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FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 2021, NEW DELHI, LATE CITY, 26 PAGES `6.00 (`8 BIHAR & RAIPUR, `12 SRINAGAR) WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COMJOURNALISM OF COURAGE

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SHAKTIMILLSRAPE:HCCOMMUTESDEATHPENALTYOF3TOLIFEPAGE12

SAGARRAJPUT&JAYPRAKASHSNAIDUMUMBAI,NOVEMBER25

DAYS AFTER hewas given pro-tection from arrest by theSupremeCourt, formerMumbaiPolice Commissioner ParamBirSinghappearedbeforetheCrimeBranch inMumbai Thursday inconnection with an extortioncase registeredagainsthim.SeniorpoliceofficerstoldThe

IndianExpressthatSingharrivedinMumbai fromChandigarhonamorningflightandapproachedtheCrimeBranchUnitXI'sofficeat Kandivali at around 11.30 am“withoutpriorintimation”inhisofficial vehicle.“AsperSupremeCourtdirec-

tions, I joined the probe today. Iwill be cooperating with the

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Meghalaya CongMLAs join TMC,say: Made roundsof Delhi, can’tfight BJP like this

SOURAVROYBARMANNEWDELHI,NOVEMBER25

ADAYafterannouncingthattheywere leaving theCongress, 12 oftheparty’s17MLAsinMeghalayasaidtheyweremergingwiththeTrinamool Congress, while re-gretting that they had failed to“prevailupontheleadership”de-spitemultiple trips toDelhi. TheTMC has now emerged as themain Opposition party in theAssembly,replacingtheCongress.Addressing a press confer-

enceinShillong,MukulSangma,whowasMeghalayachiefminis-ter from 2010 to 2018, said theCongresshad failed “to respondto thecall of duty”as the largestplayer in the Opposition. “I amsorrytosaythatinspiteofalloureffortsandendeavours,it(asolu-tion) seems to be elusive... Wetriedourbesttoprevailupontheleadership and kept onmakingtrips after trips to Delhi, whichshouldhavebeentheotherwayround. But even after that wefailed to prevail upon the

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MMAANNOOJJCCGGNEWDELHI,NOVEMBER25

SETTINGTHEstage for a stormyWinter Session of Parliamentfrom Monday, severalOppositionparties,includingtheCongress and TrinamoolCongress, have decided to boy-

cott the Constitution Day eventto be addressed by PresidentRamNathKovind in theCentralHall of ParliamentFriday.Thecoordinatedmovecame

evenas theCongressdecided toreachouttoall like-mindedpar-ties to ensure Opposition unityinParliament.OtherOppositionparties, includingRJD,DMKand

theLeft,arealsoexpectedtostayaway fromtheevent.AtameetingThursdayof the

Congressparliamentarystrategygroup, chairedbySoniaGandhi,some leaders referred to theTrinamool’saggressivepoachingof its leaders. But sources saidthe party president told floor

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MANAMANSINGHCHHINACHANDIGARH,NOVEMBER25

THE PUNJAB LOKCongress, thenewpartyformedbyformerstatechief minister Capt AmarinderSingh,hasnamedasitspresidenta Chandigarh resident facing atleast two cases of fraud being

probedby the CBI—andwhosehousewas raided by the agencyasrecentlyasOctober29.According to registration

documents submitted to theElection Commission by thePunjab Lok Congress, its presi-dent is Sukhinder Singh, a resi-dent of House No.3 inChandigarh’supscaleSector5.In 2019, Sukhinder was

named in a CBI FIR as chairmanof InternationalMegaFoodParkLtd, and booked alongwith his

wifeandson,KanwalSukhinderSingh and Simarinder Singh, inconnectionwithanallegedcaseofbankfraudworthRs33crore.Inaseparatecaselastmonth,

the CBI booked InternationalFresh FarmProducts (India) Ltdin Chandigarh, alongwith twoother companies in Panipat, forallegedly causing a loss ofRs16.80croretoSmallIndustriesDevelopment Bank of India(SIDBI) andUCOBank.

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PAGE1ANCHOR

Booked by CBI for fraud, he is nowpresident of Amarinder’s new party

AmarinderSinghatPatialaMunicipalCorporationoffice,Thursday.HarmeetSodhi

‘UNUSUALCONSTELLATIONOFMUTATIONS’

NewSAfrica varianttriggers alert in IndiaCentre instructs states to lookout forflyers fromSA,Botswana,HongKong

KAUNAINSHERIFFMNEWDELHI,NOVEMBER25

HOURSAFTERSouthAfricanau-thorities announced they haddetected a new variant of thenovel coronavirus with a “veryunusualconstellation”ofmuta-tions,theUnionHealthMinistryon Thursday directed states torigorously screen and test trav-ellers coming fromor transitingthrough three countries inwhichthevarianthadbeencon-firmed — South Africa,Botswana, andHongKong.In a communication to all

states and Union Territories,Health Secretary RajeshBhushan said India’s NationalCentre for Disease Control(NCDC) has informed the gov-ernment that “multiple casesofaCovid-19variantB.1.1529havebeen reported in Botswana (3cases),SouthAfrica(6cases)and

HongKong(1case)”.“This variant is reported to

haveasignificantlyhighnumberofmutations,andthus,hasseri-ous public health implicationsfor the country, in view of

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Winter Session chill: Cong, TMC in Oppboycott of Constitution Day event today

Theex-MumbaipolicechiefleavesafterquestioningonThursday.GaneshShirsekar

AMILBHATNAGARJEWAR,NOVEMBER25

PRIME MINISTER NarendraModi laid the foundation stonefor the Jewar InternationalAirport on Thursday, saying theprojectwouldbring “hugeben-efits”tocroresofpeopleinwest-ern Uttar Pradesh and the na-tional capital region (NCR).The multi-runway airport,

the first phase of which is ex-pected to begin operations in2024,will be the secondairporttoservethenationalcapitalandits neighbourhood. It will havethe capacity to serve 12million

passengers every year after thecompletionof phase1; thiswillbe increased in subsequent

phasesdependingonthegrowthof passenger traffic, reaching

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Jewar airport: PM says will changewest UP, Yogi flays ‘Jinnah backers’

Six months,SC protectionlater, ParamBir surfaces

Why no tobooster shot,Delhi HCasks CentreSOFIAHSANNEWDELHI,NOVEMBER25

THE DELHI High Court onThursday said the decision onadministering booster doses oftheCovid-19vaccineshouldnotbe based on economics, and di-rected theCentre to apprise thecourtof its standonthis issue.Thecourtaskedwhyshotsto

boostwaningimmuneresponsewere not beingmade availablein India when other countriessuch as the United States andthoseinEuropewerepermittingand encouraging such inocula-tion. It asked the Centre to sub-mit a timeline of the proposed

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BUSINESS AS USUAL

BYUNNY

PMModiwithScindia,AdityanathandKeshavMauryaatthefoundation-layingceremonyof theairport.GajendraYadav

SOUTHAFRICANscientistshave expressed concernover themutations, but arealistic assessmentwillrest onwider genomese-quencing studies. SouthAfricahasrequestedanur-gent sitting of a WHOworking group on virusevolutiononFridaytodis-cussthevariant.

Studiesawaited

THE IDEASPAGE

AREWEREADYTOTELLNEWSTORIES?Noterror canbreakus, let’srenewthispromise in theglimmerof thepandemicdarkBYAMITABHBACHCHANPAGE15

New Delhi

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What Indiacan learnfromEurope'sCovid-19surgeNEWEPISODEEVERYDAY

Understandingthefactors thathavecontributedtothesurgeof cases inEurope,andthe lessons Indiacan learnfromit.s

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FROMPAGEONES Africa variantrecently relaxedvisa restrictionsandopeningupof internationaltravel,”Bhushansaid.“ltisthereforeimperativethat

ALL international travellers trav-ellingfromandtransitingthroughthesecountries...aresubjectedtorigorous screening and testing,”the communication said. “Thecontacts of these internationaltravellersmust also be closelytrackedandtested...”TheHongKongcaseisatrav-

eller from South Africa. SouthAfricanscientiststoldanewscon-ferenceonThursdaythatthemu-tationsdetectedinB.1.1529were“concerningbecause they couldhelpitevadethebody’simmuneresponseandmakeitmoretrans-missible”,Reuterssaidinareport.Following Bhushan’s direc-

tion, all stateswill have to sendsamplesfromCovid-positivetrav-ellers to designated labs of theIndian SARS-CoV-2 GenomicsSequencing Consortium (IN-SACOG),whichtracksandmoni-torstheemergenceandtransmis-sion of variants of concern andvariantsof interestinIndia.Covid surveillanceofficers in

thestateswillhavetocoordinatewithINSACOGlabs,andwillhaveto undertake test-track-treat topreventthespreadof thevariantandtheformationcaseclusters.Ofthefourvariantsofconcern

currently designated by theWHO, Beta (Pango lineageB.1.351), was first detected inSouth Africa inMay 2020. Theother threeVoCs, Alpha (B.1.1.7),Delta(B.1.617.2),andGamma(P.1)were first detected in theUnitedKingom, India, and Brazil inSeptember 2020,October 2020,andNovember2020respectively.“Twenty-twopositivecasesof

variant B.1.1.529 have been

recordedinthecountryfollowinggenomic sequencing collabora-tionsbetweentheNICDandpri-vate laboratories. In addition,other NGS-SA laboratories areconfirming more cases as se-quencing results come out,”SouthAfrica’sNational InstituteforCommunicableDiseasessaidinastatementonThursday.The Reuters report quoted

SouthAfricanscientistsassayingthat early signs fromdiagnosticlaboratories suggested the vari-ant has rapidly increased in themost populated province ofGauteng, and may already bepresent in South Africa’s othereightprovincesaswell.“Although the data are lim-

ited, our experts are workingovertimewithalltheestablishedsurveillance systems to under-stand thenewvariant andwhatthepotential implications couldbe,”theNICDstatementsaid.Bloomberg quoted South

Africa’s Health Minister JoePhaahlaassaying:“Hereisamu-tation variant of serious con-cern...Wewere hopeful thatwemighthavea longerbreak inbe-tweenwaves—possibly that itwouldholdoff to lateDecemberorevennextyearJanuary.”Inanofficial release, thegov-

ernment of HongKong SpecialAdministrativeRegionannouncedtwocasesofthenewvariantintheterritory. The cases in theRegalAirportHotelhad“highly similargeneticsequencesandthevirusesbelongedtoanewlyemergedlin-eage,B.1.1.529”,thereleasesaid.“Thesequencesaresimilarto

those found in SouthAfrica andBotswana, supporting that case12388arrivinginHongKongfromSouthAfricawastheindexcase,”itsaid.Authorities in Botswana re-

ported four cases of B.1.1.529 in

fullyvaccinatedtravellers.“Initialinvestigations...have establishedthat the newvariant has a highnumber of mutations as com-paredtothe locallypredominat-ing Delta variant. What thismeans is stillunclear...Newvari-ants have the potential to affectseverity of disease... At thismo-ment, real-world impact of thevarianthasnotbeenestablished,”Dr K Masupu, Coordinator ofBotswana’sPresidentialCovid-19taskforce,said.

Booster shotsrolloutof boosterdoses, if aboo-sterwasconsiderednecessary.Thedivisionbenchof Justices

Vipin Sanghi and Jasmeet Singhtook note of conflicting reportsandmedicalopinionsontheneedand effectiveness of boosters. Itnoted that experts in Indiawereof theviewthatthereisasyetnomedical evidence to support theadministeringof theseshots.“The decision should not be

basedoneconomics becausenodoubt it isanexpensiveproposi-tionandthegovernmentisdoingitfreeformostandnotmanypeo-plearehavingtopayforit.Maybethat is theconsiderationthat thegovernmentdoesnotwanttogivethisatthisstage,butthenwedon'twanttolandinasituationthatweare overly conservative on this,andwelandupinasituationlikewewereinthesecondwave.Wewillactuallylosetheadvantageofthis vaccination,” thebench saidwhilehearing amatter inwhichit has beenmonitoring Delhi’sCovid-19situation.Manypeople,especiallythose

who are old and suffering fromotherdiseases,areanxioustokn-owiftheywouldrequireabooster,andwhenitwouldbepermitted,thecourt said. “Therearealso re-ports thata largenumberof vac-cine doses are lying unusedwhoseshelf lifewouldexpireinsometimetocome,”itsaid.Thecourtalsoreferredtothe

ongoingdebateonthequestionof vaccinating children. “Theotheraspectiswithregardtothevaccinationbelowtheageof18years,” itsaid.Manydeveloped countries

have vaccinated their childrenandyoungerpopulationagainstthe virus.With schools across

the country returning to in-per-sonclasses, there is concern thatchildren might trigger a newwaveof infections.AIIMSDirector Dr Randeep

GuleriahadsaidonTuesdaythatboostershotswerenotneededinIndia immediately, and that thepossibilityofa“hugethirdwave”is “declining each passing day”.The courtmadeamentionof DrGuleria’sstatementonThursday.ICMR chief Dr BalramBhar-

gava toohas said there is noevi-dence so far to establish that aboosterdoseisneededforfurtherprotectionagainstCovid-19.

Param Bir Singhinvestigators,”Singh,whoisnowDirectorGeneral(HomeGuards),toldreporters.AttheCrimeBranchoffice,an

investigatingteamheadedbyanofficer of DCP rank recordedSingh’sstatement.Theprobepertains to an ex-

tortion case registered at theGoregaon police station onAugust 20 against Singh, dis-missedassistantinspectorSachinWaze,whowas jailed in the ter-rorscarecase,andfourothers.The casewas registeredona

complaint filedbyahotelier andcivic contractor, Bimal Agarwal,whoallegedthatSinghandWazeconnivedwith other accused toextort cash andvaluablesworthRs11.92lakhfromhim.Theinves-tigationwas transferred to theCrimeBranch.Duringquestioning, the offi-

cers said, Singhgave “non-satis-factoryanswers”andclaimedhewas in Chandigarh when theMaharashtra governmentwaslookingforhim.“Hegaveevasiveanswers,”saidanIPSofficer.Although the Crime Branch

did not have a prepared list ofquestions, officers said itwas a“sustained interrogation” thatlastedoversixhours.Singhwas also asked about

“64phonecallconversations”be-tweenWazeandAgarwal,whichwerepurportedlyrecordedbythecomplainant.Inthephoneconver-sations, theofficers said,Waze isheardallegedlyreferringtoSinghas “numberone”. “Singh toldusthathewasnotawareofthis,andthatWazemusthavedonethingsathislevel,”anofficersaid.

On Thursday, Singh steppedoutof theCrimeBranchoffice at6.30 pm, alongwith his lawyerRameshMokashi,before leavingfor his official residence atNeelimabuildinginMalabarHill.“AsperSupremeCourtdirec-

tions,wehave joined theprobe.Wehaveansweredall questionsaskedbytheinvestigatingofficerandwillcontinuetocooperateinallthecases.Werestrainourselvesfromcommentinganything fur-ther,”Mokashisaid.SinghwasMumbai’s police

chief untilMarchwhenhewasshunted out following theAmbani terror scare case andal-legationsof corruption raisedbyhim against then state HomeMinisterAnilDeshmukh.Hewentonleave inMayand

hadbeenuntraceablesincethen,according to Mumbai Police,whichwaslookingtodetainhimforquestioning.At least five FIRshavebeenregisteredagainsthiminMaharashtra, all onchargesofextortion.SpeakingtoTheIndianExpress,

Singh’s brother in Chandigarh,ManbirSinghBhadana,said:“Hewaswith us over the past fewdays,andalsoseveralplacesclosebywith people known to him.That ishistorynow,whereverhewas... He left forMumbai on aGoAirflightat8.30am.”

(INPUTS FROM VARINDERBHATIAINCHANDIGARH)

Opp boycottleaders that as themainOppo-sitionparty, theCongressshouldreachouttoallparties,signallingthatpolitical developmentsout-sideParliamentshouldnotcomeinthewayof floorcoordination.Theidea,sourcessaid,istoen-

surethatOppositionpartiestakea coordinated position inParliament at least on issues onwhichtheyholdacommonview.The parliamentary strategy

groupmeetingalsoidentifiedtheissues to be raised in theHouse,including the repeal of the threecontentiousfarmlawsonthefirstworkingdayof thesession.Significantly,thepartywillde-

manda“legalguarantee”forMSP.ThedemandwillbeforaseparatelawforMSP,apartyleadersaid.Atleast two leaders toldThe IndianExpressthatalegalbackingforMSP

isa “tricky issue”andtheparty isyettocrystaliseitsposition.On Constitution Day, there

was consensus at themeetingthatthepartyshouldboycotttheevent. Almost the entireOppositionhad earlier this yearboycottedthePresident’saddresstothejointsittingofParliament.“Wewon’t participate. This

government does not believe indemocracy.Theyarehellbentondismantlingeachandeveryinsti-tution of democratic India.Moreover, theyhavenot invitedLeaderoftheOppositioninRajyaSabhaMallikarjunKharge to beon the podium. The office ofLeaderoftheOppositionisalsoaninstitution.Thisgovernmentdoesnot respect that also,” CongressleaderinLokSabhaAdhirRanjanChowdhurysaid.

Meghalayaleadership,”Sangma,whowasac-companied by MLA CharlesPyngrope,said.“There is a need for a strong

pan-India alternative as apoliti-calparty.Andthisisbasedontheperception that the Congress isfailingtorespondtoitscallofdutyasthemainOppositionparty,”hesaid,adding:“WecannotfighttheBJPwithkidgloves, and throughlipservice.”TheMLAs submitted a letter

to the Speaker saying theyweremerging with the TMC onWednesdaynight. Thedevelop-ment comes as a blow to theCongress leadership, that hadheld a series of meetingswithSangma,includingonelastweek,totryandendtherebellion.The Congress that had

emerged as the single-largestpartyinMeghalayaafterthe2018Assemblypolls,winning21seatsinaHouseof 60, isnowdowntofiveMLAs.Meghalaya Congress chief

VincentHPalasaidtheywill“fightbackveryhard”againsttheMLAsleaving and joining handswiththe TMC. But the anti-defectionlawisnotapplicableagainstthemas they account for two-third ofthepartystrengthintheHouse.Out of the 12 MLAs who

crossed sides, four represent theKhasi-JaintiaHills region,whileeightarefromtheGaroHills.The12 include Sangma’s wife

Dikkanchi D Shira, daughterMiani D Shira and youngerbrotherZenithSangma.Referring to the2018verdict

and the BJP cobbling together acoalitiontodeprivetheCongressof power, Sangma said: “Whycouldwenotformagovernmentdespite being the single-largestparty?Didwe try despite beingthelargestOppositionpartyinthecountry?”Sangma and Pyngrope sug-

gested that political strategistPrashantKishor,whohasbeenas-sociatedwith the TMC, helpedclinchthedeal,andthattheyhadarrivedatthedecisionwith“com-plete senseof responsibility andcommitment”,andafter“exhaus-tiveduediligenceandanalysis”.Sangma said Kishor “can

makeadifference...beafriendaswell”.“Whenweinteracted,Ifeltwe shared the same objective,with the interests of people, thenationandthestatesupersedingeverythingelse.”Pyngrope, a former Speaker,

saidKishor’s“views,ideasandvi-sion to fight divisive forces”matchedwhat theyhad inmindtofill the“voidcreatedbythe in-effectiveness”of theCongress.

Jewar airportacapacityof70millionpassengersannuallybytheendofphase4.Once complete, the Noida

International Airport (NIA), lo-cated72kmfromDelhi'sexistingIGIAirportand40kmeach fromNoidaandtheDadrimulti-modallogisticshub,willbethelargestinAsia,officialssaid.ThePrimeMinisterpresseda

button to symbolically lay thefoundationstone,whichwasthenrevealedonascreenonthestage.A filmwas shownhighlightingtheprojectdesignanddetails.“Iwanttocongratulateevery-

one for thebhumipujan. This re-gionhasbeenputontheinterna-tionalmap. A huge benefitwillcome to crores of people inNCRandWest UP. The new India of21stcenturyisworkingoncuttingedge technologyprojects. Theseare not just infrastructure proj-ects, they transform the regionandthelivesofpeople,”Modisaid.UP Chief Minister Yogi

Adityanath and Deputy CMKeshav Prasad Maurya, CivilAviationMinisterJyotiradityaScindia, Gautam BuddhNagarMPMahesh Sharma,and JewarMLADhirendraSingh were among thosepresentontheoccasion.“TheNoidaInternational

Airportwill be the logisticalgateway.Thespeedatwhichthe aviation sector is rising,Noidaairportwillplayama-jorroleinit...Itwillbeimpor-tant for repair andmainte-nanceaswell.Therewillbea40-acre space formainte-nance, repair, overhaul(MRO)services,”thePMsaid.“Nearly Rs 15,000 crore isspent onmaintenance, andthis revenue is gained byother countries. The airportwillchangethis,”hesaid.Modisaidtheairportwas

envisionedbyaBJPgovern-mentinUPtwodecadesago,butintheyearsthatfollowed,theprojectwas stalled “be-tweenDelhi andLucknow”.The previous state gov-ernmenthadwritten to theCentreaskingfortheprojecttobestopped,heclaimed.“Peopleinthisstatehave

had to suffer jibes on ac-countofcastepolitics,scamsworth thousands of crores,bad roads, poverty, the lackof investments, stoppedbusinesses, and the nexusbetweenpoliticsandcrimi-nals. People fromUPwouldask if the state could everhave a positive image. Thestate thatwas led to dark-nessanddeprivationbypre-vious governments is nowleaving itsmark globally,”Modisaid.“Earlier,projectswouldbe

announcedasthoughsweets

were being distributed. Nothoughtwasevergiventoexecu-tion,problem-solving.Theprojectswouldbe stuck fordecades, andtheircostwouldgoup.Butforus,theseprojectsarenot rajneetibutrashtraneeti,”hesaid.Chief Minister Adityanath

spoke of disruptions caused by“Jinnah’ssupporters”,areferenceto Samajwadi Party leaderAkhileshYadav.“Therewasatimewhenanef-

fort wasmade to enhance thesweetnessofsugarcane.Butsomepeoplemixedthebitternessofri-ots in it. This is a newconflict inthecountry.Willthiscountryaidthe sweetness of sugarcane, orwill it aid riots through Jinnahsupporters?Todecide thisques-tion, I have comebefore you to-day,”hesaid.

Amarinder partyAccording to the CBI,

InternationalFreshFarmProducts(India) Ltd is registeredatHouseNo.3 in Sector 5. OnOctober 29,multipleraidswereconductedbythe agency at 16 locations inPanipat, Gurgaon and Chandi-garh, includingatHouseNo.3.WhencontactedbyTheIndian

Express, Sukhinder Singh con-firmed that hehadbeennamedaspresidentof thenewparty.Healso confirmed theCBI raid andsaid that the other case of 2019wasstillon.When contacted, an aide of

Amarinder Singh saidhewouldnotofferanycomment.However,sources close toAmarinder saidthe names of these individualswere“onlygivenforthepurposeof registration of the party” andtheywere submittedbefore theCBIraidonOctober29.“Most likely, the former CM

wasnotawareofCBIraidsonthesameperson,”thesourcessaid.Amarinder had announced

thedecisiontofloathisownpartysoon after resigning as ChiefMinisteronSeptember18follow-ing abitter faceoffwith thenewstateCongresschiefNavjotSinghSidhuwhowas backed by theparty’scentral leadership.Stungbywhathedescribedas

“humiliation”,Amarindersaidhisnewpartywouldtakeontherul-ing Congress in the coming as-semblyelections,andthathewasopen to a seat-sharing arrange-ment with the BJP and somebreakawayAkali leaders.TheCBIraidslastmonthwere

basedona complaint lodgedbyPankaj Kumar Sahu, DeputyGeneralManager, SIDBI, statingthat International Fresh FarmProducts(India)LtdinChandigarhandothers, includingborrowers,theguarantorand theirCAs, andunknownbankofficials,allegedlycausedalossofapproximatelyRs8.39croretothebank.Thecomplaintstatedthat In-

ternational Fresh FarmProducts(India) Ltdhad availed credit fa-cility from SIDBI. In its FIR, CBInamedthefirm’sofficials,includ-ing Sukhinder Singh, KanwalSukhinderSinghandSimarinderSingh,andseveralothers.AccordingtoCBIofficials,two

other caseswere registered oncomplaints fromUCOBankaga-instthetwootherPanipat-basedfirms.OnefirmcausedalossofRs3.44croreandanotherofRs4.97croretothebank,theysaid.On Tuesday, the Election

Commission issuedapublic no-ticethatprovideddetailsoftheof-fice-bearers of Punjab LokCongress. Apart from the presi-dent, the party has namedGur-mehar Singh Sekhon of SiswannearNewChandigarhasgeneralsecretaryandSukhsimranSinghofMohaliasthetreasurer.GurmeharSinghSekhonisthe

sonofthelateKaranSekhon,whowasanOSDtoAmarinderwhenhewasChiefMinister. Followinghisfather'sdeath,Gurmeharwasappointed to the post. Askedabout the CBI cases against hisparty'spresident,Gurmeharsaidhewouldnotcomment.

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3WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COMTHEINDIANEXPRESS,FRIDAY,NOVEMBER26,2021

New Delhi

By ANGUS MCNEICE

Negotiators agreed on a climatedeal at the 26th United NationsClimate Change Conference ofthe Parties, or COP 26, in Glasgowon Nov 13, after last-minuteconcessions on coal pushed theagreement over the line.

The adoption of the GlasgowClimate Pact included historicprogress, including the completionof Article 6 of the 2015 ParisAgreement, which concerns thedevelopment of carbon markets.

Z h a o Y i n g m i n , C h i n a ’ svice-minister of ecology andenvironment,said the pact“will helpkick-start a new journey of globalefforts to tackle climate change”.

“ T h e n e w g l o b a l d e a l ,especially the finalisation of therulebook of the Paris Agreement,bears great significance fordefending multilateralism andthe implementation of the ParisAgreement,”Zhao said.

The conference,which started onNov1andendedadaylateonNov13,delivered some notable deals ondeforestation, fossil fuel subsidies,coal and methane reduction,as wellas engagement with the privateand financial sector. China and theUnited States also inspired COP 26with a welcome joint declarationon climate change announced onNov 10.

Wang Yi, a senior scientificadviser in China’s delegation, saidthe declaration helped bring abouta broader consensus.

“China and the US played a very

important role to push the finaloutcome. A consensus betweenthese big countries promoted thefinal multilateral co-operation,”Wang said.

“Some countries expresseddisappointment, of course, butI think in the future we shouldcontinue to build upon this result.”

British Prime Minister BorisJohnson, who hosted this year’sconference,said there is still“a hugeamount more to do in the comingyears”.

“But today’s agreement is a bigstep forward and, critically, wehave the first ever internationalagreement to phase down coal anda road map to limit global warmingto 1.5 C,” he said, referring to thetarget laid out in the Paris deal tokeep average global temperaturesto within 2 and 1.5 C this century.

After weeks of mediation,COP 26President Alok Sharma was visibly

emotional when he announced theGlasgow pact. A key line in the text,pertaining to coal, was watereddown for the second time to get thedeal done.

“I think we can credibly say that1.5 C is alive. But its pulse is weak,”Sharma said.

Sharma said that a “gulfremained” between what countrieshave promised on emissionsreductions and what is needed tomeet Paris goals, though he saidhe remained hopeful that futureconferencescouldmakemeaningfulprogress.

Before the agreement wasfinalised, representatives fromseveral countries including Chinasaid that the text was not perfectbut they had no intention to reopenit.

An initial draft had called fornations to“phase out coal”projectsthis decade, and this language was

changed to “phase down”, afteropposition from Indian negotiators,who said that it was unjust for richnations to require the phasingout of fossil fuels in developingnations that are in the midst ofindustrialisation and urbanisation.

Bhupender Yadav, India’senvironment minister, asked onNov 13: “How can anyone expectthat developing countries canmake promises about phasing outcoal and fossil fuel subsidies whendeveloping countries have still todeal with their development agendaand poverty eradication?”

Wang said the coal phase down“reflects not only China’s butalso the world’s concerns andinterests” and Zhao supported thisperspective.

“The current global warminghas been caused mainly byindustrialisation in the past200 years, mainly involvingdeveloped countries,” Zhao said.“This historical responsibilityhas been clarified by the ParisAgreement, hence the ‘commonbut differentiated responsibilities’.Developed countries, therefore,must take the lead to cut emissionsinstead of requiring developingcountries to stop consuming coal;it is unfair.”

Zhao said rich countries “mustimplement their pledges of fundingand technology support for thedeveloping countries”.

“Only in this way can all countriesjointly push forward the processof coping with climate change,” hesaid.

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bottlenecks in growth — the GlobalDevelopment Initiative — is rapidlywinning support across the globe.

In particular, the initiative has wonacclaim in a number of developingcountries in regions including Asia,Africa and Oceania.

“The United Nations stands readyto support its implementation andprovide technical assistance,” UNSecretary-GeneralAntonioGuterressaid on Oct 24, the eve of the 50thanniversary of the restoration of thePeople’s Republic of China’s lawfulseat at the UN.

During a virtualmeetingwithXi onOct 25, the UN chief said the visionis of great and positive importancein promoting global equality andbalanced,sustainable development.

The initiative is the latest powerfultooladdedtoBeijing’spolicytoolboxfor fixing common challenges inthe pandemic era, and behind itspopularity are countries endorsingthe Communist Party of China’sconsistent, century-long efforts tohelp advance global peace, unity,shared growth and justice, seniorofficials and experts said.

“Development is a master key toaddressingallproblems,andalsothecommon will of people in countriesall over the world,” China’s StateCouncillorandForeignMinisterWangYi said of the initiative’s worldwidepopularity whens p e a k i n g t ore p o r t e r s o nOct 31.

Xi unveiled theinitiative whileaddressing thegeneral debate ofthe 76th Sessionof the UnitedNations GeneralA s s e m b l y o nSept 21 via videolink.

The initiativec a l l s f o rconcerted action in six aspects:prioritising development, a people-centred approach, benefits for all,innovation-driven development,harmony between man and nature,and a commitment to results-oriented actions.

“We must revitalise the economy,pursue more robust, greener andmore balanced global development,and work together to steer globaldevelopmenttowardsanewstageofbalanced,co-ordinatedandinclusivegrowth,”he said.

Uzbek President ShavkatMirziyoyev told Xi that he highlyappreciates and firmly supports thepeople-centred philosophy and theinitiative.

The initiative will help acceleratethe implementation of the UN2030 Agenda for SustainableDevelopment, diplomatic envoysof Association of Southeast AsianNations member states based inChina said at a meeting with WangYi on Nov 14.

The recently issued communiqueof the sixth plenary session of the19th CPC Central Committee listed“maintaining a global vision” asone of the 10 aspects of the Party’svaluable historical experienceexplored and accumulated over thepast 100 years.

Dong Guanpeng, a professor anddean at Communication Universityof China’s School of Governmentand Public Affairs, noted thatthe initiative “is a remarkablecontinuation of the CPC’s lastingefforts over the past 100 years in‘maintaining a global vision’ andlooking to benefit more countriesand their peoples”.

Xi’s vision on global developmenthas convinced countries that“moving on and improving people’s

livelihoods proves to be a premiumchoice” at a time when globalgrowth has been hamstrung byprotectionism, moves againstglobalisation and the COVID-19pandemic, Dong said.

“Theinitiativeisofgreattheoreticalvalue as it constitutes a powerfuldevelopment theory representingdeveloping countries, helping tobreak the monopoly of developedcountries in defining development.In practice, it will further boost theinfluence of developing countriesandbenefitthemconsiderablyinthelongrunasitdevelops,”Dongadded.

During a videoconference onOct 25 with the InternationalDepartment of the CPC CentralCommittee, Essam Sharaf, formerEgyptian prime minister, said thattheinitiativeisperfectlytimed,anditshowsChina’sgreatsenseofdutyasa major country as the gap betweendeveloping and developed countriesis widening.

As the world and the UN areseeking a robust,sustained impetusfor the global economy,the initiative“represents China’s strong beliefin development as a shared goal ofmankind and the same directionthe world should work for”, said SuXiaohui,deputydirectoroftheChinaInstitute of International Studies’Department of American Studies.

At the first session of the G20Rome Summit on Oct 30, Xi furtherelaborated on the initiative andcalled for its synergy with the UN’s

2030 Agendafor SustainableDevelopment.

HeunderscoredChina’s goal tom a k e g l o b a ldevelopmentmore equitable,ef fe c t i ve an dinclusive so that“no country willbe left behind”.

The initiative“takes care ofcountries’ direneeds in reality”

and “offers fresh ideas, methodsand impetus for tackling theirproblems and growth”, said ChenXulong, a professor of multilateraldiplomacy and UN reform studiesat the University of InternationalBusiness and Economics’ School ofInternational Relations.

The initiative “is the latesttheoretical brainchild of China’smajor country diplomacy as guidedbyXiJinpingThought on Diplomacy,and it epitomises what a majorcountry and a major political partyshould do”, he said.

“It is a continuation of Beijing’sefforts in building a new typeof international relations and acommunity with a shared future formankind,”Chen added.

The initiative “will co-ordinatewith and improve its efficacysimultaneouslywithotherinitiativesincluding the Belt and RoadInitiative,” Chinese Ambassadorto Georgia Li Yan said whenintroducing the initiative to localmedia on Oct 28.

The initiative will also synergisewith Agenda 2063 of the AfricanUnion and the New Partnership forAfrica’s Development, and will buildconsensus and pool together thestrengthsofmultilateralco-operationmechanisms such as the UN, theG20andBRICS,accordingtoofficialsincludingWangYi.

As one of the initial steps taken byBeijing to realise the initiative, theChina International DevelopmentCo-operation Agency signed amemorandum of understandingwith the UN Industrial DevelopmentOrganization on Oct 28 at a virtualceremony, with the aim of helpingdeveloping countries achieveinclusive and sustainable industrialdevelopment.

COP 26 deal closed but ‘not enough’

Countries join Xi’s call for rolling out inclusive visionto advance prosperity. Zhang Yunbi reports

Fresh initiativepoised to boostglobal growth

A solar thermal power station in Hami, Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region. CAI ZENGLE / FOR CHINA DAILY

By HE WEI

In past years, the SinglesDay shopping festival on Nov 11has been a celebration ofconsumerism in China, with eye-catching discounts, star-studdedsales promotions and impressiverevenue figures championing thepower of spending.

This year things were different.Insteadofastonishingsalesfigures,the main considerations for thegala, started by the e-commercecompany Alibaba Group 12 yearsago,were inclusive growth and eco-friendliness.

Sales growth was recorded,but at a slower pace. The 24-hoursales figure, or gross merchandisevolume in e-commerce terms, was540.3 billion yuan (Rs 6.29 trillion),8.45 per cent more than last year.In previous years, sales growth ofbetween 20 per cent and 50 percent had been recorded.

JasonYu,general manager of theconsultancy Kantar WorldpanelandanexpertonChina’sconsumermarket, said that this yeare-commerce platforms focusedon reporting category-basedrevenue changes in order to assessconsumption trends.

However, the passion for thefestival is here to stay because itis a pivotal event in unleashingconsumers’ potential to spendmore and pursue quality lifestyles,he said.

Yu’s remarks are supported by

the results of a survey conductedby the global consultancy Bain &Co. Of about 3,000 people askedabout their attitude towards thisyear’s festival,52 per cent said theyplanned to spend more than lastyear,while only 8 per cent said theywere slashing their budgets.

As the festival has grown tobecome an international event,global labels have long cashedin, with the sales list topped bycompanies such as the cosmeticsmanufacturer L’Oreal Group andthe computer company Apple.

Newcomers are looking to theevent to make themselves morerelevant to the Chinese market.

At this year’s event, the upscaleextreme weather clothing brandCanada Goose debuted itsfootwear collection before theglobal launch, a move aimed atcelebrating local culture, said thecompany’s president and chiefexecutive, Dani Reiss.

Cao Lei, director of e-commerceat the consultancy InternetEconomy Institute, said: “Nov 11is increasingly becoming a retailencyclopedia and a compass,providing a clue to the latest andbite-sized consumer insights.Interest in individualistic, originaldesigns is quickly gainingmomentum.”

This momentum is producingopportunities for small- and-medium-sized companies inthe customer-to-manufacturingmarket.

Gu Liang, founder of WarmStudio,aChinesedesignerhandbagbrand, said, “We estimate that wesold 70,000 bags in this year'sfestival, tripling last year’s record.”This estimate included presalesthat started on Oct 20, Gu said.

“Rising orders are also helpingour manufacturing partners.We’vemobilised about 1,000 workersand about two-thirds of productioncapacity to meet orders generatedfrom the festival.”

Alibaba has launched its “goinggreen initiative”, with the volumeof parcels generated during thefestival posing a potential threat tothe environment.

The company distributed100 million yuan worth of greenvouchers to more than 2.5million customers who bought

merchandisethathavelowercarbonemissions in their production.

Cainiao Network, the logisticsarm of Alibaba Group, also seizedthe environmental initiative, sayingit had contributed to reducingcarbonemissionsby18,000metrictonnes by using electronic deliverysheets,recycledandreusedparcels,and algorithms to optimise deliveryroutes.

The festival also painted a rosypicture of sales growth in ruralareas.

Salesofagriculturalproducefromthe 12 relatively less-developedprovinces in western China rose 20per cent at this year’s festival. Onehundred and sixty poor countiesrealised revenue growth of 44.2 percent for all items sold on Alibaba’se-commerce platforms.

Winds of change blow for shopping festival

The United Nations standsready to support its (the

initiative’s) implementationand provide technical

assistance.”Antonio Guterres

UN SECRETARY-GENERAL

Technicians check wind power turbine blades at a new energy equipmentmanufacturer in Handan, Hebei province. JIN HAOYUAN / XINHUA

An employee works at a warehouse owned by Cainiao Network in Guadalajara,Spain. MENG DINGBO / XINHUA

4 WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COMTHEINDIANEXPRESS,FRIDAY,NOVEMBER26,2021

New Delhi

O ne hundred and twentythousand cans of pinenuts from Afghanistan,along with a dazzling

array of imported productsfrom more than 20 countriesand regions, were sold out withinminutes in livestreams at the fourthChina International Import Expo,which was held from Nov 5 to 10 inShanghai.

While the small pine nuts whettedthe appetite of Chinese consumers,they also offered a vivid exampleof how China facilitates trade anddrives economic developmentglobally, especially for developingcountries, industry experts said.

OnthenightofNov6,e-commercelivestreamers partnered withpresenters from CCTV and XinhuaNews Agency to conduct severalspecial livestreaming sessions,selling imported goods from 20countries and regions includingIndonesia, Serbia, Slovenia andSouth Africa.

“It vividly showed that China,with its huge market and economicvital ity, has brought broaddevelopment opportunities forcountries worldwide, especially fordeveloping countries,”saidZhou Mi,

a senior researcher at the ChineseAcademy of InternationalTrade andEconomic Co-operation.

“The stable development ofthe Chinese market is not onlyto achieve the country’s owndevelopment goals, but can alsocreate more value for the world.”

In a report last month theInternational Monetary Fund saidaggregate output of emergingmarkets and developing economies(excluding China) was expected toremain 5.5 per cent below the pre-pandemic forecast in 2024.

Liu Qing, vice-dean of theNational Academy of Developmentand Strategy of Renmin Universityof China in Beijing, said broadeningaccess to opportunities in Chinahas provided a way out for manyemerging markets.

“China’svastdomesticconsumermarket, its pivotal role in globalsupply chains and unswervingadvocacy of opening-up offerother emerging markets a keyexport destination in the harsher

environment of globalisation.”During this year’s expo the State

Development and Investment Corpsigned import contracts with 19foreign companies worth a recordtotal of $1 billion (Rs 74 billion). Thecompany bought commoditiesincludingbarley,cotton,manganeseore and edible oils from 15economies, including Argentina,Benin,Russia,UkraineandUruguay.

This year’s expo also proved to bea premier platform for companiesworldwide to showcase their latestproducts and services.

A total of 422 new products,technologies and services werefeatured during the expo, a recordhigh, said Sun Chenghai, deputydirector of the CIIE Bureau.

The medical equipment andhealthcare products exhibition areahad 135 technology and productdebuts,the most out of all the otherareas.

One of the most high-profileexhibits was from the Swisspharmaceutical company Novartis,

afirst-in-classhyperlipemiatherapycalled Inclisiran that reducescholesterol levels. Patients needonly two doses of Inclisiran a year.

Another notable global debutamong healthcare exhibits was thePET/CT scanner Biograph VisionQuadra by Siemens Healthineers.The device can perform whole-body dynamic scanning within15 seconds. Its super wide fieldof view and ultra-high sensitivityalso ensure that no cancer cells goundetected, its maker said.

Carbon neutrality and greendevelopment was also a majortheme of the expo this year, andservice provider EY launched acarbon management tool kit atthe exhibition. The kit can helpcompanies keep up to date withcarbon prices and trends inreaching carbon neutrality and helptailor paths to green development.

The six-day CIIE attracted nearly480,000 professional visitors. Thetotal exhibition area at this year’sedition was a record 366,000square metres, up 6,000 sq m froma year earlier.

A total of 281 Fortune 500companies and industry leadersattended this year’s exhibition, with40 joining the CIIE for the first timeand another 120 taking part in theexhibitionforthefourthconsecutiveyear.

Affected by the COVID-19pandemic, the value of intendeddeals reached at this year’s CIIEtotalled $70.72 billion, down 2.6 percent year-on-year.

Up to 150,000 sq m of exhibitionarea has already been booked fornext year’s expo, a considerableincrease in sign-up rate comparedto last year, said Sun.

Expo a key channel forglobal trade collaboration

International importsshow in Shanghai apremier platform forcompanies worldwideto showcase their latestproducts and services.China Daily reports

Indian-China tiescement for BRICS

Biomass grows as viable energy sourceBy LIU YUKUN and ZHENG XIN

Do kitchen leftovers and petdroppings always belong in thegarbage? Surprisingly,such organicwaste may soon be an importantenergy source to heat your home orpower your car.

Organic matter such as vegetablescraps, wood and animal waste isclassified as biomass, and can beusedasanenergysourcetoproduceelectricity or heat through burning,bacterial decay, fermentation orconversion to gas or liquid fuel.

The development of biomassenergy is being sped up in China,where it is becoming a focusfor investment as the countryintensifies its effort to produceclean energy and cut reliance onfossil fuels under the country’sgreen commitments.

Useofbiomasstoproduceelectricenergy during the first half of this

year was the equivalent of 78 billionkilowatt-hours,26.6 per cent higherthan in the same period last year,the National Energy Administrationsaid. Newly installed capacity forbiomass power generation reached3.67 million kW during this period.

Last year China said it wouldreach peak carbon emissions by2030 and carbon neutrality by2060.

Duringthisyear’sannualmeetingof the country’s top legislative andpolitical advisory bodies, Chinareiterated its strong commitmentto green power. It said it plannedto reduce energy consumption perunit of GDP by 13.5 per cent andcarbon dioxide emissions per unitof GDP by 18 per cent during the14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-25).

Zhang Dayong,secretary-generalof the Biomass Energy IndustryPromotion Association, said

China’s green goals provide manyopportunities for growth of cleansources of energy such as biomass.

As a carbon-neutral fuel,biomassreleases the same amount ofcarbon into the atmosphere whenburned as it absorbed during thebiomass sources’ life cycle, Zhangsaid.

“If equipped with carboncapture and storage technology,the process of turning biomassinto energy can achieve negativeemissions.”

A recent report by the biomassassociation says that about 3.49billion metric tonnes of biomass isproduced in China each year,whichcan potentially produce the energyequivalent of about 460 milliontonnes of coal, but with far feweremissions. It predicts that withthe industry’s rapid development,China’s annual production ofbiomass will reach nearly 3.8 billion

By SWARAN SINGH

The first two decades of the21st century have witnessedtectonic transformations.Modern technology has resultedin an exponential growthin mutual awareness andempowerment of increasinglyinterdependent global citizens.

The Westphalian statesystem of the last 372 years ishaving to increasingly reckonwith the unfolding spectreof non-state actors such astransnational organisations(both governmental and non-governmental), multinationalcorporations and terroristnetworks.

Moving beyond their historicalpreoccupation with enhancingthe destructive capabilities oftheir armed forces, states nowneed to ensure the productivityand prosperity that constitutecritical components of nationalpower. National security isinclusive of development. Poweris being replaced by influence.The conventional understandingof power — so-called hard power— is being supplemented by softpower, smart power and sharppower; all undergirded by humanresources, technologies andfinancial leverage.

This has changed the globalhierarchy, producing newclusters of power in internationalrelations. For example, while theeconomic rise of the then WestGermany and Japan in the 1970s— in the midst of the Cold War —did not make them great powers,the economic rise of China sincethe 1990s — coinciding withthe collapse of the Soviet Union— has given Beijing enormoussystem-shaping leverage.This explains how emergingeconomies have come to be ascelebrated as a new categoryof influencers in internationaldecision-making processes andstructures.

Early to appreciate thesestructural changes,Jim O’Neill,former chief economist atGoldman Sachs, published twopapers: One in November 2001titled“The World Needs BetterEconomic BRICs”and anotherin 2003 titled“Dreaming withBRICs: The Path to 2050”.These papers outlined howthe emerging economies ofBrazil, Russia, India and Chinapromised continued high growthrates, better per-dollar returnsfor investors and projectedtheir expanding share in globalgovernance.

For the first 10 years of the21st century, BRIC growthtrajectories held true to theseprojections.This resulted in theircoming together after their 2009Yekaterinburg summit.The factthat this coincided with the onsetof the global economic slowdownin 2008 and inclusion of SouthAfrica in 2010 to make it BRICSmade their continued economicrise even more noticeable.

However, this also witnessedtheir individual growthtrajectories drifting away fromprophesied patterns.

More recently, the COVID-19pandemic has further expandedChina’s lead over the remainingBRICS members. China’s GDPcrossed 100 trillion yuan(Rs 1,166 trillion) in 2020. It istwo-and-half times bigger thanthat of the rest of the BRICS.But BRICS have so far heldtogether; and their combinedGDP of $20.34 trillion (Rs 1,514trillion) is edging past US GDPof $21.43 trillion.The questionis: Can BRICS hold together anylonger or is it losing shine to otherforums.

The onus for keeping BRICSalive and together lies primarilywith China and India — thetwo largest BRICS economies.This makes strong China-Indiarelations a prerequisite for thefuture of BRICS.What holdspromise is that the reverse isequally true: The success ofBRICS carries direct positivespinoffs for their relationship.This gives hope for the future ofBRICS.

China and India remaineconomically most engaged inan otherwise disjoined BRICS.Brazil and South Africa aregeographically distant, with verydifferent priorities while China,India and Russia have their owndivergences and differences.

This is why they have evolveda unique strategy for eachBRICS summit, precedingeach with over 50 pentagonalpreparatory meetings amongtheir academics, think tanks,journalists, business and sportspersons, advisors, officialsand senior ministers.Theseinteractions aim at creatingground level constituencies foran organic evolution of strongfoundations for the BRICS forum.

With the pandemic hopefullyreceding into the background,most economies are todayexpecting to enter a new phaseof V- or U-shaped economicrecovery.This period hasseen China and India set newrecords in vaccinating theirpeople, as well as producing andsupplying vaccines, medicines,materials and equipment tofight against the virus andprovide humanitarian aid aroundthe world. It is also marked byChinese active pharmaceuticalingredients supporting India asthe Pharmacy of the World.

This stability in China-Indiarelations promises BRICScoming together to deviseinnovative strategies to stay oncourse.

The author is a professorand chairman at the Centrefor International Politics,Organization and Disarmamentat the Jawaharlal NehruUniversity, New Delhi.The views do not necessarilyreflect those of China Daily.


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Visitors check out the demonstration zone for pharmaceutical and healthcare players during the fourth China International Import Expo in Shanghai on Nov 9.PHOTOS BY ZHU XINGXIN / CHINA DAILY

An employee of a power generation company checks moisture content of biomassmaterials in Huaibei,Anhui province, in March. LI XIN / FOR CHINA DAILY

Visitors are attracted to an intelligent robot writing Chinese characters at the expoin Shanghai on Nov 5.

tonnes by 2030 and more than 5.3billion tonnes by 2060.

Despiteplentifulbiomassmaterialin China, only a small portion isturned into energy,and the share ofbiomass in the energy mix remainsrelatively low compared with otherrenewable energy sources, theassociation report says.

Zhang said efforts are needed toset up a unified industry standardin terms of emissions whenburning biomass, a mechanism forbiomass collection, storage andtransportation, and regulations forbiomass fuel processing factories,now lacking in the industry and thushindering its development.


New Delhi


CHINADAILY


A ugust should be part ofsummer vacation forstudents in China, a timethey are reunited with

their families.But Mingyi, a student from the

Tibet Vocational Technical CollegebasedinLhasa,capitalofSouthwestChina’s Tibet autonomous region,insteadspentthemonthcompetinginanationalvocationalskillscontestin Taiyuan in North China’s Shanxiprovince.

When the anchorman of the livecontest asked what she felt like atthat moment, Mingyi’s answer wassomewhat unexpected.

“I haven’t been at home for a longtime,”shesaid.“Imissmyfamilyandmy hometown.”

She immediately realised that heranswer came as a result of beingnervous.

“There’s such a big crowd here.I’m excited and nervous,” Mingyisaid. “Although I can’t be togetherwith my family, I’m happy herebecause it’s my biggest dream toattend this national vocational skillscontest.”

Mingyi is from Nagchu, one of theleast-developed regions in Tibet.

Thanks to Tibet’s campaign torelieve poverty, she said her familyhas risen out of poverty by raisingyaks. This advancement also madepossible her studies at the TibetVocationalTechnicalCollegetolearnprofessional skills and develop apromising future career.

And it was the college that offeredher an opportunity to attend thislong-awaited vocational skillscontest.

She was learning baking at thecollege, when her hard work andfast-improvingabilitiesattractedtheattentionofthe school’sauthorities.The authorities then recommendedthatsheattendthecontestonbehalfof the Tibet autonomous region.

Inthe face ofthecameraandabigaudience on the site, Mingyi gave abrief introduction of herself.

“Hello, everyone. I’m Mingyifrom Nagchu, Tibet. I’m a studentfrom the Tibet Vocational TechnicalCollege and I will make a piece ofbook-shaped cake for you.”

But Mingyi did not earn a prize in

thiscontest,whichconsistedofover400 candidates.

“It’s a pity that I was not awarded,”Mingyi said. “It means that thereare many people doing a better jobthan me. I must keep studying hardat college and strive for a prize nexttime.”

Mingyi said she loves theexperience of travelling around.

“The trip from Nagchu to Lhasaallowed me to experience a worldoutside my hometown and thejourney from Lhasa to Taiyuanmade me believe there are broaderpossibilities for my life. Thosepossibilities are offered by mycollege.”

The Tibet Vocational TechnicalCollege in Lhasa, a new schoolestablished in December 2018,is one of the largest and mostcomprehensive institutionsfor vocational education in theautonomous region.

When its construction wasstill underway, the school held aninauguration ceremony on Sept 25,2019, at its temporary campus sitein Yamda township, Lhasa. There,it welcomed more than 400 newstudents.

Cai Shoukuan,head of the school,said the college is an institution

offering both regular higher-education programmes as wellas short-term vocational trainingprogrammes.

With six departments offering 37programmes, the college will havean enrolment of 3,000 studentsin regular higher-educationprogrammes when its constructionis fully completed.The school is alsoexpected to train more than 10,000students a year with its short-termprogrammes.

