9RcUV_Z_X d]fUXV Z^aVUVd cVdTfV SZUd - Daily Pioneer

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V arious agencies have con- tinued their efforts to reach up to 35 workers stranded in the tunnel of the undercon- struction Tapovan-Vishnugad hydropower project since the disaster caused by glacier burst and resultant flash flood in the Raini-Tapovan areas of Chamoli district on Sunday morning . The tunnel is about 250 metres long and according to the State Emergency Operations Centre (SEOC), about 100 metres of the tunnel’s length has been cleared of the debris. The sludge and debris drying and becoming hard have made it harder for the res- cue teams to clear it. Meanwhile, the death toll stood at 32 with 174 persons still missing as on Tuesday evening. Of the 32 bodies recovered, only seven have been identified so far. The DIG, Law and Order, and the chief spokesman of Uttarakhand Police, Nilesh Anand Bharne informed the media that in addition to per- sonnel involved in the rescue effort, teams of experts and necessary equipment were pre- sent at the tunnel where the workers are stranded. He said that the task of drilling through the debris is difficult but efforts are being undertaken relent- lessly. According to the SEOC, of the 206 persons reported miss- ing initially, the number of missing persons now stands at 174 with 32 bodies having been recovered. Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat visited Chamoli district on Tuesday to meet the resi- dents of the avalanche-hit vil- lages. He said the pace of res- cue operation at the Tapovan tunnel has slowed down due to the flow of slush but efforts are on to reach those trapped inside by drilling through the debris with the help of ropes. “Undaunted multi-agency security personnel are trying hard to make their way through the tunnel. Let us see how many lives we can save,” Rawat told reporters. He reached Tapovan on Monday evening to review res- cue efforts, undertook an aer- ial survey of the affected areas earlier Tuesday and also met 12 workers who were rescued from the tunnel on Sunday evening. Thirteen border villages — Raini Palli, Pang, Lata, Suraithota, Suki, Bhalgaon, Tolma, Fagrasu, Long Segdi, Gahar, Bhangyul, Juwagwad and Jugju — of Joshimath block were cut off following the avalanche in the Rishiganga river on Sunday. S cientists of the Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology (WIHG) have sug- gested that a rock mass, weak- ened due to years of freezing and thawing of snow, may have led to the creation of a weak zone, triggering its col- lapse that resulted in flash floods in Uttarakhand’s Chamoli district on Sunday. The scientists made this observation after conducting a helicopter survey of the area to find clues as to what led to the deadly flash floods that swept away everything. So far, the flash floods have claimed 32 lives with over 170 people still missing. The crashing rock mass also brought earth and mounds of snow with it. The friction may have resulted in heating, which could have caused the floods, the observations sug- gest. Kalachand Sain, Director of the WIHG, said the glaciers where the incident occurred feeds the Rishiganga river that finally joins the Dhauliganga. “This region has a very steep gradient. Our observa- tions suggest that the rock mass may have weakened due to freezing and thawing. This sometimes leads to the devel- opment of a weak zone and fractures. “As the rock mass weak- ened, the glacier and snow came down crashing, it result- ed in flash floods,” he said. The steep slopes of the mountains in the region further increased the intensity of the crash. Two teams of the WIHG comprising five glaciologists left for Joshimath on Monday to find out the reason behind the incident. An institute under the Department of Science and Technology (DST), the WIHG studies the Himalayan envi- ronment and its geology. Sain said an initial report will also be sent to the DST. In Uttarakhand which has 1,400 glaciers, fewer than 10 are being monitored. A fter more than two months of intense bargaining between the Janata Dal (U) and the BJP, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Tuesday car- ried out the expansion of his Cabinet and showed that despite having fewer seats than the BJP, he still calls the shot in the alliance Government. Governor Phagu Chouhan administered the oath of office to the new Ministers — nine from the BJP and eight from the JD(U) — at a function at the Raj Bhavan. Neeraj Kumar Babloo JD(U), who is a five-time MLA from Chhatapur and a relative of deceased Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput, also joined the Nitish Cabinet. Of the 17 Ministers induct- ed on Tuesday, the BJP got nine berths, just one more than the JD(U). The JD(U) also grabbed important portfolios like Home, Personnel, Education, Rural Development, Rural Works, Water Resources. Nitish ensured that his bit- ter detractor Sanjay Paswan (BJP) was denied a Cabinet berth along with Nitish Mishra, who had deserted the JD(U) to join hands with Jitan Ram Manjhi and later the BJP. Former Union Minster Shahnawaz Hussain, who was in the political wilderness for years, staged a comeback by finding a place in the Cabinet as Industry Minister. The JD(U) too inducted a Muslim MLA Jama Khan, who joined JD(U) after getting elect- ed as a BSP legislator from Chainpur. The JD(U) had field- ed 11 Muslim candidates in the 2020 Assembly elections, but all of them lost. However, Nitish didn’t induct even a single Yadav MLA this time around. Of his 13 Ministers, just one comes from the Yadav caste. Nitish also completely ignored the Bhumihar caste in the expan- sion and inducted In the Assembly polls, the BJP won 74 seats and the JD(U) just 43. After the polls, State BJP leaders were putting pressure on the national lead- ership to corner a maximum number of berths. But Nitish made sure that his party is not seen surrendering to the BJP. The BJP has now 16 min- isterial berths and JD(U) 13, but Nitish’s party has grabbed 21 portfolios, just one less than 22 of the BJP. P unjabi actor-turned-activist Deep Sidhu, who was allegedly involved in the vio- lence and vandalism at the Red Fort during the farmers’ tractor rally on January 26 against Centre’s farm laws, was arrested by the Delhi Police’s Special Cell late on Monday night and on Tuesday a Delhi court sent Sidhu to seven days police custody. Sidhu was produced before Metropolitan Magistrate Prigya Gupta. Police alleged he was one of the main instigators of the violent incidents at the Red Fort. Sidhu’s counsel, however, claimed he had nothing to do with the violence and was at the wrong place at the wrong time. According to Sanjeev Kumar Yadav, the Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), Special Cell, he was arrested from Karnal Bypass at 10.40 pm on Monday. “Sidhu was wanted in con- nection with the case of insti- gating the crowd at the Red Fort on Republic Day. The Crime Branch will investigate his role in detail,” said the DCP. Asked where he was hiding after the January 26 violence, Yadav said the investigation is in an initial stage. A source said Sidhu was waiting for someone on road when he was nabbed. “Meanwhile, it was also revealed that Sidhu was in contact with a woman friend who lives in California. He used to make videos and send it to her, and she used to upload them on his Facebook account,” said the source. Sidhu kept changing his locations to evade arrest, he added. The police had announced a cash reward of 1 lakh for information leading to Sidhu’s arrest. After the Republic Day 26 violence that had left over 500 security personnel injured and one protestor dead, Sidhu was posting videos on social media. B haratiya Kisan Union (BKU) leader Rakesh Tikait Tuesday criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “Andolan-jivi” (professional protestors) remarks and asked if people like great freedom fighter Bhagat Singh will also be put in that category. Addressing a well-attend- ed Kisan Mahapanchayat at Gumthala Garhu village in Pehowa in this district, a third within a week in Haryana, he said the government should not be under the wrong impression that the protesting farmers will return to their homes without their demands being accepted. He alleged that attempts were being made to divide the protesting farmers on the lines of region and other consider- ations, and appealed them to reject any such design. “They will try to divide you on Punjab-Haryana lines, as Sikh and non-Sikh, Hindus and Muslims..,” he alleged. “The farmers’ agitation against the Centre’s farm laws is nationwide and not limited to Punjab or Haryana.” “We will win this fight,” he declared. Without naming the Prime Minister or using his “Andolan- jivi” phrase, Tikait said, “In Parliament, they are saying these are parjivis (parasites). Was Bhagat Singh who sacri- ficed his life for this nation a parjivi? What about 150 farm- ers who died during this agi- tation? Were they parjivis too? Had they gone to Delhi to agi- tate and die?” Speaking in the Rajya Sabha on Monday, the Prime Minister had hit out at those behind the farmers’ protests, saying a new “breed” of agita- tors called “Andolan jivi” has emerged in the country who cannot live without an agitation and the nation should guard against them. He said farmers’ organisa- tions are a united force. Wuhan: Coronavirus most like- ly first appeared in humans after jumping from an animal, a team of international and Chinese scientists looking for the origins of Covid-19 said on Tuesday, dis- missing as an alternate theory that the virus leaked from a Chinese lab. A closely watched visit by World Health Organisation experts to Wuhan — the Chinese city where the first coronavirus cases were dis- covered — did not dramatical- ly change the current under- standing of the early days of the pandemic, said Peter Ben Embarek, WHO team leader. AP S even States and UTs have reported no new Covid-19 deaths in the last three weeks. However, Maharashtra and Kerala continue to buck the declining trend, accounting for 71 per cent of the fresh caseload of the week with the latter mak- ing up almost half of the total. “The seven States and UTs — Andaman & Nicobar, Arunachal Pradesh, Tripura, Dadra & Nagar Haveli, Mizoram, Nagaland and Lakshadweep — have reported no new Covid-19 deaths in last three weeks,” Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan said. Similarly, 33 States/UTs have less than 5,000 active Covid-19 cases, he added. While Dr Randeep Guleria, AIIMS director, said to a news agency that the Centre may look into the angle whether mutant variant is the cause of rise in cases in Maharashtra and Kerala, Dr VK Paul, mem- ber Niti Ayog has ruled out the presence of the South Africa variant as of now. South Africa variant of Covid-19 is under the watch. It has come forward that this variant spreads faster, said Paul. However, as of yesterday, this particular variant is not in the country, he added. About the effectiveness of the Covishield vaccine on the South Africa strain, Paul said it is hinted through a study, which has its limitations that Covishield gives minimal pro- tection against mild infection but it still continues to be effective against severe disease and in reducing mortality. “We have no concern at this moment as we have a sys- tem in place for detecting this variant. As of yesterday, this particular variant is not in the country but we are keeping a watch,” he said, adding sur- veillance will be intensified. P rime Minister Narendra Modi became emotional and broke down a couple of times in the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday while bidding farewell to Leader of Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad. He along with three MPs from Jammu & Kashmir will retire in the next few days from the House. The other retiring mem- bers are Shamsher Singh Manhas (BJP), Mir Mohammad Fayaz (PDP) and Nazir Ahmad Laway (PDP). Recalling his long associa- tion with Azad, Modi cried while narrating an incident when they were Chief Ministers of Jammu & Kashmir and Gujarat respectively. Terrorists had killed some tourists from Gujarat while they were travelling in Srinagar and Azad started crying on the phone while informing his counterpart Modi in Gujarat, Modi recalled. “The next day too Azad cried on the phone while talk- ing to me after overseeing that the dead bodies and the injured were flown to Gujarat,” the Prime Minister said. Remembering that con- versation years back, Modi was overwhelmed and paused before breaking down. This happened a couple of times more when the Prime Minister was telling the House about his association with Azad. Azad, in turn, also had tears in the eyes while recalling that incident in his farewell speech later. The veteran Congress leader said he is a proud and lucky “Hindustani Muslim” and wished that terrorism ends from Jammu & Kashmir. Azad also gave examples of Muslim countries in India’s neigh- bourhood and said many of them were at war with each other. D eficiency of a lung-pro- tecting protein in the Caucasian population may have made Europe and North America more susceptible to the spread of a coronavirus variant as compared to Asia, suggests a study by Indian sci- entists which also reveals how mutant forms of the virus may find new ways to infect people. I n the Cabinet meeting chaired by the Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan today, an administrative sanction of 93.75 crore was given for the Bani (Harbakhedi) medium irrigation project. The project will irrigate 3,050 hectares. The Cabinet also decided to change the name of Tribal Welfare Department to Tribal Works Department. The Cabinet approved to add the provision of financial grant-in-aid in the revenue book circular Section Six Number 4 Appendix-1, even if the house is completely or par- tially damaged by wild ani- mals. Presently, in this Appendix, there was a provision of grant-in-aid in case the house is completely / partially destroyed due to any natural calamity or fire. Similarly, in the Revenue Book Circular Section Six No. 4 Appendix-1, for the loss of clothes, food grains and utensils of the family suffering due to natural calamity or fire accident, a financial assistance of Rs 5,000 per family, 50 kg of food grains (wheat / rice) and 5 liters of kerosene is provided as immediate assistance. The cab- inet approved the addition of damage caused by wildlife. In view of disasters, in order to provide immediate relief assistance to the victims, in the sequence of instructions issued by the Government of India from time to time regard- ing the expenditure of amount from S.D.R.F. (State Disaster Response Fund), those items have also been included about which there are no clear provi- sions in Revenue Book Circular 6-4 as per the instructions issued by the Government of India regarding S.D.R.F. Current provision in Revenue Book Circular Section Six Number 4 is that if crop of lesser value is damaged than the payable grant-in-aid then the grant-in-aid will be equal to that value, but the amount payable to one farmer in the case of all crops will not be less than Rs. 5000. The Council of Ministers gave their approval to replace this with, “If a damage of less- er value has been made to the crop than the above-mentioned grant-in-aid, then the grant-in- aid will be equal to that value. In case of all crops for each account, the amount payable will not be less than Rs. 5 thou- sand.” The crop loss assistance as per the current provision under Revenue Book Circular 6-4 is several times more than the value of the crop. In cases where there is crop damage of lesser value than the due grant- in-aid, the grant-in-aid as above will be equal to that value. RNI Regn. No. MPENG/2004/13703, Regd. No. L-2/BPLON/41/2006-2008

Transcript of 9RcUV_Z_X d]fUXV Z^aVUVd cVdTfV SZUd - Daily Pioneer

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Various agencies have con-tinued their efforts to reach

up to 35 workers stranded inthe tunnel of the undercon-struction Tapovan-Vishnugadhydropower project since thedisaster caused by glacier burstand resultant flash flood in theRaini-Tapovan areas ofChamoli district on Sundaymorning .

The tunnel is about 250metres long and according tothe State EmergencyOperations Centre (SEOC),about 100 metres of the tunnel’slength has been cleared of thedebris. The sludge and debrisdrying and becoming hardhave made it harder for the res-cue teams to clear it.

Meanwhile, the death tollstood at 32 with 174 personsstill missing as on Tuesdayevening. Of the 32 bodiesrecovered, only seven havebeen identified so far.

The DIG, Law and Order,and the chief spokesman ofUttarakhand Police, NileshAnand Bharne informed themedia that in addition to per-sonnel involved in the rescueeffort, teams of experts andnecessary equipment were pre-sent at the tunnel where theworkers are stranded. He saidthat the task of drilling throughthe debris is difficult but effortsare being undertaken relent-lessly.

According to the SEOC, ofthe 206 persons reported miss-ing initially, the number ofmissing persons now stands at174 with 32 bodies havingbeen recovered.

Uttarakhand ChiefMinister Trivendra SinghRawat visited Chamoli districton Tuesday to meet the resi-dents of the avalanche-hit vil-lages. He said the pace of res-cue operation at the Tapovantunnel has slowed down due to

the flow of slush but efforts areon to reach those trappedinside by drilling through thedebris with the help of ropes.

“Undaunted multi-agencysecurity personnel are tryinghard to make their way throughthe tunnel. Let us see howmany lives we can save,” Rawattold reporters.

He reached Tapovan onMonday evening to review res-cue efforts, undertook an aer-

ial survey of the affected areasearlier Tuesday and also met 12workers who were rescuedfrom the tunnel on Sundayevening.

Thirteen border villages— Raini Palli, Pang, Lata,Suraithota, Suki, Bhalgaon,Tolma, Fagrasu, Long Segdi,Gahar, Bhangyul, Juwagwadand Jugju — of Joshimathblock were cut off following theavalanche in the Rishigangariver on Sunday.

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Scientists of the WadiaInstitute of Himalayan

Geology (WIHG) have sug-gested that a rock mass, weak-ened due to years of freezingand thawing of snow, mayhave led to the creation of aweak zone, triggering its col-lapse that resulted in flashfloods in Uttarakhand’sChamoli district on Sunday.

The scientists made thisobservation after conducting ahelicopter survey of the area tofind clues as to what led to thedeadly flash floods that sweptaway everything. So far, theflash floods have claimed 32lives with over 170 people stillmissing.

The crashing rock massalso brought earth and moundsof snow with it. The frictionmay have resulted in heating,which could have caused thefloods, the observations sug-gest.

Kalachand Sain, Directorof the WIHG, said the glacierswhere the incident occurred

feeds the Rishiganga river thatfinally joins the Dhauliganga.

“This region has a verysteep gradient. Our observa-tions suggest that the rockmass may have weakened dueto freezing and thawing. Thissometimes leads to the devel-opment of a weak zone andfractures.

“As the rock mass weak-ened, the glacier and snowcame down crashing, it result-ed in flash floods,” he said. Thesteep slopes of the mountainsin the region further increasedthe intensity of the crash.

Two teams of the WIHGcomprising five glaciologistsleft for Joshimath on Mondayto find out the reason behindthe incident. An institute underthe Department of Science andTechnology (DST), the WIHGstudies the Himalayan envi-ronment and its geology. Sainsaid an initial report will alsobe sent to the DST.

In Uttarakhand which has1,400 glaciers, fewer than 10 arebeing monitored.

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After more than two monthsof intense bargaining

between the Janata Dal (U) andthe BJP, Bihar Chief MinisterNitish Kumar on Tuesday car-ried out the expansion of hisCabinet and showed thatdespite having fewer seats thanthe BJP, he still calls the shot inthe alliance Government.

Governor Phagu Chouhanadministered the oath of officeto the new Ministers — ninefrom the BJP and eight fromthe JD(U) — at a function atthe Raj Bhavan.

Neeraj Kumar BablooJD(U), who is a five-time MLAfrom Chhatapur and a relativeof deceased Bollywood actorSushant Singh Rajput, alsojoined the Nitish Cabinet.

Of the 17 Ministers induct-ed on Tuesday, the BJP got nineberths, just one more than theJD(U). The JD(U) also grabbedimportant portfolios likeHome, Personnel, Education,Rural Development, RuralWorks, Water Resources.

Nitish ensured that his bit-ter detractor Sanjay Paswan(BJP) was denied a Cabinetberth along with Nitish Mishra,

who had deserted the JD(U) tojoin hands with Jitan RamManjhi and later the BJP.

Former Union MinsterShahnawaz Hussain, who wasin the political wilderness foryears, staged a comeback byfinding a place in the Cabinetas Industry Minister.

The JD(U) too inducted aMuslim MLA Jama Khan, whojoined JD(U) after getting elect-ed as a BSP legislator fromChainpur. The JD(U) had field-ed 11 Muslim candidates in the2020 Assembly elections, but allof them lost.

However, Nitish didn’tinduct even a single YadavMLA this time around. Of his13 Ministers, just one comesfrom the Yadav caste. Nitishalso completely ignored theBhumihar caste in the expan-sion and inducted

In the Assembly polls, theBJP won 74 seats and theJD(U) just 43. After the polls,State BJP leaders were puttingpressure on the national lead-ership to corner a maximumnumber of berths. But Nitishmade sure that his party is notseen surrendering to the BJP.

The BJP has now 16 min-isterial berths and JD(U) 13,but Nitish’s party has grabbed21 portfolios, just one less than22 of the BJP.

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Punjabi actor-turned-activistDeep Sidhu, who was

allegedly involved in the vio-lence and vandalism at theRed Fort during the farmers’tractor rally on January 26against Centre’s farm laws, wasarrested by the Delhi Police’sSpecial Cell late on Mondaynight and on Tuesday a Delhicourt sent Sidhu to seven dayspolice custody.

Sidhu was produced beforeMetropolitan Magistrate PrigyaGupta. Police alleged he wasone of the main instigators ofthe violent incidents at theRed Fort.

Sidhu’s counsel, however,claimed he had nothing to dowith the violence and was at thewrong place at the wrong time.

