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VIJAYAWADA, SATURDAY, APRIL 16, 2022; PAGES 12 `3

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MONEY 8PHARMA INDUSTRY MUST FOCUS ON GENERIC: GOYAL

ANALYSIS 7SOCIAL MEDIA LITERACY TOADDRESS MISINFORMATION

SPORTS 11RANA, RUSSELL

STEER KKR TO 175-8

}POOJA HEGDE

STARTS SHOOT-ING FOR PARTYNUMBER IN F3

Page 12

{

ALMANAC

Updated: APRIL 15, 2022 5:00 PM

Forecast: Partly cloudy

Temp: 39oc

Humidity: 58%

Sunrise: 5:57 AM

Sunset: 6:25 PM

Month & Paksham:

Tithi: Purnima: Apr 16 02:25 AM

to Apr 17 12:24 AM

Krishna Paksha Pratipada: Apr 17

12:24 AM to Apr 17 10:01 PM

Nakshatram:

Hasta: Apr 15 09:35 AM

to Apr 16 08:40 AM

Chitra: Apr 16 08:40 AM

to Apr 17 07:16 AM

Rahukalam: 9:09 AM to 10:42 AM

Yamagandam: 1:49 PM to 3:22 PM

Varjyam: 04:12 PM to 05:42 PM

Gulika: 6:03 AM to 7:36 AM

Amritakalam: 01:15 AM to 02:45 AM

Abhijit Muhurtham: 11:51 AM to

12:40 PM

TODAY

VIJAYAWADA WEATHER

PNS n VIJAYAWADA

Besides the loss of lives, the chem-ical factory- Porus Labs- where anexplosion took place two days agois estimated to have generatedaround 50 tons of hazardous wastethat had fallen on the ground dueto the blast. Around 40KL of waterhas been used for the fire hydrantsystem which was contaminated.While partly contaminated waterwas collected the remaining waterhas found its way out.

Andhra Pradesh PollutionControl Board (APPCB) instruct-ed the industry to collect the entiresolid waste of the reaction mass anddebris of the damaged productionblock and dispose of it in a scien-tific manner.

It may be recalled that at least sixpersons were charred to death and15 others sustained severe burninjuries in a gas leak-triggeredblast at a chemical company- PorusLabs in Akkireddy Gudem of Elurudistrict late on Wednesday night.While fire tenders and rescueteams were pressed on who haddoused the flames within two

hours five people were declaredspot dead and another one suc-cumbed to injuries on Thursdaymorning while undergoing treat-ment. While a detailed inquiry into

the blast incident is pending pre-liminary assessment by APPCBfound the manufacturing facilitydidn’t follow Standard OperationalProtocols (SOP). The Porus Labs

has five blocks and the blast tookplace at block 4 in the3KL capaci-ty reactor. Each block has 15 reac-tors.

Notably, APPCB issued closurenotices to Porus Labs for causingloss of lives and also causing envi-ronmental damage in the form ofemissions during the accident andhazardous waste generation.

It is learnt that the reaction is car-ried out at a temperature rangebetween 150 to 180 degreesCentigrade. “The reaction itself isa highly exothermic reaction andneeds to be provided with water cir-culation for controlling the reactiontemperature. The uncontrolledreaction temperature might haveled to pressurization of the Reactorand could be the root cause forexplosion followed by a fire acci-dent,” said a source in APPCB.

There were 18 workers workingin this block at the time of the acci-dent. Out of the total five blocks,two are not working due to sever-al reasons for the last 18 months.In the remaining three blocks drugintermediaries are being manufac-tured.

PNS n AMARAVATI

Minister for Irrigation AmbatiRambabu has flayed a section ofmedia for propagating false newson the Polavaram project andsaid the State government is com-mitted to complete the project.

Speaking to the media at theparty central office here on Friday,the minister said a vernacularmedia organisation had been con-tinuously spreading false newson the Polavaram project withmala fide intention. The damageto the diaphragm wall and coffer-dam of the project was due to thecorruption by the previous TDPgovernment for commissions, healleged.

Regarding the Rehabilitationand Resettlement (R&R) works,the minister said the decision tocomplete the R&R works in phas-es was taken by the Central WaterCommission along with thePolavaram Project Authority andthe State government implement-ing the recommendations. Hesaid it was technically wrong to fillwater at the total capacity of 45.72metres and then start rehabilita-tion works in the Polavaram proj-

ect. The Central WaterCommission had decided to fillwater at the capacity of 41.15 mand complete rehabilitation insubmerged villages and then grad-ually increase the capacity ofwater and complete the rehabili-tation works. The minister saidthat an additional amount of Rs800 crore needed to be spent onthe project because of the wrong-doings of the previous TDP gov-ernment and added that a sectionof the media never reported on it.

He said the works should be takenup in an orderly manner and thespillway should have been con-structed first, but the previousTDP regime executed the projecthaphazardly, leaving everythingincomplete. The lack of properplanning and the floods causeddamage to the project resulting inadditional expenditure. “This is forthe first time that such a thing ishappening in the world and Naidushould be held responsible for it,”he added.

IIL LAUNCHES 3 CROP PROTECTIONPRODUCTS FOR PADDY, VEGETABLES

Agro-chemicals firm Insecticides India Ltd (IIL) on Fridayannounced the launch of three new crop protectionproducts for paddy, vegetables and maize, and hoped

better sales amid the projection of normal monsoon this year.The new products include 'Shinwa', an insecticide forvegetables; 'Izuki', a fungicide for paddy and 'Torry', aherbicide for maize crop, IIL managing director RajeshAggarwal said . The company expects good demand for'Shinwa' and 'Izuki', and sales to cross Rs 100 crore by nextyear, Aggarwal said.

MAJOR RESHUFFLE IN AIR INDIA'STOP MANAGEMENT

Air India Chairman N Chandrasekaran Friday effected amajor reshuffle in the top management of recently-acquired airline, with Nipun Aggarwal appointed as Chief

Commercial Officer and Suresh Dutt Tripathi as Chief HumanResources Officer. Aggarwal, who is also Senior Vice Presidentat Tata Sons, replaces Air India veteran Meenakshi Malik, whileTripathi, who was Vice President of Human Resources at TataSteel from 2012 to 2021, succeeds AI's Amrita Sharan.Theorder was issued by Chandrasekaran, who is also the chairmanof Tata Sons.

SRI LANKA STARTS FUEL RATIONINGAMIDST SEVERE ECONOMIC CRISIS

Sri Lanka's state-owned petroleum corporationannounced fuel rationing for vehicles with effect fromFriday, as an unprecedented economic crisis roils the

country. According to the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation(CPC) statement, now motorcycles and other two-wheelers can purchase fuel upto worth Rs 1,000 per visitto a fuel station. Similarly, three-wheelers can purchasefuel worth Rs 1,500, cars, jeeps and vans upto Rs 5,000.Buses, lorries and commercial vehicles have beenexempted from the rationing.

UP: WOMAN BURNT TO DEATH OVERINSURANCE MONEY

Apartially burnt body of a 55-year-old woman was found inher house in Uttar Pradesh's Greater Noida on Friday, withthe police suspecting the role of her daughter and son-in-

law in the case, officials here said. The woman's son hasalleged that his sister and brother-in-law had been harassingtheir mother ever since she got Rs 15 lakh from an insurancepolicy after the death of their father, said a senior police officer.Birma Devi lived in Dankaur town, under Dankaur policestation limits. Her partially burnt body was found in the kitchenof her house this morning.

PNS n HYDERABAD

Chief Justice of India (CJI) N VRamana on Friday said he is mak-ing efforts to fill up vacancies in thejudiciary and to improve judicialinfrastructure in the country,besides addressing issues relating tosecurity of judges and others.

Our judiciary is overburdened,he said, while speaking after inau-gurating the two-day Telangana

State Judicial Officers Conferencehere.

The CJI said he has taken up fill-ing up vacancies and improving theinfrastructure of the judiciary soonafter taking over.

"The reason is access to justice ispossible only when we provide suf-ficient number of courts as well asinfrastructure," he said.

Justice Ramana said he wantedto see that there are no pendingvacancies either in the high courts,Supreme Court or the district judi-ciary.

He also sought to see that thejudicial system is strengthened.Chief Justice Ramana added judi-cial infrastructure was found to beinadequate in different parts of thecountry.

In the case of Telangana, he hadcleared the pending file for increas-ing the number of judges from 24to 42 without delay, he said.

He requested the judicial officersto create a congenial environmentfor the litigants and to alwaysremember the human aspects of thedispute. "Law cannot be far from

equity. It is important to project thehuman face of the judiciary when-ever you have scope for invokingyour discretion," he said.

The judicial officers must sensi-tize themselves to different vulner-abilities of the parties, includingminors, women and persons withdisabilities who may have differentrequirements, and treat everyonewith respect, he said.

Highlighting the significant roleplayed by the judicial officers in theConstitutional scheme of things, hesaid the officers should apply theirmind independently on the mate-rials presented before them.

"For instance, the requirement ofthe Criminal Procedure Code arenot mere formalities. They are animportant check on the executiveexcesses and represent substantiverights of the accused," he said.

The judicial officers must keepthemselves updated and they willbe able to apply the changing lawand precedents to cases beforethem and ensure justice only whenthey are aware of them, he said.

He stressed on the judicial offi-

cers performing their duties with-out any fear. "I am aware of theincreasing physical attacks onjudges. I am doing my utmost toprevent such occurrences.Directions were issued to improvethe security of the judicial officersboth inside and outside courtrooms," Justice Ramana said.

He also urged them to take careof their physical as well as mentalhealth. Acknowledging the impor-tance of financial well being, hesaid: "Only when you are freefrom financial worries, you will beable to give your best. Let me assureyou that I am taking up that issuerelated to pay commission and youwill soon get a good news on thisfront". He said the ConstitutionalCourts have been functioning withfull potential with COVID-19 pan-demic becoming less intense.

He urged the judicial officers tomake sincere efforts to spare extratime for court, beyond regularCourt Hours, as part of efforts todeal with the backlog of cases.

Will improve access to justice: CJIn Making efforts to fill up vacancies, improve judicial infrastructure

PNS n HYDERABAD

Telangana and Andhra Pradesh areamong the top 10 states withDiscom dues. AP comes fifth andTelangana sixth in pending dues toDiscoms.

Telangana has dues of Rs 8,239crore while AP has dues worth Rs10,229 crore as of April2022. As per the analy-sis done using thedata on thePRAAPTI portal,Tamil Nadu withdues of Rs22,412 croreleads the packfollowed byM a h a r a s h t r awith Rs 21,213crore, Rajasthanwith Rs 12,163 crore,Uttar Pradesh with Rs11,825 crore followed by Andhraand Telangana.

Telangana has accumulated loss-es of Rs 6,966 crore and govern-ment dues of Rs 14,442 crore.Andhra Pradesh has Rs 813 croreaccumulated losses, Rs 13,880 sub-sidy dues and Rs 8,307 crore ingovernment dues.

Reports suggest that TS and AP

are among the five states whichagreed to liquidate the outstandingpayments and subsidy liabilities ofpower distribution companies toreduce stress on the sector.

Apart from the Telugu-speakingstates, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradeshand Rajasthan have also agreed topay Discom dues under the

Centre-approved Revamped Distribution Sector

Scheme (RDSS).These five states

have reportedlysubmitted theirrevival propos-als. One of therevival measuresis a hike in power

tariffs. The RDSSscheme helps

Discoms to improvetheir operational effi-

ciency and financial sus-tainability by providing result-linked financial assistance toDiscoms to strengthen their powersupply infrastructure based onmeeting pre-qualifying criteriaand achieving basic minimumbenchmarks. The scheme has anoutlay of Rs 3,03,758 crore over fiveyears, that is, from FY 2021-22 toFY 2025-26.

TS, AP among top six stateswith high Discom dues

PNS n KADAPA

Chief Minister YS Jagan MohanReddy presented 'Pattu Vastralu'and 'Mutyala Talambralu' to SriKodanda Rama Swamy and hisConsort Sitadevi at the famousVontimitta temple on the occasionof Sri Sitarama Kalyanam on Fridayon behalf of the state government.

When the Chief Minister arrivedat the temple, he was accorded arousing welcome by TTD BoardChairman Y V Subba Reddy, EO KSJawahar Reddy and other officialsand priests. The priests of the tem-ple accorded a 'PoornakumbaSwagatam' to the Chief Minister whowore a turban and carried the 'PattuVastralu' and 'Mutyala Talambralu'on his head to the temple as per thetradition.

After presenting the 'PattuVastralu' and 'Mutyala Talambralu',he had the darshan of the deities. Thepriests blessed the Chief Ministerand gave 'Teertha Prasadam'.

PNS n VIJAYAWADA

All roads in the panchayats acrossthe State will be repaired and newroads will be constructed at a costof Rs 1,072 crore and the tenderswill be invited soon, said DeputyChief Minister and Panchayat Rajand Rural Development MinisterBudi Muthyala Naidu. The minis-ter assumed charge on Friday. He

put the first signature on the file tokeep the present Zilla Parishads inthe joint districts despite the dis-trict reorganisation in the State.

Speaking to the media on theoccasion, Minister Muthyala Naidusaid that an amount of Rs 1,072crore had been sanctioned for therepair of 9,222 km of PanchayatiRaj roads.

Minister flays ‘propaganda’against Polavaram project

Blast generated 50 tons of hazardous waste

CM presents ‘pattu vastralu' todeities at Kodanda Rama temple

Rural roads to be developedwith Rs 1,072 cr soon: Dy CM

Deputy Chief Minister and Panchayat Raj & Rural Development Minister Budi Muthyala Naidubeing greeted by officials before he assumed charge in the Secretariat at Velagapudi on Friday.

PNS n VIJAYAWADA

Former MP Undavalli ArunKumar asked Chief Minister YSJagan Mohan Reddy why thePolavaram project was not hand-ed over to the Central government,which was much talked aboutwhile the YSRCP was in theOpposition. On Friday, ArunKumar spoke to the media inVisakhapatnam and said thatPolavaram was a Central govern-ment project and the Centre wasbound to complete it.

He said that JSP chief PawanKalyan’s effect would be on the rul-ing YSRCP in the 2024 elections.However, it could not be said whowould benefit.

He recalled that Jagan had beenasking why Chandrababu Naidutook up the Polavaram project andstill continued the same. He saidthat soon after the YSRCP formedthe government, CM Jagan shouldhave handed over the project to theCentre.

Arun Kumar said that there wasno chance of the BJP coming topower in Andhra Pradesh andthen, why the Centre would spendmoney in the State. He pointed out

that our MPs could not ask theCentre. “Why is the Centre notquestioned as to why the APRedistricting Act has not beenimplemented,” he added.

He said that Jagan’s policy wasvery simple. People benefitedthrough schemes and they wouldvote again. This was exactly whatthe original Quid Pro Quo meant.Those who did not vote would notbe given any benefits. No one couldsay whether Jagan would be suc-cessful or unsuccessful, said theformer MP. Tackling the issue ofCentral funds diversion was no bigdeal for Jagan.

JSP impact will be feltin 2024 polls: Undavalli

Andhra Pradesh Pollution Control Board (APPCB)instructed the industrial unit to collect the entire solidwaste of the reaction mass and debris of the damagedproduction block, and dispose of it in a scientific manner.

Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy carrying 'Pattu Vastralu' to be presented to Lord Rama andGoddess Sitadevi at the Kodanda Rama Swamy Temple in Ontimitta in Kadapa district on Friday.

Vontimitta soaks in devotion as grandeur marks ‘Sitarama Kalyanam' page - 2

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vijayawada 02VIJAYAWADA | SATURDAY | APRIL 16, 2022

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PNS n VIJAYAWADA

Archaeologist and CEO of thePleach India Foundation, Dr ESivanagi Reddy, has urged theState government to preserveand protect the sunken 13th-century inscriptions and sculp-tures at the Shambulin geshwaraTemple at Nawabpet village,Penuganchiprolu mandal, inNTR district.

He visited the temple onFriday as part of the awarenesscampaign called ‘PreserveHeritage for Posterity’, launchedby the Pleach India Foundation,and noticed that four inscrip-tions of the Kakatiya periodand one Nandi sculpture weresunken into the ground.

He said that the historically-important inscriptions werewhite washed with lime many atime, making the keepers in the

slabs illegible. Dr Reddy revealedthat the temple was built by theNatavadi Chiefs, subordinates ofthe Kakatiyas who ruled fromGudimetta in typical Kakatiya

style and issued inscriptionsrecording gifts of lands for itsmaintenance. Dr Sivanagi Reddymade an appeal to the templeauthorities and the local commu-

nity to take care of the inscrip-tions and sculptures of Ganesaand Nandi by erecting them onproper pedestals with signageson the historical contents of the

inscriptions, and cleaning thewhitewash with chemicals sothat the future generations couldread them and know the histo-ry of their own place.

13th century sculptures andinscriptions cry for attention

PNS n NEW DELHI

Private lender IDBI Bank hasproposed a nearly 10-fold hikein the salary of its managingdirector and CEO RakeshSharma who had been instru-mental in bringing the bank outof the RBI's restrictive promptcorrective action (PCA) frame-work.

The bank has sought theapproval of its shareholdersthrough a postal ballot whichstarted on April 6 and will endon May 5, 2022, to pass theordinary resolution, amongothers. The lender, in whichLIC holds a majority stake, willdeclare the results of the postalballot on or before May 7,2022. Members' permission isalso sought to re-appointSharma as the MD & CEO foranother three years with effectfrom March 19, 2022. Thebank proposes for approval ofthe members to transact specialbusiness through postal ballotonly by way of voting throughelectronic means, to considerand, if thought fit, to pass asordinary resolution for re-appointment of Rakesh Sharmaas a non-rotational directorand Managing Director & ChiefExecutive Officer (MD&CEO)for a period of three years witheffect from March 19, 2022, thebank said in a regulatory filing.The Reserve Bank approvedSharma's re-appointment inmid-February.

"...pursuant to the recom-mendation of the NRC and theboard of directors of the bank,approval of the members of thebank, be and is hereby accord-ed to the payment of remuner-ation by way of salary,allowances and perquisites toRakesh Sharma, as theMD&CEO of the bank witheffect from March 19, 2022, upto Rs 2,40,00,000 approximate-

ly for FY2022-23, to beapproved by the RBI," IDBIBank said in the filing.

The perquisites involve thefacility of semi-furnishedaccommodation, club mem-bership, car for official purpose,entertainment expenses, pay-ment of income-tax onperquisites by the bank to theextent permissible, medicalreimbursement, leave and leavefare concession, gratuity, retire-ment benefits among others.

Any revision, in salary andperquisites shall be recom-mended by the Nomination &Remuneration Committee(NRC) and board and subjectto RBI approval, the bank said.

Sharma draws a salary of Rs2.64 lakh per month, while thebank has proposed to raise thesalary to about Rs 20 lakh permonth.

Following RBI's approval,IDBI Bank in a meeting held onFebruary 24, 2022 hadapproved the re-appointment ofSharma for a period of threeyears with effect from March19, 2022, subject to the approvalof the members of the bank.

Explaining the rationalebehind seeking a hike inSharma's salary, IDBI Banksaid Rakesh Sharma has done"a commendable job in bring-ing the bank out of PCA andimproving the overall perfor-mance of the bank during histenure". It said the promotersand stakeholders of the bankhave also shown confidence inhim, since he has been able tobring transformationalchanges in the bank.

"Rakesh Shamra is fit andproper to be re-appointed asMD&CEO pursuant to the fitand proper norms issued bythe RBI," it added. The lendersaid that it Sharma has givenhis consent to be re-appoint-ed and is not disqualified

from being appointed as direc-tor on the board of the bank.

Sharma possesses the requi-site qualifications, skills, expe-rience and special knowledgerequired for the said post.The annual remunerationpayable to Sharma during histenure is subject to approval ofthe RBI, it added.

A seasoned banker withover 40 years in banking,Sharma had started his careerin State Bank of India and heldvarious responsibilities in bothIndia and abroad. He movedfrom the position of ChiefGeneral Manager in SBI toLakshmi Vilas Bank asMD&CEO and served therefrom March 7, 2014 tillSeptember 9, 2015.

He then joined CanaraBank as MD & CEO onSeptember 11, 2015 andserved for a period of threeyears till July 31, 2018. Whilein Canara Bank, he also heldthe position of Chairman inthe group companies ofCanara Bank. He then joinedIDBI Bank as MD & CEOwith effect from October 10,2018 and continues to be theMD & CEO. In March 2021,the RBI removed IDBI Bankfrom its enhanced regulato-ry supervision or PromptCorrective Action (PCA)framework after a gap ofnearly four years on itsimproved financial perfor-mance. RBI had placed IDBIBank under PCA frameworkin May 2017, after it hadbreached the thresholds forcapital adequacy, asset qual-ity (net NPAs was over 13 percent in March 2017), returnon assets and the leverageratio. IDBI Bank previouslycategorised as a public-sectorbank is now termed as privatesector lender controlled byLIC.

IDBI Bank seeks shareholders’ nod10-FOLD HIKE IN CEO SALARY

Will improve access to justiceContinued from Page 1

Referring to the InternationalArbitration and MediationCentre here in whose estab-lishment he was involved,Justice Ramana said peoplefrom several states haveshown interest to establishsimilar arbitration centres.

He said franchise centrescan be set up in differentstates once the Hyderabadcentre, established recently, isstrengthened.

