Death for brutal child rape - Daily Pioneer

CAPSULE

GROSS NPAS JUMP TO11.2%: RBI REPORTMumbai: System-wide grossnon-performing assets of banksrose to 11.2 per cent or at`10.39 trillion in FY18 from 9.3per cent a year ago, and theshare of public sector banksstood at `8.95 trillion, or at 14.6per cent, as per the RBI datareleased on Friday. P10

OVER 6K OFFICERS FACEBAD LOAN HEAT: JAITLEYNew Delhi: The Government onFriday said action has been takenagainst over 6,000 officers ofPSU banks last fiscal for lapsesthat led to bad loans. P10

INDIA GIVES `4,500-CRASSISTANCE TO BHUTANNew Delhi: PM Narendra Modion Friday announced a `4,500-crore aid to Bhutan for its 12thfive-year plan after holding wide-ranging talks with his Bhutanesecounterpart Lotay Tshering.

NEW E-COM RULESREGRESSIVE: USISPFNew Delhi: The US-IndiaStrategic Partnership Forum(USISPF) has dubbed the new e-commerce rules as “regressive”and said that the changes wouldharm consumers.

PNS n NEW DELHI

The Union Cabinet onFriday approved amend-

ments to strengthen theProtection of Children fromSexual Offences (POCSO) Actand included the death penal-ty for “aggravated” sexualassault on children, besidesproviding stringent punish-ments for other crimes againstthose below 18 years of age.Law Minister Ravi ShankarPrasad said children should beprotected from sexual offencesand the modification is madeto address the need for strin-gent measures required to deterthe rising trend of sexual abuseof children in the country.

“This is a wholesome ini-tiative whereby the entirePOCSO architecture is notonly strengthened but alsoenlarged so that artificial med-icines or hormones could notbe abused to kill the childhoodof a child. An unfortunatething was going on in thecountry, that children were

being administered hormonesto make them artificiallymajors”, said Prasad.

Addressing the media hereon decisions taken in the UnionCabinet meeting, Prasad saidthe amendments to Sections 4,5, 6, 9, 14, 15 and 42 of thePOCSO Act 2012 are made toaddress child sexual abuse in anappropriate manner. Sections 4,5 and 6 of the Act are proposedto be amended to provide theoption of stringent punish-ment, including the deathpenalty, for committing aggra-

vated penetrative sexual assaulton a child. These amendmentsare aimed at discouraging thetrend of child sexual abuse byacting as a deterrent, he said.

The Act defines child asany person below the age of 18years. It is a gender-neutral leg-islation, said the statementissued later.

The amendments are also

proposed to the Section 9 of theAct to protect children fromsexual offences in times ofnatural calamities and disastersand in cases where children areadministered, in any way, anyhormone or any chemical sub-stance to attain early sexualmaturity for the purpose ofpenetrative sexual assault, itsaid.

Sections 14 and 15 of thePOCSO Act are also proposedto be amended to address themenace of the child pornogra-phy. It is proposed to levy finefor not destroying or deletingor reporting the pornograph-ic material involving a child,the statement said.

The offender can be fur-ther penalised with jail term orfine or both for transmitting,propagating, administratingsuch material in any mannerexcept for the purpose ofreporting as may be prescribedand for use as evidence incourt.

“Penal provisions havebeen made more stringent forstoring/possessing any porno-graphic material in any forminvolving a child for commer-cial purpose,” the official state-ment said.

Prasad said, “The modifi-cation is made to address theneed for stringent measuresrequired to deter the risingtrend of child sex abuse in thecountry.”

PNS n NEW DELHI

Aday after the Lok Sabhapassed the Triple Talaq

Bill with some contentiouspenal provisions for the desert-er husband, the Oppositionseemed to be united to stall itin the Upper House. TheOpposition has accused theGovernment of indulging invote bank politics and demand-ed that the Bill be referred to ajoint select committee.

According to sources,Opposition parties will meet todevise their strategy to blockthe Bill in the Rajya Sabha onMonday when it is likely tocome up for consideration.

Sources said all Congressmembers in the Rajya Sabhawould meet in Parliament onMonday morning, ahead of

the start of House proceedings,to evolve its strategy on the Bill.

The numbers are tilted infavour of the Opposition in theRajya Sabha, where the UPAhas 112 members and the NDA93. One seat is vacant. Theremaining 39 members of otherparties are unattached to eitherNDA or UPA and are likely toplay an important role in thepassage of the contentious Bill.

The Government had notagreed to the Oppositiondemand for sending the earli-

er Bill to the select committee,when it was brought before theHouse in the Monsoon Sessionof Parliament.

Though the NDA is wayshort of the halfway mark of123 in the 245-member House,it had emerged victorious in theelection of the DeputyChairman, with its nomineeHarivansh of the JD(U) bag-ging 125 votes against 101 forOpposition-backed Congressmember BK Hariprasad.

Continued on Page 5

PNS n NEW DELHI

India will send a three-mem-ber team to space for seven

days as part of the Gaganyaanproject which will entail a costof `10,000 crore.

The ambitious project,which was announced byPrime Minister Narendra Modiin his Independence Dayspeech, was approved by theUnion Cabinet in its meetingon Thursday night.

If successful, India willbecome the fourth country inthe world to send a mannedmission to the outer space. Sofar only the USA, Russia andChina have send manned mis-sion in the outer space.

Briefing about the out-come of the Cabinet meeting,Union Minister Ravi ShankarPrasad said the GaganyaanMission is expected to beundertaken by 2022 and Indiahas already inked pacts withRussia and France for assis-tance in the ambitious project.The testing for the mission willstart in December 2020.

“A human rated GSLV Mk-lll will be used to carry theorbital module which will have

necessary provisions for sus-taining a 3-member crew forthe duration of the mission.The necessary infrastructurefor crew training, realisation offlight systems and groundinfrastructure will be estab-lished to support the

Gaganyaan programme. ISROwill collaborate extensively withnational agencies, laboratories,academia and industry toaccomplish the Gaganyaan pro-gramme objectives,” said theGovernment in a statement.

The total fund require-

ment for the Gaganyaan pro-gramme is within ̀ 10,000 crorewhich includes cost of tech-nology development, flighthardware realisation and essen-tial infrastructure elements.Two unmanned flights andone manned flight will beundertaken as part ofGaganyaan programme.

Gaganyaan programmewill be a national effort in col-laboration with industry, acad-emia and other scientific agen-cies and laboratories as stakeholders along with ISRO. ISROwill be responsible for realisingthe flight hardware throughindustry.

National agencies, labora-tories and academia will par-ticipate in crew training,human life science technologydevelopment initiatives as wellas design reviews. First humanspace flight demonstration istargeted to be completed with-in 40 months from the date ofsanction. Prior to this, twounmanned flights in full com-plement will be carried out togain confidence on the tech-nology and mission manage-ment aspects, said the statement.

PIONEER NEWS SERVICE nNEW DELHI/MUMBAI

Awar of words has eruptedbetween the Congress and

the ruling BJP over the yet tobe released movie TheAccidental Prime Minister,starring Anupam Kher asManmohan Singh. While the

Congress termed it as BJP’spropaganda against its party,Union Minister RajyavardhanRathore asked whether theBJP did not even have thefreedom to extend wishes to afilm.

The Congress lockedhorns with the BJP after theruling party tweeted the trail-er from its official Twitterhandle on Thursday night.“Riveting tale of how a fami-ly held the country to ransomfor 10 long years. Was DrSingh just a regent who washolding on to the PM’s chairtill the time heir was ready?Watch the official trailer of The

Accidental Prime Minister,based on an insider’s account,releasing on 11 January,” the

BJP’s official tweet read. Asked by journalists to

comment on the film at the

Congress’ foundation dayfunction at the party head-quarters on Friday,Manmohan Singh walkedaway with a cryptic “no com-ment”. On his part, AnupamKher said he will not back offfrom the snowballing contro-versy and took a swipe atMaharashtra Youth Congress’threats saying they should behappy a film has been made ontheir leader. Kher also referredto a recent statement byCongress president RahulGandhi that freedom ofexpression is a fundamentalright.

The Accidental Prime

Minister is based on a bookwritten by former PrimeMinister Manmohan Singh’smedia adviser Sanjaya Baru.The biopic stars Anupam Kheras Manmohan Singh andAkshay Khanna as SanjayaBaru. The trailer of the movieshows Singh as a victim of theCongress’s internal politicsahead of the 2014 elections.

Setting aside speculationof a probable ban on themovie in the Congress-ruledStates, the newly formedKamal Nath Government inMadhya Pradesh said it hasnot banned the film.

Continued on Page 5

DEEPAK K UPRETI n NEW DELHI

Come Lok Sabha polls, theBJP will remove the age-

bar on contesting and holdingpolitical posts as two of itsprominent women leadersSushma Swaraj and Uma Bhartihave suo moto announcedtheir intention to not contestand Speaker Sumitra Mahajanmay be opting out of the poll.

The post-2014 victory inthe Lok Sabha polls led the BJPto re-write rules of the gamesfor the party members whichincluded retirement from activepolitics after 75 and diminish-ing chances of getting partytickets after reaching 70.

The formation of

Margdarshak Mandal inAugust, 2014, to accommodateaged veterans like LK Advaniand MM Joshi had raised manyeyebrows even as they alsodid not find seat in BJP’sParliamentary Board, the allpowerful decision-makingbody of the party.

All that may change nowwith the onset of the electionseason. The BJP sees age 75with no-bar for contesting LokSabha polls, sources in theparty said. As the coming pollturning out to be a keen con-test, the party would put pre-mium on winning the seatrather than allowing “youthfulexperiment” a chance.

Continued on Page 5

Death for brutal child rape

Cabinet approves amendment to POCSO Act to make it more deterrent

Triple Talaq faces acidtest in Upper House Opp parties mull

strategy to block

passage of Bill

Cong cries foul,

BJP says it has

freedom to wish

movie good luck

BJP to do away

with 75-plus bar

Cold and pollutionpreying on birds

Indians on moon soon! Govt OK’s `10K cr

Space suits developed by ISRO for Gaganyaan Mission

@TheDailyPioneer facebook.com/dailypioneerFollow us on:

www.dailypioneer.com

}

WORLD 12

US GOVT SHUTDOWN SET TO DRAG ON TO 2019

OPINION 8

VETERANS ASPOLITICAL PROP

SPORT 15

BUMRAH PUTS INDIA ON FRONTFOOT

instagram.com/dailypioneer/

Late City Vol. 154 Issue 349*Air Surcharge Extra if Applicable

Published From DELHI LUCKNOW BHOPAL

BHUBANESWAR RANCHI RAIPURCHANDIGARH DEHRADUN

Established 1864

RNI No.2016/1957, REGD NO. SSP/LW/NP-34/2016-18

LUCKNOW, SATURDAY DECEMBER 29, 2018; PAGES 16 `3

I URGE THE

YOUTH TO VOTE:

JASSIE GILL

14 VIVACITY

}

PNS n VARANASI

The stage is all set for PrimeMinister Narendra Modi’s

16th visit on Saturday to hisparliamentary constituencyand Ghazipur where the twoNDA allies have considerableinfluence. Though the PM willalso visit here on January 21 toattend the inaugural functionof three-day Parvasi BharatiyaDay (PBD) conference, thisvisit is considered politicallyimportant on the eve of forth-coming Lok Sabha elections.During this visit, Modi willwoo Rajbhars, a sub-caste ofOBC, who are in sizeable num-ber in several parliamentaryseats right from Varanasi toDeoria and Ballia in this belt ofPurvanchal (eastern UP) dur-ing his first meeting atGhazipur. He is likely toannounce some sops for farm-ers who have played a vital rolein all the recent elections.

On Saturday, the PM willland at Lal Bahadur ShastriInternational Airport,

Babatpur, by the state plane andthen directly go to Ghazipur byhelicopter to release a postalstamp on Maharaja Suheldevand address a meeting there.After that Modi will return tohis parliamentary constituen-cy and land first at PACBhullanpur helipad and then bycar he will go to Chandpurwhere he will inaugurate theregional centre of InternationalRice Research Centre (IRRI).Later, the PM will go to TradeFacilitation Centre (TFC) atBada Lalpur to review prepa-rations for PBD meet apartfrom going around an exhibi-

tion to be organised under‘One District, One Project’programme of the state gov-ernment in which there will bestalls of all those traditionalproducts of the region whichgot Geographical Identification(GI) registration recently.

Meanwhile, security forceshave also completed theirpreparations and in view of thePM’s visit, the ADG (Zone) PVRamasastry, SSP AnandKulkarni and other senior offi-cers gave various instructionsto security personnel main-taining proper coordinationwhile briefing them at PoliceLines on Friday. Besides,rehearsal of dummy fleet wasalso done as per tradition andSpecial Protection Force (SPG)personnel inspected all thesites and four helicopters ofIndian Air Force checked allthe helipads in Varanasi andGhazipur districts. Foolproofsecurity arrangements will bemade during the proposed visit of Modi.

Continued on Page 5

Stage set for PM’s visit toVaranasi, Ghazipur today

A Lucknow Metro train during a load test on bridge over Gomti river in Lucknow on Friday Report on Page 4

SUGANDHA n NEW DELHI

Making it difficult for themto fly, the lethal combi-

nation of cold and pollution inthe National Capital has takenits toll on birds. Avian hospitalsin the city these days are busytreating 15-20 birds beingbrought with the complaints ofparalysis every day.

“Paralysis in birds hasbecome common now.Everyday the hospital admits15 to 20 birds affected withparalysis,” said Sunil Jain, hon-orary secretary, Birds CharityHospital, Chandni Chowk.

The hospital which spe-cialises in treating birds withdifferent ailments is now treat-ing birds which are apparent-ly the victims of cold and pol-lution, he added. “See, there arethree basic reasons behindtheir pathetic condition. First,there is a lot of pollution in theair, second, the temperature isfalling drastically, and third, theweather is not up to the markmaking it difficult for them tosurvive,” he said. WasimAkram, manager, SpecialProjects of Wildlife SOS, Delhi,said that because of the winterseason and pollution, there is

a problem of low visibility con-fronted by the avian populationdue to which they face survivalissues. According to Jain, whilethe hospital treats a variety ofbirds throughout the year, thebirds which are coming noware mostly pigeons as they arethe ones without any propershelter. “Most of the birdsthat we are treating these daysare the rescued ones and petbirds being brought by theirowners are relatively fewer innumber. We are treating most-ly pigeons these days; they arehomeless,” said Jain.

Continued on Page 5

BJP’s Accidental PM tweet ruffles Congress feathers

city 02LUCKNOW | SATURDAY | DECEMBER 29, 2018

PNS n LUCKNOW

Uttar Pradesh ChiefMinister Yogi Adityanath

once again endorsed policeencounters in the state, claim-ing that “criminals had nohuman rights” and hence thepolicemen were doing the rightjob. Yogi was addressing seniorpolice officers during the ongo-ing Police Week in Lucknowon Friday where he alsolaunched a website on KumbhMela.

“No organisation shouldshow sympathy or question thestate government for killing ofcriminals in encounter as anti-social elements have no humanrights,” Yogi stressed, withoutnaming National HumanRights Commission or anyparty which questioned thegovernment on large-scalekilling in the name ofencounter in the state.

The NHRC has issued sev-eral notices to the state govern-ment over encounters and

Yogi’s statement is set to boostthe morale of UP Police offi-cers and personnel in dealingwith criminals with iron fists.

Hailing the working of UPPolice, Yogi claimed that sincehis government came to power,there was tremendousimprovement on the law andorder front. “Not just people ofUP but governments ofMyanmar and Nepal too arepraising the state on law andorder. If political reasons are setaside, then everyone in thestate say that they are feelingsafe and secure in UP,” theChief Minister asserted.

“From a woman to notedindustrialist Ratan Tata, allare claiming that UP is improv-ing. Ratan Tata met me recent-ly and hailed the law and ordersituation, claiming that theperception about UP haschanged since the BJP came topower in the state,” Yogi said.

The Chief Ministerattacked the previous regimes,saying that earlier criminals

were outraging modesty ofwomen inside their homes,but his government had nowensured security for thewomen and girls. He claimedthat officers from constable upto ADG rank were now work-ing in the field to ensure a safeatmosphere.

Yogi said that the mediaand some agencies tried todefame his government on

issues of violation of humanrights but the common manwas hailing the steps taken byhim.

The Chief Minister alsosaid that when he went to invitePrime Minister Narendra Modifor Investors’ Summit, the lat-ter laughed and instead advisedhim (Yogi) to organise a roadshow. “But later, due toimprovement in law and order,

all leading industrialists partic-ipated in the Investors’ Summitand till now, investments ofover Rs 5 lakh crores havecome to the state,” he said.

In his 45-minute speech,the Chief Minister did notforget to warn police officerswho were not adequately activein the field.

“Do not just sit in youroffices, all of you, includingRange IG and Zonal ADGs,should get out of your roomsand go around to interact andget first hand information fromthe public. Only then can youdeliver justice besides buildingup better rapport with thecommon man. When you donot listen to the masses andsolve their problems, theycome to me seeking justice.This must end,” Yogi said.

“If an inefficient districtpolice chief is shifted, peopleoffer prasad to God, but if agood officer is shifted, peopleremember him for a long time.

District police chiefs

should pull up their socks andwork efficiently. Do not hesi-tate to remove corrupt policestation in-charges, only theneffective policing can beensured,” he said.

Yogi warned officers say-ing, “Either you improve yourstyle of functioning or be readyto face action.” The ChiefMinister also highlightedcleanliness and directed thatsenior officers visit officersmess, police stations, reservepolice lines to ensure that allcivic amenities were in place.

Yogi, however, admittedthat crime against women hadwitnessed a sharp rise andsaid that Anti-Romeo Squadsworked effectively but sincethey were dismantled, mem-bers of the fairer sex had beenvictimised.

The Chief Minister saidthat cops could not bedeployed for each house butthrough technology, safetycould be ensured for all.

Interestingly, like

Lucknow (PNS): The Bharatiya Janata Party isback to chaupal culture. Its top leaders in Uttar Pradesh,including Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and statepresident Mahendra Nath Pandey would listen toPrime Minister Narendra Modi’s Mann ki Baat withparty workers and local people at chaupals onDecember 30. BJP leader Devesh Kumar Kori said thatthe Chief Minister would listen to the Prime Minister’sprogramme at his 5, Kalidas Marg official residencewhile BJP state president Mahendra Nath Pandeywould hold chaupal at Itaunja. He said Deputy ChiefMinister Keshav Prasad Maurya would hold a chau-pal in Prayagraj while Deputy Chief Minister DineshSharma and BJP organisation secretary Sunil Bansalwould hold chaupals in different blocks of Lucknow.Ministers in the Yogi government will also hold chau-pals in different parts of the state and listen to Modi’sMann ki Baat there.

Meanwhile, Bansal has asked party leaders to pop-ularise the good works done by the Central and stategovernments so that voters could evaluate the workdone by both governments for public welfare.

Addressing a media workshop of BJP’s westernregion in Meerut on Friday, Bansal said the mediashould be given the true picture. “They should be toldnot only about the achievements of both governmentsbut also the good work done by local legislators andparliamentarians in their respective constituencies,”Bansal said. “The collective picture should be present-ed before the media so that they are able to analyseour performance and write accordingly. This we cando only if we are in regular touch with the media,” theBJP leader said, adding that party leaders should pre-pare talking points which should include not only theachievements of the governments but also how bothModi and Yogi had fulfilled promises made by theparty to people. “The media is a bridge between peo-ple and political parties and we should keep this bridgestrong,” Bansal said.

Printed and Published by Vijay Prakash Singh for and on behalf of CMYK Printech Ltd., 4th Floor, Sahara Shopping Centre, Faizabad Road, Lucknow-226016 and Printed at Tin Tin Printech Pvt Ltd., C-33 Amausi Industrial Area, Nadarganj, Lucknow. Editor: Chandan Mitra. Resident

Editor: Vijay Prakash Singh. RNI No. 2016/57. Lucknow Telephones: EPABX: 4036600 Fax: 2345582. Allahabad Office: (0532) 2420818, 2421018, 3290460. Kanpur Office: (0512) 2304006, 2304416. Varanasi Office: (0542) 2414294, 2414295. Delhi Office: No. 6, Behind Gulab Bhawan,

Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg, New Delhi-110 002, Phone: 011-40110455. Communication Office: F-31, Sector 6, NOIDA, Gautam Budh Nagar-201301, U.P. Phone: 0120-4879800 & 4879900

Although every possible care and caution has been taken to avoid errors or omissions, this publication is being sold on the condition and understanding that information given in this publication is merely for reference and must not be taken as having authority of or binding in any way on the writers, editors, publishers, and printers and sellers who do not owe any responsibility for any

damage or loss to any person, a purchaser of this publication or not for the result of any action taken on the basis of this work. All disputes are subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of competent court and forums in Lucknow only. Readers are advised and requested to verify and seek appropriate advice to satisfy themselves about the veracity of any kind of advertisement before respond-

ing to any contents published in this newspaper. The printer, publisher, editor and any employee of the Pioneer Group’s will not be held responsible for any kind of claim made by the advertisers of the products & services and shall not be made responsible for any kind of loss, consequences and further product-related damages on such advertisements.

NOTICE

CM endorses police encounters: Cops doing right job

Governor Ram Naik, Yogi tooasked police officers not tohesitate in sending notices tomedia persons if they reportedwrong facts and defamed thegovernment. He also warnedsenior officers from leakingprobe reports, saying he wassurprised to see some findingsin media even as the report wassubmitted to the DGP and noone else was aware of it.

For the first time, the ChiefMinister also feted some offi-cers with CM’s Medal on theoccasion. The recipients includ-

ed ADG (Meerut Zone),Prashant Kumar, DIG (Lawand Order) Praveen Kumar,SSP (STF) Abhishekh Singh,Inspector Alka Thakur, headconstable Ajay Kumar Singhand constable Sudeep Katiyar.

Welcoming the ChiefMinister at the Police OfficersMeet, DGP OP Singh againrequested him to seriously thinkabout introducing police com-missionerate system in the state.On Thursday, Governor RamNaik had made a similar sugges-tion to the Chief Minister.

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath addressing senior police officers during theongoing Police Week in Lucknow on Friday Pioneer

UP BJP leaders to listento PM’s Mann ki Baat with people in chaupals

Lodhi made PSPL statepresident

L u c k n o w(PNS): FormerMember ofL e g i s l a t i v eAssembly ofSamajwadi Party,Sunder LalLodhi, wasappointed statepresident ofP r a g a t i s h e e lSamajwadi Party(Lohia) led byShivpal SinghYadav. This wasannounced byPSPL generalsecretary andShivpal SinghYadav’s sonAditya Yadav inLucknow onFriday.

Sunder LalLodhi, who hailsfrom Unnao, isalso the statepresident ofAkhil BharatiyaKshetriya LodhiMahasabha.

After sever-ing ties withSamajwadi Partyafter the feudwith nephewAkhilesh Yadav,Shivpal hadformed his ownparty which wasregistered withthe ElectionCommission asPSPL in Octoberthis year.

03LUCKNOW | SATURDAY | DECEMBER 29, 2018the pioneer


PIONEER NEWS SERVICE n LUCKNOW

Lucknow Metro RailCorporation (LMRC) onMonday successfully

commenced the load test bythe two Metro trains on itsviaduct for the balance sectionof the North-South (Phase-1A) Corridor. This is yetanother milestone achievedby the Lucknow Metrotowards commissioning of thepublic services for the whole22.878-km-long corridor fromCCS Airport to Munshipulia.

It started with the pujaceremony performed byLMRC MD Kumar Keshav atCharbagh Metro station alongwith other senior officials andengineers of the company at6.30 am. The trains movedfrom Charbagh at 6.30 am andreached newly-constructed177-metre-long balanced can-tilever bridge over Gomti riverwhere these two trains will stayfor 24 hours for the load test-ing on the bridge. One trainwas brought straight to thespan and the other was takento the end of the corridor andthen reversed.

After completing the loadtest on Gomti bridge, theMetro trains will move furtherto 60 metre Special Steel Span

near Nishatganj and will staythere again for 24 hours. Aftercompleting all necessary testand trials over the specialspans, the Metro trains will beback to Charbagh onDecember 31.

To make the test possible,Lucknow Metro RailCorporation has recently com-pleted the work of Over HeadElectrification (OHE) andcharged the OHE at midnightto feed power supply to the

traction. It is now a record thata Metro project of such mag-nitude is heading towardscompletion before the set timeof period.

Speaking on the occasion,Kumar Keshav said: “It is a

precious day for LMRC and Iappreciate the extreme hardwork and dedication of thewhole team of LMRC, ourcontractors and GC involvedin completing this tough taskin a very strict time frame.”

LMRC commences load test


An attempt was made to rapea 15-year-old school student

by her neighbour at Uthaulia vil-lage under Kakori police stationin the wee hours of Friday. Theaccused was identified as Rohit(19), son of Muneshwar, whowas detained for interrogation.He is a student of a local college.

The police said she left herhouse around 3.30 am for thepublic toilet located near herhouse to attend the nature’s call.She was dragged by Rohit aim-ing to take her to his house whenshe was a few yards away fromthe toilet. Interestingly, there wasno one there at the time of theincident. The parents and otherfamily members woke up fol-lowing her shrieks and rushed torescue her. He fled away whenhe saw the family memberswere rushing toward them.

The parents went to thehouse of Rohit to complainabout his misdeeds later inmorning but he was not foundthere. Her father lodged a com-plaint at the Kakori police sta-tion. The police registered a caseof attempt to rape and sent herfor medical test. Hectic search

was launched to trace his where-abouts and he was found at anearby tea stall. He was pickedup for interrogation. He was stillin the police custody till Fridaynight. However, there is onemore version of the incident stat-ing the girl was having an affairwith Rohit and both were foundin uncompromising position atlonely places in the village sev-eral times in the past six months.She was pulled up by her parentswho never informed suchescapades to the police to avoidinsult to the family. It is said theyhad decided that they wouldmeet near the toilet at night sothat he could take her to hishouse as there was no one pre-sent there. It was by chance thatone of her uncles saw them inthe wee hours all alone andshouted at them. Rohit escaped

away so that he might not becaught red-handed.Investigation was in progress.

Meanwhile, one person wasarrested from Chhedi Lal KaChauraha in Kakori area formolesting a 14-year old girl. Hewas identified as MohammadChand, a resident of Kakori‘basti’. Her father lodged a com-plaint at the Kakori police sta-tion on Thursday afternooncharging Chand with molestingher daughter. The father alsoalleged that he used to tease hisdaughter and make advance-ment towards her for the pastone month. The accused is theowner of a stall selling eatablesnear her school gate. OnDecember 26, he molested herat a secluded place near theschool when she was returninghome on a bicycle. He escapedon seeing a few workers from thefield moving towards the spotwhere he held her. She was inpanic and nervous when shereached home. Initially, she triedto keep the incident a secret butdisclosed to her mother the fol-lowing day. He was picked upinterrogation and was arrestedafter he confessed to his crime.

18-year-old detained for

attempt to rape minor


There was no relief for peo-ple as Lucknow on Friday

recorded the minimum tem-perature at 5.4 degree Celsius,which was three notches belownormal. There is warning ofcold wave conditions at isolat-ed places over the state.

In the state, Muzaffarnagarremained the coldest at 2.2degree Celsius while Agrarecorded a minimum of 2.9degree Celsius. The sunshine inthe morning was of little helpbecause of icy winds.

The forecast for Lucknowis clear sky with shallow tomoderate fog expected in themorning. The maximum andminimum temperature are like-ly to be around 21 degreeCelsius and 5 degree Celsiusrespectively. Weather is likely tobe dry over the state with shal-low to moderate fog at isolat-ed places over the state.

Icy winds make people shiver in state capital


A35-year-old housewife diedunder mysterious circum-

stances at Trauma Centre onFriday. She was identified asVandana and was married toMahesh, a native of Hardoidistrict, seven years ago. She wasill for the last two months.

Vandana’s father RamAsray, a resident of Mall Bazaar,said his daughter was unwelland was being treated at theHardoi district hospital. Butthere was no sign of anyimprovement. The father wentto Hardoi on December 26 andas her daughter’s health wasgradually deteriorating, heimmediately brought her to thecity for better treatment.

It was alleged that her hus-band never got her treated sin-cerely at the district hospital andwas misguiding his father-in-law by saying she was beingtreated by medical specialists toextract money from Ram Asray.She was admitted to the TraumaCentre. The doctors attendingher could not diagnose her dis-ease as she was a chronicpatient. She passed away in themorning. The relatives said thather husband should be heldresponsible for her death as hefailed to initiate timely treat-ment. Interestingly, the hus-band could not produce earlierprescriptions of doctors therewhich convinced he never tookher to doctors and instead she

was being treated by localquacks. However, the fatherhad not lodged any complaintwith the police till the time ofgoing to press. Investigatingofficer Imtiaz Ahmed said theinvestigation would be initiatedonce the complaint was lodged.

ROAD MISHAPBhim Singh Rana, a resident

of the Bengali Tola area underthe PGI police station, died afterhis scooter (UP-32-GS/6330)rammed into the divider near hishouse on late Thursday night Hewas rushed to the civil hospitalby passersby. He succumbed toinjuries during the course of thetreatment. The police informeddeceased’s brother Mohan SinghRana about the accident as soon as he was admitted to thehospital.

CONSIPRACYThree persons were arrest-

ed for plotting the murder of35-year-old Sushma, wife ofMahesh. She succumbed toinjuries sustained after she wasbeaten up by her husband,mother-in-law Sukhrani andsister-in-law Pushpa. Shepassed away on December 26and her father Mool Chandlodged a complaint at theGomti Nagar police station onDecember 27 morning. Theywere picked up for interroga-tion on Friday evening andwere arrested after their confession.

Mystery shrouds housewife’s death


Uttar Pradesh State RoadTransport Corporation is

currently drafting a policy forelectric buses after which thecorporation plans to run themin a regular fashion.

UPSRTC regional manag-er PK Bose said that they hadfinished the trial run for elec-tric buses in November andnow the buses would be runonly after the electric bus pol-icy is drafted. He said that theyhad conducted trials for a peri-od of three months. In the ini-

tial period, buses will run fromAlambagh bus station toKanpur City. The regionalmanager said that they had wit-nessed a low load factor withthe occupancy being close to 44per cent for these electric buses.The policy for electric buseswill be drafted by the manag-er operations, UPSRTC. Thebuses will be useful becausethey are environmental-friend-ly and also noiseless.

Meanwhile, the regionalmanager said that they wereproviding bus services toPrayagraj from Lucknow for

the Kumbh Mela. “For thosewho want to visit Allahabadfrom Lucknow, the up anddown services will be provid-ed with 40 buses, including 10air-conditioned buses. DuringKumbh period of Kumbh, themaximum passengers are forthe Mauni Kumbh which fallsin February for which we willincrease the strength to 60buses, including over 25 air-conditioned buses” he said.He added that they wereexpecting a good rush of pas-sengers during the time ofKumbh.

UPSRTC drafting policy

for electric buses

SCHOOLSCAN

CITYBRIEFS

PLAY STAGEDA play titled ‘Bahadur Shah

Zafar’, which was staged atScientific Convention Centreunder the aegis of UrduAkademi, brought in the pain ofthe last emperor who died witha desire to have a grave of hisown in his motherland.

Governor Ram Naik was thechief guest while BahadurShah Zafar’s great grandsonPrince Mirza FaizuddinBahadur Shah Zafar was alsopresent on the occasion.

