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Truth PrevailRNI No:JKENG/2012/47637

Email:truthprevail911@gmail.com

POSTAL REGD NO-JK/485/2016-18

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VOL: 9 Issue: 238 JAMMU AND KASHMIR, WEDNESDAy, SEPTEMBER 30, 2020 DAILy PAGES 12 Rs. 2/-

3Navin Choudhary reviews arrangementsfor transportation of fruit crops

5Heading...

12Lt Governor stresses upon innovative and efficient measuresfor conservation & preservation of world-renowned Dallake, Wular Lake & other water bodies

Want to host Eng series in India : Ganguly

InsideInside

TP CorrespondentJammu : The sleuths of

National InvestigationAgency detained an employ-ee of the Narcotics ControlBureau in alleged narcoticssmuggling case here.

Reliable sources heresaid that the NIA teaminvestigating PulwamaTerror attack, on Monday,raided one of the offices anddetained an employee ofNCB. “He was detainedfrom the office and simulta-neously, raid was also con-ducted in his house atVijaypur,” they said.

“Some incriminatingdocuments have been seizedfrom his residence while theinvestigation is in progress,”they said and added that thedetained person was on dep-utation in the NCB.

NIA detains NCB

employee in Jammu

TP CorrespondentJammu : A complaint

has been register in citycourt jammu against personnamely Prem chand s/oKaram chand r/o GajansooJammu under 138 N.I Acton 14/9/2010 since thencourt issue number of sum-mon against above men-tioned person for appearancein court but they didn'tappear.On 27/1/2020 saidcourt issue non bailablearrest warrant u/s 512 crpc .

Today at specific infor-mation BPP Gajansoo alongwith in charge BPPGajansoo Si lalit sharmaraided their native place andarrested the above men-tioned person which hasbeen absconding/evadinghis arrest for last Tenyears.His arrest has beenmade under the Guidance ofSho Kanachak insp. VishwaPratab singh.

One absconder absconding

since 10 years arrested by

Gajansoo Police

TP CorrespondentSrinagar : A Block

Development Councilemployee was shot dead bymilitants in Shopian districtof Jammu and Kashmir,police said.

The militants fired uponSabzar Ahmad Naikoo in hisnative village at Nildoora inShopian, injuring him criti-cally, a police official said.

He said Naikoo wasreferred to a hospital herefor treatment but wasdeclared dead on arrival.

This is the third killingby militants in less than aweek. A Block DevelopmentCouncil member was shotdead in Budgam district lastWednesday, and an advocatewas killed in Hawal area ofthe city on Thursday.

BDC employee shot

dead by terrorists

in Shopian

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New Delhi, September 29: Prime Minister NarendraModi on Tuesday dedicated tothe nation six Namami Gangeprojects in Uttarakhand.

On the occasion, he target-ed the Congress for havingmade it a "habit" to opposethe Union government'sreform measures, includingthe three agricultural lawsenacted by Parliament duringthe Monsoon Session.

He asserted that the gov-ernment would not bedeterred by the oppositionand the reform measureswould continue.

"Some people have madeit part of their political agendato oppose the government forthe sake of opposition," Modisaid in a blistering attack onthe Congress leadership with-out naming the party afterlaunching the projectsthrough video-conference.

"This stems from theirbecoming irrelevant," Modisaid, taking a jibe at theCongress leadership. "Theydo not want welfare of anysection of society, be it youth,women, poor, farmers ordefence forces.

Among the achievementshe listed One Rank OnePension, 20 per cent reserva-tion for economically poor,GST, Jan Dhan and DigitalIndia campaigns, yoga being

recognised by the UN,Balakot surgical strikes, pur-chase of Rafale jets and con-struction of Ram Temple atAyodhya.

He questioned theCongress for having demand-ed proof of the surgical strikeon a terrorist camp at Balakot.

Modi said the Congressgovernment did nothing tostrengthen the Army and theIndian Air Force, in spite ofthe latter raising concerns

periodically. He said that a number of

smaller parties had not turnedagainst the nation though theywere never in power. In con-trast, a party which had beenin power for long, and a fam-ily whose three-four genera-tions had been at the helm,are feeling the pinch of beingout of power for a few years,he said.

Referring to the farmlaws, he said they would freethe farmers from middlemenand brokers as they givethem the freedom to sell theproduce in the open market.The MSP regime wouldsimultaneously continue, hesaid. Those opposing the

laws did not want the farmerto sell his produce in the openmarket, he said.

Regarding the agitationagainst the laws, he said itwas engineered by Congressleaders.

He said Aatma NirbharBharat is in the interest of thecountry, and would continue.

He said the project toclean the Ganga during earli-er governments had loop-holes.

New Delhi, September 29: India again rejected aChinese statement affirming a"1959 claim line" as the bor-der between the two countriesin Ladakh.

India has been consistentlyrejecting the Chinese offer tosettle the border in Ladakhaccording to a line espousedby then Chinese PremierChou en-Lai in 1959.

The MEA officialspokesperson said on TuesdayIndia has never accepted the"so-called unilaterallydefined 1959 Line of ActualControl (LAC)", a positionthat is consistent and wellknown, including to theChinese side.

India also pointed out thatChinese furtherance of the so-called 1959 line proposal rancounter to several agreementsthat were framed to reach acommon understanding of thealignment of the LAC. Afterengaging in an exercise toclarify and confirm the LAC,the process could not proceedafter 2003 as the Chinese sidedid not show a willingness topursue it, the MEA regretted.

The MEA pointed out thatat the last high-level meetingbetween the two ForeignMinisters in Moscow onSeptember 10, China has reit-

erated its commitment toabide by all the existingagreements. These include thethe 1993 Agreement onMaintenance of Peace andTranquility, the 1996Agreement on ConfidenceBuilding Measures (CBMs)in the military field, 2005

Protocol on Implementationof CBMs and 2005Agreement on PoliticalParameters and GuidingPrinciples for settlement of

the India-China BoundaryQuestion.

All these pacts commitIndia and China to clarifica-tion and confirmation of theLAC to reach a commonunderstanding of its align-ment. "Therefore, the insis-tence now of the Chinese side

that there is only one LAC iscontrary to the solemn com-mitments made by China inthese agreements," noted theMEA statement.

Making it clear that theIndian side has alwaysrespected and abided by theLAC, the MEA said DefenceMinister Rajnath Singh hadstated in Parliament thatChinese troops had tried totransgress the LAC in severalparts of the Western Sector inan attempt to unilaterally alterthe status quo.

As China has repeatedlysaid the current situationshould be resolved in accor-dance with the agreementssigned between the two coun-tries, "we, therefore, expectthat they will sincerely andfaithfully abide by all agree-ments and understandings andrefrain from advancing anuntenable unilateral interpre-tation of the LAC," added theMEA statement.

Incidentally, China hadlast spoken of the 1959 lineafter troops had scuffledalong the Pangong Lake inAugust 2017.

New Delhi, September 29: One in 15 individuals overthe age of 10 years were esti-mated to have been exposedto COVID-19 causing SARS-CoV-2 by August 2020, thesecond sero survey by theIndian Council of MedicalResearch has found.

A healthcare worker wear-ing personal protective equip-ment (PPE) collects a swabsample from a woman, amidthe spread of the coronavirusdisease, in New Delhi.Reuters

Chief of the ICMR BalramBhargava on Tuesday said thesecond sero survey collectedblood samples from 29,082individuals across the same700 villages and urban wardsfrom 70 districts in 21 stateswhich were covered in thefirst survey.

"The prevalence ofCOVID-19 among individu-als aged 10 years plus wasfound to be 6.6 per cent. Theprevalence was not differentby age group and gender.Urban slum showed the high-est risk gradient with theprevalence of 15.6 pc asagainst 8.2 pc in urban non-

slums and 4.4 pc in ruralareas. The prevalence inadults - more than 18 years -was found at 7.1 per centwhich is more than 0.73 percent prevalence found in the18 years plus category in thelast sero survey that ascer-tained the prevalence of theinfection until May end,"Bhargava said.

The survey results meanmore than 90 per cent ofIndians are still vulnerable tothe virus because they havenot yet been exposed to it.

The sero surveys detectthe presence of antibodies inthe blood samples of people.Presence of antibodies revealspast exposure to the virus.

Bhargava said since alarge proportion of the popu-lation is yet susceptible, pre-vention fatigue to be avoidedusing the five Ts strategy-Test, Track, Trace, Treat andTechnology.

Member Health NITIAayog VK Paul commentingon the findings of the ICMRsurvey said the upcoming fes-tive and winter months wouldpresent fertile ground for thespread of the virus.

New Delhi : The SupremeCourt on Tuesday asked theJammu and Kashmir admin-istration to respond to IltijaMufti's amended plea chal-lenging the detention of hermother and former chief min-ister Mehbooba Mufti underthe J-K Public Safety Act,saying detention cannot beforever and "some via media"should be explored.

A bench of justices S KKaul and Hrishikesh Roy said

that PDP leader should placea request to the authorities forattending party meetings.

The apex court permittedIltija and her uncle to meetMehbooba Mufti in deten-tion. Mehbooba, the presidentof the Peoples DemocraticParty (PDP), was put underdetention on the eve of abro-gation of special status ofJammu and Kashmir underArticle 370 on August 5 lastyear.

“Be a Changemaker”, Lt Governor directs Officers days before launch of Back to Village-3 programmeSRINAGAR, SEPTEM-

BER 29 : Own the ambitiousBack to Village Programmeand every single officer onthe ground must work as achangemaker to ensure bene-fits of governance reach thelast man in the queue, LtGovernor, Manoj Sinhadirected the senior officialsduring a meeting he chairedto review the preparedness forBack to Village 3 programmeat Civil Secretariat here today.

The ambitious programmestarting from 2nd Octoberaims to take the governanceto the doorstep of peoplewhich is also seen as a uniqueeffort of the Government tostrengthen the newly consti-tuted Panchayats.

He sought detailed reporton action plan for the conduct

of B2V3 Programme andenquired about progress madeunder Jan Abhiyan pro-gramme.

He asked all the stakehold-

ers to put in dedicated effortsto complement the unique andsincere efforts of the govern-ment to reach the doorsteps ofthe people with responsive,accountable and equitablegovernance.

He issued directions to theDCs, ADCs, SSPs, ASPs andother senior officers of the

Districts to remain present atall Sub-DivisionHeadquarters in every Districton rotational basis from 10am to 4 pm every Wednesday,

with officers and representa-tives of different line depart-ments.

The Lt Governor alsosought detail of activities tobe conducted during the threeday visit of over 4000 visitingofficers, who will visit allpanchayats of the UT ofJammu and Kashmir.

Focus on ensuring thatfunds and functions devolvedto the panchayats are usedwithout any bottlenecks andthe beneficiary schemes actu-ally reach the people. Publicservices have to be target ori-ented and administrationshould ensure 100% satura-tion, he added.

During the meeting, LtGovernor instructed all offi-cers to gear up and gave aclarion call to own B2V3 formaking it a huge success.

Discussions were also heldon the issues of vacant gov-ernment buildings, availabili-ty of playgrounds in everypanchayat, Governmenthandholding to Self-HelpGroups, sanitation activitiesand to identify candidates forSelf-Employment.

SRINAGAR, SEPTEM-BER 29 : Jammu andKashmir Public ServiceCommission (JKPSC) hasdeclared the result forCombined CompetitiveExamination -2018 (CCE-2018).

“The Commission in itsExtra Ordinary Meeting heldtoday decided to declare theresult of all the candidateswho had appeared in theinterview and also to notifytheir aggregate marks whilepublishing a list of candidatesto be summoned for MedicalExamination in accordancewith the relevant rules” aJKPSC communiqué stated.

As per JKPSC, seventy(70) candidates have been

declared to have qualified, forthe Medical Examinationwhich will be conducted atGMC Jammu/Srinagar. Thedates of the MedicalExamination shall be notifiedseparately.

It also stated that theGeneral AdministrationDepartment had on10.05.2018 referred 70 poststo the J&K Public ServiceCommission for being filledup through the CombinedCompetitive Examination -2018 (CCE-2018).

Accordingly, these postswere advertised by theCommission on 25.05.2018.

The PreliminaryExamination of CCE-2018was conducted on

16.09.2018 in which 25188candidates appeared in full.

The result of the prelimi-nary examination (CCE-2018) was declared on27.09.2018. 1750 candidateswere declared to have quali-fied for appearing in the Main(Written) examination ofCCE-2018. In all, 1703 can-didates applied for appearingin the (Main) Examinationand 1279 candidates actuallyappeared which was heldfrom 22.07.2019 to29.07.2019, out of which 229candidates were declared tohave qualified for appearingin the interview/personalitytest. The interviews were heldfrom 08.09.2020 to26.09.2020.

JAMMU, SEPTEMBER 29 :The Government on Mondayinformed that 1081 new positivecases of novel Corona virus(COVID-19), 640 from Jammudivision and 441 from Kashmirdivision, have been reported todaythus taking the total number ofpositive cases in Jammu andKashmir to 74095. Also 18COVID-19 deaths have beenreported; 11 from Jammu divisionand 07 from Kashmir Division.

Moreover, 1250 more COVID-19 patients have recovered anddischarged from various hospitals,615 from Jammu Division and 635from Kashmir Division.

According to the daily MediaBulletin on novel Corona virus(Covid-19), out of 74095 positivecases, 17414 are Active Positive,55517 have recovered and 1164have died; 331 in Jammu divisionand 833 in Kashmir division.

The Bulletin further said thatout of 1600606 test results avail-able, 1526511 samples have beentested as negative till September29, 2020.

Till date 573200 persons havebeen enlisted for observationwhich included 14281 persons inhome quarantine including facili-ties operated by government,17414 in isolation and 52052under home surveillance. Besides,488289 persons have completedtheir surveillance period.

Providing district-wisebreakup, the Bulletin said thatSrinagar has 14712 positive cases(including 222 cases reportedtoday) with 2138 Active Positive,12285 recovered (including 187cases recovered today), 289deaths; Baramulla has 4335 posi-tive cases (including 62 casesreported today) with 1280 ActivePositive, 2931 recovered (includ-ing 15 cases recovered today), 124deaths; Pulwama reported 3909positive cases (including 24 casesreported today) with 433 activepositive cases, 3408 recovered(including 42 cases recoveredtoday), 68 deaths; Kulgam has2260 positive cases (including 07cases reported today) with 118Active Positive, 2099 recoveries

(including 19 cases recoveredtoday), 43 deaths; Shopian has2025 positive cases (including 04cases reported today) with 193Active Positive, 1800 recovered(including 09 cases reportedtoday), 32 deaths; Anantnag dis-trict has 3503 positive cases(including 11 cases reportedtoday) with 431 Active Positive,3009 recovered (including 20cases recovered today), 63 deaths;Budgam has 4820 positive cases(including 29 cases reportedtoday) with 964 Active Positiveand 3774 recovered (including 109cases recovered today), 82 deaths;Kupwara has 3575 positive cases(including 36 cases reportedtoday) with 816 Active Positive,2692 recovered (including 32cases recovered today), 67 deaths;Bandipora has 3385 positive cases(including 22 cases reportedtoday) with 478 Active Positive,2870 recovered (including 107cases recovered today), 37 deathsand Ganderbal has 2868 positivecases (including 24 cases reportedtoday) with 388 active positive

cases, 2452 recoveries (including95 cases recovered today) and 28deaths.

Similarly, Jammu has 12662positive cases (including 313 casesreported today) with 3585 activepositive cases, 8897 recoveries(including 300 cases recoveredtoday), 180 deaths; Rajouri has2626 positive cases (including 61cases reported today) with 1307active positive cases, 1288 recov-ered (including 21 cases recoveredtoday), 31 deaths; Ramban has1323 positive cases (including 28cases reported today) with 455active positive, 858 recoveries(including 28 cases recoveredtoday), 10 deaths; Kathua has2051 positive cases (including 29cases reported today) with 526Active positive, 1504 recovered(including 41 cases recoveredtoday), 21 deaths; Udhampur has2212 positive cases (including 49cases reported today) with 490active positive cases, 1704 recov-ered (including 40 cases recoveredtoday), 18 deaths; Samba has 1738positive cases (including 44 cases

reported today) with 810 ActivePositive, 908 recoveries (including39 cases reported today), 20deaths; Doda has 2193 positivecases (including 34 cases reportedtoday) with 1110 active positivecases, 1056 recoveries (including43 cases recovered today), 27deaths; Poonch has 1747 positivecases (including 21 cases reportedtoday) with 936 active positive,799 recoveries (including 59 casesreported today), 12 deaths; Reasihas 945 positive cases (including15 cases reported today) with 394active positive, 546 recoveriesand 05 deaths while Kishtwar has1206 positive cases (including 46cases reported today) with 562active positive cases and 637recoveries (including 44 casesreported today) and 07 deaths.

According to the bulletin, ofthe total 74095 positive cases inJ&K 8747 have been reported astravelers while 65348 as others.

The Bulletin said that thebreakup represents districts fromwhich the patients have beentraced or are ordinarily residing.

The bulletin added that thereare 1306 COVID dedicated beds,1170 Isolation beds with 852vacant beds and 136 ICU bedswhere 72 beds are vacant inJammu division while there are2358 COVID dedicated beds,2214 Isolation beds where 1670beds are vacant and 144 ICU bedswhere 112 are vacant beds inKashmir division. There are a totalof 3664 COVID dedicated beds,3384 Isolation beds with 2522beds vacant and 280 ICU bedswith 184 vacant beds in the Unionterritory of Jammu and Kashmir.

The Central Government iscontinuously monitoring theevolving situation of Covid-19 inthe Union Territory and is provid-ing all necessary support towardseffective containment of thespread of Covid-19 and better clin-ical management of positive cases.

The government has also start-ed free Tele-consultation generalOPD services bySpecialists/MBBS Doctors for theresidents of J&K under NationalTele-consultation Service. People

can avail these services fromHome by registering online onweb portal https://esanjeevan-iopd.in/. The services are availableon Monday to Saturday from10:00 am to 4:00 pm. People canalso download and install esanjee-vani OPD app from google play-store.

Besides, 24x7 Rapid AntigenTesting facility for COVID-19 hasbeen started outside the emergencyof GMC Hospital Jammu .Thefacility will be very useful for thesegregation of patients in emer-gency wing of GMC Jammu.

Meanwhile, a 24x7 COVIDControl Room have been set up forredressal of the grievances relatedto COVID-19 positive patientsadmitted in the AssociatedHospitals of Government MedicalCollege, Jammu and GovernmentHospital, Gandhi Nagar, Jammu.Patients or attendants can call on0191– 258 5444 (Control Room),Exchange: 0191-258 2626 / 2585542 / 258 4290 /258 4291 / 2584292 / 258 4293/ 258 4294 forassistance.

India again rejects China’s 1959 claim lineThose opposing farm Bills don't want farmers to have

freedom of selling produce in open market: Modi

1 in 15 Indians estimated to be exposed toCOVID; over 90% still susceptible: ICMR survey

Mehbooba Mufti detention case: SC asksJ-K administration to respond to plea

Jammu, September 29 :In a major breakthrough,Kathua police have arrested 13touts, including six fromPunjab's Pathankot area, formaking money through illegalmeans by transporting outsidelabourers to Jammu andKashmir via Lakhanpur incomplete violation of COVID-19 protocol. The police havealso found the involvement ofa Railway police official and achowkidar of the ExciseDepartment for helping out-side labourers to cross over toJammu and Kashmir illegally.

The role of an ASI and a con-stable is also being investigat-ed. "We received reports thatCOVID-19 protocols, set bythe UT administration, werebeing violated. After an inves-tigation, it came to our noticethat a gang of touts, mainlytaxi drivers, was operating inMadhopur area of Pathankotdistrict and was misleadingand creating fear among out-side labourers with regard totheir entry into the UnionTerritory under COVID-19protocol," said ShailendraMishra, SSP Kathua.

Violation of Covid protocol: 7 FIRs registered, 13touts arrested for transporting labourers to J&K

JKPSC declares JKCCE-2018 result

COVID-19 : JK reports 1081 new positive cases, 55517 recovered so far

Jammu, September 29 :The Comptroller and AuditorGeneral (CAG) of India hascriticised the Jammu andKashmir Government for itsfailure in implementing theNational e-Governance Plan,saying the objective of makingall local public services accessi-ble to the common man couldnot be achieved in the Unionterritory over a period of around10 years.

In its report on Social,General, Economic (Non-Public Sector Undertakings)sectors for the financial yearended March 31, 2017, theCAG also highlighted the short-comings in the NationalAfforestation Programme(NAP) and said no annualreport was prepared by the erst-while state's forest developmentagency since its inception inJuly 2010. The report, tabled inParliament recently, saidagainst the approved outlay ofRs 212.10 crore for implemen-tation of six schemes by theInformation TechnologyDepartment under the Nationale-Governance Programme, Rs

60.38 crore (28 per cent) wasreleased by the Centre toJammu and Kashmir. "Balanceoutlay of Rs 151.72 crore (72per cent) could not be receivedas the confirmation regardingcontribution of 20 per cent Stateshare had not been provided tothe Government of India.Overall fund utilisation during2012-17 was only 41 per cent ason 31 March 2017," said theCAG. It said the objective ofproviding connectivity underState Wide Area Network(SWAN) project could not beachieved as against the amountof Rs 15.25 crore received forits implementation, Rs 6.90crore was surrendered and Rs7.92 crore remained blocked.

"Complete potential of StateData Centre (SDC) was notbeing utilised in absence ofSWAN and back-end computer-isation of user departments.Failure to firm up the require-ments jeopardised the work onthe State Service DeliveryGateway (SSDG) project," itsaid, adding, implementation ofthe Common Service Centresproject was impacted due to

lack of coordinated efforts inensuring availability of servic-es, absence of a reliable con-nectivity, lack of awareness orsensitisation and delays in theroll out process.

On the NAP, the CAG saidthe overall forest cover to geo-graphical area in Jammu andKashmir decreased from 16.09per cent in 2009 to 15.78 percent in 2015. "Against target of66 per cent of geographical areain hills to be covered under for-est and tree cover as perNational Forest Policy 1988,only 24.02 per cent was underforest and tree cover, leaving ashortfall of 41.98 per cent of theenvisaged goal," said the report.It said seven forest develop-ment agencies could not bebrought under the ambit of theNAP by the state forest devel-opment agency during 2010-17,despite the fact that five forestdevelopment agencies had for-mulated and submitted theirplans (2010-15) costing Rs37.59 crore to the state agencywhich was not forwarded to theNational Afforestation and Eco-Development Board.

National e-Governance Plan can beachieved in J&K over 10 years : CAG

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Lt Governor reviews winter preparedness of various departments, OffersRaj Bhawan’s Chopper to Public for Medical Emergencies & Evacuation

SRINAGAR, SEPTEM-BER 29 : LieutenantGovernor, Manoj Sinha todaychaired a joint meeting of var-ious departments on winterpreparedness here at CivilSecretariat and directed theconcerned officers for thestrengthening of a robustresponse mechanism forpower restoration, essentialsupplies, water and road con-nectivity during winters. TheLt Governor also directed theofficials present in the meet-ing to use Choppers of RajBhawan for medical emergen-cies in addition to the HeliServices extended by theCentral Government in the cutoff areas such as Tangdhar,Gurez, Keran, Machhil.

Take early measures forensuring uninterrupted drink-ing water and power supply,besides, put in place a strongmechanism for ensuringsmooth movement of trafficfor continuous road connec-tivity ahead of the winter sea-son with special focus on far-flung and snowbound areas.Apart from available helicop-ter service to cut off areas, theadministration should usechoppers at Raj Bhawan tohelp those in distress, headded.

He also directed to ensureavailability of public utilitieslike wood, ration, medicinesand other basic amenities.

For road connectivity, the

Lt Governor directed foracquiring all the necessarymachinery required for snowclearance from all the mainand internal roads. In order toclear the inner lanes of vil-lages off snow, where

machines cannot be deployed,the administration can hire thetrained manpower, and mustclear the snow for smoothmovement.

Stressing upon synergybetween the departments, theLt Governor directed the offi-cers to monitor and keep aclose watch on the functioningof their respective depart-ments pertaining to winterpreparedness for better coordi-nation to avoid inconvenienceto the public.

While reviewing the winterpreparedness of the PowerDepartment, the Lt Governorenquired about the availabilityand surplus of power trans-formers for the coming winterseason. He directed the PowerDepartment for establishment

of task force to ensure powersupply and gave strict direc-tions for the availability ofsurplus transformers to caterto the need during the winterseason.

The Lt Governor directed

the Jal Shakti Department totake all the measures requiredto ensure that there is noscarcity of drinking water. Healso stressed upon enoughstock of fuel, cooking gasbefore harsh winter slams theregion. The Lt. Governor alsoasked the top government offi-cials to put in place everyavailable facility includingemergency services such aspower back-up for hospitals,water pumping stations,important government officesand state of the art ambulanceservices at all hospitals, espe-cially in the higher reachesarea. The officials said snowcontrol rooms will be estab-lished in every district head-quarters by 15th October forsmooth operation of Snow

Clearance mechanically andmanually.

Sh. BVR Subrahmanyam,Chief Secretary; Sh. NitishwarKumar, Principal Secretary toLt Governor; Sh. ShaleenKabra, Principal Secretary to

the Government, HomeDepartment; Sh. RohitKansal, Principal Secretary,Power DevelopmentDepartment and InformationDepartment; Sh. ShailendraKumar, Principal Secretary tothe Government, PublicWorks (R&B) Department;Sh. Pandurang K. PoleDivisional CommissionerKashmir; Sh. M Raju,Secretary to the Government,Jal Shakti Department; Sh.Simrandeep Singh, SpecialSecretary to the Government,Department of DMRR&R;Sh. Mohammad Aijaz,Managing Director, KashmirPower DistributionCorporation Limited and othersenior officers attended themeeting.

FPOs will empower, increasesfarmers’ income : PMJKYPA

JAMMU, Sep 29 :Tarsem Singh Manhas, J&KConvenor of Prime MinisterJan Kalyankari Yojana PrasarAbhiyan (PMJKYPA) saidthat the decision of UnionGovernment of opening of10,000 new farmer producerorganisations (FPOs) acrossthe country in the next fiveyears will play a vital role inincreasing the income of thefarmers and to empowerthem.

In this connection, a con-vention was held at BlockMarh under the chairmanshipof Tarsem Singh Manhas inwhich Kulbhushan, Presidentof Block Marh along with allhis officials joined this cam-paign. The campaign has beeninitiated under the guidanceand call of Pusheesh Arya,National Media In-Chargeand Shailendra Vijayvargiya,In-charge of Jammu andKashmir UT.

Speaking on the occasion,Manhas said that a new FPOwill be set up to increase theincome of the farmers and toempower them. This willenable the farmers to marketand process the crops along

with producing them. Heinformed that an amount ofRs 5,000 crore will be spenton this campaign for the nextfive years.

Manhas also threw light on

major schemes launched bythe Prime Minister for publicwelfare including MudraYojana, Kisan Credit CardScheme, Prime Minister CropInsurance Scheme, StreetVendor Yojana, Rehdi-Phadi,Milk, Vegetable ones, etc. Heexpressed resentment that the

needy and the general publicare not getting the benefit ofthe schemes released by thecentral government. He

Rinku Sharma, an officerof the Agriculture Department

also informed the farmersabout agricultural productionand schemes.

Surinder Kumar,Chairman, BlockDevelopment Council alsodiscussed development andpresented a vote of thanks.

The event will be attended

by State Vice President RahulSharma, BDC ChairmanSurinder Kumar, AgricultureDepartment Rinku Sharma,Nayav Sarpanch Chanchal,Panch Ram Dayal, Block

President Kulbhushan Singh,Block General Secretary AjaySharma, Block GeneralSecretary Vikrant Singh,Block Vice President RahulSharma, Sandeep Chaudhary,Nirmal Singh, UjjwalSharma, and his newlyappointed office bearers.

DODA, SEPTEMBER 29 :District DevelopmentCommissioner, Dr Sagar DDoifode today chaired a meet-ing to review the preparednessof line departments for smoothimplementation of Back toVillage-Phase III (B2V3) in thedistrict.

The DDC enquired about thelist of the officers deployed fordifferent Panchayats, trainingschedule for designated Visitingofficers and constitution ofmonitoring committee. He alsodiscussed the day wise activitiesto be carried out in thePanchayats by the visiting offi-cers. The DDC was informedthat the list of the designatedvisiting officers- panchayat wisehas been finalized, and trainingof the designated visiting offi-cers will start from Thursday.

DDC Doda reviews preparedness for

implementation of B2V3

SRINAGAR, SEPTEM-BER 29 : Advisor to LtGovernor, KK Sharma hasconveyed condolences ondemise of Mr Shamsudin,Former Director Agriculture,Union Territory ofLakshwadeep.

Advisor Sharma whileelaborating on contributionsof the departed said he hascontributed immensely fordevelopment of Tourism,Agriculture, and allied activi-ties in the Union territory OfLakshadweep which have leftan unending impression.

" A native of the islands,Mr Shamsudin was very pop-ular among all the people. Heendeared himself to everyonehe met, with his gentle per-sona and a soft manner ofspeech",the Advisor main-tained and added that ShriShamsudin leaves behind alegacy of great contributionto the development ofislands, of personal warmrelationships with so manythat I personally have rel-ished always.

The Advisor extendedcondolences to the bereavedfamily members and prayedfor eternal peace to thedeparted soul.

Advisor Sharma condolesdemise of Shamsudin

JAMMU, SEPTEM-BER 29 : The Jammu andKashmir Government hasevacuated about 5,17,627 JKresidents, stranded in otherparts of the country due toCOVID lockdown, viaLakhanpur and through spe-cial trains and buses till dateamid strict observance of allnecessary guidelines andStandard OperatingProcedures.

As per the official data

received in this regard, theJammu and Kashmir admin-istration has received 155special trains at Jammu andUdhampur railway stationsfrom different states and UTs,so far, with about 1,40,292passengers while about3,77,335 persons from otherstates and UTs including 934from abroad have been evac-uated by the governmentthrough Lakhanpur till date.

As per the detailed

breakup of the figures, about4470 stranded passengershave entered throughLakhanpur from September28 to September 29 morningswhile 134 trains have reachedJammu with a total of124,596 stranded passengersbelonging to different dis-tricts so far while 15,696 pas-sengers have reachedUdhampur in 21 specialtrains, so far. Today no trainarrived at Jammu.

