VIJAYAWADA, THURSDAY APRIL 1, 2021; PAGES 12 `3

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MONEY 8SENSEX TANKS 627 PTS BUT ENDS ’21

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ANALYSIS 7THE CHINA-IRAN DEAL IS

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2

BJP files complaintagainst Mamata

Banerjee with EC overalleged threats

5

Govt approves Rs10,900 crore

PLIS for food pro-cessing sector

8

From Kashmir toKanyakumari, BJP is

the only choice

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SUPREME COURT- APPOINTED PANEL ONFARM LAWS SUBMITS REPORT

The Supreme Court-appointed committee tostudy the three new controversialagricultural laws has submitted its

report to the apex court on March 19 in asealed cover, one of its members said onWednesday. Farmers have beenprotesting seeking repeal of the threecontentious farm laws on the borders ofNew Delhi for the last five months now. TheSupreme Court had, on January 11, stayed theimplementation of the three laws till further ordersand appointed a four-member panel to resolve the impasse. Thecommittee was given two months to study the laws and consultall stakeholders.

GOVERNMENT EXTENDS DEADLINE FOR PAN-AADHAAR LINKAGE TILL JUNE 30

The Central Government on Wednesdayextended the deadline for linking PANwith Aadhaar by three months till June

30. The Income Tax department said it hasreceived representations from taxpayersthat the last date for intimating the Aadhaarnumber may further be extended in thewake of the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.Keeping in view the difficulties faced by thetaxpayers, the Central Government has issuednotification today extending the last date for theintimation of Aadhaar number and linking thereof with PAN to 30thJune, 2021, the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) said in astatement.

PFIZER ANNOUNCES ITS COVID-19 VACCINEPROTECTS YOUNGER TEENS

Pfizer announced Wednesday that itsCOVID-19 vaccine is safe and stronglyprotective in kids as young as 12, a

step toward possibly beginning shots inthis age group before they head back toschool in the fall. Most COVID-19vaccines being rolled out worldwide arefor adults, who are at higher risk from thecoronavirus. In a study of 2,260 USvolunteers ages 12 to 15, preliminary datashowed there were no cases of COVID-19 amongfully vaccinated adolescents compared to 18 among those givendummy shots, Pfizer reported. It's a small study, that hasn't yetbeen published.

FORMER PRIME MINISTER HD DEVEGOWDA, WIFE TEST COVID-19 POSITIVE

Former Prime Minister H D DeveGowda on Wednesday said heand his wife Chennamma have

tested positive for COVID-19. "Mywife Chennamma and I have testedpositive for COVID- 19. We areself-isolating along with other fam-ily members," the 87-year-old JD(S)patriarch tweeted. "I request all thosewho came in contact with us over thelast few days to get themselves tested. Irequest party orkers and well-wishers not to panic," headded. The couple are currently undergoing treatment atthe city's Manipal Hospital, hospital sources said.

PNS n VIJAYAWADA

London-based GFG Alliance’sfinancial woes have prompted theState Government to look for alter-natives to develop a Greenfield steelplant proposed in Chief MinisterYS Jaganmohan Reddy’s home dis-trict Kadapa.

In the altered scenario, EssarSteel, now renamed ArcelorMittalNippon Steel India, may stand achance to partner with YSRCPGovernment to develop the Kadapasteel plant.

With much fanfare, the StateCabinet had on February 23 givenits approval for Liberty Group, partof Indian-British businessmanSanjeev Gupta-owned GFGAlliance, as a Joint Venture (JV)partner to develop the steel plant.

The Cabinet had approved therecommendations of SBI Capsidentifying Liberty Group as JVpartner. The Cabinet also agreed toissue Letter of Authorisation (LOA)to YSR Steel Corporation Limited(YSRCL) MD to proceed further onJV procedure.

However, from the first week ofMarch onwards, GFG Alliance hasbeen facing financial difficultiesafter its major source of funds —

London-based Greensill Capital— filed for insolvency.

The saga of Greensill Capital-GFG Alliance is being closelywatched by the UK steel industryin particular and global industry ingeneral and their financial transac-tions have come under intensescrutiny. It is understood that the

GFG Alliance had looked for otherfinancing options but in vain, put-ting a question mark on the com-pany’s future.

The GFG Alliance includes steel-makers Liberty Steel and InfraBuildand aluminium producer Alvancein its company portfolio.

Greensill Capital group filed for

bankruptcy protection in Britainand Australia earlier this month,citing a $5 billion exposure to GFGAlliance stating Gupta’s firms hadbegun to default on its obligations.

Greensill Bank provides financ-ing to GFG group, with other sup-ply chain facilities provided byother parts of the Greensill group.

PNS n WASHINGTON

India's economy has bounced backamazingly from the COVID-19pandemic and nationwide lock-down over the last one year, but itis not out of the woods yet, accord-ing to the World Bank, which in itslatest report has predicted that thecountry's real GDP growth for fis-cal year 21/22 could range from 7.5to 12.5 per cent.

The Washington-based globallender, in its latest South AsiaEconomic Focus report releasedahead of the annual Spring meetingof the World Bank and theInternational Monetary Fund (IMF),said that the economy was alreadyslowing when the COVID-19 pan-demic unfolded. After reaching 8.3per cent in FY17, growth decelerat-ed to 4.0 per cent in FY20, it said.

The slowdown was caused by adecline in private consumptiongrowth and shocks to the financialsector (the collapse of a large non-bank finance institution), whichcompounded pre-existing weak-nesses in investment, it said.

Given the significant uncertaintypertaining to both epidemiologicaland policy developments, the realGDP growth for FY21/22 can rangefrom 7.5 to 12.5 per cent, dependingon how the ongoing vaccinationcampaign proceeds, whether newrestrictions to mobility are required,and how quickly the world economyrecovers, the World Bank said.

PNS n VIJAYAWADA

Chief Minister YS JaganmohanReddy on Wednesday released Rs254.72 crore under YSR Bima tofamilies of 12,039 deceased, whowere eligible for the scheme but didnot enrol with the banks.

Speaking at the programme, theChief Minister pointed out that theState Government has not backedout in providing financial assistanceto those families who lost their solebreadwinner despite Centre with-drawing from the scheme.

Due to non-enrolment underYSR Bima, the Government cameforward to pay premium for 12,039claims.

The Chief Minister explainedthat there are about 1.4 crore rationcard holders across the State, and thegovernment started YSR Bima inOctober 2020 by paying a premium

of Rs 510 crore to the banks.Amidst this, the CentralGovernment, which was earlierpaying 50 percent of premium,withdrew from the scheme.

After the Centre's withdrawal, theentire premium was paid by the stateon humanitarian grounds to providesecurity for those families in need.

However, the Centre has put

more clauses, closing the existinggroup insurance system and madea bank account mandatory forevery person in the family. TheCentre had introduced anotherclause of a 45-day cool-off periodfrom the day of account opening,where if someone dies within 45days, the insurance would not bepaid.

The Chief Minister said that 62lakh accounts were opened so farand the remaining 70 lakh accountsare yet to be opened.

He directed officials to come upwith a practical solution to sort outthe issues and for the better imple-mentation of YSR Bima.

Jagan also assured that the gov-ernment shall pay the premium justlike the previous years and told theauthorities to find a practical solu-tion to support families in need.

SUMIT ONKA n VISAKHAPATNAM

In a major relief to power con-sumers, the retail power tariffremains largely unchanged inAndhra Pradesh for the new finan-cial year, 2021-22. Also, domesticcategory consumers will no longerpay minimum charges but wouldpay Rs 10 per kw instead.

Approving the retail supply tar-iff order for Financial Year 2021-2022, Andhra Pradesh ElectricityRegulatory Commission chairmanCV Nagrjuna Reddy onWednesday, announced the newtariff that will come into effect fromApril 1.

The Commission has acceptedthe proposal of the DISCOMs tocollect Rs 10/ kW/ month fromdomestic category consumers inlieu of minimum charges.

This decision of the Commissionwill benefit all the domestic cate-

gory consumers who do not con-sume energy in any given month onthe one side and generate a mod-erate additional revenue to theDISCOMs from the consumerswho consume energy on the otherside.

The power tariff for the commer-

cial and industry sector alsoremains unchanged.

The proposal of the DISCOMs tobill apartment consumers under asingle point HT (high tension) con-nection was rejected by theCommission as it will create prob-lems for the middle class apartment

dwellers.The proposal of the DISCOMs to

remove fixed charges (Rs 100 / kW/month) for function halls was alsoaccepted.

The proposal of the DISCOMs tomerge aqua hatcheries and aquafeed mixing plants and poultryhatcheries and poultry feed mixingplants in the industry general cat-egory was accepted.

These consumers used to bebilled under the industrial catego-ry up to FY 2018-19. Though theyhave been merged in the industri-al category, they are exemptedfrom paying ToD peak and off-peak charges. However, LT captivefeed mixing plants of poultry farms,pisciculture, prawn culture anddairy farms having independentconnections and under exemp-tion from GST are allowed to paytariff of Rs 5.25 per unit anddemand charges Rs 75 per kW.

PNS n VIJAYAWADA

Chief Minister YS JaganmohanReddy on Wednesday accordedpermission torelieve 711employees whohail fromTelangana andare presentlyworking in APGovernment toreturn to theirparent state.

A delegation of APGovernment Telangana NativeEmployees Association called onthe Chief Minister at his campoffice here and requested him torelieve them from services ofAndhra Pradesh so that they canjoin duty in Telangana.

The Chief Minister agreed totheir request and extended hisbest wishes.

PNS n VIJAYAWADA

Representatives of the CREDAI-AP on Wednesday askedMunicipal AdministrationMinister Botsa Satyanarayana toissue orders cutting vacant land taxby at least 50 percent.Pointing out that the 100 percent

tax is levied when construction istaken up on vacant land, represen-tatives of the CREDAI-AP told theMinister that this was against gov-ernment norms, when they methim at his residence in Vijayawada.CREDAI president P Srinivas and

secretary K Subhash Chandra Bosepointed out that as per the govern-ment orders, 50 percent tax shall

be levied on vacant land, but thiswas not being followed and 100percent tax was being collected. They said that due to Corona pan-

demic, construction activity hascome to a halt, leaving the realtysector in doldrums. They appealedto the Minister to extend the con-struction plan approval by one yearand decrease the setback for multi-storeyed buildings.The CREDAI-AP representatives

said that builders are facing manyproblems related to TDR bondsand all of them need to beaddressed.The Minister assured them that he

would bring their demands to thenotice of the Chief Minister.

AP for Plan-B as Kadapa steelplant partner faces bankruptcy

GFG acquired twosteel businesses inIndia in last 1 yearPNS n VIJAYAWADA

With a total rolling capacity of20 million tonnes, 200+ manu-facturing locations globallyacross 12 countries LibertyGroup’s product range includediron ore and coking coal, recy-cled steel as well as semis, longand flat steel products and valueadded services.

Across the countries it hasoperations in, GFG Allianceemploys around 35,000.

CM permitsTelangana staffto be relieved

Jagan releases Rs 254 cr YSR Bima;says Centre failed, AP paid premium

WB predicts India’sGDP to grow by 12.5%

India records 0.2 pc current account deficit inDecember quarterPNS n MUMBAI

India's current account deficitnarrowed to USD 1.7 billionor 0.2 per cent of the GDP inthe December quarter asagainst USD 2.6 billion or 0.4per cent of GDP in the year-ago period, according toReserve Bank data released onWednesday.

In the current fiscal, thecurrent account had been insurplus in the previous twoquarters, at USD 15.1 billionand USD 19 billion, respec-tively, as per the data.

The critical metric of thecountry's external strength nowstands at a surplus of 1.7 percent of GDP for the first ninemonths of the fiscal year asagainst a deficit of 1.2 per centin the year-ago period.

In the December quarter,there was a rise in the merchan-dise trade deficit to USD 34.5billion from USD 14.8 billionin the preceding quarter, and anincrease in net investmentincome payments, RBI said.

CREDAI demands 50pccut in vacant land tax

PNS n VISAKHAPATNAM

Taking human trafficking and sex-ual crimes against women toabysmal levels, a Vizag man, ArunKumar, cheated and married eightwomen in all and later forced twoof his wives and one daughter intoflesh trade. Two of his wives, whohad managed to come out of hisclutches and approach the police,have since sought protection forthem as well as his other wivesreported ‘missing’.

The untold misery of the victimscame to light when two of the vic-tims approached the police brassfor help, unable to bear his phys-ical torture, with local cops, bribedby him, looking the other way evenafter being alerted. A women’s wel-fare association backed them andshared details of the sordid tale ata press conference here onWednesday.

After the lid came off, AndhraPradesh top cop Gautam Sawangslammed the local police for notregistering a case against ArunKumar. He later directed theVisakhapatnam Commissioner ofPolice to take immediate and strictaction against the accused.

Responding to the complaints,Vizag city Commissioner of Police(CP) Manish Kumar Sinha direct-ed the Kancherlapalem PoliceStation officials to immediatelyregister a case against the man.

Arun Kumar allegedly is partof a flesh trade racket and islinked to gangs peddling ganja andother drugs in the city. He used tothreaten women falling prey to himwith a gun and knives, should theynot listen to him. He allegedlyforced his daughter from his firstwife into flesh trade.

Man forces 2 of his 8wives into flesh trade

Power tariff remains unchanged in new fiscaln No minimum monthly charges for domestic consumers; relief for flat dwellers

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vijayawada 02VIJAYAWADA | THURSDAY | APRIL 1, 2021

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(IN HYDERABAD)

The ongoing campaignin five states going topolls establishes the

unquestionable impact ofthe BJP on Indian politics.

In the not too distant past,the BJP was not a subject ofdiscussion but nowadays,wherever elections are heldin the country, it is the BJPthat drives the narrative.

The BJP was not a force toreckon with five years ago inWest Bengal, where it hadwon only three of the 294Assembly seats.

Now, leaders of the partythat ruled the country forover six decades — Rahuland Priyanka Gandhi —dread setting foot on WestBengal soil as there is aclear wave in favour of theBJP in the state.

The pseudo-intelligentsiais cracking heads, unable tofathom the expansion of theBJP due to irrational think-ing.

The people realised thatthey would be able to derivebenefit under various devel-opment schemes and statewould be put on high road todevelopment provided theBJP comes to power.

They believe that the BJP,under the leadership ofPrime Minister NarendraModi, will usher in changein these states.

People have faith in Modibecause of the number ofdevelopment projects initiat-ed by him upon coming topower.

During his electoral cam-paign, crowds cheer loudlyas and when he gives the slo-gan “Didi Khela Hobe”.

His other slogan “ChupChap Kamal Chaap, BoothBooth Se TMC Saaf ” alsodraws huge response.

All this did not happenovernight.

The people became vexedwith 10-year-long atrocious

rule of the TMC and henceare welcoming the BJP withopen arms. The people areunable to dif ferent iatebetween the Left Front ruleand that of the TMC becauseof major scandals surfacingin the state, substandardexecution of welfare anddevelopment works, kick-backs from funds given toimplement developmentschemes and so on.

If anybody points anaccusing finger, they wouldbe assaulted.

BJP making inroads inWest Bengal and people tak-

ing part in Paribortan Yatrais not accidental. Peoplehave been responding posi-tively to the ‘Asli Paribortan’call given by the BJP.

Having won the hearts ofpeople of Assam, winningWest Bengal would lead tothe BJP flag flying high inthe East. As the BJP won theNorth-East, spreading to theEast wouldn’t be too diffi-cult.

In the North-Easternstates, the BJP won 25 seatsin 2014 polls. In 2019, it wonnine of the 10 Lok Sabhaseats.

In Kerala, gold smugglinghas been going onunchecked for decades. AfterBJP was voted to power atthe Centre, the authoritiesseized large quantity of gold.In airports across Kerala,251 kg of gold was seizedduring 2018-19, and 540 kgwas recovered in 2019-20.Gold smuggled in cohortwith terrorists, mafia and

political leaders poses agrave threat tonational secu-rity.

In July thisyear, oneSwapna Sureshwas caught red-handed smugglinggold into the country in adiplomatic bag; the caseestablished links of the CMOofficials with smugglers.

During interrogation,Swapna Suresh alleged thatKerala CM Pinarayi Vijayanhad a hand in the scandal.

In Puducherry too, therewas disaffection with theNarayanaswamy govern-ment as he burdened thepeople with various taxesincluding house tax, garbagetax and drainage tax and soon. At the same time, he didnot benefit people with anywelfare or developmentschemes.

In this backdrop, the

Vanniars and other com-munities in Puducherry

will give their man-date to the NRCongress-BJP coali-tion. The BJP will retain

power in Assam as itchecked cross-border migra-tion into Assam, implement-ed development pro-grammes, and providedbasic amenities on a largescale besides extending cleanand transparent administra-t ion and implementingser ies of welfare pro-grammes.

The GSDP of Assam, thebiggest economy in theNorth-Eastern states, hascrossed Rs 4.09 trillion.

The people have tastedcorrupt and anarchic rule inTamil Nadu under the DMKregime. During the UPAregime, people did not for-get how R aja andKanimozhi, the DMK lead-

ers and alliance partners ofthe UPA went to jail. Thepeople know well that theDMK leaders have no rightto criticise AIADMK gov-ernment in Tamil Nadu.

A mere glance at theIndian map is enough tounderstand how BJP hasspread from Kashmir toKanyakumari. The BJP hasbeen expanding its rule sys-tematically from Gujarat toWest Bengal all and otherstates along the 7,516-km-long coastline.

The reason the BJP wasable to expand its rule tothese states is that it has aclear perspective in protect-ing interests of the country.It’s a natural developmentthat residents of opposition-ruled states are welcomingthe BJP to replace the partiesin power as they realise thepublic loot of resources andanarchy perpetrated in theirregime.

Y SATYA KUMAR

BJP National Secretary

TRULY

SPEAKING

In the not too distant past, the BJP was nota subject of discussion but nowadays,wherever elections are held in the country, itis the BJP that drives the narrative. The BJPwas not a force to reckon with five yearsago in West Bengal, where it had won onlythree of the 294 Assembly seats.

From Kashmir to Kanyakumari, BJP is the only choice

PNS n VIJAYAWADA

Andhra Pradesh reported1,184 fresh cases of coronaviruson Wednesday, the highestsince the 1,221 on November20, taking the overall tally to9,01,989.

A health department bul-letin said the state also saw 456patients recovering from theinfection and four more suc-cumbing in 24 hours ending 9am on Wednesday.

The number of active Covid-19 cases in the state stood at7,338, the highest since the7,427 on December 1.

The bulletin said the totalrecoveries have touched8,87,434 and the toll 7,217.

From 0.1, the percentage ofactive cases climbed to 0.7percent due to the spurt in thevirus in the last 10 days, though

the average growth rate (offresh positives) continues to beabout 0.1 per cent, according togovernment data.

The overall recovery rateslid to 98. 5 percent from over99 percent.

Guntur district reported 352new cases of the pandemic, fol-lowed by Visakhapatnam 186,

Chittoor 115 and Krishna 113in 24 hours.

SPS Nellore added 78,Anantapur 66, Kurnool 64 andKadapa 62 new cases, while theremaining five added less than50 each.

Chittoor district reportedthree and SPS Nellore onefresh Covid-19 fatality.

AP reports 1,184 Covid cases,highest since November last yr

Centre reviews Covid aheadof opening up vax for 45+ New Delh: As India prepares toopen up its COVID-19vaccination drive to people above45 from April 1, the Centre onWednesday asked states andunion territories to identify lowvaccine-coverage pockets,particularly in districts reportinga surge in new infections, andtake corrective action.National Health Authority (NHA)CEO and Empowered Group onCOVID Vaccination chairpersonDr R S Sharma and Union HealthSecretary Rajesh Bhushanchaired a high-level meeting withhealth secretaries, missiondirectors of NHM and

immunisation officers of allstates and UTs during the day, astatement said.The status and pace of theinoculation drive across thecountry were reviewed at themeeting held through video-conferencing, as were thepreparations for April 2021,when vaccination would beextended to cover everybodyabove the age of 45, the ministrysaid. "A key theme underlying themeet was the identification oflow vaccine coverage pocketsparticularly in districts showingCOVID-19 surge and for takingcorrective actions there," it said.

Discarding PPA tariff of greenenergy helps state cut cost PNS n VISAKHAPATNAM

The average cost of powersupply service (ACoS) forDiscoms has reduced from Rs7.17 per unit as per the filingsto Rs 6.37 / unit as perapprovals.

The reduction in ACoS ismainly on account of adoptingthe ad-hoc tariffs instead ofPPA tariffs in respect of windand solar power plants as perthe High Court orders, accord-ing to the APSERC.

The State Government hadcontested the renewable ener-gy tariff set by the powerdevelopers and wanted toreduce the price through Ad-hoc tariff.

The three distributionlicensees - APSPDCL,APEPDCL and APCPDCL -have projected a combineddeficit of Rs 12, 549 crore at

current tariffs and a deficit ofRs 11, 741 crore at the pro-posed tariffs with tariff hikesto certain categories of con-sumers and RESCOs.

The Commission, after duediligence, determined a netdeficit of Rs 7,433.80 crore forthe three licensees, thus avoid-ing a possible burden of Rs4,307.38 crore on consumers/State Government.

While arriving at the rev-enue gap for FY 2021-22, theCommission has also takeninto account the true-upamount of Rs 3,013 croredetermined for FY 2014-15, FY2016-17 to FY 2018-19 andprovisional true-down of Rs3,373 crore for FY 2020-21.

The total subsidies to beborne by the AP governmentamounts to Rs 9,091 crore in2021-22.

The State Government has

agreed to bear a subsidy bur-den of Rs 7,297 crore in respectof agricultural consumers eli-gible for free supply of power(non-corporate farmers, sugar-cane crushing and rural hor-ticulture nurseries) and dhobighats for the new fiscal, 2021-22. As a result, this category ofconsumers will continue toavail the benefit of free powersupply for FY 2021-22.