According to SanjeevKumar Yadav, the DeputyCommissioner of Police(DCP), Special Cell, he wasarrested from Karnal Bypass at10.40 pm on Monday.

“Sidhu was wanted in con-nection with the case of insti-gating the crowd at the Red

Fort on Republic Day. TheCrime Branch will investigatehis role in detail,” said theDCP.

Asked where he was hidingafter the January 26 violence,Yadav said the investigation isin an initial stage.

A source said Sidhu waswaiting for someone on roadwhen he was nabbed.“Meanwhile, it was alsorevealed that Sidhu was incontact with a woman friendwho lives in California. He

used to make videos and sendit to her, and she used toupload them on his Facebookaccount,” said the source. Sidhukept changing his locations toevade arrest, he added.

The police had announceda cash reward of �1 lakh forinformation leading to Sidhu’sarrest. After the Republic Day26 violence that had left over500 security personnel injuredand one protestor dead, Sidhuwas posting videos on socialmedia.

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Bharatiya Kisan Union(BKU) leader Rakesh Tikait

Tuesday criticised PrimeMinister Narendra Modi’s“Andolan-jivi” (professionalprotestors) remarks and askedif people like great freedomfighter Bhagat Singh will alsobe put in that category.

Addressing a well-attend-ed Kisan Mahapanchayat atGumthala Garhu village inPehowa in this district, a thirdwithin a week in Haryana, hesaid the government should notbe under the wrong impressionthat the protesting farmers willreturn to their homes withouttheir demands being accepted.

He alleged that attemptswere being made to divide theprotesting farmers on the linesof region and other consider-ations, and appealed them toreject any such design.

“They will try to divide youon Punjab-Haryana lines, asSikh and non-Sikh, Hindus

and Muslims..,” he alleged.“The farmers’ agitation againstthe Centre’s farm laws isnationwide and not limited toPunjab or Haryana.”

“We will win this fight,” hedeclared.

Without naming the PrimeMinister or using his “Andolan-jivi” phrase, Tikait said, “InParliament, they are sayingthese are parjivis (parasites).Was Bhagat Singh who sacri-ficed his life for this nation aparjivi? What about 150 farm-ers who died during this agi-tation? Were they parjivis too?Had they gone to Delhi to agi-tate and die?”

Speaking in the RajyaSabha on Monday, the PrimeMinister had hit out at thosebehind the farmers’ protests,saying a new “breed” of agita-tors called “Andolan jivi” hasemerged in the country whocannot live without an agitationand the nation should guardagainst them.

He said farmers’ organisa-tions are a united force.

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Wuhan:Coronavirus most like-ly first appeared in humans afterjumping from an animal, a teamof international and Chinesescientists looking for the originsof Covid-19 said on Tuesday, dis-missing as an alternate theorythat the virus leaked from aChinese lab. A closely watchedvisit by World HealthOrganisation experts to Wuhan— the Chinese city where thefirst coronavirus cases were dis-covered — did not dramatical-ly change the current under-standing of the early days of thepandemic, said Peter BenEmbarek, WHO team leader. AP

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Seven States and UTs havereported no new Covid-19

deaths in the last three weeks.However, Maharashtra andKerala continue to buck thedeclining trend, accounting for71 per cent of the fresh caseloadof the week with the latter mak-ing up almost half of the total.

“The seven States and UTs— Andaman & Nicobar,Arunachal Pradesh, Tripura,Dadra & Nagar Haveli,Mizoram, Nagaland andLakshadweep — have reportedno new Covid-19 deaths in lastthree weeks,” Union HealthSecretary Rajesh Bhushan said.

Similarly, 33 States/UTshave less than 5,000 activeCovid-19 cases, he added.

While Dr Randeep Guleria,AIIMS director, said to a newsagency that the Centre maylook into the angle whether

mutant variant is the cause ofrise in cases in Maharashtraand Kerala, Dr VK Paul, mem-ber Niti Ayog has ruled out thepresence of the South Africavariant as of now.

South Africa variant ofCovid-19 is under the watch. Ithas come forward that thisvariant spreads faster, said Paul.However, as of yesterday, thisparticular variant is not in thecountry, he added.

About the effectiveness ofthe Covishield vaccine on theSouth Africa strain, Paul said itis hinted through a study,which has its limitations thatCovishield gives minimal pro-tection against mild infectionbut it still continues to beeffective against severe diseaseand in reducing mortality.

“We have no concern atthis moment as we have a sys-tem in place for detecting thisvariant. As of yesterday, this

particular variant is not in thecountry but we are keeping awatch,” he said, adding sur-veillance will be intensified.

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Prime Minister NarendraModi became emotional

and broke down a couple oftimes in the Rajya Sabha onTuesday while bidding farewellto Leader of OppositionGhulam Nabi Azad. He alongwith three MPs from Jammu &Kashmir will retire in the nextfew days from the House.

The other retiring mem-bers are Shamsher SinghManhas (BJP), MirMohammad Fayaz (PDP) andNazir Ahmad Laway (PDP).

Recalling his long associa-tion with Azad, Modi criedwhile narrating an incidentwhen they were ChiefMinisters of Jammu & Kashmirand Gujarat respectively.

Terrorists had killed sometourists from Gujarat whilethey were travelling in Srinagarand Azad started crying on thephone while informing hiscounterpart Modi in Gujarat,Modi recalled.

“The next day too Azadcried on the phone while talk-ing to me after overseeing thatthe dead bodies and the injured

were flown to Gujarat,” thePrime Minister said.

Remembering that con-versation years back, Modi wasoverwhelmed and pausedbefore breaking down. Thishappened a couple of timesmore when the Prime Ministerwas telling the House about hisassociation with Azad.

Azad, in turn, also hadtears in the eyes while recalling

that incident in his farewellspeech later.

The veteran Congressleader said he is a proud andlucky “Hindustani Muslim”and wished that terrorism endsfrom Jammu & Kashmir. Azadalso gave examples of Muslimcountries in India’s neigh-bourhood and said many ofthem were at war with eachother.

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Deficiency of a lung-pro-tecting protein in the

Caucasian population mayhave made Europe and NorthAmerica more susceptible tothe spread of a coronavirusvariant as compared to Asia,suggests a study by Indian sci-entists which also reveals howmutant forms of the virus mayfind new ways to infect people.

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In the Cabinet meeting chairedby the Chief Minister Shivraj

Singh Chouhan today, anadministrative sanction of�93.75 crore was given for theBani (Harbakhedi) mediumirrigation project. The projectwill irrigate 3,050 hectares.

The Cabinet also decided tochange the name of TribalWelfare Department to TribalWorks Department.

The Cabinet approved toadd the provision of financialgrant-in-aid in the revenuebook circular Section SixNumber 4 Appendix-1, even ifthe house is completely or par-tially damaged by wild ani-mals. Presently, in thisAppendix, there was a provisionof grant-in-aid in case the houseis completely / partiallydestroyed due to any naturalcalamity or fire.

Similarly, in the RevenueBook Circular Section Six No.4 Appendix-1, for the loss ofclothes, food grains and utensils

of the family suffering due tonatural calamity or fire accident,a financial assistance of Rs5,000 per family, 50 kg of foodgrains (wheat / rice) and 5liters of kerosene is provided asimmediate assistance. The cab-inet approved the addition ofdamage caused by wildlife.

In view of disasters, inorder to provide immediate

relief assistance to the victims,in the sequence of instructionsissued by the Government ofIndia from time to time regard-ing the expenditure of amountfrom S.D.R.F. (State DisasterResponse Fund), those itemshave also been included aboutwhich there are no clear provi-sions in Revenue Book Circular6-4 as per the instructions

issued by the Government ofIndia regarding S.D.R.F.

Current provision inRevenue Book Circular SectionSix Number 4 is that if crop oflesser value is damaged than thepayable grant-in-aid then thegrant-in-aid will be equal to thatvalue, but the amount payableto one farmer in the case of allcrops will not be less than Rs.5000. The Council of Ministersgave their approval to replacethis with, “If a damage of less-er value has been made to thecrop than the above-mentionedgrant-in-aid, then the grant-in-aid will be equal to that value.In case of all crops for eachaccount, the amount payablewill not be less than Rs. 5 thou-sand.”

The crop loss assistance asper the current provision underRevenue Book Circular 6-4 isseveral times more than thevalue of the crop. In caseswhere there is crop damage oflesser value than the due grant-in-aid, the grant-in-aid as abovewill be equal to that value.

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Chief Minister Shivraj SinghChouhan has said that the

campaign against mafia in theState is going on continuously.Money is being returned to theaffected by attaching the assetsof the chit fund companies.

Along with this, teamshave been sent out of the Stateto recover the missing children.Chouhan was addressing theministers before the Cabinetmeeting.

Chouhan informed that2000 hectares of land has beenfreed from 1271 land mafias inthe state, which cost more than�10,000 crores.

Chief Minister Chouhaninformed that an amount of�800 crores of 50,000 people

has been recovered from chitfund companies. Shri Chouhansaid that six factories manu-facturing adulterated goodshave been demolished underdrive against adulteration.

Similarly, ration was dis-tributed to the public afterseizing the property of theofficer involved in black mar-keting of ration. The action inIndore had an effective impact.Action has been taken against331 people involved in blackmarketing of ration.

Chouhan informed theministers that OperationMuskan is being conducted inthe State to find the missingchildren, under which 9500children have been recoveredso far, of which 80 percent aregirls.

The Chief Minister saidthat according to the existingarrangements in the UnionBudget, plans should bechalked out with the officials ofthe departments in the state’sinterest and focusing on devel-opment and attempts should bemade to get maximum alloca-tion from the CentralGovernment.

Chief Minister Chouhanalso told the ministers to inno-vate constantly by remainingactive in their departments.

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Amedia meet was organ-ised here on Tuesday at

campus of MakhanlalChaturvedi National Universityof Journalism andCommunication, Bhopal.Around 75 health journalistsfrom Bhopal, and online fromKhandwa, Rewa and Noidacampus of the Universityattended it. This was part ofjoint work of MakhanlalChaturvedi National Universityof Journalism andCommunication and UNICEFto increase evidence basedreporting in area of PublicHealth. The theme of meet wason new born care.

Speaking at the meetFormer Vice Chancellor ofKushabhau ThakareyJournalism UniversityMansingh Parmar said thatobjective of journalism should

be 'Sarve Bhavantu Sukhinah'.It can be materialized onlywhen we create awareness.Journalism should always havefeeling of public welfare.Appreciating media's role inCovid-19 period, he said,media in India preventedwrong and misinformation.

Keynote speaker seniorjournalist Girish Upadhyayunderlined the need of evi-dence based journalism. Hesaid, it is important that mediais shared with information intime and openly so that correct

information will reach publicthrough media.

Deputy Director, ChildHealth, Department of Health& Family Welfare, Governmentof Madhya Pradesh, ManishSingh made presentation onnew born care, the challengesbeing faced and efforts of theState on child health to reducechild mortality. He also spokeas how delay at family level, inseeking support from healthfacility is one of the main rea-sons for child deaths and withincreased awareness this canhelp in further addressing thechallenge of infant and childmortality in Madhya Pradesh.

Dr Vandana Bhatia, HealthSpecialist, UNICEF, shared thatmedia can help by creatingawareness of Governmentschemes and facilities for dif-ferent levels, of care for earlyidentification and age appro-priate referrals for newborns

and children.Anil Gulati, UNICEF

Communication Specialist, it isimportant that we take theseefforts of evidence basedreporting to district level.Coordinator LB Ojha shedlight on the objectives of theworkshop. Assistant ProfessorArun Khobarey conducted theprogramme and RegistrarAvinash Bajpai proposed thevote of thanks.

Earlier, Vice ChancellorProf KG Suresh said,Universities have social respon-sibility and this workshop ispart of it. Health reporting is aserious matter and there is noplace for misinformation andincorrect information in itbecause it directly affects com-mon man. Today, it seemsinfodemic is more dangerous topandemic because identifyingcorrect information hasbecome difficult now.

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The State Government haspromoted district registrar

Indore Balkrishna Mourya asthe officiating DIG registrationof Indore and Ujjain division.Balkrishna Mourya will nowlook after 15 districts of Indoreand Ujjain division.

District registrarBalkrishna Mourya in spite ofthe Corona lockdown is able toachieve the require revenue tar-get of registry tax of Indoredepartment and the Indoreregistry department has tillthe end of January 2021 hasachieved rs 900 crores for thefinancial year 2020 -2021. DIGregistration Balkrishna Mouryatold The Pioneer that now inthe remaining 2 months of thefinancial year 2020-2021 wewill definitely achieve totaltarget of rs 1320 crore of thecurrent financial year. My effortwill be also to increase the rev-enue earned from registry taxof every district under myjurisdiction for which I willvery soon start the inspectionof all the 15 districts.

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The 10th ISVS with thetheme ‘Re-domestication

of the World after thePandemic: A Re-visit to theOrigins and Manifestations ofDomesticity in VernacularSettlements’ is to be held at theSchool of Planning andArchitecture (SPA) Bhopalfrom February 12 to 14, 2021.This three-day seminar will beheld online looking into theCovid-19 situation.

The three-day-long semi-nar is divided into six sessionsi.e. Manifestations ofDomesticity in Vernacular set-tlements, House Home andSense of Belonging: Vernacularconcepts and conceptualisa-tions, Earth as Sacred Abode:Vernacular Conceptualisationsof Nature, Vernacular Practiceof Negotiating Nature'sAdversities and Pandemic,Origins and Manifestations ofvernacular culture and

Transformations of vernacularsettlements.

On the first day Keynotespeaker Prof. GunawanTjahjono, Professor ofArchitecture at the Universityof Pembangunan Jaya, Jakarta,Indonesia will discuss‘Redomestication of Humans:Spatial Change to Live by thePandemic With Wisdom ofVernacular Settlements’. Thesecond-day keynote speakerVelika Ivkovska is an engi-neer, architect, and architec-tural historian.

She is an AssistantProfessor at BahçesehirUniversity (BAU) Istanbul willdiscuss on 'Resurgence of theVernacular in the Era ofCovid19 in Macedonica'. Onthe third day in the valedicto-ry function Prof. Miki Desaiformer Professor ofArchitecture at the CEPTUniversity, Ahmedabad, Indiawill discuss 'We the Modern(Architect)'.

The theme of the seminaris focused on the human set-tlements after the covid19 sit-uation as it has changed theway of living in the home thatwas turned into an office formany of the people, as well asthey also started focusing onthe self-reliant in their dailyneeds, therefore the need of thevernacular settlements come tomind, in which the earth wastreated with a sense of rever-ence, due care and acceptanceof human subservience toNature. As informed by Prof.

Sanjeev Singh, Professor, SPABhopal, and seminar chair-person.

The International Seminaron Vernacular Settlements(ISVS), which is organized bythe International Society for theStudy of VernacularSettlements every two years isa confluence of people fromacademia, research, profession,and students that take placeintending to promote researchinto Vernacular Settlements tocontribute to the knowledge ofvernacular settlements aroundthe world and establish themeaningfulness and relevanceof vernacular traditions, andcultural practices in the con-temporary world. Till-dateseminars have been organizedevery two years in countrieslike Indonesia, India, Sri Lanka,Cyprus, and Turkey. Nearly600 participants from morethan 25 countries have partic-ipated in these conferences/seminars.

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The month of February iscelebrated as the month of

Love world over. In Indore,Treasure Island & TI NEXTmall are geared up to ensurethey offer the best deals in townacross a wide range of giftingoptions for your loved ones.The lovely décor of Teddy Bearat Treasure Island Mall adornedwith hundreds of roses in theshades of red to match themood of the season.

With over 200 brands tochoose from across both malls,

here are the details: Shop & Win Gratification:

Shop for �1,000 & get a SnackVoucher, Shop for �2500 & geta gift voucher, Shop for �5,000& get assured Silver Coin,Shop for �10,000 & get Kitchenat TI NEXT mall and anassured Electric Kettle atTreasure Island mall. The high-est shopper at Treasure Islandmall will win a chance to get afree couple Dinner Voucher atBarbeque Nation and at TINEXT mall they can win a freecouple movie tickets alongwith additional gift voucher.

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Addressing a virtual sessionof Ek Mulakat Visesh film-

maker Deepa Mehta said, “Lotof my love for Indian cinemacame before I became an NRIand I was very grounded inIndian cinema. I was a reluctantCanadian and for a long timeI missed India.

But home is actuallydefined by safety and if I don’tfeel safe in India it is nothome. I feel if India gives meher stories, Canada gives methe freedom to express them. Iam a strange kind of NRI.”

Deepa Mehta, who hadfaced a lot of controversy andoutrage for her films Fire andhad to close down productionof her film Water in India, wasresponding to a question byArchana Dalmia, memberEhsaas Woman of Delhi - Howhas being an NRI shaped yourIndianness and how has thatIndianness moulded your film-making?

The Ek Mulakat Viseshsession, organized by PrabhaKhaitan Foundation of Kolkataand presented by ShreeCement, was introduced byPriyanshi Patel of EhsaasWoman of Ahmedabad.

Deepa Mehta’s work chal-lenges stereotypes and is fear-less and provocative. Sherecently shot the pilot and sec-ond episode for NetflixOriginal series, Leila, and is thecreative executive producer ofthe show. She also directed TheManager – the pilot episode ofLittle America for AppleTV. Deepa’s film Midnight’s

Children was shot in Sri Lankaand her latest feature filmFunny Boy, based on awardwinning novel by ShyamSelvadurai, is also being shot inthe island nation. “My love forSri Lanka came because Indiadidn’t love what I wanted to do,”Deepa said.

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Director General of PoliceVivek Johri along with

DG Research Cell virtualrelease research report ‘AStudy of Police Constable onCovid-19 Duty in MadhyaPradesh’ and TrainingEvaluation during Covid-19pandemic survey report 2020.

DGP Johri said that we willget good ideas from this surveyreport and this report will alsoform an important basis in theupcoming policy making.

He said that the policeforce of the state has lived upto the expectations of theirduties during the Covid epi-demic.

On the training surveyreport, the DGP said that it wasan excellent effort during theCovid epidemic. It has acquirednew training techniques anddimensions. With the help ofinformation technology, theguidance of world class subjectmatter experts was made avail-able to most of the police per-sonnel.

On this occasion, retiredIPS and former DirectorGeneral of Police of KarnatakaMN Reddy, Director General ofPolice (Training), ArunaMohan Rao, AdditionalDirector General of Police D.Srinivasa Rao, AnuradhaShankar, Milind Kanaskar,Kailash Makwana, A. Sai

Manohar,. Anvesh Mangalam,Anil Kumar, Vijay Kataria,Deputy Director Bhunri. VinitKapoor, Assistant InspectorGeneral of Police TrainingNimisha Pandey and MalayJain were present.

Meanwhile, Member ofNational Commission forWoman Shyamla S. Kundar,met Director General of Police,Vivek Johri at State PoliceHeadquarters, Bhopal.

Additional DirectorGeneral of Police, WomenCrime, Pragya RichaShrivastava, Inspector Generalof Police, Crime againstWoman Deepika Suri andother officers were also presenton the occasion

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A25-year-old woman was found dead near railway tracks atrailway crossing at Gautam Nagar on Monday; Gautam Nagar

police have started investigation and it was a suicide or accidentwould be investigated.

Police were informed after a woman was found in an injuredstate at railway tracks and on the receipt a police team reachedthe spot and started investigation. In the initial investigationdeceased was identified as Draupadi Bai of Preet Nagar. Afterthe preliminary investigation the body was sent for the postmortem and the police have registered a case under section 174of the CrPC and have started further investigation. The state-ments of the family members are yet to be recorded which couldhelp in revealing the reason behind the death.

Meanwhile, 30-year-old man found in an injured state nearSingar Choli bridge on January 15 died during treatment late inthe night on Monday,

The deceased identified as Shakir Khan was taken to hos-pital was found in an injred state by locals on January 15 andduring treatment he died on Monday. During the investigationit was found that the deceased had severe head injuries whichcaused his death.