COVID-19: Govt evacuates 5,17,627 stranded JK residents;3,77,335 via Lakhanpur, 1,40,292 through special trains

JAMMU, SEPTEM-BER 29 : On day 128 ofresumption of routine domes-tic operations in Jammu andKashmir, 30 domestic flightswith 3,870 passengers onboard today arrived atJammu and SrinagarAirports.

A total of 1381 passengersaboard 10 regular commer-cial flights arrived at theJammu Airport while 20domestic flights with about2489 passengers aboard land-ed at Srinagar Airport today.

Pertinently, Jammu

Airport Authorities havereceived a total of 1,125domestic flights with106,665 passengers whileSrinagar Airport Authoritieshave received 1,835 domesticflights with 2,51,890 passen-gers since 25th of May tilldate.Till date the governmenthas brought back about 3806passengers from variouscountries to the UnionTerritory through specialevacuation flights in thewake of global pandemic tilldate.

After arrival, all the pas-

sengers were tested for theCOVID-19 at both the air-ports amid strict observanceof all necessary preventiveprotocols. The Governmenthas made elaborate arrange-ments for the arrival, screen-ing, sampling and propertransportation of the passen-gers to the quarantine centerstaking special care of guide-lines and Standard OperatingProcedures (SOPs) pre-scribed by the UnionMinistries of Civil Aviationand Health and FamilyWelfare.

Day 128: Jammu, Srinagar Airports receive 30 domesticflights with 3,870 passengers aboard

SRINAGAR SEPTEM-BER 29 : Principal Secretary,Skill Development, Dr. Asgar

Samoon, today convened ameeting of officers of SkillDevelopment Department andother Line Departmentsregarding establishment ofFarm ITIs at ITI KhuriBatpora, Kulgam and R SPura Jammu.

Director Skill

Development briefed thePrincipal Secretary about var-ious courses in the agriculture

sector proposed for introduc-tion at both the Farm ITIs.

Principal Secretary askedthe officials of SkillDevelopment to start the pro-posed short term and longterm courses proposed in thefirst phase during the currentFinancial year from the month

of November,2020. He also asked the Director

Skill Development and

Director Finance, SkillDevelopment Department tokeep budgetary provision forintroduction of the proposedfarm related courses in therevised Budget 2020-21 andthe Budget estimates of2021-22 in the CAPEXBudget.

Asgar Samoon holds meeting regardingestablishment of Farm ITIs

TRUTH PREVAILJAMMU WEDNESDAY SEPTEMbER 30, 20202 SPECIAL

Monitor activities of Christian missionariesin J&K : AHP appeals to Govt

RAJOURI, Sep 29 :Antarrashtriya HinduParishad (AHP) urged uponthe government to monitor theactivities of Christian mis-sionaries in the UnionTerritory of J&K as there aresome functionaries involvedin conversion of religion ofinnocent people with a con-spiracy. In this connection,AHP conducted a programmein this connection under thechairmanship of CaptainBalraj Sharma, President ofAntarrashtriya HinduParishad Rajouri and PoonchDistricts wherein differentaspects related to the convert-ing of religion were dis-cussed.

Balraj Sharma said despitehurdles and attacks by differ-ent reigns, India is going tobecome the world leader. Hecautioned the Christian mis-sionaries to stop convertingthe Hindus into Christianityand said that the conspiracy toconvert innocent Hindus ofRajouri and Poonch and manyareas of Jammu, which has

been going on for the last sev-eral years, should be stoppedimmediately. He appealed tothe Jammu and Kashmir

administration to monitorthese activities of Christianmissionaries closely and heldthem down.

Highlighting the Sanatantradition of India, Vivek

Gupta, UT Spokesperson ofAHP and in-charge of RajouriPoonch Districts whoappeared as the main speaker

at the programme, said thatIndia is one of the mostancient countries and its civi-lization and culture have nomatch across the globe.

“Many efforts have been

made to destroy Indian cul-ture, but the flow of Indianculture is flowing continuous-ly in a new way,” Gupta said

and appealed to the adminis-tration and security forced tohold these missioners downand stop this ridiculous con-version of religion by thesemissioners.

NH Four Laning ProjectDC Ramban discusses traffic management on

highway, reviews progress of construction workRAMBAN, SEPTEM-

BER, 29 : DeputyCommissioner (DC), NazimZai Khan today chaired a highlevel meeting of officers fromArmy, Police, Traffic Police,Revenue and NationalHighway Authority of India(NHAI) besides representa-tives of construction compa-nies to discuss traffic manage-ment on Jammu-Srinagar,National Highway (NH-44).

The DC instructed theNational Highway Authorityof India and the constructionagencies associated with theHighway (NH-44) four-laningproject to ensure maintenanceof the existing road to avoidtraffic disruption.

SSP Ramban, Haseeb-Ur-Rehman; SSP Traffic JSJohar; ADC, Ashok Sharma;Project Director (PD) NHAI,Parshotam Kumar; Officersfrom Indian Army, SDM,Ramsu, Tehsildar, CHO,Xen, PDD, PWD besides theofficers of concerned depart-ments attended the meeting.

While discussing the issueof traffic management, the DCasked the Traffic Police,

Police and Army officers toformulate an effective plan tosmoothly regulate the Armyconvoy, fruit carrying vehiclesbesides the other regular traf-fic on the national highway.

He directed all the stake-holders work in close coordi-nation with each other to

implement traffic manage-ment plan.

Army officers also sug-gested some measures in thisregard and SSP traffic assureda safe and hassle free passageto Army convoy. He alsopassed some instructions forconvoy drivers to avoidunnecessary traffic jammingon the road.

The DC directed theCollector Land Acquisition

for NH-44 and ProjectDirector, NHAI to visit at allvulnerable points and passnecessary directions to allconcerned to avoid traffic con-gestion on the road.

The DC also reviewed sec-tion wise progress on the four-laning of Jammu-Srinagar

National Highway includingNashri-Ramban, Ramban-Banihal and Banihal-Qazigund section.

The DC also sought thestatus of the Four-laningProject from NHAI and askedfor its speedy completionwithout affecting the environ-ment as well as normal trafficmovement on the road toavoid inconvenience to thepublic.

He directed the agencies toadhere to the guidelines of theNational Green Tribunal andconditions of the contractagreement to avoid criminalproceedings. Agencies werealso directed to enhance watersprinkling on the road to min-imize the dust besides dump-

ing the muck at only identifieddumping yards.

Issues related to landacquisition, removal of struc-tures and shifting of powertransmission towers were alsodiscussed in detail.

Earlier, the representativesof construction agenciesapprised the DC with regard tothe progress and issues relatedto execution of work in theirrespective working areas.

Hindi Theatre needs to be commercialised says MukulNag in Natrang's International Theatre Talk Show

JAMMU : Natrang’sInternational Theatre Talk Show fea-tured eminent theatre, film and televi-sion actor and senior NSD graduateShri Mukul Nag today live on theFacebook page of Natrang where heenlightened the global audience withhis motivational ‘Vision of Theatre’.Director Natrang, Padmashri BalwantThakur stated that this InternationalTalk Show of Natrang has the creditto feature eminent and prominent the-atre personalities of India and abroadwho have received accolades for theirbrilliant work and have done tremen-dous contribution in the field of the-atre. The presence of such toweringpersonalities at a single platformmakes this Talk Show special andarchival.

Introducing Shri Mukul Nag,Natrang’s senior artist Neeraj Kantinformed that Mukul Nag is anaccomplished actor, his first play,Taimoor or Balak, was directed andacted by himself at the age of 12years. After finishing his studies, hepursued training at National Schoolof Drama. He then acted with SagarFilms in Shri Krishna as Sudama andAshvatthama. He has the credit ofworking with best and seasoned the-atre artists and Directors like B.M.Shah, B. V. Karanth, Raushan Seth,Barry John, Rajendra Nath, RichardFowler (Denmark), Satyadev Dube,

Badal Sarkar, Rajendra Prasanna,M.K. Raina, Fritz Benewitz(Germany), Christon London Smith(Britain) and Rhodney Marriot(USA). He has done numerousacclaimed plays which include‘Shatarmurg’, ‘Godaan’, ‘KaviKahani’, ‘Jaloos’, ‘GhasiramKotwal’, ‘Anji’, ‘Karmabhoomi’,Andha Yug’, ‘Rustam’, ‘KhamoshAdalat Jari Hai’ etc.’ It is pertinent tomention here that he did his directori-al debut with the film ‘Zarb’ in theyear 2016 which was shortlisted atthe 3rd Navi Mumbai InternationalFilm Festival. As an actor he has donemany films, which includes ‘MereSai Ram’, ‘Chowky’, ‘Aami JeTomar’, ‘Vidhata Tere Khel HaiNirale’, ‘Jeet Lengey Jahan’,‘Rahmat Ali’, ‘Apharan’, ‘James’,‘Phantom’, ‘Aan:Men at Work’,‘Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose: TheForgotten Hero’, ‘Gangajal’ etc.

In a highly engaging session,Mukul expressed his vision of theatreand also narrated his long and event-ful journey as an actor. ModestMukul asserts that theatre which is aninnate art, is being practiced sinceeternity. He narrated some interestingand inspirational anecdotes of hisstruggle time. As a child, he had agreat impact of ‘Durga Pooja’ whenhe used to watch theatre and gotattracted to it, awe-struck Mukul as a

child got amazed to see how peopleget glued to what happens on stageand he decided to do theatre.Persistent Mukul got selected in NSDin his 7th attempt and paved a way forsuccess, which is a lesson for youngtheatre enthusiasts who get disheart-

ened and disillusioned with refusalsso early. Mukul feels concerned thatthere is very less audience for Hinditheatre and desires that theatre shallbe sustainable which is not dependenton grants and sponsorships, it has tobe commercialized and generate larg-er audiences. Moreover, he visionstheatre to reach to the sustainabilitylevel of films and also suggests thatfor this, theatre people shall find thetopics which are interesting for theaudience rather than thrusting ourown choice on them. It has to bedigestive for them so that they enjoy,relax and feel good in addition to get-

ting informed while watching plays.He also believes that theatre practi-tioners have to get united for the larg-er benefit of theatre and society. Heasserts that this is ironic that no mat-ter how much genuine and good the-atre people do, they get due populari-ty and stability when they get fea-tured in television or films. Theatrefor him is far away from nepotismand he salutes all those theatre enthu-siasts who have kept the flame of the-atre alive with their continuousefforts. Mukul believes that theatrepeople put a lot of effort in their train-ing which shall not go unrewarded.Advising young actors, Mukul sug-gests that actors should read thescripts as many times as possible asthis would give a great insight tothem. Speaking about his process ofconceptualizing a character, he saidthat he tries to relate the character tohimself and feeds the similarities inhis sub-conscious mind which worksfor him. He also shared several inter-esting experiences of his popularprojects. Mukul praised Natrang forits highly professional and consider-able work which is rooted and praise-worthy, he nostalgically rememberedthat he had a wonderful experience ofworking with Natrang once andexpressed his acceptance to work inJammu with Natrang once again insome meaningful project.

Govt. PG College for Women, Gandhi Nagar JammuinauguratedFaculty Development Programme

JAMMU, Sept. 29 :Govt. PG College forWomenGandhi Nagar Jammuin collaboration with Tech.Edu Teacher organizes Tendays Faculty DevelopmentProgramme on theme- “ICTtools for Reaching andTeaching RemoteLearners inHigher Education” under thePatronage of CommissionerSecretary, Department ofHigher Education,JanabTalatParvezRohella andable guidance of Principal,Govt. PG College for WomenGandhi Nagar, Prof. (Dr.)Sangita Nagari. The pro-gramme was planned withmotive to polish the teachingskills amongst facultyand tomake aware about the latestICT tools for interactiveteaching and blended learningwhich will also help in devel-oping better equipped andknowledgeable faculty whowill hopefully become moreeffective role models for thetoday's smart students. Morethan 100 participants fromvarious Schools, Colleges andUniversities of UT of Jammu

and Kashmir and other Stateshave registered themselves.The programme was inaugu-rated by the Patron and

Principal of the College,Prof.(Dr.)Sangita Nagari. Inher inaugural address, sheex-pressed that teaching profes-sion is the most satisfied oneand it provides ample oppor-tunities to give back to thesociety. Stressing upon theimportance of Faculty

Development Programmes inpresent scenario, she statedthat teachers should try newmethods, dare to take chal-

lenges, keep the targets highand achieve them by usingdigital teaching and learningtools.Prof. Mala Bhasin,Convener,FDPwelcomed theeminent speakers and partici-pants. She said that the pres-ent situation demands highquality teaching and learning

from teachers. Teachers haveto possess a great deal ofknowledge and skill withregard to both teaching andassessment practices in orderto meet those demands andstandards of quality educationand this FDP is one step aheadto accomplish that task. Theinauguralsession started withthe presentation of Prof.Samuel Johnson, of VITAPSchool of Business, on learn-ing basics of video confer-ence tool who spoke on howto use these tools for interac-tive teaching and blendedlearning. Theresource personsfor the ten days programmeare- Mr. DereckSeshire ofUK, Dr. S. RukomiaKangaruof Kenya, DrSaliniRosalineand GVS Santoshboth from India.Dr.NidhiSuri, organizingSecretarypresented the vote ofthanks. The programme wascoordinated by Prof.AmbicaKumari, NodalOfficer Career Counsellingand Co-ordinator of FDP whoalso acted as Moderator forthe day.

Directs Power Department for establishment of task force to ensure uninterrupted power supply

Navin Choudhary reviews arrangementsfor transportation of fruit crops

Directs for hassle free movement of fruit laden trucksSRINAGAR, SEPTEM-

BER 29 : Principal SecretaryAgriculture and HorticultureDepartments, Navin KumarChoudhary today chaired ameeting to review thearrangements for smoothtransportation of fruit crops tooutside of the Valley at CivilSecretariat here.

The meeting was attendedby DC Udhampur, PiyushSingla, DC Poonch, RahulYadav, SSP Traffic Highway,ADC Anantnag, ACRRamban, Director Planningand Marketing and other offi-cials through VideoConferencing while SPTraffic, representatives offruit mandies of Sopore,Shopian, Kulgam and otherdistricts attended the meetingin person.

Speaking during the meet-ing, Navin Choudhary direct-

ed the officials to strictlyenforce one way traffic espe-cially during the peak fruitseason.

He impressed upon theofficers to sensitise officials at

choking points for better reg-ulation and management oftraffic for smooth passage offruit trucks.

Navin stressed upon theofficials to devise a mecha-nism for special marking offruit trucks with proper signsand marks so that they can be

facilitated for smooth passageon National Highway. Heasked them to maintain propertime schedule for inbound andoutbound traffic besides regu-lar monitoring of the critical

points.Highlighting the need for

effective coordination, thePrincipal Secretary impressedupon the officers to maintainregular coordination betweencontractors and other execut-ing agencies so that the high-way is maintained on regular

basis.Navin Choudhary further

directed the officials to form ateam of officials in districtsAnantnag, Ramban, Poonchand Udhampur and deputethem along National Highwayfor identification of fruittrucks and their proper pas-sage.

Speaking on the occasionthe representatives of fruitmandies raised several issueswith the Principal Secretaryregarding fruit crops and otherissues.

Navin Choudhary assuredthem that all of their genuineissues will be looked into andaddressed on priority. Heasked them to downloadKisan Rath App and takeadvantage of it as it facilitatesfarmers and traders acrossIndia for smooth transporta-tion of fruit produce.

Webinar on‘ Ek Bharat Shresth Bharat’ organisedby PIB & ROB Jammu

JAMMU, Sep 29 : PressInformation Bureau andRegional Outreach Bureau,Jammu organised a webinaron ‘Ek Bharat ShreshthaBharat’ (EBSB) in close coor-dination with PIB Chennaiand ROB Chennai in order togive wide dissemination tothe themes of EBSB with spe-cial focus on Music, MusicalInstruments and Dresses ofJ&K, Ladakh and Tamil Naduwhich was chaired by Smt.Devpreet Singh, Addl.Director General, PIB, NorthZone.

The webinar was alsoattended by Shri KamarajJayaraman, Joint Director,ROB, Chennai and Miss NehaJalali, Deputy Director, ROB& PIB, Jammu.

The objectives of EkBharat Shareshtha Bharatbeing to celebrate the unity indiversity of our Nation, topromote the spirit of nationalintegration, to showcase therich heritage and culture, cus-toms and traditions of eitherState for enabling people tounderstand and appreciate thediversity of India.

Smt. Devpreet Singh, inher address, said that reci-procity and mutual interactionbetween people of variousregions of India was essentialfor developing commonunderstanding and apprecia-tion for people of other

regions and cultures. This, shesaid, was the basis forstrengthening cultural diversi-ty of India. While welcomingthe participants and the guests

she said that this webinar is anopportunity for the studentsand other participants to learnabout the culture and espe-cially the versatile danceforms of the partner states.

Ms Neha Jalali, DeputyDirector, PIB & ROB J&Ksaid that though the pandemichad restricted field outreachbut had opened up new vistasfor increasing digital footprintof Government Departmentsespecially in terms of infor-mation dissemination and out-reach. Dr. Kuldeep Raina,Asistant Prof. & HODDepartment of Music, Govt.MAM College Jammu spokeabout Music, MusicalInstruments and Dresses ofJ&K and Ladakh.He threwlight on the social connection

of various forms of Musicacross J&K and Ladakh. Hementioned about forms likethose sung in marriages, festi-vals, religious rituals, tales

etc. He spoke in details of var-ious forms of music of Jammulike Bhakh, Suhag-Ghodiyan,Raahdey etc tomentiona few. While speakingabout Music of Kashmir hementioned Vanvuns,Laddishah, Naindal Boath ,Bhand Pathar etc.

While speaking about var-ious forms of music ofLadakh he said song inLadakhi is called “Lu”. Hespoke about various songssung during marriages, festi-vals, rituals etc. He also spokeabout Sanskar geet, DharmikGeet, Veer Gatha geet etc. tomention a few. He also show-cased various musical instru-ment of J&K and Ladakhusing power point presenta-tions.

Dr. D.K. Hari and Dr. D.K.Hema Hari Founders BharathGyan Chennai spoke aboutthe Music, MusicalInstruments and Dresses ofTamil Nadu. They said thatTamil Classical and folkmusic dates back to ancienttime of Ramayana. The refer-ences of Tamil music can befound in Sangam literature.Villu Pattu (Bow String) is atraditional storytelling andfolk tales telling style ofTamil Nadu. Musical instru-ments they said wereMridangam, Thavil, Ghatam,N a t t u v a n g a m ,T a l a m N a d a s w a r a m /Nagaswaram, flute, Morsing,Violin and Veena commonlyused in Tamil Nadu.

Virtual live performancesof Dogri Songs, Kudd,Kashmiri Songs, Tamil Folkand Classical songs by theempanelled artists of ROBJammu and ROB Chennaimade the webinar morecolourful and lively.

Besides, the webinar wasalso attended by artists ofROB Chennai, ROB Jammuand Students of JammuUniversity, Degree CollegeBhaderwah, Music and FineArts Jammu & Chennai,Kalakshetra Foundation,Chennai Govt. MAM CollegeJammu, Govt. GGM Collegeof Science Jammu & localinstitutions of Jammu.

Jan Abhiyan: Div Com Jammu listens to public grievancesAssures quality disposal; resolves several issues on the spot

JAMMU, SEPTEMBER29 : Divisional CommissionerJammu, Sanjeev Verma, todayheld a public Sunwai campand listened to public griev-ances as a part of Jan Abhiyanlaunched by Jammu andKashmir Government in therun up to Back-to-Villagephase III programme.

On the occasion, scores ofpublic delegations, individu-als put forth their demandsseeking early disposal of thesame.

A deputation of kerosenedealers from Rajouri districtcomplained that they are notgetting regular supply of thequota from the last 6 months.

The Div Com asked theconcerned officer to look intothe matter and resolve it at theearliest.A widow from districtKathua sought financial assis-tance for construction of herown house, while anotherwidow of Jammu soughtwidow pension and financialassistance for business to feedher children.

A group of people runninga school for providing free

education to poor childrensought allotment of land inSamba to open another insti-tution for the same purpose.Other delegations and indi-

viduals also apprised theDivisional Commissionerabout the problems includingdelayed payment of rent ofland under army use, issueswith the insurance companyand other issues of public con-cern. The Div Com gave apatience hearing to all thedeputations, individuals andpassed on the spot directionsto the concerned officers for

resolving the issues. Heassured quality disposal of allthe genuine demands at theearliest.

Additional Commissioner

Jammu, besides other con-cerned officers were alsopresent at the public griev-ances camp.

Later, the DivisionalCommissioner convened avideo conference meeting toreview the progress on landacquisition for Border RoadOrganization projects pertain-ing to district Rajouri.

Deputy Commissioner

Rajouri along with other con-cerned officers besidesOfficers of BRO attended thevideo conference meeting.

Threadbare discussions

were held on various landissues and the Div Comsought case wise status fromthe DC Rajouri. The DCRajouri informed that in allthe pending land cases ofBRO final drafts have beenissued.

The Div Com asked theDC to expedite the processand resolve all the pendingcases of BRO at the earliest.

Sawhney Visits Jammu East, Takes Stock of People's Problems

Jammu East Ignored and Neglected bythe Administration : Sawhney

JAMMU, Sept. 29 :Former Minister J&K YogeshSawhney recently visitedJammu East Constituency inorder to examine the currentstate and issues of the resi-dents of the area. He under-took an inspection tour ofsome of the areas to interactwith the locals and find outthe problems that they havebeen encountering. The peo-ple complained of poor infra-structure, lanes and housingconditions in the city, coupledwith a lack of developmentalinitiatives by the government.Clamped houses and streets,lack of parking facilities, traf-fic congestion, miserable con-dition of the drainage system,broken and unrepaired streetswere some of the other issuesbrought to light in the discus-sions.

One of the main issues that

were highlighted by the shop-keepers of the City during thevisit was the issue of the poordrainage system. It was saidthat the sewage leakage fromdrains running on either sideof the roads was ruining theirhouses and shops. They hadbeen demanding that thedrainage system be fixed sothat problems arising out of itcan be resolved. Furthermore,people face traffic issues on adaily basis and have no placeto complain.

Sawhney called attentionto the plight of the residents ofJammu East who feel neglect-ed and ignored and said thattheir problems are falling ondeaf ears. He assured thelocals that he would conveytheir grievances to the rightauthorities to resolve theseproblems in a timely man-ner.Sawhney was accompa-

nied by DCC Vice PresidentsDr. Ramakant Khajuria,

Pawan Dev Singh, M.L.Malager General Secretaries

DCC Atul Sharma, SushantSharma and Vinay Dutta ,

Ward Presidents RamMagotra and Ajay Kumar.

TRUTH PREVAILJAMMU WEDNESDAY SEPTEMbER 30, 20203 NEWS

JAMMU, SEPTEMBER29 : Superintending Engineer(Distribution) JPDCL, O&MCircle, Kathua has informedthat for pole erection andreconductoring of works underIPDS scheme, the power sup-ply to Bari-Brahmana Town,Dollian, Telli Basti and BirpurComplex Kartholi Industrieswill remain affected onOctober 01 from 8 am to 1 pm.

Power shutdown

Project RKVY-RAFTAARSKUAST Jammu launches 2nd chapter of 2 month

Training Program for Agri start-upsJAMMU, SEPTEM-

BER 29 : Two months agri-entrepreneurship Start uptraining program was todayinaugurated, here at Agri-Business Incubator,SKUAST Jammu.

Vice Chancellor, Prof. J.PSharma was the Chief Gueston the occasion.

In his message, Prof.Sharma briefed about theimportant role of innovationand entrepreneurship in theelevation of the agriculturalsector and its various stake-holders. He exhorted theyoung entrepreneurs to thinkoutside the box and come upwith unique creative ideasfor establishment of theirstart ups. He advised the par-ticipants to have an informa-tive and interactive twomonths training programme.

The training program issponsored by Ministry ofAgriculture & Farmers’Welfare, Govt. of India and isbeing organized by AgriBusiness Incubator,SKUAST-J housed at theDivision of AgriculturalEconomics & ABM. Theprogram has innovation andentrepreneurship develop-ment as its main compo-nents. The training pro-gramme will focus onAgribusiness startups andwill be instrumental in pro-

viding them a unique plat-form that will act as a launch-pad to give wings to theircreative and critical thinkingabilities in providing innova-tive solutions for today’smarket needs.

Earlier, Dr.Jyoti Kachroo,Prof. & Head and P.I, R-ABIJammu briefed about theRKVY-RAFTAAR Projecthighlighting Udgam (Agri-preneurship OrientationProgramme/Pre seed stagefunding) and Pragati (Seedstage funding programme) asGrant in aid to start-ups. Shealso discussed the training

pedagogy and major focusareas to be covered duringthe training programme andshared in brief the successstories of previously heldtraining programmes therebyencouraging the participantsto have an interactive train-ing for gaining both theoreti-cal and practical knowledgeabout key areas related toagri-entrepreneurship. Sheassured the participants ofcomplete support from theAgri Business Incubator inproviding relevant trainingand mentorship to facilitatethe establishment of their

respective start ups. Statutoryofficers of the Universityalong with Heads of variousdivisions were also presentduring the programme.

The proceedings of theprogramme were conductedby Dr. S.P Singh & Dr. AnilBhat (Asst. Prof. and Co-P.Is). Business Executives,Mr. Ashish Kumar Isher andTarunjeet Singh facilitatedthe online streaming of theprogramme. Programmeconcluded with vote ofthanks by Dr. SudhakarSwivedi, Associate Prof. &Co-P.I of the Project.

"Dr Jitendra Singh's timely intervention hailed"Women married in J&K, wards with PRC of Mother/Father get-

ting Domiciles appreciative : Raman SuriJAMMU, September 29

: Appreciating proposals ofthe Jammu andKashmirUnion Territory gov-ernment, led by LieutenantGovernor Manoj Sinha, toamend rules enabling thewomen married hereas well

as thechildrenhaving PRC ofeither Mother or Father, toget Domicile Certificatesissued in their favour,Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)J&K Executive MemberRaman Suri said that timelyintervention of UnionMinister in PMO Dr JitendraSingh has come as a boon formany who were facing theseteething issues.

Dr Jitendra Singh hadtaken up the matter with LGManoj Sinha seeking amend-ment to the rules for ease inissuing Domicile Certificate.Now that formal orders willbe issued soon, this step willfacilitate issuing DomicileCertificate to children havingPRC of any of the parentsand to women from outsideUT who are married to PRCholder men, which will give along way in winning the con-fidence of people.

Raman Surisaid,Bharatiya Janata Party(BJP) government at theCentre is quite sensitive tosuch issues and is watchingdevelopment in Jammu andKashmir very closely. Suchissues that crop up are beingaddressed immediately sothat in the new UT of J&K,no one faces such issues andthere is only development.Representatives of J&K inUnion Ministry are alsokeeping an eye on theseissues and resolving themfrom time to time.

Raman Suri added thatnow Permanent ResidentCertificate of any parent,either father or mother, willalso make their wards eligi-ble for Domicile Certificatesin Jammu and Kashmir. Allthose women, who are from

other states but married inJ&K, are now eligible to getDomicile Certificates com-fortably, just as they used toget the PRC.

He added that BJP is com-mitted to give people a grace-ful and dignified life, where

equality prevails. Post abro-gation of Article 370, Jammuand Kashmir is witnessingmassive changes and manymore such initiatives, thatwill change the fate of peopleespecially youth, are also inoffing.

JAMMU, SEPTEMBER29 : To promote Horticulturein Kandi areas of Jammu dis-trict, the Department ofHorticulture today organizedone day Farmers’ AwarenessCamp, here at Bajalta area ofBlock Nagrota.

Chief Horticulture OfficerJammu, S. Sarabjit Singh,District Level-Subject MatterSpecialist (Pomology),Sandeep Gupta, HorticultureDevelopment Officer, Dansal,Sandeep Sharma, BDCChairman, Block Nagrota,Rehmat Ali, CorporatorSidhra, Mumtaz besides farm-ers/ Fruit growers in largenumber participated in thecamp.

Five Hundred Families ofthe area were provided 1500fruit plants at 90% subsidyunder Backyard HorticultureProgramme. All the SOPs forCOVID-19 were followedand people were impartedawareness regarding COVID-19 Pandemic.

The District HorticultureOfficer advised the farmers/fruit growers to keep closeliaison with the field func-

tionaries of the department totake maximum benefits avail-able under Centrally

Sponsored Schemes/ StateSector Schemes. He directedthe concerned HorticultureDevelopment Officer toorganize more such camps inother areas also so that a max-imum number of farmers arebenefited. He stated that thisBackyard HorticultureScheme has got three impor-tant motives of promotinggreenery in the surrounding,to create pollution free atmos-phere and create awarenessamong people regarding

atmospheric pollution and lastbut not the least to promoteproduction of organic pesti-

cides free fruit for home con-sumption.

The Subject MatterSpecialist, while interactingwith the participants, briefedthem about the differentschemes/ Programs presentlyunder implementation in thedistrict.

The BDC Chairmenthanked the department fororganizing such a beneficialprogramme and urged them toorganize more such camps infuture.

Farmers’ awareness camp held at Bajalta500 families provided fruit trees under BH scheme

DIP/J-5171/20, Dt : 29-09-2020

Sarmad Hafeez reviews functioning of Tourism DepttAsks for formulating activity calendar, stresses on close coordination between Department, stakeholders

SRINAGAR, SEPTEM-BER 29 : Secretary, YouthServices, Sports, Culture &Tourism, Sarmad Hafeezreviewed the functioning ofTourism Department in ameeting of officers heretoday.

Addressing the meeting,Sarmad Hafeez asked theDepartment to make allarrangements for the comingseasons as tourism is gradual-ly being opened all acrosswith all COVID protocols andprecautions. He said the worldhas now realized to live withCOVID and all activities arebeing planned accordingly.He said the need has been feltof practicing responsible

tourism in view of COVIDpandemic and efforts shouldbe made in the direction.