The Government, in orderto maintain uniform tariffsacross the State, has also agreedto bear a subsidy amount of Rs136.72 crore arising due to theconcessional tariff extended tothe domestic consumers ofAPEPDCL.

The Government will alsobear a subsidy of Rs 1,657.56crore arising due to the conces-sional tariff/free power extend-ed to the various class of con-sumers.

Shift villagesectt from SCcommunityhall, orders HCPNS n VIJAYAWADA

Ordering immediate shifting ofa village secretariat, the AP HighCourt on Wednesday askedcounsel for the State Governmenthow a village secretariat officecould be established at a commu-nity hall built for SCs.

Hearing a PIL filed by one MPrashant Kumar from Nellore,the High Court expressed itsincredulity at the village secre-tariat being set up at NelloreKapatipalem SC communityhall, which was allotted for thebetterment of SCs.

J Shravan Kumar, counsel forthe petitioner, brought to thenotice of the court that SCs wereforced to spend huge moneyfor performing weddings andother functions as the commu-nity hall was occupied for gov-ernment office purposes.

The High Court directed thegovernment to vacate the com-munity hall within four weeks. WB predicts India’s GDP to grow by 12.5%

Continued from Page 1

“It is amazing how far India hascome compared to a year ago.If you think a year ago, howdeep the recession was…unprecedented declines inactivity of 30 to 40 per cent, noclarity about vaccines, hugeuncertainty about the disease.

And then if you compare itnow, India is bouncing back,has opened up many of theactivities, started vaccinationand is leading in the produc-tion of vaccination,” HansTimmer, World Bank ChiefEconomist for the South AsiaRegion, told PTI in an inter-view.

However, the situation isstill incredibly challenging,both on the pandemic sidewith the flare up that is beingexperienced now. It is an enor-mous challenge to vaccinateeverybody in India, the officialsaid.

“Most of the people under-estimate the challenge,” he said.

On the economic side,Timmer said that even with therebound and there is uncer-tainty here about the numbers,but it basically means thatover two years there was nogrowth in India and theremight well have been over twoyears, a decline in per capitaincome.

“That's such a differencewith what India was accus-tomed to. And it means thatthere are still many parts of theeconomy that have not recov-ered or have not fared as wellas they would have without apandemic. There is a hugeconcern about the financialmarkets,” Timmer said.

“As economic activity nor-malises, domestically and inkey export markets, the currentaccount is expected to returnto mild deficits (around 1 percent in FY22 and FY23) andcapital inflows are projected bycontinued accommodativemonetary policy and abundantinternational liquidity condi-

tions,” the report said.Noting that the COVID-19

shock will lead to a long-last-ing inflexion in India's fiscaltrajectory, the report said thatthe general government deficitis expected to remain above 10per cent of GDP until FY22. Asa result, public debt is project-ed to peak at almost 90 per centof GDP in FY21 before declin-ing gradually thereafter.

As growth resumes and thelabour market prospectsimprove, poverty reduction isexpected to return to its pre-pandemic trajectory.

The poverty rate (at theUSD 1.90 line) is projected toreturn to pre-pandemic levelsin FY22, falling within 6 and 9per cent, and fall further tobetween 4 and 7 per cent byFY24, the World Bank said.

The Indian economy,Timmer said, has bouncedback from the initial enormoushit. “It has bounced back evenquicker than we initiallythought. The availability of

vaccines helped a lot there.That made it possible to openup more and in general toimprove confidence in theeconomy.

“If you have no further dete-rioration or fall back then,that means that the economythis year would grow aroundnine per cent. With some addi-tional growth you are in dou-ble digits. That's the positivestory,” Timmer said, addingthat there is also the uncertain-ty.

India also has the advantageas compared to some of theother countries that it has for-eign direct investment inflows.

“(This) probably has to doalso with the geopoliticalchanges in the world econo-my… investors moving awayfrom China and looking atIndia. That is an advantage, butyou don't see very stronginvestments, you see some firstsigns of domestic investmentsrecovering, that is still anuncertain point,” Timmer said.

Responding to a question,Timmer said it is “impressive”how quickly the Indian govern-ment came up with reliefefforts including the transfer ofmoney, measures allowingcompanies to forego debt ser-vice.

“Given the difficult situation,I think that was very impres-sive. At the same time, it wasnot enough because, and that'sone of the lessons of the crisis.

“There are so many peopleand so many, very small com-panies that are really difficultto reach, and you need a morecomprehensive overhaul of thewhole system to make the sup-port a lot more universal,”Timmer added.

According to officials, Indiahas so far registered 1,20,95,855COVID-19 cases and 1,62,114fatalities. The number of peo-ple who have recuperated fromthe disease surged to1,13,93,021, while the casefatality rate stands at 1.34 percent.

AP for Plan-B as...Continued from Page 1

“We have been hearing reportsabout financial stability ofLiberty Group which has beenpicked by the state govern-ment as a JV partner to devel-op Kadapa steel plant. We arekeenly watching the develop-ments in the UK and alsoreadied Plan B dependingupon how the events unfold.One thing is clear is that thegovernment is determined todevelop the Kadapa steel plantand it will happen,” said StateIndustries Minister MekapatiGoutham Reddy.

Highly-placed governmentsources said that as part ofPlan B, the government isinclined towards picking EssarSteel that had also participat-ed in the bidding conducted todevelop the steel plant.

The YSRCL , a governmententity, had issued RFP inNovember last year inviting

potential partners for a JV todevelop the integrated steelplant in Kadapa. SBI Caps hasbeen appointed as the transac-tion advisors.

Government sources saidthat at least seven domesticand internationally reputedcompanies have evinced inter-est in JV by responding to theExpression of Interest (EoI)issued by YSRCL. Upon therecommendations of the SBICaps, the state governmenthad agreed to pick LibertySteels India Ltd as the JVpartner to develop the steelplant in Kadapa.

The State governmentplanned to set up an integrat-ed steel plant at SunnapuRallapalli and Peddanandluruvillages in JammalamaduguMandal of Kadapa districtand allotted 3,295 acres.

The Chief Minister laid thefoundation stone for the steelplant in December last year.

GFG acquired twosteel businesses...Continued from Page 1

London-based GreensillCapital’s collapse has cast ashadow over GFG Alliancethat relied heavily on thefinancial institution to fund itsrapid spree of acquisitionswhich is seen as a meteoricexpansion of the Group.

Interestingly most of theindustrial assets that Indian-British businessman SanjeevGupta’s GFG Alliance hadacquired in the last few yearswere either financially stressed ordeclared bankrupt.

Liberty Group has been look-ing at India and in February lastyear, announced its foray into theIndian steel industry with theacquisition of Adhunik Metaliksand its arm Zion Steel in Odishafor about Rs 425 crore.

The London based firm had

also acquired a steel plant inNellore owned by Chennai-based RKKR steels.

Significantly, both the Indianbusinesses of the UK-based firmwere acquired under the bank-ruptcy process.

Greensill stopped financingGFG at the start of March,according to its court filing.According to media reports inthe UK after Greensill stoppedfinancing, Wyelands Bank, alender that’s part of GFGAlliance, was forced to returnretail deposits at the direction ofthe Bank of England, whichacted over concerns about itsexposure to the rest of the group.In the initial insolvency court fil-ing Greensill Capital, said to havementioned that GFG Allianceand its chair Sanjeev Gupta arein financial difficulty and default-ing on debt.

Power tariff remains...Continued from Page 1

The proposal of the DISCOMsto withdraw the load factorincentive scheme to industri-al (general)-HT consumerswas accepted in view of theshortage of power estimatedby the Commission in certainmonths during FY 2021-22.

Existing rice millers andpulverisers which could notexercise the option on orbefore June 30, 2020 and alsothose which came into exis-tence from July 1, 2020 aregiven one more opportunity(option can be exercised on orbefore June 30, 2021) to availthe benefit of getting billedunder LT tariffs up to a con-nected load of 150 HP againstthe present limit of 100 HP,with certain conditions.

To promote the usage ofenvironmental friendly electricvehicles for transport, theCommission has continuedthe tariff for the electric vehi-cles at a reasonable level of Rs6.70 per unit. The DISCOMsare however entitled to recov-

er only 90 percent of this tar-iff from the charging stationsin order to keep electricity ataffordable price to the EVowners.

The State Government hasalso agreed to bear a subsidyof Rs 1,657.56 crore arisingdue to the concessionaltariff/free power extended tothe various class of consumers.

Accordingly, free power up to200 units/month to the con-sumers in SC & ST colonies /thandas; free power up to 150units per month to the laun-dries run by BPL Rajaka com-munity; free power up to 100units per month to the BPLMBC community, free powerup to 100 units per month tothe BPL professional gold-smiths; free power up to 150units per month to the BPLNayee brahmin community,free power up to 100 units permonth to handloom weavers.

These categories werebrought under the direct sub-sidy under Section 65 of theElectricity Act, 2003 for thefirst time.

Man forces 2 of his 8 wives...Continued from Page 1

He tortured his first wifeGitanjali and his second wifeLakshmi, and forced theminto prostitution.The victims, while accusing

the local police of ‘protecting’Arun Kumar, said they hadinformed the police inFebruary about the nefariousactivities of the accused.

However, the cops did nottake any action against him.Arun had boasted before themthat they could not file any caseagainst him since he hadbought over the local police,the women claimed.The complainants stated

that the other women had‘disappeared’ and suspectedArun Kumar's hand in theirdisappearance.

The y approached awomen's welfare associa-tion, which brought thematter to the attention ofCP Manish Kumar. The vic-tims had sent voice mes-sages to CP Manish Kumar,stating that they were indanger of being killed by theaccused. They demandedthe immediate arrest ofArun Kumar.

Jagan releases Rs 254 cr YSRBima; says Centre failed, AP...Continued from Page 1

Further, the Chief Ministersaid that any eligible personwho was left out from YSRBima can call toll free num-ber 155214 for getting regis-tered and assured that the

government will take steps toensure that they get benefit-ted.

Under the scheme, insur-ance amount for accidentaldeath and total permanentdisability for people agedbetween 18-50 years is Rs 5

lakh and for those between51-70 years Rs 3 lakh.Similarly, for natural deathcases (18-50 years) Rs 2 lakhand for partial, permanentdisability in an accident case(18-70 years) Rs 1.5 lakhassistance will be provided.

vijayawada 03VIJAYAWADA | THURSDAY | APRIL 1, 2021

PNS n VIJAYAWADA

Chief Minister YS JaganmohanReddy laid foundation stonefor the construction of theretaining wall on the left bankof the Krishna River fromKanakadurgamma bridge toKotinagar here on Wednesday.

The retaining wall of 1.5 kmbeing constructed at a cost ofRs 122.90 crore will providerelief from floods to about31,000 people living inR a n i g a r i t h o t a ,Tarakaramanagar andBhupeshgupta Nagar areas.

Minister Perni Nani hailedChief Minister YS JaganmohanReddy for constructing the1.5-km retaining wall alongKrishna river. He said that theprevious government hadcompletely neglected the plightof Krishna Lanka residentswho used to take refuge inshelter homes during floodsand always lived in fear.

In addition to the retainingwall, he said that the ChiefMinister had also instructedthe authorities to start theworks on the right side of theriver from Varadhi to PushkarGhats to be on the safe side.

Vijayawada Mayor Rayana

Bhagyalakshmi, MinistersVelampalli Srinivasa Rao,Kodali Sri Venkateswara Rao(Nani), Perni Venkatramaiah(Nani), P Anil Kumar Yadav,Botsa Satyanarayana,Government Whip SamineniUdaybhanu, Brahmin

Corporation ChairmanMalladi Vishnu, MPsBalashowry Vallabhaneni,Nandigam Suresh, CM’sProgramme CoordinatorThalasila Raghuram, localleaders and officials were pre-sent.

Jagan lays foundationstone for retaining wall

PNS n VISAKHAPATNAM

Former Miss Vizag, Guniessbook of world record holderfor Brinda Natyam andupcoming actress RachanaVepa formally inauguratedSilk India Expo 2021 atSymphony Hall, YMCAComplex on the Beach Road.

A seven-day exposition isbeing organised byHastashilpi – artisans’ andweavers’ welfare Association,Mysore.

“It’s glad to see variousapparel, particularly silk saris,silk designer wear products tobe showcased in city underone roof,” said former MissVizag Rachana.

“Various silk saris, weavers,handloom clusters and silkco-operative societies from 21states are showcasing prod-ucts. The objective of theorganisation is to make acces-sible the products directly tothe customers without anymediator to the weavers andartisans,” said organiserAbhinand.

Silk India Expobegins in Vizag

PNS n VIJAYAWADA

TDP senior leader BandaruSatyanarayana Murthy onWednesday accused the TTDofficials of making irresponsi-ble statements on the seizureof the human hair belongingto the Tirumala TirupatiDevasthanams in Assamrecently. Satyanarayana Murthydemanded that the govern-ment take stringent actionagainst Executive Officer KSJawahar Reddy and AdditionalExecutive Officer AV DharmaReddy for their failure to pre-vent smuggling of human hair.

The Chief Minister has beenusing such unprincipled offi-cials to turn the TTD into acommercial unit to make easymoney just like in sand,cement, liquor and so on.

Addressing a press confer-ence here, the TDP leader

asked how the TTD officialswere running the administra-tion of the world renownedTirupati temple withoutknowing details of the firmsthat were getting hair con-tracts. “It was unfortunate theofficials gave the contractswithout cross checking thefacts about where and how theconcerned firm would sell thehuman hair. The EO and theadditional EO should bearrested for this seriouswrongdoing,” he said.

Satyanarayana alsodemanded the dismissal of theTTD Trust Board which wasbeing led by Chairman YVSubba Reddy following theirfailure to uphold the divinityof the Seven Hills.

The Chief Minister, whobelongs to another religion,should not act irresponsiblyhurting the sentiments ofHindu devotees, he said.

TDP demands actionagainst TTD EO, AEO

PNS n VIJAYAWADA

Former Minister and TDPleader Alapati Rajendra Prasadon Wednesday slammed theJaganmohan ReddyGovernment for misleadingboth the courts and the CentralGovernment in order to mis-use and divert over Rs 6,400crore funds of NREGS pro-gramme. Rajendra Prasadaccused the AP Government ofadopting a politically vengefulattitude even towards thosewho carried out the NREGSworks during the previousTDP regime. “The Centre hadreleased Rs 6,400 crore to makepayments for works complet-ed under NREGS scheme, butthe YSRCP regime deliberate-ly diverted the funds withoutgiving valid reasons,” healleged.

Addressing a press confer-ence here, the TDP leader said

that the AP Government wastelling lies to the Centre thatirregularities took place in theNREGS works.

“This was part of the ulteri-or plan to default the payments.The court has ordered for thepayment of NREGS dues alongwith interest for 2018-2019and 2019-2020 but the StateGovernment was least both-ered to implement it. No freshreports should be submittedonce a social audit was com-pleted but the Jagan regime hasignored it,” he said.

Govt diverted Rs 6,400 cr NREGSfunds, alleges TDP

PNS n TIRUPATI

A 30-year-old woman wasfound dead under suspiciousconditions in her in-law'shouse at SLV Nagar here onWednesday. The deceasedwas identified asChandrakala. Sarojamma, themother of the deceased,lodged a complaint with thepolice accusing her son -in-law of killing her daughter.Alipiri Sub-Inspector MohanKumar Goud saidChandrakala and Nagarajugot married three years agoand they were quarrellingwith each other frequently ondomestic issues.He said thatthe parents of Nagaraju foundChandrakala dead in a roomin their house on Wednesdaymorning and informed to herparents who are staying inTiruchanoor.

The body was sent to RuiaHospital for post-mortem.

PNS n VIJAYAWADA

Telugu Desam Party (TDP)national general secretary andMLC Nara Lokesh called onthe family members of theparty slain leader GarikapatiKrishna Rao at LakkarajuGarlapadu village in Gunturdistrict on Wednesday.

Lokesh criticised that themurder of Krishna Rao duringthe panchayat elections indi-cated the tyrannical regime ofYS Jaganmohan Reddy. Theruling party miscreants firsttargeted the TDP leaders andactivists and then beganattacking even the generalpublic, he alleged.

“It was high time that thecommon people predict thegreater trouble and rise inrevolt against the ‘psychoReddy’ rule in AndhraPradesh,” he said.

He handed over financialassistance worth Rs 6 lakh tothe family members ofKrishna Rao and assured allsupport to the party workers

who have been with it throughups and downs facing politi-cal harassment.

Speaking to the media,Lokesh warned the rulingYSRCP leadership over thetargeted attacks against theTDP leaders.

He recalled how the YSRCPleaders committed a murderattempt on TDP former MLABonda Umamaheswara Raoand MLC Buddha Venkannawhen they visited Macherlatown.

Religious fanaticsunleashing fear amongChristians, says APCLF PNS n VIJAYAWADA

Andhra Pradesh ChristianLeaders Forum chairmanOliver Roy said that a few reli-gious fanatics were creatingfear among Christians in thename of the Right toInformation Act. Addressingthe media persons here onWednesday, he said that somereligious fanatics were creatingfear and insecurity amongChristian leaders and pastorsby accessing their personaldetails, key information relat-ed to funds of churches andothers through RTI Act. Somereligious fanatics with thebacking of some organisa-tions have been tracking per-sonal information of Christianpastors for the past six monthsdegrading their personalmorale, he added.

He further said that thesome religious fanatics wereexerting pressure on MROs in

a few mandals to obtain infor-mation of Christians like —which church they attend,who performs prayers athome, if they are receiving anyforeign aid and others.Disclosing information relat-ed churches does not comeunder RTI Act as per theorders issued by the HighCourt in 2018. As per theConstitution of India, individ-uals can follow any faith oftheir choice, he said.

He further said that the APChristian Leaders’ Forum hadsubmitted representation tothe collectors of 13 districts inAP and also to ChiefInformation Comm-issioner PRamesh Kumar to instructthe officials concerned not todisclose information related toChristian leaders and pastorsviolating the law. Representatives of AP Christian Leaders’Forum from across the statewere present.

PNS n VIJAYAWADA

The Minister for Informationand Public Relations, PerniVenkataramaiah (Nani), criti-cised SEC NimmagaddaRamesh Kumar for writing aletter to the Governor on themeasures to be taken up toenhance transparency in elec-tions, cornering YSRCP.

Speaking to the media hereon Wednesday, the Ministersaid that NimmagaddaRamesh Kumar has no moralright to speak on transparentand unbiased elections as hewas the one who worked as perthe directions of TDP chief NChandrababu Naidu all histerm.

He said: “It is strange forRamesh Kumar to suggest thatthe State ElectionCommissioner should stayaway from politicians andpolitical parties, while he him-self went overboard and heldsecret talks with Sujana

Chaudhary and KamineniSrinivas at a hotel.”

Reiterating that RameshKumar always worked for theinterests of ChandrababuNaidu, the Minister said that itwas funny for him to writewith such a letter as he hadoverruled every recommenda-tion he listed.

He said that people are notgoing to believe his words asthe entire state had already wit-nessed SEC’s bias towardsNaidu.

Recalling the past instances,the Minister said that it wasNimmagadda Ramesh whowrote the letter to the Centrethat was drafted in the TDPoffice, postponed elections cit-ing Covid-19, when only a fewcases were registered, heldpolls when Covid was in peakand vaccination was takingplace and even went to thecourt seeking permission tocast vote although he was notqualified as per Form 6 ofCentral Election Commission.

Minister flays Nimmagadda for writing letter to Governor

Naidu seeks Bharat Ratnafor Pingali VenkaiahPNS n VIJAYAWADA

TDP Chief N ChandrababuNaidu on Wednesday made afervent appeal to the CentralGovernment to confer ‘BharataRatna’ on Pingali Venkayya forhis services as a freedom fight-er and designer of the NationalTricolour.

Naidu said that it as a mat-ter of pride for all Telugu peo-ple that Venkayya gave thedesign for the national flagwhich remained a symbol ofthe country's equality, fraterni-ty and unity in diversity. Thetricolour symbolised andreflected the overall Indianculture and tradition.

In a statement here, theTDP chief recalled how PingaliVenkayya actively took part inthe Vandemataram and HomeRule movements during thestruggle for independence.

His services in the freedom

movement would be remem-bered forever. The Tricolourwould always stand out for thethree basic tenets of sacrifice,peace and progress. The AsokaChakra in the middle wouldstand for dharma, he added.

Naidu said that PingaliVenkayya had also renderedhis research services in agricul-ture and geology.

e worked as an advisor in themineral research departmentafter independence.

Every citizen should consid-er it a duty to respect the sov-ereignty and significance of thenational flag. It would be aptto honour Venkayya with thecountry's highest civilianaward of Bharata Ratna,demanded.

PNS n VIJAYAWADA

Andhra Pradesh State ElectionCommissioner NimmagaddaRamesh Kumar said that hehad received full support fromthe state government in con-ducting the local body electionssmoothly. He lauded the dis-trict Collectors and SPs fortheir excellent work and coor-dination during the elections.Ramesh Kumar retired as APSEC on Wednesday (March31). Speaking on the occa-sion, he said that he hadreceived unprecedented sup-port from the people and themedia.

He said that the supportextended to him was very valu-able and that he was satisfiedto perform his duties as theElection Commissioner ofAndhra Pradesh.

Appreciating the officialsand staff for working diligent-ly in conducting the local body

elections smoothly withoutgiving any chance of re-pollinganywhere, he said that thegovernment has extended fullcooperation and help thatpaved way for the successfulcompletion of elections.

The Chief Secretary, DGP,Collectors and SPs extendedtheir cooperation. The HighCourt has directed that elec-tions in the state be held in atransparent manner. The HighCourt has given us full coop-eration in discharging ourresponsibilities. Everyone mustrespect the Constitutional sys-tem and there must be com-plete confidence in the legisla-ture, said Ramesh Kumar.

The outgoing SEC said: “Ipreviously served as Secretaryto the Governor for sevenyears. I have immense faith inConstitutional system and oneshould abide by the High Courtorders over the withdrawal ofnominations.”