He appreciated TelanganaChief Minister KChandrasekhar Rao for hisproactive role in facilitating

the functioning of judiciary inthe state. He also praised Raofor taking up recruitment forover 4,000 jobs in the judicia-ry, at a time when the Centralgovernment and states soughtto take up recruitment oncontractual basis.

Supreme Court judgeJustice V Ramasubramanian,Telangana High Court ChiefJustice Satish ChandraSharma, Andhra PradeshHigh Court Chief JusticePrashant Kumar Mishra,Telangana Chief MinisterChandrasekhar Rao and sev-eral other dignitaries attend-ed the event.

Continued from Page 1

The tender process wouldbegin soon and the con-struction of new roadswould also be started. Hethanked Chief Minister YSJagan Mohan Reddy foroffering the Deputy ChiefMinister post. He said thatwith the aim of establishingthe village self-government,as envisaged by MahatmaGandhi, the governmentwas recruiting adequate staff

through the village, wardsecretariats, and village vol-unteers. He assured to workdedicatedly to extend thedevelopment and welfareschemes implemented bythe Jagan Mohan Reddygovernment to the villagelevel.

Minister Muthyala Naidusaid that with his experienceas a Sarpanch, MandalParishad President, and aZilla Parishad member, hewould do everything for

the betterment of the vil-lages, especially theimprovement of drinkingwater and sanitation ser-vices. He added that therewas two years of time, hencehe would make good use ofthe same for the develop-ment of all the villages in thenext two years.

SERP CEO A Md Imtiaz,Panchayati Raj EngineeringChief Subba Reddy, andother officials congratulatedthe Deputy Chief Minister.

Rural roads to be developed with Rs 1,072 cr soon: Dy CMContinued from Page 1

YV Subba Reddy presented theChief Minister with a portrait ofKodanda Rama Swamy, the pre-siding deity of Vontimitta tem-ple, to the Chief Minister.Minister RK Roja, MPs PVMithun Reddy, YS AvinashReddy, District Collector VijayaRama Raju, SP KKN Anuurajan,ZP Chairman Akepati AmarnathReddy, MLAs M MallikharjunReddy, P Ravindranath Reddy, GSrikanth Reddy, K Srinivasuluand others were present.

CM presents...

PNS n KADAPA

The Sitarama Kalyan wassolemnised at the famous SriKodanda Rama Swamy tem-ple here on Friday in the pres-ence of a large number ofdevotees. The entire templepromises plunged into spiri-tuality with reciting of hymnsby the priests. Chief MinisterYS Jagan Mohan Reddy and alarge number of ministers,MLAs, and other dignitariesattended the devotional event.

Tirumala TirupatiDevasthanams (TTD) BoardChairman YV Subba Reddypresented four golden crownsto the deities and each goldcrown weighing 400 grams.The chairman also presentedsilk cloths to Sri KodandaRama Swamy and his consortSitadevi. The Subba Reddycouple handed over the goldcrowns and 'Pattu Vastralu' tothe temple. The gold crownsand 'Pattu Vastralu' were puton a demonstration in front ofthe temple and performedpoojas. Later, the TTDChairman took them into thetemple in a procession. Of thefour gold crowns, one is forthe main deity and the otherthree for processional deities.

Y V Subba Reddy also par-ticipated in the 'Pallaki Sevaon the temple premises. JEOVeera bhadram, Deputy EORamana Prasad were amongthose who attended.Meanwhile, the devotionalSobha Yatra was held in thetemple premises on the occa-sion of the celestial wedding.

The entire Kodanda RamaSwamy temple was illuminat-

ed on the occasion. 26 HDLED screens, laser lights,4.200 flood lights, 2,900 forecone lights, and 5,300 colourlights were installed in thetemple premises. Over 2,000security personnel includingpolice and TTD vigilancestaff were deployed for ban-dobast at the temple in viewof the Chief Minister’s visit.

Temple officials said that 350'Prasadam[' counters wereset up to distribute'Prasadam', 2.20 lakh'Akshintalu', the sacred ricewere kept ready to be distrib-uted to the devotees. Over 3lakh buttermilk sachets and 3lakh drinking water sachetswere being distributed to thedevotees.

Vontimitta soaks indevotion as grandeur marks‘Sitarama Kalyanam'

PNS n NEW DELHI

Prime Minister NarendraModi on Friday spoke withgeneral secretary of theCommunist party of VietnamNguyen Phu Trong andexchanged views on regionaland global issues, includingthe ongoing crisis in Ukraineand the situation in the SouthChina Sea.

In their telephonic conver-sation, the two leadersexpressed satisfaction over therapid pace of wide-rangingcooperation under the India-Vietnam ComprehensiveStrategic Partnership whichwas established during Modi'svisit to Vietnam in 2016, thePrime Minister's Office(PMO) said in a statement.

They complimented eachother on the 50th anniversaryof the establishment of diplo-matic relations between thetwo countries.

Prime Minister Modi reiter-ated Vietnam's importance asan important pillar of India'sAct East Policy and Indo-Pacific Vision, and sought toenhance the scope of the bilat-

eral relationship, besides work-ing for expeditious progress onexisting initiatives.

The prime minister alsorequested for greater facilita-tion of market access forIndia's pharma and agri-prod-ucts in Vietnam, the statementsaid.

Prime Minister Modi high-lighted the historical and civil-isation links between the twocountries and expressed hishappiness on India's involve-ment in restoration of Chammonuments in Vietnam.

The leaders agreed toenhance defence partnershipbetween the two countries, thePMO said.

They also exchanged viewson regional and global issuesof shared interest, includingthe ongoing crisis in Ukraineand the situation in SouthChina Sea, the statement said.

China claims sovereigntyover all of the South ChinaSea, a huge source of hydro-carbons. However, severalASEAN member countries,including Vietnam,Philippines and Brunei, havecounter claims.

Modi, Nguyen Phu Trong discussUkraine, South China Sea situation

Traffic advisory forHanuman ShobhaYatra in HydPNS n HYDERABAD

In view of the HanumanShobha Yatra procession to beheld on Saturday with expect-ed time from 11:30 am tonight 12 am, CityCommissioner CV Anandalong with senior officers car-ried out a 12 km route inspec-tion and issued guidelines ontraffic restrictions. CPinstructed the officials to con-duct anti-sabotage checks allalong the main processionroute and ensure the rallygoes off peacefully.

"There will be trafficrestrictions in the city onSaturday as it's a working day.About 8,000 police personnelwill be working for securityand some of them will bedeployed on rooftops of high-rise buildings, terrace. Dronesand CCTVs will be used forsurveillance," says CV Anand

The officials said that themain procession will beginfrom Gowliguda Ram Mandirand proceed to Hanuman

Mandir Tadban,Secunderabad via: Gowliguda,Ram Mandir, Putlibowli 'X'roads, Andhra Bank 'X' roads,Koti , Tilak Road, Sultan Bazar'X' Roads -Ram Koti 'X' roads,Kachiguda 'X' roads , VeerSavarkar Statue - NarayangudaYMCA, Chikkadpally 'X'Roads, RTC 'X' roads, AshokNagar, Gandhi Nagar, backside Viceroy Hotel, PragaTools, Kavadiguda, BansilalpetGraveyards - Bible house, CityLight Hotel, Bata Show Room,Ujjaini Mahankali Temple -Ramgopalpet PS, Paradise XRoads, CTO Junction, RoyalLee Palace, Brookebond -Imperial Garden - MastanCafe - Left Turn SreeHanuman Temple , Tadbund.

Thousands of devotees andmany motorists are expectedto participate in the proces-sion. No new sub-wings of themain procession are beingpermitted. Barricading,removal of low hanging wires, road repairs etc are all beingdone.

PNS n HYDERABAD

Activists demanded to rein-state GO111 else they wouldknock the doors of the judi-ciary. Activists who formed aPeople's Committee held ameeting on Friday to discusswhat the repeal of the ordermeans for the future ofHyderabad. Activists believethat with the abrogation ofGO111, Osman Sagar andHimayat Sagar are likely tosuffer the same fate thatHussain Sagar suffered, i.e.,they will become dead reser-voirs.The People's Committee

instituted by the concernedcitizens includes retired scien-tist from IICT K Baburao, aformer UNEP consultant &Co-Convener-South AsianPeople's Action againstClimate Crisis Sagar Dhara,and Rama Lingeswara Rao, aretired scientist from theNational GeophysicalResearch Institute (NGRI).As per the report of theexperts, "It is necessary thatGovernment of Telanganashould bring forth the studyof GO111 notified region,geologically, geo-physically,ecologically, hydrologically to

save people of twin cities,Hyderabad andSecunderabad".The expertspointed that because of sky-scrapers, the flat bottom sur-faces of cumulonimbus cloudswill be stopped within citypremises and because of thatflash floods may frequentlyoccur. Hence encroachmentsshould be removed from Musiriver and its inflow inlets toallow free flow of runningwater. They pointed if thecatchment area is blockedthe soil becomes liquefiedwith a potential where build-ings will collapse.

Activists to approach court if GO 111 not reinstated

PNS n BHIMAVARAM

State Civil Supplies MinisterKarumuri Nageswara Rao hassaid that rice-card holderscan opt for cash if they do notwant to avail rice. He furthersaid that the cash would bedeposited directly into thebank accounts of the benefi-ciaries. The practice was ear-lier implemented in someareas on an experimentalbasis.

On Friday, he inaugurateda grain purchasing centre atDuvva in Tanuku mandal ofWest Godavari district. Hesaid that for the first time inthe State, a purchasing centrehas been set up in the villageand the purchase will be donethrough the Rythu BharosaKendras (RBKs) with theobjective of doing justice tothe farmers transparently.

Nageswara Rao said 37 lakhtonnes of grain would be pro-cured across the State andcash would be disbursed to the

farmers promptly. He said hewas aware of the plight of thefarmers and would work forjustice for all. Joint collector V

Murali, Sub Collector, NSPVishnucharan and RDO Rajuwere present on the occasion.

Beneficiaries can opt for cashinstead of rice: Minister

PNS n HYDERABAD

Honda Motorcycle & ScooterIndia (HMSI) and HyderabadTraffic Police on Friday cele-brated 7 glorious years of itsChildren's Traffic TrainingPark (CTTP) in Goshamahal.G. Harish, Inspector, TrafficPolice, Hyderabad and mem-bers from Honda Motorcycle& Scooter India participated. HMSI stated that through itsdaily training for all agegroups, it has educated over1.44 lakh people of Hyderabad.

HMSI educates 1.44lakh people on roadsafety over the years

PNS n HYDERABAD

The sleuths of Commissioner's Task Force, WestZone Team have arrestedone person in connectionwith cricket betting. Theaccused Mohd Javed Khan @Baba was arrested while hewas accepting cricket bettingin the limits ofTappachabutra PoliceStation.

One held forcricket betting

vijayawada 03VIJAYAWADA | SATURDAY | APRIL 16, 2022

PNS n VIJAYAWADA

TDP national president andformer chief minister NChandrababu Naidu on Fridayinaugurated an exclusive web-site www.nritdp.com to bringthe party NRI supporters andunits in different parts of theworld onto a single platform.

As part of this, 24-hourhelplines - landline+918645350888 andWhatsApp +918950674837 -were also set up in the partyHyderabad central office toprovide support to children ofparty cadres studying abroad.

Speaking after launchingthe website in Hyderabad, theTDP chief lauded the servicesof party NRI wings in times ofemergencies. The NRI TDPCell played a crucial role inbringing back Telugu studentsstranded in war-torn Ukrainerecently.

Naidu called upon the TDPadmirers in foreign countriesto register their names on thewebsite and avail the servicesthere. It was impressive that theTDP 40th foundation day cel-ebrations were held in foreigncountries as well.

Dr. Vemuri Ravi, RajasekharChappidi, and TDP Americacoordinator Komati Jayaramwere present at the launchtoday. Over 1,200 council

members have been taken forpromoting the enrollment ofNRIs through the website.

The TDP NRI cell wouldalso take up training andemployment programmes inthe IT and technology sectors.It will issue procedural guide-lines to the Telugus livingabroad from time to timebesides providing much-need-ed support in times of threatsand emergencies.

PNS n VIJAYAWADA

TDP national general secretaryNara Lokesh on Fridayslammed Chief Minister YS.Jagan Mohan Reddy for usinghis 'conditions apply' gim-micks to deny Amma Vodibenefits to the majority ofmothers in the State.

Nara Lokesh asked whyJagan Mohan Reddy did notenlighten the people aboutthe conditions for getting hiswelfare programs at the time ofthe 2019 election.

In a statement here, Lokeshsaid Jagan Reddy would notdeserve to continue as theChief Minister if the same'conditions apply' norm wouldbe used against him. JaganReddy had failed totally in ful-filling his own manifestopromises which he describedas the Bible, the Gita, and theQuran.

The TDP MLC termed it asbankrupt on the part of theCM to fulfill his much-trum-peted Amma Vodi promiseonly partially. By playing gim-micks with the dates, JaganReddy has denied one year'sAmma Vodi benefits to themothers. In the name of main-tenance of toilets, Rs. 1,000 wasbeing cut in this benefit sincethe beginning.

Lokesh said the Jagan regimehad started putting lots of con-ditions these days to deprivemothers of their Amma Vodibenefits. The benefit was beingcut now for households thatused above 300 units of elec-tricity per month and for stu-dents whose attendance fellbelow 75 percent.

Nara Lokesh pointed outthat the increasing conditionsbeing set for Amma Vodi hadraised questions about theexistence of this welfare ben-

efit at all. Amma Vodi was nowbeing cut if the beneficiarieswould not update the newdistrict in their Aadhaar.Moreover, the beneficiariesshould necessarily have a newrice card.

Expressing concern, Lokeshsaid the 'conditions apply CM'had betrayed the women ofAndhra Pradesh in every wel-fare programme he promised.Jagan Reddy's ultimate betray-als included denial of full ben-efits under Amma Vodi andincreasing sale of J-brandscontrary to the promise ofphased prohibition.

Lokesh recalled how Jaganhad made a huge false promiseto deposit Rs. 30,000 into thebank account of every moth-er who had two children.Without further betrayingwomen, the CM should giveAmma Vodi full benefits to alldeserving mothers.

PNS n VIJAYAWADA

A week-long bike rally will beheld across the State demand-ing that the State governmentcancel the contributory pen-sion Scheme (CPS). UnitedTeachers Federation (UTF)State president SVenkateswarlu and generalsecretary KSS Prasad said thata State-wide bike rally wouldbe held from April 18 to 25demanding cancellation ofCPS and implementation ofthe old pension scheme. Tothis effect, a wall poster waslaunched by the AndhraPradesh UTF members hereon Friday.

They said Chief MinisterJagan Mohan Reddy had saidthat the CPS would be can-celled within a week of com-

ing to power. However, it hadbeen three years since hecame to power, but the Stategovernment had been pro-crastinating in the name ofcommittees and failing tokeep its promise.

They said that APUTF andother unions organized strug-gles to form the ThakkarCommittee during the previ-ous TDP government. Evenafter the committee submittedits report, the old pensionpolicy had not been imple-mented, forcing the unions tofight against the State govern-ment.

APUTF leaders K SrinivasRao, K Suresh Kumar, ANKusuma Kumari, B GopiMurthy, B Lakshmi Raja, BPrabhakara Varma and otherswere present.

PNS n VIJAYAWADA

The East Coast Railway(ECoR)’s Waltair Division iscontinuing its efforts to createawareness among the public ontrespassing, alarm chainpulling and foot-board travel-ling.

Under the guidance ofDivisional Railway ManagerAnup Satpathy, the safetydepartment organised anawareness campaign on Friday.Senior Divisional Safety

Officer Praveen Bhati is mon-itoring the campaign at variouslocations, stations and ontrains. Civil Defence personneland safety counsellors areorganising seminars at schools,villages adjacent to tracks andin vicinity of Level Crossinggates.

The awareness drive com-prises distribution of safety lit-erature in the form of pam-phlets and display of bannersand posters at vulnerable loca-tions. The focus was on to pre-

vent unwanted chain pulling,crossing the track in the mid-section and at level crossings,foot-board travelling, defeca-tion on tracks and attemptingsuicide on tracks.

The DRM said that thespeed of the trains had beenincreased and they would passin a wink. Open defecation andcommitting suicide are crimes.Taking selfies in front of run-ning trains is really dangerous.He also appealed to the peopleto adopt safety rules.

PNS n VIJAYAWADA

In recognition of the environment protectiondrive by TTD, the Government of India hasoffered to support the pilot green power gener-ation centre promoted at Tirumala.

In this connection, TTD EO Dr. KS JawaharReddy met Abhay Bakre, Director General of theBureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) at PadmavatiRest House in Tirupati on Friday morning.

TTD officials explained to the BEE officialsabout the consumption of solar energy at theMatrusri Tarigonda Vengamamba AnnaPrasadam Center for the preparation of AnnaPrasadam and also about wind power generationat Kakulakonda.

The BEE representatives informed TTD EOabout the selection of Tirumala as a pilot projectfor alternative power generation and that anexpert team will be sent soon to study prospectsof green power generation at Tirumala.

Following the proposals by TTD after consul-

tation with the visiting experts' committee, theBEE will approve all financial, technical and otherassistance and forest support to the TTD, the BEErepresentatives said.

TTD JEO (Education & Health) Sada Bhargavi,SE Jagadeeshwar Reddy, DE (electrical)Ravishankar Reddy were present.

Awareness campaign on alarm chain-pulling, foot-board travelling

DG of BEE meets TTD EO

Conditions for ‘Amma Vodi' benefits flayed

Naidu launches website for NRI TDP supporters

State-wide bikerally demandingcancellation of CPS

Rs 1.90 croreseized, twodetainedPNS n VIJAYAWADA

Police have seized Rs 1.90crore of cash from a passen-ger travelling in a bus fromHyderabad to Tuni.

The police were conduct-ing checks at Garikapaticheckpost in Jaggayyapetmandal of NTR district whenthey found the cash in thepossession of two persons,said Nandigama DSPNageswara Reddy.

Addressing the media atChillakallu police station onFriday, the DSP said that thecops were conducting routinechecks at Garikapati check-post. On questioning, theaccused said that they hadsold land at Madugula villagein Ranga Reddy district andwere going back to theirnative place. However, theydidn’t have any documentsregarding the cash. The cashwas handed over to theIncome Tax officials, saidthe DSP.

Jaggayyapet Inspector PChandrasekhar, ChillakalluSI Chinna Babu and stafftook part in the checks.

PNS n VIJAYAWADA

As the SSC and Intermediateexams are scheduled to start inthe State soon, ophthalmolo-gists are advising students tofollow good habits to keeptheir eyes healthy for betterperformance in the exams.

“Follow the 20-20-20 rule.That is, every 20 minutes look20 feet away for 20 seconds,”said Dr VR Krishna PriyaKothamasu, ophthalmologistat the Child Sight Institute, LVPrasad Eye Institute,Vijayawada, here on Friday.“The students become indo-lent, tired, and restless becauseof exam anxiety and parentsare equally apprehensive dur-ing these months of the year.Too much to achieve in too lit-tle time pushes children forlonger study hours,” he said.

Dr Priya explained that longstudy hours with sleepless-ness, infrequent blinking, andincreased screen time causesfatigue, dryness, and itching inthe eyes, leading to discomfort,headaches, blurry vision, andeven migraine. She furthersaid that those symptomsmake them less efficient dur-ing the crucial days of thestudy period. She stated that

the onus of maintaining goodeye health in students was acollective responsibility of stu-dents, parents, teachers, anddoctors.

The doctor suggested thatthe students take frequentbreaks during the study time toavoid needless discomfort dueto prolonged near activity. Sheexplained to follow the 20-20-20 rule under which they haveto look 20 feet away/out of thewindow for 20 seconds in every20 minutes to shift the focusfrom near to far so that the eyemuscles acting for near-activi-

ty were sufficiently relaxed.She further suggested that

the students should not forgetto blink frequently to preventdryness, itching, and eyefatigue and not to sit in frontof an air conditioner or an aircooler or a fan to avoid dryingof eyes. She asked the studentsto sit upright with their backsstraight and avoiding excessiveneck flexion, restrict use of dig-ital gadgets and to indulge inat least an hour of physicalactivity or leisure time everyday for their overall well-beingand relaxation.

PNS n VIJAYAWADA

Good Friday was observedwith prayers and fasting byChristians who believe thatChrist died for their sins, ontheir behalf and for an eternallife for them. Special prayerswere offered in churches acrossthe State commemorating thecrucifixion of Jesus Christ.

After a gap of two years,Good Friday was observed inall churches without anyrestrictions and believersthronged the churches in largenumbers to offer specialprayers following Covid proto-col and wearing masks.

Good Friday is a decisiveturning point in Christian his-tory as this day is rememberedas the crucifixion that led toresurrection on Sunday threedays later, celebrated as Easter.Churches belonging to differ-ent denominations across theState witnessed devotees walk-ing in order to listen to thedeath of Jesus Christ on the

cross.A rally was held at Gunadala

Mary shrine and devoteeswalked up the hill to the grot-to and offered prayers.Vijayawada Catholic DaisiesEducational Desk executivedirector K Mariyanna, in hismessage, said that Christ haddied for the sinners of this

world. Mariyanna said thatChrist came into the world asa messenger and he sufferedCrucifixion for the sake ofuniversal prosperity. Specialprayers were offered in whichthousands of devotees partic-ipated. They carried the HolyCross from the church at thefoot of the hill to Gunadala

hilltop symbolising Christ car-rying the cross beforeCrucifixion. Later, the devoteeswalked in a silent rally alongthe main road.

