µ9ZXY C WRTe`c dZX_R]d cZdZ_X cZd\ Z_ DeReVd¶ - Daily ...

12
I ndia and China on Wednesday reaffirmed their commitment to resolve dis- putes regarding the Line of Actual Control (LAC) through sustained dialogue and hold the next round of military-level talks as soon as possible. This resolve came from the highest diplomatic level of the two countries when External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar held nearly an hour- long bilateral meeting with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi on the sidelines of the ongoing Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) meeting in Dushanbe, Tajikistan. Incidentally, this was the second one on one and face to face meeting between the two Foreign Ministers since the stand-off began in May last year at the LAC in Ladakh. The first dialogue was in Moscow in September last year during the SCO meeting. The latest communique from the Government after the crucial meeting in Dushanbe indicated that the stalemate persisting on the LAC in Eastern Ladakh may see some positive develop- ments in the coming days. In fact, the next round of parleys between the two mili- tary commanders may be announced in the next few days, sources said here. Jaishankar told Yi that a pro- longed confrontation and the existing situation were not in the interest of either side. It was vis- ibly impacting the relationship in a negative manner, he said. The two military com- manders met last in the first week of April to firm up ways to disengage from three friction points including the Hot Springs, Gogra and the Depsang Valley. However, there was no forward movement with more than one lakh sol- diers from both sides now in an eyeball-to-eyeball confronta- tion at these stand-off sites for more than a year. Continued on Page 2 I n a big relief to the Central Government employees and pensioners, the Union Cabinet on Wednesday hiked the Dearness Allowance (DA) and Dearness Relief (DR) from 17 per cent to 28 per cent. The DA hike was frozen due to the pandemic for the last 18 months. Briefing mediaper- sons, the Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur said the new increased DA and DR will be with effect from July 1. “The Cabinet Committee chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has approved an increase in the Dearness Allowance to Central Government employees and Dearness Relief to pensioners with effect from 01.07.2021 to 28 per cent, representing an increase of 11 per cent over the existing rate of 17 per cent of the basic pay/pension. In view of the unprecedented situation which arose due to the Covid- 19 pandemic, three addition- al installments of Dearness Allowance (DA) to Central Government employees and Dearness Relief (DR) to pen- sioners, which were due from 01.01.2020, 01.07.2020 and 01.01.2021, had been frozen,” said a Government statement. The increase reflects the additional installments arising on January 1, 2020, July 1, 2020 and January 1, 2021. The rate of DA and DR for the period January 1, 2020, to March 30, 2021, shall remain at 17 per cent. A fter the Supreme Court questioned the legality of filing cases under a law which it has struck down, the Home Ministry has written to States asking them to refrain from fil- ing cases under Section 66A of the IT Act and also withdraw such cases. In an advisory to the States and UTs, Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla has pointed out this provision of law is now invalid. In a state- ment the MHA said, “The Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has requested States and Union Territories (UTs) to direct all police sta- tions under their jurisdiction not to register cases under the repealed Section 66A of the Information Technology Act, 2000.” The MHA has also asked States and UTs to sensitise law enforcement agencies for the compliance of the order issued by the Supreme Court on March 24, 2015. The Ministry further said it has requested States to imme- diately withdraw cases booked under Section 66A of the IT Act, 2000 in States and UTs. Section 66A of the IT Act was used to punish online communication which is con- sidered “grossly offensive, men- acing or for sending commu- nication which the sender knows to be false to cause annoyance, inconvenience, danger, obstruction, insult, injury, criminal intimidation, enmity, hatred or ill will”. Continued on Page 2 A day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed concern over massive crowds at hill stations and marketplaces, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on Wednesday wrote to all States and Union Territories (UTs) asking them to take steps to control crowd- ing and shed complacency. The Ministry has also asked States to make officers per- sonally responsible for any lax- ity in strict enforcement of Covid-appropriate behaviour. In a letter to all States and UTs, Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla said massive crowds are thronging the mar- ketplaces, violating the norms of social distancing. He also pointed out that people have been found violating the Covid-19 norms in several parts of the country, especial- ly in public transport and at hill stations. “With the decline in the number of active cases, States and UTs have started re-open- ing the activities in a gradual manner …However, blatant violations of Covid norms have been observed in several parts of the country, especially in public transport and at hill sta- tions. Consequently, an increase in the ‘R’ factor (Reproduction number) in some of the States is a matter of concern,” read the letter. The ‘R’-factor indicates the speed at which the infection is spreading in the country. An ‘R’-factor below one indicates that each infected individual is on average passing on the dis- ease to less than one person. “You may be aware that any increase in ‘R’ factor above 1.0 is an indicator of spread of Covid-19. Therefore, it is important that the authorities concerned shall be made responsible for ensuring Covid Appropriate Behaviour (CAB) in all crowded places, such as shops, malls, markets, market Continued on Page 2 T he Supreme Court (SC) on Wednesday took suo motu cognisance of the Uttar Pradesh (UP) Government’s decision to allow the Kanwar Yatra amid the Covid-19 pandemic, despite an appeal by the Prime Minister himself against any large gatherings in the country. A Bench headed by Justice Rohinton F Nariman issued a notice to the UP Government and posted the case for hearing on Friday, July 16. The Bench also comprising Justice BR Gavai referred to the statement of Prime Minister Narendra Modi that no com- promise can be made on Covid-19 containment and said that the citizens were per- plexed about the happenings in view of the fact that the UP Government has allowed the religious yatra from July 25. The Bench said that it was a “little disturbed” to read that UP has chosen to continue with the Kanwar Yatra, while Uttarakhand given its earlier experience, has decided against it. Continued on Page 2 Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Wednesday accused “politi- cians” of making “misleading” statements and creating panic among people by raising false alarms about vaccine shortage in the country. In the first of a series of tweets posted in Hindi, Mandaviya said, “To ensure vaccination in Government and private hospitals, the Centre provided 1,14.6 million doses to State Governments in June. For July, the availability of doses has been increased to 135 million.” In another tweet, he said that the Union Government, on June 19 itself, informed the States how many vaccine doses will be made available to each of them. “After this, on June 27 and July 13, the States were informed in advance about the number of doses available, in batches, each day for the first and second fortnights of July. Continued on Page 2 I n a major supervisory action, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on Wednesday indefi- nitely barred the US-based Mastercard from issuing new credit, debit and prepaid cards with effect from July 22 for its failure to comply with data storage norms. Mastercard, a major card issuing entity in the country, is the third company to have been barred by RBI from acquiring new customers after American Express Banking Corp and Diners Club International over data storage issue. Continued on Page 2 F ormer poll strategist Prashant Kishor’s four-hour long meeting with the Gandhis on Tuesday has sparked an all- round buzz about his associa- tion with the Congress in the days to come. AICC sources said if things materialise then Kishor may be appointed the working presi- dent of the Congress. Kishor did not respond to calls and text messages seeking his com- ments on the development. Sources close to Kishor said the poll strategist’s first love was always the Congress with which his association started when he decided to come back to the country to do some pro- jects when Manmohan Singh was the Prime Minister. He had also made some political presentations to the UPA, but things didn’t work out the way he would have liked. Thereafter, he decided to move to Gujarat and helped the BJP to several victories, including the 2014 Lok Sabha with Prime Minister Narendra Modi lead- ing the poll show. Kishor later joined the JD(U) and was number two to Chief Minister Nitish Kumar in party affairs. He quit the party over “ideological” differences with Kumar. In recent days he has met NCP supremo Sharad Pawar a couple of times and was also instrumental in bringing together the Opposition parties to chalk out a common strate- gy for the 2024 elections. A day after Kishor held dis- cussions with Congress presi- dent Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi speculation has intensified over whether the poll strategist will join the grand old party. This can be corroborated by his recent comment that the Congress “must realise that it has a problem and then do something about it”. “They are not open to working in the ways suggested by people like Kishor or others. They won’t be open to working with my style of functioning,” Kishor had told a TV interview once. Continued on Page 2 J unking conventional prac- tice, the Modi Government has decided that all appoint- ments of Private Secretaries (PS) to the Ministers will now be done by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO). This means, the existing practice of Ministers selecting their own PS’ will be completely done away with. Not just that, sources said, there will also be a change in the entire system and non-IAS officers could also be appoint- ed as PS’ to the Ministers. Normally, the Ministers prefer appointing IAS officers as their PS, and this leads to large-scale lobbying among the bureau- cracy. Now there will be mix of services like IPS, IRS, Railway officers, CSS officials of the director level who will get a chance to subordinate the Minister. The decision will be applied to the new change of guard in the recently-effected reshuffle in the Council of Ministers. Continued on Page 2 I n the backdrop of the wors- ening situation in Afghanistan, India on Wednesday proposed a three- point way forward to restore peace. With the Taliban surg- ing ahead in many parts of the country, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said the international community is against the “seizure of power by violence and force” and will not “legitimise such actions.” Presenting his country’s views on the issue at the two- day Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, Jaishankar also said fighting terrorism and curbing terror finance are big challenges fac- ing the region besides the Afghanistan situation and post- Covid recovery. Addressing the conclave of Foreign Ministers of the SCO, Jaishankar said, “The world, region and the Afghan people all want the same end state.” He then outlined three points for restoring peace. The first proposal is “an indepen- dent, neutral, unified, peaceful, democratic and prosperous nation.” In a series of tweets after the meeting of the contact group of the SCO, he said the second proposal is “ceasing violence and terrorist attacks against civilians and State rep- resentatives, settle the conflict through political dialogue, and respect interests of all ethnic groups. Continued on Page 2

Transcript of µ9ZXY C WRTe`c dZX_R]d cZdZ_X cZd\ Z_ DeReVd¶ - Daily ...

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India and China onWednesday reaffirmed their

commitment to resolve dis-putes regarding the Line ofActual Control (LAC) throughsustained dialogue and hold thenext round of military-leveltalks as soon as possible.

This resolve came fromthe highest diplomatic level ofthe two countries whenExternal Affairs Minister SJaishankar held nearly an hour-long bilateral meeting with hisChinese counterpart Wang Yion the sidelines of the ongoingShanghai CooperationOrganisation (SCO) meeting inDushanbe, Tajikistan.

Incidentally, this was thesecond one on one and face toface meeting between the twoForeign Ministers since thestand-off began in May lastyear at the LAC in Ladakh. Thefirst dialogue was in Moscow inSeptember last year during theSCO meeting.

The latest communiquefrom the Government afterthe crucial meeting in

Dushanbe indicated that thestalemate persisting on theLAC in Eastern Ladakh maysee some positive develop-ments in the coming days.

In fact, the next round ofparleys between the two mili-tary commanders may beannounced in the next fewdays, sources said here.Jaishankar told Yi that a pro-longed confrontation and theexisting situation were not in theinterest of either side. It was vis-ibly impacting the relationship

in a negative manner, he said.The two military com-

manders met last in the firstweek of April to firm up waysto disengage from three frictionpoints including the HotSprings, Gogra and theDepsang Valley. However, therewas no forward movementwith more than one lakh sol-diers from both sides now in aneyeball-to-eyeball confronta-tion at these stand-off sites formore than a year.

Continued on Page 2

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In a big relief to the CentralGovernment employees and

pensioners, the Union Cabineton Wednesday hiked theDearness Allowance (DA) andDearness Relief (DR) from 17per cent to 28 per cent. The DAhike was frozen due to thepandemic for the last 18months. Briefing mediaper-sons, the Information andBroadcasting Minister AnuragThakur said the new increasedDA and DR will be with effectfrom July 1.

“The Cabinet Committeechaired by Prime MinisterNarendra Modi has approvedan increase in the DearnessAllowance to CentralGovernment employees andDearness Relief to pensioners

with effect from 01.07.2021 to28 per cent, representing anincrease of 11 per cent over theexisting rate of 17 per cent ofthe basic pay/pension. In viewof the unprecedented situationwhich arose due to the Covid-19 pandemic, three addition-al installments of DearnessAllowance (DA) to CentralGovernment employees andDearness Relief (DR) to pen-sioners, which were due from01.01.2020, 01.07.2020 and01.01.2021, had been frozen,”said a Government statement.

The increase reflects theadditional installments arisingon January 1, 2020, July 1, 2020and January 1, 2021. The rateof DA and DR for the periodJanuary 1, 2020, to March 30,2021, shall remain at 17 percent.

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After the Supreme Courtquestioned the legality of

filing cases under a law whichit has struck down, the HomeMinistry has written to Statesasking them to refrain from fil-ing cases under Section 66A ofthe IT Act and also withdrawsuch cases.

In an advisory to the Statesand UTs, Union HomeSecretary Ajay Bhalla haspointed out this provision oflaw is now invalid. In a state-

ment the MHA said, “TheUnion Ministry of HomeAffairs (MHA) has requestedStates and Union Territories(UTs) to direct all police sta-tions under their jurisdictionnot to register cases under therepealed Section 66A of theInformation Technology Act,2000.”

The MHA has also asked

States and UTs to sensitise lawenforcement agencies for thecompliance of the order issuedby the Supreme Court onMarch 24, 2015.

The Ministry further saidit has requested States to imme-diately withdraw cases bookedunder Section 66A of the ITAct, 2000 in States and UTs.

Section 66A of the IT Actwas used to punish onlinecommunication which is con-sidered “grossly offensive, men-acing or for sending commu-nication which the senderknows to be false to causeannoyance, inconvenience,danger, obstruction, insult,injury, criminal intimidation,enmity, hatred or ill will”.

Continued on Page 2

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Aday after Prime MinisterNarendra Modi expressed

concern over massive crowds athill stations and marketplaces,the Ministry of Home Affairs(MHA) on Wednesday wroteto all States and UnionTerritories (UTs) asking themto take steps to control crowd-ing and shed complacency.The Ministry has also askedStates to make officers per-sonally responsible for any lax-ity in strict enforcement ofCovid-appropriate behaviour.

In a letter to all States andUTs, Union Home SecretaryAjay Bhalla said massivecrowds are thronging the mar-

ketplaces, violating the normsof social distancing. He alsopointed out that people havebeen found violating theCovid-19 norms in severalparts of the country, especial-ly in public transport and at hillstations.

“With the decline in thenumber of active cases, Statesand UTs have started re-open-ing the activities in a gradualmanner …However, blatantviolations of Covid norms havebeen observed in several partsof the country, especially inpublic transport and at hill sta-tions. Consequently, anincrease in the ‘R’ factor(Reproduction number) insome of the States is a matterof concern,” read the letter.

The ‘R’-factor indicates thespeed at which the infection isspreading in the country. An‘R’-factor below one indicates

that each infected individual ison average passing on the dis-ease to less than one person.

“You may be aware that anyincrease in ‘R’ factor above 1.0is an indicator of spread ofCovid-19. Therefore, it isimportant that the authoritiesconcerned shall be maderesponsible for ensuring CovidAppropriate Behaviour (CAB)in all crowded places, such asshops, malls, markets, market

Continued on Page 2

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The Supreme Court (SC) onWednesday took suo motu

cognisance of the Uttar Pradesh(UP) Government’s decision toallow the Kanwar Yatra amidthe Covid-19 pandemic,despite an appeal by the PrimeMinister himself against anylarge gatherings in the country.

A Bench headed by JusticeRohinton F Nariman issued anotice to the UP Governmentand posted the case for hearingon Friday, July 16.

The Bench also comprisingJustice BR Gavai referred to thestatement of Prime MinisterNarendra Modi that no com-promise can be made onCovid-19 containment and saidthat the citizens were per-

plexed about the happenings inview of the fact that the UPGovernment has allowed thereligious yatra from July 25.

The Bench said that it wasa “little disturbed” to read thatUP has chosen to continue withthe Kanwar Yatra, whileUttarakhand given its earlierexperience, has decided against it.

Continued on Page 2

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Union Health MinisterMansukh Mandaviya onWednesday accused “politi-cians” of making “misleading”statements and creating panicamong people by raising falsealarms about vaccine shortagein the country.

In the first of a series oftweets posted in Hindi,Mandaviya said, “To ensurevaccination in Governmentand private hospitals, theCentre provided 1,14.6 milliondoses to State Governments inJune. For July, the availability ofdoses has been increased to 135million.”

In another tweet, he saidthat the Union Government, on

June 19 itself, informed theStates how many vaccine doseswill be made available to eachof them.

“After this, on June 27 andJuly 13, the States wereinformed in advance about thenumber of doses available, inbatches, each day for the firstand second fortnights of July.

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In a major supervisory action,the Reserve Bank of India

(RBI) on Wednesday indefi-nitely barred the US-basedMastercard from issuing newcredit, debit and prepaid cardswith effect from July 22 for itsfailure to comply with datastorage norms. Mastercard, amajor card issuing entity in thecountry, is the third companyto have been barred by RBIfrom acquiring new customersafter American ExpressBanking Corp and Diners ClubInternational over data storageissue.

Continued on Page 2

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Former poll strategistPrashant Kishor’s four-hour

long meeting with the Gandhison Tuesday has sparked an all-round buzz about his associa-tion with the Congress in thedays to come.

AICC sources said if thingsmaterialise then Kishor may beappointed the working presi-dent of the Congress. Kishordid not respond to calls andtext messages seeking his com-ments on the development.

Sources close to Kishorsaid the poll strategist’s first lovewas always the Congress with

which his association startedwhen he decided to come backto the country to do some pro-jects when Manmohan Singhwas the Prime Minister.

He had also made somepolitical presentations to theUPA, but things didn’t work outthe way he would have liked.Thereafter, he decided to moveto Gujarat and helped the BJPto several victories, includingthe 2014 Lok Sabha with PrimeMinister Narendra Modi lead-ing the poll show.

Kishor later joined theJD(U) and was number two toChief Minister Nitish Kumar inparty affairs. He quit the party

over “ideological” differenceswith Kumar.

In recent days he has metNCP supremo Sharad Pawar acouple of times and was also

instrumental in bringingtogether the Opposition partiesto chalk out a common strate-gy for the 2024 elections.

A day after Kishor held dis-

cussions with Congress presi-dent Sonia Gandhi, RahulGandhi and Priyanka Gandhispeculation has intensified overwhether the poll strategist willjoin the grand old party.

This can be corroboratedby his recent comment that theCongress “must realise that ithas a problem and then dosomething about it”.

“They are not open toworking in the ways suggestedby people like Kishor or others.They won’t be open to workingwith my style of functioning,”Kishor had told a TV interviewonce.

Continued on Page 2

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Junking conventional prac-tice, the Modi Government

has decided that all appoint-ments of Private Secretaries(PS) to the Ministers will nowbe done by the Prime Minister’sOffice (PMO). This means,the existing practice ofMinisters selecting their own

PS’ will be completely doneaway with.

Not just that, sources said,there will also be a change inthe entire system and non-IASofficers could also be appoint-ed as PS’ to the Ministers.

Normally, the Ministers preferappointing IAS officers as theirPS, and this leads to large-scalelobbying among the bureau-cracy.

Now there will be mix ofservices like IPS, IRS, Railwayofficers, CSS officials of thedirector level who will get achance to subordinate theMinister.

The decision will beapplied to the new change ofguard in the recently-effectedreshuffle in the Council ofMinisters.

Continued on Page 2

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In the backdrop of the wors-ening situation in

Afghanistan, India onWednesday proposed a three-point way forward to restorepeace. With the Taliban surg-ing ahead in many parts of thecountry, External AffairsMinister S Jaishankar said theinternational community isagainst the “seizure of power byviolence and force” and will not“legitimise such actions.”

Presenting his country’sviews on the issue at the two-day Shanghai CooperationOrganisation (SCO) inDushanbe, Tajikistan,Jaishankar also said fightingterrorism and curbing terrorfinance are big challenges fac-ing the region besides the

Afghanistan situation and post-Covid recovery. Addressingthe conclave of ForeignMinisters of the SCO,Jaishankar said, “The world,region and the Afghan peopleall want the same end state.”

