsa) 3 Hydro Power Projects having 40% of 7.5 MW capacityb) 2 Hydro Power Projects having 50% of 7.5 MW capacityc) 1 Hydra Power Projects having 80% of 7.5 MW capacity

2. The bidder should have Rs. 60 crore minimum annual average Net Worth oflast 3 Financial Years.

3. The bidder should have minimum net cash flow of Rs. 20 crore in hisbooks/bank account which shall be committed for the development of theproject for equity share once awarded. The other details of sources offinancing for the project should be clearly indicated in FIN-3 of RFP.

4. The Project is partially completed.5. Interested developers may purchase bid document by paying Rs 10000/-

(Rupees Ten Thousand) only in Demand Draft/cash, from the office of theChief Engineer (Monitoring), Jal Vidhyut Bhawan, Near I.G Park ltangaronany working day between 10.30 AM to 4 PM before 23rd March, 2022.

6. The last date of submission of bid in sealed cover is 30th March, 2022 at1300 hrs, which will be opened at 1500 hrs of same day.

7. Price bid i.e FIN-4 should be sealed in separate envelop and that shall onlybe opened in case the bidder qualifies the terms & conditions stipulated inthe bid document.

8. Interested bidders are advised to visit the project site, at their cost, forassessment before submitting the bid.

Sd/-DIPR/ARN/3398-3400 Commissioner (Hydro Power)

POLICE HEADQUARTERS, CHHATTISGARHPolice Headquarters, Atal Nagar, Nava Raipur

No.PHQ/Sec-10/Prove-1/722/2022 Nava Raipur, Dated: 28/02/2022

Sealed tenders are being invited by the Director General of Police, Chhattisgarh on behalf of Governor of Chhattisgarh from OriginalEquuipment Manufacturers (OEM) or authorized by manufacturer for the following item-Sr. No. Name of Item Qty. EMD in Rs.01 Wireless singal Tracker/Radio Direction Finder 01 No. 8,25,000/-

The tender offer in the prescribed tender form along with all the relevant documents sealed and completed in all the respect must besubmitted as per the schedule below.

SCHEDULE FOR TENDER

a) Date and time of Prebid conference 09/03/2022 at 3.00 pm Block No. 03, Room No. 309 Police Headquarters,Chhattisgarh, Sector 19, Nava Raipur.

b) Address for submission of Tender Document AIG of Police (P&P) Block No. 03, Room No. 309 Police Headquarters,Chhattisgarh, Sector 19, Nava Raipur.

c) Last date and Timie of submission of bids 01/04/2022 till 3.00 pm Block No. 03, Room No. 309 Police Headquarters,Chhattisgarh, Sector 19, Nava Raipur.,

d) Place, Time and Date of Opening Technical Bid Block No. 03, Room No. 309 Police Headquarters, Chhattisgarh, Sector 19,Nava Raipur. 01/04/2022 at 4.00 pm

e) Place, Time and Date of opening Financial Bid Shall be intimated later.f) Date till which the Bid to remain valid 180 Days from the scheduled date of submission of the Bid.Note:-1. In case of tender opening date being declared as holiday, tenders will be opened on next working day.2. Tender documents can be downloaded from our website www.cgpolice.gov.in and at the time of submission of docu-

ment tender fee 3,000/- will be paid in the form of DD of State Bank of India/Scheduled Bank (Other than CooperativeBank) payable at Raipur in favour of Director General of Police Chhattisgarh Police Hearquarters, Atal Nagar Raipur OrState Govt. Challan of Rs. 3,000/- to be deposited in the Head of A/c 0055-Police, 800- other receipt. Tender fee is nonrefundable and can't be exempted in any condition.

3. Modification/Amendments/Corrigendum, if any shall not be advertised on the news paper but shall be published in theaforesaid web iite only and the time of submission of bid will also be extended if required.

4. If any bidder sends tender documents through Courier/Speed post, the tender documents will be accepted till 03:00 pmon 01/04/2022 at Block No. 03, Room No. 309 Police Headquarters, Chhattisgarh, Sector-l9, Nava Raipur only.Received tender documents in any other address at PHQ on stipulated date and time, will not be accepted.

Sd/-A.I.G. of Police (P&P)

68276 For-Director General of Police

Notice Inviting Tender

POLICE HEADQUARTERS, CHHATTISGARHPolice Hearquarters, Atal Nagar, Nava Raipur

No. PHQ/Sec.10/Kit-Clo/ /724/2022 Raipur, Dated: 28/02/2022

Sealed tenders are being invited by the Director General of Police, Chhattisgarh on behalf of Governor of Chhattisgarh from Manufacturers(OEM) for the following item-Sr. No. Name of Item Qty. Specification EMD in Rs. Remarks01 Combat Track Suit 2750 As per Section IV 1,40,250/- The tenderer shall submit 02 sets Advance Sample

Set (Tender Doccument) of Track Suit as per the specification. Lab test canbe performed by the department from any government lab. Testing charges would be borne by thebidder

Note:- Quantity will be variable.The tender offer in the prescribed tender form along with all the relevant documents sealed and completed in all the respect must besubmitted as per the schedule below.a) Address for submission of Tender Document AIG of Police (P&P) Block No. 03, Room No. 309 Police Headquarters,

Chhattisgarh, Sector 19, Nava Raipurb) Last Date and Time of Submission on Bids 04/04/2022 till 03.00 pm

Block No. 03, Room No. 309 Police Headquarters, Chhattisgarh, Sector 19,Nava Raipur

c) Place, Time and Date of Opening Technical Bid Block No. 03, Room No. 309 Police Headquarters, Chhattisgarh, Sector 19,Nava Raipur 04/04/2022 at 4.00 pm

d) Place, Time and Date of opening Financial Bid Shall be intimated later.e) Date till which the Bid to remain valid 120 Days from the scheduled date of submission of the Bid.1. In case of tender opening date being declared as holiday, tenders will be opened on next working day.2. Tender documents can be downloaded from our website www.cgpolice.gov.in and at the time of submission of docu-

ment tender fee 3,000/- will be paid in the form of DD of State Bank of India/Scheduled Bank (Other than CooperativeBank) payable at Raipur in favour of Director General of Police Chhattisgarh Police Headquarters, Atal Nagar RaipurOr State Govt. Challan of Rs. 3,000/- to be deposited in the Head of A/c 0055-Police, 800- other receipt. Tender fee isnon refundable and can't be exempted in any condition.

