Covishield-Covaxin mix gives better protection, says ICMR

CMYK

A ND-NDE

monday, august 9, 2021 Delhi

City Edition

14 pages O ₹�10.00

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Opposition releases

joint video, urges PM

to ‘listen’ to them

Page 9

NIA conducts searches

at 56 J&K locations

in terror funding case

Page 8

Myanmar protesters

mark pivotal 1988

uprising anniversary

1

Messi bids tearful

farewell to Barcelona

after two-decade stay

Page 13

EDUCATIONPLUS A PAGE 5

A combination of Covishield and Covaxin elicits better immunogenicity thantwo doses of the same vaccine, the Indian Council ofMedical Research (ICMR)said on Sunday.

The council released itsfi�ndings which suggest thatimmunisation with a combination of an adenovirus vector platformbased vaccinefollowed by an inactivatedwhole virus vaccine was notonly safe but also elicitedbetter immunogenicity.

The immunisation programme against COVID19in India started with twovaccines — AstraZeneca’sChAdOx1nCov19 (namedCovishield in India) and inactivated whole virionBBV152 (Covaxin). A homologous primeboost approach was followed.

Pre-print reportHowever, 18 individuals inUttar Pradesh, under thenational programme, inadvertently received Covishield as the fi�rst jab and Covaxin as the second. In itsstudy, the ICMR comparedthe safety and immunogenicity profi�le of these persons against that of individuals receiving only one ofthe vaccines — either Covishield or Covaxin.

The preprint report titled “Serendipitous COVID19 VaccineMix in UttarPradesh, India: Safety andImmunogenicity Assessment of a Heterologous Regime,” has not been certifi�ed by peer review andshould not be used to guideclinical practice, the council said.

It, however, maintainedthat the fi�ndings have an important implication for theCOVID19 vaccination programme wherein heterologous immunisation willpave the way for inductionof improved and better protection against the variantstrains of SARSCoV2.

“Such mixed regimenswill also help to overcome

the challenges of shortfall ofparticular vaccines and remove hesitancy around vaccines in people’s mind thatcould have genesis in programmatic ‘errors’ especially in settings where multipleCOVID19 vaccines are being used. However, to conclusively prove these fi�ndings a multicentre RCTneeds to be carried out,”the ICMR said.

Previously the WorldHealth Organisation hadwarned against mixing ofvaccines, saying there wasvery little information onthe mixandmatch of vaccines.

Covishield-Covaxin mix givesbetter protection, says ICMR18 persons from U.P., who inadvertently got the combination, were studied

Bindu Shajan Perappadan

NEW DELHI

CONTINUED ON A PAGE 8

CERTIFICATE IN 3 STEPS A PAGE 10

Chief Justice of India N.V.Ramana on Sunday saidpolice stations pose the“highest threat” to humanrights and dignity, whichare “sacrosanct”.

“The threat to humanrights and bodily integrityis the highest in police stations... Going by recent reports, even the privilegedare not spared thirddegreetreatment,” the Chief Justice said. Custodial tortureand police atrocities stillprevail despite constitutional guarantees, he said.

A word of adviceLack of eff�ective legal representation at police stations is a huge detriment toarrested or detained persons. The fi�rst hours of arrest or detention often decide the fate of the case forthe accused, the CJI said.He was speaking at the release of the National LegalServices Authority’s legalservices app and vision

statement at VigyanBhavan.

Chief Justice Ramana hada word of advice for his fellow judges. He noted that ifthe judiciary wants to gainthe trust of the poor andthe vulnerable, it has to assure the marginalised that itexists for them.

Human rights at riskin police stations: CJIRamana fl�ags routine custodial torture

Krishnadas Rajagopal

NEW DELHI


Final show: Fireworks illuminate the Olympics Stadium as it displays Arigato (thank you), during the closing ceremony of theTokyo Olympics 2020 on Sunday. * ANI (REPORTS ON PAGE 13)

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Ending with a bang

The economic blockade ofMizoram was lifted late onSaturday after more thanfour hours of talks betweenthe people of Lailapur, twoAssam Ministers and offi�cials.

Offi�cials said nine goodstrucks, stranded at Lailapur in southern Assam’sCachar district, proceededto Mizoram on NationalHighway 306 after the locals were assured of justicefor the death of six Assampolicemen and a civiliankilled in fi�ring allegedly byMizoram police personneland armed civilians on July26. Lailapur is the last Assam town near the borderwith Mizoram.

“The sentiment of thelocal people is very strong.They relented after a marathon 270 hours of discussion in the greater interestof relations between thetwo sister States and peacein the area,” Assam’s UrbanDevelopment Minister Ashok Singhal told The Hindu.

Economicblockade ofMizoram lifted

RAHUL KARMAKAR

SILCHAR


The Taliban tightened thenoose over northern Afghanistan on Sunday, capturingthree more provincial capitals as they take their fi�ght tothe cities after seizing muchof the countryside.

The militants havesnatched four provincialcapitals in Afghanistan sinceFriday in a lightning off�ensive that appears to haveoverwhelmed governmentforces. Kunduz, SarePuland Taloqan in the north fellwithin hours of one anotheron Sunday, lawmakers andresidents in the cities confi�rmed, but not withoutfi�erce fi�ghting.

ProTaliban social mediaaccounts claimed that the insurgents were also close tooverrunning the provincialcapital of Taloqan.

In Kunduz, one residentdescribed the city as beingenveloped in “total chaos”.“After some fi�erce fi�ghting,the mujahideen, with thegrace of God, captured thecapital of Kunduz,” the Tali

ban said in a statement. “The mujahideen also

captured SarePul city, thegovernment buildings andall the installations there,” itsaid. The Taliban had thecompound “surrounded”,

said Mohammad HusseinMujahidzada, a member ofthe provincial council.

Perennial targetKunduz is the most signifi�cant Taliban gain since theinsurgents launched the offensive in May as foreignforces began the fi�nal stagesof their withdrawal. It hasbeen a perennial target forthe Taliban, who briefl�yoverran the city in 2015 andagain in 2016 but never managed to hold it for long.

The Taliban captured Taloqan city in northeasternTakhar province on Sunday,a security source and residents told AFP.

A resident of the city said,“We saw the security forcesand offi�cials leaving the cityin convoys of vehicles.”

Taliban seize three more Afghan citiesLightning off�ensive appears to have overwhelmed government forces

Signifi�cant gain: A Taliban fl�ag was fl�ying in the main square ofKunduz city in Afghanistan on Sunday. * AP

Agence France-Presse

Kunduz/Kabul

FORCES RETALIATE A PAGE 11

The hazards of notreopening schools afterprolonged closure due tothe COVID19 pandemic are“too serious to be ignored”,according to aParliamentary committeeon Education. Thecommittee noted that theclosure of schools had notonly impacted the socialfabric of families in anegative manner, but alsoincreased the involvementof children in householdchores. A Page 10

MPs seekreasoned viewto open schools

‘Contract marriage’ fraud on the rise in PunjabCHANDIGARH

The family of 26yearold

Harpreet Singh in Mandi

Gobindgarh, Punjab, is yet

to come to terms with

what they describe as

“marriage fraud” allegedly

played on them by their

daughterinlaw after she left

for Canada twoand ahalf

years ago. This is not an

isolated incident as, over the

years, Punjab has been

witnessing an increasing

number of cases of ‘contract

marriage’ fraud for the

purpose of getting permanent

resident status in Canada.

NEWS A PAGE 10DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD

Passengers double at IGIA in two weeks NEW DELHI

Since the reopening of

Terminal 2 at Indira Gandhi

International Airport here

nearly two weeks ago, the

passenger volume at the

airport has doubled — from

42,000 to almost 85,000

passengers per day. “We will

take a decision to reopen

Terminal 1 once traffi�c

reaches 1,20,000 mark per

day,” the CEO of Delhi

International Airport Limited,

Videh Kumar Jaipuriar, told

The Hindu.

CITY A PAGE 2DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD

NEARBY

If the Samajwadi Party comesto power in Uttar Pradesh in2022, it would conduct acaste census of the OBC com

munities, its president andformer Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav said on Sunday.

In a bid to counter the BJP’sstrategy of pitting the Yadavsagainst the other OBCs, Mr.

Yadav has forged an alliancewith the Mahan Dal, an OBCbased party headed by Keshav Dev Maurya.

SP will conduct a caste census: AkhileshOmar Rashid

LUCKNOW

DETAILS ON A PAGE 9

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DELHI THE HINDU

MONDAY, AUGUST 9, 20212EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

CMYK

A ND-NDE

On July 19, less than a week aftermonsoon hit the Capital, severalparts of the city were heavily

waterlogged. Like many others, 27yearold Ravi Chautala went to takephotos of a waterlogged underpass inPul Prahladpur. But he reportedly fellinto the water and though fi�re brigadeand divers were summoned to the spot,only his body could be retrieved fromthe waterlogged underpass. He left behind his wife and 10montholddaughter.

Sadly, Chautala’s is not a lone instance. On the same day last year, a 56yearold driver died in a waterloggedstretch under Minto Bridge where hisvan got stuck. These deaths have yetagain exposed the national capital’s dirty secret: urban fl�ooding.

Lost in implementationDespite the deaths, a Drainage MasterPlan, commissioned nine years ago andlargely seen as a solution, is yet to beimplemented. It has now hit a roadblock of “data irregularities”, offi�cialssaid. The last Drainage Master Plan ofthe city was prepared in 1976.

“At a meeting of the Technical Expert Committee last week, various departments said that the data used forthe master plan was found to have several irregularities. A decision has yet tobe taken on how to go forward,” a Delhigovernment offi�cial told The Hindu.

Experts said that while a range ofproblems with the storm water network is the major cause of the urbanfl�ooding, faulty sewage systems, rapidurbanisation, and climate change areintensifying Delhi’s woes.

The Drainage Master Plan for NCT ofDelhi was commissioned by the Congressled Delhi government in 2012 anda fi�nal plan submitted to the AAP government in July 2018 by IITDelhi.“The Chief Minister has directed thedepartments concerned to take concrete steps for the implementation ofthe report, which mentions in detailthe specifi�c reasons for waterloggingand fl�ooding during monsoon,” an offi�

cial statement issued by the Delhi government on August 1, 2018 on the master plan said.

It was then referred to a TechnicalExpert Committee, which is still goingthrough the report. When contacted,R.K. Sinha, Member (River Management), Central Water Commission,who heads the committee, did not off�era comment.

Data irregularityA.K. Gosain, Professor Emeritus of IITDelhi, who headed the team which prepared the master plan confi�rmed thatthe committee has fl�agged irregularities in data. “We used data which wasgiven to us by various government departments to create the master plan.Now the committee asked departmentsto cross check 10% of the data withground reality and in a large number ofcases, the data given to us is not matching with the ground reality. This is notour fault. We had asked the departments many times to validate the data,but they never did it,” Prof. Gosain said.

The master plan submitted in 2018had also warned of such a possible irregularity. “Since it is possible that many of the data elements that have notbeen independently validated by therespective departments may be diff�erent on ground than the digital realitycaptured and used in the model,” readsthe master plan.

The last master plan was preparedwhen the population of the city was 60lakh. Since then the population of thecity has increased about four times. In

the run up to the 2020 Assembly elections, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwalhad said that if reelected then the government will make roads in Delhi likethat of Tokyo and London in the nextfi�ve years. But currently, many parts ofthe city go under with half an hour toone hour of rainfall.

‘World-class’ facilityOn the day Mr. Chautala died in the waterlogged underpass, Mr. Kejriwal saidthat diff�erent agencies will make a“worldclass” drainage system . “Inview of the monsoon, a review meetingwas conducted with PWD, MCD, DJB,I&FC chaired by the LG on the drain

age system of Delhi. Will implement asystem like Minto Bridge at other vulnerable points. Drains and sewers willbe regularly cleaned,” Mr. Kejriwalsaid.

The fact that drains in the city arecontrolled by multiple agencies, someby AAP and the others by BJP, makesthe task more diffi�cult.

Core problemsAt the centre of the urban fl�ooding problem is the state of both natural and engineered storm water drains. Storm water drains are supposed to carry therun off� rainwater and empty into a waterbody, which in Delhi is riverYamuna.

Natural storm water drains are developed over the years as water naturallytries to fi�nd a way to fl�ow and it depends on the terrain and slope of theland. In Delhi’s instance, many naturaldrains originate from the Aravalis.

“When you take an area for development, you engineer streetlevel drains,which will join the roadside drain and itwill join larger drains. Usually, all these

time, which was not the case before.This is due to climate change,” said Kuldeep Srivastava, Head of the RegionalForecasting Centre of the India Meteorological Department.

For instance, between 6.30 p.m. onJuly 31 and the same time on August 1,the ridge monitoring station received126.8 mm of rainfall. This is unusual forDelhi. “Though this is 24 hour data,most of this rainfall was received in a34 hour window on July 31 night,” Mr.Srivastava said.

To contextualise, Delhi normallygets only 210.6 mm of rainfall in July.So, the ridge area got more than half ofa month’s normal rainfall for the city ina matter of 34 hours in a day.

Stuck in paperMr. Gosain’s team, which took the helpof over 900 students, inspected drainsand collected data ranging from soiltype and land use to rainfall and existing drainage network to come up withsolutions.

The master plan gives a set of recommendations such as ‘no encroachmentto be allowed on storm water drains’,‘no sewage should be allowed to enterstorm water network’, ‘design of newstorm drains should not be done in isolation’, among others.

More importantly, the master planused all the data collected to create amathematical model which generatedsolutions for waterlogging problems inidentifi�ed spots. The model generatedfour solutions — adjusting slope of theexisting drain, diverting water to existing waterbodies, using additional storages, and other development works.

These solutions considered the rainfall, slope of the drain, and many otherfactors and were done with the largerpicture in mind to provide a comprehensive solution to the city, rather thanisolated ones. But they still remain onpaper. “I’m disappointed at how thingshave progressed. Nothing much hashappened after we submitted the report,” said Mr. Gosain.

are fl�owing under gravity and fl�ow intoa natural drain. This will then drain outinto a waterbody,” Mr. Gosain said.

Apart from this, there is supposed tobe a separate sewage network, which isnot connected to the storm waterdrain, and the sewage treated at plants.But in Delhi, sewage fl�ows into thestorm water network at many pointsand water in storm water drains, including Najafgarh drain (the largest), isblackish in colour and extremely polluted. Near Signature Bridge, where theabout 10metrewide Najafgarh drainempties into the Yamuna, it changesthe river’s colour to a darker shade andpollutes it.

Experts said the waste and sewagealso reduces the watercarrying capacity of these drains. Adding to the problem, the rainfall has also become erratic. As global temperatures havesoared, air has become warmer and itcan hold more moisture, leading tomore intense spells of rainfall.

“Studies have shown that in the last34 years, Delhi has been getting intense rainfall in a short duration of

Though an ageold problem, waterlogging during therainy season continues to torment the city, thanks tomaster plans and solutions not being implemented

Traffi�c moving at a slow pacethrough a waterlogged road at ITOin the Capital. * SANDEEP SAXENA

Nikhil M Babu

Jatin Anand

New Delhi

Monsoon blues

Since the reopening of Terminal 2 (T2) at Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport nearlytwo weeks ago, the passengervolume at the airport hasgrown twofold — from 42,000to almost 85,000 passengersper day.

“We will take a decision toreopen Terminal 1 (T1) oncetraffi�c reaches 1,20,000 markper day,” CEO of Delhi International Airport Limited, VidehKumar Jaipuriar, told The

Hindu.

Delhi’s IGI Airport has threeterminals, of which T1 is yet toreopen since the ban on fl�ightslast year in March because oflow passenger volumes. WhileT2 also remained shut for aconsiderable amount of time,it was reopened in October lastyear — fi�ve months after fl�ightoperations resumed in May.However, T2 was shut downagain on May 18 after a dip inpassenger numbers during thesecond wave of COVID19 andresumed operations on July 22.

Over the past 18 months, theairport has introduced severaltechnologies to ensure disinfection of surfaces, circulationof clean air and to monitor thatpassengers comply with social

distancing norms.

LuminometerLuminometer is used to cleanhigh contact surfaces such aslifts, checkin counters and travelators. It ensures these arefree from any living or deadbacteria, fungi and othermicroorganisms.

After a surface is cleaned, atest swab is taken and put in aLuminometer. It measures theintensity of the light emittedfrom a sample, and displaysthe test result in Relative LightUnits (RLU), which is used todetermine if the sample haspassed or failed.

Delhi airport has also in

stalled a UV tunnel at the baggage belt area of Terminal 3that helps disinfect passengers’ bags. A live CCTV feed ofthe UV scanning processmounted at baggage reclaimhall allows passengers to seethe disinfection process,which involves high intensityUV lamps.

There are also mobile disinfecting towers that help to disinfect various locations of terminal buildings. Oncedisinfection is completed, UVpower is switched off� andthese moveable towers are relocated to other areas for a similar exercise.

DIAL has installed a system

which replaces air inside theterminal buildings after every10 minutes. The air inside theterminal is drawn into the AHU(Air Handling Unit), where itgets fi�ltered after passingthrough UV light and HEPA fi�lters, before being releasedagain into the terminalbuilding.

Tracking systemXOVIS Passenger Tracking System is used to manage passenger fl�ow inside the airport andprevent crowding and longqueues. The 3D sensors of theroofmounted device recordpassenger coordinates as dots,based on which the softwarecalculates and visualises passenger density index. If the index exceeds 1, this system generates autoalerts and promptsairport offi�cials to act swiftlyand disperse the crowd.

Mobile applicationThe HOI mobile applicationhelps passengers during diff�erent stages of their travel byproviding them realtime alertsabout gate change, weather forecast at their destination, indoor navigation with voice guidance as well as contactlessordering of foods and beverages as well as their delivery.

Passengers double at IGIA in 2 weeksDelhi airport deploys several technologies to ensure COVID19 protocol is followed

SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT

NEW DELHI

Passengers displaying tickets through a glass enclosure at IndiraGandhi International Airport in the city. * FILE PHOTO: R.V. MOORTHY

Taking cognisance of a purportedvideo on the social media platform, in which a man was doingcelebratory fi�ring, Delhi Policehas registered an FIR and arrested the man and his friend onSunday.

It was shot on August 4 duringa birthday celebration organisedat the rooftop of a house in outerDelhi’s Paschim Vihar East andthe man seen fi�ring rounds in theair was identifi�ed as Sumit Tanwar, they said.

Police said the alleged videoshowed the man engaged in celebratory fi�ring on the rooftop of ahouse here.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (Outer) Parvinder Singh said:“A case under Section 336 [act endangering life or personal safetyof others] of Indian Penal Codehas been registered at Paschim

Vihar East police station and thematter is being investigated.”

Identity revealedDuring enquiry, the rooftop wasidentifi�ed and it was revealed thaton August 4, Sumit, who is a resident of Guru Harkishan Nagar,was celebrating his friend’s birthday in Pushkar Enclave, PaschimVihar, which is owned by hisanother friend Abhijeet Adana,the offi�cer said.

“The investigation so far has revealed that the revolver used inthe celebratory fi�ring belongs toSumit’s friend Abhijeet, which isbeing verifi�ed. The two accusedare being questioned for recoveryof fi�rearm,” Mr. Singh said.

Police said Sumit’s father ownsa leather products factory at Jaipur and the accused is looking after the factory offi�ce in Delhiwhile Abhijeet is into propertydealing business.

It was shot during a birthday celebration: police

STAFF REPORTER

NEW DELHI

Two arrested after video ofcelebratory fi�ring surfaces

CITY

Dalit girl rape, murder:Cong. demands quick trialNEW DELHI

The Delhi Congress on Sunday

said the Delhi government

should ensure a speedy trial in

the alleged rape and murder

case of the 9yearold Dalit

girl in Old Nangal Rai. The

party demands trial in a

fasttrack court so that the

accused be punished

immediately. Delhi Congress

chief Ch. Anil Kumar said the

shortage of public prosecutors

in POCSO courts was delaying

delivery of justice to the

victims. The Congress leader

alleged that the Delhi

government has shown no

urgency in filling up 73

vacancies of public

prosecutors in POCSO courts.

IN BRIEF

The Confederation of Indian Alcoholic BeverageCompanies (CIABC) onSunday welcomed the allotment of retail liquorvends through bidding butcautioned against highprices of alcohol licencesin Delhi.

The CIABC said it hopedthat high auction pricesare not passed on to consumers in the form ofhigher prices or to manufacturers in the form of demands for unduediscounts.

CIABC DirectorGeneralVinod Giri said passing onthe burden of high auctionprices to consumer or tothe manufacturers will notbe good for longtermhealth of the industry.

CIABC cautionsagainst highliquor licenceprices in city

Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI

CMYK

A ND-NDE

Timings

DELHI

MONDAY, AUG. 09

RISE 05:48 SET 19:06

RISE 06:13 SET 19:59

TUESDAY, AUG. 10

RISE 05:48 SET 19:05

RISE 07:15 SET 20:35

WEDNESDAY, AUG. 11

RISE 05:49 SET 19:05

RISE 08:16 SET 21:10

The Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) onSunday issued an order tobring into force a Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) foreff�ective COVID19management.

The plan was devised by aStateLevel Expert Committee and approved last monthin a DDMA meeting chairedby the Lieutenant Governor.

Three parametersThe GRAP consists of threeparameters — positivity rate,cumulative new positive cases and average oxygenatedbed occupancy for lockdown/unlock in the Capital.

The government has introduced four levels of colourcoded alerts to kick in whenthe parameters are met.

The Level 1 or yellow alertwill come into force when thepositivity rate is over 0.5% fortwo consecutive days or cumulative new positive cases forseven days is above 1,500 cases or the average occupancy

of oxygenated beds for sevendays is 500 beds. Under thealert, cinema halls, banquets,barbershops, salons, gyms,entertainment parks, schoolsand religious places will beshut. A night curfew will beimposed.

The Level 2 or amber alertwill come into force when thepositivity rate is over 1% fortwo days or cumulative new

positive cases for seven daysis above 3,500 cases or the average occupancy of oxygenated beds for seven days is 700beds. Restaurants and publicparks will be shut and a weekend curfew will kick in.

The Level 3 or orange alertwill kick in when the positivity rate is over 2% for two daysor cumulative new positivecases for seven days is above

9,000 cases or the averageoccupancy of oxygenatedbeds for seven days is 1,000beds. Many construction activities will shut along withshops and malls. The DelhiMetro will also shut down.

A Level 4 or red alert willbe sounded when the positivity rate is over 5% for twodays or cumulative new positive cases for seven days isabove 16,000 or the averageoccupancy of oxygenatedbeds for seven days is 3,000beds.

All government offi�ces,apart from those providingessential and emergency services, will shut and a totalcurfew will be imposed.

66 new cases, 0 deathsAs per the health bulletin, theCapital recorded 66 new cases and zero deaths on Sunday. There are 536 active cases in the Capital.

The bulletin added that1,19,942 benefi�ciaries werevaccinated in the last 24hours out of which 60,097 received their fi�rst dose.

DDMA orders implementation ofGRAP for COVID19 managementThe plan was approved last month at a meeting chaired by the LieutenantGovernor


NEW DELHI

In a fi�rst, the Capital on Sunday got an “Animal DNA Laboratory” set up at the Forensic Science Laboratory inRohini. Before this, samplesused to be sent to otherStates that have animal DNAtesting facilities for the testresults. Sometimes, the process delayed investigations.

It will be helpful for theDelhi Police for timely disposal of cases related to cowslaughter, illegal trade of animals and other animalrelated cases.

Director Deepa Vermasaid, “The types of evidenceanalysed by our forensicslab include any part of ananimal, including blood andtissue samples, carcasses,hair, teeth, bones contents.”

She added: “Our expertsshall analyses DNA to provide information about theidentity of a sample. Someanswers that DNA tests mayprovide identifi�cation, characterisation of the relationships between animals, andevaluation of two diff�erentsamples in order to deter

mine if they originated fromthe same individual.”

Now, the laboratory canexamine and identify theanimal species of meat products, frozen meat packing,slaughter cases and more.

