AcVk Cf]V Z_ >RYRcRdYecR aRceZVd cV]ZVgVU

16
M aharashtra was on Tuesday placed under President’s Rule, which came as a major relief to all the four stakeholders who now have enough time to outdo each other in the race for Government formation in the State. The Shiv Sena and the NCP admitted this and said they were not in a hurry, while the Congress maintained it will talk to Uddhav’s party after discussing threadbare with Sharad Pawar’s entity to reach a common ground. Following the Centre’s move, the Shiv Sena said it is readying a petition to challenge the President’s Rule decision in the Supreme Court. A final call will be taken on Wednesday, Shiv Sena’s advocate said. The SC may hear the petition chal- lenging the Governor’s decision on Wednesday. Except for the BJP, the Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress all have cried foul over the Governor’s role. “The way President’s Rule was recom- mended, I condemn it. This Government has violated the SC guidelines on President’s Rule on several occasions in the last 5 years,” Ahmed Patel said. Sena suffered a setback in its efforts to cobble up a non- BJP Government in Maharashtra with the Congress at the last moment announcing its decision to hold more talks with ally NCP on supporting the Shiv Sena. Interestingly, while the BJP, which had given up its claim, appeared once again on the scene to assert it was back in the contention, the Sena still showed signs of willingness to go with its longtime NDA ally if the BJP gave it what it want- ed — the Chief Ministership for two and half years. “We have six months, we will sit down with the Congress and NCP,” Uddhav told reporters after a meeting with his MLAs. In a Press conference with Congress leaders, Pawar said they were in no hurry and will take a decision after holding further talks with the Congress. Senior Congress leader Ahmed Patel maintained his party will hold talks with the Sena only after its talks with the NCP cul- minate. But then, BJP leader Narain Rane came out to say that his party will try to form a Government and that former Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis is putting in all efforts in this direction. Patel along with KC Venugopal and Mallikarjun Kharge was dispatched by Congress president Sonia Gandhi to hold talks with Pawar to thrash out all niggling issues that could make or mar the prospective alliance with an ideologically opposite party. The political manoeuvring continued till late evening. Earlier, the Centre imposed President’s Rule after Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshiyari recommended it five hours before the expiry of the 8.30 pm deadline given to the NCP to express its will- ingness to form the Government. The Union Cabinet subse- quently met and approved the recommendation before Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s departure to Brazil for the BRICS Summit. The Shiv Sena moved the SC challenging the Governor’s decision to not grant it more time for the Government for- mation exercise. M aharashtra is witnessing President’s Rule for the third time in its history with the first being in 1980 and the sec- ond in 2014. Interestingly, Pawar has always been in the mix of things on all the three occasions, the Shiv Sena being an addition this time round. It was the Sharad Pawar-led Progressive Democratic Front Government that the Congress had dismissed first in 1980 to impose President’s Rule. In 2014, the Congress Government led by Prithvi Raj Chavan was dismissed by the Narendra Modi dispensation after it lost majority following Sharad Pawar’s NCP with- drawing support to it. The longest duration that Maharashtra was under President’s Rule was for 112 days from February 17, 1980, to June 8, 1980, despite then Chief Minister Sharad Pawar enjoying majority in the House. When Indira came back to power in 1980, she dismissed all non-Congress State Governments in Bihar, Gujarat, Odisha, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, besides Maharashtra. She was retaliating for the dis- missal of eight Congress Governments by the Janata Party dispensation in 1977. She wanted to ensure the Congress majority in the coun- try after the collapse of the Morarji Desai-led Janata Party Government at the Centre. Pawar was leading the coalition Government in Maharashtra at that time and he had won the majority. The President’s Rule came to an end when Abdul Rehman Antulay took over as the Chief Minister of the State. President’s Rule was again imposed for 32 days from September 28, 2014, to October 31, 2014, after then Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan resigned following the break- up of the 15-year-old Congress- NCP alliance. The NCP had pulled out of the alliance after blaming Congress for stalling talks over seat-sharing. Article 356, known as President’s Rule, deals with failure of constitutional machinery in the State. Under President’s Rule, the Governor runs the State with the help of the Chief Secretary. But the Governor cannot take any pol- icy decisions, which can only be taken by the Union Government with the assent of Parliament. R aging stubble fires in neigh- bouring States, fall in the temperature and wind speed pushed the national Capital’s air quality in the “severe” zone on Tuesday with the Government’s air quality monitor, SAFAR, forecasting that pollution lev- els in Delhi-NCR are expected to enter the “severe plus” or “emergency” category on Wednesday. Meteorologists said Delhi recorded a minimum tempera- ture of 11.7 degrees Celsius, the season’s lowest so far on, Tuesday morning. It is two notches below normal for this time of the year. “A dip in wind speed and temperature makes the air cold and dense,” leading to accumulation of pollutants in the air, said Kuldeep Srivastava, head of the India Meteorological Department’s regional weather forecasting centre. According to the Central Pollution Control Bureau (CPCB), Delhi’s overall air quality index (AQI) was 425 at 4 pm on Tuesday. It was 360 at 4 pm on Monday. The levels of PM 2.5 — tiny particulate matter less than 2.5 microns in diametre that can enter deep into the lungs and even the bloodstream — shot up to 292 micrograms per cubic metre, around five times the safe limit of 0-60 micro- grams per cubic metre. The levels of PM10 increased to 436 micrograms per cubic metre, more than four times the safe limit of 100 micrograms per cubic metre. Most of the 37 air quality monitoring stations in Delhi recorded air quality in the severe category. The spike in pollution came on a day when the Delhi Government lifted restric- tions under its odd-even vehi- cle rationing scheme in view of the the 550th birth anniver- sary of Sikhism founder Guru Nanak Dev. A reluctant Congress, which did not make its mind to back an ideologically different party in forming a Government in Maharashtra, got more confused when a day earlier its long time ally NCP chief Sharad Pawar communi- cated to Congress president Sonia Gandhi that “he (Pawar) will first assess the situation in joining hands with the Shiv Sena and get back to the party”. This made the grand old party send three top leaders — Ahmed Patel, Mallikarjun Kharge and KC Venugopal — to meet Pawar in Mumbai and comprehend the nitty- gritty further. The Congress has been extremely reluctant to back the Shiv Sena, given the severe ideological mismatch and the fact that the two par- ties fought bitterly as rivals in Mumbai and other parts of the State in the polls. The leaders were supposed to visit early in the day to Mumbai but their plan deferred after, according to sources in AICC, Pawar con- veyed that State leaders of both the parties will first dis- cuss the “terms and condi- tions” of the Government for- mation in the State. Both Sonia and Pawar had spoken earlier where both are believed to have discussed on a “common minimum pro- gramme” before giving any word to the Shiv Sena. Pawar also informed the Congress central leadership that he would come to Delhi and finalise details with them dur- ing the day. When Pawar expressed his inability to visit the national Capital, the Congress decided to send the leaders to meet Pawar. Though the meeting remained inconclusive, leaders of the two allies said further discussions would be needed to decide on the issue of Government formation in the State. Congress’ distrust for Shiv Sena apart, it also did not want to go the whole hog on the advice of the NCP chief without plugging all loopholes. NCP leader Ajit Pawar had stopped short of blaming ally Congress for the “delay” in deciding on whether to sup- port the Shiv Sena in a non- BJP Government in Maharashtra. And sources said his uncle, Sharad Pawar, is upset with the Congress for it. Congress held off on send- ing its leaders to Mumbai early morning, asking Pawar to come to Delhi instead and speak to Sonia. But Pawar declined, citing a meeting with his party MLAs, and the two then spoke on the phone. K halistani militant Balwant Singh Rajoana has escaped the gallows without asking for it. Even though Rajoana had made clear his intentions of not contesting the death penalty for eliminating the then Punjab Chief Minister and 16 others, the Centre on Tuesday commuted the same to life imprisonment. Interestingly, the clemen- cy orders came on the plea filed by the Shiromani Gurudwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) in 2012, and not by Rajioana, who had all along been defy- ing any mercy. It has been learnt that the orders have been conveyed to Punjab Government and the Chandigarh Administration. Detailed report on P3 W hen in Punjab, do as Punjabis do! Following the same, the President Ram Nath Kovind, during his visit to participate in Guru Nanak Dev’s 550th birth anniversary celebrations at Sultanpur Lodhi on Tuesday, sported a turban, and even delivered his speech in Punjabi. The President, striking a balance between the Punjab Government and the Shiromani Gurudwara Parbandhak Committee who have all along been fighting among themselves over the issue of organising main event, attended the events organised by both factions. Kovind, along with his wife Savita Kovind, arrived at Sultanpur Lodhi in Kapurthala district to attend the 550th birth anniversary celebrations of Guru Nanak Dev where he was received by Punjab Governor VP Singh Badnore, Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh and his wife and Patiala MP Preneet Kaur. Later, Kovind drove straight to historic Gurdwara Ber Sahib, where he and his wife paid obeisance. The President then addressed religious gatherings at two events organised by the Congress-led Punjab Government and the SAD-led Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC). Notably, the Punjab Government and the SGPC has been at loggerheads over the issue of joint celebrations of 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev. The SGPC set up a separate stage at a stadium near Gurdwara Ber Sahib to hold the main event while the State Government set up its own “pandal” to hold the function. Kovind first went to the stage set up by the Punjab Government, where he was honoured with a memento and a ceremonial sword in the presence of Capt Amarinder, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and Punjab Governor Badnore. Later he attended the SGPC’s event where manage- ment body’s head Gobind Singh Longowal, Punjab’s for- mer Chief Minister and Akali patriarch Parkash Singh Badal, SAD president and MP Sukhbir Badal were present among other leaders. Greeting the gathering with “Sat Sri Akal”, the President said: “Guru Nanak Dev lives in our hearts. He is our common legacy. He is the guiding light for the entire humanity. It is the responsibil- ity of all of us to follow his ideals and work towards elim- inating social disparities.” He called upon the people to follow the path shown by the Sikhism founder and work towards eliminating social dis- parities. He also impressed upon people to imbibe the teachings of all the 10 Sikhs Gurus to con- tribute in making our country and world a better place. Guru Nanak Dev spread the light of wisdom with his teachings and preached “Sarbat Da Bhala” which means welfare of all, asking people to rise above inequalities, caste and creed, Kovind said. Continued on Page 4

Transcript of AcVk Cf]V Z_ >RYRcRdYecR aRceZVd cV]ZVgVU

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Maharashtra was onTuesday placed under

President’s Rule, which came asa major relief to all the fourstakeholders who now haveenough time to outdo eachother in the race forGovernment formation in theState. The Shiv Sena and theNCP admitted this and saidthey were not in a hurry, whilethe Congress maintained itwill talk to Uddhav’s partyafter discussing threadbarewith Sharad Pawar’s entity toreach a common ground.

Following the Centre’smove, the Shiv Sena said it isreadying a petition to challengethe President’s Rule decision inthe Supreme Court. A final callwill be taken on Wednesday,Shiv Sena’s advocate said. TheSC may hear the petition chal-lenging the Governor’s decisionon Wednesday.

Except for the BJP, theShiv Sena, NCP and Congressall have cried foul over theGovernor’s role. “The wayPresident’s Rule was recom-mended, I condemn it. ThisGovernment has violated theSC guidelines on President’sRule on several occasions in thelast 5 years,” Ahmed Patel said.

Sena suffered a setback inits efforts to cobble up a non-BJP Government inMaharashtra with the Congress

at the last moment announcingits decision to hold more talkswith ally NCP on supportingthe Shiv Sena.

Interestingly, while the BJP,which had given up its claim,appeared once again on thescene to assert it was back inthe contention, the Sena stillshowed signs of willingness togo with its longtime NDA allyif the BJP gave it what it want-

ed — the Chief Ministership fortwo and half years.

“We have six months, wewill sit down with the Congressand NCP,” Uddhav toldreporters after a meeting withhis MLAs.

In a Press conference withCongress leaders, Pawar saidthey were in no hurry and willtake a decision after holdingfurther talks with the Congress.

Senior Congress leader AhmedPatel maintained his party willhold talks with the Sena onlyafter its talks with the NCP cul-minate. But then, BJP leaderNarain Rane came out to saythat his party will try to forma Government and that formerChief Minister DevendraFadnavis is putting in all effortsin this direction.

Patel along with KCVenugopal and MallikarjunKharge was dispatched byCongress president SoniaGandhi to hold talks withPawar to thrash out all nigglingissues that could make or marthe prospective alliance with anideologically opposite party.

The political manoeuvring

continued till late evening.Earlier, the Centre imposedPresident’s Rule afterMaharashtra Governor BhagatSingh Koshiyari recommendedit five hours before the expiryof the 8.30 pm deadline givento the NCP to express its will-ingness to form theGovernment.

The Union Cabinet subse-quently met and approved therecommendation before PrimeMinister Narendra Modi’sdeparture to Brazil for theBRICS Summit.

The Shiv Sena moved theSC challenging the Governor’sdecision to not grant it moretime for the Government for-mation exercise.

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Maharashtra is witnessingPresident’s Rule for the

third time in its history with thefirst being in 1980 and the sec-ond in 2014. Interestingly,Pawar has always been in themix of things on all the threeoccasions, the Shiv Sena beingan addition this time round.

It was the Sharad Pawar-ledProgressive Democratic FrontGovernment that the Congresshad dismissed first in 1980 toimpose President’s Rule.

In 2014, the CongressGovernment led by Prithvi RajChavan was dismissed by theNarendra Modi dispensationafter it lost majority followingSharad Pawar’s NCP with-drawing support to it.

The longest duration thatMaharashtra was underPresident’s Rule was for 112days from February 17, 1980,to June 8, 1980, despite thenChief Minister Sharad Pawarenjoying majority in the House.When Indira came back topower in 1980, she dismissedall non-Congress StateGovernments in Bihar, Gujarat,Odisha, Punjab, Tamil Nadu,Uttar Pradesh, MadhyaPradesh, besides Maharashtra.She was retaliating for the dis-

missal of eight CongressGovernments by the JanataParty dispensation in 1977.

She wanted to ensure theCongress majority in the coun-try after the collapse of theMorarji Desai-led Janata PartyGovernment at the Centre.Pawar was leading the coalitionGovernment in Maharashtra atthat time and he had won themajority. The President’s Rulecame to an end when AbdulRehman Antulay took over asthe Chief Minister of the State.

President’s Rule was againimposed for 32 days fromSeptember 28, 2014, to October31, 2014, after then ChiefMinister Prithviraj Chavanresigned following the break-up of the 15-year-old Congress-NCP alliance. The NCP hadpulled out of the alliance afterblaming Congress for stallingtalks over seat-sharing.

Article 356, known asPresident’s Rule, deals withfailure of constitutionalmachinery in the State. UnderPresident’s Rule, the Governorruns the State with the help ofthe Chief Secretary. But theGovernor cannot take any pol-icy decisions, which can onlybe taken by the UnionGovernment with the assent ofParliament.

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Raging stubble fires in neigh-bouring States, fall in the

temperature and wind speedpushed the national Capital’s airquality in the “severe” zone onTuesday with the Government’sair quality monitor, SAFAR,forecasting that pollution lev-els in Delhi-NCR are expectedto enter the “severe plus” or“emergency” category onWednesday.

Meteorologists said Delhirecorded a minimum tempera-ture of 11.7 degrees Celsius, theseason’s lowest so far on,Tuesday morning. It is twonotches below normal for thistime of the year. “A dip in windspeed and temperature makesthe air cold and dense,” leadingto accumulation of pollutants inthe air, said Kuldeep Srivastava,head of the India MeteorologicalDepartment’s regional weatherforecasting centre.

According to the CentralPollution Control Bureau(CPCB), Delhi’s overall airquality index (AQI) was 425 at4 pm on Tuesday. It was 360 at4 pm on Monday.

The levels of PM 2.5 — tinyparticulate matter less than2.5 microns in diametre thatcan enter deep into the lungsand even the bloodstream —shot up to 292 micrograms percubic metre, around five timesthe safe limit of 0-60 micro-grams per cubic metre.

The levels of PM10increased to 436 microgramsper cubic metre, more thanfour times the safe limit of 100

micrograms per cubic metre. Most of the 37 air quality

monitoring stations in Delhirecorded air quality in thesevere category.

The spike in pollutioncame on a day when the DelhiGovernment lifted restric-tions under its odd-even vehi-cle rationing scheme in viewof the the 550th birth anniver-sary of Sikhism founder GuruNanak Dev.

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Areluctant Congress, whichdid not make its mind to

back an ideologically differentparty in forming aGovernment in Maharashtra,got more confused when a dayearlier its long time ally NCPchief Sharad Pawar communi-cated to Congress presidentSonia Gandhi that “he (Pawar)will first assess the situation injoining hands with the ShivSena and get back to the party”.

This made the grand oldparty send three top leaders —Ahmed Patel, MallikarjunKharge and KC Venugopal —to meet Pawar in Mumbaiand comprehend the nitty-gritty further. The Congresshas been extremely reluctant toback the Shiv Sena, given thesevere ideological mismatchand the fact that the two par-ties fought bitterly as rivals inMumbai and other parts of theState in the polls.

The leaders were supposedto visit early in the day toMumbai but their plandeferred after, according tosources in AICC, Pawar con-veyed that State leaders ofboth the parties will first dis-cuss the “terms and condi-tions” of the Government for-mation in the State.

Both Sonia and Pawar hadspoken earlier where both arebelieved to have discussed ona “common minimum pro-gramme” before giving anyword to the Shiv Sena. Pawaralso informed the Congresscentral leadership that hewould come to Delhi andfinalise details with them dur-ing the day. When Pawarexpressed his inability to visitthe national Capital, theCongress decided to send theleaders to meet Pawar.

Though the meetingremained inconclusive, leadersof the two allies said furtherdiscussions would be neededto decide on the issue ofGovernment formation in theState. Congress’ distrust for

Shiv Sena apart, it also did notwant to go the whole hog onthe advice of the NCP chief without plugging all loopholes.

NCP leader Ajit Pawarhad stopped short of blamingally Congress for the “delay” indeciding on whether to sup-port the Shiv Sena in a non-BJP Government inMaharashtra. And sources saidhis uncle, Sharad Pawar, isupset with the Congress for it.

Congress held off on send-ing its leaders to Mumbai earlymorning, asking Pawar tocome to Delhi instead andspeak to Sonia. But Pawardeclined, citing a meeting withhis party MLAs, and the twothen spoke on the phone.

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Khalistani militant BalwantSingh Rajoana has escaped

the gallows without askingfor it. Even though Rajoanahad made clear his intentionsof not contesting the deathpenalty for eliminating thethen Punjab Chief Ministerand 16 others, the Centre onTuesday commuted the sameto life imprisonment.

Interestingly, the clemen-cy orders came on the pleafi led by the ShiromaniGurudwara ParbandhakCommittee (SGPC) in 2012, and not by Rajioana,who had all along been defy-ing any mercy.

It has been learnt that theorders have been conveyed toPunjab Government and theChandigarh Administration.

Detailed report on P3

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When in Punjab, do asPunjabis do! Following

the same, the President RamNath Kovind, during his visit toparticipate in Guru NanakDev’s 550th birth anniversarycelebrations at Sultanpur Lodhi

on Tuesday, sported a turban,and even delivered his speechin Punjabi.

The President, striking abalance between the PunjabGovernment and theShiromani GurudwaraParbandhak Committee whohave all along been fighting

among themselves over theissue of organising main event,attended the events organisedby both factions.

Kovind, along with his wifeSavita Kovind, arrived atSultanpur Lodhi in Kapurthaladistrict to attend the 550thbirth anniversary celebrations

of Guru Nanak Dev where hewas received by PunjabGovernor VP Singh Badnore,Chief Minister Capt AmarinderSingh and his wife and PatialaMP Preneet Kaur.

Later, Kovind drovestraight to historic GurdwaraBer Sahib, where he and hiswife paid obeisance.

The President thenaddressed religious gatheringsat two events organised by theCongress-led PunjabGovernment and the SAD-ledShiromani GurdwaraParbandhak Committee(SGPC).

Notably, the PunjabGovernment and the SGPC hasbeen at loggerheads over theissue of joint celebrations of550th birth anniversary of GuruNanak Dev. The SGPC set up aseparate stage at a stadium nearGurdwara Ber Sahib to hold themain event while the StateGovernment set up its own“pandal” to hold the function.

Kovind first went to thestage set up by the PunjabGovernment, where he washonoured with a memento anda ceremonial sword in thepresence of Capt Amarinder,Rajasthan Chief MinisterAshok Gehlot and Punjab

Governor Badnore.Later he attended the

SGPC’s event where manage-ment body’s head GobindSingh Longowal, Punjab’s for-mer Chief Minister and Akalipatriarch Parkash Singh Badal,SAD president and MP SukhbirBadal were present amongother leaders.

Greeting the gatheringwith “Sat Sri Akal”, thePresident said: “Guru NanakDev lives in our hearts. He isour common legacy. He is theguiding light for the entirehumanity. It is the responsibil-ity of all of us to follow hisideals and work towards elim-inating social disparities.”

He called upon the peopleto follow the path shown by theSikhism founder and worktowards eliminating social dis-parities. He also impressed uponpeople to imbibe the teachingsof all the 10 Sikhs Gurus to con-tribute in making our countryand world a better place.

Guru Nanak Dev spreadthe light of wisdom with histeachings and preached “SarbatDa Bhala” which means welfareof all, asking people to riseabove inequalities, caste andcreed, Kovind said.

Continued on Page 4

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Himachal Chief Minister JaiRam Thakur on Tuesday

presided over the closing cer-emony of the InternationalShri Renuka Ji fair at Renuka,in Sirmour district saying thatfairs and festivals were theintegral part of our rich culturalrepository and concertedefforts must be made to con-serve the same for the genera-tions to come.

He paid obeisance in theLord Parshuram temple andMata Renuka temple and alsoparticipated in the ‘Dev Vidai’procession by giving shoulderto the palanquin of the LordParshuram.

Thakur said the presentState Government was about tocomplete two years in office inDecember and during thisperiod the State has witnessedunprecedented development.He said people of the State havegiven tremendous love and

affection to the StateGovernment. BJP has won allthe elections held during thisperiod be it Lok Sabha or thebye elections of two con-stituencies of the State.

He said that during the lastabout two years the efforts of

the State Government was toensure equitable and balanceddevelopment of the State,adding that on the day ofassuming office, the StateGovernment lowered the agelimit for availing the benefit ofold age pension without

income limit from 80 years to70 years. He said thatJanmanch programmelaunched by the StateGovernment has been appre-ciated even by the politicalopponents and as many as35,000 issues had been resolved

during this programme. Hesaid that now the 1100 ChiefMinister Sewa SankalpHelpline was proving to be aboon to the people of the Statefor redressal of their grievances.

Thakur said underAyushmann Bharat Yojna forthe people of the Country forproviding insurance cover ofupto Rs 5 lakh as many as 22lakh people of the State havebeen covered. He said the StateGovernment has launchedHimCare scheme to providehealth insurance cover to thosefamilies who have not beencovered under AyushmannBharat Yojna.

Chief Minister announcedto increase the nazrana forpalanquins (palkis) of fourdeities from Rs. 11 thousand toRs. 21 thousand. He also vis-ited the developmental exhibi-tion in the fair installed by var-ious departments and gaveaway prizes to participants andwinners of the best exhibition.

District Rural DevelopmentAuthority received the firstprize, second prize went toEducation Department where-as Ayurveda Departmentbagged the third prize in exhi-bition.

Earlier, the Chief Ministeropened new Irrigation andPublic Health Sub Division atDadhau. This would benefitabout 50,000 people of twenty-three panchayats of the areaand would have four sectionsof Dadhau, Renuka ji, Paradaand Giri Nagar. He also inau-gurated water supply scheme toSirguldhar and some villages ofNahan tehsil constructed withan amount of �3.60 crore.

This scheme would cover46 habitats of four panchayatsof the area.

Chief Minister alsolaunched the ‘Polythene FreeSirmour Scheme’, an initiativeof the district administration tomake Sirmour district polythene free.

%�� ������ ��"�"�������������� ����� �������Manali: Cold desert ofHimachal Pradesh’s LahaulValley that were once knownfor producing a bitter taste hopsare going to experiment withexotic variety of barley that willbe used for making maltwhisky, say agriculture experts.

For this, the StateGovernment has signed amemorandum of understand-ing with the Polish spirits pro-ducer Neilson Europe to ini-tially involve nearly 200 farm-ers of Lahaul-Spiti, Kinnaurand Chamba districts to go forcontract farming of a high-yield barley variety importedfrom Scotland.

Once known for producinga bitter taste hops, the contractfarming of barley in the remoteLahaul Valley, which has acultivation season for less thanfive months from May owing toheavy snowfall and extremecold climatic conditions, willusher economic prosperity,Agriculture Minister and locallegislator Ram Lal Markandatold .

Last week the State signeda pact with the Polish spiritsproducer that proposed toinvest �110 crore to producethe organic Himalayan singlemalt whisky.