He then outlined threepoints for restoring peace. Thefirst proposal is “an indepen-dent, neutral, unified, peaceful,democratic and prosperousnation.”

In a series of tweets afterthe meeting of the contactgroup of the SCO, he said thesecond proposal is “ceasingviolence and terrorist attacksagainst civilians and State rep-resentatives, settle the conflictthrough political dialogue, andrespect interests of all ethnicgroups.

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Mumbai: Amid speculation overthe likely formation of a thirdfront, Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut onWednesday said bringing all theOpposition parties together andforming a consensus on a face totake on the BJP in the 2024 gener-al elections is a huge task given thatevery regional party considers itselfa king and tries to "dictate terms".

When queried if that probableface would be Sharad Pawar, Rautsaid the NCP chief is a seniornational leader but at the same time,some people are thinking aboutWest Bengal chief minister andTMC president Mamata Banerjee.

“It is a huge task to bring all theOpposition parties together andform a consensus on a face to takeon the BJP in the 2024 general elec-tions. Every opposition partyequates itself with a king and triesto dictate terms," he told a region-al news channel in Delhi.

"We need a face to counter theUnion government like JayprakashNarayan against then PM IndiraGandhi in post-emergency polls, VP Singh against Rajiv Gandhi. Later,(then prime minister) ManmohanSingh and (Congress president)Sonia Gandhi duo were challengedby Narendra Modi in the 2014 gen-eral elections,” Raut said. PTI

3�����-�����������������������671���-����#.��� Panaji: Delhi Chief Minister

Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesdayassured justice in a matter relat-ed to the demolition of a churchin the national Capital, sayingthe action was taken by theDelhi Development Authority(DDA) which comes under theCentral Government.

The south Delhi districtadministration on July 12 razeda church built upon"encroached" land during ademolition drive in theChattarpur area. However, thechurch members termed theaction "illegal", claiming that anotice was not served to vacatethe premises. "I was initially toldthat the demolition was carriedout by the Delhi DevelopmentAuthority. The DDA comes

under the Central Government.The Delhi Government has nocontrol over it,” Kejriwal toldreporters here during his

visit. "The DDA perhapsapproached the High Court,which gave the order and theDDA took the action,” he saidresponding to a query on theissue. The AAP national con-vener also said that the localMLA of his party is with thechurch and providing all thehelp.

"If there was a stay order bythe High Court, the demolitionof the portion would not havehappened. I don't know thelegal part of the matter. WhenI arrived here yesterday, I wastold that such action had beentaken,” he said. PTI

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From Page 1��������� �&���������������������������������������������� ����������$�����-���������������������������&������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� K����9���������$�9����������������K����������K����������#����������������������#������� �������#��� ��������������������#�����������$K4����������/�� ��������� ���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������#��� �������������������������� ������������������������ K�������������$

From Page 1“Given the disparate political voices, all speaking

at the same time, it is important that the relevantSecretary, Union of India, respond to this news report.Given the fact that this yatra is to take off from25.07.2021, it is necessary to fix a short time periodfor this case. Affidavits will be filed by Friday morn-ing, the 16th of July, 2021, responding to the aforesaidnews article by the relevant Secretary, Union of India;Principal Secretary to the State of Uttarakhand; andPrincipal Secretary to the State of Uttar Pradesh,” theBench said in its order. The Supreme Court took suomotu notice of a newspaper report and issued a noticeto the Union of India and the States of UP andUttarakhand to file their early response.

“The SC referred to the Prime Minister's statementwhen he met the North-Eastern Chief Ministers thatwhen people ask about the third wave of the Covid-19 virus striking the citizenry of India, it's up to usto stop it and we cannot compromise “even a bit”.

The Yogi Adityanath Government on Tuesdayallowed the yatra from July 25 despite concerns raisedin various quarters over the risk posed by such eventsin triggering a possible third wave of Covid-19. TheUP Chief Minister has advised that only a minimumnumber of people should participate in the annualKanwar Yatra and directed the strict implementationof the Covid-19 protocol. Every year, tens of thousandsof ''Kanwariyas'' (devotees of Lord Shiva) from north-ern States travel on foot or by other means to collectwater from the River Ganga at Haridwar to offer it atShiva temples in their areas as part of the yatra.

Meanwhile, the Uttarakhand Government has can-celled the 'Kanwar Yatra' in view of a possible thirdwave. Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami had saidthat though Kanwar Yatra is part of Sanatan culture,saving lives in the time of the pandemic was para-mount. The fortnight-long yatra, which begins withthe onset of the month of Shravan by the Hindu cal-endar goes on till the first week of August, and sees alarge gathering of Kanwariyas in Haridwar from neigh-bouring States.

From Page 1complexes, weekly markets,

restaurants and bars, mandis, bus sta-tions, railway platforms, stations, pub-lic parks and gardens, gymnasium,banquet halls, marriage halls, stadia,sports complexes (if opened up by theState) as well as at all areas identifiedas hotspots for transmission of Covid-19 virus," he said in the letter.

Bhalla said that with the decline inthe number of active cases, States andUTs have started reopening econom-ic activities in a gradual manner butthe process of relaxing restrictionsshould be carefully calibrated.

During the periods of low posi-tivity, efforts must be stepped up toprevent any probable future surge, hesaid.Any establishment, premises,markets and other such places whereCAB is not being maintained is liablefor the re-imposition of restrictionsand the defaulters may face actionunder the relevant laws, he said. Healso said Covid testing needs to becontinued with the same vigor as it isextremely essential for an early iden-

tification of cases and checking thevirus spread.

"You would appreciate that wemust guard ourselves against com-placency and laxity, which creep in aspositivity declines. Instead, during theperiods of low positivity, efforts mustbe stepped up to prevent any proba-ble future surge," he said.

Bhalla said there should be a con-tinuous focus on the five-fold strate-gy for effective management of Covid-19 i.e. ‘Test-Track-Treat-Vaccinate’and adhere to Covid-appropriatebehaviour."I would, therefore, urge youto issue strict directions to district andother local authorities concerned toregulate the crowded places and takenecessary measures for managementof Covid-19.

"I would also advise that ordersissued by the respective StateGovernments and UT administra-tions and district authorities in thisregard should be widely disseminatedto the public and to the field func-tionaries, for their proper implemen-tation," he said.

From Page 1"The Reserve Bank of India

(RBI) has today imposedrestrictions on MastercardAsia/Pacific Pte. Ltd.(Mastercard) from on-board-ing new domestic customers(debit, credit or prepaid) ontoits card network from July 22,2021," the central bank said ina statement.

The RBI, however, clarifiedthat its supervisory action willnot impact the services of theexisting customers ofMastercard in the country.

Announcing the ban onMastercard, RBI said, "notwith-standing lapse of considerabletime and adequate opportuni-ties being given, the entity hasbeen found to be non-compli-ant with the directions onStorage of Payment SystemData". Mastercard is a paymentsystem operator authorised tooperate a card network in thecountry under the Paymentand Settlement Systems Act,2007 (PSS Act).

In terms of RBI's circularon Storage of Payment SystemData on April 6, 2018, all sys-tem providers were directed toensure that within a period ofsix months the entire datarelating to payment systems isstored only in India.

From Page 1Sources in the Government said

that it will be the PMO which willnow oversee the entire process ofselection of officers to be deputed asPS to the Ministers. Till 2014, theselection of the PS was the sole pre-rogative of the Minister. But fromthen onward, the Minister's choice ofcandidate had to be approved by thePMO. "Now, even that is being doneaway with," sources said.

The Government decision alsoowes its origin to reports of impro-priety by a certain PS attached to aformer Minister of State who is nowlobbying to get attached to new peo-ple in power.

Several Ministers continue to

function without the PS for over twoyears. There are three CabinetMinisters who never got a PS evenafter the formation of Cabinet inModi's second tenure in June 2019.

"Earlier a Government servantused to approach the Minister and thename was recommended to the PMOwhich was then approved by theCabinet Committee on Appointments(ACC).

The Minister could attach hischoice of PS. But now with certainirregularities reported, it has beendecided that all the PSs to theMinisters will be picked up by thehighest office," said a top Governmentsource adding that the Ministers willthus always be under a close watch.

From Page 1The third point is to ensure that

neighbours are not threatened by terror-ism, separatism, and extremism.”

Jaishankar also said in his tweets,“The challenge is to act seriously and sin-cerely on these beliefs. Because there areforces at work with a very differentagenda. The world is against the seizureof power by violence and force. It will notlegitimise such actions.”

Stating that peace negotiations inearnest are the only answer, Jaishankarsaid, “An acceptable compromise thatreflects the Doha process, the Moscowformat and the Istanbul process is essen-tial. The future of Afghanistan cannot beits past. A whole new generation has dif-ferent expectations. We should not letthem down.” In his address, Jaishankaralso said combating terrorism andextremism are the key purpose of the SCOand it must stop terror financing.

Russian Foreign Minister SergeyLavrov, Chinese Foreign Minister WangYi and Pakistan Foreign Minister ShahMahmood Qureshi were among the par-

ticipants at the meeting. "Spoke at the FMM of SCO this

morning at Dushanbe. Afghanistan, pub-lic health and economic recovery arepressing issues. Combating terrorismand extremism is the key purpose of SCO.Must stop terror financing and deter dig-ital facilitation," Jaishankar tweeted.

In his remarks, he also highlighted the"One Earth One Health" message andurged early universal vaccination to dealwith the coronavirus pandemic.

Jaishankar said he also spoke onreformed multilateralism and under-lined the need to rejuvenate this domain.

Earlier, in a separate tweet, Jaishankarsaid the 20th year of establishment of theSCO is an opportune time for the group-ing to reflect on achievements and delib-erate on challenges. "Afghanistan andpost-Covid recovery are pressing con-cerns," Jaishankar said.

Jaishankar participated in the twomeetings with his counterparts fromChina, Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic,Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan andUzbekistan. The meetings were alsoattended by representatives from countrieswith observer status with the SCO,

including Afghanistan Foreign MinisterHaneef Atmar.

Jaishankar met Atmar and discussedthe latest developments in Afghanistanand cooperation in the fight against ter-rorism and for establishing peace and sta-bility in the region.

The Afghanistan Foreign Ministrysaid in a statement that Atmar andJaishankar discussed the political andsecurity situation, the peace process, and“India’s cooperation with Afghanistan invarious fields, including the joint fightagainst terrorism and the establishmentof lasting peace and stability inAfghanistan and the region.”

Atmar referred to the escalation ofTaliban attacks on civilians and Afghanforces in “collusion with foreign fightersand regional and international terroristnetworks”, and said that “overcoming thiscommon threat was of vital importanceto regional security.”

He underscored India’s constructiverole in strengthening regional consensuson the Afghan peace process and pre-serving the achievements of the past twodecades. Jaishankar assured Atmar ofIndia’s continued cooperation.

From Page 1In a statement after the

much-awaited meetingbetween the two Ministers onWednesday, the Ministry ofExternal Affairs said Jaishankarmet Yi on the sidelines of theSCO Foreign Ministers’ meet-ing.

The two Ministers had adetailed exchange of views onthe current situation along theLAC in Eastern Ladakh andalso on other issues related tothe overall India-China rela-tions. Recalling their last meet-ing in Moscow, in September2020, Jaishankar emphasisedthe need to follow through onthe agreement reached thenand complete the disengage-ment, resolving the remainingissues along the LAC in EasternLadakh at the earliest.

He pointed out that thesuccessful disengagement inthe Pangong Lake Area earli-er this year in February hadcreated conditions for resolv-ing the remaining issues. It wasexpected that the Chinese sidewould work with us towardsthis objective. Jaishankar notedhowever that the situation inthe remaining areas is stillunresolved.

He recalled that both sideshad agreed that a prolongationof the existing situation was notin the interest of either side. Itwas visibly impacting the rela-tionship in a negative manner.

Assessing the overall rela-tionship, Jaishankar empha-sised that maintenance of peaceand tranquility in the borderareas has been the foundationfor the development of tiessince 1988. The attempts tochange the status quo last yearthat also disregarded commit-ments under the 1993 and1996 agreements haveinevitably affected ties.

He emphasised that it was,therefore, in mutual interestthat the two sides work towardsearly resolution of the remain-ing issues along the LAC inEastern Ladakh, while fullyabiding by bilateral agreementsand protocols.

The two Ministers notedthe agreement between bothsides in the last meeting of theWorking Mechanism onCoordination andConsultation (WMCC) onJune 25 to hold another roundof the Meeting of SeniorMilitary Commanders. Theyagreed that this should be con-vened at the earliest.

They also agreed that inthis meeting, the two sidesshould discuss all the remain-ing issues and seek a mutual-ly-acceptable solution. Therewas also an understandingthat both sides will continue toensure stability on the groundand neither side will take anyunilateral action that couldincrease tension. The twoMinisters agreed to remain intouch.

From Page 1The Supreme Court had on Monday issued notice to the Centre on

the use of Section 66A of the IT Act that was scrapped several years ago.A Bench led by Justice R F Nariman had said it is shocking and terri-ble that the judgment striking down the law has not been implement-ed even now.

The apex court had declared 66A of IT act unconstitutional in thecase of Shreya Singhal vs UOI. But the SC was informed that 745 casesunder this provision were still under trial in courts of 11 States.

"The Supreme Court in its judgment on 24.03.2015 in the matter ofShreya Singhal Vs Union of India had struck down Section 66A of theInformation Technology Act, 2000. This made Section 66A of theInformation Technology Act, 2000 null and void with effect from thedate of the order, therefore 24.03.2015 and hence no action could be takenunder this section," the MHA statement read.

From Page 1After successive poll debacles including the recent

Assembly elections, Kishor had also suggested that "theCongress must introspect where it is going wrong".

Kishor managed the West Bengal and Tamil Nadu electionsrecently where the incumbent parties did quite well.

"I do not want to continue what I am doing. I have doneenough. It is time for me to take a break and do something elsein life. I want to quit this space," Kishor had then told the mediaon the day of declaration of results. Kishor has worked for theCongress as a client in the past and continues to be adviser tothe Punjab Government. In 2017, under the advice of Kishor,the Congress tied up with the Samajwadi Party for the UttarPradesh election but the alliance failed and the BJP won.

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Aam Aadmi Party’s nation-al convenor on Wednesday

declared that each family inGoa will get up to 300 unitselectricity free per month if hisparty is voted to power in thestate Assembly elections.

“The AAP Government inGoa will give up to 300 units offree electricity in the statewhile ensuring 24x7 constantpower supplies. All old powerbills will be waived off andfarmers will get free electrici-ty. The scheme has been imple-mented in Delhi and that 73per cent households in Delhiget zero bills,” he said.

Kejriwal also attackedpolitical system of Goa andreinforced that the people of

Goa are fed up with how theyvoted for Congress but BJPended up forming their gov-ernment in the State. Heassured the people of the Stateof bringing a change in theState and introducing a cleanpolitical system with freshfaces.

A delegation of cashewfarmers from Goa met Kejriwaland presented a memoran-dum where they quoted sever-al issues related to MSP oncashew farming.

They requested Kejriwal totake this issue forward andraise their voices on behalf ofthe farmers.

Talking about the aspira-tions of the people of Goa,Kejriwal said, “Goa wantschange, Goa wants clean poli-tics. The people of Goa are see-

ing how the people of Delhikicked both BJP and Congressout and brought in the cleanpolitics of AAP.

“Today I want to give myfirst guarantee about theschemes that the AAP willimplement if we form ourGovernment in Goa. People arefed up with the power cuts eventhough Goa is a power surplusState.

People told us that theelectricity rates in Goa areexorbitant and with lack of jobsand financial difficultiesbecause of Covid, it is difficultfor them to pay bills,” he said.

The Delhi Chief Ministerthen went on to give fourguarantees to the people of thecoastal State if AAP forms theGovernment.

In Punjab, Kejriwalpromised up to 300 units offree electricity for every house-hold every month, waiving ofpending bills, 24/7 uninter-rupted power supply and freeelectricity for farmers.

The Delhi Chief Ministeralso said that the party will pre-pare an agenda for Goa drawnfrom the feedback of the peo-ple. Especially targeting femalevoters, he said that womenwould be the happiest follow-ing these announcements.

Kejriwal also took theopportunity to thank the localworkers and supporters of AAPfor reaching out to people inthe tough times of the ongoingpandemic without a thoughtfor their own well-being.

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The Delhi BJP leaders onWednesday staged a protest

at Lieutenant-Governor AnilBaijal’s residence demandingAnti-Corruption Bureau(ACB) to probe into the allegedscam in procurement of DelhiTransport Corporation (DTC)buses.

A delegation led by DelhiBJP president Aadesh Gupta,Leader of Opposition (lop) inDelhi assembly Ramvir SinghBidhuri, and MLA VijendraGupta met the LieutenantGovernor Anil Baijal anddemanded a thorough probeinto all the scams. However,when they did not get a satis-factory assurance from Baijal,these leaders decided to stagedharna at Raj Niwas raisingtheir demands, said Bidhuri.

Pertinently, a three -mem-bers committee, includingtransport commissioner andvigilance secretary of the Delhigovernment, was formed byLieutenant Governor Anil

Baijal last month to look intothe allegations. The committeein its report stated there was noinfirmity in the procurement ofbuses but pointed to variouslapses in the annual mainte-nance contract.

Targeting the AAP, the BJPleaders alleged discrepancies upto Rs 3500 crore in the main-tenance of DTC buses.

Bidhuri said the enquirycommittee constituted by thelieutenant governor to investi-gate the issue had also foundillegalities in the DTC buspurchase deal tender. The ACBhas already sought permissionfrom the Lieutenant Governorto probe the issue but they stillhave not got any permission, hesaid. “We will continue to sit inprotest outside L-G till we geta firm assurance from the L-Gthat a thorough probe would beordered into all the issuesraised by us,’’ he said.

Delhi BJP president AdeshGupta said that he along withother leaders are here demand-ing a probe by ACB.

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Delhi’s Public WorksDepartment (PWD)

Minister Satyendra Jain inau-gurated a motorable road andlaid the foundation stone for asewer line in Raja Vihar, alocality of 30,000 people inRohini.

So far, residents of the areadid not have a motorable roadon which big vehicles likewater tankers or ambulancescould reach residents. The rea-son for this, according to Delhigovernment officers, was thatin 2008, the key stretch ofland was handed over to a pri-vate owner through some reg-istry. Jain said, both theMembers of LegislativeAssembly (MLAs) then werefrom the Bharatiya JanataParty.

“The land was boughtback by the Delhi StateIndustrial and InfrastructureDevelopment Corporationthrough Delhi Urban ShelterImprovement Board (DUSIB).The former owner of the landwas compensated by theGovernment of NCT of Delhi

with three plots of land inBawana. The handing out ofkey public lands can make lifemiserable for local residents.”

Targeting BJP MLAVijender Gupta, Jain gave anexample of crow and bird inwhich bird does hard work, butin the end, crow comes andclaims credit for having pre-pared the food. “The localsshared that Vijender Guptahas hosted grand inaugurationceremonies to mark the launchof the roads and sewer linesthat the AAP-led governmentof NCT of Delhi has laid down.“The BJP can come and claimcredit but the people of Delhiare smart enough to knowwho is doing their work,” saidthe minister.

He further added that theDelhi Government has done all

the work from sewer lines toroads. He said, “We have takenthe initiative but they want toclaim it.

They think they can foolthe people but people are smartenough. I think this fake pub-licity of work is good as peoplethen ask questions and theydon’t have the answers. Peopleask why only after Kejriwal jicame to power the issues havecome up and then they realisethat indeed the AAPGovernment has done thework.”

The minister also laid thefoundation stone of the sewerpumping station in Raja Viharthrough which the sewer line ofthe area will be connected tothe sewer line in Rithala. Thiswill greatly solve drainageproblems in the area.

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Delhi reported 77 Covid-19cases and one fatality on

Wednesday while the positiv-ity rate stood at 0.10 per cent,according to a health bulletinissued by the Government.