Thecollegeadoptsaneducationalmodel highlighting co-operationbetween the college and employers.It has also developed a number of“order-oriented” programmes tohelp graduates accurately identifytheir employers.

One recent development in thiscollege-employer collaborationis an agreement signed with theTibet Forest Firefighting Brigade onSept 8.

According to the agreement, theTibet Vocational Technical Collegewould establish a training base forthe brigade,offeringtrainingservicefor the brigade.

The brigade also promised tohire graduates from the college,according to the agreement.

Phurbu Tsering, a student in the

college’s automobile maintenanceprogramme, said the agreement isgood news to him. “We are offereda new channel of employment,” hesaid.

For a fledgling school, itsconstructionanddevelopmenthavealso won support from institutionsand professionals from across thecountry.

Qu Changjiang and Xiao Peng aretwovocationaltrainingexpertsfromBeijing. They went to the collegefor an assistance mission in July2019, before the school’s officialinauguration.

In the two months before itsinauguration, the two experts haddevoted their energy to draftingregulations for the school’smanagement. When the schoolopened on Sept 25, they againshifted their focus to teaching intheir own courses.

Wang Dutian is a teacher froma vocational college in Huai’an,Jiangsu province.

He started his assistance missionat the Tibet Vocational TechnicalCollege in June 2019. When hismission was due one and half a yearlater, he asked for an extension foranother year and a half.

Wang said the extension was notan easy decision to make becausetherearestillanumberofchallengeshe has to face.

“One thing is the altitudesickness,” Wang said. “Although wehave gradually accustomed to thelocalenvironment,thelowercontentof oxygen still causes some healthproblems.”

Headdedthattheotherchallengeis his homesickness. “This issomething that can grow with time,especially when I spoke to my wifeand two children on the phone,”Wang said.

He said there are two reasons tomake him stay.

“The school is still in its stageof early development,” Wang said.“I hope to continue devoting myexperience in vocational educationto assisting its growth.”

Another reason is that hisattachment to the students hasgrownstrongerashehasdiscoveredthat passion of Tibetan children.

“I like to visit the students in theirdormitories,”Wangsaid,“EverytimeI visit, a number of students call me‘father’. ”

He explained that “they calledme so because I’m of the same ageof their parents and they said theysense a fatherly care from me”.

“To be called a father is the mostrewarding thing in this school so farfrom my hometown,”Wang said.

Vocational college preparesstudents for a bright futureSchool combineshigher education withshort-term job training.Yuan Shenggaoreports

By YUAN SHENGGAO

Norbu Dondrup, a residentof Gya s h i n g tow n s h i p i nKongpo’gyada county in the Tibetautonomous region, becameimpoverished in 2012-13 afterhis mother contracted a seriousillness.

Hetriedtoimprovehislivelihoodbut failed because of lacking therequired skills.

Learningofhissituation,officialsat the poverty-reduction offices ofNyingchicity,whichadministratesKongpo’gyada county, offered ahelping hand.They offered him anopportunity for training in Lhasaas a security guard.

When the training concluded,Norbu Dondrup found a job in thePeople’s Hospital of Nyingchi.

“Thanks to the government,I found a good job and earnedenough money to improve thefinancial situation for my family,”Norbu Dondrup said.

Like Norbu Dondrup,more ruralresidents intheTibetautonomousregion are looking at vocationaltraining as an important meansto help them find new jobs andimprove livelihoods.

ChogyalisaresidentinNyangdoitownship in Gyalze county.He wasa member of an impoverishedfamily before 2016.

He learned from his fellowvillagers that there were varioustraining courses organised by thegovernment of Shigatse, whichadministrates Gyalze county, tohelp rural residents to masterskills for new jobs.

Chogyal recognised this was agood opportunity to change hisfate and improve his livelihood.Hejoined a training class in Shigatsein 2017 and got a welder’s licensea few months later.

He founded a small firm in 2018offering welding services for localconstructionsites.Seeingrevenueincrease steadily for his firm, he

encouraged more of his fellowvillagers, especially those fromimpoverished families, to learnwelding and join him.

Chogyal later put forwardan application to the localgovernment to take him off of thelist of impoverished residents.

“The government helped me alot several years ago when I wasonthelist.NowIhaveanadequateincome to raise me high above thepoverty line. It’s my turn to helpothers,”Chogyal said.

Namgya Tsering used to bean impoverished farmer in Nartownship in Samdrubze district,Shigatse. With the help of thelocal government, he receivedtraining in operating constructionmachinery.

Based on his experience inthe industry for several years, helater established a constructioncompany himself. Currentlyhis annual net profit from thebusiness is more than 250,000yuan (Rs 2.9 million) a year.

“Now that I am lifted outpoverty, I’m planning to createmore jobs for locals, help themimprove their income,” NamgyaTsering said.

Chophel is the Party secretaryof Burtra village in Saga county.To meet the growing demand ofthe labour market, he opened alabour service company helpinglocal residents find new jobs inand outside the county.

His company has establishedextensive co-operation withconstruction, home servicesand catering companies in theneighbourhood. It has helped 115people find jobs and their averageper capita monthly income hassurpassed 4,000 yuan.

In addition, the company hasco-operated with local vocationalschools to offer training to34 residents, equipping themwith such skills as cooking andconstruction machine operating.

More jobs offeredwith skill training

By YUAN SHENGGAO

JangraYeshe,agirl fromanfamilyof herders in Damxung county,the Tibet autonomous region, didnot expect she would live a lifedifferent from other children in herneighbourhood.

Life was simple throughout herchildhood. After attending school,she did jobs such as sheep herdingand shearing.

While herding on the grassland,she loved to fly paper planes.

“I hope some day I can fly a realaircraft and see our grassland fromthe sky,”Jangra Yeshe used to say.

Her dream came true five yearsago, with the help of a poverty-relieving programme launched bya local general aviation company.

At the end of 2016, when shestudied at Lhasa’s No.2 SecondaryVocational and Technical School,Jangra Yeshe received a call fromthe Lhasa-based Snow EagleGeneral Aviation. The organisationmade her dreams come true whenit selected her as one of severalpilots from poverty-strickenfamilies.

She later learned that she wasamong the 28 winners selected bySnow Eagle General Aviation froma greater number of candidates,

as part of the company’s poverty-reduction efforts.

Sixteen of the students wouldtake courses for pilots and 12 forcrew members,Jangra Yeshe said.

Funded by Nanjing, Jiangsu-based Ruoer General AviationDevelopment Group, Snow Eaglewas founded in 2016 in Lhasa.

With business covering short-distancetransportation,emergencyrescue and sightseeing,Snow Eagleis one of the first general aviationcompanies for high-altitude plateauoperations in China.

“I couldn’t believe I would have achancetoreceivetrainingforapilot,”Jangra Yeshe said.

Jangra Yeshe said she departedfrom Lhasa for Nanjing on Jan 12,2017. The journey consisted of atrain trip from Lhasa to Golmud inQinghaiprovinceandanairtripfromGolmud to Nanjing.

“That was my first time travellingby plane. I was so excited inimagining how cool it is to fly ahelicopter myself,” Jangra Yeshesaid.

OncearrivingattheRuoerGeneralAviation training school in Suzhou,Jiangsu province, she found thatlearning to fly is a far more arduoustask than she expected.

“During the first month at the

training school, we spent a lot timeon studying the basic theories forflying and doing exercises,” JangraYeshe said.

Helicopter training started onFeb 24, 2017.

“Flying a helicopter is much moredifficult than flying other aircraftsbecause all the operations aremanual,”the girl said.

She added that positioning fromthe air is even harder. “You needto circle around again and againto position yourself accurately.The practice makes you veryuncomfortable.”

The girl said she encountered herbiggest challenge in her trainingduring a flying test.

“I was flying alone for a three-hour trip from Suzhou to Yangzhou,another city in Jiangsu. The groundpositioning system malfunctionedduring the process, which made meextremely nervous.

“Fortunately the system quicklyreturned to normal,”she said.

After 150 hours of flying training,the girl said she became capableof responding to many kinds ofemergency.

“Even without GPS, I can flyguided by my eyesight and landsafely,”Jangra Yeshe said.

After obtaining licenses for flying

a helicopter in March 2018, shestarted her career as a pilot in SnowEagle.

“The training programme and thejobasahelicopterpilothavebroughtfundamentalchangestomeandmyfamily,”Jangra Yeshe said.

She said she currently has amonthly salary of more than 10,000yuan (Rs 116,600).

“In the first month, I gave most ofthe money to my parents, leavingonly 600 yuan for myself,” JangraYeshe said.

She said she hoped to buy anapartmentinLhasaandlivetogetherwith her parents.

“It’stoocoldtoliveinmyoldhousein Damxung county in the winter.It should be more comfortable inLhasa where centralised heating isinstalled in residences,”she said.

She said her parents andneighbours have expressed theirprideinhersinceshebecameapilot.

“Once I flew a helicopter back toDamxung on a mission,the villagerspraised me as a fairy flying into theblue sky and the pride of Damxung,”she said.

Pema Yangzom, a girl fromChushul county, is anotherbeneficiary of the Snow Eagleprogramme. She was trained as anaeroplane crew member.

“I brought with me only 800 yuanwhen I arrived at the training schoolin Suzhou.Now I earn 8,000 yuan amonth,” Pema Yangzom said.

She also expected to buy anapartment in Lhasa and livetogether with her grandmother.

“Thanks to the efforts of thegovernment and the businesscommunity in poverty reduction,I’m offered a good opportunityto change my destiny and that ofmy family,” Pema Yangzom said. “Iwill work harder and make greatercontributions to society.”

According to Sumtsen, anexecutive of Snow Eagle, thecompany has employed more than

110 staff members,with 75 per centof them being residents of Tibet.

“The Qinghai-Tibet Plateau wasonce known as a ‘no-fly zone’ andit was extremely difficult to flyhelicopters there.

Now the first group of youngTibetans has flown civi l ianh e l i c o p t e r s t o t h e M o u n tQomolangma base camp afterprofessional and intensive training,”Sumtsen said. “We will continueour efforts in poverty reductionand train more local professionalsto better serve the socioeconomicdevelopment of Tibet and helpmore young people realise theirdreams.”

Programme helps flying dream come true

Jangra Yeshe, from an impoverished family of herders in Damxung county, is alicensed helicopter pilot at Lhasa-based Snow Eagle General Aviation.PURBU TASHI / XINHUA

Residents in Gar county work in a garment factory that was established toreceive surplus rural labourers in the county and its neighbourhood.TIAN JINWEN / XINHUA

From top: Students learn welding at the Tibet Vocational Technical College;Students of the school pose for a photo when attending a national vocationalskills contest. PHOTOS PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY


New Delhi

By YANG FEIYUE

The tea terraces resembledgiant shining steps, glowing underthe heavy autumn sun, as thegreen tea plants that adornedthem sprouted tender shoots inthe town of Liubao in late October.

It was right after Frost’sDescent, the 18th of 24 solarterms, fell on Oct 23. Locals werebusy harvesting the leaves. Thiswas an auspicious time for theritual. The fragrance of the leavesis considered to be at its sharpestdue to the temperature differencebetween day and night at thistime of the year, as well as littlerainwater.

It was not just farmers whowere shuttling among the trees;visitors were also exploring therural charm of the town that sits inCangwu county, Guangxi Zhuangautonomous region.

The visitors usually bring asense of activity to the normallyquiet town, the local authoritysays. Many do what the locals do:carry a bamboo basket on theirshoulders and pick tea leaves.Naturally, they pose for picturesagainst the backdrop of thelooming terraces and the clearblue sky.

At the end of the day travellerscan refresh themselves with thetea, learning to fry and roll theleavestheold-fashionedway,while

the aroma spills from heated potsand permeates the air.

Kosima Weber Liu, fromGermany, visited the town inOctober and was impressed bythe tea there.

“I had only heard of the tea-making processes before,but I gotto experience what it was like toroast tea myself,”she said.

“I felt I’ve been to a special,mystical place in China.”

Liubao town has been known forits dark tea that, for 1,500 years,has been a brew to savour. It hasidealconditionsforteaproduction,with an equilibrium of humidity,sunshine, soil and an elevationabout 600 metres above sea level.

Liubao tea is considered one ofthe best in China and was served intribute to Emperor Jiaqing duringthe Qing Dynasty (1644-1911).

It was also used as a herbalmedicine to counter hot andhumid conditions when Chinesepeople emigrated to SoutheastAsia in the late 19th century.

Liubao tea can be producedfrom spring to autumn. Althoughthe leaves from early spring areconsidered the most tender andthus top quality, they carry aunique flavour when harvested inlate fall.

The local government has beendeveloping integration of tea andtourism over the years.

“ W i t h m o r e t o u r i s t s ,

‘agritainment’ that combinesaccommodation,farming and tea-picking experiences has taken off,”said CaoZhang,Party secretary ofLiubao town.

In the village of Dazhong,southeast of Liubao, localswere encouraged to develop teagardens under a programmethat brings together business,co-operative oversight and ruralhouseholds. The village received150,000 visitors during this year’sSpring Festival, and it is part ofthe rural revitalisation belt thatthe Liubao government has beenstriving to build.

The goal is to develop adistinctive tea street, ruralhomestays and green tea parksfor sightseeing,and create uniquescenery, with villages displayingdifferent characteristics,Cao said.

The Liubao tea museum givesvisitors a comprehensive taste ofwhat is involved in bringing in therefreshing beverage to one’s cup.

KhaniFaribaandIshtiaqAhmed,a couple from Iran,were surprisedby the romance associated withthe tea during their visit to themuseum.

In the first part of the 20thcentury, residents would giftLiubao tea and salt to a bride tosymbolise long-lasting affection,because tea originates from themountain and salt comes from theocean.

By WANG QIAN

She looked stunning on thecatwalk. This was not just becauseof her beauty or the clothes she waswearing.Shealsoseemedtoradiatean inner strength. She is not evena professional model, but her one-minute catwalk had racked up morethan 160 million views on the micro-blogging platform Sina Weibo byOct 26.

When Niu Yu strutted confidentlydown the catwalk at ShanghaiFashion Week last month, she did itwith her artificial leg in full view,andin that single action she combinedbeauty with courage.

“It is a really big breakthrough forme to stand on a stage,”Niu said.

“Losing a leg doesn’t mean losingmy passion for life.”

Everyone has their own beauty,she said.

The24-year-oldisaphotographerin Chengdu,Sichuan province,who,at the age of 11, lost her right leg,which was amputated just abovethe knee, in the 2008 Wenchuanearthquake. It took her more than10 years to accept her new bodyimage.

Having faced prejudice againstthe physically challenged, as wellas negative and hurtful comments,Niu found her own way to challengeoutdated stereotypes.

One of her latest videos showedher walking along Chunxi Road,Chengdu’s busiest commercialstreet, in September, with herprosthetic leg lit up with LEDs. Theshining limb made it impossible forpassersby not to stare.

“My prosthesis is a badge ofsurvival and courage, of my fightfor life in hospital,” she said. “It is apart of me and not something to behidden.”

She wanted to tell those who arephysically impaired and stuck athome to walk out on the street and

enjoy the sunshine,she said.

Her optimisticattitude towardslife has warmedthe hearts of socialmedia users. Somesaid that in her they

see“abright,sunnyandwholesomegirl”.

ThirteenyearsagoNiuwasburiedunder the ruins of her school inBeichuan Qiang autonomouscounty for three days following the8.0-magnitude earthquake. Herright leg was so badly damagedit had to be amputated above theknee. When doctors suggestedamputating the other leg, fearinga gangrenous infection, her fatherbeggedonhiskneesforthemnotto.

Having more than 30 operationsto remove the dead, damagedand infected tissue, and stayingin hospital for more than threemonths, her left leg was finally

saved. Niu learned to stand on oneleg and move with the use of theprosthesis.

Her trauma caused her to doubtherself. She became introvertedand refused to take a subway byherself or dine out alone. Everytime she went outside, she wouldtape sponge to her prosthetic legand wear long trousers to hide herdisability, while constantly fearingthat her gait would give her away.

The turning point came in2018, the 10th anniversary of theearthquake, when she registered torun a half marathon organised bythe Wenchuan county government.Niu wore shorts in the event,showing her prosthetic leg in public.

She finished the 21-kilometremarathon in 3 hours and 53minutes, at times almost walking.But the time did not matter. Itwas her way to thank those whohelped Wenchuan recover from theearthquake and tell the world thatit was all in the past. The presentand the future now demanded herattention.

Since the race, Niu has begun toembrace herself for who she is.

She keeps reminding herself thatthe journey of life is short and everyfleeting moment counts.

She knows that it is not whatshe is missing that defines her, butwhat she has got — courage andconfidence.

“When children see people likeme walking on the street, I hopethat, in their eyes, we can be thesuperheroes, representing powerand courage,”Niu said.

Nowsheworksasaphotographerin Chengdu, and she got thereher way. Some shots require thephotographer to squat, a positionruled out by her artificial leg.Instead, she lies on the ground toclick the shutter.

“Nobody can define you, butyourself,”she said.

Beijing’s state-of-the-art Winter Olympics accommodation is ready to open its doors to the world’s athletes. Sun Xiaochen reports

Teatourismrevivesvillage

Welcome mat is out in the global village

The Big Air Shougang will host the big air freestyle skiing and snowboarding competitions of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games. Inspired by the Mogao Grottoesfresco Flying Apsaras, the ramp has been designed to resemble a ribbon floating in the air. GAO ZEHONG / FOR CHINA DAILY


CHINADAILY


Beijing’s Winter Olympic Village covers 330,000 square metres and comprises 20residential buildings. PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY

S mart, cosy and accessible,Beijing’s Winter OlympicVillagehasall theelementsneeded to provide athletes

with a safe and comfortable homeaway from home during next year’sGames.

A s p r o m i s e d i n i t s b i dsubmission,Beijing’s commitmentto hosting an “athlete-centred”Games has materialised in a bigway, with 20 residential buildings,all furnished and decorated to ahigh standard and fitted with fresh-air ventilation systems, completedthis month well before the openingceremony on Feb 4.

The village, north of the citycentre against the backdrop ofthe Bird’s Nest, the main stadiumfor the 2008 Summer Games,covers 330,000 square metresand is the largest of three officialresidential areas built for theOlympic and Paralympic WinterGames. The others are mountainvillages in Yanqing district and inthe co-host city of Zhangjiakou,Hebei province.

The Beijing village underwent anoperational test recently, with allfacilities, services and COVID-19control and prevention measuresevaluated. The village will initiate atrial run on Jan 23 before officiallyopening on Jan 27.

“We are trying to make thevillage a safe and comfortablehome for every athlete and officialwhere they can enjoy themselvesand be as relaxed as possible andexperience some of the culturalcharacteristics of the host city atthe same time,”saidYang Jingfeng,deputy director of resident servicesfor the village operations team.

The layout of the village’sresidential area draws inspirationfrom traditional quadranglecourtyards in Bei j ing, withapartment buildings surroundinga central garden.

From a bird’s-eye view, the twolargest courtyards in the villagecut a pattern similar to a famousQing Dynasty (1644-1911) painting

depicting people enjoying outdooractivities on ice.

In the village plaza, exhibitionsites will accommodate Chinesecultural displays and traditionalChinese medicine promotionsduring the Games.

“It’s very important that wemake the village special enoughthat athletes from all over the worldrecognise it is Beijing, it is China,once they settle in,”Yang said.

The village’s reception centre, tothewestoftheresidentialzone,wasrebuilt on the site of an abandonedfactory, with its main structure,walls and beams reused to createa large space for security checks,

body temperature monitoring,accreditation services, check-inand media operations.

Facilitated by 5G internet andartificial intelligence technology,self-navigating robots have beentested to provide conciergeservices, refreshments anddisinfection in the lobby.

The village’s owner, BeijingInvestment Group Co, said allthe permanent buildings withinthe complex have passed thehighest three-star certificationfor green construction with therecycling of materials, energysav i n g a n d e nv i ro n m e n t a lp r o t e c t i o n g i v e n p r i o r i t y

throughout the development.The internal decoration of the

apartment buildings has also metthe globally recognised WELLBuilding Standard, paying extraattention to residents’ healththrough careful consideration of airquality, water, lighting and space.

A smart housing control systemhas been installed in each of theapartments, allowing athletes andofficials, especially para-sportsathletes, to control lights, airconditioners and curtains in theirrooms by using a phone app.

The system also features self-adjusting functions to keep roomtemperature and brightness withina comfortable range to avoidunnecessary energy consumption,said Li Bin, a staff member of thevillage operations team.

“ T h e s m a r t s ys t e m w a sdeveloped especially to cater tothe needs of all the Paralympicathletes. With service robots alsoto be deployed in the residentialarea, para-sports athletes can usea smartphone app to navigatethrough the village, where barrier-free facilities have been installed.”

During the Paralympic WinterGames, which run from March 4 to13, the Beijing village will provide1,040 beds to accommodate asmaller group of residents.

In every bedroom an emergencybutton is positioned just abovea night stand, and the indoorwardrobe has a push-open door.Each bathroom features non-slipflooring, a toilet with handrails onboth sides and a roll-in shower.

As with Games competitionvenues, the Olympic Village will betransformed to serve residentialand commercial functions in thelocal community.

Qu Chen, a project manager withBeijing Investment Group, saidthat Beijing will offer the villageas public rental housing to youngprofessionals after the Olympics.

Following the 2008 Games, theOlympic Village apartments weresold on the residential market.

Courage is the real beauty

A couple from Iran pick tea leaves in a tea garden in Liubao town, GuangxiZhuang autonomous region. PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY

Niu Yu

Niu Yu finishes running the halfmarathon marking the 10th anniversaryof the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake.PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY


New Delhi

NFHSSURVEYOUT

8THEINDIANEXPRESS,FRIDAY,NOVEMBER26,2021

THECITYWWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM

EXPRESSNEWSSERVICENEWDELHI,NOVEMBER25

THE NUMBER of womenwhoownahouseor landinDelhi,ei-ther aloneor jointly, has signifi-cantly dipped over the past fiveyears, the fifth National FamilyHealthSurvey (NFHS) shows.While the percentage of

womenwhohadahouseorlandregisteredintheirnamein2015-16was around35%, it dipped to22.7% in2020-21.The percentage of women

who have a bank account thatthey use, meanwhile, has goneup 8 percentage points andwomen who have a mobilephone that they use is up by 7percentagepoints.Thepercent-age of women who have everused the internet was around64% as compared to 85%men(seebox).Thisdatawasnotavail-able in theprevioussurvey.The survey was conducted

in two phases due to the pan-demic-induced lockdown. Thefirst phase was betweenJanuary and March 2020 andthe second from November2020 to January2021.Information was gathered

from 9,486 households, 11,159women, and 1,700 men inDelhi.

According to the survey, theparticipationofmarriedwomenin household decisions such as

health care for self,makingma-jor household purchases, andvisits to her family or relatives

have gone up from around 74%in2015-16 to92%now.The one area that has seen a

significant improvement is theaverageout-of-pocketexpendi-ture per delivery in a publichealth facility. It went from Rs8,518 toRs2,548 in fiveyears.Officials said the reason for

this could be two-pronged.“One, the number of familiescovered by insurance has goneup.ThesecondcouldbethattheDelhi government has madetreatment and procedures ingovernment hospitals com-pletely free,”saidagovernmentofficial.The percentage of house-

holds with amember coveredunderahealthinsurance/financ-ing scheme has increased over10 percentage points — from15.7% to25%.Meanwhile, obesity among

bothmenandwomenhasrisen.While 41.3% ofwomen are nowoverweight or obese, this figureis 38% for men. The rise in thepercentage of men who areoverweight or obese, however,has been faster inmen than inwomen (seebox).In women, the instance of

sterilisation has gone downslightly — from around 20% to18%. Inmen, this has remainedstatic at 0.2%. The use of con-doms, meanwhile, has seen aneight percentagepoint increasefrom20%toover28%.

EXCERPTS FROMNFHSSURVEY

NUTRITIONAL STATUS OFADULTS (AGE 15-49 YEARS)2020-21 2015-16

WomenwhoseBodyMass Index(BMI) isbelownormal 10% 14.9%

MenwhoseBodyMass Index(BMI) isbelownormal 9.1% 17.7%

Womenwhoareoverweightorobese 41.3% 33.5%

Menwhoareoverweightorobese 38% 24.6%

Averageout-of-pocketexpenditureperdelivery ina 2,548 8,518publichealth facility (inRs)

Womenwhohaveeverusedthe internet 63.8% NA

Menwhohaveeverusedthe internet 85.2% NA

Householdswithanyusualmembercoveredundera 25% 15.7%health insurance/financingscheme

WOMEN'SEMPOWERMENT (WOMEN AGE 15-49 YEARS)2020-21 2015-16

Participationofmarriedwomeninhouseholddecisions 92% 73.8%

Womenwhoworkedin last12monthsandpaid incash 24.9% 21.1%

Womenowningahouseand/or land(aloneor jointly) 22.7% 34.9%

Womenhavingabankorsavingsaccountthat theyuse 72.5% 64.5%

Womenhavingamobilephonethat theythemselvesuse 73.8% 66.6%

DriverlesstrainopsstartonPinkLineNew Delhi: Driverlesstrain operations startedon Thursday on the 59-kmPinkLineof theDelhiMetro,puttingitinfourthposition globally amongthe networkswhich op-erate this cutting-edgetechnology.PTI

ManheldforrapingminorNewDelhi:Twodaysafteran11-year-oldgirlwasal-legedly kidnapped andsexuallyassaulted,policearrested a 27-year-oldman. Police said the ac-cused is a ‘sex offender’with at least 8 cases un-der the POCSO Act,sexualassaultandsexualharassment registeredagainsthim.

Heroinworth100crseized,manheldNew Delhi: PoliceThursdaysaidtheyseized‘fine-quality’ heroinworthRs100crorefromaforeign national inDwarka.Hewas arrestedoutside his house inMohan Gardenwith thedrugs, said police. DCP(Dwarka) ShankarChoudharysaid,“At5pm,our team found a vacantplot and the accusedcame on a scooter there.Hewasapprehended.Werecovered 10.68 kg ofheroin from his posses-sion.”

Matrimonialdispute:MansentencedtothreemonthsimprisonmentNew Delhi: The HCThursday sentenced aman to imprisonmentofthree months and im-posedRs2,000 after rul-ing that he “tried to actover smart” by conceal-ing his true income andexpenditure, in defianceof court orders directinghimtodisclosethesame.The order was passed inacontemptpetitionfiledbytheman’swife incon-nection with the pay-ment ofmaintenancebyhim.ENS

BRIEFLY

PAVNEETSINGHCHADHAGURGAON,NOVEMBER25

ANNOUNCEMENTSFROMloud-speakers atmosques and tem-ples, discounts on medicines,even free helmets and dinnersets for the vaccinated— theseareamonginitiativesbytheNuhadministration to step up thepace of Covid-19 vaccination intheHaryanadistrict.Nuhhas the lowestvaccina-

tionrateinHaryanaand,accord-ingtodatasharedattheconfer-enceof statehealthministers inDelhi inOctober,wasamongthe48 lowest performing districtsin the country in terms of vac-cine coverage.Data shared by Nuh district

administration shows that tillNovember22,thefirstdosecov-erage in Nuh stood at 50.2% (asagainst theall-Indiarateof82%)andtheseconddosecoverageat10.8%(all-India:44%).Outof435villages in the district, only 38have been fully vaccinated. In astate where almost 90% of theadultpopulationhasgotthefirstdose and over 46% both doses,Nuh isaglaringoutlier.Earlier this month, the dis-

trict administration decided togoallouttopushupvaccinationrates in Nuh — from door-to-doorinoculationstolaunchingastringof incentivestoencouragebeneficiaries.The push seems to bework-

ing.Fromanaverageof250dosesper day in June, so far inNovember, 15,000 daily doseshavebeengiventobeneficiaries,sayofficials.OnThursday,15,918people were vaccinated, with14,386 getting the first dose and1,532receivingtheseconddose.Nuh Deputy Commissioner

(DC) Captain Shakti Singh saidthat as a first step to tackle thelowvaccinationrate,amonitor-ing committeewith influentialpeoplefromthevillage—clerics,ex-sarpanchs,women self-helpgroups—wassetuptomobilisepeople togetvaccinated.“The committee conducted

an awareness programme anddispelled rumours about thevaccine and informeduswheretosendourvaccinatorteams.Wealso found that lack of publictransport was a deterrent forpeople to get vaccinated, sowearrangedvehiclestoferrythem.Now, since sowing season is on,

wearesendingteamstoagricul-turalfieldstoenhancecoverage.A pilot programme has startedinPunhanaandteamswillgotootherplaces,” saidSingh.He said the administration

alsoropedinlocalreligiouslead-ersandaskedthemtomakean-nouncements on loudspeakersfrommosquesandtemples,per-suadingpeopletogetvaccinated.The DC said the administra-

tion also tied upwith traders toincentivisepeople.“Somepetrolpumpdealershaveofferedadis-countof50paiseperlitretofullyvaccinated people. People canshow their vaccination certifi-catesonphoneandavailthedis-count. The local chemist associ-ationhasalsoagreedtooffera5%discount onmedicines to thosewho have taken their first doseandadiscountof10%tothefullyvaccinated.Weare in talkswithlocal automobile dealers aboutschemeswherevaccinatedpeo-plewill get a free helmet and adinner set on purchasing amo-torcycle,”saidSingh,addingthatthey had brought in a policywhereinonlyvaccinatedpeoplewould be allowed to distributerationatdepots inthedistrict.The administration also

ropedinlocalcelebrities,amongthemSalmanAli, a reality showsinger, who recorded a videomessage asking people to getvaccinatedassoonaspossible.“The low literacy levels and

lack of education aremajor rea-sonswhy vaccination rates arelow inNuh [56% literacy amongmen and 35% amongwomen].Orthodoxyandrumourmonger-ing are other reasons. Peoplewould rather listen to the clericthantodoctorsorofficials.Also,ithasbeenawhilesincethesecond

wave and the fear has passed.People do not want to risk thefever fromthevaccine—sowingseasonisonandtheydon’twantto sit at home,” said Singh. Headded that for the next phase ofinoculation,thestategovernmenthasdirectedthedistrictadminis-tration to target 50 villageswiththelowestvaccinationrates.Officials said the health de-

partment hired 44 cars to helpover 1,100 ASHAworkers and220AuxiliaryNurseMidwivestogo to vaccination centres in thedistrict.While villages that achieved

100% vaccination were givengrantsforinfrastructureprojects,topvaccinatorswere identified.“Tomotivatethestaff,adailylistof top fivevaccinators, basedondosesadministered, ispreparedand circulated among all PHCsand CHCs in the district. At thesame time, vaccinators at thebottomof that listarecontactedto understand the challengesthey face,” said theDC.An official of the health de-

partment, requestinganonymity, said, “After the ap-pointment of data entry opera-tors,theproductivityofvaccina-tors improved remarkably.Earlier, a vaccinator could onlyvaccinate50peopleadaysincealot of timewas spentuploadingandmanagingdata.Thecurrentaverage of a vaccinator is 426vaccinationsaday.”Sunita, whoworks at a pri-

mary health centre in Ghasera,in Nuh, said vaccine hesitancywasamajorproblemin thedis-trict.“Atthevillageandcommu-nity level, we areworkingwithpanchayats to counsel peopleabout the long-termbenefits ofvaccination,” shesaid.

Free helmets, dinner sets,doses in fields: How Nuhis pushing up vaccination

NuhhasthelowestvaccinationrateinHaryana.Express

JIGNASASINHANEWDELHI,NOVEMBER25

WHILE THEREhas been a dip incrimes against children inDelhiin 2020, the pendency of suchcases in courts is at an all-timehigh as judgments have beenpassedinonly1%of thecases,asper a report by the PrajaFoundation.Data releasedby the founda-

tion shows a huge pendency incases under the IPC, Special andLocal Laws, crimes againstwomen,andcrimesagainstchil-dren in the city. A total of 16,667cases of crimes against children(CAC)werebeforecourtslastyearofwhich99%arependingtrial,asperdatatillDecember2020.Special courtswere set up to

dealwithheinouscrimesagainstchildren, focus on POCSO cases,and dispose of them within ayear.However,morethan77%ofPOCSOcasesatDelhicourtstake1-3years tocomplete trialwhileover 16% of cases take up to 5yearsforajudgment,datashows.Lawyerssayvirtualcourtsset

upduringthepandemicandun-organised police-courtmecha-nismmaybebehindthedelay.DeekshaDwivedi, a criminal

lawyer, told The Indian Express,“We have designated sessionscourts todealwithPOCSOcases,but amajority of these cases arecomplex.Theevidenceisverydif-ficult to gather, andpolice aren’tsensitised enough to dealwithvictims and even the accused...Also, judgeswhodealwiththesecases are overburdenedwhichleads to longer trials despite thePOCSO Act stating that trialsshouldendinayear.”

Supreme Court lawyer andsenior Advocate Rebecca Johnadded, “Thepandemichasgivenrise to a huge pendency... muchworse thanwhat it was earlier.There’sbeenadelaybecauseonlythose matters were taken upwhichcouldbedealtwith invir-tualcourts.Caseswhereevidencehad to be recorded could not betakenupvirtuallyandmosttrialswereheldup.InPOCSOcases,thecourts have now started to takeupmatters as theyhave openedforphysicalhearings.”AsperDelhiPolicedata,1,197

caseswereregisteredin2020—a30%dipcomparedto2019whenover 1,719 cases were lodged.However, data fromPraja showsthatthereisamassivedelayinin-vestigation. Inmorethanhalf thePOCSOcases, investigation takesmorethan90-120daystobecom-pleted. As per data, 56% of CACcaseslodgedin2020awaitinves-tigationwhilechargesheetshavebeenfiledinonly36%ofcases.ChinmoyBiswal,DelhiPolice

spokesperson,said,“InDelhi,weregister CAC and POCSO casespromptly and take the deadlineof60days(POCSO)veryseriously.Amajority of the 56% pendingcases last year have beenchargesheeted and moved tocourt.Understandably,therewillalwaysbecasesunder investiga-tion... We have higherchargesheeting rate (99.06%)than all-India (94.7%) ormetrocities (96.8%),withmuchhigherconvictionrate(80%)thanMetrocities (42.4%)or all-India (39.6%)average.Also,amajorcomponentincrimesagainstchildrenismiss-ing children’s cases.We strictlyandpromptlyregisterthesecasesundersectionsofkidnapping.”

99% POCSO cases incourts pending trialin 2020: Praja report

Dip inwomen owning property, butbetter financial, social autonomy

SEALED OFFAtthefarmers’protest site inGhazipur,Thursday.TheDelhiPolicesaidsecurityarrangementshavebeenbeefedupatvariousborderpointsof thenationalcapital, asprotestersareset togather in largenumbersonFridaytomarkoneyearofthe farmers’protest. PremNathPandey

Farmer en route toTikri for 1-yr protestevent dies in accident

Hundreds to arrive atDelhi’s borders today

PAVNEETSINGHCHADHAGURGAON,NOVEMBER25

A 50-YEAR-OLD farmer diedwhilean80-year-oldfarmersus-tained injuries after a speedingtruck allegedly hit a trolley,which was part of a convoyheaded to the Tikri borderprotest site to participate in thefirst anniversary of the farmers’protests,onWednesdaynightinGohana, said police. The truckdriver was arrested before hewasreleasedonbail,saidpolice.Accordingtopolice, the inci-

denttookplaceatMahraChowkontheGohana-Rohtakhighwaywhen several trolleys fromPunjabheading to theTikribor-derhadstoppednearadhaba.Police said the victim has

been identified as Baljit Singh,fromDhillwanvillageatBarnala,Punjab andwas affiliatedwiththeBhartiyaKisanUnion(BKU),Sidhupur. The injured, BalwantSingh, from Dhillwan village,Barnala, is associatedwith BKUDakaunda. He was rushed toPGIMERRohtak.ASP(Gohana)NikitaKhattar

said anFIRwas registered: “Thefarmers had blocked the high-way after the incident as theyhad some issues related to notbeing provided first aid at the

nearesthospital,whichwaslaterresolvedafter consultation.”Bhupinder Singh (31), an

eyewitness whowas travellingwith the convoy, said they leftwithmore than 60 trolleys onNovember 24 morning fromBarnala for Tikri border to cele-brate the first anniversary offarmers’protests.“Wehaddinner at 7pmand

at 8.45 pm, we stopped at adhabanearMahrachowkfortea.While some of us went inside,Baljit and Balwantwere stand-ing next to a trolley near a non-motorable roadwhen the truckrammedinto them,” saidSingh.He added that both were

rushed to a private hospital fortreatment: “Initially, the hospi-tal staff didnotprovide first aid,so we staged a protest andblocked the highway. BalwantwaslaterreferredtoPGIRohtak.Hewas discharged after treat-ment.”He said that Baljit Singhwas

associatedwithBKUSidhupurformore than10 years. “Heused tocome to Tikri several times andowned3-4acresofland,”hesaid.An FIR was registered at

BaraudapolicestationunderIPCsections279,337and304-A,saidpolice. The body was handedover tohis familyafter thepost-mortem.

40% of Haryana‘forest’ land:Questions overstate govt claim

EXPRESSNEWSSERVICECHANDIGARH,NOVEMBER25

AGROUP of environmentalistshave raised questions over theHaryanagovernment’sclaimthat“structures on 40% area of state(are) required to be demolishedif it implements theapexcourt’s2018 verdict in the FaridabadKantEnclavedemolitioncase”.In theKant Enclave case, the

Supreme Court in September2018hadobservedthat“wehaveno doubt land notified by thestate of Haryana under provi-sions of the PLP (Punjab LandPreservation)Actmustbetreatedas‘forest’and‘forestland’andhasinfactbeensotreatedforseveraldecadesbythestateofHaryana”.Thestategovernmenthadre-

centlytoldtheapexcourtthatthetotalareaof17,39,907Ha(39.35%of the total geographical area ofthestate)hasbeennotifiedunderSections3, 4 and5of thePunjabLandPreservation(PLPA)Act.Thisincludes100%areaofatleast11ofthe 22 districts includingPanchkula, Ambala, Yamunan-agar,Gurgaon,Farida-bad,Palwal,Mewat,Mahendragarh, Rewari,BhiwaniandCharkhiDadri,itsaid.Former IFSofficer RPBalwan

told The Indian Express: “PLPAcameintoexistence longagobutnobodytreatedareasnotifiedun-derSection3asforest...”Forestan-alystChetanAgarwalsaid:“...Ifthegovernment’s plea is acceptedthenthe‘forest’ tagtoAravallis inGurgaonandFaridabadandsouthHaryanawillbelost.”On the objections, a senior

Haryanagovernmentofficer re-fused to comment stating theyhavealready filedanaffidavit intheSC in this regard.

Thousandsof farmerssetoff to theborderscarryingbeddings,woollensandtents toaccommodatetheadditional rush.AmitMehra

RAAKHIJAGGALUDHIANA,NOVEMBER25

ASTHEprotest against the threefarm laws completes a year onFriday,hundredsoffarmersfromPunjabheadedtotheSinghuandTikriborders.The Union Cabinet

Wednesday cleared a bill to betakenupintheWinterSessionofParliament,beginningnextweek,to roll back the three laws, daysafter PrimeMinister NarendraModiannouncedthedecisiontorepealthem.Thefarmers’unionswelcomedthemovebutsaidtheywillcontinuetheagitationtillthegovernmentagreestotheirotherdemands,includinglegalguaran-teeforMSP.Thousands of farmers set off

totheborderscarryingbeddings,woollensandtentstoaccommo-datetheadditionalrush.“Wehavemadearrangements forwinters.Haqlayebinanahivapasaawange(wewill not returnwithout get-tingourrightfuldue),”saidMalanKaurfromBathindawhowaspartof theBKUUgrahanconvoy.Apart from taking the road

route,many boarded trains too.BKUUgrahan general secretarySukhdev Singh Kokrikalanclaimed that 1,055mini buses,878buses and290 trucks carry-ingfarmershaveleftforDelhi.The Samyukt KisanMorcha,

meanwhile, said its “historicstruggle”completesayearFridayand farmerswill mark it “withmassiveprotestsatDelhimorchasandthecapitalsanddistricthead-quartersofdistantstates...”

Total VacantHOSPITAL BEDS 13,507 13,331ICU BEDS 2,791 2,756

Cases Recoveries Deaths TestsNov24 35 20 0 54,268Nov25 30 32 0 55,930Total 309* 14,15,380 25,095 3,06,53,545

CORONAVIRUSIN THECAPITAL *T

otalactivecases

TOTAL CASES

14,40,784VACCINATIONS INLAST24HOURS

92,940

New Delhi

EXPRESSNEWSSERVICENEWDELHI, NOVEMBER25

THE DELHI High CourtThursday directed the DelhiPoliceto file the lateststatusre-port containing details of allcases registered in connectionwith the Northeast Delhi riotsand steps taken for their inves-tigation.The division bench of Chief

Justice D N Patel and JusticeJyoti Singh said it will hear onJanuary 28 the petitions con-nected to the2020violence in-cluding those seeking an inde-pendent SIT probe into theepisode and action against po-litical leaders who allegedlygavehate speeches prior to it.The court passed the order

afteroneof thepetitioners saidthe police report does not dis-close the requisite informationand an updated status reportneeds to be filed in thematter.Itwas also urged before the

court that a date should begiven for hearing cases thathave remained pending since2020.The Delhi Police in a status

report toldthecourt thata totalof 758caseswere registeredand 695 are being investi-gatedbytheNortheastDelhidistrictpolice.Asmanyas62casesweretransferredtotheCrimeBranchandthreeded-icated SITs have been set upto probe them, said police,adding that one of the casesalleging a larger conspiracyis being investigated by theSpecial Cell.Regarding the status of

the cases, police said as ofOctober4,chargesheetshavebeen filed in 361 cases andchargeshavebeenframedbythe trial courts in 67. Fourcases have also beenquashed by the High Courtandtheaccusedintwocaseshavebeendischarged.Anac-

quittal alsohas takenplace.Chargesareyet tobeframed

in287cases,asperthestatusre-port.Police claimed that all FIRs

havebeenorarebeing“investi-gated promptly, diligently andin accordance with law by theDelhi Police”.Rejecting the allegations

mentioned in the petitions, italso questioned their relianceon the report prepared bythe Delhi MinoritiesCommission and other fact-finding bodies.

EXPRESSNEWSSERVICEGURGAON,NOVEMBER25

ALL EDUCATIONAL institutionsincluding government and pri-vate schools inGurgaonwill re-openFriday, asperdirectionsoftheHaryanagovernment.Anor-der dated November 25 byDeputy Commissioner YashGarg, said all schools -- govern-ment and private — as well asothereducationalinstituteswillopen from Friday andwill haveto followCovidprotocols.Schools had earlier been

closed in Gurgaon, Faridabad,

Sonipat and Jhajjar fromNovember 14 to 17due to dete-riorating air quality in districtsaround Delhi-NCR. At the time,the government hadbanned alltypesofconstructionanddevel-opment activities and had alsoprohibitedstubbleburning.On November 17, the

Commission for Air QualityManagement (CAQM) had saidall private and governmentschools, collegesandotheredu-cationalinstitutionsinDelhiandother NCR cities shall remainclosed ‘until further orders’. Asper CPCB, the AQI in Gurgaonwas334(verypoor)onThursday.


ADAY after the Supreme Courttold the Delhi government tocontinueitsbanonconstructionand demolition, Chief MinisterArvindKejriwalsaidthegovern-mentwilltransferRs5,000eachinto the accounts of workers tohelp them tide over financialhardshipcausedby it.OnMonday,thegovernment

had lifted a nearly week-longbanonconstructionanddemo-litionbecauseofrisingpollutionlevels in the city — the AQI haddipped to the ‘severe’ range inthewholeofNCRlastweek.TheSupreme Court, however, toldthegovernmenttocontinuetheban,andthatitwouldreviewthesituationonMonday.“Wefollowalldirectionsand

observations made by theSupremeCourt.Wehavebannedconstruction again in Delhi to-day as per orders. Constructionactivity has been prohibited inDelhi formanydaysnow. Ihavegiven orders that Rs 5,000 eachbetransferredintotheaccountsofconstructionworkers.Wewillalsocompensateforthelosstheyhave suffered in minimumwages. We will set up specialcampstoregisterthoseworkerswho are not in the records yet,"Kejriwal said.Delhi’s air quality on

Thursdaywas in the 'very poor'range(AQIof400).Accordingto

theforecastbytheSystemofAirQualityandWeatherForecastingand Research (SAFAR), air qual-ity is expected to dip further onFriday and by Saturday andcouldfall inthe'severe'categoryagainafternearlyaweek.“Local surfacewinds are rel-

atively low for the next threedays. This reducesdispersionofpollutants, leading todeteriora-tion of air quality… On(November) 29, local surfacewinds are likely to increase re-sulting in improvement of airquality within the 'very poor'category. Local emissions andweatherarelikelytobethedom-inantfactorscontrollingairqual-ity.Effectivefirecountis219andits percentage share in Delhi'sPM2.5 is6%," Thursday's analy-

sis stated.Delhi EnvironmentMinister

GopalRai,meanwhile,saidcon-structionanddemolitionactivi-ties, which do not includeplumbing, interior decoration,electricwork,andcarpentry,willbebanned."Development work is also

important and there was animprovement in the pollutionlevels in Delhi after the initialban.Wearementallypreparedfor everything. If the situationimproves,wewill consider theprospect of re-opening. If itworsens, we will take neces-sary actions. Keeping thecourt's instructions in mind,construction and demolitionwork in Delhi have beenbannedonceagain.For thepast

week, because constructionand demolition work washalted, construction workershad been facing trouble. TheKejriwal government has nowdecidedtoprovide financialas-sistance to these workers. Forthis, we will work with theLabour Department and pre-pare an outline," Rai said.The Delhi government had

last year transferred Rs 5,000into accounts of cab and rick-shawdriversaswellasconstruc-tionworkers who had been hithardbecauseof thepandemic.Special registration drives

havebeenconducted in thecityfor construction workers aftertheDelhiHighCourtintervenedintheissueanditwaslearntthatthe registration of manywork-ers had expired andwasnot re-newed.In April 2020, there were

only about 40,000 registeredworkers in Delhi, down fromover 3 lakh in 2015. After thedrives, thereareover2lakhreg-isteredworkersnow.

Thursday’sAQIwas ‘verypoor’; theCMsaidspecial campswilbesetuptoregister thoseworkerswhoarenot intherecordsyet.AmitMehra

EXPRESSNEWSSERVICENEWDELHI, NOVEMBER25

DELHI ASSEMBLY’S Committeeon Peace and Harmony has is-suedsummonstoactorKanganaRanaut for her comments onSikhs purportedly made onInstagram. Noticeswere issuedto her on three different ad-dresses—atPaliHillandKhar—toappearinfrontofthecommit-teeonDecember6atnoon.“TheCommitteehasreceived

multiplecomplaintselicitingout-rageously offensive andderoga-tory Instagram stories/ posts al-legedlypublishedbyMsKanganaRanaut,thefilmactress,onherof-ficial Instagramaccount namely@kanganaranaut. According tothe complainants, the storiespublishedbyMsKanganaRanautonherInstagramaccount,whichhasamassive reachand isbeingfollowedbyaround80lakhpeo-pleworldwide, specifically illus-trates the instanceswhich hurtreligious sentiments of the Sikhcommunity andhas a tendencytodisturbthepeaceandharmonyofsociety,”astatementissuedbythecommitteesaid.“Given the gravity and im-

portanceofalltheseissuesintheNCTof Delhi, the committee on‘Peace andHarmony’ under theChairmanship of MLA RaghavChadha has summoned MsKangana Ranaut to appear be-fore the Committee so as to de-liberateonthepresentissueinamorecomprehensiveandcoher-entmanner. The summonswasissued and she has been calledto appear on 06.12.2021 at 12pm,” thestatementadded.Ranauthadpostedamessage

on Instagram after Prime

Minister Narendra Modi an-nouncedlastweekthatthefarmlaws, which farmers from sev-eralstateshadprotestedagainst,would be repealed. Calling pro-testers“Khalistaniterrorists”,shehadalsoalludedtothe1984anti-Sikhriots.AnFIRagainstherwasearlier filed inMumbai.The Peace and Harmony

CommitteewasformedaftertheNortheastDelhi riots in 2020, tolookintoincidentsthatcoulddis-rupt peace. Lastweek, the com-mitteequestionedFacebookoffi-cialsoverhatespeechandeffortsof theplatformtocounter it.While Facebookhad gone to

court against the summons, theSupremeCourtinJulyrefusedtoquashthembutsaidthecommit-teeshouldnotencroachintosub-jects reserved for the Centre —police and law and order. Thesesubjects areunder theCentre inDelhisinceitisnotafullstatebutaUTwithspecialpowers.Committee Chairperson

Raghav Chadha said the panelwasempoweredtolookinto“allsuchissues,happeningsetcthathavethepotentialtocausecom-munaldistressanddisharmonyandtodeepen fault lines”.Ranaut’s team did not re-

spondtoquestionsregardingthesummons.

AQI TODIPOVERNEXTTWODAYS

New Delhi: The Delhi govern-ment has formed a YamunaCleaningCell,whichwill includeofficials of all state governmentbodies thathavea role in clean-ingandmaintaining theriver.“In order to expedite inter-

departmental decisionmakingandexecution,wehaveformedaYamuna Cleaning Cell (YCC) to-day,headedbyCEO,DJBandrep-resentatives of all departmentsconcerned.Thiswillexpeditethe

Yamunacleaningprocess,”ChiefMinister Arvind Kejriwaltweeted.He had last week said that

his government will clean theYamunabeforethenextassem-bly polls in 2025. In a meetingheld on the issue Thursday, CMsaid work will be taken up onthis front with “same serious-nessandmindsetwhichwasap-plied to education and healthsectors”.ENS

Govt forms YamunaCell for cleaning river

Workers hit by constructionban to get Rs 5,000each

Assembly panelsummons KanganaRanaut over herremarks on Sikhs

KanganaRanaut(left);panelchairpersonRaghavChadha

DelhiPolice toldcourt758caseswereregisteredand695arebeing investigatedbyNEdistrictpolice.Archive

Schools in Gurgaonwill reopen today

GOVT OF NCT OF DELHI:

TRANSPORT DEPARTMENT

POLLUTION CONTROL DIVISION

5/9 UNDER HILL ROAD DELHI-110054

PUBLIC NOTICEATTENTION: VEHICLE OWNERS GOING FOR

REFUELING THEIR VEHICLES WITHOUT MANDATORY

POLLUTION CONTROL CERTIFICATE

1. The General public is hereby informed that it is mandatory for every

vehicle owner to carry a valid Pollution Under Control Certificate (PUCC)

to comply with the prescribed emission norms.

2. The Transport Department, Govt. of NCT of Delhi in its ongoing efforts to

control vehicular pollution and to improve Air Quality in Delhi, has

launched a massive enforcement drive against the vehicles, which do not

have valid PUC certificate, and against visibly polluting vehicles.

3. All Registered motor vehicle owners whose vehicles are more than 01-

year-old from the date of registration (except electric/ battery driven

vehicles) are requested to get their vehicle checked and obtain the PUC

certificate from the authorised PUC centres.