According to the produc-er of the award winning spiritZOUK Vodka, world’s onlysingle estate rye vodka, the geo-graphic and climatic conditionsof Himachal Pradesh is on apar with the Scotland’s andmany other European regionswhich will lead to deriving aunique and special terroir.

Surveys by the agriculturedepartment show that the areaunder cash crop potato culti-vation in the Lahaul Valley hasalready declined in 10 yearsfrom 2,000 hectares to about700 hectares.

Potato cultivation startedin 1854 when missionary A. W.Hide from Germany estab-lished a farm near Keylong inthe Lahaul Valley.

Likewise, there has been anear decline in the cultivationof hops, a key ingredient inbrewing beer, as a major cashcrop in the valley owing to

dumping of cheaper varietiesfrom China, the US andGermany.

Currently, the area undervegetable cultivation in thevalley is around 2,200 hectares.

Ramesh Chand, an exoticvegetable grower in Sissu vil-lage in Lahaul district, said thecontract farming of barleycould bring economic pros-perity.

“Last year, following newsof detection of the Nematodevirus in the seed potato sam-ples, growers in Lahaul suffereda massive loss. Many a timeuntimely heavy snowfall isdamaging our cash crops ofpeas and apples,” he said.

Another farmer DeepakBodh said the contract farmingwould benefit both the pro-ducers as well as the Agro-pro-cessing firm.

He said in the past decade,locals have almost given up thecultivation of hops owing topoor demand.

“Barley is a cash crop here,but largely for local consump-tion and livestock. If there is acontract farming for high-yieldbarley, it is a good opportuni-ty for the growers to get remu-nerative price,” he added.

Currently, farmers are cul-

tivating cauliflower, cabbageand peas.

According to theAgriculture Department, theyield of cauliflower in theLahaul Valley is as high as 400quintal per hectare comparedto 200 to 250 quintal elsewherein the State.

Neilson Europe PresidentGaurav Rajput told IANS thatinitially 200 farmers would beinvolved in the contract farm-ing. “If it is successful, 500-700farmers would be involved.”

He said the companywould pay �50,000 to eachbarley grower for its produceon one acre. The amount is 25per cent higher than the pre-vailing market rate.

The company would alsoset up a distillery-cum-bot-tling plant in the State.TheLahaul Valley, comprising overtwo dozen small, scattered vil-lages, remains cut off from therest of the world for over fourmonths from Decemberonwards owing to heavy snowaccumulation in the RohtangPass (13,050 feet) —the onlyroad link with Manali in theKullu district.

It re-opens once snowstarts thawing after mid-April. IANS

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The ChandigarhAdministration has written

to the Union Ministry ofEnvironment, Forest andClimate Change seekingapproval for the construction ofa ‘Bird Park’ and ‘VeterinaryHospital’ in Nagar Van here.

To develop the Nagar Vanas a major tourist attraction inthe city, the UT Forest andWildlife Department has pro-posed to develop ‘Bird Park’housing exotic bird species.The vet hospital would be con-structed adjacent to the park.

Spreading over 100hectares in and around theSukhna Lake reserve forestarea, Nagar Van has facilitiessuch as walkways, joggingtrails, nature trails, shallowwater bodies, visitors’ shedamong others. It was openedfor the visitors last year.

Dr Abdul Qayum, DeputyConservator of Forests,Chandigarh while talking toThe Pioneer said, “We have senta proposal to the UnionMinistry of Environment,Forest and Climate Changeseeking approval for setting upthe ‘Veterinary Hospital’ and‘Bird Park’ in Nagar Van.

“One veterinary doctor,staff members and otherwildlife experts will work in thehospital to treat wild animalsand birds. The hospital to bedeveloped in Nagar Van will befor wild animals only. At pre-sent, the injured wild animalsare shifted to SPCA hospitalpremises in Sector 38 here fortreatment,” he said.

The ‘Bird Park’, proposed tobe developed on the lines ofJurong Bird Park in Singapore,envisages creating a new touristspot in Chandigarh and a placefor bird lovers and aspiringornithologists. Two aviariesincluding one for the exoticbird species and a waterfall isplanned to be developed in thepark.

Notably, Jurong Bird Park,Asia’s largest bird park housesmore than 3500 bird acrossaround 400 species includingthreatened species.Giving moredetails of the ‘Bird Park’, the UTDCF said, “The work on devel-oping the park has alreadybegun. In the first phase, twoaviaries will be developed.Exotic bird species like Ostrich,Emu, Lorikeets, Parakeets andvarious water bird species willbe kept in the aviaries.”Both thepark and hospital will be devel-oped in around two acres land,he added.

Apart from a ‘BirdsParadise’ and vet hospital, theUT Forest and WildlifeDepartment is also developingthree new attractions namelyRashi Van, Nakshatra Van andNavagraha Van in the NagarVan. These three small grovesare astro-themed gardens beingdeveloped on the lines of suchsimilar gardens in Daman andDiu and Goa.

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With the farmers continu-ing burning stubble in

the neighboring states ofPunjab and Haryana, the airquality index in the joint cap-ital of two states-Chandigarh-has turned ‘poor’ again.

While rainfall for two con-secutive days from November7 had led to improvement inthe air quality, it has againturned ‘poor’, which can causebreathing discomfort to mostpeople on prolonged expo-sure.

Chandigarh recorded airquality index of 274 at 4 PM onTuesday. An AQI between 0-50is considered good, 51-100 sat-isfactory, 101-200 moderate,201-300 poor, 301-400 very

poor and 401-500 severe.As per the data observed at

continuous ambient air quality monitoring station(CAAQMS) at PanjabUniversity Sector 25 here, thePM 2.5 levels stood at an aver-age of 274 μg/m and maximumof 320 μg/m on Tuesday whilePM10 levels were 148 μg/m onan average and maximum of220 μg/m in the city.

The permissible limit forPM2.5 is 60 μg/m3while its 100μg/m3 for PM 10. Both PM 10-(particulate matters with diameter of 10 microns or less)and PM2.5 (particulate mattersless than 2.5 microns)-form ofair pollution, can cause severehealth problems.

The concentration of sul-phur dioxide (SO2) and NOx,

however, remained below thepermissible levels.Last week,the AQI had turned ‘satisfac-tory’ in the city and was record-ed between 51-100 after rain-fall on November 7.

In neighboring Haryana,the AQI was recorded 410 inGurugram at 6 PM, 410 inFaridabad at 6 PM and 351 inAmbala at 10 AM on Tuesday.

Similarly in Punjab, theAQI was recorded 339 at 12noon in Patiala and 370 inBathinda at 6 PM on Tuesday.

Talking to The Pioneer,Surender Pal, DirectorMeteorological Department,Chandigarh said the AQI hasturned “poor” in the city and“severe” in various parts ofPunjab and Haryana in last two

days.Due to calm winds, con-

tinuing stubble burning inneighboring states and high rel-ative humidity, the air qualityindex has worsened in the lasttwo days in the region, hesaid.

While rainfall had lastweek improved the AQI, thesituation is likely to remain likethis for few more days. Westerndisturbances are expected inthe region after November 17that could result in rainfall andimprovement in air quality, headded.

Notably, the air qualityindex was recorded above 300,which is categorized as “verypoor”, at various locations inthe city on Diwali, October 27.

�������������� � �!�"�#$����"�"�%�"�&$��'����(&�$Chandigarh: The union terri-tory of Chandigarh on Tuesdayrecorded minimum tempera-ture of 12.7 degree Celsius andmaximum of 25.7 degreeCelsius, three notches belownormal.

In Haryana, the minimumtemperature recorded was 13degree Celsius in Ambala, 9.2degrees in Hisar, 9.8 degrees inKarnal and 12.1 degrees inNarnaul.The maximum tem-perature in Ambala was record-ed at 26.2 degree Celsius, twodegrees below normal, Hisarsettled at 27.4 degree Celsius,

three notches below normal,Karnal recorded 26.8 degreeCelsius, two notches down thenormal and Narnaul saw 28.2degrees, down by two notchesbelow normal.

Amritsar settled at mini-mum temperature of 12.6degrees, Ludhiana recorded 11.6and Patiala saw 11 degreeCelsius. The maximum tem-perature recorded was 24.3degrees in Amritsar, four degreesbelow normal. Ludhiana andPatiala recorded respective max-imum temperatures of 25.9 and27.7 degree Celsius.

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Lakhs of devotees flocked tothe gurdwaras in Punjab,

Haryana and Chandigarh tooffer prayers on the 550thbirth anniversary of Sikhismfounder Guru Nanak Dev ashyms of Gurbani reverberatedin the air.

President Ram NathKovind and his wife Savita wereamong the devotees who paidobeisance at the historicGurdwara Ber Sahib inSultanpur Lodhi, where GuruNanak Dev spent 14 years of hislife and attained enlightenment.

Dera Baba Nanak inGurdaspur, Golden Temple inAmritsar and Nada Sahib inHaryana’’s Panchkula wereequally crowded.

The main highlight of thecelebrations was the eventsorganised at Sultanpur Lodhi,where a cake weighing 550 kgwas also cut to mark the occa-sion.

An arrangement of 550kinds of sweets and other itemswere made for devotees at oneof the ‘’langars’’ (communitykitchen).

At the event organised bythe Punjab government atSultanpur Lodhi, the ‘’Bhog’’(completion) of the ‘’SehajPath’’ (recitation of completeGuru Granth Sahib with inter-vals) was performed.

A separate event wasorganised by the ShiromaniGurdwara ParbandhakCommittee (SGPC).

Notably, the Punjab gov-ernment and the SGPC hasbeen at loggerheads over theissue of joint celebrations of550th birth anniversary ofGuru Nanak Dev. The SGPCset up a separate stage at a sta-dium near Gurdwara Ber Sahibto hold the main event whilethe state government set up itsown ‘’pandal’’ to hold the func-tion.

The historic city wasdecked up with flowers, hoard-ings and several colourful gatesto welcome pilgrims.

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Khalistani militant BalwantSingh Rajoana has escaped

the gallows without asking for it.Even though Rajoana had madeclear his intentions of not con-testing the death penalty foreliminating the then PunjabChief Minister and 16 others, theCentre on Tuesday commutedthe same to life imprisonment.

Interestingly, the clemencyorders came on the plea filed bythe Shiromani GurudwaraParbandhak Committee (SGPC)in 2012, and not by Rajioana,who had all along been defyingany mercy.It has been learnt thatthe orders have been conveyedto Punjab Government and theChandigarh Administration.

“The order from the UnionMinistry of Home Affairs hasbeen received at the Punjab RajBhawan, as the Punjab GovernorVP Singh Badnore is also the UTAdministrator. The Governor isaway for 550th parkash purabcelebrations at Sultanpur Lodhi,and any further action on theMHA orders would be taken uponce he returns,” a senior officialtold The Pioneer.

The MHA has sent theorders to the UT Administrationas the “crime”, for which Rajoanahad been convicted, took placeoutside Punjab Civil Secretariatin Chandigarh, while the PunjabGovernment was also conveyedabout the decision as Rajoana iscurrently lodged in Punjab’sPatiala Central Jail.

Facing gallows in 1995 BeantSingh assassination case,Rajoana’s death sentence has,since long, been in a state of sus-pended animation as a pleaseeking his mercy, filed by theSGPC in 2012, was lying pend-ing with the President.Escapinga death by a whisker, Rajoanawas to be hanged on March 31,2012. But the execution of hisdeath warrants was stayed onMarch 28, 2012 on the clemen-cy plea filed by the Sikh man-

agement body.Even as the ‘condemned

man’ wanted the death warrantsto be executed and resisting anysort of clemency, the then SAD-BJP led Punjab Government, theSGPC, Sikh organizations andothers left no stone unturned tosecure life for him in 2012.

Rajoana and co-convictJagtar Singh Hawara in the 1995assassination case were initiallysentenced to death by aChandigarh court in July 2007.The death sentence in case ofHawara was modified to lifeimprisonment till death by thePunjab and Haryana High Courtin October 2010.

Though the High Courtgave Rajoana an opportunity ofbeing heard, he refused to seekclemency, following which hisdeath sentence was upheld.

Rajoana, who has all alongbeen admitting for eliminatingthe then Chief Minister, alwaysinsisted on the execution of thedeath sentence. In fact, Rajoanahad, in July 2018, had observedhunger strike protesting againstthe SGPC for “not pursuing” hisappeal for commuting deathsentence which is pending beforethe President since 2012 whichis not allowing his execution.

Following this, the AkaliDal had raised the issue with theCentre seeking early disposal ofthe SGPC’s clemency plea onRajoana’s death sentence.

Rajoana, in his official state-ment, stated, “I tied the bomb onthe body of Bhai Sahib with myown hands and I do not regretmy involvement in the murder.I am proud of the sacrifice madeby him and I bow my headbefore him in respect.”He was“second” human bomb in caseDilawar Singh — the humanbomb — failed to complete thetask.Now 24 years after he assas-sinated the then Chief Ministerand more than seven years afterstay on his execution, thePresident has finally signed theclemency plea to commute the

death sentence of Babbar KhalsaInternational (BKI) terrorist tolife imprisonment.Notably, tocommemorate Sikhs’ first mas-

ter Guru Nanak Dev’s 550thbirth anniversary, the UnionMinistry of Home Affairs hadannounced to release “pre-

maturely” eight Sikh prisonersthrough special remission,besides commuting the deathsentence of one.

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After days of delay and hardbargain, the first expansion

of the Manohar Lal Khattar-ledHaryana Cabinet will take placewithin the next two days.

Deputy Chief MinisterDushyant Chautala on Tuesdaysaid he had discussed cabinetexpansion with Chief MinisterManohar Lal Khattar here.

The Jannayak Janta Partyleader said there was also a dis-cussion on allotment of depart-ments with the chief minister.On how many independentMLAs will be made Ministers,he said the two coalition part-ners will decide this.

Asked when will the cabi-net expansion take place, thedeputy chief minister said, "Itwill take place in the next 48hours (by Thursday)."

Earlier, the cabinet expan-sion was expected on Tuesday,but Maharashtra imbroglio wasone of the factor that delayedthe induction of ministers. Onbeing asked whether two more

MLAs from the JJP will get thecabinet berth, Chautala said,"This is an internal matter ofour party."

Asked if there had beenany talk with the chief minis-ter about the portfolios which

the ministers from the JJPcamp will get, Chautalaanswered in the affirmative.

Khattar met BJP chief andUnion Home Minister AmitShah in Delhi on Sunday and

discussed with him about thefirst cabinet expansion of newlyformed Government in theState. Senior BJP leaders werealso present in the meeting.The names of those MLAs tobe inducted as ministers were

finalised on Sunday itself, it islearnt.

Meanwhile, when thecouncil of ministers finallytakes oath in the State onWednesday or Thursday, it willmark the longest gap of 17 or

18 days between the swearing-in of the Chief Minister andother members of his ministryin the State.

Prior to this, such a situa-tion was also witnessed in thestate in 2009, when theCongress had also fallen shortof a full majority and had totake outside support to form agovernment. Then, BhupinderSingh Hooda took oath as theCM on October 25 but theother ministers had to wait for13 days, until November 7, tobe sworn in. The present situ-ation in the State is anotherindicator of the struggles andtribulations that lie ahead forthe Khattar government.

Khattar took oath as thechief minister for the secondtime on Diwali (October 27)and Dushyant, great grandsonof former deputy prime min-ister, late Devi Lal, was sworn-in as his deputy as the BJPformed the government withthe help of the JJP in Haryana.Seven Independents are alsosupporting the Government.

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sion, five IndependentMLAs — Nayan Pal Rawat,Sombir Sangwan, RandhirSingh Gollen, DharampalGonder and Balraj Kundu —held a meeting in Delhi onTuesday.

All the seven IndependentMLAs, including Ranjit SinghChautala who was not presentat the meet in Delhi, are supporting the present Khattar-led dispensation.

Majority of theIndependent MLAs who wonwere aspirants for a BJP ticketbefore the elections, but foughtas independents.

"We have won as indepen-dents, but we are pro-BJP,"Rawat said. He saidIndependent MLAs definitelyaspire that some of them beaccommodated in the cabinetexpansion, but there''s no greed

for the berth or any portfolio."Expansion of the cabinet is theprerogative of the chief minis-ter," he said while replying to aquestion.

Rawat also assured "fullsupport" of the independents tothe BJP-JJP combine inHaryana, saying "the govern-ment will run smoothly for fiveyears".

In the 90-member assem-bly, the BJP had won 40, JJP 10,Congress 31, INLD and theHaryana Lokhit Party one each,while seven independents alsowon.

CM recently announcedto set up a panel to monitor theimplementation of theCommon MinimumProgramme of the BJP and theJJP. Both the coalition partnershave said that they will providea stable Government inHaryana.

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Haryana Government isworking on a multi-

pronged strategy to effectivelydeal with air pollution in vari-ous parts of the state, saidHaryana Additional ChiefSecretary (Environment andClimate Change) DheeraKhandelwal.

“Stubble burning con-tributes only 25-30 per cent toair pollution and 70-75 per centimpact is due to other factorslike industries emissions, vehic-ular emissions, smoke frombrick kilns, garbage burningamong others in the state,”senior IAS officer said whiletalking to The Pioneer.

The problem of air pollu-tion also increases especiallyduring winter due to the slowmovement of the wind. Thesmoke and fog become stagnatenear the ground, forming smogand increasing pollution levels,she added.

Khandelwal said, “To endthe menace of stubble burning,the State Government hasdirected all thermal powerplants to procure crop residueor agriculture waste from farm-ers and utilise it for generatingpower along with coal. Biomassco-firing has the potential toreduce emissions from coal-

fuelled generation withoutmuch cost escalation.”

The Government hasissued an advisory to all publicand private power generatingcompanies to endeavour to use5 to 10 per cent biomass pelletsprimarily made of agro residue,along with coal, she said.

She said that as per reports,with coal-based generation of1,96,098 MW, about 100 milliontonnes of agro residue can beabsorbed in coal-based powerplants through 10 per cent co-firing with non-torrefied pellets,reducing carbon emission.

India generates about 145million tonnes a year of surplusagro residue and this can gen-erate 18,728 MW of electricityin a year.

The Additional ChiefSecretary (ACS) said that withthe implementation of multi-cornered strategy to check airpollution, the state would havezero stubble burning cases inthe next two years.

“The State Governmenthas been providing facilities tofarmers so that they don't burnstubble. The government hasbeen offering subsidy on agri-culture equipments to farmersto curb stubble burning nui-sance. The Government hasalso decided to pay its small andmarginal farmers �100 perquintal for non-basmati pro-

duce against a commitmentthat they won’t burn stubble,”she said.

The officer said thatHaryana State Pollution ControlBoard (HSPCB) has alreadyengaged the Haryana SpaceApplications Centre (HARSAC)to monitor the seasonal stubbleburning in areas where rice isgrown. Incidences of burning ofwheat stubble are also beingmonitored. HSPCB has adopt-ed other strategies whichinclude educating farmers andtaking punitivemeasures underthe law.

“Awarenessamong the farm-ers is being creat-ed to make use ofstubble and cowdung. TheAgriculture Department hasalso formulated an action planfor utilisation of paddy straw.There are technologies availableto produce environment-friendly bricks by utilisation ofwaste material,” she added.

On the incidents of stubbleburning, she claimed that as perNASA satellite imagery andHaryana Space ApplicationsCentre and other availablereports, the incidents of cropburning in Haryana have sig-nificantly come down this year.Reports suggest that Haryana

has witnessed 5,463 cases ofstubble burning so far this year,a bit lower than what it had seenin the corresponding period ofthe last year. Last year, 5, 935cases of stubble burning werereported.It is true that thenational capital region ofHaryana and its surroundingareas like Rohtak, Faridabad,Gurugram and others havebeen witnessing an alarmingrate of air pollution especiallyduring winter months, she said.

Notably, various districts ofHaryana havereported airquality index inthe ‘severe’ and‘very poor’ cat-egory this pastfortnight. AnAQI between0-50 is consid-

ered 'good', 51-100 'satisfacto-ry', 101-200 'moderate', 201-300'poor', 301-400 'very poor' and401-500 'severe'. Above 500falls in the 'severe-plus emer-gency' category.

Replying to a question onfarmers in the agrarian statesparticularly Haryana continu-ing to set paddy residue on firedespite a ban on this practice,she said that many have beenslapped with fines and othersbooked for stubble burning.

She said that a study, con-ducted by The Energy and

Resources Institute (TERI)shows that vehicle pollution isthe cause of 28 per cent of PM2.5 emissions. Vehicular pollu-tion can be broken up into:trucks and tractors generating9 per cent, 7 per cent from two-wheelers, 5 per cent from three-wheelers, 3 per cent each fromcars and buses, and 1 per centfrom light commercial vehicles.

Traffic congestion alsoincreases vehicle emissions anddegrades ambient air quality.Police Department has beendirected to ensure that there issmooth flow of traffic in theaffected areas of the state,Khandelwal said.

On the brick kilns emis-sions, she said that there aretechnologies available to pro-duce environment-friendlybricks by utilisation of wastematerial. The officials con-cerned have been directed toensure that all brick kilns imple-ment the "zig-zag" technology,as specified by the Ministry OfEnvironment and Forests,which can reduce emissions by80 per cent. Around 1, 000brick kilns have been closed tillthe next order to combat airpollution in the state, she added.

Also, it has been observedthat sweepers are in practice ofburning garbage after collectingit in the morning. Therefore,sanitation staff will be challaned

now and there is a provision ofimposing a penalty of mini-mum �2, 000, �5,000 and max-imum Rs 25,000 for burningwaste in the open, she added.

About awareness cam-paigns on stubble burning, shesaid that EducationDepartment has set up "EcoClubs" in each governmentsenior secondary school of thestate to create awareness aboutclean environment. Each schoolis given financial assistance of�2, 000 for the same purpose.Haryana has become the firststate in the country where allschools have eco clubs, sheadded.

In an innovative scheme toensure the active participationof school students in environ-ment conservation, the StateGovernment has decided togive incentive of �50 per stu-dent for every live tree plantedby them after every six months.This incentive would be givenfor a period of three years, theACS said.

Besides, they would also beprovided with a book based onenvironment conservation. Toenable the students to build aconnection with the trees theyplant; the students would beallowed to name the plant afterany great personality or theirancestors, she added.

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Afour-member team ofPunjab's Agriculture

Department, which has beentasked with taking actionagainst stubble burning inci-dents, was allegedly gheraoedby angry farmers in Sangrurdistrict, even as officials deniedto comment on the issue.

Farmers under the bannerof Bharatiya Kisan Union(Ugrahan) held a protest onMonday evening after theycame to know that the officialswere going to take actionagainst a farmer for violatingthe ban on stubble burning inGharachon village.

"We staged a protest againstthe officials," BKU leaderManjit said, adding that theywere allowed to go after assur-ances were given that farmerswill not be harassed again.Among those who weregheraoed included an official ofthe rank of chief agricultureofficer, the BKU leaderclaimed.

The protesting farmersalleged that their small andmarginal counterparts werebeing harassed by the govern-ment officials.

They lamented over beingforced to buy expensive farmequipment for the management of paddy straw.

When contacted, agricul-ture department officialsdenied to comment on theissue.

Meanwhile, farmers inPunjab continued to defy theban as the state reported 48,155incidents of stubble burningbetween September 23 andNovember 11, officials said.

Sangrur and Bathinda dis-tricts continue to be the worst-affected districts, they added.

In the corresponding peri-od last year, the state had wit-nessed 42,112 incidents of stub-ble burning.On Monday, a totalof 794 incidents of farm fireswere reported from Sangrur,Mansa and Bathinda districtswitnessing 178, 162 and 158cases respectively, an official ofthe Punjab Remote SensingCentre said.

Paddy growers continueto set paddy straw afire despiteSupreme Court directions forthe government to pay �100per quintal to those farmerswho do not burn crop residue.

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Punjab Chief Minister CaptAmarinder Singh on

Tuesday announced that hewould take up with the PrimeMinister Narendra Modi theissue of prevailing uponPakistan to grant Indian devo-tees open access to more historic gurdwaras across theborder.

The announcement wasmade during the 550thprakash purab of Guru NanakDev, where the President RamNath Kovind joined the ChiefMinister in leading the historiccelebrations in the State.

Punjab Governor VPSingh Badnore and RajasthanChief Minister Ashok Gehlotwere among the galaxy ofluminaries present at the state-level function to mark theauspicious occasion.

The Chief Minister, onthe occasion, also announcedthe State Government’s deci-sion to honour Punjab Policepersonnel with ‘Prakash PurbTagma’ (Medal) for their ser-vice to the state in the truespirit of Guru Nanak Dev ji’sideology.

The Chief Minister alsoannounced that the 550thprakash purb celebrations,which commenced last year,would continue till November2020.

Capt Amarinder, address-ing a religious congregationafter the bhog of ‘Sri SehajPath’, said that as per hisGovernment’s decision torelease 550 convicts prema-turely to mark the historicoccasion, 450 had alreadybeen freed, while others wouldbe released over the next fewmonths.