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Under operation Muskanoperated by the State

Police Headquarters in themonth of January, 2444 girlshave been rescued from Stateand others States.

During the period of onemonth, 175 girls from districtIndore, 144 from Sagar, 115from Dhar, 107 from Rewa and102 girls from Chhatarpurwere rescued. The recoveryrate in Betul district is 89.1%

and that of Ashoknagar is79.1%.

A total of 3122 cases ofmissing girls are pending at theend of January. Last year also,3337 kidnapped minor girlswere rescued in three cam-paigns.

The effort of the MadhyaPradesh Police was also appre-ciated by the High CourtJabalpur on 22 January 2021,when a 19-year-old kidnappingwas rescued by the police fromdistrict Murshidabad, West

Bengal. During the same oper-ation, the District Sehore Policerevealed the case of minorkidnapping in 2013, whichfound that the missing 17-

year-old minor girl was buriedby her family members. Theaccused have been arrested inthis case.

In this campaign, about82% girls have been rescuedfrom the state and 18 percentfrom outside the state. Fromother states girls which wererescued were from Gujarat,Maharashtra, Uttar Pradeshand Rajasthan. Under this cam-paign, some girls from far-flungareas like 5 from Jammu andKashmir, 3 from Karnataka, 8

from Telangana, 4 from Bengal,three from Daman Diu, 6 fromKerala, 1 from Assam and 141girls from Punjab were rescued.

Posters were prepared bythe Chief Minister specificallyfor the prevention of humantrafficking under the WomanAwareness Campaign'Samman'. The campaign'smascot 'Guddi' was also creat-ed with the intention of creat-ing awareness regarding humantraffickers who lure them of joband marriage.

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Bhopal: Miscreants targeted store room of MPSEB Chandbad office andescaped with goods worth Rs 75000 on Monday; Bajaria police have start-ed investigation. Police said that the complainant Narendra Rai found thatthe lock at the store room was broken and goods were burgled.

A complaint was lodged by the victim with the Bajaria police and inhis complaint, he stated that the store room at Chandbad office was targetedby the miscreants and used electricity meters, rope swings, wires and othergoods worth over Rs 75000 were burgled.

Based on the complaint after the preliminary investigation the policehave registered a case under section 457 and 380 of the IPC and section 136of MPEB Act and have started further investigation.

Meanwhile, Bairagarh police have booked who duped a man to the tuneof Rs 41000 by exchanging his ATM card during cash withdrawal at SBIATM near Chanchal sweets shop on February 1.At the ATM, 4-5 peoplewere present when the victim Jairamdas Devnani had gone to withdrawmoney on February 1 where the accused changed his ATM card and laterhe received message of withdrawal of Rs 41000. SR

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The shopaholics of the city are enjoyingshopping of Bagh prints at the Bagh Utsav

2021. Apart from traditional dress materials,the bagh utsav is captivating the interest ofbuyers for Bagh print on linen cloth.The ven-dors have brought a colourful collection ofbagh prints on linen. Usually, the bagh printsare available on cotton dresses, but this timenot only the designs are attractive, but thosewho love linen material have a choice too.

The bagh utsav is evoking a goodresponse by the Bhopalites as it exhibits therarest collection in bagh prints. Looking intothe wonderful response from the Bhopalites,the fair is extended for three more days. The

exhibition cum sale will now conclude onThursday. Notably, Bagh is one of the mostwanted dress materials for the fiestas. Thisexhibition cum sale has a variety of more than1000 designs in suits which are captivatingthe interest of the shopaholics of the city.These suits have been designed in differentpatterns and prints.

Set at the rustic backdrop of historicalshopping hub of the city, Gauhar Mahal theexhibition cum sale is adorned with beauti-ful bagh printed dresses, bed spreads andmore. The vibrant colours like maroon, red,sea green, ocean blue are available at the exhi-bition.The buyers are attracted to the differentmotifs printed over dress materials.

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Chief Minister Shivraj SinghChouhan has said that

every rural household in thestate will be provided withdomestic tap connection by theyear 2023. This will be a waterrevolution in the state. Our sis-ters will get the biggest relieffrom this. They will get relieffrom hand pumps. Along withthis, health status will alsoimprove with clean drinkingwater. More than 1.21 crorerural families will be benefitted.Rs 44,260 crore will be spent onthis.

Chouhan was addressingthe ministers after the presen-tation of Jal-Jeevan Mission inthe Mantralaya. He said thatpeople's participation in theoperation of Jal-Jeevan Missionwill be ensured and the projectwill be launched with celebra-tions in every village wherethey would be completed.Providing tap water to every

house in the village is a historicachievement.

It was informed in the pre-sentation on 'Har Ghar Jal' ofthe Jal-Jeevan Mission beforethe Council of Ministers thatthe mission was announced onAugust 15, 2019 by PrimeMinister Narendra Modi.

Implementation of the mis-sion started in Madhya Pradeshfrom June 2020. For imple-mentation of the mission, theState Water and SanitationMission and the State LevelProject Sanction Committeeexist under the chairmanship ofthe Chief Secretary at the statelevel. In the district-level com-mittee, the District Collector isthe Chairman and the ChiefExecutive Officer of the DistrictPanchayat is the DeputyChairman.

At the village level, with thecooperation of self-help groups,there is an arrangement ofimplementation assistancecommittee for the public par-

ticipation of the villagers andfor the continuous operationand maintenance of thescheme.

A system of third partyinspection agency is also inplace to ensure the quality ofconstruction works of tap-water schemes. The Water andSanitation Committee will for-mulate the scheme with thecooperation of Public HealthEngineering Department andother activities will be con-ducted in constant coordina-tion between Health,Education, Woman and ChildDevelopment and Panchayatand Rural DevelopmentDepartments.

There is a target of 100 per-cent coverage in Niwari andBurhanpur districts by the year2020-21. Similarly, in the year2021-22 a total of 7 districtsincluding Bhopal, Datia,Indore, Morena, Narsinghpur,Rajgarh and Umaria will becovered completely.

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Food and Civil SuppliesMinister Bisahulal Singh

has said that under the PradhanMantri Garib Kalyan AnnaYojana, the operators of fairprice shops would be paidcommission of 2 months for 8month period from April toNovember as interim amountwithin 7 days. The payment ofthe remaining amount will bestarted from the next month.

According to the instruc-tions of Chief Minister ShivrajSingh Chouhan, Food MinisterSingh and Cooperatives andPublic Service ManagementMinister Arvind Bhadoria werejointly reviewing with the offi-cials regarding payment ofpending dues of procurementto the cooperatives.

In the meeting,Cooperative Minister Bhadoriasaid that district-wise pro-grammes should be chalkedout for the action related to thepayment of pending dues of

food grains to cooperativeinstitutions, in which the offi-cers of the cooperative and pro-curement agency should com-plete the matching of the lia-bilities and deductions at thedistrict level in 7 days. He saidthat after this the district offi-cers will be jointly invited toBhopal division wise the pay-ment would be reviewed. Thepending payment of fair priceshops will also be reviewed in

the division-wise meetings.Food Minister Bisahulal

Singh said that under the pub-lic distribution system, un-automated distributed foodgrains will be matched by acommittee constituted at thedistrict level and a proposalwould be sent to theGovernment of India for per-mission to register un-auto-mated distributed food grainson the food distribution portal.Along with this, theGovernment of India and theState Government will makejoint efforts to increase theamount of relevant expendituredue to the procurement com-mittees on coarse grains, gramand millet.

Principal Secretary FoodFaiz Ahmed Kidwai, PrincipalSecretary CooperationUmakant Umrao, ManagingDirector Markfed P. Narhari,Director Food Tarun Pithodeand officials of Food andCooperation Department werepresent.

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Amovie depicting the brav-ery and contribution of

Indian Navy 'Sailors ofTomorrow' was screened atShaurya Smarak on Tuesday.The movie was screened at theopen air auditorium of ShauryaSamrak under the regular seriesof film screenings.

It is to be noted that everyday movies based on the brav-ery of the Indian army, airforce, navy and police is beingscreened at Shaurya Smarak.The regular film screening isbeing organised as a tribute totheir contributions and theirsacrifices.

The movie ‘Sailors ofTomorrow’ focuses on the con-tributions of Navy officers dur-ing wars. Indian Navy ForceThe Indian Navy is the navalbranch of the Indian ArmedForces. The President Of Indiais the Supreme Commander ofthe Indian Navy. The Chief ofNaval Staff, a four star admiral,commands the navy.

The Indian Navy traces itsorigins back to the East IndiaCompany's Marine which wasfounded in 1612 to protectBritish merchant shipping in

the region. In 1793, the EastIndia Company established itsrule over eastern part of theIndian Subcontinent i.e.Bengal, but it was not until1830 that the colonial navy wastitled as His Majesty's IndianNavy. When India becamerepublic in 1950, the RoyalIndian Navy as it had beennamed since 1934 was renamedto Indian Navy.

The primary objective ofthe navy is to safeguard thenation's maritime borders, andin conjunction with otherArmed Forces of the union, actto deter or defeat any threats oraggression against the territo-ry, people or maritime interestsof India, both in war andpeace. Through joint exercises,goodwill visits and humani-tarian missions, including dis-aster relief, Indian Navy pro-motes bilateral relationsbetween nations.

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Folk music and dance wereperformed on Tuesday at

Madhya Prasesh State TribalMuseum under Gamak series.

'Bagheli Gaon' was per-formed by Manimala Singhand group Rewa and 'KathiLokanat' was performed byRadha Kishan and group fromHarda were performed.

The presentation beganwith Bagheli singing byManimala Singh and group.

The performance beganwith Ganesh Vandana followedby the worship of MotherJagadamba - More AnganaMaiya Magan Bhai, Ritu Geet

- I-I Re Vasant Vahar, Birh Geet- Tumhari Surat Judd Hai,Nagina Ma, Nalanhai song - Eboth Naina Anari Ho, Velanhaisong - Utrat Magh Lagat DinPhagun, Gallahai song - MainTo Dhoodi Aayo Char Dhametc. presented songs of Baghelitradition.

On the stage in the pre-sentation Sarika Mishra,Urmila Mishra and ReetiPandey accompanied on vocalsand on Harmonium Ganesh

Prasad, Tabla Ravendra Mishra,Dholak by Sunil Verma andManjira by Ghanshyam Tiwarigave accompaniment. .

Manimala Singh startedlearning music at the age ofeleven from her mother, Ms.Lalan Kumari, after that shestudied music from renownedSarangi Badak Ustad NasheerKhan, she is an A grade artistof Doordarshan andAkashvani. She is Awarded bythe Government of Rajasthanin the field of singing in theyear 2001, the title of VindKokila was conferred by theGovernment of MadhyaPradesh in the year 2001. Shehas given his successful per-formances in many prestigious

forums in Chicago and thecountry.

The second presentationwas performed by Radhakishanand colleagues, in the famousfolk dance of Nimar region.

'Kathi' is a festival ofmother worship related to thepenance of Mata Parvati. Inthis, the makeup of dancers isunique, the weft worn from theneck to the feet, which is sur-rounded by red chola.

Sathi dancers tie a specialinstrument dhankya to thewaist which is played with thebaton of massing, the sathibegins with the god PrabodhiniEkadashi, and the rest beginson Mahashivratri.

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Body language, facial expres-sions and speech clarity

are very important features ofbetter acting on stage. An act-ing workshop is being organ-ised for the theatre aspirants byHum Theatre.

In the workshop expertBalendra Singh is training theaspirants. The acting work-shop is all about theory andpractical of theatre perfor-mance. During the workshop,the participants are learning theother forms of stage arts likedance and music including theperformance strategies as well.

The workshop majorlyfocuses on acting techniques,body language, observationalkills, voice modulation, dictionand speech. This will provide aunique knowledge practicebased techniques, which is veryimportant to acquire in thiscareer. All kinds of genres liketragedy, comedy, drama andhorror are being taught. The stu-dents are being trained to impro-vise the sense of acting, gestures,expressions and emotions.

Singh further said that stu-dents are being taught actingexercises to strengthen theiracting foundation which willhelp them to free themselves

from self consciousness andstrengthen their concentrationthrough sensory exercises.Notably, the youngsters arelearning the fundamentals ofacting and other aspects of the-atre presentation.

Here on Tuesday whileinteracting with the aspirants,Singhsaid that speech clarity isone of the major points in act-ing. The dialogue delivery tovoice modulation and fromclear speech to putting inexpressions into it, is a majorfeature. To explain about thisfurther, he gave small assign-ments to the aspirants to per-form on stage.

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In the time of Corona pandemicthe Mahakaleshwar temple was

closed for devotees which would bereopened from March 15, commondevotees will be able to joinBhasmarti at MahakaleshwarTemple as before.

The decision to allow devoteesto visit the sanctum sanctorum willalso be taken in March. Admissionto Shayan Aarti will be availablefrom Tuesday itself. Shayan Aartihas also been extended to 10:15 pm.The decision to offer Hariom waterto the Shivling will take place afterMahashivaratri.

The meeting of ShriMahakaleshwar TempleManagement Committee was held

on Tuesday under the chairmanshipof Managing Committee Chairmanand Collector Ashish Singh.

In the meeting, it was decidedthat by temple management com-mittee that devotees will be givenadmission in Bhasmarti with fullcapacity and Corona Guidelineswill be followed. In the meeting,there was discussion on givingadmission to Baba's devotees in thesanctum as well as in the sanctumsanctorum. The entry of devoteesinto the sanctum sanctorum willbegin after Mahashivaratri.

It was also decided at the meet-ing to increase the number ofkiosk machines for immediatebooking and to open foreign cur-rency accounts for foreign donors.

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Two miscreants involved in fraud of Rs 2.27 lakh werearrested and sent under six of police custody; accused

duped bank manager by posing as manager of car showroomin the year 2019.

ASP Amarendra Singh said that on July 5, 2019, anunknown person posing as Sanjay Baheti of Rukmani MarutiShowroom contacted Bank of India Manager ManishaBhargava and in the name of purchasing vehicle get RTGSof Rs 2. 27 lakh done. On the complaint of the bank man-ager, a case of fraud was registered in the case by the Nagjhiripolice station. The nabbed accused were identified as Guldeepof Meerut, and Puneet of Ghaziabad. It was found that thefraud was committed through cyber crime as mobile phoneof victim was hacked and on receiving the call, the bank man-ager saw the showroom manager's name on the true callerand due to which he had transferred the amount to anoth-er account in RTGS. The ASP said that both the miscreantshave been produced in the court and taken on 6 days remand.Police team reached Meerut and Ghaziabad where an attemptwill be made to recover the duped amount. The inquiry canreveal some more cases of fraud from both of the accused.

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Delhi on Tuesday reportedno new fatalities due to

Covid -19 in the last 24 hours, according to the healthdepartment Corona bulletinthough recorded 100 fresh pos-itive cases while 144 patientsalso recovered from the coro-navirus disease.

Lauding Delhites for theirbattle against coronavirus byfollowing the Covid protocol,Health minister Satyendar Jain

emphasised the use of maskand maintaining social dis-tance to completely eradicatethe virus. Jain praised thehealthcare workers and front-line workers who emerged ashero for keeping Delhi and itspeople safe from the diseasesince March 2020 when thefirst case was reported.

Sharing the screenshot ofcorona health bulletin, Jaintweeted : “Today no death hasbeen reported due to Covidinfection. Delhi's collective will

is gradually winning over theinfection. I congratulate thepeople of Delhi for takingproper precautions and ourhealthcare and frontline work-ers who have fought this battletooth and nail.”

The positivity rate of coro-navirus cases in Delhi hasdropped to 0.18 per cent. Thereare a total 1,052 active coron-avirus cases currently in thecapital. The coronavirus case-load in Delhi amounts to6,36,260.

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After meeting stakeholdersof private mandis and State

Agriculture Marketing Boards,the Supreme Court-appointedthree-member panel onTuesday held its deliberationswith 18 industry bodies includ-ing Amul, ITC, Rice MillerAssociations, TractorManufacture Association andexporter bodies, engaged inagriculture and its allied sectorsand sought their comments onthe three farm legislations.This is the sixth meeting thepanel has held so far.

The meeting was held bothvirtually and in person onTuesday. The committee mem-bers will hold talks with stategovernments’ representativeson February 11. The commit-tee will also take view pointsfrom professionals and acade-micians on the issue.

Sources said that industri-al bodies including AgroProcessing Industries, FoodProcessing industries and theagencies, dairy sector, ricemiller association engaged inthe agriculture sector hailed thethree farm laws during theirdiscussions and also suggestedsome points. The committee

members have requested theparticipants to give their viewson the three farm laws.

“In total 18 different stake-holder organisations’ such asAmul, ITC, FCI, Sugna Foods,Horticulture ProduceExporters’ Association,Venkateshwara Hatcheries,Confederation of IndianIndustry (CII), Federation ofIndian Chambers ofCommerce & Industry ( FICCI), Agricultural and ProcessedFood Products ExportDevelopment Authority(APEDA), Seafood ExportersAssociation, India Rice MillerAssociation, All India RiceExporters Association, TractorManufacture Association,Cotton Association of India,Fertiliser Association of India,India Pulses and GrainAssociation of India and AllIndia Poultry Feed Associationof India participated throughVideo Conferencing in thedetailed deliberations with thecommittee members over thefarm laws,” the ministry ofagriculture said.

“Representatives of theMarine Products ExportDevelopment Authority(MPEDA) participated in themeeting in person. All thestakeholder participants gave

their detailed views and valuablesuggestions on the three farmlaws,” the committee said in astatement.

During the previous meet-ing held on Friday, the com-mittee held consultations withthe heads of state marketingboards, private mandi operators

and food parks from 10 statesincluding those of Kerala. Thecommittee has also sought com-ments from all stakeholdersthrough online in its website.

The three-member com-mittee appointed by theSupreme Court has been hold-ing consultations with stake-

holders both, online and in-per-son and this was the fifth meet-ing of the panel so far. TheSupreme Court had set up thefour-member panel on January11, but one of them, BhupinderSingh Mann, recused himselflater after questions were raisedby the agitating farmer unions

about the views expressed by allmembers in the past in support

of the contentious laws, againstwhich thousands are protesting

on Delhi borders for almost twomonths now.

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Samajwadi Party leaderAkhileshYadav Yadav on

Tuesday attacked theGovernment saying theMinimum Support Price(MSP) was not available evenin the districts in Uttar Pradeshfrom where President, PrimeMinister and Defence Ministercome from and that it was“unrolling red carpet for thecorporates”.

Participating in the dis-cussion on the vote of thankson President’s address, the for-mer Chief Minister wonderedas why Government do nottake back laws if those forwhom there are meant foropposing them.

He said though theGovernment is insisting thatMSP would always be there,the farmers in the districts ofPresident, Prime Minister andDefence Minister have notreceived MSP price for theirproduce .

Yadav said hisGovernment constructed sev-eral ‘Mandis’ for farmers and

even gave 500 acre to GuruRam Dev for establishing a‘Mandi’. By now, he said kisan‘mandis’ are not being estab-lished in the state.

He alleged thatGovernment has unrolled “redcarpet” for corporates whileneglecting farmers.

Taking a swipe at PrimeMinister Narendra Modi fordescribing agitators as“andolanjivi”, the former UPChief Minister asked the rul-ing party members”Are you notChandajivi ?”.

His apparent reference tocollection for Ram temple wasobjected to by BJP MP andMinister Sadhvi Niranjan Jyotiwho said “people not only inIndia but world over are donat-ing with devotion..”.

Earlier, addressing thehouse, former J & K ChiefMinister Farooq Abdullah alsoasked government to talk tofarmers and carry everyonetogether so that countryremains united.

The National Conferencepresident alleged that thoughlocal district elections inKashmir were successful nowan attempt is being made tobuy elected representatives indistrict bodies with moneybags”.