4. The PUC facilities are widely available at most of the petrol pumps and

Automobile Dealer workshops. The list of authorized pollution checking

centres is available at the website of the Transport department, GNCT of

Delhi. (www.https://transport.delhi.gov.in)

5. All the registered vehicle owners are requested to show/ display their

validly issued PUC certificate while filling fuel at the fuel stations.

6. The vehicle owners who fail to get the validly issued PUC certificate are

liable to be challaned under section 190 (2) of Motor Vehicle Act,1993 and

may lead to imprisonment up to 6 months or fine up to Rs.10,000/- or with

both. They will also be disqualified to hold their Driving license for 03

months.

Sd/-

Dy. Commissioner (PCD)

Transport DepartmentDIP/Shabdarth/D/0338/21-22


THECITYWWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM

0-50 Good

ANANDVIHARSevere

0 500

436AQIPM10

SIRIFORTVeryPoor

0 500

SHADIPURSevere

0 500 500

51-100 Satisfactory 101-200 Moderate 201-300 Poor 301-400 VeryPoor 401-500 Severe

IHBASSevere

0

406AQIPM10

412AQIPM10

380AQIPM10

FORECAST:Nov26Mainlyclearsky.Shallowfoginthemorning.

S K Y WA T C H

MAX: 282.5°Cbelownormal

MIN:110.3°Cbelownormal

HC seeks latest statusreport on riot cases

New Delhi


GOVT&POLITICSWWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM

DELHICONFIDENTIAL

TALENT SPOTTINGEVER SINCE Jitender Singh became Science and TechnologyMinister, he has had a unique additional duty. Parentswhobelievetheirchildrenhaveexceptionalscientificabilitieshavebeenvisitinghimathisresidence,withtheirchildren.Whileparents often exaggerate the abilities of their children, theministerwaspleasantlysurprisedwhenonesuchcandidatewas presented before him twomonths ago— a 15-year-oldboywhohasbeenbuildingrudimentarysatellitesathomeinhis Jammuvillage. Theminister immediately put the youngman in touchwith ISROwherehe isnowbeingmentored.

RAISING DAYFORTHE first time in itshistory, theBSFwill be celebratingits Raising Day on the India-Pakistan border. Sources saidHomeMinister Amit Shah has consented to be the chiefguest and will address the personnel on the border inJaisalmer on December 5. Incidentally, this is also the firsttimethatBSFwillbecelebratingitsRaisingDayfourdaysaf-ter it isusuallycelebrated.Sourcessaidthiswasdonetoen-sure Shah's presence.

PROJECT HARYANATRINAMOOL CONGRESS on Thursday appointed its RajyaSabha Deputy leader Sukhendu Sekhar Roy as the state in-charge of the party's Haryana unit. On Tuesday, formerHaryana Congress chief Ashok Tanwar had joined the TMC.ThiswillbetheTMC'ssecondforayintothestate. In2012,thepartyhadannouncedplanstoexpanditsbaseinnorthIndia,including Haryana. Former partyMP and industrialist K DSingh,whosebusinessinterestsarecurrentlyunderthescan-ner of the EnforcementDirectorate,was entrustedwith theresponsibilityof handling theexpansionproject then.

LIZMATHEWNEWDELHI,NOVEMBER25

IN AN indication of the govern-ment’sintenttorepealthethreecontentiousfarmlawsinthefirstweek of theWinter Session ofParliament, the ruling BJP onThursday issued a whip for itsmembers in Rajya Sabha to re-main present in House to sup-port the government throughthedayonNovember29.“AllBJPMPsinRajyaSabhaare

hereby informed that someveryimportantbusinesswillbeupfordiscussion and passing in theRajya Sabha onMonday the 29November2021.Allmembers oftheBJP inRajyaSabhaare, there-fore, requested to be positivelypresent intheHousethroughoutthedayonMonday,29Novemberand support the government'sstand,” said thewhip issued byShiv Pratap Shukla, the party'schiefwhipintheUpperHouse.The BJP MPs in Lok Sabha

havenot received anywhip yet.Sources in the government saidawhip is likely to be issued forthe party MPs in the LowerHousemembers toobySunday.TheWinterSessionbeginson

November 29 and is scheduledtoconcludeonDecember23.Asked if the whip for Rajya

Sabha indicates the govern-ment'smove to bring in the Billto repeal three farm laws in thefirstweek itself, aminister said,“Thisindicatesthegovernment'seagerness to keep the PrimeMinister'spromise to farmers.”The Farm Laws Repeal Bill,

2021 is expected to be tabled inthe firstweek itself to repeal theFarmers' Produce Trade and

Commerce (Promotion andFacilitation)Act,2020,theFarmers(Empowerment andProtection)Agreement of Price Assurance,FarmServicesAct, 2020, and theEssential Commodities(Amendment)Act,2020.Prime Minister Narendra

Modi announced lastweek thatthegovernmentwouldrepealthethreelawsagainstwhichfarmersof Punjab, Haryana and parts ofUttarPradeshhavebeenprotest-ing.PunjabandUttarPradesharegoing topollsearlynextyear.OnWednesday, the Cabinet ap-provedtherepealof thelaws.The move could force the

Opposition,whichappears tobekeenondiscussingthecontrover-sialBillsontheflooroftheHouse,tokeepasideits“disruptions”andjoin the debates. “And it couldstrengthen the possibility of aneffectivesession.Thegovernmentispreparedwithitscounterstrat-egyagainsttheOpposition'scrit-icism,”saidaBJPleader.Thegovernmenthaslisted26

new Bills, including one to cre-ate a facilitative framework toproduceofficialdigitalcurrency,for the four-week session. Thesession is also expected towit-ness introduction of theElectricity (Amendment) Bill tode-license power distributionand the Bills meant to extendtenure of the CBI and ED direc-torstofiveyearsfromtwoyears.Both the proposed legislationhave already drawn criticismfrom theOpposition.While thepresiding officers of both LokSabhaandRajyaSabhahavecon-venedameetingof floorleadersof all parties this weekend, thegovernment has also called anall-partymeetingonSunday.

EXPRESSNEWSSERVICELUCKNOW,NOVEMBER25

SAMAJWADI PARTY (SP) presi-dent Akhilesh Yadav onThursdayalleged that the Jewarairport inNoidawasbeingbuiltso that the government couldsell it later. Hemade the com-ments at a rally here on a dayPrimeMinister NarendraModilaid the foundation stone of theinternational airport.“Theyare laying the founda-

tion of the new airport so theycan sell it once it is built. If acountry sells its public assets,then what will happen to therights of people?Whatwill thecoming generations do? Howwilltheygetjobs?Whowillgivethem reservation?” Akhilesh

asked at the rally held atLucknow’s Ramabai AmbedkarPark. TheSP’sallyJanwadiParty(Socialist), which is headed bySanjay Singh Chauhan, organ-ised thepublicmeeting.“There is an airport nearby

thatwas owned by the govern-ment,butnowitisn’t. Ithasbeensold by the government... I readthe newspaper and saw that90,000 chairs have been put,where the PM, CM are goingwithallthepeopleinthegovern-ment... I am happy that all thechairs here at Sanjay SinghChauhan’sprogrammearefilledwithout him being in govern-ment. This shows how votingwill bedone this time.”Akhilesh said, “What are

these BJP people doing?Ononeside,theyarebuildinganewair-

port, while selling others.Willyoubelieve them?Whocanbe-lieve them? The BJP had oncegiven a slogan that those whowalk inhawai chappal [slippers]will travel inhawai jahaaz [aero-planes]. Howmany of you havetravelled in planes? They havesoldaeroplanesandairportstoo.”Referring to the SP’s alliance

withsmallerparties,Akhileshsaid,“TheSPhas tried tobringall par-tiestogether....This isthefightwewant to fight, and that iswhywehave been bringing togethereveryone...Whensomanypeoplearewithusandwehaveflagsofsomanycolours,thennootherpartycan have such diversity. TheSamajwadiswanttocreateabou-quet of different flowers. Theseone-colouredpeoplecannotbringdevelopmentorhappiness.”

EXPRESSNEWSSERVICEPANAJI,NOVEMBER25

OPPOSITIONPARTIEShavemis-led the nation about Covid vac-cination, said BJP national pres-identJPNaddatopartyworkersin Goa on Thursday. "There arenew (political) parties comingfrom far away. What did theysay? They said don’t take thisvaccine.Ithasnothadpropertri-als. It’s aModi vaccine! It’s aBJPvaccine!They’vealltakenitnow.

How did youlike theModivaccine?Howdid you likethe BJP vac-cine?Are yousafe from thevirus now...theymisledpeople.WhileopposingModiji, they

opposed the people of India.Now they come here to seekvotes. It is thedutyof thepeopleof Goa to give them a befittingreply and I am sure youwill dothat,"hesaid inBicholim.Nadda, who was on a two-

dayvisit to thepoll boundstate,hadarrivedhereonWednesday.OnThursday,headdressedpartyworkers inValpoi, theassemblyconstituencyofHealthMinisterVishwajitRaneandBicholim,theconstituency of Goa AssemblySpeakerRajeshPatnekar,bothinNorthGoa.Addressingpartyworkers in

Valpoi,Naddasaidnewpoliticalparties had come knocking onGoa’s doors ahead of theAssembly elections slated forFebruary,2022.


EXTERNAL AFFAIRSMinister SJaishankaronThursdaysaidthat“anyseriousconnectivity initia-tive must be transparent andconformto themostbasicprin-ciple of respect for sovereigntyandterritorial integrity”, inaref-erence to China's Belt and RoadInitiative (BRI).Jaishankarmadethesecom-

ments during a virtual addressat ameeting of the SCOCouncilof Heads of Government onThursday.IndiahasbeencriticalofBRI,

asthe$50-billioncorridorpassesthrough Pakistan-occupiedKashmir.Jaishankar also said that re-

peated attempts to deliberatelybring bilateral issues into theSCOviolatelaid-downprinciplesof the grouping, and suchcounter-productive acts shouldbe"condemned".HesaidIndiahasbeentaking

stepstooperationaliseChabaharportinIrantoprovidesecureandcommerciallyviableaccesstothesea forCentralAsiancountries.Indiahasproposedtoinclude

ChabaharportintheframeworkoftheInternationalNorth-SouthTransport Corridor (INSTC)while reaffirming NewDelhi'scommitment to “cooperate,plan, invest and build physicaland digital connectivity in theSCOregion”,hesaid.The eight-nation Shanghai

CooperationOrganisation(SCO)hasemergedasoneofthelargesttrans-regional international or-

ganisations. India and Pakistanbecameitspermanentmembersin2017.“IndiaconsiderstheSCOas an important regional groupto promote cooperation in vari-ous fields based on universallyrecognisedinternationalnorms,good governance, rule of law,openness, transparency andequality," Jaishankar said.“It isunfortunatetonotethat

there have been repeated at-tempts to deliberately bring bi-lateral issues into SCO. This vio-lates the well-establishedprinciplesandnormsof theSCOcharter,"hesaid.Pakistan attempted to raise

theKashmir issue at SCOmeet-ings on several occasions in thelast fewyears.“Such acts are counterpro-

ductivetothespiritofconsensusandcooperationthatdefinethisorganizationandshouldbecon-demned,” the External AffairsMinister said.Talking about economic

prosperity,hesaidIndiabelievesthat greater connectivity is aneconomic force-multiplier thathas acquired greater salience inthe post-Covid era. “However,any serious connectivity initia-tivemustbeconsultative,trans-parentandparticipatory. Itmustconformto themostbasicprin-ciple of international law— re-spect for sovereignty and terri-torial integrity,”headded.


EXTERNAL AFFAIRSMinister SJaishankar, hisChinese counter-partWangYiandRussianForeignMinisterSergeyLavrovwillholdtalks in the virtual format onFriday. Themeeting, being heldunder the Russia-India-China(RIC)trilateralframework,willbechairedbyJaishankar,MEAsaid.

"The18thmeetingof thefor-eign ministers of the RussianFederation,Republicof IndiaandPeople's Republic of Chinawillbe held in digital video-confer-ence format on November 26,"itsaid."Theforeignministersareexpected to discuss furtherstrengthening of RIC trilateralcooperation,includingexchangeofviewsonvariousregionalandinternational issues of impor-tance," theMEAsaid.

JAISHANKARATSCOCOUNCILMEET

Jaishankar to chair RIC meet today


THE CENTRE Thursday told theSupremeCourtthat itwill revisitthecriteriathat fixesalimitofRs8lakhinannualincometodeter-mine Economically WeakerSections(EWS)forthepurposeofextendingreservationbenefits.This was conveyed by

Solicitor General TusharMehtato a bench, headed by Justice DYChandrachud,whichhadear-lier asked the Centre to explainthe criteria it had employed toarrive at the figure. “In themat-ter, IhaveinstructionstosaythattheGovernmenthasdecided torevisit the criteria.Wewill for-mulate a committee and take afresh decision within fourweeks,”Mehtasaid.The bench, also comprising

Justices Surya Kant andVikramNath, is hearing a batch of pleaschallenging the July 29 notifica-tion of theMedical CounsellingCommittee (MCC) providing 27

percentreservationforOBCsand10percentquotatotheEWScat-egory in theNational Eligibilitycum Entrance Test (All IndiaQuota)foradmissiontopostgrad-uatecourses inmedicalcolleges.OnOctober21,theapexcourt

hadpointedoutthatRs8lakhwasalso the limit fixed for theOtherBackwardClasses (OBCs) quota,and said that people from thatcommunity “suffer from socialand educational backwardness”but “under the Constitutionalscheme,EWSarenotsociallyandeducationally backward”.Therefore, by having a similarschemeforboth,“youaremakingunequalsequals”, ithadsaid.On October 25, the Centre

hadassured theSupremeCourtthat counselling for NEET-PGcourses will not start until thecourt decides on the issue. OnThursday, Mehta informed thebench that the counsellingwillremain on hold during the fourweekswhen the revision exer-cisewill beundertaken.Appearingforthepetitioners,

Senior Advocate Arvind PDatarstated the admissions for thecurrent academic year had al-ready been delayed and soughtto know if the implementationof thequotacouldbepostponedto thenextacademicyear.ThebenchaskedtheSolicitor

General if the Governmentwouldwant to consider the op-tion. “What happens is thatweare at the end of November.Suppose you complete it by theend of December and then im-plementation,etc., andthenthetermswould begin only some-time in February-March. Twomonths, the students are losingtime.Thisissomethingyoumaywant to consider,” said JusticeChandrachud.The Solicitor General re-

sponded that the optionwouldbe to proceedwith the presentcriteria for the current year.“Deferring a Constitutionalamendment should be the lastresort,”hesubmitted.Justice Kant remarked that

“EWSisaprogressivereservation

buttheissueishowitcanbeim-plemented”. Datar said: “ThequestioniswhyisRs8lakhalimitfortheEWScategory.”Mehtare-spondedthattheGovernmentis“takingacallonthis”.JusticeChandrachudsaid:“If

theyhave todo it, let themdo itin a properway.We don'twantto push them in a situationwhere they do something in animproperway...youknowalltheproblems thatwe have noticedin our order. Four weeks is notunreasonably long. I am onlyworried that medical admis-sions and themedical year arebeingpostponed.”Hearingthepetitionsearlier,

the Supreme Court had askedtheCentretoexplainwhatexer-cise it had undertaken to arriveat the Rs 8-lakh annual incomecriteria to identify EWS eligiblefor reservation inmedical seatsunder NEET (AIQ). On October21,thecourthadsaid:“Youcan’tjustpull outRs8 lakh fromany-where.Theremustbesomedata.Sociological, demographic.”

Nadda in Goa:Opp mislednation aboutvaccine

WINTERSESSION

BJP issueswhiptoRSMPs, farmlawsrepeal likelyin firstweek

Foundation of Jewar airport laidonly to sell it later, says Akhilesh

SamajwadiPartychiefAkhileshYadavat therallyorganisedbyally JanwadiParty (Socialist)inLucknowonThursday.Vishal Srivastav

ExternalAffairsMinisterS Jaishankar

Eye on China’s BRI,India stresses ontransparency inconnectivity projects

EXPRESSNEWSSERVICELUCKNOW,NOVEMBER25

IN ANOTHER jolt to the BSP, itslegislature party leader ShahAlam, alias Guddu Jamali, onThursday resigned from thepartyandthestateAssembly.The two-term MLA from

Mubarakpur in Azamgarh saidhe did not intend to join anyotherpartyatthemoment.“IammentallydisturbedandIhavenointention of going to any partyright now. I will rest for a few

days,”hewasquotedassayingbyPTI. After his resignation,MayawatiinastatementclaimedthatAlamhadthreatenedtoquitifshedidnothelphiminapolicecaseregisteredbyawoman.TheBSPstatementread:“The

reason for Alam’s resignation isthatagirlworkinginhiscompanyhas levelled accusations againsthischaracter.Shehasalsolodgeda police complaint,which is be-ing probed. He himself toldmethis. After this, he was puttingpressure onme to speak to thechiefministerandgetthematter

closed.Hemetmeregardingthisrecently. I told him that itwas acasebyagirlandthatitwouldbegoodifhedoesn’tgetjusticeintheprobe,hecanapproachacourt.”Inhisresignationletter,Alam

thankedBSPchiefMayawati forgiving him an opportunity toservepeople and saidhewouldnot like tobea“burdern”ontheparty.“WithaheavyheartIhavetosaythatinameetingwithyouon November 21, I felt that de-spitemydedicationandhonestytowards the party, you did notseem satisfied. After thinking

about our conversation duringthemeeting, I felt that if I was aburdenonmy leader andparty,Iwouldnotlikethattocontinue.Hence, Iamresigningastheleg-islaturepartyleaderandanMLAas I won the election on a BSPticket,”wroteAlam.OnOctober30,sixMLAs,sus-

pended from the BSP, switchedto the SP. On June 3, MayawatiexpelledtwoprominentleadersLalji Verma and Ram AchalRajbhar for “indulging in anti-party activities”. Verma andRajbhar later joined theSP.

Another BSP MLA quits, Maya links it to case by woman

SOFIAHSANNEWDELHI,NOVEMBER25

DISMISSING A petition seekingabanonSalmanKhurshid’s lat-est book in which he equatesHindutva groups with terroroutfits Islamic State and BokoHaramofNigeria,theDelhiHighCourt Thursday said, “Nobodyhad asked them to read it. Theycould have shut their eyes andnot read it.”As the petitioner’s counsel

claimedthatthebookhadledto“communal incidents” at four

places, Justice Yashwant Varmasaid: "What canwedo if peopleare feelingsosensitive?”The courtwashearing ape-

tition filed by lawyer VineetJindal, arguing that the obser-vation by Khurshid in his bookSunriseoverAyodhyacouldleavetheHinducommunityagitatedand threaten security, peaceand harmony. Advocate RajKishore Choudhary, represent-ing Jindal, submitted that theparts of the book whereHindutvawas referred tomustbe removed.However, JusticeVarmasaid,

“Askpeoplenot tobuythebookorreadit.Otherwisepeoplewhoare very incensedwith ChapterVIshouldwritetheirownpiece...Tell everybody that the book isbadly authored, does not serveyour valuable time, read some-thingbetter."Thecourt earlierquestioned

the petitioner’s argument that

thebookviolatesArticle19(2)ofthe Constitution. “Article 19(2)empowers the government toplace a reasonable restriction.Thegovernmenthasnotplacedanyrestraintonthepublication,”said JusticeVarma.When Choudhary claimed

thatthebookhadcausedabreachof public peace and thiswason-going,thecourtaskedthecounseltostatewherethishadhappened.Choudhary then submitted that“itmaybepossible,nottodaybuttomorrow, somethingmayhap-pen as the contents are not rea-sonable”. Choudhary later sub-

mitted that “something” has al-readyhappenedinNainitalonac-countofthebook.Thecourtsaid,“WeareinDelhi!”In the petition, Jindal repro-

duced the excerpt from thechapter‘TheSaffronSky’,saying,“Sanatan dharma and classicalHinduism known to sages andsaintswasbeingpushedasidebyarobustversionofHindutva,byall standards a political versionsimilar to the jihadist Islam ofgroupslikeISISandBokoHaramof recentyears."Arguing that the statement

wasdefamatorytowardstheen-

tireHinducommunity,thepeti-tioner said it was the duty ofeachandeverycitizentotryandmaintainpeace.“Nobodyhastheright to impinge on the faith ofothers,”hesaid.A lower court hadearlier re-

fused to stop the publication ofKhurshid’sbookandsaidthataninjunctionwould lead to hard-ship for the publishers and alsocurtail the right of speech andexpression of the author. Thecourt had held that an excerptcould not be read in isolation,and the plaintiff can alwayspropagateagainst thebook.

Could shut eyes, not read: HC rejects plea to ban Khurshid bookInSunriseoverAyodhya,KhurshidequatesIS,Hindutva

Centre tells SC it will revisitRs 8 lakh EWS income norm

BJP presidentJPNadda

HARIKISHANSHARMANEWDELHI,NOVEMBER25

POLITICAL CONSENSUS is theway forward for introducingre-mote voting in India, ElectionCommissionof IndiaofficialsonThursday told a ParliamentaryStandingCommittee, it is learnt.It is learnt thatthepollpanel

officials made a power pointpresentationbeforetheStandingCommittee on Personal, PublicGrievances, Law and Justice,which is headed by BJP RajyaSabha member Sushil KumarModi. Officials from theLegislative Department werealsopresent in themeeting.Duringthemeeting,theoffi-

cialsexplainedtheconceptofre-mote voting and remote voter,international experience of re-motevoting,currentremotevot-ersinIndia,technologyrequiredforremotevoting,administrativelegalissuesandthewayforward,it is learnt. They also discussedthe problems associated withthe implementation of remotevoting.Remotevotingreferstoamechanismthatallowselectorstovotefromlocationsotherthanpollingstationsassignedtotheirregisteredconstituencies.Theofficialshighlightedthat

remotevotingmayrequirelegalchanges in electoral roll related

provision;pollingbooth,pollingofficials and territorial concept;conduct of elections; countingandelectoraloffences.It is learntthat thepollpanel

officials informed the commit-teethatbeingamatterof impor-tance, theECI isdeliberatingthematteronactivebasis.Itisimportantthatanysystem

ofremotevotinghastotakeintoac-count theconfidenceandaccept-abilityofallthestakeholdersoftheelectoralsystem—voters,politicalpartiesandelectionmachinery,theofficialsarelearnttohaveinformedthecommitteewhilepoliticalcon-sensusisthewayforwardtointro-duceremotevoting.The standing committee is

deliberating on key electoral re-formswhichhavebeenproposed,includinglinkingofAadhaarwithvoter ID.Thecommitteehasalsodecided to take up three otherproposed electoral reforms,whichincluderemotevoting;ac-tion against elected representa-tives filing false affidavits; andcommon electoral roll for con-ductingallelections fromvillagepanchayattoParliament.Thecommitteehastakenup

theremotevotingissueatatimewhentheECIplanstostartmap-ping the population of migrantworkers across the country toprepare a roadmap for its intro-duction.

Political consensus isway forward on remotevoting, House panel told

New Delhi

EXPRESSNETWORK 11WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COMTHEINDIANEXPRESS,FRIDAY,NOVEMBER26,2021

E-auction Sale Notice for Sale of Immovable Assets under the Securitisation and Reconstruction of Financial Assets and Enforcementof Security Interest Act, 2002 read with proviso to Rule 8(6) of the Security Interest (Enforcement) Rules, 2002.

Notice is hereby given to the public in general and in particular to the Borrower(s) and Guarantor(s) that the below described immovable propertymortgaged/charged to the Secured Creditor, the SYMBOLIC POSSESSION of which have been taken by the Authorised Officer of State Bankof India, the Secured Creditor, will be sold on “As is Where is”, As is What is” and “Whatever there is” basis on 31.12.2021 (Friday). Otherdetials of the e-auction are as under:

2nd Floor, Patna Main Branch Building, West Gandhi Maidan, Patna- 800001Ph. No. (Office): 0612-2219043, 2219385, Fax: 0612-2219385, E-mail: [email protected]

STRESSEDASSETSRECOVERYBRANCH

AUTHORISED OFFICERSTATE BANK OF INDIA, SARB, PATNA

Date : 25.11.2021Place : Patna

Sl.No.

Name ofBorrower(s)

Amount ofDemand(as per

SARFAESInotice)

Description of the property

Property ID: SBIN88270511885

Name ofMortgagor/Guarantor

Date of13(2)Date of13(4)under

SARFAESIAct

Reserve Pricebelow whichthe propertywill not be sold

EMDBid IncrementAmount

1. Mr. MusheerAhmed

Rs.28,33,116.00

as on20.07.2021with furtherInterest from21.07.2021plus other

charges, costsetc.

All that piece and parcel of Flat No.G-04, Block-A, on the GroundFloor measuring 910 Square Feet Super built up area approxand One Car Parking space on ground floor of the buildingknown as "Yash Laxmi's Dhanraj Tower" registered in thename of Mr. Museer Ahmad S/o Iftekar Ahmad vide Sale DeedNo.1031 dated 03/02/2015, situated at Mouza-Mainpur Shankar,Thana Code-144, Revenue Thana-Danapur, at Present P.S.-Rupaspur, bearing Thana No.24, Touzi No.5234, Khata No.157,Survey Plot No.753, Sub-Registry Office at Danapur, DistrictSub-Registry Office at Patna, District-Patna and in the stateof Bihar, with proportionate right in the land covered under theDevelopment Agreement of the Constructed flats and boundedas follows: Boundary of the Flat No.G-04:- North: Flat No.G-01,South: Set Back, East: Flat No.G-03, West: Set Back. Boundaryof the Land:- North: Branch Road, South: Survey Plot No.753,Sri Vinod Kumar, East: Apurva Sahkari Grih Nirman Samiti Ltd.Branch Road, West: R.P. Rajvanshi and othters.

Mr. MusheerAhmad S/oIftekar Ahmad

20/07/202126/10/2021

`30,25,000/-`3,02,500/-`10,000/-

E-AUCTION SALE NOTICE FOR SALE OF IMMOVABLE PROPERTIES

E-auction Terms and Condition1. Date & Time of e-auction: 31.12.2021 (Friday); Time: 120 Minutes. From 12:00 Noon to 02:00 P.M. with unlimited extension of10 Minutes each.

2. The auction sale will be "online through e-auction". The intending Bidders/Purchasers are required to participate in the e-Auction process ate-Auction Service Provider's website https://mstcecommerce.com/auctionhome/ibapi/index.jsp.

3. The intending Bidders/Purchasers are requested to register on portal (https://mstcecommerce.com/auctionhome/ibapi/index.jsp) using theirmobile number and email-id. Further, they are requested to upload requisite KYC documents. Once the KYC documents are verified by e-auctionservice provider (may take 2 working days), the intending Bidders/Purchasers have to transfer the EMD amount using online mode in his GlobalEMD Wallet before the e-Auction Date and time in the portal. The registration, verification of KYC documents and transfer of EMD in wallet mustbe completed well in advance, before the auction.

4. Earnest Money Deposit (EMD) amount as mentioned above shall be paid online through NEFT/Transfer after generation of Challan from(https://mstcecommerce.com/auctionhome/ibapi/index.jsp) in bidders Global EMD Wallet. NEFT transfer can be done from any ScheduledCommercial Bank, however for Transfer the bidder has to visit Indian Bank Branch. Payment of EMD by any other mode such as Cheques, etcwill not be accepted. Bidders, not depositing the required EMD online will not be allowed to participate in the e-auction. The Earnest MoneyDeposited shall not bear any interest.

5. MSTC Central Helpdesk Number (for any technical help): 033-40645207, 40609118, 40645316, 40602403, 40067351, 40628253. SBI contactno. (for property related enquirey): 9835645107/9507591883/8811060438.

6. The General Terms and Conditions of e-auction sale is available on the website: https://sbi.co.in/web/sbi-in-the-news/auction-notices/sarfaesi-and-others.

7. To the best of knowledge and information of the Authorised Officer, there is no encumbrance on the property/ies. However, the intending biddersshould make their own independent inquiries regarding the encumbrances, title of property/ies put on auction and claims/rights/dues/affectingthe property, prior to submitting their bid. The e-Auction advertisement does not constitute and will not be deemed to constitute any commitmentor any representation of the bank. The property is being sold will all the existing and future encumbrances whether known or unkwon to the bank.The Authorised Officer/Secured Creditior shall not be responsible in any way for any third party claims/rights/dues. The sale shall be subjectto rules/conditions prescribed under the Securitisation and Reconstruction of Financial Assets and Enforcement of security Interest Act, 2002.

This publication is also a 30 days notice to all the borrower/guarantors require under Rule 8(6) of Security Interest Enforcement Rules, 2002.NB: 30 days Sale Notice to Borrower/Guarantors has already been sent by Regd. Post at their last known address. In case they do not receivethe said notice then this E-auction sale Notice may be treated as substituted mode of service. The other terms and conditions of the e-Auction arepublished in the following websites. https://sbi.co.in/web/sbi-in-the-news/auction-notices/sarfaesi-and-others

PRESSTRUSTOFINDIASHAHJAHANPUR,NOV25

BJP’SSHAHJAHANPURMPArunKumar Sagarwas locked insidethe stadium premises here onThursdaybylocalsportspersonswhowereprotestingagainstthenon-payment of promised re-wards to their winning teams.With stadium gates locked bytheprotestingsportspersons,theBJP leader had to stay confinedin the stadium premises forsometimebeforebeingrescuedby thepolice.During the Shahjahanpur

MP’s visit to the stadium for asportsevent,theprotestersraisedslogans and tore banners and

posters put up towelcomehim,said the police. They also lockedthestadiumgatefromoutsideforsome time. Sagarwas escortedoutbyapoliceteam.ASP(City)SanjayKumarsaid

the police forcewas sent to thestadiumwhenhereceivedinfor-mationabouttheproteststhere.“The sportspersons were paci-fiedandtheMPwas taken fromthere,” theASPsaid.Sagarbrushedofftheincident

saying “the sportspersonswereenthusiastic”.Healsodeniednon-payment of themoney, saying,“Thosewhowongottheaward.”The protesters alleged that

despite theMP’s promises theirwinning teams have not re-ceivedanymoney.

ENS&PTIKOLKATA,NEWDELHI,NOVEMBER25

SENIOR REVOLUTIONARYSocialist Party (RSP) leader andthree-timeMPAbani Roy,whowas the face of the Left Front inDelhi during theUPA-1 govern-ment,diedatDelhi'sRMLHospitalonThursdayataround11am.Hewas84.Royhadbeenbedriddensince2016afterabrain stroke.Roy had been staying at RPS

MPN K Premachandran's resi-dencesincehisretirementfrom

Parliament and active politicsfollowingpoorhealth.His body was taken to

Premachandran's residencewhereLeftleaderspaidtheirlasttributes. The cremation tookplace in theevening.Expressinghercondolences,

West Bengal Chief MinisterMamata Banerjee tweeted:

"Deeplypainedtohearaboutthedemiseofveteranleaderandfor-mer Rajya SabhaMP Shri AbaniRoy. Sincere condolences to hisfamilyand lovedones."Associated with the RSP

since the age of 20 in 1959, Roywas themember of its CentralSecretariat, besides being thegeneralsecretaryof thepartyforabriefperiod.Hisfirst forayintoelectoral politics was in 1978,when he was elected to theKolkataCorporation.Heenteredthe Rajya Sabha in 1998 and re-tiredinAugust2011.HewaspartofthetopLeftleadershipthaten-

gaged with the Congress-ledUPAwhen the Left parties sup-ported the Manmohan Singhgovernment fromoutside.While an RSP loyalist all his

life,Royresignedfromthepartyin 2009 when a section of itsleadersobjectedtohiswritingtothenprimeministerManmohanSingh demanding that the gov-ernment disallow the deal be-tweenBhartiTelecomandSouthAfrican telecommajorMTN.Roy also wrote to Singh on

thedisputebetweentheAmbanibrothers--AnilandMukesh.Roylaterwithdrewhis resignation.

ENS&PTILUCKNOW,SITAPUR,NOVEMBER25

USINGA cricket analogy, seniorBJPleaderandDefenceMinisterRajnathSinghonThursdayindi-cated thathispartywantsChiefMinisterYogiAdityanathtocon-tinueandensureapartyvictoryin the coming Assembly elec-tions inUttarPradesh.Referring to a recent photo-

graph of Prime MinisterNarendraModiwithAdityanath,Singhsaid thePMappears tobewhisperingintheCM'sear,“justkeepbattingYogijiandtheBJP'swin isassured”.Singh was speaking at a

meetingofBJPbooth-levellead-ers inSitapur.CallingtheCentre'sdecisionto

repealthethreecontentiousfarmlaws an “example of PMModi's“badappan” (big-heartedness),Singh said that BJP considersfarmers as “God” and canneveropenfireatthemorharassthem.“We consider farmers as

God... The three farm lawswereclearedbyParliament,butPrimeMinisterNarendraModishowedhislargeheartanddecidedtore-peal them... Our Governmentcannotorderfiringonfarmersorharassthem...Ourpartyisalwayssensitivetowardsfarmers,that'swhy our primeminister has re-pealedthefarmlaws,”hesaid.

Accusing the OppositionSamajwadi Party of playing “di-visive politics” by invoking“Muhammad Ali Jinnah whowas responsible for thePartition”.“Aselectionsapproach, they

(Samajwadi Party) took out thespirit of Jinnah from the bottle.What was the need to talk ofsomeone like him in UttarPradesh politics, who was re-sponsible for the division of thecountry...EventheMuslimcom-munity has condemned the SPfor this,” Singh said, referring toSPchiefAkhileshYadav's recentremarkwherehetookthenameof Jinnah alongwithMahatmaGandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru,SardarVallabhbhaiPatelasthosewhohelpedget India freedom.“Unlike other parties, BJP

does not believe in coming topowerbydividingthecountryinthenameofcaste,creed,andre-ligion,”headded.Singh,whoisalsotheBJPMP

from Lucknow, accused theOpposition Congress and SP ofordering firing at farmers andRambhakths(devoteesofRam).Calling the previous SP govern-ment one of "goons" and“mafia”, Singh said that todaythe same goons andmafia areafraid of chief ministerAdityanath.He also praised Adityanath

for “exemplaryhandling”of theCovidsituation.

MANISHSAHULUCKNOW,NOVEMBER25

RETIREDJUSTICERakeshKumarJain,whowas appointed by theSupreme Court tomonitor theSIT probe, on Thursday visitedthe spot in Lakhimpur Kheriwhere eight persons, includingfour farmers, were killed onOctober3.Three IPS officers —

Additional Director General SBShiradkar, Inspector GeneralPadmaja Chauhan, and DeputyInspector General PreetinderSingh, whowere incorporatedinto the SIT on the direction ofthe Supreme Court — also ac-companied Justice Jain.Union Minister of State

(Home) Ajay Mishra's son,Ashish, istheprimeaccusedandis currently in jail.“Justice (retired) Rakesh

Kumar Jainandthe three IPSof-ficers laterwent to Banveerpur,the ancestral village of UnionMinister AjayMishra. They re-mainedthereforaroundanhourandlaterreturned,”saidaseniorofficial inLakhimpurKheri.While the farmers alleged

thatAshishMishrawasinoneofthe SUVs that allegedlymoweddown four farmers and a localjournalistatTikoniacrossing,theminister's sonhad claimed thathewas at Banveerpur village atthe time of the incidentwatch-ing a wrestlingmatch. Tikoniacrossing is around 2 km fromBanveerpurvillage.Meanwhile,thestategovern-

mentwithdrewthenotificationto appoint retired AllahabadHighCourtjudgeJusticePradeepKumar Srivastava to the single-member probe commission.This came in the wake of theSupreme Court appointingJustice (retired) Rakesh KumarJain tomonitor theprobe.TheSIThassofararrested13

persons into the killing of fourfarmers and a journalist. Fourpersons have been arrested forthekillingoftwoBJPleadersanda driver of SUVMahindra TharownedbyAjayMishra.

PARTHASARATHIBISWASPUNE,NOVEMBER25

AFTEREDIBLEoils,pricesofstaplevegetables including onions,tomato,brinjal,cauliflower,bittergourd, and cabbage, have risensharply over the last one year.Edible prices, as reported in TheIndianExpressearlier thismonth,haveincreasedby15-20percentsincelastyear.In theMadanapalle tomato

wholesale market in AndhraPradesh’sChittoordistrict,tomatopricessoaredtoRs130akg;ithadtouched a high of Rs 100 last in2016. In the Azadpurmandi inDelhi, itsmaximumpricenowisRs72akgcomparedwithRs40akglastNovember.With elections in five states

just a fewmonths away, higherfood inflation, especially risingvegetablepricesmaygainpoliti-cal traction. Prices ofmost veg-etablepriceshaveappreciatedby15-20percentacrossthecountry,andtheyareexpectedtorisefur-

ther till the next picking inDecember.Farmersandtradersattribute

theincreaseinpricestotheheavyspellofrainsinSeptemberandtheresultantcroploss.“OnTuesday, only 90 tonnes

oftomatoesarrivedinthemarket.Comparedwith400-500 tonnesof the vegetable arriving everyday,normalarrivalhasreducedto300-350tonnes,” saida trader inMadanapalle,whichisoneof thelargest tomato markets in thecountry.RetailpricesreportedbytheNationalHorticulture Board(NHB)showsthatmostcitiesareselling thevegetablebetweenRs

70-80/kg.InplaceslikeBengaluru,tomatopriceshavedoubledtoRs66akg.TheNHBdata also reveals a

month-over-monthprice rise inpeas, brinjal, bitter gourd, okra,cabbage, andcaulifloweraswell.Rains in SeptemberhadaffectedthekharifonionsinNashikwhichweretohitthewholesalemarketsinNovember. Overall, the pricerise in vegetables has been be-tween20percentand50percentwith growing centres likeMaharashtra,Telangana,Gujarat,Andhra Pradesh andKarnatakareporting a slightly lower pricerise comparedwith consuming

sectorslikeWestBengal,Biharetc.After a slightly delayed start,

themonsoon this year lagged inJuly, andpickeduppost August.September proved to be awetmonth with most parts of thecountry recordingextreme rain-fall.TheserainscausedmajorcropdamagereportedinMaharashtra,Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh,Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, andTelangana.ShriramGhadave,Presidentof

VegetableGrowersAssociationofIndia (VGAI) said the Septemberrainswere detrimental for veg-etable crops. “These are cropswhichfarmerscultivateforashortspanof 3-4months. The rains inSeptemberdamagedthenurseryplantationoftomatoeswhichwastostartyieldinginNovember.Dueto the heavy rains, the nurseryplantations in Maharashtra,AndhraPradesh,Telanganaweredamagedandthelowerarrivalsinwholesalemarkets ispushinguptheretailprices,”hesaid.Ajit Korade, a farmer who

grows vegetables in Phaltan

taluka of Satara district inMaharashtra, blamed last year’slower prices of tomatoes andsomeothervegetables forwean-ing away farmers fromgrowingvegetables. “Earlier this year,prices touchedrockbottomwithfarmerssellingtomatoesforRs2-3/kg. Since then,many farmershavediverted theirholding fromtomatoes toothercrops likesoy-abeanorsugarcane.Wefeelveg-etablepricerisewill continue forsometime,”hesaid.In Delhi, onion prices have

risenRs15-20akg toRs20-25akginjustoneweek.“Delhiprima-rilygetsitssupplyofonionsfromRajasthan, Haryana, MadhyaPradesh andMaharashtra. ThewholesalepriceofonionhasrisenfromRs15-20perkgtoRs20-25perkg in the last oneweek itself.This is due to the rise in dieselpricesandunseasonalrainswhichdamagedcrops,"saidHajiYamin,President of the Okhla MandiOnionTraders’Association.

WITHINPUTSFROMSOURAVROYBARMANINNEWDELHI

AbaniRoywas84

Abani Roy, key Left Front face in UPA-1, dies

Rajnath bats forUP CM, says BJP issensitive to farmers

DefenceMinisterRajnathSinghatanevent inUttarPradesh’sSitapurdistrictonThursday.PTI

RajasthanCMAshokGehlotatanevent tomarkthedeathanniversaryofCongress leaderAhmedPatelatAnkleshwar inGujaratonThursday.Duringhisvisit,Gehlot flagged ‘Covidmismanagement’ inGujarat.“TheCovid-19 impactwassohorrible that theentireGujaratgovernmentsteppeddownandwasreplacedwithnewministers recently.ThisshowsPrimeMinister (NarendraModi)andHomeMinister(AmitShah)areafraidof thepublicmoodduetothestate’smismanagementof thepandemic inGujarat,”Gehlottoldreporters inSurat. PTI

IN MEMORYOF PATEL

Sportspersons lock BJP MP instadium over ‘unpaid’ reward

Farmersblamecrop lossduetodelayedrainsandhigh fuelprices for lowerarrivals inmandis

After edible oils, vegetablepricessoar

E●EXPLAINED

Pricesmayrise intheshortterm

FOODINFLATION,especiallyhigherpricesofvegetables, isalmost likeataxonthecommonperson’s income.Whilethepickingsnextmonthwill likelysoftenprices, theimpactofacut indieselpricesbytheCentreandstates,maybringrelief.But itmaynotfullyoffsettheimpactofa latemonsoon.

Retired judgevisits spot ofdeaths, MoSMishra’s village

LAKHIMPURKHERI

New Delhi

EXPRESSNETWORK12 WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COMTHEINDIANEXPRESS,FRIDAY,NOVEMBER26,2021

OFFICE OF THE EXECUTIVE ENGINEER (WB)-IDELHI JAL BOARD: GOVT. OF N.C.T. OF DELHI

ROOM NO. 31, B-BUILDING, JHANDEWALAN, NEW DELHI-110005.Phone: 09558007601, E-mail Id:- [email protected]

“STOP CORONA, WEAR FACE MASK, FOLLOW PHYSICAL DISTANCING, MAINTAIN HAND HYGIENE”

PRESS NIT No. 10/WB-I/2021-22

Further details in this regard can be seen at https://govtprocurement.delhi.gov.in

Sl.No.

Name of Work Estimated ContractValue (ECV)/ Amount

put to tender

EarnestMoney(EMD)

TenderFee

Date of Release of tenderin E- Procurement

Solution & Tender ID No.

Last Date/ Time ofreceipt of tender E-

Procurement Solution

01 Construction of 15 MGDeffluent pumping station atPappankalan STP Phase-IIunder EE(WB)-I (Civil Work)

Rs. 54,79,156/- Exempted ` 1000/- 24.11.20212021_DJB_211469_1

20.12.2021At

03:00 PM

Sd/-EXECUTIVE ENGINEER (WB)-I

ISSUED BY P.R.O. (WATER)Advt. No. J.S.V. 654 (2021-22)

GOVERNMENT OF ODISHADEPARTMENT OF WATER RESOURCES OFFICE OF

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Tel No. 06760-266333 e-Mail: [email protected] No.CEBBS-AID-05/2021-22 ( Bid Identification No. BBS-AID-ISS-05 of 2021-22)

NOTICE INVITING TENDER

Online tenders are invited for Construction of Instream Storage Structureacross River Samakoi near village Santeibhanja on EPC Contract .

A-654

A. PERIOD OF AVAILABILITYOF BIDDING DOCUMENT.

Dt.01.12.2021 from 10.00 AM toDt.15.01.2022 up to 5.00 PM

B. TIME AND DATE FOR PRE-BID CONFERENCE

Dt. 15.12.2021 at 11.30 AMOffice chamber of the CE & BM,Brahmani Basin, Samal. (VirtualMode)

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Dt. 15.01.2022 up to 5.00 PM

D. PLACE OF SALE, RECEIPTOF BIDS

Online through e-procurement.

E. TIME AND DATE OFOPENING OF TECHNICALBID

Dt. 17.01.2022 at 11.30 AM

F. PLACE OF OPENING OFBIDS

Office chamber of the CE& BM.Brahmani Basin, Samal.At/Po- Samal Barrage Township.Dist-Angul, Odisha, India,Pin-759037

G. Further details can be seen from e-procurement portal“https://tendersodisha.gov.in”

Sd/-Chief Engineer & Basin Manager,

Brahmani Basin, Samal.

OIPR-32046/110005/2122

Name of Work Class/EMD /Tender Fee /Period ofcompletion

Construction ofInstream StorageStructure acrossRiver Samakoi nearvillage Santeibhanjaon EPC Contract

(1) Class - Super class or equivalent Bidders.(2) EMD- Only the Bid Security Declaration to be

furnished instead of EMD / Bid Security.(3) Tender Fee- Rs 10,000/- to be transferred

online (Non Refundable)(4) Period of Completion 24 (Twenty-four)

calendar months including monsoon season

NOTICEBOARD CORPORATE ASSOCIATE DIARY E V E N T S , H O N O U R S

TP-DDL has been honoured with the 'Battery Storage Projectof the Year' Award at the 17th Asian Power Awards. Thecompany has been conferred with this award for installingIndia’s first grid-connected Community Energy Storage Sy-stem at Rani Bagh, New Delhi in association with Nexcharge.

INDIANOIL has supplied 201 TMT, over 90% of the bitumenrequired, including crumb rubber modified bitumen (CRMB),for the construction of the landmark Purvanchal Express inUttar Pradesh. The products were manufactured at IndianOil’sMathura and Panipat refineries. IndianOil reiterated itscommitment to sustainable development by recycling onelakh discarded tyres for producing CRMB required for theproject, thereby reducing 3200 MT (metric tonnes) approx. ofCO2 emissions.

The Ganga Connect Exhibition was inaugurated in Oxford, UK.The Oxford India Centre for Sustainable Development (OICSD)at Somerville College, Oxford University played host to the ex-hibition currently going on in the UK.

GANGA CONNECT EXHIBITION - NMCGSBI, Local Head Office, New Delhi, recently organized the In-ter Circle Hockey Tournament, in which 10 Circle teams ofthe Bank participated. The program was inaugurated by Ami-tava Chatterjee, CGM, Delhi Circle.

HOCKEY TOURNAMENT - SBIThe31stLalBahadurShastriHockeyTournamentwaswonbythe IndianRailways team.ManjuShastri, daughter-in-lawofLalBahadur Shastri, gave the cash award of Rs. 25000/- to themax. goal scorer of the tournament Pardeep Singh of IR.

HOCKEY TOURNAMENT-LAL BAHADUR SHASTRI

Study tours were organized by ONGC Tripura Asset’s oil-field Installation on 11 and 15 November 2021, for around100 students from Kendriya Vidyalaya, ONGC NorthColony, Agartala.

STUDY TOUR – ONGC

Municipal Corporation under the guidance of Municipal com-missioner Korba, Kuldeep Sharma, constructed a road byreusing plastic waste and adopted an innovative techniqueto curb the environmental issue caused by plastic.

INITIATIVE – MNC KORBA

POWERGRID, under its CSR initiative in Northern Region-I, hasprovided financial assistance amounting to Rs. 3.5 Crs under ajoint CSR support by Power Sector CPSE’s towards rehabilita-tion & restoration of the disaster-stricken state of Uttarakhand.

CSR – POWERGRID – NR-IIn a major development, a tripartite settlement for wage revisionof MOIL workers was signed between management of MOILand the representatives of the recognized union, in presence ofChief Labour Commissioner, GoI.

TRIPARTITE SETTLEMENT – MOIL

Smriti Zubin Irani, Minister of Women & Child Development, GOIinaugurated IFCCI's third edition of CSR Conclave & Awards on24th Nov. 2021 as the Chief Guest & H.E. Emmanuel Lenain,Ambassador of France to India attended as the Guest of Honor.

CONCLAVE & AWARDS – IFCCI CSR

TheRecoverysectionofCanaraBankCircleOfficeDelhi organ-ised Mega SARFAESI Expo at New Delhi to give wide publicityto the properties put on auction under SARFAESI Act by theBranches. BM Sharma, ED of the Bank inaugurated the event.

SARFAESI EXPO – CANARA BANK

Kiriburu Iron Ore Mines and Meghahatuburu Iron Ore Minesrecently received 5-star rated awards for sustainable miningpractices and all round performance in the Iron Ore cate-gory at the 5th National Conclave on Mines & Minerals.

AWARD – SAILIndianOil celebrated World Fisheries Day across the country felic-itating key stakeholders of the nation’s Fisheries sector, includingfishing communities & government officials. Stakeholders werealso felicitated on behalf of SM Vaidya, Chairman, IndianOil.

CELEBRATION - INDIANOIL

OMKARGOKHALEMUMBAI,NOVEMBER25

OBSERVING THAT "death putsendtotheconceptofrepentance,sufferingsandmentalagony",theBombayHighCourtonThursdaycommutedto life imprisonmentthe deathpenalty given to threemenfoundguiltyofgangrapingaphotojournalistintheabandonedShaktiMillsincentralMumbaionAugust22,2013.Setting aside the death sen-

tence,theHCobserved,"Womenarethebackboneofeverynationandtherefore,theydeservetheirduerespectandhonour.Honourand respect forwomen are themarksofacivilisedsociety.Itmayappear to thepublicat large thatwe play a countermajoritarianrole.However,theConstitutionalcourtsareboundtotakeintocon-sideration the judicialmandatenotbyconsideringjustindividualrights or the rights of the crimi-nal, but to follow 'the procedureestablishedbylaw'."It added, "Wewouldobserve

thatSection376E(deathpenaltyforrepeatoffendersofrape)oftheIPC is not a substantive offence,but is a punishment contem-plated for repeat offenders...Death puts an end to thewholeconcept of repentance, any suf-ferings andmental agony... Thestatute has not prescribed

mandatory death penalty.Although the offence is barbaricandheinous, it cannot be said atthe threshold that the accuseddeserve only death penalty andnothinglessthanthat. "Section 376E of the IPCwas

addedthroughtheCriminalLaw(Amendment) Act, 2013,whichwas introduced following the2012Delhigangrapecase.In March 2014, a sessions

court in the city had awardeddeathsentencetothethreemen— Vijay Mohan Jadhav,Mohammad Kasim ShaikhBangali andMohammed SalimAnsari. The threewere also sen-tenced to life by the same courtinanothergangrapecase,thatofa19-year-oldtelephoneoperatorinside ShaktiMills in July 2013.The trials inboth thecaseswereheldsimultaneouslyandconvic-tionhandedoutthesameday.Lastmonth, adivisionbench

of Justice Sadhana S Jadhav andJusticePrithvirajKChavanof theHigh Court began hearing thedeath confirmation referencepleabythestategovernmentandappealbytheconvictsagainstthetrial courtorder inthecase.Advocates Yug Mohit

Chaudhry and Payoshi Roy forthe convicts submitted that thetrial court order was based onwrong application of Section376E of the IPC,which providesthe death penalty for repeat of-

fendersconvictedforoffencesofrape, gangrape and murder.Chaudhry argued that Section376Ecanbeappliedonlyifacon-vict has once undergone sen-tenceandifheorshehadoppor-tunity to reformbutcommittedrepeatedoffence,whichwasnotthecase in thepresentmatter.Chaudhryhadsubmittedthat

thetrialwasconductedinanun-fairmannerwithinadequateop-portunitytothedefencetomakesubmissions on framing ofchargeunderSection376EofIPCandonquantumofsentence.Hesaid the convictswere deprivedof basic fundamental rights,pointing to their impoverishedbackgroundsandyoungage.Justice Sadhana Jadhavwho

authored the 108-page judge-ment,noted,"Theconvictsdeservethepunishment of rigorous im-prisonmentforlifeie.thewholeoftheremainderof theirnaturallifeinorder to repent for theoffencecommittedbythem.Theconvictsinthepresentcasedonotdeservetoassimilatewiththesociety,asitwouldbedifficult to survive in asociety of such men who lookuponwomenwithderision, de-pravity, contempt andobjects ofdesire... The conduct of the ac-cused,andtheirboldconfessiontothesurvivorthatsheisnotthefirstonetosatisfytheirlust,issufficienttohold that there is no scope for'reformation'or'rehabilitation'."