He also welcomed millionsof devotees (sangat) who had

converged from different partsof the country and foreignshores to participate in theprakash purab celebrationswith great enthusiasm andreligious fervour.

The Sehaj Path, jointlyorganized by the PunjabGovernment, Sant Samaj, var-ious Sikh religious organisa-tions and Sikh Sangat onbehalf of the people of Punjabat Guru Nanak Darbar, hadcommenced on November 5.

Once again expressing hisgratitude to Prime MinisterNarendra Modi and PakistanPrime Minister Imran Khanfor helping realise the Sikhcommunity’s dream of visitingthe Kartarpur Gurdwara, CaptAmarinder hoped that thiswould be followed by moresuch gurdwaras in Pakistanbeing opened to Indian devo-tees.

“I would personally takeup the matter with Modi andurge him to raise the issue withImran to facilitate the realiza-tion of the Sikh community’sdream to visit those gurd-waras, such as Panja Sahib andNankana Sahib, also,” he said.

Capt Amarinder acknowl-edged the support given by theCentral Government in mak-ing the historic celebrations asuccess and expressed happiness at the participation

of people from different polit-ical parties, as a befitting trib-ute to pahli patshahi (first Sikhguru), who always spoke ofSarbat Da Bhala.

Dwelling on the teach-ings of Sri Guru Nanak Dev Ji,he underscored the signifi-cance of education, in line withGuru Ji’s Bani that “VidyaVichari, ta Parupkari”. Heexhorted one and all to emu-late the great Guru’s mantra of“Kirat Karo (earning a liveli-hood by honest means), NaamJ a p o(constant chanting of Name ofGod) and Vand Chhako (share the fruits of labour)”.

The Chief Minister under-lined the importance of following Sri Guru Nanak Devji’s message ‘Pavan Guru, PaniPita, Mata Dharat Mahat’ thatis air the guru, water thefather and the earth the moth-er by protecting the environ-ment for future generations.

Exhorting all to makejudicious use of groundwater,which was swiftly depleting,and to refrain from burningpaddy stubble and excessiveuse of fertilizers and pesticides,he appealed to everyone topreserve nature and naturalresources to make Punjabclean, green and pollution-free.

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Haryana Government hasconstituted an Economic

Advisory Council (EAC) topromote industries in the Stateand to address issues related tovarious issues and policies ofeconomic development.

A Government spokesmanon Tuesday a notification tothis effect has been issued byIndustries and Commercedepartment, adding that theEconomic Advisory Council(EAC) will comprise a mem-bership- based Advisory Paneland will be headed by HaryanaChief Minister, while variousrepresentatives of the govern-ment, industry and Academiasector has also been included inthe panel.

Among the governmentmembers of this council, theChief Minister of Haryana willbe the chairman, while theFinance Minister, IndustriesMinister and Chief Secretarywill be the members of theEAC. Apart from this,Additional Chief Secretary/Principal Secretaries ofFinance, Town and Countryplanning, Power, Revenue,Excise and Taxation, labour,Environment and Industries,MD/HSIIDC and DIREC-TOR/Director General, indus-tries and Commerce, Haryanahave been included in thepanel.

The spokesman said thatmembers of the private sectorincluding, Real Estate leaders,chairman and managing direc-

tors of the headquarters ofmajor banks in Haryana, man-agement partners of leadingconsulting firms, country headsof major IT firms, Head ofApex Industry Association andVice-chancellors of education-al institutions, Chairman andManaging Director of FoodProcessing Units, top textiles,logistics, aerospace in Haryanahave also been included in thepanel.

This council would be con-stituted for 5 years, in which thegovernment members wouldremain as permanent membersof the council, while the mem-bers of the private sector wouldserve a term of 2 years. Areport related to the achieve-ments and contributions ofthe Council will be placed

before the Haryana EnterprisePromotion Board (HEPB) oncea year. The Department ofIndustries and Commerce,Haryana will act as the nodaldepartment.

The spokesman said that toadopt a sector-focusedapproach to development, Sub-Sectoral task forces/committeeswill be formulated and notified,comprising members fromwithin the EAC itself or newmembers as proposed by exist-ing members. He said thatthese Sub-Sectoral task Forces/committees will support withfacilitating development andgrowth, job creation and invest-ment promotion pertaining tokey thrust sectors of Haryana.

He said the purpose ofsetting up this EAC will be to

act as the sounding board ofthe State Government on var-ious economic issues anddevelopment strategies, advo-cacy on policy matters andother issues of economic devel-opment targeted at prosperityand job creation. The EAC willguide the development in theState based on the changingeconomic environment andmarket trends.

"This council will also giveHaryana a platform to show-case its flagship projects tar-geting industrial and urbandevelopment, to a top-classprofessional network and fur-ther spread awareness aboutthe investment available for pri-vate players in these projects,"the spokesman said.

On the key functions of the

Council, the spokesman saidthat the Council will analyzeand review the status of eco-nomic development andgrowth in the State. Apart fromthis, the Council will also dis-cuss the macroeconomic devel-opments and issues with impli-cations for economic policy.The Council will also addressissues of macroeconomicimportance and present viewsthereon to the Governmenteither through a suo-moto ona reference from the ChiefMinister or anyone else.

The spokesman said that

the Council will advise on thepolicies, procedures, strategicdirection for the purpose ofencouraging job creation, sus-taining employment and busi-ness development in Haryana.The Council will also createawareness about the State poli-cies and initiatives for invest-ment promotion.

Apart from this, theCouncil will also work for thepromotion of flagship projectsto leading private industryplayers.The council will alsoadvise on the selection of mar-ket sectors supported by the

region with sector experts asthey change, shift and expandand further advise on newbusiness attraction opportuni-ties, programs or strategies,on business expansion andretention opportunities, pro-grams or strategies, on poten-tial partnerships with othercountries/States Identify barri-ers and opportunities in thecommunity to direct strategicdirection and on the dissemi-nation of information fromthe region to the local businesscommunity and partners.

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Punjab Chief Minister CaptAmarinder Singh on

Tuesday assured the Punjabidiaspora, settled abroad, that hewould take up with the ChiefJustice of the Punjab andHaryana High Court, as well asthe Central Government, the

issue of setting up “specialcourts” to expeditiously settlecases of those who had beendeclared Proclaimed Offenders(POs) after fleeing Punjab dur-ing the dark days of terrorism.

He gave the assurancewhile responding to a requestfrom a group of NRIs, currentlyvisiting Jalandhar in Punjab onthe 550th birth anniversary ofGuru Nanak Dev.

The Chief Minister hon-oured the NRIs by giving thembooks on the life and philoso-phy of the Sikhism founder,besides a commemorative coinand a memento each onMonday, an official statementsaid on Tuesday.

The NRIs expressed con-cern that many of the personswho had immigrated abroadwere unable to visit Punjab andpay obeisance at the GoldenTemple and other holy placesin the state as they weredeclared proclaimed offenderson account of their inability toappear before courts in certaincases.

Chief Minister Singh alsoassured the visiting NRI of con-sulting the Centre to examinethe feasibility of setting upsuch special courts in someoverseas Indian missions likethose in the UK, Canada,Germany, France and the USA,the home to a large Punbjabipopulation.

Capt Amarinder also urgedthe diaspora to join his gov-ernment''s efforts in leading thestate to a new era of develop-ment.

He also appreciated thePunjabi diaspora for makingPunjab and India proud withtheir work in different parts ofthe world.

Referring to hisGovernment''s flagship pro-gramme ''Connect With YourRoots'', the chief ministerthanked the NRIs for motivat-ing their children to participatein the initiative while also urging them to encourage moreyoungsters to visit Punjab andconnect with their ancestrallegacy.

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India will showcase its spe-cialised meteorological skills

— especially against the back-drop of the global accolades thecountry received for its han-dling of cyclone Fani, whichwas considered one of thestrongest in the last 20 years —to Prince Charles during histwo-day visit beginningNovember 13.

Top sources said PrinceCharles will visit the regionalspecialised MeteorologicalCentre for Tropical Cyclone atIndia MeteorologicalDepartment (IMD) building atLodhi Road to see the progressand models of forecast beingused for cyclone prediction byIndia.

Prince Charles will alsodiscuss with IMD about itsaccurate prediction of cycloneFani in Odisha this year.

“Prince Charles will wit-ness how India makes use ofinnovation to respond to nat-ural disasters. What method-ology and model is beingadopted by it? How it is man-aged to coordinate with disas-ter management agencies dur-ing cyclone predictions andhow its clean technology ishelping deal with the challengesof climate change,” said thesources.

A low-pressure area is theinitial stage of the formation ofa cyclone. During Fani, theNational Institute of OceanTechnology (NIOT), Chennai,collected data on rainfall, tem-peratures below the sea andabove, wind speed and usedsatellite data in running themodels.

“The island observatoriesalso provided data whichhelped to predict accuratecyclonic storm,” said officials.This year, so far India witnessedover five cyclonic storms whichinclude Fani, Kyarr, Titli, Vayuand Bulbul.

Recently, the UN agencyfor disaster reduction com-mended the IMD’s “almost

pinpoint accuracy” of earlywarnings that helped authori-ties conduct a well-targetedevacuation plan and minimisethe loss of life as the extreme-ly severe cyclonic storm Fanimade landfall near the coastalcity of Puri.

The powerful cyclone inOdisha had killed at least eightpeople, damaged propertiesworth hundreds of crores anddisplaced over 11 lakh people.Large areas in the seaside pil-grim town of Puri and otherplaces were submerged asheavy rains battered the entirecoastal belt of the State.

Last week, the accurateprediction of cyclonic stormBulbul also helped the StateGovernments -West Bengaland Odisha - to minimise thedamages. The IMD predictedcyclone Bulbul to intensifyinto “very severe cyclonicstorm” and warned the twoState Governments to be alert.In the case of Bulbul, the IMDpredicted accurate landfall atcoastal areas of West Bengaland Odisha.

The weather departmentpredicted possible damage tothatched roofs, embankments

and roads in the coastal districts of North Odisha andWest Bengal.

The visit by Prince Charles,heir apparent to the Britishthrone, will be his 10th trip toIndia and his second in twoyears. Prince Charles and hiswife Camilla, Duchess ofCornwall, had visited India in2017, as part of their 10-day tourto Asian countries, includingSingapore, Malaysia and Brunei.

Earlier, Prince Charles’elder son Prince William andwife Kate Middleton hadembarked on a visit to neigh-bouring Pakistan from October14 to 18 this year.

As per schedule, PrinceCharles will participate in a dis-cussion on how to strengthendisaster resilience and tacklethe effects of climate change atthe IMD. He will visit a Sikhtemple to celebrate the 550thbirth anniversary of GuruNanak and mark the contribu-tion of the Sikh community inthe UK. He will then attend amilitary service to commemo-rate the sacrifices of soldiersfrom India, the UK and acrossthe Commonwealth in WorldWar One and World War Two.

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From Page 1Kovind shed light on how

Guru Nanak through his teach-ings enlightened the Indiansociety, which during the 15thcentury was plagued with socialills, including casteism, asdarkness of ignorance pre-vailed.

At the SGPC event, wherePunjab Governor Badnore,SGPC president Gobind SinghLongowal, Punjab’s formerChief Minister Parkash SinghBadal and SAD president andMP Sukhbir Badal were pre-sent, the President delivered hisspeech in Punjabi.

Kovind said that being inSultanpur Lodhi on the 550thbirth anniversary of GuruNanak Dev is a matter of greatpride as this is the land whereGuru Nanak Dev attainedenlightenment.

Guru Nanak Dev preachedequality, brotherhood, gooddeeds and behaviour whilemaking efforts to rid the soci-ety of various ills, Kovind said,

adding that the Sikhismfounder used simple languageto ensure his message reachmaximum people.

“He broke the myth that ifone has to attain moksha (sal-vation), one has to leave one’sfamily. Through his life, he putbefore people an example offusion of hard work andbairaag,” the President said.

From the first Sikh Guru tothe tenth master Guru GobindSingh, there has been a tradi-tion of being fearless for thecause of upholding justice andensuring truth prevails, Kovindsaid adding that Guru GobindSingh was the embodiment ofdevotion and strength, whoinspired people to always standup and fight injustice.

“We have to imbibe theteachings of the Gurus in mak-ing our country and world abetter place. By doing so, wewould give a real tribute toGuru Nanak Dev,” he said.

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dent Kumari Selja onTuesday accused BJP-ledGovernment of creating eco-nomic anarchy in the State,leading to the closure of var-ious industries and loss oflakhs of jobs.

She said, “Instead of pro-viding employment, now theemployees in the State are sofearful that even those whohave been working fordecades are losing their jobs.”

Selja said that under thisdirectionless BJP government,the thousands of factories

established during theCongress regime in the Statecontinue to shut down andproduction has been cut dueto dwindling consumptionand therefore fal l ing demand.

The State Congress pres-ident alleged that thousandsof employees have beensacked at the Honda company set up in Manesar inthe State. A few days ago,many workers were fired from Nerolac PaintsCompany based in Rewari.

As part of their conspir-

acy, the government haslocked thousands of factoriesin the name of causing pollu-tion in the entire state, due towhich, in just a fortnightthese industries have sufferedmajorly and have lost thousands of crores.

She claimed that it is theresult of the BJP-led govern-ment anti-people policies thathas ruined the industrial busi-ness and which has led torecord level of unemploy-ment in the State which actually is the highest in thewhole country.

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The EnforcementDirectorate has launched a

probe under the ForeignExchange Management Act(FEMA) against ElectionCommissioner Ashok Lavasa’sson Abir and a firm linked tohim for alleged violation of for-eign exchange regulations.

The agency has filed a caseunder FEMA to probe AbirLavasa and a fund to the tuneof �7.25 crore raised early thisyear by the firm NourishOrganic Foods Pvt Ltd, linkedto him.

Through the probe, theagency is seeking to ascertainif the FEMA law was violatedin bringing the funds from aMauritius-based companyidentified as Saama Capital,officials said.

Abir Lavasa is said to bethe Director of NourishOrganic Foods Pvt. Ltd.

The fund infusion into thecompany is under probe andthe agency recently questionedAbir about these transactions.

While Abir has been coop-erative with the probe so far,

the agency has also summonedother persons connected tothe case for further probe intothe issue.

The trouble for AshokLavasa’s family began a fewmonths back when his wife,Novel Singhal Lavasa, cameunder the ambit of the IncomeTax Department probe oncharges of alleged tax evasion.

The IT Department hadreportedly issued a notice ask-ing her to explain certain details in her I-TReturns (ITR) with regard toholding directorship in about10 companies.

After preliminary investi-gation, the I-T departmentasked her to provide more

documents related to her per-sonal finances to ascertain ifher income has escaped assess-ment in the past or somethinghas been concealed from taxauthorities.

Novel Singhal Lavasa’sITRs are under scrutiny foralleged tax evasion and holdingof directorship in multiplefirms assessment period of2015-17. Some other familymembers of Lavasa are alsounder the scanner of the ITDepartment.

Ashok Lavasa was appoint-ed as Election Commissioneron January 23, 2018, after hissuperannuation from service asUnion Finance Secretary inthe previous year.

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The Congress on Tuesday hitout at Maharashtra

Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyarifor recommending President’sRule in the State, alleging that hehas committed a “grave traves-ty” and made a “mockery” of theConstitutional process. Congress’Chief Spokesperson RandeepSurjewala also questioned theGovernor for the “arbitrary”allotment of time to the NCP,Shiv Sena and the BJP to provesupport for Government for-mation.

“Governor Koshyari hascommitted a grave travesty ofdemocracy and made a mock-ery of the Constitutional processin recommending President’sRule in Maharashtra,” he said.Surjewala alleged that four graveviolations of the Constitutionalscheme, as expressed in the SRBommai judgment, stand out.

Senior Congress leader andFormer Union MinisterSushilkumar Shinde echoed asimilar views, saying, “Once wehave letters of support, thePresident’s rule can be lifted.”Another Congress leader andformer Chief MinisterPrithviraj Chavan said theGovernor should have invitedhis party to indicate “willing-ness and ability” to form

Government. “In absence of any single

party having majority inMaharashtra, Governor shouldhave called; 1. Single largestpre-poll alliance i.E BJP-ShivSena together; Then 2. Secondlargest post poll alliance i.ECongress-NCP;” said Congressspokesman.

“In case Governor calledindividual parties, why did henot call INC. And above allwhy the completely arbitraryallotment of time? 48 hours toBJP, 24 hours to Sena and noteven 24 hours to NCP, beforethe Presidents Rule,” he said.This is unashamedly dishonestand politically motivated,Surjewala alleged.

Party spokespersonAbhishek Singhvi also slammedthe Governor for his actions,saying this is not President’s rule

but the “malicious BJP’s” polit-ical rule. A statement tweetedby Koshyari’s office said, “He issatisfied that the Governmentcannot be carried on in accor-dance with the Constitution,(and therefore) has today sub-mitted a report as contemplat-ed by provision of Article 356of the Constitution.”

Koshyari, who had giventhe Nationalist Congress Party(NCP) time till 8.30 pm onTuesday to express its “will-ingness and ability” to formGovernment in Maharashtraand time being of the essence,has submitted a report toPresident Ram Nath Kovindrecommending President’s rulein the State.

In Mumbai, State Congressspokesperson Sachin Sawantsaid, “I condemn this actionwhich has been taken in ahurry without exhausting alloptions. This raises questionsabout the Governor’s impar-tiality. This also raises doubtwhether the Governor is actingunder pressure.”

Another seniorCongressman Vijay Wadettiwar,who was the leader of the oppo-sition in the 13th State Assembly,the tenure of which expired onNovember 9, felt that President’srule will not be a roadblock inGovernment formation.

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The BJPreceived �356

crore in dona-tions from theelectoral trustcontrolled by theTata Group dur-ing 2018-19.According todocuments submitted by theBJP before the ElectionCommission on October 31, itreceived a total of over �700crore in donations throughcheques and online paymentsduring the financial year 2018-19.

Around half the contribu-tions - �356 crore -were madeby the Tata-controlledProgressive Electoral Trust.India’s richest trust - ThePrudent Electoral Trust - gave�54.25 crore in donations to theparty, according to the docu-ments.

The Prudent Trust isbacked by top corporate hous-es including Bharti Group,Hero MotoCorp, JubilantFoodworks, Orient Cement,DLF, JK Tyres, among others.

The information providedpertains to donations of�20,000 and above each thatwere received by the partythrough cheques or online pay-ments.

Donations received in theform of electoral bonds werenot included in the filing. TheBJP received donations fromindividuals, companies as wellas electoral trusts, the docu-ment said.

As per the election code,political parties are mandatedto disclose all donations theyreceive in a financial year. Atpresent, political parties are notrequired to declare the namesof individuals and organisa-tions giving less than �20,000or of those who donate via elec-toral bonds.

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Alow-cost indigenous elec-trostatic spraying technol-

ogy developed by theresearchers from CentralScientific InstrumentsOrganisation (CSIR-CSIO),Chandigarh, might comehandy for metro cities like thenational capital to cut downdust and smog pollutants.

The electrostatic spray-based multipurpose dust mit-igation tech is a modification ofthe pesticide spraying tech-nology that the researchershad developed after intensiveresearch spanning seven years.

This technology uses elec-trostatic field to generatecharged spray droplets whichrecombine with naturally occurring oppositelycharged dust and smog parti-cles and settle down onto theground very efficiently andeffectively.

Dr Manoj K Patel, scientistand principal investigator of theproject, said, “Suppression ofdust is very much necessary to

live a healthy life and protect usfrom communicable diseaseslike Asthma, TB, and other air-borne diseases. Moreover, dustalso creates hindrance in theoperation of machinery andindustries, so it becomesinevitable to suppress the dustand foreign particles in theworking environment”.

The field and laboratorytrials of the dust mitigation

device are in progress. Soon,the device will be deployed atfield scale for commercialisa-tion, according to an officialfrom the Department ofScience and Technology underthe Science and TechnologyMinistry.

The pesticide sprayingtechnology has already beenwell received among the sci-entific fraternity of the country.

For this societal innovation, DrPatel and his team has beenawarded NRDC NationalSocietal Innovation Award2017. He has also been award-ed Gandhian YoungTechnological InnovationAward 2016.

The researchers said pesti-cides spraying technology isdifferent from the convention-al spraying technologies as itcan control the excessive use ofpesticides by reducing thedroplet size and ensuring evendistribution of spray.

The tech has been trans-ferred to Dashmesh Industries,Alwar, Rajasthan and the prod-uct is available in the market forthe end user by a brand nameeSPRAY, being used in India aswell as overseas.

Professor RK Sinha,Director, CSIR-CSIO,Chandigarh said, “The tech-nologies developed in the fieldof electrostatic spraying havegreat socioeconomic impactswhich are directly linked to ourfarmers and the common man.”

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Detailing his trip to Brazil,Prime Minister Narendra

Modi on Tuesday said that theBRICS summit will focus onstrengthening ties among theworld’s five major economies inkey areas such as digital econ-omy, science and technology,and also build mechanisms forcounter-terrorism cooperation.Modi, who left for Brazil in theafternoon, will be in that coun-try on November 13-14 toattend the 11th BRICS summit.

“I look forward to exchang-ing views with other BRICSleaders with the aim to furtherstrengthen intra-BRICS coop-eration, particularly on thetheme of the summit‘Economic growth for an inno-vative future’,” Modi said in hisdeparture statement. During the summit, the fivemajor economies of the worldwill aim to significantlystrengthen their cooperation inscience, technology and inno-

vation, he said.The BRICS countries will

also look to enhance coopera-tion on digital economy andbuild mechanisms for counter-terrorism cooperation withinthe BRICS framework, Modisaid. “Our business and indus-try play an important role inIntra-BRICS ties. I will beaddressing BRICS BusinessForum and interacting withBRICS Business Council andNew Development Bank,” hesaid.

On the bilateral meetingwith the Brazilian President JairBolsonaro, he said Brazil andIndia share close and everexpanding bilateral relations,including in the spheres ofdefence, security, trade, agri-culture, energy and space.Close cooperation between thetwo countries in multilateralforums has been a significantaspect of our strategic rela-tionship, Modi said.

“BRICS summit will alsoprovide me with the opportu-

nity to hold useful bilateralinteractions with leaders ofother BRICS countries,” hesaid.

This will be the sixth timeModi will be participating inthe BRICS summit, his firstbeing at Fortaleza, also inBrazil in 2014.

The Prime Minister isscheduled to hold separatebilateral meetings with RussianPresident Vladimir Putin andChinese Premier Xi Jinping. Hewould also attend the BRICSbusiness forum closing cere-mony and the ‘closed’ and ple-nary sessions of the XI BRICSSummit.

BRICS is the acronymcoined for an association of fivemajor emerging nationaleconomies -- Brazil, Russia,India, China and South Africa.The grouping brings togetherfive major emerging economiescomprising 42 per cent of theworld’s population, having 23per cent of the global GrossDomestic Product.

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Over 1,800 NGOs and aca-demic institutes found to

be violating laws have beenbanned by the Governmentfrom receiving foreign fundsthis year, officials said onTuesday.

Among those whose regis-tration under the ForeignContribution (Regulation) Acthas been banned includeUniversity of Rajasthan,Allahabad AgriculturalInstitute, Young Men’sChristian Association, Gujaratand Swami VivekanandaEducational Society, Karnataka.

“With the cancellation ofthe FCRA registration, allNGOs and academic institu-tions were prohibited fromaccepting foreign contribu-tion,” a Home Ministry officialsaid.

The FCRA registration ofthese organisations were can-celled mostly due to their fail-ure to submit annual incomeand expenditure statement onforeign funding for up to sixyears despite repeatedreminders.

As per FCRA guidelines,registered associations arerequired to submit electroni-cally an online annual report

with scanned copies of incomeand expenditure statement,receipts and payment account,balance sheet, etc., for everyfinancial year within ninemonths of the closure of thefinancial year.

Associations which do notreceive foreign contributionduring a particular year are alsorequired to furnish a ‘NIL’return for that financial yearwithin the aforesaid period,read the guidelines.

Other associations whoseFCRA registration has beencancelled include Institute ofPulmocare and Research, WestBengal, National Geophysical

Research Institute, Telangana,National Institute of Virology,Maharashtra, Rabindra NathTagore Medical CollegeHospital and Research, WestBengal and Baptist ChristianAssociation, Maharashtra.

In addition to 1,807 asso-ciations, registration of onemore organisation -Bengaluru-based NGO InfosysFoundation - was also cancelledthis year following a “request”of the NGOs itself. Earlier, anofficial of the InfosysFoundation had said its de-reg-istration from the FCRA fol-lowed a request it proactivelymade to the Ministry of Home

Affairs.“This (request) was done as

the Infosys Foundation does not come under thepurview of the FCRA followingthe amendment made to the actin 2016. We had approachedthe ministry to consider this,and thank them for grantingour request,” the official hadsaid.