Asst. PRO, Dr. RajnishSingh said: “The main challenge witnessed by a forensic scientist is identifying aparticular species fromcrime scene evidence. It isvery diffi�cult for a scientistto distinguish if a piece offl�esh is found at the scene ofcrime is from a protectedanimal like an elephant ortiger, etc. or if it comes froma nonprotected animal.Now this new wing of Animal DNA shall address theserequirements.”

Delhi gets its fi�rst animalDNA lab set up in Rohini

SAURABH TRIVEDI

NEW DELHI

Inauguration of the animallaboratory in Rohini.

* SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday launched aninitiative in which mealswill be provided twice a dayto residents of shelterhomes. In collaborationwith the Akshaya PatraFoundation, the Mukhyamantri Poshahaar Yojana,will provide meals to over6,000 people who rely onthese shelters as homes.

Shelter home residents willget meals twice a day: CMSpecial Correspondent

NEW DELHI

CM Arvind Kejriwaldistributes food during thelaunch of the programme inNew Delhi. * PTI

The Delhi High Court hasasked the Delhi governmentand the Insurance Regulatoryand Development Authority(IRDA) to respond to a plea ofa woman challenging an insurance company’s decisionnot to reimburse entireamounts spent on the treatment of her late husband forCOVID. Justice Rekha Palli also issued notice to the Nation

al Insurance Company Limited and Fortis Hospital atShalimar Bagh, where thewoman’s husband died during COVID treatment lastyear. Case posted for hearingon December 12.

The plea fi�led by Delhi resident Sunita Goel and her twominor children said her husband held a mediclaim policy, Parivar Mediclaim Policy,and the sum insured was ₹�5lakh. The petition said the

woman’s husband, GulshanKumar Goel, was hospitalisedon June 30 at Fortis Hospitalafter he tested positive. Hedied on July 7, 2020.

The plea contended thatthe insurance company hasnot reimbursed the entireamount spent on the premisethat once Delhi governmenthad by its June 30, 2020 circular fi�xed the rates chargeable by hospitals in Delhi, onlythe said amount was payable.

‘Reply to plea alleging insurance fi�rm didnot reimburse COVID treatment amount’Staff Reporter

New Delhi

The Delhi Disaster Management Authority(DDMA) in an order onSunday, permitted students of Class X to XII to visit schools from August 9for work related to admissions, practical activitiesand board exam preparations. It also said healthcheckups and referral services on school campusescan resume.

“Students of Class X toXII in the city are permitted to visit their schoolsfrom August 9 for admissionrelated work, including counselling, guidanceand practical activities forboard exam. Health checkups and referral servicessituated in schools or conducted from there can resume. Children of all agemay visit these centres accompanied by their parents or guardians,” theDDMA order stated.

The order also said theDirectorate of Educationshall issue appropriate guidelines to ensure that COVID19 protocols are followed.

Class X to XIIstudents canvisit schools


NEW DELHI

Trade associations acrossthe national capital haveprepared to reopen weeklymarkets from Monday, following an announcementfrom Delhi Chief MinisterArvind Kejriwal and a subsequent DDMA order to thesame eff�ect.

The weekly markets havebeen shut since April 19.

All ready forreopening ofweekly markets

Press Trust of India

New Delhi


THE HINDU DELHI

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CITY

Published by N. Ravi at Kasturi Buildings, 859 & 860, Anna Salai, Chennai-600002 and Printed by S. Ramanujam at HT Media Ltd. Plot No. 8, Udyog Vihar, Greater Noida Distt. Gautam Budh Nagar, U.P. 201306, on behalf of THG PUBLISHING PVT LTD., Chennai-600002. Group Editorial Officer: Krishna Prasad. Editor: Suresh Nambath (Responsible for selection of news under the PRB Act).

Regd. DL(ND)-11/6110/2006-07-08 ● RNI No. UPENG/2012/49940 ● ISSN 0971 - 751X ● Vol. 11 ● No. 188

DSEU signs MoU withMercedes for diplomaNEW DELHI

The Delhi Skill and

Entrepreneurship University

(DSEU) on Sunday signed an

MoU with Mercedes Benz

India to offer a one-year

Advanced Diploma in

Automotive Mechatronics

(ADAM) course.

IN BRIEF

EDUCATIONAL

PUBLIC NOTICE

PUBLIC NOTICE

DEATH ANNIVERSARIES

OBITUARY & REMEMBRANCE

CMYK

A ND-NDE


DELHI THE HINDU


NORTH & EAST

0DISCLAIMER: Readers are requested toverify and make appropriate enquiries tosatisfy themselves about the veracity ofan advertisement before responding toany published in this newspaper. THGPUBLISHING PVT LTD., the Publisher &Owner of this newspaper, does not vouchfor the authenticity of any advertisementor advertiser or for any of the advertiser’sproducts and/or services. In no event canthe Owner, Publisher, Printer, Editor, Dir-ector/s, Employees of this newspaper/company be held responsible/liable inany manner whatsoever for any claimsand/or damages for advertisements inthis newspaper.

The Haryana government onSunday extended the lockdown in the State for a fortnight and lifted the restrictions on the timings to runshops, shopping malls, bars,restaurants, gymnasiumsand spas.

Extending the lockdowntill August 23 morning, ChiefSecretary Vijai Vardhan, in afourpage order, said the restrictions on the timings forthe shops, shopping malls,restaurants, bars, gyms,spas, club houses, and swimming pools were being removed and these establishments could run withadherence to the COVIDnorms.

50% capacity capThe maximum capacity forrestaurants and bars, however, remains at 50%. Theswimming pools are allowedto open after adopting requi

site social distancing normswith all swimmers and visitors vaccinated with bothdoses of vaccine.

In indoor spaces, gatherings up to 50% of the hall capacity are allowed with amaximum of 100 guests. Similarly, in open spaces, 200guests are allowed with adherence to COVIDappropriate behaviour.

The earlier relaxations on

conducting of exams, opening of universities for doubtclasses, and opening of libraries, coaching institutes,training institutes and opentraining centres continue.Religious places are alreadyallowed to open with maximum of 50 people inside thepremises, but the corporateoffi�ces are permitted to openwith full attendance. Thesports complexes are also

open for all outdoor sportsactivities, but the spectatorsare not allowed.

Reopening of varsitiesAs per the earlier orders, theViceChancellors are advisedto plan the reopening of theuniversities in the State fromthe next academic sessionand share the programmewith the department concerned of the government.

The orders said that immediate action might be initiated by the university administration to fullyvaccinate all the hostel students, dayscholars, facultyand staff�, including thoseoutsourced.

The order said that “NoMaskNo Service” would bestrictly observed in the State.As per the order, people willnot be allowed to board public or private transport andenter any government andprivate establishments forany services without a mask.

Haryana govt. extends lockdown It, however, lifts restrictions on timings to run shops, malls, bars and restaurants


GURUGRAM

Queue at a vaccination centre in Gurugram. * FILE PHOTO: PTI

The Madhya Pradesh government has transferredSheopur’s Collector and Superintendent of Police (SP)on Sunday, a day after Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar wasmobbed by angry localsduring his visit to fl�oodhitparts of the district.

On Saturday, when Mr.Tomar visited Karatia Bazaar in Sheopur city, whichis part of Morena Lok Sabhaconstituency representedby the Minister, peoplejeered at him and wereheard saying he had cometoo late.

In an order issued onSunday morning, the Madhya Pradesh governmentshifted Sheopur DistrictCollector RakeshShrivastava.

In a separate order, it alsotransferred Sheopur's SPSampat Upadhyaya.

Collector, SPshifted afterMinister’s visit

press trust of india

Bhopal

The Naveen Patnaik Government has given its consent tothe ambitious ₹�8000crorecoastal highway project thatwould connect Odisha’s Tangiwith West Bengal’s Digha, sixyears after mooting of theproposal.

If everything goes asplanned, the fi�rst tender forlaying a portion of road couldbe invited by March next.

“The State government hasgiven consent for the coastalhighway after much deliberation. We will go for diff�erentregulatory approvals required for the project as theproposed road will pass in thevicinity of various forests andBay of Bengal and over rivers,” said Ram Prasad Panda,Chief General Manager of National Highway Authority of

India (NHAI), Bhubaneswar. Brushing aside environ

ment concerns being raisedover the project, Mr. Pandasaid the proposed highwaywould not intersect any ecologically sensitive areas.

“Due care has been takento evade the forest and sanctuary areas in the plan. Thecoastal highway will prove akey infrastructure milestone

for transportation of portrelated goods, boosting tourismand handling disaster crisis inthe future,” said the head ofNHAI’s Bhubaneswar offi�ce.

Major traffi�c on NationalHighway16 is likely to shift tothe new coastal highwayupon its completion.

Ecologically sensitive Chilika, Balukhanda Konark Wildlife Sanctuary, Bhitarakanika Sanctuary Area and someof the important Olive Ridleyturtle nesting sites were initially coming in way of the382kmlong coastal highway.

The project was modifi�edfollowing reservations by environmentalists over a longbridge proposed over the Chilika Lake.

The crucial road projectwould originate from Tangi inKhordha district instead ofGopalpur in Ganjam district.

As per road design, all majortowns would be bypassed,said Mr. Panda.

Except a stretch of roadoutside Puri town, all roadswould be laid anew. “The project would require close to2,000 hectares of land while1520% of the project costwould be spent towards acquisition of land,” he pointedout.

Many bridgesThe coastal highway wouldcross 11 rivers and a numberof water channels in six coastal districts for which the project would have large numberof bridges and culverts thanthat of other road projects.From engineering point ofview, special treatment ofslushy areas would be required to take up the roadproject.

Odisha govt. goahead for coastal highway It will not intersect any ecologically sensitive area, says senior NHAI offi�cial

CM Naveen Patnaik

Satyasundar Barik

BHUBANESWAR

Participating in a series of webinars and physical meetings— “Lado Panchayats” — underthe aegis of “Selfi�e WithDaughter Foundation”, anongovernment organisation working on gender issues, over the past fewweeks, women, from acrossthe country, have advocatedthe need to increase the minimum marriageable age ofgirls to 21 years from the present 18.

“We have held a dozen webinars with participants fromacross the country and physical meetings with the womenin diff�erent districts of Haryana to discuss the issue of mar

riageable age for the females.The participants have overwhelmingly supported thatthe marriageable age shouldbe at par with the men,” saidSunil Jaglan, founder, Selfi�eWith Daughter Foundation.

Meetings in HaryanaThe foundation has heldphysical meetings in Haryana’s Gurugram, Nuh, Jind, Hisar and Sonipat districts sofar. Mr. Jaglan said that theparticipants in the webinarspresented poems, and articles to articulate their viewson the issue. Some of the participants had off�ered to helpthe campaign with a digitalsupport.

In a recent webinar, the

men from the families of thewomen participants, including fathers and brothers, alsotook part in the discussionand pledged their support tothe cause. He, however, added that some of the posts ofthe women participants onthe social media seeking support for their campaign hadalso evoked adversecomments.

Seeking higher marriageable age, the women, in the Lado Panchayats, broadly argued that their studies wereadversely impacted due toearly marriage. Most of themwere of the view that marriage at an early age also ledto physical, mental and socialexploitation.

Need to increase marriageableage of girls to 21 years stressedIt will help stop exploitation, say participants at meetings


GURUGRAM

A suspected drug dealerwas killed and a police offi�cer injured in an encounterin Assam’s Nagaon districton Sunday, a senior offi�cersaid.

Acting on a tipoff�, personnel of the Khatowal police station led by offi�cer incharge Alok Datta Guptaundertook a searched ahouse in Geruamukh areaat 1 a.m. “As soon as theteam reached the spot, thedrug dealer attacked the OCwith a khukri. Datta Guptasustained grievous injuries,” Superintendent ofPolice Anand Kumar Mishratold PTI. Datta Gupta had toopen fi�re in selfdefence, hesaid. The drug dealer wasdeclared brought dead atthe hospital

Drug dealerkilled in policeencounter Press Trust of India

Guwahati

The Delhi police has arrested three members of a gangfor allegedly selling luxurycars to buyers using forgeddocuments

Seven cars were seizedfrom the possession of accused — Rajeev Kumar (34),Vaibhav Rana (21) and Vijender Rana (51) — who operated in the DelhiNCR regionand Uttar Pradesh, the police said.

Fake bank NOC The gang got the cars fi�nanced through diff�erentbanks using dummy applicants and later sold them tobuyers after getting the vehicles cleared from transportauthorities on forged NOCsof bank from where the veh

icles were fi�nanced.On August 2, a complaint

was received from one ofthe private banks about twocars fi�nanced by them totwo persons and allegedthat it came to their knowledge that the hypothecation of the bank had beenremoved from registrationcertifi�cate of both the vehicles after making false representations and on the basis of forge documentssubmitted in the RTO, according to the police.

During the course of theinvestigation, local intelligence was developed andthrough technical surveillance three men, who werepart of a gang, were arrested. At their instance sevenvehicles were seized, a senior police offi�cer said.

Three arrested for selling

cars through forged papersSeven cars seized from the accused

STAFF REPORTER

NEW DELHI

A court in Tripura on Sunday granted bail to 14 Trinamool Congress leaders andactivists, including threeyouth functionaries fromWest Bengal, who were arrested for violating COVID19linked night curfew imposedunder the Disaster Management Act.

TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee,who arrived here in themorning, spent the wholeday at Khowai police stationto seek the release of theworkers. He was accompanied by MP Dola Sen, WestBengal Minister Bratya Basuand party leader KunalGhosh.

Two of three youth leaders from Bengal – Sudip Raha and Jaya Datta – had sustained injuries due to stonepelting on their vehicle atAmbassa in Dhalai districtyesterday.

Presence of Mr. Banerjeetriggered another phase ofpolitical tension in Khowaisurrounding the local policestation and the court complex. Protesters showedblack fl�ags and shouted ‘goback’.

Paramilitary contingentsof the Tripura State Rifl�esand the CRPF were deployedto maintain peace.

Mr. Banerjee reportedlyhad heated exchanges withsenior offi�cers. He arguedthat the detention was unlawful and made at the beh

est of the ruling party.After the TMC workers

were taken to a court in Khowai, not far away from thepolice station, vehicles ofthe State TMC leaders, including former MLA SubalBhowmik who recentlyjoined the TMC, and an advocate were vandalised nearthe court complex. Mr.Bhowmik received injurieson his arm. Mr. Banerjeecancelled his scheduledpress conference here as hisreturn from Khowai was delayed due to court proceedings. He, other leaders andthe three youth activistsfrom West Bengal returnedto Kolkata in a special fl�ightin the night.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb tweeted that a ‘group’ hatched aconspiracy to disturb the ongoing development activitiesand prevailing peace in theState to achieve political mileage.

Abhishek Banerjee spends the whole day at police station

Syed Sajjad Ali

Agartala

Abhishek Banerjee *

TMC workers get bail in Tripura

Discover somethingnew today.

Let your young chefs DO as they please

on www.youngworldclub.com

CMYK

A ND-NDE


THE HINDU DELHI


SOUTH

Weather WatchRainfall, temperature & air quality in select metros yesterday

Temperature Data: IMD, Pollution Data: CPCB, Map: INSAT/IMD (Taken at 18.00 Hrs)

Forecast for Monday: Heavy rainfall at isolated places over Ut-tarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, east Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Bi-har, sub-Himalayan West Bengal, Sikkim, Assam, Meghalaya,Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and Kerala.

city rain max min city rain max min

Agartala.............. 18....31.6....26.3 Kozhikode.................. 18....30.2....24.2

Ahmedabad...........—....35.5....27.1 Kurnool .................... 0.2....33.8....26.1

Aizawl................ 1.4....26.2....19.5 Lucknow......................—....34.7....28.5

Allahabad..............—....34.2....26.8 Madurai .......................—.......40....25.7

Bengaluru .......... 1.2....30.7....20.8 Mangaluru .............. 41.3....29.5....23.1

Bhopal .................. 2....29.6.......23 Mumbai .......................—....30.4....26.5

Bhubaneswar.........—....35.7....26.3 Mysuru ........................—....30.1....20.2

Chandigarh ........... 1....34.7....27.4 New Delhi ................ 0.5....31.6....26.1

Chennai ................ 3....35.8....28.6 Patna ........................ 27....32.2....26.6

Coimbatore ...........—....34.8....22.6 Port Blair..................... 2....30.9....26.2

Dehradun ............ 19....32.8.......24 Puducherry ..................—....36.4....24.8

Gangtok.............. 48....21.2....17.7 Pune............................—....31.8....20.8

Goa.......................—....30.6....25.3 Raipur .........................—....33.3.......26

Guwahati .............. 4....34.8....25.9 Ranchi ..................... 108....29.6....21.5

Hubballi ................—.......28.......22 Shillong..................... 11....27.9....17.5

Hyderabad ............ 5....33.2....23.2 Shimla......................... 2....25.9....20.2

Imphal .................. 6....31.6.......22 Srinagar.......................—....28.1....17.7

Jaipur ...................—.......35....25.2 Thiruvananthapuram......... 9....29.5....23.1

Kochi .................. 18....29.2....24.2 Tiruchi.........................—.......39....26.4

Kohima ............... 13....26.2....17.6 Vijayawada ..................—........ —........ —

Kolkata ............... 12....31.1....25.7 Visakhapatnam .............—....35.8....27.4

(Rainfall data in mm; temperature in Celsius)

Pollutants in the air you are breathing Yesterday

CITIES SO2 NO2 CO PM2.5 PM10 CODE

In observation made at4.00 p.m., Ballabgarh,Haryana recorded an overallair quality index (AQI) scoreof 241 indicating anunhealthy level of pollution.In contrast, Aizawl,Mizoram recorded a healthyAQI score of 17

Ahmedabad..... 42 .44 .22 ....64 .100 ....*

Bengaluru ....... ..6 .50 .33 ....19 ...69 ....*

Chennai .......... ..4 .16 .76 ....76 ...16 ....*

Delhi .............. 10 .12 .30 ..272 .153 ....*

Hyderabad ...... ..— .82 .19 ....41 ...79 ....*

Kolkata........... 12 .26 .23 ....58 ...57 ....*

Lucknow ......... ..8 .11 .60 ....50 ...83 ....*

Mumbai .......... 24 .27 .13 ....50 .130 ....*

Pune............... 33 .12 111 ....72 ...63 ....*

Visakhapatnam 16 .44 .30 ....44 .....— ....*

Air Quality Code: * Poor * Moderate * Good (Readings indicate average AQI)

SO2: Sulphur Dioxide. Short-term exposure can harm the respiratory system,

making breathing difficult. It can affect visibility by reacting with other air

particles to form haze and stain culturally important objects such as statues

and monuments.

NO2: Nitrogen Dioxide. Aggravates respiratory illness, causes haze to form by

reacting with other air particles, causes acid rain, pollutes coastal waters.

CO: Carbon monoxide. High concentration in air reduces oxygen supply to

critical organs like the heart and brain. At very high levels, it can cause

dizziness, confusion, unconsciousness and even death.

PM2.5 & PM10: Particulate matter pollution can cause irritation of the eyes,

nose and throat, coughing, chest tightness and shortness of breath, reduced

lung function, irregular heartbeat, asthma attacks, heart attacks and premature

death in people with heart or lung disease

Guests who have received atleast one dose of COVID19vaccine can stay at hotelsand resorts where the staff�are fully vaccinated, KeralaMinister for Tourism P.A.Mohamed Riyas said on Sunday.

The decision is part of efforts to give a legup to theState’s tourism sector byboosting domestic tourism,Mr. Riyas told a press conference here. This will be applicable to hotels, resorts,houseboats, and other accommodation units. Guests

will not be disturbed even ifthe locality is declared a containment zone. The idea wasthat such facilities should operate as biobubbles wherethe guests would enjoy theirstay safely, Mr. Riyas and Additional Chief Secretary(Tourism) V. Venu said.

The Minister made the announcement on the strengthof the recent government order relaxing the pandemicnorms from August 5.

Mr. Riyas cited the example of Vythiri in Wayanaddistrict where 100% vaccination was achieved with thehelp of the Health Department.

The Chief Secretary hasdirected the District Collectors and District PoliceChiefs to ensure that guests

with hotel bookings have unhindered passage to theirdestinations, he said.

₹�33,000 crore loss

According to the Minister,the sector has suff�ered losses

to the tune of ₹�33,000 crorebetween March 2020 andDecember 2020. Foreign exchange earnings have plummeted by ₹�7,000 crore.Around 15 lakh people aredependent on the sector in

the State. The department isplacing emphasis on domestic tourism as foreign touristarrivals are not expected tobounce back soon.

Virtual Onam fete

The Tourism Department isorganising virtual Onam celebrations this year, giventhe limitations imposed bythe pandemic. Chief MinisterPinarayi Vijayan will inaugurate the Onam celebrationson August 14.

Keralites all over theworld can post pictures oftheir ‘Onapookkalam’ on thedigital platform of the department under the ‘Viswamanavikathayude Onapookkalam’ event. Onlineregistration will begin on August 10.

Kerala resorts gear up to receive guestsState govt. takessteps to boostdomestic tourism


THIRUVANANTHAPURAM

In comeback mode: Houseboats resumed operations inAlappuzha last week after three months. * SURESH ALLEPPEY

Y.V. Subba Reddyreappointed TTD chiefTIRUPATI

The Andhra Pradesh

government has

reconstituted the Tirumala

Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD)

trust board and has once

again appointed Y.V. Subba

Reddy as its Chairman. The

other members would be

appointed shortly. Mr. Reddy,

who is the uncle of Chief

Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan

Reddy, was widely expected

to get a successive second

term after his two-year

tenure came to an end on

June 22.

IN BRIEF

Classes 9 to 12 to resumein Lakshadweep todayKOCHI

Regular classes for students

in Classes IX to XII in

Lakshadweep will begin on

Monday, said a circular issued

by the Directorate of

Education, Lakshadweep

Administration. The written

consent of the parent is

necessary, the circular said.

All schools have to follow a

standard operating procedure

(SOP) to ensure the safety of

students and staff. Classes

IX and XII will function from

10 a.m. to 1 p.m. while

Classes X and XI will function

from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.

The police foiled an attemptby members of the Amaravati Joint Action Committee( JAC) to march to the Panakala Lakshmi NarasimhaSwamy temple at Mangalagiri on Sunday to mark the600th day of protestsagainst the Andhra Pradeshgovernment’s decision tohave three capitals.

The protesters have beendemanding retention of Amaravati as the sole capital ofthe State.

A huge contingent of police personnel was deployedon all routes leading to Thullur as several leaders belonging to the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) were taken intopreventive custody.

Protesters pitched tents atThullur, the main scene ofaction. Many of them, in

cluding women, entered into arguments with the police, demanding that they beallowed to march to the temple. But the police stoppedthem, citing pandemicrelated restrictions.

At Venkatapalem, 15 women were taken into preventive custody as they sneakedthrough to the High Courtpremises. Several leaders,

including former MinistersDevineni UmamaheswaraRao and Nakka Ananda Babu, and TDP leaders, including Ganji Chiranjeevi, wereconfi�ned to their homes.

The JAC has been holdingprotests since December2019 when Chief MinisterY.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy announced the threecapitalplan.

March from Amaravati toMangalagiri temple foiledLeaders detained as protests against 3-capital plan intensify

Staff Reporter

GUNTUR

TDP youth wing leader Ravipati Sai Krishna being detainedduring a protest at Thullur on Sunday. * T. VIJAYA KUMAR

A day after the State government bestowed Cabinetrank privileges on formerKarnataka Chief MinisterB.S. Yediyurappa, he declined to accept them onSunday. The order hadraised eyebrows as the veteran leader holds no statutory post and is only a legislator now.

In a letter to Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, Mr.Yediyurappa requestedwithdrawal of the order giving him a Cabinetrank status coterminous with Mr.Bommai’s term as CM. “Iwould like the State government to give me only thosefacilities that any formerChief Minister is given,” hesaid in the letter.

Such an order was unprecedented, and had been issued to keep Mr. Yediyurappa placated by the current

regime, sources in the government said. It was a wayto help him continue to stayin the ‘Cauvery’ bungalowof the government that hewas keen on, sources said.