Stressing the need for achange in the system as eachstate has its own set of prac-tices, he said that a reportwould be submitted to theGovernor to systematise allthe reform and implementthem. If the recommendationsare implemented there will beeverlasting benefits, he added.

Ramesh Kumar extendedgreetings to Neelam Sawhneywho is appointed as the nt SEC.

He said that he had neverleaked any official informationas he has great respect for thecommitment and indepen-dence of the system.

‘Got full support from govt, staff in conducting polls’

PNS n VIJAYAWADA

SEC Nimmagadda RameshKumar said he had filed somecases in the High Court andSupreme Court only to protectthe institution (SEC) and notagainst any individual. Somecases were disposed and somewere pending at various stages,he said.

He also said that he had dis-charged his duties as per therules and never deviated fromthe set rules.

Describing it as a storm inthe tea cup, he said the gov-ernment had no right to denyhim the voting right in AP ashe had cancelled his vote inTelangana and registered hisname in his native place inGuntur.

“My application is stillpending with the district col-

lector. If I am denied the vot-ing right, I will move theHigh Court as a citizen ofIndia and continue my fight,”Nimmagadda told reporters.

The confrontation betweenNimmagadda and theJaganmohan Reddy govern-ment began with the formerstalling the process of electionto local bodies in March 2020on the pretext of Coronaviruspandemic.

CM Jagan expressed angerover the decision and evenattributed caste motives tothe SEC, but since the Centreimposed lockdown, he couldnot do anything.

Later, on April 10, the Jagangovernment removedNimmagadda from the post ofSEC through an ordinance,which sought to reduce theterm of the SEC from five

years to three years andappoint a judicial officer of theHigh Court judge rank in thepost.

Accordingly, orders wereissued ending the term ofNimmagadda who had justcompleted four years andretired Madras High CourtJudge V Kanagaraj wasappointed in his place.

Nimmagadda challenged itin the court of law and after aprolonged legal battle with thestate government, theSupreme Court reinstatedhim. And the Jagan govern-ment was forced to restoreRamesh Kumar as SEC on July31.

As a result, the elections tothe gram panchayats andmunicipalities were held inFebruary and March.

Nimmagadda to fight for voting right in AP

Woman diesundersuspiciouscircumstances

PNS n TIRUPATI

A 59-year-old womandied on the spot when aspeeding Tamil NaduTransport Corporation(TNTC) bus dashed her atDaminedu on Naidupeta-Puthalapattu highway onWednesday.

According toTiruchanoor police, thewoman was identified asRukmanamma, residing inDaminedu village in thedistrict .

The TNTC bus dashedher when she was crossingthe highway carrying waterfilled in a plastic pot. Shedied on the spot.

The body has been shift-ed to Ruia Hospital here forpost-mortem.

The police registered acase and the investigation isunderway.

Woman hitby speedingbus, dieson spot

Woman attacks father-in-law PNS n TIRUPATI

In a gruesome incident, awoman attacked her father-in-law along with her para-mour at Balijapalli ofChallavaripalli inRamachandrapuram mandalhere on Wednesday.

According toRamachandrapuram police,Yamini who got married withGajendra Naidu of Balijapallihad left the house unin-formed a year ago.

She allegedly has live-inrelation with one Gopi ofNagaiahgaripalli from thepast one year. Gopi is anemployee of private financecompany in Puttur.

She returned to her hus-band's house in Balijapallion Wednesday and asked himto give 10 lakh on the pretextthat she has to repay debts.She also said that she will livealong with her husband

Gajendra Naidu only if hegives 10 lakh.

Gajendra Naidu enteredinto an argument with herover this though GajendraNaidu's father Siddaiah Naidu(73) tried to pacify them.

Meanwhile, Yamini's para-mour Gopi, who probablysneaked nearby, barged intothe house and suddenly hitover the head of SiddaiahNaidu with a staff. Yaminiwho was arguing with herhusband suddenly tookanother staff and had beatenfather- in -law repeatedly.

The bleeding old man fellon the ground with groansand the villagers who werepresent there immediatelyshifted Siddaiah Naidu toRuia hospital by 108 ambu-lance for treatment.

Ramachandrapuram policeregistered a case and tookboth Yamini and Gopi intocustody.

Govt may complete ZPTC, MPTC

poll process in next 10 daysPNS n VIJAYAWADA

Former Chief Secretary NilamSawhney, who has beenappointed as the next StateElection Commissioner, maytake a decision on conductingelections to ZPTCs andMPTCs after assuming chargeon Thursday.

According to reliablesources, the government wasplanning to complete the elec-tions within ten days. In alllikelihood, the governmentmay conduct the elections toZPTCs and MPTCs on April 8and announce the results onApril 10. It is learned that gov-ernment officials are in consul-tation with legal experts in thisregard.

It can be recalled that theGovernor Bishwa BhushanHarichandan has approved thestate government’s proposalto appoint former chief secre-

tary Nilam Sawhney as theSEC.

The present SEC N RameshKumar tenure came to an endon Wednesday (March 31).

The government has earlierproposed the names of NilamSawhney, PremachandraReddy and Samuel for thepost of SEC.

However, Nilam Sawhney,who retired as chief secretaryrecently, has been appointed asSEC. s

Soon after her retirement,CM Jaganmohan Reddyappointed Nilam Sawhney asChief Adviser for two years.She has recently resigned to thepost of Chief Adviser.

Lokesh consoles familymembers of slain leader

vijayawada 04VIJAYAWADA | THUESDAY | APRIL 1, 2021

SHORT TAKES

PNS n KAKINADA

The frontline warriors ofCovid-19 on Wednesdaystaged a protest in Kakinadaseeking their reinstatementduring the second wave of thepandemic. They alleged thattheir services have been termi-nated from Corona duties. Thegovernment recruited themwhen the Covid-19 was ram-pant in June last year in EastGodavari district. The DistrictMedical and HealthDepartment has hired 1050people from doctors to sweep-ers on a contract basis to pro-vide services to Coronapatients promising that theywould be absorbed in thevacant posts within the med-ical and health department.

On January 28, the Medicaland Health Departmentannounced laid off for 150employees in a single stroke.Protesting against the termina-tion, the frontline workerslaunched a strike in March. As

part of their agitation, theystaged a protest In front of theDistrict Collector's office inKakinada on Wednesday.

The protestors organized acookout programme on theroad under the scorching Sun.Employees' Union spokesper-

son and the CITU DistrictPresident M Veeralakshmi saidthese employees have strivedhard, leaving their families forthe sake of Corona patients.The department officialspromised to take all of them inthe vacant posts at the time oftheir appointment. Since theimpact of the Corona pandem-ic has come down, now theymercilessly threw them on tothe roads, she said.

Veeralakshmi made it clearthat the protest would not bestopped unless and until thegovernment stepped down andrecruit them in the vacantposts. The frontline workersappealed to the government totake them back for duties forthe patients of second waveCorona.

Corona frontline workersstage dharna in Kakinada PNS n GUNTUR

A woman railway guardwas allegedly robbedwhen she was dischargingher duties on the train.The incident occurred atthe Krishna Canal railwaystation in Tadepalli man-dal of Guntur district.

She complained to theRailway police to thiseffect. In her complaint,she said two unidentifiedpersons intruded into thelast compartment whileshe was guarding andthreatened her of dire con-sequences at knifepoint.They took away gold jew-ellery from her personbefore leaving the runningtrain. RPF police regis-tered a complaint to thiseffect.

Woman railway guard robbed

PNS n KAKINADA

Steps would be taken to helpthe family of Singam ShivaGanesh, who was murdered ina clash at Veeravaram village inKirlampudi Mandal of EastGodavari district, State STCommission ChairmanKumbha Ravibabu and StateBC Welfare Minister

Chelluboina Venu have said. Ravibabu and Venu on

Wednesday visited the villageof Shiva Ganesh and consoledthe family members. Speakingon the occasion, Ravibabusaid that he came to the villageto meet Shiva Ganesh's fami-ly members. He assured thefamily of Ganesh that the gov-ernment would take care of

them in all possible ways. Hesaid steps would be taken to dojustice for the family and stepswould be taken to conduct athorough investigation intothe case and book the culpritsresponsible for the murder. Hewas accompanied byJaggampet MLA JyotulaChanti Babu, District officialsand others.

ST Commission chiefconsoles kin of Ganesh

PNS n GUNTUR

Guntur East constituencyMLA Mohammad MusthafaShaik tested corona positiveon Wednesday. Mustafa hadbeen in self-quarantine for14 days in the past duringthe first wave of theCoronavirus along with hisfamily members.

According to his closeaides, Mustafa had recentlyundergone a corona test,when he suffered a sorethroat. Since the test report

confirmed positive, he wentinto self-isolated for the sec-ond time. Incidentally,Guntur West constituencyMLA Maddali Giri was alsogot treatment after he wastested corona positive inHyderabad and returned toGuntur after recovery.

The MLA appealed tothose who met him recent-ly to undergo a corona test.Fears gripped the leaders asthe MLA participated inmany official functions inGuntur till Tuesday. He

along with MP MopideviVenkata Ramanan MLAMaddali Giridhar, MayorManohar Naidu and districtofficials visited together tooversee the arrangementsfor CM's visit to Guntur.

The MLA also took part ina review meeting at theGovernment Guest House.He also participated in thefirst meeting of the GunturMunicipal Corporationthree days ago. Later, theMLA also participated in amedia conference with

Home Minister MSucharitha. Now, the officialsand the leaders were in ten-terhooks and they werequeuing up for the Coronatest.

According to the bulletinreleased at 9 am onWednesday, a total of 30964samples have been tested. Ofthem, 1,184 people testedpositive to Covid 19. Fourdeaths have been reportedacross the state, of them, 3 inChittoor and 1 in Nelloredistrict.

Guntur East MLA Mustafatests Covid positive

PNS n GUNTUR

The Sattenapalli police havearrested two persons one fromSattenapalli and the otherfrom Bihar for threateningpeople with gun. DSP VijayaBhaskar Reddy produced boththe accused before the mediaon Wednesday.

The police took MadhavReddy of Kandulavaripalemvillage in Sattanapalli mandaland his associate Raj Kumarwho hailed from Bihar.Madhav Reddy went to Biharand bought a gun for Rs50,000 with the help of RajKumar to threaten his relativesfollowing a dispute with them.Raj Kumar of Bihar was alsoarrested in this connection.

The DSP said MadhavaReddy bought a house for Rs58 lakh from Chenchi Reddyof the same village. He paid Rs37 lakhs and entered into anagreement with the houseowner. He asked the owner toregister the house first thentake the remaining balance for

which the owner declined toaccept the proposal. MadhavaReddy threatened ChenchiReddy by showing a gun hebrought from Bihar.

DSP Vijayabaskar Reddysaid based on the complaint bythe victim Chenchi Reddy acase has been registeredagainst Madhav Reddy andarrested both the accused. Agun and five bullets have beenseized from them. A thoroughprobe into the purchase ofguns from Bihar was beingconducted as per the ordersfrom the higher authorities,the DSP said. Circle InspectorVijay Chandra and otherswere present at the mediaconference.

PNS n GUNTUR

TTD Chairman YV SubbaReddy on Wednesday visitedRK Roja, APIIC Chairpersonand MLA of Nagari, whorecently underwent surgery atFortis Malar Hospital inAdayar, Chennai.

Deputy CM NarayanaSwamy, TUDA Chairman,Government WhipChevireddy Bhaskar Reddyaccompanied by BhaskarReddy went with Subba Reddyto the Hospital. They Inquiredabout her health conditionand found out. YVSubbareddy expressed hopesto recover quickly and come topublic service in perfect health.

TTD Chief, DyCM call on MLARoja at hospital

Bhopal/Umaria : MadhyaPradesh Chief Minister ShivrajSingh Chouhan on Wednesdayreviewed the wildfire situation atBandhavgarh Tiger Reserve(BTR) in the state's Umariadistrict. According to forestauthorities, wildfires have beenreported in parts of the reservesince the last two days andhad spread to several zones. Thechief minister reviewed the situation and instructed the authorities totake necessary action in case of casualties of wild animals in theblaze, an official from thestate public relations department said. The principal secretary(forest) has informed the chief minister that the incidents of fire havebeen controlled and there has been no loss of any kind, the officialsaid. Chouhan was informed that the forest teams have beendeployed to douse the fire, he said, adding that an actionplan has also been formulated. Meanwhile, local forest sources inBTR said the fire had spread to several zones of the reserveincluding Magadhi, Tala and Dhamokhar ranges. The fire broke outabout two days ago in some parts of the reserve, they said. Visualsof flames engulfing the forest land have also surfaced on socialmedia, it was stated. The BTR's field director Vincent Rahim couldnot be contacted despite repeated attempts.

Nagpur: The restrictionsimposed between

March 15 and 31 inMaharashtra's Nagpur by thedistrict administration due to therise in COVID-19 cases will notbe extended further, stateminister Nitin Raut said onWednesday. However, the curbsand guidelines issued by the stategovernment will be applicable in the district, he said. Raut, who isNagpur district guardian minister, on Wednesday held a reviewmeeting with the local officials to assess the pandemic situation.Home Minister Anil Deshmukh and BJP leader Devendra Fadnavisattended it virtually. With the surge in COVID-19 cases, restrictionshad been imposed in Nagpur district from March 15 to 21, whichwere later extended till March 31. Talking to reporters after thereview meeting, Raut said that these restrictions will not be extendedfurther. "The curbs imposed by the district administration willnot continue, but the guidelines issued by the state government willbe applicable," he said. Nagpur recorded 1,156 new COVID-19 caseson Tuesday, taking its infection count to 2,23,153.

COVID-19 CURBS IN NAGPURWON'T BE EXTENDED

PNS n TIRUMALA

Two dozen trainee IPS officershailing from different statesacross the country includingtwo women police officersfrom Nepal were briefed onTTD policing activities.

Chairing the session jointly,both TTD Chief Vigilance andSecurity Officer Sri GopinathJatti along with Tirupati UrbanSP Sri Venkatappala Naidubriefed the Trainee IPS officerson TTD Vigilance and Securitysystem and Policing in the dis-trict with a special focus onTirumala respectively.

The briefing session washeld at Annamaiah Bhavan inTirumala on Wednesdayevening.

Earlier the IPS trainees wenton a field visit to VaikuntamQueue Complex, temple, ladducounters etc. and observed

the checking, scrutiny andfool proof security set upadopted by TTD. VGO Sri BaliReddy was also present.

Trainee IPS officers briefedabout TTD policing system

PNS n TIRUPATI

The TTD has strongly con-demned the baseless allega-tions on TTD board, EO andAdditional EO in social mediaby ex-MLA Sri BandaruSatyanarayana Murthy overthe seized hair transportationissue without ascertainingfacts.

Expressing strong objectionsfor alleging motives to APChief Minister YS JaganmohanReddy though he has no linksto the hair issue, the TTD saidthat it had categorically ruledout any role in the spoiled haircaught by Mizoram police andagain Additional EO Sri A VDharma Reddy had clarified

issues at a media conferencelast evening.

Again on Wednesday morn-ing the Additional EO hadreleased documents presentedby Customs, Mizoram police

and Assam Rifles proving thatTTD had nowhere figured inthose reports. TheDevasthanam said that it hadsince decades been auctioningprocessed hair and temples in

India accounted for only 25%hair that is traded in the coun-try.

The TTD cautioned the exMLA that he should not throwmud on TTD board and offi-cials without ascertaining truefacts of the case. TheDevasthanam also cautionedthat such baseless allegationswith political motives wouldplay dangerously on the senti-ments of devotees.

Hence TTD appealed onceagain that former MLA SriBandaru SatyanarayanaMurthy should realise his follyand offer unconditional apol-ogy or face legal action whichincluded civil and criminaldefamation notices by TTD.

TTD seeks unconditional apology fromex-MLA for charges againest board

Banihal/Jammu: An Armychopper with eight people onboard made an emergencylanding on Wednesday inRamban district of Jammu andKashmir after developing sometechnical snag, a police officersaid. Senior Superintendent ofPolice, Ramban, P D Nitya saidall the passengers are safe and the chopper later left for itsdestination after the fault was rectified. Officials said a patient wasamong the passengers on board the chopper who was being airliftedto Army base hospital in Udhampur. The chopper made theemergency landing at district police lines Ranbam. "The ALHhelicopter of Srinagar-based 15 corps was on its way to Udhampurfrom Mansbal in Bandipora district of north Kashmir and made theemergency landing at 10.45 am after developing some technicalglitch," the SSP said.

ARMY CHOPPER MAKESEMERGENCY LANDING

PNS n HYDERABAD

The Brazilian health regulatorAnvisa has denied permissionto import Bharat Biotech'sCOVID-19 vaccine Covaxininto the country after itsauthorities found that theplant in which the vaccine isbeing made did not meet theGood Manufacturing Practice(GMP) requirements.

Reacting to it, the city-based vaccine maker said it isworking towards resolving theissues cited during the inspec-tion and the order of 20 mil-lion doses from the Braziliangovernment is still active.

National HealthSurveillance Agency Anvisa inits website said it received a

request from the BrazilianHealth Ministry to import 20million doses of Covaxin.

However a decision on thatwas suspended by the regula-tor due to the absence ofsome key documents.

"...considering the non-compliance with the require-ments of Good ManufacturingPractices for Medicines, or thenon-compliance with the peti-tion procedures submitted for

analysis, advocatedby cur-rent legislation,resolves:Refuse the Request (s) forCertification of GoodManufacturing Practices forMedicines of the company(ies) contained in theANNEX," a Brazilian govern-ment gazette said on March29.

Covaxin fails to meetGMP standards

PNS n LUCKNOW

The wife of jailed mafia don-turned politician MukhtarAnsari has written toPresident Ram Nath Kovindurging him to ensure ade-quate security for him whenhe is transferred from Punjabto Uttar Pradesh following aSupreme Court direction.

In her letter released to themedia on Wednesday, AfshanAnsari claimed that her hus-band, who is a BSP MLAfrom Mau, is an eyewitness ina case and the accused BJP

MLC is threatening to killhim in connivance with thegovernment machinery.

Afshan Ansari said shefears that her husband mightbe killed "in the guise of afake encounter" during histransfer from Ropar jail inPunjab to Uttar Pradesh'sBanda prison.

According to the SupremeCourt's March 26 order, herhusband has to be trans-ferred to Uttar Pradesh'sBanda jail in two weeks.Ansari's wife said she isfrightened because of the

past actions of some officersof the Uttar Pradesh govern-ment and is deeply con-cerned about the safety of hislife.

"If my husband is sent toUttar Pradesh without fixingresponsibility for the safety ofhis life, then surely he wouldbe killed by creating a falsestory. Therefore, it is a plea tothe President to order thatmy husband is protected,"Afshan Ansari said in the let-ter. She also urged that if it isrequired to produce Ansari incourt, the President should

order the government toarrange central security forcepersonnel "to accompanyhim from prison to court andback".

Mukhtar Ansari has beenin judicial custody sinceOctober 25, 2005 in a num-ber of criminal cases.

Alka Rai, the legislatorwife of BJP MLAKrishnanand Rai who waskilled allegedly at the handsof the Mukhtar Ansari gangin 2005, had demanded thatAnsari be transferred to a jailin Uttar Pradesh.

Mukhtar Ansari's wife writes to Prezseeking security for him

PNS n THANE

Police have arrested threepersons hailing fromJharkhand in connectionwith the theft of Rs 1.37crore-worth jewellery from ashop in Maharashtra's Thaneover two months back, anofficial said on Wednesday.

The three accused, identi-fied as Sultan Shaikh (29),Abdul Shaikh (34) andAlamgir Shaikh (33), werearrested on Tuesday as soonas they arrived at theMumbai airport from Patna,he said.

The incident of theft hadoccurred during the inter-vening night of January 16and 17 this year, in whichsome unidentified personsbroke into the jewellery shoplocated in Vartak Nagar here,the police official said.

"Since then, the policewere on the lookout for theaccused. A couple of daysback, the investigators got atip- off that those involved inthe crime would be flying toMumbai from Patna air-port," inspector KishoreKhairnar of Kasarwadavalipolice station here said.

3 held for theft ofgold worth Rs 1.37 cr

PNS n CHANDRAPUR

A 55-year-old woman waskilled in a suspected tigerattack in Maharashtra'sChandrapur district onWednesday morning, a forestofficial said.

The incident took place inJanala beat of a forest whenthe victim, identified asKalpana Namdeo Wadai, aresident of Agadi village, hadgone there to collect Mahuaflowers along with otherwomen, he said.

It is suspected that a tigerpounced upon her andmauled her to death, ChiefConservator of Forest,Chandrapur circle, N RPraveen said.

Woman killedin suspectedtiger attack

PNS n NEW DELHI

The north Indian plains whichhave been reeling under aheatwave are likely to getsome relief over the next twodays with temperaturesexpected to fall by 3-5 degreesCelsius, the IndiaMeteorological Department(IMD) said on Wednesday.

The relief will, however, beshort. The IMD said anotherheatwave is likely over theplains by April 3.

Over the last 4-5 days, themercury has touched over 40degrees Celsius in several partsof north India, especiallyRajasthan. The national capi-tal reeled under a "severe"heatwave on Monday as the

maximum temperature shotup to 40.1 degrees Celsius,making it the hottest day inMarch in 76 years.

IMD Director GeneralMrutunjay Mohaptra saidthere was pressure variationbetween the area stretchingfrom the Gujarat coast toHaryana. Plus, there was trans-fer of heat from Rajasthanwhich was already reelingunder the heatwave. This ledto the heating of plains.

Naresh Kumar, senior scien-tist with the IMD who spe-cialises in heatwaves, said thetransfer of heat was also fromPakistan. He said one of theweather stations in Pakistanalso recorded 45 degreesCelsius during the same time.

North to get reprievefrom heatwave

PNS n BHOPAL

Madhya Pradesh governmenton Wednesday extended thesuspension of passenger busoperations with Maharashtratill April 15 because of a hugesurge in coronavirus positivecases in the neighbouring state.It had suspended the passen-ger bus operations withMaharashtra from March 21 toMarch 31. In an order issuedon Wednesday, the MadhyaPradesh TransportDepartment said the decisionto continue the suspension.

