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Amidst heightened tensionbetween the two countries

on the issue of Taliban,Afghanistan on Saturdayclaimed that the 26-year-olddaughter of its Ambassador toPakistan was kidnapped andtortured in Islamabad.

Issuing a strong statementin this regard, the AfghanistanGovernment also demandedenhanced security for its diplo-matic staff and a thoroughprobe into the incident.

Reports said the incidenttook place on Friday at 2.00 pmPakistan time in the commer-cial hub of Islamabad when shewas returning from the Jinnahcommercial complex in theBule Area. The AfghanistanForeign Ministry said in astatement Silsila Alikhil, thedaughter of Afghan envoyNajibullah Alikhil, was held forseveral hours by the unidenti-fied persons who kidnappedher on Friday.

“The Ministry of ForeignAffairs of the Islamic Republicof Afghanistan states with deepregret that on July 16, 2021, thedaughter of the AfghanAmbassador to IslamabadAlikhil, was abducted for sev-eral hours and severely torturedby unknown individuals on herway home,” the statement said.“After being released from thekidnappers’ captivity, Alikhil isunder medical care at the hos-

pital,” it said.The Afghanistan Foreign

Ministry said it “strongly con-demns this heinous act andexpresses its deep concern overthe safety and security of diplo-mats, their families, and staffmembers of the Afghan polit-ical and consular missions inPakistan”.

Afghanistan called on thePakistan Government to “takeimmediate necessary actions toensure full security of theAfghan Embassy and con-sulates as well as the immuni-ty of the country’s diplomatsand their families in accor-dance with internationaltreaties and conventions”.

She was allowed to go byher abductors after five or sixhours with her hands and feettied, reports said. There wereinjury marks on her wristsand ankles. The incident took

place in the backdrop ofAfghanistan time and againcharging Pakistan with helpingTaliban. Moreover, Kabul hasrepeatedly said Pakistan is notdoing enough to prevail uponTaliban to have peace talks.

Afghanistan Vice PresidentAmrullah Saleh on Thursdayalleged that the Pakistan AirForce is providing air supportto Taliban. Amrullah Salehhad said in a tweet, “ThePakistan Air Force has issuedofficial warning to the AfghanArmy and Air Force that anymove to dislodge the Talibanfrom Spin Boldak area will befaced and repelled by thePakistan Air Force.”

Afghanistan PresidentAshraf Ghani said at a confer-ence in Uzbekistan capitalTashkent that Islamabad istriggering violence inAfghanistan.

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The first resident of theOlympic Village has tested

positive for Covid-19, TokyoOlympic organisers said onSaturday. Officials said it was not an athlete with the Gamesopening in just under a weekon July 23.

Tokyo officials, includingSeiko Hashimoto, the presidentof the organising committee,confirmed the case and said thepositive test was on Friday.Organisers said for confiden-tiality purposes they can onlyoffer a vague description andfew details.

“In the current situation,that positive cases arise issomething we must assume ispossible,” said Toshiro Muto,the CEO of the Tokyo orga-nizing committee.

The person is identified

simply as a “games-concernedpersonnel.” The person is alsolisted as a non-resident ofJapan. Tokyo officials said theperson was placed in a 14-dayquarantine.

The Olympic Village onTokyo Bay will house about11,000 athletes during theOlympics and thousands ofother staff.

IOC president ThomasBach said this week there was“zero” risk of athletes in the vil-lage passing on the virus toJapanese or other resident ofthe village.

Organisers said since July1 and as of Saturday, 45 peopleunder their “jurisdiction” havetested positive. Only oneinvolves a person in the villageand most are identified as“contractors” for Tokyo 2020and “games-concerned per-sonnel.” The list includes one

athlete — who tested positiveon July 14 — and three mem-bers of the media.

Of the 45, only 12 are list-ed as “non-resident of Japan.”

Organisers said athletesand staff who have been awayfrom Tokyo at training campsare excluded from this list andtheir accounting.

Tokyo officials said theycould not give an estimate ofthe number of people in the vil-lage as of Saturday.

New Covid-19 cases onSaturday were reported at1,410. They were 950 one weekago, and it marks the 28 straightday that cases were higherthan a week previous. It was the highest single daysince 1,485 on January 21.

IOC president ThomasBach, as he has done all weekin Tokyo, again asked theJapanese to support the

Olympics. Opinion polls,depending how the question isasked, show 50-80 per centwant the Olympics postponedagain or canceled.

“We are very well aware ofthe skepticism, obviously thata number of people have herein Japan,” Bach said onSaturday in his first large brief-

ing of the Olympics at the mainpress center in Tokyo. “Myappeal to the Japanese peopleis to welcome these athletes.”

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Raising many eyebrows,National Congress Party

(NCP) chief Sharad Pawar metwith Prime Minister NarendraModi at the latter’s residence fora nearly one hour on Saturdayahead of the Monsoon Sessionof Parliament and amidst talkof him being a Presidentialcandidate.

This was also the first one-on-one meeting of Pawar, 80,with Modi, 70, since 2019.

Modi and Pawar shareinteresting relationships withboth praising and criticisingeach other from time to time.

It is the Modi Governmentwhich awarded PadmaVibhushan to Pawar in 2017and the same Government setEnforcement Directorate probeagainst him in 2019 during Maharashtra Assembly elec-tions. The said probe has nowtaken a backseat.

The meeting at the requestof the NCP strongman comestwo days ahead of theMonsoon Session of Parliamentand reports of a strain in the“Maha Vikas Aghadi”Government led by the ShivSena in Maharashtra, of whichthe NCP is a key constituent.

Previously, Pawar washuddled-up with politicalstrategist Prashant Kishor withreports that he could be anominee for the Presidentialelection slated next year. Pawar had denied report thathe is a candidate for the“Rashtrapati Bhawan”.

On Friday, DefenceMinister Rajnath Singh met

Pawar and another formerDefence Minister AK Antonyto brief on the situation on theLine of Actual Control. On thesame day, Pawar was also partof a meeting held by newly-appointed leader of RajyaSabha and Union MinisterPiyush Goyal before the com-mencement of the Monsoon

Session in July 19.Following the meeting,

Pawar, in a tweet, said, “Met thePrime Minister of our countryNarendra Modi. Had a discus-sion on various issues ofnational interest.”

The NCP has denied “spec-ulations” linked to Pawar’smeeting with Modi.

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The turbulent political windsblowing across Punjab

Congress on Saturday showedsigns of abating, but the heatwave continued. CaptainAmarinder Singh, who reiter-ated his earlier stand on abid-ing by Delhi’s decision, alsomade it clear that he is still themonarch.

The Captain told Punjabparty affairs in-charge HarishRawat, who flew on Saturdaymorning from Delhi, that hisposition in the party should notbe undermined and he shouldbe consulted in all decisions ofimportance — thereby sig-nalling his approval to NavjotSidhu’s elevation. Reports saidCaptain Amarinder has also

sought public “apology” forSidhu’s “150 odd derogatorytweets targeted at him”.

Cricketer-turned-politicianSidhu, on the other hand, madesure that the practice sessionswere on for the new innings, byhuddling with the party’s seniorleaders and “seeking guidance”from them.

The much-awaitedannouncement of Sidhu’s coro-nation as the Punjab PradeshCongress Committee (PPCC)chief during Rawat’sChandigarh visit did not comeafter all. In fact, the CM said hehad raised “certain issues” withRawat, which the latter wouldtake up with the party supremo

Sonia Gandhi. Sources told The Pioneer

that the CM, during an hour-long meeting with Rawat, reit-erated that he would abide bythe party president’s decision.

Expressing displeasure over“leakage” of reports regardingSidhu’s elevation in the mediabefore taking him in confi-dence, Amarinder underlinedthat the Congress central lead-ership should always involvehim in important decision-making processes in the partyand regarding the Government,including next year’s Assemblyelections.

It has been learnt that theCM maintained that Sidhu’sappointment should comple-ment his efforts in returningthe party to power in 2022 StateAssembly polls.

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Even as the Congress is fac-ing trouble in Punjab,

Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh,Maharashtra is yet to settledown, problem is brewing in for the JMM-Congress coalitionGovernment in Jharkhand.Eight MLAs from rulingCongress are camping in Delhito flag their concern before theparty high command.

While party sources saidthey are to request the highcommand for an audience topresent their grievances, polit-ical sources said a section of

legislators are in the nationalCapital to look for otheroptions. The BJP has set an eyeto stage a comeback just likethey did in Madhya Pradesh.

“They (MLAs) are partymembers and have every rightto visit their leadership to dis-cuss anything including griev-ances, if any,” said a CongressRajya Sabha MP.

The unusual movement ofCongress MLAs fromJharkhand to Delhi comes amonth after Chief MinisterHemant Soren had to returnfrom Delhi after making futileattempts for five days to meettop Congress leadership.

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Change of guards in the BJPGovernment in Karnataka

is expected with the centralleadership indicating to theincumbent Chief Minister BSYediyurappa that he needs tostep down.

Yediyurappa on Saturdayset his own conditions beforethe top leaders for his exit fromthe helm. Sources saidYediyurappa wants his sons tobe suitably accommodated atthe Centre before

he steps down. Yediyurappa, who met

Union Home Minister AmitShah, Defence Minister RajnthSingh and party president JPNadda, denied that he hasoffered to resign and insistedthat the top leadership wantedhim to “work hard” to form afull BJP majority Governmentin the State in 2023 and win maximum Lok Sabhaseats in 2024 .

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Registrations for undergrad-uate courses at Delhi

University will start on August2 and registrations for Master’sand doctorate programmes willbegin from July 26, DelhiUniversity (DU) authoritiesconfirmed it on Saturday.

DU is likely to announcethe first cut-off list betweenSeptember 7 and 10, actingVice Chancellor PC Joshiannounced on Saturday. Theregistration process for 20,000postgraduate (PG) seats and forthe Delhi University EntranceTest (DUET) courses will beginon July 26, he said.

The last date for registra-tion of PG programmes isAugust 21 and for UG pro-grammes is August 31.

“To make the admissionprocess hassle-free, a dedicat-ed portal for admissions will belaunched soon. This will facil-itate students to fill the forms,pay fee and check all detailswithout any problem from thecomfort of their home,” the act-ing VC said.

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France will allow interna-tional travellers who

have had AstraZeneca’s Indian-manufactured vaccine(Covishield) into the countrystarting Sunday.

At the same time, France istightening border checks tocontrol the spread of the deltavariant and protect hospitals,according to a statement fromthe Prime Minister onSaturday.

The move to accept visitorsvaccinated with AstraZeneca’svaccine made by India’s SerumInstitute came after a globaloutcry over the fact that theEuropean Union’s Covid-19certificate only recognisesAstraZeneca vaccines manu-factured in Europe.

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The Uttar PradeshGovernment, after inter-

acting with the Kanwar asso-ciations, has decided that thisyear there will be no KanwarYatra due to the coronavirusepidemic. Earlier, ChiefMinister Yogi Adityanath haddirected Additional ChiefSecretary (Home) AwanishAwasthi and Director Generalof Police Mukul Goyal to holdtalks with other States in viewof the Kanwar Yatra.

Additional ChiefSecretary (Information)Navneet Sehgal confirmedhere on Saturday night thatafter an appeal by the StateGovernment, the KanwarSangh had accepted theGovernment’s decision topostpone this year’s Kanwar Yatra.

It may be noted that lastyear the Kanwar Sanghs hadthemselves postponed theYatra after talks with theGovernment. This time alsothe Government had takenthis decision only with theconsent of the associations.

However, the UPGovernment wanted theKanwar Yatra not to bebanned this time. Rather, itwas of the view that the jour-ney should be taken out fol-lowing the Covid protocol.But the UttarakhandGovernment banned the entryof kanwariyas coming fromoutside the State.

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�What is your role in & TV’s GharEk Mandir - Kripa Agrasen MaharajaKi?

I play Manish, Kundan Agarwal’seldest son. He is bright person and isthe one whom Kundan looks up to interms of managing his business, butManish has his own dreams. He wantsto get out of the family business ofmaking handmade jewellery and setup a business of his own or maybe takeup a job in an MNC. He is influencedby his maternal uncle, Ratanji becausehe is the CEO of a big jewellery house.Manish aspires to become like him.Hence, there’s a slight friction betweenhim and his father in terms of goingahead in separate ways. But, thatdoesn’t mean he disrespects his father.He is often left disheartened by hisfather’s words whenever he tries tovoice his opinions. He is from acommunity where the elders are givena lot of respect and the youngerpeople have to follow the traditions tothe T.�What made you take up the role?

The difference of opinion and theinternal strife that Manish goesthrough, his dreams, aspirations andthe way he wants to go ahead in hiscareer, despite the fact that the powerof decision making is in the hands ofhis father only, is what attracted me toplay the character. His urge to notdisrespect his father, but at the sametime do something for his wife andchild is something that makes thischaracter even more interesting. �Was acting always a first choice?

Coming from a South Indianfamily who values education morethan anything else, I was probablythe first person in my family oreven the community to enter thisindustry. So, there was always aslight ego hassle with my father,because I wanted to become anactor and he didn’t approve ofit. I wanted to break free fromthe mould and hence,somewhere I can relate with mycharacter also. I finished anMBA as per my family’s wishesand then I told them to let megive acting a shot. I beganmodeling and acting was anatural choice for me. I amhappy that my parents arehappy with my progress,though they aspire to see me in

a much better position in terms ofpopularity, but I am working hard forit.�How did you get your first break?

My first break was after one-and-a-half-year of struggle. The momentI finished my college, I started doingtheatre. I used to a corporate jobduring the day; attend my MBAclasses in the evening and at night,whatever time I used to get, I spent itdoing theatre. For one-and-a-half-yearI have gone to almost every castingdirector, I have given four auditionsevery day whether it was for films, TVor even ads. I used to travel a lotbecause I lived far away from theaudition hub of the city. It was onlyafter a long time of following thisroutine that I got Balaji Production’sBayttaab Dil Kee Tamanna Hai. Andthat’s how my journey began.�How has your journey been thusfar? What has been your toughestmoment?

My journey so far has been amixed bag. As I mentioned before,after one-and-a-half-year of struggleI landed my first role. My show went

off air in six months and then I hadto wait for another six months

to get a show. It was RamMilaayi Jodi for Zee TV.After that, I did a fewshows but I wasn’t gettingwhat I wanted in terms ofa good show and acharacter. It was again astruggle because Iwasn’t getting thecreative satisfaction.After about threeyears, I landedQubool Hai on ZeeTV again, whichgave me somepopularity. But afterthat there was a

phase when I thoughtof whether I should

stay in this industry ornot, of course, acting was

my passion, but I wasmarried and I had

responsibilities. People toldme why I am not doing

something else that will give mypopularity and that got me

thinking. I started questioning mybeliefs and craft. After doing a filmSecond Marriage Dot Com in 2012, I

thought may be movies will come tome, but things didn’t work as I thoughtthey would. But, with the support ofmy family and wife Preet Kaur, whois an actor herself, I sailed through thatphase. Gradually, I started gettingbetter shows and projects. �When you look back, do you thinkthere’s something that you shouldhave done differently?

Like I mentioned, I had both highsand lows in my career, the lows werein fact very bad. So much so, thatpeople in my family were questioningmy talent and capability. But, I havealways believed that you have to stickto what you want to do in life. It’s atough fight, but I sailed through it.Sometimes, I think, because I wasgood in Maths, I would have beendoing well in the insurance or themutual funds market. So, if I wouldn’thave been an actor, maybe I wouldhave been a finance guy, but still I ampassive about it. �Is there a change that you wouldlike to see in the industry for actorsand other working professionals?

The only change that I expect isthat of late there has been a lot oftypecast happening, probably if youplay one negative role, then people callyou for that kind of roles only. So, it’sa request to casting managers that youshould look at an artist from acharacter’s point of view, whether hefits the character or not because manypeople have the potential to playdifferent shades of characters onscreen. I hope to see that change of notgetting typecast. �How do you think TV has evolvedover the years? Do you think it is yetto break from the tag of regressive?

Thanks to the advent of OTTplatforms and the real groundbreaking shows that are happening onOTT and are being showered with loveby the audience, TV is now slowlyevolving. I remember doing showswhich were regressive and absolutelyillogical, but now there’s a lot ofthought behind the characters and thestories. We are moving towards realismand it’s a challenge for people in theTV industry because there’s a lot ofcompetition. Being an actor from theTV industry, we ourselves are hookedand hitched to apps like Amazon, Zee5 and many others. But, yes TV isslowly and steadily evolving.

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'��"�� (�� Words are complicated —

but who needs wordswhen you have a whole

array of emojis at the tip of yourfingers? Emojis to show youlaughing, emojis that perfectly showhow you roll your eyes, emojis forwhen you are all green and blue andcannot get out of your bed or evenemojis for when you feel like youhave the devil’s horns! Emojis save usfrom a great ordeal of words, so a dayto celebrate emojis? Why not?

Since yestersday was WorldEmoji Day, celebrate the emojis withmasterpieces on Disney+ HotstarPremium to go with your everyemotion because it is better late thannever. Smirk on the face and mindfull of mischief?

In the mood to pull off someprank or to plot somethingmischievous? Learn from the ‘Godof Mischief ’ himself! Loki is a showlike no other. Our notorious godresumes his role in the series whichkeeps on getting better with everyepisode. The plot takes place in theafter events of Avenger: Endgameand goes off on a different tangentthat keeps you hooked to your seats.

Embark on a journey that the God ofMischief traverses across.

In a mood for some quest? ?To break down the monotony

and take you on an adventure, Rayaand The Last Dragon are here. JoinRaya, a fallen princess in her quest totrack the last dragon — thelegendary one who can saveKumandra and its people from theevil forces that have returned as agreat threat. So, muster up all yourcourage and set out on thisadventure with Raya and help hersave her kingdom.

A movie for the workaholicyou!

Working day and night to grabthat dream job and excel at it? Well,here is someone else to keep youcompany. Peek from behind yourlaptop screens and steal a laughwhile watching Monsters at Work.The series is a story of TylorTuskmon who graduates top of hisclass from Monster University andarrives at Monsters Incorporated tobegin his career as a scarer … or not.Take a break and let some steam offwhile your Monster Buddies are atwork!

Feed more to your Wanderlust! Want to take a break from the

monotony of the lockdown andsatisfy your wanderlust? Well, we gotthe perfect pick for you. Divulge intothe scenic lanes of Italy with thearoma of Italian delicacies tinglingyour nose as you get hooked to Luca,a coming of age story about a youngboy experiencing an unforgettablesummer filled with gelato, pasta andendless scooter rides. Put on yourvacay clothes and enjoy your virtual,heart-warming vacation in Italy atthe comfort of your homes.

One for the hidden chef! In a mood to spew some magic

in the kitchen but not sure aboutwhat to cook; same old, same old!Well, to make your life a little biteasier, MasterChef Australia is here.Watch top Australian Chefs judgethe passionate home cooks whoparticipate in Competitive culinarychallenges to develop their cookingskills and win the title as they makeyour urge to turn a simple dish intoa culinary marvel even stronger! Asyou learn new recipes at home fromMasterChefs, do not forget to cheerfor your favourite contestant.