As per the bulletin, out of13,715 available beds in hospi-tals, 389 are occupied as onWednesday while the rest arevacant. At least 76,095 tests,including 54,159RTPCR/CBNAAT/TrueNattests, were conducted in the last24 hours, it said.

As many as 71 patientsrecovered in the last 24 hours,it said. Delhi has recorded atotal of 1435281 coronaviruscases since the pandemic beganlast year. So far, over 14.09 lakhpatients have recovered, the

health department bulletinsaid.

“There were 688 activeCovid-19 cases in Delhi and257 people are under home iso-lation while the number of con-tainment zones stood at 472,”it said. The Health MinisterSatyendar Jain on Tuesdaystressed that even though thecases have come down sharplyfollowing Covid-appropriatebehaviour and wear masks isessential in order to prevent theonset of a third wave.

“I believe we can preventthe third wave if people abideby Covid norms. We saw a sim-ilar situation back in January-February when people thoughtthat the cases had come downsharply As long as Covid-19cases exist in the public thevirus can spread around. The

only prevention from this sit-uation is wearing a mask,” hehad said. To detect new vari-ants of the coronavirus andascertain their severity, DelhiChief Minister Arvind Kejriwalinaugurated state-of-the-artgenome sequencing facility inInstitute of Liver and BiliaryServices (ILBS) on Thursday.

The chief minister had alsolaunched the first genome-sequencing laboratory in thenational capital at the LNJPHospital.

The genome-sequencinglaboratory at the state-run LokNayak Jai Prakash Narayan(LNJP) Hospital will be able tosequence five to seven samplesa day, with a turnaround timeof about four to five days, thegovernment had said in a state-ment.

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A27-year-old man allegedlyinvolved in more than 50

cases of snatching and robberywas arrested after a briefencounter with police in Rohiniarea.

The encounter took placeon Tuesday night when theaccused Sumit alias Bagga triedto escape by opening fire atpolice personnel. Sumit isinvolved in 53 cases includingthat of snatching, robbery, theftand those under the ArmsAct.

Police said after a spurt instreet crime especially snatch-ing recently, a team wasdeployed to collect intelligenceabout criminals operating inthe area.

According to Pranav Tayal,the Deputy Commissioner ofPolice (DCP), Rohini district,police received specific inputsthat an active snatcher carryinga loaded country-made pistolwill come on a stolen motor-cycle to commit crime follow-ing which a trap was laid near

Central Park in Rohini Sector20 and the accused was appre-hended.

“The police team recoveredfrom the accused a country-made pistol, a stolen motorcy-cle and a gold chain that wassnatched from a person inBudh Vihar area on Monday.When the accused was inter-rogated, he disclosed that thepistol was provided to him byhis accomplice Rohit followingwhich a team was formed tonab Rohit, who resides in RajivNagar Extension nearBegumpur,” said the DCP.

“When the police teamwas taking Sumit, he told themthat he wanted to relieve him-self. As he was getting downfrom the police vehicle, hesnatched constable Pramod’spistol and tried to escape,” saidthe DCP. “Sumit opened tworounds of fire in which con-stable Jaswinder received abullet injury in his thigh but heimmediately retaliated. Sumitwas injured in the retaliatoryfiring and has been hospital-ized,” said police.

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With the arrest of 19 peo-ple, including seven

women, the Delhi Police onWednesday claimed to havebusted a gang involved incheating American citizens onthe pretext of providing freegrants and impersonatingthemselves as USA officialsfrom Ministry of FinanceDepartment.

The accused were operat-ing through a call center whichwas being run in south Delhi’sMalviya Nagar area.

According to Atul KumarThakur, the DeputyCommissioner of Police(DCP), South district, policegot information through an e-mail regarding illegal call cen-ter was being running inMalviya Nagar area. Policeconducted raid and nabbedthe accused persons.

“The call center was run-ning since January 2021 in arented basement. Twenty-twocomputers were installed in thepremises, out of which 15 sys-tems were being used by thecallers. Sixteen people werefound engaged in calling thecustomers in USA imperson-

ating as officials from Ministryof Finance Department whoprovide free grants to the selec-tive citizens,” said the DCP.

“They were cheating peo-ple based in USA by usingVicidial through cloud servers,then talking to the customerson pretext of providing themfree grants if the customerpays a fee of US$ 100 and US$200 or they induced the victimsto provide the amount throughgift cards or any other wallet,”the DCP said.

“On checking of computersystems, Vicidial calling soft-ware along with scripts werefound opened on their screens.They were contacting the vic-tims through the automatedcomputer systems to dial thephone numbers one by one insequential order from the list ofnumbers uploaded in cloud-based server to start and induc-ing the customers in the nameof providing free grants afterpaying a basic fee,” said theDCP.

Two mobile phones werebeing used for the office or call-center. On examination ofalleged persons, it was revealedthat they were procuring vic-tims gift cards illegally andcheating US citizens, policesaid.

On an average, three USAcitizens were being cheatedevery day of around � 50,000 to�75,000. Further investigationis underway, police said, addingthat 22 computers, 21 mobilephones, etc. were recoveredfrom their possession.

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In order to create a single win-dow process for installation

of slow and fast chargers for‘Electronic Vehicles’ (EV),BSES Rajdhani Power Limitedon Wednesday f loated aRequest for Selection (RFS) forempanelment of private charg-ing infrastructure providerswith three Delhi discomsnamely BRPL, BYPL andTPDDL.

The empanelment will befor both slow and fast chargers.It accompanied by the roll outof an innovative, single windowfacility for installation of EVchargers in private and semi-public spaces in Delhi, whichincludes residential spaces likeapartments and group housingsocieties, institutional buildingslike hospitals, and commercialspaces like malls and theatres,the Delhi Dialogue and

Development Corporation saidin a statement.

The Vice Chairperson ofDialogue and DevelopmentCommission of Delhi, JasmineShah said, “This is a crucial stepby Delhi Government in devel-oping an innovative, singlewindow process for quick andefficient installation of EVchargers. This is in response tothe many requests we havebeen receiving since Delhi gov-ernment’s Switch Delhi cam-paign launched.

“The purchase and instal-lation of EV chargers will beprovided under two options –

outright purchase and on amonthly subscription basis, itsaid. Once the facility is rolledout, consumers will be able tocompare costs and features ofdifferent chargers on discomswebsites, order a charger, andschedule its installationthrough a single call or anonline order,” the DDDC said.

The decision to developand implement this facilitywas taken by the workinggroup for accelerated roll-out ofcharging infrastructure inDelhi, constituted by the Delhigovernment, in its fourth meet-ing held on June 14, 2020. Themeeting was chaired by Shah.

The roll out of the programwould enable any resident ofDelhi to request installation ofa charger in their premiseseither through the online por-tal of discom or by making acall to place a request, a seniorgovernment official said.

“The roll-out plan willensure a single window processfor consumers where requestsfor charger installation can beplaced with vendors of EVchargers empanelled by dis-coms through a transparentprocess. Consumers will also beable to apply for a separate elec-trical connection with a specialEV tariff,” he added.

The official said that theroll-out plan also includes dis-bursal of a grant of 100 per centfor the purchase of chargingequipment up to �6000/- percharging point for the first30,000 charging points, as perthe mandate of the Delhi EVpolicy.

The unique approach takenby Delhi Government willmake low cost smart EV charg-ers easily accessible to the pub-lic and enable the installationof thousands of such chargersacross the city.

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A34 year-old man has beenarrested by the Crime

Branch of Delhi Police alleged-ly for spying by getting sensi-tive documents from an IndianArmy official and later pro-viding it to ISI.

The suspect, Habeeb Khan,who hails from Bikaner inRajasthan was picked up by thecrime branch team of DelhiPolice from Pokhran inJaisalmer where he had beenworing as a vegetable supplieron contract basis since the lastfew years. According to a seniorpolice official, based on inputsshared by the intelligence unitearlier, the Delhi Police’s CrimeBranch team apprehended thesuspect on Tuesday fromPokhran. Preliminary invest-gation has revealed that thenabbed suspect used to get sen-sitive documents from anArmy official posted at thePokhran army base camp andfurther provided them toPakistan’s ISI, he said. Thearmy official used to alsocharge for each document pro-vided, said police. However,police did not disclose furtherdetails and maintained thatthe matter is still under inves-tigation and facts are being ver-ified.

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New Delhi: Prime MinisterNarendra Modi and MaldivianPresident Ibrahim MohamedSolih on Wednesday reviewedthe progress of India-support-ed development projects inthe archipelagic nation andexpressed satisfaction at therapid pace of implementationdespite the constraints of theCovid-19 pandemic.

Modi spoke over the phonewith Solih and assured him ofIndia's commitment to sup-porting the Maldives in thefight against the pandemic.On his part, President Solihthanked Prime Minister Modifor India's cooperation andsupport in the fight against theCOVID-19, the PrimeMinister's Office (PMO) said ina statement.

Both leaders reviewed theprogress of the India-support-ed development projects inthe Maldives and expressed sat-isfaction at the rapid pace ofimplementation despite theconstraints of the pandemic, it

said. Prime Minister Modinoted that Maldives is a centralpillar in India's'Neighbourhood First' policyand its maritime vision ofSecurity and Growth for All inthe Region (SAGAR), the state-ment said.

“Spoke with President @ibu-solih of Maldives. Assured himof India's commitment to sup-port Maldives in the fight againstthe COVID-19 pandemic,” Moditweeted. “We also reviewedprogress of bilateral developmentprojects. Conveyed congratula-tions for the election of FM(Abdulla) Shahid as UNGAPresident,” he said.

The telephone conversa-tion between the two leadersprovided them an opportuni-ty to take stock of the overallstate of bilateral relations andprovide further momentumand guidance to the ongoingsubstantive cooperationbetween the two countries, thePMO said. PTI

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The Congress onWednesday attacked the

Centre over the “shortage” ofCovid-19 vaccines. It said thethird wave of the pandemicmay hit the country verybadly due to the “slow” paceof vaccination and theGovernment's “failure”.

Senior Congress leaderand Leader of Opposition inRajya Sabha MallikarjunKharge said the weekly pace ofvaccinations has declined tonearly 60 percent of what wasseen in the week after June 21.

Rahul Gandhi, who hasbeen persistently targeting theCentre over its handling of thepandemic, said there are

“jumlas (rhetoric)” but novaccines.

“Jumle hain, vaccinenahin (There is rhetoric, novaccines),” Rahul tweetedusing the hashtag'WhereAreVaccines'.

Congress leader JairamRamesh pointed to complaintsof shortage of vaccines inseveral states and urged theModi government to doublethe vaccine procurement andallocate the same to states fair-ly.

“Vaccine shortages arenow hampering drives even instates friendly to Modi gov-ernment - Odisha, Andhraand Telangana - in addition tostates governed byOpposition.

The only way forward is:Double vaccine procurementand allocate to states fairly andtransparently,” Ramesh said.

The two leaders pointedto the shortage of vaccines inseveral states including TamilNadu, Maharashtra,Telangana, Odisha, Kerala andDelhi.

“The Government led byPM Narendra Modi claimedthat it will fully vaccinate alladults by year end. For that, 80lakh doses need to be givendaily. Yet, only 34 lakh dosesare being given daily,” Khargesaid in a series of tweets.

“Thanks to ModiGovernment's failure, the 3rdwave may hit India verybadly,” he said.

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The Cabinet Committee onEconomic Affairs (CCEA)

on Wednesday decided torevise and realign schemes ofthe Department of AnimalHusbandry and Dairying andimplement them as part of thespecial livestock sector pack-age over the next five yearsstarting from 2021-22 fiscal, ina bid to leverage an investmentof � 54,618 crore. As per therevision, all the schemes of thedepartment will be mergedinto three broad categories.

“This package envisagesthe central government's sup-port amounting to �9,800crore over the duration of fiveyears for leveraging a totalinvestment of �54,618 crorefor five years,” according to anofficial statement. Theschemes have been realignedand revised in order to furtherboost growth in the livestocksector and thereby makinganimal husbandry more remu-nerative to the 10 crore farm-ers engaged in this sector, itsaid. As per the cabinet deci-sion for livestock sector, 1500mobile veterinary clinics willbe established in the countryto deliver animal health ser-vices at doorstep of 10 crorefarmers engaged in animalhusbandry.

After the CCEA decision,Union Cabinet Minister ofFisheries, Animal Husbandryand Dairying ParshottamRupala said that more than 50lakh farmers will get direct andindirect employment oppor-tunities in the Cattle, Dairy,poultry, sheep, goat, piggery,

feed and fodder sector,through the schemesannounced. “JapanInternational CooperationAgency (JICA) assisted dairy-ing through cooperatives willsupport dairy value chain inState of Uttar Pradesh & Biharhaving dairying potential.Under JICA programme over4500 villages would get freshor strengthened infrastruc-ture and create 8.96 lakh litreper day (LLPD) chilling, 7LLPD processing capacity with incremental pro-curement of about 14.20 LLPDfrom 1.5 Lakh additional dairyfarmers,” Rupala said.

“Revised disease controlprogrammes will preventannual loss to the farmer'samount to �8,900 crore due toPPR in sheep and goats and�200 crore due to classicalswine fever in pigs.

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In a proactive effort to 'takecare' and educate girl-chil-

dren “oppressed by society” ,RSS outfit, 'Sewa Bharti', onWednesday started an initiative'Aprajita', where these chil-dren will be nurtured and“turned into pride of nation”.

According to SewaBharti,'Aprajita' strives to saveyoung oppressed girls fromthe psychological and physicaltorture of the “cruel elements ofour society.”

A small home at 26/4Shanti Niketan has been set upto nurture girls to become the'pride of the nation', said theorganisation.

To make a beginning, 10girls of 5 to 9 age group onWednesday joined their 'home'to start their journey afresh.

'Aprajita', according to theRSS Organisation, is a missionto save girl child from bad

elements of the society andeducate them .

“Today, if these girls aresaved from the crime it willhelp the society. Once theygrow up they will also endeav-our to save a number of othergirls from their group from badelements. In this way the savegirl child process will startand the chain of bad elementswill be broken,” it said.

“We will prove that yourbirth place can never destroyyour destiny. If you get a chance

to live a better life by qualityeducation you can become agood citizen “, said 'SewaBharti'.

Another RSS Organization,'Sanskar Bharti' also recentlylaunched another initiative ofproviding financial help toartists and their familiesimpacted by the Covid19 ,under its programme 'peerparayi Jane re' . Journalistsimpacted by the pandemic toowould be helped under the pro-gramme.

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Adhering to the SupremeCourt judgement for

granting permanent commis-sion (PC) to women Army offi-cers, 147 additional officerswere given such commission.With this, the total number ofsuch officers is now 424 out of615 officers considered forpermanent commission afterthe apex court order last year.

Giving details here onWednesday, the Army said 147additional women officers weregranted PermanentCommission (PC)since thelandmark judgement last year.

Following the judgement, aspecial selection board wasconstituted and 277 womenShort ServiceCommission(SSC) officerswere granted permanent com-mission after medical scrutiny.

Further, in March 2021, theSupreme Court had directed tore-consider some cases ofwomen officers who were notgranted PC by laying down

revised parameters for grant ofPC, a statement from the Armysaid.

“The women officers werere-considered as per directionsof the Supreme Court andfresh results have now been de-classified. Consequently, 147more women officers are beinggranted PC, taking the total PCgranted to 424 out of the 615officers considered,” the state-ment said.

Results of few WomenOfficers have been withheld foradministrative reasons andawaiting outcome of the clari-fication petition filed by theUnion of India UOI in theSupreme Court, it stated.

“All women officers grant-ed PC would undergo special

training courses and challeng-ing military assignments toempower them for higher lead-ership roles in the Army,” thestatement said adding a batchof 33 women officers hasalready successfully completedthe mid-level tactical orienta-tion course from Army WarCollege, Mhow recently.

Further, all women officerswho were considered in thisSpecial Number 5 SelectionBoard and not granted PC, willyet be eligible for pension sub-ject to serving for a minimumof 20 years in service. SomeWomen Officers who havealready served for 20 yearshave been released with pen-sion, while others will beallowed to continue to serve till20 years and would be releasedwith pension, the Army said.

Moreover, PC to womenofficers in junior batches hasalso commenced fromDecember 2020, in which theyare considered for PC in their10th year of service, the Armyadded.

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Contrary to speculation thatthe Congress might replace

Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury asLeader of Opposition in theLok Sabha, party sources indi-cated that he is likely to stay inthis position.

There is no change in thepost of Leader of Congress inthe Lok Sabha party at present.In this session, Adhir RanjanChowdhury will remain the Leader of Congressin Lok Sabha,” Congresssources said after a virtualmeeting on party ParliamentStrategy held by Congress chiefSonia Gandhi.

Amongst other, ShashiTharoor's name had emergedas frontrunner for the post inthe Lok Sabha if Adhir was tobe replaced

Besides deliberating on theissues to be taken by Congressduring the Monsoon session ofthe Parliament commencingMonday, sources said therewas no talk about the Punjab

Congress controversy or on themeetings by former poll strate-gist Prashant Kishor.

The CongressParliamentarians also discussedon how to bring like mindedopposition parties on board toprotest the steep rise in fuelprices, edible products, coun-try's foreign policy and aboveall on the prolonged protest byfarmers and the way govern-ment handled the pandemicand the slow state of covid vac-cination.

Sonia is believed to ask theparty's MPs of both the LokSabha and Rajya Sabha to leaveno stone unturned to attack andcounter the Modi ledGovernment on concerning issues like massiveemployment and restlessnessamongst all segments of thesociety.

She also instructed to cor-ner the Centre on the recentland controversy related to thedevelopment of Ram Temple atAyodhya and demand an expla-nation on the land scam.

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The CBI on Wednesdayarrested a promoter of a

Kolkata-based private com-pany in connection with anongoing investigation of a2014 case related to chit fundscam then worth �565 crore.

The agency also conduct-ed searches at two places inWest Bengal which led torecovery of several incrimi-nating documents.

It was alleged that theaccused person Debabrata Sinha of theaccused entity Inf inityRealcon Ltd. entered into aconspiracy with other direc-tors of the firm which result-ed in misappropriation and siphon-ing off the fund illegally col-lected by the private compa-ny from gullible investors,the agency said in a statement.

The accused allegedlyacted as a middle manbetween said private company and the regulators and got undueapprovals in favour of theaccused company from theregulatory authorities, italleged.

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The CBI on Wednesdayarrested Chief General

Manager (Finance), NationalHydroelectric PowerCorporation (NHPC),Faridabad (Haryana) and twoprivate persons including thebribe giver in an allegedbribery case of �5 lakh.

A case was registeredagainst NHPC CGM HarjeetSingh Puri and SeniorGeneral Manager (Project) ofa joint venture firm GammonCMC, Sunil Mendiratta (thealleged bribe giver), botharrested, besides private per-son Sunil Saini and construction company Gammon CMCJoint Venture throughGammon India Ltd.

The alleged courier ofthe bribe amount SanchitSaini was also arrested, offi-cials said.

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Ahead of the Parliament ‘sMonsoon Session on July

19, the Government has con-vened an all-party meeting onSunday to hold discussionswith the Opposition leaders asCovid-19 conditions stare hardin the face and expected to beone of the main subjects raisedby the Opposition parties.

The Opposition leadershave accused the Modi-Government of failing to pro-vide people with the adequatemedical infrastructure sup-port, particularly the life sav-ing oxygen, during the second-killer-wave of coronavirus inApril-May, this year.

This is the first sessionbeing held after the stormy westBengal poll along with electionsto Assam, Tamil Nadu, Keralaand Puducherry assemblies..

Parliamentary AffairsMinister Pralhad Joshi hasinvited leaders of politicalparties for the meet on July 18in which Prime MinisterNarendra Modi is expected tobe present, sources said.

An Executive meeting ofthe BJP’s Parliamentary Partyis also likely to be held onSunday.

