Confluence of faith begins with Shahi Snan - Daily Pioneer

KESTUR VASUKI n BENGALURU

In a setback to the coalitionGovernment of the Congress

and the Janata Dal(S) inKarnataka, two IndependentMLAs on Tuesday withdrewtheir support even as the BJPshifted nearly 100 of its MLAsto Manesar in Haryana.Unfazed by these develop-ments, Chief Minister HDKumaraswamy said he was“totally relaxed” and there wasno threat to his Government.

R Shankar of Ranebennurand MLA H Nagesh fromMulabagilu Assembly con-stituency wrote to GovernorVaju Bhai Vala saying theywere withdrawing support tothe coalition Government ledby Chief Minister HDKumaraswamy.

These Independent MLAshad extended their support tothe Congress-JD(S) alliancewhen it was formed in May last.Political experts say at thisjuncture it may not affect thestability of the coalitionGovernment since theCongress with 80 MLAs andthe JD(S) with 37 enjoy a clearmajority in the 224-memberKarnataka legislature wherehalfway mark is 113.

Congress leader andDeputy Chief Minister GParameshwara said, “We haveheard that the two IndependentMLAs want to withdraw sup-port to the Government. AsIndependents, they are free totake any decision they want.They had extended supportwhen the Government wasformed and one of them was

made a Minister for a while.”Asserting that he was total-

ly relaxed and is sure about hisstrength, the Chief Ministersaid, “If two MLAs withdrawtheir support, what will be thenumbers? I’m totally relaxed. Iknow my strength. Whatever isgoing on in media in the pastweek, I am enjoying,” he said.

Taking a swipe at the BJP,

the Chief Minister said, “Whatis going to happen? If twoIndependents declare support(to BJP). What will be thenumbers?”

Amid claims that the BJPwas trying to lure the CongressMLAs and whisked away threeof them to Mumbai, AICC gen-eral secretary KC Venugopalheld a meeting withKumaraswamy after holdingdiscussions with former ChiefMinister Siddaramaiah, DeputyChief Minister G Parameshwara,senior Minister DK Shivakumar,Home Minister MB Patil andother party functionaries.

Later speaking to reporters,the Chief Minister said, “This‘Operation Lotus’ is a falsealarm created by media. Thereis no threat to the Government.I enjoy the news channels run-ning programmes like soapopera about threat to theGovernment.”

Operation Lotus refers toBJP’s poaching of MLAs fromother parties during BSYeddyurappa’s first stint asChief Minister.

JD(S) chief and formerPrime Minister HD DeveGowda too said nothing wouldhappen to the Governmentheaded by his son. “It is not in

Continued on Page 4

PNS n NEW DELHI

In a major decision, the Centreon Tuesday announced that

the HRD Ministry will imple-ment 10 per cent reservation foreconomically weaker sectionamong the general categoryfrom the 2019 academic sessionand increase around 25 per centseats in higher educationalinstitutions and universitiesacross the country.

The announcement comesfollowing the Constitutionalamendment in Parliament lastweek to provide 10 per centreservation to general categorypoor in jobs and education,with the Government termingthe landmark move as “slogover sixes”. President Ram NathKovind has also given his assentto the Bill paving way for reser-vations in the said category. Thequota will be over and above theexisting 50 per cent reservationto Scheduled Castes, ScheduledTribes and Other Backward

Classes (OBCs).Though financial implica-

tions are yet to be ascertainedafter several rounds of meet-ings, sources said initial esti-mates reflect that around 10lakh seats will have to be addedin institutions across the coun-try, including Central univer-sities, IITs and IIMs, amongother prestigious higher edu-cational institutions.

HRD Minister PrakashJavadekar told reporters that thedecision was taken at a meetingof officials from the Ministry,University Grants Commission(UGC) and the All IndiaCouncil of Technical Education(AICTE). He said that the pri-vate universities are also ready

to implement the quota.“The reservation will be

implemented from the 2019-2020 academic session itself.Nearly 25 per cent seats will beadded to ensure that the reser-vation does not disturb theexisting quota for SC, ST andother categories. There arearound 40,000 colleges and 900universities across the countryand supernumerary quota willbe provided in these,” Javadekarsaid at a late evening Press con-ference in this regard.

The Minister, however, didnot specify the number of seatswhich will be added. “Themodalities are being workedout and within a week’s time wewill have the exact number ofseats that will be added. Theoperation manuals about howto implement the quota will beissued soon. The colleges anduniversities will also be askedto mention the quota in theirprospectus as well and makeinfrastructural arrangementsaccordingly,” he added.

The HRD Ministry last weekhad convened a meeting to workout the modalities to implement10 per cent reservation for the“economically weaker” sectionsamong general category in high-er educational institutions.

Continued on Page 4

KUMAR CHELLAPPAN n KOLLAM

Taking the fight to his ene-mies’ camps on Tuesday,

Prime Minister Narendra Modiwarned both the LDF and theUDF that the day is not far offwhen the BJP would unseatthem and win power in Kerala.Addressing a huge NDA rallyat the historical CantonmentGrounds at Kollam, PrimeMinister Modi lambasted theCPI(M)-led LDF as well as theCongress-led UDF for theirstance on the SabarimalaTemple issue.

“The entire nation is speak-ing about Sabarimala. Theblunders of the CPI(M) wouldgo down in history as the mostshameful act. The CPI(M)speaks about gender justicewhile they behaved in the mostshameful and inhumane man-ner at Sabarimala Temple. Whydid they oppose in Parliamentthe Bill banning triple talaq ifthey have concern for genderjustice and welfare of women?”asked the Prime Minister.

Modi also said theCommunists are known fortheir hatred to Indian history,culture and spirituality; theCongress is also no different in

this issue. “The BJP is the only polit-

ical party which believes andworks for the all-inclusivegrowth of the population,”Modi added.

He said the Congress isnotorious for its double stan-dard as well as hypocrisy.“What is their stance onSabarimala? They speak some-thing in Parliament only tocontradict the same the nextday outside the House. TheLDF and the UDF are the twosides of the same coin. They are

the ones who strengthenedcasteism, communalism andcorruption in the country,”Modi said, and listed theachievements made by thecountry under the NDA regimeduring the last four and a halfyears.

The Prime Minister point-ed out that Kollam, which wasonce famous for its cashew nutindustry, is suffering becausethe Governments led by theUDF or the LDF did nothing torevive and resuscitate the sec-tor. He assured the people of

Kollam in general and Keralain particular that the BJP wouldsoon emerge as the rulingparty of the State.

“I know the karyakartas ofthe BJP are being assaulted,attacked and victimised by theLDF Government. I would liketo remind the Communistsand the Congress that if wecould win over people inTripura where we had no rep-resentation, Kerala is not faraway. Our workers will over-come and win Kerala too,” saidthe Prime Minister.

Earlier, the Prime Ministerdedicated to the nation the 13-km long two-way Kollambypass built at a cost of Rs 352crore which would bring downthe travel time betweenAlappuzha andThiruvananthapuram.

“The project conceived in1972 could be finished onlyafter the BJP-led NDAGovernment took charge inNew Delhi and released fundsfor the speedy implementationof all infrastructure projectswhich were facing inordinatedelay,” Modi added while inau-gurating the bypass. The PMtook strong objection to the

Continued on Page 4

2 MLAs quitGovt; BJPbundles offits 100 MLAsto Manesar

SC refuses toundo MamataGovt ban onBJP rath yatras

Seats in higher

edu institutions

and universities

to be hiked 25%

Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy and Archbishop Bernard BlasiusMoras during the annual feast at Infant Jesus Church in Bengaluru on Monday PTI

Left hates Indian culture, Modi raps Sabarimala stand

10% gen poor quota from thisacademic session: HRD Min

Pol storm in K’taka;HDK ‘totally relaxed’

Prime Minister Narendra Modi being felicitated by Kerala Chief Minister PinarayiVijayan during an event to inaugurate the Kollam Bypass on NH 66, in Kollamdistrict of Kerala on Tuesday. Kerala Governor P Sathasivam is also seen PTI

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WORLD 13

TERRORISTS ATTACK NAIROBI HOTEL

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Late City Vol. 155 Issue 15*Air Surcharge Extra if Applicable

Published From DELHI LUCKNOW BHOPAL

BHUBANESWAR RANCHI RAIPURCHANDIGARH DEHRADUN

Established 1864

RNI No.2016/1957, REGD NO. SSP/LW/NP-34/2019-21

LUCKNOW, WEDNESDAY JANUARY 16, 2019; PAGES 16 `3

INDIA BEAT

AUSTRALIA BY

SIX WICKETS

15 SPORT

}

PNS n ALLAHABAD

Kumbh, the mega spiritualevent, kicked off to a splen-

did start as auspicious MakarSankranti dawned upon thesangam, the confluence of holyGanga, Yamuna and mytholog-ical Saraswati. Amid chants of‘Har Har Gange’, thousands ofseers, lakhs of devotees took aholy dip in the Sangam waters insearch of salvation.

A good number of devoteeshad enjoyed the festival bathingon Monday itself while lakhskept on pouring in from placesfar and near for the Sankrantibathing. Carrying their belong-ings on shoulders they reachedthe temporary bathing ghats tohave a dip right from the weehours till sunset.

Devotees braved the coldweather to take a dip in the icywater as they reached the KumbhNagari which witnessed a hugerush of people from far-awaylands as early as 4 in the morn-ing.

Sadhus of 13 akharas (sevenShaiva, three Vaishnava, twoUdasina, and one Sikh) whohave traditionally participated inthe Kumbh Mela, the largest

congregation in the world, werethe first to take the holy bathknown as ‘Shahi Snan’. Theymarched majestically, dancingand humming devotional songs,all the way to the confluence.“Me and my family came around4:30 am thinking that it will betoo crowded later.

“Not that it is any less crowd-ed now. Also, we didn’t want tomiss the march of various akha-ras that will be taking part at theShahi Snan ritual,” said 35-year-old Anshuman, who had justtaken the holy dip.

The order in which the holydip is performed by variousakharas is pre-determined.

It started with Mahanirvanialong with the Atal akhara, theNiranjani along with theAnanada Akhara, and the Junaalong with the Avahana andAgni akharas.

They are followed byNirvani akhara, Digambaraakhara, Nirmohi akhara, BadaUdasin akhara, Naya Udasinakhara and lastly by the lone Sikhakhara called Nirmal akhara.

Attracting eye-balls of oneand all, especially the foreigners,was the march of Naga sadhus,a martial order of ascetics who

move about naked with ashsmeared on their whole body.

“It is surreal. I had alwaysheard about them. In fact, one ofthe reasons we wanted to cometo the Kumbh was to see themin real as we are told that this isthe only festival in which theyarrive in numbers,” said ManuelMatthaus, who had come fromGermany. “Yes, I did plan to takethe bath. But I guess the waternow is too freezy for my linking.May be later in the evening,” headded, as his girlfriend was busycapturing the spectacle on hercamera.

About 12 crore people areexpected to visit the Kumbhbetween now and Maha Shivratrion March 4, when the Mela willcome to a close, for a holy dip atthe Sangam. It was traditionallycalled ‘Ardh Kumbh’ as it takesplace twice in 12 years, but thepresent Uttar Pradesh govern-ment recently renamed it‘Kumbh’. In 2013, according to arecent book ‘Kumbha: TheTraditionally Modern Mela’, 12crore attended the grand fair.

The state governmentexpects the number to go high-er this time.

■ Related reports on Pg 6

Confluence of faith begins with Shahi Snan

Forget past differences,

work for victory: Maya

PNS n LUCKNOW

Appealing to party loyaliststhat a vote for the

‘mahaghatbandhan’ will be thereal gift on her birthday,Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP)supremo Mayawati raisedissues pertaining to problems offarmers while firing a salvoboth at the Congress and theBharatiya Janata Party.

“The farmers of the coun-try can only be benefited by theimplementation of theSwaminathan Commissionreport as then the farmerswould not be forced to takeloans for their needs,” sug-gested Mayawati while target-ing both the national parties.She asserted that whether it wasthe BJP or the Congress, bothwere just taking cosmeticaction to waive loans takenfrom banks and other financialinstitutions and that too up to

Rs 2 lakh. “As many as 70 percent of the farmers, includingthe landless, were gripped bythe problem after taking loans

from local sahukars or localloan sharks”, she pointed out,adding the loan waivers hadgiven no relief to such farmers.

She called for one-time waiv-er of the entire loan whichwould check farmers’ suicidesas well as resolve all their prob-lems.

Addressing a press confer-ence on her 63rd birthday hereon Tuesday, Mayawati lam-basted the BJP for fooling peo-ple for five years. She appealedto workers of her party and theSamajwadi Party to forget theirpast differences to fight theupcoming Lok Sabha elections.

“Forget past differencesand ensure victory of all jointcandidates of the SP and theBSP. This will be my idealbirthday gift,” Mayawati said.

Mayawati said UttarPradesh, which is India’s largeststate, will decide who will bethe next Prime Minister. “UPdecides who will come topower at the Centre and whowill be the Prime Minister. The

Continued on Page 4

‘Victory of all joint SP-BSP candidates will be my ideal birthday gift’

Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav greets Bahujan Samaj Party chiefMayawati on her birthday in Lucknow on Tuesday AP

PNS n NEW DELHI

The Supreme court onTuesday refused to give the

go-ahead to the BJP’s pro-posed “rath yatras” in WestBengal, saying the law-and-order apprehension flagged bythe State Government was not“totally unfounded”. The SCdirected the BJP to seek afresh approval from theMamata Banerjee Governmentby submitting a revised pro-posal.

The court, however,allowed the West Bengal unit ofthe BJP to continue with itsproposed public rallies andmeetings under its “GanatantraBachao Yatra”.

The SC asked the BengalGovernment to consider BJP’srevised proposal, keeping inmind the fundamental right offreedom of speech and expres-sion guaranteed under theConstitution. “Once such aproposal is submitted, the StateGovernment will consider thematter and pass appropriateorders, keeping in mind thatthe present involves a case ofexercise of the fundamentalrights, inter alia, under Article

Continued on Page 4

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Be it known to all that in thePassport my name isMentioned as MohammadShaiba, but my actual name isMohd. Shaiba Azmi. In futureI well be known as Mohd.Shaiba Azmi.

SP and BSP identifying

seats to be contested

PIONEER NEWS SERVICE n LUCKNOW

With both the BahujanSamaj Party and the

Samajwadi Party crossing themajor hurdle of seat sharing forthe Lok Sabha elections, theleaders of both the parties arenow putting their headstogether for identifying seats tobe contested by both the par-ties. The alliance between theSP and BSP in UP is seen as amonumental leap of faithbetween two sworn rivals.Samajwadi Party sources claimthat it is highly likely that thisalliance may now extend toother states as well like Biharand Madhya Pradesh.

As per the broad under-standing reached between thetwo parties, the Bahujan SamajParty, besides contesting amajority of the 17 Lok Sabhaseats reserved for theScheduled Caste, will contestmost of the seats in Western

UP, while the Samajwadi Partywill contest eastern UP con-stituencies.

The father-son duo ofAkhilesh Yadav and MulayamSingh Yadav are set to contestLok Sabha polls from Kannaujand Mainpuri, respectively.Mayawati may pick a seat tooto re-enter the Lok Sabha after15 years. She has won twicefrom Akbarpur seat in east UP,the last time she contested in2004.

The key seats likeBulandshahr, Agra, Bijnor,Meerut, Saharanpur, Naginaand Aligarh are expected to becontested by the BSP whileseats like Etawah, Lucknow,Moradabad, Gorakhpur,Allahabad, Kanpur andAzamgarh are expected to becontested by the SP. Baghpatand Mathura seats have beenleft for RLD’s Ajit Singh andJayant Chaudhary. The SP-BSP alliance may contest these

two seats too if RLD refusestheir offer and goes to alignwith the Congress in UP.

Akhilesh Yadav hadalready said that he was will-ing to make a compromise forlesser seats but said he wasgrateful to Mayawati for mak-ing both parties equal partners.This is also seen as a messageto voters and workers of bothsides that no partner was infe-rior — hence aid and enablevote transfer to either camp.The BSP has identified seatswhere Dalit-Muslim voters areenough to help it win withsome vote transfer from theYadavs while the SP will bankon seats where the Yadav-Muslim population is deci-sive, along with some Dalitbacking.

The SP has been electoral-ly more successful than theBSP in UP both in the 2014and 2017 elections. The BSPhad drawn a blank during

2014 Lok Sabha polls. TheBJP had been attacking theproposed alliance in the pastasking if SP workers wouldaccept lesser seats for theirparty compared to the BSP inan alliance. The equal-seatdeal hence silences that cri-tique from the BJP. SP leaderssaid: “Who gets which seat alsodepends on who finished sec-ond on which seat in 2014 and2009 as well as consideringeither party’s traditionalstrengths in terms of vote.

While the SP had wonfive seats in the 2014 LS pollsand finished second on 31seats, the BSP won no seat butfinished second in 33 seats. Ofthe two seats where the BSPfinished second, the SP wonthe Gorakhpur and Phulpurseats in the byelections. Thebiggest strength of the allianceis that it will bring the Dalit-Muslim-Yadav axis to the forein the state.

BSP workers savouring cake on the occasion of Mayawati’s birthday on Tuesday Pioneer

Crucial BJPmeet todayPIONEER NEWS SERVICE n LUCKNOW

In the backdrop of politicalactivities gaining momen-

tum in UP after the announce-ment of an alliance between theBSP and the SP, the state unitof the BJP will launch its pollpreparation on Wednesdaywhen party's Lok Sabha pollincharge and Union minister JPNadda, along with three of hisdeputies, will hold a meetingwith the state leadership. Thiswill be Nadda’s maiden visit toLucknow after being declaredelection incharge of UP.

State BJP spokespersonHarish Chandra Srivastavaconfirmed that Nadda and histhree deputies would hold ameeting with the state leader-ship at the state party head-quarters from 1100 hours onWednesday. "The meeting willbe a formal one, when the pollincharge will discuss with thestate leadership, led by statepresident Mahendra NathPandey, general secretary(Organisation) Sunil Bansaland others about the prepara-tion for the polls," Srivastavasaid. Sources suggest that themeeting will pave way for theearly selection of party candi-dates and the seats to be left forthe alliance partners -- ApnaDal and Suheldeo BharatiyaSamaj Party.

Earlier, another report saysthat a survey by the party sug-gests that 57 sitting candidatesout of the 68 may be deniedticket this time as they have nochance to retain their seats.“This meeting is importantbecause Nadda will presideover it. We will have interactionwith three deputies for thefirst time,” Srivastava said.

Nadda was announcedincharge of UP elections onJanuary 2.

Shivpal treats SP-BSP

alliance with scorn


Shivpal Yadav, heading thePragatisheel Samajwadi

Party (Lohia) and the warringuncle of Samajwadi partyPresident Akhilesh Yadav,terming the SP-BSP alliance as‘opportunistic’ and added thatthe rank and file of theSamajwadi Party would neveraccept the new political forma-tion.

“It’s an opportunisticalliance so it lacks credibilityamong people. The BahujanSamaj Party, particularly eversince the breakup of its alliancewith the Samajwadi Party inJune 1995, had left no stoneunturned to humiliate partypatriarch Mulayam SinghYadav and other senior leaderslike Janeshwar Mishra,” saidShivpal Yadav on Tuesday,adding: “The results of thecoming Lok Sabha electionswould endorse my observationabout the SP-BSP alliance.”

Shivpal Yadav deniedcharges levelled by BSP chiefMayawati that his party was aproxy of the BJP. “I am not apurchasable commodity and it’stoo well known about that sheis neck deep in economicoffences and also known forselling the party tickets during

the Assembly and Lok Sabhaelections.” He claimed all thosewho had faith in social justicewere looking at the SP-BSPalliance with suspicion andquestioning its ultimate objec-tives. PSPL leader claimed thatany anti-BJP alliance would notbe viable without includinghis party and the Congress.

“Mayawati is notorious forselling the power she earns withthe support of Dalits, OBCsand minorities to the BJP andshe became the Chief Ministerthree times with the support ofthe BJP. Who can guaranteethat she will not join handswith the BJP after the LokSabha elections?” chargedShivpal Yadav. He alleged thatMayawati as the Chief Ministerframed a large number ofMuslim youths in false casesand sent them to jail.

Shivpal Yadav rejected theclaim of Akhilesh Yadav andMayawati that only theiralliance could take on the BJPand defeat the ruling party inUP and the Centre. “This isnot ‘gathbandhan’ but ‘thug-bandhan’ and the way theyhave decided to keep theCongress and the PSPL out ofit raises question over its realintentions. Many are wonder-ing whether the real objective

of the alliance is to ensure thedivision of the votes of Dalits,OBCs and Muslims to pave theway for the easy victory of theBJP in Lok Sabha elections,"alleges Shivpal Yadav.

Alleging that Mayawatiwould ditch Samajwadi Partyafter the Lok Sabha elections,Shivpal Yadav said: "Nobodyknows about the possiblecourse of action of Mayawatiafter the Lok Sabha electionsand looking at her past record,anything is possible." He said itwas too early to comment onthe viability of the SP-BSPalliance and its impact on theLok Sabha elections.

The PSPL has been allotted'chaabi' (key) as the electionsymbol by the ElectionCommission of India. ThePSPL is banking on the supportof rebels of the SamajwadiParty who will be denied partytickets following its alliancewith the Bahujan Samaj party.With only 38 seats in the quotaout of total 80 Lok Sabha seatsin Uttar Pradesh, there will beno SP candidate in as many as42 seats. A large number of SPleaders aspiring for party tick-ets are set to seek alternativepastures and the most prefer-able destination is likely to bethe PSPL.

Tie-up bound to

fail: Sharma


Deputy Chief MinisterDinesh Sharma said that

BJP was set to win the Lok sabhaelections as the “unnatural” and“unethical” alliance betweenthe Samajwadi Party and theBahujan Samaj Party wouldhave no impact on the rulingparty’s prospects.

“UP has seen what hadhappened in 2017 Assemblyelections when 'do ladke’ weremade to bite the dust when theSamajwadi Party and theCongress joined hands. Thesame story will be repeatedthis time too when the SP andthe BSP alliance will be defeat-ed,” Dr Sharma told reportershere on Tuesday. He addedthat the BSP leadership hadalways talked about the guest-house case to sensitise its cadreagainst the Samajwadi Party.Now, Mayawati is asking hercadre to forget that episode. Isit possible for the cadre to for-get that episode and bring thawwith Samajwadi Party workersat the ground level in just oneday,” he asked and as if giving ananswer he said: “It is not possi-ble. This alliance is bound tofail.”

Without taking the name ofMayawati, Sharma said that onher birthday, she had asked for

a gift but unfortunately workerswould not be able to give her apleasant gift of victory becauseshe was bound to face defeat.“There are parties in Indiawhich swear by the name ofAmbedkar but have done noth-ing for the uplift of the poor andthe downtrodden. It is onlyNarendra Modi who had devel-oped Ambedkar circuit andlaunched many schemes that arebeneficial for the downtrodden,”he said.

When asked about theOpposition raising questionson defence deals, he said thoseleaders were even questioningthe apex court’s order. “Someparties even say that we aredoing politics of religion but thefact is we are following rashtradharma whose tenet is sabkasaath, sabka vikas,” he said.

Sharma also defended CBIraid in mining scam saying hisgovernment was acting as perthe court directives.

Sharma alsodefended CBI raidin mining scamsaying hisgovernment wasacting as per thecourt directives

Yogi celebrates Makar Sankranti

Lucknow (PNS): UttarPradesh Chief Minister YogiAdityanath paid obeisance atGorakhnath temple here on theoccasion of Makar Sakranti onTuesday. Adityanath, who isalso the mahant of Gorakhnathpeeth, offered 'khichri' to BabaGorakhnath.

Talking to mediapersons,the Chief Minister said MakarSankranti is an auspicious dayand it is all the more importantas it is coinciding with theKumbh fair at Prayagraj. Hethanked Prime MinisterNarendra Modi for making thegrand event an internationalaffair this time.

"The hosting of flags of 71countries and a visit of theirenvoys has made Kumbh aninternational event while for thefirst time in 400 years people willhave a darshan of 'Akshay Vat'and 'Saraswati koop' atPrayagraj," he said.

When asked about invita-tion being extended to Congresspresident Rahul Gandhi toattend the Prayagraj Kumbh, theCM made it clear that every stateand political leader had beeninvited. "They are welcome toattend this festival. Except for themain bathing day, VVIPs arewelcome on any day in Kumbh,"Adityanath said.

Akhilesh greets Maya

Lucknow (PNS):Samajwadi Party presidentAkhilesh Yadav greeted BahujanSamaj Party supremo Mayawation her 63rd birthday onTuesday. Akhilesh Yadav accom-panied by party leaders SanjaySeth and Javed Abdi reached theresidence of Mayawati, after sheaddressed the press conference.

The SP president gave abouquet and shawl to the BSPchief on her birthday. Both theleaders discussed politicalissues and Mayawati offeredbirthday cake and sweets to SPleaders.

One detained for fake

BSP candidates’ list


One person was detained inconnection with the

release of fake Bahujan SamajParty (BSP) candidates' list inthe state capital. The list wasshared on social media onMonday evening and the sameand the same was dismissed bythe party as fake. The list soonwent viral forcing the BSP toissue a clarification. The fakelist contained names of BSPleaders on 38 seats withMayawati contesting fromSaharanpur seat.

Earlier, it was reported thatMayawati would be releasingthe candidates' list of the BSPon her birthday but the samewas put on hold following thecontroversy. Police said inves-

tigation was in progress.However, it refused to revealthe identity of the detained per-son. The fake list was sent outin the name of BSP chiefMayawati and had the signa-ture of party state president RSKushwaha. Printed on a BSPletter pad and dated January 13,2019, the list looked real.

To contain the fuellingrumour, Kushwaha issued aclarification on Mondayevening and blamed theOpposition parties for givingrise to such fake stories. Heclaimed that the Oppositionwas feeling the heat due to theSP-BSP alliance, hence circulat-ing such messages on socialmedia.

The BSP filed an FIR inconnection with the case at

Gautampalli police station inLucknow. The police regis-tered a case under Sections419,468,469,470 and 471 IPCand started investigating thematter. Kushwaha said thatcirculating fake messages andusing someone's signature wasa criminal offence and warnedof action against the culprits.The SP-BSP, as per the allianceannounced by Mayawati andAkhilesh Yadav, will contest theLok Sabha polls on 38 seatseach in Uttar Pradesh. Two ofthe 80 seats have been allottedfor smaller alliance partners.Though the two parties haveditched the Congress, Akhileshand Mayawati said that theywould not field any candidatein Gandhi bastions --- Amethiand Rae Bareli.

Gangrape victim

commits suicide


Despite repeated instruc-tions by Chief Minister

Yogi Adityanath to take upissues of atrocities on womenas the top priority, men in'khakhi’ forced a 35-year-oldgangrape victim in Gonda tocommit suicide.

Surprisingly, the localpolice refused to take anyaction even when the victimearlier made a self-immola-tion bid in front of the ChiefMinister’s residence inSeptember last and was givenassurance of stern actionagainst the guilty.

Only after the victimended her life by hanging

herself with the ceiling onMonday evening, SP, Gonda,RP Singh finally woke upfrom his slumber and placedinspectors Ajit Pratap Singhand Pramanand Tewari, thetwo former investigation offi-cers in the case, under sus-pension and present stationhouse officer of Karnailganjpolice station Ved PrakashSingh was sent to l ine.Additional SP Hridesh Kumarwas handed over a probe intothe matter.

The victim in Februarylast year was gangraped andhad lodged a report with theKarnailganj police station inGonda against Shyam aliasBudhai and his brotherShankar Dayal aka Babloo.However, the cops had closedthe investigation and sub-mitted a final report claimingthat the charges were fake.

Police inaction

exposed

New age in unreserved ticketing ushered in

PIONEER NEWS SERVICE n ALLAHABAD

On January 14, a new age inunreserved ticketing in

the Indian Railways was ush-ered in when the first unre-served ticket was generatedusing the newly-launchedPravin hand-held ticket dis-pensing machine which was

launched recently by theauthorities of North CentralRailway (NCR) to be used dur-ing the Kumbh Mela here.Hitherto the chief method ofpurchase of unreserved ticketswas through the ubiquitousticket windows at the bookingoffices of Indian Railwaysacross its network of stations.

While 100 additional tick-et windows were opened at thestations of the district for dis-pensing unreserved tickets tothe pilgrims coming to theKumbh Mela other methods ofdispensing them were alsomulled by the Railways. It wasduring such brainstorming ses-sions that the idea of handheld

ticket-dispensing machinecame forward from the DeputyChief Commercial Manager(UTS) of NCR (after whosename the machine has beenchristened ‘Pravin’). “Weimmediately saw the potentialin the idea and gave the go-ahead to develop it for use dur-ing the Kumbh Mela here,” the

GM of NCR, Rajiv Chaudhry,said. “There were a number ofissues to be addressed and anumber of problems to besolved in little time before theidea could actually be translat-ed into reality in the short peri-od of time that we had beforethe commencement of theKumbh Mela.

TTE stabbed Gorakhpur: A travelling

ticket examiner (TTE) wasstabbed by two passengers on-board a train in Uttar Pradesh'sKushinagar district when heasked them to show their tick-ets, police said Tuesday. Theincident occurred in the S-10coach of the Delhi-bound SaptKranti Express. PTI



The Annual StatusEducation Report (ASER-

2018) was released on Tuesday.ASER associate Manoj KumarPatel said the report focused onschooling status of childrenaged 3-16 years and basicreading and arithmetic of chil-dren in the age group of 5-16across rural India.

He said that in UttarPradesh, the attendance ofchildren saw an improvementfrom 56 per cent in 2016 to

about 60 per cent in 2018.“However, there is a need tokeep building on the improve-ment in attendance in thecoming years. Despiteimprovement, the attendancein UP even in 2018 in govern-ment schools is below 60%which needs further improve-ment,” he added. Patel said theproportion of children notenrolled in schools had fallenacross all age groups between2016 and 2018 but UP’s out-of-school percentage for the agegroup 6-14 at 4.9% was still

amongst the highest in thecountry. ASER-2018 showsthat reading levels in UP haveimproved across all gradesbetween 2016 and 2018.

“UP’s reading levels havecrossed the national averagefor the first time in mostgrades. However, arithmeticlevels in the state remain belownational average,” Patel point-ed out. He said that privateschools continued to performbetter than governmentschools in subtraction anddivision levels.

“Results show that childrenwith basic foundational skillsperform better than those lack-ing it, especially in terms ofarithmetic operations. Mostschool facilities have shown animprovement over time orstayed the same,” he added.

Patel said that usable toi-lets in school had shown aremarkable improvementbetween 2016 and 2018. “Onlylibrary books and their useseem to have declined signifi-cantly,” he pointed out.


Aman raped a 14-year-oldgirl at his house in

Golaganj locality underWazirganj police station onTuesday. Police registered acase for rape and underPOCSO Act against theaccused, identified as Guddu,who is said to be absconding.

As per reports, takingadvantage of his acquaintancewith the girl’s family, Gudduwon her confidence and took

her to his house where he sex-ually assaulted her and laterfled the scene. Neighbourscame to the rescue of the vic-tim who was found cryinginconsolably. Inspector NurulHuda Khan said a case hadbeen registered and the girlsent for medical test.Surprising things surfaced dur-ing the probe of the case. Itcame to the fore that the girl’sfather had dropped her at thehouse of the accused and laterleft the place. It also surfacedthat the girl’s father did notappear before the police whencalled. “The role of girl’s fatheris also under scanner,” thepolice said.


Belying the claims of noragging, a group of seniorstudents thrashed their

junior after he did not salutethem at Lucknow University onTuesday afternoon. Not onlythis, the unruly students openedfire in the air to intimidate theirjuniors when they startedassembling at the scene in sol-idarity with the victim. Policeclaimed both the groups foughtover supremacy.

The victim, identified asAbhsihek Singh, who is a stu-dent of BA-II (Tourism) and aresident of Gonda, stays in ahouse on rent in Ashiyana. Hewas going towards gate number1 after the classes were over.“When I reached at the gate, twosenior students, Anurag Tiwariand Dhananjay Chaturvedi,called me. When I reachednear them, they told me I hadforgotten the etiquettes as I didnot salute them. As I objected,two more students,Harshvardhan Bhadauriya andHari, along with two of theiraides, reached the scene. Theyattacked me with the butt of apistol and also with iron rods,”he told the police.

Hasanganj inspector AmberSingh said both the groupswere associated with AkhilBharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad(ABVP) and were at logger-heads over supremacy on theuniversity campus. He saidAbhishek suffered head injuriesin the attack and he was admit-ted to Balrampur Hospital.

“Abhishek is out of dangerand his condition is improving,”Singh said, adding that case of

murderous assault and riotingwhile armed with weapons wasbeing registered against fouraccused, two of whom wereidentified as Anurag Tiwariand Dhananjay Chaturvedi.“The police have launched amanhunt for the studentsnamed in the case. After the twoaccused are traced, the policewill find out others,” Singh said.


Dissatisfied with delay in thearrest of prime suspect

Raju Sardar aka Kaliya andSonu Khan aka Habib Khan inthe grisly murder of Alambaghtrader Amanpreet, the aggriev-ed family met SSP KalanidhiNaithani and offered help inthe investigation. Family mem-bers of the slain businessmanmet the SSP to apprise him oftheir dissatisfaction and pro-vided to the top cop somenumbers of the acquaintancesof the prime suspect and hisaide, both of whom arebelieved to have taken shelterin Nepal.

Though the Lucknowpolice were reluctant to sharethe details of the meeting,sources said the SSP had askedASP (East) Ashtabhuja Singhto take note of the informationprovided by the victim’s fami-ly and probe on that line too.

The ASP (East) said heconvened a meeting withAlambagh circle officerSanjeev Sinha and other offi-cers, including the Alambaghinspector. “We are yet to getany lead about the accused.The teams are working andsome are camping outsideLucknow as well,” he said.