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It appears that director RakeyshOmprakash Mehra and FarhanAkhtar work well together. This is

the second time that the two haveworked together. First being BhaagMilkha Bhaag back in 2013. Any filmbased on sports is interesting towatch; there is something about a plotwhere a person from nowhere rises upand makes a name for himself. Ofcourse, the path is not a bed of rosepetals; there are thorns on the way.And the storyline of Toofan is nodifferent.

This is where the directorfloundered. The story has nothing newto say or add. There is nothing herethat one has not already seen. The

scenes are familiar as well. The bodybuilding frames are a reminder of whatone has seen in Bhaag Milkha Bhaagand Sultan. While this was a wowfactor in Sultan, here, one just wishedit was over so that the story couldmove forward. Also, the 2 hour 40minutes of running time could havebeen reduced somewhat. Therepetitiveness of the punches, a coupleof songs that make no sense in a sportsmovie drag the movie in parts takingaway from an otherwise engaging ploteven if it is fictional.

There was a lot of hype aroundthis Farhan Akhtar project and kudosto the actor for being spot on with hisacting. His transformation from astreet-smart Aziz Ali gangster to thatof a boxer is amazing. Hisperformance is effortless. Themoments of vulnerability, fun,emotion and love are beautifully dealtwith. As Aziz Ali the gangster and then

a box, he is awesome and mind-blowing. It is good to see chemistrybetween him and Mrunal Thakur. Shemoves across the canvas like a freshbreath.

Even the Hindu-Muslim angle, amajor chunk of the film, has beentackled well; it is something thatexists — an act of terror that killedParesh Rawal’s onscreen wife. Hisanger is there for all to see; hiscondescending attitude that Aziz Aliis from Dongri, a reference that onlyMumbaikars will understand, is open.And yet, his love for the sport – boxingoverrides everything. As Nana Prabhuhis performance is awesome allthrough. First as a coach, then a fatherand finally grandfather. Vijay Raaz,Supriya Pathak and Darshan Kumaargive a good performance as well.

Overall, Toofan is a movie thatneeds to be watched for FarhanAkhtar’s performance.

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With an aim of bringingMadhya Pradesh tourism

on the world stage and attract-ing the tourists of Lebanon toMadhya Pradesh, a webinar onthe topic 'Incredible India -Your Favorite TouristDestination - Madhya Pradesh'was organized by the Embassyof India in Beirut.

Referring to the heritage,wellness, wildlife and naturaltourism destinations of MadhyaPradesh, Principal SecretaryTourism and ManagingDirector Tourism Board SheoShekhar Shukla said that Thiswebinar will prove to be animportant initiative for Indiaand Lebanon to provided acommon platform for tourism

based activities after the Coronacrisis. Madhya Pradesh isalways ready to provideLebanese Tourism Lovers,Leading Travel Agents andTour Operators with Spiritual,Wellness, Rural, and NaturalTourism along with Luxuryand Comfortable Tourism.

The state of Rajasthan alsoparticipated in the webinar.Ambassador of India toLebanon, Suhell Ajaz Khan,Second Secretary (Consularand Commercial) Embassy ofIndia P Pattabhi, CommercialSection Moderator RanaZeitouni, President ofAssociation of Travel andTourism Agents in Lebanon(ATTAL) Jean Abboud, DeputyDirector Madhya PradeshTourism Board Yuvraj Padole

and other prominent businessrepresentatives from Lebanonalso attended the webinar.

India's Ambassador toLebanon Suhel Ajaz Khan saidthat Lebanese citizens visitIndia in large numbers fortourism, education and otheractivities. There is Lebanon inevery corner of the world, inwhich about 5 million peoplelive and 15 million are settledin different regions of thewhole world. There is a lot ofenthusiasm among Lebanesecitizens for the developed Ruraltourism in Madhya Pradesh.

Madhya Pradesh has aunique amalgamation of culture,heritage, natural diversity,wildlife with luxury and wellnesstourism, which is not found any-where else in the world. Madhya

Pradesh is a tourist friendlystate and there are tour packagesavailable in every budget. TheIndian Embassy in Beirut willprovide all necessary assistanceto Lebanese citizens to travel toIndia.

Deputy Director TourismYuvraj Padole gave a presenta-tion of Madhya PradeshTourism through video film inthe webinar. He informedabout Rural Tourism,Adventure Tourism, worka-tion in MP and variousCultural, Music and DanceFestivals being organized inMadhya Pradesh with tourismfeatures of World HeritageSites (Khajuraho, Bhimbetkaand Sanchi), National Parksand Sanctuaries located inMadhya Pradesh.

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Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhanhas said that the state government will

leave no stone unturned to realize the unful-filled dreams of former MP Late NandKumar Singh Chouhan. His contributiontowards the development of Burhanpur dis-trict is unforgettable. Chouhan said thatdevelopment of Burhanpur district cannotbe imagined without Nandu Bhaiya. He wasaddressing the programme of dedicationand bhoomi-pujan of of developmentworks at Parmanandji GovindjiwalaAuditorium in Burhanpur on Saturday.

Chouhan performed bhoomi-pujanand dedicated development works worthabout Rs 175 crores. These include dedi-cation of development works worth Rs 106crore and bhoomi-pujan of developmentworks costing Rs 67 crore.

The programme began with the gar-landing of the portrait of the Father of theNation Mahatma Gandhi and formerPrime Minister Late Atal Bihari Vajpayeeand lighting a lamp. Chouhan also per-

formed kanya-pujan.The Chief Minister said that, adequate

water must be provided to the citizensthrough pipelines and taps under the JalJeevan Mission. He directed the officers ofPublic Health Engineering Department toensure that pure water is supplied throughtaps to every household in Burhanpur bySeptember 25.

Chouhan released the work-plan book-

let prepared by the district administrationregarding the preparations for the possiblethird wave of third Covid -19 and a book-let related to Atmanirbhar roadmap-2023of Burhanpur district. Chouhan honoured5 doctors as Corona warriors and held vir-tual discussions with the beneficiaries ofgovernment schemes.

Chouhan lauded the work done byBurhanpur district administration for pre-vention of Covid-19. He said that despitebeing located on the Maharashtra border,Corona has been effectively controlled inthis district. There has not been a single pos-itive case of Corona in Burhanpur districtsince the last 33 days. Despite this, the habitof wearing mask and practising social dis-tancing should continue to protect againstCorona. Chief Minister Shri Chouhansaid that Burhanpur model is being praisedacross the country with regard to preven-tion of Covid infection.

Chouhan said that Burhanpur is knownfor the sweetest bananas in the country andabroad. By further improving the quality ofbanana, its export will be increased.

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Nirbhaya woman shelterhome girls Mona and

Saraswati got married at ManasBhawan in Bhopal. Due to coro-na guidelines, only limited guestswere invited. Bhopal collectorAvinash Lavaniya , Bhopal DIGIrshad Wali, Woman & ChildDevelopment Director TriptiTripathi, Assistant Director RamGopal Yadav, DSP Salil SharmaMany eminent people attended

Wedding and blessed the brideand groom. Bhopal GovernorChaganbhai Mangubhai Patelsent his best wishes on a phonecall to both the daughters BhopalCollector Avinash Lavanya Gaveevery daughter 21,000 cheque.

On this occasion,Kanyadan of Mona was doneby Lokayukta SP Manu Vyasand your wife Rashmi Vyas,while kanyadan of seconddaughter Saraswati was done bythe Director of Nirbhaya shel-

ter home Sher Afzal Khan andhis wife Samar Khan.

President of NirbhayaFoundation Afzal Khan toldthat when Mona was young, shegot polio, her family left her inthe children's Home due topoverty and then never cameback to pick her up, after that inthe year 13, Mona was sent tothe Nirbhaya shelter home.Staying here, Mona took edu-cation as well as fashion design-ing training diligently and whenshe became fit for marriage, sheexpressed her desire to get mar-ried, the shelter home foundrelationships for her, and adver-tisements were also issued innewspapers three times.

Many relationships camebut her physical disabilitybecame the biggest obstacle inher marriage, meanwhile manygirls who came after Mona gotmarried and left the shelterhome and left for her home.She would repeatedly say thiswhether I will get married ornot.

The above listened to himand Ichhawar resident Sidnathreached the shelter home withhis family and at first sight bothof them liked each other. InSidnath's family he has two sis-ters and one brother Sidnathlives separately with his moth-er and Indane gas have his owncar and own house. He doesn'tmind Mona and wants tomarry her of his own free will.

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Under the Gamak series, alecture and dance perfor-

mance was held by SindhiSahitya Akademi on the occa-sion of Varnavatar, LordJhulelal's forty-day worshipfestival.

It was held on the YouTubechannel of Madhya PradeshState Tribal Museum on

Saturday. Literature related to

Jhulelal gives us spiritual inspi-ration, said Minister of CultureUsha Thakur. Literature relat-ed to Varunavatar Lord ShriJhulelal ji is a source of spiri-tual inspiration for all of us andwe all must study such litera-ture, this was stated by theMinister of Culture, Tourismand Spirituality, Usha Thakur,

MP. said in an online programorganized by Sindhi SahityaAkademi on the occasion of40-day worship festival of LordJhulelal.

Thakur Sai Manish Lal JiMaharaj, a descendant of SantPugardev Ji, the spiritual friendof Lord Jhulelal Ji, was promi-nently present in the program.

On this occasion, Rajesh

Kumar Wadhwani, Director ofSindhi Academy said in thewelcome address that we allshould tell the importance ofthis 40-day festival of worshipto the new generation becausethis worship festival is a sym-bol of worship done by the peo-ple of Sindh for 40 days for theprotection of Dharma.

On this occasion, ThakurSai Manish Lal Maharaj, while

explaining the method of PujyaBahirana Sahib, also worshipedPujya Bahirana Sahib, he saidthat only by worshiping PujyaBahirana Sahib, the fruit ofcomplete worship ofVarunavatar Jhulelal isobtained. Later, the artists ofSatish Tejwani dance group ofBhopal presented a beautifuldance on the hymns of LordJhulelal.

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Bhopal: Khajuri Sadak police has nabbed a bootlegger from apassenger bus at Akash Garden Bairagarh Kalan and seized morethan 300 liters of bottles worth Rs 25000 which was scheduledto sell at higher rates.

Acting off tip, a man was nabbed from Akash Garden areaon the charge of carrying liquor bottles in sack illegally. Theaccused was identified as Anil Vishwakarma of Rajeev Nagar.

Police said that bus bearing registration number MP09FA9316was tracked which was carrying liquor and when it was checkedthree gunny sacks and in which two cartons carrying liquor wereseized.During the investigation police found that the accused keptthe bags in the dicky of bus. Based on the information passen-ger was nabbed by the police who failed to provide details of theliquor. The police recovered a total of 54 litres from three gunnysacks. The police have registered a case under section 34(2) ofthe Excise Act.The buyers and sellers of the liquor provided bythe accused would be investigated in the further investigation.The action was taken in the ongoing drive to curb the increas-ing number of illegal trade of liquor in the city and outskirts ofthe state capital.The crime record of the accused and his involve-ment in illegal transport of liquor would be investigated. Thenexus behind the illegal liquor trade would be unearthed in thefurther investigation. SR

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Miscreants targeted a house at Signature Colony and escaped withvaluables worth lakhs of rupees on Friday; Katara Hills police have

started investigation.Police said that the victim Prashant Gupta along with his family

to attend an event and when he returned valuables were found miss-ing and lodged complaint with the Katara Hills police.

In the complaint victim stated that they left house to attend an eventand when returned valuables were found burgled. The victim claimedthat gold and silver jewelry and cash were burgled. The victim hasclaimed that the total loss would be revealed after checking the details.

Based on the complaint after the preliminary investigation the policehave registered a case of burglary against unidentified miscreants andhave started further investigation.

Meanwhile, house at BDA colony under Koh-e-Fiza police stationarea was targeted by miscreants and valuables worth Rs 50000 wereburgled on Friday. Police said that the victim Aslam Khan had goneto meet his relatives and when he returned valuables were found bur-gled.The victim in his complaint stated that he along with family hadgone to meet his in-laws and when he returned door was found openand locks broken. On entering the house victim found that the valu-ables were targeted by the miscreants.Based on the complaint after thepreliminary investigation the police have registered a case under sec-tions 457 and 380 of the IPC and have started further investigation.Police suspect that the burglars were aware regarding the whereaboutsof the family and committed the burglary when the family was away.

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The Indian Army works and sacrifices forthe safety of the country. The bravery of

Indian soldiers was showcased through themovie 'Performance' at Shaurya Smarak.

How the Indian Army works and its dif-ferent departments was showcased in a film‘Performance’. The film was screened atShaurya Smarak here on Saturday.

The movie is produced by the FilmDivision of India and was directed by KVishwanath. The film showcases the dailywork life of the army officers including food,recreation and more.

It is to be noted that the film featured thebrave hearts who protected the country fromthe borders. The film features the advancedtechnologies used by the army. The workingof different departments was shown in the film.

The primary mission of the Indian

Army is to ensure national security andnational unity, defending the nation fromexternal aggression and internal threats,and maintaining peace and security withinits borders. It conducts humanitarian rescueoperations during natural calamities andother disturbances, like Operation SuryaHope, and can also be requisitioned by thegovernment to cope with internal threats. Itis a major component of national poweralongside the Indian Navy and the Indian AirForce.

The Indian armed forces have beenengaged in a number of major military oper-ations, including: the Indo-Pakistani wars of1947, 1965 and 1971, the Portuguese-IndianWar, the Sino-Indian War, the 1967 Cholaincident, the 1987 Sino-Indian skirmish, theKargil War, and the Siachen conflict amongothers. All the major incidents were depict-ed in the movie.

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Chief Minister Shivraj SinghChouhan said that my first

priority as Chief Minister is toprovide employment opportu-nities to the youth of the state.Training to the youth should begiven according to their jobs foran Atmanirbhar MadhyaPradesh. Chouhan was dis-cussing on the presentation ofthe topic ‘EmploymentOpportunities’ for the youth of

the state with the officials ofCRISP at his residence.

The Chief Minister saidthat a target has been set to pro-vide employment opportunitiesto one lakh youth in the stateevery month. Employment hasbeen provided to more than54,000 youth when the effect ofCorona infection became less.He said that by employment Ido not mean only high postslike engineer or doctor, but ifwe provide loan to a fruit ven-dor for employment and hedoes his work, then that alsocomes in the category ofemployment.

Chouhan informed thatduring my stay in Burhanpur,12,000 local youth have givenproposals for their enterprise.As per their wish, I want thatthey too should be given train-

ing according to their work, sothat they can start their ownenterprise.

Chouhan said that trainingshould be given to youth intribal areas in accordance withtheir ‘needs and capability’. Afive-year plan was proposed byCRISP with the aim of trainingyouth for employment in thestate. In one year, 25 thousandyouth will be trained and in thenext five years, one lakh 25thousand youth will be giventraining according to theirwork.

It was informed in the pre-sentation that rural youthwould be given training forsmall and big works accordingto the need of local work.They will be trained in relationto electrician, carpenter, agri-culture related work etc.

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Mhow police station staff istaking a lot of efforts to

maintain the 1500 boxes ofseized liquor including the for-eign and country made illegalliquor which they seized froma truck in the year 2013 inMhow police station area.

The Mhow police seizedthe truck carrying this 1500boxes of liquor costing around�3 lakhs but the driver andcleaner of the truck fled fromthe spot. Mhow police triedmore than 8 years to trace theowner of the illegal liquor and

the driver and cleaner but theycouldn’t be tracked. Now theMhow police has urged the dis-trict administration to order forthe demolition of the illegalliquor stored with them andalso Mhow police will auctionthe truck in open market.

Mhow T I Dilip Puri toldThe Pioneer that we have gotthis stock of 1500 boxes of ille-gal liquor stored in one of thepolice room for 8 years and assoon as the district adminis-tration will form the commit-tee including the excise officer,we will demolish the liquor andauction the truck.

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Jammu: In a first, a white collar ter-rorist syndicate, secretly workingbehind the blog site kashmirfight.wordpress.com, has beenunmasked by the Jammu & Kashmirpolice.

A total number of five personswere arrested by the police teams atthe end of the day-long raids at mul-tiple locations on Saturday.

The arrested persons have beenidentified by the police as NazishYasrab Rehmani and Tabish AkbarRehmani from Sanat Nagar, Sofi MdAkbar from Rajbagh, Peerzada RaqifMakhdoomi from BatporaHazratbal and Javed Khalid fromPoonch. Jammu & Kashmir policeofficers are hoping with the arrest ofthe kingpins and the discovery of ahuge number of digital devices andthe analysis of the data therein, it isexpected that the ultimate plansbehind the murder of Journalist SujatBukhari, Advocate Babar Qadri andBusinessman Satpal Nischal wouldcome to the fore.

According to a spokesman ofJammu & Kashmir police, "kash-mirfight.wordpress.com was beingrun by a white collar terrorist syn-

dicate whose task was to prepare astrategic hit list of Government offi-cers, journalists, social activists,lawyers, political functionaries".

Police spokesman said, duringthe operation houses and propertiesat multiple locations including SanatNagar and Raj Bagh in Srinagar,Batpura in Hazratbal, Poonch,Jammu and Hawal in Pulwamabelonging to five persons weresearched.

A large number of cell phones,digital storage devices and comput-ing platforms were recovered fromthese locations. In one house alone,32 mobile phones, one tablet, twolaptops, four hard disk storagedevices, seven memory cards andone dongle were seized. thespokesman added.

According to a policespokesman, "the blog site kashmir-fight.wordpress.com had designed amodus operandi wherein the nameof the victim was first published, hewas profiled giving detailed justifi-cation as to how and why he is alegitimate target for the terrorists andsubsequently his actual execution bythe terrorists". PNS

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Bettiah: At least 16 people have died at aRemote village of Bihar in the last coupleof days, in a suspected case of hooch tragedyin the state that went dry six years ago.

According to a statement issued by theadministration of West Champaran district,headquartered here, family members of onlyfour of the deceased have confirmed con-sumption of liquor prior to death.

Two persons appear to have died of dis-eases, as suggested by documents producedby family members, while kin of theremaining 10 were non-committal about thepossible cause of death.

All deaths have taken place at Deurvavillage under Lauria police station area.

Eight had died on Thursday while anequal number of deaths were reported onthe following day.

Five persons, including Sumit (22), theson of Thag Sah who is said to be involvedin illicit liquor trade, have been arrested inconnection with an FIR that was registeredon the basis of statement given by a rela-tive of 36 years old Mumtaz Miyan, who isundergoing treatment at a private hospitalafter he fell ill upon consuming spuriousliquor.

Sale and consumption of liquor wascompletely banned by the Nitish Kumargovernment in April, 2016.