Ever since the Narendramodi government came topower in 2014, the Ministry ofHome Affairs has cancelledthe FCRA registration of over14,800 NGOs, thus banningthem from receiving foreignfunding.

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Expressing concern over 68per cent of cancer patients

dying in the country, aParliamentary Committee hasstrongly urged theGovernment to expand andupgrade cancer treatmentinfrastructure for affordableand quality care by enlargingthe network of Mumbai basedTata Memorial Centre.

The Department-relatedStanding Committee onScience and Technology,Environment, Forest andClimate Change submitted itsReport on “An expanded rolefor the Department of AtomicEnergy in Cancer Treatment inIndia through an EnlargedNetwork of the Tata MemorialCentre. Chairman of theCommittee, Jairam Rameshalong with other Members pre-sented the report to RajyaSabha Chairman M Venkaiah

Naidu. Naidu complimentedthe committee for being thefirst to submit a report after re-constitution of DRSCs inSeptember this year and alsofor examining and reporting onan important health-care issue.

The panel recommendedsetting up of a High LevelSteering Committee headed bythe Minister of State for AtomicEnergy, the ChiefSecretaries/Administrators ofall the States and UT’s andDirector of TMC as Members to

work out modalities for rollingout of Hub and Spoke Model ina time bound manner to notonly contain patient migrationbut also to ensure state-of-the-heart facilities as close as pos-sible for cancer patients.

The Committee noted withconcern the very high inci-dence of cancer in all North-Eastern States and recom-mended that Dr. B. BarooahCancer Institute at Guwahatishould be upgraded as a com-mon Hub for the region.

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Rajya Sabha Chairman MVenkaiah Naidu has con-

vened a meeting of leaders ofvarious parties in the House onNovember 17, ahead of the his-toric 250th session of RajyaSabha. The meeting will be heldat Naidu’s residence

The ensuing session alsocoincides with the 70thanniversary of adoption of theConstitution by theConstituent Assembly and cel-ebration of the 150th birthAnniversary of MahatmaGandhi.

This session also follows ahighly productive 249th sessionof Rajya Sabha, the best in lastmany years.

The Winter session ofParliament begins onNovember 18 and is to end onDecember 13.

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As India is all set to becomediabetes capital of the

world, medicinal herbs besidesdisciplined lifestyle couple withyoga are increasingly beingseen as an answer to tackle themenacing disorder caused bythe absence of insulin. India isa treasure trove of over 7000medicinal plants.

In this connection, a two-day national workshop is beingheld from November 14, 2019wherein experts from acrossthe country will come togeth-er to discuss the role of theIndian systems of medicinesuch as Ayurveda in tacklingthe lifestyle disease which isestimated to grip around 100million Indians by 2030.

The event on November 14(marked as World DiabetesDay) is being held at the AllIndia Institute of Ayurveda(AIIA) in Delhi which wasinaugurated by Prime MinisterNarendra Modi in 2017. Theinstitute has mandate to bringin the synergy between tradi-

tional wisdom of Ayurvedaand modern diagnostic toolsand technology.

A senior official from theAIIA said that the workshopaims to create awareness as wellas showcase various scientific

researches being undertakenand ongoing in the sector toprove the efficacy of the tradi-tional medicine systems such aspanchkarma and herbs in man-aging the ‘silent killer’. Forinstance, some of the CSIR labslike Lucknow-based NationalBotanical Research Institute(NBRI) and Central Institutefor Medicinal Plants (CIAMP),both Lucknow based havejointly developed herbal prod-uct BGR-34.

It is a formulation ofextracts of herbal plants likesadabahar, Vijayasar, gurmar,

Dharuhedi, jamun and giloywhose properties to stimulatethe production of insulin is wellknown. Dr AKS Rawat, ex-sci-entist from NBRI said that theBGR-34 has been found tohave antioxidant properties,enhance immunity, help repairthe pancreas and increase pro-duction of insulin within thebody.

In a country like India,where more than �500 crorerupees is spend on diabetesmedicine and treatment eachyear, promoting researches inayurveda is expected to havesignificant implications.

Experts warn that Type 2diabetes can increase risk ofcomplications such as highblood pressure, kidney ail-ments and stroke which inturn can impact the lifeexpectancy of the patient. Today, 425 millionpeople live with diabetesworldwide - about 1 in every 11adults - according to theInternational DiabetesFederation, and the number isrising.

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At least 16 people, includingthree children and four

women, died when a passengervehicle skidded off the hilly linkroad in Doda district onTuesday.

According to officialsources, the ill fated passengervehicle was on its way toMarmat from Doda when theaccident occurred at Khellaniaround 2.45 p.m

SSP, Doda, MumtazAhmad told reporters, “thevehicle with 17 passengers onboard rolled 500 feet down onmain Batote-Doda highwayfrom a link road around 2.45pm”. He said, “16 passengersincluding driver died in theaccident”.

Lone survivor was referredto the Government medical

college and hospital in Jammu for specialised treat-ment.

Earlier on July 1, a minibuscarrying 52 passengers againstseating capacity of 28 plungedinto a gorge at Keshwan inadjoining Kishtwar district

killing 35 passengers and leav-ing 17 others injured.

Local officers claimed “often overloading, absence ofcrash barriers, bad roads andinadequate buses/rickety fleetaccount for frequent road acci-dents in hilly Doda region.

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AIMIM presidentAsaduddin Owaisi on

Tuesday said his party is not infavour of the five acres of landto be allocated for building amosque under the SupremeCourt verdict in the Ayodhyaissue as the fight was for a legalright and Babri Masjid.

“...I speak for my party, wedo not want this ‘khairat’(donation or charity). Ourfight was for a legal right, for aBabri Masjid. Our fight wasnot for, to get this piece of

land...,” he told reporters here.He was asked about the

comments of some Muslimleaders that the five acre landallotted should be given with-in the 67 acres acquired by thegovernment.

The whole struggle for somany years was not for a pieceof land, he said.

“...Why did we have thispatience so much. We went tothe court, if it was a piece ofland we could have accepted itsomewhere else. But, from last50 years, we have been fightingthis case in a court of law with

all the patience,” he said.The RSS raised a bogey

that a temple was demolished,but Supreme Court ruled oth-erwise, he claimed.

He reiterated his claim that

the country is going on the pathof “Hindu Rashtra”.

“... How attempts are beingmade to make Muslims inImdia as second class citizens.Keep watching. Political dis-empowerment is happening.

Nobody can denythis..Bring NRC, citizenamendment bill, what messageyou are giving. My regret is thatall the secular parties, theirmouths are shut,” he said.

He asked why theCongress, NCP, BSP and oth-ers are silent and that thesilence needs to be broken.

On Saturday when theapex court announced its judg-ment in the Ayodhya issue,Owaisi had said he personallyfelt that the offer of the fiveacre plot to the Muslim sideshould be rejected.

Owaisi reaffirmed that hisparty, which has two MLAs inMaharashtra, would not sup-port the government led by theBJP or Shiv Sena.

Asked for his party’sstance in a scenario of a NCPleader becoming ChiefMinister, he said, “let marriagehappen first.”

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The train collision that left 17people injured here

occurred due to “human error”on the part of a loco pilot, nowin a critical condition in ahospital, and he has beenbooked on charges includingendangering public safety, rail-way and police officials said onTuesday.

A day after the mishapinvolving two slow moving

trains at Kachegowda Railwaystation, a South CentralRailway official said thataccording to the preliminaryinformation, suspected human

error appeared to be the causeof the accident as the MMTStrain had overshot the signal.

Prima facie it appears to behuman error as per availableevidences. The Commissionerof Railway Safety will dig deepand go into the complete detailsof the train operation andinspect all the available recordsand evidences and come to afinal conclusion, the officialtold PTI.

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At least 10 people, includingthree girls, drowned in

Bihar in separate incidents andtwo others went missing onTuesday when they had gone totake a dip in the river on theoccasion of Kartik Purnima.

According to the disastermanagement department, threepersons each drowned inNawada and Nalanda, whileone each died in Sitamarhi,Aurangabad, West Champaranand Saran.

In Nalanda district, threeminor girls drowned while

taking bath in Sakri rivernear Ghosarwa village.

The deceased have beenidentified as Anshu Kumari(17), Sonam Kumari (15) -both siblings - and another PritiKumari (17), a police officersaid.

Their bodies were fishedout by NDRF personnel andsent to sadar hospital forautopsy, the officer said.

In Nawada, two 18-year-old women were among thethree who met their waterygrave near a sun temple inKauwakol police station area,near Ghosarwa village.

� �� �2��*).

Uttar Pradesh Chief MinisterYogi Adityanath on Tuesday

said the day is not far when peo-ple from the country would beable to visit Nankana Sahib inPakistan’s Punjab province, as hecongratulated Prime MinisterNarendra Modi for opening of theKartarpur Sahib corridor.

“I congratulate PrimeMinister Narendra Modi and allof you for this (opening ofKartarpur Sahib corridor). Theday is not far when we will beable to go to Nankana Sahib,” theCM told a gathering on the 550thbirth anniversary of Sikhismfounder Guru Nanak Dev.

Situated in the Punjabprovince of Pakistan, NankanaSahib is named after the first Sikh

guru, Guru Nanak Dev, who wasborn in the city and beganpreaching there.

It is a popular pilgrimage sitefor Sikhs from across the worldand carries high historic and reli-gious value.

Extending wishes on the occa-sion of Guru Purab, Adityanath

said thecountry andh u m a n i t ycan neverforget thesacrifices ofSikh gurus.

“Around550 yearsago, whenthe countrywas facingforeign inva-sions, reli-

gions and truth were beingdestroyed. During that period,Guru Nanak Dev Ji had paved theway for the welfare of humanitythrough his divine light,” he said.

“Guru Nanank Dev had thecourage to call Babur a ‘Jabar’(atrocious) at the time when thepeople were reeling under the

Mughal emperor’s atrocities,” hesaid, adding that a large section ofsociety was afraid about practis-ing their religion, the truth and therespect for their sisters and daugh-ters.

“When the country and reli-gions came under threat, the Sikhgurus never bowed or turnedback. The sacred tradition of thesacrifice of Sikh gurus is writtenin golden words in the history ofIndia and every Indian expresses gratitude towards this,”he said.

The Chief Minister said thatbecause of the sacrifice of Sikhgurus, the nation and religion arealive today. “Due to this great con-tribution, every Indian residing inany part of the world pays tributeto Guru Nanak Dev Ji through‘Prakashotsav’.”

� � 65�*&4&5

Rail services in Kashmir resumed onTuesday — over three months after

being suspended due to security reasons in view of the Centre’s deci-sion to abrogate Article 370, officialssaid.

Few mini-buses also plied on theBatwara-Batamaloo route throughthe city centre, while inter-district cabsand auto-rickshaws plied in the cityand elsewhere in the Valley.

Private transport was plyingunhindered. A railway official told PTIthat a train chugged betweenBaramulla and Srinagar this morning.

He said the train made only twotrips on the Baramulla-Srinagar

stretch as authorities have directedRailways to ply trains between 10 amand 3 pm only due to security reasons.

The Railways conducted the trialrun of the service on the stretch onMonday for the first time in over threemonths since the unannounced shut-down in the valley. The official said the

Srinagar-Banihal stretch of therailway line would resume in afew days after checking tracksafety and conducting trialruns.

The train service in the val-ley was suspended due to secu-rity reasons on the morning of5 August – hours before theCentre announced its decision toabrogate Article 370 of the

Constitution and to bifurcate the erst-while state into two Union territories.

The Centre’s decision led to anunannounced shutdown in the valley— which completed 100 days onTuesday— even as authorities imposedsevere restrictions which were latergradually eased out.

� �� 65�*&4&5

Journalists in the Valley took outa protest march here against the

continued suspension of internetservices which completed 100days on Tuesday since the abro-gation of the Jammu & Kashmir’sspecial status on August 5.

Scores of journalists workingwith different media organisa-tions assembled at the KashmirPress Club here and took out aprotest march against the snap-ping of internet services in theValley on the night of August 4,hours before the Centre revokedthe State’s special status underArticle 370 and abrogated it intotwo Union Territories.

The journalists demandedimmediate restoration of the ser-vices to facilitate the media per-sons to discharge their profes-sional duties.

“We took out the protestagainst the suspension of inter-net services for 100 days now.

Internet is a basic took for jour-nalists to discharge their pro-fessional duties and we demandits immediate restoration,” seniorjournalist Pervez Bukhari toldreporters after the protest.

The Centre’s August 5 deci-sion led to an unannouncedshutdown in the Valley even asauthorities imposed severerestrictions, including on com-munication, which were latergradually eased out.

Postpaid mobile services onall networks were restored in the

Valley on October 14, 72 daysafter they were snapped.

However, pre-paid mobilephones and all internet servicescontinue to remain suspendedsince August 5.

The Government has set upa ‘Media Facilitation Centre’ at aconference hall of a local hotelhere for journalists to dischargetheir professional duties. But themedia persons complain that ithas not enough computers andthey have to wait for hours fortheir turn.

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Much to the chagrin of theMamata Banerjee

Government, the Centre onTuesday provided Z category pro-tection for Bengal GovernorJagdeep Dhankhar and sent in thefirst posse of Central ProtectionForce for the purpose.

A decision regarding the “up-gradation” of the Governor’s security network was taken in themonth of October by the UnionHome Minister amid repeatedrun-ins between Raj Bhavan andthe Nabanna (State Secretariat)with the TMC Government accus-ing Dhankhar of breakingf eder-al norms by repeatedly interferingin administrative affairs.

A posse of 28 CPF personnelon Tuesday accompanied theGovernor to at SAI Stadium at SaltLake and a religious function atBaranagar in North Kolkata where

during a short speech on GuruNanak’s message for peace heraised his voice against the ongoing political clashes whichwas not doing the State anygood.

After Tuesday’s developmenta separate control room of theCRPF will be set up at the RajBhavan sources said adding thecentral forces would hence for-ward mind the inner security ringof the Governor.

The State police will only berequired to handle the outwardring and associated duty, sourcessaid.

Bringing in the Governorunder central protection onlyopens a new front of conflictbetween the Centre and the StateGovernments whose equationsare anything but cordial, expertssay.

Vide an order dated October15, the North Block had directed

the CPF headquarters to takecharge of Dhankhar’s security thatwill be valid in all parts of thecountry.

Following this, the StateGovernment urged the HomeMinistry to take back its decisionto entrust the security of GovernorJagdeep Dhankhar to CPF saying

this wouldo n l ydemean thecredibilityof the Stateas alsoharm thef e d e r a lstructure.

T h eS t a t e ’ sappeal wash o w e v e rt u r n e ddown bythe Centre.According

to sources in Raj Bhavan NewDelhi was concerned about therepeated stand offs between thetwo sides that started with theDhankhar’s official car and convoybeing blocked at JadavpurUniversity in September when hewent to “rescue” Union MinisterBabul Supriyo who was gheraoed

by a section of the students fol-lowing an altercation with him.

Subsequently Dhankhar hadbeen involved in repeated con-frontation with the StateGovernment locking horn withthe Trinamool Congress in a warofwords over a number of issuesranging from allegations that hewas not accorded adequate hon-our during the Durga Puja carni-val to his comments on the State’slaw and order situation.

The State Government hadbeen critical of the Governorallegedly for his repeated inter-ference in the administrative affair.

Meanwhile Dhankhar onTuesday once again disapproved ofthe ongoing political violence say-ing, “political violence is not goodfor the society and goes against thepreaching of Guru Nanak Dev Jiwho preached global unity. Suchviolence should stop as it is notgood for the State.”

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Union Minister Babul Supriyo onTuesday said he has been asked by

Prime Minister Narendra Modi to visitthe cyclone-hit areas in West Bengal onWednesday to look into the ground levelsituation.

Supriyo said his visit is not aninspection of the relief work being car-ried out by the West Government butto find out the ground level situationas a Union Minister and MP fromBengal.

He urged the ruling TMC “not todo politics” over his visit and said thatthe State Government has been officiallyinformed about his visit to coastal areas

of South 24 Parganas district which waslashed by Cyclone Bulbul.

“I have been asked by PrimeMinister Narendra Modiji to visit theareas and look into the ground situation.It is not at all any sort of inspection orany other political visit to the cyclone-hit areas. It will be purely a normal visitto look into the situation post cyclone,”Supriyo told PTI over phone.

Both Modi and Union HomeMinister Amit Shah had spoken to WestBengal Chief Minister MamataBanerjee on Sunday and had assured allhelp to the State Government, he said.

The TMC leadership when con-tacted declined to comment on Supriyo’svisit.

� �� �2��*).

Asea of devotees thronged ghats acrossUttar Pradesh to take a holy dip in the

Ganga, Gomti and Saryu rivers on KartikPurnima.

In the temple town of Ayodhya, peo-ple began flocking to the ghats of the Saryusince early morning amid chants of “SitaRam” playing on loudspeakers in thestreets, while many devotees who camefrom neighbouring districts of the Statecamped overnight near the river.

This is the first religious congregationin the holy city since the Supreme Court’sjudgment in the Ram Janmabhoomi-Barbi Masjid case.

Devotees in the State capital took a dipat Mankameshwar ghat on the banks of theGomti. A huge crowd also gathered on thebanks of Ganga and Yamuna in Allahabad.

Elaborating on the significance ofKartik Purnima, the convenor ofAllahabad-based organisations Ram NaamBank and Ram Sewa Trust, AshutoshVarshney, said, “It is the full moon day inthe month of Kartik”.

“It is also known as Dev Deepawali, aDiwali celebrated by Gods. The festival iscelebrated 15 days after Diwali,” he added.

Earthen lamps are lit at all temples andthe bank of the Ganga on the auspiciousoccasion.

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APakistani terrorist ofLashkar-e-Tayyeba (LeT)

terror outfit was eliminatedby the joint team of securityforces in Gund area ofGanderbal on early Tuesdaymorning.

The operation waslaunched by the securityforces after receiving specif-ic input about their presencein the area. According topolice the killed terrorist hasbeen identified as Khalidalias Zebran,a Pakistaninational. Security forces alsorecovered arms and ammu-nition from the encounter siteeven as search operation wasstill going on in the area.

Earlier, on Monday, two

terrorists were killed inBandipora after a 12-hour-long gun battle with the secu-rity forces. Both the gunmenwere identified and belongedto the Lashkar-e-Toiba outfit.

Meanwhile, Pakistanarmy violated ceasefire agree-ment along the line of controlin Shahpur and Kirni sectorsof Poonch district. Severalcivilian areas were hit byPakistan army with mortarshelling, official sources said.

Defence PRO in Jammusaid, “the Pakistan Army ini-tiated ‘unprovoked’ ceasefireviolation by firing of smallarms and shelling with mortarsalong the LoC in Shahpur andKirni sectors around 3.15 p.m”.He said, the Indian Armyretaliated befittingly.

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Even as the Shiv Sena failed tomuster numbers to stake claim

for Government formation inMaharashtra, its ailing leaderSanjay Raut on Tuesday quotedlines of legendary poet HarivanshRai Bachchan to reaffirm hisparty’s resolve to succeed and notgive up.

Raut, who on Monday under-went angioplasty at a hospitalhere, tweeted two lines fromBachchan’s famous poem: “Lehronse dar kar nauka paar nahi hoti,himmat karne waalon ki kabhihaar nahi hoti” (the boat thatqualms the waves never getsacross, those who dare do notlose).

The Rajya Sabha member fur-ther tweeted, “Hum hongekamyaab, zaroor honge” (we

would succeed, definitely).The 57-year-old firebrand

leader, who led the Sena’s chargeto seek equal share in power withthe BJP after the Assembly pollresults in Maharashtra, com-plained of chest pain on Mondayfollowing which he underwentangioplasty at the Lilavati Hospitalhere.

The Shiv Sena on Monday suf-fered a setback in its efforts to cob-ble up a non-BJP Government in

Maharashtra with the Congress atthe last moment announcing itsdecision to hold more talks withally NCP on supporting theUddhav Thackeray-led party.

While Sena leader AadityaThackeray said two parties(Congress and NCP) have agreed“in-principle” to support the Sena-led Government, GovernorBhagat Singh Koshyari refusedadditional time sought by hisparty to muster numbers.

Later, the NCP, which is thethird largest party in the state, gotan invite from the governor, ask-ing it to express “willingness andability to form Government”.

With 54 MLAs, the NCP is thethird largest party after the BJP(105) and the Shiv Sena (56) in the288-member House, where thehalfway mark in 145. TheCongress has 44 MLAs.

� �� 1213&�

Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray onTuesday met party leader Sanjay Raut,

who underwent angioplasty at LilavatiHospital here, and later said the Rajya Sabhamember was recoverig fast but refused tocomment on the political crisis inMaharashtra.

BJP leaders Harshvardhan Patil andAshish Shelar also met 57-year-old Raut atthe hospital here following which the lat-ter said it was a courtesy visit with “no polit-ical angle”.

The visit came in the backdrop of thestalemate over Government formation continuing in the State even 19 days afterthe Assembly poll results were declared. Thackeray met Raut along withPatil. Later, talking to reporters, Thackeraysaid, “Things are taking shape, I will speakabout it at the right time. I cannot commenton politics right now.”

Asked about Raut’s health, he said, “Heis recuperating fast. He has also resumed

work as the executive editor of (Senamouthpiece) ‘Saamana’.”

Former Mumbai BJP chief Shelar alsomet the Sena MP and later said, “Doctorshave advised Raut to speak less. I met himout of courtesy. It is Maharashtra’s culture,we meet unwell people irrespective ofpolitical differences.”

“There was no political angle to thismeet. A senior BJP office-bearer is alsoadmitted in the same hospital, I also methim,” he added.

Earlier, NCP chief Sharad Pawar alsomet Raut at the hospital in the morning.

Raut, who led the Sena’s charge to seekequal share in power with the BJP after theAssembly poll results in Maharashtra,complained of chest pain on Monday fol-lowing which he underwent angioplasty, aprocedure to restore blood flow through theartery. The ailing Sena leader in the morn-ing took to Twitter to quote lines of leg-endary poet Harivansh Rai Bachchan toreaffirm his party’s resolve to succeed andnot give up.

Mumbai: Even as theCongress-NCP were in a hud-dle over Government formation in Maharashtra, ShivSena president UddhavThackeray on Tuesday met hisparty legislators at a suburbanresort where they are stayingfor the last few days.

Sena legislators toldThackeray they would abide bywhatever decision he takes,Bhaskar Jadhav, one of theMLA-elects, told reportersafter the meeting.

Thackeray was accompa-nied by senior leaders and hissons Aaditya, the newly-elect-ed MLA from Worli in centralMumbai, and Tejas.

Jadhav said the NCP wasgiven time till 8.30 pm onTuesday to express its “abilityand willingness” to stake claimto form Government in theState, but the President’s rule

was imposed at 5.30 pm.“This is surprising,” he

said. When Thackeray reachedthe resort, he was heard sayinghe wanted to make “someimportant calls” before themeeting with MLA-elects.

The Sena’s newly-electedMLAs have been staying at theresort for the last few days.

In the last month’s assem-bly election, the BJP emergedas the single largest party with105 seats followed by the ShivSena 56, the NCP 54 and theCongress 44.

On Monday, the Senaclaimed the NCP and Congresshave agreed “in-principle” toback its Government withoutthe BJP, but failed to get lettersof support from the politicalrivals before the deadline set byGovernor B S Koshyari whorejected its plea for three moredays to do so. PTI

� �� 6&�,1�?#*@

Tamil Nadu Chief MinisterK Palaniswami on Tuesday

ticked off actor-politicianKamal Haasan for “showingoff ” as a leader despite lack ofknowledge in basic politicsand claimed that his politicalinnings will end in a fiasco.

A day after taking onsuperstar Rajinikanth who isexpected to foray into politics,the Chief Minister targetedthe Makkal Needhi Maiamchief, saying he founded apolitical party as he does nothave suitable opportunties inTamil cinema in view of hisadvancing age.

On Monday, Palaniswamihit out at Rajinikanth for hiscomment that there was a lead-

ership vacuum in Tamil Nadu,saying he was just an actor andnot a political leader.

While no political leaderclaimed a vacuum, the remarkcame only from the actor, hehad said.

A perception is prevalentamong some that a vacuumexists in politics after AIADMKstalwart J Jayalalithaa andDMK patriarch MKarunanidhi died in 2016 and2018 respectively.

Taunting Haasan, the ChiefMinister said, “he is a bigleader,” and wondered why hisMNM did not contest therecent bypolls to Vikravandiand Nanguneri Assembly con-stituencies. He wanted to knowthe votes polled by MNM inthe recent Lok Sabha polls.

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Sixty-six-year-old MK Stalinhas become the undisputed

and unquestionable leader ofthe DMK, Tamil Nadu’s principal Opposition party.This has been made possible byamending the bylaws dealingwith the powers vested on theparty president in the generalcouncil meeting of the partyheld earlier this week atChennai.