The Tourism Secretaryasked the Department to pre-pare a calendar of activitiesfor the coming seasons withspecific themes and projec-tions. He said Jammu &Kashmir has the uniquenessof one stop destination that itpresents a unique bouquet ofactivities and destinations totourists all around the year.This uniqueness, he added,should be properly marketedin the tourism market forwhich he asked theDepartment to make allefforts. Sarmad Hafeez said asthe tourism stakeholders have

suffered hugely due toCOVID pandemic and theDepartment appreciates theirconcerns in this regard. Hestressed the need for betterand close coordinationbetween the Department andthe stakeholders by which thesector would be taken out ofthis situation.

The Tourism Secretarytook a sector wise review ofRegistration, Publicity,Recreation, Estates, Workssections and stressed oncapacity building of availablemanpower in the Departmentand in the tourism sector.

Earlier, Director, Tourism,Kashmir, Nisar Ahmad Wanigave a detailed overview of

the activities of theDepartment during the lasttwo years through aPowerPoint presentation. Hesaid the Department is in theprocess of formulating anactivity calendar for the com-ing seasons. He said theDepartment so far has dis-bursed COVID relief amongmore than 11 thousandtourism stakeholders includ-ing Shikarawalas, ponywal-las, tourist guides, sledgewal-las etc. and cases of manymore are in pipeline.

Joint Director, Tourism,Kashmir, Tabassum ShafatKamili and other senior offi-cers of the Department werepresent in the meeting.

TRUTH PREVAILJAMMU WEDNESDAY SEPTEMbER 30, 20204 EDITORIAL/ARTICLE

"How dare you?"It would seem the pandemic has not dampened the

determination of Swedish activist Greta Thunberg totry and hold the governments of the world responsiblefor increasingly catastrophic climate change. It is a factthat even beyond the stifling grasp of the pandemic, theyear 2020 has been marked with many weather-relatedcatastrophes which have struck already vulnerable pop-ulations in tandem with the contagion. Forest fires,abnormal heatwaves and destructive floods are all asign that climate change is a fast-approaching tippingpoint beyond which there is no return as disasters per-petuate disasters and go beyond current human capabil-ity. Leaders and industry heads have shown visiblereluctance to heed the scale of destruction, engaging inbad faith arguments, making promises that are renegedupon later as economies and the current consumption-based neo-capitalist juggernaut powers on, unheedingof the signs of a dying planet. Thunberg's message wasvery simple from the start. Stop ignoring the signs. Herappeal to the youth, to those who would inherit thisdying world, was to become involved and make theirviews heard in a relatively closed global conversationon the direction of global economies. Last week,Thunberg's call for action resulted in demonstrations inas many as 3,100 locations. The pandemic may havelimited the ability of mass gatherings but support flood-ed in online. Still, this is not to say that the physicalprotests were sparsely attended. In Berlin, nearly10,000 demonstrators peacefully sat in protest in frontof the Brandenburg Gate, masks and social distancingobserved and chanting slogans. These slogans calledfor strikes, from universities, schools and companies. Amessage that would send a clear sign to those whosepolitics endanger the planet. The demonstrations partic-ularly tried to draw attention to the disproportional,inequitable and simply unfair burden of climatechange. Nations on the front lines of climate devasta-tion may many times have little in the way of contribu-tions to such a dire situation. One of the youth activistsin Uganda told Reuters that Africa's devastating floodswere neglected by the global community in favour ofthe California wildfires that have grabbed headlinesacross the world. It is the people in the so-called 'glob-al south' that suffer from the ground realities of climatechange and suffer most from inaction over it is as well.Regardless of the nation in question, the protests wereunified in expressing unambiguous anger with the cur-rent state of the climate change fight. As many havepointed out during these recent pandemic times, cli-mate change is the true disaster of our times. A catas-trophe that will create billions of climate refugees andpopulations without access to natural resources likeclean air and drinking water. The current tensions overrefugee crises would look incomparably insignificantto what lies on the other side of a failure to course cor-rect. Eventually, developed, developing or underdevel-oped will be irrelevant terms that will not stop climatechange from affecting the wealthiest and mostadvanced of nations. The current string of climatemishaps taking place across the world is a clear sign ofthis. It is often argued that the current generation ofworld leaders is too invested in the current order ofthings. Change is not an easy progress in a system withcomplex political ins and outs and it is this balancingact that politicians must play that makes them thewrong candidates to affect urgent climate change con-trol measures. What is required is a political outsiderthat cannot be easily ignored and one that cuts acrosslines of compromise and pretension. The youth, inshort, are the ones who can influence a drastic changein the ways of the global economic machine. Whileglobal leaders have attempted to trivialise such gather-ings and assertions as 'unrealistic' or 'childish',Thunberg has managed to win global support withmany world leaders pledging to support her cause, witha few notable outliers who have kept away.

EDITORIAL-Bindu DalmiaTough times are testing the

most resilient of leaders glob-ally. Despite the nation beingconfronted with serial adversi-ties, Modi 2.0 retains andcompounds the PrimeMinister's political capital bypowering on with the reformsagenda, regardless of theclamour by "compulsive con-trarians", as the late ArunJaitley referred to theOpposition.

Since the lockdown, theCentre has pressed ahead witha series of incrementalreforms: From theAtmanirbharta series to theNational Education Policy(NEP) 2020 and the trilogy ofagriculture reforms. Thenthere are the three new Billsintended to consolidate socialsecurity for migrant labourers,which will impact 80 per centof the population employed inthe informal sector. The seriesof post-pandemic legislationscannot be viewed in silos butmust be seen as a set of struc-tural and incremental reformsaimed at rebooting the econo-my and improving the ease ofdoing business (EODB) forfarmers.

The post-Corona "newnormal" challenges every vec-tor of economic growth tooptimise and convergeresource efficiencies. This isso that each vertical of theeconomy turns self-sustainingand profitable. Agriculture isone vertical that has been con-stantly dependent on subsi-dies, doles and welfarism.This has been a constant drainon the exchequer as it wascompelled to fund an uneco-nomic sector. To make mattersworse, the farm sector deliv-ered only subsistence-levelearnings to the farmers, apoint validated by the NSSO(National Sample SurveyOffice) estimates which showthat rural indebtedness esca-lated by 12 per cent between1993 to 2013.

Mitigating agrarian dis-tress requires reducingdependency on cultivation as asource of livelihood and mov-ing towards value-added man-ufacturing. Because, a whop-ping 58 per cent of our work-force is dependent on farmincome, but contributes only17 per cent to India's GrossDomestic Product (GDP). Atpresent, agriculture can onlydeliver a growth rate of 3.4 percent per annum, whereas weneed the sector to increase itsproductivity potential to atleast 10 per cent in order to liftrural India out of poverty.Increasing per capita earningscan only happen throughexpansion of economic activi-ty by firing equally on all fourcylinders of the economy:Agriculture, manufacturing,exports and services.

Essentially, the intent ofany reform must be gauged bythe "degree of inclusivityembedded in its blueprint."Considering that 500 millionof our workforce is engaged infarming, the landmark reformswill have a net positive impactas the agricultural sectormoves from a subsidy-centricto a market-oriented approach,encouraging the agripreneurialaspirations of the growers.

The agri-reforms, thoughpolitically sensitive, weremuch needed after 73 years ofIndependence in order to tran-sit towards a "One Nation,One Market." Each farm Billenables this transition differ-ently. But this article specifi-cally focusses on the Farmers(Empowerment andProtection) Agreement onPrice Assurance and FarmServices Bill, 2020, whichwill increase efficiencies inthe low-profit agriculture sec-tor by opening it up to contractfarming.

Why is corporatising agri-culture a farmer-friendlyreform? India, having maturedto a food-surplus economy, istoday more in need offocussing on "surplus-man-agement" to decrease wastage.This will increase farmers'profitability by ramping upcold storage facilities andfood-processing infrastructurethat will lead to value-addedmanufacturing. The annualagri-wastage is estimated atRs 92,000 crore, so corporati-sation of the sector will enablebuilding a seamless farm-to-consumer supply chain.

Contrary to allegations thatthe legislation is loaded infavour of corporates, I wish tosubstantiate through empiricalevidence how corporatisingthe sector benefited farmers.It profited growers by under-writing their seasonal producethrough a negotiated pre-fixedprice with corporates thatoffered income surety. It alsoencouraged a shift frommono-cropping to crop diver-sification, bought in new tech-nologies and helped in financ-ing and modernisation. Thebest Indian examples of cor-poratising farming are seenfrom the outcomes of theAmul paradigm, the e-chau-pals and the Patanjali modelsof sourcing from farmers' col-

lectives.The active involvement of

farmers in shared initiativescreates a sense of co-owner-ship as seen in the successfulprototype of the Amul cooper-ative which was legendary inleading the White Revolution.Today, India is the largestmilk producer, and Amul isthe largest food productFMCG outfit with a Rs52,000 crore turnover. Thewinning philosophy of Amul'sstrategy was that it treated thedairy farmer as a stakeholderby offering him higher pricesfor the produce while pur-chasing, yet sold it to the con-sumers at marginal profits.

I am guilty of being politi-cally incorrect by validatinganother example on how pur-suing a successful Chinesetemplate can benefit India,too. In 2016, the State Councilof China officially made rurale-commerce a national strate-gy in its anti-poverty drive,which decreased poverty ratesfrom 10.2 per cent to 1.7 percent in the last six years. Andone of the ways it achievedthis was by uplinking farmersonto Alibaba's e-commerceplatforms of the TaobaoVillage.

The Bill on contract farm-ing is a win-win for both sup-pliers and marketers. The col-lectives gain by tapping intomultiple synergies derivedfrom the corporates' ability tosupport post-harvest logistics,processing, packaging, brand-ing, retailing and their accessto a wide distribution net-work. Marginal and smallfarmers own less than fivehectares of land, so when theyform collectives, the aggrega-tion favours regular income,and, in fact, serves to enhancetheir collective economic andbargaining power.

Narendra Modi had prom-ised to double farmers'income by 2022. The statusquo in their earnings willremain if this incrementalreform is not translated intoaction. The challenge is dou-bling farmers' income withoutunduly raising consumerprices, even as input costscontinuously increase. Toboost profitability, farmersneed the skill sets at the com-mand of corporates who havedeeper insights into the ever-changing consumer needs.

To cater to the alteredbehavioural profile of thepost-contagion consumersmean that they now havediminished purchasing power,yet seek superior nutritionalbenefits, better hygiene andcontactless doorstep delivery.Also, the share of cereals inmiddle-income households isreducing in favour of fruits,vegetables and milk. Demandfor value-added processedfoods is on the rise. Increasinghealth and wellness aware-ness, too, is generatingdemand for a wider variety offoodgrains. This calls for afundamental transformationfor the farmer, from sellingwhatever was his traditionalproduce to adapting to whatthe consumer actually wants.

When demand-drivenvalue chains enter the sector,they bring enormous benefitsto the growers as they are ableto align production with mar-ket demands. Because, at theend of the day, increased cropproductivity alone is not suffi-cient to raise farmer incomesif market needs do not supportsuch production.

Eventually, the Centremust aim at building consen-sus by assuaging apprehen-sions of farmers, who arebeing misled through fear-mongering by vested inter-ests, lest they succeed in sab-otaging a progressive legisla-tion, as in the case of abortingthe Land Acquisition Bill.Though agriculture is not inthe Concurrent List andremains a State subject, as thenew laws deal with inter-Statetrade, it becomes a Centralsubject. This should hold upto legal scrutiny. The Centre isthen well within its rights toenact laws and no StateGovernment that challengedthis provision has won in thepast.

Besides, over time, oncefarming turns into a lucrativeindustry, it holds the potentialof widening the taxpayer baseand could then be consideredfor being transferred to theUnion list. The Centre shouldin fact aim at taxing farmersthus far exempt from taxation.Especially the rich growerswith over 10 acres of land. Afair yardstick of evaluatingtaxation herein would be totake three-year averages, asthere are annual variations inproduce due to climate-risks.

Ultimately, India must har-ness the potential to transforminto a mega food processinghub by optimising efficien-cies, as the farmer, too, aspiresto move up in Masclow's hier-archy of needs and go beyondthe Congress era slogan of"roti, kapra aur makaan (food,clothing and housing)" to par-take in a thriving moderneconomy.

Bills to grow farmers’ income

Humana People to People-Anil SwarupIt was 2017. I had taken

over as Secretary, SchoolEducation, Government ofIndia a few months ago. Iwas on a visit to a govern-ment primary school inHaryana. The sight was anincredible one. This was nota typical set of children in aschool. They were neither ofsimilar age nor in schooluniform but appearedextremely keen and eager. Acouple of adults in the roomwere also not the usualteachers as I walked into theroom along with SnoreWestgard and BR Sinha,who were tasked to managethe work of Humana Peopleto People in India. I was sub-sequently informed thatthese were out-of-schoolchildren (OOSC). Anattempt was now being madeto mainstream them. Eachchild in the room haddropped out and each had adifferent reason for doing so.

In 2005, the HumanaPeople to People Indiadecided to address the plightof the OOSC, especially thechildren living in slums inurban and semi-urban areas.The project was coined as'Academies for WorkingChildren' and varied from ahandful of children seated ona dhurrie (mat) to properclassrooms in rented build-

ings. From 2005 to 2015,around 15,000 children ben-efited from these 'acade-mies'. While around 50 percent of the children weremainstreamed in govern-ment primary schools atsome time during their edu-cation, the project was 'inde-pendent' of the governmentand was dependent on fullfunding from privatesources, which limited thescale of the programme.

With the Right toEducation Act in 2010, anidea emerged for developinga pedagogical and opera-tional model that wasaligned with the RTE act andthe specific MHRD pro-gramme for OOSC underSarva Shiksha Abhiyan. Theattempt now was to developa strategy based on public-private partnership. Fromaround 2013 to 2015, theteaching-learning materials,the tools and the modelswere developed, designedand piloted at a very smallscale in different CSR fund-ed projects. The first largerprogramme with 2000 chil-dren was implemented incooperation with BhartiFoundation and RSKMadhya Pradesh in the ses-sion 2015-2016 in two of theState's tribal districts,Bharwani and Jhabua. Afterthe initial success in Madhya

Pradesh, in July 2016 anagreement was signed with'Educate a Child' — a pro-gramme under TheEducation Above AllFoundation, for mainstream-ing 30,000 children inHaryana over three years. InOctober, the same year, anMOU was signed with theDepartment of SchoolEducation (DeSE) inHaryana. The Departmentcommitted to pay for theKadam Teachers (EducationVolunteers) and the printingof the Kadam Tool Kits foreach child. These contribu-tions by the State took off inthe second year of the proj-ect. By July 2019, the proj-ect had enrolled over 40,000children and successfullymainstreamed over 34,000children, after closing theirlearning gaps. An assess-ment of the mainstreamedchildren showed that over 90per cent stayed in school,and performed on average atpar with the other children.

In 2017 and 2018, theregional workshops organ-ised by the Ministry ofEducation enabled HPPI topresent the Kadam model at4 of the 5 regional work-shops and discuss extensive-ly with States. This gave aboost to the Public-PrivatePartnership Model andresulted in MOUs with

Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra,Uttar Pradesh and Jammuand Kashmir. A model forbridge education was alsodeveloped under the name of'Kadam +'. This approach forremedial learning and bridgeeducation for in-school chil-dren has reached out to54,000 children in MadhyaPradesh, Uttar Pradesh andJharkhand. The childrenspend 70 per cent of theirtime working in groups ofthree — TRIOs, doing exer-cises that are directly linkedto NCERT defined learningcompetencies. In all, 540competencies and 10 stepsacross 5 grades and 4 sub-jects. The competencies andthe corresponding exercisesare organised in a logicalmanner so the children learnby constructing new knowl-edge based on the old andmoving at their own pace upthrough the competenciesand the steps.

A baseline determines theentry step, and their agedetermines the end goal forthe exit step. Each child hasan assessment card calledTMP Card — Tracking MyProgress Card, so theprogress is visible for thechild. The rest of the time,the teacher leads the pro-gramme, organising the chil-dren in activities undermonthly themes. Once a

month, the parents are invit-ed to a parent-teacher meet-ing. Engagements with par-ents is an important compo-nent of the programme.Identification of OOSC iswhere it all begins. It is per-haps the most difficult partas well. Areas with a numberof OOSC are identified andthe catchment area of theGPS in that area defined.The Kadam teacher startswith a household survey andthus maps all OOSC in thecatchment area of the school.She mobilises the childrenand the parents to enrol. Theschool allocates a class-room, a veranda or a corridorfor the Kadam Centre. TheCentre ideally runs for 11months, but often only six tonine months as per the state'sallocation of Kadam teach-ers. The GPS is involved inthe programme, the head-teacher supervises and sup-ports the Kadam teacher andthe activities. The Kadamteachers are organised ingroups of 10, who meetweekly and share experi-ences and collect data for theonline MIS. Once a month, abigger meeting with allKadam teachers in a districtis organised. An HPPI dis-trict coordinator leads theoperation in a district incooperation with the districtproject office for SSA. One

of the challenges is a highnumber of drop-outs fromthe programme before main-streaming due to migration.Focus is now on creatingtracking systems of migrat-ing children. The objective isto get them enrolled in anearby school. The plan forthe future is to address theproblem of OOSC boththrough specific specialtraining centres as per theSSA guideline as describedin the PPP model above, andalso develop the 'Kadam +'model where the bridge edu-cation takes place as a partof regular classes in theGPS. HPPI plans to workwith the schools and SMCsto identify and enrol OOSC,and then train regular teach-ers to provide special train-ing facilities for OOSC andchildren that are behind inlearning as a part of their dayto day teaching. OOSC con-tinues to be one of the majorchallenges that beset schooleducation in the country.This aspect has been recog-nised in the NationalEducation Policy 2020 aswell. NGOs like HumanaPeople to People demon-strate that issues relating toOOSC can be addressed sub-stantially through public-pri-vate partnerships. This is theessence of the Nexus ofGood.

FREE MARKET OR COMPANY RAJ?-Indra Shekhar SinghA Bharat bandh, millions

of farmers on the streets,eight Opposition leaders sus-pended, NationalDemocratic Alliance (NDA)partners and RashtriyaSwayamsevak Sangh (RSS)affiliates openly rebellingagainst the Government,these scenes have been dom-inating our news cycles. YetPrime Minister NarendraModi is confident that thethree farm Bills are good forIndia.

Theoretically, the Billsappear well-intentioned butthe devil is always in theimplementation. Overall,they aim to empower farmersto sell from farm-gate but inthe process end up empower-ing corporations and tradersto expand their businessesand swamp the farm to forkchain. A new wave of liberal-isation just rammed intorural India. But many sus-pect the real agenda is gener-ating "agri-dollars" and inthe words of dissenting(Telangana Rashtra Samithi)MP Dr Keshava Rao, to"make an agriculture countryinto a corporate country."

The Government arguesthat farmers are not free tosell anywhere because of a"corrupt and middlemen-infested AgriculturalProduce Market Committee(APMC)." Hence, break theAPMC and free the farmers.Now corporations and anyother person with a PAN cardcan directly procure productsfrom farmers. Agri-businesscompanies can enter intocontracts with them. Butwhat complicated matterswas the lack of substance inthe Bills, no mention of aguaranteed price for farmpick-ups in case of a badyear or excess yields and theGovernment's cavalier man-ner of handling the RajyaSabha last Sunday, negatingdebate and passing the Billsby voice vote. This naturallyraised more doubts. Indianfarmers have had centuriesof slavery under theCompany Raj and perhapsthat's why a muffled voice ofMP SR Balasubramaniam,who evoked the "ChamparanSatyagraha", rang the loud-est. APMC will be replacedby the corporate market asthere is no fair agreementbetween two unequal parties,he stated. He may be rightafter all as a David andGoliath can never have a fairagreement. Neither cansheep and wolves co-oper-ate, nor can a corporationand a marginal Gond farmerin Madhya Pradesh.

Today the farmer is weak,highly indebted and trappedin the cycle of over-produc-tion and low income. Hismonthly household surplus isunder Rs 1,500 per month.This has already beendestroyed by COVID-19.

Each harvest season, hisinput and production costsrise, yet he cannot even sellat a minimum support price(MSP). As per reports, onlysix per cent farmers sell atMSP, the remaining 94 percent are dependent on mar-kets and traders outside theAPMC mandi. Reality check- small and marginal farmerscannot even reach the APMCas they don't have any meansof transportation, forget sell-ing outside their geographiclimits. The majority of farm-ers are marginal. This meansthey only grow enough tofeed their families and sell alittle surplus to the markets.From the village field, awayfrom the town, they some-times find it convenient tosell to local traders.

Most of them begin thesowing season by takingcredit for seeds and fertilis-ers and repay them throughpost-harvest sales. The ten-ant farmers are worse off.They want to sell at MSP butdue to the trader-creditor-farmer relationship and mar-ket forces, which have anupper hand in price fixation,they cannot.

So, on the face of it, liber-alisation seems to be a goodstep as "farmers can sell any-where." But is it? Here wemust go by the warninggiven by MP ProfessorManoj Jha to the RajyaSabha: "You have replacedthe rohu and hilsa with thesharks. You will bring theEast India Company back toIndia." He was referring totraders as the small fish andthe big agri-business corpo-rations as "sharks" that haveno personal connection withfarmers. In fact, most farm-ers still trust their eco-sys-tem of licenced commissionagents as they deliver onprices and guarantee sales.

Given agri-dollars in theirpockets and new reform poli-cies, food majors can breakany market and createmonopolies, forcing thefarmers to sell cheaper or lettheir produce rot. Not con-vinced? Let's go back to thedal scam of 2015. After aninvestigation by the ITdepartment, a scam valued atRs 2.5 lakh crore wasunearthed. The consumerspaid the price by buyingarhar dal at Rs 210/kg. It wasreported that a cartel of agri-

business companies wasresponsible for buying pulsesat low prices through thesupply chain networks andhoarding it overseas, creat-ing artificial scarcity andprofiting immensely by sell-ing the stocks back toIndians at high prices. TheGovernment used theEssential Commodities Act(ECA) to bust hoarders andrecovered 75,000 metrictonnes of dal. But now, eventhe ECA limits on hoardingand stocking are being doneaway with.

In 2006, Bihar removedthe APMC regime and thereal incomes of farmers inthe State have fallen whileprivate investment is yet tomove into the State. Onlytraders are carting producefrom Bihar all the way toPunjab to sell in mandis.

Many vouch for APMCreforms and not its destruc-tion as the regulated marketis still the farmer's bestchance at getting MSP. Thisis evidenced by Punjab.Won't rural India be engulfedby corporate markets thatwill ruin APMC systems andfarmers' rights as the growerswill be left unprotectedovernight without a transi-tional and transparent systemcodified? The SamajwadiParty MP, Professor RamGopal Yadav, asked if thesereforms can assure the farm-ers' good prices? No,because the differencebetween APMC and corpo-rate markets would be of"BSNL and Jio", he said. Itwas Biju Janata Dal MP, DrAmar Patnaik, who had firstwarned against "cartelisa-tion." In effect, the privatesector will be a phoenix ris-ing from the ashes of ourpublic infrastructure.

The biggest problem inprocurement, as we haveseen globally, is grading.Corporations and agro-processors can demand grad-ed products for MSP and ifthe gunny bag is ungraded,they may not buy at all, or ata reduced price. This is com-mon practice, which resultsin huge losses for farmersand food security of theworld. Traditionally tradersgraded the produce. Withthem gone, will farmers beargrading costs? Naturally, ifthey do, MSP can never berealised.

There are also seriousquestions on post-harvestinfrastructure and warehous-ing in rural India. Will thefarmers, due to bad storagefacilities, make distresssales? The new reformsfavour the big farmers and

agri-businesses but are detri-mental for small and margin-al farms (below twohectares) that constitute86.21 per cent of our totalland holdings.

Further, once the marketforces evolve, unless MSP ismade a legal right orGovernment procurementincreases, achieving it willbe a challenge. Contractfarming is specious. Aglimpse into the US model isenough to deduce how thecontracting parties (agri-business firms) force thefarmers to buy their recom-mended seeds, fertilisers andother inputs, often from theirallied stores or vendors andat their prices. They alsoforce the farmers to buymore equipment, increasingthe cost of production eachyear. If the farmers don'tabide, they don't buy the pro-duce and legal proceedingsfollow.

In India, the poultry sec-tor is a good example of howthe owners have beenreduced to farm hands ontheir own property. And totake two steps back, PepsiCofiled a case against Gujaratfarmers unfairly. PepisCohas got more flak as manypotato farmers committedsuicide due to their procure-ment policies in WestBengal. The stories of con-tract used to exploit farmersare endless.

The next big problem isno small and marginalfarmer has access to the Sub-Divisional Magistrate andDistrict Magistrate. Howmany of them will be able togo to the already over-bur-dened official to settle tradedisputes? Even their journeyfor justice will become anightmare given their litera-cy levels and manipulationby the bigger parties. Thecompanies or traders will notbe criminally liable; this is aregressive step favouring bigagri-businesses.

Modi needs to criticallythink about rising farmer sui-cides and doubling farmers'income by 2022. He ought todispel the farmers' doubtsand insist on specifics andmechanisms like ensuringthe retail buyers do not gobeneath a cut-off price.Otherwise, the haze ofsilence can be ominous . Onefears the day when the wordsof Dravida MunnetraKazhagam (DMK) MP TKSElangovan come true - "Tosell the farmers themselvesas slaves to the big industrialhouses… It will kill thefarmers and make them acommodity."

TRUTH PREVAIL

JAMMU, WEDNESDAy, SEPTEMBER 30, 20205 STATE

Ashok inspects

PMGSy road, people

shower gratitude TP CORRESPONDENT

JAMMU, SEPT. 29:Ashok Kumar FormerLegislature from Rambantook an extensive tour atSencha, Nabul andGalibassand inspected the ongoing work of Seri-SenchaPMGSY road up to 16 km.People of Sencha, Nabul andGalibass shower gratitudefor all the previous develop-ment works during histenure.

In a statement issued here,Ashok strongly urged uponthe Lieutenant Governor todirect the concerned authori-ties for black topping, properdrainage and defensive wallsfrom Seri upto Sencha. Inaddition, the road construc-tion has been delayed in lasttwo to three years whichresults in suffering of peopleof rural villages like Sencha,Nabul and Darbote. There ishuge regional disparity tothese villages compare toother rural tracts of Rambandistrict. In a public meetingthe people of Sencha and it'speripheral villages showergratitude for opening of Seri-Sencha road which wasdelayed from last two years.While interacting withFormer MLA, peoplethanked for various develop-ment work during his tenuresuch as shifting of 25 KvaSub-Station Sencha-Darboteto Ramban feeder, creationof 25 Kva transformer atDarbote, up gradation ofMiddle School Sencha, cre-ation of Naibat.

TP CORRESPONDENTJAMMU, SEPT. 29:

Continuing his drive to pro-vide better development &civic amenities to the peo-ple of Jammu city, ChanderMohan Gupta, MayorJammu alongwith Jai DeepSharma Councillor of WardNo.22, conducted a exten-sive tour in the variouslocalities of Shastri Nagararea met with the locals &listened to the Generalissues regarding construc-tion of leftover lanes /drains, deployment of moreSKC's against the retiredones, lifting of stray dogs/animals on routine basis,better maintenance of parksin their locality as well asother day to day mattersregarding JammuMunicipal corporation &other departments. Mayorassured them that all theirgenuine issues will beresolved in a time bound

manner.Further, to fulfil the long

pending demands of thelocals, Mayor in presenceof the concerned Councillorkick started the overall facelifting of the park situatednear Ram Darbar Mandir(Opposite Temple GYM)Shastri Nagar, Jammu.Mayor told that an amountof Rs. 8.00 lakh has beensanctioned for this develop-ment work which includesinstallation of more irongrills on all sides of the park& its proper painting, reno-vation / construction ofBoundary Wall to restrictthe entry of anti social ele-ments and stray animals inthe park, fixation of tilesaround the three Gates togive better look, repair ofbroken tiles fixed in thewalking area for the people,installation of beautiful &durable Marble around thetraditional & old piple tree

situated in the park wherelarge number of devoteescome for puja of the pipletree, construction of a wellfurnished kanopee with sit-ting arrangements in themiddle of the park & otherallied works.

Ashok Kumar Sharma,Assistant ExecutiveEngineer, concerned JuniorEngineer of Division IVJMC concerned contractor,field staff of Health Section,V. K Sethi, K.L Sharma,Vinod Abrol, ChowdharyKewal, Om Pal Sharma, S.Bhupinder Singh,Chowdhary Puran, AbhiNandan Sharma, VikasSharma and other promi-nent inhabitants of thelocality were also presentthere during the tour.

Mayor directed the con-cerned engineering wing tocomplete this developmentwork within the stipulatedtime period by applying

best quality & durable con-struction material & uptothe entire satisfaction of theconcerned councillor aswell as locals of the area.He further told that JMChas already taken up the jobfor providing best develop-ment facilities to the peopleof Jammu in terms of instal-lation of colorful / beautifulfountains in the variousrotaries of the city, commis-sioning of open gyms withrequisite number of equip-ments in every ward,restoration of traditional &old water bodies, develop-ment / renovation ofShamshan Ghats, ShishuSamadhian, Graveyards,Start of multistory parkingat Panjthirti Jammu whichwas in pipeline and othersuch development activi-ties.

Mayor appeal to theGeneral Public to come for-ward & cooperate withJammu MunicipalCorporation in all the devel-opment works being under-taken by JMC & otherdepartments, avoid usingsingle used plastics / poly-thene carry bags, do notthrow filth, garbage etc inthe public lanes/drains &nallahas, plant more andmore saplings in and aroundtheir surroundings so thatJammu can be made neat,clean and green city.

Mayor kick starts development

works at Shastri Nagar area TP CORRESPONDENTJAMMU, SEPT. 29:

Sunil Dimple was honouredby "All India Masih SevaDal" as the best Socialworker and a senior leaderof Jammu Kashmir. Who ishigh lighting and strugglingon each and every issue ofthe Jammu Kashmir andfighting against the injus-tice of demotion of statehood in to union territory,with drawl of special status.

Dimple was rewardedalso for fighting for thefront line worrier for fight-ing and exposing the condi-tion, failure of hospitals inthis pandemic. All IndiaMasih Seva Dal salutedSunil Dimple the work ofFrontline warriors who arefighting against Covid 19.In this regard PresidentAIMSD, Giving certificateof Appreciation to Dimple,President Jammu westAssembly Movement &Senior leader Jammu &Kashmir, as token ofrespect on the Direction ofRev. Shoukat Peter chiefpatron All India Masih SevaDal and President J&K jointchurches fellowshipJammu, Rev. Issac Bhattichairman All India masihSeva Dal and PresidentJ&K Christian Baradrinorth Jammu, Feastus SotraVice Chairman All IndiaMasih Seva Dal and Pr JohnRoques Bhatti chairmanBethel Charitable Trust.