Amanpreet was pepperedwith bullets on the night ofJanuary 9 when he was closinghis shop. He had suffered gun-shot wounds in the attack. Hewas initially taken to LokBandhu Hospital in KrishnaNagar and later referred to theKGMU Trauma Centre wherehe breathed his last. OnThursday, the residents hadstaged demonstration inAlambagh, demanding imme-diate arrest of the assailants.

The police had engaged‘brainy’ cops, including officersfrom SWAT team and surveil-lance cell to probe the case.However, the police have failedto get any clue about the mis-creants a week after the inci-dent. The delay in arrest of thekillers has angered people,especially the trader commu-nity. The traders are apparent-ly in the firing line of killers.In PGI, a garment seller,Rakesh of Kalli Paschim local-ity was killed and his body wasdumped in an orchard. The

police tried to tone down theincident, claiming that Rakeshdied in a road mishap. Theclaim had enraged local resi-dents who staged protest afterwhich the police registered acase of murder and loot.

Another trader, TabishQureshi of Aminabad, wasattacked in Hasanganj onSunday night. A couple ofdays back, two unidentifiedmiscreants had attacked anice-cream factory owner, Lalit,in Naka and looted Rs 60,000from him.


Makar Sankranti was cele-brated with traditional

gaiety and fervour in the statecapital on Tuesday. Piping hot‘khichdi’ and ‘tehri’ were servedto the people at several pointsin the city. At the Charbagh rail-way station, Manav AdarshSeva Samiti, TramkeshvarKalyan Samiti and HinduJagran Manch along with thesupport of the railway staffserved khichdi to more than10,000 people in front of theCharbagh railway station. PKBose from the Manav AdarshSeva Samiti said that they used250 kg of rice, 100 kg of daal,100 kg of vegetables and 10-15kg of oil and spices to preparethis khichdi which could feedso many people. Fifty kg ofkhichdi could be prepared atone time in a vessel,” he saidadmitting that it was not an easytask feeding so many peoplesimultaneously. “We used theSwami Vivekananda conceptwherein all kinds of lentilswhich we had received in dona-tions were used to prepare thekhichdi,” he said.

An interesting aspect ofthis ‘khichdi bhoj’ was that itcarried the Ganga-Jamunitehzeeb flavour also. Bose saidthat they received a lot of assis-tance from Ahmad Ali whohad always extended a helpinghand for organising this festi-val. Ali, who runs an auto-rick-shaw at the Charbagh railwaystation, while talking to ‘The

Pioneer’ said that he supervisedthe work which was carried outby the Association and partic-ipated in the festival because somany poor people get a mealthrough this kind of celebra-tion. “It’s a great sense of satis-faction to be a part of such afestivity where so many poorpeople get an opportunity to eatfood,” he added.

The celebrations also wit-nessed the organisers stressingon the use of environment-friendly measures and cleanli-ness. “We have used ‘pattals’ forthe occasion and also highlight-

ed the fact that plastic itemsshould be banned for such afestivity,” he added.

Shubh Sanskar Samiti,which is always active in organ-ising the celebrations at KudiaGhat, held a ‘khichdi bhoj’ atthe ghat after the ‘deep daan.’Ridhi Gaur from the organisa-tion said that they distributedthe khichdi among more than400 people. “We made ‘uraddal’ khichdi which we servedalong with mint-corianderchutney. We used over 11 kg ofrice with over 3 kg of dal for thepreparation,” he added.

Regarding the environment-friendly measures which theyhad taken during the celebra-tions, he said that they madedaunas of the pattals in whichthey put diyas which weremade of wheat flour for float-ing them in the river. “The‘daunas’ will dissolve in thewater and the diyas which aremade of flour will be eaten bythe fishes,” he said.

People also carried out cel-ebrations at the intra-commu-nity level and at the family levelin the city. At most houseswomen prepared a meal of

black dal (urad) khichdi alongwith papad. Different com-munities prepared their dishesin keeping with their own cul-tures. Secretary of Oriya SamajDR Sahu from LucknowUniversity, while describinghow the Oriyas celebrate thefestival, said that the familiesinvited each other for a meal attheir respective places.“Although this is celebrated ina very big manner back in ournative states, here in Lucknowfamilies usually prepare a mealof mixed vegetable rice orkhichdi with the special newrice for the occasion,” he said.The speciality is the kheerwhich is prepared with jaggery.People from the hills said thatthey prepared a meal of khich-di with ‘urad dal’ which theyrelished with cucumber raita.Bengalis on their part keepcowdung sprinkled with ricepowder and vermilion outsidetheir house and enjoy thedesserts of ‘puli’ and ‘peethe.’

Municipal CommissionerIndramani Tripathi admittedthat most of the people hadkept dustbins at their festivitypoints but there were otherswho had not kept them due towhich the place got littered.“Most of those who form a partof the floating populace such asthe rickshaw-pullers and thethela vendors carried theirdaunas to a distance thus cre-ating a litter. We have alreadyasked the safai karmacharis toclean the area at night after thecelebrations,” he said.

LU student thrashed for

not ‘saluting’ seniors

Police conducting investigations on LUcampus (above) and scanning CCTVfootages on Tuesday Pioneer

14-year-old

girl raped in

Wazirganj

Slain trader’s kin meet SSP, offer help in probe

Lucknow (PNS): A 20-year-old nursing student com-mitted suicide by hanging her-self from the ceiling of a roomin her house under Jankipurampolice station on Tuesday. OnMonday, she had a verbal spatwith her mother-in-law.However, the woman did nothold anybody responsible forher extreme step in a suicidenote and even said there shouldbe no police probe.

The deceased, identifiedas Puja, was the nursing studentof a college run under govern-ment’s Kaushal Vikas Yojana.Her husband Sushil, who is agraphic designer, informedpolice about the incidentaround 11 am on Tuesday. Hetold the police that around 7 pmon Monday, he found the doorsbolted from inside. “Myyounger brother Suresh and Ifound her hanging when wepeeped inside. We took her offthe noose and rushed her to

hospital where she was declaredbrought dead,” Sushil claimed.

He said Puja was foundhanging from the ceiling witha saree tied around her neck. Healso handed over a suicide noteto the police. Jankipuram SHORaj Kumar said Puja did notblame anybody for her takingthe extreme step.

“Nobody is responsible formy extreme step. I have livedmy life and do not want to livefurther. My family has no rolein my suicide,” the inspectorsaid while reading the suicidenote. The body has been sentfor autopsy. There were reportsthat Puja was snubbed by hermother-in-law after she wore apair of denims on Monday. Thisirked Puja and she did not goto the college on Monday. Shelater went into her room andhanged herself. The police con-firmed the reports and said fur-ther investigations into the casewere on.

20-year-old nursing

student hangs self

Report: Reading levels in UP improves across all grades

Enthusiasm, fervour mark Makar Sankranti

People relishing khichdi at Charbagh railway station on Tuesday Pioneer


Even as the Excise depart-ment initiated the process

of liquor shop allotment for thenew fiscal claiming it will gen-erate record revenue, traderssay otherwise. Lucknow LiquorAssociation’s general secretaryKL Maurya pointed out thatonly 50 per cent owners of theexisting liquor shops would optfor allotment this fiscal.

“There are around 503 desiliquor shops, 300 Indian MadeForeign Liquor (IMFL), 200beer and 51 model liquor shopsin Lucknow. The total numberof shops in Uttar Pradesh isaround 26,000. By increasingquota to sell liquor, the Excisedepartment has fixed a chal-lenging target for the shop-owners. It seems difficult topush sale as the increase in con-sumers with each passing yearis very minimal and not in theratio the Excise departmentestimates,” Maurya said.

He said an allottee had toshell out 15 per cent more thanthe previous year for a modelliquor shop. “The license feehas also been increased thistime,” he pointed out. He saidthe department had decided toallot shops to those who wouldsell 6 per cent more desi liquor,30 per cent more beer and 40

per cent more IMFL in the newfiscal. “There was no target forsale of desi liquor sold morethan other brands of liquor andbeer. By increasing the target ofbeer and IMFL sales, the gov-ernment is giving a difficulttask to businessmen and itwill demoralise them,” heclaimed. Maurya said the newpolicy might hit the revenue ofthe department. However, hewelcomed the decision toincrease the time to openshops. The renewal of theshops will start from January 21and conclude on January 28 forthe new fiscal. The applicants

have been asked to depositonline the cess and GST. Theyhave been also been told thatthe paid processing fee andGST will not be refundableunder any circumstances.

Contrary to the apprehen-sions of liquor traders, Excisedepartment officials said everyaspect was analysed and thedemands of businessmen werealso taken into consideration.

District excise officerJanardan Yadav said the policywas being implemented andthe department was hopeful ofearning more revenue thanthe previous year.

Businessmen fear liquor sales

may go down this fiscal


Lucknow DevelopmentAuthority (LDA) has signed

a memorandum of understand-ing (MoU) with Green GasLimited and Indian RailwayCatering and TourismCorporation (IRCTC) to set uptwo CNG pumps and build a 5-star hotel. The LDA administra-tion will allot land to Green GasLimited to set up a CNG pumpin Vasant Kunj on Hardoi Roadand another in Transport Nagaron Kanpur Road. Nazul officerSanjay Pandey said the landwould be sold to the companyon the prevailing market ratesand possession will be given tocompany officials within 10days after completing legal andother formalities.

IRCTC will be given theland adjacent to Atal BihariVajpayee International CricketStadium. The hotel will come

on the land spread across40,000 square metres. TheIRCTC authorities have select-ed the site after holding sever-al rounds of meetings with theLDA administration as well asTourism department officials.

The IRCTC authoritieshave selected the land on twocounts — it is located adjacentto the cricket stadium and isideal from the point of view oftourists. Foreign tourists like tostay at places located in natur-al surroundings in tranquilityand away from the crowd. Theproposed site is located on thebank of river Gomti with for-est on the other side the bankof the river. The nazul officersaid the terms and conditionsof sale would be the same asthose of Green Gas Company.He claimed that the civil workof both the projects would startwithin next month.

The layout of UP

Badminton Academy complex’sextension unit has been clearedand it will come up nearShaheed Path. There will be twoseparate hotels for girls andboys, a common kitchen, din-ing halls with six quarters forcoaches and four VIP suitesbesides a fully-equipped gym.

LDA Vice-Chairman PNSingh said those were the pend-ing projects which were notcleared by the technical com-mittee. He added that the MoUswere signed after a report tabledby the committee recommend-ing their approval.

However, the LDA admin-istration has rejected the layoutplan of a group housing schemeinitiated by the management ofa chain of schools on theground that the land for theproposed site should first beconverted into a free-hold oneand then a fresh proposal bemoved.

LDA to construct two CNG

stations, 5-star hotelLucknow (PNS): A plane-tarium will soon come up at theGomti Riverfront with a view todeveloping interest of people inastronomy. The planetarium isexpected to become functionalwithin three months.

Besides, a butterfly park tocome up there by April will bean additional attraction forriverfront. The proposal forplanetarium was made by thedepartment of Science andTechnology to help the studentshave clear concepts as far asastronomy is concerned.

The department has builtseveral planetariums in the stateunder the project initiated bythe government to promotescience and make it popular asa subject among students.Deputy director, gardens, SSSisodia said both the projectswould be beneficial for the stu-dents. He added groups of stu-dents would be invited forshows at the planetarium andexperts would answer their

queries. The department will bespending money on the con-struction of planetarium whichwill have a hall and two lecturerooms. The project will not beexclusive to the students but willbe open for all and the entry willbe ticketed. The officials con-cerned had inspected river-front and found the land nearchildren’s park as suitable forplanetarium which will haveaudio in English and Hindi.

Meanwhile, the butterflypark will be developed underthe guidance of senior teachingfaculty of Lucknow University’sZoological department. Therewill be several butterfly varietiesin the park. There will be noconcessions for the visitors,barring the students visitingthe park for the purpose of stud-ies. Sisodia said the LucknowDevelopment Authority admin-istration had high ticket rates forentry to parks so as the engi-neering department had suffi-cient funds for proper upkeep.

Planetarium to come up at Gomti riverfront


NEPAL ARMY CHIEF IN LKOChief of Nepalese Army Staff

General Purna Chandra Thapaarrived at Lucknow on Tuesday. Hevisited the Central CommandHeadquarters where he interactedwith General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Central Command, LtGen Abhay Krishna and was alsobriefed on various professionalaspects. He then visited 11 Gorkha

Rifles Regimental Centre on a wind-shield tour of the training areawherein he was briefed about thetraining infrastructure and themethodology of converting youngGorkhas into trained soldiers. GenThapa also interacted with all ranksduring a ‘special tea’ in his honour.He then visited Army Medical CorpsCentre and College where he wasreceived by Commandant, Army

Medical College and Centre, and wasbriefed on the methodology of train-ing of medical officers at OfficersTraining College and recruits.General Thapa, accompanied byDeepa Thapa, and other members ofthe delegation also visited places ofhistorical significance in Lucknow.General Thapa is on his first inter-national tour since taking charge ofthe Nepal Army.

FOUR NEW MACHINES TO BE USED FOR CLEANING

Mayor Sanyukta Bhatia (right) onTuesday inaugurated four new machineswhich will be used for cleaning the city.Municipal Commissioner IndramaniTripathi said with the help of thesemachines, they would be able to cleanover 135 km of main roads per day. Twoof these are night sweeping machinesmade in Germany. “The previous oneswere truck-mounted and it was difficultto carry out night sweeping with them.With these new machines run by aChandigarh-based company, cleaningcan be done in a more convenient man-ner. These machines with a full fleetworking will be able to do multi-task-ing and they are eco-friendly too. Theywill sprinkle water in the surroundingsand will even pick up animal carcass,”he said. Tripathi said under the SmartCity project, Lucknow MunicipalCorporation would also be receivingtwo more night sweeping machines.“The machines will be brought fromGermany and will take one month toreach the city. Once we have thesemachines for sweeping, we can workwith four at night,” he added. Two gob-blers have also been pressed into service.

They will be used in Hazratganj to pickup garbage thrown around. Suchmachines are normally used at airports.

MEASLES-RUBELLA VACCINATIONA review meeting for the measles-

rubella vaccination campaign was heldat the CMO office on Tuesday. The waspresided over by Chief Medical OfficerNarendra Agarwal and attended bysenior doctors from the CMO office.District immunisation officer MK Singhsaid that in Lucknow, as many as13,33,962 kids were administered vac-cination, which was a record becausesuch a big number of children had neverbeen vaccinated before in any immuni-

sation campaign. The CMO said theywere hopeful of completing 100 per centtarget in the district.

SPORTS MEETThe second day of ‘Nazrana-e-

Avadh, the sports meet of Avadh Girls’Degree College, on Tuesday witnessedrenewed enthusiasm from the partici-pating teams of various colleges. Theevents included basketball, throw balland shot-put. The sports meet conclud-ed with Avadh Girls’ Degree Collegebagging the top spot in basketballmatch, followed by IT College. PrincipalU Chaturvedi congratulated the win-ning teams, participants and coaches.


National Botanical ResearchInstitute (NBRI) organ-

ised a month-long certificatecourse on ‘GreenbeltDevelopment for Industries’under the Green SkillDevelopment Programme(GSDP) of the Union Ministryof Environment, Forest andClimate Change (MoEF&CC).

The valedictory function ofthe month-long course washeld at NBRI on Tuesday. Thechief guest at the function wasvice-president (Safety andEnvironment), HindalcoIndustries Limited, MukeshKumar Mittal, who laid stressthe need for this much-need-ed programme and congratu-lated NBRI.

Mittal said that greenbeltdevelopment, specifically forindustries, was a crucial subjectand congratulated the success-

ful participants for their futureendeavours. An interactionsession of GSDP participantswith members of the screeningcommittee and faculty mem-bers was also organised duringthe event. The certificate ofparticipation was distributedamong the successful candi-dates from diverse places in thecountry like UP, Maharashtraand Odisha.

Senior principal scientistVivek Pandey welcomed theguests and ENVIS RP-NBRIcoordinator Pankaj KumarSrivastava presented anoverview about course com-prising theoretical, practicalhands-on and field visits as casestudies. Srivastava said thatthe course was being imple-mented by the nationalENVIS-Resource PartnerCentre of NBRI. NBRI directorSK Barik gave a detailed infor-mation about the process

through which the course wasconceived, designed andapproved as a national stand-alone one. Prof Barik spokeabout the aspirations of thecourse as expected by theMoEF&CC. He also briefedabout the state-level selection-cum-advisory committee ofthe programme which hadscreened and selected 20 stu-dents from all over the coun-try to take part in the course.GSDP is an initiative taken upby the MoEF&CC andNational Skill DevelopmentAgency (NSDA) for skill devel-opment in the environmentand forestry sectors to enablethe educated youths of India toget gainful employment andself- employment. MoEF&CCand NSDA have approved thisnational stand-alone course toCSIR-NBRI as per the NationalSkill Qualification Framework(NSQF).

CASE REGISTEREDA case was registered against the

owner of a café at Kapoorthala cross-ing for the violation of the order onnoise pollution on Tuesday night.Inspector, Aliganj, Farid Ahmad saidthe café manager had been warnedearlier after some residents com-plained to police he played loudmusic. “The café is located on the topfloor of Gyan Bhawan. We video-graphed the events at the café andconducted a raid on Tuesday night,”he said. A case under section 188/ 290(Disobedience to order duly promul-gated by public servant) and undersection 5 (2) of Noise PollutionControl Act was registered against cafémanager Amar Thapa. “We haveseized the sound system as per pro-visions of the law,” he said.

FRAUD The branch manager of State

Bank of India (Vipul Khand) haslodged a case of criminal breach oftrust and forgery against a loan-seeker, his aide and another uniden-tified person at Gomti Nagar policestation on Tuesday. In his complaint,branch manager RK Asthana said thatArun Kumar Singh of Indira Nagarhad taken a loan of Rs 25 lakh for pur-chasing a land for house and Rs 21lakh for construction of the housefrom the State Bank of Bikaner andJaipur (now merged with State Bankof India). He further stated that whenthe bank conducted a spot checking,it was found that the land did not exitand no construction took place.“Arun purchased the land from SatishVerma of Indira Nagar, who had pur-chased it from some person. BothArun and Satish, along with the aide,committed a fraud and breached thetrust,” he said.


Head of the Neonatologydepartment of Sanjay

Gandhi Post-GraduateInstitute of Medical Sciences(SGPGIMS) Dr Girish Guptasaid they were planning toestablish a National AdvancedSimulation and TrainingCentre for the better health-care of newborns.

Addressing mediapersonson Tuesday, he said for that,they would be getting supportfrom Prof Shoo K Lee fromMount Sinai Hospital at

Canada and from the WorldHealth Organization.

He said they wouldupscale the centre to a levelthat it becomes a nodal centrefor any research, training andeducation on the healthcare ofnewborns for institutes in thesurrounding area. “Doctorsfrom Canada will first come tothe institute to make theircontribution in this regard.Special provisions will bemade for training the nursesand helping in imparting bet-ter care to the newborns intotality,” Dr Gupta said.

NBRI organises course on

greenbelt development

CITYBRIEFS CRIMELINE

CANTTWATCH

SGPGI bid to ensure

better care of newborns

Dr Girish Gupta addressing mediapersons on Tuesday Pioneer

Lucknow (PNS): IIM-L lift-ed the Sangharsh 2019 trophy,proving its mettle in sports.The last time Lucknow achievedthis was eight years ago. IIM-Calcutta was the runner-up, fol-lowed by Ahmedabad andBangalore. Chairman of stu-dent affairs Nishant Uppalplayed a pivotal role in support-ing the students. Earlier, crick-eter Praveen Kumar inaugurat-ed the event and motivated thestudents to give their hundredpercent in everything to achievesuccess.

IIM-L lifts trophyof Sangharsh-2019

Human chain formed at 1090 Crossingin the honour of Army personnel on theoccasion of Army Day on Tuesday

Pioneer

FORGET PAST DIFFERENCES, WORK FOR...

BSP and the SP must fighttogether, setting aside their differ-ences and ensure the victory of all‘gathbandhan’ (alliance) candi-dates,” she said, apparently hintingat her prime ministerial ambitions.

The BSP president, who hadspelt out the reasons of keeping theCongress out of the alliance onSaturday, did not spare it, askingthe party to understand that “pop-ular declarations will not helpthem anymore”.

Favouring 10 per cent reserva-tion for the poor among the uppercastes, Mayawati said Muslimsand other religious minoritieswould not have much benefit tillthe narrow-minded thinking con-tinues. She said at the time ofIndependence, the representationof Muslims in government jobswas about 33 per cent, which sheclaimed had now come down totwo to three per cent. The BSPsupremo said her party had beendemanding 10 per cent forMuslims.

Referring to the demonetisa-tion, she alleged that this aggravat-ed the problems of the commonpeople and had adverse impact onthe economy.

Mayawati also spoke aboutthe problems arising over defencedeals such as Bofors and Rafale.She called for a proper mechanismin consultation with the oppositionparties for all defence purchases toavoid fiascos which have not onlyharmed the image of the countrybut has also been dragged in thecourts. Mayawati termed as unfor-tunate the controversy over thecaste of Lord Hanuman. “The BJPand the RSS people are not onlyindulging in politics over religionbut are also encouraging thosewho are using gods to serve theirpolitical interests as a result ofwhich the BJP people are in a raceto assign caste to the gods. This is

unfortunate,” she said. The BSPsupremo alleged that the BJP wasmisusing the CBI and other inves-tigating agencies for its politicalinterests and the latest example ofthis is SP chief Akhilesh Yadav,who may face a CBI probe in a

10% GEN POOR QUOTA FROM THIS ACADEMIC...

As per the All-India Survey onHigher Education (AISHE), 2017-18, the country has a total of 903universities, over 39,000 collegesand over 10,000 standalone insti-tutions. The proposed reserva-tion will be over and above theexisting 50 per cent reservationenjoyed by the Scheduled Castes,the Scheduled Tribes and theOBC, and will take the total reser-vation to 60 per cent. The Billmandates criteria like an annualincome below Rs 8 lakh and notowning more than five acre of agri-cultural land for those seekingquota benefits.

A senior HRD Ministry officialsaid a separate column/box will beearmarked in the application-cum-admission forms to specifythe 10 per cent EWS (General)simultaneously with the existingSC/ST/OBC and General Category.

SC REFUSES TO UNDOMAMATA GOVT BAN ON BJP...19(1)(a) of the Constitution ofIndia. It is in that spirit that weexpect the State Government todeal with the matter on receipt ofsuch revised proposal as may besubmitted,” the SC said. TheBengal BJP had challenged theDecember 21 order of a DivisionBench of the Calcutta High Court,which had set aside the order of asingle-judge Bench allowing theprocessions. It had also asked theBengal BJP to submit a revisedplan for its “Save DemocracyRally” for the State Government’sconsideration.

“Looking into the details of theproposed rath yatras and the orderof the State Government datedJanuary 14, 2019, we cannot saythat the apprehensions expressedby the State Government are total-ly unfounded,” said a Bench head-ed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi.

“It is for the State Governmentto maintain law and order in theState and the apprehensionsexpressed in the order will have tobe addressed by the petitioner ina reasonable manner,” said the SC.

The Bench, also comprisingJustices L Nageswara Rao andSanjay Kishan Kaul, noted theState Government’s submissionthat it had no objections in allow-ing public meetings and rallies andhad merely sought the details andschedules of such events from theBJP. The top court also asked theState Government to respond tothe revised proposal of the BJPwith “utmost expedition”, keepingin mind that with the commence-ment of the CBSE and other boardexaminations, the use of loud-speakers might be banned.Appearing for the BJP, senioradvocate Mukul Rohatgi said theState authorities were not granti-ng permission saying the proces-sions would be communal at someplaces and political at other places.He assailed the observations madein the report of the State chief sec-retary and other officials that the“rath yatras” would have membersof the Rashtriya SwayamsevakSangh (RSS), the Bajrang Dal, theDurga Vahini and the VishwaHindu Parishad (VHP) and said tonote that the participants wouldmake the rallies communal wasimproper.

“All these outfits — RSS,Bajrang Dal, Durga Vahini andVishwa Hindu Parishad — arenot banned outfits. We are aresponsible party. How can theysay it will be communal at placesand political at some other places?

I have my fundamental right to saywhatever I want,” Rohatgi said.

Appearing for the West BengalGovernment, Senior advocateAbhishek Manu Singhvi said theyhad no objections to public ralliesand meetings, but the BJP was notgiving the details of who willattend these events, how manypeople will take part and who willbe the speakers.

He added that the StateGovernment had objections withrespect to “rath yatras” as thosewould pass through various local-ities inhabited by different com-munities, including a sizeable population of the minority com-munity.

“The rath yatras will startfrom four different parts of theState, cover ing a l l the 42Parliamentary constituencies, andover 2,000 people are expected tojoin each procession. The rallieswill move to various parts of theState for 20 days. There are certainapprehensions with regard to therath yatras, keeping in mind cer-tain incidents of violence in thepast,” Singhvi said.

He added that the StateGovernment had given more than4,000 permissions to theOpposition parties over the lastone year for holding meetingsand rallies. “The BJP was givenpermissions over 1,500 times tohold rallies and meetings in thelast one year. It is not the case thatwe are not allowing the Oppositionparties to hold rallies and meet-ings,” Singhvi said.

POL STORM IN K’TAKA;HDK...anybody’s hands, including themedia. However much you cryhoarse, nothing will happen becauseit is in the hands of God. When aparty (JDS) of 38 MLAs gets theblessings of a national party(Congress), it is all the wish of God,”Gowda said.

Gowda also criticised PrimeMinister Narendra Modi over alle-gations that `60 crore and minis-terial positions were offered to theMLAs of the ruling coalition by theBJP.

“Does it look good that anational party (BJP) is hoarding its104 MLAs? I am not talking aboutAmit Shah but Modi, who talks alot throughout the day,” he said.

Brushing aside any threat tothe Kumaraswamy Government,Venugopal said the coalitionGovernment would continuedespite the BJP’s “ugly and dirty”horse-trading attempts.

“We are confident that theKumaraswamy Government willcontinue. Even though they areoffering a lot of things to ourMLAs, we are very confident,” hesaid. “We are in touch with all ourMLAs. Our people are with us.Our Government will continue,” headded.

Karnataka is witnessing a highpolitical drama as there is specu-lation that BJP is attempting todestabi l ise the coal it ionGovernment to send message thatsuch an experiment of alliance willnot work after the Lok Sabhapolls if the Opposition partiescobble up a Government at the Centre.

In another development, oneof the three missing MLAs AnandSingh met Congress leaders onTuesday morning in Bengaluruand said that he was not in touchwith the BJP leadership.

“There is no serious concern.A lot of this is a media creationand a game being played by a des-perate BJP. We are contacting allour MLAs, “Congress leader andKarnataka observer KC Venugopalsaid after meeting Anand Singh.

According to BJP sources, oneof the MLAs Umesh Jadhav fromChincholi who was aspiring to bea Minister in a December Cabinetexpansion has been spotted with

BJP leaders in Delhi.It is believed that at best five

to seven Congress MLAs might bein touch with the BJP leadershipsfor not for finding places in thecoalition Government. To desta-bilise the Government, BJP needsto lure 11 Congress MLAs so thatwith the help of 104 of its ownMLAs it could stake claim for analternative Government.

Ahead of 2019 general elec-tions, the political development inKarnataka will have a bearing onthe national politics. The JD(S) hasbeen demanding 12 out of the 28Lok Sabha seats in Karnataka, butthe Congress has refused to partwith so many seats. The Congressfeels that the JD(S) has a realisticchance of winning in around 4 to6 seats and hence the numbershould be restricted to just that. Inthe 2014 elections, the BJP hadwon 17, Congress 9 and the JD(S),2. In the 224-member Assembly,BJP has 104 members, Congress79, JD(S) 37, BSP, KPJP andIndependent one each, besidesSpeaker. BSP, KPJP and anIndependent are supporting thecoalition.

LEFT HATES INDIAN...delay in the execution and comple-tion of the infrastructure pro-jects. “I came across 250 projectswhich have consumed Rs 12 lakhcrore and yet remaining incom-plete after decades. This is a seri-ous crime because the commonman is deprived of the fruits ofdevelopment,” said Modi.

Vijaya Mohan Valiathan, achartered accountant, staying nearthe bypass said the project gotdelayed because of land acquisitionissues. “Two huge bridges, lack offunds, tendering delays , estimate revision requirement andof course Government red tapewere the main reasons for the delay the project,” Valiathan said.

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

LUCKNOW | WEDNESDAY | JANUARY 16, 2019 nation 05

IN SHORT

INDIAN KILLED IN AFGHANBOMB ATTACK, SAYS MEANew Delhi: An Indian national wasamong those killed in the terrorattack in Afghanistan’s capital onMonday, the Ministry of ExternalAffairs said and called for theperpetrators of the assault as well asthose who provide them shelter to bebrought to justice expeditiously.

CUSTODIAL TORTURE: SCTO EXAMINE PLEA AFRESH New Delhi: The Supreme CourtTuesday decided to examine afresh aplea seeking direction to theGovernment to frame a law toprevent custodial torture andinhuman treatment as India was asignatory to the United Nations’convention on torture. The apex courtis re-visiting the issue after more thana year as it was told that no progresswas made in this regard.

WINNERS OF QUIZ TORECIEVE AWARDS FROM PM New Delhi: Prime Minister NarendraModi will award medals to thewinners of the ‘Bharat Ko Janiye’ quizon January 22 during the PravasiBhartiya Divas celebration inVaranasi, Union Minister SushmaSwaraj said on Tuesday. The winnerswill also visit the Kumbh Mela inAllahabad, she said.

RAVI SHANKAR PRASADSTABLE: AIIMS SOURCESNew Delhi: The condition of UnionMinister Ravi Shankar Prasad, who isadmitted to AIIMS, is stable, hospitalsources said on Tuesday. Prasad wasadmitted to the hospital on Mondayfollowing complaints of nasalcongestion. “He is in the ICU, underobservation. His condition is stable,”a source said. The Union Law andJustice Minister is admitted in thepulmonary medicine department.Prasad is likely to be shifted to aprivate ward on Wednesday.

Union Food Processing Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal on Monday inaugurated the second edition of Indus Food, India’sofficial, export-focused Food and Beverage Trade Fair. On the occasion, Harsimrat said that Centre is working on an ambitiousplan to address the problem of wastage of food and other perishable items by linking producing States with States which havedemand for such items and also ensuring fast supply to food processing industry which will help in achieving the goal ofdoubling farmers’ income. Chairman of Indus Food organising committee and Joint Secretary in Ministry of CommerceSantosh Sarangi and Trade Promotion Council of India Chairman Mohit Singla were present on the occasion Pioneer photo

PNS n NEW DELHI

Union Minister Smriti Iraniand Congress chief Rahul

Gandhi engaged themselves inverbal duel over social mediawith the former taking a jibe onthe way Congress awardedBharat Ratna on themselves,after Rahul made a mockery ofPrime Minister Narendra Modion him being conferred withPhilip Kotler Presidentialaward.

Irani’s lash out came afterRahul took a swipe at Modi forreceiving the Philip KotlerPresidential award. “I want tocongratulate our PM on win-ning the world famous ‘KotlerPresidential Award’!. In fact it’sso famous it has no jury, hasnever been given out before &is backed by an unheard ofAligarh company. EventPartners: Patanjali & RepublicTV :),” Rahul Gandhi tweeted.

In a sharp retort, Irani,while tagging Rahul Gandhi’stweet, suggested that unlikePrime Minister Modi, whowas awarded by someone else,Gandhi family members hadconferred themselves the coun-try’s top civilian honour.

Irani is again looking for-ward to contest from RahulGandhi’s Lok Sabha con-stituency Amethi. Last weekshe was on a two-day tour tothe constituency where shepointed about the under devel-opment of the Gandhi bastion.

“Rich !!! Coming from aperson whose illustrious fam-ily decided to confer the ‘BharatRatna’ on themselves,” Iranitweeted, mocking Rahul’sremark.

Modi received the first-ever Philip Kotler Presidentialaward on Monday. The awardfocuses on the triple bottom-line of ‘people, profit and plan-et’. It will be offered annually tothe leader of a nation, a state-ment from the Prime Minister’sOffice said. According to theaward citation, Modi wasselected for his “outstandingleadership for the nation”.

Another Congress leaderKapil Sibal took a jibe at UttarPradesh Chief Minister YogiAdityanath government overthe invoking of the NationalSecurity Act (NSA) againstthree persons arrested in con-

nection with an alleged cow-slaughter incident, saying NSAfor those accused of killingcows while freedom for thoseinvolved in the killing of apoliceman.

“Wah Yogi ji (UttarPradesh Chief Minister YogiAdityanath)...NSA for thoseaccused of killing cows.Freedom for those involved inkilling Inspector Subodh KantSingh,” Sibal said in a tweet.The Bulandshahr districtadministration on Mondayinvoked the NSA against threepersons arrested in connectionwith an alleged cow-slaughterincident in Siyana tehsil lastmonth.

PNS n NEW DELHI

Union Home Secretary RajivGauba on Tuesday held a

meeting with senior officialsincluding BSF DG RK Mishraand Punjab Chief SecretaryKaran Singh Avtar on the issueof Kartarpur corridor here.The meeting of senior officialsof Centre and Punjab dis-cussed on security, logisticsand administration issues relat-ed to Kartarpur Corridor. Theother officials who attended themeeting included Punjab DGP,Intelligence, Dinkar Gupta,Indian High Commissioner toPakistan Ajay Bisaria andNHAI officials.

Earlier in the day, PunjabChief Minister AmarinderSingh sought waiver of thepassport condition for pilgrimsto pay obeisance at KartarpurSahib Gurdwara in Pakistan onthe 550th birth anniversarycelebrations of Guru NanakDev. In a letter to Union HomeMinister Rajnath Singh, herequested that the condition ofmandatory passport for devo-tees seeking to cross theKartarpur Corridor be waived.

PNS n NEW DELHI

Days after Prime MinisterNarendra Modi called for

a strong research ecosystem inthe State universities and col-leges, the Union Science andTechnology Minister Dr HarshVardhan on Tuesday launchedtwo science communicationsinitiatives — DD Science andIndia Science — with an aim todevelop a scientific tempera-ment among people particu-larly children here.