The state has enacted a stringent pro-hibition law which also includes penalaction against those from whose premisesalcohol is recovered.

According to the statement issued bythe administration, an appeal has beenmade by District Magistrate Kundan Kumarto the villagers to "come out and share allinformation without fear" with regard to the"mysterious" deaths. PTI

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Guwahati: The Assam Police hasrescued nine girls who were traf-ficked to Kerala and arrested twopersons, a senior officer said onSaturday.

The survivors and the accusedare being brought back to Assam,Special Director General of PoliceG P Singh said.

"An information was receivedby @Hojai_Police about an illegalhuman trafficking racket operatingfrom Assam, in which several girlsbelonging to various districts inAssam have been trafficked toThampanoor, Kerala," Singh tweet-ed.

Based on specific inputs, a casewas registered at Lanka police sta-tion in Hojai district on July 11under several sections of the IndianPenal Code, and a team of eightpolice personnel left for Kerala onJuly 13 to rescue the victims andapprehend the accused, he said. PTI

Mau (UP): A one-and-a-half-year old girl was allegedly rapedby a man here, police said onSaturday.The man took theminor girl away on the pretextof buying her toffees on Fridaynight. He took her to a seclud-ed spot and allegedly raped her.He later left the girl outside herhouse and fled, police said,quoting the complaint from thevictim's family.

According to the police, acrowd immediately gathered atthe spot and the man was alsoidentified. The police reachedthe spot and later arrested theaccused, officials said.

Superintendent of police, PSushil Chandrabhan Ghule, whovisited the spot on Saturday, saidthe girl has been admitted to ahospital where she is undergo-ing treatment. A case is beingregistered based on the com-plaint of the relatives and theaccused has been arrested. PTI

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Guwahati: Around 12,000 Mising community People, displaceddue to change in course of the Brahmaputra river 70 years ago,are likely to find new home outside a national park in Assam'sTinsukia district where they are now living, an official statementsaid.

The State Government will soon issue a notification for reha-bilitation of the Missing people of Laika and Dodhia forest vil-lages of Dibru-Saikhowa National Park, it said. The matter wastaken up at a high-level meeting where issues related to ForestRights Act, 2006 were discussed."During the meeting, the issueregarding rehabilitation of the people residing at Laika and Dodhiain Dibru-Saikhowa National Park in Tinsukia district was dis-cussed at a length. The forest department will soon issue a noti-fication in this regard (rehabilitation)," the statement said on Friday.

Welfare of Plain Tribes and Backward Classes Minister RanujPegu, Environment and Forest Minister Parimal Suklabaidya andMLA Bhuban Pegu along with officers of various departmentswere present at the meeting.The government emphasised onpreparing a roadmap for implementation of the Forest RightsAct, 2006, on a mission mode with the WPT and BC being thenodal department and Environment and Forest as associate one.

The plight of a group of Mising people, the second largestethnic community of Assam, dates back to 1950 when a changein course of the Brahmaputra river took place after an earthquake,rendering 75 families of Murkongselek along Arunachal Pradeshborder homeless. PTI

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Guwahati: The Assam Government willprovide a one-time financial assistance of�1 lakh to families of people who have diedof Covid-19, state Finance Minister AjantaNeog has said.

Presenting the budget for 2021-22 inthe assembly on Friday, Neog claimed thisis a first-of-its-kind scheme by anyGovernment in the country.

The State Government had alreadyannounced the 'Chief Minister ShishuSeva Scheme' for children who lost theirparents due to coronavirus and the 'ChiefMinister Covid-19 Widow Support Scheme'for widows.Under the scheme for children,an amount of �3,500 will be provided perchild each month.For those below 10 yearswho may not have an extended family orguardian, the Assam Government willtake steps to house them in child care insti-tutions and provide adequate fundingtowards their upkeep and education. PTI

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� # � �'� �� ,,��#��+ !!�� '��%��(2�+�'%��%��%�!��+�� %*Kohima: The Nagaland Government on Saturday said that it willnot allow employees posted in the civil secretariat and directorateoffices to join duty and stop their salaries if they are not vaccinat-ed against coronavirus or fail to provide Covid negative certificatesevery 15 days.The High Powered Committee (HPC) on Covid-19made the decision on Friday in the interests of public health andsafety, Chief Secretary J Alam said in an order.

"All employees/staff in the Nagaland Civil Secretariat andDirectorates will be required to be vaccinated to attend office, orto produce Covid-19 negative test report by getting tested every 15-days through either RT-PCR, TruNat, or CBNAAT on self-paymentbasis as per Government approved rates," the order stated.

The salaries of those who have not taken a single dose of thevaccine against coronavirus or who will fail to furnish Covid-19neg-ative test report will be stopped beyond July 31, 2021, and they wouldnot attend office, it said. The period of absence of such employeeswill be treated as leave without pay, the order said.The chief secre-tary directed the head of departments in the secretariat and direc-torates to enforce the directive and submit a report to the HomeDepartment on or before 15th of every month giving in detail thestatus of vaccination or submission of Covid-19 negative test reportof all employees, and the salaries deducted until further notice. PTI

Lucknow: Congress generalsecretary Priyanka GandhiVadra on Saturday met twowomen workers of theSamajwadi Party with whomBJP activists had allegedly mis-behaved during the recent blockpanchayat chief elections, anddemanded repolling at placeswhere violence took place.

Samajwadi Party chiefAkhilesh Yadav had earlieralleged that BJP workers mis-behaved with his party candi-date Ritu Singh and her pro-poser Anita Yadav inLakhimpur Kheri, pulling their"sarees". In a terse message tothe ruling party, Priyanka in aHindi tweet said, "The goons ofthe BJP involved in 'cheerharan'of the democracy should hearthat women will become prad-

hans, block pramukhs, MLAs,MPs and Prime Minister, anddefeat the government, whichgives patronage to those com-mitting atrocities againstwomen." "For justice of all vic-tims of the panchayat poll vio-lence--all my sisters and citi-zens-- I will write to the StateElection Commission," she said.

After meeting the SP work-ers, Priyanka told reporters atSemra village in LakhimpurKheri's Pasgavan block that itwas their constitutional right tofile nomination papers andcontest elections "but this rightof theirs was snatched".

"They were beaten up whilethey had gone to file nomina-tions and disrobed. You canimagine what was going on intheir mind. Along with Anita,

his 19-year-old son was alsothere," Priyanka said, allegingthat nobody tried to stop it.

"A CO who tried to inter-vene was suspended and noaction was taken against thosewho were standing there. Theadministration remained silent,"she alleged.

The Congress leader toldreporters that she came to meetthe SP workers as they arewomen and her "sisters".

"I want to tell (them) thateach and every woman of Indiastands with them. I told themnot to feel afraid, and have con-fidence," she said. "One day,you will file the nominationpapers and emerge victorious inthe polls. You must fight and allof us will fight for you," theCongress leader said. PTI

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Golaghat/Diphu (Assam):Assam Chief Minister HimantaBiswa Sarma on Saturday saidthat the police has been givencomplete "operational freedom"to deal with drug traffickers anddealers, and asked to "act deci-sively" to uproot the drug men-ace from the society.

He said that increased actionon snapping the drug supply andconsumption chains throughoutthe Northeast has been under-way in the last two years afterUnion Home Minister Amit

Shah issued specific directions toDGPs of the states in the regionregarding the issue.

Speaking at a seized drug dis-posal event in Golaghat, Sarma,"I want to give this clear messageto the drug dealers that as thechief minister, I have given fullfreedom to the police to taketoughest actions as allowed by lawagainst this crime."

"The Assam Police will set itsown boundaries and fulfill itsresponsibilities. After gettingthis operational freedom, police

has been more relentless in itspursuit against the drug dealers,"he said.

At another similar event inDiphu, the chief minister saidthat the police has been givenoperational freedom to act firm-ly and decisively within the lawto uproot the illegal trade.Sarmasaid that when Shah visitedAssam two years ago, he had helddeliberations with the directorgenerals of police (DGPs) of thenortheastern states on ways tocut drug supply lines. PTI

K+��#!��"/� �%�$��"��/��"��,��"��)��!� �/�$�,�?Kohima: At least 57,400 peo-ple are availing the benefits ofsenior citizens pensions schemein Nagaland, an official of theSocial Welfare department saidon Saturday.

The estimated populationof senior citizens in the state ismore than 2 lakh but only57,400 people, 51,750 in the agegroup 60-79 and 5,650 above 80years, are availing the benefit ofIndira Gandhi National OldAge Pension Scheme(IGNOAPS) of the Central

Government, AssistantDirector of Social WelfareDepartment, K WangoLangsym said. He was speak-ing during a one-day seminarorganised by Nagaland SeniorCitizens Helpline at LCSBuilding here on Saturday.

Langsym said of the vari-ous old age pension schemes,the Indira Gandhi NationalOld Age Pension Scheme(IGNOAPS) is funded by theUnion Ministry of RuralDevelopment which is being

implemented by theDepartment of Social Welfare,Nagaland. In this, he said thebeneficiary should be fromBelow Poverty Line (BPL) fam-ily while those in 60-79 agegroup will receive �200 permonth while those in 80 andabove age group gets �500 permonth.He said that the SocialWelfare Department wants toincrease the number of bene-ficiaries as the current benefi-ciaries are less compared to thepopulation of senior citizens,

which would be more than 2lakh in Nagaland.

He said the challenges anddifficulties faced is that very fewbeneficiaries have Aadhaarlinked bank accounts, which isa prime demand of the ministryfor Direct Transfer Benefit.

"We cannot move on to thePublic Financial ManagementSystem (PFMS) mode of pay-ment despite repeated direc-tives from the Ministry," he said. Nonetheless, Langsyminformed that the state gov-

ernment has approached theUnion Ministry to enhancethe number of beneficiaries forNagaland.The Department isalso encouraging the VillageCouncils in the State to supportthe beneficiaries in linkingtheir aadhaar card with bankaccounts, he said.The officersaid that the department wouldsoon be conducting meticulousphysical verification of theexisting beneficiaries in orderto weed out the names of thosewho have died. PTI

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Union Home Minister AmitShah on Saturday said

India’s security policy was either“influenced or was overlapping”with the foreign policy and it wasonly after Narendra Modibecame Prime Minister that thecountry got an independentsecurity strategy.

The assertions came whileShah was delivering the“Rustamji memorial lecture”that was attended by BorderSecurity Force (BSF) personneland also top intelligence chiefs.

Addressing the largest bor-der guarding Force, the HomeMinister also declared that hisgovernment is working to ensurethat there “will be no gap in thefencing” along India’s borders bynext year.

The unfenced gaps alongIndia’s over 7,500-km-long landborder will be sealed by the endof this year, covering vulnera-bilities that lead to infiltrationand smuggling of arms andnarcotics.

About three per cent of thecountry’s border was unfenced,at present, and this has left a “bigspace” for infiltration of terror-ists and other border crimes likesmuggling of arms, ammunitionand narcotics, he said.

India will soon developindigenous counter-drone tech-nology. This is being done bytechnical organisations like theDRDO and some other agen-cies, he said.

His comments came in thebackdrop of the first drone

strike on the IAF station inJammu late last month in whichbombs were dropped throughUAVs.

The security and technolo-gy development establishmentwas also working on artificialintelligence and robotic tech-nologies to counter attacksthrough such precision mecha-nisms, he said.

At the annual event ofinvestiture ceremony andmemorial lecture, Shah alsogave away gallantry medals toserving personnel and for thosekilled in the line of duty from thecountry’s largest frontier force.

On the security policy, theHome Minister said, “I used tothink if there is a security poli-cy of this country or not? TillNarendra Modi became thePrime Minister, we did not haveany independent security poli-cy.”

“It was either influenced byforeign policy or it was over-lapping with the foreign policy,”he said.

Shah said that afterNarendra Modi became prime

minister, the country got anindependent security policywhich is a “big achievement.”

“Our idea is to have peace-ful relations with all, but ifsomeone disturbs our borders,if someone challenges our sov-ereignty, the priority of oursecurity policy is that such anattempt will be replied in thesame language,” he asserted.

The nearly 2.65-lakh per-sonnel strong BSF is the desig-nated paramilitary to securethe over 6,300 km of Indianfrontier with Pakistan andBangladesh.

The memorial lecture andinvestiture ceremony is an annu-al affair to remember the con-tribution of its first chief ordirector general (DG) K FRustamji.

An officer of the 1938-batch of the British-timeImperial Police, Rustamji head-ed the BSF for nine years. Hedied in 2003.

Shah “I assure that there willbe no gap in our fencing from2022. I believe that (ensuring)border security is (ensuring)

national security,” Shah saidadding the agencies are devel-oping a “new model” of the bor-der fence that cannot be cut orbroken.

To buttress the pace of for-tification of border securityunder the Modi government,Shah also dished out figuresrelated to border infrastructurerelated works.

As against 3,600 km of bor-der roads made from 2008-14,the same has spiraled up to 4,764km. The budget for this job wasenhanced from Rs 23,000 croreto 44,000 crore. A total of 14,450metres of bridges were madeduring 2014-20 as compared to7,270 metres made during 2008-14, he said.

While one border tunnel fortransportation was made earli-er, six tunnels have been madein the last one year while 19 suchstructures are in the pipeline,Shah said.

Likewise, a total of 170 kmof border roads were resur-faced during 2008-14 and it wasenhanced to 380 km after theModi government came topower.

The cutting and formattingof roads along the China borderhas now been enhanced to 470km per year as compared to theearlier 230 km per year. Shahsaid the government has sanc-tioned 32 more border roadsmeasuring about 683 km for theIndo-China frontier.

During the event, DirectorGeneral of BSF Rakesh Asthanasaid the Force has made 61drone sightings and unearthedfour tunnels along the westernfront in the last one year.

Junior Home MinistersNityanand Rai and Ajay KumarMishra, Union Home SecretaryAjay Bhalla, Intelligence BureauDirector Arvind Kumar andchief of Research and AnalysisWing Samant Goel attendedthe event.

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The Centre on Saturday gavethe go-ahead for the new

academic sessions for collegesfollowing which the UniversityGrant Commission (UGC)issued the examination guide-lines and academic calendar forthe new session of 2021-22which announced to begin thefirst-year classes from October1 adhering to the Covid-19 pro-tocols.

In a letter sent to Vice-Chancellors of universities andprincipals of colleges, UGCSecretary Rajnish Jain informedthem about fresh guidelines onexamination and academic cal-endar in view of the COVID-19 pandemic. The UGC direc-tives came after UnionEducation MinisterDharmendra Pradhan reviewedthe situation with stakeholdersof the higher education andasked to issue necessary direc-tions to begin the new acade-

mic session offline/onlinedepending on the pandemic sit-uation during that time.

The commission directedall the universities and collegesto complete the admissionprocess for undergraduate andpostgraduate courses bySeptember 30. While the class-es for the first semester willbegin on or before October 1,the last date to fill the vacantseats is October 31, said theUGC notification.

The notification furtherstates that the documents forthe new admissions can besubmitted by December 31,2021. In case of delay in decla-ration of qualifying (class 12)result, the higher education institute may plan thenew academic session fromOctober 18.

“Higher EducationInstitutions may plan for class-es, breaks, conduct of exami-nations, semester break etc.during the period October 1,

2021 to July 31, 2022 followingnecessary protocols/guide-lines/directions/advisoriesissued by the Central/StateGovernments and competentauthorities from time to time,in view of the COVID-19 pan-demic,” the UGC notificationmentioned.

Considering the financialhardships being faced by manyparents due to the pandemic,the commission urged the uni-versity authorities to not chargeany cancellation fees/ migrationfees from students up toOctober 31, 2021, for the aca-demic session 2021-2022 as aspecial case.

The university regulatoralso directed the higher educa-tion institutions to ensure thatthe admission process forundergraduate courses/pro-grammes for the academic ses-sion 2021-2022 commencesonly after the declaration ofresults by the CBSE, ICSE, andstate boards.

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The EnforcementDirectorate on Saturday

arrested a Dutch national,Shivlal Pabbi, at the IndiraGandhi International Airporthere on money launderingcharges while he was trying toflee from the country by board-ing a flight to Paris.

Pabbi, originally a residentof Phagwara, Punjab, hadmigrated to the Netherlands in1981 and became a Dutchnational in 1984.

The ED had initiated amoney laundering investiga-tion against Pabbi and otherson the request of theNetherlands Government.

Money laundering investi-gation by the ED revealed thatPabbi committed cheating andforgery in the Netherlands onthe basis of fraudulent docu-ments prepared in connivancewith his Indian associates.

“Pabbi ran an undergroundbanking /banking withoutpermit / hawala business in theNetherlands under the garb oftrading in readymade gar-ments. The proceeds of crimegenerated by Shivlal Pabbi werelaundered through Pakistaniindividuals based in Dubai,who transferred the money toShivlal Pabbi and his brother’sNRE accounts in Phagwara,”the agency said in a statement.

The proceeds of crimewere invested in the develop-ment and construction ofMayfair Resorts and CabbanaResort & Spa situated inPhagwara on the Jalandhar -Ludhiana highway. CabbanaResort & Spa, spread over sev-eral acres is a renowned venueknown mainly for hosting lux-urious weddings and corporateevents, it said.

After his arrest, he was pro-duced before the Special PMLACourt, Mohali. The Court hasgranted his custody to the EDtill July 23.

The Court noted that in itsconsidered opinion the remandof the accused was necessaryand justified for fair and com-plete investigation of the mat-ter. Further investigation in thematter is underway, it added.

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New Delhi: Supreme Courtjudge Justice DY Chandrachudsaid on Saturday that the exam-ple of Greta Thunberg, one ofthe strongest voices againstclimate change, shows that“nobody is too young to effec-tuate big change”.

Chandrachud was speak-ing virtually on the topic‘Students as the Constitution’sVanguards’ at a programmeorganised by the ShikshanPrasarak Mandali (SPM) on theoccasion of the 101st birthanniversary of his father lateJustice Y.V. Chandrachud, whowas the longest-serving ChiefJustice of India.

“In viewing ourConstitution, as a primary spir-it to counter majoritarianism,we can equip ourselves with aunique lens to view the worldand balance competing inter-ests,” Chandrachud said.

Speaking on climatechange, Chandrachud empha-sised that the world is in themidst of an accelerating climatechange crisis and the Covid-19pandemic has shown that eco-logical disruptions increase theexisting inequalities.

He added that to combatthis crisis, a collective globalaction is required.

Chandrachud further saidthat Greta Thunberg, who isone of the strongest voices inthe civil society against climatechange, began her journey asa lone 15-year-old sitting out-side the Swedish Parliamentdemanding government actionagainst the imminent risks ofglobal warming.

“Her example, in additionto that of many others, showsus how nobody is too young orinsignificant to effectuate bigchange. My learning for life, atmy age, is also that you arenever too old to be thechange,” said Chandrachud.IANS

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With the acceptance ofthe first two MH-60R

multi-role helicopters(MRH)from the US Navy, the IndianNavy’s aviation capabilitiesbesides detection of enemysubmarines have beenenhanced.