3. Modification/Amendments/Corrigendum, if any shall not be advertised on the news paper but shall be published in theaforesaid web site only and the time of submission of bid will also be extended if required.

4. If any bidder sends tender documents through Courier/Speed post, the tender documents will be accepted till 03:00 pmon 04/04/2022 at Block No. 03, Room No. 309 Police Headquarters, Chhattisgarh, Sector-l9, Nava Raipur only.Received tender documents in any other address at PHQ on stipulated date and time, will not be accepted.

Sd/-A.I.G. of Police (P&P)

68282 For-Director General of Police

Notice Inviting Tender

18 WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COMTHEINDIANEXPRESS,FRIDAY,MARCH4,2022

New Delhi

19WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COMTHEINDIANEXPRESS,FRIDAY,MARCH4,2022

GAURAVBHATTNEWDELHI,MARCH3

“IKEEPseeing these posters saying 'Grass isGreenerontheIndianside'.Well,Iamcolour-blindsoIcan'tseethat."One quip fromMikael Torpegaardwas

enoughtosumupDenmark'sapproachtothesurface-rankings-homeadvantagediscoursearoundtheirDavisCuptieagainstIndia.IntheabsenceofworldNo.88HolgerRune,

Torpegaard is expected to spearhead theDanishchallengeattheDelhiGymkhanaClub.The27-year-oldwill takeonYukiBhambri inthe second singles rubber on Friday.TorpegaardandBhambriareranked305and590intheworldrespectively.Butrankings inDavis Cup canbedeceptive, aswitnessed inIndia'sdefeatstoFinlandandCroatiainthelasttwoties.“Ireallyliketheideaofembracingtheun-

derdog role and getting the opportunity toplaya littlemore freely. It’snotoftenyougetto take your chances on a surface you don’tknow,”hesaid.Thebitaboutcolorblindness,however,was

morethanapunchline."I actually can't seewhich side the grass

isgreener,"Torpegaardlaughs."Iamactuallycolourblindanditcanbetroublesomeonthecourt if it's very bright yellow, green or redbehind the ball. Then the colours kind ofblendtogether."Colourblind,sure.Tone-deaf?Certainlynot.

FollowinginthegreatScandinaviantradition,Torpegaard is a heavymetal aficionado. Thefluorescentyellow'FlyingV'guitar,frequentlyspotted inhis Instagramfeed, is "hisdarling".He'salreadygoteyesforaJamesHetfield-style'Explorer' in neonpinknext. Recently, how-ever, he has swapped the electric axe for anacousticguitarfora"passionproject".AlongwithTennysSandgren—thetennis

playerfromTennessee—Torpegaardispartofatwo-manbandcalled'AnotherRound'.ItwasduringthefirstCovid-inducedlockdownthatTorpegaardheadedtoNashville, thehomeofcountry music, to practise tennis withSandgren.Offthecourt,hejammed,sangandrecorded song coverswith theAmerican, anexpert drummerwith strong countrymusicsensibilities.TheduogottowritingandinlateJanuary, they put out a six-song original EPcalled'DystopianMelancholy'."Wesharedaninterestforoldschoolcountrymusic,themoreacoustic genrewhich I loveplaying. Towardstheendoftheoffseasonwewerelike,'would-n't it be fun if wehad something to put ourname on'. Sowe spent twoweeks and putsomethingtogetherthatpeopleactuallyhave

been enjoying," says Torpegaard. "I've had aband previously, in a little bit of a differentgenre.Alittleheaviergenre."The"heaviergenre"iswhatTorpegaardde-

scribes as 'melodiousdeathmetal'. His origi-nal band is called 'Mardröm' (Swedish fornightmare). Last year, they released their de-butalbumcalled'DrawntoDelirium'."It'sareallygoodfeelingbecauseonething

aboutmetal that Ienjoyistheenergy.There'samoodforit,whenyouwanttogetgoing,"saysTorpegaard. "Theother aspect is the acousticstuff. TheEPwithTennys,makesyoufeeldif-ferentlywhenyouwant towinddown. Thatwaswhatweweretryingtohitwiththisrecordandhad somuch fundoing it. Andwe're al-readyworkingonanewfullalbumtoo."According to Torpegaard, the songs —

soothingvocals againstmoody fingerpicking—alsodrawfromtheirtenniscareers."Alotof themareverydystopianminded.

They'reveryheavy, someof themare talkingaboutsomethingswe'regoingthroughonthecourt, off-the-court stuff that's happening tous.Toughtimesarethebestinspiration."

Enter SandmanTennisplayershavebeenactors,politicians,

evenmusicians;FrenchOpenwinner-turned-Afro-reggae singer YannickNoah is touringBelgium currently. There hasn't been abonafideheavymetal rockstar-tennis playerhybridyet.Torpegaard,however,isn'tthefirstDanetotryandridethosetwolongships.Lars Ulrich, drummer and co-founder of

the genre-defining band 'Metallica', comesfrom a tennis family. Father Torben and

grandfatherEinerrepresentedDenmarkinacombined 176 Davis Cup matches andreachedlaterstagesatWimbledon.Lars,too,beganonthesamenote,beforeanego-shat-teringmovetoCalifornia.“InDenmark,Iwasrankedhighenoughtobeoneofthebestten-nisplayersinthecountry,butthere’sonlyfivemillion people there," the nine-timeGrammy-awardwinner toldSexPistolsgui-tarist Steve Jones. "When we came toNewport Beach... I wasn’t one of the best 10tennis players in the street that I lived on! Ijumped headfirst back into IronMaiden,SaxonandMotorhead."TorpegaardcitesLarsUlrichas"anidol"and

beamswhendiscussing thehowling guitarsandthumpingbassof'Volbeat'and'Dissection'.Towering at 6'4,with a longblondmane, hewould fit right into those bands. On Friday,however,hetakescentrestagewitharacquet.Hecanservebig,butthetall framecouldbeadisadvantageonthezippygrasscourts,wheretheballseemstobekeepingfastandlow.Andwhile injury-ravagedBhambri is returningtoDavisCupactionafterfiveyears,themanfromDelhiisfamiliarwiththeconditionsandspentthebetterpart of Thursday's practice sessionsharpeninghisvolleys.WhetherTorpegaardfacesthemusicorhits

therightnote,expectsomeheavymetaltennisonFriday."I like to dial it up to 11, both on the ten-

nis court and in themusic. It's oneofmyul-timategoalstobreakthroughinbothplaces,"he says. "How cool could it be to have a top100tennisplayerwho,bytheway,isalsojusta rockstar?"