Speaking on the occasion,Dr Harsh Vardhan said whilethere was no dearth of ideas,talent and potential in thecountry, developing a scientif-ic temperament was a “criticalnecessity” and the ultimateaim was to launch a 24/7 chan-nel dedicated to science.

A pact was inked betweenVigyan Prasar, an autonomousorganisation underDepartment of Science andTechnology (DST) andDoordarshan on the occasion.

Director General,Doordarshan, Supriya Sahusaid that during a survey in vil-lages it was found that youthwanted science related pro-gramme and it is hoped that thenew initiative will be meettheir needs. “The channels willhave science based documen-taries, studio based discussions,virtual walkthroughs of scien-tific institutions, interviews andshort films and will be com-pletely free to access,” she said.While DD Science is a one hourslot on Doordarshan National

channel, India Science is aninternet based channel.Secretary, Ministry ofInformation and Broadcasting,Amit Khare said Doordarshanreaches over 3 crore houses inthe country and would be animpactful medium for the pop-ularisation of science.

Khare also said thatDoordarshan would be an idealplatform to send the scientificfindings across.

CEO Prasar Bharati ShashiShekhar Vempati said the chan-nels were dedicated to scienceand will “enhance the spirit ofenquiry in children” whileAshutosh Sharma, Secretary,DST said pointed out that DSTranks number five in the worldin the research publications.

The Prime Minister earlythis year after inaugurating the106th Indian Science Congressin Jalandhar had said that Indianeeds to emerge among topthree economic superpowersand it can happen only throughscience and innovation.

Emphasising the need tomake big strides in the field ofscience and research, hadadded ‘Jai Anusandhan’ to thepopular phrase ‘Jai Jawan, JaiKisan, Jai Vigyan’. He urged thescience, technology and inno-vation advisory council to for-mulate an action plan toencourage research and inno-vation in colleges and univer-sities.

PTI n NEW DELHI

While girls outperformboys in academics, when

it comes to basic arithmeticboys seem to hold a substantialadvantage over girls, accordingto the Annual Status ofEducation Report (ASER),2018. Nationally, 50 per cent ofall boys in the age group 14 to16 can correctly solve a divisionproblem as compared to 44 percent of all girls, the report stat-ed. The ASER covered 596districts, 354,944 householdsand 546,527 children in the 3-16 age group.

The survey took intoaccount three major aspects,including school enrolmentand attendance, basic readingand math abilities, and schoolfacilities with sports infra-structure.

According to the report,girls outperformed boys inacademics but when when itcame to basic arithmetic, boysseem to hold a substantialadvantage over girls.

For the first time in 2018,the number of children in the6 to 14 age group, who are notenrolled in school, fell below 3per cent and stood at 2.8 percent.

In 2006, the all-India pro-portion of girls in the agegroup 11 to 14, who were outof school, stood at 10.3 percent. In that year, nine majorstates had out of school figuresfor girls (age 11-14) above 10per cent, the report stated.

“In 2018, the overall pro-portion of girls in the 11 to 14age group out of school has fall-en to 4.1 per cent. This figureis more than 5 per cent in onlyfour states.

“Further, ten years ago in2008, nationally, more than 20per cent of girls in the 15 to 16age group were not enrolled inschool. In 2018, this figurehas decreased to 13.5 per cent,”stated the report.

According to the report,reading abilities of childrenhave also shown gradualimprovement.

ARCHANA JYOTI n NEW DELHI

Visit to the 13th-centuryHauz Khas monuments in

Delhi, archival marvel Tomb ofLal Khan constructed by KingNaresh in 1773 andChaukhandi Stupa Sarnathhousing various stupas (both inVaranasi), Piprahwa andGanwaria in Sidarthnagar andGupta Temple in Lalitpur inUttar Pradesh besides 22 othermonuments across the countrywill be, in all likelihood, notfree soon. In other words, thevisitors will have to loosentheir purse strings in case theyplan to visit these 27 identifiedhistorical sites (see box). Indianvisitor will have to pay `35 fora ticket while for a foreigner

entry fee will be `550. The Archeological Survey

of India (ASI) under the UnionCulture Ministry has issued apreliminary notification in this

regard, seeking public views.The notification issued onJanuary 4, 2019 has beenuploaded on the website of theASI till next 45 days when pub-

lic or experts can suggest orobject the proposed inclusionof monuments under the tick-et ambit. Once notificationbecomes effective, there will be

total 143 monuments in thecountry that will attract entryfees.

“These monuments havetheir historical values and needbetter protection. The ticketingwill help generate fund fortheir upkeep as well as con-structing better amenities forthe visitors,” said an officialfrom the ASI. He said that thesemonuments attract high foot-falls and hence the moneygenerated will be pumped inthe upkeep of these touristsspots only, he said.

Making the monumentsticketed would also deter anti-social elements and those whodeface monuments or put graf-fiti on them.

PNS n NEW DELHI

Crediting Narendra Modifor leading India as the

fastest growing major economy,Union Finance Minister ArunJaitley on Tuesday said Indianeeds a decisive Prime Ministerwith a clear mandate to deliv-er economic growth and satis-fy the country’s aspirations, andnot an unworkable alliancewith maverick leadership.

“Who should be India’sPrime Minister, if India wantsto achieve this? Should he/shebe constrained by his/her rivalaspirants who have reluctant-ly supported him/her out ofmere dislike for a commonopponent or does India need aPrime Minister with a clearmandate as in 2014.

Jaitley in a blog said Indiahas emerged as the fastestgrowing major economy underModi though it is still not sat-isfied with 7-7.5 per cent GDPgrowth and wants to “break the8 per cent barrier”.

“Only such a PrimeMinister can deliver growthand satisfy the nation’s aspira-tions” Jaitley said in an appar-ent dig at “mahagathbandhan”being propped up byOpposition parties with thesole objective of defeating theBJP in the forthcoming gener-al elections.

The pre-requisite forensuring growth is a decisiveleadership, consistency in pol-icy direction and a strong andstable Government, and not “anunworkable alliance with mav-erick leadership whose longevi-

ty is a suspect can never achievethis” he said in the blog titled‘Political stability, DecisiveLeadership and a ClearMandate — Their Relationshipwith Growth’ .

Under Modi, Jaitley saidIndia recorded a growth rate of7.3 per cent during 2014-15 to2018-19 as against 6.9 per centin UPA 1 and 6.7 per cent inUPA 2. Also, the inflation tooduring the five-year periodremained at a low of 4.6 percent as against 5.7 per cent inUPA 1 and 10.1 per cent inUPA 2.

“The average GDP growthof 7.3 per cent during the fiveyears of Prime MinisterNarendra Modi is on a muchlarger base than that of his pre-decessors” he said.

He also said India’s fiscal

discipline during the past fiveyears has been amongst thebest as compared to any pre-ceding period.

He said that when Modicame to power, India was thetenth largest economy in GDPterms in the world. Presently,the fifth, sixth and seventhlargest economies namely theUnited Kingdom, France andIndia are within a very narrowrange. eom

“A marginal fluctuation ofcurrency values alters the sizeof the economies. India, ofcourse, is projected to grownext year at 7.5 per cent.

“This will conclusivelyensure that India, at the end ofthe next Financial Year, couldpossibly be the fifth largesteconomy in the world,” theFinance Minister said.

India needs a decisive

Prime Minister: JaitleyI want to congratulate ourPM on winning the world

famous ‘KotlerPresidential Award’!. Infact it’s so famous it hasno jury, has never been

given out before & isbacked by an unheard ofAligarh company. Event

Partners: Patanjali &Republic TV :),

Rahul Gandhi tweeted

Rich !!! Coming froma person whoseillustrious family

decided to confer the‘Bharat Ratna’ on

themselves, Smriti Irani tweeted,

mocking Rahul’sremark

RaGa takes ‘world famous award’jibe at Modi, Smriti Irani hits back

Gujarat Rudabai Stepwell, Adalaj (Gandhinagar)

Goa Upper Fort, Aguada

Kerala Fort, Palakkad, Fort St Angelo (Kannur)

Madhya Pradesh Buddhist Cave no 1 to 51 Dhamnar, Tehesil Garoth (Dhamnar), Badal Mahal Gateway(Chanderi), Group of temples, Parameshwar Shiv and Karan temple (Amarank), MadanMahal Quila (Jabalpur), Ancient Site and Adamgarh rock shelter Kalamdi Rasuliya andKishanpur (Hoshangabad), Caves no 1 to 20 Udaygiri, (Vidisha) Bir Singh Palace (Datia)

Maharashtra Janjira Fort, Murd (Raigad), Kondiote Caves (Mumbai Subrban), Lohgad Fort(Amravati), Gawilgarh (Pune) Ancient Buddhist Remains Comprising monastery stupa,rock sculptures, inscriptions etc (Mansar)

Delhi Hauzkhas monuments

Rajasthan Marble pavilion & balustrade on Ana sagar bund and ruins of marble behind Ana SagarBund (Ajmer), Baori at Abhaneri (Dausa), Ancient Site, Bhangarh (Alwar) Baori atAbhaner

Tamil Nadu Fort Vattakotti (Kanya Kumari), Tirumalai Nayak’s Palace (Virudunagar) and Tiger headedrock-cut temple and two other monuments

Uttar Pradesh Tomb of Lal Khan (Varanasi), Ancient Buddhist Site Chaukhandi Stupa (Varanasi),Piparwaha & Ganwaria (Siddharth Nagar), Gupta Temple &Varah Temple(Lalitpur)

STATES PROPOSED MONUMENTS TO BE BROUGHT UNDER FEE AMBIT

PNS n NEW DELHI

Issuing a stern warning toPakistan that India will not

hesitate in carrying out strongaction against inimical moves,Army Chief General BipinRawat on Tuesday said thewestern neighbour continues toaid and abet terrorism.

Making this assertion whileaddressing Army personnel onthe occasion of the 71st ArmyDay here, he also said theIndian forces were giving a“befitting reply” to the enemyon the Line of Control (LoC)and inflicting heavy losses.The Army is making all effortsto ensure dominance on theLoC and will continue to do so,he added.

“Our forces are giving abefitting reply to our enemiesalong the Line of Control(LoC). They are suffering heavylosses. I am warning our enemy(across the LoC) that we willnot hesitate in carrying outstrong action against any inim-ical action,” Rawat said.

Referring to the situation inJammu & Kashmir, he said thearmy has inflicted heavy dam-age to terrorists adding youthsin the state were being ter-rorised and forced to take uparms. “We do not want thatpeople in J&K are disturbed.Our neighbouring country has

a hand in these activities.Terrorists are being trainedand given arms by our neigh-bouring country, which is beingtermed State-sponsored ter-rorism globally,” the Armychief said.

As regards the situation onthe Line of Actual Control(LAC) with China, Rawat saidthe armies of both

India and China haveissued new guidelines to theirrespective forces.

“Efforts are on to maintainpeace and tranquility alongthe (eastern) border. But wewill keep reviewing the situa-tion. Our soldiers will notallow any compromise inguarding the border in theeastern sector,” he said addingthat the orders given by theGovernment will be strictly fol-lowed.

Giving the assessment on

the scenario in the North-east,Rawat said the situation ispeaceful in the region and theArmy is carrying out regularanti-insurgency operations.

He also urged Army per-sonnel and their families to becareful in using social mediawhich he said is being used forradicalisation. Referring to crit-icism of the Army’s pyramidstructure, the Army chief said,“For us, the VIP is the jawanwho faces the enemy along theLoC.” On synergy and jointnesswith the Navy and IAF, he said“we will achieve decisive vic-tory along with the Navy andthe Air Force in case of a war.”The Army, Rawat said, was car-rying out major restructuringand modernisation of theArmy.

“The security challengefacing the country will becomemore complex in the comingyears. We will have to keepenhancing our combat prowessso that we can defeat ouradversaries. I assure that we willkeep the trust reposed on us bythe people of the country,” theArmy chief said.

Earlier, he reviewed theArmy Day parade at theCariappa Parade Ground,Delhi Cantonment and award-ed 15 Sena Medal (includingfive posthumously) for indi-vidual acts of gallantry.

Soon it will be paid entry in 27 more monumentsCurrently 116

monuments have

ticketing system

New Delhi: The SupremeCourt on Tuesday asked theUPSC secretary to personallyappear and inform the court ifthe commission prepares apanel of senior IPS officers fordirector general of police(DGP) appointments by stategovernments.

A Bench headed by ChiefJustice Ranjan Gogoi soughtthe presence of the UnionPublic Service Commissionsecretary at 10.30 am onWednesday to ascertainwhether the commission

makes a panel of senior policeofficers who are considered forappointment as DGPs.

The direction came afterlawyer Prashant Bhushan saidthe lists of senior IPS officers arenot prepared by the UPSC butby the Department of Personneland Training (DoPT).

The apex court was hear-ing applications of various StateGovernments, includingPunjab, Haryana and Bihar,seeking to implement theirlocal laws regarding selectionand appointment of DGP.PTI

PTI n NEW DELHI

The Comptroller andAuditor General has

refused to disclose details aboutits audit in the controversialRafale aircraft deal, saying theprocess is not yet complete andany disclosure at this stagewill amount to breach of theParliament’s privilege, an RTIreply said.

In its response to Pune-based activist Vihar Durvewho had sought the reportfrom CAG, the country’s audi-tor said, “The audit is underprogress and the report is yetto be finalised. The informationcannot be given under Section8(1)(C) of the RTI Act as thedisclosure would cause breachof Parliament”.

New Delhi: The SupremeCourt on Tuesday said it wouldhear a plea by Zakia Jafri, chal-lenging the SIT’s clean chit tothen Gujarat Chief MinisterNarendra Modi in connectionwith the 2002 Godhra riots,after four weeks.

Zakia, the wife of ex-MPEhsan Jafri who was one of the68 killed in Ahmedabad’sGulberg society, has challengedthe Gujarat High Court’sOctober 5, 2017 order rejectingher plea against the SIT’s deci-

sion. The matter came up forhearing before a Bench ofJustices AM Khanwilkar andAjay Rastogi.

“You are asking for fourweeks and we are giving youfour weeks. List the matterafter four weeks,” the Benchsaid.

The court previously said itwill also look into the applica-tion by social activist TeestaSetalvad on becoming a co-petitioner in Zakia’s plea aheadof hearing the main case. PTI

Rajiv Gauba holds

meeting on

Kartarpur corridor

Report: Girls outperform inacademics, but boys farebetter in basic arithmetic

CAG refuses

to share

Rafale audit

SC to hear Zakia’s pleaagainst clean chit to Modi

Apex court asks UPSC

Secy to appear in court

Won’t hesitate to carry out ‘strongaction’ against inimical acts: Rawat

A pact was inked betweenVigyan Prasar, an

autonomous organisationunder Department of

Science and Technology(DST) and Doordarshan on

the occasion

DD Science, India

science channels

launched


PTI n ALLAHABAD

As the first Shahi Snan(auspicious bath) of the

2019 Kumbh Mela got under-way Tuesday, a UP CabinetMinister said the religiouscongregation is being held inPrayagraj after 350 years as theholy city was renamedAllahabad in the past.

Religious Affairs MinisterLaxmi Narayan Chaudharyalso claimed that it’s perhapsfor the first time sinceIndependence that properarrangements (of milk, ghee,food, blankets and firewood)have been made for the seers,ashrams and akharas.

“Nearly 350 years ago,the name of Prayagraj — con-sidered a prominent centre ofHindu culture and SanatanDharma — was changed toAllahabad. However, last year,under the leadership of UPChief Minister YogiAdityanath, it was decidedthat Allahabad should berenamed as Prayagraj, as men-tioned in ancient Indian texts,including the Vedas.

“And it is after 350 longyears that the world’s biggestspiritual congregation is beingheld in Prayagraj in the formof Kumbh Mela,” he told PTIin an interview.

Prayagraj: The Kumbh Mela,which kicked off early onTuesday, with thousands takinga holy dip at the confluence ofGanga and Yamuna rivers andthe mythical Saraswati, is see-ing numerous sadhus and mys-tics, whose varied looks andpractices are evoking curiosi-ty among those who havedescended on this historic city.

The by-lanes of Prayagrajas well as the five-kilometrestretch of the bathing ghats isflooded with evoking sights asholy men and seers display theirunusual practices in full glory.

Seated at one of the tentsnear the pontoon bridges thatlead the visitors to Sangam isa holy man making show of hisnearly three-metre long mous-tache, which he claims to havegrown without interruptionover the past decade. Dozens ofdevotees thronged his tent andengaged with him. Somesought photographs and selfies.

Barely a few steps awayfrom him is the “Selfie Baba”,clad in a spiritual attire andequipped with a selfie stickattached to a smartphone. Hisappearance, in his own words,signifies the meeting ofmythology and technology.“Come and click a selfie tocarry home as a memorabilia,”

he was heard saying to drawthe attention of passersbys.

He is not the only oneadding a touch of modernity tothis ancient mega religious,spiritual and cultural congre-gation. The “Laptop Baba”, aNaga Sadhu, wearing all but aRudraksha mala, is anotherstar attraction. Seated on thefloor next to a fireplace by thebank of the Ganga, the “LaptopBaba” is no stranger to crowdsas he claims to have partici-pated in at least three previouseditions of the Kumbh.

Then there is the“Foreigner Baba”. Although anative, he wears a red cowboyhat and punky sunglasses.Scores of the passersby stopnear his tent and click picturesor share a moment of excite-ment on seeing him.

What evokes curiosityamong devotees is the factthat Naga sadhus are selfreliant. So, though they maycome in different avatars arous-ing interest among onlookers,they could also be seen cook-ing their meals in the open andcleaning their respective tents.A slew of such sights, such asthose of Sadhus depictingHindu god Shiva or those play-ing the symbolic ‘Damru’, markthe Kumbh Mela. IANS

Prayagraj: Hundreds of hoardings carrying the imagesof Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Uttar PradeshChief Minister Yogi Adityanath dotted the streets of theholy town as millions from across India and abroad havedescended here for the religious, spiritual and culturalcongregation taking place barely three months ahead ofthe 2019 general elections.

The Kumbh Mela is expected to draw over 15 crorepilgrims this year, is a sea of saffron and slogans such as“Modi tum sangharsh karo, hum tumhare saath hain”(Modi you lead the fight, we are with you) and “Mandirwahin banayenge” (temple will be built at the disputedsite in Ayodhya) rent the air at the site.

Notably, both Modi and Yogi have waxed eloquenton the preparations for the holy dip, which according tolegend, opens the doors to heaven. The Kumbh Melaadministration officials said Yogi has resolved to providean unforgettable pilgrimage experience to crores of devo-tees visiting Kumbh.

IANS

A sea of devotees gathered to take a holy dip at Sangam on the occasion of Makar Sankranti, the first Shahi Snan, during Kumbh Mela 2019 in Allahabad, on Tuesday PTI Naga Sadhus take a holy dip at Sangam PTI

KUMBH AARAMBH

Sadhus, mystics evokecuriosity among devotees Lucknow: The Uttar Pradesh

Government has allocated`4,200 crore for the KumbhMela being held in the ‘sangam’city of Allahabad, which isover thrice the budget of theMaha Kumbh in 2013, makingthe mega pilgrimage perhapsthe costliest ever.

“The UP Government hasallocated `4,200 crore for 2019Kumbh Mela. The previousState Government had spent

around `1,300 crore for theMaha Kumbh, which was heldin 2013,” State Finance MinisterRajesh Agarwal said. He saidapart from this, some otherdepartments have also allocat-ed funds for the mega event.Agarwal said this time theKumbh Mela area has beendoubled as compared to theprevious years.

This year’s Kumbh Mela isspread over an area of 3,200

hectare as compared to 1,600hectare area in the previousmelas. The endeavour of the UPGovernment has always been toenhance the facilities for thepublic and establishing facilitiesat the ground level has been abig task, the Minister added.

The Kumbh Mela isanchored in Hindu mythology.It is the largest public gather-ing and collective act of faithanywhere in the world.

Ardh Kumbh is held inevery six years, while theKumbh Mela comes after 12years. The Yogi Adityanathgovernment has renamed ArdhKumbh as Kumbh and theKumbh as Maha Kumbh.

The mela draws tens ofmillions of pilgrims over thecourse of approximately 48days to bathe at the sacred con-fluence of the Ganga, theYamuna, and the mythical

Saraswati river. The congrega-tion includes Ascetics, Saints,Sadhus, Sadhvis, Kalpvasis andpilgrims from all walks of life.

In all there are six auspi-cious bathing dates in thisKumbh — Makar Sankranti(January 15), Paush Poornima(January 21), Mauni Amawasya(February 4), Basant Panchami(February 10), MaghiPoornima (February 19) andMahashivratri (March 4). PTI

At `4,200 cr, this yr’s Kumbh costliest ever

Photo: PTI Photo: PTI

Modi-Yogi bonhomie onfull display in Kumbh Mela

Kumbh being heldin ‘Prayagraj’ after350 years: UP Min

Chennai/Puducherry: TheTamil harvest festival Pongalwas celebrated with usual fer-vour across Tamil Nadu andneighbouring Puducherry withpeople ushering in the auspi-cious Tamil month of ‘Thai’.

Chants of ‘Pongal-o-Pongal’ rent the air in many ahome as the milk boiled, sym-bolising the gushing of pros-perity. People decorated theirhomes with mango leaves andstrings of flowers.

Special prayers were heldat temples. This year, theAIADMK Government haddistributed gift hampers con-taining raw rice, sugar, raisins,cashew nut, cardamom andsugarcane to all cardholders tocelebrate the harvest festival, inan effort to mitigate the impactof cyclone Gaja in the Cauverydelta and drought in the north-ern districts.

The ingredients are used inthe preparation of the sweetdelicacy ‘Pongal’.

President RamnathKovind, Prime MinisterNarendra Modi, Tamil NaduGovernor Banwarilal Purohit,Chief Minister K Palaniswamiand DMK president andLeader of Opposition MKStalin greeted people.

Purohit celebrated the fes-tival with the villagers ofSathurangapattinam inKanchipuram district whilePalaniswami took part in thefestivities in his native Salem.

The famed bull-tamingsport of jallikattu was also heldin Madurai coinciding withPongal, with a number of eagervolunteers participating in it.

Meanwhile, Palaniswamigreeted Purohit. “I have greatpleasure in conveying my bestwishes and greetings to you, theFirst Lady and all the membersof your family for a very happyPongal and Sankaranthi,” hesaid in a message to the

Governor. In Puducherry, the festival

was celebrated with pomp andgaiety, as people, both youngand old, attired in new clothesexchanged greetings. Theresidents of the former Frenchcolony visited temples to offerprayers on the occasion.

Newly-made earthen pots,sugarcane and other festival-related farm products wereselling like hot cakes in mostparts of the town and in theperipheral areas. As the arrival

of sugarcane in large numbersfrom distant villages and neigh-bouring Tamilnadu created atraffic snarl in and around themarkets, police began to con-trol the traffic and restrictedmovement of vehicles.

Territorial LieutenantGovernor Kiran Bedi, ChiefMinister V Narayanasamy andassembly Speaker VVaithilingam, and leaders of dif-ferent political parties, Ministersand Members of Parliamentgreeted the people. PTI

Residents from Dharavi area celebrate Pongal, in Mumbai, on Tuesday PTI

Pongal celebrated in Puducherry,TN with traditional fervour

Gorakhpur: Uttar PradeshChief Minister Yogi Adityanathon Tuesday said the SP-BSPalliance will create “anarchy” inthe State and will be short-lived.

“This alliance will pro-mote anarchy and insecurityonly. It was done due to the fear(of the BJP Governmentreturning to power) and thepeople will not accept it,” theChief Minister said here.

He was talking to reportersafter offering ‘khichdi’ at BabaGorakhnath at Gorakhnathtemple. Reacting to SP MLAHariom Yadav’s statement thatthe SP-BSP alliance would sur-vive only as long as SP presi-dent Akhilesh Yadav bowed tothe wishes of BSP supremoMayawati, Adityanath said, “I

am sure this alliance will notlast long.”

He said the SP had moreseats that those of BSP in 1993,when Mulayam Singh Yadavwas elected Chief Minister.

The BSP continued its sup-port but the alliance was short-lived, he said.

“The 23 crore people of thestate will not accept an alliancewhich has been arrived at aftergiving up the self respect andpride,” the CM said.

Asked if the Governmenthas invited SP and BSP chiefsto Kumbh, Adityanath said,“Kumbh is for all and we invit-ed all.” “People from both theSP and BSP are in the Kumbhcommittee and it is for them tovisit the Kumbh fair,” he said.

“We should make a reso-lution on Makar Sankranti to

rise above narrow caste andcreed lines,” he added. PTI

Kolkata: Terming the alliancebetween the SP and the BSP inUttar Pradesh as “selfish”, BJPnational vice-presidentDushyant Kumar Gautam onTuesday said the parties aredoing injustice to their activistsby bringing two ideologicallydifferent forces together.

Citing examples of ani-mosity between SP and BSPsupremo Mayawati, the BJPleader said people of UP are feel-ing deprived by the decision ofalliance and will reject it in the2019 general elections. PTI

Bengaluru: It was a differentbattlefield a ‘relaxed’ ChiefMinister HD Kumaraswamywatched amid the political cri-sis in Karnataka ahead of theLok Sabha polls.

Taking time out from theturmoil his Government is fac-ing due to two MLAs with-drawing support to theGovernment, Kumaraswamywatched a trailer of the movie‘Kurukshetra’, the Kannadaperiod movie-based on theMahabharata, based on thepoetic marvel’Gadayuddha’ bypoet Ranna.

His son Nikhil Gowda hasplayed the role of Abhimanyu.The movie has been producedby MLA Muniratna. Enthralledwith the trailer, Kumaraswamysaid never before a movie ofthis scale ever been made inKannada, where every minutedetail was taken care of. PTI

Bengaluru: The political tur-moil in Karnataka in the wakeof two MLAs withdrawing sup-port to the coalitionGovernment of the Congressand the JD(S) led to a Twitterwar between Congress strong-man Siddaramaiah and theBJP. Siddaramaiah launched ascathing attack on PrimeMinister Narendra Modi, ask-ing him whether his slogan ‘SaafNiyat’ (Clean intention) meanta coup and grabbing power.

The former Chief Ministerwas active on Twitter from themorning, attacking the BJP asit became clear to theCongressleadership that IndependentMLA H NageshfromMulabagal and the loneMLA of rookie KarnatakaPrajnyavantaJanata Paksha RShankar from Rane Bennurconstituency Tuesday wouldwithdraw support to the coali-tion Government and alignwith the BJP.

“Mr. Saaf Niyat @naren-dramodi, Is allowing your dis-

graceful @BJP4Karnataka lead-ers to destabilise govt a ‘SaafNiyat’ towards democracy?Your PR slogans don’t hideyour actual ‘Niyat’ & your ‘SahiVikas’ should go beyonddevelopingResorts. First showyour Niyat to people!!”Siddaramaiah tweeted.

Taunting BJP leaders forhuddling their MLAs in aresort as they had done in thepast, Siddaramaiah said theBJP always hadGandha Niyat(bad intention) and ‘ResortVikas’ (promoting resort poli-tics). He also took a dig at‘Operation Lotus’, the allegedattempt to destabilise the gov-ernment.

“@BJP4India has a legacy of‘Gandha Niyat, Resort Vikas’.Their ‘Operation Kamala’ is notnew & they will indulge when-ever they feel politically threat-ened. Recent miserableloss in 5States is the result of their ongo-ing attempt in Karnataka which will fail #Gandha-NiyatResortVikas,” he said. PTI

Patna: RJD leader TejashwiYadav on Tuesday clarified theCongress was as an “old ally”and a major political partywith nationwide presence, rub-bishing claims that he hadsnubbed his coalition partnerby coming out in support of theSP-BSP alliance in neighbour-ing Uttar Pradesh.

The RJD heir apparent alsoremarked that during hisLucknow visit on Monday, “themedia there kept prying as towhether I had come to UP hold-ing a brief for the Congress”.

“It seems the media inBihar and UP is clueless aboutmy feelings for the Congress.My support to the SP-BSPalliance has evoked diametri-cally opposite views in the twostates,” he told reporters on thesideline of a ‘dahi chura’ (curdand flattened rice) feast organ-ised at Sadaqat Ashram, theBihar Congress headquarters.

The feast, organised to cel-ebrate the festival of MakarSankranti, was also attended byother leaders of the oppositionGrand alliance like RLSP chiefUpendra Kushwaha andVikasheel Insaan Party (VIP)founder Mukesh Sahni.

Presenting a picture ofbonhomie, Tejashwi, Kushwahaand State Congress presidentMadan Mohan Jha fed eachother ‘tilkut’ — a sweet dishmade of jaggery and sesame -consumption of which is con-sidered auspicious onSankranti.

The NDA had on Mondaywondered whether Tejashwi’sUP trip was part of “strong armtactics” against the Congress, itsally in the ‘Mahagathbandhan’.

The NDA’s reaction wasbased on Tejashwi greetingMayawati and Akhilesh Yadavfor forging an alliance sansCongress. PTI

SP-BSP alliance will only breed anarchy in UP: Adityanath

Dushyant: SP-BSPalliance ‘selfish’, people will reject

Twitter war breaks out between BJP,

Siddaramaiah over political turmoil

Amid politicalturmoil, HDKwatches trailerof son’s movie

Tejashwi rejects claims of

snubbing coalition partner,

says Congress an ‘old ally’


MOHIT KANDHARI n JAMMU

In a fresh ‘sniper’ attack byPakistan rangers, a senior

BSF officer was martyred, firstin 2019, along the InternationalBorder in Hiranagar sector ofKathua on Tuesday.

The BSF troops, led by theAssistant commandant, VinayPrasad, were carrying outBorder domination patrol nearBOP, Pansar in Hiranagar,when they were fired upon byPakistan snipers around 10.50am. The BSF officer receivedserious injuries as he was hit inthe abdomen.

According to a BSFspokesman in Jammu, “theinjured officer was taken toMilitary Hospital in Satwari,Jammu where he succumbed tohis injuries and attained mar-tyrdom”.

More than one dozen BSFjawans were martyred and over40 others injured in differentincidents of cross border firing

and sniper attacks by Pakistanrangers during 2018.

High alert was soundedalong the International Borderacross Jammu frontier follow-ing reports of fresh infiltrationbids by small groups of heavi-ly armed infiltrators in thecoming days.

Meanwhile, the Line ofControl (LoC) in Sunderbaniarea of Rajouri and Mendharand Balakote sectors of Poonchalso witnessed heavy shelling inthe evening in which twojawans including a BSF per-

sonnel received grievousinjuries.

The seriously injured BSFjawan was airlifted to Militaryhospital in Udhampur, officialsources said.

Till the time of filing thereport, shelling with heavycalibre of weapons was goingon in different sectors ofRajouri and Poonch. Inresponse, the Indian army toowas retaliating effectively, offi-cial sources said.

BSF officer martyred

in Pak sniper attack

More than one

dozen BSF jawans

were martyred and

over 40 others

injured in different

incidents of cross

border firing and

sniper attacks by

Pakistan rangers

during 2018

Thiruvananthapuram: TheKerala Lokayukta has admitteda complaint alleging misuse ofChief Minister’s Distress ReliefFund (CMDRF) and issuednotice to Pinarayi Vijayan andother State Ministers on it.

A full Bench comprisingLokayukta Justice Pius CKuriakose, and Upa-lokayuktasJustices KP Balachandran andAK Basheer, on Tuesday decid-ed to admit a complaint filed byone RS Sashi Kumar.

The Bench was constitutedafter there was a difference ofopinion among the Lokayuktaand one of the Upa-lokayuktasregarding the jurisdiction of theagency to probe disbursementof assistance from CMDRF, anofficial statement said here.

The Bench decided that thecomplaint was maintainablebefore the Lokayukta andordered notice to the respon-dents — CM Pinarayi Vijayanand other State Ministers.While admitting the complaint,the Lokayukta clarified in theorder that he had not found anyof the party guilty. PTI

‘Misuse’ of CMdisaster relief fund:Kerala Lokayuktaadmits plea

Guwahati: Biraj Kumar Sarma— one of the signatories of thehistoric Assam Accord of 1985,Asom Gana Parishad (AGP)co-founder and formerMinister — died on Tuesday ata private hospital here, hisfamily and party sources said.

Sarma died around 2.30am in the hospital where hewas admitted on January 6 for protracted illness, hospitalsources said.

He was a front rankingleader of the six-year longAssam Movement led by the AllAssam Students Union from1979 which had culminated insigning of the Memorandum ofSettlement Assam Accord in1985 between AASU and rep-resentatives of Central andAssam Governments.

Sarma had participated inAssam Movement as an activemember of Sadou Asom GanaSangram Parishad and co-founded AGP, which wasformed by Assam agitationleaders in 1985. He wasGeneral Secretary of party andlater its vice-president. PTI

Assam Accord

signatory and AGP

co-founder Biraj

Kumar Sarma dead

Bulls are made to jump across a blazing wall of fire during annual rituals to exorcise evil on Makar Sankranti festival at a village near Mysore on Tuesday PTI

Mumb ai: RubabuddinShaikh, brother ofSohrabuddin Shaikh, whowas allegedly killed in a fakeencounter, has requested theHome Ministry and the CBIto appeal against the trialcourt’s acquittal of all theaccused in the case.

On December 21, 2018, aspecial Central Bureau ofInvestigation (CBI) court hadacquitted all the 22 accuseddue to insufficient evidenceand the prosecution’s failureto prove its case beyond rea-sonable doubt.

The accused, most ly junior level police officers from Gujarat and Rajasthan,were charged with killingSohrabuddin Shaikh, his wifeKausar Bi and his associateTulsiram Prajapati in a fakeencounter.

On January 14 this year,Sohrabuddin’s brotherRububuddin wrote letters tothe Ministry of Home Affairsand CBI, the prosecuting

agency, requesting them tofile an appeal in the BombayHigh Court challenging thelower court’s order.

“The judgement of theCBI court dated December21, 2018 acquitting all theaccused persons is bad in lawand prima facie untenable.The special CBI court haserred in appreciating factsand evidence in right per-spective,” the letter said.

“I humbly request you(MHA and CBI) to kindlyundertake all necessary mea-sures to file appeal before theBombay High Court ,”Rubabuddin said in the letter.