In an emotional speech,Abdullah who was in the pre-ventive detention followingthe abrogation of article 370,said “we have to take all togeth-er... I am a HindustaniMuslim,..Allah and Bhagwan issame, Ram is for everyone,Quran is for all, Bible is forall..take everyone together”, hesaid.

BJP woman MP fromnHaryana, who spoke after him, however, said that Abdullahhad said altogether differentthings when government hadannounced annulment of arti-cle 370 on August 6, 2019.

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The Ministry of Agriculturehas said that the Indian

Council of AgriculturalResearch (ICAR) has devel-oped a total 838 high yieldingand trait specific field crop vari-eties, of which 578 are climateresilient, 41 short duration and47 bio-fortified varieties in thelast three year. Besides, Indiahas developed only 63Integrated Farming System(IFS) in 18 States so far andthese models are suitable to 26States and Union Territoriesand have the potential toincrease the income of farmersby 2 to 3 times or more vis a visexisting systems/practices in aperiod of 3 to 4 years. TheIndian Council of AgriculturalResearch (ICAR) 345 varietiesof different crops were devel-oped in 2020.

In a reply to the Lok Sabha,Union Agriculture MinisterNarendra Singh Tomar saidthat ICAR has developed a total838 high yielding and traitspecific field crop varieties, ofwhich 578 are climate resilient,41 short duration and 47 bio-fortified varieties in the lastthree year. “A total 77 machinesand processing equipment weredeveloped to promote mecha-

nisation of small farms &amp;reduce postharvest losses. Total101 technologies for processingand on farm value additionwere also developed. In fish-eries, ICAR developed breed-ing and seed production tech-nologies of 9 food fishes and 12ornamental fishes, demon-strated cage culture in reser-voirs and open sea, developedseveral cost-effective feeds forfish and shell fish,” he said.

Interestingly, the publicspending on agricultureresearch and educationin Indiais only 0.62 percent of its totalgross domestic products. TheCentre has proposed Rs8513.62 crore for agricultureresearch and education in thebudget 2021-22 as compared toRs 7762.38 crore revised bud-get allocation for the year 2020-21. Of the total budget, Rs968.00 allocated for crop sci-ences.

Replying to a questionasked by Rajya Sabha MPSushil Kumar Gupta Tomarsaid ICAR has developed 63integrated farming systemswith the participation of farm-ers in 18 States.

“Most of the IFS modelshave the demonstrated poten-tial of increasing the farmers’income by 2-3 times or moreand have been included in

State Plans by Government ofBihar, Karnataka, Kerala,Jammu & Kashmir and TamilNadu for up-scaling. As manyas 31 bankable projects suitablefor 22 states have also been pre-pared by ICAR for supportingthrough medium and short-term credit for scaling upthrough schemes of States andCentral Government,” Tomarsaid.

According to the agricul-ture ministry, 31 bankableprojects suitable for 22 stateshave also been prepared byIndian Council of AgriculturalResearch (ICAR) for support-ing through medium andshort-term credit for scaling upthrough schemes of States andCentral Government. Tomarfurther stated that at least 18IFS models, 14 bankable pro-jects on IFS and organic farm-ing packages for 22 croppingsystems were developed duringlast three years.

Total foodgrain produc-tion in the country is estimat-ed to be a record 291.95 mil-lion tonnes, according to thesecond advance estimates for2019-20.

In reply to another ques-tion, the minister said thatICAR has also developed 51organic cropping systems suit-able for adoption in 12 States.

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As many as 197 people aremissing while 20 people

have died due to floods inUttarakhand, Union HomeMinister Amit Shah told RajyaSabha on Tuesday.

In a separate tunnel in theNTPC project, it is estimatedthat around 25 to 35 people arestuck inside, he said, adding“rescue operation to evacuatethese persons is going on a warfooting and all-out efforts aresimultaneously being made forsearching missing persons”.

Making a statement in theHouse “regarding an avalanchein Chamoli District ofUttarakhand”, the Union minister said these inputs werebased on the informationreceived till Monday 5 pmfrom the state government.

Noting that an avalanchehad occurred in the uppercatchment of Rishiganga river,a tributary of Alaknanda rivenin Chamoli District ofUttarakhand, which led to sud-den rise in the water level of

Rishiganga river, he said as perinformation, a total of 197persons are reported missingwhich includes 139 are fromthe under-construction NTPC project, 46 people working on Rishi Ganga pro-ject and 12 villagers.

He said in the financialyear 2020-21, �1041 crore hasbeen allocated to the State ofUttarakhand under the State

Disaster Risk ManagementFund (SDRMF)and the firstinstallment of the central shareamounting to �468.50 crore hasbeen released to the StateGovernment.

The State Government hasreported that there is no dan-ger of downstream floodingand the rise in water level hasbeen contained, he said, addingthe Centre and the StateGovernment have been keep-ing a strict vigil on the situa-tion.

“It is observed from thesatellite data (Planet Lab) of 7thFebruary, 2021 in catchment ofRishi Ganga river at the ter-minus of the glacier at an alti-tude of 5,600m a landslide triggered a snowavalanche covering approxi-mately 14 sq.Km area andcausing a flash flood in thedownstream of Rishi Gangariver,” he added.

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Union Home Minister AmitShah on Tuesday denied in

the Lok Sabha allegation thatduring his visit to West Bengalhe had sat on the chair ofRabindranath Tagore saying“the window seat” he occupiedwas also used by likes ofJawaharlal Nehru, PranabMukherjee and Rajiv Gandhi.

“I asked Vishwabharti Vice-Chancellor to clarify and he saidno such incident took place”,said Shah in the house reject-ing Congress MP Adhir RahanChowdhury’s allegations.

Shah said he sat on a win-dow seat “where everybody isallowed to sit”.

Shah said Nehru, PranabMukherjee and Rajiv Gandhitoo occupied the same seat.

The home minister askedmembers to do some researchbefore sourcing their state-ments from the social media.

Shah also denied com-ments attributed to the BJPpresident JP Nadda during lat-ter’s visit to West Bengal.

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The Union Health Ministryhas asked States and Union

Territories to conclude the firstdose administration to allfrontline workers by March 6even as 62.6 lakh beneficiarieshave been vaccinated againstthe pathogen since January 16when the mega vaccinationdrive was launched.

The states and UTs havealso been directed to concludemop-up rounds latest by March6. Earlier, the Health Ministryhad asked all states and UTs tocomplete the administration ofthe first dose of Covid vaccinesto their healthcare workers byFebruary 20 and concludemop-up round by February 24.

Union Health SecretaryRajesh Bhushan said during apress briefing that the aimshould be that no willing ben-eficiary is left behind and forthat, states and UTs are free toconduct as many mop-uprounds they want.

“They can do multiplerounds depending on theirstrength. The aim of the mop-up rounds is to ensure thatthose healthcare and frontlineworkers, who could not comeduring their scheduled vacci-nation sessions, will then beavailed an opportunity afford-ed by the mop-up rounds to gettheir dose of vaccination,” hesaid.

However, Bhushan alsosaid that those healthcare andfrontline workers, who fail toappear even during the mop-up rounds, will be relegated toage specific appropriate vacci-nation rounds.

“Those who would notcome forward even during themop-ups, will receive vaccinedoses when the age specificvaccination rounds will roll outfor the general public. There,they will be provided vaccineson the age group they fall,” headded.

He said that India was thefastest country to reach 6 mil-lion vaccination doses ofCovid-19 in 24 days.

Bhushan said within thecountry also some states haveperformed well, while othersneed to improve their vacci-nation coverage. “There are 12states and UTs that have vac-cinated more than 65 per centof the registered healthcareworkers. These states are Bihar(78.1 per cent), Tripura (77.1per cent), Madhya Pradesh(76 per cent), Uttarakhand(73.7 per cent), Odisha (72.4per cent), Mizoram (69.9 percent), Himachal Pradesh (68.7per cent), Uttar Pradesh (68

per cent), Andaman andNicobar Islands (67.9 per cent),Rajasthan (67.2 per cent),Kerala (66.9 per cent) andLakshadweep (66.7 per cent),”he said.

On the other hand,Bhushan said, there are 11states and UTs that have vac-cinated less than 40 per cent ofhealthcare workers. These arePuducherry (15.4 per cent),Manipur (21.3 per cent),Nagaland (21.5 per cent),Meghalaya (24.3 per cent),Chandigarh (28.7 per cent),Punjab (34.1 per cent), Dadraand Nagar Haveli (34. 5 percent), Ladakh (35.8 per cent),Jammu and Kashmir (37.5 percent) and Delhi (38 per cent).

Bhushan said a meeting ofthe National AEFI Committeewas held on February 5 wherediscussions were held on 8AEFI cases following COVID-19 vaccinations.

“Out of these 8 cases,causality assessment of 5 cases(2 deaths and 3 hospitalized)was conducted. Among hos-pitalised cases, all three weredischarged. Two have beendiagnosed as anaphylaxis; clas-sified

as vaccine-product relatedreactions (known and expect-ed reactions following vacci-nations) and one case diag-nosed as syncope: classified asimmunisation triggered stressresponse (anxiety reaction),” hesaid.

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In a first for the country, theIndian Army is using its

dogs for quick detection ofCOVID-19 to cut down timedelays associated with regulardiagnostic techniques.

The canine members of thearmed force are known fortheir pronounced olfactorycapability and have earlierhelped in explosive and nar-cotics detection, search and res-cue operations, and other chal-lenging tasks. Now, they haveanother job.

Two dogs – two-year-oldcocker spaniel Casper and one-year-old Jaya, a ‘chippiparai’,which is an indigenous breedfrom Tamil Nadu – have beentrained to detect COVID-19 bysniffing samples of sweat andurine, senior Army officialssaid.

A demonstration of theirskills using real samples washeld on Tuesday

on the premises of the 48Military Veterinary Hospital atDelhi Cantonment. Their han-dlers were wearing full PPEkits.

Lt Col Surinder Saini,instructor at the Dog TrainingFacility of the RemountVeterinary Corps (RVC)Centre in Meerut, said thesedogs are “pioneering canines”of not just the Army, but ofentire India.

“Countries like the UK,

Finland, France, Russia,Germany, Lebanon, the UAEand the US have alreadytrained dogs for detection ofCOVID-19.

Dogs have been previous-ly used abroad to detect malar-ia, diabetes and Parkinson’sdisease, but this is the first timecanines have been used formedical detection in India,” hetold reporters.

To a question on where thedogs are being deployed, Sainisaid that after their training inSeptember, the dogs weredeployed at the Army’s transitcamp in Delhi in November.From December, they are beingdeployed at the transit camp inChandigarh from where troopsmove to large areas, includingthe Ladakh region, under theNorth Command.

Army dogs were success-fully trained on specific bio-markers emanating from urineand sweat samples of positivepatients.

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The Enforcement Directoratehas issued a Provisional

Attachment Order attachingassets worth �34.36 crore ofViva Holding (a company ofViva Group) in Bank FraudPMLA case of RakeshWadhawan and SarangWadhawan, promoters of HDILand others.

The attached assets are in theform of two commercial assetsadmeasuring 15,000 sq. mtrsarea in Kaledonia building,Andheri East located at Mumbaivalued at Rs 34.36 crore.

The ED had initiated probeagainst Rakesh Wadhawan andSarang Wadhawan and others onthe basis of an FIR registered byCBI (ACB), Mumbai underIndian Penal Code Sectionsrelating to criminal conspiracy,cheating and criminal breach oftrust and under relevant provi-sions of the Prevention ofCorruption Act for siphoning offthe loan to tune of Rs 200 croresanctioned by Yes Bank to MackStar Marketing Pvt. Ltd., byshowing it for fictitious purpose.

ED has already initiatedinvestigation under PMLAagainst Housing DevelopmentInfrastructures Ltd. (HDIL),Rakesh Wadhawan, SarangWadhawan, and Joy Thomas,CMD of PMC bank Ltd and oth-ers on the basis of FIR registeredby Economic Offences wing ofMumbai Police.

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The Supreme Court Tuesdaysought Government’s reply

on a plea, seeking transfer ofcases from several high courtsto it against the Centre’s noti-fication to declare five com-munities — Muslims,Christians, Sikhs, Buddhistsand Parsees — as minoritieseven in those States and UTswhere they are in majority.

A bench comprising ChiefJustice S A Bobde and JusticesA S Bopanna and VRamasubramanian issuednotices to Ministry of HomeAffairs, Ministry of Law andJustice and Ministry ofMinority Affairs.

The high courts at Delhi,Meghalaya and Guwahati areseized of the petitions chal-lenging the Constitutionalvalidity of section 2(c) of theNational Commission forMinorities Act, 1992, underwhich the notification wasissued on October 23, 1993.

The notification had

declared the five communitiesas minorities across the coun-try, leading to a situation wheremajority population of Sikhs inPunjab and Muslims in Jammuand Kashmir are availing of thebenefits meant for minorities,the transfer petition alleged.

The apex court was hear-ing a plea filed by lawyer andBJP leader Ashwini Upadhyayseeking transfer of all casesfrom high courts to the apexcourt for an authoritative pro-nouncement on the issue.

Senior advocate C SVaidyanathan appeared forUpadhyay in the matter.

The petition, filed throughadvocate Ashwani KumarDubey, said that in order toavoid multiplicity of litiga-tions and conflicting views, thetransfer plea has been movedbefore the apex court.

Arbitrary and irrationaldisbursement of minority ben-efits to majority infringes uponthe fundamental right to theprohibition of discriminationon the grounds of religion,

race, caste, sex or place of birth,the plea said.

The petition said theHindus, who are a majoritycommunity according tonational data, are a minority inseveral north-eastern statesbesides Punjab and Jammuand Kashmir.

However, the Hindu com-munity is deprived of the ben-efits that are available to theminority communities in thesestates, the plea said, adding thatthe National Commission forMinorities (NCM) shouldreconsider the definition ofminority in this context.

The plea has sought todeclare section 2(c) of theNCM Act 1992 void and inop-erative for being arbitrary,unreasonable and offending.

The definition of minori-ty, according to Article 29-30of the Constitution, has leftleakages in the hands of theState, which shall be misusedand are being misused forpolitical benefits, the petitionsaid.

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The Supreme Court Tuesdaydismissed a plea which chal-

lenged the Constitutional valid-ity of colonial era provision ofsedition under the Indian PenalCode, on the ground that it isbeing used to stifle freedom ofspeech and expression of citi-zens.

A bench of Chief JusticeBobde and Justices AS Bopannaand V Ramasubramanian dis-missed the plea saying thatthere was no cause of action andthe petitioners are not the affect-ed parties.

During the brief hearing,senior advocate Anoop GeorgeChaudhary, appearing for thepetitioners who are advocates,said that this is a public interestmatter and people are beingcharged under the provision.

The bench observed that alaw cannot be challenged with-out appropriate cause of action.

“You are not facing anyprosecution under the Section.

What is the cause of the action?We don’t have any case before usright now. We don’t have anycase in front of us where some-body is rotting in jail. If some-one is in jail then we will con-sider. Dismissed”, the benchtold Chaudhary.

The plea filed by three advo-cates Aditya Ranjan, VarunThakur, V Elanchezhiyan saidthat section 124-A of IPC (sedi-tion), the provision which wasused by the British againstMahatma Gandhi and BalGangadhar Tilak is still stiflingthe freedom of speech andexpression in the country ifthey choose to express dissentagainst policies of theGovernments in power.

“It is submitted that underthe continuously expandingscope of the fundamental rights,a colonial provision like section124-A which was intended tosubjugate the subjects of Britishcrown should not be permittedto continue in a democraticrepublic,” the plea said.

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An action packed drama isunfolding in Tamil Nadu’s

political landscape as the mainprotagonists launched accusa-tion and counter-accusationby Tuesday. Leaders of theAIADMK, AMMK and theDMK were heard terming eachother as the B-team of eitherthe BJP (which has no base inthe State) or the DMK, themain Opposition party.

This provided the ambi-ence as VK Sasikala, the for-mer aide to late J Jayalalithaa,strode into Chennai in thewee hours of Tuesday after a 23hour car ride from Bangalore.

Sasikala was released fromParappana Agrahara CentralJail on January 27 where sheserved a four-year jail term inconnection with the dispro-portionate asset case. She set onher return journey to Chennaiat 9.30 am on Monday and wasaccorded a warm welcome by

thousands who had gatheredalong the road from Bangaloreto Chennai.

Sasikala, who was electedgeneral secretary of theAIADMK on December 29,2016, went to RamavaramGardens in a Chennai suburb,the residence of party founderlate M G Ramachandran andpaid obeisance in front of hispicture and a life-size statue. “Ihave been enslaved by theTamil people and hence Iwould continue to be in activepolitics to fight for them,”Sasikala said while reading outfrom a prepared statement.

By the time Sasikala leftBangalore for Chennai, ChiefMinister EdappadiPalaniswamy had ordered theclosure of JayalalithaaMemorial at Marina Beach.Though the Government ver-sion was that the Memorial hasbeen closed for maintenanceworks, it was to preventSasikala from offering homagesto her Amma (Jayalalithaa).

Though the Tamil NaduPolice ordered Sasikala toremove the AIADMK flag fromthe car in which she was trav-elling, she ignored the diktatand continued to travel in a carowned by a AIADMK func-tionary , who was later sus-pended by the party.

Wherever she addressedparty cadre, in a style resem-bling Jayalalithaa, Sasikalaexhorted the cadre to defeat thecommon adversary DMK. ButD Jayakumar, fisheries minis-ter, who is also the spokesmanof Palaniswamy and theAIADMK termed her andTTV Dhinakaran as the B-team of the DMK. This ledKanimozhi, step-sister of DMKchief M K Stalin to retaliate bycalling the AIADMK as the B-team of BJP.

Political commentators dif-fer in their opinion about thefuture of the AIADMK with theentry of Sasikala. “There aremany MLAs and ministerswho owe their position to

Sasikala who only handpickedthem at the time of 2016assembly election. They willcross over to the Sasikala campin days to come,” said SamRajappa, veteran scribe andcommentator.

Meanwhile the StateGovernment has started takingpossession of properties ownedby Sasikala, her close relationsIlavarasi, Suchakaran andDhinakaran in various parts ofthe State as part of the 2017Supreme Court order uphold-ing the Special Court verdictsentencing Jayalalithaa, Sasikalaand others in theDisproportionate Asset Case.

On Tuesday, the districtcollector of Thanjavur tookpossession of immovable prop-erties owned by TTVDhinakaran in the districtwhile the collectors ofKancheepuram andChengalpettu seized the prop-erties owned by him, Sasikala,and their relatives in these dis-tricts.

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The war of words intensifiedbetween the BJP and Trinamool

Congress with Bengal ChiefMinister Mamata Banerjee attack-ing the saffron outfit for destroyingIndia with its divisive politics whileBJP president JP Nadda slammingthe Chief Minister and his nephewAbhishek Banerjee for degradingBengal’s rich culture by mountingpersonal attacks on adversaries.

Flagging off the second leg ofParivartan Yatra from pilgrim townof Tarapeeth in Birbhum andLalgarh in Jangalmahal Nadda onTuesday alleged how the MamataBanerjee Government had notonly institutionalised corruption,criminalized politics and politicizedthe police but also it has defiled theState’s once rich culture by hurlingslangs at the opposition leaders.

“When I started the tour ofBengal she prefixed invectivesagainst my name,” Nadda said in an

apparent reference to how Banerjeehad alluded to him as “Nadda,Chadda, Gadda, Fadda …” fromone of her rallies.

And then he reminded how theChief Minister’s nephew publiclyattacked the dignity of BJP leaderSuvendu Adhikari’s father SisirAdhikari a veteran politician, a for-mer Union Minister and a sittingMP.

“While Pisi (aunt) abused me,the Bhaipo (nephew) did the sameto a Suvendu Adhikari’s fatherwho is a senior politician,” he saidasking “is it the way you preservethe rich culture of Bengal?” He said“The Chief Minister is accusing theBJP of soiling Bengal’s culture …now it is for the people to decidewho is soiling the culture ofBengal,” adding the “this is the rea-son why the real Poribartan(change) is required in Bengal andwhy the people have decided tobring in the real Poribartan bybringing the BJP to power.”