Danishtennis spearhead,guitarist ispartof a two-manbandAnotherRound

SomedaysMikael learns to rock;on others he’s swinging racquets

Spirited Daneslooking to spoilhome party

EXPRESSNEWSSERVICENEWDELHI,MARCH3

Inathrowbacktooldentimes,Indiahaverolledout thegrass to tryand roll over theirDavis Cup opponents for the upcoming tieagainst Denmark. The grass courts at theDelhi Gymkhana Club are expected to playlowand fast to trouble aDanish contingentbereft of firepower. TheWorld Group Play-off tie begins on Friday with RamkumarRamanathan (ranked 170) taking onChristianSigsgaard (824) in the first singlesrubber. “There's always pressure playing inany part of the tie, first or secondmatch.Playing on grass is a great advantage for usandplaying in India, thecrowdcangiveusagreatchance,”saidRamkumar,whoseplay-ing style, including serve-and-volleys andchip-and-charges, isafinefit forthesurface.“Wehavehadgrasscourtexpertsandlo-

cal maalis to come andwork on the grasscourtshere,”saidnon-playingcaptainRohitRajpal. “The idea is tokeep it lowandas fastaspossible.Hopefully, itwillplay thatway.”In the second singles rubber on Friday,

Yuki Bhambri (590) will take on MikaelTorpegaard (305). Bhambri got the nodaheadof246-rankedPrajneshGunneswaranasthethink-tankfeelstheDelhilad'sgameisbetter suited to the low-bouncinggrass.ForthedoublesonSaturday,DivijSharan

will partner Rohan Bopanna againstDenmark captain Frederik Nielsen andJohannes Ingildsen. Though RamanathanhadpairedupwithBopannatowintwoATP250 titles this year, Rajpal said the 27-year-oldwillberested forSaturday's reversesin-gles fixture. “Divij andRohanhave played alottogetherandhavedonewellongrass.Weare saving Ram for singles, otherwise, afterthedoubleshewill bebackonthecourt.”In their last twoDavisCupties, Indiabe-

gan as favourites but lost the away ties inCroatiaandFinland.WiththelosstoFinland,they slid down to the play-offs. Denmark,meanwhile, advancedto this stageafterde-featingMorocco in theirWorldGroup II tie.“We are playing India on their day and

they have better players. However, we canmatch any better player in theworld,” saidNielsen. “Though the hosts are strongfavourites, it wouldmean nothing on thecompetitiondaytous. It’sgoingtobeacom-petitiveouting.”SCHEDULE: Friday: (From 11am)

Ramkumar Ramanathan vs ChristianSigsgaard;YukiBhambrivsMikaelTorpegaard.Saturday: (From 10am) Rohan

Bopanna/Divij Sharan vs FrederikNielsen/Johannes Ingildsen; RamkumarRamanathan vs Mikael Torpegaard; YukiBhambrivsChristianSigsgaard.

LIVEONSONYNETWORK

SPORTS/CALENDAR

CROSSWORD4679

ARIES(Mar21-Apr20)Mars,yourboldrulingplanet, settlesmanyoutstandingissuesbyvirtueof its

potent relationshipswithyourotherplanets.Encouragethesehelpfulplanetaryaspectsbyadoptinganapproachthat iscalmandcollectedwhilepayingdueheedtoyourgenuineemotionaldesires.

TAURUS(Apr21-May21)Yourdeterminationtosucceed isadmirable indeed,andyoushouldbe

able tosteeracoursewhichkeepsyouaway frompotentialrivalsorenemies.However, ifbattlemustbe joined, it looksasif agenerally friendlyatmospherewill stillprevail intheend.

GEMINI (May22- June21)TheMoonnowgivesyoutheadvantage,for itobligeseveryonetothink

likeyou.Thosewhocontinuewiththeiroldwayswillbeout-smartedbyyoursheerwitandinstinctivegraspof thesituation.Butwhatyou'vereallygot todo is to lookat thebigpicture.

CANCER(June22- July23)That ratherobstreperousplanetPluto is stirringstrangethoughts,

vaguehopesand irrationalworries fromtheunconscious.Moneycouldbethecatalystthatcausesarelationshiptohit therocks.Butyoucouldalsobeslightlyuneasyaboutwork.

LEO(July24-Aug23)Thereare fewthingsmoredowncast thanaboredor frustratedLeo.ButwithMars

andMercuryrapidlymanoeuvringthemselvesinto freshpositions,youmustavoid takingyourpersonalfeelingsoutonotherpeople.The fact that theremayhavebeendelays isnothingtodowiththem.

VIRGO(Aug24-Sep23)Althoughyoumaybelieve that it isuptoothers toacceptyour

proposals, theplain truth is thattheyareunlikely todoso.Thereasonmaybethatyourideasdonotgo farenoughtocoverall eventualities.That isnot in itself aproblem,but itdoesmeanthatyoushouldcutyourcoataccordingtoyourcloth.

LIBRA(Sep24-Oct23)DidyouknowthatLibra is thesignofdiplomatsandgenerals?Probably

not,but theconnectionhere isstrategy. Inotherwords, ifyounowhaveagameplanworkedout inadvance,andfollowit throughwithdetermination,nothingwillstand inyourway.

SCORPIO(Oct24-Nov22)Itdefinitely looksasif peopleyou livewithare inamischievousmood.

Don't takeumbrage if apartnersayssomething in jestwhichmaybetakenasoffensive,it isnotmeant toupset. Itmayjustbe that theyarenotthinkingstraight.