According to CBI, thethree victims, who werereturning to Sangl i inMaharashtra from Hyderabadin a bus, were taken into cus-tody by a police team on thenight of November 22-23,2005.

The couple were taken inone vehicle and Prajapati inanother. PTI

Sohrabuddin’s brotherasks MHA, CBI to appealagainst accused’s acquittal

Guwahati/Majuli: SeniorCongress leader and formerAssam Chief Minister TarunGogoi on Tuesday describedSarbananda Sonowal as a“weak Chief Minister” whoallegedly failed to provide astrong leadership when theState was going through tryingtimes due to the Citizenship(Amendment) Bill.

The bill, passed by the LokSabha on January 8, seeks togrant Indian citizenship tonon-Muslims who fled reli-gious persecution inBangladesh, Pakistan andAfghanistan and entered Indiabefore December 31, 2014.

Protests have eruptedacross Assam and a statewide“bandh”, called by a number oforganisations, was observedon January 8.

“Sarbananda Sonowal is aweak Chief Minister. If he doesnot take a strong stand on the

bill today, it is certain that thefuture of Assam will be dark. Ifeel if the CM remains weak atthis time, it is very unfortunatefor the people of Assam,”Gogoi, who preceded Sonowalas the Chief Minister, said.

“Sonowal has given only aweak leadership and for that, Ibelieve, (Finance Minister)Himanta Biswa Sarma is theone who is the most responsi-ble. And due to this, he (Sarma)is riding roughshod over thehopes and aspirations of thepeople of Assam, instead ofsupporting them,” he toldreporters here.

Even after all this, if thechief minister did not wake up,people would realise that hewas pretending not to under-stand their plight because of hisself-interest, the Congressleader said, while taking part inthe “Meji-burning” ritual ofBohagi or Magh Bihu, an agrar-

ian festival of Assam.“All this time, he (Sonowal)

had been sleeping... That is allright. But now he should wake

up from his slumber and fulfilthe promises he had made tothe people of the State,” headded. PTI

Sonowal is a weak CM: Tarun Gogoi

Aizawl: Mizoram ChiefMinister Zoramthanga has toldPrime Minister Narendra Modithat the people of the north-eastern State vehemently oppos-es the passage of Citizenship(Amendment) Bill,, an officialstatement said on Tuesday.

The controversial bill,which has triggered large scaleprotests in the northeasternStates including Mizoram, waspassed by the Lok Sabha onJanuary 8. The statement said

that Zoramthanga met Modi inNew Delhi on Tuesday and dis-cussed several issues includingthe opposition to the proposedamendment on the CitizenshipAct, 1955.

They also discussed aboutbamboo projects, Mizoram’sseparate cadre for all India ser-vices and proposed terminationof Jet Airways’ flights fromAizawl to Kolkata and Guwahatifrom February 10, the statementadded. PTI

People vehemently opposing Citizenship Bill:Zoramthanga to PM Modi

SAUGAR SENGUPTA n KOLKATA

The Bengal BJP reacted in aguarded manner to the

huge judicial setback it receivedin the Supreme Court which onTuesday turned down its pleafor a four-phase rath yatracovering almost all the 22 dis-tricts of the State.

“We had approached theapex court to get our democ-ratic rights that was underserious attack by the TrinamoolCongress Government restoredbut the State managed to put itsargument in a successful man-ner and we lost the case.

“We will honour theSupreme Court judgement buthaving said so we will contin-ue our struggle for restoringdemocracy in Bengal,” StateBJP president Dilip Ghoshsaid, adding his party wouldhowever, continue to stagedharnas and civil disobedi-ence rallies.

“We will be on the groundstaging civil disobedience ral-lies like we had been doing allthese days,” he said, adding his

party having failed to extractthe order favouring a rathyatra may now consider apadyatras or marches throughthe districts.

The BJP was likely to holda grand rally at the historicBrigade Parade Ground inKolkata on January 23. The rallyis likely to be addressed byPrime Minister Narendra Modi.

Meanwhile, Chief MinisterMamata Banerjee on Tuesdaysaid Congress Leader ofOpposition in Lok SabhaMallikarjun Kharge would

attend her party’s grand rally atthe Brigade parade Ground.

The Trinamool Congress’grand rally would take place onJanuary 19 and is likely to beattended among others by lead-ers like Sharada Pawar, SharadYadav, Akhilesh Yadav,Mayawati, MK Stalin, TejaswiYadav, Arvinda Kejriwal. Theparty is expecting a record-breaking presence of 20 lakhpeople, several lakh more thanthe highest recorded earlier ina Left Front rally which wasabout 15 lakh.

BJP considering padyatra in

place of rath yatra in Bengal

u The Trinamool Congress’ grandrally would take place on Jan 19

u The party is expecting a record-breaking presence of 20 lakhpeople, several lakh more than thehighest recorded earlier in a LeftFront rally which was about 15 lakh

Balangir (Odisha): PrimeMinister Narendra Modi onTuesday asked the OdishaGovernment not to wait forelections to undertake devel-opmental activities in the State.

He also attacked the stateGovernment for its "inability"to spend `4,000 crore lyingwith the District MineralFoundations (DMF) and devel-op the mining areas.

"Do not wait till elections,they will come and go. Resolvethe problems of poor and workfor their development. Youhave money in hand to under-take developmental activities,"Modi said while addressing ahuge gathering in this westernOdisha town after launchingseveral projects.

"I am worried — what hashappened to this Government?Is it sleeping?" he lashed out,but refrained from taking thename of either the ruling BJDor Chief Minister NaveenPatnaik during his 47 minute-long speech. The PrimeMinister said for the first timein the country, the BJPGovernment had made provi-sions for the development ofmining areas inhabited by trib-als. Working for 'Sab ka Sath,Sab Ka Vikas' (collective efforts,inclusive growth), the BJPGovernment has given priori-ty to tribal development.

In the past though there

has been huge earning frommining operations, the miner-al belts used to be neglectedand the people there werepoverty-stricken, he said.

Stating that DMF was peo-ple's money and mandated tobe spent for the welfare of thoseinhabiting the mining areas,predominantly tribals, Modisaid the State Governmentshould fully utilise the funds forthem.

He also highlighted thedevelopment projects launchedby him during his three visitsto the state in as many weeks.

"In a month, more than`20,000 crore of developmentprojects have been either inau-gurated or initiated in Odisha.Projects worth more than`1,500 crore in sectors like edu-

Don't wait for elections

to spend public money

PM IN ODISHA

Prime Minister Narendra Modi being presented a portrait during a public meetingat Patharchepa in Balangir, Odisha, on Tuesday PTI

TN RAGHUNATHA n MUMBAI

In a major sop doled out tomore than 11 lakh small

land holding farmers and agri-cultural labourers ahead of theLok Sabha polls, the BJP-ledsaffron alliance Governmenton Tuesday waived their loansdisbursed by the MaharashtraState Cooperative TribalDevelopment Corporation(MSCTDC) and piled up inter-est amounting to ̀ 361.17 crore.

At a weekly Cabinet meet-ing presided over by ChiefMinister Devendra Fadnavis,the State Government decidedto write off the principal loansgiven by the MSCTDCamounting to `244.60 croreand a piled up interest of`1,16.57 crore over the originalloan amount.

The loan waiver decisionwill benefit 11.25 lakh smallland holding farmers and agri-cultural labourers across thestate. “The beneficiaries hadtaken the loans from theMSCTDC between 2009 and2014,” a senior Minister said.

According to the Minister,the burden of `361.17 arisingout of the loan waiver would beadjusted against the allocationof `940 crore made for theChhatrapati Shivaji MaharajShetkari Sanman Yojana underTribal sub-plan for the year

2018-19.Ironically enough, the

Devendra FadnavisGovernment has come out afresh loan waiver announce-ment for 11 lakh small landholding farmers and agricul-tural labourers, at a timewhen it is facing severe criti-cism from the OppositionCongress, NCP and the ruling Shiv Sena for its failureto fulfill its promise of imple-menting the `34,022 crorewaiver scheme announced inJune 2017.

Under the `34,022 croreloan waiver scheme“Chhatrapati Shivaji MaharajKrishi Samman Yojana”announced by the MaharashtraGovernment, the total number of beneficiaries was 89lakh farmers.

Of them, early 40 lakhfarmers were expected tobecome totally debt-free. Of thetotal beneficiaries under thescheme, a total 36.10 lakhfarmers were eligible for afinancial assistance of `1.50 lakh each to clear theirpiled up loans.

The Opposition and ShivSena have been demandingthat the BJP-led MaharashtraGovernment prove its claimthat it had indeed waived loansannounced under the waiverscheme.

Maha Govt waivesfarmers’ loansworth `367.17 crore

Patna: Bihar Chief MinisterNitish Kumar on Tuesday nightclaimed that he had twicereceived suggestions for induct-ing poll strategist PrashantKishor into his JD(U) by BJPnational president Amit Shah.

Kumar, who also heads theJD(U), said this at an eventorganised by a private newschannel here while respondingto queries as to whether helooked at the poll strategist-turned-politician as his politicalsuccessor. Kishor was inductedinto the JD(U) in September lastyear and elevated to the post ofnational vice-president weekslater triggering speculation thathe was being thought of byKumar as his political heir.

"He was not a newcomer forus. He had worked with us inthe 2015 Assembly polls. For abrief period, he was busy else-where. Please let it be knownthat none other than Amit Shahhad asked me twice to inductKishor in the JD(U)," he said.

"Prashant Kishor has beenassigned the task of attractingyoung talent, from all social seg-ments, to politics which wasbecoming inaccessible to thosenot born in political families," headded.

Shah asked me

twice to induct

Prashant Kishor

into JD(U): Nitish

PNS n BHOPAL

Launching the ̀ 50,000 crore‘Jai Kisan Crop Loan

Waiver’ Scheme here onTuesday, Chief Minister KamalNath said 55 lakh small andmarginal farmers will get ben-efit of waiving the debtsamounting to. He said that thescheme will be a milestone inthe history of Madhya Pradesh.

Nath slammed theOpposition parties for allegingthat the scheme was beingimplemented without any bud-getary provisions.

Notably, before theAssembly elections, Congresspresident Rahul Gandhi hadpromised that if his party wasvoted to power, it would imple-ment farmers' loan waiverwithin 10 days of Governmentformation.

The State Cabinet had onJanuary 5 gave its nod to waivecrop loans of 55 lakh farmers,while extending the eligibilitycut-off date to December 12,2018 from March 31, 2018.

"Madhya Pradesh economy hasbeen agriculture-based. About70 per cent people are associ-ated with agriculture and alliedsectors. Hence, this loan waiv-er is an investment in theeconomy, which can't bestrengthened without farm-ers," Nath said at the launchevent.

"This decision is a mile-stone in the state's economy. Itwill benefit 55 lakh small andmarginal farmers and cost thestate exchequer ̀ 50,000 crore,"he said. There are three formsof different colours to be filledby farmers, he said adding, "Butthe BJP will target theGovernment even on this issue.They have alleged that the loanwaiver was announced withoutany budgetary provision."

"They (Opposition) don'tneed to teach me...They are lur-ing (the Congress MLAs)...Andcontinue to do this. But I trusttheir (Congress MLAs) loyal-ty...I will not say more, but theBJP needs to keep its ownhouse in order," he said.

MP CM launches`50,000 crore farmloan waiver scheme

cation, connectivity, cultureand tourism that were launchedtoday will not only spur thegrowth of the state, but also ofeastern India," he said.

This apart, Modi said hisGovernment has allocated about`20,000 crore in the railwayssector in the State during the lastfour-and-half years. This is fivetimes more than the funds allo-cated by any other Governmentin the past, he said. PTI

From an Indian perspective,Afghanistan turned out to be theflavour of the fourth edition of theRaisina Dialogue at New Delhi,which, compared to other interna-

tional dialogues, is still in its infancy, giventhat it was flagged off as one of the three orfour universal concerns/hot spots. Thepresence of the evergreen former Presidentof Afghanistan Hamid Karzai, whose dis-like for the US and Pakistan has visibly mel-lowed; Gen David Petraeus, the key propo-nent and leader of the US military surge inAfghanistan; Indian Army Chief Gen BipinRawat, who threw a bombshell with hisadvocacy of unconditional talks with theTaliban; and the Nangarhar native Pashtun,Zalmay Khalilzad, in his new role as the US’points person on the reinvigorated peaceprocess, threw up some interesting ideas.Incidentally, S Khalilzad, in his book, TheEnvoy: From Kabul to the White House, MyJourney Through a Turbulent World, and var-ious presentations had recommended the‘Richard Armitage’ treatment of Talibansanctuaries in Pakistan: Bombing them tothe stone age.

For the transactional US President DonaldTrump, cutting the US losses and exitingAfghanistan were pre-election promises,though he was persuaded by the likes of GenJim Mattis (now resigned over the issue) to staythe course. Trump’s sudden announcement tode-induct from Syria and reduce US troopsin Afghanistan (later rescinded) last month ispart of a cost-cutting and burden-sharing exer-cise. US troops are the most expensive — eightGIs for one jawan — to maintain in the world,given their tail of commodes to chewing gum.But it is also clear that even Trump will notwalk out of Afghanistan, given the bilateralstrategic security pact with Afghanistan,including the need for retention of bases atBagram and Kandahar. Trump’s famous butshort-lived Afghan policy enunciated inAugust 2017 is all but dead. From being thevillain of the piece and part of the problem,Pakistan has bounced back to being the piv-otal player in the peace process. After blam-ing Pakistan for destabilising Afghanistan,Trump was forced to seek Prime MinisterImran Khan’s help in taming the Taliban.

So where is the peace process? Khalilzadhas been in the job for just five months. Afterthree failed attempts to get the Taliban to talkto Kabul, he has returned to the drawingboard. He must first convince Pakistan thatpeace and reconciliation in Afghanistan is inits national interest and pressing the Talibanfor direct talks with Kabul is indispensable.It is understood that the option of coercionis still available and usable against Pakistan(so far unsuccessful) and against its benefi-ciary, the Taliban (so far unused). As Mattisfailed in his coercive option, it is doubtful ifKhalilzad can succeed. Still, Khalilzad has hadthree ‘good’ conversations with the Taliban;though they have steadfastly refused to talkto the Kabul delegation. The fourth round

was postponed as the Taliban,at the behest of the Qataris,rejected Riyadh as the venue forthe meeting. It will now happenas soon as Khalilzad is backfrom China, who, he hopes, willurge Pakistan to play the ball.Pakistan Army Chief GenQamar Javed Bajwa is under-stood to have told Khalilzad that“we want peace and trade withIndia as well as LoC as the defacto border.” And, of course,“peace in Afghanistan”.

Afghanistan’s NationalSecurity Advisor HamdullahMohib, who was in New Delhijust before Raisina, was scepticalabout a positive outcome fromtalks with the Taliban. He saidthat the Taliban is not a mono-lithic organisation and is frac-tured down the middle. He feelsan intra-Afghan dialogue, whichhas not been held, must be a pre-cursor to talks with the Taliban.According to him, differentgroups from many factions in theTaliban have so far been sent fortalks in Moscow, Abu Dhabi andQatar. “We’ve had contacts withthe Taliban, including proximi-ty talks at Abu Dhabi”, he added.Karzai, too, endorsed Mohib’sviews but emphasised the cen-trality of Pakistan, adding “what-ever the deal with Pakistan, itshould not undermine Afghansovereignty.” “The Taliban arePashtuns, our people, and theyhave to be engaged in power-sharing” said Karzai. Most coun-tries are in contact with theTaliban. India, which is a legiti-mate stakeholder, must engagethe Taliban because they are

Afghans, noted Karzai. The Russians and Iranians

are also keen that India openlines with the Taliban whowill eventually be part of theGovernment. But India hasbeen unable to sidestep hesita-tions of history, which havemade its position rigid; thoughit has shown some flexibilityrecently. It is willing to supportthe peace process providedthe Taliban adheres to redlines: Renunciation of vio-lence, abiding by theConstitution and ensuring thepeace process is owned, led andcontrolled by Afghans.

On their part, the Talibanhas indicated that it is preparedfor power-sharing but withoutelections. It wants most of theEast and North East ofAfghanistan given to it on aplatter. Its writ runs in almosthalf the country. This plan issimilar to the one suggested byRobert Blackwill of dividingAfghanistan in the middle. TheTaliban also wants changes tothe Constitution.

Further, it has sought adeadline for the withdrawal offoreign forces, lifting ban on themovement of its leaders andsanctions imposed on some ofthem. Given the barbarity of theTaliban rule in Afghanistanfrom 1996 to 2001, which wasrecognised by the UAE, SaudiArabia and Pakistan, some of itsleaders are liable to be chargedwith crimes against humanity.

Karzai admitted that theTaliban attempted to destroyAfghanistan, its culture, histo-

ry, institutions and role ofwomen in society while tryingto impose Sharia’h law. Butsome Afghans say that theTaliban has mended its ways(doubtful) and 2019 is not1996. They no longer destroyschools and prevent girls fromgoing to school. Their biggestasset is control over largeswathes of territory and reten-tion of the capacity to executemultiple suicide attacks at will.In short, they enjoy on theground the dominant positionand advantage in balance of mil-itary power. This gives them adistinct edge in bargaining at thetalks table.

It is the Americans who arein a hurry to withdraw, not theTaliban. They can outwait themindefinitely. Americans mayhave the watches but we havethe time, this is what the Talibanhas been saying for a long time.Trump would like to get mostof his 14,000 soldiers backhome before the next electionsin 2020. Key questions, though,will remain: Who will guaran-tee the Taliban keeps its end ofthe bargain once foreign forcesleave Afghanistan ? UN peace-keepers? A regional compact onnon-interference as endorsed bySCO? Afghans reverting toneutrality? Or a grand bargainwith Pakistan? Watch this spacefor answers.

(The writer is a retiredMajor General of the IndianArmy and founder member ofthe Defence Planning Staff, cur-rently the revamped IntegratedDefence Staff)

Carlos Ghosn, the former

Chairman of Japanese car man-

ufacturer Nissan and one of the

only rockstars among senior managers

in the automotive industry, spent the

New Year in a small cell in a Japanese

prison. In fact, it is almost a month

since the one-time high-flyer with

homes in several cities across the

world has given up his life of luxury for

prison austerity. He has been accused

of financial wrongdoing, by hiding his

true income and using company funds

for personal enrichment. It is rather

strange that the man who will be remembered as the saviour of Nissan,

Japan’s third-largest carmaker, from oblivion as well as building the

Renault-Nissan alliance as a truly global automotive behemoth will leave

the stage potentially discredited.

One says potentially because Ghosn is yet to be prosecuted and while

he has been charged by the Japanese authorities on several different

counts, his trial could take a year or longer and he could spend the entire

time in prison. This naturally has led to criticism of the Japanese judi-

cial system as Ghosn has not been given bail, which is strange. While

the authorities in Japan might consider Ghosn a flight risk, he remains

Chairman of Renault. At the same time it is impossible for such a pub-

lic figure to disappear and Ghosn could easily be put under house arrest.

But the Japanese legal system treats undertrials quite harshly, because

while it is inspired by Western jurisprudence, it still retains elements of

justice from Japan’s imperial past. And while Ghosn can apply for bail

in a couple of months, given how his previous applications were reject-

ed, he could spend over a year in jail, possibly remaining imprisoned

until his trial is completed. Ghosn’s family has been worried about his health,

as any family of an undertrial would, and both his physical and mental well-

being. But the Japanese authorities are right in that he should not expect

any special treatment because of his celebrity status.

However, they should be humane and allow him more contact with his

family. And justice must be done one way or another. Japan’s legal sys-

tem is still highly shrouded in secrecy, the way that nation carries out exe-

cutions for example. Ghosn’s trial will be a trial of the Japanese judicial sys-

tem as well and right now, while it is not looking good for Ghosn, it is not

looking great for the Japanese system either.

Who would have thought that the

2019 elections would be a

desperate lunge for political

posturing before survival with major

national par ties squabbling over

Karnataka yet again, engaging in

horse-trading, indulging in allegations

and counter-allegations of poaching

from each other’s camps and threat-

ening to force mid-term polls with the

Lok Sabha one. As of now, the

Congress-JD(S) government led by HD

Kumaraswamy is hanging by a thread

with two disgruntled Independents

withdrawing support and transferring

their loyalty to the BJP saying that party can ensure stability by vir tue

of being the single largest. It is true that the BJP has not taken well to

Karnataka paving the way for the very concept of mahagatbandhan pol-

itics nationally, the Congress squashing its edge as the single largest party

by quickly tying up with the JD(S) in its quest for power. It has been antsy

about seizing the narrative given its still creditable vote share and seats.

Ever since, backrooms have been abuzz with speculation that the party

would launch another version of “Operation Lotus”, the BJP’s success-

ful poaching of MLAs from other parties during Chief Minister BS

Yeddyurappa’s first stint, and supplant Kumaraswamy. Many BJP lead-

ers had even publicly declared that though they had lost the battle, they

would easily win the war given the inherent contradictions of the Congress-

JD(S) alliance that would make it unstable in the long run.

Now that the BJP has parked its own MLAs in a faraway resort in

Gurgaon and is believed to be shopping for unhappy MLAs from the com-

bine’s camps, it would seem the party is indeed trying to force a con-

stitutional crisis in Karnataka, if not to prop up its own government but

at least to create a sense of uncertainty and doubt in the minds of the

voter about investing their hope in either the Congress or the federal front.

The BJP currently has 104 MLAs, the combine 117. At least 14 MLAs

will have to resign to make it possible for the BJP to stake a rival claim.

Karnataka at the moment is strategic to the BJP as a gateway state. It

believes it has the people’s mandate being the single largest party and

its hold there would help it grow roots in other southern states, so cru-

cial for picking up the buffer seats to make good the heartland losses

for the Lok Sabha polls. Clearly, the Congress win in the Assembly elec-

tions had subdued the state BJP a bit. But now that there is an equal

assertion by the federal front to go it minus the Congress — the con-

solidation of the SP-BSP in Uttar Pradesh, the equidistance by BJD’s

Naveen Patnaik and Trinamool’s Mamata Banerjee — the BJP has res-

urrected its ambitious plans in Karnataka. If the Congress-JD(S) com-

bine is shattered, then the BJP believes it would have a tactical advan-

tage for the general elections. Surely, it has managed to send the Congress

scurrying, it being the initiator of this alliance, with party general secre-

tary in charge of Karnataka, KC Venugopal, slipping into damage con-

trol mode and finding ways and means of keeping the flock together, dan-

gling ministries. The Congress has also threatened to engineer defec-

tions of at least six BJP MLAs. The larger question then is does it behove

our political parties to engage in cheap political tricks of the medieval

kind rather than working hard on the ground to gather votes and deliver

for a change? Apparently grapevine has it that the going rate for MLA

defections is `50 crore and a ministry or `30 crore for resigning and

contesting again! Nothing but an attempt to delegitimise democracy itself.

Karnataka drama

Destabilising the Cong-JD(S) government is all about tainting the mahagatbandhan

Under trial

The case of former Nissan boss Carlos Ghosn for financialirregularities is also a test of the Japanese legal system

Streamline the process

Sir — It is quite often thatjudgements by Benches, includ-ing division and larger ones, atthe Supreme Court, are keptreserved for months together. Asystem should be made so thatvarious Benches of the SupremeCourt may compulsori lyannounce judgements in a time-bound period of say withinthree months after the last dateof hearing or before the retire-ment of any Bench-memberhaving heard the case.

Delayed judgements aftercompetition of hearing add fuelto the fire of notorious aspect. Attimes, such delayed judgementsresult in costly and time-con-suming re-hearings in case anyof the Bench-member retiresfrom his/her post.

The Supreme Court’s web-site must have a link, providinga list of reserved judgements andmust clearly mention the lastdate of proceedings in the case.Time has come when judges should also be madeaccountable in the justice-deliv-ery system.

SC AgrawalDelhi

Declining fortunes

Sir — This refers to the editor-ial, “The Bua-Bhatija dare”(January 14). The recent seatsharing arrangement betweenthe Samajwadi Party (SP) andthe Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP),keeping the Congress aside, hastaken all by surprise. The SP andBSP have taken a ‘bold’ decision

and are ready to give a formida-ble challenge to both the BJPand the Congress. TheTelangana Rashtra Samithi’s vic-tor y in the recently-heldAssembly elections set a politi-cal trend for regional parties towin successfully without anymajor party’s support throughan alliance.

Given the emergence ofregional parties, the BJP will

need a unique strategy to winthe 2019 Lok Sabha poll. As forthe Congress, it is now losing itshold on the much-toutedmahaghatbandhan strategy. Thestrongest of its allies are nowkeeping it out. It remains amystery as to how the politicalstrategy related to the mahaghat-bandhan will unfold.

Varun SD Bengaluru

Celebrating Pongal

Sir — Pongal, also referred to asthe ‘harvest festival’, is observedby the people of Tamil Nadu,located in the southern part ofIndia. The idea behind celebrat-ing this day is the gratificationof people towards their god —the sun — for bringing about theseason of harvest, which is aboon for them.

A few days before the festi-val, people, particularly women,clean the entire house and deco-rate it with flowers. They useswastik and kumkum to embell-ish big earthen vessels. The pit isfilled with water and rice byeither the youngest or the oldestmember of the family. As per tra-dition, it is of paramount impor-tance to add some milk to waterin which the rice is to be cooked,which is then offered to the sungod. People who get involved incooking rice take utmost care ofcleanliness. They are not sup-posed to step over the rangoliwhich is done for decoration.

Jubel D’Cruz Mumbai

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


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op nionLUCKNOW | WEDNESDAY JANUARY 16, 2019

08

A fractured negotiation

ASHOK K MEHTA

It is the Americans who are in a hurry to withdraw, not the Taliban. They can

outwait them indefinitely. But what about the peace process?

We need technology,resources and partnerships.We are working on how tofinance manufacturing of air-craft as we lose a lot ofmoney while importing.

Aviation Minister—Suresh Prabhu

India is a leading force in areas of climateaction and poverty eradica-tion. It is a very good ally toboost UN’s role and strength-en the multi-lateral system.

UNGA president —Maria Fernanda Espinosa

Young writers should pencharacters for older women.How much variety can Ibring to the table if the char-acter is not written withmore elements?

Veteran actress—Farida Jalal

BJP can try as much asthey can but the govern-ment in Karnataka is stable.All people have been elect-ed on ideology and they arenot going to leave.

Congress leader—Mallikarjun Kharge

S O U N D B I T E

L E T T E R S T O T H E E D I T O R

Bua-Bhatija tie-up spells trouble for the BJP

This refers to the editorial, “The Bua-Bhatija dare”(January 14). The alliance between the BahujanSamaj Party (BSP) and the Samajwadi Party (SP)

in Uttar Pradesh assumes considerable political sig-nificance and lends an entirely new dimension to the2019 electoral battle. It is organic, solid and formi-dable and can prove to be a game-changer.

The cohesive power of common political objec-tives is sure to make it work on the ground as it didin the Uttar Pradesh bypolls. Both parties can relyon mutual vote transfer. The poll pact is predicatedon parity and seat-sharing. When the allianceensures the avoidance of the split of an anti-BJP sec-ular vote to a large extent, there can be no way theBJP can repeat its 2014 performance. It is said thatthe road to Delhi goes through Lucknow. No otherState determines the overall outcome of the LokSabha election as Uttar Pradesh. It will be an uphill

task for the BJP to return to power if the pre-pollalliance scenario reverses the party’s near-clean sweepof 2014. Implicit in the BJP’s denunciation of the Bua-Bhatija tie-up as ‘opportunistic’ is the recognition ofthe insurmountable challenge posed by it.

G David MiltonMaruthancode

MOSTCOUNTRIES,INCLUDING

RUSSIA ANDIRAN, HAVE BEENKEEN THAT INDIA

OPEN LINESWITH THE

TALIBAN WHO WILL

EVENTUALLY BEPART OF THE

GOVERNMENT.BUT INDIA HAS

NOT BEEN ABLETO SIDESTEP

HESITATIONS OFHISTORY WHICHHAVE MADE ITS

POSITION RIGID;THOUGH IT HAS

SHOWN SOMEFLEXIBILITY

Send your feedback to:[email protected]

While the Opposition hasbeen touting the idea of amahagadbandhan (grand

alliance), what is happening on theground is entirely different. It is pret-ty clear now that a grand alliance ismost unlikely. Instead, parties aremore inclined to opt for State-specif-ic alliances. This is so because theOpposition is not united in choosinga prime ministerial face. Then at theregional level, satraps like TrinamoolCongress (TMC) chief MamataBanerjee and Bahujan Samaj Party(BSP) supremo Mayawati have hugeego problems. All of them want tokeep their options open for a post-poll scenario.

The situation has become moreprecarious ever since the Samajwadi

Party (SP) and the BSP announcedtheir alliance in Uttar Pradesh forthe 2019 Lok Sabha poll. TheCongress has now decided to con-test all 80 seats of Uttar Pradesh inthe general election.

Let us be clear, the SP-BSPalliance had been on the cards forquite some time now. The latestannouncement just confirmed it.Nevertheless, it is indeed a majordecision and the combination will bea huge success if one were to ponderupon the caste arithmetic. Theirchemistry, too, should work as it didin last year’s by-elections inGorakhpur and Phulpur.

It must, however, be agreed thatwithout these two parties, therecannot be a mahagadbandhan.Their focus now is on winning themaximum number of seats in theirState. Only after the poll results areannounced, will they think aboutthe prime ministerial bid. “Wewant the next Prime Minister to befrom Uttar Pradesh and everyoneknows whom I will support,” SPchief Akhilesh Yadav said, hinting

that Mayawati might throw her hatin the ring if they get a good num-ber of seats. The Rashtriya Lok Dal(RLD) might also find a place intheir alliance.

So, it is clear that Uttar Pradeshwill witness a multi-cornered contest.The Congress, which was hoping tofind a place in the alliance, is now rec-onciled to fighting it solo in the LokSabha poll but its morale is high afterits recent win in Rajasthan, MadhyaPradesh and Chhattisgarh. UttarPradesh has the maximum numberof seats and whichever party registersvictory over there, will win India. TheBJP won 71 seats in 2014 in UttarPradesh. This time around, if it losesthe State, it would dent its overall tallyfor the forthcoming election.

With no United ProgressiveAlliance (UPA) at the national level,the Congress is trying to focus onState-specific alliances. There areabout 350 seats where tie-ups arealready in place. The party has a two-level strategy. First, is to fight solo inStates where it is strong. Second is togo for alliances with regional and

smaller parties in States. So far, the Congress successful-

ly stitched alliances with varioussmall and regional parties. InKarnataka, the party combined withthe Janata Dal (Secular) and in TamilNadu, the grand old party has beenan ally of the Dravida MunnetraKazhagam (DMK). In Bihar, it is inalliance with the Rashtriya Janata Dal(RJD) and other smaller parties.

In 2015, the grand alliance withthe Janata Dal-United (JD-U) andother parties worked well for theCongress but this time around, theJD(U) is with the NDA. Likewise, inMaharashtra, the Congress-Nationalist Congress Party(Congress-NCP) tie-up has beenfirmed up and even seat-sharing hasalmost been decided.

In Kerala, the Congress leads theUnited Democratic Front (UDF)coalition. The UDF and the LeftDemocratic Front (LDF) have beenalternating power in the State. InAndhra Pradesh and Telangana, theCongress has an alliance with theTelugu Desam Party (TDP).

In Gujarat, the Congress hadsmartly stitched an alliance withlocal leaders like Hardik Patel, JigneshMewani and Alpesh Thakur duringthe Gujarat Assembly poll. This for-mula is still on. In Jammu & Kashmir,chances are high that the Congresscan opt for an alliance with theNational Conference (NC).

In West Bengal, the party standsdivided and is speculating whether itshould go with the Communist Partyof India-Marxist (CPI-M) or theTMC but that it will choose any oneof them is clear. The Congress mightfight it solo in Uttar Pradesh, Odisha,Madhya Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh,Assam, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh,Uttarakhand, Goa and Puducherry.

So where does all of this leave thegrand alliance? It can be successfulonly when all anti-BJP forces cometogether to fight the ruling party.Going by the present trend, it seemsunlikely.

The Opposition is sending con-flicting signals about its unity. WhileSP and BSP have announced theiralliance, Telangana Chief Minister

Chandrashekhar Rao has been try-ing to form a federal front withregional satraps like MamataBanerjee. His bête noire, AndhraPradesh Chief Minister NChandrababu Naidu, has also beentrying to unite anti-BJP forces at thenational level. He is already in talkswith various parties. NCP chiefSharad Pawar has been entrustedwith the task of talking to various par-ties ahead of the 2019 poll. With par-ties pulling in different directions, theso-called grand alliance at the nation-al level is at best a mirage.

In such a scenario, with a split inOpposition votes in several States, itis an advantage for Prime MinisterNarendra Modi as the BJP has a dis-ciplined cadre, unlimited resources,excellent communication strategyand above all, the guidance of a strongleader like him. It is simple mathe-matics that as long as anti-Modi votesare split, chances of winning for theOpposition are not very bright.

(The writer is a senior politicalcommentator and syndicated columnist)

Managing future finances

LUCKNOW | WEDNESDAY | JANUARY 16, 2019

I WANT TO CONGRATULATE THE PRIME MINISTER

ON WINNING THE WORLD FAMOUS PRIZE (PHILIP

KOTLER PRESIDENTIAL AWARD) THAT HAS NO JURY.

—CONGRESS CHIEF

RAHUL GANDHI

UNLIKE THE PRIME MINISTER, WHO WAS AWARDED

BY SOMEONE ELSE, GANDHI FAMILY MEMBERS HAD

CONFERRED THEMSELVES THE BHARAT RATNA.

—UNION MINISTER

SMRITI IRANI

POINTCOUNTERPOINT

Some decades back, senior executives inlarge companies had a simple goal forthemselves and their organisations:Stability. Shareholders wanted littlemore than predictable earnings growth.