CBI SPECIAL Director PraveenSinhawas on Thursday electedasadelegateforAsiaontheexec-utivecommitteeof the Interpol,cappingan"intense"and"well-coordinated" campaign acrossthe world by India, officialsources said.Theelections forvariouspo-

sitions for the top panel wereheldattheongoing89thInterpolGeneralAssembly in Istanbul. Ithas 13 mem-bers,includingthe presidentand three vicepresidents,apart fromnine dele-gates. Allmemberscomefrom differentcountries tokeep the geo-graphicbalance.Among the delegates, Sinha

will sit with representativesfrom Sudan, Argentina, China,USA, UK, Kenya, Spain andTurkey. The committee isheaded byUAEwith vice presi-dents coming from Nigeria,Brazil andCzechRepublic."This was a tough election

with India running against fourother contestants from China,Singapore,RepublicofKoreaandJordan for two posts," said asource. Sources in the CBI saidearlier two CBI directors havebeen elected as vice presidentsof thecommittee. "Asvicepres-ident, you are in charge of a re-gion and represent its interestsinthecommittee. It isanimpor-tant post. I am not aware of thefunctionsofdelegates,"aformerCBIdirector said.Sinhaisa1988batchIPSoffi-

cer of the Gujarat cadre. Afterthen CBI director Rishi KumarShuklaretiredinFebruary,Sinhawasmade the interim directorbefore Subodh Jaiswal was ap-pointedasregulardirectoroftheagency inMay. He has had twostints in the CBI in the past twodecades.

NewDelhi:TheNIAonThursdayfiled a chargesheet against pro-scribed Khalistan terroristHardeep Singh Nijjar of BabbarKhalsa International (BKI) in acase of conspiracy to committerroristactsagainstIndia.Nijjar,fromJalandharinPunjab, iscur-rentlybased inSurrey,Canada.“Thecasepertainstoaconspir-

acy hatched byHardeep Singh

Nijjarofproscribedterroristorgan-isation Babbar KhalsaInternational andothers to carryoutterroristactsinIndia,”theNIAsaid in a statement. “Heused tosend funds to India...fordevelop-inganetworkofsympathisersfortargetedkillingsinPunjabandwastrying to arrange ammunitionfromhisPakistan-basedassociatesforhisnefariousplans.” ENS

ALIFIYAKHANPUNE,NOVEMBER25

OFFLINECLASSES for pri-maryschoolstudentswillbegin in Maharashtrafrom December 1, stateSchoolEducationMinisterVarsha Gaikwad an-nouncedonThursday.In-person classes for

primary school studentshavenottakenplacesinceMarch 2020, when thefirst lockdowndue to theCovid-19 pandemic was

announced.In a meeting on

Thursday, the state cabi-net took the decision toreopen schools fromClass1 to4 in rural areas,and from Class 1 to 7 inurban areas fromDecember 1.The decision came a

day after MaharashtraHealth Minister RajeshTopehadannouncedthatthe state Covid task forceforchildrenhadapprovedthe reopening of schoolsforClasses1 to7.


THE NARENDRAModi govern-menthasestablishedpeaceandpolitical stability in the North-East to create an atmosphere ofinvestment in theregion,HomeMinister Amit Shah said onThursday."Today all governments in

theNorth-Easthavefullmajor-ity. The BJP-led NortheastDemocraticAlliance(NEDA)isheading all the eight govern-ments in the region. Peopleofthe region have acceptedModijiandgiven19of24seatsintheregiontotheBJP.Of498MLAs in the region, 350 arefromNEDA,” Shah said,whileaddressing a gathering of in-dustrialists under the aegis ofIndianChamberofCommerce.“If any place needs indus-

trial growth, it will need peace,politicalstability,andanenviron-ment for growth. This is the en-vironment that the BJP govern-menthascreatedintheregioninthepastsevenyears,”hesaid.He said development of the

eastcannotbe imaginedwithoutthe development of theNorth-

East.BeforeIndependence,hesaid,the per capita income inAssamwasthehighestinthecountryandhis governmentwasworking tobringitbacktothatlevel.“I am telling you, in 2024

whenwegotothepeopletoseektheir votes, every capital in theregionwill be connected to anairport. Earlier, therewere onlytwo.Oftheeightstates,sevenareconnectedwith the railways to-day and several national high-ways have been built. Between2014and2021,Rs2,65,513crorehas been spent only on infra-structure.Inthepastsevenyears,thebudgetoftheNorth-Easthasbeendoubled,”Shahsaid.“PleaselookattheNorth-East

once...Iknowinvestmentsarenotmade on emotions. But the at-mosphere you need for invest-menthasbeencreatedthere.Itisthe right time to invest in theNorth-East,”hesaid.

SHAKTIMILLSGANGRAPE

Deathpenaltycommutedto life term:HCsays ‘deathputsendto repentance’

Modi brought stability to N-E,time to invest in region: Shah

AmitShahaddresses thesessionon ‘Bharatat75-EmpoweringN-E India’, inDelhi,Thursday. PTI

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NIA files charges againstKhalistan terrorist Nijjar

Maharashtra: Offline classesfor junior classes from Dec 1

CBI specialdirector electedto Interpolcommittee

PraveenSinha. Twitter

New Delhi

EXPRESSNETWORK 13WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COMTHEINDIANEXPRESS,FRIDAY,NOVEMBER26,2021

‘Important to minimize carbon footprint,but India can’t shed coal for next 25 yrs...’

On the recent shortage of coal forthermal power plants:The problem of coal shortage during the

monsoonmonths is not uncommon. That hashappened inthepast.Twofactorshavemade itdifferent this time. One is the very sudden in-creaseinthermalpowerconsumption.Fromthe5-6percentgrowththatwehavebeenmanag-ingoverthelastmanyyears,wesuddenlyfinda9-10 per cent kind of growth— 17-18 percentover thesameperiodof2019—sothat isa littlebit of a spike. Two, which is perhaps a biggerproblem,isthatabout20-25percentof thecoalusedisimported,andpriceshavesuddenlyshotthroughtheroof.ThatwasprimarilybecauseofimportsbyChina,andifChinasneezestheworldwill have fever. Priceswent upwards and therewas a halt in imports that were supposed tocome[toIndia]...Thataddedtothedomesticcoaldemand, and thedemand-supplygap.Also,therootsofthecrisisliethree-fouryears

inthepast.Asortofcomplacencyhadsetin,ther-mal power plantswerewitnessing PLFs (plantload factors: ratioof energyproduced togener-atingcapacity)aslowas52,53,54percent.Theywerefindingitdifficulteventoservicetheirdebts.Buttheyhadnochoice,becauserenewable[en-ergy]wasgivenapriority inofftake...Powersta-tionsweremeritorderdispatch[inwhich]anab-solutely excellent, top-class power station at adistancemaynotfinditsplacejustbecauseofthetransportcost.AndtheIndiantransportcost,par-ticularly the railway tariff, is completely out ofthe system and the highest in theworld... Thethermalpowercircuithascontinued toworkatalowPLF...becausecoalisbeingpushedonthem[and]theydon’tseemtobeverykeenonpayingfor coal in time. The stock that theywere sup-posedtomaintain, they left itonCoal India...On the Coal India side,with a 1per cent de-

growth for twosuccessiveyears, stockswent torecordhighs,risingby25milliontonnes... Inthatkindofsituation,CoalIndiaisneitherinapositiontoenforcecash-and-carrynortobringsenseinto

thewhole system...When a jerk comes, a com-placentsystemtakestimetoreact.Thatbroadlyisthereasonforwhathappened.Butfortunately,thebadperiodisbehindus,themonsoonisover.Weareinthegoodmonths.Andthecoming4-5monthsaregoingtobegood.

Onpreventing other, similarcrises in the future:CEA (Central Electricity Authority) is pre-

scribingthenumberofdaysstock;CEAcanhavearegulatorymechanismtoseethattheparticu-lar stock ismaintained.(Thermal)gencosshouldpayforcoalintime;

it is basically a cash-and-carry system. Just be-causecoal iseasilyavailable it isbeingthrustonyou [even though] you don’t need that coal, isnotaveryfavourablething.Thediscoms(distri-butioncompanies)shouldbeabletorealisethemarketpriceforwhateverpowertheysell—andwhoeverneedstobesubsidisedshouldbesub-sidisedbythestatebudget.As longasyoudon’tmove into this kind of amodel, the problem insomeformor theotherwill keeponcoming.

On the stagnation in output facedby Coal India:Thedemandofcoalforthepowerstationsis

verycriticallydeterminedbyonefactor,andthatisPLF.TheaveragePLFofthecountryislanguish-ingat52-53percentforthelastthreeyearsandno sensible effort hasbeenmade to improve it,even thoughdo sowouldhave several positiveconsequences.Number one, it leads to financial stability in

order to dodebt servicing and keep somemar-gins,etc.Second,theincrementalcostyouarein-

curringisonlythevariablecostofcoal;thatisthecheapestsourceofpower,andbynotallowingthePLFtoincrease,wearenottappingintothecheap-estsource.Andthisactuallyshouldbeabletoad-dresstheaffordability issue,whichiscritical,be-causewearealowper-capita-incomecountry.WehaveseenPLFsof79-80percentin2007

and2008.Nowithasdropped;wehavecreatedcapacities thatwe are not utilising. As a result,we are actually denying ourselves low-costpower. We should take the PLFs of existingpowerplantsashighaspossible.Coal companieswill have to have adequate

extracapacitybuilt intothesystem[so]theycanmovecertainthings...Forexample,whenthede-mandwas low, actually theydid, and that’s thereason theyhavebeenable tomanage this [sit-uation]... They did advance shipping, more ofoverburden, kept a certain amount of coal ex-posed, didn’t produce, but they could fall backuponthatcoalduringthiscrisis...Asaresult,theyhavebeenable toachieveanoff-takegrowthofabout 19 per cent over last year, drawn fromstockaswell as fromproduction. 15-16milliontonnesofextraproductionhashappenedduringthisperiodascompared to lastyear...

Ondiversifying into areas likesolar energy and fertilisers:Ifthedemandfromthepowersectorisnotgo-

ingtocomeup—thisyearisdifferent,butthelastthreeyearsthatwasthesituation—andthecom-panyhastogrow,thenwheredoesthatcoalgo?For that coal to beusedeffectively, oneway

couldbecoalgasification,alternativeuseofcoal.Wehavealwaysusedcoalasafuelforpower,wehaveneverconsideredthefeedstockcharacterof

coal,thatcoalcanalsobeafeedstockforproduc-ingchemicals,fertilisers,ammonia...Weareverystronglymarriedtothepowersector [but]nowthemarriage isbreaking,powerhasotherpart-ners, renewables are coming in. So therefore,coalhasanopportunity,otherkindsofavenues.I thinkthat is theright thingtodoforcoal India.But at the same time...coal to chemicals, coal toammonia,andammoniatofertiliserisnormal...Chinadoesit,SouthAfricadoesit,andit’sagoodthing to dobecause all these items are import-dependent...Also, I would say solar is for everybody.

Anybodycanget intosolar,andsolar isdefinitelyacomplementtoenergy.Coalwilleventuallygetphasedout, [but] the companywill have to con-tinue..., so[it]willhavetotakeastrategyofdiver-sifyingintovariousareas,whicharenotunrelatedbutitmakessensewhereyouhavereturns,whereyoucanbuildcorecompetence...

On the impact of high dividendpayouts to the government:If thereisnodemand,thencreationofcapac-

itybecomessunkcostatleasttilldemandrecov-ers.CoalIndiaisareasonablydebt-freecompanyand has immense debt-contracting capacity ifit reallywants todo something fast, but duringthatperiod,whatdoyoudowith the resourcesthat you generate? The biggest shareholder isthegovernment;[when]thegovernmenttakesa call that itwants touse thismoney for some-thing, you can’t always say no, but if you haveclearplansof investingmoney inyourprojects,definitelyyoushouldputittothegovernment...Idon’tthinkCILhasreallysufferedveryheav-

ilybecauseofmoneybeingtakenout.Butatthe

sametime,thedividendpayouthastobewithinthenormsofthecompanylaw.Itcannotbemorethan the distributable profits for the year, thepayoutratioshouldbereasonable.Ifyouaregiv-ing a target of the company going to 1 billion[tonnes of coal production] you leave somemoney, even if the companydoesn’t have clearplans for that...

On carbon capture tomake coalusemore palatable:ThebestthingthatCoalIndiacandoistohelp

orsupportlow-emissionpowergeneration.Forthatwhat it shouldbedoing iswashing itscoal,andtodaywedon’thavethewasheriesofyester-year where a huge amount of water was con-sumed.Todaywehavewestern-classwasherieswherewater consumption is just incremental.Theinitialwateryouputinandthenyourequireonly some incremental top-ups... They arepower-efficient,water-efficient,yield-efficient,soweshouldtrytopromotethesetechnologies...We don’t have toomuch good coal [and]withopen-cast mining, that coal becomes furtherbad, sowashing is theonlysolution.

On the future of coal in India astheworld pushes for renewables:If India has to develop it has to havemore

power, it has togenerate thatpower, and that isnotpossiblewithoutdependingoncoal.Coalhasto be there, particularly for the base load. Nowtomorrow,letussaystoragecostscomedown(alot).Andsolarplusstorage is thecheapest.Eveninthatsituation,howmuchshareofthetotalre-quirement can solarmeet, even if the share in-creases,thepowerdemandalsoincreasesfaster?IfyouaskthesequestionsI’mquitesureyouwillcome to the conclusion thatmuch of this willhave to be borne by coal, and that’s the reasoncoal-basedpowerwillhavetocontinueforquitesometimeinthiscountry.Yes, it is important to see that the carbon

footprint isminimized...Washing couldbeoneapproach,youuselesserquantityofcoal,youdosometechnologicalinnovationattheuser’sendand see that requirement is reduced... You usecoalinamoresustainablemanner,producecoalin amore sustainablemanner, move coal in amore sustainablemanner. Theseare the thingsthat you can definitely do, but you can’t shedawaycoal in thenext25,30,40years.

TRANSCRIBEDBYMEHRGILLEditedexcerpts

VVIIDDEEOO:: https://bit.ly/3FLVKfT

Aspikeindemandrecentlysawthermalpowerplantsrunningoutofcoal,whichisstill thepredominantsourceofenergyinIndia. Whatstructural issuesledtothecrisis?Giventheglobalpushforrenewables,whatisthefutureofcoal inIndia?PARTHASARATHIBHATTACHARYYA,formerchairmanandmanagingdirectorofCoal India,explainedsomeimportantissuesaroundthepresentandthefutureof thesector

ParthaSarathiBhattacharyya (left)wasinconversationoverZoomwithKarunjitSinghofTheIndianExpress.Videograbs

DEBRAJDEBAGARTALA,NOVEMBER25

AMIDALLEGATIONSbytheOppositionTMCandCPI(M)of largescaleviolence,theTripuracivic polls on Thursday recorded an esti-mated turnoutof 81.54percent.The ruling BJP claimed the polls were

peaceful.Thepolice,inastatement,said"bar-ring some stray incidents in Agartala andMelaghar, nomajor incident was reportedfromanypartof thestate"."According to preliminary reports, 81.54

per cent voteswere cast.We thank all elec-tors,staffengagedinpollduty,candidatesandmediapersonssinceanunhinderedelectionprocesswas conducted," the State ElectionCommissionsaidatapressconference.AStateElectionCommissionofficialsaid

somecomplaintsofviolencewerefiledwithdifferentreturningofficersanddistrictmag-istrates. "These complaints are being com-piled, they will be analysed and investi-gated," said the official. A police officer saidadditionalsecurityforcesweredeployedaf-tertheyreceivedtheSupremeCourtorder—ondeploymentofmoresecurity forces—at2pm, "in thespirit of theorder".But the Opposition CPI(M) and TMC al-

legedthatthepollswere"reducedtoamock-ery", and said they would approach theElectionCommissionandtheSupremeCourt.TheCPI(M)demandedthatfreshpollsbeheldinfivecivicbodies—Agartala,Dharmanagar,Khowai, Belonia andMelagharmunicipalcouncils—andinsomewardsofPanisagarna-garpanchayat,SabroomnagarpanchayatandSonamuranagarpanchayat.TheTMCsaidtheentirepollprocessshouldbecountermandedandfreshelectionsshouldbeheld."The State Election Commission com-

pletely surrenderedbefore the rulingparty.TheDGPisablacksheep;underhim,thepo-

liceplayedabiased role. Apart fromasmallsection of police personnel, the restmostlyplayed a negative role," alleged Tripura LeftFront convenor Narayan Kar. He said theSupremeCourt'sdirectionsonthecivicpollswere disregarded, and additional securityforceswerenotmobilisedproperly.Addressing a press conference, Kar said

the elections "were reduced to a completemockery, at thehandof theBJP".Heallegedthat polling booths were captured inAgartala,Belonia,Dharmanagar,KhowaiandMelaghar. Saying that Left Front workerswereattacked,hesaidthreecandidatesandpollingagentswerecritical."Out of 51 candidates in Agartala

Municipal Corporation, 10 could not castvotes for themselves.Thiselectionwasheldamidterrorandfear,reducingthepoliceandotheragenciestopuppets,"saidTripuraTMCconvenerSubalBhowmik.Hesaidhisparty

would seek the Supreme Court's interven-tiontocountermandtheentirepollprocess.Meanwhile, therulingBJPallegedthat its

partyworkerswere attacked in at least 100places. Addressing a press conference, BJPspokespersonNabenduBhattacharyasaidtheTMCcame to Tripura not towinpolls but tospread unrest, on behalf of the CPI(M).Dismissingtheallegationsofpollviolence,hesaid: "Wedon't have any reports of undesir-ableincidentslikeBJPactivistsbeinginvolvedinanydisturbance,forcedvotingorhooligan-ism...Ifanyoneisinvolved,ourpartywilltakestrictaction".While therewere reports of EVMsmal-

functioninginsomeareas,pollpanelofficialssaid thesewere replaced. In its statement,police said therewere some complaints ofallegedattemptstodamageEVMs,threatstovoters,candidatesandpollingagents,whichwereresolvedthrough"timelyintervention".


THE SUPREME Court on Thursday directedthe UnionHomeMinistry to provide addi-tional twocompaniesof anyCentralArmedPoliceForce(CAPF)“asexpeditiouslyaspos-sible” toTripura toensure thatvoting for lo-calbodypolls in thestate,whichbeganear-lier in theday, remain freeand fair.The bench of Justices D Y Chandrachud,

SuryaKantandVikramNathaskedTripura'sDirectorGeneral of Police (DGP) andHomeSecretary to “immediately review if there isany additional requirement of further de-ployment, over and above the above direc-tion and if so, communicate it to theDepartment of Home Affairs of theGovernmentof India fornecessaryaction”.“Any such request having due regard of

thestatementmadebytheSolicitorGeneralshallbedulyconsidered,”thebenchdirected.Solicitor General TusharMehta had as-

sured the court that should a requisitionbemadeforadditionalparamilitary forces, theUnion HomeMinistrywill respond imme-diately ina favourablemanner.The court directed the State Election

Commission (SEC), the DGP and HomeSecretary“toensurethateverypollingboothismanned by a sufficient strength of CAPFpersonnel,bearinginmindsensitivityof thepolling station and the need for a requisitenumber of personnel to guard the pollingbooths toensure freeand fair elections. ThepollingofficerateachpollingboothshalltakethehelpofCAPFpersonnel, intheeventthat

anyexigencyarises.”The court ordered, “Necessary arrange-

mentswould also bemade for deploying anadequatenumberofCAPFpersonneltoensurethesafetyofballotsandtofacilitateanunhin-deredcountingofvotes...”Thebenchwashear-ing apleabyoppositionTrinamoolCongressandCPI(M), seeking the court's interventiontoensurefreeandfairelectionsinTripura.Onbeingtoldthat therewerenotenough

CCTVcameras, thecourtdirectedthat“intheabsenceofinstallationofadequatenumberofCCTVcameras,bothelectronicandprintme-diashouldhaveunhinderedaccessforfullre-portingandcoverageoftheelectionprocess”.ItaskedthestateDGP,SECandHomeSecretarytoissueorderstoallpollingofficersandotherpersonnelconcernedtogiveeffecttothis.Senior advocates Gopal

Shankaranarayanan and P V Surendranath,appearingforTMCandCPI(M),respectively,toldthecourtthattherewasviolenceagainsttheir party cadre and incidents of outsidersbarging intopollingbooths.OnNovember23, theSC,whilerejecting

TMC's prayer to postpone the polls, had di-rected the stateDGP and IGP to hold a jointmeeting with the State ElectionCommissioner byWednesdaymorning toassessavailabilityofsufficientCAPFstrengthtobedeployed for theelections.On Thursday, senior advocateMahesh

Jethmalani, appearing for Tripura, told thebench that themeeting led to a request totheMHAfortwoadditionalbattalionssincethere may be an emergency. He said twocompaniesofBSFwasallottedtothestateonimmediatebasis.

HAMZAKHANJAIPUR,NOVEMBER25

RAJASTHANGOVERNOR Kalraj Mishra hassought a report from the state governmentover the recent appointment of advisors toChief Minister Ashok Gehlot, with the BJPcalling themunconstitutional.The Governor has forwarded amemo-

randum submitted by Deputy Leader ofOpposition Rajendra Rathore to the ChiefSecretary seeking a report on the appoint-ments,RajBhawansources said.Rathorewrote toMishra on November

22,seekingdismissalof thenewlyappointedadvisors and a ban on the government ap-pointingparliamentarysecretaries.Following the recent reshuffle of his

Cabinet, inwhichheaccommodatedseveralloyalists of his rival Sachin Pilot, Gehlot hadappointed sixMLAs as CM advisors, whileabout15parliamentarysecretariesaretobepickedsoon.RathoresaidtheMLAswereoc-cupying offices of profit against parliamen-taryprocedure.Currently, the state has 30ministers, in-

cludingGehlot--themaximumpossibleforRajasthanaspertherulelimitingthenumberto 15 per cent of the Assembly strength.Rathore said that by accommodatingmoreMLAsaseitheradvisororparliamentarysec-retaries, Gehlotwas crossing that limit. Thesix advisors are on a parwith the rank of aminister, and the parliamentary secretarieswouldenjoythesameprivilege,Rathoresaid.TheBJP leadercitedArticles164(1A),191

(1)(A)and246oftheConstitution,aSupremeCourtjudgment,aswellasverdictsoftheHighCourts of Sikkim, Hyderabad, Bombay,Himachal Pradesh, etc, “whichhave clarifiedtheappointmentsofparliamentarysecretariesandtheofficeofprofit(AdvisortoCM)”,hesaidintheletter.Varioushighcourtshavedismissedsuchappointments as illegal, Rathorewrote.HesaidtheGehlotgovernmenthadbeenfac-inginternalprotests“andtoquelltherebellion,it is trying to satisfy thedisgruntledMLAsbygivingawaylegalandillegalposts”.Incidentally, the BJP government led by

VasundharaRajethatprecededGehlot'shadat least10parliamentarysecretaries.Congress state president Govind Singh

DotasrasaidRathorewas"unnecessarilymak-ing a political issue", noting that Leader ofOppositionGulabChandKatariaandBJPstatechief Satish Poonia hadnot raised the issue.Accusing Rathore of trying to seek personalpoliticalmileage,Dotasrasaid:"Whateverhasbeendonehasbeendonelawfully."

Votersatapollingstation inAgartalaonThursday.AbhisekSaha

Advisors to CM:Governor seeksreport fromRajasthan govt

81%turnout in Tripura, Oppdemands fresh electionsSend 2 more companies ofCAPF to state: SC to Centre

SHAJUPHILIPTHIRUVANANTHAPURAM,NOVEMBER25

PROTESTS ARE erupting in Kerala over theallegeddowrydeathofa21-year-oldlawstu-dent in Ernakulam district after police re-portedly failed to act upon her complaintevenastheStateWomen'sCommissionsaidon Thursday thereweremany complaintsagainsttheformerstationhouseofficerwhohasnowbeen relieved fromservice follow-ingchargesofmisconduct.Thecommissionhas also sought a report fromthepolicede-partment in this connection.

P Satheedevi, chairperson of theWomen's Commission, told the media inKozhikodethatthemanner inwhichtheof-ficer handled complaints has given rise tomanycomplaints.MofiyaParveenallegedlydiedbysuicideat

herresidenceonMonday,hoursaftershere-turnedfromalocalpolicestationwhereanof-ficer allegedly insulted her instead of actingupon her complaint against husbandMuhammedSuhail, andher parents-in-law.Parveenleftasuicidenoteblamingherin-lawsaswell as the local station house officer C LSudheer.Thevictimhadmovedaharassmentcomplaint againstherhusbandandhis fam-

ily 25 days before her suicide, but the policeregisteredthecaseonlyadayafterherdeath."OnMonday,whenwewerecalledtothe

police station, Suhail insultedmy daughterinfrontof thepoliceinspector.Shecouldnottoleratethehumiliationandslappedhim.Atthat, the police inspector calledmy daugh-ter a lunatic. His reaction brokemy daugh-ter,whotoldmelaterthatshedidnotexpectjustice frompolicewhich calledher as a lu-natic,"Dilshadalleged.PoliceonThursdayarrestedSuhailandhis

parentsonchargesofdowrydeath(IPC304-B)and related charges of abetting the suicide.Provokedbythegovernmentfailuretotakeac-

tion against the police inspector, whowastransferredtostatepoliceheadquartersinthewakeof the furore, Congressdemanded thattheofficerbebookedforabettingsuicide.Hundreds of Congressworkersmarched

to the Ernakulam rural SP office demandingactionagainsttheofficer. StudentsofAlAzharLaw College, Thodupuzha, where Parveenstudied,joinedtheprotest.Scoresofstudentsweretakenintocustody,butwerereleasedaf-ter police actionwas flayed. Congress is alsoorganising a women's night-walk onThursdaynightatvariouscentresinthestate,highlighting the police failure to act uponwomen'scomplaints.

OppositionLeaderVDSatheesansaidtheincident showed that the government isshieldingcriminalelementsinthepolicewhoareclosetotheCPI(M).ChiefMinisterPinarayiVijayanissupportingtheofficeranditsendsoutawrongmessagetosociety,healleged.ParveenandSuhailbecamefriendsonso-

cialmediaandgotmarriedinAprilthisyear.Her father Dilshad said Suhail was unem-ployed, but used to harass Parveen formoney. The youth demanded Rs 40 lakh,claimingto invest in filmproduction,whichDilshad could not provide. Parveen, in hersuicide note also reportedly regretted hav-ingmarriedSuhail.

Protests in Kerala as woman kills self over ‘police inaction’

CIVICPOLLS

New Delhi

14WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM

THE RIGHT NUMBERSFertility rategoingbelowreplacement level isanachievementof familyplanningprogramme

THERESULTSOF the latestNational FamilyHealthSurvey (NHFS-5), releasedonWednesday,affirmthehearteningtendency,noticedsincethe1980s,ofadecline in therateofpopulationgrowthacross thecountry.Onanaverage,awomaninIndiawaslikelytobear2.7childreninherlifetimeaccordingtothe

NHFS2005-2006. Thenumber fell to2.2 in2015-2016.NHFS-5 shows that this averagehascomedownto2.Thismeansthatthecountryhasattainedamajordemographicmile-stone. India’s total fertility rate (TFR) has dropped belowwhat the United NationsPopulationCouncil deems the “replacement level”. An average of less than2.1 childrenperwoman indicates that a generation is not producing enough children to replace it-self. In otherwords, the NHFS-5 indicates that the country has taken the first step to-wards an outright reduction in population. This is a notable achievement for the coun-try’s family planning programme and a resounding repudiation of politicians andpolicymakerswhohave,of late, beencryinghoarseaboutpopulationexplosion.A9percentincreaseintheuseofmoderncontraception,comparedtothelastsurvey,

indicates the family planningprogramme’s increased reach. This is also attestedby thefact that62percentof the respondents reported that theyhadreceived informationonside effects of contraceptives from grass roots-level officials, especially thoseworkingwiththeMissionParivarVikas.Launchedin2016,theprogramme’sstatedobjectiveistogive special attention to 146 high fertility districts in Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Assam,Jharkhand,Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Jharkhand. It’s unfortunate, however, thatthebogeyofpopulationexplosionhasfoundtakersamongstsectionsof thegovernmentin at least four of these states. Despite their varying political affiliation, Assam ChiefMinisterHimanta Biswa Sarma andRajasthan’s formerHealthMinister Raghu Sharmaseem to believe that a growing population is putting the “country’s resources understrain”.UPChiefMinisterAdityanathhasalsodescribed“risingpopulationasahurdleindevelopment”. TheMadhyaPradeshgovernmenthasalso lent itsvoice to this clamour.ThereismuchthatissoberingabouttheNHFSsurvey,especiallythefactthat57percent

of women of reproductive age in the country are anaemic—up from the 53 per cent in2015-2016. The percentage of anaemic children has also risen. In recentmonths, otherstudieshave indicatedthat thepandemicperiodhas takenadisproportionatelyhightollonthewell-beingofwomenandchildren,andaggravatednutritionalandeducationalde-ficiencies. The experience of the Southern states shows that declining fertility rates arenot just the functionof familyplanningprogrammesbutalsohavedirect linkswithem-poweringwomen.It’sthisdevelopmentdeficitthatplannersandpolicymakersmustplug.

CONGRESS AS TARGETTMC’sproactiveacquisitions reinforce the imageof arudderlessCongress, itsdisenchantedranks

AFTERTHEINDIANNationalCongress(INC)split in1969, thefactionthatre-belled against the official group emerged as the claimant to the legacy ofthepartythatledtheindependencestruggle. Inashortspanof time, IndiraGandhi,whowalkedoutof theofficial INC,becamethefaceof theCongress

whereas theCongress (Organisation) led by theparty’s old guard faded away. In recenttimes inmany states, splinter groups of the Congress havewalked awaywith the votebase and legacyof India’sGrandOldParty. For example, theTrinamoolCongress (TMC)inWest Bengal, YSR Congress in Andhra Pradesh, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) inMaharashtra are essentially regional Congresses that have drawn their leaders, cadresandevensocialagendasfromtheoldINC.Theirgrowthhasbeenattheexpenseof theof-ficialCongress.Astheirleadersdevelopnationalambitions,theSoniaGandhi-ledCongresswill feel the squeeze. The split inMeghalayaCongress legislative party and the outflowofCongressleadersinTripura,GoaetcintotheTMCsuggestsachurnwithintheCongress.HerspectacularwininWestBengalassemblyelectionshaspitchforkedTMCchiefMamata

Banerjee intonational imaginationas apotential leader of theOpposition. Thedisarray intheCongresssinceRahulGandhiquitaspartypresidentafterthe2019generalelectionhasinfluencedmanyCongressmenandoppositionfigurestodiscoverasteelyleaderinMamata.TwofactorshaveaidedtheriseofTMCoutsideWestBengal.One,thefailureoftheCongressleadership,namelytheGandhis,toaddresstheorganisationalstasis,energisethecadreandleadthechargeagainsttherulingdispensation.Two,thequestionmarkovertheGandhis’abil-ity toposeanelectoralchallengetoPrimeMinisterNarendraModi. Inhispressconferenceafter leaving the Congress, the rebel group leader,Mukul Sangma, a two-time CMofMeghalaya, indicated that hevisited theDelhi leadershipmultiple times to resolve issueswithinthepartybutfailedtofindredress.Clearly,thepartynowseemstolackefficientman-agersandinterlocutorstoengagewithdisgruntledleadersandworkers.Sincetheadventofthepartyhighcommandinthe1970s,Congressmenhavelookeduptoitnotjustforleader-ship,butalsoforguidanceandpatronage.Independent-mindedleadersfloattheirownout-fitsandleavetheCongresswhereasothersrallybehindmorecharismaticleaders.True, theCongress showed imagination in replacingAmarinder SinghwithCharanjit

Singh Channi as CM in Punjab and in installing amore inclusiveministry in Rajasthan.However, these interventions look like firefightingmeasuresrather thanacoherentnarra-tiveof revival. BarringSangma,noneof thenewentrants to theTMCare crowd-pullers, ofcourse. But the exits fromtheCongress underline that thepartyneeds toworkharder onwhatisitsvalueproposition.

DICTIONARY DEFINITIONNFTisCollinsDictionary’swordof theyear.

Butwhatdoes itmean?

BACKINTHEdaysbeforetheinternet,thisishowadictionaryworked:Youreadorhearawordyoudidnotknowthemeaningof, looked itup, andvoila!Thelight of new knowledge poured into yourmind. Awonderful side-effect ofthisexercisewasthediscoveryofnewwordsasyoubrowsed.Now,thereisno

browsing— even curiosity is customised, one searchable term at a time. But even themostbasicpurposeof thedictionary—totellpeoplewhatawordmeans—liesintatters.CollinsDictionary’s“WordoftheYear”for2021is“NFT”—anabbreviationthatstands

for “non-fungible token”. The reason for its selection is reportedly the “meteoric” rise initsuseoverthelastyear.NFTisindeedoneof themostpopularbitsof fintechbabblethathasgraced thepageandscreenand its competitionwaswords like “crypto”and“meta-verse”. Butwhat is a non-fungible token? AnNFT, according to Collins Dictionary, is a“uniquedigitalcertificate, registered inablockchain, that isusedtorecordownershipofanasset suchasanartworkoracollectible”.Digital artworkshavebeenselling for exorbitant amounts in recentmonthsandNFTs

seemtohavesomethingtodowiththat.However,thedictionarydefinitionleavesonenonethewiserastowhattheyactuallyare.Money?Authenticationcertificatesforartworks?Adigitalmediumof exchange?Theanswer is likelyabitof all of theabove. It seemsthatanabbreviation is theword of the year because of its popularity— the obsolete dictionaryseemstowanttoridethepopularityof thetechwavetoboost itspublicity.Unfortunately,theubiquityofthetermisonlymatchedbytheopacityof itsmeaning—somethingCollinsdoesn’thelpwith.Noworries, though.Afterall,youcanalwaysgoogleit.

DParthasarathy and SuryakantWaghmore

Shivani Naik

Prince JaibirSingh’scasehighlights institutionalapathytowards those frommarginalisedgroupsat IITs

A SHAM AND A SHAMEBy ignoringPengShuai’s trauma,Olympic committeehas revealed itspriorities

THERECENT SUPREMECourt judgment di-rectingoneofIndia’sInstitutionsofEminence,IIT Bombay, to allot a seat in the BTech pro-grammetoPrinceJaibirSingh,aDalitstudentfromGhaziabad,starklybringsouthowIndia’spremierinstitutionssignalalackofempathy,a formalbureaucratic rationality thathas lit-tle understanding of India’s social divisionsand infrastructural inequities, and a lack ofimaginationwhen it comes to fulfilling theirconstitutionalobligationstowardssocialjus-tice, Nowonder, the judges of the SupremeCourt chose to exercise their constitutionalpowers to ensure “complete justice”. Thephrase itself can be traced back to B RAmbedkar’sdistinctionbetween“formal”and“substantive” equality, and his stress on therole of the state to both equalise opportuni-ties andensurebetter representation for themostmarginalised. In turn, this distinctiongoesbacktothefearexpressedbytheGermansociologistMaxWeberregardingthedeclineofsubstantiverationality,andthedominanceof formal rationality as a consequenceof thebureaucratisation of modern societies. ForWeber,asforAmbedkar,substantiverational-ityandsubstantiveequalityensurecompletejustice, an imagination and comprehensionofwhich isoften sorely lacking in thebestofourinstitutions.Whenformalrationalitybe-comes fusedwith the ignorance and arro-gance of casteHindupractices, bureaucracybecomesbothhostileandcruel.ForPrinceJaibirSingh,thefailureofourin-

stitutions to provide alternative options ofcash, cheque or other instruments, or allowfor latepaymentwithorwithoutafineisthemostdisablingeffectof institutionalhostilityto Dalits and other disadvantaged groups.Behindthisfailureisadeepdisinterestintak-ingaffirmativeactionpoliciesseriously,alackofcapacitytothinkthroughwaysofprovidingquality educationwhile also advancing thegoals of inclusion. Equally, this instance re-flectsabuyinginintotheillusoryinclusionofdigitalIndiasloganeeringratherthanacriticalacademicperspectiveonaddressingsocialre-alities. These stem fromabelief in technicalsolutions,andtakingforgrantedpositionsofprivilege.StudentslikePrincealreadyhavetostrug-

glethroughinitiallayersofbarriersintheformof coaching classes, before they get through

thehallowedportals of IITs,where they faceother forms of discrimination and humilia-tion.Inhostelsandclassrooms,indininghallsandplaygrounds, upper castes express theirprivilege in a thousandways through snubs,snideremarks,failingtorecognisetheirlearn-ing needs, or even the circumstances theyhavehadtoovercomeingettingintotheIITs.Oneway inwhich the institutions and

theirprocessescouldbemademoresensitiveandempatheticisbyincreasingtherepresen-tation of faculty and administrators from“communitieswhichhavenothadsofarrep-resentationintheState”,toquoteAmbedkar.The ongoing Special Recruitment Drive forSC/ST/OBC/EWS through theMissionModeRecruitment(MMR)—longresistedbymanyIITs— is, therefore, awelcomeone. If at leastsomeofthesenewly-recruitedfacultyrisetoleadershippositions,onecouldhopeforagen-uine transformation towards “complete jus-tice”,toensurethatthetraumacausedtostu-dents like Prince is not repeated. Moreimportantly,itcandemocratiseeliteacademicspaces,make themcompassionate and cul-turallyconduciveforall learners.Theactual conductof theMMRdoesnot,

however, inspiremuchhope. Responding toamissivefromtheMinistryofEducation,andfearingahalttotheregularrecruitmentcycle,therecruitmentprocessappearstoberushed,withlittleevidenceofduediligenceinthede-signof theprocesses,guidelines,andcriteria,andwithlittletonodiscussionofimportantis-suesofmerit, exceptional ability, judgementof quality, and assessment of research andteachingabilities.Thesewouldrequireadelib-erativeprocess,aconsultationwitheducationexperts,anexplicitawarenessoftheexcellentbodyof researchonsocial exclusionanddis-crimination, and a dialoguewith those aca-demic scholars frommarginal backgroundswhohavemanagedtobreakthroughbarrierstomakeanameforthemselves.IITs,forinstance,enjoyaflexiblefacultyre-

cruitment policy and such flexibilitymostlyworks in the interest of un-reserved candi-dates.However,forMMR,anabsenceofcleardirection fromstate agencies has resulted inmuchvariationinrecruitmentprocesses,min-imumcriteria,relaxations,andwaiversgivenfor age or exceptional qualifications, andscreening procedures. Constitutionalman-

datesandGovernmentofIndiaordersregard-ingtherostersystemandtheprovisionof re-laxations tend to be flouted quite blatantly.Illegitimatelimitsaresettothenumberoffac-ultytoberecruitedundertheMissionMode.Exceptionalcandidateswhohaveappliedarenot recommended under the general cate-gory,andthecompetitionforthesepositionsismadetougherthanforgeneralcandidates.Thetop-downdecisionmakingisreflected

in the design and implementation of theshortlistingcriteriaandscreeningprocedures,andthereappearstobealotofarbitrarinessininterpreting and implementing nationalguidelinesforreservationsinfacultypositionsacross different institutions. The onlineprocess of screening, interviewing, recruit-ment seminars, and faculty interaction isstressful, and it is not clearwhy the processcannotbemademorerelaxedandfriendlyforthecandidates,nowthatpandemicrelatedre-strictions are substantially relaxed. At thesametime, thelargenumberofapplications,especially fromcandidateswith exceptionalquality, attests to the faith that these candi-dateshaveinthestatetoensuresocialjustice.Manyofthesecandidateswithhigh-qual-

itypublicationshavehesitatedtoapplyinre-sponse to the usual rolling advertisementsavailable at IITs. By creating numerical crite-ria(aslowas49insomecases),ignoringmat-tersof quality andpromise, and failing to re-lax someof the technical criteria, effectivelythe CHEIsmay ensure that the goodqualitycandidates are filtered out and candidateswith lesserqualificationsare recruited, lead-ing to a self-fulfilling prophecy of substanti-atingexistingprejudicesaboutthe“merit”ofthe“reserved”categorycandidates.UltimatelywhetheritisthecaseofPrince

JaibirSinghortheimproperimplementationofMMR,whatisevidentisthelackofinterestinpromotingquality,andaconsciousandun-wittingstrategytoshoreupexistingprivilegesandhierarchies. The “complete justice” thattheSupremeCourturgesneedsfarmorecrit-ical investmentsacross IITs inthinkingaboutprinciplesofsubstantiveequalityandsubstan-tiverationality.

Thewritersareprofessorsofsociologyat IIT-Bombay.Viewsexpressedareacademic

andprofessional

THE INTERNATIONALOLYMPICCommittee,headed by Thomas Bach, has informed theworld that Chinese tennis star Peng Shuai is“safe andwell”. TheWimbledon and FrenchOpendoubles championhad accused a for-mer senior Chinese government official offorcinghertohavesex,withoutconsent.Thesocialmedia post thatmade this publicwastakendownbyChineseauthorities.Pengtoodisappeared. China’s foreign ministryspokesperson, Zhao Lijian, hoped that the“malicioushyping, letalonepoliticisation”oftheepisodewouldceaseafter the“videocallwith the IOC president Bach”. The IOC hadbeenturnedintoaprop,itscredibilityservingas a hired alibi to be trotted out every timePenggotmentioned.Aneditorialinthepro-governmentnews-

paperGlobal Timespredicted that “ideologi-cal conflicts between China and theWestwouldescalatebeforetheWinterOlympics.”China reckoned thiswas a cynicalwesternconspiracy to imperil theGames. The IOC’sshameful framing of the issue came in thestatement: “Nevertheless, shewill continuetobeinvolvedintennis,thesportshelovessomuch.”Asifthemagicofsports,ofservesandvolleys,ofsteeringyoungChineseplayersto-wards Slams success, could erase Peng’strauma.Thiswas not the first time that the IOC

bought into its ownmyth that “sports cureseverything”,while showing scant regard for

oneof itsown.BydiminishingPeng’sallega-tions by not even acknowledging themandlosing an opportunity to explain consent toyoungathleteswhoremainvulnerabletosex-ual predators due to power imbalances insportingecosystems,theIOChadstrappedonitsblinkers.AtstakefortheIOCaretheWinterGames

inBeijingandZhangjiakouinFebruary.CGTNcitedChinese ambitions of generating 1 tril-lionyuan($146billion),building650skatingrinksand800skiresorts,andgrowingitswin-terrecreationsector.FortheIOC, it isanothercommercial high-stakes adventure. Nostrangertoexistinginbubbles,theIOCprizesthefittesthumanbodies,whilestayingobliv-ioustohumanrights.Theembarrassing1936GameswhenNazi

Germanybrazenly used sports for its fascistpropagandaoughttohavedisabusedtheIOCofallnotionsoftheOlympicsbeingaboutfun,fitnessandfriendship.TheTlatelolcomassacreaheadoftheMexico1968Gamessawprotes-torsshotdeadbygovernmentforces,daysbe-foretheopeningceremony.China’smistreat-mentofUighursandthecrushingoffreedomsinTibetandHongKongandRussia’sabysmalrecordonLGBTQI+rights,havebeenignored.Such is the history of the IOC’s closeness

with authoritarian regimes that build themgrandicecastlesandenormoussportingare-nas shaped likenests, thatBach’spromise toPeng,thathewillcatchupwithheroverdin-

nerwhenhe’s in Beijing, is a signal that theshowmustgoon—whilerefusingtoaddresshergraveallegations.But like the transparent, double-glass fa-

cadesoftheOlympicHouseatLausanne,builtto keepout thedinof thenearbymotorway,shuttingoutinconvenientpoliticalnoiseisin-grainedintheorganisation.Don’texpectittoquestionParisorLosAngeles—thenextsetofhosts—aboutthehatecrimesorgunviolencethatkillordinaryfolkinFranceandtheUS.Bachwould have been awitness to how

thepassageof timehasreflectedinwomen’ssport and the self-assertionof athletes, fromNadia Comaneci to Simone Biles. Hewas atthe1976MontrealOlympics,winningagoldmedal as a fencer. Itwouldn’t have escapedhimthattheIOC’sArticle50shuntingprotestsbyathletes tooutside the fieldof play, or the“humanrightsclause”scribbledintothehost-ingrightscontract in2017,arechangesmov-ingataglacialpace.Youngathletes’patiencewith theornate,

insularbaronshipsthatheadsportsadminis-trationisshorteningwitheachpassingGames.TheWomen’sTennisAssociationhasdug

itsheelsintoensurethatPengcanspeakfreelyandthathertormentisaddressed.Thishaslit-tletodowiththeWinterGamesconundrum.Last heard, tennis had grass, clay andhard-courts,anddidn'tneedtobeplayedonthinice.

[email protected]

For Prince Jaibir Singh, thefailure of our institutions toprovide alternative optionsof cash, cheque or otherinstruments, or allow for latepayment with or without afine is the most disablingeffect of institutionalhostility to Dalits and otherdisadvantaged groups.Behind this failure is a deepdisinterest in takingaffirmative action policiesseriously, a lack of capacityto think through ways ofproviding quality educationwhile also advancing thegoals of inclusion.

Such is the history of theIOC’s closeness withauthoritarian regimes thatbuild them grand ice castlesand enormous sportingarenas shaped like nests, thatBach’s promise to Peng, thathe will catch up with her overdinner when he’s in Beijing,is a signal that the showmust go on — while refusingto address her graveallegations.

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,NOVEMBER26,2021WORDLYWISE

Beyondacritical pointwithin a finite space,freedomdiminishes as numbers increase.

—FrankHerbertTHEEDITORIALPAGE

Excellence and exclusion

EC’S POWERSUNION LAWMINISTER P Shiv Shankar saidthatthegovernmentintendedtoamendthepowers of the Election Commission to nul-lify an election. He explained in the RajyaSabhathatthepostponementoftheGarhwalbyelection had arisen out of the ElectionCommissioner’srulinginJuneannullingtheearlier poll on grounds that the presence ofpolice force from outside the state vitiatedmatters. Shiv Shankar said that themainte-nanceof lawandorderduringpollswasnotthe concern of the EC earlier. But in viewoftherulinginJune, thematterhadacquiredanew dimension. The UP government was

rightinhesitatingtoaskfrompoliceoutsidethe state. “It was case of once bitten, twiceshy,” theminister said.

UPROAR ON MANDALQUESTIONHOURINLokSabhasawadisplayof temper by PrimeMinister IndiraGandhi,the members of Opposition and treasurybenches. It stemmed from the insistence ofOppositionmembers that the governmentgive a firm date for tabling the MandalCommission Report. HomeMinister ZailSingh took the stand that the report couldonlybetabledwhenitwasaccompaniedbyamemorandumonaction takenon it.

WRANGLE OVER ONIONSTHE RAJYA SABHAwitnessed the strangespectacle of Oppositionmembers symboli-callyvyingwitheachotherinofferingmoneyfor the supplyof onions as theGovernmentclaimed that the price of the commodity inthe capital had come down to Rs 1.50 a kg.WhenPillooModyoffered to buy onions atRs 100 a kg if the rate specified by the gov-ernment was correct, Rameswhar Singhwalked up to the podium offering to buyonions for Rs 1,000. Birendra Singh, UnionAgricultureMinister, stuck to his guns andsaidhewaspreparedtosupplythecommod-ityat the rate specifiedbyhim.

NOVEMBER 26, 1981, FORTYYEARSAGO

New Delhi

15THEINDIANEXPRESS,FRIDAY,NOVEMBER26,2021 WHATTHEOTHERSSAY

“The Chinese mainland is already fully prepared in many ways to deal withpossible reactions from the US. It has created huge pressure on the US whichwants to intervene with high intensity in the Taiwan Straits.”

—GLOBALTIMES,CHINATHE IDEASPAGEWWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM

In the immediate aftermathof 26/11, India acted withremarkable sobriety andrestraint. Despite immensepressure, it did not give in tothe temptation of militaryretaliation against Pakistan— even as the capture ofMohammad Ajmal Kasaband the revelations of DavidHeadley stripped Pakistan’smilitary-ISI establishment ofthe alibi of non-state actorsbeyond its control, and left itno fig leaf. India gave anormal legal trial, andaccorded due process to theone surviving attacker, eventhough evidence of his guilthad been splashed large on allour TV screens. We made itclear: Those who had died inthe attack, the braveheartsdefending us, had sacrificedtheir lives for the nation andits commitment to justiceand the Constitution.

