Afghanistan,securityontableaskey US ... - Bandhan Login

DA ILY FROM: AHMEDABAD , CHAND IGARH , DELH I , JA IPUR , KOLKATA , LUCKNOW, MUMBAI , NAGPUR , PUNE , VADODARA

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2021, AHMEDABAD, LATE CITY, 16 PAGES `4.00, WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM

JOURNALISM OF COURAGESINCE 1932

SANTANUCHOWDHURY&RAVIKBHATTACHARYAKOLKATA,SEPTEMBER8

OVER THE last fortnight, theVisva-Bharati University wasagain rocked by protests — thistime, over the rustication ofthree students on August 23.WhiletheCalcuttaHighCourtonWednesdayallowed themto re-joinclasses,pavingthewayforre-turnofnormalcy,therehavebeenfrequentprotests—bybothteach-ers and students — since Vice-Chancellor Bidyut ChakrabortytookchargeinOctober2018.Facultymemberspointtothe

unusually high number of sus-pensions.SinceNovember2019,

a 22 staff members – 11 facultymembers, 11non-teachingem-ployees—havebeensuspendedandover150showcausenoticeshavebeen issued.Some of the suspended fac-

ultymemberssaidtheyfacedac-tion for various reasons includ-ing writing to PrimeMinisterNarendraModi against alleged

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PAGE1ANCHOR

11 faculty suspended,students rusticated onVisva-Bharati campus

EXPRESSNEWSSERVICEAHMEDABAD,SEPTEMBER8

GIVINGINtopeople’sdemands,the Gujarat government onWednesday allowed using DiscJockey(DJmusic)atculturalandreligious functions in thestate.The government, however,

statedthatperformingbandswillbeallowedonlyifCovidprotocolsarefollowed,thatincludesapub-licgatheringofnotmorethan400personsinan“open”venue.In an order issued on

Wednesday, theHomedepart-ment said thedecision followedrequestsfrompeopletoallowper-formingbandsatculturalandre-ligiousfunctions.Thepermission

forbandscanbeseenasastepto-wards similar gatherings for theupcomingNavratri festivities.“There is no order that pro-

hibits performingbandsorDiscJockey in a religious or culturalevent.Ifanypermissionforplay-ing the band is sought, then thesame shall be given if Covidguideline and restrictions forgathering are adhered to,” theorder stated.It points out that on July 29,

thehomedepartmentallowedagatheringof amaximumof400personsforpolitical,social,edu-cational, cultural and religiousfunctionsinanopenground.Thesame order states that for“closed” venues, the gathering

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Gujarat govt allowsDJs at cultural andreligious functions

CIA CHIEFBURNSTOO IN INDIA

SHUBHAJITROYNEWDELHI, SEPTEMBER8

THE EVOLVING situation inAfghanistananditsimplicationson regional security dominatedthe conversation at separatemeetings that the top Indianleadership, including PrimeMinisterNarendraModi,ForeignMinister S Jaishankar andNational Security Advisor AjitDoval,heldwithvisitingRussianNSANikolay Patrushev and CIA

chiefWilliamJBurns.ARussiangovernmentstate-

ment said that following up onthe telephone conversation be-tween Modi and RussianPresident Vladimir Putin onAugust24,an“exchangeofviewstookplaceonthemilitary,polit-ical and socio-economic situa-tion in Afghanistan” atPatrushev’s meetings onWednesday.“The two sides reaffirmed

theirintentiontostrengthenco-ordinationinthefieldofenhanc-

ing regional stability, includingontheAfghansituation,”saidthestatement. They discussed“deepeningbilateralcooperationin the field of security with anemphasisonfurtherinteractionontheanti-terrorist track, com-batingillegalmigrationanddrugtrafficking”.In contrast, Burns’meetings

with the top Indian leadershiponTuesday,especially in these-curity and strategic establish-ment on the situation inAfghanistan, was kept under

wraps. Burns is learnt to havemet Doval and top brass in theintelligence and security estab-lishment.BothIndianandAmericanof-

ficials were tight-lipped aboutthevisit,butseveralsourcescon-firmedhisvisit andagenda—todiscuss the Afghanistan situa-tion. He is expected to go toPakistanaswell.BurnshadvisitedAfghanistan

lastmonth tomeet the Talibanleadership, including Mullah

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EXPRESSNEWSSERVICENEWDELHI, SEPTEMBER8

THE CENTRE told the SupremeCourtonWednesdaythat ithaddecided to induct women forpermanent commission in thearmed forces through theNational Defence Academy(NDA).Conveying this to a bench

headed by Justice S K Kaul,Additional Solicitor GeneralAishwarya Bhati sought statusquo for the current year, sayingit needs “policy changes, proce-dure,traininginfrastructureetc”.Earlier, the court had al-

lowedwomencandidates to sitfortheNDAexamsfromthecur-rent year.The bench, also comprising

Justice MM Sundresh, said itwouldconsider theplea for sta-tusquothisyear “dependingonwhatyouaredoingnow,whatis

theproposalforthefuture,whatstill remains to be examined,whatareasyouareexploring”.“Wewillseeifmorenudging

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Afghanistan, security on table as keyUS, Russian officials arrive in Delhi

INANinterimorder lastmonth, theSupremeCourtallowedwomencandidates tosit for theNDAentranceexam, say-ing the“policydecision”tobar themwas“basedongenderdiscrimina-tion”. This followed itsFebruary2020order tograntpermanentcom-mission towomenShortServiceCommissionoffi-cers in theArmy.

AnotherstepforwardE●E

XPLAIN

ED

NSADovalwithhisRussiancounterpartWednesday.PTI

EXPLAINEDPAGE12

RussianNSAmeetsPMModi,Doval; talksonneedtocoordinate for ‘enhancingregional stability’

Centre in SC: Womento be inducted intoforces through NDA

SEPTEMBER17TOOCTOBER7

AftersecondwavedentedGovtimage,campaignaimedtogalvaniseparty,showcasePMas‘gareebonkamasiha’

RAVISHTIWARINEWDELHI, SEPTEMBER8

FROM 14 crore ration bagsprinted with his picture to 5crore “Thank-youModiji” post-cards mailed from booths na-tionwide, from identifying 71spots for clean-up in rivers to ahigh-voltage socialmedia cam-paign showcasing vaccinationvideos and seminars on his lifeandwork: these are among thekey elements of a three-week-long campaign the BJPwill rollout to showcasePrimeMinisterNarendraModi.Timedwithhis71stbirthday

(September 17) and 20 years ofhispubliclifeasanadministrator(October7,2001,whenhefirstbe-cameGujaratCM), thisunprece-denteddriveholdssignificanceinthe wake of the brutal secondwaveoftheCovidpandemic.Thedeath and distress, both in livesand livelihood, that touchedcountless homes is widely be-lieved—evenwithintheparty—as having dented popular confi-

denceintheModigovernment.Since the 2014 Lok Sabha

elections,Modihasbeenthepivot

—and face—of almost allmajorBJPpoliticalcampaignswithall

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■14crbags,eachwithPMpicture, thankinghimfor5kgperpersonrationunderPMGaribKalyanYojana

■Thank-youvideosofCentral schemebeneficiaries

■5crore ‘ThankYouModiji’postcards tobemailedtoPMfromboothsnationwide

■71spots (Modi turns71)forriver-cleaning

■VideosthankingModiforCovidvaccination

■Meetings,exhibitionsonPM’s lifeandwork

■Registrationdrive for

childrenwholostparentstoCovidandarecoveredunderPM-CARES

■PublicmobilisationtowardsbiddingformementosreceivedbyPM

RATIONBAGS TOVACCINE VIDEOS,SEMINARS TORIVER CLEAN-UP

BJP to roll out 3-week HappyBirthday PM booster shot

Dhoni is backin Team Indiadugout — asmentor forWorld T20

DEVENDRAPANDEYMUMBAI, SEPTEMBER8

FORMER CAPTAINM S DHONIwill soon be back in the TeamIndia dugout — this time, as amentor for theT20WorldCup.The IndianExpresshas learnt

that the BCCI’s announcementonDhoni’s inclusion took someof itsownoffice-bearersbysur-prise, andeventheselec-tors came toknow about itjust minutesbefore thepress confer-ence to an-nounce thesquad for theOctober-Novembertournament in theUAE.Sources said India’s dismal

white-ball record in ICC eventsunder captain Virat Kohli andcoach Ravi Shastri is one of thekey factors behind thedecision.Theteamhaseither fallenatthe

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THEWORLD

TRIALOFACCUSED IN2015PARISATTACKSBEGINS

LASTAFGHAN JEWLEAVESAFTERTALIBAN TAKEOVERPAGE13

Surprisepick

MSP hike: Oilseed, dalget boost, wheat getslowest rise in 12 years

HARIKISHANSHARMANEWDELHI, SEPTEMBER8

AT A time when farmers’protests have flared up inHaryana,theCentreWednesdayannouncedMinimum SupportPrice (MSP) for six rabi crops of2021-22 for the 2022-23mar-keting season, withwheat see-ing an increase of just 2.03 per-cent—the lowest in12years.MSPs for other crops—bar-

ley, gram, lentil (masur), rape-seed&mustard, and safflower-- have been hiked in the rangeof 2.14-8.60 per cent, with thehighest increase, in absoluteterms, of Rs 400per quintal forlentil (masur) and rapeseed &mustard.The Government said in a

statement that the increase inMSP “for all mandated Rabi

cropsforRabiMarketingSeason(RMS) 2022-23” was “ap-proved” by the CabinetCommitteeonEconomicAffairs(CCEA) chaired by PrimeMinisterNarendraModi.Welcoming the move,

AgricultureMinister NarendraSingh Tomar said that those“spreading themisinformationthat MSP will be abolishedshouldlearnfromthisdecision”.“ThePrimeMinisterhasassuredmany times that the MSP wasthere, is thereandwillcontinueto be there,” Tomar said in astatement.Significantly, the wheat

MSP for the rabi crop of 2021-22, tobemarketed in rabimar-keting season 2022-23, hasbeen fixedatRs2,015perquin-tal — just Rs 40 more than Rs1,975 in the last year.

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MSPFORRABI CROPS

Crop 2021-22 2022-23 %rise(Rs/quintal) (Rs/quintal)

Wheat 1,975 2,015 2.03

Barley 1,600 1,635 2.19

Gram 5,100 5,230 2.55

Masur(lentil) 5,100 5,500 7.84

RapeseedandMustard 4,650 5,050 8.6

Safflower 5,327 5,441 2.14

BUSINESS AS USUAL

BYUNNY

Besidesfacultymembers,11non-teachingstaffsuspended

Ahmedabad

THESECONDPAGE2 WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM

THEINDIANEXPRESS,THURSDAY,SEPTEMBER9,2021

MSP hikeThelasttimewheatMSPsaw

thelowestincreasewasin2009-10,whenitwashikedbyonlyRs20 -- Rs 1,100 per quintal in2009-10 against Rs 1,080 in2008-09.Data available with the

Ministry of Agriculture show asteady decline in the rate of in-creaseinwheatMSPsince2017-18whenitwashikedby6.77percent. It saw lower increases in2018-19(6.05%),2019-20(4.62%)and 2020-21 (2.60%) -- the in-crease last timewasofRs50.The lower increase assumes

significance this time as Punjaband Haryana, the two stateswhich have been witnessingfarmers’protests,supplymosttothe national food basket. Theprotestingfarmersaredemand-inga legalguarantee forMSP.Besides, twowheat produc-

ing states -- Punjab and UttarPradesh -- will see assemblyelectionsnextyear.In therabimarketingseason

of 2021-22, 132.10 lakhmetrictonnesofwheatwasprocuredinPunjab, 84.93 lakh in Haryanaand about 56 lakh in UP. Out of433.32 lakh metric tonnes ofwheat procured during RMS2021-22, a little over half camefromPunjabandHaryana.Around 50 lakh farmers

availed thewheatMSP duringRMS2021-22.According to the

Government, “The expected re-turns to farmers over their costofproductionareestimatedtobehighest in case of wheat andrapeseed&mustard(100%each),followed by lentil (79%); gram(74%); barley (60%); safflower(50%)."It said: “The increase inMSP

forRabi Crops forRMS2022-23is in linewith theUnionBudget2018-19announcementoffixingtheMSPsata levelof at least1.5times of the all-Indiaweightedaveragecostofproduction,aim-ing a reasonably fair remunera-tionfor the farmers.”TheMSPforrapeseed&mus-

tard has been hiked to Rs 5,050per quintal for RMS 2022-23,which is Rs 400 or 8.60.08 per-centhigherthanRs4,650inRMS2021-22. “In case of safflower,therehasbeenan increaseof Rs114perquintal,incomparisontolastyear,” theGovernmentsaid.“Concerted efforts were

made over the last fewyears torealign the MSPs in favour ofoilseeds,pulsesandcoarsecere-als to encourage farmers shift tolarger areas under these cropsandadoptbesttechnologiesandfarmpractices,tocorrectdemand--supplyimbalance,” itsaid.“Additionally, National

Mission on EdibleOils-Oil Palm(NMEO-OP), thecentrallyspon-sored scheme recently an-nounced by the Government,will help in increasing the do-mestic production of edible oilsand reduce imports depend-ency,” it said.

Dhoni is backfinal hurdle or failed tomake itto the final in the ChampionsTrophy, andWorld T20 and 50-overWorldCups.Kohli hasn't even led Royal

Challengers Bangalore to an IPLtitle. Dhoni, who leads ChennaiSuperKings, isa three-time IPL-winningcaptainandhasbroughthomethreemajorICCtrophies--WorldT20,ChampionsTrophyandWorldCupAt the media briefing

Wednesday, BCCI Secretary JayShahsaid thedecision tocall upthe 40-year-old retired interna-tional and the country's most-celebratedwhite-ball cricketerwastakenafterhemetDhoni inDubai, where IPL teams havestarted converging to completetheunfinishedCovid-hitSeason14.“Hewas okaywithmydeci-

sion and agreed to be a TeamMentorofTeamIndiafortheT20World Cup only. I am glad that

MS (Dhoni) has accepted theBCCI's offer and he is keen tocontribute tothenational teamonceagain.MSwillworkcloselywith Ravi Shastri as well asother support staff to providesupport and direction to TeamIndia,” Shahsaid.Asked if Kohli and Shastri

were consulted, Shah said: “Ispoke to the captain and vice-captain, aswell as Ravi Shastri.Theyallareonthesamepage,sothat’s why this matter hasreachedthisconclusion.”The BCCI is hopeful that

Dhoniwill help Kohli crack thewhite-ball code. “No one canguide this Indian team betterthanDhoni.Hehasplentyofex-perience and the players trusthim a lot. His presence in thedugout will help players andsupportstaff. Jay(Shah) felt thatDhoniistheonlypersonwhocanhelp the team during the T20WorldCup, sohedialledhim,”aBCCIofficial said.Besides,withShastri'stenure

endingafter theT20WorldCup,and theBCCI not keen to renewhis contract, Dhoni’s appoint-mentworks as a “perfect stop-gap arrangement”. Since theBCCI wasn't keen to appoint anewcoach just before thehigh-intensityT20event,sourcessaid,they went for the “trusted oldhand”whohada“cordialwork-ing relationship”with theman-agement that's currently inchargeof theteam.

Women in NDAisrequiredorwearecomfortablewith your pace. But we musthave some timelines. We dohope that the defence forcesvaluetheimportantrolewomenareperforming.Youmaygoatacomfortable pace, but redressalmusttakeplace,"thebenchsaid.Adjourning the matter by

twoweeks to enable theCentreto file the “development plan”,the court said: “We are glad tonote that thearmed forceshavetakenthedecision for inductionof females into the NDA... Thearmed forces play an importantroleinthesystem,forforminganimmensely essential function.Wewouldnoteasily interfere intheirrolesandwouldratherwantthem to take a proactive ap-proachtowardsgenderequality,insteadof thecourtsteppingin”.Thecourtwashearingapeti-

tion seeking its intervention toalloweligiblewomencandidatestoappearfortheNDAandNavalAcademy Examinations con-ducted by the Union PublicServiceCommission(UPSC).At the lasthearing, the court

had said the policy to not allowwomen in NDAwas “based ongenderdiscrimination”.OnWednesday,Bhatitoldthe

benchthatshehad“aratherde-lightful piece of news to share”.“Your lordship’s nudging hasmade adifference. Thedecisionhas been taken last evening atthe highest level of the forceswith all the three chiefs and thegovernmentthatgirlswillbein-ducted forpermanent commis-sion through the NDA,” Bhatisaid, and sought time to file anaffidavit toput itonrecord.Bhatialsosubmittedthatthe

UPSC had decided to postponethisyear’sexamfromSeptembertoNovember.RespondingtotheASG’ssub-

mission, Justice Kaul said, "Wewere only nudging the authori-ties to do certain things them-selves. After all, we know thatthey are best suited to evolvesuchchanges.Thecourtsteps inwhen nothing has happened. Itis not a veryhappy situation forus either. The armed forces arethemost respected in thecoun-try. But sometimes their resist-ance cannot be dealtwithwell.They need to domore towardsgender equality. A dynamic ap-proachneedstobeadopted”.The bench said it was “con-

scious of the complexity of thearmed services --where induc-tion can take place, whether it

can take place or not, in whattimeitcantakeplace...wearenotoblivious to this." It said it wasconscious that “reforms cannothappeninoneday”andthat“weonlywantprogresstobemade”.

PM booster shotflagship socialwelfare schemeshavingcarriedhis imprimatur.In the past, the party has

marked his birthday as “SevaSaptah” but the drive this yearhas beenwidened as “Seva aurSamarpan Abhiyan.” The goalthis time is also to galvanise therankandfile–hardhitinthesec-ond wave – ahead of crucialAssembly elections early nextyear.Withthesecondwaveabat-ingandover70crorehaving re-ceivedat least the first dose, theparty hopes such a campaignwillhelpreshape itsnarrative.At a recentmeeting, BJP na-

tional general secretary ArunSingh unveiled the contours ofthis campaign to theparty’s na-tional office bearers, state-in-charges and senior state unitfunctionaries.Someofthekeyactivitiesas-

signedtopartyworkersanddis-cussed by Singh, whowill alsooverseetheentiredrive,include:■ Target to distribute 14 crorebags, eachwithpictureofModi,thankingthePMforthe5kgperperson ration under PMGaribKalyan Yojana (2.16 crore bagshave been distributed by BJPstategovernments).■ Push videos of beneficiariesthankingModiforhishelpduringthepandemictosignalthat“Gar-eebonkamasihaModijihihain.”(Modiasmessiahofthepoor).■5crore‘ThankYouModiji’postcardstobemaileddirectlytothePMforhiscontributiontowardswelfare of the poor bymobilis-ingpeopleat thebooth level.■71spots (Modi turns71) tobeidentified inrivers forclean-up.■ Videos thanking Modi forCovid vaccination by those get-tingvaccinated.■Meetings/seminars involvingprominentpeoplefromdifferentwalksof life(arts,culture,sportsetc)atdistrictandstatelevelsonthePM’s lifeandwork.■Notedwriters tocommentonModi’sgovernanceinthevernac-ularmedia.■ Registration drive for eligiblechildrenwho lost parents andare covered under PM-CARESscheme

■ Publicmobilisation towardsbidding formementos receivedbythePMThese come over and above

the events party workers holdeachyearaspartof“SevaSaptah”tomarkModi’sbirthday:healthcheck-up and blood donationcampstofooddistributionatold-agehomes.Sincethisperiodwillalso include the birth anniver-sariesofMahatmaGandhi(Octo-ber2)andDeenDayalUpadhyay(September 25), partyworkershave been advised to continuewith “constructiveworks or ac-tivities”onthesetwodaysattheirrespectivepollingbooths.At themeeting, Singh is said

tohavetoldhispartycolleaguesthat the distribution of rationbagswith the PM’s picturewillhelp strengthen the impressionthat“gareebonkemasihahain.”The PM-GKAY announced lastyearduringthefirstwavewasre-launched this year during thesecondwave andwill continuetillDiwali thisyear.Singh suggested that the

women’s wing could lend itsweight to this. Wall paintingsfadeaway,hesaid,butwhenara-tion bag reaches home, “thewomenwill keep it with careandBJP-BJPwillbevisibleevery-where,”hesaid.Singh suggested that party

workers and public representa-tives visit their nearest vaccina-tion centre and called onwork-ers to ensure video clips becirculated “tikakaran ke bhi aurration bag ka bhi – kiPradhanmantriji ne bahut badakaamkiya hai”. (vidoes of bothvaccinationand rationbags– tosignal thePM’sachievement.)Saying that beneficiaries of

cash transfer to Jan-Dhan ac-counts and PM-KISAN can befound at the polling booth levelacross the country, Singh askedparty workers tomobilise thepublic from each booth to send‘ThankYou,Modiji’ cards.After the second wave

abated,thePM,onhispart,over-hauledhisCabinettosignalare-freshandareset.However,partyleaders said, this change couldnotbefeltduringthedeadlockedParliamentsession.TheBJP,sub-sequently, launched Jan-Ashirwad Yatra drive for overthree dozen new ministersacross different parts of thecountry. Now comes the birth-daypush.

Visva-Bharatiirregularities at the central uni-versity.Others alleged that theyweresuspendedontrumped-upcharges including negligence ofdutyandfinancial irregularities.Five have challenged their sus-pensions incourt.While The Indian Express

spoketosomeof thesuspendedprofessors,bothV-CChakrabortyand the university’s PRO,AnirbanSarkar, didnot respondtocallsor textmessages.“The university suspended

me for making derogatory re-marks against a female col-league,which is a baseless alle-gation, and for circulating acomplaint.Someofushadwrit-ten a mail to Prime MinisterNarendra Modi, who is theChancellor of Visva-Bharati,PresidentRamNathKovindandWest Bengal Governor JagdeepDhankharagainsttheV-C.Theseare not offences which can begrounds for suspension," saidSudiptaBhattacharya,presidentof the Visva-Bharati UniversityFaculty Association (VBUFA)whoisamongthosesuspended.Thesuspensionorder,seenby

TheIndianExpress,cites“miscon-duct bymass circulating a com-plaint andderogatory/ defama-tory/ baseless remarks against afellow employee and also for-warding copies of the same tohighdignitariesbyemail."The order was issued on

January 7 this year, days afterBhattacharyawrotetothePMal-leging irregularities in the ap-pointmentofaprincipalofPathaBhavana, part of the university.While the suspensionwas ini-tiallyforthreemonths,itwasex-tendedtwice--foranotherthreemonths and then for twomonths."Thosewhodidn’t toetheV-

C’slineorspokeagainsthisfunc-tioning were at the receivingend,” alleged Bhattacharya, aprofessor of Economics. “APhysicsdepartmentteacherwassuspended for visiting a profes-sorwhowasheadingacommit-tee probing allegations againstme.Canthisbeareasonforsus-pension? Both the teachers areclose friends.”Whencontacted,thePhysics

professor, who did notwant tobe named, said: "I was sus-pendedonMarch6afterIvisitedthe house of a fellow teacher. Ihavenothingmoretosayonthis.

EveryoneknowsthereasonwhyIwas subjected to such action."The suspension order cites “at-tempt to influence the enquiryofficer".Bhattacharya alleged that a

bio-technologydepartmentpro-fessor,TathagataChoudhuri,wassuspended after an altercationwiththeprincipalofaninstitutewhowas close to the V-C. Thesuspension order datedDecember 2, 2019, seen by TheIndianExpress,saidthedecisionwas taken after "having consid-ered the report of the one-manenquirycommitteeonthecom-plaintslodgedbyProfKashinathChatterjee, Principal, SikshaBhavana."Choudhuri has challenged

the suspension order in theCalcuttaHighCourt.Three principals of Bhasa

Bhavana – Abhijit Sen, KailashChandraPattanaikandNarottamSenapati –havealso challengedtheir suspensions, on June 4,2020, foralleged financial irreg-ularities. Sen has since retiredfromservice.An assistant professor who

didnotwanttobenamedsaidhewassuspendedonMarch13thisyearfor"negligenceofdutyathisdepartment"."Theofficialshowcauseletter

says that I visited the academicand research section almosteverydaybetween3.30pmand6 pm, neglecting my duties.Being a teacher, I have the free-domtovisit such sections, and Idid so aftermy classes. This canneverbeacauseforsuspension.TherealreasonwasthatIrefusedtosignagainstacolleague,whentheuniversitywantedtoimposean embargo against her. I alsoprotested against the ill-treat-mentmetedouttoher. I toldtheV-C that I will not sign againstanyofmycolleagues.OnMarch13, I was suspended for threemonths,itwaslaterextendedbyanother threemonths,"hesaid."Tomorrow, I will complete

six months of suspension. Sixmonths back, they gave me ashowcauseletter;Ireplied.Theyformedaone-maninquirycom-mitteeandthensuspendedme.I got only 50% of mymonthlysalary. Threemonths later, theysentme a notice saying the in-quiryhadbeeninitiatedandsus-pensionextendedbythreemoremonths. But there was no in-quiry,nohearing.Iwasnotcalled

by anyone... They robbedme ofmyfreedomtoteach. Iwassup-posedtoget75%ofmysalaryaf-ter threemonths, but I got it inonly forAugust,”hesaid.Another Physics professor

saidheandacolleagueweresus-pended after they lodged a for-mal complaint against the V-Cwith the local police. Their sus-pensionordercites"gross indis-ciplineandmisconduct"."I and my colleagues had

rushed to the aid of English de-partment teachers who werewrongfully confined in a roomby the university authorities.Later, we lodged a complaintagainsttheV-Catthelocalpolicestation.We had alsowritten tothe Prime Minister and thePresidentagainsthim.OnAugust23,weweresuspendedforanin-definiteperiod,"saidtheprofes-sor, who did not want to benamed.VBUFA president Sudipta

Bhattacharya admitted that theallegations against some of thesuspended professors could betrue. "It is amatter of investiga-tion to find outwhether all areguilty. But a large number ofthemhavebeenwrongfullysus-pended, which is pretty clearfromthecausescitedby theau-thorities in such suspension or-ders," saidBhattacharya.Besidesthesuspensions,nine

teachingandnon-teaching staffmembershavebeen sacked, in-cluding former officiating V-CSabujKoliSen.Alongwith former registrar

SaugataChattopadhyayandfor-mer finance officer Samit Ray,Senwas removed from serviceonAugust28,2020,justtwodaysbeforeretirement,onchargesoftamperingwiththeminutesofacouncilmeeting in order to ex-tendthetermasofficiatingV-C.Theuniversityauthoritiesare

alsoallegedtohavestoppedtheretirementbenefitsoftwoteach-ersandanother twonon-teach-ing staff members; and thesalaries of three teachers andtwo non-teaching staff. Someotherfacultymembershavealsofaced action, including their re-movalasprincipals,vice-princi-palsandheadsofdepartment.From scrapping the annual

PoushMela (winter fair) to de-claringNobel LaureateAmartyaSen as one of the illegal occu-pants on VBU land, the univer-sity has seen several controver-sies after Chakraborty tookchargeasV-C.Criticising the V-C’s actions,

notedhistorianNrisinghaPrasadBhadurisaid:“Teachersandstu-dents are an integral part of anyacademic institute. The V-C hasmadethemangrywithhisdeci-sion on suspensions. He hasfailed to take them into confi-dence and resolve the issuesthroughdialogueanddiscussion.He is not a good administratorandisacting likeadictator.”"One cannot antagonise

everyone in a university. The V-Chastohandleissuesdelicately,taking into confidence all per-sons concerned. No universitycanrunbyantagonisingboththeteacher and student communi-ties. Auniversity is not a factorywhere one issues strict guide-lines.AV-Cshouldstayinregulartouch with teachers and stu-dents.Hecannever take thesit-uation to a point of no return,"saidPabitraSarkar, educationistand former V-C of RabindraBharatiUniversity.

Gujarat govtshouldnotexceed50percentofthecapacityof thevenue.This order from the govern-

ment comes after various sec-tions of the society demandedthe use of DJmusic for upcom-ing festivals such as GaneshChaturthi.Thegovernmentinitsorder onWednesday reiteratedthat forupcomingGanesh festi-val, only 15 personswill be al-lowed for “stapana” and “visar-jan”eventsandonlyonevehiclecanbeusedfor thesame.

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FROMPAGEONE

Afghanistan, security on table as keyUS, Russian officials arrive in Delhi

AbdulGhaniBaradar. Thevisitcame in the backdrop of theprecarious security situationwhichposedachallengefortheUS’sevacuationefforts.According to the Russian

statement, at themeeting be-tween Patrushev and Doval,“attentionwaspaid to intensi-fying joint work of both thecountries’ special services andmilitarybodies”.They also touched upon

“humanitarian andmigrationproblems in Afghanistan, aswell as prospects for Russian-Indian joint efforts aimed atcreatingconditionsforlaunch-ing a peaceful settlementprocessonthebasisofanintra-Afghandialogue”.In addition, the two sides

agreed to “coordinate the ap-proachesofRussiaandIndiainmultilateral formats on theAfghansettlement".The“importanceofdefining

parameters of the future statestructureofAfghanistanbytheAfghans themselves, aswell astheneedtopreventtheescala-tion of violence, social, ethnicandconfessionalcontradictionsin the country, were empha-sised,”saidthestatement.At the meeting with

Jaishankar, an “exchange ofviews tookplace on anumberof international and regionalproblems, including the situa-tion inAfghanistan”.During themeeting with

Modi,awiderangeof issuesofRussian-Indiancooperation,aswellasanumberoftopicsweretouchedupon.Thestatementsaidthatop-

portunitiesforfurtherdevelop-ment of the special and privi-leged strategic partnershipbetween Russia and India, in-cludingdeepeningpoliticaldi-alogue at the highest levels,werediscussed.“Theyalso spokeabout the

prospectsforstrengtheningin-teraction inmultilateral for-mats, including the SCO andBRICS, aswell asdevelopmentoftheRussian-Indiancoopera-tioninthetradeandeconomicsphere,” thestatementsaid.“High level-inter-govern-

mental consultations onAfghanistanheldtodayinNewDelhi between delegation ledbyNSAAjitDoval&delegationled by Secretary of RussianSecurity Council, NikolayPatrushev. Two sides had de-taileddiscussions on situationin Afghanistan,” tweeted

Arindam Bagchi, officialspokesperson of theMinistryof ExternalAffairs.“Glad tomeet Secretary of

Security Council of Russia,Nikolai Patrushev. Very usefuldiscussions on Afghanistan,”Jaishankar tweeted.At South Block, the visit is

being seen as a signal fromMoscow,which has emergedas a keyplayer inAfghanistan.Besides, India and Russiawillbeparticipating in two impor-tant virtual summits over thenext 10 days -- BRICS (Brazil,Russia, India, China, SouthAfrica) and ShanghaiCooperation Organisation(SCO) --where the focus is ex-pectedtobeonAfghanistan.Modi will host the BRICS

summitonSeptember9,whichis expected to be attended byPutin. Thiswill be followedbytheSCOsummitonSeptember16-17,whenModiisonceagainexpectedtoencountertheRus-sianleader.ChinesePresidentXiJinping is also likely to attendboth thesummits,withBeijingtooemergingasakeyplayer inAfghanistanbecauseofPakistan’sactiveroleinhelpingtheTaliban.Last week, Putin had ex-

pressed hope that the Taliban

would behave in a "civilised"manner in Afghanistan so theglobal community canmain-taindiplomatictieswithKabul."Russia is not interested in thedisintegration of Afghanistan.If thishappens, thentherewillbe no one to talk to," he hadsaid.In Kabul, the Russian

AmbassadorhadmetwiththeTaliban several days after thetakeover and said Moscowwouldmaintainitsembassyinthecountry.On August 30, the United

Nations Security Council, un-der India’s presidency, hadadopteda resolution thatgavede facto recognition to theTaliban as a state actor inAfghanistan. The resolutionwasadoptedwith13members,includingIndia,votinginfavourand none against. But RussiaandChinahadabstained.Vassily Nebenzia, Russia’s

envoy to theUN, had said theresolution wasn’t specificenoughaboutterrorthreats,didnotspeakofthe“braindrain”ef-fect of evacuation anddid notaddress the economic andhu-manitarian consequences ofWashingtonfreezingtheAfghangovernment’sUSaccounts.

DEEPTIMANTIWARYNEWDELHI,SEPTEMBER8

AFTER THE RSS sought to dis-tanceitselffromviewsexpressedin an article in Sangh-affiliatedmagazine 'Panchjanya' — thatBengaluru-based IT majorInfosysmay be deliberately try-ingtodestabilisetheIndianecon-omy and accused it of helping“Naxals,Leftistsandtukde-tukdegang”—RSS jointgeneral secre-tary Manmohan Vaidya haspraisedPanchjanyaandcalled itthe harbinger of 'dharmayudh',orbattleofprinciples.Vaidya made the remarks

while speaking at the inaugura-tionofthemagazine’snewofficein Delhi's Mayur Vihar onMonday.FormerBJPgeneralsec-retary RamMadhav, alongwithkey functionaries of the Sanghand BJP's state unit, were alsopresentattheevent.Adaybeforethat,RSShad,ina

statementissuedSunday,praisedInfosys and said that PanchjanyawasnotaSanghmouthpiece.Speaking atMonday's event,

Vaidya said, “The Indian thoughtis all-inclusive. There aremanyforces which want to dim(weaken)itsinfluence.Theseanti-national forces are beingweak-enedslowly.Inonesense,thisisadharmayudh, andPanchjanya isitsherald.”Statingthattherearetwosides

ineverybattle, he said, “Onewillhavetoshootarrowsatthosenotwithdharma.Intheend,dharmawillbevictorious.Wehavetotakeeveryonealong.”Askedaboutthecontextofhis

speech, Vaidya told The IndianExpress, “Panchjanya andOrganiserweretheonlycontext.”PostingthatInfosyshasmade

“seminalcontributioninprogressofthecountry”,RSSspokespersonSunil Ambekar had tweeted onSunday,“...thearticlepublishedbyPanchjanyainthiscontextonlyre-flectsindividualopinionoftheau-thor. Panchjanya is notmouth-pieceoftheRSSandthesaidarticleoropinionsexpressedinitshouldnotbelinkedwiththeRSS.”While Ambekar said

Panchjanya isnotanRSSmouth-piece, the twohavebeen closelytiednotonlyatanideologicallevelbutalsoattheorganisationallevel.ThePanchjanyaeditorisareg-

ular invitee toRSS's annualAkhilBharatiyaPratinidhiSabha(ABPS)baithak.ABPSistheSangh'shigh-estdecision-makingorganisationand its annualmeetings are at-tendedonlybyrepresentativesofitskeyaffiliatebodies.The first editorof Panchjanya

was former PrimeMinister AtalBihari Vajpayee and several sub-sequent editors have been RSSmembers.PanchjanyaclaimsthatJan Sangh founder and lifelongRSS pracharak Deen DayalUpadhyaywas instrumental inshapingthemagazine.“The editor of Panchjanya

participates in Pratinidhi Sabhabaithak.Ididnotgothisyear,buthaveparticipated earlier. It is oninvitation from the Sangh,”Panchjanya editor HiteshShankarsaid.Underlining that Panchjanya

and Organiser are not officialmouthpieces of RSS, former edi-tor of 'Organiser' R Balashankarsaid the two are “quasi-official”magazinesof theSanghParivar.“Bothhavebeenheadedased-

itors by very senior RSS people.FromVajpayeetoKRMalkani,LKAdvani, Bhanu Pratap Shukla,VinayNandMishraandDevendraSwaroop—alltoppeoplefromBJPandRSSwhohavebeeneditorsofone of the two magazines,”Balashankarsaid.