Because so many markets were either closed orundeveloped, leaders could deliver on thoseexpectations through annual exercises thatoffered only modest modifications to their strate-gic plan. Prices stayed in check, people held onto their jobs and life was good. However, mar-ket transparency, labour mobility, global capi-tal flows and instantaneous communicationshave blown this comfortable scenario intopieces. In most industries, and in almost all com-panies, heightened global competition has con-centrated the management’s collective mind onsomething that was happily avoided in the past:Change. Successful companies have developeda culture that keeps moving all the time andalthough the traditional line and the way stafffunctions has changed to keep pace with emerg-ing times, we are yet to see more changes.

Finance function is one such staff task thatis going to witness tremendous change and maynot remain the same as we know of it today. Asituation may arise where finance skill-sets andprinciples will be driven into other areas of theorganisation that, in turn, may become respon-sible for budgeting, performance reporting andstrategic decision-making. If this happens,where will it leave finance in the organisation?Financial skills and disciplines that we knowtoday are likely to survive but the finance func-tion in itself and the chief financial officers(CFOs), in particular, may need to adapt to afuture where organisations increasingly focus onconnectivity, interaction across business unitsand transactional synergies to derive value fromall parts of the business and not just those thatare customer-facing.

As businesses increasingly look for ananalysis and data to support strategic decisions,the CFO’s role is likely to embrace the princi-ples of performance and risk management morethan we see today. But reporting activities willalso need to evolve as new stakeholder groupsseek to understand not only the current prof-itability of organisations but the sustainabilityof such profits as also the organisation’s impacton the economy and society more widely.

There is a much greater opportunity forfinance to contribute, given the acceleratingtransformation in economies worldwide, dig-ital revolution, increasing market interdepen-dence, shifting of customer expectations andincreasing volatility of the global market place.This is coupled with a shift in focus from share-holders to broader stakeholder interests, part-ly driven by a more networked society, socialmedia and the near instant and global trans-mission of news.

Steering: Future finance functions will berequired to help create conditions for effectivesteering of the enterprise, providing more flex-ible and adaptive processes with near real-timereporting, rapidly produced analytics anddynamic and integrated forecasting — all ofwhich will meet the needs of business in its pur-suit of growth strategies. Finance needs to pro-

vide a process where interaction around theseaccounting and reporting processes delivers theright challenge and thought processes to navi-gate the business. There are great opportunitiesbut also pitfalls created by disruptive technolo-gies. Aspects such as Big Data and predictiveanalytics further add to the tools and techniquesfinance can deploy. By 2030, it is predicted thatvery little time will be spent on data gathering.

Financial data will be available to all stake-holders in real time, from a robust data source.Teams will spend a part of their time on analy-sis but a vast majority of their time will be spentwith internal and external stakeholders model-ling future performance and building scenariosbased on potential external events and competi-tor actions. In addition, forecasts or projectionswill be replaced in future by real-time forecast-ing, which will be made possible via the use ofemerging technologies, and the budget orrolling forecast, as we know it, will cease.External and environmental factors such as cus-tomer behaviour, competitor activity, new mar-ket entrants and activity in other competingindustries, markets or economies will be avail-able, tracked and built into scenarios for man-agement and shareholders to consider.

Intervention: Future finance functions willrepresent the organisation externally by engag-ing with a broader set of stakeholders who arehungry for information through increasinglydiverse means. This will include facilitating aninteractive environment much broader than tra-ditional reporting in which the organisation caneffectively share and discuss their performanceand overall impacts on stakeholders. This willinclude customers, public interest groups, sup-pliers, Governments and society as a whole,rather than just shareholders. This mediationprinciple is equally applicable for internalstakeholders. According to PwC, in the currentscenario, 49 per cent of companies have relevantmetrics for sustainability reporting with 27 percent reporting detailed actions on their strate-gic priorities and 44 per cent reporting on a seg-mental level about their business model.

In contrast, the future will see 100 per cent

of companies reporting on relevant sustainabil-ity metrics and in some cases, this will bemandatory. Most companies will report onactions across their strategy and over 75 percent will report on their business model at asegmental level. In addition, financial informa-tion will be available to management on a real-time basis to allow business performance anddirection to be assessed any time and from any-where through the latest available technology.Data will be audited in real-time, reducing theneed for external audit.

Flexibility: Future finance functions will bedriving themselves and the business towardsgreater flexibility and resilience, with the abil-ity to absorb and bounce back from internal andexternal shocks. Finance should be at the heartof a drive towards increasing the adaptive capac-ity of the organisation, including qualitative plan-ning for unforeseen shocks, use of predictiveanalytics and risk mitigation plans. After a fewdecades, all controls will be automated, embed-ded and consistent across end-to-end process-es. The focus will shift to statistical models whichwill raise alerts when certain conditions arisewhich could indicate fraud, misstatement orother irregularities.

Dashboard reporting will also be availablein real-time for management who can run ‘whatif ’ scenarios and model in the effects of envi-ronmental and behavioural changes on theirprocesses, eg systems failure, staff turnover, vol-ume and capacity peaks and so on, thus allow-ing them to plan their resource usage to best sup-port the business and ensure resilience under anyforeseeable change.

Integration: Future finance functions willneed to use systems and pool resources moreefficiently to satisfy business needs. It will be theability to find balance between man andmachine, providing integration between differ-ent functional silos, systems and processes to cre-ate a more connected organisation. There willbe no spreadsheet-based reporting. Validateddatasets will be produced either internally orexternally by industrywide finance dataproviders and made available to in-house

finance teams to manipulate using their ownmodels.

The divergent fortunes of Apple and Kodakexemplify the threats and opportunities facingmany industries worldwide. Apple was on a sus-tained decline between 1986-1997, yet managedto reverse course and has become a marketleader in a diverse range of products, complete-ly transforming how people interact with per-sonal technology. Some years ago, Kodak wasat the pinnacle of its industry until mobilephones became the preferred method of digi-tal photography. Kodak was late to respond andwas still held back by its legacy of success in non-digital products. As a result, the company wasforced into bankruptcy. These contrasting for-tunes show that the pace of change from disrup-tions to markets can have a binary impact andposes a real challenge for the role of finance.

The role of finance will be to create the effec-tive conditions for steering the organisation forsuccess. This requires a complex orchestrationof the business and finance working together toanalyse past direction, future possibilities andthen to decide collectively on the correctcourse. In the case of Kodak, did finance sup-port the right scenario analysis and take timeto assess future strategies, and was there suffi-cient challenge of its long-term plans? In caseof Apple, how will it continue to compete withaggressive competitors whose offerings threat-en to overtake them with each new release, andhow can finance support that dialogue? The roleof finance is to provide a window into the futurethrough which an organisation can best prepareitself. The future will see a totally different formof the finance function. Finance has the adap-tive capacity to rally around new challenges andhelp the business solve them more rapidly.Finance professionals will be embedded along-side marketing professionals, operations teams,strategy and compliance teams in the business.No silos will exist and end-to-end processes willbe managed across business lines and theorganisation.

(The writer is Assistant Professor, AmityUniversity)

Emerging cracks in grand alliance

It is the ability to find a balance between man and machine, integration between differentfunctional silos, systems and processes that can help create a more connected organisation

A pan-India Opposition alliance to take on the BJP remains a chimera at best. Recent activities in the political circles have

made it clear that the Opposition lacks unity. The more it divides anti-BJP votes, lesser will be its chances of winning

analysis 09F I R S T C O L U M N

Not just credit, look

at savings too

MOIN QAZI

KALYANI SHANKAR

Having made access to financial services a reality,our efforts should now be to improve the

transactional status of these accounts

HIMA BINDU KOTA

F O R E I G N E Y E

If a border barrier isimmoral, what’s ashutdown? Unethical. Thereare 800,000 federalemployees hit by theshutdown, about evenlydivided between those athome without pay andthose on the job but notreceiving their paychecks.Neither Trump andcongressional Republicansnor the Democrats lookcapable. Both sides haveboxed themselves in.(Chicago Tribune editorial)

FAILURES OFGOVERNANCE


There’s an old saying about poverty: Give somebody a fish and

he’ll eat for a day. Give him a fishing tackle and he’ll eat for a

lifetime. There are several variations to this theme. However,

these days, there is a general view that one of the most effective

ways to fight poverty may not be a fishing tool but a savings account.

I remember, it was during my school days when I opened my first

bank account. This seemingly small act meant that I could man-

age my own finances and take financial decisions on my own. We

saw a bank as a place to save — they would take good care of

your money and might even add a little to it and, perhaps, we could

take some money out if we needed it during a rainy day. On open-

ing the account, I received a little booklet — the ubiquitous pass-

book in which every deposit and withdrawal was acknowledged

by the bank staff. It was a privilege to have a bank account. It was

my first step on the financial ladder and an initiation to the path of

financial independence. The implicit message here is that the bank

account is the locus of money management. All main financial trans-

actions would pass through the account and it would serve as a

barometer of our financial health and proof of our solvency.

So in my view (it may be the same for others) a financial insti-

tution was meant to be a place to save. Borrowing might come later.

The purpose of saving was not to qualify for borrowing but it was

a useful thing to do. Why should it not be the same for the poor?

The truth is that much of the world is in crisis today because of

debt. There’s too much of borrowing while people are not saving

enough. More than four decades ago, the most popular retail bank-

ing product was the pygmy deposit account. Housewives would

scrape together few rupees everyday and give it to a savings col-

lector who would visit their homes. The money collected was deposit-

ed in a bank account that paid interest and was insulated from the

daily demands of life. Depositors squirreled away a decent sum by

the end of the year. This was enough to buy a home appliance. The

simple motivation was: Save money even if it is only a few pen-

nies at a time. This was a sure way to build wealth.

Later, a very innovative idea of micro-credit took birth out of a

radical concept: Poor people, when lent small amounts of money,

pay it back in a timely manner. In the meantime that money could

be put to use in ways that help boost income — goat farming or

say, hand weaving — and ostensibly, raise a family’s standard of

living. The world soon witnessed a great global rush, pouring bil-

lions of dollars into micro-credit to help the poor. It was a power-

ful revolution but it bypassed the centuries-old idea of wealth cre-

ation — savings. The latter has all along been the most trusted and

oldest building block of financial management for all societies. They

have been the mainstay for the impoverished in the face of a bib-

lical range of hazards. The tide is now turning, sparked in part by

micro-credit’s discredit. We all now know that there may be fam-

ilies who have the savvy to benefit from loans but there may be

many who can be ruined. To the contrary, every family in the poor

world can benefit from a pad of savings.

In contrast to savings, credit can be both an opportunity and

a risk for low-income families. It is necessary to open doors but it

can also be a barrier. You can dig yourself into a lot of debt, and

this keeps one from moving up financially. Several loans, particu-

larly those used for consumption and acquiring white collar goods,

are known to become malignant, unless accompanied by proper

financial education and planning. Some people are not good enough

at handling debt. Some businesses are too risky. And there is always

a temptation to take these costly loans and scrimp on groceries.

When they miss loan payments, they get into regular default cycle;

it soon leads to acute indebtedness and makes life stressful for the

entire family. Most people do not save enough. This because humans

suffer from economic myopia — the failure to give adequate weight

to future benefits over immediate pleasures. The instinct for grati-

fication of immediate pleasures overrides the urge to squirrel money

away in a savings account for tomorrow. Despite conventional wis-

dom, poor people actually do save, even if it is just pennies each

day. They use a variety of informal mechanisms: Hiding cash at

home, loaning funds to relatives, participating in rotating savings

groups with their neighbours and engaging deposit collectors. But

none of these mechanisms is reliable and safe. Merely having a

bank account is not the right indicator of financial inclusion. Having

made access to financial services a reality, efforts should be made

to improve the transactional status of these accounts. Meaningful

financial inclusion is hard, involving a complex interplay of factors:

Viable business models, regulatory models and behavioural change

of new account holders. The new mantra for financial inclusion should

be: Access counts but it is usage that matters.

(The writer is Member, NITI Aayog’s National Committee on

Financial Literacy and Inclusion for Women)

LUCKNOW | WEDNESDAY | JANUARY 16, 2019 avenues 10

QUOTE OF THE DAY

The content of a book holds thepower of education and it is withthis power that we can shapeour future and change lives— Malala Yousafzai

With an ever-increasing sizeand influence of the WorldWide Web, the domain of

professional blogging has become amainstream career rather than thehobby that it was merely a decade anda half ago. The world of blogging,vlogging (video blog) and influencermarketing has become massive andmore and more people have jumpedinto it in India.

However, we have seen that peo-ple with no technical ability orknowhow and absolutely no experi-ence in the online space jump into thissea and then get lost soon enough. Itis so easy to be lured into the onlineblogging space, without really under-standing it and most people end upwithout any real ideas after a fewmonths. Even though bloggers have afan following, they soon fade awayfrom public memory.

Communicating through the

written word is a learnt skill and intoday’s sphere of content creation,there are many players without aptknowledge for the same. It is essen-tial, just like for any other career, tolearn and educate yourself about thenitty-gritty of blogging. The game planis changing with every new techno-logical advancement, every new phonethat gets launched.

Not being equipped to face thechallenges that the digital world isthrowing at the content creators is thereason that people are not able to sharetheir value online. Whether you are anewbie or an experienced content cre-ator facing a creative block, a well-designed course can guide you toenhance your skill set and thereforeyour strategies to further the blog, vlogor your social media strategies.

Since the world of blogging isunlimited, so are the avenues of earn-ing through them. Many creative

people often struggle to make strate-gic financial decisions about their con-tent. It becomes the stumbling blockfor so many pre-bloggers and manyjust do it with their eyes wide shut.

Social media too plays a huge rolein all of this. The role of influencermarketers has increased in the pastfew years by leaps and bounds. Todaybrands are moving towards socialmedia to promote their products andservices. Collaborations with estab-lished bloggers seem to be a betterinvestment for many brands andmore importantly many startups thatcannot afford traditional advertisingon a large scale. The internet, on theother hand, has a universal reach.

For example, a small luxury resortat the foothills of the Himalayaswould much rather collaborate witha travel blogger who already has a setdemographic that follows her, whoalready has a psychographic profile

that they want to target their servicesto. If the service provider were to giveher a good experience at the resort,with just a little investment, thatresort is being marketed to the mostlikely traveller.

They can generate real interest.But one thing should be very clear, theblogger that they choose must havethe reliability and trust of her follow-ers. It can’t be someone who looks toonly gain freebies, because the audi-ence understands over time who isfooling them and who isn’t and quick-ly moves on to the next quality con-tent provider.

Whether it is the field of fashionblogging, travel blogging, beauty blog-ging, education blogging, technologyblogging or any other kind, the onlything that works over a long period oftime is useful quality content.

And quality content in the digi-tal world is different and exploratory

and ever-metamorphosing into newand different styles. If you step intothis maze, then the roads to successare not as easy as before. But the learn-ing curve does go high in this career.

No matter what career you are in,if you are passionate about blogging,nothing should come in your way.

There are many short-term week-end course in blogging offered by theinstitutes. With this course, one canlearn not only the tips of creatingunique content in order to become asuccessful blogger but also photogra-phy as it makes blogging more pow-erful. Technology has revolutionisedthe way we communicate and socialmedia is a byproduct of technicalinnovation. It is important for a blog-ger to understand these technologicaladvancements in the rapidly changingecosystem.

The writer is assistant professor, School ofMedia iat Pearl Academy

BA ECONOMICS The University of

Sheffield, UK, is invitingapplications for BAEconomics course starting inSeptember 2019.

This degree is excellentpreparation for a wide varietyof careers, including as aneconomist, analytical roles inindustry or government andfor jobs in finance, bankingand investment.

Having learned the coreskills, students will be able toapply them to a wide varietyof optional modules in yourfinal year, including laboureconomics, health economics,education economics andpolitical economy. There’s alsothe opportunity to undertakean independent research pro-ject.

This course give studentsthe opportunity to do a year-long paid work placementand gain a degree withEmployment Experience.Students will need to makeapplications for placementsthemselves, but guidance andsupport will be providedthrough the process by aplacements team.

There are also opportuni-ties for students to studyabroad in places such asAustralia, New Zealand,Canada, Hong Kong,Singapore or the USA withoutextending the length of theircourse. Or students have theoption of extending theirdegree to four years by work-ing or studying abroad intheir third year and thenreturning to Sheffield for theirfinal year.

Eligibility: 80 per centmarks in standard Class XII.International students needoverall IELTS grade of 6.5with a minimum of 6.0 ineach component, or an equiv-alent.

Fee: £17600 per year forInternational students.

Scholarships: The uni-versity offers a range of schol-arships for undergraduate stu-

dentsincluding 50 scholarshipsworth 50 per cent of theirtuition fees and a 10 per centtuition fee discount. For moreinformation, log on tohttps://www.sheffield.ac.uk/international/enquiry/money/ug

Last date to apply: -June 30, 2019.

UG & PG PROGRAMMES The Indian Institute of Art

and Design (IIAD) in collabo-ration with Kingston School ofArt, London, offers under-graduate programmes in fash-ion design, fashion businessmanagement, communicationdesign and interior architecture& design.

It also offers postgraduateprogrammes in fashion designand fashion business manage-ment. The institute offers theseprogrammes through its cre-ative studio-based educationand strives to groom the nextgeneration of designers anddesign thinkers at its state-of-the-art campus in New Delhi.

Eligibility: For UG pro-grammes, Class XII pass in anystream is required. For post-graduate programmes, gradu-ation is mandatory from anyrecognised university or insti-tutes. Students with awaitedresults (2019) in UG & PG areconsidered eligible to apply.

Admissions process: IIADEntrance Test

How to apply: Interestedcandidates can apply online byregistering themselves at IIAD’sonline application portal. Foroffline application, interestedcandidates can collect theapplication form at campusand submit it along with nec-essary documents to the IIADadmissions office.

Deadline: April 17, 2019.

CASH IN WITH

The world of blogging, vlogging and influencer marketing has become a mainstreamcareer rather than a hobby, says APARNA MUDI

PNS n NEW DELHI

The According to a recentreport from Indeed, the

world’s no. 1 job site, Canadaand UK have gained in popu-larity amongst internationaljob seekers, including Indians.While there has been a sub-stantial fall in the share ofsearches for jobs in the UnitedStates, presumably owing to itsimmigration policies, a majorportion of international job-seeker interest has been pickedup by Canada and the UK. The

searches are primarily for highpaying roles in technology,research and finance.

THE SHIFTThe more welcoming

immigration policies in Canadaand the recent developments inUK immigration policies fol-lowing Brexit have made thempopular choices among inter-national job-seekers. In fact, theopen immigration policy atCanada has become the alter-native for Indians, as well as job-seekers from other Latin coun-

tries too. Through visa pro-grammes like Express Entryand Global Skills, the countryhas been opening avenues toskilled foreign workers. Globaltrends affecting political devel-opments pose challenges to theworkforce but also lead to moreopportunities for employment.The expansions of such policiesseek to deliver growth and meetthe aspirations and expectationsof Indian labour by providingwork opportunities in othercountries.

Data from Indeed indi-

cates that Indian job-seekers areexploring opportunities inCanada nearly twice as much asthey did two years ago with amassive shift in cross-bordersearches from the US toCanada. Between the periods of

August 2016 – July 2018, the USshare of job searches fromIndia fell from 60% to 50%,while there was a rise in search-es for Canada from 6% to 13%.

Alternatively, the UK hasthe potential to keep its posi-

tion as a global tech and bank-ing magnet in a post-Brexitworld, provided its migrationpolicy is flexible to accommo-date an internationally mobileworkforce. Since 2015, job-seekers based in other coun-tries accounted for between 8%and 10% of the overall jobapplications for tech jobs in theUK.

It was recorded that themaximum number of peoplelooking for jobs in the UK werefrom India, the US and France,followed by Poland and Ireland.As a group, Indian job seekersare highly focused on tech intheir job searches — almostone-fifth of all clicks on theUK-based jobs from India are

related to tech roles.

THE DEMANDWhile looking for employ-

ment abroad, there is greaterdemand for jobs in the STEMsector, especially for nicheroles. Given the rate at whichCanada is booming in terms oftechnology, the number of for-eign applications the country is receiving has beenmassive, not just due to theimmigration policy, but also the growth potentialoffered by the technologyindustry. When it comes to theUK, data indicates that jobswhich involve technology,finance and language are pop-ular with foreign job-seekers.

Creating future

managers

PNS n NEW DELHI

The IFIM Business School, Bangalore,AACSB accredited management institute

and National HRD Network, recently unveiledthe findings of their six-month long AACSB-supported study for developing a graduatemanagement curriculum for the Industry 4.0.

The report titled “Curricula 4.0 —Creating Future Managers” stated that man-agement graduates face a gap between whatthe academia trains them for and how theindustry expects them to perform. Some ofthe new trends in the Indian scenario are:nMulti-generation workforce: Mixing ofindustry executives with younger MBA par-ticipantsnNeed for continuous learning as against edu-cation as start and finish: This involvesreskilling of practitioners at various levelsnCurriculum needs to be individualisedbased on learning styles, pace and career stagenIntegration of data, technology and com-munication in business nResearch as part of curriculum nWellness and fitness emerges as critical com-ponents of managing self nBecoming solution-oriented

The survey focused on identifying the rel-evance of the required skills mentioned inWorld Economic Forum’s “Future of JobsReport 2018’.

The new skills that will be in demand are:nLearning orientation & Analytical mindsetnIntegration of data, communication andtechnology nSolution orientation and problem solvingnDealing with change and uncertainty nPeople and team orientation nInnovation and creativitynSocial sensitivity & cross cultural orienta-tionnManaging self-awareness, self-developmentincluding wellness nEntrepreneurial and business orientation nGlobalisation

In today’s highly complex world,recruitment screening tests have

become the most important aspectof any HR function. Whether it isrecruitment of raw hands at entry lev-els or lateral recruitment, companiesare spending huge amounts of moneyfor selecting the right candidates. Forthey consider it an essential invest-ment in the long-term interest of theorganisation.

Recruiting the right managerialcandidate with the potential to devel-op into a leadership candidate is ahighly critical task for HR depart-ments. In addition to domain knowl-edge a candidate must also have cer-tain skills that are so essential for himto work efficiently and effectively inthe corporate world.

A study shows that major multi-nationals spend as much as $ 800 percandidate recruited. Once onboard,he/she needs to be put through theorganisation’s induction/orientationprogramme and brought up to themark & become billable. This attractsconsiderable additional expensestoo. Organisations are looking forways to reduce this onboarding andinduction cost, without compro-mising on the quality of recruits.

Today, employers expect that thenew recruit not only comes pre-equipped with necessary skills, butalso the requisite competencies.Here, competency means skills mul-tiplied by knowledge. Let’s take a lookat the various competencies anemployer looks for from the recruits.

nWorking in a team: It is importantin today’s collaborative environmentthat a new recruit should be able towork in a cross cultural, cross geo-

graphical team. He/she should beable to make his/her point in a team,accept and implement the sugges-tions/action plans suggested by theothers, get the teammates to buyhis/her own ideas,and lots more. Thisattribute or interactive skill is actu-ally somewhat more important thaneven interpersonal skills.

nDecision-making ability: It isone of the most important factors inthe growth path. Many employees lagin this attribute, while many othersare capable of taking decisions butafraid of executing/implementingthose due to fear of failure/accept-ability. Or they are simply not readyto be accountable for the outputresulting from their decisions.

nRisk taking ability: In today’sworld, business scenarios are socomplex that traditional or conven-

tional methods/rules might havebecome outdated or useless. Onemust make bold as to risk taking adifferent path in order to succeed.

n Synthesising skills: Nowadays, alot of data and information is avail-able with businesses. There are dif-ferent tools available to analyse thatdata and get the inference. One mustnot stop only with analysis. He/sheshould be able to go further and syn-thesise different kinds of informationin seeking the best way forward.

nStress managing capability: In theglobalised scenario, with cut-throatcompetition in every sphere work,stress is a commonly encounteredphenomenon in any organisation. Ifa person is not able to manage thestress, he/she will not be able to per-form efficiently and deliver.

nMental and physical courage:With clarity in thinking, the employ-ee should be able to ask “Why” andbe able to say “No” equally firmly ifthe situation demands.

The above competencies aren’tnecessarily inherent in a person.However, a well-designed and cus-tomised test with an in-built psy-chometric component could easilyassess candidates for certain traits andhelp identify the right person whocould in the long run develop into theleader so desired by the organisation.Employees selected through suchtests fit into the organisational cul-ture and can be groomed easily.Studies show that the normal successratio of such tests is 55 to 60%. The writer is director, Centre for Management

Services, AIMA

SANJEEV PHATAK shares what one should look at while recruiting middle or senior level managers

TIPTOP Six competencies an employer look for whilehiring managersSkill gap in IT professionals

PNS n NEW DELHI

Arecent survey has found that nine out of 10technology sector employees feel there is a

huge gap between academic knowledge versus on-ground skill requirement, highlighting the widen-ing skill gap in Indian IT industry.

The Clover Academy Study is aimed atunderstanding the modern Indian ITProfessional’s academic experience verses learn-ing on the job, technologies/skill sets they areinterested in vis-a-vis industry skill gap. Theonline survey was conduct-ed among newly recruitedIndian IT professionals,working across differentdomains in the technologysector.

The survey focused onthree major areas that per-tained to professionals look-ing to acquire a particularskill set to excel in theircareers and the industry theyforesee will witness the max-imum technological disrup-tion. The finding of the sur-vey has opened a new debateon the weightage of the cur-rent academic learning.

As per survey, out of allthe new-age disruptive tech-nologies, cloud services havetopped the chart with 68 percent professionals choosingto invest/acquire this knowl-edge. Furthermore, bankingsector will witness the max-imum technology disrup-tion followed by Ecommerce,Media and Entertainment,and Insurance in the future.

Even a 2018 report titled “Reskilling andIndian Workforce” says that industries such as ITand software, banking, finance, e-commerce,healthcare, pharmaceuticals, media and enter-tainment, retail and manufacturing face an acute

shortage of talent. With new-age technologies anddigital transformation disrupting every industry,it becomes essential for professional to upskillthemselves constantly. The apex body of Indiantechnology sector, NASSCOM has also introduceda platform, called Future Skills, wherein they focuson skills development in eight varied technolo-gies.

The survey highlights that relevant qualifi-cation in a discipline is essential because it givesthe basic understanding or lays the groundwork.However, capabilities need to be built overtime

to perform a job. One needsto develop soft skills, job-specific technical skills, ana-lytical and people skills to dowell in any profession.Qualification is required toget into a profession, butcapabilities need to be devel-oped, enhanced and prac-ticed in order to remain rel-evant in the industry.

Sharing his thoughts onthe survey, Kunal Nagarkatti,COO – Clover Infotech,said: “Rapid digitalisationacross sectors has created aneed for 360 degree skillsdevelopment. In additionto technical skills, creativi-ty, emotional intelligence,analytical abilities, projectmanagement and peopleskills are required to aug-ment employability.Organisations will have tofocus on training and devel-opment to help employees toreskill and upskill quickly.The future would take “con-

vergence” to a different level and team membersfrom diverse geographies will come together toundertake and complete projects seamlessly. Insuch an ultra-digital universe, communication andpresentation skills would assume unprecedentedsignificance”.

Study on job-seekers abroad RANK JOB TITLE - CANADA1 Business Analyst2 Mechanical Engineer3 Software Developer4 Project Manager5 Web Developer6 Data Scientist7 Java Developer8 Civil Engineer9 Software Engineer10 Data Analyst

RANK JOB TITLE - UK1 Research fellow2 SAP Consultant3 iOS Developer4 Android Developer5 Investment Banking

Analyst6 Research Associate7 Java Developer8 Physician9 Architect

94% OF TECHIES FEEL THATTHERE IS HUGE GAP BETWEEN

ACADEMIC KNOWLEDGE VSON-GROUND SKILL

REQUIREMENTS

68% surveyed like tolearn cloud

technologies

68.4% SURVEYED FEEL THATTHE BANKING SECTOR WILL

WITNESS MAXIMUMTECHNOLOGY DISRUPTION

FOLLOWED BY ECOMMERCE,MEDIA AND ENTERTAINMENT,

& INSURANCE

Most of us spend our time and energyon achieving goals but do we realiseeven the same goal can be reached

with varied efforts by different people. Ithappens because all of us have differentpersonal effectiveness. Our effectiveness andwinning factor depends on our innatecharacteristics — talent and experienceaccumulated in the process of personaldevelopment. Talents first are needed to beidentified and then developed to be used in aparticular subject area (Science, Literature,Sports and Politics ).

Experience includes knowledge andskills that we acquire in the process ofcognitive and practical activities. Now the

million dollar question is

— how do we develop those skills whichmakes us a winner? Here are some easy tipswhich will make you a winner every time.

Set up specific goals, you need toknow where you are going: Imagine you arein a race, but you don't know where thefinishing line is, would you be able to win?No, you wouldn't. That's why you need aspecific target, you need to know exactlywhat direction are you going in, and wherethe finishing line is. Learn to work towardssomething rather than working aimlessly.

You need to learn to take responsibilityfor your actions: You can't blame others foryour mistakes, and you can't use excuses.

Winners are people that are self aware abouttheir own mistakes, they understand that it'stheir choices and decisions that broughtthem there. Winners don't use excuses, theyfind solutions.

Form a winning habit: You have to forma winning habit, and habits are hard todevelop. To form a winning habit, you needto start looking things at a differentperspective, you have to look at them likechallenges. You should try to challengeyourself daily, form a habit of doing every

day something you couldn't do before.

Don't be afraid to fail: You shouldn't beafraid to fail, what you should do is learn toaccept your failures as a lesson. Youshouldn't let failing de-motivate you, youshould get the best out if it, and that's thelesson and you should use that lesson as aguide to help you win next time.

Be curious & open for risks: Try to learnsomething new every day, read a book ormeet new people or do something different.Because when it comes to winning, havingmore knowledge is basically power. Don't beafraid of taking a risk. Because if you are toocautious, you might miss the opportunity and

you might not have a second one.

Stay focused: Keeping your focustowards the finishing line is what matters.Don't slack, always keep your mind andfocus towards your goal. Because if you arenot focused, then you are not doing thingsseriously! And if you are not doing thingsseriously you can't become a winner. It'ssimple!

By following these simple tips, winningwill become a habit. It will come naturallyand subconsciously always to you & youcan always win.

The writer is Pallavi Prakash, Motivational Speaker,Knowledge Seed learning Centre

LUCKNOW | WEDNESDAY | JANUARY 16, 2019 avenues 11

M I N D I T

The University ofSheffield, UK is pleased tooffer the InternationalUndergraduate Scholarship2019 to new international(non-EU) students startingtheir undergraduate studiesat the University of Sheffieldin September 2019. TheScholarship is worth 10% ofyour tuition fee and is offeredin each following academicyear subject to sustained aca-demic success, please seebelow for more details.

No additional scholarshipapplication is required. If youmeet the eligibility and awardcriteria below the scholarshipwill be applied as a tuitionfee discount.

You must choose theUniversity of Sheffield asyour firm or insurancechoice before 16:00 (UKtime) on 14 June 2019 toreceive this award.

Eligibility: You mustcommence your studies of anundergraduate degree at theUniversity of Sheffield inSeptember 2019. All under-graduate degree courses areincluded except for Medicineand Dentistry; Subject tomeeting the eligibility andaward criteria the scholarshipwill be guaranteed in the firstyear of study.

The scholarship is applic-able to each subsequent acad-emic year of study, subject to

achieving 60% orabove and achieving a

minimum of 120 credits inthe previous academic year.The scholarship is not applic-able to any compulsory oroptional years in industry,work placements or yearabroad.

To know more visit:https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/international/enquiry/mon

The School of BiologicalSciences at the University ofQueensland is acceptingapplications for theInternational Scholarship inConservation Biology. Thescholarship is available forinternational students whoapply and are accepted to theMaster of ConservationBiology.

Eligibility: To be eligiblefor a scholarship, the studentmust have received andaccepted the unconditionaloffer of admission into theprogram and achieved anoverall GPA greater than 5 intheir undergraduate program(students with a GPA under5 are ineligible for considera-tion in the scholarshipround). Scholarships areavailable to students from allaround the world.

How to apply: To applyfor the scholarship, the appli-cants must submit an onlineapplication via: https://sur-vey.app.uq.edu.au/Survey.aspx?s=bc0621deff984bfb88e440ce45763601

Application deadline:The last date to apply is April28, 2019.

With more and more peoplelooking for alternative medi-cine treatment, the options

are growing by leap and bounds inthis field. One such field is magnetictherapy — a natural and painlesstreatment with no side effects. Itinvolves knowledge about thehuman body, various diseases andtheir treatment by using magnets.

A magnetic therapist can findemployment in private/public hospi-tals, naturopathy hospitals or alter-native treatment therapy centres.The minimum qualification for get-ting admission to certificate, degreeand diploma courses in magnet ther-apy is 10+2 and graduation for PGcourses. A few more colleges whereone can study are:nAcupressure Research, Trainingand Treatment Institute, Jodhpur.Course: Master Diploma in MagnetTherapyn Indian Institute ofGeomagnetism, Navi Mumbai.Course: PhD Geo MagnetismnAll India Paramedical Technologyand Alternative Medicine Council,Ludhiana. Courses: Bachelor ofMagneto Therapy, PGD in AlternativeMedicine in Magnet TherapynMahendra Institute of AlternativeMedicine, Jaipur. Course: Bachelorin Accupressure and MagnetoTherapy

STUDY CENTRES CUSTOMER SERVICE AT E-COSMOS INDIALocation: BengaluruStipend: `15,000 per monthLink: internshala.com/i/63472Application deadline: January 24, 2019

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DATA ENTRY AT CONFERROHERITAGELocation: DelhiStipend: `12,000 per monthLink: internshala.com/i/63475Application deadline: January 24, 2019

WEB DEVELOPMENT AT KRATIKAL TECHLocation: Delhi, NoidaStipend: `8,000 per monthLink: internshala.com/i/63476Application deadline: January 24, 2019

OPERATIONS AT FIORELLALocation: DelhiStipend: `5,000-`10,000 per monthLink: internshala.com/i/63477Application deadline: January 24, 2019

CONTENT WRITING AT CRESENZIATRADETECHLocation: Work From HomeStipend: `5,000 per monthLink: internshala.com/i/63478Application deadline: January 23, 2019

Wakency, an on-demandplatform for flexible workopportunities that looks to

capitalise on the open talenteconomy, commonly known as thegig economy, introduces the nextbig innovation by using proprietarytechnology to make hiring faster,more cost effective and moreefficient by addressing an ever-growing need for Indian companiesto adapt to the ways of the evolvingworkforce.