Around 17 bills are listedfor introduction in the Lok

Sabha and as many in theRajya Sabha.

Conventionally , the gov-ernment convenes to exchangeideas and narrow down differ-ences on the parliamentaryagenda and ensure smoothfunctioning of the House dur-ing the session. The Monsoonsession begins on July 19 and toconclude on August 13 with 19days business and expected tobe tumultuous with oppositiongetting an opportunity post-second-covid19 wave to take onthe government on fallingeconomy, failure to check thesecond surge in the pandemicand investigation ordered by aFrench court into the purchaseof Rafale fighter jet deal .

Congress President SoniaGandhi has held a meeting ofthe party’s parliamentary strat-egy group to discuss key issuesto be raised by the party in boththe houses during the monsoonsession. The session would alsobe first following first majoroverhaul by Prime MinisterModi since he took over reinsof government for the second-time in 2019 of his council ofministers that witnessed old-time bigwigs like Ravi ShankarPrasad, Prakash Javadekar ,Harsh Vardhan and SantoshGangwar made to resign andyoung faces inducted.

Gearing-up for theParliament session BJP hasappointed Union ministerPiyush Goyal as the leader ofhouse in Rajya Sabha. He willsucceed Thawar Chand Gahlotwho has been appointed thegovernor of Karnataka andresigned as a union ministerfollowing the changes affectedin the cabinet..

The Parliamentary AffairsMinistry has intimated theRajya Sabha Secretariat thatGoyal will be the Leader ofHouse, sources said.

Goyal, a two-time RajyaSabha MP, is currently thedeputy leader of the NDA andis also Union Minister in theCabinet. He is holding thecharge of various ministries,including commerce andindustry, food and consumeraffairs, and textiles. Prior tobecoming a minister in 2014,Goyal was the treasurer of the

BJP for a long time.BJP is keen to put the

opposition on the mat which istrying to gather some momen-tum and ‘join hands together’in the coming assembly polls inUP, Uttarakhand, Punjab andGoa, early next year.

Party President J P Naddahas held a meeting of seniorleaders at the residence ofUnion Defence MinisterRajanth Singh to finalize strat-egy to take on the opposition,particularly the Congresswhich is mulling over to changeits leader of opposition in theLok Sabha to put-up a morespirited show against the trea-sury benches..

BJP is anticipating that theopposition may attack it forCovid19 management amidstpotential third-pandemic-wave, inflation, and fuel priceswhich have already crossed Rs100 a liter in some cities.

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The security agencies havewarned of a Pakistani

covert agency ISI plot to tar-get Shramik special trainsrunning between Punjab andUttar Pradesh-Bihar in itsbid to disturb law and order.The railway police have beenalerted to keep a strict vigil.

The Inter-Ser vicesIntelligence (ISI) had plottedto target Shramik Specialtrains that originate fromPunjab through bombs withtimers. The plot was revealedthrough inputs that Pakistan-based ISI operatives hadoffered their contact inPunjab with bombs fittedwith timers.

The alert said that themotive behind such a plotwould have been to disturb

the law and order situation inUttar Pradesh and Bihar bytargeting the labour force.

The agencies have alsoadvised the local police sta-tions and local administrationto establish coordination withthe railway police and railwayadministration to heightenthe vigil at railway assets.

The alert further advisedthe stakeholders to take allpreventive, defensive andcounter measures to maintainsecurity at the rai lwayspremises and prevent any lawand order issue by thwartingsuch nefarious designs of theinimical forces.

Amid the Covid-19 out-break, the recruitment ofcadres for the ISI and its ter-ror affiliates like the Lashkar-e-Tayabba and Jaish-e-Mohammad has beenadversely affected.

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New Delhi: BJP leaderSuvendu Adhikari onWednesday moved theSupreme Court seeking trans-fer of West Bengal ChiefMinister Mamata Banerjee'spetition against his electionfrom Nandigram constituencyoutside the state.

Adhikari, a former closeaide of Banerjee but havingjoined the BJP in 2020, is cur-rently the Leader of Oppositionin the Assembly. He had defeat-ed Banerjee in a closely-con-tested election by a margin of1,956 votes. Banerjee hadmoved an election petition inthe high court challengingAdhikar's election victory.

According to a sourcefamiliar with development,Adhikari sought transfer ofthe petition filed by Banerjee,which is pending in theCalcutta High Court, outsidethe state. Justice Shampa Sarkaris currently hearing the electionpetition of the Chief Minister.The high court has issuednotice to Adhikari in the mat-ter and asked him to preservethe documents connected withthe election during the pen-dency of the petition.

On July 7, Justice KausikChanda of the high court hadrecused himself from hearingBanerjee's petition againstAdhikari's win fromNandigram. IANS

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Kerala on Wednesday wit-nessed a rare spectacle of its

first citizen sitting in fast for aday to express his solidaritywith the women and girl chil-dren in the State. Governor ArifMohammed Khan staged aday-long fast along withGandhians inT h i r u v a n a n t h a p u r a manguished over the unprece-dented increase in the attacksagainst women and girl chil-dren as well as the dowrydeaths in the State.

Governor Khan launchedhis fast at 8 am in the RajBhavan and concluded thesame at 5 pm at Gandhi Bhavanwhere he greeted the followersof Gandhi who staged a day-long fast and prayer. KAyyappan Pillai, the 107 yearold Gandhian turned out to bethe cynosure of all eyes.

This is the first time in thehistory of Kerala a reigningGovernor staged a fast likethis. While addressing theprayer meeting in the eveningGovernor Arif Mohammed

Khan exhorted the Kerala soci-ety to stand unitedly in oppos-ing the dowry system which hasclaimed the lives of hundreds ofgirls.

“Tonight I am writing to allrepresentatives of the peopleincluding members of legislativeassembly and parliament toensure that they do not partic-ipate in marriages in whichdowry is involved. I will alsowrite to vice-chancellors of alluniversities to get an undertak-ing from all graduates that theywould not accept or give dowryand the system itself is a crime,”declared the Governor.

He said that vice chancellorsshould have the power to can-cel the degrees awarded to per-sons who have accepted orgiven dowry. The Governorreminded the youth and theirparents that degrees were notbargaining chips to be used inthe marriage market. “MahatmaGandhi had written many timesthat the system of dowry dis-credits the degree and educa-tion. Girls should refuse to getmarried with persons whodemand dowry. The bride-

groom’s mother has an impor-tant role to play in the eradica-tion of this system. They shouldbear in mind that they aremothers not only to boys but togirls too,” said the Governor.

Governor Khan said that hehad a discussion with ChiefMinister Pinarayi Vijayan aboutthe fast and the latter was sup-portive and enthusiastic aboutthe move. Kerala has seen anunprecedented increase inattacks on women and girlchildren during the last 18months and this further shot upin the January 2021 to May 31period.

The Governor had calledon the parents of 23-year-oldVismaya who was found undermysterious circumstances inher husband’s house followingcomplaints about dowry harass-ment.

Kerala Pradesh CongressCommittee president KSudhakaran and BJP state pres-ident K Surendran said theGovernor’s fast was furtherproof of the fact that womenand girl children were not safein Kerala.

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Amid ongoing war of wordsbetween Raj Bhavan and

Nabanna (State secretariat),West Bengal Chief MinisterMamata Banerjee onWednesday met GovernorJagdeep Dhankhar for abouttwo hours — longest everencounter between the twoever since he took charge in2019— at the Governor’s house.

While the two sides report-edly discussed a host of recentpolitical issues includingNational Human RightsCommission’s inquiry into thereported post-poll violence andthe alleged denial of the PublicAccounts CommitteeChairmanship to OppositionBJP what figured most in theone-on-one parley was theTrinamool CongressGovernment’s proposal to re-introduce the Legislative

Council in the State, Nabannasources said.

The ruling party had ear-lier passed a resolution in theState Assembly in support ofcreating an upper house. TheLegislative Assembly was doneaway with in Bengal in the year1969 during the rule of JointFront Government of Left andBangla Congress. Subsequent

Governments of SS Ray, JyotiBasu and even BuddhadebBhattacharjee would not res-urrect the bi-cameral system.

The Chief Minister hadhowever made a move to rein-troduce the system after shecame for the second time in2016 and made it an electoralpromise ahead of the 2021

Assembly polls leading theopposition parties to cirticisethe move saying it would costthe State exchequer an addi-tional �800 crore.

Bengal Opposition LeaderSuvendu Adhikari said that“they have got the resolutionpassed in Bengal House butthey will have to get it passedin Parliament … which will bea difficult task.”

The Wednesday’s meetingbetween the Governor and theChief Minister took place amidincessant firing of salvos fromboth the sides with theGovernor continuously attack-ing the State Government fordoing nothing about repeatedpost-poll attacks on theOpposition workers and theirsupporters and the ChiefMinister calling him a “corruptman” wondering whether hisname appeared in the JainHawala case.

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Bengal Opposition LeaderSuvendu Adhikari has

moved the Supreme Courtseeking the transfer ofNandigram election case tosome other High Court out ofBengal on grounds that the rul-ing Trinamool Congress wastrying to create intense pressureon the local judiciary on theissue.

The development comesdays after Justice KaushikChanda of Calcutta High Courtrecused himself from the casebut not before imposing a fineof �5 lakh on the petitioner —Chief Minister MamataBanerjee — for allegedly tryingto bring judiciary to disrepute.

Adhikari is known to have

made the observations of theCalcutta High Court his plankof argument seeking transfer ofthe case.

He had in the recentlyconcluded Assembly electionsdefeated Banerjee by about19,00 votes leading the ChiefMinister to challenge thecounting process. She sought are-counting of the votes. Whenthe matter was listed for hear-ing in Justice Chanda’s courtshe pleaded to get it transferredto some other Bench on thegrounds of the Judge’s politicalpast.

Subsequently the painedJudge popularly known for hisintegrity recused himself fromthe case which was transferredto the Bench of Justice ShampaSarkar.

Meanwhile, Court onWednesday admitted petitionchallenging the result ofNandigram assembly poll anddirected the ElectionCommission to preserve allrecords and devices related tothe elections. The Judge alsoserved a notice to BJP’sSuvendu Adhikari. The nextdate of hearing has been fixedon August 12.

In an unrelated develop-ment a team of CID officials onWednesday visited the house ofSuvendu Adhikari in connec-tion with the mysterious deathof one of his former securityguards three years ago.

The investigators spoke tohis brother and MP DibyenduAdhikari while Opposition BJPcalled it a vendetta politics.

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Kolkata: Voicing displeasureover the "delay" in holdingelections to seven West Bengalassembly seats, crucial forMamata Banerjee's uninter-rupted continuance as the chiefminister, the TMC said onWednesday a party delegationwill meet the ElectionCommission on July 15 topress for it.

Sukhendu Shekhar Ray, asenior leader of the state's rul-ing paty, also taunted the pollpanel, wondering whether itwas "waiting for a third Covidwave" to conduct the elections.

Maintaining that the pan-demic has eased considerably,Ray said the situation was con-ducive for holding the polls.

Bypolls are to be held forfive vacant seats, and freshelections to two others wherepolling was countermandedfollowing the death of candi-dates.

The byelections are of crit-ical importance to ChiefMinister Mamata Banerjee,who lost the assembly poll toBJP's Suvendu Adhikari inNandigram.

The Constitution allows aperson to occupy a ministeri-al position only up to sixmonths without getting elect-ed to a state legislature or thetwo Houses of Parliament. Itmandates that a minister whois not a member of legislaturefor six consecutive monthsshall cease to occupy the posi-tion at the expiration of thatperiod.

Banerjee needs to get elect-ed to the assembly byNovember 4 to continue as thechief minister. "We willbe meeting EC officials tomor-row (Thursday) in Delhi withthe demand to hold pendingelections and byelections toseven assembly segments. PTI

Kolkata: In a rerun of the 2015Robinson Street skeleton case inKolkata, a woman and herdaughter were found living withthe decomposed corpse of her78-year-old husband in thenorthern part of the city, policesaid on Wednesday.

The incident came to lightafter stench began emanatingfrom their house in Bagbazararea.After their neighbours alert-ed the police, the law enforcersconducted a check late onTuesday night, only to find thetwo women living with thedecomposed corpse of 78- year-old Digvijay Ghosh, an officer ofShyampukur police station said.

"The man must have died atleast a month-and-half ago. Thebody has been fully decom-posed, exposing the skeleton," hesaid, adding that Ghosh was ill.

The cause of the death is notyet clear. We have sent the bodyfor post-mortem examination.We are questioning thedeceased's wife and daughter,"

the officer said, adding they arealso trying to ascertain whetherthe two women were depressed.

The two women, who ini-tially resisted police's attempt toenter the house, were foundleading a normal life, havingfood and doing all daily choresin the same room where thebody was lying on the bed.

"The doors and windowswere shut and nobody wasallowed to enter the house. Thedeceased's daughter was notliving with her husband and wasstaying in her maternal house forthe last couple of years. We areinvestigating the incident," hesaid. The incident broughtback memories of the RobinsonStreet case, in which softwareengineer Partha De had spent sixmonths with the skeletons of hissister Debjani De and two petdogs. Police stumbled upon thecase while investigating thedeath of his father Arabinda De,who had set himself on fire onJune 10, 2015. PTI

Kolkata: The ongoing restric-tions on public life in Bengal wason Wednesday extended tillJuly 30, in view of the experts’assumption that a possible thirdwave of the corona pandemiccould hit by August-September.

Announcing the extensionof restrictions the Chief Ministersaid that more relaxations wouldbe given by the Governmentallowing public transport includ-ing the metro services to runwith 50 percent capacity onweek days.

The Government notifica-tion however made it clear thatlocal train services to and fromKolkata would remain sus-pended at least till July 30. Thestaff special trains would how-ever run. While schools, collegesand universities would remainclosed offices, both governmentand private, would be allowed tofunction with half the man-power. PNS

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Jammu: Three Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorists, includ-ing a Pakistani commander,were gunned down by the jointteam of security forces duringan eight-hour long operation inthe built up area of NewColony, in South Kashmir dis-trict of Pulwama.

The killed terrorists havebeen identified as LeT com-mander Aijaz @Abu Hurairaresident of Pakistan, JaveedAhmad Rather son of AbdulGanie Rather resident of TahabPulwama and Shahnawaz NazirGanie son of Nazir AhmadGanie resident of SambooraAwantipora.

So far 77 terrorists havebeen eliminated by the securi-ty forces, majority of them inthe South Kashmir area.

As per police records, "allthe killed terrorists were part ofa group involved in various ter-ror crimes". The killed foreignterrorist Aijaz had a history ofterror crime cases. He was alsoinstrumental in recruiting inno-cent youth into terror foldsbesides, planning and executing

several terror attacks in the areaincluding attacks on Police andsecurity establishments.

According to a spokesmanof Jammu & Kashmir police,"the operation was launchedlate Tuesday night around 11.55p.m in the New ColonyHospital road area of Pulwamaon receipt of information aboutthe presence of terrorists in thearea" As the troops were layingcordon at around 1:20 am, ter-rorists opened fire on the troopsand tried to escape takingadvantage of darkness. Alerttroops immediately returnedfire and trapped the fleeing ter-rorists in a house. A call for sur-render was given but terroristsfired indiscriminately and afire fight ensued.

During an eight hours longoperation all three terroristswere eliminated by the securi-ty forces and retrieved theirbodies from the encounter site.

The security forces haverecovered arms and ammuni-tion including 2 AK rifles anda pistol from the site of theencounter. PNS

KOCHI: The BJP’s Kerala unit president KSurendran was questioned on Wednesday by thespecial investigation team of Kerala Police prob-ing the �3.5 crore hawala case. This is the first timein the history of the State politics, the presidentof a political party was interrogated by the policefor “impropriety” associated with cash dealings.

The questioning was in connection with thecomplaint lodged by Dharman, a BJP activist thathe was waylaid by certain people at Kodakara nearThrissur and took away the cash he was trans-porting to Kerala from Karnataka. Later, the policetold media persons that the money belonged tothe Kerala unit of the BJP and was meant for elec-tion expenses.

The police zeroed in on M Ganeshan, the orga-nizational secretary of the Kerala BJP who wasreportedly in contact with Dharman throughphone calls. The investigation officers said thatDharman had links with Surendran’s son.

Speaking to reporters after the 90 minutes longgrilling, Surendran alleged that he was summonedby the police to embarrass the BJP leadership. “ThePolice themselves do not know what they are prob-ing. They asked me whether I know some peopleand whether I had any dealings with them. Thisinvestigation is a drama to divert the attention ofthe people from real issues,” said Surendran. PNS

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Sleuths of the UP Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS)

claimed to have made furtherbreakthrough by arresting threemore Al-Qaeda operatives inconnection with the ‘humanbomb’ plot case on Wednesday.

The arrests came followingextensive grilling of Al-Qaedasupported Ansar GhazwatulHind operatives held inLucknow last Sunday.

The three suspects nabbedon Wednesday were identifiedas Mohammed Muid (29),Shakeel (36) and MohammedMustakim (44) and they wereaccused of arranging logisticsfor the two ultras arrested ear-lier. Earlier on Sunday, the ATShad netted two terrorists ofAnsar Ghazwatul Hind, identi-fied as Minhaz Ahmed ofDubagga and Maseeruddin ofMadiaon, and they were

charged with planning tounleash terror activities onAugust 15 (Independence Day)in different cities of the state.The ATS team had recoveredexplosives, hand guns and twopressure cookers which were tobe used as bombs. They werelater produced in a Lucknowcourt which remanded them to14-day police custody forquizzing that could unravel thesinister plot. Both accused arein ATS custody and are beingquizzed.

Sources said that during thegrilling of Minhaz andMaseerudddin, the ATSreceived inputs that three aideshad provided arms and otherlogistical support to them andwere still present in Lucknow.

IG (ATS) GK Goswamisaid that the trio was sum-moned for questioning andduring interrogation, they con-fessed to providing logistics to

the former two. All the threewill be now produced in a localcourt to seek police custodyremand for further quizzing.

Minhaz and Maseerudinalso disclosed that they were intouch with their handler UmarHalmandi, head of the UPmodule of Al-Qaeda, who gaveinstructions from the Pakistan-Afghanistan border. Halmandi’sreal name is Syed Akhtar and heis a native of Sambhal (UP). OnWednesday, his brother told thepolice that Syed abscondedfrom home in 1998-99 when hewas only 22-years of age andsince then, he never visitedthem, not even on the death ofhis parents. Syed reportedlyran away with Asim Umar andtwo others.

Sources said that SyedAkhtar visited Kanpur Nagar,Ayodhya, Lucknow andVaranasi along with Minhaz lastyear.

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An Army man died andfour others were critical-

ly injured as their truck fell intoa gorge in Arunachal Pradesh'sUpper Siang district onWednesday morning, officialssaid.

The Army vehicle, carry-ing 11 personnel, was on its way to Tuting Armycamp in the district from atransit camp at Migging, theysaid.

The truck fell into a gorgebetween Pango and Tutingaround 7.10 am while negoti-ating the hilly road, TutingAdditional DeputyCommissioner (ADC) StarlieJamoh said. "A jawan of the 4thSikh Light Infantry Regimentdied on the spot. The otherswere injured and four of themwere critical," he said, quotingarmy sources. The four criti-cally injured jawans were evac-uated by an army chopper, hesaid.

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Kota (Raj): A 50-year-old JointLabour Commissioner here wasbooked for raping an employee of hisoffice, police said on Wednesday

The woman has alleged thatPradeep Jha raped her twice, first inDelhi and then in Kota.

The medical examination of thewoman was done and her statementwas recorded on Wednesday.

The woman filed the complaintagainst the accused with the Kota SP,alleging sexual exploitation and rape,Circle Inspector Mukesh Meenasaid.

On the directions of the SP,police booked Jha under Sections354, 376 and 384 of the IPC onMonday night and initiated investi-gation, he said.