The two countries haveinked a deal for 24 such ver-satile helicopters manufac-tured by Lockheed Martin.The contract is worth 2.4 bil-lion dollars.

The helicopters are com-ing in through foreign mili-tary sale route(FMS). It meansthe US government standsguarantee for the all terms andconditions of the contract asit was inked between the twogovernments.

Giving details of the firsttwo helicopters, Navy officialssaid here on Saturday the USNavy on Friday handed overthe helicopters in a ceremonyNorth Island, San Diego. Theceremony marked the formaltransfer of these helicopters

which were accepted byIndian ambassador toWashington Taranjit SinghSandhu.

The ceremony also wit-nessed exchange of helicopterdocuments between ViceAdmiral Kenneth Whitesell,Commander Naval Air Forces,USN and Vice AdmiralRavneet Singh.

The MH-60R helicoptersmanufactured by LockheedMartin Corporation, USA isan all-weather helicopterdesigned to support multiplemissions with state-of- theart avionics and sensors.

The helicopters wouldalso be modified with several

India Unique Equipment andweapons. In order to exploitthese potent helicopters, thefirst batch of Indian crew arepresently undergoing trainingin USA.

The induction of theseMRH would enhance IndianNavy’s three- dimensionalcapabilities, officials said.

The Indian ambassadorsaid the induction of the all-weather multi role helicoptersis an important milestone inIndia-US bilateral defense ties.“India US friendshipTouching the Skies!” he said ina tweet. He noted that thebilateral defence trade hasexpanded to over 20 billion

dollars in the last couple ofyears.

Going beyond defencetrade, India and the US arealso working together on co-production and co-develop-ment of defense platforms, hesaid.

Sandhu also highlightedreform measures that havebeen undertaken by India inthe defense sector in recenttimes that have opened upnew opportunities for foreigninvestors.

According to theDepartment of Defense, theproposed sale will provideIndia the capability to performanti-surface and anti-subma-rine warfare missions alongwith the ability to performsecondary missions includingvertical replenishment, searchand rescue, and communica-tions relay.

India wil l use theenhanced capability as a deter-rent to regional threats and tostrengthen its homelanddefence. India will have nodifficulty absorbing these heli-copters into its armed forces,it had said in a communica-tion to the Congress in April2019.

The Indian cabinet hadcleared the purchase of thehelicopters in February 2020,weeks before the then USPresident Donald Trump’svisit.

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Rajya Sabha Chairman MVenkaiah Naidu on

Saturday urged Parliament tostand by the people in the lightof the situation caused byCovid-19 and discuss all relat-ed issues to dispel the gloomcaused by it in the country.

He chaired a meeting ofleaders of various parties andgroups in the Rajya Sabhaahead of the monsoon sessionbeginning from Monday next.

Naidu stressed that “a dys-functional Parliament adds tothe prevailing gloom and hence,all sections of the House shouldensure a smooth and produc-tive session as it offers anopportunity to address the con-cerns of the people affected byCOVID-19.”

The RS chairman furthersaid that the second wavesprang several surprises andseverely tested the health infra-structure in the country andParliament is the right forumfor updating ourselves withvarious aspects of fighting thedisease with the benefit of theground level experiences ofleaders and members of theHouse and of different States aswell in the context of the thirdwave being talked about.

Regarding the agenda forthe monsoon session, Ministerof Parliamentary AffairsPralhad Joshi informed themeeting that the Governmenthas identified 29 Bills includingsix Ordinance replacing Billsand two items of financial busi-ness for the session. He soughtthe cooperation of all parties forenabling a smooth session.

Leader of the Opposition inthe Rajya Sabha MallikharjunaKharge proposed issues ofbroader concerns for discussionin the House. These include; thesituation caused by COVID-19including its impact on theeconomy and employment,poverty, strong potential of athird wave and preparedness,ongoing farmers’ agitation,issues relating to cooperativefederalism, China’s actionsalong the border, J & K issuesetc.

While NCP chief SharadPawar suggested a discussionon situation in Afghnistan fur-ther to withdrawal of US troopsand it’s implications, TMC

leader Derek O’Brien calledfor more scrutiny of Bills by theParliamentary Committees.

Other leaders while stress-ing on the need for smoothfunctioning of the House sug-gested adequate time allocationfor State specific issues andmore time for regional andsmall parties. In all, leaders of20 parties spoke in the meetingand made various suggestions.They also sought cooperation ofthe Government in taking upvarious issues of wider publicconcern.

In his opening remarks,Naidu complimented UnionMinister Piyush Goyal on beingnominated as the Leader of theHouse in Rajya Sabha.

Responding to the obser-vations and suggestions of theleaders, Naidu urged theMinisters of ParliamentaryAffairs and other ministers toreach out to leaders of variousparties before the commence-ment of the proceedings of theHouse for better coordinationand smooth functioning of theHouse.

Naidu assured the region-al and small parties that a cer-tain improvement has beenushered in time allocation forthem and further improve-ment will be considered.

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Day after the Jalgaon crash,a Cessna aircraft crashed

in the Dhana area of MadhyaPradesh’s Sagar district. Thetwo occupants of the aircraft-the trainer and the trainee- arereportedly safe. The single-engine aircraft is owned byDhana-based Chimes AviationAcademy, skidded off the run-way before take-off. The inci-dent has come a day after ahelicopter crashed inMaharashtra’s Jalgaon killingthe flight instructor and injur-ing the trainee co-pilot.

Responding to the news ofthe crash, Civil AviationMinister Jyotiraditya Scindiasaid, “ Just got the news of acrash of a Cessna aircraft (soloflight) that belonged to theChimes Aviation Academy inSagar, Madhya Pradesh.Fortunately, the trainee is safe.We are rushing an investigationteam to the site.”

This is the second time atrainer aircraft has crashed inthe last 18 months. In January2020, another trainer aircrafthad crashed on the runway,killing the two occupants.

In 2009, another traineraircraft had crashed andplunged in Bagri dam onNarmada River.

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The Monsoon rainfall hasshrunk by eight per cent

due to the break during thepeak time, derailing the sow-ing of kharif crops in per-centage. Barring sugarcaneand jute, the coverage of allkharif crops is lower than lastyear. The decline in area ofcrops such as rice, pulses,oilseeds and cotton is in dou-ble figures.

Data provided by theMinistr y of Agricultureshowed that a total of 612lakh hectares had been cov-ered till date compared with692 lakh hectare during thesame period a year ago -down 11.5 per cent year-on-year. While the acreage is 80lakh hectare lower than lastyear, it is also down by near-ly 25 lakh hectare than thenormal sowing registeredduring 2016-20.

As per the ministry’s data,planting of rice, the key sum-mer crop, stood at 161.97lakh hectare as compared to171.44 lakh hectare in theprevious year. In the case ofrice, the acreage has beendragged by Odisha (4.26 lakhhectare), Chhattisgarh (3.99lakh hectare), Bihar (2.83lakh hectare), Assam (2.28lakh hectare) and Haryana(1.14 lakh hectare) amongothers.

India has received 293.1mm rainfall as against thenormal of 318.4 mm so far. Atleast 22 states are facing defi-cient rainfall. Due to unevenrainfall, some states couldnot sow due to excess rainfallwhile some failed to do so dueto shortage of rainfall acrossthe country.

In the case of coarse cere-als, the drop in area is 25 per-cent compared with the nor-mal sowing and 24 per centcompared with last year.Sowing of coarse cereals isalso surprisingly lower sincefarmers opt for the hardy, lesswater consuming crops whenmonsoon plays truant.

Barring sugarcane andjute, the coverage of all kharifcrops is lower than last year,

Oilseeds coverage is downnearly 14 per cent mainly inkey States of Madhya Pradeshand Rajasthan, which havereported substantial drop inthe acreage. However, thearea is up in Maharashtra andGujarat.

The pulses’ crop coverageis also seeing a decline of 10lakh hectare despite hopes ofa higher acreage in view ofhigh prices that prevailed lastseason (July 2020-June 2021).

Sugarcane planting wasalmost unchanged at 5.3 mil-lion hectares. India is theworld’s second-biggest sugarproducer.

The decline in sowingcrops comes after the coun-try’s rain pattern for the mon-soon season has dipped,impacting the farm and agri-culture sector directly.

India is the world’s biggestexporter of rice and topimporter of edible oils.

A drop in production could not onlylimit rice exports, but alsoboost imports of edible oilssuch as palm oil, sunflower oiland soyaoil.

Sowing of monsoon-sowncrops normally begins in lateMay and peaks in July whileharvesting starts in lateSeptember.

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Union Housing and UrbanAffairs Minister Hardeep

Puri said on Saturday that morethan 7,300 families have beenconferred ownership rightswhile over 4.1 lakh people haveregistered till date for the PM-Unauthorised Colony in DelhiAwas Adhikar Yojana (PM-UDAY).

A total of 4,19,485 peoplehave registered under the PM-UDAY and 7,329 families inunauthorised colonies in Delhihave been conferred ownershiprights till date, Puri, the Ministerfor Housing and Urban Affairs,tweeted in Hindi.

He also shared a DelhiDevelopment Authority (DDA)video in two parts that offers astep-by-step explanation forpeople to do the registrationonline. PM-UDAY waslaunched on October 29, 2019,to confer ownership rights toresidents of 1,731 unauthorisedcolonies (UCs) in Delhi. Theregistration process for thisscheme is totally online.

In the video, it is mentionedthat if a person is unable to doit at home, then he or she couldgo to the nearest CommonService Centre (CSC) or contacta registered agency empanelledto assist people in doing the reg-istration, on payment of a nom-inal fee.

The DDA has been madethe nodal agency for thescheme, which delineates theboundaries of these UCs withthe help of the Survey of Indiaand the Revenue Department ofthe Delhi government usingsatellite imageries of 2015. Purisaid, “We had made a promise,we kept the promise.”

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With gradual easing oflockdowns, the overall

hiring activity witnessed posi-tive growth for most sectors inJune, according to a report.

Hiring activity improvedin June, suggesting a recoveryfor the non-tech sectors aswell, based on newly added joblistings during the month,according to a report by job siteSCIKEY Market Network.

So far, the IT sector hasbeen boosting at a fast pace, thereport stated. Although, inJune, the data revealed that a lotof other sectors have startedshowing improvement in thehiring activity, the report, basedon hiring data posted on theSCIKEY Market Network’s jobportal, said. Further, the datarevealed that there has been a21 per cent improvement inhiring in the banking sector inJune compared to May.

The key industries like ITand BPO showed 18 per centgrowth each, the pharmaceu-ticals sector showed 16.9 percent growth, whereas the hir-ing demand in the healthcaresector improved by 20 percent, it stated. This brings a rayof hope for job seekers who arecurrently in the badly affectedsectors to look for jobs inother sectors.

� ��

The CBI has registereda case of bank fraud

against textile major SKumars Nationwide Ltdfor allegedly cheatingUnion Bank of India ofover �160 crore, officialssaid on Saturday.

The agency has actedon a complaint from thebank alleging that thecompany and its promot-ers and directors, includingmanaging director NitinKasliwal, and directors VijayGoverdhandas Kalantri, AnilKumar Channa, RajinderKrishan Garg and JagadeeshSanjeeva Reddy, indulged infraudulent transactions causinga loss to the bank.

The company had availedvarious credit facilities from thebank which turned into a non-performing asset in 2013, andthe account was declared“fraud” in 2020 after a forensicaudit by the KPMG.

The bank in its complaintto the CBI, now a part of theFIR, has alleged that the com-pany defrauded it by directing94 per cent sales to selectivedistributors, writing off receiv-ables from customers andentering into “doubtful” resaletransactions to the same cus-tomer at heavily discounted

prices.The forensic audit also

red-flagged transactions withtwo potentially linked cus-tomers and over three-fourthtransactions with non-operat-ing entities, the officials said.

The bank alleged that audi-tors of the company had invest-ments in the company, theysaid.

“The said borrower com-pany and its directors causedwrongful loss of �160.68 croresto the said bank and wrongfulgain to themselves during theperiod 2013-2018,” the FIRalleged.

It said the directors namedin the FIR in collusion and inconspiracy with one anotherand unidentified officialsdefrauded the bank by “takingrecourse” to commission ofvarious cognisable and non-cognisable offences.

� ��

Ola Electric on Saturdaysaid it has received around

1 lakh bookings for its upcom-ing scooter within the first 24hours of initiating the process.

The company had openedbooking for its electric scoot-er in the evening of July 15.

“I am thrilled by thetremendous response fromcustomers across India for ourfirst electric vehicle. Theunprecedented demand is aclear indicator of shifting con-sumer preferences to EVs. Thisis a huge step forward in ourmission to transition the worldto sustainable mobility,” OlaChairman and Group CEOBhavish Aggarwal said in astatement.

Ola claims the electricscooter would be class leadingin terms of speed, range, bootspace as well as technology.

The company has statedthat the model would be pricedaggressively to make it widelyaccessible.

Ola plans to reveal the fea-tures and price of the scooterin the coming days. The scoot-er will be made-in-India for theworld. It would be manufac-tured at the company’s two-wheeler factory, being built inTamil Nadu. The first phase ofthe Ola Futurefactory is near-ing completion and will beoperationalised soon, whilethe full capacity of 10 millionvehicles per annum will be builtby next year.

�� 0309�

HDFC Bank on Saturdayreported a year-on-year

rise of 16.1 per cent in its netprofit for Q1FY22.

Accordingly, the bank’s netprofit increased to �7,729.6crore during the quarter underreview ended June 30 in thecurrent fiscal, over the quarterended June 30, 2020.

Besides, the bank’s netinterest income (incomeearned less interest expended)rose to � 17,009.0 crore from�15,665.4 crore for the quarterended June 30, 2020.

“During the quarter, thecountry was hit by a ‘secondwave’ of Covid-19, with a sig-nificant surge in cases follow-ing the discovery of mutantcoronavirus strains. Whilethere was an improvementtowards the end, business activ-ities remained curtailed foralmost two thirds of the quar-

ter.”“These disruptions led to a

decrease in retail loan origina-tions, sale of third party prod-ucts, card spends and efficien-cy in collection efforts. Thelower business volumes, cou-pled with higher slippages,resulted in lower revenues, aswell as an enhanced level ofprovisioning.”

As per the bank, provisionsand contingencies for the quar-ter under review were Rs4,830.8 crore from Rs 3,891.5crore for the quarter endedJune 30, 2020.

“Total provisions for thecurrent quarter included con-tingent provisions of approxi-mately �600 crore.”

Furthermore, the bankreported that gross non-per-forming assets were at 1.47 percent of gross advances asagainst 1.32 per cent as onMarch 31, 2021 and 1.36 percent as on June 30, 2020.

��

Higher competition in theroad sector could impact

the building quality, said IndiaRatings and Research (Ind-Ra).

Ind-Ra said that increasedcompetition in the road sectorin FY21, resulting from theNational Highways Authorityof India’s (NHAI) initiative toreduce prequalification require-ments, may ultimately lead toa moderation in the quality ofroads.

“Along with higher orderinflows, the sector has also wit-nessed an increase in compe-tition, resulting in lower-than-expected bid prices,” the agencysaid in a report.

“The NHAI’s stated plan ofaction to monitor the executionclosely, especially in cases ofabnormally low bids, needs tobe implemented strictly tomaintain the quality of roads,”

it added.The report also cited that

engineering, procurement andconstruction (EPC) playershave been trying to increasetheir order book visibilities,backed by strong counterpar-ties, to avoid the working cap-ital lockups that could resultfrom delayed realisations.

“Hence, Ind-Ra believesthat the EPC players have start-ed increasing their order bookstowards Central government orpublic sector entities, whichhave better financial profilesand are more prompt withrespect to making payments,”the report said.

“This, along with theincrease in budgetary alloca-tions by the Central govern-ment in its budget towards theroad space, and the fact that theNHAI is regarded as one of themost reputed counterparties,had heightened the competi-tion in the sector,” it added.

�� 0309�

High imported commodityprices is expected to weak-

en the Indian rupee against theUS dollar during the tradeweek ahead, experts opined.

Besides, the possibility ofIPO money outflow to foreignventure capitalists will impactrupee’s position via-a-vis USD.

Last week, rupee consoli-dated in a narrow range andhas been having a muted reac-tion despite various data releas-es.

“Indian rupee is expectedto weaken against the US dol-lar in the coming week due tohigher crude prices and a pos-sible outflow of IPO moneygoing back to foreign venturecapitalists,” said Sajal Gupta,Head, Forex and Rates atEdelweiss Securities.

The rupee closed at�74.5650 per USD on lastFriday.

“The safe-haven bets fordollar are still intact and afterPowell’s testimony FX tradersaren’t convinced over the insis-tence of dovish outlook,” RahulGupta, Head Of Research-Currency, Emkay GlobalFinancial Services.

“Better than expected USretail sales data will appreciatethe USDINR spot, rising betsfor earlier than expected Fed

Rate hike or tapering.”Experts predict a range of

USDINR(Spot) is expected totrade with a positive bias andquote in the range of 74.20 and75.20.

“Next week, in the first halfof the week we expect themomentum to remain rela-tively low as market partici-pants remain cautious ahead ofthe ECB policy statement,” saidGaurang Somaiya , Forex &Bullion Analyst, Motilal OswalFinancial Services.

“Expectation is that thecentral bank could continue toremain dovish thereby keepinggains capped for the EURUSDpair.”

However, Devarsh Vakil-Deputy Head of RetailResearch at HDFC Securitiessaid: “The near-term outlookfor the rupee remains bullishhowever central bank is likelyto absorb the inflows and thatwould limit the upside in thenear term.”

��

Former Chief Minister ofTamil Nadu and AIADMK

Coordinator O.Panneerselvamon Saturday urged ChiefMinister MK Stalin to preventGail (India) Ltd from laying gaspipelines through farm lands.

In a statement issued herePanneerselvam said GAIL islaying its gas pipeline on farmlands in Krishnagiri districtmuch against the wishes of thefarmers there.

Panneerselvam said con-sidering that projects are forpeople and not people for pro-jects.

He asked Stalin to stopGAIL from laying its gaspipelines in farm lands and laythe same along the highway.

GAIL is laying a pipeline tocarry gas from Kochi in Keralato Bengaluru via several west-ern districts in Tamil Nadu(Coimbatore, Tirupur, Erode,Namakkal, Salem, Dharmapuriand Krishnagiri).

While the pipelines arelaid along the highways inKerala, the company wants tolay the pipes through the farmlands in Tamil Nadu. The com-pany has refused to lay thepipes along the highways.

�� 0309�

Healthy quarterly earningsseason along with foreign

fund inflows are expected topush India’s equity marketshigher during the upcomingweek.

Accordingly, marketobservers, opined that healthyearnings announced till nowhave ignited investors’ interestin largecaps and expanded vol-umes.

Lately, Infosys and Wiprohave come out with encourag-ing quarterly numbers.