SAGITTARIUS(Nov23-Dec22)Youarerenownedforyourrapidchangesofmood.Quickness toanger

canalsomeanwillingnessto forgive.Nowthat theplanetsareassumingabelligerentpose,yourcontributioncanbetoseeto itthatoldwoundsplaynopart inthecurrentdiscussions.

CAPRICORN(Dec23- Jan20)It's the fact thatyouwerebornunderanearthsignthatmakes

yousowonderfullyefficient.Otherpeopledon'tnecessarilyshareyour talents, soeventhoughyoustill feeltheyare lettingyoudownor failing topull theirweight,give themthebenefitofthedoubt.

AQUARIUS(Jan21-Feb19)Duringthenext fewweeks,while theSun is insuchacivilisedregionof

yoursolarchart, youmustensure thatanyalterationsinbothyourearningsandjointarrangementswillbe toyour long-termadvantage.Youwillbenogoodtoanybody ifyou'reworryingaboutmoney.

PISCES(Feb20-Mar20)Pisceanswhoareset togain themost fromtoday'suncompromising

influencesare thosewhohavebandedtogetherwithotherpeople for thepurposesofpursuingandfightingamatterofprinciple.Butsometimesyourgreatestgiftis toknowexactlywhentocompromise.

SUDOKU476

3

DifficultyLevel2sInstructionsTosolveaSudokupuzzle,everydigitfrom1to9mustappear ineachofthenineverticalcolumns, ineachoftheninehorizontalrowsandineachofthenineboxes.

DifficultyLevel1s=Veryeasy;2s=Easy;3s=Medium;4s=Hard;5s=VeryHard;6s=Genius S

OLU

TIONSUDOKU476

2

Givenbelowarefour jumbledwords.Solvethejumblestomakeproperwordsandmovethemtotherespectivesquaresbelow.Selecttheletters intheshadedsquaresandjumblethemtogettheanswerforthegivenquip.It'snotthe____, it'sthe____.-CharlesSpurgeon(6,.,7)

SOLUTION:WAIVE,TAINT,KNIGHT,GIVINGAnswer:It'snotthehaving,it'sthegetting.-CharlesSpurgeon

VWAEI IKTGHN

TITAN IINGGV

SolutionsCrossword4678:Across:1Husband,4Admit,7Tort,8Droveoff,10Philanders,12Breach,13Eighty,15Illiterate,18Neurotic,19Bias,20Tract,21Enraged.Down:1Hetup,2Strained,3Deride,4Advertiser,5Moon,6Tiffany,9Parcelsout,11Cheating,12Bayonet,14Virile,16Eased,17Cuba.

JUMBLEDWORDS

CALVIN&HOBBES byBillWatterson

MARVIN byTomArmstrong

DAYTODAY BYPETERVIDALOVERTHEHEDGE byMichael Fry&TLewis

ACROSS1Pressannoyedwithawardforbravery (4,5)8Layeronanarticle turnedtoshadeof red(5)9Governmentofficialgetsaletter toconsider(7)10Reallycan fitwhenadjustedproperly (2,4)11Somehowlostonpoints -orwasrobbed?(6)12Acceleratororchoke(8)15Goesoff inabadtemper?(8)18Norobe foraking(6)20They’reknownforinsurance in themain(6)21AbeautifulwomandescribesEasternways (7)22Tagonforadance (5)23Denis seentobewanting(9)

DOWN2Poleontherun(5)3Settledowntosomeearnest letterwriting(6)4Advanced inarushbutthoughtbetterof it (8)5Nothis sortof cult (6)6First-classstudents (7)7Stockholder (6,3)11Sycophantattractedtoabigstar (9)13Foundtheansweragainbeingdetermined(8)14Dad’s turnto indicatenameforanofficeperhaps(7)16Very likelyapeculiarboy(4,2)17Standardpenhasapointon(6)19Somenareemployedmakingsigns (5)

MikaelTorpegaardplays theacousticguitarasapassionproject. Express

EXPRESSNEWSSERVICE

SEVENTEENWICKETStumbledontheopen-ingdayattheFerozeShahKotlaStadiumdur-ingtheRanjiTrophymatchbetweenPunjabandTripura.Punjab's new ball bowler Baltej Singh

(5/33)baggedhissecondfive-wickethaulofthetournamentasTripurawerebundledoutfor a paltry 127 in their first innings total.TripuraskipperKBPawantop-scoredwithafighting59off 128balls.Tripura made a spirited comeback as

Manisankar Murasingh picked up a five-wicket haul to reduce Punjab to 79 for 7 atstumps onday one.Murasinghwas the de-stroyer-in-chief, registering impressive fig-ures of 9.3-2-25-5 as Punjab ended the day48runsbehindwith threewickets inhand.

BRIEFSCORESTripura:127alloutin54.4overs(KBPawan59;BaltejSingh5/33)vsPunjab:79for7in26.3 overs (Anmolpreet Singh 29;ManisankarMurasingh5/25)

Rana stands tall for HaryanaSkipper Himanshu Rana (129 batting)

continuedhis imperious formwithanothercentury as Haryana posted 269 for 4 at thePalamGroundagainstHimachalPradeshonDay 1. Rana and India U-19 star NishantSindhu (69 not out) are involved in an un-beaten192-runstand for the fifthwicket.

BRIEFSCORESHaryana :269 for4 in90overs (HimanshuRana129batting,NishantSindhu69batting;MatankDagar2/67)vsHimachalPradesh

Chirag, Sheldon hold the fortIn-formChiragJanihitasuperb140while

SheldonJacksonsmashedanunbeaten96asSaurashtra reached 343 for 7 at stumps ondayoneof theirRanjiTrophygroupDmatchagainstGoa.TestdiscardCheteshwarPujara's(28)struggletoconvertthestartscontinued.

BRIEFSCORESSaurashtra : 343 for 7 in 85 overs (ChiragJani 140, Sheldon Jackson 96; SuyashPrabhudessai2/36)vsGoa

Odisha 250 for 6 vsMumbaiShantanuMishrascoredaresponsible89

to anchor Odisha to 250 for 6 at stumps onthe opening day after skipper SubhranshuSenapati won the toss and elected to bat

againstMumbai.