All India Masih Seva Dal

President Camres David(Babbloo), Chief AdvisorSunil Kumar and AdvisorParshotam Mehra alongwith Vice President PastorStephen David & Titus GillYouth President AyubKhokhar said that the frontline Corona warriors likehealth workers, districtadministration, police per-sonal employees on essen-tial duties, journalists,Socialist & Politicians areserving for the bettermentof society and deserve to behonored for their dedicationand hard work. While initi-ating a campaign to honorcorona warriors.

Dimple addressing thereward Function announcedthat the One Crore thirtyLakh people youths ofJammu Kashmir out rightlyreject and strongly con-demn the decision of LG'sGovernment taken in a highlevel meeting, authorizingNaib Tehsildar to issue"Domicile Certificate" afterseeing the PRC. He saidthis decision has devaluedthe honour & dignity of thepeople of erstwhile PrincelyState of J&K / State of J&Kholding PRCs , which docu-ment in itself testifies theproof of hereditary / perma-nent resident status of itsholder & used to be issuedby a higher authority likeDeputy Commissioner orany other designated superi-or authority . When we havebeen demanding therestoration / continuation ofPRC (State Subject ).

Dimple accused govt thatthere is no justification inextending the jurisdiction of"Infamous CorruptIndustry" of domicileissuance authority therebylowering the prestige &glory of our PRCs used tobe issued under Rules &Regulations framed by thethen Maharaja of PrincelyState of J&K & continuedto be followed by the erst-while State of J&K . Healleged this decision hasshown disrespect to theauthorities of our reverendgreat Maharaja of erstwhileprincely State and insult tothe Dogra Pagari, and theDogra state. He said thisdecision has vindicated ourstand that the present Govtof J&K UT at the behest ofcertain political parties,well known to all , hasmade up its mind toencroach upon rights ofeducated unemployedyouth of our erstwhile Stateby inducting outsidersthrough issuance of domi-cile certificate to them hur-riedly by extending thepowers to Naib Tehsildar

also .Dimple Commenting on

the Domicile law, said weOut rightly reject theDomicile certificates, asthis bulldozes the identityof our Dogras JammuKashmir state, bulldozesthe Careers, future of ouryouths. By giving J&KGovt jobs to outsiders. Hesaid this is big mockery thata Herditarian PRC issuedby IAS officer. Now willattested by a Naib-Tehsildar. He said latter theLG Govt will authorizePatwaries to issue domicile.

Dimple further said lat-ter the govt will ask peopleand outsides of other stateswho want to live in JammuKashmir, make theirDomicile themselves anddeposit Photostats copies inPatwar khanas. He warnedour youth will teach such"Jai Chands " in the Govt /Political Parties their les-sons in the time to come atthe time of elections as &when held . We demand therestoration /continuation ofstatus of PRCs, withdrawalof domicile rules, recruit-ment of hereditary/ perma-nent residents of J&K inGovt jobs. He out rightlyrejects LG Govt decision toauthorize Naib Tehsildar toissue domicile certificatesalleged BJP cheated thepeople and is responsiblefor the destruction ofJammu Kashmir Dograstate, secular cultural iden-tity of Dogras. He alleged,the BJP is responsible forthe destruction of JammuKashmir Dogra state cultur-al, secular identity ofJammu Kashmir Dograsstate. He demanded PrimeMinister Narendra Modifor the restoration of thestate hood and withdrawalof the Domicile certificate.He warned that our strugglewill continue for therestoration of the statehood,withdrawal of the domicileand for reuniting the dis-mantled state will continueand in future we will starthunger strikes and massagitation and all youths ofJammu Kashmir will comeon our single plate form. Hesaid now a particular RSS,BJP ideology is beingimposed in the minds of theyounger generation, stu-dents, youths and the wholecountry. Our state status isbeing projected as sepa-ratist's agenda.

Dimple demanded LGManoj Sinha to install thepopular govt and holdimmediate assembly elec-tion in Jammu Kashmir andbefore that restore our spe-cial status and statehood.

Dimple honored as best

Social worker of J&K

Agri Business Incubator, SKUAST Jammu Launched Second Batch of Two

Months Training Program for Agristart ups under project RKVy-RAFTAARTP CORRESPONDENT

JAMMU, SEPT. 29: Twomonths agri-entrepreneur-ship Start up training pro-gram was inaugurated todayon 29.09.2020 at Agri-Business Incubator,SKUAST Jammu. Prof. J.PSharma, Vice Chancellor,SKUAST-Jammu was theChief Guest on the occasion.In his message, Prof. Sharmabriefed about the importantrole of innovation and entre-preneurship in the elevationof the agricultural sector andits various stakeholders.

He exhorted the youngentrepreneurs to think out-side the box and come upwith unique creative ideas forestablishment of their startups. He wished the partici-pants to have an informativeand interactive two monthstraining programme. Thetraining program is spon-sored by Ministry ofAgriculture & Farmers'Welfare, Govt. of India and isbeing organized by AgriBusiness Incubator,SKUAST-J housed at theDivision of AgriculturalEconomics & ABM.

The program has innova-tion and entrepreneurshipdevelopment as its main

components. The trainingprogramme will focus onAgribusiness startups andwill be instrumental in pro-viding them a unique plat-form that will act as a launch-pad to give wings to theircreative and critical thinkingabilities in providing innova-tive solutions for today'smarket needs. Earlier,Dr.JyotiKachroo, Prof. &Head and P.I, R-ABI Jammubriefed about the RKVY-RAFTAAR Project high-lighting Udgam (Agri-pre-neurship OrientationProgramme/Pre seed stagefunding) and Pragati (Seedstage funding programme) asGrant in aid to start-ups.Shealso discussed the trainingpedagogy and major focusareas to be covered duringthe training programme andshared in brief the success

stories of previously heldtraining programmes therebyencouraging the participantsto have an interactive train-ing for gaining both theoreti-cal and practical knowledgeabout key areas related toagri-entrepreneurship. Sheassured the participants ofcomplete support from theAgri Business Incubator inproviding relevant trainingand mentorship to facilitatethe establishment of theirrespective start ups. Statutoryofficers of the Universityalong with Heads of variousdivisions were also presentduring the programme. Theproceedings of the pro-gramme were conducted byDr. S.P Singh & Dr. AnilBhat (Asst. Prof. and Co-P.Is). Business Executives,Mr. Ashish Kumar Isher andMr. Tarunjeet Singh facilitat-ed the online streaming of theprogramme.

Programme concludedwith vote of thanks by Dr.Sudhakar Swivedi, AssociateProf. & Co-P.I of the Project.

JMC distributed dustbinsto the shopkeepers

TP CORRESPONDENTJAMMU, SEPT. 29: With

a view to maintain better san-itation and hygiene in themarkets and also to stop dis-posal of garbage on roads,Jammu MunicipalCorporation distributed dust-bins to the shopkeepers ofWard No. 29 and 33 (ShaktiNagar/ Shiv Nagar Road byChander Mohan Gupta,Mayor, JMC in presence ofMs. Avny Lavasa (IAS),Commissioner and Ms. TinnaMahajan (KAS), Secretary,

Jammu MunicipalCorporation.

Further, Mayor JMCappealed to the owners ofshopkeepers & other busi-nessman establishment own-ers to handover the wasteonly to designated vehicleswhich have been kept exclu-sively for this purpose.

The Commissioner, JMCalso spoke on the occasionand make people aware ofthe fine & penalties to beimposed on defauleters andviolaters as per Solid Waste

Management bye laws forlittering and open dumpingof garbage including (C&D)waste etc.

The amount of fines &penalties for different viola-tors and defaulters hasalready been notified by JMCthrough electronic & printmedia.

The Coorporator of WardNo 29 also appreciated theefforts of JMC for providingdustbins to shopkeepers ofthe area and also for main-taining sanitation as well asproviding other civic ameni-ties in their respective areasand assured that they shallprovide full cooperation toJammu MunicipalCorporation for maintainingsanitation upto to the satis-factory level.

The Commissionerappealed the general publicto come forward and joinhands with Jammu MunicipalCorporation so that the aimof Swachh Bharat can beachieved and assured the cit-izens of the city that no stoneshall remaine unturned inproviding better sanitationfacilities.

"Pyt election on Non- Party basis in First Phase & Party basis in second Phase is a cruel joke with

democracy, Panchayati Raj Act 1989 & also educated youth & innocent people of J&K.": RaoTP CORRESPONDENTJAMMU, SEPT. 29:

Kuldeep Kumar Rao,President ThathriDevelopment Front,District Doda in a pressrelease issued here hasstrongly assailed the J&KUT administration for hold-ing election for left overvacant posts of Panches &Sarpanches on Party basiswhere as the election ofSarpanches & Panches forIst phase were held on non-Party basis which is a crueljoke with innocent peopleof J&K UT & also withPanchyat Raj Act. 1989.Rao further said that theBDC elections conductedby Governor's administra-tion without implementa-tion of 73rd amendment isalso a cruel joke withdemocracy, Panchayati RajAct 1989 & also the inno-cent people & educatedyouth of Jammu &Kashmir. He said that thesuccessive state govern-

ments in the past reducedthe Panchayati Raj Act as atoy in the hands of severalpolitical leaders who madeamendments after amend-ments to the Panchahati RajAct 1989 in J&K to suittheir political interestswithout taking into accountthe real concept of decen-tralization of powers intothe hands of public repre-sentatives duly elected bypublic in a democratic man-ner as envisioned by fatherof the Nation-M.K. Gandhi.It's very disappointing thateven in the President's rule;the people of J&K couldnot get justice in the imple-mentation of 73rd amend-ment of Indian constitution.He said that there is no endof discrimination with thepeople of J&K & also withthe educated un-employedyouth of Jammu & Kashmireven in the President's ruleand appealed the masses toread between the lines andjudge for themselves as towhat is being delivered onthe ground & for whom.

Rao further said thatconducting BDC election inJ&K on Party basis at theeleventh hour, when allopposition leaders wereunder detention & alsowithout implementation of73rd amendment of IndianConstitution, is in factempowering their ownparty workers & not thePanchayats, as has beendone by Congress, NC &PDP and added that it isindirect election and thusthe Chairpersons are nottrue representatives of pub-lic because the electoratefor BDC elections are

Panches & Sarpanches whocontested the elections onnon-Party basis. He hasappealed the people of J&KUT irrespective of their reli-gion or region not to getmisled by the statements &blame game of all these tra-ditional political Partiesthey all are the chips of thesame block & they all arenot saviour of democraticInstitutions like PasnchyatiRaj Act or Art.370 or 35-A,but all are the real killers ofall these Institutions. Mr.Rao further appealed gener-al masses to read the writ-ings on the wall and preparethemselves for a holisticsocio-political change inthe coming Assembly elec-tions in J&K as done by thewise people of Delhi for acomplete socio- political &economic transformation inthe system of governancewith delivery of justice ondoor steps of Aam Aadmy.Mr. Rao said that the Grandalliance of corrupt parties isnot the right viable alterna-tive that are responsible forall types of Scams/ prob-lems/ present crises & allare responsible of anti peo-ple, anti farmer & anti edu-cated youth's policies. Raohas appealed all the rightthinking People, Professors,Scholars, Advocates &Educated youth and suffo-cated honest bureaucratswho want a change in the70 years long corrupt &jaundiced system to comeforward and join AAP inthe larger interest of poorpeople of all the threeregions of J&K irrespectiveof caste, creed & colour orreligion and region.

NPP protests seeking eviction of unauthorizedoccupants of Govt. Bungalows

TP CORRESPONDENTJAMMU, SEPT. 29:

Seeking immediate eviction ofall illegal occupants of EstateBungalows, the activists ofNPP led by Mr. Harsh DevSingh, Chairman-JKNPP &former Minister held a mas-sive protest at Gandhi Nagartoday. The protestors torchedthe effigy of BJP governmentand later held a huge demon-stration alleging an unholynexus between the unautho-rized occupants and officers ofthe Estates Department. Theyraised slogans against the gov-ernment as well as the EstatesDepartment officers for con-ferring undue benefits uponBJP's ex-MLAs, MLCs andeven petty BJP workers.

Speaking on the occasion,Mr. Harsh Dev Singh said thatas and when the issue of unau-thorized occupation of gov-ernment Bungalows by theblue eyed political leaders andworkers was raised, theEstates Department issuednotices to the said personsonly to hoodwink the publicand to silence the media high-lighting such a grave irregular-ity. And after the issuance ofsuch notices, the EstatesDepartment functionarieswent into hibernation with nofollow up action ever takenthereafter, said Singh. Eventhe High Court was being mis-led by the Estates deptt, overthe issues of unauthorizedoccupants, claimed Mr. Singh.He divulged that the EstatesDepartment had issued fivesuccessive notices of evictionto the said occupants with the

first such notice having beenissued in December 2018.Displaying the copies of evic-tion notices served upon theunlawful occupants, Mr. Singhsaid that the first of suchnotices was issued on 21-02-2018 merely to fulfill a for-mality with none of the BJPleaders or workers havingbeen actually asked to vacatethe said premises. "This wasfollowed by another noticeissued in April 2019 whichalso met the same fate. Thirdnotice of eviction was issuedon 07-09-2020 which alsoproved as a hoax and a win-dow dressing for the gulliblepublic. The fourth notice wasissued on 17-12-2019 whichwas also proved an eye wash.This fifth notice of evictionwas issued on 07.09.2020 withthe same terms of one weektime which too has met thesame fate as earlier notices asno action has been taken bythe Estates Department toevict the said illegal encroach-ers of government property.Even the High Court wasbeing kept in dark over themessy affair prevalent inEstates Deptt.",disclosed Mr.Singh. And while the opposi-tion leaders were hounded outof Estates quarters throughPolice force, the Estates

Department officers have dis-played their double standardsin their dealing with BJP lead-ers. It's surprising to note thatnot only the ex-Ministers, ex-MLAs and ex-MLCs areallowed to continue the occu-pation of the government bun-galows by Estates Departmentbut the small time BJP work-ers are also retaining the saidbungalows as revealed in anRTI reply received last week,without payment of even a sin-gle penny as rent or licensefee, regretted Mr. Singh.

Seeking personal indul-gence of Lt. Governor andChief Secretary, Mr. HarshDev sought a probe into thefishy affair involving the mostscandalous conduct of illegaloccupants in collusion withcorrupt officers of EstatesDepartment. Further callingfor immediate recovery ofpenal rent from all such unau-thorized holders of govern-ment property in terms of theannouncement made by thegovernment in December2018 when the first evictionnotice was served, he said thatNPP had already announced tohold protests outside VigilanteOrganizations for their crimi-nal silence in acting againstthe shoddy doings of BJPleaders.

Photo by Bikas Bhagat

Photo by Bikas Bhagat

Photo by Vivek

Photo by Bikas Bhagat

TRUTH PREVAIL

JAMMU, WEDNESDAy, SEPTEMBER 30, 20206 NATIONAL/STATE

Pitched Battle Within AIADMK For Chief

Minister Candidate Tag In 2021 PollsCHENNAI: The race to

become ruling AIADMK'schief minister candidateseems to be gathering pace asparty Coordinator and TamilNadu's Deputy Chief MinisterO Panneerselvam is meetinghis supporters at his residencetoday.

The meeting comes a dayafter it was decided that ChiefMinister Edappadi KPalaniswami and his DeputyMr Panneerselvam would dis-cuss and jointly announce theparty's Chief Ministerial faceon October 7.

The Chief Minister and hisDeputy are reported to havevociferously pushed theircandidacy at Monday'sAIADMK executive commit-tee meeting which lasted for 5hours.

"It's a democratic processin AIADMK. There is free-

dom of expression in theparty," senior leader andFisheries Minister DJayakumar said commentingon these developments.

A few weeks ago, postersprojecting Mr Panneerselvamas the chief minister candi-date for 2021 polls, triggered

friction between his loyalistsand those backing the ChiefMinister. After this, both theleaders, in a letter, had soughtunity within the cadre andannounced that key decisionswill be taken with due consul-tation.

However, a tug of war

seems to have started amidreports of possible earlyrelease of ousted AIADMKchief Sasikala Natarajan fromjail.

AIADMK's iconic leader,late Chief Minister JJayalalithaa, had handpickedMr Panneerselvam to be herstand-in Chief Minister twicewhen she had to step downfollowing her conviction bycourt, However his fortuneschanged after she died,though he was appointedChief Minister for the thirdtime. In 2017, Jayalalithaa'sclose aide and the then partychief, Sasikala, replaced OPanneerselvam with her loy-alist Edappadi K Palaniswamiafter her bid for the postcrashed following convictionin the disproportionate assetscase.

However, Mr Palaniswami

turned against Sasikala,patched up with his rival andmade him the Deputy ChiefMinister in the government.Within the party, MrPanneerselvam became theCoordinator with the ChiefMinister as his deputy. Thenew team ousted Sasikala andher nephew TTV Dhinakaran,who she had announced asNo. 2 in the party.

This had an impact on theelections.

The AIADMK, which wona consecutive term in thestate, lost Jayalalithaa's RKNagar assembly seat toDhinakaran. The AIADMK,which allied with the BJP, lostall seats except one in the lastLok Sabha polls. Dhinakaran,too, who had launched theAMMK party, could notexpand his footprint beyondRK Nagar.

Ford India Ensures Safety & Convenience

for Customers With Doorstep ServiceNEW DELHI: Raising

the bar on customer con-venience & safety, FordIndia has introducedDoorstep Service empow-ering owners to get theirFord vehicle servicedwherever they want - homeor office - at no additionalcharge.

This latest offeringexpands Ford's bouquet ofconsumer-focused initia-tives launched under Dial-A-Ford where all sales &service queries getaddressed via the helpline.

In its first phase, thecompany has launchedDoorstep Service in the fol-lowing cities:

(North) Delhi, Gurgaon,Noida, Ghaziabad,Faridabad, Jaipur,Lucknow

(South) Bangalore,Chennai, Cochin andTrivandrum, Hyderabad

(East) Kolkata,Bhubaneshwar

(West) Mumbai, Thane,Pune, Aurangabad,Ahmedabad

Ford customers residingin the cities (mentioned)can book the DoorstepService by fixing anappointment with the near-est Ford dealership or viathe Dial-A-Ford toll-freenumber.

Performed by trainedFord experts, the Doorstep

Service includes essentialvehicle check-ups, partreplacements such as fil-ters, oil replacement anddry-washing among otheractivities covered underscheduled service.

The customers will havethe flexibility to makeonline payments post theservice. For concerns thatmay not get addressed on-the-spot, the technical teamwill take the vehicle to thenearest service centre.

Doorstep Service isoffered to customers at noadditional cost.

"Family is always thereto make things easier andtake care of every detail foryour happiness. Just like afamily, Ford is always byyour side & DoorstepService is yet another man-ifestation of our steadfastcommitment in serving ourcustomers," saidVinayRaina, executivedirector of Marketing,Sales & Service, FordIndia.

Ford has been constantlyinnovating towards win-ning the trust of its cus-tomers through severalinnovative and first of theirkind initiatives -- likeService Price Calculator -that allow them to knowtheir car's service and partscost, even before walkinginto the dealership.

Over 400 People Working At Puri's JagannathTemple Test COVID-19 Positive

Delhi High Court Seeks Reply On Plea OverNon-Payment Of DU Teachers' Salary

NEW DELHI: The DelhiHigh Court Tuesday askedfour DU colleges to reply ona plea by teachers seekingdirection to the institutions,affiliated to the varsity andfully funded by the AAPgovernment, to release theirsalaries pending for the lastfour months.

A bench of Justices HimaKohli and SubramoniumPrasad asked Dr Bhim RaoAmbedkar College, BhaginiNivedita College, AditiMahavidyalaya Women'sCollege and Shaheed

Sukhdev College ofBusiness Studies to file theirstatus reports on the peti-tion.

The court also asked theDelhi government and DelhiUniversity to file theirreplies to the plea and listedthe matter for further hear-ing on November 4.

Initially, the plea was filedagainst 12 colleges for non-payment salaries; however,the court deleted eight ofthem from memo of partiesas two of the colleges havenow paid the salaries to thestaff till August and noemployee of rest of the sixcolleges have approachedthe court with their griev-ance.

Advocate Ashok Agarwal,appearing for the teachers,argued that Delhi govern-ment was punishing 2000families without any faultand it should immediatelyrelease the grant to collegesto enable them to pay theemployees' salaries.

The petition has said apartfrom these teachers there areother employees, teachingand non-teaching staff, whohave not received theirsalaries for the months ofMay, June, July and August.

The eight teachers, whohave filed the plea throughadvocate Kumar Utkarsh,said they are members ofDelhi University TeachersAssociation (DUTA), whichon behalf of the aggrievedstaff, has been writing to theDelhi government forrelease of funds to enablethe 12 DU colleges, fundedby the government, to paydue salaries to 1500 teachersand non-teaching staffworking there.

The plea said due to non-payment of salaries to theteachers, they and all other

employees working withthese colleges are undergo-ing mental agony andharassment and contendedthat there is no justificationon the part of authorities tonot to pay them their dueson time.

"The impugned actionsare unjust, unfair, arbitrary,discriminatory, unethical,unconstitutional, violativeof Articles 14 and 21 of theConstitution of India readwith the provisions of DelhiUniversity Act, 1922.

"The impugned actionsare bad in law as much asthe same is violative of rightto life as well as right tolivelihood as guaranteedunder Article 21 ofConstitution of India," theplea contended.

It sought direction to theauthorities to pay salaries tothe petitioners due fromMay this year till date andalso ensure timely paymentof salaries in future.

The plea said the 12 col-leges which are affiliatedwith the Delhi Universityand are fully funded by theDelhi government areAcharya Narendra DevCollege, Dr Bhim RaoAmbedkar College,Bhaskaracharya College ofApplied Sciences, BhaginiNivedita College,DeenDayal UpadhyayaCollege, AditiMahavidyalaya Women''sCollege, Indira GandhiInstitute of PhysicalEducation & SportsSciences, KeshavMahavidyalaya, MaharajaAgrasen College (DU),Maharshi Valmiki Collegeof Education, ShaheedRajguru College of AppliedSciences for Women andShaheed Sukhdev Collegeof Business Studies.

Puri: At least 351 servitorsand 53 employees ofShree Jagannath Templein Odisha's Puri havetested positive forCOVID-19, an officialsaid.

A total of 404 personsengaged in the 12th cen-tury shrine have testedpositive for the virus,said Shree JagannathTemple Administration(SJTA) administratorAjay Jena.

He said the LordJagannath's rituals,however, are continuingas usual despite theabsence of so manyservitors.

The Jagannath temple isclosed for devoteessince March due to theCOVID-19 pandemic.

The official said as most ofthe servitors are inhome isolation aftertesting positive for theinfection and there is ashortage of knowledge-able people to performrituals.

At least a group of 13priests each are requiredto perform rituals forthe sibling deities - LordBalabhadra, DeviSubhadra and Lord

Jagannath. Therefore,the presence of 39priests apart from otherservitors are essential toperform daily rituals ofthe oldest Lord VishnuTemple here, who isbeing worshipped sinceages in the form of LordJagannath.

The uniqueness of the Puritemple is that rituals areinterconnected witheach other, they startfrom early hours till latein the night. If one ritu-al is not performed, nextone could not be per-formed as per the tem-ple tradition, saidBhaskar Mishra, aresearcher in Jagannathculture.

If more number of servitorstest positive for thevirus in the comingdays, there might be aproblem. The adminis-tration is considering aproposal to engage jun-ior servitors, he said.

So far, a total of 9,704COVID-19 cases havebeen detected in Puridistrict of which 1,255cases are reported fromPuri Municipality areaalone.

Of the 52 deaths reported in

the district, nine arefrom the PuriMunicipality area. Atleast three of the ninefatalities in Puri townare servitors engaged inthe temple rituals, thedistrict health officials

said.The administration had con-

ducted COVID-19 testof all the servitorsengaged in the annualRath Yatra of LordJagannath. Then onlytwo servitors had testedpositive for COVID-19.

However, the infectionstruck Puri about amonth after the festival,an official said, addingthat the SJTA used toprovide homoeopathypreventive medicines toservitors' families tokeep them safe.

Meanwhile, the state gov-ernment in an affidavitinformed the OrissaHigh Court that it is notpossible to reopen thetemple including ShreeJagannath Temple inPuri for devotees underthe prevailing COVIDpandemic.

The temple remains closedfor devotees sinceMarch.

NEW DELHI: By-elec-tions to 54 assembly seatsacross 10 states will be heldon November 3, theElection Commission saidtoday. Besides, oneParliamentary constituencyin Bihar and two assemblyseats from Manipur will topolls on November 7. Thecounting of votes will beheld on November 10. Thelist of states where electionswill be held includesChhattisgarh, Gujarat,Jharkhand, Haryana,Karnataka, MadhyaPradesh, Manipur,Nagaland, Odisha,Telangana and UttarPradesh. "After taking intoconsideration various fac-tors like weather conditions,movement of forces, pan-demic etc, the commissionhas decided to hold by-elec-tions," a note from theElection Commission said.

The commission has alsodecided not to hold by-elec-tions to seven constituen-cies in four states. Electionson the seats -- two each inAssam, Kerala and TamilNadu and one in Bengal --will be held early next year.The Commission said theChief Secretaries of thestates have expressed diffi-

culty in conducting elec-tions for these seats.

The maximum number ofseats going to polls is fromMadhya Pradesh, where achunk of seats fell vacant asJyotiraditya Scindiaswitched camp from theCongress to the BJP withhis loyalists. Twenty-sevenseats will be up for electionin the state.

In terms of numbers,Madhya Pradesh is fol-lowed by Gujarat, whereeight seats will go to pollsand Uttar Pradesh, wherethe corresponding numberis seven.

Last week, the ElectionCommission announced thedates for the assembly elec-

tions in Bihar. The three-phase election will be heldon October 28, November 3and 7 and the counting ofvotes will be held onNovember 10.

While announcing theelections in the middle of aworldwide pandemic,Election CommissionerSunil Arora had said thecoronavirus is showing nosign of retreat.

"Life has to go on," hehad told reporters, pointingout that students across thecountry just sat for the com-petitive medical and engi-neering entrance exams.

For the safety of votersand workers and leaders ofpolitical parties, theElection Commission cameup with an elaborate list ofdos and don'ts, whichinclude including an extravoting hour, masks andgloves for voters and nophysical contact during thecampaign.

Bypolls To 56 Assembly Seats, One

Lok Sabha Seat On November 3, 7

BSF Seizes 30 Sophisticated Arms Near

India-Bangladesh Border, 3 ArrestedGUWAHATI: The Border

Security Force, BSF, appre-hended three persons from theTripura-Mizoram internation-al border with Bangladesh onMonday and seized a hugecache of illegal arms andammunitions - one of thebiggest caught this year in theNorth-Eastern region - fromthem.

It is suspected that the threemen are part of an internation-al arms smuggling racket, theBSF said in a statementreleased today.

The BSF made the seizureacting on a specific input fromits Intelligence Branch aboutthe transportation of a bighaul of weapons to Mizoram'sPhuldungsei area - 15 KMaerial distance from India'sinternational border withBangladesh.

Phuldungsei village, on theTripura-Mizoram border, isthe last village of Tripura.

Acting on the inputs, theborder guarding organizationlaunched a special operationon the outskirts of

Phuldungsei. The BSF jawanslaid a trap and intercepted twovehicles bearing Mizoramnumber plates.

"On searching the vehicles,the Border Security Forcerecovered 30 sophisticatedweapons, including 28 AK-Series Rifles, one 5.56 MMAK-74 Rifle and one Carbine,along with 7,894 assortedammunitions. An amount of ?39,020 and other articles werealso recovered from theapprehended persons," theBSF said in a statement.Three persons, identified asLalhuapzauva, Vanlalruataand Liansanga - all residentsof Mizoram's capital Aizawl -have been arrested. It isnotable that last month,Tripura's former ChiefMinister Manik Sarkar hadwarned the BJP-led state gov-ernment about the rise inextremist activities in the stateand said insurgents were try-ing to regroup. He had addedthat some former extremistleaders were trying to useMizoram as a launch pad.

Hearing Adjourned On Mehul Choksi's Plea

Against "Bad Boy Billionaires" DocumentaryNEW DELHI: The Delhi

High Court on Tuesdayadjourned till October 13hearing on a petition filedby businessman and dia-mantaire Mehul Choksi,who is an accused in thePNB scam, against Netflix'sdocumentary titled "BadBoy Billionaires".

A division bench of ChiefJustice DN Patel and JusticePrateek Jalan, hearingMehul Choksi's petitionagainst the order of a single-judge bench dismissing hisearlier plea seeking pre-screening of the documen-tary, deferred the matter toOctober 13.

During the last hearing,Mehul Choksi's lawyerVijay Aggarwal had asked isNetflix permitted to violatean individual''s fundamentalrights. Vijay Aggarwal alsoasked whether Netflix'sclaim to remain unregulatedand being beyond the juris-diction of writ courts inIndia is legal.

Appearing for MehulChoksi, advocates VijayAggarwal, Mudit Jain andAnshul Agarwal argued thatit is a travesty of justice thata person had approached thewrit court for protection ofhis fundamental rights to afair investigation, which is afacet under Article 21 of theConstitution of India, how-ever, he was relegated toavail his remedies beforethe civil court.

Senior advocates NeerajKishan Kaul and DayanKrishnan, appearing for

Netflix, had argued that theappellant is not entitled toany relief, as he is not aCitizen of India, as he hasforsaken his citizenship, andtherefore, not entitled to theprotection of any fundamen-tal right. Earlier, MehulChoksi's plea was dismissedby the single bench ofJustice Naveen Chawla,who observed that there areno regulations to control thecontent on the over-the-top(OTT) media service, andasked him to approach theappropriate forum or file a

civil suit in the matter.The documentary, which

is said to be based on therise and fall of India's mostinfamous billionairesincluding Vijay Mallya,Nirav Modi other businesstycoons accused in severalalleged scams, was sched-uled to release onSeptember 2.