THERE AREmany reasonswhy the deathpenalty should have no place in any soci-ety,not leastbecause itviolates the funda-mental right to life. The argument that itmaydeterviolentcrimeiscounteredbytheobservationsthatmurderratesdeclinedintenoutofelevencountrieswhichhadabol-ished capital punishment in recent years.The most egregious aspect of the deathpenaltyisthewidespreadevidenceofmis-carriageof justicewhichoccurseveninthemostrobustjudicialsystems,leadingtothereal threat of an irreversible punishmentbeing inflictedonan innocentperson.India has a chequeredhistorywith the

deathpenalty.Formanyyears,untiltheex-ecution of Dhananjoy Chatterjee in 2004fortherapeandmurderofaminorgirl, thecountry was a de facto abolitionist state.Sincethen,nearly500prisonershavebeensentenced to death row, nine individualshave been executed since 2014, and therehas been a legislative expansion of thedeath penalty, in particular for crimes ofsexualviolence.Against this background, the release of

theDeathworthyreport lastmonthontherelationship between being sentenced todeathandmentalhealth,callsuponourso-cietytorevisit itsambivalentstanceonthedeath penalty. The report is the result ofNLU Delhi’s Project 39A, under the guid-ance of mental health professionals fromNIMHANS, Bangalore. The study involvedtheinterviewof88deathrowprisonersandtheir families. Its findings can be sum-marisedintwobroadways:First,whataretheoriginsof theviolentbehaviourswhichled to the criminal acts and second, howmight living ondeath rowaffect themen-talhealthof theprisoner.Adversechildhoodexperiencesare the

mostimportantdeterminantsofpooredu-cationalattainment,violentbehavioursandmental health problems. This associationhasbeendemonstratedindiversecontextsandhas a clearly definedbiologicalmech-anism.Thelackofnurturingenvironmentsand the exposure to toxic stress, that is,whenachildexperiencesintense,frequentor prolonged adversity such as emotionalabuse or neglect, directly impacts the de-velopment of a healthy brain architecturewhich ismost sensitive to environmentalinfluences in the early years of life. Theseinfluences lead to a rangeof psychologicaldifficultiesinyoungadulthood,suchasim-pulsivity and low frustration tolerance,which are precursors to violent behaviourandantisocial acts.The Deathworthy report provides em-

pirical evidence that a high proportion ofdeathrowprisonershavebeenexposedtoadversechildhoodexperiences.Morethanhalf the prisoners had experienced verbalandphysicalabuseaschildren,andthevastmajorityhadexperiencedparentalneglectand grownup in a “disturbed family envi-ronment”.Seventy-threeprisonershadex-

periencedat leastthreeadversechildhoodexperiences and 56 prisoners had experi-encedatleastthreetraumaticexperiences,such as a serious accident or a life-threat-eninginjury.Inshort,thiswasanextremelyvulnerablegroupofpersonswhohadbeenexposed tomany risk factorswhich couldexplain the increased likelihood of poormentalhealthandviolentbehaviour.Thesecondobservation is,perhaps, less

surprising:Two-thirdsoftheprisonerswerediagnosedwithacurrentepisodeofmentalillness, in particular depression. About halfwere assessed to be at “risk” of suicide.Undoubtedly,thissufferingisthedirectcon-sequenceof livingwiththefearofanimmi-nent,violentdeath.Moreshockingly,asignif-icant number of prisoners had evidence ofcognitiveimpairment,oftenduetoheadin-juries.Nineof theseindividualswerefoundtohaveanintellectualdisability.Thisimpliesthattheseindividualshaddeficitsinmentalfunctioningwhich arewell-recognised forinfluencingthecapabilitiestomakerespon-sibledecisionsandobservesocialnorms.Yet,in none of their caseswas their disabilitybroughttotheattentionof thecourts.Fromanarrowlegal lens, thereport in-

dicatestheneedforcourtstoensureamoresearchinginquiryintothelivesofdeathrowprisoners, particularly themitigating fac-torswhichhelphumanisetheperpetrator,generatingempathyandunderstandingforwhatisundeniablyahorrificactofviolence,andcreating thepossibilityof compassioninpassingjudgement.Evenif trauma,cog-nitive impairment and adverse childhoodexperiences have not found their rightfulplace inour legal lexicon, theydohold rel-evanceindeterminingwhetherapersonisso blameworthy as to be sentenced todeath. The report also raises the questionofwhethertheharrowingmentalsufferingconsequent to thedeathpenalty is in itselfaviolationoftherightsofeventhemostde-spisedmembersof our society. In the caseof intellectual disability, the choice of ac-tion is evenmore stark: The imposition ofthe death sentence on personswith intel-lectualdisability isprohibitedunder inter-national law, and jurisprudence in Indiamustalignatleastwiththisbasicprinciple.Ultimately,theDeathworthyreportpro-

videsasobering,ifnotentirelyunsurprisingpicture of the devastating disadvantagesexperiencedbydeathrowprisonerswhichmay have played a critical role inmediat-ingtheirviolentactsandthementalhealth-related pain and suffering consequent tolivingondeathrow.Together,thesetwoob-servationsprovidecompellingevidencetodrive the final nail into the coffin of thisformofpunishment,byfarthecruellestacta state can inflict on a citizen. Indeed, thedeathpenalty is counter to the judgementof the Supreme Court which, in 2014, de-claredmentalillnessgroundsforcommut-ingasentenceofdeath. If thereisanindict-ment to bemade, then it has to be of oursocietywhich causes somany children tobeexposedtotoxiclevelsofdeprivationandthefailuresof childandadolescentmentalhealthservicestodetectandinterveneearlyinthetrajectoryofmentalhealthproblems.

Thewriter is thePershingSquareProfessorofGlobalHealthatHarvardMedicalSchool, andamemberof theLancet

Citizen’sCommissiononRe-imaginingIndia’sHealthSystem

EACHYEARWEcount, nowit’s 13years later,and the dark night that stretched over threelongdaysisstillvividinourcollectivememory.Thatwasalsotheterrorists’aim,thevivid-

nesswas part of their design. The strike onMumbai, November 26, 2008, played out asslow-motionmayhem,targetingitslandmarks,whileaudienceswatchedtheterriblespectacle,liveanduninterrupted,onTV.Mumbaihadbeenattackedbefore,butnot

like this. Thiswas a choreographed sequenceofstrikes,usinghand-heldweapons,by10ter-roristswhohadcomeinbythesea.This time,GroundZerowasnot aplace, itwas an arc. Itwashorrormade for the age of the instanta-neousspectacle,itforeshadowedtheerawherewedefine ourselves byour constant posts ofimage,textandvideo.Itstretchedfromthefive-starhotels,Tajand

Trident,frequentedbythecity’sglitteringelites,to theChhatrapati ShivajiMaharaj Terminusrailway station, fromwhere, over the years,hundredsandthousandsof Indians,menandwomen,havepouredintoMumbai,asifpulledbyamagnet,carryingwiththemahopeandadream.They come fromstates likeUttar Pradesh

andGujarat, Karnataka and Rajasthan, andBihar.Justincaseweforgot,wesawmanyofthem

during the pandemic, rushing backhome infear.Manyofthemarereturning,comingback,astheyalwaysdo,toremaketheirlives,andindoingso,toremakeMumbai,ourMumbai.Thiswas beforewewent live in our lives

andyet, over the60hoursof non-stopmediacoverage of the siege, the TV cameras hadyokedthemselvestotheTajHotel.But26/11wasspectacular,mostof all, be-

causeitwasastrikeonthecityofthecommonIndian,man,womanandchild.It brought to a stunnedhalt a bustlingur-

bansprawl,wherethe first instinct is tomoveandmoveon,tosurviveandsucceed,entertainandperform,tellagrippingstory.Intheimmediateaftermathof26/11,India

actedwith remarkable sobrietyandrestraint.Despiteimmensepressure,itdidnotgiveintothe temptationofmilitary retaliation againstPakistan—evenasthecaptureofMohammadAjmal Kasab and the revelations of DavidHeadleystrippedPakistan’smilitary-ISIestab-lishmentofthealibiofnon-stateactorsbeyonditscontrol,andleftitnofigleaf.Indiagaveanor-mallegaltrial,andaccordeddueprocesstotheonesurvivingattacker,eventhoughevidenceofhisguilthadbeensplashedlargeonallourTVscreens.Wemadeitclear:Thosewhohaddiedintheattack,thebraveheartsdefendingus,hadsacrificedtheirlivesforthenationanditscom-mitmenttojusticeandtheConstitution.Thirteenyearslater,thequestionis,howdo

wepaythereal tributetothe166peoplewhodied in the26/11attacks, inMumbai, theonetheytrulydeserve?Howdowemoveoutoftheshadowsof thatparalysingmoment?Arewe,whosurvived inMumbai and in India, free to

tellnewstories?Therealityisthat26/11hashadalongafter-

life, and it has got entangledwith the tumul-tuous history that still weighs down theSubcontinent. It is not yet clear thatwehaveskirtedallthetrapsitsetforus.Thedangerwas,anditstillis,oflettingourselvesbedefinedanddeformedbyfear,ofmakingsuspicionahabit,aguidingforceforourinstitutions,andpartofourpoliticalcommonsense.For the lastmanyyears, I havebeenprivi-

legedtojoinTheIndianExpressanditscommu-nity of readers inmarking this day and eachyear,wecelebratethespiritofsurvivalandun-derstanding. Each year, I discover that thepowerofsurvivalislinkedtothepowerofhu-manity,ofourcollectivecommitmentthatweshall not let the terrorists definewhowebe-come.Thistime,too.True,26/11broughthometheurgentneed

toshoreupourpolicingsystemsandshakeofftheinstitutionallethargythathadsetinonin-ternal security. True, thatwehave tobe luckyeverydaywhile the terrorist had to be luckyjustonce.Andyet,thedangerisoflettingthelanguage

andmantra of security spread and grow, till“we” are locked in constant andmortal com-batwith“them”,tillaccusationbecomesmorebelievablethanproof,andonlythespectresareclear and present, while everything else islookeduponasuncertainandsubjecttoverifi-cation.The spectresmust not be allowed to be-

comemorerealthanthepeople.Thepeoplemustremainheroesandhero-

ines of their ownstories, inwhich the villaincanbevanquishedwithbetterarguments,andthe police inspector comes only in the lastscene.For, the storieswe tell can often become

largerthanus,andtheycanskiplightlyacrossborders, sometimes riding on cricket, some-timesthroughfilm.

Sometimes theynestle in thewarmthofthehugthatwentviral,thatIndia’scaptainViratKohli gave to Pakistan’sMohammadRizwanandBabar Azam, after themen in greende-featedthemeninblue inthefirstgameof theT20World Cup that concluded inDubai re-cently.Sometimestheyrevelinthesmashingbox

office success, in India andalso inPakistan, ofthe 2015 Salman Khan-starrer BajrangiBhaijaan, a cross-border tale about empathyand compassion, an Indianman’s struggle toreuniteaPakistanichildwithherfamily.Freedomfromfearmeansthatwearemore

ateasewithourneighbour,andalsowithour-selves.Itmeansthatweacknowledgethattheterrorist tried toproduce spectacle and stokepassionsandmakethecurrencyof terrorper-vasive in our politics, butwe deny him thatpoweroverus.Becauseatthebottomofourhearts,weare

allMumbaikars,whetherornotwechoosetolive inMumbai.Nomatter howcramped theplacewestandon,welookupatthestarsandskyscrapersandseekoutthebroaderhorizonsthatmeetthesea.Webelievethatbetter thingsarepossible,

andthatwecanmakethemhappentous.Welose ourselves in the dark of the cinemahallandthenwalkoutintothelighttomakeanewbeginning.Forus,theMumbaikars,thedarkisnotsomethingtobeafraidof,itiswheremagicresidesandtheimaginationrunsfree.Noterroristmustbeallowedtochangethe

wayweareinthedark,orwithourneighbour,or ourselves. No single act of terrormust begiven thepower todestroy the interconnect-ednessofourstories,ourpluralsolidarities.Thirteenyearslater,this26/11,aswebegin

to see the first glimmer after thedevastatingpandemic,inwhichwelostmanyofourlovedones,thatisthepromiseweneedtosolemnlyrenewtoourselves.

Thewriterisanactor

Vikram Patel

Amitabh Bachchan

Noactof terrorshouldbegiventhepowertobreakus:13yearsafter26/11,asweseeaglimmerinthepandemicdark,thisremainsthepromiseweneedtorenew

Are we ready to tellnew stories?

A little mercyAcknowledgingthelinkbetweenmentalhealthanddeathpenaltycanhelpbuildamorecompassionate

justicesystem

CR Sasikumar

LAW EXISTS

THIS REFERS TO the article, ‘Save herchildhood’ (IE, November 25). Taking acuefromhowtheauthorhasdescribedtheplightoftheharriedgirlchildinIndia,it is only apt to make a comparativeanalysis with one of our neighbours.Reportedas recentlyas thismonthwasthe plight of nine-year old ParwanaMalikwho, in the backdrop of the pul-verised economic conditions inAfghanistansincetheTaliban’stakeover,was sold off and forcibly betrothed to a55-yearoldmanfor$2,200byherfather.Parwana’s 12-year old sister toometwith the same fate a fewmonths ago(thoughIhumblyrequestthereaderstonotalludesuchappallingun-Islamicin-cidentstotheapparentlyIslamiccreden-tialsofAfghanistan).Thisisnottoimplythatthere’snothingwaywardgoingoninIndia in this regard,but the fact thatwedohave a legal framework, albeitwar-rantingreforms,deterringtheincidenceof childmarriages is a silver lining in it-self.Thoughitisnecessarytoreformso-cietyalongside, the importanceof legalreformscannotbeundermined.

VinaySaroha,Delhi

QUOTA IRONYTHIS REFERS TO the report, ‘Plea onquotainIITrecruitment:Topcourtissuesnotice’(IE,Nov25). Inanironictwist,aneight-membercommitteeappointedbythegovernmenttosuggestmeasuresforeffectiveimplementationofreservationforSC/ST/OBCinIITshadinsteadrecom-mendedthatthe23engineeringschools

should be exempted from reservationsunderCEIAct,2019.Andthishappeneddespite thepresenceof representativesof secretaries of the departments ofSocial Justice and Empowerment, andTribal Affairs, in the committee.Secondly, contrary to expectations, in-stead of SC/ST/OBC, the present peti-tioner,SachidanandPandey,seekingfortheimplementationofthequotaandfairselection in IIT is not from the reservedcategory. This poses a question to theelite among the reserved groups abouttheir awareness and spirits to fight fortheirconstitutionalrights.

LRMurmu,Delhi

RIGHTS MATTERTHISREFERSTO theeditorial, ‘Prince atIIT’ (IE, November 24). That even theBombayHigh Court refused to help aDalit student named Prince, whowasdeniedadmissionintheIITMumbaiforhis failure tomake the electronic pay-ment, clearly shows that the odds arestacked against Scheduled Castes andScheduled Tribes at every level in thecaste-ridden Indian ecosystem. Princemust thank his stars that the SupremeCourt has come to his rescue—other-wise,hisdreamtoriseinlifewouldhavebeen dashed. This episode shows thatwhentheyouthbelongingtofamiliesonthe lowest rung of the society are notknowledgeable--evenaboutsomethinglike online payment — theymust beaware about their constitutional rights,whichregretfullyarebeinggraduallyde-niedtothem.

TarsemSingh,Mahilpur

LETTERS TO THEEDITOR

THENARENDRAModiregimestartedobserv-ingConstitutionDayeveryyearonNovember26 from2015. Paradoxically, however, it hasbeencontravening the letter andspirit of theConstitution.Take theannouncementbyPMModi onNovember 19 that the governmentwill repeal thethreefarmlawsagainstwhichfarmershaveprotestednon-violentlyforoverayear.More than700 farmershavediedanddisparagingremarksweremadeagainstthemby thePM,his cabinet colleagues andmem-bersof hisparty.Was it constitutional for thePMtoridiculethefarmersbycallingthem“an-dolanjeevis,”whentheywereexercisingtheirconstitutional right to protest? The PMhaseventalkedofa“foreigndestructiveideology”andhis colleagueshavedubbed the farmersasKhalistanis,Maoistsandanti-nationals.Ateverystep,thegovernmentmadethings

difficultforfarmers.Trenchesweredugtopre-ventthemfrommovingfreely.UnionMinisterAjayMishra’s sonhasbeenarrestedafter theSupremeCourtexpresseditsdissatisfactionatthe UP government’s handling of theLakhimpurKheriepisode,inwhichprotesterswere runoverbyvehicles, oneofwhichwasallegedlydrivenbyMishra’sson.WhatdoesConstitutionDaymean in the

contextofthisghastlymurderandthecontin-uanceof theministerinoffice?Inhisspeech,thePMissuedashallowapol-

ogy.Theannouncementcouldwellhavebeen

motivatedby theBJP’s electoral calculus. ThePM’s objective couldwell be to salvage hisparty’simagesothatitcanwinthestateelec-tions next year in Punjab, UP, Uttarakhand,Manipur andGoa. It is undeniable, however,that the farmers’ protest, based on B RAmbedkar’s electrifying slogan “Educate,AgitateandOrganise”,hasweakenedtheelec-toral prospects of thosewho scoffed at therights guaranteedby theConstitution. In ex-ercising their rights, the farmershave shownthatthoseensconcedinpowerfulpositionscanbehumbled. In their victory lies the signifi-canceofConstitutionDay.PMModi’stelevisedspeechlackedsincer-

ity. Hedid not seek forgiveness for the anti-farmerlegislations.Instead,hesoughtanapol-ogyfornotbeingabletoconvincethefarmersoftheusefulnessofthelaws.Itseemsthatthiswas an apology directed at his corporatefriends.NowhereinhisspeechdidherefertoguaranteedMSPforcrops.PMModididprom-ise to formacommittee, comprising expertsand farmer representatives, to recommendwaysto improveagriculture.There isapossi-bilitythatthegovernment-appointedexpertsmayinsistonpro-corporatereformsandcomeinto conflictwith farmer union representa-tives. The standoff is likely to continueas thegovernment is bent on implementation ofneo-liberalpolicies inagriculturedictatedbyinternationalinstitutionssuchastheWTO,IMF

andWorldBank.Whenwearecelebratingthe75thyearof

India’sindependence,itwouldbeworthwhileto recall oneof the important dimensionsofSwarajoutlinedbyMahatmaGandhi.InYoungIndia, on January 29, 1925, hewrote, “RealSwarajwillcomenotbytheacquisitionofau-thority bya fewbutby theacquisitionof thecapacity by all to resist authoritywhen it isabused.Inotherwords,Swarajistobeobtainedbyeducationof themassestoasenseof theircapacitytoregulateandcontrolauthority.”Thisidea of Swaraj got expression in theConstitution. Parliamentarydemocracy, partofthebasicstructureoftheConstitution,man-dates that the government is accountable tothelegislaturewhichrepresentsthesovereignwillofthepeople.India,beingaUnionofstates,isbestgovernedinthespiritoffederalism.TheModigovernmenthas,however,notadheredto federal principles and attempted to cen-tralisepower.Thisunidimensionalexerciseofpowerled

several state assemblies to pass resolutionsagainstthefarmlaws.Thenon-violentfarmers’movementhasemergedasashiningexampleof peoples’ capacity to temper theModigov-ernment’smajoritarianarrogance.Thefarmers’movementemergedunitedly

across thecountrywith thesupportof tradeunions,agriculturallabourers,women,youth,students,civilsocietyorganisationsandpolit-

ical parties. The countrywitnessed theunityof peasantry andworking classes fromboththeformalandinformalsectors.Therecentre-markof National SecurityAdviser (NSA)AjitDoval that civil society is the “newfrontierofwar”saysmuchabouttheperceptionsofthoseoccupying high posts sanctioned by theConstitution.TheNSA’spronouncementgoesagainst the phrase, “We the People whoadopted, enacted and gave to ourselves theConstitution”.Theattackoncivilsocietyisawaronpeo-

ple.When protests against the CitizenshipAmendmentActeruptedinUP,ChiefMinisterYogiAdityanathmadea shocking statementthat he andhis governmentwould take re-venge. Doesn’t thismean challenging theConstitutionthatprovidestherighttoprotest?The protesting farmers represented not

onlytheirinterestsbutalsothelargercauseofdefending the Constitution, democracy andsecularism. Theyhave called thebluff of theModi government’s polarisedpolitics. TheirvictoryisasmuchavictoryAmbedkar’svisionanchored inhis slogan, “Educate,AgitateandOrganise”,asfortheConstitutionitself, itsba-sicstructureandconstitutionalmorality.Whilecelebrating ConstitutionDay,we should re-memberthisvictory.

ThewriterisGeneralSecretary,CommunistPartyofIndia

DRaja

A victory for the ConstitutionFarmers’triumphaffirmstherighttoprotest,againstdifficultodds

New Delhi

KIRANPARASHARBENGALURU,NOVEMBER25

HEISa formerscrapdealerwhoclaims his luck changed afterfinding gold in the Kolar fields.Now,YusufSharif is thewealth-iest candidate in the forthcom-ing Council elections inKarnataka — and in the state’selectoralhistory—declaringas-setswortharoundRs1,744crore.Sharif, also known as Scrap

Babu and Gujuri Babu, is theCongress MLC candidate forBengaluruUrban.Theassetsde-claredbythe54-year-oldrealtorfar outstrip those of the other121 candidates for the 25 seatsheading to thepolls.Thedeclarationalsoputshim

ahead of the likes of PriyaKrishna,aformerCongressMLAfrom Bengaluru who declaredassets worth Rs 1,020 croreahead of the 2018 Assemblypolls, formerCongressMLAandcurrent BJPMLCNNagarajwhodeclared Rs 1,010 crore, andKarnataka Congress chief D KShivakumar who declared Rs841.72crore in2018.Hailing from the Kolar gold

fields(KGF)region,hestudiedtillclassfiveinagovernmentschool.Sharif, who has twowives andfive children, declaredmovableassetsworthRs97.98croremov-able and immovable assetsworth Rs 1,643.59 crore in hisownname.His first wife has Rs 98.96

lakh of movable and Rs 1.30

crore of immovable assets. ThesecondspousehasRs32.22lakhof movable assets. The rest is inthenameofhischildren.Hehasliabilitiesof Rs67.24crore.Sharif claims his fortunes

turned in the early 2000s afterhewonabid for21mill tanks inKGF. Inarecentinterview,Sharifsaid he participated in the in2001 auction after poolingaroundRs7 lakh.The rest of the story, at least

in Sharif's telling, is this: Hefound13kgof gold in theaban-doned purifying tanks he hadbought. Using the newfoundwealth, he began buying prop-erty and factories through gov-ernment and court auctions —whichhave since accruedvalueinBengaluru’s realestateboom.Critics, however, accusehim

of acquiring the gold throughmusclepower.Sharifhasdeniedtheallegations.“Ihaveseenpovertyandhave

ledarichlifestyle.Ihadasuccess-

ful lifeasabusinessmanand it istimetogivebacktosociety.Ihaveretiredfrombusinessandwouldbedoingwhatever Icanforsoci-ety,"ShariftoldTheIndianExpress.Sharif made national head-

linesinAugustwhenhisRs2.01-crore (according to affidavit)Rolls Royce car — which hebought secondhand fromactorAmitabhBachchan—wasseizedbyRTOofficials for roadtaxvio-lation. The Income Tax depart-mentalsosearchedhispremisesover alleged tax evasion of Rs13.43crores.Sharif faces four pending

criminalcases—threeofwhich,heclaims,werebasedonallega-tionsmade during his time de-velopingpropertyforhisreales-tatebusiness.

THERESTOFTHERICH LISTBesidesSharif, thesearetherichestcandidatesintheMLCpolls

YechareddySatishBJP `137cr

BSomashekarCONGRESS `116cr

HMRameshGowdaJD(S) `89cr

AppajiGowdaJD(S) `88cr

BCManjuBJP `70cr

In Karnataka MLC polls, scrap dealer-turned-realtoris wealthiest candidate with assets worth Rs 1,744 cr

RealtorYusuf Sharif (centre)Express

EXPRESSNETWORK16 WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COMTHEINDIANEXPRESS,FRIDAY,NOVEMBER26,2021

PRANAVMUKUL&SUNNYVERMANEWDELHI,NOVEMBER25

ALL14statessurveyedinthesec-ond phase of National FamilyHealth Survey-5 (NFHS-5) re-portedasignificantjumpoverthelast five years in the number ofwomen having a bank accountthattheythemselvesuse.The all-India figures show

close to80%womennowhaveabank account that they use —from53 per cent in 2015-16 to78.6percentin2019-21.The findings, alongwithdata

on women owning a house orland, and those owningmobilephones, offer significant insightsintoeconomicandsocialstatusofwomen,andtheirroleindecision-making, inIndianhouseholds.Whilethelowtariffssincelate

2016 saw mobile phone useamongwomen surging acrossstates,Haryana andChandigarhsawadropintheshareofwomenowningamobilephonethattheyused themselves. InHaryana, forexample,at50.4%in2020-2021,asmaller proportion of womenusedmobilephones, a slightdipfrom50.5%in2015-16.TheUnion

territoryofChandigarhalsosawadecline in the percentage ofwomenowningmobilephones—from74.2%in2015-16to70%now.Theall-Indiafigureforphone

use among women went upfrom45.9% in 2015-16 to 54% in2019-21.Thedatashowthatamongthe

14 states, barring MP, Odisha,Uttarakhand, Delhi NCT andPuducherry, land/houseowner-shipamongwomenwentup.Punjab and Uttar Pradesh

bucked the trendwitnessed inlarge agrarian states of low landownership among women. InPunjab, for example, among thewomensurveyed,63.5%ownedahouseor a land (aloneor jointly)in2020-21,comparedto32.1%in2015-16.InUttarPradesh,anotherlarge agrarian state, the share ofwomenowningland/housewentup— from34.2% in 2015-16 to51.9%in2020-21.But inMPandRajasthan, the

other two big agrarian states,land/house ownership amongwomeneitherfellorfailedtoshowmuchimprovement.InMP,39.9%of thewomensurveyedownedahouseora land in2020-21, com-pared to 43.5% in 2015-16. InRajasthan,thenumberwas26.6%

for2020-21,amarginal improve-mentfrom24.1%in2015-16.Onthemetricofwomenhav-

ingbankaccountsthattheythem-selves use, there’s been a pro-nounced surge, with MP,Jharkhand,Odisha, Puducherry,andPunjabtoppingthelist.InMP,thepercentageofwomenhavingabankaccountincreasedto74.7%in2020-21from37.3%in2015-16,whileinJharkhanditincreasedto79.6% from45.1% in2013-16, thesurveyshowed.Bankers and researchers at-

tribute the jumpinbankaccountusetotheroleoftheaccountopen-ingdrivecarriedoutunderPMJanDhanYojanaover the last sevenyears,whichenabledwomenandhouseholds to comewithin thebankingfold.“Thesignificantjumpinwomenhavingabankaccount(morethan80%)...isareflectionofthe growingwomenempower-ment and thereby a say in thehousehold’s financial decision-making. Interestingly,more thanhalfoftheJanDhanaccountshavebeenopenedbywomenandevenmorethanhalf of theworkersonthe recently launched E-Shramportal arewomen,” saidSoumyaKanti Ghosh, Group ChiefEconomicAdviser,SBI.

PRESSTRUSTOFINDIANEWDELHI,NOVEMBER25

ASSAM AND Mizoram onThursday decided to “try to in-crease” the fencing along theirinter-stateborder,whichsawvi-olence that claimed the lives offiveAssamPolicepersonnelandacivilian last July.Mizoram Chief Minister

Zoramthangadescribedhisabouttwo-hour-long meeting withAssam counterpart HimantaBiswaSarmaas“cordial”.The twochiefministersmet

to resolve their boundary dis-putes apparently following aninterventionof theUnionHomeMinistry, officials said. AssamandMizoram share a 164-km-longborder.“We had a very goodmeet-

ing. We are like brothers.Tomorrow we will meet theUnion Home Minister (AmitShah)together.Wewilltrytoin-crease our fencing all along theborder,” Zoramthanga told re-portersafter themeeting.However, Sarma said they

didnotdiscuss anythingexceptenjoying the dinner together.“Weenjoyedthedinnertogethersince we are good friends. Wewillmeetthehomeministerto-morrow. Nothing discussed to-day,” Sarmasaid.Zoramthanga also said he

was looking forward to manymoreofsuch“progressivemeet-ings”.“Thankyouforyourwarmhospitable reception Shri @hi-mantabiswajiandShri@ATULB-ORA2 ji. Cordial discussions onvariousdevelopmentaltopicfor

the welfare of Northeast Indiawasdiscussed.Lookingforwardtomanymoreprogressivemeet-ing,”Zoramthangatweetedwiththehashtag#peace.He also tagged Prime

Minister Narendra Modi andUnionHomeMinisterAmitShahinhistweet.AtulBoraisAssam’sborderaffairsminister.According to an official, the

Centrewantsapeaceful resolu-tion of the border dispute be-tweenAssamandMizoramandtheHomeMinisterisbelievedto

beinregulartouchwiththetwochiefministers.OnJuly26, fiveAssamPolice

personnel and a civilian werekilledandover50others,includ-ing a superintendent of police,wereinjuredwhentheMizoramPolice opened fire on a team ofthe Assam officials followingclashesalongthetwostates’bor-der.Followingtheviolence,bothAssamandMizoramPolicereg-istered separate cases namingeachother’spoliticalleadersandpoliceandcivil officials.

Assam, Mizoram CMs meet todiscuss inter-state border row

Day after encounter, J&KDGP says some ‘lookingat killers as innocent’ARUNSHARMAJAMMU,NOVEMEBER25

ADAYafterthreemilitantswerekilled in an encounter inSrinagar's Rambagh area, J&KDGP Dilbag Singh on Thursdaytook a swipe at those question-ing the police action, sayingsome have started “looking atkillersas innocent”.Replying to a question on

PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti’sstatement questioning the en-counter,hesaid,“Therearepeo-pleincivilsocietywhosomehowunderstandthereality,buttrytosay something which is awayfromthereality.Therearemanypeoplewhoareonsocialmediawhoaretryingtocastaspersionsonthekillingof the terrorists.”“Unfortunately, there are

peoplewhohavestartedlookingatthekillersasinnocentpeople,”theDGPsaid.The militants who were

killedwereidentifiedasMehranYaseenShallafromSrinagar,andManzoorAhmadMirandArafatAhmadShiekh fromPulwama.

DGP Singh said whileMehran was involved in thekillingsofmanycivilians,includ-ing school principal SupinderKourandteacherDeepakChandon October 7, Manzoor andArafathadbeenworkingasoverground workers for AbbasSheikh, the slain chief com-manderofTheResistanceFront,anaffiliateof Lashkar-e-Toiba.“Mehranis theonewhohad

beenprovidingallkindof logis-tic support to Abbas when hewas active in Srinagar city andelsewhere. He is responsiblealongwithhisassociates forthekilling of police sub inspectorArshad Ahmad, a grenade at-tack on June 26 last atBarbarshah inwhichone inno-centcivilianwaskilled,besidesthe killing of Imran Ali Sheikh,a residentof Srinagar,” theDGPsaid,addingtothelist thekillingof Kour andChand.

ABHISHEKANGADRANCHI,NOVEMBER25

THE JHARKHAND Police Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) said onThursdaythataservingBSFheadconstable and a retiredBSFper-sonnelwere among fivepersonsarrested for allegedly supplyingarms and ammunitions toCPI(Maoist)cadresand"organisedterrorgangs"acrossthecountry.This comes less than a fort-

night after the ATS arrested aCRPFpersonnelandthreeothersforallegedlysupplyingarmsandammunition to banned ultraoutfits andothers.Identifying theBSFheadcon-

stableasKartikBehra,aresidentofJharkhand,policeclaimedtohaverecovered"pilfered"ammunition,magazines anddetonators fromtheBSF's116Battalioncompoundin Ferozepur, Punjab,where hewasposted. The retiredBSFper-sonnel,ArunKumarSingh,aresi-dentofBihar,wasalsopostedwith116Battalionearlier,policesaid.The three others who have

been arrested -- Kumar Gurlal,Shivlal Dhawal Singh Chauhanand Hirla Guman Singh -- arefromMadhyaPradesh."We have been conducting

raids to ascertain the nexus ofsupply chains, inter-state gangs'channels,transactionsinPunjab,Rajasthan, West Bengal,Maharashtra and Bihar amongothers areas. A big network hascometothefore,whichsuppliesarms and ammunition such asINSAS,AK-47and9mmrifles toterrorist organisations," saidJharkhandIG(Operations)AmolVenukantHomkar.ATS SP Prashant Anand said

the seizures included 14 semi-automaticpistols."Thearmsaremostly countrymade, butmostof the ammunition is pilferedfromsecurityforces...Wearein-vestigating the roleof otherBSFpersonnel,"hesaid.Asked if investigations had

revealed inter-forces coordina-tion, Homkar said it was still amatterof investigation.Policesourcessaidtheywere

also probing if documents hadbeen fudged in order to pilferthe ammunition. “Weare look-ing for false documentation offiringof roundsduringanoper-ation... In addition, the supplieshave also come from the BSFcampuses in Jodhpur andJaisalmer... We suspect the in-volvementofmoreparamilitarypersonnel," saida source.

OMKARGOKHALEMUMBAI,NOVEMBER25

FORMER MUMBAI PoliceCommissionerParamBirSingh’ssuddenreappearanceinMumbaiafter beinguntraceable formorethansixmonths cameafter a se-riesofdevelopmentsinvariousju-dicial forums.TheIPSofficer,shuntedoutof

the post of Mumbai Comm-issionerinMarchafterheallegedin a letter to Chief MinisterUddhavThackeray that the thenHomeMinister Anil Deshmukhhadaskedpoliceofficerstoextortmoney for him from bars andrestaurants,wentundergroundascases started being filed againsthiminMumbaiandotherpartsofthestate,andtheMumbaipoliceinitiatedinquiriesagainsthim.On November 17, a magis-

trate’s court here allowedanap-plication filedbyMumbai Policefor declaring Param Bir, RiyazBhatiandVinaySinghasabscond-ing accused in an extortion caseaftertheCrimeBranchsubmittedthatthethreecouldnotbefoundatanyof theirknownaddresses.Following this, noticeswere

pastedoutsideSingh’sknownad-dresses andprinted in newspa-pers, directinghimtoappearbe-foretheinvestigatingofficerwithin30days, failingwhich thepolice

could initiate theprocess for at-tachmentofSingh’sproperties.OnNovember 22, Supreme

Court granted Singhprotectionfromarrest until December 6. ItaskedthestatetorespondonDec-ember6,thenextdateofhearing.Singhhadgonetothecourtin

appeal against a decision ofBombayHigh Court,which haddismissedhispleafordismissaloftwo “preliminary enquiries”against himbyMumbai police,and asked him to approach theCentralAdministrativeTribunal.Therewasnoscope forarrest

inthesepreliminaryenquiries.ButSingh’s counsel had also soughtprotectionforhisclientfrom“anyfurther coercive steps appre-hended in retaliation for layingbare the corruptmalpractices ofDeshmukh”. He said cases hadbeen filedagainstSinghoncom-plaintsby“extortionists”,bookiesandothers.Mumbaipolicesaiditwouldabidebytheorderandap-prisethecourtofthecasesagainstSinghinitsreplyonDecember6.OnNovember 23, Singh ap-

peared tobepedallingback fromhisallegationsofcorruptionagai-nstDeshmukh.His lawyer told agovernment-appointedcommis-sionofJustice(retd)KUChandiwal— inquiringintotheallegations—thattheywerebasedoninforma-tionother officers providedhimandhencewas“hearsay”.

How legal developmentsled up to Param Bir’sreappearance in Mumbai

NATIONALFAMILYHEALTHSURVEY-5

Jump inwomenusingbankaccounts, phones

ANURADHAMASCARENHASPUNE,NOVEMBER25

NEARLY47.4percentdeliveriesatprivatehealth institutions in thecountry were through theCaesarean section, according todata from the fifth round ofNational Family Health Survey(NFHS-5), up from40.9per centinthelastsurvey(2015-16).Overall,therehasbeenafour-

pointriseinthenumberofC-sec-tions in the last five years in thecountry. Against 17.2%C-sectionbirths(NFHS-4),thefifthroundofNFHSpegsthefigureat21.5%.The rise in C-section births

is not just limited to privatehealthcare facilities but showsa3% rise inpublic health facili-ties as well. Across publichealth facilities, thepercentageof C-section births is 14.3,against 11.9% in the last survey.AccordingtoNFHS-5,overall

percentageofC-sectionbirthsinthe last five years has shown a

rise inHaryana (11.7% to 19.5%),Jharkhand, (9.9% to 12.8%)Madhya Pradesh (8.6% to 12.1%)and Odisha (13.8% to 21.6%),Punjab (24.6% to 38.5%), TamilNadu (34.1% to 44.9%), UttarPradesh (9.4% to 13.7%),Uttarakhand (13.1% to 20.4%),Kerala (35.8% to 38.9%),Maharashtra (20.1% to 25.4%),Goa (31.4% to 39.5%), Gujarat(18.4%to21%).Delhi has showna slight dip

from26.7% to23.6% inC-sectionbirths;asdoesMizoram(12.7%to10.8%)andNagaland(5.8%to5.2%).

AssamCMHimantaBiswaSarmaandMizoramCMZoramthangameet inNewDelhi. PTI

BSF personnel among 5held, Jharkhand policesay supplied arms toMaoists, terror groups

WESTBENGAL

HCjunksashramrevamppleabyTusharGandhiAhmedabad: A divisionbenchoftheGujaratHighCourtrefusedtoentertaina PIL by the great grand-son ofMahatmaGandhi,Tushar Gandhi, seekingquashing of the notifica-tion on the GandhiAshram PrecinctDevelopment Project.This came after theGujaratgovernmentgavean undertaking that theexisting one acre onwhich the ashram stood,would not be disturbedand the project wouldpreserveGandhianethos.Advocate General KamalTrivedi,appearingforthestate, opposed the PIL asthematterwas taken upforhearingbyanHCdivi-sionbench. ENS

BRIEFLY

WESTBENGLA

KolkatacivicbodypollstobeheldonDec19Kolkata:TheStateElectionCommission (SEC) onThursdaynotifiedtheelec-tion to the KolkataMunicipal Corporation(KMC)andskippedtheno-tification forHowrahcivicpolls, which was earlierproposedtobeheldonthesameday–December19.There is uncertainty overtheHowrahcivicpollsdateas thematterhas reachedtheHighCourt.Objectionshavebeen raised that thestate government consti-tutedanewmunicipalitycovering16wardsof erst-while BallyMunicipalityfrom the HowrahMunicipalCorporationjustaheadofthepolls. ENS

MAHARASHTRA

AnnaHazareundergoesangiographyPune:ActivistAnnaHazare,84,hasbeenadmittedtoaPune clinic,where anan-giographywasperformedonhimon Thursday. Hishealth is said to be stableandtheprocedurewasun-dertaken after he com-plainedofmildchestpain.According to officials ofRubyHall Clinic, Hazarewasevaluatedbyateamofexperts and an ECGshowedminor changes.“Theangiogramrevealedaminorblockageinhiscoro-naryartery,”saidadoctor.

ENS

J&KDGPDilbagSingh

THE WORLD HealthOrganization recom-mendsthatCaesareande-liveriesshouldnotexceed10-15percentofalldeliv-eries inanycountry.

WhatWHOrecommendsE●EX

PLAINED

47% births in pvt facilitiesthrough C-section: data

No fight withHealth minister,says Goa CM

ZAKIAJAFRIPLEAONGODHRARIOTS

Panaji:GoaChiefMinisterPramodSawant on Thursday dismissedreports of differences betweenhim and state HealthMinisterVishwajitRane.Addressing partyworkers in

Rane’s Assembly constituencyValpoi,Sawantsaid, “Somepolit-ical parties repeatedly say thereare fights between me andVishwajit... It is theywho say it;therearenofights... ”The alleged differences had

becomeconspicuousattheonsetof the secondCovid-19wave inApril. Thetwohadmadeconflict-ingstatementsregardingstepstobe taken. InMay, Rane had alsosaidthatthereneedstobeaHighCourt-monitoredinquiryintothedipinoxygensupplytoCovid-19patients inGoaMedical CollegeandHospital. ENS


THESUPREMECourt-appointedSpecial InvestigationTeam(SIT),which inquired into the 2002post-Godhra riots inGujarat, onThursdaytermedas“absurd”thecontentionthatburningofcoachS-6ofSabarmatiExpresstrainthatledtotheriotswas“orchestrated”byHindutvagroups.“The allegation is (that) even

before the incident, therewerearmspile-upbeforeFebruary27.Itbogglesmymind.SayIamarad-icalHindumemberof VHPand IamkeepingarmsonFebruary25withoutknowing thedateof thetrainburningincident,thatmakesnosense...”senioradvocateMukulRohatgi,appearingfortheSIT,tolda bench headed by Justice AMKhanwilkar.“Or you are saying this train

burningwas also orchestrated?That can’t be (true), because the

trainwas delayed by five hoursandwas only going to stop fortwo minutes,” he submitted.“Theycouldnothaveknown...It’sabsurd...”“Either they knew the train

will be five hours late and theothersidewillattackandtheywillhave the material to attack

back...It’swild,”hesaid.Thecourtishearinganappeal

by Zakia Jafri, wife of formerCongressMPAhsanJafriwhowaskilled in the riots, challenging anappealchallengingtheOctober5,2017GujaratHighCourtorderup-holding the AhmedabadMetropolitanMagistrate Court’sdecisiontoaccepttheSIT’sclosurereport,whichgaveacleanchit tothenGujarat CMNarendraModiand 63 others in riots-relatedcases. Rohatgi said Jafri had first

filed her complaint in 2006. “Bythe time she had gone toHC in2007, petitioner no. 2 TeestaSetalvadhad joined. TheHCsaidshe(Setalvad)hadnoroleandwasnotentitledtomaintainanypro-ceedingsinthisrespect.”HesaidSC’sdirectiontoSITto

“look into” Jafri’s complaintwas“clear and guarded”. The argu-mentsremainedinconclusiveandwillcontinueonDecember1.

FULLREPORTONwww.indianexpress.com


THEONLYsolution to thepainofPartition lies in undoing it, RSSchief Mohan Bhagwat said onThursday.“If we want to become a

strong nation and contribute intheworld'swelfare,theHinduso-cietywillhavetobecomecapable.Bharat ke vibhajan ki peeda kasamadhan,vibhajankonirastkarnemein hi hai (the solution to thepainofPartitionisinundoingit),”theRSSquotedBhagwatassayingatabooklauncheventinNoida.The book, ‘Vibhajan Kalin

Bharat ke Sakshi’ (TheWitnessesof Partition-era India), has beenwrittenbyKrishnanandSagar.“TheRSSchief alsosaidthis is

India of 2021 and not of 1947.Partition has happened once, itwon't happen again. Thosewho

think thatwaywill facepartitionthemselves,” the RSS statementsaid.Bhagwatsaidallshouldreadhistory and accept its truth, ac-cordingtothestatement.“Indianideologyisabouttak-

ingeveryonealong.Itisnotaboutclaiming tobe right andprovingotherswrong,”hesaid.“Contraryto this, the thought process ofIslamicextremistsistoproveoth-erswrongandclaim themselvestoberight.Thiswasthemainrea-sonforstruggleinthepast.”Theprogrammewaspresided

overbyretiredjudgeofAllahabadHigh Court Shambhu NathSrivastav.TheRSSstatementsaidhediscussed thegenocideof theHindustilldate.

RSSchiefMohanBhagwat

Bhagwat: Solution to painof Partition is undoing it

Police: Open jailinmate bookedfor raping minordaughter; flees

JODHPUR

EXPRESSNEWSSERVICEJAIPUR,NOVEMBER25

JODHPURPOLICEhavebookedaconvictforallegedlyrapinghismi-nor daughterwhile living in anopenjail,policesaidThursday.According to the police, the

man,who is in his early thirties,was sentenced to life imprison-mentformurderandwaslivinginanopenjail in Jodhpur.Theysaidheiscurrentlyabsconding.“Primafacie,itappearsthatthe

incident is fromamonth-and-a-halfago.Theaccused,whoisfromSirohi district, was living in theJodhpuropen jailwithhis familywhile serving a life sentence.Aroundamonth-and-a-halfback,hiswifewentawaywithherfather.But the accused didn’t let hisdaughtergowiththem.Around3-4daysago,hedroppedhisdaugh-ter at the house of his in-laws,wherehiswifeisliving.Thereafter,thegirl saidher fatherhad rapedher,”saidtheSHOofthepolicesta-tionwherethecasewaslodged.The SHO said that initially, a

zeroFIRwaslodgedinSirohidis-trict by thewife of the accused,whichwasthentransferredtothepolicestationinJodhpur.“The accusedwas sentenced

to life imprisonment three yearsbackoveramurder.Severalofhisrelativesarealso in jail regardingthesamecase.Wehaveregisteredacase onWednesdayundersec-tion376 (rape) and344 (wrong-ful confinement for ten ormoredays) of the IPC and under sec-tionsof thePOCSOAct,”hesaid.

Zakia Jafri

Absurd to say train burning orchestrated by Hindu groups: SIT to SC

New Delhi

17SENSEX: 58,795.09 ▲ 454.10 (0.78%) NIFTY: 17,536.25 ▲ 121.20 (0.70%) NIKKEI: 29,499.28 ▲ 196.62 HANG SENG: 24,740.16 ▲ 54.66 FTSE: 7,296.40 ▲ 10.08 DAX: 15,907.72 ▲ 29.33

THEINDIANEXPRESS,FRIDAY,NOVEMBER26,2021

ECONOMYWWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM

Internationalmarketdatatill1900IST

GOLD`46,625

RUPEE`74.52

OIL$82.23

SILVER`61,763

Note:Gold,silverratesatDelhispotmarket,goldper10g,silverper1kg;Crudeoil (Indianbasket)asofNovember24

PRANAVMUKULNEWDELHI,NOVEMBER25

INLESSTHANtwoyears,therehasbeen a discernible shift in theCentre’s stanceoncryptocurren-cies—topotentiallydefine thesevirtual currencies as financial as-setsandtostopshortof a fullbanon their circulation — basedmostlyontwospecifictriggers:theSupremeCourt order ofMarch2020 that reversed the ReserveBank of India’smove to cut themoney supply to crypto ex-changes, and theexponential in-crease in investment flows intocryptoassetspostthejudgment.The change in the govern-

ment’s stand is evident fromthetitleandscopeof thenewlegisla-tion—TheCryptocurrency andRegulation of Official DigitalCurrencyBill,2021—whichisdis-tinctlydifferentfromtheearlier–Banning of Cryptocurrency andRegulation of Official DigitalCurrencyBill,2019recommendedacoupleofyearsbackbyaninter-ministerialcommitteecomprisingrepresentatives fromtheFinanceMinistry’s Department ofEconomics Affairs, InformationTechnologyministry,SEBIandtheRBI, butultimately endedupnotbeing introducedby thegovern-mentinParliament.While theolderBill sought to

impose a complete ban on allcrypto-relatedactivitiesincludingmining, buying, holding, selling,anddealing, thenewone, incon-trast,willlooktomakeacleardis-

tinctionwhen it comes to its oftusedcategorisationasacurrency—withthedefinitionalclarityex-pected tohaveaclearbearingontheregulatoryaspect.Innottreat-ing these financial assets as cur-rencies, indications are that theCentre isaimingtoaddresssomeofthemacroeconomicrisksposedbycryptocurrenciesthatwerere-peatedly flagged by the centralbank in recentweeks, both ver-ballyandinwriting.OnTuesday, thegovernment

announceditwouldintroducethenewBill inParliamentduringtheupcomingwinter session. It saidtheBillhasbeenlistedtobetakenupforintroduction,considerationandpassingduringthesessionforthepurposeofcreating“afacilita-tiveframeworkforcreationoftheofficialdigitalcurrencytobeissuedbytheReserveBankofIndia”.“TheBillalsoseekstoprohibitallprivatecryptocurrencies in India, how-ever, it allows for certain excep-tions topromote theunderlyingtechnologyofcryptocurrencyanditsuses,”itadded.However,multiple develop-

mentsoccurredintherunuptotheannouncementare likely tohaveshapedtheCentre’sstance.Duringthelastonemonth,thedebateoncryptocurrenciesgainedmomen-tumwithaPrimeMinister-chairedmeetingonNovember13havingarrivedataconsensus that futuresteps by the government in thefieldofcryptocurrencywillbe“pro-gressiveandforward-looking”,fol-lowingwhich, onNovember15,the Parliamentary Standing

Committee on Financemet keystakeholders of cryptocurrencyspaceinIndia.LastThursday,PrimeMinisterNarendraModi,speakingattheSydneyDialogue, identifiedcryptocurrenciesasoneofthekeyareaswheredemocracies shouldworktogether.Theprogressioninthegovern-

ment taking up the cryptocur-rencydebatecameafter thecen-tral bank formally raised itsconcernswiththevirtualcurren-cieswiththehighestlevelsinNewDelhi. Its concerns included thevariousadvertisementsthatwerebeing runbycrypto tradingplat-forms,and implicationsof allow-ing cryptocurrencies on aspectssuchasmoneylaundering, terrorfinancing,andevenpotentiallyun-derminingRBI’smonetarypolicy.Thisfreshstanceisinstarkcon-

trast to that taken back in 2019through theBill thatproposed to

prohibitmining, holding, selling,trade, issuance,disposaloruseofcryptocurrency in the country.That Bill had also proposed thatmining, holding, selling, issuing,transferringoruseof cryptocur-rencybemadepunishablewithafineor imprisonmentof up to10years,orboth.Thisbillwasbasedonareportsubmittedbyaninter-ministerialcommitteeheadedbythe Department of EconomicAffairsin2019,whichhadrecom-mendedthatallprivatecryptocur-rencies,exceptanycryptocurrencyissuedby theState, bebanned inIndia.Thecommitteehadalsoen-dorsedthestandtakenbytheRBIin2018to“eliminatetheinterfaceofinstitutionsregulatedbytheRBIfrom cryptocurrencies” andseemedtobuildonit.InApril2018,theRBI,throughacircular,prohib-ited all banks fromdealingwithvirtual currencieseffectively, cut-tingoff themoneysupplyofplat-forms facilitating access to thesedigital assets. The circularwaschallenged by the Internet andMobile Association of India (IA-MAI)intheSupremeCourt,andinMarch2020,theapexcourtover-turnedthebanpavingthewayforstart-upstooperateexchangesandtradingplatforms.In the180-page judgment is-

suedbyathree-judgebenchledbyJusticeRohinton FNariman, thecourt setaside theRBIcircularongrounds of “proportionality”. Itpointedout that the2019billhadnotbecomelaw,thepositionasondatewas that virtual currencies(VCs)werenotbanned.“…butthe

tradinginVCsandthefunctioningofVCexchangesaresenttocoma-tosebythe impugnedCircularbydisconnectingtheirlifelinenamely,theinterfacewiththeregularbank-ingsector,” itsaid.“Whatisworseisthatthishasbeendone(i)despiteRBI not finding anythingwrongabout theway inwhichtheseex-changes functionand (ii) despitethefactthatVCsarenotbanned”.In the aftermath of the

SupremeCourtorder, cryptocur-rencyexchangesandtradingplat-forms started mushroomingacross the country. Thiswasde-spiteseverallargebanksandfinan-cialtechnologyplayersnotallow-ingtheuseoftheirinfrastructuretosuchplatforms. Currently, cryp-tocurrencyexchangesinIndiaop-eratewiththesupportof ahand-ful of banks and one majore-wallet issuer. In 2021 alone,cryptocurrency exchanges andtradingplatformshaveraisedclosetohalf abilliondollars frommar-queeventure capital andprivateequity investment firms, withnumberof investorsof thehalf adecadeoldIndiancryptoindustryhaving grown to 15million, byconservativeestimates,around60per centof the investornumbersin the mutual funds industry,whichisnearlysixdecadesold.Notably,evenasboththegov-

ernmentandtheRBIwereonthesame pagewith respect to thefunctioning of cryptocurrencyplatforms, theywere in favourofuseof theunderlyingblockchaintechnology. Full report on

www.indianexpress.com

ENSECONOMICBUREAUNEWDELHI,NOVEMBER25

THE ASIAN DevelopmentBank (ADB) onThursday ap-proved a $1.5 billion loan toIndia tohelp thegovernmentpurchase vaccines againstCovid-19. The AsianInfrastructure InvestmentBankisexpectedtoco-financeanadditional$500millionfortheproject.TheloanfromADBwill fund at least 66.7 croreCovid-19vaccinedoses foranestimated31.7crorepeople.“It will support India’s

National Deployment andVaccinationPlanwhichaimstofullyvaccinate944.7millionpeople aged18years old andabove,accountingfor68.9%ofthepopulation.Prioritygroupsincludehealthcareandfront-lineworkers, senior citizens,and those aged 45–59 yearswithcomorbidities,”ADBsaidinastatement. “(the) supportwillhelpthegovernmentpro-tect its citizens from further

transmission of this diseaseandsavelives,”saidADBpres-identMasatsuguAsakawa.Vaccines are critical in

overcoming the intertwinedhealth, social, and economicimpacts of thepandemic, in-cluding rejuvenating eco-nomic activities, sustaininghealthservices, restorationoflivelihoods, and reopeningofeducationalinstitutions,withrenewed focus on social andhumandevelopment priori-ties,Asakawasaid.

COVIDWATCHVACCINATION

ENSECONOMICBUREAUMUMBAI,NOVEMBER25

FINANCE MINISTER NirmalaSitharamanonThursday urgedthe Customs department forstrongeradministrationandcoor-dination of functions to achieve‘zerodailyassessmentpendency’andfasterreleaseofcargo.Sitharamanwhoundertooka

day-long reviewof theCustomsactivitiesatNhavaShevainRaigaddistrict of Maharashtra, off theMumbaicoast,also laidthrustonconsistentprocessingofexportin-centive schemes like RoDTEP(Remissionof Duties&Taxes onExport Products) and RoSCTL

(Rebate of State&Central TaxesandLevies)andtimelydisposalofrefundsanddrawbackpayable.TheFMwasaccompaniedby

RevenueSecretaryTarunBajajandCBICChairmanMAjithKumarontheday-longvisittoNhavaSheva.TheMinisteralsoaskedtheof-

ficerstospeedupdisposalofhaz-ardous goods and desired thatquasi-judicial process, if any, becarriedoutinamannertoachievedisposalwithin threemonths ofimports.Tofurtherboosttradefacilita-

tion,Sitharamaninitiatedtheset-tingupofaCustomsExaminationFacilityforon-wheelfactorysealedexport containers at JNPT’sCentralizedParkingPlazaitself.