BRIEFSCORESOdisha 1st innings: 250 for 6 in 90

overs (ShantanuMishra 89;Mohit Avasthi2/48)vsMumbai

Chhattisgarh in controlDelhi's disappointing campaign contin-

uedasChhattisgarhposted290 for5on theopening day of their elite Group Hmatch.Electing to bat, Chhattisgarh rode on half-centuriesfromAjayMandal(63),AmandeepKhare (68 not out) and Shashank Singh (75notout)topileupabigscorein90oversandtake their side toastrongposition.

BRIEFSCORESChhattisgarh : 290 for 4 in 90 overs(Shashank Singh 75 not out, AmandeepKhare 68 not out, Ajay Mandal 63; VikasMishra2/65) vsDelhi

Indrajith scores third tonTamil Nadu's Baba Indrajith scored the

third century in asmanymatches, scoring100off132ballsandshareda171runspart-nershipwith R Sai Kishore (81) for the fifthwicket after Tamil Nadu found themselvesin a spot of bother at 32 for 4 after opting tobat.

BRIEFSCORESTamil Nadu : 256 for 7 in 72 overs (BabaIndrajith100,RSaiKishore81;RahulShukla3/57) vs Jharkhand

Padikkal’smaiden first-class tonDevdutt Padikkal slammed hismaiden

first-class hundred, an unbeaten 161, asKarnatakaendeddayoneoftheRanjiTrophyElite Group Cmatch against Pondicherry at293 for3.

BRIEFSCORESKarnataka293for3in90overs(Devdutt

Padikkal161batting)vsPondicherry

Iqbal excels for J&KJammu&Kashmirwere bowled out for

258againstRailwayswithQamranIqbaltop-scoringwith83.FortheRailways,captainandleg-spinner Karn Sharmawas thewrecker-in-chiefwith6 for76.

BRIEFSCORESJammu and Kashmir : 259 in 87.1 overs(Qamran Iqbal 83, Aquib Nabi 44; KarnSharma6/76)vsRailways

Ranji Roundup: Bowlersrule the roost at KotlaMediumpacerManisankarMurasinghpickedupa five-wickethaul asTripurabouncedbackafterbeingbowledout for127 to reducePunjab to79 for7onDay1.

New Delhi

20THEINDIANEXPRESS,FRIDAY,MARCH4,2022

SPORTWWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM

ABHISHEKPUROHITMOHALI,MARCH3

EVENA year ago, whowould have thoughtRohitSharmawouldbethecaptainforViratKohli’s100thTest?KohlimaynolongerbeIndiacaptain,but

thebuild-up to theMohali Test has beenallabout him as he goes into his 100th game.Theeleventh-hour announcement to allowfanshashadpeoplequeuingupoutside theticket counter at the Punjab CricketAssociationStadiuminacitythathasalwaysmade it clear itdoesnotpreferTest cricket.Amid the anticipation for a massively

creditable individual landmark, what hassomewhatslippedundertheradaristhefactthat this will be the first Test for the teamsince the leadership batonwas passed. Thefirst twoquestions todebutant Test captainRohitduringthepre-matchpressconferencewere expectedly aboutKohli. The thirdwasabout the imminent start of his Test cap-taincy stint, towhichRohit allowedhimselfhalf a smilebeforeanswering.Rohitwasalsoasked,withKohli reaching

three figures,whetherhehad set any targetsforhimself inthelongest format,consideringhehas played ‘only 40-oddTests’. The replywastypicalRohit.“Kyasir,kyatargetsetkaroonmainabhiapneliye?Haan40matcheskhelahai.Mainkhushhoonchaalismatchesse[Whattar-get should I set now?Yes, I’ve played40-oddgames.ButI’mhappywith40-oddgames].“It’snotthat Ihaveanyregrets.Kaafi saari injuriesauranbanhueyhainbeechmein[Therehavebeenalotof injuriesanddiscord].”Thenhe paused and turned to the team

mediamanager,askedwhatanbanmeant,andimmediately clarified thathemeantupsanddowns,andnotdiscord, lestpeopleget ideas.Itwasperhaps too casual an interaction for aTest captain takingover the reins, but that isRohit foryou. Like itwas forMSDhoni, this isafterall, agameforhim,andhegives the im-pressionthathetreatsitthatway.Kohli the skipper would often be com-

bative or, towards the end, philosophical inhisinteractionswiththemedia.Therewouldbe this taut, edgy energy around. This wasdead-serious business for him; you do nottransformanentireecosystem’sapproachtofitness just like that, afterall.ThisisnottosayRohitwillactuallybeca-

sual. Far from it. OnWednesday afternoon,hesaunteredacrossthegroundtowardsthenets in that characteristicmanner, as if go-ingforahit intheneighbourhoodparkwithfriends.Butoncehegotintohisstance,itwasintensepractice.Overtheyears,heseemstohavenailed theartof switchingonandoff.Hemay not have the Test numbers his

predecessorhas,buthecomesinwithastel-lar captaincy resume: five Indian PremierLeague titles, plus a reputation for both anemphasisonplanningandallowingplayerstheir space. He is also awhite-ball great forIndia,with41internationalhundreds,sothebatting pedigree is unquestionable there.Here is amanwho, less than fouryears ago,haddeclaredhehadmadepeacewithastop-start Test career, but has since turned itaroundremarkablyasanopener.That being said, he’s gone fromdealing

with an unfulfilled Test career to being theleaderwho’llhavetooverseetheteam’strans-formation.IshantSharma,CheteshwarPujara,Ajinkya Rahane - that is 282 Testmatchesworthofexperiencethatwon’tbeavailablein

Mohali. Rohit will have to fit in two out ofShubmanGill, HanumaVihari and ShreyasIyeratNos.3and5,eithersideofKohli.Say all you want about Pujara and