MP govt extendsban on busoperations

Man flashes gunfrom Bihar, held

MP CM REVIEWS WILDFIRESITUATION IN TIGER RESERVE

VIJAYAWADA | THURSDAY | APRIL 1, 2021 nation 05

The fate of five ministers,the deputy speaker anda few significant

opposition faces will bedecided as 39 seats inAssam go to the polls in thesecond phase on Thursday.Inall, 345 candidates, including26 women, are in the fray inthis phase, the polling forwhich will be held from 7 amto 6 pm amid heavy security and strict COVID-19 guidelines,officials said. The ruling BJP is contesting 34 seats, while its alliesAsom Gana Parishad (AGP) and United People's Party Liberal(UPPL) are fighting in six and three seats, respectively. There are"friendly contests" between the BJP and the AGP in Patharkandiand Algapur, while the BJP is engaged in similar fights with theUPPL in Majbat and Kalaigaon. The Grand Alliance's Congress iscontesting in 28 seats, the AIUDF in seven and Bodoland Peoples'Front (BPF) in four. The newly-formed Assam Jatiya Parishad(AJP) is contesting in 19 seats. There is a direct contest betweenthe NDA and the Grand Alliance in 25 constituencies, while therest are witnessing triangular fights.

PDP president Mehbooba Muftion Wednesday asked wheredoes a person go when the

judiciary, the only recourse left, "washtheir hands off" matters involvingfundamental rights "Under BJP's rule,Indian constitution is beingundermined time & again. Onlyoption & recourse left is the judiciary.Once they too decide to wash theirhands off matters which involve our fundamental rights where doesone go?" Mehbooba wrote on Twitter. The PDP chief's remarks cameafter the Jammu and Kashmir High Court on Monday dismissed herpetition seeking direction to passport authority for issuing a passportin her favour. In a letter to Mufti, the Regional Passport Office hereon March 26 rejected the application for her passport based on an"adverse" police verification report. The Regional Passport Office hasalso rejected the application for a passport for Mufti's mother.

INDIA CORNER

Former Prime Minister H DDeve Gowda onWednesday said he and

his wife Chennamma havetested positive for COVID-19."My wife Chennamma and Ihave tested positive forCOVID- 19. We are self-isolating along with otherfamily members," the 87-year-old JD(S) patriarch tweeted. "Irequest all those who came in contact with us over the last fewdays to get themselves tested.I request party workers and well-wishers not to panic," he added. However, the Manipal Hospital,where thecouple is currently being treated, said Deve Gowda isnegative at present and is being appropriately investigated andclosely monitored by medical experts. "...Deve Gowda is admittedtoday at Manipal hospital old Airport Road for evaluation of fever.He was tested for COVID 19 which is negative at present.

5 ministers, deputy speaker in frayas Assam goes to polls in phase 2

Former PM Deve Gowda and wifeChennamma test Covid positive

As she faces a high-stakes poll battle in West Bengal, TMC supremoand Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has said the time has come fora "united and effective" struggle against the BJP's alleged attacks on

democracy and the Constitution, and that opposition leaders should trypresent a "credible alternative" to the people of the country. In a letter tothe non-BJP leaders including Congress chief Sonia Gandhi released bythe Trinamool Congress(TMC) on Wednesday, Banerjee also alleged thatthe Centre-State relations were at its worst since independence. Themissive came on the eve of the second phase of the Assembly polls inWest Bengal in which Banerjee is locked in a fierce fight in Nandigramconstituency against her protege turned adversary Suvendu Adhikari ofthe BJP. Banerjee's letter is being seen as an attempt to portray her as arallying point for all parties opposed to the BJP, which has mounted anaggressive campaign to dislodge her from power in West Bengal after a10-year rule. Before the TMC, the state was ruled for over three decadesby the Left Front, which has now joined hands with the Congress tochallenge both Banerjee's party and the BJP. "I strongly believe that thetime has come for a united and effective struggle against the BJP'sattacks on democracy and the Constitution. "As the Chairperson of AllIndia Trinamool Congress, I shall work wholeheartedly with you and allother like-minded political parties in this battle. We can win this battleonly with unity of hearts and minds, and by presenting a crediblealternative to the people," she said.

Mamata calls for a ‘united andeffective’ struggle against BJP

‘Where does one go when judiciary wash hands off'

Congress-AIUDF want power to help illegal immigrants: Shah

PNS n BIJNI/HAJO/SONAPUR(ASSAM)

Minister Amit Shah onWednesday accusedCongress and AIUDF ofhankering for power inAssam to open the bordersfor infiltrators and saidemphatically that BJP willnot allow the state to

become a hub for illegalimmigrants again

after freeing theland

encroachedby them

duringlast

five

years.Taking a swipe at All India

United Democratic Frontchief Badruddin Ajmal forclaiming that the "lock andkey" (AIUDF symbol) offorming the next govern-ment in the state is in hishands, Shah said the peoplewould decide who will runAssam.

"Kaan khol kar sunloAjmal, Assam ko ghuspetiyoke adda\ phir se nahin bannedenge (Ajmal listen careful-ly we will not allow Assam tobecome a hub for infiltratorsagain)", Shah said.

Shah began the day witha rally at Bijni constituencyin Chirang district thatcomes under BodolandTerritorial Region followedby public meetings at Hajo in

Kamrup (Rural) andDispur in Kamrup(Metropolitan) districts.

"Ajmal claims that the'lock and key' of forming thenext government is in hishands and he will decidewho will form the next gov-ernment in Assam, but hedoes not realise that the'taala aur chabi' Assam kejanta ke haath mein hain (thelock and key is with the peo-ple of Assam)", he said.

Shah accused Congressof failing to stop infiltration,and urged "haame aurpaanch saal de dijiye, aadmitoh kya parinde bhi ghusnahi sakenge (give us anoth-er five years, and we willensure that what to talkabout the infiltrators evenbirds cannot enter illegally)".

At the rally in Sonapur,Shah said that if there is agovernment of Congressand Ajmal, there will be nostop to infiltration and they"want to come to power

with the hope to open thelocks of the borders to letinfiltrators in.

"The keys, however, willremain in the hands ofPrime Minister NarendraModi and he will not allowa single illegal person tocome in. So (Badruddin)Ajmal mian, 'aap din meinsapna dekhna bandh kijiye'(Ajmal stop day dreaming)".

Former Congress chiefminister Tarun Gogoi haddismissed Ajmal saying'Who is Ajmal' but nowRahul Gandhi says that theAIUDF is "Assam's identity,but we will not allow this atany cost", he said.

He also accusedGandhi,who is on a visit tothe state to address electionrallies Wednesday, of com-ing for tourism purpose andtalking about Ajmal beingAssam's identity.

PNS n KOLKATA

Accusing West Bengal ChiefMinister Mamata Banerjee ofthreatening its supporters withunspecified action once para-military forces leave the stateafter the assembly polls, BJPhas registered a complaintwith the Election Commissionover her comments.

In its letter to the poll panel,BJP alleged, despite "pro-active" role of the commission,"large-scale violence" has beenreported during past severaldays due to such utterances bythe Trinamool Congress(TMC) chief.

To back up its claim, the let-ter written on Tuesday men-tioned a widely circulatedvideo of a meeting addressedby Banerjee at Nandigram onMarch 29.

"In the meeting she said thecentral paramilitary forces willgo one day, but she will stay inBengal. Who will then save herrivals," the letter quotedBanerjee as saying.

Raising objection to the

TMC supremo's remarks, theletter signed by BJP leadersShishir Bajoria, Arjun Singhand Pratap Banerjee said,"Such statements are threat tofree, fair and peaceful elections... and have been brought tothe notice of the commis-sion."

The saffron party alsodescribed the speech as a vio-lation of the model code ofconduct that urges politicalparties to avoid offences suchas intimidation of voters.

"Threatening and criminal

intimidation is not only anabuse of free and fair polls butalso a criminal act as well as anelectoral offence which needsstrong and immediate check,"the BJP said.

Referring to the video clip,the letter alleged that theTrinamool Congress dispensa-tion has failed to prevent inci-dents of violence such as attackon voters, stopping pollingagents from entering pollingstations, targeting BJP work-ers in the run up to polls andon the voting day.

BJP files complaint againstMamata with EC over threats

PNS n CHAYGAON/BARKHETRI(ASSAM),

Upping the ante against theBJP, Congress leader RahulGandhi on Wednesday assert-ed that he is not like PrimeMinister Narendra Modi, who"lies to India 24/7".

Gandhi, while addressingan election rally in Chaygaonconstituency in Assam'sKamrup district, urged peopleto listen to him if they want tohear the truth.

"I haven't come here to lie toyou. My name is not NarendraModi. If you wish to hear himlie about Assam, farmers orany other issue, switch on thetelevision. He lies to India24/7. If you want to listen tothe truth, hear me out," he said.

As promised, the Congresshad waived farm loans within

six hours of assuming power inChhattisgarh, while the former

UPA government hadwaived Rs 70,000 crore agricul-tural loans after the farmershad requested for it, he said.

"People from different lan-guages, ethnicities and ideolo-gies are peacefully listening tome. This is Assam. But the BJPmakes one brother fight anoth-er and spreads hatred.

They give tea garden con-

tracts to outsiders. "Assam will elect its own

chief minister when theCongress comes to power. Thestate won't be governed byNagpur (RSS headquarters)or Delhi," he said.

He claimed that theCongress has made its pollpromise of five guarantees inconsultation with tea gardenworkers, youth and women.

"People want thatCitizenship (Amendment) Actshouldn't be implemented,youth must get jobs, minimumwages of tea garden workersmust be raised to Rs 365, eachhousehold should get 200 unitsof free electricity and house-wives should

get financial assistance of Rs2,000. We have accepted your

demands. Our chief minis-ter will fulfil them," he said.

I am not like Modi who liesto India 24/7: Rahul Gandhi

PNS n NANDIGRAM

The stage is set for the secondphase of assembly poll in WestBengal on Thursday whenmore than 75 lakh voters willdecide the fate of 191 candi-dates in 30 seats as eyes are seton the high profile Nandigramconstituency where ChiefMinister Mamata Banerjee ispitted against her protg turnedadversary Suvendu Adhikari.

All 10,620 booths wherepolling will be held this phasehave been declared as sensitiveby the Election Commission,which has deployed around651 companies of central forcesto provide security, officialssaid.

Besides, the state police willalso be deployed at strategiclocations during the pollingwhich will begin at 7 am, theysaid.

A total 199 companies ofCentral Armed Police Force

will be deployed in PurbaMedinipur, 210 companies inPaschim Medinipur, 170 inSouth 24 Parganas and 72 inBankura, the sources said.TMC and BJP are contesting inall the 30 seats,

while CPI(M) is in the frayin 15 and its alliance partnersof Sanjukta Morcha theCongress and ISF are compet-ing in 13and two seats respec-tively. Polling will take placeamid strict COVID-19 guide-lines in nine seats of PaschimMedinipur, eight in Bankura,

four seats in South 24 Parganasand nine in Purba Medinipur- the home ground of TMCturncoat and BJP leaderSuvendu Adhikari. Nandigramfalls in Purba Medinipur dis-trict.

The agrarian constituencywhich shook the foundationsof the mighty Left regime overthe anti-land acquisition move-ment in 2007, has now turnedinto a battleground of titanswith Banerjee suddenly decid-ing to switch from herBhowanipur seat to the con-

stituency held by Adhikari,her former lieutenant who hasswitched loyalty to the BJP.

For Adhikari it is a battle forpolitical survival as a defeatwould be a devastating blowand might also put a questionmark on his political graph inhis new party the BJP.Similarly, a victory would notonly establish him as one ofthe tallest leaders in Bengal butwould also push him few milesahead of others in the ChiefMinisterial race in case the BJPis voted to power.

For Banerjee, who is run-ning for the third successiveterm as chief minister, a victo-ry is a must to lead the govern-ment and keep together herparty, which is faced with exo-dus.

For the Congress-Left-ISFalliance candidate MinakshiMukherjee of CPI-M, the chal-lenge is to regain her party'slost ground.

Bengal set for second phase polling

PNS n CHALAKUDY (KER),

Reaching out to women votersin Kerala, Congress leaderPriyanka Gandhi onWednesday highlighted thecrucial role they play in societyand said till entering politics atthe age of 47,she looked afterher children, cleaned her houseand cooked food just as allhousewives do in their family.

"I am really happy to do itand I learnt a very big thingfrom it," Gandhi said at anelection meeting here whilehighlighting a Congress-ledUDF poll promise for thewelfare of housewives.

In its manifestofor the April6 assembly polls, the Congresshas promised Rs 2,000 'pen-sion' for homemakers and Rs72,000 annually to the poorunder 'NYAY Yojana'.

The49-year-old leader said ifvoted to power, the Congress-led government will imple-ment the scheme to help thehousewives so that they canstand up for themselves intheir own way.

"You are looking veryhappy.You should be veryhappy because this is the firsttime a political party or a gov-ernment is recognising what ahousewife does," Gandhi saidlooking at the women whogathered to hear her speech atthis town in Thrissur district.

Priyanka reaches out tohousewives in Kerala

PNS n CHANDIGARH,

Gangster-turned-politi-cian Mukhtar Ansari,who is wanted in UttarPradesh for various cases,was on Wednesday pro-duced before a Mohalicourt in connection withan alleged 2019 extortionmatter.

The court fixed April12 as the next date in thiscase, a police official said.

Amid tight securityarrangements, Ansariwas taken to court in awheelchair. He was sentback to Punjab'sRupnagar jai l in anambulance after theappearance.

AnsariProducedin court

PNS n NEW DELHI

Union Minister PrakashJavadekar on Wednesday saidthat TMC chief MamataBanerjee has realised that shehas lost ground in West Bengaland is speaking about her'gotra' in desperation, but this"drama" will not help her partywin the assembly election.

"You are disclosing yourgotra and are opposing 'Jai ShriRam' and also disallowed MaDurga's immersion duringDurga Puja. People under-stand everything as to who isgenuine and who is not," hetold reporters.

Javadekar claimed that thepeople of the state have alreadymade up their mind to bringthe BJP to power and the LokSabha election result indicat-ed the people's will to rejectBanerjee and her TrinamoolCongress.

As she ended herNandigram poll campaign,West Bengal Chief Minister

Mamata Banerjee said duringher speech that her gotra was'Shandilya'.

"I visited a temple where thepriest asked me my 'gotra'. Itold him - 'Maa, Maati, Manus',but actually I'm Shandilya,"Banerjee said in Nandigram,where she is pitted against herformer general secretarySuvendu Adhikari.

Javadekar remindedBanerjee that Congress leaderRahul Gandhi also spoke of his'gotra' and his party "lost mis-erably".

"Now she is telling her 'gotra'and she will also lose verybadly because it shows that sheis not genuine as she was dis-closing this on the eve of her

election," he said.Javadekar said disclosing

her 'gotra' now will not helpthe TMC.

The BJP has alleged thatBanerjee is trying to assert herHindu credentials with an eyeon election though she hadbeen following a policy ofappeasing the minority com-munity during her rule. TheTrinamool Congress has, inturn, accused the BJP of tryingto create a communal divide.

"This is the height of desper-ation. She (Banerjee) hasrealised that she has lost allground and such drama doesnot work at the last minute. Inthe 2019 Lok Sabha election,the people of Bengal haverejected the TMC and thistime, they will be totally outand the BJP will come in,"Javadekar told reporters.

On threats given byBanerjee to find "gaddar" (trai-tors) within the party, he saidthis is also a sign of despera-tion.

PNS n NEW DELHI

Slamming West Bengal ChiefMinister Mamata Banerjee,the BJP on Wednesday saidthat democracy should be thelast word in her dictionary asit hit back at her following herletter to opposition leadersagainst the Narendra Modigovernment's alleged assaulton democracy.

"Democracy should be thelast word in @MamataOfficial& @AITCofficial dictionary.Their cadre attack@BJP4Bengal candidates,intimidate voters, capturebooths, block all hoardingsand at the end leaders preachDemocracy," BJP general sec-retary (organisation) B L

Santhosh tweeted.The sharp attack by Santosh

came following Banerjee's let-ters to non-BJP leaders,expressing serious concernover alleged "assaults" by theBJP and its government ondemocracy and constitution-al federalism of India.

PNS n MADARIHAT

If infiltration is taking placein West Bengal f romBangladesh as alleged by theBJP, Union Home MinisterAmit Shah and the BSFsdirector general shouldresign as securing the coun-trys border is their duty andnot of the Mamata Banerjeeadministration, TrinamoolCongress leader AbhishekBanerjee said on Wednesday.

Abhishek Banerjeeclaimed that the NarendraModi government failed tofulfil its promise of reopen-ing closed tea gardens ofnorth Bengal but at leastf ive such gardens haveresumed functioning follow-ing the intervention of thechief minister. "Who isresponsible for infiltration inWest Bengal? Is it the BSF orthe state police? I would sayHome Minister Amit Shahand the DG of the BSF

should step down as they arenot successful in handlingthe issue. What is the use ofpointing fingers at MamataBanerjee?" he said.

BJP leaders includingPrime Minister NarendraModi has been attackingChief Minister MamataBanerjee for allegedly pursu-ing "appeasement and votebank politics" which areresponsible for infiltration inthe state. Speaking at a pub-lic rally at Madarihat inNorth Bengal's Alipurduardistrict, Abhishek Banerjeesaid that the TMC govern-ment has increased the dailywage of tea garden workersfrom Rs 67 to Rs 202. "If ourparty is voted to power, theirdaily wage will be doubled inthe next five years. The gov-ernment has also decided tobuild houses for the teaworkers under the 'ChaSundari' scheme," the chiefminister's nephew said.

PNS n NEW DELHI

The Trinamool Congresson Wednesday said WestBengal Chief MinisterMamata Banerjee haswritten personal lettersto non-BJP leaders high-lighting the "assaults" bythe BJP on democracyand constitutional feder-alism. Banerjee's letterseeks to drum up supportfrom opposition leadersby stating how non-BJPstates have suffered due tothe saffron party ledCentre's actions. "I amwriting this letter to you,and to several leaders ofnon-BJP parties, to con-vey my serious concernsover a series of assaults bythe BJP and its govern-ment at the Centre ondemocracy and consti-tutional federalism inIndia," Banerjee said.

Mamata writesto oppn leaders,underscoresassaults by BJP

‘Amit, BSF DG shouldresign if infiltration istaking place in Bengal’

Democracy should belast word in Mamata'sdictionary, says BJP

‘Mamata has lost ground in WB:so speaking of gotra is desperation’

tice that is called “hypermil-ing” in the west, you can ekeout significantly more fueleconomy than advertised.

The same is true of elec-tric cars. In fact, since EVsusually regenerate energyfrom braking, they coulddeliver a very good energyeconomy in urban conditions.But if you drive an EV like abat out of hell, or use advancedfeatures on the car, the batterycould drain faster than usual.I have seen this on a TeslaModel 3 where the brilliantautonomous driving featureworks well, but like running agraphics intensive game on acomputer, it sucks up energybecause the processors areworking like crazy. The pointhere is that just like in petrolor diesel cars where we havelearnt to ignore the “adver-tised” fuel economy and justuse it as an indicator, weshould do the same with EVs.

But we can’t, becausethere is a fundamental flaw,both in the human conditionand EVs. You see, when yourun out of fuel, filling up isjust a five-minute job as thereare pumps available in thevicinity. You can charge an EVat home, but only if you havean assured parking spot. Of

course, on electric two-wheel-ers with removable batteries,you can take these home oroffice to charge but for a car,that isn’t possible. Now, therewill be issues with neighboursin an apartment complexwith a common plug-pointbecause who will pay? Andwhile there have been hugeadvancements with fast-charging, the fact is that bat-teries charge the fastest whenthey’re empty. So to get a carbattery from empty to 50per cent might take just 12-15minutes on a fast charger, theremaining 50 per cent couldtake 45 minutes. It thereforemight be faster to charge a carhalfway, drive till the nextcharging station and chargehalfway again.

And we need to speak ofcharging because batteriesare expensive; the range issuecan be solved with a large bat-tery pack under the floor. Butbatteries are 40-50 per cent ofan EV’s cost, so if you wantmore range and less of anxi-ety, you will need to pay forit. Which leads to anothersort of anxiety, that of afford-ability. Sure, vehicles like theHyundai Kona or theMercedes-Benz EQC haveenough range to be able to

manage the daily office com-mute over a five-day week.But these vehicles are expen-sive, the latter costs `1 crore;and if you can afford them,there are no reasons to worry.

But for widespread adop-tion of EVs, there needs to bea sea change: Building ourcharging infrastructure, start-ing with a standardisation ofcharging points like Europe hasdone as well as changes in res-idential by-laws. Moreover,there need to be majoradvancements in battery andcharging technology, but ifmass adoption of EVs is theprimary goal here, we need toaddress Range Anxiety. Thebiggest irony about EVs today,particularly with the subsidieson them, is that the biggestbeneficiaries are the top tier ofIndian society. The buyers willnot go for EVs for altruistic rea-sons, they will buy thembecause it makes economic andpractical sense. We are tickingthe economics box, practical-ity though is still long away.

This is the second part ofa series on electric vehicleadoption and policy issuesaround the same in India.

(The author is ManagingEditor, The Pioneer. The viewsexpressed are personal.)

