OBTUSE AANGLE

HYDERABAD, SUNDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2021; PAGES 10+16 `5 RNI No. TELENG/2018/76469

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ML MELLY MAITREYI n HYDERABAD

Coming down heavily against theCongress and the BJP in an infor-mal interaction with media personsat Telangana Bhavan on Saturday,TRS working president KT RamaRao accused the two national par-ties of colluding against the TRS inHuzurabad as they were afraid ofgrowing stature and strength ofTRS as a regional party.

In Huzurabad, the Congresscandidate would lose his depositand the TRS candidate would win“100 percent” by defeating theBJP candidate, KTR asserted.

KTR, who has been busy engag-ing with leaders from various con-stituencies ahead of the TRS plena-ry and party presidential electionon October 25 and the TelanganaVijaya Garjana meeting atWarangal on November 15, tooktime to take a volley of questionsand spoke his mind.

“The two parties have fieldedEatala Rajender as their commoncandidate,” he alleged, adding thatthis was the reason why theCongress deliberately fielded aperson who is hardly known to an-yone in the constituency. “The PCCchief did not even care to campaignfor the party candidate in Huz-urabad,” the Minister pointed out.

KTR said that Revanth Reddyand Eatala Rajender had met at aresort in the city to work out a deal.“Eatala would definitely join theCongress in a year or so. In return,the Congress decided to help himby not fielding a strong candidate,”the Minister said.

“Let them deny they had not metand we would release proof. Theinformation came to us from ourparty workers and supporters,” hesaid.

Even stranger was formerMP Konda Vishwes-har Reddy prom-ising to join theCongress butwriting to pe-ople to sup-port the BJPc a n d i d a t e ,KTR said.

“In the pasttoo, the twonational parties hadconspired to defeat TRS candidates.In the last Parliamentary elec-tions, Congress ensured its voteswere transferred to BJP candi-dates and helped four BJP candi-dates win from Nizamabad,Karimnagar, Adilabad andSecunderabad constituencies. Inthe recent Nagarjuna Sagar by-elec-tion too, BJP fielded a weak can-didate to help Congress and the BJPhad lost its deposit,” he said.

The Minister chose to react to theconstant refrain of opposition lead-ers that Chief Minister K Chan-drasekhar Rao is ‘dictatorial’ in hisattitude and functioning and Tel-angana is in the hold of one family.

Referring to the incident wherea Union Minister was taken intocustody for abusing MaharashtraChief Minister and also the situa-tion in neighbouring AndhraPradesh for abusing the Chief

Minister there, KTR said that inTelangana, all kinds of jokers andaccused in criminal cases and evena woman leader were abusing theChief Minister.

“But we have been restrainingour party workers andleaders. It is perhapstime for us too toreact in the samemanner,” KTRsaid.

“If the criti-cism came fromTPCC presidentA Revanth Reddyand BJP state presi-dent Bandi Sanjay, it is abig joke,” said KTR.

“What about Prime MinisterNarender Modi, Amit Shah, BJPpresident JP Nadda, Congress lead-ers Sonia Gandhi and RahulGandhi. Do they say they functionvery democratically?” he asked andwent on to add: “Should we also saythat the country is imprisoned inthe hands of Gujaratis – Modi, AmitShah, Ambani and Adani?”

Responding to Opposition crit-icism about KCR’s style of function-ing, he said that to run any politi-cal party or for that matter anyorganisation, a leader has to bestrict and tough in certain circum-stances to enforce discipline in therank and file of theparty.

“There should bea unitary chain ofcommand for anyorganisation. Aleader is alwaysone but he takesviews of all in aspirit of democracy.We as a party are dem-ocratic in our functioning.For instance the party released theschedule for the election of partypresident. Any member could havefiled his or her nomination. But 18sets of nominations were filed bymany party leaders on behalf of

KCR showing the respect he com-mands in the TRS,” KTR said.

“If our detractors and politicalopponents think otherwise, it istheir prerogative. Unfortunatelythere is too much freedom of

expression these days in the

name of democracy and freedomof expression is degenerating as theright to abuse,” he said.

On EC instructions to suspendDalit Bandhu, KTR said the EC hadclearly crossed its line. “Even if oneaccused TRS of implementing Da-lit Bandhu for Huzurabad by-elec-tion, would any government spendRs 1.7 lakh-crore to win a singleconstituency?” he questioned.

On deployment of Central forces,he said the entire State governmentmachinery would be under the con-trol of EC till the election process wascompleted. However BJP leaderswere experts in creating drama andwould put to shame even Oscar win-ners with their performance, hequipped.

On the recent survey by C-Voterthat KCR is the most hated CM, hesaid that agency had no credibility.

“It’s bordering on the ridiculous asthe survey gave a figure that 30 per-cent voted against KCR. Does thatmean 70 percent were in favour ofKCR? It was the same agency that pre-dicted Mahakutami would win in the

last Assembly elections while TRSwon 88 seats. But for deliberately cre-ating confusion over symbols thatresembled TRS symbol, we wouldhave won seven to eight more seats,”he said.

Eatala common candidateof Cong&BJP, charges KTR

REVANTH RREDDYAND EEATALA

RAJENDER MMET AATA RRESORT IIN TTHE

CITY TTO WWORK OOUTA DDEAL

SNCN ACHARYULUn HYDERABAD

The ‘72-hour’ directive issued bythe Election Commission isbecoming a major cause for worryfor top leaders of both the BJP andTRS, the main contenders in theHuzurabad Assembly by-election.

While non-local leaders of boththe BJP and TRS are fully involvedin the election campaign inHuzurabad, from October 27onwards, electioneering will be inthe hands of local leaders.

According to Election Com-mission rules, all non-local leadersshould leave Huzurabad 72 hoursbefore the polling starts on October30. The best these non-local lead-ers can do would be to monitor thegoings-on from outside the con-stituency limits and issue directionsto the local leaders.

For any political party, the 48-hour period before the polling isextremely crucial and it is in thisperiod that the BJP and TRS willhave to depend on local leaders.

At present, the entire campaignis being managed by top leaders ofboth the parties who are non-locals. All key decisions on theground are being taken by theseleaders who are also looking afterelection management, perhaps themost important factor betweenvictory and defeat.

An important aspect here isthat while the TRS has local cadres

in all the villages across the con-stituency, the BJP has no such setupand has to depend mostly on thefollowers of its candidate EatalaRajendar. The main worry forboth the parties is that when localleaders are not under the directcontrol of the top leaders, they mayfeel the need to take any decisiondepending on the ground situation.

Poll panel’s ‘72-hour’ rule leavesBJP, TRS leaders on the edge

PNS n HYDERABAD

The lush green cover at Hitec Cityhas been apparently cleared tofacilitate parking for leadersattending the TRS plenary onMonday.

Activist Vinay Vangala raisedan objection to the clearing oftrees behind Hitex road.

He said, “This is deforestationto facilitate parking for the TRSplenary. We have reached out tothe district forest official andasked him to take action."

Green murder for parking ahead of TRS plenary?

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IISS AA BBIIGG JJOOKKEE

A LLEADER HHAS TTOBE SSTRICT WWHENNEEDED. TTHERE

HAS TTO BBE AAUNITARY CCHAIN OOF

COMMAND

PNS n NEW DELHI

India will take on Pakistan inmatch 16 of the ICC T20 WorldCup 2021 at the DubaiInternational Stadium on Sunday.India will look to maintain theirunbeaten World Cup recordagainst their arch-rivals. TheVirat Kohli-led side has been infantastic form, having beatenEngland and Australia in thewarm-up games. Pakistan, onthe other hand, convincingly wontheir first practice game againstthe West Indies before beingbeaten by South Africa in theirsecond warm-up game.

India vs Pakistanmatch today

T20 WORLD CUP 2021

PNS n HYDERABAD

Telangana Chief Minister KChandrashekhar Rao on Saturdayinstructed Collectors, Forest andPolice department officials to iden-tify and take stringent actionagainst those destroying forestswhile extending help to innocenttribals who depend on the junglefor their livelihood.

The CM asked Collectors toconvene an all-party meeting in thedistricts on solving 'Podu land' iss-ues besides protection of forestlands. Podu is traditional system ofcultivation used by tribals. The CMinstructed that there should beunanimous opinion from all-partyleaders on providing ROFR(Recognition of Forest Rights) tothose already engaged in podu

cultivation.He suggested that village

sarpanches and other public repre-sentatives be encouraged to take upprotection of forestland as a duty,the release said.

The CM also suggested that allthose tribals involved in podu cul-tivation within forests should beprovided with an alternative govern-ment land nearby for cultivation andin case of no government landavailable, they should be providedwith a land on the outer periphery

of the forestland, it said. The CM hasasked officials to stop extension ofthe 'Rythu Bandhu', 'Rythu Bhima'schemes and free power schemes tofarmers indulging in ganja cultiva-tion and they should be arrested.

He also instructed officials toaccept claims from tribals practic-ing Podu cultivation fromNovember 8 to December 8.

he meeting was attended by dis-trict Collectors and higher officialsof the Police and Panchayat Rajdepartments.

NS n NEW DELHI

Prime Minister Narendra Modi onSaturday said the entire world islooking up to India in the backdropof the success of its Covid-19 vac-cination drive and hailed the effortsof vaccine makers who asserted thatthe country would not have beenable to reach the inoculation levelthat it has attained till now, had itbeen following "old norms".

He also said that the vaccinemanufacturers should continuous-ly work together to be ready to facefuture challenges.

Modi made the remarks in hismeeting with Indian COVID-19vaccine manufacturers who said his

leadership was a key factor inIndia being able to administer 100crore doses of the jabs in just aboutnine months.

The domestic vaccine manufac-turers appreciated the vision anddynamic leadership of the primeminister in providing continuousguidance and support towards thedevelopment of the vaccines, astatement released by the PrimeMinister's Office (PMO) said.

The domestic vaccine manufac-turers also praised the never-seen-before collaboration betweenthe government and the industry,

and applauded the regulatoryreforms, simplified procedures,timely approvals, and forthcom-ing and supportive nature of thegovernment throughout thisendeavour, the PMO said.

The vaccine manufacturersnoted that had the country beenfollowing "old norms, there wouldhave been a considerable delayand we would not have been ableto reach the vaccination levelthat we have attained till now", thestatement said.

Entire world looking up to India for itsvaccine drive success, says PM Modi

India-Pakistan T20world cup matchagainst nationalinterest: Ramdev

PNS n NEW DELHI

Tamil film Koozhangal is India'sofficial entry for the 2022 AcademyAwards. The film will only be eli-gible for the award if it finds a placeon the nomination list. Koozhangalhas been produced by Nayantharaand Vignesh Shivan and featuresmusic by Yuvan Shankar Raja.

The filmmaker announced thenews in a tweet and wrote: "There'sa chance to hear this! "And theOscars goes to..." Two steps awayfrom a dream come true momentin our lives... Can't be prouder, hap-pier and content." Koozhangal waspicked from a list of 14 films com-piled by a 15-member jury for ascreening process for selectingIndia's entries.

Koozhangal isIndia's official entry

OSCARS 2022

PAGE-22

KCR directs officials to take actionagainst those destroying forests

Union Minister G Kishan Reddy greets people as he campaigns alongside BJP candidateEatala Rajender for the Huzurabad Assembly by-election on Saturday.

PNS n NEW DELHI

Chief of Defence StaffGeneral Bipin Rawat onSaturday said that China'sambitions and aspirationsto global power present-ed an "omnipresent dan-ger" to stability in South

Asia.China is making

"huge" inroads in SouthAsia and in the IndianOcean region to strength-en its position as anemerging global powerhe said, while deliveringthe first Ravi Kant Singh

Memorial Lecture here.“Of late, we are witne-

ssing a geo-strategic co-mpetition and huge inv-estment by China in theregion to create a favour-able posture to providesufficient security to itsinterests, he said.

Bangladesh and Myan-mar have been the largestrecipients of Chinese mil-itary aid in the recentpast, along with signifi-cant investments inNepal, Sri Lanka andMaldives.

Danger to stability in South Asia dueto China's ambitions: General Rawat

Second rungleaders go by‘50:50’ rule inHuzurabad

PAGE-22

TRS misusing power, says KishanPNS n HANAMKONDA

Union Minister for Tourism KishanReddy on Saturday alleged that theruling TRS was misusing powerand that money and liquor wereflowing freely to the party leaders.

Speaking to reporters here,

Kishan Reddy said the people ofHuzurabad, where the by-poll is tobe held on October 30, would votefor the BJP and that those who fou-ght for a separate Telangana weresupporters of the saffron party.

He claimed the women in theconstituency, too, would vote for

the BJP which, he said, wouldemerge triumphant like it won theDubbaka by-election.

The by-poll to Huzurabad con-stituency was necessitated afterthe TRS MLA and former healthminister Etala Rajendar was sackedover land-grabbing allegations.

2

2

2

2

2

If people try to dig upthings that doesn't exist,

I won't give fodder

A set of ‘before’ and ‘after’ photographs shared by concerned citizens on twitter on Friday show a clearing that has mysteriously appeared in place of the lush green cover at Hitec City.

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hyderabad 02HYDERABAD | SUNDAY| OCTOBER 24,2021

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HYDERABADWEATHER

Current Weather ConditionsUpdated October 23, 2021 5:00 PM

ALMANAC

TODAY

Month & Paksham:

Ashwin & Shukla Paksha

Tithi : Chaturthi 29:42

Nakshatram: Rohini 25:01

Time to Avoid: (Bad time to start

any important work)

Rahukalam: 4:18 pm - 5:45 pm

Yamagandam: 12:00 pm - 1:26 pm

Varjyam: 3:59 pm - 5:47 pm

Gulika: 2:52 pm - 4:18 pm

Good Time: (to start any important work)

Amritakalam: 9:24 pm - 11:13 pm

Abhijit Muhurtham: 11:37 am - 12:23 pm

FFoorreeccaasstt:: Partly cloudyTemp: 29Humidity: 59%Sunrise: 6:09 amSunset: 5:52 pm

PNS n HYDERABAD

TRS working president KTRama Rao on Saturday saidthat going forward, equal pri-ority would be given to theparty’s organisation and gover-nance.

Speaking to select mediapersons at the TelanganaBhavan here, the Minister, whowrapped up meetings withimportant leaders constituen-cy-wise, said that he had metover 4,000 important leadersabout the upcoming TRS ple-nary and Telangana VijayaGarjana to celebrate the party’ssuccessful journey of last 20years and achievements of gov-ernment in the last seven years.

KTR met people’s represen-tatives and other importantleaders from 103 constituenciesin six days from October 18onwards.

The leaders in other 16 con-stituencies have been engagedwith Huzurabad by-electionand he would meet them afterOctober 30. Recently, the TRSsuccessfully constituted partycommittees in all 12,769 grampanchayats, 3,618 municipaland division committees andother units. Overall, partycommittees have been consti-tuted in 16,395 units across theState, KTR said.

The constituency-level lead-ers would go back and hold

meetings tomorrow with man-dal and town level committeesand the day after, these man-dal and town level committeeleaders would hold meetingswith village and ward commit-tee members.

On October 27, compre-hensive constituency-levelmeetings would be held tochalk out the plan of action andlogistics arrangements forensuring members of all com-mittees, associated commit-tees and general public toattend the Telangana VijayaGarjana meeting.

The election of the TRSpresident on October 25 wouldbe followed by the party’s ple-nary session with invited del-egates. Explaining the impor-tance of strengthening theparty’s organisational struc-ture, KTR said that the TRSwas a cause-based party withthe goal of achieving Telanganaand after achieving it, it had toprove to itself and the outsideworld that it would strive tofulfil the aspirations of peoplefor which a separate State wasachieved.

The party notched manysuccesses in the last seven yearsand Telangana was turnedaround, particularly ruralTelangana in a short span oftime, KTR said. “Power crisiswas resolved, irrigation facili-ties were enhanced and the

agriculture sector was devel-oped beyond one’s imagination.The State government gaveequal priority for developmentand welfare schemes,” he said.

The programmes andschemes implemented inTelangana became a role modelnot only for other States butalso for the Government ofIndia which introducedschemes based on RythuBandhu, Mission Bhagiratha,urban parks, TSiPASS etc.Investments came to Telanganathough it did not organiseinvestment conclaves likeGujarat, KTR pointed out.

These achievements have tobe talked about and taken tothe people to explain to themwhat the TRS and govern-ment had done in the lastseven years. “For instance,though Telangana’s populationcomprises 2.5 percent of thenation's population, its contri-bution to the nation's GDP is5 percent. The taxes paid byTelangana were used to allevi-ate the backwardness of otherStates like Uttar Pradesh. Theper capita income of Telanganadoubled from Rs 1.12 lakh in2014 to Rs 2.27 lakh now. RBIhad stated that Telangana wasthe fourth largest contributingState to the nation’s economy,”the Minister said.

He said that these achieve-ments will be explained to the

party leaders and workers in thetraining programmes to be con-ducted after the inauguration ofdistrict party offices by theChief Minister after November15 and the training programmeswill be organised right fromMinisters, MP, MLAs, MLCsand other local bodies represen-tatives and they in turn will trainparty cadre and leaders in theirconstituencies, mandals, vil-lages. These training pro-grammes go on over the nextnine months, he said.

KTR said the suggestioncame from cadre thatTelangana has been doing somuch for farmers that on otherState has been doing. About 63lakh farmers were gettingRythu Bandhu, Rythu Bima,Rythu Vedikas, coordinationcommittees and on the lines ofPalle Pragathi and PattanaPragathi, Vyavasaya Pragathiprogrammes should be organ-ised with farmers, he said.

Similarly, party committeemembers at various levelswould organise meetings withwomen and other sections ofsociety to explain to themabout the welfare programmesbeing implemented.

About 75 to 80 percent offamilies in Telangana were get-ting at least one benefit or theother and the cadre wouldhave to touch base with themand explain what the govern-

ment had been doing for them,KTR said. The party cadrewill become a bridge betweenthe government and people, hesaid.

“The achievements ofTelangana State in seven yearsare many and it is time wetalked about what KCR hasdone so far. The BJP andCongress Parties were givenmany opportunities in the last60 years and TRS got only twoterms so far. Yet the StateGovernment achieved manymilestones,” KTR said.

He said regional partieswould focus only on their Statebut for national parties, itwould be one among 28 States.Regional parties would wage anuncompromised fight to pro-tect interests of their peopleand the State while nationalparties would have no suchfreedom dictated as they are bytheir national units.