Rahane’sleanrunsandalsoabouthowmuchofalightweightSriLankahavebecomeoflate.But if someone such as Lasith Embuldeniyaor Lahiru Kumara finds some rhythm, thenewmiddleorder couldbe seriously tested.Asfarascaptaincyinitiationsgo,though,No.7rankedSri Lanka, onpaperat least, providesRohit thewindowto settle into the role, un-likewhatabiggeropponentsuchasEnglandorAustraliawouldhave.There is also thematter of grooming the

nextlineofleadersinKLRahul,JaspritBumrahandRishabhPant, to namea fewprominentones.Of course, it is not as straightforward acaseof holding thebatonuntil the identifiedsuccessor catches up, like Anil Kumble andDhoniwere.ButRohitwillbe35nextmonth,andwith the injury cloudnever too far awayfromhim,thereisnosayinghowlonghecouldgoon.Not thatRohitwillbe losingsleepoverthesubject.Fornow,hehasbeengiventhejob,andhisimmediategoalistodefeatSriLanka.ItwasinterestingthattheonlytimeRohit

soundedslightlydiscordantduringanother-wisebreezyandoftenfunnypressconferencewaswhen hewas askedwho his preferredopening partner was:Mayank Agarwal orGill. “No,no, I’mthecaptain. I’llpreferevery-one to be part of the team yaar, come on. Ihave no preferences like that.We’ll analysewhois therightguyandtakethecall.”Taking pains to start his captaincywith

therightwords,orbeingprotectiveabouthisplayers. Interpret it as youwish, but Fridaywill still usher in twomajor landmarks inIndiancricket.AndRohitSharmawillstillre-main khushwith the fact that he is not go-ing togetevenclose to100Testmatches.

RohitSharma, thenewTestskipper, comes inwithastellarcaptaincyresume—five IPLtitles,plusareputationforbothanemphasisonplanningandallowingplayers their space.KamleshwarSingh

PRATYUSHRAJNEWDELHI,MARCH3

INHER recent interviews, Indianwomen'steamcaptainMithali Raj hasheavily empha-sizedhowdesperately shewants to endhercareeronahigh,cappingitbywinningtheup-comingWorld Cup.Mithali's 23-years-longcricketing careerhas comea full circle as sheissettobecomethefirstplayertofeatureinsixeditionsof theWomen'sWorldCup.Mithaliwas part of the Indian team that

playedinthe2000WorldCupinNewZealand.Twodecadeslater,sheisreturningtothesamecountry in the hope of a perfect farewell. Inthese 22 years, the right-handed batter hasreachedthefinals twice(2005&2017).As faras personal records are concerned,Mithalimightendthe tournamentas secondbehindDebbieHockley's45appearances,butcansur-passBelindaClark's23WorldCupmatchesascaptain.Thequestionremains,willherdreamofholdingthe'elusive'trophybefulfilled?

Numbers cloud the storyIndiahadlosttherecentODIseriesagainst

NewZealand1-4.TheywonthelastODIwithSmritiMandhana,comingbackintotheteam,

scoring a fluent 71up front, andMithali andHarmampreetalsoscoredfifties.Mithali, in her last 15 innings, has scored

735 runs at an impressive-looking66.81, in-cludingninehalf-centuries.Nowsamplethis:outoftheseninefifties,onlytwohavecomeinIndianwins.AlegendMithaliis,butshealwayshasmaintainedthattoomuchimportancehasbeengiven to the strike rate. Last year, in thefirst ODI against Australia,Mithali scored apainstaking63off107balls,andifnotforRichaGhosh (32 not out off 29 balls), Indiawerestruggling to reach the 200-runmark. TheAustralianwomentamedthetotalin41overs.In the firstODI against England, playedat

BristolonJune27,Mithaliscored72off108balls,and India couldmuster only 201 for 8 in 50overs.England'sNatSciver,battingatthesamepositionasMithali, smackeda run-a-ball 74,andthehostsreachedthetargetin34.5overs.

India's archaic approachWomen's cricket over the years has

changeddrastically.ButIndiaarestruckwiththeiroutdatedapproach.Inthelast15games,Mithali,whobatsatNo3or4for India,hasabelow-parstrikerateof71.01,whichisbetterthanhercareerstrikerateof66.27.England'sNo 4 Nat Sciver's career strike rate is 92.

Australia'sNo4EllysePerry scores at 76.33,BethMooney,whobats either at 3 or 4, hasscoredat82.41 inhercareer.NewZealand'sNo4AmySatterthwaite'sstrikerateis75.71.SouthAfrica'sNo4MignonduPreez(67.23)andWestIndiesNo4StafanieTaylor(69.45)have a better career strike rate than theIndiancaptain.WhybattingatNo4willbeacrucialspot

in the upcomingWorld cup? According toESPNcricinfo stats, the 2022 edition couldwell end up breaking the all-time record intermsof runscoring. Thehighest run rate in

aWorldCupsofaris4.67inthe2017edition.Intheperiodbetween2013and2017,theav-eragerunrateinODIswasonly4.07.Sincethe2017World Cup, the run rate in ODIs hasspikedto4.51.Thehigherrunratesinthispe-riod have also coincidedwithmore successforchasingteams.Ifyouarechasing,youwillneedyourNo4

and5toscoreataquickrate.TheNo4andNo5arethespotswhereIndia'scaptainandvice-captainwillbat.

HarmanpreetKaur's lean runSince the 2017 World Cup final,

HarmanpreetKaurhasscored639runs in27innings,withjustthreehalf-centuries,thelastof those coming in the fifthODI againstNew

Zealandlastweek.HarmanpreetKaurscoreda total of 33 runs in the first threematchesagainstNewZealand before being droppedfromthe side for the fourthODI.However, inthefinalgame,theright-handersmashed63,following it upwith a 104 in thewarm-upmatchagainstSouthAfrica.Inherdefence,HarmanpreetKaursaid: "I

knowpeople talkmoreaboutmy171-knock,and that is a standard I have set formyself,maybe that'swhymysmall knocks of 30-40runs,which are crucial to the team, are notgivenimportance."Indianbattershavebeenabletoscore250

regularly in the series defeat against NewZealand, but theywill need someone likeHarmanpreettostaytill theend.