In the upcoming weekcompanies such as ACC, HCLTech, Asian Paints, BajajFinance, Bajaj Auto, HUL, JSWSteel, ICICI Bank and ITC areexpected to come out withtheir quarterly numbers.

“Indices could continue toedge upwards in the comingweek which is a truncatedweek with a holiday onWednesday,” said DeepakJasani- Head of Retail Researchat HDFC Securities.

“Retail investors could doa bit of reshuffling from thesmallcaps into mid and large-caps.” Last week, India’s equitymarkets touched new recordhighs supported by positive USFed statement and encouragingmacro economic data points.

However, rising Covidcases globally continue to instilcaution in investors’ senti-ments.

“Q1FY22 earnings season

has started off on a strong noteand is providing support to themarket. Since restrictions thistime around was localised andless stringent versus the lock-down in CY20, the impact in1QFY22 seems to be con-tained,” said SiddharthaKhemka, Head — RetailResearch, Broking &Distribution, Motilal OswalFinancial Services.

“We expect earningsmomentum to accelerate inFY22 as the pace of vaccina-tions picks up and the econo-my opens up further.”

Besides, sector-specificbuying in IT, Pharma, andReality have accelerated inanticipation of strong quarter-ly earnings.

“We expect this sector-specific momentum to contin-ue during the weeks ahead,”said Geojit Financial Services’Head of Research Vinod Nair.

“However, lackluster glob-al market and FII net sellers arelikely to increase volatility inthe market.”

According to JosephThomas, Head of Research,Emkay Wealth Management:“The healthy set of earningnumbers from IT majors hasbuoyed sentiments. Even asFIIs remained net sellers, themarkets have received supportfrom the DIIs. Overall the sen-timent is positive as there hasbeen a robust start to the earn-ings season by the IT compa-nies.”

��

Global cues pushed petrolprices to increase again

across the country on Saturdayadding further pressure to thestretched budgets of consumersgrappling with rising foodprices amidst shrinkingincome.

However, unlike uniformprice movement earlier, oilmarketing companies onSaturday increased the pumpprice of petrol only and keptdiesel rates unchanged offeringsome relief to the transport sec-tor.

Accordingly, while theprice of petrol increased by 30paise per litre to �101.84 a litrein Delhi, diesel price remainedat Friday’s level of �89.87 a litre.

Across the country as well,Petrol price increased in therange of 30-40 paise per litre,while diesel prices remainedunchanged.

Before Saturday, oil mar-keting companies had keptfuel prices unchanged on

Friday but had effected increas-es for both petrol and diesel onThursday. With expectation ofincreased global supply of oil asOPEC agreed to taper produc-tion cut in line with growingdemand.

In the city of Mumbai,where petrol prices crossed �100 mark for the first time everon May 29, the fuel pricereached new high of �107.85per litre on Saturday. Dieselprices in the city is also at�97.45, the highest among met-ros.

Petrol prices in all metroshave now crossed �100 per litremark and OMC officials saidthat if international oil prices

continue to firm up, rates mayrise further.

With Saturday’s price hike,fuel prices have now increasedon 41 days and remainedunchanged on 37 days sinceMay 1. The 41 increases havetaken up petrol prices by �11.44per litre in Delhi. Similarly,diesel has increased by �9.14per litre in the national capital.

Consumers can nowexpect that any further rise infuel prices is checked onlyafter OMCs start cutting theretail price of petrol and dieselover next few days to providerelief. With crude staying lowat $73 a barrel, lower fuelprices is a possibility.

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New Delhi:With brokerdefaults continuing, the indus-try has witnessed a record 28defaults or expulsions sinceNovember 2019, just a littlebefore the Covid-19 pandem-ic hit the world, MoneyLifereported.This is the highestnumber of broker defaults inthe past 20 years. Until then,there were 18 broker defaultson the National StockExchange (NSE). If the brokershave a membership of theBombay Stock Exchange (BSE),they are suspended by thatexchange too.Ten more brokershave been defaulted or beenexpelled by the NSE betweenDecember 2020 and July 2021.Of these, five have beenexpelled by the BSE too.

The report said that mostdefaults have inflicted crip-pling losses on investors,although the settlement guar-antee ensures that there is noimpact on the market itself.

In many cases, brokersused investors’ shares to obtainleverage and take speculativepositions on the derivativesmarket, leading to losses.

Sometimes, they passedback a small interest for thepledged shares, but in manycases, investors were unawareof their shares being pledged.

For instance, in 2019,Karvy Stock Broking wasbanned by the Securities andExchange Board of India(SEBI) for defaulting clients ofaround ̀ 2,000 crore, making itone of the biggest such cases inIndia.Among the recent expul-sions are Sumpoorna Portfolio,Action Financial Services,Reflection Investments, BezelStock Brokers Pvt Ltd, ConardSecurities Pvt Ltd, ArcadiaShare and Stock Brokers, StarShare and Stock Brokers, andStampede Capital.This list doesnot include two firms, whichabruptly closed their capitalmarket business on their ownaccord. One is IndiaNivesh,whose voluntary closure has ledto litigation between HDFCBank and Edelweiss CustodialServices, exposing the shadypractice of ‘funded fixeddeposits’ being accepted bythe clearing corporation ascollateral, the report said.

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Prominent global mediawatchdogs and a rights

group have condemned thedeath of Pulitzer Prize-winningIndian photojournalist DanishSiddiqui in Afghanistan,demanding a thorough probeinto his killing and urging theauthorities to do more to pro-tect members of the press.

Siddiqui, 38, was killedwhile covering clashes betweenAfghan troops and the Talibanin Spin Boldak district ofKandahar city. He was injuredon Thursday night whileaccompanying Afghan soldierswho were attacked and suc-cumbed to his injuries onFriday.

Siddiqui won the PulitzerPrize in 2018 as part of theReuters team for their coverageof the Rohingya crisis. He hadextensively covered theAfghanistan conflict, the HongKong protests and other majorevents in Asia, Middle East,and Europe.

Reacting to the Indianjournalist's death, theCommittee to ProtectJournalists (CPJ), the NewYork-based independent, non-profit organisation, urged theAfghan authorities to conduct

a swift and thorough investi-gation into the killing ofSiddiqui and do everything intheir power to protect membersof the press.

“The death today ofReuters photojournalist DanishSiddiqui is a tragic notice thateven as the US and its partnerswithdraw forces, journalistswill continue to work inAfghanistan, documentingwhatever comes next at greatrisk to their lives,” said StevenButler, CPJ's Asia programmecoordinator, in Washington,D.C.

“Combatants need to takeresponsibility for safeguard-ing journalists, as dozens ofjournalists have been killed inthis conflict, with little or noaccountability,” Butler said.

� �� 3��

Afederal judge in the USstate of Texas has ruled as

illegal the Obama-era immi-gration programme that shield-ed over 600,000 undocu-mented immigrants, includ-ing thousands of Indians, fromdeportation, dealing a blow tothe Biden administration'sefforts to protect people termedas “Dreamers.”

Deferred Action forChildhood Arrivals (DACA)was established under theObama administration in 2012and granted protection fromdeportation and work permitsto illegal immigrants who cameto the country as minors.

Granting a request byTexas and six otherRepublican-led states, USDistrict Court Judge AndrewHanen ruled that PresidentBarack Obama's administrationhad overstepped its bounds bycreating the programme, CNNreported.

Hanen argued thatCongress had not granted theDepartment of HomelandSecurity the authority to createDACA and that it preventedimmigration officials fromenforcing removal provisions ofthe Immigration and

Nationality Act. He found that the policy

was implemented unlawfullyand ordered DHS to stopapproving DACA applications,although he said it could con-tinue to accept applicationsand that it does not affect thestatus of any current DACArecipients.

Hanen, an appointee offormer president George WBush, a Republican, ruled thatCongress had not granted theDHS the authority to createDACA and that it preventedimmigration officials fromenforcing removal provisions ofthe Immigration andNationality Act.

"Congress has not grantedthe Executive Branch free reinto grant lawful presence outsidethe ambit of the statutoryscheme," Hanen wrote.

The judge found that theagency's interpretation of statuteswas "overly broad" and thoselaws did not carry the authorityfor the federal government toinstitute the programme.

"DACA would grant lawfulpresence and work authorisa-tion to over a million people forwhom Congress had made noprovision and has consistentlyrefused to make such a provi-sion," Hanen wrote.

� �� 0�9��

Pakistan's Parliament haspassed a bill for providing

legal assistance in internation-al criminal matters as part ofefforts to fulfil the conditionsset by the global financialwatchdog FATF.

The Mutual LegalAssistance (Criminal Matters)Amendment Bill was passed bythe Senate, the upper house, onFriday amidst protest by theOpposition.

Pakistan was placed onthe grey list by the Paris-basedFinancial Action Task Force(FATF) in June, 2018 and wasgiven a plan of action to com-plete it by October, 2019. Sincethen the country continues tobe in that list due to its failureto comply with the FATF man-dates. According to the state-ment of objects and reasons ofthe bill, an increase in transna-tional organised crime hasmade it necessary for the inter-

national community andPakistan to improve the effec-tiveness of legal instrumentsbecause lack of uniformity inlaw and weak coordinationmechanism between countriesaffects combating of crimesacross borders.

To overcome these chal-lenges, the essential legal coveris required, it said.

“International coopera-tion in criminal mattersthrough mutual legal assis-tance and extradition isintended to bridge existinggaps in respective countriestoward effective law enforce-ment. The requested state willprovide mutual legal supportto the requesting state by exe-cuting necessary actions on itsterritory in any specific crim-inal case warranting sharedassistance,” it read.

��

Two weeks after celebratingAmerica's near “indepen-

dence” from the coronavirus,President Joe Biden is con-fronting the worrying reality ofrising cases and deaths — andthe limitations of his ability tocombat the persistent vaccinehesitance responsible for thesummer backslide.

Cases of Covid-19 havetripled over the past threeweeks, and hospitalisations anddeaths are rising among unvac-cinated people.

While the rates are stillsharply down from theirJanuary highs, officials are con-cerned by the reversing trend-lines and what they considerneedless illness and death. Andcases are expected to continueto rise in coming weeks.

While the national emer-gency may have faded, officialssay the outbreak is now a morelocalised crisis in communitieswhere not enough people haverolled up their sleeves. “Look,the only pandemic we have isamong the unvaccinated,” Bidensaid Friday, echoing commentsmade earlier in the day by Dr.Rochelle Walensky, director ofthe Centers for Disease Controland Prevention.

� ��

The US, Afghanistan,Pakistan and Uzbekistan

have agreed in principle toestablish a new quadrilateraldiplomatic platform focused onenhancing regional connectiv-ity, the Biden administrationhas said.

“The parties consider long-term peace and stability inAfghanistan critical to region-al connectivity and agree thatpeace and regional connectiv-ity are mutually reinforcing,”the State Department said onFriday.

Recognising the historicopportunity to open flourish-ing interregional trade routes,the parties intend to cooperateto expand trade, build transitlinks, and strengthen business-to-business ties, it said.

“The parties agreed tomeet in the coming months todetermine the modalities ofthis cooperation with mutualconsensus,” said the StateDepartment.

Afghanistan's strategiclocation has for a long timebeen touted as a competitiveadvantage for the country.

Afghanistan is borderedby Pakistan to the east andsouth, Iran to the west,Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, andTajikistan to the north, andChina to the northeast.

Dallas: Unaccompaniedmigrant children will beexempt from a ban on migrantsseeking asylum at the US bor-der, federal health officialshave ordered.

The order by the USCenters for Disease Control andPrevention confirmed a tem-porary exception it had orderedin February from a total asylumban issued in October.

The Trump administrationhad cited concerns over theCovid-19 pandemic to justifythe October ban. But withCovid-19 vaccination ratesclimbing, the change suggeststhat the Biden administration isconsidering a gradual lifting ofthe asylum ban.

A Justice Department attor-ney signaled the change duringa court hearing on Tuesday inFort Worth. The hearing dealtwith a lawsuit filed by the stateof Texas to compel enforcementof the Trump ban.

US District Judge MarkPittman, a Trump appointee,questioned Assistant USAttorney Brian Stoltz about thetiming of the new order.

��

President Joe Biden will meetwith Iraqi Prime Minister

Mustafa al-Kadhimi later thismonth in Washington, theWhite House has said.

The meeting set for July 26comes at a pivotal point in theUS-Iraq relationship, and amidgrowing concerns about morefrequent attacks against UStroops in Iraq and Syria.

There have been at leasteight drone attacks targetingthe US presence since Bidentook office in January, as wellas 17 rocket attacks.

White House PressSecretary Jen Psaki said Biden“also looks forward to strength-ening bilateral cooperationwith Iraq on political, eco-nomic and security issues toinclude joint efforts to ensurethe enduring defeat" of theIslamic State militant group.

��

President Joe Biden has saidthat social media compa-

nies are “killing people” by fail-ing to police misinformationon their platforms aboutCovid-19 vaccines.

Biden's comments came aday after US Surgeon GeneralVivek Murthy declared misin-formation about the vaccines athreat to public health, and asUS officials advised that deathsand serious illness from thevirus are almost entirely pre-ventable because of the vac-cines.

Biden, asked if he had amessage for platforms likeFacebook where false or mis-leading information about thecoronavirus vaccines hasspread, told reporters, “They'rekilling people. The only pan-demic we have is among theunvaccinated," he said.

Speaking on Thursday,Murthy said misinformationabout Covid-19, deemed an“infodemic” by the WorldHealth Organization, was dead-ly.

“Misinformation poses animminent and insidious threatto our nation's health,” Murthy

said during remarks at theWhite House. “We must con-front misinformation as anation. Lives are depending onit.”

Given the role the internetplays in spreading health mis-information, Murthy said tech-nology companies and socialmedia platforms must makemeaningful changes to theirproducts and software toreduce the spread of false infor-mation while increasing accessto authoritative, fact-basedsources.

Too often, he said, theplatforms are built in waysthat encourage, not counter, thespread of misinformation.“We are asking them to stepup,” Murthy said. “We can'twait longer for them to takeaggressive action.”

�� 3��

The United Nations chiefwarned Friday that a “hur-

ricane of humanitarian crises”around the world has left civil-ians in conflict areas paying thehighest price and is com-pounded by a relentless wave ofattacks on humanitarian andmedical workers.

Secretary-General AntonioGuterres said humanitarianneeds are outpacing the abili-ty of the United Nations andaid organisations to meet them,“turbocharged by the Covid-19pandemic.”

“We are in unchartedwaters,” he said in a speech tothe UN Security Council readby Deputy Secretary-GeneralAmina Mohammed.

“The sheer scale of human-itarian needs have never beengreater,” Guterres said. “TheUnited Nations and our part-ners are seeking to reach 160million people with assistancethis year -- the highest figureever.”

He cited Ethiopia's Tigrayregion, Afghanistan, Yemenand Syria as examples of the“bloody surge in humanitariancrises.”

From Tigray, he said, theUN has heard “crediblereports” in the past few months

of executions of civilians, arbi-trary arrests and detentions,sexual violence against childrenand forced displacement “on amassive scale.”

“In Afghanistan, brutalattacks killed at least 24 civil-ians, including five healthworkers, during just one weekin June,” he said.

“Civilian casualties in thefirst quarter of this yearincreased by 29 per cent com-pared to last year; the increasefor women was 37 per cent.”

The secretary-general saidin Yemen, at least five civiliansare killed or injured every dayon average, 20 million peopleare in dire need of humanitar-ian aid, and five million “areface-to-face with famine.”

And in last month's attackon one of the largest hospitalsin northern Syria, which killed19 civilians including three

children, one missile reportedlyhit the emergency room andanother hit the delivery room,he said.

Guterres urged the SecurityCouncil to take strong andimmediate action to support itsresolutions on protecting civil-ians, humanitarian and healthcare workers, as well as hospi-tals, schools, water facilities andother “humanitarian space.”

Around the world, he said,security incidents affectinghumanitarian organisationsincluding shootings, assaults,sexual violence, kidnappingsand raids “have increased ten-fold since 2001.”

In Tigray, 12 aid workershave been killed since the con-flict started in November 2020and many more have beenintimidated, harassed anddetained, he said.

��

Leaders of Asian Pacificnations agreed on Friday to

step up COVID-19 vaccinationsharing as China said it haspledged USD 3 billion in inter-national aid to support coron-avirus response efforts in devel-oping countries.

The virtual retreat for Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperationleaders including US PresidentJoe Biden, Chinese PrimeMinister Xi Jinping, JapanesePrime Minister Yoshihide Sugaand Russian PresidentVladimir Putin was held as thedelta variant is spurring a spikein infections around the globe.

“There were two thingsthat came through very strong-ly from the leaders. One wasthat this pandemic has a whileto run and that there is signif-icant work by all of us to bedone, and it needs to lookbeyond our domestic borders,”said New Zealand PrimeMinister Jacinda Ardern, whohosted the informal retreat.

“The second strong themewas agreement and acceptance... that this will not be the lastpandemic we experience andthat preparedness is critical.”

Xi told leaders in a pre-recorded message played dur-ing their private session thatBeijing would spend USD 3 bil-lion to help poorer countriesrespond to COVID-19 over the

next three years, according toChina's official Xinhua NewsAgency.

China reports it has pro-vided more than 500 millionvaccine doses to other devel-oping countries.

Vaccine sharing has provento be a divisive issue amongmembers of the forum, whichsays its primary goal is to sup-port sustainable economicgrowth and prosperity in theAsia-Pacific region.

The Biden administrationhas fallen short of its goal ofdelivering 80 million vaccinedoses to the rest of the world bythe end of June due to a host oflogistical and regulatory hur-dles that have slowed the paceof US efforts.

Biden told leaders duringthe meeting that he was com-mitted to delivering more than500 million vaccine dose tocountries around the globe,according to the White House,which said the administra-tion's "singular goal remainssaving lives.”

“He made clear that theUnited States is donating ourvaccines, not selling them, andunderscored the importance ofnot attaching any political oreconomic conditions to theprovision of vaccines,” theWhite House said in a state-ment.

Taiwan, an APEC memberthat China claims as a renegade

territory, has accused Beijing oftying the delivery of coron-avirus vaccines to politicaldemands. The government ofthe self-ruled island says Chinahas intervened to block vaccinedeliveries to Taiwan from fel-low APEC members Japan andthe United States.

China, meanwhile, hasaccused Australia of interferingin the rollout of Chinese vaccinesin former Australian colonyPapua New Guinea. BothAustralia and Papua New Guineaare also members of APEC.

The leaders also pledged tomove forward on action tolower costly tariffs that com-plicate the movement of vac-cines across borders ahead ofan APEC meeting set forNovember.

Vials, syringes and pack-aging frequently face significanttariffs, which Ardern describedas “a very real problem thatAPEC economies have the abil-ity to remove.” Biden hadplanned to use the retreat totalk to fellow leaders about hisadministration's efforts to serve“as an arsenal of vaccines to theworld” and discus how mem-bers of the alliance can collab-orate to bolster the globaleconomy, according to a seniorBiden administration officialwho spoke on the condition ofanonymity because they werenot authorized to commentpublicly.