He said seven resolutionswill be adopted in the plenarysessions about issues related toState, achievements of State,unfulfilled promises by theCentre as per StateReorganisation Act and howthey went back on severalpromises from Railway coachfactory, national project statusto any project in Telangana,ignoring the recommendationof NITI Aayog to give grant toTelangana etc.

Equal focus on party organisation,governance of State, asserts KTR Continued from page 1

After the meeting, CyrusPoonawalla of the SerumInstitute said, "Had it not beenfor him (Modi) and (he) dri-ving the health ministry, todayIndia would not have been ableto make a billion doses. Thereis no doubt in my mind aboutthat."

The prime minister washappy that the assurance givenby the Serum Institute that itwill make India self-sufficientin Covid vaccine at the lowestpossible price in the world wasfulfilled, he said.

"The PM went out of theway and made regulatory peo-ple move very fast and theyalso cooperated," he added.

Modi in his address to thenation on Friday had said theacceptance that India enjoys inthe world as a pharma hub willbe further strengthened now.

In the meeting on Saturday,Modi praised the efforts of thevaccine manufacturers, whichhas resulted in the countrycrossing the milestone of 100crore vaccinations, and saidthat they have played a "bigrole" in the success story ofIndia.

He appreciated their hardwork and confidence givenby them during the pandem-ic, the PMO said.

The prime minister exhort-ed that the country needs toinstitutionalise the best prac-tises learnt during the lastone-and-a-half years, and saidthat this is an opportunity tomodify our practises, in tune

with the global standards.He said that the entire world

is looking up to India in thebackdrop of the success of thevaccination drive.

The interaction was attend-ed by Cyrus Poonawalla andAdar Poonawalla, SerumInstitute of India; Dr. KrishnaElla and Suchitra Ella, BharatBiotech International Ltd;Pankaj Patel and Shervil Patel,Zydus Cadila; Mahima Datlaand Narender Mantela,Biological E. Ltd; Sanjay Singhand Satish Ramanlal Mehta,Gennova BiopharmaceuticalsLtd; Satish Reddy and DeepakSapra, Dr. Reddy's Lab; andRajesh Jain and Harshit Jain,Panacea Biotec Ltd.

Following the meeting, AdarPoonawalla credited Modi'svision for the vaccine mile-stone and said that in themeeting they discussed how totake the industry forward andprepare for future pandemics,to continue enhancing thecapacity.

"All over the world now,countries are going to invest invaccine production and Indianeeds to stay ahead. We dis-cussed how to do that togeth-er with industry and govern-ment," he said.

His father Pankaj Patel ofZydus, another vaccine maker,said Modi was the "biggest fac-tor" in the development of theDNA-based COVID vaccine.

He praised the prime min-ister for his encouragementand support and also for men-tioning the DNA vaccine at hisaddress at the United Nations.

Union Health MinisterMansukh Mandaviya andUnion Minister of State forHealth Bharati Pravin Pawarwere also present in the meet-ing.

The cumulative COVID-19vaccine doses administered inthe country have exceeded101.30 crore, according to thelatest Union health ministrydata.

On October 21, Indiaachieved a major milestone inits vaccination programmeagainst COVID-19 as thecumulative vaccine dosesadministered in the countrysurpassed the 100-crore mark,resulting in celebratory eventsacross various parts.

After the meeting, KrishnaIlla of Bharat Biotech, themanufacturer of Covaxin, saidreaching the milestone of 100crore doses was not easy butModi was determined to makeit and he converted all the ini-tial "negativity" into an oppor-tunity.

"He made it happen. I thinkthat is the greatest thing aleader can do for any country,"Ella said.

Bharat Biotech's JointManaging Director SuchitraElla, who was also present inthe meeting, thanked the PMfor the interaction.

"Thanks to PMO for theinvitation, thought-provokinginteraction and insights tomake Indian biopharma com-panies prepare ahead for lead-ership in global innovationand manufacturing," she tweet-ed.

Continued from page 1

He added that China's forayinto Myanmar and Bangladeshare not in India's nationalinterest as these are attemptsto engulf India'.

There exists an omnipresentdanger of regional strategicinstability, Rawat said, addingthat it has the potential ofthreatening India's territorialintegrity and strategic impor-tance'.

The General also saidPakistan's state sponsored ter-rorism as well as by non-stateactors against India is a stum-bling block to peace processbetween the two countries.

He described the partner-ship' between Pakistan andChina on a range of issues,from China providing militaryhardware to Pakistan and sup-porting it in international fora,as an anti-India nexus'.

Later addressing a pressconference, the chief ofdefence staff said border issueswith China has to be viewed inits totality, and not as issuespertaining to the Ladakh sec-tor or North Eastern states.

In 2020, there was a little bitof problem (between Indiaand China). Issues are beingresolved with talks at differentlevels, from military to polit-ical level, he said.

Rawat also said such issueshave cropped up in the pasttoo between the two neigh-bours, but have been resolved.

There are suspicionsbetween the two countries,and hence, it takes time toresolve the issues. The peoplemust have faith and confi-dence in the system and thearmed forces, he added.

He said as a measure tocounter China's influence inthe region, India has to step upits engagement in neighbour-ing countries.

He said, Chinese have ahabit of using money power togain popularity in a country(they are trying to influence).

But as our prime minister hasgiven a clarion call, we believein security and growth for all.We have to tell our neighboursthat we are here as permanentfriends and engage with themon equal terms and we consid-er all neighbours as equalpartners in development, headded.

Rawat also emphasized onthe need to exploit culturallinkages with the neighbour-ing countries to strengthenties.

On the country's defencepreparedness, Rawat said, "Weare standing strong".

He said there is adequatedefence and arms systems at

India's disposal, and the gov-ernment has allowed thearmed forces to procure need-ed armaments by invokingemergency powers.

No questions are beingasked (by the government) aslong as our security mecha-nism improves, he added.

Commenting on the recentviolence against security forcesas well as civilians in Jammuand Kashmir, Rawat said, "Ourwestern adversary (Pakistan)is indulging in a proxy warwith us. They will do anythingto disturb peace in Jammu andKashmir."

He also said the killings inJammu & Kashmir were an

attempt by the neighbouringcountry to spread fear amongthe people.

"We should not fear them orfall prey to such traps," he said,adding that any possible exo-dus of people from J&Kshould be stopped.

To counter Pakistan'sdesigns, the chief of defencestaff said the intelligence net-work is being strengthened.

Rawat added that the free-dom of movement that peoplein Jammu & Kashmir werestarting to enjoy in recenttimes may be disrupted due tothe current situation andurged for people's cooperationin tackling the situation.

Continued from page 1

The list of the shortlistedfilms also included SardarUdham, featuring VickyKaushal and Sherni, star-ring Vidya Balan, amongothers. The film, directedby PS Vinothraj, showcasesthe story of a young boy andhow his equation with hisviolent and alcoholic fatherleads him on a quest to fetchback his mother. The film hasbeen a winner of severalawards at film festivalsalready.

Entire world looking upto India for its vaccine...

Poll panel’s ‘72-hour’rule leaves BJP, TRS...

Danger to stability in South Asia due to China's ambitions: General Rawat

Koozhangal isIndia'sofficial entry

Green murder forparking ahead ofTRS plenary?Continued from page 1

The “before and after”images went viral onsocial media with netizenscalling out the TRS gov-ernment for clearing thegreenery.

The activist urged RajyaSabha Member J SantoshKumar to see how hisown party men werediluting his efforts ofGreen India Challenge.Currently all official han-dles have reportedly gonesilent on any issue relatedto the TRS plenary.

K VENKATESHWARLU

n HYDERABAD

Political parties are taking theHuzurabad by-poll as a pres-tigious one and are using alltricks to attract voters.

They are distributingmoney, liquor and otherthings to voters to makethem vote for their candidate.However, second rung lead-ers are taking the by-electionas an opportunity to makemoney, it is learnt.

According to sources, sec-ond rung leaders are not dis-tributing the money given bytheir bosses properly. Thebosses consider theHuzurabad by-poll as a ‘life

and death’ one.Second rung leaders have

discovered a technique toearn as much money as pos-sible in the ongoing elections.According to sources, theseleaders go by the 50:50 rulein distributing the moneygiven by senior leaders.

They are distributing only50 per cent of the money tovoters and keep the remain-ing in their pockets. Thesecond rung leaders havebeen behaving smartlyalthough their leaders havedeployed three to fiveobservers in every village.

The observers are meetingpeople and cross checkingabout money distribution in

every village. However, thesecond rung leaders are tak-ing the ‘cross checking’ byparty observers casually.

Party observers are nottaking these issues seriouslyas the second rung leaderscan shift loyalties if they tryto build too much pressureregarding this.

One second rung leadersaid on condition ofanonymity that they rarelyget an opportunity to earnmoney and the by-poll is onesuch chance.

He said that everyone doesnot go by the 50:50 rule.Some follow the 60:40, 70:30ratios and some others followthe reverse too.

PNS n HYDERABAD

MLC K Kavitha on Saturdayshared images of the famousBurj Khalifa in Dubai takingpart in Bathukamma celebra-tions.

Bathukamma is a colourfulfloral festival celebrated bywomenfolk heralding thebeauty of nature in vibrantcolours of exclusively grownflowers of the region and thecelebrations were screened onthe largest screen in the worldat the Burj Khalifa.

Telangana Jagruthi madearrangements to play theBathukamma documentaryon the big screen for inviteddelegates and separately forthe local people. The showwas beamed live across vari-ous platforms around theglobe at 9:30 PM IST.

This year’s Bathukammaedition of Telangana Jagruthiwas quite unique. The organ-isation launched aBathukamma song ‘AllipoolaVennela’ composed by musicmaestro AR Rahman, direct-ed by ace director GauthamVasudev Menon and broughtto life by a talented team ofartistes.

The screening featured themap of India, Map ofTelangana, Chief Minister KChandrasekhar Rao,Bathukamma flowers withAlipoola Vennela playing thebackground as the heritage ofIndia and Telangana.

Slogans of Jai Hind, JaiTelangana, and Jai KCR onthe Burj screen echoed withtears of joy and pride amongthe viewers.

PNS n HYDERABAD

The Tank Bund, which hasbeen a host to many iconicevents, now hosts the largestcricket bat in the world ascertified by the GuinnessBook of World Records. Thecricket bat is 56.1 feet long,weighs 9 tonnes and is madefrom poplar wood.

A well-known distiller isdedicating the bat to theIndian T20 Cricket Teamwhich is participating in theICC Men’s T20 World Cup.

The bat, designed byPernod Ricard India (P) Ltdwas unveiled for public view-ing on Saturday byMunicipal AdministrationDepartment Special ChiefSecretary Arvind Kumar,IAS, Principal SecretaryJayesh Ranjan, Hyderabad

Cricket Association presi-dent Mohd. Azharuddin onthe eve of the ICC Men’s T20World Cup.

However, not everyonewas happy with the ‘world’slargest cricket bat’ being dis-played in public as it is pro-moted by a distiller. Soonenough, objections wereraised that it appeared as if

the government was pro-moting the liquor brand,since the distiller was usingthe proxy of bottled water inplace of its brand of liquor.

They wanted the stickerwith the name of the dis-tiller’s brand of liquor / bot-tled water on the cricket batto be removed or masked asTank Bund is a public place.

Activist Harish Daga said,"Several young visitors headto the Tank Bund for theSunday Funday programmeevery week. What kind ofmessage is the governmentsending by promoting thepopular liquor brand eventhough it claims bottledwater?

“From what I understand,this cannot be endorsed bythe government throughofficial channels. HMDA hasto immediately mask orremove the brand from thebat at Tank Bund as it is aviolation of the law,” HarishDaga said. The bat was fab-

ricated by BSL events andtook almost a month to buildit.

As per a press release,Pernod Ricard India (P) Ltdis a fully owned subsidiary ofPernod Ricard SA, world’ssecond largest wine and spir-its seller. It is home to a num-ber of popular brands ofliquor.

Advocate Seshagiri BV ina tweet said that Clause 3sub-clause 6 AdvertisingStandards Council of Indiasays that advertisements forproducts whose advertisingis prohibited or restricted bylaw or by this code must notcircumvent such restrictionsby purporting to be adver-tisements for other productsthe advertising of which isnot prohibited or restrictedby law.

Second rung leaders go by‘50:50’ rule in Huzurabad

Largest cricket bat unveiled, criticised for proxy adBathukamma

celebrations at

Burj Khalifa

PNS n NAGPUR

Yoga guru Ramdev on Satu-rday said the India-PakistanT20 World Cup match sche-duled for Sunday is againstthe national interest and"Rashtra Dharma" as the"game of cricket and the ga-me of terror cannot beplayed at the same time".

Speaking to reporters inNagpur, Ramdev said theaddiction of drugs in Bolly-wood is dangerous for theyounger generation of India.

"The way drug addiction isglamorised and the celebrities

who are regarded as rolemodels, ideals or icons by thepeople are seen involved inthis conspiracy is a wronginspiration to the people," hesaid, adding that the industryshould clear this mess.

When asked about India-Pakistan cricket tie amid te-nsions on the LOC, Ramdevsaid, “I feel that the cricketmatch under such a situati-on is against 'Rashtra Dha-rma ' and not in the interestof the nation. The game ofcricket and the game of ter-ror cannot be played at thesame time".

Ramdev objects toIndia-Pak cricket

Continued from page 1

The main problem is distrib-ution of money. Normally,the political parties distributemoney 24 hours before pollingin the guise of distribution ofvoter slips. TRS top leaders feelthat if they are not personallymonitoring the distribution ofmoney by local leaders, thingsmay not go according to plan.Past experience says that so-metimes, local leaders do notspend when they are sure oftheir party winning or losing.

Some local leaders feel thatif their party candidate is cer-tain to win, then there is noneed to spend money. Also, ifthey feel that their candidateis headed for a defeat, then toothey would not want to ‘waste’money by spending it in a los-ing cause.

When the election isextremely close between twoparties, the decision of localleaders on spending money

may actually change the result.In the 2014 Andhra

Pradesh Assembly elections,some YSR Congress Partycandidates, overconfident oftheir victory, did not spendmoney. The consensus amongYSRCP leaders is that theparty lost around 20 seats dueto this factor alone. ManyYSRCP leaders feel that theirparty would have come topower in Andhra Pradesh in2014 itself had overconfi-dence not set in.

It is this thinking that iskeeping the leaders of both theBJP and TRS on the edge. TRSleaders hope that the follow-ers of Eatala may change theirmind in the last 72 hoursbefore polling and supportGellu Srinivas Yadav.

Likewise, BJP leaders toohope that local TRS leaders,after taking money from theirparty, would finally backEatala due to the ‘sympathy’factor.

HYDERABAD | SUNDAY| OCTOBER 24,2021 hyderabad 03

PNS n HYDERABAD

TRS working president andMunicipal Administration andUrban Development (MA&UD)Minister K T Ramarao’s Godsecomments against TPCC chief A.Revanth Reddy has shaken theCongress.

Congress leaders countered theGodse comments of KTR sayingthat “the real Godse’s new Avataar”is in Pragathi Bhavan. TheCongress leaders asked KTR tostop peeping into Gandhi Bhavan.

Stating that 15 TRS MLAs areready to join the Congress afterthe Huzurabad by-poll, TPCCPolitical Affairs CommitteeConvener Shabbir Ali allegedthat Chief Minister K.Chandrasekhar Rao is a followerof Union Home Minister AmitShah, who is a disciple of Godse.

Mohammed Ali Shabbir hasstrongly condemned the remarksmade by Minister K T Ramaraoin which he alleged that 'Godse'has entered Gandhi Bhavan, theheadquarters of the TelanganaCongress.

"It is the fear of defeat and rejec-tion by the people of Huzurabadwhich forced KTR to make sucha statement. Mahatma Gandhi

never lied or cheated people. ButChief Minister K.Chandrashekhar Rao and his sonKTR are sitting on an empire builton lies. The man who killedGandhiji was Nathuram Godseand the people who rejectGandhi’s ideology are Godse's fol-lowers. Therefore, KCR and KTRrank among the top followers ofGodse. KTR must have been sit-ting before a mirror when hemade such a statement," he said.

Finding fault with the KTR’sallegation that the Congress andthe BJP had joined hands for theHuzurabad by-poll, CLP leader

Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka saidthat KTR has been saying thatfearing defeat.

He said the TRS has a hiddenagreement with the BJP, andhence the TRS government is notconducting a probe into the alle-gations of corruption against theBJP’s candidate in Huzurabad,Eatala Rajender.

Bhatti asked KTR to tellwhether KCR was holding talksin New Delhi to merge the TRSwith the BJP.

TPCC Senior Vice-PresidentMallu Ravi said that KCR hasbeen shivering while seeing

Revanth Reddy. Criticising theCongress has become a fashionfor KTR, he alleged.

TPCC Working PresidentMahesh Kumar Goud, seniorofficial spokesperson BellaiahNaik, official spokespersons KalvaSujatha and B. Ayodya Reddy saidthat there are no Godses inGandhi Bhavan, but there aredemons in Pragathi Bhavan.

Telangana Bhavan is a centerfor Telangana betrayers and thebetrayers of TS like Talasani,Errabelli, Kadiam and Pocharamare with KTR, he said. BellaiahNaik said the Huzurabad electionswere intended to destroy EatalaRajender and Finance Minister T.Harish Rao.

Ayodya Reddy said that KCRand KTR are touching the feet ofGodse’s political heirs but notCongress leaders. TRS leaders hadmet BJP leaders and not Congressleaders, he said.

Stating that the BJP and TRSare one, he said that hence the BJPis not proceeding with the CBIcases filed against KCR.He askedKTR to tell Revanth what waswrong in meeting Eatala. CanKTR prove that Eatala metRevanth after Eatala joined theBJP, he asked.

PNS n HYDERABAD

Reacting to the commentsmade by the TRS workingpresident and MunicipalAdministration and UrbanDevelopment (MA&UD)Minister KT Ramarao that BJPcandidate Eatala Rajender metTPCC Chief A Revanth Reddyin Golconda Resorts, EatalaRajender questioned KTR totell what is wrong in meetingRevanth Reddy. Whethermeeting Revanth Reddy isagainst the law?, he askedKTR. Eatala made it clear thatit was true that he met RevanthReddy after tendering resigna-tion to the TRS party.