The woman alleged that on thepretext of official work, the accusedonce took her to Delhi, where heraped her in Rajasthan House, andthe next time he forcibly took her toPiplda House in Kota, where herepeated the crime. PTI

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Ayodhya: Ram temple con-struction committee chairmanNirprendra Mishra onWednesday reviewed theprogress on the project, meet-ing officials and members ofthe Shri Ram JanmbhoomiTeerth Kshetra.

Mishra is in Ayodhya ona three-day visit.

He inspected the work onthe temple foundation and metAyodhya Commissioner M PAgrawal and DistrictMagistrate Anuj Kumar Jhaand trust members, includingChampat Rai and Anil Mishra,at the Faizabad circuit house.

Representatives from con-struction firms Larsen andTubro and Tata ConsultancyServices were also present inthe meeting.

Anil Mishra told reportersthat the construction of thefoundation will be over by firstweek of October. PTI

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environmental clearancesfrom the Government in 2017.The landowners were neverpaid what was due to them.The project had enormousenvironmental costs as well.For clearing forests, gramsabha’s consent was neversought.

Father Stan was askinguncomfortable questions,making the powers-that-benervous. He filed a PIL in 2017against the detention of 72prisoners in Jharkhand’s WestSinghbhum district. Adivasiand Dalit youths were jailedunder the Unlawful ActivitiesPrevention Act (UAPA). Theironly crime was that they hadprotested the illegal acquisitionof their land and forests. Theystood against the corpora-tions that had the State’s back-ing. Three years later, he wasalso booked under the UAPAin far-off Maharashtra.

The message was loud andclear: You do not mess with thesystem. If you do, the systemwill fix you, slowly but surely.He was one of the 16 accusedin what is now known as theBhima Koregaon case for incit-ing caste violence and plottingto assassinate the Prime

Minister. He was arrested fromhis ashram in Ranchi andlocked up in Taloja jail inOctober 2020. It is interestingto note how the system works.The 40-odd policemen arrest-ed him within hours after theorders. Nevertheless, the trialfor such a sensitive case is yetto start. Our system doeswork, though selectively!

A liberal by intellect and aGod-fearing Christian byheart, the two opposites met inhim and synthesised. Thanksto NIA, he holds the rare dis-tinction of being the oldestperson to be charged for ter-ror activities. He was treated asa petty criminal without anyentitlements and privilegesthat should have come with hisage, if nothing else. He sufferedfrom Parkinson’s and couldnot even sign or hold a cup todrink water. He fell down sev-eral times. It took just eightmonths to kill him.

The Bhima Koregaon casewould take years to decide.The NIA and public prosecu-tors would indeed have evi-dence to prove he wasinvolved. The judge would lis-ten to the plea of both sidesand decide. Of course, he

would not consider reportsthat the laptop was hacked andinjected with malware to plantevidence against Stan; more soif the newspaper happens tobe Washington Post.

The judges are not sup-posed to work under mediapressure or the Government,no matter how high-profilethe case may be. Bail is not anundertrial’s right but a judge’sdiscretion, his call based onfacts presented before him.That Father Stan could wagea war against the State from ahospital bed or destroy evi-dence with his tremblinghands or could have jumpedbail though he could not walk,these facts must have crossedthe judge’s mind while declin-ing his bail petition. He died46 days later. In the film JollyLLB, the judge quips: “Kanoonandha hota hai judge nahin,usey sab dikhta hai” (Law isblind, not the judge; he seeseverything)”. Wish the judgehad seen the truth through.He could have bailed out thejudiciary!

(The writer is a columnistand documentary filmmaker.The views expressed are personal.)

������������ ����������������Sir — Whether the Centre admits it or not,the reality is that the pace of vaccination hasslackened due to vaccine shortage. The factthat all those standing in long queues forlong hours do not succeed in getting vac-cinated means that the demand is farexceeding the supply. Now that people haveovercome vaccine hesitancy, it falls on theGovernment to meet the demand. TheUnion Government’s claim that there areenough vaccines appears to be untrue. Ifthat were the case, vaccination centres inseveral States would not have shut down.

Union Health Minister MansukhMandaviya must become aware of what ishappening on the ground. Now is the timefor the Centre to supply more vaccines toquicken the pace of vaccination to avert athird wave. Replenishing the stocks whenthey deplete is its responsibility. The rise in‘R’ factor or reproduction rate while thecountry is in the ‘unlocking mode’ adds anew urgency to the vaccination pro-gramme. The importance of vaccinating asmany people as possible and as quickly aspossible to achieve herd immunity cannotbe overemphasised.

The Union Government must showcommitment and will to make the life-sav-ing vaccines available to States in sufficientquantities and accelerate the vaccinationdrive on war footing. This is said not toblame the Government, but to galvanise itinto more vigorous action.

G David Milton | Kanyakumari

�����������������������������Sir — After kicking off the election cam-paign in Punjab and Uttarakhand, AamAadmi Party chief Arvind Kejriwal hasannounced four pre-poll guarantees forGoa, together with 300 units of free elec-tricity to people in the coastal State. TheAAP chief said that Goa has seen soiled pol-itics through the years. The Congress andthe BJP have for long cheated the peopleof Goa, he claimed, adding that his partywas getting immense support as the localsfavoured clean and new politics.

In his four guarantees, Kejriwal vowedthat each household will get 300 units of

free electricity, pending energy paymentswill be waived off, there won’t be any ener-gy cuts and the farmers with get free powerfor farming. Kejriwal has been powering hiscampaign in the poll-bound States withsimilar promises. In Punjab, where ener-gy disruption is a major poll plank, theDelhi Chief Minister again gave the sameset of guarantees. The party is trying tobroaden its base in six main States goingto polls. Elections in Punjab, Goa,Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, HimachalPradesh and Gujarat would be held in 2022and the AAP has been planning to contestthe polls in all these States.

Bhagwan Thadani | Mumbai

����������������������������Sir — Lionel Messi finally got his hands onan international trophy, with the Albicelestewinning their first piece of silverware since1993 by beating archrivals Brazil in the

Copa America finals. Naturally, the win isthe biggest moment for Messi, whose tro-phy jinx with the blue-and-white jerseyfinally ended even as his teammates tossedhim into the air as the chorus of cheers fromArgentina’s fans cascaded down the standsof Brazil’s Maracana stadium.

But it wasn’t just Messi’s comrades whocongratulated him. His Barcelona teammateNeymar sought out his old pal and the pairshared a long embrace, which must havewarmed the cockles of everyone’s heart.(Editorial, ‘True friends’, July 14). It reallywas a touching moment, considering thatNeymar just went through heartbreak andmelancholy, and is yet to win a trophy forhis country. If anything, the Copa Americafinal appears to have further strengthenedthe bond between Messi and Neymar.

Ranganathan Sivakumar | Chennai

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The hottest places in hellare reserved for thosewho, in times of greatmoral crisis, maintain

neutrality,” said medieval thinkerDante Alighieri. He could wellhave been speaking about thepresent times where conscienceis flaming out. As we all go aboutworrying about our own lives inthe Corona era, a lot more is hap-pening during the lockdown —detentions, lockups, undertrialssuccumbing to inordinate delaysand common people’s eternalwait for justice.

This is as much about FatherStan Swamy as it is about us.Sometimes the breath and con-science are all there is betweenthe living and dead. If it does notsimmer, a person may be livingyet dead. Sometimes an individ-ual’s death allows us to ponderover how alive we are — social-ly, politically and morally.

Father StanislausLourduswamy died on a hospi-tal bed in Mumbai under incar-ceration, waiting for an interimbail that never came. He wasadmitted to a private hospital andput on ventilator after contract-ing COVID in the crampedTaloja jail. Finally, on July 6, post-COVID aftereffects, Parkinson’sand the system’s apathy got thebetter of him. An ailing octoge-narian who had no criminalrecord or history of violence wasdenied bail despite severalappeals. His death left the systemon a metaphorical ventilator;gasping for air, clamouring for abailout.

Father Stan was born inTamil Nadu and had imbibed hisliberal ideas in the Philippines.He chose to work for the welfareof tribals in Jharkhand. He wasalso a Jesuit priest, a Christianmissionary working in tribalareas. These two descriptions areenough to make his credentialssuspect. A “liberal activist” con-veniently translates as “Maoist”.Christian missionary swaps wellfor a conversion enthusiast. Onecould wonder why it took him solong to earn the system’s ire. Wasit his credentials or his work intribal areas that did him in? Itwasn’t. It was when he threw thespanner in the works by ques-tioning Adani’s political jugger-naut. He objected to the forcefulacquisition of land for the Adanipower plant in Godda at a throw-away price. The project got hasty

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Two major recent changes, com-ing in quick succession, which aredirectly related to the farm sec-tor initiatives of the Mods

Government bode well for a further pushfor sectoral economic growth and are like-ly to improve incomes and create surplusvalue for farmers across the country.

The first one is the move to entrustthe responsibility of Cooperation basedon the theme of “Sahakar Se Samriddhi”(Prosperity through Cooperation) to anexperienced Cooperative movement vet-eran like Union Home Minister AmitShah, and the other is the decision tobring the Mandis or the AgricultureProduce Marketing Committees underthe purview of the �1 lakh crore AgriInfrastructure Fund (AIF) as part of theAtma Nirbhar package.

These two are a continuation of aseries of steps taken in the agriculturespace by both editions of the ModsGovernment. Perhaps at no time in thepast have so many decisions for bringingabout positive changes in this sectorrolledin like now.

Of course, this is not to forget thewidespread protests against the three farmlaws mainly from farmers in Punjab andHaryana who were worried that the“social and economic compact” amongfarmers and Arthias (CommissionAgents) would be broken with the com-ing into force of these Acts. Looking back,it needs to be conceded that the "market-ing" or "communication of intent" of theActs could have been done better from theside of the Establishment. Unfortunately,in our country, there is a proclivity topoliticise and exploit misunderstand-ings among political parties depending onshort-term exigencies. No party is freefrom this malaise.

While a separate focus onCooperation could do good to manyareas, it is in agriculture and allied activ-ities that the immediate potential is thegreatest. It is hoped that the spirit ofCooperation which has worked wondersin the dairy sector can be replicated withgreater vigour in all other areas includ-ing banking but after taking care to seethat “commercial viability” of opera-tions is never jeopardised. That should bethe Least Common Denominator (LCD)of any changes or reforms. Unless thereis a common commercial benefit to bederived, there is no way any change orreform will be welcomed with enthusi-asm. As the man who turned around theAhmedabad District Cooperative Bank in1999-2000 (sans any support from thecaste-dynamics which controlled thisbank then) there is nobody better than the54-year-old Amit Shah to bring in thischange.

The Cabinet decision permittingMandis to be financed under the AIFgives a lie to the theory that the Centreaimed to torpedo or overturn the systemof Mandis or the role of the Arthias andthe APMCs. Viewed from that perspec-

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In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and the lock-downs, mental health is a

topic of deliberation among themasses and not just psycholo-gy professionals. Students’ men-tal health issues are on the rise- every passing year marked bynervous breakdowns and sui-cides - and the pandemic hasadded a significant layer ofmental stress that is particular-ly concerning.

Recently, students under-went a harrowing period ofuncertainty over the class XIIboard examinations while theCBSE mulled alternatives. Thefinal decision - the cancellationof the exams and a new struc-ture for allotting marks — hastriggered fresh bouts of anxiety.The students continue to beconcerned about their futureeducational prospects.

Such stress compoundsstudents’ general anxietiesaround adulthood, adaptingto e-learning, the pandemic,and numerous other physicaland psychological changes theyundergo.

Many of these stressorsare just as present in adultsbut the key difference is whenthey affect developing chil-dren during their formativeyears, they can have lifelongimpacts. Studies show thebrain of a child witnessesmaximum growth betweensix and 13 years.

Thus, within pedagogy,there is an increasing move-ment beyond the cognitivecapacities of children andfocus on their holistic devel-opment so that they are bet-ter equipped to navigate theworld. The SEE Learning

program that focuses on thesocial, emotional, and ethicalliteracy of K-12 students isone such approach.

The Social, Emotionaland Ethical (SEE) Learningprogram - developed atEmory University is an artic-ulation of the vision of theDalai Lama to educate theheart - takes into account evi-

dence presented by the earli-er Social and EducationalLearning (SEL) community.In fact, Dr. Daniel Goleman,a pioneer in the SEL commu-nity, is a key advisor to theSEE Learning program.

Other pioneers in SEL suchas Dr.James Heckman and Dr.James Comer realized thatthough cognitive skills are fun-damental, soft skills or lifeskills are just as significant to theeventual development of chil-dren. SEL programs focus ontwo primary domains: emo-tional intelligence and socialskills (the ability to engagewith the external world). SEELearning expounds upon theseconcepts of SEL through threecritical lenses - introduction ofethical literacy, i.e., compassionwith discernment, trauma-informed resiliency approach,

and systems thinking perspec-tive. The benefits to the over-all social well-being, when soci-eties are driven by such atti-tudes, are becoming clearerthan ever.

About the systems thinkingperspective, it is imperative tounderstand that we live in aglobal, interconnected andextremely complex society gov-erned by a variety of systems.Therefore, it is not sufficient tomerely give children emotion-al literacy, and the ability tocommunicate and socialize, aspresent-day needs make itimportant to ground themwith the tools to be systemsthinkers.

This allows students tounderstand the complex net-work of systems and the inter-play of factors forming thesystem in any situation, there-

by equipping them with greaterawareness to make life decisionsthat benefit not just them butthe larger community they area part of.

The SEE Learning pro-gram has other unique differ-entiators that distinguish itfrom other pedagogicalapproaches. The first is anemphasis on cultivating the“skill of attention” since it is acore skill that impacts allaspects of learning. Anotherdifferentiating factor is that itrecognizes the breadth of expe-riences, circumstances, andfactors that affect the ability ofstudents to reflect, deal withemotions and self-regulate.

The approach also benefitsthose outside the context oftrauma. Every circumstancethat human beings find them-selves in is ultimately manifest-

ed as a combination of safetyand fear. Navigating these cir-cumstances is enhanced by agreater understanding of phys-ical nervous systems, regulationof stress through body-basedpractices, and cultivation of“body literacy”. Such practicesbetter equip students to dealwith stress regularly.

It is hard to overstate theimportance of pedagogicalapproaches like SEE Learningin current times. It has been atumultuous time for students asthe pandemic has jeopardizedthe future for many of them,particularly those geared totake the CBSE/ISC boardexams. SEE Learning can charta clear path to ensure that stu-dents have the social and eth-ical literacy to find solutionsthat best serve the problems ofthis volatile world.

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POINTCOUNTERPOINT

(The writer is a top executive in a public

sector bank. The viewsexpressed are personal.)

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Learning India, Max IndiaFoundation. Neha Bhatia is

Head Operations (North). Theviews expressed are personal.)

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tive, this is just the right thing todo to reassure our farmers and theAgri ecosystem which includes theArthias (who also cultivate apartfrom providing informal financialmediation including loans) and theAPMCs which are aggregatingpoints/centres for market controlat the local level. Like in all otherorganisations, there are powerplays in the APMCs too.

There has been a continuousfocus by the Centre on reformingthe agriculture sector though it ison the State List. It takes two totango as they say. Unless the Statesalso work in tandem with theCentre on policy implementationit will be difficult to achieve thedesired outcomes.

There are at least 10majormoves that have been introducedin the last six to seven years for thebenefit of the farm sector.

The MSP for most commodi-ties like paddy, wheat, pulses, soy-abean, cotton, etc., has been hikedfrom 37 per cent to 50 per centinthe last seven years. Commonpaddy for instance which wasbeing procured at �1360 in the firstyear of Mods I is now being pro-cured at �1940 a quintal. Wheat isnow being bought by theGovernment at �1975 against�1450 then. Soyabean has seen arise from �2560 to �3950, whilecotton fetches �6025 against �4050then.

The efficiency of procurementhas improved with paddy andwheat in the major producer Statesbeing supported by FCI, pulses andoilseeds by NAFED, and cotton by

the CCI. In February 2019, theinterest subvention on crop loanswherein the Centre pays a total offive per cent subsidy annually forprompt repaying borrowers andtwo per cent for all others wasextended to cover working capitalloans for dairy, poultry, and fish-eries farmers. While the dairysector has seen loans being givenunder this scheme, the low-costloan is yet to pick up under fish-eries and poultry for various rea-sons related to coordination andsectoral problems. (For instance,insurance cover is practically notavailable for poultry.)

The Department ofAgriculture and the Department ofFinancial Services, mainly with theactive participation of banks led bythe State Bank of India, hascon-ducted a Kisan Credit CardSaturation Drive since February2020 to include the unfoundedfarmers under the KCC scheme.

For farmers, the Centre intro-duced the much-vaunted PMKisan Scheme in 2019 wherebythey get �6000 every year throughDirect Benefit Transfer to theiraccounts without a paisa of leak-age. The number of farmers receiv-ing this benefit, on average, isabout 10 crore. The allocation forthis year is �65,000 crore. The totalamount paid so far under thescheme by the Centre is about �2lakh crore.

During the lockdown last year,the Centre transferred about�30,000 crore to the accounts ofabout 20 crore women owingbasic banking accounts for three

months as income support. Thishad gone mainly to the accountsof women of. agricultural families.

Recently, the UnionGovernment hiked subsidy rateson DAP fertiliser by �700 per bag.This would cost an extra �14,775crore to the Government but thebenefit goes directly to the farm-ers.

The Atma Nirbhar packagehad provided for an additionalcredit deployment of �2 lakh croreto farmers and the target hasalmost been achieved.

The Agri Infrastructure Fundthat envisages credit deploymentof �1 lakh crores with. Interest sub-vention of seven per cent annual-ly for a tenure of seven years isbeing closely monitored for imple-mentation.

A Credit Guarantee Fund forfarm loans, under NABARD, hasalready been formulated. Once itis rolled out, it will de-risk agricul-tural lending to a large extent.

When all other sectors record-ed negative growth last year, theonly bright spot was agricultureand allied activities which record-ed close to four per cent growth.

It is a matter of pride that ourfarmers have worked their heartsout to produce food in plenty forall of us. As a bank executive, it ismy thesis that the ModsGovernment's well-meaning stepshave played a great role in this out-come. It is for academics to studythese efforts in their entirety.Surely, they will find a lot that ispositive in terms of impact in thesegovernmental measures.

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An estimated 2,70,000Afghans have been newly

displaced since January due toinsecurity and violence, the UNrefugee agency has said, warn-ing of a looming humanitariancrisis in Afghanistan as securityconcerns grow over Talibanfighters rapidly seizing controlof large number of areas andthe US troop withdrawal fromthe war-torn country.

The United Nations HighCommissioner for Refugees(UNHCR) is “warning of alooming humanitarian crisis inAfghanistan as the escalatingconflict brings increasedhuman suffering and civiliandisplacement.”

UNHCR spokespersonBabar Baloch said at a pressbriefing on Tuesday in Genevathat an estimated 2,70,000Afghans have been newly dis-placed inside the country sinceJanuary 2021 — primarily dueto insecurity and violence —bringing the total uprooted population to over 3.5million.

“Families forced to fleetheir homes in recent weekscite the worsening security sit-uation as the predominant rea-son for their flight,” the agencysaid, warning that a failure toreach a peace agreement inAfghanistan and stem the cur-rent violence will lead to fur-ther displacement within thecountry, as well as to neigh-

bouring countries and beyond.The number of civilian

casualties has risen 29 per centduring the first quarter of thisyear compared to 2020, accord-ing to UN Assistance Missionin Afghanistan and an increas-ing proportion of women andchildren were among thosetargeted.

“The resilience of theAfghan people has beenpushed to the limit by a pro-longed conflict, high levels ofdisplacement, the impact ofCOVID-19, recurrent naturaldisasters including droughtand deepening poverty. Some65 per cent of the Afghan pop-ulation – in and outside ofAfghanistan – are children andyoung people,” Baloch said.