The aim is to democratise theIndian job market using new agetechnology. The company haslaunched its services in Mumbaifocusing on industry segments thatare massively under serviced andnot catered to effectively by onlineplatforms, even though theyaccount for a large workforce andare battling traditional recruitmentchallenges such as high attrition,low reliability and lack of anadequately skilled or organisedworkforce.

The JEE Main exam for B Techwas held from January 9-12,2019. The exam was held in

two slots everyday. This is the firstyear that the exam was completelyconducted in online mode. Thecandidates have one more chance

in April to appear for the examand the best of thetwo scores will beconsidered.

“In this session,the exam level wasbetween easy to

moderate. Physics was ranked asthe toughest while Chemistry waseasy The Math section was a bitlengthy due to calculations withmoderate difficulty level,” Navin CJoshi, academic head (JEE andNEET) at Gradeup said.

The question pattern and typeof questions asked was similar topast 10 years pattern. The expectedcut-off of JEE Main 2019 Januarymay range from 80-85 marks. Ascore of 150 can fetch a rankaround 20000 in all India category.

Kerala Startup Mission, thenodal agency of the StateGovernment for technical

entrepreneurship in the State haspartnered with Unity Technologiesto launch a Centre of Excellence forAR/VR and gaming. Through thisCentre of Excellence, Unity willextend support to startupsdeveloping products, services, andgames on platforms includingmobile, PC, and various AR/VRhardware.

The centre will also have aspecial focus on providing differentlevels of training on AR/VR

developer tools to students andprofessionals in the State. Thepartnership is a significant stepforward for developing an AR/VRecosystem in Kerala.

Hubert Larenaudie, VP of AsiaPacific at Unity Technologies said: “The centre for AR/VR developertools is a step taken by Kerala tocreate an ecosystem for these newbusinesses to grow and thrive.Unity is at the centre of the AR/VRecosystem, powering 60 per centplus of all content and we see thisindustry growing significantly overthe next few years.”

Endeavouring tocreate a culture ofreading amongst

children, Vega Schoolsis back with the 3rdedition of one of itsflagship initiatives —The GurgaonChildren’s LiteratureFestival (GCLF) 2019.

This litfest is set to rollout on January 19-20,2019 at the school’scampus in Gurugramwith a vision to ignitea passion for literatureand develop a lifelonghabit of readingamongst children andeven their parents.

Tickets can bepurchased online fromwww.gclf.in orwww.bookmyshow.com. It will provide achild entry to the foodzone, book stalls, artand craft zone, andstorytelling and authorsessions.

The Graduate ManagementAdmission Council (GMAC) hasacquired The MBA Tour, a well-

recognised brand within the graduatemanagement education industry.

The MBA Tours supportsbusiness schools' global recruitingefforts by organising businesseducation-focused events each yeararound the world.

The acquisition is consistentwith GMAC's mission; to build thetools that help business schools andtalented individuals discover andevaluate each other. It will add valueby integrating its market intelligenceand digital assets to create a richerevent experience.

FLEXIBLE WORK PORTALJANUARY ANALYSIS OF JEE MAIN 2019

KERALA’S START-UP CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE

CHILDREN’S LITERATURE FESTIVAL

GMAC’S ACQUISITION

IN BRIEF

If you are passionate about graphicnovels and felt that you could liketo create a masterpiece of your own,

this is the right time. Here are impor-tant points that will help you.

Research: Writing a graphic novelis a gargantuan task. While beginningthe project, you may feel extremelyoptimistic, but taking it to completionrequires a lot of dedication and com-mitment. It is good to do some studyabout similar projects, the challengesthat normally come up, with a purposeto learn and prepare oneself.

Ideas: Writing a graphic novelrequires great ideas. Use a theme thatyou truly believe in and want to sharewith others. The story should be ableto stand on its own after you have com-pleted it and released the novel.

Develop a plan of action: Now thatyou have an idea in mind to begin with,it will help if you draw out a high levelplan for yourself. You can create a highlevel plan and then break it down intotasks, you could put dates to them. Thiswill help to better prepare yourself andplan ahead in case you want to booksome external resources etc.

Develop a storyline: You need tohave enough material to be able todevelop a solid storyline around yourideas. There needs to be clarity aroundthe plot, characters of your story howthey need to be arranged and developedin line with the pace of the story.

Script writing: There are twomost common methods of scripting agraphic novel, one of them is the fullscript style which is used by movies andtraditional books. This is a moredetailed approach towards descrip-tions and actions, thus leaving noambiguity. The other style — plot basedis used in novels that touch the basicbeats of plot and action, thus encour-aging the readers to form their inter-pretations with the help of the visual artdepictions.

Focus on strengths: In graphicnovels you could write down the sto-ryline first or draw pictures accordingto the flow of the story and then buildthe text around them. In case you pre-fer to do the latter — complete the art

first, you can then create the dialogs,captions and text for the pages.

Choose drawings that you arecomfortable with. Ideally choose todraw what you are best at and lovedrawing.

Illustrating the novel: You wouldneed fine skills in sketching, inking andcoloring the drawings. Decide thestyle that you would like to follow;whether you want to the inking andhow do you want to do it. You couldalso explore software which help withthe art.

Create rules: Once the drawingsare completed, decide the placement ofthe balloons and boxes for text. Thevisuals usually complement the text inballoons and the captions. So designyour own format and panel layout thatcan be followed consistently in theentire novel.

Printing: Before printing of theproject, check the content and layoutfor any last minute changes. Choose towork in 300 dpi. Even if you choose touse 450 to 600 dpi, when printing thework is reduced to 300 dpi.

Colour models: It is suggested towork in RGB mode but print in CMYKmode. Save your master RGB file forfuture changes. Most printers print inthe CMKY mode. You could consult adesigner for finer and sharper results.

How to create

a masterpiece

If one wants to write a graphic novel,the aspirants must follow importantpoints to help their dream project, saysGIRIJA JHUNJHUNWALA

Girija JhunjhunwalaMD, CampfireMore than 2,000 employees

of a prominent privatesector bank were found to

have indulged in fraudulent activ-ities in the last three years, accord-ing to a statement by Minister ofState for Finance Shiv PratapShukla. This is 16 per cent of allfrauds reported in the banking sec-tor during this period.

During the same period,13,949 bank employees with 60PSU and private banks were caughtor were reported for frauds,according to the Minister’s state-ment on the f loor of theParliament. Typically, as happenswith data presented by theGovernment, it appeared to be justa statement of numbers.

For customers, this could be awarning sign to be careful whiledealing with their banks. For thebanks, this could a huge loss ofreputation and possible loss ofbusiness too.

In all cases cite above, the con-cerned banks must have carried outa background check of theiremployees. If the quality of the exer-cise had been better, a number ofthese frauds could have been nippedin the bud. That could perhaps pre-vent other frauds from taking place.That, in turn, could have prevent-ed the loss of business and reputa-tion for these institutions, which isdifficult to quantify.

The banking sector in Indiais witnessing a sea change. Withnearly 50 per cent of Indians nothaving access to banking sectortill a few years ago, mobile bank-ing has taken the services to theremotest corners. It has alsospawned newage banks and theincumbents are sett ing upbranches at remote locationshoping to create a near ubiquitousbanking services. As the bankingsector reaches out to the remotestcorners, the need for backgroundcheck for employees could not bemore.

Over 24,374 new bankbranches opened by public andprivate banks between 2013 andJune 2017, according to datafrom Reserve Bank of India, withSouth India witnessing the high-est number of branches beingopened. That is the scale of theverification that needs to be car-ried out.

While hiring for banks andfinancial services companies, orany other sector too, HR spe-cialists do carry out preliminarychecks on the potential hire.With some basic online infor-mation, culled from online pro-files that are easily available.Such data is often a claim andrarely independently verified.

The HR team in companies,therefore, needs a reliable partner

who can serve as an extendedarm to verify such claims so thatthey are consistent to the needsof the role and the company.

The need for backgroundcheck for employees is true ofseveral other ser vices too.Telecom companies are now bat-tling for every customer as the

sector’s growth peaks and ensur-ing enhanced revenues from itssubscribers becomes the norm.But with every rogue employee inthe chain, the chances of compa-nies having to take a hit rises.

Prospective checks could helpcompanies address this malaise.

For any company, all employeesare the best in world till theirbackground is verified. The ele-ment of doubt, the confirmationof educational qualification andthe soundness of their profes-sional qualifications needs vali-dation before they can go up theladder further.

For the HR department, var-ious kinds of checks could bemandatory and it could beginwith educational qualifications.Between 2012 and 2015, DelhiMedical Council asked the policeto register cases against 422 peo-ple suspected to be quacks. Delhiis suspected to be the capital forquacks too with an estimated 25per cent of the two lakh quacksin the country working here.The Medical Council of India hasregistered cases against fake med-ical degrees across the country.With more and more hospitalssprouting in different parts of thecountry, imagine having to go fortreatment to one of these doc-tors!!

Educational degrees are animportant basis for hiring anyprofessional in a company. Butwhat if that degree is fake or hasbeen acquired from an institutionthat does not quite pass muster?While online checks will confirmthat the professional’s name is list-ed among those who have been

awarded the degree, a physicalverif ication in select casesbecomes a must.

Companies are looking tohire the best talent so that theirgrowth can be put in responsiblehands. Some HR professionalssometimes refer to it as the warfor talent. For zeroing on a poolof best talent that can drive com-panies to their next level ofgrowth, identifying the bestamong the talent is critical. Afterthe initial background check, itmight be a prudent idea to get adetailed verification done tounderstand the capabilities ofthe professional. If his profes-sional claims can be confirmedthrough a third-party due dili-gence process, his backgroundcan be seen as sound. Before that,giving thumbs up for a hire may,sometimes, be fraught with dan-ger.

Tall claims are often made byprofessionals when a sector is see-ing rapid growth and companieswant the hiring process to bequick to keep pace with themomentum of growth.Sometimes, caution is thrown tothe winds. It is precisely at thesetimes that background checkbecomes even more relevant tocarry out.

The writer is Director-BackgroundChecks, Netrika Consulting

HIRE RIGHT

The need for background check for employees working in all sectors is necessary to

keep pace with the momentum of growth, says AASHISH TANEJA

FOR ZEROING ONA POOL OF BEST

TALENT THAT CANDRIVE COMPANIES

TO THEIR NEXTLEVEL OFGROWTH,

IDENTIFYING THEBEST AMONG THE

TALENT ISCRITICAL

money 12LUCKNOW | WEDNESDAY | JANUARY 16, 2019

BUSINESS CORNER

HONOR UNVEILS HONOR 10 LITE FOR `13,999 ONWARDSNew Delhi: Honor — a sub-brand of Chinese firm Huawei — on Tuesday

launched its new smartphone 'Honor 10 Lite' in the Indian market, priced `13,999onwards. The handset features 15.77-cm screen, 24 megapixel front and13MP+2MP back camera, and 3400 mAh battery. The device will be availablefrom January 20 in two variants — 4GB RAM and 64GB internal memory(`13,999) and 6GB RAM and 64GB internal memory (`17,999). “The Lite seriesis focussed on offering the best design and camera features. With Honor 10 Lite,we are pushing the boundaries even further as it includes a range of high-endfeatures,” Honor India vice-president Allen Wang told reporters here. Honor10 Lite is a successor to Honor 9 Lite that has seen sales of over 1.5 million unitsso far.

JIO 4G DOWNLOAD SPEED DIPS IN DEC BUT STILL TOPS CHART; IDEATOP IN UPLOAD: TRAI

New Delhi: Reliance Jio’s 4G download speed declined by about 8 per centin December to 18.7 megabit per second (mbps) but still continued to lead thechart for the past 12 months in a row, according data published by telecom reg-ulator Trai. Jio network recorded an average download speed of 20.3 mbps inNovember. Performance of Bharti Airtel's 4G network marginally improved inDecember to 9.8 mbps from 9.7 mbps in November, according to the data pub-lished by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) on MySpeed Portal.Though Vodafone and Idea Cellular have merged their businesses and now oper-ate as Vodafone Idea, Trai published their network performance separately. 4Gdownload speed on Vodafone network declined slightly to 6.3 mbps from 6.8mbps in November, while that of Idea dipped to 6 mbps from 6.2 mbps. Idea,however, continued to top the chart in terms of 4G upload speed despite dip innetwork performance. The upload speed on Idea network declined to 5.3 mbpsin December from 5.6 mbps in November. The download speed plays an impor-tant role when a user watches any video, browse the internet, access e-mails; anda good upload speed is required when a user wants to share data such as images,videos and any other files through e-mail or social media applications.

UNITED SPIRITS SELLS FOUR SEASONS WINES BUSINESSNew Delhi: Diageo-owned liquor firm United Spirits (USL) Tuesday said it

has executed a share purchase agreement for sale of its entire equity share cap-ital in its subsidiary Four Seasons Wines as well as associated brands to GroverZampa Vineyards and Quintela Assets. The company has entered an agreementfor the sale of all the equity shares held by the company constituting 100 percent of the paid up equity share capital of its wholly-owned subsidiary, Four SeasonsWines (FSWL), along with the brands, "the company said in a regulatory filing.USL said this move towards disinvestment of Four Seasons Wines is in line withUSL's strategy to successfully continue to monetise its non-core assets, includ-ing subsidiaries. The company said total consideration received for this sale is`31.86 crore.

Sensex rallies

465 pts; IT

stocks shine

PTI n MUMBAI

The BSE Sensex soared over450 points Tuesday after

lower retail inflation numbersfor December raised RBI ratecut hopes, leading to intensebuying in rate-sensitive stocks,supported by strong globalcues. The sensex rally was ledby Yes Bank, Infosys, RelianceIndustries and TCS, surging upto 3.86 per cent.

The 30-share index settled464.77 points, or 1.30 per cent,higher at 36,318.33, while thebroader NSE Nifty rallied149.20 points, or 1.39 per cent,to finish at 10,886.80.

Market sentimentremained upbeat over retailinflation dropping to an 18-month low of 2.19 per cent inDecember, creating headroomfor the Reserve Bank to easemonetary policy next month.

Another set of official datashowed that the wholesaleinflation too eased to an eight-month low of 3.80 per cent inDecember. In the Sensex pack,other gainers were Vedanta,Bajaj Finance, Bharti Airtel,Tata Motors, Hero MotoCorp,HUL, Asian Paints, HDFC duoand ONGC -- gaining as much

as 2.87 per cent.Bucking the overall trend,

Maruti, PowerGrid and ICICIBank ended in the red.

On a net basis, foreignportfolio investors (FPIs) soldshares worth `732.46 croreMonday, while domestic insti-tutional investors (DIIs) werenet buyers to the tune of Rs527.49 crore, provisional dataavailable with BSE showed.

“Domestic market wasbuoyed by broad-based buyingacross all sectors and particu-larly led by rate sensitive sec-tors on the expectation of aprobable rate cut consideringthat Index of IndustrialProduction for the month ofNovember slumped to mere 0.5per cent while CPI inflationeased for a 6th straight monthto 2.19 per cent in December,”Paras Bothra, President, EquityResearch, Ashika Group, said.

Besides, positive cues fromEuropean and other Asianmarkets lifted sentiments.

Elsewhere in Asia, Korea'sKospi jumped 1.58 per cent,Shanghai Composite Indexrose 1.36 per cent, Hong Kong'sHang Seng rallied 2.02 percent, and Japan’s Nikkei gained0.96 per cent.

Unsold flats in NCR down 9 pc

PTI n NEW DELHI

Unsold housing stocks fell by 9per cent in NCR during 2018 to

nearly 1.87 lakh units on improve-ment in sales but the region con-tinued to grapple with the problemof stalled residential projects, prop-erty brokerage and consulting firmAnarock said.

In the data released on Tuesday,the consultant said, housing sales inNational Capital Region (NCR)rose by 18 per cent during 2018 to44,300 units from 37,610 units in theprevious year.

The new units supply increasedby 17 per cent to 26,010 units lastyear from 22,180 units in 2017, whileunsold housing stocks declined by9 per cent to 1,86,714 units from2,05,000 units during the periodunder review.

“NCR housing sales increasedby 18 per cent in 2018. Despite ris-

ing sales, the region continues tograpple with the issue ofstalled/delayed projects," AnarockChairman Anuj Puri said in thereport.

Overall, in the seven citiestracked by the consultant, housingsales went up by 18 per cent to2,48,310 units during 2018 from2,11,130 units in the previous year.

NCR, MMR (MumbaiMetropolitan Region), Bengaluruand Pune together accounted for 82per cent of the sales. Hyderabad,Chennai and Kolkata contributedthe rest.

Anarock said that housing salesrose by 18 per cent and new launch-es by 33 per cent across the top sevencities compared to 2017 despite allheadwinds including the liquiditycrisis. Unsold inventories reduced by7 per cent to 6,73,208 units from7,26,218 units.

The residential inventory over-hang reduced from 47 months in Q42017 to 33 months in Q4 2018 acrossthese seven cities.

The demonetisation effect in late2016 had pushed up unsold inven-

tory overhang to 47 months in Q42017 from 40 months in Q4 2016.An inventory overhang of 18-24months signifies a fairly healthymarket.

“Having absorbed a lot of theimpact of various structural changes,the Indian real estate sector seemedpoised to grow from the previousyear,” Puri said.

However, he said the issue ofstalled projects and liquidity crisiscontinued to confound the housingsector in 2018, though it continuedits transition into a relatively moretransparent and end-user drivenmarket.

“End-users accelerated growth,while investors shifted focus towardsalternate asset classes such as com-mercial, retail and warehousing,which did fairly well during theyear,” Puri said.

He noted that builders were cau-tious about launching projects toalign supply with the existing buyerdemand. They also cut the averageproperty sizes to align their offeringswith the highly-incentivised afford-able housing bracket.

Stalled projects still

worrisome: Report

Abu Dhabi expects India to be top source market New Delhi: Abu Dhabi expects

India to continue to be the largestsource market for overseas arrivals in2019 with a growth of around 10 percent year-on year, a senior official saidon Tuesday.

In 2018, the capital city ofUnited Arab Emirates had around3.35 lakh arrivals from India up toOctober. “We expect India to con-tinue to be the largest overseas mar-ket for arrivals in 2019. We are

expecting around 10 per cent growthin the number of Indian arrivals in2019,” Abu Dhabi department ofCulture and Tourism, Travel Tradeand Market DevelopmentDepartment Acting DirectorAnthony Rippingale told PTI. As ofOctober 2018, India is the largestsource market for overseas arrivals toAbu Dhabi, he added. “The growthwe are expecting is despite thisbeing an election year in India. This

is on account of long historical tiesbetween the two countries withstrong person-to-person contact,”Rippingale said. When asked aboutthe focus areas that the departmentis targeting here, he said: "We arefocussing on all the segments suchas MICE (meetings, incentives, con-ferences and exhibitions) segment,leisure segment specially the familiesand on weddings and honeymoonsegment.” PTI

Script Open High Low LTPRCOM 13.48 13.63 13.36 13.47YESBANK 196.40 205.00 196.05 202.95JETAIRWAYS 300.00 312.00 288.70 294.40INFY 705.10 729.80 705.10 726.55JPASSOCIAT 7.21 7.40 7.20 7.27SUZLON 5.31 5.36 5.24 5.28RELIANCE 1103.20 1132.30 1103.20 1129.55WIPRO 319.50 332.40 315.25 330.95DMART 1395.00 1417.15 1372.10 1395.00INFIBEAM 43.50 49.05 43.05 47.05TCS 1813.55 1868.00 1809.55 1864.20ICICIBANK 374.90 375.35 370.45 372.55IBVENTURES 402.00 412.00 386.05 388.50GUJGAS 136.00 156.95 135.05 143.80LT 1342.10 1348.00 1330.10 1341.05TRIDENT 70.90 75.60 70.15 72.75PCJEWELLER 79.25 83.50 79.25 81.60TATASTEEL 472.20 476.50 469.40 475.15M&MFIN 440.00 446.25 438.20 444.00TATAMOTORS 183.20 185.80 181.45 185.40IBULHSGFIN 786.00 810.70 786.00 807.40LINDEINDIA 754.95 799.80 754.00 786.05AXISBANK 661.25 664.25 655.50 660.10J&KBANK 38.00 42.10 37.80 39.50JINDALSTEL 145.00 147.40 143.10 146.85CASTROLIND 159.35 168.90 159.20 167.45ITC 295.10 297.35 294.10 296.60SBIN 301.30 303.60 300.55 301.00DHFL 221.85 225.35 221.60 223.35HINDUNILVR 1768.15 1792.25 1768.15 1787.65VEDL 193.30 199.70 193.30 198.90MARUTI 7438.70 7465.00 7321.00 7349.55BAJFINANCE 2558.00 2608.00 2552.25 2599.25STAR 518.30 528.35 511.70 514.15GODFRYPHLP 921.30 1000.00 921.30 985.35VIPIND 493.00 516.00 488.75 509.10ZEEL 450.30 463.25 450.30 456.70SUNPHARMA 452.10 454.95 450.00 451.85TV18BRDCST 37.40 39.15 37.40 38.75BEML 880.05 913.85 879.20 910.35BANDHANBNK 445.00 455.00 444.70 451.75HINDALCO 206.60 209.10 205.55 208.55HDFC 1976.60 1993.15 1964.65 1990.80ASHOKLEY 93.50 94.45 93.30 93.55CUMMINSIND 860.55 882.50 852.25 878.15L&TFH 137.35 142.00 137.00 141.00FSL 49.70 53.35 49.15 52.95JAICORPLTD 109.65 117.00 109.20 112.85GRUH 231.30 242.00 231.30 238.60HINDPETRO 234.50 243.00 234.50 241.85PNB 83.10 83.40 81.50 81.95GRAPHITE 705.00 708.15 690.70 694.65SPICEJET 81.00 81.70 80.50 81.05RELCAPITAL 216.10 222.40 216.10 221.75GNFC 363.20 381.10 363.20 378.70BATAINDIA 1166.00 1177.00 1155.00 1167.90BHARTIARTL 330.00 338.80 326.45 337.65BOMDYEING 118.80 124.35 118.45 124.35IOC 132.90 134.75 132.50 134.50INDUSINDBK 1497.05 1503.00 1487.00 1496.65JSWSTEEL 283.75 293.00 282.50 291.75EVEREADY 217.00 229.65 217.00 227.90PIDILITIND 1136.20 1175.65 1136.20 1159.35CGPOWER 44.15 45.00 43.85 44.50ABFRL 216.75 216.75 202.00 210.40ITI 91.50 95.50 91.25 94.30M&M 729.00 731.15 724.50 726.65MCX 764.00 778.00 759.00 763.50SOUTHBANK 15.70 15.80 15.45 15.55IDFCBANK 46.90 47.30 46.75 46.95NATIONALUM 61.90 62.60 61.35 62.30HCLTECH 933.50 955.00 929.40 947.05DCBBANK 181.30 184.80 180.30 183.15AUROPHARMA 770.50 787.75 770.50 785.25HDFCBANK 2105.00 2126.00 2100.05 2121.05DELTACORP 257.75 260.40 256.25 258.00ISEC 261.05 270.15 258.70 261.60ADANIPOWER 49.90 51.20 49.90 50.35RELINFRA 308.40 312.00 307.25 310.40KOTAKBANK 1210.45 1219.00 1210.45 1212.15RCF 65.60 67.45 65.60 66.85HEG 3625.00 3625.00 3526.40 3541.00ESCORTS 755.00 764.40 753.35 755.45GAIL 324.00 327.35 322.40 324.45ENGINERSIN 122.15 127.00 120.80 126.30DABUR 435.20 438.35 423.95 426.40ASIANPAINT 1388.45 1414.00 1388.45 1406.05GSFC 110.75 113.75 110.75 112.30UNIONBANK 94.20 94.80 93.05 94.05SAIL 50.95 51.45 50.55 51.10TECHM 685.00 710.00 683.60 707.30BANKINDIA 104.50 104.85 103.10 104.05EXIDEIND 251.05 259.15 251.05 258.10IBREALEST 87.00 87.65 83.00 85.65INDIACEM 86.15 89.10 86.15 88.05KPIT 204.00 213.60 202.00 211.50DISHTV 38.90 38.90 35.80 36.05MINDTREE 845.00 862.75 843.20 854.90MOTHERSUMI 162.40 162.40 157.75 160.45BIOCON 646.00 650.80 642.50 647.40INDIGO 1082.00 1091.50 1062.80 1081.20RECLTD 124.50 126.35 124.45 125.85RADICO 420.70 427.80 416.15 418.00BHEL 68.40 68.75 67.90 68.35PEL 2286.40 2350.00 2280.05 2344.10PHILIPCARB 207.85 207.85 202.45 203.00BALKRISIND 879.15 889.00 860.00 869.55ONGC 143.30 145.45 143.30 145.10

BHARATFORG 476.30 488.40 474.80 486.45NCC 89.60 89.60 88.05 89.00EDELWEISS 178.45 180.85 172.75 174.45SRTRANSFIN 1176.55 1192.20 1165.45 1187.70COALINDIA 231.00 233.60 231.00 232.60BPCL 334.80 343.30 334.80 341.50DLF 181.05 187.00 181.05 185.75BANKBARODA 121.60 122.00 120.85 121.25HFCL 24.60 25.15 24.50 24.70HEROMOTOCO 2887.00 2918.20 2868.00 2911.15NBCC 59.70 60.60 58.95 59.80UJJIVAN 287.75 295.60 286.50 293.60ACC 1467.65 1497.00 1466.10 1481.75EQUITAS 118.20 124.40 118.00 124.00NMDC 92.95 93.80 92.20 93.65SREINFRA 34.10 34.20 33.10 33.40FEDERALBNK 91.00 91.70 90.70 91.20NTPC 147.60 147.60 144.20 145.80CIPLA 513.10 516.20 509.80 514.75CANBK 277.05 280.20 273.95 275.40WOCKPHARMA 513.25 514.50 507.00 509.40TORNTPOWER 261.50 270.55 260.55 266.90VOLTAS 541.00 543.55 526.50 532.00ADANIPORTS 376.75 386.00 375.65 384.75MPHASIS 878.30 885.95 870.10 875.65HEXAWARE 316.00 322.75 314.95 319.70LUPIN 835.00 851.60 834.95 848.45RPOWER 28.95 30.30 28.95 30.15CEATLTD 1265.00 1265.00 1230.10 1237.50ICICIPRULI 349.10 358.20 348.20 352.10UPL 769.00 782.00 769.00 775.05MFSL 450.00 464.80 450.00 460.65TATAELXSI 972.00 984.60 970.35 978.35NIITTECH 1190.00 1202.00 1180.15 1186.15JUSTDIAL 474.10 480.75 473.00 478.45BAJAJFINSV 6404.00 6520.75 6379.10 6508.15NOCIL 166.50 170.20 165.80 168.20

STRTECH 290.00 294.10 289.40 291.15PFC 106.80 109.05 106.75 108.45SHANKARA 504.05 523.55 502.60 510.25TATAPOWER 74.55 75.25 74.35 74.95OBEROIRLTY 445.05 465.00 445.05 452.85TITAN 961.70 968.30 957.30 965.95SUNTV 576.00 581.55 573.10 580.35IDEA 35.95 36.35 35.70 36.25FORCEMOT 1613.70 1619.50 1593.00 1597.80HSIL 253.00 260.00 250.95 255.80PETRONET 219.20 219.45 214.50 214.90UBL 1390.00 1427.80 1377.05 1419.00BRITANNIA 3125.10 3196.80 3096.60 3182.50NAUKRI 1666.85 1700.00 1635.90 1685.35TATAMTRDVR 96.00 98.85 95.75 98.40MGL 889.80 901.90 885.00 898.60NAVKARCORP 53.00 53.00 47.00 50.95MEGH 56.30 59.65 56.30 59.20JUBLFOOD 1229.40 1242.60 1222.50 1235.70COFFEEDAY 275.00 290.00 274.05 282.85GRASIM 816.00 824.25 803.40 812.20MANAPPURAM 95.60 99.00 95.55 98.75POWERGRID 193.00 194.35 190.85 192.40JISLJALEQS 64.75 65.95 64.55 65.85IFBIND 835.40 947.70 825.50 915.50JSLHISAR 82.20 86.70 81.20 86.05CYIENT 616.90 620.95 608.00 612.75AMARAJABAT 764.95 771.00 758.20 765.90TVSMOTOR 538.25 548.65 535.80 543.65BEL 91.60 92.00 90.00 90.30WABAG 303.00 309.00 301.10 303.00ABCAPITAL 95.85 97.40 95.85 96.40SYMPHONY 1194.50 1248.95 1160.00 1168.70HDFCLIFE 392.00 392.45 386.25 388.55LUXIND 1092.75 1243.00 1054.95 1219.80JYOTHYLAB 199.00 199.00 196.35 197.65KTKBANK 119.40 120.20 117.55 119.20TATAINVEST 828.10 843.00 819.05 828.70EICHERMOT 20538.00 20649.90 20496.35 20609.50GODREJPROP 738.00 738.00 722.00 729.40MANPASAND 84.00 86.70 83.00 85.50GLENMARK 670.35 671.00 660.55 665.90KEC 278.15 282.80 271.45 275.35SPARC 184.50 185.50 182.00 182.90PAGEIND 24000.00 24210.05 23593.60 23733.70SUNTECK 334.00 337.00 331.55 335.15SIEMENS 1060.00 1071.00 1057.70 1063.40LALPATHLAB 975.00 1003.00 966.00 984.55HAVELLS 690.50 693.00 678.50 682.65MUTHOOTFIN 535.00 543.25 534.70 541.85IDFC 43.00 43.50 42.50 42.95RAIN 117.20 118.90 116.25 117.60TATAMETALI 637.00 638.45 621.05 626.05

ALBK 44.45 44.90 43.75 44.00APOLLOHOSP 1327.40 1333.75 1319.40 1329.50LTI 1737.00 1744.85 1708.70 1734.05ABB 1309.40 1325.00 1281.00 1295.40ULTRACEMCO 3780.00 3843.50 3780.00 3820.95TORNTPHARM 1885.00 1911.00 1885.00 1891.55DRREDDY 2589.90 2601.05 2583.00 2591.95RAJESHEXPO 574.50 589.85 569.00 582.45COLPAL 1307.20 1334.00 1307.20 1323.80TATAGLOBAL 213.00 215.20 213.00 214.40BBTC 1269.70 1300.00 1267.10 1282.10LICHSGFIN 480.75 488.55 477.95 485.00JINDALSAW 79.60 81.90 79.60 81.05CANFINHOME 276.00 278.00 273.60 276.45SUVEN 218.50 222.00 216.10 219.05BAJAJ-AUTO 2712.40 2734.90 2710.50 2725.30IDBI 62.70 63.05 61.40 61.65KSCL 559.50 593.00 559.50 579.05ORIENTBANK 99.00 99.10 97.20 97.75JAMNAAUTO 62.25 63.00 61.90 62.05JKLAKSHMI 301.95 316.00 301.95 308.55JBCHEPHARM 304.80 326.55 304.80 316.60FCONSUMER 43.60 43.60 43.00 43.35SOBHA 455.10 480.50 453.10 473.70QUESS 718.20 725.20 690.45 695.35VENKYS 2300.00 2356.95 2300.00 2321.55APOLLOTYRE 224.10 225.50 222.75 223.45JUBILANT 725.00 725.00 707.30 716.15IRB 153.00 159.95 153.00 157.70SUDARSCHEM 346.25 346.30 339.65 344.10WELSPUNIND 61.90 63.25 61.45 62.45HINDCOPPER 49.45 50.20 49.20 49.55KAJARIACER 528.05 534.95 527.40 530.20CROMPTON 228.40 228.40 224.50 224.95GODREJIND 525.05 529.90 520.60 526.95DIVISLAB 1533.00 1535.65 1516.55 1522.95NETWORK18 40.25 41.40 39.50 40.40ICICIGI 869.00 876.90 867.90 870.60CENTURYTEX 889.55 899.35 888.05 891.65BLISSGVS 166.50 166.65 161.75 162.60CHOLAFIN 1197.40 1201.90 1180.85 1189.95TATACHEM 696.85 698.75 692.20 695.35HUDCO 43.05 44.20 42.90 43.25PRESTIGE 210.00 224.40 209.60 215.40CHAMBLFERT 170.90 173.00 168.10 169.15DCMSHRIRAM 349.50 360.00 347.75 356.90AJANTPHARM 1179.95 1182.40 1156.25 1162.00CADILAHC 354.05 357.75 353.20 355.35JSWENERGY 69.15 70.20 68.40 68.90RAYMOND 819.75 825.55 811.20 815.60OMAXE 212.25 213.10 211.70 211.90IGL 272.00 275.20 269.60 271.80FRETAIL 443.10 448.00 440.90 446.55INDIANB 252.00 254.85 250.05 252.45SRF 2038.60 2076.75 2034.95 2070.45SWANENERGY 101.00 101.00 99.05 99.40DEEPAKFERT 146.00 147.40 142.00 143.75LTTS 1638.10 1657.00 1632.80 1651.00HSCL 129.80 133.25 129.75 132.65KEI 354.40 361.00 354.40 359.75VGUARD 208.00 209.75 205.80 208.55VIJAYABANK 48.60 49.15 48.60 48.70VBL 816.55 825.00 813.10 819.95EIDPARRY 221.85 230.00 220.30 227.05IPCALAB 786.00 799.50 780.00 781.85WESTLIFE 385.00 390.00 385.00 389.65SUPREMEIND 1149.15 1159.60 1109.00 1116.85GHCL 255.00 261.30 255.00 258.35RBLBANK 577.80 580.95 574.10 577.70AMBUJACEM 214.90 217.40 214.80 216.50BIRLACORPN 556.20 580.85 555.00 572.40HINDZINC 272.25 274.00 270.55 273.15GMRINFRA 16.50 16.60 16.30 16.50NESTLEIND 11252.45 11332.45 11201.85 11286.85SYNDIBANK 40.50 40.50 39.05 39.30PVR 1641.00 1665.70 1641.00 1659.85PERSISTENT 554.00 554.70 546.70 551.35BERGEPAINT 328.00 328.00 324.00 325.55MAHINDCIE 234.80 239.80 234.00 238.75OIL 174.00 175.10 173.00 174.65AVANTI 367.10 377.65 367.10 373.75INDHOTEL 139.85 140.75 137.55 138.45AARTIIND 1584.85 1584.85 1560.00 1569.45ADANITRANS 224.70 226.25 218.50 219.30JKTYRE 100.00 101.10 99.95 100.40MINDAIND 306.85 310.35 303.45 308.50PTC 89.75 91.20 88.95 90.90MARICO 382.35 385.00 380.35 382.40BHARATFIN 950.00 952.15 944.90 949.15PNBHOUSING 891.95 905.00 882.95 890.50BAJAJELEC 481.80 485.00 475.50 481.65GODREJCP 782.75 786.00 776.60 781.85CAPPL 407.00 415.00 405.60 411.65COROMANDEL 460.00 460.00 450.60 453.60KANSAINER 446.75 459.80 435.00 457.55INFRATEL 279.35 283.60 278.05 280.50IFCI 14.95 14.95 14.57 14.76DBL 389.25 396.40 389.20 391.40REPCOHOME 427.50 435.95 424.45 431.90PARAGMILK 238.00 243.65 238.00 242.50BAJAJCON 385.85 388.75 367.95 385.15JMFINANCIL 89.20 91.00 89.00 90.55SONATSOFTW 298.00 306.60 298.00 305.00NILKAMAL 1387.15 1399.80 1374.95 1380.05EMAMILTD 428.85 440.95 428.85 438.35IEX 160.30 166.75 160.30 166.00KRBL 323.00 328.20 314.55 316.30JSL 32.75 33.50 32.60 33.00INOXWIND 74.40 75.00 73.10 74.20