LIGHT & SOUND SHOWThe light and sound show

will restart at the Residency bythe end of this financial year.Regional tourism officer RPYadav said that the work wasin progress and being carriedout by Rajkiya Nirman Nigam.“Cables have been laid out anda control room established.The script has been approvedby the Central governmentand the show will be held byRajkiya Nirman Nigam itself,”he said, adding that the entrywould be ticketed. On theirpart, ASI officials said they hadalready given the permissionfor the show, which was heldearlier at the Residency butstopped in the past years. Theshow will highlight the firstwar of independence.

YUVA KUMBHNational organiser of Yuva

Kumbh Shadrup Pratap saidon Friday that they were in theprocess of documenting thevarious sessions held onDecember 22 and 23. “Wewill be coming out with a book

titled ‘Nishkarsh’, which willgive the gist of discussions heldby youths from across thecountry,” he said. Over 2,000youths had congregated atIndira Gandhi Pratishthan fordeliberations on the visiondocuments on December 22.

The deliberations were held inthe areas of entrepreneurship,art, education and social workamong others.

KATHA KATHANKatha Kathan celebrated

its first anniversary in a pro-gramme held at UrduAkademi on Friday. ‘DoBaanke’ by Bhagwati CharanVerma, ‘Lal Haveli’ by Shiwaniand ‘Qissa-e-Siyasat’ byAmritlal Nagar were present-ed in story-telling sessionsheld on the occasion. NutanVashishth, Punita Awasthi,Anupama Sharad, Suansh,Vivek Srivastava, SomGanguly, Aditya and Jagatpatiportrayed various characters inthe stories. Another highlightwas a panel discussion whichsaw the presence of theatreactivist Anil Rastogi, AmitaDubey from Hindi Sansthan,historian Ravi Bhatt, andDhirendra Verma on‘Lucknow Ke Sahityakar-Vyaktitva Aur Kritatva’.

STUDENTS WELCOMEDYoung students from 14

countries arrived at Lucknowon Friday to participate in the

month-long ‘InternationalChildren’s Camp’, being host-ed by City Montessori School.They were accorded a warm

welcome under the leader-ship of school’s founder JagdishGandhi, and teachers atAmausi airport. CMS is host-ing the camp from December28 to January 24 (2019).

CHARITY DAYCity International

School (Balaganj) cele-brated Charity Day onFriday. On the occasion,people in need weregiven blankets, sweaters

and food items by the students.A student of class III, VarnikaGupta said it was the duty ofevery responsible person totake care of needy people andhelp them.

e-rickshaw drivers staging protest at Parivartan Chowk against alleged harassment by the district administration Pioneer

A scene from play ‘Bahadur Shah Zafar’, which was staged at ScientificConvention Centre in Lucknow on Friday Pioneer


Lucknow (PNS): For thefirst time, strawberry floweringhas taken place in Malihabadthis winters, a place which isgenerally known for mangoes.Director of Central Institute forSubtropical Horticulture (CISH)Shailendra Rajan said they hadsucceeded in planting materialproduction of strawberry atfarmers’ fields.

He said that flowering oflocally-produced transplants ofstrawberry in the first week ofDecember would be of greatimportance for the farmers ofplain areas because they totallydepended on hills/private com-panies involved in production ofstrawberry transplants. Rajansaid because of its exotic nature,farmers were not aware aboutthe crop and that its cultivationin subtropical conditions couldenhance their income by highvalue, low volume in a shortspan of time. “The growers inthe plains are not in position toproduce their own disease-freeplanting materials and theseplants do not survive in theextreme summer. The cost ofplanting material becomes a lia-bility for promotion of straw-berry cultivation in subtropicsdue to involvement of highercost at the time of planting.CISH has focused to producequality planting material ofstrawberry in subtropics andobserved that the planting mate-rial production of strawberry ispossible with additional care ofthe plants from April onwards,”the CISH director said.

He pointed out that duringthe initial years of experimen-tation, plant survival was achallenge because under UPconditions, April-June are thehottest months with an averagemaximum temperature of 40degree Celsius.


Islamic seminary DarulUloom Deoband issued a

fatwa forbidding women fromparticipating in marriage pro-cessions with men.

It is common for womenrelatives of the groom to par-ticipate in such processionswith other men in the family.Sometimes, music is alsoplayed in these processions.

The fatwa came after aSaharanpur resident raisedquestions regarding the prac-tice with the fatwa depart-ment of the seminary. Theseminary responded that not

only were women forbiddenfrom participating in suchsocial functions with men, theywere also forbidden from eat-ing food alongside men onsuch occasions. The seminaryalso asserted that Muslimsshould not eat food whilestanding and advised them torefrain from such activities.

Deoband has come up withsuch bizarre fatwas at a remark-able frequency. Earlier inFebruary, the Islamic semi-nary decided to issue a fatwaagainst Muslim women fromtaking help of men while try-ing bangles in shops.

Prior to that, Darul Uloom

Deoband clerics had issued afatwa against life insurance, asthey claimed that life and deathwere in the hands of Allah andno insurance company couldguarantee a man’s longevity.

In the past, a cleric of theseminary issued a fatwa againstwomen watching footballmatch, on the plea that watch-ing men playing with bareknees was forbidden forwomen.

In another instance, a fatwawas issued asking Muslim fam-ilies to not marry men orwomen working in banks.

Posting photos of self andfamily on social media websites

has also drawn fatwas in thepast. New Year celebrationsand designer burqas, too, havebeen targeted by clerics byissuing fatwas against them.

Earlier, the clerics of theseminary had also issued afatwa against a group ofMuslim women who per-formed Lord Ram’s aarti on theeve of Diwali, saying theyceased to be Muslims.

The most peculiar fatwaemerged when the seminarydeclared that it was forbiddenin Islam for an uncle to carrythe bride to the palanquin as itcould lead to feelings of lustbetween the two.


Octogenarian Farrukh Jaffaris playing the main lead in

a film titled ‘Mehrunisa’ whichshowcases the life of an 80-year-old women who grabsthe opportunity to have funwhen she gets the chance.

Jaffar also has her handsfull in the coming year withother films where she will beacting alongside the likes ofNaseeruddin Shah and PankajKapoor. ‘Mehrunisa’ is thestory of an octogenarianwoman with an undying spir-it. Directed and produced bySandeep Kumar, an Austrianfilmmaker of Indian origin, thefilm was shot in November andis in the post-production phase.The story is inspired by longand lively conversations withFarrukh Jaffar, better known as‘Amma ji’ of ‘Peepli Live’, whichreleased in 2010.

Talking to The Pioneer,Farrukh, who refuses to betreated as an old woman, saidshe was passionate about act-ing and she does her part oflearning the lines and thendoing her scenes. “The film isabout a woman who at the ageof eighty experiences relief

when her husband dies. Shedecides to make the most of herremaining years and indulge inacting. She writes a script alongwith her granddaughter on therole of Begum Hazrat Mahal inthe first war of independence,”she said. After her first visit tothe city two years ago and achance meeting with Farrukh,Sandeep dreamed of workingin Lucknow, a city that contin-ues to enchant him. It took hima year to write the Lucknow-based story of a female actorcaught between a conservativephysical world and a free, lib-erated inner world and who hasspent half a century doing bitroles on screen.

Asked what it is like to playthe lead in a feature film, shewas quick to reply that it washigh time more scripts werewritten around finely-chiseledcharacters like ‘Mehrunisa’rather than big stars who alsoswallow a large part of the bud-get of any film. The sub-plot in‘Mehrunisa’ is an interestingtake on the 1857 war of thepeople of Lucknow against theBritish. The film is all set torelease next year, breaking allstereotypes which grip theindian film industry today.


Uttar Pradesh Congress president RajBabbar on Friday said that the maha-

gathbandhan (grand alliance) for the2019 parliamentary elections woulddepend on people’s choice and any deci-sion would be taken keeping that inmind. “I am just a worker of the Congressand Samajwadi Party president AkhileshYadav has relations with senior Congressleaders so I cannot say anything on themahagathbandhan, Babbar said whenasked whether the Congress was going foralliance with Samajwadi Party and BahujanSamaj Party for the Lok Sabha polls in2019. Babbar was talking to media personsafter attending the Congress foundationday function at UPCC office here onFriday morning. On Thursday, Babbar,while replying to a comment of AkhileshYadav over mahagathbandhan, Babbar hadsaid that only those who had close relationswould register their ire with each other andthat they would talk to the SP chief to sortout the differences. Babbar even tried tokeep himself away from the controversy,saying that it was just the people’s choicewhich the Congress high command wouldkeep in mind while taking a final call ongrand alliance.

Meanwhile, with the police decidingnot to allow anyone to offer Friday namazat parks and other public places, Congresshas shot off a letter to the DGP asking himto ban holding of shakhas by RashtriyaSwayamsevak Sangh in parks and at pub-lic places. In a letter sent to the DGP ondirections of UPCC president Raj Babbar,copies of which were sent to the ChiefSecretary and Principal Secretary (Home),UP Congress Vichar Vibhag chairmanSampurnand said that the state police had

banned namaz at parks in Noida, citing thesupreme Court orders of 2009. “But thatSC orders also says that no governmentemployee and his or her family wouldengage in political functions or activity,”he said in his letter on Friday. Demanding

that the state police should not act in abiased manner by banning Friday namazor Bhagwat Katha, Sampurnand said thatthe RSS shakhas were also being held inparks and other public places but the policewere ignoring it.


National Human RightsCommission on Friday

issued notices to the state gov-ernment over the alleged deathof a Dalit man in police custodyin Amroha district, noting thatit amounted to “gross violationof human rights” of the victim.

Taking suo motu cogni-sance of media reports that 30-year-old Balkishan died in thepolice custody at DhanoraMandi police station ofAmroha district on December26, the NHRC issued notices tothe Uttar Pradesh ChiefSecretary and Director Generalof Police, seeking a detailedreport within four weeks.

It sought an explanation onwhy no intimation regardingthis death in police custody wasgiven to the NHRC.

The Dalit man was arrest-ed by the police in connectionwith a theft on December 23.

His family members havealleged that police personnelasked for a bribe of Rs 5 lakhto let him off, which theycould not arrange and, there-fore, he was “tortured”.

The NHRC observed thatthe contents of media reports,if true, suggest “gross violationof human rights” of the victim.

The NHRC said the reportfrom the UP governmentshould also indicate whetherany monetary and other reliefhave been provided to the fam-ily in accordance with theSC/ST (Prevention ofAtrocities) Act and Rules.

The family members ofthe deceased have alleged thatBalkishan was picked up whilethey were returning home froma wedding and he was kept inthe lock-up without any com-plaint and was subjected toatrocities. As many as 11 policepersonnel, including the SHOof the police station concerned,

have been placed under sus-pension, the NHRC said in anofficial release.

Six policemen, includingan inspector and a sub-inspec-tor, were booked onWednesday on charges of“killing” the Dalit in their cus-tody, Amroha Superintendentof Police Brijesh Kumar Singhhad said. Those booked are in-charge inspector ArvindMohan Sharma, sub-inspectorManoj Upadhyay, head con-stable Ravindra Rana and con-stables Vinit Chaudhary,Jitendra and Vivek.

The SP had said that on acomplaint of the victim’s rela-tive Jai Prakash, the six police-men were also booked on var-ious charges under theScheduled Caste and ScheduledTribe (Prevention of Atrocities)Act. The victim’s wife, Kunti,meanwhile, demanded dam-ages for the killing of her hus-band and a job for herself

from the state government. The police registered the

first information report againstthe six police officials afterhundreds of the victim’s co-vil-lagers held a day-long protestat the nearby national highway,disrupting traffic.

As per the complaintlodged with the police in thecase, Balkishan, a resident ofBasi Sherpur of MandiDhanaura in Amroha, waspicked up by the police forquestioning in a case of pur-chase of stolen motorcycle andwas thrown behind bars. Ondeterioration of his health onthe night intervening Tuesdayand Wednesday, he was rushedto a hospital where he was pro-nounced “brought dead”.

The victim’s wife allegedthat her husband died due tothrashing by the police in cus-tody. She said the police werealso demanding money fromher for his release.


Islamic seminary DarulUloom Deoband has

opposed the triple talaq billpassed by the Lok Sabha onThursday, terming it as “inter-ference in religious affairs ofMuslims”. Reacting strongly tothe triple talaq bill which seeksto criminalise instant divorce,Mohtamim (Vice-Chancellor)of Darul Uloom Deoband,Maulana Mufti Abul QasimNomani, said that the bill notonly targeted Muslim men butwas also against the welfare ofMuslim women.

“The move of (Narendra)Modi government to bring alegislation to criminalise tripletalaq is a direct interference inthe religious freedom ofMuslims. It is an infringementof Shariat law. Muslims want tolead their life and conducttheir family and social affairsstrictly as per provisions ofShariat,” Nomani said.

“It is not a matter of singleor triple talaq. With the passageof the bill, divorce will standvoid and the man will be sentto jail. But society will see thecouple as divorced. If that hap-pens, who will take care of thewoman and the children — thecourt or the government?”Nomani argued.

“In Islam, we have provi-sion for meher (paid to the wifeby husband at the time of mar-riage) and maintenance but thebill is silent on these issues,” hesaid. Located in Saharanpurdistrict, the 150-year-old DarulUloom is considered one of the

most influential seminaries ofSunni Muslims in India.

Stating that triple talaqwas not Islamic and Shariat alsoforbid it, the Deobandi clericsaid, “We wish to categorical-ly state that Muslims of Indiawould never accept the law (ontriple talaq). It would havebeen better had the PrimeMinister conducted the affairsof his government as perConstitution and establishedpractice of Indian democracy,”he added. Another organisationof Deobandi Sunni Muslimclerics, Jamait Ulama Hind,also criticised the bill saying,“Modi government is acting inan arbitrary manner.”

President of the organisa-tion, Maulana Qarl Usman,said that the NationalDemocratic Alliance govern-ment and Law Minister RaviShankar Prasad should haveconsulted Islamic expertsbefore bringing the bill and byignoring them they had donegreat injustice to Muslims.

All-India Muslim PersonalLaw Board, which also includesprominent clerics from Darul

Uloom Deoband, has alsoasked the NDA governmentnot to pass the bill criminalis-ing instant talaq.

The AIMPLB had urgedthe Prime Minister to withholdand withdraw the MuslimWomen (Protection ofMarriage) Bill, 2018, as it wasnot only “against Shariat butalso against the verdict ofSupreme Court”.

Meanwhile, Aytiya Sabriand advocate Farah Faiz ofDeoband, who petitioned theSupreme Court against tripletalaq, criticised the oppositionparties for resisting the tripletalaq bill. Sabri said the oppo-sition parties should amendtheir stand and help the passageof the bill in Rajya Sabha. Shepraised Prime MinisterNarendra Modi saying, “He notonly gave a patient hearing toMuslims and realised the grav-ity of the problem but also tooka decisive step for a solution.”

Meanwhile, SamajwadiParty leader Mohammad AzamKhan said that no law exceptQuran would be acceptable toMuslims of India.

Deoband opposes

triple talaq bill

NHRC notice to UP govt over Dalit

man’s death in police custody

Rajbhar hits

out at BJP

Lucknow (PNS): Underthe cloud after his private sec-retary was caught on cameraasking for bribe for transfer andposting of government officials,Cabinet minister Om PrakashRajbhar has stepped up theattack on Bharatiya JanataParty. Rajbhar, the head ofSuheldeo Bharatiya Samaj Party(SBSP), is an ally of the BJP.

“The BJP is not payingheed to my demand for quotafor the Most Backward Classeswithin 27 per cent quota for theOther Backward Classes. IfLord Hanuman can put theLanka on fire then I too havethe capacity to spoil the polit-ical game of the BJP in UttarPradesh,” Rajbhar said.

“I will continue my battlefor quota within quota for theMBCs. I have no lust for powerand I am willing to relinquishthe office of minister and mayalso resign as MLA but I willcontinue my struggle for ensur-ing justice to the MBCs,” hesaid. Rajbhar said the BJP lostthe assembly elections inMadhya Pradesh, Rajasthanand Chhattisgarh only due tothe SC, ST Act, which waspassed by Parliament in Maythis year. He said lakhs of vot-ers in the three states opted forNOTA (none of the above)while voting.

He predicted that samewould be repeated in UP in2019 Lok Sabha elections andthe BJP would be a big loser.

Meanwhile, UrbanDevelopment Minister SureshKhanna said in Shahjahanpuron Friday that there would beno impact of the dissidence bythe SBSP and Apna Dal on theelectoral prospects of the BJPin 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

Fatwa forbids women to participate in marriage processions with men

‘Tie-up to depend on people’s choice’

UPC president Raj Babbar speaking on Foundation Day of Congress in Lucknow on Friday Pioneer

‘Amma ji’ plays lead

role in ‘Mehrunisa’

Strawberry

flowering first

time this winter

in Malihabad

STAGE SET...In the security arrange-

ments, as many as 10 SP rankofficers would be deployedapart from the local officers,15 ASP ranked officers, 29DSPs, over 200 sub-inspec-tors, 1900 constables, fourcompanies of PAC, five com-panies of Central para-mili-tary forces, intelligence per-sonnel, roof-top forces, anti-mine, anti-bomb disposal, firebrigades and sniffer dogsquads. Personnel of intelli-gence wings are alreadydeployed to keep watch on thepeople living in adjoiningareas. The Traffic police havealso imposed several trafficrestrictions in all the placeswhere the PM is scheduled tovisit.

COLD AND POLLUTION...Shockingly, the number of

paralysed birds in the hospi-tal has risen alarmingly sinceOctober this year because ofrising pollution levels and theadvent of winters, Jain said further. The story is not dif-ferent in other areas as well,said Wasim Akram as WildlifeSOS rescues a number ofbirds from across the cityduring winter months.

As per data provided byWildlife SOS, the NGO res-cued 71 birds of differentspecies in October and 54birds of different varieties inNovember. In December sofar, the NGO has rescued 53birds of different varietiesalready.

“Wildlife SOS has a 24-hour helpline which receivesregular calls for birds in dis-tress and in need of medicalattention. In the month ofOctober and November alone,we have rescued over 100birds of various kinds,” Akramsaid. The calls increase duringwinter months, he added.

This year, the NGO res-cued pigeons, kites, owls and

peacocks in the wintermonths, Akram said.Recalling special cases he said,“We are not sure if it was dueto cold or pollution but we inthe recent past rescued a king-fisher, barn owl and an Indianeagle owl in bad condition.”

Apart from paralysis, thebirds in this weather becomevulnerable also to serious res-pirator y and digestive problems, added other veteri-narians. Nevertheless, somebirds coming with paralysisare kept in Intensive CareUnits (ICUs), others are dis-charged after proper medica-tion, Jain said. Owners aregiven prescriptions and rec-ommendations after whichthe pet birds are dischargedfrom the hospital, he added.

BJP TO DO AWAY...The age flexibility in the

candidates selection for theLok Sabha may thus see many‘seniors’ allowed to contest, ifthey are wanting to throwtheir hat in the ring again.

However, Lok SabhaSpeaker Sumita Mahajan, 75,may chose not to contestagain after getting electedfrom Indore for the recordeighth time. According tosources, her decision may belinked to health issue includ-ing a lingering knee problem.

The two other prominentwomen BJP leaders SushmaSwaraj (66) and Uma Bharti(59) have already announcedthat they would be optingout of the Lok Sabha polls.

With the BJP finding itselfshort of experienced handswhile engaging a ratheraggressive Opposition in 2019,the party is mulling the pos-sibility of drafting its Statesatraps like Shivraj SinghChouhan (59) , Raman Singh(66) and Vasundhara Raje(66) for the LS electoral fray.

Advani (91), Joshi (84)were earlier sidelined by the

BJP leadership leading pro-voking senior party leaderYashwant Sinha to claim in2015 that present BJP leader-ship had declared leadersabove 75 as “brain dead.”Induction of BJP patriarchs in‘Margdarshak Mandal’ in2014, had then also invited asharp dig from the Congresswith the comment that “theyhave been put in an old agehome”.

There has not been a sin-gle meeting of ‘MargdarshakMandal’ even as it includesPrime Minister NarendraModi and Home MinisterRajanth Singh as its members.

BJP had also dropped twoMinisters Babulal Gaur andSartaj Singh in MadhyaPradesh Cabinet from theState Cabinet, last year, afterthey attained the age of 75.

BJP’S ACCIDENTAL...The Department of Public

Relations of Madhya PradeshGovernment tweeted thatthere is no decision by theGovernment to ban the film,adding that media reportsannouncing the ban were notfactual. Responding to theBJP, Congress chief spokesper-son Randeep Surjewala saidon Twitter that “such fake pro-paganda” would not stop itfrom asking the ModiGovernment questions on“rural distress, rampantunemployment, demonetisa-tion disaster, flawed GST,failed Modinomics and per-vading corruption”.

The Maharashtra YouthCongress too withdrew itsdemand for a special screen-ing of the film on the formerPM claiming that it did notwish to see the “campaignmovie of the BJP”.Maharashtra Youth Congresschief Satyajeet Tambe hadwritten to the film’s producerdemanding a special screeningbefore the movie hit the

screens as well as “course cor-rection” in case there was anydistortion in the way events ofthe time were depicted in thefilm.

Taking a dig at the BJPover the biopic, RJD’s RajyaSabha member Manoj Jhasaid that movies should alsobe made on alleged irregular-ities in the Rafale fighter jetdeal, demonetisation andfarmer suicides. He said filmsshould also be made onembattled liquor tycoon VijayMallya and fugitive billionairejewellers Nirav Modi andMehul Choksi. NationalConference leader OmarAbdullah also tweeted on thefilm, saying, “Can’t wait forwhen they make TheInsensitive Prime Minister.So much worse than being theaccidental one.”

TRIPLE TALAQ...The Government has

expressed hope that the bill,which criminalises the prac-tice of instant divorce byMuslim men, will find supportin the Rajya Sabha, whoseapproval is necessary for thebill to become the law.

CPI member D Raja saidthe Opposition has the num-bers and would press for refer-ring the bill to the SelectCommittee. “Opposition par-ties are asking for referring theTriple Talaq Bill to the SelectCommittee for further scruti-ny when the bill comes up forconsideration in the RajyaSabha on Monday,” said Raja.

He alleged that the gov-ernment wants to use the billfor political purposes. “Theyare not genuinely interested ingender equality and genderjustice,” Raja alleged.

Another leader claimedthat opposition parties areunited in referring the bill tothe Select Committee as theproposed legislation needs tobe examined properly.

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

PIONEER NEWS SERVICE n ALLAHABAD

In order to ensure foolproofsafety and security of the pil-

grims coming here from acrossthe globe to attend the Kumbh,‘watchers’ will be deputed inand around the AllahabadJunction this time. The RailwayProtection Force (RPF) willuse the face identification sys-tem to detect the miscreants orthose who tried to create anykind of disturbance. The RPFsleuths will come to knowwhen the faces captured in theclose-circuit television (CCTV)cameras were matched withthose of the crooks and ter-rorists which had been fed.This information was given bythe Chief Public Relations offi-cer (CPRO) of the NorthCentral Railway (NCR), GKBansal, to newspersons here.According to him, 21 RPF andRPSF jawans had been calledfrom the other district forKumbh. These jawans will startcamping here from January30. Drones would be used formonitoring the station premis-es and passenger shelters, headded. In Kumbh not even asingle person would be allowedto enter the junction premiseswithout security check. Forsecurity arrangements in trainscoming from other states, strictinstructions had been issued tothe officials concerned toensure checking in those com-ing to the Allahabad Junctionfrom across the country.Meanwhile, police officialsarriving in the city from otherdistricts during the Kumbh2019 will be deployed atAllahabad University’s hosteland guest houses to checkclashes and untoward inci-dents on the campus.

‘Watchers’ to

be deputed in

and around

Alld Junction

LUCKNOW | SATURDAY | DECEMBER 29, 2018 nation 06

IN SHORT

4,305 JOURNALS REMOVEDFROM UGC-APPROVED LISTNew Delhi: The University GrantsCommission (UGC) has removed4,305 journals from its list ofapproved journals based on “carefulscrutiny and analysis”, Minister ofState for HRD Satya Pal Singhinformed the Rajya Sabha.

86 INSTITUTES GRANTEDMINORITY STATUSNew Delhi: Eighty-six institutes weregranted minority status certificatethis year as opposed to 595 last year,MoS for HRD Satya Pal Singhinformed the Rajya Sabha on Friday.This year, 1,017 cases wereregistered for grant of minoritystatus certificate, and 931 cases arepending as they meet the statutoryrequirement Singh said in responseto a question.

OVER 5,500 TRIBALS GOTFELLOWSHIPS: GOVTNew Delhi: The Centre has awardedfellowships to over 5,500 ScheduledTribe students under a scheme in thelast three years, the Parliament hasbeen informed. The Ministry of TribalAffairs has decided to implement the‘National Fellowship and Scholarshipfor Higher Education of ST students'— under which 750 fellowships andscholarships are awarded tomeritorious tribal students every year— on its own from 2017-18.

PNS n NEW DELHI

The Modi Government onFriday approved new rules

governing India’s coastlineskeeping tourism promotion,employment generation andeconomic development alongwith nature conservation inmind. The new regulationsstipulate a No DevelopmentZone (NDZ) of 20 metres fromthe High Tide Line (HTL) forall islands, but allows tempo-rary tourist facilities on thebeaches, falling under theCoastal Regulation Zone-III,like shacks and changingrooms. The temporary tourismfacilities would, however, haveto be 10m from the High TideLine.

The Union Cabinet chairedby Prime Minister NarendraModi approved the CoastalRegulation Zone (CRZ)Notification, 2018, wherein itdelegated powers to give clear-ances to projects falling inCRZ-II and III at the State levelwith necessary guidance.

“The proposed CRZNotification, 2018 will lead toenhanced activities in the

coastal regions thereby pro-moting economic growth whilealso respecting the conserva-tion principles of coastalregions. It will not only resultin significant employment gen-eration but also to better lifeand add value to the economyof India. The new notificationis expected to rejuvenate thecoastal areas while reducingtheir vulnerabilities,” an officialstatement said.

The CRZ notification waslast reviewed and issued in2011. The move comes in thebackdrop of a series of repre-

sentations received by theEnvironment Ministry fromvarious coastal States/UTs andother stakeholders.

“Temporary tourism facil-ities such as shacks, toiletblocks, change rooms, drinkingwater facilities etc. have nowbeen permitted on beaches.Such temporary tourism facil-ities are also now permissiblein the NDZ of the CRZ-IIIareas as per the Notification.However, a minimum distanceof 10m from HTL should bemaintained for setting up ofsuch facilities,” the statement

said.The notification also

streamlined the process of CRZclearances and only projectslocated in the CRZ-I(Ecologically Sensitive Areas)and CRZ IV (area coveredbetween Low Tide Line and 12nautical miles seaward) willnow be dealt by the UnionEnvironment Ministry forclearance.

“The powers for clearanceswith respect to CRZ-II and IIIhave been delegated at theState level with necessary guid-ance,” the statement said.

“For islands close to themain land coast and for allbackwater islands in the mainland, in wake of space limita-tions and unique geography ofsuch regions, bringing unifor-mity in treatment of suchregions, NDZ of 20 m has beenstipulated,” it added.

All ecologically sensitiveareas have been accorded spe-cial importance and specificguidelines related to their con-servation and managementplans have been drawn up as apart of the notification.

“Pollution abatement hasbeen accorded special focus. Inorder to address pollution inCoastal areas treatment facili-ties have been made permissi-ble activities in CRZ-I B areasubject to necessary safeguards.Defence and strategic projectshave been accorded necessarydispensation,” it said.

According to the state-ment, as per CRZ, 2011Notification, for CRZ-II(Urban) areas, Floor SpaceIndex (FSI) or the Floor AreaRatio (FAR) had been frozen asper 1991 Development ControlRegulation levels.

PNS n NEW DELHI

India for the first time willhost an international level

competition of UnmannedAerial Vehicles (UAV) named“Drone Olympics.’’ It will beheld during the forthcominginternational aerospace exhi-bition Aero India 2019 inFebruary next year atBengaluru. The top three win-ners of the drone competitionwill be honoured with totalcash prize of `38 lakh.Aerospace exhibition will takeplace from February 20 to 24.Prime Minister Narendra Modiis likely to inaugurate it.

Giving details of the uniqueevent, Defence Ministrysources said here on Friday itwill not only encourage theUAV manufacturing in thecountry but will also provide anopportunity to the armed

forces to assess the capabilitiesthat exist in the world.

The market of UAV is oneof the fastest growing in theworld and role of the UAVs indefence sector is ever increas-ing on account of new features

being added to them makingthese machines fit for intelli-gence, surveillance, reconnais-sance, electronic warfare andstrike missions, they said.

As regards the DroneOlympics, officials said it is

open to both Indian and inter-national players. Three cate-gories of events include sur-veillance challenge to deter-mine surveillance capability,supply drop challenge to assessthe weight dropping capabili-ty of the UAV and formationflying challenge to demon-strate different shapes withgroup of UAVs. A newlydesigned webpage waslaunched on Friday for DroneOlympics for registration ofUV players.

On the Aero India 2019event, they said it will be the12th edition of the biennialexhibition. The coming eventwill see Indian origin US astro-naut Sunita William attendingthe show and other womenachievers will also be presentthere, officials said.

For the first time, the coun-try’s civil aviation exhibition

will be subsumed into theupcoming edition of AeroIndia. So far, Aero India hasbeen defence oriented while aseparate civil aviation exhibi-tion was held in Hyderabad.

The biennial Aero Indiabegan in 1996 and has emergedas the largest aerospace exhi-bition in Asia attracting allmajor aerospace manufacturersaround the globe given India’slarge armed forces looking atmajor modernisation.Yelahanka Air Force station inBengaluru has hosted all the 11editions so far. The tag line ofAero India 2019 is “runway fora billion opportunities.” Thelogo is inspired by indigenousLight Combat Aircraft (LCA)Tejas.

Several firsts are planned inthe 12th edition of the showwhich includes a round table ofglobal Chief Executive Officers

(CEO), a student’s event, aca-demic seminars and photogra-phy contests.

The CEOs round table isscheduled on the inauguralday and in which about 15-20CEOs from global aerospacemajors are expected to partic-ipate

Students will be encour-aged to present projects relatedto the industry and is being pro-moted and monitored by theDefence Ministry. A JointSecretary in the ministry isoverseeing the effort, they said.Two international level acade-mic seminars based are alsoplanned.

There will be two photog-raphy competitions, one beforeand one during the event, theofficial said and added thatthere will be two categories, onefor professional and one for thegeneral public.

PNS n NEW DELHI

Concerned over the fall inonion prices, the

Government on Friday dou-bled the export incentive forthe kitchen staple to boostshipments and ensure betterreturns for farmers. At present,onion traders get 5 per centexport incentive on fresh cropunder the Merchandise Exportsfrom India Scheme (MEIS).Commerce Minister SureshPrabhu has sought `179.16crore from the FinanceMinistry to double the incen-tives for onion exporters amidsignificant fall in prices of thevegetable.

Meanwhile, seeking to pro-vide relief to coconut growers,the Cabinet Committee onEconomic Affairs (CCEA) onFriday announced a steep hikein minimum support price ofcopra by up to `2,170 perquintal to `9,521-9,920 for2018-19 season. The MSP(minimum support price) ofball copra has been increasedby ̀ 2,170 per quintal to ̀ 9,920

per quintal for the 2018-19 sea-son from ̀ 7,750 per quintal inthe last year, an official state-ment said. The support price ofmilling copra has been raisedby `2,010 per quintal to `9,521per quintal for the currentyear from `7,511 per quintal inthe last year.

In a communication toFinance Minister Arun Jaitley,Prabhu said the Ministry ofCommerce is keen to increaseexport incentives under MEISfrom 5 per cent to 10 per cent.Under Merchandise Exportsfrom India Scheme (MEIS), thegovernment provides duty ben-

efits depending on productand country.