Though the order was issued after consulting him,Mr. Yediyurappa is learnt tohave changed his mind afterthe adverse reactions it elicited from sections of society and his own party. “Theorder was illadvised and damaging to his stature,” aleader close to him said.

Order had evoked adverse reaction

Staff Reporter

BENGALURU

B.S. Yediyurappa

Yediyurappa declinesCabinet-rank status

Bharat Dynamics to set up unit in JhansiHYDERABAD

The Hyderabad-based Bharat

Dynamics Limited (BDL),

under the Ministry of

Defence, and the Uttar

Pradesh Expressways

Industrial Development

Authority have signed an

agreement to set up a unit in

the Uttar Pradesh Defence

Corridor. The only defence

public sector company in the

country manufacturing

missiles and underwater

weapons for the armed forces

would be setting up an unit

on 215 acres in Jhansi, its first

in north India.

CMYK

A ND-NDE


DELHI THE HINDU


EDITORIAL

Tokyo and afterThe historic moment ofglory should be inscribed inletters of gold. The overallperformance of the Indiancontingent is no meanachievement in thebackdrop of a ragingpandemic. Unlike manyother popular games,which have a committedaudience to boast, athleteshave to motivatethemselves to do their bestas hardly anyone noticesand appreciates them toenhance their morale.Many who participated inthe Olympics are from arural background who havescaled greater heights withlimited or inadequateinfrastructure to hone theirskills. Not resting onlaurels, this euphoricmoment should besustained with an allocationof enhanced funds andtraining facilities to identify

and nurture talent. It isclear that there is noscarcity of talent. V. Subramanian,

Chennai

■ With the alltime bestmedals haul in IndianOlympic history, it isprobably time for both theauthorities and us people inIndia to start looking at howthose who succeeded havedone it rather than looking atwhat ails the system. Modernequipment, worldclasstraining and a good fi�nancialsupport system are probablywhat are getting oursportspersons to be amongthe best in the world. Besidesthe medal winners, therehave been quite a few nearmisses which only goes toshow that we have a newbreed of Olympians. With alittle more focus in the huntfor genuine talent among ouryouth and training them to

be mentally tough to facecompetition, the nextOlympics is sure to see Indiafi�rmly on the path to glory.Yoganandh T.,

Salem, Tamil Nadu

■ Our favourabledemographic profi�le doesnot seem to be yielding aproportionate performancein competitive sports.Scouting for talent andhoning it in highgradecompetition is needed totouch world class. Thisentails huge fi�nancing anddrive. Governments andcorporates must fund andinnovate big time. R. Narayanan,

Navi Mumbai

This is jarringThe details in the report,“Casteist abuse shameful,says women’s hockey teamskipper” (Inside pages,August 8), left one

shamefaced. That the familyof Vandana Katariya, one ofthe players in India’swomen’s hockey team at theOlympics, faced allegedcasteist abuse after theIndian team lost thesemifi�nal clash, isdisgusting. Winning andlosing any game is a part andparcel of sport. D. Sethuraman,

Chennai

■ While on one hand we arebusy celebrating the heroicachievements of some of ourTokyo Olympians, it isdisturbing that a fewcountrymen are intent onpulling down otherachievers. One must realisethat it takes much sweat andsacrifi�ce for the familiesconcerned to overcomesarcasm, taunts and bias inensuring that their son ordaughter fetches a medal forthe country. Many of us need

& Technology’ page, August8), to be educative, It wasinteresting to read that“traditional yoga exercisesare seen to stimulate thegrowth of hair.... ” In mycase, there was no hope andafter trying traditional cures,ranging from oil concoctionsto tonics, I have had to settlefor a natural hair wig. I doenvy the bountiful crown ofhair that Olympian NeerajChopra has — a TVcommentator says Neeraj isalso known as Mowgli. I dohope that there is progress inabolishing quackery intrichology, which was alsothe theme of the 2012meeting in Chennai of theHair Research Society ofIndia. There needs to be abreakthrough achieved inreversing hair loss.Vedanth Bharadwaj,

Bengaluru

to learn lessons from thesedeeply inspiring life storiesrather than demoralising orinsulting some of oursporting heroes. Jyoti Kunwar,

Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh

■ This mushrooming ofreligious/casteistdiscrimination in the countryis alarming. Yet our politicalleaders seem reticent and donothing to eliminate thismenace for reasons bestknown to them. We are inneed of comprehensive lawsto enable the exterminationof casteism in the country. Thomas K.M.,

Muvattupuzha, Kerala

Hair lossAs a person whoexperienced severe hair loss(alopecia) from an early age,I found the article, “Somefacts on hair – why it dropsand how it grows” (‘Science

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Letters emailed to [email protected] must carry the full postal address and the full name or the name with initials.

To read more lettersonline, scan the QR code

Ashok Sreenivas &

Maria Chirayil

As part of the Union Budgetaddress for 202021, the Finance Minister, Nirmala

Sitharaman, said that the shuttingdown of old coal power plants,which are major contributors toemissions, will aid the achievement of India’s Nationally Determined Contributions, an ideawhich has been endorsed by thePower Minister, R.K. Singh(https://bit.ly/3jQnQxl).

Some studies cite advantagesSome research studies have alsoargued in favour of it, citing theeconomic and the environmentalbenefi�ts of shutting down coalplants older than, say, 25 years. Itis argued that the availability ofunderutilised newer (and presumably more effi�cient) coalbased capacity means that shutting down older ineffi�cient plantswould lead to improved effi�ciencies, reduced coal usage, andhence, cost savings.

Further, it is argued that itwould be uneconomical for oldplants to install pollution controlequipment required to meet the

emission standards announced bythe Environment Ministry, andhence it would be better to retirethem. The recent order from theCentral Electricity RegulatoryCommission (CERC) allowing Delhi’s BSES distribution company toexit its concluded 25 year old power purchase agreement with theNational Thermal Power Corporation Limited’s DadriI generatingstation, also lends some credenceto this (https://bit.ly/3lJymZQ).

Since plants older than 25 yearsmake up around 20% of the totalinstalled thermal capacity in thecountry and play a signifi�cant rolein the country’s power supply, decisions regarding their retirementmerit fi�ner scrutiny to see if theclaimed benefi�ts really accrue.

The benefi�tsHow signifi�cant are the potentialbenefi�ts?

While there are some old plantstied up in expensive power purchase agreements, as in the case ofthe CERC order, there are also several old plants, which generate atlower costs. For instance, plantssuch as Rihand, Singrauli (both Uttar Pradesh), and Vidhyanchal(Madhya Pradesh), are all over 30years old and have very low generation costs of around ₹�1.7/kWh,which is lower than the nationalaverage. This may be due to locational advantage rather than effi�ciency, as older plants are likely tobe located closer to the coal

source, reducing coal transportcosts. However, this just highlightsthe complexity of the issue, sinceeffi�ciency does not naturally translate to savings.

A savings analysisIndeed, our analysis (https://bit.ly/3jDat3a) suggests that the total savings in generation cost fromshutting down plants older than 25years would be less than ₹�5,000crore annually, which is just 2% ofthe total power generation cost.These savings may not be suffi�cient to even pay for the fi�xedcosts (such as debt repayment)that would have to be paid anyway, even if the plants are prematurely retired. Similarly, savings incoal consumption by replacinggeneration from plants older than25 years with newer coal plantsare also likely to be only in the1%2% range.

The argument about olderplants fi�nding it uneconomical toinstall pollution control equipment to meet environmentalnorms is a stronger one, as all coalplants should indeed reduce emis

sions. However, even here, the argument is not blackandwhite.There are some old plants thatmay continue to be economicallyviable even if they install pollutioncontrol equipment as their currentfi�xed costs (which would increasewith pollution control equipmentinstallation) are very low. Indeed,about half the coal capacity olderthan 25 years has already issuedtenders for pollution controlequipment installation.

Risks with retirementThe question then becomeswhether these limited savings areworth the risks associated withearly retirement of coal plants, especially given the current trends inthe country’s power sector. Tosupport the growing intermittentrenewable generation in the sector, there is an increasing need forcapacity that can provide fl�exibility, balancing, and ancillary services. Old thermal capacity, with lower fi�xed costs, is a prime candidateto play this role until other technologies (such as storage) can replace them at scale. Further, thecapacity value of the old capacityis critical to meet instantaneouspeak load, and to meet load whenrenewable energy is unavailable.

There is also a political economy risk, as aggressive early retirement of coalbased capacity, without detailed analyses, could resultin real or perceived electricityshortage in some States, leading to

calls for investments in coalbasedbaseload capacity by Stateownedentities. About 65 gigawatts (GW)of thermal capacity is already inthe pipeline, of which about 35GW is in various stages of construction. This is likely in excess ofwhat the country needs, andfurther addition to it, driven byState political economy considerations, will lead to stranded assetsand lockedin resources.

This is not to say that no oldplant should be retired. However,using age as the only lever to drivethese decisions is too blunt an instrument, and can prove counterproductive. Instead, a more disaggregated and nuanced analysis,considering the various technical,economic and operating characteristics of individual plants and units, while also accounting for aspects such as intermittency ofrenewables, growing demand, andneed to meet emission norms,would be appropriate to make retirementrelated decisions. Hence,it may be prudent to let old capacity fade away in due course, whilefocusing on such detailed analysisand weeding out the needless capacity in the pipeline, to derivelongterm economic and environmental benefi�ts.

Ashok Sreenivas and Maria Chirayil are

from the Prayas (Energy Group), and

work on topics which include the

interlinkages of the coal-thermal and

power sectors

Revisit the idea of ‘aging out’ India’s coal plants A more nuanced analysis considering the various characteristics of individual plants would be appropriate

GE

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Mikhail Gorbachev becameGeneral Secretary of theCommunist Party of the

Soviet Union in March 1985. Bythen Soviet forces had been in Afghanistan for over fi�ve years. Theyhad failed to successfully combatthe mujahideen groups, most ofwhom were based in Pakistan. Themujahideen received crucial support from the United States but thecritical factor was their Pakistanbase. Secure with the U.S. fully behind it, Pakistan knew that the Soviet Union would not risk crossingthe Durand Line to take armed action on Pakistani territory.

In his insightful book, The GreatGame in Afghanistan: Rajiv Gand-hi, General Zia and the UnendingWar, Kallol Bhattacherjee recordsthat immediately after becomingthe Soviet Union’s supreme leader,Mr. Gorbachev had met the Pakistani dictator in Moscow. He hadwarned him that “Moscow wouldensure that Pakistan faces the consequences of backing the mujahideen”. Zia was unfazed by thethreat because he knew that thenew Soviet leader was posturing.

From the USSR to the U.S.Thirtytwo years later, the wheelof history had turned. It was theUnited States which was boggeddown in Afghanistan. For 16 yearsit had, despite a military surge,failed to quell the Taliban insurgency even though the groupmerely had the support of Pakistan. The reason for the U.S.’s failure was no diff�erent from that ofthe Soviets. It could not carry thewar into the territory of Pakistan,

now armed with nuclear weapons;destabilising such a state wouldhave incalculable consequences.

Now, a new U.S. leader, President Donald Trump announcinghis Afghanistan policy in August2017, said, “We can no longer be silent about Pakistan’s safe havensfor terrorist organizations, the Taliban, and other groups that pose athreat to the region and beyond.Pakistan has much to gain frompartnering with our eff�ort in Afghanistan. It has much to lose bycontinuing to harbo[u]r criminalsand terrorists (https://bit.ly/3fIgiLP).” He followed this with atweet on new year’s day 2018 accusing Pakistan of “lies and deceit”. For sometime, the Pakistanileadership was concerned by themercurial Trump but then realisedthat his were empty threats, signsof the U.S.’s frustration. It continued with its Afghan policy asbefore.

A thread in these approachesWithin a year of taking over, Mr.Gorbachev was convinced that theSoviet Union’s Afghan quest wasfutile. In February 1986 he told theCommunist Party that Afghanistanhad become a “bleeding wound”.He now decided to prepare for theretreat of the Soviet forces. His aimwas to have an orderly withdrawal. He also abandoned the idea ofleaving behind a “socialist” government and sought to have abroadbased one which would include the mujahideen.

Fourteen months after warningPakistan of serious consequencesin his August 2017 policy announcement, Mr. Trump too caved inand authorised talks between U.S.diplomats and Taliban representatives in Doha. In these talks, theU.S.’s principal objective was to secure a Taliban guarantee that itwould not harbour internationalterrorist groups in territories under its control. And, like the Soviet

Union over three decades ago theU.S. too accepted the idea of an Afghan interim administrationwhich included the Taliban. TheFebruary 2020 U.S.Taliban agreement (https://bit.ly/3xw1yFG),which Mr. Trump’s successor President Joe Biden has honoured,marked the strategic defeat of theworld’s preeminent global power.It was reminiscent of the GenevaAccords of 1988 which were a strategic defeat of a then superpower,the Soviet Union. They both pavedthe way for the safe withdrawal offoreign forces.

From 1986 to 1988, the Sovietstried hard to put in place an inclusive government in Afghanistan.Najibullah, a forceful if brutal Afghan leader of Pashtun ethnicity,became President in 1986. He virtually abandoned communist ideology for Afghan nationalism andstressed the country’s Islamic heritage. He reached out to all sections of Afghan society. The U.S.and Pakistan seemed to go alongwith the idea of an inclusive government as long as the fi�nal assurance of Soviet withdrawal was notgained.

The Indian initiativeSignifi�cantly, India too advocated abroadbased government andPrime Minister Rajiv Gandhi wasin the forefront in advocating it.India took active measures, including contacting the formerKing Zahir Shah, living in exile inRome, to lead it. This annoyed theU.S. and Pakistan. Both wanted In

dia to assume a nonoperationalposition on Afghan developmentsand restrict its role to pressing theSoviets to leave. Once it becameclear that Pakistan wanted a mujahideen government without Najibullah’s participation or ZahirShah’s leadership, India decidedto fully support the Najibullah government. This even before thelast Soviet soldier left Afghanistanin February 1989.

As part of its outreach to all Afghan parties in 1987 and 1988, India was also in contact with themujahideen. In February 1988, Rajiv Gandhi met Peter Galbraith, astaff�er with the U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, andwhom he had known from hisyouth. Mr. Bhattacherjee records,“To Galbraith’s surprise, Rajiv saidthat India had reached out to allsections, including the mujahideen inside Pakistan and Afghanistan and was now assessing the entire formula for a broadbasedgovernment in Kabul”. This showsthat Rajiv Gandhi pursued the requirements of realpolitik: evenwhile fi�rmly supporting Najibullahhe was not averse to acknowledge,at the highest political level, that ifIndian interests demanded so, India would not hesitate to do business with any Afghan group howsoever regressive its ideology.

India’s 2021 Afghan dilemmamirrors, to an extent, the one itfaced post the Soviet withdrawalin 1989. There is a major diff�erencethough. In 1989, Kabul was led by astrong Afghan leader, Najibullah,who had the capacity to hold thesituation together with Soviet assistance. That was forthcoming,for while the Geneva Accords provided that neither side would helptheir protégés, they continued todo so. Thus, for three years, Najibullah kept the mujahideen at bay.It was with the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 that the politicalunity of Kabul frayed. With that

the army fragmented, paving theway for the mujahideen to take over in April 1992. Soon enough, intramujahideen confl�ict resulted incomplete instability in the country. That set the stage for the riseof the Taliban with Pakistani assistance. The internecine mujahideen hostilities, fortunately, provided India strategic opportunitiesto infl�uence the ground situationin Afghanistan along with Iran andRussia. But fortune does not smileat all times.

Afghanistan todayNow, like Rajiv Gandhi in the 19861988 period, Indian foreign policyand security managers are advocating the formation of an inclusive government. So, ostensiblyare the western powers includingthe U.S. The problem is that Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghaniis no Najibullah. His capacity tohold Kabul together is questionable. Besides, the Kabul politicalelite is at odds with itself and if itfrays, will the Afghan National Security Forces remain united? Theextent to which the U.S. will bewilling to support Kabul post August 31 (the date of complete withdrawal) remains to be seen. Thissituation of total fl�ux could havebeen easily foreseen. Equally, theneed for maintaining open and direct contacts with all Afghan political parties could also have beenanticipated only if pragmatic andcorrect strategic attitudes hadguided Indian policy.

Notwithstanding all the appropriate diplomatic noises India maymake, it has now no real capacityto impact the ground situation inAfghanistan. And, even if the bestoption for India comes to pass —the formation of an inclusive government — its absence of opencontacts with the Taliban willplace it at a great disadvantage.

Vivek Katju is a former diplomat

The looking glass of history in AfghanistanThe reason for the U.S.’s failure is no diff�erent from that of the Soviets; India too can hardly impact the ground situation

Vivek Katju

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Governor Shaktikanta Das’s statement accompa

nying the RBI’s latest policy announcement

highlights the bind that monetary authorities

fi�nd themselves in. While the central bank’s growth

supportive actions — maintaining the benchmark inter

est rate at a decade low, ensuring ample liquidity and

an accommodative policy stance — are yet to help en

gender a meaningful recovery, infl�ation continues to

disquietingly hover around the 6% upper bound of its

mandated target. Governor Das acknowledged the

RBI’s predicament when he said: “Before the onset of

the pandemic, headline infl�ation and infl�ationary ex

pectations were well anchored at 4%, the gains from

which need to be consolidated and preserved. Stability

in infl�ation rate fosters credibility of the monetary pol

icy framework and augurs well for anchoring infl�ation

expectations. This, in turn, reduces uncertainty for in

vestors... increases external competitiveness and, thus,

is growthpromoting.” It is this vital infl�ation targeting

remit that the Monetary Policy Committee has tempo

rarily set aside in the wake of COVID19 and its brutal

impact, while the central bank focuses its eff�orts on us

ing all available policy tools to simultaneously preserve

fi�nancial stability and support a durable economic re

vival. Still, the central bank’s outlook for growth and in

fl�ation shows it is cognisant of the ground realities and

the limits to its policy options.

Asserting that domestic economic activity has start

ed to recover with the ‘ebbing of the second wave’, the

MPC is hopeful of a bounce back in rural demand on

the back of agricultural output remaining resilient, cou

pled with urban consumption recovering as the manu

facturing and service sectors rebound with a lag, and as

increased vaccinations help release pentup demand.

However, given that underlying conditions are still

weak and the Current Situation Index of consumer con

fi�dence in its own July survey is still stuck near the all

time low polled in May, the RBI has retained its fullyear

GDP growth forecast at 9.5%. The fact that it has at the

same time lowered the Q2, Q3 and Q4 growth projec

tions it made just two months ago, by between 0.5 and

0.9 percentage points, belies the uncertainty in its out

look. With the monsoon rainfall defi�cit once again wi

dening to minus 4% as on August 8, latest kharif sowing

estimates revealing an almost 23% shortfall and compo

site PMI data for July showing a persistent contraction

in business activity and continuing job losses, it is hard

to see either a nearterm revival in demand or an easing

in infl�ationary pressures from cereal and edible oil pric

es. Admitting the price pressures, the RBI has also

raised its fi�scalyear infl�ation projection by 60 basis

points to 5.7%. Also, with one of the six members of the

MPC dissenting and voting against the language of the

policy stance, it seems clear the central bank may soon

er than later have to bite the bullet and start normalis

ing rates if it wants to avoid undermining its own cred

ibility by delaying steps to rein in infl�ation.

Tightrope walkThe RBI should not undermine its own

credibility by delaying steps to rein in infl�ation

India took on a golden glow at Tokyo on Saturday as

Neeraj Chopra hurled the javelin to fetch the country

its fi�rst Olympics gold in track and fi�eld. Neeraj’s

winning eff�ort at 87.58m capped the fi�nest ever perfor

mance by Indian sportspersons in the quadrennial glo

bal stage. India won seven medals — one gold, two sil

vers and four bronzes — and cumulatively edged past

the previous best of six at the 2012 London Games. For

a country resigned to a meagre yield or none at the

Olympics since its debut in 1900, the latest edition was

laden with riches. At 23, Neeraj has the world at his feet

and the skies to aim for. The Indian Army man has

grown in stature, and to supplant German Johannes

Vetter, until now the world’s best javelin thrower, was

no mean task. Neeraj’s golden tryst was special at many

levels; it was India’s maiden gold in athletics at the

Olympics while Norman Pritchard had won two silvers

in 1900. It was also India’s second individual gold at the

Games after shooter Abhinav Bindra hit bullseye at Beij

ing in 2008. That Neeraj had previously won golds in

the Asian Games and Commonwealth Games are all

pointers to a journey that is on cruisemode while his

coach Klaus Bartonietz keeps a close watch.

Neeraj’s dash of magic seasoned in sweat and mus

cle, found mirrorimages within the Indian contingent.

Wrestler Bajrang Punia won bronze in the men’s frees

tyle 65kg bout, pinning down Kazakhstan’s Daulet Ni

yazbekov. It also bolstered India’s medals’ kitty that had

prior contributions from Mirabai Chanu, Lovlina Bor

gohain, Ravi Kumar Dahiya, P.V. Sindhu and the men’s

hockey team. What stood out was the Indian contin

gent’s belief that they can compete on level terms with

their fancied rivals. It showed in Aditi Ashok’s golfi�ng

endeavour as she came tantalisingly close to silver be

fore a rainmarred day out at the greens undid her

rhythm and the Bangalorean fi�nished at the fourth

spot. When the curtains were lowered on the latest

Olympics on Sunday, the Indiastory was largely driven

by Neeraj, hockeyrenaissance and womenpower

while shooting proved underwhelming. Among the

rest, it was status quo as the United States of America

and China led the medals tally with host Japan and

Great Britain following while India was placed 48th in

the table. Usain Bolt’s stardust was missed but Jamaica’s

Elaine ThompsonHerah added zest while setting a new

Olympic record of 10.61 seconds in the women’s 100m

sprint. The pandemic delayed the Games by a year but

it marches on unhindered while the fans look forward

to the 2024 version at Paris.

Golden armIndian sportspersons showed selfbelief

at the Olympics to return with a record tally

CMYK

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Simla, August 8 — Information has just beenreceived from His Majesty’s Secretary ofState for India, that the following resolutionhas been adopted by the Imperial Cabinet inregard to the Position of Indians in the Dominions: “The Imperial Conference while reaffi�rming the resolution of the Conference of1918, that each community of the BritishCommonwealth should enjoy complete control of the composition of its own populationby means of restriction on immigration,from any of the other communities, holdsthat there is an incongruity between the position of India, as an equal member of theBritish Empire and the existence of disabilities upon British Indians, lawfully domiciledin some other parts of the Empire. The Imperial Conference is accordingly of the opinion that in the interests of the solidarity ofthe British Commonwealth, it is desirablethat the rights of such Indians to citizenshipshould be recognised. The representativesof South Africa regret their inability to accept this resolution in view of the exceptional circumstances of the Union.”

A HUNDRED YEARS AGO AUGUST 9, 1921

Position of Indians.

An important bill introduced in Parliament last week aims to nullify theregressive 2012 amendment in theIncome Tax Act. The 2012 amendment overturned the SupremeCourt’s decision in Vodafone International Holdings v. Union of Indiaand made the income tax law retroactively applicable on indirecttransfer of Indian assets. The retroactive amendment resulted in Vodafone and Cairn Energy suing Indiabefore InvestorState Dispute Settlement (ISDS) tribunals of IndiaNetherlands and IndiaU.K. bilateral investment treaties (BITs). Both thetribunals held that India’s retroactiveamendment of tax laws breached thefair and equitable treatment provision of the two BITs.

The proposed amendment, longoverdue, is a welcome development.However, it is being presented as adomestic legal reform undoing a pastmistake. It appears that this amendment hasn’t been proposed to comply with the two adverse ISDS decisions rendered against India or tocomply with India’s international lawobligations contained in BITs. This isbecause there is an erroneous beliefin the bureaucratic and political circles that since taxation matters arepart of sovereign measures, they cannot be challenged before ISDStribunals.