Pastors in churches recount-ed how Jesus was beaten,whipped, mocked and killed ina gruesome manner. Membersof a few churches enacted thecrucifixion scene with a persondressed as Jesus Christ, carry-ing the cross and being flogged.Every human being is a bornsinner and Christ came to thisworld to die for the sinners.The pastors explained thatFriday was considered ‘good’for mankind, which was savedby Jesus.

Devout attend Good Fridayservice in large numbers

Mind your eyes, students advised

Devotee fromVizag drownsin PranahitaPNS n MANCHERIAL

A 39-year-old Gula Someshdrowned in Pranahita riverwhile taking a holy dip in itat Arjunagutta village underKotapalli mandal on Fridaymorning. He hailed fromVisakhapatnam. Accordingto police, he had bouts ofepileptic seizures while tak-ing holy dip in the river aspart of pushkaralu.

n Follow the 20-20-20 rule under which they have to look20 feet away/out of the window for 20 seconds in every20 minutes to shift the focus from near to far so that theeye muscles acting for near-activity were sufficientlyrelaxed.

n students take frequent breaks during the study time toavoid needless discomfort due to prolonged near activity.

PNS n VIJAYAWADA

MLA Malladi Vishnu said that Good Friday wasthe day when Jesus Christ was crucified to free allmankind from their sins. The MLA, along withDeputy Mayor Sri Sailaja Reddy, took part in theprocession led by RCM church members in AjitSingh Nagar on Friday.

On the occasion, MLA Vishnu shared with hisChristian brethren the messages that Jesus Christhad said during his crucifixion. Easter was one ofthe most important Christian festivals afterChristmas. The special Good Friday prayers glo-rified the sacrifices of Jesus that reflected love. Thevalues such as Jesus Christ's patience, love, kind-ness, and sacrifice, and the ideal of loving eventhe enemy were to be followed by mankind, saidthe MLA and added that people needed to under-stand the message of peace given by Jesus onceagain. Leaders Avutu Srinivasa Reddy, A Vijay,Afroz and other leaders participated in the pro-gramme.

People need to understand Jesus’ message: MLA

PNS n VIJAYAWADA

Public Accounts Committee(PAC) Chairman PayyavulaKeshav on Friday urged for asuo motu case to investigate thetheft of documentary evidencefrom the Nellore court in achargesheet against newlyinducted Minister KakaniGovardhan Reddy.

Keshav said MinisterGovardhan Reddy was theaccused number 1 in the casein which the charges of forgerywere proved against him.

Addressing a virtual pressconference here, the TDPleader said anybody couldguess who would benefit fromthe theft of the documentsshown as evidence in thechargesheet filed againstKakani. The judiciary shouldtake a very serious view of thistheft from the 4th AdditionalJudicial Magistrate Court inNellore.

Keshav asserted that thiswas the first time in the coun-try that documents were stolenfrom the court in a brazen

manner. Thieves would usual-ly steal cash or gold jewellerybut in this case, they haverobbed just documentary evi-dence filed against the Minister.If the perpetrators of this theftwere not punished, it would seta wrong precedent for offend-ers and criminals all over thecountry.

The PAC chairman deploredthat it had become a habit toattack the courts and the judi-ciary ever since the JaganMohan Reddy Governmentcame to power in the State. The

Nellore court theft was likeColombian mafia don PabloEscobar attacking the SupremeCourt of that country with hisprivate army.

Keshav said Escobar target-ted the court only when thecriminal and mafia casesagainst him reached a logicalconclusion, threatening hisexistence. The Nellore courttheft also took place alongsimilar lines. This was relatingto the defamation case filed byformer Minister S.Chandramohan Reddy back

in December 2017.The TDP leader said as per

a well-planned conspiracy,Govardhan Reddy made alle-gations of corruption againstthe then MinisterChandramohan Reddy.Govardhan Reddy releasedsome property documentsin order to substantiate hischarges that ChandramohanReddy amassed thousandsof crores of illegal assetsabroad. Those documentswere eventually proved to beforged.

Payyavula for suo motu case on theft of ‘evidence’

Chandrababu to setapart two days in amonth for TS politicsPNS n HYDERABAD

The Telugu Desam Party(TDP) has decided to reviveits lost sheen in Telangana.

As part of it, ChandrababuNaidu has decided to allocatetwo days every month toTelangana to strengthen theparty base here. The party hasdecided to set up a commit-tee with senior leaders tochalk out an action plan to goto the TS people.

The party has also decidedto appoint committees fromthe village level and alliedunions. The party also decid-

ed to launch movements onpublic issues and to set uptwo committees to study theproblems of Telangana.

On Friday, TDP chief N.Chandrababu Naidu held areview meeting with impor-tant leaders of Telangana atthe NTR Trust Bhavan.

Telangana TDP chiefBakkani Narsimhulu, TDPAffairs In-chargeKambhampati Rammohan,Politburo Member RavulaChandrasekhar Reddy,Arvind Kumar Goud andothers attended the reviewmeeting.

04VIJAYAWADA | SATURDAY | APRIL 16, 2022

PNS n NELLORE

In a bizarre incident, aninmate of the BC welfare hos-tel was bitten by Russell’s vipersnake at Kondapuram villagein Kaligiri mandal on thenight of Thursday.

Police said that when theinmates of the hostel wereasleep, Russell’s viper snakeslithered into the hostel and bit10th class student Jayaraj onhis chest.

The student woke up andkilled the snake with the helpof the hostel watchman.Jayaraj was admitted to thegovernment hospital wherehe is undergoing treatment.

The hostel students saidthat the area surrounding thehostel is in a bad conditionwith bushes, creepers andsnakes slithering into the hos-tel often.

It may be mentioned herethat in a similar incident, ahostel student died ofsnakebite at Kurupam villagein Vizianagaram district lastmonth. Meanwhile, Ministerfor BC Welfare Ch Venugopal

Krishna inquired with theofficial about the condition ofa student who was bitten by asnake in the BC hostel. Theminister spoke with the hos-tel welfare officer K Rameshover the phone and knew thecondition of the body. Theofficer told the minister theboy was recuperating.

The minister directed K VN Chakradhar and jointCollector Harenra Prasad toprovide all needed help to theboy till completely recovered.

PNS n GUNTUR

Andhra Pradesh Women’sCommission (APWC)Chairperson Vasireddy Padmavisited Sheik Fatima, who wasstabbed in the neck by a per-son Tulasi Ram, with whomshe had been in a live-in rela-tionship for six months, at theGovernment General Hospital(GGH) here on Friday.

Fatima suffered a deep cuton the neck and was foundlying in a pool of blood on theroad in Sattenapalli onThursday and she was shiftedto the hospital. Later, she wasshifted to the GGH here andthe doctors performed anoperation for five hours andher condition is said to be sta-ble. Vasireddy Padma visitedher in the hospital and infusedher courage. She assured thevictim to take the issue to thenotice of the Chief Minister anddo justice to her.

Padma told the media thatspecial teams were formed toarrest the accused Tulasi Ram.The government has takenmany effective measures toprovide protection to thewomen in the state.

She said that those whobehave cruelly against womenwould be dealt with firmly, shewarned. She tried to speakwith Fatima in the hospital but

she could not respond as thedoctors performed a majoroperation on her neck.

Padma spoke with her rel-atives of Fatima. She alsospoke with the superintendentof the GGH and enquiredabout health. She said that therelatives of the victimexpressed satisfaction at themedical treatment being pro-vided to her.

PNS n KADAPA

Minister for Tourism andCultural development R KRoja said that the late YSRajasekahr Reddy is a god toher and she invited her to jointhe Congress party when hewas the Chief Minister.

The Tourism Minister ishere to participate in theSitarama Kalyanam at thefamous Vontimitta SriKodandarama Swamy temple.Speaking on the occasion, shesaid that her native town isKadapaand YS RajasekharReddy is her god. The YSRCPcongress party was launched to

fulfil the aspirations of YSR,she said, adding that she vis-ited Idupulapaya ghat for theblessings of YSR.

“When I was at the TeluguDesam Party, YS RajasekharReddy invited me to theCongress. I dreamt of workingwith YS Rajasekhar Reddy butunfortunately, he died. I feltpain for missing the opportu-nity of working with YSR. Iwas branded as iron leg andmocked me”, she said.

The Tourism Minister saidthat she has a lot of devotionto Tirumala VenkateswaraSwamy and Sri KalahastiwaraSwamy. She said that she

wished to be MLA and herdream was realized as shebecame MLA twice. Sheclaimed that she worked hard

for the election victory ofYSRCP. “I feel I am luckyworking in YS Jagan MohanReddy’s Cabinet. When I vis-ited the Vontimitta templelast time, I invoked God tomake Jagan Mohan ReddyChief Minister of the State,”she said.

The welfare schemes beingimplemented by the JaganMohan Reddy government ledto a landslide victory in thelocal body elections, sheclaimed. “Henceforth, I willnot do TV shows likeJabardast. To serve people bet-ter, I should give up it”, shesaid.

YSR is my god, says RojaThe Tourism Minister vows to strive for YSRCP win in next polls

PNS n NELLORE

Former minister P AnilKumar Yadav has claimed thatthere is no group politics in theYSRCP and that all lead-ers are working in acoordinated man-ner.

Talking to thenewsmen here onFriday, he saidthat he met MLAK o t a m r e d d ySridhar Reddy to dis-cuss the programmeJagananna Mata-GadapaGadapaku.

The former minister deniedreports that the YSRCP MLAs,who were sacked from theCabinet and who were given a

raw deal, held discussions.Anil Kumar claimed that therewas no group politics in theYSRCP in the Nellore district.He said that they were all

working like soldiers ofChief Minister YS

Jagan Mohan Reddy. MLA Sridhar

Reddy launchedthe programme toreach out to peo-ple and they were

extending support,he said. The ex-min-

ister predicted thatKotamreddy Sridhar Reddywould be elected to theAssembly in the third timewith a huge majority. KotagiriGiridhar Reddy, YSRCP stategeneral secretary was present.

PNS n ELURU

Telugu Desam Party (TDP)politburo member MLANimmala Ramanaidu hasasked Water ResourcesMinister Ambati Rambabu toupdate himself on the con-struction works of thePolavaram project and criti-cised that the YCP governmentis unable to bring funds for theproject from the Centre. TheTDP MLA talking to the mediavirtually on Friday said that theconstruction of the Polavaramproject, considered to be alifeline of AP, is in dilemmadue to the apathy of the stategovernment.

The former minister P AnilKumar Yadav told many fictionstories on the construction ofthe Polavaram project, he

slammed, adding that AmbatiRambabu had come as thesecond minister for the WaterResources Management who isspeaking irresponsibly withouttelling facts on the progress ofthe project.

After the JaganMohan Reddy gov-ernment came topower, the con-struction of thePolavaram becamequestionable andmany doubts aroseover the safety of thePolavaram project, includingits water storage capacity, theTDP MLA charged.

Rama Naidu said that allthese doubts are plaguing thepeople and demanded the gov-ernment to clarify to the peo-ple. Without explaining to the

people the safety, storagecapacity and progress of con-struction, the Water Resourcesminister confined himself tocriticising the opposition lead-

ers, he slammed.“During the years2014-19 in the

Telugu Desamparty regime, 70percent construc-tion of the projectwas completed. In

just 24 hours,32,350 cubic meters

of concrete works ofPolavaram project were

carried out which entered intothe Guinness book of worldrecord”, he claimed. RamaNaidu said that during thethree years of the YCP regimeonly 4 percent of Polavaramproject works had been carried

out."If the project height is kept

at 45.72 meters, the JaganReddy government shouldextend compensation to 7 lakhdisplaced families. Otherwise,if the height is reduced to41.15 meters, the number ofdisplaced families would belimited to only 20 thousandfamilies", he said the govern-ment wants to reduce theheight.

Chief Minister JaganmohanReddy would restrict thePolavaram project, which issupposed to store 194 TMC ofwater, to just 115 TMC. If theproject height is limited to41.15 meters, it would not beable to impound more than115 TMC of water, addingthat 115 TMCs is the mini-mum drawing level.

TDP asks Ambati to update himself

PNS n TIRUPATI

Endowments Minister KottuSatyanarayana had a bitterexperience in the famous SriKalahasti temple as a largenumber of devotees raised'Minister Go Back' slogansas they were forced to standin the queue line for sever-al hours in view of the min-ister's temple visit.

The Endowment ministervisited the temple to offer aspecial pooja on Friday. Thetemple authorities stoppeddevotees in the queue lineitself for over three hours.The devotees were notallowed for more than threehours in view of the minis-ter’s temple visit. Earlier,people children, and infantswere stuck in the queue

lines. The devotees who had

been in the queue for morethan two hours, burst intoanger when they saw the

minister. They raised slo-gans as 'minister go back'.The minister interacted withsome devotees who werewaiting in the queue line

and knew their difficulties.The minister asked the tem-ple officials to allow thedevotees into the temple tohave a darshan of the deity.

Endowments Min asked to ‘Go back' No group politics inYSRCP: Ex-minister

Inmate of BC hostelbitten by snake

Vasireddy visits stab victim

PNS n ELURU

The families of the peoplekilled in the fire accident thattook place in the Porus Labs atAkkireddygudem were giventhe ex gratia announced by theState government on Friday.

On the d irec t ions ofDist r ic t C ol lec tor VPrasanna Venkatesh, MLA

Meka Venkata Pratap AppaRao, Joint Collector P ArunB abu and Ass is tantCollector T Rahul KumarReddy handed over thecheques to the families ofthe victims.

B Sudharani, the wife of oneof the deceased Boppidi Kiran,was handed over a Rs 50 lakhcheque.

The families of deceasedKancharla Joseph Kumar, SailaNageswara Rao, and ChandoluRajiv were handed over Rs 5lakh cheque, Sheik Subanifamily was extended Rs 1 lakhex gratia.

RDO KambapatiRajyalakshmi, MusunuruTahasildar S Joji and other offi-cials were present.

Ex gratia for Porus Lab blast victims

PNS n ELURU

Catholics took out a 'SiluvaYatra' from St. Theresa Schoolto the Cathedral at JVR Nagarhere on the occasion of GoodFriday.

Every year, Christians visitthe Immaculate ConceptionChurch rising above denomi-national differences. Led byBishop Jaya Rao Polimera, theRCM Church Fathers, Sisters,and community elders pro-ceeded to offer prayers, andmeditate on Jesus.

Jaya Rao carried the Crossand prayed, describing thehardships of the Lord Jesus. Hethen went to the church andexplained the significance ofthe crucifixion of Christ andhis labours. He said the Feast

of the Resurrection of Christwould take place around theworld on Easter Day next

Sunday. The event was attend-ed by Fathers I. Michael, G.Moses, Raju and many others.

Catholics take out ‘Siluva Yatra'

PNS n HYDERABAD

Telangana Industries MinisterKT Rama Rao has termed thePraja Sangrama Yatra ofSanjay as Praja VanchanaYatra.

Calling TS BJP PresidentBandi Sanjay’s Praja SangramaYatra a deception, TRSWorking President KTR saidthat the BJP leader does nothave the right to step intoPalamuru.

“Before commencing hisyatra, Sanjay should apologiseto the people of Palamuru andthe Telangana people for thebetrayal, injustice and negli-gence of the BJP to Telangana,”the TRS Working Presidentdemanded in his open letter.

He said that the fields ofPalamuru, which were onceknown for acute drought havenow turned into fertile lands.

“Krishna River is the lifelineof Palamuru. The BJPGovernment had set up theKrishna River ManagementBoard but there was no devel-opment in addressing waterdisputes. This was puttingthe district’s future in doubt,”he said.

KTR said, “Sanjay shouldenter Palamuru only afterexplaining to the Telanganapeople why the Upper BhadraProject in Karnataka wasaccorded national project sta-tus and why Telangana is fac-ing discrimination.

Telangana has beendemanding national projectstatus for the Palamuru RangaReddy Lift Irrigation Schemeand Sanjay should explainthe Centre’s response to thePalamuru people,” said KTR.

“People have been appeal-ing for a new railway line toPalamuru via Nagarkurnoolbut their pleas have beencompletely ignored by theBJP,” he said.

KTR demanded that Sanjayshould let the people knowhow much funds he hasdonated to temples inTelangana.

KTR said this as Sanjaystarted his padayatra afterpraying at the Shakti Pitam ofJogulamba Gadwal.

“The BJP which is politick-ing in the name of Sri Ramashould tell the people ofTelangana how much theyhave donated to the Sri Ramatemple in Bhadradri. Did theBJP donate even a single rupeeto the Yadadri Temple. TheBJP is used to playing politicsin the name of God,” he said.

Sanjay should start hispadayatra after responding tothe plight of Telangana farm-ers, said KTR.

He said the BJP leadershave misled farmers into cul-tivating paddy with the falsepromise of procurement bythe Centre. “Name your Yatra‘Rythu Dagaa Yatra’ or ‘RythuDokhaa Yatra,” said KTR.

It is an act ofdeceptionKTR lambasts Bandi Sanjay’s padayatra

PNS n MAHABUBNAGAR

The Bharatiya Janata Party, ifvoted to power, 'will liberate TSfrom anarchic' rule', BJP TSunit president Bandi Sanjaydeclared on Day 2 of the sec-ond phase of his PrajaSangrama Yatra, which com-menced from Linganavai vil-lage on Friday. Union Ministerfor Tourism and Culture GKishan Reddy and BJP nation-al vice-president D K Arunaaccompanied Bandi Sanjayduring the yatra.

En route people poured outtheir tales of woes to the BJPleaders and many marchedalong with them up to somedistance. Several women com-

plained to the BJP leaders thattheir lives had become burden-some.

Sanjay assured them thatBJP would bring them out oftheir difficulties, provided theyvoted for the BJP in the nextelections. He also told themthat the BJP would 'liber-ate'them from the 'family ruleof Chief Minister KChandrasekhar Rao' and makethe rulers to cough up themoney 'looted from the public'.That is why, he reiterated, peo-ple should take the BJP undertheir wings.

Asking people not to givecredence to the lies beingspread by TRS leaders, Sanjaysaid that the TRS leaders were

implementing governmentschemes with Central govern-ment funds and claiming cred-it for themselves. He appealedto people to give their supportto Modi's leadership since thePrime Minister had united

people of the country solidlybehind him during the Covid-19 turbulent period.

KCR's promises were con-fined to Pragati Bhavan, he said.People had been watching himhow he was trying to pass off liesas truth. People should welcomethe BJP to put an end to the 'fam-ily rule' and 'Nizam's despoticrule' in State so that democracycould thrive, he said.

People should welcome aviable alternative to bring theState out of the corrupt andanarchic rule of the TRS, hesaid. During the Telanganastatehood movement, KCR hadmade many promises to people,but failed to implement them,he observed.

BJP will ‘liberate TS from anarchic rule': Bandi

On Day 2 of the second phase ofpadayatra, BJP TS unit president isaccompanied by Union Minister forTourism Kishan Reddy and BJPnational vice-president D K Aruna

Rain in some areas, isolatedthunderstorms likely PNS n HYDERABAD

Some areas of Telangana wit-nessed rain on Friday. InHyderabad clouds gatheredover the north and west of thecity giving rain.

The IMD has issued a yel-low alert warning of thunder-storms and gusty winds fromApril 15 to 19. “Isolated thun-derstorms and gusty windswith a speed of 30 to 40 kmphare likely in some districts ofTelangana,” the IMD said.

During the last 24 hours,the highest rainfall of 24.2 mmwas recorded at Wargal(Siddipet), the highest maxi-mum temperature of 42.4 Cwas recorded at Tanur(Nirmal).

PNS n HYDERABAD

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)Telangana Search CommitteeChairperson Indira Shobhanon Friday claimed that herparty can only cleanse theState of 'corruption.' She feltthat there is no future for theparties that pass time by tellinglies in the State.

She said that the AAPwould strive hard for thereconstruction of TelanganaState. She alleged that the TRSgovernment has left the peo-ple lurch after winning elec-tions. She questioned why thetoilets, which were construct-ed at a cost of Rs 200 crore bythe GHMC as part of SwachhBharath programme inHyderabad, were in bad con-dition.

On Friday, on the secondday of AAP padayatra inHyderabad city, IndiraShobhan walked for 10 kmalong with South India in-charge Somnath Bharti.

Speaking to the media,Somnath Bharti said the AAPhas been working for the wel-fare of the people. He said that

the AAP presidentand DelhiChief Minister ArvindKejriwal's schemes have beenattracting all sections of thepeople.

‘Only AAP can make state corruption-free’

She said that the

AAP would strive

hard for the

reconstruction of

Telangana State.

She alleged that

the TRS

government has

left the people lurch

after winning

elections.

PNS n HYDERABAD

BJP OBC Morcha nationalpresident K Laxman on Fridayalleged that the Congress, TRSand MIM are cut from thesame cloth. He felt that TRShired political strategistPrashanth Kishor (PK) only tobring together the Congressand TRS party

Laxman claimed that theTRS party was jealous of thesuccess of Praja SangramaYatra undertaken byTelangana BJP president BandiSanjay Kumar. He said theBJP's Praja Sangrama Yatra hasbeen creating ripples in thePragathi Bhavan.

The BJP leader said theTRS working president and ITMinister K T Rama Rao's let-ter on Praja Sangrama Yatrawas like 'devils chanting scrip-tures.'