However, the release ofthe documentary was stayedby a Hyderabad court. ABihar court had alsorestrained Netflix fromusing Sahara group chair-man Subrata Roy's name inits documentary -- "BadBoy Billionaires".

In his plea before the sin-gle-judge bench, MehulChoksi had sought pre-screening of the documen-tary and directions to theCentral government to takesteps to regulate the NetflixInc and NetflixEntertainment Service IndiaLLP insofar as the release ofcontent having the possiblyprejudicial effect on pend-ing investigations and trialsis concerned.

PURI: At least 351servitors and 53 employeesof Shree Jagannath Templein Odisha's Puri have test-ed positive for COVID-19,an official said.

A total of 404 personsengaged in the 12th centu-ry shrine have tested posi-tive for the virus, saidShree Jagannath TempleAdministration (SJTA)administrator Ajay Jena.

He said the LordJagannath's rituals, howev-er, are continuing as usualdespite the absence of so

many servitors.The Jagannath temple is

closed for devotees sinceMarch due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The official said as mostof the servitors are in homeisolation after testing posi-tive for the infection andthere is a shortage ofknowledgeable people toperform rituals.

At least a group of 13priests each are required toperform rituals for the sib-ling deities - LordBalabhadra, DeviSubhadra and LordJagannath. Therefore, thepresence of 39 priests apartfrom other servitors areessential to perform dailyrituals of the oldest LordVishnu Temple here, whois being worshipped sinceages in the form of LordJagannath.

The uniqueness of thePuri temple is that ritualsare interconnected witheach other, they start fromearly hours till late in thenight. If one ritual is notperformed, next one couldnot be performed as per thetemple tradition, saidBhaskar Mishra, aresearcher in Jagannathculture.

If more number of servi-tors test positive for thevirus in the coming days,there might be a problem.The administration is con-

sidering a proposal toengage junior servitors, hesaid.

So far, a total of 9,704COVID-19 cases havebeen detected in Puri dis-trict of which 1,255 casesare reported from PuriMunicipality area alone.

Of the 52 deaths report-ed in the district, nine arefrom the Puri Municipalityarea. At least three of thenine fatalities in Puri townare servitors engaged in thetemple rituals, the districthealth officials said.

The administration hadconducted COVID-19 testof all the servitors engagedin the annual Rath Yatra ofLord Jagannath.

Then only two servitorshad tested positive forCOVID-19.

However, the infectionstruck Puri about a monthafter the festival, an offi-cial said, adding that theSJTA used to providehomoeopathy preventivemedicines to servitors'families to keep them safe.

Meanwhile, the stategovernment in an affidavitinformed the Orissa HighCourt that it is not possibleto reopen the templeincluding Shree JagannathTemple in Puri for devo-tees under the prevailingCOVID pandemic. Thetemple remains closed fordevotees since March.

Over 400 People Working At Puri's Jagannath

Temple Test COVID-19 Positive

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Jammu and Kashmir.

NEW DELHI: TheEnvironment Ministers ofDelhi, Haryana, Punjab,Rajasthan and UttarPradesh will meet onOctober 1 to discuss andtackle the problem of stub-ble-burning which causessevere pollution everyyear, Union MinisterPrakash Javadekar saidtoday. The virtual meetingwill also be attended by theenvironment secretaries ofDelhi and the four neigh-bouring states along withthe members of the pollu-tion control boards andcorporations like theNDMC and the DDA, hesaid. The UnionEnvironment Minister tolda press conference in Delhithat meeting will reviewthe work done by the statesin the last two years to han-dle the issue of cropresidue burning.

At the onset of winter inDelhi, which is October 15onwards, stubble burningcommences and causespollution throughout thewinter season, he said.

This is not just confinedto Delhi, but an air shadewhich extends to the NCRcities, places in Haryana,UP, Punjab and Rajasthan.Everyone bears the brunt

of this air shade. So withthe cooperation of all thesefive states we started tack-ling this issue in 2016, headded.

For this cause, a virtualmeeting of the environ-ment ministers of Delhi,Punjab, Haryana,Rajasthan and UttarPradesh will be held onOctober 1. Besides theenvironment ministers, themeeting will be attendedby state environment sec-retaries, pollution controlboard members and munic-ipal corporations, DDAand NDMC, Mr Javadekartold the media.

In 2016, the PMlaunched the National AirQuality Index (NAQI). Webelieve that acceptance ofa problem is the beginningof its solution. So, this is asignificant meeting. I amconfident everyone willparticipate in the meeting,he said.

Punjab, Haryana, UttarPradesh and parts ofRajasthan attract attentionduring the paddy harvest-ing season betweenOctober 15 and November15.

Farmers set their cropresidue on fire to quicklyclear off their fields after

harvesting and before cul-tivating wheat and potato.It is one of the main rea-sons for the alarming spikein pollution levels inDelhi-NCR during thewinter season.

Last year, Punjab pro-duced around 20 milliontonnes paddy residue andthe farmers there burnt 9.8million tonnes of it. Thefarmers in Haryana burnt1.23 million tonnes out ofthe 7 million tonnes ofpaddy residue.

Despite a ban on stubbleburning in Punjab andHaryana, farmers continueto defy it as there is a shortwindow between harvest-ing of paddy and sowing ofwheat.

The minister also toldthe press conference thatthe meeting will review theaction taken by states inthe last two years.

"First, we will reviewthe short term plan, medi-um and long term plansmade in 2016. CPCB's 50teams visit spots and assessthe situations October 15onwards every year. Themeeting will review theirwork in the last two years.A review of the work doneby the states will also bedone," he said.

Farm Stubble Burning: Environment Ministers

Of Delhi, 4 States To Meet On October 1

TRUTH PREVAIL

JAMMU, WEDNESDAy, SEPTEMBER 30, 20207 HEALTH

OverviewYou may have heard that

you should aim to drink eight8-ounce glasses of water perday. How much you shouldactually drink is more individ-ualized than you might think.

The Institute of Medicine(IOM) recommends that mendrink at least 101 ounces ofwater per day, which is a littleunder 13 cups. They saywomen should drink at least74 ounces, which is a littleover 9 cups.

Still, the answer to exactlyhow much water you shoulddrink isn’t so simple.

Water recommendationsWhile the eight glasses rule

is a good start, it isn’t basedon solid, well-researchedinformation.

Your body weight is madeup of 60 percent water. Everysystem in your body needswater to function. Your rec-ommended intake is based onfactors including your sex,age, activity level, and others,such as if you’re pregnant orbreastfeeding.

AdultsThe current IOM recom-

mendation for people ages 19and older is around 131ounces for men and 95 ouncesfor women. This refers to youroverall fluid intake per day,including anything you eat ordrink that contains water, like

fruits or vegetables.Of this total, men should

get around 13 cups from bev-erages. For women, it’s 9cups.

ChildrenRecommendations for kids

have a lot to do with age.Girls and boys between 4

and 8 years old should drink40 ounces per day, or 5 cups.

This amount increases to56–64 ounces, or 7–8 cups, byages 9 to 13 years. For ages 14to 18, the recommended waterintake is 64–88 ounces, or8–11 cups. Women of repro-ductive age

If you’re pregnant orbreastfeeding, your recom-mendations change.

Pregnant women of all agesshould aim to get 80 ounces,or ten 8-ounce glasses ofwater, each day.

Breastfeeding women may

need to up their total waterintake to 104 ounces, or 13cups.

Demographic D a i l yrecommended amount ofwater (from drinks)

children 4–8 years old5 cups, or 40 total ounces

children 9–13 years old7–8 cups, or 56–64 totalounces

children 14–18 years old8–11 cups, or 64–88 totalounces

men, 19 years and older13 cups, or 104 total ounces

women, 19 years and older9 cups, or 72 total ounces

pregnant women 10 cups,or 80 total ounces

breastfeeding women13 cups, or 104 total ounces

Other considerationsYou may also need to drink

more water if you live in a hotclimate, exercise often, or

have a fever, diarrhea, orvomiting.

Add an additional 1.5 to 2.5cups of water each day if youexercise. You may need to addeven more if you work out forlonger than an hour.

You may need more waterif you live in a hot climate.

If you live at an elevationgreater than 8,200 feet abovesea level, you may also needto drink more.

When you have a fever,vomiting, or diarrhea, yourbody loses more fluids thanusual, so drink more water.Your doctor may even suggesttaking drinks with electrolytesto keep your electrolyte bal-ance more stable.

Why do you need water?Water is important for most

processes your body goesthrough in a day. When youdrink water, you replenishyour stores. Without enoughwater, your body and itsorgans can’t function proper-ly.

Benefits of drinking waterinclude:

keeping your body temper-ature within a normal range

lubricating and cushioningyour joints

protecting your spine andother tissues

helping you eliminatewaste through urine, sweat,and bowel movements.

How Much Water you

Need to Drink

What is a dehydrationheadache?

When some people don’tdrink enough water, they get aheadache or a migraine. Thereis little scientific research tosupport the notion of lack ofwater causing headaches.However, the lack of researchdoesn’t mean dehydrationheadache isn’t real. More like-ly, this just isn’t the type ofresearch that gets a lot of fund-ing. The medical communitydoes have a formal classifica-tion for hangover headaches,which are partially caused bydehydration.

Keep reading to learn moreabout the symptoms of dehy-dration headaches, plus reme-dies and tips for prevention.

Dehydration headachesymptoms

Dehydration headaches canfeel different to different peo-ple, but they typically havesymptoms similar to those ofother common headaches. Formany people, it may feel like ahangover headache, which isoften described as a pulsatingache on both sides of the headthat’s aggravated by physicalactivity.

A small survey published inthe medical journal Headachefound that among the peopleinterviewed, 1 in 10 had expe-rienced a dehydrationheadache. These respondentsdescribed the headache as anaching that got worse whenthey moved their heads, bentdown, or walked around. Mostof these survey respondentsfelt complete relief 30 minutesto 3 hours after drinking water.

Another small study of peo-ple with chronic migraines,also published in Headache,found that 34 out of 95 peopleconsidered dehydration amigraine trigger. The symp-toms of migraine vary widely,but may include:

severe pain on one side ofthe head

nauseaa visual aura

Other symptoms of mild tomoderate dehydration include:

thirstdry or sticky mouthnot urinating muchdarker yellow urinecool, dry skinmuscle crampsWhat causes dehydration

headache?Dehydration happens when-

ever you lose more water thanyou’re taking in. Sometimesyou may just forget to drinkenough water. Most of thetime, though, dehydrationhappens when you exercisevigorously and fail to replen-ish the water lost throughsweat. On very hot days, espe-cially when it’s hot and humid,you can lose a significantamount of water throughsweat. Dehydration is also acommon side effect of manyprescription and over-the-counter (OTC) medications.

The human body relies onwater to perform its most crit-ical functions, so having toolittle of it can be very danger-ous. When it’s severe, dehy-dration can cause brain dam-age and death. Severe dehy-dration is more common in:

childrenolder adultspeople with chronic illness-

espeople who don’t have

access to safe drinking waterBut it only takes a mild case

of dehydration to cause adehydration headache.

Drink waterFirst, get a drink of water as

soon as possible. Most dehy-dration headaches resolvewithin three hours of drinking.You don’t need to overhy-drate: A simple glass or two ofwater should help in mostcases.

Drinking too quickly some-times makes dehydrated peo-ple vomit, so it’s best to takeslow, steady sips. You couldeven suck on a few ice cubes.

Electrolyte drinksWhile plain water should do

the trick, drinks like Pedialyteand Powerade give an extraboost with electrolytes.Electrolytes are minerals yourbody requires to function. Youget them from the foods youeat and things you drink.Dehydration can disrupt theimportant balance of elec-trolytes in your body, soreplenishing them with a low-sugar sports drink might helpyou feel better.

OTC pain relieversIf your headache doesn’t

improve after drinking water,you can try taking an OTCpain reliever, such as:

ibuprofen (Advil, MotrinIB)

aspirin (Bufferin)acetaminophen (Tylenol)Try to avoid OTC migraine

medicines that contain caf-feine, because caffeine cancontribute to dehydration. Asalways, be sure to check withyour doctor before startingany new medications, evenOTC drugs. Take these med-ications as directed with foodor water to avoid an upsetstomach.

Have medical questions?Connect with a board-certi-fied, experienced doctoronline or by phone.Pediatricians and other spe-cialists available 24/7.

Cold compressWhen your head is pound-

ing, ice is your friend.

There’s nothing like a goodnight’s sleep to give your bodyand mind what it needs to tack-le the day.

In fact, according to a studyby the Better Sleep Council(BSC), getting good shut-eyemay even affect your financialhealth.

Data from the State ofAmerica’s Sleep study foundthat the best sleepers inAmerica are those who planahead and are financially com-fortable. It reports that goodsleepers are nearly two timesmore likely to regularly savefor retirement, unforeseenmedical expenses, or both.

“It does not surprise me thatthere is a positive relationshipbetween good financial prac-tices and sound sleep. I like tosay that managing our moneyis an important self-care activ-ity. Learning to manage ourcash flow and investments and

understanding the relationshipbetween the two is important,”Ed Coambs, a financial thera-pist in Matthews, NorthCarolina, told Healthline.

On the flip side, the studyrevealed that financiallystressed people fall into theworst sleepers in America cat-egory. Of those self-rated poorsleepers, close to two-thirdsare concerned about theirfinancial future. More thanhalf live paycheck to pay-check.

“Sleep and stress enjoy avery bidirectional relationship.Obviously, it’s hard to fallasleep and stay asleep whenyou’re stressed, but sufficientsleep provides us withresilience, and we can toleratehigher stress levels much bet-ter when we’re well rested,”Terry Cralle, registered nurseand sleep expert at BSC, toldHealthline.

“We can approach financialissues better and step back andlook at things in our life thatmay not be optimal and how tomake them better, but we haveto have sufficient sleep to dothat,” she said.

6 ways to improve yourquality of sleep

Once you put sleep at thetop of your to-do list, Crallesays the following tips canhelp keep quality sleep a prior-ity.

1. Set a consistent bedtimeCralle says our bodies crave

consistency.“We always say children do

better with schedules, and sodo adults. When we have thatconsistency, we are more like-ly to get sufficient sleep. Yourbody knows what to expect,and you fall into a betterrhythm,” she said.

This means foregoing sleep-ing in on weekends.

“We don’t want to under-sleep during the week and relyon sleeping more on the week-ends because we don’t knowthat the damage can be undonefrom undersleeping during theweek,” Cralle said.

BSC tip: Avoid staying uplate paying bills. Pay them inthe morning when you’re morefocused.

2. Get 8 hours of qualitysleep

Although you might feellike you’re too busy to fit in 8hours of sleep, Cralle advisesrethinking your view.

“When we get sufficientsleep, we do more and do itbetter. So, you can say youhave so much to do that youneed to cut back on sleep, butthat’s the wrong way to thinkabout it,” Cralle said.

This is true in the context offinances, too, she adds.

“Sleep deprivation has a lot

of psychological effects on us.When sleep-deprived, wedon’t have good judgement,take risks, and have poor deci-sion making, which can impactyour finances. Think abouthow casinos don’t have clocks,because the more tired we get,the more risks we take,” Crallesaid. “The phrase ‘sleep on it’is old advice but good advice.”

BSC tip: Consider setting upautomatic payments to savetime on paying bills.

3. Limit screen timeCralle says you should stop

using screens at least an hourbefore you go to bed becausethe blue light from screens dis-rupts sleep. Additionally, noiseand lights from shows aremeant to be stimulating.

How Financial Stress Affects your Sleep Quality and 6 Ways to Fight It

Recognizing a

Dehydration Headache

Does Absinthe Really Make

You Hallucinate?Absinthe, a liqueur, is a

combination of spirits andherbs, mainly fennel, anise,and a type of wormwoodcalled Artemisia absinthium.That’s what it’s named after.

Van Gogh and Picassowere big fans of absintheback in the day, along withother artists. Some believethat absinthe-induced halluci-nations partly inspired someof their greatest works.

These hallucinations werethought to be an effect of thu-jone, a compound in the typeof wormwood used inabsinthe.

But the thing is, absinthedoesn’t actually cause hallu-cinations.

Where did the whole hallu-cination thing come from?

The green aperitif becamelegendary in late 19th-centuryParis thanks to bohemianartists and writers who report-ed psychedelic, mind-alteringeffects. It made their mindswander, which they equatedwith expanding their con-sciousness and inspiring cre-ativity. This led to absintheoften being called the GreenMuse or Green Fairy.

It wasn’t until the 1970s,after the rise of psychedelicdrugs, that scientists finallystarted to seriously study thu-jone and its effects. By then,absinthe had already beenbanned in the United Statesand other countries for sever-al decades.

Coiling your hair around your fin-ger and pulling it in a circle — alsoknown as hair twirling — is a fairlycommon habit.

Twirling your hair is part of agroup of behaviors called “fidgets.”Children, especially, may twirl theirhair as a way of self-soothing tocalm anxiety, wind down beforebedtime, or simply deal with bore-dom.

The habit of twirling your hair cansimply be a nervous habit, but there

are times that it can be a sign of anunderlying health condition.

Twirling your hair can also hurtyour hair, resulting in knots, splitends, and hair breakage.

Does hair twirling have any sideeffects?

Hair twirling can have some sideeffects. These may include:

hair breakage and weak strandstangled and knotted hairbald patches and hair losssplit ends

Hair twirling can escalate from anervous habit or a childhood distrac-tion to a body-focused repetitivebehavior.

There’s also a belief that hairtwirling habits can lead to trichotil-lomania. This is a mental health con-dition that causes an overwhelmingurge to pull out your own hair.

Hair twirling causes in adultsIf you’re an adult with a hair

twirling habit, it’s possible that itsimply carried over from childhood.It could also be a symptom of anoth-er condition.

Body-focused repetitive behaviorMaybe you started your hair

twirling habit when you were a smallchild and just never stopped.

There’s some researchTrustedSource to suggest that there’s a linkbetween this type of behavior andimpatience, boredom, frustration,and dissatisfaction.

Hair twirling can alleviate bore-dom and also help you wind downwhen you’re feeling tired.

If you tend to only twirl your hairwhen you’re fighting to stay awakeduring a meeting, or when you’restreaming your favorite show in yourPJs, it could be that you’ve alwayshad the habit.

And unless your hair is becomingdamaged or falling out, there’s noneed to be concerned.

Symptom of anxietyYour hair twirling might have

started in childhood or adolescenceand developed into something youdo when you’re anxious.

If you twirl your hair when youfeel nervous or when you’re copingwith intrusive, anxious thoughts, thathabit might be a symptom of an anx-iety disorder.

Sign of obsessive-compulsive dis-order (OCD)

Hair twirling can be a sign ofobsessive-compulsive disorder(OCD).

If you have other symptoms ofOCD, your hair twirling habit mightbe a part of your condition.

How long can you go?The longest recorded time

without sleep is approximate-ly 264 hours, or just over 11consecutive days. Althoughit’s unclear exactly how longhumans can survive withoutsleep, it isn’t long before theeffects of sleep deprivationstart to show.

After only three or fournights without sleep, you canstart to hallucinate.Prolonged sleep deprivationcan lead to:

cognitive impairmentsirritabilitydelusionsparanoiapsychosisAlthough dying from sleep

deprivation is extremely rare,it can happen.

Read on to find out howstaying awake for a full 24hours or more can affect yourbody, and how much sleepyou actually need to function.

What to expect after 24hours without sleep

Missing 24 hours of sleepisn’t uncommon. You mightmiss a night of sleep to work,cram for a test, or take care ofa sick child. While it might beunpleasant to stay up all

night, it won’t have a signifi-cant impact on your overallhealth.

Still, missing a night ofsleep does affect you. Studieshave compared 24-hourwakefulness to having ablood alcohol concentrationof 0.10 percent. This is abovethe legal limit to drive inmost states.

Some effects of going 24hours without sleep include:

drowsinessirritabilityimpaired decision-makingimpaired judgementaltered perceptionmemory deficitsvision and hearing impair-

mentsdecreased hand-eye coor-

dinationincreased muscle tensiontremorsincreased risk of accidents

or near missesSymptoms of 24-hour

sleep deprivation usually goaway once you’ve had someshut-eye.

What to expect after 36hours without sleep

Staying awake for just 36hours can have intense effectson your body.

Your sleep-wake cyclehelps regulate the release ofcertain hormones, includingcortisol, insulin, and humangrowth hormone. As a result,going without sleep for anextended period of time canalter several bodily functions.

This includes your:appetitemetabolismtemperaturemoodstress levelSome effects of going 36

hours without sleep include:extreme fatiguehormonal imbalancesdecreased motivationrisky decisionsinflexible reasoningdecreased attentionspeech impairments, such

as poor word choice and into-nation

What to expect after 48hours without sleep

After two nights of missedsleep, most people have diffi-culty staying awake. Theymight experience periods oflight sleep that can last up to30 seconds. During these“microsleeps,” the brain is ina sleeplike state. Microsleepshappen involuntarily. After a

microsleep, you might feelconfused or disoriented.

Staying awake for 48 hoursalso disrupts the immune sys-tem. Inflammatory markers,which help your body preventand target illnesses, start tocirculate at increased levels.Some researchTrusted Sourcehas shown that natural killer(NK) cell activity decreaseswith sleep deprivation. NKcells respond to immediatethreats to your health, such asviruses or bacteria.

What to expect after 72hours without sleep

After 72 hours withoutsleep, most people experi-ence an overwhelming urgeto sleep. Many are unable tostay awake on their own.

Going three days withoutsleep profoundly limits theability to think, especiallyexecutive functions such asmultitasking, rememberingdetails, and paying attention.

This level of sleep depriva-tion can make it difficult tosee even simple tasks throughto completion. Emotions arealso affected. People whohave undergone this level ofsleep deprivation may be eas-ily irritated.

They may experience adepressed mood, anxiety, orparanoia. Research has alsofound that sleep deprivationmakes it more difficult toprocess others’ emotions. Inone study, participants with30 hours of sleep deprivationhad difficulty recognizingangry and happy facialexpressions.

Finally, several days ofsleep deprivation can signifi-cantly alter perception. Youmight experience hallucina-tions, which occur when yousee something that isn’t there.Illusions are also common.Illusions are a misinterpreta-tion of something that’s real.

How Long Can You Go Without Sleep?Function, Hallucination, and More

What are hallucinations?Hallucinations are sensory

experiences that appear realbut are created by your mind.They can affect all five ofyour senses. For example,you might hear a voice thatno one else in the room canhear or see an image thatisn’t real.

These symptoms may becaused by mental illnesses,the side effects of medica-tions, or physical illnesseslike epilepsy or alcohol usedisorder.

You may need to visit apsychiatrist, a neurologist, ora general practitionerdepending on the cause ofyour hallucinations.

Treatment may includetaking medication to treat ahealth condition. Your doctormay also recommend adopt-ing different behaviors likedrinking less alcohol andgetting more sleep toimprove your hallucinations.

Types of hallucinationsHallucinations may affect

your vision, sense of smell,taste, hearing, or bodily sen-sations.

Visual hallucinationsVisual hallucinations

involve seeing things thataren’t there. The hallucina-tions may be of objects, visu-al patterns, people, or lights.

For example, you mightsee a person who’s not in theroom or flashing lights thatno one else can see.

Olfactory hallucinationsOlfactory hallucinations

involve your sense of smell.You might smell an unpleas-ant odor when waking up inthe middle of the night orfeel that your body smellsbad when it doesn’t.

This type of hallucinationcan also include scents you

find enjoyable, like the

smell of flowers.Gustatory hallucinationsGustatory hallucinations

are similar to olfactory hallu-cinations, but they involveyour sense of taste instead ofsmell.

These tastes are oftenstrange or unpleasant.Gustatory hallucinations(often with a metallic taste)are a relatively commonsymptom for people withepilepsy.

Auditory hallucinationsAuditory hallucinations

are among the most commontype of hallucination. Youmight hear someone speak-ing to you or telling you todo certain things. The voicemay be angry, neutral, orwarm.

Other examples of thistype of hallucination includehearing sounds, like some-one walking in the attic orrepeated clicking or tappingnoises.

Tactile hallucinationsTactile hallucinations

involve the feeling of touchor movement in your body.For example, you might feelthat bugs are crawling onyour skin or that your inter-nal organs are movingaround. You might also feelthe imagined touch of some-one’s hands on your body.

What causes hallucina-tions?

Mental health conditionsMental illnesses are

among the most commoncauses of hallucinations.Schizophrenia, dementia,and delirium are a few exam-ples.

Substance useSubstance use is another

fairly common cause of hal-lucinations. Some people seeor hear things that aren’tthere after drinking too much

alcohol or taking drugs likecocaine.

Hallucinogenic drugs likeLSD and PCP can also causeyou to hallucinate.

Lack of sleepNot getting enough sleep

can also lead to hallucina-tions. You may be moreprone to hallucinations if youhaven’t slept in multipledays or don’t get enoughsleep over long periods oftime.

It’s also possible to experi-ence hallucinations rightbefore falling asleep, knownas hypnagogic hallucina-tions, or right before wakingup from sleep, known ashypnopompic hallucinations.

MedicationsCertain medications taken

for mental and physicalhealth conditions can alsocause hallucinations.Parkinson’s disease, depres-sion, psychosis, and epilepsymedications may sometimestrigger hallucination symp-toms.

Other conditionsOther conditions can also

cause hallucinations. Thesecan include:

high fevers, especially inchildren and the elderly

migrainesocial isolation, particular-

ly in older adultsseizuresdeafness, blindness, or

vision problemsepilepsy (in some cases,

epileptic seizures can causeyou to see flashing shapes orbright spots)

terminal illnesses, such asstage 3 HIV (AIDS), braincancer, or kidney and liverfailure

How are hallucinationsdiagnosed?

The best thing to do is callyour doctor right away if yoususpect that your perceptionsaren’t real. Your doctor willask about your symptomsand perform a physicalexam. Additional tests mightinclude a blood or urine testand perhaps a brain scan.

If you know someonewho’s hallucinating, don’tleave them alone. In somesevere cases, fear and para-noia triggered by hallucina-tions can lead to dangerousactions or behaviors.

Everything you Need to

Know About Hallucinations

Is Twirling Your Hair as a Habit a

Symptom of an Underlying Condition?

TRUTH PREVAIL

JAMMU, WEDNESDAy, SEPTEMBER 30, 20208 INTERNATIONAL

Texas Declares Disaster As Brain-Eating

Amoeba In Water Supply Kills BoyTexas Gov. Greg Abbott

issued a disaster declarationin Brazoria County onSunday, after finding anamoeba that can cause a rareand deadly infection of thebrain in the local water sup-ply system.

"The state of Texas is tak-ing swift action to respond tothe situation and support thecommunities whose watersystems have been impactedby this amoeba," Abbott, aRepublican, said in a newsrelease Sunday. "I urgeTexans in Lake Jackson tofollow the guidance of localofficials and take the appro-priate precautions to protecttheir health and safety as wework to restore safe tap waterin the community." The gov-ernor's declaration follows aninvestigation into the death of6-year-old Josiah McIntyre inLake Jackson this month,after contracting the brain-eating microbe, whichprompted local authoritiesand CDC experts to test thewater. The preliminaryresults came back Friday andshowed that 3 in 11 samplestested positive.

One of the samples camefrom a hose spigot at theboy's home, Lake JacksonCity Manager ModestoMundo said, according toCBS News.

"The notification to us atthat time was that he hadplayed at one of play foun-tains and he may have alsoplayed with a water hose atthe home," Mundo said.

On Friday night, theBrazosport Water Authority

issued a do-not-use advisoryfor eight communities afterconfirmation of the presenceof Naegleria fowleri, whichdestroys brain tissue, thencauses swelling of the brain,known as amebic menin-goencephalitis. It urged resi-dents to not use the tap waterfor drinking and cooking.

The Texas Commission onEnvironmental Quality(TCEQ) urged people toavoid water going up the nosewhen bathing, showering orswimming, and prohibitedchildren from playing withhoses, sprinklers or anydevice that may squirt waterup the nose. It also advisedpeople to run bath and show-er taps and hoses for severalminutes before use, and toboil tap water before drink-ing.

By Monday morning, thedo-not-use advisory was lift-ed in Brazoria County, but aboil notice remained in LakeJackson, where the TCEQ,along with the TexasDepartment of State HealthServices, the Center for

Disease Control (CDC) andthe Environmental ProtectionAgency are conducting oper-ations to flush and disinfectthe city's water system wherethe amoeba was found.

"During this period of dis-infection and flushing, boil-ing the tap water makes itsafe for drinking and cook-ing," a statement from thecommission said. "Naegleriafowleri is a type of amoebathat can be managed usingstandard treatment and disin-fection processes." To ensurethat the water distributionsystem is safe, city workerswill convert the disinfectantused in the distribution sys-tem, from chloramine to freechlorine, a practice known as"chlorine burn." Chlorine ismore useful in inactivatingcertain types of bacteria thatcan make it difficult for thesystems to maintain a disin-fectant residual, the statementsaid. Over the weekend, cityofficials handed out boxes ofwater for the population ofabout 27,000 at a temporarydistribution center.

Australia Sends Troops To Help

Contain Virus On Ore ShipSyDNEy: Australian

defence personnel are beingdeployed to Port Hedland,one of the world's largest ironore loading ports, to helpcontain a coronavirus out-break on a bulk carrier thatlast changed crews in themajor seafaring city ofManila.

Seventeen of the 21 crewof the carrier have tested pos-itive for the virus, ship ownerOldendorff Carriers said in astatement.

Ten of the infected crewhave been moved to hotelquarantine while seveninfected workers remain onboard as part of a nine-personcrew, authorities said.

Oldendorff said that theManila crew change on Sept.5 complied with all proto-cols.

"All crew members testednegative for the virus beforeleaving the Philippines,"Oldendorff said.

The ship, which wasscheduled to collect man-ganese ore which is used insteel production, is anchoredoff Port Hedland onAustralia's northwest coast.

The port is used by someof Australia's top iron oreminers, including BHPGroup and Fortescue MetalsGroup, but operations hadnot been impacted, thePilbara Ports Authority said.

A spokesman for privatelyheld manganese producerConsolidated Minerals,which had expected the ves-sel, said a new ship had beenchartered and would arriveearly next week.

The disruption would notimpact annual shipments, it

added.Western Australia closed

its borders early in the pan-demic. It now bars cruiseships but allows export carri-ers and limited air arrivals. Ithas had no local virus casesfor near six months.