“The Government todayincreased the export incen-tives under the MEIS fromexisting 5 per cent to 10 percent in the interest of farmers,”an official statement said.

This will result in betterprice for onion in domesticmarkets. Wholesale prices ofonion are ‘subdued’ at presentdue to increase in the arrival ofthe fresh crop in the mandis, itsaid.

“To contain the situation, ithas been decided by the gov-ernment to encourage export of

onions so that the domesticprices stabilise,” the statementsaid. With the current increase,onion enjoys one of the high-est incentives for agro-exports.This timely intervention wouldhelp the farmers who haverecently harvested their pro-duce and who have sowed orrecently planted their seedsand expected better prices, itadded.

In July 2018, theGovernment had introduced 5per cent export incentive forfresh onions.

India’s exports of fresh andchilled onion stood at $256million during April-October2018-19.

It was $511.5 million in2017-18. Good monsoon instates like Karnataka, Gujaratand Madhya Pradesh has led tohuge production of onion,resulting in less demand fromsouth and north region.

Due to this, onion fromMaharashtra has not beentransported to other states,which caused a glut and sharpdecline in prices.

PNS n NEW DELHI

The Union Cabinet onFriday approved the draft

National Commission forIndian Systems of Medicine(NCIM) Bill, 2018, which seeksto replace the existing regula-tor, the Central Council forIndian Medicine (CCIM), witha new body to ensure trans-parency and accountability.

The draft Bill provides forthe constitution of a NationalCommission with fourautonomous boards entrustedwith conducting overall edu-cation of Ayurveda under theBoard of Ayurveda and Unani,Siddha and Sowarigpa underthe Board of Unani, Siddha andSowarigpa.

There are two commonboards namely Board of assess-ment and rating to assess andgrant permission to educa-tional institutions of Indian sys-tems of Medicine and Board ofethics and registration of prac-titioners of Indian systems ofmedicine to maintain National

Register and ethical issues relat-ing to practice under theNational Commission forIndian Medicine, the state-ment stated.

Union Minister RaviShankar Prasad said, “It alsoproposes a common entranceexam and an exit exam, whichall graduates will have to clearto get practicing licenses.Further, a teacher’s eligibilitytest has been proposed in theBill to assess the standard ofteachers before appointmentand promotions.” Till nowthings were adhoc, he added.

Prasad said the govern-ment was committed to pro-mote Indian System ofMedicine, from Ayurveda toSiddha to Unani. “But it isequally important that weremain alive to having valueaddition in terms of eligibility,quality, in terms of having asystem which produces quali-ty practitioners and qualityteachers. It is a major step inthis direction,” he said.

The draft Bill, according tothe statement, is aimed atbringing reforms in the med-ical education of Indian med-icine sector in lines with theNational Medical Commissionproposed for setting up forAllopathy system of medicine.

The proposed regulatorystructure will enable trans-parency and accountability forprotecting the interests of thegeneral public, it said.

The NCIM will promoteavailability of affordable health-care services in all parts of thecountry, according to the statement.

PNS n NEW DELHI

Union Home MinisterRajnath Singh on Friday

informed Lok Sabha that theCentre is committed to demo-cratic process in Jammu &Kashmir, while replying to thedebate on the StatutoryResolution on the imposition ofPresident’s Rule in the troubledstate. The Statutory Resolutionon imposition of President’sRule in Jammu & Kashmir,which requires Parliament’sapproval, was adopted withvoice vote amid din in theHouse. The Opposition termedthe decision to dissolve theAssembly as “unconstitutional”.

Countering the argumentsof the Opposition parties, theHome Minister said that noparty in the Assembly was in aposition to form theGovernment even a day beforethe decision to imposePresident’s Rule. He also reject-ed claims of some Oppositionparties that the BJP was prop-ping up a regional party underthe leadership of Sajjad Lone to

form Government, saying if hisparty had such an intention, itwould have done so within sixmonths of the Governor’s Rule.

“The Government doesn’tconduct elections but theGovernment is ready for elec-tion. It is the responsibility ofthe Election Commission tohold elections... We are totallycommitted to democraticprocess,” he said. The Ministerassured the House that securi-ty requirement of the ElectionCommission will be met forfree and fair Assembly electionin the State.

Soon after imposition ofthe Governor’s Rule in June,Singh said, the Governor’s

report of June 19 to thePresident indicated that noparty or coalition of parties inthe state was in a position toform government. TheStatutory Resolution will nowgo to Rajya Sabha for approval.

Initiating the debate,Congress MP Shashi Tharoorsaid Governor Satya Pal Malikacted in “gross violation” of theSupreme Court order in SRBommai case that had statedthat whether an alliance has amajority or not can be decid-ed only on the floor of theassembly. Malik’s decision toimpose Governor’s rule afterthe NC, PDP and the Congressmade a move to form theGovernment in the State wasalso in “violation” of theSarkaria Commission’s guide-lines on Centre-state relations,he said.

Trinamool Congress’Saugata Roy termed theGovernor’s decision as “arbi-trary” and claimed the Centrehad propped up a rival allianceled by Sajjad Lone, who had thesupport of “only two MLAs”.

PNS n NEW DELHI

The CBI has registered twoseparate cases of illegal

trafficking of women and chil-dren to the United States ofAmerica and Kenya.

Both the cases were regis-tered on Thursday and thefirst relates to a complaintfrom the US embassy whichreported that an attempt wasmade by a woman GaganGupta, in August last year, tosmuggle four minor children tothat country allegedly usingassumed identities of four stu-dents of St Joseph’s Convent inShaheed Bhagat Singh Nagardistrict in Punjab. Five personshave been named as accused inthe case. The second case reg-istered following a referencefrom the Ministry of ExternalAffairs which stated an unreg-istered recruitment agency wasinvolved in trafficking girlsand women to Kenya on thepretext of providing thememployment.

The embassy said that thestaff of United Airlines-83flight stopped them fromboarding the flight as the facesof four children did matchwith their photographs in thepassport, according to the usEmbassy complaint to the CBI,which is now part of the FIR.

However, their passportswere not seized and they wereallowed to leave the IndiraGandhi International Airport.The airline staff did not contactthe local police but it provid-ed photos of the minor sub-jects, of the passports and theairline tickets to the embassyofficials.

During inquiry by theembassy, it surfaced visasissued to the kids were part ofa school group from St JosephConvent for which a trip to theUnited States was organised byClick Education Services Pvt

Limited.The school was allegedly

sending its students for a cul-tural trip to the US for whichthe passports of student andstaff were collected by an agentpromising them to help in thevisa process. The agent alleged-ly tried to send four of its clientson the assumed identity by pro-viding them passports of thestudents to whom the visaswere issued for the cultural trip.

The embassy conductedits own enquiry and managedto get vital information beforeit sent a detailed complaint onFebruary 7 this year to the CBI.

The five named in the caseinclude Balraj Singh of KingsPunjab Travels, a travel agencybesides other agents whichinclude Gagan Gupta, ChetanSabharwal, Lovepreet Singhand Tilak Raj.

The second case has beenregistered on a complaint fromthe External Affairs Ministrythat Indian embassy in Nairobi,Kenya has rescued three younggirls who were allegedly traf-ficked to Mombassa on thepretext of giving employment asdancers but were coerced intoprostitution, The girls weretaken to Nairobi by ShamaJavaid Deen, a Kenyan nation-al and an agent Aryan whoallegedly ran an “organisedcrime syndicate” which involvedher family members too.

“It appears that the abovementioned persons are runninga human trafficking network bypushing young Indian girlsinto prostitution abroad with afalse promise of good job andsalary”, Col Rahul Dutt,Director (OverseasEmployment) said in com-plaint in March, 2018.

“They were forced to con-sume alcohol and smokeagainst their will and werealso being coerced to enter intoprostitution.

PNS n NEW DELHI

Congress President SoniaGandhi will convene a

meeting of General Body meet-ing of the CongressParliamentary Party (CPP) onJanuary 2 to discuss theremaining course of actionwithin Parliament scheduledtill January 8 and also deliber-ate upon issues related toGeneral elections 2019, thealliance partners and otherstrategy for the party ahead.The grand old party alsoobserved its 134th FoundationDay with Rahul Gandhi hoist-ing the party’s flag at its head-quarters on Friday.

Sources said that CPPmeeting will be presided asSonia as she continues to behead of CPP after steppingdown as Party president last

year which was taken over byRahul Gandhi.

A Congress MP said thatthough he was not aware of theagenda of the CPP, but assumedthat Rahul Gandhi’s success inthe recent concluded assemblypolls may be discussed and thenew chart of action for the LokSabha polls. A decision toreached out to “like-mindedparties” to defeat the BJP in thenext general election couldalso be discussed.

In her last year CPP addressthis year, Sonia had said that theparty needs to ready itself forthe challenge. “I will work withthe Congress president (rahulGandhi) and other colleagues indiscussions with like-mindedpolitical parties to ensure thatin the next election the BJP isdefeated and India is restored toa democratic, inclusive, secular,

tolerant and economically pro-gressive path,” she had said inFebruary 2018.

Celebrating the founda-tion day on Friday, the partystated it will continue to fightthe propagators of hate withpeace, unity and love. On theoccasion, Rahul Gandhiacknowledged the selfless ser-vice and contribution of lead-ers and workers in building theparty.

The event was attendedby senior party leaders, includ-ing former prime ministerManmohan Singh, RajasthanChief Minister Ashok Gehlotand former defence ministerAK Antony. Top party leadersAhmed Patel, Ghulam NabiAzad, Motilal Vora and KapilSibal were also present on theoccasion during which a cakewas also cut.

New rules for coasts OK’d

Cabinet approves Billfor setting up of NCIM

Export incentive for onion farmers doubled

Commerce Minister SureshPrabhu has sought `179.16crore from the FinanceMinistry to double theincentives for onion exportersamid significant fall in pricesof the vegetable

Committed to democratic

process in J&K: Rajnath

New Delhi: Days after theUnion Health Ministrydumped its plan to set up `100crore fund for treatment of rarediseases, its research wing, theIndian Council of MedicalResearch (ICMR) is mullingformation of a task force topromote therapeutic researchand expedite new drug devel-opment for the sector.

However, Ministry’s U turnafter it had announced fund of`100 crore under the Nationalpolicy for the rare diseases hasupset the patients and theirfamilies who cannot affordhuge treatment cost.

The Ministry recentlydecided to “reframe” the poli-cy citing bureaucratic hurdlesand financial shortage.

Compounding the prob-lem is the fact that there aresome rare diseases like

Gaucher, MPS, Pompe,Duchenne MuscularDystrophy, Spinal MuscularAtrophy etc., for which treat-ment is available but is unaf-fordable due to exorbitant costs.In many cases, the treatmenthas been seen to drasticallyimprove the quality of life of apatient. The high cost of treat-ment, thus, increases inequal-ity with respect to access totreatment for rare diseasepatients. A senior official fromthe MInistry said that theICMR’s task force studies arenational initiatives that arecentrally planned, coordinatedand implemented on a multi-centric basis.

The projects have definedtargets and specific timeframe.With the new programme, theICMR is encouragingresearchers in areas such as clin-

ical and molecular genetics,genomics, bioinformatics andnew drug development to col-laborate and come up withinnovative plans to tackleorphan diseases. Infact, theCouncil has already startedaccepting proposals fromresearchers. Apart from R&D,the task force will exploreoptions to improve diagnostic,prenatal diagnostic and coun-selling facilities across the coun-try.. Short-term training pro-grammes for clinicians to recog-nise and diagnose rare geneticdiseases are also on the cards.

It is estimated that one in20 Indians is affected by one ofthe 7,000 diseases listed asrare diseases. Last year, theICMR had joined hands withAIIMS and JNU to launch thecountry’s first Rare DiseaseRegistry. PNS

Sonia to convene Congress

general body meet on Jan 2

Amid Govt’s U-turn, ICMR toform task force on rare diseases

CBI registers 2 cases

of illegal trafficking of

minors to US, Kenya

Drone Olympics to be held in Bengaluru

The CRZ notificationwas last reviewed and

issued in 2011. Themove comes in the

backdrop of a seriesof representations

received by theEnvironment Ministryfrom various coastalStates/UTs and other

stakeholders

Countering thearguments of the

Opposition parties, theHome Minister said noparty in the Assembly

was in a position to formthe Government even a

day before the decision toimpose President’s Rule

nation 07LUCKNOW | SATURDAY | DECEMBER 29, 2018

PTI n NEW DELHI

To address farmers’ distressahead of 2019 general elec-

tions, the Government is con-sidering waiving interest oncrop loans for farmers who payon time, costing an additional`15,000 crore to the exchequer,according to sources.

Currently, farmers have topay 4 per cent interest rate ifthey repay their loans withindue date. There is also a pro-posal to completely waive pre-mium for taking insurancepolicy for food crops. The pre-mium on horticultural cropscould also be reduced, theysaid. When asked about theGovernment’s plan ofannouncing big farm package,Law Minister Ravi ShankarPrasad said: “The Governmentis committed towards farmers’welfare. Going forward, what-ever decision taken, will beannounced.” He was speakingat a Cabinet briefing here. Theruling BJP Government hasswung into action to addressdistress in the agriculture sec-tor after it lost power to theCongress in Madhya Pradesh,Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh inthe recent state polls.

According to sources, sev-eral rounds of meetings havetaken place at the highest levelin the past few days to chalk outa plan to address difficultiesfaced by farmers in view of lowrealisation in several cropsamid bumper production. To

provide immediate relief, oneof the proposals being studiedis to waive the 4 per cent inter-est rate on farmers repayingfarm loan promptly within thedue date. Currently, farmers getshort-term farm loan of up to ̀ 3lakh at 7 per cent interest rate.However, the interest ratecharged is only 4 per cent in casefarmers pay their loan withindue date. Normally, loans aregiven at 9 per cent interest rate.

The Centre bears a cost ofaround `15,000 crore annual-ly for the interest subsidies of2 per cent in normal cases and5 per cent in the case of promptrepayment of farm loans.

The Government has set atarget to provide `11 lakhcrore credit to farmers in thecurrent fiscal. It extended`11.69 lakh crore credit tofarmers last fiscal, surpassingthe target of `10 lakh crore.

Sources said the interestburden could double to`30,000 crore if the interest iscompletely waived for promptrepayment of farm loans.

Besides, the Government iscontemplating tweaking thePradhan Mantri Fasal BimaYojana (PMFBY) to bringdown the farmers’ premiumburden by fully waiving it on

food crops and reducing a biton horticultural crops.Launched in April 2016,PMFBY provides comprehen-sive crop insurance from pre-sowing to post-harvest againstnon-preventable natural risks atextremely low premium rate of2 per cent for kharif crops, 1.5per cent for rabi crops and 5per cent for horticulture andcommercial crops. The balancepremium is paid equally by theCentre and state. Claims aresettled on the basis of yield lossassessed at the end of the sea-son. According to sources,farmers are paying currentlyabout ̀ 5,000 crore as insurancepremium to cover their kharifand rabi crops. The farmers’burden will reduce if the pre-mium is further subsidised.

During the 2017-18 cropyear (July-June), 4.79 crorefarmers were covered underPMFBY. Political experts saidfarmers’ distress would be amajor electoral issue in the2019 Lok Sabha polls.

The agrarian crisis and theannouncement of loan waiversby the Congress were key fac-tors for the defeat of the saffronparty in three Hindi heartlandstates in the recent state polls,they added.

Govt mulls zero interest on

timely crop loan repayment

Interest burdencould double to`30K cr ifinterest is waivedfor promptrepayment,sources say

KHURSHEED WANI n SRINAGAR

Security forces shot dead aterrorist during a brief

encounter in south Kashmir’sPulwama district on Friday.Clashes erupted in the southernarea after the encounter and theauthorities halted train ser-vices as a precautionary mea-sure.

Sources said the slain ter-rorist, Ishfaq Yousuf Wani, hadjoined the terror ranks lastyear abandoning his fruit busi-ness. Before starting his ownbusiness he had quit job with aleading national bank.

Police said that on the basisof credible input about thepresence of militants a cordonand search operation waslaunched in Banderpora villagein Awantipora area of Pulwamadistrict, 30 kilometers fromhere.

“As the searches were goingon, the search party was firedupon by the terrorists. The firewas retaliated leading to a gun-fight. In the ensuing encounter,one terrorist was neutralised,” apolice spokesman said.

Wani was wanted by thelaw for his complicity in a

series of terror crimes includ-ing attacks on security estab-lishments and civilian atrocities.

Sourced said that Ishfaq’sfather was a militant and hadbeen killed in an encounterwith security forces in 1996.Ishfaq had pursued masters inmanagement before joining aleading bank. The reasons forhis joining militancy were notknown.

Clashes erupted in Wani’sKoil village after his body washanded over to his family forlast rites. The authorities sus-pended train services in thearea after the clashes.

Meanwhile, General

Officer Commanding in Chief,Northern Command Lt GenRanbir Singh arrived inKashmir Valley to review theprevailing security situation. Adefence spokesman said thatthe Army Commander visitedthe forward areas in frontierdistricts of Kupwara andBaramulla where he was briefedby the commanders on groundon operational preparedness.He also visited the hinterlandformations for feedback oncurrent situation and recentcounter terrorist operations.

Gen Singh was accompa-nied by the XV CorpsCommander Lt Gen AK Bhatt.

Banker-turned-terrorist

killed in J&K encounter

Youth protesters against Pulwama encounter killing throw stones at police during aclash in Srinagar on Friday PTI

KUMAR CHELLAPPAN n

CHENNAI

The “Game Changer”promised in November

2017 by Union Minister forWater Resources Nitin Gadkarito the farmers of the fourSouth Indian States of TamilNadu, Andhra Pradesh,Telangana and Karnatakaremains a non-starter.

While speaking to jour-nalists at Chennai onNovember 23, 2017, Gadkarihad said he would soon call fora meeting of the ChiefMinisters of the four States toevolve an action plan to trans-fer surplus waters of Godavarito Cauveri for addressing theperpetual water scarcity inTamil Nadu and AndhraPradesh. “My Ministry hasdecided to transfer surpluswater from Godavari river toKrishna, to Pennar river(Karnataka) and finally toCauvery,” the Minister hadsaid. His Ministry was dis-cussing with the States con-cerned, he said, adding “innear future we will come upwith a concrete action plan.”But till date no such meeting

has taken place, according tofarmers in Tamil Nadu.Meanwhile another legal bat-tle has erupted in SupremeCourt between Tamil Naduand Karnataka over theMekadattu reservoir beingplanned by the latter acrossRiver Cauvery.

The Minister had also saidthat 3,000 Thousand MillionCubic (TMC) feet of water wasbeing wasted from Godavariinto Bay of Bengal. This alongwith the diversion of a portionof the 2,000 TMC ft of waterbeing wasted into the ArabianSea from the Hemavati Riverwould have brought an end tothe woes of farmers in TamilNadu, according toKattumannarkoil Kannan,farmer leader in Tamil Nadu’sCauvery Delta.

“The recent Cyclone Gajawhich devastated a portion ofthe Nagapattinam district andThanjavur and Thiruvarur dis-tricts have upset the lives offarmers in the region,” saidKannan while speaking to ThePioneer. Since no farmingoperations was possible in hisfarm land, Kannan has turnedauthor and is writing a book

on the sufferings of the ryotsin the region. Farmers inTamilNadu stand to lose 50 percent of the yield this yearbecause of Cyclone Gaja andan attack by a new breed ofpests, said Kannan. “There arereadymade solutions to addressthe problems faced by the farn-ers but what the governmentsat the State and Centre lack thewill power to execute them. TheModi Government hadpromised many times that itwould launch the inter linkingof major Indian rivers, butsilent bout it now,” he pointedout. According to Kannan andArpathi Kalyanam, anotherfarmer from Nagapattinam,the Narendra ModiGovernment missed a goldenopportunity to earn the goodwill of the people by not tak-ing up the inter linking ofrivers. “More than waiving ofloans, what we require is theinfrastructure for agriculturaloperations. “Making water andfertilisers available round theyear is the responsibility of theGovernment,” said Kannan.

Mohammed Raffi, formerassociate professor, Centre forAdvanced Studies in Marine

Biology (CASMB), PortoNovo, Cuddalore, said he wasshocked over the apathy shownby the government in takingup the project to divert a por-tion of water from the westflowing rivers of Netravati toCauvery through Hemavatiriver. “This is a win-win situ-ation for all stake holders inKarnataka and Tamil Nadu.The flash floods in Cauveryand Netravati could be avoid-ed and water would be avail-able to the farmers throughoutthe farming season,” said Raffiwho has worked with theCuddalore district farmers foryears. Late Bhavani Shankar,who was the chief engineer ofKarnataka Government hadsubmitted many proposals tothe authorities stating that itwas possible to transfer thewest f lowing waters ofNetravati to Cauvery by a net-work f canals.

Vijayakanth, leader of theDMDK, had cast his lots withthe BJP in the 2014 Lok Sabhaelection based on the assurance given by theHindutwa party that it wouldtake up the project to inter linkthe Indian rivers.

Gadkari’s promise still pending TRANSFER OF SURPLUS GODAVARI WATER TO CAUVERI

PNS n KOLKATA

The Bengal Government hasdecided to file an FIR

against the Metro Railways aday after 47 passengers travel-ling in a Dum Dum-boundtube train fell ill and had to behospitalised after a fire brokeout in the engine of a runningtrain inside the tunnel barely100 metre off the MaidanStation. Apart from the FIRbeing registered TrinamoolCongress MP and RailwaysStanding Committee chair-man on Friday directed MetroRailways General Manager tosubmit a report on theThursday’s incident withinthree days so that the samecould be taken up for discus-sion in Parliament.

Bengal Fire Minister SujitBose who met top police offi-cers at Lal Bazar Police head-quarters on Friday said “we aretaking appropriate actionbecause this was no small inci-dent and many people mighthave been killed. We haveasked the Police to file an FIRand start a case,” adding theforensic experts had beenasked to investigate the matter too.

Meanwhile a three-mem-ber committee comprisingelectrical engineers and trafficofficers had started an inquiryand were likely to submit areport within ten days’ time,sources said.

A mild blast and fire some-where around the front wheelof the front coach got theentire passengers of the fullycrowded train running insidethe tunnel trapped. “Many feltsuffocated by the noxious fumeand people had to literallybreak the windows and jumpon to the track risking theirlives as power supply to thehigh voltage third railway linewas still on,” passengers said.

One of the victims awoman had lost voice tem-porarily and she was unable tospeech even 24 hours of theincident, doctors said.

Bengal Govt to

file FIR against

Kolkata Metro

for fire mishap

Ahmedabad: The GujaratGovernment on Friday askedthe Vigilance Commissioner toprobe the allegations of corrup-tion in carrying out projects atreligious sites by the pilgrimagedevelopment board and orderedsuspension of an officer.

Chief Minister Vijay Rupaniordered the suspension of anofficer whose audio clip broughtthe issue of alleged corruption inthe board to the fore. In an offi-cial release, the governmentsaid the CM has asked theVigilance Commissioner toprobe the allegations of corrup-tion against the Gujarat PavitraYatradham Vikas Board. Theissue came to the fore after a pur-ported audio clip, having con-versation of a senior governmentofficer and an RTI activist, wentviral on social media platforms.In the purported clip, Anil Patel,additional secretary in the statepanchayat department, can beheard admitting large-scale cor-ruption in the board where he

was once posted. Patel can beheard saying that corruptiontook place in carrying out vari-ous works at pilgrimage placessuch as Pavagadh, Rameshwar,Bahucharaji, Shabri Dham andDwarka. As per the governmentrelease, Rupani has asked theVigilance Commissioner to sub-mit preliminary inquiry reportas early as possible. The CM alsoasked the corruption watchdog

to take action against thosefound guilty during the probe.

Terming Patel's conduct as"inappropriate", the CM hasordered his suspension forengaging in "indiscipline", saidthe release. Patel has violatedvarious provisions of the serviceconduct rules by "criticising thegovernment" and providinginformation "without havingany authority" to do so, it added.

Guj CM orders probe into graftcharges against pilgrimage board

SAUGAR SENGUPTA n KOLKATA

Gyandas Mahant, the highpriest of Kapil Muni Ashram

at Ganga Sagar, once againdrenched Bengal Chief MinisterMamata Banerjee in a cascade ofpraise saying only she couldconstruct a Ram Temple atAyodhya. A highly revered priestin the Hindu order, Ganga Sagarmahant said, “we want a Ramtemple washed by milk, not byblood and that can only be doneby our Didi even as the ChiefMinister stood by him a tadembarrassed, but not altogetherdisliking the praise.

Attacking Modi, the cele-brant said “we do not want aPrime Minister like him whoonly talks big loud but doesnothing. Rather we want a PrimeMinister like our Didi, MamataBanerjee who means businessand converts her promises intoaction.” If Banerjee is made thePrime Minister of India then“definitely India will progress,” hesaid advising “conflict can neverachieve a human goal.”

Only Didi can solveRam temple issue:Bengal priest

Mumbai: Sharad Kalaskar, a suspected right-wing Hindu activist arrested in an arms haulcase, has sought bail contending that theMaharashtra Government is more interestedin ensuring smooth conduct of the Sunburnfestival than con-ducting his trial.

K a l a s k a r ,Avinash Pawar andShrikant Pangarkar,all arrested inAugust, moved aspecial court hereFriday seeking bail.Judge D E Kothalikarwill hear the pleas onJanuary 7. The Anti-Terrorism Squad(ATS) of state policehas arrested a total of12 people under the Unlawful Activities(Prevention) Act (UAPA) following raids atmultiple places and seizure of arms and explo-sive materials.

The bail applications of Pawar andPangarkar contended that the material onrecord does not contain any evidence againstthem, not does it prove any offence under theUAPA. Kalaskar said in his plea that "socialmedia reports suggest that the state home min-istry is too busy with preventive actions forensuring a smooth conduct of the Sunburn fes-tival next week (at Pune)."

"Such smooth conduct has taken priorityover smooth and speedy trial. There is no seri-ousness for the State...To conduct this case.

The liberty of accused cannot be curtailedfor satisfying whims and fancies of politicalrulers who prioritise their resources for their own cultural and political agenda," theplea added. PTI

PTI n CHENNAI

In yet another case of allegedmedical negligence in Tamil

Nadu, a woman has claimed thatshe contracted the HIV virus fol-lowing blood transfusion at aGovernment hospital where sheunderwent treatment for lowhaemoglobin.

The Government hospitalhas refuted the allegation.

The affected woman, said tobe in her 20s, told a Tamil TVchannel Friday she underwentthe transfusion in April whilebeing pregnant.

She came to know she hadHIV only when the hospital

informed her after conductingtests in August when she wentthere for check-up.

The women said though shehad been regularly visiting alocal public health centre whenshe was pregnant, she was onlyadministered vaccines there.

"The blood transfusion hap-pened at the GovernmentKilpauk Medical College andHospital (GKMCH) only. Thatis where the mistake happened,"she said.

Refuting the allegation, hos-pital dean Dr P Vasanthamanisaid the woman was transfusedwith "100 per cent HIV free" blood.

Another woman allegescontracting HIV after transfusion in govt hosp

A man walks on a foot bridge in the interiors of Dal Lake on a cold morning in Srinagar on Friday PTI

Govt's priorityis Sunburn, notour trial: Armshaul accused

Globally, ‘veterans’ naturallygravitate towards conserva-tive parties as the Centristand Left-of-Centre parties aretraditionally perceived to be

‘soft on security’. The Republican Party inthe US and the Conservative Party (theTories) in the UK usually garner more sup-port than the Democratic Party or theLabour Party, respectively. With politicsassuming more nationalistic undertones,political appropriation and positing of the‘soldiers’ and their ostensibly-related caus-es has become more blatant and common-place. UK Prime Minister Theresa May hadslammed FIFA’s decision to disallowEnglish football players from wearing‘poppy’ lapels (in remembrance of soldierswho died in wars) as “utterly outrageous”;whereas US President Donald Trumpcame back from the Bastille Day militaryparade in Paris, wanting to replicate andtop the same with his own version of agrand military parade. Clearly, centeringthe ‘soldier’ makes for good politics.

However, beyond the immediate trac-tion, overplaying the symbolic hand on thistact without doing anything concrete ormeaningful has diminishing returns.Already, the unprecedented cuts in the UK’sDepartment for Work and Pensions, affect-ing the ‘veterans’, have made ‘ex-service per-sonnel account for one in 10 rough sleep-ers across the UK’. Indeed, in the US,Trump’s shocking mock of the post-trau-matic stress disorder (PTSD)-affected sol-diers or the ‘privatisation’ of the veteranhealth services, militate against the pro-fessed concerns for the uniformed frater-nity. The lazy perception that these menand women of honour could join theAdministration of the ruling political dis-pensations as ‘trophy-candidates’ and loyal‘yes-men’, to project militaristic muscular-ity, patriotism and decisiveness on thebankrolling party, is slowly coming undone.It is true that the institutional ethos andregimental/corps spirit bequeaths thesecombatants with certain outwardly machis-mo, steel and heroic ‘branding’, but beyondthe razzmatazz of their medals, uniformsand swagger, lie decades of hands-onexperience, blood-sweat-toil in disturbedareas and years of training and reflectionthat make these people amongst the mostbalanced and nuanced individuals who donot suffer from knee-jerk reactions.

Usually, what comes as a surprise to thepoliticos is the latent gravitas, inherentsense of self-respect and the undyingspirit of speaking the truth (gently but sure-ly), that ultimately make the politicalmasters uncomfortable in their midst. Theretired Marine Corps General James Mattis(who recently quit as the US Secretary ofDefence) is famous for telling his troops:“You are part of the world’s most feared andtrusted force. Engage your brain beforeyour weapon.”

The healthy institutionaldiversity within the ‘barracks’and the societal bonhomieunder the most trying of cir-cumstances make these veter-ans life-long believers in plural-ity and ‘inclusiveness’ that isabove the regressive dividesthat beset and define partisanpolitics.

Combatants are also hard-wired into believing “dissent isnot disloyalty”, albeit, expressedin a certain form with the req-uisite context, form and digni-ty. Thus, the unmalleable spir-it of ‘brothers-in-arms’ thatswears only to the hallowedConstitutional spirit of thenation, riles against the politi-cal necessities, compromisesand bigotry that usually accom-pany partisan politics.

Contrary to some carica-turised perceptions, soldiersare not war-mongering orblood-lusting cadres, as thenobility of the soldiers codeensures a more professional,rationale and reasonableinstinct that differentiates a sol-dier from a mercenary. Thelegendary General DouglasMacArthur famously said:“The soldier above all prays forpeace, for it is the soldier whomust suffer and bear the deep-est wounds and scars of war”.

The recent case of a similarrealisation dawned on the draft-evader, Trump, who, in order toinject some testosterone of mus-cularity that befitted his con-tours of ‘America First’, got car-ried over by the CaptainAmerica-like superhero imageof the iconic, four-star General,

James Mattis (popularly knownas ‘mad dog’ and ‘warriormonk’), and inducted him as theSecretary of Defence.

Perhaps, unknown toTrump was the erudition,sagacity and profundity thatalso came along with thePattonesque-persona, whosereal-time combat experiencewas enhanced by the scholar-ship that came with a person-al library of over 7,000 books,unlike the empty rhetoric andvacuous bluster of a DonaldTrump. The officer-like conductin Mattis had insisted on a cer-tain decorum and dignity inengaging with the allies, and notin the fanciful flights of tem-peramental rants that defineTrump. Mattis’ exit and inabil-ity to get along with Trumpmirrored the similar fate thatbeset other veterans, like theprevious National SecurityAdvisor, Lt Gen McMaster.