KTR seemed to have fearedthat the TRS party could suf-fer reverses.

Speaking to the media,

along with Telangana BJPvice-president N V S SPrabhakar, Laxman criticisedState government to enforcepower cuts to farming sector.

He was confident that hisparty would come to power inthe next Assembly elections.He felt that BJP State unit pres-ident Bandi Sanjay Kumar'spadayatra was a step in rightdirection.

Prabhakar criticised theMinister for their commentson Sanja Kumar's padayatra.

PK hired to bring together TRS, Congress: Laxman

BJP OBC Morcha national president K Laxman speaking at a mediaconference in Hyderabad on Friday

nation 05VIJAYAWADA | SATURDAY | APRIL 16, 2022

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R Amid Ramzan, Aurangabad civic bodysets up evening Covid-19 vax centres

Authorities in Aurangabad in Maharashtra are running three special COVID-19vaccination centres in the evening due to a fall in the number of people takingdoses at centres designated for it in the day due to Ramzan, a civic official said on

Friday. First dose coverage in the district is 82.46 per cent, while it is 82.14 per cent inAurangabad Municipal Corporation limits, and that of the second dose is 60.37 percent in the district till April 13 and61.38 per cent in the city area, hesaid. "The vaccination figures havegone down due to Ramzan. Toincrease it, we are running threespecial vaccination centres from 4pmpm to 10pm. We will also give jabs inthe market areas during this period,"AMC health officer Paras Mandlechasaid. He said the civic body hadvaccinated 1,500 residents in the cityby going door-to-door over the pastfour to five days.

All Delhi hospitals advised to remain alert, but no need to panic: Minister Jain

All hospitals in Delhi have been advised to remain alert in view of the rise in coronavirus casesin the city, Health Minister Satyendar Jain said Friday, while asserting that they are fully pre-pared to tackle the situation. According to an officials statement, Chief Minister Arvind

Kejriwal said the government is keeping a close eye on the situation. "Hospital admissions arenot increasing, so there is no need to panic. Nothing to worry about as of now," he stressed.Delhi on Thursday reported 325 freshCOVID-19 cases with a positivity rate of2.39 per cent. The Covid positivity rate inthe national capital has jumped from 0.5per cent to 2.7 per cent in a week. "TheDelhi government is closely monitoringthe situation and the government doesnot want to take any risk. We have com-pletely overhauled our health infrastruc-ture. Along with this, all hospitals havebeen advised to remain alert amidstincreasing cases of corona in Delhi," Jainwas quoted as saying in the statement.

Court orders FIRs against builder for fraud and cheating

ADelhi court directed Delhi police to lodge two FIRs against a real estate developer foralleged fraud and cheating by selling flats that were already sold to others inGurgaon. Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Dinesh Kumar passed the order on two sep-

arate complaints filed by Paramount Infratek Pvt Ltd and Choraria Securities Ltd againstRaheja Developers Ltd. The court saidthat the allegations prima- facieshowed the commission of an offencepunishable under the sections 406(criminal breach of trust), 420 (cheat-ing), and 120B (criminal conspiracy) ofIPC. The complaints disclose the com-mission of the cognizable offence. Thematters require investigation. Itappears necessary that the mattershould be investigated by the policeproperly as it would not be possible forthe complainant to collect and produceall evidence, the judge said.

India to get record numberof docs in next 10 yearsPNS n BHUJ

Prime Minister Narendra Modion Friday said the country willget a record number of doctorsin the next 10 years due to thecentral government's policy ofestablishing at least one medicalcollege in every district.

Speaking after dedicating tothe nation a 200-bed K K PatelMutli-speciality Hospital in Bhujin Gujarat's Kutch district viavideo-conferencing, he saidcoronavirus is still lurking andpeople should not take it easyand be watchful.

The modern health facility isthe first charitable multi-special-ity hospital in the Kutch regionand it has been built by theLeuva Patel community of Bhujwith help from donors based in

India and abroad.The goal of having at least one

medical college in every districtand ensuring that medical edu-cation was in reach of everyonewill result in the country gettinga record numbers of doctorsafter 10 years, the PM said.

He said two decades ago,Gujarat had just nine medicalcolleges with around 1,100MBBS seats, but the medicaleducation scenario hasimproved vastly in the last 20years.

Now, the state has one AIIMSand over three dozen medicalcolleges. Earlier, only 1,000 stu-dents used to get admission inmedical colleges of Gujarat,now around 6,000 students getadmission in these colleges.AIIMS in Rajkot has started

admitting 50 students from2021, Modi said.

Stressing that coronavirushas still not gone away and peo-ple should not take it easy, thePM said Yoga and Ayurveda,which have their origins inIndia, caught the world's atten-

tion during the pandemic. Hesaid export of turmeric fromIndia has increased after theadvent of the pandemic as peo-ple across the globe learnt aboutits health benefits.

To spread the message ofhealthy living, Modi urged thepeople of Kutch to set a worldrecord by ensuring maximumparticipation of citizens in thedistrict during the InternationalDay of Yoga on June 21.

To boost tourism in Gujaratand in the country, the PMsought help of people fromKutch living abroad in per-suading foreigners to visit attrac-tions like the White Rann ofKutch during Rann Utsav and182-metre tall Statue of Unity inNarmada district dedicated toSardar Patel.

Done a lot forST community:BJPPNS n NEW DELHI

The BJP Friday cited a numberof government welfare measuresto claim that what was done forthe empowerment of ScheduledTribes in the last eight years ismuch more than what rival par-ties did during their nearly six-decade-long rule.

The Modi government haseight members from the commu-nity in the council of ministersand they are in a position to leadsociety and ensure the commu-nity gets due support, respect andencouragement, BJP spokesper-son Gaurav Bhatia told a pressconference here. He was high-lighting the government's mea-sures for the community as partof the 'Samajik Nyay Pakhwada'(fortnight dedicated to socialjustice) being observed by the BJPto mark its foundation day, whichfell on April 6.

PNS n NEW DELHI

A hawker has no right to insistthat he may be permitted tokeep his goods and wares at theplace of hawking overnight, theSupreme Court has said.

A bench of Justices M RShah and B V Nagarathnasaid hawkers can be permittedto hawk in markets only inaccordance with the hawkingpolicy.

"The prayer before the highcourt was that the petitioner,who is a hawker in the SarojiniNagar Market, be permitted toleave his goods and wares atthe place of hawking overnight.The said prayer has been right-ly rejected by the high court,"the court said.

"The petitioner, being ahawker, has no right to insistthat he may be permitted to

keep his goods and wares at theplace where he is hawkingovernight," the bench said.

The top court was hearing aplea filed by a hawker in theSarojini Nagar Market chal-lenging an order of the DelhiHigh Court.

The hawker had soughtdirections from the high courtto the New Delhi Municipal

Council seeking to permit theappellant-hawker to leave thegoods overnight at the spotwhere he hawks during theday.

The high court noted thatthe prayer sought by the hawk-er goes against the very con-cept of hawking to permithim occupying any given areaon a permanent basis.

"The whole concept ofhawking is that the hawkercomes to the allotted/demar-cated area during the hours ofhawking with his or hergoods and wares; undertakesthe activity of hawking andleaves the area along with hisor her goods and wares at theend of the hawking period. Infact, in respect of mobilehawkers even this much isnot permitted," the highcourt had said.

Hawkers permitted to operateonly in accordance with policy

If harmed, India will not spare anyone: RajnathPNS n WASHINGTON

In a strong message to China,Defence Minister RajnathSingh has said that if harmed,India will not spare anyone, ashe asserted that India underPrime Minister Narendra Modihas emerged as a powerfulcountry and is headed to beamong the top three economiesof the world.

Singh, in his address to theIndian-American communityin San Francisco, also sent asubtle message to the US thatNew Delhi does not believe ina diplomacy of zero-sum gameand its relationship with onecountry cannot be at theexpense of the other.

The defence minister was

here to attend the India US 2+2ministerial in Washington DC.Thereafter, he travelled toHawaii for meetings atIndoPACOM headquartersand then to San Francisco.

At a reception hosted in hishonour by the IndianConsulate in San Francisco, theDefence Minister told the selectgathering about the valourshown by Indian soldiers onthe border with China.

I cannot say openly whatthey (Indian soldiers) did andwhat decisions we (the govern-ment) took. But I can definite-ly say that a message has gone(to China) that India will notspare anyone, if India isharmed. (Bharat ko agar koichherega to Bharat chhorega

nahi, he said.The Ladakh border standoff

between the Indian andChinese militaries erupted onMay 5, 2020, following a vio-lent clash in the Pangong lakeareas. The face-off escalated

after the Galwan Valley clash-es on June 15, 2020. As manyas 20 Indian soldiers and anunspecified number of Chinesetroops were killed in the clash-es.

India and China have held15 rounds of military talks sofar to resolve the easternLadakh standoff. As a result ofthe talks, the two sides com-pleted the disengagementprocess last year in the northand south banks of thePangong lake and in the Gograarea.

Without making any directreference to the Americanpressure with respect to Russiabecause of the Ukraine war,Singh said India does notbelieve in a zero-sum game

diplomacy.If India has a good relation-

ship with one country, it doesnot mean that its relationshipwith any other country willdeteriorate, he said. India hasnever adopted this kind ofdiplomacy. India will neveropt for this (kind of diploma-cy). We don't believe in thezero-sum game in internation-al relationships, he said.

India, he said, believes inhaving a bilateral relationshipwhich is based on win-win forboth the countries.

His remarks came amidstsome disquiet in Washingtonover India's position on theUkraine crisis as well as itsdecision to procure discount-ed Russian oil.

Mob sets houses on fire, accuses Muslim man of kidnapping Hindu woman

PNS n AGRA

Right-wing activists on Fridayset ablaze two houses belongingto the family of a Muslim manaccused of kidnapping a Hinduwoman, who said in a video clipthat she went willingly with him.

Police arrested eight peopleinvolved in the mob attack,which they said was carried outby members of a group knownas Dharam Jagran SamanvaySangh .

A police post in-charge wassuspended for negligence and aprobe ordered against the localSHO.

Police said the mob torchedthe house in the city's Runaktalocality, where Sajid, a gymowner, stayed. An adjoininghouse belonging to the familywas also set on fire.

The mob was demandinghis arrest for 'kidnapping' thewoman, who police said is 22years old but still in school.Shops in the local Runaktamarket also downed shutters,

with traders making the samedemand.

There were no reports ofany injuries in the attack on thegym owner's home.

The woman, who is a class 11student, went missing onMonday. She was traced twodays later by police, but Sajid'swhereabouts were not known.

Her family members hadlodged a missing person'sreport, prompting a policesearch.

Apparently on the basis oftheir complaint, a case was alsoregistered under section 366 ofthe Indian Penal Code.

PNS n NEW DELHI

The Delhi Congress on Fridaydemanded that the Kejriwalgovernment ramp up dailytesting and intensify the drivefor the administration ofbooster doses of COVID-19vaccines in view of the uptickin coronavirus infections inthe city.

The daily COVID-19 casesin Delhi have been on the riseover the last few days and thepositivity rate has jumpedfrom 0.5 per cent to 2.7 percent in a week.

Delhi reported 325 freshCOVID-19 cases on Thursday,299 on Wednesday and 137 onMonday, according to healthdepartment data.

The health department didnot issue a bulletin on Tuesday.

Delhi Congress presidentAnil Kumar said lockdownand closure of schools cannotbe the way to tackle a surge inCOVID-19 cases.

"The Kejriwal governmentshould ensure that peopleadhere to COVID-19 protocolin public places instead oftaking the easy way out andenforcing another total lock-down," he said.

The Congress leader saidthe government should rampup the number of daily RT-PCR tests to check the spreadof the coronavirus, ensurehospitals are ready to deal withany eventuality and adminis-ter the booster dose ofCOVID-19 vaccines free ofcost.

Chief Minister ArvindKejriwal has said the Delhigovernment is keeping an eyeon the COVID-19 situationand there is no need to panicsince hospitalisations are low.

The Delhi DisasterManagement Authority willhold a meeting on April 20 todiscuss measures to preventthe spread of the coronavirusin the city.

The number of dailyCOVID-19 cases in Delhi hadtouched the record high of28,867 on January 13 this yearduring the third wave of thepandemic.

The city had recorded a pos-itivity rate of 30.6 per cent onJanuary 14, the highest duringthe third wave of the pandem-ic which was largely driven bythe highly transmissibleOmicron variant of the coro-navirus.

CAG calls for makingofficials accountablePNS n JAMMU

Jammu and Kashmir has failedto submit 2,205 utilisationcertificates (UCs) for anamount of over Rs 10,441crore as on March 31, 2020,the Comptroller and Auditorand General of India (CAG)has said, noting that officialsshould be held accountable forthe lapse.

It said the non-submissionof the UCs means that author-ities have not explained as tohow funds were spent over theyears and is fraught with therisk of misappropriation .

As per the CAG's latestreport on state finances, atotal of 2,205 UCs involving Rs10,441.58 crore was outstand-ing in J and K, of which 1,370UCs amounting to Rs 5,972.99crore was outstanding formore than a year.

In a utilisation certificate(UC), it is certified that thefunds raised or taken by theentity is used for the intend-

ed purposes.The department wise

breakup of outstanding UCsshows that 86.53 per cent ofthe total amount of outstand-ing UCs pertained to fivedepartments of Tourism,Health, Agriculture andHousing and 55.53 per cent ofoutstanding UCs pertained tothe Education Departmentonly, the report said.

Financial rules state that forthe grants provided for specif-ic purposes, UCs should beobtained by the departmentofficers from grantees andafter verification, these shouldbe forwarded to the state'sAccountant General within18 months from the date ofsanction, it said.

As is evident from thedata, UCs are outstandingfor the past many years. Outof the 2,029 UCs outstandingas on 30 October 2019, 304UCs (15 per cent) are pend-ing since 2014-15, the reportsaid.

Less than 40% in 15-18 age group fullyvaccinated against Covid in 10 states, UTsPNS n NEW DELHI

Less than 40 per cent of thoseeligible in the 15-18 years agegroup have been administeredboth the doses of COVID-19vaccine in 10 states and unionterritories with Meghalayabeing the last in the list with 10per cent, according to govern-ment data.

Ahead of Meghalaya isNagaland, which has inoculat-ed 18.7 per cent of the targetbeneficiaries in this category,and Manipur (24.6 per cent),the data as on April 15 showed.

Arunachal Pradesh has vac-cinated 28.9 per cent of theadolescents in the 15-18 years

age group followed byJharkhand at 30.7 per cent,Bihar 35.2 per cent, Assam 36.4per cent, Punjab 37 per centand Chandigarh 37.1 per cent.

Dadra and Nagar Haveliand Daman and Diu have vac-cinated 38.2 per cent.

Andhra Pradesh is at the topwith 102.9 percent of the tar-get population in the age groupof 15-18 years being fully vac-cinated.

Andhra Pradesh is followedby Jammu and Kashmir with83.6 per cent and HimachalPradesh (80.8 per cent).

In Chhattisgarh, Haryana,Kerala, Maharashtra,Mizoram, Puducherry, Tripura

and Lakshadweep, the per-centage was below 50 per cent.

The national average of sec-ond dose coverage in the 15-18 years age group is 54.3 percent, the data showed.

An estimated 7,40,57,000adolescents are there in thecountry in this age-group.

India opened up vaccinationfor the 15-18 years age-groupon January 3.

The vaccine option againstCOVID-19 for children in thisage group is Covaxin.

The cumulative vaccinedoses administered in thecountry has exceeded 186.30crore as per provisional reportstill 7 am.

Himachal Day:CM announces50% bus farerelaxationPNS n SHIMLA

Himachal Pradesh ChiefMinister Jai Ram Thakur onFriday announced a 50 percent relaxation in fare inHRTC buses for women, freepower to all up to 125 units,and no water bill in rural areas.

The state is scheduled to goto polls in December thisyear. Thakur made theannouncements while presid-ing over the 75th state levelHimachal Day function inthe historic town of Chowganin Chamba district today.

The CM said that thewomen on the whole will saveup to about Rs 60 crore withthe 50 per cent discount onHRTC bus fare.

Ramp up testing,administration ofbooster doses: Cong

PNS n JALPAIGURI (WB)

A 14-year-old girl, who sur-vived a rape attempt in WestBengal's Jalpaiguri district, setherself on fire after she wasallegedly threatened to with-draw the police complaint,officials said on Friday.

The girl, a resident ofMaynaguri police station area,was alone in her house onFebruary 28 when a manallegedly tried to rape her, theysaid.

He ripped off her clothesbut as she screamed, the manfled, they added.

Subsequently, a police com-plaint was filed by her familyand the man was arrested.However, he got out on bail,police said.

On Thursday, two men

came to her house, with theirfaces covered, when she wasalone and threatened to with-draw the police complaint,they said.

The men allegedly threat-ened that if she does not with-draw the complaint, her fam-ily will be killed, police said.

Following this, she set her-self ablaze. The girl was, how-ever, rescued and admitted tothe Jalpaiguri hospital, theysaid.

As her condition was criti-cal, she was later shifted to theNorth Bengal Medical Collegeand Hospital, police said.

Two people were arrested inconnection with the incident.When produced at the districtcourt on Friday, the duo wasremanded to police custodyfor four days.

Bengal: Girl sets herself ablaze after threat to withdraw rape bid complaint

3 juveniles heldfor killing ice-cream vendorPNS n NEW DELHI

Three juveniles were appre-hended on Fr iday forallegedly stabbing a 45-year-old ice-cream vendorto death in northeastDelhi's Bhajanpura, policesaid.

According to police, theincident took place inSubhash Vihar area on theinter vening night ofWednesday and Thursday.Two baton swords used inthe crime were also recov-ered from them.

All the juveniles whowere aged between 15 to 16years had fled to Meerut(UP) after killing Tamkeenand later returned back totheir Delhi home, policesaid.

FAILURE TO SUBMIT

UTILISATON CERTIFICATES

I’m blessed to be …where I canpursue my careerwhile being ableto give my familytime.

Actor— Kareena Kapoor Khan

2008), the fine art of pullingpuppetry strings is critical.Whenever the ‘redlines’defined by Rawalpindi GHQwere breached by the civiliandispensation of the day, thealternatives in theOpposition ranks foundthemselves galvanised bywhat Nawaz Sharif oncecalled ‘Khalai Makhlooq’(invisible aliens or angels).Clearly, Imran got carriedaway by his own cult and wasseen questioning the‘Militiestablishment’, andassuming himself to be anequal of the Generals — acardinal sin with unpardon-able consequences in thenarrative of the powerful‘ M i l i t i e s t a b l i s h m e n t ’.Ironically, the recent benefi-ciary of the meddlesome‘Militiestablishment’ wasnone other than ShehbazSharif, the brother of NawazSharif, who holds the fort onbehalf of his presumablyrelieved (though wary)brother in London. The wilyand the longest servingPrime Minister of Pakistan(3 non-consecutive terms),Nawaz would know aboutthe ways of the‘Militiestablishment’ — hewas after all the product andvictim of the same.

Gen Zia-ul-Haq hadinducted a young industrial-ist, Nawaz Sharif, into the

Punjab Cabinet as FinanceMinister in 1981 (ChiefMinister by 1985). The‘Militiestablishment’ post-Zia’s death punted onNawaz’s then IslamiJamhoori Ittehad (IJI) and‘helped’ him (Supreme Courtruling later confirmed thatIJI was created by ISI)become the Prime Ministerby 1991. The young andoverambitious Nawaz Sharifhad perhaps succeeded toosoon as he showed reckless-ness and impatience withthe power structures — soon,his handpicked Army Chief,Gen Waheed Kakar, ensuredthe dismissal of the SharifGovernment by 1993. In hissecond coming, Nawaz wasdefter in easing out ArmyChief General JehangirKaramat prematurely, andthought he had made a mas-terstroke with the out-of-turn selection of a ‘safe’Mohajir ie, Gen PervezMusharraf. Famously, his-tory repeated itself, and hishandpicked Gen Musharrafdeposed Nawaz in the 1999coup. In Nawaz’s thirdinnings as Prime Minister, hehad to deal with the outgo-ing dictator, Musharraf ’schosen, Gen Pervez Kayani,as his concurrent ArmyChief (Kayani later extendedhis term by three years, uni-laterally)! Finally, when

Nawaz did manage toappoint his own (again, out-of-turn) Gen Raheel Sharif asthe Pakistani chief — Raheelturned out to be his ownman who gave his PrimeMinister many sleeplessnights with his popularityand murmurs of ‘takeover’.Sixth man chosen by Nawazto be Army chief was GenQamar Bajwa (yes, out-of-turn again!) who, instead ofremaining beholden, gleeful-ly upped the ante againstNawaz and allowed him toget disqualified — all six ofSharif ’s selection of Pakistanichief ’s in his tenures ulti-mately dumped him.

In the Pakistani cloak-and-dagger system under thebroody shadows of the‘Militiestablishment’, no one ispermanently good or bad asthe once-deposed (Sharifs)are the chosen ones yet again,temporarily. The defiant andwholly personalised way inwhich a kicking and scream-ing Imran has been literallypushed out of office will fur-ther infuriate the‘Militiestablishment’ whowould not want to surrenderthe mantle of nationalism(never mind the history of1965, 1971 or Kargil) fromitself, that too, to a man whothreatened to upstage themand re-script his own impor-tance by diminishing that ofthe ‘Militiestablishment’.Already the bloodied Sharif-Bhutto dynasts have changedtheir tune after Imran’s ousterand are now singing hosannasin favour of‘Militiestablishment’ — theyknow that the RawalpindiGHQ can swing and bestownationalistic credentials ontowhichever side seems to bedoing their bidding. Imran isperhaps too brash, boastfuland even vain to recognise thefutility of his cavalier grand-standing, that too, in front ofmilitary Generals, in Pakistan.