Eatala said that he met notonly Revanth Reddy but alsoseveral other parties' leaderswith the then prevailing con-ditions. Whether the ChiefMinister K Chandrasekhar Raodidn’t gather the support of allpolitical parties during theTelangana movement, he

asked. He also asked whetherKCR didn’t meet national par-ties' leaders then. He allegedthat the bitter cult of not meet-ing other political parties lead-ers had developed after KCRbecame the Chief Minister ofthe state. Meeting other polit-ical parties leaders is natural forthe development of the state, heopined. Eatala also made itclear that he met RevanthReddy when the latter wasthen TPCC working presidentonly. “However, I didn’t meetRevanth Reddy to join theCongress”, he said.

On the other hand, RevanthReddy made it clear that he metEatala publicly. “I didn’t meetEatala like KTR meets others”,he said. Revanth said that hemet Eatala in former MLAVem Narendere Reddy’s son’swedding card preparation cel-ebrations. Then Eatala toldabout Chief Minister KChandrasekhar Rao’s deceiv-ings, Revanth Reddy said.

Eatala: How is meetingRevanth against law? Revanth Reddy says he met Eatala openlynot like KTR who meets others secretly

PNS n BENGALURU

The US International Dev-elopment Finance Corpo-ration will finance USD 50million to Biological E Limitedto increase its COVID-19 vac-cine manufacturing capacity.

A media invitation from theUS Consulate here said ChiefOperating Officer of the DFCDavid Marchick and Biolog-ical E. Limited ManagingDirector Mahima Datla willformalize the financing agree-ment on October 25.

"On October 25, U.S.

International DevelopmentFinance Corporation (DFC)Chief Operating Officer DavidMarchick and Biological E.Limited Managing DirectorMahima Datla will formalizea USD 50 million financingagreement to expand the com-pany's capacity to produceCovid-19 vaccines," it said.

The agreement will helpbolster near-term Covid-19response efforts and will alsobenefit long-term global he-alth in India and throughoutthe Indo-Pacific region, the USConsulate's invitation said.

PNS n HYDERABAD

The body of a newborn boywas found in a garbage dumpin Amberpet on Saturday.Police suspect that the infantwas abandoned by his parentsafter he died.Police saidGHMC cleaning staff saw thebody in the garbage dumpnear CPL gate and informedthe Amberpet Police. Policeshifted the body to OsmaniaGeneral Hospital for autop-sy.While officials suspect thatthe baby was dumped in thegarbage after his death, onlyan autopsy can confirm thereason and time of death.

PNS n HYDERABAD

A man was found murdered andhis body was dumped in a car onthe outskirts of the city atHayathnagar on Saturday. Thepublic informed the police andthey arrived at the spot with aCLUES team and dogsquad.Police said the body of theunidentified man had multipleinjuries which police suspect

were inflicted with a sharpweapon. Preliminary investiga-tion found that the assailants hadsprinkled chilli powder in thevictim’s eyes.The Hayathnagarpolice registered a murder caseand are investigating the inci-dent. Police have not yet estab-lished whether the victim waskilled at the spot or murderedelsewhere. The body was shift-ed to hospital for autopsy.

PNS n HYDERABAD

A court in Madhugiri inTumakuru district, Karnataka,has issued a non-bailable war-rant (NBW) against activistand revolutionary poet VaravaraRao. He is out on bail on med-ical grounds in a different casewith a condition not to moveout of Mumbai, his lawyer said.

"It's a case pertaining to anattack on policemen inTumakuru in 2005 in whichVaravara Rao and Gaddar(another activist-poet) areamong the accused," advocate SBalan told PTI.

He said he would move theHigh Court on Monday chal-lenging the NBW issued toRao by the Additional SessionsCourt at the taluk headquarterstown of Madhugiri.

The case in which Rao hasbeen made an accused is relat-ed to an attack by the Naxaliteson a police team killing six ofthem and a civilian atVenkatammanahalli inPavagada Taluk in Tumakurudistrict on February 10, 2005.

The 81-year-old poet-activistis also an accused in the Bhima-

Koregaon case, which hap-pened during the annual cele-bratory gathering on January 1,2018 to mark the battle ofBhima Koregaon, fought 200years ago.

Rao, along with many otherprominent people, was arrestedunder the stringent UnlawfulActivities Prevention Act for thealleged Elgar Parishad-Maoistlink and was put in jail.

He had applied for bail on themedical grounds, which theBombay High Court granted inFebruary this year with a con-dition that he should remainwithin the jurisdiction of theSpecial Court for NationalInvestigation Agency.

KTR's Godse commentsrile TS Congress leaders

PNS n HYDERABAD

Molecular biology tools haveenhanced the capability of theforensic scientist to charac-terise biological evidence to thepoint where it is possible toanalyse minute samples andachieve high levels of individ-ualisation.

Characterisation, or ''typ-ing," of deoxyribonucleic acid(DNA) for purposes of crimi-nal investigation can bethought of as an extension ofthe forensic typing of bloodthat has been common formore than 50 years; it is actu-ally an extension from thetyping of proteins that are

coded for by DNA to the typ-ing of DNA itself.

The foundation stone for theconstruction of the building ofDNA and Molecular biologylaboratory at Shanthi Nagar,Hyderabad was laid byMohammed Mahmood Ali,Minister for Home, Prisonsand Fire Services, TelanganaState on Saturday.

The ceremony was alsoattended by MLC MSPrabhakar Rao, NampallyMLA Jaffer Hussain Merajand Hyderabad PoliceCommissioner Anjani Kumarand other top police officials.

“The Chief Minister hasbeen giving top priority to the

police department. This facil-ity under the Safe City Projectof MHA helps in examining alltypes of forensic evidence andto solve the crime cases at theearliest and help investigationofficers,” said the HomeMinister.He said that Rs 17.48crore has been earmarked forthis laboratory for constructionof a G+3 building with 14,000sq ft space equipping it withmost modern equipment forDNA and Molecular biologyanalysis and manning it withexperts. With this facility thetime taken for analysis of cru-cial evidence will furtherreduce aiding in speedy inves-tigation

Foundation laid for DNAand molecular biology lab

Body of newbornfound in garbage

Murdered man’s body found in car at Hyathnagar

PNS n HYDERABAD

Hyderabad PoliceCommissioner, Anjani Kumar,on Saturday launched ‘Saath-Saath Ab Aur Bhi Pas’, a newcitizen outreach initiative tocome closer to the communi-ty by setting up an extensioncentre of SHE Teams.

The citizen’s outreach pro-gramme will be held everyWednesday at the Women’sPolice Station, Ghansi Bazaar.On other days, citizens cancontinue availing the facility ofSHE Teams at HACA Bhavan,Nampally as before.

SHE Teams was launched onOctober, 24, 2014 inHyderabad city.

These teams were formedkeeping in view the Telangana

government’s vision of a safeand secure environment for

women. With the successfulimpact created by SHE Teams,the concept is replicated notonly to the entire Telanganastate but also many other stateslike Kerala, Maharashtra,Madhya Pradesh to name afew.

The SHE Teams addressedmore than 8,000 victims andtheir families, registered 687FIRs as well as 723 petty cases.The teams also caught 942eve-teasers red-handed.

The official appealed to thecitizens to approach SHETeams, without any fear andthat their identity will be keptconfidential.

SHE teams 7th anniversary celebrations held

K’taka sessions court issuesNBW against Varavara Rao

Biological E gets $ 50M toexpand Covid vax facility

PNS n HYDERABAD

The Election Commission ofIndia (ECI) should take actionagainst BJP MP D. Arvind formaking an offensive remarkagainst Muslims, TelanganaPradesh Congress Committee(TPCC) MinoritiesDepartment Chairman ShaikAbdullah Sohail said Saturday.

Addressing a press confer-ence along with TPCC SCCell Chairman NagarigariPreetam and OBC CellChairman Nuthi Srikanth inHuzurabad town, Sohailstrongly condemned BJP MPArvind’s alleged remarks thatMuslims would be kept 'underthe chappals' of Hindus if theBJP wins in Huzurabad.

"The BJP leaders are facingpublic anger on issues likeinflation. They are being ques-tioned on the ever-rising pricesof petrol, diesel and otheressential commodities. BJPleaders are unable to face job-less youth who are askingthem about the two crore jobsevery year promised by PrimeMinister Modi. In many local-

ities, people have banned theentry of BJP leaders until theydeposit the promised Rs 15lakh each in their accounts.Since they are left with noother issues, Arvind is tryingto polarise the electorate bymaking offensive statementsagainst Muslims,” he said.

Sohail said the BJP leadersinitially considered Huzurabadby-elections a cakewalk due tothe candidature of former min-ister Eatala Rajender. But thepeople of Huzurabad havedecided to reject not only theTRS but also the BJP whosegovernment at the Centrefailed on multiple counts.Instead of connecting withpeople on real issues, BJPleaders are now raising Hindu-Muslim rhetoric in a con-stituency where minority com-munities constitute only asmall percentage. Congresscandidate Balamoori Venkathas been receiving tremendoussupport from the people andhe would win the electionwith a comfortable majority,Sohail said.

The Congress leader said

BJP leader Arvind won fromthe Nizamabad Lok Sabhaconstituency by cheating farm-ers. He had signed bondspromising that he would quitif he failed to convince theCentre to constitute theTurmeric Board.

"Arvind is hiding fromfarmers and is afraid of visit-ing his own constituency. Heis giving hate speeches todivert public attention from hisfailures," he said.

"No party or leader cankeep Muslims or any othercommunity 'under their chap-pals.’ But the people ofHuzurabad will keep Arvind'under their chappals' in theby-elections," he said, request-ing the ECI to take actionagainst the BJP MP.

"Why are ECI observers nottaking note of provocativeremarks? Why are the ECIauthorities waiting for a formalcomplaint from other parties?Lack of action by the author-ities encourages communalleaders like Arvind to keepmaking offensive statements,"he said.

Congress asks ECI to take actionagainst BJP MP Arvind's remarks

PNS n HYDERABAD

The KPHB police on Saturdayarrested one Perumala RaviTeja, a private employee resid-ing at KPHB Colony withhash oil and marijuana.

Officials seized three bottlesof hash oil weighing 545grams, 60 grams and 55 grams

and 14 ganja tablets from hispossession. Upon interroga-tion, Ravi revealed that heprocured the contraband fromVisakhapatnam. The contra-band was seized and theaccused remanded to judicialcustody.

In another arrest, theGachibowli Police arrested a

ganja peddler. The arrestedperson, Dhanu Singh, 40, wasapprehended in theNanakramguda area with twokilograms of the banned sub-stance. The Police took himinto custody and booked himunder the NDPS Act.An inves-tigation has begun into his net-work, said the Police

Krishnaiah warns he willexpose BJP in Huzurabad

Weed and hash oil seized from youngster

PNS n HYDERABAD

Excise Department officialson Saturday seized drugsworth Rs 2 crore in a jointraid conducted at three placesin Medchal-Malkajgiri dis-trict.According to the police,the raids were conducted fol-lowing the arrest of anaccused, Pavan, fromKukatpally.

PNS n HYDERABAD

Municipal AdministrationMinister KT Rama Rao was athis sardonic best on Saturday,taking pot-shots at the BJP overthe exorbitant prices of fuel.

Responding to a tweet byBJP MLA Raja Singh, KTRwrote: "Why don’t you go topetrol bunk and find out whatpeople are saying about hike inpetrol & diesel prices? Also stopat a household & enquire withthem on how LPG cylinderprices are going up?".KTR saidthat the only GDP that hasrisen under BJP rule was Gas,Diesel, Petrol and advised theBJP MLA to stop ‘jumle’.

Earlier, Raja Singh hadadvised KTR to take a ride ona bullet in his Goshamahalconstituency and other parts ofthe Old City, “to get 1st handexperience of the developmentthat happened (sic)”.

Later in the day ProfessorNageshwar asked KTR if hewould be interested in allowingtriple riding on bikes as sug-gested by Assam BJP leaders tobeat fuel prices.

KTR responded: “Sir, yetanother brilliant BJP ministerfrom UP says 95% people inthe country don’t needpetrol/diesel!! Wonderfulproducts of WhatsAppUniversity (sic)".

KTR rejects pleato allow tripleriding amid rising fuel prices

PNS n HYDERABAD

Telangana on Saturday added207 fresh Covid-19 cases,taking the tally to 6,70,139,while the death toll rose to3,946 with two more deaths.

Greater HyderabadMunicipal Corporationaccounted for the highestnumber of cases with 38 fol-lowed by Karimnagar with22, a state government bul-letin said, providing detailsduring the last 24 hours end-ing 5.30 PM today.

With 184 people beingcured, total recoveries are at6,62,209, leaving 3984 activecases.

Over 42,000 samples weretested today and cumula-tively over 2.72 crore sampleshave been tested.

Samples tested per millionpopulation were over 7.32lakh, the bulletin said.

The case fatality and recov-ery rates were at 0.59 percentand 98.81 percent comparedto the national average of 1.3percent and 98.14 percent,respectively.

207 new Covidcases, 2 deathsin Telangana

Drugs worth

Rs 2 cr seized

Say Godse's avatar is in Pragathi Bhavan

PNS n HYDERABAD

The BJP candidate in Huzurabadhas to face the music from BCWelfare Association chief andformer MLA R. Krishnaiah asthe latter has made it clear thathe will expose the BJP’s loot notonly in Huzurabad but across thenation wherever elections areheld in future.

He alleged that a conspiracyhas been going on against BCsacross the nation and hence theBCs have to be alert in facing theBJP’s conspiracy.

Participating in the BC con-ference held on Saturday,Krishnaiah said that he willcampaign against the BJPthroughout the nation on theinjustice meted out to BCs by it.

He asked the Centre to tell as

to who had given it permissionto privatise public sector com-panies. He asked the Centre toprovide reservations in promo-tions and alleged that it had beenhatching a conspiracy to keep thepoor as labourers permanently.

Krishnaiah asked the Centreto tell what forced it to privatisethe Railways, which had beencontributing billions to theexchequer. He lashed out at theCentre saying that it is privatis-ing the LIC which has been pro-viding security to the poor.

He criticised the Centre forhanding over the defence sectorto private companies.

He said the BC WelfareAssociation doesn’t need anypolitical party, however, it willshow its strength if anyone dis-turbs the BCs.

Stating that the Centre is try-ing to develop Ambani, Adani,Tata and Birlas, Krishnaiah saidthat it will not be possible.

However, Kakatiya UniversityJAC Chairman Tirupathi Yadavexpressed anger over Krishnaiah,who had stated earlier that ChiefMinister KCR was suppressingthe BCs in the state, for takinga U-turn regarding theHuzurabad by-poll.

Tirupathi a l leged thatKrishnaiah, who demandedBC Bandhu, has been givingindirect support to the TRSin Huzurabad. Tirupathiwondered why Krishnaiah,who had stated that he willmake 1,000 field assistantsf i le nominat ions inHuzurabad, took a U-Turnsuddenly.

PNS n VIJAYAWADA

Three IAS officers, includingthe Commissioner of GreaterVisakhapatnam MunicipalCorporation, were transferred onSaturday. Chief Secretary to thegovernment, Dr. Sameer Sharmaissued GORT: 1766 issuing thetransfer orders.

According to the orders, theservices of Srijana Gummalla,Commissioner, GreaterVisakhapatnam MunicipalCorporation are withdrawn fromMunicipal Administration &Urban Department and is post-ed as Director of Industries, viceJVS Subrahmanyam, transferred.

The services of JVNSubrahmanyam, are placed at thedisposal of the Industries &Commerce Department for pos-

ing as Vice-Chairman &Managing Director, A.P.Industrial InfrastructureDevelopment Corporation.

Dr. G Lakshmisha, JointCollector & Additional DistrictMagistrate (RB&R), EastGodavari district, is transferredand the services are placed at thedisposal of the MunicipalAdministration & UrbanDevelopment Department forposting as Commissioner,Greater VisakhapatnamMunicipal Corporation.

Kirthi Chekuri, Joint Collector& Additional District Magistrate(V, WS & D), East Godavari dis-trict is placed in a full addition-al charge of the post of JointCollector & Additional DistrictMagistrate (RB&R), until furtherorders.

Commissioner ofGVMC Srijana shifted

04HYDERABAD | SUNDAY| OCTOBER 24,2021

PNS n HUZURABAD

Minister for Civil SuppliesGangula Kamalakar onSaturday campaigned in favourof Telangana Rashtra Samiti'sHuzurabad bypoll candidateGellu Srinivas Yadav in the22nd ward as well as atAmbedkar crossroads in thetown, and accused theBharatiya Janata Party of deny-ing Telangana its due share offunds.

During the campaign, repre-sentatives of doctors' associa-tion and doctors called on theMinister and expressed theirsupport for the TRS candidate.

Ill-conceived policies of theBJP had been posing problemsto the country and pushing it

into a deep crisis, the Ministersaid. On the one side, the BJPwas privatising PSUs; and, onthe other, it was increasing

LPG, petrol and diesel pricesalmost every day, he said. Hecame down heavily on the saf-fron party at the Centre.

Neither the BJP's candidatefor the Huzurabad bypoll,Eatala Rajender, nor the UnionMinisters were coming outopenly on what the BJP woulddo to Huzurabad in particularand Telangana in generalshould the BJP win the seat, hesaid. He demanded the Centreto contribute matching sum ofRs 10 lakh to beneficiaries ofthe Dalit Bandhu scheme.Instead of doing so, the BJP gotthe scheme suspended, unableto stomach the impact of thescheme, he added.

The BJP had been robbingthe poor to place the country's

future in the hands of therich, he said. He asked votersto drive away such elementsfrom the soil of Telangana.

He accused the BJP offomenting communal troublein the name of religion. Thesaffron party did nothing toany section of the population,he said. The Huzurabad voterswere wise enough to take intoconsideration various aspectsand would exercise their fran-chise in favour of GelluSrinivas Yadav, electing himwith a huge majority of votes,he said. The Minister urgedpeople to turn out at pollingbooths in large numbers andcast their vote in favour of thecar symbol to bless the TRScandidate.

PNS n PEDDAPALLY

A weekly joint parade of sub-divisional civil and armedreserve police forces was heldat the Ramagundam PoliceCommissionerate on Saturday.Police Commissioner SChandrasekhar Reddyinspected a guard of honourpresented on the occasion.Arms drill, foot drill, and cer-emonial drill were performedon the occasion.