"We are well prepared tomanage the situation in PortHedland, and every possiblemeasure is being put in placeto protect the local communi-ty," Western Australia pre-mier Mark McGowan toldreporters on Tuesday.

"We need to carefullymanage this situation andthose in hotel quarantine arebeing kept away from thepublic and under strict super-vision."

Up to 10 AustralianDefence Force (ADF) per-sonnel were expected to bedeployed to Port Hedlandafter a request for assistancefrom the state government,an ADF spokesman said in astatement.

Australia's coronavirushotspot state of Victoria onTuesday reported 10 newinfections in the past 24hours, turning around a sec-ond contagion wave that onlylast month was infecting over700 people every day.

The country's second mostpopulous state has placednearly 5 million residents ofits capital Melbourne underone of the world's most strin-gent lockdowns since earlyAugust.

The state, which accountsfor the bulk of the country'sover 27,000 infections, and882 deaths, on Sunday liftedsome of the restrictions,including nightly curfews.

HOUSTON, UNITEDSTATES: The governorof Texas has issued a dis-aster declaration after thedeath of six-year-old boyinfected with a brain-eat-ing amoeba that was laterfound in his community'swater supply.

The child died onSeptember 8 following aninfection caused by theamoeba Naegleria fowleri,a microscopic organismthat breeds in the warm,fresh water of lakes andrivers and of poorly main-tained swimming pools,US media reports said.

The amoeba enters thebody through the nasalmembranes and penetratesto the brain, causing pow-erful migraine, hyperther-mia, stiff neck and vomit-ing, then dizziness,extreme fatigue, confu-sion and hallucinations.

Testing revealed tracesof the amoeba in the tap ofthe garden hose at theboy's house, a spokesmanfor the town of LakeJackson said, quoted bylocal media.

Traces were also foundin a fountain in the towncentre and in a firehydrant in a town just one

hour away from the majorcity of Houston, saidModesto Mundo, a cityofficial.

Grandparents of JosiahMcIntyre, the deceasedchild, told the HoustonChronicle that he mighthave been exposed to con-taminated water while hewas playing in a splashpark downtown, shortlybefore he fell ill.

The splash park hassince been closed and sev-eral towns in Brazoriacounty, where LakeJackson is located,advised residents to avoidusing tap water for drink-ing, bathing or cooking.

That advice has sincebeen lifted but authoritiesare urging residents to boilwater before using it.

Texas Governor GregAbbott issued a disasterdeclaration on Sunday forBrazoria County, whichincludes Lake Jackson.

The declaration allowsauthorities to use extrastate resources due to anemergency.

Between 1983 and2010, Texan healthauthorities have attributed28 deaths to the amoebaNaegleria fowleri.

At Least 5 Iraqi Civilians Killed

In Anti-US Rocket AttackBAGHDAD, IRAQ:

Three Iraqi children and twowomen from the same fami-ly were killed Monday whena rocket targeting Baghdadairport, where US troops arestationed, fell instead ontheir home, the army said.

The latest in a string ofattacks targeting Americaninterests in Iraq, it cameafter Washington threatenedto close its embassy andwithdraw its 3,000 troopsfrom the country unless therockets stop.

Attacks over the past yearhave caused relatively fewcasualties, and Monday'sincident was notable for thenumber of civilians killed.

The army said it alsowounded two children.

Twitter accounts support-ing US arch-enemy Iran reg-ularly praise the attacks, butthat was not the caseMonday, when no groupimmediately claimedresponsibility. Half a dozenpreviously unheard-of fac-tions have claimed similarattacks in recent months,under the banner of "Islamicresistance" against the"American occupier".

But experts say they are asmokescreen, and that theyinclude former members ofpro-Iranian factions of theHashed al-Shaabi paramili-tary alliance, a state-spon-sored network close toTehran. The deaths of civil-ians could put the groupresponsible in an uncomfort-able position with a public

exhausted by years of vio-lence by various armedgroups. The Iraqi army onMonday accused "criminalgangs and groups of out-laws" of seeking to "createchaos and terrorise people".

Between October andJuly, at least 39 rocketattacks targeted US interestsin Iraq. Almost the samenumber again have takenplace since.

In total, four soldiers --two British, one Iraqi andone American -- along with aUS and an Iraqi contracterhave been killed in theattacks, while several civil-ians have been wounded.

Iraqi intelligence sourceshave blamed the attacks on asmall group of hardline Iran-backed paramilitary fac-tions.

- 'Honeymoon is over' -Senior American officers

today see pro-Iran armedgroups as a greater threatthan the Islamic Statejihadist group, that once helda third of Iraq.

Washington has demand-ed that Baghdad take deci-sive action.

But Iraq must play a deli-cate balancing act with USinfluence and that of neigh-bouring Iran, which arms,finances and supports vari-ous armed Shiite factions.

US Secretary of StateMike Pompeo called IraqiPresident Barham Saleh thismonth and threatened toclose the American embassyin Baghdad, Iraqi and for-eign officials told AFP.

That was seen as a newblow to premier Mustafa al-Kadhemi, who took office asprime minister in May.

While he is seen as west-ern-leaning, US officialshave accused him of notdoing enough against pro-Iran groups.

One Iraqi official toldAFP: "The honeymoon isover." The American ultima-tum was followed by threatsof sanctions against seniorpolitical and military fig-ures.

Populist Shiite cleric andpolitician Moqtada Sadr hassince called for a commis-sion of inquiry into the rock-et attacks, a proposal backedby Kadhemi.

Trump Suggested Naming Daughter Ivanka

As His Running Mate In 2016: BookWASHINGTON: As

Donald Trump's top campaignaides began a discussion inJune 2016 about who the pre-sumptive Republican presiden-tial nominee should select ashis running mate, the candidatepiped up with an idea.

"I think it should beIvanka. What about Ivanka asmy VP?" Trump asked theassembled group, according toa new book by his formerdeputy campaign managerRick Gates set to be publishedOct. 13.

Trump added: "She'sbright, she's smart, she's beau-tiful, and the people wouldlove her!"

In Gates's telling, Trump'ssuggestion of naming to theticket his then-34-year-olddaughter - a fashion and realestate executive who had neverheld elected office - was nopassing fancy.

Instead, he brought up theidea repeatedly over the fol-lowing weeks, trying to sell hiscampaign staff on the idea,insisting she would beembraced by the Republicanbase, Gates writes.

Trump was so taken withthe concept of his eldest daugh-ter as his vice president - andso cool to other options,including his eventual selec-tion, then-Indiana Gov. Mike

Pence - that his team polled theidea twice, according to Gates.It was Ivanka Trump who final-ly ended the conversation,Gates writes, going to herfather to tell him it wasn't agood idea. Trump eventuallycame around and selectedPence, after the governor wonhim over by delivering a"vicious and extended mono-logue" about Bill and HillaryClinton at a get-to-know-youbreakfast later that summer,according to Gates's account."This is not true and there wasnever any such poll," TimMurtaugh, the Trump cam-paign's communications direc-tor, said Monday. In response,Gates said in a statement, "Ihave the greatest respect forMr. Murtaugh and the tremen-

dous job he has with the 2020Trump campaign. In 2016 onlya few senior campaign staffwere aware of the full list ofpotential candidates and theactions we took to vet them."In an interview last week,Gates said he is not certainTrump would actually havegone through with making hisdaughter his running mate. Buthe said he included the anec-dote in his new book, firstreported by Bloomberg, as aprime example of the kind ofunconventional thinking hebelieves made Trump anappealing candidate.

While others might seethe episode as a distastefulsymbol of Trump's nepotism,Gates said it shows Trump'scommitment to family, loyalty

and ensuring those around himsupport his agenda and nottheir own - "the values andassets that Trump cared mostabout," he said.

The account in Gates'sbook - "Wicked Game: AnInsider's Story on How TrumpWon, Mueller Failed, andAmerica Lost" - is one of sev-eral that he cites in praise of hisformer boss as he describesworking on the campaign andultimately becoming ensnaredin the special counsel investi-gation that consumed much ofTrump's presidency. Unlike anumber of other memoirs byformer Trump staffers, Gates'sbook serves not as a tell-all, butrather a defense of the presi-dent and how he and othershelped elect him.

In an interview, Gates saidhe believes Trump has been agood president - "the mostdecisive president we've hadprobably since Eisenhower" -and says he supports his reelec-tion. After working on the 2016campaign and helping organizethe inauguration, Gates plead-ed guilty in February 2018 toconspiracy against the UnitedStates and lying to federalinvestigators in relation to lob-bying work he and former cam-paign chairman Paul Manaforthad done in Ukraine beforejoining Trump's team.

Google To Enforce 30% Cut

Rule On Play Store AppsSAN FRANCISCO,

UNITED STATES: Googlesaid Monday it plans to startenforcing a rule requiringAndroid apps in its Playstore to use its payment sys-tem, which takes a 30 per-cent cut of transactions.

"We have clarified thelanguage in our PaymentsPolicy to be more explicitthat all developers sellingdigital goods in their appsare required to use GooglePlay's billing system," prod-uct management vice presi-dent Sameer Samat said in ablog post.

People with smartphonesor tablets powered byGoogle-backed Androidsoftware are free to get appsfrom online venues otherthan the Play Store run bythe internet giant.

Google has alwaysrequired apps offered on thePlay Store's virtual shelvesto use its payment system,which takes an industry-standard 30 percent commis-sion -- the same as Appledoes in its App Store foriOS-powered mobiledevices. Unlike Apple, how-ever, Google has been laxabout enforcing the rule.

Google said the policyapplies to fewer than 3 per-cent of developers with appsin the Play Store

"We only collect a servicefee if the developer chargesusers to download their appor they sell in-app digitalitems, and we think that is

fair," Samat said.Changes coming to the

next version of Android, dueout next year, will make iteasier for people to use otherapp stores while watchingout for user safety, accordingto Samat.

"Even if a developer andGoogle do not agree on busi-ness terms the developer canstill distribute on theAndroid platform," Samatsaid.

"This is why Fortnite, forexample, is available direct-ly from Epic's store or fromother app stores includingSamsung's Galaxy Appstore."

Apple and Google inAugust pulled video gamesensation Fortnite from theirmobile app shops after itsmaker, Epic Games, releasedan update that dodges rev-enue-sharing with the techtitans.

The latest version ofFortnite contains a paymentsystem that lets player trans-actions bypass Apple's AppStore and Google's Play, pre-venting the firms from col-lecting their typical cut.

Epic quickly filed a feder-al lawsuit against Apple,accusing the iPhone makerof wielding monopolypower.

The suit said Epic is notseeking favorable treatment,but is asking the court toorder Apple to change itscommission structure for alldevelopers.

J E R U S A L E M ,UNDEFINED: Israeli HealthMinister Yuli Edelstein saidTuesday that there was "noway" the country's secondnationwide coronavirus lock-down would be lifted afterthree weeks as originallyplanned.

"There's no way that in 10days we'll be lifting all therestrictions and saying it's allover, everything is fine," he

told public broadcaster Kan.Israel imposed its second

lockdown on September 18after the coronavirus infectionrate soared. It was originallyscheduled to end on October10.

On Friday, the measureswere tightened after the initialeight days failed to bringdown the world's highestinfection rate per capita.

Beyond shuttering schools

and cultural events, the lock-down has closed the vastmajority of workplaces, mar-kets and places of worship.

Parliament was meanwhiledue to debate a regulation lim-iting demonstrations, whichcould curb weekly proteststhat have been held againstPrime Minister BenjaminNetanyahu's leadership formonths.

Convoys of vehicles weremeanwhile heading toJerusalem to protest the possi-ble restrictions on demonstra-tions. On Saturday night,Netanyahu acknowledged"mistakes" in the reopening ofIsrael's educational systemand economy following thefirst lockdown earlier thisyear.

"There might be somechanges for the better, but thistime, as part of the the learn-ing process from what hap-pened in April, we'll exit (thelockdown) gradually, respon-sibly," Edelstein said.

"The opening of the econo-my and our lives will be grad-ual and slow."

Israel has recorded morethan 233,000 infections and1,507 deaths in a populationof nine million.

According to military intel-ligence, not only does Israelhave the world's highestweekly infection rate per capi-ta, its daily death rate per capi-ta has passed that of theworld's hardest-hit country,the United States.

Texas On Alert After Brain-Eating Amoeba Kills Boy, 6

MIAMI, UNITEDSTATES: Donald Trump'sformer campaign managerBrad Parscale had 10 gunsin his Florida home andhis wife accused him ofbeating her, police saidMonday, after he was dra-matically detained outsidehis house.

Parscale allegedly hithis wife, loaded a pistoland threatened to commitsuicide during an argu-ment on Sunday, a policereport about the incidentin Fort Lauderdale, 50kilometers (30 miles)north of Miami.

Parscale was fired ascampaign manager whenTrump was sinking in thepolls in July, just fourmonths before theNovember election.

In a police bodycamvideo, Parscale's wife,Candice, is seen outsidethe house in a bikini andtowel telling police he was"acting crazy" and hadloaded a handgun.

"I saw him open theblinds in the front yardand he closed them and Iheard what I thought was agunshot," she said.

The footage showed

Parscale, 44, later emerg-ing from the house, shirt-less and holding a beercan.

He was tackled byarmed police, knocked tothe ground and restrainedin handcuffs as he repeat-edly said "I didn't do any-thing." The police reportsaid he appeared to bedrunk and quoted CandiceParscale, 41, as saying herhusband had turned vio-lent in recent weeks.

"I noticed several largesized contusions on bothof her arms, her cheek andforehead," wrote detectiveSteven Smith in the report."When I asked how shereceived the bruising,(she) stated Brad Parscalehits her."

The fired campaignchief was reported to havetwo shotguns, two riflesand six handguns on theproperty. He was commit-ted to a mental healthfacility for evaluation.

He was demoted shortlyafter a Trump campaignrally in Tulsa, Oklahomathat was widely pannedfor its poor attendance. Heremained a senior memberof the campaign team.

Trump's Ex-Campaign Manager Had

10 Guns, Allegedly Hit Wife: Police

Israel Minister Says "No Way"

Coronavirus Lockdown Will End Soon

"I Don't Pull Punches": Debate

Moderator Chris Wallace

W A S H I N G T O N ,UNITED STATES: ChrisWallace, the Fox News anchorwho will moderate the firstpresidential debate betweenDonald Trump and Joe Biden,is a veteran newsman who hasa reputation for playing itstraight at a network where theopinion hosts skew to theright.

Wallace, a youthful-looking72 years old, is the son of leg-endary "60 Minutes" reporterMike Wallace, who wasknown for his pugnaciousinterviews on the CBS show.

The younger Wallace maynot be quite as combative ashis late father, but he does notshy away from confrontation.

That includes taking onTrump at a Rupert Murdoch-owned news network that crit-ics have accused of being acheerleader for the Republicanpresident.

In a one-on-one interviewwith Trump at the WhiteHouse in July, the presidentboasted about passing a cogni-tive test with flying colors.

"Well, it's not the hardesttest," Wallace responded, not-ing that one of the questionsinvolved identifying a pictureof an elephant.

He also fact-checked a falseTrump claim about mortalityrates from the coronaviruspandemic with the statement,"It's not true, sir."

Wallace will serve as thesole moderator for Tuesday'sdebate between the 74-year-old Trump and 77-year-oldBiden at Case WesternUniversity in Cleveland, Ohio.

It is the first of three debatesto be held ahead of theNovember 3 election.

Trump, speaking to FoxNews Radio, said that whilehe has a "lot of respect" forWallace, he was "willing tobet that he won't ask Bidentough questions."

"He'll ask me tough ques-tions, and it'll show, it'll beunfair," Trump said. "He'll becontrolled by the radical left."

The Fox News interviewer,Brian Kilmeade, pushed backagainst Trump's claim, sayingthat Wallace is "not controlledby anyone."

'I don't pull punches'Born in Chicago on October

12, 1947, Wallace's parentsseparated when he was a child.

Wallace was raised by hismother and stepfather, formerCBS News president BillLeonard, and only got to know

his father as a teenager follow-ing the accidental death of hisolder brother.

After graduating fromHarvard University, Wallacewent to work at The BostonGlobe.

He joined NBC News in1975 for what would be thestart of a long and distin-guished career in televisionnews. During his 13 years atNBC, Wallace covered theWhite House, anchored theNBC Nightly News and host-ed the Sunday morning politi-cal talk show "Meet thePress." He left NBC for rivalABC in 1989, where he hosteda show called "PrimetimeThursday" as well as"Nightline."

A registered Democrat,Wallace moved to Fox in 2003and became the host of thenetwork's political chat show"Fox News Sunday."

In an interview with TheNew York Times published inJune, Wallace was asked aboutthe experience of working atFox.

"Do I agree with some ofthe stuff I hear? Absolutelynot," he said. "In the end, Ihave decided that what mattersto me is what I am allowed todo. "I've never been second-guessed on a guest I booked, aquestion I've asked," Wallacesaid. "I don't pull punches. I'mnot playing favorites."

He served as moderator forone of the 2016 presidentialdebates between Trump andDemocratic candidate HillaryClinton, becoming the firstFox News anchor to do so andearning plaudits for his per-formance from both sides.

TRUTH PREVAILJAMMU WEDNESDAY SEPTEMbER 30, 20209 SPORTS

Dubai : Former India fastbowler Irfan Pathan believesRoyal Challengers Bangalore(RCB) should avoid bowlingShivam Dube at the death inthe upcoming matches of theIndian Premier League (IPL).

RCB have so far playedtwo matches in the tourna-ment. In the first match, theyregistered a 10-run winagainst SunRisers Hyderabad(SRH) while in the nextgame, the Virat Kohli-led sidesuffered a crushing 97-rundefeat against Kings XIPunjab. "Look, I think theywill get better as soon asChris Morris comes in. I seeMorris coming in, (Dale)Steyn going out and they aresettled. What I don't wantfrom RCB is Shivam Dubebowling the death overs," saidPathan while speaking on StarSports show CricketConnected ahead of RCB'sclash against Mumbai Indiansto be played at the DubaiInternational Cricket Stadiumon Monday evening. "Theyhave a better team, they havebetter batsmen comparatively.They are not just dependenton AB de Villiers or ViratKohli. This year they haveAaron Finch as well,(Devdutt) Paddikal startedvery well," he added.

Dube not right choiceat death : Pathan

Rome : Even on a nightwhen Juventus was outplayedfor long stretches, the nine-time defending Serie A cham-pion managed to salvage apoint in a 2-2 draw at Roma.

Cristiano Ronaldo scoredtwice, including a second-half equalizer with a toweringheader after Juventus hadbeen reduced to 10 men,while Jordan Veretout had abrace for Roma.

"We got back into it, evenafter the red card," Ronaldosaid.

"By the end of the seasonthis could prove to be animportant point."

Veretout put Roma aheadin the 31st with a penalty fol-lowing a handball fromAdrien Rabiot, who was try-ing to block a shot fromVeretout.

Ronaldo then equalizedfrom the spot after LorenzoPellegrini used his arm toblock the five-time Ballond'Or winner.

Veretout scored his sec-ond in first-half added time asRoma tore past Juventus' vet-eran but aging center backsLeonardo Bonucci andGiorgio Chiellini. HenrikhMkhitaryan escaped downthe left flank and crossed forVeretout, who used one touchto get away from a defenderbefore shooting past goal-keeper Wojciech Szczesny.

Juventus was reduced to10 men in the 62nd whenRabiot picked up his secondyellow card for sticking hisboot into the left thigh ofMkhitaryan.

Moments earlier, Romaforward Edin Džeko struck ashot off the post after hismarker had already fallen tothe ground.

Juve then had a chance toequalize when Ronaldovolleyed directly at goalkeep-er Antonio Mirante.

Ronaldo saves Juve

Abu Dhabi : Off to thebest possible start with twowins on the trot, a confidentDelhi Capitals will hope tokeep the juggernaut rollingwhen they take on the winlessSunrisers Hyderabad in anIPL match here on Tuesday.

Both sides have enduredcontrasting campaigns so far.

Delhi head in to the gameafter two morale-boostingvictories. The Shreyas Iyer-led side edged past Kings XIPunjab in a thrilling SuperOver before thrashingChennai Super Kings com-prehensively to jump to thetop of the points table.

On the other hand,Sunrisers are the only side yetto register a win in the tourna-ment, having lost both theirgames and David Warner andhis men will be desperate toturn things around.

In their opening encounter,despite opener JonnyBairstow (61) and ManishPandey (34) putting Sunrisersin a winning position in achase of 164, the team failedto cross the line.

Against Kolkata KnightRiders, the middle-orderfailed to fire and the team set-tled for a below-par totalwhich the bowling unit could-n't defend.

Wriddhiman Saha wasparticularly slow and wouldbe expected to play an inningsmore suitable to the format.

For Delhi, the SouthAfrican pace duo of KagisoRabada and Anrich Nortje haslooked sharp with the newball while spinners Axar Pateland Amit Mishra have per-formed splendidly in theabsence of RavichandranAshwin.

Ashwin suffered an injuryin the team's first outing and islikely to miss the matchagainst Sunrisers.

"It is not a major injury, hebowled in the nets yesterday,he will comeback very soon.He is being monitored byphysio, today again he willbowl at the nets. Maximum,he might miss one morematch," Amit Mishra said in apre-match presser.

In batting, the onus will beon seniors such as ShikharDhawan to lay the foundation,and he will have the talentedPrithvi Shaw at the top of theorder for company.

Rishabh Pant and Iyerhave also looked in good nick,after rescuing the team from aspot of bother in the firstgame, the two pitched in withvaluable runs against CSK.

Australian all-rounder

Marcus Stoinis has proved heis handy with the willowwhile Shimron Hetmyer canalso compliment the strongbatting line up.

For Sunrisers to do well,they would need to lookbeyond Warner and Bairstow.The side must click as a bat-ting unit to post its first win ofthe season on Tuesday.

The 2016 championsreplaced the injured MitchellMarsh with Afghanistan off-spinner Mohammad Nabi,who played a quick cameowith the bat and also bowledan economical spell later.

However, with the battingunit letting them down in bothoutings, Sunrisers might con-sider bringing in KaneWilliamson, who has recov-ered from his injury, to pro-vide stability to the line-up.He would be coming in placeof Nabi.

Sunrisers spinners led byRashid Khan continue toimpress but the side is lackingan out and out pace bowlerwho can hit the deck and pushthe batsman back off a goodlength.

Australian fast bowlerBilly Stanlake is an option butwith only four overseas slotsavailable, his inclusion looksunlikely.

DC eye hat-trick

Abu Dhabi : While all thelimelight was taken away byRahul Tewatia duringRajasthan Royals' historicwin over Kings XI Punjab, itwas the incredible inningsfrom Sanju Samson whichlaid the platform for the SteveSmith-led side during theirchase at the Sharjah CricketStadium.

Samson scored 85 runs asRoyals chased down the tar-get of 224 - highest ever inhistory of the Indian PremierLeague - with four wickets inhand and three balls to spare.His 42-ball knock was stud-ded with four 4s and seven 6s.

Taking note of Samson'sinnings on Sunday, CongressMP Shashi Tharoor said onTwitter: "What an absolutelyincredible win for RajasthanRoyals! I've known SanjuSamson for a decade and toldhim when he was 14 that hewould one day be the next MSDhoni. Well, that day is here.

After his two amazing inningsin this IPL, you know aworld-class player hasarrived." However, GautamGambhir and S Sreesanthdon't want the 25-year-old tobe compared with the formerIndia captain.

"Sanju Samson doesn'tneed to be next anyone. Hewill be 'the' Sanju Samson ofIndian cricket," tweetedGambhir replying to Tharoor.

"He is not next Dhoni, heis Sanju Samson the one andonly. He should have beenplaying from 2015 regularlyin all formats. Please don'tcompare him, if he had givenright opportunities then, hewould have been playing likethis for India and would havewon World Cups," saidSreesanth while replying tothe Congress MP. "I am surehe will still keep playing welland it's not just these twoinnings...He is gonna break alot of records too and win

many more world cups for ourcountry. So please don't com-pare him to anyone...he is anamazing Malayali from ourGods own country. His best isyet to come," he added.

The right-handed batsmanhad scored 74 runs off just 32deliveries in Royals' firstmatch of IPL 2020 which hisside won against ChennaiSuper Kings by 16 runs.

Rajasthan Royals brandambassador Shane Warne hadpraised Samson and said itwas shocking to see that a tal-ent like Samson is not a partof Team India across all for-mats.

"I have said for a long timeand I think Sanju Samson isprobably one of the mostexciting players I have seenfor a long time. I am surprisedthat he is not playing all formsof cricket for India," Warnehad said in an Instagram livesession done by the Royalsbefore Sunday's game.

Don't compare Sanju with MS

Dubai : RoyalChallengers Bangalore beatMumbai Indians in a thrillingSuper Over contest in theIndian Premier League onMonday after the match wastied during regulation 20overs.

In the Super Over,Navdeep Saini conceded only7 runs and RCB skipper ViratKohli hit Jasprit Bumrah for aboundary off the final deliv-ery to win it for his team.

Chasing a target of 202,Mumbai Indians managed201 for 5 after Ishan Kishan(99 off 58 balls) and KieronPollard (60 off 24 balls) near-ly pulled off an incrediblechase but could manage 8 offthe required 19 runs in the lastover. When RCB batted, halfcenturies from AB de Villiers,Aaron Finch and DevduttPadikkal propelled them to201 for 3 after being put intobat.

De Villiers scored 55 off24 balls while Finch (52 off

35 balls) and Padikkal (54 off40 balls) aso contributedhandsomely.

For MI, Trent Boult got 2for 34 and Rahul Chahar gotthe other wicket.

Brief Scores: RCB 201/3

(AB de Villiers 55 NO off 24balls, Aaron Finch 52 off 35balls, Devdutt Padikkal 54 off

40 balls, Trent BoultMI 201/5 (Ishan Kishan 99

off 58 balls, KIeron Pollard60 no off 24 balls).

RCB beat MI in thrilling Super Over game

IPL 2020: Here's what Virat Kohli said after Royal ChallengerBangalore's thrilling win over Mumbai Indians in Super Over

Dubai : RoyalChallengers Bangalore (RCB)skipper Virat Kohli onMonday (September 28) saidthat he was at loss of wordsafter his side's thrilling winover Mumbai Indians inIndian Premier League 2020'ssecond Super Over in 10matches.

Chasing a target of 202runs, MI Kireon Pollard (60*)and Ishan Kishan (99) wenton a rampage after the 16thover and equalled the score totake the match in to the SuperOver.

In Super Over, Pollard andHardik Pandya managed toscore only 7 runs for MumbaiIndians. Kohli came out to batwith AB de Villiers to chasethe target and succeeded inwinning the match for RCBwith a boundary.

"I don't have wordsbecause it was such a roller-coaster. We batted really wellto get past 200 and the startwith the ball was outstandingas well. They played well inthe middle overs, patiently,waiting for the dew to kick in.I hope we didn't think we'ddone the job [at 90 off 5overs]," Kohli said in the postmatch conference.

"[Super Over] I thoughtabout, Jasprit's going to bowland use the longer boundary.Thought about who are the

best guys to come back fortwos and it was me and AB. Itwas a good match with Jaspritbeing the best bowler they

have. We felt he's in the game,we're in the game, and that'swhat the people love," headded.

Kohli, 31, said that closegames can be thrilling for thefans but the captains involvedin these thrilling encounter donot feel the same way. "But

not for the captains involved.We'll take lessons and closethe games better in the future.I think the changes that we

made, making Washy bowl inthe powerplay paid off. I thinkIsuru did well as well.Gurkeerat didn't get a bat butwe had the balance right,"Kohli noted.

Kohli also praised RCBpacer Navdeep Saini, whobowled superbly in the Super

Over."Zampa did well too other

than that last over.Outstanding super over from

Saini aganst Hardik andPollard. I think the longboundary gave him confi-dence. [2 in 3] A bit differentfrom the past, isn't it?! Needto plug in those gaps in thoseperformances and keep accu-mulating those points," Kohliadded.

Indian Premier League 2020: Royal Challengers Bangaloredefeat Mumbai Indians in Super Over thriller

Dubai : RoyalChallengers Bangaloredefeated Mumbai Indians in aSuper Over thriller onMonday (September 28) atthe Dubai InternationalStadium.

Mumbai Indians wholooked down and out atone stage tied RCB's totalof 201 thanks to phenome-nal counter-attack fromIshan Kishan (99 off 58balls; 4x2, 6x9) andKeiron Pollard (60 from24 balls; 4x3, 6x5).

In the Super Over,Navdeep Saini was thehero for RCB, as he con-tained Mumbai to a paltry7/1. Bumrah, in reply,brought his side close butwith RCB needing 6 from3 balls, Ab de Villiers top-edged one for four and Kohlihit the last ball for four tocomplete a memorable victo-ry for his side.

Earlier, Mumbai Indianswon the toss and opted tobowl first against RoyalChallengers Bangalore.

Royal ChallengersBangalore posted a handsometotal of 201/3 from their allot-ted 20 overs. Both openersDevdutt Padikkal and AaronFinch scored brilliant fifties toprovide a strong start to RCBwith their 81-run stand.Mumbai Indians threatened tocome back into the gamestrongly after the quick dis-missals of Finch and skipperVirat Kohli. Kohli disappoint-ed again as he was dismissedfor a miserly 3 off 11 balls.

Ab de Villiers (55 off 24balls; 4x4, 6x6) though hadother plans as he scored arapid half-century to powerhis side over 200. He wasgiven good company in theend by all-rounder ShivamDube (27 off 10 balls; 4x1,6x3).

RCB scored 65 runs off

the final four overs, where theMumbai bowlers were put tothe sword. Bumrah's final twoovers went for 35 runs as

Mumbai's pace spearheadfailed to nail in those trade-mark yorkers.

Chasing the mammoth201, Mumbai lost skipperRohit Sharma in just the sec-ond over. Mumbai lookeddone and dusted with thescore reading 39/3 in the sev-enth over.

Hardik Pandya (15 off 13;6x1) and Ishan Kishan thenstitched a small stand but therun-rate kept surging. AfterPandya's dismissal, theWindies powerhouse Keiron

Pollard came to the crease butinitially, he failed to getgoing.

With the result of the

match looking like a foregoneconclusion, the duo startedswinging their arms withPollard, especially taking aliking towards RCB's leg-spinduo of Yuzvendra Chahal andAdam Zampa. The Mumbaiduo scored 49 runs from the17th and 18th overs, deliveredby the two leggies.