DENABANK 13.60 13.75 13.45 13.65AUBANK 659.90 667.15 652.00 660.25INTELLECT 219.60 222.20 218.05 218.80SUNDRMFAST 518.50 534.20 518.50 529.15ASHOKA 132.75 137.00 132.00 134.70SBILIFE 634.50 634.50 620.45 622.50MRPL 69.75 70.70 69.50 70.45RALLIS 167.60 171.25 166.90 169.10DBCORP 177.80 186.30 175.60 179.55BOSCHLTD 19400.00 19400.00 19010.00 19093.40TATACOMM 512.25 521.45 511.65 515.55GLAXO 1464.45 1464.45 1440.00 1445.10TIINDIA 333.00 333.00 323.50 326.70CENTRALBK 36.00 36.45 35.90 36.05ADANIGREEN 40.00 40.10 38.70 38.90GODREJAGRO 492.05 499.00 492.00 494.40FORTIS 140.00 140.00 137.15 138.15MINDACORP 150.05 153.40 150.05 152.30NIACL 181.75 186.35 179.80 184.25PFIZER 2696.55 2724.70 2692.95 2698.30ENDURANCE 1195.00 1213.00 1180.00 1183.40GPPL 90.55 90.55 89.00 89.65MAGMA 106.80 113.90 106.80 108.60COCHINSHIP 368.65 373.15 368.65 369.70SCHNEIDER 97.50 98.80 96.25 96.80WELCORP 135.15 136.00 132.55 132.90GREAVESCOT 121.15 122.50 120.60 121.50CHENNPETRO 262.55 264.80 262.30 264.25IBULISL 321.05 335.00 310.00 316.25GSPL 171.90 172.00 169.20 169.65RELAXO 761.00 763.20 749.95 752.50OFSS 3584.90 3670.00 3584.90 3658.60GRANULES 88.50 88.70 87.55 87.85NHPC 25.50 25.60 25.30 25.45ASTRAZEN 1611.10 1655.90 1601.10 1640.95TATACOFFEE 100.00 101.75 99.40 99.75PIIND 846.35 851.20 828.75 843.30MOIL 167.10 167.25 165.50 166.35AKZOINDIA 1760.50 1792.15 1740.00 1752.90GSKCONS 7465.00 7545.00 7425.85 7501.70RAMCOCEM 626.20 633.40 625.50 627.85MERCK 3203.20 3240.85 3197.35 3207.20LEMONTREE 70.65 70.85 69.35 70.10NATCOPHARM* 686.00 693.45 686.00 691.55MMTC 29.10 29.75 29.10 29.20SHREECEM 15448.85 15873.30 15448.85 15632.40PRSMJOHNSN 84.00 87.30 84.00 85.70CENTURYPLY 180.80 182.00 178.75 180.90AEGISLOG 205.20 210.55 200.00 209.60THYROCARE 546.00 553.00 531.00 545.95SYNGENE 532.00 546.85 532.00 540.05UCOBANK 20.45 20.80 20.45 20.60ASTRAL 1142.80 1148.95 1118.00 1131.20TRENT 357.00 358.00 353.20 355.75CRISIL 1651.95 1665.00 1625.00 1637.25TAKE 151.00 154.35 150.05 151.20CONCOR 682.50 685.00 676.30 679.95SCI 46.35 46.90 46.00 46.20MRF 66551.00 66874.55 66000.00 66236.85GICRE 256.70 261.85 256.00 257.45SADBHAV 222.30 223.65 219.50 220.45INDOSTAR 354.95 355.00 338.00 344.45RNAM 154.95 157.00 154.10 154.55SOLARINDS 1059.10 1059.10 1030.80 1039.10SANOFI 6270.00 6305.00 6155.00 6228.20GICHSGFIN 264.35 268.50 264.00 264.55SJVN 25.55 25.80 25.25 25.60ITDC 311.85 319.00 291.45 311.80TIMKEN 595.05 598.00 578.05 580.60KPRMILL 519.10 546.05 519.10 531.65ZENSARTECH 233.55 240.35 228.00 236.05ALLCARGO 111.00 112.00 109.75 110.30ADVENZYMES 170.15 171.05 169.25 170.20CUB 189.75 190.35 188.35 189.60DCAL 230.80 234.90 229.05 229.85CARERATING 1007.95 1016.10 998.20 1005.20ASTERDM 162.65 168.00 160.00 164.30LAXMIMACH 5650.20 5749.90 5650.20 5703.45VINATIORGA 1595.00 1624.00 1584.75 1595.45NESCO 465.50 466.85 454.00 454.70MHRIL 215.00 217.00 213.80 214.10ANDHRABANK 29.50 29.55 28.70 29.00MAHABANK 14.71 14.94 14.62 14.68BALMLAWRIE 199.75 202.40 198.00 198.50ABBOTINDIA 8101.50 8120.00 8052.00 8106.95PNCINFRA 154.20 155.90 152.00 152.40APLLTD 592.45 600.50 592.40 599.60HAL 770.00 779.00 770.00 771.65GET&D 320.00 320.35 310.00 311.45TEAMLEASE 2872.00 2899.00 2820.00 2846.00ESSELPRO 108.55 110.40 107.25 108.25EIHOTEL 182.85 184.00 181.70 183.15LAKSHVILAS 77.65 77.85 75.70 76.65SOMANYCERA 368.85 374.00 363.05 368.00PGHH 9995.00 10027.55 9915.05 9964.65GESHIP 315.30 320.95 315.00 315.45ATUL 3440.10 3484.15 3420.00 3452.55JAGRAN 112.20 114.45 112.20 113.40ECLERX 1059.55 1078.00 1050.00 1064.35BASF 1510.40 1527.00 1510.35 1514.25SHARDACROP 299.00 304.00 296.00 298.75PHOENIXLTD 559.35 577.95 559.35 575.75KNRCON 215.40 218.80 215.40 217.85GUJALKALI 516.00 524.00 516.00 520.65TEJASNET 216.00 218.50 215.00 215.60CENTRUM 35.50 36.35 35.25 35.85WHIRLPOOL 1472.35 1472.40 1454.70 1460.80ITDCEM 115.60 119.65 115.60 116.70VMART 2236.25 2292.20 2168.00 2237.30

WABCOINDIA 6397.95 6400.00 6276.10 6364.20BDL 277.55 285.70 277.55 279.00MOTILALOFS 697.00 697.00 673.30 679.80NLCINDIA 67.20 68.05 67.15 67.45NBVENTURES 115.00 115.20 113.10 113.45GUJFLUORO 932.00 942.00 925.00 927.55BAJAJHLDNG 3025.00 3035.00 2996.10 2997.65UFLEX 268.95 272.40 267.80 269.40GMDCLTD 86.85 87.70 86.05 87.15FORBESCO 2205.00 2339.95 2205.00 2228.20INOXLEISUR 255.30 255.80 251.25 252.45KIOCL 146.55 157.00 145.20 149.80DEEPAKNI 220.55 220.60 217.50 219.20REDINGTON 81.10 84.10 81.10 83.90KALPATPOWR 375.00 376.40 370.00 373.05GDL 113.50 114.55 110.60 111.30SHK 177.00 179.10 175.65 178.95HERITGFOOD 526.90 536.20 526.90 534.75FINCABLES 450.00 450.00 446.20 449.60NAVINFLUOR 670.65 674.70 668.25 669.40IOB 14.69 14.69 14.35 14.40ZYDUSWELL 1351.65 1374.80 1345.50 1369.60THERMAX 1136.00 1140.50 1117.25 1125.95BLUEDART 3263.00 3286.00 3190.00 3205.65VTL 1089.50 1089.50 1074.95 1076.40ALKEM 1945.00 1949.85 1911.25 1923.40HEIDELBERG 145.00 149.65 145.00 149.20CCL 265.40 266.95 265.05 265.95BAYERCROP 4216.90 4246.05 4170.00 4192.15TIMETECHNO 100.70 101.40 100.10 100.50GULFOILLUB 840.05 860.00 840.05 855.70THOMASCOOK 233.50 235.10 231.50 233.30GREENPLY 141.75 141.75 138.80 139.50SHILPAMED 390.45 390.50 383.80 386.15CARBORUNIV 361.00 364.75 360.00 361.50CERA 2612.30 2659.00 2573.65 2650.10TNPL 235.40 240.00 233.25 237.75FDC 172.20 173.00 171.45 172.55JKCEMENT 717.30 719.35 708.20 709.00SHRIRAMCIT 1672.30 1718.00 1672.25 1708.10AIAENG 1653.50 1673.25 1651.50 1660.80APLAPOLLO 1117.45 1122.00 1094.60 1111.25FLFL 394.00 394.00 385.15 393.30TVTODAY 369.00 372.95 365.00 370.20LAOPALA 211.60 222.00 211.60 220.30HIMATSEIDE 213.05 215.50 211.00 213.05FINOLEXIND 527.80 544.95 527.80 541.70MAHLIFE 389.90 395.00 389.40 390.95GRINDWELL 564.90 567.45 555.05 563.35TIFHL 477.65 477.65 460.00 467.90CORPBANK 28.55 28.95 28.50 28.60TRITURBINE 114.20 114.90 113.25 113.80HATSUN 678.80 681.30 676.00 676.10STARCEMENT 97.00 97.00 96.05 96.35SKFINDIA 1920.70 1931.75 1913.00 1919.80NAVNETEDUL 109.50 110.25 109.00 109.00HONAUT 21700.05 22000.00 21682.00 21934.60TTKPRESTIG 7593.90 7630.00 7550.45 7566.70SCHAEFFLER 5629.50 5685.00 5600.00 5649.40TVSSRICHAK 2424.10 2451.35 2405.10 2424.40SUPRAJIT 214.30 215.00 212.90 213.65ELGIEQUIP 257.00 260.75 257.00 260.00GALAXYSURF 1170.00 1184.55 1170.00 1174.603MINDIA 20551.15 20945.00 20551.15 20867.40SUPPETRO 182.20 185.60 182.00 184.15SUNCLAYLTD 3350.00 3368.80 3345.00 3346.65MONSANTO 2568.50 2590.90 2556.90 2580.45GILLETTE 6503.60 6503.60 6466.05 6488.50ERIS 650.00 651.00 640.05 644.90MAXINDIA 85.50 85.55 85.00 85.35LAURUSLABS 379.75 381.00 377.20 378.35ORIENTCEM 78.00 78.00 77.00 77.35ISGEC 5019.00 5043.95 5002.10 5012.40DHANUKA 427.00 429.00 420.00 425.45ASAHIINDIA 255.10 256.45 255.00 255.15NH 201.25 207.90 201.25 205.75GEPIL 810.50 819.90 810.50 819.40SHOPERSTOP 517.00 519.20 511.75 513.85BLUESTARCO 612.50 615.00 610.00 611.00APARINDS 620.60 622.20 619.00 620.90MAHLOG 513.30 515.00 512.55 514.75SIS 764.65 765.00 755.10 763.15RATNAMANI 878.40 915.95 878.40 915.00

NIFTY 50

SCRIP OPEN HIgh LOW LTP CHANGENIFTY 50 10777.55 10896.95 10777.55 10886.80 149.20WIPRO 319.00 332.30 315.05 329.70 17.15YESBANK 196.60 205.00 196.10 203.30 7.95TECHM 682.95 710.80 682.05 706.00 26.15INFY 707.20 730.00 707.20 728.30 26.40RELIANCE 1105.00 1132.00 1105.00 1130.95 34.15VEDL 193.85 199.80 193.35 198.80 5.75TCS 1810.00 1869.35 1808.00 1866.00 52.75HINDPETRO 234.90 242.95 234.30 240.75 6.80ADANIPORTS 375.00 386.00 375.00 385.00 10.55JSWSTEEL 285.00 293.00 282.30 291.50 7.60IBULHSGFIN 795.00 811.80 792.10 808.00 17.05BAJFINANCE 2551.00 2613.00 2551.00 2599.35 54.55BPCL 336.90 343.35 336.20 341.85 6.90BAJAJFINSV 6385.00 6524.00 6380.00 6493.00 124.20BHARTIARTL 330.00 339.35 326.50 338.00 6.40ZEEL 452.40 463.20 450.00 456.55 8.45IOC 132.60 134.75 132.55 134.45 2.15ASIANPAINT 1388.60 1414.45 1388.60 1407.95 19.35TATAMOTORS 183.30 185.80 181.25 184.90 2.50ONGC 144.70 145.50 144.05 145.40 1.95HINDUNILVR 1767.40 1793.40 1767.40 1786.55 22.65ULTRACEMCO 3792.00 3845.00 3771.05 3823.60 47.00HCLTECH 929.00 955.90 929.00 948.00 10.80HEROMOTOCO 2879.70 2918.35 2867.35 2900.00 33.00HINDALCO 207.35 209.00 205.65 208.50 2.35TITAN 956.00 970.70 955.10 967.65 10.15HDFC 1975.20 1996.00 1964.00 1988.40 19.20BAJAJ-AUTO 2705.00 2734.80 2705.00 2725.00 25.85GRASIM 815.90 821.85 802.70 820.80 7.10DRREDDY 2585.00 2604.00 2581.35 2601.00 22.20INDUSINDBK 1491.00 1504.40 1486.00 1496.70 12.65COALINDIA 231.50 233.60 231.05 232.70 1.80TATASTEEL 473.00 476.50 469.00 474.35 3.50HDFCBANK 2105.05 2126.50 2102.00 2117.00 15.35EICHERMOT 20540.00 20670.00 20480.00 20626.00 145.60LT 1340.00 1348.00 1330.00 1342.90 9.00UPL 772.60 782.10 771.95 775.45 5.05CIPLA 514.50 515.35 509.50 515.00 3.05ITC 295.25 297.40 294.00 295.95 1.65NTPC 146.00 146.45 144.15 146.30 0.75SBIN 302.00 303.60 301.10 301.65 1.25KOTAKBANK 1217.00 1220.00 1210.30 1216.00 4.25M&M 727.50 730.00 723.35 726.75 2.20SUNPHARMA 453.25 454.50 449.50 452.00 1.15AXISBANK 661.30 664.25 655.05 660.50 1.30GAIL 323.00 326.95 322.05 325.40 0.50INFRATEL 280.15 283.75 277.65 280.00 -0.10ICICIBANK 373.55 375.40 370.60 373.00 -0.35POWERGRID 199.00 199.00 190.40 192.30 -0.20MARUTI 7430.00 7470.00 7317.00 7349.00 -59.70

SE 500B

NIFTY NEXT 50

SCRIP OPEN HIgh LOW LTP CHANGENIFTY NEXT 50 27603.25 27744.15 27574.25 27712.60 197.75L&TFH 137.00 142.00 136.75 141.90 5.65PEL 2284.00 2350.00 2276.65 2341.00 65.25DLF 182.50 187.20 182.00 185.85 4.70BRITANNIA 3120.15 3199.90 3095.00 3186.00 72.35PIDILITIND 1139.90 1178.75 1135.70 1160.00 25.35AUROPHARMA 774.00 788.95 771.10 786.55 16.35NIACL 180.50 187.30 178.80 183.80 3.75BANDHANBNK 444.15 455.30 444.15 452.00 8.80LUPIN 836.50 853.00 833.05 850.50 15.75LICHSGFIN 481.10 488.40 477.30 487.50 8.35ACC 1465.00 1498.40 1465.00 1483.05 23.45NHPC 25.40 25.80 25.35 25.80 0.40NMDC 94.00 94.00 92.10 93.55 1.45OFSS 3606.05 3684.70 3604.10 3675.65 53.90SHREECEM 15500.00 15878.00 15460.15 15725.05 228.50COLPAL 1302.10 1335.00 1302.10 1323.35 17.60SRTRANSFIN 1171.00 1192.50 1165.45 1183.35 14.30MCDOWELL-N 600.80 607.50 596.90 604.10 7.25IDEA 35.95 36.45 35.65 36.35 0.40ICICIGI 879.00 879.00 868.00 871.50 9.15SIEMENS 1062.50 1072.45 1057.00 1064.40 10.30BHEL 68.10 68.80 67.80 68.45 0.65OIL 175.50 176.00 172.80 174.85 1.60AMBUJACEM 215.45 217.50 214.85 216.60 1.75SAIL 50.75 51.50 50.55 50.95 0.40ABCAPITAL 96.45 97.50 96.20 96.75 0.65GODREJCP 783.00 784.55 775.85 782.00 4.80ICICIPRULI 347.30 358.50 343.80 352.60 2.10HINDZINC 272.55 273.95 270.20 272.95 1.55BIOCON 650.10 651.45 643.05 648.90 3.40SBILIFE 624.00 631.15 620.00 622.50 2.40INDIGO 1077.00 1091.00 1061.55 1085.70 4.05BANKBARODA 121.30 122.15 120.75 121.30 0.35ASHOKLEY 93.50 94.45 93.25 93.75 0.25MARICO 383.10 385.10 379.70 382.80 0.70CADILAHC 355.10 357.85 352.90 353.90 0.20SUNTV 568.00 581.25 568.00 579.35 0.35BOSCHLTD 19165.00 19290.00 19042.75 19125.00 8.90CONCOR 686.00 686.00 677.20 682.00 -0.30PGHH 9920.40 10010.00 9875.10 9960.00 -39.30GICRE 259.95 260.00 256.90 256.90 -1.25MRF 66650.00 66989.95 66077.00 66188.00 -465.05DMART 1385.00 1415.00 1372.00 1386.80 -10.60PETRONET 220.00 220.10 214.20 215.00 -1.95HAVELLS 691.25 693.50 678.35 682.10 -6.45MOTHERSUMI 161.90 161.90 157.60 160.20 -1.55BEL 92.00 92.15 89.75 90.25 -1.35HDFCLIFE 392.10 393.70 385.10 385.10 -6.95ABB 1310.00 1326.70 1272.50 1284.00 -23.35DABUR 434.90 438.00 424.00 424.95 -8.55

world 13LUCKNOW | WEDNESDAY | JANUARY 16, 2019

PTI n WASHINGTON

Raj Shah, the first Indian-American to hold a top

White House Press Office post,has quit to join an arm of aprominent communicationsand lobbying firm, becomingthe latest of several senior offi-cials to leave the Trump admin-istration in recent months.

Shah, 34, White Housedeputy spokesman and a for-mer researcher at theRepublican NationalCommittee, was in the admin-istration since President Trumptook office in January 2017.“I’m excited to join Brian,Jamie and the top-notch teamto launch Ballard Media Group.Our team, with years of provenresults, will provide the strate-

gic communications clientsneed to navigate these chal-lenges and successfully delivertheir message to the right audi-ence,” Shah said in his state-ment. His portfolio recentlyincluded helping prepareJustice Brett M Kavanaugh forhis Senate confirmation hear-ings to the Supreme Court.Shah will lead the MediaGroup, the press wing ofBallard Partners, a lobbyingfirm with offices in Florida andWashington, The New YorkTimes reported. He will workwith Jamie Rubin, a Democratwho was a spokesman forMadeleine Albright, the formersecretary of state, the reportsaid, quoting the officials.Shah’s departure comes as theWhite House press and com-

munications teams have beendepleted. Several aides havemoved on to roles at govern-ment agencies or have left theTrump administration entire-ly. Born in 1984 to Indian par-ents of Gujarati origin, Shah’sparents moved to Chicago in1970s and then moved toConnecticut where he wasborn and raised. He joined theWhite House right from theday the Trump administrationtook charge. He was made theDeputy CommunicationsDirector at the White House.Previously, he was director ofOpposition Research in theRepublican NationalCommittee. Shah is the latest in a number of top offi-cials to leave the Trump administration.

PTI n UNITED NATIONS

India’s creative goods exportsnearly tripled from USD 7.4

billion in 2005 to USD 20.2billion in 2014, making it oneof the world’s leadingexporters of such products inthe top 10 developingeconomies, according to a UNreport. China is the biggestsingle exporter and importerof creative goods and ser-vices. China’s trade in creativegoods between 2002 and 2015has been exponential, withaverage annual growth rates of14 per cent, the UnitedNations Conference on Tradeand Development (UNCTAD)report said.

The second edition of theperiodic Creative EconomyOutlook: Trends inInternational Trade in CreativeIndustries examines the glob-al picture and also features 130country profiles with report-ed creative goods and servicestrade data. The data, whichcovers the period 2002 to2015, shows the creative econ-omy’s contribution to worldtrade. Over this period, thevalue of the global market forcreative goods doubled fromUSD 208 billion in 2002 toUSD 509 billion in 2015.“China, Hong Kong (China),India, Singapore, Taiwan

Province of China, Turkey,Thailand, Malaysia, Mexicoand the Philippines were thetop 10 performing developingeconomies stimulating globaltrade in creative goods,” thereport said. Among devel-oped economies, the US,France, Italy, the UK,Germany, Switzerland, theNetherlands, Poland, Belgiumand Japan were the top 10 cre-ative goods exporters. India’screative goods exports nearlytripled from USD 7.4 billion in2005 to USD 20.2 billion in2014, the report said.

Design goods accountedfor the largest share of creativegoods exports with a value ofUSD 17.9 billion in 2014.Jewellery was a key export atUSD 13.2 billion followed byfashion accessories at USD3.2 billion. The US was India’stop export partner for creativegoods in 2005 but the countryslipped to second place in2014, when the UAE emergedas India’s top trading partner,it said. The report noted thatIndia’s fashion industry is like-ly to continue its growth as thecountry has a large youngpopulation. Art crafts (carpetand yarn products) was anoth-er dynamic sector with exportsat USD 1.5 billion in 2014.India had a positive trade bal-ance in creative goods trade,

which stood at USD 15.4 bil-lion in 2014. In 2014, themain destination markets forIndia’s creative goods exportswere Asia (58 per cent), theAmericas (20 per cent) andEurope (19 per cent). Thereport said India had becomethe centre for outsourcingwork such as game develop-ment, game support services.In the coming years, the coun-try is expected to become thehub for development, portingand dubbing of various gamesacross the globe, due to lowcosts and the easy availabilityof game developers withworld-class experience, it said.

“With the country’s youthpopulation standing at over350 million, India is one of thelargest markets for compa-nies operating in the globalgaming industry,” the reportsaid. Highlighting other cre-ative aspects emerging fromthe country, the report alsosaid that India makes moremovies than any other coun-try in the world. “Fourteenmillion Indians go to themovies on a daily basis (about1.4 per cent of the populationof 1 billion) and pay the equiv-alent to the average day’s wages(US USD 1-3) to see a film, ofwhich Bollywood producesover 800 films each year. Thatis more than double the num-

ber of feature films producedin the US,” the report said.Indian gastronomy is alsoundergoing rapid growth.Food service sales in the coun-try are growing at about 10 percent annually, making it one ofthe fastest growing sellers inthe world.

This growth is double therate expected for the muchmore mature US’ restaurantindustry, and with a popula-tion quadruple the size, itsaid. “These figures are sig-nificant on two fronts. Thecreative economy has bothcommercial and cultural

worth. This dual value has ledgovernments worldwide tofocus on expanding anddeveloping their creativeeconomies as part of eco-nomic diversification strate-gies and efforts to stimulateprosperity and well-being,”said Pamela Coke-Hamilton,who directs UNCTAD’s tradedivision. The report said thatglobally design and visualarts are among the highestperforming sectors with fash-ion, interior design and jew-ellery accounting for 54 percent of creative goods exportsin developed economies and

70 per cent (including toys) indeveloping economies.

“Although the downturnin global trade has impactedall industries, the reportshows the creative economy ismore resilient than most,”said Marisa Henderson, chiefof UNCTAD’s creative econ-omy programme. The reportsaid that the Indian animationand visual effects industry(VFX) grew at 16.4 per centin 2016 to reach a size of USD8.2 billion.

The State governmentsare implementing favourablepolicies and Maharashtra,Karnataka, Telangana haveannounced, or are comingup with, policies in support ofthe of the animation and VFXindustry, it said. “These wouldenable the Indian animationand VFX industry to effec-tively compete with estab-lished markets such as the US,Canada and emerging centresin Republic of Korea, France,China and Malaysia,” thereport said, citing a KPMGIndia-FICCI Indian Mediaand Entertainment IndustryReport 2017. It said that visu-al effects are indispensableparts of filmmaking and theIndian film industry is thelargest in the world in termsof number of f i lms produced.

PTI n WASHINGTON

President Donald Trump hasattributed the partial gov-

ernment shutdown, which isnow into its 24th day, to theopposition Democrats whohave blocked his proposal ofUSD 5.7 billion inCongressional funding to builda wall along the US-Mexicoborder. He also said that he will“never ever back down” whenits comes to keeping theAmerican people safe.

The partial governmentshutdown, which is the longestever, has left more than800,000 federal governmentworkers out of work across thekey departments. “The gov-ernment remains shut downfor one reason and one reasononly, the Democrats will notfund border security, our safe-

ty, our national security,”Trump said on Monday whileaddressing to a rally of farm-ers in Louisiana.

Referring to his visit to theMexico border last week,Trump said illegal aliens notonly from Mexico, but alsofrom other nations enter thecountry from the southernborder. “People come frommany countries. When I was atthe wall the other day, BorderPatrol said they have 150 peo-ple they caught that day whoweren’t from Mexico. I saidthat’s a strange statement,” hesaid. “They said no, these arethe people that weren’t fromMexico and I was surprised.Three were from Pakistan,four from another Mideast,two Mideast countries andmany were from other coun-tries including China, coun-

tries all over the world. “150 of the people, as he

said, were not from Mexico.Now they caught, many, manymore but that’s 150 peoplecoming from countries thatyou wouldn’t believe,” Trumpsaid. He said the Democratswill not approve the measureshe needs to keep America safe.“We can’t do that. We can’t dothat because this is of para-mount importance to ourcountry and again, I could takeit nice and easy. I could enjoymyself. I could relax. I havebeen in the White Housebecause I think it’s very impor-tant to be there,” he said. Healleged that the Democratleaders went on a nice wonderful vacation over theweekend.

“They had a great time butI would have loved to have

been with them. I didn’t likethe look of it. I would haveloved to have been with thembut we have a very big prob-lem. This should have beendone by other presidents justlike the moving of the embassyto Jerusalem should have beendone. It was promised by manyother presidents,” the USPresident said.

Trump insisted that the USneeded a wall all around, all thelength of the border. “We havegot to stop the drug packersbringing drugs to poison ourpeople,” he said, arguing thatwalls, as being said by HouseSpeaker Nancy Pelosi, are notimmoral. “I’ve travelled aroundthe world and the biggest wallI have ever seen is around theVatican. Now you can’t tell methat the wonderful priests andofficials of the Roman Catholic

church including the Pope areimmoral. They have a wall.Why can’t we?” he said.

Asserting that the defenseof the nation is his highest andmost important duty, Trumpsaid when it comes to keepingthe American people safe, hewill never ever back down. “Ididn’t need this fight. This is areal fight. We are dealingagainst people who think ifthey can stop me from build-ing the wall again, we’vealready done a lot of work butthey think that’s a good thingfor 2020 because they’re notgoing to win. “They think ifthey can’t stop me from build-ing the wall that’s good. This isthe reason why they don’twant the wall built becausethey all know it works, they allapproved it numerous times,”he said.

AFP n KABUL

The Taliban on Tuesdayclaimed responsibility for a

powerful truck bomb in Kabulthat ripped through surround-ing neighbourhoods, killing atleast four people including anIndian national, and woundingmore than 100 in the latestassault on the Afghan capital.In a grim message, the militantsalso vowed to carry out moreattacks in the city in directresponse to the recent appoint-ment of former spymaster andanti-Taliban veteran AmrullahSaleh as interior minister.

Monday evening’s explo-sion near the heavily fortifiedGreen Village foreign com-pound shook Kabul and comesas diplomats ramp up efforts toend the 17-year war inAfghanistan, which by someestimates was the world’s dead-liest conflict in 2018. The forceof the blast was felt across thesprawling city, initially causingconfusion about the exact loca-tion of the attack. It shatteredthe windows of surroundinghouses and shops.

Taliban spokesmanZabiullah Mujahid told jour-nalists on WhatsApp that fourattackers blew up an explosives-packed truck before enteringGreen Village and “killingmany” foreigners. Four people,including three guards andone civilian, have been con-firmed dead and 113 wounded,the health ministry said. AnIndian national was amongthose killed, India’s foreignministry said in a statement.Kabul police spokesman BasirMujahid told AFP that most ofthe victims were Afghan civil-ians. “Seven or eight peoplehave been injured in everyhouse around here includingmyself,” said residentMohammad Aref. “When Icame out, the street was full ofbodies of the dead and injured.”Until recently some UN staffhad lived and worked at GreenVillage, which is heavily pro-tected by cement blast walls.

But interior ministryspokesman Najib Danish saidearlier the compound was nowlargely empty and “only a num-ber of guards” were left. Amuch bigger UN compoundalong with Afghanistan’s cus-toms office and headquartersfor the Independent ElectionCommission are also nearby. Itis the second Taliban-claimedattack on a foreign compoundin Kabul in recent months.

In late November a vehiclebomb exploded outside thecompound of British securityfirm G4S, killing at least 10people. Five G4S employeeswere among the dead. That wasfollowed by a suicide and gunattack on a government com-pound in Kabul on December24 that killed at least 43 people,making it one of the deadliestassaults on the city last year.

The latest bombing comesas US peace envoy ZalmayKhalilzad visits the region forfurther meetings aimed atbringing an end to the war inAfghanistan. Khalilzad, whomet Taliban representativeslast month in Abu Dhabi, is

travelling to Afghanistan aswell as China, India andPakistan on the trip lastingthrough January 21.

Afghan officials suggestedthe latest attack appeared to bean attempt to derail the bur-geoning peace process, vowingthe bombing would not gounanswered. “As we are tryingto reach a regional consensuson peace, the enemy is tryingto sabotage it,” said NationalSecurity Advisor HamdullahMohib on social media.

“I strongly condemn thisattack and promise I will seri-ously investigate and avenge it,”he added. Last month’s leakingof US President DonaldTrump’s plan to slash troopnumbers in Afghanistan, how-ever, has threatened to derailthe efforts and alarmed manyAfghans who fear a return tooppressive Taliban rule.Diplomats in Kabul have longsaid any negotiations with themilitants would likely happenas fighting continued on thebattlefield — cold comfort forAfghan civilians who have longborne the brunt of the war.

Taliban claim Kabul truckbomb, warn more to follow

Villagers stand near a destroyed house after an attack in Kabul on Tuesday AP

Raj Shah quits Trump administration

PTI n WASHINGTON

Donald Trump has sent aletter to Kim Jong-un, a

media report said on Tuesday,days after the US Presidentsaid he received a “great letter”from the reclusive NorthKorean leader, amid talksabout a second summitbetween them on denucleari-sation of the KoreanPeninsula.

Kim and Trump held ahistoric meeting in Singaporeon June 12 last year where theyissued a vague goal for the“complete denuclearisation”of the Korean Peninsula with-out describing when and howit would occur. The letterdelivered over the weekendcomes after President Trumpsaid early this month that hehad received a “great letter”from Kim and was lookingforward to meet the NorthKorean leader for a secondtime in the “not-too-distantfuture”. The letter comes as thetwo sides negotiate details ofa second meeting between thetwo leaders. It was flown toPyongyang and delivered byhand, the CNN reported,quoting a source familiar withthe ongoing talks betweenWashington and Pyongyangon denuclearisation of theKorean Peninsula. NorthKorea’s former spy chief KimYong Chol - one ofPyongyang’s top negotiators -could visit Washington as soonas this week to finalise detailsof the upcoming summit, itsaid. The CNN previouslyreported that US scoutingteams had visited Bangkok,Hanoi and Hawaii as theysearch for a location for thesecond summit. Last week,South Korean President MoonJae-in threw his supportbehind another Trump-Kimmeeting, saying it - along witha visit by Kim to Seoul -would be a turning point “thatwill firmly solidify peace onthe Korean Peninsula”, thereport said.