After RSSdistance overInfy article, topSangh leadercalls Panchjanyaherald of‘dharmayudh’

Ahmedabad

3THEINDIANEXPRESS,THURSDAY,SEPTEMBER9,2021

GUJARAT


AHMEDABAD

MINOR FIRENEAROPD INCIVILHOSPITAL

AminorfireeruptedinsidearoomneartheOPDoftheCivilHospital inAhmedabadWednesdayafternoonandnobodywasinjuredinthe incident,officialssaid.Theblazewastriggeredduetoashort-circuit, theysaidaddinghospitalstaffdousedtheflamesusingfireextinguishers.

GURU GHASIDAS VISHWAVIDYALAYA(A Central University established by the Central Universities Act, 2009, No.25 of 2009)

KONI, BILASPUR-495 009 (C.G.) INDIATel. - +91-7752- 260342, 260021 Fax - +91-7752- 260154, 260148, website - www.ggu.ac.in

Ref. No.153/Admission /Academic/21 ADMISSION NOTICE (2021-22) Bilaspur, Date- 07.09.2021

Guru Ghasidas Vishwavidyalaya, Bilaspur invites online applications for admission to the various programmes for the academic session 2021-22 through Vishwavidyalaya

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EXPRESSNEWSSERVICEAHMEDABAD,RAJKOT,

SEPTEMBER8

MORE THAN100 farmersweredetained by police in Rajkot astheBharatiyaKisanSangh(BKS),farmers' wing of the RashtriyaSwayamsevak Sangh (RSS), ob-served protests across the stateonWednesday demanding im-mediate survey of drought-hitregions and declaration ofscarcity. Rajkot saw one of thelarger protests of the BKS com-paredtootherdistricts.In Ahmedabad, two dozen

workers of the BKS held a sym-bolic protest outside the collec-torateandhandedoverapplica-tions to the district collector,presenting a 13-point demandletter to Chief Minister VijayRupani.Similarprotestswereob-served in other cities of Gujaratas part of the BKS’ nationwidecampaign fora “profitableguar-anteedprice for farmers”.“Today, the BKS organised

protestsin525districtsacrossthecountrywherewestagedasit-inandhandedover applications tothecollectors.WehavewrittenalettertoPrimeMinisterNarendraModi demanding guaranteedprofitablepricingof cropsabove15%of thecostprice for farmers.Alegalprovisionshouldbemadetoensurethatnobusinesspersonshould be allowed to purchase

cropsfromfarmersinthemarketoroutside,belowtheguaranteedprice,” said Babubhai Patel, gen-eralsecretary,BKSGujarat.“Wehavealsowrittenaletter

totheChiefMinisterdemandingimmediate survey of droughtanddeclarescarcity,irrigationfa-cilities in far off areas, paymentof pending insurance claims offarmers and address grievancesof farmers in the land resurveyproject,”headded.InRajkot, theystagedasit-in

outsidethedistrictcollector’sof-fice and submitted twomemo-randums — one to PrimeMinister Narendra Modi, de-mandingtheconventionofMSPbemade a law and another toGujarat Chief Minister VijayRupani, demanding Narmadawater be pumped to dams inSaurashtra. More than 100 ofthemweredetainedbypoliceataround11amandwerereleasedbyaround2pm.Similar protests simultane-

ously organised at district head-quarters of almost allmajor dis-trictsinSaurashtraregionaswellas Kutch as part of BKS’ attempttocreatepressureontheCentralgovernmentoverMSP.“SincethetimetheCentralgovernmenten-acted new farm laws, BKS hasbeen demanding that MSPshouldbegivenalegalstatus.Onthis issue, we arewith farmersprotesting inDelhi,HaryanaandUttar Pradesh...,” Dilip Sakhiya,

presidentofRajkotdistrictunitoftheBKStoldTheIndianExpress.Sakhiya added that farmers

don’twantMSPbutpricewhichisremunerativeafterfactoringinthe production cost. “Farmersshouldmakeatleast15to20percentprofitontheirproduce,”saidtheBKSleader.In a letter addressed to CM

Rupani, the BKS Gujarat said,“Since independence, the farm-ers of India have found the an-swers formany questions faced

by the country but the answerstothequestionsfacedbyfarmershave not been found. The farm-ers are confused and are fallingfurther into the pits of povertydaybyday.Manyfarmerseitherquit their profession or commitsuicide. (sic)”Its demands in the letter to

theCMincludelegalprovisionofminimum support price (MSP)for auction of crops on supportpricing, rectifications inthelandre-survey project as per objec-

tionsmade,notaxdeductionsinmilkbusiness,waiverofelectric-itybilloffarmersduringdrought,end of draw system in farmingequipment support systemandintroductionofsubsidies,waiveroftaxationontractorsandfarm-ing equipment, end of securitydepositsystemforincreasingtheload of electricity connection infarms, to change electricity billsincurredinstablesasagriculturalunits and not commercial andwaivingof inheriteddues.

Over 100farmersdetainedasBKSprotestsacrossstate

(Clockwise fromleft) BhartiyaKisanSanghmembers gaveamemorandumto thedistrict collector inVadodaraonWednesday raising their demands; farmersduring theirprotest inRajkot;membersof theBhartiyaKisanSanghholdaprotestmarchoutside theAhmedabadcollectorate.

Ahmedabad: The Aam AadmiParty Gujarat announced“DhartiputraSammanYatra”rallyfromSeptember10 inGujarat inan attempt towoo the farmers’communityinareasthatreceivedlowrainfallthisyear.AccordingtoAAPGujarat,the

four-day bike rally led by SagarRabari,farmeractivistandformersecretaryofKhedutSamajGujarat(KSG)who recently joined theAAP, will cover Banaskantha,Sabarkantha, Surendranagar,Aravalli,Mehsana,andPatan.TheAAP intends to put pressure onstate government to declarescarcity andprovide compensa-tion to farmers. “The AAP willlaunch Dhartiputra SammanYatra fromSeptember 10on theoccasionofGaneshChathurthitohonourthefarmersofGujaratandto know their plight during thereignof Bharatiya JanataParty inGujarat for the past 27 yearswhichhasonlyseenanti-farmerslawsandpolicies.Wealsoaimtocreate awareness regarding theplightoffarmersandthefutureoffarmersinGujaratsothatfarmerscanspeakupfortheirrights,”saidRabari.Thebikerallywillbegin from

SuigaminBanaskanthaandpro-ceedtowardsSabarkantha,Arava-lli,PalanpurtoHimatnagar,Prantij,MehsanaandSidhpurPatan.ENS

AAP to begin4-day bike rallyfor farmers fromSeptember 10

ChiragChotaliya

BhupendraRana

NirmalHarindran


TENDAYSafteramother-daugh-terduowaskilledinahit-and-runincident in Gandhinagar, policehave arrested an accusedwhowasallegedlydriving theKia carwhichhit thevictims’scooty.According to police, on

August 29 night, Yogini Trivedi(47) and her daughter JaiminiTrivedi (20) — residents of

ShahibauginAhmedabad,werehitbyaspeedingcar,200metresfromCh0circle inGandhinagar,resulting in theirdeath.They were returning home

after visiting relatives inGandhinagaron theoccasionofJanmashtami, when theywerehitbyaKiacar that spedaway.According to police, Jignesh

Patel, a resident of SunriseBungalows in Kudasan area ofGandhinagar, was arrested onTuesday under IPC 304A for

causingdeathbynegligenceand279 for rash driving. Patel is theowner of an eatery Chatko in‘Swagat Rainforest’ residentialsociety inGandhinagar.“The accused had gone ab-

sconding with his family. OnTuesday,wereceivedinformationthathehasreturnedtohishouseandwasarrested.Hehasrevealedthat onAugust 29, hewashead-ingtowardshishomewhenhehitthescootyandfled,” saidanoffi-cerof Infocitypolicestation.

Gandhinagar hit-and-run: Man held

Ahmedabad

EXPRESSNEWSSERVICEVADODARA,SEPTEMBER8

THEHEADnurseofgynaecologydepartment at SSGHospital inVadodara, BhanuGheewala, hasbeen chosen for the prestigiousFlorenceNightingaleAward2020,whichwill be conferred by Pre-sident RamnathKovind in a vir-tualceremonyonSeptember15.The 56-year-old nurse, who

hasbeenworkingatSSGHospitalsince 2000, had volunteered forCovid-19 gynaec duties afterhelpingoutwiththefirstdelivery

ofawomanwithCovidlastyear.Theawardhaslefther“hum-

bled”, saysGheewala, adding, “It

is always teamwork... from ourdoctors to the security guard,everyonecontributestothefunc-tioningofthehospital.Theawardisanhonouranditbelongstomyentireteam.”Gheewala,beganhernursing

career in 1988 inRapar inKutchand thereafter joined thePalanpur General Civil HospitalbeforejoiningSSG.Shegottrain-ing in Nurse PractitionerMidwifery(NPM)andAlernativeBirthing Position (ABP), and hasbeen leading duties at labourrooms and gyanecward of theSSGHospital.

During the outbreak of theCovid-19 pandemic last year,Gheewalawasattheforefrontofthe nursing staff that set up thefirst labourward for Covid pa-tients in SSG,whenprivate hos-pitalswererefusingtoadmitsuchwomen. She also opted forgyanecdutieswithCovid-19pos-itiveexpectantmothers.Gheewala told The Indian

Express, “Many nurses in thelabour ward were in fear asbirthing involves touching pa-tients.Ididmydutywithanopti-mistic frame of mind and byGod’s grace, I have not yet con-

tractedCovid-19.”She says that althoughmany

staff nurses tested positive forCovid-19sincelastyear,everyonerecovered and continuedwiththeirduties.“Manyofournursesare also youngmothers... therehasbeensomuchstress.Ihaveal-ways told them that theymustcare for their familieswhile alsodoing their duty. It requires a lotof compassion.”As private hospitals refused

admissions to Covid positivewomen for delivery, even richfamilieswere coming to SSG fordeliveries last year, she said. “We

hadaffluent patients fromas faras Jodhpur...manyof thewomenwhosedeliveriesIattendedtoarestill in touch.Thepandemicgaveme lot of women friends,” saysGheewala,whowasondutydur-ing the floods of 2019 that inun-dated the hospital. Shewas ondutyfor72hours,alongwithdoc-tors,ensuringthatwomendeliv-eredtheirbabiessafely.“Forme,therewardisalways

apatientgoingbackhomehappyand rememberingme in theirprayers...Somealsoleavebehindnotes forme that I treasure andcherishforever,”shesays.

BhanuGheewala

GUJARAT4 WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM


(Clockwise fromtop)VadodaracityreceivedheavyrainWednesdayevening;Commuterswerecaughtoff guardduringheavyrain inRajkotonWednesday;Aparrot takesshelter insideatreeamidtheshowers inVadodara.

ChiragChotaliyaBhupendraRana

BhupendraRana

ENSANDPTIAHMEDABAD,RAJKOT,SURAT,

SEPTEMBER8

FOURPERSONS, including threechildren,werekilled intwosep-arate rain-related incidents inSuarashtraasheavyrainwasre-ported intheregionaswellas insouth Gujart region onWednesday, throwing normallife out of gear.Meanwhile, theIndian MeteorologicalDepartment saidmore showersexpected inthenext fourdays.OfficersofBhavnagardistrict

flood control room said that aNeeta Jethva, a school teacherand her son Vinay (18) anddaughterKiran (12)were sweptaway in a rivuletwhile trying tocross a flooded causeway atRajsthali village in Palitanataluka of Bhavnagar district ontheir scooter at around8.31am.While themotherwas rescuedby local people, the childrendrownedinthestreamandtheirbodies were recovered at 9.35am,officialssaidaddingPalitana

taluka recorded 38millimetresof rain rain between 6 am to 8amand8millimetresmorelaterin theevening.Inanotherincident,twosons

of labourers were killed inPratappurvillageofJasdantalukaofRajkotdistrictwhentheywerestruck by lightning onWednesdayevening.TheywereidentifiedasSunilRajanbhai(15)andArunJuvansinh(12).“"Theywere sons of migrant agricul-tural labourers from tribal beltand had come to Pratapur justthreedaysago.Theywerestruckby a lightening bolt while theywere on their farm,” Jasdanmamlatdar LB Zala told TheIndianExpress.In another incident, a 35-

year-oldmanwas swept awayandfeareddrownedwhilecross-ingacausewayatAkolali villageinPalitana,policesaid.In Surat district, Palsana

talukareceivedthehighestrain-fall in the past 24hours, record-ing5.5inchesofrainfall,followedby Surat city 4.5 inches andUmarpada4.4 inches.

Thewater level in Ukai damhas reached 334.64 feet, just 10feet below the dangermark, of-ficialssaidaddingtheinflowwas1.30lakhcusecsandoutflowhasbeenmaintainedto800cusecs.Severalareasinthecitywere

inundated, including the roadunder the railway culvert inUdhna. Heavy rainfall was alsorecordedinValsaddistrict inthepast 24 hours. As per the floodcontrol department, Vapi re-ceived 4.8 inches of rain,Umargam 4.09 inches, Valsadtown3.54 inch, Pardi 1.8 inchesandDharampur2.16 inches.ThewaterlevelinMadhuban

dam in Valsad district hasreached77.40metres,while fullreservoir level is 79.86metres.Navsari and Dangs districts re-ceivedmoderaterainfall.Superintendent engineer of

Ukai Dam, HRMahakaal, said,“Wearestill receivingahuge in-flow fromtheupper catchmentareas in Madhya Pradesh andMaharashtra.Wehavesufficientquantitytocatertotheyear-longrequirements for domestic use

forthepeopleofSurat, industrialuse for Ankleshwar andHazira,and irrigation purposes for thefarmersofSurat,Tapi,ValsadandNavsari.”The IMDhas forecast wide-

spread rainfall till Friday withheavy to very heavy rainfall insomepartsof thestatewith iso-lated extremely heavy showersin some districts of SaurashtraandsouthGujaratregionsduringthenext fourdays.As per the State Emergency

OperationCentre(SEOC),partsofGirSomnath,Amreli,RajkotandBhavnagardistrictsreceivedrain-fall of over 100mm in 12 hourstillWednesdayevening.SutrapadaandBabratalukas

of Gir Somnath and Amreli dis-tricts received 138 and 130mmrainfall, respectively, it said.As many as 162 out of 251

talukasofGujaratwitnessedwetspellonWednesday.As against the average rain-

fall of 624.8mm(between JuneandSeptember), Gujarat has sofar received 374.5mm rainfall,the IMDsaid.


THE GUJARAT High Court onWednesday issuednotice to thestategovernmentafteritobjectedto petition seeking quashing ofthe first FIR registeredunder theGujarat Freedom of Religion(Amendment) Act, 2021. Thecomplainant and the accusedhavemoved the court seekingconsensual quashing of the FIRregisteredinVadodarainJune.Withtheoffencesbeingnon-

compoundable, the court ofJustice Ilesh Vora allowed thestate, represented by publicprosecutorMitesh Amin, to re-spond to the contentions raisedby the petitioners and kept thematter for further hearing onSeptember20.The FIRwas lodged at Gotri

police station in Vadodara onJune 17, after the amendedGujaratFreedomofReligionActof 2003came into forceon June15. The accused were bookedunder provisions of the Indian

Penal Code, the amendedGujaratFreedomofReligionActand Scheduled Caste andScheduled Tribe (Prevention ofAtrocities)Act.The complainant, a 24-year-

oldwoman fromtheScheduledCaste, alleged that her 21-year-old husband had introducedhimselfwith anassumednameonInstagramin2018andforcedher to establish a physical rela-tionship with himwhile theyweredating.Thecomplaintalsosaid that theman used abusivewordsagainsthercasteandusedherintimatephotostoblackmailher tomarryhimandconvert.However,aconsentquashing

petitionwasmoved before theGujaratHConthegroundthattheFIR is an “incorrect, untrue andexaggeratedversionof theinfor-mation” given by the womancomplainantwhich“aroseoutofapettyandtrivialdomesticmat-rimonial dispute”, and that thesaidissuehassincebeenresolvedbetweenthepartiesandthecou-plewishestocontinuewiththeirmarital relations.

According to thepetition, thecouplegot toknoweachother in2019andonFebruary8thisyear,they executed an undertakingwiththewoman’s fatherandtheman’smother aswitnesses, forregistering theirmarriageundertheSpecialMarriageAct(SMA).Aweeklater,thetwomarriedinthepresence of their families. OnFebruary19,thecoupleexecutedajointaffidavitdeclaringthefactsof theirwedding ceremony, par-ticularlystatingthatthesamewaswithoutanyforceorcoercion.InMarch, the couple’smar-

riageapplicationunderSMAwasprocessed andwas registeredwith a certificate issued. As perthepetition,subsequently, sometrivial issues arose between thecouple and thewife left for herparents’placebeforefilingacom-plaintattheGotripolicestation.The petition stated that the

woman had not complained ofthe offences pertaining to IPC,Freedom of Religion Act andAtrocities Act and yet these of-fenceswere incorporated in theFIR“asif theinformant(woman)

complained/informedaboutthesame... intheFIR,completelyin-correctanduntruefactswithre-spect to forcible sexual inter-course... is recorded... Furtheralleged forcible conversion andusing casteist slurs... no suchal-legationsweremade by the in-formant (woman)”.The petition also points out

that while the husband’smother,whowasawitnesswasarraigned as an accused, thewoman’s father, who toowas awitness, was not named an ac-cused. “The samemakes it evi-dentthattheentireactionofpo-lice is communally biased,”submits thepetition.Petitioners for the consent

quashing petition includes thecomplainant, as well as the ac-cused husband, in-laws andother relatives of the husband,named as accused. The peti-tioner woman was present inthe courtroom of Justice IleshVora onWednesday and con-firmedbefore thecourt that thefactsof theaffidavitsofarasset-tlement isconcernedweretrue.


THE US-BASED MotorolaSolutionswill set up its first re-search and innovation centre inGujarat at the CharotarUniversity of Science andTechnology (CHARUSAT) inChanga.A Memorandum of

Understanding (MoU) wassignedbetweenCHARUSATandMotorola on Tuesday to set upCHARUSAT-Motorola Solutions

ResearchandInnovationCenterat theuniversity campus.Thecollaborationaimsatof-

feringpracticalopportunitiesoflearning, including internshipsto students of the university.Motorola will recruit studentsandprovide theuniversitywithits expertise, specialists, clouddatacenter-softwareandavari-ety of facilities. CHARUSATwillprovide the infrastructure, net-work,hardware,skilledstudentsandteachers.Motorolahassofaroffered jobs and internships to20studentsof CHARUSAT.


INAmajoroperationbyateamof125income-tax(I-T)officials, tworeal estate firmsof Ahmedabad-basedSambhaavGroup,whichisaleadingmediahouse,alongwithtwooftheirassociatedrealestatebrokers were searched onWednesday forpossible tax eva-sion, I-T officials toldmediaper-sonsonWednesday.Theteamofofficialsstartedthesearchopera-tion at 6 am on around 15-20premisesbelongingtoSambhaavGroupandtwobrokers—YogeshPujaraandDipakThakkar,officialsourcesintheI-Tdepartmentsaid.AmongthepremisessearchedinAhmedabadweretheresidencesand offices of owners ofSambhaavGroup,whichincludestheofficesofNila InfrastructuresLimitedandNila Spaces Limited,whicharetwofirmslistedonthestockexchanges.“Theyareintorealestatebusi-

ness.Weusually search for cash,lockers anddocuments. It couldbeanywhere.Wedonotconductsearches overnight.We followacasethoroughly.Wegetinforma-tion, evidences and our peoplealsogoasdecoycustomerstoas-certaintheamountofcashtrans-actionshappening,”anofficialsaidadding that “companies usuallyevadetaxonthetransactionstheyconductincash”.

Asperthewebsite,theparentgroupSambhaavMediaLtdrunstelevision channels VTVNews,VTVGujarati,Abhiyaanmagazine,SambhavMetro,atabloid,TopFMandWise TV, a transit televisionchannel installedinGujaratStateRoadTransportCorporationBusesand50depots. SambhaavMediaLtdthroughawhollyownedsub-sdiaryVedTechnoserveIndiaPvtLtdhasenteredintonewforayofelectric smart power fence.M/sBharat Electronics Ltd (BEL) hasassignedapilotprojectforsuchafenceatPathankotairbase.Nila Infrastructures has built

91 bus stations in BRTS project,constructed houses underMukhamantriAawasYojana,andhasbeen involved indevelopingseveral real estate projects inAhmedabad, Barmer, Udaipur,Bhilwara,Jodhpur, Becharaji,Modasa,SuratandVadodara.Asked if the I-T department

was targeting media firms fortheir searches, the official said,“Oursearcheswererelatedtothereal-estatebusiness.”TheI-Toffi-cialswere assisted by 70 policepersonnelinduringthesearches.The searches are continuing andthe quantum of unaccountedtransactionswillbeknownprob-ablywithinacoupleofdays.“Wedo not knowwhat role the twobrokershave,buttheywereasso-ciatedwith theGroup,” the offi-cialadded.Noonefromthegroupcouldbecontactedforcomment.

INOCULATED

EXPRESSNEWSSERVICESURAT, SEPTEMBER8

COVIDHAS cast a shadowoverGanesh Chaturthi festival thisyear with the number of idolssold in Surat falling to around30,000 — less than half of the65,000idolssoldduringthesea-son in the pre-pandemic times,festivalorganisers said.According to Surat city

GaneshUtsavSamitipresidentAnilBiscuitwala, themain rea-son is the delay in taking deci-sion tocelebrate the festival fornine days. “Many idol makersfrom other states had notcome. People had decided tocelebrate at their homes inviewof Covidpandemic as thedecision of nine-day celebra-tions came late.”TheGaneshChaturti festival

begins on September 10 thisyear. In 2020, the festivalwas a

low-keyaffairinSurat,duetotheCovid pandemic. This year alsopeoplewere sceptical over gov-ernmentpermissionforcelebra-tions. The government finallygavethego-aheadonAugust25.As per the government

guidelines, the Ganesh idolshould not be more than fourfeet and large crowds shouldbe avoided.On the immersion day fol-

lowing nine days of puja, onlyfive people will be allowed tocarry the idol in thevehicleandwithout any procession.The Surat Municipal

Corporation is preparingaround 16 artificial ponds forthe immersion of idols, as im-mersion in the Tapi river hasbeen banned.With these restrictions,

many mandals have not ap-plied for permission to erectpandals and instead, have de-cidedon celebrations at home.

Biscuitwala said, “Thereare7,500mandals registeredwith

us, of which this year only2,500 have sought permission

forpandals.Wehave instructedthem to follow Covid protocolstrictly.”“This year, more people are

opting tocelebrateathome, in-steadofpubliccelebrationsandwe appreciate it. People arecomplying with the appeal ofthe state government."Shree Ganesh Murtikar

Welfare Association presidentSanjayElkarsaid,“Thisyearweareshort of hands andwecouldnotmeet thedemand. It takesmoretime tomakemud idols. Due tothe shortage of idols, the priceshavegoneuptoRs5,000fortwo-foot idols andoverRs 15,000 forfour-foot idols. It isdifficult togetidols fromMaharashtra asCovidcasesarehighthere.”Nitin Suchak, a lawyer by

profession and resident ofBhagwan Park Society inAdajanarea,appealedtotheso-cietymembers tocelebrate thefestivals at home.

Talking to the IndianExpress, Nitin Suchak said,“Earlier there were four pan-dals in our residential societycomprising of 52 houses, butthis year we have plannedmi-cro-level celebrations.Wehaveadvisedsocietypeople tobringsmall idols and keep it at theirhomes and celebrate. We willnotmake a pandal but wewillkeep the 2 feet idol of Ganeshin the parking area.”In view of the Covid pan-

demic, the society has bannedelderlypeople fromparticipat-ing in aarti, he said, adding,“Only one member from ahousewillbeallowedtopartic-ipate in aarti in odd and evennumbers of bungalows.Volunteers will carry aarti toeachhouse in themorningandevening. The idol will be im-mersed in an artificial pond inthe common open plot in thesociety.”

Ganpati idolsarestockedupatKalabhavangroundinVadodara forselling.BhupendraRana

HCnotice tostategovtonpetitionseekingconsensualquashingofFIR

GUJARATFREEDOMOFRELIGION (AMENDMENT)ACT, 2021

Newcases:17

Cumulativedeaths:

10,082

Totalcases:8,33,808

Cumulativedischarge:

8,15,311

Ahmedabad

Amreli

Anand

Aravalli

Banaskantha

Bharuch

Bhavnagar

Botad

ChhotaUdepur

Dahod

Dang

DevbhoomiDwarka

Gandhinagar

GirSomnath

Jamnagar

Junagadh

Kheda

Kutch

Mahisagar

Mehsana

Morbi

Narmada

Navsari

Panchmahal

Patan

Porbandar

Rajkot

Sabarkantha

Surat

Surendranagar

Tapi

Vadodara

Valsad

Otherstates

2,28,834 3,411 6

10,884 102 0

9,635 49 0

5,468 79 0

13,659 162 0

11,449 118 0

21,713 301 0

2,217 42 0

3,398 38 0

9,590 38 0

864 18 0

12,935 82 0

20,841 205 0

8,544 67 0

36,602 478 0

20,481 271 0

10,391 48 0

12,520 145 0

8,313 72 0

24,284 177 0

6,502 87 0

5,978 15 0

7,170 24 0

11,742 70 0

11,623 129 0

3,850 19 0

58,673 725 0

9,337 157 0

1,43,617 1,958 6

8,120 136 0

4,445 23 0

77,824 788 4

6,239 49 1

148 3

Places Confirmed Deaths Newcases

Firstdosetakerstilldate

3,73,34,238

COVIDCASE TRACKER

Fullyvaccinatedtilldate

1,34,61,111

Fewer idols sold, Covid shadow over Ganesh festival in Surat

‘Humbled’, says nurse who assisted 1st delivery of Covid patient in VadodaraCHOSENFORFLORENCENIGHTINGALEAWARD

‘Tax evasion’: I-T deptsearches media groupand real estate brokers

Motorola to set up research andinnovation centre at CHARUSAT

FIRST INGUJARAT

Four killed as heavy rain lashes districts

AwomangetsashotofCovid-19vaccineatGulbaiTekra,apopularartisansresidential cluster, inAhmedabadonWednesday.NirmalHarindran

MORESHOWERSEXPECTED INCOMINGDAYS

Ahmedabad

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• Deputy Manager (Client Acquisition)

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APPLICATIONS are invited for the appointmentof following positions (contractual):

For more details, kindly visit :www.maritimecluster.org or

www.gnlu.ac.in www.gmbports.orgor

Vacancy Advertisement Reference No: 2021/01

NOTICE

State Bank of India Employees’ (M. S. Patel)Co-operative Credit Society Ltd., Mumbai.

State Bank of India, Mumbai Main Branch Building, Mumbai Samachar Marg, Fort,Mumbai - 400 023. Tel: (022) 22661780, 22664360

In terms of COVID-19 restrictions imposed by the Government, gathering of individuals inlarge numbers is not allowed. Due to this, 91st Annual General Body Meeting of the Societycould not be held last year. In the meeting of Board of Directors, held on 19thAugust 2021, ithas been decided to hold both the meetings i.e. 91st and 92ndAnnual General BodyMeetingsimultaneously throughOtherAudioVisualMeans (OAVM) as per following notice.Notice is hereby given that, the 91st and 92ndAnnual General BodyMeeting of the StateBank of India Employees’ (M.S. Patel) Co-op. Credit Society Ltd.,Mumbai, will be heldon Sunday, 26th September 2021 at 11:00 a.m. through Other Audio Visual Means(OAVM) at Vitthal Chavan Sabhagruha, Sahyog, Plot No.13/14 A, Sector No.5, NearD.Y.PatilHospital,Nerul,NaviMumbai 400 706 to transact the following business.

AGENDA1. To read and confirm theminutes of the 90thAnnualGeneralBodyMeeting held on

14.09.2019.2. To receive and adopt theAnnualReport ofBoard ofDirectors for the year 2019-2020&

2020-2021.3. To receive and adopt the Statement ofAccounts of the Society for the year ended 31st

March, 2020 duly audited by StatutoryAuditors.4. To approve the appropriation of Profit and ratification of the declared and distributed

dividend for the year 2019-2020.5. To ratify appointment and remuneration of StatutoryAuditors for the year 2020-2021.6. To receive and adopt the Statement ofAccounts of the Society for the year ended 31st

March, 2021 duly audited byStatutoryAuditors.7. To approve the appropriation of Profit and declare the dividend for the year 2020-2021.8. To appoint StatutoryAuditors for the year 2021-2022 and to fix their remuneration.9. To transact any other businesswith permission of theChair.

By order of the Board,Mumbai MUKESH BHATIADate: 19-08-2021 HON.SECRETARY& CEO

NOTES1. In order to attend online 91st & 92ndAnnual General Body Meeting, members should

register their mobile number and email ID with Society on or before 20th September2021. Members who have already registered can verify their details on MyMSP appavailable on Google Play Store. If there are any changes in particulars or those whohave not registered yet should send e-mail to society’s email-id [email protected] inform inwriting. Thememberswho are registeredwill getLogin ID andpasswordon their registeredmobile numbermaximum twodays in advance ofmeeting date.

2. Thememberswho have opted for “DoNotDisturb” (DND) option on theirMobilemaynot receive the Login ID and password SMS to attendAnnual General Body Meeting.Suchmembers are informed to de-activate / cancelDNDoption.

3. The detailed procedure to participate in theAGM will be made available on society’sweb-sitewww.sbimspatel.com

4. Society has appointed M/s. Tannum Consulting LLP for conducting Annual GeneralBodyMeetingwork throughOtherAudioVisualMeans (OAVM).

5. SmartMobile Phone / Laptop / Desktop Computer with internet facility is necessary toattend theAnnualGeneralBodyMeeting.

6. Members are requested to login on “https://sbimspatel.eagm.cloud”web-site half anhour before scheduled time ofmeeting on 26-09-2021.

7. In case of any technical difficulties related to login or password, faced by members ino r d e r t o p a r t i c i p a t e i n AGM, t h e y may c on t a c t o n E-ma i l [email protected] or Mobile 9619280455 of Tannum Consulting LLP orShri.MSRahate onMobile 9969879654 of society between 10:00 a.m. to 04:00 p.m.on 26.09.2021. Society will not resolve difficulties related to internet connection of themembers. Please note that the questions related to Society or MeetingAgenda will notbe resolved byM/s.TannumConsultingLLPongiven email ID andmobile no.

8. The eAGMwill be live on 26-09-2021 from 11:00 a.m. to 01:30 p.m during which theAGM’s notice, Chairman’s Speech and Resolutions will be presented. TheResolutions will be made available on given link for approval (e-Voting) from12:30 p.m. to 03:30 p.m., during which period members will have to submit theirvotes by selecting option Yes or No. Members who desire to raise anyquestions/queries related to the subjects given in notice may register on the linkprovided during AGM between 01:30 p.m. to 02:30 p.m. Answers to the questionsraised will be given between 02:30 p.m. to 03:30 p.m. on the given link.After countingthe votes decisionwill be published on the given link between 03:30 p.m. to 04:00 p.m.The linkwill close after 04:00 p.m.

9. If the quorum is not met on given date and time, the meeting will stand adjourned forhalf an hour. Such adjournedmeeting shall be held on the same day to transact the sameagenda at the said venue through Other Audio Visual Means (OAVM), irrespective ofthe quorum.

10.Members desiring to offer any suggestion at the AGM or having any question shallinform the Society in writing and submit the same to the Society at Mumbai Office atleast 7 days before the date of the meeting. The members shall note that answers to thequestions / suggestions received at least 7 days in advancewill be given in theAGM.

11.Members whose dividend remains unclaimed on account of non-availability of bankaccount number, for more than 3 years are requested to note that such dividend is liableto be forfeited and credited to Reserve Fund of the Society. Members who have notprovided their bank account number for claiming the dividend for the year 2017-18 arerequested to do so on or before 31stMarch 2022.

12.Annual Report for the financial year 2019-2020 and 2020-2021 respectively isavailable for downloading on society’sweb-sitewww.sbimspatel.com.

The 91st and 92nd Annual Report & Audited Statement of Accounts for the year2019-2020 & 2020-2021 have been dispatched to all members at their Branch/Office.

"STOP CORONA — WEAR MASK, FOLLOW PHYSICAL DISTANCING & MAINTAIN HYGIENE"

OFFICE OF THE EXECUTIVE ENGINEER (PROJECT)W-II

DELHI JAI BOARD: GOVT OF NCT DELHI

501, VARUNALAYA PHASE-I, KAROL BAGH NEW DELHI-110005

Press NIT NO:- 01 (2021-22)/(Re-Invited)S.

No.

Name of Work Estimated

Cost

Earnest Money (EMD)

and Tender fees

Date of release of tender

in E-Procurement solution

Last date/time of

receipt of tender

1. Providing Comprehensive

Architectural consultancy services

for Construction of Multi Storey New

office building ph-III at Varunalaya,

Karol bagh, Delhi

Lump Sum EMD "NIL" as per O.M No.

F(9)/4/2020- PPD dated 12.11.2020

endorsed by Jt Director(F&A) -I. DJB

dated 23.12.2020.

& Tender Fee Rs.1500 /-

07.09.2021

vide Tender ID No.

2021_DJB_208033_1

07.10.2021

At 03.00 P.M

Any future amendment & corrigendum, time extension, if any, to the above notification / NIT can only be seen on website

http://govtprocurement.delhi.gov.in.

Sd/-

ISSUED BY P.R.O. (WATER) (M.P. Singh)

Advt. No. J.S.V. 373 (2021-22) EE(PROJ.)W-II

SITUATIONVACANT

PERSONAL

PERSONAL

Classifieds

I, Surayya P.R. resident of

Devanageri – Village &

Post, Virajpet – Tehsil,

Kodagu – District

Karnataka – state hereby

solemnly affirm that the

spelling of my name is

KU Suraiya incorrectly

recorded in my husband’s

Army No JC -460969L

Subedar Rafi PH service

document, which requires

to be corrected. As per

Aadhaar Card and PAN

Card the correct spelling

of my name is Surayya

P.R. This publication is

notifying the occurrence

and recording in my hus-

band’s service document.

Change of Name

I Mahendra Dilipbhai

Patel changed my

Daughter name From

Vedika (Passport

No. P0079046)

to New Name

Vedika

Mahendra PatelAffid.-

GJ16875732582780T

dt. 08 Sep, 2021.

Change of NameII Dhruvkumar SumanbhaiChauhan S/O, SumanbhaiR/o K-202, IsconPlatinum,bopal Crossroad,Bopal, Ahmedabad havechanged my name toDhruv SumanbhaiChauhan for all purposes

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CROSSWORD4530

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SUDOKU4589

DifficultyLevel2s

Instructions

TosolveaSudokupuzzle,

everydigitfrom1to9

mustappear ineachofthe

nineverticalcolumns, in

eachoftheninehorizontal

rowsandineachofthe

nineboxes.

DifficultyLevel

1s=Veryeasy;2s=Easy;

3s=Medium;4s=Hard;

5s=VeryHard;6s=

Genius SOLUTIONSUDOKU4588

Givenbelowarefour jumbledwords.Solvethejumblestomakeproperwordsandmovethemto

therespectivesquaresbelow.Selecttheletters intheshadedsquaresandjumblethemtoget

theanswerforthegivenquip.