The guns and mortar shells are not booming in the Kashmir Valley for quite sometime now. Earlier, late last year, the District Development Council elections were con-ducted peacefully in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) and people enthusiastically partic-

ipated in the exercise. In no uncertain way, it was a big sign of democracy staging a happycomeback to the grassroots in the newly carved outUnion Territory. However, a recent Intelligence report,citing intercepts between terrorists and their handlers,doesn’t portend well for the still-recuperating region.The exclusive report, citing intercepts by the Researchand Analysis Wing (RAW) and carried out in this jour-nal recently, points to the nefarious designs of thePakistani and homegrown terrorists to loot protectivegear from Indian security personnel, even at the costof martyring them. It appears that the outlaws hit uponthe idea after realising that an Al-Badr operational com-mander, who was gunned down during an operation,could have been saved had he been clad in protectivegear, like a bullet-resistant helmet. Apart from the spe-

cialised headgear, the security personnel also use bulletproof jackets and patkas.The RAW, the country’s premier external Intelligence agency, has since shared

the input with other important stakeholders, including the Army, the Central ReservePolice Force (CRPF) and the Rashtriya Rifles (RR). Since such incidents of weaponsand safety gear-snatching have been occurring not infrequently both in the Valleyand as far away in the Moist-dominated regions of the Red Corridor, the shockingdevelopment does have an ominous ring to the entire affair. Even the homegrownterrorists, though currently forced by the security personnel and the Government tolie low, may dare to stir up at the behest of the Pakistani Inter-Services Intelligenceand foment trouble. Going by the latest RAW report, the approaching summer monthsthis year could turn out to be restive in the region, unlike in the recent past. As thesnow melts over the currently-frozen passes along the Line of Control in the warmermonths, there is an undeniable possibility of infiltrators from Pakistan making theirway, or at the minimum trying to do so, into the Indian side of the border and againstart spilling blood and spreading terror amid the sylvan, picturesque surroundings.We sincerely hope that our uniformed personnel would stay alert, as always, anddeal with the troublemakers with an iron fist.

Coronavirus is the most formidable enemy that mankind has encountered in livingmemory. COVID-19 has ravaged the world as no calamity or war did in history.The World Health Organisation (WHO) officials have said that the ongoing pandem-

ic has caused more “mass trauma” than World War II, besides warning of its lasting con-sequences. What makes it supersede all human efforts to contain it is not only its abil-ity to spread fast but also to mutate — generating new lethal strains against which thecurrent vaccines are rendered ineffective. These new strains are no less than the “weaponsof mass destruction” and have left scientists confused. Moreover, the virus has provedthat institutions like the WHO and governments across the world alone are not capable

of dealing with every impending danger. A sub-micro-scopic infectious agent has proved its superiority overus and tackling it needs global concerted efforts.Realising it, the leaders of more than two dozen coun-tries, the European Union and the WHO recently calledfor an international treaty for pandemic preparednessand response. The leaders outlined a treaty meant toprovide universal and equitable access to vaccines,medicines and diagnostics. However, it cannot bedenied that any such effort could be marred by thecomplacency on the part of some countries or theirunwillingness to help others. For instance, when theCOVID-19 first broke out, despite an obligation for

nations to share critical epidemic data with the WHO, China declined to do so. In our own backyard, with the surge in cases across States, we are clearly racing

against time. India, which has supplied indigenously-made vaccines to several distressednations and whose vaccination programme has been lauded around the globe, is nowstruggling to maintain its domestic vaccine supply. Several Asian countries sought alter-native sources for COVID-19 inoculation after India’s export restrictions left a WHO-backed global vaccine-sharing programme short of supplies. Foreign Secretary HarshVardhan Shringla said India would need to calibrate its external supplies keeping in mindits domestic needs as the rise in COVID-19 cases highlighted the urgency for an accel-erated vaccination programme. India provided medical assistance, including essentialdrugs, test kits and protection gear, to over 150 countries as part of its efforts to extendglobal help in dealing with the pandemic. However, it’s hard to maintain global com-mitments at the cost of the health of our own citizens amid the latest spurt in COVID-19 cases. The need of the hour is that all countries should work together to create asecure, resilient and sustainable supply chain of vaccines. Any global commitment orresolve against the pandemic is incomplete without Indian participation. We have estab-lished our prowess through indigenous vaccines and now there is a need to amp pro-duction significantly, for which other nations should step forward and lend a helpinghand. We need to think out of the box to defeat the pandemic.

All hands on deck

P A P E R W I T H P A S S I O N

www.dailypioneer.comfacebook.com/dailypioneer | @TheDailyPioneer | instagram.com/dailypioneer/

VIJAYAWADA | THURSDAY | APRIL 1, 2021

06

Nefarious planThe terror groups in J&K are planning to

purloin Indian security personnel's safety gear

This uneasiness is quite realistic and no matter what the industryor the Government says, it isn’t going away anytime soon

PICTALK

Workers sanitise the Delhi zoo ahead of its reopening, amid a countrywide spike in Coronavirus cases PTI

RANGE HASBECOME SUCH A

MAJOR ISSUE THAT THE DELHI

GOVERNMENT ANDTATA MOTORS

HAVE GOTTEN INTOA LEGAL FRACAS

ABOUT SUBSIDIESGIVEN TO THE

TATA NEXON EVWHICH THE STATE

GOVERNMENTCLAIMS IS NOT

MEETING ITSRANGE TARGETS

KUSHAN MITRA

All countries must now stand together against thevirus and not look expectantly only towards India

Range Anxietyis a real concern

The latest season of theNetflix animated come-dy series ‘Big Mouth’introduces a character

called ‘Tito the anxiety mosqui-to’. While the character iscomedic, it does highlight theserious anxiety issues that youngteenagers face. And let’s face it,anxiety is quite real, and severeanxiety can drive people to bothmental and physical health issues.Most of us strive to reduce anx-iety levels in our lives. So whyshould your vehicle be a sourceof anxiety, when it need not be?

I remember a time when theall-night petrol pumps in Delhiwere few and far between. If youfound yourself short of fuelafter 10 o’clock at night and ifyou did not live near a 24-hourpetrol pump, well, good luck.This brings us to the single-biggest issue with electric vehi-cles (EVs), at least in the mindsof consumers today. Range.Range has become such a bigissue that the Delhi Governmentand Tata Motors have gotteninto a legal fracas about subsi-dies given to the Tata Nexon EVthat the State Governmentclaims is not meeting its rangetargets. And as this story hasmade national headlines, it hasimpacted potential consumerconfidence in EVs.

I have been driving cars forover a quarter of a century andprofessionally evaluating themfor a decade and while I gener-ally refrain from making abso-lutist statements, one thing istrue, range or mileage is a func-tion of how a person drives a car.It is also true that the figuresadvertised by carmakers andcertified by the AutomotiveResearch Association of India areextremely optimistic because thereal world is extremely differentfrom the ideal situations that thetests are conducted in. Everythingfrom the number of people in thecar, to how strong you run theair-conditioner and other acces-sories, and so on and so forth,matters. A car that advertises amileage of 20 kilometres per litre(kmpl) could deliver under 14kmpl. At the same time, if youdrive carefully, with a very lightright foot and indulge in a prac-

SOUNDBITEPREVENT THE SPREAD OF RUMOURS Sir —Even as the world is slowly recover-ing from the COVID-19 pandemic, thereare unnecessary fears and panic among thepeople about the new strains of the virus.It is not the duty of the Government alonebut also of the masses that no misinforma-tion about the pandemic and the vaccinesshould be allowed to circulate on socialmedia and elsewhere.

International organisations like theWHO and media houses should strength-en their campaigns and provide accurateinformation to public, besides effectively vet-ting the information. Also, there have beenmisconceptions and speculation about theCorona lockdowns. Almost all the countrieshave started thinking of taking other mea-sures rather than imposing lockdowns.There is no need for another lockdown untilpeople do not violate standard rules likewearing a mask and maintaining social dis-tancing. The preventive measures forCOVID-19 are important especially if youare older or have multiple or severe healthconditions. It is important for people withmedical conditions to work to manage thoseconditions carefully and safely.

We all must get a COVID-19 vaccineif we are eligible. The Centre has asked theStates and Union Territories to identify lowvaccine-coverage pockets, particularly in dis-tricts reporting a surge in new infections,and take corrective action. The Centre hassounded a warning that the situation is get-ting bad to worse and is a huge cause ofworry. We cannot afford to drop our guardin such a situation. The Government isdoing whatever it can but we must also doour bit and wear masks properly and prac-tice social distancing.

P Senthil | Mumbai

A HOT SUMMER WILL BRING MORE TROUBLE Sir — This has reference to the editorial‘Sizzling summer’ (March 31). After a gapof 76 years, Delhi recorded temperature over40°C in March. The Delhi Governmentneeds to take extraordinary measures tomake sure that no one succumbs to heat

strokes or dehydration. It must operatemobile vans for free distribution of potablewater, lemon water and other medicinesrequired during the summers. These vansshould be electrically operated and not onfuels like petrol, diesel or CNG.

Global warming is the main reason forthis change in climate the world over. Thisis a man-made disaster and almost impos-sible to reverse. The emission of the green-house gases (GHGs) has contributed toglobal warming. India contributes signifi-cantly to the emission of GHGs.Indiscriminate felling of trees and thedestruction of the forest ecosystem are goingon unabated.

Sravana Ramachandran | Chennai

ELECTIONS WILL TEST THE WATERS Sir — West Bengal has become a boiling potwith leaders of the TMC, BJP, Congress andthe Left indulging in allegations and

counter-allegations among themselves.Further, the Assembly elections in Bengalare marred by violence and hate campaigns.Recently, West Bengal Chief MinisterMamata Banerjee and her BJP rivalSuvendu Adhikari stepped up the attackagainst each other, just days before theirhigh-profile contest in Nandigram.

However, as the real fight is between theBJP and the TMC, the Left and theCongress are just trying their fortunes. The‘Grand Old Party’ has lost ground and dif-ferences among its leaders will cost it dear.The Left, which has an alliance with theCongress, also has very negligible chancesof resurgence in the State’s politics. The BJP,on the other hand, is fighting Mamataaggressively.

Gundu K Maniam | Mumbai

Send yyour ffeedback tto:letterstopioneer@gmail.com

The Kerala Assembly elections will be a bat-tle of survival for the Left parties. They willleave no stone unturned to win their bas-

tion. However, they are faced with “anti-incum-bency” and the surging BJP. Prime MinisterNarendra Modi and other BJP leaders haveslammed the Left Democratic Front's (LDF’s)Government in Kerala.

“About LDF it can be said, Judas betrayedLord Christ for a few pieces of silver and the LeftDemocratic Front betrayed Kerala for a few pieces

of gold,” said Modi on Tuesday at an electionrally as he launched a direct attack on ChiefMinister Pinarayi Vijayan. Modi had accused theLDF and the UDF of playing a “fixed match” inKerala, whereas Vijayan had attributed the BJP'ssolitary seat won in the 2016 Kerala electionsto match-fixing as well.

Like the Congress, the Left, too, is losingits relevance in Indian politics as they lose elec-tions one after another. The Congress has allegedthat “there seems to be a secret understandingbetween Vijayan and Modi”. Congressspokesperson Randeep Surjewala has accusedthe Centre of not taking any action against theKerala CM in the gold smuggling case.

Kerala will witness elections for its 140-member Assembly on April 6. Congress is doingeverything it can to gain power, despite the LDF'sbest efforts. The BJP's aggressive campaigningin the State, as well as the nomination of ‘MetroMan' E Sreedharan as the CM candidate, havemade the elections more interesting. However,both the BJP and the Congress will make all-outefforts to wipe the Left off Kerala.

Azhar A Khan | Rampur

Left gasping for survival Pawar Saheb is doingwell after theoperation. The stonehas been removedfrom his gallbladdersuccessfully. It wasdone through endoscopy.

Maharashtra Health Minister — Rajesh Tope

We risk that theCOVID crisis setsoff a number ofother crises,especially in thedeveloping

countries.

European Commission President — Ursula von der Leyen

Every day, dancingbrings me joy !!! I'mnot here to be perfect.Being perfect isboring. I'm here topass on kindness!!!

Pop star— Britney Spears

I request all thosewho came in contactwith us (me and mywife) over the last fewdays to get tested. Irequest party workersand well-wishers not to panic.

Former Prime Minister — HD Deve Gowda

I batted for the firsttime in 20 days. Wecame out after beingin quarantine forseven days, so I wasjust looking to get

into the groove and into a goodrhythm.

Cricketer — Ajinkya Rahane

LETTERS TO TTHE EDITOR

The China-Iran dealis more than just oil

DIDN’T THE TRAITOR KNOW THAT THE POLICE WILL

ENTER NANDIGRAM ON THAT FATEFUL DAY AND THAT

THERE WOULD BE TROUBLE?

— WEST BENGAL CM

MAMATA BANERJEE

THE TMC SUPREMO IS MOUTHING INANITIES AFTER

SEEING THE POOR TURNOUT IN HER MEETINGS AND

BECOMING CERTAIN THAT SHE WILL BE DEFEATED.

—BJP LEADER

SUVENDU ADHIKARI

Even before the four large democracies in theIndo-Pacific were able to create a clear road maptowards building deterrence against China in

2017, Beijing had begun spadework to offset powerequations away from the Asian continent, in theMiddle East. Its strategy was a message to both, theUS and India — the two Indo-Pacific democraciesimpacted most by China’s Middle East power play— to jettison their efforts to contain Beijing’saggression in Asia. China’s Middle East strategy rest-ed on the ambition to challenge the US’ power andcreate uncertainty for India’s oil needs. It is in thiscontext that the China-Iran partnership — which wasin the works since 2016 and announced last week —needs to be viewed. The deal could be the gatewayto China’s larger ambitions in the region, with an aimto subvert the US and Indian interests. In the lastdecade, China has made significant investments inthe Middle East as it deepened business interests withthe US’ allies like Saudi Arabia and Israel throughthe Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). Beijing redou-bled efforts to forge strategic and military ties withAmerica’s bête noire, Iran. China views the MiddleEast as the next arena for its power struggle with theUS, which under the Joe Biden Administration is tak-ing a firm position against Chinese President XiJinping’s revisionist tendencies. But unlike the Indo-Pacific, where China unilaterally changed the statusquo and is powerful enough to bully its smaller mar-itime neighbours; in the Middle East, Beijing has cul-tivated a network of allies. Iran is the fulcrum of thisexercise, with Russia playing a key role. China’s triedand tested model, which is universal in its appeal,simple in its execution and attractive to like-mind-ed countries, has allowed it to gain a foothold in theSunni-majority Saudi Arabia, Shia-dominated Iranas well as their arch-rival, the Jewish Israel.

The China-Iran partnership, which got a majorfillip with the announcement of the 25-year $400 bil-lion deal, is more than a barter oil deal. Reeling underyears of crippling US sanctions, the deal with Chinacan revive the Iranian economy. Add to this the messcaused by policy flip-flops by successive US admin-istrations (the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action,2015, had lifted the sanctions, which came back inMay 2018), providing a perfect opportunity for Chinato make inroads into Iran. For China, Iran serves theopportunity of becoming a “hub” for its BRI pro-gramme in the Middle East. Through its wide net-work in the region, China hopes to create multiple“spokes” in neighbouring countries like Iraq, Syriaand so on. Inking large infra deals under the BRI willfurther increase Beijing’s influence in the region. Infact trading volumes between China and Iran hadbecome noticeable from 2010 onwards, but the com-mensurate rise in Beijing’s influence began after 2013,post the rollout of the BRI programme.

Apart from common economic goals, the pactfurthers geopolitical considerations of both nations.China’s covert oil purchases from Tehran have defiedUS penalties, indicating its willingness to reach outto the US’ foes to build an alternative power axis.Though in absolute numbers, Chinese imports fromIran pale in comparison to its largest supplier SaudiArabia, the violation of sanctions displayed China’skeenness. Apart from trade with Iran, China’s tradewith the UAE and Saudi Arabia has also zoomed,which now views itself as a potential counter to theUS’ overarching presence. For Tehran, undercuttingUS dominance, access to superior weaponry and con-

tinuation of its nuclear programmewere major goals that it’s partnershipwith China fulfilled. Iran’s ‘Look East’policy, under which it increased thescale and scope of its engagement withChina, was an attempt to boost its ownregional influence and military might.

The China-Iran partnership at itscore is an arrangement that servesgeopolitical interests of two countrieswith similar political systems and acommon desire to topple the existingworld order. It meant the two partnerswould back each other in all scenar-ios which undercut the role of theirprincipal adversary, the US, and itsallies in the region. This translates intoChina’s support for Iran in all thoseefforts which would strengthenTehran at America’s expense. GivenChina’s track record of abetting andaiding illegal proliferation of nucleartechnology (it provided Pakistan thesame in the 1980s), it is safe to assumeChina’s covert assistance to Tehran’snuclear programme would form animportant aspect of the contours oftheir partnership. As a veto-wieldingmember of the UN, it is highly prob-able that China would paralyse allmultilateral efforts that would seek toput a lid on Tehran’s nuclear pro-gramme.

A UN censure against Tehran’snuclear programme or a UN propos-al stalling it are likely to be vetoed byBeijing since it would hurt China’sinterests despite being a pronouncedsecurity threat. Just as Beijing backedPakistan-based global terrorists dueto the latter’s geostrategic utility in lim-iting India; China’s support for Iran’snuclear programme would be brazen.

Not just nuclear weapons, post thedeal, Tehran can get more tradition-al arms from China based on the his-tory of large-scale weapons tradebetween the two countries during theIraq-Iran war. Though sanctions (andthe UN resolution) came in the wayof continuing this, it would be prudentto assume such deals would contin-ue covertly (or otherwise) after thetwo enhanced the scope of their part-nership.

For China, Iran is also its accesspoint to Syria, the war-torn countrywhere Beijing has so far had a mini-mal role to play. Though it used thepretext of counter-terrorism efforts byciting a large number of radicalisedUighur Muslims to enter the Syriancivil war; China has been at theperiphery of the civil war. As the sec-ond-largest economy and the “nextsuperpower”, Beijing felt it could notjust sit out of discussions regardingSyria and deserved to be a key deci-sion-maker of the country’s fate.When Beijing backed the Russian-supported Assad regime, not only didit frustrate efforts by Western powers,it also showed the power of com-pounding with China and Russiacoming together. Its partnership withIran will allow Beijing to play a moredominant role in Syria. Issue-basedRussian support will provide furtherclout to China and its allies. Ofcourse, in Syria there are vital com-mercial interests as well. At somepoint, large infrastructure contractswill be awarded to re-build Syria andChina is aiming to get a large chunkof the billions of dollars’ worth ofprospective business. With Iran being

a “hub’ in its BRI, Syria could be animportant “spoke.”

China’s ambitions for the regionbecame clear after its military exercis-es with Moscow and Tehran in 2019.Russia’s deep presence in the MiddleEast and its proxy network whichallows it to wield influence in theregion makes it a vital tool for fulfill-ing China’s geostrategic ambitions.The trilateral partnership betweenChina, Russia and Iran — which fur-thers geostrategic interests of all three— will be further boosted with thesigning of the China-Iran deal. ForRussia, it cements its influence in theregion, which extends from Syria toTurkey. For China, it provides deep-er linkages in the region to create aparallel power centre to the US. ForIran, it offers an opportunity to posi-tion itself as a country with multiplesuitors. The 2019 Gulf of Omanexercises indicated that the existingpower equation in the Middle Eastwas vulnerable to a counter. The com-ing together of China and Iran, withactive support from Russia, with afocus on security and Intelligencecooperation, aims to provide that.

The urge to be in battles that arenot its own, meddle in regions whereit has traditionally been a marginalplayer and to strike pacts with total-itarian countries is driven by Xi’shunger to disturb power equations inthe Middle East. China’s pact with Iranis meant to address some of these revi-sionist tendencies, besides hurting thesecurity calculus of the US and India.Viewing the deal between Beijing andTehran only as a long- term oil con-tract would, therefore, be myopic.

Beijing’s Middle East strategy rests on the ambition to challenge the US’ power and create uncertainty for India’s oil needs

SONAM CHANDWANI

THE URGE TO BE INBATTLES THAT ARE

NOT ITS OWN,MEDDLE IN

REGIONS WHERE IT HAS

TRADITIONALLYBEEN A MARGINAL

PLAYER AND TO STRIKE

PACTS WITHTOTALITARIANCOUNTRIES IS

DRIVEN BY XI’SHUNGER TO

DISTURB THEEXISTING POWER

EQUATIONS IN THE MIDDLEEAST. CHINA’S

PACT WITH IRAN ISMEANT TO

ADDRESS SOME OFTHESE

REVISIONISTTENDENCIES,

BESIDES HURTINGTHE SECURITY

CALCULUS OF THEUS AND INDIA.

VIEWING THE DEALBETWEEN BEIJING

AND TEHRAN ONLYAS A LONG-TERM

OIL CONTRACTWOULD,

THEREFORE, BE MYOPIC

Property rights are collectively shaped by societal transgression,development and legal considerations. Though the HinduSuccession Act, 2005, served as a watershed legislation on many

counts to adduce women’s rights, it failed to redeem itself from the clutch-es of gender orthodoxy. Simply put, it emerged as a classic case of“fractional justice.” For instance, the husband was bestowed with a vetopower with regards to all aspects of women’s property, therefore, evi-dently, the rights of widows and divorced women were practically non-existent. It was, at best, a half-hearted measure to improve the posi-tion of women. Sons would not only get a share of their father’s prop-erty but also their own interest as coparceners in joint family proper-ty. Daughters would only get an equal share in paternal property. Thiswas the main point of contention that called for legal reform in 2005.India is yet to have a Uniform Civil Code, as a result of which the cur-rent laws pertaining to rights of widows and divorced women are large-ly governed by the Hindu Succession Act, 2005, and the IndianSuccession Act, 1925.

The law relating to widows and divorced women is intact to the

point that the share in the ancestral property that belongs to the hus-band shall be equally bequeathed upon the widow and her children.Likewise, in the case of a divorced woman, she is entitled to the sameshare that she would have been entitled to had she been still married.However, the law provides for the right to be conferred upon a widowand a divorce woman only in case it is inherited from the husband, whichmeans that she is not made the co-owner but merely holds the rightof inheritance. Remarkably, the Uttarakhand Government set a prece-dent by upholding the status of a wife as a co-owner instead of justholding inheritance rights. But, the right of a co-owner ceases to existif a woman remarries. Suppression of women’s rights persists becausethe rest of India is currently governed by laws which impede uponwomen’s rights as an owner to the husband’s property, as their rightin it is limited to the share allotted which can be exercised only uponinheritance. Thus, there is a dire need to look at the property laws througha gender-neutral perspective which would empower women who havebeen disavowed of their rights. The same can be overcome by involv-ing women in the law-making process and making small changes likereplacing the word “wife” with spouse to create an inclusive law.