(The writer, a militaryveteran, is a former LtGovernor of Andaman &Nicobar Islands andPuducherry. The viewsexpressed are personal.)

LET’S LIVE IN PEACE AND HARMONYSir — It is disturbing that nowadays sys-tematic efforts are made to create tensionbetween Hindus and Muslims as stoneswere pelted on Ram Navami processions.Provocative acts are done in front ofmosques and residential areas. In socialmedia, we see videos showing lumpenelements holding saffron flags shoutingprovocative slogans in front of mosquesand even putting up saffron flags on theirminarets. A temple priest gives a warn-ing at the front of mosque that he willrape Muslim women and girls. A groupof youth wearing orange scarves van-dalises a poor watermelon vendor’s cartby throwing them all over the road justbecause he is Muslim.

Our PM is talking about Russia andUkraine but hasn’t uttered a word againstpeople creating ruckus in the name ofreligion. On the other hand, an incidenthas touched my heart. In Gujarat’sVadgam taluka, a small village has stoodup for communal harmony. On Fridayevening, a temple has invited Muslimrozedaars to offer namaz and break theirfast at Iftaari. In this small village, theHindus and Muslims help each otherduring Ram Navami and other holy fes-tivals. This small village sets an excellentexample that both communities can livewith love and harmony.

Zeeshaan | Kazipet

GUARD AGAINST COVID SPREADSir — The unprecedented surge inCOVID-19 cases in Shanghai has creat-ed a panicky situation for China and theworld. The 26 million Shanghai residentshave been pushed into lockdown andconfined to their houses. President XiJinping’s zero COVID approach hascompelled them to resort to suicide andshed deep anger and frustration againstthe Government’s harsh and inhumanmeasures to control the infection ofOmicron BA.2 variant. This is possiblythe worst nightmare that has struckChina after Wuhan, specificallyShanghai, where people are fed up withstringent lockdown restrictions and

quarantine measures despite being vac-cinated, pleading the authorities forfood supply.

At this crucial juncture, President Xi’srules have isolated China from the rest ofthe world with strict travel restrictions; heshould immediately heed the pathetic con-dition of the masses who want the curbseased and basic facilities restored. It mustbe a matter of concern for other countriesto gear up for precautions, including India.The recently registered COVID-19 casesin Delhi, specifically in schools, and inKerala and Gujarat must not be ignoredby the authorities and the Governmentmust act with all due seriousness.

Janga Bahadur Sunuwar | Jalpaiguri

MI HAS FAILED TO PROVE METTLESir —The IPL cricket is a competitivegame where each team is vying for thetop honour in the 15th edition of thecash-rich tournament. With the inclu-sion of two new teams, Gujarat Titansand Lucknow Super Giants, the compe-tition has become tougher and there are

upsets all the way. Chennai Super Kings,after losing four games on the trot, cameup trumps to win the fifth game. On theother hand, the champion side ofMumbai lost their fifth successive game,thereby raising doubts about the teamqualifying for the last-four stage. Earlieralso, the Mumbai outfit was on thereceiving side but returned to win.

For this, the Mumbai side was wait-ing for home games to return to theirwinning ways. But this time around, allthe matches are being played in andaround Mumbai but the results are stillnot forthcoming. Mumbai Indians hasbeen the most successful franchise in theIndian Premier League, having won fivetitles — 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019 and 2020.Mumbai lacks quality spinners in the sideand that affects the talent of their batters.So far, Mumbai Indians has failed toshow its mettle in IPL-15.

CK Subramaniam | Navi Mumbai

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

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VIJAYAWADA | SATURDAY | APRIL 16, 2022

06

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In the Pakistani cloak-and-dagger system under the broody shadows of the military establishment, no one is permanently good or bad

THE ONCE-DEPOSED

(SHARIFS) ARETHE CHOSEN

ONES YET AGAIN,TEMPORARILY.

THE DEFIANT AND WHOLLY

PERSONALISEDWAY IN WHICH A KICKING AND

SCREAMINGIMRAN HAS

BEEN LITERALLYPUSHED OUT

OF OFFICE WILL FURTHER

INFURIATE THE ‘MILITI-

ESTABLISHMENT’

LETTERS TO TTHE EDITOR

BHOPINDER SINGH

The UGC allows students to pursue twodegrees for UG or PG/Diplomas at oncein physical+physical mode or

physical+online mode or online+onlinemode with full-time degree courses, as UGCchairman M Jagadesh Kumar has said. Thisprogramme will start from the academic year2022-23. Students can pursue it throughopen or distance learning programmes also;the two degrees can be pursued from thesame university or from different universi-

ties and it will be governed by UGC and thestatutory bodies of higher education. MPhiland PhD programmes will not fall under thisscheme. It depends upon the universities ifthey want to provide such a scheme.

It’s a very advanced decision by UGCfor our education system where studentscan be flexible in their higher studies. It’salso a sustainable decision as it will helpincrease literacy rate and will act as a boonfor fighting illiteracy. After a loss in the edu-cation system due to the pandemic, thisscheme will provide a bright future in termsof skills and education. Most of the studentssometimes want to pursue a job after com-pleting UG , and sometimes it’s not easy toget a job, but from now it is highly possi-ble because of having two degrees as thestudents will have the knowledge of twocourses. Thanks to this move, they can buildtheir skills in their choice of fields.

Akankhya Rout | Dhenkanal

Two degrees at a time

‘Militiestablishment’and the wary Sharifs

Afew years back, coun-terinsurgency expertDavid Kilcullen hadpainted a doomsday

scenario: “Pakistan is 173 mil-lion people, 100 nuclearweapons, an Army bigger thanthe US Army, and Al-Qaedaheadquarters sitting right therein the two-thirds of the coun-try that the Government does-n’t control. The Pakistani mili-tary and police and intelligenceservice don’t follow the civilianGovernment; they are essential-ly a rogue State within a State.”Minor deviations from theprophecy notwithstanding, theprecarious situation in Pakistanwith its eponymous‘Militiestablishment’ (Military‘Deep State’) holds largely true.The Pakistani Generals havejust tripped their erstwhile pro-tégé, Imran Khan Niazi (whoprefers not brandishing the‘Niazi’ bit, owing to infamyassociated with Lt Gen AK‘Tiger’ Niazi)! As the Generalssimply disowned Imran duringthe no-confidence saga withtheir combination of silences,contradictory statements andostensible neutrality, a desper-ate Imran was left beseeching“only animals remain neutral”!Once ‘selected’ (not necessari-ly ‘elected’), Imran was sacri-ficed by the same institution ofthe Pakistani Army, just as it didearlier to all other civilian politi-cians of different partisan per-suasions, without exception.

Imran is not done political-ly as he would still command acertain mass loyalty in the faceof the barely credible alterna-tives in PML-N, PPP or even inMaulana Fazal ur Rehman —but he faces an insurmountablechallenge for now, ie,‘Militiestablishment’. This insti-tution is beyond simplisticaspersions, popular passionsor ideological affiliations as itis purely a self-defensive prod-uct of situational requirementswhich can easily deploy seem-ingly contradictory or evencounter-intuitive instincts toprotect its own relevance.Increasingly preferring to con-trol the reins from the shadows(Gen Musharraf last heldnational leadership position in

Barely days after the city celebrated the festival of Navratri and in spite of theongoing month of Ramzan, the ‘dhamaka offer’ is back at the Capital’s liquorvends. As the mercury rises, the competition wars around alcohol is hotting

up again between Delhi and Gurugram. Days after the Delhi Government allowedthe L-7Z licensees to offer discounts up to 25 per cent, Delhi is again on a high,

and seemingly pleased as punch, too. In fact, mostshops across town are offering the mandated 25per cent discount on beer bottles and cans, and sev-eral are dangling the buy-one-get-one-free (on boozebottles costing up to `1,000) or buy-two-get-one-free (on liquor worth `1,000 or more) carrot to reelin the devotees of Bacchus. As expected, howev-er, the development has had a ripple effect in adjoin-ing Gurugram. With liquor in Delhi becoming cheap-er, vendors in the Millennium City have moved tofurther slash prices in order to stay competitive withthe rates in the national Capital and protect its rep-utation as the “cheapest liquor adda” in the NCR.

Both the neighbouring Governments are pulling out all the stops in the need to gar-ner maximum excise revenue from this venture.

After the earlier discount schemes were discontinued in February end after kick-ing off in mid-November last year, the sales had come down but have now pickedup again on the back of the discounted rates and literally double the fun at halfthe cost. However, many people still don’t know that the discount is back so theliquor store owners are planning an “aggressive promotion campaign on socialmedia to create awareness”. The city Government is likely to come up with theDelhi Excise Policy 2022-23 in the next couple of months, which will be a revisedform of the existing policy. The Government had last month told the Delhi HighCourt that the heavy discounts and offers helped sell 24.5 million litres of liquorin February, almost double the average monthly sale of 13.2 million litres in 2019-20. The discounted supply apart, there still remain issues which shall hopefullybe addressed therein. For example, draught beer, which requires utmost care inhandling and is meant only for “on the premises” consumption, cannot be pro-cured from retail liquor vends. But it’s all good as long as it lasts. For Delhiites,abhi to party shuru hui hai!

Does the ordinary citizen of the country have access to quality legal serviceswhen knocking at the doors of justice? Hardly, says Chief Justice of OdishaHigh Court S Muralidhar. Raising concern over the quality of legal aid avail-

able to the marginalised, he says the “lack of confidence in the legal aid lawyer isa reflection of the general approach to welfare services by the providers”. He insiststhat the system works “unequally” for the poor and the rich. The Justice is sound-ing a wake-up call. The entire exercise of a person seeking justice begins with hir-ing the services of a lawyer. The experience depends on the litigant’s ability to pay.As Justice Muralidhar points out, the poor do not get to complain if they get poorlegal services because of the prevalent attitude that they cannot expect quality whenthe service is free. A complete overhaul of the legal aid system is long overdue. LastOctober, Justice UU Lalit of the Supreme Court also raised the issue, saying thatlegal aid to the poor “does not mean poor legal aid”. He wanted the lawyers to takethe initiative to improve the standard of such aid. Both the Government and the judi-ciary should approach legal aid reforms by first introducing the general public to the

concept of legal literacy. How many know that accessto justice is a constitutional right? How many knowthat free legal aid is a Directive Principle because theState guarantees justice on the basis of equal oppor-tunity for all?

A destitute person who cannot afford a lawyeris denied that equal opportunity until and unless legal-ly assisted and for free. Over 80 per cent of Indiansare eligible for subsidised legal aid. However, the num-ber of legal aid lawyers is not more than a lakh ortwo. The per capita spending on legal aid is less thana rupee. In comparison, Australia spends ̀ 1748 and

Argentina, `1292. Very few States allocate aid lawyers within a day. It takes over amonth in a couple of States. The National Legal Services Authority is found wanti-ng. It is true that over 15 million people have benefited from NALSA, but it suffersfrom several problems. The per capita availability of lawyers and legal assistants ispitiably low. The funds allotted are inadequate. The lawyers on the panel are not ade-quately compensated and that is the primary reason for inferior quality of service.These three issues need priority handling. Experienced and senior lawyers shouldbe encouraged to take up legal aid work as that would encourage the juniors. Probono work should have weightage in promotions of lawyers to senior advocates orjudges. Legal aid is not charity; it is an obligation. And legal literacy should one dayempower the poor to demand the services of lawyers not just in courts but in policestations as well. That would be the day.

Cost of justice

Cheer, again!People are jostling once again at Delhi’s

liquor vends on the back of ongoing discounts

PICTALK

Artistes perform during an event to celebrate ‘Himachal Diwas' at Dhalpur, Kullu district PTI

Reforms are needed to end the notion of legal aid to the poor meaning poor legal aid

This is Rajasthan and not Afghanistan. Stop giving second-gradetreatment toHindus.

BJP MP— Tejasvi Surya

Moulding into a new role, it’lltake time to getthings going.

CSK captain— Ravindra Jadeja

SOUNDBITE

It’s becomeclearer that Putinis just trying towipe out eventhe idea of beinga Ukrainian.

US President— Joe Biden

People have a lot of faith in the uniform.Whenever they seeyou, they believetheir life is safe.

Prime Minister— Narendra Modi

The spread of misinformationposes a considerable threat to thelife and lifestyle of the commonpeople as evident from variousstudies. During the pandemic,misinformation related to falsecures and conspiracy theoriescaused panic, anxiety, false hope,mental trauma and fear as thevirus was spreading. Due to spreadof health misinformation, thebusiness of fake healthcare ser-vices and fake medicines alsoincreased. The most prevalentimpact of misinformation thatwere seen during and after thelockdown - suffered differentkinds of socio-psychologicalimpact in different parts of thecountry. Multiple languages andthe diversified socio-cultural envi-ronment have made it more crit-ical to address the problem.

A top World HealthOrganization official in Augustnoted that misinformation aboutCOVID and vaccines was keepingpeople from getting the shots,driving an increase in cases aroundthe world.

Digital media literacy is onewayto help internet users in Indiato identify and disregard misinfor-mation and disinformation, espe-cially in regional languages andrural areas.

One such media literacy train-ing program run by the FactShalaIndia Media Literacy Network, wasconducted across 28 states of thecountry. In early 2021 the Centrefor Media Studies (CMS), an inde-

pendent socialand media researchthink tank, conducted a compre-hensive impact evaluation ofFactShala’s training program. Thisevaluation study also tried to findout the impacts of the misinforma-tion float on social media.

Many respondents in the studyrecalled that how misinformationimpacted their health, communalharmonyin some parts of thecountry and also generated thefear, anxiety, false hope amongmany of them. The spread of mis-information makesmany peoplefeel anxious, depressed, or emo-tionally exhausted. The respon-dents cited examples of posts thatimpacted their physical and men-tal health due to believing inwronginformation on social media.

A young womanexplained thatshe didn’t isolate herself for manydayseven after testing positive forCOVID because she read a postclaiming that ‘if you can hold yourbreath for 30 seconds you aren’tCOVID positive.’The study foundmany such cases where either thetreatment or the preventive mea-sures were delayed or stoppedafter reading misinformation ordisinformation appeared on socialmedia. Many posts were spreadinginformation against vaccination.Few respondents admitted thatthey had read the posts that onecan die also after vaccination. Itcreated a fear among some peopleand boosted vaccine hesitancy.

Communal disharmony wasthe other major impact reported by

respondents from Jharkhand andUttar Pradesh. Posts carrying mis-information related to employmentor cancellation of exams or promo-tion of next class were created falsehope and anxiety among studentsand job seekers. After readingand believing the post appeared ondifferent platform of social mediamany people suffered financialloss. During the interviews manyrespondents admitted that theywere duped and suffered financialloss after reading the posts ofmoney laundering or cheap tick-ets for the flights.

As there is so much informa-tion on the social media andonline in general, identifying use-ful andaccurate sources is decep-tively difficult for average users.Media literacy interventions havean important role as citizens arenot checking online informationfor accuracy and authenticity,largely because of the sheer volumeof messages and low levels of awareness about misinforma-tion, disinformation and fact-checking.

Small, standalone interven-tions targeting school students orinstitutions exist but they tend tofocus either on fact-checking andverification training, or criticalthinking. To make people knowl-edgeable and secure online aneffective mechanism for increasinginformation literacy and buildingresilience to misinformation anddisinformation within communi-ties is required.

Social media literacy toaddress misinformation

ONCE THE INQUIRY IS CONDUCTED, THE TRUTH

WILL COME OUT. THE BACKGROUND IS VERY

IMPORTANT IN THIS CASE.

— KARNATAKA CHIEF MINISTER

BASAVARAJ BOMMAI

ARRESTING MINISTER ESHWARAPPA ON

MURDER AND CORRUPTION CHARGES IS THE

ONLY WAY TO DELIVER JUSTICE.

— CONGRESS SPOKESPERSON

RANDEEP SURJEWALA

The pandemic has amplified the circulation of unverified information —both unwitting (misinformation) and deliberate (disinformation)

The last two years or so have been an unprecedented experiencein the chain of human evolution. The phase has not been declaredformally over, yet. There are ripples of different types of expe-

riences continuing. China for one, is going through a re-spread of aversion of the pandemic in Shanghai and elsewhere. On April 11 yetanother version of the virus was detected in South Africa. The extentand the nature of the spread is yet to be fully worked out. Whereassocial distancing has raised fewer crescendos, masks continue to bea major focus of attention. In India, some states have removed thepenalty clause on not wearing masks whereas others have retainedit just as an advisory. It remains in force in a few states in the coun-try. It is a challenge to an average citizen to keep up with the various

regulatory variations. The bewildering complexity does not end there.As the ART home testing kit becomes more popular the kind of mon-itoring system which was in place till some months ago with the dis-trict administration seems to be somewhat on a decline. The storyhas other interesting overtones. Some are reporting false positivesin the ART test, the consequences of which can well be imagined.Clearly, the general verdict seems to be that if there is a variancebetween the ART test and the PCR test, the findings of the PCR testare deemed to prevail. Notwithstanding a general decline in the num-ber of cases and its global virulence, the feeling of restlessness andthe fallouts thereof continue. It impedesa natural flow to return of nor-malcy. The collaterals continue to be significant. One has to also keepin mind the anxiety which would settle into anybody’s psyche in theinitial or the subsequent stages of the continuing trauma. The processof transmission of the virus is not yet sufficiently established in allits modes and shades. As the number of occasions grow for the num-ber of social groups being spontaneously or temporarily formed, onecan never be sure which individual is a potential carrier of the disease.Inthat case one would not know to what extent one is really being exposedto the possibility of an infection. These questions can only be answeredby a far greater understanding and awareness of the nature of the virusand where it can survive or for how long does it survive. In the ear-lier stages of the pandemic the mutation process of the virus madean understanding of the process of infection, itself. open to debate.Medicines and therapies (such as the use of the blood plasma of aformerly infected person) did the rounds. With time, medicines likeRemdesivir became less fashionable and the feeling grew that eventhe Pulmonologist could only go so far. Today, the atmosphere is farmore relaxed and many a diagnosis stops with reference to a few dosesof Erythromycin and more. How long this will continue to be so, asof now, evokes very few definitive projections. All told, the exactingdistress of impending consequences of infection has receded but thehabits which got formed as a psychological shield in the last sever-al months of anxiety, continues. Anybody’s cough in a group of people draws attention. If people then get to learn that somebody inthe group was found infected, the others begin watching themselvesfor symptoms. All told, the infectivity seems to have waned but anxieties continue to be the underpinning in a seemingly overwhelm-ingly large part of the population. So it appears, the lay of the landin the era of the pandemic.

(The writer is an acclaimed management consultant. The viewsexpressed are personal.)

VIJAYAWADA | SATURDAY | APRIL 16, 2022

07

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FIRSTCOLUMNPANDEMIC AND THE

LAY OF THE LAND

POINTCOUNTERPOINT

ANNU ANAND

Restrictions may have been lifted, but anxiety still remains

AS THERE IS SO MUCH

INFORMATIONON SOCIALMEDIA AND

ONLINE INGENERAL,

IDENTIFYINGUSEFUL AND

ACCURATESOURCES IS

DECEPTIVELYDIFFICULT FOR

AVERAGE USERS.MEDIA LITERACYINTERVENTIONS

HAVE ANIMPORTANT

ROLE ASCITIZENS ARE

NOT CHECKINGONLINE

INFORMATIONFOR ACCURACY

ANDAUTHENTICITY

(The writer is DirectorAdvocacy, Centre forMedia Studies and a

development journalist.The views expressed

are personal.)

French PresidentEmmanuel Macron wonthe first round of the

presidential election on Sunday,but he’s still in trouble. He knewhe would be. Here’s what hesaid on Saturday.

“Don’t believe the punditsand the pollsters who tell youthat it’s impossible (that the farright will win in the secondround of the election). Look atBrexit and so many elections,all that seemed improbableand yet came to pass. Nothingis impossible.”

In fact, it’s not even unlike-ly. Strategies have consequences,as Macron is now learning.The strategy that made Macronpresident last time (2017) hassucceeded so well that it maycost him the election in the sec-ond round this time (24 April).

Macron’s strategy has

always been to exaggerate thedifference between the centreand the rest. If the left was toofar left and the right was too farright, then the politician repre-senting the centre (him) was theonly rational choice.

It worked for him in 2017,when he waltzed into the pres-idency with a 66% majority ofthe vote despite the fact that hehad never held elective officebefore. Fast forward five years,however, and the fantasy hasbecome the fact.

The traditional moderateleft-wing party, the Socialists,has been devoured by Jean-LucMélenchon’s extreme left ‘LaFrance Insoumise’ (RebelFrance), which advocates withdrawal from NATO andalso, in effect, from theEuropean Union.

The Socialists only got 4.8%

in the first round of voting onSunday, which means they don’teven get their election expens-es reimbursed. The party mayactually declare bankruptcy anddisappear.