With 19 needed from thefinal six balls, Kishan hit twoconsecutive sixes off Udanawith 5 needed from the finaltwo balls. The youngster wasdismissed on the penultimate

ball but Pollard pulled awaythe final delivery for four totake the match into the oneover-eliminator.

Ab de Villiers washanded the man of thematch award for hisfrantic knock at thedeath.

RCB will take thevictory in their strideafter they weredestroyed by Kings XIin their last game.Kohli's poor run withthe bat though, is acause for concern. TheIndian captain hasscored a cumulative 18runs from his threeinnings.

Mumbai despite theloss, still will look at thepositives from the game.

Ishan Kishan, still only 22,looks like a solid futureprospect. Brought into theside to replace an unfitSaurabh Tiwary, the young-ster grabbed the chance withboth hands and was unfortu-nate to miss out on a welldeserved century.

The wicketkeeper-bats-man can replace an out ofform Quinton de Kock inMumbai's playing XI in theirnext game against Kings XIPunjab on Thursday (October1).

Want to host Eng series in India : GangulyKolkata : BCCI President

Sourav Ganguly on Mondaysaid the Board will do all itcan to ensure that India'shome series against Englandremains in the country anddomestic tournaments kickoff at some point despite the"fluid" COVID-19 situation.

"...Priority is to make this(series against England) hap-pen in India. We will try tomake this happen on Indiangrounds. The advantage inUAE is they have three stadi-ums (Abu Dhabi, Sharjahand Dubai)," he said in amedia interaction hereaddressing speculation thatUAE could be the host forIndia given the COVID casecount here.

BCCI has recently signeda Memorandum ofUnderstanding with theEmirates Cricket Board forgreater cooperation in con-ducting matches there.

"We also have the samefacility in Mumbai - CCI,Wankhede and DY Patil. Wealso have Eden Gardens. Wehave to create a bubble. Wewant to hold our cricket inIndia, that's where the gameis, that's where the heart is.But we are monitoring theCOVID situation," Gangulysaid after being named brandambassador of the BengalPeerless group here.

"Everything is fluid. It'sbeen hard for the last sixmonths to keep everything inorder. You want your cricketto happen. You want lives to

get back to normal, there areplayers involved. But you alsowant to have a close look atthe COVID situation,"Ganguly added.

On to domestic cricket andunder normal circumstances,the BCCI would have alreadystarted its mega season withRanji Trophy and DuleepTrophy, the U-23 CK NayuduTrophy, Vijay Hazare andDeodhar Trophy, and theSyed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.

In 2019-20 it hosted 2036domestic games across vari-

ous age groups in the men'sand women's category butcreating a bio-bubble for somany teams across the coun-try will be next to impossible

given the virus threat."We are monitoring it. We

want to have our domesticseason. We have all the com-binations, situations ready inour mind. We will try andmake it happen as much as wecan," he reiterated.

Before Delhi Capitals'started their Indian PremierLeague 2020 season, Delhiskipper Shreyas Iyer said inan interview to Star Sportsthat head coach RickyPonting and Ganguly (whowas DC's mentor in 2019)

played an important role inhelping him become a betterplayer and captain.

But Ganguly's detractorsclaimed that the former skip-

per as BCCI presidenthelped a franchise captainwhere he was a mentor,which is a case of Conflictof Interest.

While Iyer posted atweet stressing that hewas referring to 2019 sea-son, Ganguly hit back atthe critics strongly.

"I had helped him(Iyer) last year. I may bethe Board president, butdon't forget that I'veplayed 500 matches (424matches) for India, so Ican speak to a youngplayer and help him, be itShreyas Iyer or ViratKohli. If they want help, I

can," Ganguly said during apromotional event.

"As a young captain, I amthankful to Ricky and Dadafor being a part of my journeyas a cricketer and captain lastseason. My comment ……was to emphasise my grati-tude towards the role theyboth have played in my per-sonal growth as a captain,"Iyer tweeted.

The Delhi Capitals havestarted their IPL 2020 seasonon a high winning both theirmatches so far.

Kishan was tired, we had faith in senior playersto bat well in Super Over : Jayawardene

Dubai : Mumbai Indians'decision to not send IshanKishan, who was striking theball hard and clean, to bat inthe Super Over surprisedmany but their head coachMahela Jayawardane defend-ed the tactic saying they hadfaith in their experiencedplayers to do the job.

It was wicket-keeper bats-man Ishan Kishan, who withhis blistering knock of 99 runsbrought Mumbai Indians backin a stiff 202-run chase alongwith Kieron Pollard (60).

However, the match had tobe decided via Super Over,where the defending champi-ons opted to send HardikPandya with Pollard.

The strategy backfired asall they could manage wasonly seven runs off NavdeepSaini and lost the match toRoyal Challengers Banaglore.

Jayawardene said, Kishanfelt tired after giving his allduring the contest.

"If anyone could see, he(Kishan) was very tired at thatmoment and we were thinkingthat we probably need a cou-ple of fresh guys who can goand hit the ball," the SriLankan said at the post-matchpress conference.

"It is quite easy to say inhindsight this and that, butPolly (Pollard) and Hardikhad done the job in the past inthose Super Overs, two expe-rienced guys who are capableof doing that.

"So you take a chance onthese calls and it could havegone either way. If we had 10-

12 runs anything could havehappened," explained thecoach.

Jayawardane had to admit

that seven runs were too smallto defend even for a bowler ofthe calibre of Jasprit Bumrah.

"In the Super Over, we hadthree dots, so that's a killer foryou because we lost a wicketand then we had a couple ofmore dots.

"We needed to make surethat we played some smartshots, get that early boundaryaway, which we couldn't, we

had one, but a couple ofboundaries would have beenreally handy especially whenBooms (Bumrah) comes to

bowl.""Ab (De Villiers) and

Booms is a great tussle, theywent at each other, a bit of aboxing game, but we proba-bly didn't have enough runsfor Booms to defend but wewere still very close," addedthe Sri Lankan batting great.

Jayawardene said whenthey lost wickets early, themessage for Kishan was to

take the game deep."During the middle period

we just wanted to make surethat he bats through the

innings. We knew that hecould put their bowling underpressure, so the message forhim was to take it deep,because we had lost a fewwickets, so he did that bril-liantly and took his chance,played some really goodshots. "It was a brilliant part-nership between him andPolly and (they) almost got ushome," the head coach said.

New Delhi : Indianwrestler Labhanshu Sharmahas planned a bus journeyfrom Rishikesh to London.Labhanshu said the journeywill cover a distance of21,000 km and will travelthrough 20 countries. He saidonly 20 passengers will betaken on this journey and it isplanned to begin in June2021.

"I have planned to launch abus journey from Rishikesh toLondon. A total distance of21,000 km will be coveredand will travel through 20countries. Only 20 passengerswill be taken on this journey.As of now, we have plannedto begin this journey in June2021," Labhanshu told ANI.

It will be a 75-day longjourney and the tour has been

named "Incredible Bus Ride".The main purpose of this jour-ney is to spread Indian cul-ture.

Labhanshu has previouslymade Peace trips through 32countries on internationalroads. Labhanshu and hisbrother, Vishal, recently com-pleted the journey from Indiato London by road as part oftheir World Peace Tour.

Rishikesh to London : Wrestler LabhanshuSharma set to launch bus tour

TRUTH PREVAILJAMMU WEDNESDAY SEPTEMbER 30, 2020ENTERTAINMENT10

Stunning Sonia Mann in a glamorous photo-shoot

Radhika Apte : We have supportednepotism as a society

Actress Radhika Aptefeels the nepotism conversa-tion is complicated, and notjust related to the film indus-try.

"I don't want to be a part ofthis discussion, really,"

Radhika told IANS whenasked about the ongoingnepotism discussion, adding:"It is not just about the insiderand the outsider. It is a largerdiscussion. There is not oneanswer to it. As a society, wehave supported nepotism a lotand it's not just the film indus-try. In order to change every-thing, we all need to changehow we look at it," she added.

Talking about how diffi-cult it is to make a name inBollywood, the actress said:"I think it's difficult for boththe insider and the outsider tobe successful. Success is notjust about being born into afamily. It is a complicatedanswer. I don't think it's easy

to answer that."Earlier in an interview to

IANS, Radhika shared thatshe does not want to get stuckin something convenient or besatisfied, and she is not chas-ing fame.

"I'm not here for fame. Ido like the perks sometimes,but I don't take success andfailure seriously," Radhikatold IANS.

Radhika entered the indus-try with a small role in the2005 release "Vaah! Life HoToh Aisi!", and went on to dofilms like "Shor In The City","Kabali", "Phobia","Badlapur" and the short film"Ahalya".

The actress is credited forbreaking the stereotypicalimage of the Bollywood hero-ine with her roles in "Phobia","Badlapur", "Manjhi: TheMountain Man", "LustStories", "Sacred Games","Pad Man" and "Ghoul".

Ishaan Khatter, AnanyaPanday's Khaali Peeli' to

release on Zee Plex in OctoberActors Ananya Panday

and Ishaan Khatter's KhaaliPeeli will be released on thepay-per-view service ZeePlex on October 2, filmmakerAli Abbas Zafar announcedon Monday.

Ali, who is producing thefilm, shared the news onTwitter.

Akkhi country jis mad rideke peeche padi hai, woh aarahi hai 2nd October ko! Tohpublic ready ho jao,#KhaaliPeeli ke liye (Themad ride, the whole country isafter, is arriving on October 2.So public be ready for KhaaliPeeli'), arriving exclusivelyon @ZeeplexOfficial, thefilmmaker tweeted.

Ishaan and Ananya alsoposted the release date ontheir respective Instagram

accounts.Directed by debutant

Maqbool Khan, "KhaaliPeeli" is set in Mumbai andpromises to be a "young, edgyroller-coaster ride that kick-starts one night, when a boy

meets a girl".Ali, best known for direct-

ing blockbusters such as"Sultan", "Tiger Zinda Hai"and "Bharat", has joinedhands with Zee Studios to co-produce the film.

Also starring JaideepAhlawat, the film was origi-nally scheduled for a theatri-cal release on June 12, butwas put on hold after the cin-ema halls were shut down dueto the coronavirus pandemic.

The teaser of the film wasreleased recently and receivedpositive reviews.

Veteran filmmaker RidleyScott has confirmed that he ismaking yet another movie inhis famous "Alien" fran-chise. The 82-year-old direc-tor, however, said it is tooearly to say whether the newfilm will be a continuation ofhis prequel series, that startedwith "Prometheus" in 2012.

"That's in process. Wewent down a route to try andreinvent the wheel withPrometheus and Covenant.Whether or not we go direct-ly back to that is doubtfulbecause 'Prometheus' woke itup very well," Scott told

Forbes in an interview."But you know, you're

asking fundamental ques-tions like, 'Has the Alienhimself, the facehugger, thechestburster, have they allrun out of steam? Do youhave to rethink the wholebloody thing and simply usethe word to franchise?' That'salways the fundamentalquestion," he added.

Scott had launched thefranchise with 1979's"Alien", about the crew ofthe commercial space tugnamed Nostromo, whoencounter the eponymous

Alien, a deadly and aggres-sive extraterrestrial set looseon the ship.

Headlined by SigourneyWeaver, the film was fol-lowed by three sequels --"Aliens" (1986), "Alien 3"(1992) and "AlienResurrection" (1997).However, Scott didn't directany of the films.

Many years later, Scottrevisited the franchise with"Prometheus", starringMichael Fassbender andNoomi Rapace. He followedit up with 2017's "Alien:Covenant".

Ridley Scott working on new 'Alien' movie

When Sachin Pilgaonkarstepped on a film set at the ageof four, he felt at home.

As the actor-filmmakerclocks nearly six decades in theindustry, he is proud to havefollowed his heart, singing hisown tunes, making his own art.

Pilgaonkar is easily one ofthe most versatile artistes inthe Indian film industry,whose work not only trav-erses different languages butalso mediums.

He began his journey as achild actor with the 1962Marathi film "Ha MazaMarg Ekla", smoothly tran-sitioning into a lead star 13years later with the success-ful "Geet Gaata Chal".

Pilgaonkar then went onto direct and produce, andeventually embraced thechanging times, appearingon reality shows and digitalmedium with equal ease.

In an interview with PTI,the 63-year old actor creditedhis continued relevance to hisdrive to act, which remainsuncorrupted.

"I wasn't after money, Iwasn't chasing stardom. Notthat it's bad, but I didn't want tobecome a star at the cost of notbeing recognised as an actor. Iexpanded myself as an actor, Iwasn't stuck at only singingsongs with the heroine.

"Otherwise I wouldn't havedone 'Satte Pe Satta' or an'Avtaar', which came after mymassive hit 'Nadiya Ke Paar.' Ididn't limit myself to a 'heroimage' and did roles because ofwhich people still rememberme," he said.

Recalling his early days inshowbiz, Pilgaonkar said hisentry to cinema was an "acci-dent".

His father's friend was alandlord to Marathi filmmaker,Sudhir Phadke. He would col-lect rent every month from

Phadke until one day, when hesaw a queue of parents withchildren outside Phadke'sDadar house.

Upon enquiry, Phadke toldPilgaonkar's father that it was acasting call for a film he wasproducing, to be directed byRaja Paranjpe.

Pilgaonkar rememberedthat his father, who was amovie buff, saw this as the per-fect opportunity to pitch hisson for the protagonist andtook him for the audition.

The actor was on board for"Ha Majha Marg Ekla", a filmwhich bagged him a NationalAward and paved the way forhim to act in over 65 films as achild artiste.

"When I went on set, I feltso comfortable. Thanks to myguru, Raja ji, that by the thirdday I felt at home. I felt Ibelonged there, that a film setwas my home and this is whereI'd live and breathe. I stillremember that moment," theactor said.

With Rajshri Productions'1975 hit "Geet Gaata Chal",Pilgaonkar, who was then 18,switched to playing the lead.

The same year saw him starin a small role in RameshSippy's blockbuster "Sholay"

as Ahmed, son of RahimChacha, the village imam(played by veteran actor AKHangal), who is shot dead bythe film's antagonist Gabbar's(Amjad Khan) henchmen.

Pilgaonkar quipped he wasprobably the only actor whoplayed two contrasting roleswithin a year.

"Both 'Geet Gaata Chal' and'Sholay' released in 1975. I'mthe only actor who played anadolescent character in onefilm and was a leading boy inthe other! 'Sholay' released onAugust 15, two days before mybirthday, so I wasn't even 18when the film released."

As Ahmed, the actor left hismark in a brief but a memo-rable role in the classic, whichalso had him credited as one ofthe assistant directors, alongwith Khan.

Pilgaonkar continued hissuccessful streak in the late'70s with "Balika Badhu"(1976) and "Ankhiyon KeJharokhon Se" (1978), culmi-nating with a blockbuster like"Nadiya Ke Paar", beforeswitching to another role:direction.

Starting with the Marathifilm "Mai Baap" in 1982, theactor went on to helmacclaimed films like "Ashi HiBanwa Banwi" and "GammatJammat" and "Savvasher",where he met his actor-wife,Supriya Pilgaonkar.

One of his biggest directori-al successes was with the pop-ular TV show "Tu Tu MainMain" in the mid '90s, starringveteran actor Reema Lagooand Supriya Pilgaonkar as theoften at loggerheads mother-in-law and daughter-in-law,respectively.

But Pilgaonkar soonrealised that the industry per-ceived his inclination towardsdirection as a farewell to act-ing.

Didn't want to become star at cost ofacting : Sachin Pilgaonkar

Ever since her Bollywooddebut in 2015, BhumiPednekar has managed to giveseveral credible performanc-es. The actress says she ismore than happy that her hardwork has impressed the audi-ence.

Bhumi made her debut inthe 2015 film "Dum Laga KeHaisha". Over the past fiveyears, some of her best roleshave been in "Shubh MangalSaavdhan", "Saand KiAankh", "Bala" and "Toilet :Ek Prem Katha".

"I'm grateful to the audi-ence for showering so muchlove on my films and me. Anactor always wants to beappreciated for his or herwork and their love is a hugevalidation that I'm choosingthe right films and picking theright roles. Every actor wantstheir films to do well and I'mglad that my films haveworked," Bhumi said.

She is hopeful that hernext "Dolly Kitty Aur WohChamakte Sitaare", co-star-ring Konkona Sensharma,will also be well received bythe audience.

"I hope 'Dolly Kitty AurWoh Chamakte Sitaare'receives a lot of love from theaudience, too!" she keeps herfingers crossed.

Bhumi feels her character,Kitty, in AlankritaSrivastava's film is a true rep-

resentation of an average girlin today's new India.

She said: "Till now, withthe line-up of releases that Ihad, these girls (charactersplayed by Bhumi) still fit themoral boundaries that wereset up. But Dolly and Kittyjust break all social condition-ing. I just felt like this girl is

truly a part of new India. Thisis exactly what new India is.

About her character, she

added: "We are vocal, wespeak up for what we want,we are ambitious survivors,we are go getters. But at thesame time, we are still con-nected with our roots, we arestill connected with our val-ues and our culture and thischaracter exactly signifiesthat."

Bhumi Pednekar: Audience appreciationvalidates my choice of films and roles

Singer Jasleen Royal saysher reality reflects in hermusic, because she wants it tomake it relatable to her listen-ers.

"My music reflects a partof reality, either from my ownlife or from somebody's expe-riences, and my goal hasalways been to be relatable tolisteners," Jasleen said.

Jasleen is trying to tell of achanging reality with her newsong "Sang rahiyo", a take onmodern long-distance rela-tionships.

"I hope when people listento the track they realise thatyou can find love anywhere ifit's meant to be, and that if it'sthe right person, and someonewho inspires you to evolveand become the best versionof yourself, it will always feellike home despite the dis-tance," she added.

The "Nachde ne saare" hit-maker continued: "In an erawhen online dating apps areplaying cupid, it gets difficultto maintain a relationship, letalone one that involves dis-tance. A failed long-distancerelationship is feared byeveryone. While some rela-tionships may just not suc-ceed, some succumb to thedifficulties of compensating

for distance between the part-ners.

"Although the lyrics werewritten eight months ago, cur-rently since most couples sep-

arated by distance are facingthe downsides due to the pan-demic, so I thought it's thebest time to release it."

The song, which navigatesthrough the lives of a youngcouple who are geographical-ly apart and are exploringways to stay connected, fea-tures YouTuber RanveerAllahbadia in the video.

"I have been a huge fan ofRanveer Allahbadia's style ofcreative work and I felt ouron-screen synergies wouldmatch," Jasleen added.

Talking about the song,Allahbadia said: "This oppor-tunity helped me explore acompletely new creative sideto myself.

A lot of great energy andeffort has gone into the mak-ing of this video. It's a verycute, romantic song and Ithink everyone will be able torelate to it really well."

Jasleen Royal on her new song aboutlong-distance relationship

Veteran actor PareshRawal has been appointed thenew chairman of NationalSchool of Drama (NSD). Theprestigious instituteannounced the news onThursday on its verifiedTwitter account.

"We are glad to informHon'ble President of India@rashtrapatibhvn hasappointed renowned actor &Padma Shri @sirpareshrawalas chairman of @nsd_india.NSD family welcome the leg-end to shower his guidance toNSD for achieving newheights," read the tweet.

Rawal, also a politicianaffiliated with the BharatiyaJanata Party, started his actingcareer in the eighties. Widelyrespected for his versatility,he has impressed with numer-ous award-winning arthouseperformances as well as rolesas the villain and the comedi-an in mainstream Bollywoodfilms.

Rawal was honoured witha Padma Shri in 2014, and hewon the National Film Awardin 1994 as Best SupportingActor for "Woh Chokri" and

"Sir".Among his many popular

roles are "Naam" (1986),

"Shiva" (1990), "Tamanna"(1996), "Aitraaz" (2004),"Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye!"(2008), "OMG: Oh My God!"(2012), and "Table No. 21"(2013).

He is particularly loved forhis comic roles in commercialentertainers including "Andaz

Apna Apna" (1994), "Chachi420" (1997), "Hera Pheri"(2000), "Aankhen" (2002),

"Awara Paagal Deewana"(2002), "Hungama" (2003),"Hulchul" (2004), "GaramMasala" (2005), "Phir HeraPheri" (2006), "BhagamBhag" (2006), "MalamaalWeekly" (2006), "Welcome"(2007), and "Atithi Tum KabJaoge?" (2010).

Paresh Rawal appointed NationalSchool of Drama chairman

The Narcotics ControlBureau (NCB) hasopposed the bail

pleas filed by actress RheaChakraborty and her brotherShowik Chakraborty in theBombay High Court follow-ing their arrest in a drugs caserelated to actor Sushant SinghRajput's death.

The siblings were "activemembers of a drug syndicatethat was connected with highsociety personalities and drugsuppliers", the NCB said in anaffidavit filed before the HCon Monday.

The NCB further said bothRhea Chakraborty and herbrother had "abetted andfinanced" drug transactions.

Therefore, the agency hadbooked them under the strin-gent section 27A of theNarcotic Drugs andPsychotropic Substances(NDPS) Act, it said in the affi-davit.

Section 27A provides pun-ishment for up to 10 years forfinancing drug trafficking andharbouring offenders, andalso carries a bar on grant ofbail.

On previous hearings, theactress and her brotheropposed the application of theabove section in their case.

Their counsel SatishManeshinde last week arguedthat the section did not applyin the present case as RheaChakraborty occasionallypaid for drugs that were con-sumed only by her boyfriend,late actor Sushant Singh

Rajput.He had further argued that

the drugs seized by the NCBso far in the case amounted tojust 59 grams, which wasn't a

commercial quantity, there-fore, section 27A should notbe applied in their case.

On September 24, a benchof Justice Sarang Kotwal sug-gested that the NCB file its

reply to the bail pleas of RheaChakraborty and her brother,who were arrested earlier thismonth and are currently injudicial custody.

The court had also saidthat the NCB must elaborateon the provisions of section27A and its applicability inthe present case.

NCB's zonal director

Sameer Wankhede onMonday submitted two sepa-rate affidavits in the HCwherein it said, "Electronicevidence such as WhatsApp

chats, records were retrievedfrom mobile, laptop and hard-disk and it indicated paymentmade for drugs."

"Thus, there is ample evi-dence to show present appli-

cant Rhea has not only regu-larly dealt with but alsofinanced illicit trafficking ofdrugs," the NCB said.

The NCB further said inthe affidavit that RheaChakraborty was aware of thefact that Rajput was into con-sumption of drugs, and yetshe had "harboured and con-cealed" it.

"This would tantamount toharbouring. Rhea alsoallowed her residence for drugstorage and consumption byRajput," the affidavit said.

"It is clear from the state-ments and electronic evidencegathered by the NCB that theapplicant is an active memberof the drug syndicate connect-ed with high society personal-ities and drug suppliers. Thereis sufficient evidence that sheis involved in drug traffick-ing," it said.

It also said that RheaChakraborty and her brotherused to facilitate drug deliver-ies and payment through cred-it cards, cash and other pay-ment gateways.

If the siblings are releasedon bail, they could hamper theprobe that is currently in a"crucial stage", the NCB said.

The high court will hearthe bail pleas of the actressand her brother along with thebail pleas of co-accusedSamuel Miranda, AbdulParihar and Dipesh Sawant onTuesday.

Rajput (34) was foundhanging in his home in subur-ban Bandra on June 14.

Rhea, Showik 'active membersof drug syndicate': NCB to HC

TRUTH PREVAILJAMMU WEDNESDAY SEPTEMbER 30, 2020

bUSINESS NEWS11

Moody’s downgrades IIFL Financerating on asset quality issues

New Delhi : Moody'sInvestors Service on Mondaysaid it has downgraded IIFLFinance's rating over risingasset quality issues.

The agency has downgrad-ed IIFL Finance’s corporatefamily rating (CFR) to B2from B1, senior secured debtrating to B2 from B1, and sen-ior secured medium-term note(MTN) programme rating to(P)B2 from (P)B1.

The downgrade of IIFLFinance's ratings reflectsMoody's expectation that thecompany's asset quality andprofitability will deteriorate asloan delinquencies anddefaults increase, Moody’ssaid.

“This weakening will bedriven by declining earningsand cash flow at its customersdue to the deep coronavirus-led economic contraction,”the agency said.

Explaining the rationale,Moody’s said loans to smalland medium enterprises(SMEs), real estate develop-ers and micro-finance compa-nies - segments that representabout 40 per cent of its assetsunder management - are at the

greatest risk of a deteriorationin asset quality, given the dis-ruption to their business activ-ities and their limited balance

sheet liquidity.At the end of June 2020,

about 50 per cent of theseloans were subject to repay-ment moratoriums, comparedto about 30 per cent of IIFLFinance's total loan book,Moody's said.

In line with its industrypeers, Moody's expects IIFLFinance will restructure loansof borrowers whose business-

es and earnings have beenaffected by the coronaviruspandemic.

The longer and deeper the

hit to India's economic activi-ty, the greater the negativefinancial impact would be onborrowers, leading to anincrease in non-performingloans (NPLs), Moody’s said.

However, the increase willbe gradual as the loan restruc-turing will prevent an imme-diate sharp increase in NPLs.IIFL Finance's profitabilitywill also deteriorate as credit

costs increase in line with thedeterioration in asset quality,the agency said.

While IIFL Finance hasincreased loan loss provisionsagainst potential asset qualitydeterioration, its provisioningcoverage will deteriorate asNPLs increase, Moody’s said,adding, IIFL Finance's returnon assets has already deterio-rated, declining to about 1 percent in June 2020 (annual-ized) from an average of 1.8per cent in the past threeyears, excluding the one-timemark-to-market impact onforeign exchange borrowings.

Further, IIFL Finance'scapital remains stable as thecompany has slowed loangrowth in response to the con-traction in the economicactivity and to conserve liq-uidity, the agency said.

IIFL Finance has not yetraised equity, unlike some ofits peer non-banking financialcompanies, to shore up itsbuffers given the challengingoperating conditions. WhileIIFL Finance is backed bystrong shareholders, its accessto equity capital remains to betested, Moody’s said.

Centre appoints PD Vaghela as chairman of TRAINew Delhi : The govern-

ment on September 28appointed PD Vaghela as thechairman of the TelecomRegulatory Authority of India(TRAI).

His appointment is for aperiod of three years or until heattains the age of 65, whichev-er is earlier, the Department ofPersonnel and Training(DoPT) has said.

Vaghela, a Gujarat-cadreIAS officer, will succeed RSSharma who is set to demit theoffice on September 30, 2020.

"The AppointmentsCommittee of the Cabinet hasapproved the appointment ofDr PD Vaghela, IAS(GJ:1986), Secretary,Department ofPharmaceuticals asChairperson, TelecomRegulatory Authority of India(TRAI) for a period of threeyears or until he attains the ageof 65 years, or until furtherorders, whichever is the earli-est," it said in an order. Vaghelawas the secretary, Departmentof Pharmaceuticals (DoP),

under the Ministry ofChemicals and Fertilisers,prior to his latest appointment.

As per reports, Vaghela wasone among the several officialswho played a key role in therollout of the goods and servic-es tax (GST) in 2017.Typically, the tenure of a TRAIchairman is three years, or 65years of age, whichever is ear-lier, and the TRAI Act does nothave a provision for extensionof the tenure of the chairman.

However, when RS Sharma'sthree-year tenure ended in August

2018, the government offered hima fresh term of two years, that is tillhe turned 65. This way, he becamethe first TRAI chairman to have atenure of five years. The telecomsector has been witnessing severalchanges, a key one being the issueof the adjusted gross revenue(AGR) dues and its subsequentunravelling in the Supreme Court.Despite an extended 10-year timeframe granted to telecom compa-nies for the repayment of theirdues, the situation for leading play-ers Vodafone Idea and Bharti Airtelremains grim.

SEBI eases fund raising norms for REITs, InvITsNew Delhi : Seeking to

make fund raising easier, mar-kets regulator Sebi onSeptember 28 provided relax-ations to REITs and InvITsfor preferential and institu-tional placement of theirrespective units. RealEstate Investment Trusts(REITs) and InfrastructureInvestment Trusts (InvITs)can now raise equity capi-tal through institutionalplacement route twoweeks after a previoussuch exercise.

Earlier, the mandatedtime gap was six monthsbetween two institutionalplacements. Also, changeshave been made withrespect to pricing of unitsby REITs and InvITs forpreferential issues.

In two separate but simi-larly worded circulars, Sebisaid that in view of the situa-tion emerging out of the coro-navirus pandemic, it has"granted certain relaxationsfor raising of equity capital"by listed REITs and InvITs.Sebi said REITs and InvITs"shall not make any subse-quent institutional placementuntil the expiry of two weeksfrom the date of the priorinstitutional placement madepursuant to one or more spe-cial resolutions".

Also, a provision has beenput in place with regard to

pricing of units for any prefer-ential issue made between thedate of the circular andDecember 31, 2020. The units

allotted on a preferential basisusing the pricing method setout by the regulator shall belocked-in for a period of threeyears, as per the circulars.

All allotments arising outof the approval of the sameunitholders need to follow thesame pricing method. Forcomputation of the lock-inrequirement, the units held bythe sponsors and locked-in forthree years in the past, inaccordance with REIT andInvIT Regulations, shall betaken into account, Sebinoted.

The units locked-in pur-

suant to REIT and InvITnorms "shall not be put underfresh lock-in again, eventhough they are considered for

computing the lock-inrequirement, in case the saidunits are free of lock-in at thetime of the preferential issue,"it added.

Markets regulator Sebi onSeptember 28 askedexchanges and clearing cor-porations to initiate measuresfor liquidating assets ofdefaulter members within sixmonths of declaring the enti-ties concerned as defaulters.

The watchdog has directedthat required measures have tobe taken before the appropri-ate court of law to liquidatemoveable and immoveable

assets that are not in posses-sion of stock exchanges andclearing corporations.

The recovery of assetswould help in meeting theobligations of clients, stockexchanges and clearingcorporations, the Securitiesand Exchange Board ofIndia (Sebi) said in a circu-lar. A recognised stockexchange acts as a first-level regulator in the secu-rities market, in so far astrading on its platform byits members is concerned.