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The UN humanitarian chiefin Afghanistan appealed

for $ 850 million Thursday tohelp the war-torn country copewith the impact of the Talibanoffensive, protracted malnu-trition for a third of the coun-try, a severe drought, and thereturn of 627,000 Afghans thisyear, most of them deportedfrom neighbouring Iran.

Ramiz Alakbarov toldreporters at UN headquartersafter a virtual briefing from thecapital of Kabul that at least 18million Afghans are in need ofassistance and the UN plan isto provide help for at least 15.7million of them.

But he said the UN's USD1.3 billion appeal is only 37per cent funded -- USD 450million — with the UnitedStates the largest donor. Hesaid the remaining the USD850 million being sought isdesperately needed.

As American and NATOtroops complete their pulloutfrom Afghanistan after near-ly 20 years, the Taliban inrecent weeks have gainedcontrol of many districts and

key border posts with neigh-bours Iran, Pakistan,Uzbekistan and Tajikistan. Inmany instances, Afghan secu-rity forces and military haveput up little or no resistanceafter often being left withoutsupplies or reinforcements.

Alakbarov said the seconddrought in three years and theTaliban's offensive have led270,000 people to flee theirhomes in rural areas towardurban areas and regional cen-ters, where they need food,water, shelter and sanitation.

The UN is also seeing“very intensive movements ofpopulation in the areas whenthe Iranian and Pakistan bor-ders are now largely closed,”with Afghans trying to usepaths away from the officialcrossings to try to leave thecountry, he said.

Alakbarov expressed hopethat Afghanistan's neighbourswill look at the situation interms of human rights andtheir responsibility to protectpeople from suffering andal low Afghan refugees into their countries.

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Opening batsman EvinLewis was at his rampag-

ing best with an innings of 79in setting the West Indies ontheir way to a 16-run victoryover Australia in the finalT20I of their five-match seriesin St Lucia on Friday(Saturday morning IST).

Lewis’ punishing inningsoff just 34 balls, highlighted bynine sixes and four fours, lift-ed the home team to 199 foreight and earned him the‘Man of the Match’ as theCaribbean team also took theseries by a convincing 4-1margin.

Pacers Sheldon Cottrelland Andre Russel l thenclaimed three wickets apiecewhile none of the tourists’ top-order batsmen were able tosustain the effort deep into theinnings and they were restrict-ed to 183 for nine in replydespite being well on coursehalfway through the chase.

Mitchell Marsh, who post-ed three half-centuries in hisprevious four innings in the

series and was by a long waythe visitors’ outstanding per-former, looked set for anoth-er substantial contributionbut fell for 30 off 15 balls to asharp caught-and-bowled dis-missal off the first deliverybowled by Russell in thematch.

Despite being hamperedby what appeared to be anankle injury, Australian cap-tain Aaron Finch sought tokeep his team in the hunt.

However when he fell forwhat proved a topscore of 34to Hayden Walsh via an out-standing catch by Fabian Allenat long-on in the tenth over,the innings gradually ran outof steam.

“He changed the gamefor us with that catch,” wasstand-in captain NicholasPooran’s assessment of thatsuperb bit of work by the ver-satile Allen. “This is a wonder-ful achievement for the team.

I am especially happy forHayden Walsh. He works sohard on his game and weknow that leg-spinners canoften be champions in T20cricket.”

Walsh, the Antiguan leg-spinner, was named ‘Man ofthe Series’ for his haul of 12wickets across the five match-es, one short of the T20Iseries record of New Zealandspinner Ish Sodhi, also againstAustralia, earlier this year.

Buoyed by this perfor-mance, which in some waysmade amends for the preced-ing 3-2 series loss to SouthAfrica in Grenada, WestIndies can now look forwardto another five-match seriesagainst Pakistan in the contin-uing countdown to theirdefence of the World T20title in the United ArabEmirates in October-November.

Before the Pakistan duelthough the West Indies andAustralia meet in three OneDay Internationals inBarbados starting nextTuesday.

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Babar Azam led from thefront as Pakistan beat

England by 31 runs in the firstT20I at Trent Bridge on Fridaydespite a blistering hundredfrom Liam Livingstone.

Pakistan captain Azammade 85 and shared an openingstand of 150 with MohammadRizwan in a national record T20total of 232-6.

But Livingstone gave thehosts hope with a 42-ball centu-ry, England’s quickest in a T20Iand the fifth fastest of all-time,hitting six fours and nine sixeson his way to three figures.

Yet it wasn’t enough to pre-vent Pakistan going 1-0 up inthis three-match series, withEngland bowled out for 201 afterplayer of the match ShaheenShah Afridi and Shadab Khantook three wickets apiece.

“Everyone took part intoday’s win,” said Azam follow-ing Pakistan’s first victory of thetour after a 3-0 reverse in a ODIseries.

“After mine and Rizwan’spartnership all the batsmencame and performed their roles

and we got a brilliant total.“We want to carry on the

momentum on to the next gameand take the positives fromtoday,” he added.

Meanwhile, England skip-per Eoin Morgan praisedLivingstone’s innings by saying:

“It was an incredible knock.“The biggest compliment I

could pay him is our changingroom has watched some incred-ible knocks from (Jason) Roy or(Jos) Buttler or (Moeen) Ali andthat knock was as good as anyof them. He was incredible.”

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Nottingham: Liam Livingstonecould yet force his way intoEngland’s first-choice XI at thisyear’s T20 World Cup after hisstunning century againstPakistan, assistant coach PaulCollingwood said on Saturday.

Livingstone hit England’squickest T20 hundred, off just42 balls, includingnine sixes on Friday.

His previoushighest score in fourT20I innings was 29not out but his tour deforce at Trent Bridgemay make the 27-year-old Livingstonetough to ignore atthe T20 World Cupin the UAE.

He now hastwo more chancesto impress in a three-match T20 seriesagainst Pakistan thatcontinues atHeadingley on Sundaybefore finishing at OldTrafford, Livingstone’s

Lancashire home ground, onTuesday.

“He’s put his hand up, it’s assimple as that,” Collingwoodtold reporters.

“You can’t do any morethan what he’s done,” added theformer England all-rounder.

“He’s got two more oppor-tunities over the next twogames. It’s very hard not to picka guy if he’s played like that.

“I think the innings heplayed is as exciting as we’ve

seen in an English shirt forsome time.”

M e a n w h i l e ,Collingwood confirmed JosButtler would return to the

side at Headingley follow-ing a calf injury to reclaimhis opening spot fromDawid Malan.

But whether Englandwill recall Adil Rashid on

his Yorkshire homeg r o u n d ,r e m a i n suncertain.

AFP

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Chelsea’s France attackerOlivier Giroud has complet-

ed his move to AC Milan, theItalian club announced onSaturday.

The 34-year-old World Cupwinner underwent a medical onFriday before signing with theSerie A runners-up who returnto the Champions League nextseason after a seven-yearabsence.

“AC Milan are delighted toannounce the signing of OlivierJonathan Giroud on a per-manent transfer fromChelsea,” the club said in astatement without givingdetails of the durationwhich Italian mediareported is for twoyears.

“The Frenchstriker will bewearing the num-ber 9 jersey.”

C h e l s e ae x t e n d e dGiroud’s contractlast month for a yearuntil June 2022, but

he preferred a move away fromStamford Bridge after falling outof favour with just eight PremierLeague starts last season.

At AC Milan, Giroud isexpected to rotate with Swedishstar Zlatan Ibrahimovic, 39,who is recovering from kneesurgery and remains uncertainfor the start of the coming cam-paign.

Giroud won Ligue 1 withMontpellier in 2012 before mov-ing to England, spending six sea-sons in Arsenal before joiningChelsea in 2018.

With Chelsea he scored 39goals in 119 appearances, win-ning the FA Cup trophy andalso the Europa League in

2019 and ChampionsLeague last season.

Giroud also scored46 goals in 110appearances forFrance and winningthe 2018 WorldCup. He moves toItaly with a view to

getting more play-ing time headingtowards the 2022World Cup in Qatar.

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Abunch of fresh faces willbe desperate for a fair T20World Cup audition

when India’s different-lookingyet formidable white-ball squadface an under-fire Sri Lanka inthe six-match limited overs con-test, beginning with the firstODI here on Sunday.

Winning any internationalseries will be paramount but onecan expect a few combinationsbeing tried out during a serieswhich got delayed by five daysdue to Covid-19 scare in the SriLankan camp.

Dasun Shanaka is their 10thcaptain in four years and barringa classy batsman likeDhananjaya de Silva and asteady pacer in DishmanthaChameera, this team lacks qual-ity to challenge the might ofIndian team led by ShikharDhawan.

The suspension of KusalMendis and Niroshan Dickwelladue to bio-bubble breach in UKalong with injury to formerskipper Kusal Perera puts SriLanka in a tight spot. If they canmanage to win one game, thatwill be an achievement in itselfafter a disastrous tour ofEngland.

Expect Prithvi Shaw —Vijay Hazare Trophy’s top scor-er to open alongside Dhawan,while seniors Hardik Pandyaand Bhuvneshwar Kumar areexpected to find automatic slotsin the playing XI.

However there are multiplecontender for other slots.

Will it be Devdutt Padikkalor Ruturaj Gaikwad for No 3slot? Will Suryakumar Yadav’s3600 hitting ability be used orManish Pandey get a finalchance to show some consisten-cy? Will Krishnappa Gowtham’soff-spin and big hits be preferredover Krunal Pandya’s left-armdarts along with cheeky battingskills? How is Rahul Chaharplaced against YuzvendraChahal, who hasn’t been in bestof forms of late?

And who will don the biggloves? Is it Rahul Dravid’s pro-tege Sanju Samson or the mer-curial Mumbai Indians man

Ishan Kishan, who can reallypack a punch?

These are questions thatneeds to be answered by theteam management during thenext 11 days in Colombo. Butone thing is crystal clear. Therearen’t many slots available in theIndian team for the T20 WorldCup and it would need some outof the world show from therookies in order to find a slot inthe UAE bound team.

Among the newcomers,Varun Chakravarthy, who prob-ably will be exclusively used inthe shortest format, has a goodchance of making the World T20cut and Chetan Sakariya’s left-arm seam bowling is an optionthey would like to look at.

Chahal and Kuldeep, thepair who could do no wrong till

2019 World Cup, are both onborrowed time right now and itcouldn’t have been a better timeto face a struggling Sri Lanka.

However, Dhawan himselfis still not assured of a ticket to

UAE extravaganza with RohitSharma, Virat Kohli and KLRahul being contenders to openthe innings. Dhawan is some-one, who can only bat at the topand the skipper himself would

like to reassert his supremacy inboth formats. Ditto forBuvneshwar, who would like tosee himself in that T20 attackalong with Jasprit Bumrah.

SQUADSIndia: Shikhar Dhawan (C),Prithvi Shaw, Devdutt Padikkal,Ruturaj Gaikwad, SuryakumarYadav, Manish Pandey, NitishRana, Ishan Kishan (wk), SanjuSamson (wk), Hardik Pandya,Krunal Pandya, K Gowtham,Yuzvendra Chahal, KuldeepYadav, Varun Chakaravarthy,Rahul Chahar, Deepak Chahar,Bhuvneshwar Kumar, ChetanSakariya, Navdeep Saini.Sri Lanka: Dasun Shanaka (C),Dhananjaya De Silva, AvishkaFernando, Bhanuka Rajapaksa,Pathum Nissanka, CharithAsalanka, Wanindu Hasaranga,Ashen Bandara, MinodBhanuka, Lahiru Udara,Ramesh Mendis, ChamikaKarunaratne, DushmanthaChameera, Lakshan Sandakan,Akila Dhananjaya, ShiranFernando, DhananjayaLakshan, Ishan Jayaratne,Praveen Jayawickrema, AsithaFernando, Kasun Rajitha, LahiruKumara, Isuru Udana.

Colombo: Newly-appointed Sri Lankaskipper Dasun Shanaka on Saturdaysaid it will be an even contest between hisstruggling side and overwhelmingfavourite India as the visiting team is fullof newcomers.

“Both teams will start evenly becausethey (India) have got new players com-ing up. We all know that they have playedIPL but still they haven’t played interna-tional cricket, so both the teams have evenchances,” said Shanaka on the eve of thefirst ODI.

Sri Lanka named the squad only onFriday night and Shanaka became the10th Sri Lankan captain in the past fouryears when he was named skipper of a 23-member squad for the six-match whiteball series.

Asked whether that was an advan-tage, the 29-year-old right-handed bats-man answered in the affirmative.

“Yes, a slight advantage because they(India) haven’t seen these guys in inter-

national cricket, as well, so yes, I feel theyhave to prepare well for these newcom-ers as well,” said Shanaka.

On how challenging it is to lead SriLanka in current times, he said, “It isalways challenging, you know interna-tional cricket and the outside (off thefield) problems, it all matters, but end ofthe day you have to get to it and performas a team, it is the main concern we allhave, so I am sure that boys will look onto it.”

The players and board SLC have beenlocked in a longstanding battle overnational contracts. For this series, theplayers have signed tour contracts, theway did it for the England tour.

According to Shanaka his side wouldget good experience after playing againstIndia.

“The experience will be very good,you know playing against one of the topteams in the world, so it will be a verygood to play with India at this point,because we can exactly measure the lev-els we are in, so it will be a good tourna-ment for us,” he added. PTI

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Dublin: South African coachMark Boucher has said that theloss to Ireland in the second ODIwas due to the pressures of beingin the bio-bubble for a long timeand anxiety over violence rock-ing his country.

After the opening match ofthe ODI series was abandoneddue of rain, Ireland won the sec-ond tie by 43 runs, before SouthAfrica came back to equalise theseries 1-1 with a 70-run victoryon Friday.

“We weren’t there the otherday. Our awareness was down;our intensity was down,”Boucher said of the match histeam lost on July 13.

“We looked at quite a fewthings without making excuses.We had a long chat after thegame and we said, ‘Guys we arein a position where we can’tafford to make excuses. You areplaying for your country andyou have to be up every game,’”Boucher was quoted as saying byESPNcricinfo.

The former South Africancricketer said that the long bio-

bubble life in the Caribbean andvery little recovery time beforethe Ireland series had con-tributed to the uninspiring showin the second ODI.

“I have to look at the reasonswhy we were flat. It could be thatcoming off a good win againstthe West Indian team — usual-ly you get a bit of time to takethat in and get away for a while— maybe a week or two and wedidn’t have that opportunity. Assoon as we got that win, guyswere packing and we got onto aplane and we flew for two daysand got back into another bub-ble,” Boucher said.

On Friday, the SouthAfrican cricketers took the fieldfor the third ODI wearing blackarmbands to show solidaritywith the victims of violence inGauteng and Kwa-Zuly Natalprovinces back home. Morethan 200 people have died in theunrest.

“To say it’s not affecting usis not true. It is affecting us andevery South African,” saidBoucher. IANS

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Former India batsman WVRaman has backed Prithvi

Shaw to open in the upcominglimited overs series against SriLanka alongside skipperShikhar Dhawan as youngMumbaikar needs to be givenenough opportunities to suc-ceed in his comeback trail.

Shaw was dropped after anindifferent first Test in Adelaidebut since then scored heavily indomestic one day competitionto force his way back into thenational team.

“I think you would proba-bly have Shikhar (Dhawan)opening obviously, because oneis that is the captain and two isthat you would probably thinkof having Prithvi Shaw, he hasplayed for the country, he hasdone well,” Raman said.

“You need to try and givehim as much (many) opportu-nities as possible for him to getback into form, because he isyoung and got enormous tal-ent,” said Raman, who wasassociated with NCA and hadmonitored progress of juniorcricketers before being appoint-ed head coach of the women’s

team, a post he had recentlyrelinquished.

The Indian squad compris-es many openers like DevduttPadikkal, Ruturaj Gaikwad,apart from Dhawan and Shaw,but Raman felt that havingplayed for India earlier wouldgo into Shaw’s favour.

“Yes, you do haveimmensely talented (Devdutt)Padikkal and the rest, but hav-

ing being there before anddone it, I think Prithvi Shawwould probably get the firstdraw from the others becausethat is how it always happens,”explained Raman, who wasalso the women’s head coach.

Raman also praisedSuryakumar Yadav, who hashad a fine start to his interna-tional career against Englandearlier this year, saying he hasimproved in leaps and bounds.

“I was associated with theKKR (Kolkata Knight Riders)and he (Surya) was part of (it),in fact KKR bought him in2014. From then to now, he hasreally improved by the year andthe fantastic thing about him isthat he is held on regardless ofthe fact that his good perfor-mances sometimes have notbeen rewarded,” said Raman.

Raman loves the fact thatwhen he was being repeatedlyoverlooked, Surya didn’t loseconfidence.

“Something that reallyneeds to be appreciated. It isvery easy for a cricketer to getdisappointed, but the fact isthat Suryakumar Yadav (has)carried on, being aware of thefact his time would come.”

Raman backs Shaw to partner Dhawan

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Durham: From captain ViratKohli to swashbuckling open-er Rohit Sharma, the top gunsof the Indian team underwentan extensive net session at theDurham County Cricket Clubhere on Saturday, preparing inearnest for the marquee Testseries against England.

Besides Kohli and his lim-ited overs deputy Rohit, one-down batsman CheteshwarPujara and KL Rahul also hitthe nets, as they trained totackle a challenge that isexpected to test their skills

against the moving ball whenthey stand up to the likes ofJames Anderson, Stuart Broadand Jofra Archer.

The BCCI also sharedsnapshots of the team’s bowlerswith pacers Ishant Sharma,Mohammed Shami, Siraj andoff-spinner Ashwin seen train-ing hard ahead of their warm-up game. The five-match Testseries starts on August 4.

Before that, the Kohli-ledside is scheduled play a prac-tice match against CombinedCounties from July 20. PTI

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Sharanya (name changed), is known for herblended approach, process & people. She has beenhandling many key accounts single handedlyranging from 2000 to 12000 FTE. She forecastproblems well in advance and build a solutionframework beforehand. Highly organised andresilient at work, she has been valued, recognised,highly paid, loves the purpose but faced a majoronset of burnout.Consistently for 19 months. Shebroke down and shattered.

Given the world we live in, it is usualfor most employees to encountermany burnouts. The outbreak of theepidemic has only made mattersworse for everyone. Employees suf-

fer from violations of personal boundaries, longworking hours, exhausting weekends, and cor-porate pressure to “float the boat” in addition tostress, anxiety and emotional triggers.

Burnouts are caused by a variety of circum-stances, including people struggling to keeptheir jobs while balancing their personal life aswell as corporate roles. They are growing moreconcerned by the day as they juggle multipleresponsibilities and strive to stay on top of thegame. With the ambience turning toxic and thepandemic affecting adversely, employees are fac-ing pressing issues, especially relating to theiremotional and energy-concerning wellbeing.This is typically how it plays out gradually,catching employees off guard and creating anintense impact that can only be handled withthe correct kind of approach.