To___asthecommonpeopledo,to___aswisemendoisstyle.-RogerAscham(5,.,5)

SOLUTION:ANISE,PANTS,HAMPER,KOPECKAnswer:Tospeakasthecommonpeopledo,tothinkaswisemendoisstyle.-RogerAscham

NSAEI AEMRHP

APNST CEOPKK

SolutionsCrossword4529:Across:1Jasper,4Outcry,9Scuttle,10Barge,11Linen,12Donated,13Shopsteward,18Bigoted,20Repel,22Aswan,23Oratory,24

Drying,25Chaser.Down:1Jostle,2Spurn,3Eatenup,5Urban,6Curator,7Yields,8Readytodrop,14Highway,15Warpath,16Aboard,17Player,19Tenon,21Plots.

JUMBLEDWORDS

OVERTHEHEDGE byMichael Fry&TLewis

CALVIN&HOBBES byBillWatterson

MARVIN byTomArmstrong

DAYTODAY BYPETERVIDAL

GUJARAT WATER SUPPLY

AND SEWERAGE BOARD

Tender Notice No.26/2021-22

Online Tender ID.480659

Tenders are invited through Two bid E-

Tendering by the Executive Engineer

P.H.W.Dn. Jamnagar, ''Jal Bhavan" Ground

Floor, Block No.1, Near Milk Dairy, Saru

Saction Road, Jamnagar 361008 form The

Government Registered Contractor for

Construction of RCC Sump With Connection

Of PVC Pipeline, Pumping Machinery, Pump

House, Power Connection At Various Village

of Jamjodhapur Group RWSS. Tender. docu-

ments can be seen, downloaded and submit-

ted on website https://www.nprocure.com

Last date of submission of tender is

Dt.28/09/2021 up to 18:00 Hours. Physical

submission of Tender Document is

Dt.29/09/2021 up to 15:00 Hours By Reg

Ad./Speed Post/Hand Delivery Accepted.

Any additional Information of the tender will

be available at above mentioned office All

right is reserved to reject any or all tenders

without assigning any reasons thereof. Any

amendment regarding this tender will be

shownl published only on website only.

For any query related to Village water supply

scheme, contact on Toll Free No.1916.

Note:- Contractor who submits online tender

should have form No.-18 (Under taking form)

Notairized on stamp paper of Rs.300/- & kee

it involved. INF-JAM-ADVT/432/2021

Madhya Gujarat Vij Co. Ltd.An ISO-9001:2008 Certified Company

Regd. Office:- 3rd Floor, S.P. Vidyut Bhavan,

Race Course, Vadodara-390 007

CIN U40102GJ2003SGC042907

TENDER NOTICE

Tender Notice No. MGVCL/Civil/Renovation/GUVNL/IT/2021/08Online tender invited for the work ''Renovation of IT Section of

GUVNL at 7th Floor (C wing), Sardar Patel Vidyut Bhavan,

Vadodara (Tender ID No. 480397)'' as per tender conditions. Tender

documents with enclosures are available on web site URL

www.gseb.com ''Tenders – MGVCL – Corporate Office'' and

www.mgvcl.com and www.nprocure.com. It is compulsory for all the

bidders to submit their tender documents in online form and price-

bid must be filled only online within scheduled time. Tender Fee and

EMD Cover must be submitted by RPAD/Speed Post only within

scheduled time.

Note: Be in touch with above website till opening of tender.

Chief Engineer, (T&O), MGVCL

MMAARRTTYYRRDDOOMM OOnn 0099tthh SSEEPPTTEEMMBBEERR

On this day, we proudly remember the supreme sacrifice made bythese bravehearts on the Line of Control in Jammu & Kashmir.They laid down their lives in the finest traditions of the IndianArmy and to these martyrs we pledge that we shall always be guid-ed by their immoral spirits and do their name proud. May yourSoul attain Moksha.

CCoommmmaannddiinngg OOffffiicceerr aanndd AAllll RRaannkkss 33 GGRREENNAADDIIEERRSS

Gdr Tamradhawaj Singh

(01 Jul 1968-09 Sep 2001)Gdr Manish Kumar Raghubanshi

(15 Dec 1976-09 Sep 2001)

U.T. ADMINISTRATION OF DADRA AND

NAGAR HAVELI AND DAMAN AND DIU

DIRECTORATE OF EDUCATION

OPPOSITE PARGOLA GARDEN, FORT AREA,

MOTI DAMAN.

The Directorate of Education, U.T.

Administration of Dadra and Nagar Haveli andDaman and Diu invites applications from the eligi-

ble candidates to engage Post Graduate Teachers(PGTs) in respective subject for English Medium

Higher Secondary Sections of Government School

purely on Short Term Contractual (STC) Basis till30th April, 2022. Last Date of Application is

14/09/2021.

The details for the same has been uploaded on

official website i.e. on www.daman.nic.in,www.dnh.nic.in, www.dnh.gov.in.

Sd/-

No.IP/DMN/2/5/2021-22/180 (Nilesh Gurav)

dtd. 07/09/2021 Director of Education

ADVERTISEMENT

ONLINE TENDERING

ROAD & BUILDING DEPARTMENT

GOVERNMENT OF GUJARAT

TENDER NOTICE NO.6 (2021-22)

In the name and on behalf of Governor of Gujarat State the

Executive Engineer, Dist. Panchayat R&B Division Bharuch

Ph. (02642-243415) tender are invited from eligible contractor

for 9-work (estimated cost range 10.96 Lakh to 15.97 Lakh)

The bid documents will be available for the above works from

Dt.14/9/2021 up to 18.00 Hrs. on web site https://rnb.npro-

cure.com Last date of online submission of bid are as above

up to Dt. 21/0912021 up to 18.00 Hrs and EMD, Tender Fee,

& other documents will be submitted in 7-Day from21/9/2021

& tender opening Dt. 22/9/2021

For further particulars please visit above website and of

Gujarat Govt. www.statetenders.gujarat.gov.in or contact this

office during office hours. Any changes /Modifications will be

seen online. (INF-BCH-312-21-22)

Office of The Additional Chief Engineer,PHED, Region-Kota

Notice Inviting BidBids for various works under JJM are invited from interested bidders upto28.09.2021, 18:00 Hours. Other particulars of the bid may be visited on thehttp://www.eproc.rajasthan.gov.in, http://sppp.rajasthan.gov.in, andhttp://rajwater.gov.in departmental website detail are following:-

Sd/-(Mahesh Jangid)

Additional Chief EngineerDIPR/C/8877/2021 PHED, Region, Kota

NIT No. Name of Work Estimated Cost(Rs. in lacs)

Date & time foronline submission

of tender

56/21-22 Work of Retrofitting of BheemniWater Supply Project District-Jhalawar under JJM for providingFHTCs including 10-year O&MUBN No. PHE2122WLOB06785

1454.03

03.09.2021 at10:00 Hrs upto

28.09.2021 (upto18:00 Hrs)

57/21-22 Work of Retrofitting of RewaWater Supply Project to provideFHTC including 10 Years O&Munder JJM District Jhalawar.UBN No. PHE2122WLOB06786

2622.85

GOVERNMENT OF ODISHA,

“e”-PROCUREMENT NOTICEOFFICE OF THE CHIEF CONSTRUCTION ENGINEER,

KHORDHA (R&B) CIRCLE, KHORDHA

WORKS DEPARTMENT

Tender call NoticeE-mail: [email protected]

Bid Identification No. CCE-Khordha (R&B) Circle-05/2021-22 Memo No - 1275

Dt. . 01.09.2021

The Chief Construction Engineer, Khordha (R&B) Circle, Khordha on

behalf of Governor of Odisha inviting percentage rate bid in double

cover system in ONLINE MODE form eligible contractors for Road work

as detailed in the table below:

Chief Construction Engineer,

Khordha (R&B) Circle, Khordha

OIPR-34127/11/0005/2122

1. Nature of Work : Road Works

2. No of Work : 2 Nos

3. Tender Cost : Rs. 10000.00 (On-Line)

4. Class of Contractor : A Class and B Class

5. Available of Bid document in

the Website

: From Dt. 16.09.2021 10.00 AM to Dt.

27.09.2021 05.00 PM

6. Date of opening of Bid : Dt. 28.09.2021 at 11.30 AM

7. The Bidders have to participate in ONLINE bidding only. Further details can be

seen from the Website: https://tenderodisha.gov.in. Any Addendum /

Corrigendum / Cancellation of tender can also be seen in the said website.

B-379

N.W.R.W.S. & Kalpsar Department

Gandhinagar

Tender notice No.B-1/06 of 2021-22

1. Phophal-1 Irri. Scheme: Estd Cost Rs. 39.09 lacs

Providing Entrance Gate & Cleaning Heavy Dense Jungle

& Protection to Down Stream part of earthen dam by fenc-

ing wire of Phophal-1 Irrigation Scheme

2. Moj Irri. Scheme: Estd Cost Rs. 13.43 lacs

Renovation of Service Road of Moj Irrigation Scheme of

Section 1 & 2

3. Dondi Irri. Scheme: Estd Cost Rs. 9.97 lacs

Construction of New Toilet Block, Compound Wall and

other misc. Work at rest house cum Generator Room of

Dondi Irrigation Scheme

4. Moj Irri. Scheme: Estd Cost Rs. 9.80 lacs

Construction of New Generator Room At Moj Dam Site

5. Phophal-1 Irri. Scheme: Estd Cost Rs. 8.10 lacs

Survey Work for converting unlined canal into lined canal

system and soil profiling for lining work of Phophal-1

Irrigation Scheme.

(Experience of Similar work of soil sampling & survey work

necessary)

6. Aji-1 Irri. Scheme: Estd Cost Rs. 7.15 lacs

Guniting work of the spillway bridge at dam site of Aji-I

Irrigation Scheme

7. Aji-II Irri. Scheme: Estd Cost Rs. 4.85 lacs

Emergency Repairing of Generator Room & Construction

of Toilet Block At Dam Site of Aji-II Irrigation Scheme.

8. Aji-1 Irri. Scheme: Estd Cost Rs. 3.61 lacs

Painting work to Grill, Railling & H.R. Room of Aji-I

Irrigation Scheme

(Any further Corrigendum if required will be done Online

only)

Name & address of the EE. :-

(1) The Executive Engineer , Rajkot Irrigation Division, Opp.

Prayag "C" Apptt., Near Jilla Seva sadan-II, Race corse

Road, Rajkot. - 360001, Gujarat State. (Ph. 0281 -

2441125)

Further details can be seen at www.statetenders.com &

www.nwr.nprocure.com and notice board of this office.

Last date & time of submission of on line bid: - up to date

22/09/2021 up to 18.00 hours IST only on Web site

www.nwr.nprocure.com INF/Raj/757/2021

Ahmedabad

GUJARAT 7WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM


TENDER NOTICE

GUJARAT WATER SUPPLY & SEWERAGE BOARD

TENDER NOTICE NO. E-09/2021-22 ID No.480731The Executive Engineer, P.H. Mechanical Division "Jal

bhavan" Bilkha Road Junagadh 362001 ,(Pbone No

0285-2622331) invites e-tender in Two Cover bid system,

from Registrar Electric Contractor in "E-1" Class or above

By R & B Dept. for below mentioned work. SITC of

Floating barge inc. Reparing of 2 nos. of existing barge;

Loading, Carting, shifting of pumping Machinery & acc.

from Mech. store Porbandar, unloading at Fodara dam

site ITC Complete with 6-Month of Compo O&M of P.M.

at Fodara dam H.W. site & on Completion of O&M, dis-

mantling of the same incl. Loading, carting, and unload-

ing at store at Porbandar Dist. Tender documents can be

seen / downloaded and submitted on website

http://www.nprocure.com The last date of submission for

tender is Dt. 21/09/2021 up to 18.00 hrs. All amendments

regarding this tender shall be published online only. Right

to reject anyone or all offers reserved by competent

authority without assigning any reason. For any complaint

regarding Rural water supply contact on toll free No.

1916. INF/JUNA/ADVT/481/21

District Water & Sanitation Unit - Kheda

Tender Notice No.17 of 2021-22

2nd Attempt

Tender ID No. 481018, 481005, 481027

Unit Manager, District Water and Sanitation Unit WASMO,

Kheda Gujarat State Invites Online Tenders on behalf of

Diffrent Village Pani Samittee for below mentioned work.

1. Name of Work:- Total nos of 03 works in different Villages

of in Village Water Supply Scheme.

2. Total Estimated Cost:- From Rs.5.13 Lac to Rs.6.67 Lac.

3. Last Date of submission of Tender:- Dt.16/09/2021 up to

18.00 Hrs

4. Last Date of submission of Physical Documentss of

Tender:- up to 17/09/2021 up to 15.00 Hrs

Further information is available at website www.nprocure.com

Control room is functioning at the state level for rural level

water supply schemes where toll free number 1916 can be

contacted for water related complaints/suggestionsINF/NAD/321/2021-22

E-TENDERING TENDER NOTICE NO.11 OF 2021-2022

Road and Building Department

Government of Gujarat

On Behalf of Governor of Gujarat State the Executive Engineer,

Capital Project Electrical Division, 3rd Floor, ''B'' Block, Patnagar

Yojana Bhavan, Sector No. 16, Gandhinagar (Ph. No. 079-

23259455) Pin Code No. 382016 invites online tender through E-

Tendering System from Original Manufacturers of Lifts for Two work

Estimate cost of Rs. 17.72 Lakhs to Rs. 43.43 Lakhs.

The Tender Documents can be downloaded and online

submitted on website www.nprocure.com up to Dt. 09/09/2021 to

Dt. 27/09/2021 till 12.00 hrs. Tender will be opened on 27/09/2021 at

12.05 hrs at Division/circle office, Gandhinagar.

More details of work can be available from the above website and

our office's address. INF/1046/21-22

GURU GHASIDAS VISHWAVIDYALAYA,( A Central University established by the Central Universities Act, 2009 No.25 of 2009)

KONI, BILASPUR (C.G.)-495009, Tel.-07752-260017, Fax-07752-260154 web www.ggu.ac.inS.No.3321 /Rec/Admn/2021 Bilaspur, Dated : 06-09-2021

ADVERTISEMENT FOR FILLING UP OF VARIOUS STATUTORY NON-TEACHING POSITIONSApplications from eligible candidates in prescribed format are invited For appointment on Statutory Positions ofRegistrar (01 UR) (On 3 years term basis), Finance Officer (01 UR) (On 3 years term basis).1. Duly filled in Applications should reach, to the Registrar, Guru Ghasidas Vishwavidyalaya, Koni, Bilaspur, through

Registered or Speed Post only, on or before 08-10-20212. Candidate must enclose non-refundable application fee of Rs. 500 (Exempted for SC/ST/PH candidates) in the form

of a Online fee payment available at University Website or Demand Draft drawn on any nationalized bank in favor ofThe Registrar, Guru Ghasidas Vishwavidyalaya, Bilaspur (C.G.) payable at Bilaspur (C.G.).

3. Reservation and Relaxations will be given as per GOI/UGC Rules to all the persons belong to SC/ST/OBC/PH/EWScategory.

4. The University reserves the right to cancel the advertisement, not to fill any post and also to alter the nature and num-ber of vacancies/ appointments if the circumstances so warrant.

5. For details of minimum eligibility, general instructions and other information please visit the university websitewww.ggu.ac.in.

6. Any change or amendment in this advertisement shall be displayed on the University website only, therefore the aspir-ing candidates are advised to visit University website regularly and remain updated.

REGISTRAR

Walk in Interview Health Dept-Diu

(U. T. of BNH & Daman & Diu)

Health Department Diu, U. T. of NNH & Daman & Diu

is going to conduct walk Interview for filling up the

post of Radiologist-1, Gynacologist-2, Pediatrician-2,

Orthopedic-1, Pathologist-1, under UT Plan nd

Physician-1, Psychiatrist-1, Microbiologist-1 & Staff

Nurse-1 under N.H.M. on 16/09/2021, 10:00 AM

onwards at Collectorate-Diu. For More Details Kindly

visit www.diu.gov.in

Sd/-

Health Officer, Diu

CHC, Ghoghla-02875252244

In the name and on behalf of Governor Gujarat State the Executive Engineer, Tapi(R&B) Division, Vyara, Jill Seva Sadan, Block No.10, 2nd Floor, Panwadi, Vyara,Dist.: Tapi, Ph. No. (02626) 220418 invited online tender two cover bid system(Qualification + Technical & Pric bid) in B-1 form the Contractors Registered inGujarat State or any other state or C.P.W.D. of the Class shown below or equiv-alent class for the work as under.

Sr Name of Work Estimated E.M.D. Tender EligibilityNo cost Rs. in Rs. fee Class of

in Rs. registration

1 Construction of (1) Major 8,55,39,250.94 8,55,400/- 12000/- ''AA'' ClassBridge a/c Mindhola river & Sp.at. Shyadla km. 127/800 Cat-lto 128/0, (2) Minor Bridge (Bridge)a/c Moti Chik Khadi at.Butwada at. Km. 118/600to 118/700. (3) Const. of(B/s widening of canalStructure) Box culvert a/cMajor canal at. Bedchit at.Km. 102/600 to 102/700Ta.Valod, Dist.Tapi

The Bid document will be available on website http://rnb.nprocure.com andInformation deptt. website http://statetenders.com on Dtd.04/10/2021 up to18.00 PM & submission of bid document online on Dtd.04/10/2021 up to 18.00 PM.Tender Online opening will be held in the office of Superintending Engineer,Surat (R&B) Circle, Surat on Dtd.05/10/2021 at 12.00 Hrs.Tender Pri-bid conference is Dt.27/09/2021 at 12.00 Hrs. onward in the office ofSuperintending Engineer, (R&B) Circle, SuratD.D. of Tender fee E.M.D. or exemption Certificate shall be submitted inElectronic format along with Reg. Certi., Bank Solvency (Valid) Partnership deedBy scanning only.Original of Tender fee D.D. and EMD Certificate shall be submitted in physicalform also by R.P.A.D./ Speed Post so as to reach Executive Engineer, Tapi, (R&B)Division, Vyara in sealed cover duly subscribing the name of work only betweenDtd.05/10/2021 to Dt.11/10/2021 during the office hours.For further particular visit us on above mention website. No.: INF-Surat/591/2021

ONLINE TENDERING

ROADS AND BUILDING DEPARTMENT, GUJARAT STATE

TENDER NOTICE NO. 19 OF 2021-22

U.T. ADMINISTRATION OF DADRA & NAGAR

HAVELI AND DAMAN & Diu

DEPARTMENT OF TOURISM,

INFORMATION & PUBLICITY, DIU.

No.3-9/DT-ADM/(Part)/2021-22/259 Dated: - 06/09/2021.

E - TENDER NOTICE

On behalf of the President of India, the Additional

Director (Tourim), Diu invites sealed e-tenders for SS

Unipole Hoarding Fabrication with Installation. The

details is available on Govt. Website www.diu.gov.in. &

e-Tender ID: 2021_DIUDT_1835_1.

Sd/-

Additional Director

(Tourisam), Diu

In the name and on behalf of The Governor Gujarat State the Executive

Engineer, Tapi (R&B) Division, Vyara, Jill Seva Sadan, Block No.10, 2nd

Floor, Panwadi, Vyara, Dist.: Tapi, Ph. No. (02626) 220418 Vyara Office

under Estimate Cost Rs. 17.00 Lacs to 25.00 Lacs total 05 Road Works

for Geru-Lime, Painting & Jungle Cutting etc. invited online tender in B-

1 form for the Contractors Registered in Gujarat State or any other state

or C.P.W.D. of the Class shown below or equivalent class for the work

as under.

The Bid document will be available on website http://rnb.nprocure.com

and Information deptt. website http://statetenders.com on

Dtd.17/09/2021 upto 18.00 PM & submission of bid document online

on Dtd.17/09/2021 up to 18.00 PM.

Tender Online opening will be held in the office of Executive Engineer,

Tapi (R&B) Division, Vyara on Dtd.18/09/2021 at 12.00 Hrs.

Original of Tender fee D.D. and EMD certificate shall be submitted in

physical form also by R.P.A.D. / Speed Post so as to reach Executive

Engineer, Tapi (R&B) Division, Vyara in sealed cover duly subscribing

the name of work only between, Dtd.18/09/2021 to Dtd.24/09/2021 dur-

ing the office hours.

For further particular visit us on above mentioned website.

ONLINE TENDERING

ROADS AND BUILDING DEPARTMENT, GUJARAT STATE

TENDER NOTICE NO. 20 OF 2020-21

No.: INF-Surat/600/2021

CIN - U40102GJ2003SGC042906(A subsidiary of Gujarat Urja Vikas Nigam Limited)

Circle Office: - Palanpur. www.ugvcl.com www.guj-epd.gov.in

TENDER NOTICE NO:PLN CO-07; PLN-2 DO-06, 07;

DSA-1 DO-07; DSA-2 DO-14,15; RDN DO-07/2021-22

Tenders are invited, Hiring of Vehicle Bolero for Deputy

Engineer, I/C at Palanpur Circle Office; Hiring of Closed body

Mahindra Bolero or other similar vehicle at Vadgam REC,

Ambaji s/dn, Jalotra s/dn under Palanpur -2 DO; Providing &

fixing transformer fencing at T/C under the area of Danta s/dn

Jalotra s/dn, Vadgam s/dn, Iqbalgadh s/dn under Palanpur-2

DO; Hiring of Truck with driver under Deesa-1 DO;

Maintenance work of H.T LT TC Line by labour charge for RAH

S/Dn under Deesa-2 DO. Erection OF HT, LT Line and TC

work various scheme for RAH S/dn under peesa-2 DO; Labour

work for erection work Gujrat Tourism at Nadabet Suigam

S/Dn Under Radhanpur D.O. (Rann of Kutch Indo Pak border).

The details of the tender can be viewed on www.ugvcl.com &

http://ugvcl.nprocure.com.

Addl. C. E., UGVCL, CO, PALANPUR

** UGVCL Customer Care 24x7 Toll Free No. 1800233 155 335 OR 19121 ""REGISTER YOUR MOBILE NUMBER TO GET THE INFORMATION OF BILL ISSUED & PAYMENT MADE"

NATIONAL AGRICULTURAL CO-OPERATIVEMARKETING FEDERATION OF INDIA LTDA-wing, 6th Floor, Maradia Plaza, C.G. Road, Ahmedabad,

Gujarat – 380006.Tel: 26420581/40049497Email: [email protected] / [email protected]

Sealed tenders are invited from reputed Guarantee Broker/Commission Agentswho are matching the eligibility criteria mentioned in the tender and havingprevious experience in marketing of Onion in APMCs of Mahuva/ Ahmedabad/Gondal /Rajkot/ Vadodara/Surat. Interested parties can obtain tender documentfrom the above address or download from NAFED website: www.nafed-india.com.The last date for submission of tender is 13.09.2021 up to 03:00 pm and would beopened on the same day at 03:30 pm. Branch Manager

From Guarantee Broker/ Commission Agents for Sale of Onion procuredby NAFED under Price Stabilization Funds (PSF) of Government of India

during season 2021-22

Tender No.NAFED/AHM/PSF/ONION/R21/COMM/2021-22/02 Dated : 07.09.2021

Ahmedabad: The AhmedabadManagementAssociation(AMA)held its 64th annual meetingSeptember4andelectedDeevye-shJRadia,executivedirectoroftheOrsettHydraulicsPrivateLimitedwaselectedas thepresident andDr Savan RGodiawala, Partner,Corporate Finance, DeloitteTouche Tohmatsu India LLPwaselected as the vice-president oftheAMAfor2021-2022.ENS


FOLLOWINGPROTESTS by gov-ernment primary school teach-ers, the state government onWednesdaywithdrew its orderincreasingtheworkinghoursofthese teachers toeighthours.FollowingtheCabinetmeet-

ing Wednesday, EducationMinister BhupendrasinhChudasama declared the deci-sionaswithdrawnandsaidthatthe teacherswill continuewiththe existing duty hours from10.30amtill 5pm.“Keepinginviewrequestsre-

ceived from teachers, especiallyfromwomen teachers, the stategovernment has decided to notchangetheworkinghoursofgov-

ernment primary teachers andlet them follow the 10.30-5 pmschedule,” EducationMinisterBhupendrasinhChudasamatoldTheIndianExpress.OnAugust 27, the state edu-

cationdepartmentissuedanor-der to all districts primary edu-cation officers andadministrative officers to fixteaching hours for all govern-ment primary teachers to eighthours per day. The departmenthadcitedthedecisionmadeun-derRighttoEducation(RTE)Act.However, president of

Rashtriya SaikshikMahasanghBhikhabhaiPatelallegedthatthestategovernment’sdecisiontoin-crease the working hours ofteachers was as a “vindictive”movetowhichtheyobjected.“After teachersopposedand

boycottedtheeducationdepart-ment’s sajjata survekshan-anexam for teachers, it decided topunishus.There isnootherrea-son to implement this eight-hour ruleat thispointof time. Ifthis is under RTE Act thenwhywas it not implemented in alltheseyearsandonlyafterwedidnot participate in the exam,”BhikhabhaiPateltoldthispaper.Withwomenhavingalarger

representation in the teacherworkforce the womenwing oftheassociationhadsubmittedarepresentation to the state gov-ernment onMonday demand-ing tocancel itsorder.Theeducationdepartmentin

itsordertoimplementtheeight-hours rule stated, “It is to bringto your notice that as perGovernmentResolutionof state

educationdepartmentissuedonFebruary 18,2011making eighthoursforteachersfromMondayto Friday and five hours onSaturday still exists.No resolu-tionwasissuedbytheeducationdepartment tocancel this.”According to RTE Act, a

teacherwill spend aminimumof 45 hours in teaching includ-ingpreparationhoursinaweek.Asperthenotificationissued

by the state education depart-mentonFebruary18,2011fortheimplementationofRTEActinthestate,duringanacademicsession,forschoolsfromclasses1-5,ato-talof200workingdayshasbeenfixedwithaminimum800hourswhile forclasses6-8, itwasfixedas 220dayswith aminimumof1,000hoursofeducationwork.Further breaking this into

weeks,itstatedthatteachershavetowork45hoursperweek, thusfrom Monday to Friday, eighthoursandonSaturdayfivehours.Also, lowerprimaryteachers

havetodoaminimumof4hoursofclassworkeveryday.Thiswasfixedas fivehours forupperpri-mary teachers. The time spenton preparation for class work,evaluation of assignments andpreparationsforthenextdaycanbecountedas remaininghours.However, teachers have to

remain present in the schoolduring this time the GR statedwhich was applicable to allschoolsirrespectiveofanyboardschools areaffiliated toandanymediumof instruction.Thiswasto be implemented from June2011,beginningofacademicses-sion2010-11.

EXPRESSNEWSSERVICEVADODARA,SEPTEMBER8

THE VADODARA rural SpecialOperations Group (SOG) onWednesdayarrestedtwowomenforallegedlytransportingoversixkilogramsofcannabisfromSurat,attheKarjantollplaza,whiletheywereplanning to escape thepo-licecheckpostsetupafterreceiv-ingaspecificinput.Ona tip-off that twowomen

dressed as a local gypsy clanwould travel towardsVadodarafromSurat,carryingastashofnar-cotics, the SOG started checkingvehiclespassingbytheKarjantollnaka -- the first toll inVadodaradistrict for passengers comingfromSurat."The women, who were

dressed exactly as the informerhad described.When they sawthepolicecheckpostanddecidedtostartwalkingawaybeforetheirvehicle reached the checkingpoint.Butwespottedthemtryingto escape and thepolice officerscordonedthearea.Werecovered6.15kgofganjaworthRs61,470aswell as amobile phone fromthewomen,"saidVadodararuralSOGPoliceInspectorDivansinhVala.Thewomenhavebeenidenti-

fiedasKamlaVinodParmaraliasGanga(35)andDollyParmar(34)aliasLeela,whoareco-sistersandresidents of Ganeshnagar inAhmedabad.

Thewomenwerebookedun-dersectionsofNarcoticDrugsandPsychotropic Substances (NDPS)Act1985,fortranshippingnarcoticdrugandpsychotropicsubstance,exceptforlicensedmedicalorsci-entific purposes [8(c)], punish-mentforcontraventioninrelationtothecannabisplant,andbeinginpossessionof aquantitywhichislesser than commercial quantitybutgreaterthana'smallquantity'[20(B)(2)(b)],andpunishmentforabetment and criminal conspir-acyunderNDPSAct,whether ornot the offence is committed(Section29).The SOG has initiated a fur-

therprobe to trackdownothersinvolvedinthecrimeanddetailsof the receiver of the consign-ment that the women weretransporting.

Theaccusedareco-sistersandAhmedabadresidents.

EXPRESSNEWSSERVICESURAT,SEPTEMBER8

DAMANPOLICEonSeptember7arrestedUmeshPatel,whorunsaschoolnamedofSwamiVivekan-and Hindi Vidhyalay in NaniDaman,forallegedlyabettingthesuicideofoneofhisemployees.Accordingtopolice, Prashant

Shahis(32),aresidentofDalwadavillageinNaniDamanworkingasaclerkat the school runbyPatel,allegedlydiedbysuicidebyhang-inghimself at his flat atDivashriinDaman,onSeptember5.

KishanShahis,fatherofPrash-ant, lodged a complaint againstUmeshPatel andalleged thathissonwasharassedbyPateloverdif-ferentreasonsandthishasdrivenhimtotakesuchanextremestep.Prashant’s father further al-

legeddue to theharassment, hissonhad stoppedgoing toworksat theschool.NaniDamanpoliceregistered an offence under IPCsection306(abetmentofsuicide)against Patel and arrested himUmeshPatel,whowasacloseaideoflateDadraandNagarHaveliMPMohanDelkar,hadunsuccessfullycontested the 2019 Lok Sabha

pollsasanindependentcandidatefromDamanandDiu.Accordingtopolice,Patelhad

anargumentwithPrashantathisoffice over amonetary disputeand used to threaten him overphone,asaresultofwhichPrasha-nt stoppedgoing tohis job in theschool. Nani Daman police in-spector Sohel Jiwani said, “WehavearrestedUmeshPatelunderIPC section306andhave startedaprobe.Wearetryingtodigupin-formationaboutwhatwashisis-suewithPrashant.Atpresentitisdifficult to say anything as thematterisunderinvestigation.”

Education deptwithdraws order oneight-hour duty for primary teachers

Rajkot:RamaAgrawat,a50-year-oldhomemakerfromJetalsarvil-lage of Rajkot, whose husband,sonand two in-laws succumbedtoCovid-19 inApril this year, al-legedly died by suicide at herhome,policesaidonWednesday.“Rama consumedpoison on

September6.ShewasrushedtoahospitalinJetpurtownwhereshewasdeclareddead,”apoliceoffi-cerof Jetpurtalukapolicestationsaid.Rama’s husband RajeshAgrawat(49),aschoolvandriver,had succumbedwhile undergo-ing treatment in a hospital inJunagadhwith Covid-19 symp-tomsonApril 19 even ashis RT-PCR test report eventually re-turned negative. However, thecouple’ssonOm(17),andRajesh’sparents—father Parsottam andmotherMangala testedpositiveforCovid-19.Accordingtofamily,OmsuccumbedtoCovid-19whileundergoingtreatmentinahospi-tal in Porbandar onApril 21. Thefollowingday,Parsottam,aretiredrailway employee andMangaladiedjustafewhoursapart.ENS

Daman police arrests school ownerfor ‘abetting’ employee’s suicide

Vadodara SOG arrests 2women with 6 kg cannabis

Woman who losthusband, in-lawsto Covid-19‘dies by suicide’

GUJARATCONFIDENTIAL

NO MISUNDERSTANDINGTHEVADODARAdistrictunitoftheBJPrushedintowaterdowna feud between twoheavyweights—MLAKetan Inamdar ofSavli and BarodaDairy ChairmanDinesh Patel. Inamdar andPatelwere inacoldwareversince Inamdar,who isamemberoftheBarodaDairy,raisedquestionsofcorruptionintheDairycooperativeinalettertoChiefMinisterVijayRupanilastweek.OnMonday,whenRupaniarrivedforaneventinPadra,Inamdarcame tomeetRupani.Miffedby Inamdar's presence, Patel al-legedlywalkedoutoftheroom.OnTuesday,districtleadersgotInamdarandPateltocallatruceatthehouseofanelectedrep-resentative of theVadodaraMunicipal Corporation. A seniorBJP leader,whowas at themeeting, said, “After the interven-tionoftheleaders,PatelagreedtoconsiderInamdar'squestionsandPatel'sexplanationshelpedInamdarunderstandthefacts.Themisunderstandingwascleared."

COOPERATIVE DOMINANCEEVENBEFOREUnionHomeMinisterAmitShahwasgiventhead-ditional newportfolio of Co-operationMinistry, twoGujaratiswereheadingtwoimportantnationalcooperativefederations.InNovemberlastyear,DilipSanghani,acooperativeleaderfromAmreliwaselectedchairmanofNationalCooperativeUnionofIndia (NCUI). Before that, hewas also vice-chairman in IndianFarmersFertilizerCooperativeLimited(IFFCO).JyotindraMehta,a cooperative leader from Rajkot is heading the NationalFederation of Urban Cooperative Banks andCredit SocietiesLimited(NAFCUB).InKrishakBharatiCooperativeLimited(KRIB-HCO),twooutof13boardofdirectorsarefromGujarat.Sanghaniis also amemberof boardof directors of National CooperativeMarketingFederation(NAFED).

VIOLATION OF SOPTheSOPsissuedinthewakeoftheCovid-19pandemicincourt-roomsduring in-personproceedingswere not adhered to inoneof the19courtsof theGujaratHighCourtonWednesday.Over200matterswerelistedforhearinginthecourt--amongthehighest in a single court. During thehearing at afternoon,theseatsinthecourtroomwerefullyoccupied,whileSOPsayspeopleshouldbesittinginalternateseats.Theadvocates,clients,policepersonnelandotherswerealsoseenstandingwhereverspacewasavailable.

AMA gets newpresident andvice-president

Ahmedabad

8


OLD GHOSTS RETURNNewgovernment inKabul is shadowedbyterror, its leversare

pulledbyPakistan. India, andworld,havetaskcutout

THREEWEEKSAFTER capturing Afghanistan, the Taliban have a government

inKabul,andareofficiallyinchargeofrunningthecountry,whichwillhence-

forthbeknownasthe IslamicEmirateofAfghanistan.Contrary to theexpec-

tationthat thedelay ingovernmentformationcouldbeasignofefforts toset

upan“inclusive”dispensation,therearenowomen,noHazara—thepresenceofanUzbek

andtwoTajiksistheonlynodtominorities—inthisset-up,whichaspokesmandescribed

as “caretaker” until thenewrulers bring in their ownConstitution. For now, though, the

listof33personswhowillholdhighoffice inthenewKabulgovernmentasCabinetmin-

istersandinotherpositions,appearstoreflect internalpullsandpressures,andwrangles

between factions of the Taliban, and no less, the influence of at least one external actor,

Pakistan.Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar,who had once attempted to bypass the Pakistan

Army to speak to thenAfghanPresidentHamidKarzai, hasbeenpusheddownthehier-

archytonumber2,andwillbeoneoftwodeputiestoPrimeMinisterMullahMohammad

HassanAkhund,ahardlinerwhosupervisedtheblastingof theBamiyanBuddhas.

TheroleofPakistan’spowerfulspyagencyintheformationof thegovernmentwasno

secret, given theopenpresenceof itshead, LtGeneral FaizHameed, inKabul. Theselec-

tionof fivemembersof theHaqqaniNetwork,adistinctgroupwithintheTaliban,which

hashadcosyrelationswiththePakistanisecurityestablishmentfornearlyfourdecades,

speakstoitsinfluencewiththenewdispensation.Atleasttwoofthefive,thenewInterior

Minister SirajuddinHaqqani, andhis uncle Khalil Haqqani, are globally designated ter-

rorists, as isPrimeMinisterAkhund.Clearly, theTalibanareconfidentenoughtobelieve

that international legitimacywill follow, irrespective of who they include or leave out.