Historically, in India, too,veterans-turned-politicians havebeen amongst the most respect-ed, well-read and responsibleleaders like the classic cavalierJaswant Singh, Maj GenKhanduri and Rajesh Pilot —each of who did imminent jus-tice and service to their respec-tive political parties and admin-istrative responsibilities.However, in the last few years,a new phenomenon emerged ofnewsroom-warriors plumed intheir regimental regalia, thun-dering political invectives andpositions dominating theprime-time slots. Thankfully,time and tide forced some intointrospection, reflection and

realisation that the politicosappropriated and misused theimagery of the ‘soldier’ for theirown partisan purposes andbasically the institutional inter-ests and concerns remainedunanswered, as before.

Election time is alwaysfraught with the risk of suchtactical propping of veterans as‘show-horses’ for posturingpatriotism and political muscu-larity. Care must be taken toensure that the apolitical-con-struct and wiring of the ArmedForces is respected, and no ‘fir-ing from the shoulders’ ofthese veterans is done to justi-fy political pettiness, nefariousdesigns and selfish electoralobjectives.

Like the veterans of yore,no implied extension of theirmilitary service should beencouraged to suggest an ‘insti-tutional’ preference towardsany political party — the veter-ans should propagate their par-tisan preferences in their indi-vidual capacity and certainlynot on behalf of the ‘institution.A delicate line must be main-tained. Irrespective of the polit-ical parties, matters concerningthe ‘soldier’ have remainedunaddressed and in crunch sit-uations, the discomfort ofpoliticians with the perspectiveand concerns of the ‘soldiers’ —be it in the US, UK or India —has led to the steady diminish-ment of the ‘institution’ in thenational narrative.

(The writer, a military vet-eran, is a former Lt Governor ofAndaman & Nicobar Islandsand Puducherry)

Are airline passengers an angry lot?

Yes. They are frustrated with high

excess baggage charges, over-

priced food and occasional inordinate

delays of the airlines. But with airline tick-

ets being cheaper than ever before before,

more and more Indians are flying. While

some of the charges are understandable,

they remain the only way for most airlines

to make money. Indeed, evidence from air-

lines in the international market has proven

that a lot of airline profits are driven by what

are now known as ancillary revenues such

as these. After a Parliamentary Committee report made it clear that many of

these practices are unfair, what is the way forward? Well, the airlines should

charge more for all tickets then. But given that a huge majority of travellers do

manage to travel within the weight limits, fare increases, because some peo-

ple want higher baggage allowances, might be unfair to the former. Why should

a person, taking a short business trip between Delhi and Mumbai, subsidise

the luggage allowance of another passenger? Especially with most Indian air-

lines suffering financially, these statements are confounding.

That said, it is imperative, as the Committee has noted, that airlines train

their ground and cabin staff better to deal with trouble. While many Indian pas-

sengers do scream and shout, they should understand that many of the air-

line staff are doing a thankless job on days when there are weather-related

delays and what not. Better staff training can help mitigate those problems.

At the same time, the Government and the Civil Aviation Ministry should move

an airline passengers’ ‘Bill of Rights’ that has proper time-bound compensa-

tion written out in case of delays and cancellations. In Europe, all airlines are

forced to pay out in case there are heavy delays instead of just ‘refunding’

tickets. Sure, there should be exemptions made for events beyond the airlines’

control, such as the drone problems at London’s Gatwick, but codifying com-

pensation issues is a better move than demanding more baggage allowance.

Entertainment is serious business in

Bollywood and that is perhaps one of

the reasons why it gets real about it

faster than dipstick surveys. This year did-

n’t set out to be a breakthrough one but as

it turned out, the film industry realised the

worth of smart budgeting, stories that are

true to life, content with an endearing band-

width, heroes who could be human and

flawed and women who could shoulder the

burden of a ̀ 100-crore revenue graph quite

effortlessly. Also the star persona changed

offscreen as A-listers embraced normal patterns of life, coming out of their shells

as it were, choosing to marry, have babies, go on vacations while being on top

of their game, normalising family life and not letting it be a career deterrent as it

once was, particularly for women. This levelling exercise has got to be credit-

ed in part to the digital streaming platforms that have consumers eating out of

their palmtops, literally. In the quest for snackable content and a wider catch-

ment area, Amazon and Netflix have indigenised shows and made them a per-

sonal talking point for every individual equipped with the internet at the local, neigh-

bourhood level. So it is that the real India has found an echo in everyday life that

includes the underbelly, the marginalised, the queer, the misfit, the conflicted and

the grey. Be it Ganesh Gaitonde of Sacred Games or Akhanand Tripathi of Mirzapur,

both dons brought us up close to the putrescence of a system that bred them,

the anatomy of a contemporary socio-political milieu that doesn’t talk down from

the urbane perspective of arthouse but a felt rawness of the ground below. In

such a situation, even a lawkeeper like Sartaj Singh sways on the edge of right

and wrong. This “life or something like it” mantra online is the reason why we

have had films on loveable rogues (Sonu Ke Titu Ki Sweety) geriatric pregnan-

cy (Badhaai Ho) and the piercing subtlety of urban crimes (Andhadhun). Meanwhile,

the women — be it the principled queen (Padmaavat), a Kashmiri spy (Raazi)

who prizes nationalism over emotions for her equally nationalist enemy, a woman

ghost who would abduct abusive men (Stree) or a teacher battling a speech

disorder (Hichki) — showed that age, size, shape and looks did not matter as

the mettle they were made of. All of these raked in big money at home and over-

seas too, shedding the pretty diaspora myth and proving Indians are totally com-

fortable in their skin, warts and all, and are not afraid to show their unabashed

passion and fury, aspiration and ambition and most importantly engage with con-

flict and attempt a conversation with issues so long considered taboo, sex or

terrorism. That a big commercial venture like Sanju did well has also got to do

with the story about a flawed hero who had his comeuppance. Or as the year

ends, Simbaa roars from the corrupt matrix he is born of and decides to turn it

on itself. Bollywood has always made larger than life films for the masses but

now the same masses do not want escapism but a stake in the truth of their

everyday life with massy concerns, one that can be easily comic or tragic. Perhaps

this is the reason why big ticket films, including the multi-starrer Thugs of Hindostan,

Race 3 and Zero tanked horribly. This also dimmed the sheen of the trinity of

Khans — Salman, Shahrukh and Aamir while Saif rescued himself online. The

young brigade of Ayushmann Khurrana, Rajkumar Rao, Vicky Kaushal and Ishan

Khatter showed that they could handle both artistry and fame with equal elan

and would surprise us with their non-conventional choices.

Regional films were mainstreamed, either as adaptations or importing their

stars post the pan-India success of a Bahubali. Much experimentation is hap-

pening in the regional space and backed by big Bollywood funding, we could

see a content storm brewing ahead of us. Thanks to digital flatness, the enter-

tainment space has emerged as accommodating all kinds of “otherness.”

And finally it was the year of Bollywood nuptials, complete with designer

Sabyasachi and foreign exotica, that plumed up the big fat Indian wedding econ-

omy as an attractive option for Westerners too. Be it the trans-continental com-

ing together of cultures in the Priyanka Chopra-Nick Jonas wedding or the inter-

community alliance of Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh, these stars not

only showed us how to celebrate but widened the possibility of couple brand-

ing as an allied revenue stream. Priyanka turned investor in a tech app while Deepika

is running her mental health foundation, showing that diversification is the key

to relevance. That pretty much sums up the mantra that Bollywood lived by.

Streaming content

The trouble with flying

The House panel on civil aviation wants to have its cakeand eat it too. The financial health of airlines precludes that

Timely intervention

Sir — This refers to the report,“Terror bids foiled in nick of time”(December 27). The timely inter-vention of the NationalInvestigation Agency (NIA) savedthe nation from a great deal ofchaos. That the investigative bodyseized a huge stash of bomb-mak-ing materials and a country-made rocket launcher from theterrorists’ hideouts, testifies theirvery intent. It is now up for theNIA to make a water-tight caseagainst these terrorists, undertakea thorough enquiry to get an in-depth details about their plansand modus operandi. Politicalparties must not politicise thismatter to score brownie points.

Yvonne FernandoChennai

Seize the moment

Sir — This refers to the editor-ial, “Annus Horribi l is”(December 27). I totally agreewith the views expressed in theeditorial. This past year, theBJP has seen many ups anddowns. However, despite themany losses, the Indian elec-

torate bestows faith on the PrimeMinister who still enjoys massivepopularity. His charisma is intactand his credibility remainsstrong.

A little jerk was the mostessential for the BJP to unshack-le it from day-dreaming aboutthe Modi wave. That alone can-not lead it to register victory inthe 2019 General Election.

Honestly, there is no close

substitute to Modi yet. It should,therefore, not be troublesome forthe BJP to get back to track onceagain.

All they need is proper strat-egy and a tactical plan to harmo-niously tie up with allies inregional areas and build robustbond with the electorate todefeat the nemesis.

Kirti WadhawanKanpur

Fatal flaws

Sir — This refers to the report,“LS criminalises triple talaq”(December 28). While the LokSabha successfully passed thetriple talaq Bill yesterday, itsjourney will not be so smooth inthe Upper House. Already, oppo-sition parties, including theCongress, the Trinamool

Congress and the SamajwadiParty, staged a walk-out. Further,the ruling party does not have thenumbers in the Rajya Sabha.

Most Muslim countries havediscarded this practice. In fact, asection of the Indian Muslims,too, do not follow it. It is also a factthat attributing criminality andimprisoning of Muslim menwould have a cascading effect onthe livelihood of the affectedfamily. Reform must happen butone that benefits the community.

Syed Nissar Hyderabad

Punish the guilty

Sir — This refers to the editor-ial, “Moment to movement”(December 28). Harassment orsexual exploitation against anygender can never be justified. Itis of utmost importance that noinnocent man/woman becomesa victim of allegations. It’s theduty of the courts to punish andfine those against whom allega-tions have been proved right.

Mahesh KumarVia email

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

Send your feedback to:[email protected]


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

op nionLUCKNOW | SATURDAY | DECEMBER 29, 2018

08

Veterans as political prop

BHOPINDER SINGH

The current situation in theValley is an outcome of aseries of blunders by succes-sive Congress Governmentsin the State starting with theNehruvian blunder.

Union Minister—Jitendra Singh

National security issupreme. But declaringsuspects as terrorists onthe basis of sutli bombs,associating (them) with thedreaded IS is premature.

Former J&K Chief Minister —Mehbooba Mufti

Governor's House is notthe place to prove majori-ty. Governor didn't waitand dissolved it. The solu-tion to the problems is notthrough the police.

NC leader —Farooq Abdullah

S O U N D B I T E

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

Mine tragedy brings to fore certain hard truths

This refers to the editorial, “The forgotten”(December 28). It is sad to learn that 15 youngmen remain trapped in an illegal mine in

Meghalaya. It is a fact that none in our country seemto care about them. Curiously, it is also strange thatthe North-East barely warrants a mention in the nation-al media. Why does the Government keep dilly-dally-ing on taking urgent action to rescue those trappedyoung men? In the recent past, 12 members of theyoung Thai football team went missing in a cave andthe Government over there made all efforts to rescuethem, although a Thai military diver lost his life.

In the instant case, the missing men are not locals,but migrants from other States and some even ille-gals from Bangladesh. Like others, they are precioushuman beings and the Government is bound to savethem on war-footing. It is heart-breaking that precioustwo weeks have passed since the occurrence of the

tragedy. It is not even known if they are dead or alive.Clearly, the Government was not equipped to meet thischallenge. It must call for external help to rescue themat the earliest. Time is ticking away. Something mustbe done urgently to save them.

TK NandananChennai

IN INDIA, TOO,VETERANS-

TURNED-POLITICIANS

HAVE BEENAMONG THE

MOSTRESPECTED,

WELL-READ ANDRESPONSIBLE

LEADERS.HOWEVER, IN

RECENT TIMES, ANEW

PHENOMENONHAS EMERGED

OF NEWSROOM-WARRIORSPLUMED IN

THEIRREGIMENTAL

REGALIA

Bollywood extended its story bandwidth like never before powered by the interactivity and

intimacy of digital platforms Using Armymen for diplomatic muscle-flexing, be it in the US, UK or India, has

become commonplace. In the end, it diminishes the institution’s name and glory

The Governor's privateassessment is anathemato the Constitution andis also subject to per-sonal malfeasance inJammu & Kashmir.

Congress leader —Shashi Tharoor

On December 14, 2018, PrimeMinister Imran Khanuploaded two short videos of

eminent Islamic scholar Dr IsrarAhmed. I am not quite sure whichyear the videos were from but theywere obviously at least eight yearsold, since he passed away in 2010. Inone of the videos, Ahmed quotes anexcerpt from a diary written by DrRiaz Ali Shah, who was a physicianof Pakistan’s founder, MuhammadAli Jinnah, when the latter was suf-fering from tuberculosis. Jinnahpassed away in September 1948.

In the video, Ahmed informedhis audience that he had picked theexcerpt from an article publishedin a September 1988 edition of theUrdu daily Jang — 40 years after

Jinnah’s demise. Ahmed quoted the1988 newspaper article about RiazAli’s ‘diary’ in which he wrote thatas Jinnah lay on his bed sufferingfrom tuberculosis, he (Jinnah)spoke about his vision of a Pakistanthat would be an Islamic state, ora 20th century manifestation of astate, constructed during the ruleof Is lam’s f irst four cal iphs(Khilafat-i-Rashida).

Riaz was one of the four doctorspresent during Jinnah’s last hours.According to an article in the PulseFortnightly written by Lt Gen (Rtd)M Ahmad Akhtar and published onNovember 1, 2014, four physiciansaccompanied Jinnah when he trav-elled to the vacation resort ofZiarat in Balochistan. They were:Dr M Ali Mistri, Dr Illahi Bakhsh,Dr Ghulam Muhammad and DrRiaz Ali Shah. Dr Mistri wasJinnah’s personal physician who,according to Lt Gen Akhtar, hadmoved to Karachi from Bombay onJinnah’s request after the creation ofPakistan.

Nothing was reported about

Jinnah’s ‘last words’ as such until theappearance of a book in 1978 by DrIllahi Bakhsh, which was re-printedby the Oxford University Press in2012. Dr Illahi’s book, With theQuaid-i-Azam during his Last Days,is largely a detailed account of theQuaid’s illness and how Jinnah triedto live with it. There is nothing in thebook about a man ravaged by a crip-pling disease but one lucidly advo-cating the creation of an Islamic state.

There is also a PDF copy avail-able online of an Urdu translationof Dr Il lahi Bakhsh’s book.However, attached to it is an Urdutranslation of notes supposedlykept by Riaz Ali Shah in a diary. Thenotes appear in the shape of a book-let called Quaid-i-Azam Kay AkhriLamhaat (The Quaid’s LastMoments). It does not mention thedate of publication. It is not avail-able in any of the major bookstoresin Pakistan nor on Amazon. And itis not mentioned in the long list ofbooks and papers on Jinnah thatappears on the Government ofPakistan’s website dedicated to the

study of Pakistan’s founder.In a 2003 article for The

Concept, Raja A Khan wrote thatthe booklet by Dr Shah was pub-lished in 1950. However, Raja onlyspeaks about Jinnah sharing hisviews on Kashmir with Riaz. Onewonders though, how many diversetopics the founder was discussingwith the good doctor during hisvery last moments. What is moreimportant is that after goingthrough the online version of thebooklet, I found no mention ofJinnah speaking to Dr Shah aboutthe idea of the caliphate.

The booklet is only scarcely ref-erenced in the papers and bookswritten on Jinnah. Moreover, when-ever it is, as in Masud-ul-Hasan’sAnecdotes of Quaid-i-Azam (1976)and in an article in the 2002 issue ofSouth Asian Studies, they simplyquote Riaz as saying that Jinnah’s lastspoken words were, “Allah, Pakistan.”Therefore, Imran Khan may havegotten a tad too excited — like animpressionable teenager — aftercoming across the mentioned clip of

Dr Ahmed. Without much thought,the Prime Minister used it in thesame manner in which Jinnah wasconcocted by the Gen Zia dictator-ship in the 1980s.

This is why I believe the confu-sion in this respect is rooted in whattranspired during the Zia regime. Forexample, only quotes of Jinnah thathad the word ‘Islam’ in them wereallowed to be used in state-ownedmedia. From 1978 onward, thesequence of words of Jinnah’s motto,“unity, faith, discipline” was switchedto “faith, unity, discipline.”

In 1982, a portrait of Jinnahpainted by artist Ahmad S Nagi wasreplaced in the waiting lounge of theKarachi Airport just because itshowed Jinnah wearing a suit and atie. An article on Nagi that appearedin the September 2, 2006 edition ofDawn said that the painting was fin-ished in 1944 and then brought toKarachi after the creation of Pakistan.It was placed in the airport loungebut replaced in 1982 with anotherportrait of Jinnah in which he is seenwearing a sherwani.

Then in 1983, the Zia regimegleefully announced the ‘discovery’of a diary kept by the founder inwhich he had expressed his desireof an Islamic state. KK Thomas, inthe 1998 issue of Asian Recorder,and author Khaled Ahmed in his2001 book Pakistan: Behind theIdeology Mask: Facts About GreatMen We Don’t Want to Know, writethat the state-owned media enthu-siastically began discussing thecontents of the so-called diary.

According to Ahmad, Jinnah’spersonal secretary, KH Khursheedand veteran Muslim Leaguer,Mumtaz Daultana, challenged thediscovery. Consequently, the claimwas quietly dropped. Most inter-esting is the similarity betweenwhat Zia claimed Jinnah wrote inhis diary and what Dr Ahmedclaimed Dr Riaz wrote in his. Onecan thus conclude that may be athird party was involved who, forpolitical reasons, concurrentlyascribed the mentioned quotes toJinnah as well as Dr Riaz.

(Courtesy: Dawn)

India scores in climate politics

LUCKNOW | SATURDAY | DECEMBER 29, 2018

THE BJP IS TRYING TO DIVERT THE ATTENTION

OF THE PEOPLE FROM ACTUAL ISSUES THROUGH

THE FILM, THE ACCIDENTAL PRIME MINISTER.

—CONGRESS LEADER

PL PUNIA

CAN'T WE EXTEND OUR WISHES FOR A FILM?

CONGRESS HAS BEEN ALL FOR FREEDOM, WHY IS

IT QUESTIONING THAT FREEDOM NOW?

—UNION MINISTER

RAJYAVARDHAN SINGH RATHORE

POINTCOUNTERPOINT

The global climate change negotiation underthe United Nations Framework Conventionon Climate Change (UNFCCC) is held

periodically under the aegis of the Conference ofParties (CoP). The 24th CoP to the UNFCCC,COP24, was held in Katowice, Poland, fromDecember 2 to 14. After the historic ParisAgreement on Climate Change in 2015, theKatowice meet was the most significant. It wassupposed to lay down the contours for climatechange action plans. This year marked the dead-line, as agreed by signatories of the ParisAgreement, to adopt a “work programme for theimplementation” of commitments that weremade in 2015. An analysis of the decision takenin CoP24 clearly indicates that the shadow of theUS’ withdrawal from the climate change talk isover. A new global leadership has emerged andIndia is leading from the front.

Thanks to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’sleadership, his actions, determination anddynamism ensured that the commitments madeat the 2015 United Nations Climate ChangeConference, COP 21, reached the ultimate goaldespite the many problems faced by our country,most important of them pertaining to the growthin population. The second most important leaderin the global climate leadership is FrenchPresident Emmanuel Macron, who readily agreedto Prime Minister Modi’s proposal for setting upthe International Solar Alliance (ISA), which wassigned by both leaders earlier this year. More than120 countries have become signatories to the ISA.In October 2018, more than 48 countries alongwith 25 heads of states attended the ISA confer-ence that was hosted by India.

Another reason for the progress of climate-related talks is the trust factor. Most low andmiddle income countries bestowed faith inPrime Minister Modi’s capability to steer the cli-mate change proceedings due to his stature asa global leader. The only other country thatholds similar potential is China. But then, it suf-fers from trust deficit. It would be worthwhileto discuss some of the takeaways from theCoP24 and India’s role in the successful conclu-sion of the climate change conference. Prior tothis, we saw the then Minister for Environment,Forest and Climate Change, Jairam Ramesh, reg-istering similar impact on India’s idea of climatediplomacy. Ramesh also espoused the cause ofthe developing world.

Global rules are necessary to ensure thatevery percentage of the emission released intothe atmosphere is accounted for. In this way,progress towards the limitation goals of the ParisAgreement can be measured accurately.Currently, climate actions of rich nations for thepre-2020 period are being guided by the KyotoProtocol. The UN climate change conferenceadopted a rulebook for the implementation ofthe Paris Agreement only after protractednegotiations. This deal is meant for climateaction by all countries across the globe.

Its success was explained by Michal Kurtyka,CoP24 president: “We have worked on this(Katowice) package for three years. With 200countries in the room, it is not easy to findagreement on a deal so specific and technical.But under these circumstances, every single step

forward is a big achievement.”The Katowice climate package

includes guidelines that will opera-tionalise the transparency framework.It sets out how countries will provideinformation about their NationallyDetermined Contributions (NDCs)that describe their domestic climateactions. This information includesmitigation and adaptation measures aswell as details of financial support forclimate action in developing countries.

With this, countries can chalk outa roadmap for the implementation ofthe Paris Accord that covers the peri-od from now till 2020. The Katowicepackage also includes guidelines forestablishing new targets on financefrom 2025 onwards to follow on fromthe current target of mobilising $100billion per year from 2020 to supportdeveloping countries. The other guide-lines include how to conduct the glob-al stock-taking of the effectiveness ofclimate action in 2023 and how to assessprogress on the development andtransfer of technology by the developednations. The guidelines, known as theParis rulebook, will promote trustamong nations that all countries areplaying their part in addressing thechallenge of climate change.

The word ‘trust’ signifies the mostpositive outcome of the KatowiceConference. However, issues that stillhave to be taken into account circle theuse of cooperative approaches as wellas the sustainable development mech-anism, as contained in the ParisAgreement’s Article 6. These wouldallow countries to meet a part of theirdomestic mitigation goals through theuse of so-called ‘market mechanisms.’

On this matter, the Paris Agreement

recognises the need for global rules tosafeguard the integrity of efforts of allcountries. It is hoped that this issue willbe decided in future meetings, andIndia is expected to play a key role.

The Indian delegation reiteratedits stand with overwhelming supportthat the Paris Climate Agreement was“non-negotiable” and there could beno compromise on the basic princi-ples such as equity and common butdifferentiated responsibilities andrespective capabilities. It effectivelycountered the attempts of rich coun-tries, led by the US and the EuropeanUnion, to dilute this provision.

India stressed the need for usingscientific findings on climate changeand welcomed the recentIntergovernmental Panel on ClimateChange’s (IPCC) Special Report,which said that human activities areestimated to have caused approximate-ly one degrees celsius of global warm-ing above the pre-industrial levels andare currently increasing at 0.2 degreescelsius per decade.

India in its statement stood for thepoor, marginalised and vulnerablecommunities as they are worst-hit bythe vagaries of climate change. On thefirst day of CoP24, India made it clearto the world that it was well oncourse to achieve all its climate targetsmuch ahead of the deadline it set foritself. It asked its developed counter-parts to meet their obligations, includ-ing those relating to providing finan-cial and technological help to thedeveloping countries.

The Institute for Energy Economicand Financial Analysis (IEEFA), a US-based organisation that conductsresearch and analysis on financial and

economic issues related to energy andenvironment, showed that India waslikely to attain the goal of having 40 percent of its electricity generation com-ing from renewable sources by the year2020, instead of the original target of2030. It said that by the year 2027,renewable energies like solar, wind andbiomass would generate about 275GW of electricity, comprising 44 percent of India’s total power generationof 619 GW. Hydro and nuclear energy,which are also considered as cleansources of energy, would contributeanother 80 GW or about 13 per cent.

The Government, however, needsto take some more pro-active action,especially in tackling the landscape.This (because India is a tropicalnation facing the vagaries of climatechange) has already started affectingits landscape and consequently thelivelihoods of the poor. It has causeduncertainty in agriculture and dis-turbed hydrological cycles.

The Himalayan glaciers are reced-ing and the flow of rivers originatingfrom these glaciers is making thewhole living scenario precarious.There is a need to adopt a holisticapproach for the overall develop-mental process in which climatechange mitigation and adaptationshould be a collateral benefit.Otherwise, it will jeopardise the goalsof sustainable development in the longrun. Also, joint forest managementmust be made the central theme of theentire mitigation and adaptation pro-cedure. It is to be hoped that theGovernment takes action on the sug-gested lines.

(The writer is a Retired Civil Servant)

Myths about Jinnah's last words

Given that the country is well on course to achieving its targets much ahead of the deadlines, a holistic approach to the climate change mitigation process will lead to meaningful action

Like an impressionable teenager, Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan circulated a video of Dr Israr Ahmed

claiming that the Quaid advocated a caliphate from his deathbed, when the claim is highly suspicious

The 31st Goods and Services Tax (GST) council meet on

December 22, 2018, undertook some sweeping changes.

Most important of all, tax slabs for more than 30 items

were slashed, thereby making them cheaper. Barring tobac-

co products, luxury vehicles, molasses, air conditioners, aer-

ated water, big televisions, dish washers among others, were

transferred from the 28 per cent slab to 18 per cent and 12

per cent slabs. Changes will come into effect from January

1, 2019. Only 28 luxury or sin items will now remain in the

highest 28 per cent bracket. Indeed, the Government has taken

a significant move as 183 goods will now fall in the 0 per cent

category; 308 items will be taxed at five per cent; 178 in the

12 per cent category; and 517 goods will fall under the 18

per cent bracket. Naysayers, who had predicted that GST would

be inflationary during its initial years, had to eat humble pie.

From a pre-GST tax rate as large as between 28 and 31 per

cent, post the Modi Government’s path-breaking GST move,

1,186 goods — comprising 97.69 per cent of the 1,214 goods

widely used — will now be taxed at 18 per cent or below.

Certainly, this is the biggest middle class friendly move taken

by any Government in post-independent India.

Hence, while Congress chief Rahul Gandhi and his coterie

of sycophants can keep vacillating between false bravado and

sheer desperation, it’s time for his party to stop playing the

‘martyr’ and blaming the BJP for ‘snatching’ their idea. An idea

after all is only as good as its execution. Also, those, who

accuse the Government of shifting goal posts, would do well

to note that both the International Monetary Fund and the World

Bank have, in no uncertain terms, commended the Modi

Government’s GST move. They said that while most countries

have taken a few years to see GST stabilise, given its post-

execution complexities, the pace of seamless transition in India

has been much faster. This, of course, is borne out addition-

ally by the fact that between April and November, ̀ 91,149 crore

worth of refunds were disbursed, more than 10 crore e-way

was generated, over 11 crore returns were filed and over 352

crore invoices were processed. Over `7.76 lakh crore worth

taxes were collected in the first eight months of 2018 itself,

with a monthly run rate in excess of `97,000 crore.

Of more than 140 odd countries that have implemented GST

— France being the first one to do so in 1954 — only 49 of

them follow the one-tax slab module; around 28 countries have

two-slab tax modules; and all others have modified/tweaked

the GST structure to align it with their country’s specific needs.

This essentially means that there is no need to follow an ‘all

size fits one’ approach. One of the best thing about GST is that

there are no hidden taxes. What one sees is what he/she gets.

Efficiency gains, higher compliance, prevention of tax leakages,

lower rates, wider base, export friendliness and tax neutrality

have all brought down the overall tax burden for consumers

and enhanced ease of doing business. Besides, of course, they

have also made India’s fuel economy more competitive by elim-

inating the need for truckers to wait endlessly to pay octroi and

entry taxes at inter-State checkposts.

In just one year, 105 per cent more two-wheelers and

42 per cent more cars and SUVs were registered in Mumbai

as of April 2018 due to the elimination of a 4.5 per cent addi-

tional levy by way of octroi that was paid earlier on Mumbai-

registered vehicles. According to RTO officials, a significant

number of buyers prefers registering vehicles outside Mumbai

in far off Thane or Panvel to save costs. The amount thus

saved ranges between `3,000-`5,000 for two-wheelers,

`18,000 on an average for a hatchback, to roughly `60,000

for an SUV. But GST has made life all the more easier — there

is no difference between registering a car within Mumbai or

outside as one has to pay the same road tax and insurance

across the Mumbai Metropolitan Region.

In November 2017, during its 23rd meeting in Guwahati,

the GST Council reduced rates for all AC and non-AC restau-

rants from 18 to five per cent. Now only starred restaurants,

with a tariff of `7,500 or more are being charged at 18 per

cent. At its recent meet this month, the GST Council, among

other concessions, announced its decision to exempt the 34

crore odd Jan Dhan accounts from taxes. The Modi

Government’s clarion call of ‘Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas’ is

not a mere platitude but a work ethic it truly abides by.

(The writer is an economist and chief spokesperson

for the BJP in Mumbai)

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

Towards a more

friendly GST

SANJU VERMA

NADEEM PARACHA

Slowly but steadily, India is making the movetowards a less flawed system of implementation.

Lower tax rates will ensure wider coverage

VK BAHUGUNA

F O R E I G N E Y E

If America's national parkshad a theme song, it mightbe “You Always Hurt theOne You Love.” Thesenatural treasures aresuffering, not fromindifference or inattention,but from more visitors thanever before. No one wantsto close the gates on theparks. But something needsto be done to keep thecrush of humanity fromruining what all thosepeople come to see. (Chicago Tribune editorial)

BLAME THE CROWDFOR THE DISRUPTION


THE KATOWICECLIMATE PACKAGE

INCLUDESGUIDELINES

THAT WILLOPERATIONALISE

THE TRANSPARENCYFRAMEWORK ANDPOINTS OUT HOWCOUNTRIES WILL

PROVIDEINFORMATIONABOUT THEIRNATIONALLY

DETERMINEDCONTRIBUTIONSTHAT DESCRIBE

THEIR DOMESTICCLIMATE ACTIONS.THIS INFORMATION

INCLUDESMITIGATION AND

ADAPTATIONMEASURES AS WELL

AS DETAILS OFFINANCIAL SUPPORT

FOR CLIMATEACTION IN

DEVELOPINGCOUNTRIES

LUCKNOW | SATURDAY | DECEMBER 29, 2018 nation 10

KUMAR CHELLAPPAN n

CHENNAI

It was Tamil Nadu’s responseto cow vigilantes and mob-

lynching which has becomefrequent affairs in North India.In Christmas day, Ponganallurin south west Tamil Naduplayed host to this century’sfirst ever ShodasaMahalakshmi Maha Yagamwhich saw hundreds of priestsoffering special Pooja andYagya for the Global peace,safety, security and prosperityof the country and its people,especially the farming com-munity.

The three day event whichcommenced on December 23culminated on December 25and nearly five lakh peopletook part in the Yagam, accord-ing to ThirunavukarassuElangovan, president, HinduMunnani, the lead oraganisersof the event. “ShodasaMahalakshmi Maha Yagam isto propitiate the 16 MahaLakshmis while we are famil-iar with only AshtalaksmiPoojas. Shodasa means 16,”Elangovan told The Pioneer.

He said ShodasaMahalakshmi Maha Yagamswere held during the days ofthe Chola, Pandya Kings inlines with Aswamedha Yaga. “It

was mandatory for the rulersto perform MahalakshmiYagam before assuming thecharges of administering thecountry. The yagam is a decla-ration to the people and thecountry that his life was dedi-cated to the prosperity and wellbeing of the people,” saidElangovan.