The Commissioner ofPolice, addressing the forces,said that the weekly paradefacilitated police officials tocommunicate their physicalfitness and share problems,including personal, if any.Police personnel could sharetheir personal, official orhealth-related issues withsenior officials. As police per-sonnel, they should not to har-bour any vices. They mustadopt a good lifestyle, he sug-

gested.Chandrasekhar Reddy

asked policemen to relate ifthey had any problems withthe behaviour of their superi-ors. He advised policemen todischarge their duty with dis-cipline and bring good nameto the Police Commissionerateand the state police. Shouldpolice personnel, includingofficers, bring bad name to thePolice Department by theirobjectionable behaviour orneglect of duties, seriousdepartmental action wouldbe taken against them, hewarned. Policemen and offi-cers working out during theirspare time would be in a posi-tion to discharge their dutywith full potential, he said. Headvised police personnel tomaintain their fitness always.He asked them to undergo fre-quent health check-ups andmake work-out an essentialpart of their life.

Weekly joint parade ofcivil, CAR personnel held

PNS n PEDDAPALLY

Mild tremors were experi-enced at 2 pm on Saturday forabout two seconds on theborder of Peddapalli andMancherial districts, accord-ing to official sources.

However, no loss of life orproperty due to the tremorswas reported. Mainly peopleliving in Malkapur and othercolonies in Ramagundam aswell as some colonies ofMancherial town experiencedthe tremors.

PNS n PEDDAPALLY

As part of the police efforts touproot cultivation of ganja,which has been playing havocwith the lives of people, droneswere deployed on Saturday toidentify ganja peddlers andconsumers under the leader-ship of Peddapalli CI PradeepKumar.

The police pressed into ser-vice drones in Yellamma tank,Railway Station and BandariKunta canal areas.

The CI said that efforts were

on to totally control ganja con-sumption and choke supplylines. The police had been gath-ering information about someof the accused from old ganjacases and their movementswould be watched, he said.

History sheets had beenopened against some of them.If they failed to mend theirways, Preventive DetentionAct would be invoked againstthem, he warned. SIs Rajesh,Raja Vardhan, Sahadev Singhand others took part in theexercise.

Drones deployed toidentify ganja users

PNS n NALGONDA

Former Legislative Councilchairman Gutta SukhendarReddy said it was unfortunatethat some parties were launch-ing padayatras to damageTelangana. He was speaking ata press conference in Nalgondaon Saturday.

He said Y S Sharmilabelongs to Rayalaseema. “Howcan Sharmila become aTelangana resident?” He saidSharmila's allegations aboutfamily rule were ridiculous.

Bandi Sanjay, Rewanth andSharmila have been accused oflaunching padayatras to plun-der the resources of Telangana.

He said that transparencycame with the Dharani portaland it was ridiculous to make

allegations against the portal.He said the victory of TRS

candidate G. Srinivas' inHuzurabad is a certainty.Nobody can stop that, headded.

The BJP is conspiring toobstruct the Central ElectionCommission. He accused theBJP of trying to provoke clash-es. He said the BJP had tried toharass Mamata Banerjee inWest Bengal, but that did notsucceed.

With the rise in fuel prices,the prices of essential com-modities are also on the rise.BJP leaders are not talkingabout them. The BJP has nomoral right to ask for votes, hesaid. He urged all invitees toattend and make the TRS ple-nary a success.

Miryalaguda MLANallamothu Baskar Rao andNalgonda district Jadpi floorleader Pasham Ram Reddyalso attended the press confer-ence.

TRS targets Sharmila over padayatra

PNS n MEDCHALMALKAJGIRI

District Collector Harish onSaturday called upon peopleto make proper use of theloans to be provided at theLoan Mela to be held atMekala Bharati Gardens hereon October 26 under theaegis of the district lead bank.Those eligible can get houseloans, educational loans, croploans, business loans. Loanswould be provided to SHGwomen also.

District Lead BankManager Kishore said thatofficials and banks, workingunder directions from theDistrict Collector, would dis-burse loans to eligible per-sons. He asked the beneficia-ries to make good use of theloans. He asked SHG womento be present at the LoanMela and avail of loan facil-ity from the government.

Loan mela onOctober 26

Mild tremorsexperienced intwo districts

PNS n SANGAREDDY

The Sangareddy Police onSaturday undertook exten-sive searches in various panshops in the town, apparent-ly in response to a report pub-lished in these columns high-lighting sales of prohibitedgutka, ganja, zarda in panshops.

Circle Inspector Rameshsaid that 1.5 kg ganja wasseized. On a tip-off, exciseofficials raided a house inSanti Nagar and recovered 1.5kg of ganja from a house. Twopersons were detained in con-nection with this seizure.

Police searchpan shops fornarcotics

TS doctors to support TRScandidate, says Gangula PNS n NALGONDA

DIG A V Ranganath hasdirected police officers to workwith commitment at all levelsto save the youth fromcannabis and other narcoticdrugs and to make Nalgondadistrict cannabis-free.

He was speaking at a meet-ing with police officials anddistrict legal services officialsat the district police headquar-ters on Saturday.

DIG Ranganath said thefuture of the youth was beingundermined due to narcoticswhich could also jeopardizethe country's future.

Police officials from thefield wanted to strengthen theinformation gathering systemas cannabis sales and con-sumption have increased evenin rural areas.

He advised police officers tostay with the public to find outwhere ganja was being soldand consumed. Police officers

have been directed to makearrests, seizures and to inves-tigate all aspects of cannabiscases.

He said that in order tomake Nalgonda cannabis-free,a meeting was held with policestations and they were told tocheck paan shops and grocerystores and to create awarenesson the dangers of sellingcannabis and other narcotics.He made it clear that he wouldnot tolerate any political inter-

ference on the cannabis issue.DIG Ranganath said the

sale, transportation and con-sumption of cannabis shouldnot be taken lightly, and thatpolice officers at all levelsshould act efficiently as it is avery serious problem.

District Judicial ServiceSecretary Venu briefed thepolice on the registration ofcases, hearings, sections, rulesto be followed and documentsto be submitted in court.

No political interference will be

tolerated in narcotics cases: DIG

PNS n MEDAK

Telangana State MahilaCommission ChairpersonSunita Lakshma Reddy onSaturday visited affected peo-ple in flood-hit Atchampetavillage.

It may be recalled that thevillagers were driven onto thestreets as water from the localbreached Pedda Tank enteredhomes in the dead of thenight.

She spoke to the victims

who had lost essential com-modities and utensils in thegushing flood waters, andassured them of succour fromthe government.

Pending that, she distributedrice among the villagers to helpthem meet their emergencyneeds.

MRO Tabita Rani, RevenueInspector Praveen Reddy,Narsapur Municipal vice chair-man Nayeem, Market commit-tee members SuraramNarsimhulu, TRS mandal

party president Sekhar andothers were present on theoccasion.

Sunita Lakshma Reddy visitsflood-hit villagers, distributes rice

PNS n HYDERABAD

In view of the TRS plenary atHitex on Monday, heavy traf-fic movement is expected onthe roads around the venueand surrounding areas.

Accordingly, theCyberabad Traffic Police havemade extensive arrangementsto ensure smooth traffic flow;however heavy traffic isexpected on certain routesduring the day.

The police advised com-muters to use suitable alter-native roads to avoid trafficcongestion.

Vehicles on their way fromNeeru’s towards GachibowliJunction may take diversionat COD (Ayyappa Society,Madhapur) towards DurgamCheruvu to Inorbit, ITCKohinoor, IKEA,Bio–Diversity andGachibowli and vice versaand avoid Cyber TowersJunction.

Traffic diversions

for TRS plenary

meeting

PNS nKARIMNAGAR

Speaking at Nagampet inJammikunta Rural FinanceMinister T. Harish Raoappealed to Huzurabad votersto consider who is going toprovide food to them in thenext two years and fourmonths. The Huzurabad by-election is being held onOctober 30.

He said the contest isbetween the BJP’s liars and thetrusted TRS. KCR kept hispromise to the people by hik-ing Aasara pensions from Rs200 to Rs 2,016 per month.KCR increased benefits underRytu Bandhu from Rs 4,000 peracre to Rs 5,000, Harish said onSaturday addressing the public.

Similarly, KCR almost dou-bled benefits under the KalyanaLakshmi scheme to Rs1,00,116. He also provided irri-gation facility in the hot sum-mer keeping his promise tofarmers.

Harish also quoted theexamples of loan waiver, reduc-

ing the age of eligibility forAasara pensions and the reim-bursement of interest to SHGgroups on loans taken by themfrom banks.

He pointed out that EatalaRajender’s BJP, which is inpower at the Centre for the pastseven years, increased LPGprice to Rs 1,000 a cylinder.

He asked voters to think

who should benefit from theby-elections: the people orEatala Rajender. He askedthem to vote for the TRS toensure benefits for all.

Harish promised to sanctionRs 5 lakh to build a home forthose who owned a site. Hesaid that Eatala Rajender didnot help to build even one2BHK house.

He said that Eatala Rajenderis vowing to bury the TRS, butnot promising what he is goingto do if he were to win the elec-tions.Harish said that to till anacre of land with tractor it usedto cost Rs 3,000. During kharif,it increased to Rs 5,000. In rabi,it will increase to Rs 6,000, hesaid, attributing it to the risingcost of diesel.

Why should anyone votefor the party that troubledfarmers by hiking diesel pricesand women by increasing theprice of LPG? He asked peo-ple to vote for the car symbolto ensure the people’s victoryand to give it to the BJP if theywanted Eatala Rajender to win.

While the TRS candidateGellu Srinivas Yadav ownedonly two guntas of land, EatalaRajender owned extensivelands and had vowed to sell anacre to win the election, HarishRao said, asking whether EatalaRajender would buy votes.

Describing Eatala Rajenderas egoistic, he said that GelluSrinivas had participated in thestruggle for Telangana.

The TRS helped Eatala towin MLA elections six times,but he did not build even a sin-gle Mahila Bhavan in the last17 years, Harish said.

He asked the people to exer-cise restraint even though theBJP is provoking them and saidthat the TRS will win as it stoodfor the public.

Harish asks voters to vote for the party that feeds them

PNS n HYDERABAD

Senior Congress leader V.Hanumantha Rao hasaddressed a letter to theMinister for Education,Sabitha Indra Reddy, sayingthat the parents of schoolchild-ren have represented to him totell the government to contin-ue online classes for upper pri-mary students for some moremonths.

VH said in his letter that theparents expressed fears thatthe threat of Covid-19 had notcompletely disappeared.Schools have already beenclosed in China, UK and theUS. On the other hand, visitorsfrom many foreign countries

are coming to India raising thechances of infection, he added.

If students are compelled toattend direct classes in educa-tional institutions it may leadto unnecessary strain on them,he said.VH said that theMinister is aware that thedreaded corona disease is stillrampant, and that the parentsof schoolchildren are in panic.Life is more important thaneducation. On the other handmedical experts say that thethreat of a third covid waveand post-covid complicationsstill exist.VH said that in thelarger interests of schoolchild-ren and their parents, theconcern of parents for theirchildren must be respected.

VH to Education Minister:Continue online classes

PNS n KARIMNAGAR

BJP candidate for theHuzurabad Assembly con-stituency by-elections EatalaRajender has accused ChiefMinister K ChandrasekharRao of 'backstabbing' him andsending him out of the TRS.

While campaigning inSingapur village on Saturday,he accused KCR of sabotaginghim and sending him out ofthe TRS after using his servicesin the movement forTelangana statehood for 18years.

Rajender charged KCR with

shedding crocodile tears. Heasserted that the TRS candi-date would have to forfeit hisdeposit should elections beheld democratically.

He said that he would notbe nosey about others' affairsand would not tolerate others'interference in his personalmatters.

The BJP candidate chargedthe TRS leaders with threaten-ing people not to attend hismeetings. "Is Telangana thefiefdom of KCR", he ques-tioned. "It belongs to the peo-ple. KCR is not the owner ofTelangana, but a watchman,"

PNS n NALGONDA

Various hostels of welfaredepartments, which hadremained closed for monthsdue to Corona, havereopened in Nalgonda. Thenumber of students comingto hostels is increasing day byday.

In Nalgonda district, thereare about 32 SC, ST, BC andMinority hostels. There areabout 300 students in eachhostel.District AdditionalCollector VanamalaChandrasekhar on Saturdayconducted a surprise inspec-tion of hostels in variousareas. He inspected the wel-fare post-matric students'.

PNS n PEDDAPALLY

Singareni Collieries CompanyLimited (SCCL) directors onSaturday inaugurated an oxy-gen plant at the Area Hospitalin Ramagundam.

SCCL director operationsChandrasekhar, directorfinance N Balaram, director (Eand M) D Satyanarayana Rao,SCCL-recognised trade unionTBGKS president B VenkatRao, general secretary KMallaiah, Area Hospital CMODr Kiran Rajkumar and oth-

ers performed special puja atthe oxygen plant and unveiledthe plaque. Later, they inaugu-rated the plant.

RG-1 general manager KNarayana presided over theprogramme.

Top officials of SCCLpraised CMD N Sridhar forimplementing a series of mea-sures to contain Covid-19 inthe mining areas and for set-ting up the oxygen plant at acost of Rs 96 lakh to produce750 litres of oxygen perminute.

Oxygen plant inaugurated

at SCCL Area Hospital

Eatala claims KCR‘backstabbed’ him

Hostels reopenin Nalgonda

PNS n HYDERABAD

Efforts are on to find a perma-nent solution for the stenchfrom Jawaharnagar by con-structing and commissioninganother 28 MW waste-to-ener-gy unit in addition to theexisting 20 MW, saidMunicipal AdministrationSpecial Chief Secretary ArvindKumar on Saturday.

He said that such a perma-nent solution will take about 18months once EnvironmentalClearance is granted by theGovernment of India. “Wehope to receive all clearances in

November,” Arvind Kumarsaid.

The Special Chief Secretary,along with Hyderabad MayorGadwal Vijayalakshmi andGHMC Commissioner LokeshKumar inspected theJawaharnagar dump yard andreviewed its functioning asdirected by MunicipalAdministration Minister KTRama Rao.

Arvind Kumar said thatdrones will take up sprayingimmediately and garbage pilesbrought down, among othersteps.

Arvind Kumar has said that

steps are being taken to ensurethat people living inJawaharnagar, Dammaiguda,Kushaiguda and Sainikpuriface no problems due togarbage transferred to dumpyards nearby, as per the ordersissued by the MunicipalAdministration Minister.

Arvind said that he wouldinspect the Malkaram tankand other eight temporarytanks.

It had been proposed totake up projects worth Rs 280crore in GHMC limits and themodalities to implement themwere being worked out, he said.

Sites for dump yards werebeing identified in all the fourcorners of the city, ArvindKumar said, adding that 120acres have been identified inLakdaram and another 150acres in Gayatri Nagar. “We arescouting for additional sites atother places,” he said.

The MunicipalAdministration Departmenthas targeted production of 48MW power from waste withthe support of Ramky EnviroEngineers. All measures toproduce another 28 MWwould be taken soon, theSpecial Chief Secretary added.

Solution to Jawaharnagar woes soon

AP police association condemnsTDP chief’s ‘false’ propaganda PNS n VIJAYAWADA

The Andhra Pradesh PoliceOfficers’ AssociationAmaravati (APPOAA) hasobjected to the derogatoryremarks of TDP chiefChandrababu Naidu and otherparty leaders against AP DGPand the Police department.The APPOAA leaders furtherobjected to the insulting of theAP police by the TDP leaders.Addressing a press conferencehere on Saturday, APPOAApresident, Janakula SrinivasaRao, general secretary MdMastan Khan and other lead-

ers said that it is not appropri-ate for political leaders toweaken the police system fortheir selfish ends. They saidthat Chandrababu Naidu'sremarks on the police systemare detrimental to the consti-tutional spirit. The other TDPleaders are making baselessallegations against the policesystem for their selfish politi-cal gains. They said that Naiduused to write letters to DGPGautam Sawang on trivialmatters and the latter gavereplies but Naidu termed them‘love letters’ which is severelyobjectionable. The association

leaders strongly objected to thestatement of Naidu asking thepolice to take off the uniformas TDP would conduct aninquiry in the attacks on partyoffices and said it was unbe-coming on the part of a 72-year-old man who had workedas Chief Minister for 14 years.They said that Naidu’s state-ment had clearly indicated theulterior motive of Naidu totake law and order into theirhands without respecting theConstitution. The APPOAAleaders said that former min-ister SomireddyChandramohan Reddy.

HYDERABAD | SUNDAY| OCTOBER 24,2021 nation 05

Aclose aide of LokJanshakti Party (Ram

Vilas) leader Chirag PaswanSaturday said Paswan didnot care about becoming aminister in the BJP-ledgovernment at the Centreand fought the Biharassembly electionsindependently for the state'sbenefits, and has now

emerged as a leader in his own right. Saurabh Pandey,whose proximity to Paswan has been blamed by the party headed byhis uncle and Union minister Pashupati Kumar Paras for the split inthe original organisation, has written a public letter to Paras. TheLok Janshakti Party, now cleaved into two, was offered only 15 seatsto contest as part of the BJP-JD(U) alliance, Pandey said, claimingthat even Paras was against the deal. Paswan then decided tocontest the polls independently on the "Bihar first Bihari first" agenda.

Congress generalsecretary Priyanka

Gandhi Vadra onSaturday flagged off herparty's "Pratigya Yatras"from UP's Barabanki andpromised complete loanwaiver for farmers ifvoted to power in thestate in the next year'sAssembly polls. The

yatras will take three different routes--Barabanki toBundelkhand, Saharanpur to Mathura and Varanasi to RaeBareli—from October 23 to November 1 with the slogan, "HumVachan Nibhayenge". The Congress leader, who had earlierannounced to give 40 per cent tickets to women in theelections besides smartphones to Class 12 pass girls and an e-scooty to graduate girls, also unveiled other resolutions of theparty. These included complete loan waiver for farmers, Rs 2,500 MSP for wheat, government jobs to 20 lakh people, Rs25,000 to families to help them overcome their financial lossesduring the coronavirus crisis and halving of electricity bills.

ISKCON devoteeson Saturday held

a protest at JantarMantar hereagainst the attackon Hindus inBangladesh seek-ing justice forminorities in theneighbouring

country. The protesters were singing ‘bhajans' and carriedplacards mentioning their demands on it, including ‘protectHindus in Bangladesh', ‘justice for Hindus and minorities'.Some Hindu temples in Bangladesh have been vandalised byunidentified Muslim mobs during Durga Puja celebrationsearlier this month.