The traditional centre-rightparty, the Republicans, is suffer-ing exactly the same fate. It toohas fallen short of the 5% thresh-old and may go broke. Its placeas standard-holder of the right

has been taken by Marine LePen’s National Rally, whichremains ultra-nationalist, racistand anti-immigrant despite acosmetic make-over that down-plays its uglier policies.

Le Pen also benefited fromthe fact that an even harder-rightcandidate, xenophobic televisionpundit Éric Zemmour, made herlook moderate, if only by com-parison. She will inherit all his

votes in the second round of vot-ing, naturally, but Macron’sproblem is that she may alsoinherit some of Melenchon’shard-left supporters on 24 April.

They have a shared hostili-ty to the European Union, forexample, and most left-wing vot-ers can remember that eventhough Le Pen has been down-playing it recently. They bothhave a strong populist tone: LePen may be a woman of theright, but she’s promising thatpeople under 30 won’t have topay income tax, and everybodycan retire on full pension at 60.

Fully half of France’s votingpopulation has just voted forextremist parties, and accordingto the polls Le Pen is headinginto the run-off still holdingmost of those votes. The latestnumbers say Macron 51%, LePen 49%, which is effectively

neck-and-neck.This does not bode well for

Macron, especially because it hasalways been hard for Frenchpresidents to win a second term.And while the other losing par-ties told their supporters to backMacron in the second round,Mélenchon just told his support-ers “You must not give a singlevote to Marine Le Pen.” [But youcould abstain, if you like.]

Despite Covid, France isactually in good shape afterfive years of Macron. Investmentis up, inflation is low, jobs areplentiful, the country is evenopening more factories than itcloses. But the French do not feelgood about their lot, and Le Pencould actually win. If she does,a great deal will change, and notjust in France.

The new-found unity of‘The West’ in the face of Russia’s

invasion of Ukraine will vanish:Le Pen’s campaign pamphletsfeature a picture of her withVladimir Putin, another hard-right icon. She has stopped talk-ing aloud about ‘Frexit’, but it’sstill there in the backgroundsomewhere, as is the anti-immi-grant racism her party hasalways peddled.

She is much more thanDonald Trump in a skirt. She isfar more intelligent than he is,and not at all corrupt. She isracist and Islamophobic, butmuch better at dog-whistling hertrue convictions. If the Leagueof Authoritarian Leaders everneeds an honorary president, shewould be the best candidate forthe job.

Despite all this, I thinkMacron will win, because theFrench aren’t fools. But it may bea near-run thing.

The latest numbers put Macron at 51 per cent and Le Pen at 49 per cent, which is effectively neck and neck

The French election, round two

(Gwynne Dyer’s new book is ‘The Shortest History

of War’. The views expressed are personal.)

GWYNNE DYER

VINAYSHIL GAUTAM In June 2018, two Assam youths, anaudio engineer and a digital artist,were killed brutally in a mob lynch-ing while they were heading for a

vacation. It was an avoidable tragedy thatoccurred due to a misleading socialmedia post. The local people believed apost about child kidnappers moving in thearea and thought that the two were kid-nappers. This wasnot an isolated case. Therumours about child-abduction spreadthrough WhatsApp messages were con-nected to at least 17 murders across Indiain 2018. Such lynching incidents in sev-eral parts of the country due to socialmedia posts shook the nation and demon-strated the devastating impacts of misin-formation.

During the Coronavirus pandemic,thesocial media emerged as a majorsource of misinformation. India emergedas the biggest source of COVID misinfor-mation asone out of six postsabout thepandemic was based on fake information,according toa studyby the University ofAlberta. It found that social media was thebiggest producer of misinformationaccounting for nearly 85 per cent of it.Internet-based sources made up 91 percent of all COVID-related fake news.Among the countries, India was found-to be the biggest source of misinforma-tion (18 per cent) followed by Brazil (9per cent) and USA (8.6 per cent). Thequantity of of misinformation was also thehighest in India.

In fact misinformation is the emerg-ing problem in the media landscape dom-inated by the social media in India. Morethan 400 million Indians have access tothe internet on digital devices like smart-phones. People with affordable phone andbroadband connection have access tonews and information flowing from dif-ferent digital sources, but are notequipped to assess the veracity of claimsusually made in these messages.

As per the latest data, Indians on anaverage spend about 2.36 hours on socialmedia every day. The number of socialmedia users in the country is growing byleaps and bounds due to the deep pene-tration of internet connectivity. Thenumber of Internet users has grown to658 million which is roughly 47 per czentof the total population. Of this, mobileinternet users are about 600 million.Thefalling price of smartphones has driventhe massive increase in the usage ofmobile phones. The availability of inter-net connection at very low prices is anoth-er factor for a large-scale rise of internetsubscribers.

The country’s higher internet pene-trationrate, increasing social media con-sumption and user’s lack of digital liter-acy and regulation has led to increase thevulnerability of social media misinforma-tion.The pandemichas amplified the cir-culation of unverified information - bothunwitting (misinformation) and deliber-ate (disinformation).

VIJAYAWADA | SATURDAY | APRIL 16, 2022 Money 08

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Services exports to Australia are expected to more than double to USD 5 billion in thenext five years on the back of the trade pact signed between the two nations, theServices Exports Promotion Council (SEPC) said on Friday.

SEPC Chairman Sunil H Talati said that sectors that will be benefited immensely from thepact include telecommunications, computer, information, travel, research anddevelopment, professional andmanagement consulting services.India and Australia on April 2 inkedan economic cooperation and tradeagreement (ECTA) to boosteconomic ties. "SEPC expectsexports to reach USD 5 billion by2027 from the current USD 1.9billion," Talati said. He added that thecouncil will be the nodal organisationfor creating and promoting businessopportunities for India's servicessector in Australia in the givenframework of the pact.

Jewellery retailer Senco Gold Ltd has filed preliminary papers with capital marketsregulator Sebi to raise Rs 525 crore through an initial public offering (IPO). The IPOcomprises fresh issue of equity shares aggregating up to Rs 325 crore and an offer for

sale (OFS) of equity shares to the tune of Rs 200 crore by selling shareholder - SAIF PartnersIndia IV Limited. Besides, the company may consider a pre-IPO placement of equity sharesaggregating up to Rs 65 crore. If suchplacement is undertaken, the fresh issuesize will be reduced. The companyproposes to utilise Rs 240 crore of netproceeds from the fresh issue towardsfunding working capital requirements andrest towards general corporate purposes. Atpresent, Senco Gold has 127 showrooms --70 company-operated and 57 franchisee --in 89 cities and towns across 13 states inIndia. Some of its franchisee showroomsare located in areas other than metros andtier-I, providing a greater reach in tier-2 andtier-3 locations.

The government has invited EoIs from interested parties for setting up amanufacturing zone on pilot basis for the power and renewable energy sector. Thelast date to submit the proposal is June 8, 2022, according to a notification on the

website of Ministry of Power. "Expression of Interest (EoI) for setting up a manufacturingzone on pilot basis for the powerand renewable energy sector is onthe website of Ministry of Powerand MNRE and it is requested toconsider participating forsubmission of EoI by June 8,2022," the notification dated April13, said. Ministry of Power hadearlier issued orders forimplementation of a scheme to setup a manufacturing zone for thesector on pilot basis with abudgetary outlay of Rs 400 croreover a period of five years.

Services exports to Australia likely toreach US$ 5 bn by 2027: SEPC

Senco Gold files Rs 525-cr IPOpapers with Sebi

Govt invites EoIs to set upmanufacturing zone for power

PNS n MUMBAI

Union Commerce andIndustry Minister PiyushGoyal on Friday asked thedomestic pharmaceuticalindustry to strengthen itsgeneric medicine sector andensure better linkage betweeninput and output of products tobecome self-reliant.

Speaking at an event hostedby the Indian DrugManufacturers' Association tocommemorate its GoldenJubilee celebrations here, Goyalalso asked the industry to planfor a long-term to tackle chal-lenged related to global supplychain.

"The phenomenal growththat we have seen in the last tenyears should be carried for-ward to ensure that we becomeself-sufficient. Global supplychains are becoming more andmore difficult to predict. Thechallenges are getting unimag-inably serious," he said.

In this situation, the minis-ter said, "it's extremely impor-tant that we focus not only onour strengths in the genericsector but also ensure ourbackward and forward link-ages.""We should plan for thelong term to become more andmore self-sufficient and withthat we will go to the worldwith the confidence of a pow-

erful nation, engaging withthe world on equal terms for abetter future for our industry,"Goyal said, adding that India'saim should be to become thehealthcare custodian of theworld.Stressing on the need formutual support within theindustry, the minister said,"Every country does protect itscore industry and I feel our

core industry is the pharmaindustry."

Goyal also mentioned gov-ernment measures like theproduction-linked incentivescheme for the manufacturingof active pharmaceutical ingre-dient and medical devices andsaid, "I do hope that many ofthe manufacturers in the phar-ma industry are taking advan-tage of the scheme."

It is important that theindustry tries product develop-ment and break new groundsin medical research, he said.

"Our international compet-itiveness should be very impor-tant to keep us abreast of thenew developments and goodmanufacturing practices," headded.

He also said that the govern-ment's efforts towards havingfree-trade agreements with dif-ferent countries will createpathways for easier approvalsof Indian pharma productsacross the globe.

Pharma industry mustfocus on generic: Goyal

PNS n KOLKATA

A leading mobile retailers'body has claimed that uneth-ical and monopolistic busi-ness practices of online salesplatforms are jeopardising' thefuture of 1.5 lakh brick andmortar smartphone retailersacross the country and that itwill seek govt intervention.

In such a situation, the sur-vival of small retailers is atstake, the All India MobileRetailers Association(AIMRA), an apex body ofsmartphone retailers, said.

"The situation is extremelyfragile due to the unethical, dis-criminatory, and monopolisticbusiness practices by online

sales platforms. Several shopsare closed and now retailers areeven taking an extreme steplike suicide.

We will approach theGovernment with a charter ofdemands to ensure the protec-tion of over 150,000 mobilephone retailers across thecountry who are struggling tocompete with the tech giantsand unethical business prac-tices by many online saleschannels and portals," AIMRA,West Bengal president, MohanBajoria told PTI.

The association will hold atwo-day AGM from April 16 inthe city to work out a counter-strategy and action plan forsurvival.

"The USD 38 billion Indiansmartphone market is thebiggest and fastest-growingmobile phone market in the

world. Some of the top globalmobile phone brands have reg-istered their highest shipmentsto India in 2021. Due to the

fallout of the COVID impact,the online platform currentlyaccounts for 50 per cent of thesmartphone sales in India,"Bajoria said.

The GST regime, he said,remains a matter of concern forsmall mobile retailers who findit complicated and not con-ducive for doing business.

A new discriminatory envi-ronment has emerged in Indiawhere big players flout normswith impunity thus threateningthe small retailers. TheGovernment must step in toensure transparency in busi-ness operations, AIMRA stategeneral secretary MridulBiswas said.

Mobile retailers' body to seek govt intervention

PNS n NEW DELHI

The domestic foundry indus-try is aiming to double its mar-ket size to USD 32 billion andannual production capacity to21 million tonnes (MT) overthe next 5-7 years, industrybody IIF said on Friday.

The industry is also expect-ed to attract investment of Rs500 crore from domestic andas well as international players,Institute of IndianFoundrymen (IIF) PresidentDevendra Jain said whileannouncing the '70th IndianFoundry Congress and IFEX'event.

The three-day event willbegin from April 17, 2022 inGandhinagar, he said in a vir-tual media interaction.

Jain said the current marketsize of the Indian foundryindustry is at USD 16 billionwith capacity of 10.5 milliontonnes per annum (MTPA).The industry employeesaround 5 lakh people directlyand 15 lakh indirectly.

"Our aim is to double ourmarket size to USD 32 billionin 5-7 years, double our capac-ity and job opportunities," hesaid.

Replying to a question onlikely investment for the target-ed capacity expansion, he saidvarious domestic and interna-tional players are looking to setup capacities in India as "weare a growing market. We arereceiving a lot of enquiries (forinvestment)". Investment ofRs 500 crore is expected by the

players in the industry, headded.

Jain further said there arecertain challenges facing thesector, including raw materialprices which have shot up sig-nificantly in the past fewmonths.

In November 2021, prices ofpig iron and steel scrap stoodat Rs 44 and Rs 39 per kg,respectively. In March, therates of the two items haveclimbed to Rs 68 and Rs 52 akg.

Foundry industry aiming to doublemkt size to US$ 32 bn in 7 yrs: IIF

PNS n NEW DELHI

Coal supply to electricity gen-erating plants increased by24.5 per cent to 677.67 milliontonnes in FY22 compared tothat of the preceding fiscal, thegovernment data said onFriday.

Despite increased supplies,there were reports of fuelshortage at various thermalpower units due to soaringenergy demand.

The data, however, showed

that the supply of coal topower utilities stood at 544.07MT in FY21, which was lessthan 567.25 MT recorded inFY20.

"The power utilitiesdespatch has grown by 19.47per cent to 677.67 MT duringFY22 as compared to 567.25MT in FY20. Fall in importprices have been observedsince the end of October 2021,however, import prices arestill at high level to discouragecoal import," it said.

The coal dispatch to thepower sector increased to65.36 MT last month from57.97 MT during the sameperiod in FY21, it added.

The overall dispatch of coalalso rose to 818.14 MT in FY22from 691.39 MT in FY21.

Coal secretary A K Jain hadearlier said that coal blockallottees have a golden oppor-tunity to augment productionas the demand for thermal coalwill rise due to an increase inelectricity demand.

Coal supply to power plantsrises 25% in FY22

Olectra launchesheavy-duty electrictruck trialsPNS n NEW DELHI

Olectra Greentech Ltd, a partof industrial conglomerateMEIL, on Friday said it hasbegun trials of a 6x4 heavy-duty electric tipper as part ofan expansion into the electrictruck segment.

"Pioneer and market leaderin electric bus manufacturing,Olectra now entered intotruck manufacturing and thisprototype is built on heavy-duty electric tipper platform,"the firm said in astatement.The first of its kindtruck in India, Olectra tipper,with a 220-km range on a sin-gle charge, is built with aheavy-duty bogie suspensiontipper capable of managinggradability of more than 25per cent (scaling slopes onroads with elevation, andghat roads)."OlectraGreentech Ltd has successful-ly begun 6x4 heavy-duty elec-tric tipper trials" inHyderabad, it said.The man-ufacturing will be scaled upin the state-of-the-art facili-ty coming up on the outskirtsof Hyderabad soon.

PNS n NEW DELHI

The country's largest carmak-er Maruti Suzuki India (MSI)on Friday said it has launcheda new version of its multi-pur-pose vehicle Ertiga, pricedbetween Rs 8.35-12.79 lakh(ex-showroom).

The model comes with a 1.5

litre petrol engine paired withboth manual and automatictransmissions.

The auto major has alsolaunched CNG trims of thevehicle.The model comes withhybrid technology and drivenby an all-new advanced six-speed automatic transmissionwith paddle shifters.

Ertiga's launch ten yearsago was a significant momentin the Indian automobileindustry, as it created a newsegment that has been growingat a CAGR (compound annu-al growth rate) of 4.7 percent," MSI Managing Director& CEO Hisashi Takeuchinoted.

Maruti Suzuki drives in new Ertiga tagged

PNS n KOLKATA

City-based realtor MerlinGroup has launched a Rs200 crore skyscraper in SectorV, Salt Lake, the IT hub of themetropolis.

The proposed commercialhub --The Summit will be348 feet tall with 28 floors. Itwill be the tallest commercialspace in Sector V. Now PSSrijan Corporate Park 'ITblock' is 295 feet tall in thearea, company officials said.

The tallest residential sky-scraper of Kolkata is "The 42"which is 853 ft having 65floors.

'The Summit' will be thefirst IT & ITES tower inEastern India with dual cer-tification of Green Buildingand Health & wellness fromIndian Green BuildingCouncil.

"As the pandemic is overnow, gradually companiesare reopening their officesinspiring employees to workfrom office. We have plannedsmall offices starting from

800 sqft, at 'Summit' to caterto needs of the fast growingsector of startups and MSMEsector," Merlin Group, man-aging director Saket Mohtasaid.

Institutional investmentsin Indian real estate remainedupbeat in the January-Marchquarter of 2022 touchingUSD1.1 billion, over 120 percent jump from the corre-sponding period of last yearriding on improvement ininvestors' sentiment withopening up of the economypost the third wave of Covid-19 infections, Indian arm ofa New York listed invest-ment advisory firm said.

"The office market is nowrecovering with Q1 2022(Jan-March) seeing stablevacancies for the first time intwo years. The retail sectorattracted the second-highestshare of investments at 23 percent, backed by one majortransaction. Investment inthe retail sector was the high-est since the start of the pan-demic.

Merlin launches tallestskyscraper in city's IT hub

PNS n NEW DELHI

Bike taxi platform Rapido onFriday said it has raised USD180 million (over Rs 1,370crore) in a Series D round offunding led by new investorSwiggy.

The round also saw invest-ment from TVS MotorCompany, along with existinginvestors Westbridge, ShellVentures and Nexus Ventures,the company said in a state-ment.

The funds would be used tobolster technology, amplifyand strengthen teams acrossdiverse sets of capabilities,and increase overall supply tocreate an enhanced consumerexperience across a largeraudience base in metros, tierI, II and III cities, it added.

Rapido said it will be invest-ing these funds in all its threecategories -- bike-taxi, autoand delivery -- to enhance itsdrive partners' earnings andimprove customer experiencein over 100 cities that it oper-ates in.

"Swiggy's participation inthis round will build on the

synergies between the twocompanies," the company said.

Commenting on thefundraise, Rapido co-founderAravind Sanka said,"We lookforward to learning fromSwiggy's experience to scale upthroughout the country andenhance our captains' (driver-partners) / customers' experi-ence, who are the backbone ofour business."

Besides, he said,"TVSMotor, who are very passion-ate about EVs and the futureof mobility, will help us in fur-ther expansion.

Rapido raises US$ 180 mn infunding round led by Swiggy

PNS n PANAJI

The Confederation of IndianIndustry (CII) Goa chapter hassaid power shortages, outagesand unplanned shutdownswere affecting industries in thestate though the governmenthas maintained there were noelectricity supply constraints.

On Wednesday, PowerMinister Sudin Dhavalikarhad claimed Goa does not faceany power supply issues like instates such as Andhra Pradesh.

In Andhra Pradesh, indus-tries are not running even forfive hours a day sometimesdue to load-shedding. We arefar better, Dhavalikar had said

after attending a meeting ofthe power department.

In a press note here onThursday, the CII Goa chap-ter has recommended toDhavalikar several measuresthat are needed to ensureindustries do not suffer due toany power supply-relatedissues.

The CII has pointed out thatin the past it had made sever-al recommendations to thestate government with regardsto improvement in basic infra-structure for industries,including uninterruptedpower supply, but rued noprogress has been made" onthem.

Power supply issues affectingindustries in Goa: CII

PNS n NEW DELHI

The Finance Ministry has invit-ed applications for the post ofmanaging director of CentralRegistry of Securities AssetReconstruction and SecurityInterest of India (CERSAI).TheCentral Registry of SecuritiesAsset Reconstruction andSecurity Interest of India (CentralRegistry) has been incorporatedin 2011 as a government compa-ny under Section 25 of theCompanies Act 1956.TheGovernment of India owns 51 percent while remaining stake is withselect public sector banks and theNational Housing Bank.

The object of the company isto maintain and operate a regis-tration system for the purpose ofregistration of transactions ofsecuritisation, asset reconstructionof financial assets and creation ofsecurity interest over property, ascontemplated under theSecuritisation and Reconstructionof Financial Assets andEnforcement of Security InterestAct, 2002 (SARFAESI Act).

Finmin invitesapplications for theposition of CERSAI

Future Enterprisesdefaults on Rs 1.22cr interest paymentfor NCDsPNS n NEW DELHI

Debt-ridden FutureEnterprises Ltd (FEL) hasdefaulted on the payment ofinterest of Rs 1.22 crore due onnon-convertible debentures,according to a regulatory fil-ing.The due date for paymentof Rs 1.22 crore interest wasApril 13, 2022, FEL said in theregulatory filing."The compa-ny is unable to service itsobligations in respect of theinterest on Non-ConvertibleDebentures was due on April13, 2022," it said.

This is the second default bythe Kishore Biyani-led Futuregroup firm this week. OnApril 12, FEL had informedabout the default on the pay-ment of Rs 9.10 crore interestdue on NCDs.The latest defaultis on the interest of securitiesissued for a sum of Rs 25crore.FEL has defaulted oninterest payment for the peri-od between October 13, 2021,to April 12, 2022, according tothe regulatory filing from theFuture group firm.

9

Vijayawada | Saturday April 16, 2022 what’s brewing?

therapist whoworked withHollywood starsJohnny Deppand Amber

Heard in 2015 testifiedthat the couple engaged in“mutual abuse”, and thatDepp could be “triggered”by Heard.

Laurel Avis Anderson’stestimony was played forjurors on the third day ofthe $50 million defama-tion trial underway inFairfax, Va. Depp has suedHeard for publishing anop-ed in 2018 in whichshe alluded to domesticviolence claims that shefirst made in the contextof their 2016 divorce,reports Variety.

Anderson testified viavideo deposition inFebruary, and the videowas played for the jury onThursday morning.

Anderson said she sawthe couple several timesbetween October andDecember 2015, and thatthe sessions could bestormy with both of themthreatening to walk out attimes.