The TMC is trying to dividethe people by invoking “insider-outsider” politics which is not theculture of Bengal. “This State isknown for the culture of SwamiVivekananda, Vidya Sagar, BankimChandra Chattopadhyay,Rabindranath Tagore and not theculture that is being preached by thePisi and Bhaipo and their partymen,” he said adding only the BJPcan restore to its original glory.

The TMC's slogan of “'Maa-Mati, Manush'” (motherland andpeople) has been reduced to “dic-tatorship, tolabaji (extortion) andappeasement,” he said, alleginghow “police have been politicized,politics has been criminalized, cor-ruption has been institutionalizedby the TMC Government.”

Banerjee on the other handslammed the BJP for unleashing adivisive and destructive politics inIndia. “After unleashing divisivepolitics in other States they havecome to Bengal to divide the peo-

ple and destroy the State … the BJPwill destroy everything,” Banerjeewho held a number of rallies atMalda, Murshidabad and Kalnasaid adding “the people of UttarPradesh who had brought thisparty to power are now regrettingtheir decision

Attacking the saffron outfitfor its alleged anti-farmer policiesshe said that “the farmers will be leftwith nothing if the BJP comes topower … they will loot the farm-ers and take their lands… Farmerswill sow and reap their crops andthey will take away everythingfrom them.”

Slamming her former trustedcolleagues Suvendu Adhikar, RajibBanerjee and others who hadrecently left the TMC to join theBJP, Banerjee said “it is good thatthe black sheep have left the party… I will request others who wantto quit to do so now,” adding howthe turncoats had betrayed herwhen she needed their service the

most. “A mother rears her childrenwith utmost care … but what willyou call them if they leave thatmother after when they grow up …particularly when she is in trouble,”Banerjee said in an apparent emo-tional note.

Meanwhile, a senior IPS offi-cer Humayun Kabir who quit hisservice the last month on Tuesdayjoined the TMC in presence of theChief Minister saying he had beeninspired by her developmentalworks. Kabir was theCommissioner of Police atChandannagar when he orderedthe arrest of some BJP workers whoraised the provocative “GoliMaaro...” slogans from the rally ofSuvendu Adhikari.

“Mamata Banerjee has broughtdevelopment to Bengal. I haveworked under her and I have seenher stand by people. I have beeninspired by her. A party from out-side is trying to win here by spread-ing division.

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T h i r u v a n a n at h apu r am :Kerala's Opposition Congressand BJP on Tuesday took on theCPI-M over a “suspected” dilu-tion in the ruling party's standon the entry of women agedbetween 10 and 50 to theSabarimala temple.

Even as the issue is beforea seven member bench of theSupreme Court, the Congresslast week said that if it wins thecoming Assembly polls, it willbring legislation on women'sentry to the hilltop temple.

In a reaction, CPI-MCentral Committee memberM.V. Govindan, indirectly refer-ring to the issue, said that “it wasimpractical to implementdialectical materialism in a soci-ety which was not even ready toaccept materialism”.

This statement fromGovindan was seen as a bid towin back the Hindu votes andthen came the statement fromCPI-M Politburo member M.A.Baby saying that a fresh affidaviton this would be given in theapex court. However, soon hebacktracked and said what hemeant was that once the verdictcomes, there will be a detailedtalk with all sections to decidethe way ahead.

Soon after the apex courthad allowed entry of all womeninto the temple a couple of yearsago, Chief Minister PinarayiVijayan had moved the imple-ment the verdict, and evenwent to the extent of heraldinga “renaissance movement”.

But the issue had sparkedoff strong protests and led toconfrontations between hard-core believers and the police. Atone point, two women in thehitherto banned age group wereable to get darshan, with astrong police force accompany-ing them.

The CPI-M's stand came tohaunt it as the 2019 Lok Sabhapolls, Vijayan and the CPI-M,who were expecting to win 19out of the state's 20 seats, had to

remain content with one. Thegeneral belief was it was a hugebacklash by the Hindu voters,which decided to teach Vijayanand the CPI-M a fitting lessonfor trying to dilute the traditionof Sabarimala.

Following the CPI-Mleader's statements, BJP's statePresident K. Surendran saidthat it is not for people like Baby“who are sidelined in the party”to come out with such state-ments and instead Vijayanshould come clean on what theirstand is.”The need of the houris Vijayan should apologise tothe believers for their wrongstand that they took and thendecide on a fresh affidavit.Baby's statement means noth-ing, as he is only an 'outsider' inthe party,” he said.

Leader of Opposition andCongress veteran RameshChennithala expressed surprisein the dilly-dallying of the CPI-M on the issue, asking if Vijayanhas laid down his position as theleader of the renaissance move-ment. State Congress presidentMullapally Ramachandran saidall these are nothing but a tac-tical move by the CPI-M andthey should first discuss with allconcerned before, they makeany move.

Hitting back, state Cultureand Devasom Minister andsenior CPI-M leader A.K. Balansaid the Congress and others aretrying to rake up passion forsecuring votes in the upcomingAssembly polls.

Joining issue was the pow-erful Nair Service Society, thesocio-cultural body of theHindu Nair community, whoseGeneral Secretary SukumaranNair, in a statement on Tuesday,blamed all the three politicalfronts for trying to score polit-ical points with the electionsround the corner and pointedthat each of these political out-fits had time to work towards forupholding the interests of thebelievers. IANS

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Rae Bareli (Uttar Pradesh): Ina shocking incident, a manstrangled his tailor to deathbecause the shirt he hadstitched was ill-fitting.

The victim's son, AbdulNaeem Khan, claimed that hisfather, Abdul Majid Khan, 65,was allegedly strangled by oneSaleem on Sunday night.

Saleem was reportedlyenraged over the poor fitting ofthe shirt that Abdul MajidKhan had stitched for him.

According to reports,Saleem was overcome withrage after the two entered intoa heated argument over theissue.

Rae Bareli SP, ShlokKumar, said that the post-mortem examination of AbdulMajid Khan could not revealthe exact cause of death.IANS

Kolkata: A bus carrying BJP activistswas attacked by unidentified miscreantsin West Bengal's West Midnapore dis-trict on Tuesday. The BJP supporterswere going to join the rally of BJPPresident J.P. Nadda at Lalgarh, a placeonce known as a dreaded Maoisthotbed. The incident took place nearJhitka forest area when heavy stoneswere pelted at the vehicle, breaking itswindshield. BJP workers alleged that themiscreants also opened fire at the busfrom the forest area. No one wasinjured in the incident.

However, local Trinamool Congressleaders denied their involvement in theLalgarh attack.

Nadda also held a grand road show

(Rath Yatra) in Birbhum district'sTarapith where he attacked West BengalChief Minister Mamata Banerjee'snephew Abhishek Banerjee for hisobjectionable comments on BJP leaderSuvendu Adhikari and his parliamen-tarian father and former Union minis-ter Sisir Adhikari. IANS

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ArrayAmaravati: The first phaseof the panchayat elections inAndhra Pradesh kicked off on apeaceful note on Tuesday asvoting began at 6.30 am in 18revenue divisions, official said.

The revenue divisions inwhich polls will be held in thefirst of the four phases areSrikakulam, Tekkali, Palakonda,Anakapalli, Kakinada,Peddapuram, Narasapuram,Vijayawada, Tenali, Ongole,Kavali, Nandyal, Kurnool, Kadiri,Jammalamadugu, Kadapa,Rajampeta, and Chittoor.

Except Vizianagaram, elec-tions have been scheduled in allthe districts in the first phase.

As many as 3,249 villageswill go to polls, comprising32,504 wards.

Of the 12 mandals in Kadirirevenue division, there are 169village panchayats, in which sixpanchayats have opted for unan-imous elections. For the remain-ing 163 villages, 462 candidatesare in the fray.

Likewise, 715 of the 1,714wards have gone in for unani-mous elections, even as theremaining 984 wards will see acontest between 2,030 candi-dates. IANS

��+��)�2����1$������� ��� 1�, 3$���� �+ *7���2 Jaipur: A day after the Supreme

Court issued a ruling for par-ents to pay cent per cent schoolfees during the pandemic peri-od, many parents in Rajasthanrecalled how they had to droptheir children from privateschools and get them admittedto Government schools due toreduced source of income, andwondered how did the apexcourt fail to take into accountthe job losses and salary cutsbefore pronouncing its judge-ment in favour of the schools.

One parent said that shehad to withdraw the admissionof her son who was studying ina private school as they wereexhausted with their funds andwere in huge debt.

“I was working as a con-tract employee in an educa-tional institute while my hus-band had a furniture businessin partnership. But the lock-down brought a real harshtime for us, as I lost my job andmy husband who had juststarted the business afterputting all his savings into ithad nothing to earn. So wedecided to shift our son to agovernment school after whichhe went into depression. We arenow seeking medical assis-tance to cure him, all with bor-rowed money,” she said. IANS

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+�=�������-�00��������������� ������$��������������%���� �JAUNPUR: Six people were killed and 11 oth-ers injured in a two-vehicle crash on theVaranasi-Jaunpur highway in Jalalpur area ofUttar Pradesh's Jaunpur district on Tuesday,police said. All the 17 people were travelling ina jeep after attending a cremation in Varanasi,they said.

The injured have been admitted to a localhospital, where condition of three is stated to beserious, police said.

Those killed were identified as AmarBahadur Yadav (58), Ram Singar Yadav (38),Munnilal (38), Indrajit Yadav (48), Kamala

Prasad Yadav (60) and Ramkumar (65), they said.Additional Superintendent of Police (City)

Sanjay Kumar said 112-year-old Dhanadei Devi,a resident of Jalalpur village in Sarai Khwaja area,had died and her son-in-law Lakshmi ShankarYadav went to Manikarnika Ghat in Varanasialong with 17 people from his village to cremateher.

Local police reached the spot after gettinginformation about the accident and were joinedin by rescue personnel.

The truck driver escaped from the scene afterthe incident, the ASP said. Agencies

alies in defence spending prob-ably because it is anti-nationalto question it, especially whenthe BJP Government — veryvocal on defence and nationalsecurity — makes hollow fundallocations. On Budget day,the armed forces would attractthunderous applause from thelawmakers for their sacrificeswhen the Finance Minister,after announcing the defenceallocation, would predictablyadd: “More funds would beprovided, if needed.” Since2019, there is deafening silenceon defence on Budget day.Surprisingly, the oversight wasquestioned this year by many.The aggregate defence budget,revenue and capital heads; allthree reflected a decline in theallocation as compared to theprevious year’s revised esti-mates (RE). The allocation fordefence modernisation, whichis at the heart of deterrence andcapacity building and whichwas acclaimed by DefenceMinister Rajnath Singh as thehighest increase of 19 per centin 15 years, was actually �2,700crore less than in the RE of2020-21. Even as GDP percent-age, defence has declined to 1.5per cent from 1.6 per cent theprevious year.

What we do not know iscommitted liabilities underthe modernisation head of

the three services though wedo know that last year, the AirForce, the highest recipient thisyear, was allotted nearly �3,000crore less than committed lia-bilities, leaving no money fornew projects. Other negativesthis year in the Budget arelower GDP, higher rupee todollar rate, higher fuel costs,higher internal and externalinflation and substantial addi-tional costs for maintaining theadditional 50,000 troops inLadakh along with costs for re-balancing of forces followingthe belated recognition ofChina, which spends thricemore than India on defence, asthe primary threat.

It is mystifying that evenafter yielding ground on theLAC, now convoluted by GenVK Singh’s not-so-usefuladmission on transgressions,Singh has made lofty claims toIndia’s deterrent actions, CDSGen Bipin Rawat waved themilitary option, Army chiefGen MM Naravane warned(the PLA) not to test India’spatience and the Chief of AirStaff, Air Chief Marshal RKSBhadauria, noted that theRafale had unnerved theChinese. These are undoubt-edly signs of resolve but with-out capability backup to restorethe adverse situation created bythe PLA. Equally intriguing

was Singh last week at theIndian Ocean Region DefenceMinisters’ Conclave, referringto India as a net securityprovider when it has formida-ble security challenges on twofronts. Singh also made exag-gerated claims about raisingdefence exports to a staggering�35,000 crore in 2024 from theexisting �10,000 crore.

Taken together, China sep-arating the border issues frombilateral relations and India’sfailure to accelerate Defencemodernisation amount toBeijing’s continued bullying ofIndia and its rapidly-expand-ing PLA Navy posing a secondfront in the Indian Ocean.Zhao’s blunt response toJaishankar’s missive of interde-pendence of border and bilat-eral relations indicates China’shardline posture will stay till atleast July next year, the comple-tion of 100 years of the ChineseCommunist Party. Withoutboosting combat capacitiesdovetailed in a Defence strat-egy factoring the primacy ofChina threat, New Delhi willkeep shadow-boxing.

(The writer, a retired MajorGeneral, was Commander,IPKF South, Sri Lanka, andfounder member of the DefencePlanning Staff, currently theIntegrated Defence Staff. Theviews expressed are personal.)

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������������ ��������������Sir— It is very unfortunate that PrimeMinister Narendra Modi has used the word“andolan-jivi” for protesters. The questionwhy is our Prime Minister so afraid ofprotests and demonstrations? The PM mustunderstand that these are indispensablerights and a healthy democracy cannot sur-vive without these. However, Modidescribed a group of people who tend tohijack every protest or movement that hastaken place in the country in the recentpast. Even if he referred to those who hijackevery protest and not every protester,doubts arise over whether he really meantwhat he said.

It is strange that Modi who began hispolitical journey through “NavnirmanAndolan” or Navnirman movement fromGujarat is now targeting the protesters.Even in America, the United Kingdom,Germany and other democracies, protestsare very common and help keep rolling thewheels of democracy. These are like checksand balances and remind the Governmentof any unpopular or wrong policy decision.The protest acquires more importancewhen there is a weak Opposition, like inIndia, which is not capable of pushing thepopular viewpoint or public opinion con-trary to the wish of those who are in power.Instead of blaming the protesters, theGovernment must strive to resolve theproblem.

N Nagarajan | Secunderabad

�� �������������������������Sir —The coup by the military in Myanmaris dangerous for democracy and a threatto civilians, who voted Aung San Suu Kyi’sparty to power in the November polls. Theinternational community, especially Indiabeing its next-door neighbour, needs tostep up and engage with all stakeholdersso as to restore normalcy and democracyin the erstwhile Burma before it gets toolate.

American President Joe Biden has alsoexpressed concern with Prime MinisterNarendra Modi on the issue. It’s high timefor India to take some concrete measures

and mature diplomatic steps and putpressure on Myanmar’s Junta, or militaryregime, to vacate the power corridors.Merely issuing statements by the Ministryof External Affairs (MEA) won’t suffice orserve any purpose. The coup has given agreat opportunity to China and the Westto enter the South Eastern nation. The for-mer is already calling it merely a “Cabinetreshuffle”. Bridging the rift between Suu Kyiand military may not be an option forMyanmar’s civilians, who appear to resistthe coup. India, America and other glob-al powers should work together to ensurethat the tenets of democracy are protect-ed and strengthened in countries like erst-while Burma.

Nischai Vats | Sultanpur

�� ��������� ��������� ������Sir — It’s good news that the number ofpeople who have recuperated from theCoronavirus surged to 1,05,34,505 push-ing the national COVID-19 recovery rateto 97.20 per cent, while the fatality rate

stands at 1.43 per cent.The Health Ministrystressed that more than 70 per cent of thedeaths occurred due to comorbidities.

With the vaccination process in fullswing, we can flatten the curve and therewill be a remarkable recovery rate, whichaugurs well for a huge country like ours.Even though there were adverse commentsfrom the Opposition about handlingCOVID-19 cases, both State and CentralGovernments did their best to keep peo-ple safe by imposing strict rules and pro-tocols. All were made to follow precautionslike wearing face masks and sanitisinghands.

The inoculation has already started andwe are also supplying vaccines to nationsacross the globe. India is emerging as aglobal leader and will soon play a lead rolein world economy, defence and other sec-tors.

CK Ramani | Chennai

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#������ ������ �������China’s pithy, almost dis-

missive, response toExternal Affairs MinisterS Jaishankar’s connect

between the border and bilateralties has escaped notice. In reply toJaishankar’s multiple complaintsabout China’s erratic behaviour inaltering the status quo along theLine of Actual Control (LAC) inbreach of existing protocols andviolations of peace and tranquili-ty, Beijing simply repeated itsmantra that Indo-China relationshave to be de-coupled from theborder dispute. At the all-India con-ference on China Studies in NewDelhi last month, Jaishankar sum-marised his various commentsacross eight months on the borderissue into three “mutuals”:Recognition of mutual respect,mutual sensitivity and mutualinterest; and eight broad principlesas key to mending Indo-China rela-tions. He emphasised that a peace-ful border was the pre-requisite forstable relations. Chinese ForeignMinistry spokesperson Zhao Lijiansaid: “We have noted MinisterJaishankar’s remarks and appreci-ate the importance India attachesto ties with China. But we stress theboundary issue shall not be linkedwith overall bilateral relations.”

At one stroke, China segre-gated its aggression along theLAC from bilateral relations andbracketed its territorial encroach-ments to outstanding claims to allof Ladakh, not just the 300 kmspread of intrusions. China’sclaim to Ladakh was articulatedin 2008 through its denial of itswestern border covering Jammuand Kashmir with China andexcising 1,597 km of the 3488-kmLAC. When this was pointed outto an MEA mandarin at the time,he responded: “They can dowhat they like but we have troopson the LAC.” What happened inmid-May last year was a failure ofthe institutional memory ofChinese intent. If the way for-ward, as noted by Jaishankar, isthe Sumdorong Chu route, it willcost India dearly both opera-tionally and financially.

Last week, India missed alegitimate opportunity to repairthe frail defence budget unfit tomeet the Pakistan-China dualthreat despite aggression inLadakh. Few point out the anom-

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The Chief Justice of India (CJI) recently saidthat January 28 must be celebrated as theSupreme Court Day to mark the occasion

when the highest court of Independent India firstassembled in chambers, then situated in theParliament complex in 1950. The Supreme Courtwas established on January 26, under Article 124of the Constitution, however, its first sitting was heldon January 28. Several media reports from that dayshow how this institution was remarked upon as the“guardian of liberty” and one that would exerciseits powers without any influence, bias, fear or favour.

The apex court, which is often regarded as themost powerful top court in the world, took up thisrole of the “sentinel of human rights” in a new demo-cratic India and it exercised its powers to deliver sev-eral landmark judgments upholding the basic fun-damental rights of citizens against the State’s arbi-trary, unfair and unjust actions. The court also ush-ered in an era of “constitutional dynamism” whichhelped the Constitution evolve with society and itschanging circumstances.

Whether it was the ruling in the Maneka Gandhivs Union of India case, where the apex court heldthat not just procedural due process but also sub-stantive due process had to be followed by the Stateand that its actions must pass the “just, fair and rea-sonable test”, or the ruling in the KeshavanandaBharati vs State of Kerala case, wherein the top courtrestricted the power of the Parliament to amend theConstitution and held that the “basic structure ofthe Constitution” could not be abrogated even bya constitutional amendment.

When the 39th Constitutional Amendmentsought to place the election of the President, thePrime Minister, the Vice-President and the Speakerof the Lok Sabha beyond the scrutiny of constitu-tional courts, it was the Supreme Court that struckdown the law, thereby upholding the basic struc-ture doctrine. In cases like Olga Tellis, BandhuaMukti Morcha, Vishaka vs State of Rajasthan,Common Cause vs Union of India, NALSA vsUnion of India, Navtej Singh Johar, Joseph Shineand the Sabarimala judgment among others, theSupreme Court time and again reiterated its com-mitment to the goal of building a “just society”, onewhere every individual irrespective of their caste,creed, sex, religion or place of birth has the rightto live with dignity and freedom. The court has hada glorious history of making positive interventionsand initiating revolutionary changes in India’s demo-cratic culture. Celebrating its foundation day isindeed a step in the right direction.