‘Amazon writes to FRL dirs,alleges financial irregularities’NewDelhi:Amazonhaswrittento independent directors ofFuture Retail Ltd (FRL) alleging“significant financial irregulari-ties”, and said this warrants a“thoroughandindependentex-amination”of relevantfactsandrelated party transactions be-tween FRL and other Future

Group entities, as per a copy ofthe letter reviewedbyPTI.A Future Group spokesper-

son saidAmazon is not a share-holderorFutureRetail Ltdcred-itor andhas no locus to addressthe letter.Amazondidnotcommenton

the issue.PTI

‘RIL, Aramconix deal amidvaluationdifferences’REUTERSNEWDELHI/DUBAI,NOV25

RELIANCEINDUSTRIESandSaudiAramcohavecalledoff adeal forthestateoilgianttobuyastakeintheoil-to-chemicals business ofthe Indian conglomerate due tovaluationconcerns, sourceswithknowledgeofthemattersaid.Talks broke downover how

muchReliance’soil-to-chemicals(O2C)business shouldbevaluedas theworld seeks tomoveawayfromfossilfuelsandreduceemis-sions, they said.Valuationsof re-fining andpetrochemical assetshavegonedownespecially afterthe recentCOP26climate talks, asecondsourcesaid.Despite this, Reliance had

stucktothe$75billionvaluationfor the O2C business made in2019,hesaid.

FM pushes forfaster cargorelease, refundsFor 66.7 cr jabs,

ADB greenlights$1.5-billion loan

Vaccinecamp,NewDelhi.TheAIIBisexpectedtoco-financeanadditional$500million.File

ENSECONOMICBUREAUNEWDELHI,NOVEMBER25

INDIAMUST “clearlydefine” theresponsibility for thecontentbe-ingputouton socialmediaplat-formsasthereisan“implicittrust”ofthewordoninternet,ITMinisterAshwiniVaishnawsaid.“There is implicit in thewrit-

tenword. If we read something,westartbelievingit.Whoisgoingtotakeresponsibilityforthatcon-tent?Itisveryimportantbecausethe youngmindswouldbeveryeasily tempted tobelievewhat isthewrittenword.Whether thatcontent isonasocialmediaplat-formoronawebsite, itshouldbeclearlydefinedsothatitbecomespartofthesocietyasanacceptableform,”theMinistersaid.Speakingattheinauguralcer-

emonyof the first India InternetGovernance Forum (IIGF 2021),Vaishnawsaidthata“fundamen-talrethinkoftheentiregovernancestructureofinternet”wasneeded.“...the way content is con-

sumed,thewaytheinternetisac-cessed.Thelanguagesinwhichtheinternetisaccessed,themachines,themodesinwhichtheinternetisaccessed,everythinghaschanged.

So, with these fundamentalchanges,wecertainlyneedafun-damentalrethinkoftheentiregov-ernancestructureoftheinternet,”Vaishnawsaid.Laying emphasis on under-

standing thesocial impactof dis-ruptions inbusinessmodelsduetotheadventofe-commerce,theminister said that though it hasmanybenefits,butitalsohascer-tainthingswhichneedtobemit-igated.“Thewaye-commercehasdisrupted the entire businessworld, thewaysomanyother in-

dustriesaregettingdisrupted,thathasa social impact, a social cost...Ithasmanybenefits,butitalsohascertain thingswhichneed tobemitigated. So, that is againsome-thingweasa societywill have tothink about, because that leavesoutsomanypeople,whoare lessable to copewith the changes...howdowebring those personsintothemainstream,”hesaid.Vaishnawalso said that since

all systems todayweredrivenbydigital technology and internetwas the fundamentalmediumthroughwhichall thishappened,itwas important tobuild funda-mentalstructureswithinthegov-ernance system itself so that cy-bersecurity became a “centralpart”ofdevelopment.Speaking following the inau-

guration, Minister of State forElectronics and InformationTechnologyRajeevChandrasekharsaid thatglobal futureof internetmustbe India ledwith the inter-netecosystemandinnovationca-pabilitiesthatthecountryhad.“Itisextremelyimportantthat

we,asanation,carefullyshapethefutureof internet,carefullyshapepoliciesandregulation,rightsandresponsibilities around the inter-netgoingforward,”hesaid.

‘NEEDRETHINKOFINTERNETGOVERNANCESTRUCTURE’ Cryptocurrency: How the needlemoved from ban to regulation

Tender documents can be obtained from office of the HOD (M&C), NMDCIron Steel Plant, Nagarnar or can be downloaded from websiteswww.nmdc.co.in or www.eprocure.gov.in in tender section.

Name of Work : Design, Supplying, testing, commissioning andOperation and maintenance of 100 KLD STP based on MBBRTechnology including RCC Civil building at Studio Type Apartment (Ph I)in Village Dhanpunji, Jagdalpur Distt Bastar, C.G. - Reg. Tender No. &Date : NISP/CONTRACTS/M&C/169/100 KLD STP/2021/254, Dated :26-11-2021.

NMDC Iron & Steel Plant, Nagarnar, invites sealed tenders in two bidsystem with last date & Time for submission of offers as 24-12-2021 by02:30 PM for the following :

OPEN TENDER ENQUIRY

GM (Materials & Contracts)

NMDC Limited(A Government of India Enterprise)

NMDC Iron & Steel Plant, Post - Nagarnar (Baster) C.G. Pin - 494001Email : [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected];[email protected]; CIN-L13100TG1958GOI001674; GSTIN: 22AAACN7325A3Z3

SOUTHERN POWER DISTRIBUTION COMPANY OFTELANGANA LTD.

e-Procurement Tender Notice (Paper Notification)TSSPDCL intends to float tenders for procurement of (a) 11 KV 400A (Conv.) Double Break AB Switches (b)15 Mtrs Spun Poles (c) Portable Relay Testing Kits (d) 33 KV 1Ph PTs, 10 VA Burden 0.2 class one-procurement platform and (e) Auction of scrap materials on e-auction platform.For further details of each item above, please visit www.tssouthernpower.com,www.tender.telangana.gov.in, www.auction.telangana.gov.in.Phone: 040-23431319, 1035, 1033, 1026, 1360

R.O. No.:18143-PP/CL/ADVT/1/2021-22 Date: 25-11-2021

SOUTHERN POWER DISTRIBUTIONCOMPANY OF TELANGANA LTD.

Sd/-(U. BALA SWAMY)

CHIEF GENERAL MANAGER (P&MM)

E-Notice Inviting Bid No. 79 to 82/2021-22Bids for works under JJM are invited from interested bidders upto 13-12-2021, 18:00 Hours. Otherparticulars of the bid may be visited on the http://www.eproc.rajasthan.gov.in,http://sppp.rajasthan.gov.in and departmental website details mentioned below.

NIT.No. Name of work EstimatedCost (Rs.

Lacs )

Date & time foronline

downloading/submission of bid

79/21-22 Work of Reorganisation & Retrofitting of PWSKhatoli, tehsil peepalda to provided FHTCincluding one year defect liability period of SVSunder JJM in the jurisdiction of PHED District Div.Kota, Distt. KotaUBN No. PHE 2122WSOB09675

498.91

From 23.11.202110.00 AM to

13.12.2021 up to06.00 PM

80/21-22 Work of Reorganisation & Retrofitting of PWSGenta, tehsil peepalda to provided FHTCincluding one year defect liability period of SVSunder JJM in the jurisdiction of PHED District Div.Kota, Distt. KotaUBN No. PHE 2122WSOB09676

303.42

81/2021-22 Work of Reorganisation & Retrofitting of PWSKarwad, tehsil peepalda to provided FHTCincluding one year defect liability period of SVSunder JJM in the jurisdiction of PHED District Div.Kota, Distt. KotaUBN No. PHE 2122WSOB09677

257.86

82/21-22 Work of Reorganisation & Retrofitting of PWSAyana, tehsil peepalda to provided FHTCincluding one year defect liability period of SVSunder JJM in the jurisdiction of PHED District Div.Kota, Distt. KotaUBN No. PHE 2122WSOB09678

343.60

Sd/-(Mahesh Jangid)

Additional Chief Engineer, PHED, Region, KotaDIPR/C/11848/2021

Office of The Additional Chief Engineer,PHED, Region-Kota

THEITMinister’sstate-mentbringsintofocuskeyissuesaroundtheinternet—beitsaccess,opennessorsafety.Theaccountabil-ityoflargeplayersontheinternettotheircon-sumers,ortheemergingthreatofonlineuserharmandcriminalityareallis-suesthathavetobede-batedanddiscussed.

Focusonkeyissues

Vaishnaw:Mustdefine responsibilityforonlinecontent

FinanceMinisterNirmalaSitharamanandotherofficialsatNhavaSheva,Raigaddistrict,Maharashtra.via @cbic_indiaTwitter

THEDISTINCTION

■WhiletheolderBillsoughttoimposeabanonallcrypto-relatedactivities,thenewonewilllooktomakeacleardistinctionwhenitcomestoitsoftusedcategor-isationasacurrency

Reuters file

NewDelhi:TheOilMinistry’spro-posaltostripONGCof itsmainoiland gas producing fields ofMumbaiHighandBasseininwes-tern offshore is a “systematicweakening”of state-ownedfirm,formerbureaucratEASSarmahaswrittentothePrimeMinister.In the letter to PMNarendra

Modi,formersecretarytothegov-ernment of India, said insteadof“weakening”ONGC, thegovern-ment should adopt a consciousstrategy to strengthen its abilityand should be given sufficientfunctional autonomy instead offorcing it tobuydebt-laden firmsorpayhighdividends. “ThelatestdecisionofthegovernmenttoaskONGCtohiveoffthemajoritystakein theMumbai High/Bassein/-Satellite Fields seems tobeapartof an ill-advised (well-orches-

trated)strategytocrippleONGCasthemascotof India’sself-reliancein the fieldof hydrocarbons. “Is itapartofalargerplantodivestpub-licequityinONGC,ashasbeenthecasewithmanystrategicPSUsoflate?Thegovernment’srealinten-tions, in this case, raise seriouspublic concern,” he wrote onNovember23.PTI

‘Plan to give MumbaiHigh field to pvt sectorweakening of ONGC’

EX-BUREAUCRATEASSARMAWRITESTOPM

NewDelhi: Thegovernmenthas set up a committee towork out steps needed tomakenaturalgasavailabletopowerplantsat“reasonablystable prices”, Oil SecretaryTarunKapoorsaid.PTI

Power units: Panelfor stable gas price

there isavoid forprivatecreditproviders tocapture

‘Pvt credit can be $89 billionopportunity in next 5 years’Non-bank lenders and credit funds can invest up to$89 billion in performing private credit delivering returnsof over 12 %, in next five years, an EY report said

Stressedasset investmentopportunitiesovernext5years,emanating fromexistingstockofunresolvedNPAs, freshcreditdefaults, andspecialsituationopportunitiescanbeworth$25billion

Indiaoffersa largestructuralopportunity.Postaspateofbadloans, amongother reasons, Source:EY/PTI

BRIEFLYKantonlogisticsNew Delhi: The countryneeds to cut logistics andpower costs to become amajormanufacturing-ex-portingnationandbecomepart of the global valuechain, NITI Aayog CEOAmitabh Kant saidThursday. “... It’s very, verycriticalthatthecostofpowerand cost of logistics that istransportation is rapidlybroughtdown,”Kantsaidatavirtualeventco-organisedby CUTS International andInstituteforStudiesinIndus-trialDevelopment.ENS

ESICschemeNewDelhi:Around13.37lakhnewmembers joinedESIC-runschemeinSeptember.

BMWEVsNew Delhi: BMW said itwill launch3electricvehi-cles innext6months.PTI

New Delhi

Government of Uttarakhand “e” procurement Notice

mÙkjk[k.M is;ty lalk/ku fodkl ,oa fuekZ.k fuxedk;kZy; ifj;kstuk izcU/kd] vLFkkbZ fuekZ.k bZdkbZ ¼[ksy½

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Bid Identification no :- 4410 / Dated : 25.11.2021fufonk ¼x<+½[ksy@238

Name of works Estimated Cost Period ofCompletion

DEVELOPMENT OF SPORTS INFRASTRUCTURE

AT H.N.B. SPORTS STADIUM, ALMORA.

CONSTRUCTION OF BADMINTION HALL (M.P.H)

AT BHIMTAL, NAINITAL.

382.88(Including G.S.T)

234.72(Including G.S.T)

12 months

12 months

30/11/2021 -15.00 Hrs.

Details of subsequent addendum/corrigendum/cancellation etc. may be obtained from

the website.

Further details can be seen from the e-procurement portal "https://uktenders.gov.in"

S.

N.

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

General Manager (Garhwal)

General Manager (Garh), ConstructionWing, Uttarakhand Peyjal Nigam, 403/1

Indira Nagar,Dehradun

Name and Address of officer inviting the Bid:-

Date and Time of Availability of bid documents

in the portal:-26/11/2021 -17.00 Hrs.

10/12/2021 -17.00 Hrs.

Pre Bid Meeting

Last Date/Time for receipt of bids in the portal:-

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´fÂffaI 187/E³f.AfBÊ.Me./´f¹ffÊ.Ad·f./2021-22 dQ³ffaI 25-11-2021

Critical dates and time1 upload/publishing of the NIT Document date & time 27/11/2021 (15.00 hrs)

2 BID starting date & time 29/11/2021 (12.00 hrs)

3 Pre BID meeting & Technical Presentation 08/12/2021 (12.00 hrs)

4 Bid Closing date & Time 15/12/2011 (15.00 hrs)

5 Technical Bid Opening date & time 16/12/2011 (12.00 hrs)

6 Financial BID opening date & time after Technical Evaluation

Government of Maharashtra

PUBLIC WORKS (South) DIVISION,PUNE-411001

Phone No. 020/26121765 Web: mahapwd.go.in &e-Mail: [email protected]

e-Tender Notice No. 43 for 2021-2022Sealed Online B-1/ C Tender format

Tender 4 are invited by The Executive Engineer,Pubic Works (South) Division, Pune-411001.(Telephone No. 26121765) invites bids for givenworks from Registered as well as Unregisteredcontractor in B-1 & C Tender Format. As perMaharashtra Government, Public Work DepartmentG.R. No. "CAT/2017/Pra.Kra.08/ Bldg-2, Dt.27/09/2018 and Public Work DepartmentMantralaya, Mumbai Circular No. "CAT/2017/Pra.Kra-08/Bldg-2, Dt. 22/10/2018 & 19/01/2021.

Bids document can be downloaded fromwebsite https://mahatenders.gov.in. ExecutiveEngineer reserves all rights to accept or reject bidswithout assigning any reasons. Conditional bids willnot be accepted.The detailed Tender Notice can be is available on-1. Web: www.mahapwd.go.in (Only Tender Notice)2. https://mahatenders.gov.in (Details of Tender

Notice)(Any changes in the NIT will be Corrigendum'spublished on above website).

Sd/-- A. B. BHOSALE,Executive Engineer

Public Works (South) Division,(dgipr/2021-2022/2869) Pune-411001

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ddzz00llaa00 IIkknnuukkee ““kkSSff{{kkdd ;;kkssXX;;rrkk@@vvuuqqHHkkoo vvUU;; vvggrrkkZZ,,ssaa eekkuunnss;; iizzffrreekkgg1 Distict

ProgramCoordinator(01,UR)

Essential QualificationMBBS/BHMS/BAMS/BUMS/BDS;Preferable- MBA or healthcare or Master ofHealth/ Hospital Administration or Masterof Public health full time regular universitydegree with at least 5 years experience

Required skills:• Strong analytical andmanagement skills

• Ability to manage teams

• Strong strategic focus andproject management skills

• Excellent interpersonal andcommunication skills.

• Ability to operate effectivelywith people at all levels.

• Strong business focus

• Fluent in English language

1- Rs. 50,000 per month to thecandidates having qualification ofMBBS/ BHMS/ BAMS/ BUMS / BDShaving at least 5 years of experience.2 Rs. 70,000 per month to thecandidates having qualification ofMBBS /BHMS / BAMS /BUMS/ BDSWith full time regular universitydegree of- MBA in Healthcare orMaster of Health/ HospitalAdministration or Master of PublicHealth and having at least 5 years ofexperience.

2 DistrictInformationSystemManager(01,UR)

•B Tech in Computer Sc./ IT/Math &Computing/Data Science/MCA Minimumof 5 years’ experience in implementing andmanaging information systems.Desirable:• Experience in insurance industry ITsystem maintenance would be an advantage°Familiarity with insurance enrolment andclaims IT systems shall be an addedadvantage

Reauired Skills:

• Strong analytical skills

• Excellent interpersonal andcommunication skills

• Excellent command of theEnglish language

• Experience of working in theIT department of a largeorganization

Rs. 40,000 per month

3 DistrictGrievanceManager(01,UR)

MBA or Postgraduate Diploma in BusinessAdministration or Master inHospital/Health at least 5 years’ experiencein managing public relations/socialaudits/monitoring of large public sectorprograms (preferably health sector projects)Or similar experience inmarketing/customer service/grievances of alarge private sector/ PSU organizationpreferably in insurance sector

Required Skills

• Strong analytical skills

• Excellent interpersonal andcommunication skills

• Excellent command of theEnglish and local language

Rs. 40,000 per month

UPID NO-170201 DATE- 24/11/2021www.upgov.nic.in

OFFICE OF THE CHIEF CONSTRUCTION ENGINEERRURAL WORKS CIRCLE, BERHAMPUR

(E-Mail:- [email protected], Tel/Fax:- 0680-2404287

E-Mail/E-despatch

NATIONAL COMPETITIVE BIDDING THROUGH e-ProcurementBid Identification No. Online Tender/ 19-2021-22/BPR

(i) No EMD is required as per O.M. No. 8943 Dt. 18.03.2021 of FinanceDepartrment, Govt of Odisha. But Bid Security declaration should befurnished by the bidders as mentioned in the DTCN.

(ii) Non-submission of the information/documents through online by thebidder as per the items mentioned in the eligible criteria of the DTCNwill also liable for rejection of his tender.

Further details & Corrigendum if any can be seen from the website:-www.tendersodisha.gov.in

Sd/- Chief Construction EngineerR.W. Circle, Berhampur

O-1003

IdentificationNo

Name of work No. ofWorks

Approx.Estimated

Cost (In lakh)

Class ofContractor

Period ofCompletion

OnlineTender/ 19-

2021-22/ BPR

Road Worksunder

PERIODICALMAINTENANCE

02 No. From Rs.248.71 lakhsto Rs. 349.12

Lakhs

“B” Class,“A” Class &

“ SpecialClass as

applicable

04 (Four)CalendarMonth asprovided

Procurement Officer BidIdentification

No

Availability of tenderonline for biddingFrom To

Chief ConstructionEngineer, R.W. Circle,

Berhampur

Online Tender/19-2021-22/BPR

29.11.2021at

10.00 A.M.

13.12.2021upto

3.00 P.M.

OIPR-25071/11/0019/2122

OFFICE OF THE EX. ENG. (E&M) HP-IIDELHI JAL BOARD; GOVT. OF NCT OF DELHI

HAIDERPUR WATER WORKS, DELHI-110085Tel No. 011-27552446-47, Email ID: [email protected]

“STOP CORONA; WEAR MASK, FOLLOW PHYSICAL DISTANCING, MAINTAIN HAND HYGIWNE”

SHORT PRESS NIT No- 07 (2021-22)/EE(E&M)HP-II

S.No.

Name of work EstimateCost

ExemptedEarnest

Money (Rs.)

Date of release ofTender in e-procurement

solution

Last date/ time receiptof Tender through

e-procurement solution1. Supply, Installation, Testing

commissioning etc, of IOT basedcentral monitoring system for all SPSs.

Item Rate Rs.10,00,000/-

Tender Id: 2021_DJB_211598_1Publish Date 25-Nov-2021

06:00 PM onward

03-Dec-2021up to 03:00 PM

NIT along with all term & condtions is available on DJB website https://govtprocurement.delhi.gov.in.ISSUED BY P.R.O. (WATER) Sd/- (R.P. MEENA)Advt. No. J.S.V. 660/2021-22 Executive Engineer (E&M) HP-II

OFFICE OF THE SUPERINTENDING ENGINEER7th CIRCLE PUBLIC WORK DEPARTMENT

GOPESHWARe-mail- [email protected]

S.N. 6882/03 Bhawan-07/2021 Dated 24.11.2021National Competitive Bidding (e-Tendering)

Superintending Engineer, 7th Circle, Public Works Department, Gopeshwar on behalf of “Governor of Uttrakhand”invites through e- tendering (Two Bid System) for the construction of following work. All detail information relatingto tender shall be available on http://www.uktenders.gov.in.form dated 14.12.2021.

Before opening of Bid upto 3.00 P.M., following documents must be submitted physically to this office along withOn-Line submission of the same:-1. .F.D.R. of Earnest money which must be pledge in the name of Executive Engineer, CD, P.W.D., Gairsain.2. Demand Draft of tender cost and GST Separately payable to Executive Engineer, CD. P.W.D. Gairsain.3. Rs. 100.00 Non-judical Stamp paper duly signed and affixed Rs. 1.00 Revenue ticket for Bid Validity.4. Required Category Registration Copy of contractor.Note:1. Eanest money must be of financial Year 2021-22.2. Dispoal of tender will be done as per the provisions of Uttrakhand Government Latest Government Order.3. The above tender is being invited in anticipation of approval.

Sd/-(Er. Mukesh Parmar)

Superintending Engineer7th Circle, P.W.D., Gopeshwar

S.N.

Name of Work Amount of BidSecurity (Rs.

Lakhs)

Validity oftender

Cost ofTender

Document

CompletionPeriod

(in months)

Contractor’sCategory ofRegistration

1 Under Honorable Chief Ministerannouncement no 333/2020Construction of 8 suite of guesthouse and type 3 & type 1 in blockGairsain of Karanprayag assemblyconstituency of Chamoli district.

18.00 120Days

5000 +G.S.T

18 Month Registration inCategory A/A+ for

Building WorkUnder State/ Govt.of India/ any Govt.

undertaking


New Delhi

A1333/21

CGRSP/GRSP manufacturers arerequested to visit Railway Web sitewww.ireps.gov.in in which e-tenderper taining to Track Procurementsection of South Central Railway,E n g i n e e r i n g H e a dQ u a r t e r s ( P C E / O L / S C ) f o rprocurement of CGRSP/GRSP ispublished and tender documents areavailable. Tenderers are requested tosubmit their offers online throughIREPS website only. Full details ofTenders may be seen in IREPSwebsite.

PUB/

0848e- procurement Tender

Notice No.SCROLGRSP8327RC(Rate Contract)

Details of the Tender Notices ofS.C Railway can be seen on our

website : www.scr.indianrailways.gov.in

Chief Engineer/TP/Secunderabad

For further tender conditions /details and for downloading the

tender documents,Please visit website at

http://www.ireps.gov.in orwww.scr.indianrailways.gov.in

MADHYA PRADESH ROAD DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION LIMITED(Govt. of M.P. Undertaking) (CIN : U45203MP2004SGC016758)45-A, Arera Hills, Bhopal–462011, Madhya PradeshPh. : 0755-2527290/2765205, Fax : 0755-2572643,Website : www.mprdc.gov.in

NIT No. 11966/535/MPRDC/Procu./2021 Bhopal, Date : 23.11.2021

NOTICE INVITING TENDERSMadhya Pradesh Road Development Corporation Limited (MPRDC) Bhopal invites onlinetenders for following roads on Percentage Rate basis.

S. Name of Work PAC Value Bid Cost Period ofNo. (in INR Security of Bid Completion

Lakhs) (EMD) Document (including(in Lakhs) (in Rs.) rainy season)

1. Strengthening & Widening with Full 2852.00 14.26 50,000/- 04Depth Reclamation (FDR) method Monthsan innovative Technology work onSehore-Shyampur RoadLength 24.30 Km.

The dates for purchase, submission, etc. are mentioned in the key dates. Tender forms can bepurchased online only upto 15:30 hrs. on 27.12.2021 from website www.mptenders.gov.in.The bidders have to submit the Technical bid as well as Financial Bid (Envelope-C) online only.The Addendum/Corrigendum (if any) shall only be published on the website ofwww.mptenders.gov.in only. If holiday is declared by Govt. of M.P. on the date of opening,the same will automatically be shifted to subsequent working days.MPRDC reserves the right to accept/reject any/all tenders without assigning any reasonthereof.M.P. Madhyam/102737/2021 MANAGING DIRECTOR

TENDER NOTICE NO 01/SALT/2022-23/ST-4

TENDER NOTICE FOR PROCUREMENT OFIODISED SALT (VACUUM EVAPORATED IODISED

SALT/ REFINED IODISED SALT) FOR FOR THEPERIOD 01 APR 2022 TO 31 MAR 2023

1. Online bids on two cover system for supply of Iodised Salt (VacuumEvaporated Iodised Salt / Refined Iodised Salt) conforming to Defence FoodSpecification (2020) No 531, BIS Specification No IS 7224 : 2006 (orrevisions there to) at various stations of Western Command Theatre forconclusion of annual contract by MG ASC HQ Western Command (ExecutiveOfficer) for the period from 01 Apr 2022 to 31 Mar 2023 or from the date ofsanction are invited. Reputed vendors marketing registered brand of IodisedSalt (Vacuum Evaporated Iodised Salt / Refined Iodised Salt) and registeredwith Salt Commissioner, Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Deptt ofIndustrial Policy and Promotion, Delhi, accredited Hazard Analysis CriticalControl Point (HACCP) / IS : ISO 22000 : 2005 certified are eligible toparticipate. Details of contract as given below:-

2. All tendering enquiries will be published through E-Procurement at DefenceProcurement Portal (DPP) (http://defproc.gov.in/epublish/app). For anyother inquiries/ quantity contact Colonel Supply on telephone No 0172-2554308/ 0172-1904 (Extension No 2761/2557) between 1000 hours to1330 hours on any working day. The vendors can search the tender and RFPby input of keyword “Iodised Salt” in search box of DPP.

Executive Office Initial Call 2nd Call 3rd Call 4th Call 5th Call

MG ASC WesternCommand

13 Dec 2021(Monday)

03 Jan 2022(Monday)

24 Jan 2022(Monday)

14 Feb 2022(Monday)

07 Mar 2022(Monday)

davp 10602/11/0051/2122 Executive Officer

M.P. MADHYA KSHETRA VIDYUT VITARAN CO. LTD.(Govt. of M.P. Undertaking)Nishtha Parisar, Bijalee Nagar, Govindpura, Bhopal-23Phone : 0755-2602033-36, Fax : 2589821, 2586636

Ref. : MD/MK/04/NIT/2141 Date : 25.11.2021

TENDER NOTICEMPMKVVCL, Bhopal, invites following bids from manufacturers throughe-tendering.

Tender Particulars Approx. Tender Fee Date of Date ofSpecifi- Value including Pre-Bid openingcation (Rs. GST Confe- ofNumber Lakh) (in Rs.) rence tender

MD/MK/ DLMS Compliant 785.00 11800 08.12.21 21.12.2104/732 LT Single Phase 03.00 PM 03:30

5-30 Amp. Energy PMMeter.

Other details and full Tender documents would be available on Companywebsite https://portal.mpcz.in & Govt. Website https://mptenders.gov.in shortly.

//SAVE ELECTRICITY//M.P. Madhyam/102765/2021 CGM (Proc.)

MMaarrttyyrr ooff CCIISSFF oonn 2266tthh NNoovveemmbbeerr

CISF proudly remembers the supreme sacrifice of these brave-hearts. Onthis day, they laid down their lives at the altar of duty while fighting withthe militants. Their courage and bravery would remain an abiding sourceof inspiration for the force. The force will remain eternally indebted tothem for their noblest deeds.

Sl/Exe A.S.

MADHU KUMAR

ONGC NAZIRA

26-11-1998

HC/GD

S.BASHEER

ONGC NAZIRA

26-11-1998

CT/GDSURJEET

SINGH

ONGC NAZIRA

26-11-1998

CT/GD RAJESH

SINGH.

ONGC NAZIRA

26-11-1998

CLASSIFIEDS&TENDERS19 WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COMTHEINDIANEXPRESS,FRIDAY,NOVEMBER26,2021

LLOOSSTT&&FFOOUUNNDD

MMUULLTTIIPPLLEEVVAACCAANNCCIIEESS

ClassifiedsPPEERRSSOONNAALL

II,,kkaawwaallpprreeeett kaur,Wo-AshwanikumarH.no-T-63, Indira-colonyNarelaDelhi-110040, changedmyname to kawal Preet Kaur.

0040593374-1

II,,hhiitthheerrttoo KnownasPRAGYATEWARI,W/oRishindraMishra,G201NilamberBellissimo,Nr.NavrachnaUni, VasnaBhayli-Road, Vadodra, Gujarat,India, have changedmynameandshall hereafter be knownasPRAGYAMISHRA.

0040593372-2

II,,YYAASSMMIINN//YYAASSMMIINNHUSSAINW/OMOHAMEDHUSSAINBANGLAPURAR/OFLATNO.5,DELHIGOVERNMENT-FLATS,SECTOR-11,ROHINI,DELHI-110085.HAVECHANGEDMYNAMETOYASMEEN.

0040593378-1

II,,VViinnaattiiMishra,W/O,KanhaiyaChaubey, R/o-Flat-242,Tower-1b,GolflinksApartments, Nh-24,Ghaziabad-201002, havechangedmyname toVinatiChaubey, for all purposes.

0040593378-3

II,,VVIIRREENNDDRRAASHARMA,S/oPanchdevSharma,Address-112A,Gali.No-8, Lajwanti Gardensouth-west delhi-110046.Changedmyname toVIRENDERSHARMA.

0040593372-4

II,,TTaarruunnMadaanS/oTulsi DassMadaanR/o-D-146,Pushpanjali-EnclavePitampura,Delhi-110034,changedmyminor daughter’snameTanayaMadaan toTanaayaMadaan.

0040593378-7

II,,SSuuddhhiirr KumarChadhaS/o-YogRaj ChadhaR/o-AE-32, 1st-Floor,TagoreGarden,Delhi-27,haveChangedmyname toSudhir Chadha. 0040593372-9

II,,SSuuddhhaa Sharma,W/ORajeshBhardwaj R/O.WZ-24/1,KH.No-32,Ground-Floor, Village-Keshopur, Vikaspuri,WestDelhi-110018,HaveChangedmyname toSudhaBhardwaj.

0040593383-3

II,,SShhyyaammSunder S/O Jai NarainGoel R/O126, Rajdhani EnclavePitampura,Delhi ChangedNameToShyamSunderGoel.

0040593378-4

II,,SShhiivv SharanS/o-BheemSainAroraR/o-BG-7/128, Ground-Floor,PaschimVihar,NewDelhi,have changedmynametoShiv SharanArora.

0040593374-3

II,,SShhaasshhii Rawat,D/o-MeherbanSingh,bornon 15Nov1971,R/o-213-A, Pocket-F, GTB-Enclave,Delhi-110093, declare thatShashi,andShashi Rawat,areone, and same,person. shallhereafter be known,as ShashiRawat. 0040593374-2

II,,SShhaahhrruukkhh Shams,S/o-MohdShamshad,R/o-F-39/28,ShaheenBagh, JamiaNagar,Abul-Fazal Enclave-II,NewDelhi-110025,inform thatmyfather’s nameonmyeducational documentshaswronglymentionedasShamshadAlam insteadofMohdShamshad. 40593372-7

II,,SSUURRIINNDDEERRSINGHPARMARS/OSWARNSINGHPARMAR,H.NO-5473/74, STREET.NO-72, 3RD-FLOOR, REGARPURA,KAROL-BAGH,NEWDELHI-110005,havechangedmyname toSURINDERSINGH, permanently.

0040593374-6

II,,RRaavvii S/ORakesh,R/OVPOBhaproda JhajjarHaryana-124501,have changedmynametoRavi Kumar. 0040593372-3

II,,RRaajjuuW/O-JatinAggarwal R/O-HouseNo-5075,ParkarResidency, Near-ParkarMall,Sector-62,Kundli(55),SonipatHaryana-131028,HaveChanged,MyNameToRadhikaAggarwal,ForAll,FuturePurposes. 0040593372-8

II,,RRaajjnnii SharmaaliasDhruviSharma,D/oPawanSharma,W/oParikshit SharmaR/o.A-45,Duggal-Colony, Khanpur,NewDelhi-110062,havechangedmyname toDhruviSharma,for all purposes.

0040593374-7

II,,RRAAMMAANNKUMARNAGARS/OOMPRAKASHNAGAR,R/o 202, JMRoyal Park,RamprasthaGreen,Sector-9, Vaishali,Ghaziabad(UP) have changedmyname toRAMANNAGAR.

0040593378-8

II,,RRAAJJIIVVGUPTA,S/ORISHIPRAKASHGUPTA,HOUSE.NO-F-20, GROUND-FLOOR,SUNCITY,SECTOR-54, GURGAON,SECTOR-56,HARYANA-122011,have changedmyname toRAJIVCHANDGUPTA.

0040593378-9

II,,PPhhoooollaannDevi,wife ofLate(215778 Sergeant)VedPrakashKhurana resident ofWZ-1851(First-Floor),MultaniMohalla,Rani Bagh, ShakurBasti, Delhi-110034,havechangedmyname fromPhoolanDevi toPhoolaRani forfuture,reference.

0040593372-10

II,, YashKandpal S/OKishoreKandpal, R/oH.No.- 202, KonarkEnclave, GalaxyCinema,Sector- 17E, Vasundhra,Gaziabad, Uttar Pradesh-201012. Declare thatNameofMyMother hasbeenwronglywrittenasKiranKandpal inmy10th classMarksheet . Theactual nameofMyMother isKavitaKandpal,whichmaybeamendedaccordingly.

0070762744-1

II,,PPaannkkaajjAdlakha, R/o.Flat.No.CTB 003, Tower-B,Ground-FloorPhase-5,DLF-CrestGolf-Course-RoadSector-52,Gurgaon (Haryana)-122011,have changedmySonname,fromSamarAdlakha toSamarthAdlakha. 40593372-6

II,,PPHHOOOOLLWATI,W/O.HOSHIYARSINGH,ADD-FLAT.NO.C-26/A2,STREET.NO-9 SADH-NAGARPALAM-COLONY, SOUTHWEST-DELHI-110045,changedmyname toPHULWATI, forall,futurepurposes

0040593383-1

II,,NNAAMMRRAATTAAW/O-SUNIL SONI R/o1A/2,SECOND-FLOOR,NIRANKARI COLONY,NEAR-SANTNIRANKARI BHAWAN,DELHI-110009,have changedmyname toNAMRTASONI.

0040593374-8

II,,MMeeeettuuGoyalW/OShyamSunderGoel R/O126, RajdhaniEnclavePitampura, DelhiChangedNameToMeetuGoel.

0040593378-5

II,,MMOOHHAAMMMMEEDDHUSSAINBANGLAPURAS/OPATTANISABJANR/OFLATNO.5,DELHIGOVERNMENT-FLATS,SECTOR-11,ROHINI,DELHI-110085.HAVECHANGEDMYNAMETOMOHAMEDHUSSAINBANGLAPURA. 0040593378-2

II,,JJaassppaall singh s/o-GurdayalSinghR/o.F-5/8Malviya-NagarNew-Delhi-110017,havechangedmynameminor sonPrabhjyot Singh toPrabhjotsingh. 0040593372-5

II,,IInnddeerrpprreeeett Singh,S/oBaljeetSingh,R/oB-226,First-FloorSaraswati Vihar PitampuraDelhi-110034,changedmyname to Inderpreet SinghJuneja. 0040593378-6

II,,HHAARRJJIITTKAURPARMARW/OSURINDERSINGH,H.NO-5473/74, STREET.NO-72, 3RD-FLOOR, REGAR-PURA,KAROL-BAGH,NEWDELHI-110005, havechangedmyname toHARJITKAUR, permanently.

0040593374-5

II,,GGuurrcchhrraann SinghS/oSh.JagatSingh,R/oG-2, Vishnu-Garden,New-Delhi -110018,havechangedmyname toGURCHARANSINGH.

0040593372-1

II,,DDiilliippGautam,S/o-Dil Bahadur,R/o-H.No.D-701, Pratap-Vihar,Part-2, Kirari SulemanNagar,Delhi-86,inform thatmine,nameDilip Singh,wronglywritten,inmyLicense,insteadofDilipGautam 0040593374-9

II,,BBiirrhhaammDutt Tyagi,S/ORambhaj,R/OWZ-23D,Keshopur- Village, Vikaspuri,WestDelhi-110018,HaveChangedmyname toBrahamDutt Tyagi. 0040593378-11

II,,BBaabblliiD/oR.L.SinghW/o-PAVITARSINGHR/o-3B/10,Block-3B,RameshNagar,N.Delhi-110015, havechangedmyname toRemandeepKaur.

0040593374-4

II,,AARREEEEBB IMRAN,S/OAHMADFARHANSHERWANIR/o-47,PARK-END,VIKAS-MARG,DELHI-110092,have changedmyname toAREEB IMRANSHERWANI. 0040593378-10

II,,YajatGupta S/OSubodhKumarGupta, R/oHouseNo -205 , Sector 45 , Gurgaon ,Haryana - 122003, havechangedmynameandshallhereafter beKnownasYajattGupta. 0070762728-1

II,,Vishal Khannas/oSubhashKhanna, R/oH.No.1, RoadNo.11, Punjabi BaghExtension,NewDelhi-110026 havechangedmyname toVishhalKhanna, for all purposes

0040593355-1

II,,TikamChandS/OSantRamDas, R/o 199, Narendra, HirwaniLane, JatepurUttri, Gorakhpur,Uttar Padesh - 273015, havechangedmynameandshallhereafter beKnownasOmPrakashHirwani. 0070762733-1

II,,Sushil Kumar S/OBirendraKumar,R/oBela, Hazaribagh,Jharkhand- 8254061- I havechanged thenameofmyminorSonAyaanVermaagedabout 3Years andHeshall hereafter beknownasAdhiraj Verma.

0070762741-1

II,,Siddhant S/OChandraPrakashSingh, R/oS 29/431B -15,MehtaNagarColony,Shivpur, Tarna, Varanasi, UttarPradesh - 221003, havechangedmynameandshallhereafter beKnownasSiddhant Singh 0070762735-1

II,,SangamBharati S/OVaishyaSiddheshwarNath, R/o 3701,DLFCity 4, Gurgaon,Haryana-122009, have changedmynameandshall hereafter beKnownasSangamGupta.

0070762743-1

II,,RupeshMalhora s/o LateMohanMalhotra, R/o F-10B,Moti Nagar, NewDelhi-110015have changedmyname toRupeshMalhotra,permanently. 0040593291-1

II,,Ravi S/OOmPrakash, R/OWardNo. 24, H.No.1942,Naipura, Loni Dehat,Ghaziabad, U.P.have changedmyname fromRavi toRabiKumar videAffidavit dated18.11.2021beforeNotaryPublicinDelhi due tomismatch invariousdocuments.

0040593310-8

II,,RajendraKumaraliasRajenderKumaraliasR.K.Agarwal S/ORamavtarAgarwal, R/o FlatNo- 404, KisnaGrandeur, 3-3-77, Qutbiguga,BehindRelianceDigital,Kachiguda,Himayathnagar,Hyderabad, Telangana - 500027,have changedmynameandshall hereafter beKnownasRajenderKumarAgarwal.

0070762742-1

II,, Ratan Lal Balmiki S/O JumanLal, R/OH.No.31, Gali No.1, NewKarheraColony, Ghaziabad,U.P. have changedmynamefromRatan Lal Balmiki toRatanLal videAffidavit dated18.11.2021beforeNotaryGhaziabad. 0040593310-10

II,, RamSharanParasramS/oParasRamR/o FlatNo. 4Y, 1002AWHO,GurjinderViharGreaterNoidaU.P. have changedmyname toRamSharanVerma forall futurepurposes.

0070762725-1

II,, RajeevKumarRamSharanS/oRamSharanVermaR/o FlatNo.4Y, 1002AWHO,GurjinderViharGreaterNoidaU.P. havechangedmyname toRajeevVerma for all futurepurposes.

0070762722-1

II,, TARUNBAGHELS/ORAJKUMARBAGHELR/oHouseNo.41, PaschimiMargVasantViharNewDelhi-110057havechangedmyname toTARUNKUMAR. 0040593359-1

II,, RachnaSinghla D/oVijayJindal R/oHouse-29, Road-77,West Punjabi Bagh, Delhi havechangedmynameasRachnaSinglapermanently.

0040593364-1

II,, ROTASHS/OShriMAHENDERbornon 22 June 1978, R/O1/6116, Ground Floor, Gali No.1,Old 1334, PlotNo.20, KH.No.372,East RohtashNagar, Shahdara,Delhi 110032, haveChangedmyname toROHTASH.Permanently. 0040593331-1

II,, Preeti VermaW/OManojKumarVerma, R/o 117/805,MBlock, KakadeoRawatpurGaon, Rawatpur, KanpurNagar, U.P.-208019, havechangedmynameandshallhereafter be knownasPriyankaVerma. 0070762711-1

II,, PinkeeKumari D/OBrijBhushanSingh, R/oVill-BagoianPost-Madansath,Mansath, Saran, Bihar-841201 .have changedmynameandshall hereafter beKnownasAarti SinghVidhi. 70762737-1

II,, PREMCHANDRA, S/OKANHAIYALALR/O204, PUSPAAPARTMENT, PHASE-2, VIKASNAGAR, SECTOR-2, NEARLEKHRAJPANNA,VIKASNAGAR, SOLUCKNOW, UTTARPRADESH, 226022, has changedmynamePREMCHANDVAISHtoPREMCHANDRA for allFuturePurposes. 40593362-1

II,,ManjeKamat, S/oNandlalKamat, R/oWardno.12, Lalganj,Supaul, Bihar-852137, informthat in ESIC IPNo2212732604,myName&DOBhaswronglymentioned in ESIC.MajeKamatinsteadofManjeKamat&DOB1/3/1986 insteadof 1/1/1982.That i declareManjeKamat&MajeKamatOne&sameperson. 0040593329-1

II,,MOHDASRARS/OMOHDABBAS, R/OB-7/10,MIG FLATS,SARAI KHALIL, SADARBAZAR,DELHI-110006, declares that Iwill hereinafter be knownbymynewly assumednameasASRARAHMED for all purpose.

0040593353-1

II,, KuldeepS/OOmPrakash, R/OWardNo. 24, H.No.1942,Naipura, Loni Dehat,Ghaziabad, U.P.have changedmyname fromKuldeep toKuldipKumar videAffidavitdated 18.11.2021beforeNotaryPublic inDelhi due tomismatchin variousdocuments.

0040593310-9

II,, Ishwar SinghS/oSurajbhanR/oKharakGagar (14), Hadwa,Jind, Safidon, Haryana-126113,that nameofmywife hasbeenwronglywrittenasAnitaKumari inmyArmyServiceRecord. Theactual nameofmywife isNeetaDevi

0070762703-1

II,, IshaD/ORohtash, R/oHouseNo - 200, NasirpurBangar (210),Sonipat, Haryana - 131001. havechangedmynameandshallhereafter beKnownas IshaShota. 0070762732-1

II,, Harsimar SinghS/oNarinderPal SinghR/o-C-7/214,KeshavPuramDelhi-110035,havechangedmyname toHarsimarSinghTalwar, for all purposes

0040593343-1

II,, DEEPIKASAHID/ORAVINDRASINGHRAWATR/OFLATNO-1236 SECTOR-APOCKET-AVASANTKUNJNEWDELHI-110070 have changedmynametoDEEPIKARAWAT

0040593359-2

II,, Baby Jyothi D/OOmPrakash,R/OWardNo.24, H.No.1942,Naipura, Loni Dehat,Ghaziabad, U.P.have changedmyname fromBaby Jyothi toJyothi videAffidavit dated18.11.2021beforeNotaryPublicinDelhi due tomismatch invariousdocuments.

0040593310-7

II,, KM. KAJALGUPTA,D/oRAKESHGUPTA, R/O- E-4, NearDurgaMandir, RamaVihar,NorthWestDelhi-110081,inform that KM.KAJALGUPTAand KAJALGUPTA botharesameandoneperson.

0070762699-1

I,SUSHILADEVIW/O.HARISHANKERSAH,ADD-274,IST-FLR,GALI.NO-4,SHANKAR-MARGMANDAWALI EASTDELHI-110092.Changedmyname toRAMAWATIDEVI.

0040593383-2

II SushmaRani Chaujarw/oUmeshKumarChaujar, R/Oplot no. 12-A, Flat no.O-603,Jaipuria SunriseGreens,AhinsaKhand II, Indirapuram,Ghaziabad-201014 haschangedmyname toSushmaChaujar for the futurecorrespondences.

0040593370-1

II Rajnish SharmaS/oSh.J.C.SharmaR/o 96-C, SecondFloor,MIG, JhangCo-op. G.H.SLtd., PlotNo.40, Sector-13,Rohini, Delhi-110085have lostmyOriginal Allotment cumPossession Letter of abovesaid flat. FindersmaycontactatMobileNo. 9650774545.

0040593310-11

II,,SSuusshhiill Kumar S/oSh. PuranSinghR/oA-1/454/A, Sector-6,Rohini,Delhi-110085has lostmyDDADemandLetter no. 40912,Posession letter videDDA fileno 331[ 45 ]2004/TBHS- 04/MD-2004with convinceDeedof Flatno.- 126, 1st Floor,Madipur,Punjabi Bagh,NewDelhi-110063 finder contact-8178919012 0040593378-12

RReeqquuiirreess:: InstructorsElectricianoncontract basis,W/SCal&Sc., EmployabilitySkill (Part timebasis)Qualifications: NTC/Diploma/Degree in appropriate trade.ApplicationwithBi-Datashould reachPrincipal CRPFITCRAF 103Bn. CampusBiharipur, Delhi-110090within10days. 0040593328-1

II PriyaGargR/o LCG01PhaCourtGreenThe LaburnumCondominiumComplex Sector28Gurgaon 122001havechangedmyminor childs nameaged17 years fromTaavish Jainto Taavissh Jain 0070762709-1

IIMukeshGandhi S/oSureshChandR/oVillage Ismailpur,PO-Biharigarh, Chutmalpur,Saharanpur, UP-247662, havechangedmyname toMukeshKamboj 0070762700-1

II HARENDRAKUMARS/OLATEDALGIRSINGHR/OVILL.-HaldonaTugalpurGreaterNoidaU.P., I have changedmyname HARINDERSINGH for allpurposes. 0070762712-1

II GudduS/oRohansinghR/oR-58bmaharani enclavehastsaluttamnagarwestDelhi 110059have changedmyname toVinodSingh 0040593371-1

II AkhileshKumar S/O,AmarjeetSinghBhartiyaR/o FlatNo-07,aiims,apartment, Sector21d, Faridabad,Haryana-121012. have changedmynametoAkhileshSinghBhartiya

0040593205-1

My cl ient Mrs Babi ta Garg UlDAINO.730567226839 is the sole Owner ofproperty bearing no. B-685/686 shahbaddairy Delhi 42.which was rented to Mr.Hari Shanker Nishad (M/s NISHADENTERPRISES) however, the tenancyperiod has expired & hence, property standvacated. My client will not be held liablefor any of the act/performance by the saidtenant & anyone who involve my client’sname in this regard, will held liable for legalproceeding at his own risk & cost.

DEVRAJ AGGARWAL, ADVOCATECh. No. 704, Western Wing, Tis Hazari

Court Delhi-54Mo. No. 9810081751

PUBLIC NOTICE

PUBLIC NOTICE“Be it known to all that my client Sh.Rakesh Khatri S/o Sh. Ran SinghR/o H.No. 196, Village Bankner,Delhi-110040 has disowned andsevered all relations with his sonnamely Pawan Kumar and daughter-in-law namely Neeru as they arequite disobedient and of hostilebehaviour and are not under controlof my above client and my aforesaidclient debarred them from all hismovable and immovable properties.My above said client will not beresponsible for any of their deedsand acts”.

Sd/- (Prashant Malik)Advocate

Ch. No. 901, Rohini Courts,Delhi-85

PUBLIC NOTICE“i) Original registered saledeed registered as documentNo.2665, Additional BookNo.1, Volume No.8477, PageNo.72, dated 3.5.2006registered in the office of theSub Registrar, Gurugram infavour of Shri Roshan Lal(since deceased) with thecopy of the Register Intkal infavour of Sumit, Amit andBalbir Singh in respect of landarea measuring 1 Acre 4Kanal 13 Marla, RectangleNo.62, Killa 1/2 (2 K -10M), 2(6K-15M), situated atBadshahpur, Gurugram,Haryana; and(ii) Original registered saledeed registered as documentNo.2663, Additional BookNO.1, Volume No.8477 pageNo.74, dated 3.5.2006,registered in the office SubRegistrar, Gurugram in favourof Shri Roshan Lal sincedeceased) with copies ofRegister Intkal in favour ofShri Amit, Shri Sumit and ShriBalbir Singh in respect of landarea measuring 1 Acre 2Kanal 18 Marla in RectangleNo.62, Killa 9/1 (4K-18M),9/2/1 (2K-18M), situated atBadshahpur, Gurugram,Haryana is equitablymortgaged with the Bankagainst the Bank Guaranteefacility made to M/ s.TulipInfrastructure Pvt. Ltd. ofRs.49,00,00,000/- (Rupeesforty nine crores) facility hasbeen misplaced / untraceablepresently” from our BranchPunjab National Bank, ECEHouse Connaught Place, NewDelhi.

Sd/-Anil Kumar Singh

AdvocateCh. No.190, Civil Wing,

Tis Hazari Courts,Delhi-110054

PUBLIC NOTICE“The public at large is informed that myclients Sh. Jai Prakash Sharma, S/oLate Sh. K.D. Sharma and Smt. VidyaWati, W/o Sh. Jai Prakash Sharma,both R/o D-14/30 (Second Floor),Sector-7, Rohini, North-West Delhi-110085 have severed their relationswith their son Draun Sharma anddaughter-in-law Smt. Supriya Sharma,W/o Sh. Draun Sharma, both R/oHouse No. D-14/29 (3rd Floor), Sector-7, Rohini, Delhi-110085 and havedisowned them from their all movableand immovable properties forever dueto their misdeeds and misbehaviors, asthey are not following the familytraditions and have been disregardingtheir parents. In case, any persondeeds with them in any respect, he/sheshaIl be responsible for the same. Myclients shall not be liable for the same inany manner, whatsoever.

Sd/-D.K. Tyagi (Advocate)Ch. No. C-9, C.L. Joseph Block,Tis Hazari Courts, Delhi-110054

PUBLIC NOTICENotice is hereby given to all concernedthat my client Sh. Harpal and Smt. MaltiDevi R/O E-329, Wazirpur J.J. Colony,Delhi-52, have disowned/debarred/discarded their real son Mr. YougeshSharma and their daughter in lawKusumlata, due to their misbehavior,disobedience, illegal activities/assets,also ceased all their relations with them,any person whosoever deal with themshall do at his/her their own risks/costs/responsibility.