Three persons were killed andeight injured when an auto-

rickshaw collided with a car inChhattisgarh's Bemetara dis-trict, police said on Saturday.The accident took placebetween Kodva and Rakhi vil-lages under Devkar police post

limits on Friday night, an official said. The occupants of the auto-rickshaw were returning to Bhilai after attending a post-death pro-gramme in Thathapur village, when the vehicle collided with a cartravelling from the Durg, he said. The two occupants of the car GeetaManikpuri (55) and Bahadur Das (55) died on the spot, while car dri-ver Parmeshwar Sen (36) succumbed to his injuries when he wasbeing shifted to Raipur for treatment, the official said. Of the eightinjured victims, two are critically wounded and have been referred toRaipur from Community Health Centre in Saja, he said, adding thatthe bodies of the deceased have been sent for post-mortem.

Chhattisgarh: Three killed, eightinjured in auto-car collision

INDIA CORNER

PNS n SRINAGAR

Union Home Minister AmitShah arrived here on Saturdayfor his first visit to Jammuand Kashmir since Article370 was revoked in August2019 and drove straight tomeet the family of a policeofficer killed by terrorists.He later chaired a meeting toreview the security situationin the Valley.

The home minister, who ishere on a three-day visit, wasreceived at the technical air-port here by Lt GovernorManoj Sinha and advisorFarooq Khan.

It was a day of heavy rainand snow in several parts ofthe Valley. If the weatherholds, he will visit Jammu onSunday to address a publicrally and return to Srinagar,officials said.

Number one on his agendawas meeting the family ofJammu and Kashmir PoliceInspector Parvaiz Ahmad

who was shot dead by terror-ists on June 22 near his homein Nowgam on the outskirtsof the city while he wasreturning after of fer ingevening prayers at a mosque.

Shah offered his condo-lences to the family and hand-ed over documents of

appointment to a govern-ment job to Ahmad's widow,Fatima Akhtar, on compas-sionate grounds, a home min-istry official said.

“Today visited the family ofmartyr Parvaiz Ahmad Darand paid tributes to him. Iand the nation are proud of

his bravery. Jammu andKashmir Police is making allefforts to realise the vision ofPM Modi for a new JK," Shahsaid in a tweet later.

After going to Nowgam,Shah reviewed the security sit-uation and steps taken tocombat terrorism in Kashmir

Valley, particularly followingthe targeted killings of civil-ians, mostly non-local labour-ers and minorities.

During the meeting, held atthe Raj Bhavan here, the homeminister was briefed on stepstaken to eliminate terrorismfrom the union territory andcounter-infiltration measuresby the security forces, officialssaid.

The meeting was attendedby top civil administrationofficials, including the lieu-tenant governor and seniorsecurity officials from theArmy, CRPF, police and otheragencies, they said.

Shah will also flag off theinaugural Srinagar-Sharjahflight and interact with mem-bers of a youth club here.

This is his first visit sinceJammu and Kashmir's specialstatus under Article 370 wasrevoked on August 5, 2019,and the state bifurcated intothe union territories of Jammuand Kashmir, and Ladakh.

PNS n MUMBAI

Judicial infrastructure isimportant for improving accessto justice, but it is baffling tonote that its improvement andmaintenance was being carriedout in an ad-hoc andunplanned manner in thecountry, Chief Justice of IndiaN V Ramana said on Saturday.

Noting that an effective judi-ciary can help in the growth ofthe economy, the CJI saidcourts are extremely essentialfor any society that is governedby rule of law.

CJI Ramana was speaking atthe inauguration of two wingsof the annexe building at theAurangabad bench of theBombay High Court.

The CJI said today's successshould not blind us to theissues that exist.

"We are faced with certainhard facts like several courts donot have proper facilities. Somecourts function out of dilapi-dated buildings. Judicial infra-structure is important forimproving access to justice," hesaid.

"It is baffling to note that the

improvement and maintenanceof judicial infrastructure is stillbeing carried out in an ad-hocand unplanned manner," CJIRamana added.

He further said that the build-ing that was inaugurated atAurangabad on Saturday wasenvisioned in 2011.

"That it has taken 10 years forthis vision to be implemented isextremely worrisome. This is adeeper problem that hasplugged our judicial infrastruc-ture planning in our countrysince the Independence," the CJIsaid.

"An effective judiciary can aidin the effective growth of theeconomy," he said.

The CJI said he has sent a

proposal for the establishmentof the National JudicialInfrastructural Authority to theUnion Minister of Law andJustice, and added that he washoping for a positive responseand the issue is taken up dur-ing the upcoming winter sessionof the Parliament.

CJI Ramana said many ideasof social revolution that haveresulted in the freedom and lib-erty that we all take for grant-ed today have been born out ofthis fertile and progressive land.

"Be it the extraordinarySavitri Phule or the pioneeringfeminist Jyotirao Phule or thelegendary Dr BhimraoBabasaheb Ambedkar. Theyalways aspired for an egalitari-an society where every individ-ual's right to dignity is hon-oured. Together they have set inmotion an irreversible socialchange which has finallyevolved in our Constitution,"CJI Ramana said.

He added that it is a commonnotion that only criminals andvictims approach court andpeople take pride in stating thatthey have never visited or seena court building in their lifetime.

PNS n NEW DELHI

A Central EmpoweredCommittee (CEC), constitutedby the Supreme Court, haswritten to the Assam govern-ment to take action against ille-gal constructions along theanimal corridors in theKaziranga National Park andTiger Reserve.

The CEC, in a letter to theAssam chief secretary, said anaction taken report should besubmitted to the panel withinfour weeks.

"I am forwarding herewith acopy of letter dated September10, 2021 received from Dr.Hemen Hazarika, Scientist 'D'Head of office, IRO, GuwahatiO/o the Ministry ofEnvironment, Forest & Climate

Change, Regional Office,Guwahati, Government ofIndia on the above subject.

"It is requested that immedi-ate action is taken to remove allconstructions made in viola-tion of the Supreme Courtorder dated April 12, 2019

and not to permit any new con-structions along the nine iden-tified animal corridors. Anaction taken report may pleasebe sent to the CEC within thenext four weeks," the letter byCEC Member-SecretaryAmarnatha Shetty dated

October 6 said.Hazarika's letter was based

on a report filed by Laetitia J.Syiemiong, Deputy Inspector-General of Forest (Central)after inspecting the wildlifecorridor.

"Inspection was done and atfield level after traversing theentire 8 (eight) stretch of ani-mal corridors, where it wasfound that there has beenillegal construction all along.Hence, there has been 'con-tempt of hon'ble SupremeCourt order datedl2.04.2019”on I. A. No.42944/20)9 on WP(C)202/1995' which had otherthan banning all types ofmining, had also 'not permit-ted any new constructionincluding on private lands

which form part of the 9identified animal corridors',"the report filed by DIGF said.

The report was submittedin response to a complaint byenvironment activist RohitChoudhur y who soughtaction against illegal con-structions in the animal cor-ridors in contempt of the topcourt order.

The apex court in its 2019order had ordered that "nonew construction shall bepermitted on private landswhich form part of the nineidentified animal corridors".

The top court had alsobanned all mining activitiesalong the Kaziranga NationalPark and catchment area ofrivers originating in KarbiAnglong Hills in Assam.

Three more held for Lakhimpurviolence, number goes up to13PNS n LAKHIMPUR KHERI (UP)

Three more arrests were madeon Saturday in connectionwith the Tikonia violence herewhich had left eight people,including four farmers, deadduring a protest by farmers onOctober 3, officials saidSaturday.

This takes to 13 the totalnumber of arrests made so far,also including Union ministerAjay Mishra's son Ashish, inconnection with the violence.

A senior police officer iden-tified those arrested Saturday asMohit Trivedi of Singahi town,Ranku Rana of Barsola Kalanand Dharmendra of ChimmaTanda both under Tikonia kot-wali limits.

The arrests were made aftertheir names emerged duringthe interrogation of otheraccused in police custody, theofficer added.

All the three accused wouldbe produced in the court laterin the day and the investigators

would request for their 14 dayspolice remand for further inter-rogation,he said.

Ashish was arrested onOctober 9 and is presently inpolice custody.

The nine other arrestedaccused include BJP wardmember Sumit Jaiswal, AnkitDas, Latif alias Kale, ShekharBharti, Shishu Pal, SatyaPrakash Tripathi alias Satyam,Nandan Singh Bisht, AshishPandey and Lavkush Rana.

Barring Ashish Pandey andLavkush Rana, all other sevenare in police custody for inter-rogation.

An FIR was lodged at theTikonia police station onOctober 3.

The next day, a counter-FIRwas lodged at the same policestation on the basis of a com-plaint by Sumit Jaiswal, who hasnow been arrested.

The SIT constituted by thestate police is probing the case.

BJP leaders dishonoured

people's verdict: AbishekPNS n GOSABA

TMC national general secre-tary Abhishek Banerjee onSaturday slammed the BJPfor "thrusting by-election"on two of the four assemblyseats in the state that will goto polls on October 30.

Addressing a ral ly atGosaba in South 24Parganas, Banerjeepointed out thatbypoll was neces-sitated here andin Khardah fol-lowing the deathof two TMCcandidates, butthe circumstanceunder which elec-tions are being held inShantipur and Dinhata aredifferent.

"Winning BJP candidatesJagannath Sarkar and NisithPramanik resigned as MLAseven after being elected bypeople. They dishonouredthe verdict of people to retainparliamentary berths. TheBJP is seeking votes again in

those two seats. They will berejected by people," heclaimed.

The senior TMC leaderalso asserted that his partywill make a "4-0 sweep" inthe by-elections.

Taking a dig at Amit Shah,he said, "The former BJPnational president and cur-rent home minister had

promised to dole outRs 2 lakh crore

for the devel-opment ofSunderbansand carve outa separate dis-

trict during hiscampaigns for

assembly pol lssome months ago.

"They are still holdingpower in Delhi but you won'thear about any follow-upinitiatives from them."

The Diamond HarbourMP further noted that ChiefMinister Mamata Banerjee,in contrast, "kept her promis-es and rolled out schemessuch as Lakshmir Bhandar".

Three killed inmudslide in J&K's PulwamaPNS n SRINAGAR

Three nomads, including twowomen, died while anotherperson was critically injuredin a mudslide triggered byincessant rains in Pulwamadistrict of Jammu andKashmir, officials said.

A tent of the nomads,belonging to Reasi district inthe Jammu Division, wasburied under the mudslide inNoorpora area of Tral due toheavy rainfall since last night,they said.

The officials said one per-son was rescued in a criticalcondition, the other threedied in the incident. Furtherdetails are awaited, the offi-cials added.

PNS n MUMBAI

In an apparent dig at formerMumbai police commissionerParam Bir Singh, MaharashtraChief Minister UddhavThackeray on Saturday said thereis a case in the state where thecomplainant has gone missing.

Thackeray made the state-ment at the inauguration of twowings of the annexe building atthe Aurangabad bench of theBombay High Court. ChiefJustice of India N V Ramana,Union Law Minister Kiren Rijuju,Supreme Court judge Justice D YChandrachud and others werepresent on the occasion. "JusticeD Y Chandrachud pointed out(during his address at the event)that a case is pending inMaharashtra since 1958 as theaccused is absconding. But todaywe have a case where the com-plainant is missing," Thackeraysaid.

"He gave a complaint makingserious allegations, but is nowmissing. We do not know wherehe is. This is something that alsoneeds to be looked into," headded.

Although the chief minister didnot name anyone, his remarkswere apparently targeted at thesenior IPS officer, who had lev-elled allegations of corruptionagainst former Maharashtrahome minister Anil Deshmukh.

A few days ago, during a hear-ing of a plea pertaining to Singh,the Maharashtra government hadtold the Bombay High Court thathis whereabouts were not known.

Days after he was shunted outas Mumbai police commissioner,Singh had claimed in a letter to thechief minister earlier this year thatDeshmukh used to ask the policeofficers to collect money fromrestaurants and bars in Mumbai.Deshmukh, an NCP leader,resigned as a minister in April thisyear, although he has denied theallegations against him.

The Central Bureau ofInvestigation (CBI) and theEnforcement Directorate (ED) areprobing the allegations madeagainst Deshmukh by Singh.

During his address, the chiefminister added that the stategovernment is now planning tolaunch a project wherein anew high court complex will bebuilt in Mumbai.

‘Providing best education tokids greatest act of patriotism’PNS n NEW DELHI

QChief Minister ArvindKejr iwal on Saturdayappealed to people to ensurethe best education for theirchildren, saying it is thegreatest act of patriotismand will go a long way inmaking the country great.

Paying tr ibutes toMaharshi Valmiki at anevent hosted by DelhiSanskrit Academy atThyagaraj Stadium, Kejriwalsaid government schools aremuch better now and 2.5lakh students from privateschools moved there thisyear.

"Maharshi Valmiki andDr Bhim Rao Ambedkar,two great icons of Valmikicommunity, emphasised onlearning and education. Iask you to send your chil-

dren to schools and do notengage them in any otherwork," he told the gathering.

The chief minister alsopresented certificates andshields to 22 students ofDelhi government schoolswho scored over 90 per centmarks in Board exams.

"These children whoscored over 90 per centmarks have dreams in theireyes and they want tobecome IAS officers, doctors,engineers and go to otherfields. Providing the besteducation to your children isthe greatest act of patriotismand it will go a long way inmaking the country great,"he said.

Kejriwal said his govern-ment not only ensured freecoaching after Class 12, butalso provided a loan of Rs 10lakh for higher education.

PNS n NEW DELHI

Highlighting the issuesbeing faced by children,Delhi Deputy ChiefMinister Manish Sisodiasaid on Saturday that theirchildhood is getting lost inthe shackles of beliefs andthere is a need to breakthese bars.

He was speaking at thelaunch of the Children First-Journal on Children's Livesby the Delhi CommissionFor Protection of ChildRights (DCPCR).

The journal's first issue ison the theme of impact ofthe COVID-19 pandemicon the lives of children.

"We force our beliefs, ourthoughts and traditions onchildren in the name oflove, care and affection. Thechildhood is getting lost inthe cages of beliefs and weneed to break these bars,"Sisodia said at the event.

Supreme Court judgeJustice Ravinder Bhatt, whowas the chief guest at theevent, acknowledged theunprecedented attention thejournal gives to the issuesbeing faced by children whohave lost their primary caregivers.

The advisory Board ofthe journal was chaired byformer Supreme Courtjudge Just ice (ret ired)Madan B Lokur.

He explained the futureplans for the journal ,which is to highlight theimpact of the pandemicon education. "The nextissue will discuss the chal-lenges faced by studentsan d t e a c h e r s , an d anattempt to reduce the dis-ruption of education inthe unsettling era," Lokuradded.

Shah in J&K for first timesince abrogation of A 370

CJI Ramana rues ‘ad-hoc,unplanned’ judicial infra

‘Chirag didn't care about becomingminister, fought for state's benefit'

Priyanka flags off ‘PratigyaYatras' from UP's Barabanki

ISKCON members protest attackson Hindus in Bangladesh

SC panel asks Assam govt to take action

Uddhav on Param Bir: ‘We have casewhere complainant has gone missing’

Childhoodgetting lost incages ofbeliefs: Sisodia

ILLEGAL CONSTRUCTIONS IN KAZIRANGA NATIONAL PARK

HYDERABAD | SUNDAY | OCTOBER 24, 2021money 06

MONEY MATTERS

Newly launched airline flybig has entered into an agreement withIRCTC to facilitate travellers to book tickets for any of its northeastdestinations through the latter's ‘Air' platform, an official said onFriday.The pact will allow the passengers to book their travel ticketsto any NE flybig destination through the IRCTC portal, which willhelp in boosting tourism in the region, he said.“The partnership islaunched in line with ‘Dekho Apna Desh' to promote NE sectors'flora, fauna and culture. It also boosts ‘Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav',promoting connectivity and economic growth of the region. flybigwill always remain in endeavour to add more routes for facilitationof the travellers and promotion of tourism,” a release issued by theairline said. flybig's operations to Guwahati kicked off in May thisyear, connecting the city to Tezu, Pasighat, Rupsi, Agartala,Dibrugarh and Kolkata.“Lilabari (in Assam's Lakimpur district) isour new sector to be launched on October 31,” the official said.

IRCTC-flybig pact to facilitateeasy ticket booking

Greaves Electric Mobility on Saturday said it has fully acquiredBestway Agencies Pvt Ltd (BAPL) which sells e-rickshaws under theELE brand. The company, which is the e-mobility arm of GreavesCotton Ltd, has acquired 100 per cent stake in BAPL. Last year in July, Greaves had acquired 74 per cent stake in the

company. "With this strategic acquisition, we have strengthenedour position to become one of largest players now catering to 85per cent of the last mile mobility segment," Greaves Cotton GroupCEO and MD Nagesh A Basavanhalli said in a statement. E-rickshawis one of the largest and fastest-growing categories of electricvehicles in India and offers sustainable, reliable, noise-free andmost important cost-effective mobility to customers.

Greaves Electric fully acquires e-rickshaw brand ‘Bestway’

PNS n NEW DELHI

Petrol and diesel prices werehiked for the fourth consecu-tive day on Saturday by 35 paiseper litre, pushing the totalincrease in rates on petrol to Rs36 per litre and on diesel to Rs26.58 since early May 2020when taxes on the two fuelswere raised to record levels.

Petrol in Delhi now costs Rs107.24 a litre and diesel comesfor Rs 95.97, according to aprice notification of state-owned fuel retailers.

The latest increase that fol-lows the unrelenting hike ininternational oil prices haspushed pump rates across thecountry to their highest-everlevels. While petrol is above Rs100-a-litre-mark in all majorcities, diesel has crossed thatlevel in more than a dozenstates.

The total increase in petrolprice since May 5, 2020 deci-sion of the government toraise excise duty to record lev-els now totals Rs 35.98 per litre.Diesel rates have during thisperiod gone up by Rs 26.58 perlitre.

The government had raisedexcise duty on petrol and dieselto mop up gains that would

have otherwise accrued to con-sumers from international oilprices crashing to as low asUSD 19 per barrel. Whileinternational prices have sincerecovered to USD 85, exciseduty has remained at Rs 32.9per litre on petrol and Rs 31.8on diesel.

Oil Minister Hardeep SinghPuri on Friday equateddemand for cutting excise dutyto 'axing one's own feet', sayingsuch levies funded govern-ment schemes to provide freeCOVID-19 vaccines, mealsand cooking gas to millionsamid the pandemic.

"I think this simplistic polit-

ical narrative we get in India(that), 'prices have gone up,why don't you reduce yourtaxes'... so every time price goesup due to something else, itsays you axe your own feet inthe process," he had said late onFriday.

He was asked a question onwhether the government wouldcut taxes, which make up for 54per cent of the price of petroland over 48 per cent of diesel,to ease the burden on con-sumers.