Sovereign right to taxSeveral ISDS tribunals have recognised the fundamental principle thattaxation is an intrinsic element of thestate’s sovereign power. For instance, in a case known as Eiser v.Spain, where foreign investors challenged a tax imposed by Spain onelectrical producers under the Energy Charter Treaty, the tribunal heldthat the power to tax is a core sovereign power of the state that shouldnot be questioned lightly. Likewise,in El Paso v. Argentina, where the investors challenged several facets ofArgentinian tax measures as breaching the United StatesArgentina BIT,the tribunal held that the tax policy

of a country is a matter relating to thesovereign power of the state, andthus “the State has a sovereign rightto enact the tax measures it deemsappropriate at any particular time”.Not just this, the ISDS tribunals havealso held that whenever a foreign investor challenges states’ taxationmeasures, there is a presumptionthat the taxation measures are validand legal. For instance, an ISDS tribunal in Renta 4 v. Russia said thatwhen it comes to examining taxationmeasures for BIT breaches, the starting point should be that the taxationmeasures are a bona fi�de exercise ofthe state’s public powers.

Limits on the right Notwithstanding the state’s sovereign right to impose taxes and thepresumption about the validity oftaxation measures, there are certainlimits on the exercise of this publicpower. The two most used BIT provisions to challenge a state’s taxationmeasures are expropriation and thefair and equitable treatment provision. In the context of expropriation,one of the key ISDS cases that explained the limits on the state’s rightto tax is Burlington v. Ecuador. Inthis dispute, investors challengedEcuador’s windfall tax imposed onexcess profi�ts resulting from oil ex

ploration under the United StatesEcuador BIT. The tribunal held thatunder customary international law,there are two limits on the state’sright to tax. First, the tax should notbe discriminatory; second, it shouldnot be confi�scatory. In another ISDScase, EnCana v, Ecuador, a Canadian corporation sued Ecuador forvalueadded taxes under the CanadaEcuador BIT. The tribunal held that astate’s tax measures would amountto an expropriation of foreign investment if the tax law is extraordinary,punitive in amount, or arbitrary inincidence.

In the context of the fair and equitable treatment provision, foreign investors have often challenged taxation measures as breaching legalcertainty, which is an element of thefair and equitable treatment provision. Although legal certainty doesnot mean immutability of legal framework, states are under an obligation to carry out legal changes suchas amending their tax laws in a reasonable and proportionate manner.

The tribunal in Cairn Energy v. India said that taxing indirect transfersis India’s sovereign power and the tribunal would not comment on it. However, such matters are not of “absolute, unquestioning deference andthere are limits on it”. Thus, India’s

right to tax in the public interestshould be balanced with the investor’s interest of legal certainty. In thecontext of amending tax laws retroactively, such an action should bejustifi�ed by a specifi�c purpose thatcould not be accomplished by applying taxes prospectively. The tribunalheld that the public purpose that justifi�es the application of law prospectively will usually be insuffi�cient tojustify the retroactive application ofthe law. There must be an additionalpublic purpose to justify the retroactive application of the law. For example, India argued that the 2012amendment was to ensure that foreign corporations who use tax havens for the indirect transfers of underlying Indian assets pay taxes.However, the tribunal held that thisobjective could be achieved byamending the income tax law prospectively, not retroactively. It is critical to bear in mind that the tribunaldid not rule against retroactivity oftax laws per se but against the retroactive application that lacked public policy justifi�cation.

Carving out taxation measuresIndia in its 2016 Model BIT carvedout taxation measures completelyfrom the scope of the investmenttreaty. Nonetheless, carving out taxation measures from the scope of theBIT does not mean that states arefree to do as they please. As it washeld in Yukos Universal v. Russia, ifstates act in bad faith towards foreigninvestors or abuse their right to taxor adopt mala fi�de taxation measures, they won’t be able to take thebenefi�t of the carveout provision.

The biggest takeaway from thisnineyearlong sordid episode of retrospective taxation is that Indiashould exercise its right to regulatewhile being mindful of its international law obligations, acting in goodfaith and in a proportionate manner.ISDS tribunals do not interfere withsuch regulatory measures. In sum,the debate never was whether Indiahas a sovereign right to tax, butwhether this sovereign right is subject to certain limitations. The answer is an emphatic ‘yes’ because under international law the sovereignright to tax is not absolute.

Prabhash Ranjan will soon join Jindal Global

Law School, O P Jindal Global University as

professor and vice dean. Views are personal

BIT provisions to challenge taxation measures include expropriation and fair and equitable treatment

“Carving out taxation measures from the scope of the BIT does not mean thatstates are free to do as they please.” A vodafone store in Mumbai. * AFP

The sovereign right to tax is not absolute

Prabhash Ranjan

In the judiciary, judges sometimes recusethemselves from hearing cases listed beforethem. The reason for their recusal is eitherconfl�ict of interest or prior association withone of the parties involved in the case. Itmust be kept in mind that there are no written rules on the recusal of judges from hearing cases listed before them. Judges use theirdiscretion in making the decision of whetheror not to hear the case. As the Readers’ Editor of this newspaper, I have often wonderedwhat would be the case from which I wouldrecuse myself.

The individual views of journalistsI have participated in protests defendingfreedom of expression and the rights of journalists to perform their work without fear ofintimidation. I have been part of teams thatdefended democratic rights, raised voicesagainst jingoism, and supported the idea ofpluralism. I am aware of editors and mediamanagers who are wary of journalists expressing their views publicly. On the otherhand, there are also editors who have takenthe view that individual views, as long asthey conform to the foundations of ethicaljournalism, should not be curbed. The Society of Professional Journalists has distilledjournalistic ethics to four operational principles: seek truth and report it, minimiseharm, act independently, and be accountable and transparent.

In the case of public media organisationssuch as the NPR of the U.S. or the BBC of theU.K., the rules for public engagement anddemonstrations are more stringent butlayered. For instance, the BBC makes it clearthat accuracy, evidence, facts, transparencyand informed judgments are constituentparts of an impartial approach. The NPR,which started as a national radio but has nowtransformed into an important news mediaorganisation across multiple platforms,tweaked its longstanding policy last month.Its new ethics policy, which was unveiled onJuly 7, has given more elbow room for journalists to express their personal opinions ona range of issues. The policy, in part, reads:“NPR editorial staff� may express support fordemocratic, civic values that are core toNPR’s work, such as, but not limited to: the

freedom and dignity of human beings, therights of a free and independent press, theright to thrive in society without facing discrimination on the basis of race, ethnicity,gender, sexual identity, disability, orreligion.”

NPR’s policy has already become a subjectof debate. The public media organisation hasbeen a witness to some of the defi�ning developments in the U.S. such as the Black LivesMatter movement and the Pride parade.NPR’s chief diversity offi�cer Keith Woods explained the factors that led to the changes.While he agreed that it is important for journalists to keep many of their personal viewsprivate, he also argued that “there are thingsin the world where we are not torn aboutwhere we stand. We are against bigotry, weare against discrimination and unfairness.”

NPR Public Editor Kelly McBride said therecent policy “confronts the generationsoldquestion in newsrooms: Where does thejournalist end and the citizen begin?” NPRlists its guiding principles: “honesty, integrity, independence, accuracy, contextualtruth, transparency, respect and fairness”. Itadds a new reference to its “democratic roleas watchdogs”. NPR also has a section on universal values such as human rights, a freepress, antidiscrimination and antibigotry.

The question that haunts Ms. McBride isthe one that forces me to retain my ambivalence. She asked: “What if a journalist wantsto picket an abortion clinic or demonstratein support of women’s autonomy over theirbodies? What about a journalist who wantsto express her general support of the SecondAmendment?” The Second Amendment tothe U.S. Constitution provides “the right ofthe people to keep and bear Arms”.

A blurred lineIn the Indian context, the line that dividesthe professional creed of a journalist fromher democratic anxiety as a citizen is gettingblurred by the day due to executive excesses.When institutions that are supposed to provide checks and balances become an extension of the executive or an apology for it, is itfair to expect journalists not to express theiranguish as citizens? When constitutionallyguaranteed rights are abrogated, and billsare pushed through without any discussionin Parliament, silence becomes an unbearable burden.

As the Readers’ Editor, I would recuse myself from hearing any case that asks me todraw the line that divides journalism fromcitizenry.

[email protected]

Recusal of a Readers’ EditorThe line dividing the professional creed of a journalist from heranxieties as a citizen is getting blurred by executive excesses

A.S. PANNEERSELVAN

FROM THE READERS’ EDITOR

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DATA POINT

Students from China and India accounted for 47% of all active foreignstudents in the U.S. in 2020, as perthe Student and Exchange VisitorProgramme, part of U.S. Immigrationand Customs Enforcement. Indianstudents comprised the second largest student community in the U.K.and Australia in 20192020.In recent years, Canada hasemerged as a soughtafterdestination for Indian students. One of the biggestbenefi�ciaries of the DonaldTrump administration’srestrictive student visa policies was Canada. Indianstudents are now the largest groupwithin the international student community in Canada.

But in spite of their role in enhancing India’s soft power internationally,through their excellent academicperformance as well as seamless integration into these countries, Indianstudents face several problems.These are often overlooked. However, in recent years Indian student associations have been trying to drawattention to these concerns.

Three major challenges Ever since the outbreak of the COVID19 pandemic, Indian students already studying overseas as well asthose seeking to go abroad havefaced several challenges. First, mostIndian students were forced to delaytheir plans in 2020 due to the imposition of lockdowns, disruption offl�ights, and embassies not issuing student visas. This led to a drop in thenumber of Indian students goingabroad to study in 2020. According tothe Ministry of External Aff�airs, whilein 2019 nearly 5.9 lakh students wentoverseas for higher education, in2020 only 2.6 lakh were able to go.While the fi�rst two months of 2021saw 72,000 students going overseas,the devastating second wave impacted the career plans of students. Thisis not to say that the enthusiasm to gooverseas has waned; embassies andhigh commissions are unable to dealwith the backlog of applications.

Furthermore, many countrieshave closed their borders and/or restricted fl�ights from India. As a result,

students have to look for circuitousroutes and end up paying higher airfares. While students are able tomake it to Canada through expensiveand indirect routes right now, Australia is likely to keep its borders closedwell into 2022 given the surge in cases there. The U.K. and the U.S. havetried to make exceptions to theirrules for international students, but

there remain a number ofrules and regulations whichhave made it very cumbersome to enter these countries, if not impossible.

The second problem isthat of vaccination. As universities abroad open upfor international students

and begin allowing inperson classesfrom fall 2021, many require studentsto get vaccinated before they go. Covaxin and Sputnik V are yet to be recognised by the World Health Organization. Countries like the U.S. do notaccept students who have been inoculated with these vaccines and havetold them to get revaccinated. Manystudents who have been vaccinatedwith Covishield are waiting for the 12week gap to pass in order to get theirsecond dose. To help them, Stateswhich send a large number of students abroad have prioritised vaccines for international students.

Third, due to the disruptioncaused by COVID19, students overseas are fi�nding it diffi�cult to get jobs.

Addressing issuesIn a postCOVID19 world, there arelikely to be numerous disruptions,but it is important for offi�cials anduniversities to work jointly to addressthe challenges which overseas Indianstudents face. It is impossible topredict when things will get back tonormal and when logistical issues relating to Indian students seeking tostudy overseas will be addressed.While there are certain issues whichspecifi�cally impact students, thereare others such as policies pertainingto air travel and recognition of Covaxin which need to be addressed at theearliest to facilitate smooth travel fortourists seeking to go overseas.

Tridivesh Singh Maini is a faculty member at

the Jindal School of International Aff�airs, OP

Jindal Global University, Sonipat

The many hurdles for students Indian students studying overseas and those seekingto go abroad face many COVID-related challenges

Tridivesh Singh Maini

A team of American archaeologists has completed piecing together the site where Socrates stood trial and was sentenced todeath in Athens 24 centuries ago [Athens,August 8]. The site is the royal stoa, or arcade, which according to ancient writerswas Athens’ seat of religious and judicial affairs. It was discovered and unearthed in thewestern corner of the agora (market) at thefoothill of the Acropolis by a group of American archaeologists under Professor Theodore Shears Jr. of Princeton University. Thestoa was a covered colonade, about 20metres long. It was part of the marketplaceand civic pulse of ancient Athenian life, acentre of public services, business establishments and gossip. In 399 B.C. it provided thesite for the trial of the famous philosopherSocrates, found guilty of “corrupting youthand refusing to worship Gods.” Socratesboldly reiterated his beliefs before his judges, and was sentenced to drink a cup of poisonous hemlock. His last hours were spentdiscussing the immortality of the soul with agroup of his disciples. “It is thrilling for anarchaeologist to sit on the benches near thenorth wall of the stoa — where the Athenianjudges sat and where such wellknown andnotorious events have taken place,” Prof.Shears said.

FIFTY YEARS AGO AUGUST 9, 1971

Site where Socrates was sentenced

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FROM THE ARCHIVES

CMYK

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FROM PAGE ONE

tions to their study. “The sample size was

small and the participantswere put under a short follow up period of only 6070days after immunisationwith the fi�rst dose and baseline serological and immunological data of the participants not available,” it said.

It advised against peoplemixing and matching vaccines from diff�erent manufacturers, calling it a“dangerous trend” sincethere was little data available about the healthimpact.

The Council admittedthat there are few limita

‘CovishieldCovaxin mixgives better protection’

realities of socioeconomicdiversity which prevail inour nation cannot ever be areason for denial of rights.Let our past not determineour future...”

Digital divideChief Justice Ramana saidthe digital divide has nothelped the cause of easy access to justice. Rural and remote areas suff�er from lackof connectivity.

“Accessing justice in India is not merely an aspirational goal. We need towork hand in hand with various wings of the government to make it a practicalreality.” The Chief Justicesaid he has already writtento the government aboutthe urgent need to bridgethe digital chasm “on apriority basis”.

‘Equality a reality’“Let us dream of a futurebased on legal mobility, afuture where equality is areality. That is why the project ‘Access to Justice’ is anunending mission,” CJI Ramana said.

For the longest time, he noted, the vulnerable sectionshave lived outside the system of justice.

Faith of citizens“If judiciary wants to garnerthe faith of the citizens, wehave to make everyone feelassured that we exist forthem,” the CJI said.

“For the longest time, thevulnerable population haslived outside the system ofjustice,” Chief Justice Ramana said, showing the mirrorto fellow judges on the pitfalls of the justice administrative system.

Lengthy, expensive formal processes followed bycourts dissuade the poorand the vulnerable. Thejudiciary’s toughest challenge today is to break thesebarriers, he said.

“If we want to remain asa society governed by therule of law, it is imperativefor us to bridge the gap ofaccessibility to justice between the highly privilegedand the most vulnerable.For all times to come, wemust remember that the

Human rights at risk inpolice stations, says CJI

“For some reason, thevehicle started moving before the meeting ended. Efforts to pacify the peoplewere fruitless until the SPcalmed the mob,” an offi�cialat the Lailapur police station said.

Mizoram’s Minister (Independent Charge) for Rural Development Lalruatkima thanked the Assamgovernment for engagingwith the locals to lift theblockade. “Vehicles carrying COVID19 testing kits,reagents and other lifesaving drugs had been stranded in Assam, forcing our government to cap sampletesting based on the available stock,” he said.

Mr. Singhal is also the Guardian Minister of Cachardistrict.

“Nine trucks moved toMizoram on Saturday nightbut the other stranded heavy vehicles waited for daybreak to proceed,” he said.

Mr. Singhal had met thelocals along with Environment and Forest MinisterParimal Suklabaidya, whois also the local MLA, Cachar’s Deputy Commissioner Keerthi Jalli and Superintendent of PoliceRamandeep Kaur.

While the meeting wason, the local people peltedstones and vandalisedsome Mizoramboundtrucks.

Economic blockadeof Mizoram lifted

Eighteen months after thesocioreligious group JamaateIslami ( JeI) wasbanned in J&K, the NationalInvestigation Agency (NIA)on Sunday conductedsearches at 56 locations in 14districts in the Union Territory (UT) in connection witha terror funding case in thewake of reports of regrouping by the bannedorganisation.

Sources said NIA teamssearched the residences offormer JeI heads and incharge of its FalaheAamTrust, a charity organisationthat runs nearly 100 schoolsin the Union Territory, atSoura, Nowgam, Bemina,Harwan and Lal Bazaar inSrinagar.

House of JeI leader Mohammad Sultan Bhat, at present in Pakistan, wassearched in the Soibugh areaof Budgam in central Kash

mir. So were houses of former JeI presidents in Budgam,Ganderbal, Kulgam andBaramulla.

In Shopian, which wasonce considered a hub of theJeI, the house of the brotherof Hamid Fayaz Ganie, whowas Amir (head) of the organisation when it wasbanned in February 2019,was searched. Ganie was arrested and booked under thePublic Safety Act (PSA).

A NIA spokesman said 56

locations were searched inSrinagar, Budgam, Ganderbal, Baramulla, Kupwara,Bandipora, Anantnag, Shopian, Pulwama, Kulgam,Ramban, Doda, Kishtwarand Rajouri districts.

In February, the NIA registered the case on a referencefrom the Union Home Ministry related to separatist andsecessionist activities of theJeI, which was proscribedunder the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act on Fe

bruary 28, 2019.“The members of the or

ganisation have been collecting funds domestically andabroad through donations,particularly in the form ofzakat (donations), mowdaand bait-ul-mal (charity)purportedly to further charity and other welfare activities, but these funds are instead being used for violentand secessionist activities,”the NIA said in a statement.

Money for Hizb, LeTIt was alleged that fundsraised by the JeI were alsobeing channelled to thebanned outfi�ts such as HizbulMujahideen and LashkareTaiba (LeT) through wellorganised networks of theJeI cadres.

The JeI had also been motivating the youth of Kashmirto recruit new members inJ&K to participate in disruptive secessionist activities,the NIA added.

NIA searches houses of Jamaatleaders in 56 locations in J&KAgency says funds raised by it being used for violent and secessionist activities


Srinagar/New Delhi

On guard: CRPF jawans keeping watch as an NIA teamconducts a search at Nowgam on Sunday. * NISSAR AHMAD

J&K LieutenantGovernorManoj Sinha on Sunday saidthere would be no mercy formilitants and their supporters in Kashmir, a day aftermilitants attacked and killedone policeman and injuredtwo others in south Kashmir’s Kulgam.

Speaking during an offi�cial function in Kulgam, LGSinha said there was noplace for violence in theland of Sufi� saints.

“Misguided youth mustshun violence, choose better future. I urge imams(priests) and khateebs(preachers) to keep a watchon children and preventthem from treading wrongpath. The J&K admin is committed to creating schemesthat will strengthen the abilities of youth.”

Talking tough against militants amid stepped up operations by the security forces in J&K, the LG said hisadministration was committed to ensuring peace and

development in Kashmir.Without naming Pakis

tan, the LG said the neighbouring country, besidessome elements in J&K,doesn’t want peace. “But weare committed to defeat violence,” he added.

Praising a resident fromKulgam, Tanvir Khan, son ofa rickshaw puller whocracked the Indian Economic Service (IES), Mr. Sinhasaid, “Khan made the people of not only Kulgam butentire J&K feel proud. Youthmust take cue from him andfollow his footsteps andchoose better future.”

No mercy for militants,supporters: J&K LG‘No place for violence in land of Sufi�s’

Peerzada Ashiq

Srinagar

Manoj Sinha

For the big day: Containers placed in front of the Red Fort on Sunday as added protection ahead of the Independence Daycelebrations at the venue. * SUSHIL KUMAR VERMA



Layers of security

Ahead of the Independence Day celebration, theUnion government hasasked States to ensure thatpeople do not use nationalfl�ags made of plastic as ensuring the appropriate disposal of the Tricolourmade of the nonbiodegradable item was a practical problem.

In a communication toall States and Union Territories, the Union Home Ministry said the national fl�agrepresented the hopes andaspirations of the people ofthe country and, hence,should occupy a position ofhonour.

“There is universal affection and respect for, andloyalty to, the national fl�ag.Yet, a perceptible lack ofawareness is often noticedamongst people as well asorganisations/agencies ofthe government, in regardto laws, practices and conventions that apply to display of the national fl�ag,” itsaid.

It told the States and Union Territories that on theoccasion of important national, cultural and sportsevents, national fl�ags madeof plastic were also beingused in place of fl�ags madeof paper.

‘Disallow useof plasticnational fl�ag’


New Delhi

Russian President VladimirPutin will join the open debate on maritime securitythat Prime Minister Narendra Modi will preside over onMonday at the U.N. SecurityCouncil as India holds thePresidency for the month.The Embassy of India in Russia has announced that President Putin will participate inthe event through videoconference.

The participation of worldleaders in the session is partof the broader global message about the consensus over India providing leadershipof the UNSC as the worlddeals with confl�icts in Afghanistan, Myanmar and Yemen among others. .

The current stint is theeighth time that India hasheld the Presidency of thetop U.N. body. Yet out of allthe tenures, it is the fi�rst in195051 that left lasting lessons about how diffi�cult international aff�airs can be atthe level of the chair of thePresident.

It was in 195051 that theissue of Kashmir took a critical turn at the Security Council which took the Indian delegation by surprise. Indiawas still struggling with theinitial phase of freedom andthe Kashmir issue hadopened up almost immediately with the war of 194748. The issue arrived at theUN on January 1, 1948 as India urged the UNSC to discuss the battle that began

with the invasion of tribal irregulars from Pakistan.

The Indian submissionmarked the origin of the“Jammu and Kashmir Question”. The title of the disputewas changed on January 22,1948 to “The IndiaPakistan

Question”. The period from 1948 to

1951 was heated as far as theKashmir issue was concerned as there was littlefl�exibility on display by either India or Pakistan as theUN involvement through thefi�rst UN RepresentativeOwen Dixon failed to resolvethe situation.

In this backdrop, onMarch 30, 1951, the UNSCtook up an AngloAmericanresolution on Kashmir andlaid out a process of continuation that would give theKashmir issue a long shelflife at the UNSC where it wasformally taken up last time in1971 before the August 2019discussion on the issue byChina in the backdrop of India’s abrogation of Article

370 by the government ofPrime Minister Modi.

What was particularly embarrassing about the 1951 resolution was that the Kashmir issue concerned thePresident of the UNSC — India — and yet neither the U.S.nor the U.K. hesitated fromgoing ahead with it. The Resolution 91 decided to replace the United NationsCommission for India andPakistan (UNCIP) with UNMOGIP (UN Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan). It also decided toappoint a UN Representativefor India and Pakistan in continuation of the role of SirOwen Dixon.

The second decision almost institutionalised theKashmir issue in the U.N.

Putin to join Modi in UNSC debate todayIndia holds the Presidency of council for the month amid tensions in Afghanistan and Myanmar

Vladimir Putin

Kallol Bhattacherjee

NEW DELHI

Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) president MehboobaMufti on Sunday pitchedfor “selfrule as a fi�nal settlement” of the Kashmirproblem, as she held fi�rstever interactive sessionwith youth leaders fromacross the Kashmir Valleysince the removal of Jammu and Kashmir’s specialstatus in 2019.

Interacting with 150youth leaders invited for adetailed presentation anddiscussion over the PDP’sselfrule formula, Ms. Muftisaid, “Our ‘SelfRule’ document is the only viable andacceptable road map tomake a headway on Kashmir. It addresses both theexternal and internal dimension of the Kashmir issue, which can result inpeace and prosperity notonly in J&K but the entiresubcontinent.”

Mehboobapitches for‘selfrule’

special correspondent

Srinagar

The Hindu Education Plushosted a webinar on studying abroad on Sunday. ‘LetYour Dreams Take Flight’was presented by Santamonica Study Abroad Pvt. Ltd.

In the session moderatedby freelance writer PankajaSrinivasan, key speaker NicyBinu, director, SantamonicaStudy Abroad, focused onstudy avenues in variousdestinations, including Canada, the U.K., the U.S., Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, Sweden and Germany.“Even in the midst of the

pandemic, study abroadcontinues to be popular.There has been a signifi�cantspike in the percentage ofstudents aspiring to studyabroad,” she said.

According to Ms. Binu, theU.K. and the U.S. off�er a

range of unique courses. However, the U.S. has no openwork permit, unlike Canada,Germany, Ireland and others. While there was a periodwhen the U.K. governmenttook away the poststudywork permit, the country isattracting more Indian graduates after exiting the EU.