Additionally, women in rural areas farm on ancestral property whiletheir husbands migrate to cities for work. But women are prohibitedfrom availing a farm loan without the husband’s consent. Thus, behold-ing women as co-owners is a pragmatic move which enables them toinvoke their rights in the said property. A radical change in the existingculture pertaining to gender and justice is imperative. Therefore, it isundeniable that providing co-ownership rights to women in the hus-band’s property is not only the right thing to do, but is the way forwardto eradicate poverty, hunger and violence. At the same time, it will givewomen a better footing to stand on to claim their rights in such ances-tral properties. In hindsight, though women’s property rights have emergedas a contested terrain wherein lived ideas of tradition and modernityhave been revisited in the public sphere, the recent judgments and ordi-nances come as a breath of fresh air. Property being the fulcrum forpatriarchal bargains and negotiations within the private and public domainfor women, it empowers them in exclusive ways. It allows them to makechoices about livelihood, provides security against poverty and advo-cates autonomy. So it is rightly said, “Women’s rights are human rights”— be it for property or otherwise!

(The writer is the Managing Partner at KS Legal & Associates. Theviews expressed are personal.)

It is very difficult to tiedown the adventurousspirit of entrepreneurs and

anchor them to jobs.According to a 2018 report byBabson College, approxi-mately 15 per cent of theadults in the US are entrepre-neurs. In fact, to quote a 2020report by Guidant Financial,27 per cent of the employeesof corporate America havecited dissatisfaction with theircompanies as a main reasonfor leaving their jobs andstarting their own businessventure.

India, being home to theyoungest population in theworld, is also restless. In2017, a media report suggest-ed that around 83 per cent ofemployees favour entrepre-neurship over corporate jobswhich, according to theRandstad Workmonitor sur-vey, is higher than the glob-al average of 53 per cent.

As is often said, one man’sloss is another man’s gain;similarly, the exodus of talent-ed employees from the corpo-rate world is a gain for theentrepreneurship ecosystem.This puts India Inc. in a pre-carious position and forces itto come out with innovativesolutions to retain talent andput an end to such employeeexit.

So why not offer employ-ees what they are looking forby providing an entrepre-neurial ecosystem within theorganisation to satisfy theirneeds along with the jobsecurity? Such a concept —intrapreneurship — createsan environment within theorganisation, including allo-cation of resources, for self-motivated employees to actlike entrepreneurs. They takethe lead to pursue product orservice innovation, toimprove the competitive

advantage and economic per-formance of the firm.

In fact, intrapreneurshipis not without its benefits. Itopens up a firm to a world ofinnovation, which in turnimproves its performance.And in doing so, improvesand elevates the collectiveskills of the business. Thisability to be agile and innov-ative need not be limited tosmall organisations, as it helpslarger firms to discover theirlost adaptability and capaci-ty to innovate, mostly byconcentrating on actions out-side the purview of their corebusiness activities, which helpin value addition and devel-oping the competitive posi-tion of the business.

Any organisation thatencourages intrapreneurshipcreates a conducive environ-ment to encourage new andfresh ideas, operates on cut-ting-edge technology, allows

failures, ensures availability ofresources, provides multi-disciplinary teams, providesappropriate time horizon,creates suitable rewards pro-grammes and garners thesupport of the top manage-ment.

Researchers have comeup with seven dimensions ofintrapreneurship. The firstbeing the process of innova-tion and the ability to createnew products, services, meth-

ods, knowledge, expertiseand techniques. The seconddimension is the risk toler-ance of the organisation andits courage to take strategicsteps and make investmentchoices in an ambiguousenvironment in the face ofpossible failures. The third isproactiveness, which is essen-tial to become pioneers in thefield of their respective busi-nesses. Fourth is the autono-my provided to individuals orgroups to establish an idea ora concept. The creation ofnew products or services,new jobs, or new processesforms the fifth dimension.

The sixth one is strategicreorganisation to redefinethe purpose and strategy of abusiness. The seventh andthe final dimension is thecompetitiveness of the firm inchallenging the competitors.Senior leadership shouldanalyse, nurture and pro-

mote these aspects as theylead to improvement in theoverall performance.

It is very important toidentify and motivateintrapreneurs by creating sys-tems of freedom, acknowl-edgement and incentives thatencourage and empowerthem. Any inconsistency inthese systems or a lack ofenthusiasm from top man-agement can discourage anddisorient them.

An organisation that isable to create a positive inter-nal ecosystem of an intrapre-neurial workforce is able togrow and sustain in the longrun. In addition to the organ-isational role in promotingintrapreneurship, it is theemployees themselves whocan make a difference, asthey connect the manage-ment to development.Intrapreneurship is successfulonly as long as the intrapre-

neur is motivated andencouraged by the policiesand principles that valueinnovation within a firm.

Globalisation and con-sistent groundbreakingchanges in technology havemade the business environ-ment quite challenging. Tosurvive in these tough times,businesses must constantlyinnovate and transform theirproducts, services and mod-els. Such an innovative cul-ture accomplished byintrapreneurial ingenuity canhelp firms to improve perfor-mance, innovation, profitabil-ity and competitiveness.

In order to achieve supe-rior company performance,motivate and retain talentedstaff, the senior leadershipshould integrate intrapre-neurship into the overallorganisational strategy. Afterall, there are no old roads toa new direction.

An organisation that is able to create a positive internal ecosystem of an intrapreneurial workforce is able to grow and sustain itself in the long run

VIJAYAWADA | THURSDAY | APRIL 1, 2021

07

www.dailypioneer.com facebook.com/dailypioneer | @TheDailyPioneer | instagram.com/dailypioneer/

FIRSTCOLUMN

FRACTIONALJUSTICE OR NOT?

We must look at property laws through a perspectivethat is gender-neutral, so as to empower women

GAURIE DWIVEDI

POINTCOUNTERPOINT

The writer is a seniorjournalist.

The views expressed are personal.

Promoting entrepreneurship among staff will benefit firms

HIMA BINDU KOTA

The writer is AssociateProfessor, Amity

University, Noida. The views expressed

are personal.

VIJAYAWADA | THURSDAY | APRIL 1, 2021 Money 08

MONEY MATTERS

Gold prices declined by Rs 49to Rs 43,925 per 10 gram in

the national capital onWednesday reflecting overnightselling in global precious metalprices, according to HDFCSecurities. The precious metalhad closed at Rs 43,974 per 10

gram in the previous trade. Silver also registered a fall of Rs 331 toRs 62,441 per kg from Rs 62,772 per kg in the previous trade. "Spotgold prices for 24 carat in Delhi were down by Rs 49 reflectingovernight selling in COMEX (New York-based commoditiesexchange) prices while weaker rupee capped the downside,"according to HDFC Securities, Senior Analyst (Commodities), TapanPatel. The Indian rupee slumped 20 paise to 73.58 against the USdollar in opening trade on Wednesday. In the international market,gold was trading lower at USD 1,684 per ounce and silver was flat atUSD 24.09 per ounce.

Gold declines by Rs 49;silver tumbles Rs 331

TVS Motor Company, areputed two-wheeler

and three-wheelermanufacturer, todayannounced that its two-wheeler exports clocked100,000 units in March2021. An increase in

motorcycle sales in key markets across the globe hassignificantly contributed to this achievement. Commenting onthe milestone, Mr. Sudarshan Venu, Joint Managing Director,TVS Motor Company, said, “It is a momentous occasion forTVS Motor as our international two-wheeler business achieveda sales milestone of 100,000 units in March. We are extremelythankful to our esteemed customers, distributors, suppliersand our passionate team who have made this possible. Alongwith our industry peers, we look forward to continue playing arole in making Indian two and three-wheelers popular andaspirational in many global markets.”

TVS two-wheeler exportclocks 1L unit milestone

The rupee closed higher by26 paise at 73.12 (provi-

sional) against the US dollaron Wednesday and ended thefiscal on a strong note with again of over 3 per centdespite coronavirus-induceddisruptions on the economicfront. At the interbank forexmarket, the local unit opened

at 73.56 against the greenback and witnessed an intra-day high of73.05 and a low of 73.58.It finally ended at 73.12 against theAmerican currency, registering a rise of 26 paise over its previousclosing. On Tuesday, the rupee had settled at 73.38 against theAmerican currency. Meanwhile, the dollar index, which gauges thegreenback's strength against a basket of six currencies, fell 0.10 percent to 93.20. Forex traders said market participants remained cau-tious as the Indian currency markets will remain shut for the nexttwo sessions.

Rupee settles 26 paise higherat 73.12 against US dollar

US President Joe Biden willannounce a massive once-in-

a-century USD 2 trillion plan onWednesday to transformAmerica's aging infrastructure,and position the country to out-compete China, according to offi-cials. The American Jobs Plan, tobe announced by Biden inPittsburgh, Pennsylvania, will cre-

ate millions of good-paying jobs and rebuild the US infrastructure.This is a once-in-a-century capital investment in America, accordingto officials. It will also position the United States to out-competeChina, they said. “By investing about USD 2 trillion over the nexteight years, we can transform our current and future infrastructureand fundamentally change life for Americans,” officials said ahead ofthe presidential visit to Pittsburgh.

Biden to unveil once-in-a-century $2 tn investment plan

Sensex tanks 627 pts but ends’21 with spectacular 68% gainsPNS n MUMBAI

Equity benchmark Sensextanked 627 points to end belowthe 50,000 level on the last dayof 2020-21 fiscal due to heavyprofit booking in HDFC twins,RIL and Infosys but closed thefinancial year with a whopping68 per cent rise.

The 30-share BSE indexended lower by 627.43 pointsor 1.25 per cent at 49,509.15with 19 of its constituentsending in the red onWednesday.

The broader NSE Niftyslumped 154.40 points or 1.04per cent to close at 14,690.70.

During the financial year2020-21, Sensex zoomed amassive 20,040.66 points or 68per cent while Nifty skyrock-eted 6,092.95 points or 70.86per cent despite COVID-19blues.

On the last day ofFY21, HDFCBank and HDFCwere the toplosers amongSensex stocks, aday after the pri-vate bankingmajor admittedto some glitches

in its online banking services.The bank, which has alreadyfaced the RBI penalty for dis-ruption in online services,promised to resolve the issueand restore services. HDFCtanked 4 per cent while HDFCBank declined 3.86 per cent onBSE.

Among other major losers,PowerGrid fell 2.71 per cent,T e c hMahindraby 2.5 perc e n t ,I C I C IBank by1 . 7 1p e rcent,

ONGC by 1.59 per cent, KotakBank by 1.5 per cent, Infosysby 1.28 per cent and RelianceIndustries by 1.25 per cent.

On the other hand, ITC,Bajaj Finserv, HUL, SBI andTCS were among the gainers.Among sectoral indices, BSEfinance, bankex, power, tele-com, energy and teck fell up to1.73 per cent, while realty,FMCG, consumer durables,basic materials and metalsindices rose up to 1.89 percent.

Broader midcap and small-cap indices outperformedbenchmarks, rising up to0.52 per cent.

PNS n NEW DELHI

The government on Wednesdayapproved a production-linkedincentive (PLI) scheme for thefood processing sector, entailingan outlay of Rs 10,900 crore.

The Union Cabinet, chairedby Prime Minister NarendraModi, approved the schemewhich will help create 2.5 lakhjobs by 2026-27, boost exportsand facilitate expansion of foodprocessing capacity to generateprocessed food output worthRs 33,494 crore.

The incentive under thescheme would be paid for sixyears ending 2026-27.

"The PLI for the food pro-cessing sector with Rs 10,900crore-incentive has beenapproved. The decision is a fit-ting tribute to our farmers,"Food Minister Piyush Goyalsaid while briefing the mediaabout the cabinet decisions.

The effort is to take thecountry's food processing to anext level amid the rising glob-al demand for Indian ready toeat foods, organic products,

processed fruits and vegetables,marine products and moz-zarella cheese, he said.

The government said theobjectives of the scheme are tosupport food manufacturingentities with stipulated mini-

mum sales and that are willingto make minimum stipulatedinvestment for expansion ofprocessing capacity and brand-ing abroad to incentivise emer-gence of strong Indian brands.

Information and

Broadcasting Minister PrakashJavadekar, who was also pre-sent at the briefing, said thatthe government in the Budgethad announced a PLI schemefor 12-13 sectors. Already, PLIhas been announced for six

sectors."Today, PLI for the food pro-

cessing industries has beenapproved," he added.

According to the govern-ment, the first componentunder the scheme relates toincentivising manufacturingof four major food productsegments: ready-to-cook/ready-to-eat foods,processed fruits and vegeta-bles, marine products andmozzarella cheese.

Innovative and organicproducts of small-to-mediumenterprise (SMEs), includingeggs, poultry meat, egg prod-ucts in these segments, are alsocovered under the first compo-nent. The second componentrelates to support for brandingand marketing abroad toincentivise emergence ofstrong Indian brands.

Highlighting key featuresof the scheme, FoodProcessing Industries SecretaryPushpa Subrahmanyam said,"The government will issue anexpression of interest (EoI) bythe end of April."

Govt approves Rs 10,900 crorePLIS for food processing sector

PNS n WASHINGTON

The US has received enoughelectronic applications duringthe initial registration period toreach the 2022 fiscal year capfor the H-1B foreign workersvisa, the most sought-afterwork visa among Indian pro-fessionals.

The US Citizenship andImmigration Services, the fed-eral agency which screens andallocates H-1B applications,said it was randomly selectedfrom among the registrationsproperly submitted to reach thecap.

The H-1B visa is a non-immigrant visa that allows theUS companies to employ for-

eign workers in speciality occu-pations that require theoreticalor technical expertise. Thetechnology companies dependon it to hire tens of thousands

of employees each year fromcountries like India and China.

The USCIS has notified allprospective petitioners withselected registrations that they

are eligible to file an H-1B cap-subject petition for the bene-ficiary named in the applicableselected registration.

The federal agency said thatH-1B cap-subject petitions forfiscal 2022, including thosepetitions eligible for theadvanced degree exemption,may be filed with the USCISbeginning April 1, if based ona valid, selected registration.

Last month, the USCIS saidit received a sufficient numberof petitions needed to reach theCongressionally mandated65,000 H-1B visa regular capand the 20,000 H-1B visa USadvanced degree exemption,known as the master's cap, forfiscal year (FY) 2021.

US completes H-1B electronicregistration in selection process

PNS n MUMBAI

The Monetary PolicyCommittee (MPC), whichdecides on key interest rates,will meet six times during thenext financial year, the ReserveBank of India (RBI) said onWednesday.

The first meeting of the six-member MPC to decide onthe first bi-monthly monetarypolicy statement for 2021-22will be held from April 5 to 7.The policy will be announcedon April 7.

Half of the committee,which is headed by RBIGovernor Shaktikanta Das, ismade up of external indepen-dent members. According tothe schedule provided by the

RBI, the second meeting of theMPC in the next fiscal will beheld on June 2, 3 and 4; thirdmeeting (August 4-6); fourthmeeting (October 6-8); fifthmeeting (December 6-8) andsixth meeting (February 7-9,2022). The government movedthe interest rate-setting rolefrom the RBI governor to thesix-member MPC in 2016.As per the Reserve Bank ofIndia Act, 1934, the centralbank is required to organise atleast four meetings of theMPC in a year.

MPC to meet 6 timesduring 2021-2022

PNS n WASHINGTON

A group of powerfulRepublican senators has intro-duced a legislation to prohib-it federal funds from beingused to buy solar panels fromcompanies based in China,allegedly using forced labour inXinjiang.‘The Keep China Out of SolarEnergy Act' requires theDirector of the Office ofManagement and Budget todevelop standards and guide-lines to prohibit federal fundsfrom being used to purchasesolar panels manufactured orassembled by entities with tiesto the ruling Communist Partyof China (CPC).

It also requires theComptroller of the US to sub-mit to Congress a report on theamount of solar panels pro-cured by federal departmentsand agencies from coveredentities.

The bill requires theDirector of the Office of

Management and Budget toconduct an independent studyof the domestic market ofsolar panel production and theglobal supply chain and work-force involved in solar panelproduction.

“Beijing has made it clearthat to do business in China,you must leave American val-ues behind,” Senator MarcoRubio said.

“As the Chinese CommunistParty is actively committinggenocide against Uyghurs andother ethnic Muslim minori-ties, it forces American com-

panies to look the other waywhile profiting from its egre-gious human rights violations,including forced labour,” Rubiosaid.

He said that the CPC'scrimes should not be fuelled byAmerican taxpayer dollars.

China has emerged as one ofthe leading manufacturers ofsolar panels and photovoltaicpower.

China is accused of commit-ting serious human rights vio-lations against minorityUyghurs in the resource-richXinjiang region.

Senators introduce bill not to usefunds to buy Chinese solar panels

PNS n ISLAMABAD

A Chinese liquor companywhich was granted a licence in2018 for making beer has for-mally started production at itsplant in Pakistan's Balochistanprovince, the first such alcoholfirm from China to establishits unit in the Islamic nation,according to media reports onWednesday.

Hui Coastal Brewery andDistillery Limited, producer ofsome of the famous alcoholbrands, commenced produc-tion at its plant in Balochistan'sindustrial town of Hub. Thebeer produced at the plant willbe supplied to Chinese nation-als working at various projectslaunched across Pakistan.

An official of the provincialexcise and taxation depart-ment told Dawn newspaperthat the company had beengranted a licence which it hadapplied for in 2017.

The company registered

itself with the SECP on April30, 2020, after completinginstallation of the liquor plant.

“The company formallystarted its beer productionlast week, which product willbe supplied to Chinese nation-als working at various projectslaunched in different areas ofPakistan under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor(CPEC) and mines and min-eral projects in Balochistan,”Mohammad Zaman Khan,director general, Excise andTaxation South said.

PNS n NEW DELHI

SpiceJet has introduced a'zero change fee' offerunder which passengerscan modify dates ornames on the ticket, atleast seven days prior tothe date of departure,without any charges.

This offer will be applic-able to all bookings donebetween March 27 andApril 4 for travel periodbetween March 27 andJune 30, said the airline'spress release. "The offerthus aims to extend signif-icant flexibility and costsavings to all its passengersin these unprecedentedtimes...Fare difference willbe applicable for flightchanges and shall bepayable by the customer,"the release noted.

PNS n ISLAMABAD

Pakistan will buy sugar andcotton from India, newlyappointed Finance MinisterHammad Azhar announcedon Wednesday, lifting a ban ontheir import from the neigh-bouring country imposed inthe wake of heightened tensionover Kashmir in 2019.

The decision was taken atthe meeting of the EconomicCoordination Committee(ECC), which was chaired byFinance Minister Azhar.

Azhar said that the meetingdiscussed 21 items on theagenda, including import ofcotton and sugar from India,which it allowed after detaileddiscussion.

The resumption of import ofthese goods will lead to partialrevival of bilateral trade rela-tions, which were suspendedafter the August 5, 2019 deci-

sion of India to revoke the spe-cial status of Jammu andKashmir.

The private sector wasallowed to import 5 lakhtonnes of white sugar fromIndia, he said.

He also said that the govern-ment had allowed sugar to beimported from other countries,however, the price of the com-modity in other countries wasalso high.

"However, in our neigh-bouring country India, theprice of sugar is quite cheap,"

he said. "Hence, we have decid-ed to resume sugar trade withIndia".

Azhar also said that Pakistanwill import cotton from Indiastarting June this year.

Adviser to the PrimeMinister of Pakistan forCommerce and Investment,Dawood welcomed the deci-sions taken by the ECC.

"All steps be taken throughcross-border imports of cottonyarn including by land. Asummary will be presented atthe next ECC to ensure avail-ability of cotton and yarn in thecoming months," Dawoodtweeted.

Finance Minister Azhar toldthe media that demand for cot-ton in Pakistan was increasingbut it had not produced qual-ity cotton last year hence it hadgiven the green signal for theproduct to be imported fromother countries.

PNS n HYDERABAD,

TryitFirst, a leading e-com-merce store based out ofHyderabad, India, announcedthe pilot launch of its “Try,Experience & Buy” Service inHyderabad. The companyenables customers to add theproducts they like online,and later try the options attheir doorstep.

Customers, in general, liketo experience products theybuy. But with online shop-ping, beyond specifications,this experience is quite lim-ited. Also there are concernsrelated to wrong products,warranty claims, elevatedprices on cash on delivery,etc.

TryitFirst's pioneeringsolution is probably the firstof its kind in India, and is set

to be a game-changer for amarket that is rapidly shiftingonline. Up until now, elec-tronic devices' sales did hap-pen online - but with chancesof a poor experience. The“Try and Buy” mechanism atdoorstep, might be theanswer to this.

Elaborating on the actualexecution, SriGanesh,Founder, TryitFirst, stated,“For a long time now, cus-tomers were forced to returnproducts and buy again, justbecause of a wrong choice orsome error in logistics.”

He further added, “WithTryitFirst, we are operating ahyperlocal model where cus-tomers can add some prod-ucts to cart, select a trial slotfor their home, and experi-ence the product at theirhome.”

PNS n AHMEDABAD

The Finance Committeeof the Board of Directorsof MAS Financial ServicesLimited, specialized inMSME financing, in itsmeeting held on March 30,2021 approved and allot-ted, on a private placementbasis, 6,500 Rated, SeniorListed, Transferable,Redeemable, PrincipalProtected Market-linkedNon-convertible deben-tures of face value of INR100,000, aggregating up toINR 65 crore. The allot-ment of 6,500 Market-linked NCDs is inclusiveof a green shoe optioncomprising of 1,500Market-linked NCDswhich was activated toretain over-subscription.