��According to Indeed, in 2021, roughly 52

percent of employees will be burnt out. Thegraph has risen significantly from the 43% whoreacted in the same way in Indeed’s pre-pan-demic poll. Prior to the pandemic, Millennialshad reached their saturation point and weredraining their emotional wellbeing, of over 53percent of them experiencing burnout, followedby Gen-Z, who increased the amount from 47percent in 2020 to 58 percent in 2021. Theboomer generation, identified as those bornbetween the 1940s and 1960s, is witnessing a 7%spike in burnout. Burnout among the baby-boomer generation has increased significantly,from 24% in 2020 to 31% this year. Burnoutrates have soared among Generation X, soaringfrom 40% to 54%, a 14 percent growth.

According to the majority of people, Covid-19 has raised burnout rates and made life moredifficult. This opinion is shared by more than80% of those who work for labels.

This is the time for us, as a community, torespond to the call for help and put in placemeasures to minimise burnout rates and makeprofessional mental health a priority in order toavert future disasters.

��

Lack of control over the immediate sur-roundings, depleted mental resources, dysfunc-

tional workplace relationships, work-life imbal-ance, inefficient management delegating, impre-cise job objectives, personal motivation, andmany other factors influence burnout and thedangers associated with it.

Due to a lack of awareness of and aboutcounselling services, all of these factors con-tribute to burnout and the loss of a company’sfinest personnel. Employees feel powerless anddisorganized, which leads to dissatisfaction. Itjeopardises their well-being and emotionalattachments to their workplace, as well as theircommitment to their jobs and the excitementthat fuels their aspirations.

Industry leaders must step up and alter thetraditional structure to understand the patternthat leads to burnout and to address the con-cerns about creating a healthy workplace. Onlyby strategising a new system can the heart of thepoisonous work-constitution be dismantled andreplaced. The path to a healthy present and aprosperous future is to create a new work cul-ture that is fundamentally focused on wellnessand intended to prevent burnout.

�� It is critical for businesses to take steps

toward collective growth and to put out a strongfront in favour of their personnel. There are twoprimary indicators that may be used as thefoundation for a modern and healthy workplaceculture. The new method will nourishinglyengage more professionals and strengthen theirresolve to stay and develop ambitiously in theirparticular organisations, serving as the ingredi-ents for success and a guardian fee for theemployees. The following are two useful mea-sures:��Ensuring the efficacy and efficiency of well-ness programmes in an organisation ��Establishing close relationships with teams inorder to understand and heighten their intrinsicdrive

The CXO suite is where the ‘c’ of culturebegins. It flows from top to bottom like water.As business executives, we’ve long believed thatestablishing connections may be difficult forhuge organisations. Organisations with 10 to 50people, on the other hand, have certain connec-tivity problems. It’s past time for the hierarchyto be cleansed of mental superiority and orient-ed toward blending in with all employees,regardless of rank.

Before beginning customer outreach or pur-suing external objectives, all organisations mustmatch their spirit with their workers and be onthe same page, regardless of their size or posi-tion. Employees will perform more efficiently ifthere is harmony at the heart of the workplace,as well as a healthy atmosphere.

��

Taking a call as a group is only the first stepin addressing the iceberg’s tip. However, it iscritical that we recognize that everyone is a

unique personality with their own set of charac-teristics that contribute to their burnout. This,too, need a one-of-a-kind answer.

Samit (name changed), a new hire, in thesame positive environment outburst his anger athis manager for not informing him in advanceand he cannot handle the sudden influx of work.His manager sat with him for a good 10 minutes,and helped him identify his core problem. Samitfelt excluded as he is new in the system and othermore new hires joined a week back so they bond-ed well and Samit felt left out. Samit needed to beincluded.

Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs) aredesigned to take a more personalised approachand adapt responses to each individual employ-ee in order to empathise with them and addresstheir issues (EAP).

Most businesses and workers underestimatethe benefits that various Employee AssistancePrograms may provide to society. As a result,the use of EAP services has grown from.01 per-cent to 2%, yet it is still underutilised.

Mental and emotional tiredness areunavoidable in today’s workplace; according to anew study, individuals with significant degreesof burnout require assistance in fundamentallyupskilling their working circumstances. Despitethe fact that businesses have implementedextensive well-being programmes for companysuccess and protection, the shift to resilience hasbeen ineffectual. It’s time for businesses to unzipthe kimono of wellness solutions, and digitallyfueled initiatives are leading the charge rightnow. Employee happiness boosts productivity,thus investing in such solutions is critical for acompany’s long-term success and competitiveadvantage.

The process of streamlining a methodicalwellness programme begins with recognisingthe gaps that require a silver lining. A wellnessconsultant is recommended, who conducts athorough need analysis, which may be accom-plished by easy evaluations that plan out well-ness solutions that satisfy human capitalrequirements. It is becoming increasingly vitalfor us to comprehend the programmes’ broadimpact and align ourselves with new methodsdesigned to have a good influence.

�� It may take some time for the programmes,

expanded approaches, and structure to takeshape; nevertheless, tiny but effective steps mustbe taken first. One approach to avoid burnout isto keep a first-aid kit on hand.

Practicing mindfulness and raising the self-care quotient in an organisation are two tech-niques that may be used to minimise burnout.Many organisations utilise a 20-minute workoutthree times a day as part of their mindfulnessprogramme. The goal is to unwind withcoworkers and friends. It also encouragesemployees to plan their workdays around whenthey feel most productive and to take a breakwhen their output begins to dwindle.

Another fast cure for resolving workplacedisputes and practising well-being is foremployees to follow the wellness regimen. Thebeginning of it all is planning. It necessitatesdevoting the first 10 minutes of the morning toplanning and prioritising, as well as delegatingand inducting the team. Employees must under-stand that time is a finite resource as a group inorder to share it effectively.

This is followed by mental mapping, whichwill enlist the stressor in greater detail; it may bea customer, a certain team member, a teenager,a specific type of job, monetary concerns, or anyother entity. To de-personify and re-look at theproblem, the focus should be on outlining allviable answers and methods for the scenario.This will make solutions much more obviousand preserve thought transparency, which willaid mental reorganisation of difficulties andpotential answers.

The next step is to admit that you’re con-fused and seek assistance. Self-awareness is cru-cial in this process because it allows you to see apattern of stress-related behaviour and seek helpwhen it’s needed. The wellness programme willalso encourage the development of boundaries;the goal is to avoid being available 24 hours aday, seven days a week. The next step is to prac-tise ‘pause’ throughout the day — a minute ofconscious breathing could be helpful.

Furthermore, creating a conscious connec-tion with one’s family and team may boost over-all productivity by allowing employees to talkabout and express their true feelings and weak-nesses.

��The organisations would come to a halt if

they were forced to address the question of“what is the best approach to deal with employ-ee burnout?” In reality, everyone and everyonewould be perplexed since, while the inquirymay be grammatically correct, it is not the cor-rect question.

There is no “right” approach since well-being, particularly emotional and mental well-being, is subjective. What one person findsappealing may be repulsive to another. As aresult, it makes sense to use a customisedmethod to deal with the issue that affects themasses, which will be determined based on thecompany’s genre and employee requirements(pointing to the personality type of the work-ers).

Employee assistance programmes, whencombined with a wellness regimen and coun-selling sessions on a need-to-know basis, canhelp to minimise employee burnout and boostoverall productivity for both the individualemployee and the company. Every company’sjoint objective, on the other hand, should be toachieve collective growth without jeopardisinganyone’s health.

The writer is a Business/Leadership Coach,Management Consultant, and Social

Entrepreneur

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The present time is called the information era. But whatis intriguing is that there is no authentic definition ofinformation. Whether there is information boom or

information bloom or information bomb that impacts us ishard to explain. Though we believe that we are in the infor-mation age, we are not very sure if there is information rageor information craze or information outrage that has affect-ed the society. But one thing is certain that more than infor-mation, there is misinformation and disinformation that isdoing the rounds. Rightly, then, there is growing concernon the impact that this information explosion is creating onthe society. Digital information behemoths like Twitter,WhatsApp and Facebook have all come under scrutiny fortheir ever imposing and over imposing role. The knowledgethat they can influence minds has given them some kind ofan arrogance. Right to information and freedom of expres-sion do not mean you can write anything. While questionswere raised in the past over authenticity and intention of infor-mation spread as research, observation or even investigation,there were scandals like Cambridge Analytica that provedhow social media platforms can serve oblique interests. Thepopularity of social media has made them a tool to influ-ence human minds in a big way and this is being exploited.The tech platforms have become Frankenstein like monsters,difficult to monitor. The problem is that there is no effec-tive regulation to rein them in. India is more of a soft tar-get for the simple reason that we have a large population withenough time and high gullibility to be influenced by mis-chief mongers. It is rather timely intervention that the gov-ernment is trying to make. The apprehension that the apexcourt has raised that social media manipulation can put thedemocratic process in peril is quite right. Free market andfree information are all subject to reasonable restrictions andgovernment has every authority to enforce regulatory mech-anisms to curb misuse of digital platforms. It can be arguedthat social media has given the means of expression to a largesection of humanity and is enhancing equal and open dia-logue between different interest groups. But that cannot bea licence to disseminate falsehoods, surmises and unsubstan-tiated information that can harm societal interests. There istruth in the reasoning that social media has become a meansin the hands of vested interests who recognise its disruptivepotential and use it to achieve undesirable ends. In fact, wesaw the dangerous side of social media during the pandem-ic. It created a havoc by disseminating misinformation anddisinformation. The free flow of fast and spurious informa-tion added to the ferocity of the pandemic by creating a ter-rible fear psychoses causing many deaths. Social media hasbecome an opiate for the gullible masses who are attractedto it to the extent of addiction. For many people the infor-mation of the social media is gospel truth. Laws alone can-not check rampant misuse of social media and a massive andserious campaign is needed to spread awareness amongst peo-ple. Social media is often used to spread falsehoods like wild-fire that needs to be doused forcefully and systematically.

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The list is long, but as I have expe-rienced quite achievable. I have tojust apply myself in the right ways.

All the solutions revolve around God.However, they are not at all easy. As Ihave realised that I must get them, I amprepared/ sworn to do what I must.

The first desire is to be relievedfrom miserable situations, which forev-er present themselves. We are born onthis earth planet, which has natural mis-eries like extreme weather conditionsand troubles coming from others forvarious reasons like enviousness. Addto them our bad “karmaphalas”, not sofar exhausted results of sinful andimpious acts done in the past. All theseare a handful. Lord Krishna has warnedus in the verse # 2.14 of the Geeta abouttheir coming and going on a regularbasis. Neither can they be stopped nortotally negated; the best bet is to reducethem to a bare minimum and toleratethe balance manfully. So what did I do?I looked for solutions and after decadesof search zeroed upon the verse # 18.62of the Bhagavad Gita, in which the Lordhas asked us to take His shelter. It is ahard act because our ‘ahankar’ (ego)comes in the way; really obstructs. Howcan I give up my ahankar — an integralpart of me? (7.4) As I was desperate toget a hold over incessant troubles com-ing my way, I took a hard decision tochip away at my ego.

I accepted that God is differentfrom us very different; He is reallyunlike us. And I was going to obey God’sinstructions, and there was no shamein it, because He is omniscient. And theGita came in very handy. The beauty ofthis book of eternal wisdom is that onestarts to relate to the instructions giventherein. I did too, and began to prac-tice a few of them. I had to be extreme-

ly careful because whatever spiritualactivities I chose had to somewhat suitmy obstinate nature. After all, these actshad to be done day in and day out.

Chanting was the first act and afterserious experimentations, I chose“Rama nama”. It was already in myblood with my father being aHanumanji bhakta and my mother aregular chanter of “Rama”. Reading“Ramacharitsmanas” also helped,because I was assured of sure success byLord Ramachandra himself. Gradually,I began to get response from God. Howelse can one go on? We, human beings,who are almost entirely motivated byprofit/gain, must get something. But itwasn’t as easy as it sounds, my naturewas not giving up so easily. Whyshould I chant someone else’s name,even though it is God’s. But I perseveredkeeping the focus on all the benefits Iwas deriving or going to derive fromdoing so. But this one activity was notenough; I had to add another, which was

a little less strenuous. A most beautifulphoto of Lord Krishna in a calendarcaught my attention. I just loved to seethe Lord’s enchanting face with a halfsmile. This was God-sent, becauselooking at someone so beautiful was notsuch a strain.

While I was doing all these spiritu-al acts, my Lord was not a mute spec-tator; He was communicating his mes-sages. He confirmed what I knew fromthe Gita that He is watching us, listen-ing to us and is aware of what all we arethinking too. (13.2) And the purpose:How he can respond to us; help us;guide us, etc. This was some realisation.God being limitless, and I just a smallsoul, and, then, he having such inter-est in my affairs/welfare, converted me.It is no wonder that the expression thatGod is great is quite common. I can goon, because God’s grace is unlimited; wejust have to become deserving.

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In the current scenario, as wework our way through the pan-demic, there is a critical need forus to revisit the path of action toknow its significance using the

modern scientific parlance. The pathof action leads us to be conscious thatour present consciousness is contam-inated with many local forces. By glob-alising our mindset consciously, we canbe the conscious entity enjoying our lifewithout contaminating the conscious-ness of others with our unfulfilledwishes.

What if we let the local forces con-taminate our consciousness? When wemanifest the consciousness that thelocal forces impregnate within our spir-it, we lose the consciousness of objec-tivity and develop a subjective con-sciousness cherishing materialistichappiness.

When we lack objective con-sciousness, we become a subject cap-turing all the local forces, the copy ofpeople’s wishes, within our present con-sciousness. In Hindi, the present con-sciousness means paramatma. Wereproduce paramatma as our atma, i.e.,our consciousness. Thus, we transformthe illusion of the unknown reality yet-to-manifest into the known reality.Consequently, we limit our power tobe the conscious entity, conscious ofhow to fulfill our goals. The Sci-fimovie The Mandela Effect showed howone becomes obsessive about the illu-sion-turned-known reality anddestroys one’s unknown reality as aconscious entity.

Materialism is the thing that givesus joy by producing an illusion of mate-rialising our goal. When we do nothave any goal in life, we begin associ-

ating materialistic growth and itsthree-fold growth over the past, pre-sent, and future of our life as our poten-tial. The materialistic growth is the six-fold growth realised through the three-fold growth of the material kingdomthat we wish to possess and the three-fold growth of the spirit kingdom thatimpregnates us with a possessive wish.The spirit kingdom does so because the“spirits” (Ruh) do not possess anything.They are a “figment of our imagina-tion” (kalpanik), formed from ourbelief system.

When we materialise a figment,that is, spirit, with our conscious lifeforce, it becomes a photon. Let me reit-erate, the conscious spirit we createwith our consciousness becomes thephoton.

Now, if you are a student of science,you may know that in science, a “uni-

verse of photons” (Vishvagoptri) isknown as water. Therefore, we can saythat the water is the spirit kingdom.Modern research shows that the waterradiates a “conscious light force”(Apas). It diffuses the spirit of our phys-ical body’s water through the force ofwater.

Drawing from India’s ancient wis-dom, the force of water is the water-effect that forms “Hydrogen”(Jalaprana) and transforms into our“consciousness” (Chetana).

Thus, our “belief system” (Saguna)shapes our consciousness and confab-ulates our life’s goal with the Mandela-effect. We begin materialising thewishes of those who have formed ourbelief system.

The youth’s belief system today islargely shaped by the media, charmedby the Western material developmentthrough the domination over theother nations. The materialism moti-vates the youth to seek material wealththrough any means, by hook or bycrook, to counter the dominatingforces with their youthful vigor. Theiroutlook results in their self-destructionbecause everybody is seeking tobecome “omnipotent” (Sarva-shakti-man), for positioning themselves as the“present consciousness” (Paramatma).When everybody wishes to be para-matma, they just become an aggrega-tor of all “local forces” (Mahadasha).They become a devil king without anyfollower, thus suffering mental depres-sion.

In their mind, they are supremegurus who are setting the courseeverybody should be following. Whenthey have few followers on the socialmedia, they take on the path of alco-holism, drugs, and other self-destruc-tive habits seeking to conceive illusionsand make them their known reality.

My research illuminates theunknown reality of each person as a“conscious entity” (Siddha). When weare conscious of our goals, we need notspiritualise them for somebody else tofollow or materialise them as a follow-er wishing to be a leader lord of theentire land, like the King Indra. Thatlets us be the enjoyer of our reality asa conscious entity. We master themethod for manifesting the present andmaterialising the future we wish, with-out being limited by our past. We canbe conscious of our goals through dis-cipline, devotion, and dedication to ourroles, thus developing a sensible senseof proportion for living a fulfilling lifeoverall.

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Handle them carefully,for words have morepower than atom bombs.

— Pearl strachan Hurd

The charisma of words is spectacular.Consider this pairing. “Don’t. Stop” and“Don’t stop”. The full stop changes

everything. The roar of a Lion while in cagewill not terrify but same roar in a Junglewould. Often, sarcastic work evokes feelingsof disgust and may point to one’s failure. Butin stark contrast, inspirational words will re-boost one’s confidence. It is part of our lifeto fail before tasting success.

Likewise, it is important to be in the com-pany of optimists than pessimists. For whatyou hear affects your subconscious food forgood thought has to be good words and viceversa. Consider two voices — a war cry anda temple verse. While the first fills you withpatriotic aggression. The latter fills you withreligious spirituality.

The quality of balanced speaking is an art.Sometimes, silence is an art. Sometimessilence conveys the desired effect, while attimes a thousand words may not be thatimpactful. As you may have heard our pastPrime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh,responding to allegations that he was a silentPM: “My silence kept the honour of the con-troversial questions.” Words have power toheal and also power to inflict. A massencouragement to a losing sports personmight empower him to win while a negativetrolling may result in a winner losing.

It is important to consider what effectEnglish as a universal language may have indifferent regions. The phrase by British boyto an American girl that “I will give ring toyou tomorrow” resulted in eventual misun-derstanding and then break up between thetwo while the boy meant he will give a tele-phonic call (Ring) to girl the next day, the girlwas expecting a wedding proposal with a fin-ger ring. Thus, it is important to make sure

that words convey the same feeling that theyare intended to.

Choose your words carefully, for wordsspoken are like bullets, both cannot go backto its origin. Few things that you should keepin mind before you speak are: be prepared tothink before you speak, say what you mean,stand behind your statement and be respon-

sible for them. Also, you must be empathat-ic towards the others and keep in mind whatwill they feel about the words that you pouron them.

Mindful speaking can bind relation-ships and careless speaking may cause heart-breaks, Be Mindful, happy expressing

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-�� "��5!�� India recently took some pol-

icy decisions to reduce orban certain imports fromChina. This follows India’s ear-lier decision to abstain from theRegional ComprehensiveEconomic Partnership (RCEP).As may be recalled, the RCEPis a proposed free trade agree-ment (FTA) between the tenmember States of the ASEANand six of ASEAN’s FTA part-ners, which include both Indiaand China (in addition toAustralia, Japan, New Zealand,and South Korea).