Indeed,thismaybetheTaliban’swayofputtingpressureontheworldtorecogniseitsvic-

tory, lift thesanctionsagainst individuals, and thegroup.

Nowtheball is in thecourtof therestof theworld.Thechallengebefore the interna-

tionalcommunity,includingDelhi, istocometoadecisiononrecognisingthenewTaliban

regimeandengaging it. Theremaybenounanimity on this.Who themembers of gov-

ernmentareinanothercountryshouldnotnormallymatter in internationaldiplomacy.

Yetif theAfghaninteriorministerissomeonenamedbytheworld’sintelligenceagencies

forblowinguptheIndianEmbassyinKabul,andahostileneighbourispullingthelevers

of theKabul government, it gets decidedly tricky. The presence of the RussianNational

SecurityAdviserandtheheadoftheCIAinDelhionWednesdayareindicationsthatIndia

maynotbe theonlyonewithconcerns, or staringatadifficult challenge.

CASTE OF CHARACTERS

BSPoutreachtoBrahminspointstoreturntoanolderstrategyfor

theparty,andanewchurninUPpoliticsaheadofassemblypolls

THECOUNTDOWNTOthebattle forUttarPradesh,whereassemblyelections

are due early next year, seems to have begun. Afterwhat appeared to be an

extendedperiodofpoliticalhibernation,theBSPhascompleteditsfirstphase

ofmeetings inanapparentbid to rebuildacoalitionof extremescombining

itscorebase,Dalits,andBrahmins.Avicharsangoshthi(symposium)inLucknowTuesday

marked the conclusionof theparty’s Brahminoutreachprogrammethatwas launched

amonthago,significantly, fromAyodhya.TheBJPhasdominatedUPsincethe2014gen-

eralelectionbyforgingaformidableHindutvavotebankthattrumpedthelogicofMandal

politics,whichhadpitchforked theOBCs,particularlyYadavs, andDalits, topower.

For theBSP, theBrahminoutreach is a throwback to a tactic it had tried successfully

inthe2007assemblyelection.AfterthefailureofpoliticalcoalitionswiththeSPandBJP,

the BSP had sought to broaden its own support base by forgingwider social alliances.

This strategywas explained as a shift from bahujan samaj to sarvajan samaj, which in-

cludeduppercastegroupsthatwereexcludedfromKanshiRam’sformulationandplan.

“Bhaichara (brotherhood)”meetingswere held to firm up the Dalit-Brahmin alliance,

whichwas founded on the tactical logic that two communities thatwere not in direct

competition for resourcesorpower, especially in rural areas, could joinhands foroffice,

with a Dalit CMholding the reins of power and the upper caste group regaining influ-

enceinpowerstructuresthatit lostaftertheMandalmoment.Thealliancepeteredaway

in thewakeof theBJP’sembraceof ahardlineHindutvaagendathat resonatedwithup-

percastesand,mostimportantly,becauseof thelackof intentonbothsidestotransform

anelection tactic intoasocial strategy that couldeventually riseabovecaste.

While it’s tooearly topredictwhere theBSP’snewturnwill take it, thereare indica-

tionsof resentments among theBrahmincommunity, estimated toconstitute about11

percentofthepopulationinUP,duetotheAdityanathgovernment’sperceivedtilttowards

anotheruppercastegroup,Thakurs. Inrecentmonths,theBJPhasalsobeenactivelycon-

solidating thesupportof variousOBCgroupsbyofferingpatronage, includingminister-

shipsinthestateandintheCentre. Issuesofcasteprideandresentmentcometothefore

in UPwhen elections are held in a relatively less communally polarised environment.

TheBJPmayhave todealwith the several contradictionswithin theHindutvabloc as it

prepares forpolls.

DR BIDEN AT WORK

FirstFLOTUStohavea full-time job isamilestone.

There isa longroadahead

ASOF SEPTEMBER7,Dr Jill Biden is back to teaching inperson atNorthern

VirginiaCommunityCollege,where shehas taught since2009. She isbe-

ing hailed bymany for being the first-ever First Lady of theUnited States

tohavea full-time joboutside theWhiteHouse.Herdecision isn’texactly

news:Almost as soonasherhusbandwaselectedpresident lastNovember,MrsBiden

haddeclaredthatshehadnointentionofquittingher job.“Teachingisn’t justwhat Ido;

it’swho I am,” she said.

JillBiden’s firmanduncompromisingassertionofanidentityseparate fromherhus-

band’shasbeenalongtimecoming—almostninedecades,infact,sinceEleanorRoosevelt,

an indefatigable campaigner for progressive causes, redefined the role of the FLOTUS.

Anditwasn’teasy.Considerhowharshcriticswere,evenuntiltheswearing-ininJanuary,

whenBiden refused todrop thehard-earned “Dr” fromhername. Back in1978,Hillary

Rodhamwascriticisedforkeepinghermaidennameandlawpracticeafterherhusband

Bill Clintonwaselectedgovernorof Arkansas.Of course, shewenton tobuildapolitical

careerforherself,beingsworninasNewYorksenatorjustdaysbeforeherhusband’ssec-

ond termasUSpresident came to an end in 2001. Later,MichelleObama,whoquit her

jobattheUniversityofChicagoMedicalCenteruponbecomingthefirst ladyin2009,too

forgedapathinpubliclifethat,whilecomplementingherhusband’svision,wasenriched

byherownconcernsandinterests.MichelleObamacommandedrespectandadmiration

inherownright.

While thecelebrationof thecurrentFLOTUS’sdecisionshowsthat there’snogoing

backtothedayswhenwomenmarriedtopowerfulpublic figuresplayedamereorna-

mental role, the grumbling that can still beheard is a reminder that big changesdon’t

happen overnight. And that this is merely onemilestone before the next one on the

long road ahead.

Ashok Thakur and S SMantha

Nandita Rao

AcademicBankofCredits,multipleentry-exitoptions,willcallforlargechangesinhighereducation

TYRANNY OF PROPRIETYNormsofpropriety that rewardsilenceandobedienceundermine institutions

IMAGINEASTUDENTdoingaphysicscoursefrom Panjab University, mathematics fromTIFR, chemistry from IISc, an astronomycourse fromAryabhatta Research InstituteofObservationalSciencesandacourse inAIfromIIITHyderabad,dropout forayearandstill have a career in astrophysics — all en-abled by a virtual online entity. Too good tobe true?Well, all this could be a possibilitywhen theUGC starts implementing its tworecent regulations— the Academic Bank ofCreditsandMultipleEntryandExit.ThePMhadalsoannouncedthesesometimeago.TheNational EducationPolicy (NEP), re-

leasedinJuly2020,rightlyobservesthattheeducation delivery system in India is toostructured, rigid and expensive. Studentstend to drop out because of its lack of rele-vance, its failing to sustain their interest orbecauseofaffordability.Thetworegulationscouldchangeallthisbypromotingflexibilityof curriculum framework, interdisciplinar-ityandacademicmobilityforstudentsacrosshigher education institutions, with appro-priatecredittransfermechanisms.Mostim-portantly,theycanfacilitatestudentschoos-ing their learning path to attain a degree,diplomaorcertificationwithmultipleentry-multiple exit options. Above all, the regula-tions aim at student-centric learning, cus-tomisedforeachstudent’sstrengths,needs,skills, and interests. The regulations are,therefore, being showcased as star recom-mendations of NEP and game-changers forhighereducation.While it isdifficult to fault itatatheoret-

icallevel,thegapbetweentheperceptiononwhich the initiative is based and reality isperceptible. Tobeginwith, canayoungstu-dentof15or16meaningfullyselectthebestcoursesorcombinationofcoursestosuitheraptitude or her future? Even if she can, shemaynot be able to tailor her degrees as shewishes,asthecontroloverthenomenclatureof the degree rests solely with the UGC.Besides, it does notmake sense to issue thesamedegreetostudents followingdifferentcurricula. Regarding flexibility in the choiceof subjects, if 50 per cent of the curriculummustbecarriedoutwithinthedegree-grant-

inginstitute,thenthereisactuallylittleflex-ibility left for the student. A similar conceptofa“MetaUniversity”wasattemptedin2012that failed to take off despite aUGC regula-tion,primarilydue to thesilomentalityandegohasslesof theheadsof institutions.Multiple entry/exits for students to

complete degrees at their pace with theflexibility to choose courses across disci-plines isagreat thoughtbutdifficult to im-plement. The National Skill QualificationFramework(NSQF)tookalmostadecadetocome to fruition with nothing tangible toshow for it. It has similar enabling provi-sions for vocational education. How arethings going to be different this time?Besides, if a student chooses to drop a yearor two into a degree programme, the issueofhisemployability remainsunresolved.Asimilar argument had been used by thepresent dispensation while pulling downDelhiUniversity’sFive-YearUndergraduateProgramme unceremoniously in 2014.Interestingly, the tables havenowbeen re-versedwithFYUPbeing incorporated lock,stock andbarrel into theNEP.If flexibilitywithqualitywerethetenets,

why limitcoursesonly to thoseavailableonSWAYAM,NPTEL,V-Lab,etc, forcredittrans-fer and credit accumulation? One mustrecognisethatqualityisnotrestrictedtogov-ernmentportals. Just as the jurisdictionof auniversitydefeatstheverypurposeofoffer-ingquality education to anyonewhowantsit, limiting thenumberof students register-ing for a course in a certain university alsodefeatsthepurposeofaccumulatingcredits.Also,whypreventcredits fromgoodforeigninstitutions frombeing recognised?Withouttheuseoftechnologytoauthen-

ticate and store digital records in a distrib-uted system, proving the authenticity ofcredits awarded by various institutions canbeanightmare.TheacademicbureaucracyinIndiaisnotoriousandcannotberelieduponto implement such path-breaking changes.Gettingamigrationcertificatefromoneuni-versity to another or simply getting tran-scriptsofone’sownmarks,evenfromanes-tablisheduniversity,canbeonerous.Trusting

our present system to handle the compli-catedissuesofentry-exitandaccumulationof credits is asking for themoon.Student-centric learningcustomised for

each student's strengths comes at a cost. Itimplieshugebudgetaryallocationsintermsof improvingtheteacher-studentratiofromthepresent1:30to1:5.Thefacultywillneedtobereorientedtobecomeguidesandmen-tors, from just teachers. Besides improvingrecordmaintenance,theconductofcredibleassessment, transferof creditsandawardofdegreeswithsimilarqualitylevelsacrossin-stitutionswillrequiresubstantialfundsbothformanpower as well as IT infrastructure.With the total central education budgetfalling constantly by 4.14 per cent in 2014-15,3.4percent in2019-20andby6percentin2021-22, this seems tobea tall order. It isclear thatunless the implementationof thenewregulations results in thegenerationofsurpluses, no institutionwill be willing tocomeforwardandbecomeapartof it.FortheobjectivesofNEP—“Curriculum

and pedagogy will be transformed, rotelearningminimisedencouragingholisticde-velopment with 21st-century skills” — tosucceed,greatcommitmentwillberequiredfromeverystakeholder, fromtheCentreandUGC to VCs, faculty and non-faculty staff.TheAcademicBankofCreditsanditsaccom-panyingregulationsareperhapsnottheso-lutionsforallevilbuttheproposaldoeshavesome innovative ideas, including one on afeestructurebasedoncreditsearned.Betterstillwould have been to try it on apilot ba-sis through themuch-talked-about VirtualUniversity,whereuniversitiesandother in-stitutionsinIndiabecomecollaborators,cre-ating their own or sourcing content fromSWAYAM, Coursera, EdX or Udemy andother similar providers. It is an ideawhosetime has come. In times to come, the levelandqualityof its implementationwillbeanindicatorof thehealthofhighereducationinthe country.

Thakur is former secretary to theGovernmentof India,MHRDandMantha is

formerchairman,AICTE

NORMSOFPROPRIETYonce legitimisedtheforcedmarriage of a prepubescent girl to amanoldenoughtobehergrandfather. Theypermitted the buying and selling of humanbeings as slaves andendorsed the silenceofajudicialsystemandcivilsocietywhilemen,womenandchildrenweredeprivedofallcivilrightsandgassedtodeath,simplyonaccountof the religion they professed. Propriety is adangerousyardstickbywhichtojudgeaper-son,becauseinasocietywhosepolityandin-stitutionsarethreatenedbymoraldecayandideologicalcorruption,itoftenjustifiesthesi-lencingoftruth,thecriminalisationofdissentandtheperpetuationofcowardiceinthefaceof injustice and blatant illegality. Of no lessimportance is the fact that propriety has noobjective yardstick bywhich anyone’s con-duct canbe tested. Thereare still communi-tieswhereeducatingadaughtercouldresultin social ostracism,while dowry demands,despitebeing illegal, are acceptedwithoutamurmur.It is, therefore, unfortunate that the legal

professionremainslargelyregulatedbynormsofproprietythataredisproportionatelyusedtocontrolthebarandkeepitfromchallenginganyactionsof thebenchthatmaybeopaqueandarbitrary.Whileorderscanbechallengedbyappeal,improperrostermanagement,un-faircollegiumrecommendations,blatantbiasinfavourof selectcounselsandconflictof in-terest inhearings fall in the grey zoneof im-propriety,whichaffectthedispensationofjus-tice and yet have no formalmechanism ofredressal. It is assumed that the bar and the

open court systemwould ensure that theseactionsarecalledoutandcorrected.However,a lawyer’s licence canbedenieddue to “un-gentlemanlyconduct”undertheBarCouncilrules.Alawyercanbedenieddesignationasasenioradvocate,despiteobviousanddemon-stratedlegalmeritandintegrity.Justaseasily,recognitioncanbewithdrawnfromthosedes-ignated as senior,without any criteria beingestablished apriori to define the “propriety”expected of lawyers in the face of grave im-proprietybythebench.Thelackofconsistencyand uniformity in bestowing these punish-mentsfurthertheperceptionofpersecution.The use of criminal contempt against

members of the bar has become common-placeover the last decade. Fromsomethingassmallasatweettoactionsasnecessaryasstrikes,allareclubbedwithconductwhichisscandalising or lowers the authority of anycourt. This is done without scrutinisingwhethertheauthorityofthecourtwasbeingexercisedwithintheconfinesof legalityandwhether the intent of themembers of thebarwastoscandaliseor lowertheauthorityof the court. The objective appears to be tocreate an atmosphere of fear amongmem-bersof thebar.Suchanobjectivecannotfur-ther themajestyof a judicial institution,be-causerespectcannotbedemanded; itmustbecommanded.TheBritishEmpiresortedoutdisputesbe-

tween “gentlemen” over a cup of tea, as itwere,while harsher actionwas reserved forthenativeswhowerebelievedtobeincapableofgentlemanlymethodsofresolutionandhad

tobeshownthestick.Itappearsthatoverthepastdecade,therelationshipbetweenthebarand benchhas gone fromone ofmutual re-spect and equality to the one between rulerand ruled. Obedience is rewarded,while in-dependent thought is seen as a threat to thesystemandabadexampletothenextgener-ationof lawyers.Independent thinking has always been

perceivedasathreat.Socrateswasputontrialand awarded the deathpenalty for teachingpeople to think.His prosecutorsmaintainedthatheworshippedgodsthestatedidnotandintroducednewdivinities, butmost of all hewasguiltyof corrupting theyoungbyteach-ingthemaccordingly.Inhisdefence,Socratesargued, “I have somethingmore to say, atwhichyoumaybeinclinedtocryout;butIbe-lievethattohearmewillbegoodforyou,andtherefore I beg that youwill not cry out, Iwouldhave youknow, that if you kill such aone as I am, youwill injure yourselvesmorethanyouwill injureme.”Hiswords seem tobeawarningthatinsocietieswherenormsofpropriety rewardsilenceandobedience, evilcanassumebrazenproportions.Acourt’sauthorityisbuiltbyitsjudgments

and itsmajesty is basedon theordinary citi-zen’s confidence that the court stands be-tween himand unjust executive action. Nocriticcanlowertheauthorityormajestycom-manded by independent and robust courts,andsilencinganycriticismwillnotrestorelostauthorityormajesty.

Thewriter isaDelhi-basedlawyer

Without the use oftechnology to authenticateand store digital records in adistributed system, provingthe authenticity of creditsawarded by variousinstitutions can be anightmare. The academicbureaucracy in India isnotorious and cannot berelied upon to implementsuch path-breaking changes.Getting a migrationcertificate from oneuniversity to another orsimply getting transcripts ofone’s own marks, even froman established university,can be onerous. Trustingour present system tohandle the complicatedissues of entry-exit andaccumulation of credits isasking for the moon.

From something as small asa tweet to actions asnecessary as strikes, all areclubbed with conduct whichis scandalising or lowers theauthority of any court. Thisis done without scrutinisingwhether the authority of thecourt was being exercisedwithin the confines oflegality and whether theintent of the members of thebar was to scandalise orlower the authority of thecourt. The objective appearsto be to create anatmosphere of fear amongmembers of the bar.

FOUNDED BY

RAMNATH GOENKA

B E C A U S E T H E T R U T H I N V O L V E S U S A L L

§ §


WORDLYWISE

Revolution is not a one-time event.

— Audre LordeTHEEDITORIALPAGE

The challenge of flexibility

PRIVILEGE MOTION

GEORGE FERNANDES HAS given notice ofbreach of privilege against Arun Shourie ofTheIndianExpressforcallingFinanceMinisterR Venkataram, “a petty liar”. The speaker,BalramJakhar,toldtheLokDalmemberthathewould give his ruling on the notice afterlookingintothefacts.Earlier,asthehouseas-sembled,MandhuDandavate of the JanataParty offered to lay on the table certain re-ceipts accepting donations in the name oftheIndiraGandhiPratibhaPratishthan.AtalBihariVajpayeedemandedthat thegovern-ment place the original trust deed in thehouse. The Speaker rejected both the re-

quests. Fernandes said that by callingVenkataraman a liar, Shourie had commit-tedabreachofprivilege. If theprivilegemo-tionagainstVenkataramanhadfailed,itmuststandagainstShourie.Hesaid thathecouldnot accept the Speaker’s position that hewould take timetodecideonthe issue.

GRIFFIN AFFAIR

EXTERNAL AFFAIRS MINISTER P VNarasimhaRaotoldtheLokSabhathatwhilethe Griffin Affair had created a “temporaryphase”ofbitterness inIndo-USrelations,hewas not prepared to say thatWashington’srefusaltoacceptadiplomatamountedtoan

unfriendly act. Rao also denied that India’srefusal toacceptGriffinaspolitical counsel-lor in the US embassywas a result of pres-sure fromanyquarter.

SOLIDARITY’S SUPPORT

POLAND’SSOLIDARITYEXPRESSEDsupportforafreetradeunionmovementthroughouttheSovietblocanddenouncedwhatitcalled“theliesbeingdisseminatedagainstus”.Themessage was addressed to workers inAlbania, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, EastGermany,Hungary,RomaniaandtheSovietUnion. “Our aim is to struggle for better liv-ingstandards forall people,” it said.

SEMPTEBER 9, 1981, FORTYYEARSAGO

Ahmedabad


WHATTHEOTHERSSAY

“It is in the best interests of Afghanistan for the country’s new rulers to create atruly inclusive administration.”

—DAWN,PAKISTANTHE IDEASPAGE


The EAT-Lancet diet, whichrecommends a healthy andsustainable diet given theconstraints on the planet, isnot affordable for themajority of the population inIndia. A recent study of theTata-Cornell institute showsthat the cost of the EAT-Lancet dietaryrecommendations for ruralIndia ranges between $3 and$5 per person per day. Incontrast, actual dietaryintake at present is valued ataround $1 per person per day.The gap is much more formeat, fish, poultry, dairy andfruits. In fact, even in ruralareas, processed foods likepotato chips and biscuits arecheaper and available ascompared to fruits andvegetables.

THOSEWHO lovemusic will be familiarwith the nameof EnriqueMartínMorales,better known as RickyMartin. Unless youarealawyeroraCA,youmaynotknowthatthePuertoRicansingerhadafamousprob-lemwith India’s tax department. I was re-mindedofthisincidentbecauseIreadajust-published book, edited byMukesh ButaniandKinshukJha,ontaxpayerrights.Legallyspeaking,thecasewasbetweenSonyMusicEntertainment and the DeputyCommissioner of Income Tax. The casestartedinDecember1998andended(withan interventionbytheDelhiHighCourt) in2016. Seventeen yearsmay not seem thatlong for thosewho have some knowledgeof thenotoriouslyslowjusticedeliverysys-tem. Nevertheless, such delays should notbeacceptable,especiallyif thereisnomerittoacase.Letmetellyouwhatthecasewasabout,

in thewordsof the editors of this newvol-ume. “On December 7, 1998, the famousPuerto Ricanperformer, RickyMartin,wasexamined by income-tax officials at HotelRadisson as hewas summoned before hisdepartureinrelationtoa‘taxclearancecer-tificate’forleavingIndia.”Whatisataxclear-ance certificate? I have to subject you to alittle bit (not toomuch) of legalese fromSection230oftheIncomeTaxAct.Sincewearetalkingaboutthelaw, Iwillquoteitver-batim.“Noperson(a)whoisnotdomiciledin India; or (b)who isdomiciled in India atthetimeofhisdeparture,butintendstopro-ceed to another country on awork permitwith the object of taking up any employ-ment or other occupation in that country;or in respect ofwhomcircumstances existwhich in the opinionof an income-tax au-thorityrenderitnecessaryforhimtoobtaina certificate under this section, shall leavetheterritoryofIndiabyland,seaorairunlesshefirstobtains fromsuchauthorityasmaybeappointedbytheCentralGovernmentinthis behalf a certificate stating that he hasno liabilities under this Act” — and someother tax-relatedstatutes too.Also, “If the owner or charterer of any

ship or aircraft carrying persons from anyplace in the territory of India to any placeoutside India allows any person towhomsub-section(1)appliestotravelbysuchshipor aircraft without first satisfying himselfthatsuchpersonisinpossessionofacertifi-cateasrequiredbythatsub-section,heshallbepersonallyliabletopaythewholeoranypartof theamountof tax, if any,payablebysuch person as the assessing officermay,having regard to the circumstances of thecase,determine.”RickyMartin’s shows in Indiawere or-

ganisedby SonyMusic Entertainment andRickyMartin didn’t have the tax clearancecertificate. Therefore, he wouldn’t be al-lowed to board the plane. To get back toButani and Jha, “Against these investiga-tions,thesponsoroftheRickyMartinshowsin India, SonyMusic, filedawritpetition inDelhiHC (HighCourt) in 1999”. Almost 17yearslater,in2016,theDelhiHCquashedallsummons,noticesandordersforthedepart-ment’s failure to place on record any out-comeof investigation initiatedafterexam-iningRickyMartin.TheHC,initsconclusion,reliedonaletterwrittenbyRickyMartinre-tractingtherecordedstatements.Thesingerclaimedinthisletter,addressingthedepart-ment,“thestatementonoathwasextractedbyyoufrommeunderthreatsfromyouthatIwouldnotbeallowedtoleaveuntilIsignedthisstatementunderoath”. “TherecordingofRicky’sexaminationstartedat7.30pminthe evening andwent on until early hoursof the next day, leaving him with onlyenough time to catch his British Airwaysflight.”Like the judicial system, ex ante (a

favouriteexpressionofeconomists,mean-ing, in advance), one doesn’t knowwhetherapersonisinnocentorguilty.Thatis known ex post (after the investigationandthejudicialprocess).Theprocessof in-vestigation necessarily involves someha-rassment. In the shortage years, the late1980s, I remember applying for a MTNLlandline telephone connection and read-ing the service-friendlyMTNL circular toits employees, stressing that processesshould not lead to “more than necessaryharassment” to customers. I believe com-pliance costs cannot be truly reduced un-tilthesystemiscleanedupthroughremov-ingexemptions—thenewDirectTaxCodeisstillaworkinprogress.Havingsaidthat,notwithstanding the goal of cleaning up,whathappenedtoRickyMartin(andthereare other such cases) was undoubtedlymore thannecessaryharassment.Don’t getmewrong. There have been

several improvements. The IT departmenthas a “Vision 2020” document. PrimeMinister Narendra Modi launched theTaxpayer’sCharterinAugust2020.(Fleshingout the charter and giving itmore teeth isthesubjectmatterofthebookImentioned).Thereisfacelessassessmentandthe“VivadseVishwasScheme”.Thebigbangcleaningup apart, and notwithstanding improve-ments, I think a lot can still be doneon ap-peals, scrutiny, refundsanddisputeresolu-tion and procedural improvements. Ifdelayed tax payments by tax-payers auto-maticallyinvokeinterest,shouldn’tdelayedrefunds also automatically invoke interestpayments?What about the alacritywithwhich thedepartment implements ordersof appellate forums?Evenunder theunre-formedsystem,17yearsistoolong.Inotherwords, in the small picture, there is scopeforarelookatthewaythedepartmenthan-dles litigation.

Thewriter is chairman,EconomicAdvisoryCouncil to thePM.Viewsarepersonal

THISMONTH,THEUNSecretary-Generalwillconvene the Food Systems Summit, whichaimsfora transformationof global foodsys-tems in order to achieve the SustainableDevelopment Goals (SDGs) by 2030. Therearefiveactiontrackstoachievetheobjectives.These are: Ensure access to safe and nutri-tious food for all; shift to sustainable con-sumption patterns; boost nature-positiveproduction; advance equitable livelihoods;buildresiliencetovulnerabilities,shocksandstress.AccordingtotheFoodandAgricultureOrganisation (FAO), “food systems encom-passtheentirerangeofactorsinvolvedintheproduction, aggregation, processing, distri-bution, consumption and disposal of foodproducts that originate from agriculture,forestryorfisheries,andpartsof thebroadereconomic,societalandnaturalenvironmentsinwhichtheyareembedded”. Indiaalsohasto transformits foodsystems,whichhavetobe inclusive and sustainable forhigher farmincomes and nutrition security. In this con-text, itwouldbeusefultolookatIndia’spoli-ciesacross foodsystems.Therehasbeensignificantprogressinthe

country’s agricultural development sinceIndependence,fromafood-deficitcountrytoacountryself-sufficientinfood.However,theGreen Revolution also led towater-logging,soil erosion, groundwaterdepletionand theunsustainabilityofagriculture.Currentpoli-ciesarestillbasedonthe“deficit”mindsetofthe 1960s. The procurement, subsidies andwater policies are biased towards rice andwheat. Three crops (rice, wheat and sugar-cane)corner75to80percentof irrigatedwa-ter. Diversification of cropping patterns to-wardsmillets, pulses, oilseeds, horticultureisneededformoreequaldistributionofwa-ter,sustainableandclimate-resilientagricul-ture.Thenarrativeof Indianagriculturehasto

be changed towardsmore diversified high-valueproduction,betterremunerativepricesand farm incomes. It must be inclusive intermsofwomenand small farmers; itmustbenutrition-sensitive,environmentfriendlyandsustainable.Small farmers require special support,

public goods and links to input and outputmarkets. Many technological and institu-tional innovations can enable them to in-crease incomes throughdiversification, andbenefit fromvalue chains. Best institutionalpractices have to be followed in agriculturalmarketing. Farmer producer organisationshelpgetbetterprices for inputsandoutputsfor small holders. The ITC’s E-Choupal is anexample of technology benefiting smallfarmers. Similarly,women’s empowermentis importantparticularly forraising incomesand nutrition. Women’s cooperatives andgroups like Kudumbashree in Keralawouldbehelpful.Oneof thesuccessfulexamplesofa value chain that helped small holders,womenandconsumersisAmul(AnandMilkUnionLtd)createdbyVergheseKurien.Suchinnovations areneeded inother activities offoodsystems.Anotherissueishungerandmalnutrition

in India. According to the NFHS-4 survey,around38percentof thecountry’s childrenreported stunting in 2015-16. The NFHS-5showsthatunder-nutritionhasnotdeclinedinmany states even in 2019-20. Similarly,obesityisalsorising.Afoodsystemsapproachshouldfocusmoreontheissuesofundernu-

tritionandobesity. Safeandhealthydiversi-fieddietsareneededforsustainablefoodsys-tems.TheEAT-Lancetdiet,whichrecommends

ahealthyandsustainabledietgiventhecon-straintsontheplanet, isnotaffordableforthemajorityof thepopulation in India. A recentstudy of the Tata-Cornell Institute ForAgricultureandNutritionshowsthatthecostof theEAT-Lancetdietaryrecommendationsfor rural India rangesbetween$3and$5perpersonperday. Incontrast,actualdietaryin-takeatpresentisvaluedataround$1perper-sonperday. Thegap ismuchmore formeat,fish, poultry, dairy and fruits. In fact, even inruralareas,processedfoodslikepotatochipsand biscuits are cheaper and available ascompared to fruits and vegetables. Even iftheyareavailable, these itemsareexpensivefor common people. Animal-sourced foodsare still needed for countries like India. Forinstance, per capita consumption ofmeat isstillbelow10kginIndiaascomparedto60to70kg in theUSandEurope.The sustainability of food systems is

equally important. Estimates show that thefood sector emits around 30 per cent of theworld’sgreenhousegases.This isgoingtobecrucial in the years to come due to climatechange. Sustainability has to be achieved inproduction, value chains and consumption.Climate-resilient cropping patterns have tobe promoted. Instead of giving input subsi-dies, cash transfers can be given for farmersfor sustainableagriculture.Foodsystemsalsoneedhealthinfrastruc-

ture.TheCovid-19pandemichasexposedtheweak health infrastructure in countries likeIndia,particularlyinruralareasandsomere-gions. Inequalities in health and educationhave to be reduced for healthy and sustain-

able food systems.Women’s health indica-torsneedtobeimprovedforbetternutrition.Inclusivefoodsystemsneedstrongsocial

protection programmes. India has long ex-perience in these programmes.Strengthening India’s National RuralEmploymentGuaranteeAct,publicdistribu-tionsystem(PDS),nutritionprogrammeslikeICDS, mid-daymeal programmes, can im-prove income, livelihoods and nutrition forthepoorandvulnerablegroups.InPDS,thereis a need to give non-staples like pulses andoils, andbiofortified cereals forbetternutri-tion.Finally, the role of non-agriculture is

equally important for sustainable food sys-tems. Some economists like T N Srinivasanarguedthatthesolutionforproblemsinagri-culture was in non-agriculture. Therefore,labour-intensivemanufacturingandservicescan reduce pressure on agriculture. Incomefrom agriculture is not sufficient for smallholdersandinformalworkers.StrengtheningruralMSMEs and food processing is part ofthe solution. Industryhas tohelp inproduc-inghealthyprocessed food.Toconclude, at theglobal level, there isa

proposal to have an International Panel onFood and Nutritional Security (IPFN) -- an“IPCC for food,” similar to the panel on cli-mate change. TheUN food systems summitthis month is a great opportunity to boostpoliciesforachievingSDGs.Scienceandtech-nologyareimportantdriverstoachievethesegoals.Indiashouldalsoaimforafoodsystemstransformation, which can be inclusive andsustainable, ensure growing farm incomesandnutritionsecurity.

Thewriter isdirectorandvice-chancellor,IGIDR,Mumbai

SMahendraDev

BibekDebroy

TheclimatecrisisdemandsthatIndia, liketherestof theworld,aimsforatransformationof itsfoodsystemstoensuresustainability,growingfarmincomesandnutritionsecurity

The future of food The tax onRickyMartin

Incometaxdepartmentmustreconsiderhowit

handleslitigationandtakestepstoendharassment

CR Sasikumar

HISTORY LESSONS

THIS REFERS TO the article,‘Missreading theMappilamutiny’ (IE,September 7). In many parts of ourcountry,theeconomicstrugglesagainstthe exploitation of landlords and fac-tory owners and the struggle againstthe then rulers (whether theBritishorthe Nizams of Hyderabad)went handin hand. This can’t be termed as a reli-giousconflict,asDRajapointedoutcor-rectly.Willwelearnanythingfromourhistorical struggles for theunity of theoppressed belonging to all castes andreligionsagainsttheeconomicdistressandauthoritarianrulersof today?

RamBaheti,Aurangabad

THE SOCIAL VIRUS

THIS REFERS TO the article, ‘The NewBrahminism’ (IE, September 8). Castediscriminationhasdisastrouslyskewedtheplaying fieldagainst certaincastes,whichconsequentlyhasplacedthecre-dentialsof“birth”muchabovethoseof“worth”. A rather overt presence ofcaste in the society is manifested inmatrimonial columns.No lawcaneffi-caciouslydecimatecastestructuresun-less backed by social change. Perhaps,it’s time thatwe started looking at thecastevirusasasocialepidemic,no lessobnoxious thanCovid-19.

VinaySaroha,Delhi

OUR FOOD, OUR LIVES

THISREFERSTO thearticle, ‘Tastes likepower play’, (IE, September 8). Thewriter’seloquentdefenceof Indianfoodis commendable, but perhaps it’s besttonotevenengagewithanill-informed

opinion. GeneWeingarten is a privi-legedwhitemanwho doesn’t under-stand or care to understand other cul-tures.Thisisnothingnew.Letthemsaywhattheywantaboutourfood—itwillremainclose toourhearts forever.

UditSarkar,Kolkata

SPEAK UP

THIS REFERS TO the editorial,‘Reputation and harm’ (IE, September7). Panchajanya, a publication associ-ated with the Sangh Parivar, has ac-cusedInfosysofbeingcomplicit, alongwith “Naxals, Leftists and the tukdetukdegang” indestabilisingthe Indianeconomy. The RSS is trying towriggleoutof thesituationbutaworryingpat-tern is evident. Captains of industrymustspeakupagainsttheopprobriumandagainst thebullish economicpoli-ciespursuedby theCentre.