Sebi noted that in cer-tain cases, there is shortfallof funds or securities withdefaulter member to meetthe obligation ofclients/stock exchanges(SEs) and clearing corpora-tions (CCs). "The SE/CC

are advised to initiate suitableactions for liquidating theassets (movable and immov-able) of defaulter member,including that of debit balanceclients (to the extent of debitbalance), within six months ofdeclaration of defaulter, forrecovery of the assets not inpossession of the SE/CC,before appropriate court oflaw," Sebi said.

Under the norms, stockexchanges can declare amember as defaulter when,among other reasons, themember is not able to fulfil itsobligations.

Indian Railways rolls out User Depot Moduledigitally across Western Railway

New Delhi : IndianRailways on Monday(September 28) rolled out theUser Depot Module (UDM),developed by the Centre forRailway Information Systems(CRIS), across all UserDepots of Western Railway.

"This system will beimplemented shortly acrossall Zones of Indian Railways.Railway's supply chain up toStores Depots has alreadybeen digitized, however,activities at user end are beingdone manually," said aMinistry of Railways state-ment.

The ministry further said,"Implementation of this sys-tem will bring in transforma-tional changes from manualworking to digital workingwith real-time transactionsand online informationexchange among all stake-holders. This will ensure digi-

tization of the complete sup-ply chain, including user

depots." "The system willfacilitate economy, efficiency,and transparency besides

improved asset management.It will ensure improved serv-

ice level and satisfaction tocustomers," the ministryadded.

Earlier on September 25, apre-bid meeting was conduct-

ed regarding the CSMTRailway Station redevelop-ment project.

Moratorium period on loan: Here are 10 pointson Centre's October 1 deadline

New Delhi : The Centreon Monday (September) toldthe Supreme Court that it willlikely come with a decisionby 1 October over charging ofinterest by banks on instal-ments which were deferredduring the moratorium periodin view of the COVID-19pandemic.

The top court asked theCentre to bring the decisionon record and circulate theaffidavit to the parties in abatch of pleas challenginginterest on deferred instal-ments.

Here are the ten thingsabout impending deadline

- The Centre informed thetop court that the matter hasreceived very serious consider-ation and the decision makingprocess is at advanced stage.

- A bench headed byJustice Ashok Bhushan saidthat it would hear the batch ofpleas filed by various indus-tries, trade associations andindividuals on October 5.

- Tushar Mehta, appearingfor the Centre has said that theaffidavit will be sent by

October 1.- On September 10, the top

court had extended its interimorder that no account is to bedeclared a non performing

asset (NPA) or bad loan tillfurther orders after the Centresaid an expert panel has beenset up to look into the issue ofinterest being charged bybanks on instalments deferredduring the moratorium perioddue to COVID-19 pandemic.

- On September 3, in arelief to stressed borrowers

who are facing hardship dueto the impact of pandemic, thetop court had said thataccounts which were notdeclared as non-performing

assets till August 31 this year,shall not be declared NPA tillfurther orders.

- The pleas in the apexcourt have raised issues per-taining to validity of RBI'sMarch 27 circular whichallowed lending institutions togrant moratorium on paymentof instalments of term loans

falling due between March 1,2020 and May 31 this yeardue to the pandemic. Later,the period of moratorium wasextended till August 31.

- The Centre had recentlytold the court that waiver ofinterest on deferred EMIs dur-ing moratorium period wouldbe against the basic canons offinance and unfair to thosewho repaid loans as perschedule.

- RBI has however comeout with a scheme which pro-vides for extension of morato-rium for two years to certainstressed borrowers, the Centrehad informed the top court.

- On March 27 the hadRBI permitted all commercialbanks, co-operative banks,all-India FinancialInstitutions, and NBFCs toallow a moratorium of threemonths on payment of instal-ments in respect of all termloans outstanding as onMarch 1, 2020.

- In May, the RBIannounced extension of loanmoratorium by 3 moremonths to August 31.

Kirloskar family fight: Appointment of Kishor Chaukaron KBL board becomes the latest flash point

New Delhi : Appointment,or as contested, the re-appointment of KishorChaukar as director on theboard of Kirloskar BrothersLtd (KBL) has become thelatest flashpoint in theKirloskar family squabble.

KBL on September 25announced that a special reso-lution to re-appoint Chaukaras an independent directorhad failed to get the required75 percent of votes from theshareholders during the annu-al general meeting.

Chaukar, a former Tatagroup veteran, was appointedas an independent director atKBL in 2015, and his term gotover in April this year. Theindustry veteran was the man-aging director at ICICISecurities & Finance beforejoining the Tata group, wherehe was on the board of TataTeleservices.

However, the special reso-lution to re-appoint him atKBL could garner votes fromonly 65.66 percent of theshareholders, with the rest -34.34 percent - voting againstit. Interestingly, much of thevotes polled against the reso-lution came from thePromoter & Promoter Groupcategory of shareholders,revealing fissures in thealready delicate relationshipbetween the three Kirloskarbrothers.

While Sanjay Kirloskarleads KBL, his siblings - Atuland Rahul - have a substantialsay in the company proceed-ings through their ownershipof Kirloskar Industries Ltd(KIL) which has 23.91 per-cent stake in KBL.

A KIL spokesperson con-firmed the company votedagainst Chaukar’s reappoint-ment.

“Mr. Chaukar’s re-electionas an independent director ofKBL would not have been inthe interests of KBL’s share-holders considering what KILbelieves is the deceitful man-

ner in which KBL had beenattempting to push throughMr. Chaukar’s reappointmentas a purported independent

director," the spokespersontold Moneycontrol in a state-ment.

In fact, in May this year,KIL had shot off letters toRegistrar of Companies andto the KBL Board, alleging anattempt was being made to"appoint" Chaukar through anordinary resolution thatrequires only a simple majori-ty, or more than 50 percent ofthe total votes cast.

On the other hand, KILargued, Chaukar's was a re-appointment and needed aspecial resolution.

Individually too, Rahuland Atul hold minor stakes inKBL and voted against thespecial resolution. In fact, aspokesperson for theKirloskar family, excludingthe Sanjay Kirloskar branch,said "the entire family" hasvoted against the appoint-ment. "The correspondenceengaged by Mr. Chaukar withone of the promoters - Rahul -created suspicion about hisindependence," the

spokesperson further said.Apart from Chaukar's

appointment, KIL and the twobrothers also voted against the

appointment of MSUnnikrishnan, managingdirector and chief executiveofficer of Thermax. The thirdresolution, to appoint a direc-tor in place of Alok Kirloskar,their nephew and son ofSanjay Kirloskar, was votedagainst too. But these twowere ordinary resolutions andeasily got the required simplemajority.

These two resolutionspolled exactly the same per-centage of votes for, andagainst, them, as the one to re-appoint Chaukar.

KBL declined to com-ment.

Taken to NCLTAtul and Rahul have now

taken the matter to theNational Company LawTribunal (NCLT), where KILhas already filed a suit alleg-ing Sanjay and the board of'mismanagement' of KBL.

The spokesperson saidKIL has filed a "fresh applica-tion to its existing suit atNCLT Mumbai, highlighting

the continued acts of oppres-sion against minority share-holders and mismanagementof KBL by Mr. Sanjay

Kirloskar and members of hisimmediate family”.

KIL had filed the originalpetition in 2017.

To know more about thefamily fight, read: The manyfights of the KirloskarBrothers. Who will win thenext round?

The much contested deedof family settlement, or DFS,again featured in the latestround of fight between thebrothers. The DFS was donein 2009, but has done little tobring truce in the family.

Sources said Chaukar, inhis mail to Rahul, had evokedthe DFS to ask for their sup-port. But here, there are twoversions.

While some argue thatChaukar told Rahul and Atulwere bound by the DFS tosupport his re-appointment toKBL’s board, others contendit. They counter that Chaukarwas raising the DFS to under-line the non-compete clause,which had created a major riftbetween the siblings.

SBI bumper festive offers for customers–Here’s all you want to know

New Delhi : India's largestlender State Bank of India hasrolled out bumper festiveoffers for its customers keep-ing in mind the upcoming fes-tive season. SBI's slew of fes-tive offers are meant for itsretail borrowers. Thisincludes 100 per cent waiverof processing fee for all cus-tomers applying for car, gold,and personal loans throughYono.

Yono (You Only Need OneApp) is the mobile bankingapp of the lender.

SBI has also completelywaived processing fees onhome loans for homebuyers inapproved projects. SBI is giv-ing concessions up to 10 basispoints (bps) on the interestrate for the customers basedon their credit score and home

loan amount, it said.Homebuyers can also avail 5bps interest concession if theyapply through Yono.

Car loan borrowers, canavail lowest interest rate start-

ing from 7.5 per cent. Theywill also get 100 per cent on-road finance on select models.

SBI is providing gold

loans at an interest rate of 7.5per cent, with flexible repay-

ment options for up to 36months. Customers can takepersonal loans at a lendingrate as low as 9.6 per cent, thebank said. The bank saidYono is offering customers in-principal approval on the carand gold loan applications.Customers can also avail apre-approved paperless per-sonal loan on Yono at thecomfort of their homes.

The number of SBI cus-tomers using internet bankingfacilities is about 76 millionand mobile banking servicesstand a little more than 17million. Yono, which has 26million registered users, wit-nesses 5.5 million logins perday along with over 4,000daily disbursals of personalloans, 16,000 Yono KrishiAgri Gold loans.

Reckitt Benckiser kicks off sale of some personalcare brands, including Veet and Clearasil

New Delhi : Consumergoods group ReckittBenckiser Group is preparingto sell some of its non-corepersonal care brands, includ-ing Veet hair removal creamand Clearasil acne cream, foursources familiar with the mat-ter said on September 28.

The package of brands upfor sale - which also includesE45 skin cream and Schollfoot products - could be worthas much as 1 billion pounds($1.3 billion) in a sale, two ofthe sources said, based onestimates of annual earningsbefore interest, tax, deprecia-tion and amortisation north of120 million pounds.

The process comes asReckitt is generating unusual-ly strong sales in its hygienebusiness due to the COVID-19 pandemic, as people snapup its Lysol and Dettol disin-fectants. It is also a strategicstep for its new chief execu-tive, Laxman Narasimhan,who has been in the top jobfor one year.

Veet hair removal creamsmay also be seeing a boost,another source said, as peoplecurb salon visits and do moregrooming at home.

Reckitt is working withadvisers and has already sent

out information on the assets,two of the sources said.

Reckitt declined to com-ment.

The brands are likely toappeal to private equity play-ers, the sources said, sincethey are cash-generative.

They do not fit into thetwo main businesses Reckitthas been focusing on - healthand hygiene.

Unilever , Beiersdorf and

Henkel all sell personal careproducts and also thereforecould be potential suitors, thesources said. Beiersdorf and

Henkel, both based inGermany, are interested inparts of the package, two ofthe sources said.

Henkel declined to com-ment. Beiersdorf andUnilever were not immediate-ly available.

UK-based Reckitt, which

started out as a home cleaningcompany, for years worked tobuild out its health-relatedbusiness, which includes

Enfamil formula, Durex con-doms and Nurofen tablets.

A strategy by previousmanagement to separate thehealth and hygiene units intotwo stand-alone, in-housebusinesses, which led to spec-ulation of a corporate break-up, was later scrapped.

TRUTH PREVAILJAMMU WEDNESDAY SEPTEMbER 30, 2020NEWS12

Lt Governor stresses upon innovative and efficientmeasures for conservation & preservation of world-renowned Dal lake, Wular Lake & other water bodies

Effective Solid Waste Management shall be put in place forthe whole Srinagar city for the holistic conservation of lake

Calls for zero release of sewage waste of householdand commercial establishments into the lake

Long term & Short- term solutions should go parallelSRINAGAR, SEPTEM-

BER 29 : LieutenantGovernor, Manoj Sinha todaystressed upon innovative andefficient measures for conser-vation and preservation ofworld-renowned Dal lake,Wular lake and other waterbodies.

“Effective Solid WasteManagement shall be put inplace not only for houseboatsbut for the whole Srinagar cityfor the holistic conservationof Dal lake”, he added. Hecalled for zero release ofsewage waste of householdand commercial establish-ments into Dal lake. He alsostressed upon similar effortsfor Wular Lake and Jhelumriver since they are intercon-nected. The Lt Governor waschairing a meeting with theCommittee of Experts (CoE)to deliberate on variousimportant measures requiredto restore the ecosystem ofDal lake.

The meeting was attendedby members of the Committeeof Expert (CoE) includingFormer MD, Delhi Metro RailCorporation & Consultant tothe CoE, Dr. E Sreedharan;Member Coordinator, CoE&Former Additional ChiefSecretary, Government ofKerala, Dr. Nivedita P Haran;MD Delhi Metro RailCorporation Ltd, Dr ManguSingh; Adv. M.C. Mehta,Environmentalist, and other

senior officers, through virtu-al mode.

The Lt Governor wel-comed the suggestions andrecommendations made bythe CoE and said that all thevital inputs will play animperative role in framingfuture action plan for therestoration of the lake. TheCoE briefed the Lt Governor

about major steps required forsafeguarding and conserva-tion of Dal lake.

A threadbare discussionwas held on important issueslike preventing sewage wasteflowing into the lake, bio-digesters for all houseboats,demarcation of the lake’sboundary, empowering Lakesauthority, putting a check onencroachment and itsremoval, sewage treatmentplant for houseboats, rehabili-tation, extending all the requi-site facilities to tourists etc.

The Lt Governor laid spe-cial emphasis on formulatinglong term and short-termsolutions and said that thesesolutions should go parallelfor their effective implemen-tation.

Preservation of the uniquebiodiversity of Dal lake is thetopmost priority of ourHon'ble Prime Minister and

the UT Government is alsocommitted to provide all thenecessary support for therestoration of the ecosystemof the lake, he added.

He said that the implemen-tation of all recommendationsshould be realistic and thrustshall be given on public-pri-vate participation. From proj-ect formation to implementa-tion, all the authoritiesinvolved in the protection ofDal Lake to work in conver-gence mode for better coordi-nation and shall be empow-

ered for effective administra-tion, he added.

In order to achieve resultson the ground, there is a needto put rigorous efforts and fixresponsibility for clearing thewater bodies from encroach-ment and securing the banksof the lakes, besides ensuringthat no illegal constructionshall take place along the

periphery and catchmentareas of these water bodies,the Lt Governor maintained.

He further emphasized oncarrying out the work onrestoration, maintenance andpreservation and other ancil-lary issues of the Dal Lake inconsonance with the HighCourt directions and taking allthe ecological factors intoconsideration.

Sh. Nitishwar Kumar,Principal Secretary to LtGovernor was also presentduring the meeting.

Farmers being misled on Agricultural Lawsby vested interests : Dr Jitendra Singh

JAMMU, Sept. 29 :Union Minister Dr JitendraSingh said today that theContract Agreement, as perthe Act brought in through thenew Agricultural Laws , willbe for the crops and not forthe land, and alleged that thefarmers are being misled tobelieve otherwise.

Launching a campaignfrom his Lok Sabha con-stituency in support of theFarmers Laws brought in bythe Modi Govt and against thedisinformation being spreadby the Congress Party, DrJitendra Singh was addressingthe Party workers, Sarpanchesand BDC Chairmen from theborder villages and otherareas of districts Kathua andUdhampur.

Dr Jitendra Singh said, theirony is that while the com-mon farmer is satisfied andhas no apprehensions, it issome politically motivatedinterests which have noknowledge or stake in farm-ing but who are trying tomake an issue out of it by try-ing to mislead the farmers. Hesaid, it is in the interest of thefarming community of Indiaand common people at large,that all the like-minded peo-ple should come out and

vociferously dispel the disin-formation and the maliciouscampaign launched by theself-seeking elements.

While the Bill clearly pro-hibits sale, lease or mortgageof farmers’ land, Dr JitendraSingh asked, where is thequestion of farmers’ landbeing taken over by certaincapitalists as is being alleged?He said, the Bill clearly statesthat the Agreement will be forthe crops and not for the land.

Moreover, Dr JitendraSingh said, the Contract

Agreement with the farmers isto get the fixed price. Notonly this, the new Act alsoprovides the provision for

farmers to withdraw from theContract at any time withoutany penalty, he said.

Dr Jitendra Singh accusedthe opposition of taking upimaginary issues of con-tention which do not find anyreference in the Laws . Forexample, he said, it isnowhere mentioned that theprovision of MSP will bedone away with at any point

of time and yet the CongressParty and some others are try-ing to create false fears in theminds of innocent farmers.

Dr Jitendra Singhappealed to party colleaguesto reach out to each and everyfarmer in every village andexplain to him the big con-spiracy being hatched againsthim. This, he said, will enablethe agricultural community toavail of the enormous welfareinitiatives introduced byPrime Minister NarendraModi.

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More than 100 delegations call on AdvisorBaseer Khan at Srinagar

‘Focused approach directed towards people’s grievances’SRINAGAR, SEPTEM-

BER 29 : As part of the week-ly public hearing programme,several delegations and indi-viduals met Advisor toLieutenant Governor, BaseerAhmad Khan today atGrievance Cell, Church Lane,Sonwar Srinagar and apprisedhim about their issues, griev-ances and sought his interven-tion in redressal of the same.

Over 100 delegations andindividuals from across theJammu and Kashmir regionmet the Advisor who project-ed the problems regardingcivic amenities, education,road connectivity, develop-ment etc.

Maintaining that the publicgood is the priority of thepresent dispensation, theAdvisor said that a focusedapproach is being laidtowards the redressal of thepeople’s grievances.

A delegation of employeesworking at J K CementsLimited demanded the releaseof their salaries.

A delegation of MunicipalCommittee Dooru led by itsChairman Mohammad IqbalAhanger demanded upgrada-tion of transformer at grid sta-

tion Lisser Kokernag besidesraising several developmentalissues of their area. TheAdvisor assured the delega-tion that all their genuineissues will be addressed onpriority basis.

A delegation of contractorsdemanded clearing of the lia-

bilities for the work they haddone during 2019 in the edu-cation department.

A delegation fromSonamarg Gagangeer

demanded that they should bepaid the compensation for theland they had donated for roadconstruction.

Several delegations ofSarpanchs and Panchs fromvarious districts also met theAdvisor and raised severaldevelopmental related issues

of their respective areas.Similarly several delega-

tions of casual and dailywagers working in Forest,Flood, PDD and other depart-ments sought regularizationof their services.

Several individualsrequested for the Advisor’sintervention to get clear theircases under SRO-43 andrequested the Advisor todirect the concerned depart-ment for expediting theprocess.

Other delegations fromPattan, Ahmednagar, Achabal,Seer Hamadan, SamarbughColony, Kulgam, Kupwara,Parimpora, also met theAdvisor and registered theirgrievances.

Responding to the delega-tions and individuals, theAdvisor assured that all gen-uine grievances, demandsraised at the public hearingwould be looked into and nec-essary action would be takenby the concerned depart-ments.

National Education Policy a revolutionary reform : KavinderReleases Volume-lll of IDPS CHRONICLE

JAMMU, Sept. 29 :Former Deputy ChiefMinister, Kavinder Gupta saideducation imparted at earlystages is pivotal and plays anindispensable role in shapingthe future careers of students.

“Learning at the earlystage builds a stronger baseon which future endeavors ineducation can be built,”Kavinder Gupta said whilereleasing Volume-lll of IDPSCHRONICLE - monthlyschool newspaper ofInternational Delhi PublicSchool here today. ÌDPSChronicle is the first schoolnewspaper in whole Jammu& Kashmir. Sohail Kazmi,renowned journalist andsocial activist was the Guestof Honour.

The Former Deputy ChiefMinister said that education inearly years should be accom-panied with inculcation ofvalues and principles amongthe young children.Establishing knowledge-based society should go hand

in hand with imparting educa-tion that is infused with thespirit of humanism andhumanistic values, he added.

Expressing concern over

the New Employment Policy2020, Kavinder termed it as arevolutionary reform of the21st Century. "The NEP 2020will empower the youth, whowill take the nation forward inthe 21stcentury.

“The New EducationPolicy is such that it willmake the teaching learningexperience enjoyable for stu-

dents and teachers. The givesways for innovative activities,modern labs, placements, andmany such features for bring-ing a landmark change in the

education system. The NEPwas not only a historic andholistic document, but for thefirst time, has been created asa reflection of aspirations ofthe parents, teachers, studentsand education experts, whichaims to address the challengesfor the coming generations,”Kavinder said.

The Former Deputy Chief

Minister said the NewEducation Policy containsfeatures of equity, quality,affordability, accountabilityand promotes individualdevelopment through experi-ence-based education and log-ical thinking.

In his message to students,the former Deputy ChiefMinister asked them to beforthcoming and strive forexcellence in education. Heasked them to work hard toachieve their goals and saidthat only those who work withhonesty, dedication, efficien-cy and vision for progress,leave a mark on the society.

Congratulating the man-agement for its unparalleledcontribution in the field ofeducation, the former DeputyChief Minister appreciatedthe efforts of InternationalDelhi Public School forbeing a frontrunner in pro-viding quality education tothe students and encouragingthem to take up researchactivities.

SRINAGAR, SEPTEM-BER 29 : Advisor toLieutenant Governor, K KSharma will be holding apublic grievance redressalcamp on October 1stThursday from 2.00 pm to4.00 pm at ConventionCentre Canal Road, Jammu.

The deputations and indi-viduals who have alreadyregistered themselves shouldcome for redressal of theirgrievances.

The public are requestedto follow the already in placeprotocols for COVID-19while coming for redressal oftheir grievances.

Advisor Sharma tomeet people at Jammu

on 1st October

Advisor Khan on two-Day visit to Karnah; attendsseries of programmes

Witnesses final volleyball match at Naychiyan, distributes sports kits among playersAlso reviews preparations for B2V3 in Karnah Sub Division

TANGDHAR, SEP-TEMBER 29 : Advisor toLieutenant Governor, FarooqAhmad Khan visited Karnaharea of Kupwara district todayand attended series of pro-grammes while also review-ing the preparations of Backto Village -3 in the sub divi-sion.

Earlier, on reachingTangdhar the Advisor wasbriefed by DistrictDevelopment CommissionerKupwara, Anshul Garg aboutthe development profile of thedistrict and preparations ofB2V-3.

Also, on his way toTangdhar, Advisor Khan visit-ed historical Rest House atSadnah Top, where he wasapprised about the road con-nectivity during wintermonths. He asked SDMKarnah to ensure employingsuch mechanism so that roadwould remain open in wintermonths for the larger benefitof the people belonging toKarnah area of this frontier

district.He was also given a brief

historical background of theSadnah pass, also known asNasthachun Gali, and the only

road connecting Karnah torest of the Kashmir valley.

He was also briefed aboutthe rescue operations duringwinters by the Army and civilAdministration.

Later, Advisor Khan wit-nessed a Volleyball matchplayed between Kachihama

Dynamic and BaghbellaSultan under the ShamasbariVolleyball Tournament. Heinteracted with the playersdistributed sports kits among

them. The theme of the tour-nament was 'Drugs Out,Sports In.'

On the occasion, SDMKarnah, Bilal Mohiddin Bhat;Brigadier Paramveer Singh;former legislators, KafilurRehman and Raja Manzoor;BDC chairman Tanghar, offi-

cers of the administration,PRIs, sports lovers and a largenumber of enthusiastic youthwere present. Speaking at theoccasion, the Advisor saidthat sports play a pivotal rolein building up physical andmental health of every indi-vidual and society.

He urged upon the youthto vigorously take part insports activities, adding thatgovernment is committed inits endeavour to boost thesports activities and has takenan initiative to construct aplay field and stadium at eachPanchayat .

Advisor Khan lauded therole of the administration andorganizers as well and com-plimented them for organiz-ing such a tournament in farflung area of Tanghdar. Thetournament was organized byRaja Shafeeq Ahmad, aRehbar-e-Khel for which hewas lauded by the Advisorand hoped that such sportstournaments would be organ-ized in future also.

J&K Bank CMD inaugurates new corporatepremises of JKB Financial Services

Launches several products, services and company websiteSrinagar, Sep 29 : J&K

Bank Chairman & ManagingDirectorRKChhibber todayinaugurated the newCorporate Office of JKBFinancial Services -a whollyowned subsidiary of J&KBankat Jawahar Nagar,Srinagar. With its strategiclocation and spacious premis-es, the new office is equippedwith state-of-the-art technolo-gy infrastructure.

TheBank’s CMDalsolaunched multiple businessand IT initiatives rolled out bythe companylike DynamicPricing Model, MarginTrading Facility, OnlineDemat and Trading AccountOpening and Online MutualFund Management; which areaimed at enriching the cus-tomers’ digital experiencebesidesincreasing thecompa-ny’s digital footprint.Theentire product portfolio of thecompany has been devised tomeet the dynamic customerrequirements andincreasepublic awareness oninvestment options availablein financial services space.

Speaking on the occasion,the CMD said, “We haverecently revamped the busi-ness model at JKB FinancialServices to ensure that thebenefits of profitable invest-ment products and services donot remain a choice confinedto the urban populace but areeasily accessible to the peoplein semi-urban as well asremote rural locations of J&Kand Ladakh UTs. Our focus ison aligning thetechnologyinfrastructure and serviceswith the latest market devel-opments on an ongoing basisso as to meet the expectationsof diverse customer spectrumespecially the younger andtech savvy generation.”

While commenting on the

company’s business prospectsthe CMD commended itsre-cent performance saying,“The renewed strategy com-bined with the efforts of thestaff has already shownresults with the Company

turning around, for which Icongratulate its managementand the staff”, adding, “how-ever, considering the hugemarket potential and thebrand image of J&K Bank,the Company in near future isnot only expected to competebetter in the market-space butalso add significant number offirst time customers to itsfold.”

Executive President SunilGupta, Special Secretary toCMD Karanjit Singh, ZonalHead Kashmir (Central-I)Syed Rais Maqbool, VicePresident Rakesh Koul, JKBFSL Managing DirectorMohammad Muzaffar Wani,Director on company’s BoardNissar Ahmad Zargar andCFO Pankaj Gaurwere amongthe prominent persons presenton the occasion.

On this occasion, theCMD also launched the com-pany’s new corporate websitewww.jkbfsl.com,which isintegrated with live capitalmarket data and has lot of fea-tures besides detailed contentregarding the company, its

products and services. Thewebsite is integrated with ITdriven services like onlineaccount opening and onlinemutual funds.

Expressing confidence onthe occasion, the CMD said

that the new products andservices would prove to bepath breaking for JKBFSLand shall make financialinvestments convenient andhassle free for the people ofJ&K and Ladakh UTs.

While extending his deepgratitude to the bank’s man-agement, JKB FSL ManagingDirector MohammadMuzaffar Wani gave adetailed presentation regard-ing the newly launched prod-ucts and services of the com-pany.

“The support and encour-agement from our parentinstitution shall go a long wayin helping us to stay at parwith the competitors in mar-ket space”, he said.

Notably, all criticalCorporate functions of theJKB Financial ServicesLimited (FSL) which includeBusiness Strategy, RiskManagement, IT, Complianceand Customer Services shallbe managed from the newoffice.

The function concludedwith the vote of thanks pre-

sented by the company’s CFOPankaj Gaur.

Pertinently, the OnlineAccount Opening shall enablea client to seamlessly openDEMAT and trading accountswithin minutes using hand-

held mobile/tablet or desktopdevices, while as the onlineMutual Fund Managementservice provides the customeraccess to a huge array of MFproducts of over 35 MutualFund Companies in India.

New share trading productMargin Trading Facility(MTF) provides clients fund-ed margin facility for carryingforward their share tradingposition for up to 180 days.The Company also rolled outa dynamic pricing model forensuring that the pricing of itsservices is aligned with thecustomer expectations.

The company has beenestablished as a wholly ownedsubsidiary of J&K Bank tofunction as a financial inter-mediary for providing invest-ment services other thanbanking to its’ customers.Regulated by SEBI, theCompany is registered withNSE and BSE as a StockBroker and Self-ClearingMember and with Associationof Mutual Funds in India(AMFI) for distribution ofMutual Fund products.

SMVDU Faculty Delivers an Invited Talk atthe Online International Conference

JAMMU, Sept. 29 :Dr. Surender Singh,Faculty, School ofMathematics, Shri MataVaishno Devi University(SMVDU), Katra, deliv-ered an invited talk at theOnline InternationalConference on “RecentTrends in Science,Humanities &

Engineering” at Institute ofTeacher EducationModinagar (U.P.), India.

Dr. Singh delivered hisinvited talk on“Developments andApplications ConcerningFuzzy Theory and itsExtensions” on 27thSeptember, 2020.

The talk was mainly

focused on the contempo-rary developments andapplications in the Fuzzytheory. This internationalconference was organizedin association withAdvance ResearchEducational Society(ARES), India.

A huge number of facul-ty and research scholars

from India and abroad par-ticipated in this interdisci-plinary conference.

Dr. Singh extended histhanks to the organizers forinviting him and speciallyDr. Kapil Kumar Bansal ofAdvance ResearchEducation Society for pro-viding him an opportunityto present his work.

UDHAMPUR, SEP-TEMBER 29 : DistrictDevelopment Commissioner,Udhampur, Dr. Piyush Singlatoday reviewed the progressof roads, buildings, bridgesand other ongoing develop-mental works of municipali-ties and other departmentsbeing executed by R&Bdepartment under CRF,NABARD, State sector andlanguishing projects.

At the outset, SE PWD,Shakti Sagar gave a detailedbrief about the ongoing devel-opmental projects. Heinformed about the status

Central & State SectorSchemes which includeJeevika Bhawan,Udhampur–Ramnagar road,Special treatment toKagadmad spot, Devikatheme park, Renovation ofResidential quarters, Statusof Ramnagar - Dudu road,Culvert at Birwan to Dhanodiand execution of works inmunicipal areas etc.

While reviewing the proj-ect wise physical and finan-cial progress, the DDC askedthe PWD departments toexpedite the pace of work andcomplete the projects within a

given time frame. Directionswere issued to concerned offi-cers to gear up men andmachinery for effective andtimely completion of thesedevelopmental projects andutilization of 100 % fundswell before the end of finan-cial 2020-21.

Among others the meetingwas attended by AssistantCommissioner Revenue,Viqar Giri, DIO, Er. SajadBashir Somberia, Xen R&BGirdhari Lal, Deputy DirectorPlanning Noor Ud Din andofficers of different depart-ments.

Udhampur DDC reviews performanceof R&B department

Stresses on timely completion of projects