The three day event beganwith Aswa Pooja , worshipping108 horses to placate the Godof Power. “The last day saw thepriests and the participantsoffering poojas to 1,600 cows,all native breeds, mobilisedfrom various places in TamilNadu,” said G K Nagaraj, organ-iser of the event who is afarmer leader from Kongunadu,south west Tamil Nadu.

The enthusiasm of the peo-ple could be understood from

the way coupons for the eventwas sold out. “More than1,22,000 tickets costing ̀ 180/-per ticket was sold out a weekbefore the Yaga. We chargedentry fees to ensure that peo-ple attend the event,” saidElangovan.

Sreepriya Iyer travelled allthe way from Chennai to takepart in the three day event.“Normally, we performAshtalakshmi Poojas in ourhouses. But Maha Lakshi is wor-shipped in 16 forms during theShodasa Maha Yagam and it isa rare event,” said Iyer, a seriousstudent of Indian culture.

Rama Gopalan, octoge-narian founder of HinduMunnani who has been con-fined to a wheel chair led thethree day Yagam. “YasoLakshmi, Vidya Lakshmi,

Dhairya Lakshmi, DhanaLakshmi, Santana Lakshmi,Dhanya Lakshmi, GajaLakshmi, Veera Lakshmi,Samrajya Lakshmi, MokshaLakshmi, Sowmya Lakshmi,Sidha Lakshmi, Sri Lakshmi,Sowbhagya Lakshmi, PrasannaLakshmi, Jaya Lakshmi are theforms of Lakshmi we wor-shipped during the three days,”said Rama Gopalan.

Nagaraj said the ShodasaMahalakhmi Yagam, thoughnot held frequently, wasimbibed in the Kongunaduculture. “We wish people withthe words Pathinaru SevangalPettu Peruvaku Vazhka (Tamilfor “Live prosperously with allthe 16 assets which are themanifestation of 16 MahaLakshmis)”, said Nagaraj.

The event culminatedpeacefully but there was anattempt to derail it as membersof the Periyar DravidaKazhagam, followers of late EV Ramasamy Naicker hadapproached Madras HighCourt with a plea to ban theevent because of their fear thatthe cows may cause the spread-ing of anthrax in and aroundTirupur. The court is hearingthe case after the Christmasvacation but by that time thecows would have reached theirshelters after the Pooja.

TN hosts prayer for world peace

TN RAGHUNATHA n MUMBAI

Justifying the “clean chit”given by his predecessor ear-

lier in the alleged Sohrabuddin-Tulsiram fake encounter cases,Additional Sessions Judge SJSharma has indicted the CBI,saying that it had a “premedi-tated" theory and a "script”intended to "anyhow implicate"political leaders and it nearlydid what was required “toreach that goal rather thanconducting an investigation inaccordance with law”.

In the concluding portionof his 350-page judgementcopy of which was accessed bythe media on Friday, SpecialCBI court Judge Sharmaobserved: “Having given mydispassionate consideration tothe entire material placedbefore me and having exam-ined each of the witnesses andthe evidence closely, I have nothesitation in recording thatthe premier investigatingagency like CBI had before it apre meditated theory and ascript intended to anyhowimplicate political leaders.

“And the agency there afternearly did what was required toreach that goal rather thanconducting an investigation inaccordance with law, the judgenoted.

“It clearly appears that theCBI was more concerned inestablishing a particular pre

conceived and pre meditatedtheory. Rather than finding outthe truth. My predecessor has,while passing an order of dis-charge in the apicatuonnofaccused number 16 (Amit Shah)clearly recorded that the inves-tigation was politically motivat-ed,” Judge Sharma observed.

It may be recalled that thethen Special Judge M.B. Gosavi,while discharging BJP PresidentAmit Shah had on December30,2014 observed that thecharges against BJP presidentAmit Shah in the SohrabuddinSheikh and Tulsiram Prajapatifake encounters had a politicalundertone. “I found substancein the main contention made bythe applicant (Mr. Shah) that hewas involved in the case by theCBI for political reasons,” spe-cial CBI judge M.B. Gosavi hadsaid.

The concluding portion ofthe crucial judgement in theSohrabuddin Tulsiram “fake”encounter came into publicdomain exactly seven daysafter the CBI court acquitted allthe 22 accused in the case forlack of “satisfactory” evidence.

Sohrabuddin case: CBIwanted to implicateleaders, says court TN RAGHUNATHA n MUMBAI

In what is being as the biggestdrug haul in recent years, the

Anti-Narcotics Cell (ANC)sleuths of the Mumbai policeseized `1,000 crore worthbanned Fentanyl and arrestedfour drug peddlers from VileParle (East) in north-westMumbai.

Acting on a tip off about thedelivery of Fentanyl, the ANSpersonnel seized 100 kgs of therecreational (party) drug andfrom a car parked near the ser-vice road at Shakti Nagar locat-ed in the vicinity of the Mumbai

Airport at Vile Parle (East) onWednesday.

Fentanyl is a potent narcot-ic analgesic, abuse of whichleads to habituation or addiction.It is primarily a mu-opioid ago-nist. Fentanyl is also an opioidused as a pain medication andtogether with other medica-tions for anaesthesia.

Fentanyl is also made ille-gally and used as a recreationaldrug, often mixed with heroinor cocaine to increase its euphor-ic effects. It is 50 to 100 timesmore potent than morphine. Itis prescribed in the form oftransdermal patches or lozenges.

Most recent cases of fen-tanyl-related harm, overdose,and death in the United Statesare linked to illegally madeFentanyl. It is sold through ille-gal drug markets for its heroin-like effect. There were as manyas 20,000 Fetanyl over dose-related deaths in the UnitedStates in 2016.

“We have seized 100 kg ofthe banned Fentanyl. One kilo-gram of Fentanyl is wortharound ̀ 10 crore. In essence wehave seized `1,000 crore worthdrugs,” Deputy Commissionerof Police and ANC chiefShivdeep Lande said.

Drugs worth `1K cr seizedin Mumbai; four arrested

Sadhus raise the Dharma Dhwaja (religious flag) to commemorate the Kumbh Mela 2019 festival in Allahabad on Friday PTI

Ahmedabad: A minor firebroke out Friday at the IndianSpace Research Organisation(ISRO) campus here, an officialsaid.

The fire broke out in astoreroom in ISRO's SpaceApplication Centre, the officialsaid. Chief Fire Officer M FDastur said the fire was broughtunder control in an hour, addingthat five fire tenders weredeployed for the operation, butonly one was used.

"The fire started in a storeroom in the SAC campus onFriday morning”, he said. PTI

Ahmedabad: Firein storeroom atISRO campus

Bengaluru: KarnatakaTransport Minister and JD(S)leader DC Thamanna onFriday took a jibe at BJP lead-ers using an analogy of streetdogs while rebutting seniorBJP lawmaker Umesh Katti'sclaim that the Congress-JD(S)coalition Government wouldcollapse soon.

Katti had recently claimedthat 15 disgruntled MLAs ofthe ruling coalition were intouch with him and that thesaffron party would form thenew Government in Karnatakaby next week.

Hitting out at Katti,Thammana said, "J H Patel (aformer Chief Minister) hadonce narrated a story in theState Assembly about an ele-phant and street dogs. Herecalled Patel saying an ele-phant was walking ahead ofstreet dogs who were hopingsomething would fall fromatop the tusker that they wouldeat.

"Neither did the food fall,nor the dogs got something toeat. This story fits perfectlywith BJP leaders, who areexpecting this Government to

fall," he told reporters atMaddur near Mysuru.

Replying to a query,Thamanna said Katti has beenpredicting the Government'sfall "today or tomorrow" forquite some time.

"For the past seven months,we are hearing this every daybut this has not materialised,"he said. Soon after Katti's claim,state BJP chief and Leader ofthe Opposition B SYeddyurappa had ruled outany attempt by his party todestabilise the present dispen-sation. PTI

JD(S) Minister's ‘streetdog' jibe at BJP leaders

SOHRABUDDIN CASE

CBI wanted to implicate leaders: Court

PTI n MUMBAI

The CBI probed the allegedfake encounter killings of

gangster Sohrabuddin Shaikh,his wife Kausar Bi and his aideTulsi Prajapati with a ‘pre-conceived and premeditated’theory to implicate politicalleaders, a special CBI court hassaid.

Special CBI Judge SJSharma made the remarks in a350-pages judgement onDecember 21, while acquittingall the 22 accused in the case.

The court acquitted theaccused due to insufficient evi-dence and expressed sorrowover the loss of “three lives.”

While the judgement copywas unavailable Friday, mediawas given access to portions ofthe judgement.

In his order, Judge Sharmasaid his predecessor (Judge MB Gosavi) while passing anorder of discharge in the appli-cation of accused number 16(BJP president Amit Shah)recorded that the investigationwas “politically motivated”.

“Having given my dispas-sionate consideration to theentire material placed beforeme and having examined eachof the witnesses and the evi-dence closely, I have no hesi-

tation in recording that a pre-mier investigating agency likeCBI had before it a premedi-tated theory and a scriptintended to implicate politicalleaders,” the judgement said.

The order said the CBI,during its probe into the case,was doing something otherthan arriving at the truth of theoffences in question.

“It clearly appears thatthe CBI was more con-cerned in establishing aparticular pre-conceivedand premeditated theoryrather than finding out thetruth,” the judgement said.

It said the CBI did whatwas required to reach that‘goal’ instead of conductinga probe in accordance withlaw.

“The entire investiga-tion was thus targeted to act

upon a script to achievethe said goal and in theprocess of its zeal to impli-cate political leaders, CBIcreated evidence and placedwitness statements in thecharge-sheet,” the judge-ment said.

Such statements could notwithstand the judicial scrutinyof the court and the witnessesdeposed fearlessly before thiscourt clearly indicating thattheir statements were wronglyrecorded by CBI to justify itsscript to implicate politicalleaders, the court said.

The court noted that therewas negligence on part of theCBI towards material evidencewhich clearly indicated that theagency “hurriedly” completedthe investigation.

“...the CBI thus implicatedpolice personnel who had noknowledge of any conspiracy...rather they appeared inno-cent,” the court said.

The judge said he is notoblivious to the agony andfrustration caused to the fam-ilies of the deceased personsand to the society in generalwhen a crime of such a seriousnature goes unpunished.

“...but then the law does notpermit the court to punish theaccused on the basis of a moralconviction or on suspicion

alone. The burden of truth ina criminal trial never shifts. Theburden is always on the pros-ecution to prove its casebeyond reasonable doubt,” thecourt said.

The court noted that thereis ‘regret’ that three personswere killed, which was goingunpunished. It added that it hasno option but to conclude thatthe accused are not guilty.

The order said there wasno evidence to prove CBI’s the-ory that the three deceasedwere abducted by a policeteam.

“The CBI has also failed toestablish presence of theaccused police personnel atthe spot of the alleged incident,”the order said, adding that nowitness was examined to showthat the policemen were issuedservice weapons.

Of the 22 accused, 21 werejunior police officers fromGujarat and Rajasthan, who theCBI said were part of teamswhich abducted and killed thethree in staged encounters.The court said there was noth-ing to show if service weaponsof the accused policemen wereused in the killings.

The three victims whowere returning to Sangli inMaharashtra from Hyderabadin a bus were taken into cus-

tody by a police team on thenight of November 22-23, 2005.The couple were taken in onevehicle and Prajapati in anoth-er.

CBI said Shaikh was killedon November 26, 2005, alleged-ly by a joint team comprisingGujarat and Rajasthan police,and Kausar Bi three days later.Prajapati, who was lodged in anUdaipur central jail, was killedin an encounter on the Gujarat-Rajasthan border on December27, 2006. The CBI had charged38 persons, including Shah,who was then Gujarat homeminister, Gulabchand Kataria,the then Rajasthan home min-ister, and senior IPS officers likeD G Vanzara and P C Pande.The prosecution examined 210witnesses, of which 92 turnedhostile.

Before the December 21verdict, 16 people, includingShah, Kataria, Vanzara andPande were discharged by theCBI court due to lack of evi-dence. Shah was arrested in thecase in July 2010, but releasedon bail by Gujarat High Courtin October 2010. He was dis-charged by CBI court inDecember 2014.

The December 21 verdictwas Judge Sharma’s last judg-ment of his career as he is setto retire on December 31.

CBI registers cases of illegal trafficking

The order saidthe CBI, during

its probe into thecase, was doingsomething otherthan arriving atthe truth of the

offences inquestion

Foreign scribes

have to respect

laws: MHA

PTI n NEW DELHI

All foreigners have to respectIndian law and those

found in violation are liable tobe punished but that does notmean they are blacklisted for-ever, a Home Ministry officialsaid on Friday after a Reutersjournalist was denied entryinto India for allegedly violat-ing visa rules.

The action against CathalMcNaughton, chief photogra-pher at the news agency’s Delhioffice who was recently sentback from the airport hereafter his arrival from an over-seas trip, is not permanentand can be reviewed after sixmonths or a year, the officialtold PTI.

“Everybody has to followlaw. For violation, the conse-quence is the same for every-body. Foreigners should respectIndian law. If any Indian visitsabroad and violates the law ofthat country, he or she is alsoliable to be punished,” the offi-cial said.

McNaughton, an Irishnational who won the PulitzerPrize in May 2018, allegedlytravelled to restricted and pro-tected areas in Jammu andKashmir without permission.He also reported from the statewithout valid permission.

“He may be a winner ofsome awards, but that does notgive him the licence to violateIndian laws.

The Ministry of ExternalAffairs regularly informs for-eign journalists about Indianrules and regulations. And incertain places, a foreigner isrequired to take permission. Ifyou violate these rules and reg-ulations, we are bound to takeaction,” the official warned. “Ifsomebody is denied entry, itdoes not mean that he isblacklisted forever. It may bereviewed after six months orone year,” he said.

Another official said for-eign correspondents alsorequire prior home ministryapproval to film in restrictedand protected areas such as

border districts, defence instal-lations and other places ofstrategic importance, nation-al parks and wildlife sanctu-aries.

According to visa rules forforeign journalists, “A foreignjournalist, TV camerapersonetc, including a foreign jour-nalist already based in India,who desires to visit a restrict-ed or protected area or Jammuand Kashmir or the NorthEastern States, should applyfor a special permit throughthe Ministry of ExternalAffairs (External PublicityDivision)”.

Under normal circum-stances, India grants foreignjournalists visas for up tothree months. In rare cases, asix-month journalist visa, witha single or double entry, can beissued.

The MHA and the MEAhave also held discussions toreview protocols on foreignjournalists. In May this year,the MEA reminded foreignjournalists based in India thatthey require permission totravel to areas protected underthe Foreigners (ProtectedAreas) Order, 1958.

The areas are — all ofArunachal Pradesh, parts ofHimachal Pradesh, parts ofJammu and Kashmir, parts ofRajasthan, all of Sikkim andparts of Uttarakhand.

PTI n NEW DELHI

The CBI has registered twoseparate cases of illegal traf-

ficking of women and childrento the United States of Americaand Kenya, officials said Friday.

They said the first case hasbeen registered on a complaintfrom the US embassy whichreported that an attempt wasmade by a woman GaganGupta, in August last year, totake four minor children to thatcountry allegedly usingassumed identities of four stu-dents of St Joseph’s Convent inShaheed Bhagat Singh Nagardistrict in Punjab.

The passports of the stu-dents were given to the childrenwho were allegedly to be traf-ficked to the United States, theinquiry found. The embassysaid that the staff of UnitedAirlines-83 flight stopped themfrom boarding the flight as thefaces of four children did matchwith their photographs in thepassport, they said.

However, their passportswere not seized and they wereallowed to leave the IndiraGandhi International Airport,the officials said. The airlinestaff did not contact the localpolice but it provided photos ofthe minor subjects, of the pass-ports and the airline tickets to

the embassy officials, they said.During inquiry by the

embassy, it surfaced visas issuedto the kids were part of aschool group from St JosephConvent for which a trip to theUnited States was organised byClick Education Services PvtLimited. The school wasallegedly sending its studentsfor a cultural trip to the US forwhich the passports of studentand staff were collected by anagent promising them to helpin the visa process.

The agent allegedly tried tosend four of its clients on theassumed identity by providingthem passports of the studentsto whom the visas were issuedfor the cultural trip.

The embassy officials man-aged to locate one of the chil-dren in Hoshiarpur who wereattempting to travel onassumed identity.

During the inquiry hisfather admitted that an agentBalraj Khera of Kings PunjabTravel had allegedly demand-ed `30.05 lakh from him if hisson is successfully able to reachthe US, the complaintalleged.Based on the complaintreceived in February this year,the CBI started its preliminaryenquiry which found thatGagan Gupta was allegedlyattempting to traffic four chil-

dren under assumed identitiesand passports of four studentsof St Joseph’s Convent aged 13-15 years.

The passports of fourschool children studying in StJoseph’s Convent in ShaheedBhagat Singh Nagar (formerlyNawanshahr) district in Punjabwere given to the children whowere allegedly to be traffickedto the United States, the inquiryfound.

Gupta allegedly misrepre-sented her self as the Principalof the school, he said.

The principal of the schooltold the CBI that an agentChetan Sabharwal hadapproached his school for facil-itating the cultural trip and keptpassports of teachers, studentsin his possession during thevisa process.

Following the enquiry theCBI has booked, agents BalrajKhera of Kings Punjab Travelsin Jalandhar, Gagan Gupta, aresident of Pathankot inGurdaspur district, ChetanSabharwal of Click EducationServices, Chandigarh, hisemployee Lovepreet Singh andTilak Raj.

The second case has beenregistered on a complaint fromthe External Affairs Ministrythat Indian embassy in Nairobi,Kenya has rescued three young

girls who were allegedly traf-ficked to Mombassa on the pre-text of giving employment asdancers but were coerced intoprostitution. The girls weretaken to Nairobi by ShamaJavaid Deen, a Kenyan nation-al and an agent Aryan whoallegedly ran an “organisedcrime syndicate” whichinvolved her family memberstoo.

“It appears that the abovementioned persons are runninga human trafficking network bypushing young Indian girlsinto prostitution abroad with afalse promise of good job andsalary,” Col Rahul Dutt,Director (OverseasEmployment) said in com-plaint in March, 2018.

The complaint said that thegirls were rescued during a raidby Kenyan police special celllast year in a dance bar fromwhere these girls were rescuedand were brought to Delhi onJanuary 2, 2018.

“They were forced to con-sume alcohol and smokeagainst their will and werealso being coerced to enter intoprostitution. They were beingphysically and mentally tor-tured and threatened not toinform anybody otherwise theywould be implicated in falsecases,” it said.

MCNAUGHTON, ANIRISH NATIONAL WHOWON THE PULITZERPRIZE IN MAY 2018,ALLEGEDLYTRAVELLED TORESTRICTED ANDPROTECTED AREAS INJAMMU ANDKASHMIR WITHOUTPERMISSION. HEALSO REPORTEDFROM THE STATEWITHOUT VALIDPERMISSION

Yoga is commonheritage ofmankind: Prez TN RAGHUNATHA n MUMBAI

Averring that “togethernessis the essence of yoga”,

President Ram Nath Kovindsaid here on Friday that “Yoganot only helps us in connect-ing body, mind and soul but italso plays an important role inconnecting different commu-nities and countries”.

Speaking at the inauguralceremony of centennial cele-brations of ‘The Yoga Institute’in Mumbai, Kovind said: “It isnot appropriate to link yoga toany religion or sect. It is a com-mon heritage of mankind.. Itbelongs to everyone who islooking forward to healthy life.A healthy person makes ahealthy family, healthy com-munity, healthy country andfinally a healthy world”.

The President said that itwas our responsibility to estab-lish good yoga institutes andskilled yoga teachers, since onIndia’s initiative yoga was get-ting more popular across theworld. Maharashtra GovernorCh Vidyasagar Rao released abook ‘Yoga for All’ written bydirector of the institute HansajiJayadeva Yogendra, on theoccasion. Maharashtra ChiefMinister Devendra Fadnavis,Union minister of state forAYUSH Shripad Naik andother dignitaries were presentat the function.

money 11LUCKNOW | SATURDAY | DECEMBER 29, 2018

PTI n NEW DELHI

The US-India StrategicPartnership Forum

(USISPF) has dubbed the newe-commerce rules as “regres-sive” and said that the changeswould harm consumers, createunpredictability and have anegative impact on the growthof online retail in India.

The Forum asserted that “itis not the government’s businessto micromanage businesses” andalleged that the amendmentsannounced came out withoutany consultation and were akinto changing rules in the middleof the game.

Earlier this week, the gov-ernment appeared to have yield-ed to demands of domestictraders and put in place newnorms, which would end dis-counts and cashback offers thatonline platforms with foreigninvestment are offering. Thenew rules are set to come intoeffect from February 2019.

“The amendment to theFDI in e-commerce policy isregressive. It harms the con-sumer, who is ultimately theking in any retail environment.It is not the government’s busi-ness to micromanage business-es. This amendment bars Indianmanufacturers and sellers fromeffectively competing in theglobal online marketplace,”USISPF president and chiefexecutive officer (FPO) MukeshAghi said in a statement. He fur-

ther stated that the amendment“highlights the lack of trans-parency in policy making andcreates unpredictability”.

USISPF, which highlightedhow American companies haveled investments into e-com-merce platforms in India andfacilitated job creation, is con-sulting its members on thecourse of action and plans tomeet government officials nextweek on the matter.

With about a month tocomply, American retailerWalmart-backed Flipkart andUS-based Amazon — the twolargest players in the Indian e-commerce sector — would be hitthe hardest. Smaller traders have,in the past, cried foul allegingthat preferential treatment wasgiven to certain sellers that areaffiliates of these larger onlinemarketplaces. This, they said,created an unfair marketplace.

Amazon India, in an e-mailed statement on Friday,said the company had “alwaysoperated in compliance with thelaws of the land” and it was eval-uating the new guidelines “toengage as necessary with thegovernment to gain clarity”.

The company has commit-ted an investment of USD 5 bil-lion — a large chunk of whichhas already been pumped inacross various entities (likewholesale, marketplace and pay-ments) that it operates in India.

Flipkart, which saw Walmartpicking up 77 per cent stake for

a whopping USD 16 billion ear-lier this year, has said the gov-ernment should follow a con-sultative process in framing rulesthat have long-term implica-tions, and any changes should befor driving the industry forward.

The new rules, announcedon Wednesday, bar online plat-forms from selling productssupplied by affiliated companies,and from offering customersspecial discounts. For retailerssuch as Walmart, the new rulesmay hinder selling productsunder their own private brands.

Market watchers said that sofar, wholesale companies con-trolled by Amazon (AmazonWholesale) and Flipkart(Flipkart India) would buygoods in bulk at cheaper ratesfrom manufacturers, whichwould then be sold on theonline marketplaces through‘select sellers’ (like Cloudtail)who would also offer discountsand cashbacks.

The new rules clamp downon exclusive deals; this could casta cloud on partnerships seen inthe past including those withelectronic and smartphonebrands like ASUS, OnePlus,BPL and others.

However, smaller playerssuch as ShopClues and Snapdealhave welcomed the move, say-ing the development will “closethe back door” that has been“blatantly exploited” by largercompanies and provide a level-playing field for all.

PTI n MUMBAI

Benchmark indices surgedfor the third straight ses-sion on Friday on across-

the-board buying by foreignfunds amid a rebound in therupee and upbeat global cues.

The BSE Sensex rallied269.44 points or 0.75 per centto finish at 36,076.72, while thebroader NSE Nifty spurted80.10 points, or 0.74 per cent,to 10,859.90.

During the week, the Sensexgained 334.65 points, while theNifty advanced 105.9 points.

Apart from telecom, allsectoral indices on the BSE fin-ished in the green in Friday’s

session, led by consumerdurables and healthcare.

The biggest gainers in theSensex pack were Sun Pharma,Bajaj Finance, Vedanta, YesBank, ICICI Bank, HDFC, TataMotors, HCL Tech, IndusIndBank and Axis Bank, rising upto 2.98 per cent.

On the other hand, TCS,Bajaj Auto, Hero MotoCorp,Bharti Airtel, PowerGrid andInfosys shed up to 0.70 per cent.

The gains were led by bank-ing stocks, which rallied onreports that the government waslikely to infuse `28,615 croreinto seven public sector banks(PSBs) through recapitalisationbonds by the end of this month.

Yes Bank, ICICI Bank, Bank ofBaroda, SBI and Kotak Bankgained up to 2 per cent.

“Nifty ended this weekabove 10,800 mark led bybanking and FMCG stocks.The domestic sentimentremained optimistic withreports that the government iscontemplating several incen-tives for farmers ahead of the2019 Lok Sabha elections,” saidHemang Jani, head (advisory),Sharekhan by BNP Paribas.

The rupee, meanwhile,strengthened against the USdollar and was trading 37 paisehigher at 69.98. Brent crudefutures rose 1.95 per cent toUSD 53.76 per barrel.

On a net basis, foreign port-folio investors (FPIs) boughtshares worth ̀ 1,731.91 crore onThursday, while domestic insti-tutional investors (DIIs) were netsellers to the tune of `663.00crore, provisional data avail-able with BSE showed.

Elsewhere in Asia, Korea’sKospi ended 0.62 per centhigher, Hong Kong’s HangSeng gained 0.09 per cent andShanghai Composite Indexrose 0.44 per cent, while Japan’sNikkei slipped 0.31 per cent.

In Europe, Paris CAC rose1.47 per cent, while Frankfurt’sDAX fell 1.56 per cent.London’s FTSE gained 1.67per cent.

New Delhi (PTI): NationalMedical Devices PromotionCouncil, set up under theDepartment of IndustrialPromotion and Policy, willhelp promote growth of thesector and pave way for afford-able access to good qualitypharma instruments to people,CII said on Friday.

The industry chamber saidthat it was a long-standingneed of the medical devicesindustry in India. “Time hascome for the medical technol-

ogy sector to have an exclusivepromotion council that willsafeguard the interests of thepatients, industry and all stake-holders,” said Himanshu Baid,chairman of CII MedicalTechnology Division (CIIMTD) in a statement.

He said that this councilwould provide anchorage andan environment for conducivegrowth for this sector. “We arelooking forward to seeingstrong Indian presence in theglobal medtech map in the next

few years,” he added.The CII MTD is an indus-

try association comprising ofover 50 major domestic andglobal medical device compa-nies. The council aims at boost-ing manufacturing, attractinvestments and promoteexports of the fast-growingsector. The industry plays acritical role in the healthcareecosystem and is indispensableto achieve the goal of health forall citizens. Although the indus-try has been growing in dou-

ble digits, it is predominantlyimport-driven, with importsaccounting for over 65 percent of the domestic market.

The council will undertakeseveral activities including hold-ing seminars and workshops togarner views of industry andunderstand best global prac-tices. It would also identifyredundant processes and rendertechnical assistance to the agen-cies and departments concernedto simplify the approval process-es involved in the sector.

Sensex vaults 269 points to reclaim

36K-mark; Nifty ends above 10,800

New e-commerce rules regressive,

will harm consumers, says USISPF

Prabhu seeks morefunds from FinMinto hike incentiveson onion exports

New Delhi: CommerceMinister Suresh Prabhu hassought `179.16 crore from theFinance Ministry to doublethe incentives for onionexporters amid significant fallin prices of the vegetable.

In a communication toFinance Minister Arun Jaitley,Prabhu said the ministry waskeen to increase export incen-tives under MEIS from 5 percent to 10 per cent.

Under the MerchandiseExports from India Scheme(MEIS), the government pro-vides duty benefits dependingon product and country.Rewards under the scheme arepayable as percentage of realisedfree-on-board value and MEISduty credit scrip can be trans-ferred or used for payment of anumber of duties including thebasic customs duty. The rewardfor exports of fresh onionunder this scheme is 5 per centtill January 12 next year.