With the new amendmentsenacted by the general council,Stalin need not consult the gen-eral secretary of the party totake any decision or break anylogjams.

According to a member ofthe general council, the newrule has empowered the pres-ident to take decisions rangingfrom the district unit to theparty head quarters. Theamendments were drafted byStalin’s close confidante PWilson, the newly elected Rajya

Sabha member of the partywho is also a legal luminary.

The amendment has literally sidelinedK a l y a n a s u n d a r a mAnbazhagan, the general sec-retary of the party, who is bedridden for quite some timenow. Prior to the amendment,Stalin had to consult the gen-eral secretary for each andevery decision he had to take.Anbazhagan, 97, has been thegeneral secretary of the partysince 1977 and is credited withthe record for being the longestserving and oldest second-in-command of a political party inthe country.

Anbazhagn, the lastsurviving founder-mem-ber of the party, is in astate of comatose, accord-ing to party insiders. “Hehas become senile andrest of the party leaders areshocked why he is notbeing replaced,” saidG o v i n d a r a j a nSatyamurthy, columnist

who has been a keen observerof the DMK for the last fourdecades. Though the generalsecretary is a powerful positionin the party, former presidentlate M Karunanidhi saw to itthat Anbazhagan, a trustedfamily loyalist was appointed tothe post and ensured his con-tinuation despite indifferenthealth.

But a section of leadershipin the DMK is feeling that thelatest move by Stalin to usurpthe powers of the general sec-retary is an attempt to being theentire party structure under hisfamily. “Durai Murugan, theparty treasurer, has been eye-

ing the post of the general sec-retary for sometime and it issaid that he is thoroughly dis-appointed with Stalin for ignor-ing him. It seems Stalin iskeeping the post of general sec-retary hot for his sonUdhayanidhi Stalin, the chief ofthe DMK youth wing,” saidSatyamurthy. But Murugan,81, is also not in the best ofhealth though he movesaround the State without anyphysical support.

A party insider confided toThe Pioneer that all was notwell within the DMK. “Sincethe day Karunanidhi took overthe reigns of the party follow-ing the death of C N Annaduraiin 1969, he has gradually andsystematically made it into afamily enterprises,” said theleader on condition ofanonymity. The recent setbacksuffered by the DMK in theassembly by-election could bea fall out of this discontent-ment, say many political com-mentators.

� �� #/�52>&*&*#/&�25&1

Kerala Devaswom MinisterKadakampally Surendran

on Tuesday asked the BJP,which has welcomed the recentSupreme Court order onAyodhya, to also respect theapex court verdict onSabarimala permitting womenof all ages to pray at the LordAyyappa shrine.

Surendran, who was replying to a question posed bythe lone BJP legislator ORajagopal, also asked the saf-fron party not to encourage“goons and anti-socials” to goto Sabarimala.

Rajagopal had sought replyfrom the Devaswom Ministeron the arrangements made atthe hilltop shrine ahead of the

annual pilgrimage season.The BJP member alleged

that the number of devotees tothe hill shrine came down lastyear and wondered why theLeft government supported theentry of “atheist, Left activists”and others into the temple.

Countering it, the Ministersaid: “Please don’t encourageanti-socials and goons to go toSabarimala like last time,” anapparent reference to violenceduring the protest against entryof young women.

“Society expects more froma personality like you(Rajagopal). Now, the Ayodhyacase verdict has come, yourparty has welcomed it withopen arms. Hope the same atti-tude will be there with respect

to the Sabarimala issue,”Surendran said.

The Minister said facilitieshave been arranged for keepingthe sacred offerings of around6,500 devotees while a total of1,161 toilets, 160 bathroomsand 150 urinals had been setup.

“Five emergency medicalcentres have also been readied.Three incinerators and 600waste bins are also there,”Surendran told the House.The hill shrine had witnessedprotests by devotees and rightoutfits against the LDFGovernment’s decision toimplement the Supreme Courtverdict in 2018 allowing allwomen, including those in themenstruating age, to offerprayers at the hill shrine.

� �� �&��25

Rajasthan Deputy ChiefMinister Sachin Pilot on

Tuesday said his Governmentis committed to providingmaximum job opportunities tothe youth in the State.

The remarks came afterPilot met some young menwho had been protesting in theState for the past six days,demanding recruitments fromthe Government.

He also spoke to their rep-resentative Upen Yadav whowas on a six-day-long hungerstrike.

The Minister said thecountry’s economy was suffer-

ing and the State was alsobeing affected due to the poli-cies of the Centre.

“The State Government iscommitted for providing max-imum job opportunities toyouths according to their qual-ification. We are going to fillthe backlog in services and willensure that youths get jobs asper their educational qualifi-cation,” he told reporters.

After speaking to thedeputy chief minister, Yadavended his hunger strike anddrank juice offered by Pilot.

“I have promised that thegovernment will look into thedemands of unemployedyouths,” the Minister added.

� �� �&��25

Rajasthan Chief MinisterAshok Gehlot on Tuesday

night reached the resort wherenewly elected Congress MLAsof Maharashtra are staying.Gehlot arrived here fromPunjab and headed to theresort on the Delhi Road wherehe is meeting with the partyMLAs.

AICC general secretaryAvinash Pande and other lead-ers are also present inside theresort, sources said.

The Congress MLAs havebeen staying in the resort heresince Friday.

� �� 3,*4&�252

Barring a few incidents ofskirmishes involving BJP

and Congress workers, elec-tions to the 14 urban localbodies in Kanataka were heldpeacefully on Tuesday, offi-cials said.

The local bodies that wentto polls are two major munic-ipal corporations of Mangaluruand Davangere and six citymunicipal councils, three town

municipal councils and threetown Panchayats in seven dis-tricts.

These ULBs comprised 418wards where till 3 pm, 55.27per cent polling was registered,sources in the State ElectionCommission said.

As many as 1,587 candi-dates, including 386 fromCongress, 363 from BJP and233 of JD(S), contested thepolls.

There were 475 indepen-

dent candidates, the sourcesadded.

The counting of votes willtake place on November 14.

There was a face-offbetween the BJP and Congresssupporters at Kanakapura butpolice intervened and diffusedthe situation.

A similar incident wasreported in Mangaluru wherealso security personnel broughtthe situation under control,police said.

BJP state president NalinKumar Kateel, BJP MLA VedVyas Kamath and Congressveteran ShamanurShivashankarappa are amongthe prominent people whoexercised his franchise inMangaluru.

Speaking to reporters inMangaluru, Kateel expressedconfidence that BJP would winMangaluru and Davangere cor-porations and also in a largenumber of other ULBs.

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Hours after the President’sRule was imposed in

Maharashtra, the Congress andthe NCP on Tuesday boughtsome more time in taking adecision on extending supportto the Shiv Sena to form aGovernment in Maharashtra,on the ground that they need-ed certain clarifications fromeach other before going ahead.

On a day when GovernorBhagat Singh Koshyari wentahead and recommended thePresident’s rule more than sixhours ahead of the deadline of8.30 pm he had set for theNCP to revert to him on theGovernment formation issue,senior Congress leaders

Ahmed Patel, MallikarjunKharge and K C Venugopalheld 90-minute-long discus-sions with NCP chief SharadPawar in Mumbai.

Addressing a news confer-ence after he and his party col-leagues had with NCP chiefSharad Pawar, Ahmed Patelsaid: “Shiv Sena presidentUddhav Thackeray formallyreached out to Congress pres-ident Sonia Gandhi and Meonly yesterday for support toform a Government in thestate. Since it involved a majordecision, we need to meet ourpre-poll alliance partner NCPfirst and seek certain clarifica-tions on Government forma-tion in the State. Once we arethrough with the discussion, we

will hold talks with the ShivSena leadership”.

Reiterating that the twoparties had not arrived at anydecision on extending the sup-port to the Sena, Patel said that

the issues on which they need-ed clarifications from the NCPincluded formulation of aCommon MinimumProgramme (CMP). “We want-ed to clear between ourselves

before talking to the ShivSena,” Patel said.

Responding on simi-lar lines, Pawar said: “Afterwe received request fromthe Shiv Sena for our, wedecided to discuss amongourselves first the issuesrelating to the govern-ment formation firstbefore holding talks withthe Sena leaders. Wewould like things to pro-ceed smoothly till the for-mation of Government,”he said.

Queried as to how theCongress and NCP had recon-ciled with the ideological dif-ferences with the Shiv Senawhile going in for power-shar-ing with the Shiv Sena, Pawar

said: “When we reach the stageof holding discussions withthe Shiv Sena, we will proceedin the matter while keeping ourcommon ideology in mind”.

Replying to another ques-tion, Pawar said: “The issue ofpower distribution is not beforeus at this junction. The issuebefore us is whether to form aGovernment or not. If the gov-ernment is to be formed, whatshould be the agenda of theGovernment is our immediateobjective”.

Alluding to the President’srule imposed in the State,Pawar said: The Governor hasgiven has given us enoughtime to discuss all issues relat-ing to Government formationin the coming days”.

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Shiv Sena president UddhavThackeray said here on

Tuesday that because of theGovernor Bhagat SinghKoshyari ‘s recommendationfor President’s rule in the State,his party had sufficient time onhand to discuss all Governmentformation-related issues withthe Congress and NCP, includ-ing the formulation of aCommon MinimumProgramme (CMP) which wereessential for providing a stableGovernment to the State.

Talking to media personsafter the Congress and NCPleaders addressed a joint newsconference, Uddhav said:“Because of the Governor, wehave enough time on hand. Allthree parties — Congress, NCPand Shiv Sena — will sit acrossand formulate CMP and sortout other issues relating to thegovernment formation”.

“Like the Congress andNCP, the Sena has also someissues on which we need clar-ification. We — all three par-ties — sit across and thrashthem out before forming agovernment,” the Sena presi-dent said.

“It is not a joke to form aGovernment in state likeMaharashtra. This is especial-ly so when the parties of dif-ferent ideologies come togeth-er to form a Government.There is need for discussion oncertain issues,” Uddhav said.

“You may have at theCongress-NCP news confer-ence, Ahmed Patel and SharadPawar said that for the firsttime, I approached them forsupport yesterday. This clearsthe misunderstanding soughtto be created by the BJP that Ihad no time to talk to them, butI was in touch with theCongress and NCP. In theBJP’s case, I was not interestedin talking to them. I told themthat in case we need to need tosomething different for thecountry, we can do it,” the Senapresident said.

Replying to a question,Uddhav said that it was not theShiv Sena but the BJP finishedthe option of going togetherand forming a Government inthe State. Asked if the alliancewith the BJP ended fully,Uddhav told the questioner: “Why are you such a hurry? .....It is politics. The Governor hasgiven us six months.

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The entire focus and preoccupationon Gross Domestic Product(GDP) as a measure of humanprogress and advancement hasobviously been taken much too

far. It was in 1930 that Lord Keynes came upwith the statement, “For at least another 100years, we must pretend to everyone that fairis foul and foul is fair; for foul is useful andfair is not. Avarice and usury and precautionmust be our gods for a little longer still. Foronly they can lead us out of the tunnel of eco-nomic necessity into daylight.”

It must be remembered that this was aperiod when the global economy was in thedoldrums and, perhaps, a measure whichrecorded the output of goods and serviceswould have been useful as a response to thedistress that the US in particular and otherparts of the world were suffering from. Butperhaps Keynes never anticipated that a sys-tem, which became ingrained in the mindsof every individual and which defined thesystems for measuring human progress,would hardly be easy to replace after a 100years. We know today that reliance on GDPhides a lot of negative effects and external-ities and its flawed effects keep growing.

The extent of waste and the impacts onthe environment, which the modern econ-omy generates, are, unfortunately, not fac-tored into GDP at all. Damage to the envi-ronment and the stock of natural resourcesshould, even on the basis of common sense,be deducted from any compilation of GDPfor a particular society or economic system.Further, it is a well-accepted principle thatwhen environmental damage takes place, thepolluter must pay. This, unfortunately, is notthe case all across the world.

The problem of climate change is theresult of Cumulative Emissions of GreenhouseGases (GHGs) since the beginning of indus-trialisation. The sole responsibility for this liesessentially with the industrialised countriesand it is for this reason that the United NationsFramework Convention on Climate Change(UNFCCC) clearly came up with the condi-tion of “Common but differentiated respon-sibility.” This was accepted and agreed onessentially because the developing countriesare no doubt at a stage where their energy con-sumption would perhaps outstrip that of thedeveloped world. Yet, the stock of carbondioxide and other GHGs has been thecumulative contribution of the industri-alised countries to an overwhelming extent.The developed nations are now convenient-ly forgetting the historical responsibility thatthey must accept fully.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF)came out with a study earlier this year whereit estimated the extent of subsidies that theworld is responsible for in the pricing of fos-sil fuels. “Globally, subsidies remained largeat $4.7 trillion (6.3 per cent of the global GDP)in 2015 and are projected at $5.2 trillion (6.5per cent of GDP) in 2017.”

The study further states, “About three

quarters of the global subsidiesare due to domestic factors —energy pricing reform thusremains largely in countries’ ownnational interest — while coaland petroleum together accountfor 85 per cent of the global sub-sidies. Efficient fossil fuel pricingin 2015 would have loweredglobal carbon emissions by 28 percent and fossil fuel air pollutiondeaths by 46 per cent andincreased Government revenueby 3.8 per cent of GDP.”

In other words, the world,instead of reducing the emis-sions of carbon dioxide — theprimary GHG which causesclimate change — is generous-ly rewarding the production anduse of fossil fuels and, hence, ofcarbon dioxide. This representsa distortion, which clearlyreflects the power of the fossilfuel lobby over decision-makingin most countries.

It was in 2008 that the thenPresident of France, NicolasSarkozy, set up a commission onthe Measurement of EconomicPerformance and Social Progressunder the chairmanship ofJoseph Stiglitz, the Nobel Prizewinning economist, the reportfrom which was submitted inSeptember 2009. While theStiglitz Commission analysedthe flaws and shortcomings ofGDP as a measure, it also cameup with some recommenda-tions, which would help modi-fy and refine this metric. It was

brought out that statistical indi-cators are important for design-ing and assessing policies aimedat advancing the progress of soci-ety as well as for assessing andinfluencing the functioning ofeconomic markets.

It is well-known that whatgets measured, gets managed.Hence, when we get measuresthat are flawed, then decisionswill also be flawed or biased andwe may then deviate substan-tially from what constituteshuman welfare.

The first recommendationof the Stiglitz Commission wasbased on coming up with ameasure reflecting material liv-ing standards, which would beclosely associated with netnational income, real householdincome and consumption.Hence, there is a large range ofvariables that would provide asharp deviation between GDPand the well-being of a house-hold or society.

Another recommendationemphasises the fact that citizens’material living standards arebetter followed through mea-sures of household income andconsumption. In fact, data forOECD countries show that realhousehold income has grownquite differently from real GDPper capita and typically at alower rate. Another recommen-dation relates to consideringincome and consumption joint-ly with wealth. It may be inferred

that if we were to apply this prin-ciple, we should also include esti-mates of natural wealth.

With the recent burning ofthe Amazon forest in Brazil, anymeasure of GDP would beover-estimated if we were toignore the massive destructionof nature’s wealth that Brazilowns. Still another recommen-dation highlights greater promi-nence be given to the distribu-tion of income, consumptionand wealth.

On a practical basis, if wehave to overhaul the measure ofGDP and eliminate its flaws suchan effort needs to be led by theSecretary General of the UnitedNations (UN). The effort shouldinvolve setting up a group ofexperts which would provide aroadmap within a period ofthree months on how to ensurethat the world moves its systemsto a new set of metrics by 2030.This effort should then be takenup by the UN General Assemblyto ensure that a new system isdesigned for implementationacross all the countries of theworld during its first phase ofdesign and detailing during 2020to 2022. The following eightyears would then be given to fullimplementation and to ensurethat by 2030 we give GDP a bur-ial after a hundred years ofdominant existence.

(The writer is former chair-man, Intergovernmental Panelon Climate Change, 2002-15)

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Sir — This refers to the article,“Big ticket reforms need of thehour” (November 8) by VKBahuguna. The writer must becomplimented for stressing on theneed for reforms in our justicesystem to ensure faster and effi-cient delivery of justice to the cit-izens. As the writer said, the needis to review the closed method ofselection of judges to the highjudiciary. But there are also manyother issues that matter to the restof us.

First, besides the enormousdelay in the listing of cases, oneof the prime concerns pertains tothe scanty time given to thecommon man for hearing his/herappeal/writ petition even if theyrelate to some gross error com-mitted by the lower court in read-ing a particular file/document.

Second, it is but natural forthe common man to get frustrat-ed when he/she finds that no rea-son has been cited for the dis-missal of the petition, thus negat-ing the basic premise of justicethat not only must it be done; itmust also be seen to be done.

A serious thought must begiven to the shortcomings that

plague the judicial system of thecountry.

B P SrivastavaNoida

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Sir — This refers to the editori-al, “For the sake of law”(November 7). Clashes betweenthe public and the police must not

be allowed to become a trend.Policemen are servants of theGovernment when in uniform.On the other hand, lawyers areprofessionals, who, too, have pro-tection of law while on duty.

But a lawyer is with an attireand not uniform. Any assault ona police officer in uniform is cat-egorised in statutes — even arough argument with him/hercan attract the charge of misde-

meanour. This is built on the the-sis that the men in uniform rep-resent the face of a transferredauthority by the Government,which is paramount.

Without such construct, theGovernment will be seen as pow-erless to discharge its primaryremit of maintaining peace andorder. While the Governmentmust invariably sustain theauthority of the uniform, the

police has the greater onus of pre-serving its dignity. Else, there canbe no closure to such aberrationsin a democracy.

R Narayanan Navi Mumbai

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Sir — This refers to the editorial,“Return of maryada” (November11). The unanimous verdict deliv-ered by the Supreme Court notonly paved the way for the con-struction of Ram mandir inAyodhya but also put an end to adecade-long dispute. It is disheart-ening that the issue had to drag onfor far too much. The truthremains that the wheels of our judi-cial system runs very slow. Thecourt’s directive to the UttarPradesh Government to allot fiveacres of land within Ayodhya forthe construction of a new masjidmust not be viewed as charity buta recognition of their right to wor-ship. The court’s ruling is soundand balanced. People must acceptthe judgment wholeheartedly.

Nimai Charan SwainBhubaneswar

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One can decidedly differentiate between anordinary Chief Executive Officer (CEO)and a great one. Great CEOs are exem-

plary visionaries, with superlative managerial andleadership skills. They are admired by colleaguesand common men alike and are considered idolsby millions of young aspiring leaders dreamingof making it big in the corporate world. Theirgreatness lies in the fact that not only have theycreated profitable enterprises; they have also cre-ated brands that are etched forever in the imag-ination of consumers. So what are the leadershipprinciples and management philosophies thatdrive these icons and enable them to take theirorganisations to stellar heights?

As Brad Feld, an American entrepreneur andventure capitalist, said, “Don’t be afraid to havea big vision, but make sure it’s a clear one”, clar-ity of vision is one of the main traits of greatCEOs.

Taking an example of Steve Jobs, an uncon-ventional leader who demanded excellence fromhis staff and was controversial for his blunt deliv-ery of criticism. However, his sheer genius; hisamazing ability to articulate his vision and dex-terity to take his people, investors and customerswith him on his journey made him an exception-al leader. Jobs had an exceptional clarity of visionand excelled at designing minimalist devices thatbroke barriers in computer speeds. He createdan ecosystem which could stand alone or worktogether in an interconnected way-like an iPodconnected to a Mac connected to an iTunes store.Apple could manage vast amounts of informa-tion through division of labour among the sys-tems. For example, the Mac controlled systemadministration while iTunes fetched content fromcloud storage, freeing the device to concentrateon playing the music. Jobs was motivated morethan anything to feel he had made a solid andpositive impact on the world during his lifetime.And since he had such high expectations fromhimself, he was able to achieve excellence.

Jack Welch, perhaps the greatest corporateleader of the 20th century, was the youngest CEOof General Electric (GE) when he took over in1981. He followed an incremental leadership styleand during his two-decade stint, the net worthof GE improved by a whopping 4,000 per cent.He is a management theorist and strategicthinker who championed new initiatives like SixSigma quality, differentiation and e-business.

Bill Gates, listed as the richest person on thisplanet for 12 consecutive years, is also a man ofcolossal vision. He envisioned every person onthis planet to have a computer and every com-puter, a programme, designed by Microsoft. Sincethen, he has worked tirelessly to achieve hisvision. In this process, he has been instrumen-tal in the IT revolution that the world has wit-nessed. Great CEOs, apart from adding to thebottomline of the company contribute to the soci-ety in a big way. It would be hard to talk aboutthe life of Bill Gates and not discuss philanthropyand humanitarianism. Heeding to his mother’sadvice before she passed away due to breast can-cer, Gates has always taken a selfless approachto his leadership, spending considerable moneyand time in philanthropic efforts to give to oth-ers. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation hasdonated billions of dollars to causes all over the

world, making significant differences inthe lives of children and adults. Thislevel of giving back illustrates Gates’character and focus on social respon-sibility as a global corporate citizen. Italso shows that his pursuit of solutionsand making life better went beyond justmaking a profit. Instead, it was aboutdriving significant change in the worldthat would make a difference for thosewho need it the most.

Indra Nooyi, who is an iconicleader, consistently ranked among the100 most powerful women, when shewas the CEO of PepsiCo, the world’ssecond largest food and beverage com-pany in the world, and was at the helmof managing an employee strength of30,000 and selling in around 200 coun-tries around the world. She believed indeveloping two balance sheets: One wasto provide return to shareholders andthe other was to provide return to theenvironment.Under her leadership,PepsiCo focussed on people and plan-et in addition to profit. Nooyi hadworked tirelessly to reduce the use ofenergy, water and packaging and simul-taneously providing a great workplacefor its employees and associates.

Great CEOs show that great worksare performed not by strength but byperseverance. “It’s not where you startout in life that matters, but where youend up”.

This adage fits Ursula Burns per-fectly. Born in the poor neighbourhoodof Manhattan to immigrant parents andraised by a single mother, she rose tobecome the first female AfricanAmerican CEO of a Fortune 500 com-pany, Xerox and also holds the honourof being the first woman to succeedanother woman CEO, Anne Mulcahy.Having joined Xerox in 1980 as amechanical engineering summerintern, Burns progressed through the

corporate echelons to become the CEOfrom 2009 to 2016. At present, she is theChairperson and CEO of VEON, asenior advisor to Teneo, and a non-executive director of Diageo sinceApril 2018. She is also the member ofthe board of directors of Uber. Sheworked very hard to rise above herunderprivileged background and didnot use her background as an excuse.She worked with perseverance to reachthe top of the corporate world andworked hard to return Xerox to prof-itability. NR Narayan Murthy, a rolemodel for every Indian, is an aptexample of “Simple living, high think-ing”. He is a billionaire with net worthof about $230 crore but still flies econ-omy and drives around in a simple car.Murthy’s life is an inspiration to all ofus and gives a strong message thatworld-class businesses can be createdbased on transparency and good gov-ernance. Born in a middle class fami-ly in Sidlaghatta, Karnataka, the oddsof life were no match to this brilliantand enthusiastic person, who, throughhis discipline and determination creat-ed a “Great Indian IT Success Story.”

Infosys, today, is one of mostrespected IT companies in the worldwith footprints all across the globe andis the second-largest IT company inIndia by revenue. But did you know thathis first entrepreneurial venture,Softronics, failed to take off? One of theinitial challenges faced by Murthy wasthe inability to take admission in theprestigious Indian Institute ofTechnology (IIT) even after earning ahigh rank and scholarship as the grantwas not enough to cover his studies.Since his father was unable to fund hiseducation, he enrolled into a local engi-neering college but later did his post-graduation from IIT.

Similarly, the failure of his first

entrepreneurial venture, Softronics,did not stop him from establishingInfosys and lead it to stellar heights.Murthy follows Mahatma Gandhi’spolicy of “practice what you preach.” Hehas always led by example and believesthat the primary responsibility of aleader is to give hope and confidencein the face of adversity.

Taking care of people is one of thebiggest attributes of great CEOs.Murthy has been generous in reward-ing employees with stock options.Personally, he has given away stocksworth of �50,000 crore to his employ-ees. He reiterates that performanceshould be rewarded suitably. In Infosys,drivers, electricians and secretaries areamong millionaires due to their stockoptions. Indra Nooyi was also a caring,humane CEO who took care of heremployees by being in touch withthem and understanding their con-cerns. She even wrote “thank you” let-ters to the parents of the employees toshow her appreciation to them.

Similarly, Ken Chenault, the formerCEO of American Express, believed inreaching out to each employee. Hemade it a point to answer to each andevery mail he received from any of hisemployees. He travelled around theworld to meet staff at different locationsfrom around the globe.To further con-nect personally with his people, he usedto run an open operation where any-one could talk to him.