But right when you thought that all is good withthe courts in India, there’s a caveat. First, deliver-ing justice isn’t a duty solely entrusted to the judi-ciary and second, it cannot be conducted in isola-tion. The justice delivery mechanism is dependenton several factors and cooperation among the threemajor organs of the State: The executive, legislaturesand the judiciary along with certain non-State actorsas well. Unless all these institutions collaborate toachieve a common goal, delivering justice willremain a distant dream.

The India Justice Report, an initiative of TataTrusts and several others does a commendable jobin highlighting the gaps and areas that needreform within our justice delivery system. The reportassesses the performance of our institutions basedon four pillars i.e., police, judiciary, legal aid soci-

eties and the prison system. It interalia highlights several glaring prob-lems in these institutions. It states thatwomen make up just 29 per cent ofsitting judges in India, whilst in HighCourts (HCs) their strength is just 11per cent on the Bench. Moreover, atleast five HCs are functioning with-out a single woman judge. Sadly,vacancies of judges in our HCsstand at 33 per cent. Even though 80per cent of our population is entitledto receive legal aid, only 1.5 crorepeople have received it since 1995.Our prison occupancy is at 119 percent and two-thirds of our prisoninmates are undertrial prisoners andover four crore cases are pending inseveral courts across the country.

Access to institutions of justiceremains skewed for the entirety ofour rural population even today. Thereport also shows how the judiciaryhas not been able to efficiently utilisefunds that were allocated to it by the13th and 14th Finance Commissions.The 13th Finance Commission, forinstance, allocated �5,000 crore to thejudiciary, out of which only 20 percent was utilised.

These data point at uncomfort-able trends in our justice administra-tion and towards intersectional issuesof institutional failure and perpetra-tion of oppression for every stake-holder. We all remember when the43rd CJI, TS Thakur, cried beforePrime Minister Modi in 2016, dur-ing a public conference, while high-lighting several issues plaguing thejudiciary. He had said that judges areforced to work in pitiful circum-

stances and stressful conditions withminimum infrastructure.

The Attorney-General of Indiaalso recently called for setting up ofa “Court of Appeals” to reduce theworkload of the apex court. The IndiaJustice Report also makes several sug-gestions to interrupt the status quo.Ensuring doorstep delivery of justiceby making it an essential service,enforcing a planned budgeting mech-anism, upskilling legal aid and Nyayapanchayats, prioritising cases basedon their urgency and impact andmeasuring public satisfaction are fewof the suggestions. Justice MadanLokur, a former Supreme Courtjudge, during the release of thereport said that a cost-benefit analy-sis and continuous social auditing iskey to ensuring institutional andadministrative efficiency.

However, there is a silver liningtoo. According to the report,Chhattisgarh has emerged as a trend-setter. It began with a notificationreleased by the Chhattisgarh HC in2017 which required the lower courtsto dispose cases pending for morethan five years on a priority basis. Amonitoring committee headed by asitting judge was set up at the HClevel. For district-wise monitoring,respective District Courts were askedto form their monitoring committeesand a weekly review of the progresswas mandated. All compoundablecases where parties were willing tocompromise in Lok Adalats were dis-posed-off. For this purpose, LokAdalats were organised daily afterregular court hours. The monitoring

committee at the District Court-levelwould conduct meetings with the dis-trict and police administration reg-ularly to ensure timely enforcementof summons and warrants issued bythem. New Magistrates were assist-ed and trained by senior judges toensure fair trial and adherence to lawsand procedures. To incentivisejudges, appropriate units were award-ed to them for disposing off casesbefore five years. Bail petitions weredealt with within a week and casesof undertrial prisoners were decid-ed in a time-bound manner.Infrastructural development wasensured by building new court-rooms in major districts like Raipurand Durg. All this cumulatively ledto a decline in the percentage ofpending cases, from 10 per cent in2019 to four per cent in 2020.

The apex court might certainlyhave a past worth glorifying, but itscredibility isn’t going to remain forlong if it sells its history as a sooth-ing balm for the damages done by itand other organisations in currenttimes. India ranks 69th in the Ruleof Law Index, 139th in the GlobalPeace Index, 112 in Global GenderGap Report, 51 in Democracy and142 in World Press Freedom Report.

We are forced to ask: Has justicebeen delivered or is it a myth in thetimes we live in? This question war-rants the attention of all citizens ofIndia. Losing hope in the judiciaryisn’t a solution, as in the words ofRabindranath Tagore: “Faith is thebird that feels the light and singswhen dawn is still dark.”

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Given the socio-econom-ic impact of the pan-demic, all eyes were on

the Finance Minister (FM) andher handling of the twin chal-lenges of stimulating demandand supply, amid falling rev-enues. Since monetary stimu-lus has not been effective inboosting investment demand,the onus of recovery is nowmore on fiscal measures andsupply-inducing reforms. A V-shaped economic recoveryrequires promoting demand insectors such as infrastructureand the rural economy. Whileagriculture and rural develop-ment have understandablybeen given a big push in theUnion Budget, rather regret-tably education has notreceived the same priority.

This is despite the fact thatthe education sector wasseverely impacted by the pan-demic, too. The contagionhampered the teaching-learn-

ing processes across all agegroups as pedagogy wentonline. As per the AnnualStatus of Education Report(ASER), 2020, though the per-centage of rural children own-ing a smartphone went upfrom 36.5 per cent in 2018 to61.8 per cent in 2020, nonethe-less it indicates that a large dig-ital divide still exists.

Similarly, schools and col-leges remain deficient inInformation Technology (IT)-enabled infrastructure. Withhybrid teaching-learningexpected to be the new normal,undoubtedly enormous expan-sion in digital technology isenvisaged. Additionally, to avertthe possibility of India’s demo-graphic dividend becoming adevastating catastrophe,imparting quality educationremains important. The newNational Education Policy(NEP), 2020, reinforces theviewpoint.

With the evolving future ofwork, human potential for life-long learning has assumedgreater importance. Skilling,reskilling and upskilling hasbecome mandatory for theexisting workforce.Undoubtedly, investment ineducation is crucial for humancapital formation. Despitebeing a merit good, necessitat-ing Government provision andactive intervention, the educa-tion sector has been largelyneglected. For the financialyear (FY) 2021-2022, there hasbeen a 6.13 per cent decline inallocation of funds towards it ascompared to the BudgetedEstimates (BE) of 2020-21.However, compared to theRevised Estimate (RE) of 2020-21, there has been a 9.5 per centincrease in allocation for 2021-22. Of the total allocation of�93,224 crore to the sector,�54,874 crore is allocated to theDepartment of School

Education and Literacy (a dropof 8.31 per cent) and theremaining �38,350 crore tohigher education (a drop of2.83 per cent in comparison tothe BE of the previous year).Further, the RE for expenditureon education for 2020-21 wit-nessed a decline of 14.32 percent vis-à-vis the BE.

Additionally, while theNEP had strongly propagatedexpenditure on the sector to beat least six per cent of the GDP,the same has been betweenthree-four per cent in India.For comparison, expenditure

on education relative to theGDP is six per cent or more inAustralia, Chile, Israel, NewZealand, Norway, the UK andthe US. It lies between three-four per cent in the CzechRepublic, Hungary, Ireland,Italy, Japan and the RussianFederation. The average for theOrganisation for EconomicCo-operation andDevelopment (OECD) coun-tries is 4.9 per cent. For OECDcountries, it is about11 per cent.For Chile, Brazil, Mexico,Switzerland, New Zealand,Korea, and Denmark, it is ashigh as 17 per cent.

With hybrid education setto become the new normaleven in a post-Corona world,simply investing in technologyis not sufficient. A technologyroad map needs to be designedfor planned action to enableinstitutions to evolve from thestage of “doing digital” to“being digital.” Despite its

importance, the Budget doesnot promote digitalisation perse. In fact, allocation to IT andthe telecom sector declined asa proportion of the total expen-diture from 1.95 per cent(2020-21 BE) to 0.93 per cent(2020-21 RE). However, forDigital India e-learning, thefunds earmarked have gone upby over 100 per cent and standat �645 crore. Further, underthis scheme, ‘National Missionon Education Through ICT’ aswell as Massive Open OnlineCourses envisaged an over-whelming rise of over 200 percent and 167 per cent respec-tively and stand at �150 croreand �200 crore each.Nonetheless, a greater thrustwould be required in the yearsahead. In addition to alloca-tions, both total and composi-tional, what matters for produc-tivity is governance. In terms ofpolicy reforms, the proposal toamend the Apprenticeship Act

is commendable and can gen-erate opportunities for employ-ability and financing of highereducation. The Government’sfocus on increasing collabora-tion with foreign institutions inJapan and the UAE for skilltraining partnerships is alsopraiseworthy. Additionally, set-ting up of a single higher edu-cation regulator to streamlinegovernance structures in high-er education is commendable.Also, the allocation of �50,000crore over five years willencourage research, develop-ment and innovation.

To impart holistic develop-ment, new models of engage-ment such as learning consor-tiums and coalitions compris-ing of diverse stakeholdersneed to be established for scal-able, sustainable and inclusiveblended education. Hopefully,an enabling policy environ-ment shall make this a realityin the years to come.

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Kabul: A string of attacks onTuesday in Afghanistan killedfive government employeesand four policemen, officialssaid. No one immediatelyclaimed responsibility for theattacks.

In the capital, Kabul, gun-men opened fire in the Bagh-e Daud neighborhood andkilled four employees of theministry for rural develop-ment, according to FerdawsFaramarz, spokesman for thecity’s police chief.

Hours after the attack, the

presidential palace in a state-ment said the target was ReyazAhmad Khalil, the actingprovincial director of thedepartment for rural develop-ment of Maidan Wardakprovince. He was among thefatalities in the attack. AP

Tehran: Iran’s intelligence min-ister has warned the West thathis country could push for anuclear weapon if cripplinginternational sanctions onTehran remain in place, statetelevision reported Tuesday.

The remarks by MahmoudAlavi mark a rare occasion thata government official says Irancould reverse its course on thenuclear programme. Tehranhas long insisted that the pro-gramme is for peaceful pur-poses only.

A 1990s fatwa, or religiousedict, by the country’s SupremeLeader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei

states that nuclear weapons areforbidden.

“Our nuclear programme ispeaceful and the fatwa by thesupreme leader has forbiddennuclear weapons, but if theypush Iran in that direction,then it wouldn’t be Iran’s faultbut those who pushed it,” Alaviwas quoted as saying.

“If a cat is cornered, it mayshow a kind of behaviour thata free cat would not,” he said andadded that Iran has no plans tomove toward a nuclear weaponunder current circumstances.

The 81-year-old Khamenei,who has the final say on all mat-

ters of state in Iran, on Sundayurged the United States to lift allsanctions if it wants Iran to liveup to commitments under its2015 nuclear deal with worldpowers. However, President JoeBiden has said the US won’t bemaking the first move.

Following the killing lastDecember of an Iranian sci-entist credited with spear-heading the country’s dis-banded military nuclear pro-gramme, Iran’s parliament hasapproved a law to block inter-national nuclear inspectorslater this month — a seriousviolation of the accord. AP

Yangon: Police cracked downon demonstrators opposingMyanmar’s military takeover,firing warning shots and shoot-ing water cannons to dispersecrowds that took to the streetsagain on Tuesday in defiance ofrules making protests illegal.

Water cannons were used inMandalay, Myanmar’s second-biggest city, where witnesses saidat least two warning shots werefired to try to break up thecrowd. Reports on social mediasaid police arrested more thantwo dozen people there. Theyalso used water cannons in thecapital, Natpyitaw, for a secondday and fired shots into the air.

Police were widely report-ed to have also shot rubber bul-lets at the crowd in Naypyitaw,wounding several people.Photos on social media showedan alleged shooter — an officerwith a short-barrelled gun —and several injured people.

Unconfirmed rumours cir-culated widely of shootingswith live rounds and deathsamong the protesters, with thepotential of sparking violentretaliation against the authori-

ties, an outcome proponents ofthe country’s civil disobediencemovement have warned against.

The protesters are demand-ing that power be restored tothe deposed civilian Govt andare seeking freedom for thenation’s elected leader AungSan Suu Kyi and other rulingparty members detained sincethe military took over andblocked the new session ofParliament from convening onFebruary 1. AP

Beijing: Chinese authoritiesare blocking access toClubhouse, a social media appthat allowed users in China todiscuss sensitive topics withpeople abroad includingTaiwan and treatment of thecountry’s Muslim minority.

The move adds Clubhouseto thousands of websites andsocial media apps to which theruling Communist Party blocksaccess in an effort to controlwhat China’s public sees andreads. AP

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AHong Kong court onTuesday denied bail for

government critic and news-paper publisher Jimmy Laiwho is facing charges under asweeping new national securi-ty law.

The ruling by the Court ofFinal Appeal comes amid heavypressure from the Chinese gov-ernment and state media tokeep Lai in custody, arguingthat Lai’s crimes against thestate are particularly egregiousand that he possesses the

means to f lee the semi-autonomous southern Chinesecity.

Lai was arrested in aDecember sweep against pro-democracy activists accusedover their involvement in 2019anti-government protests. Firstrefused bail, Lai was laterreleased on appeal, leading toeditorials attacking HongKong’s judiciary in the pages ofthe ruling Communist Partynewspaper People’s Daily. Hewas returned to jail on NewYear’s Eve ahead of a newhearing.

United Nations: Reiteratinghis concern over the situationin Myanmar, UN SecretaryGeneral Antonio Guterres hasbeen reaching out to regionalleaders in Asia to call for col-lective and bilateral action tocreate conditions for the recentmilitary coup in the country tobe reversed, the UN chief ’sspokesperson has said.

Myanmar’s military lastweek toppled the governmentand seized power for one year,detaining top political figures,including de facto leader AungSan Suu Kyi.

The military accused SuuKyi’s government of not inves-tigating allegations of voterfraud in recent elections. Suu

Kyi’s party swept that vote andthe military-backed party didpoorly. The state election com-mission has refuted the allega-tions.

“The Secretary-Generalcontinues to follow the situation in Myanmar closelyand with grave concern. He and his Special Envoy have been reaching out to key international actors, includ-ing regional leaders, in callingfor collective and bilateralaction to create conditions for the recent coup inMyanmar to be reversed,”Spokesman for the Secretary-General Stephane Dujarric saidat the daily press briefing onMonday. PTI

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Washington: Donald Trump’shistoric second impeachmenttrial is an undertaking like noother in US history, the defeat-ed former president charged bythe House with inciting the vio-lent mob attack on the USCapitol to overturn the electionin what prosecutors argue is the“most grievous constitutionalcrime”.

Trump’s lawyers insist asthe Senate trial opens Tuesdaythat he is not guilty on the solecharge of “incitement of insur-rection,” his fiery words just afigure of speech, even as heencouraged a rally crowd to“fight like hell” for his presi-dency.

The Capitol siege onJanuary 6 stunned the world asrioters stormed the building totry to stop the certification ofPresident-elect Joe Biden’s vic-tory.

No witnesses are expectedto be called, in part because thesenators sworn as jurors, forcedto flee for safety, will be pre-

sented with graphic videosrecorded that day. Holed up athis Mar-a-Lago club in Florida,Trump has declined a requestto testify.

The first president to facecharges after leaving office andthe first to be twice impeachedfor high crimes and misde-meanours while in office,Trump continues to challengethe nation’s civic norms andtraditions even in defeat.

Security remains extreme-ly tight at the Capitol. Whileacquittal is likely, the trial willtest the nation’s attitude towardhis brand of presidential power,

the Democrats’ resolve in pur-suing him, and the loyalty ofTrump’s Republican alliesdefending him.

“In trying to make sense ofa second Trump trial, the pub-lic should keep in mind thatDonald Trump was the firstpresident ever to refuse toaccept his defeat,” said TimothyNaftali, a clinical associate pro-fessor at New York Universityand an expert on RichardNixon’s impeachment saga,which ended with Nixon’s res-ignation rather than hisimpeachment.

“This trial is one way ofhaving that difficult nationalconversation about the differ-ence between dissent andinsurrection,” Naftali said.

White House press secretaryJen Psaki said Monday thatBiden will be busy with the busi-ness of the presidency and won’tspend much time watching thetelevised proceedings. “He’llleave it to his former colleaguesin the Senate,” she said. AP

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Wellington: New Zealandannounced the suspension ofhigh-level military and politicalcontacts with MyanmarTuesday, the first major inter-national move to isolate thecountry’s ruling junta followinga coup.

Unveiling the measures,Prime Minister Jacinda Arderncalled for the international com-

munity to “strongly condemnwhat we’re seeing happen inMyanmar”. “After years of work-ing hard to build a democracyin Myanmar, I think every NewZealander would be devastatedto see what we’ve seen in recentdays led by the military,” she toldreporters.

“Our strong message is wewill do what we can from here

in New Zealand.”Ardern said the measures

would include travel bans onsenior military figures.

Myanmar’s military lastweek detained civilian leaderAung San Suu Kyi and dozensof other members of herNational League for Democracy(NLD) party, ending a decadeof civilian rule. AFP

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Dubai: A spacecraft from theUnited Arab Emirates was setto swing into orbit aroundMars in the Arab world’s firstinterplanetary mission onTuesday, the first of threerobotic explorers arriving at thered planet over the next weekand a half.

The orbiter, called Amal,Arabic for Hope, traveled 300million miles in nearly sevenmonths to get to Mars with thegoal of mapping its atmospherethroughout each season.

A combination orbiter andlander from China is closebehind, scheduled to reach theplanet on Wednesday. It willcircle Mars until the rover sep-arates and attempts to land onthe surface in May to look forsigns of ancient life.

A rover from the US named Perseverance is set to join the crowd nextweek, aiming for a landingFebruary 18. It will be the first leg in a decade-long US-European project to bring Marsrocks back to Earth to beexamined for evidence theplanet once harbored micro-scopic life. AP

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!� �������%���������������������?� ������ ��� ����Warsaw (Poland): A Warsawcourt is due to deliver a verdicton Tuesday in a closely watchedlibel case in which one side seesPolish national pride at stake andthe other the future indepen-dence of Holocaust research.

Two prominent Polishscholars, Barbara Engelking andJan Grabowski, are being suedby the 81-year-old niece of awartime village elder who arguesa book they co-edited defamesher deceased uncle’s memory bysuggesting he had a role in thedeath of Jews.

The uncle is mentioned ina brief passage of a 1,600-pagehistorical work, “Night WithoutEnd: The Fate of Jews in SelectedCounties of Occupied Poland.”

The woman, FilomenaLeszczynska, is backed by thePolish League AgainstDefamation, a group that fightsharmful and untruthful depic-tions of Poland.

It argues the woman’s uncle,Edward Malinowski, was a herowho helped save Jews during

World War II and accuses thescholars of research errors thatresulted in Malinowski appear-ing as someone who betrayedJews to the Germans.

Malinowski was acquitted in1950 of being an accomplice tothe killing by Germans of 18Jews in a forest near the villageof Malinowo in 1943.

The anti-defamation groupsays the authors slandered aninnocent man and deprived theniece of her rights, including theright to pride and national iden-tity. The plaintiffs are suingGrabowski and Engelking for100,000 zlotys ($27,000) in dam-ages and a published apology.

Grabowski, a Polish-Canadian history professor atthe University of Ottawa, andEngelking, founder and directorof the Polish Center forHolocaust Research in Warsaw,are among Poland’s most promi-nent Holocaust researchers.They were among several whoresearched and wrote parts ofthe two-volume work. AP

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The Government has placedorders for 1 crore addi-

tional doses of Covishield fromSerum Institute of India and 45lakh more doses of Covaxinfrom Bharat Biotech, officials ofthe two vaccine makers said onTuesday.