"Yesterday (on October 21)we completed vaccinating onebillion (against COVID), wefed 90 crore people for one full

year (during the pandemic)providing 3 meals in a day, wedid Ujjwala scheme (of provid-ing free cooking gas LPG refillto 8 crore poor beneficiaries).All this and much more withthat Rs 32 a litre excise duty(levied by the central govern-ment)," he had asserted.

The money collected fromtax also goes into buildingroads, constructing houses forthe poor and other social wel-fare schemes.

"I am not the finance min-ister therefore it is not anappropriate answer for me togive," he said on demands forcutting taxes. "That Rs 32 a litrethat we collect provides us theability to provide all these wel-fare services, including 1 billionvaccines."

The increase in fuel priceshas stoked concerns over infla-tion as diesel is the mainstayfuel used for transportinggoods, including agri com-modities.

Opposition parties includingCongress have been critical ofthe government over the pricehikes and have demanded areduction in taxes.

Puri had said that while thecentre levies specific exciseduty on petrol and diesel,

which does not change if the oilprices fall to USD 19 per bar-rel or rise to USD 84, state gov-ernments levy ad valorem rateof VAT whose incidence goesup with every hike.

He said petrol price wasdecontrolled in 2010, effective-ly making it linked to worldmarkets.

Diesel prices were freedfrom government controls inOctober 2014 by the Modigovernment.

Kerala High Court,he said, had suggested that theinclusion of petrol and diesel inthe Goods and Services Tax(GST) regime be put before theGST Council.

And when the Council con-sidered it at its meeting inLucknow last month, "the stategovernments thought other-wise," he said, referring to thepanel's decision not to includepetrol and diesel in the GSTregime which would have meantsubsuming central excise andstate VAT into one uniform tax.

Finance Minister NirmalaSitharaman had after the GSTCouncil meeting stated thepanel had unanimously decid-ed to continue to keep petroland diesel out of the GSTregime.

PNS n DUBAI

One of the world's largest oilproducers, Saudi Arabia,announced Saturday it aims toreach “net zero” greenhousegas emissions by 2060, joiningmore than 100 countries in aglobal effort to try and curbman-made climate change.

The announce-ment, made by Crown PrinceMohammed bin Salman inbrief scripted remarks at thestart of the kingdom's first-everSaudi Green Initiative Forum,was timed to make a splash alittle more than a week beforethe start of the global COP26climate conference being heldin Glasgow, Scotland.

Although the king-dom will aim to reduce itsemissions, Prince Mohammedsaid the kingdom would do sothrough a so-called “CarbonCircular Economy” approach.That approach focuses on stillunreliable carbon capture andstorage technologies overefforts to actually reduce glob-al reliance on fossil fuels.

The announcement onlypertains to Saudi Arabia'sefforts within its national bor-ders, and does not impact itscontinued aggressive invest-ment in oil and exporting its

fossil fuels to Asia and otherregions.

“The transition to net zerocarbon emissions will be deliv-ered in a manner that pre-serves the kingdom's leadingrole in enhancing the securityand stability of global energymarkets, particularly consider-ing the maturity and availabil-ity of technologies necessary tomanage and reduce emissions,”a statement by the Saudi GreenInitiative forum said.

The kingdom's oil and gasexports form the backbone ofits economy, despite efforts todiversify away from reliance onfossil fuels for revenue.

The global summit COP26starting Oct 31 will draw headsof state from across the worldto try and tackle global warm-ing and its challenges. It is

being described as “the world'slast best chance ” to preventglobal warming from reachingdangerous levels.

The summit is expected tosee a flurry of new commit-ments from governments andbusinesses to reduce theiremissions of greenhouse gases.

Leaked documents firstreported by the BBC emergedThursday showing how SaudiArabia and other countries,including Australia, Brazil andJapan, are apparently trying towater down an upcoming UNscience panel report on glob-al warming. The documentsare purportedly evidence of theway in which some govern-ments' public support for cli-mate action is undermined bytheir efforts behind closeddoors.

Petrol prices rose by Rs 36 a litre,diesel 26.58 in less than 18 months

Saudi Arabia sets 2060target for net-zero emissions

PNS n DALLES

Conflicts over water are as oldas history itself, but the massiveGoogle data centres on theedge of this Oregon town onthe Columbia River representan emerging 21st century con-cern.

Now a critical part of mod-ern computing, data centreshelp people stream movies onNetflix, conduct transactionson PayPal, post updates onFacebook, store trillions ofphotos and more. But a singlefacility can also churn throughmillions of gallons of water perday to keep hot-running equip-ment cool.

Google wants to build atleast two more data centres inThe Dalles, worrying someresidents who fear there even-tually won't be enough waterfor everyone — including for

area farms and fruit orchards,which are by far the biggestusers.

Across the United States,there has been some mildpushback as tech companiesbuild and expand data centresconflicts likely to grow as waterbecomes a more preciousresource amid the threat of cli-mate change and as thedemand for cloud computinggrows.

Some tech giants have beenusing cutting-edge researchand development to find lessimpactful cooling methods,but there are those who say thecompanies can still do more tobe environmentally sustain-able.

The concerns are under-standable in The Dalles, theseat of Wasco County, which issuffering extreme and excep-tional drought, according to the

US Drought Monitor. Theregion last summer endured itshottest days on record, reach-ing 118 degrees Fahrenheit(48 Celsius) in The Dalles.

The Dalles is adjacent to thethe mighty Columbia River, butthe new data centres wouldn'tbe able to use that water andinstead would have to takewater from rivers and ground-water that has gone through the

city's water treatment plant.However, the snowpack in

the nearby Cascade Range thatfeeds the aquifers varies wild-ly year-to-year and glaciersare melting. Most aquifers innorth-central Oregon aredeclining, according to the USGeological SurveyGroundwater ResourcesProgramme.

Adding to the unease: The

15,000 town residents don'tknow how much water the pro-posed data centres will use,because Google calls it a tradesecret. Even the town coun-cilors, who are scheduled tovote on the proposal on Nov 8,had to wait until this week tofind out.

Dave Anderson, publicworks director for The Dalles,said Google obtained the rightsto 3.9 million gallons of waterper day when it purchasedland formerly home to an alu-minum smelter. Google isrequesting less water for thenew data centres than thatamount and would transferthose rights to the city,Anderson said.

“The city comes out ahead,”he said.

For its part, Google said it's“committed to the long-termhealth of the county's economy

and natural resources”.“We're excited that we're

continuing conversations withlocal officials on an agreementthat allows us to keep growingwhile also supporting the com-munity," Google said, addingthat the expansion proposalincludes a potential aquiferprogram to store water andincrease supply during drierperiods.

The US hosts 30% of theworld's data centres, more thanany other country. Some datacentres are trying to becomemore efficient in water con-sumption, for example by recy-cling the same water severaltimes through a centre beforedischarging it. Google evenuses treated sewage water,instead of using drinking wateras many data centres do, to coolits facility in Douglas County,Georgia.

Big tech data centres enhance worry over scarce water

PNS n NEW DELHI

The Ministry of Power onSaturday announced new rulesto sustain economic viability ofthe sector, ease financial stressof various stakeholders andensure timely recovery of costsinvolved in electricity genera-tion.

The ministry notified rulesfor the sustainability of theelectricity sector and promo-tion of clean energy to meetthe India's commitmenttowards climate change, astatement said.

Investors and other stake-holders in the power sectorhad been concerned about thetimely recovery of the costsdue to change in law, curtail-ment of renewable power andother related matters.

The rules notified by theMinistry of Power underElectricity Act, 2003 are in theinterest of the electricity con-sumers and the stakeholders, itadded.

The rules include Electricity(Timely recovery of costs dueto Change in Law) Rules, 2021.The other rule is Electricity(Promotion of generation fromrenewable sources of energy byaddressing Must Run andother matters) Rules, 2021.

The ministry explainedtimely recovery of the costs

due to change in law is veryimportant as the investment inthe power sector largelydepends upon the timely pay-ments.

"At present, the passthrough under change of lawtakes time. This impacts theviability of the sector and thedevelopers get financiallystressed. The rules would helpin creating investment friend-ly environment in the country,"it stated.

"The energy transition ishappening across the globe.India has also made commit-ments to bring about energytransition. India has alsoannounced international com-mitment to set up 175 GW ofRE capacity by 2022 and 450GW by 2030," the ministrysaid.

The ministry said these ruleswill help in achieving the tar-gets of RE generation. This will

ensure that the consumers getgreen and clean power andsecure a healthy environmentfor the future generation.

A formula has been provid-ed to calculate adjustment inthe monthly tariff due to theimpact of change in law.

The rules also pro-vide that a must-run powerplant shall not be subjected tocurtailment or regulation ofgeneration or supply of elec-tricity on account of meritorder dispatch or any othercommercial consideration.

The electricity generatedfrom a must-run power plantmay be curtailed or regulatedonly in the event of any tech-nical constraint in the electric-ity grid or for reasons of secu-rity of the electricity grid.

For curtailment or regula-tion of power, the provisions ofthe Indian Electricity GridCode shall be followed.

Power Ministry unveils rules toensure sustainability of sector

PNS n NEW DELHI

Tata Power on Saturday said ithas inked a pact with IIT Delhito work together on cleanenergy and other projects thatcan be transformed fromresearch and developmentlevel to pilot stage.

Tata Power, one of India'slargest private sector integrat-ed utilities, and the IndianInstitute of Technology (IIT)Delhi have signed aMemorandum ofUnderstanding (MoU) to col-laborate in areas like smartgrid technology, clean energysolutions, a company state-ment said.

Considering the large num-ber of experts with their excel-lence in different fields in IITDelhi and Tata Power, there isan immense potential to col-laborate between academia,research and domain expertsfrom business with a hightransformational impact, itadded.

Both the institutions haveagreed to work together toidentify projects that

can be transformed fromR&D stage to pilot projectsand scaling in areas such as EVinfrastructure, artificial intel-ligence, machine learning,hydrogen technologies, battery

energy storage systems, mon-itoring and sensing solutions,microgrids et al.

Speaking of the collabora-tion, V Ramgopal Rao,Director, IIT Delhi, said in thestatement, "IIT Delhi, a lead-ing research institution in thecountry, is pleased to signthis MoU with Tata Power. Iam hopeful this collaborationwill result in the development

of new technologies for theenergy sector, which wouldprove helpful in area of powergeneration and distribution."

Praveer Sinha, CEO & MD,Tata Power, said, "At TataPower, our focus has alwaysbeen around bringing ground-breaking and sustainable tech-nologies in the power sector.We are glad to partner withIIT Delhi, an Institution ofEminence. We are confidentthat this collaboration willcreate a test bed for new ageimplementable technologiesin the energy space leading tostrengthening of clean energyecosystem in the country."

In the last few years, TataPower has fostered a culture ofinnovation, creativity andentrepreneurship within theorganisation for its employeesto design, develop and deliv-er unique energy products,services and solutions.

Tata Power, IIT-D eyeclean energy space

PNS n SHAHJAHANPUR

A group of 80 women herehas been trained to makebulbs and decorative lights tobe used in festivals likeDiwali.

The women come from anarea which was once notori-ous for being infested withdacoits.

They were trained underan initiative by the IndianIndustries Association fromShahjahanpur.

It is aimed at providingfinancial help to the womenin the rural areas and alsodevelop it as a cottage indus-try, District Magistrate InderVikram Singh said.

The District Magistratetermed the initiative“unprecedented” for itspotential to reduce the coun-try's dependence on china forsimilar items and provideopportunity to the unem-ployed women to becomeself-sufficient.

Ashok Agarwal, thenational president of IndianIndustries Association, toldPTI that the initiative wasstarted from Shahjahanpurdistrict and has participationof 80 women who come fromvillages that lie on banks ofGanga and Ramganga onceinfested by dacoits.

80 women from UP'sdacoit-dominatedarea trained tomake bulbs, lights

Minda to hike stake inStrongsun to 28.10 pc PNS n NEW DELHI

Minda Industries on Saturdaysaid the investment commit-tee of its board has given itsgo-ahead to second tranche ofstake purchase in StrongsunRenewables Pvt Ltd.

The committee approvedacquisition of 3,07,850 equityshares of the face value of Rs

10 each at a premium of Rs 70i.e. Rs 80 per share ofStrongsun Renewables PrivateLtd, aggregating to Rs2,46,28,000, according to aBSE filing.

The investment committeein its October 22 meetingapproved the second trancheof investment in equity sharesof Strongsun Renewables.

PNS n LONDON

If we are to build a greener,fairer and more equal societyin the wake of COVID-19, it'stime for rich countries to endtheir practice of dumping plas-tic waste in developing coun-tries. This not only harms theenvironment but dispropor-tionately affects the womenand girls who tend to clear itup.

The problem was madeworse for many developingcountries when China

announced its refusal to acceptother countries' plastic waste in2018. The result has been anincrease in plastic wasteexports to Africa, much ofwhich is proving hard to recy-cle and is ending up in riversand oceans.

On top of this, the pandem-ic is generating ever-increasingamounts of plastic waste, espe-cially single-use items likemedical gloves and disposablemasks. In some areas of Africa– where around 411 millionface masks are discarded every

day – lack of plastic waste man-agement infrastructure andweak regulations arounddumping waste mean the situ-ation is only getting worse.

Now, countries like Ghana,Uganda, Tanzania, Ethiopia,Senegal and Kenya are findingthemselves flooded with plas-tic waste. This is overwhelm-ingly affecting poor, sociallymarginalised people, andwomen in particular.

Unfair tradeAlthough plastic waste can

be seen as a trade between

developed and developingcountries, which allows the lat-ter to be paid in exchange fordealing with that waste, thistrade isn't an equal one.

Developing countries arelikely to accept plastic wastefrom developed countriesbecause it offers another poten-tial source of income for theirpopulation living below thepoverty line.

It's projected that 27 millionto 40 million people in sub-Saharan Africa will fall intoextreme poverty during 2021.

‘Plastic waste is hurting women in developing countries’

sundaymagazine

98Of life and death

HYDERABAD, October 24, 2021

For some people, mornings are difficultto begin without tea. For others, anydifficult task first requires a good cupof tea and for some, it is an uncon-scious everyday drink of comfort. Tea

is one of the most widely consumed beveragesall over the world. However, in India, it hasmoved from being a beverage to being an emo-tion. In every household, street shop, stall, café,it is difficult not to find people indulging intheir daily cup of comfort.

Indians have deep love and connectionwith tea. Not just a conversation starter, tea hasthe power to evoke a discussion on mundaneeveryday affairs that everyone willinglybecomes a part of. It is a way of getting closerto people and understanding them. And notjust the mundane, chai tapris are famous forheated political debates too. Tea is a source ofrefreshment, a gesture to guests and a methodof income for many. There is a lot that Indiansowe to this everyday elixir. One can easily saythat it goes beyond simple consumption as abeverage. It is rather a ritual or a habit andundoubtedly a celebration — a celebration ofevery day.

In India, it is known that tea was primarilyused for medicinal purposes back in 500 B.C.but came to be widely known only after it wasintroduced by the British in 1826. Initially,Britain attempted to cultivate Chinese tea bush-es in India, which proved largely unsuccessfuldue to differences in climate (except for theregion of Darjeeling in the Himalayas). It wassoon discovered that India already had its ownindigenous tea bush that grew in Assam Valleyin north-eastern India. What started as anattempt to break China’s monopoly over tea pro-duction, ended up giving India a gift that its cit-izens did not know they would fall in love with.The British started growing tea in India forexporting it to other places. In 1837, the firstEnglish tea garden was established at Chabua inUpper Assam. In 1840, the Assam Tea Companybegan the commercial production of tea in theregion. This led to the expansion of the Britishculture of drinking tea. Black tea and tea withmilk and sugar was introduced to people ofIndia and before people could realise, its Indianversion — masala chai, made by adding milk,sugar and spices such as cardamom, fennel, andcloves to Black tea, became the daily fuel formany. And today, India is the second-largestproducer of tea in the world.

Although the core technique of brewing tealeaves in order to be made into a hot beverageremains the same as earlier, different regions ofIndia adapted different styles and flavours tomake their own version of tea. From KashmiriKahwa tea from the valleys of Kashmir to thecutting chai in the streets of Mumbai, teachanges flavours, ingredients and viscosityevery few kilometres. The chai one drinks inthe blue mountains of the Nilgiri hills is verydifferent from the special nutmeg chai inKolkata. While the aroma of the desi chai fromthe thelas in Gujarat can make you crave tea,the masala chain from the home-grown gar-dens of Assam offer a unique flavour to yourpalate. For Indians, who have tea deeply rootedas an inseparable part of their society and cul-ture, there are endless varieties of teas tochoose from.

What is interesting to know is that eventhough the British introduced tea, the differentstyles of tea that we find in different regions inIndia got influenced by various other parts ofthe world. One good example of this is theKashmiri tea popularly known as Kahwa.Kahwa flavour is known to have an Arabicinfluence. This green tea originates from thevalleys of Kashmir and is infused with the scentof cardamom pods, cinnamon barks and saf-fron, which is later crowned with crushedalmonds. Kahwa leaves are said to have comethrough the spice route. They bear cross-cultur-al significance as the name ‘Kahwa’ is of Arabicorigin. Traditionally, it is prepared in copperkettles known as samovars, much like theTurkish, Arabic and Russian ones.

History suggests that the style of tea makingin each region in India depended a lot on theavailability of local herbs and spices that grew inthe region. Another factor that influenced teawas the rulers and traders the region witnessedand the herbs and spices that came in and wentout because of that.

The same was also true in the Vedic era. AsIndia saw the incoming of various new herbsand spices, Ayurveda started to flourish.Literally meaning the ‘science of life’, the ancientIndian system of health care used a diverserange of herbs, spices and flowers that arepacked with health benefits and are combinedwith the benefits of tea to cure illnesses. Tea hasvarious medicinal benefits and plays a vital rolein curing diseases by traditional methods.

Even today as people are becoming morehealth-conscious by the day, tea is becoming apreferred choice for many. In India, chai is ahabit and is consumed around 3-4 times a day.The most commonly known is the bed teawhich kickstarts the day for most Indians.Another is the evening tea consumed withsnacks, meant to recharge you after a tiring day.A study by the Tea Board of India states that teais regularly consumed in about 64% of homes inIndia and by 96% of the family members resid-ing therein. As tea consumption is a challenginghabit to break, most people with their increasedconsumption of milk and sugar along with teaare becoming more concerned about their teaintake. However, instead of a decrease in con-sumption, there is an increasing shift in con-sumption patterns. More and more people arenow adapting healthier alternatives like liquortea, black tea, green tea, chamomile tea, jasminetea etc.