Canada is famous for itsimmigrationfriendly policies and is among one of thetop three destinations preferred by Indians. Ms. Binusaid in Australia, parttimeemployment opportunitiesand earnings are high andthe most welcoming regions,

in terms of ease of obtainingPR, are Tasmania and SouthAustralia. In New Zealand,engineers and healthcareprofessionals will be able toavail PR easily, she said.

Ms. Binu also pointed outthat while education is nottoo expensive in Germany,Denmark, Netherlands, Sweden, Finland, and France,these countries prefer students who can speak theirlanguage.

Ms. Binu and others fromSantamonica fi�elded questions from the audience. Thesession can be viewed athttps://bit.ly/3Csj4OK.

‘Studying abroad still a popular option’

Experts at The Hindu Education Plus webinar focus on avenues abroad

Madhuvanti S. Krishanan

A day after he walked out ofthe Samyukt Kisan Morcha’s(SKM) general body meeting, Haryana farmer leaderGurnam Singh Chaduni hasclarifi�ed that he has not leftthe movement or the protests against three farm reform laws. However, diff�erences remain, especiallywith regard to his politicalambitions.

Mr. Chaduni, who headshis own faction of the Bharatiya Kisan Union and is alsoone of the nine members ofthe SKM’s core committee,accused other leaders of discriminating against him andhis supporters. In a statement, he explained that hewalked out of Saturday’sgeneral body of the jointfarmers front, as some of hissupporters — farm leadersfrom Punjab who are notpart of the SKM — wereasked to leave the meeting.

These supporters havebeen part of his campaignfor Mission Punjab, a controversial call for farm leadersto directly contest nextyear’s Assembly elections.The SKM leadership has offi�

cially repudiated such an entry into the poll arena by thefarmers and previously suspended Mr. Chaduni fromthe core committee for aweek for his politicalstatements.

Terming the ejection ofhis followers as the decisionsof a “dictatorship,” Mr. Chaduni pointed out that otherSKM leaders who have similarly violated the front’s nonpolitical stance have notbeen pulled up. To protestsuch “injustice,” Mr. Chadu

ni had declared his decisionto boycott the general bodyand core committeemeetings.

On Sunday evening, heclarifi�ed that he was notleaving the SKM or breakingwith the front and its objectives. However, he reiteratedthat he was against the double standards of the otherunion leaders, especially asection from Punjab. As theState polls draw nearer, thetensions within the movement remain.

Have not left Samyukt KisanMorcha: Haryana farmer leader However, Chaduni to boycott meetings over political stance


NEW DELHI

A fi�le photo of farmer leader Gurnam Singh Chaduni takingpart in the Kisan Sansad in New Delhi. * SANDEEP SAXENA

The Supreme Court hasdismissed an appealagainst a Rajasthan HighCourt decision, which heldthat online fantasy game,Dream 11, involves skill andis not gambling.

A Bench of Justices Rohinton Nariman and B.R.Gavai said the issue wasnot res integra (unique)and had been the subjectof several judgments, including one in June 2017and two more in October14 and December 13 of2019.

SC upholdsHC’s decisionon Dream 11

Legal Correspondent

NEW DELHI

CMYK

A ND-NDE


THE HINDU DELHI


NEWS

The Central Bureau of Investigation has arrested twomore persons in connectionwith derogatory social media posts against judges andthe judiciary. The agencyhas so far arrested fi�ve persons in the case.

The accused Pattapu Aadarsh and Lavanuru SambaSiva Reddy were arrested bythe agency on Saturday. “Inorder to investigate the larger conspiracy, the CBI has also examined certain persons, including NandigamSuresh, MP, and former MLAAmanchi Krishna Mohan,not mentioned in the FirstInformation Report (FIR),”said a CBI offi�cial.

In the same case, the CBIarrested Dhami Reddy Konda Reddy and Pamula Sudheer on July 28. While Mr.Dhami Reddy Konda Reddyis currently in judicial custody, Mr. Sudheer is in theagency's custody till August10. Another accused namedLingareddy Rajasekhar Red

dy, who earlier worked inKuwait, was arrested on July9. He is also in judicialcustody.

FIR fi�ledThe agency took over theprobe on November 11,2020, after registering theFIR against 16 accused andother unknown persons, following a direction from theAndhra Pradesh High Court.It was alleged that they deliberately targeted somejudges of the Supreme Courtand the Andhra PradeshHigh Court through interviews in the media, abusivecomments and threats onsocial media platforms.

During the investigation,the CBI traced 13 personsnamed in the FIR. Three ofthem were found to be livingoverseas.

The agency has examined11 accused. The CBI is alsotrying to secure the presence of two other accused,said to be in the UnitedStates, for their questioning.

While fi�ve have been ar

rested so far, evidenceagainst the remaining six isbeing evaluated for furthernecessary legal action.

“Searches were also conducted on the premises ofaccused persons. One ofthem, Lingareddy Rajasekhar Reddy, had allegedlybeen using a passport issuedin another name,” the offi�cial said, adding that all theobjectionable contents wereremoved from the Internet.

The agency has sought assistance from its counterparts in other countries,through the Interpol, togather evidence fromabroad. It is alleged that thederogatory contents wereposted last year after diff�erent Benches of the AndhraPradesh High Court passedorders with regard to somepetitions fi�led against the instructions and actions of theState government and itsfunctionaries.

“Even the persons occupying high position gave interviews against judges,” theCourt said.

CBI took over the probe following direction from A.P. HCDevesh K. Pandey

NEW DELHI

2 more held for derogatoryposts against judges

Ahead of the concludingweek of the monsoon session, Opposition parties onSunday released a video onsocial media platforms inwhich they highlighted theirfutile attempts to speak onthe issues of the Pegasussnooping controversy andfarm laws in Parliament, andurged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to “listen” to them.

The parties that are partof the collaborative eff�ort include the Congress, Trinamool Congress, DMK, Samajwadi Party, Shiv Sena,Nationalist Congress Party(NCP), CPI(M), Rashtriya Janata Dal, Aam Admi Partyand Telangana RashtraSamithi.

The video — fi�rst releasedby Trinamool Congress leader in the Rajya Sabah DerekO'Brien — sets the tone forthe Opposition’s strategy inthe coming week eventhough parties will formallymeet on Monday morning todecide their strategy in thetwo Houses of Parliament.

“Mr Modi, Come listen tous,” Mr. O’Brien tweeted and

tagged 10 Opposition partiesincluding his own party.

‘BJP stalling debate’“PM @narendramodi seemsto have lost his nerves. Whyis he not keen on answeringquestions in the Parliament?The opposition parties areready for discussions in theParliament, but @BJP4IndiaGovt is stalling the proceedings so that the truth doesn’tget to the people,” Leader ofthe Opposition in Rajya Sab

ha Mallikarjun Kharge saidon Twitter and tagged thethree minute 45 secondsvideo.

Talking to The Hindu

about the idea behind video,Mr. O’Brien said, “When thevoice of the entire Opposition is being censored dailyin Parliament, we will innovate to communicate... andthere is more to come.”

The video is a compilationof statements made by diff�erent Opposition MPs in the

Upper House in the pastthree weeks on the issues ofthe farmers’ agitation andthe Pegasus spyware.

Leaders indicated thatmerely disrupting the proceedings of the Parliamentwas not enough and it wasimportant for the people toknow the “causes” for whichthe Opposition is fi�ghting.

“You are not allowing thediscussion we have been asking for the past 14 days andthe discussions we can do la

ter. You are passing that Billnow. If you have courage, begin the discussions on Pegasus now,” Mr. Kharge isheard saying in the video, ina short clip of what he saidearlier on the fl�oor of theHouse.

Sukhendu Shekar Roy ofthe Trinamool is heard raising the issue of “freedom ofspeech in Parliament”; theclip with Manoj Jha of theRJD alleges that “Pegasus hasreached everyone’s house”and the Congress’s Deepinder Hooda is seen saying hewould raise issues relating tofarmers only if his “microphone is not switched off�”.

Meanwhile, former Finance Minister P. Chidambaram, in a series of tweets,said, “The ECONOMIST magazine has reported that India is among ten countriesthat had a potential list of50,000 telephone numbersout of which hundreds ofnumbers were infi�ltrated.NSO Group admitted to have40 countries and 60 agencies as its clients. Ten ofthose countries used Pegasus spyware for spying. WasIndia one, is the question”.

Opposition urges PM to listen to themParties release video on their attempts to speak on Pegasus snooping controversy and farm laws


New Delhi

Strong pitch: Rahul Gandhi, centre, with other Opposition leaders. The video has been releasedahead of the concluding week of the monsoon session. * PTI

If the Samajwadi Partycomes to power in Uttar Pradesh in 2022, it would conduct a caste census of theOBC communities, its president and former Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav said onSunday.

“How much time will ittake in the age of technology,” asked Mr. Yadav, whileaddressing a gathering ofworkers of the Mahan Dal.

In a bid to counter theBJP’s strategy of pitting theYadavs versus the otherOBCs — the largest community bloc in U.P. — Mr. Yadavhas forged an alliance withthe Mahan Dal, an OBCbased party headed by Keshav Dev Maurya.

On Sunday, the Mahan Dalheld its workers meet at theSP’s headquarters and Mr.Yadav was the chief guest atthe event. The auditoriumresonated with the chant,

“Mahan Dal de thahna hain,

SP sarkar banana hain.”Mr. Yadav said the BJP

would never conduct a castecensus “because they knowwho are more in numbers”,a reference to the numericallydominant OBCs.

In the past few electionsin U.P., the BJP has successfully been able to pit the nonYadav castes against the Yadavs, who are the core support base of the SP. Sunday’sevent was one of the few occasions when Mr. Yadavtried to address that question, though in a mildfashion.

He warned the Mahan Dalsupport base of Maurya,Kushwaha, Sakhya and Sainicommunities that as elections come near, the discussion on the binary of Yadavvs nonYadav would get intensifi�ed by the BJP.

“They created a fi�ght between us saying that Yadavsstole all [your] rights. Sometimes they say we snatchedeveryone’s rights, the rightsof pichdas (BackwardCaste),” Mr. Yadav said.

The SP president also dismissed the BJP’s claims ofbeing the “biggest wellwisher” of the OBC and Dalits, ac

cusing the party of snatchingtheir rights and honour.

The Mahan Dal has a baseamong the backward casteMauryaShakyaKushwahaSaini communities, traditionally associated withgrowing vegetables andfarming. In the 2009 and2014 Lok Sabha polls, it allied with the Congress butfared poorly. In 2014, it forfeited deposits on all threeseats it got as part of the alliance — Budaun, Etah andNagina, securing less than23,000 votes. In 2019, too, itsupported the Congress,which eventually won onlyone seat.

Mr. Maurya, who startedhis career with the SP, saidhis fi�ght was to provide “honour and share” in the power to the Maurya, Kushwaha,Sakhya and Saini castes. Heclaimed his outfi�t could damage the BJP by 15,00020,000 votes in eachconstituency.

‘SP will conduct a caste census’BJP will not do it as it knows who are more in numbers, says Akhilesh Yadav

Omar Rashid

LUCKNOW

The Vishwa Hindu Parishadon Sunday demanded a Central law against forced religious conversion. Addressing a press conference inMeerut, Surendra Jain, theinternational joint generalsecretary of the Parishad,thanked Uttar Pradesh ChiefMinister Yogi Adityanath forbringing a strong law againstforced conversion in theState. “But the recent eventsin Loni area of Ghaziabadproved that it is a panIndianracket and hence requires aCentral law.”

Adding that they wouldraise the demand with theUnion Home Minister, Mr.Jain claimed those involvedin conversion activities alsoindulged in spreading terrorism and thus required astrong Central law.

He alleged that the socalled secular parties provided support to such activities. “When a private member Bill against forcedconversion was brought inthe Chhattisgarh Assembly,it was nixed by members ofthe Congress,” he alleged.

‘Saff�ron revolution’Calling for a “saff�ron revolution” in the region, Mr. Jainalso said the VHP and Bajrang Dal had identifi�ed 70

sensitive spots in western Uttar Pradesh from where Hindus were seeking mass exodus out of fear. “We willnurture selfconfi�dence inHindus who are living inareas where they are in a minority,” he said, referring toa recent incident in Moradabad where around 80 Hindufamilies had allegedly putposters declaring that theirhouses were on sale becausethey were facing harassmentat the hands of Muslimneighbours.

The local police, however,had debunked the theory.

In “Palayan nahin Parakram” (Courage not exodus),he said, the VHP had given anew motivational chant toHindus in western U.P. “Ithas been decided that everyvillage will have a BajrangDal akhara and a Durga Vahini centre.”

It accuses secular parties of supporting such activitiesAnuj Kumar

Ghaziabad

VHP demands Central lawagainst forced conversion

Surendra Jain

Raijor Dal chief Akhil Gogoion Sunday said that an alliance of regional partiesunder the leadership ofWest Bengal Chief MinisterMamata Banerjee is in themaking to oust the BJPfrom power in 2024.

“We aim to form a confederation of regional forces and project Mamata Banerjee as its leader,” hesaid.

‘Alliance in the making to oust BJP’


Guwahati

Shashi Tharoor, Congressleader and chairman of theParliamentary StandingCommittee on InformationTechnology, on Sundaysaid the panel’s last meeting on July 28 was “disrupted” by BJP members asthey did not want the Pegasusrelated allegations tobe discussed.

In an interview with PTI,he also put the blame forthe logjam in Parliamenton the BJP and said it hadreduced the “temple of democracy to a rubber stampfor its agenda or worse, anotice board to announceits unilateral decisions”.

Asked if going forwardthe Standing Committeeon IT would be able to takeup the Pegasus snooping issue, Mr. Tharoor said thatfor two years now the ITcommittee had been conducting discussions on citizens’ data privacy and security and cybersecurity,topics that also featured inits agenda under the previous chairman, BJP’s Anurag Thakur. The Pegasus issue, therefore, clearly fellunder the panel’s purview.

“It is no secret that thecommittee’s meeting [ July28] was disrupted by BJPmembers who did notwant Pegasus to be discussed. It was unprecedented for 10 members toattend and to refuse to signthe register in order to deny the committee a quorum,” the Thiruvananthapuram MP said.

Panel will takeup Pegasusissue: Tharoor


New Delhi

A day after social mediagiant Twitter temporarilyblocked former Congresspresident Rahul Gandhi’s account allegedly followingcomplaints from the NCPCR,the party on Sunday condemned the platform’s “double standards”.

Twitter had also removedone of Mr. Gandhi’s tweets ofa photograph of the parentsof a nineyearold girl, whowas raped and brutally murdered in the national capital,after he met the victim’s family last Wednesday.

Under Indian law, revealing the identities of sexualassault victims or their fami

lies is prohibited and may betaken as a violation of Twitter’s policy in India. On Wednesday, the National Commission for Protection ofChild Rights (NCPCR) hadasked the micro blogging siteas well as Delhi Police to takeaction against Mr. Gandhi.

However, Congress leaders claimed that similar pho

tographs, revealing the identity of the parents, wereshared by members of theNational Commission forScheduled Castes. Why wasMr. Gandhi being singledout, the Congress asked.

“See the double standard!@TwitterIndia how fearfulare you of the Modi govt thatyou are singling out Shri

@RahulGandhi's account,when Govt bodies have donethe exact same thing,” Congress general secretary (Organization) K.C. Venugopalasked on twitter.

Meanwhile, women members of the Congress held apress conference to questionthe silence of the top leadership over the crime.

Cong. slams Twitter’s ‘double standards’ ‘ Rahul singled outover photos ofrape victim’s kin’

Rahul Gandhi


New Delhi

A petition has been fi�led inthe Delhi High Courtseeking legal action againstCongress leader RahulGandhi for allegedlysharing on social media apicture of himself with theparents of a minor rape andmurder victim.

Makarand SureshMhadlekar, who claims tobe a social activist, said inhis petition that theCongress leader’s post onTwitter was in violation ofSection 74 of the JuvenileJustice Act, 2015, andSection 23(2) of theProtection of Children fromSexual Off�ences Act, 2012.

‘Take action against Rahul’Staff Reporter

New Delhi

The Delhi High Court has declared a Christian couple,both U.S. citizens, as ‘adoptive parents’ to a minor girlborn out of Hindu parentswhile reprimanding themfor trying to adopt the childunder a wrong law.

The High Court reiteratedthat Christian and Muslimcouples could not adopt aHindu child under the HinduAdoptions and MaintenanceAct (HAMA), as was soughtto be done in this case.

“The Adoption Deed

drawn up under the HAMA isinvalid as the parties areChristians and not Hindus,”Justice Asha Menon said, taking note of the fact that thechild, now more than sixyearsold, had been underthe custody of the adoptiveparents since her birth.

Justice Menon said thechild was being well takencare of by the foster parentsand their family and hence“there is no cause to removethe child from their chargeand custody.”

The High Court said thepersonal law of the Hindus

recognised adoption. “Therefore, the adoption ceremony known as ‘Datta Homam’,where the biological parentsvoluntarily surrender andhand over the child to the recipient, following religiousceremonies, was consideredsuffi�cient to result in a validand legal adoption,” it said.

The relationship of the biological family to the childgiven in adoption extinguished when this ceremonywas conducted. However,this right to adopt had beenbrought under the HAMA,which laid down certain lim

itations on who could adoptand who could be adoptedand what were the otherconditions for a valid adoption. HAMA was applicableonly to Hindus, and specifi�cally provided that it appliedto “any other person who isnot a Muslim, Christian, Parsi or Jew by religion”.

However, Justice Menonsaid that a person interestedin adopting a child was not limited by his or her religion,if adoption was sought under the Juvenile Justice (Careand Protection of Children)Act.

Adoption not limited by religion: Delhi HCJudge reprimands U.S. citizens for trying to adopt Hindu child under a wrong lawSoibam Rocky Singh

New Delhi

DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD

The family of 26yearoldHarpreet Singh at Mandi Gobindgarh in Punjab is yet tocome to terms with whatthey describe as a “marriagefraud” allegedly played onthem by their daughterinlaw after she left for Canadatwoandahalf years ago.

“Our son [Harpreet] married in July 2018. In January2019, my daughterinlaw,who had scored well in theIELTS [International EnglishLanguage Testing System],went to Canada on a studyvisa. After reaching Canada,she conveyed to my son thatshe did not want to continueher relationship with him asshe had plans to spend herlife with another person,”Manjeet Singh, Mr. Harpreet’s father, told The Hin-du. “It was a shock for thefamily. My son is in extremedistress. We have not yetcome to terms with it. I

spent around ₹�28 lakh onthe wedding, paid for her airtickets, the institute’s fees...We did not think such afraud would be played onus.”

Later, after pressuring thegirl through mutual friendsand relatives, the family wasable to send Mr. Harpreet toCanada on a spouse visa.“But the girl then fi�led for divorce in Canada. After this, Ifi�led a complaint here and afi�rst information report[FIR] was lodged for cheating under Section 420 of Indian Penal Code [IPC] andother sections against thegirl and her family,” Mr.Singh said.

Punjab has been witnessing an increasing number of“contract marriage frauds”carried out for securing theCanadian ‘Permanent Resident’ status required to migrate to that country.

Jobenjeet Singh, 33, of Fatehgarh Sahib district, has a

similar tale to share. “I gotmarried in 2012. My wifehad a good IELTS score andshe applied for a student vi

sa to Canada,which she receivedin January 2014. I deposited her college

fees and spentlakhs on hertravel to Cana

da. After reachingCanada, she initially stayedin touch with me, but laterstopped all communication.My inlaws are based in Ba

rundi village, Ludhiana, andevery time I met them, theywould assure me that shewould soon apply for thespouse visa. But they fi�led adivorce case on behalf oftheir daughter in 2020. Itwas then that I approachedthe NRI [NonResident Indian] wing of the Punjabpolice, following which acase under Section 420 wasregistered,” he said.

According to offi�cial data,

4,266 complaints were received by the NRI wing ofthe Punjab police in 2019,which included cases ofcheating, matrimonial dispute and property dispute.The complaints were fi�ledby both men and women. In2020, the number of complaints stood at 3,829, whilein 2021, so far, 2,248 complaints have been lodged.

A large number of people, especially youth fromPunjab, travel abroad in thehope of a better life. Marriages of convenience areknown to facilitate these aspirations. To do this, thebride, the groom or their families enter into an informalcontract in which the boy,or his family, is willing topay for the girl’s educationand travel abroad, providedthat once she completes hereducation and gets a Permanent Residency (PR) in theforeign country, she will apply immediately for a

spouse visa. However, manyyoung men fi�nd that “thewomen go abroad anddupe” them.

“It is basically an arrangement to facilitate the immigration of boys who are notscoring good grades in theIELTS. In certain countries,one can take spouses along,but in some others, it is notallowed. Canada has certainconditions and it is only after fulfi�lling those conditions that spouses are givena visa. Hence, the cases ofcheating surrounding Canada are a tad higher,” A.S.Rai, Additional DirectorGeneral of Police (NRI Affairs), told The Hindu.

Mr. Rai said it had beenobserved that the caseswere not of matrimonial dispute, but instead that ofcheating “where one partyhas entered into a contractwith the other person, whohas the promised delivery ofsome service, and one has

paid a certain amount ofmoney, but the person hasrescinded on that contract”.

“In such cases, we checkthe fi�nancial transactions.The fi�nances have to berouted through legal channels, for instance, air ticketshave been purchased, university fees paid, etc. Weare then able to establish acase of cheating,” he said.

“Around 2.53 lakh students move abroad annuallyfrom Punjab, apart from the2 lakh who leave for jobs,etc. The trend of goingabroad soon after passingClass 12 slowed down in2020 because of the pandemic.”

Mr. Rai added that thePunjab government wascognisant of such cases, andthe ‘Ghar Ghar Rozgar andKarobar Mission’ providesfree counselling for youthinterested in foreign study.The initiative is benefi�cialfor Punjabi youth, he said.

Till debt do us part: Punjab’s ‘contract marriages’ are cases of cheatingTheir weddings arranged to facilitate migration mainly to Canada, girls allegedly renege after they reached the promised land fi�rst

VIKAS VASUDEVA

CHANDIGARH

ILLUSTRATION:

SATHEESH VELLINEZHI

CMYK

A ND-NDE


DELHI THE HINDU


NEWS

(set by Lightning)

Never go off� the grid.

We are digital now. Come solve online.

@ https://qrgo.page.link/jjpTn

■ ACROSS

1 Exchange very small talk with husband (8)

5 A petty officer with expression of surprise at farthest point (6)

9 Obvious that blade king threw out pierced support (8)

10 Sensitive scar in gut concealed (6)

12 Primarily drops of precipitation may go down this (5)

13 Working after attempt to hold the short sports event (9)

14 Restrict device responding to signal on the radio (6)

16 Following series of events around storm (7)

19 Way of life, special, carved in sculpture (7)

21 Dance and dance with alien (6)

23 Internet a form of delight (9)

25 Damage a rib (5)

26 Custom in country — topless move in a graceful way (6)

27 Attack managed inside Dutch city (8)

28 Property in east Kerala, for one (6)

29 Real thug broke into chuckling (8)

■ DOWN

1 Modest about medieval humour (6)

2 One and only iron panel destroyed (9)

3 Self interest exhibited by mischievous one (5)

4 Guest with appeal breaking shield (7)

6 Endlessly train with a rookie — it’s sensible (9)

7 Question — what helps fi�sh breathe outside river? (5)

8 One that builds a locomotive with hesitation (8)

11 Circular plate with dips is served cold for starters (4)

15 For the most part, use racquet incorrectly in shot (6,3)

17 Mistake in repetition at spectacle (9)

18 Shed clue about plan (8)

20 Cheese produced from the south (4)

21 Headgear of musicians — a new craze essentially (7)

22 Move at full speed in one’s job (6)

24 Quality of teetotaller embracing woman who was on top of the world

(5)

25 Group of people with grand ring (5)

SCAN TO PLAY

+ 13321SUDOKU

Solution to puzzle 13320 Solution to yesterday’s Sudoku

DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD

Alavandar, also known as Yamunacharya, is revered as theforemost of acharyas in the Vaishnava tradition as he haslaid the foundation of the Visishtadvaita philosophy throughhis many excellent granthas. His direct disciples and otheracharyas in this lineage have been quick to discern the salient features of this sampradaya from his works and have inturn further clarifi�ed, explained and propagated themthrough their works and teachings.