Great CEOs, because of their innatequality of perseverance and contribu-tion to society, ensure stability andgrowth of their organisations makingthem the best in the world. They liveby their principles and lead by exam-ple, making them exemplary leaders ofthe corporate world.

(The writer is Assistant Professor,Amity University)

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The Central GovernmentHealth Scheme (CGHS) isone of the largest health care

systems in the country, which catersto serving and retired CentralGovernment employees, theirdependents, pensioners and alsoMembers of Parliament. On paperand intention-wise it is one of thebest welfare schemes in the coun-try.

Present in 71 locations in thecountry, it caters to 35 lakh bene-ficiaries and the number is alwaysincreasing. Due to unplannedexpansion to new cities each year,the infrastructure, manpower andother resources of the CGHS are

getting strained.In places like Dehradun more

than 25,000 beneficiaries (includingfrom distant places like Haridwarand Roorkie) throng the wellnesscentres daily and many have to waitfrom 5 AM to 2 PM for their turnto be examined by the doctor.However, many have to returnhome without even getting to meetthe doctor, as the main server inDelhi closes at 2 PM and there is noprovision for manually handling thepaperwork. It was complete chaostill a few months ago, when theSurvey of India Dispensary wasmerged with it and things eased abit. There has been a long-standingdemand to improve the CGHS sys-tem by all quarters and from all overthe country. The biggest problemwith the CGHS is excessive red tape,harassment and too much paper-work, which bogs down thepatients, the wellness centres as wellas empanelled hospitals, laborato-ries and drug suppliers.

Taking note of the shortcom-ings in the CGHS, Union HealthMinister Harsh Vardhan had solicit-ed suggestions from all stakehold-ers for improving the scheme andsubmitting these proposals latest byNovember 30.

To make any scheme effective,the Government needs to ensurethat it can sustain the patient pres-sure and be innovative and patient-centric rather than procedure-cen-tric. Today, the biggest managementproblem in CGHS is lack of prop-er infrastructure and manpower.The Health Ministry has beenopening new wellness centres with-out proper assessment of the infra-structure and the result is the utterchaos that prevails in these new dis-pensaries and the endless sufferingof patients. The plight of senior cit-izens is particularly bad as they haveto wait long hours just to get treat-ment despite their failing health andweakened condition. The doctorsand nursing staff are also under

tremendous pressure. Now thequestion is how to overcome this sit-uation as it is also necessary toextend the CGHS scheme to covernew areas in the country.

The other problem relates torates of various tests and treatmentprocedures for the empanelled hos-pitals and delay in payments to thelaboratories, that is forcing manydiagnostic centres to refuse patients.The third issue relates to the lack ofproper and honest monitoring ofprivate empanelled hospitals assometimes, due to the mischief ofa few, the entire scheme is put inlimbo.

It is therefore, necessary totake some innovative policy deci-sions. To cope with the ever-grow-ing number of CGHS centres theGovernment should enter into apublic private partnership (PPP)mode and select private hospitals,who in turn should be allowed tohave collaborative partnership withthe CGHS on pre-determined

aspects and also appoint privatedoctors for a few hours on contractto treat the patients. At present thisprovision of hiring exists but it iscumbersome and the wellness cen-tre gets caught in the web of red-tapism. There should be an upfrontdecision to fix the number of doc-tors based on the number of bene-ficiaries and requirement of doctorsand support staff and powers shouldbe delegated up to the Chief MedicalOfficer (CMO) level to allow hiringon contract basis.

The rates of pathological testsand radiological procedures shouldnot be fixed in an arbitrary mannerand should be periodically revised.The payments should be made bi-monthly for which an adequatebudget should be sanctionedupfront for the whole year.

Many private hospitals indulgein malpractices and there is a needfor constant and transparent mon-itoring. If the Government inno-vates and ropes in private hospitals,

enhances the powers of CMOs andregional heads and involves privatemedical professionals, the CGHSmedical bureaucracy can be used forbetter monitoring of these hospitals.

There are two-pronged prob-lems faced by the patients. First, theadministrative hassles at the well-ness centres due to too much red-tapism and poor infrastructure.Also, many times, empanelled hos-pitals harass the patients with toomuch paperwork and deny admis-sion or treatment on f limsygrounds.

Second, is the harassmentpatients face in running from theempanelled hospitals to the wellnesscentres, as each time one needs toendorse the expert advice. To rec-tify this, the Government couldallow patients to directly approachthe empanelled hospitals for specif-ically identified diseases, includingchronic ones like diabetes and so on.The Government had allowedsenior citizens above 75 years of age

to approach empanelled hospitalsdirectly without referral. This pro-vision should also be allowed forsenior citizens above 60 years, tomake things easier for them andreduce the pressure on doctors. Thecollection of medicines and distri-bution should also be streamlined.

Though it is a welfare schemeyet there is no involvement of thebeneficiaries. This is specially nec-essary in cases involving cashlesspensioners and the Governmentmight consider setting up a mech-anism for this as it will bring inmore transparency and expertise ofprivate hospitals and doctors.

The Prime Minister and HealthMinister must take this initiative toits logical end as already, theGovernment is spending on anaverage, nearly a lakh annually onthe health care of each of its employ-ees. Fine tuning of CGHS is essen-tial to make the scheme succeed.

(The writer is retired civilservant.)

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Unleashing a barrage ofcharges against Infosys

Chief Executive Officer SalilParekh, the second whistle-blower fired more salvos athim, with the allegations rang-ing from his unaccounted trav-els to grabbing the company’ssponsored vantage point seatsat the ATP tournaments forpersonal use.

“Salil Parekh keeps visingthe US every month in order toretain his Green Card status. Ihave also heard that he has onseveral occasions gone to theUS but has not visited any clientor our offices. Then, what is thepurpose of his visits? It is evi-dent that he is telling you a lie,”said the whistleblower in anunsigned and undated letter tothe company’s Chairman andco-founder Nandan Nilekaniand Independent Directors onthe Board.

Claiming to be an employ-ee in the company’s financedepartment, the whistleblowercomplained that he was unableto disclose his identity fearingretaliation for the damningdisclosures he was makingagainst Parekh.

“I am an employee workingin the finance department. I amsubmitting this whistleblowercomplaint as the matter is sovolatile that I fear retaliation ifI disclose my identity. Pleaseexcuse me for the same, but mat-ter is of grave importance,” saidthe employee in the complaint,accessed by IANS throughsources on Monday night.

In a belated response on thesecond whistleblower’s letter tothe board, the city-based Infosyson Tuesday told IANS in an e-mail that “the undated whistle-blower’s complaint largely dealswith allegations relating to theCEO’s international travels tothe US and Mumbai.

“One board memberreceived two anonymous com-plaints on September 30, onedated September 20, titled‘Disturbing unethical practices’and the second undated withthe title ‘WhistleblowerComplaint’,” said the company,attributing the admission toNilekani’s statement onOctober 21-22.

Attacking the second non-promoter CEO after VishalSikka, the whistleblower allegedthat Parekh was abusing his

high office to endear himself tohigh profile universities in theUS, promising donations witha view to guaranteeing admis-sions to his children.

“He (Parekh) is also usingthe connections of the compa-ny’s Global Academic Relations(GAR) team to secure seats inreputed institutions for his children,” the whistle-blower claimed.

As part of the industry-academia relationship, theGAR team liaises the compa-

ny’s links with top universitiesthe world over, as part ofInStep, its flagship internshipprogramme.

According to the aggriev-ed Infoscion, a woman employ-ee is renowned for proudlybragging internally aboutParekh’s academic exploits withthe American universities.

“This is a gross violationand misuse of his power andInfosys finances. You may wantto trigger an investigation to seeall the locations visited by theCEO, institutions where Infosyshas invested and why?” thecomplainant said.

The whistleblower also saidit was shameful of Parkeh to“project” his performance andgrab 108 per cent bonus inApril 2019, way before othersubordinates who toiled andreceived bonus only in therange of 70-90 per cent inJuly/August 2019.

“How fair is that? Earlier,

the founders would alwaysensure that all the people whoworked hard would get reward-ed and only then accept any-thing themselves. This is a hugelet down,” the complaint noted.

Referring to the conces-sions offered to Parekh byNominations and Remune-ration Committee (NRC), thewhistleblower alleged that theCEO’s stock vesting lock-in peri-od had been advanced to the endof first year than the three-yearlock-in period agreed initially.

“This was even taken up asa resolution that was passed atthe annual general meeting(AGM) in June 2019. This is avery unfair practice and needsto be reversed,” asserted thewhistleblower.

Targetting Parekh’s per-sonal ethics, the complainantalleged that the CEO is a liarwho sets up individuals againsteach other and seldom docu-ments his decisions.

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Yokohama: Crisis-hit Japaneseautomaker Nissan on Tuesdayslashed its full-year forecast forboth sales and profit as itstruggles with weak demand inJapan, the US and Europe, aswell as fallout from the arrestof former boss Carlos Ghosn.

Nissan downgraded its netprofit forecast to 110 billion yen($1 billion) for the fiscal year toMarch 2020, compared with anearlier estimate of 170 billionyen. Full-year sales are nowestimated at 10.6 trillion yen,down from a previous forecastof 11.3 trillion yen.

Nissan blamed the pooroutlook on weak first-half earn-ings, a strong yen, an uncertainglobal outlook and the stagna-tion of the car industry in gen-eral. Incoming chief financialofficer Stephen Ma said: “Salesin China outpaced the marketbut sales in other key regionsincluding the US, Europe andJapan underperformed in thosemarkets. This resulted in theoverall decrease of our marketshare.” Net profit for the sixmonths to September plunged73.5 percent to 65.4 billion yen,the worst first-half result sincethe global financial crisis adecade ago.

“Nissan is in a very severesituation at a time when com-petition in the global auto mar-ket is further intensifying,” saidSatoru Takada, auto analyst atTIW, a Tokyo-based researchand consulting firm. It wasNissan’s first earnings announce-ment since the appointment lastmonth of Makoto Uchida as newchief executive, elevating theinsider heading the firm’s Chinaunit as it overhauls its leadershipafter the Ghosn scandal. AFP

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Tata Sons infusing USD 914million (around Rs 6,542

crore) equity in Tata Motors iscredit positive for the compa-ny but the country’s largestautomobile manufacturer facesacute challenges in sluggisheconomic growth, weak liq-uidity, and tight financingnorms, Moody’s InvestorsService said on Tuesday.

Moody’s assigned a Ba3rating to the proposed seniorunsecured notes to be issued byTata Motors. The rating out-look is negative, Moody’s saidin a statement.

“The Ba3 ratings reflectTata Motors Ltd’s (TML) lead-ing market position in com-mercial vehicles (CVs) in India,100 per cent ownership of thepremium/luxury car manufac-turer Jaguar Land RoverAutomotive Plc, and ownershipby Tata Sons, which results ina one-notch uplift, reflectingour expectation of continuedparental support, when need-ed,” says Kaustubh Chaubal, aMoody’s Vice President andSenior Credit Officer.

On October 25, TML

announced that it will make apreferential allotment of equityshares and convertible war-rants to Tata Sons for a USD 914million equity injection, ofwhich USD 548 million will bepaid immediately, and the bal-ance over a period of 18 months.

Pro-forma the preferentialallotment and the conversion ofthe warrants, Tata Sons’ share-holding in TML will increase to46.4 per cent from the current38.4 per cent. “We view thepreferential allotment as a cred-it positive because TML plansto apply the proceeds towardsreducing its debt,” addsChaubal, who is also Moody’sLead Analyst for TML.

“The equity injection alsoreflects Tata Sons’ continuedsupport, and will somewhatreduce the pressure on TML’sbalance sheet stemming fromthe weak operating performanceof its India business, even as JLRdelivers some improvement.”

JLR continues to makeprogress on its cost savings andefficiency plan with the aim toachieve GBP1.0 billion in costsavings by March 2020, havingdelivered GBP0.5 billion up toSeptember 2019. In addition,JLR has achieved GBP1.5 bil-lion of its GBP1.7 billion targeton capital expenditure andworking capital improvementsas of September 2019.

Looking ahead, Moody’sexpects JLR’s adjusteddebt/EBITDA to improve from10.6x at March 2019 to 6.0xover the next 12 months.

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Demonetisation came tohaunt Finance Ministry

officials all over again with asection of the lawmakers choos-ing the subject to grill the exec-utive while raising questionswhether the move taken threeyears ago was the prime reasonfor the current slowdown.

The subject came up fordiscussion at the meeting ofParliamentary StandingCommittee on Finance lastweek. But what was meant asone-off mention soon becamea full-blown issue with severalmembers terming the move asbad for the economy.

At the meeting, the MPsalso questioned senior Financeministry officials on the likely

revenue shortfall, lack of invest-ment and lack of confidence inIndian economy.

Officials were asked to rea-son with the current poor eco-nomic growth and decelerationin all macro indicators, sourcessaid. Some members asked theofficials if the demonetisationstep of three years back by thegovernment is the reasonbehind the current slowdown,said sources.

Economic Affairs SecretaryAtanu Chakraborty, RevenueSecretary AB Pandey, FinanceSecretary Rajeev Kumar, ChiefEconomic Adviser KSubramanian were amongthose who attended the panel’smeetings along with CentralBoard of Direct Taxes chief PCMody.

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At least 72 per cent urbanIndians believe that India

is headed in the right directioncompared to 61 per cent glob-al citizens who feel their coun-try is on the wrong track, saysa survey by market researchfirm Ipsos.

While people in China (93per cent), Saudi Arabia (82 percent) and India (72 per cent)are the most optimistic aboutthe future, those in SouthAfrica (15 per cent), Italy (17per cent) and Spain (21 percent) are the most negativeabout the prospects of theircountry. Among the issues thatbother Indians the most areunemployment, financial/polit-ical corruption and crime &violence, according to the Ipsos“What Worries the World”survey. These are also the topthree issues that bother globalcitizens as well — though notin the same order.

“Urban Indians have faithin the overall trajectory for thecountry and overall there is asense of optimism among cit-izens,” Amit Adarkar, CEO,Ipsos India & OperationsDirector, Ipsos APEC (AsiaPacific Excluding China), saidin a statement.

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Union Commerce andIndustry Minister Piyush

Goyal on Tuesday said some e-commerce companies areindulging in predatory pricingwhich is adversely impactingmillions of small retailers.

“I would like to highlightthe adverse impact of predato-ry pricing indulged by some e-commerce players whichadversely impact millions ofsmall retailers. It is importantfor e-commerce to follow theletter and spirit of the law,” hesaid at the BRICS trade minis-ters meeting in Brasilia.

The Minister said the needof the hour is to develop digi-tal infrastructure, digital skillsand institutions particularly inthe developing and less devel-oped world.

The global economic out-look is facing grave challengesamidst growing protectionism

and rising trade tensions man-ifested in unilateral measures,Goyal noted.

“In this uncertain world,India continues to offer eco-nomic opportunities,” he saidmentioning several steps takenby the union government toattract investments.

The Minister said increas-ing trends of protectionism inthe form of non-tariff barriers(NTBs), both stated and unstat-ed, deny market access, par-ticularly for developing coun-tries. “The developed worldadvocates open and free tradewith emphasis on removal oftariffs in developing countries,while in reality, they are raisingmore barriers in the form ofNTBs,” he said.

These developments arecontributing to enhancing eco-nomic uncertainties and rais-ing the cost of doing trade indeveloping and least devel-oped countries, Goyal said.

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Mumbai: Automobile majorTata Motors Group on Tuesdayreported a fall of 19 per cent inits global wholesales duringOctober to 89,108 units,including the off-take for theJaguar Land Rover (JLR).

According to the group, itsglobal wholesales of all ‘TataMotors’ commercial vehiclesand the ‘Tata Daewoo’ duringthe month under reviewdeclined by 36 per cent to28,478 units as compared toOctober 2018.

“Global wholesales of allpassenger vehicles in October2019 were at 60,630 nos., lowerby 7 per cent as compared toOctober 2018,” the statementsaid. “Global wholesales forJLR were 47,278 vehicles. Jaguarwholesales for the month were12,367 vehicles, while LandRover wholesales for the monthwere 34,911 vehicles.” IANS

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New Delhi: Jaguar Land Rover(JLR), a part of Tata Motors, onTuesday reported 5.5 per centdecline in total retail sales at41,866 units in October ascompared with the year-agoperiod. Sales of Jaguar brandwere at 10,606 units during themonth, down 22.9 per centfrom October 2018, TataMotors said in a statement.

Land Rover sales were at31,260 units, up 2.4 per centfrom the same month last year,it added. “The automotive trad-ing environment remains chal-lenging globally. Against thisbackground, it is all the moreencouraging to see our Chinaturnaround strategy and workwith the local retailer networkgenerating positive results assales have improved in China forthe fourth consecutive month,”JLR Chief Commercial OfficerFelix Brautigam said. PTI

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789��$ &�$*!�"&�%����+$��0'�� � �&$��&('� &����&�$,��+�%�0New Delhi: An SBI reserach

report on Tuesday sharply cutthe country’s GDP growth fore-cast to 5 per cent for FY 2019-20 from the earlier projectionof 6.1 per cent.

The second quarter GDPgrowth rate is likely to slip to4.2 per cent on account of lowautomobile sales, decelerationin air traffic movements, flat-tening of core sector growthand declining investment inconstruction and infrastruc-ture, according to Ecowrap —the report from the EconomicResearch Department of StateBank of India (SBI).

The report, however, saidthe economic growth rate willpick up pace in 2020-21 to 6.2per cent. To propel economicgrowth, it said, the ReserveBank of India (RBI) may go for“larger rate cuts” in Decembermonetary policy review.

Last month, while reducingthe key policy rate (repo) by 25basis points for the fifth time ina row, the RBI had also reduced its growth forecast to6.1 per cent for 2019-20 from6.9 per cent. PTI

New Delhi: Bharti Airtel,Bharti Infratel and private equi-ty firm Varde Partners havesubmitted their bids for assetsof debt-laden RelianceCommunications, whileReliance Jio has sought exten-sion of the asset sale deal dead-line by another 10 days.

Airtel has placed condition-al bid to buy spectrum of RComwhile Bharti Infratel has sub-mitted bids for mobile towers, aBharti spokesperson said.Banking sources involved in theprocess told PTI that a total of sixbids have come for assets of AnilAmbani-led RCom on Monday.

“Six bids have come forassets of RelianceCommunications. This includesbid from Bharti Airtel, BhartiInfratel, private equity firmVarde Partners. RCom com-mittee of creditors is scheduledto meet on November 13, 2019to take call on the bids opening,”a banking source said. PTI

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Police and protesters battledoutside university campus-

es and several thousanddemonstrators blocked roads asthey took over a central busi-ness district at lunchtime onTuesday in another day ofprotest in Hong Kong.

The clashes followed anespecially violent day in HongKong's five months of anti-gov-ernment demonstrations, inwhich police shot one protest-er and a man was set on fire.

Protesters littered streetswith bricks and disrupted trainservice during the morningrush hour on Tuesday.Commuter train passengerswere escorted along the tracks,and subways were shut becauseof disruptions.

Police used tear gas in

faceoffs with protesters in andaround universities, whereclasses were canceled.

A few thousand protesterstook over several blocks of thecentral business district atlunchtime. The demonstratorschanted "Five demands, notone less" holding up one handwith five outstretched fingers.

Their demands includedemocratic changes and inves-tigation of police treatment ofprotesters.

Traffic was blocked on twomajor roads by the crowds,with half a dozen of HongKong's famous trams lined upunable to move. The words"Join Us" were spray painted onthe front window of a halteddouble-decker bus abandonedby the driver and passengersand one of its windows wasbroken.

Office workers filled thesidewalks and overhead walk-ways to watch the action, withsome joining the protesters inchanting.

One 24-year-old man, whowould not give his name, saidhe was there to support theprotesters and accused thepolice of using excessive force,a common complaint amongthe city's 7.4 million people.

Recent weeks have beenmarked by escalating vandal-ism against shops linked tomainland China and train sta-tions, and assaults by bothprotesters and pro-Beijing sup-porters.

Hong Kong leader CarrieLam, speaking to news mediaafter a weekly meeting withadvisers, called the blocking ofthe morning commute "a veryselfish act."

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Former US Secretary of StateHillary Clinton says she's

"dumbfounded" the UKGovernment has failed torelease a report on Russianinfluence in British politics asthe country prepares fornational elections.

Clinton told the BBC in aninterview broadcast Mondaythat the public needs to knowwhat is in the report byParliament's Intelligence andSecurity Committee.

The Government said itneeds more time to considerthe report before releasing it tothe public, but critics claim thereport has been withheld untilthe next Parliament because itis embarrassing to PrimeMinister Boris Johnson's

Conservative Party."I'm dumbfounded that

this government won't releasethe report ... Because every per-son who votes in this countrydeserves to see that reportbefore your election happens,"Clinton said.

An American investiga-tion into the 2016 US presi-dential election found "sweep-ing and systemic" interference.

Bill Browder, a formerinvestment manager in Russia,told the BBC he gave the com-mittee evidence on wealthyRussians working to influenceBritish politics.

The Intelligence andSecurity Committee report wassent to the prime minister onOctober 17, and it needs gov-ernment approval before it ismade public.

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The UK's OppositionLabour Party has revealed

it became the target of a"large-scale and sophisticatedcyber-attack" on its digitalplatforms, the media report-ed.

The attacks did not lead toany data breach as, accordingto the party, its "robust" secu-rity system foiled the attemptto disrupt the functioning ofthe party's digital systems,the BBC reported on Tuesday.

In a letter sent to Labourcampaigners, Niall Sookoo,the party's executive directorof elections and campaigns,said: "Yesterday afternoon oursecurity systems identifiedthat, in a very short period oftime, there were large-scaleand sophisticated attacks on

Labour Party platforms whichhad the intention of taking oursystems entirely offline.

"Every single one of theseattempts failed due to ourrobust security systems andthe integrity of all our plat-forms and data was main-tained."

The attack was a "realconcern", Labour's GeneralSecretary Jennie Formby saidon Twitter.

Reports suggest that itwas just a Distributed Denialof Service (DDoS) attackwhich floods a computer serv-er with traffic to try to take itoffline.

DDoS attacks are not nor-mally recognised as being ahack as they do not involvebreaking into a target's sys-tems to insert malware, saidthe BBC report, adding that

Labour is using software bythe technology companyCloudflare to protect its sys-tems.

"We have experienced asophisticated and large-scalecyber-attack on Labour digi-tal platforms. We took swiftaction and these attemptsfailed due to our robust secu-rity systems. The integrity ofall our platforms was main-tained and we are confidentthat no data breach occurred,"a spokeswoman of JeremyCorbyn's party was quoted assaying by The Register.

"Our security procedureshave slowed down some ofour campaign activities, butthese were restored this morn-ing and we are back up to fullspeed. We have reported thematter to the National CyberSecurity Centre."

Kabul: Afghan PresidentAshraf Ghani announced onTuesday that three high-rank-ing Taliban prisoners would bereleased, in an apparentexchange for two Westernhostages who were kidnappedby the insurgents in 2016.

The three Taliban prison-ers include Anas Haqqani, whowas seized in 2014 and whoseolder brother is the deputyTaliban leader and head of theHaqqani network, a notoriousTaliban affiliate.

"We have decided to con-ditionally release three Talibanprisoners who... Have been inBagram prison in the custodyof the Afghan government forsome time," Ghani said in anannouncement at the presi-dential palace. AFP

Dhaka: At least 16 people werekilled and 60 others injured ina head-on collision betweentwo trains in Brahmanbariadistrict in central Bangladesh onTuesday, railway officials said.

A railway spokesman saidthe the pre-dawn accidentappeared to have occurredwhen Chittagong-boundUdayan Express was changingtracks at Mondobhag railwaystation in the district and theDhaka-bound Turna Nishitacoming from the oppositedirection collided with it.

“The salvage campaign isnearly completed as RailwaysMinister Nurul Islam Sujanand our senior officials visitedthe scene to oversee the rescuedrives,” the spokesman said.

Hayat-ud-Dowla Khan,Brahmanbaria DeputyCommissioner was quoted assaying by the Dhaka Tribunethat the accident occuredbecause the loco masters didnot obey the signals. PTI

La Paz: Evo Morales has left Bolivia for Mexico,which has granted him political asylum, as thearmed forces agreed to help police curb violencethat has erupted after the president's stunningresignation left a power vacuum.

The senator set to succeed Morales as inter-im president, Jeanine Anez, pledged to call freshelections to end the political crisis.

The United Nations and the Organisationof American States (OAS) earlier voiced fears

of a breakdown in security in a country thatappeared increasingly rudderless after dozens ofofficials and ministers resigned along withMorales, some seeking refuge in foreignembassies.

Morales called Mexico's Foreign MinisterMarcelo Ebrard on Monday to request asylumand later tweeted that he was "heading toMexico."

AFP

Jerusalem/Gaza: Israeli securi-ty forces on Tuesday assassi-nated a commander of IslamicJihad described by them as "aticking bomb", leading to retal-iatory attacks from the GazaStrip that pushed major areas inIsrael to closure and escalatedtensions in the region.