While tea was looked at as a source ofrefreshment earlier, it is now being looked

at as a means of wellness, immunity, weight lossand hydration. Teas made with natural herbs

and spices that have immunity-boosting bene-fits are now being preferred. Teas that havedetoxifying properties and those that calm yournerves and give you a good night’s sleep is thenew choice for people these days. What is alsointeresting is that a lot of Gen-Z and millennialswho had adopted the café and caffeine culturealso make the shift from coffee to tea because ofits health benefits.

Tea has varied health benefits depending onits blend, flavour and other added ingredients. l It is most commonly known benefit is its

ability to calm the nerves. It is a stress reliev-er and hence the answer to most headaches.It is often used as a pain killer and is knownto relieve tension and act as an anti-depres-sant.

l Apart from this, tea is also known to lowerthe risk of heart attack and blood clots. Teahas anti-inflammatory properties that easeblood circulation and improves blood pres-sure levels. It can also help reduce bloodcholesterol.

l Certain varieties of tea, such as green teahave a certain quantity of caffeine in them.This level of caffeine is much less than thatfound in coffee but has a long-lasting effecton the mind and body without causing anyjittery effect like coffee does. It helpsimproves focus and also helps the brainfunction well while keeping the mind calmand relaxed.

l Weight loss is another benefit of tea. Aminoacids contained in green tea help the body toburn stored fat. Green tea extract which isconcentrated green tea is becoming a popu-lar health supplement. More and more gym-goers are consuming it to boost the efficien-cy of their workouts and to aid their weight-loss process.

l Some teas are also useful in preventing men-tal health problems such as Parkinson’s dis-ease, Alzheimer’s, dementia and depression.

l Black tea is known to have a considerableeffect on a person’s blood sugar levels. Therehas been an increase in the consumption ofblack tea as its medicinal benefit of prevent-ing type 2 diabetes is becoming known topeople.

l Oolong tea, ginger tea and herbal tea helpaid digestion and cure stomach aches anddiarrhea. They are also used in preventingnausea and vomiting. Some teas contain tan-nins that are beneficial to the intestines andcan cure irritable bowel syndrome and stom-ach cramps.

The health benefits of tea are endless anddepend a lot on its flavours and ingredients.Day by day new blends and interesting flavoursare coming up to suit the palate of the new gen-eration. Flavours like Gulkand, Licorice, Mintand Lemongrass are being willingly tried andadopted by Indians. The herbs and flowers usedin them resonate closer to the Indian palate andare therefore becoming popular in no time.

Experimentation and love for tea are resultingin a plethora of flavours and blends never

heard of before. Vegetable infused tea flavourssuch as tomato basil tea and beetroot tea arebecoming widely in demand among tea lovers.

Matcha, Moringa and Moroccan Mint teaare also becoming popular because of theirdetoxifying properties.

Another new development that is very soonreplacing carbonated drinks is cold brews. Coldbrews teas in raspberry, plum, cucumber andcoconut flavours are being made as iced teas.And Indians do not stop there. They have alsofigured out ways to consume tea as a dessert.Naturally sweet flavoured teas such as apple,cinnamon, peach and cranberry teas are beingused as dessert teas, making this a category ofgourmet teas.

And when talking about all the new vari-ants, one cannot forget the aesthetically pleasingbubble tea, boba tea and pearl tea that are comein juicy flavours such as lychee and strawberry.

It is interesting to see how much the taste-buds of consumers are changing every day. Newand authentic flavours and blends are gainingimportance and their value to consumers is alsodeepening. Tea lovers who understand andappreciate original, fresh ingredients andauthentic flavours are on the rise and so is theIndian tea industry.

The writer co-Founder and CEO, Danta Herbs

There is no escape from death foranyone. True peace lies in discovering

the mystery of life & death

Why an artistloves what theydo is often so

hard to describe—Elisabeth Moss

F R O M T H E I N S I D E

A STUDY BY THETEA BOARD OF

INDIA STATES THATTEA IS REGULARLY

CONSUMED INABOUT 64% OF

HOMES IN INDIAAND BY 96% OF

THE FAMILYMEMBERSRESIDINGTHEREIN

More than a conversation starter, tea

is a source of refreshment, a hospitality

gesture and a method of income for many,

writes VISHAL PARIK, as he shares the

history and benefits of the brew

BONE DEEP

CHAICHAINOT JUSTA DRINK

According to the studies conducted among womenacross the country, it is estimated that among the 230million people expected to be over the age of 50 years

sundaymagazine

spirituality 8HYDERABAD, October 24, 2021

JUST CELEBRATE THE LIFEYOU HAD, NOT THE LIFE

YOU COULD'VE HAD— MAGIC JOHNSON

HIDDENSOULSPRAMOD PATHAK

The day the news of Air India going back to the houseof Tata was announced, I carried out a cursory sur-vey. Though not very scientifically done, it served the

purpose. I called up 25 young professionals, mostly MBAswith 3 to 10 years of experience in the corporate world. Thequestion I asked was simple: what did they think about thefate of Air India now. The interesting finding of this surveywas that they all believed that Air India will turn around andrestore its past glory. It may be recalled that Air India wasonce a valued airline in the eyes of the customers and it gavethe Maharaja experience that its logo symbolised. 68 yearsafter the takeover by the Government, and given the shapeit is in today, if the general view is that Air India will onceagain fly high, it speaks something about the organisation,the house of Tata and its culture. And if one word can bethe defining trait of Tata organisation it is ‘Values’. The oneattribute that the founders and their following generations,have been able to diligently nurse and maintain, rather metic-ulously. Their corporate brand veers around this one con-struct — values. Values have always been the essence of theirtagline. If the end of the 20th century saw Tata Steel pro-claim — We also make Steel, in the 21st century it has become‘Values stronger than Steel’. The company now proudly says— We also make tomorrow. Values continue to remain thefocus of the company, rather than the products. Values domatter even though they are not matter. A Rather time-test-ed principle of business has been to stick to values and thevalue of your stock will always remain high. Tata seems toknow this. There may be views and counterviews on the issuebut it cannot be denied that the company is known for itsvalues imperative. Their best practices hinge around valuesand their actions reflect this. One reason why the humanresources of the steelmaker exude a pride that is easily vis-ible. This is why Tata culture has become a part of manage-ment literature folklore, a benchmark for many. As aresearcher working for his Ph.D., this columnist had a brushwith the Tata culture during data collection and hasrecorded this in the thesis. There are two very significantaspects of a company’s culture. One that it practices reas-suring leadership so that the employees know they have some-thing to fall back upon. The second is that policies are framedsuch that productivity targets do not come in the way of peo-ple friendliness. Tata knows how to do this, even though manymanagement theories find it difficult. Employee commitmentis not forced or bought but earned and this leads to a highdegree of engagement. Management gurus often say that forsuccessful companies customer comes first. But the secretis that this can only happen if the employee comes first. Thisinsight has kept Tata maintain the legacy for all those decadesacross several generations of leadership. Corporate brand-ing is something that all top organisations aim at and try allsorts of strategies to build company goodwill. It is this thatlends sustainability to a company brand. But knowing andpracticing are two different things. In an era driven by com-petition and deep rooted commercial motives, surprising-ly enough it is values that still matter.

Pathak is a professor of management, writer, and an acclaimed public speaker. He can be reached at ppathak.ism@gmail.com

In the verse #6.32 of the BhagavadGita, Lord Krishna is describing whois a superior yogi. He has stated,

“One who sees similarity between selfand all living entities, that a yogi is con-sidered superior.” How is the wordempathy defined? It is the ability tounderstand another person’s feelingsand experiences, especially becauseyou have been in a similar situation. Itis somewhat different from the morecommon emotion — sympathy, whichis defined as the feeling of being sorryfor somebody; showing that you under-stand and care about somebody’s prob-lems. While sympathy is the feeling ofpity or sorrow for someone else, empa-thy is the ability to emotionally under-stand what other people feel, see thingsfrom their point of view, and imagineyourself in their place. That is the rea-son empathy is a divine quality worthyof mention by the Lord. In the sameverse, Lord Krishna goes further andsays that yogi should be able to do sowhether in pleasure or in pain. Mostpeople, who do possess the quality ofempathy do so in good time.

The following made up story high-lights this emotion. Two fierce competi-tors were pitted against one another inseveral swimming events. Much was onstake for both, as they were represent-ing their nations in the Olympics.However, only one swimmer foundrepeated success. The last event was thenext day. The other swimmer had onelast chance to bring glory to his nation.The successful swimmer thought tohimself that one more gold will not mat-ter to him that much. He decided to letthe other swimmer win the last race. Buthe had to make it look as if the otherswimmer deserved his victory. This

kind swimmer swam as if he was tiredfrom earlier races. He made it look thathe was trying his best. Such was hismood of empathy.

Why don’t more people feel empa-thy towards others? Why is this such arare emotion? The first reason is theobvious one: it is difficult to care aboutother people’s feelings, obsessed as weare with ours. We are mostly judgmen-tal; we are quick to condemn others forsome mistakes made. The emotion ofanger is mostly to blame. We don’t seeother persons as packages, but we getfocused on shortcomings/experiencewith that person. One has to have very

good ‘sanskars’ to be able to possess thisdivine quality. We love to criticise thanfeel empathy towards others.

But if one can show empathytowards others, God is pleased, becauseit shows that one is treating others asequal souls, who are prone to err as allof us are. You show empathy to a fel-low being and see how quickly youbegin to see good side of his personal-ity. Don’t we all possess both good andbad emotions? Yes, the classification ofa good person and a bad one is on thebasis of preponderance of them, notabsence of them. People remember anact of empathy; one never knows when

it will bring some welcome return. Theperson concerned may not be that per-son, but divine authorities notice suchacts and duly reward. In oneself also, themode of goodness is reinforced, whichbrings many benefits. The three modes,i.e. goodness, passion and darkness arealways competing with one another forsupremacy. (14.10) And you feel goodhaving done an empathetic act; it is sim-ilar to appreciating others generously.It looks like a tall order to get started,but is not all that difficult. Just startthinking about it..

Bishnoi is a spiritual writer and can be reachedat spiritual@ajitbishnoi.com

Alexander the Great hadconquered a good part ofthe world during his life-time and amassedtremendous wealth from

the countries he had plundered, andyet the time came when he had to facedeath. He asked the doctors to extendhis life, and they told him that it wasimpossible. He offered his doctors allhis wealth if they would but help himlive for a few minutes more. They toldthe ruler that life and death were notin their hands, and that no one couldhelp him, not even for all the richesin the world. Alexander the Great thenwondered of what use was all his con-quest if he still had to die.

There is no escape from death foranyone. How, then, can we truly bepeaceful when the sword of deathhangs over our heads? Can anyonetruly be peaceful when they know theymust one day die? At some point inour lives we become restless to knowthe answers to the questions: Why arewe here? What is our purpose in life?Is there God, and is there soul? Oncethese questions stir within us, we can-not rest until we find the answers.True peace lies in discovering the mys-tery of life and death.

One of the wonders of modemmedicine is that we can revive a per-son who is clinically dead in certaincases. This technology has uncoveredfor doctors and scientists a wealth ofinformation gained from those whowere clinically dead for somemoments before being brought backto life. What we have is a body of lit-

erature over the last twenty years onnear-death experiences. Thisremarkable information reveals thatmillions of people experienced beingseparated from their body and expe-rienced a realm beyond this world.They did not know of each other, nordid they hear of each other’s expe-riences, yet their accounts bearstriking similarities.

Those who have had near-deathexperiences describe being able to floatout of their body, past walls into wait-ing rooms or to relatives’ houses wherethey could hear conversations that werelater confirmed as true. They werepulled through a tunnel in which theyemerged into a world of Light morebeautiful than any in this world, but itwas not scorching. They met a Beingof Light who embraced them withmore love than anyone on earth hadever done before. Some experienced alife review in which they saw all thegood and bad deeds they had done.The loving being helped them see thatwhat is valued in the worlds beyond ishow loving we were and how helpingwe were to others.

These people came back perme-ated with a tremendous peace. Theythen knew what lay beyond the worldbecause they had experienced in lifewhat awaits them after death. Theyrealized that there is no such thing asdeath and that their soul lives on pastthe demise of their physical body.What greater peace could one ask forin life?

These near-death experiencesparallel accounts given in the various

scriptures about what lies beyond thisworld. The Bible speaks of heavenlyrealms. The Muslim scripturesdescribe paradise. The Buddhistsdescribe various stages through whichthe soul passes at the time of death.The Hindus, Jains, and Sikhs speak ofvarious planes of creation. TheMasters of Sant Mat describe the innerjourney that awaits us when we leavethe physical world; they speak of theastral region, causal region, supra-causal region, and the ultimate regionof SachKhand.

Those who begin to ask questionsabout the mysteries of life and deathmay come across accounts of theseinner regions. They may read theaccounts of those who had near-deathexperiences. Somehow, though, justreading or listening to talks about theinner journey does not satisfy us. Wewant to experience these regionsourselves.

The great saints and mystics havespoken about a method of meditationin which we can see the Light of Godand hear the Celestial Music of God.This method of meditation is a sim-ple one that does not require any dif-ficult postures or rigid positions. Themethod is one in which we sit com-fortably in a relaxed state. We close oureyes and concentrate our attention atthe single or third eye, a point locat-ed between and behind the two eye-brows. Then, we repeat the Name ofGod to help keep the mind engagedso that thoughts do not distract usfrom focusing within. Like all othergifts of God such as sunlight and air,

this meditation technique is givenfreely. Today there are over millionsof people practicing meditation on theinner Light and Sound. It is a greatblessing that there is a technique avail-able to us so that we can transcendbody-consciousness and see for our-selves that there is no death. Theprocess of meditation gives us exper-imental knowledge of the beyond.Through meditation we are able toseparate our soul from the body andjourney beyond. What greater peaceis there? We have within us a numberof layers of consciousness known asinner regions. We are now consciousof the physical region. We also havethe astral region, the causal region, thesupracausal region, and the purelyspiritual realm of SachKhand. Theserealms are regions of more Light, moreconsciousness, and more bliss than wecan ever dream of on earth.

Let us consider whether we wishto find answers to the mysteries of lifeand finally find eternal peace. If so, theoffer to learn meditation is available.We have an opportunity to commitourselves to a study in which we canhave first-hand experience for our-selves of whether there is Light andSound within us. By finding theLight and Sound, we can travel on thatcurrent back to God. Then, we willhave solved the mystery of life anddeath and will know for certain thatour soul lives after the demise of ourbody! By learning meditation, peacein the heart, peace in the soul, andpeace in the world are possible.

The writer is a spiritual leader

Tata: Valuesof steel

THE PROCESSOF MEDITATION

GIVES USEXPERIMENTALKNOWLEDGE OF

THE BEYOND.THROUGH

MEDITATION WEARE ABLE TO

SEPARATE OURSOUL FROM THE

BODY

The festival of Diwali,also known asDeepavali or the festival

of lights, is celebrated notonly because it is a celebrationof spectacular light displays,but also because on this day,several families pray toGoddess Lakshmi in hopes ofbringing them prosperity.Furthermore, the significanceof Deepavali and Dhanterasincreases exponentially onboth days since it is one of thesix sacred times of the yearcalled Swayam SiddhaMuhurta.

Therefore, these two daysare considered the best timeto please the various planetsso that their influences onpeople are positive. To attractwealth and positivity duringDiwali, follow these Vaastu-Astro rituals:

l Make a Trishul symbolalongside Om and Swastikduring Diwali Puja. The sym-bol will bless you and provideyou with protection.

l Use both desi ghee diyasand mild mustard oil alter-nately. This will help you getrid of financial obstacles.

l Gold can attract wealthand abundance, that is why itis a good idea to wear it asmuch as possible.

l A cluster of amethyst crys-tals should be placed in the

northeast corner of people’shomes during the Festival ofLights to remove any financialobstacles.l You can also light a laven-der-infused candle this Diwaliand take a bath with sea salt-water. The house will be puri-

fied as well as the families’auras will be cleared.

l Praise Lord Kuber andmake yourself prosperous andwealthy.

The writer is an astrologer& Vaastu Consultant

To attract wealth and positivity during Diwali,follow these Vaastushastra-Astro rituals, saysACHARYA VINOD KUMAR OJHA

Rituals for prosperity

There is no escape from death for anyone. True peace lies in discoveringthe mystery of life & death, writes SANT RAJINDER SINGH

OFLIFEAND

DEATHOFLIFEAND

DEATH

Empathise with othersIf one shows empathy towards others, it shows that one is treatingothers as equal souls, writes AJIT KUMAR BISHNOI

World Osteoporosis Day is observedon October 20, every year.Osteoporosis is a bone-related con-

dition that weakens bones and causes frac-tures more easily. Similar to a honeycomb,the inside of a healthy bone has small spaces.In this condition, the size of these spacesenlarges, resulting in the weakening ofbones, losing strength and density. Moreover,the outside of the bone grows weaker andthinner. Bones become so brittle that a fallor even a mild stress such as bending over orcoughing can cause a fracture. It is quitecommon later on in life, even more so inwomen after menopause. Osteoporosis-relat-ed fractures most commonly occur in thehip, wrist or spine.

According to the studies conductedamong women in India across the country, itis estimated that among the 230 millionIndians expected to be over the age of 50years, 46 million are women withosteoporosis.

“In a country like India, most of theosteoporotic cases go untreated and evenundiagnosed. Therefore, it is necessary forboth men and post-menopausal women tohave adequate measures to prevent osteo-porosis in later years in life,” Dr BirenNadkarni, Senior Consultant Orthopedicand Joint Replacement Surgeon, SitaramBhartia Institute, New Delhi, tells us.

Osteoporosis is further classified as pri-mary and secondary. Primary includes type Iand II. It is observed in post-menopausalwomen and men and women over 70 yearsof age due to ageing. Whereas, diseases likesystemic diseases, endocrine diseases, andmalignant neoplasms cause secondary osteo-porosi. Treatments or idiopathic could alsolead to the same.

WOMEN MORE PRONE THAN MENWomen are four times more likely to

develop the disease than men because of therapid bone loss in the first 10 years post-menopause, which results in slower productionof estrogen, a hormone that protects againstexcessive bone loss. Over time, the risk of frac-ture increases as older women lose more bonethan they replace. “Younger women who stopmenstruating which is very common today orgirls with anorexia also have compromised bonedensity. Having both ovaries surgicallyremoved, called a bilateral oophorectomy,may also cause osteoporosis and low bone den-sity,” Dr Nadkarni says adding that men overthe age of 50 are more likely to have an osteo-porosis-induced bone break than to get prostatecancer.