SSPaul,Nadia

LETTERS TO THEEDITOR

IDEAS

ONLINE

ONLY IN THE EXPRESS

●● STRONGLAWAGAINSTHUMANTRAFFICKINGNEEDEDPOSTCOVID:

AMARPATNAIK

● REVIVEPOSTALSAVINGSSCHEME:

GAUTAMBHATTACHARYA

www.indianexpress.com

ARECENTreportabout theHaryanagovern-ment’sorderappointinganIPSofficerasprin-cipal secretary (transport)— a cadre post ofthe IAS — being resisted by the HomeDepartmentof thestategovernmentgotmethinking about the concept of cadre posts inIndian administration.We have a systemwherecertainposts,bothattheCentreandinstates,arereservedforcertainservicesbyde-claring themas cadre posts. For example, acollectorinanydistricthastobefromtheIAS.Similarly, a superintendent of policewill al-waysbefromtheIPS.Thisgoesrightuptothetopofthestateadministrativestructurewherethechief secretaryis fromtheIASandthedi-rector-generalof police fromthe IPS.As longasappliedtofieldformations,thissystemhassomemeritandhasservedthecountrywell.However, the concept of declaring certainposts as exclusive cadre posts reserved for aparticular service has set off a competitionwhere every servicewants to get asmanyposts aspossibledeclared as exclusive cadreposts,whichcanbeoccupiedbyitsmembersonly.Thishasresultedinexclusionarybehav-iourbyallservicestokeepmembersofotherservicesaway.TherecentcaseintheSupreme

CourtbetweenCAPFofficersand IPSofficersisbutonesuchexample.The consequences of this exclusionary

practicehavebeenfar-reaching.First, it acts as a glass ceiling for all the

members of a service,whatever the skill setpossessed by an individual member andhence, acts as a de-motivator. Second, sinceofficers fromaparticular service have to beposted toaparticularpost, less thanoptimalchoices often have to bemadewith the fullknowledgethatanetcastwidermaybebet-ter fromanationalperspective.Third, itcreatesstrangeanomalieswhere

batchmates from the sameexamination arepromoted slower or faster just because theybelongtodifferentservices,notbecausetheyare less ormore competent. The heartburnthis causes is a loss to the nation ultimately.Fourthandmost importantly, itpreventsthegovernment fromoptimallyutilising the tal-entitpossesses,especiallywhenthegovern-ment feels that there is a talent gap that itseeks to fill byhiring fromtheprivate sector.Finally,itmakesalltheservicestop-heavybe-cause,intheabsenceoflateralmovement,allmembers remainwithin the core functional

areaandhenceneedtobepromotedperiod-ically,mostlysimultaneously.Everyservicehasacoreroleforwhichithas

beentrained.Forexample,acustomsofficeristraineddifferentlythanapoliceorincometaxofficer.However, somepeopleoutgrowtheircore functional areas andpickupnewskillsalong theway.However, the systemof cadrepostsensuresthattheycannotfullyexpresstheskills that theymayhavedeveloped.And thenationdoes not benefit from the skills pos-sessedbytheseofficers,whichareacquiredatthetaxpayer’scost.Bydeclaringallseniorpo-sitionsas cadreposts,weseemtohavekilledthefluidityandnimblenessneededtofacethechallengesofafast-changingworld.Italsogivesthedifferent servicesahandle tokeepothersawayfromtheirturfthroughlegalchallenges.Weneedtoexaminewhethertheconcept

ofcadrepostshasbenefittedthenationorhasbeen counter-productive. On the face of it, itdoesnot seemtobeagoodhumanresourcemanagement practice as it reduces the uni-verseofavailablechoices.Itmaynotbeadvis-abletocompletelydoawaywiththeconceptaswe need specialised and trained depart-mental officers toman thebottomandmid-

dleoftheadministrativepyramid.Beyondthatlevel,wemayliketoeithermakepostscadre-neutralorattheleastmakemultipleserviceswithrelevantexperienceeligibleforthepost—awayofwideningthetalentpoolavailableforthecadrepost.Objectivecriteriarootedindomainknowledgecangoalongwayinmak-ingtheselectionprocessmoremeaningfulineitherof thetwomodels.Theconceptof cadreposts is justoneex-

ampleofarchaicideasthatcreateentrybarri-ers, thwart competition and impact our ad-ministrative efficiency.Many of themhaveoutlived their utility but continue becausethey help the services protect their turf. It ishigh timewe identify similar limiting con-cepts in our administrative dogmaand seri-ouslyreviewtheminthelightofenlightenedHRMpractices.Weneedtobringtheconceptof “easeofdoingbusiness” intoouradminis-trative thought andpractices. Only thenwecanoptimallyharnessthetalentpoolthatweabundantlypossess, both insideandoutsidethegovernment.

Thewriter isa servingofficer.Viewsarepersonal

MuthaAshok Jain

Ease of doing administrationSystemofcadrepostsreservedforsomeservicesmustbereconsidered

Ahmedabad


EXPRESSNETWORK



ALARGEnumberofsaltsamplesfrom anganwadi centres across33districtsofGujarathavebeenfound tonot complywithmini-mum iodine levels- 15 ppm- asper the National IodineDeficiency Disorders Controlprogramme (NIDDCP), a surveyreport findings shared byConsumer Education andResearch Centre (CERC)AhmedabadWednesdaystates.CERChaspartneredtoimple-

ment the NIDDCP in Gujarat asthe testing and advocacy bodyfor the past two years and hastestedover5,000samplesofsaltfrom 33 districts. Samples havebeen drawn from differentpointsofdistribution likeretail-ers,wholesalers,PDSorfairpriceshops, anganwadi and ICDS(Integrated Child developmentServices) centres and from saltiodizationunits(SIUs)inHalvad,Khadaghoda, Kutch, SantalpurandBhavnagar.Elaborating on the findings

fromthesurvey,AninditaMehta,

chief general manager of CERCsaid, “About55percentof sam-plescollectedfromAnganwadisand ICDS centreswere found tobesubstandard(<15ppmiodinecontent). Districts with maxi-mum number of substandardsamples are Tapi, Narmada,Bharuch,Morbi,Surendranagar,Gandhinagar.”Since an ongoing project,

CERC has been sharing findingsof such surveys with the stategovernment-both at the stateanddistrict levels.Further, adding she said,

“Also,at thesaltprocessorsend,about 35-40 per cent sampleswere found substandard(<20ppm).This is a matter ofgraveconcern,asthebeneficiar-iesof ICDSarechildren,pregnantwomen and lactatingmothers.Awoman'siodinerequirementsincrease substantially duringpregnancy to ensure adequatesupplytothefoetus. Iodinedefi-ciencyatthesestagescanleadtoa range of disorders that affectthe child’s brain and nervoussystemdevelopment.”Besidesvaryinglevelsof low

Iodization,CERCsurveyhasalso

foundproblems ofmislabellingand misbranding. Brand wiseanalysis of non-compliant(<15ppm iodine) samples re-vealed that there are brandswhich do not mention iodinelevels, and certain other brandsfalsely claim the level of iodinein theirproducts.NIDDCP is being imple-

mented in the country withUniversalSaltIodisation(USI)asa strategy to ensure that morethan 90 per cent of the popula-tionhas Iodised salt available athousehold level. Though com-pared to other states, Gujaratfares better with an overall 80per cent compliance, there arestillsomeareasthatneedimme-diate state government inter-vention, thesurveyreports.Iodinedeficiencyresults ina

widearrayofpreventabledisor-dersanddisabilitiescollectivelyknownas iodinedeficiencydis-orders (IDD).Withafocussedcampaignon

iodized salt, ‘Namak aur Sehat’,CERC has been conductingawareness, outreach and com-munitysensitizingprogrammesonthebenefitsof iodizedSalt.

EXPRESSNEWSSERVICERAJKOT,SEPTEMBER8

GUJARATBJPpresidentCRPaatilpresided over ameeting of co-operativeleadersinGandhinagaronWednesday,called‘SahkaritaSammelan', and sought theirparticipation inplanting71lakhtrees in the state as part of cele-bration of Prime MinisterNarendraModi’sbirthday.At least 500 leadersheading

various bodies like co-operativebanks,milk co-operatives, farmco-operatives,sugarcooperativesincludingministers,werepartofthe convention, being held daysafter the announcement of themega co-operativemeet to behosted inDelhi later thismonthunderthechairmanshipofUnionCo-operationMinisterAmitShahby the National CooperativeUnionof India (NCUI).“Paatilsoughtparticipationof

cooperative bodies in celebra-tionsofPrimeMinisterNarendraModi’sbirthdayon17thSeptem-berandhelpachievethetargetofplanting 71 lakh trees during apan-state simultaneous treeplantationdrive.Heappealedco-operativeleaderstomakeModi’sbirthdaymemorable by takingupthistaskofenvironmentcon-servation,” a cooperative leaderwho attended the sammelantoldThe IndianExpress.“We told the BJP president

thatweplant around50,000 to60,000 trees every year as ournormal annual activity. ButPaatil appealed to take uptreeplantationdrivespecificallyon September 17. As the activ-ityrelatestoconservationofen-vironment, we have agreed,”said the leader.

EXPRESSNEWSSERVICERAJKOT,SEPTEMBER8

AROUND SIXmonths after hegot bail in a murder case,Mohammed Hanif Kasmanialias Mammu Dadhi, a scrapdealer of Morbi and a history-sheeter,wasallegedlyshotdeadby men from the rival groupsnearBhaktinagarCircleinMorbitownonTuesdaynight.One of Dadhi’s five friends

whowereaccompanyinghiminhis car also sustained bullet in-juries andwashospitalised, po-lice said, adding a case of mur-derandriotingwasregistered.According to an FIR regis-

teredat‘B’Divisionpolicestation,13mendrivingintwocarsinter-cepted Dadhi at BhaktiangarCircle when he was returningfromRajkot at around 9 pmonTuesday.Theassailants,wieldingfirearms,woodenclubsandironpipes, surrounded Dadhi’s carandImranChaniyaaliasBottle,aresident of Kalika Plot area inMorbi, fired Dadhi on his head.MahmadNakum,oneofDadhi’sfive friendswhoweredriving inthe same car, also sustained abullet wound on his back andwastakentoaRajkothospital.Dadhiwasrushedtoaprivate

hospitalinMorbi,wheredoctorsdeclared him dead-on arrival,stated the FIR, registered on acomplaint by Dadhi’s sonMakbulKasmani.In his complaint, Makbul

namedRafiqRazzakMandaviya,Arif Mir, Ismile Bloch and hisbrother Irfan, Riyaz Dosani,Ramiz Chaniya, Maksud Sama,EzazChaniyaandfourunidenti-fiedmenasaccused.Dadhi’smurder comes nine

months after his familywas in-volved in a clash with RafiqMandaviyaaliasRafiqMandaliya

inKhatkivasareaofMorbi townover the manner of driving atwo-wheelerinDecember2020.Dadhi’snephewImran(35)wasallegedlystabbedtodeathbytherivalgroupwhileRafiq’ssonAdil(32)was allegedly shot dead byDadhi’s group.Dadhi and Rafiq were both

booked in twoseparate casesofmurder registered after theclash. However, Dadhi got bailaround sixmonths ago. Hewasalso a prime accused in RajuSolankimurdercase.“This is apparently a case of

revengekilling.Theaccusedhadenmity with Dadhi,” SubodhOdedra, superintendent ofMorbi district police told TheIndianExpress.ArifMir isbrotherofMustaq

Mir, a property dealerwhowasallegedly shot dead by Zala andthree others in April 2017. Zalawasbookedformurderandwasarrested by police. However, hejumpedparoleandallegedlyat-tacked Mir’s brother Arif inKalika Plot area in December2018.While Arif escaped, a 13-year-oldboywhowas caught inthecrossfirewaskilledandagirlwasinjured.ZalahadgivenasliptoapoliceteamescortinghimtoMorbi from Sabarmati CentralPrisoninOctober2019.However,hewas arrested by the GujaratAnti-terrorist Squad (ATS) fromVadodara inSeptember2017.Based on Maqbul’s com-

plaint, ‘A’Divisionpolice stationin Morbi has booked the ninemenformurder,attempttomur-der, criminal conspiracy, riotingas well as under the Arms Act.“Whilenoonehasbeenarrestedso far,wehave formed teams tonabtheaccused,” theSPsaid.InspectorBPSonara,incharge

of ‘A’ Division police station inMorbi, said that condition ofNakumwasreportedtobestable.

History-sheeter shotdead by ‘men fromrival groups’ in Morbi

CERC: Low levels of iodine insalt samples from anganwadis

PM’SBIRTHDAY

Paatil wantscoop leaders’participationin planting 71lakh trees

GUJARAT

SUKHBIRSIWACHKARNAL(HARYANA),

SEPTEMBER8

WITHNO breakthrough in thetalks held inKarnalWednesdaybetween the Haryana govern-mentandfarmleadersprotestingagainst thepolice crackdown11days ago, leaders of SamyuktKisanMorcha (SKM) said theywouldcontinuetheirsiegeof themini-Secretariatinthetown.“The administration appears

tobeworkingondirectionsfrom(statecapital)Chandigarh.Weareready for the long haul,” saidRakeshTikait, leader of BhartiyaKisanUnion(BKU).BKUHaryanachiefGurnamSinghChaduni,too,said they would continue thesiege.The key issue that led to the

breakdownoftalks,whichlastedthreehours,was thedemand foractionagainstformerSDMAyushSinha,accordingtoSKM,whichisthe umbrella body of farmers’unions thathasbeen leading themovement against the Centre’snewfarm lawsover the lastninemonths.AvideoofSinhaaskingpolice

personnelto“breaktheheads”ofthosewhomadetheirwaypastablockadehadgoneviralonAugust28 when police lathichargedprotesting farmers at a toll plazain Bastara on the Chandigarh-DelhihighwaynearKarnal.Addressing a gathering after

Wednesday’stalks,SwarajIndiafounderYogendraYadavsaid

that while they sought actionagainsttheofficer,theadministra-

tionaskedthemtofocusoncom-pensation.“Wetoldthemthatit’saquestionof ourhonourandwecancollectenoughcompensationonourown,”Yadavsaid.Theleadershaveaskedthead-

ministration to dismiss Sinhafrom service and book him onchargesofmurderandattempttomurder.Theyreiteratedtheclaimthat a farmer, Sushil Kajal, haddiedofaheartattackfollowingthe

“policeassault”.“Butthey(theadministration)

refusedpointblank....theyrefusedtoevensuspendhim,”saidYadav.Besides action against Sinha

andpoliceofficers, theprotestersaredemandingRs25lakhincom-pensationforKajal’sfamily,andRs2lakheachforthoseinjuredinthecrackdown.In Gurgaon, HaryanaHome

Minister Anil Vij told reportersthat everyone has the right toprotest and raise their voice in ademocracy. “Whatever their(farmers) demands are, our offi-cersaretalkingtothem.Thetalksareongoing,”hesaid.In Karnal, Deputy Commiss-

ionerNishantKumarYadav saidin a statement that all offices inKarnal are “fully functional”, andthat the administration is “hold-ingregulartalkswithprotesters”.However, hewarned that thosetrying to “disrupt lawandorder”willbe“dealtwithsternly”.“Amid the ongoing farmers’

agitation, nobody is required topanicinKarnal.Allthemarketsarefunctional,” theDC said. He saidthat protesters have not closedanyroadinKarnalorthenationalhighwayand“norshalltheybeal-

lowedtodoso”.“All the offices in Karnal are

fullyfunctionalandifanybodyhasanyworkinthemini-Secretariat,they can visit and get theworkdone.Thedistrictadministrationis holding regular talkswith theprotesters.Theprotestershaveas-suredthattheywon’ttroubleany-body,”hesaid.“(The)district administration

hasmadeadequatepolicedeploy-menttomaintainlawandorder...Ifanyonetriestodisruptlawandor-der,heshallbedealtwithsternly.Nobodyisallowedtotakelawintotheirhands,”theDCsaid.Duringtheday,theprotesters

didnotallowanyonetoenterthemini-Secretariat from themainentrance although someofficersand staff made their way inthroughthereargate.Byevening,thenumberoffarmersoutsidethemini-Secretariat,whichisabout3kmfromHaryanaChiefMinisterMLKhattar’shome,hadswelledtoover20,000.Atleast40companiesofsecu-

rity forces, including CAPF andBSF, have been deployed in thearea,amidprohibitoryordersun-derSection144andsuspensionofmobileInternet.

LIZMATHEWNEWDELHI,SEPTEMBER8

WITHUTTARPradeshandPunjabamongstatesheadedtoAssemblypolls earlynext year, thegovern-ment and the ruling BJP haveswitched to electionmode, de-ploying 13Unionministers, in-cludingsevenofCabinetrank,forpoll-relateddutiesinthestates.Inthelistofnamesreleasedby

the BJP Wednesday, the mostprominentwastheappointmentof EducationMinisterDharmen-dra Pradhan, a veteran ofmanypolitical battles, as the party in-charge for elections in the keystateofUttarPradesh.Hewill be assisted byUnion

ministers Anurag Singh Thakur,Arjun Ram Meghwal, ShobhaKarandlaje,AnnapurnaDevi, for-mer Haryanaminister CaptainAbhimanyu, Rajya Sabha

MPsSaroj Pandey and VivekThakur.Lok SabhaMPSanjayBhatia,

BiharMLASanjiv Chaurasia, BJPnational secretaries Y SatyaKumar and ArvindMenon, UPleader SunilOjhaand theparty’sco-treasurer Sudhir Guptawillhead operations inwesternUP,Braj, Awadh, Gorakhpur, KashiandKanpurregionsrespectively.Uttar Pradesh is one state

where victory is crucial for thepartyinitsbidtoreturntopowerforathirdconsecutiveterminthe2024LokSabhaelections.Moved recently from the

Petroleum ministry to the

Educationministry, Pradhan isconsidered close to theBJP’s topleadership. His appointment asthe UP in-charge – the resultstherewill have a bearing on the2022 Presidential elections andthe2024LokSabhapolls--showsthe leadership’s confidence andtrustinhim,partyinsiderssaid.Incidentally, J P Nadda,who

wasgivenchargeofthestatedur-ing the2017assembly elections,rosetobecometheBJPpresident.UnionHomeMinisterAmitShahtoo steered theparty’s election-eering inUP in 2014 before be-comingBJPpresident.Pradhanwas the election in-

charge inBihar and in-charge ofparty affairs in Karnataka andUttarakhand.Hewas thepoll in-charge for Nandigram inWestBengal where TMC leader andChiefMinisterMamataBanerjeelostdespiteleadingthepartytoalandslidevictoryrecently.

Wasearlierincharge forpolls inBihar,otherkeystates

BJP in election mode: 13 ministers getpoll duties, Pradhan is UP in-charge

Talks fail over action against formerSDMof Karnal, siege continues

Withtalks failing,byevening, theprotestersbegantopitchtents toprepare foranindefinitesit-in. SukhbirSiwach

KRISHNKAUSHIKNEWDELHI,SEPTEMBER8

INWHATwouldprovideamajorfillip to the transport fleet of theIndian Air Force, the CabinetCommitteeonSecurity (CCS) onWednesdayclearedprocurementof 56 transport aircraft fromAirbus. The deal to buy the C-295MWtransport aircraft is ex-pected to cost upwards of Rs20,000crore.Whilethefirst16oftheseair-

craftwill bedelivered in flyawaycondition fromSpain,within 48months of the contract beingsigned, the remaining40will bemanufactured in India by a con-sortium led by the Tata Groupover 10 years, the DefenceMinistrysaidinastatement.Theministry said that itwill

make it the first-of-its-kinddealinthecountry.Allaircraftwillbe

installed with the indigenousElectronicWarfareSuite,itstated.C-295MWis a transport air-

craftof5-10tonnecapacitywithcontemporary technology thatwill replace the ageingAvro air-craft of the IAF, the governmentsaid,addingthatithasarearrampdoorforquickreactionandpara-droppingof troopsandcargo.TheDefenceMinistrycalledit

a“uniqueinitiativetostrengthenindigenouscapabilities”.Thefleetwill replace the Avro aircraft oftheAir Force,which are British-origin twin-engine turboprop,military transport and freighterwitha6-tonnefreightcapacity.“Sixteenaircraftwillbedeliv-

ered in flyaway condition fromSpainwithin48monthsof sign-ing of the contract and forty air-craft will be manufactured inIndiabyTATAConsortiumwithinten years of signing of the con-tract,” thestatementsaid.

New Delhi: The Supreme CourtCollegium headed by ChiefJusticeNVRamanahas recom-mended12more names for el-evation to the Karnataka andKeralaHighCourts.The Collegium, in its

September7recommendation,cleared thenamesof twoaddi-tional judges from Kerala HighCourt and 10 additional judgesfrom Karnataka High Court aspermanent judges in the re-spective courts.This takes the total number

ofnamesrecommendedbytheCollegium to the high courtsand apex court sinceAugust 17toa record103—94toHCsand9 to tbe SC.ENS

SHAJUPHILIPTHIRUVANANANTHAPURAM,

SEPTEMBER8

THEINDIANUnionMuslimLeague(IUML),anallyoftheCongress,onWednesdaydisbanded the statecommittee of Haritha, thewomen'swingof theparty's stu-dent outfit, Muslim Students'Federation (MSF), on charges of"grave indiscipline"after someofitsleadersaccusedtheirmalecol-leaguesofsexualharassment.The IUML high power com-

mittee cracked the whip onHarithaafteritsleadersrefusedtowithdraw the complaint theymadetothestatewomen’scom-missionlastmonth.IUMLstategeneralsecretaryP

MASalamsaid onWednesday,"Theparty(IUML)hasdissolvedthestatecommitteeofHaritha.Thisisa

graveissueof indiscipline.Acom-mitteewhichdoesnottoethelineofthepartycan’tbeallowed.AnewcommitteeofHarithawillbecon-stitutedbyIUML.’’MSFnational vice-president

and Haritha leader FathimaThahiliya said, "Theparty's deci-sionisnotacceptabletous.IamintouchwithcolleaguesintheMSFandHaritha to comeoutwith aclear stand,whichwill bemadepublic in the coming days.Wecan'tacceptthedecision,’’shesaid.Theissuehasbeensimmering

intheIUMLforthelasttwomonths.ThreeHaritha leadershadal-

leged that during ameeting ofMSFoffice-bearers in June, threeof theirmale colleagues—MSFstate president P K Navas,MalappuramdistrictpresidentMKabeeranddistrictgeneralsecre-taryVAWahab—allegedlymadelewdremarksagainstthem.

The Haritha leaders ap-proached the IUML leadership,seekingthatthethreeMSFleadersbe removed fromtheirpositions,butwithnoactiontaken,onAugust13,theyfiledacomplaintwiththestatewomen’scommission.Irkedoverthemove,IUMLre-

taliatedbyfreezingthestatecom-mittee of Haritha on grounds ofindiscipline.Thepartyactiontrig-geredwidespreadprotestsamongHarithamembers aswell as sev-eralcampusunitsofMSF.Even as the Haritha com-

plaint was pending before thestate women’s commission,IUML lastmonth, in an attemptto settle the issue, decided thattheMSF leaders who allegedlymadetheobjectionableremarkswouldexpresstheirregretonso-cial media, and the freeze onHaritha'sstatecommitteewouldbe lifted.

IUML closes sexual harassment caseSC Collegiumsuggests 12 namesfor Karnataka,Kerala HCs

Central govt clears C-295transport plane deal for IAF

EXPRESSNEWSSERVICEPATNA,SEPTEMBER8

CLOSE ON the heels of theJharkhandgovernmentissuinganotification earmarking a sepa-rate hall for offering Namaaz inthe state's Assembly, Bihar BJPMLA Hari Bhushan ThakurBacholdemandedaseparatehallfor recitingHanumanChalisa inBihar legislature.NDA allies JD(U) and

Hindustani Awam Morcha(Secular),however,differedwiththeMLAfromBisfi(Madhubani).Bachol told reporters

Tuesday: “If there is a provisionfor a hall for offering namaz inJharkhand,we should also havea separate hall for recitingHanuman Chalisa (in BiharLegislature)". Bihar legislaturehas also provided for a separatehall for offering Namaaz since1993.JD(U) MLC Ghulam Gous

said:"Thereshouldbenopoliticsoversuchmatters.Politicsofap-peasementforanycommunityisbad.” HAM (S) spokespersonDanishRizwansaid:"Whathap-pens if people start demandingconstruction of a mosque ineverypolicestationjustbecausemost of it has temples. WhatBachol demanded is not right.”BJP called it the "personal opin-ion" of the MLA. BJP nationalspokesperson Guru PrakashPaswansaid:"Secularismmeansthat thestateshouldnotprofessandpromoteanyparticularfaith.WebelieveintheConstitutioninletter and spirit and do not in-dulgeinanysortofappeasementpolitics. JharkhandGovernmentmust reconsider andwithdrawit'sdecision .”

Now, BJP MLAwants hall for‘HanumanChalisa’ inBihar House

ABHISHEKANGADRANCHI, SEPTEMBER8

A GROUP of BJP workers werelathi-charged in Ranchi onWednesday when they weretrying to reach JharkhandVidhan Sabha as part of theprotest against a state govern-ment order allotting a room inthe Assembly building for na-maaz, theparty said.The opposition party issued

alistworkerswhowereinjured,and admitted to RajendraInstituteofMedicalSciencesandParasHospital,andcalledforob-servinga'blackday'onThursdayas a protest against the policelathi-charge.Thepolicedidnotcomment.

Several calls and messages toRanchi SSP Surendra Jha for acomment on the incidentwent

unanswered.After the protest, the party

said, state BJP president andRajyaSabhaMPDeepakPrakash,

legislative party leader BabulalMarandi and BJP general secre-tary (organisation) DharampalSinghvisitedBJPworkersinhos-

pital.Prakash told The Indian

Express: “This is appeasementpoliticsofHemantSorengovern-ment and against that, morethan15,000workers fromvari-ous districts protested onWednesday. We protestedagainsttheallotmentofroomfornamaaz.... They were lath-icharged... BabulalMarandi andI were beaten; even womenworkerswerebeatenbypolice...”On September 2, the

Assembly Secretariat issued anorderstatingthatroomnumberTW-348 of the new Assemblybuildingwasallottedforofferingnamaaz by the order of theSpeaker, RabindranathMahato.This promped BJP to demandthat a Hanuman temple andplaces of worship of other reli-gions be built on the Assemblypremises.

Policepersonnel lathichargeBJPworkers inRanchionWednesdayas theyprotestagainst theallegedallotmentof aroominthe JharkhandAssembly fornamaaz.PTI

Jharkhand namaaz room protesterslathi-charged, ‘black day’ today: BJP

Taliban cabinet illegitimate:Afghan embassy in DelhiSHUBHAJITROYNEWDELHI, SEPTEMBER8

A DAY after the Taliban an-nounceditscabinet,withwithnorepresentation of women andlack of adequate representationof ethnicminorities, Afghanis-tan’s embassy in NewDelhi onWednesdayissuedastatementinthe nameof theAfghan ForeignMinistry and “condemned” theannouncementbytheTalibanofits“so-calledcabinet”as“illegiti-mateandunjustifiable”.There has been no response

fromNewDelhiyetontheTalibanannouncement,norontheAfghanembassy'sstatement.TheAfghanembassy’s statement clearly dis-tances itself fromthenewrulersof Afghanistan, the Taliban,whocapturedpowerlastmonth.It will open up the issues of

recognitionofthenewregimeledbytheTalibanforthemajorityofthecountries, includingIndia.India’s position will be key

giventhatit isanon-permanentmember of the UNSC, and isleading the UNSC sanctionscommittee. TheUNwill have totake a call on theUNAssistanceMission in Afghanistan, whosemandate expires this month.Also, the UNSC sanctions com-mitteewillhavetodecideontheexemption of sanctions to theproscribed terrorists who arepartof thecabinet.According to sources, at least

17 of the 33— half of Taliban’scabinet—areontheUNterrorlist.The statement issued by

Afghanistan’s ForeignMinistry,whichessentiallyrepresentstheprevious regime, said that “theIslamicRepublicofAfghanistan,which emanates from the free

will of the people and epito-mizesthevisionandaspirationsofmillionsofcitizenswhomadethe ultimate sacrifice for thecauseofsovereignty,democracy,freedom and independence oftheir country, condemned theannouncementby theTaliban”.It said the decision “goes

against thewill of the absolutemajority of the people ofAfghanistan”, “internationalagreements, relevant UnitedNations Security Council, andUnited Nations Human RightsCouncil resolutions and under-mines the national interests ofAfghanistan, including security,stability,unity,andprosperityofthecountryand itspeople”.It said the announcement of

theTalibancabinetwill result in“underminingAfghanistan'spo-litical,ethnic,andsocialdiversity,leadto increasedtensions”.

Ahmedabad


EXPRESSNETWORK


11

DEBRAJDEBAGARTALA,SEPTEMBER8

TWODAYS after seemingly un-related clashes broke out be-tweenrulingBJPandoppositionCPM supporters in two villagesof Tripura's Sepahijala district,freshviolenceandarsonwasre-ported at fourmore places, in-cludingAgartala,onWednesday.Around 10 people were in-

jured,twoCPMofficesweregut-ted and at least six vehicles setablaze in the latest clashes, saidauthorities. The CPM's stateheadquarterswasalso targeted,saidparty leaders.The freshviolencebrokeout

at Udaipur in Gomati district,BishalgarhinSepahijaladistrict,and in Hapania and Agartala'sMelarmathareainWestTripuradistrict. The CPM's state head-quarters in Agartala, sadar or-ganisational district headquar-tersandalocalpartyofficecameunderattackduringtheviolence.Police used lathicharge and

burst teargas shells tobring thesituationundercontrol.Both parties later held press

conferences to accuse to eachotherof indulging inviolence.An officer at the Tripura po-

liceheadquarterstoldTheIndianExpressthatpreliminaryreportsintotheviolencehavebeenpre-pared. “Full assessment is yet tobedone.Aroundsixvehicles, in-cludingthreecarsandafewmo-torcycles, were burnt inAgartala,”saidaseniorpoliceof-ficer. “Political party offices atBishalgarh and Hapania weregutted.ApartyofficeatUdaipuralsocameunderattack.AyouthidentifiedasMafizMiahwasin-

juredthere.Acasewaslodgedinthe incident and two personswerearrested.”During the clashes, the of-

fices of local newspapersPratibadi Kalam and CPMmouthpieceDailyDesherKatha,andlocalTVchannelPB24werealso targeted.The CPM alleged that Left

youth supporterswere holdinga road blockade at Udaipurwhen BJP supporters attackedthem.AtBishalgarh,thepartyal-leged,agroupofBJPworkerstar-geted the vacant CPM districtheadquarters, and set it on fireaftervandalising it.Atapressconference,Tripura

Left Front convener Bijan Dharsaid,“WehadapartymeetingatBishalgarh.Onourwayback,welearnt thatBJPcadresgotabull-dozer, tore down our districtpartyofficegate,brokeopenthedoorsandsetitablaze.Ourpartyleader Partha Pratim

Majumder’s house was ran-sackedaswell.”On the Udaipur violence, he

said,“Youths[wingof theparty]hadorganisedarallytodemandjobs.Therallywashaltedbythepolice despite having prior per-mission. Our supporters stageda road blockade. There was ahuge tension and the local dis-trictheadquarterwasattacked.”AbouttheclashesinAgartala,

Dhar said theCPMsadarorgan-isational district committee of-ficewasransackedandlater theparty’s state headquarters inMelarmathwasattacked. “Theycame inside the state headquar-ters. I was there. I tried to stopthembut they disregardedme,damaged party documents,smashed photo frames of ourleaders,destroyedtelevisionsetsandthreatenedustostopourpo-litical activities. Some cars andmotorcycleswere set on fire infrontofourofficeaswell,”hesaid.

EXPRESSNEWSSERVICELUCKNOW,SEPTEMBER8

SIX PERSONS, including threechildren, are feareddead after aboatcarrying14peoplecapsizedinGanga inMirzapurdistrictonWednesdayafternoon.Policesaidthateightmen,in-

cluding the boatman and twochildren,havebeenrescued.All the victims are residents

of Jharkhandwho had come toMirzapurtovisitatempleintheVindhyachal.DIG (Mirzapur Range) RK

Bharadwajsaidtherescueoper-ationwas onwith a teamof lo-cal and PAC divers trying to lo-catethemissingpersons.Ateamof the National DisasterResponse Force has also joinedthesearchoperation,headded.According to officials, the

boat capsized after awater col-lected in itdue toheavyrainfall.Police said the family from

Jharkhandcomprisedfourmen,threewomenand fivechildren.

PRESSTRUSTOFINDIAJORHAT/GUWAHATI,

SEPTEMBER8

ATLEASTonepersondiedand33wentmissingafteraboatcarry-ingover120passengerscollidedwithaferrysteamerandsankinthe Brahmaputra river nearNimati Ghat in Assam’s JorhatdistrictWednesday,officialssaid.Three officials of the Inland

Water Transport Departmenthavebeenplacedundersuspen-sionforallegednegligence.Seniorministersadmittedlapsesprom-isedactionagainstthe“guilty”.Theaccidentoccurredwhen

theprivateboat‘MaKamala’washeaded toMajuli from NimatiGhatandferry‘Tripkai’,operatedby the InlandWater TransportDepartment, was coming fromtheriverine island.“The boat capsized and

sank,” an official of the IWTDepartment said.Another IWT official said

morethan120passengerswereon board the boat but manywere rescued by lifeguards on‘Tripkai’. Awoman died in hos-pitalaftershewasrescuedfromthe river, Assam State DisasterManagement Authority (AS-

DMA) Chief Executive OfficerGyanendraTripathi toldPTI.“We have reports of around

33peoplemissing.Severalteamsof NDRF and SDRF are carryingoutrescueoperationsanditwillcontinue whole night,” JorhatSuperintendent of PoliceAnkurJainsaid.The deceased, Porimita Das

from Guwahati, worked as ateacher inaMajuli college.JorhatDeputyCommissioner

Ashok Barman told PTI that 42peoplehavebeenrescuedso farandnobodyhasbeenrecoveredfromthewateryet.

“Aftersinking,itsweptaround1.5kmawayandstuckinthebedof the river. The boat is upsidedownnowandwearenotabletoturn it around. Oncewe can dothat,wewillbeabletoseeif any-bodyisstuckthere,"headded.TheArmywill join theoper-

ations on Thursday morningwith someadvancedmachines,Barmansaid.Prime Minister Narendra

Modi tweeted: “All possible ef-forts are beingmade to rescuethepassengers. I pray forevery-one's safetyandwell-being.”

TheCPM’sstateheadquarters inAgartala, setablazeallegedlybyBJPworkers.AbhisekSaha

Astill fromavideoshot fromthesecondvessel involved inthecollisionnearMajuli river island inAssam.

Boat capsizes inGanga, 6 feareddrowned

One dead, 33 missing as boat sinks inAssam after collision with steamer

SANTOSHSINGHPATNA,SEPTEMBER8

BELEAGURED LJP leader ChiragPaswan met Bihar Leader ofOpposition Tejashwi PrasadYadav onWednesday to invitehimtoattendthefirstdeathan-niversary function of his fatherand party patriarch Ram VilasPaswan in Patna on September12. Themeeting triggered freshspeculationof a tie-upbetweenthe two, although the LJP MPsought todownplay it.Chirag, whowill also meet

Tejashwi's father andRJDpresi-

dentLaluPrasadonThursday,toldreporters: “Nopoliticalmeaningshouldbetakenoutofsuchmeet-ings.MyfatherRamVilasPaswanshared a great relationshipwith

Laluji and they respected eachother a lot. I have invitedTejashwijiaspartofourtradition.”Tejashwi appeared more

forthright.“WhenIstartedmypo-litical career in 2010, the LJP andRJDwere allies and I got to learnmany things from Ram VilasPaswanji.Hewasourguardian...,”he said. “Chiragwillmeetmy fa-theraswell.Myfather,whoisre-covering,willattendthedeathan-niversaryofRamVilasPaswanji.”Asked if the two leaders

wouldcometogetherinnearfu-ture, Tejashwi said: “My fatherhas dropped enough hints. I donotneedtosayanything.”

Lastmonth, Lalu Prasad hadcalled Chirag a “leader of themasses”.HehadtalkedabouthistieswithRamVilasPaswan,indi-cating the RJD's willingness toalignwithChirag-ledLJP.Chirag,whohasbeentouring

Bihartoregainhispoliticalgroundafter his party's split, has beenwarminguptotheRJDaswell. InaninterviewtoTheIndianExpress,hesaid: “Onenever saysnever inpolitics.” Chirag is facing abattleforpolitical survival after his un-cle and Hajipur MP PashupatiKumar Paras, andhis faction re-belledagainsthis leadershipandclaimedtobe theofficial LJP.