India’s Covid-19 vaccina-tion drive was launched byPrime Minister Narendra Modion January 16.

Serum Institute hasreceived another order fromthe Government for 10 milliondoses of Covishield, a compa-ny official said in response toa query.

The government had ear-lier placed a purchase orderwith Serum Institute of India

(SII) for 1.1 crore doses ofAstraZeneca-Oxford COVID-19 vaccine, Covishield.

When asked, a BharatBiotech spokesperson said,"The company has received aletter of comfort from theGovernment of India to supplyanother 4.5 million (or 45lakh) doses’’.

The spokesperson alsoadded that Bharat Biotech willalso be exporting its Covid-19vaccine, Covaxin, to Brazil andthe United Arab Emirates.

The company is also like-ly to export the vaccine to thePhilippines and other SouthAsian countries, the spokesper-son said. The government hadearlier placed an order for 55lakh doses of Covaxin fromBharat Biotech.

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Indian Railways achieved thehighest ever freight loading

in January 2021 clocking a fig-ure of 119.79 MT and sur-passing its previous record ofloading 119.74 MT of freight inMarch 2019, the ministry saidon Tuesday.

Indian Railways’ freightloading figures for the last fewmonths have been crossing thelast year’s figures for corre-sponding months and the

cumulative freight loading fig-ure this year is expected to sur-pass the last year’s freight load-ing figure, a statement by theministry said.

As per the statistics tillFebruary 8, Indian Railwaysloading was 30.54 milliontonnes which include 13.61MT of coal.

4.15 MT of iron ore, 1.04MT of foodgrains, 1.03 MT offertilizers, 0.96 MT of mineraloil and 1.97 MT of cement(excluding clinker).

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Snapping their six-sessionwinning streak, equity

benchmarks Sensex and Niftyended marginally lower onTuesday following fag-endprofit-booking in IT, FMCG,finance and auto stocks.

After rallying 487 pointsto touch its lifetime intra-dayhigh of 51,835.86, the 30-shareBSE Sensex pared all gains toend 19.69 points or 0.04 percent lower at 51,329.08.

Similarly, the broader NSENifty slipped 6.50 points or0.04 per cent to 15,109.30. Ittouched a record peak of15,257.10 during the day.

M&M was the top drag inthe Sensex pack, shedding 3.62per cent, followed by BajajFinance, ITC, Sun Pharma,Bajaj Auto, Bajaj Finserv andTCS.

On the other hand, Asian

Paints, ONGC, Titan, L&T,Axis Bank and UltraTechCement were among the gain-ers, climbing up to 3.70 percent.

"The market failed to holdon to its upward rally to closeflat due to heavy selling towards

the close, mirroring the weak-ness seen in the Europeanmarket and outflows in equitymutual funds. Most of the sec-tors ended hitting rough weath-er with auto, pharma andmedia stocks being the worstaffected.

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The Government will soonbring a bill on crypto cur-

rencies as existing laws areinadequate to deal with issuesconcerning them, Minister ofState For Finance AnuragThakur told Rajya Sabha onTuesday.

Replying to a question inthe Upper House, Thakur saidregulatory bodies like RBI andSebi do not have any legalframework to directlyregulate

crypto currencies as they arenot currencies, assets, securitiesor commodities issued by iden-tifiable users.

"The existing laws areinadequate to deal with thesubject," he said.

The government hadformed an Inter-MinisterialCommittee which has given itsreport on issues related to vir-tual currencies.

There was also a meeting ofthe Empowered TechnologyGroup.

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An expert committee set upto develop the criteria for

identifying significant comor-bidities present in a person,which would make that personpriority individual for Covid-19 vaccination, will finalise itsreport in the next few days, NitiAayog Member (Health) VKPaul said on Tuesday.

Apart from Oxford-AstraZeneca ‘s Covishield vac-cine and Bharat Biotech’sCovaxin vaccine, there areother vaccines that are in thepipeline, Paul stated.

"The criteria (to identifypeople with comorbidities) hasbeen developed by a commit-tee.

We are expecting the finalreport in the next few days," hetold PTI.

Paul, who is also thechairman of the NationalExpert Group On VaccineAdministration for Covid-19(NEGVAC) said this commit-tee has gone deeply into it andlooked at which comorbidities-- the presence of two or morediseases or medical conditionsin a patient -- should be keptin mind.

"They are also looking athow to ascertain this, whowill certify it, where will theperson has go to get the pri-ority vaccine," he said, addingthat so the procedural andprocess issues have also beendiscussed.

"In this regard, not onlythe expert committee has met,but also we have had discus-sions with the state govern-ments," Paul said.

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Amid domestic traders com-plaining alleged violations

of FDI norms by foreign onlineplayers, Commerce andIndustry Minister Piyush Goyalon Tuesday said the govern-ment is considering to comeout with certain clarificationsto ensure that the e-commercesector works in the "true spir-it" of the law and rules.

He said the current FDIpolicy for the e-commerce sec-tor is robust and well-designed.However, there are certaincomplaints from consumersand small retailers about cer-tain practices of the e-com-merce companies, which areunder investigation, he added.

"We have sought severalinformation, they are being

looked into. We are also con-sidering certain clarifications toensure that the e-commercesector works in the true spiritof the law, of the rules that havebeen laid down for e-com-merce," Goyal told reporters.

He added that the e-com-merce companies are supposedto provide an agnostic platformso that buyers and sellers cantrade with each other.

The online platform shouldnot become part of the tradingtransaction, "should neither befunding it, should neither behaving algorithms which givepreference to one or the other,should neither be promotingtheir own products." But, itshould provide all data that isrequired for a rational choice,and the choice should be a freechoice of the consumer, Goyal

added.The buyers and sellers

should be given an opportuni-ty to trade with each other asthe platform only is a serviceprovider, he said.

"Those who break that lawwill certainly have to respondto our concerns and correcttheir business practices at theearliest," the minister added.

Recently, the ministry hasforwarded representations bythe Confederation of All IndiaTraders (CAIT) of alleged vio-lations by Amazon and Flipkartto the Enforcement Directorateand the Reserve Bank of Indiafor "necessary action".

CAIT has time and againalleged that the e-commerceplayers violated the ForeignExchange Management Actand FDI rules.

Amaravathi: Signing ceremo-ny of Memorandum ofUnderstanding (MoU) betweenthe VIT-AP School of Law(VSL), VIT-AP University andCentre for Human SecurityStudies (CHSS) was held atVIT-AP School of Law, VIT-AP University on 09 February2021. Ch. Dwaraka TirumalaRao IPS, Director General ofPolice (Railways) (AndhraPradesh Cadre) graced theoccasion and witness the cer-emony as a Chief Guest.

Chief Guest Ch. DwarakaTirumala Rao said that "9February 2021 marks as animportant day in the history ofthe VIT-AP School of Law(VSL), VIT-AP University andfor the Centre for HumanSecurity Studies (CHSS) byentering into MoU to workcommittedly for the causenational security.

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New Delhi:Finance MinisterNirmala Sitharaman onTuesday said the stock marketshave received the UnionBudget 2021-22 with "positiv-ity" with an 11 per cent increasein equity indices over the pastweek. She said the Budget,which was presented inParliament on February 1, hasset the tone for greater play ofthe private sector.

Mumbai:The rupee gained10 paise to settle at 72.87(provisional) against the USdollar on Tuesday on the backof sustained foreign fundinflows and weak Americancurrency.

However, surging crudeprices and subdued domesticequity market hit the rupeesentiment and restricted thegain, traders said.

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Ahmedabad: Over 100 womenentrepreneurs from across thecountry attended “Vagyo reDhol”, an annual interstatemeet organised by FICCILadies Organisation (FLO),Ahmedabad Chapter. The meetwas inaugurated by FLOnational president JahnabiPhookan. FLO FIAIR, an exposhowcasing the local art andculture, was also organised.“Our endeavour is to developthe wisdom to lead, comingtogether as strong voice for andby women,” said Jahnabi.

The highlight of this eventwas “Gujarat Garvi Awards”,which was awarded to the 12women entrepreneursacknowledging their contri-bution in various fields.Bollywood actress AmeeshaPatel, Deepti Bhatnagar, andPooja Batra attended the meet.

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The year 2020 was a toughdeal. With countries fac-

ing negative growth leading toloss of lives and livelihoodsowing to the pandemic, therewere a lot of expectationsfrom the Budget 2021. Thepresentation of the Budgettherefore was a challengingand probably a unique exer-cise.

Delhi School of Businessorganised an on-line discus-sion on the Union Budget2021 inviting academicians,scholars and industry expertsfrom within and outside thecountry to understand andunfold the nuances of thebudget and its implications foroverall growth and health ofthe economy, including wel-fare of its citizens.

In his welcome address,Dr Rajiv Ranjan Thakur,Director-Delhi School ofBusiness said that the currentbudget was seen a ray for hopeall stakeholders in the econo-my amidst the gloom of pan-demic faced by the nation. Hedid also mention about thevaried sentiments expressedon the budget, ranging fromit being a grand and visionaryone to a totally disappointingexercise. He expressed thedeliberations on the budgetwill ease out confusion.

The ball was set rolling byDr SC Vats, Chairman,Vivekananda Institute ofProfessional Studies (VIPS)hailing the budget presentedunder extraordinary pan-demic situation, expressinghis hope and confidence aboutthe country’s renewed capa-bility of tackling the menace,boosted by production of twoindigenously developed vac-cines and its roll out as well asincrease in health expenditure.He also touched upon theundesirable social and eco-nomic impact of the pro-longed farmers agitation inthe country.

The ensuing discussionsby the eminent panellistsmoderated by Prof SiddharthMishra, an eminent journalistand Chairman, VJMC, VIPS,reflected on the age-old debateof diverse opinion of any eco-nomic situation, especiallythe budget. The Government’sroad map for managing the

growth and welfare in thecountry is highlighted in theannual budget is often debat-ed among various stakehold-ers in various forums, pro-viding their own rationaleabout its efficacy on the over-all direction of the economy,budget balance sheet and itsimpact on the multifarioussections of the society andeconomy.

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Voicing his reservations ofthe Government not gettingits macro-economics right,Prof Arun Kumar, MalcomAdiseshiah Professor, Instituteof social Sciences, opined thatpresent capital intensiveexpenditure strategy is notgoing to result in nominalgrowth of 14.4 per cent aspromised in the budget. Thecurrent off icial negativegrowth figures of minus 7.7per cent do not include that ofthe unorganised sector, facingnegative growth rate of 29 percent, leading to high job loss-es. According to him, follow-ing capital intensive supply ledgrowth will not generate high-er employment and cause

delay in boosting the econo-my. He also elaborated thatmuch required budgetary allo-cation such as transfer for wel-fare programmes, includingemployment generatingschemes addressing the woesof the unorganised sector hasnot been adequately addressedin the budget.

Allaying the concerns ofthe high fiscal deficit in thebudget 2021 which is tolera-ble under the current eco-nomic situation, Prof.Priyaranjan, Professor ofEconomics, University ofCalifornia, Irvine USA how-ever, lauded the thrust of thebudget on the increase inspending on infrastructure,although lopsided and some-what politically motivated.Infrastructure spending islikely to have a higher multi-plier effect, impacting thegrowth and has the potentialto create jobs in future. Healso did express use of pro-duction subsidy as a mucheffective path to integratedomestic producers with theglobal economy than currentpolicy of discretionary pro-tectionist tariff. He also out-lined that the problems facedby the informal sectors hasnot been fully addressed.

Dhananjay Sinha,Director & Head InstitutionalResearch, Systematix Group,spoke about the consolidation

expected with Budget 2021 todrive efficiency, productivity,better capital allocation andcredit growth. “We believethe Government is telling usthat while it is has takenexpedient measures to get theeconomy back on track, theeffort is also to reinforce thesentiment that it is also takingstructural reform measures,”he added.

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The policy prescriptionsof the Government on thedivestment, revenue genera-tion, structural and institu-tional reforms and welfaremeasures in the budgetopened up a pandora’s box ofmarket or mixed approach thecountry should be followingin the future. The role andbusiness the Government is innow and it should pursue infuture in the medium and

long term through its publicsector entities was debated atlength in the Union 2021 dis-cussion.

Prof. Shiv Kumar, Ex-MDSBBJ during his addresspraised the initiative whichwill attract private investmentin the countr y, mainly,increasing FDI in insurancefrom 49 per cent to 74 percent, revenue generationthrough divestment of Banksand Air India, new institu-tions such as Asset recon-struction company,Development FinancialInstitution for long termfinancing, faceless assessmentand relaxation of disputedtax assessments to instil con-fidence in the business com-munity. He concluded that itis high priority for theGovernment to decide onwhat it needs to focus on andcontribute to its overall strat-egy of minimum governmentand maximum governance.

Elaborating on his opin-ion on the need for prudentspending of taxpayers money,Vijay Sardana, Techno-legalexpert- advocate, opined thatGovernment should refrainfrom undertaking populistmeasures and direct its effortsin improving efficiency to

face global competition, usingtechnology to build skills andpromote innovation in thecountry and help in achievinggrowth in the medium term.The policy shift of privatisa-tion as envisaged in the bud-get is an appropriate measure.He also hinted at the need foruse of new technologies tosupport basic needs pro-grammes, especially in edu-cation, to improve its effec-tiveness and skilling new gen-eration in the remote areas.

Prof Rattan Sharma,Professor Emeritus, DSB gavea dif ferent view of therequired role of Governmentin an economy. Highlightingthe supporting role playedthe Government during finan-cial crisis in 2008 and mostrecently during the pandem-ic situation. Governmentinvolvement, even in a limit-ed way, should be in publicand welfare interest.

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SC Vats on the protests by thefarming community whichgot the similar attention in therecent past in the media, pan-ellists also gave views of thepast and present agricultur-al policies and investments inthe country. According toVijay Sardana, the currentagricultural policies such asthe MSP is a self-defeatingphenomena which has pro-moted inefficiency in pro-duction and distribution sys-tem, taxing the exchequer.The upshot is country is ladenwith high expenditure inmanaging FCI, which couldbe invested in other sectors,capable of generating employ-ment and higher returns. Adetailed study of current sce-nario of agricultural produc-tion and marketing thereforeis required to understand theground realities and addressthe malaise

Echoing the same senti-ments, Dhananjay Sinha,Director, Systematix Goupsaid that reforms are wel-come in the agricultural sec-tor to address the discordbetween the decrease in con-sumption of cereals vis-à-visits increase in cereal produc-tion and consequent its pro-curement by the Governmentleading to drain of resources.He also touched at length onthe progress made in thefinancial sectors and reformsthat has been highlighted inthe budget 2021. With high-er retail participation andmore transparent bonds anddebt market, it is movingtowards a more vibrant finan-cial sector. Prof. RattanSharma discussed on the insti-tutional reforms such as devel-opment financial institutions,asset reconstruction companywill help to ease the stress oncurrent banking system andcan propel growth in the econ-omy

The allocation in the socialsector and the informal econ-omy was touched upon by allthe panellists, complimentingincrease in health expenditureby 137 per cent for fightingCOVID situation and buildinghealth infrastructure. Somecriticisms of the stagnant oreven lower budgetary alloca-tions for the employment gen-eration schemes to support theinformal and unorganised sec-tor and in education has beenhighlighted by Prof ArunKumar and Prof RattanSharma.

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cussion of the Union Budget2021, the Government hasgiven a new direction for theachievement of the vision ofAtmanirbhar Bharat. The dis-agreement on either allocationor policy shifts envisaged inthe budget evident during thediscussion reflects the healthydebate in a democratic coun-try which we follow and prac-tice. We as a nation willalways strive collectively forgrowth, prosperity and equi-ty, and hope this budget willshow us the light at end of thedark tunnel of pandemic peri-od faced by the world.

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The 21st century digital businessclimate demands a constantreassessment of erstwhile skills

and abilities. Paraphrasing the thoughtsof the famous Austrian managementconsultant, educator, and author, PeterDrucker, “Only those skills will be rel-evant in the 21st century that con-tributes towards the gaining of newerskills and abilities pertaining to the dig-ital realm”. The modern managementpioneer’s opinion is spot-on when itcomes to gauging the evolution of theskill-based ecosystem in the moderneconomic milieu.

Even those skill sets that were hith-erto considered indispensable are nowbeing rendered useless in the presentbusiness vista. Constant upskilling hasbecome the present-day norm with theevolution of the technological land-scape. Even more so, for professionalsbelonging to the all-permeating branchof UX design that operates continuouslyat the meeting point of next-gen tech-nologies and human experience. Withthe advent of voice technology, AI, AR,the learning trajectory for UX design-ers is slated to get steeper.

As per a report released by OxfordUniversity, the average shelf-life of aprofessional skill has dropped radical-ly from thirty years to five yearsbetween 1984 and 2014. Furthermore,a survey initiated by the global staffingfirm, Robert Half International revealedthat employers are far more inclined tohire professionals who exhibit theeagerness to learn and develop newskills through advanced training andexposure.

Under such a shape-shiftingpremise, the need for UX designers tostay at par with the contemporary techtrends is paramount. Here are some ofthe top essential skills for ambitious UXdesigners to grow and stay relevantwithin the current tech scape:

Developing a sense of empathy: Itis an unspoken rule in the UX indus-try that designs exist for the sake of theuser, and not the other way round. Fora design to be successful and pertinent,it must be shaped as per the sensibili-ties of the end-user. The central mostfactor integral to creating user-centricUX designs is a sense of deep empathyin the designer. While a decent design-

er is one who can understand the con-sumer, an extraordinary designer canempathise with the lives, challenges,troubles, and expectations of a user. Asense of empathy enables designers theopportunity to zero in on untappedpain-points. This intellectual skill isresponsible for catalyzing much of theinnovation that is witnessed in theindustry. It allows designers to createlasting and powerful user-based expe-riences, which later translate into busi-ness excellence and greater returns.

The art of storytelling: Making abrilliant design is merely half of the mat-ter. The designer must also be able tomarket, evaluate and create a storyaround their designs. The art of greatstorytelling is central to the longevityand impact of any design. The abilityto build a narrative around the designwhich is empathetic to the end user isan essential skill for every aspiring UXprofessional as it marks the fine linebetween a good designer and a brilliantone. Besides having an imaginative fac-ulty and communication skills, a soundknowledge of PowerPoint and videopresentations is also helpful in mar-

keting a design. Teamwork is key: We are cultur-

ally habituated to think of designers likesolitary philosophers who come up withideas in moments of lonely brilliance.This however, is far from the truth. Oneof the most important skill sets in thedesigners’ toolkit is team work and col-laboration. In fact the creative processitself is iterative and collaborative innature. Great ideas and successful exe-cution comes with teamwork. In thereal world a UX designer must collab-orate with business folks, technologyfolks, researchers, partners and more tosuccessfully deliver a project.

Knowledge & application ofDesign frameworks: Design is aprocess. Every process needs frame-works to implement it effectively. Thereare many design frameworks that areused in UX design to help designersbetter understand users and their lives,design strategies and build the rightexperiences. Some important designframeworks that are used in the indus-try include Personas, customer jour-neys, empathy maps, card sorting andtask flow design. These are all easy

frameworks for designers to learn andimplement in their projects and design-ers wishing to learn them can do sothrough many online courses includ-ing the UX Jumpstarted by ImaginXP.

Skilled in design tools: Althoughpen and paper will always be themightiest tools for a designer to ideate,iterate and bee agile, it is also equallyimportant to be able to translate yourthoughts from paper to digital. Thereare many design tools available todayfor wireframing, visual design andprototyping. All designers should beproficient in at least some of these soas to effectively deliver UX design.Some popular design tools includeSketch, Adobe XD, Figma and Axure.

That said, designing is an ongoingprocess demanding constant learningand up skilling. This makes it crucialto open your horizons and be pas-sionate about learning new skills.Remember that the entire world is yourteacher and you need to stay abreastwith the changing pace of the industry.If you love digital designing, then UXdesigning is the destination for you.