India’s decision to abstainfrom the RCEP was apparent-ly made on the ground thatsuch an agreement would haveeffectively amounted to anFTA with China. Thus, therecent policy decisions appearto be the continuation of theearlier decision to abstain fromthe RCEP, though the recenthostilities on the border withChina also have been a con-tributing factor for the policydecisions.

Proponents of free inter-national trade argue that inter-national trade benefits all trad-ing countries and therebyimproves their welfare. Thispremise is central to the rulesand policies of the World TradeOrganization (WTO). TheWTO’s rules and policies, how-ever, do not take into accountimportant geopolitical impli-cations of international trade,although international tradeand geopolitics are inseparable.

For instance, China movedto restrict imports of severalAustralian products afterAustralia called for an inde-pendent investigation into theorigins of the coronavirus pan-demic last year. If the geopo-litical implications of interna-tional trade are taken intoaccount, then, as I argue below,

international trade may notbenefit all trading countriesand the foundation on whichWTO rules and policies arebuilt is shaky.

Some important facts In recent years, the trade

deficit between India andChina has been of the order of$55 billion a year and thatbetween the US and China$350 billion a year. This meansthe trade deficit between Indiaand China as a percentage ofIndia’s GDP is even larger thanthat between the US and Chinaas a percentage of the US GDP,as the US GDP is more thanseven times of India’s GDP.

These staggering numbersare inconsistent with anotherpremise of international tradewhich states that a trade imbal-ance of this magnitude cannotbe sustained for long as theexchange rates and the wagesor labour costs will adjust untilthe trade is in balance.

But this is not true in thecase of China as the ChineseGovernment has complete con-trol over both its labour mar-ket and exchange rate and hassuccessfully prevented thevalue of its currency and work-ers’ wages from rising suffi-ciently which could haveinduced a balanced trade withboth India and the US.

Instead, the trade deficitshave been sustained andgrown.

The exports from Chinaconsist mostly of goods that areconsidered low tech such astoys, firecrackers, and electri-cal fittings. These goods areimported from China mainlybecause they are ostensiblycheaper and not because theycannot be produced locally atreasonable cost. In other words,most goods imported from

China are substitutes, not com-plements, for the goods pro-duced locally.

China is also suspected ofadopting predatory pricingpolicies. As a result, importsfrom China have led to the clo-sure of many factories whichused to manufacture thesegoods and have reducedemployment in both India andthe US.

Another important fact tonote here is that China is ruledby a totalitarian governmentand is a large country, as it hasthe largest population and isthe second largest economy.This makes China a uniquecountry as there is no othercountry in the world which hasboth these traits: there aresmall countries ruled by total-itarian governments and thereare large countries ruled bydemocratic governments, butthere is no country, exceptChina, which is both large andruled by a totalitarian govern-ment.

Thus, China has largeenough population under itscontrol to man a large manu-facturing sector as well as a bigwell-equipped armed force thatcan threaten its neighbours.

The policy instrumentsIn abstract terms, buying

goods or services importedfrom China by an individual ora firm generates two opposingeffects. On the one hand, itbenefits the buyer individual-ly because the goods or servicesis ostensibly cheaper than thatproduced locally, but, on theother hand, it imposes a socialcost as it contributes (indi-rectly) to the budget to financethe Chinese armed forceswhich can threaten the inde-pendence of India. This socialcost is hidden because it is not

immediately apparent to thebuyer.

More importantly, themarket fails to factor in thissocial cost. As a result, goodsor services imported fromChina may appear to be cheap-er than it really is because thesocial cost is either hidden ornot taken into account by thebuyer. A branch of economicsdiscusses policy instruments tocorrect such market failuresand induce market prices thatreflect the true cost of goods orservices. One well-known pol-icy instrument is to levy a taxon goods or services which isequal to its social cost.

However, many policy-makers prefer an alternativepolicy instrument which is toimpose quantitative restric-tions, including a completeban, on purchase of goods orservices. The latter policyinstrument, though not marketfriendly, is preferred because ofits effectiveness whereas theformer policy instrument,though market friendly, maynot be much effective in con-trolling the demand for goodsor services at the socially desir-able level.

More importantly, the taxon imported goods or servicesmay be neutralised by theexporting country by weaken-ing its currency as a countermeasure against the tax.

International trade andgeopolitics

One would have expectedthe Chinese government to bemore cooperative and sensitiveto the concerns of its tradepartners and show willingnessto reduce the trade surpluseswith them. Historically, inter-national trade has often led tosecurity alliances between trad-ing partners and/or to balanced

trade to ensure continuation oftrade. But intriguingly theChinese government has beeninsensitive to the concerns ofIndia and the US against theirhuge trade deficits with Chinaand has made light of the factthat China’s recent economicgrowth depends largely on thetrade surpluses with these verycountries. In fact, the Chinesegovernment has been aggres-sive on the border with Indiaand warned it, through an op-ed in its mouthpiece GlobalTimes, of dire consequences ifIndia aligns closely with thewestern democracies led by theUS, as if India were not inde-pendent to choose its foreignpolicy or manage its interna-tional relations.

It is not India alone, theChinese government hasbecome openly aggressiveagainst a number of othercountries. It has claimed alarge part of South China Seacontrary to the internationallaw of the sea and brazenlyrejected an unfavourable rulingby a UN tribunal.

The WTO and trade policyAt the time of its admission

to the WTO in 2001, it washoped that China will reduceits trade imbalance with theUS. Many analysts also believedthat engaging China in this waywill help it to become liberaland drift towards a democrat-ic system of governance. Butexactly the opposite has hap-pened: The US trade deficitwith China, if anything, hasgrown bigger and the Chinesegovernment, empowered bythe trade surpluses with Indiaand the US, has become evenmore authoritarian andassertive.

In view of the failure ofglobal policy to engage China

and uncertainty over China’sbehaviour in future, it is timefor India and the free world toreverse course and disengagewith China. Having come thisfar, reversing course and dis-engaging with China will, ofcourse, cause some economicpain as both India and the UShave got used to availing osten-sibly cheaper goods and ser-vices from China.

However, they do not real-ly have a choice, as sufferingsome pain now is better thansuffering more pain later whichfor India includes the possibil-ity of losing independence todecide its foreign policy andmanage its international rela-tions.

India has already taken apolicy decision to monitor andprevent predatory investmentsfrom China and barred Chinafrom the telecommunicationssector for reasons of nationalsecurity. It is also clear thatIndia needs to impose a com-plete ban on imports of con-sumption or finished goodsand services from China —and only from China so thatthe Indian firms still have tocompete with firms from othercountries — that can be pro-duced locally at higher but rea-sonable cost.

However, allowing importsof some intermediate and cap-ital goods, which are critical forIndia’s export sector, can bemutually beneficial for Indiaand China, provided Chinaagrees to import from Indiagoods and services of equalvalue so that India has notrade deficit with China.Restricting trade with China inthis way is likely to significantlyaffect China’s economy overtime as India is a growing mar-ket. Furthermore, trade restric-tions imposed by India can

start a chain reaction world-wide as India’s recent ban onthe Chinese-owned apps has.The total impact might be suf-ficient to unravel the threat-ening apparatus that Chinahas built while riding high onits trade surpluses with Indiaand the US.

In response to India’srecent policy decisions torestrict trade, China has beenclaiming discrimination andhas been citing the WTO rulesand policies. The present WTOrules and policies are notdesigned to distinguishbetween democratic and non-democratic countries and/orlarge and small countries. Butas China’s uniqueness andaggression has demonstrated, itis time for the WTO to modi-fy its rules and policies andstart making a distinctionbetween them as it does forinstance between developedand developing countries.

The WTO rules should beflexible enough to allow everycountry the freedom to makewhatever policies it considersnecessary to balance its tradewith a large country ruled bya totalitarian government, inview of the potential or actualthreat such a country can poseto the country. The proposedformations of the Quad (agrouping of four democraticcountries) and D-10 (a group-ing of 10 democratic countries)are steps in the right direction.The countries within thesegroups may follow WTO traderules when trading amongthemselves, but not necessari-ly when trading with a coun-try ruled by a totalitarian gov-ernment.

(The writer is a Professor atthe University of Pittsburgh,USA)

��(��$� ��9��$��Haiti, a former French

colony in the CaribbeanIslands, is in grave crisis thatensued in the assassination ofits President Jovenel Moise athis residence on July 7. In themelee, his wife and the firstlady, Martine Moise, sustainedsevere injuries. The unidenti-fied gunmen are suspected tobe foreigners as they spokeEnglish and Spanish, while theofficial languages of Haiti areCreole and French.

Some media reports saythe attackers pretended to bepart of a US drug enforcementoperation to access entry intothe presidential palace. But noofficial details have been madeavailable on this.

For now, a nationwide stateof emergency has beendeclared by interim PrimeMinister Claude Joseph pri-marily to prevent large publicgatherings across the country.It seems the succession to thepresidency is murky and armedforces are likely to play a deci-sive role in bringing back polit-ical stability in this tiny CentralAmerican nation.

The method of successionfor the office of the Presidentis clearly mentioned in the1987 Constitution of Haiti.Article 149 of this Constitutionsays, “Should the office of thePresident of the Republicbecome vacant for any reason,the President of the SupremeCourt of the Republic or in hisabsence, the Vice President ofthat court or in his absence, thejudge with the highest senior-ity and so on by order ofseniority, shall be invested tem-porarily with the duties of thePresident of the Republic by theNational Assembly duly con-vened by the Prime Minister.”

The election of a newPresident for a new five-yearterm shall be held at least 45and no more than 90 days afterthe vacancy occurs. The actingPresident in no case can be acandidate in the next presi-dential election. But unfortu-nately, the Supreme Court

President died of Covid-19recently. For the acting PM totake over, he has to be formal-ly approved by Parliament. Butthe problem is that since elec-tions have not been held forParliament, it is almost defunct.Therefore, the Republic ofHaiti seems to have plungedinto a fierce political battle forthe top political office.

In fact, the genesis of thecrisis lies in the controversialpresidency of Moise. The dis-content among the masses hasbeen fuelled by the Opposition.For past one year, large-scaleprotests and violence havebeen rocking the streets of thecountry. Till Moise was alive,people strongly believed hewas no more working for theordinary people. The protest-ers branded him as one whowas aligned with the bourgeois,the businesses and the crooks.

The spread of Covid-19pandemic aggravated the life of

the masses that have beenbearing the brunt of econom-ic injustice and corruption.Many youngsters dropped outof schools and colleges. Andmany of them joined the streetgangs either to protest againstthe Government or to earntheir livelihood.

The allegations have beensubstantiated by the history ofMoise’s rise to power. Followinghis university education, Moisestarted his first business ven-ture in Port-de-Paix, known asJOMAR Auto Parts.Simultaneously, he begananother business, the produc-tion plant for organic bananaextending over 10 acres ofland, which earned him thepopular name of “NegBannann” (Banana Man) ofHaiti. Finally, he got into thebusiness of water plants andhad the record of creating thefirst free trade agriculturalzone of Haiti, covering around

2,500 acres. During the Moise rule,

two major scandals rocked thepresidency of the slain leader.One is regarding his presiden-tial terms and the other is themulti-billion-dollar corruptionscandal called “PetrocaribeScandal”. He contested presi-dential election in 2015, but hehad to re-run again in 2016 forwhich the results came only in2017. Thus, his term couldhave come to an end only in2022.

However, the Oppositionsays he had been illegally occu-pying the office as his termstarted in 2015. The opponentsalso used to accuse him offuelling political violence bystrengthening gangs withmoney, muscle power andweapons so as to intimidate hisadversaries. However, the cen-trality of the entire protests sofar was remained with thepetro scandal. It actually came

from a scheme to buy dis-counted oil from Venezuela oncheap credit. The principalaim of the scheme was to setaside funds for social welfareschemes. But the money wasfinally pocketed by politicianswith the full knowledge of theMoise establishment.

Therefore, the misappro-priation took the centre stageof protests against the MoiseGovernment. And across Haiti,“Kot kob Petrokaribe” (Whereis the Petrocaribe money?)became the symbolic slogan ofthe protesters.

Located in the Caribbean,Haiti occupies the westernthird of the Island ofHispaniola. When Columbuslanded in Hispaniola onDecember 6, 1492, he discov-ered a kingdom ruled by acacique or Taino Indian Chief.After the French arrived herein the 17th century, most of theindigenous people were exter-

minated in the WesternHemisphere. This forced themto hire slave labourers fromWest Africa to work in planta-tion fields. It was once knownas the “Pearl of the Antilles”, therichest colony of the French inthe 18th century. But then in1804, the French had to leave,and the Haitians claimed theirindependence. Thus, it becamethe first black African Republic.And the proud Haitianschanged the French name ofthe country i.e. SaintDomingue to their own Tainoname of Haiti or Ayiti in Creollanguage. But its subsequenthistory has been marked bypoverty, authoritarianism,external interference and polit-ical instability after its inde-pendence from the French.

Two years back, intermit-tent demonstrations had seenroads blocked. Mobs attackedoffices and institutions associ-ated with the Government andits allied agencies. What makesworse the situation is the emer-gence of a more covert strandof violence that may push theHaitian civil society furtherinto a catastrophe. Expertsobserving Central America saythat there has been a massivesupply of arms and cash togangs that could finally makeHaiti a boiling point of theregion. These are ugly symp-toms.

Leaders across the worldhave poured in strong messageson the ghastly killing of Moise.Condemning the assassinationof the Haitian President, theUnited Nations SecurityCouncil (UNSC) has calledon all parties to “remain calm,exercise restraint and avoidany act that could contribute tofurther instability”.

World leaders have con-demned the assassination butnone of them are willing to beinvolved in the crisis. USPresident Joe Biden offeredcondolences to the people ofHaiti for the “horrific assassi-nation” but he has not acced-ed to the request of sending

American troops to stabilisethe country, saying it is “not onthe agenda.” However, the USwill bolster security at itsembassy in Haiti.

Boris Johnson, the UKPrime Minister, called theassassination “an abhorrentact” and called for calm.Colombian President IvanDuque called on theOrganization of AmericanStates to send an urgent mis-sion to protect the democraticorder in Haiti.

Now the “Banana Man” isgone. His tragic death hasbrought a cloud of uncertain-ty to the poverty-strickennation. The Opposition, whichhas been impatient to grabpower by demanding “early”elections, is confused in theaftermath of the assassination.

Even if the elections areheld at short notice, the mootpoint remains whether thenew administration will bright-en the fate of the commonHaitians. There is no silver bul-let to address the growing dis-content among the masses.Haitians’ democratic rights andfreedoms have been stolen bythe power mongers fordecades.

Their demand for eco-nomic justice and fair gover-nance has not been heeded. Toinstil public trust in the futureGovernment, it is required thatelections are held in a trans-parent manner, possibly underthe supervision of interna-tional observers. Otherwise,Moise’s assassination willplunge the impoverishednation into further turmoil.

(Dr Makhan Saikia hastaught political science andinternational relations for overa decade in institutions ofnational and internationalrepute after specialisation inglobalisation and governancefrom Tata Institute of SocialSciences, Mumbai. He is thechief editor of the Journal ofGlobal Studies, an internation-al research journal)

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In ancient Indian tradition, we have adate in our annular calendar dedicat-ed to all that we revere. Guru

Purnima is one such occasion, and fallson July 23rd this year. On this solemnoccasion, the disciples make their offer-ings to their revered Guru. Guru doesn’tlook for any material offering. The dis-ciple is expected to offer his/herahamkara, as it limits the scope ofvision, which doesn’t allow lookingbeyond one’s hardened self-beliefs, per-ceptions, and pre-conditionings. Thelarger picture, thus, missing, one fails tolook at issues in right perspective due,which primarily holds the key to all ourpains and sufferings in life.

The Guru serves as a torchbearerwho leads you rise above yourahamkara as well as all mental andemotional limitations. The very con-struct of the word ‘Guru’ reveals, why somuch of importance has been accordedto him. It is made out of two syllables:‘Gu’ and ‘Ru’, which respectively meandarkness/ignorance and light. Evidently,the one who leads you beyond igno-rance qualifies to become a Guru.

Remember, every human being isborn unique, each reflecting varying

mind-traits. All of us are thus, bornwith a preconditioned mind, usually notkeen to look beyond for a better option,if any available. The world, thus,becomes a natural breeding ground forconflict of interests. In fact, life is para-doxical, full of contradictions. Nothingin life comes about without meetingobstacles and challenges. Overriding allthese, we are supposed to work out waysand means to successfully move aheadwith ease and comfort. It needs to beappreciated here that standing on theplane full of problems, it is difficult tofind a lead beyond.

Here comes the role of a Guru wholeads you beyond your limitations.Guru doesn’t do any miracle. He showsyou the way forward, leads you to pur-sue self-correction process, and let yougrow in your own light. He first showsyour mirror image. He then instructsyou how to overcome your mental andemotional limitations, and help yougive a positive turn to mind. Once yourmind gets purified, he then makes youaware about the realities of life — eter-nal as well as living, both included. Hegives you exposure to the philosophy oflife that may enlighten you with a holis-

tic understanding of the dynamics oflife. You then know where and how youfit into the larger game plan of the liv-ing world, which is a unified organism,framed into an interdependent mecha-nism. You, thus, know how to relate tosuch a complex world with ease andcomfort. Your life may then turn into abeautiful experience. A Guru, thus,leads you to progressively evolve so thatyou come out with your best. It needsto be appreciated here that the oneadept in the process could lead youthrough, on the strength of his/her real-isations.

Remember, human potential isimmense, which if unfolded in full,would know no limits. The paradox,however, is that an ignorant ordinarymortal has access to just 5 to 7 percentof the landscape of mind. Even this, ifwe could utilise optimally, we may beable to negotiate with the usual callingsof life with relative ease. The irony, how-ever, is that caught up in the wanderingsof our mind, we dissipate a major partof our mind space and energy towardsunproductive ends. We, thus, are notleft with enough to do justice to our pri-ority preferences. When we fail, instead

of looking into our own fault lines, wefind escape in our destiny.

It is believed that Einstein wouldhave used about 10 percent of his mindpower to have created history. See whatjust a 3 to 5 percent difference could do.Imagine, if you could access the fulllandscape of mind. Nothing will remainhidden from you. You may be able toexplore even subtle realities of life oper-ative at imperceptible level. That is howour Gurus and seers, working in theirlaboratories of mind could come outwith such a profound philosophy. Nowonder, they were aware of even thetheory of relativity, thousands of yearsbefore Einstein, as would a story of kingRaivata and his daughter Revati asdetailed in Mahabharat suggest.

A real Guru doesn’t suggest you toseek boons from some assumed God.He rather serving as a torchbearer, willlet you work upon yourself to unfoldyour full potential and come out withyour best. This is the real call of spiritu-ality.

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