BankingonyoungstersAfter the New Zealand series captain,

Mithali hasheapedpraiseonyoungsters likeShafaliVermaandRichaGhoshandsaid thattheteamwillbebankingontheteenageduotocompeteatthehighestlevel.The flamboyantShafali isgoingthrougha

leanrunandwasevendroppedfromtheplay-ingXI in the secondwarm-upgameagainstWestIndies.The18-year-oldhasplayedonly11ODIs,andvice-captainHarmanpreet isconfi-

dent that the youngsterwill findher form intheWorldCup.Meanwhile,Richaisinredhotform.Thewicket-keeperbatterknownforhersix-hittingabilitieshasscoredimpressivehalf-centuries(65;62)againstNewZealandinthebuild-up to the tournament, including thefastest-ever inODIs by an Indianwoman, offjust26balls.

Bowlingabig concernJhulan Goswami, playing her fifth

Women'sWorldCup,will spearhead India'sattack,which lacksbite. The39-year-oldvet-eranistheleadingwicket-takerinODIhistorywith245wickets andhas shownno signs ofslowingdown.ButtheproblemfortheleaderofIndia'spaceattackisthelackofsupportfromthe other end. The experience of ShikhaPandey has been overlooked for theWorldCup. Theother threepacers, PoojaVastrakar,Meghna Singh, Renuka Singh Thakur, andSimranDilBahadur(Reserve)havecombinedexperienceof22ODIs.In the recently-concluded ODI series

againstNewZealand, India's bowling attackhasfailedtodefend270and279inthesecondand third games and conceded 276 in theopeninggameandamammoth192in20oversinthefourthgame.

VolXC-98Regd.No.DL-21046/03-05R.N.I.No.506/57. PrintedandPublishedbyR.C.MalhotraonbehalfofTheIndianExpress(P)LimitedandPrintedatTheIndianExpress(P)LimitedPress,A-8,Sector-7,Noida-201301andDBCorpLtd,DainikBhaskarVillageUnanTola,NearDanapurCantt,ShivylyaRoad,PostKhagaul,Shahpur,Patna(Bihar)andPublishedatTheIndianExpress(P)Limited,MezzanineFloor,ExpressBuilding,9&10,BahadurShahZafarMarg,NewDelhi110002.Editorialoffice:TheIndianExpress(P)Limited,MezzanineFloor,ExpressBuilding,9&10,BahadurShahZafarMarg,NewDelhi-110002.Phone:0120-6651500.Advertisingoffice:TheIndianExpress(P)Limited,B1/B,Sector-10,Noida-201301.Phone:01206651291.ChairmanoftheBoard:ViveckGoenka,ChiefEditor:RajKamalJha,Editor:UnniRajenShanker,Editor(Delhi):RakeshSinha****

ResponsibleforselectionofNewsunderthePRBAct.Copyright:TheIndianExpress(P)Limited.Allrightsreserved.Reproductioninanymanner,electronicorotherwise,inwholeorinpart,withoutpriorwrittenpermissionisprohibited.TheIndianExpress®

Team India’sRohit era beginswith Kohli’s100th Test

PLAYINGTODAYICCWomen’sWorldCupNew Zealand vs West Indies; 5.30am, Live on Star Sports NetworkSri Lanka tourof IndiaFirst Test, Mohali; 9.30am, Live on Star Sports NetworkAustralia tour of PakistanFirst Test, Rawalpindi; 10.30am, Live on Sony Sports Network

Women’s WC: Problem of plenty yet plenty of problems for India

MithaliRaj is set tobecomethefirstplayer toplay insixWorldCups. File

Test match special

TO STARTwith, this is an incredibly impor-tant home series for Pakistan. Australia lasttouredPakistan in1998, so after a gapof al-most a quarter of a century, they are here.England and New Zealand, too, have con-firmed that theywould tour Pakistan thisyear. It’s abig thing forPakistancricket.Pakistan deserves to get these big series.

The overall situation in the country, andcricketinPakistan,isconducivetohostingthisseries.There’spositivityaround.ThePakistanSuper League (PSL) was a great success.Cricketers fromallover theworld turneduptoplaythetournament.Thishashelpedbuildconfidence. Also, whenthe West Indies came,they gave positive feed-back.Sothisisgreatnewsfor Pakistan cricket and Ihope that this opens thedoor for big-time cricketin the country on a con-sistentbasis.Pakistan’s perform-

anceattheT20WorldCuplast year triggeredaposi-tive vibe.Whenyouplaygoodcricketontheglobalstage, at an ICC tourna-ment, then cricket loverseverywherewant to see the teamhost bighomeseries.FansfromEngland,Australia,India,andallothercricketnationsagreethatthisteamisgoodenoughtohostmarqueehomeseries.And thePSL showed thatoverseas cricketerstrustPakistan’ssecurityandsystem.Beating India at the T20World Cupwas

huge.Pakistanhadn'tbeatenIndiainaWorldCupbeforethatanditwasa(mental)hurdle.So thewin created a positive environmentand gave the players the belief (to strive forhigher). You can have a strong teamon pa-per, but belief comes only fromwinning.Defeating India at aWorld Cup and thenreaching the semifinals andmost impor-tantly,playinggoodcricketauguredverywellforPakistancricket.BabarAzam, too, has played abig part in

this,throughhishandlingoftheteamandbat-tingperformance at theT20WorldCup. The

wayhehasbuilttheteaminhisownimagehascreatedevenmoresympathyamongthefans,thatPakistandeservestohosthomeseries.CrowdswereallowedforthePSLmatches

and for the three-match Test series againstAustralia. too, fanswill be present. Thiswillcreateanexcellentatmosphere.Pakistanwillcertainlygetthehomeadvantage.Pitchesareexpectedtobepreparedtosuittheirstrengths.Idon’tthinkAustraliawillgettheadvantageofplayingonhardsurfaces,somethingtheyareusedto.OnedisadvantageforPakistancouldbeplayers’fatigue.Topplayersarecomingintothe Test series on the heels of the PSL. Thiscouldaffect theirenergylevel.Pakistanspin-nerswill haveabig role toplay in this series.The teamhas good spinners inNaumanAliand Sajid Khan. Also, Nauman and Sajidhaven’tplayedanyPSL,sotheywillbefresh.Pakistan will start as favourites. The

pitchesareexpectedtobetothelikingof thePakistanbatsmen,soif theycanputon350-plusontheboard,theywillhaveaverygoodchance towin theTests.There’saperceptionthatyoungcricketers

in Pakistan aremore attracted to T20 ratherthan the longer format.But this is not onlyPakistan’s problem. This,infact,isaglobalproblem.With so many T20leagues around, thema-jorityof youngcricketersarefallingfortheshortestformat. Then again, forany cricketer worth hissalt,Testsremaintheulti-mate format. Cricketboardsall over theworldshouldmake itmanda-tory for young cricketerstoplaydomestic red-ball

cricket(first-classmatches)at least forayearortwoduringtheir formativeperiod.Coming back to the series against