Sd/-VIMAL TRIPATHI

(ADVOCATE)Address - 373, Ground Floor Pocket

4, Sector 22, Rohini, Delhi 110086

PUBLIC NOTICEMy client Sh. Mangey Ram (SeniorCitizen) S/o Late Sh. Deep ChandR/o Khasra No. 22/4, Taj Enclave,Qutub Vihar Phase-2, C-Block,Goyla Dairy, New Delhi-71 hassevered all relations with his sonsSatish & Vinod along with theirfamilies for all purposes and hasdisowned & debarred them fromhis all of movable & immovableproperties due to disobedienceand my client shall not beresponsible for any acts & deedsdone by them.Sd/- MAHENDER SINGH YADAV

ADVOCATEDELHI HIGH COURT

PUBLIC NOTICEMY CLIENTS RAJNI MITTAL W/O SH.ASHOK MITTAL & ASHOK MITTALS/O LATE SH. CHIRANJI LAL MITTAL,BOTH R/O H.NO.21, ROAD NO. 60,SECOND FLOOR, WEST PUNJABIBAGH, NEW DELHI-110026 HAVESEVERED ALL THEIR RELATIONS &DISOWNED THEIR SON ANKITMITTAL & DAUGHTER IN LAWSHIKHA GUPTA D/O V.K. GUPTAFROM ALL THEIR MOVABLE/IMMOVABLE PROPERTIES DUE TOTHEIR DISOBEDIENT,QUARRELSOME, HOSTILE & CRUELBEHAVIOR. MY CLIENTS SHALLNOT BE RESPONSIBLE FOR THEACTS OF ANKIT MITTAL & SHIKHAGUPTA IN FUTURE IN ANY MANNER.

Sd/-(ARUN KUMAR RATHI) ADVOCATE

ENRL. NO. D-953/1997(R)Ch. No. 801, LAWYERS CHAMBERS

BLOCK, ROHINI COURT, DELHI

PUBLIC NOTICEIt is for general informationthat I, Nitin Kumar Dahiya S/oSh. Dharamveer R/o HouseNo. 28, Geeta Colony-4, WardNo. 19, Near Holy Mind HighSchool, Azad Nagar, Hisar,Haryana-125001 declare thatname of mine has beenwrongly written as NittenKumar in my 10th class mark-sheet and certificate. Theactual name of mine is NitinKumar Dahiya, which may beamended accordingly.

''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


Government of Jammu & KashmirDIRECTORATE OF FLORICULTURE SRINAGAR KASHMIR

Tel-0194-2474234 Fax -2482032 – email:- [email protected]

Subject: - Extension No.04.

In view of no response, the last date for submission of bids invited vide thisoffice e-Tender Notice No.20 of 2021 dated.10.09.2021 for Outsourcing of

entry ticketing system of Akad Park is hereby extended as per the detailsgiven below: -

1. Period of downloading of biddingdocument

23/11/2021 from 04:15 PM to07/12/2021 up to 2:00 PM

2. Bid submission Start Date 23/11/2021 from 04:30 PM

3. Bid submission End Date 07/12/2021 up to 2:00 PM

4. Date & time of Opening of Tenders 11/12/2021 at 2:00 PM

Other terms and conditions shall remain same as laid down in the aforesaid

Tender Notice.

By OrderSd/-

No:-DFK/GS-564/4635-37 Dated: -23/11/2021. Accounts OfficerDIPK-13505 (Member Secretary)

GOVERNMENT OF JAMMU & KASHMIR

DIRECTORATE OFFLORICULTURE SRINAGAR KASHMIR

Tel-0194-2474234, Fax -2482032E-mail: [email protected]

Subject: Extension No. 04.In view of no response, the last date for submission of bids invited

vide this office e-Tender Notice No.22 of 2021 dated.11.09.2021 forOutsourcing of entry ticketing system of Poshwan Park, Pahalgam ishereby extended as per the details given below:

Other terms and conditions shall remain same as laid down in theaforesaid Tender Notice.

By OrderSd/-

Accounts Officer(Member Secretary)

No: DFK/GS-564/4629-31Dated: 27.11.2021DIPK-13497

1. Period of downloading of bidding 23.11.2021 from 04.20 P.M. todocument 07.12.2021 upto 02.00 P.M.

2. Bid submission Start Date 23.11.2021 from 04.30 P.M.

3. Bid submission End Date 07.12.2021 upto 02.00 P.M.

4. Date & time of Opening of Tenders 11.12.2021 at 02.00 P.M.

Government of Jammu & Kashmir

DIRECTORATE OF FLORICULTURE SRINAGAR KASHMIRTel-0194-2474234 Fax -2482032 – email:- [email protected]

Subject: - Extension No.04.

In view of no response, the last date for submission of bids invitedvide this office e-Tender Notice No.21 of 2021 dated.10.09.2021for Outsourcing of entry ticketing system of Ashmuqam Parkis hereby extended as per the details given below: -

1. Period of downloading of biddingdocument

23/11/2021 from 04:15 PMto 07/12/2021 upto 2:00 PM

2. Bid submission Start Date 23/11/2021 from 04:30 PM

3. Bid submission End Date 07/12/2021 up to 2:00 PM

4. Date & time of Opening of Tenders 11/12/2021 at 2:00 PM

Other terms and conditions shall remain same as laid down in theaforesaid Tender Notice.

By OrderNo:-DFK/GS-564/4632-34 Sd/-Dated: -23/11/2021 Accounts OfficerDIPK-13502 (Member Secretary)

GOVERNMENT OF JAMMU AND KASHMIR

DIRECTORATE OF HANDICRAFTS & HANDLOOM, KASHMIRKASHMIR HAAT, EXHIBITION GROUNDS SRINAGAR

Email: [email protected] NOTICE

The dates for e-tender notice No: 9 of 2021-22 floated forholding of exhibitions outside UT are hereby extended as perfollows:-Last date for deposition of bids 30.11.2021 (3.00 P.M.)Date of opening of Technical Bids on 01.12.2021 (11.00 A.M.)Date of opening of Financial bids 02.12.2021 (2.00 P.M.)The details of the tender document is available on the websitewww.jktenders.gov.in

Publicity-Cum-Exhibition OfficerHandicrafts & Handloom,

KASHMIRNo: DHHK/P&E/338/21Dated: 22.11. 2021. DIPK-13526

HIMACHAL PRADESHSTATE ELECTRONICS DEVELOPMENT

CORPORATION LIMITED1st & Ground Floor, I.T. Bhawan, Mehli, Shimla-171013 (H.P.)

Tel. No. 0177-2623259, 2623513, 2626320, 2623043, FAX: 0177-2626320Website: www.hpsedc.in

Tender No.: SEDC/ Medical-Kaza/2k21 Date: 24.11.2021e-TENDER NOTICE

e-Tenders are invited from eligible bidders for Full VideoEndoscopy System and accessories for two years i.e. 2021-2022and 2022-2023 for various Government organizations in the State.Pre-Bid meeting will be held on 06/12/2021 (11:30AM) through VideoConferencing. Last date for online e-bid submission is 28/12/2021(upto 02:30 PM) and shall be opened on 29/12/2021 at 2:30 PM.Detailed Tender Document containing Technical Specifications andTerms & Conditions are available on HPSEDC websitewww.hpsedc.in and https://hptenders.gov.in.

Sd/- MANAGING DIRECTOR0509/HP

PR 257687 Urban Development(21-22).Ddk;Zikyd inkf/kdkjh]

ekuxks uxj fuxe] te'ksniqj

RFP ls lacaf/kr vU; fooj.kh websitehttp://jharkhandtenders.gov.in ij miyC/k gSA

ekuxks uxj fuxe dk dk;kyZ ;] te'kns ijqekuxks uxj fuxe dk dk;kyZ ;] te'kns ijqRequest for Proposal /E-Procurement Notice

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALNO. UDD/MMC/05/2021-22 Date :- 24.11.2021ekuxks uxj fuxe vUrxZr Development of Green Area/Plantation Drives including play ground

development atMangoGandhiMaidangsrq bPNqd O;fDr@QeZ@dEiuh@laLFkk ls izLrko vkeaf=r fd;k tk jgk gSA

Sl.No. Decription

vf/kdrevuqekfur jkf'k

¼yk[k esa½

vxz/ku dhjkf'k

¼yk[k esa½

foi= dkewY;

dk;kZo/kh

1Development of Green Area/ Plantation

Drives including play grounddevelopment at Mango Gandhi Maidan

350.00 7.00 10000.00 12 ekg

3 osclkbZV ij RFP viyksM djus dh frfFk 01.12.2021 vijkg~ 03:00 cts4 nkok@vkifÙk@tkudkjh izkIr djus dh vafre frfFk 09.12.2021 (dk;kZy; vo/kh esa)5 Pre-bid meeting 10.12.2021 vijkg~u 12:30 cts6 RFP izkIr djus vafre frfFk 27.12.2021 vijkg~u 04:00 cts

7 ifjek.k foi= dk ewY; ,oa vxz/ku dh jkf'k vkfndkxtkr dk;kZy; esa tek djus dh vafre frfFk 28.12.2021 vijkg~u 05:00 cts

8 rdfudh BID [kksyus dh frfFk 29.12.2021 vijkg~u 03:00 cts9 fufonk vkeaf=r djus okys inkf/kdkjh dk uke dk;Zikyd inkf/kdkjh] ekuxks uxj fuxe] te'ksniqjA

10 E-mail [email protected] bZ&izksD;wjesaV lsy dk gsYi ykbZu uaEcj 8709006752, 9852572356,

DELHI JAL BOARD : GOVT OF NCT OF DELHI

OFFICE OF THE EXECUTIVE ENGINEER (PR)SR-IPOCKET-D- 7, ROHINI SECTOR- 6, NEW DELHI-110085

Phone no. 27041218 Email:- [email protected]

“STOP CORONA; Wear Mask, Follow Physical Distancing, Maintain Hand Hygiene”

Press Note

NIT No. 02 (2021-22)

Press Note

NIT No. 03 (2021-22)

Press Note

NIT No. 04 (2021-22)

S.No.

PARTICULARS ESTIMATED COST/EARNEST MONEY

DATE OF RELEASEOF TENDER IN E-PROCUREMENT

SOLUTION

TENDERFEES

LAST DATE/TIME OF RECEIPT OF TENDERTHROUGH E-PROCUREMENT SOLUTION

1. CONSULTANCY SERVICE FOR THEWORK OF CONSTRUCTION OFDSTPs, WWPs AT MOHAMADPURMAJRI AND PROVIDING & LAYINGSEWER LINES ALONG WITH OTHERASSOCIATED/ ALLIEDAPPURTENANT WORK ON DESIGN,BUILD AND OPERATE (DBO) BASISIN PART OF KANJHAWALA GROUPOF COLONIES IN DELHI

Lump Sum EMD3,76,260/-(Exempted vide officememo-randum no.F.9/ 4/2020- PPD,dated 12.11.2020 andDJB endorsementNo. DJB/ 2020-21/Misc. -II (PT)/ 971dated 23.12.2020)

TENDER ID:-2021_DJB_211530_1

dated 24/11/2021

1500/- Last date and time fortender download

: 24.12.2021up to 3:00 P.M.

Last date and time foronline submission oftender

: 24.12.2021up to 3:00 P.M.

Date & Time of Pre-Bid Meeting

: 30.11.2021at 3.00 PM

Date and Time foropenining of Part A

: 24.12.2021at 3:15 P.M.

Date / Time foropening of Part B(Financial Bid)

: After completion ofscrutiny of the receivedTechnical Bids

S.No.


DATE OF RELEASEOF TENDER IN E-PROCUREMENT

SOLUTION

TENDERFEES


1. Consultancy servicefor the work ofconstruction of 4 nosof DSTPs, WWPSand providing & layingsewer lines along withother associated /allied appurtenantwork on design, buildand operate (DBO)basis in Nizampur andGhewra group ofcolonies (GOCs) inDelhi.

Lump Sum EMD3,11,248/-(Exempted vide officememo-randum no.F.9/4/ 2020- PPD,dated 12.11.2020 andDJB endorsementNo. DJB/ 2020-21/Misc. -II (PT)/ 971dated 23.12.2020)

TENDER ID:-2021_DJB_211531_1

dated 24/11/2021

1500/- Last date and timefor tender download

: 24.12.2021up to 3:00 P.M.

Last date and timefor online submissionof tender

: 24.12.2021up to 3:00 P.M.


: 30.11.2021at 3.00 PM


: 24.12.2021at 3:15 P.M.



S.No.


DATE OF RELEASEOF TENDER IN E-PROCURE-MENT

SOLUTION

TENDERFEES


1. Consultancy servicefor the work ofconstruction of 6 nosof DSTPs, WWPSand providing &laying sewer linesalong with otherassociated/ alliedappurtenant work ondesign, build andoperate (DBO) basisin part of Kanjhawalagroup Of colonies(GOCs) in Delhi.

Lump Sum EMD5,60,744/-(Exempted vide officememo-randum no.F.9/4/ 2020- PPD,dated 12.11.2020 andDJB endorsement No.DJB/ 2020- 21/Misc.-II(PT)/ 971 dated23.12.2020)

TENDER ID:-2021_DJB_211532_1

dated 24/11/2021

1500/- Last date and timefor tender download

: 24.12.2021up to 3:00 P.M.

Last date and timefor online submissionof tender

: 24.12.2021up to 3:00 P.M.


: 30.11.2021at 3.00 PM


: 24.12.2021at 3:15 P.M.



Further details in this regard can be seen at https://govtprocurement.delhi.gov.in.

ISSUED BY PRO (WATER) Sd/- (Horender Kumar)

Advt. No. J.S.V. 659/(2021-22) EE(PR)SR-I

IYf¹ffÊ»f¹f A²feÃf¯f Ad·f¹fÔ°ff ÀffUÊþd³fIY d³f¸ffÊ̄ f dU·ff¦f, ½fÈ°f ·fe»fUfOXfIiY¸ffÔIY : MXeEÀf/ERY.81/2021-22/4514 dQ³ffÔIY :- 15.11.2021NIB Code: PWD2122A2159UBNNo:- PWD2122WSOB10651, PWD2122WSOB10652PWD2122WSOB10653, PWD2122WSOB10654,PWD2122WSOB10655, PWD2122WSOB10656,PWD2122WSOB10657, PWD2122WSOB10658,PWD2122WSOB10659, PWD2122WSOB10660,PWD2122WSOB10661

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BÊ-d³fdUQf ÀfZ Àf¸¶fd³²f°f Àf¸fÀ°f dUUS¯f UZ¶f ÀffBÊM http://.dipr.rajasthan.gov.in/tender.asp U http://eproc.rajasthan.gov.in Uhttp://sppp.rajasthan.gov.in ´fS QZJf þf ÀfI °ff W` Ü B¨LI ÀfUZQI ûÔ I û A´f³fZ dOdþM»f WÀ°ffÃfS IZ ¸ff²¹f¸f ÀfZ UZ¶f ÀffBÊM http://eproc.rajasthan.gov.in´fS SdþÀMOÊ I SUf³ff AfUV¹fI W`Ü

DIPR/C/11793/2021

WXÀ°ff/-(AfSX.E»f. JMXeIY)A²feÃf¯f Ad·f¹fÔ°ff

Àff.d³f.dU. UÈ°f ·fe»fUfOXf

DELHI JAL BOARD (Govt. of N.C.T. of Delhi)OFFICE OF EXECUTIVE ENGINEER (C) DR. VIII

Yamuna Vihar Sewage Treatment Plant(Adjoining Dr. Ambedkar College) Delhi-110 094Phone: 011-22813593 Email:- [email protected]

“Stop Corona; Wash Your Hand, Wear Mask, Maintain Social Distancing”PRESS NIT NO- 03 (2021-22)

Further details in this regard can be seen at https://govtprocurement.delhi.gov.in.

S.No

Name of work Estimated ContractValue (ECV)/ Amount

put to tender (Rs.)

EarnestMoney

(EMD) (Rs.)

Tender processingFee Non Refundable

(Rs.)

Date of Release ofTender/ Tender Id.

Last date/timeof receipt of

tender

1 Consultancy for the workconstruction of 4 No’s of DSTPS’s,2No of SPS and P/L/J Sewer linesin Palla GOC in Narelaconstituency (01) in Delhi.

(Lump Sum) 2,66,225/- 1500/- 2021_DJB_211528_1Dated 24.11.2021

17.12.2021upto 3.00 P.M

Sd/-Executive Engineer(C) DR-VIII

ISSUED BY P.R.O. (WATER)Advt. No. J.S.V. 657 (2021-22)

New Delhi

SIMPLYPUTQUESTION&ANSWER

KARUNJITSINGH&ANILSASINEWDELHI,NOVEMBER25

INDIA'SMOVE to release5millionbarrels ofoilfromitsstrategicreservesaspartofacoor-dinated challenge led by theUS against theOPEC+producers' cartel'smove to curb out-put, is the first timethatNewDelhiwouldbedipping into its reserves to leverage it as ageopolitical tool. The oilwill be released "inparallel and in consultationwith" the US,China,JapanandSouthKorea,theOilMinistrysaidinastatementonTuesday,withoutspec-ifyingatimeframe.TheUKhasannouncedthatitwill release1.5millionbarrelsof crude; theUSissettorelease50millionbarrels.

Whyarethesecountriesreleasingoilfromstrategicreserves?Itispartofaconcertedefforttonegateup-

wardpressureoncrudeprices fromOPEC+--a13-countrygroupingofoilexportersthathasbeen joined since 2016 by 10 others led byRussiatodecideproductionquotas--keepingsupplybelowdemand,eventhoughtheactionis largely symbolic innature. Indiahas calledforanincreaseinthesupplybyOPEC+atmul-tipleinternationalforumsandinbilateraltalkswithoilproducingcountries.Indiaarguesthathigh crudeoil prices are impacting thepost-Covideconomicrecovery,especiallyinthede-velopingcountries.In a release, the White House said

American consumers and businesseswerefeeling the impactof highprices "becauseoilsupply has not kept upwith demand as theglobaleconomyemergesfromthepandemic".

Howwillthisaffectcrudeoilprices?Talkofacoordinatedreleaseofreservesby

large oil consuming countries had alreadyplayeda role inbringingdownprices fromahighof$86.4inlateOctobertounder$80perbarrelonMonday.Brent,however, recoveredto$82.3perbarrelonWednesdaywithsomeanalysts noting that theUShad released lessoil from its reserves than was expected.AnalystsatGoldmanSachssaidonWednesdaythatthecoordinatedreleaseledbytheUSmayaddabout70-80millionbarrelsofcrudesup-ply, lessthanthemore-than-100millionbar-relsthemarkethasbeenpricingin.Governmentofficialsnotedthatthecoor-

dinated actionwould be a step in the direc-tion of reducing international oil prices."Global...prices have risen due to the effortsof Russia andSaudiArabia.Nowthat theUShas announced the release of oil from re-serves,wearecooperating inthissteptoen-

sure thatcrudeoilprices remainundercon-trol,"anofficialsaid.SaudiandRussiaarethelargest oil producers in the OPEC+ group,whichhasindicateditmayrevisititsplanstogradually increaseproduction in the light ofreleases fromstrategicreserves.OPEC+, which controls about half the

world's oil output, had cut productionby10millionbarrelsadayinApril2020whenpricesfellbelow$20perbarrelasglobaldemandcol-lapsedduetolockdowns.Thecartelhasbeenaccusedof being slow to restore productionlevelsdespiteasharpincreaseincrudepricesin2021.Evenafterascheduledincreaseinpro-

duction of 400,000 barrels per day inDecember, the output of OPEC+will still belower than the reference levels ofmembercountriesbynearly5.4millionbarrelsperday.

HowhavehighcrudeoilpricesimpactedIndia?Highglobalpriceshavecontributedtocon-

sumerspayingrecordhighpricesforpetrolanddieselacrossthecountry.InDelhi,petrolisre-tailingatRs104.0perlitre,anddieselatRs86.7perlitre,up27percentand21percentrespec-tively fromayear ago. Consumers are facingpricesthataresignificantlyhigherthanthose

prior to 2021, despite a recentmove by theCentretocutexcisedutyonpetrolbyRs5perlitre,andondieselbyRs10perlitre.TheCentrehad in2020 increased central

excisedutiesonpetrolanddieselbyRs13andRs16perlitrerespectivelyinanefforttoshoreuprevenuesaseconomicactivitycrashedduetothepandemic.SomestateshavealsohikedVATonfuels.

WhatareIndia'sstrategicpetroleumreserves,andwhyaretheyneeded?India'sstrategicreservesaretheeffortofa

broaderplantobuildanemergencystockpilewithmillionsofbarrelsofcrudeoil,onthelinesof thereservesthattheUSanditsWesternal-lies set up after the first oil crisis of 1973-74.UnderthefirststageoftheStrategicPetroleumReserve project, underground rock cavernswith total storage of 5.33MMT, or about 38millionbarrelsofcrudeoil,havebeencommis-sioned at three locations -- Visakhapatnam(1.33MMT),Mangalore(1.5MMT),andPadurinKarnataka(2.5MMT).These facilities canprovide for about 9.5

days of India's crudeoil requirements basedon2019-20consumptionlevels.Thecombinedstorage facilities of OilMarketingCompanies(OMCs)inthecountrycanholdenoughcrudeoiltomeet64.5daysofrequirement,bringingthetotalnationalcapacityforstorageofcrudeoilandpetroleumproductsto74days,accord-ingtotheCentre. India is intheprocessofex-panding its strategic petroleumreserve stor-ageby6.5MMTattwolocations--ChandikholinOdisha(4MMT)andPadur(2.5MMT).TheInternationalEnergyAgency(IEA)rec-

ommends that all countries hold crude oilstocksworth90daysofimports.Indiaimportsabout85percentofitscrudeoilrequirements.Crudeoil fromthereservesaretobereleasedbyanempoweredcommitteeconstitutedbythegovernment,intheeventofanysupplydis-ruptionsfromabroad.These includeanynat-uralcalamityorunforeseenglobaleventlead-ingtoanabnormalincreaseinprices.Aseniorgovernmentofficialsaidthatthis

wouldbethefirstinstanceofIndiausingstrate-gic reserves to influence international prices,addingthatIndiahadalsodrawndownitsre-servessomewhatearlierthisyeartosupplyre-fineriesascrudeoilpriceswererising.A releaseof 5millionbarrels fromstrate-

gicreserveswouldequatetoabout13percentof India's strategic petroleumreserves. A re-leaseof50millionbarrelsofcrudeoilfromtheUSstrategicpetroleumreserveswouldequatetoabout8.3percentof the604.5millionbar-rels of crudeoil stored inUS strategic petro-leumreserves.

WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM

INAsetbacktodepositorsof thePunjabandMaharashtra Cooperative (PMC) Bank, theReserveBankof India, in its draft schemeofamalgamationof thebankwithUnitySmallFinanceBankLtd(USFB),hasplacedmultiplerestrictionsonaccesstodepositsbeyondRs5lakh that depositors can receive from theDeposit Insurance and Credit GuaranteeCorporation(DICGC). Also,nointerestwillbepayable on interest-bearingdeposits in thetransferorbank(PMCBank)forfiveyears.TheRBIhas,however,invitedsuggestions

andobjectionsuntilDecember10frommem-

bers, depositors andother creditors of thetransferorbankandtransfereebank(USFB).

Whatisthescheme?The schemeof arrangement states that

depositorsofPMCBankwillreceiveuptoRs5lakh(dependinguponthebalanceintheiraccount)fromDICGCinaccordancewiththerules.However,thosewithhigherdepositsinPMCBankwillfacerestrictions.Retaildepos-itorswillhaveaccesstoadditionalamountsuptoRs50,000attheendof twoyearsfromtheappointeddate,uptoRs1lakhattheendof the third year, up to Rs 3 lakh after fouryears,anduptoRs5.5lakhafterfiveyears.Beyondthis,theywillreceivenoamount

forthenextfouryears.Onlyafter10yearswilltheyreceivetherestof theirdeposit.

Whataretherestrictionsoninterest?AfterMarch31,2021,interestshallnotac-

crueonanyinterest-bearingdepositwiththetransferorbankforfiveyears.Inrespectofbal-anceinanycurrentaccountoranyothernon-

interestbearingaccount,nointerestshallbepayable.Aninterestof2.75%peryearshallbepaidonretaildepositsofthetransferorbank,which shall remain outstanding after fiveyearsfromtheappointeddate.

Whathappenstootherdeposits?Fromtheappointeddate,80%oftheunin-

sureddeposits outstanding to the credit ofeachinstitutionaldepositorofthetransferorbankshallbeconvertedintoPerpetualNon-Cumulative Preference Shares (PNCPS) ofUSFB with a dividend of 1% per annumpayableannually.At theendof 10years, thetransfereebankmayconsideradditionalben-efitsforsuchPNCPSholders,eitherintheformofastep-upincouponrateoracalloption,af-tergettingRBIapproval.Theremaining20%oftheinstitutionalde-

positswillbeconvertedintoequitywarrantsofUSFBatapriceof Rs1perwarrant. Thesewill further be converted into equity sharesofUSFBatthetimeof theInitialPublicOffer.In respect of every other liability of the

transferorbank,USFBshallpayonlytheprin-cipalamounts,asandwhendue,tothecred-itorsintermsofagreementsenteredbetweenthempriortotheappointeddate.

WhathappenedatPMCBank?Afterafraudwasdetected, inSeptember

2019, inspectionsshowedcompleteerosionof capital and substantial deposit erosionofthe bank. The RBI issued ‘All InclusiveDirections’ to the bank under Section 35Aread with Section 56 of the BankingRegulationAct,1949(10of1949)witheffectfromcloseofbusinessofSeptember23,2019toprotecttheinterestofthedepositors.Italsosupersededthebank’sboardofdirectorsonSeptember 23, 2019 and appointed an ad-ministrator in its place. RBI thendecided toprepareaschemeofamalgamation.In February 2021, Centrum Financial

Services Ltd as promoters, along withResilientInnovationPvt.Ltdas‘jointinvestor’,expressed interest in acquiring PMCBankthrough a suitable amalgamation scheme

with anewsmall finance bank to be regis-tered.OnOctober12,theRBIgrantedalicencetoUSFBLtd, and it started transactingbusi-nessfromNovember1.USFBhasbeensetupwithcapitalofaboutRs1,100crore,withpro-visionsforfurtherinfusionofcapital.

Whatdoesitmeanforfixeddeposits?Unlike equity andbond investors, bank

depositors enjoy thehighest levels of safetyontheirfunds.However,thereisanelementof risk: If thebank collapses, there canbe adelay in redeeming their FDs, theymaynotbeabletowithdrawbeyondRs5lakh,ortheymayfaceawrite-downincertaincases.Inre-cent times, depositorshave faced trouble ingetting immediate access to their funds inPMC,YesBankandLakshmiVilasBank.WhiletheRBIputsinwithdrawalrestric-

tions to get time to stitch together a resolu-tionplanforthefailingbank,itcanshakede-positors’ faith in the banking system. Toensure funds are safe, a depositorwith, say,Rs 15 lakh canparkRs 5 lakh each in three

banks,givingfullsafetytotheentireamount.For thosewithhigherdeposits, it’s better toputthemoneyinlargebanks,astheyusuallyhaveamoreeffectiveriskculture.

Whataboutdepositinsurance?Currently, intheunlikelyeventofabank

failing,adepositorcanclaimamaximumRs5 lakhper account as insurance cover. Thecover is providedby theDICGC.Depositorswithmore thanRs 5 lakhhaveno legal re-course to recover funds if a bank collapses.Deposits inpublic andprivate sector banks,localareabanks,smallfinancebanks,regionalrural banks, cooperative banks, Indianbranches of foreign banks and paymentsbanksareall insuredbytheDICGC.Thepre-mium ispaidbybanks to theDICGC, and isnottobepassedontodepositors.Bankscur-rently pay aminimumof 12paise oneveryRs100worthdeposits to theDICGCaspre-miumfortheinsurancecover.Last year, the government raised the in-

suranceamounttoRs5lakhfromRs1lakh.

@ieExplained#ExpressExplainedIf there are questions of current or contemporary relevance that youwould likeexplained, pleasewrite to [email protected]

ARUNJANARDHANANCHENNAI,NOVEMBER25

THEMADRASHighCourt onWednesday setaside the acquisition of late chiefminister JJayalalithaa’s residence, Veda Nilayam, inChennai’sPoesGarden.ThepreviousAIADMKgovernment hadwanted to convert it into astate-runmuseum.Thereisalreadyamemo-rialcomplexforJayalatithaainMarinaBeach;thecourtquestionedthenecessityforanotherone. The order saves at least Rs 67.90 crore,which the governmenthaddeposited in theChennaicivilcourtforacquiringVedaNilayam.

Theacquisition planTheideaofconvertingVedaNilayamintoa

museumemergedoutof apprehensionsthatit would end up in the possession of V KSasikala, Jayalalithaa’s aide. CM E KPalaniswamiandhiscamp,Sasikala’sloyalists-turned-rivals, feared shewould re-establish

herpoliticalcloutafterherreleasefromprisoninBengaluru. She is alreadybuilding ahugemansionnearVedaNilayam,andtheAIADMKfearedshewouldalsotrytobuyVedaNilayam,which is not onlypart of Jayalalithaa’s legacybut also a symbol of the power Sasikala en-joyedwhenJayalalithaawasalive.The government issued anordinance is-

suedinMay2020—atimewhenthestatewasunder a total lockdown. The planwas chal-lengedlegallyasDeepaandDeepak,legalheirsandthechildrenof Jayalalithaa’s latebrother,hadbeenkeptinthedark.Underthegovernment’splan, theowner-

shipofassetsinthebuildingwouldhavebeentransferred to the Puratchi Thalaivi Dr JJayalalithaaMemorialFoundationheadedbyCMPalaniswami.OutoftheRs67.90crorede-positedbythegovernmentinthecivilcourtonJuly 25, Rs 36.90 crorewasmeant tobepaidtowardsincometaxandwealthtaxarrearsthatJayalalithaahadreportedlyowed.InJanuary2021,theHighCourtdidnotstop

thegovernmentfromconvertingthepropertyintoamuseum,butissuedanorderpreventingthe government fromopening it for publicview.OnWednesday, the court directed thegovernmenttoreturnthekeysofVedaNilayamtoDeepaandDeepakwithinthreeweeks.

TheassetsThepropertywasboughtbyJayalalithaa’s

mother,who toowas an actress. It has twomangotrees, a jackfruit treeand fivecoconutandbananatrees.Insidethethree-storeybuild-ing are10,438dresses, clothmaterials, 8,376books,38air-conditioners,upto4kggoldand601kgsilver,11televisionsets,10refrigerators,29 telephones andmobile phones, 394me-mentos,65suitcasesand108cosmeticandsixclocks,accordingtoagovernmentaudit.

Families of Jaya, SasikalaDeepa,44,eldestdaughterofJayalalithaa’s

latebrotherJJayakumar,hadstayedawayfromher aunt since her father’s death in 1995.

AmongthereasonswerethegrowingcloutofSasikala and her family members, andJayalalithaa’s decision to adopt V NSudhakaran, Sasikala’s nephew, asher fosterson.TheygrewsodistantthatJayalalithaadidnotvisitDeepawhenhermotherdiedin2013.Deepa last met Jayalalithaa in 2002. HeryoungerbrotherDeepak,however,maintainedlinkswithPoesGardenandSasikala’s family,especiallyherlatehusbandNatarajan.Withthecourthavingquashedtheacqui-

sitionandreturnedthepropertytoDeepaandDeepak, the question everyone is asking iswhen Sasikalawould buy it from the legalheirs. This is where she had lived withJayalalithaa fromthemid-1980s, except for abrief period in2011when Jayalalithaadroveheroutoveradispute.Eventually,shereturned.ManymembersofSasikala’sfamilyfellout

offavourwithJayalalithaa,includingSasikala’snephewTTVDhinakaran.OnlywithIlavarasi,wifeofSaisakala’slatebrother,didJayalalithaamaintaincloseties.

21THEINDIANEXPRESS,FRIDAY,NOVEMBER26,2021E EXPLAINED

Why Jaya’s property matters in TN politics

NavyofficersonINSVelaafter itwascommissionedat thenavaldockyard inMumbaionThursday.PradipDas

INS Vela, and India’s largerplan for building submarines

EXPLAINED YOURMONEY

Sandeep Singh &SunnyVerma

Oil for emergencies

For PMCBank depositors, restrictions on access to funds, interest

Startof ChristmasshoppingthedayafterThanksgiving.Whendidthetraditionbegin?

BLACKFRIDAY

BLACKFRIDAYthisyearfallsonNovember26.Observed theday after Thanksgiving,it is a pre-Christmasoccasionwhenbothonlineandofflinestoresofferdiscounts.TheOxfordLearner’sDictionariesdefine

‘BlackFriday’as“thedayafterThanksgivingin the US, the first day of traditionalChristmas shopping, when stores havespecialofferstoattractconsumers”.ORIGINS:Thanksgivinghas beenob-

servedintheUSsince1789whenPresidentGeorgeWashingtonissuedaproclamationdeclaring Thursday,November 26, 1789,as a holiday of “sincere and humblethanks”. Since 1863, when PresidentAbrahamLincolnmade it a nationwideholiday,Thanksgivinghasbeencommem-orated on the fourth Thursday ofNovembereveryyear.BlackFridaycametobeassociatedwith

Thanksgiving since around themiddleofthe20thcentury. Initially,shoppersintheUSwereofferedattractivediscounts; the

concepthasnowspreadtomuchoftherestoftheworld,includingIndiawheree-com-merce companies such as Amazon andFlipkartofferindividualBlackFridaysales.Accordingtoonetheory,thetermBlack

Friday originated in the 1960s whenPhiladelphia police officers complainedabouta‘black’Fridaywhenthestreetswerecloggedwithtraffic.Accordingtoanothertheory, it is believed to symbolise theUSgoldmarketcrashof1869.CRITICISM:Critics seeBlack Fridayas

asymbolofover-consumption,whenpeo-ple end up buying products they don’tneed,addingtowastegenerationandthecarbonfootprint.Abouttwoyearsago,activistsinFrance

staged ‘Black Friday’ protests againstAmazon.Around the same time, France’s then

environmentministerDelphineBathopro-poseda“StopBlackFriday”amendmentaspartofananti-wasteBill.

THISWORDMEANS

Underthe first stageof theSPRproject,undergroundrockcavernswithtotalstorageof5.33MMThavebeencommissioned inVisakhapatnam(1.33MMT),Mangalore (1.5MMT),andPadur inKarnataka(2.5MMT). ISPRL

INS Vela, the fourth submarine inProject 75 (P75) of the Indian Navy,was commissioned on Thursday byNavychiefAdmiralKarambirSinghatthenavaldockyard. Itwillbe thesec-ond addition to the Navy’s fleet ofwarships after INS Vishakapatnam,commissionedonSunday.

THEPROJECT:Conceptualisedforthe acquisition for 25 submarinesduring the IKGujral regime, P75hasevolvedintoa30-yearplanforbuild-ing submarines. In 2005, India andFrancesigneda$3.75-billioncontractfor building six Scorpene class sub-marines,theexecutingcompaniesbe-ing Mazgaon Docks Ltd and DCNS(nowNavalGroup)of France.Thefirstofthesixsubs, INSKalvari,

wascommissionedfiveyearsbehindschedule, in2017.Thenext twowereINS Khanderi and INS Karanj. AfterVela, sea trials are ongoing for Vagirwhile the sixth, Vagsheer, is underconstruction. The sea trials of VelaweredelayedduetoCovid-19,whichin turndelayed its commissioning.

WHAT’S ON VELA: Vela will becommissioned into the Navy’sWesternCommand,andwillbebasedinMumbai.Itisnamedafteradecom-

missioned submarine, Vela, whichservedfrom1973to2010.TheearlierVelabelongedtoFoxtrot class.Navalsourcessaidthenewlycom-

missionedVelacantakeuptoeightof-ficersand35men.Itis67.5mlongand12.3mhigh. Thebeammeasures 6.2m.Itcanreachatopspeedof20knotswhen submerged and a surface topspeedof 11knots.Vela has fourMTU 12V 396 SE84

diesel engines and360battery cells ,andasilentPermanentlyMagnetisedPropulsionMotor.Thehull,finandhy-droplanesaredesignedforminimumunderwater resistance.

FIREPOWER:VelaisequippedwithaC303anti-torpedocountermeasuresystem, andcancarryup to18 torpe-does or Exocet anti-shipmissiles, or30mines inplaceof torpedoes.Vela is a diesel-electric powered

attack submarine, designed to act as“seadenial”aswellas“accessdenial”warfaretotheadversary.Thesubma-rine can engage in offensive opera-tions across the entire spectrum ofnavalwarfare, includinganti-surfacewarfare, anti-submarinewarfare, in-telligencegathering,minelayingandareasurveillance.

US:TheDepartmentofEnergy'sStrategicPetroleumReserve(SPR) istheworld’s largestemergencystoragethatcanholdupto727millionbarrels,which is reportedtobeabout85%full.If completely filled, theSPRcouldtheoretically replaceabout60daysofoil imports.

JAPAN:Secondlargestemergencysupplywithareportedcapacityofcloseto600millionbarrels.TheSPRiscomposedof state-controlledreservesat11 locationstotalling324millionbarrels, andprivatereservesof129millionbarrels.

CHINA:TheChineseStrategicPetroleumReserveconsistsof agovernment-controlledstrategicreservecomplementedbymandatedcommercial reserves.Plannedstatereservesof475millionbarrelsplusplannedenterprisereservesof209millionbarrelsareexpectedtoprovidearound90daysofconsumption.

EU:AccordingtotheCouncilDirectiveofDecember20,1968,all27membersmusthaveastrategicpetroleumreservesequal toat least90daysaveragedaily internalconsumption.

G L O B A L C R U D E R E S E R V E S

Whydooilconsumingcountrieskeepstrategicpetroleumreserves?WhyhavetheUnitedStates, Indiaandsomeothernationsannouncedconcertedactiontoreleaseapartof thesereserves?

New Delhi


THEWORLDWWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM

USAMACY’STHANKSGIVINGPARADERETURNSCrimpedbythecoronaviruspandemiclastyear, theMacy’sThanksgivingDayParadere-turnedThursdayinfull, thoughwithprecautions.Balloons, floats,marchingbands,clownsandperformers—and,ofcourse,SantaClaus—onceagainwendedthough4kmofManhattanstreets, insteadofbeingconfinedtooneblockorsometimespre-tapedlastyear.

TURKEY

InterpolelectsUAEofficialaspresidentINTERPOL ON Thursdayelectedacontentiousofficialfrom the United ArabEmirates as its newpresi-dent during its annualGeneral Assembly held inIstanbul. Major GeneralAhmedNaser al-Raisi, in-spectorgeneralattheUAE’sinterior ministry and amemberofInterpol’sexecu-tivecommittee,waselectedfor a four-year term, theglobalpolicingbodysaid.Hehasbeenaccusedby rightsgroups of involvement intortureandarbitrarydeten-tionsintheUAE.Thevoteforpresidentwasbeingcloselywatchedsincethefirst-everChinese president of thebody,MengHongwei, van-ishedmidway throughhisfour-year termona returntriptoChinain2018.Itsub-sequentlyemerged thathehadbeendetainedandac-cusedof bribery andotherallegedcrimes. AP

MajorGeneralAhmedNaseral-Raisi

TOPOFTHEWORLD

RUSSIA

Coalminefire inSiberiakills11,dozenstrappedA FIRE at a coal mine inRussia’s Siberia killed 11people and injuredmorethan 40 others onThursday,with dozens ofothersstilltrapped,author-ities said. Efforts to rescuethose trapped in theminewere halted Thursday af-ternoonbecauseof anex-plosionthreat,andrescuerswere rushed out of themine,administratorsofthemine told Interfax newsagency. The blaze tookplace in theKemerovo re-gion of Siberia. Russia’sstateTassnewsagencyre-ported that coal dustcaughtfire,andthatsmokequickly filled theLitsvyazhnaya minethrough the ventilationsystem. AP

RussiaprobesNetflixoverLGBTcontentRUSSIA IS investigatingNetflixafteritspubliccom-missioner for protectingfamilies accused thestreamingcompanyofvio-latingRussian lawon“gaypropaganda”, theVedomosti daily reported.The commissioner, OlgaBaranets,complainedtotheInterior Ministry thatNetflixwas in breach of alawthatbansdisseminat-ing “propaganda onnon-traditionalsexualrelations”amongthoseundertheageof 18when broadcastingLGBT-themedserieswitha16+label. REUTERS

KATRINBENNHOLDBERLIN,NOVEMBER25

OLAF SCHOLZ succeeded in hiscampaign to become the nextchancellorofGermanyprimarilyby convincing voters that hewould be very much like thetoweringandlong-servingfigurehewill replace:AngelaMerkel.Terse, well-briefed and ab-

staining fromanygestureof tri-umph, Scholznot only soundedlike the outgoing conservativechancellor, he perfected the artofembodyingherauraofstabil-ityandcalmtothepointofhold-inghishandstogetherinhersig-naturediamondshape.

“He’s likeasoccerplayerwhostudiedvideosof anotherplayerandchangedhisgame,”saidRobinAlexander, a political observer.“Fromtemperamentandpoliticalstyleallthewaydowntofacialex-pression, Scholz now channelsMerkel.IfScholzwasawoman,hewouldwearpantsuits.”As Scholz unveiled his new

governmentWednesdayandpre-pares to take office nextmonth,onequestionforGermanyandforthe whole of Europe and theworld is, can he deliver and fillMerkel’sverybigshoes?Rarely has a German leader

come into office with somanyburningcrises.As soon as he is sworn in as

chancellor in early December,Scholzwill have to dealwith asurgingpandemic,tensionsatthePolish-Belarussian border, aRussian president mobilisingtroopsonUkraine’s easternbor-der,amoreconfrontationalChinaandalessdependableUS.“The pressure is huge,” said

Jana Puglierin of the EuropeanCouncilonForeignRelations.“Thenewgovernmentistakingofficeina situation thathasbeenheatinguponmultiple fronts.Andwhenit comes to foreign policy, OlafScholzremainsabitofanenigma.”Indeed, which Scholz will

show up as chancellor in twoweeksisamatterofintensespec-ulation.AlifelongSocialDemocrat,

Scholz,63,hasbeenafamiliarfaceinGermanpolitics formore thantwodecades and served in twogovernments led by Merkel’sChristianDemocraticParty,mostrecentlyasherfinanceminister.But he has also been some-

thingof a political chameleon, apragmaticpoliticianwhostraddlesleftandrightsoeasilyitisattimeshardtoknowwherehestands.BorninOsnabrück,northern

Germany, Scholz grew up inHamburg,thecityhewouldlater

run as mayor. His grandfatherwas a railwayman; his parentsworked in textiles. He and hisbrothers were the first in hisfamily togo touniversity.He was still in high school

when he joined the SocialDemocrats.AfieryyoungSocialist,he spent a decade as a labourlawyerdefendingworkersthreat-enedbyfactoryclosures.Then,assecretary-generalofhispartyun-der the last centre-left adminis-tration of Chancellor GerhardSchröder, he defended painfullabourmarketreformswithama-chinelike efficiency that earnedhimthenickname“Scholzo-mat”.Whenhewasfirstelectedinto

Parliament, he satwith the left

wingofhisparty.Today,heiscon-sideredtobetotherightofmuchof itsbase—notunlikePresidentJoe Biden in theUS,withwhomheissometimescompared.ButlikewithBiden,somesee

some leftist reflexes.Scholz lost his party’s leader-

shipcontesttoapairofleftiststwoyears agobut surprised and im-pressed someof his fiercest crit-ics in his own party when hepulled out a “bazooka” of hun-dredsof billions of euros in stateaidtohelpstrugglingworkersandbusinessesduringthepandemic.Some hope that this — and

his election campaign themecentered on respect for theworkingclasses—wasproofthat

the youthful idealist whomel-lowed into a post-ideologicalcentristmight be turningmoreradical again inhis60s.“The bazookawas a bigmo-

ment,” said Kevin Kühnert, anoutspoken left-winger and oneof theSocialDemocrats’ deputyleaders.“Itwasthebelatedpeacewithhisparty.Anditwasthebe-ginningofadeepersocial trans-formationhe’shoping for.”Scholz, who reportedly lost

12kgandstoppeddrinkingalco-holbefore theelection,has longbeenunderestimated.Hehasal-ways played a long game. Hisambition to become chancellordates back to 2011, according toacloseally. NYT

HE IS SET TO TAKE OFFICE AS GERMANY’S NEW CHANCELLOR NEXT MONTH

He convinced voters he would be like Merkel. But who is Olaf Scholz?

Scholzonelectionnight inSeptember.AP

MIKECORDER&MARIACHENGTHEHAGUE,NOVEMBER25

THE EUROPEAN Union’s drugregulator on Thursday autho-risedPfizer’scoronavirusvaccinefor use on children from5 to 11years old, clearing the way forshots tobeadministeredtomil-lionsofelementaryschoolpupilsamid a newwave of infectionssweepingacross thecontinent.It is the first time the

EuropeanMedicinesAgencyhascleared a Covid-19 vaccine foruse inyoungchildren.The agency said it “recom-

mended granting an extensionof indication for the Covid-19vaccine Comirnaty to includeuse inchildrenaged5to11.”After evaluating a study of

the vaccine inmore than 2,000children,theEMAestimatedthatthevaccinewasabout90%effec-tive in preventing symptomaticCovid-19 in young children andsaid themost common side ef-fects were pain at the injectionsite,headaches,musclepainandchills. The agency said the two-doseregimenshouldbegiventochildren threeweeksapart.At least one country facing

spikinginfectionsdidn’twaitfortheEMAapproval.Authoritiesinthe Austrian capital, Vienna, al-ready have begun vaccinatingthe 5 to 11 age group. Europe iscurrentlyat theepicenterof thepandemicandtheWorldHealthOrganization has warned thecontinentcouldseedeathstop2million by the spring unless ur-gentmeasuresare taken.The EMA green light for the

vaccinedevelopedbyPfizerandGermancompanyBioNTechhastoberubber-stampedbytheEU’sexecutive branch, the EuropeanCommission, before health au-thorities inmember states canbeginadministeringshots.Earlierthisweek,Germany’s

healthminister Jens Spahn saidshippingofvaccinesforyoungerchildren in the EUwould beginonDec.20.TheUS signedoff onPfizer’s

kids-sized shots earlier this

month, followedbyothercoun-tries includingCanada.Pfizer tested a dose that is a

thirdoftheamountgiventoadultsfor elementary school-age chil-dren.Evenwith thesmaller shot,childrenwhoare5to11yearsolddeveloped coronavirus-fightingantibody levels just as strong asteenagersandyoungadultsgettingtheregular-strengthshots,Dr.BillGruber, aPfizer seniorvicepresi-dent,toldAPinSeptember.ButthestudiesdoneonPfizer’s

vaccine in childrenhaven’t beenbigenoughtodetectanyraresideeffects fromtheseconddose, likethechestandheartinflammationthathasbeenseeninmostlymaleolderteensandyoungadults. AP

LAYLIFOROUDI&LUCIENLIBERTDUNKIRK,NOVEMBER25

FRANCESAIDonThursdayitwillbeef up the surveillance of itsnorthern shores, but migrantshuddling in makeshift campssaid neither that nor a tragicdrowning thedaybeforewouldstop them from trying to crosstheChannel toBritain.Seventeenmen,sevenwomen

and three teenagers diedWednesdaywhentheirdinghyde-flatedintheChannel,oneofmanysuchrisky journeysattempted inrickety,overloadedboatsbypeo-ple fleeing poverty and war inAfghanistan,Iraqandbeyond.The deaths deepened ani-

mosity between Britain andFrance, already at odds overBrexit,withPrimeMinisterBorisJohnson saying France was atfault and French InteriorMinister Gerald Darmanin ac-

cusingBritain of “bad immigra-tionmanagement”.With relations fraught over

Brexitandimmigration,muchofthe focus on Thursday was onwho should bear responsibility,evenifbothsidesvowedtoseekjoint solutions.President Emmanuel

MacrondefendedParis’sactionsbut said France was merely a

transit country for many mi-grantsandmoreEuropeancoop-erationwasneededtotackleille-gal immigration.“Iwill...sayveryclearlythatour

security forcesaremobiliseddayandnight,”Macronsaidduringavisit toCroatia,promising“maxi-mum mobilisation” of Frenchforces,withreservistsanddroneswatchingthecoast. REUTERS

SAJJADHUSSAINISLAMABAD,NOVEMBER25

PAKISTAN’SMAINcitizenrydata-basehasbeencompromised, theFederalInvestigationAgency(FIA)informedaParliament panel onThursday,addingthatthebreachsofarhasbeenusedtoonlyissueillegalmobileSIMcards.The FIAmade thedisclosure

on the National Database andRegistrationAuthority’s(Nadra)data breach while briefingPakistan’s National AssemblyStanding Committee onInformation Technology andTelecommunication.“Nadra’s datahasbeencom-

promised,ithasbeenhacked,”saidFIA’s Cybercrime Wing Chief,AdditionalDirector Tariq,whileadding that fakeSIMcardswerebeing soldafter stealing thebio-metricdataoftheregistrationbody.Nadrahasthesoleprerogative

of issuingnational identity cardsand passports to the citizens ofPakistanafterrecordingtheirdata.During the briefing to the

Parliamentpanel,Tariqsaid13,000fake SIMswere seized during acrackdowninFaisalabadregion.Separately, Chairman of

Pakistan TelecommunicationAuthority, RetdMajor GeneralAmirAzeemBajwa, saidnomo-bilephonecompanywasallowedtosell SIMsdoor-to-doorandgetthe thumb impressionwhich isneededforgettingaSIMcard.He said people’s

thumbprints were taken using“illegal methods”, adding thatthethumbprintsystemwasnowbeingphasedout. PTI

THENEWYORKTIMESBRUNSWICK(GEORGIA),NOV25

THREEWHITEmenwere foundguilty of murder and othercharges onWednesday for thepursuit and fatal shooting ofAhmaud Arbery, a 25-year-oldBlackman,inacasethat,togetherwith thekillingof GeorgeFloyd,helped inspire the racial justiceprotests in theUSlastyear.The three defendants —

TravisMcMichael,35;his father,Gregory McMichael, 65; andtheir neighbourWilliamBryan,52—facesentencesofuptolifeinprison. Themenhave also beenindicted on separate federalcharges, including hate crimesand attempted kidnapping, andare expected to stand trial in

Februaryonthosecharges.Theverdictsuggestedthatthe

juryagreedwithprosecutors’ ar-gumentsthatArberyposednoim-minentthreattothemenandthatthemenhadnoreasontobelievehehadcommittedacrime,givingthemno legal right to chasehimthrough their suburban neigh-bourhood. “Youcan’t start it andclaimself-defence,”theleadpros-ecutorarguedinherclosingstate-ments.“Andtheystartedthis.”Theoutcomeof thetrialdrew

praise fromArbery’s family,whohad watched the proceedingsfrom inside the courthouse forweeks,andfromcivilrightsleadersandactivistsacrossthecountry.“I never thought this day

would come, but God is good,”said Wanda Cooper-Jones,Arbery’smother. NYT

JULHASALAMDHAKA,NOVEMBER25

BANGLADESHONThursday be-gan relocating hundreds ofRohingyarefugeestoanislandintheBay of Bengal, despite ongo-ing concerns from rights groupsovertheconditionsonthevulner-ablelow-lyingislandandthatnorefugeesshouldbesentforcibly.The Rohingya are aMuslim

ethnic group, over 700,000 ofwhom fledpersecution and vi-olence in neighboringMyanmar in August 2017.Bangladeshhasbeensheltering

1.1 million of the refugees incrowded campsnear its coast.A UN-sponsored investiga-

tion in 2018 recommended theprosecution of Myanmar’s topmilitarycommandersonchargesof genocide, war crimes andcrimesagainsthumanity for theviolenceagainst theRohingya.A seniorBangladeshi official

overseeing the relocation,Mohammad Shamsud Douza,saidthatanavyshipwouldtake379 refugees from Chattogramcity to the Bhashan Char Islandwhich lies off the country’ssoutheasterncoast.“They are going there volun-

tarily. All the 379 refugees havechosentolivethereforabetterandsecurelife,”hetoldAP.“Authoritieswilltakecareofeverything—fromfoodtomedicine,”headded.Thegovernmentbegansend-

ingRohingyarefugeestotheislandelevenmonthsago,andsaysitcannowaccommodateupto100,000.Douza said a total of 1,500

refugeeswouldbetransportedtotheislandinphasesoverthenextfew weeks. Previously, about19,000refugeeswererelocatedtotheislandfromCox’sBazarwheremore than 1million Rohingyarefugees fromMyanmar live incrowdedcamps. AP

Dhaka: The United NationsGeneral Assembly (UNGA) hasadoptedaresolutiontograduatethree nations, includingBangladesh andNepal, from theleast developed country (LDC)categorytothedevelopingcoun-try grouping, amajormilestonedemonstratingthecountries’de-velopmentprogress.TheUNGAadoptedthereso-

lution at its 76th session. Thethree countries that got clear-ance for graduation areBangladesh, Nepal and the LaoPeople’sDemocraticRepublic.“The three countries will

graduate fromtheLDCcategoryafter an exceptionally extendedpreparatoryperiodoffiveyears...to enable them to prepare forgraduationwhileplanning for apost-Covid-19 recovery...” theUN said in a statement onWednesday. PTI

London: Scotland Yard officerslaunchedamurder investigationon Thursday following the fatalstabbingofaBritishSikhteenageronawestLondonstreet.The victimwas identified as

16-year-oldAshmeetSingh.TheMetropolitanPolice said

theywerecalled toRaleighRoadinSouthallonWednesdaynighttoreportsofastabbingandattendedalong with paramedics fromLondonAmbulanceService(LAS).“Despitetheeffortsof emer-

gency services, he died at thesceneashorttimelater,”theMetPolice said.Social media footage shows

policeofficersbattling invaintosave the victim’s life in a frontgarden.AccordingtotheEveningStandard,Singh’sfriendsfeartheBritishSikhboywasattackedfora fake Gucci bag he always car-riedwithhim.“I knew him, hewas a good

guy.His friendsareall sayinghewasstabbedoverthisGuccibag,it wasn’t even real...,” a localshopkeeperwas quoted as say-ingby thenewspaper. PTI

REUTERSROME,NOVEMBER25

ITALY HAS given safe haven toSharbat Gula, the green-eyed“AfghanGirl”whose1985photoinNationalGeographicbecameasymbol of her country’s wars,PrimeMinister Mario Draghi’soffice saidonThursday.The government intervened

afterGulaaskedforhelpto leaveAfghanistanfollowingtheTalibantakeoverofthecountryinAugust,astatementsaid,addingthather

arrivalwaspartofabroaderpro-gramme to evacuate and inte-grateAfghancitizens.