ABHISHEKANGADRANCHI, SEPTEMBER8

THE JHARKHAND governmenthas told the assembly that nodeathof journalistduetoCovid-19hasbeenreportedinthestate,a claim contested by a recog-nised journalists' associationthat has compiled a list ofmorethan30 suchdeaths. It also saidnodeathduetooxygenshortagehasbeenreported in thestate.In awritten reply to a ques-

tion by his party colleague andCongressMLABandhuTirkeyonTuesday, state HealthMinisterBanna Gupta said: “Regardingthe death of journalists, therehas been no information fromany source nor has there beenanydeathreportedfromthedis-tricts’ disaster- managementteam.” He also said that therewas no provision to pay com-pensation insuchdeaths.Jharkhand Journalists

AssociationpresidentShahnawazHassan,however, toldThe IndianExpress, “At least 30 journalistshavedied[ofCovid]inJharkhandandwehadwritten to the ChiefMinister and state PublicRelationsDepartment,givingthe

details and the district-wisebreak-upof thedeaths.”“However, the Health

Ministerhasnowtakenau-turn,and I don’t understand why,”saidHassan,addingthatseveralstates suchasTamilNadu,WestBengal, Haryana and UttarPradesh have given compensa-tion to familymembers of jour-nalistswhodied in their states.Amongthose in the list com-

piledbyjournalists'associationisSunilPaswan,a35-year-oldjour-nalistinHazaribagh,whodiedonMay1 inagovernmenthospital.Shortly afterhisdeath, Paswan'sfamilyhadsharedwithTheIndianExpressmedicalrecordswhichdi-agnosedhimasCovidpositive.In reply to a separate ques-

tionintheassembly,byBJPMLAAmar Kumar Bauri, the stateHealth Department said: “Noone died in Jharkhand due toshortageofoxygen.”Thiswas incontradictiontowhattheHealthMinisterhadclaimedearlier.In July, Gupta had told re-

porters thatmanypeople in thecountry, including Jharkhand,haddiedof oxygenshortage.OnTuesday,hesought todis-

tance himself fromhis depart-ment'sreplyintheassembly.

No journalist died ofCovid, no death from O2

shortage: Jharkhand govt

SREENIVASJANYALAHYDERABAD,SEPTEMBER8

ANDHRA PRADESH has pro-posedaplan togetCBSEaffilia-tion for all its governmentschools. Education MinisterAdimulapuSureshsaidthestatewill initially attempt to get1,000 schools affiliated to thecentral board.Duringameetingonschools

and the New Education Policy(NEP), the government also de-cidedthat fromClass3onwardseach school shall have subject-wise teachers, and no teachershall teach two different sub-jects.EducationDepartmentof-ficialssaidsomeschoolswillalsoseek ICSEaffiliation. Schools re-openedonAugust16 inAndhraPradesh. Though attendancewaslowintheinitialdays, ithasimproved now. In case of stu-dents or teachers testing posi-tive for Covid-19, the state gov-ernment has asked the schoolsin question to declare holidaysfora fewdays.

INVITEFORPASWANDEATHANNIVERSARY

EXPRESSNEWSSERVICEMUMBAI, PUNE,SEPTEMBER8

MAHARASHTRA Wednesdaysurpassed its previous best tallyof single-day vaccinationby ad-ministering 14.39 lakh dosesagainstCovid-19tobeneficiaries.Mumbai,onWednesday,ad-

ministered 1.84 lakh doses, thehighest for the city in a singleday.Asmanyas13,1757or71percentofthetotalvaccinesweread-ministeredat322civicandstate-run vaccination centres. The re-maining 52,532 vaccineswereadministeredatprivatehospitals.With this, the number of fullyvaccinated people inMumbai

nowstandsat29,45,437.At least75 per cent of the adult popula-tion (72,80,431) have receivedonedoseof thevaccine.Of the total fully vaccinated

people in thecity, 11.03 lakharefrom the 45-59 age group and7.37 lakh are in the 18-44 agegroup. In abid to fully vaccinatemore people in Mumbai, theBrihanmumbai MunicipalCorporation(BMC)planstoholda special drive on Thursday forthose eligible for a seconddose.A similar drive was conductedonSeptember4,whencivic-runcentres administered seconddoses to81,705people.To get themaximum num-

ber of people immunised, the

BMC continues to conduct spe-cialvaccinationdrivesforlactat-ingmothers, pregnantwomen,those who are bedridden andpeople without any identityproof. Lastmonth, it had kickedoff ‘Vaccine onWheels’ for thevulnerable and the underprivi-leged.Under the initiative, BMCreaches out to commercial sexworkers, HIV-positive persons,migrantworkers, labourers andstreet vendors/hawkers to ad-minister themvaccines.Dr Pradeep Vyas, state

Additional Chief Secretary(Health),toldTheIndianExpress:“A total of 14,39,809 vaccinedoseswere administered in thestateonWednesday.”

556DAYSSINCEPANDEMICBEGAN

TRACKING THE SECOND SURGE

NEWCASES: 42,620ACTIVE CASES:3,93,772TOTAL VACCINATION: 70,75,43,018

DAILY DEATHS339

TOTALDEATHS4,41,750

WEEKLY CFR0.94%

OVERALL CFR1.36%

TESTS TODAY: 18,75,052 | TOTAL TESTS: 53,68,18,145

WEEKLY POSITIVITY: 2.35% | OVERALL POSITIVITY: 6.17%

STATESREPORTINGMOSTCASES

STATE NEW ACTIVE WEEKLY TOTALCASES CASES POSITIVITY VACCINATION

■Kerala 30,196 2,39,958 17.36% 3,04,34,537

■Maharashtra 4,174 47,880 2.41% 6,40,78,584

■TamilNadu 1,587 16,180 0.98% 3,60,16,223

■AndhraPradesh 1,361 14,510 2.25% 3,22,04,948

■Mizoram 1,214 11,244 12.39% 9,41,126

STATESREPORTINGMOSTDEATHS

STATE TODAY’S TOTAL WEEKLY OVERALLDEATHS DEATHS CFR CFR

■Kerala 181 22,080 0.75% 0.57%

■Maharashtra 65 1,41,501 1.52% 2.20%

■TamilNadu 18 35,073 1.16% 1.35%

■Karnataka 17 37,458 1.31% 1.27%

■AndhraPradesh 15 13,950 0.91% 0.70%

Note:DataasonSept8;vaccinationnumbersasofSept7.Deathsincludethosefrompreviousdays.

Andhra plansCBSE affiliationfor govt schools

Bengaluru:Ready-to-cookprod-ucts firm iDFreshFood IndiaPvtLtd has approached theBengalurucybercrimepoliceandthe WhatsApp grievance cellagainstonlinemessagesattempt-ingtomalignthecompanyanditsproductswithfalse information.Themove comes following

communally-tinged socialme-dia posts claiming that theBengaluru-basedfirm,whichhasseen revenue grow from Rs 50crore in 2014-2015 to over Rs1,000crorenow,usesanimalex-tracts for its products. “WehavefiledacomplaintwithWhatsAppGrievance Cell and Cybercrime,Bangaloreagainstthemisleadingand false information...,” saidfounderPCMusthafa. ENS

Chirag meets Tejashwi, triggers tie-up talk

EXPRESSNEWSSERVICESRINAGAR,SEPTEMBER8

J&K POLICE on Wednesdaysearched the residences of fourjournalists in the Valley andcalledthemtothepolicestationforquestioning.While the jour-nalistswereletgointheevening,theyhavebeenaskedtobepres-entagainonThursday.This came a day after IGP

VijayKumarsaidthat theywereobservingsomelocalmediaper-sons for “spreading fakenews”.OnWednesdaymorning,po-

lice reached the residences ofjournalists Showkat AhmadMotta,HilalMir,AzharQadriandShah Abass, and carried out asearch. The police seized theircell phones, laptops and otherelectronic gadgets, and askedthemtobepresentatKothibaghPoliceStation inSrinagar.At the station, the fourwere

questionedforseveralhoursbe-fore they were let go lateevening.Mottawastheeditorofa magazine, Kashmir Narrator,whichhasn’tbeenpublishedforthelasttwoyears.Mir,QadriandAbass write for local, nationaland internationalpublications.AseniorofficertoldTheIndian

Express that the journalistswerequestioned regarding thepubli-cationofablog“Kashmirfight”.

Police question 4J&K journalists,search theirhomes

Food startupapproaches copsover rumours

BJP-CPMclash inTripura; Left partyHQ,media offices attacked

Maharashtra beats its own record,vaccinates 14.39 lakh people in a day

LJPMPChiragPaswanwithRJD’sTejashwiYadav. PTI

EXPRESSNEWSSERVICEKOLKATA,SEPTEMBER8

CALCUTTA HIGH Court onWednesday revoked the rustica-tionorder of threeVisva-BharatiUniversity(VBU)students,andal-lowedthemtorejoinclasses.Thecourtalsopointedoutthatmem-bersoftheuniversityfacultywere“equally aggrieved” by the “al-legedhigh-handedness”of Vice-ChancellorBidyutChakraborty.Justice Rajasekhar Mantha

said in an interim order: “ThisCourt is of the prima facie viewthat the punishment of rustica-tion for aperiodof three years isexcessive... The students shall beallowedtoparticipateintheirac-ademic activities. Theprofessorsandteachersoftheuniversityareequally aggrievedby the allegedhigh-handedness of the Vice-Chancellorofuniversity...”The judgeposted thematter

forhearingonSeptember15.OnAugust 23, the university

administrationhadexpelledRupaChakraborty, who started ahunger strike on Sunday,SomnathSow,andFalguniPanforallegedly “disrupting the aca-demicatmosphereintheuniver-sity”earlierthisyear.Following the court’s order,

Rupa Chakraborty said, “Weneverwanted todisrupt theaca-demicatmosphereoftheuniver-sity...Wearecallingoffourhungerstriketoday.However,ourmove-ment will continue in adifferentform.”

HC revokesVisva Bharatistudents’rustication

LEAKEDDOCUMENTS


ADELHI Court onWednesdayrejected the bail plea of AnandDaga – former MaharashtraHome Minister AnilDeshmukh’s lawyer –whowasarrested in connectionwith al-leged leaks of documents con-nected to the ongoing probeagainstDeshmukh.Special CBI Judge Vimal

KumarYadavrejectedDaga’sbailapplicationstatingthat Dagamayinfluencetheprobe.“It is evident that investiga-

tion is still inconclusive.Recoveriesconnectapplicantac-cusedwith the alleged offencesandgiventhefactthattheappli-cant/accused himself being alawyer...andfacingallegationsofseriousnature;itcannotberuledout thathemay try to scuttle orinfluencetheinvestigation...”theorder read.On the last date of hearing,

Dagawassentto14-dayjudicialcustody.Hehadbeenarrestedbythe agency along with CBI subinspectorAbhishekTiwari.

Anil Deshmukh’slawyer refusedbail by CBI court

DEEPMUKHERJEEJAIPUR,SEPTEMBER8

A DAY before the MonsoonSessionofthestateAssembly,sen-iorBJPMLAKailashMeghwal–aknownsupporterofformerChiefMinisterVasundharaRaje–didavolte-face.He first saidhewouldbring a censuremotion againstLeaderofOppositionGulabChandKataria for his comments onMaharana Pratap and LordRambut retracted the remarks aftermeetingthecentral leadership.Meghwal changedhis stand

aftermeetingBJPnationalgeneralsecretary and state in-charge forRajasthan, Arun Singh, onWednesday inJaipur.In his letter to Rajasthan BJP

president Satish Poonia onSeptember 4,Meghwal hadalsoreferenced a 10-page letter ad-

dressedtoNadda,inwhichhehaslevelled multiple allegationsagainstKataria.Meghwalsaidthatthesaffron

party’s electoral fortunes in thelast three bypolls have sufferedduetoKataria’sstatements.Katariahadissuedastatement

sayinghewillacceptanydecisionthepartytakesonthesubjectandrefrained from speaking on thematterfurther.Thereafter, ameeting tran-

spiredbetweenMeghwal, SinghandPooniaatthepartyheadquar-ters, followingwhichMeghwalchangedhisstand.“Wehaveheldadetaileddis-

cussion.Wewillworkintheinter-est of the party, take it forward.ThatiswhyIhaveabandonedtheideaof bringing thecensuremo-tion tomorrow.We have to beunited and fight the Congress,”Meghwal told reporters after hismeetingwithSingh.Statein-chargeSinghhadsaid

after landing in Jaipur onWednesday:“Yes,iftherearesuchstatementsmade, they result indamagingtheparty.Sincethepastfewmonthswearetakingcogni-sanceofeverystatementandnot-ing them. In the right time, thepartywillkeepinmindsuchpeo-ple...Whenever such statementsappear, the party is not going tokeepit incoldstorage.”

RAJASTHAN

KailashMeghwal,GulabChandKataria

BJP infighting out in open, MLAtargets Kataria, later backs down


THE SUPREME CourtWednesday refused to interferewith the extension of servicegrantedtoEnforcementDirectorS K Mishra, stating that theCentral Vigilance CommissionAct, 2003,which dealtwith theappointment to the post, onlysaidthatsuchofficersshallholdofficefornotlessthantwoyearswhich cannot be read tomeannotmore than twoyears.“Prescription of aminimum

period of two years is to ensurethat the Director ofEnforcement is not transferredor shifted from the said postduring the course of investiga-tionof seriousoffences.There isno ambiguity in Section 25 (d)of CVC Act and the words ‘notless than two years’ simplymeanaminimumof twoyears.Thereisnoscopeforreadingthewords to mean ‘not more thantwo years’,” ruled a bench ofJustices L Nageswara Rao and BR Gavai, dismissing a petition

filed by NGO Common Causechallenging theappointment.“Thewords‘notlessthantwo

years’ cannot be read tomean‘not more than two years’ andthereisnofetteronthepowerofthe Central government in ap-pointing the Director ofEnforcementbeyondaperiodoftwoyears,” thecourt said.“Reading such a restriction

wouldbecontrarytotherecom-mendationsof theIndependentReview Committee and thejudgmentof thiscourt inVineetNarain(whereinitwasheldthattheEDDirectorshallhaveamin-imum tenure of two years andany premature transfer for anyextraneous reason shall be ap-proved by the SelectionCommitteeheadedbytheCentralVigilanceCommissioner).”Mishra who was Principal

Special Director in EDwas ap-pointed Director on November19, 2018, for a period of twoyears. On November 13, 2020,thiswas extended by onemoreyear. The NGO contended thatthe extension was contrary toSection25of theCVCAct.

SC upholds extensionof SK Mishra’s tenureas Director of ED

Ahmedabad

SIRAJUDDINHAQQANI,48

InteriorMi-nister,headofHaqqaniNetwork,carries$10mnbounty

MULLAHABDULGHANIBARADAR,53

FirstDeputytoPM,Talibanco-founder,leadDohanegotiator

MAULAVIABDULSALAMHANAFI,52

SecondDeputytoPM,ethnicUzbek,partofTaliban’sDohagroup

MAULAVIMUHAMMADYAQOOB,31

DefenceMinister, sonof founderleaderMul-lahOmar

MAULAVIAMIRKHANMUTTAQI,53

ForeignMi-nister,partof firstTali-bangovt,Dohagroup

MULLAHHID-AYATULLAHBADRI,AGENOTKNOWN

FinanceMinister,notmuchinfor-mation

SHEIKHMAULAVINOORULLAHMUNIR,AGENOTKNOWN

EducationMinister,noinformation

MULLAHKHAIRULLAHKHAIRKHWA,58

I&BMinister,partof theGuantanamoBayFive

ABDULHAQWASEEQ,46

Intelligencechief, alsopartof theTaliban’sGuanta-namoFive

ZABIHULLAHMUJAHID,AGENOTKNOWN

Deputy I&BMinister, forlongthefaceofTaliban

33 (MOSTLYPASHTUN)MEN, NOWOMEN

MAULANA

HAIBATULLAH

AKHUNDZADA

SUPREMELEADER

SINCE2016

MULLAH

MUHAMMAD

HASSAN

AKHUND, ~ 66

PRIMEMINISTER,

TALIBAN

CO-FOUNDER, HEAD

OFREHBARI SHURA

R E S T O F T H E C A B I N E TSHEIKHNOORMUHAMMADSAQIB■Minister forHajjandAuqaf

MAULAVIABDULHAKIM■Minister forLaw

MULLAHNOORULLAHNOORI■Minister forBorders&TribalAffairs

MULLAHMUHAMMADYOUNASAKHUNDZADA■Minister forDevelopment

SHEIKHMUHAMMADKHALID■Minister forDawat&Irshaad

MULLAHABDULMANNANUMERI■Minister forPublicWorks

MULLAHMUHAMMADESSAAKHUND■Minister forMinerals&Petroleum

MULLAHABDULLATIFMANSOOR■Minister forWater&Power

HAMEEDULLAHAKHUNDZADA■Minister forCivilAviation&Transport

ABDULBAQIHAQQANI■Minister forHigherEducation

NAJIBULLAHHAQQANI■Minister forCommunications

KHALIL-UR-REHMANHAQQANI■Minister forRefugees

HAJIMUHAMMADIDREES■ Incharge,AfghanistanBank

MAULAVIAHMEDJANAHMEDI■ Incharge,AdministrativeAffairs

MULLAHMUHAMMADFAZILMAZLOOMAKHUND■DeputyDefenceMinister

MAULAVINOORJALAL■Deputy InteriorMinister

MULLAHABDULHAQ■SpecialAssistant (Narcotics) toInteriorMinister

MULLAHTAJMIRJAWAD■FirstDeputyto IntelligenceChief

MULLAHREHMATULLAHNAJEEB■AdministrativeDeputytoIntelligenceChief

SHERMUHAMMADABBASSTANEKZAI■DeputyForeignMinister,hadtheonlyofficiallyacknowledgedcontactonbehalf of Talibanwith India

QARIDINMUHAMMADHANIF(TAJIK)■Minister forEconomicAffairs

QARIFASEEHUDDIN(TAJIK)■ArmyChief

Source:Agencies. Photos:TheNYT,AP,Reuters,USDepartmentof State. Illustrations: SuvajitDey

SIMPLYPUT

SHUBHAJITROYNEWDELHI, SEPTEMBER8

THE TALIBAN announced their ‘cabinet’ on Tuesday evening, threedays after ISI chief Lt Gen FaizHameed reachedKabul to decide ongovernment formation.ThegovernmentinKabul issimilartotheoneinTehraninthatthe

religious-spiritualleaderoftheTaliban,MullahHaibatullahAkhundzada,isnotpartof thegovernment,butremainsthesupremeauthority.HerearesevenkeythingstonoteabouttheAfghangovernment.

1. The stamp of Pakistan is all over it.The cabinet is dominatedby theKandahar-basedTalibangroup

and leaders of the Haqqani Network terrorist outfit, a proxy of theISI—intheassessmentinNewDelhi,at least20of the33meninthenewcabinetarefromthesegroups.TheTalibangroupbasedinDoha,whichhadnegotiatedwith theUS,hasbeen largely sidelined.

2. TheHaqqanis are the biggest gainers.For India, theHaqqanis inAfghanistan’s government is badnews.

SirajuddinHaqqani,adesignatedglobalterrorist,asInteriorMinisteristhemostobvioussignthatthecabinethasbeenhandpickedbytheISI.Haqqani’smandatewill include theappointmentsof provincial

governors. Hewill have leverage and the ability to pack the coun-try’s provinceswithhis—and the ISI’s—men. The strategic conse-quences for Indiaandtheregionwill besignificant.Besides Sirajuddin, his uncle Khalil-ur Rehman, and two others

(see report and chart right),a trustedHaqqaniman isMullahTajMirJawad,whowill beDeputy Intelligencechief.

3. The Taliban old guard remain in charge.The cabinet is filledwith Taliban from their previous regime in

1996-2001.ManyareontheUnitedNationsterrorlist.Allareconsid-eredextremelyclose to the ISI.ThePrimeMinister,MullahMuhammadHassanAkhund, is the

chief of the ‘Rehbari Shura’, often called ‘Quetta Shura’ after thePakistani citywheremanyTaliban fledafter theUS invasion.Akhundisalsothemanwhoorderedthedestruction, in2001,of

the magnificent sixth-century Bamiyan Buddhas. He was a co-founderof theIslamistmovement—oneof the“30originalTaliban”.

4.Mullah Baradar has been edged out.MullahAbdulGhaniBaradar,anotherTalibanco-founder,headed

theTaliban’spoliticaloffice inDoha, and led thenegotiations.Baradar was captured in February 2010 in Karachi after the

Pakistanisdiscoveredthathehadopenedachannelof communica-tionwiththenPresidentHamidKarzai.Theyreleasedhimin2018atthe behest of the US and, in March 2020, Baradar spoke withPresidentDonaldTrumpbyphone.Baradar’schanceswere likelyscuttledbythe ISI,whichdoesnot

trusthimentirely.

5. There is virtually no inclusivity.Asexpected,nowomanhasfoundaplaceinthecabinet,andthere

areveryfewnon-Pashtuns—onlythreeoutof33.TheyaretheSecondDeputytothePrimeMinister,MaulaviAbdulSalamHanafi,anUzbek;and the ethnic Tajik Army chief Qari Faseehuddin andMinister forEconomyQariDinMuhammadHanif.

6. India has lost a potential point of contact.SherMuhammadAbbasStanekzai,whomanybelievedcouldbe

ForeignMinister,hasbeenmadeonlyadeputy,thesamepostthatheheld back in 1996. Stanekzai had met Deepak Mittal, India’sAmbassador toQatar, onAugust31.

7. There are ex-Gitmo inmates in the cabinet.Former inmates of the Guantanamo Bay facility, Khairullah

Khairkhwa, Abdul HaqWaseeq, andMullah Noorullah Noori areMinister for Information & Broadcasting, Intelligence Chief, andMinister forBordersandTribalAffairs respectively.

LONGERVERSIONONWWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM

NIRUPAMASUBRAMANIANMUMBAI, SEPTEMBER8

THEHAQQANI Network has emerged as themost powerful groupin theTalibangovernment—fourof theclanare in thecabinet.TheNetworktakesitsnamefromitsfounder,JalaluddinHaqqani,

whofirstfoughttheSovietsasaloyalallyof theCIAandISI,andthenfought the US andNATO—while Pakistan gave him and his groupprotection inNorthWaziristan.After Jalaluddin’s death, whichwas announced in September

2018, themantlepassed tohis sonSirajuddin.

Haqqanis in Afghan cabinetSIRAJUDDINHAQQANI,48, is InteriorMinister—his appoint-

mentisafingerintheeyeoftheinternationalcommunity.HehasbeenaUN-designatedglobal terrorist since2007,andtheFBIhasarewardof$10milliononhishead.Norecentphotographsexistofhim.KHALIL-UR-REHMANHAQQANI,theuncleofSirajuddin,who

hasbeenappointedtheMinisterforRefugees,waslistedasaterror-ist in2011.NAJIBULLAHHAQQANI,Minister for Communication, was

listed in2001.SHEIKHABDULBAQIHAQQANI,MinisterforHigherEducation,

isnotdesignatedbytheUNSecurityCouncil,buthasbeensanctionedbytheEuropeanUnion.

Network’s deep roots in Af-PakJalaluddin (right), a Zadran tribesman fromthe LoyaPaktia area

ineasternAfghanistan,wasamemberof theanti-communist,anti-SovietHizb-e-Islami,andbecameactiveasamujahid inthe1970s.Analumnus of the “jihad factory” Dar-ul-ulumMadrassa in AkhoraKhattakinPakistan’sKhyberPakhtunkhwa,hewasamongtheCIA’smost trustedmujahideen.Through the1980s, Jalaluddin rangunsand ji-

hadists from a base in North Waziristan. InMiramshah, the headquarters town of NorthWaziristan, hemetOsamabinLaden.He receivedCIA and ISI largesse, but is said to have raised hisown funds fromwealthy sheikhs in the Gulf, andduringhisannualHajpilgrimage.HaqqanijoinedhandswiththeTalibanin1995,andbecameMinister

of Border andTribal Affairs in 1996.Hehada common-interest rela-tionshipwithMullahOmar,butHaqqaniresentedtheprominencethattheleaderof theTalibangavetohisinnercirclefromKandahar.

Haqqanis’ activities post-2001After theouster of the Taliban regime, theHaqqani family fled to

theiroldstrongholdofMiramshah.Theyranaparalleladministrationthere,taxingpeopleandmakingmoneyoffconstructioncontractsandreal estate investments. They raised funds in theGulf, kidnapped forransom,andsmuggledtimberfromAfghanistanintoPakistan.WhentheTalibanbeganregroupingin2003,theHaqqaniclan—

by thenunderSirajuddin’s operational control—wascentral to theeffort. TheUnitedStatesoftenurgedPakistan to “domore” toelim-inate theNetwork,but theefforts remainedcosmetic.

Al-Qaeda, ISIS links; Network and IndiaInMay thisyear, aUNreportdescribed theHaqqaniNetworkas

“Taliban’smost combat-ready forces [with] a highly skilled core ofmemberswho specialize in complex attacks andprovide technicalskills...andistheprimaryliaisonbetweentheTalibanandAl-Qaida”.Thisreportandanearlierone,bytheTalibanSanctionsMonitoring

Committee,notedthataMemberStatehadpointedtoalinkbetweenIslamicState-KhorasanProvinceandtheHaqqaniNetwork.USandAfghanintelligenceblamedtheHaqqaniNetworkforthe

2008IndianEmbassybombing.TheHaqqaniNetworkisalsosaidtohavebeenbehindtheattacksonIndianworkersinAfghanistandur-ing 2009-12. The group’s long relationshipwith and loyalty to theISImake it an invaluableasset forPakistan.


12WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM

NIRUPAMASUBRAMANIANMUMBAI, SEPTEMBER8

SRI LANKA’S Parliament on Monday ap-proved a national emergency declared byPresidentGotabayaRajapaksaonAugust30.Thegovernmentsaidtheemergencywas

requiredtochecksoaringpricesof foodandhoardingofessentialsbya“foodmafia”.ButtheOppositionsaiditwas“inbadfaith,withtheulteriormotiveof furtherrestrictingfun-damentalrightsof thecitizenryandmovingfurtherinthedirectionofauthoritarianism”.The emergency has added to the uncer-

taintyofSriLanka’sfoodcrisis,whichhasallthemakingsof aperfect storm.

Debt, forex crisis, inflationSriLankaisbentbyahugeforeigndebtbur-

den.Itisunabletorepaytheseloansbecauseofcriticallylowforeignexchangereserves.With the tourism industry destroyed

since the 2019 Easter attacks, Sri Lanka hadlost one of its top foreign exchange pullersevenbefore thepandemic struck.Theteaandgarmentindustrieshavealso

beenhitbythepandemic,affectingexports.Remittancesincreasedin2020,butarenot

sufficient to pull Sri Lanka out of its crisis. AttheendofJuly,thecountry’sforeignexchangereserveswere $ 2.7 billion,while it needs torepayforeigndebtsofabout$4billion.Anexpected$400millioncurrencyswap

withIndiahasnotyetmaterialised.InMarch,Sri Lanka obtained a $ 1.5 billion currency

swap deal from China. Last month,Bangladesh gave a first tranche of $ 50mil-lionofa$250millionloanswapagreement.ThelowforexreservesalsomeanSriLanka

hasbeenunableto importasmuchas itusedto.Earlierthisyear,itstoppedimportsofvehi-clesandseveralother items, includingedibleoils,turmeric,andeventoothbrushes.SriLankaimportsmany essentials, including pulses,sugar,wheatflour,vegetables,andcookingoil.On the demand side, the printing of Rs

800 billion by the Central Bank of Sri Lankaoverthelast18monthstoeasetheeconomiccrisishasincreasedliquidityintheeconomy.But this infusion of money, and the conse-quent increase in demandwithout a corre-sponding increase in supply, has led to asharpspike in inflation.This in turn has devalued the currency,

madeimportscostlier,addedtothedebtandputtheforexreservesundermorepressure.The government’s decision, under the

emergency,tofixpricesofallessentialshasfur-therhitimports,astradersarereluctanttobuyinternationallywithout apromiseof returnsfromsalesinthemarketsathome.

Another emergency, old fearsTheemergencyhasbeendeclaredunder

the legal framework of the Public SecurityOrdinance (PSO).Section 2 of the PSO empowers the

President todeclareaStateof Emergency intwosituations:whenthePresident isof theopinionthat it isexpedient todosoa) in theinterestof public securityandthepreserva-tionofpublicorder,orb)forthemaintenanceofsuppliesandservicesessentialtothelifeof

thecommunity.“With the declaration of a State of

Emergency on 30th August 2021, thePresident is now able to promulgateEmergency Regulations dealing with anysubject at any given time. Considering SriLanka’shistorywithemergency,othersecu-rityrelatedlawsandlegacyofrepression,thisraisesseriousconcerns,”theColombo-basedthink tank Centre for Policy Alternativesnoted inastatement.SriLankawasunderanemergencyforover

threedecadesduringthewaragainsttheLTTEuntilitwasallowedtolapsein2011;andthenforbriefperiodsduringtheanti-Muslimriotsin2018,andaftertheEasterbombingsin2019.

Memories of another food crisisThe last time the country experienced a

food crisis was in the 1970s, during theSirimavoBandaranaikegovernment’sexper-imentwithsocialism.Thelongqueuesseenoutsidethegovern-

ment-ownedSathosagroceryshopshavetrig-geredmemoriesofthe“ship-to-mouthecon-omy” of those days, Colombo’s The SundayTimes said, recalling“thepreciousrationcardwhichprovidedeveryfamilywithlimitedsub-sidisedquantitiesofrice,sugar,kerosene,flour,and dhal; the endless queues for bread andcloth; and the draconian foreign-exchangecontrolsandexitpermits.Seniorcitizensmaywellrecallhowtheyhadtowaitanxiouslyforthenextshiptoarrivewiththeirfood”.


ThenewTalibanregimeisareflectionof theold. It remainsall-maleandPashtun-dominated.Most inthecabinetaredesignatedterrorists.Andthestampof theISI isunmistakable

E EXPLAINEDTHEINDIANEXPRESS,THURSDAY,SEPTEMBER9,2021

CORONAVIRUSDASHBOARD

TOTALVACCINATED IN INDIA (at least one dose)

54,05,57,826

DOSESONSEPT7:84,80,242SEPT6: 1,15,21,014 (1STDOSE:83,34,026;2ND:31,86,988)

■Firstdose ■Seconddose

COVISHIELD

88%COVAXIN

11.9%TOTALDOSES

70,75,43,018

(Sputnik V’s 8,03,377dosesnot represented in pie)

Aug29 Sept7LAST 10 DAYS (daily)

22,93,849

58,42,0031,20,00,000

60,00,000

0

26,38,239

22,56,691

Perfect storm that has led Sri Lanka todeclare a national ‘food emergency’

WiththeSriLankaneconomycrippledbythecollapseof tourism(left),PresidentGotabayaRajapaksahasdeclaredanemergency.SriLankaTourism,ArunJanardhanan/Archive

3,91,2563,76,324

Aug29 Sept7LAST 10 DAYS

INDIAACTIVECOVIDCASES 3,91,256

4,50,000

2,25,000

0

The Haqqanis: ISIsword arm now inpower in Kabul

The Government of the Taliban

Ahmedabad


UNITEDSTATES

Virginiapulls

downstatueof

RobertELeeRichmond: A crowderupted in cheers andsongWednesdayasworkcrews hoisted an enor-mous statue ofConfederate Gen. RobertE Lee off the pedestalwhereithastoweredoverVirginia’s capital city formore thanacentury.OneofAmerica’s largestmon-uments to theConfederacy, the eques-trian statuewas loweredto the ground just before9 am. A work crew thenbegan cutting it intopieces. “Anyremnant likethis that glorifies the LostCause of the Civil War, itneedstocomedown,saidGovRalphNortham,whocalled it “hopefully anewday,anewerainVirginia.”

AP

Thestatueof theConfederate isremoved.Reuters

TOPOFTHEWORLD

CHINA

Privatetutors

bannedfrom

onlineclassesShanghai: China onWednesday banned pri-vate tutors from givingclassesonlineorinunreg-isteredvenuessuchasres-idential buildings, hotelsandcoffeeshops,rampingup its effort to stampoutall for-profit tutoring.Authorities this yearbannedfor-profittutoringin subjects on the schoolcurriculum in an effort toeasepressureonchildrenand parents. A competi-tivehighereducationsys-tem has made tutoringservicespopularwithpar-ents but the governmenthas sought to reduce thecostof child-rearing inaneffort to nudge up a lag-gingbirthrate. REUTERS

RUSSIA

Ministerdies

duringdrill in

Siberia: reportsMoscow: Russia's emer-gency situationsministerhasdiedduringdrills, theministrysaidWednesday.YevgenyZinichev,55,“trag-ically died in the line ofdutyduring inter-agencyexercises to protect theArctic zone from emer-gencysituations,whilesav-ingaperson'slife,”themin-istry said in a statementcarried by Russian newsagencies.Theministrydid-n't offer anydetails aboutwhere or how he died.Accordingtoitswebsite,inrecent days ZinichevwasonatriptotheSiberianre-gionofKrasnoyarsk. AP

AGENCIESSEPTEMBER8

THETALIBAN’Sinteriorministryheaded by Sirajuddin Haqqanihas issuedasetof guidelines forprotests, according to reports.In a statement, theministry

said that people should notprotest without coordinatingwiththesecurityandjusticede-partments, TOLONews said in atweetWednesdayevening.Incidentally, Haqqani is the

son of anti-Soviet warlordJalaluddin Haqqani, whofounded theHaqqani Network.Upon Jalaluddin’s death,Sirajuddin succeeded his fatheras the head of the group, and iscurrently on the FBI's mostwanted list for terrorism.CountriesinEuropeandAsia,

alongwiththeUS,offeredaluke-warmreceptiononWednesdayto theTaliban'sprovisional gov-ernment inAfghanistan.Thestructureofthenewgov-

ernment runs counter toadviceto the Taliban fromworld pow-ersforaninclusivegovernment,backingupitspledgesofamoreconciliatory approach that up-holds human rights, if it soughtpeaceanddevelopment.Voicing concern about the

government's composition,GermanForeignMinisterHeikoMaassaidhesawlittlereasonforoptimism about conditions inAfghanistan.Maas said, however, that

Germany was willing to keeptalking to the Taliban in a bid to

ensuremorepeoplewereabletoleave the country, hit by foodshortages and a halt in interna-tionalpayments.China on Wednesday an-

nounced $31 million as aid toAfghanistan, its first after theTalibanseizedpowerinKabul,asit backed the Afghan militantgroup's interim government,saying it is a “necessary step” torestoreorderand“endanarchy”.Takingpart in the firstmeet-

ing of ForeignMinisters of theneighbouring countries onAfghanistan, ForeignMinisterWangYi saidChinawill provideAfghanistan with 200millionyuan ($31 million) worth ofgrains,wintersupplies,vaccinesandmedicinesasperitsrequire-ments,officialmediareported.Russia was conspicuously

absentatthemeetinghostedbyPakistan'sForeignMinisterShahMahmoodQureshi.TheUSsaidit isassessingthe

newAfghangovernment.“Wenotetheannouncedlist

of names consists exclusivelyofindividualswhoaremembersoftheTalibanortheircloseassoci-ates and no women,” a StateDepartment statementsaid.“We understand that the

Taliban has presented this as acaretakerCabinet.However,wewill judge the Taliban by its ac-tions,notwords.Wehavemadeclear our expectation that theAfghanpeopledeserveaninclu-sivegovernment,” it said.Meanwhile,formerPresident

Ashraf Ghani, who fled to theUAE before the Taliban seizedpower,apologisedtothepeopleforleavingthecountryabruptly,saying he believed it was the“onlywaytokeepthegunssilentand save Kabul and her sixmil-lionpeople.”He also denied reports that

he left Kabul with millions ofdollarsincashfromthetreasury.