Australia, Idon’t thinka low-keyPSLwillaf-fectBabar inTests.Hehasbeenbattingwellandscoringconsistentlyoverthelastcoupleof years and he knows that once in awhilehe would go through a lean period. Babarneededabreak,whichhegotand I thinkhewill beOK.He ismentally tough.Finally, a lot of credit goes to (Pakistan

CricketBoardchair)RamizRajaforthecoun-tryhostingthisseries.Hemadealotofcom-munications with international cricketboards over the past six months, andAustralia,NewZealandandEnglandcomingtoour shores is the resultof that.Former Pakistan leg-spinner Mushtaq

Ahmed is currently the PCB’s spin-bowlingconsultant.HespoketoShamikChakrabarty

NITINSHARMACHANDIGARH,MARCH3

HUSSAINAHMADcould be inGujranwala,some292kmaway fromMohali, across thePakistanborder.Buthisheartwouldbe inthePunjabtown,wherehisidolViratKohliwouldplay his 100th Testmatch, starting Friday.Throughoutthegame,Hussain—whobecameasocialmedia starwhenhekeptwaving thebatsman’sposterduringaPSLgamelastmonthin Lahore—would bewearing the replica ofKohli’sTestjersey,whichafriendhadbroughtforhimfromDubai.Hisfriendsandfamilywouldbehookedto

Pakistan’s Test against Australia,which toostartsonFriday,butnotHussain.“Ehtandode-shandisarhadneroklagaihoihai,nahitanmainKingKohli de sauweTestmatch zarure dekhanjana si (If therewasnoboundaryand restric-tionsbetweenthetwocountries,IwouldhavewatchedKingKohli’s 100thTestmatchat thestadium),”hetellsTheIndianExpress.“It’sdestinythat Icannotwatchhis100th

Testmatch but Iwish he plays his 150th or200th Testmatch at theGadaffi Stadium inLahore andwewill be cheering for him,” headds.Hehastwootherwishestoo.ThatKohliscores a century inMohali, thus ending hiscenturydrought, andoneday facesShaheenAfridiattheGadaffi.Son of a havaldar with Pakistan Army,

Hussain’sKohli-maniabeganin2008whenhe led theU-19 team to theWorld Cup titleinMalaysia.Henotonlywatchedthegamesbutalsosavednewspaperclippings.Hisad-miration grew further during the 50-overWorld Cup in 2011. His father, despite hisbackground,neverscoldedhimforcheeringfor Kohli. “He never stoppedme from sup-porting Kohli or the Indian team. The onlytimehescoldedmewaswhenIwouldwatchIndia’smatcheslateintothenightortooearlyin the morning, as it was not allowed forkids,”he recounts.AsKohli’s stature swelled, hewouldeven

bunkclassestowatchthegames,evenifhewasplaying in vastly different time zones likeAustralia orWest Indies.Hewokehis friendsandfamilyuptocelebratehishundredsorsomeothermilestone. “Duringthe2015WorldCupsemifinal,therewasnoelectricityinmyvillage

and Iclimbedasmallhill keepingtrackof thescoreonmyphone,”hesays.Therehavebeentimeswhenhehadtocop

abusefromfellowspectators,especiallywhenhe unfurled the Kohli poster during the PSLgame.“Somegottooemotionalandcalledmeunpatriotic and I should run away to India. Itold them that I lovemy countrymore thananythingelse andmy love forKohli doesnotmakeme any less patriotic,” says Hussain.Even the guywho printed the poster withwords—IwanttoseeyourcenturyinPakistan.#Peace—was amused. “What is the use ofViratKohli’sposterinaPSlmatch?”heasked.I replied: “It’s mywish to see him play inPakistanoneday.”To those friends bantering aboutKohli’s

centurydroughtorhimquittingcaptaincy,hewould retort that the “TheKingwill return.”“Don’taskhowmanytimesIhavebeenteasedby friends. Butwhenhe smashed ShaheenAfridi fora six in theWorldT20 lastyear, I tooreplied to them.WatchingKohli appreciateBabarandRizwanafter thematchwasamo-menttoremember,”saysAhmad.Pakistan talismanBabarAzamhas often

beencomparedwithKohli.ButHussain,with-out anyhesitation says: “NobodycanmatchKohliorbecomeKohliwithoutdoingwhathehasdoneovertheyears.”

Across the border, Kohlifan has his heart in Mohali

FansfromEngland,Australia,India,andallothercricketnationsagreethatthisteamisgoodenoughtohostmarqueehomeseries.AndthePSLshowedthatoverseascricketerstrustPakistan’ssecurityandsystem

MushtaqAhmed

‘Hope Australia series opens thedoor for big-time cricket in Pak’

PakistancaptainBabarAzam(L) andhisAustraliancounterpartPatCumminsposewiththetrophyaheadof thefirst Test inRawalpindi,whichbeginsonFriday.AP

HussainAhmad, theViratKohli‘super-fan’ fromGujranwala.

INDIA’S SCHEDULEMarch6:PakistanMarch10:NewZealandMarch12:West IndiesMarch16:EnglandMarch19:AustraliaMarch22:BangladeshMarch27:SouthAfrica

9:17AM:TeamIndiaassembleinasemicircleinfrontofthesightscreen9:17AM:Kohli’sfamilymemberswalktothefieldfromtheFamilyBubbleseatingarea.9:18AM:DravidpresentsKohliwithhisTeamIndia100thBaggyBlue.9:20AM:Dravidspeaksontheoccasion.9:23AM:TeamsandofficialswalkoutfortheNationalAnthems.

Time stamp ofspecial day

New Delhi