In this context, interpreters have highlighted the signifi�cance of his hymn, ‘Stotra Ratna,’ for the way in which Alavandar establishes the Supremacy of Sriman Narayana andthe effi�cacy of the paths of bhakti and prapatti, pointed outSri A. K. Sundararajan in a discourse. This hymn, held as ajewel among hymns, instils in the spiritual seeker the valuesand the inherent path of dharma shown in the Vedas. Alavandar draws much philosophical strength and convictionfrom the hymns of Azhwars who have shown the way to salvation by seeking God’s feet. The bhava or spirit of utter humility and helplessness which is to be present in the seekerwhen he off�ers surrender to God is captured most eff�ectivelyin one particular verse in this hymn.

The verse, roughly translated runs thus: “O Lord, Youalone are to be sought as refuge by me, but I am not worthyas I am not established in dharma; nor do I have any atmajnana; my devotion is not in any way fervent or deep; but Iam helpless and without any support; so, I seek you sinceyou are the sole protector and support of all beings.”

The prayer is applicable to all jivatmas who are aware thattheir practice of the paths of karma, bhakti or jnana is verylimited and insuffi�cient. The seeker accepts his inability toprotect himself and is aware that he has no other refuge.

FAITH

Spirit of surrender

The Union Health Ministryon Sunday said the generalpublic can obtain their certifi�cates after receiving theirCOVID19 vaccination viaWhatsApp by followingthree easy steps.

Health Minister MansukhMandaviya, in his tweet,said anyone who wanted todownload their vaccinationcertifi�cate can send a WhatsApp message to a numberand would receive the certificate at once.

‘Within seconds’

“Revolutionising commonman’s life using technology!Now get COVID19 vaccination certifi�cate through My

Gov Corona Helpdesk in 3easy steps. Save contactnumber: +91 9013151515.Type & send ‘covid certifi�cate’ on WhatsApp. EnterOTP. Get your certifi�cate inseconds,” the Health Minister’s offi�ce said on Twitter.

Vaccination certifi�cates inthree easy steps: Ministry‘Public can obtain it via WhatsApp’


NEW DELHI

People can download theircertifi�cate by sending amessage via WhatsApp.

The hazards of not reopening schools after prolongedclosure due to the COVID19pandemic are “too serious tobe ignored”, according to aparliamentary panel.

The committee noted thatthe closure of schools hadnot only impacted the socialfabric of families in a negative manner, but also increased the involvement ofchildren in householdchores.

“The closure of schoolsfor over a year has had adeep impact on the wellbeing of students, especiallytheir mental health... Theconfi�nement of young children within the four walls ofthe house, being unable to

attend school, has alteredthe relationship between theparent and the children adversely,” the panel said.

“The closure of schoolshas impacted the social fabric of the family in negativemanner leading to early/child marriage and increasedinvolvement of children inhousehold chores. The present situation has exacerbated the learning crisis that existed even before thepandemic with the marginaland vulnerable children getting adversely aff�ected.Keeping this situation inmind, it becomes all themore imperative to openschools,” the panel hasnoted.

This week, the Parliamentary Standing Committee on

Education, Women, Children, Youth and Sports,headed by BJP MP Vinay P.Sahasrabuddhe, tabled inParliament its report ‘Plansto bridge the learning gap

caused due to school lockdown as well as review of online and offl�ine instructionsand exams and plans for reopening of schools’. A wellbalanced, reasoned view may

be taken for the opening upof schools, the panel said.

Accentuating vaccine programmes for all students,teachers and allied staff� sothat schools may start functioning normally at the earliest; holding classes on alternate days or in two shifts tothin out students, along withobservance of physical distancing and compulsorywearing of face masks at alltimes; frequent hand sanitisation, etc.; and regular thermal screening at the time ofattendance and conductingrandom RTPCR tests to identify and isolate any infectedstudent, teacher or staff� immediately, were among therecommendations for the reopening of schools made bythe panel.

MPs seek reasoned view to open schoolsParliamentary panel calls for accentuating vaccine programmes for all students, teachers, allied staff�


New Delhi

New normal: Children using mobile phones to attend an onlineclass in Hyderabad, Telangana, earlier this year. * AFP

The DirectorateGeneral ofCivil Aviation (DGCA) hasasked airlines to submit details on the airfares theyhave been charging for IndiaU.K. flights during August, a senior offi�cial saidon Sunday.

Sanjeev Gupta, Secretary, InterState Council Secretariat, Union Home Ministry, on Saturday hadcomplained on Twitterthat an economy class ticket on British Airways’ DelhiLondon flight for August26 was priced at ₹�3.95 lakh.

He said a Vistara and AirIndia ticket for August 26was priced between ₹�1.2lakh and ₹�2.3 lakh, amidthe college admission timein the U.K.

Mr. Gupta said he had“alerted” Union Civil Aviation Secretary P.S. Kharolaabout it. A senior DGCA offi�cial said on Sunday thatthe aviation regulator hadasked the airlines that operate IndiaU.K. flights currently to submit faredetails.

While there have beenlower and upper limits onall domestic airfares in India since May 25 last year,no such limits had been imposed on internationalairfares.

Vistara said: “Pricing isalways a function of supplyand demand. There are only 15 flights a week allowedcurrently on the IndiaU.K.route for Indian carriersand when there is relaxation and more capacity allowed, it will automaticallybring down prices.”

DGCA seeksdetails of U.K. airfares


New Delhi

According major relief toshopkeepers, restaurateurs and traders in Pune,Maharashtra Deputy ChiefMinister Ajit Pawar on Sunday announced relaxationsin pandemicrelated curbsby permitting shops andrestaurants to henceforthremain open till 8 p.m. and10 p.m., respectively.

While malls have beenallowed to stay open till 8p.m., only people whohave availed of both vaccine doses will be allowedto enter.

Restrictionson Pune’sshops lifted

Special correspondent

Pune

The IndoTibetan BorderPolice (ITBP) force, whichguards the Line of ActualControl (LAC) along the IndiaChina border, on Sundaycommissioned its fi�rst twowomen offi�cers in combat after they completed theirtraining here.

A total of 53 offi�cerspassed out from the ITBP offi�cers’ training academy located in Mussoorie after a parade was held, withUttarakhand Chief MinisterPushkar Singh Dhami offi�ciating as the chief guest.

The fi�rstever History ofITBP, a 680page book containing unknown facts andphotographs of the borderguarding force, was also released by Mr. Dhami andITBP DirectorGeneral S.S.Deswal.

Mr. Dhami and Mr. Deswalput the rank of AssistantCommandant, an entryleveloffi�cer rank in the paramilitary, on the shoulders of twowomen offi�cers — Prakritiand Deeksha — after the passing out parade and an attestation ceremony where theytook their oaths to serve thecountry.

While Ms. Prakriti’s fatherhas retired from the IndianAir Force (IAF), Ms. Deeksha’s father, Kamlesh Kumar, isan ITBP inspector. “My father is my role model. He neverconsidered me lesser thananyone,” Ms. Deeksha said.

Ms. Prakriti, who holds adegree in electrical engineering, said life in the force was“very tough, but it is alsochallenging and exciting”.

The ITBP started recruiting women combat offi�cersin its cadre from 2016through an allIndia examination conducted by the Union Public Service Commis

sion (UPSC). Before this, ithad combat women only inthe constabulary ranks.

Out of the 53 offi�cers, 42offi�cers are in the general duty combat cadre, while 11 arein the engineering cadre ofthe force. These offi�cers willnow be posted across ITBPformations in the country,including along the LAC withChina and the antiNaxal operations theatre inChhattisgarh.

Addressing the offi�cers,Mr. Dhami said the commanders should “give their best”while performing theirduties.

ITBP inducts fi�rst women offi�cers on combat service53 offi�cers pass out from the ITBP offi�cers’ training academy located in Mussoorie

Proud moment: ITBP inspector Kamlesh Kumar saluting hisdaughter Deeksha, who joined the force. * PTI


Mussoorie

CMYK

A ND-NDE

WORLDEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

THE HINDU DELHI


The Afghan Ministry of Defence said on Monday thatgovernment forces werefi�ghting to retake key installations after the Taliban captured three more provincialcapital on Sunday in quicksuccession.

The insurgents have takencontrol of fi�ve provincialcapitals in Afghanistan sinceFriday. Kunduz, SarePuland Taloqan in the north fellwithin hours of each otheron Sunday. On Friday, themilitants captured Zaranj,and followed it up by takingSheberghan the next day.

“The commando forceshave launched a clearing operation. Some areas, including the national radio and TVbuildings, have been clearedof the terrorist Taliban,” theMinistry said.

Spokesman for the Interior Ministry, Mirwais Stanikzai, said later that reinforcements, including specialforces, had been deployed to

SarePul and Sheberghan.“These cities that the Tali

ban want to capture willsoon become their graveyards,” he added.

Kabul’s ability to hold thenorth may prove crucial tothe government’s survival.

Northern Afghanistan haslong been considered an antiTaliban stronghold thatsaw some of the stiff�est resistance to militant rule in the1990s.

The region remains hometo several militias and is alsoa fertile recruiting groundfor the country’s armed forces.

‘Prisoners freed’“The capture of Kunduz issignifi�cant because it willfree up a large number of Taliban forces who might thenbe mobilised in other partsof the north,” said IbraheemThurial, a consultant for In

ternational Crisis Group.Vivid footage of the fi�ght

ing was posted on social media over the weekend, including what appeared to belarge numbers of prisonersbeing freed from jails in captured cities.

The Taliban frequentlytarget prisons to release incarcerated fi�ghters to replenish their ranks.

Fighting was also reportedon the outskirts of Herat inthe west, and Lashkar Gahand Kandahar in the south.

The pace of Taliban advances has caught government forces fl�atfooted, butthey won some respite lateon Saturday after U.S. warplanes bombed Taliban positions in Sheberghan.

“U.S. forces have conducted several air strikes in defence of our Afghan partnersin recent days,” Major NicoleFerrara, a Central Commandspokesperson, said.

Sheberghan is the stronghold of Afghan warlord Abdul Rashid Dostum, whose

militiamen and governmentforces were reportedly retreating east to MazariSharif in Balkh province.

Mr. Dostum has overseenone of the largest militias inthe north and garnered afearsome reputation fi�ghtingthe Taliban in the 1990s —along with accusations hisforces massacred thousandsof insurgent prisoners ofwar.

Thousands displacedA retreat of his fi�ghters dentsthe government’s recenthopes that militias couldhelp the overstretchedmilitary.

Hundreds of thousands ofAfghans have been displacedby the recent fi�ghting, andon Saturday, 12 people werekilled when their bus wasstruck by a roadside bomb asthey tried to fl�ee Gardez inPaktia province.“

I lost my mother, father,two brothers, two sistersinlaw and other members ofthe family,” said Noor Jan.

Afghan forces fi�ghting to retake cities: govt.U.S. forces conducted several air strikes in defence of Afghan partners: Central Command spokesperson


Kunduz

In the crossfi�re: Afghans in front of shops damaged in fi�ghtingbetween the Taliban and Afghan forces in Kunduz city. * AP

Myanmar protesters on Sunday marked the anniversaryof a 1988 prodemocracyuprising that brought AungSan Suu Kyi to prominence,with fl�ash mobs and marches of defi�ance against theruling junta.

The country has been inturmoil since the generalslaunched their Februaryputsch and subsequentcrackdown on dissent thathas killed more than 900 people, according to a localmonitoring group.

But protesters remain undeterred, taking to thestreets daily in lightningquick rallies to demand theend to the State Administration Council — as the junta’ssocalled “caretaker” government has dubbed itself.

On Sunday, fl�ash mobspopped up across Yangonand second city Mandalay to

commemorate the 1988uprising — a prodemocracymovement which the military violently quelled byopening fi�re on protestersand jailing thousands.

Following the calls of anonline campaign, redcladprotesters on Sundayfl�ashed an eightfi�nger saluteand carried banners thatread “Let’s return the oldblood debt of 1988 in 2021.”

“In 1988, our country sacrifi�ced a lot — many peoplelost their lives. But the dictatorship is still alive,” said KoSai Win, in Mandalay.

“It is like a black shadowon our country.”

The 1988 uprising heralded the rise of Ms. Suu Kyi,who had returned to Myanmar just before protestskicked off� to care for her ailing mother.

Flash mobs seek ouster of junta govt. in Yangon, Mandalay


Yangon

Mounting challenge: Anticoup protesters marching on theanniversary of the 1988 uprising in Mandalay. * REUTERS

Myanmar protesters mark1988 uprising anniversary

The head of Lebanon’s powerful Hezbollah movement, Hassan Nasrallah, hasvowed a “suitable and proportionate” response to anyIsraeli air strikes on Lebanonafter a fl�areup at the borderlast week.

Israel carried out its fi�rstair raids on Lebanese soil inyears on Thursday, prompting Hezbollah to fi�re rocketsback at the Jewish state thefollowing day.

“Our response was linkedto the Israeli strikes that occurred in south Lebanon forthe fi�rst time in 15 years,” he

said in a televised speechahead of the anniversary ofthe end of the last war withIsrael in 2006.

“We wanted to tell theenemy... that any air strikeby the Israeli air force on Lebanon will inevitably draw aresponse, though in a suitable and proportionate way,because we want to serve thepurpose of protecting ourcountry,” he added.

Nasrallah described theair strikes this week as a “very dangerous development”,but said Hezbollah did notwant war.

“We are not looking forwar and we do not want to

head towards war, but weare ready for it” if necessary,he said, echoing similarcomments by the Jewishstate this week.

Before Thursday, Israel’s

last air strikes on Lebanondated back to 2014, whenwarplanes struck territorynear the Syrian border.

Hezbollah’s volley of rockets at Israeli positions on Friday morning prompted retaliatory shelling from Israel,prompting UN peacekeepersto warn of “a very dangeroussituation”.

U.S. on Friday urged Lebanon’s government to preventHezbollah from fi�ring rockets into Israel.

The 33day confl�ict in thesummer of 2006 killed 1,200people in Lebanon, mostlycivilians, and 160 Israelis,mostly soldiers.

Will respond to Israel strike: HezbollahIsrael carried out air raids on Lebanon after many years, prompting return fi�re

Hassan Nasrallah


Beirut

Riyadh to reopen bordersfor vaccinated pilgrimsRIYADH

Saudi Arabia will begin

accepting vaccinated

foreigners wanting to make

the umrah pilgrimage,

authorities said on Sunday, a

move that will boost an

economy hit by the COVID19

pandemic. Nearly 18 months

after it closed its borders to

battle coronavirus, Saudi

Arabia will from Monday

begin “gradually receiving

umrah requests from various

countries.” Earlier, only

immunised pilgrims residing

in Saudi Arabia were eligible

for umrah permits. AFP

ELSEWHERE

Raisi names Mokhber asIran’s VicePresidentTEHRAN

Iran’s new President Ebrahim

Raisi on Sunday named the

chairman of a powerful

stateowned foundation

sanctioned by the U.S. as his

first VicePresident, the

President’s official website

said. Mohammad Mokhber,

long rumoured by local media

to be top pick for the

position, has for years headed

the foundation known as

Setad, or the Execution of

Imam Khomeini’s order, in

reference to the Islamic

republic’s founder Ruhollah

Khomeini. AP

North Korean leader KimJongun has mobilised themilitary to carry out reliefwork in areas recently hit byheavy rains, state mediasaid on Sunday, amid concerns over an economic crisis and food shortage.

The ruling Worker’s Party’s Central Military Commission held a meeting inthe eastern province ofSouth Hamgyong to discussdamage and recovery fromthe downpour, the offi�cialKCNA news agency said.

An early monsoon seasonarrived on the Korean peninsula last month, with torrential rains also infl�ictingdamage in some southernregions.

North Korean state TV released footage this weekshowing submerged housesand destroyed bridges andrailroads in Hamgyong, saying some 1,170 homes weredevastated and 5,000 people evacuated.

Mr. Kim did not attendthe meeting but party offi�cials conveyed his messagethat the military should kickoff� a relief campaign andprovide necessary suppliesin the region, KCNA said.

“It was also emphasisedthat he called for awakeningand arousing the (party) offi�cials...into waging the recovery campaign skilfullyand unyieldingly,” KCNAsaid.

KCNA said the militarycommission explored emergency measures to rebuildthe disasterstricken areasand prevent the spread ofcoronavirus.

North Korea’s Kim callsfor relief in rainhit areas‘1,170 homes destroyed, 5,000 evacuated’

Reuters

SEOUL

Kim Jongun

One abducted girl from theNigerian town of Chibokhas been freed and reunited with her parents sevenyears after Boko Harammilitants kidnapped herand more than 200 of herclassmates, Borno State’sGovernor said on Saturday.

The raid on the schoolone night in April 2014sparked a global outcryand a viral campaign on social media with the hashtag#bringbackourgirls.

Governor Babagana Zulum said the girl and someone she said she marriedduring her captivity surrendered themselves to themilitary 10 days ago. Mr.Zulum said government offi�cials had used the timesince to identify her andcontact her parents.

Some 270 girls were abducted by the Islamistgroup but 82 were freed in2017 after mediation, adding to 24 who were released or found.

Chibok girlfreed afterseven years

Reuters

Maiduguri

The UN has condemned underage forced marriages inZimbabwe following thedeath of a 14yearold girl reportedly during childbirth ata religious shrine in the eastof the country.

The death has sparked widespread anger on socialmedia and among children’srights activists.

A petition to the policecommissioner has attractednearly 58,000 signaturessince it was launched onThursday.

Police at the weekend said

they had opened an investigation into the death, whichoccurred last month.

In a statement on Saturday, the United Nations saidit “notes with deep concernand condemns strongly thesurrounding circumstancesleading to the untimelydeath of 14yearold MemoryMachaya... who died whilegiving birth at an apostolicsect shrine.

“Sadly, disturbing reportsof the sexual exploitation ofunderage girls, includingearly forced marriages, continue to surface and this isindeed another sad case,”

the agency added.The UN said the trend of

cases of violence perpetrated against women and girlsin Zimbabwe, “includingmarriages of minors, cannotcontinue with impunity.”

Offi�cial statistics showthat one in three Zimbabwean girls are married off�before the age of 18.

Nyaradzayi Gumbonzvanda, head of Rozaria Memorial Trust, a Zimbabweancharity fi�ghting the practiceof child marriages, says thatis an underestimation.

“We saw the spike withCOVID19,” she said.

UN slams child marriages afterZimbabwean teen dies in labourHer death sparked widespread anger on social media


Harare

Pakistani counterterrorismpolice said on Sunday theykilled fi�ve people involvedin the abduction for ransom and subsequent deathof a nationalist politicalparty leader.

The raid took place overnight in the southwesterncity of Pishin.

Malik Ubaidullah Kasi,leader of the secular Awami National Party, was abducted for ransom from hisnative Kuchlak area nearthe provincial capital,Quetta, in late June. His body was found on Thursdaynear an Afghan refugeecamp in Pishin district.

In Pak., 5 killedover murderof politician

Associated Press

Quetta

Hundreds of Greek fi�refi�ghters fought desperately onSunday to control wildfi�reson the island of Evia thathave charred vast areas ofpine forest, destroyedhomes and forced touristsand locals to fl�ee.

“We have ahead of usanother diffi�cult evening,another diffi�cult night,” CivilProtection Deputy MinisterNikos Hardalias said onSunday.

“On Evia we have two ma

jor fi�re fronts, one in thenorth and one in the south.The one in the north is driven by blasts of wind to thebeach settlements,” headded.

In all, 17 fi�refi�ghting aircraft — planes and helicopters — were fi�ghting the fi�reson Evia, he added.

Evia lies just northeast ofthe capital Athens. To thesouthwest is the Peloponnese region where Hardaliassaid the situation was stable.Fires in a northern suburb ofAthens have subsided, the

Minister added.“The situation in Attica

(which encompasses Athens) is better but we areafraid of the danger of fl�areups”, said Mr. Hardalias.

Greece and Turkey havebeen battling devastatingfi�res for nearly two weeks asthe region suff�ered its worstheatwave in decades, whichexperts have linked to climate change. So far, the fi�reshave killed two people inGreece and eight in neighbouring Turkey, with dozensmore hospitalised.

Hundreds fl�ee, homes destroyedas wildfi�res ravage Greek islandGreece, Turkey battling wildfi�res for nearly two weeks


Gouves

Thai man arrested overmurder of Swiss womanBANGKOK

A Thai man was arrested in

connection with the

suspected murder of a Swiss

woman, whose body was

found near a waterfall in

Thailand’s famed tourist

island of Phuket, police said

on Sunday. The body of the

57yearold was found on

Thursday lying facedown.

She had travelled to Phuket

under a socalled “sandbox”

scheme, a pilot project

allowing vaccinated tourists

to enter the island without

undergoing the usual

twoweek mandatory hotel

quarantine. AFP

Seven months, 25 issues. 80,100, 120% in listingday returns.IPOs this year are a starry lot! Ifyou were among those that received allotments in IPO applications and made good money,you’d be sitting happy. But ifyou didn’t apply or weren’t allotted any shares, don’t bemoan the missed opportunities. Here is what you shouldknow about IPOs.

No sure-shot returnsIPOs are sought after in the belief that they serve up returnopportunities that you won’tfi�nd in ‘older’ or existing stocks.But does that pan out in reality?Not quite. Let’s take it from twoperspectives.

First, the purely fundamental perspective – that is, lookingat an IPO based on its businessstrength and growth prospectsfor longterm holding. On thiscount, longterm returns forIPOs do not boast of anythingspecial, with most of them putting up mediocre performance.Those that have delivered multifold are few. Over the past 15years, there have been roughlyabout 325 IPOs. Of these, almosty half are below issue pricei.e, in the long term, they havebeen poor performers.

Prospects always depend onthe business itself and the valuations at the time of the issue.For a stock to be a good long

term investment,it needs tohave a strong business and youneed to buy it at reasonable valuations; this means you alsoneed the freedom to wait forbusiness prospects to improveor the right valuation to comeby.

In an IPO, youcontrol neitheraspect. It’s logical that thecompany will try tomaximise issue proceeds andwill price it accordingly – andIPOs that come in bull markets,such as now, can get away withpricey earnings multiples. Therefore, many IPOs slip post listing because their pricing left little on the table for longterminvestors.

Second is the listinggainsperspective. Recent IPOs suchas those of Tatva Chintan Pharma, GR Infraprojects or Zomatohave seen exuberant listing,with listing day gains of close toor over 100%.

Listing gains, though, are afactor of the market scenario,how fancied the IPO is in context of the market scenario —and more than a little luck.

While the IPOs mentioned above grabbedthe headlines, plentyothers, which also debuted in the same market and sawgood subscription interest, putup sedate listing performances.KIMS Hospitals, India Pesticides and Shyam Metaliks, forinstance, saw listing gains of below 30% while those such as Kalyan Jewellers or SuryodaySmall Finance Bank dropped.

If you’re viewing IPOs fromthis lens, remember that betting on listing gains is more aspeculation than an exerciserooted in analysis of fundamental strengths or valuations.Apart from the wide range of

postlisting returns, it ishard to say beforehand what astock does on listing day. Oversubscription, institutional interest or even greymarket premiums are not surefi�re ways togauge what listing returns canbe. A turn of market mood between the IPO launch and its listing, for example, can dampeneven fancied themes.

Finally, there’s no way toknow if and how many sharesyou will receive in IPO allotments. Small allotments willhave no meaningful impact onyour wealth creation.

But if you’re looking for IPOswhere the business strength issound and which can be part ofyour stock portfolio, then allyou need to do is bide yourtime.

Second chancesIPOs that have made good money for investors haven’t alwaysbeen on an upward trend. Consider VMart Retail, which todayhas delivered a 41% CAGR fromits issue in 2013. That stock hadalmost halved from its issueprice just six months after listing. The postlisting period,therefore, off�ered plenty ofbuying opportunities. The com

pany was also able to showcaseits ability to keep revenuegrowth up and skirt around thetroubles that dogged other retail players.