In addition to the ongoingfighting, displaced civilianshave told the UNHCR andpartners of incidents of extor-tion by non-state armed groupsand the presence of ImprovisedExplosive Devices (IEDs) onmajor roads. Many have report-ed interruptions to social ser-vices and a loss of income dueto rising insecurity.

Stressing that the needs ofthose who have had to fleesuddenly are acute, Baloch saidthat the UNHCR and its part-ners, as part of a coordinatedresponse, are assisting newlydisplaced Afghans with emer-gency shelter, food, health,water and sanitation supportand cash assistance, despitechallenges in accessing vul-

nerable groups.It noted that Iran and

Pakistan host nearly 90 per centof displaced Afghans - morethan two million registeredAfghan refugees in total.

“Both countries havegranted access to territory andprotection to Afghan refugees,along with health and educa-tional services through nation-al systems. Their hospitalityand inclusive policies, spanningdecades and generations, mustnot be taken for granted,”Baloch said, adding that theUNHCR stands ready to bol-ster humanitarian support to allhost countries in the case ofadditional arrivals.

“We urge the internationalcommunity to step up supportto the government and peopleof Afghanistan and its neigh-bours at this critical moment, ina spirit of solidarity and burden-sharing,” Baloch said as hevoiced concern that humani-tarian resources are currentlyfalling dramatically short.

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Ahigh-powered Afghangovernment delegation,

which will include the head ofthe country's reconciliationcouncil, is to meet the Talibanin Doha to jump-start a long-stalled peace process, anAfghan official said Tuesday.

The Taliban were expectedto bring their senior leaders tothe table when the two sidesmeet, possibly on Friday, saidthe official who spoke on con-dition of anonymity becausethey were not authorized tobrief reporters. The Talibanmaintain a political office in theQatari capital of Doha.

The renewed push toreach a peace deal comes as theUS winds down its militarypresence in Afghanistan.

Outgoing US commander GenScott Miller recently warnedthat increasing violence seri-ously hurts Afghanistan'schances of finding a peacefulend to decades of war.

At the same time, Talibanfighters have taken control oflarge swaths of the country.Although the exact number ofdistricts now under Talibancontrol is not known, it isbelieved they now rule in morethan a third of Afghanistan's421 districts and district centers.

Several of the districts arestrategic, bordering Iran,Uzbekistan and Tajikistan. Thesurge has also exposed weak-nesses in the Afghan NationalSecurity and Defense Forces.Many districts fell without afight and more than 1,000soldiers fled to Tajikistan.

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In a significant policy state-ment on the Taliban which

is making big gains in itsoffensive in Afghanistan,China has asked it to make a"clean break" from all terroristforces, especially the al-Qaida-backed Uyghur Muslim mili-tant group ETIM fighting forthe volatile Xinjiang province'sindependence.

In his media briefing atDushanbe, Chinese ForeignMinister Wang Yi stressed thatfurther spread of the war inAfghanistan, especially an all-out civil war, should be avoid-ed and pitched for restarting ofintra-Afghan negotiations torealise political reconciliationand prevention of all kinds ofterrorist forces from gainingground in Afghanistan.

The Taliban, as a majormilitary force in Afghanistan,

should realise the responsibil-ities it bears for the nation,make a "clean break" with allterrorist forces and return tothe mainstream of Afghan pol-itics, Wang said on Tuesday.

He also praised theAfghanistan government --which often accuses Beijing's"all-weather ally" Pakistan ofharbouring the Taliban mili-tants -- saying that the gov-ernment headed by PresidentAshraf Ghani has done a lot ofwork for national unity, socialstability and improvement ofpeople's livelihood, whichshould be justly evaluated.

Wang made the remarksduring a joint press conferencewith Tajik Foreign MinisterSirojiddin Muhriddin follow-ing their talks in Dushanbe,official media here reported onWednesday.

His comments came aheadof the Foreign Ministers of the

Shanghai CooperationOrganisation (SCO) meetingin Dushanbe to be attended byWang besides External AffairsMinister S Jaishankar andPakistan Foreign Minister ShahMahmood Qureshi.

Significantly, AfghanistanForeign Minister MohammadHanif Atmar has been invitedto take part in the SCO contactgroup which will meet soonafter the Foreign Ministersmeeting. The eight memberSCO grouping consists ofChina, Russia, Kazakhstan,Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan,Uzbekistan, India andPakistan. Afghanistan is anobserver of the SCO group.

Wang said that post the UStroop withdrawal, Chinaexpects Afghanistan to estab-lish a broadly inclusive politi-cal arrangement, pursue a solidMuslim policy, resolutely com-bat all terrorism and extrem-

ist ideologies, and be commit-ted to friendly relations with allneighbouring countries.

Observers say Wang'scomments on the Taliban indi-cate that China is not buyingthe Taliban's recent overturesstating that it considers Beijingas a "friend".

China is concerned thathundreds of East TurkistanIslamic Movement (ETIM)fighters, reportedly grouping inAfghanistan, mostlyBadakhshan province sharinga 90-km long border withXinjiang through the narrowWakhan corridor, will sneakinto Xinjiang or through thePakistan-occupied Kashmir(POK) and the Central Asiastates. The ETIM is trying tocarry out an insurgency inUyghur Muslim dominatedXinjiang province. Xinjiangalso shares borders with PoKand Tajikistan.

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Nine Chinese engineers wereamong 13 people killed on

Wednesday when a bus carry-ing construction workers innorthwest Pakistan's moun-tainous region was "attacked",prompting Beijing to askIslamabad to thoroughly inves-tigate the incident and severe-ly punish the perpetrators.

The incident took place inDasu area of Upper Kohistandistrict of KhyberPakhtunkhwa province whereChinese engineers and con-struction workers are helpingPakistan build a dam which ispart of the USD 60 billionChina-Pakistan EconomicCorridor (CPEC), officials said.

At least 13 people, includ-ing nine Chinese nationals andtwo Frontier Corps soldiers,died and 39 others injuredwhen the bus carrying Chineseengineers and workers to the

site of the under constructionDassu Dam exploded, DeputyCommissioner Upper KohistanMuhammad Arif Yusafzai said.

The bus fell into a deepRavine after the explosion, theofficial said. The injured wereadmitted to nearby hospitals.

Speaking in the NationalAssembly, Adviser to the PrimeMinister on ParliamentaryAffairs Babar Awan called it a"cowardly attack" and said itwould "not divert attention fromthe special initiatives betweenPakistan and its neighbours."

Awan said he would askInterior Minister Sheikh RashidAhmed to offer a briefing onthe country's security situationand to keep this House in theloop about the occurrence.

No group or individualhas claimed the blast yet,China's official Xinhua newsagency reported fromIslamabad. In Beijing, Chinacondemned the "bomb attack"

on the bus near the Dasuhydropower plant and called onthe Pakistan government togive “severe punishment” to theperpetrators behind it.

Asked for details of thecasualties and China's reactionto the incident at a mediabriefing in Beijing, ChineseForeign Ministry spokesmanZhao Lijian said China express-es its condemnation of the"bomb attack" in Pakistanresulting in the casualties of theChinese personnel.

He, however, did not pro-vide any official figures ofcasualties.

"China is shocked by andcondemns the bomb attack inPakistan's KhyberPakhtunkhwa province whichcaused Chinese casualties,mourns for the Chinese andPakistani personnel killed inthe attack, and expresses sym-pathy to their families and theinjured," he said.

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The appointment of SherBahadur Deuba as Nepal's

Prime Minister for a recordfifth time after the SupremeCourt's intervention does notseem to provide the muchsought-after political stability inthe country as he will have togo for a floor test in Parliamentwithin 30 days.

Even if the 75-year-old

veteran politician and NepaliCongress (NC) president, whohas only 61 seats in the 275-member House ofRepresentatives, somehow winsthe confidence vote, fresh elec-tions will have to be conduct-ed in 18 months, TheKathmandu Post newspaperreported. If he loses the floortest, the country will go to pollsin six months, it said.

The House ofRepresentatives — the lowerhouse of Nepal's Parliament —has completed more thanthree-and-a-half years of itsfive-year tenure. In its order toappoint Deuba as prime min-ister, the Supreme Court on

Monday said that he should“complete the process of gettingthe vote of confidence as perArticle 76 (6) of theConstitution”, the report said.According to Article 76 (6), hewill have to go for a floor testin Parliament within 30 days ofappointment, it said.

“The result of the vote oftrust will decide the fate of theDeuba government,” the news-paper quoted Bipin Adhikari,former dean at KathmanduUniversity School of Law, assaying. Deuba, notwithstand-ing his 61 seats in the House,had staked claim to form thegovernment with the supportof lawmakers from four other

parties — the CommunistParty of Nepal (Maoist Centre),the Madhav Kumar Nepal fac-tion of the Communist Party ofNepal (UnifiedMarxist–Leninist), theUpendra Yadav faction of theJanata Samajbadi Party andRastriya Janamorcha.

Altogether, 149 members ofthe House of Representativessupported him, including 26from the Madhav Nepal factionof the UML. If the 26 UML dis-sidents continue to supporthim, Deuba's tenure will last forone-and-a-half-years whengeneral elections are to be held.If not, fresh elections have to becalled within six months.

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Washington: The Biden admin-istration is set to begin evacua-tions of Afghans who aided theUS military effort in the near-ly 20-year war during the lastweek of July, according to asenior administration official.

The official, who was notauthorised to comment publicly,said Wednesday that OperationAllies Refuge flights out ofAfghanistan will be availablefirst for special immigrant visaapplicants already in the processof applying for US residency.

President Joe Biden hasfaced pressure from lawmakerson both sides of the aisle tocome up with plan to helpevacuate Afghan militaryhelpers ahead of next month'sUS military withdrawal. AP

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As fuel prices climbed to arecord high, India’s new

Petroleum Minister HardeepSingh Puri has started diallingoil-producing nations toimpress upon them for a needto make prices affordable forconsumers.

Puri, who last week calledEnergy Minister of Qatar, onWednesday dialled his coun-terpart in the UAE, Sultan

Ahmed Al Jaber.“Conveyed my desire to

work closely with UAE andother friendly countries tobring a sense of calm, pre-dictability and realism amongother suppliers in the energymarket to make it more afford-able for consumers,” Puri tweet-ed.

The rebound in interna-tional oil prices from lows hitin May on the back of demandrecovery has sent petrol anddiesel rates to a record high inIndia. Petrol has crossed the �-100-a-litre mark in more thanone and a half dozen states andunion territories, while diesel isbeing sold at over �100 a litrein Rajasthan and Odisha.

“Had a warm courtesy callwith HE Dr. Sultan Ahmed AlJaber, UAE Minister of Industryand Advanced Technology andMD & Group CEO of

@AdnocGroup. Discussedways and means to invigoratethe vibrant bilateral strategicenergy partnership betweenIndia and UAE,” Puri said.

India, which imports 85

per cent of its oil needs, haslong pressed producers’ cartelOPEC and its allies, calledOPEC+, to phase out its pro-duction cuts and allow oilprices to come to reasonable

levels.The world’s third-largest

importer has many times calledon OPEC to price oil at rea-sonable levels that supportgrowth and stop propping up

prices with its output cuts.The UAE is a member of OPECbut has had a falling out withthe grouping over productionquotas at the meeting of thealliance earlier this month.

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The Securities AppellateTribunal (SAT) has

restrained the Securities andExchange Board of India(Sebi’s) Adjudicating Officerfrom proceeding till September15 in a matter related to formerICICI Bank chief ChandaKochhar. The matter pertainsto a show-cause notice issuedby the regulator to Kochhar onthe basis of an analysis of areport by retired Justice B NSrikrishna.

The Srikrishna commit-tee, which was tasked to probethe allegations of quid-pro-quo transactions in ICICI

Bank, submitted its report tothe lender in January 2019.

The committee, in itsreport, observed that Kochharviolated bank policies andother rules and regulations.

The board of the bankbased on the report had decid-ed to treat her resignation as‘Termination for Cause’ underthe bank’s internal policies.

Kochhar, who wasManaging Director and CEO ofICICI Bank, had quit the bankin October 2018.

In its order dated July 9,SAT has restrained” theAdjudicating Officer from pro-ceeding in the matter till thenext date of listing”.

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IT spending in the country isexpected to grow at 8 per

cent to USD 92.7 billion in2021, a report by a consultan-cy said on Wednesday.

The growth at 8 per cent isa shade less than the worldaverage of 8.6 per cent, Gartnersaid, adding that global spendson information technology areestimated to come at USD 4.2trillion.

In India, the overall ITspending growth slowed downto 1.5 per cent to USD 85.865billion in 2020, probably hit bythe pandemic.

Enterprise software will bethe biggest growth area, andgrowth in spends is estimatedto be maintained at 16.9 percent to USD 9.218 billion in2021, Gartner said.

After a de-growth of 5.9per cent in 2020, the largestspend category of devices willsee a 7.6 per cent growth toUSD 38.747 billion in 2021, theanalysts estimated.

IT services will register a10.7 per cent growth to USD18.103 billion in 2021, asagainst a 3 per cent growth in2020, it said.

After a 11.4 per cent de-growth in 2020, spending ondata centre systems is estimat-ed to grow by 3.4 per cent toUSD 2.706 billion in 2021.

New Delhi:The wholesaleprice-based inflation easedmarginally to 12.07 per cent inJune as crude oil and fooditems witnessed some softeningin prices.However, WPI infla-tion remained in double-digitfor the third consecutive monthin June, mainly due to a lowbase of last year. WPI inflationwas at (-) 1.81 per cent, in June2020. In May 2021, the infla-tion was at a record high of12.94 per cent. Experts said thecontinuing double-digit WPIinflation and its potential futurespillovers into the retail infla-tion could inject uneasinessinto the tone of monetary pol-icy and noted that WPI isexpected to remain at an ele-vated level till October 2021.Snapping the five straight

months of uptick, wholesaleprice index (WPI)-based infla-tion in June softened as pricesof food articles and crude oileased, even though manufac-tured products hardened. “Theannual rate of inflation is 12.07per cent for the month of June,2021 (over June, 2020) as com-pared to (–) 1.81 per cent inJune 2020. “The high rate ofinflation in June 2021, is pri-marily due to low base effectand rise in prices of mineral oilsviz petrol, diesel(HSD), naph-tha, ATF, furnace oil etc, andmanufactured products likebasic metal, food products,chemical products etc, as com-pared the correspondingmonth of the previous year,” theCommerce and IndustryMinistry said. PTI

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You must be feeling the painof rising fuel prices after it

hit the century mark across thecountry last month. But, therise has not been sudden andthe pain has been consistentthroughout the last financialyear and this year too, takingthe pump prices of petrol anddiesel to unprecedented levelsnot seen before, even during

the big surge in global oil dur-ing 2010-14 period whencrude prices remained large-ly above $100 a barrel. A closelook at the official data pro-vided by Petroleum Planningand Analyses Cell reveals thatpetrol prices (in the nationalcapital) rose by a whopping�20.97 per litre between April1, 2020 and March 31, 2021 inFY21, the highest ever levels tobe recorded so far.

New Delhi:Rising fuel priceswill have a negative impact onthe automobile industry, hittingvehicle demand, while alsoadding to the overall inflation-ary pressure, auto industrybody SIAM said on Wednesday.The Society of IndianAutomobile Manufacturers(SIAM) has also suggested tothe government a fitness-based

scrappage policy instead ofpolicy based on demand stim-ulus. “Unfortunately, with thefuel price going up we will begetting a negative impact in ourindustry. How long this kind ofsituation will continue we don’tknow but we expect the fuelprices to become reasonable assoon as possible,” SIAM presi-dent Kenichi Ayukawa told.

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Conglomerate Tata Groupwhich is being seen as the

front runner in acquisition ofAir India has intensified its duediligence process.

According to highly placedsources, teams comprising ofTata group companies’ officialshave been visiting Air Indiasites lately.

“They are trying to get anhands-on experience and feel ofthe airline. Besides, they arekeenly focusing on the HR sideof the operations,” sources toldIANS in New Delhi.

Generally, team compris-ing of Tata Group firms’AirAsia India, TCS and othersvisit the operational andadministrative sites of thenational carrier.

The development assumes

significance since the submis-sion of financial bids is due inSeptember. On its part, thenational carrier has set up a‘Divestment Cell’ to facilitateco-ordination between the Tataand Air India teams.

Air India is said to be pro-viding full support to theseteams and facilitating their vis-its to the operational sites.

Furthermore, the Tatateams have been given access tothe airline’s operational areassuch as ticketing, check-in-counters.Last week, the teamvisited several stations includ-ing Kolkata and the airline’scorporate office here in NewDelhi. On last Friday, one suchvisit occurred at Delhi’s T3based sites of Air India. At pre-sent, this is the largest opera-tional site of the airline in thecountry.

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The Supreme Court onWednesday said consent

of majority shareholders isrequired when trustees seekwinding up of the debtschemes. However, the topcourt emphasized that the con-sent would be obtained postpublication of notices.

The top court’s judgmentcame on a plea by FranklinTempleton challengingKarnataka High Court orderwhich restrained winding up ofits six debt schemes withoutobtaining the consent of itsinvestors by a simple majority.

The top court also upheldthe validity of the mutual fundregulations and in case of vio-lation and a wrong decision bythe trustees to wind up, SEBI

under section 11 B has thepower to go into these matters,in exceptional cases.

A bench comprisingJustices S. Abdul Nazeer andSanjiv Khanna said the provi-sions of section 53B have notbeen examined and it is clari-fied that the withholding of thejudgment was to prevent theproceedings before SEBI frombeing prejudiced in any matter.

The bench made it clearthat the court has not gone intothe facts, instead only exam-ined the law in a theoreticalexercise in interpretation.

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The overall resolution ofthe IL&FS group compa-

nies is likely to stretch beyondthe current fiscal as the grouphas said that around 95 entitieswill be addressed after FY22which would result in a debtrecovery of around �3,000crore.

Till May 31, 2021, a total of�43,600 crore was the recoveryaddressed, which amountedto 44 per cent of the total debt.Around �50,000 crore of esti-mated recovery is likely to beaddressed by September 2021

and 95 per cent of the esti-mated recovery - �58,000 crore- is expected to be addressed byMarch 2021.

The Board of IL&FSexpects to address overall debtrecovery of �61,000 crore. Thetotal outstanding debt of thegroup October 2018 stood at�99,355 crore.

As per the board, the pan-demic has been among the fac-tors which have delayed theresolution process along withtimelines for approvals fromNCLT and NCLAT and non-receipt of annuities amountingto over �700 crore.

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The base effect, along withlow interest rates and pent-

up demand, pushed India’sdomestic passenger vehicle(PV) sales higher in June on ayear-on-year basis.

Sales of passenger vehiclesincreased to 2,31,633 units lastmonth compared to 1,05,617units sold during the sameperiod of 2020.

The Society of IndianAutomobile Manufacturers(SIAM), however, said thatYoY data cannot be compareddue to last year’s national lock-down and the regional restric-tions in 2021.

The PV sales data com-prises cars, utility vehicles(UVs) and vans.

A total of 1,21,378 passen-ger cars were sold in thedomestic market in June, upfrom 55,497 units in the likeperiod of 2020.

Similarly, the sales of othersub-categories such as UVsand vans grew on a year-on-year basis. As per the data, UVsales rose to 1,00,760 unitsfrom 46,201 units, while theoff-take of vans rose to 9,495units from 3,919 units in theyear ago period. SIAM said thatthe data does not include salesfigures from some key playerssuch as Tata Motors. Domesticsales of two-wheelers alsoincreased to 10,55,777 in June2021 as compared to 10,14,827units sold during the sameperiod of 2020.

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The Centre proposes todevelop the Gujarat-based

GIFT International FinancialServices Centres (IFSC) as a'Longevity Finance Hub' tocater to the investment andwealth management needs ofthe 'silver generation' com-prising individuals aged 60years and older.