‘TryitFirst’ launchesdoorstep trial forphones, accessories

Pak to import sugar, cottonfrom India: Hammad Azhar

SpiceJetintroduces ‘zerochange fee' ondomestic flights

MAS Financialraises Rs 65 crthrough market-linked NCDs

China's liquor co startsbeer production in Pak

ollywood actorRanveer Singh isproud of how hismusic label IncInkhas grown over thepast two years. The

actor, who started the initia-tive with Navzar Eranee, sayshe doesn’t want newcomersto go through what he expe-rienced when he began hiscareer as an actor.

“When I had decided tochase my dream of becomingan actor years ago, it wasn’teasy getting my foot in thedoor. I was fortunate enoughto build my career through acombination of hard work,passion and self-belief. I toldmyself back then that when Ibecome relatively successful,I will try and do somethingfor my fellow dreamers.That’s when the germ ofIncInk was sown in myhead,” he says.

The Bajirao Mastani actoradded that he is “blownaway” by the talent he hasseen so far.

“Today, I feel grateful tohave been able to provide aplatform to some outstandingnew talents. I am blown awayby the music that these bril-

liant young artistes have cre-ated, and I am continuallyimpressed at their ability toexpress and create art that isdisruptive,” he says.

The actor is especiallyproud of discovering someartistes, such as KaamBhaari, Spitfire, Devil - TheRhymer and SlowCheeta.

“They have evolved intoserious musical prodigies ofour generation who are nowbeing appreciated far andwide. IncInk has tried to be avehicle for their artisticgrowth, becoming the windbeneath the wings of theserare gems,” he says.

He wants to work on hislabel and make it a genre-fluid collective.

“Being fluid in thisendeavour through genremusic, video, visual art andexperiences is what we dohere. Ink is a beacon forartists. I would like it to be alighthouse on the shore. If wecan inspire something new,reach somebody unreachableand touch someone so theyfeel included, that would befulfilling,” he says.

With this initiative, heurges budding artistes not to

give up.“People who work just as

hard, often times don't getthat chance and may neverget it. Mine was a millionto one shot, I was pre-pared to risk it alland I found myopportunity. Eventhough I often feltdiscouraged I perse-vered. I just want tosay if you don’t getit, if you fall, don’tstay down, get up,keep playing.Always be inspiredto play. I want tolead by example.So, that’s what wewill do throughIncInk,” he says.Navzar adds: “As anartist’s collective,we won’t be limit-ed to music releas-es, videos but willexpand to biggervisions beingexecuted via —IP’s, products andcollaborations.The future ofIncInk is asan artist col-lective.”

9

Vijayawada Thursday April 1 2021

B

what’s brewing?RANVEER ON HIS MUSIC LABEL:

HAD TO DO SOMETHING FOR

Sunny Deol’s younger son Rajveerdebuts in film by Sooraj Barjatya’s son

unny Deolsyounger sonRajveer Deol willmake hisBollywood debutin a coming-of-

age love story backed byRajshri Productions. Thefilm also marks the directo-rial debut of Sooraj R.Barjatyas son Avnish S.Barjatya. Bollywood veteranand Rajveers grandfatherDharmendra tweeted thenews on Wednesday.

“Introducing my grand-son #RajveerDeol to theworld of cinema along with#Avnishbarjatya directorialdebut. I humbly request youall to shower the same loveand affection on both thekids as you have on me.Good luck and Godbless.#Rajshrifilms #barjatyas#Deols #RajveerDeol,” wroteDharmendra on Twitter,about the film that talks oflove and relationships intoday’s world.

Rajveer’s uncle BobbyDeol also shared: “On the

way to realise his dream...Rajshri Productionsproudly announces the col-laboration of Rajveer Deoland Avnish Barjatya in acoming-of-age love story. Abeautiful journey awaitsahead #SoorajBarjatya#RajveerDeol#AvnishBarjatya.”

After studying theatre in

the UK, Rajveer has workedas an assistant director. Hehas been training undertheatre and film directorFeroz Abbas Khan.

While the lead actressopposite Rajveer is yet to befinalised, the film is expect-ed to go on floors in Julythis year and is slated for a2022 release.

he is thebusiestactor in2021 afterallParineetiChopra

already has had threefilm releases — TheGirl on the Train,Sandeep Aur PinkyFaraar and Sainathis year, all of whichare starkly differentfrom one anotherand far cry from hergirl next door imagethat she had in the

initial phase in hercareer.

So has it been aconscious decisionfor her to stay awayfrom such roles now?

“100 percent yes. Imyself was feeling abit saturated with thekind of work thatwas being offeredand the kind of workthat I was choosingfor myself. You knowwhen I did certaintype of roles and didit well on screenthen nobody envi-

sioned me doinganything different.But I always hadfaith in myself and Iwanted to do some-thing different andwanted to surprisethe audience, andshock them,” shesays.

However, Chopra,who started hercareer with Ladies vsRicky Bahl (2011),adds that one doesnot always get to dowhat they want inthe film industry.

NCB arrests actor AjazKhan for alleged drug links

he NarcoticsControl Bureau(NCB) arrestedBollywood actorAjaz Khan in analleged drugs case

early Wednesday, officialssaid.

Soon after he arrivedfrom Jaipur and landed atthe Mumbai Airport onTuesday, he was detainedfor questioning by the NCBMumbai Zonal Unit andplaced under arrest earlythe next day.

According to NCB ZonalDirector Sameer Wankhede,the actor’s name emergedduring the interrogation ofa notorious drug peddlerShadab Shaikh alias Batata,who was nabbed lastThursday from the westernsuburbs.

After detention, Khanwas grilled for several hoursat the NCB offices and laterplaced under arrest for hisalleged role in the crimeand links with the drugmafia.

Shortly before he wastaken to the NCB office,Khan — who has worked in

several films and participat-ed in TV reality shows likeBigg Boss — claimed he wasnot detained and had vol-untarily come to meet theofficers. A team also raidedlocations in Andheri west inconnection with the case,the NCB officer added.

The NCB has arrestednearly 36 drug peddlers tilldate as it unravels the drugangle in Bollywood arisingout of the death of actorSushant Singh Rajput, whowas found dead under mys-terious circumstances onJune 14, 2020.

S

PARINEETI CHOPRA: WASSATURATED WITH THE WORK

THAT WAS OFFERED ANDWHAT I WAS CHOOSING

S

T

Rules

ARCHIE

GARFIELD

SUDOKU

REALITY CHECK SPEED BUMP CROSSWORD

GINGER MEGGS

NANCY

l Each row and column cancontain each number (1 to 9)exactly once.

l The sum of all numbers inany row or column mustequal 45.

Yesterday’s solution

CALVIN AND HOBBES

FUN

FELLOW DREAMERS

ome people argue thatchildren learn moralson their own, or thatpreschool is too earlyfor children to belearning about moral

values and ideas. However, thatis false; it is best to teach chil-dren values at a young age, sothat it becomes a part of theirpersonality as they grow.

They say that when the youngcome together, things shake,change. Aiming for more thanjust that, are youngsters in thecity who came together to serveand teach the people under theumbrealla ‘Youth For Seva’. As isevident from their name, theirbasic aim is to help serve societyin whatever way possible, buttheir focus areas include educa-tion and health.

Talking about how the teamcame together, Hyderabad cityoperations coordinator, who didnot wish to reveal his identity ashe wants to promote YFS as agroup, and not as an individual,tells us, “Youth for Seva startedits activities in 2010 inHyderabad. Over the years, vol-unteers have involved themselvesin various activities. Be it in reg-ular volunteering or one-dayevents, the chapter has witnessedan overwhelming response fromits volunteers. YFS has also part-nered with various organisationsin the city to provide them withvolunteers for various events.Many corporates are also

engaged with the corporate vol-unteering programmes.”

The goal of YFS, the coordina-tor says, is to support schools,destitute shelters, governmenthospitals, and other organisa-tions in the social sector throughvolunteers who can help themmitigate some of theirshortcomings andchallenges.Volunteeringthrough thisgroup ismade easyand cus-tomisedto theindivid-ual’sinterests,time avail-ability, andskillsets. YFSaims to createpositive changeagents in society,through the culture ofvolunteering.

Youth for Seva has designedvarious intervention programs ineducation by conducting multi-ple programs. The programsrange from foundational projectssuch as voluntary teaching ingovernment schools, providingschool kits to underprivilegedstudents, organising events suchas Chiguru and Vidyachetana(that provide financial support tochildren from underprivilegedbackgrounds). To discourage

dropouts in schools, this ‘Gift ASchool Kit’ initiative was thoughtof. “Several poor students, notjust in the tribal areas, butHyderabad too, come to schoolwith their books in either apaper or plastic bag, this is whythey drop out during the rainy

season. That’s when wethought of gifting

them a small kitthat has a good

bag, masks, 5books, waterbottle (weno longertake bot-tles toreduceplastic),geometry

boxes forhigh school

students, andmore,” the city

coordinator tellsus. Every year, stu-

dents from thousandsof schools, which are close to 1lakh, have benefitted in the statesof Andhra and Telangana. Infact, they tell us about KoteswarRao, who was a beneficiary ofsuch initiatives by the group, isnow grown up and volunteerswith the group today. “Hereceived something from thesociety, and now decided to giveit back,” they inform.

YFS’ projects are carved outwith the intention to create com-munity outreach centers assisting

in the fields of education, andvocational training in economi-cally backward areas.

Such ‘altruistic’ projects organ-ised by Youth for Seva engagethousands of young volunteersfrom all over the country in pro-ductive and impactful events thatnot only contribute to societybut also inculcate the culture ofvolunteering in the minds ofcountless youth.

Youth For Seva also takestuitions for students in the slumsand supports the governmentand aided school children to takepart in the Government scholar-ship program by training the

children for NMMS in theirschool. They teach basic mathe-matics, spoken english, and com-puter training. “The advent oftechnology is rapid and it is onlyright that we enable the youngergeneration to keep up with thetimes. We recognise the needsand connect tech-savvy volun-teers to enable children to thrivein this world,” they share.

The group is not confined toHyderabad alone, it is a nation-wide volunteering movementthat inspires youth to volunteer,and provides them with mean-ingful opportunities to serve thecommunity.

There are certain values we'dlove our kids to cherish. But

how do we go about teachingthose values? Promoting the

ideology of nation first,pluralism, and the need to

treat everyone with respect, anot-so-small group of

youngsters, called Youth ForSeva has been workingtowards educating andempowering children.

They talk to The Pioneer'sRACHEL DAMMALA abouthow they came together, their

projects, and how some oftheir beneficiaries have

actually turned volunteers withthe group. SELF-RELIANT

n spite of the factthat the effect of theCoronavirus hasbeen veryunfavourable tonumerous businesses

and organisations, it hasopened the window to signifi-cant learning opportunities forstudents in sports managementand communications pro-grams.

Here’s how:

The pandemic and the sub-sequent lockdown had affectedbusinesses all over the globeacross nearly all industries. Ifwe talk specifically about the

sports industry, we witnessedcontinuous cancellation orpostponement of major sport-ing events — from football tocricket, rugby, ice hockey, bas-ketball, and even Olympics &Paralympics (now to begin inJuly, 2021).

While some sporting eventsand related businesses haveresumed their operations andservices, the need to reduce theoperating costs is still looming.Consequently, the kind of jobopportunities and compensa-tion trends in sports industryhave also taken a downturn.

Although this is a tough situa-tion for experienced workers, itcan turn out to be an excellenttime for students to acquirevaluable learning opportuni-ties, as more businesses in thesports industry are now willingto onboard apprentices andinterns to take over the roles tofulfil their business goals atminimised costs.

While most internship andlearning opportunities withvarious businesses can befound on the respective com-pany’s website and preferredjob portals, it can be hard for

students to come face-to-facewith these opportunities ontheir own due to lack of expe-rience and knowledge of whereto look. Thus, involvement ofadministration, academiccounseling and placement cen-ters of educational institutesand learning centers can helpbridge the gap.

Ideally, the role of insti-tutes and faculty mem-bers in this scenariowould include:

¬Consulting with businesspersonnel to understand

their needs, and figure outand communicate ways inwhich students and fresherscould assist.¬Collaborating with business-es and arranging guest-speaking sessions by busi-ness personnel or academiccounselors to share theopportunities and needs ofthe said business.¬Guiding students throughoutthe process in understandingthe business processes, work-place policies, applying theirliterary knowledge in real-word scenarios, and resolv-ing challenges faced - along-side the actual business men-tors.¬Creating learning strategiessuch that all student generat-ed content goes through aninitial review round by a fac-ulty member before beingpassed on and presented tothe business mentor. Suchstrategy would help ease thelearning process for the stu-dents and would leave littleto no room for doubts.

Benefits of developingstudent learning basedon participatory sport:

¬It can help students get afirst-hand experience ofwhat it is like to work withan actual participatory sportbusiness and add a sense ofrealism to their learning.¬It can assist students under-stand the basics and diverseoperations involved in creat-ing and handling any taskspecific to the business.¬It will challenge students toimprove their critical think-ing skills and think of vari-ous ways to attract andretain customers.

(The writer is Director, SymbiosisSchool of Sports Sciences)

A sense ofresponsibility

arth Davis is anAustralian commer-cial, television, andfilm director, bestknown for directingepisodes of the series

Top of the Lake, for which hereceived Emmy and BAFTAnominations. In 2008, he wona Gold Lion at the CannesLions International Festival ofCreativity and a D&AD YellowPencil for the Schweppes com-mercial Burst and in 2010 hereceived a finalist nominationin the Directors Guild ofAmerica Award for BestCommercials Director.

In an interview with ThePioneer, the ace director speaksabout Mary Magdalene andmore. Excerpts from the inter-view:

What prompted you tomake Mary Magdalene asone may not call it a‘commercial film’ for themasses?

I think rarely do ‘commercialfilms for the masses’ delvedeep. So unless they do, I won’tbe playing. Ultimately, I wasmoved by this script because ofits deep mediation on spiritual-ity and humanity. I am not reli-gious, but this version of thestory really resonated with me.I was particularly upset tolearn how Mary has been mis-represented for thousands ofyears, so felt even more com-pelled to make it. Women havebeen silenced for far too long,and if I can help unearth theirstories, I will.

How much researchwent into the making?Were you at any pointhesitant in going aheadwith this subject since itmay be controversial?

The script and every facet ofproduction underwentimmense research, from lots ofdifferent theological and his-torical texts, along with biblicaland historical consultants —Jewish, Greek Orthodox,Catholic. We also drew fromthe Gospel of Mark, primarily,to the Gospel of Mary.

The core team also visitedMagdala at the ‘Sea of Galilee’,and Jerusalem, meeting variousarcheologists and historians. Atfirst, I was hesitant, but thatgave way to excitement… I alsoknew that whatever we make isalways going to be less offen-sive than those films before us— films that have up until nowignored Mary’s truth and mis-represented women. An inex-cusable travesty.

How important is it tostay true to the reality ofthe subject in a religious-

ly sensitive film like thisone? Does that affect thecreative process?

In a way, this was aboutstripping away all the noise,the ideological arguments andgetting back to the core mes-sage lost to institutions pow-ered by control and guilt. Thecore message being that god iswithin us and we can changethe world through our act oflove and kindness.

You managed to bringtogether a powerfulensemble consisting ofRooney Mara, JoaquinPhoenix, Chiwetel Ejioforand others. Could youtell us about workingwith this bunch of talent-ed cast and crew?

This was the most talentedcast and crew anyone couldmuster. We all felt we weremaking something profoundand important, radical in a waythat felt right.

What do you think maybe the pull of this film forthe Indian audience, whodon’t follow Christianity?

This is not a religious film,rather a spiritual meditation onJesus’ journey seen through theeyes of Mary. It explores uni-versal themes of family, cus-toms, gender politics, andbrims with reality to detail.Indian audience, I hope, willappreciate the humanity thisfilm holds.. Something I expe-rience in India every time I amthere.

Were there any chal-lenges in directing a filmlike this?

There is always this fear ofmisrepresenting figures sobeloved. History is mostlyabout filling in the gaps fromwhat we think we understandand what we know, and thissubject matter holds suchwidely disparate views.

So deciding on the path totake was felt with a real senseof responsibility.

But it was invigorating tobring a reality to the land-scapes and worlds, and a freshdimension to Jesus seenthrough the eyes of Mary.

What are your forthcom-ing projects? If and howCOVID have affectedthem?

I have a few things in vari-ous stages of development.And yes COVID has impactedthem, largely through actors’avails and border closures. It isfrustrating on one hand, butthis time at home with thefamily has been well needed.

(The film premieres on April2 at 9 pm on Sony PIX.)

Director GarthDavis shares

with ThePioneer thatwomen have

been silencedfor far too long,

and if he canhelp unearth

their stories, hewill.

G

I

It is anexcellent timefor students tomake the mostof valuablelearningopportunities,as more andmorebusinesses inthe sportsindustry arenow willing toonboardapprentices,says Dr NayanaNimkar Sport a successful career

S

MAKING YOUNGSTERS

ThursdayApril 1, 2021

Follow us on

@TheDailyPioneer

facebook.com/dailypioneer

sport 11VIJAYAWADA | THURSDAY | APRIL 1, 2021

PTI n NEW DELHI

England opener Jason Roy onWednesday replaced

Mitchell Marsh in the SunrisersHyderabad squad for the IndianPremier League after theAustralian all-rounder madehimself unavailable due to per-sonal reasons.

“Sunrisers Hyderabad havesigned up England batsmanJason Roy as replacement forMitchell Marsh, who has madehimself unavailable for the entireseason owing to personal rea-sons,” read an IPL update.

Marsh, who made his IPLdebut in 2010, has played a totalof 21 games. His replacementRoy made his IPL debut in 2017playing for Gujarat Lions andlater featured for Delhi in the2018 edition.

PTI n CHENNAI

Chennai Super Kings all-rounder Moeen Ali on

Wednesday vouched forMahendra Singh Dhoni’s cap-taincy and said most cricketerslook forward to play under himas he helps them improve theirgame.

Dhoni is gearing up to leadthe CSK franchise in the upcom-ing edition of the IPL.

“I’ve spoken to players whohave played under MS and theytell me how he improves theirgame. I believe a great captaindoes that,” the England all-rounder was quoted as saying bythe CSK website.

“I think it’s something onevery player’s wish list to playunder MS. I think it’s the confi-dence and the clarity he givespeople. It’s exciting,” he added.

Moeen, who said he waslooking forward to playingunder Dhoni, said it is veryimportant to have strong lead-ership and coaches who staycalm.

“It’s very important to havestrong leadership and coacheswho stay calm, who take thepressure off the players as muchas they can and are consistent.

We are very lucky we have that,”he added.

“At CSK I feel the reality isthere for us to win the compe-tition. I’m excited about playingwith the players we have here,”the 33-year-old left-hand bats-man cum off-spinner, who waspicked up at the IPL auction inFebruary, further said.

Moeen, who previouslyturned out for Royal ChallengersBangalore, said, “I think whatdifferentiates CSK from otherteams is actually how they struc-ture everything, from the squadthey have to the way they dothings. They look a very calmfranchise that doesn’t panic.”

PTI n NEW DELHI

Glenn Maxwell’s aggressive battingduring the middle overs andback-end will add dimension to

their side and also help Big Show to playfreely, feels RCB Director of Cricket MikeHesson.

Maxwell, a perennial under-per-former but someone who has alwaysraked in moolah at the IPL auctions, wassnapped for `14.25 crore by the RoyalChallengers Bangalore after PunjabKings decided to release him.

“He (Maxwell) is fantastic and fits inthe middle-order for us. We wanted tohave a player of his quality during mid-dle overs and at the back-end as well, hebrings in huge amount of experience,”Hesson said at a virtual media confer-ence, indicating that Maxwell is thatimpact player in the middle-order whichRCB lacked last year.

“On his day, he can turn a game onits head. We need to use him in a spacewhere we can maximise his skills and weare looking at how we do that,” the for-mer New Zealand coach said.

Hesson wants Maxwell to under-stand his role.

“I am waiting to speak to him andbe clear about his role. It’s just been a fewdays. Amongst peers, he is going to bat,so its better he understands his roleimplicitly. He has good skills, highlyexperienced and will also be part of lead-ership group.”

The 6 feet 9 inch Kyle Jamieson hasbeen one of New Zealand’s heroes in Testcricket but Hesson feels that even inIndia, the bounce he can extract due tohis height will be very handy for RCB.

“As I said, in some grounds, we willwant bowlers who would bowl predom-inantly cutters and in some other ground,here the ball swings and there is bounce,Kyle will be deadly.

“It’s about complementing withskills and what brings to the group, obvi-ously with bat he has skills about beinga power player,” Hesson justified theinsane bidding of the young Black Cap.

As far as the Indian pace bowlinggroup is concerned, Hesson is lookingat ‘horses for courses’ while pickingbetween Navdeep Saini andMohammed Siraj.

“Siraj is exceptional with new ball.He has ability to swing the new ball while

Kyle will get that bounce and bring in dif-ferent challenge. Saini has a little bit morepace and bowls a different length. Theywill be used in different phases of thegame.”

Hesson was also pleased with thekind of form skipper Virat Kohli, whowill be opening in the upcoming season.

“I think Virat is so experienced withwhat he does with RCB and he is going

to bat at the top of the order. It’s a posi-tion, he knows well. He is in fine touch.

“I thought the way he played inT20s against England and how he con-trolled the tempo, on his day when hedoes for RCB.”

On uncapped Indian players, Hessonmentioned the names of Rajat Patidar ofMP and Mohammed Azharudeen ofKerala as the talents to look out for.

‘Dhoni helps playersimprove their game’

PTI n NEW DELHI

Harbhajan Singh is stillplaying because he“wants to” and he

“will”, asserts the veteran off-spinner, as combative at 40 ashe was in his heydays and leastbothered by the people ques-tioning his willingness to carryon.

One of India’s greatestspinners is back in IPL thisyear with the Kolkata KnightRiders after skipping the lastseason for CSK in the UAEand wants to now “enjoy everymoment of whatever cricket isleft” in him.

“Lot of people think ‘Bhaiyeh kyun khel raha hain?'Arrey bhai yeh unki soch hai,meri naahi. Meri soch hai kimain abhi khel sakta hoon, tohmain khelunga (People think‘why is he playing but that’syour opinion. From where Isee myself, I want to play andI will play),” Harbhajan said.