PostIPO periods help give adeeper understanding of how acompany performs across business cycles – something that ishard to gauge from an IPO prospectus that gives limited dataon historical performance. Several other IPOs that have goneon to create wealth such as Galaxy Surfactants, Rail Vikas Nigam, Aavas Financiers, Fine Organics and Mishra DhatuNigam, all dropped post listing.

But even if IPOs don’t correct, that does not mean thereare no investment opportunities. Companies with sound businesses can be buys, and valuations buttressed by steadyearnings accretion, even if pric

es don’t correct after listing.Take Jubilant FoodWorks. Thisstock hasn’t dipped below its2013 issue price – but it hasmade money even for thosewho got in much later. Other examples include Dr. LalpathLabs, HDFC AMC, or SheelaFoam.

The more recent crop ofIPOs – those that have come over the past couple of years –have certainly off�ered slightlymore diff�erentiated opportunities. IPOs of AMCs, small fi�nance banks, retail and consumption and so on, forinstance. But when businessstrength is sound, the secondary market still off�ers thegrounds to pick these up.

WatchlistPut simply, IPOs off�er no special opportunities. Stocks thatshoot through the roof on listing are more an exception thanthe norm. So, if you identify agood business in an IPO, goright ahead and subscribe. Butshould allotments be low or nil,don’t sweat it. Add these stocksto your watchlist and bide yourtime to enter.

(The writer is Cofounder,PrimeInvestor.in)

Look beyond the call of IPOsBhavana Acharya

For a stock to be a good long-term bet, it needs to be backed by astrong business and be available at reasonable valuations

<>Over the past 15 years,

there have been

roughly about 325 IPOs. Of

these, almost half are below

issue price i.e, in the long

term, they have been poor

performers

CMYK

A ND-NDE


DELHI THE HINDU


MONEYWISE

It’s cliché that insurance companies ‘fi�nd’ a way not to payyour claim. However, when the‘way’ had already been speltout in your policy, it was up toyou to be aware.

‘The large print giveth andthe small print taketh away’ isexactly how my friend feltabout the hospitalisation policyfor her mother.

The policy was taken whenher mother was well over 70and the insurance companywould off�er only ₹�2 lakh as sumassured to start with. As isusual, plans of enhancing thesum assured at subsequent renewals were forgotten.

When she required an operation, reality dawned that thedaily room rent allowed underthe policy was limited to 1% ofthe sum assured, that is, ₹�2,000per day.

However, the rate for the category of room that my friend’sfamily preferred cost four tofi�ve times as much.

This was not the only setback. In many hospitals, mostother treatment costs includingmedical practitioners’ fees andICU charges are pegged to thecategory of room you are in.That is, if you are in a semipriv

ate room costing ₹�8,000, yoursurgeon’s fee would be ₹�X. Ifyou were in a private room costing ₹�12,000, it would be 1.5times ₹�X. There is some logic inthere somewhere, but it was atotal letdown for my friendwho thought that she would beable to claim ₹�2 lakh.

Sublimits are only one typeof small print that you have tobecome familiar with. If youhad been aware of this, youmay have been focussed on increasing your sum assured ortaking an additional policy. Or,

maybe, you would have had arethink about a policy at all.

Other ‘smallprint’ clauses inyour hospitalisation policy,which, by regulation cannot bein actual small print, includestandard exclusions, timebound exclusions and specifi�edlimits for certain treatments.

Policy exclusionsStandard exclusions would include treatment outside India,treatment for selfinfl�icted injuries and cosmetic surgery except if necessitated due to an

accident.Timebound exclusion refers

to the waiting period — usuallyabout 3 to 4 years after takingthe policy — when preexistingdiseases are not covered. Someprocedures are covered only after a 2year waiting period andthey will be listed on your policy document.

Some treatments, such ascataract surgery, have specifi�edclaim limits. Usually, you canenhance these limits by payingan extra premium.

Read in depthSo, it pays to read through whateach policy off�ers and excludesand to spend quality time comparing the off�erings of diff�erentcompanies before you sign up.Hospitalisation insurance is anenduring requirement and youare assured of lifelong renewalfrom your insurance companyas per regulations.

Though you have the comfort of portability, which meansyou can change your policyfrom one insurance companyto another, making the correctdecision on the right fi�t the fi�rsttime around is a prudent way tospend your premium money.

(The writer is a businessjournalist specialising in insurance & corporate history)

Claims payment is a sticky point for any policyholder, but is the insurer to blame?

Deft clauses: Conditions in the policy may specify limits for certaintreatments. * GETTYIMAGES/ISTOCK

K. Nitya Kalyani

COVER NOTE: UNDERSTANDING POLICY CONDITIONS

Let not the small print surprise you

Readers can send in queries on personal fi�nance and

investing to [email protected]. Our experts

who write on personal fi�nance will answer these

queries. Moneywise will not give specifi�c

recommendations for investment in a particular

mutual fund scheme, share or fi�xed deposit.

Q. I am a software engineer, aged 29. Mymonthly salary is ₹�1 lakh. Currently, I investin EPF and in an LIC policy. I am not surewhere else to invest to get fi�nancial reliefafter 15 years. Please give me suggestions.

R. MUTHURAJA

A. There are a number of investment optionsthat you can consider beyond your EPF andLIC policy. If you are considering investmentsfor a 15year horizon, you can either invest ininstruments with a shorter term and reinvestthe proceeds on maturity or choose vehiclesthat you can hold for 15 years.

If you prefer a safe investment with fi�xedreturns, the Public Provident Fund, which is aretirement savings vehicle with a 15yearterm, may be your ideal choice. You can opena PPF account with any post offi�ce branch orleading bank and make regular investmentsin the account. The interest on the PPF,which is declared every quarter, usuallytends to be much higher than that on bankdeposits and is also taxfree. The interest iscredited to your balance every year andcompounds until you seek to withdraw themoney. You can also open an NPS accountwhere you can make monthly investmentstowards retirement in marketlinkedinstruments such as shares and bonds.

For shorter horizons, you can consider the5year National Savings Certifi�cate (NSC)where your interest compounds untilmaturity, or the Kisan Vikas Patra whichdoubles your money in 10 years and fourmonths, too. You can also consider parkingyour periodic surpluses in the Government ofIndia’s 7year fl�oating rate savings bondswhere the interest rate off�ered is 35 basispoints above the NSC and is announced everyhalf year. The only ‘minus’ for these bonds isthat the interest is paid out to you, requiringyou to reinvest it. Cumulative term depositswith banks or leading NBFCs, which accruefi�xed interest every year, is another option,though less safe than post offi�ce schemes.

If you don’t mind volatility in your returnsin the short run and are sure you won’t beneeding your money within the next 57years, you can invest in hybrid or index equityfunds through monthly instalments (calledSystematic Investment Plans or SIPs). Whilesuch funds off�er anytime liquidity, theirreturns can be quite volatile depending onhow bond and stock markets move. Thisentitles you to dividends from the companyand shareprice appreciation, if any, whenyou sell the share. With both mutual fundsand shares, you can hold on for as long asyou like, but also exit if you should need themoney at any time. You face the risk of loss inyour capital over shorter time frames, but ifyou hold on for more than 7 years, they cangenerate infl�ationbeating returns that arebetter than fi�xed deposits or bonds.

Before making a start on theseinvestments which require you to lock in yourmoney for long periods though, do build up abank deposit equal to about 69 months’worth of your living expenses, as anemergency fund. Do buy a health insuranceplan, so that your savings aren’t dentedbadly by a medical emergency.

Q. I am a 24yearold graduate. I have beenoff�ered a job at a private sector bank with anannual CTC of about ₹�15 lakh. I need youradvice on investments.

D. SUZANN

A. There are three things to keep in mind asyou begin your investing journey. One, toinvest eff�ectively and to stick to yourplanned course on investments, it would begood to write down your key fi�nancial goalsand the timelines over which you would liketo achieve them. For example, you may planto travel, buy a vehicle or pursue highereducation within the next three years, marryor buy a home over 5 to 7 years, nurturedreams of becoming wealthy or retiring early1020 years hence. If you have familymembers for whom you’d like to dosomething, include those objectives in yourgoals too. Mapping out your goals isimportant because they lend purpose to yoursavings and investments and helps you tochoose investment vehicles that fi�t your goaland investment horizon.

For goals up to 5 years, bank and NBFCdeposits can be a good option. So canshortterm debt, PSU and banking debtmutual funds. For 5 to 7year goals, smallsavings schemes like NSC and GOI fl�oatingrate savings bonds would be a good bet.

You can also consider hybrid mutual funds.For goals that are 7 years plus, PublicProvident Fund, NPS and index mutual fundsplaying on the Nifty50 or Nifty Next50would make for good choices.

Two, before you start making the aboveinvestments, estimate your likely monthlyliving expenses and build a fund equal to 69months’ worth of those expenses from yourinitial savings. It can help you tide overillness, job loss or other emergencies thatrequire quick money.

In addition, do buy a health insurancepolicy of ₹�510 lakh to cover hospitalisationexpenses. If you have parents or siblingsdependent on you, get a term insurancepolicy so that their fi�nancial interests aretaken care of in the event of an unfortunateevent happening to you.

Three, get into the habit of saving beforespending each month. Signing up forinvestment products that put yourinvestments on autopilot, by channellingmoney out of your salary account at thebeginning of each month, can help you getinto a regular savings habit. Recurringdeposits and Systematic Investment Plans ofmutual funds are two good ways to do this.Strive to save a minimum 1520% of yourmonthly pay towards investments.

ASK US

Aarati Krishnan

PERSONAL LOAN - RATES AND CHARGES

Name of LenderInterest rate

(%)

EMI (Rs)

Loan amount

5 lakh

Tenure - 5 years

EMI (Rs)

Loan amount

1 lakh

Tenure - 5 years

Processing fee

(% of loan amount)

HDFC Bank 10.50-21.00 10,747-13,527 2,149-2,705 Upto 2.5% (Max Rs 25,000)

ICICI Bank 10.50-19.00 10,747-12,970 2,149-2,594 Upto 2.50%

Bank of Baroda 10.00-15.60 10,624-12,053 2,125-2,411 Rs 1,000-10,000

State Bank of India 9.60-13.85 10,525-11,595 2,105-2,319 Upto 1.5% (Max Rs 15,000)

Kotak Mahindra Bank 10.75-24.00* 10,809-14,384 2,162-2,877 Upto 2.5%

Punjab National Bank^ 8.95-14.50 10,367-11,764 2,073-2,353 Upto 1%

Federal Bank 10.49-17.99 10,744-12,694 2,149-2,539 Upto 3%

South Indian Bank 10.15-14.45 10,660-11,751 2,132-2,350 2%

Bank of Maharashtra 9.55-12.90^^ 10,513-11,351 2,103-2,270 Upto 1%

Indian Overseas Bank 12.05 11,135 2,227 Upto 0.75%

Indian Bank 9.05-13.65 10.391-11,544 2,078-2,309 1%**

Dhanlaxmi Bank 11.90-15.70 11,097-12,079 2,219-2,416 Upto 2.5% (Min Rs 1,250)

*Digital Personal loan starting at 10.50% p.a.

**For pensioners, NIL processing fees for loan upto Rs 25,000, and fees of Rs 250 for loan above Rs 25,000.

^0.10% additional concession in applicable interest rate to customers who opt for coverage under Credit Life

Insurance.

^^ Interest rate of 8.55% p.a. offered to BPCL (Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd.) employees Source: Paisabazaar.com

NEW CAR LOAN-RATES AND CHARGES

Name of Bank Interest rate (%)

EMI (Rs)

Loan amount

5 lakh

Tenure-5 years

Processing fee

(% of loan amount)

Union Bank of India 7.15-7.50 9,936-10,019 Rs 1,000

Bank of India 7.35-8.55 9,983-10,270

Up to 0.25% (Max: 5,000)

For Rural Areas: Rs

1,500-20,000

UCO Bank 7.45-7.70 10,007-10,067 1% (Max: Rs 1,500)

State Bank of India* 7.50-8.45 10,019-10,246 Rs 999 + GST (Till 30.9.2021)

IDBI Bank 7.50-8.10 10,019-10,162 Rs 2,500

Bank of Maharashtra** 7.55-10.40 10,031-10,722

Up to Rs 25,000

(No processing charges for

women borrowers under Maha

Combo Scheme)

Indian Overseas Bank 7.55 10,031 Rs 500-Rs 10,000

ICICI Bank 7.90-9.85 10,114-10,587 Rs 3,500-Rs 8,500

Dhanlaxmi Bank 8.10-9.20 10,162-10,428 1%

Federal Bank 8.50 10,258 Rs 2,000-4,500

Axis Bank 8.65-10.90 10,294-10,846 Rs 3,500-Rs 5,500

South Indian Bank 9.05-10.50 10,391-10,747 1% (Max: Rs 10,000)

City Union Bank 12.25-12.75 11,185-11,313 1% (Min: Rs 250)

*Further interest rate concession of 0.20% on purchase of electric vehicle(Green Car Loan)

**0.25% interest rate concession for existing housing loan borrowers and corporate salary account holder.

0.05% concession on interest rate to women & armed forces personnel subject to minimum fl�oor ceiling of RLLR

Rates and charges as on August 4 Source: Paisabazaar.com

Many disappointments withinsurance policies are a result of expectation and reality. But here’s the thing. Allthe clauses, the ifs and buts,in your policy are availablefor you to read before youbuy. You just have to askyour agent for a policy schedule and see what clausesapply to you depending onthe options you choose.

In a typical motor insurance claim, for example,your cost of repairs/ spares/replacement will not be given in full.

The cost of plastic andfi�breglass parts will be adjusted for depreciation, andthese rates will be statedright there in your policy.

Depreciation will also apply on the entire claim depending on the age of thevehicle and can go up to50%. You can usually purchase additional cover forthe depreciation.

Compulsory excessThese days most policiescome with a compulsory excess, also called a compulsory deductible. This is a specifi�ed fl�at amount, the fi�rst

part of the claim that youhave to bear yourself. In addition to this, you can optfor a voluntary excess or voluntary deductible and youwill get a discount in yourpremium.

In health insurance, therecan be an excess and therecan also be a copay. Thiswill be a percentage of eachclaim that you have to bear,as diff�erent from a fl�at sum.Considering that the largeryour claim, the larger yourcopay, it is worth beingaware of this well ahead oftime, before you sign up.

Once you know you haveto to look for these socalledsmallprint clauses, you canshop around for your policywith other insurance providers whose terms suit youbetter. Or, at the least, youwill go in with your eyeswide open.

When expectation does not match reality The policy schedule sets out clauses

K. Nitya Kalyani

* GETTYIMAGES/ISTOCK

CMYK

A ND-NDE


THE HINDU DELHI


SPORT

A tearful Lionel Messi confi�rmed on Sunday he wasleaving FC Barcelona afterthe club said it could no longer aff�ord paying the Argentine’s high wages, adding hewas in negotiations withFrench club Paris St Germainover a possible move.

French newspaper L’E-quipe reported on Sundaythat the Argentine will travelto the French capital eitherSunday or Monday to undertake a medical and fi�nalisehis deal with the QatarSports Investmentownedclub.

While Messi did not confi�rm he would defi�nitely jointhe Parisians, he said hisplans were to carry on playing as long as possible, adding he still harbours ambitions to win anotherChampions League trophy.

“As long as I go on beingcompetitive and as long as

my body responds (I’ll carryon playing),” he told a newsconference.

“As long as I can, I will carry on competing.”

“I tried to behave with humility and respect and I hope

that is what remains of mewhen I leave the club,” saidan emotional Messi as hundreds of fans, many wearinghis No. 10 jersey, massed outside Barca’s Camp Nou stadium to bid farewell to the

player they called Messiah.“This is all like a bucket of

cold water has been pouredover me and we are still coming to terms with it,” he saidthrough tears.

“When I get home, I’m

sure it’ll be even worse. ButI’ll be surrounded by myloved ones and I’ll carry onplaying football, and when Ido so, I’m sure it’ll become abit easier.”

It had been widely report

ed by local media that Messiwas set to stay at Camp Nou,with the player admitting hehad agreed to a fi�veyear dealinvolving a 50% pay cut.

Barcelona, whose debtstotal way over €1 billion, wasunable to make the dealwork within the frameworksof La Liga’s fi�nancial fair playregulations — prompting itssurprise Uturn announcement last Thursday.

“Honestly, when the elections happened (in March), Ispoke with (Barca presidentJoan) Laporta, we had dinner and after that I was convinced I would be staying,”Messi said.

“My contract was neverthe issue ... What I know isthat I did everything I could.The club say it could not happen because of La Liga. I canguarantee you that I did everything I could to stay. Lastyear I didn’t want to and Isaid that, but this year it wasdiff�erent.”

Tearful Messi confi�rms Barca exit, says he is in talks with PSG‘I tried to behave with humility and respect and I hope that is what remains of me when I leave the club’

Reuters

Barcelona

Welling up: Messi turned emotional during an interaction with the media on Sunday. * GETTY IMAGES

...and scene! The TokyoOlympics, held during a raging pandemic, drew the curtains down on Sunday. Thehost nation fi�nished thirdwith 27 golds and a total of 58medals, a vast improvementfrom its 12 golds and 41 medals in 2016. But it will takegreater pride that its biobubble largely were intact.

The Games were held under intense scrutiny andamid constant pressure fromlocals, but the organisersmanaged to pull off� a cleanshow.

Scores of people gatheredaround the Tokyo Olympic

Stadium hours before theclosing ceremony to witnessthe spectacle from the perimeters.

Among the horde of people gathered in the narrowbylane outside the stadiumwas Santosh from Pune, whohas lived in Tokyo for threeyears.

He brought his wife, andhis child on a stroller, towatch the fi�reworks. But theywere not able to catch aglimpse of Olympic medallistBajrang Punia who carriedthe Indian fl�ag for the closingceremony.

It was a carnival on thestreets. People turned up incosplay suits, one came in aWonderwoman costume andwas accompanied by an elderly citizen donning a Superman Tshirt.

They were ready for a party but were confi�ned to a morose evening on the sidewalks. The entry to thestadium was restricted toathletes, offi�cials, VIP guestsand members of the media.

The policemen circling thestadium were watchful tosniff� out any untoward incident. A group of stray cyclists

took a wrong turn, and theywere onto them in a splitsecond to redirect them. A fewhundred protesters turned

up with placards that read“Abolish Olympics” and“#GetOutBach”, but it endedpeacefully. On the other side

of the road, under the magnifi�cent wooden roof of thestadium, International Olympic Committee president

Thomas Bach thanked the Japanese authorities for theirsupport.

“These were unprece

dented Olympic Games. Ittook us, the IOC and our Japanese partners and friends,an equally unprecedented effort to make them happen.This is why I would like tothank the Japanese authorities at all levels, in particularPrime Minister Suga Yoshihide and Governor Koike Yuriko, for their steadfast commitment. Thank you forstaying with us on the side ofthe athletes, who were longing so much for these Olympic Games,” he said.

Appreciation“Our deep gratitude and appreciation go to the organising committee. Nobody hasever organised a postponedOlympic Games before.”

Tokyo, which will nowhost the Paralympic Gamesfrom August 24, offi�ciallyhanded the baton to Paris.And now we wait for threemore years, in the hope thatIndia, which won an unprecedented seven medals here,can script history yet again.

An unblemished show amidst intense scrutiny and raging pandemicAfter successfully organising the delayed sporting extravaganza, the Japanese capital offi�cially hands over the baton to Paris, the 2024 host

Shyam Vasudevan

Tokyo

Spectacular fi�nish: Fireworks light up the Tokyo sky during the closing ceremony on Sunday. Right: Bajrang Punia carries the tricolour. * GETTY IMAGES, PTI

Neeraj Chopra sits in a quietspace, imagines he’s walkinginto the Tokyo Olympics Stadium. He gets ready, makeshis approach run and letsthe javelin soar. The 23yearold practised the art of visualisation and played thisscenario in his mind formonths leading up to the Tokyo Olympics.

His focus in these sessionswas purely on technique andnot the outcome. On August7, the outcome was an Olympics gold medal.

He could barely sleep thenight before the event. “Iwanted to sleep early butcouldn’t. I managed to sleeparound 12:30 a.m. and I waswide awake by 5.30 a.m. Itried to sleep again becauserest is essential for recovery,but I wasn’t able to. I hadbreakfast and tried again,but I was wide awake in anhour. Aisa lag raha tha kimere shareer se aag nikal ra-ha tha, aisa garam tha. Joshbahut tha (It felt like my body was radiating fi�re. I wasvery charged up).”

Challenges aplentyThere were challengesaplenty in the fi�nal stretch.For instance, getting the body and mind used to the sevenhour time diff�erencebetween Tokyo and Sweden,where he trained for morethan a month before theOlympics.

“It took some time to getused to the time diff�erence. Iwould sleep a little late, so, Iwas hoping to sleep longerin the mornings. But thedoping control offi�cersshowed up at 5.45 a.m. or 6a.m. for the past two daysand whisked me away. Par

maine haath jod ke requestki please 7 tareek ko itni jaldimat aana (I requested themnot to come this early on August 7),” he said with a smile.

Neeraj’s coach Klaus Bartonietz said he never wantedthe athlete to feel the pressure of winning the gold.The German’s last piece ofadvice to Neeraj was in Hindi: “maje karo (have fun).”

Klaus, a biomechanicalexpert, felt Neeraj’s biggeststrength was athleticism andthat set him apart.

While Neeraj is comparatively leaner and not as tallas his opponents, Klaus noted that his suppleness was agamechanger.

“There are javelin throw

ers who are stronger, butdon’t throw as far. You needto be like a bent bow, like adhanush. You need to usebody elasticity in yourthrows and not just brutalpower.”

Having harnessed allthese striking physical attributes and mental fortitudefor the Olympics, Neerajbasked in the glow of thegold on a memorable Tokyonight.

The 23yearold practised the art of visualisation

Shyam Vasudevan

Tokyo

Swashbuckling: Neeraj roared before each throw andapproached it with the swagger of an athlete in control. * PTI

How Neeraj struck gold

<> What a show,

Neeraj! Dad waited

so many years for this to

happen. I am crying as I

tweet this and I am sure

dad is crying up above

Jeev Milkha Singh

Eliud Kipchoge (Ken): Athlet-ics: Men’s MarathonUSA: Basketball: WomenKellie Harrington (Irl): Boxing:Women’s LightAndy Cruz (Cub): Boxing:Men’s LightLauren Price (GBr): Boxing:Women’s MiddleBakhodir Jalolov (Uzb): Box-ing: Men’s Super HeavyJason Kenny (GBr): CyclingTrack: Men’s KeirinJennifer Valente (USA): Cy-cling Track: Women’s OmniumKelsey Mitchell (Can): CyclingTrack: Women’s Sprint

France: Handball: WomenBulgaria: Rhythmic Gymnas-tics: Group All-aroundUSA: Volleyball: WomenSerbia: Water Polo: Men

GOLDIES

Kipchoge. * REUTERS

They struck gold, fi�nally.After three silver and

two bronze medals from theprevious nine Olympics, theUnited States women tookthe volleyball gold onSunday.

U.S. beat Brazil 2521, 2520, 2514, in an hour and 22minutes.

It was also sweet revengefor the Americans; theywere beaten by Brazil in thefi�nals of the 2008 and 2012editions. On Sunday at Tokyo’s Ariake Arena, Brazilwas humbled by a team playing at the top of its game.

Brazil missed the services

of one of its key players, Tandara Caixeta, who had to return home following a positive dope test. But even herpresence would not have

perhaps been enough tostop the U.S. women.

Earlier, Serbia took thebronze beating South Korea2518, 2515, 2515.

U.S. women fi�nally get it rightBrazil loses way when it matters; bronze for Serbia

P.K. Ajith Kumar

VOLLEYBALL

Defi�ning moment: The United States team is on a high afterdefeating Brazil in the gold medal match. * AP

England and India drew thefi�rst Test at Trent Bridge after rain meant no play waspossible on Sunday, the fi�nalday.