In first act, Haqqaniministryannounces curbs onprotestsGuardedworldresponsetoTalibangovt;Ghaniapologises for fleeing

Talibansoldierswalkaheadofdemonstratorsduringananti-Pakistanprotest inKabulonTuesday.WANAviaReuters

SAJJADHUSSAINISLAMABAD,SEPTEMBER8

PAKISTAN FOREIGN MinisterShah Mahmood Qureshi onWednesdayhostedthefirstmin-isterialmeetingofAfghanistan'sneighbours since the Talibantook over in Kabul, saying thateventhoughthesituationinthewar-wearycountry is “complexand fluid”, its “new reality” re-quired theworld todiscard “oldlenses”andproceedwitha“real-istic approach”.Qureshi issued a series of

tweetsashechairedthefirstvir-tual meeting of ForeignMinisters of China, Iran,Tajikistan, Turkmenistan andUzbekistan—theneighboursofAfghanistan.“ThesituationinAfghanistan

remains complex and fluid.Wehope the political situation sta-bilisesleadingtonormalcysoon.The new reality requires us todiscardold lenses, developnewinsights and proceedwith a re-alistic/pragmatic approach,” hesaid inoneof his tweets.Hesaidatthecentreoftheen-

deavoursmust remain thewell-beingof theAfghanpeople. PTI

ASSOCIATEDPRESSPARIS,SEPTEMBER8

THETRIALof20menaccusedintheIslamicStategroup'scoordi-nated attacks on Paris in 2015thattransformedFranceopenedWednesday in a custom-builtcomplex embedded within a13th-centurycourthouse.Nine gunmen and suicide

bombersstruckwithinminutesofeachotheratseverallocationsaround Paris on November 13,2015, leaving 130 people deadandspreadingfearacrossthena-tion.ItwasthedeadliestviolencetostrikeFrancesinceWorldWarIIandoneof theworst terrorat-tacks tohit theWest.The lone surviving attacker

fromthatnight,SalahAbdeslam,isthekeydefendant—buthehasso far refused to speak to inves-tigators, denying themanswerstomanyof the remainingques-tions about the attacks and thepeople who planned them.Abdeslam, whose brother wasamongthesuicidebombers,ap-peared wearing a black short-

sleevedshirtandblacktrousers,his longhair tiedback.Whenaskedtostatehispro-

fession, he declared he was “afighterforIslamicState”afterin-toningaprayer.Ofthe20mencharged,sixwill

betriedinabsentia.Abdeslamwillbe questionedmultiple times—butitremainstobeseenifhewillbreakhissilence.The same IS network went

on to strikeBrusselsmonths af-ter the Paris attacks, killing an-

other32people.The trial is scheduled to last

nine months. The month ofSeptemberwill be dedicated tolayingoutthepoliceandforensicevidence. Octoberwill be givenover tovictims' testimony.From November to

December, officials includingthen-French President FrancoisHollande—whowasattheStadedeFranceonthenightof theas-saults—will testify, aswill rela-tivesof theattackers.

FrenchGendarmesenteraPariscourthousebeforethestartofthetrialonWednesday.Reuters

Trial of 20 men accused in2015 Paris attacks begins

MICHAELLIEDTKE&BARBARAORTUTAYSANFRANCISCO,SEPTEMBER8

TECHNOLOGYCOMPANIESthatledthechargeintoremoteworkas the pandemic unfurled areconfronting a new challenge asthe crisis winds down: how,when and even whether theyshould bring long-isolated em-ployeesbacktoofficesthathavebeendesigned for teamwork.“I thought this period of re-

moteworkwould be themostchallengingyear-and-half ofmycareer, but it's not,” said BrentHyder,thechiefpeopleofficerforsoftware maker Salesforce.“Gettingeverythingstartedbackupthewayitneedstobeisprov-ingtobeevenmoredifficult.”That transition has been

complicatedbytherapidspread

of the delta variant, which hasscrambled the plansmany techcompanieshadforbringingbackmostof theirworkers.Microsofthas pushed those dates back toOctober while Apple, Google,Facebook, Amazon and a grow-inglistofothershavealreadyde-cidedwaituntilnextyear.Givenhow they set the tone

for remote work, tech compa-nies’ return-to-office policieswill likely have ripple effectsacross other industries.Employers' next steps could re-define how andwhere peoplework, predicts Laura Boudreau,a ColumbiaUniversity assistanteconomicsprofessorwhostud-iesworkplace issues.“Wehavemovedbeyondthe

theme of remotework being atemporary thing,” Boudreausays. The longer the pandemichas stretched on, she says, the

harder it's become to tell em-ployees to come back to the of-fice,particularly full time.Because they typically re-

volve around digital and onlineproducts,mosttechjobsaretai-lor made for remote work. Yet

mostmajor tech companies in-sistthattheiremployeesshouldbe ready to work in the officetwoor threedayseachweekaf-ter thepandemic isover.Themain reason: Tech com-

panies have long believed that

employeesclusteredtogether inaphysical spacewill swap ideasand spawn innovations thatprobably wouldn't have hap-penedinisolation.That'sonerea-son tech titans have poured bil-lions into corporate campusesinterspersedwith common ar-easmeanttolureemployeesoutof theircubiclesandinto“casualcollisions” that turn into brain-stormingsessions.But the concept of “water

cooler innovatio”? may beoverblown, says Christy Lake,chief peopleofficer forbusinesssoftwaremakerTwilio.“Thereisnodatathatsupportsthatreallyhappens in real life, and yetweall subscribe to it,” Lakesays.Nearlytwo-thirdsofthemore

than200companiesrespondingtoamid-July survey in the tech-centricBaysaidtheyareexpect-ing their workers to come into

theofficetwoorthreedayseachweek.EvenZoom,thevideoconfer-

encing service that saw its rev-enueandstockpricesoarduringthe pandemic, says most of itsemployees still prefer to comeinto the office part of the time.“Thereisn'taone-size-fits-allap-proachtoreturningtotheoffice,”Kelly Steckelberg, Zoom's CFOrecentlywrote inablogpost.But the biggest tech compa-

nies, which have profited evenmore than Zoom as the pan-demic thatmadetheirproductsindispensableformanyworkers,aren't giving employeesmuchchoice in the matter. Apple,Google, Amazon, andMicrosofthave made it clear that theywantmost of their workers to-gether at least a few days eachweek tomaintain their cultureandpaceof innovation. AP

RunXCEOAnkurDahiya(centre)takespartinavideomeetingwithemployees atarentedofficeinSanFrancisco.AP/file

Silicon Valley finds work from home easier to begin than end

SupportersofBrazilianPresident JairBolsonaroatanIndependenceDayrallyatRiode JaneiroonTuesday.AP

ASSOCIATEDPRESSBRASILIA,SEPTEMBER8

TENSOFthousandsofsupportersofembattledright-wingPresidentJairBolsonaroheededhiscallandturnedoutatralliesTuesdayashesteppeduphisattacksonBrazil'sSupremeCourtandthreatenedtoplunge thecountry intoaconsti-tutionalcrisis.Bolsonarohasbeenlockedin

a feud with the high court, inparticular a justice who hasjailed several of the president'ssupporters for allegedly financ-ing, organizing or inciting vio-lenceoranti-democraticacts,ordisseminatingfalseinformation.In calling on his followers to

take to the streets on Brazil'sIndependence Day in protest,Bolsonaro stirred fears amonghisfoesthatthedemonstrationscould erupt in violence. But by

lateafternoon,therewerenore-portsof anyseriousviolence.Bolsonaro got a rousing re-

ception from demonstrators inthe capital, Brasilia, and in SaoPaulo,ashe lit intotheSupremeCourt and Justice Alexandre deMoraes for making what hecharacterizedaspoliticalarrests.Hedeclaredhewillnolonger

abidebyrulingsfromdeMoraes,whowillassumethepresidencyof thenation'selectoral tribunalnext year, when Bolsonarowillseekreelection.“Any decision from Mr.

AlexandredeMoraes, thispres-ident will no longer complywith.Thepatienceofourpeoplehasrunout,”Bolsonarosaid.“Forus,heno longerexists.”He also told the cheering

crowd in Sao Paulo: “I want totell thosewhowanttomakemeunelectable in Brazil: Only Godremovesmefromthere.”

PRESSTRUSTOFINDIAISLAMABAD,SEPTEMBER8

IN A major reshuffle of thePakistan Army, Lt Gen AzharAbbas,whowas responsible forthesecurityoftheLineofControl(LoC), has beennamed thenextChiefofGeneralStaff (CGS),con-sidered themost importantpo-sitionafter theArmychief.Lt Gen Abbas, who is from

theBalochRegiment,replacesLtGenSahirShamshadMirza,whowas posted out as commanderofRawalpindi-based10Corps—a post previously held by him,thePakistanArmy'smediawingInter-Services Public Relations(ISPR) saidonTuesday.The CGS is assigned opera-

tional and intelligencemattersat the General Headquarterswith directorates of MilitaryOperations and MilitaryIntelligence falling under hispurview,DawnNews reported.Lt GenAbbas has in the past

served as commandant of theInfantry School, Quetta, andwaspersonalsecretarytoformerarmychief, GenRaheel Sharif. Hehadalso commanded a division inMurreeandworkedinOperationsDirectorateasabrigadier.

LtGenMirzaisfromtheSindhRegiment. According to a reportinTheExpressTribune,hewasap-pointed the CGS in November2019butwouldnowcommandacorps. Hewould be among thetopthreeseniormostgeneralsinNovember 2022, when Armychief General Qamar JavedBajwa's extended term expires.Heisseenasapotentialcandidateforeitherthepostofchairmanofthejointchiefsofstaffcommitteeorthearmychief,thereportsaid.In other changes, Lt Gen

MuhammadChiraghHaiderhasbeenpostedastheCommanderoftheMultancorps,whichisoneof themain strike Corps of thecountry,theISPRstatementsaid.He replaces Lt General

MuhammadWaseem Ashraf,whohasnowbeenappointedasthe joint staff headquarters di-rectorgeneral.

NATALIEKITROEFF&OSCARLOPEZMEXICOCITY,SEPTEMBER8

CRIMINALIZING ABORTION isunconstitutional, Mexico’sSupreme Court ruled onTuesday,settingaprecedentthatcould lead to legalization of theprocedureacross this conserva-tive Catholic country of about130millionpeople.The unanimous ruling from

the nation’s top court followsyears of efforts by a growingwomen’smovement inMexico

thathas repeatedly taken to thestreetsofmajorcitiestodemandgreater rightsandprotections.The decision, which opens

the door forMexico to becomethe most populous LatinAmericancountrytoallowabor-tion, was met with elation byfeministactivistsanddismaybyconservativepoliticiansandthepowerfulCatholicChurch.“Todayisahistoricdayforthe

rights of all Mexican women,”Chief JusticeArturoZaldivarsaidafterthejudges'voteswerecast.“It is awatershed in the historyof therightsofallwomen,espe-

cially themostvulnerable.”The decision does not auto-

matically make abortion legalacrossMexico, experts said, butit does set a binding precedentfor judgesacross thecountry.TheMexicanSupremeCourt’s

decision is likely to reverberateacrossLatinAmerica,wherevic-tories bywomen’s rightsmove-ments in one country often cat-alyzeeffortsinothers. Advocatessaid theyhoped their victory onTuesdaywouldbuoyUSwomenchallengingmoves by states toplaceever-tighterrestrictionsontheprocedure. NYT

Mexico’s Supreme Court votesto decriminalise abortion

Pak Army reshufflestop brass, Lt Gen Abbasmade Chief of Gen Staff

With rallies on I-Day,Bolsonaro deepens riftwith Supreme Court

ASSOCIATEDPRESSKABUL,SEPTEMBER8

THE LAST member ofAfghanistan's Jewish commu-nityhas left thecountry.ZebulonSimentov,wholived

in a dilapidated synagogue inKabul,keptkosherandprayedinHebrew,endureddecadesofwaras the country's centuries-oldJewish community rapidlydwindled. But the Talibantakeover last month seems tohavebeenthe last straw.Moti Kahana, an Israeli-

American businessman whorunsaprivatesecuritygroupthatorganized the evacuation, toldThe Associated Press on

Wednesdaythatthe62-year-oldSimentov and 29 of his neigh-bours,nearlyallof themwomenandchildren,havebeentakento

a“neighbouringcountry.”Kahana said Simentov, who

had livedunderTalibanrulebe-fore, was not worried aboutthem. But Kahanawarned himthat hewas at risk of being kid-nappedorkilledbythefarmoreradical Islamic State. He saidSimentov's neighbours alsopressed him to leave, so thattheir childrencould joinhimonthebusout.Israel’s Kan public broad-

caster aired footageof theevac-uation,showingabusfullofpeo-ple traveling across whatappeared to be Afghanistan,withall the facesblurredexceptforSimentov's.Theyjoinedanexodusoftens

of thousands of Afghans who

havefledsincetheTalibansweptacross thecountry lastmonth.Kahana said his group is

reachingouttoUSandIsraeliau-thorities to find a permanenthome for Simentov, whose es-trangedwifeandchildren live inIsrael.In the late 19th century,

Afghanistanwas home to some40,000 Jews, many of themPersianJewswhohadfledforcedconversion in neighboring Iran.Thecommunity'sdeclinebeganwithanexodus to Israel after itscreation in1948.In an interview with The

Associated Press in 2009,Simentov said the last Jewishfamiliesleftafterthe1979Sovietinvasion.

ZebulonSimentovpreparesShabbatdinnerinhisKabulhome. AP file

Last Afghan Jew leaves after Taliban takeover

LtGenAbbashasservedascommandantof theInfantrySchool,Quetta,andwaspersonalsecytoformerarmychief,GenRaheelSharif

SHORT CURCUIT SUSPECTED

41 INMATESDIE INFIREAT INDONESIANPRISON

A massive fire raged through an overcrowded prison near Indonesia’s capital earlyWednesday, killing at least 41 inmates and injuring 80 others. Most of the 41 killed were drugconvicts, including two men from South Africa and Portugal, but a terrorism convict and amurder were also killed, Indonesia’s Justice and Human Rights minister Yasona Laoly said

Afghanistan’s‘new reality’requires worldto discard ‘oldlenses’: Qureshi

REUTERSDUBAI, SEPTEMBER9

IRAN'S PRESIDENT said onWednesday a “counterproduc-tive” stand by the UN atomicwatchdogmightimpedetalksonrevivingTehran'snucleardealwithworldpowersaftertheagencyac-cusedTehranof hinderingan in-quiryintoitspastactivities.The International Atomic

EnergyAgencysaidinreportstomember states that there hadbeennoprogressontwocentralissues: explaining uraniumtraces found at several old, un-

declaredsitesandgettingurgentaccess to some monitoringequipment so that the IAEAcancontinuetokeeptrackofpartsofIran'snuclearprogramme.“Iran's serious cooperation

with the IAEA shows itswill to-wardstransparencyinitsnuclearactivities,” President EbrahimRaisi told European CouncilPresident Charles Michel.“Naturally,intheeventofacoun-terproductive approach at theIAEA, itwouldnotmakesensetoexpectIrantoreactconstructively.Counterproductivemeasuresarenaturally disruptive to thenego-tiationpathalso.”

Iran: IAEA stance mayhinder nuclear talks


THEWORLD

Hong Kongpolice arrest 4 ofgroup behindTiananmen vigil

REUTERSHONGKONG,SEPTEMBER8

HONG KONG police onWednesdayarrestedfourmem-bers of a pro-democracy groupthatorganisestheannual June4rally to commemorate thosewho died in the bloody 1989TiananmenSquarecrackdown.Activist and barrister Chow

Hang Tung of the Hong KongAlliance in Support of PatrioticDemocratic Movements inChinawas arrested alongwiththreeothers, thegroupsaid.“Iwant to tell HongKongers

thatweneedtocontinuetoresist,don’tsurrendertotheunreason-able power quickly and easily,”Chow said Tuesday when shewent to police headquarters totellofficersshewouldnotprovideinformationtheyhadrequested.The National Security

Departmentsaid ithadarrestedthreemenandonewoman,aged36 to 57, for failing to complywith national security law re-quirements. Thenational secu-rity lawpunisheswhatauthori-tiesbroadlyrefertoassecession,subversion,terrorismandcollu-sionwith foreign forceswithupto life inprison.

Ahmedabad

14SENSEX: 58,250.26 ▼ 29.22 (-0.05%) NIFTY: 17,353.50 ▼ 8.60 (-0.05%) NIKKEI: 30,181.21 ▲ 265.07 HANG SENG: 26,320.93 ▼ 32.70 FTSE: 7,123.07 ▼ 26.30 DAX: 15,735.86 ▼ 107.23


ECONOMY


GOLD

`46,140

RUPEE

`73.60

OIL

$70.67

SILVER

`63,486Note:Gold,silverratesatDelhispotmarket;goldper10g,silverper1kg;Crudeoil(Indianbasket)asonSeptember7,2021

Internationalmarketdatatill1900IST

ENSECONOMICBUREAUNEWDELHI,SEPTEMBER8

THE INCOMEtaxdepartmentonWednesdaysaidanumberoftech-nical issuesonthenewITRportalarebeingprogressivelyaddressedand1.19croreITRsfor2020-21fis-calyearhavebeenfiledsofar.Givingupdatesofactivitiescar-

riedoutby taxpayerson thepor-tal, the I-Tdepartment saidover8.83croreuniquetaxpayershavelogged into the portal tillSeptember7,2021withadailyav-erage of over 15.55 lakh inSeptember. The Income TaxReturn(ITR)filinghasincreasedto3.2lakhdailyinSeptember2021.“Anumberof technical issues

arebeingprogressivelyaddressedandtherehasbeenapositivetrend

reflectedinthestatisticsofthevar-ious filings on the portal.... 1.19crore ITRs for AY 2021-22 havebeenfiled.“Of these, over 76.2 lakh tax-

payershaveusedtheonlineutilityoftheportaltofilethereturns,”theCentral Board of Direct Taxes(CBDT)saidinastatement.The new e-filing portal,

www.incometax.gov.in, waslaunchedonJune7.

Rajasthan State Road Development And Construction Corporation Ltd., JAIPUR.No. NIT/2021-22/9608-18 Date: 06.09.2021BÊ-d³fd½fQf Àfc¨f³ff Àfa£¹ff 133/2021-22d³f¸³fd»fdJ°f I f¹fÊ IZ d»fE IZ ³ýi/Sfª¹f ÀfSI fS IZ Ad·f¹ffadÂfI e d½f·ff¦fûÔ õfSf ´faªfeIÈ °f E½fa A³fb·f½fe Àfa½fZQI ûÔ ÀfZ d³f²ffÊdS°f ´fi´fÂf ¸fZÔ BÊ-´fiû¢¹fcS¸fZ³M´fidIi ¹ff WZ°fb Afg³f»ffB³f d³fd½fQf¹fZÔ Af¸fadÂf°f I e ªff°fe W`Ô:

d³fd½fQf ÀfZ Àfa¶fad²f°f ´fi´fÂf ¸fZÔ d³fd½fQf Vfb»I , ²fSûWS SfdVf, OfC³f»fûO I S³fZ ½f Jû»f³fZ I e °ffSeJ ÀfdW°f Àf¸´fc¯fÊ d½f½fS¯f E½fa ÀfaVfû²f³f ½fZ¶fÀffBÊMhttp://eproc.rajasthan.gov.in, °f±ff http://roads.rajasthan.gov.in/rsrdc ´fS QZJf ªff ÀfI °ff W`Ü B¨LbI Àfa½fZQI ûÔI û A´f³fZ dOdªfM»f WÀ°ffÃfS IZ ¸ff²¹f¸f ÀfZ ½fZ¶fÀffBÊM http://eproc.rajasthan.gov.in ´fS SdªfÀMOÊ I S½ff³ff Af½fV¹fI W`Ü

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INTHE thirdof a seriesof online,agenda-settingdebatesorganisedby The Indian Express and theFinancial Times, financial sectorleadersandregulatorswilldiscusswhether thebanking sector andcapitalmarketshavesufficientca-pacitytosupportasustainedeco-nomic recovery. To kick off theevent—BankingandFinance:TheKeytoIndia’sRecovery—ReserveBank of India (RBI) GovernorShaktikantaDaswilljoininacon-versationwith PVaidyanathanIyer, Executive Editor (NationalAffairs), The Indian Express, andAmyKazmin, SouthAsiaBureauChief,FinancialTimes.Thiswillbefollowedbyspecial

interviewswithUdayKotak,man-aging director and CEO, KotakMahindraBank,andNickShalek,GeneralPartner,RibbitCapital.Theday-long eventwill also featurepaneldiscussionsbysomeof thebrightestandthemostinfluentialleaders.Ahealthybankingsectorandsupportivecapitalmarketsarecritical for growth, butbanks re-mainweighed downby a largenon-performingloanburden.The government’s latest re-

forms,includingplanstoprivatisetwostate banks,mayhelpbooststability and allow the sector totakefulladvantageoftheboomindigital transactions and the ad-vancesinfintech.Butimplementa-tionofthekeyreformsandexecu-

tionof theprivatisationpipelineremainskeytosustainthegrowthmomentum.Todebate these issues, finan-

cialsectorleaders—JaspalBindra,chairman,CentrumGroup,AshuSuyash,managing director andCEO, CRISIL, V Vaidyanathan,managingdirectorandCEO,IDFCFIRSTBank—willparticipateinapanel discussion,moderated bySandeepSingh, Associate Editor,TheIndianExpress.The booming stockmarkets

areaidingtheIndiastory,ascom-panies plan to raise a recordRs1 lakh crore fromequitymar-ketsincalendaryear2021.ApaneldiscussionwillbeheldonissueofwhetherIndianmarketscancon-tinue to support the recovery.

AnitaGeorge,executivevicepres-ident and deputy head, CDPQGlobal, RasheshShah, chairman,Edelweiss Group, YerlanSyzdykov, global headof emerg-ing markets, Amundi AssetManagementwill participate inthis discussion, moderated byBenjaminParkin,Mumbaicorre-spondent,FinancialTimes.Thiseventispartoftheseriesof

webinars on ‘India’s Place in thePost-PandemicWorld’.Thediscus-sions arebeingheld in theback-dropof latestdatarecord20.1percentGDPgrowthrateinApril-Juneonalowbaseofsharpcontractionin the economy previous year.Lookingahead,theincreasingpaceofvaccinationisexpectedtoopenupeconomicactivity.

Banking, capital market rolein recovery: RBI Governorat Express-FT series today

BBB picks Goelas MD of PNBMumbai:TheBanksBoardBureau(BBB) on Wednesday recom-mendedAtulKumarGoel for thepost of Managing Director ofPunjabNational Bank.Goel cur-rentlyheadsKolkata-basedUCOBank,whichwasremovedbytheReserve Bank of India fromPromptCorrectiveActionearlierintheday.Hewill succeed SSMallikar-

junaRao,whowasrecentlygivenanextensiontill January2022.BBB interviewed 11 candi-

datesforthepostofMDandCEOof PNB, the country’s second-largestpublicsectorlender.ENS

UCO Bankout of PCAMumbai: The Reserve Bank ofIndia(RBI)hastakenoutUCOBankfromthePromptCorrectiveAction(PCA)framework.According to theRBI, theper-

formanceof theUCOBank, cur-rentlyunder thePCAframework,was reviewed by the Board forFinancialSupervision.“It was noted that as per its

published results for the yearendedMarch31,2021,thebankisnotinthebreachofthePCAparam-eters. The bank has provided awrittencommitmentthatitwouldcomplywith thenormsofmini-mumregulatorycapital, netNPAand leverage ratioonanongoingbasis andhasapprised theRBIofthe structural and systemic im-provements...,”theRBIsaid.ENS

■TheIncomeTaxReturn(ITR)filinghasincreasedto3.2lakhdailyinSeptember2021,theIncomeTaxDepartmentsaid

RISE IN ITR FILINGS

I-T portal issues being‘addressed’; 1.19 croreITRs filed, says CBDT


THEUNIONCabinet onWedn-esday approved a Production-Linked Incentive (PLI) SchemeworthRs10,683croreforthetex-tilessectortoboostdomesticman-ufacturingandexports.Theschemeaimstoattractin-

vestmentsworthRs19,000croreoverfiveyearstoincreasethepro-ductionofin-demandtextileprod-ucts—man-made fibre (MMF)fabric,garmentsandtechnicaltex-tiles. This is part of a larger PLIschemefor13sectors,withatotalBudgetaryoutlayof1.97lakhcrore.“Two-thirds of the interna-

tional trade in textiles is ofman-madeandtechnicaltextiles.Inthissituation,thisPLIschemehasbeenapproved so that India can alsocontributetotheecosystemoffab-ricsandgarmentsmadeofMMF,”CommerceandTextilesMinisterPiyushGoyalsaidonWednesday.He added the scheme was ex-pected togenerate7.5 lakhaddi-tional jobs andextra turnover ofRs3lakhcroreinthesector.“Wearetargetingtonotifythe

schemewithin aweek. And by

September-end,wewillbeissuingthedetailedguidelines,” TextilesSecretaryUPSinghtoldPTI.Anypersonor companywill-

ing to invest aminimumRs300crore inplant,machinery, equip-ment andcivilworks (excluding

landandadministrativebuildingcost)toproduceproductsofMMFfabrics,garmentsandproductsoftechnicaltextileswillbeeligibletoparticipate in the first part of thescheme.InvestorswillingtospendaminimumofRs100croreunderthesameconditionsshallbeeligi-ble to apply in the second part.Investmentsmadeinaspirationaldistricts,tier3,tier4townsandru-ralareaswouldgetpriorityunderthe scheme, said a statementbytheTextilesMinistry.DilipGaur,MD, Grasim Industries Ltd, andchairmanoftheCIInationalcom-mittee of textiles, said: “The PLIschemewillprovideaboosttodo-mesticmanufacturing.”

AIMSTOATTRACT INVESTMENTSWORTH`19KCROVER5YEARS

Telco relief package:Decision delayedENSECONOMICBUREAUNEWDELHI,SEPTEMBER8

THEUNIONCabinetWednesdaydidnot discuss and consider thereliefpackageforthetelecomsec-toralthoughitwasscheduledforthesame, sources inknowof thedevelopment said. The sources,however,didnotconfirmtherea-sons as towhy the packagewasnottakenupfordiscussion.It may now be taken up for

discussion and approval duringone of the remaining Cabinetmeetings thismonth, they said.The Cabinet usually meets onWednesdays.Shares of Vodafone Idea (Vi),

whichhadbeenonariseoverthepastfewweeks,fell1.8percentontheNational StockExchange fol-lowingthenews,toclosethedayatRs8.10.Among the relief measures

beingdiscussed, thereisthelike-lihood that a reduction in the

spectrumusage charges (SUC)andlicencefeescouldbecleared.Currently, telecom serviceproviderspay3-5percentof ad-justed gross revenue (AGR) asSUC,whiletheypayaround8percentof theAGRaslicencefee.Apart from these, the pay-

ments for spectrumpurchases,whichhadbeendeferredforuptotwoyears(2020-21and2021-22)in 2019 is also likely to be ex-tendedforuptomaximumperiodof fiveyears,while the spectrumholdingperiod,whichiscurrently20years,maybeextendedbeyondthat,accordingtoofficials.Both Vi and Bharti Airtel

havebeen seeking some sort ofrelief for the sector from thegovernment in the form of re-ductionintheleviespaidbytel-cos, namely licence fee andspectrumusagecharges,aswellassomewaiveronthereductionof the interest rates for dues tobe paid to the Department ofTelecommunications (DoT).

CommerceandTextilesMinisterPiyushGoyal (left)andI&BMinisterAnuragThakur inNewDelhi,onWednesday.PTI

Eyeingscale:`10,683-crorePLIfor textilesgetsCabinetgreen light

NewDelhi:Thegovernmentwillgiveabout$3.5billioninincentivestoautocompaniesoverafive-yearperiodunderarevisedschemetoboostthemanufacturingandexportofclean technology vehicles,sourcessaid.REUTERS

‘Auto scheme’

Ten merchantbankers namedfor LIC IPOENSECONOMICBUREAUMUMBAI,SEPTEMBER8

THE PROCESS of launching themega initial public offering (IPO)ofLifeInsuranceCorporation(LIC)has entered thenext roundwiththe government appointing toptenmerchantbankersfortheIPO.Thebook running leadman-

agers include KotakMahindraCapitalCompany,GoldmanSachs,JPMorgan India, ICICI Securities,JM Financial, Citigroup GlobalMarkets India,NomuraFinancialAdvisory,AxisCapital,DSPMerrillLynch (nowBofASecurities) andSBI CapitalMarkets. TheDepart-ment of Investment and PublicAssetManagement has namedKFintechLtd,Hyderabad, asLIC’sregistrarandsharetransferagent.Meanwhile,asperaReutersre-

port,thegovernmentisconsider-ingallowing foreign institutionalinvestorstobuyuptoatotalof20per cent in LIC, a governmentsourcesaidonWednesday.

‘Auto volumes likelyto rise 12-16% this fiscal’Auto volumes are like to rise 12-16% year-on-year thisfiscal, against 16-20% estimated earlier, India Ratings andResearch (Ind-Ra) said in its latest outlook

LOWER2W,PVSALES:Thegrowthestimatehasbeen

reviseddownwardonaccount

ofa revision ingrowthforecasts

for two-wheelers (2Ws)and

passengervehicles(PVs),with

y-o-yprojectionsat:

■ 10-14%growth likelyagainst

16-20%earlier for2Ws

■ 15-18%growth likelyagainst

18-22%earlier forPVs

RevivalexpectedinH2FY22:Revivalacrosssegments is

expectedtocontinue insecond

halfofFY22

Source: Ind-Ra/PTI

STEADY CV SALES: The growth forecast for commercialvehicles (CVs) is maintained at 20-25% year-on-year

ENSECONOMICBUREAUMUMBAI,SEPTEMBER8

EVENASthestockmarketshitrecordhighs,themutualfund(MF)sectorreportedadeclineininflowsintoequityanddebtschemeswhile balanced ad-vantage funds mobilised ahigher amount throughnewfundoffers(NFOs).Whilefundsmobilisedvia

SIPshitanewhighofRs9,923crore and folios under retailschemesshottoapeakof8.95crore, investors pumped in anetRs8,666crore intoequitymutual fund schemes inAugust, lower than the Rs22,583croreinvestedinJuly.However,thebalancedad-

vantagecategorycontinuedtoattractbiginflows,asitsawnetinflow worth Rs 16,570.97crore last month , as perAssociation ofMutual FundsinIndia(AMFI).Flexicapfundssaw inflowsof Rs4,741crore,followedbyfocusedfunds.On the other hand, ELSS

andvaluefundssawoutflows.Newfundofferscontinued

toattract bigmoney fromre-tailinvestorsandmobilisedRs23,668 crore inAugust. DebtMF schemes sawnet inflowsworthRs1,074croreinAugust,ThenumberwasmuchhigheratRs73,694.04croreinJuly.Similar to last month’s

trends,floaterfundsattractedthe biggest investment.However, overnight and lowduration funds sawbigwith-drawalsofRs11,807croreandRs7,407crorerespectively.AMFI Chief ExecutiveNS

Venkateshsaid,“Overallposi-tiveflowsintoopen-endedMFschemes and all-time highmarket indiceshelped IndianMFindustry’snetassetsundermanagement (AUMs) tobreachrecordRs36lakhcroremilestoneinAugust2021.”He said retail assetswere

at Rs 17.15 lakh crore, almosthalfoftotalindustryAUMs.SIPAUMshit a recordhighof Rs5.26 lakh crore, which nowformsathirdofretailAUM.Ontheotherhand,therehasbeenahealthy rise in SIP accountsto a record 4.32 crore andmonthlySIPcontributionisata newhighof Rs 9,923 crore,reflectingretailpreferenceforMFs as a long-termwealthcreationavenue,hesaid.

Fullreportonwww.indianexpress.com

MARKETSWATCH

MUTUAL FUNDS

Inflows into MFsfall in Aug; SIPs,retail folios at peak

NEWFUNDOFFERS

■AmountNFOsmobilisedinAugust,astheycontinuedtoattractretailinvestors

`23,668cr

NewDelhi:Theinvestigativearmof the CompetitionCommissionof India (CCI) on Wednesdayraided the offices of BASF Indiaoverallegationsofprice fixingofvegetableseeds,sourcestoldTheIndianExpress.The office of the Director

General (DG) of the CCI con-ductedacoordinatedraidofmul-tiplecompaniesacrossfivecities,inwhichthreeBASFIndiaofficeswereraided, thesourcesadded.A spokesperson for BASF

India, confirming that BASF’sNunhems India office had beenraided, said “We are yet to con-firmtheexactreasonoftheraid.”A source said that the offices

of BASF India in Bengaluru,Hyderabad and Gurugramhadbeen raided over allegations offixingthepriceofvegetableseedsincludingcarrotseeds. ENS

‘Vegetable seedprice fixing’:CCI searchesBASF offices

BRIEFLYMarutioutputNewDelhi:Maruti Suzuki’sAugustoutputfell8percenton-yearto1,13,937unitsonsemiconductorshortage.

S&PforecastsNewDelhi: The economy islikely to clock 9.5 per centgrowththis fiscal,and7percentexpansioninFY22,S&PGlobalRatingssaid.

DepositbookingMumbai:AmazonPayIndiahastiedupwithinvestmentplatformKuvera.in toallowuserstoinvestinmutualfu-ndsandfixeddeposits. PTI

BPCLCMDNewDelhi:ArunKumarSin-ghhastakenoverasthenewCMDof Bharat PetroleumCorporationLtd(BPCL). ENS

PRANAVMUKULNEWDELHI,SEPTEMBER8

AMERICAN PAYMENTS giantPayPalhasagreedtobuyJapanesebuy now, pay later (BNPL) firmPaidyfor$2.7billion,inwhatisyetanothermajor deal in the BNPLsegment after Twitter CEO JackDorsey-run Square acquiredAustralia’sAfterpayfor$29billionlastmonth.

WhatisBNPL?The BNPLmodel

has evolvedover theyears as a paymentoption to buy goodsand services onlinethrough small-sizedcredits.Inthismodel,unsecured loans areextended to onlineshoppers on the lines of a creditcard but these are smaller inamountandhaveashorterrepay-mentschedule.Over the last one year, BNPL

companiesacrosstheworldhaveseenaboomintheirbusiness,andexpertssuggestthisishappeningonaccountofthestimulusmoneybeingpumpedintothesystembythe United States government,particularly because of dimin-ished spending capabilitiescausedbyCovid-19pandemic.However, some economists

are also looking at BNPL as apo-tential debt-trap formillennials.

Reportedly, iPhonemakerAppleis intalkswithGoldmanSachstolaunchitsownBNPLservice.

WhyhasPayPalboughtPaidy?In a statement, PayPal said:

“The acquisition will expandPayPal’s capabilities, distributionand relevance in the domesticpaymentsmarket in Japan, thethirdlargeste-commercemarketintheworld,complementingthecompany’s existing cross-bordere-commerce business in thecountry”.TheAmericancompany

isalreadyconsidereda key player in theBNPLmarketholdingstakes in companiessuch as Sezzle andZ1P.AXCoLtd.In an investor

presentation, PayPalnoted that shopping

volume in Japan hasmore thantripled to around$200billion inthe last 10 years, butmore thantwo-thirdsofallpurchasesarestillpaidfor incash, therebypresent-ing ahugeopportunity for BNPLtoproliferatethere.

IsBNPLprevalentinIndia?InIndia,thereareseveralBNPL

wallets that are prevalent on e-commerce,grocery,andfoodde-livery platforms. These includePayU-run LazyPay, Simpl, ZestMoney,AmazonPay,etc.