“The higher reward ratesare expected to bolster theexports and would be necessaryto support the domestic prices.In view of the urgency of thesituation, the Finance Ministryis requested to allocate addi-tional funds of `179.16 crore,so that MEIS reward at 10 percent can be provided for theexport of fresh onion up toJune 30 next year,” Prabhusaid. PTI

NMDPC to fuel growth of domestic industry: CII

Script Open High Low LTPRCOM 14.39 15.03 14.36 14.69SUZLON 5.49 5.50 5.41 5.42PCJEWELLER 88.30 90.00 86.35 87.80JPASSOCIAT 7.64 7.73 7.54 7.63SUNPHARMA 415.10 428.05 413.95 424.60YESBANK 180.05 183.20 180.05 181.55RELCAPITAL 216.00 229.90 215.80 228.15JETAIRWAYS 272.00 277.35 267.40 276.10IBULHSGFIN 846.25 857.80 838.95 848.75DHFL 240.95 243.40 237.75 240.20RELIANCE 1123.30 1135.90 1122.00 1125.80IOC 134.40 138.60 134.20 137.65SBIN 294.70 297.05 293.60 294.45TITAN 905.00 925.90 899.25 922.50VEDL 198.40 200.50 197.20 199.40FRETAIL 514.00 520.40 484.50 510.35INFY 662.80 663.90 656.00 657.60LT 1415.00 1446.85 1415.00 1439.05HINDPETRO 252.10 257.50 251.10 256.50NBCC 55.00 57.85 54.35 56.65SAIL 51.85 55.00 51.85 54.85DMART 1580.00 1667.80 1575.05 1656.35TATAMOTORS 169.90 172.15 169.20 170.80RELINFRA 306.40 316.20 304.05 311.90SPICEJET 87.50 88.70 86.20 88.30ZEEL 469.00 477.95 461.10 473.20BAJFINANCE 2590.15 2638.50 2587.00 2631.65TATASTEEL 507.80 516.60 507.80 513.70COALINDIA 242.80 243.30 239.90 242.35TCS 1909.45 1921.00 1893.75 1895.80PFC 101.95 106.15 100.90 105.05RECLTD 117.90 123.00 116.85 121.45BLISSGVS 140.80 159.60 140.00 156.25MARUTI 7539.00 7575.75 7492.00 7510.70BEML 907.00 916.40 899.35 907.75UNIONBANK 84.05 87.20 84.05 86.00JUBLFOOD 1230.05 1266.55 1230.05 1249.75ASHOKLEY 103.40 104.40 102.40 102.80BANKINDIA 103.00 103.55 102.20 102.95ONGC 148.50 151.25 148.00 150.45HINDUNILVR 1811.00 1834.00 1811.00 1820.10AXISBANK 622.95 628.10 620.50 625.25JINDALSTEL 161.00 163.20 159.25 161.00LEMONTREE 77.15 77.15 73.50 74.65ICICIBANK 357.35 362.75 357.35 361.05INFIBEAM 47.30 48.30 46.75 47.85SUNTV 588.00 618.00 588.00 614.75JISLJALEQS 67.40 70.55 67.30 69.15BHEL 70.20 72.25 70.20 72.05HDFC 1956.30 1989.00 1953.10 1980.10DELTACORP 245.00 252.60 241.90 250.65ITC 279.75 283.95 279.55 281.95SIEMENS 1021.00 1059.00 1021.00 1044.40EDELWEISS 183.45 184.25 179.90 180.80BHARTIARTL 316.55 321.00 314.35 316.20ESCORTS 691.00 707.00 690.95 701.35HEG 3700.00 3728.00 3670.70 3691.20SPARC 195.95 197.00 189.00 190.05RPOWER 28.85 30.05 28.55 29.10PNB 77.90 79.00 77.90 78.35ADANIPORTS 384.10 390.00 384.10 386.30NCC 84.40 87.10 84.40 86.50CGPOWER 44.50 45.95 43.90 45.65AJANTPHARM 1184.95 1196.95 1172.35 1191.05ICICIGI 862.05 868.40 828.00 850.60JAICORPLTD 113.50 114.60 111.80 112.25BPCL 362.50 369.20 359.00 362.35MPHASIS 980.00 1009.90 975.00 998.55BOMDYEING 112.30 116.60 112.30 113.90PEL 2309.00 2373.00 2304.65 2354.25STRTECH 287.00 293.60 286.00 289.00WIPRO 328.10 333.35 326.15 331.05HDFCBANK 2114.10 2137.00 2114.10 2122.90L&TFH 155.00 156.00 153.50 154.50BBTC 1284.50 1346.00 1282.50 1317.80KOTAKBANK 1241.20 1252.45 1236.75 1244.65GRAPHITE 774.00 778.95 761.05 769.70BANKBARODA 117.30 118.90 117.10 118.40M&M 797.10 806.30 796.95 803.15NTPC 147.80 151.00 146.50 149.35ORIENTBANK 95.50 97.00 95.00 95.40GAIL 357.00 360.90 356.00 357.55WOCKPHARMA 511.00 520.00 506.90 518.05UPL 758.00 770.75 752.55 757.70JUSTDIAL 509.95 514.90 502.70 504.25ASIANPAINT 1372.10 1384.25 1361.00 1365.35INDUSINDBK 1587.00 1600.00 1573.50 1582.65BEL 87.30 88.30 87.00 87.75CANBK 274.00 279.00 272.65 277.55INDIGO 1145.00 1186.95 1145.00 1177.75IDFCBANK 43.40 43.40 42.60 42.90IBVENTURES 377.45 390.45 371.50 380.40CUMMINSIND 835.00 860.00 830.85 858.10DLF 176.50 180.65 176.50 177.75IBREALEST 88.30 89.15 86.65 87.25BATAINDIA 1134.00 1143.00 1130.00 1138.10WESTLIFE 383.95 392.05 378.15 380.65ADANIPOWER 51.35 51.65 50.50 50.85RBLBANK 579.00 583.60 574.20 580.55CENTRALBK 36.65 37.95 36.00 36.05AVANTI 389.50 397.50 386.00 388.00BHARATFORG 505.00 515.25 502.00 507.25SUVEN 227.75 233.30 227.60 229.90JSWSTEEL 294.00 300.35 294.00 297.80INDIACEM 93.60 96.10 93.50 95.20HEXAWARE 327.00 333.50 326.75 330.20SBILIFE 599.85 603.40 588.00 596.60BANDHANBNK 543.10 549.00 531.25 536.10

BALKRISIND 909.20 927.65 907.50 914.80BAJAJFINSV 6460.00 6523.15 6425.05 6496.50ACC 1465.20 1493.50 1465.20 1480.00OIL 172.00 177.80 171.35 177.20TVSMOTOR 557.00 568.40 548.85 564.30JYOTHYLAB 203.45 214.30 202.60 208.95AUBANK 601.00 601.15 570.00 584.10GLENMARK 685.00 700.00 679.80 696.50PETRONET 224.00 228.25 222.45 225.90DABUR 431.00 437.00 428.95 433.90TECHM 708.95 718.20 708.80 712.30HINDALCO 220.65 225.75 220.65 223.30TATAPOWER 77.20 77.80 76.85 77.15BIOCON 614.05 623.25 612.00 621.85M&MFIN 464.95 478.60 458.00 475.30MUTHOOTFIN 497.40 509.65 496.10 505.15LUPIN 841.80 851.90 835.90 839.05PIDILITIND 1121.85 1126.80 1098.00 1102.00FSL 47.50 48.00 46.60 46.70HEROMOTOCO 3131.55 3159.85 3118.35 3130.20CEATLTD 1284.00 1303.60 1279.25 1295.80HDFCLIFE 393.85 393.85 385.00 388.65UJJIVAN 273.00 276.65 271.85 272.85POWERGRID 197.75 198.25 195.50 197.75AUROPHARMA 713.00 726.80 713.00 723.35GODREJPROP 672.00 686.55 663.50 666.30APOLLOHOSP 1248.55 1251.30 1226.00 1240.50FORCEMOT 1627.95 1631.00 1606.00 1612.10PAGEIND 24000.00 25052.25 24000.00 24937.40EQUITAS 124.90 126.90 123.20 124.80CIPLA 519.00 525.00 518.20 522.00LTI 1687.30 1737.00 1683.50 1728.65TATAMTRDVR 91.95 93.00 91.55 91.95IDEA 37.40 38.10 37.40 37.60MHRIL 194.10 212.45 194.10 208.05KTKBANK 110.90 113.60 110.45 112.80LICHSGFIN 479.00 491.00 478.75 488.80

BAJAJ-AUTO 2745.00 2759.45 2719.00 2723.30SRF 2001.00 2034.00 1996.85 2003.25GRASIM 817.35 827.05 817.35 824.30FEDERALBNK 94.25 94.45 92.85 93.20GSFC 110.00 113.05 109.80 112.60DEEPAKNI 212.85 218.00 212.85 216.35NMDC 92.55 96.15 92.55 95.45ENGINERSIN 126.50 127.35 124.90 126.75ALBK 46.15 47.40 46.15 46.80ICICIPRULI 324.65 330.50 324.35 327.40CANFINHOME 289.35 293.40 286.45 292.20ITI 90.40 94.00 90.40 91.80SYNDIBANK 38.10 39.70 38.10 39.50STAR 458.70 469.25 458.05 464.80MANPASAND 88.45 90.00 88.00 88.35ABCAPITAL 98.30 100.25 98.15 99.75RAIN 131.10 136.75 131.10 132.95CENTURYTEX 904.00 928.35 902.05 918.50GNFC 343.00 345.80 341.00 342.80TATAELXSI 1019.00 1023.00 1009.00 1013.10TATAGLOBAL 221.90 223.10 219.65 220.55RCF 63.80 64.65 63.55 63.80IDFC 43.50 43.75 42.95 43.30RAJESHEXPO 571.55 597.30 570.50 572.20PTC 90.35 92.50 90.15 91.75PHILIPCARB 201.00 202.80 199.10 199.50MOTHERSUMI 163.15 164.55 162.30 162.90GODREJCP 819.00 823.40 806.60 813.55NATIONALUM 63.00 64.20 62.75 63.55DRREDDY 2606.00 2633.00 2604.10 2622.05IFCI 15.05 15.06 14.73 14.85HCLTECH 948.00 960.00 948.00 956.55SUNTECK 351.95 353.00 343.10 347.40KEI 350.00 362.00 347.10 350.80LALPATHLAB 925.70 931.25 900.80 910.00RADICO 407.70 409.70 401.10 402.85SRTRANSFIN 1220.00 1232.40 1217.00 1225.45PNBHOUSING 924.95 942.00 908.75 914.35UBL 1374.90 1388.25 1365.00 1375.60LTTS 1697.75 1707.00 1664.50 1700.60EXIDEIND 266.05 269.85 264.50 265.25CADILAHC 340.95 347.30 340.35 344.65BRITANNIA 3089.95 3116.75 3083.50 3098.00IGL 265.95 267.95 263.80 265.50JKTYRE 102.40 105.95 102.40 104.00NOCIL 163.00 165.00 162.00 162.65MANAPPURAM 90.15 92.80 90.00 92.30CHENNPETRO 288.00 293.10 288.00 289.45OMAXE 214.55 215.20 213.60 213.80HAVELLS 699.00 699.00 684.70 690.85RALLIS 171.95 180.00 171.85 179.00

JMFINANCIL 91.15 93.00 90.00 91.85SCI 49.60 49.70 47.40 47.75TATACOMM 524.25 526.90 517.55 522.45MARICO 374.60 381.45 370.15 378.10INTELLECT 219.75 228.85 219.75 223.40COLPAL 1309.00 1326.90 1305.50 1319.85NESTLEIND 11009.00 11287.85 10960.00 11235.60PVR 1588.20 1600.45 1577.55 1585.45JSLHISAR 86.50 89.25 86.50 88.65IBULISL 375.95 388.25 364.50 387.30TATACHEM 707.65 714.40 707.25 711.25SHANKARA 532.00 534.55 522.00 525.05TORNTPOWER 261.00 264.20 256.70 258.50TATACOFFEE 95.50 98.25 95.35 97.05MERCK 2940.60 3100.00 2921.30 3049.25MAXINDIA 84.20 86.00 83.80 84.05TRENT 345.60 365.70 345.45 359.90APOLLOTYRE 233.50 236.10 231.55 234.90CONCOR 667.35 674.50 667.35 670.70DIVISLAB 1477.90 1481.65 1462.80 1465.85NIITTECH 1151.00 1164.70 1147.00 1153.55KPIT 221.25 222.80 217.20 217.80GODFRYPHLP 871.00 892.40 871.00 888.25RAMCOCEM 640.00 646.75 621.00 637.20MOTILALOFS 680.00 697.95 675.55 681.70ABFRL 206.45 208.00 204.30 204.90INDIANB 239.95 244.70 239.95 242.75TV18BRDCST 37.50 38.45 37.50 38.25AMBUJACEM 218.05 222.75 217.25 220.75WELSPUNIND 60.00 60.40 59.05 59.55ENDURANCE 1172.50 1230.00 1169.00 1219.50MCX 727.55 736.85 725.70 733.15SOUTHBANK 15.20 15.45 15.20 15.35NAUKRI 1480.00 1480.00 1438.00 1452.90HFCL 21.15 21.60 20.95 21.05INFRATEL 269.80 269.80 262.00 263.65FORTIS 134.45 138.75 134.10 137.45DEEPAKFERT 150.90 152.50 149.45 150.20ADANITRANS 196.90 202.60 196.55 197.65GUJALKALI 521.35 550.00 521.35 545.20VIPIND 504.25 514.00 504.25 508.75KEC 287.90 299.75 285.80 298.60TORNTPHARM 1748.55 1785.00 1747.20 1779.90WELCORP 138.75 141.20 137.95 139.05BERGEPAINT 330.00 333.90 327.25 329.90RAYMOND 836.05 839.80 831.75 835.30GET&D 286.70 303.00 286.65 294.05DCMSHRIRAM 334.25 341.90 332.65 338.95WHIRLPOOL 1330.00 1386.80 1330.00 1373.85DISHTV 37.70 38.50 37.20 37.95DCBBANK 164.95 167.35 163.10 166.30BAJAJELEC 500.10 504.95 493.65 496.20SYNGENE 561.05 565.00 550.10 560.75EICHERMOT 23094.00 23287.25 23068.60 23110.65CASTROLIND 153.20 154.55 151.80 152.15VENKYS 2394.00 2425.00 2391.00 2398.10VOLTAS 553.95 556.60 550.00 551.55HINDCOPPER 50.00 51.25 50.00 50.70REPCOHOME 392.55 403.95 391.85 401.65PFIZER 2802.70 2812.90 2741.00 2789.50AMARAJABAT 741.00 741.95 733.85 736.35JAMNAAUTO 64.85 64.90 64.00 64.00HUDCO 43.70 43.80 42.80 42.90JUBILANT 710.05 716.00 703.45 706.40SREINFRA 35.95 36.20 35.30 35.75GRUH 312.50 315.90 309.90 312.60NLCINDIA 67.40 69.85 67.15 69.70MAHABANK 15.11 15.24 14.71 15.10GREAVESCOT 120.15 121.60 118.70 119.55JSWENERGY 67.40 69.80 67.40 69.35MMTC 30.20 30.50 29.75 29.85SYMPHONY 1104.95 1192.20 1103.05 1178.95WABAG 260.00 262.75 258.10 260.10MFSL 439.40 448.75 433.45 443.75INDHOTEL 147.35 150.10 147.35 148.25UCOBANK 20.70 20.85 20.50 20.60GODREJIND 533.40 542.70 528.15 537.55GMRINFRA 16.10 16.35 16.00 16.20ABB 1310.00 1322.00 1310.00 1314.10MRPL 74.70 75.55 74.55 74.80CHAMBLFERT 143.30 147.75 143.30 146.95NHPC 26.25 26.25 25.80 26.00JINDALSAW 83.65 85.60 83.65 84.60MGL 881.00 900.70 881.00 895.30MEGH 59.70 60.60 59.50 60.05CHOLAFIN 1243.85 1253.35 1233.05 1248.40UFLEX 272.95 279.85 272.80 277.95MINDTREE 865.50 869.00 859.00 863.15J&KBANK 37.00 37.60 36.70 37.35KSCL 577.20 587.90 571.80 576.65SUPREMEIND 1145.35 1200.00 1135.00 1191.40OBEROIRLTY 456.80 461.85 451.00 453.05FCONSUMER 45.95 46.65 45.55 45.75VGUARD 235.65 235.65 229.30 231.45IRB 157.00 162.40 157.00 161.65ULTRACEMCO 4000.00 4021.00 3994.55 4004.90ELGIEQUIP 253.35 271.05 252.85 269.25DBL 424.80 426.20 418.10 420.35IDBI 61.30 61.55 61.10 61.40SJVN 24.75 25.25 24.65 25.15TEJASNET 211.15 213.80 205.00 210.80IPCALAB 790.00 798.75 780.25 784.20LAXMIMACH* 5735.75 5770.00 5676.15 5751.70PARAGMILK 246.65 254.15 246.60 252.75MAHINDCIE 244.10 250.00 242.90 248.85SWANENERGY 100.90 102.00 100.60 101.40CENTURYPLY 174.05 178.20 174.00 176.70CORPBANK 28.85 30.20 28.85 29.50HINDZINC 276.00 277.80 272.50 274.95

ISEC 262.80 264.30 256.00 258.95GRANULES 89.90 90.50 88.45 89.70DCAL 231.05 236.25 228.50 232.95GICRE 261.70 264.15 254.50 255.90CUB 186.15 189.20 185.60 187.55AARTIIND 1435.30 1435.30 1412.45 1423.80KNRCON 217.30 218.90 210.50 212.15LAOPALA 221.00 222.00 215.60 219.00NAVKARCORP 56.50 56.85 55.45 55.60NILKAMAL 1480.05 1505.00 1475.00 1485.50FDC 173.75 177.25 172.50 173.85CARERATING 982.15 988.85 975.00 980.80JSL 32.50 33.30 32.45 33.00DENABANK 17.20 17.25 17.05 17.15VIJAYABANK 50.25 50.60 50.05 50.35NETWORK18 39.00 40.95 39.00 40.40APLLTD 574.15 577.65 563.10 574.20KPRMILL 552.10 567.15 552.10 562.80EMAMILTD 405.40 412.30 405.00 407.55BLUESTARCO 612.75 621.60 611.30 613.90TATAINVEST 882.80 885.00 880.00 881.30ASTRAL 1128.80 1165.00 1121.00 1153.60HSCL 130.15 131.85 130.10 130.85PERSISTENT 635.05 641.05 623.60 632.00QUESS 641.50 646.25 633.00 638.55TRIDENT 65.95 65.95 65.10 65.55KAJARIACER 488.90 493.00 485.10 485.55GODREJAGRO 497.30 504.00 497.25 498.50EIHOTEL 194.35 201.00 192.55 194.55KANSAINER 486.25 486.25 479.65 480.45RNAM 158.40 162.80 158.35 159.40NATCOPHARM* 686.95 688.95 678.40 684.20ADANIGREEN 42.00 42.55 41.45 41.65NBVENTURES 118.80 120.00 117.55 118.90GLAXO 1490.90 1515.00 1488.45 1509.15ALKEM 1870.75 1907.05 1866.30 1897.40BOSCHLTD 19400.00 19640.00 19300.00 19581.15OFSS 3649.85 3690.15 3638.70 3662.00ASHOKA 124.90 126.65 124.50 125.20PRSMJOHNSN 87.00 89.00 87.00 88.25SHREECEM 17014.10 17575.95 16995.00 17338.45DHANUKA 464.00 472.50 462.05 464.65ASTRAZEN 1507.00 1510.55 1430.40 1465.90SONATSOFTW 301.65 302.25 300.00 300.25SUNDRMFAST 525.05 534.45 525.05 532.75MINDACORP 145.65 146.50 144.60 145.55MOIL 170.20 171.10 168.90 170.20BAJAJHLDNG 2911.05 3004.20 2911.05 2934.35BHARATFIN 1001.30 1015.00 1001.30 1005.15CROMPTON 225.00 226.35 222.90 224.30GUJFLUORO 877.40 901.50 876.45 895.05KRBL 289.80 292.00 280.00 281.80KALPATPOWR 379.40 381.50 374.25 378.10BALMLAWRIE 202.00 205.00 200.55 201.05COCHINSHIP 386.00 386.00 376.90 379.05COROMANDEL 446.40 450.90 446.40 449.70VBL 744.15 760.00 744.15 756.85CYIENT 609.95 615.45 605.05 613.20TATAMETALI 625.05 628.50 615.55 617.75GSPL 175.90 177.70 174.05 174.65ASAHIINDIA 243.00 248.65 241.00 245.00HEIDELBERG 151.05 154.55 150.65 151.35ANDHRABANK 29.30 29.80 29.30 29.50CENTRUM 37.90 37.90 34.65 35.45MINDAIND 324.30 324.75 321.30 322.40ITDCEM 108.50 114.80 108.50 112.75EVEREADY 190.35 190.40 186.65 186.95TIMETECHNO 100.05 102.25 99.70 100.20BIRLACORPN 634.90 634.90 597.55 601.95EIDPARRY 204.95 206.95 204.30 205.45PRESTIGE 208.40 215.45 208.40 214.00GMDCLTD 87.25 89.00 87.25 88.35GICHSGFIN 254.20 261.00 254.20 257.00TIINDIA 335.70 344.90 332.60 341.50BASF 1571.00 1617.45 1568.00 1583.80VMART 2589.90 2729.25 2589.90 2617.25IEX 166.25 166.60 163.35 164.05HSIL 231.55 234.65 229.70 230.65VINATIORGA 1664.90 1664.90 1610.00 1625.90NAVINFLUOR 702.70 703.80 691.20 695.10ITDC 303.60 308.25 303.05 303.65PIIND 853.00 860.00 851.00 855.20NIACL 175.55 181.00 175.55 178.50LUXIND 1460.00 1473.00 1351.80 1364.65MRF 67350.00 67448.35 66700.00 66976.00THOMASCOOK 231.05 233.95 228.05 231.20ZENSARTECH 233.95 235.10 226.00 229.453MINDIA 20798.55 21124.55 20510.55 20970.00AIAENG 1682.00 1692.45 1652.70 1681.35INDOSTAR 340.15 350.00 340.15 348.55GUJGAS 670.00 671.55 664.00 664.85CAPPL 385.50 387.25 382.20 383.75PHOENIXLTD 566.50 573.85 555.00 559.50GESHIP 315.05 315.10 308.50 309.35RELAXO 725.00 737.50 710.00 730.35LINDEINDIA 675.95 687.15 675.95 685.15GHCL 238.55 242.35 238.05 240.30SOBHA 450.00 453.75 445.80 447.00COFFEEDAY 271.50 278.40 269.40 273.85HIMATSEIDE 218.20 220.55 215.10 216.05HERITGFOOD 550.75 550.75 520.20 533.30GSKCONS 7593.05 7700.00 7593.05 7667.35ABBOTINDIA 7525.00 7525.00 7432.40 7462.60PGHH 9792.00 9900.00 9781.30 9875.00ADVENZYMES 179.00 181.00 176.40 177.00INOXWIND 75.80 78.00 75.80 77.20NESCO 440.85 453.45 440.85 448.10BDL 270.10 277.90 270.10 275.90TAKE 151.10 151.15 147.00 147.85

BLUEDART 3210.20 3350.00 3191.25 3299.75MAHLOG 509.00 519.15 508.30 517.40GREENPLY 138.00 139.70 136.20 138.60AEGISLOG 189.00 193.55 189.00 192.45HONAUT 21350.00 21888.00 21201.05 21803.45THERMAX 1080.35 1086.00 1065.75 1075.70JAGRAN 114.35 115.00 112.60 112.95WABCOINDIA 6845.95 7000.00 6770.60 6961.50HAL 776.00 793.10 776.00 789.75ESSELPRO 107.85 108.65 105.05 108.15NAVNETEDUL 103.00 107.35 103.00 105.55SOMANYCERA 331.55 333.00 325.15 328.60BAYERCROP 4220.00 4300.00 4216.00 4284.65IOB 14.72 15.00 14.72 14.84INOXLEISUR 244.00 244.90 240.80 241.20SADBHAV 207.00 209.00 206.50 207.70JKCEMENT 719.20 727.75 711.00 712.10ISGEC 5070.00 5070.00 5005.15 5010.70APARINDS 667.00 676.00 654.90 656.70SCHNEIDER 100.90 101.65 100.10 101.25AKZOINDIA 1633.25 1695.00 1631.90 1673.95SANOFI 6211.00 6399.00 6151.05 6307.70GPPL 101.10 103.25 100.15 102.55APLAPOLLO 1110.55 1123.80 1100.00 1104.15SUDARSCHEM 340.90 343.00 339.50 341.85KIOCL 145.00 152.00 120.00 148.50NH 200.00 201.00 193.20 197.45SHOPERSTOP 506.20 554.90 502.40 537.25REDINGTON 87.35 88.15 87.25 87.85DBCORP 175.00 175.00 168.00 168.10ZYDUSWELL 1370.40 1375.65 1355.45 1360.55TEAMLEASE 2820.00 2860.50 2806.50 2837.10TIMKEN 559.90 570.00 556.00 561.60JKLAKSHMI 284.35 290.90 284.15 288.30CARBORUNIV 354.30 359.90 353.00 358.80MAHLIFE 388.10 396.40 388.10 391.70ASTERDM 148.20 152.20 148.00 151.85TRITURBINE 117.05 119.00 112.55 113.35SUNCLAYLTD 3428.00 3739.85 3411.00 3594.80FINCABLES 456.80 461.05 455.45 459.80LAURUSLABS 381.00 392.50 381.00 385.00TVSSRICHAK 2473.25 2500.00 2450.00 2482.45ATUL 3443.65 3451.00 3408.25 3424.95BAJAJCORP 363.00 364.30 358.70 359.85SHARDACROP 306.60 309.95 304.95 305.55JBCHEPHARM 293.10 301.25 293.10 299.75FLFL 391.00 398.00 388.15 395.50SFL 1460.00 1469.70 1450.00 1455.70ERIS 674.30 687.60 666.45 681.90GDL 130.95 131.15 129.65 131.00ALLCARGO 107.50 109.10 107.50 108.95LAKSHVILAS 87.00 87.15 86.50 86.80ECLERX 1111.00 1111.00 1086.10 1092.25FINOLEXIND 550.05 557.95 548.00 550.85CERA 2377.75 2404.90 2352.50 2378.85SHILPAMED 389.15 389.20 371.00 378.05MAGMA 110.95 111.55 108.75 110.25SUPRAJIT 217.45 220.00 214.30 219.05CRISIL 1623.80 1625.55 1600.00 1600.90PNCINFRA 145.50 148.00 144.80 147.70FORBESCO 2424.90 2424.95 2360.00 2400.00GRINDWELL 540.00 560.00 540.00 556.60GALAXYSURF 1205.90 1209.85 1188.75 1201.50SUPPETRO 207.60 211.55 206.00 209.10STARCEMENT 107.00 107.00 101.25 103.65GULFOILLUB 828.95 829.00 820.00 823.85THYROCARE 543.90 543.90 536.50 537.95TIFHL 506.00 515.45 505.50 509.90RATNAMANI 935.85 950.00 935.85 949.20SHK 170.50 172.00 170.50 171.85GEPIL 816.25 823.10 816.25 820.10JCHAC 1800.00 1800.00 1771.00 1786.15SOLARINDS 1051.50 1070.00 1042.30 1058.65SHRIRAMCIT 1571.90 1599.00 1569.10 1589.75ORIENTCEM 81.00 82.25 81.00 81.50TTKPRESTIG 7398.00 7500.00 7390.00 7459.40SKFINDIA 1947.00 2000.00 1895.35 1899.60HATSUN 622.70 627.00 622.10 623.95MONSANTO 2577.10 2639.00 2577.10 2619.00IFBIND 849.95 850.00 832.05 840.80CCL 272.20 272.70 271.25 271.55SCHAEFFLER 5578.90 5650.00 5553.05 5635.35GILLETTE 6497.55 6498.00 6460.60 6491.65TNPL 252.10 254.50 252.00 253.00SIS 768.55 769.80 753.95 759.85TVTODAY 370.50 370.55 370.00 370.10VTL 1029.65 1035.50 1029.65 1035.50

NIFTY 50

SCRIP OPEN HIgh LOW LTP CHANGENIFTY 50 10820.95 10893.60 10817.15 10859.90 80.10TITAN 904.00 925.75 898.80 924.15 36.50SUNPHARMA 415.00 428.70 413.50 425.00 13.85IOC 134.60 138.70 134.20 138.20 4.30ZEEL 461.25 478.70 461.25 474.50 10.10BAJFINANCE 2603.00 2643.80 2585.95 2641.00 53.85VEDL 197.65 200.65 197.00 199.90 4.05YESBANK 180.00 183.30 180.00 181.65 3.55TATAMOTORS 169.40 172.20 169.15 171.40 3.15BAJAJFINSV 6424.00 6530.00 6412.60 6522.00 116.95JSWSTEEL 294.40 300.60 294.40 298.00 5.05HCLTECH 952.10 963.00 950.00 963.00 14.20HDFC 1959.00 1990.00 1952.00 1978.15 29.30INDUSINDBK 1578.85 1600.50 1571.00 1586.50 22.50GRASIM 814.90 827.95 814.90 825.10 11.35ICICIBANK 358.30 362.80 358.30 360.55 4.90HINDALCO 221.00 226.05 221.00 223.65 3.05DRREDDY 2605.00 2633.00 2601.10 2622.90 35.45AXISBANK 623.90 628.00 620.00 625.80 8.25HINDPETRO 253.50 257.00 251.00 255.80 3.10TATASTEEL 508.20 516.45 508.05 512.35 5.85UPL 752.50 771.00 752.50 758.00 8.35LT 1426.55 1448.00 1426.30 1440.00 14.95M&M 799.35 807.00 797.00 803.80 8.15NTPC 147.45 151.60 146.50 149.80 1.50HDFCBANK 2117.35 2137.75 2115.50 2124.00 18.95ADANIPORTS 384.95 390.75 384.00 387.20 3.20CIPLA 514.30 525.35 514.30 522.00 4.10SBIN 293.60 297.10 293.55 294.45 2.30ONGC 148.20 151.50 148.00 150.60 0.90TECHM 710.00 718.40 710.00 713.00 4.10EICHERMOT 23011.00 23310.00 22995.00 23120.00 125.50ULTRACEMCO 3986.60 4022.00 3985.00 4004.00 21.50WIPRO 326.20 332.90 325.80 329.10 1.65RELIANCE 1125.50 1135.25 1121.20 1125.65 5.45ITC 279.15 284.00 279.15 282.00 1.25IBULHSGFIN 850.00 858.00 838.90 847.50 2.40HINDUNILVR 1817.90 1834.90 1815.70 1820.00 5.10MARUTI 7548.00 7580.00 7490.00 7518.00 18.05KOTAKBANK 1244.25 1250.90 1235.05 1239.65 -0.60INFY 663.35 663.50 653.30 656.10 -0.70POWERGRID 197.50 198.35 195.60 196.25 -0.30HEROMOTOCO 3138.05 3160.00 3110.75 3123.45 -5.35BHARTIARTL 316.90 321.00 314.50 316.10 -0.60GAIL 356.45 361.35 355.05 355.50 -0.95COALINDIA 242.90 243.35 239.75 242.30 -0.65ASIANPAINT 1383.00 1383.00 1359.00 1365.00 -7.50BAJAJ-AUTO 2753.90 2759.95 2711.75 2720.00 -17.00TCS 1915.00 1920.00 1893.00 1897.00 -11.95BPCL 361.80 369.80 360.20 361.20 -3.40INFRATEL 269.05 269.75 262.00 262.65 -4.15

SE 500B

NIFTY NEXT 50

SCRIP OPEN HIgh LOW LTP CHANGENIFTY NEXT 50 27863.40 28123.65 27860.90 28063.20 282.25SAIL 51.95 54.90 51.80 54.85 3.35DMART 1580.00 1669.50 1574.00 1656.00 85.85SUNTV 591.00 618.50 588.20 616.90 30.70OIL 172.45 178.45 171.30 178.00 7.25NMDC 92.40 96.25 92.40 95.55 3.25BHEL 70.05 72.40 70.05 72.20 2.20PEL 2308.00 2373.70 2302.15 2360.00 69.10LICHSGFIN 481.00 490.40 478.50 489.15 10.95AMBUJACEM 217.10 222.80 217.10 221.75 4.90CADILAHC 340.25 347.60 339.35 345.95 7.15BEL 87.00 88.25 86.60 87.90 1.75COLPAL 1302.05 1327.65 1302.05 1326.00 25.65BANKBARODA 117.25 119.05 117.10 118.50 2.10ABCAPITAL 98.50 100.25 98.05 99.85 1.70BIOCON 612.75 623.60 611.50 621.90 10.45PETRONET 224.00 228.70 222.30 226.20 3.70AUROPHARMA 712.00 727.35 712.00 723.30 11.45ICICIPRULI 324.00 331.00 323.45 328.00 5.15SHREECEM 16900.00 17350.00 16800.00 17200.00 252.60MCDOWELL-N 636.95 640.00 634.00 640.00 8.40ACC 1465.00 1493.00 1465.00 1478.00 18.80BOSCHLTD 19395.00 19678.00 19270.15 19640.00 230.85DLF 177.90 180.70 176.70 177.70 2.05SBILIFE 600.00 605.00 587.25 597.50 6.90NIACL 177.00 179.55 176.95 178.10 1.95INDIGO 1151.20 1188.00 1147.05 1176.00 12.20IDEA 37.25 38.10 37.25 37.50 0.35SIEMENS 1030.00 1060.00 1025.00 1041.75 9.75DABUR 431.85 437.25 428.50 433.00 3.05MRF 67279.00 67475.00 66980.00 67150.00 463.65HAVELLS 686.05 696.60 684.05 689.35 4.50PGHH 9790.00 9960.00 9751.00 9850.00 56.85ABB 1319.95 1323.35 1309.05 1316.50 7.50BRITANNIA 3083.00 3114.35 3080.95 3089.10 13.70CONCOR 670.00 674.20 666.60 669.00 2.55HINDZINC 276.00 277.70 271.50 276.00 0.85MOTHERSUMI 163.60 164.50 162.10 162.80 0.35OFSS 3660.00 3695.50 3637.50 3670.00 6.45L&TFH 154.25 155.95 153.30 154.50 0.25ASHOKLEY 103.05 104.40 102.55 102.95 -0.05LUPIN 841.00 852.00 836.80 837.65 -1.05MARICO 375.25 381.65 370.15 375.80 -1.05SRTRANSFIN 1224.00 1231.90 1216.25 1222.75 -3.95GODREJCP 819.00 824.00 805.15 808.55 -6.80NHPC 26.10 26.20 25.85 25.95 -0.25PIDILITIND 1123.20 1127.45 1098.00 1101.40 -12.30HDFCLIFE 391.40 393.40 384.50 386.00 -4.60BANDHANBNK 543.00 549.00 532.00 533.35 -7.25GICRE 260.50 264.50 254.50 255.00 -5.10ICICIGI 865.00 865.00 844.95 847.75 -27.60

world 12LUCKNOW | SATURDAY | DECEMBER 29, 2018

CPEC has no militarydimensions: PakistanPTI n ISLAMABAD

Pakistan has said that theChina-Pakistan Economic

Corridor (CPEC) is a bilateraleconomic project and has nomilitary dimensions. ForeignOffice spokesman MohammadFaisal said this at the weeklymedia briefing here onThursday when asked about aUS media report that allegedthat China has hatched a secretplan to build fighter jets andother military hardware inPakistan as part of the USD 60billion project.