The match, which had already seen more than 100overs lost to bad weather,was intriguingly poised withIndia 52/1 in its second innings, needing a further 157runs to reach a victory target of 209.

But rain prevented playresuming as scheduled at 11a.m. local time and, afterfurther downpours the umpires abandoned the matchas a draw at 3:49 p.m., onlyfor the sun to briefl�y burstthrough the overcast skiesabove Trent Bridge.The scores: England 183 & 303

drew with India 278 & 52/1 in14 overs.Second Test: August 1216,Lord’s.

Rain has the fi�nal say


Nottingham

INDIA IN ENG

Shastri. * GETTY IMAGES

<> Everything that we had prepared for over the last

one and a half months sort of fell in place nicely.

It was a great way to start the series for us. Hopefully,

we can keep getting better as the series moves on

K.L. Rahul

A rampant United Statesswept past Japan to their seventh straight women’s basketball crown on Sunday,with Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi collecting their fi�fthOlympic gold medals to capremarkable careers.

Brittney Griner scored agamehigh 30 points withfi�ve rebounds and two assists as the hosts were overpowered 9075 by a teamthat stretched its Olympicwin streak to 55 games dating back to the 1992semifi�nals.

Beating the Americanswas always going to be ahuge ask.

They had won eight of the

past nine Olympic titles.Their only blemishes in thehistory of the tournamentwere a silver behind the Soviet Union at the inauguralevent in 1976 and bronze in1992.

The Americans’ seventhtitle equalled the longest ever streak by a team in anyOlympic sport — matchingthe feat of the U.S. men’sbasketball team between1936 and 1968.

The U.S. juggernaut rolls onSweeps past Japan to clinch seventh straight crown


Saitama

BASKETBALL

Height of excellence: Sue Bird, right, and Diana Taurasi with their fi�fth Olympic golds with Team USA. * AFP

Cyclist Jason Kennybecomes Great Britain’smost successful Olympian

Cyclist Jason Kenny won hisseventh Olympic gold onSunday to become GreatBritain’s most successfulOlympian of all time. The33yearold produced adazzling performance inthe men's keirin fi�nal to winhis ninth medal overall toovertake Chris Hoy, whowon six golds.

Serbia wins fi�nal gold

of the Games

Serbia retained its Olympicmen’s water polo title onSunday with a 1310 victoryover Greece, winning thelast of 339 gold medals onoff�er.

France completes

handball double

The French women

emulated their malecounterparts by claimingthe handball gold medalwith a 3025 victory overthe Russian OlympicCommittee (ROC) team inthe fi�nal on Sunday.

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\ TOKYO TITBITS \

Jason Kenny. * GETTY IMAGES

CMYK

A ND-NDE


DELHI THE HINDU


SPORT

HYDERABAD: Trainer M. SrinivasReddy’s ward Ashwa Yashobali,who won in his last start, mayscore an encore in the MandatePlate, the main event of Monday’s(Aug. 9) races. Rails will be announced one hour before the startof first race.

1 ABBOTS ROYAL PLATE (DIV. I)(1,100m) Maiden, 3yo only

(Cat. II), 1.05 p.m: 1. Blue Label (8)Nakhat Singh 56, 2. Cosmico (5)Md. Ismail 56, 3. Dream Station (2)Gaurav Singh 56, 4. Flying Rudolf(9) G. Naresh 56, 5. Royal Support(11) Ajinkya 56, 6. Sea Of Class (6)Ajeeth Kumar 56, 7. Burano (10)Ashad Asbar 54.5, 8. Furious Fun(7) Kiran Naidu 54.5, 9. GoldenAmaris (3) Afroz Khan 54.5, 10.Gray Hawk (Ex: Aamayra) (12) B.R.Kumar 54.5, 11. River Song (4) Akshay Kumar 54.5 and 12. Spectacular Cruise (1) A.A. Vikrant 54.5.1. RIVER SONG, 2. DREAM STATION,3. BURANO

2 ASCOT PLATE (1,400m),Maiden (Terms), 3yo only

(Cat. II), 1.35: 1. Ashwa Migsun (1)Ashad Asbar 56, 2. First In Line(10) Surya Prakash 56, 3. GeneralAtlantic (6) B. Nikhil 56, 4. GrandDuke (5) Nakhat Singh 56, 5.Paladino (11) Kiran Naidu 56, 6.Sharp Mind (7) P. Gaddam 56, 7.Starwalt (—), 8. Able Love (4) T.S.Jodha 54.5, 9. Georgia Peach (3)Akshay Kumar 54.5, 10. Hot Seat(8) Md. Ismail 54.5, 11. Limoncello(2) P.S. Chouhan 54.5 and 12. Siri(9) B.R. Kumar 54.5.1. GEORGIA PEACH, 2. LIMONCELLO, 3. ABLE LOVE

3 ABBOTS ROYAL PLATE (Div. II)(1,100m) (Terms) Maiden, 3yo

only (Cat. II), 2.05: 1. Charmer (5)Nakhat Singh 56, 2. Dominator (12)G. Naresh 56, 3. Magic Mark (1) P.Gaddam 56, 4. Quality Warrior (11)Kiran Naidu 56, 5.Star Cruise (7)Ajeeth Kumar 56, 6. That’s MyWay (3) B. Nikhil 56, 7. UnsungHero (2) Uday Kiran 56, 8. Angelita(10) Afroz Khan 54.5, 9. Good Tid

ings (6) A.A. Vikrant 54.5, 10. OverJoy (9) Ashad Asbar 54.5, 11. ShowMe Your Walk (8) Akshay Kumar54.5 and 12. Thanks (4) P.S.Chouhan 54.5.1. THANKS, 2. QUALITY WARRIOR,3. ANGELITA

4 TUDOR JET PLATE (1,800m)rated 20 to 45 (Cat. III), 2.40: 1.

Miss Marvellous (9) N.B. Kuldeep62.5, 2. Call Of The Blue (6)Gaurav Singh 61, 3. Rhythm Selection (8) Mukesh Kumar 61, 4. Advance Guard (7) Ajeeth Kumar59.5, 5. Francis Bacon (2) NakhatSingh 59.5, 6. Sweet Melody (5)B.R. Kumar 59, 7. Lightning Power(3) P.S. Chouhan 58.5, 8. King Roger (1) Akshay Kumar 57.5 and 9.Stark (Ex: Echoes Of Heaven) (4)Ajit Singh 52.1. LIGHTNING POWER,2. FRANCIS BACON, 3. KING ROGER

5 ROYAL WINDSOR PLATE(1,200m) rated 20 to 45 (Cat.

III), 3.15: 1. Days Of Reckoning (10)Deepak Singh 60, 2. Hidden Hope(11) P.S. Chouhan 59.5, 3. AshwaRaudee (5) Ashad Asbar 58, 4.Greek’s Ace (3) Ajeeth Kumar 56.5,5. Sublime (4) Santosh Raj N R 56,6. Blink Of An Eye (1) N.B. Kuldeep55, 7. Thunder Road (7) GauravSingh 54.5, 8. Royal Pal (8) NakhatSingh 54, 9. Art In Motion (9)Afroz Khan 53.5, 10. FlamingoFame (2) G. Naresh 52, 11. AerialCombat (6) Akshay Kumar 51.5and 12. Lifetime (12) Surya Prakash50.5.1. BLINK OF AN EYE, 2. HIDDENHOPE, 3. THUNDER ROAD

6 GUINDY PLATE (DIV. I)(1,400m) 4yo & upward,

rated up to 25 (Cat. III), 3.50: 1.Sun Dancer (7) N.B. Kuldeep 62, 2.La Lady (9) Kiran Naidu 61.5, 3.Due Dilligence (8) Surya Prakash61, 4. Amaretto (4) Akshay Kumar60.5, 5. Bravo (12) Ajeeth Kumar60.5, 6. N R I City (—), 7. ForeverBond (6) P. Gaddam 60, 8. JoMalone (3) Mukesh Kumar 59.5, 9.Hip Hop (1) C.P. Bopanna 58.5, 10.

Turf Monarch (5) Md. Ismail 58.5,11. Felix Flame (11) Ajit Singh 58,12. India Gate (13) A.A. Vikrant 57,13. Cephalonia (2) B. Nikhil 54.5and 14. Hopscotch (10) B.R. Kumar52.1. AMARETTO, 2. HIP HOP, 3. LA LADY

7 MANDATE PLATE (1,400m) 5yo & upward, rated 40 to 65

(Cat. II), 4.25: 1. Mark My Word (11)R.S. Jodha 60, 2. Her Legacy (13)Santosh Raj N R 59.5, 3. AshwaYashobali (12) Gaurav Singh 58.5,4. Blazer (10) N.B. Kuldeep 56, 5.Shaquille (6) A.A. Vikrant 56, 6.Balius (1) B.R. Kumar 55, 7. Incredulous (2) Md. Ismail 55, 8. Maxwell(7) Ajeeth Kumar 55, 9. PrivateEmpire (9) Akshay Kumar 55, 10.Red Snaper (8) Afroz Khan 54, 11.City Of Wisdom (3) T.S. Jodha 52.5,12. Once More (5) Nakhat Singh51.5 and 13. Super Angel (4) AbhaySingh 51.5.1. ASHWA YASHOBALI, 2. MAXWELL, 3. BALIUS

8 GUINDY PLATE (DIV. II)(1,400m) 4yo & upward,

rated upto 25 (Cat. III), 5.00: 1. Bedazzled (12) Akshay Kumar 61.5, 2.Star Babe (10) Rohit Kumar 61.5, 3.Mt. Davidson (1) Mukesh Kumar61, 4. Berkeley (8) N.B. Kuldeep60.5, 5. Lightning Fairy (11) SuryaPrakash 60.5, 6. Sputnic (4) Md.Ismail 60.5, 7. Exponent (14) Nakhat Singh 59.5, 8. Sacred Lamp(6) Gaurav Singh 59, 9. N R I Gift(3) T.S. Jodha 58.5, 10. Proud Legacy (2) Ajeeth Kumar 58.5, 11. Minnelli (9) P. Gaddam 58, 12. Sheldon(5) G. Naresh 58, 13. Moka (13) A.A.Vikrant 54.5 and 14. Royal Avenger(7) B. Nikhil 50.5.1. BEDAZZLED, 2. SHELDON, 3. EXPONENTDay’s Best: BEDAZZLEDJackpot: 4, 5, 6, 7 & 8.Treble: (i) 1, 2 & 3. (ii) 3, 4 & 5. (iii)6, 7 & 8.Mini Jackpot: (i) 2, 3, 4 & 5. (ii) 5, 6,7 & 8.Tanala: All races.

Ashwa Yashobali capable of a repeat in the Mandate Plate

RACING

HYDERABAD: D. NettotrainedKnotty Dancer (Akshay Kumarup) won the K. Mahipati Rao Memorial Golconda Juvenile Million, the feature event ofSunday’s (Aug. 8) races here. The winner is owned by Mr. K.Balamukunda Das, Mr. KrishnanKamesh & Mr. Srikanth Badruka.Jockey Akshay Kumar hoggedthe limelight by riding five winners while trainer R.H. Sequeirasaddled three winners.1. MALAKPET PLATE (DIV. I)(1,200m) Maiden, (Terms) 3yoonly: LIFES SONG (Akshay Kumar) 1, Soloist (Koushik) 2,Morior Invictus (B.R. Kumar) 3and Salisbury (Kiran Naidu) 4. 21/2, 11/2 and 1. 1m, 13.30s. ₹�12(w), 10, 13 and 101 (p). SHP: 29,THP: 304, FP: 41, Q: 36, Tanala:1,060. Favourite: Lifes Song.Owner: Mr. S. Pathy. Trainer:R.H. Sequeira.2. NEWMARKET PLATE (1,400m)rated 60 to 85 (Cat. II): DOWN-TOWN GAL (Neeraj) 1, N R I Valley(Akshay Kumar) 2, HavelockCruise (Deepak Singh) 3 andLong Range (Ajeeth Kumar) 4.1/2, 5 and 1/2. 1m, 24.41s. ₹�36(w), 14, 11 and 31 (p). SHP: 32,THP: 74, FP: 263, Q: 89, Tanala:2,172. Favourite: Lombardy.Owners: Mr. V.N. Babu, Mr.Veeramachaneni Arjun, Mr.Prodhutur Vijay Shourya & Mrs.Rajini Meka. Trainer: LaxmanSingh.3. MALAKPET PLATE (DIV. II)(1,200m) Maiden, (Terms) 3yo

only: CITY OF BLISS (Akshay Kumar) 1, Total Darc (Afroz Khan)2, One More Time (NakhatSingh) 3 and Mireya (B.R. Kumar) 4. 2, Nose and 3/4. 1m,14.20s. ₹�11 (w), 10, 11 and 31 (p).SHP: 18, THP: 61, FP: 20, Q: 19,Tanala: 137. Favourite: City OfBliss. Owners: Mr. K. Thribhuvan Reddy & Mr. K. VivekReddy. Trainer: S. Sreekant.4. BIPSO PLATE (1,600m) rated40 to 65 (Cat. II): PEAKYBLINDERS (Akshay Kumar) 1, Saffron Art (Ajit Singh) 2, FirePower (P.S. Chouhan) 3 andRapid Fire (Ajeeth Kumar) 4. Nk,23/4 and 1. 1m, 40. 81s. ₹�28 (w),10, 10 and 10 (p). SHP: 33, THP:69, FP: 137, Q: 76, Tanala: 275.Favourite: Fire Power. Owners:Mr. Marthand Singh Mahindra &Mr. Jatin Laxmikant Trivedi.Trainer: R.H. Sequeira.5. SILVER JET PLATE (DIV. II)(1,200m) 5yo & upward, rated20 to 45: N R I VISION (AkshayKumar) 1, Linewiler (Afroz Khan)2, Four One Four (Gaurav Singh)3 and Rhine (B.R. Kumar) 4. Notrun: Green Turf. 11/4, 1/2 andSh. 1m, 13.50s. ₹�37 (w), 11, 21 and24 (p). SHP: 52, THP: 53, FP: 243,Q: 134, Tanala: 4,102. Favourite:Dunkirk. Owner: Mr. RavinderReddy Male. Trainer: R.H.Sequeira.6. K. MAHIPATI RAO MEMORIALGOLCONDA JUVENILE MILLION(1,400m) (Terms) 3yo only :KNOTTY DANCER (Akshay Kumar) 1, Alicia (Zervan) 2, Bugsy

(A. Imran Khan) 3 and Scintillating Lass (Sandesh) 4. 3, 1 and 1.1m, 25.06s. ₹�40 (w), 12, 36 and 16(p). SHP: 132, THP: 40, FP: 1,252,Q: 726, Tanala: 7,553. Favourite:Columbian. Owners: Mr. K. Balamukunda Das, Mr. KrishnanKamesh & Mr. Srikanth Badruka.Trainer: D. Netto.7. MAHALAXMI PLATE (1,400m)rated 20 to 45 (Cat. III): BISATE(P.S. Chouhan) 1, N R I Sun (Akshay Kumar) 2, Cheltenham(N.B. Kuldeep) 3 and Trump Star(Deepak Singh) 4. Nk, 61/4 andSh. 1m, 25.37s. ₹�15 (w), 13, 13 and21 (p). SHP: 31, THP: 46, FP: 38,Q: 27, Tanala: 152. Favourite:Bisate. Owners: Mr. K.N.Dhunjibhoy & Mr. Z.K. Dhunjibhoy rep. Five Stars ShippingCompany Private Limited.Trainer: Laxman Singh.8. SILVER JET PLATE (DIV. I)(1,200m), 5yo & upward, rated20 to 45 (Cat. III): KING MAKER(Surya Prakash) 1, N R I Magic(Akshay Kumar) 2, Mind Reader(B.R. Kumar) 3 and Explosive(Gaurav Singh) 4. 1, Hd and 11/4.1m, 13.34s. ₹�76 (w), 22, 14 and 29(p). SHP: 44, THP: 76, FP: 302,Q: 162, Tanala: 1,510. Favourite:N R I Magic. Owner: Mr. C.S.Koushik. Trainer: L V R Deshmukh. Jackpot: 70% ₹�8,667 (39 tkts.)and 30% 348 (416 tkts.).Treble: (i) 124 (325 tkts.), (ii) 153(209 tkts.), (iii) 603 (123 tkts.).Mini jackpot: (i) 839 (48 tkts.),(ii) 2,615 (35 tkts.).

Knotty Dancer wins feature

Jorge Martin bags hisfi�rst MotoGP winSPIELBERG (AUSTRIA)

Rookie Jorge Martin ofDucatiPramac cruised to hisfirst MotoGP victory in theStyria GP on Sunday, finishingahead of Spanish compatriotand reigning champion JoanMir on a Suzuki. The race hadto be restarted after the KTMof Spaniard Dani Pedrosa andthe Aprilia of Italian Lorenzocaught fire in the middle ofthe track after a crash. AFP

IN BRIEF

Rutuja loses in doubles final PARNU (ESTONIA)

Third seeds JustineMikulskyte and Anna Siskovadefeated Rutuja Bhosale andMagali Kempen of Belgium inthe doubles final of the$25,000 ITF women’s event.The results: Doubles (final):Justine Mikulskyte (Ltu) &Anna Siskova (Cze) bt MagaliKempen (Bel) & RutujaBhosale 67(5), 63, [105].

Riders from Bengaluru,spearheaded by reigningchampion Hemanth Muddappa, swept the honours inthe fi�rst round of the MMSCFMSCI National motorcycledrag racing championships,which concluded at theMMRT, here on Sunday, under strict COVID safetyprotocols.

The results: Super Sport(above 1,051cc): 1. HemanthMuddappa (Mantra Racing,Bengaluru) 07.882secs; 2. Hafi�zullah Khan (Bengaluru)08.116; 3. Harish Naik (Bengaluru) 08.538. 8511050cc: 1.Mohd. Riyaz (Bengaluru)08.026; 2. Hemanth Muddappa(Mantra Racing, Bengaluru)08.116; 3. N.V. SatyanarayanaRaju (Hyderabad) 08.191.

Super Sport Indian (361550cc): 1. Aiyaz Rem (Bengaluru) 12.568; 2. Zuheeb Ahmed(Bengaluru) 12.860; 3. D. Annish Samson (Speed Up Racing,Bengaluru) 12.942. 226360cc:1. Bharath Raj (Rockers Racing,Chennai) 12.602; 2. Yogeshwaran (Speed Up Racing, Chennai)12.798; 3. D. Annish Samson(Speed Up Racing, Bengaluru)13.050. Upto 165cc: 1. KevinKannan (RACR Castro Power,Chennai) 14.573; 2. R. Anand(Chennai) 14.824; 3. Chandrashekar (Bengaluru) 14.910.

Girls (4stroke, upto 165cc): 1.Lani Zena Fernandez (Chennai)16.591; 2. Nivetha Jessica(Chennai) 16.640; 3. SoundariSindy (Chennai) 16.794.

2Stroke upto 130cc: 1. MujahidPasha (Bengaluru) 13:547; 2.Prashanth (Chennai) 13.682; 3.Mohd. Rafi�q (Bengaluru)13.733. 131165cc: 1. Mohd. Rafi�q (Bengaluru) 12.818; 2. Husain Khan (Mumbai) 13.002; 3.Aiyaz Rem (Bengaluru) 13.047.

Muddappa wins above 1,051cc crownBengaluru riders sweep the honours

DRAG RACING

Special CorrespondentCHENNAI

Trophy time: Winner Hemanth Mudappa, centre,secondpalced Havizullah Khan, left, and Harish Naik, whowas third in the above1,051cc category. * SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

The eff�ects of climate changewill force sports bodies torethink their calendar ofevents, World Athletics president Sebastian Coe said onSunday.

Coe, a twotime Olympicchampion, was speaking onthe fi�nal day of the TokyoGames. The extreme heatand humidity in Japanforced changes to the trackschedule, as well as tennisand women’s soccer.

“You don’t have to be adevotee of climate change ora denier to know the world isgetting hotter,” Coe said.

“It probably will mean aglobal discussion around thecalendar and how we stageevents.”

Coe noted the stress onhis staff� of “having to create

fi�eld hospitals and havingyour team spending a yearthinking about little else other than how you are going tobe coping with the welfare ofthe athletes.”

“Nobody wants to do that.That’s not what we came into the sport for,” he said, adding “we could well be confronting the sametemperatures in Paris in

2024.”In July 2022, the track

world championships willbe held in Eugene, Oregon,where a record heatwaveraised temperatures to 108degrees Fahrenheit (42 degrees Celsius) at the U.S.trials in June. Morning sessions were suspended.

New norm

“The new norm is, particularly in dealing with endurance events, really harshclimatic conditions,” Coesaid.

“The reality of it is, I thinkthis a challenge we are all going to confront now,” saidCoe, who is an IOC member.

“If you are going to be intellectually coherent here,we are going to have to havethat debate,” Coe said, predicting sports bodies will be”revisiting what is possibleand probably having to bemore adaptable in future.”

Coe concerned about climate changeSays the eff�ects might impact sporting calendar in future

ATHLETICS

Associated PressTokyo

Sebastian Coe.* GETTY IMAGES

Rhythm Sangwan continuedto assert her supremacy inthe junior women’s sportspistol as she topped the second National shooting selection trials on Sunday.

Simranpreet Kaur Brargave her a good fi�ght in thefi�nal, after having qualifi�edin the seventh place with ascore of 563.

In women’s 50metre rifl�eprone, Ashi Choukseytopped with 625.4, muchahead of the rest of thepack.The results: 25m sports pistol:Junior women: 1. RhythmSangwan 32 (581); 2. Simranpreet Kaur Brar 30 (563); 3. Tejaswani 24 (570). 50m rifl�eprone: Women: 1. Ashi Chouksey 625.4; Sift Kaur Samra617.0; 3. Heena Gohei 615.8.Junior men: 1. Sanskar Havelia621.6; 2. Sameer Dagur 612.4;3. Deependra Singh Shekhawat610.3.

Rhythm tops trialsSHOOTING

Special CorrespondentNEW DELHI

Indian boxer Vikas Krishan,whose Olympic campaignended abruptly after a dislocated right shoulder causedan openinground loss, hasundergone a surgery to fi�xthe injury which will keephim out of action for the next

three months.The 29yearold, who was

competing in his third Olympics, was forced out early after “fi�ghting with one hand”in the opening clash againstJapan’s Sewon Okazawa.

The surgery on his dislocated shoulder was performed at Mumbai’s Kokilaben Hospital by renownedsurgeon Dr. Dinshaw Pardiwala, who operated and

fi�xed a careerthreateningshoulder injury that newlycrowned Olympic goldwinner Neeraj Chopra had suffered in 2019.

Dr. Pardiwala has also operated top cricketers like Jasprit Bumrah and ShreyasIyer along with shuttler SainaNehwal, among others.

“I will be back in threemonths, I have been assuredby Dr. Pardiwala. My shoul

der had dislocated and a crucial muscle, called Subscapularis, and a ligament hadbeen torn,” the decoratedboxer said after his surgerythat took place on Thursday.

Vikas picked up the injuryduring the training trip toItaly before the Olympics.Unaware of the severity ofthe damage, he competed inthe Olympics after takingpainkilling injections.

Dr. Pardiwala said giventhe scale of the injury, painkillers were never going to beenough. “It was quite valiantof him to have gone aheadand fought the bout,” Dr Pardiwala said.

“He told me that he experienced a dead arm duringthe bout. It will take threeweeks for the healing to becompleted and anotherthree months for rehab.”

Vows to come back stronger from Olympic heartbreak

BOXING

Press Trust of IndiaNew Delhi

Vikas undergoes shoulder surgery

ICC Player of the Monthnominees for JulyDUBAI

The International CricketCouncil on Sunday announcedthe July nominees for the ICCPlayer of the Month awards,instituted in January this yearto recognise the bestinternational performancesacross formats for male andfemale cricketers.The nominees: Men: ShakibAl Hasan (Ban), MitchellMarsh (Aus), Hayden Walsh Jr(WI); Women: HayleyMatthews (WI), Fatima Sana(Pak) and Stafanie Taylor (WI).

Covishield-Covaxin mix gives better protection, says ICMR

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