As part of this initiative, theInternational Financial ServicesCentres Authority (IFSCA) hasconstituted an ExpertCommittee to recommendapproach towards developmentof a Longevity Finance Huband provide a road map for thisend.

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Equity gauges Sensex andNifty firmed up gains on

Wednesday as a result ofintense buying mainly in ITshares amid expectations ofrobust quarterly earnings andfavourable economic data. Atclose, the BSE Sensex quoted134.32 points or 0.25 per centhigher at 52,904.05 – recover-ing from its early losses to markits second straight session ofgains. Likewise, the broaderNSE Nifty advanced 41.60points or 0.26 per cent to endat 15,853.95 – the third straightsession of gains for the index.On the Sensex chart, top threeperformers were IT firms, withTech Mahindra gaining themost by rising 2.69 per cent,followed by HCL Tech andInfosys.

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As a means to nourish your scalpand protect your hair, healthy

hair produces a specific quantity ofsebum or oil. Your hair type, hygienepractises and other lifestyle choicesall influence how much oil you cre-ate. This natural oil can build up onyour hair, especially at the roots,which some people find unappealing.

Continue reading if you thinkyour hair is oilier than it should be.

�����The oil in your hair is an element

of your body’s protection system foryour scalp’s fragile strands. It com-bines with sweat and debris to coatyour scalp and, on rare occasions, thetop of your head. This is expectedand, in most cases, unavoidable.

Washing your scalp frequentlyand thoroughly with a shampooremoves the oil and provides yourhair with a fresh start.

However, some hair types aremore prone to oil build-up than oth-ers. In less than 24 hours, oil canaccumulate to a visible level. An oilyhair day might be triggered by vig-orous activity, abuse of hair products,or even stepping outside in highhumidity or heat.

Provided below are some preven-tive measures and cures for days

when your hair appears to be too oily.

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�Condition carefullyConditioner can make your hair

appear oily and cause oils to accumu-late more quickly. Only condition theends of your hair, and make sure to

rinse thoroughly.

�Go naturalStraightening irons and blow

dryers can help you achieve a sleek,flawless appearance. However, theycan make your hair look greasy morequickly.

Allow your hair to air dry so that

you can appreciate its natural texture.You’ll save time and money byspreading out your washes andavoiding heat damage.

�Deep clean with aloeThis home cure is useful

throughout the year and not only dur-ing the summer. Aloe is a fantastichair and scalp mask because itabsorbs excess oil, inhibits productbuildup, soothes the scalp, and pre-serves the strands. You’ll have silky,healthy hair as a result.

�Dry shampooIn a pinch, dry shampoo can be

a lifesaver. It won’t replace a sudsy wetwash but it will help dry up oils andmake your hair look cleaner. Manydry shampoos have a fragrance tohelp with freshening.

Dry shampoos have the disad-vantage of leaving a residue that canmake your hair and scalp feel grittyand filthy. These also dry out yourhair, so use them sparingly and thor-oughly wash them out the next dayto avoid irritation and damage.

�Rinse with apple cider vinegarAn apple cider vinegar rinse,

when appropriately diluted, can helpremove product buildup, regulate

scalp pH, and decrease frizz.

�Shampoo with tea tree oilTea tree oil is an antibacterial that

helps with dandruff, itching, andgreasiness. To obtain the full benefit,look for a shampoo that incorporatestea tree oil as one of its active con-stituents.

�Go for green teaThis nutrient-dense beverage is

also beneficial for your hair. Whenapplied topically, green tea extract hasbeen shown to lower sebum produc-tion and nourishes the skin. Pick upa shampoo that incorporates it tomake it easier.

�Sweeten with honeyHoney has antibacterial and anti-

fungal characteristics, it can help calmyour scalp and prevent or treat dan-druff if you’ve let the oil get out ofhand.

Seborrheic dermatitis symptomslike itching, redness, flakiness andexcessive oil production were reducedby a simple mixture of 90 per cent rawhoney and 10 per cent water.

(The author is the managingdirector and founder of Jovees, a

skincare, haircare and herbal beautybrand.)

Ali Fazal is someone who hasa curiously active mind that’s

always looking to seek out inter-esting ideas and possibilities.Today, it’s his passion that drovethe actor to start learning horse-back riding in Mumbai, a skill he’sbeen very fond of right fromchildhood days.According to Ali, horseriding is a very liberat-ing and powerful expe-rience.

The actor hadlearned how toride a horse dur-ing his schoolingdays inLucknow manyyears ago as at e e n a g e r .Recently, whilev i s i t i n gLucknow, Alichanced upon anopportunity owing

to a family friend to reignite hispassion and did a little bit of horseriding at his alma mater, the LaMartinere School in his home-town.

Now that he is back inMumbai and at a time whenshoots are presently halted due tothe pandemic, Ali has been dili-

gently taking two classes aweek of horse riding.The actor hasensured that all safe-

ty measures are inplace.Ali tells us, “I have

waited to ride horses for along time. To get back up,after falling, is something arider will explain to you in fulldetail. (laughs) I hope I canlearn well and make somehorse friends in my life. Weare abiding by all Covid-protocols to make sure I doit the right way.”

The Palais des Festivals, the centralhub of the Cannes Film Festival, amassive bulwark of filmmaker-

named halls and pristine movie screens,is about as close as you can get to a cin-ema temple. To enter, you must ascendred-carpeted steps.

But in the past 16 months, Cannes’Palais hasn’t been home to the movie fren-zy it hosts annually. Last year’s festival waspostponed, then cancelled. The Palais,instead, was lined with hospital beds in theearly months of the pandemic. Earlier, thisyear, it was turned into a mass-vaccina-tion ‘Vaccinodrome.’

Delayed from May to July, the CannesFilm Festival finally opened its doors forits 74th and maybe most critical editionon Tuesday. For nearly everybody who hascome to the Festival des Cannes aftermonths — in various stages of lockdown,quarantine and caution — the transitionis head-spinning.

Even in normal years, Cannes is anonslaught. But this time, plunging intofull-capacity theatres and teeming red car-pets is like stepping into another world.The morning after the Val Kilmer docu-mentary, Val, premiered at Cannes, its co-director Ting Poo was stillreeling.

“Yesterday was sosurreal. Just seeing thefilm with a full theatre,and here at the mostprestigious filmfestival... To gofrom not beingaround people tothat experiencein a day wasincredible,” saidTing.

The pandem-ic is far from invis-ible at Cannes. Anegative COVID-19 test is requiredevery 48 hours foreven those vacci-nated — unless theygot their shots inthe EuropeanU n i o n .Moviegoers wearmasks indoors.Everything is alittle muted.Usually, well-booked hotelshave vacancies.Screenings thatwould typicallyleave hundredsqueueing out-side don’t fill up.The usual tuxedoed ticket-seekerspraying for a handout have beenpushed away from the Palais, thefestival hub, to clear space.

But in places like the Cannes

red carpet, life is almost normal— if ‘normal’ can ever apply toa stretch of the carpet wherecoteries of stars drift in everyfew hours like parade floats.Glamour has been unmasked,maybe more than any othertime in the last year and a halfof pandemic.

Over the first few days of the74th Cannes Film Festival —held two months later than usual,and after last year’s edition wasscrubbed entirely — the redcarpet has looked much as it has

always before. Marion Cotillard, BellaHadid, Matt Damon, Helen Mirren andAdam Driver have all strolled along,though they may have all been out-classed, fashion-wise, by Spike Lee and hisflamingo-pink Louis Vuitton suit. Mostwalk unmasked, as the carpet is outdoorsand most attending are vacci-nated — though the proofisn’t required. And there areno fewer photographers thanusual jockeying for stars’attention.

The spectacle haspicked up rightwhere it left off.Nature, even theCannes sequinedvariety, is healing.

“It’s a little bitlike a strangedream, like wakingup from this nap oftwo years doingnothing and sud-denly: boom! Thereis a very particularkind of feeling to itbecause it’s like,‘Where is theworld going?’ Is itrestarting? Is itchanging? What’s goingon here?” contemplatedAvshalom Pollak, starof Nadav Lapid’s Ahed’sKnee, an impassionedIsraeli drama compet-ing for the Palme d’Or.

Cannes is takingplace on the heels ofFrance easing COVID-19 restrictions andreopening internation-al travel. About half theFrench have received atleast one vaccinationshot, while 38 per centare fully vaccinated.

However, the Delta variant has pushedinfections back up slight-ly recently, stoking fearsof a resurgence. OnFriday, French HealthMinister Olivier Véran

said the Delta variantwould likelybecome France’sdominant strainthis weekend.

That, alongwith images ofunmasked atten-dees at premieres,has pushed the fes-tival to increasepre-screening maskr e m i n d e r s .Swarming beach-side after parties

have been curtailed.In the hotels, theCroisette film publi-cists and executiveshave pushed theirchairs out onto open-airbalconies. Cannesmayor David Lisnard haseven employed a pair ofCOVID-19-sniffing dogsto help with screening.

Ahead of the festival,its director Thierry

Frémaux said dinners

would be more favoured this year thancocktails. On the sun-dabbled FrenchRiviera, most restaurants are spread outon the sidewalks. One major concession— Frémaux isn’t greeting guests at the topof the Palais stairs with a kiss, though therehave been a few rogue smooches.

“The pandemic is not conquered, sowe all have to be careful, even though mostfestival-goers are vaccinated,” saidFrémaux.

But there are variations. The US of A,for example, has no official vaccine pass-port while the festival requires most to testevery other day. The joke is that this yeara negative test is the hottest ticket inCannes. And, while at first, some com-plained about the less-than-elegantprocess of retreating to a cubicle to fill a

tube with saliva, the tented lab just downthe street from the Palais has become aregular stop for festival-goers — just likethe Palais Nespresso bar, only less refresh-ing.

The specially erected testing site isstaffed by 60 medical school students. Thelab’s director, Guillaume Armana, sharedthat they were conducting up to 4,000 testsdaily.

“We are working with the festival andthe regional agency. For now, we havemaybe 10,000 people to test and every-thing is under control. It’s the best way tomake a festival again here in Cannes andto let the people have a new life,” saidArmana, who revealed any positive testswould be confidential.

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The Western Railway Women’sWelfare Organisation

(WRWWO) continues to cater to thewelfare of railway employees andtheir families, especially, during thepandemic. Continuing with theirbenevolent efforts, under the guid-ance of Tanuja Kansal, President ofWRWWO, a vaccination camp hasbeen organised for railway staff atMumbai Central station.

According to a press releaseissued by Sumit Thakur, ChiefPublic Relations Officer of WesternRailway, Kansal inaugurated thevaccination camp at MumbaiCentral station for staff. The three-day camp has been specially organ-ised for cleaning staff, sanitationworkers, coolies, canteen staff andother station employees, who hadnot received their vaccine.

To create awareness regardingthe benefits of getting vaccinated, anukkad natak was also performed bycultural staff. The natak was highlyeffective in giving the message whiledealing with all questions regardingthe safe procedure of vaccinationand its benefits. It was appreciatedby all. Kansal awarded the culturalstaff with a cash award of �10,000.

Another skit was displayed by tick-et-checking staff, depicting how todeal with passengers found withouttickets.

Six RPF personnel were alsofelicitated by Kansal in the presenceof General Manager, WesternRailway, Alok Kansal, and DivisionalRailway Manager, Mumbai DivisionG V L Satyakumar. These RPF per-sonnel displayed exemplary courageduring their course of duty andsaved the lives of passengers whiletravelling over Mumbai Division. Inhis speech, Alok Kansal emphasisedon the need for vaccination and saidthat vaccine brings value to life. Hecongratulated the awardees for theirdedication and the display of valour

in the line of duty. He alsoannounced cash awards of �15,000for the arrangements made byMumbai Division towards organis-ing the event and �5,000 for nukkadnatak.

In her address to the gathering,Kansal informed about the variouswelfare activities being carried outby WRWWO to make women self-reliant. She encouraged the staff toget vaccinated.

At the vaccination camp, bothfirst and second doses of Covishieldvaccine were given as per require-ment. Snack boxes were distributedto awardees, cultural artistes and tothe staff who availed the facility ofvaccination drive.

The Council of Architecture has beenconstituted by the Government of

India under the Architects Act, 1972. TheAct was enacted by the Parliament of Indiaand came into force with effect fromSeptember 1, 1972. It provides for regis-tration of architects, standards of educa-tion, recognised qualifications, and stan-dards of professional conduct and etiquetteto be complied with by the architects.

The Council of Architecture (CoA)had introduced the National Aptitude Testin Architecture (NATA) in 2006. The mainobjective was to avoid great hardships andincurring huge costs by the hapless can-didates seeking admission in architecturecourses.

NATA evaluates the aptitude of a can-didate to study architecture. It measuresthe aptitude through assessment of cog-nitive skills, visual perception and aes-thetic sensitivity tests, logical reasoningand critical thinking ability, et al, besidesthe learning that the candidate hasacquired over the past few years and isrelated to the specific field of study.

Unlike any other entrance examina-tion, NATA assesses a candidate’s innateability through a variety of formats. Itcannot be taught, learned, or induced.Attending coaching classes or similartraining may not substantially improvethe aptitude of a candidate.

Given the pandemic, the Council,with approval of the CentralGovernment, has also relaxed the eligi-bility for admission to 1st year of 5-yearB-Arch degree course, as prescribed bythe Council under Regulation 4 (1) of theCouncil of Architecture (MinimumStandards of Architectural Education)Regulations, 2020, for the academic ses-sion 2021-2022.

Now, candidates who have passed anexamination at the end of the 10+2scheme of examination with Physics,Chemistry and Mathematics subjects or

10+3 Diploma examination withMathematics as a compulsory subject, areeligible to seek admission for the acad-emic session 2021-2022.

After the conduct of NATA 2021,admissions shall be carried out by theconcerned competent authorities of therespective states/institutions based onmerit as per a valid NATA score.

Given the ongoing pandemic, theCouncil has decided to conduct one moreNATA Test in August for the candidateswho could not appear this time due tovarious reasons.

NTPC REL, a sub-sidiary of NTPC,

signed an MoU with theUnion Territory ofLadakh to set up thecountry’s first greenHydrogen Mobility pro-ject in the region. Thesigning of the MoU wasalso marked with theinauguration of NTPC’sfirst solar installations inLeh in the form of solartrees and a solar carport.

It was signed in thepresence of Lt GovernorR K Mathur, senior dig-nitaries of government,NTPC, and public repre-sentatives. The MoU willenable NTPC to helpLadakh develop a car-bon-free economy basedon renewable sources andgreen hydrogen. This isalso in line with thePrime Minister’s vision ofa ‘carbon neutral’ Ladakh.Mathur mentioned thathe would like Ladakh tobecome a hydrogen stateand is happy to partner

with NTPC to achievethis long-term goal.

NTPC has planned toply five hydrogen buses tostart with and the compa-ny will be setting up asolar plant and a greenhydrogen generation unitin Leh. This will make

Leh the first city in thecountry to implement agreen hydrogen-basedmobility project. Thiswould be zero-emissionmobility in the true sense.

NTPC has beenaggressively pushing forgreening its portfolio and

this project is anotherstep towards achieving alow carbon footprint. Thecompany has also beenpromoting the usage ofgreen hydrogen-basedsolutions in sectors likemobility, energy, chemi-cal, fertiliser, steel et al.

GAIL (India) Limited has started its#EnergizingLowCarbonFuture cam-

paign for digital and social media plat-forms to expand into greener energy ver-ticals such as renewables and ethanol.GAIL’s primary business, Natural Gas, iseco-friendly and also facilitates environ-ment-friendly initiatives. Now, the com-pany is leveraging its position to gogreener, in line with the vision of theGovernment and Prime Minister NarendraModi, to cut carbon emissions and pollu-tion.

As part of the campaign, GAIL willorganise discussion forums and opinionpolls on social media platforms, besidesmaking several videos and posts onrenewables and how natural gas will be abridge fuel towards a low carbon future.

The campaign follows the company’sambitious plans to invest substantially tobuild a portfolio of at least one gigawattsof renewable energy and set upCompressed Biogas (CBG) as well asethanol plants as it steps up efforts toexpand the business beyond natural gas.

As part of a push to embrace cleanerforms of energy GAIL, which has a nat-ural gas pipeline network of over 13,700km, is further augmenting a pipeline net-work of over 6,700 km.

The laying of pipeline infrastructureenvisages connecting consumption centres

to gas sources. While electricity generat-ed from solar energy or through windpower is the cleanest form of energy, con-verting municipal waste into compressedbiogas will supplement the availability ofcleaner fuel to automobiles and house-holds.

Through this campaign, GAIL reiter-ates its commitment to shaping a sustain-able future for Atmanirbhar Bharat.

Ashutosh Gangal, General Managerof Northern Railway, held a per-

formance review meeting with thedepartmental heads and divisionalrailway managers through video con-ferencing. Among other issues, therewere deliberations on safety, infra-structure enhancement, dismantlingof worn-out structures at stations, yardremodeling, maintenance of tracksand OHE, train operations, punctu-ality, and staff training schedules.

Safety is the prime focus of rail-ways. The GM emphasised improvingthe maintenance standards of tracksand overhead electric wire systems. Headvised that since post-Covid normal-cy is returning so infrastructureimprovement projects need to becompleted on time. He said thatremodeling of stations and improve-ment of infrastructure, especially dis-mantling of old worn-out structureslike FOBs, has to be carried out on pri-ority. Improvement of yards andworks on 160 kmph speed enhance-ment is to be expedited. Punctualityof the passenger and freight trains isto be improved and asset failureissues to be tackled earnestly.

He also emphasised improvingfreight loading and increasing goodsearnings. Expenditures are to be cur-tailed. He also insisted on timely train-ing of manpower, especially thoseinvolved in the maintenance andoperations activities. Training sched-ules are to be worked out in keepingwith the set Covid-19 protocols.Regular medical examination andimmunisation of staff should be thepriority to curtail the spread of thedeadly virus.

Arjun Munda, Minister forTribal Affairs, RenukaSingh, Minister of State for

Tribal Affairs and BishweswarTudu, Minister of State for TribalAffairs, visited the TRIFED officeheadquarters to review theprogress of the various schemesand activities being implement-ed for the empowerment of trib-als.

On the occasion, the variousactivities and initiatives underSankalp Se Siddhi — MissionVan Dhan of TRIFED wasreviewed by the Ministers. Itwas noted that TRIFED has beenimplementing several noteworthyprogrammes for the empower-ment of the tribals. Over the pasttwo years, the ‘mechanism formarketing of Minor ForestProduce (MFP) throughMinimum Support Price (MSP)and development of value chainfor MFP’ has impacted the trib-al ecosystem in a major way.Under the MSP for MFP scheme,cumulative procurement of�1841.74 crore has been made bystates i.e. �321.02 crore usingGOI funds and �1520.72 croreusing state funds in last two years,including �821.48 crore during

the current financial year. Thishas helped in ensuring tribalgatherers getting fair and remu-nerative prices for their pro-duce, raising market prices aboveMSP announced by the govern-ment. Started in 2013-14 with 10minor forest produce items cov-ering nine PESA states impactingapproximately one lakh tribalfamilies, the scheme is nowexpanded to 22 states covering 87MFP items impacting 25 lakhfamilies. Total procurement is upfrom �30 crores in 2014-15 to�1,870 crores in 2020-21 alongwith estimated procurement byprivate trade above MSP approx-imately �2,000 crores, resulting in

direct benefit transfer of morethan �3,800 crores to the tribalfamilies.

Under retail marketing, atotal number of 140 Tribes Indiaoutlets have been opened to date,making a total sale of �55.43crore. TRIFED has expanded itsretail footprint substantially. Ithas expanded the artisans net-work from 71,000 in 2016-17 to3,12,000 in 2020-21. It has alsoincreased the outlets from 29 in2017-18 to 141 in 2020-21.