“I have got nothing toprove to anyone. My intentionis to play well, enjoy my stintout there in the middle and

playing cricket still gives methat satisfaction.

“I have set a standard formyself and if I don’t meet that,I don’t need anyone else but Iwill blame myself. I need to askmyself, did I put in the opti-mum effort that was required,”he said just before moving intothe team bubble.

The owner of 700-plusInternational wickets is prag-matic about how he approach-es the game in his 23rd profes-sional season, having made hisTest debut in 1998.

“Yes, I am not a 20 year-old anymore and won’t betraining like I did then. Butyes, as a 40 year-old, I know Iam fit and will certainly dowhat is required to succeed atthis level.

“The expectation is stillgoing to be there and respon-sibilities that were there whenI was playing for Indiaremains,” said one of the mostsuccessful bowlers in IPL his-tory with 150 scalps.

AFP n LUXEMBOURG

Cristiano Ronaldo helpedPortugal to a hard-fought

3-1 win over Luxembourg onTuesday with his first goal of the2022 World Cup qualifyingcampaign, while Belgiumbecame the latest team to jointhe protests over human rightsin Qatar before hitting eightpast Belarus.

Juventus forward baggedhis 103rd International goal fiveminutes after the break to stophis side falling foul of aLuxembourg team whoserecent performances havedefied their small status andtiny population.

Luxembourg beat theRepublic of Ireland last time outand another shock result lookedpossible when GersonRodrigues put the hosts in thelead with a glancing header halfan hour into the Group A con-test.

Diogo Jota put theEuropean champions back onlevel terms in first-half stoppagetime with a close-range head-er of his own, finding himself

unmarked to nod home PedroNeto’s cross.

Ronaldo put Portugalahead in second half when hetapped home Joao Cancelo’scross and then Joao Palhinhaadded a third to save Portugal’sblushes and put them top, levelon seven points with Serbia,who won 2-1 at Azerbaijan ear-lier thanks to an AleksandarMitrovic brace.

The 36-year-old Ronaldo isnow six goals short of IranianAli Daei’s all-time record of 109International strikes.

BELGIUM JOIN PROTESTSBelgium’s players donned t-

shirts in support of migrantworkers building the stadiumsfor next year’s finals in the Gulfstate and then smashed Belarus8-0 to move top of Group Edespite coach Roberto Martinezplaying a second-string side.

On the field in LeuvenBelgium made easy work oftheir opponents, MichyBatshuayi starting a deluge ofgoals in the 14th minute.

Two braces from HansVanaken and Leandro Trossard

— and further strikes fromJeremy Doku, Dennis Praetand Christian Benteke gaveBelgium a thumping win.

It leaves them three pointsahead of the second-placedCzech Republic after they lost1-0 to Wales in Cardiff in amatch which finished with 10men on each side.

DUTCH HIT SEVENThe Netherlands closed the

gap on Group G leaders Turkeyto one point after they won 7-0 in Gibraltar.

Steven Berghuis openedthe scoring three minutesbefore the break and in the sec-ond half the Dutch managed tomake their superiority count.

Luuk de Jong made it twowith a 55th-minute tap-in andthen three goals in as manyminutes from Memphis Depay,Georginio Wijnaldum andDonyell Malen put the Dutchfive ahead. Donny van de Beeklashed home the sixth fromclose range before Depay addedhis second of the night to com-plete the scoring with two min-utes remaining.

Jason Royreplaces MitchMarsh in SRH

I’ve nothing to prove to anyone:Bhajji on KKR stint

PTI n KOLKATA

Veteran off-spinnerHarbhajan Singh’s inclu-

sion may have raised quite afew eyebrows but KolkataKnight Riders skipper EoinMorgan on Wednesday saidit has boosted their spin forcekeeping in mind of Chennai’sslow turners in the upcomingIPL.

The 40-year-old, whoskipped the IPL last year, wasbought by the two-time IPLchampions at his base price of`2 crore after he had goneunsold in the first round.

He will join the likes ofSunil Narine, Shakib-al-Hasan, Kuldeep Yadav andVarun Chakravarthy in KKR’sspin department.

“Adding Harbhajan toour squad has strengthenedus in a really good way.When you look at our spindepartment as a whole, onpaper, it’s one of the best inthe tournament and that’s fac-tual,” the KKR skipper said ina virtual media conference.

Owing to the pandemic,IPL 2021 will be held acrosssix venues from April 9-May30 with no team getting toplay at home.

The tournament willkick-start in Chennai where10 matches will be held.

“If you look at theoptions that we have and theconditions that we mightplay in probably particularlyin Chennai, which notorious-ly can turn or at least raise theeyebrows of our spinnerswhich is hard to do.

“It’s an area that if we play

well in the tournament Ithink our spinners will havebowled well and contributedin that regard,” the WorldCup winning English skippersaid.

Morgan, who wasappointed skipper midwayinto their dwindling cam-paign last season, said thistime the squad is well-round-ed and the biggest strengthwould be their middle-order.

“The one positive,amongst others last year wasthe versatility within ourmiddle order and the flexibil-ity to either promote Sunil orpromote myself or DK.

“The strength within themiddle order is, if we playwell, there’s a lot of teams whowill not enjoy playing againstus. It is one of the strengthsof our side, we need to makethe right call in when to playthe best hand. And that’sone of the things that welearned from last year,” hesaid.

KKR missed the playoffsfor a second successive timelast year, missing out on netrun-rate as this year they haveretained most of the players.

Morgan, who missed thelast two ODIs against Indiadue to a split-webbing, saidhe’s all set to be back in actionafter removing the stitches onThursday.

“The stitches will beremoved tomorrow and thenI’ll progress my batting in thecoming days and then field-ing at the back of the end ofthat. Given the time framethat is available for me it'slooking very good,” he added.

Harbhajan will bolster ourspin department: Morgan

Maxi fits what RCB require in middle order: Hesson

Captaincy will make Pantbetter player: PontingNew Delhi: Delhi Capitalshead coach Ricky Ponting isconvinced that leading theside in the upcoming IPLseason will make swashbuck-ling wicketkeeper-batsmanRishabh Pant an even betterplayer.

Pant was named the cap-tain of Delhi Capitals for theupcoming IPL after regularskipper Shreyas Iyer was ruledout of the tournament after heinjured his left shoulder dur-ing the England series.

“Unfortunate that Shreyaswill miss the tournament, butlooking forward to seeing@RishabhPant17 grab his

opportunity. It’s well deservedfor his recent performancesand he’s coming in with a lotof confidence. I’m convincedcaptaincy will make him aneven better player,” Pontingtweeted.

Pant has been in sensa-tional form across formats thisyear. He played match-win-ning knocks of 97 and unbeat-en 89 in the third and thefourth Test against Australiaand he followed that up witha brilliant century againstEngland in the fourth Test inAhmedabad, forcing the selec-tors to include him in thewhite-ball squads. PTI

PTI n DUBAI

India captain Virat Kohliretained his top spot in the

ICC rankings for ODI batsmen,while pacer Jasprit Bumrahslipped a place to fourth posi-tion in the bowler’s list releasedon Wednesday.

Kohli, who had scores of 56and 66 in the first and secondODIs against England, has 870points in his kitty.

Bumrah, who was restedfrom white-ball series againstEngland, slipped a place tofourth among bowlers and has690 points.

India limited overs vice-captain Rohit Sharma is rankedthird, behind Pakistan’s BabarAzam, while KL Rahul hasmoved up from 31st to 27thspot.

All-rounder Hardik Pandyahas achieved a career-best 42ndposition among batsmen afterscores of 35 and 64, andRishabh Pant has entered thetop 100.

Seam bowler BhuvneshwarKumar, who took three for 42in the final match, has gainednine slots to reach the 11thposition, which is his best sincebeing 10th in September 2017.

In the T20 batting list, bothRahul and Kohli have droppeda rung and are now placed fifthand sixth respectively.

Kohli retainsNo 1 position

Portugal survive Luxembourg scareAFP n MIAMI

World No 1 Ashleigh Bartyadvanced to the semi-

finals of the Miami Open onTuesday as Russian topseed Daniil Medvedevbooked his place inthe quarter-finals ofthe men’s tourna-ment.

Barty battledthrough her thirdthree-setter of thefortnight to oustseventh seededA r y n aSabalenka intwo hours and16 minutes onthe GrandstandCourt.

T h eAustralian willface ElinaSvitolina in thesemi-finals fol-lowing her gru-elling 6-4, 6-7(5/7), 6-3 win.Fifth seedS v i t o l i n aadvanced to the last four after

defeating Latvia’s AnastasijaSevastova 6-3, 6-2.

The victory leaves Bartyone semi-final win away fromretaining her world No 1 rank-ing, though the Australian

insisted she was not preoccu-pied with holding on to topspot.

“It’s an amazing thing tobe No 1 in the world at themoment, but I promise you

that’s not whatmakes me happy,”Barty said after-wards.

“It’s a focusof course. I wantto try to do thebest that I can,

but it’s not a dis-traction or a pres-

sure in any way.”M e d v e d e v

meanwhile had aneasier ride in themen’s tournament,easing past

Frances Tiafoein straight sets,

6-4, 6-3.M e d v e d e v

hammered down 11 aces in the

win, breaking Tiafoe threetimes en route to victory.

Medvedev will faceRoberto Bautista Agut in thelast eight after the Spaniardeliminated John Isner in threesets to avenge his 2019 quarter-final loss in Miami.

Bautista Agut saved amatch point at 5-6 down in thethird set tie-break to claim a 6-3, 4-6, 7-6 (9/7) win.

The biggest upset of theday saw world No 87 SebastianKorda continue his giant-killing run by knocking outArgentina’s fifth seed DiegoSchwartzman, winning 6-3, 4-6, 7-5.

Korda will face fourth-seeded Andrey Rublev in thelast eight. Rublev reached thequarters with a 6-4, 6-4 defeatof Marin Cilic.

In other last 16 matches onTuesday, Italy’s 21st-seededJannik Sinner downed Finland’sEmil Ruusuvuori 6-3, 6-2 toadvance to the last eight.

It is the first time the 19-year-old has reached the quar-ter-finals of an ATP Mastersevent.

Top seeds Barty, Medvedev march onLondon: Sergio Aguero is “irre-placeable in the souls, in thehearts, in the minds of ourfans,” Manchester City manag-er Pep Guardiola has said of theclub’s record goalscorer who isto leave at the end of the season.

Aguero joined City fromAtletico Madrid in 2011 and willleave after 10 trophy-laden years,with 257 goals in 384 games sofar. Guardiola said 32-year-oldAguero’s goals tally could be sur-passed one day, but what hemeans to the club was unique.

“Sergio is irreplaceable,” saidGuardiola. “I could say in termsof numbers he can be replace-able, it’s not easy when you seemore than 360 games played andmore than 250 goals, the amountof titles (he has won).

“So it’s the legend, the beststriker this club has ever had forthis century through the years,but is irreplaceable in the souls,in the hearts, in the minds of ourfans, of our people, of the play-ers that played alongside himand all the managers whoworked with him.” AFP

Guardiola: Aguero

is ‘irreplaceable'

Australia spinner Adam Zampa welcomes country mate Glenn Maxwell to Royal Challengers Bangaloreby presenting him franchise's cap after he was signed by RCB for 2021 edition of IPL @zampstagram

London: England’s director of crick-et Ashley Giles says the ECB wouldlike to stay away from any conflictwith players on their participation inthe IPL as it could well mean losingthe top ones if they are forced tochoose between franchise and nation-al duty.

The former spinner, who played54 Tests, 62 ODIs between 1997-2006,feels any standoff with the players onthe matter could have dangerousimplications for England cricket.

“Right now I think our playerslove playing for England,” Giles saidon BBC’s Tuffers and Vaughan show.

“I don’t want that to be a kiss ofdeath. I think we have to understandthat it could be a danger in the future.

“We don’t particularly want to gotoe-to-toe with our players over IPLparticipation in the long run becausewe may face losing some of our bestplayers,” he added.

England rotated their all-formatplayers for the tour of Sri Lanka andIndia, keeping in mind the busyschedule throughout the year.

However, all of them have beenallowed to stay for the entirety of theIPL, which means those involved inthe final stages are most likely to missthe opening Test against NewZealand, slated to begin on June 2.

The series against the Black Capswas planned after the NOCs for IPLwere granted to the players. “Thatwindow was clear for anyone who gotto the later stages of IPL to play in thewhole competition,” Giles said. “Thatis how their contracts were agreed. Wedon’t think it is right to renege on thatagreement,” he added.

Currently, there are 12 Englandcricketers, some with million dollarcontracts, playing in the IPL.

These include Jos Buttler, BenStokes, Johnny Bairstow, Moeen Ali,Sam Curran, Tom Curran, SamBillings, Dawid Malan and, JofraArcher if deemed fit. PTI

ECB won’t tusslewith players overIPL participation

ctor Karthi will be back intheatres with his Tamil filmSulthan along with its Telugudubbed version here. Thefilm is all set to hit screenson April 2 and the team

can’t wait to see how Telugu audiencesrespond to Sulthan.

Karthi introduces the film in oneline: “We know the drama with one sib-ling. Imagine the drama with 100 broth-ers!” The film that revolves around aman who is left to deal with a 100 goonsafter his father’s demise and finds him-self stuck between the path of violenceand the road to his passion, is set toentertain audiences with a mix ofeverything: humour, romance, action,and emotion, he tells us.

Directed by Bakkiyaraj Kannan,and produced by Dream WarriorPictures the project, Karthi says, thestory sounded very interesting inthe very first 20 minutes of the nar-ration. “I loved the story and theconcept and immediately called theproducer and we got working onit.” Talking about the making of thefilm, Karthi said that all the 100‘rowdies’ in the film were impor-tant to show and that was a chal-lenge.

“We had no reference wherewe could learn how to show allhundred people in one frame.We needed to have big sets,different kinds of lenses andtechnicalities, but the teamdid a great job.”

Saying that shooting forthe film was a blast, theactor goes on, “It was likewe were all either part ofan excursion or a politicalcampaign. Rashmika said she hadnever been to a village and I was sur-prised, but she milked cows, rode atractor and so much more as part ofher role. Rashmika’s role is not of just asong-dance role. Her character is centralto the story and she did it really well.”

Karthi, who has worked recently morein offbeat films, believes commercialfilms are harder to make. “Such filmsneed more of everything. Not just onegenre, but all of it all and that’s hard tomake. Everything is shown larger-than-life and needs convincing. A subject likethis (brotherhood) has almost neverbeen explored. We have so much aboutmothers and sister, but this too has thepotential to be explored.”

The film clashes with his co-star from

Oopiri, Nagarjuna’s Wild Dog on April 2at the box office, is he worried aboutthat? “Both our films are of differentgenres and I’m hopeful that both thefilms will do well”

The film, which also stars Yogibabu,Napoleon, Ramachandra Raju of KGFfame in other pivotal roles, was original-ly supposed to go to the OTT but theentire team thought it would be better torelease it in theatres. “It’s almost like afestival with family when you watch iton the big screen and we wanted to givepeople that,” he shared.

12

Vijayawada Thursday April 1 2021

ver since the trailerof Vakeel Saabdropped, netizenswent crazy watch-ing Pawan Kalyanbeing the best ver-

sion of himself, as the filmmarks his return to cinemaafter three whole years.

The craze of the trailer wassuch that it gave director,Sriram Venu, the feeling of atheatrical release of the film,thanks to the huge fan base ofPawan Kalyan.

Produced by Dil Raju, the

film, a remake of the Hindifilm Pink, also starring Anjali,Nivetha Thomas, AnanyaNagalla and Prakash Raj, isscheduled to release in the-atres on April 9.

Given the craze PawanKalyan has across Telugustates and the mass followinghe has, director Sriram Venu isaware of the responsibilitieson his shoulders — to delivera film that will keep the mas-sive fan base of Pawan Kalyanhappy, while also staying trueto the core idea of the film on

women empowerment.Giving insights about the

screen space given to theactresses and Pawan Kalyan,Sriram explains, “I went by thestory. Everyone got theirscreentime. The film is aboutwomen empowerment and thefilm will stick to it. PawanKalyan is a lawyer with a starappeal and we show whatmakes him stand out. NivethaThomas, Anjali and AnanyaNagalla reprise the roles ofTaapsee Pannu, Kriti Kulhariand Andrea Tariang. The threewomen hail from differentbackgrounds. Nivetha plays aconfident urban woman oftoday. Anjali’s part conveysemotional trauma, andAnanya plays a naive, girl nextdoor who is relatively new tothe city. I’m waiting to see howpeople receive this film.”

He says he was laughed atfor choosing this film, espe-cially when being just twofilms old, one of which onecouldn’t perform at the boxoffice. But nothing stoppedhim or demotivated him fromgoing ahead with this project.

Speaking of how he broughtPawan Kalyan on board andhis experience working withhim, the old director explains,“I’m so exhilarated to bedirecting Pawan Kalyan, whohappens to be one of myfavourite stars. He brought asmile to my face every time weare on sets. He is a demigodand it’s a dream come true towork with him. When I firstpitched the partial story, heasked about my take on Pink.I took some time and got backto him. Pawan Kalyan can takethis film to the masses.”

“A film like this might bewatched by an IAS officer,those from the middle class as

well as a daily wage worker.The film has to appeal toeveryone.”

Sriram’s directorial debutOh My Friend (2011) starringSiddharth, Shruti Haasan,Hansika Motwani andNavdeep couldn’t perform wellat the box office. But that did-n’t stop the director fromexploring further.

The director says, “My firstfilm, although many peoplesaid it had a good storyline,couldn’t perform well at thebox office. I had to wait forseven years to do my next pro-ject which is Middle ClassAbbai. Both the films gave megood exposure. MCA provedthat I could make a commer-cially viable film.”

The director grew up watch-ing mainstream films andloved spending time in cinemahalls. “If I wasn’t a filmmaker,I would spend all my timewatching movies. I have seenthe best failure in my life withno films for seven years. And Ihave decided to stick to thisindustry come what may.”

The film, whose 70 per centof the shoot was completedbefore lockdown, was original-ly scheduled to release in May2020.

The director says he has acouple of interesting discus-sions on board and they willget a better shape after April 9.“As of now I am completelyoccupied with Vakeel Saab,” heconcludes with a wide smile.

The trailer of Vakeel Saab has garnered views and reviews beyondthe expectations of the makers. The film that has Pawan Kalyan,Nivetha Thomas, Anjali and Ananya Nagalla in the lead, became

the first Tollywood video to hit a million likes in less than 24 hours!Director Sriram Venu of Middle Class Abbai fame is sure ofthe film on women empowerment striking a chord with all

kinds of audiences, writes K RAMYA SREE

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COMMERCIAL FILMSHARDER TO MAKE:

tollywood

ACTOR KARTHI

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Actor Satya Dev, is all set to beseen in a different avatar in theSharan Koppisetty directorial filmThimmarusu. The teaser of the

film that released in December last yearwas quick to go viral, with fans eagerlywaiting for the film’s release.

According to the latest update, makersof the film have finalised a release date forthe movie, and it will hit the big screenson May 21, 2021.

Thimmarusu is being produced byMahesh S Koneru and Srujan Yaraboluunder East Coast Productions in associa-tion with S Originals and has been in thepost-production stage for quite some timenow.

Director Sharan Koppisetty of KirrakParty fame is collaborating with Satya Devof Uma Maheswara Ugra Roopasya famefor the first time with this film.

Priyanka Jawalkar of Taxiwala fame isplaying the female lead in the film whichalso features Brahmaji, Ravi Babu, Ankith,Ajay, Harsha Chemudu, Sandhya Janak,Jhansi, Praveen, Aadarsh Balakrishna andothers in pivotal roles. The film is beingedited by Tammiraju, cinematography isdone by Appu Prabhakar, and music com-posed by Sricharan Pakala. Tipped to be alegal suspense-thriller, Thimmarusu is theTelugu remake of the Kannada film BirbalTrilogy Case 1: Finding Vajramuni, whichturned to be a super hit.

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Thimmarusu set for a May release

llu Arjun andRashmikaMandanna-starrerPushpa’s releasedate seems to have

been postponed due to thetenacity of not being able towrap up the shoot on timeas per the announced date,say sources. The makers ofthe film, Mythri MovieMakers in association withMuttamsetty Media, earlierannounced that the film willhit theaters in Telugu, Hindi,Tamil, Kannada andMalayalam languages onAugust 13 this year but nowreports say that the releasewill be postponed.

Helmed by Sukumar,Pushpa chronicles the red

sanders heist in the hills ofAndhra and depicts convo-luted nexus that unfurls inthe course of narrative of aguy who is taken by greed!

But who knows, if a laterelease date will ensure thefilm ample space betweenother big names!

The little birdie also tellsus that the rise in the num-ber of coronavirus cases isalso worrying the team ofPushpa and the makers arenot in a hurry to release atthe moment.

The source also said thatthe final call on the releasedate of Allu Arjun andSukumar’s film will be takenonly after the shoot getswrapped up!

Pushpa release tobe delayed further?

a limax, a Telugumurder mysterythriller, that hitthe screens onMarch 5, will soon

be telecasted across theworld through AmazonPrime Video. The film’srelease on OTT is said tohappen in the mid-weekof April 2020. The exactdate is yet to be finalised.

The film covers thestory of Vijay Modi(played by RajendraPrasad), an industrialist-cum-film producer, whogets killed in the suite ofa star hotel. CID suspectsa hostel girl, an unseen

saree-clad woman, abusinessman and afourth character. Whokilled Modi and what istheir motive forms therest of the story.

The trailer of Climaxhad created quite a buzz,due to its uncannyresemblances of the pro-tagonist name — VijayModi. The heightenedcuriosity has made peo-ple awaiting for its OTTrelease.

The mystery comicthriller has several politi-cal satires and also infer-ences with a few billion-aire fugitives!

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Amazon Prime bagsClimax's OTT rights

‘PK IS A DEMIGOD; IT'SA DREAM COME TRUE

TO WORK WITH HIM'