A joint statement by theIsrael Defence Forces (IDF)and Israel's internal securityagency, the Shin Bet,announced that Baha Abu al-Ata was neutralised in a tar-

geted strike at around 4:30 amin an operation that wasapproved by Prime MinisterBenjamin Netanyahu.

"[Ata] was behind multipleattacks and rocket launchesagainst Israel in recent monthsand intended to carry newimmediate attacks," the Armyand Shin Bet said.

"The operation was rec-ommended by the IDF Chief ofStaff and the Shin Bet andapproved by the Prime Ministerand Minister of Defence, after

it was presented and endorsedby (the security) cabinet," it said.

Ata and his wife were killedas they slept on the third floorof a building in Shejaiya districtof Gaza City, Palestinian sourcessaid.

Palestinian health officialssaid that four of their childrenand a neighbour were injured.

The Israeli Army howeverrejected speculations that thekilling marked return to Israel'spolicy of targeted assassina-tions. PTI

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Transcripts in the newestbatch from testimony in the

House impeachment hearingsare chipping away at a keyRepublican defense ofPresident Donald Trump.

At issue is Trump's deci-sion to tie military aid forUkraine to investigations of JoeBiden and the Democrats.Allies of the president say hedid nothing wrong becausethe Ukrainians never knewthe aid was being delayed.

The special adviser forUkraine at the StateDepartment, Catherine Croft,says she fielded inquiries fromUkraine about the holdup.

In the transcript of her tes-timony to House investigators,released Monday, Croft says

officials in Ukraine were clearin their concern over the assis-tance as they battled Russianaggression.

Witnesses in the impeach-ment inquiry are set to begintestifying in public onWednesday.

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Washington: A top US militaryofficer will be trying to containthe fallout between Seoul andTokyo on his first overseas tripon the job.

"It is in our interests to keepall three of us very closelyaligned," US Chairman of theJoint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milleysaid of South Korea and Japanwhile en route to the region,according to a Press release fromthe US Department of Defenceon Monday, Xinhua reported.

The overseas trip, the firstsince he assumed office onSeptember 30, reflected concernamong US officials over thestraining relationship betweenits two Asian allies. IANS

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Using a special type ofradar, researchers have

discovered the invisible foot-prints hiding since the end ofthe last ice age — and whatlies beneath them.

The fossilised footprintsreveal a wealth of informationabout how humans and ani-mals moved and interactedwith each other 12,000 yearsago, according to the studypublished in the journalScientific Reports.

"We never thought tolook under footprints, but itturns out that the sedimentitself has a memory thatrecords the effects of the ani-

mal's weight and momentumin a beautiful way," said studylead author Thomas Urbanfrom Cornell University in theUS.

"It gives us a way tounderstand the biomechanicsof extinct fauna that we neverhad before," Urban said.

The researchers exam-ined the footprints of humans,mammoths and giant sloths inthe White Sands NationalMonument in New Mexico.

Using ground-penetrat-ing radar (GPR), they wereable to resolve 96 per cent ofthe human tracks in the areaunder investigation, as well asall of the larger vertebratetracks.

New York: US PresidentDonald Trump placed theIslamic State group's newchief in the crosshairs onMonday as he markedVeterans' Day by celebratingthe killing of the jihadists'former leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

While US presidentstraditionally mark the dayby laying a wreath at a vastmilitary cemetery inArlington, nearWashington, Trump trav-eled to New York where hemade an address ahead ofthe city's annual parade ofveterans.

Trump was widely crit-icised after announcing afull withdrawal of US troopsfrom Syria last month. AFP

Paris: France, Germany, Britain and the European Union havesaid they are "extremely concerned" by Iran's decision to re-startnuclear activities at one of its key sites, in breach of a landmark2015 deal with international powers.

"The Foreign Ministers of France, Germany and the UnitedKingdom and the High Representative of the European Unionare extremely concerned by the latest announcements that Iranis restarting uranium enrichment activities at the Fordow facil-ity, as confirmed by the International Atomic Energy Agency(IAEA) in its November 11 report," they said in a joint statementon Monday.

Paris, Berlin, London and Brussels said that Iran's action was"inconsistent" with the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action,or JCPoA, under which Tehran had agreed to curb some of itsnuclear activities — notably uranium enrichment — in returnfor a lifting of economic sanctions. AFP

United Nations: North Koreaon Monday accused the UnitedStates of "political and militaryprovocations" and South Koreaof "double-dealing behaviour."North Korea's UNAmbassador Kim Song madethe accusations in a speech toa General Assembly meetingon the International AtomicEnergy Agency, which heaccused of "ignorance of theprevailing reality of the Koreanpeninsula."

Kim said relations betweenthe US And North Korea "havemade little progress" since theJune 2018 summit betweentheir leaders, "and the situationof the Korean peninsula has notextricated itself from thevicious cycle of aggravated ten-sion." IANS

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Big data is the keyword for thefuture. And its unprecedentedrelevance even today is the very

reason for its prominence.Organisations today are gathering dig-ital impressions of customers toobserve their interpretation throughmachine learning and distributed com-puting. Data analytics in the educationsegment opens numerous doors forinstructors to connect and facilitateeducation in new ways. It will givethem a more profound comprehensionof the student’s learning experience,and therefore manage the processappropriately.

Here are a few ways data analysishas already started influencing theIndian educational system: ?=:�F���-�+-�:�+,�-+

The general thought of utilisingdata inside the instructive frameworkis to improve the results of the students.Right now, the only estimation of thelearner’s performance is their responseto assignments and tests. While thisholds true, every learner produces aremarkable data trail. Dissecting thisinformation trail continuously willhelp increase a superior comprehen-sion of the individual student journey,and in devising the ideal learning con-ditions for them. �,+-�?�+./���=:�9:.??�+

With the assistance of data analy-sis, customised programmes for everyindividual learner can be made.Regardless of whether schools and col-leges have lakhs of students, tailor-

made programmes can be made forevery one of them. This is conceivablewith the assistance of ‘blended learn-ing’ — a blend of online and offlinepedagogies. This offers the chance topursue classes that the learners are keenon and furthermore work at their veryown pace, and also connecting witheducators/facilitators/mentors.��.�C+��9���,<.-�:+�

Instructors can receive the great-est number of rewards from data ana-lytics, because of the handling ofinformation-driven frameworks thatcan enable educators to make learningexperiences as indicated by a learner’slearning capacity, and inclination.Different projects can be cultivated thatwill urge every person to pick what theywant to realise. Through this, numer-ous reports can be produced about thelife of a student and what they mightwant to do or want to pursue in the

future. Instructors can also understandwhat will and what will not work witha certain set of students, therebyimproving their efficacy. ���,<��-����,?/�:��G��:�=�,-+

As data analytics in the training

part would help improve students’results, dropout rates at schools anduniversities would likewise decrease.Instructive organisations can utiliseprescient examination on every one ofthe information that is gathered to givethem fragments of knowledge onfuture understudy results. Such expec-tations can help investigate a courseprogram before it is brought into theeducational plan; limiting the scope forexperimentation. Truth be told, enor-mous amounts of information can like-wise be utilised to screen how studentsare performing in the real world aftermoving on from school. This wouldhelp the future students in picking thecorrect school and course, reducing thenumber of dropouts. ".-��.C�G�:�<:�++�<�,�-:C��H<�.�9�=:�9:.??�+

With huge information in thetraining area, establishments can all the

more precisely foresee candidates andfurthermore break down the potentialfactors that influence the applicationprocedure. Such information will enableorganisations to manage their enroll-ment procedures to get better results.Such an influx of information will alsoenable understudies to investigate dataabout schools internationally, acceler-ating the quest and application processfor global students as well. �.:��:�=:���<-���

Closely analysing a student’s pre-sentation report will assist the facilitatorto understand his/her advancementand their qualities and shortcomings.The reports will propose the areas inwhich the student is interested, andthey can seek a vocation in a similarfield. If a student is enthusiastic aboutlearning a specific subject, at that point,the decision ought to be valued and thestudent ought to be urged to pursuewhat they wish to pursue. With bigdata, educational institutions can lookat the progress of a student andthrough their behaviours and insights,predict appropriate career alterna-tives.

Data analytics is bound to revolu-tionise the education sector, by allow-ing students to have a more positiveimpact on society and the future of thecountry. And embracing this veryfield will open up numerous possibil-ities in the Indian pedagogy system.

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To foster entrepreneurial spirit of its stu-dents, JP International School, Greater

Noida signed a Memorandum ofUnderstanding (MOU) with Atal IncubationCentre — BIMTECH, Greater Noida. Theagreement aims at building opportunities forstudents and faculty at both campuses.

AIC BIMTECH is supported by AtalInnovation Mission, NITI Aayog , GOI andBIMTECH. JP International School also hasAtal Tinkering Lab, supported by NITIAayog.

The broad framework of the two part-nerships will focus on to help or incubateideas/start ups which will be curated by AIC-BIMTECH team, faculty exchange pro-

gramme, student exchange programmes,participation in seminars and academicmeetings and others.

Challenges are always there,but are you ready to face

them? Questioned A Rajarajan,Director of Satish Dhawan SpaceCentre SHAR, ISRO, Sriharikotato an enthusiastic crowd of 5000students who had come toreceive their medals, ranks, anddegrees at the 15th AnnualConvocation at SRM Institute ofScience & Technology,Kattankulathur on November10, 2019.

The chief guest for the eventadded that hard work and ded-ication would yield better results.He said: “Remember your par-

ents, teachers, and all those whohave played a role in your life.The process of traversing fromcollege life to the outer world willbe different and difficult. Thevalue systems that you learnfrom your institution is what willhelp you overcome these situa-tions.”

He also urged students notto give up on their dreams. “IfIndia has to become the bestcountry in the world, it needs all-round development and the pri-mary focus is education. SRMhas been contributing massive-ly in this endeavour.

Manish Sisodia, DelhiDeputy Chief Minister,

was the chief guest at theworkshop MillenniumDevelopment Goals 2030: Roleof Education and Universitiesorganised by the UniversitySchool of Education, IPUniversity to mark the occa-sion of National EducationDay on November 11, 2019.

Speaking at the occassion,Sisodia said: “Teaching is a ser-vice, not a profession. The ser-vice of the teacher is round theclock and completely 360degree work. This unique

attribute of the teacher differ-entiates him from other ser-vices.”

He further added, qualityeducation can be achievedthrough active role of univer-sities.

�"�����&The NRAI School of Mass

Communication invites appli-cations for admissions to itsdegree course in Bachelor ofBusiness Administration.

The degree is designed togive a broad knowledge of thefunctional aspects of a compa-ny and their interconnection,while also allowing for spe-cialisation in a particular area.The degree also develops thestudent’s practical, managerialand communication skills, andbusiness decision-makingcapability.

Duration: Three yearsEligibility: Candidates

who have recently passed ClassXII from any recognised board.

How to apply: Log on towww.nraismc.com or applica-tion forms & brochure may beobtained from admission officeof NRAI School of MassCommunication, GautamNagar, New Delhi-110049.

Last date to apply :November 28, 2019.

&�"� ���&�#��"�Delhi Paramedical and

management Institute (DPMI)invites applications for admis-sions to its full time Diplomain ElectrocardiogramTechnology (ECG).

This course providessyllabus that combines theoryand practice, covering impor-tant background on the anato-my and physiology of the heartand chest, electrical conductionsystem of the heart and basicECG interpretation.Electrocardiogram techniciansmonitor and test a patient’s car-diovascular performance usingECG equipment.

Duration: One yearEligibility: Candidates

who have recently passed ClassXII from any recognised boardand wants to work in Healthindustry can enroll for thesecourses.

How to apply: Log on towww.dpmiindia.com or forms& brochure may be obtainedfrom admission office of DelhiParamedical &amp;Management Institute, NewAshok Nagar, Delhi.

Last date to apply :November 22, 2019.

�What made you come up withPrometheus?

The idea to build the schoolcame into being because there wasa need to create an institute thathelps students realise their truepotential. The school is meant to bethat institute, which sets the coursefor students to receive a high-qual-ity holistic education and become agreater part of the community.

The inspiration for naming theschool was drawn from the Greektitan, Prometheus, who gave fire tomankind and initiated the dawn ofcivilisation. Hence, the name. Wewant to give students an educationthat ignites their potential. �How do you plan, to best useyour experience in e-learningdomain for the students?

We are incorporating the besteducational pedagogies and intro-ducing new age tech-enabled prac-tices in line with these pedagogies.I will use my experience to keep thefocus on new age learning andintroduce latest pedagogies as andwhen needed.�What different aspects of per-sonalised learning can be used byschools to overcome the ageoldlearning strategy?

Personalised learning is aimedat meeting the needs of every stu-

dent and drawing out their indi-vidual talents and strengths. The firststep is moving away from the ‘one-size-fits-all’ model and creatingindividual ‘learner profiles’, which isa key element of personalisedlearning.

Once learner profiles have beenestablished, it is possible to utilise‘personal learning paths’, whichfocus on the students’ strengths tohelp them improve. Additionally, theuse of ‘flexible learning environ-ments’ helps students to take controlof their education.�Today technology is seen asmeans of leapfrogging in bothteaching, learning as well as inknowledge transactions...

All the way from kindergartento universities, technology is re-shaping teaching and learning prac-tices. This specially applies to the useof gadgets like laptops, mobiles andtablets. Information has becomeaccessible at the click/tap of a fingeror through voice commands.Students can easily connect witheducators across the globe using themeans of technology. Internationaltie-ups for e-learning and offeringcourse material that don’t haveexperts physically available are nowpossible; which means the child isnot bound by a classroom to learn.

This is a feat in itself and hasexpanded the boundaries of theknowledge transactions.�A curriculum with overall devel-opment is the need of the hour, doyou think customisation can be itstool?

Overall development is essentialin raising well-rounded individualsthat are endowed with the capabil-ities to handle the needs of thefuture. In line with our core-beliefs,customisation of the curriculum isan important aspect of nurturingcapable students.

Curriculum that are focused onthe outcome of an entire class, as awhole, cannot plan for diversifiedpaths to work ahead. To bring outthe best in students, we need to cus-tomise the curriculum and theireducation to enable a well-roundedgrowth. Customisation of the cur-riculum can help meet the specificneeds of a demography and provideroom for growth that can helpmaximise the students’ potential forsuccess. �What are your long term goals?

Within the next five years, theschool will have established itsname as a top premium school in thecountry front lining the new ageholistic education, encompassing –academics, co-curricular activities,sports education and life skillslearning. We aim to educate andempower the students to help themgrow into aesthetically rich, intel-lectually aware and integrated youngpeople capable of fulfilling theirdreams and aspirations.

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One of the evergreen professionis engineering and why not as

engineering forms the foundationfor innovation and technology.And chemical engineering is onesuch branch that has always been indemand. A much sought-afterstream among engineering aspi-rants, chemical engineering promis-es a bright career scope as the rangeof related professions is wide. Frombiotechnology and aerospace tobiomedical and petroleum indus-tries, the career provides a widerange of opportunities. A highlyprofitable branch, it provides goodgrowth not only in India but abroadalso.

The branch deals with the engi-neering and development of chem-icals/processes to identify and/orsolve technical glitches. It combinesthe knowledge of Chemistry andEngineering to produce chemicalsand related by-products. Aspirantsshould get a degree in ChemicalEngineering from a reputed uni-versity or college to get a strongbacking for their profile.

Responsibilities: The jobrequires the person to design andinvent chemical processes or prod-ucts, plan and operate industrial plantfacilities, create environment-friend-ly health and safety standards, pro-vide safety measures for chemical

industry work conditions, R&D inthe Bio-Tech firms, create chemicalmaterials for industrial production,processing of food and agriculturalproducts, cosmetics, and mineralbased industries.

Scope: Earlier it was only aboutindustrial-scale production ofchemicals, but the field has seen avast change as the chemical engi-neers now cover various fields andindustries. A broad field, ChemicalEngineering has applications inplastics, textile, food, pharmaceu-ticals, petroleum, and many more.All these sectors and industries hireChemical Engineering graduatesthus opening a huge scope forthem in India as well as abroad.

Chemical engineering gradu-

ates can find jobs in petroleumrefineries, petrochemical indus-tries, food processing units, cementfactories, pharmaceutical indus-tries, fertiliser factories, biotech-nology sector and many others.

Pay Scale: Salaries in this fieldof Engineering are lucrative wherefreshers can earn on an average�25,000 to�30,000 per month. Withexperience and depending on theskills, the salaries reach �5-�7 lakhper year. If one is willing to goabroad and work in Petroleumindustry then one can expect high-end salaries. Competent profes-sionals with few years of experiencecan expect salaries between �1lakh and �3 lakh per month.

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>�#,,,(A%A%��!!��"���������The sale of printed application forms for VIT Engineering

Entrance Examination (VITEEE-2020) for BTech pro-grammes was launched by Founder-Chancellor of VIT, Dr GViswanathan at the Head Post Office, Vellore on November 8,2019.

VIT Vice President Dr Sekar Viswanathan, VIT ExecutiveDirector Dr Sandhya Pentareddy, VIT Pro-Vice Chancellor DrS Narayanan, Dr G Kalaichelvan, Director (UG Admission)among others participated in the event.

A valid VITEEE rank is mandatory for admission to BTech.programmes offered in VIT Vellore, VIT Chennai, VIT- AP andVIT-Bhopal. The exam will be held from April 13 to April 19,2020 as Computer Based Test in 120 cities in India as well inDubai, Kuwait, Muscat and Qatar.

The application forms can be obtained by providing a demanddraft for �1,250 drawn in favour of Vellore Institute ofTechnology, payable at the respective campus or by cash paymentat selected post offices across the country. The last date for apply-ing is February 29, 2020. For more details log on to www.vit.ac.in.

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It’s a crucial period for the aspirantsof the Graduate Aptitude Test inEngineering (GATE) 2020 sched-

uled on February 1, 2, 8 and 9.Conducted jointly by the IndianInstitute of Science and seven IndianInstitutes of India (IITs) headed by oneinstitute every year, candidates whoend up qualifying the exam are not justeligible to secure a seat inIISc/IITs/NITs for higher educationcourses like MTech and PhD but canalso get hired by various Public SectorUndertakings for high-paying engi-neering-related jobs.

No wonder, the competitive examis gaining popularity among the stu-dents day by day. However, with just3 months left for the exam, many ofyou might have started panickingover how to crack GATE 2020 examwith a good rank. Fret not.

Here is a preparation strategy youmust follow to ace the GATE:

Focus on the syllabusWhile you all must be familiar

with the syllabus of the exam and thesubjects involved, make sure you arethoroughly aware of the latest one andthe topics being covered. All questionsasked in the examination are directlyrelated to the topics mentioned in thesyllabus.

Subject and topic weightageAnalyse the question papers from

the previous 10 years and research onthe marks distribution of each sub-ject.This will give you an idea about thecore topics to prepare as in the GATEexam,questions are generally askedfrom the core area of the syllabus,which has to be prepared well.

Keep the fundamentals clearUnlike other competitive exami-

nations, while preparing for GATE, itis important to clear your basic con-cepts rather than cramming the for-mulas. Since simple questions areasked in a tricky format, be thoroughwith your concepts in order to under-stand and solve the questions.

Solving previous years’ papersNow that you have understood the

pattern of the questions, start with solv-ing as many mock test papers as pos-sible, followed by the previous year’squestion papers. This will help inadapting to the online pattern andassess your preparation.

Based on the test analysis, you canfocus on their weak areas. However,

keep in mind that the pattern of theexamination has changed for the nextyear.

Focus on high return and easyquestions

During preparations, lay empha-sis on topics like EngineeringMathematics and General Ability asthey carry 30 per cent of the totalmarks and are fairly easier to score in.You could look at some online lecturesto prepare for these topics.

Attempt the easier questions firstYou should go through all ques-

tions and try solving those questionsfirst, which you find easy and requireless time to score qualifyingmarks.Beware of attempting ques-tions you are not confident of as thereis negative marking too.

Unwind before the examWhen it's just one day left before

GATE, stop bothering much about it.Go out for a drive or do anything thatrelaxes you. Sit for the exam with arejuvenated mind.

With 90 days in your hand, followthe aforementioned strategy and startyour preparation for GATE 2020 examconsidering it as your only attempt.However, remember this isn't the endof the world. So, go ahead and giveyour best shot.

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The MacquarieUniversity, one ofAustralia’s top 10 uni-

versities announced scholar-ship worth AUD $15 million toreward outstanding students inIndia, with a focus on provid-ing financial support for stu-dents across all courses.

The university offers up to$40,000 scholarship for Indianstudents enrolling in under-graduate programme and up to$25,000 scholarship for PGprogrammes. The scholarshipswill be disbursed as $10,000annual scholarship towardstuition fees covering allcoursework programmes com-mencing in 2020. This wouldmean a student enrolling in afour-year undergraduatedegree would receive $40,000over four years or approxi-mately 25-30% off their totaltuition fees.

Applicants for all 2020scholarships will be required tomeet the English and academ-ic requirements for the coursethey have selected and accepttheir offer by the deadlines list-ed below:

For students commenc-ing a degree in February 2020the deadline is December 20,2019. For students commenc-ing a degree in July 2020 thedeadline is June 19, 2020.

For details on applicationand eligibility please visit:

https://www.mq.edu.au/

The University of Sheffield, UK is offering 50 interna-tional UG merit scholarships in2020. The scholarships arecompetitive awards worth 50%of the tuition fee for an under-graduate degree programmestarting in September 2020.The scholarship is available fornew international (non-EU)students who meet the eligi-bility criteria.

You will be able to apply fora scholarship via MUSE forapplicants. You must hold anoffer to study at the Universityof Sheffield. Scholarship resultswill be announced by 16:00(UK time) on Friday May 22,2020.

Eligibility: Your pro-gramme must be scheduled tocommence at the University ofSheffield in September 2020.

You must receive an offerfor a course studied in full atthe university. All UG degreecourses are eligible with theexceptions of Medicine(A100/A101) and Dentistry(A200). For tuition fee pur-poses you must be self-fundedand eligible to pay the overseastuition fee. You must not be asponsored student.

For more information visit:https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/intern a t i o n a l / f e e s - a n d -funding/scholarships/under-graduate/international-under-graduate-merit-scholarship

Application deadline:Last date is 13:00 (UK time)May 4, 2020.

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Banking professionals handleclient’s money. In simplisticterms, they help individuals

and corporate with their invest-ments, loans and all other moneyrelated issues. When we hear thewords corporate banking, youmight immediately think of loans.Or, we might be confused aboutwhat corporate banking means andhow it's different from commercialbanking and investment banking.In either case, your thinking wouldbe justified. In India corporatebanking is now the better careeroption for the younger student.

Corporate banking is a broadvertical within a commercial bankthat takes care of the bankingrequirements of companies of anysize — from micro, small, mediumto large multinational conglomer-ates. Under corporate banking,there are further verticals special-ising in providing banking solu-tions to micro set ups, small andmedium enterprises, so and soforth. As the complexity of organ-isation increases, which generallycomes with the size of the compa-ny, the banking needs also differ.

Take for example a small momand pop shop in your neighbour-hoods, the likely services the busi-ness would require would bedepositing their daily sales pro-ceeds and making payments totheir suppliers. On the otherextreme a large global corporatewith presence in multiple geogra-phies will have different set of chal-lenges like bidding for projects orrequirement for international pay-ments in different currencies.

��/�=:�G���The bankers deal with com-

panies rather than everyday peo-ple. Their clients range from smalland medium sized companies tohuge conglomerates. The productsthey offer include treasury services,loans and credit, trade finance, andemployer services.

Corporate banker’s responsi-bilities include: Meeting with andinterviewing corporate and per-sonal customers, discussing theirfinancial requirements, and pro-viding appropriate financial advice.They are advising corporate clientsabout mergers, acquisitions, capi-

tal markets etc. preparing lendingagreements promoting the bank'sservices planning and problemsolving writing reports managingprojects training and supervisingjunior banking staff.

��+=��+�/���-��+� Interacting with the businesscustomer, understand their under-lying needs and provide themsolutions in a timely fashion� Corporate/business bankingalso involves business developmentand new income generation for thebank by way of deepening existingcustomer wallet and by winningnew customer to the bank.� If and when a customer faceschallenges in the bank, they usu-ally contact their designatedRelationship Manager and requestthem to get involved in the situa-tion and resolve it for them.� Working closely with theRelationship Manager to deliverthe right solution.� Maintaining strong workingrelationships with all team mem-bers and stakeholders.��.-�-��+-,�CL

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Other skills, which can go along way in a banker’s career, arebeing proactive, attention todetails, creative and customerfocused. There are many key skills: � Analytical ability� Numeracy skills� Verbal and written communi-cation skills� Very good interpersonal skills� Negotiation skills� Discretion� Attention to detail� Ability to priorities, managetime and work under pressure� Willingness to work long andunsocial hours.