Trump sendsletter to Kim Jong-un, says report

WHITE HOUSE DEPUTY

SPOKESMAN AND A

FORMER RESEARCHER AT

REPUBLICAN NATIONAL

COMMITTEE, SHAH WAS IN

ADMINISTRATION SINCE

PRESIDENT TRUMP TOOK

OFFICE IN JANUARY 2017

Govt shutdown because of Democrats: Trump

President Donald Trump, joined by Clemson President James Clements, right, welcomes the 2018 college football playoffNational Champion Clemson Tigers to the White House in Washington on Monday AP

Abu Dhabi (AFP): SaudiEnergy Minister Khalid al-Falihsaid on Tuesday he was “veryoptimistic” about the outlook forthe oil market after producerscut output to support flaggingprices. Members of the OPECcartel and allies including Russiadecided last month to reduceoutput by 1.2 million barrels perday (bpd) after prices fell bymore than 40 percent in just afew weeks in late 2018.

The price of benchmarkBrent crude, which brieflydipped below $50 a barrel inNovember, rebounded partiallyto above $60 a barrel followingthe production cuts which tookeffect on January 1. The markethas remained volatile with pricesfluctuating sharply even afterOPEC kingpin Saudi Arabiaannounced last week it willgradually cut output by 800,000bpd in January and a further100,000 bpd next month.

“I am confident that theimpact of the decision we tookto cut output by 1.2 million bpd... will be very strong,” Falih toldreporters on the sidelines of theAbu Dhabi Sustainability Weekconference. “But there is alwaysa lagtime between the (decisionto) cut production and theimpact reaching the market,” hesaid. Falih said he is confident

that “within the next few weeks”the market conditions willreturn to normal and confidencewill be restored. “I am very opti-mistic,” Falih said. The Saudiminister also downplayed theimpact of an expected globaleconomic slowdown on the oilmarket. “I am not ruling out acyclical recession. I think we allknow that these things are a factof life,” especially after a longexpansionary period, Falih said.“I just don’t see it as a majorshock to the global economy.Certainly, I don’t see a bigspillover into the oil market,” hesaid. Oil prices crashed in mid-2014 to below $30 a barrel, downfrom over $100 a barrel, becauseof a glut in supplies and weak-ening world demand.

That prompted theOrganization of PetroleumExporting Countries to cooper-ate with non-OPEC producers,mainly Russia, to trim output by1.8 million bpd from the start of2017. After they abandoned theproduction cuts policy in mid-2018, oil prices dropped again.But Falih said that the so-calledOPEC+ group, which pumps 52million bpd or 52 per cent ofglobal output, is capable ofrebalancing the market whichhas a surplus of around 300,000to 400,000 bpd.

Saudi min optimisticabout oil market

‘India among world’s leading exporters of creative goods’

Terrorists attack upscale hotel

complex in Nairobi

AP n NAIROBI

Terrorists attacked anupscale hotel complex inKenya’s capital Tuesday,

sending people fleeing in panicas explosions and heavy gun-fire reverberated through theneighbourhood. A witnessreported seeing at least twobodies.

Al-Shabab — the Somalia-based extremist group thatcarried out the 2013 WestgateMall attack in Nairobi that left67 people dead — claimedresponsibility for the assaultand said its members werestill fighting inside.

Several vehicles burned.People were rushed, some car-ried, from the scene. At leastone was on a stretcher. Someducked behind cars, screaming.Others appeared to take coverbehind fountains and otherfeatures in the lush outdoorcomplex.

The complex in Nairobi’sWestlands neighborhoodincludes a large hotel known asDusitD2, along with banksand offices.

“It is terrible. What I have

seen is terrible. I have seen ahuman as I ran out and thereis what looks like minced meatall over,” said one man who saidhe ran from the scene, CharlesNjenga.

Another man, who did notgive his name, said he hid in anoffice.

“I have been hiding. Mycolleagues were running every-where,” he said, breathing heav-ily.

Another witness, Robert

Murire, said he saw at least twobodies at the scene, along withattackers wearing green andwrapped in ammunition.

It was not clear how manyattackers took part.

Gunfire continued severalminutes after the first reportsas ambulances, security forcesand firefighters rushed to thescene. Black smoke rose fromthe complex. A bomb dispos-al unit arrived, and vehicleswere cordoned off for fear they

contained explosives.Police said they detonated

a car that had explosives inside.An unexploded grenade wasalso seen in a hallway at thecomplex. What appeared to beplainclothes security forcesinched their way toward thescene, guns in hand.

“We have sent officers tothe scene, including from theanti-terrorism unit, but so farwe have no more informa-tion,” police spokesmanCharles Owino said.

A large group of womenwere hurried out by securityforces, one woman still incurlers. Dozens of others werehurried away as plainclothesofficers went shop to shop inthe complex. Some people heldup their hands to show theywere unarmed. Al-Shabab hasvowed retribution againstKenya for sending troops toSomalia since 2011. The al-Qaida-linked group has killedhundreds of people in Kenya,which has been targeted morethan any other of the six coun-tries providing troops to anAfrican Union force inSomalia.

Civilians flee the scene at a hotel complex in Nairobi on Tuesday AP

LUCKNOW | WEDNESDAY | JANUARY 16, 2019 sport 14

AP n MANCHESTER

Manchester City manager PepGuardiola is keeping a closeeye on Gabriel Jesus now the

young striker's family are no longerwith him in England.

Maintaining his hot streak infront of goal should keep theBrazilian's spirits high.

The 21-year-old Jesus scoredtwice in City's 3-0 win over 10-manWolverhampton Wanderers in thePremier League on Monday, extend-ing his spree to seven goals acrossthree different competitions in thepast nine days.

Whether he can retain City's solestriker spot ahead of club greatSergio Aguero, who started on thebench after a recent illness, remainsto be seen but Jesus cannot be doingany more to impress his manager, PepGuardiola.

"I know Sergio Aguero is anamazing player and helps me a lot,"Jesus said. "When Sergio plays hehelps the team, and when I play Iwant to help as well.

"I play better now and to scoregoals is important to me."

And having two in-form strikerscan only boost City's chances of reel-ing in Liverpool in the PremierLeague title race. Liverpool's lead wastrimmed to four points by City's winover Wolves, for whom the matchwas a damage-limitation exercisefrom the moment center back WillyBoly was handed a straight red cardfor a dangerous tackle on BernardoSilva in the 19th minute. By then,Jesus had tapped in a left-wing crossfrom Leroy Sane, who was found bya searching ball forward from cen-ter back Aymeric Laporte, to put Cityin front in the 10th minute.

Jesus added his second goalfrom the penalty spot in the 39thafter Raheem Sterling was fouled byRyan Bennett.

City piled on the pressure in thesecond half — it finished the gamewith 76 percent possession — buthad only one more goal to show forit, with Conor Coady glancing aheader into his own net from sub-stitute Kevin De Bruyne's cross.

Since losing back-to-back leaguegames around the Christmas holidayto drop out of the lead and, at one

point, be seven points behindLiverpool, City has been in relentlessform — winning five straight match-es in all competitions and scoring 24goals in the process. Among themwas a 9-0 win over third-tier Burtonin the English League Cup, whenJesus scored four times. Guardiolaspoke ahead of the game about theclub needing to rally around thestriker because he might start to findlife difficult after his mother, twoolder brothers and nephew returnedto Brazil following an extended stay

in Manchester to help Jesus accli-matize.

And teammates Sane andSterling could not have handed himeasier opportunities to continue hisscoring run.

Wolves were potentially trickyopponents for City, given theirstrong record against the top six inthe league. Nuno Espirito Santo'steam drew against City at home inAugust and recently beat Tottenham.

Boly's straight red card put paidto any chance of an upset at Etihad

Stadium and Wolves failed to havea shot on target. And neither Bolynor Espirito Santo had any com-plaints about the decision, with thedefender having got the ball in achallenge with Silva only to catchhim with the follow-through.

"The game 11 vs. 11 was thesame as 11 vs. 10," Guardiola said.

It was the 16th time this seasonthat City has scored three or moregoals. This latest victory moved thechampion five points clear of third-placed Tottenham, which lost at

home to Manchester United onSunday.

Liverpool will also be wary ofCity's improved form.

"All we can do is win our owngames," Guardiola said. "We spokemany times in the last hours aboutthis to our players. We cannot con-trol what they do. We can controlwhat we do. The only way to do thatis by being there. Maybe one day theyfail and we try to be there.

"But you can be sure if we don'twin, they will be champions."

AFP n LONDON

Tottenham captain Hugo Lloris admitshis side are now looking over their

shoulders at the teams chasing them in therace for the Premier League top four.

Spurs have been considered title chal-lengers after a superb run but two defeatsin three games — the latest to ManchesterUnited on Sunday -- have seriously dent-ed their chances of overhauling Liverpoolor Manchester City.

They are just a point ahead of fourth-placed Chelsea while defeat by Unitedmeans they are only seven points better offthan Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side andArsenal.

Despite Spurs being touted as possiblechampions a few weeks ago, the Francegoalkeeper says qualifying for theChampions League next season is themain goal.

"We are still involved in four competi-tions but the main thing is to finish in thetop four," he said. "We have said that fromthe beginning and we have not changed ourmind.

"Of course, everyone is talking aboutthe teams in front of u, but it is importantto keep an eye on the teams behindbecause in football things can change veryquickly." After Sunday's visit to Fulham,Spurs take on Chelsea in the League Cupsecond leg, holding a slender 1-0 advantage,before an FA Cup trip to Crystal Palace.

Tottenham then host BorussiaDortmund in the Champions League last-16 first leg on February 13.

How much of that crucial period willbe played without Harry Kane remains tobe seen as Spurs are waiting to find out thefull extent of the striker's ankle injury.

Kane was hurt in the 1-0 loss toUnited and boss Mauricio Pochettinoadmitted he is worried about the extent ofthe problem but Lloris said Spurs are nota one-man team.

"We all know how important Harry isin our team but he is not all of our team,"he said. "Football is about the team andevery player is ready to help the team.

"In football during the season you haveups and downs and you have to alwaysadapt to those and we will see about 'H'."

AFP n DUBAI

One of football's great rival-ries takes centre-stage at the

Asian Cup on Wednesday whenIran play Iraq still smartingfrom their controversial exitfour years ago.

Iran played most of theclassic 2015 quarter-final with 10men after Mehrdad Pooladi'shotly disputed first-half dis-missal but when it ended 3-3after extra-time, Iraq edged thepenalty shoot-out.

Iran's protest that Iraq yield-ed an ineligible player was dis-missed as Carlos Queiroz'sthree-time winners were sentpacking from the tournament inAustralia.

Four years on from theirclash in Canberra, Iran forwardSaman Ghoddos said memorieswere still fresh as Team Mellitake on Iraq in their final gameof Group D.

"Iraq are tough opponentsand I think that this will be arevenge match for us," said

Ghoddos, according to Iran'sVarzesh3 website.

"I've been waiting for thismatch ever since the last AsianCup. We will win this match forthe people."

Football is one of theremaining points of contentionbetween the Middle East neigh-bours, who fought a bloody warin the 1980s in which hundredsof thousands of people died.

Relations between the two

countries have warmed since theremoval of long-serving Iraqidictator Saddam Hussein in2003, but games between thetwo are not for the faint-heart-ed.

‘POLITICAL CHARACTER' Iran, the three-time Asian

Cup winners, lead Iraq on goaldifference at the top of Group D,with both teams already quali-fied for the next round.

Former Real Madrid andPortugal coach Queiroz, linkedwith a move to the Colombianational team after the AsianCup, said his prime concern wasmaintaining Iran's perfect start.

"In football, the most impor-tant match is always the next oneand every match is like a final forus in the tournament," Queirozsaid.

Iraq, meanwhile, came frombehind to beat Vietnam 3-2, andthen defeated Yemen 3-0. FacingAsia's highest-ranked team willbe a different challenge entire-ly, however.

The build-up to the gamehas been closely followed in bothcountries, with former Iraqiplayer Imad Mohammad tellingAFP that Iraqi media had playedup its "political character".

"Iraq's audience is looking atthis match with a special lensthat distinguishes it from allother matches that it played sofar or that it will play in the AsiaCup," said Iraqi journalist GhaziShaea.

PTI n DUBAI

The International Cricket CouncilTuesday appointed media pro-

fessional Manu Sawhney as its newchief executive officer, replacingincumbent David Richardson,who will step down after the WorldCup.

Richardson's contract expires atthe end of this summer's ODI WorldCup in England.

Sawhney, the former CEO ofSingapore Sports Hub and ManagingDirector of ESPN Star Sports, will jointhe organisation next month beforeformally taking over the reins fromRichardson in July, the ICC said in astatement.

The appointment was ratified bythe ICC Board following a globalsearch and appointment process ledby the apex body's chairmanShashank Manohar and theNominations Committee.

Manohar said: "He brings 22years of outstanding commercialexperience to the ICC and will leadthe delivery of our new globalgrowth strategy for the game...Manu stood out as the man to workwith our Members and take cricketforward."

Sawhney, was with ESPNStar Sports for 17 years and, duringhis tenure as Managing Directorwas responsible for scaling thebusiness and doubling annual rev-enues.

"He has proven success in anumber of leadership roles in bothsport and broadcasting.

He is a strategic thinker andunderstands the cricket landscape andits complexities. The decision of theNominations Committee to recom-mend Manu to the Board was a unan-imous one..."

Additionally, Sawhney led theglobal broadcast partnership dealwith the ICC that ran from 2007-2015.He is also a non-executive director andmember of the Audit Committee ofManchester United Ltd.

He said: "It is a great privilege andresponsibility to serve the globalcricket community as CEO of theICC."

Sawhney will work alongside out-going CEO Richardson to ensure asmooth transition of leadership beforeassuming control in July.

Jesus’s brace helps The Citizens to secure fourth consecutive win of the year

Manchester City beat Wolves 3-0

Iran to face Iraq in Asian Cup

Tottenham Hotspur players celebrate after scoring a goalagainst Manchester United in Premier League AP

Spurs looking over their shouldersat top-four challengers, says Lloris

Manu Sawhneyappointed new ICC's ICO

LUCKNOW: In-from Rinku Singhcracked an quickfire century to help UttarPradesh post 340 for seven in their firstinnings on the opening day of their RanjiTrophy quarterfinal match againstSaurashtra at Bharat Ratna Atal BihariVajpayee Ekana International Stadiumon Tuesday.

Rinku made 150 off just 181 balls withthe help of 19 boundaries to take UttarPradesh out of trouble after the hosts werereduced to 54 for 4.

This was Rinku’s fourth century of thisRanji season. While talking to the medi-apersons after the end of first day, Rinkusaid that he played a wrong shot to get outotherwise he would have crossed 1000 runmark in this Ranji season.

Rinku stitched two crucial partner-ships — 145 runs for the fifth wicket withPriyam Garg (49) and 85 runs withUmesh Yadav for the sixth wicket — tokeep Uttar Pradesh afloat.

Besides Rinku and Priyam, openerMadhav Kaushik (37), Saurabh Kumar (26not out) and Shivam Mavi (28 not out) alsomade useful contributions with the bat.

Left-arm orthodox bowlerDharmendrasinh Jadeja (3/111) was themost successful bowler for Saurashtra,while skipper Jaydev Unadkat (2/65) alsochipped in with two wickets.

Free from national duty, India’s mid-dle-order mainstay Cheteshwar Pujara isturning out for Saurashtra in the last-eightencounter.

BRIEF SCORES:Uttar Pradesh 1st innings: 340 for 7 in 90overs (Rinku Singh 150; DharmendrasinhJadeja 3/111).

KARNATAKA GRAB 1ST DAY HONOURSBENGALURU: Karnataka grabbed honours onthe opening day of their Ranji Trophy quar-terfinal, bowling out formidable Rajasthanfor 224 in their first innings at theChinnaswamy Stadium here onTuesday.

At stumps, Karnataka were 12 withoutloss in five overs with openers RavikumarSamarth and Dega Nischal batting onseven and five, respectively.

The day also saw a couple of bad deci-sions by the umpires. Robin Bist's legbefore dismissal came despite the ballclimbing up and Rajesh Bishnoi was luckyto survive off K Gowtham.

Sent into bat, none of the batsmen madeany significant contributions, except for skip-per Mahipal Lomror (50) and RajeshBishnoi (79) hitting fifties batting lowerdown the order.

All the bowlers were among the wick-ets, barring Ronit More. Gowtham andAbhimanyu Mithun bagged three wicketseach to emerge as highest wicket-takers.

KERALA REDUCE GUJARAT TO 97/4WAYANAD: Kerala hit back to reduce Gujaratto 97 for 4 after being bowled out for 185in 39.3 overs on the opening day of the RanjiTrophy quarterfinals here on Tuesday.

Gujarat won the toss and sent the host

into bat and struck at regular intervals to takecontrol. Opener Mohammed Azharudeen(17) was the first to go, bowled by RushKalaria.

After a 23-run partnership, Kerala lostthe wickets of P Rahul (26), SijomonJoseph and Sachin Baby at the score of52.

Medium-pacers Roosh Kalari (2 for 63)and C T Gaja (4 for 57) did most of the dam-age. Sandeep Warrier and Basil Thampiscalped two each to lead the Kerala fight-back.

Thampi struck a big blowwhen he dis-missed Parthiv for 43 as Gujarat trails by 88runs.

SUDHA-PANWAR COME TO RESCUENAGPUR: Middle-order batsman Avneesh Sudha hita patient 91 to guide Uttarakhand to a respectable293 for six against reigning champions Vidarbha onday one of their Ranji Trophy quarter-final here onTuesday.

Put in to bat at the Vidarbha CricketAssociation's Stadium in Jamtha, Uttarakhand losttheir skipper and opener Vineet Saxena (5) earlyafter he was cleaned up by medium pacer RajneeshGurbani.

The visitors were in a spot of bother as theylost two more wickets in quick succession. But thenSudha along with Vaibhav Singh Panwar (67 off 128balls) resurrected the visitors' innings and steadiedtheir ship.

The duo conjured a crucial 140-run stand forthe fourth wicket to bail the side out of trouble andfrustrate the Vidarbha bowlers.

Rinku's ton guides UP to 340/7 against Saurashtra

Rinku Singh celebrating his ton

Sardar, RP,

Syed Ali

named in

selection

committee

PTI n NEW DELHI

Former captain Sardar Singhhas been included in a 13-

member Hockey India selec-tion committee, to be headedby B P Govinda, a member ofthe 1975 World Cup winningteam.

Sardar, who wanted to con-tinue playing till the 2020Tokyo Olympics but was forcedto quit after a disappointingAsian Games campaign lastyear, confirmed the develop-ment.

"Yes, I was offered the roleand I accepted it. It is a newchallenge for me and I amalways eager to serve Indianhockey in any way I can,"Sardar told PTI on Tuesday.

The selection committeealso includes Harbinder Singh,Syed Ali, AB Subbaiah, RPSingh, Rajnish Mishra, JoydeepKaur, Surender Kaur, AsuntaLakra, High PerformanceDirector David John and chiefcoaches of the senior men's andwomen's teams.

Having been on the otherside of the pitch just a fewmonths back, Sardar very wellknows what it takes to build ateam and pointed out that anyday he would prefer experienceover youth.

"I have been player for thepast two decades and I knowwhat is important for a team.Youth can never replace expe-rience. What I feel is that anygood team is a balance ofyouth and experience. Look atBelgium," he said.

"As a selector my approachwould be the same. Iwould always vouch forexperience but at the sametime will like to see goodyoungsters in the team. Indianeed experienced players likePR Sreejesh, Rupinder PalSingh and SV Sunil to guidethe youngsters till the 2020Tokyo Olympics."

PTI n NEW DELHI

India's top women boxers, including six-time world champion M C Mary

Kom, are among 60 pugilists short-list-ed for the national camp, which began atthe IG Stadium here Tuesday.

The World Championships and the2020 Tokyo probable will also be short-listed from here.

The Boxing Federation of India(BFI) has also rewarded pugilists whowere among the medals and showedpromise at the recently-concluded thirdElite Women's National BoxingChampionships at Vijayanagar,Karnataka.

The campers also include the WorldYouth gold medallists, Nitu (48kg) andSakshi (57Kg) and 2017 bronze medal-list, Astha Pawa, (75kg) as they were ele-vated from youth division to senior campfor the first time.

The selected 60 comprise a mix ofyoung as well as experienced boxers. SKalaivani , Himani Pant , Rinki Sharma, Manju , Sohini , Monika and Lalita aresome of those who have been rewardedas BFI also looks at the future prospects.

The first tournament that the boxerswill be aiming after a month-long campis the Strandja Memorial Cup Boxing tobe held in Bulgaria from February 13 to28.

ALI QAMAR NAMED CHIEF COACHMohammed Ali Qamar, the man

who won India's first CommonwealthGames Gold medal in boxing, has takenover as chief coach for the country'swomen pugilists, becoming the youngestever to get the top job.

Ali Qamar, who turns 38 in a cou-ple of months' time, was appointed to theposition on Monday night, replacing vet-eran Shiv Singh. Ali Qamar has been anassistant coach in the national camp formore than a year.

In addition, the Arjuna awardee hashelmed the Railways Sports PromotionBoard's women's team for more thanthree years. "It has come as a bit of sur-prise to me, I got to know only last nightand I am thankful to the BoxingFederation of India for considering meworthy enough for the position," AliQamar, whose history-making CWGGold came in 2002 said.

LUCKNOW | WEDNESDAY | JANUARY 16, 2019 sport 15

PTI ■ ADELAIDE

MS Dhoni pulled off a tightfinish for India just like oldtimes to silence his critics

after captain Virat Kohli laid the foun-dation for a series-levelling six-wick-et win against Australia with his 39thODI hundred here on Tuesday.

Chase master Kohli could nottake his team to the finishing line thistime but Dhoni (55 off 54) andDinesh Karthik (25 off 14) rose to theoccasion with an unbeaten 57-runstand off 34 balls, taking India homewith four balls to spare. Australiascored 298-8 after opting to bat.

Man of the match Kohli was dis-missed in the 44th over after making104 off 112 balls with five fours andtwo sixes. Dhoni, who has beencoping a lot of criticism for his wan-ing finishing skills, turned back theclock and took India past the finishline with a final over six.

The third and final ODI will bein Melbourne on Friday.

India got off to a frantic start withShikhar Dhawan hitting five bound-aries in his 28-ball 32 runs. He put on47 runs for the opening wicket withRohit Sharma (43).

The latter had another strongouting, adding 54 runs with Kohli forthe second wicket as India crossed100 in the 18th over. But just whenthings were going smoothly, hemishit a pull off Marcus Stoinis (1-46) and was caught in the deep.

Ambati Rayudu (24) then cameto the crease, and while he added 59runs with Kohli for the third wicket,it was plain obvious that the numberfour batsman struggled for timing.

But it was Rayudu who triedattacking the bowling and perishedinstead, caught in the deep off GlennMaxwell (1-16) in the 31st over.

Dhoni then joined Kohli, and theduo put on 82 runs for the fourthwicket, with clever rotation of strikeas India crossed 200 in the 37th overto keep pace with the asking rate.

Kohli changed gears as he hit twoimmaculate sixes through pure tim-ing, and reached his hundred off 108balls. It was his sixth ODI hundredagainst Australia.

The turning point came in the44th over though, when Australiamasterminded Kohli's dismissal

through some clever field placementin the deep. He holed out to Maxwelloff Jhye Richardson (1-59).

Dhoni then took over and put onmatch-winning partnership withKarthik. In doing so, he turned backthe clocks to lead India to a tense fin-ish, and completed his second con-secutive half-century in as manymatches, 69th overall, off 53 balls.

The veteran's running betweenthe wickets, laced with two sixes asthe only boundaries, finished thingsoff in style for India.

The hosts were unchanged fromthe previous game, while Indiabrought in debutant MohammedSiraj in place of Khaleel Ahmed.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar (4-45) andMohammed Shami (3-58) exertedthemselves on proceedings with thenew ball, and didn't let the Australianopeners get away quickly.

Kumar bowled Aaron Finch (6)through the gate in the seventh over,in a near-similar replay of his dis-missal in the first ODI. At the otherend, Alex Carey (18) looked setonce again before getting out twoovers later, a top-edge off Shami'squick bouncer caught at midwicketas Shikhar Dhawan took a skier.

It brought Marsh and UsmanKhawaja (21) together, and they puton 56 runs off 65 balls. Their part-nership threatened to turn the gameaway, but Ravindra Jadeja affected abrilliant run-out in the 19th over todismiss Khawaja with a direct throwfrom backward point.

India were forced to bowlKuldeep Yadav (0-66) and Jadeja (1-49) earlier in the innings thanplanned, and even Shami came backfor a spell before the 25th over as thelack of a sixth bowling option start-ed to show.

Australia did them a favour bylosing wickets at regular intervals.Peter Handscomb (20) was stumpedoff Jadeja in the 28th over with MSDhoni affecting another quick dis-missal. But he had added 52 runs withMarsh for the fourth wicket carryingAustralia past 100 in the 22nd over.

Marsh reached his half-centuryoff 62 balls, and added 55 runs withMarcus Stoinis (29) for the fifth wick-et. Their partnership threatened tochange the pace of scoring but Shamistruck in the 37th over, an inside edge

caught behind, to dismiss Stoinis.Maxwell hit five fours and a six

as Australia accelerated after reach-ing 200 in the 39th over. Marsh,meanwhile, had reached his hundredoff 108 balls.

Siraj had a woeful day as hemissed out twice on Maxwell's wick-et as the hard-hitting batsman sur-vived on 26 and 41. First, DRS over-turned an lbw decision in the 44thover with the ball going down leg, andthen Rohit Sharma dropped a toughchance at extra cover in the 47th over.

Kumar returned to account forboth Maxwell and Marsh in the 48thover and it dented momentumtowards 300, as Australia lost a flur-ry of wickets.

PTI ■ ADELAIDE

India captain Virat Kohli calledit an "MS classic" after

Mahendra Singh Dhoni, withsixes that reminded of his hey-days, hammered home the pointthat the finisher in him is stillalive.

Dhoni slammed an unbeat-en 55 off 54 balls after Kohli laidthe foundation for India's series-levelling six-wicket victory overAustralia in the second ODI witha fluent century.

"There is no doubt that heshould be a part of this team.Tonight was MS classic. He cal-culates the game so well. He takesthe game till the end, when onlyhe knows what's going on in hismind, and he backs himself to hitthose big shots at the end," Kohlisaid at the post-match presenta-tion ceremony.

Kohli could not take histeam home this time but Dhoni

and Dinesh Karthik (25 off 14)rose to the occasion with anunbeaten 57-run stand, helpingIndia chase down a target of 299with four balls to spare.

"You look for little momentsto pump you up, get into thezone, and that's what I was try-ing to do. I tried to stay as awareas possible in recognising themoment to strike.

"I thought those 2-3 overswere the moment, to bring thegap between runs and ballsdown. When it comes off it looksgood. It was a really tough day.

"My pants are white with thesweat, the salts coming out. MSwas tired as well, fielding for 50overs and batting as well, it wastough."

Kohli praised seamerBhuvneshwar Kumar for hiscrucial blows at the death.

"We wanted to try andrestrict them in the end. Ithought they were going to get

away from us when Maxy(Glenn Maxwell) and Shaun(Marsh) were in. Getting them intwo balls was brilliant. I thought298 was par on that wicket, withthe start they had.

"Bhuvi was outstanding topull things back for us. VijayShankar is in the squad, he's anall-rounder, so that gives us anoption to play around with - butwe'll see how we go. But backing

five bowlers and seeing it comeoff is pleasing as a captain."

Australia rode Marsh's cen-tury to post a challenging targetafter winning the first ODI. ButIndia's batting might proved toogood for the home bowlers.

Skipper Aaron Finchacknowledged that.

"When you come up like abatting side against India, youknow you have to get wicketsregularly, and we ran into thatman Dhoni as well. Credit toIndia, they played well.

"What we've been workingtowards is some real solid per-formances through the middleovers. I'm responsible for thePowerplays, and I've not beencoming off. It's a matter of time,I think. "It's not easy whenyou're not getting runs, but cap-taincy is separate from person-al performance, and you have tobe consistent with your actions,"Finch said.

AP n MELBOURNE

Afocused Serena Williams sent an ominousAustralian Open warning with a 49-

minute first-round demolition Tuesday asworld number one Novak Djokovic destroyedhis opponent as he targets a record seventhtitle.

US Open champion Naomi Osaka alsostormed through, but world number oneSimona Halep was lucky to stay alive, need-ing to dig deep and claw back from a set downbefore beating Kaia Kanepi 6-7 (2/7), 6-4, 6-2.

American giant Williams is bidding tomatch Margaret Court's record of 24 GrandSlam crowns on her first return to MelbournePark since winning in 2017 while eight weekspregnant.

Now 37, she kept a low profile in the lead-up to the opening major of the year and cameout of the blocks flying against fellow mumTatjana Maria, pummelling her Germanopponent 6-0, 6-2.

Sporting a striking jade green jumpsuitand fine mesh stockings on Rod Laver Arena,the 16th seed wasted no time in getting outof the blistering Melbourne heat and said it wasgood to be back.

Bidding for an eighth Melbourne Parkcrown, few are betting against Williamsdespite her lowly seeding and she next facesCanadian Eugenie Bouchard who eased pastChina's Peng Shuai.

Williams played at the mixed teamsHopman Cup in Perth this month, but herappearance on Tuesday was her first outing ontour since a meltdown in losing the US Openfinal to Osaka in September.

Japan's Osaka, seeded four, wasted littletime in dispatching Poland's Magda Linette 6-4, 6-2 and will next play Tamara Zidansek ofSlovakia.

Like Williams, Djokovic is also gunningfor a slice of history as he looks to win a sev-enth title. Fellow six-time champion RogerFederer is aiming for the same.

The Serb blasted past American qualifi-er Mitchell Krueger 6-3, 6-2, 6-2 to set up aclash with Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, who he beat inMelbourne to win the first of his 14 GrandSlam crowns back in 2008.

ESCAPE ACT Fourth seed Alexander Zverev, who is look-

ing to win his first Slam title and establish him-self as a serious threat to Djokovic, Federer andRafael Nadal, cruised past Aljaz Bedene 6-4, 6-1, 6-4.

But eighth seed Kei Nishikori, who won inBrisbane last week, had a lucky escape.

The Japanese star looked down and outagainst little known qualifier Kamil Majchrzak,losing the first two sets before the Pole beganbadly cramping.

He bravely fought on before calling it a dayafter winning just two of the next 17 games.

Elsewhere, 2014 champion Stan Wawrinkabenefited from an opponent pulling out, withErnests Gulbis calling it quits after hurting hisback in the second set.

Among the women, sixth seed ElinaSvitolina easily progressed, as did Williams' sis-ter Venus, who incredibly played her first GrandSlam tournament 22 years ago.

But two-time champion Victoria Azarenkawas bundled out, along with 10th seed DaryaKasatkina. Seventh seed Karolina Pliskova, whohas made the quarter-finals in her last twoappearances at Melbourne Park, went through,as did Madison Keys, who reached the semisat the French and US Open last year.

PTI n SHARJAH

With tears in his eyes, StephenConstantine stepped down as the

Indian football team's coach, the groupstage Asian Cup exit turning out to be onebitter pill that he found too hard to swal-low.

India's promising start to the conti-nental showpiece ended in a heartbreakwhen they conceded a 90th minute penal-ty for Bahrain to eke out a 1-0 win in theirfinal group engagements here Mondaynight. And his "cycle" was finished.

"I'm stepping down after this game.I've been here for four years, my objectivefrom day one was to qualify for the AFCAsian Cup. I've done that and I'm excep-tionally proud of the players for everythingthey have given," Constantine said. "I thinkmy cycle has finished. I did what I wasasked to and a little bit more and after fouryears, I think it's time to leave," the Anglo-Cypriot added.

This was Constantine's second stintwith the Indian side after having been atthe helm between 2002 and 2005. Hereturned to the hot seat after taking overthe reins for a second time in 2015, suc-ceeding Netherlands' Wim Koevermans.

Ahead of the Asian Cup, speculationwas rife that Constantine was no longeron good terms with talismanic striker SunilChhetri and a few other senior players overhis coaching methods.

"I've been here for four years. Myobjective from day one was to qualify forthe Asian Cup and I've done that and we'vebroken a few records as we did that. I'mexceptionally proud of the players andeverything they've given.

"I'm sad to be leaving, the players andstaff have been fantastic throughout thetournament. Even those who failed tomake the final squad."

His contract was to end on January 31and a perfect send-off was on the cards,but a reckless tackle by Pronay Halder,ruined all plans. He is now looking forwardto spending time with his family.

Indian players celebrate after taking the wicket of Australian batsman, (right) MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli celebrate after winning the second ODI against Australia by six wickets AP

Novak Djokovic returns a shot to his opponent in his match during Australian Open AP

KOHLI, DHONI SCRIPT

INDIA’S WIN

Virat’s ton, Dhoni’s unbeaten 55 help Men in Blue to secure series-levelling win

MOST HUNDREDS IN SUCCESSFUL CHASES IN ONE DAYERSBatsman M I N.O Runs AVG H.S S/R 100 50 0

Virat Kohli (Ind) 80 77 28 4853 99.04 183 98.53 21 19 3

Sachin Tendulkar (Ind) 127 124 25 5490 55.45 134 90.08 14 31 6

Tillakaratne Dilshan (SL) 75 75 60 18 2614 62.23 123 92.00 9 10 1

Sanath Jayasuriya (SL) 107 103 12 3633 39.92 152 97.00 9 18 6

Saeed Anwar (Pak) 61 59 14 2837 63.04 131 83.61 9 17 4

Faisel Features

THE VETERAN'SRUNNING BETWEEN

THE WICKETS,LACED WITH TWO

SIXES AS THE ONLYBOUNDARIES,

FINISHED THINGSOFF IN STYLE FOR

INDIA.

Teary-eyed Constantine resignsafter India's Asian Cup exit

Tonight was an MS classic, says Kohli

60 women boxers to be

part of national camp

Djokovic, Serenaadvance in Aus open

Serena Williams in action during her match AP

“I'M STEPPING DOWNAFTER THIS GAME. I'VEBEEN HERE FOR FOURYEARS, MY OBJECTIVEFROM DAY ONE WAS TOQUALIFY FOR THE AFCASIAN CUP. I'VE DONETHAT AND I'MEXCEPTIONALLY PROUDOF THE PLAYERS FOREVERYTHING THEY HAVEGIVEN”

16LUCKNOW | WEDNESDAY | JANUARY 16, 2019the pioneer

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