The Islamabad datelinedreport in the New York Timessaid Pakistani Air Force andChinese officials were puttingthe final touches to the secretproposal. China last week dis-missed as untrue the report.Responding to the report,Faisal said the CPEC is an eco-nomic project betweenPakistan and China, the Dawnreported.

“The CPEC has helpedPakistan improve its economy,particularly energy and infra-structure sectors haveimproved under it. The CPECis a bilateral economic project,which is not against any coun-try,” he was quoted as saying bythe daily.

The CPEC, which con-nects Gwadar Port inBalochistan with China’sXinjiang province, is the flag-ship project of ChinesePresident Xi Jinping’s ambitiousBelt and Road Initiative(BRI).All-weather friends andclose allies, China and Pakistanhave been jointly building theJ-17 Thunder, a single seatermulti-role combat aircraft.Pakistan has been eyeing anumber of new advancedChinese jets including thestealth fighter.

Pakistan leaders demand

action against Abidi killers

PTI n WASHINGTON

Horrified at the assassina-tion of former member of

parliament Ali Raza Abidi, agroup of dissident Pakistanisliving in self-exile in the US onThursday demanded that hiskillers be brought to account.“We are shocked and horrified,and condemn in the strongestpossible terms the heinousmurder of former parliamen-tarian and senior leader of theMQM, Syed Ali Raza Abidi,”members of the SteeringCommittee of South AsiansAgainst Terrorism and forHuman Rights (SAATH) saidin a statement on the assassi-nation of Abidi.

Abidi was killed onSunday in Karachi, a Mohajirmajority city, by two gunmenriding on a motorbike outsidehis doorstep when he wasreturning from his office. “Thismurder comes amid falseclaims by Pakistan’s establish-ment and its artificially select-ed civilian government aboutrestoring peace and security toKarachi,” said SAATH, whichrecently held a conference inWashington DC on the shrink-ing space for civil rights anddissidence inside Pakistan. “Wedemand his killers be broughtto account – and not just thepawns in the game, but themasterminds,” SAATHdemanded. Signatories to thestatement include: columnistsGul Bukhari and DrMohammed Taqi, exiled jour-nalist Taha Siddiqi, and formerPakistan ambassador to the US,Husain Haqqani, along with

other members of SAATH’s 28-member steering committee.

In a separate statement,the Voice of Karachi chairmanNadeem Nusrat categoricallyblamed Pakistani intelligenceagencies for the murder ofAbidi. “Ali Raza Abidi was notonly a Mohajir, he alsobelonged to Shia communitywhich has been the subject ofa wave of organised lethalattacks by establishment-spon-sored religious extremists. AliAbidi also frequently criticisedinhuman treatment of Pashtunsand Balochs in the parliament,besides regularly raising hisvoice against Pakistani state’sdiscriminatory policies towardshis fellow Mohajirs — descen-dants of those who had migrat-ed from India to Pakistan at thetime of partition in 1947,”Nusrat said. US CongressmanThomas Garrett in a tweetcondemned the killing of Abidi.“Targeted killings of politicalleaders are a leading indicatorof an oppressive society.Whether government sanc-tioned or internal dispute, thekilling of Ali Raza Abidi does-n’t bode well for the present, thefuture, or minority rights inSouth Asia,” he tweeted.

AFP n WASHINGTON

Michael Cohen, DonaldTrump’s former attorney,

denied Thursday that he hadever visited Prague, shootingdown a report that he had ameeting with Russian officialsthere during the 2016 presi-dential election campaign. “Ihear #Prague #CzechRepublicis beautiful in the summertime,”Cohen tweeted. “I wouldn’tknow as I have never been.”

#Mueller knows every-thing!” he added in a referenceto Special Counsel RobertMueller, the former FBI direc-tor who is investigating whetherTrump’s campaign colludedwith Russia to get him electedto the White House. Cohen’stweet came several hours afterthe McClatchy news servicereported that cell phone recordsshowed that Cohen was nearPrague in the summer of 2016,supporting claims that he metthere with Russian officials.

Cohen, who was sentenced

to three years in prison thismonth after pleading guilty totax evasion and other crimes,has denied ever visiting Prague.Since then, however, Cohen hasturned on his former boss andhas been cooperating withSpecial Counsel Robert Mueller,the former FBI director who isinvestigating whether Trump’scampaign colluded with Russiato get him elected to the WhiteHouse. Details of Cohen’s

cooperation with the Muellerprobe have not been publiclyrevealed and Trump vehe-mently denies any collusionwith Russia.

The purported meetingbetween Cohen and Russiangovernment officials in Praguewas first reported in a docu-ment with compromising mate-rial on Trump compiled by for-mer British spy ChristopherSteele. According to what hasbecome known as the “Steeledossier”, Cohen had a clandes-tine meeting with Kremlin offi-cials in Prague in August 2016to discuss hiding links betweenmembers of the Trump cam-paign and Russia.

McClatchy, publisher of theMiami Herald and other news-papers, said a mobile phonetraced to Cohen had briefly sentsignals off cell towers in thePrague area in late summer2016.

“The brief activation fromCohen’s phone near Prague

sent beacons that left a traceableelectronic signature,” it said.Citing “four people with knowl-edge of the matter”, McClatchysaid that the electronic recordsupports “claims that Cohenmet secretly there with Russianofficials.” “During the sameperiod of late August or earlySeptember (2016), electroniceavesdropping by an EasternEuropean intelligence agencypicked up a conversationamong Russians, one of whomremarked that Cohen was inPrague,” McClatchy cited “twopeople familiar with the inci-dent” as saying.

“The new informationregarding the recovery ofCohen’s cell phone locationdoesn’t explain why he wasapparently there or who he wasmeeting with, if anyone,”McClatchy said.

“But it adds to evidence thatCohen was in or near Praguearound the time of the sup-posed meeting,” it said.

AFP n LONDON

British Foreign SecretaryJeremy Hunt on Friday

criticised Donald Trump’sview of the world after theUS president’s announce-ment of a withdrawal ofAmerican troops from thefight against the IslamicState group in Syria.

“President Trump makes aspeciality of talking in veryblack and white terms aboutwhat’s happening in theworld,” Hunt told BBC Radio4’s Today programme.

“We have made massiveprogress in the war againstDaesh (Arabic acronym forIS), but it’s not over and,although they have lost near-ly all the territory they held,they still hold some territoryand there is still some realrisk,” he said.

“We have to continue tob e v ig i l ant ,” he added.Trump announced the pull-out last week, stunning alliesincluding Britain and Francewho warned that the fight

against jihadists in Syria wasnot finished. Some 2,000 UStroops, joined by other for-eign forces, have been assist-ing local fighters battlingagainst IS.

Britain takes part in thecoalition by carrying out airstrikes in IS-held areas inIraq and Syria.

During a visit to Iraqthis week, Trump declaredan end to the US role ofbeing the world’s “police-man”.

“We don’t want to betaken advantage of any moreby countries that use us anduse our incredible militaryto protect them,” he said.

Asked what would hap-pen if US troops also with-drew from Afghanistan,Hunt said: “We will contin-ue to do everything we needto do to make sure thestreets of Britain are safe.

“This is a security issuefor the UK as well as forAfghanistan,” he said.

Trump has black and white world viewMichael Cohen dismisses report ofPrague meeting with Russians

Boat carryingover 300 Africanmigrants rescuedoff Libya San Roque(Spain): A charityrescue boat carrying 311 main-ly African migrants plucked offLibya entered Spanish watersFriday morning and was set toberth in a southern port nearGibraltar. Proactiva OpenArms, the Spanish charitywhich runs the Open Armsvessel said the migrants —who include pregnant women,children and babies — weremainly from Somalia, Nigeriaand Mali.

The ship will dock in theport of Crinavis, in San Roque,near the city of Algeciras.“Good morning, Open Arms isalready in the Bay of Gibraltarand is steering towards the onlyport available to it in theMediterranean. Missionaccomplished,” tweeted thecharity’s founder Oscar Camps.The migrants were rescued onDecember 21 from three ves-sels but were denied entry byItaly and Malta. Libya, Franceand Tunisia did not respond toProactiva Open Arms’ requestsfor permission to dock, Madridsaid.

On Saturday, a newbornbaby and his mother were heli-coptered from the boat toMalta, while a 14-year-old suf-fering from a serious skininfection was taken to theItalian island of Lampedusa.Photos and videos posted bythe charity showed the rest ofthe rescued migrants markingChristmas at sea listening tomusic and singing. Some chil-dren wore red Santa hats asthey huddled together on thesmall rescue ship.

Police will identify themigrants before moving themto shelters. Proactiva OpenArms operates in the seabetween Libya and southernEurope, coming to the aid ofmigrants who get into diffi-culties during the crossingfrom northern Africa. It will bethe first time since August thatSpain has allowed a charity res-cue ship to dock and unloadmigrants in the country.

The Open Arms resumedits patrols of the Mediterraneanoff the Libyan coast in lateNovember, along with twoother boats run by migrant aidgroups. In August it had sus-pended its missions, accusinggovernments, and ItalianInterior Minister MatteoSalvini by name, of “criminal-ising” migrant rescue charities.Salvini has denied the groupsaccess to Italy’s ports, accusingthem of acting as a “taxi ser-vice” for migrants.

PTI n DHAKA

The year 2018 was an event-ful one for Bangladesh

which is going to crucial pollson Sunday but it may not seethe “battling begums” in directcontest as jailed ex-premierKhalida Zia is unable to chal-lenge Prime Minister SheikhHasina, whose governmentmaintained steady ties withIndia. The two women -Hasina, the 71-year-old daugh-ter of the country’s foundingleader Sheikh MujiburRahman, and Zia, the 73-year-old widow of military dictatorZiaur Rahman, have beenpolitical royalty - begums -since the 1980s.

While Hasina is seekingre-election for a fourth term asthe prime minister in theupcoming polls, her rival Zia,who is reportedly partiallyparalysed, faces an uncertainfuture in a Dhaka jail.Zia, thetwo-time former prime min-ister, boycotted the 2014 elec-tions, saying it was rigged infavour of Hasina and her rul-ing Awami League party. Zia’sBangladesh Nationalist Party(BNP) alleges that the AL-ledgovernment is engaged in acrackdown against its workersaiming at derailing its electioncampaign.

The first woman primeminister in the country’s his-tory and second in theMuslim-majority countriesafter Pakistan’s Benazir Bhutto,

Zia was in November orderedby a court to stay behind barsfor more than a decade forgraft. The convictions meanshe cannot contest the poll.

Zia’s supporters say thecharges against her are politi-cally motivated. Her sonTarique Rahman, the actingparty head, was also sentenced

to life behind bars.The BNP had decided not

to take part in the polls whileits top leader was in jail. Butthe legal obligations forcedthe party to take part in theelections as the party couldhave lost its registration withthe Election Commission if itwould have abstained from

polls for a second consecutivetime.

The emergence of theNational Unity Forum (NUF)as a joint opposition platformwas a landmark event inBangladesh’s political front thisyear after Zia’s imprisonmentin February. The alliance cre-ated hope for the BNP to have

a pre-polls dialogue with thegovernment. A former AwamiLeague stalwart and eminentjurist, Kamal Hossain leads theNUF. He, however, preferrednot to contest the polls himself.Several Western diplomats andpolitical analysts inside thecountry said the emergence ofthe NUF created a win-win sit-uation for all stakeholders andpaved the way for the BNP toreturn to Parliament.

Unlike the 2014 elections,major foreign powers appearedappreciative of the currentpolitical course despite theirworries about the rights situ-ation in the country.The zerouse of the anti-India rhetoricduring the election campaigncame as a respite to New Delhi,which in the past was accusedof intervening in the country’spolitics.

Analysts said the BNP overthe years preferred to get NewDelhi as an ally, burying theold hostile attitude, a develop-ment which some of thempreferred to call “bipartisanconsensus” regarding the next-door neighbour. Bangladesh’sties with India this year grewsteadily, with high-level visitsfrom both sides. Hasina visit-ed India in May during whichshe held talks with PrimeMinister Narendra Modi.

The last few years havebeen a “golden chapter” inIndia-Bangladesh relationshipwhen complicated issues of

land and coastal boundarieswere resolved, Modi said at thetime. Echoing his views,Hasina hoped that the remain-ing issues will also be resolvedin a “friendly atmosphere”.India signed a revised travelagreement with Bangladeshduring Home Minister RajnathSingh’s visit to Dhaka in JulyUnder the Revised TravelArrangement (RTA)-2018,freedom fighters and elderlyBangladeshi nationals will getfive-year multiple visa fromIndia.

During the year, the twocountries launched manydevelopment cooperation pro-jects, including the construc-tion of the Akhaura-Agartalarail line and the restoration ofKulaura-Shahbazpur sectionof railway line.

The two countries jointlyinaugurated the constructionof 130-km Bangladesh-IndiaFriendship Pipeline betweenSiliguri in West Bengal andParbatipur in Dinajpur. Indiaalso announced a three-yearvisa for Bangladeshi studentswilling to study in the country.The issue of Teesta water shar-ing issue, however, remainedunresolved.

Most analysts feel that thecrucial bilateral ties now wit-nesses a new trajectory sincethe Awami League assumedpower in 2009 and they expectthe relations to grow further in2019 irrespective of the out-

come of Bangladesh’s elec-tions. The Rohngya crisisremained a major issue inBangladesh this year.

The country rallied hugeinternational support to putpressure on Myanmar to takeback minority MuslimRohingyas who fled the coun-try following a military crack-down. After several rounds oftalks, Myanmar agreed to startthe repatriation. But theplanned beginning of the repa-triation of thousands ofRohingyas which was set forNovember 15 faced a setbackamid concerns over their safe-ty once they return to theirhomeland in Myanmar’sRakhine state.

Some foreign relationsanalysts said Dhaka was a bitupset with India’s role in theRohingya crisis particularlyfor not mounting pressure onMyanmar to take back 1.1million people, who wereforced to take refuge inBangladesh.

Bangladesh set a bad trackrecord in terms of humanrights this year, drawing mas-sive criticism for incidents of“forced disappearances” anddeaths in the hands of lawenforcement agencies.

As Bangladesh is gettingready to install a new govern-ment, the new year promises alot of action not only on thepolitical front but also on for-eign policy front.

Souvenirs with pictures of Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, front, and others are put up for sale at a roadside shopahead of the general elections in Dhaka, Banglades on Friday. AP

Bangladesh’s ‘battling begums’ fight for survival in year 2018

US govt shutdown set to drag on to 2019

PTI n WASHINGTON

The partial US govern-ment shutdown is all set

to drag on to the new year asopposition Democrats andRepublicans refused to showany sign of compromiseThursday to end the impasseover Pres ident DonaldTrump’s demand for borderwall funding. Trump hasrefused to sign any stopgapspending bill that does nothas provisions to fund a wallalong the US-Mexico borderwhich he says is essential tostop the flow of illegal immi-grants.

The Democrats, who willhold majority in the USHouse of Representatives in2019 and carries the crucialnumb ers in the S enatedespite being in minority,has argued that such a moveis waste of taxpayers’ money.Statements issued by boththe camps on Thursday indi-cated that the impasse is allset to continue in the newyear. The partial govern-ment shutdown that startedlast Saturday has affected800,000 federal employees,who have either been fur-loughed or are working with-out pay.

President Trump contin-ued to blame Democrats forthe shutdown. In a tweet,Trump said the governmentshutdown is not about thewall. “Everybody knowsthat a Wall will work per-fectly (In Israel the Wallworks 99.9%). This is onlyabout the Dems not lettingDonald Trump and theRepublicans have a win.They may have the 10 Senatevotes, but we have the issue,Border Security. 2020!” hesaid. White House press sec-retary Sarah Sanders also

crit icised Democrats onThursday, saying in a state-ment that they had “decidedto go home” over theChristmas holiday ratherthan stay in Washington tonegotiate.

“The President has madeclear that any bill to fund thegovernment must adequate-ly fund border security tostop the flow of illegal drugs,criminals, MS-13 gang mem-bers, child smugglers andhuman traffickers into ourcommunities - and protect

the American people,” theWhite House said.

“ The adminis trat ionunderstands this crisis andmade a reasonable, com-mon-sense solut ion toDemocrats five days ago -we’ve not received a singleresponse,” it said in a state-ment.

The President and histeam stayed in Washingtonover Christmas hoping tonegotiate a deal that wouldstop the dangerous crisis onthe border, protect American

communities, and re-openthe government, it said.

“The Democrats decidedto go home,” it alleged.

“The only rational con-clusion is that the Democratparty is openly choosing tokeep our government closedto protect illegal immigrantsrather than the Americanpeople. The President doesnot want the government toremain shut down, but hewill not sign a proposal thatdoes not first prioritize ourcountry’s safety and securi-

ty,” the White House said.The Demo crats havedescribed it as a “Trumpshutdown”.

“Federal workers shouldnot be held hostage by thePresident’s demand for auseless and offensive borderwal l that he promisedMexico would pay for,” saidDemo crat ic l eaderCongressman McGovern.

“Republicans hold theHouse, the Senate, and theWhite House until January 3.They closed this governmentdown and they have anobligation to open it back up.If they continue refusing todo so, the Demo crat icMajor ity wi l l move toresponsibly end the TrumpShutdown on Day One of thenew Congress,” he said.Senator Richard Blumenthalsaid Trump’s positioning fora “very long” shutdown dis-regards the struggle and sac-rifice many families are cur-rently making.

... as Trump, Democrats stick to their stands

The Capitol is seen on a rainy morning in Washington on Friday during a partial government shutdown. President Donald Trumpis threatening to close the U.S. border with Mexico if Democrats in Congress don't agree to fund the construction of a borderwall. Trump tweeted Friday morning that "We will be forced to close the Southern Border entirely," unless a funding deal isreached with "the Obstructionist Democrats." Trump's demand for money to build the border wall and Democrats' refusal to givehim what he wants has caused a partial government shutdown that is nearly a week old.. AP

TRUMP HAS

REFUSED TO SIGN

ANY STOPGAP

SPENDING BILL

THAT DOES NOT

HAS PROVISIONS

TO FUND A WALL

ALONG THE

US-MEXICO

BORDER WHICH

HE SAYS IS

ESSENTIAL TO

STOP THE FLOW

OF ILLEGAL

IMMIGRANTS

vivacity {48 hours} 13LUCKNOW | SATURDAY | DECEMBER 29, 2018

IMMERSIVE 60 MINUTESCONVERSATION 25 MINUTES

Growing up, GeorgeHardeen never thoughttoo much about beingrelated to arguably themost famous magician

of all time, whose name is synony-mous with great escape.

But at 66, the Arizona man isdelving into the history of his great-uncle Harry Houdini in a journey atthe heart of a new series on theScience Channel.

“We spoke to many collectors andhistorians. These guys live Houdini allthe time,” Hardeen said. “They knowmore about Houdini than I will everbe able to.”

Houdini’s Last Secrets, whichbegins airing on January 6, followsHardeen as he and escape artist LeeTerbosic explore the engineeringbehind some of Houdini’s most leg-endary feats.

The Hungarian-born illusionist,who came to the U.S. as a child, gen-erated headlines in the early 1900s forescaping from handcuffs, straitjack-ets and even a milk can.

Each of the four episodes focus-es on a different stunt, including beingburied alive and the water torture cell,in which Houdini was lowered upsidedown into a water tank with his feetlocked in stocks. A stunt builder con-structs the props, and Terbosic re-enacts the stunts.

“No one knows how Houdini didthe tricks. So, we pondered it andcame up with our own methodologyso that Lee could perform the trick,”Hardeen said.

Wyatt Channell, a ScienceChannel executive producer, saidHoudini knew how to create a per-sona and hold people’s interest but theprogramme tries to look at him froma different perspective.

“Everybody thinks of him as anescape artist, illusionist and magician.But there was a ton of engineeringbehind what he was doing,” Channellsaid.

The production companyapproached Hardeen about a year ago.

“I think, in many ways, the showis George’s journey,” Channell said.“George is really the one, as the every-man, asking the questions we all arewondering — How Houdini did thesethings.”

It also touches on other questions,such as whether Houdini could havebeen recruited to be a spy. For that,Hardeen interviewed JohnMcLaughlin, former acting director ofthe CIA and a lifelong magician andHoudini fan.

Hardeen’s grandfather TheoHardeen was Houdini’s youngerbrother and an illusionist in his ownright. George Hardeen’s father didn’ttell his son about his magical lineage

until he was about 10.“My sister found a piece of mail

that came addressed to my dad,Harry Houdini Hardeen. He alwayswent by Harry H. Hardeen,” Hardeensaid. “That’s when he basically told us.”

The show has helped Hardeenlearn more about the man behind themagician.

Houdini, who died on Halloween1926 at 52, and other family membershad an incredible work ethic andaimed to be the best, Hardeen said.Houdini ran 10 miles (16 kilometers)a day to keep his body in peak shapebut also was a hoarder with a compul-sive side, he said.

“It jibes with stuff my dad toldme,” said Hardeen, a communicationconsultant for an Arizona utility.

The show brought him to theHouse of Houdini, a museum in hisancestral home of Budapest, Hungary,where he hopes to take his three chil-dren.

His youngest daughter, ShonieHardeen, said she would love thatopportunity. The 24-year-old from theArizona mountain town of Flagstaffsaid the show has increased her inter-est in her dad’s family and Houdini.

“Some people are from Europe,and they can’t pinpoint it. I guess it’seasier for my family to figure out stuffbecause he’s been written about for solong,” Shonie Hardeen said. —AP

The exhilarating and terrifyingjourney of the Winchesterbrothers continues as

Supernatural enters its 14th thrillingseason. Jared Padalecki as Sam andJensen Ackles as Dean have spenttheir lives on the road, battling everykind of supernatural threat. Overthe years, after countless adventures,they have faced vampires, ghosts,demons, shapeshifters, angels andfallen gods – but what will thebrothers encounter next? Lets catchup with Jared Padalecki to findout…

After 13 seasons ofSupernatural, how much do youenjoy playing the role of SamWinchester?

I enjoy Sam Winchester, nodoubt in that. Selfishly, I learn a lotabout Jared by playing Sam. Plus, Ienjoy the hell out of the people Iwork with. It’s no secret that me andAckles are dear friends. I met themother of my kids on the show, andI enjoy Misha [Collins, who playsCastiel]. I think people sense the factthat we all legitimately enjoy eachother. There’s no bad apple here. Ienjoy telling the journey. I love beinga storyteller, and I can’t think ofanother TV show or movie that I’drather be on as an actor. I get to doeverything in this show. I get to docomedy, play different characters. I

get to die and then come back. Ieven get to be in Scooby-Doo. I’mreally happy to do it.

How would you describe Sam’srole at the start of season 14? Doeshe have more leadership respon-sibilities than before?

It’s different to when he ledhunters against the British Men ofLetters. There he was like, “Okay, wecan do this. I need to lead this fac-tion.” Now he’s the de facto leader.It’s like, “Oh God… I guess it’s all onme now. Okay, what do I do? But I’mworried about my brother, and thisand that.” He has people from a dif-ferent universe living in the Men ofLetters bunker. These people wantto kill Michael. It’s a tricky situation.Sam’s goal is to save Dean and killMichael. Michael destroyed theirplanet. They don’t care about Dean,but they obviously want to exactvengeance on this archangel whodestroyed everybody they knew, soSam has to calm the waters. It’ssomething I think that Sam is goodat.

How much do you enjoyexploring the new side to thecharacter of Sam?

I enjoy the parts of Sam wherehe goes, “I am lion. Hear me roar!”But I also enjoy the almost com-manding general part of Sam bet-

ter; the behind-the-scenes thing.Sam knows he’s got brawn, but Ithink he also knows that his powerlies in his brain. The powerful Samis cool and fun, but I prefer the moremeasured approach from him. Ienjoy the thoughtful, pensive, aca-demic, and research-driven Sam.

How does it feel to have JensenAckles play the big bad in?

It’s fun. We approached it a lit-tle bit before when he was demon– but this is different. There havebeen times where Dean and Samhave been at odds; where Dean’sbeen in the wrong or Sam’s been inthe wrong, but that’s always fun to

explore. This is a totally new dynam-ic, but it’s going to be interesting tosee how it all pans out.

At Comic-Con in San Diego,you made a joke about the discus-sions on whether or not you couldhave facial hair in Supernatural.Was there really a big debate?

For me, it wasn’t as much of anissue. I think Jensen wanted facialhair, but they were like, “No.” I wasallowed facial hair, but there’s somereasoning behind it. When the newseason starts, it’s a couple monthsafter the finale. I enjoy the fact thatthere was a passage of time. At thatpoint in time, I figured there’s a lot

going on with Sam. There are thehunters in the Men of Lettersbunker. Sam is trying to findMichael and Dean. He’s also tryingto help Jack [played by AlexanderCalvert] who’s now human. At thestart of the season, I feel like Sam isat the point where’s he’s a little toodistracted to eat. Everything’s on thego. He’s aware of the ticking clock.He has more important things tothink about than tweezing his eye-brows and lathering up his face totake care of some facial hair.

Did you have to ask permis-sion to have facial hair?

Yes, but it wasn’t too much a

debate. When we started shooting,I had a beard. I was very proud ofmy beard, but it was too much. Ireached out [to the show’s executiveproducers] to find out theirthoughts on the matter. I was like,“Hey Bob. Hey Andrew. I read thefirst few episodes. What do youthink about a little bit of facial hair?”I talked about a few other things inthe script, too. They said, “Yeah, let’sgo with full stubble.” They would-n’t say the word ‘beard’ but they said‘full stubble.’ We trimmed it down.

Let’s talk about the future ofthe show, Jared. WhenSupernatural finally comes to anend, what would you like to seehappen? Would you like the storyto end violently or to see Sam andDean ride off happily into the sun-set?

It feels weird to talk about theend of Supernatural. Believe me, I’vethought about it before, but I don’tlike it. We have talked and thoughtabout it. As a fan of storytelling andbooks, I think the boys have to die.Why? Because I think that’s whatneeds to happen. If the boys arealive, they will continue to hunt.And if they’re hunting, I want to seethem. For that reason, I think oneor both the boys has to go. I knowit would be difficult, but those aremy thoughts on the matter. I’m nota writer. I don’t get my say. If theykeep it open, I would love to keepon going – but that’s what I think.

After 13 seasons ofSupernatural, each of the charac-ters in the show have incrediblydeveloped. There are definingtraits in everyone. If you couldborrow one trait from anothercharacter that could then beexplored more for Sam, whatwould it be?

I enjoy the quirkiness of Charlie[played by Felicia Day]. I enjoy thatshe gets to read the fantasy books.Sam reads and he’s aware of what’sgoing on, but he doesn’t get to nerdout over stuff that he likes as muchas I wish he did. I’d love to see moreof that in the show. That would befun.

When Salman Ali sang Karu Main TeraSajda for the first time on the stage ofIndian Idol season 10 as he auditioned

for the talent hunt show, there were threespeechless judges and applause all around tocommend his voice that had limitless capaci-ties. Who knew he would survive a fierce 25-week competition emerging as the winner?

Well, it hasn’t been easy even for someonewho began singing at the age of seven, or so hebelieves. Salman, who hails from a family of pro-fessional singers, said that struggle is a part ofeveryone’s life and the only way out is to put yourheart and soul into whatever one’s passion is.

The singer believed that everyone’s aimwhile entering such a show is to win. “So wasmine. To win. Even though I never expected thatit might come true for me, but I did all my effortsinto it to make it happen. I also thank all theviewers and audience who voted for me,” he said.

When asked what has been one of the mostmemorable experiences while being a contes-tant on the reality TV show? He revealed thatit was meeting the two Khans — Shah Rukh andSalman — and singing with the veteran singerKumar Sanu that he “will cherish all his life.They joined me in my performance, liked it andwished me luck. What better a thing than that?”

While there have been numerous debateson how reality TV shows work in the real sce-nario and that do they even help the youngaspiring artists battling to win?

Salman, who has also been a part of the real-ity TV show, Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Li’l Champs dur-ing his childhood, said, “It does mount to atough competition where you feel that you mightlose or someone else is better than what you have

to offer. But the biggest thing is your resistanceand determination throughout the period ofstruggle.”

However, reality TV talent hunt shows dohelp the budding artists to a bit come closer totheir dreams, he felt. “It is not just about appear-ing on national TV and that so many people areable to watch you. It is also about how you asa person evolve. Honestly, Neha Kakkar (mam)and all the mentors have been really helpful tomake me grow as a person as well as a singer.”

He talked about the rehearsals and the rig-orous routine that they have to follow. “We haveto rehearse over and over for one song. It’s atough schedule but important to follow,” saidhe.

As more and more people are engagingthemselves on social media and targeting it asa platform to showcase their talents, whichmedium is the easier one? Salman answered,“Definitely, it’s social media. People today haveonline channels to showcase their dancing,singing, and even magic talents. They don’t haveto wait for a particular show on TV to show-case what they have. Though, yes it takes timeto get noticed there. The competition has risen.”

The 20-year-old singer, who has beenawarded with `25 lakh cash prize, and a Datsuncar, said that he will use the amount particu-larly to boost his singing career. “I am lookingforward to collaborate with Vishal Dadlani (sir)as he promised one to me on the show. I wantto try out my luck in singing for Bollywoodfilms as a playback singer,” he said.

However, he will also try out “acting” inBollywood now that he is “done with hissinging,” he laughed.a

‘Hear

me roar’

Actor JARED PADALECKI akaSam says that he feels weird totalk about the end of the show,

Supernatural

‘I learn a lot aboutmyself by playingSam. Plus, It’s no

secret that me andAckles are dear

friends. I even metthe mother of

my kids on thisshow. I can’t think

of any other TVseries or movie that

I’d rather be on as an actor’

DIALOGUE 30 MINUTES

Indian Idol winner SALMAN ALI talks about how socialmedia is becoming an easier platform for buddingartists to showcase their talent. By CHAHAK MITTAL

And the hardwork pays off...

GEORGE HARDEEN, the great-nephew of magician HARRY

HOUDINI, delves into the history of his uncle in a new series

MAN BEHIND

THE MAGICIAN

‘THE HUNGARIAN-BORN

ILLUSIONIST, WHOCAME TO THE US

AS A CHILD,GENERATED

HEADLINES IN THEEARLY 1900s FORESCAPING FROM

HANDCUFFS,STRAITJACKETS

AND EVEN A MILKCAN. NO ONE

KNOWS HOW HEDID THE TRICKS’

S H O R T C I R C U I T S

Every year, more than 52 films

are made. So, every Friday,

either one or two or three films

release. The public knows

everything and will see

Manikarnika, Cheat India and

as well as my film Thackeray.

If the film is good, it will work.

But yes, as a director, I want all

the films to work.

My forthcoming film, Ram

Singh Philip will be a cinematic

milestone. It is an international

subject dealing with innocence

and dilemma of tribals; beauti-

fully depicted with various emo-

tions. While auditioning, actress

Jinal Joshi portrayed both the

vulnerable and the sensuous

parts of the character.

ABHIJIT PANSEVANESSA HUDGENS

Paparazzi were everywhere. I

remember filming a scene

under a bridge. I was having a

really beautiful moment with

Jennifer Lopez, until I looked

away and was staring down

the barrel of a paparazzi's lens.

It threw me, but it also made

the whole experience much

more exciting.

VIVEK SHARMA

LUCKNOW | SATURDAY | DECEMBER 29, 2018

India is a country that com-prises a vast population ofyoungsters and it’s crucial forthem to realise the powerthey hold in their hands. Tobring about a positive changein the country and with theforthcoming general elec-tions, I urge the youth ofIndia to vote and expressthemselves with #PowerOf18.