Anderson said Heardreported that Depp had

been violent toward her.She also said that both

parties could initiatefights, as Heard fearedabandonment from Depp.She also said that Depphad not been violent withother partners in the past20-30 years.

“I thought he had beenwell controlled,” Andersonsaid.

“With Ms Heard, he wastriggered. They engaged inwhat I saw as mutualabuse.”

She also said that Deppdenied being violent.

Anderson said Heardcould also be triggeredwhen she felt disrespected,and would sometimes hithim first.

In counseling sessions,Heard would often inter-rupt while Depp tended tobe more reticent, she said.

“Ms. Heard had a jack-hammer style of talking.She was very amped up,”she said.

“He had trouble talkingat a similar pace.”

Anderson also testifiedthat the couple did notcommunicate and had“terrible skills”.

She said Heard reportedin a phone session onDecember 15, 2015, thatshe did not want to get adivorce, but that she“wanted to want to” get adivorce.

“She loved him. Heloved her,” Anderson testi-

fied.“She believed that she

wasn’t stupid. She knewwhat they were doing was-n't healthy.”

In the same session, shesaid Heard talked about astrategy for getting out ofthe relationship. Her ther-apy notes state: “Will shehave advantage if sheleaves him, but files withpolice for abuse first?”

Anderson said that onDecember 17, 2015, Heardcame to her office andshowed her bruises underher eyes, reports Varietya.

Anderson recalled aconversation with Depp inJune 2016, in which Deppwas looking back on therelationship after it hadended. Depp said the rela-tionship was “chaotic” and“violent”, and that Heard“gave as good as she got”.

“I agreed,” Andersonsaid. “She initiated fights.She started violence. Sherose to the challenge if hestarted first. In my opinionthat had been establishedthroughout the relation-ship that she fought ashard as he did. And hetried to deescalate farmore than I think she did.”

Heard has alleged thatDepp would punch her,kick her, head-butt her,grab clumps of her hairand, on one occasion, sex-ually assaulted her with aliquor bottle.

Depp has denied thoseallegations, and accusedher of assaulting him.Heard has countersuedDepp for $100 million,alleging that his attorneydefamed her when healleged that she hadorchestrated a “hoax.”

The trial is expected tolast six weeks, and bothDepp and Heard areexpected to testify.

The jury has heard fromfive witnesses thus far,including Depp’s sister,Christi Dembrowski, andHeard’s former assistant,Kate James, both of whomsaid they did not witnessviolence between the cou-ple.

In that case, a judgerejected Depp’s defamationclaim against the publisherof The Sun newspaper,which had described Deppas a “wife beater,” conclud-ing that Heard’s allegations were “substan-tially true.”

Johnny Depp, Amber Heard engaged in‘mutual abuse’, says couple's therapist

a

ctress Thandiwe Newton isreportedly “heading to rehab”after her abrupt exit fromMagic Mike’s Last Dance.

According to Page Six, heragent flew in from Los Angeles to try tosmooth things over but on Tuesday the49-year-old actress was flown back tothe States to “hopefully check into afacility”.

Multiple sources informed the outletthat she has been battling emotional andfamily problems after separating fromher husband of 24 years, Ol Parker, withwhom she has three children, reportsaceshowbiz.com.

“She fired her UK agent of threedecades, and then her US agent Gaby

Morgerman flew in from Los Angeles totry to calm things down,” explained thesource. “Thandiwe's team wants her togo to rehab for mental health support.She was supposed to leave immediatelyfor a facility, they tried for a Maliburehab, but they couldn’t take her.Arrangements are now being made to goto a facility in Arizona if she agrees togo.”

A source on set said, “Thandiwe hadbeen acting strange on set, she has beenvery highly strung. Her apparent break-down caused so much disruption, itbecame clear she couldn’t play the role.”

The insider further claimed, “There isa lot going on in her personal life, sheand her husband have separated. She

seemed so stressed she even brought hertwo pet rabbits to her hotel for emotion-al support.”

It was earlier reported the Mission:Impossible 2 actress was fired from theMagic Mike set because of a fight withco-star Channing Tatum over WillSmith's Oscar slap.

However, multiple sources insistedthere was no “tense exchange of words”between her and Channing, who is boththe star and the producer of the MagicMike sequel, and they remain on goodterms.

On Wednesday, April 13 Warner Bros.Pictures announced that Salma Hayekhas been brought in to replaceThandiwe in the undisclosed role.

“Thandiwe Newton has made the dif-ficult decision to step away from theproduction of Warner Bros. Pictures’Magic Mike’s Last Dance to deal withfamily matters,” a spokesperson for thestudio said in a statement.

Thandiwe Newton reportedly ‘headingto rehab' after Magic Mike 3 exit

mpire alumTasha Smith isset to star infilmmaker LeeDaniels’ unti-

tled horror movie set atNetflix.

According to Deadline,the exorcism thriller isinspired by an actualcase.

The story centres onEbony (Andra Day), themother of an Indianafamily whose childrenpurportedly becamedemonically possessed.Smith will play the roleof Ebony’s best friend

Asia.The film also features

Oscar winner OctaviaSpencer, Glenn Close,Rob Morgan, CalebMcLaughlin andAunjanue Ellis.

The project marksSmith and Daniels’reunion after Empire. Shealso directed twoepisodes of Fox dramaseries Star, co-created byDaniels.

Tasha Smith, Lee Daniels toteam up on Netflix horror film

e a

nake Eyes star HenryGolding has joinedthe cast of upcomingmovie DowntownOwl.

An adaptation of authorChuck Klosterman’s 2008 novelof the same title, the film will bedirected by Lily Rabe andHamish Linklater.

According to The HollywoodReporter, Golding joins Harris,Vanessa Hudgens, FinnWittrock, Jack Dylan Grazerand August Blanco Rosensteinin the cast.

Rabe will also feature in themovie in a pivotal role. Herreal-life partner Linklater hasadapted the screenplay fromKlosterman’s book.

The story is set in the fiction-al town of Owl, North Dakota,which is semi-isolated from the1980s pop culture that sur-rounds it.

It follows three residents anold man who spends his after-noons reminiscing in the localcoffee shop, a depressed highschool backup quarterback, anda new English teacher at thelocal high school whose lives,along with those of the town'sother residents, are upended bya white-out blizzard.

Downtown Owl will be pro-duced by Rabe and Linklateralong with Bettina Barrow andRebecca Green.

Laura Rister, Lee Broda, andJoel Michaely are executive pro-

ducing, while Tom McLeod isco-executive producing.

Golding is best known forplaying Nick Young in WarnerBros’ 2018 romantic comedy

Crazy Rich Asians. He will benext seen in Jane Austen adap-tation Persuasion at Netflix aswell as Paramount's animatedfilm The Tiger’s Apprentice.

s

Henry Golding boardsDowntown Owl adaptation

Rules

ARCHIE

GARFIELD

SUDOKU

REALITY CHECK 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

SPEED BUMP

FUN

PNS | HYDERABAD

ave you ever won-dered how muchtime you spendsleeping? 26years! More sur-

prisingly, an average personspends about seven yearstrying to sleep. Fascinatingright? But, the question is,do these numbers havesevere implications on ourhealth and wellbeing?Definitely, Yes.

Having said that, eventoday, many people don'tspend much time mullingover the fact that they feelsleepy, lazy, tired, and slug-gish even after a good eighthours of sleep. Or they can'tsleep soundly because ofsome chronic sleeping dis-order that completely dis-turbs their sleep and day-to-day routine.

Result? Poor productivi-ty, lack of interest or con-centration, mood swings,and practically every non-required nuisance.However, the 21st-centurysleeping industry is wideawake. The industry is leav-ing no stones unturned toensure that the sleep-relatedconcerns of customers are

addressed and resolved cor-rectly.

This year, sleep problemslike insomnia, sleeplessness,restless leg syndrome, andnarcolepsy will acceleratethe demand for pain reliefmattresses and pillows,medications, and devices.

As a result, the sleep indus-try is expected to witnessfurther dynamic and con-structive changes.

Against this backdrop,Dheeraj Kapoor, theDirector at Sleepsia, sharesa few key trends that willshape the sleep industry in2022:

Certified products willgain prominence: Theincreasing awareness aboutsleep-related health issueswill be an influential factorin driving sales of devicesthat prevent such problems.This includes smart bed-ding and sleep monitors.Also, as modern-day con-sumers are becoming morequality conscious and awareof the variety of state-of-the-art products available inthe market.

E-commerce propellingthe growth of the organ-ised sleep market: Thesleep industry is splitbetween the organized andunorganized sectors. Until afew decades back, this sec-tor was highly disorganised.However, there has been aswift shift towards the orga-nized sector with the surgein e-commerce activities. Itshows the evolution of abuyer who is more awareand willing to pay for high-end sleep products. In addi-tion, consumers today arefar more digitally smart and

use technology to meettheir needs. In the upcom-ing years, the organizedsleep market share willincrease, supply chain inef-ficiencies will reduce, andcost-efficiency will becomemore potent for consumers.

Increased usage of sleeptrackers and applications:The fast-evolving app mar-ket has helped popularizemany leading sleep trackerapplications that we canavail of anywhere we go.These applications meticu-lously track a person's sleepcycles by considering theirsleeping patterns and howoften they wake in the mid-dle of their sleep, cough,snore, move around, mum-ble or talk. This helps con-sumers understand whatthey are doing wrong andimprove their sleep cycle bymaking some adjustmentsin their day-to-day life.

More focus on selectingthe right sleeping accesso-ry: What is the first thingyou think about while buy-ing a new pillow? The price,softness, width, or some-thing else? Well, take itfrom the experts, thesebasic parameters are nolonger enough. Particularlybecause nowadays mostpeople sit at one place forlong working hours. Mostof the time, their position isinadequate, leading tomany health complicationslike strained neck, swayedback, and back pain. Toaddress these issues, manynew-age sleeping acces-sories that primarily focuson resolving backache orother such problems arebeing introduced in themarket. In the highly com-petitive and hectic world,changing lifestyle patternswill be difficult. As a result,the inclusion of the rightsleeping accessory will takepriority in customer’s life.

To conclude, in the pre-sent circumstances, it iscrucial to closely monitoryour sleep cycle. Qualitysleep plays a pivotal role inboosting mental health,immunity, physical well-being, weight regulation,and even fertility. If you arefacing issues getting restfulsleep, try paying heed to thelatest sleep-related trends(as mentioned above),calming breathing exercises,meditation, a relaxing bath,or reading a book instead ofspending hours fiddlingwith mobile phones or anyother electronic device gad-get.

If you are followingupdated sleeping trends,there’s no reason why youwouldn’t get a peacefulsleep. So, start today.

h

Back to office breakfastideas by a celebrity chef

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‘There are many opportunitiesin Hyd in modern industries'

TALIB ZAFFER

ne of the most livable citiesin India, Hyderabad, ishome to a fusion of manycultures. It is laid back andyet very progressive, and

that’s what fascinates Praveen themost about Pearl City, and perhapsthat’s why he returned from the USto live his life in the city he grew upin and the city he belongs to.

Praveen Dorna, who grew up inHyderabad, is the Co-Founder ofSociohub (sociohub.io), a SaaScommunity management platformfor brands to build their own pri-vate social networks. He has over 12years of combined work experienceworking with startups, franchisees,SMB’s, MNC's, and non-profitorganisations across payments, trav-el, fleet, education, robotics, media,and ERP technologies in tech andmanagerial roles in the US andIndia. He holds an MBA degree inEntrepreneurship from BabsonCollege, USA (ranked No. 1 inEntrepreneurship globally) and waspreviously involved in startup wingsat corporates, where he built out aninnovation management pro-gramme for a $6 billion company inthe US. He consults startups and

incubators part-time and is aVisiting Professor on Lean Startupsat SIBM Pune, FLAME University,and Mahindra University, in addi-tion to serving on the boards ofnonprofits.

In a quick Q&A session withThe Pioneer, Praveen talksabout all things Hyderabad.Excerpts from the interview:

Can you tell us about yourassociation with Hyderabad?

I have spent most of my life inHyderabad. I was born and raisedhere. From my schooling to mygraduation years, all were spenthere. After that, I went to the US forfour years but returned to India tosettle in my city. I feel it is one ofthe major parts of my life. I cannotimagine living anywhere else. It ismy home in the truest of senses.

What is so special about thecity, according to you?

There is a sense of synergyamong people. The quality of life ison par with any other city in Indiawith an affordable cost of living. Ifeel the education system is brillianthere. Be it schools or universities,they are pretty high-class. That real-ly helps you shape up as a person

when you are younger.

What fascinates you themost about Hyderabad?

I love Hyderabad’s inclusivenature. Whether you are fromNorth India or the South, when youcome to Hyderabad, it feels verywelcoming to all. The food is also areflection of that inclusivity. Youcan be a vegetarian or a non-vege-tarian. There is something or otherfor everyone. On a lighter note,that’s why I think whoever comes toHyderabad to work eventually set-tles here. People who come heredon’t feel that they don’t belonghere.

How has Hyderabad helpedyou shape your career?

The fact that I could come backfrom the US to create a niche formyself in an industry that is primar-ily "Tech" is a testament to the factthat there are many opportunities inHyderabad in modern industries. Iactually started my career here withDeloitte. It is sort of an IT hub forIndia on par with Bangalore. So, I,and many others like me, had neverhad to move out of the city to buildour careers. The city had enoughfor us and for everyone who waswilling to work.

What are the places you'dlike a non-Hyderabadi to visitin Hyderabad?

From a historical standpoint, Iwould like them to visit GolcondaFort and learn about its history, andI would like them to visit Hi-TechCity to learn about the city’s fast-paced industrial side. These, I guessin a nutshell, will give you thewhole essence of the city: history,culture, and evolution.

How has the city changedover the years?

I think the city grew up with us ifthat makes any sense. As children,we saw that the city was like anyother city in India, but as we grew,the city also grew and developed.You look at the infrastructuralchange that the city went through inthe 90’s and then the IT boom thathappened in the early 2000’s. Thecity just kept evolving for the better.

What is the one thing youwould want to change aboutthe city?

I would really want to change thelaid-back nature of the city. Yes, thecity has a mixture of entrepreneur-ial and laziness, but I would love itto be more active than passive, Iguess.

o

orking from the officealongside your colleaguesand friend has resumed.While most of us secretlywished for offices to

open, going back to the office rou-tine still feels hard. The two mostchallenging issues in the officeroutine are waking up early andpreparing a healthy breakfast. Ameal that does not consume muchtime and is easy to prepare so youcan reach the office on time.

Chef Sanjeev Kapoor, a firmbeliever in healthy eating, said,“Most of us took a step towards ahealthy lifestyle during the pan-demic and the travel time that wesaved every day, helped. But nowoffices have opened, this meansleaving office in a hurry. But don’tbreak the momentum of eatinghealthy. Remember that it isimportant to add lots of vegetablesand fruits to your eating habits fora healthy, balanced diet. Don’t for-get that raw vegetables and fruitsmay be laden with pesticides andgerms as they travel places beforereaching you. Hence, it is crucial tothoroughly clean your vegetableswith a natural action vegetablecleaner like Nimwash before con-suming them.”

Chef Sanjeev Kapoor and dieti-cian Sonia Sinha of Fitfoodyincome to the rescue and share fivetasty and healthy recipes that canbe prepared in the nick of time.

Broccoli Toast

Heat sufficient water in a non-stick pan and add sweet potatoesto cook till they are done. Trim theedges of the bread slices and halvethem. Heat another non-stick panto place bread halves in it and driz-zle a little olive oil to make themgolden and crisp. Mash sweet pota-toes. Remove pan from heat, addsalt, butter, cream, and red chillipowder, and mix well. Remove thetoasted bread pieces from the panand place them on a plate. Heatorange juice in the same non-stickpan. Add salt and crushed pepper-corns, mix well and let it reduce.Add broccoli, mix well and cooktill the broccoli turns a little soft.Transfer into a bowl and let it coolslightly. Spread some mashed sweetpotato mixture on each toastedbread half. Place some broccoliover the sweet potato and serveimmediately.

Oatmeal and MushroomBreakfast Stir Fry

Dry roast oats in a non-stick pantill light golden. Remove from heat

and set aside. Heat one tablespoonof olive oil in another non-stickpan. Add the garlic and sauté tillgolden. Add the onion and sautétill translucent. Add the buttonmushrooms, oyster mushrooms,salt, crushed peppercorns and tornthyme sprigs, mix and cook on

high heat for two to three minutes.Add three cups of water, mix andbring to a boil. Add the roastedoats and stir continuously till it iscooked. Add the spinach, mix welland remove from heat. Heat someolive oil in another non-stick pan.Break in an egg, sprinkle some salt

and crushed peppercorns and cooktill golden from the underside.Similarly, prepare with remainingeggs. Put some oats-spinach mix-ture on individual serving platters,place one fried egg on top andserve hot.

Dietician Sonia Sinha ofFitfoody.in said, “As most of myclients are working, I share a list ofeasy to make healthy recipes thatare balanced and do not take toomuch time to prepare, so theydon't feel burdened in the morn-ing. I also advise my clients to plantheir meals a day before so theyhave all the ingredients in place. Ifthey have limited time, I suggestthey wash the vegetables with aherbal cleaner like Nimwash beforechopping and storing them.Remember, only selected vegeta-bles can be chopped and stored anight before, so choose wisely.”Dietician Sonia Sinha shares thefollowing balanced meal recipes tomake the morning routine easier.

Palak mushroom sandwich

Add 1tbsp of chopped ginger,garlic and green chilly in 1/2 tspoil. Add onion, mushrooms andboiled spinach and stir fry till themixture is dry. You can put someherbs or masala of your choice andadd a little paneer or low-fatcheese to the mix. Stuff it in toast-ed bread, and your sandwich isready.

Palak Paneer Rolled Oats

Add some chopped garlic, gin-ger, green chillies and onion in1tsp oil. Put some carrots, beans,and 1tbsp peas. Add the rolled oatsand stir fry. Put the chopped orsteamed spinach (with water) andpaneer cubes in the mixture. Addsome water if required and stir. Putsome salt, pepper or mix herbs asper your taste. If you want to addmore protein, break one egg on topand sprinkle salt on the egg. Coverthe lid and cook for 2-3 mins. A fitand yummy Oats recipe are ready.

Besan Chilla

A perfectly balanced meal thattakes no time to make is Besanchilla stuffed with sauteed veggies.Make a thin batter of besan andcurd, add black pepper and saltaccording to taste and make a thinchilla (like dosa). Now, chop yourfavourite vegetables like capsicum,bell pepper, carrot, tomatoes, beet-root etc. and saute. Once the besanchilla is crisp, stuff it with thesauteed vegetables and serve withgreen chutney.

w

SaturdayApril 16, 2022

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PTI nMUMBAI

Their winning streak halted by thedefending champions, Royal Challengers

Bangalore will hope Harshal Patel returnsto the playing XI and contribute in bring-ing their campaign back on track when theyface Delhi Capitals in an IPL match here onSaturday.

RCB were flying high with three succes-sive wins before Chennai Super Kings out-witted them by 23 runs in their last outing.It was absence of Harshal which hurt theteam as skipper Faf du Plessis looked out ofoptions to control the rampaging duo ofShivam Dube and Robin Uthappa, who tookthe bowlers to the cleaners as CSK posted

a huge total on board.Known for his variations and death

bowling skills, Harshal is a vital cog in RCB'swheels and Du Plessis had admitted that theteam missed his services after he left the bio-bubble on Sunday following the death of hiscousin.

The 31-year-old from Haryana, whohad taken 32 wickets in the 2021 edition, hasemerged as one of the best T20 bowlers withhis variations, which include off-cutters andslower ones, bowled with variable arm speed.

This season too, Harshal has snappedsix wickets from four games at an economyof just 5.50 and remains the go-to-man fordu Plessis whenever the going gets tough.

Among others, pace duo of Mohammad

Siraj and Akash Deep has been taken forruns, while Wanindu Hasaranga claimedtwo wickets but he bled 35 in three overs inthe last match.

Spin duo of Glenn Maxwell andShahbaz too was blown away and skipperDu Plessis will expect a better show fromhis bowlers on Saturday.

In batting, Du Plessis and young left-hander Anuj Rawat have given the teamgood starts, while Dinesh Karthik hasplayed the role of the finisher well. Engineer-turned cricketer Shahbaz Ahmed too hasimpressed with his batting so far.

Former skipper Virat Kohli has blownhot and cold with two 40 plus scores butlacked consistency.

The Capitals, on the other hand, areheading into the match after a massive 44-run win over Kolkata Knight Riders.

With two back-to-back fifties, openerPrithvi Shaw has been in sensational form,while seasoned Australian opener DavidWarner has provided the team solidity at thetop as he provided the fireworks to set DC'smassive win over KKR.

The number three spot, however,remains a concern with none of the battertried by the team able to grab the chance.Skipper Rishabh Pant too will expect moreruns from his batting.

Spinner Kuldeep Yadav has emerged astheir top bowler with 10 wickets so far, whilepacer Khaleel Ahmed too has taken sevenscalps in three games.

South African Anrich Nortje, wholooked rusty in his only outing, also remainsan option, while Delhi also have plenty ofbowling all-rounders such as Axar Patel,Shardul Thakur and Lalit Yadav to count on.

However, Rovman Powell has lookedsubdued so far and DC would expect morefrom him.

PTI n MUMBAI

An auction botched up by poor planning,Mumbai Indians will continue to grope in

the dark in search of an ideal playing eleven withan aim to end their five-match losing streakagainst Lucknow Super Giants in an IPL matchon Saturday.