Besides, two TRIFOODProjects at Jagdalpur and Raigarh(Maharashtra) are being shortlycommissioned for undertakingvalue-addition of various forest

products being procured by ben-eficiaries of Van Dhan Kendras.Each of these mega-food parkswill scale up marketing, packag-ing and branding operations, andwill directly provide a livelihoodto more than 10,000 tribal fami-lies. These projects are being setup in collaboration with theMinistry of Food ProcessingIndustries. As a result of theabove, an estimated amount of�3,874 crore has been injected sofar into the tribal economy,impacting the lives of the 25 lakhtribal population.

TRIFED now plans to expandits operations through the conver-gence of various schemes of dif-ferent Ministries andDepartments, and launch thevarious tribal development pro-grammes under Sankalp Se Siddhi— Mission Van Dhan.

Munda said, “It is noteworthythat TRIFED has been consistent-ly bringing out new initiatives thattake care of all aspects of tribalempowerment. Through thisinnovative connect programme,now information disseminationcan happen both ways and lead tofurther development of initiativesand help our tribal brethren.”

Interacting in a programme organised by thewomen’s wing of FICCI, FICCI-FLO, HE

Ambassador of the UAE to Indian, Dr AhmedAlbanna, discussed the initiatives taken by UAEgovernment in the field of women empower-ment and entrepreneurship.

He said that the progress in the area ofwomen’s rights is essential to building a con-temporary society based on tolerance andinclusion.

He shared that the UAE has adopted apowerful stance in empowering women, set-ting new standards based on a unique modeldrawn from the vision of the late Sheikh Zayedbin Sultan Al Nahyan, founding father of theUAE. This approach perpetuates in the currentleadership’s vision for the future, wherebywomen stand as active partners and contrib-utors in the country’s development process andplay a vital role in raising future generations.

Ambassador Albanna said that the statusof women in the UAE has flourished parallel-ly with the country’s growth since the feder-ation was established in 1971. It is evidentacross the UAE that women today constitutea vital part of the UAE’s workforce and active-ly contribute to the country’s growth and devel-

opment.He informed that women in the diplomat-

ic services and higher posts of governmentamount to 30 per cent of the UAE’s civil ser-vice including diplomatic postings abroad, anda total of 66 per cent of the government sec-tor is represented by women.

Talking about education, he added, femaleliteracy rate of UAE is 97 per cent. The UAEhad the highest number of women on Forbes’100 Most Powerful Arab Businesswomen in2020 with 23 Emirati women on the list.

The meeting explored mutually beneficialsynergies which could be formed between UAEand India in the realm of ‘women empower-ment’.

Thailand is a dream destination forgolfers from all across the world.

Its 250 top-quality golf courses ideal-ly located throughout the country,having world-class golfing facilities,reasonable green fees, friendly caddiesand many other attractions continueto attract golfers to visit the country.

In its continuous endeavour tokeep track of the latest trends andmindset of the golfers, the TourismAuthority of Thailand (TAT) andSports and Leisure Worldwide (SLW)conducted the second survey on‘Golfing in Thailand’ among IndianGolfers.

The survey resulted in someimportant facts coming to the fore.Most golfers, a whopping 97 per cent,rated Thailand as one of the best golf-ing destinations. Thai hospitality fol-lowed by value for money and afford-able luxury were the top three key fac-tors for attracting golfers. Thailand’sproximity to India was another keyelement in influencing the Indians in

choosing the country as the premierdestination for golf holidays.

A majority of golfers, almost 68per cent vaccinated and 26 per centwho have taken their first dose, werewilling to travel to Thailand.

Vachirachai Sirisumpan, DirectorTAT, New Delhi, said, “Thailand winshands down when it comes to cater-ing to the demanding golfers who arespoiled for choice when it comes togolfing destinations.”

To bring value to this offering,SLW in partnership with the TourismAuthority of Thailand, New Delhi,launched the first-ever loyalty pro-gramme for the country. The ThaiGolf Passport has been launched inIndia to offer Indian golfers a seam-less golf experience in Thailand.Indian golfers can now be a part of thisrewarding loyalty programme when-ever they tee off in Thailand andredeem their points for products frommore than two hundred leadingbrands.

Delhi Development Authority conducted anonline webinar on the Master Plan of Delhi

2041. The purpose of the webinar was to makethe general public understand the plan andinvite suggestions and objections from them.

This was the third online webinar in a seriesof four webinars. In this third session, issuesrelated to chapters 13 to 18 of the draft plan werepresented. A total of 114 participants includ-ing the general public, senior officers of DDAand NIUA, attended the session. The com-ments/suggestions provided by them havebeen noted by Delhi Development Authority.

The senior officer from DDA addressed theparticipants and introduced the main objectivesof the webinar, which was followed by a pre-sentation by NIUA, explaining the various poli-cies of the draft MPD.

The major suggestions provided during thewebinar were: Rainwater harvesting for parksand other open public places, fire safety com-pliance in commercial centres developed andmaintained by agencies, management of exist-ing dhalaos by local bodies, physical infrastruc-ture provisions in green development area(GDA), development of decentralised waste-water treatment system and sanitation system,issue of water demand and wastewater treatmentin future regeneration schemes, reducingwastage of water, and focus on the use of treat-ed water.

The next webinar will be organised by DDAon July 16 from 3 pm to 4.30 pm in which thediscussion will cover chapters 19 to 22.

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Northern Railway GMholds performancereview meeting

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The International CricketCouncil (ICC) onWednesday officially con-

firmed that teams will be award-ed standardised 12 points for awin, four for a draw and six fora tie during the second WorldTest Championship cycle whichkicks off with the five-matchseries between India andEngland in August.

The ICC further said thatpercentage of points won will beused to determine standings inthe 2021-23 cycle.

Earlier, each Test series car-ried a value of 120 points whichled to certain inequality in thetable as a team winning a Testin a two-match series got 60points compared to five-gameseries where a Test win is valuedat 24 points.

ICC Acting Chief ExecutiveGeoff Allardice said the changeswere made to simplify the pointssystem while taking learningsfrom the disruption last year.

“We received feedback thatthe previous points system need-ed to be simplified. The CricketCommittee took this into con-sideration when proposing anew, standardized points systemfor each match. It maintainedthe principle of ensuring that allmatches in a WTC series counttowards a team’s standing, whileaccommodating series varyingin length between two Tests andfive Tests,” Allardice said in anICC statement.

“During the pandemic wehad to change to ranking teamson the points table using the

percentage of available pointswon by each team, since allseries could not be completed.

“This helped us determinethe finalists and we were able tocomplete the championshipwithin the scheduled timeframe. This method alsoallowed us to compare the rel-ative performance of teams atany time, regardless of howmany matches they had played.”

Apart from the India-England series, the Ashes laterthis year in Australia will be theonly other five-match affair inthe second cycle which will endin June 2023.

Australia’s tour of Indianext year is the only four-Testseries in the upcoming cycle.

The nine Test teams willplay a total of six series — threehome and three away just likethe previous edition.

Reigning champion NewZealand skipper KaneWilliamson said WTC hasrevived people's interest in thetraditional format of the game.

“It was obviously prettyspecial to win the inaugural ICCWorld Test Championship inSouthampton last month and it’sexciting to now look ahead tothe second edition.

“The WTC has certainlyadded more context andbrought new meaning to Testcricket and it was awesome tosee the interest that was gener-ated around the Final againstIndia,” he said.

“We know trying to defendthe title will be a huge challenge,but our focus will be on mak-ing sure we prepare as well as wecan for the tours ahead and try-ing to maintain our level of per-formance.” England captain Joe

Root describes the upcomingfive-Test duel against India as an“interesting challenge”.

“We start our campaign inthe second edition of the ICCWorld Test Championshipagainst the finalists of last time,

which is an interesting challengestraight away,” he said.

“India are a fine all-roundside and it would be good to testthem in our home conditions.We narrowly missed out onqualifying for the final last time

and are looking to do better thistime.”

“Test cricket is a format weall want to excel in and withpoints at stake for each match,everyone has to be at their bestall the time.”

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Pakistan captain Babar Azamreturned to form with a record-

breaking 158 yet once again foundhimself on the losing side as Englandcompleted a 3-0 One-Day Internationalseries clean sweep at Edgbaston onTuesday.

His highest score at this level sawAzam become the quickest player to 14hundreds in men’s ODIs as the 26-year-old reached the landmark in 81 innings— three fewer than South Africa’sHashim Amla.

Together with Mohammad Rizwanhe shared a stand of 179, a Pakistanpartnership record against England inan ODI.

Yet despite a total of 331-9,Pakistan still suffered a three-wicketdefeat after England’s James Vinceposted his maiden International hun-dred.

Azam, top of the ODI batting rank-ings, was back in the runs after a scoreof nought and 19 in the first two gamesbut that did not take the edge of thisreverse.

“We started well but were sloppyin the field,” he said. “We will learnfrom our mistakes.”

While Azam is no stranger toInternational hundreds, it took Vince

six years to register his first on theworld stage.

The 30-year-old Hampshire cap-tain at last reached three figures in a

50th innings for his country across allthree formats with a knock of 102.

“I hadn’t given up on this momentbut this time last week I didn’t expectit at all,” said Vince, who made hisEngland debut in May 2015.

“I wasn’t sure it was going tocome. I’ve played a number of gamesand not got there for England, but toscore a hundred for my country wasone of my dreams growing up. I’llnever forget that.”

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Handed captaincy for the SriLanka tour, Shikhar

Dhawan’s idea of leadership is allabout keeping the flock togeth-er and in a good state of mind.

“It is a big achievement forme that I have become the cap-tain of the Indian side. As aleader, my idea is to keep every-one together and happy - that isthe most important thing,”Dhawan said on Star Sportsshow Follow the Blues.

“We have got a lovely bunchof boys, great support staff, andwe have worked earlier as well.”

Dhawan says he shares agood chemistry with legendaryRahul Dravid, who is the headcoach for the series.

“I have a good relation withRahul bhai. When I startedplaying Ranji Trophy, I playedagainst him, and I have knownhim since then. When I went toplay India A match, I was thecaptain, and he was the coach,so there was interaction.

“When he became thedirector of NCA, we used to gothere for around 20 days, so wehad a lot of interaction, and nowwe have good chemistry. And

now that we have the chance toplay six matches together, so itwill be great fun, and I think weall sync nicely,” he said.

The selectors have pickedmany uncapped players, includ-ing the likes of Ruturaj Gaikwadand Chetan Sakariya, andDhawan wants the youngsters toenjoy their journey.

“Happy to get the young-sters in the team and see theirdreams come true. It’s a big thingthat these youngsters have comefrom their respective hometowns with certain dreams, andtheir dreams are getting fulfilled.

“And now, they should enjoythe journey which landed themin team India, and they shouldknow the value of their strengthand how to improve it,” he said.

Dhawan said that both theseniors and youngsters from thesquad will learn from eachother.

“There are seniors in theteam, so the youngsters willlearn from them, and we will getto learn from the youngsters.Whenever I meet the youngstersthey often have new ways ofthinking, and I try to learnthings which will help us,”Dhawan signed off.

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Olympics chief Thomas Bachon Wednesday pledged

“not to bring any risk” to Japanwith the Games, seeking toreassure a sceptical public asvirus cases surge just over a weekbefore Tokyo 2020 begins.

Fans have been bannedfrom Olympic events in thecapital, which is under emer-gency restrictions to curb risinginfection numbers that onWednesday hit highs not seensince January.

As more athletes arrive inJapan and move into theOlympic Village, InternationalOlympic Committee chief Bachpromised a safe summer Games.

“We are making all ourefforts and the Japanese peoplehave all our commitment to con-tribute in the best way to fightthis virus and not to bring anyrisk to the Japanese people,”Bach told reporters after meet-ing Prime Minister YoshihideSuga. Bach said “85 percent ofall the residents in the OlympicVillage and almost 100 percentof the IOC members and staffcoming here to Tokyo arrive

vaccinated.“This is why I’d like to

humbly ask the Japanesepeople to warmly welcomethe athletes from allaround the world who

have overcome, like theJapanese people, somany challenges.”

In an exchange withmajor global press agen-

cies later on Wednesday, Bachsaid his team had strived tomaintain a confident stanceafter Tokyo 2020 was post-

poned in March last year.“In these 15 months, we had

doubts every day. This was a sit-uation of high uncertainty,” hesaid.

“Quite honestly, it was way,way more complex than wethought it would be when weagreed on this postponement.”

But by projecting confi-dence and taking decisions seri-ously, the IOC kept other partieson side, from athletes to sportsfederations and local authorities,Bach said.

“Only because they allstayed on board, we can be herenow, nine days before the open-ing of the Games.”

OATH-TAKERS INCREASEDThe number of oath-takers

at the Olympics opening cere-mony has been doubled fromthree to six for the Tokyo Gamesto ensure gender parity, the

IOC said while announcing thatthe oath has also been reworkedslightly to incorporate “inclusionand equality” in it.

The Olympic oath is takenby an athlete from the hostcounty, on behalf of all thecompetitors and the ceremonyalso includes one coach and ajudge.

This time, Japan will picktwo — one male and one female— from each group for theevent, which has been an inte-gral part of the Games since1920.

“The gender balance of theoath-takers is just one of a largenumber of decisions and com-mitments from the IOC and theOrganising Committee to pro-mote women in sport at all lev-els and in all structures, as stat-ed in the Olympic Charter,” theIOC said.

Two words — inclusion

and equality — have been addedto the opening line of the Oath.

Depending on the groupthat is speaking, the new oathreads: “In the name of the ath-letes”, “In the name of all judges”or “In the name of all the coach-es and officials”.

REUFGEE OFFICIAL +VEDoha: An official of the IOC’srefugee team has tested positivefor Covid-19 here, leading to adelay in their travel plans for theTokyo Games even though allothers have returned negativeresults for now.

The official, who has beenisolated by the Qatari PublicAuthorities, is consideredasymptomatic and doing well.

The refugee team in theOlympics was first introduced inthe 2016 Rio Games as a tributeto the courage and perseveranceof all refugees.

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Athletes at the TokyoOlympics will put their

medals around their ownnecks to protect againstspreading the coronavirus.

The “very significantchange” to traditional medalceremonies in the 339 eventswas revealed on Wednesday byIOC president Thomas Bach.

“The medals will not begiven around the neck,” Bachtold international media on aconference call.

“They will be presented tothe athlete on a tray and then

the athlete will take the medalhim or herself.”

“It will be made sure thatthe person who will put themedal on tray will do so onlywith disinfected gloves so thatthe athlete can be sure thatnobody touched them before,”Bach added.

Bach also confirmed thatin Tokyo “there will be noshake hands and there will beno hugs there during the cer-emony.”

The IOC had previouslysaid medallists and ceremonyofficials would have to wearmasks.

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Japan’s Emperor Naruhito islikely to attend the opening

ceremony of the TokyoOlympics on July 23 anddeclare the Games open.

The Olympics host coun-try is making arrangements forthe emperor’s attendance at theopening ceremony, Kyodo newsagency reported.

The report said Naruhito“is prepared to also meet with

visiting foreign dignitaries atthe Imperial Palace.”

However, imperial familymembers are unlikely to watchother events after theOrganising Committee decid-ed to stage almost all of thecompetitions behind closeddoors to prevent the spread ofthe coronavirus, according tothe report.

The 61-year-old emperoris the honorary patron of theTokyo 2020 Olympics and

Paralympics.Naruhito is the third

emperor to have accepted therole of honorary patron and thefirst to have assumed it for boththe Olympics and Paralympics.

His father, EmperorAkihito, declared the openingof the 1998 Nagano WinterGames, while his grandfather,Emperor Hirohito, proclaimedthe start of both the 1964Tokyo Summer Games and the1972 Sapporo Winter Games.

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Ravichandran Ashwin sound-ed a warning bell for the

English batsmen ahead of thefive-Test series with a superbmatch-turning spell of 6 for 27as Surrey bundled out Somersetfor 69 in their second innings ofthe English CountyChampionship contest here.

Looking to get some quali-ty match practice ahead of join-ing the Indian in Durham onThursday, Ashwin did morethan enough with 58 oversunder his belt and a match haulof 7 for 127.

If the first innings was usedtowards about building bowlingworkload and hitting the goodareas, the second innings wasmore about showing his skill-sets with the famous carrom ballbamboozling opposition bats-men. In fact, the veteran off-spinner bowled 15 unchangedovers with the new Dukes andgot able support from left armspinner Dan Moriarty who took

4 for 20 as Somerset were all outfor 69 in only 29.1 overs afterscoring 429 in their first essay.

Ashwin ran through theopposition getting enough driftand also using the carrom balland off-breaks judiciously.

Left-handed opener StevenDavis edged one to wicketkeep-er Jamie Smith while JadenClark caught Tom Lammonby.

Skipper and first innings centu-rion James Hildreth wasadjudged plumb in-front whenhe missed a straighter one.

The difference from firstinnings was extra bounce thatAshwin got off the pitch and onesuch flighted delivery, turned ashade and bounced enough tofool George Bartlett who shoul-dered arms.

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London: Eoin Morgan will return tolead England in the upcoming T20series against Pakistan it wasannounced on Wednesday after hemissed their ODI clean sweep follow-ing a Covid-19 outbreak within thehost’ camp.

Only four of the England playersinvolved in the ODI success havebeen retained for the three T20s, withcenturion Vince omitted.

Saqib Mahmood, Lewis Gregoryand Matt Parkinson have all beenincluded in a 16-man squad afterstarring in the ODIs, with T20 regularDawid Malan keeping his place.

Jos Buttler has also been includedfollowing a calf injury.

Stokes, however, has been rested

ahead of a five-match Test series athome to India starting in August, withbowlers Mark Wood, Chris Woakesand Sam Curran absent as well.

SQUADMorgan (capt), Moeen Ali, JonnyBairstow, Jake Ball, Tom Banton, JosButtler (wkt), Tom Curran, LewisGregory, Chris Jordan, LiamLivingstone, Saqib Mahmood, DawidMalan, Matt Parkinson, Adil Rashid,Jason Roy, David Willey

FIXTURESJuly 16: 1st T20, Trent BridgeJuly 18: 2nd T20, HeadingleyJuly 20: 3rd T20, Old Trafford

AFP

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Italian goalkeeper GianluigiDonnarumma, who won the

Euro 2020 Player of the tourna-ment award on Sunday, penneda five-year deal with Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday, com-pleting a free transfer from ACMilan.

The 22-year-old will report-edly pocket 12 million euros aseason in the French capital,twice what he made at Milan.

The 30-time capped inter-national was also reportedlylinked with Juventus andBarcelona.

PSG boss MauricioPochettino is now blessed witha wealth of options between theposts after last season’s first-choice shot-stopper, KeylorNavas, extended his termsthrough 2024. The Ligue 1giants also have Sergio Rico andAlphonse Areola on their books.

Donnarumma featured over200 times for the Rossoneriand backstopped them to sec-ond place in Serie A last season.

RUI SIGNS FOR ROMAOn Tuesday, Portugal inter-

national goalkeeper Rui Patriciosigned a three-year contractwith Serie A club Roma fromPremier League sideWolverhamptonWanderers.

The 33-year-old becomes newP o r t u g u e s ecoach JoseMourinho’s firstsigning in a deal whichruns until June 2024and is worth an initial11.5 million euros($13.5 million) plus

bonuses.“In Jose Mourinho we are

talking about one of the great-est coaches in the world and Iam excited to start workingwith him and doing everythingI can to help the team,” saidPatricio.

“Roma is a big club and anew challenge and I’m excited totry and help the club achieve itstargets.”

MESSI AGREES DEALBarcelona have reached a

deal on principle with Leo Messifor the Argentine veteran toremain with the Catalan club foranother five years, but on areduced wage, Spanish mediareported on Wednesday.

Messi will sign a five-seasoncontract with a release clause of600 million euros ($709 million),according to Catalan sportsdaily L'Esportiu.

The player will reduce hiswage by 50 per-cent and willearn in theregion of 20million eurosbasic nextseason.

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