JASSIE GILL

I got gloomy for about a week

after turning 30. But I realised

the interesting part about

becoming an adult is most

things become bittersweet. I'm

still finding my voice. And It's

okay if not everybody likes

you, that doesn't make it more

appealing to convince them of

why you are likeable.

EMMA STONE

vivacity {48 hours} 14

Actress and theatreveteran LushinDubey feels thattheatre has becomemore fearless over

the years in terms of breakingthe norms. She also calls themedium the father of films andstresses that it’s best to partic-ipate in both and not treateither like a poor cousin of theother.

“I think theatre has becomemore fearless over the years interms of scripts, direction,music, costumes, breaking ofnorms and ideas. I do believethat having conviction in a pro-ject is more than 50 per centsuccess,” Lushin said.

“Theatre is the father offilms. For those who believethat success in the arts field isnot measured by just moniesand it’s makings, they willattest that theatre is a toweringmedium of expression, morepowerful than most othermediums because it demandsso much from an individuallike expression, voice, physiqueand so many other skills,”Lushin said when asked aboutthe changes that she has seenin the people’s mindset towardstheatre over the years.

The Indian stage actor anddirector has directed, acted inand scripted many drama pro-ductions over 20 years. She isknown for her solo playsUntitled and Pinki Virani’s BitterChocolate with theatre directorArvind Gaur.

She acted in films Partitionand Perfect Husband in 2007and Murder Unveiled in 2005— for which she won the 2006Gemini Award for BestPerformance by an Actress ina Featured Supporting Role ina Dramatic Program or Mini-Series.

Now she is back with yetanother theatre productionreinventing the popular story ofThe Sleeping Beauty along withBubbles Sabharwal.

“Kids World (her produc-tion company) has written anddirected innumerable produc-tions over the years and thisone is a classic re-written.Importance is linked not just tothe classic replaying (albeit animprovised version) but to all

these factors that interplay inthe kids presentation of theiracting prowess on stage. Eachenvironment offers a podiumfor fearlessness to grow andconfidence to grow,” she said.

However when asked iftheatre is facing challenges

when it comes to attractingyouth, she said that most youthare there in it.

“Some are immersed andsome are impatient, wanting tomake it quickly in the bigworld of films. It’s not that sim-ple. Filmline and a successful

entry into it may or may nothappen. So it’s best to partici-pate in both and not treateither like a poor cousin of theother. I strongly believe thatworking in both the mediumsis important,” she said.

Lushin calls theatre herbaby as is Kids World. “Itbelongs to us I am not depen-dent on anyone for its opera-tion or its movement forward.It belongs to us and our chil-dren. Not to be dependent onanyone gives us a liberated feel-ing. Besides, a film is a direc-tor’s medium and theatre is anactor’s medium. Even in myadult acting and solo perfor-mances, I am dependent on noone but myself,” she said.

Does she feel that senioractors are not getting enoughroles in Bollywood films now?

“In India, age defines a loton screen. There are a hugenumber of films being made.Mumbai is congested withactors wanting to make it —young, middle aged and olderones. There is no dearth ofactors. Whatever has come myway has come through with nopushing from my side,” shesaid.

“I don’t even live inMumbai. Also, I live partly inthe US, so I do films becausefilms have sought me, not theother way round,” she added.

Asked about her plans,Lushin said that her next pieceis for adults.

“I plan to direct (the piece),but cannot disclose much aboutit right now. I like to soak offlife. To never stop. To keepgoing with new thoughts, newideas and beginnings. I like thefact that I am restless and livein a world of imagination anddreams. Though I dream andplan I always surprise myselftoo. According to me that is theessence of joy, to not haveeverything predicted for you,”she said.

—IANS

The year bore witness to a plethora ofnew material from various metalartistes. As they — old and new, the

famous and the underground — decidedon innovations and new ideas, it energiseda whole genre.

At the same time, rock charts showedlittle or no creativity by most of the alter-native and Indie bands that dominate,rehashing the sound of their past. That,however, does not mean that rock is dead.There were still bands putting out somereally cool stuff.

Here’s a look at the top metal and rockofferings which made a difference duringthe year.

10. Metal: Pal by Kalmah. The Finnishmelodic death metal legends returned withyet another brilliant album after fiveyears. While no means groundbreaking,Pal features amazing arrangements,melodies and death metal aggression andtechnical dexterous precision.

Rock: Eat The Elephant by A PerfectCircle. American rock band’s fourth stu-dio album was worth its 14-year wait. Thisrecord is more of an atmospheric art rockrecord and lacks the band’s previousheavier alternative metal sound. Butnonetheless, it’s a great piece.

9. Metal: Cobra Speed Venom by TheCrown. The Swedish melodic death andthrash metallers have come back withadded energy. There is a lot of violent fer-vour, growls, heavy thrash riffs, melodicleads and powerful drumming. It is a com-bination of thrash or death metal LP.

Rock: Prequelle by Ghost. While def-initely not a straight-up pop rock albumas it does contain plenty of heavy elements,this is far removed from metal, though itdoes have a lot going on: Hard rock, poprock, and for the first time arena rock. Mostsongs have the element of catchiness dueto the openly pop influences here such asABBA.

8. Metal: The Wake by Voivod. One ofthe most underrated and creative bands,

the Canadian progressive thrash metal vet-erans have released one of the greatestalbums of their career. It manages to rivaltheir original classics like Killing Technologyand Dimension Hatross while combiningmodern production.

Rock: Stone Temple Pilots by StoneTemple Pilots. The self-titled album of theSan Diego legends brings their trademarksound of distortion-filled heavy hard rock

riffs, marked by a psychedelic but alsogrooving melodic atmosphere. New leadsinger Jeff Gutt does a splendid job.

7. Metal: Electric Messiah by High onFire. You can always count of Matt Pike ifyou want something barbaric. This is def-initely one of High On Fire’s best. Thisalbum descends upon you with a pletho-ra of monstrously heavy riffs and is juststraightforward metal.

Rock: Still Cyco Punk After All TheseYears by Suicidal Tendencies. While essen-tially a near complete re-recording of front-man Mike Muir’s 96 solo album Lost MyBrain, it is still fully energetic, raw, fast,hard and fun.

6. Metal: Rainier Fog by Alice inChains. The band is renowned for theirdark and heavy sound and bleak subjectmatter. Rainier sounds a bit closer to their

older stuff while nonetheless having thesensibilities of their newer sound. Anothertruly brilliant record by AIC.

Rock: Living the Dream by Slash Ft.Myles Kennedy and Conspirators. Whenmaking a rock’n roll record with heavinessand attitude one can never truly go wrongwith the guitar legend Slash and vocalistMyles Kennedy. Bluesy hard rock riffs andpassionate soaring vocals, grooving drumsand strong bass make this record yetanother strong hard rock piece.

5. Metal: Devouring Radiant Light BySkeletonwitch. Rather underrated,Skeletonwitch is an American band whichplays blackened melodic thrash metal. InDevouring, there is a change in vocalistsand the style is different. The black metaltendencies are less and the music packsprogressive tendencies and a powerfulatmospheric element.

Rock: Time and Space by Turnstile.American punk band’s second album is aninstant classic for the hardcore scene. It haspretty much everything you want — raw,loud, aggressive, heavy, short and does notmess around with any experimental ten-dencies.

4. Metal: Automata Part I and II byBetween the Buried and Me. A double-partconcept album, about a man whosedreams are broadcasted worldwide as aform of entertainment. While the secondpart of this record is superior, the first isno slouch either. The band beautifully bal-ances their progressive elements with arefined melodic technical death metalsound.

Rock: Ember by Breaking Benjamin.Rarely has a band sounded so consistentand yet not managed to grow dull. It hashard heavy metallic riffs, melodic chorus-es with clean singing and raw screamspacked with a dark emotional atmosphere.Nothing different and yet everythingsounds fresh and original.

3. Metal: Thunderbolt by Saxon. Oneof the most legendary bands in heavy metal

history, Saxon were part of the New Waveof British Heavy Metal. Anyone whothought that Saxon’s quality may havedropped as a result of their age is in for asevere shock. This album has everything.Just listen and be transported to Valhalla.

Rock: Book of Bad Decisions by Clutch.Full of hard, raw gritty engaging songs,with southern rock and blues influences.And it packs a punch.

2. Metal: Firepower by Judas Priest.One of the first metal bands in history. Itis just full-on energy packed, no messingaround, straight-up melodic metal.Another masterpiece by The Metal God.

Rock: Vaxis Act 1: The UnheavenlyCreatures by Coheed And Cambria.Having influences in hard rock, alterna-tive rock, progressive rock, metal andpunk, it is a continuation of the conceptbased on frontman Claudio Sanchez’scomic book series The Armory Wars.Engaging to say the least.

1. Metal: Queen of Time by Amorphis.It is one of the greatest Finnish metalbands. While their style has changed,Amorphis have come out as an evolvedanimal, their sound being a unique mix ofmelodic death metal, heavy metal, folkmetal and progressive metal. Everythingabout it speaks perfection.

Rock: Lost on the Road to Eternity byMagnum. What is astounding about theBritish progressive rock veterans is howinspired Bob Catlin and Tom Clarkin, thecreative core of Magnum, manage tosound in their 70s. It is all you can want— melodic, catchy, progressive and full ofpomp.

Honourable mentions:Metal: Love In Shadow by Sumac; A

New Kind Of Horror by Anaal Nathrakh;The Science by Sleep; Our Raw Heart byYOB; Diluviu by Obscura; and SunshineDust by Skyharbor.

Rock: Vicious by Halestorm; ResistanceIs Futile by Manic Street Preachers and JoyAs An Act Of Resistance by Idles. —IANS

This year, on a profession-al note, has been a verysatisfying one. It began

with performances at interna-tional festivals in Hungary andGermany and went on to sever-al other workshops during thesummer, encompassing variouscountries of Europe and Turkey.It was a series of whirlwind per-forming tours at several nation-al festivals in various cities andtowns.

However, one thing thatremained common in all theinternational and national work-shops was that the participantsshowed a tremendous interest inthe Indian classical dance form,Kathak. It dates back to over twoand half thousand years, pre-dat-ing the Natyashastra. I was sim-ply bowled over by the questionsasked by the students and mem-bers of such meets and work-shops, be it abroad or in Indiancities.

This drove some innovationin performances. Two of themost challenging acts that theyear welcomed were the balletproductions based on RamdhariSingh Dinkar’s Rashmirathi andon the select verses of theBhagwad Gita, with lesser-known episodes of theMahabharata titled TheBhagwad: Ma Ganga Dhyayati.

Dinkar’s celebrated workRashmirathi, centering aroundthe sorrowful life of Karna,Kunti’s first-born child whomshe had abandoned as he wasborn before her marriage, pre-sented the poignancy of Karna

and Kunti with all hues ofhuman emotions trapped inmoral dilemmas. On the otherhand, The Bhagwad’s themecentred around the pessimisticthoughts of mind that pollute theenvironment through ouractions as human weaknesseshave constantly been exhibitedages after ages, be it in the peri-od of Mahabharata as well. Setin five acts, it explores the prac-tice of virtues of abstentionfrom greed, non-egoism, ofeschewing pride, anger anddesire for revenge, for they spelldisaster in the long run as hasbeen exhorted in the Holy

Bhagwad Gita.There were more wonderful

performances, in which I wasinvolved as well — Kalidasa’spoetic work Shakuntala. Theperformance saw music com-posed by the early 19th centu-ry famous Austrian composerFranz Schubert. The perfor-mance, staged at packed hous-es in three cities, Delhi, Kolkataand Mumbai, was played live by

the Austrian ChamberOrchestra and sung by themembers of Shillong Choir.

Another challenging assign-ment that I was involved withwas acting in a feature film thatis scheduled for release sometime in 2019. I am looking for-ward to it as it’s an eternal storyof dilemmas and uncertaintiesthat each individual in all pro-fessions go through and is anattempt at diversifying my artis-tic expression. As a guru, it wasmost heartening to see my dis-ciples Shivani Varma, Mrinalini,Ragini Madan and KristinaDolinina (Lithuanian) winninggreat accolades from artistesand connoisseurs alike.

On the academic front, mynew book Illuminating ClassicalDance through Yoga waslaunched at the InternationalFestival on Health and Yogaunder the aegis of Ministry ofAYUSH at Goa. The ongoingresearch on Kathaks of kathakvillages (villages named after thecommunity of story-tellers),sprung several surprises that ledto awareness of a living traditionof the kathaks in the temples ofAyodhya and such other holyplaces.

On the artistic scene, theyear has seen creativity at vari-ous levels from artistes of sever-al genres bursting forth non-stopdespite challenging circum-stances, especially in the field ofKathak. It was heartening to seesuch dedication to a classicaldance form in the pop cultureenvironment of today.

T H E B E S T O F

BOTH WORLDSActress LUSHIN DUBEY believes that theatre has become more fearless

over the years when it comes to breaking norms

It’s just the beginningKathak exponent SHOVANA NARAYAN says that the year welcomed arange of national as well as international performances

‘IT WASHEARTENING TO

SEE SUCHDEDICATION TO ACLASSICAL DANCEFORM IN THE POP

CULTUREENVIRONMENT OF

TODAY’

Punk’s not dead Here’s a look at the top metal and rock offerings

which made a difference during the year

WOMEN IN ART 30 MINUTES

sport 15LUCKNOW | SATURDAY | DECEMBER 29, 2018

PUNE: World no. 7 Marin Cilic on Friday pulled out of nextweek’s Maharashtra Open tennis tournament, citing a naggingknee injury.

Portugal’s Pedro Sousa will now enter the main draw afterthe withdrawal of the second-seeded player from Croatia, whomade the announcement through his social media accounts.

“I am sad to announce I have had to pull out of the Tata OpenMaharashtra. My sincerest apologies to the fans and organizers,”Cilic posted on his Instagram account. “I was looking forwardto returning, however, my knee pains that began toward the endof the season have escalated. “Treatments during the short offseason have been helping but there is still a ways to go and I can-not go into this tournament knowing I am not currently able togive 100%.”

The former US Open champion, however, hoped to returnnext year for the tournament.

PTI n ABU DHABI

Chief coach Stephen Constantine on Friday made it clear thathe believes in the ability of his players and not their ages,

saying he can foresee a team which can serve Indian footballfor the next 10 years.

India is fielding the second youngest side withan average age of 25 in the forthcoming AFC Asian Cup in UAEslated to begin from January 5.

“I never differentiate between seniors and juniors. They areall playing for India. I’m not interested in their ages, but theirabilities. Our average age is about 25. The situation is fantasticfor Indian Football where we can foresee a team for the next10 years,” Constantine said, the morning after India played agoalless draw against Oman in an international friendly.

“After this tournament, we’ll have a young Indian squad withan experience of playing in an Asian Cup,” he added. Referringto the goalless draw against Oman, Constantine said he waspleased with the efforts of his side. “It was a very good gamefor us. Oman were a very difficult opponent and have beenunbeaten in the last 12 months. The boys worked very hard andI’m very pleased with the positive result,” he said.

“It was phenomenal from the work-rate perspective. Thenumbers are exceptional. We were superb physically.” Omanheaded into the match with a 12-match-unbeaten-run whichincluded victories against the likes of Kuwait, Palestine,Bahrain and even world-cuppers Saudi Arabia.

With almost 27 per cent of the population in UAE beingIndians, the Blue Tigers are expected to get a vociferous cheerfrom the stands when they begin their campaign in the AsianCup against Thailand on January 6. “There’s no pressure on us.Four years before no one expected us to qualify. After we qual-ified everyone was thinking that we are going to lose the threegames. It’s up to us to prove that we deserve to be here,”Constantine said. India created a few opportunities against Omanbut failed to capitalise on them.

‘I’m not interested in their

age but abilities’

Cilic pulls out of Tata Open

MM FC BLANK REAL MARTMM FC blanked Real Mart 2-0 in a league match of the 20th

Mansarovar Football Cup at La Martiniere ground on Friday.Adnan scored in the 48th and 59th minute. In other matches,Amigos FC defeated RFFC ‘B’ 2-0.

GOMTI NAGAR, VINEETKHAND WINGomti Nagar, Vineet Khand beat Surya Eleven, Vikas Nagar

to win the Hemwati Nandan Bahuguna Memorial Tennis BallCricket Tournament at Vikas Nagar Stadium on Friday.

LOCAL EVENTS

PTI n MELBOURNE

Pacer Jasprit Bumrahhad Australia's bats-men tied up in knots

with his immaculate lineand length, giving Indiathe decisive advantage thatwithstood a second inningsbatting collapse in the thirdTest here on Friday.

Called a "genius" on airby Australia's former cap-tain Michael Clarke,Bumrah's career-best fig-ures of 6/33 in 15.5 oversalso made him the firstbowler from the subconti-nent to take a five-for ormore in South Africa,England and Australia inthe same year.

At the end of day three,India, after bowling outAustralia for 151 inresponse to their firstinnings total of 443/7declared, took a 346-runlead. The visitors werestruggling at 54/5 in 27overs in their second essaybut had the upper-hand.

Debutant MayankAgarwal (28 batting), who

scored an impressive 76 inthe f irst innings, andRishabh Pant (6) were at thecrease after 15 wickets fell inall on an exciting day.

In their second innings,India were jolted by Pat

Cummins (4-10), who tookfour wickets for two runs inthe space of 19 balls, includ-ing Virat Kohli (0) andAjinkya Rahane (1) caughtoff successive balls.

Rohit Sharma (5) pre-vented his hat-trick, but

fell before end of play.This was after Bumrah's

outstanding effort handedIndia a 292-run lead.

Bumrah returned sec-ond-best figures for anIndian bowler in Australia

after Kapil Dev's 8-106 atAdelaide in 1985. But hesurpassed BChandresekhar's twin haulsof 6-52 in each innings atthis ground in 1977.

Post tea, Australia'sinnings lasted for only four

overs as Bumrah quicklycleaned up the worrisometail. First he got rid of TimPaine (22) caught behind,and then trapped NathanLyon (0) lbw.

Three balls later, hebowled Josh Hazlewood (0)as India took a hefty lead.Kohli though decided not toenforce the follow-on andthe Indian mini-collapsefollowed thereafter.

Cummins bounced outHanuma Vihari (13) for thesecond time in this Test,while Cheteshwar Pujara(0) was caught at shortsquare leg for a duck follow-ing his hundred in the firstinnings.

India were reduced to32-4 with a double breakagainst Kohli and Rahane.Rohit Sharma was caught atslip off Josh Hazlewood (1-13) as India finished five-down but still in control ofthe game.

Earlier, Australia sunkto 145-7 at tea. Post lunch,it took only four overs forBumrah to strike again as hebowled Travis Head (20),

playing on in the 37th over.Australia were in dire

straits at 92-5 and thingsdidn't improve whenRavindra Jadeja (2-45)struck for a second timeagainst Mitchell Marsh (9).The batsman tried an exag-gerated onside flick, butended up edging to slip asthe ball exploded off thepitch.

The hosts managed tocross 100 in the 41st over,but were struggling at 102-6. The next pair then battedwith more patience and cutdown on attacking strokesfor the next hour.

In doing so, Paine andPat Cummins (17) added 36runs for the seventh wick-et and added somerespectability to the totalamid the ruins. To India'scredit, they never relentedthe bowling pressure andexecuted their plans to nearperfection.

It could have been dif-ferent, but Cummins wasdropped on 2 by keeperRishabh Pant off HanumaVihari in the 50th over.

Just when it appearedthat Australia might avoidanother dismissal,Mohammed Shami (1-27)got into the attack andbowled him to give Indiathe advantage again.

The visitors struck fourblows in the morning ses-sion as Australia werereduced to 89-4 at lunch.

Starting from overnight8-0, Australia were underthe pump early on as IshantSharma (1-41) and Bumrahgave them no room formanoeuvring.

Ishant struck in the fifthover of the morning asMayank Agarwal scoopedup a sharp catch at shortmid-wicket to send backAaron Finch (8). The field-er was stationed there forany aerial shot and the planworked to get an earlybreakthrough.

Four overs later, MarcusHarris (22) went for anuncontrolled pull and foundthe fine leg fielder asBumrah celebrated his firstwicket of the day.

India used the score-

BUMRAH PUTS INDIA ON FRONTFOOTJasprit picks six to help India bowl out Australia for 151 runs in first innings

board pressure to good effect as Jadejacame on to bowl with close-in field-ers all around the bat. Usman Khawaja(21) fell to this ploy, caught at short leg,as Australia slipped further to 53-3 inthe 20th over.

Shaun Marsh (19) and Head thenadded 36 runs for the fourth wicketand brought some semblance of sta-bility to the Australian innings. They

used good footwork against Jadeja tosmother the possibility of turn fromthe rough.

But Bumrah came up with aninspirational yorker at the stroke oflunch, and the slow dipping deliverycaught Shaun Marsh plumb in front ofthe wicket, as Australia's top-order wascompletely blown away on this thirdmorning.

Rishabh Pant, center left, and Mayank Agarwal, center right, walk off the field at the endof play in front of the The Australian Cricket Team in Melbourne AP

Jasprit Bumrah, left, celebrates after getting Shaun Marsh, right, out lbw in Melbourne AP

LUCKNOW | SATURDAY | DECEMBER 29, 2018 sport 16

France are the champions ofthe world once again. Twentyyears after Didier Deschamps

lifted the trophy with the likes ofZinedine Zidane, Patrick Vieraand Thierry Henry by his side, hedid so again, this time with the restof his coaching staff beside him. Hewas not wearing the French bluebut a three-piece suit that gotdrenched in the rain in Moscow. Hewas the first French captain to leadhis team to a World Cup title in1998 and on 15th July he becamethe third man to win the title as cap-tain and manager with the sameteam.

This was the World Cup inwhich strength on paper wasdiminished to a useless statistic.Germany ended the first round aswooden spooners of their group,Spain, Argentina and Brazil fell inthe knockouts. France themselvesensured the ouster of Belgium. Outof all the teams that were deemedfavourites before the World Cupstarted, Les Bleus were the only sidethat looked on course to provingthat tag right.

Over the years, World Cupfinals have tended to become drea-

ry affairs and there was a dangerthat a tournament as entertainingas the 2018 edition might be decid-ed by a stinker of a match. Howmisplaced were those fears?

France were put ahead in the18th minute of the match by anown goal from none other thanMario Mandzukic. He had thedubious honour of becoming thefirst man to score an own goal in aWorld Cup final but he would getto make amends later in the match.Exactly 10 minutes later, Ivan

Perisic equalised for Croatia aftera deft set-piece routine triggered bythe inconquerable Luka Modric.The drama was not to end there.Just over five minutes before half-time, then referee, with assistancefrom VAR gave France a penaltykick due to an apparent handball byPerisic. The validity of that decisionwas debatable – replays indicatedthat Perisic did not move his handstowards the ball – but AntoineGriezmann was in no doubt as towhat he wanted to do with it. Hecalmly rolled the ball past DanijelSubasic into the bottom left-handcorner and France were in the leadat halftime. Therein lay recordnumber 2: France are the first teamto go into halftime of a World Cupfinal in the lead.

The second half started withCroatia all over the French defence.Deschamps’ men weathered thatstorm and it was not too long beforethey extended their lead Paul Pogbasent in a thunderous strike from theedge of the box and extendedFrance’s lead to 3-1.

Minutes later, Kylian Mbappescored a similar goal, from outsidethe box and that marked the third

record of the day — Mbappebecame the first teenager to scorea goal in the World Cup final sincethe great Pele. Croatian shouldersslumped at that point but thismatch was not done yet.

France goalkeeper and captainHugo Lloris has built a reputationof having a sturdy pair of hands anda calm head to go with them in theyears in which he has beenTottenham Hotspur and France’sNo 1 goalkeeper but he chose a verywrong time to make an uncharac-teristic blunder. He literally put theball into the path of Mandzukicwho tapped it in to goal. Record No4 fell with that goal: Mandzukicbecame the first player sinceNetherlands’ Ernie Brandts in 1978to score for his team and an owngoal in the same game. All thosesecond-half goals were scored with-in the space of nine minutes andafter that, France held on. They keptmaking attacking moves whenev-er they could and eventually, theCroatian players’ body languagesaid that they knew it was now a lostcause. The final whistle came andtears flowed on both camps, albeitfor opposite reasons.

Croatia and RealMadrid midfielder

Luka Modric endedLionel Messi andCristiano Ronaldo'sdominance in the Ballond'Or awards by winningthe prestigious Frenchfootball award.

It was for the firsttime in 10 years that nei-ther Messi nor Ronaldowas able to win thisaward which they havewon record five timeseach in past decade.

The midfielder, 33,who helped Croatiareach the men's WorldCup final in Russia inthe summer, is the firstCroatian to win theprestigious prize, whichis voted for by journal-ists.

On a historicevening in Paris, theceremony had awomen's category forthe first time since itsinception in 1956, with

Norway's AdaHegerberg crowned theinaugural women'sBallon d'Or winner.

Kylian Mbappe,who dazzled for Franceas Les Bleus triumphedin Russia in the summer,won the newly-formedKopa award for the best

young player.The 19-year-old fin-

ished fourth overall,above Messi in fifth.Ronaldo was second,with France and AtleticoMadrid striker AntoineGriezmann third andLiverpool and Egypt starMo Salah sixth.

YOUNG GUNS

PERFECT FRENCH CUTLe Blues end 20-year drought of winning World Cup trophy by beating Croatia 4-2 in the World Cup finalshowdown in the tournament at Russia that saw the rise of next generation of football superstars. PIONEER

SPORTS take a look back at some of the major headlines that gained highlights in 2018

HAT TRICK OF TITLES

SEE YOU, NEXT ?

In the most surprisingannouncement of the

year Arsene Wenger, whowas serving as Arsenal’smanager decided to leavethe club at the end of2017-18 season, endinghis 22-year career as thelongest-serving managerin the Premier League.

He won seven FA Cuptitles along with threePremier League while atthe helm of the northLondon club, the last ofwhich came as a result ofthe unbeaten 'Invincibles'season in 2003/04.

While a week afterwinning third UCL in asmany attempts, ZinedineZidane calls it time overhis Real Madrid job, hewas replaced by formerSpain boss Julen Lopeteguibut even his spell lasted foronly 138 days and wassacked after Real loseagainst Barcelona 5-1.

This was a massivesetback for Julen as he losthis Spanish national teamjob for the gaint club andwithin five month he was out of favour from that also.

In the Premier League cycle, Chelsea sack ItalianAntonie Conte at the end of 2017-18 season, whileManchester United parted ways with Jose Mourinho afterhis side lose against Liverpool in the English PremierLeague game.

During the World Cup also after the poor perfor-mance by Argentina in the group stage and later theirround 16 exit against France, coach Jorge Sampaoli wassacked by the Argentina football Federation.

N E W D E S T I N AT I O N S

Two times defending championReal Madrid tharsh Liverpool 3-

1 in the final played at Kiev to winrecord third consecutive UEFAChampions League title.

After an evenly poised goallessfirst half and their star strikerMohamed Salah back into the dugoutafter getting injured during a clashwith Real Madrid's captain SergioRamos. Karim Benzema opened thescoring for Spanish giants in the 51stminute of the game after a goal-keeping error by Loris Karius.

Benzema deflected a throw byKarius back into the Liverpool's netto put his side ahead in the big final.However Real's advantage was veryshort lived as Sadio Mane scored the

equalizer for the Merseyside club justfour minutes after Benzema's open-er to bring match back on the levelterms.

In the 61st minute, Real substi-tuted Gareth Bale in place of Isco andwithin two minutes of his arrival theWelshmen scored using an acrobat-ic bicycle kick to finish cross byMarcelo. And then in the 83rdminute another mistake by Kariushelps Bale to net his second of thenight. This time a long range short byBale went through his (Karius) handsinto the net.

Real's star forward CristianoRonaldo wasn't able to make into thescore sheet but he was the chief archi-tect to Real's triumph to glory.

G O L D E N Y E A R

Croatian midfielder Luka Modric kisses Ballon d’Or trophy AP

clockwise: Jose Mourinho, JulenLopetegui, Arsene Wenger andZinedine Zidane File Picture

Kylian Mbappe, Richarlison,Jodan Sancho, Vinicius Junior,

Arthur Melo are some of thosenames which you will hear inmany more years to come. Byvirtue of their stellar performancein 2018, these stars have shown thatwhy they are considered as the fullsuperstars.

While Kylian Mbappe helpedFrance to win the World Cup andis leading the goalscorer list inLigue 1, Richarlison gainedimmense spotlight while playingfor Everton.

Paco Alcacer (striker)Barcelona to Dortmund14 games, 13 goals

French players celebrate with the World Cup trophy after beating Croatia 4-2 in the World Cup final in Moscow AP

Philippe Coutinho (winger)Liverpool to Barcelona44 games, 15 goals

Thibaut Courtois (gk)Chelsea to Real Madrid19 games, 0 goals

Xherdan Shaqiri (winger)Stoke City to Liverpool18 games, 6 goals

Aubameynag (striker)Dortmund to Arsenal38 games, 25 goals

Alexis Sanchez (forward)Arsenal to Man United34 games, 4 goals

Virgil Van Djik (defender)Southampton to L’pool46 games, 2 goals

Riyad Mahrez (winger)Leicester to Man City27 games, 7 goals

Arthur Melo (midfielder)Gremio to Barcelona18 games, 0 goals

Kepa Arrizabalaga (gk)A Bilbao to Chelsea25 games, 0 goals

19-year-old

sensation Kylian

Mbappe emerged

as the star player

for the French side

as he becomes the

first teenager after

Pele to score in

the World Cup final

In the most unexpected transfer of2018, Portugal’s star Cristiano

Ronaldo leaves Real Madrid to joinSerie A champions Juventus for 100million euros. After spending nineseasons at Spanish capital and scor-ing 450 goals in 438 games, five timeBallon d’Or winner calls it time andmove to Turin in search of new chal-lenges. His new deal will see him playfor the Old Lady for next four years.

However in 2018, Cristiano’stransfer wasn’t the only major switchbut a couple of more superstars lefttheir clubs in search of new life.

England’s club Liverpool lookedto be the biggest gainer via thesetransfers. The Merseyside clubstrengethed its side by addingBrazilian goalkeeper Alisson Becker,Dutch defender Virgil Van Djik,Swiss playmaker Xherdian Shaqiri,Neby Keita and Fabinho and allthese five have added strength to theReds side because of which they aresitting at top of the Premier Leaguetable, still unbeaten and six pointsahead of second placed Tottenham.

Meanwhile, Borussia Dortmundcompeleted signing of Spanish for-

ward Paco Alcacer from Barcelona,who on his loan spell at GermanBundesliga created magic on thefield for Dortmund by repeatedlymaking his presence in the score-sheet.

In the January transfer market,Brazi l ian midfielder PhilippeCoutinho made his dream come butjoining Barcelona for 120 million plus40 million benfits.

Also former Atletico and Chelseagoalkeeper and World Cup goldenglove winner Thibaut Courtiouslanded in spanish capital again butthis time to join the other Madridclub. However by the end of his firstsix months, he didn’t have a gala timeand faced a lot of criticism.

In process of let Belgian go andjoin Real, Chelsea brought Kepa toLondon for the record price for anygoalkeeper.

Manchester City landed RiyadMahrez from Leicester to add powerto the attacking unit. But AlexisSanchez stint at Old Trafford turnedout to be a bad dream for the Chileinternational as he suffered to findform under Jose Mourinho.

Death for brutal child rape - Daily Pioneer

Documents

Transcript of Death for brutal child rape - Daily Pioneer