Full report onwww.indianexpress.com

PayPal-Paidy deal: Why‘buy now, pay later’ cosare drawing big players


THE NATIONAL Company LawAppellate Tribunal (NCLAT) hasupheldanorderoftheBengalurubenchof theNational CompanyLawTribunal (NCLT) towindupDevasMultimediaPrivate.Initsorder,theNCLATsaidthat

Devas,which theNCLThad saidwas incorporated “with fraudu-lentmotive andunlawful objecttocolludeandconnivewiththenofficials of Antrix and tomisuse/abuse process of law”, did nothavetheeitherthetechnology,orthe licencesandthegovernmentapprovals to execute the agree-menttheyhadsignedin2005.“The fact that fraudhas been

committedisapparentonthefaceof every record available beforethis Tribunal. A trialwould indi-cate who was responsible forcommittingthefraudwithwhichthis Tribunal is not concerned,”theNCLATsaidinitsorder.Earlier,theBengalurubenchof

theNCLThadorderedwindingupofDevasMultimediaonapetitionfiledbytheMinistryofCorporateAffairs. In its order, theNCLThadobservedthatDevasMultimediawasonly incorporatedtocolludewith thethenofficials inorder to“bringmoneyintoIndiaandtodi-vertitunderdubiousmethodstoforeigncountries”.TheDevasMultimedia-Antrix

CorpagreementwascancelledbythethenUPAgovernmentin2011afterallegationsof thedealbeingaquidproquo“sweetheartdeal”wereraised.Followingthechangeingovernmentin2014,theCent-ral Bureauof Investigation (CBI)andEnforcementDirectorate(ED)wereaskedtoprobethedeal.

NCLAT upholds NCLTorder to wind up Devas

“ThefactthatfraudhasbeencommittedisapparentonthefaceofeveryrecordavailablebeforethisTribunal”

NATIONALCOMPANYLAWAPPELLATETRIBUNAL

Ahmedabad

Dopeviolators

eligibleforsports

awards:Ministry

New Delhi:The sportsministry hasmade dope-tainted athletes andcoacheseligiblefortheNationalSportsAwardsprovidedtheyhavecompletedtheir banperiods, a decision thatwillbenefitthelikesofboxerAmitPanghal,whose"inadvertent"violationin2012hasdeniedhimashotat thehonours.Inacircular issuedfor thisyear'shon-ours, which are expected to be an-nouncedinthenextfewdays,themin-istry said that athletes penalised fordopingoffenceswill be eligible at theend of their suspensions but anyachievements during the periodwillnot be considered for the awards. Tilllast year, dopeoffenderswere ineligi-bleforanynationalhonours.PTI

Vineshundergoes

elbowsurgeryNewDelhi:StarIndianwrestlerVineshPhogat onWednesday underwent asurgeryonher right elbow,days afterpullingoutoftheWorldChampionshiptrials here. The 27-year-old reigningAsianchampionhadpulledoutof theWorld Championship trials here onAugust31aftercompetinginheropen-ingbout.Atthattime,shehadsaidthatherpull-outwasnotduetoinjuryandshe only felt "dizzyness"."Elbow sur-gerydone!NomatterhowmanytimesI fall, I will still rise," Vinesh tweeted,alongwith her picture on a hospitalbed. Vinesh, who hadmade a shockquarterfinalexitintheTokyoOlympics,was suspended by the WrestlingFederation of India lastmonth for in-discipline before being let off with awarning. theirreturnfromIndia.PTI

IndianNavybeat

DelhiFC2-1Kolkata: Indian Navy defeated DelhiFC 2-1 in their openingmatch of theDurand Cup football tournament atthe Mohun Bagan ground here onWednesday.Defender Dalraj Singhscoredthewinner lateinthesecond-half off a header from a corner kick.TrinidadianWillis Plaza had put theDelhi side ahead in the 21stminutebefore Indian Navy got the equaliserthrough Shreyas fourminutes later.Plaza got at the end of a floating ballinsidetheboxafteranattackingmoveby Reinreithan Shaiza and DawdaCessay in the 21stminute to drive itpast the Navy keeper Bhaskar Roy.IndianNavyhitbackalmostimmedi-atelywhen a cross from the right byNihalSudeeshsawShreyas,whohadafantasticgameoverall,swoopinbe-tweenDelhidefendersinsidethesix-yardbox foraclinical finish.PTI

BRIEFLY


SPORT


B-Girl Jo, India’s best, riffing off Bharatanatyam and KalaripayattuSHIVANINAIKMUMBAI, SEPTEMBER8

JOHANNARODRIGUESfoundherfirstdance-heroesinTyler,Nora,MooseandAndiefromtheStepUpstreetsfranchise.ButfortheRedBull BC One Cypher B-Girl champion fromlast weekend, who craves originality, pur-sues and meditates after it, training inBharatanatyam and Kalaripayattu gave heradistinctadvantage.Winning her second India title last

Saturday, B-Girl Jo reckons she'smore self-assurednow.AndasBreakingeruptsitswayintomulti-disciplinarygameslikeAsiadandOlympics, Jo is excited to carve her niche,while exploring her roots in the two Indianart-forms that startedherdance journey.Before she joined upwith the Black Ice

CrewinBengaluruandwentoff jammingtohip hop beats along the borders like HBRLayout, B-Girl Jo did a one-year stint withAttakkalari Centre forMovement Arts, lo-cated atWilsonGarden in thebusiness dis-trict,offMGRoad.Itwasbehindtheglassfa-cadeofthefour-storeydancestudios,stackedoneontopofanother,thatJodippedhertoesintosomething totallyunfamiliar.

"Thereisn'tanotherdanceformthatusesthefloorasmuchasBreaking.MyoneyearinBharatanatyam helped; it's similar in thesenseofholdingposes('freezes'inB-Girling),precisionandpatterns.Kalari isofcoursethemartial art and all about responding, react-ing, and holding breath. Andwhen I seekoriginality, I draw from these two danceforms," Joexplains.The 25-year-old, now established as

India’sbestB-Girl,recallsquittingherdegree,pursuing dance, initially as a dabbler. Herfootworkandflowsarehersignatures, light-ing up cyphers, but it's taken her awhile toarrive at a style she says affirmsher convic-tion.Hip Hop started out as an import into

streetsof theworld,andeachcitypaintstheacrobaticsintheirowncolours.B-Girl Jowasawareof formingherownstyleevenif itwasAmerican fictional characters, Nora andAndiewhohadpiquedher interest."IcomefromaCatholicupbringingback-

ground.YouhavetounderstandmydancingwasnothinglikemyHinduandMuslimcon-temporaries -- India's best B-Boys. So I setabout finding my footing, to understandeverything about one part of India's danceculture that I didn't know about," she says,

about seeking diverse influences - folk andformal-anddoingthecommunityclassesatAttakkalari - which dabbles at Bollywood,Contemporary, Kalari and classical Indian

dance forms.Breaking though, has some universal

moves.Andequallyuniversalbloopers too.“Look, firstcoupleofyearsweretrialand

error. There were times no doubt when Imust've lookedsillyperforming. Inacoupleof Battles, itwasgoofyeven,” she recalls.While in Japanonher first international,

sheevenblankedout.“Thatcanhappen,youjustdon'trememberthemoves,youfreezeorslipoutof amove,” shesays.JoiningBlack IceCrewwouldgether the

sort of community composure that comesfrombeing among fellow Breakers - all ex-perimenting, all perfecting, all gunning forthebold.Shehadplayedbasketballatschool,butnotmuchelseofdanceorsport.“Mypar-entswereconfusedinitiallyaboutwhatIwasdoing. Theywarnedmeaskingmewhat I'ddo in a sport like this, when I got older,” Josays.ShekeptgettinghomeprizesandisnowheadedtoPoland,aftertheBCOnetriumph.Off forafortnightofsilenceinVipassana,

the champion B-Girl, also a yoga instructor

saysBreakinghascomealongwayforIndianwomen, even if they remain novices inter-nationally. "Numbers have increased. Skilllevels are high, and basically girls have re-alised it's best to focus on improving strongpoints.

Power-heavy dance formBreaking remains a power-heavy dance

form,andasitsidlesintotheOlympicmain-stream,with North America and Europe attheforefront,themacho,strength-movevibeofhiphopremainsall-pervasiveonthesport.“Everyonehastheirownstyle.ButIthink

girlscompensateforthetechnicalskillswitha lot of (movement) threads (relying onagility) anddetails,” Jo reckons.She'sexcitedaboutthesportbeingatthe

Paris Games. “The underground scene forBreakingwill always remainstrong.But theOlympics open up avenues as a career op-portunity and to travel internationally andmeetdifferentdancers,” shesays.Thegroundingmightcomefromtheclas-

sicalIndiandanceforms,butanewstyleinB-Girling is underway, she says, when riffingoffmultipleinfluences.“ThingisIknowwhatI'mdoing, learning fromeverywhere.”Andwinning toboot.

BREAKING

JohannaRodrigues (R)saysherBharatanatyambackgroundhelps inholdingposesandKalarihelps inrespondingandreacting. Express

Herfootworkandflowsarehersignatures, lightingupcyphers,but it's takenherawhile toarriveatastyleshesaysaffirmsherconviction.

TUSHARBHADURINEWDELHI, SEPTEMBER8

ALMOSTEVERYplayerstooduptobecountedandcontributedtoIndia’sTesttriumphatTheOval.AllexceptAjinkyaRahane,whohashada largely forgettable time since landing inEngland. He has had just one half-century to show in nine visits to thecreaseinfiveTests. Infact, insevenofthose knocks, the India vice-captainhas failed toreach20.WithachancetowintheseriesatOldTraffordinthegamestartingonFriday, there is talkof the Mumbaikar being droppedfromtheplayingXI.

Whatare thealternatives?If Rahane is indeeddropped for the fifth

Test, India will have to bring back eitherHanuma Vihari or give a debut toSuryakumar Yadav. Both of themhave hadnocompetitivecricketforalongtime.Viharifeatured in a few county championshipgames forWarwickshire inApril, but didn’t

quitegetgoing.Hehashadone fifty ineightoutingswith four single-figurescores.Yadavhasbeenarevelationinwhite-ball

cricket for India, but has not played anymatchsincearrivinginEngland. Itwouldbeabigcall tothrusteitherof thetwobatsmenin a big game at the expense of an experi-enced player, even if he is going through a

leanphase.An additional factor to con-

sider would be that India havebeenplayingwithonly five spe-cialist batsmen throughout theseries, and are not likely to alterthetemplateatOldTrafford.Anynewentrant is,more often thannot, introducedatNo.6butexer-

cising that option would mean RavindraJadeja batting at No.5 again, which doesn’tlooklikealong-termsolution.Insuchacase,it may be better to trust a player who hasrisen to thechallenge inTest cricketbefore.If the logic to send Jadeja up the order is

tobreaktherhythmofEnglandbowlerswitha left-hander, both Vihari and Yadav areright-handers. If Rahane can’t deliver in the

fifthTest, eitherVihariorYadavcouldbe in-ducted at the start of the next series andgivenalongrope,ratherthanaone-offaudi-tion inahigh-profilegame.

Cantherestof theteamcarryRahane?The England team India is confronted

withisnotblessedwithbattingricheseither.Even with Rahane struggling and severalother batsmen contributing only sporadi-cally,thevisitorshavelargelydominatedtheseries.Theyarenotlikelytoneed500tobossagame.OpenersKLRahulandRohitSharmahaveoften laid the foundation for competi-tive totals and thebowlers frequently cometo theparty.Rahane’srecenttrackrecordshowsasig-

nificant score after several failures. That’swhat happened in that series-turning cen-tury atMelbourne late last year, and the vi-tal 61 in the second Test at Lord’s in the on-going series. Hemay be due a good knock,butevenotherwisehisexperienceandtacti-calnousmaybeuseful forKohli.

TrustingclassTherewasatimewhenRahanewascon-

sideredIndia’sbestbatsmanoutsidethesub-continent (evenbetter thanKohli).Ofhis12Test hundreds, six have come in eitherAustralia, New Zealand, England orWestIndies–oftenintoughbattingconditions.Hecan’t become a bad player overnight. All

Rahanemayneedisgettinghismindinorderand rectifying a few technical glitches thatmayhaveenteredhis game– like followingtheballoutsideoff-stump,orgettinghisfrontfoot too acrossmaking him an LBW candi-date. Cheteshwar Pujara turned the cornerwith a positive approach, and Rahane can-not do a lotworse than following his team-mate’sexample.The twobatwell together–be it against

AustraliaatBengaluruin2017,oratLord’s inthecurrent series.

Leavethe jobtospecialistsSending Jadeja ahead of Rahane at The

Ovalwas a surprisemove. It seemed a one-off in the first innings when India had lostthree earlywickets, but repeating it againstthe second new ball on the third eveningcouldn’t have been a big vote of confidenceforRahane. If the teammanagement thinksthat Jadeja is better equipped to handle thenewballor toughconditions–regardlessofthe fact that he’s a left-hander – they justneed to look at their Test records with thebat.OldTrafford isabiggame.

Why retaining Rahane for final Test wouldn’t be a bad idea

AjinkyaRahanehasscored justonefifty intheseries,acrucial61 inthesecondinningsatLord’s.

NOPLACE FORBIG-MATCHPLAYERDHAWAN

WHATWENTAGAINSTHIM?Practically, therewasnoroomforhim. KLRahulandRohitSharmaareundroppablenames,consistentlyprovidingturbochargedstartstotheirfranchises.Withtheterrific touchRahulhasbeenin, itwouldbeunwisetopushhimdowntheorder.HadtheeventbeenheldoutsideAsia,maybeDhawan,withhisvastexperience,wouldhavebeenincludedasareplacementopener.But inUAE, incaseeitherof themdoget injured, theteammanagementcouldaskoneofSuryakumarYadavorIshanKishantoopen.YadavhasoftenbattedatNo3whileKishanhasopenedseveral timesforhisfranchise,Mumbai Indians.ThereisalsoViratKohli,whohasfrequentlyopenedforRoyalChallengersBangalore. Intheend,DhawanmighthavemissedouttoKishan,whooffersmoreutilitywithhiskeepingskills,outweighinghisbig-matchtemperament.

WHATWASTHECRITICISM?Thesouthpawisoftenaslow-starter, almoststarts intheODImould,bidingtimetogethiseye inandthengraduallyaccelerating.Themethodisperfect for the50-overgamebutnotso for the20-over format.TheDelhiopenerhadaddressedthisandhadimprovedthepaceofhisstartaswellasenhancedhisstrikerate. In the lastfourseasons,hehadconsistentlyscoredhis runsatastrikerateof134plus—in2020, it touchedhis IPLbestof 144.73,whichwasmarkedlydifferent fromhisstrikeratesbefore2018. In2016, itwas116.Hehadbeenconsistent too,averaging54and44inthe last twoeditions.

ENDOFT20CAREER?Mostlikely,itcouldbe,leavinghimasODIspecialist.Evenifthechosenopenersfailinthetournament,Indiawouldlooktobloodinnewfaces(likeDevduttPadikkal). SANDIPG

SportsministerAnuragThakurwithbadmintonmedalwinnersat theParalympics,KrishnaNagarandSuhasYathiraj,duringafelicitationceremony inNewDelhi.

SANDIPGSEPTEMBER8

AFTERFOURyearsinwhite-ballwilderness,RavichandranAshwinreturnstoIndia’sT20World Cup squad for the tournament start-ing nextmonth in the UAE and Oman. Thereinstatement is validation of the off-spin-ner’sunflinchingdesiretocomebackandhiscapacity to keep evolving, to stay relevantthrough consistent performances in theIndianPremier League. The selection is alsoanindicationofthecountry’sdeparturefromthewrist-spin obsession that hadmarkedViratKohli’s reign.Ashwin fished out an old quote he had

jotted down inhis diary in 2017 on Twitter.“Every tunnel has light at the end of it. Butonly those in the tunnelwho believe in thelightwill live to see it,” it read. Theoff-spin-ner added: “I wrote this quote down amil-liontimesinmydiarybeforeputtingthisuponthewall!Quotesthatwereadandadmirehavemorepowerwhenweinternalisethemandapply in life.”A player of lessmental fortitudewould

have made peace with his fate, but notAshwin.Therepeatedsnubsonlyfuelledhisambition. But his inclusion should neithershock nor surprise, thoughAshwin himselfwould bewondering at the delicious ironyof the situation. At the peak of his red-ballprowess, he has remained a passenger ofsorts during the Test series in England. Yet,inaformathewaslargelyconsideredredun-dant in for the country, he hasmade a dra-matic comeback.However, the Indian Premier League

faithfulwouldrecallhowsterlinghehasbeenintheshortestformatsincehissnub.Despitethe onslaught of young spinners, primarilyofthewrist-spinvariety,Ashwinhaspluggedon,bothreformingandreinventinghisskill,filing frequent, and timely, reminders of hisundiminishedprowess.Though themost recent edition did not

goaswellashewouldhaveliked,onthebackofafranticTest-matchcalendar,hehadbeena central force in the last couple of seasons,snaffling28wicketsandconcedinglessthan7.5runsanover,reassertinghisvalueasbothaneconomicalandwicket-takingbowler.It’samarriagealotof teamsstruggletoachieve.Some have exceptional wicket-takers, buttheyareexpensive. LikeAmitMishra. Somekeepanendtight,butdonotcontributewithwickets.LikeWashingtonSundar,whosein-juryAshwinbenefittedfrominhiscomebackpursuit.Onlyafewmanageboth.LikeRashid

KhanandAshwin.

Multiple rolesThe 34-year-old gives amore attacking

dimension to his captain, more than anyotherfingerspinnercould.Thevariationshisdigitscouldconjurearemany—thestandardoff-break,theslider,thecarrom-ballvariant,the seam-up delivery, and the scrambledseamvariations.The craft his fingers couldwink are sev-

eral — over-spin, side-spin, even leg-spin(maybeevenleft-armspin,justlikeheplayeda few balls left-handed at the nets in TheOval). He could summon his trusted allieswith justa twitchof his fingers—flight,dip,turn,bounce.Hecouldtakethenewball,op-erate during the Powerplay, middle anddeathoverswithequaldexterity.Heisaspinscientist, his career committed to not just

spin games for his country, but elevate thecraft of off-spinning, eternally studying,learning,andoftenschoolingbatsmen,inthestereotypedartisan-likecraftof off-spin.He offers more than just his craft too.

Ashwinbringsinaggression,coolness,expe-rience and leadership. In the50-overWorldCup, India’s bowlers had at times lacked aleader to fall back on in times of duress anddilemma.Moreover, he is an impact player, one

who could alter the tone of thematch in atwo-over burst, and a big-match player, anassurance in knockouts. In the UAE, wherepitcheshavebeenhistoricallyslowandlow,andwith theprospect of deteriorationovera lengthy tournament, Ashwin could be amonsterwreckingballforbatsmen.Already,some of the prospective duels aremouth-watering.TheDavidWarner-Ashwinmatch-

up;theChrisGayle-Ashwinencounter.Whatwould he be plotting against Steve Smith?What would his plans be against KaneWilliamson? Ashwin, thus, paints the T20WorldCupwithaTestChampionshiphue.Arivetingnarrativewithinanarrative.ItcouldbethereunificationofIndia’smost

prolific spin tag-team in red-ball cricket —Ashwin andRavindra Jadeja,whowas oncein thewhite-ball outback himself. It wouldthus end a four-year wrist-spin fixation.SymbolicwasthatneitherYuzvendraChahalnor Kuldeep Yadav, the flag-bearers of thedoomedrevolution,werepickedfortheglobalT20 fest. Yadav’s stocks have progressivelyplummetedover the lastcoupleof years, thedescent as rapid ashis ascent. Chahalwas inthemixuntilthisyear,buthisconfidencetookaheavybatteringinthetruncatedIPL-13.The leg-spinner was both erratic and

rusty, conceding 8.26 runs an over whilepicking just four wickets in seven games.Gifted though he is, the team could not af-ford topickanoff-colourplayer in thehopethathewouldrekindlehisrhythm.Notwhenthe skipper and team are under immensepressure to landanelusive ICCTrophy.However, Ashwin is not an automatic

choiceintheplayingeleven.Thereareseveraloptions — mystery spinner VarunChakravarthy is an inviting temptation; so istheresourcefulleg-spinnerRahulChahar.Kohlicould, if thewhimseizeshim, pack adoubleleft-armspinningpairinJadejaandAxarPatel,especiallywiththeirbig-hittingabilities.Whatevertheeventualcombinationbe—

there is, by theway, the remainderof the IPLseason for stake-claiming — Ashwin hascleared the first big hurdle, by returning toIndia’swhite-ballsquad.Itendsaremarkablechapterinhiscricketingodyssey.Andanotheronewouldunfoldinthedesert,comeOctober.Will itbeadesertroseoradesertstorm?

Ashwin T2.0Off-spinner’s return forT20WorldCuptestament tohis resolveandability toplaymultiple roles

LIFTTOTHEUAE:RAshwinhasn’tplayedaT20Isince July2017.

INDIA SQUAD FORT20WORLDCUP

SQUAD: Virat Kohli (captain), Rohit Sharma (vice captain), KLRahul, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant (wk), Ishan Kishan(wk), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Rahul Chahar,Ravichandran Ashwin, Axar Patel, Varun Chakravarthy, JaspritBumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammed Shami.Standby players: Shreyas Iyer, Shardul Thakur, Deepak Chahar.

The34-year-oldgivesamoreattackingdimensiontohiscaptain,morethananyotherfingerspinnercould.Thevariationshisdigitscouldconjurearemany—thestandardoff-break, theslider,thecarrom-ballvariant, theseam-updelivery,andthescrambledseamvariations.

Ahmedabad

SPORT16 WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM


How Félix and Leylah have written latestchapters in Canadian tennis’ immigrant storyGAURAVBHATTSEPTEMBER8

ON TUESDAY, Félix Auger-Aliassime(Au-shayAlia-sim)be-came the first Canadianman toreach the US Open semifinals.The21-year-old’swalkoverwinover Spaniard Carlos Alcarazcame hours after compatriotLeylahFernandezbeatworldno.5ElinaSvitolina.Fernandez,whoturned19onMonday,isnowtheyoungest woman to reach thesingles semi-finals in NewYorksinceMariaSharapova in2005.The results come two years

after BiancaAndreescu becamethe first Canadian towin a sin-gles Grand Slam title at the USOpen. All three are not just theproducts of the assembly linethatisTennisCanada’shigh-per-formance development pro-grammebutalsopartof a largertrend.Auger-Aliassime, Fernandez

and Andreescu — along withworld No. 10Denis Shapovalov,Milos Raonic (ranked 34) andVasekPospisil (ranked58)—areCanadian tennis stars who arethe Canadian-born children ofimmigrants or immigrantsthemselves.

The backgroundFernandez’s father and

coach, Jorge, was born inGuayaquil, Ecuador, andmovedtoMontrealwithhis family as a

child. Fernandez’smother IreneExevea is of Filipino descentfromToronto.Auger-Aliassime’stennis instructor fathermovedfrom Togo, West Africa toL’Ancienne-Lorette,aQuebecsuburb.Raonic, former

world no. 3 and2016Wimbledonfinalist of Serbiandescent, was bornin Titograd, SFRYugoslavia (nowPodgorica,Montenegro) in 1990 and cametoCanadawithhisengineerpar-ents as a four-year-old.Mississauga-born Andreescu’sparents arrived from Romania“withonebaganda fryingpan”in 1994 aswell. Vernon, British

Columbia-born Pospisil’s par-ents are refugees fromCzechoslovakiaviaAustriawhileShapovalov’sparentscamefromthe former Soviet Union via

Israel.“The whole

story starts withmy mum,”Shapovalov toldthe Guardian in2019. “She wasplaying in theSoviet Union, onthe national team.

Shewasprettygood,around300to 400 in the world. Then shemoved down to Israel with hercoach.AssoonasIwasborn,theydecidedtomovetoCanada.Iwasprobably about sevenmonthsold.

“They moved there withnothing. For months we weresleepingjustonamattress inanapartment. My mum startedcoachingatatennisclub.Mydadworked a couple of jobs; heworked in a factory, doing pas-triesandstuff.Theyspokebarelyany English back then, so itwasvery difficult. They speakRussian,UkrainianandHebrew.Mymum’s part-Jewish andmydad’sGreekRussianOrthodox.”

Mentality, work ethicIna2019interviewwithThe

New Yorker, Auger-Aliassimecreditedtheimmigrantmental-ityfortheworkethic,and,byex-tensionthepromisingresults inCanadian tennis.“We all arrived in Canada at

ayoungageor, likemyself,werebornthere.Weall considerour-selves a hundred per centCanadian. But different routes,different backgrounds— I thinkthat gives us an opening on theworld,” he said. “I know formypart it helped, seeingwhatmydad had to sacrifice to come toCanada,leavingallhisfamilybe-hind.Ithinkhereallygaveusthetoolsandtheeducationthatyouhave towork, you have to earnyourplace in thisworld.”Fernandez’s father, Jorge,

who has described himself as aformerjourneymanfootballerinLatin America in recent inter-views, coached Leylah up thejunior ranks.“Theywere just scraping by,

and it takesmoney tomove inthis sport, tomove around, getwhere you need to go,”Fernandez’s former coachDaveRineberg told USA Today. “I’veseen somany fathers bankon itandgiveupeverything,quittheirjobs,andI’vehadtotalktomanyofthemandsay, ‘Takethecollegescholarship’ and you can’t con-vincethem.Storieslikethesearerare.”Fernandezproposedsimpler

reasoning behind the Canadiantennis revolution.When askedthe secret to the rising stars inthe post-match interview onTuesday, she promptly re-sponded: “I would say it’s themaple syrup. The Canadianmaple syrup isverygood.”

LeylahFernandezbeatworldnumber5ElinaSvitolina6-3,3-6,7-6 (5).AP

E●EXPLAIN

ED

Medvedev reaches thirdstraight US Open semifinalsREUTERSNEWYORK,SEPTEMBER8

WORLD NUMBER two DaniilMedvedev dropped his first setatthisyear'sU.S.Openbuteven-tuallyovercameDutchmanBoticvan de Zandschulp 6-3 6-0 4-67-5 to reach his third straightsemi-finalatFlushingMeadowsonTuesday.Van de Zandschulp had en-

joyed a remarkable run, takingdown 11th seed DiegoSchwartzman to reach his firstGrandSlamquarter-final,wherehefiredoff20forehandwinnersandwas the first player here totake Medvedev past the two-hourmark.TheDutchqualifieroutlasted

theRussianina20-shotrallyandthenconvertedonbreakpointinthefifthgameofthethirdsetbe-fore taking it on Arthur AsheStadium, the first sign of weak-nessMedvedevhadshownsincearriving inNewYork.Butthe2019runner-up,who

fireddown13acesinthematch,came roaringback in the fourthset, winning all but two of hisfirst-servepointsandnever fac-ingabreakpoint.Van de Zandschulp fended

offmatchpointinthe10thgame,holding his serve to wild ap-plause from a rowdyNewYorkcrowd, but Medvedev re-spondedwithaquickholdandabreak, helped by a double faultfromtheDutchman.

Thematchwas the first realchallenge of the tournamentfor Medvedev, who looked ontrack to flatten yet anothercompetitor at the start aftergetting up two breaks throughthe first five games.TheAustralianOpenrunner-

up never faced a break point inthe second set, which hewrapped up in a brisk 22min-utes, but struggled in the thirdset, making 13 unforced errors,andvandeZandschulppounced."First two sets were kind of

under control. Hewasmissingsome balls, some importantpoints," saidMedvedev. "Thenthird and fourth set was reallytough. He played top level,served really big.Was breakingtherhythmalittlebit,sowasre-ally tough set. I'm really happy

that in the fourth Imanaged to,first of all, holdmy serve reallyeasilyandmanagedtobreakhimin the endwhere I had few op-portunities todobeforealso."Medvedev, who lost in the

semi-finals a year ago to even-tual winner Dominic Thiem, isone of the main candidatesaiming to thwart world num-ber one Novak Djokovic's bidfor a calendar Grand Slam -thoughhe isnot thinkingaboutfacing the20-timesmajorwin-ner justyet. "Idon't thinkabouthim, because as we saw, any-body can beat anybody. If he'sin the final, and if I'mthere, I'mhappy," said Medvedev. "He'salso happy, I guess."

Del Potro eyes returnJuanMartinDelPotrosaidon

Tuesday he hopes to return tocompetitive action in 2022 afterbeingsidelinedforovertwoyearswithnumerouskneeinjuries.The2009U.S.Openchampionhasun-dergone three knee operations,themost recent ofwhichwas inMarch,sincesustaininganinjuryattheShanghaiMasters in2018.ArgentineDel Potro, 32, said

hewasoptimisticaboutacome-back despite the multiple set-backs. "I love the challenge. Itcould be a tennis challenge or adifferent challenge in life, andthis is thetoughestmatchofmycareer because I cannot dealwiththiskindof injury,thiskindof pain that I'vehad,but I'mstilltrying,"he toldESPN.

ASSOCIATEDPRESSWASHINGTON,SEPTEMBER8

Disciplinary proceedingswereopenedbyFIFAagainstArgentinaandBraziloverthechaosthatledto theirWorld Cup qualifier be-ing suspended after Brazilianhealthofficialsstormedthefieldtoquestionthequarantinestatusofplayers.FIFAcitedongoing legalpro-

ceduresasthereasonitcouldnotprovide specifics on the allegedrule breaches or comment onwhether it couldalsohavebeenpartlyculpable,alongwithSouthAmerican confederation CON-MEBOL, for the saga that led tothe game being halted aftersevenminutesonSunday.FIFA did not specify which

regulations the football feder-ations from Argentina andBrazil were being investigatedfor breaching. Four ofArgentina's English PremierLeagueplayerswereaccusedofflouting quarantine require-ments inSaoPauloandof falsi-fyingBraziliancoronavirusdec-larations by not stating theyhadbeeninred-listedBritain inthe previous 14 days."Following theanalysisof the

officialmatchreportsrelatedtotheFIFAWorld Cupqualifiermatch

betweenBrazilandArgentina,FIFAcanconfirmthatdisciplinarypro-ceedings have been opened in-volving bothmember associa-tions,"FIFAsaidinastatement.But FIFA itself could techni-

cally be partly culpable, too, asthe organizers of the qualifierwhichappointedthematchdel-egate, whose role is to overseethat regulations are being ad-heredto.ArgentinaaddedtotheconfusionTuesdaynight,sayingonTwitterthatoneof itsstafferstested positive for Covid-19. Itdidnotnametheperson.TheAssociatedPressobtained

a Brazilian healthministry doc-ument sent to a CONMEBOLemail address that authoritiesthought they coulduse to reachpresidentAlejandroDominguez.It said a final request for a quar-antine exemptionwas rejectedfor Aston Villa players EmilianoMartinezandEmilianoBuendia,andTottenhamduoGiovanniLoCelsoandCristianRomero.

6Numberof timesMedvedevbrokeBoticvande

Zandschulp's firsteightservicegames.

If he’s (Djokovic) inthe final, and if I’mthere, I'mhappy.He’s also happy, Iguess.”

DANIILMEDVEDEVONPOTENTIAL FINAL

AGAINSTNOVAKDJOKOVIC

FIFA eyes disciplinaryaction against Arg, Brazil

ASSOCIATEDPRESSROME,SEPTEMBER8

THEWAY Antoine GriezmannandKarimBenzemalinkedupto-getherforFranceonTuesday,theinjured Kylian Mbappe washardlymissed.GriezmannscoredtwiceandwassetupbyBenzemaboth times in a 2-0 win overFinland that put the defendingWorldCupchampionsincontrolof their qualifying group for the2022 tournament. A look at theactionineachgroup:GROUPA:Portugalovercame

theabsenceof CristianoRonaldotocomfortablydefeatAzerbaijan3-0 and take the group lead.Bernardo Silva, Andre Silva andDiogo Jota scored a goal each forvisiting Portugal with Ronaldosuspendedforaccumulatedcards.Portugal leads with 13 pointsaheadofSerbia(11),Luxembourg(6),Ireland(2)andAzerbaijan(1).GROUP D: Baktiyor

Zainutdinovequalizedfivemin-utes into stoppage time forKazakhstan in a 2-2 draw atBosniaandHerzegovina.Franceleads with 12 points ahead ofUkraine (5), Finland (5), Bosnia(3)andKazakhstan (3).GROUP F: Yussuf Poulsen,

SimonKjaer,AndreasSkovOlsen,Thomas Delaney and AndreasEvald Cornelius scored as

Denmarkmadeitsixwinsfromsixqualifiers.Also,Scotlandputitselfintoplayoffscontentionwitha1-0win inAustria. Denmark leadswith18points aheadof Scotland(11),Israel(10),Austria(7),FaeroeIslands(4)andMoldova(1).GROUPG:Depay's hat trick

ledtheNetherlandstoa6-1routofTurkey,whileHaalandalsoscoredthree inNorway's 5-1win overGibraltar. TheNetherlands leadson goal difference ahead ofNorway as both teams have 13points, followedby Turkey (11),Montenegro (8), Latvia (5) andGibraltar(0).GROUP H: Croatia beat

Slovenia3-0withgoalsfromMarkLivaja,Mario Pasalic andNikolaVlasic. Fedor Smolov andZelim-khanBakaevscoredinRussia's2-0 win over Malta. Croatia andRussia have 13 points each, fol-lowedbySlovakia(9),Slovenia(7),Malta(4)andCyprus(4).

No Mbappe, no problemfor France in WC qualies

Griezmann’stwogoalscamefromBenzema’sassists.Reuters

ArgentinaaddedtotheconfusionTuesday,sayingonTwitter thatoneof itsstaffers testedpositive forCovid-19.

PRESSTRUSTOFINDIACHENNAI, SEPTEMBER8

VISWANATHAN ANAND-LEDIndian team made a positivestart on the opening day of theFIDEOnlineChessOlympiadonWednesday, beating Egypt andSweden but shared honourswithFrance.Hungaryisleadingattheend

of three roundswith an all-winrecordandsixpointsfollowedbyIndia(5points)andFrance(4).Ateam gets two points for a winandonepointforadraw.Thetoptwo teams from the group ad-vance to theplay-offs.India had last year finished

jointwinnerintheOnlineChessOlympiadwithRussia.Afterget-tingoff to a flying start inPool Bof the Top Division with a 6-0thrashing of Egypt, the Indianteam, ranked three as per aver-age rating, drew 3-3 againstFrance before rounding off thedaywith a comfortable4-2winoverSweden.Former world champion

Anand led theway in the open-ingtieagainstEgyptwithaclin-icalwinagainstAdlyAhmed.TheIndiansswepttheboard,clinch-ing all the six boards riding onAnand'sbrilliant start.There were wins for B

Adhiban, Tania Sachdev, BhaktiKulkarni,RPraggnanandhaaandhissisterRVaishaliasIndiaover-poweredEgypt.In the next match against

France, Anandhad to settle for adraw against their top playerEtienne Bacrot as did ViditGujrathi, KoneruHumpy andDHarika. Praggnanandhaawentdown toMarcAndriaMaurizzi.However,VaishalicametoIndia'srescuebydowningFlorenceRollot.Vidit Gujrathi came close to

a win against Yannick Gozzolibut had to settle for a draw bythreefold repetition.

Hungary is leadingattheendof threeroundswithanall-winrecordandsixpoints followedbyIndia (5points)andFrance(4).

AnandwononegameanddrewoneonWednesday.File

Chess: Indiamake strongstart inOlympiad

Ahmedabad

Vol. LIV No. 186 RNI No. 15048/1968. Printed and Published by Hareshkumar K Bhagdev on behalf of The Indian Express Private Limited. Published at : 3rd Floor, Sambhav House, Bodakdev, Ahmedabad 380 015. Phone (Board) : 26872481- 82- 83, Fax No. 26873950. Printed at : Bhaskar Print Planet, Survey No. 148P, Changodar-Bavla Highway, Tal. Sanand, Dist. Ahmedabad. Chairman of the Board : Viveck Goenka, Chief Editor : Raj Kamal Jha, Editor : Unni Rajen Shanker, Editor : (Gujarat) Leena Misra *

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