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Raheem Sterling said he allowed his“emotions” to get the better of him

leading to a brief altercation withLiverpool’s Joe Gomez that resulted inthe Manchester City player beingdropped for tomorrow’s Euro 2020qualifier against Montenegro.

Sterling admitted on Instagram onTuesday he and Gomez “had words”when they met up at the Englandcamp the day after Liverpool’s 3-1 winover defending champions ManchesterCity which left the latter nine pointsadrift of Jurgen Klopp’s side.

“Both Joe and I have had wordsand figured things out and moved on,”Sterling said.

“We are in a sport where emotionsrun high and I am man enough to

admit when emotions got the betterof me.

“This is why we play this sportbecause of our love for it — me andJoe Gomez are good, we both under-stand it was a five to 10-secondthing... it’s done, we move forward andnot make this bigger than it is.

“Let’s get focus on our game onThursday,” Sterling added.

The Daily Mail reported thatGomez and Sterling had to be sepa-rated by teammates on Monday aftera “physical confrontation”.

The pair had also clashed on thefield towards the end of Sunday’smatch.

England manager GarethSouthgate moved quickly to deal withthe issue — arguably one of hisachievements during his time in the

post has been to erase the rivalriesbetween members from differentclubs which plagued previous Englandsquads.

The likes of former star defenderRio Ferdinand have spoken about howwhen they used to join the Englandcamp he and Manchester Unitedplayers would stick together and findit hard to mix with Chelsea orLiverpool stars.

Southgate said in a hastily-organ-ised press conference on Tuesday hewould rather deal with the matter pub-licly now than let it fester till his usualmeeting with the media on the eve ofmatches.

The 49-year-old, clearly irked byhow the information had leaked outregarding the set-to, said Sterling’semotions had run over but “it is not

the same for Joe (Gomez)”.However, he emphasised a line

had been drawn under the incident.“We are like a family and all fam-

ilies have disagreements. The impor-tant thing is for a family to commu-nicate and work through problems.”

Despite being dropped forThursday’s match Sterling took part inEngland squad training as did Gomez.

Sterling, who according to somereports had packed his bags butchanged his mind when Liverpoolmidfielder Jordan Henderson inter-vened and persuaded him to stay, hasbeen one of the stars of England’s qual-ification campaign, scoring eight goalsin six games.

A draw against Montenegro atWembley will be enough to guaran-tee England’s place at Euro 2020.

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The day after Liverpoolbeat Manchester City in

a crunch match where VARdecisions were hotly disput-ed, the Premier Leagueleader’s coach Jurgen Kloppand other top football fig-ures have suggestedimprovement is needed tothe fledgling system.

Klopp, his City oppo-site number Pep Guardiola,Real Madrid coachZinedine Zidane, andThomas Tuchel of ParisSaint-Germain all attendedthe UEFA coaches forum inNyon, Switzerland onMonday, where the VAR(Video Assistant Referee)system was a hot topic.

“It is clear it’s a processwhere they have to keep onimproving,” Klopp said.

“It can be improved, alot of things have to bedone by human beings andwe are not 100 percent(either).

“There is space forsome mistakes, nobodyasks for perfection, just tohave the right decision,that’s all.”

His comments weremade a day after the mar-quee game of the Premier

League season so far saw acontroversial VAR call aftersix minutes when Citycould easily have had apenalty when the ball ric-ocheted around theLiverpool area and hit theReds’ defender TrentAlexander-Arnold on thearm.

Not only did VAR failto overturn the referee’sdecision not to award Citya penalty, but they weredoubly punished 22 sec-onds later when Liverpoolmidfielder Fabinho firedhome a brilliant strike togive the Reds a 1-0 lead.

UEFA assistant gener-al secretary GiorgioMarchetti said uniformitywas needed but called fortime for the promising newsystem to bed in.

“Now we have VAR, it’squite useful that coachesand representatives of ref-erees can speak together,”Marchetti said.

“Let’s not forget VAR isvery young and it’s a revo-lution in the game. “Whatwe all need is uniformity.

“There are pointswhich need to be fine-tuned, but you have to lookat the positive points thatVAR brings,” he said.

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Roger Federer kept alive his hopesof a seventh ATP Finals crown onTuesday, beating Italian debutant

Matteo Berrettini 7-6 (7/2), 6-3 atLondon’s O2 Arena.

The Swiss third seed put himselfunder enormous pressure by losing hisfirst match on Sunday in straight sets inGroup Bjorn Borg to Dominic Thiem.

The six-time champion was not athis fluent best on Tuesday but ultimate-ly had too much for Berrettini, who wonjust three games against Novak Djokovicin his opener.

Both players were solid on serve inthe first set, with Federer struggling tomake inroads against the eighth seed.

The Swiss eventually earned him-self the sniff of a chance in the 12thgame, winning the first break point ofthe match but Berrettini snuffed out thedanger and held to take it into a tie-break.

Federer upped the level of his gamein the shootout, helped by some way-ward shots from his opponent plus aBerrettini double-fault and won it com-fortably 7-2.

The Swiss, clad in black, brokeimmediately at the start of the secondset to leave the Italian with a mountainto climb.

Berrettini earned a clutch of breakpoints in the eighth game but Federereventually served himself out of trou-ble.

Federer, as usual enjoying the lion’sshare of support from the crowd, brokein the next game to seal the set 6-3.

The 20-time Grand Slam champi-on said he had remained calm and triedto stay positive after the Thiem defeat.

“There’s no reason to be too downon yourself,” he said. “We came here toplay three matches and give it all wehave. It was the big goal of the seasonto come here and qualify which we did,plus I had a day off.”

“Not everything was bad (in theThiem match) but of course if you over-analyse it, all of a sudden it can be,” headded. “I was ready, I was preparedtoday and that’s what matters the most.”

‘NO EXCUSES’On Moday night, Rafael Nadal

refused to make excuses after being out-played by defending championAlexander Zverev.

The Spanish top seed, who has neverwon the season-ending event, came intothe tournament under an injury cloudand was well short of his imperious bestas he went down 6-2, 6-4.

He is locked in a battle with NovakDjokovic to finish as the year-end num-ber one but was not serving flat out inpractice last week due to an abdominalstrain that forced him to pull out of theParis Masters at the semi-final stage.

The 33-year-old led Germany’sZverev 5-0 in head-to-head contestscoming into the match but was unchar-acteristically sloppy in the first set,conceding two breaks of serve.

Buoyed by his dominant start,

Zverev, seeded seventh, broke in the firstgame of the second set to take an irongrip on the match.

Nadal dug deep, urging himself onbut his 22-year-old opponent proved toostrong. He did not concede a single breakpoint in the entire match.

Zverev hit a total of 26 winners—double his opponent’s tally — andNadal managed just three forehandwinners in the entire match.

“The physical issue was not anexcuse at all,” said the Spanish 19-timeGrand Slam champion, who said he didnot feel any pain from his abdominalinjury. “The only excuse is I was notgood enough tonight.”

“What really matters is I need toplay much better in two days. That’s theonly thing,” he added. “We knew thatit was going to be tough, because theperiod of time since the injury until

today is very short, but we are here try-ing.”

Zverev, one of four players underthe age of 24 at the event in London,was delighted to recapture his best formafter a mixed season.

“This means so much, playinghere again after winning my biggest titleso far in my career here last year,” hesaid. “This means everything to me.

“Playing here, playing in front ofyou all, playing in the O2 is somethingthat we don’t have during the year, andthis is so special.”

Nadal faces a tough task now toqualify for the semi-finals from thegroup phase, with matches still tocome against Tsitsipas and Medvedev.

The Spaniard has qualified for theyear-end championships for 15 years ina row but has only made nine appear-ances due to injuries.

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Indian shuttler B SaiPraneeth jumped one

spot to 10th whileKidambi Srikanth slippedthee places to be at 13th inthe latest BWF rankingsissued on Tuesday.

Sai Praneeth, who hadwon Bronze at the WorldChampionships in August,moved to top 10 whileSrikanth, who was at 10thin the previous week,dropped out of the topbracket.

Sameer Verma alsomoved up one place to beat 16th in the men’s singlesrankings headed byJapanese Kento Momota.

In the women’s singlesrankings, P V Sindhu andSaina Nehwal remainedunchanged at sixth andninth respectively.

In the men’s doubles,the pair SatwiksairajRankireddy and ChiragShetty rose two places tobe at seventh. The Indianduo have been in fineform in recent months,reaching the final of theFrench Open in Octoberand the semi-final of theChina Open recently.

SRIKANTH GETS WALKOVER#�"� ��"�� Top Indianshuttler Kidambi Srikanthadvanced to the men’s sin-gles second round withoutplaying a shot after hisopponent Kento Momota’spull-out while SourabhVerma entered the maindraw of the Hong Kong

Open after clinchingstraight-game wins in histwo qualifying clashes hereon Tuesday.

Srikanth was to playagainst Momota in thefirst round today but theJapanese world numberone pulled out of the tour-nament on Tuesday. Thereasons for his withdraw-al were not known.

World number 10Srikanth will now faceeither compatriot Sourabhor Frenchman BriceLeverdez, who will clash inthe second round today, toreach the quarterfinal.

Sourabh, seededfourth in the qualifiers,first defeated Thailand’sT a n o n g s a kSaensomboonsuk 21-15,21-19 before getting thebetter of Lucas Claerboutof France 21-19, 21-19 inthe final qualifying round.

In the mixed doubles,the Indian pair ofSatwiksairaj Rankireddyand Ashwini Ponnapparallied from a game downto beat the Thailand duo ofNipitphon Phuangphuapetand Savitree Amitrapai 16-21, 21-19, 21-17 in a 55-minute match and advanceto the second round.

But in another mixeddoubles first round match,the Indian duo of PranaavJerry Chopra and N SikkiReddy lost 10-21, 18-21 tothe third seeded DechapolPuavaranukroh andSapsiree Taerattanachai tobow out of the tourna-ment.

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Talismanic captain SunilChhetri on Tuesday asked

his team-mates to pull up theirsocks and produce an improvedperformance in the team’s crunchWorld Cup qualifying roundmatch against Afghanistan tomor-row.

After inspiring performanceagainst Asian champions Qatar(0-0 draw), India played out a 1-1 draw against lower-rankedBangladesh, who were on theverge of running away with thematch before the home side’s lateequaliser in Kolkata on October15.

Igor Stimac’s side are now atthe fourth spot in the Group Etable with two points and tomor-

row’s match at Tajikistan capitalof Dushanbe will be a crunchgame for India to remain in thehunt in the qualifying round. Thewar-ravaged Afghanistan choseDushanbe as their home venue forthe second round qualifiers of theWorld Cup.

Chhetri said “convertingchances” was an area where theteam needs to work more. Indiahad a slew of chances againstBangladesh and all of them theywasted except for the 88th minuteheader from Adil Khan.

“We are creating chances.But that is not enough. We haveto try our best to convert themand try to be a tougher unit whiledefending. We have missedagainst Bangladesh and we needto pull up our socks against

Afghanistan,” Chhetri said after ashort training stint at the DubaiSports City.

“At the end of the day, if wecan do better on the pitch, we’ll behappier,” Chhetri mentioned.

Fullback Subhasish Bose said,“Maintaining clean sheets will beof paramount importance in orderto stay alive in the race of theWorld Cup Qualifiers. We willneed to be sharper in the absenceof Sandesh-bhai (Jhingan).

“The team is upbeat. We willleave no stone unturned to makethe most out of the remaininggames. We were able to do thesame against Qatar. If we play toour true potential, there’s no rea-son not to repeat it againstAfghanistan and Oman again,” headded.

Seasoned defender AnasEdathodika, who paired with AdilKhan at the heart of the defenceagainst Bangladesh, sounded opti-mistic about the “defensive soli-darity” that the Blue Tigers haveshown so far.

“There are no easy games atthe International level but wehave shown defensive solidarity sofar. We have to continue to believein ourselves. We really need to getsome good results in the next twogames and all that starts with ourperformance at the back,” he said.

“It always makes your job eas-ier to win a match if you can comeout with a clean sheet. If we canmaintain our shape and hold thedefensive line as per our plans, wecan pull it off against them,” heexplained.

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Bracing up for an unfamil-iar astro-turf, sub zero tem-

peratures and a sprightly oppo-nent in Afghanistan, India’sfootball coach Igor Stimac onTuesday conceded that histeam’s winless streak in theWorld Cup qualifiers won’t beeasy to break in Dushanbe,Tajikistan.

“The climatic condition inDushanbe is very differentfrom what we have experi-enced in India at this time. It’svery cold and mercury leveldrops to closer to sub-zero,”Stimac said.

The Group E match will beplayed on artificial turf amidnear freezing temperatures.

“Moreover, the match isscheduled on an artificial turfwhich our players are not usedto. Afghanistan have chosenthe venue to make others’ lifedifficult and we have an uphilltask in front of us to overcomeit,” he added.

Stimac said a victoryagainst Afghanistan will boosthis side and will help build themomentum for the clashagainst Oman in the awaymatches in Muscat onNovember 19.

“We have improved a lotsince our first game (againstOman). We can show what weare capable of without our keyplayers sometimes (defenderSandesh Jhingan and mid-fielder Rowlin Borges). Theresult against Afghanistan inDushanbe will have a majorimpact on the entire team. Awin will boost our confidenceby manifold before we head toMuscat.”

Asked what will he do dif-ferently against Afghanistan, hesaid, “We have to avoidinjuries. We have already lostSandesh and Rowllin due toinjuries and we can’t afford tohave anymore. We have to exe-cute our plans in the right way.The boys are up and runningand they are confident.”

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Keeping in mind the dewfactors that comes into

play at the Eden Gardens postsunset on winter evenings, theBoard of Control for Cricket inIndia (BCCI) has agreed to theCricket Association of Bengal’s(CAB) request to start thegame at 1 pm and end the day’splay by 8 pm in the Day-NightTest.

A BCCI official confirmedthe development and said thatsessions have been re-planned

keeping in mind the need tocall stumps by 8 pm as the ballwould get really wet if play car-ried on post 8 pm in Kolkata inlate November.

“Keeping in mind the dewfactor, the BCCI approvedCAB’s request to change theplaying hours in the secondTest. While play will start at 1pm, the first session will end at3 pm. The second session willstart from 3:40 pm and contin-ue till 5:40 pm. The final ses-sion will be played from 6 pmtill 8 pm,” the official said.

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Skipper Virat Kohli had his firstexperience of negotiating a pinkball as Indian cricketers took

turns to get used to the new colourduring the net session ahead of thefirst Test against Bangladesh, startingfrom Thursday (tomorrow).

The Indian team did not trainunder the lights and the throwdownswith the SG pink ball was part of thetraditional red-ball practice session.

Usually, three adjacent nets areplaced — for pacers, spinner andthrowdowns — for Indian team’spractice. However, on team’s request,the throwdown-net was created on theother side of the ground on separatepractice turfs with a black sight-screen. It was skipper Kohli, who firstfaced the pink ball.

With throwdown specialistsRaghavendra and Sri Lankan NuwanSenaviratne hurling the pink stuff atexpress pace, the skipper lookedcomfortable. He looked more intenton playing defensive shots.

Once Kohli was done and wentinto the main nets, the other top-orderbatsmen incuding Cheteshwar Pujaramixed and matched, facing red andpink ball simultaneously.

Young reserve opener Shubman

Gill seemed to have taken a hit whenone of the deliveries bounced extra butit was not serious.

The Indian team will get only twofull training days ahead of their firstday/night Test at the Eden Gardens,starting November 22.

Aware that not much time is inhand, the BCCI had arranged a cou-ple of pink ball sessions under lightsfor the Test specialists like AjinkyaRahane, Mayank Agarwal, Pujara,Mohammed Shami at the NCA underRahul Dravid’s guidance.

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It’s India’s fast bowling unit whichis now feared in Tests but

Bangladeshi batsmen are moreconcerned about handling spintwins Ravichandran Ashwin andRavindra Jadeja during the two-match series, top-order playerMohammed Mithun said onTuesday.

Mohammed Shami, UmeshYadav and Ishant Sharma areexpected to be more than a hand-ful during the series but Mithunseemed more wary about theAshwin-Jadeja threat.

“We all know the strength oftheir bowling line-up. We areworking on how to tackle theirspinners as it is batting-friendly forthe first two days but afterwardstheir spinners come into play asthey try to attack the opposition,”he said.

“We are working on sometechnical aspects keeping our focuson how to handle them,” Mithunsaid.

They are expecting that battingcoach Neil McKenzie will helpthem decode the Indian spinners.

“Let the technical thingsremain inside the dressing room,”he said without parting with thetrade secrets.

Asked to comment on India’sweakness, Mithun said that hepreferred to look at his ownstrength than opponent’s weakness.

“We are looking at our strengthmore than focusing on their weak-ness because no team could do wellagainst them at their home (in therecent past). We are looking for-ward to do well here. Obviously itwon’t be easy and we need to workreally hard,” he said.

“The five bowlers they (India)have, we cannot take anyone light-ly because everyone is world class.”

Mithun has belief in his youngbowling unit that it can take 20wickets to win a Test match.

“Any batsman can get out any-time. If we can bowl as a unit withdiscipline I feel we can pick 20wickets.

While India are favourites by adistance, Mithun feels that theT20 win in Delhi gives them hopeof enjoying a good result.

“If we look at the past no onegave us any chance when it comesto beating India in the T20 and thattoo in their own backyard.

“But our players had that belief.We are disappointed that we couldnot win the last game (in Nagpur)despite creating chances at thesame time now we are looking for-ward to do well in Test series.”

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Medium-pacer Deepak Chaharfollowed up his hat-trick in

the final India-Bangladesh T20international with almost a repeat,taking three wickets in the space offour balls for Rajasthan againstVidarbha in a Group B match ofthe Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy T20tournament here on Tuesday.

However, his heroics (fourwickets in an over) went in vain asRajasthan went down by 1 run (viathe VJD method) finishing with105 for 8 in a game to reduced to13 overs due to rain.

The fast-improving DeepakChahar, who on Sunday lastbecame the first India player totake a T20 international hat- trickand also the best ever bowling fig-ures (6 for 7), picked up the wick-ets of Darshan Nalkande, ShrikantWagh and Akshay Wadkar off the

fourth, fifth and sixth balls of thefinal over of Vidarbha’s innings, butmissed the three-peat as he bowleda wide in between.

His performanced helpedRajasthan restrict the opponent to99 for 9 in 13 overs.

After scalping the wicket ofRupesh Rajkumar of the first ballof the over, he dismissed Nalkandeoff the fourth.

However, he delivered a widethe next ball and then dismissedWagh and Wadkar off the next twoto finish with figures of 4 for 18 in3 overs.

Chahar began the over bypicking up the wicket of RupeshRajkumar Rathod to finish withsuperb figures of 4 for 18 in 3overs.

Earlier, Vidarbha chose to batafter winning the toss and aftersome middling performances bythe batsmen, the Vidarbha innings

imploded and Deepak Chahartriggered the collapse.

His first victim was Rathod,who was caught by his cousinRahul Chahar.

He then had Nalkande caughtby Rajnesh Bishnoi, before havingWagh caught by Chandrapal SinghChundawat.

He then bowled Wadkar tocomplete a hat-trick.

Chasing 106 for victory,Rajasthan faltered after a brightstart provided by Manender Singh,who smashed 6 sixes in 17 ballsbefore falling for 44.

Opener Ankit Lamba (15, 11balls, 1 four, 1 six) and Arjit Gupta(12, 9 balls, 1 four, 1 six) were theonly other batsmen to reach dou-ble figures as the team could makeonly 105 in 13 overs.

Vidarbha tops the points tablewith 16 points from 4 matches inan all-win record.

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Mumbai registered its fourthwin in the league stage at

Wankhede stadium on Tuesday afterbeating Pondicherry by 27 runs.

The title favourites have beatenMizoram, Haryana and MadhyaPradesh in their first three games.

Asked to bat, Mumbai rode ona blazing half century by skipperSuryakumar Yadav (57 off 37 balls)to post a descent 171/6 on theboard.

Their inform openers Jay Bista(29 off 21 balls) and Aditya Tare(20 off 14 balls) conjured 48runs for the first wicket.

Chasing 172, Pondicherryhad a pathetic start and were reel-ing at 29-2.

But then Parag Dogra (45 off 35balls) and opener Arun Karthik (27balls) tried to resurrect the inningswith 28-run stand, before Karthik

was dimissed by Shivam Dube.Anand Subramanian (39 off 31

balls) and Dogra gave a scare toMumbai, but their bowlers heldtheir nerves to eke out a win.

Pacer Tushar Deshpande (2-29)and Shams Mulani (2-25) shared thespoils.

There are no matches onWednesday and the action resumeson Thursday.

In the first game at theWankhede Stadium, Meghalayastunned Assam by four wickets.

At BKC, Madhya Pradeshdefeated Mizoram by 86 runs.

In the second game,Haryana defeated Bengal byfive wickets as they chased the123-run target with 17 balls tospare.

India spinner YuzvendraChahal, who came back to the

Haryana team after national duty,returned with figures of 1-21.

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Having managed to end as the highest run-getter for Pakistan in the just concluded

T20I series against Australia, it will be impor-tant for Babar Azam to turn on the screws inthe longer format as his team gets ready to takeon the Aussies in a two-match Test series, whichalso includes a Day-Night game at Adelaide.

And former Australia batsman MichaelHussey believes that the talented batsman canbe spoken of in the same sentence as that whichhas stalwarts like Virat Kohli, Steve Smith andKane Williamson if he improves his Testrecord.

“I honestly believe this guy can be in the sameconversation when we start talking about the bestplayers in the world,” Hussey was quoted as say-ing by Fox Sports. “We start talking about (Virat)Kohli, Steve Smith, Kane Williamson, Joe Rootgets floated around.

“I think if he can start putting together somebig hundreds like this in the Test arena, he’s thatgood ... he’s a brilliant, brilliant player,” he added.

Babar made a brilliant start to the prepara-tion for the two-Test series as he hit a masterful157 in the practice game against Australia A. Thisafter scoring two fifties in the three-match T20Iseries that saw the hosts win the series 2-0 as thefirst game saw no result thanks to rain.

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Bangladesh PrimeMinister Sheikh Hasina

and West Bengal chief min-ister Mamata Banerjee arelikely to watch India’s firstever Day/Night Test togeth-er after ringing the custom-ary Eden Bell to start theproceedings on November22.

A four-member teamled by Bangladesh’s DeputyHigh CommissionerToufique Hasan did a recceof the Eden Gardens onTuesday and checked theseating arrangements for thePrime Minister and her 80-odd delegates who will gracethe historic occasion.

As per the schedule,Hasina will be on a one-dayvisit and she will watch thematch for some time afterringing the Bell and onceagain will come back at theclosing time 8pm when theCricket Association ofBengal will present a grandfelicitation.

Hasan did not confirmwhether Hasina andMamata will watch thematch together but a CABofficial indicated that theywould be seen together inone of the President’s box atBC Roy Club House.

Giving the details ofHasina’s programme, Hasansaid: “Prime Minister willarrive in the morning on thesame day and will come tothe Eden to ring the Bell justbefore the start at 1pm. She

will leave to take rest afterwatching the match for sometime and will return again at8pm for the main felicitationprogramme.”

“She will be seated inone of the central PresidentBoxes near the Bell. We arehappy with the arrange-ments and looking forwardto be part of the historicoccasion. Eden is known asthe Mecca of Cricket and forthe first time both the coun-tries will play a Day/Nightmatch. Bangladesh peopleare really excited,” he added.

Hasina will leave on thesame day after the felicita-tion. The schedule of herpolitical programmes of theday is not yet finalised.

Hasina and Mamata willbe accompanied by BCCIPresident Sourav Ganguly,BCCI Secretary Jay Shah,cricket icon SachinTendulkar, Rahul Dravid,Naimur Rehman, BCBPresident Nazmul Hasanalong with CAB office bear-ers.

“Following the first day’splay, the players who playedthe first Test between Indiaand Bangladesh will be felic-itated followed by speechesby the hon’ble dignitaries,”CAB Secretary AvishekDalmiya said.

In the break, there areplans for a chat show featur-ing the fabulous five ofSourav Ganguly, SachinTendulkar, Rahul Dravid,Anil Kumble and VVSLaxman.

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Recovering from a hamstringinjury and a side strain, pacer

Bhuvneshwar Kumar assessed him-self for a comeback when he partic-ipated in a “skill session” duringIndian team’s practice.

The Indian team managementseem to have taken charge ofBhuvneshwar’s final phase of reha-bilitation.

His injury has been a concernfor the Indian team since he cameback from the West Indies after thelimited overs series. He followed arehabilitation programme at theNational Cricket Academy.

“Bhuvi is here for a skill sessionwith the team. The team manage-ment just wants him to get into thegroove,” a team source said aboutthe pacer’s presence at the net ses-sion.

He had a catching session withfielding coach R Sridhar and thenparticipated briefly in the net ses-sion. He bowled a few deliveriesfrom full run-up but it was evidentthat he wasn’t going full tilt.

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