US photographer SteveMcCurrytookthepictureofGulawhen shewas a youngster, liv-ing in a refugee camp on thePakistan-Afghanborder.Her startling green eyes,

peering out from a headscarfwith amixture of ferocity andpain, made her know interna-tionallybutheridentitywasonlydiscovered in 2002 whenMcCurry returned to the regionandtrackedherdown.AnFBIanalyst,forensicsculp-

torandinventorofirisrecognitionall verifiedher identity,National

Geographicsaidatthetime.In2016,PakistanarrestedGula

forforginganationalidentitycardinanefforttoliveinthecountry.The then Afghan president,

Ashraf Ghani, welcomed herbackandpromisedtoensureshe“liveswith dignity and securityinherhomeland”.Since seizing power, Taliban

leadershavesaid theywouldre-spectwomen’s rights in accor-dancewith Islamic law. But un-der Taliban rule from 1996 to2001,womencouldnotworkandgirlswerebannedfromschool.

EU regulatorapproves firstCovid shot for5-11 year olds

TheEuropeanMedicinesAgencyauthorisedthePfizer-BioNTechvaccine forthe5-11agegroup.AP file

PARISACCUSESLONDONOF ‘BAD IMMIGRATIONMANAGEMENT’

Agroupofmigrantswaitonaholdingbusafterbeingbrought intoDover,England,onThursday.AP

RohingyarefugeesarriveatBangladesh’sChittagongboatclubtoboardvessels that takethemtoBhasanChar island.AP

Bangladesh sends hundreds moreRohingya refugees to remote island

British Sikh teenstabbed to death inLondon robbery

TheHague:InternationalCriminalCourtappeals judgeshavecutbytwo years the sentence of anIslamist radical who pleadedguilty tooverseeing thedestruc-tionofhistoricmausoleumsintheMalian desert city of Timbuktu,thecourtannouncedThursday.AhmadAlFaqiAlMahdi,afor-

merteacher,wassentencedtonineyears in2016for thewarcrimeofintentionallyattackingbuildingsofareligiousandhistoricalcharacter.Hepleadedguiltyandexpressedremorseforhisroleinthedestruc-tion of ninemausoleums and amosquedoorbypickax-wieldingrebelsinJuneandJulyof2012.Heisnowsettocompletehis

sentenceonSept18,2022.Thepanel of judges citedasa

reasonforcuttinghissentenceAlMahdi’s cooperationwithprose-cutors.Mali hadopposedany re-duction,arguingthat “thepeopleofMali...havenotfullyhealedfromthewounds caused by themis-deeds”hecommitted. AP

ICC cuts Islamistradical’s sentencein Timbuktu case

US court finds three guilty ofmurdering Ahmaud Arbery

UN to ‘graduate’Bangladesh,Nepal to bloc ofdeveloping nations

SharbatGula.Reuters file

THISYEARhasseenmoreat-temptsbymigrantsfromWestAsiaandAfricatocrosstheChannelbyboat,accord-ingtodatacitedbyofficials.Expertssaythisdoesnotnec-essarilyshowanincreaseinthenumberofmigrantstry-ingtogettotheUK,butachangeinthewaytheytravel.Authoritieshavesteppeduptheircrackdownonthesmug-glingofmigrantsintotheUKontrucks,causinganincreaseinthenumberofattemptsbymigranttocrosstheChannelusingsmallboats. InOctober2019,asmanyas39migrantswerefounddeadinatruckthathadtakenthemtoUKfromEurope.

IncreasingbidstocrossChannelE●EX

PLAINED

France beefs up sea rescue work, sparswith Britain after 27 migrants die at sea

Italy takes in Nat Geo’s green-eyed ‘Afghan Girl’

German Coviddeaths pass100,000 markBerlin:Germanycrossed thethresholdof 100,000Covid-19-related deaths onThursdaywith a surge in in-fectionsposingachallengeforthenewgovernment.Another351 people have died fromcoronavirus, bringing the to-tal since the start of thepan-demic to 100,119, data fromtheRobertKoch Institute forinfectious diseases showed.The number of new dailycases hit a new record of75,961.“Thedayonwhichwemustmourn100,000victimsof the coronavirus is a sadone,” outgoing ChancellorAngelaMerkelsaid.REUTERS

Pak’s citizenrydatabasecompromised:security agency

New Delhi

SPORT/CALENDAR 23WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COMTHEINDIANEXPRESS,FRIDAY,NOVEMBER26,2021

CROSSWORD4596

ACROSS1 Danceband instruments(8)5They’re laidunevenly(4)9Ananimalorbird that runsfromleft toright (5)10Ahelporahindrance intheworks (7)11 Itwon’tkeepyoufullyoccupied(4-4,4)13Fightinga lawsuit (6)14Formalproposal toput itback inamonth’s time(6)17Sportingevent thathas itsupsanddowns(12)20Observeslightupset;notthereverse (7)21Willing togoontotheendof thestory (5)22Bringerof loveand life?(4)23 Itbringsaboutamilitaryrising (8)

DOWN1 Grip inwhichpossessionsarecarriedaboard(4)2Runintosomeof thedefence (7)3Contenders in thehighjump(12)4Bitof abloomer letting itslipout (6)6Wilddog inAustralia (5)7Unproductivebutimpressive (8)8Don’t take legalaction fornothing(4,2,6)12Everyyearonemayawaitits returnwithadded interest(8)15 Invest inaunitof theopenmarket (7)16Cutoveraquarter?That’sserious (6)18Presley livesanew(5)19 Instrument thatdoesn’tring true?(4)

ARIES(Mar21-Apr20)Relationswithchildrenshouldhaveimproved. If therearestillquestions to

beanswered, then itmaybethatyou'vebeen looking inthewrongdirection.Tryaspotof lateral thinking.What Imean is that thesolutionsmay lie in themostunlikelyareas.

TAURUS(Apr21-May21)Thecurrentphase inthe lunarmonth isalwaysslightly tense,butyoucouldbe

surprisedathowwell thingsturnout in theend.Yourwholeapproachwill soonbevindicated,possiblywhenchildrenoryoungerrelationsfinally realisehowrightyouhavebeen.

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whetheryouhavebeenbattlingatworkorathome,but itmaybeboth. In thiscase,youshouldaimforawell-earnedrestoverthecomingfewdays.Hopefully,apressingcommitmentcanbeshelved.

CANCER(June22- July23)AstunningrelationshipbetweentheSunandJupiter suggestsa

momentof supremecreativity,probablyaffecting financialmatters, foreigncontactsandethicalquestions,not tomentioneducationalpossibilities. Itgoeswithoutsayingthatbenefitsmayaccrueinall theseareas.

LEO(July24-Aug23)Hopefully theway isnowmuchclearerasfarasmonetaryissuesare

concerned. If youhavetorectifya financial situation,oranyotherpersonalmatter, sparealittle timefor the finerpoints.Plus,you’recloser to theresolutionof apersonaldilemmathanyoufeared,butnotnecessarily in themanneryouthought.

VIRGO(Aug24-Sep23)If youneedproofthatyouareontheright track, tryaskingclose

companions.Peopleyou liveorworkwithday inanddayoutmayhavedifficulty findingexactly therightwordsbut,evenwhenthey’renot tellingthewhole truth,youknowwhat theyreallymean.

LIBRA(Sep24-Oct23)Nodoubtyouareamiteconfused.Thisis justas it shouldbe,for theplanets

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youhaveamindforyourownsurvival, you’ll leavestrangers,partners, friends, loversandacquaintances tosolve theirownsillyquibbles.Don’t letthemholdyouback.

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abovethetrenches.Youmayevenmakeafewmovesbehindthesceneswhichwillsetyouupforfutureprosperity.Don’tbankonquickprofitsthough,forinitial impressionsareboundtobemisleading.

CAPRICORN(Dec23- Jan20)Seldomhaveyoubeen insuchastrongpositiontonameyourpriceordictate

your terms.Foronceyouhaveboththe factsandtheirdeeperimplicationsatyourdisposal,whichmeansyou’reonestepaheadof everyoneelse. It’sall aquestionof findingtherightwaytosaywhatyouwant.

AQUARIUS(Jan21-Feb19)Youmaysoonfindyourselfbacktosquareoneoverafinancialor

professionalmatter.Actuallythisisagoodthing,andyoushouldalsomakeityourgoaltogetbacktotherootsinyouremotionallife.Onceyou’veestablishedasenseofcertainty, thenyou’llbefreetoexperiment.

PISCES(Feb20-Mar20)Youshouldnowbeginanewemotionaljourneyandenjoyaprocessof

unravellingyourdeepestmotives.Someoneclosemayhavetriedyourpatience,butIdon’tthinkyoushouldconcernyourselfwiththisanylonger.Ultimately,theyneedtorecognisetheirownproblemsbeforeanyoneelsecanhelpthem.

SUDOKU4666

DifficultyLevel2sInstructionsTosolveaSudokupuzzle,everydigitfrom1to9mustappear ineachofthenineverticalcolumns, ineachoftheninehorizontalrowsandineachofthenineboxes.

DifficultyLevel1s=Veryeasy;2s=Easy;3s=Medium;4s=Hard;5s=VeryHard;6s=Genius S

OLU

TIONSUDOKU4665

Givenbelowarefour jumbledwords.Solvethejumblestomakeproperwordsandmovethemtotherespectivesquaresbelow.Selecttheletters intheshadedsquaresandjumblethemtogettheanswerforthegivenquip.Facethefactsof___whatyouare,forthatiswhat___whatyouare.-SorenKierkegaard(5,.,7)

SOLUTION:HEAVE,ANISE,HONCHO,BOGGLEAnswer:Facethefactsofbeingwhatyouare,forthatiswhatchangeswhatyouare.-SorenKierkegaard

HVAEE HOOCHN

AEINS ELOBGG

SolutionsCrossword4595:Across:1 Singapore,8Filed,9Baptist,10Morose,11Defect,12Initials,15Dispense,18Botany,20Roller,21Auditor,22Nitre,23Toadegree.Down:2 Irate,3Gather,4Position,5Effort,6Also-ran,7Adversity,11Deodorant,13Icebound,14Isolate,16Eyelet,17String,19Noose.

JUMBLEDWORDS

OVERTHEHEDGE byMichael Fry&TLewis

CALVIN&HOBBES byBillWatterson

MARVIN byTomArmstrong

DAYTODAY BYPETERVIDAL

RESULTS

Sheriff 0 3 RealMadrid

Liverpool 2 0 Porto

ManCity 2 1 PSG

ClubBrugge 0 5 RBLeipzig

AteticoMadrid 0 1 Milan

Sporting 3 1 Dortmund

MIHIRVASAVDABHUBANESWAR,NOVEMBER25

ONEALLOWStheball to fly intothenet.Theother generates somuch pace that the ballzoomspastthegoalkeeperinmid-flight.Andthethirdletsitkissthesurfaceandthudintotheboard.Three set-piece specialists, three differ-

ent styles, sameresult.If the JuniorWorldCup is a glimpse into

the future, then India’s penalty corner rou-tinesseemtobeinsafehandsgoingforward.InAraijeetSinghHundal, SanjayKumarandSharda Nand Tiwari, the junior team hasthree cracking penalty corner takers, withAbhishekLakrabeing the fourthoption.Seven out of the 13 goals India scored

againstahaplessCanadainthesecondgroupgamecamefromcorners.Thefacile13-1winbroughtthedefendingchampions’campaignback on track after losing to France onWednesday. But it was the performance ofthepenaltycornerexperts that stoodout.Chief coach Graham Reid would have

beentakingnotes,giventhattheretirementsof Rupinder Pal Singh and Birendra Lakrahave openedup twopositions in the seniorteam. On Thursday, Hundal and ShardaNand stepped upwhen Sanjay –who hasbeenIndia’sgo-tomaninthefirsttwogames-wasn’tonthepitch.Andhe’sbeenremark-ablyconsistent.

Decade-old routineHe’sscoredahat-trickonconsecutivedaysandinbothgames,he’sfollowedthesameroutine:a pass gets injected from the baseline,ManinderSinghstopsonthetopofthe'D'andSanjay flicks it powerfully, but never higherthanknee-length, intothegoal.Sanjay andManinder, who also had his

nameon the score sheet on Thursday, havebeenpullingoff this drill for almost 10years.Sanjaymoved fromHisar to theChandigarhHockeyandFootballAcademyin2010,whereManinderjoinedhimayearlater.“We have been playing together for 10

yearsnow,sosomeofthemoveswemakeonthe field are purely based on instinct,”Maninder says. The duo has been togetherfromtheiracademydaystosub-juniorteamsandnow the JuniorWorldCup side. AgainstFrance andCanada, theydidn’t need to evenlookuptofindeachother,andinpenaltycor-ners,theywereseamless.“Ithelps,playingto-getherforsuchalongtime.Itisnotlikeweex-clusively practice short corner routines but

sinceweknoweachother’shabits,itbecomeseasier,” Sanjayadds. Sanjay’s calmdefendingalongwithstrongdrag-flicks,whichheattrib-utes to the tips received fromnational teamstarHarmanpreetSingh,andManinder’sabil-ity to hustle defences have been among thehighlightsof India’sfirsttwomatches.Butfromtheteampointofview,Indiawill

be relieved just to return towinningways,givenhowlittlethemarginoferroris.

Teamgelling togetherForallthetalkaboutspeedandskill,dribblesand drag-flicks, it’s remarkable how some-thingasbasic,andcritical,ascommunicationis taken for granted. Against France in theiropeninggame, it felt like11 strangerswear-ing an India jerseyhad taken the field. Their

silencewasdeafening,andmysterious.Mostoftheseplayershavebeentogetherforatleastthree-four years. Some, like Sanjay andManinder, have played together for almosthalf their life. So have the trio from TejBahadurSingh’sAcademyinGhazipur,UttarPradesh–RahulRajbhar,VishnuKantSinghandUttamSingh,thelatterscoringtwogoalsintwomatches.On Thursday, the decibel level from the

Indian teamwas a big noticeable change.Goalkeepers Prashant Chauhan and Pawan,whoplayedalternatequarters,madesuretheteamkept the structure and barked out in-structions to the defenders whether to golongorplaytheballshort.Thedefenderswereconstantly talking to themidfielders,warn-ingthemiftherewasaman-onoriftheywereventuringoutof position.And themidfield-ers would let the forwards knowwhen totimetheforwardrunandwhentotrackback.When someone erred, theyweren’t shy

to give them amouthful. And therewere afew suchmoments, especiallywhen some-onewouldmiss-trapor concedepossessioncheaply. Canadaweren’t skillful and sharpenoughtopunishIndia,whowillstillneedtobeat Poland to qualify for the quarterfinals.ThedefeattoFrancemeansthebestIndiacando in thegroupstage is finishsecond,whichwill mean a possible quarterfinal againstBelgium.The European team,whose senior com-

patriots recently won gold at the TokyoOlympics,won’tbeaskindasCanadaandwillpounceontheslightestofmistakesthehostsmake.AndIndiawon’tgetadozenopportu-nities, as theydidagainstCanada.

ABHISHEKPUROHITNOVEMBER25

“I was lost. I was depressed. I thought mycricket isover.”KC Cariappa had gone fromdebuting in

IPL 2015 for Kolkata Knight Riders with aprice tag of 2.4 crore to not getting a singlegame for Karnataka sinceMarch 2019. Hehadlostmotivationtoworkonhisfitnessandhis weight had ballooned to 95 kg, at least10-12kilosextraevenforhissix-foot frame.“IhadbeendroppedfromtheKarnataka

sideafterdoingwell.Thatwasplayingonmymind,”Cariappa,whoalsorepresentsBankofBaroda,says.“MushtaqAlihasbeenthemaintournamentformeandIwasnotgettingthechance. Iwasunsold in the IPLalso.“After having played somuch cricket in

theheat,youwon’tgoandjustworkinbank.Thatmotivationwon’t come.”Then the 27-year-old got a call from

Rajasthan Royals head of cricket ZubinBharucha asking him to come for a trial.“They told me we have been seeing yourbowling from the time youwere picked forKKR in2015.”The spinnerdidenoughat the trial tobe

bought forhisbasepriceofRs20 lakhintheIPLauctioninFebruary.Buttherewasnowayhewas getting a gamewith the state of hisfitness. That iswhen themotivation switchflickedagainandthe turnaroundbegan.“His skinfold readingwas around 123-

125whenwestarted.After theMushtaqAlitournament, it was 80,” said RR and nowKarnataka strength and conditioning coachAT Rajamani Prabhu. Skinfold is a test tomeasurebodyfat.Areadingover130iscon-sideredpoor for athletes, 100-plus is belowaverage.In the recent SyedMushtaq Ali Trophy,

CariappanotonlymadehisKarnatakacome-back,hewasalsotheirhighestwicket-takerin their run to the final,with12strikesataneconomy-rateof only5.63.Hewas alsoKarnataka’smost economi-

calbowlerintheir2018-2019SMATtitlewin–10wickets, economy5.02 --buthadbeenignoredsince.Hesayshisparentswerethemainsource

of support when hewasworrying that hiscareerwasfinished.“Myparentstoldmethatcricket is your first preference, so you giveyourbest.Youperformwell, thenalsoif theydon’tpickyou, then it is their loss.”Once RR had picked him, Rajamani saw

thatCariappa’s speedandagilitywasn’t toobad.“He is a really strong guy, a natural ath-

lete,”Rajamanisays.“Themainthingwastoreduce the fat. So wemade changes in hisdiet.”Morethantotallyavoidingspecificfoods,

suchaswhitericeforinstance,Rajamanisaysit is aboutmoderation. “I never tell anyonetostopanything.Whicheverfoodtheylike,ifwe tell them to stop, theywill not stop it. Ionly tell themtobecareful.”NutritionistDivyaKP,whohasbeencon-

sultingwithCariappafromtheIPL,saystheyhadtowork throughsome limitations.“During IPL season, you have late-night

matches, then you come back to the hotelandyourdinnersarearound1or2am.Thereweretheusualcheatmealsandall,butover-all I’d saywewereable tostick toaround80percentofhisplan.Frommorningtoevening,whateverhewaseating, hehad to report tome.”Within threemonths, Cariappa lost 6-7

kg. During the pandemic’s second-wavelockdown, he bought equipment so that hecouldworkoutathome.Rajamanitookgov-ernment permission to send his trainersacross the state border from Chennai toBengalurutoworkwiththeKarnatakaplay-ers, includingCariappa.Finally, after all the effort behind the

scenes, themomentof reckoningarrivedatthe start of this month. Karnataka’s firstSMATgroupgamewasagainstMumbai.Cariappawas understandably nervous

themorningofthegame.Healsoknew,how-ever, that a good performance againstMumbaiwouldnotgounnoticed.“Theyhadastrongteam.AjinkyaRahane,PrithviShaw,ShivamDube. I was thinking I should taketwowicketsatleast,thatIshouldtakePrithviShaw’swicket.”Hewould go on to open the bowling for

Karnataka and dismiss Rahane, Shaw andDube–thelattertwowerebowled--forfig-ures of 4-0-26-3. In the final against TamilNadu,heremovedopenerNJagadeesanandskipperVijayShankar to return4-0-23-2.Cariappahas seen thehigh of the crores

straight out of near anonymity, and the lowofnearanonymitystaringathimagain.Andhe’s comethrough it tohaveanother shot.

MANCHESTER: Fresh from scoringManchester City’s winner, Gabriel Jesussurelywouldnothaveintendedtohaveadigat Paris Saint-Germain. Even if the striker’scommentafterCity’s2-1winWednesday—as both teams advanced in the ChampionsLeague—didcuttotheheartof thecontrastsintheirperformances.“Wehavealotofplay-ers who can help the team,” he said.“Everyonewants to give goodballs to otherplayers.Nobody is selfish.”PSGhad its 11players on the field at the

EtihadStadium—withLionelMessi,NeymarandKylianMbappéleadingtheattack—butit didn’t always seem therewas a completeteamout there.“Theyhavealotofquality,”Citymanager

PepGuardiolasaid.“Wetrytokeeptheplay-ers faraway fromthegoal.”It was the less glamorous Brazilian at-

tackeronthescoresheetratherthanNeymarin the chill of Manchester. Brought off thebench in thesecondhalf togiveCityaNo.9,Gabriel Jesus completed theCity comebackwith a scuffed shot after being teed up byBernardoSilva.“We attack well in the spaces and the

quality from Bernardo,” Guardiola said.“Whenyoutalkabouttherighttechnique, itis that. The right tempo and doing it in therightmoment to give your team-mate thebest chance toscore thegoal.”City clinched top spot in Group A and a

meetingwitharunner-upintheroundof16in February. “It was a bit frustrating in thefirst half,” Silva said, “because it felt likewewere controlling the game, we felt likewewerepressinghigh,winningtheball,havingthe possession but it felt like wewere notscoringagain.”Theclashofthecompetition’swealthiest teams, who are yet to winEuropean football’s top prize, fully came tolife in the 50thminute whenMbappé putPSG ahead after an interchange betweenMessi andNeymar.ButtheattackingdominancebyCitythat

defined the first half sawRaheemSterling’soutstretched left foot nudge in a cross fromKyleWalker to equalize before thewinnercame in the 76th. “After the goal we con-cededatthebeginningofthesecondhalf,theteamhadagreat reaction,” Silva said. AP

Cariappa: lighter, fitterand closer to the target

City beat PSG,both reachCLknockouts

JUNIORWORLDCUP

Glimpse of the future:India’s drag-flickers shineNextgenerationofpenaltycornerspecialists stepup in13-1winoverCanada

RESULTSArgentina 14 0 EgyptNetherlands12 5 Korea

Spain 17 0 UnitedStatesFrance 7 1 PolandCanada 1 13 India

TODAY'SFIXTURES■SouthAfricavsChile■KoreavsUnitedStates■SpainvsNetherlands■ArgentinavsGermany■MalaysiavsBelgium

AraijeetSinghHundal inactiononThursday. Hockey India

KarnatakaspinnerKCCariappa.

New Delhi

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Iyer: OK TestedDebutant’sunbeaten75off 136helps India reach258for4onDay1;Ravindra Jadejabattingon50

SANDIPGKANPUR,NOVEMBER25

KANPURISacityobsessedwithheroes.Intheprecincts of the railway station, there stillhangsthebillboardsofAmitabhBachanfromthemovieCoolie,whichwas shot in thecity.At the entrance to the city, a large poster ofNeerajChoprawinks.Almosteverycrumbling red-tiledwall in

the city has a familiar heroic face peering atyou. But, at theGreen Park, it seemed like adayofnearlyheroes,beforedebutantShreyasIyerburstforthasthenewIndianbattinghero,pouncingintotheactlikeaknightintimesofa crisis and stealing the limelight ona sunnybutbalmyday.Iyer joinedAjinkyaRahane at the depar-

ture of Cheteshwar Pujara, for a laboured26off88balls.ShubmanGillhadmadeastroke-filled52.But Indiahadslipped to103/3afterlunch. Iyer adequately illustrated his judge-mentandadaptabilitytothis levelof cricket.ThoughAjinkyaRahaneperishedmidway

through a cruising partnership, Iyer contin-ued India’s recovery actwith a defiant, un-beaten75,ensuringthat theteamendedthedayonarosytotalof258/4,onethatseemsal-ready daunting on a pitchwith variance inbounceontheveryfirstday.Iyer’s was an innings of

twohalves. The second halfwas racy and exciting; thefirstwastentativeandfortu-itous.But it’s thevirtuesthathe exhibited in the first partthatmight nourish his Testcareer to bloom.Understandably, his nervesfrayed,manifestinginleadenfeet and hard hands at thestart.Fifthballofhis innings,with not a runonhis ledger,he looked to loft Ajaz PateloutofKanpur,butwasfortu-nate that the resultant edgejust eluded a back-pedallingKaneWilliamsonat long-on.Shortly,heplayedandmissedafewKyleJamiesonballs,tentativelystabbingattheball.Buthedidsurvivethroughthattimeof tumult. Rahane deserves a bit of credit inshepherdinghim.Everytime,hewasbeatenorstrokedacrispstrokestraighttothefielder,hewouldwalk up to himand allay hiswor-ries.Likeanobedientdisciple,hewouldkeepnoddinghishead.Hethensteeledhimselftonotevenimag-

ineattemptinganimpetuousstroke.Heworeaweb of caution around him, attemptingnothing silly, even if NewZealand temptedhimwithhalf volleysoutside theoff-stumpsandwidth. But he resisted the temptations,even though Rahane began to expand, andeventually misjudged the bounce of aJamiesonballandchoppeditontothestumps.ThiswasthebestRahanehadlookedinrecenttimes,butforthatmomentofindiscretionthatpushedIndiato145/4.But Iyer remained unswayed. There is a

certain way you expect Iyer to bat, basedlargely onhowhebats inwhite-ball cricket.There is a streakof insouciance abouthim, asprinklingof flashinessthatbordersonreck-lessness.Hispercentagestrokesaretheslashesovercovers, theswipespastpoint, theuppercutsandslogs.But he tore all those perceptions, thus

demonstrating thathehasother gears inhissaddle, the stomach for a fight, themind forattritionandasenseofopportunism.

He seemed to come into the Testmatchwith a vivid grasp of this format’s require-ments,witha senseof gameawareness a lotofcricketerstakeyearstodevelop.Iyerthered-ball batsman seemedantithetical to Iyer theT20batsman.Hewasquicktoeradicatehismistakestoo.

So,afterhewassquaredupbyoff-spinnerWillSomerville’s away-spinner, he narrowedhisstance, and looked to play him fromamoreside-on position.When facing Jamieson, hecut downhis shuffle, so as not to get caughton themove, if he curled one viciously backintohim,enhancingthelbwrisk.Asthenerveseasedout,hishandsbecamelessstiff andhisfeet discovered its rhythm.He also didn’t letthose close calls—the edge that fell short ofWilliamson,thedroppedleg-sidecatchortheoutrageouslyclose lbw—gnawathim,ates-timonytohistemperament.Just at this time, New Zealand exposed

their owndebutant RachinRavindra to him.Iyerrelishedtheopportunityoffacingarookiepart-timespinner, andtookhimon. Ina typ-ical old-fashioned subcontinentalmethod,once a trademark of theMumbai school ofbatsmanship,hedanceddownthetrackandlofted him over extra-cover. He was un-abashed inusinghis feet to to left-armspin-ners and smear themover cover.Most bats-men,eventhosefromthesubcontinent,prefer

hittingfromthecreasethesedays.Hethensteppedoutand

carved Patel over extra-cover,andwhenhedroppedthe length ever so slightly,late-cuthimoff thestumps,much like his coach RahulDravidinhispomp.Later in the innings, an

even better shot was exe-cutedagainstPatel,thistimechargingdownthetrackandcracking him against theturn overmid-wicket. TheKanpurcrowdreservedtheirmost piercing applause forthis stroke.Towards theendof theday, applauseof simi-

lar decibels reverberated in the stadium, asRavindra Jadejashedhis inhibitions,exploit-ingthefatigueofNewZealand’sbowlers.Itwasnota long,hotdayinthesun,but it

was a daywhen they had come so close tograbbing the honours, but failed to. He bru-talised Sommerville overmid-wicket, afterblastingJamiesonthroughcovers.ButlikeIyer,hewaswatchful early on in their unbrokenassociationof 113 runs.Apotentiallymatch-defining alliance.TheGreen Park crowd in-stantly fell in lovewith Iyer, with chants of“Iyer, Iyer…” filling thecrispeveningair. Iyerwavedhisbatatthemwhenhewalkedback,and theywentdelirious, thronging thewallsthat demarcates the open stands from thepavilion. Kanpur has discovered a newherotoadornitswalls.

SCORECARD: India 1st Innings:MayankAgarwal c Tom Blundell b Jamieson 13,ShubmanGill bJamieson 52,CheteshwarPujaracTomBlundellbSouthee 26, AjinkyaRahane bJamieson 35,ShreyasIyer batting 75,RavindraJadeja batting50Extras: (b-1, lb-1,w-1,nb-4)7Total:258/4 in84oversFallofwickets:21-1,82-2,106-3,145-4Bowling: Tim Southee 16.4-3-43-1, KyleJamieson 15.2-6-47-3, Ajaz Patel 21-6-78-0,WilliamSomerville24-2-60-0,RachinRavindra7-1-28-0.

SANDIPGKANPUR,NOVEMBER25

KYLE JAMIESON invokes a familiar dread inthemind of India’s batsmen. The beanpoleseamerhadharassedtheminWellingtonandChristchurch;hauntedtheminSouthampton;and in the latest exhibition of his seeminglylimitless prowess, bitten themat their back-yard inKanpur too, ticking a large box in hisresume,theresourcefulnesstobealethalforceinAsia.Everyoverseasbowler,nomatterhowsuc-

cessfulhehasbeen inhisownterrain, comeswith questionmarks onhis effectiveness inAsian climes. They are often judged by thatyardstick too - the inverse of Asian spinnersproducingmatch-winningspellsabroad.EvenmoresoforsomeonefromNewZealand.Evensomeoftheirfinestswing-seambowlingmer-chants, likeTimSouthee,TrentBoultandNeilWagner, have struggled to replicate their ge-niusinIndia,areasonthecountryremainsanunconqueredpeak for them. Butwhat theycouldnot,Jamiesoncouldinanexemplaryex-hibitionofpreciseseambowlinginhisfirstTestmatch inAsia, lookingmore like a seasonedvirtuosothanafirst-timer.Mostof thesuccessstoriesof foreignpace

bowlers involve extreme pace or reverseswing.DaleSteynandJamesAndersonforin-stance. Jamiesonbarelynudges140kph.Thathecouldreverse-swingbecameevidentonlyonThursday.Butwhathehas is theability toprocureswingandseam,bothsubtleandno-ticeable,conventionalandreverse,controlanddiscipline. The ball that Mayank Agarwalnicked behind was a conventional out-swinger,hisstockball.ButAgarwalwaswait-

ing for inward seammovement, andhencewassuckedintothehalf-defensiveprod.Similarly,ShubmanGillwasexpectingcon-

ventionalinwardseammovement,hegotare-verse-swingingcorker thatmoveddevilishlyintohim.He stood stupefied. “I didn't expecttheball toreversethatearlyinthegame,”Gilllater admitted. Here, thus, is a bowlerwhocouldbowlthesameballindifferentways.Hecouldmaketheballmoveintotheright-han-derwith orthodox seamaswell as reverseseam.Hecouldswingtheballaway,aswellasseamtheballaway.Hecouldseamtheballintotheright-handeraswellasreverse-swingtheball into him. In his post-lunch spell, he re-sortedtoboth,muddlingthebatsmen’smind.Likeallgoodseamers,heattainsthesewith

minorchanges inhis releaseandwristsposi-tions.Watchhow looselyheholds theball. Itallowsawristflickformorerotation.Theonesthatmove noticeably are propelledwith amorevigoroussnapofthewriststhantheonesthat arenot.Heuses swing as a spinner does

variations.Sometimeshetiltsthewristsmore,sometimesless.Withthedexterityofapianoplayer,heworkshisfingersovertheballtopro-ducehiswhims.

Point of impactFuse hismastery of seammanipulation

withheightandcommandoflength,heturnsintoabehemothofafastbowler.Theballisre-leasedfromsuchatoweringheight,accentu-atedbyhishigh-armrelease,thatevenfromagoodlength,theballtakesoffmorethanitdoeswith shorter bowlers. Thepoint of impact ismuchhigheronthebat,areasonbatsmenarehesitanttocommitfullyforwardwhenfacinghim. Theheightmakeshimevenmorediffi-cult to negotiate on a surfacewith variablebounce, aswas theGreenParkpitch.AjinkyaRahanewill confess. A lot of Jamieson’s ballshad arrived at hip height, but the one hedraggedonbarelycrossedoverhiswaist.Thevarianceofbounce ismorepronouncedthanshorterbowlers.Equally praiseworthy is his control over

lengths.Mostbowlershaveapreferredoper-atinglength;Jamieson’sisgoodlength,butheisequallycomfortablebowling fuller, like theGillballthatwasquitefull.Hecouldbowlshorttoo, uncomfortably into thebody.Gillwouldagainacknowledge,asJamiesonhadsubjectedhimtoa short ball barrage in theWorldTestChampionshipfinal.Thathisthreewicketsofthedaywereof different lengths underlinesthepoint—Agarwalwith a good lengthball,GillwithafulloneandRahanewithaback-of-lengthone.Inall thereis littlethathecan’tdo.Socon-

summate that batsmen should be thankfulthathe is sparedof lightningpace.Hewould,then,havebeennighunplayable.

ShreyasIyeradequatelyillustratedhisjudgementandadaptabilitytothislevelofcricketinhisunbeatenknockof75runs. AP

MY FIRST exposure to the World ChessChampionshipwaswhen I startedworkingwith(Viswanathan)Anandbeforehismatchagainst (Vladimir) Kramnik in 2008. BeforethatIabsolutelyhadnoideaaboutwhatkindofpreparationwasneeded.IrememberwhenI first started working, our day started ataround11O’Clockinthemorningandendedat1O’Clockatnight. Iwascompletely takenabacktostartwith.ButgraduallyIgotusedtotheroutine.In chess, thehigher yougoup the ladder,

themoreyoufocusontheopening.Toomanyvariationsinopeningsarenotidealatalowerlevel, but at thehighest level, it becomes im-perative.Different teams carrydifferent am-biencestoaworldchampionship.Anandwasnever bossy, hewould never say stuff like ‘Ineed theworkdone inanother threedays’…Ourworkatmospherewasverylight.Mostofthetimeweevenplayedmusic.Everyplayerhashisownteamandacer-

tainworkethic.ForMagnus(Carlsen),takingtime off from chess and playing anothersport isvery important.Evenduringatour-nament,heplaysfootballorbasketballout-side chess. It’s sort of compulsory for histeam. Anand, on the other hand, preferred

tohave light gymsessions.I don’t havemuch idea about how (Ian)

Nepomniachtchi (nicknamed Nepo byAmericans)preparesforatournamentliketheworld championship. But fromwhatever Iknow,heisnotafitnessfreaklikeMagnus.Even after thematch starts, seconds be-

comeveryimportant,fortherolecomeswitha lot of responsibility. It’s about doingworkandanalysingamoveforaplayerwhichcandetermine the outcomeof aworld champi-onship.Therivalcampisalsodoingthesamething, so you have to be aware of that also.Andit’snotonlyaboutsuggestingamove,be-causethepsychologicalaspectsalsobecomevery important.Fromthatperspective,secondsneedtoplay

the role of amotivator aswell. Like, at times,our jobwas to remindAnand that ‘you areAnand’. Pressure cando all sorts of things toyou. If you loseagame,youmight loseconfi-dence abit. This kindof a relationshipdevel-opsgradually.LikeifIworkwithAnandtoday,IwillnothesitatetotellhimifIfeelsomethingneeds to be corrected. That relationship youdevelopover15yearsofworkingtogether.But,if IworkwithMagnusorNepo’s teamnow, Iwillbeatadhesitant.Theworkyoudointhelead-up,theprepa-

ration part, you basicallywork on differentopeningsandfixthematchstrategy.Yougivetheplayerdifferentpositions, youplay train-ing gameswith him. Youwork on the end-game.Forus,theprocessstartedeightmonthspriortotheworldchampionship.Wetooktheoddbreaks,but itwasverychallenging.Later,we decided that it wasn’t a very healthyprocess, especially for long-term training. Itwasperfectly finefor the lastonemonth(be-

fore the match) or a fortnight. So for the(Veselin)Topalovmatch,weusedtowrapuparound10pm.

Tricks, tactics andmoreTechnical play is notNepo’s strongest as-

pectand Iamtalkingabout theabsoluteelitelevel here.Hismain strength is his imagina-tion, tactics and tricks.He isvery slippery, at-testedbyhiswinrecordfromcompletelylos-ingpositions.Herevelsintakingrisks.Magnus’game,ontheotherhand,ismoreoftechnique.Heiswonderfullysolid.Sothisworldchampi-onshipwillseeabigclashofstyles.Attheendoftheday,Magnusisstillmuchstronger,aclearfavourite.Butthere’safeelingthatifthematchgoesdeep, drawspile up and the score stays

level,Nepo’schanceswill increase.See, everyplayerknows that irrespective

of his preparation andhowmeticulous thatmightbe,hecouldfaceacompletelynewpo-sition on the board real time. Permutationsand combinations are so high that you can’tcovereverything.Apartofaplayer’sprepara-tion focuses onknowing the type/pattern ofanewpositionthatmightarise.Mind,NepoisoneplayerwhohasaplusscoreoverMagnus.At U-10 or U-12 level, Nepo had beatenMagnustwiceintheclassicalformat.Hedou-bled that at elite tournaments later. So therewasatimewhenhead-to-headbetweenthetwostoodat4-0infavourofNepointheclas-sical format. Only recently, didMagnuswinhis firstmatch against Nepo. So at themo-

ment,Nepoleads4-1.ButIdon’tthinkthiswillgive him a psychological upper hand in thesummitclash.Magnuswouldcoverthiswithhisgreatermatchexperienceandalso,thebet-terplayeralwaysstartsasafavourite.I thinkwhat separatesMagnus from the

rest is that he never plays a rash game. Hisbiggest strength is not his preparation. Helookstoweardownhisopponents, themoremoves you play in a game, the better hischancesbecome.Tome,heisthegreatestend-gameplayerinthehistoryofchess.Hisenergyisalsoafactorhere.Thisbasicallycomesfromhisinvolvement

inothersports likefootball. IhaveneverseenMagnusfinishingoffagameveryquickly,get-ting the better of his opponent in the open-ing.Playerslike(Garry)Kasparov,Anandand(Levon)Aronianputinagreatdealofeffortintheirpreparationsforopenings.ButMagnus’wholeapproachislikehedoesn’twanttobeathisopponentintheopening.Ratherhepreferstotakeapositionquicklytoputhisopponentunderpressure.Heprefersslowburn.I have played against bothMagnus and

Nepo. Against Nepo, I have played twomatches in classical format and a few rapidandblitz. AgainstMagnus, I haveplayedonerapidandtwoclassical.WhenIplayedagainstNepo, he tried tooutplayme in theopening,using different tricks.WhereasMagnus al-ways let the game flow, after taking afavourableposition.AgainstNepo, Iwascompletelytrickedat

the European Championship. Then, at theworldteamevent,IhadapositionwhereIwasstaring at victory. But he countered that byplayingsuperfastandemployingmoretricks.Ihadaone-pieceadvantageoverhiminthat

gameandoncomputerevaluationIwas+2;acompletelywinningposition.Againstthat,hismoveswere not necessarily the best ones ifyougobythebook/computer,buthismoveswerethebestintermsofpsychology.Heknewhewasplayingagainstahumanandhiswholeapproachwas to create a completemess ontheboard.It led to crazy complications; his every

move givinghis opponent different options.The game ended in a draw and I faced thesame outcomes against him at theWorldRapidandWorldBlitzalso.It’sverydifficulttowinagainsthimfromawinningposition.Ontheotherhand,whenhegetsabetterpositionontheboard,hesweepsit.If you ask me what’s the best way to

counter Nepo; a lot of time hewould playbluffs,hisbodylanguagewouldbetraytheac-tual stateof thegame…It’s importantnot totakethebaitandgivehimacounter.As forMagnus, it’s nigh-on impossible to

find anyweakness. But if you can upset hisrhythm, if you can create a position on theboardbymakingmovesthatwoulddefylogic– this is exactly Nepo’s strength – then youmighthaveachance.Sportevolvesandthebeautyofgreatness

isthatitstaysaheadof itstime.Itwastruefor(Bobby) Fischer, Kasparov, Anand and everylegendof thegame.Magnus is agenius,wellaheadofhistime.

GrandmasterSuryaSekharGangulywasoneofViswanathanAnand’ssecondsandas-sisted him in winning the WorldChampionshipmatches against VladimirKramnikandVeselinTopalov.HespoketoShamikChakrabarty.

Magnus vs Nepo: A battle of contrasting styles and personalities

Swing, seam, and reverse swing:Jamieson’s bag of tricks fox batters

SathiyanentersRD32ofTTWorldsHouston:India'sGSathiyanprogressedto themen's singles third roundat the

WorldTableTennisChampionshipswitha4-0winoverRussia's VladimirSidorenko . Theworld number 37from India de-feated his 179th-ranked opponent11-9,11-9,11-8,11-6 in the round of

64. Sathiyannext facesworldnumber17ArunaQuadriofNigeriaintheroundof 32. India's top-rankedplayer,worldnumber30SharathKamal, hada suf-fered adisappointing opening roundlossonTuesday.However,Sharathcanstillmakeanimpact inthemen'sdou-bles alongside Sathiyanand inmixeddoubles alongsideArchanaKamath.Sharath and Archana entered theround of 32 with a 3-0 win overAlgeria's Sami Kherouf and KatiaKessaci. PTI

SindhusailsintoIndonesiaquartersBali: Top Indian shuttlers PV Sindhuand B Sai Praneeth progressed to thequarterfinals but former championKidambi Srikanthmade an early exitin the second round of the IndonesiaOpenSuper1000tournamenthereonThursday. Two-timeOlympicmedal-listSindhuhardlybrokeasweattowinthe second round clash 21-12 21-18against world No. 26 Germany'sYvonne Li in 37minutes at the USD850,000event.Inthewomen'ssinglesquarterfinals, the reigning worldchampion, seeded third, will faceSouth Korea's Sim Yujin. PraneethstavedoffaspiritedfightfromFrance'sworldNo.70ChristoPopov,claiminga21-17 14-21 21-19win in a gruellingmatchthatlastedanhourand23min-utes.TheworldNo.16IndianwillmeetOlympicchampionandformerworldno No. Viktor Axelsen of Denmarknext. PTI

OlympicgoldmedallistGebrselassie readytojoinwaragainstrebelsAddis Ababa: EthiopianOlympic goldmedallist and national hero HaileGebrselassiepledgedonWednesdaytojoin the fight against rebellious forcesinhiscountry,aftertheprimeministersaidhehadgonetodirectthewarfromthefront lines.The48-year-oldretiredchampion,who set 27 long distancerunning records, told Reuters that hefelt compelled to join up becauseEthiopia'sexistencewasunderthreat.Haile, his lithe, athletic framedressedinbusinessattire,saidhebelievedsportwasabout"peaceandlove".Buthede-fended his decision to join the fightagainst rebellious Tigrayan forces andtheirallies,wholastmonththreatenedtomarchonthecapitalAddisAbaba."Whatwould youdowhen the exis-tenceof acountry isat stake?You justputdowneverything.Alas,nothingwillbindyou.Iamsorry!"

REUTERS

BRIEFLY

ShubmanGillmadeastroke-filled52. PTI

Kyle JamiesondismissedMayankAgarwal, ShubmanGill, andAjinkyaRahaneonDayOne. AP

I’d like him (ArseneWenger) to bemuchcloser personally tomebecause itwouldbe agreat help for the club. Things take timeand

hehas todictate those timings.”

MIKELARTETA - ONWENGER’SPOSSIBLERETURNTOARSENAL

Surya SekharGanguly

Tie-break:If thepointsarelevelafter14games, four tie-breakgameswillbeplayed inrapid format,with25minutesforeachplayer. Ifit’s still level, twoblitzgameswillbeplayed.

Prize fundEuros2million,60%of thatgoingtowinnerand40%totherunner-up.

■ FromNovember26toDecember14■ December15isreservedfortie-break

WORLDCHESSCHAMPIONSHIP:FROMWHEN,WHAT TIME, AND THE RULES

Start time:Every game starts at 4.30pmlocal time,6pmIST

Number of games:14;whenaplayerreaches7.5points,hewins.

Defending champion:MagnusCarlsen(Elorating,2855)

Challenger:IanNepomniachtchi(Elorating,2782)

New Delhi

New Delhi

Nutrition GetsBetter with Milk

ADVERTORIAL

Milk is the powerhouse of energyCan milk be considered as a “generationalfood” that is being passed on from one gener-ation to another? What are your thoughts onthis?

Milk is intrinsically connected to the Indian cultureand is being consumed for many years. It has beenpassed on from generations and shall be passed on togenerations to come, solely because of the benefitsthat are associated with it. In fact, consumption of milkhas been mentioned in various ancient texts. For in-stance, the awareness of Cow Milk and its benefit iswell ingrained in our tradition and is espoused by an-cient ayurvedic textbook such as Charaka Samhita.

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Consider this, one glassful of milk gives around 8grams of carbohydrate, 4-6 grams of fat and 3-5 gramsof protein. Presence of such rich nutrients serves theenergy requirements of both adults and children. Onthe other hand, presence of minerals in milk such ascalcium, phosphorus, magnesium, apart from the onesmentioned earlier, are extremely essential for our bonestructure, teeth and overall body development. For ex-ample, there’s hardly any other better source of cal-cium than milk. In fact, there are not too many foodoptions that will give you so many nutrients in one go,and hence, milk is considered to be a complete and awholesome food in itself.

In recent times, what are the various activi-ties conducted by Mother Dairy to createawareness regarding the consumption of milk?

Mother Dairy’s efforts are fundamentally linked to-wards increasing the value share of farmers which isdirectly proportional to the consumption of milk. In therecent times, our communication narratives have high-lighted safety and purity as well as nutrition and im-munity. The safety and nutrition approach has been ef-fectively captured in our recent campaigns, whichconvey ‘boond boond mein shudhta’ and how Mother

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Recently, Mother Dairy went on an ex-pansion spree in the Delhi NCR market.Please tell us more about this.

We, at Mother Dairy, are enhancing our con-sumer touchpoints in order to be available inclose vicinity of our consumers with the addedadvantage of e-commerce channels. We plan toset-up around 700 exclusive touchpoints in formof kiosks and franchise shops in Delhi alone byFY22-23. Mother Dairy is one of the largest re-tailers of milk and milk products in the NCT ofDelhi and, with the addition of planned touch-points, we will further cover the length andbreadth of this region with a collective count ofover 2500 exclusive Mother Dairy consumertouchpoints in the region.

Apart from expansion, what are yourfuture plans for the company?

For us, Mother Dairy is a means to contribute tothe co-operative movement, to serve our farm-ers and drive-in rural prosperity as envisioned byour founder – Dr. Verghese Kurien – The Milk Manof India and Father of White Revolution. We willalways uphold his vision of ‘Farmers First’ whileproviding quality food and beverages to our con-sumers for consumption. Needless to say, today,we have one of the most diversified portfolios ofagricultural produce in the country. With grow-ing focus towards convenience and nutritionalofferings and with an intention of creating newavenues for the farmers’ produce, we will con-tinue to launch new products going ahead andstrive to make Mother Dairy and its brands ahousehold name across the country.

Based on the success of milk co-operatives, Dr.Kurien further established similar structure forthe collection and distribution of fruits and veg-etables under the brand ‘Safal’ in 1986 and alsolaunched Operation Golden Flow in 1988 for thewelfare of oilseed growers of the country, therebyestablishing brand ‘Dhara’. Today, we take pride in continuing his legacy beyond the dairyinglandscape.

Being a nutrient-dense food, milkhas more nutritional values

compared with any other food and,therefore, comes across as a

wholesome meal in itself

OUR ANCESTORS truly believed in the importance of good nutritionand adequate diet for child growth and development, body mainte-nance and protection from diseases. In this regard, consumption ofmilk has been considered a major part of our daily nutrition sincetime immemorial. If we refresh our memories, we can easily recall

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In a variety of Indian cuisines, especially South Indian, milk is widely used as anintegral ingredient to enhance the taste of curries, making them even moresumptuous. Clearly, this versatile food is not just nutrient rich but also blendswell with our other favourite foods and beverage, making them health enrichingand tasty.

“Known for its myriadbenefits, milk is an absoluteessential in our daily dietowing to its nutrient-rich

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Milk Man of India andFather of White

Revolution”, says Manish Bandlish,Managing Director,

Mother Dairy Fruit &Vegetable Pvt. Ltd.


New Delhi

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