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After the successful launch of Kinderuniversity in English andGerman, the Goethe-Institut, has launched the Digital

Kinderuniversity in Hindi. This innovative project shall help stu-dents aged eight to twelve satiate their curiosity about science-related questions through exciting educational content andaccompany them in learning the German language during theprocess.

The Digital Kinderuniversity, a free online learning platform,shall contribute significantly towards making education moreaccessible to the public and ensuring development in childrenfrom an early age. Currently, Kinderuniversity is offered in Hindi,English, and German. While no prior knowledge of German isrequired to enroll at Kinderuniversity, students can familiarisethemselves with the language, combined with an independentand playful pursuit of science.

At Kinderuniversity, children attend lectures and completeexercises based on STEM + Arts i.e. STE(A)M subjects. Theylearn from ‘Humans’, ‘Nature’ and ‘Technology’ and are exposedto elements of gamification throughout the course. Students cancollect badges that help them advance through levels rangingfrom Bachelor, Master, Doctorate to Professor. To further incen-tivise students, certificates can be downloaded anytime and fromanywhere.

DESIGN YOUR FUTURE IN UXDESIGN YOUR FUTURE IN UX

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The coronavirus pandemic already had a devastating impacton the academic calendar. Further to that, all competitive

examinations like NEET, JEE, etc were delayed which we can sayis opportunity for some and pressure for others.

Although, the official announcement in regards to NEET PG2021 dates have been made. NEET PG 2021 is to be held on April18, 2021 which is delayed by three months. The registrations forNEET PG will begin from second week of February.

The constant postponement and delay have put the candi-dates in a tough spot. The main reason for stress of the aspirantsis that NEET PG 2020 was taken late. The counseling of the NEETPG 2020 was done till last week of September. So, the studentsgot less time for studying and they were also burdened with thepressure of the pandemic. The preparation time students havegot was also less. The reason behind the mental pressure is jobs,pandemic and delay in the examination but the positive thingis that the aspirants have got extra time for their preparation.

Commenting on this Gaurav Tyagi, Founder — Career Xpertsaid: “Students should stay calm and focus on the syllabus theyhave command on. They should once go through the previousyear exam papers and also the guidelines of the exams. My bestwishes to all the aspirants.”

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It's a widely held belief that a post grad-uate degree in management is essen-tial if one has pursue a career in the

corporate sector. What is less known,however, is that some new, innovativeundergraduate courses have recentlymade their advent which have started giv-ing the MBA courses a run for theirmoney. In particular, the Bachelor ofBusiness Administration (BBA) course isemerging as the passport to success in amanagerial or entrepreneurial career. So,after finishing 12 years of schooling, ittakes just 4 more years of undergraduatestudy with a global business school andyou are well on your way to launching intoa career in management.

But you need to do some advanceplanning to maximise the opportunitiesprovided by a world-class BBA pro-gramme and the first step is to chooseyour college wisely. Unfortunately, thenumber of institutions offering a goodundergraduate degree in India are virtu-ally non-existent.

But recent entry of a few private insti-tutions offers hope to students aspiring fora high-quality undergraduate education.Not only do these institutions employworld class faculty and an international-ly recognised curriculum, they also pro-vide global learning.

Here is a snapshot of the curriculumof four-year global BBA course run:Foundation courses in Management,Marketing, Business Communication,Economics and World Cultures. Secondyear: Advanced courses In ResearchMethods, Finance, Organization Behavior,Operations, Finance & Accounting andthe Decisions Sciences. Third and fourthyears: Elective courses in your area of cho-sen specialisation.

While pursuing the academic cur-riculum, live projects are part of the cur-riculum in every international campus. Sonot only do students learn the theory ofbusiness but also its practice. And thisgives them the necessary insights tostart up a new business not only in Indiabut in virtually every part of the globe.Add to this the numerous internshipopportunities available in the differentcountries during academic breaks, andyou have a formula for turning out a busi-

ness-ready and global-savvy candidate injust four short years after leaving school!

An UG programme is not just aboutacademics — the top colleges also offeryou opportunities to develop your per-sonality. Interacting with peers from dif-ferent countries will hone your cross-cul-tural team skills. Participating in debateswill further enhance your public speak-ing skills and confidence.

Take advantage of the in-house coun-selling services provided by the great col-leges. Not only do they provide careeradvice but also put you through a batteryof tests to improve your soft skills.Personalized, one-to-one consultancysessions can be a great away to improveyourself in multiple dimensions.

Go for exchange programs - manycolleges offer exchange program whereyou could spend a semester in anotherschool in Europe, USA and other parts ofthe world. A great opportunity to exposeyourself to different methods of teachingand take subjects not offered in your homeuniversity.

Therefore, if you choose your collegewisely, a BBA degree can give you glob-al exposure, broaden your horizon andput you firmly on the path of becominga future leader.

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������������������Several measures have been

taken by the Government tosafeguard the weaker and

impuissant sections of the societyparticularly during the pandem-ic. Education and employment arethe two major factors that werekept in mind while structuring theBudget. There were many impor-tant announcements made.

The Government has alsocommitted to take several steps inorder to reform assessments,including reforms in Board exam-inations and conceptual learning.While introducing the Budget2021-22 Minister for Finance andCorporate Affairs NirmalaSitaraman announced that theexisting National ApprenticeshipTraining Scheme (NATS) will berealigned with a fund of over�3,000 crore.

The NATS was launched in2016. It was launched by theGovernment of India in whichthere were a number of skills anddevelopment programmes to ben-efit the students of India. It is atremendous initiative throughwhich the students can upgradetheir skills to seek better employ-ment opportunities.

This scheme has beenrealigned in the 2021-2022

Budget, in order to enhanceapprenticeship opportunities forthe youth. Under the scheme,�3,000 crore will be provided totrain graduates and diploma hold-ers in Engineering.

Under the scheme, trainingwill be offered by the top notchcompanies. The scheme will workas a bridge between employer’srequirements and a pool of stu-dent's talent. This prioritisation ofskilling will make students job-ready, in their respective domains.

'��������������� It’s a one year programme

open to all degree/diplomaholders.

�This is a flagship programmeintroduced by theGovernment of India to skillup youth of the nation.

� It provides technical educa-tion by giving practicalknowledge and skills in therespective domain.

�This is served by the organi-zation (Central, State orPrivate) at the workplaceonly.

� Industry experts wellacquainted with trainingmodules will ensure the per-formance of apprentices.

�The apprentices get a stipendof whose 50 per cent amountis reimbursed by theGovernment of India.

�A certificate of proficiency bythe Government , is issued tothe apprentice which vali-dates his employment expe-rience.

Meanwhile other majorannouncementsmade in theBudget involved:

Collaboration for strength-ening the education system: TheUnion Budget 2021 stresses on theimportance of the need to col-laborate with foreign institutionsto strengthen and drive notableprogress in the education system.The collaboration of India withUAE would benchmark assess-ment, skill qualification, certifi-cation, and to keep our skills upto date with respect to globaltrends.

There is a collaborativeTraining Inter TrainingProgramme (TITS) in collabora-tion with Japan that will be facil-itating transfer of knowledge,techniques, industrial and voca-tional skills of Japan. This initia-tive will be taken forward withmore such countries in future. Toencourage improved academic

collaboration with foreign insti-tutions for higher education a reg-ulatory mechanism would put inplace to allow dual/joint degrees,twinning arrangements and moresuch mechanisms.

Set up of new institutions toedify the education system: Setup of a New Central University inLeh, to uplift higher education. Setup of 100 Sainik schools will takeplace in partnership with states,NGOs, and private schools. Intribal areas, 750 Eklavya Modelresidential schools will be set upto create a robust education facil-ity for tribal students.

Amendments to enlightenschool education: The Budget2021 primarily focuses on skilldevelopment. Its emphasis ontransforming the learning frame-work from a traditional approachto an advanced and evolved ped-agogical approach for K12 stu-dents.

The presentation of the NewEducation Policy (NEP) has addi-tionally been filled in as a chargefor the deep rooted instructivefoundation in India and we areoptimistic that the Governmentwill continue getting fundamen-tal corrections in the future also. �����������;A5��5������%��������

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>$.�����'���������?$$The signing ceremony of

Memorandum ofUnderstanding (MoU)

between the VIT-AP School ofLaw (VSL), VIT-AP Universityand Centre for Human SecurityStudies (CHSS) was held atVIT-AP School of Law, VIT-APUniversity on February 9, 2021.Ch Dwaraka Tirumala Rao IPS,Director General of Police(Railways) (Andhra PradeshCadre) graced the occasion andwitness the ceremony as a ChiefGuest.

Chief Guest Ch DwarakaTirumala Rao said: “February09, 2021 marks as an importantday in the history of the VIT-APSchool of Law (VSL), VIT-APUniversity and for the Centrefor Human Security Studies(CHSS) by entering into MoUto work committedly for thecause national security. I amsure both the organisationswould share the common val-

ues and common ideas to pro-tect the nations from varioussecurity threats.

Threats ranging from cybersecurity, health security, costalsecurity and mostly internalsecurity to be addressed anddealt with clear policy and legalaspects. Without having clearpolicy and legal guidelines it isdifficult for the forces to dealand provide protection to thepeople of this country. TheVIT-AP University and CHSSshould bear in mind that thesechallenges have to be addressedin clear and focused manner.

VIT-AP University shouldguide and provide inputs to thepolicy and law makers in deal-ing with the various challengeswhich are posed by the growingsecurity threat. “The CHSS ishaving almost 10 years of expe-rience in dealing and organis-ing various activities to createawareness among the people of

Andhra Pradesh and Telanganawith regard to prevailing andgrowing security threats. It is theneed of the hour that educa-tional institutions like VIT-APshould come forward to workwith the Governments and be inthe think tank to disseminateand create awareness about thesecurity challenges,” he added.

Dr SV Kota Reddy, Vice-Chancellor of VIT-APUniversity, in his address high-lighted the university's contri-bution for the empowermentand promotion of the educationand advised the law studentsand faculty to work towards thebetterment of the society. Hehighlighted that the universityis committed to create a Centreof Excellence in Cyber Securityand Law. This center will workholistically to provide bettersolutions to the society and hehas informed the importance ofthe center and its scope.

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Veteran James Anderson’s artisticspell of reverse swing trumped ViratKohli’s show of grit as England dec-

imated India in the opening Test by a com-prehensive 227-run margin here onTuesday.

A target of 420, with 381 left on a fifthday worn out Chepauk track, was always atough ask going by cricketing logic andAnderson’s mid-morning burst blew awaythe Indian middle-order. In the end, thehosts could manage only 192 in 58.1 overs.

That spell ensured that there wasn’t aSydney like heist or the magic of Brisbanefinal day which many had hoped fordespite the world record target.

Kohli (72 off 104 balls) seemed like alonely general standing on a burning deckas he showed his colleagues how to bat ona difficult track.

He covered the swing and shuffledtowards the off-stump to counter Anderson,ran purposefully and scored his runsagainst spinners.

But there was that one ball that wasalways going to keep low and he got thatfrom Ben Stokes.

DOUBLE ALIKE BLOWCourtesy Anderson (11-4-17-3), the

match became a mismatch within an hourand India now need to win two out of thenext three Tests to qualify for the World TestChampionship final in June. The player ofthe match honours went to England skip-per Joe Root for his match-defining dou-ble hundred in the first innings.

It was left-arm spinner Jack Leach (26-4-76-4), who after his first innings humi-lation at the hands of Rishabh Pant, finishedwith the best figures but the effort paled incomparison to the effect that Anderson hadon the psyche of the Indian team.

Anderson sowed doubts among rankand file of the home line-up, whether theyhad the technique to play the moving ballwhich swings the other way round. Kohlican but can his colleagues do it will be thebig question going forward.

The man from Burnley, in his 19th Testmatch season, showed his artistry with asemi-new ball, on a fifth day track and sap-ping Chennai heat, far removed conditionsfrom the grey skies and cool breeze that OldTrafford gives him.

But then Anderson is a devotee and bestpractitioner of Test match ethos and does-n’t need to take refuge in conditionsbecause of his supreme control over his

craft.

ANOTHER FIFTY FOR GILLGill (50, 83 balls) once again looked

dazzling till the time he was at the crease.The sinewy wrists were in play as he hitseven fours and a six, dealing with spinnerscomfortably.

Even Cheteshwar Pujara’s (15 off 38balls) dismissal off Jack Leach’s “peach” did-n’t unfaze the young man from Punjab ashe along with Kohli calmly went about theirbusiness.

It was the 27th over when Andersonfirst came into the attack and the second ballwas a perfect reverse inswinger which hadGill in a daze as the off-stump went for awalk. The way the shiny part on the insidetailed in was a sight to behold.

Rahane (0), for all the appreciationcoming his way, was in very poor form forthe better part of the Australia series, savea hundred at MCG where he was droppedthrice. The first ball he faced on Tuesdaywas another one that came back a shade andit was hitting the middle of the middlestump with the Umpires’ Call saving the

vice-captain of what looked like a plumb legbefore.

The wily Anderson realised that an out-of-form Rahane’s feet are not moving.

The next time he just went a shade wideoff the crease and delivered another reverseinswinger. Rahane knew that there was nocomeback. Pant (11) has had three greatknocks but he was facing a bowler withsupreme game awareness and immaculateunderstanding of conditions.

Against a left-hander, he predictablycame round the wicket and angled a few inwith a busy Pant hitting a boundary.

By then, Anderson had gauged thatPant could be hurried on the drive.

So the master changed his tactic andbowled a slower one enticing Pant to go fora drive. Pant tried his best to check it butthe bowler had asked his skipper Joe Rootto specifically stand at short cover for thatparticular shot.

From 92 for 2, it was 110 for five andKohli cut a lonely figure at the other end.

Washington Sundar (0) was then pickedby Dom Bess with the one that turned awayleaving India in complete tatters.

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Rafael Nadal’s injured back didn’t slow his bidfor a record 21st Grand Slam title on Tuesday,

as women’s world number one Ashleigh Bartyromped to a 6-0, 6-0 ‘double bagel’ at theAustralian Open.

On a day when women’s champion SofiaKenin also reached round two, but two-time win-ner Victoria Azarenka lost after breathing prob-lems, Nadal and Barty were the headline acts atthe coronavirus-delayed Slam.

Spanish great Nadal, who pulled out of lastweek’s ATP Cup with back problems, beatSerbia’s Laslo Djere 6-3, 6-4, 6-1 in one hour and52 minutes on a sun-kissed Rod Laver Arena.

“It’s been a tough 15 days for me,” said the2009 champion, whose back stiffness first flaredduring an exhibition match last month.

“I needed to survive today and that’s what Idid. I’m happy to be through and I think I did agood job today. Straight sets is what I needed.”

Nadal, 34, is attempting to outstrip his old rivalRoger Federer, who is out with injury, and takesole ownership of the all-time record for GrandSlam titles.

After world number one Novak Djokoviceased through late on Monday, Russia’s DaniilMedvedev extended his winning streak to 15matches with an emphatic 6-2, 6-2, 6-4 victoryover Canada’s Vasek Pospisil.

The 2019 US Open finalist is raising hopesof a maiden Grand Slam title with his unbeatenrun, which includes winning the Paris Masters,ATP Finals and last week’s ATP Cup with Russia.

Russian seventh seed Andrey Rublev also con-tinued his winning start to the year with a straight-sets victory over German Yannick Hanfmann 6-3, 6-3, 6-4.

And Greek fifth seed Stefanos Tsitsipasmade short work of French veteran Gilles Simon,winning 6-1, 6-2, 6-1 in 92 minutes.

BARTY STARTEDBarty also outclassed Montenegro’s Danka

Kovinic, losing only 10 points as she raced intoround two in just 44 minutes.

With the win Barty, last year’s semi-finalistwho sat out most of the 2020 season, ramped uphopes of a first Australian women’s winner in 43years.

Women’s champion Kenin was less convinc-ing and she audibly vented her frustrations dur-ing her 7-5, 6-4 win against Australian MaddisonInglis, who is ranked outside the top 100.

Two-time major-winner Garbine Muguruza,who was stunned by Kenin in last year’s final, hadlittle trouble beating Russia’s Margarita Gasparyan6-4, 6-0.

But there were distressing scenes as an ailingAzarenka, the 2012 and 2013 champion, went outto Jessica Pegula.

Elsewhere, fifth seed Elina Svitolina waspushed hard by Czech Marie Bouzkouva beforecoming through 6-3, 7-5 (7/5).

She will next play 16-year-old American CocoGauff, who beat Venus Williams and NaomiOsaka last year and enjoyed a straightforward 6-3, 6-2 win over Switzerland’s Jil Teichmann onTuesday.

Melbourne: India’s Sumit Nagal exited theAustralian Open with a first-round defeat, strug-gling to cope with the power-packed game ofLithuanian Ricardas Berankis, here on Tuesday.

Nagal’s challenge deflated in a matter of min-utes as Berankis’ powerful ground strokes provedto be too good for the Indian, who lost 2-6, 5-7,3-6 in two hours and 10 minutes.

Nagal had lost to the world number 72 in thelast week’s tune-up event too.

The 23-year-old Nagal reeled off four straightgames in the second set in his bid to stage a come-back but the initial dominance by Berankis large-ly dictated the outcome of the match.

India’s singles challenge is over and now alleyes will be on doubles players — RohanBopanna, Divij Sharan and Ankita Raina. PTI

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Dubai: India on Tuesdayslipped to fourth position inthe World Test Championshiprankings after their 227-rundefeat to England in the open-ing Test as the visitors keptalive their hopes of makingthe final of the inauguralevent.

New Zealand havealready qualified for the WTCfinal, to be held at Lord’s laterin the year, winning 70.0 percent of their matches (with noother series scheduled).

The victory at Chepauklifted England to first placeand 70.2 percentage points onthe table and they haveimproved their chances ofsecuring one of the threeseries results in their favourthat could see them throughto the final — 3-1, 3-0 or 4-0. India grabbed the top spotafter their incredible serieswin Australia last month.

India, who have slippedto fourth position with 68.3percentage points,

will now be looking towin at least two of the remain-ing three matches to secure a2-1 or 3-1 result and a placein the final.

Australia will get to fea-ture in a Trans-Tasman sum-mit clash if the India-Englandseries is drawn or if Englandwin 1-0, 2-1 or 2-0. PTI

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India’s underwhelming bat-ting performance in the first

innings gave England the deci-sive advantage, skipper ViratKohli said on Tuesday anddefended the decision to playrookie left-arm spinner ShahbazNadeem instead of a more expe-rienced Kuldeep Yadav.

After losing the first Test,Kohli admitted that the teamwas always under the scoreboardpressure after England’s mam-moth first innings total of 578

but also said that he has noregrets about picking Nadeemover Kuldeep.

“I think, Test probably shift-ed in their favour when we bat-ted in the first innings. Wewere looking to bat better but Idon’t think there was enoughapplication shown by us as a bat-ting unit,” Kohli said at thepost-match press conferencereferring to India’s 337 all outfirst essay score.

“Even if someone got ahundred in either innings, stillwe were pretty much behind in

the game. There’s not one way toplay the game and we under-stand that quite well and ourendeavour in the future gamesis going to be long partnerships,”said Kohli.

Kuldeep’s absence was atalking point through the Testbut Kohli gave his reasons as towhy he wouldn’t like to revisit hisdecision.

“...When you are playingtwo off-spinners, Kuldeep moreor less becomes a similar kind ofspinner (bringing it into theright-handers). So, we needed

variety. We were quite clearwhat combination we wanted toplay, and there are no regretswhatsoever.”

However he hinted that themanagement could rework thecombination in the comingmatches. The second Test is alsoscheduled to be held here fromFebruary 13.

“Moving forward, we willlook at combinations, that bringus variety in the bowling attackand not (be) one-dimensional,where the ball is only turningaway from the bat.”

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