This is not the first time that MI have hada losing streak of five matches but this is prob-ably the first time that it seems that the team'sthink-tank do not have an idea of how to stemthe rot that has set in.

It is certainly not skipper Rohit Sharma'sfault that the five-time champions had bungledbig time at the auction table with below-pardomestic signings save NT Tilak Varma, whichis coming to bite them.

Against Lucknow in the afternoon Mumbaiheat, Rohit and his chosen ten would have to puttheir best foot forward in order to tame the likesof Quinton de Kock, KL Rahul, Krunal Pandya,Ayush Badoni to name a few.

Krunal and De Kock, in particular, wouldlike to pose some serious challenges for the MIbrigade and may be compel them to thinkwhether not putting enough efforts to get themback in their roster was a prudent enough thingto do.

There had been some inexplicable teamselections and dropping a million dollar plus buylike Tim David after two games is one of them.

Such has been MI's plight that they haven'tbeen able to field their full quota of foreign play-ers in order to have enough bowlers in theirranks.

However, David might be given a go in placeof a Jaydev Unadkat, who has once again comeshort in the highest level of cricket and is anexample of the yawning gap between standardsin domestic cricket and IPL.

One among Unadkat and Basil Thampi needto make way for David as they don't have toomany options at the table.

In case of Murugan Ashwin, the only plau-sible replacement at this time looks to be leg-spinner Mayank Markande, who not so manymoons back had some decent performances forthe five-time champion outfit.

Not having a quality spinner like RahulChahar or Krunal, who can at times stem theflow of runs is also hurting MI.

Head coach Mahela Jayawardene hadalready said and rightly so that Rohit's perfor-mance isn't a worrying factor.

One of the reasons being his touch whichis not out of place but perhaps he needs to cur-tail down on a few shots and bat deep along withSuryakumar Yadav to put up a challenging scorewhich the weak bowling line-up can defend.

For Lucknow, mentor and brains behind thestrategy Gautam Gambhir needs to thinkwhether both Marcus Stoinis and Jason Holdercould be a part of same eleven or they wouldbe better off dropping one of them and playingthe hard-hitting Evin Lewis in the top-orderalongside Rahul and De kock.

VIJAYAWADA | SATURDAY | APRIL 16, 2022

it iis aa ffresh aauction aand wwe aare bbuilding tthis tteam ffor tthe nnext tthree-ffour yyears, ccoming aa ffew yyears ddown tthe lline, yyou wwill ssee ssome ggreat pplayers ccoming oout ffrom tthis tteam — SURYAKUMAR YADAV

Po. TEAM M W L NR Pts NRR

1. GT 5 4 1 0 8 0.450

2. KKR 5 3 2 0 6 0.446

3. RR 5 3 2 0 6 0.389

4. PBKS 5 3 2 0 6 0.239

5. LSG 5 3 2 0 6 0.174

6. RCB 5 3 2 0 6 0.006

7. DC 4 2 2 0 4 0.476

8. SRH 4 2 2 0 4 -0.501

9. CSK 5 1 4 0 2 -0.745

10. MI 5 0 5 0 0 -1.072

pointstable

4s 690

6s 373

boundarymeter

AP n LONDON

Joe Root resigned as England'sTest captain on Friday after a

five-year term that ended in a tor-rid run of results including anAshes drubbing and defeat in theWest Indies.

The Yorkshireman, appointedas Alastair Cook's successor in2017, holds the record for the high-est number of wins as Englandskipper, his 27 victories puttinghim one ahead of MichaelVaughan and three in front ofCook and Andrew Strauss.

The 31-year-old led his side toa number of notable series victo-ries, including a 4-1 home win overIndia in 2018 and a 3-1 triumphaway to South Africa in 2020.

But the past 12 months havebeen dismal. After winning theiropening three Tests of 2021,England have won just one since,

losing 11 and drawing five oftheir past 17.

Root's decision comes after the1-0 Test series defeat to WestIndies last month, which followeda humiliating 4-0 Ashes loss inAustralia.

"After returning from theCaribbean tour and having time toreflect, I have decided to step downas England men's Test captain,"Root said in a statementreleased by theEngland and WalesCricket Board(ECB).

"It has beenthe most chal-lenging deci-sion I havehad to makein mycareer buth a v i n gdiscussed

this with my family and thoseclosest to me, I know the timingis right.

"I am immensely proud tohave captained my country andwill look back on the past fiveyears with enormous pride. Ithas been an honour to have donethe job and to have been a cus-todian of what is the pinnacle ofEnglish cricket.

"I have loved leading mycountry, but recently it's hit

home how much of atoll it has taken on

me and the impactit has had on meaway from thegame."

Root isa l r e a d yEngland's sec-ond-highestTest runscorer of all

time behind only Cook andscored 14 centuries as captain.

His tally of 5,295 runs asskipper is the highest by anyEngland captain and puts himfifth on the all-time list behindonly Graeme Smith, AlanBorder, Ricky Ponting and ViratKohli.

Root's exit leaves England -- fifth in the Test rankings --without a captain, head coach,and managing director while theECB seeks a new chairman.

Players in the frame to suc-ceed Root include star all-rounder Ben Stokes and veter-an fast bowler Stuart Broad, whowas dropped for the West Indiestour.

England play a three-matchTest series against New Zealandstarting on June 2 before a Testagainst India and a series againstSouth Africa.

PTI n MUMBAI

Chennai Super Kings all-rounder Deepak Chahar

was on Friday ruled out of theIPL with a back injury, whileDelhi Capitals physio PatrickFarhart tested positive forCOVID-19.

Chahar had also suffered ahamstring injury during thehome series against the WestIndies in February.

KKR pacer Rasikh Salam isalso out of the IPL with a lowerback injury with young Delhipacer Harshit Rana named as

his replacement."Chennai Super Kings

bowler Deepak Chahar hasbeen ruled out of the TATAIndian Premier League (IPL)2022 owing to a back injury,"said the IPL in a statement.

"Kolkata Knight Riders(KKR) have signed fast bowlerHarshit Rana as a replacementfor pacer Rasikh Salam for therest of the TATA IPL 2022 sea-son. Salam, who played 2games for KKR this season, hasbeen ruled out owing to alower back injury and will takeno further part in the tourna-ment.

"His replacement, HarshitRana, from Delhi will joinKKR at his base price of INR 20Lakh."

On Farhart, a formerphysio of the Indian cricketteam, the statement added:"Delhi Capitals physio PatrickFarhart has been tested positivefor COVID-19. He is beingclosely monitored by the DCMedical Team at the moment."

With cases gradually rising,COVID threat has increasedduring the two-month-longIPL.

Last year, the tournamenthad to be suspended at the peakof the second wave in May andwas later completed in theUAE.

PTI n NEW DELHI

Speculations rife about her internationalfuture, India's Test and ODI skipper Mithali

Raj will be turning up for Railways at theWomen's Senior T20 Trophy beginning on April18 in what will be her first competitive eventsince the Women's World Cup.

The future of stalwarts Mithali and JhulanGoswami have been a subject of debate since

India's early exit from the World Cup in NewZealand last month.

While Jhulan is recovering from a side strainthat she suffered during the global event,Mithali will groom the next generation of play-ers in the Railways squad. Both are 39 and areat the business end of their illustrious careers.

"Mithali will be there to guide the youngerplayers. As a senior player, she understands herrole really well. Anyway, she never missesdomestic assignments when not on nationalduty," a BCCI source said.

Mithali, who is the leading run-getter ininternational cricket, had captained the Railwaysteam to the title in the T20 competition last year.Her international T20 career came to an end in2019.

As far has her ODI and Test future is con-cerned, the source added: "There is no interna-tional cricket lined up in the near future. She hasa lot of time to think over her future."

India's next confirmed international assign-ment is in September when they play three T20sand as many ODIs in England after theCommonwealth Games in July-August.

PTI n NAVI MUMBAI

Hardik Pandya has beenleading from the front

with inspirational perfor-mances and is also going out ofhis way to create a happy teamenvironment leading to a goodstart by Gujarat Titans in itsmaiden IPL campaign, feelsRashid Khan.

Gujarat are now on top ofthe table with four wins fromfive games and Hardik is cur-rently second in list of run-get-ters and is also bowling well inevery game.

"The way he (Hardik) hasled the team, the way he haskept the team environment,inside and outside the field hasbeen amazing so far," Rashidsaid at the virtual post-matchpress conference.

Rashid, the ace spinner

from Afghanistan, said Hardikwas someone who always takesbrave decisions.

"He (Hardik) is someonewho always takes that bravedecision, always has confi-dence and he is someone whois very clear in mind on whathe is going to do.

"This is an important thingas a captain when your mind isclear, and you take right deci-sions, the result will take (care)by itself," added Rashid.

Ability to take right deci-sions at right time makes hima good leader, feels Rashid

"You take right decisionswith confidence, that is some-thing which makes him thebest and he has been deliveringthe best so far and leading fromthe front - (be it) batting,bowling and fielding," saidRashid.

PTI n MUMBAI

Sunrisers Hyderabad pacers controlledthe innings for a large part beforeNitish Rana and Andre Russell lift-

ed Kolkata Knight Riders to a 175 for 8in their IPL match here on Friday.

The Knight Riders lost three top-orderbatters cheaply inside the powerplayovers but recovered to some extent to posta decent total, thanks to Rana and Russel'sknocks of 54 and 49 not out, respective-ly.

The pacers - Marco Jansen (1/26), TNatarajan (3/37), Bhuvneshwar Kumar(1/37) and Umran Malik (2/27) account-ed for the bulk of the wickets.

Opting to field, South African Jansenused the bounce and swing on offer real-ly well to draw first blood as he sent AaronFinch (7), who is playing his first matchof the season, back to the hut in the sec-

Mumbai vvss LucknowLive from 3:30 pm IST

STAR SPORTS 1

Mumbai Indians search1st win of IPL 2022

Hardik has kept amazingteam environment: Rashid

Deepak Chahar ruled out of IPL, DC physio testspositive for COVID-19

RCB need Harshal boost to getcampaign back on track against DC

Delhi vs BengaluruLive from 7:30 pm IST

STAR SPORTS 1

Root resigns as England Test captain Mithali to play in Women's Sr T20 Trophy

Rana, Russell steer KKR to 175-8

ond over. Natarajan then bowled asensational fifth over, snaring twowickets.

Natarajan first bowled a brilliantlength ball, pitching just outside off toaccount for Venkatesh Iyer (6), wholooked unsettled during his stay, withthe flamboyant Sunil Narine (6) fol-lowing his teammate a couple ballslater as KKR slumped to 31 for 3.

Kane Williamson introduced spinbut left-armer Jagadeesha Suchith

(1/32) looked rusty and struggledwith his line.

Young Malik then struck twinblows, snapping the wickets ofShreyas Iyer (28) in the 10th over andSheldon Jackson (7) as Sunrisersbowlers continued striking at regularintervals.

However, Rana kept the scoreboard ticking, hitting singles andboundaries alike in his 36-ball knock.

Rana smashed six fours and two

maximums. He was involved in 39-run stands with skipper Iyer andRussell each.

However, his stay in the middlewas cut short by Natarajan in the 18thover as SRH broke the potentiallydangerous partnership.

Russell, whose 25-ball inningswas laced with four boundaries andas many six, including two in the finalover. The West Indian helped KKRadd 55 runs in the last five overs.

11

Dil Raju, Sukumar join forcesAfter deliver-

ing a block-buster hit

Arya, 18 years ago,director Sukumarand producer DilRaju have decidedto join forces onceagain. Fans can’twait to know moreabout this projectcoming under thiscombination. The upcomingproject, titledSelfish, has AshishReddy in the leadrole. Ashish Reddyis the nephew ofDil Raju.

The film waslaunched with a

formal puja in

AnnapurnaStudios on Friday.Dhanush, AnilRavipudi, SriramVenu and HarishShankar, attendedthe event as chiefguests.

Helmed byVishal Kasi, a pro-tege of Sukumar,the movie isbankrolled by DilRaju and Sukumarunder their homebanners. Mickey JMeyer is the musicdirector.

Ashish Reddywas last seen inRowdy Boys,which opened to afairly goodresponse.

he much-awaitedYash star-rer K.G.F:Chapter 2has

become the biggestday-1 opener inIndian history.

Grossing close toRs 135 crore on itsopening day, themagnum opusdemolished all previ-ous box officerecords and cement-ed its position as oneof the biggest Indianfilms of all time.With this KGF:Chapter 2 becomesthe highest openerfor a single star andalso has several othertitles to its credit.The film made boxoffice history in vari-ous markets becom-ing the highest everDay 1 collection for aHindi film, grossingRs 63.66, the highestever opening inKarnataka for aKannada film andhighest ever Day 1collection in Keralafor any Indian film,industry sourcessaid.While the mas-sive advance booking

played a major rolein the grand opening,the film was expect-ed to have, the actualopening numbersstand testimony tothe ever growingKGF fever and allthis despite the ongo-ing season ofRamzan and the cur-rent pandemic situa-tion.

Hombale Films, anemerging Pan-Indiaproduction housesproduced the film,KGF: Chapter 2 waspresented in NorthIndian markets byRitesh Sidhwaniand FarhanAkhtar’s ExcelEntertainmentand AA Films.After super hitslike Dil ChahtaHai, Zindagi NaMilegi Dobara,Dil DhadakneDo, and GullyBoy to name afew, Excelchose to backthe filmway backin 2018and stuckto theirvision ofhaving a

theatricalrelease for

the mag-num opus.

The filmheadlined by

Yash and star-ring a talented

ensemble castincluding Sanjay

Dutt, RaveenaTandon andSrinidhi amoungothers releasednationwide onApril 14, inKannada, Telugu,Hindi, Tamil andMalayalam. K.G.F:Chapter 2 is writtenand directed by

Prashanth Neel.

12

Vijayawada | Saturday April 16, 2022 tollywood

SHIKHA DUGGAL

rinidhi Shetty's latestmovie is taking thebox office by storm.And the well-knownactress is raking inbig bucks in the

south. In fact, if trade reportsare to be believed, KGF:Chapter 2 is actually wreakinghavoc in theatres! How couldwe have missed the opportuni-ty to have a candid chat withthe actress who suddenly roseto fame with a long-lastingdebut? This debut is somethingthat will be remembered forev-er! When in conversation withthis Tamil actress, sheexpressed, "We never knewKGF would turn into this mas-sive blockbuster hit, so we'llhave to do it in two chapters.Moreover, it turned out to be apan-Indian movie all of a sud-den. In all five languages, theaudiences were going crazy forthe characters! KGF's nextchapter is a level-up. Box-officecollections will come and go,but my name is etched into thedirectory of a movie that willalways stay legendary."TheTulu-speaking girl finds KGF:Chapter 2 as just the beginningof her career, and she eagerlyawaits more. "chapter,"Therewas a lot of pressure on herfrom people around her sinceshe was holding up with oneproject only. However, theactress stated that it was a

deliberate decision.She wantsto do fewer movies, but shewants to do those movies thatshe will like! Adding to that,she exudes, "People crave thischance — fans identify me withthat KGF girl who is going!The scope of my character hasenlarged in this chapter. Gearup for multiple shades of Reenanow. Although I am not thesame angry, agitated girl inreality (she laughs). Part Twowill showcase an immenselysensible side of my character,never seen before. The evolu-tion is good since the content isbecoming better. As actors, wehave to choose our scriptswisely too."The actress hasdeveloped such a long-lastingattachment with her debut pro-ject that it's going to take a fewdrinks for her to agree that thechapters of KGF are over now."The sets of KGF were turninginto that home to which youcan always rely; it's my actingschool! It taught me how to actlike an expert because therewas someone who was correct-ing my errors. My co-actorshave promised me that they area call away, so I can't wait toshare screen space with all ofthem once again in the future,"she says.As Vidya Balan sug-gested, it's the best time foractresses to be in the industry,as Srinidhi opines. She calls itthe "director's perspective!" If adirector wants to make aMahabharata from the perspec-tive of Draupadi, it will be

headlined by a female actor.Also, the South's industries aredriven by a fan base. They allcome to see their favouritestars. Times are changing. Asper Srinidhi Ramesh Shetty'sanalysis, Alia Bhatt did won-ders with GangubaiKathiawadi and Raazi.Lastly, "Even as a newcom-er, promotional tourswere too massive for meto digest. In no time, Iwas taking flights fromone city to anothercity in no time! Everycity made me realisehow the KGF mad-ness was only risingand rising. For amoment, I even hadto step back and lookat Yash, Sanjay Dutt,and Raveena Tandon'sstar craze! I tried to wit-ness that as a fan myselfwhile on a promotional tour.It also came as a moment ofrejuvenation, too, after pro-longed days of rigourousshooting. Even the expe-rience of marketing yourown film was veryrewarding. By blurringthe lines and burningthe cinematic borders,Srinidhi is entirelyhopeful of her Telugudebut soon. Shecan't wait to pounceon a Tollywoodproject, and wecan't wait to seeher!

‘Fans identify mewith that ‘KGF girl'who is going'

s

ising like waterand cutting likeice, NTR Jr.stunned viewersand veterans ofthe Indian film

industry with his power-packed performance in therole of Komaram Bheem inS S Rajamouli’s RRR.Having garnered Rs 1,000crore worldwide, the mon-strous blockbuster intro-duced Tarak’s finesse andfandom to the pan-Indiascene. While NTR Jr’s pan-India revolution continuesto roar at the box office, themaster of grand cinemaRajamouli can’t stop ravingabout the song KomaramBheemudo as enlivened onthe big screen by Tarak.

During a media interac-tion, the RRR director said,“I can’t stop gushing aboutthe song KomaramBheemudo where Tarak isbeing whipped and he isshowing his defiance, hislove, his pride, his betrayal -everything in that one song.And it’s aptly complementedby the friend who is givinghim punishment — (Ram)

Charan. I think that is thebest thing that I have donein my entire film career sofar.”

He added, “If you takeparticularly my favouriteKomaram Bheemudo song,NTR plays KomaramBheem. He’s being whippedand he still portrays hisdefiance, his betrayal, hispatriotism, his pride in hisland and nation. The wayTarak portrayed it was reallyreally better than the way Iimagined it to be when Ifirst envisioned it. Thosethings came out much bet-ter than I anticipated.”

RRR marked NTR Jr’sfirst pan-India film and wit-nessed the actor pushinghimself to the hilt for thesaid role. It included himgaining 20 kgs, dancingwith mad energy and per-fection, emoting with preci-sion, pulling off actionscenes and dubbing inHindi, Tamil, Telugu andKannada. The man of themasses will soon kick offthe shoot for his nextNTR30 directed by KoratalaSiva.

r

S S Rajamouli on Jr.NTR

surpassing his vision for

Komaram Bheemudo!

KGF: Chapter 2 emerges as India's

highest ever day 1 earner

BlockbusterfilmmakerAnil

Ravipudi is leavingno stone unturned to

make his ongoing filmF3 much bigger hit than

F2. Starring VictoryVenkatesh and Mega PrinceVarun Tej in lead roles, thefilm features TamannaahBhatia, Mehreen Pirzada andSonal Chauhan playing thefemale leads.

Pooja Hegde who is one ofthe most sought-after actress-es will be seen shaking her legin a special party number inthe movie. Art director ASPrakash oversaw the construc-tion of a flamboyant set inAnnapurna 7 Acres, where the

song shoot is taking place.The shoot of the songcommenced fromFriday.

Rockstar Devi Sri Prasadhas scored a peppy and foot-

tapping number for this song.What’s so special about thissong is alongside Pooja Hegde,entire lead cast of the movie-Venkatesh, Varun Tej and theheroines are also participatingin the shoot that arrives at thecrucial juncture of the movie.Pooja Hegde’s special dancenumber will be one of themajor attractions of the movie.It indeed will be a feast to seeall of them together on screen.

Rajendra Prasad whoappeared in F2 is also part ofF3, while Sunil is the newaddition.

Dil Raju is the presenter,while Shirish is producing themovie on Sri VenkateswaraCreations banner. Sai Sriramcranks the camera, whileTammiraju is the editor.Harshith Reddy is the co-pro-ducer.

The film F3 is ready to cre-ate laughing riot in theatres onMay 27.

Pooja Hegde startsshooting for party

number in F3

Actor Simbu, a well-known name inTamil and Telugu

cinema, was last seen inVenkat Prabhu’sMaanadu that becamea boxoffice hit. Theactor has a couple ofinteresting projectslined up and he is cur-rently bisy shooting forhis next project withGautham VaasudevMenon’s magnum opusVendhu Thanindhathu Kaadu.A video of the actor where hewas seen dressed up as anautorickshaw driver is doingrounds on the internet sinceFriday morning.

Simbhu seems to haveundergone a massive physicaltransformation for his role inthis film. The video kept neti-zens quizzed whethee he will beseen playing an autorickshawdriver in any of his films or wasthe outfit donned for any songshoot or an ad shoot.

On the other hand, Simbuwill be seen in Tamil action,romance movie VendhuThanindhathu Kaadu, writtenand directed by GauthamVasudev Menon. It is beingproduced by Ishari K. Ganeshwhereas the music is composedby AR Rahman, while cine-matography is handled bySiddhartha Nuni and editing isbeing handled by Anthony. In

past, Gautham and Simbu hadpreviously worked together inVinnaithaandi Varuvaayaa.

t

Simbhuas an

autorickshawdriver impresses

fans