SENILE OSTEOPOROSIS“Senile osteoporosis represents a condi-

tion of significantly diminished bone massdue to a long-standing imbalance betweenbone resorption and bone formation,” DrShubhang Aggarwal, Orthopaedic and

Robotic Joint Replacement Surgeon,Director, NHS Hospital, Jalandhar, tells us.

OSTEOPENIAOsteopenia is when your bones are weak-

er than normal but not so far gone that theybreak easily, which is the hallmark of osteoporo-sis. “Osteopenia is a condition that initiates withloss of bone mass and bones becoming weak-er. This happens when the inside of your bonesbecome brittle from a loss of calcium. This isthe precursor to osteoporosis,” says DrLoveleena Nadir, Senior Gynecologist,Rosewalk hospital, Panchasheel Park, NewDelhi.

TREATMENTThere is no cure for osteoporosis but it is

advisable to get tested on a regular basis for thediagnosis at an early stage. Taking proper treat-ment and precautions before it is too late canhelp in controlling the breaking and thinningof bones. Delaying or avoiding proper treatmentcan worsen the disease and the weakening ofbones can higher the risk of fractures.

Dr Aggarwal tells us how the testingprocess works and what possible treatments canbe given. “The identification of symptoms andconfirmation of diagnoses can be done with anX-ray and Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry(DEXA) scan, an imaging test that measuresbone density (strength). Really severe calciumdeficiency is incidentally picked up in the bloodtest,” he says.

He adds that treatment starts with adequatecalcium intake in diet and supplements in theform of tablets. Adequate vitamin D supple-mentation, regular stretching exercises toencourage intake and absorption of calciuminto the bones and other medication which areused for bone-building like Biswas for nets,Salman calcitonin spray and in very severe casesof osteoporosis, injections like teriparatide areused. These are to be used under the expertsupervision of an orthopaedic surgeon.

Another important factor may be theidentification of upset digestion that can pre-vent calcium absorption even if the intake isproper. He says that early osteoporosis is def-initely completely treatable, in the later stages,however, one can only try to strengthen theexisting bone mass and prevent fractures.

“Testosterone and hormone therapy are alsorecommended in men and women respective-ly according to the severity of the condition,”says Dr Nadkarni.

SYMPTOMSInitially, it becomes tough to identify the

disease as the person rarely experiences anysymptoms. Once the bones start weakening,signs may show up which could possibly besimilar to other diseases’ symptoms.

“There are no particular symptoms but lookout if there is a back pain caused by a fracturedor collapsed vertebra, loss of height over time,a stooped posture when it starts affecting thespine, a bone that breaks much more easily thanexpected, weak and brittle nails, recedinggums and weakened grip strength,” says DrNadkarni.

Along with osteoporosis, there is a risk ofdeveloping other conditions like digestive dis-ease, rheumatoid and diabetes.

PRECAUTIONSAlthough medicines can help control the

disease, it is also required to find ways whichwould help your bones get stronger naturallyby opting for healthy lifestyle habits.Consumption of tobacco or alcohol in highamounts can be problematic. Keeping yourselfactive by exercising or engaging more inweight-bearing exercises reduces the risk.Balancing exercises like standing on one’s toesand repeating it is an effective way to strength-en your legs. For those suffering from stoop-ing shoulders, posture exercises are important.Carrying out functional exercises like wall slidescan also be helpful. Hip and back strengthen-ing exercises improve balance.

“Eating calcium and vitamin D rich food,regular weight-bearing exercises includingweight training, brisk walking, running and jog-ging and being physically active throughout theday helps,” says Dr Nadir.

She adds that good nutrition is as essentialas regular exercise for keeping your boneshealthy throughout your life.

“Calcium-rich items such as dairy products,dark green leafy vegetables, fish with bones andsoy products like tofu make for some goodoptions. Whereas, vitamin D is required as itenhances the body's ability to absorb calciumand improve bone health,” she says.

“Massage with oils can also tone up themuscles, encouraging calcium absorption,” DrAggarwal tells us.

Your bone requires proper maintenance andcare, choosing a balanced diet involving pro-teins, carbohydrates, minerals, and multivita-mins can keep the disease at bay.

special 09HYDERABAD | SUNDAY | OCTOBER 24, 2021

Main reason for osteoporosis in women isestrogen deficiency, bone lossaccelerates after menopause. Over time,the risk of osteoporosis and fractureincreases as older women lose more bonethan they replace

— DR BIREN NADKARNISr Consultant Orthopedic and Joint

Replacement Surgeon, Sitaram BhartiaInstitute, New Delhi

BONE DEEP

FIND YOUR WAYv Maintain a healthy lifestyle

v Stay away from tobacco and heavydrinking

v Engage in weight-bearing exercise.Weight-bearing and muscle-strengtheningexercises stimulate bone formation andslow age-related bone loss

v Eat plants based diet and fermented foods

v Get enough sleep

v Calcium rich food like dairy products,dark green leafy vegetables, fish withbones and soy products, such as tofubesides calcium-fortified cereals andorange juice

v Vitamin D enhances the body's ability toabsorb calcium and improve bone health

v Massage with oils can also tone up themuscles, encouraging calcium absorption.Another important factor may be theidentification of upset digestion that canprevent calcium absorption even if theintake is proper

According to the studies conducted among women across the country, it is estimated that amongthe 230 million people expected to be over the age of 50 years, 46 million are women with

osteoporosis. SUPRIYA RAMESH speaks with experts to bring you a report

A LIFELONG LACK OF CALCIUMPLAYS A ROLE IN THE

DEVELOPMENT OFOSTEOPOROSIS. LOW CALCIUM

INTAKE CONTRIBUTES TODIMINISHED BONE DENSITY,EARLY BONE LOSS AND AN

INCREASED RISK OFFRACTURES.

EATING DISORDERS CAUSINGSEVERE RESTRICTION OF FOOD

INTAKE AND BEINGUNDERWEIGHT WEAKENS BONE

IN BOTH MEN AND WOMEN.FOR FEW WOMEN

ESTROGEN REPLACEMENTTHERAPY HELPS REDUCE

OSTEOPOROSIS— DR LOVELEENA NADIR,SENIOR GYNAECOLOGIST,

ROSEWALK HOSPITAL,PANCHASHEEL PARK,

NEW DELHI

scopekaleidHYDERABAD | SUNDAY | OCTOBER 24, 2021

backpage

Bitcoin'sjourney intomainstream

finance has reached anoth-er major milestone and

another record price.The cryptocurrency was

trading at USD 66,975 ( 48,456)following the launch of anexchange traded fund (ETF) inthe US which has dramaticallyincreased bitcoin's exposure toinvestors.

The fund, which opened onOctober 19, allows investors to

speculate on the future valueof bitcoin without actually

owning it. It is the firsttime investors have been

able to trade an assetrelated to bitcoin on

the New York StockExchange, and was

preceded by muchmedia attention

and hype infinancial mar-

kets.It began

trading atUSD 40 (

29) ashare

andfin-

ished theday up 5% with some USD 570million ( 412 million) of assets,making it the second most heav-ily traded new ETF on record(the first was set up byBlackRock, the world's biggestasset management company).

And the impact on the priceof bitcoin has been extraordi-nary. It soared past its all-timehigh of USD 64,895 to the newrecord of USD 66,975 and at thetime of writing, was hoveringaround USD 65,000. This is abig change from mid-July 2021when bitcoin hit a 2021 low ofunder USD 30,000, reflecting itshuge volatility.

Many financial institutions havepreviously tried to get approval forbitcoin ETFs without success.Until now, the Securities andExchange Commission (SEC) (theUS government agency whichprotects investors) has been reluc-tant to approve any. This was part-ly due to the intense volatility ofbitcoin, as well as broader con-cerns about the unregulatedindustry of cryptocurrencies.

But Gary Gensler, chairman ofthe SEC, said the commissionwould be more comfortable withfuture-based ETFs because they

trade on a regulated market.This is a significant change of

direction for the SEC whichhas happened since

Gensler arrived at thehelm in April 2021.

ETFs trade like anynormal stock, are

regulated, and any-one with a bro-kerage accountcan trade them.

Thisnewfund,named the

ProSharesBitcoin Strategy

ETF (or BITO forshort), is the first

to expose main-stream investors to

the highs and lows ofbitcoin's value, without

them having to go throughthe complex process of pur-

chasing the coins themselves.Although US investors

could already buy bitcoinfutures directly from theregulated Chicago

Mercantile Exchangeand unregulatedexchanges such asBitMEX (as well as bitcoindirectly from unregulatedexchanges), the launch of anETF opens up the market to awider variety of investors,including pension funds and addsto the growing acceptance of bit-coin in the financial markets.

Some are still sceptical of bit-coin due to its link with criminalactivity, although a recent reportsuggests this seems to be dimin-ishing. And Jamie Dimon, theCEO of investment bank JPMorgan, claims bitcoin is worth-less and that regulators will regu-late the hell out of it .(Nevertheless, JP Morgan gave itswealth-management clients accessto cryptocurrency funds in July2021.)

Banking blockbuster

Eric Balchunas, a senior analystat Bloomberg, is not surprised bythe price appreciation anddescribed the ETF launch as ablockbuster, smash, home rundebut (which) brings a lot of legit-imacy and eyeballs into the cryptospace .

But what impact will BITOhave on the cryptocurrencyspace? As a new product it has

alreadyexposed moreinvestors to the ups and downs ofbitcoin's value in a regulated mar-ket. Many of these are likely tohave previously felt uncomfortablebuying cryptocurrencies fromunregulated exchanges and havingto store the asset themselves.

Other investment funds with aninterest in cryptocurrencies willbe no doubt be encouraged byBITO's success, and keen to listETFs of their own which areexposed to bitcoinand its rivals.Several other ETFproviders are like-ly to launch theirbitcoin ETFs inthe days followingProShares' debut,including Invesco,VanEck, Valkyrieand GalaxyDigital.

Itis a develop-ment whichis bound tomake investingin cryptocurren-cies easier and morecommon and animportant steppingstone for their adoptioninto mainstream finance.(The Conversation)

Indiacap-tain

Virat Kohli onSaturday refused

to get into anydebate on the

rationale behindhis decision to

quit national T20captaincy after the ongo-

ing T20 World Cup, saying hewon't provide fodder to con-

troversy seekers.Eyebrows were raised when

Kohli announced on his socialmedia that he would relin-

quish captaincy after the megaevent in the UAE.

With a lot of theories float-ing around about the reasonfor such a decision, skipper

Kohli said that he is not readyto add fuel to fire.

"I have already explainedmyself a lot and I don't think I

need to harp on that any-more," Kohli said when asked

the reason to announce itbefore the T20 World Cup.

"Our focus is to play well inthis World Cup and do what

we need to do as a team. Restpeople are trying to dig up

things that doesn't exist and Iam not someone who is evergoing to give fodder to that,"Kohli, who was a visibly irri-

tated at the question, said."I have explained myself

very honestly and openly andif people feel there's more to itthat what I have already told, Ifeel pretty bad for them. That's

certainly not the case."BCCI president Sourav

Ganguly in his conversationwith Aaj Tak that there was nopressure on Kohli to quit lead-ership role and it was his own

decision."I was surprised (that Virat

Kohli decided to step down asT20 captain). This decisionmust have been taken only

after the England tour and it ishis decision. There was nopressure from our end. We

didn't tell him anything,"Ganguly said.

"We don't do things likethat because I myself have

been a player so I understand.It is very difficult to be a cap-

tain in all formats for thislong.

"I was a captain for sixyears, it looks good from the

outside, there is respect and allthat. But you get burnt out on

the inside and it happens toany captain. Not just to

Tendulkar or Ganguly orDhoni or Kohli but to the cap-tain that will come up next as

well. It is a tough job."

If p

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dig

up

thin

gs t

hat

does

n't

exis

t,I

won

't g

ive

fodd

erKo

hli o

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itti

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apta

incy

Authorities in theChinese capital areramping up mea-

sures like testing andrestricting hotel bookingsas the total number ofcoronavirus cases climbedto nine on Saturday, whileother parts of the countryreported 38 locally trans-mitted COVID-19 cases,according to the NationalHealth Commission.

Five persons who testedpositive in Beijing had trav-elled to Inner MongoliaAutonomous Region,Ningxia Hui AutonomousRegion and ShanxiProvince fromOct. 12 to Oct.15, andreturned toBeijing onOct. 16.

Anotherperson wasa close con-tact,accordingto themunicipalhealth com-mission.

This is in addi-tion to the 32 casesreported nationwide onFriday.

The spike has promptedhealth officials in Beijingand other provinces to stepup with measures like test-ing, isolation of communi-ties, cancelling hotel book-ings, and the use of sanitis-ers and masks.

The current spike incases has been attributed toan elderly couple from

Shanghai who flew toseveral cities including

the tourist city ofXian, and testedpositive for

COVID-19, sending offi-cials on a leather hunt totrace scores of people whocame in contact with them.

Within three days of anannouncement that thecouple had tested positivein Xian on Saturday, hun-dreds of close contacts ofthe couple and their fivetravel companions, wholater tested positive, hadbeen identified.

During this period, sev-eral cities had rolled out

mass testing, aland portstopped

operatingand popular locations visit-ed by the group were closedfor disinfection, the HongKong-based South ChinaMorning Post reported.

Such cases causing peri-odic outbreaks presentsconsiderable logistical andeconomic challenges toChina despite administer-ing vaccines to three quar-ters of its population.

On Saturday, China saidmore than 2.243 billiondoses of COVID-19 vac-

cines had been adminis-tered in the

countryso far.

Covid cases onthe rise again

in China

Officials of theNarcoticsControl

Bureau (NCB),based on a tip-off, seizedaround 3 kg ofdrugs worthcrores inBengaluru.The con-signment,which was tobe sent toAustralia, washidden inthree lehengas,officials said,adding that theyhave arrested oneperson in connectionwith the case.

The team led by AmitGhawate, Zonal Director of NCB Bangalore, intercept-

ed the parcel on October21 and seized about 3 kg

of white-colored crys-talline substance,

believed to be pseu-doephedrine,which was placedin three lehen-gas.

The bannedsubstance wasdetected afteropening eachfold of the fallline of the lehen-

gas. The parcelwas booked from

Narasapuram inAndhra Pradesh and

was to be sent toAustralia. The officials

tracked the shipment andidentified the consignor toChennai.

Drugs worth crores, hidden Inlehengas, seized In Bengaluru

Abiography ofventure capi-talist Peter

Thiel traces hisjourney from hisupbringing as thechild of immigrantparents to hisfounding of PayPal,early investment inFacebook andSpaceX, and rela-tionships with fellowtech titans and alsoformer US presidentDonald Trump.

"The Contrarian:Peter Thiel andSilicon Valley'sPursuit of Power"written by journalistMax Chafkin alsothrows light on howThiel sought toexport his values tothe corridors ofpower beyondSilicon Valley, such

as funding the law-suit that bankruptedthe blog Gawker tostrenuously backingfar-right politicalcandidates, includ-ing Trump for presi-dent.

Chafkin saysThiel is sometimesportrayed as thetech industry'stoken conservative -a view that wildlyunderstates hisinfluence.

"More than anyother Silicon Valleyinvestor or entrepre-neur - more so eventhan Jeff Bezos, orGoogle foundersLarry Page andSergey Brin, orMark Zuckerberghimself - he hasbeen responsible forcreating the ideolo-

gy that has come todefine SiliconValley: that techno-logical progressshould be pursuedrelentlessly - withlittle, if any, regardfor potential costs ordangers to society,"he writes.

For him, Thielisn't the richesttech mogul -though he'salmost certainlybetter at shieldinghis assets than theaverage Valleybillionaire, havingarranged to paylittle in taxes onan investmentportfolio worthsomething like USD10 billion - but hehas been, in manyways, the mostinfluential.

Biography tells story ofcontroversial, influential Peter Thiel

Singapore, Oct 23 (PTI)Singapore on Saturdayannounced the removal of India

and five other South Asian coun-tries from its travel restriction list asthe island-state continues to adjustborder measures in response to theglobal Covid-19 situation.

All travellers with a 14-day travelhistory to Bangladesh, India,Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan and SriLanka will be allowed to enter ortransit through Singapore fromWednesday, the health ministrysaid.

However, travellers from thesecountries will be subjected to thetightest of border measures, whichinvolve a 10-day, stay-home noticeperiod at a dedicated facility, it said.

The ministry said in a releasethat it has reviewed the Covid-19

situation in the six South Asiancountries it was previously closed offto.

Addressing a virtual press confer-ence, health minister Ong Ye Kungsaid the situation in these countrieshas stabilised for some time.

"There is no longer a need forstrict rules that prevent travellersfrom these countries from landing

here,"theStraitsTimesquoted Ongas saying.

The healthministry saidchanges thatcome into effecton Wednesdayinclude the loosen-ing of measures fortravellers fromSingapore's closest neigh-bours, Malaysia andIndonesia. As of Friday,Singapore has reported a totalof 165,663 COVID-19 casessince the start of the pandemic.The disease has claimed 294 lives sofar in the country.

Singapore removes travelcurbs on India, 5 other nations

A25-year-oldCalifornia-basedIndian-origin

woman techie, whotravelled to Mexico tocelebrate her birthday,was one of the two for-eign tourists killed in ashootout between twodrug gangs in theCaribbean coast resortof Tulum, according tomedia reports.

The incident happenedon Wednesday night.Anjali Ryot was killedalong with anoth-er Germantouristin

the crossfire,Californianewstimes.comnews portal reported.

Ryot arrived in Tulumon Monday prior to herbirthday on October 22, itsaid. Her Instagramaccount listed her as a trav-el blogger from HimachalPradesh, living in San Jose,California. Ryot has beenworking as a Senior SiteReliability Engineer onLinkedIn since July. Shewas previously employed

by Yahoo, the

Californianewstimes.comreport said.

On Wednesday night,Ryot and four other foreigntourists were dining on theterrace of La Malqueridarestaurant when four menarmed with assault riflesfired at an adjoining tablein the premises around10:30 pm, the Spanishnewspaper El Pais report-ed. The stray bullets hit theforeigners. Ryot and theGerman woman werekilled, while the three oth-ers -- from Germany andthe Netherlands -- werewounded. Authorities

point to a confrontationbetween rival organ-

ised crime gangs.Ryot and her

friends were justthe collateralvictims, itsaid.

PIO from US killed indrug-gang shootout in Mexico