eR]\d WRZ] Rd WRc^Vcd deZT\ e` eYVZc Xf_d - Daily Pioneer

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T he eight-hour-long fourth round of talks between the agitating farmer unions and the Government on Thursday failed to end the standoff over the new farm laws as the pro- testors refused to accept any- thing less the repeal of all the three farm laws. Another round of discussions will be held on Saturday in a bid to forge a res- olution. Althought the Government side, led by Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar, assured the group of nearly 40 farmer leaders that all their valid concerns would be discussed and considered with an open mind, but the farmers stuck to their demand of repealing the three “hastily- passed” farm laws, saying there were several loopholes and deficiencies. Bharatiya Kisan Union (Ambarta) president Rishipal said, The Government noted all points. Ministers assured that they will look into them and sought one day’s time.” The farmer leaders empha- sised on a five-point set of demands that seeks to frame a specific law on Minimum Support Price (MSP) and end the punishment provision for stubble burning. Farmer leader Kulwant Singh Sandhu said the govern- ment made many proposals including on MSP and pro- curement system, which would be discussed among the farmer organisations on Friday, before the next meeting. The farmers emphasised that the provision to register a case for stubble burning should be ended, and asked why the Government wasn’t ready to give them “written assurance” on MSP despite its earlier statements that MSP will con- tinue. The farmer union repre- sentatives emphasised that a new law on MSP be framed in a special session of Parliament, demanding that it must guar- antee them MSP not only now but in the future as well. The farmer leaders said, “Let us assume that MSP will continue but the procurement would stop. The MSP will have no meaning then.” The farmer union repre- sentatives said the Government said the three farm laws were brought in with the interests of farmers in mind. Continued on Page 11 F armer leaders on Thursday refused the lunch offered by the Government during their meeting with three Union Ministers here and preferred to eat the food ferried in a van from the Singhu border, where thousands of their colleagues are sitting in protest against the new agri laws. During the lunch break, a small van carrying food for around 40 people was seen out- side the Vigyan Bhawan, where the meeting is underway. “Our farmers’ representa- tives did not accept the lunch offered by the Government and we arranged it from the Singhu border,” Lok Sangarsh Morcha president Pratibha Shinde told PTI. Farmers’ leaders told the Government to focus on resolving the issues instead of trying to be a good host by offering lunch, said the Lok Sangarsh Morcha president. “How can we have lunch offered by the government when our fellow farmers are sit- ting on roads,” said Shinde, whose organisation, Lok Sangarsh Morcha, is among the 40 farmers’ groups engaged in the talks. A s protesting farmers con- tinued to be adamant on their demand for scrapping of the Centre’s agriculture reform laws and stayed put at the national Capital’s borders with Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, the police on Thursday closed routes on two national high- ways connecting Ghaziabad to Delhi as the farmers sat on the Delhi-Meerut Expressway. The protesting farmers had on Wednesday threatened to block other roads of Delhi if their demands were not met. “The local police have closed the routes on NH-9 and NH-24 from Ghaziabad to Delhi. On NH-1, both sides of the route have been closed near Shani Mandir,” the Delhi Traffic Police tweeted. The crowd of farmers continued to swell at Ghazipur, prompting the police to close the Delhi-UP border on NH-24. “The Ghazipur border on NH-24 is closed for traffic from Ghaziabad towards Delhi due to farmers’ protests. People are advised to avoid NH-24 for coming to Delhi and use Apsara/Bhopra/DND instead,” the traffic police said. It said NH-44 is closed on both sides and asked people to take alternate routes via NH-8, Bhopra, Apsara border, and Peripheral expressway. At the Chilla border, one carriageway — from Delhi to Noida — has been opened for traffic. However, the other car- riageway — from Noida to Delhi — is still closed. People commuting from Noida to Delhi are advised to avoid Noida link road, the traffic police said. The Delhi- Haryana border at Jharoda and Jhatikra remained closed for traffic movement. The Badusarai border is open only for two-wheeler traffic. Continued on Page 11 T he Union Government on Thursday increased the cap on domestic flights up to 80 per cent of the pre-Covid levels. The domestic carriers were operating at 70 per cent of their capacity. Domestic air travel is steadily reviving after being allowed to resume on May 25 following a two-month sus- pension. While making the announcement, Union Minister of Civil Aviation Hardeep Singh Puri said the domestic operations in India, which recommenced with 30,000 passengers on May 25, have touched a high of 2.52 lakh passengers till November 30, 2020. Continued on Page 11 I ndia has said it is monitoring development related to reports that China plans to build a major dam on the Brahmaputra. New Delhi also said it intended to remain engaged with China on the issue of trans-border rivers to safeguard its interests. At a media briefing, External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Anurag Srivastava played down reports about damn construction and said the Chinese side has repeatedly conveyed to India that it was only undertaking run-of-the-river hydropower projects, which do not involve diversion of the waters of the Brahmaputra. Continued on Page 11 T he Interpol has warned law enforcement agencies across the globe that organised criminal networks could try to advertise and sell fake Covid- 19 vaccines both physically and online. In an Orange notice issued to all 194 member countries on Wednesday, the Lyon-based international police coopera- tion body warned agencies to prepare for potential criminal activity in relation to “the fal- sification, theft and illegal advertising of Covid-19 and flu vaccines”. “It also includes examples of crimes where individuals have been advertising, selling and administering fake vac- cines,” the Interpol said in a statement. An Orange notice is issued to warn of an event, a person, an object or a process repre- senting a serious and imminent threat to public safety. The CBI, which is the national Central bureau for India, is the nodal agency for coordination with the Interpol. The warning came on the day the UK became the first nation to approve a Covid-19 vaccine, leaving behind the US and the European Union in the race to approve a vaccine to contain the pandemic. Continued on Page11 D irector of AIIMS, Delhi, Dr Randeep Guleria on Thursday said he was hopeful that an emergency regulatory nod will be given to coron- avirus vaccine by the end of this month or early next month to start vaccinating people. Amid reports of allega- tions of an adverse event case against Covishield vaccine, he said that safety and efficacy of vaccine are not compromised at all. “Around 70,000-80,000 volunteers have received the vaccine and no significant seri- ous adverse effects were seen. The data shows that in the short term, vaccine is safe,” he said. “There is good data avail- able that the vaccines are very safe. We should get emergency use authorisation from Indian regulatory authorities to start giving vaccine to public,” Dr Guleria said to a news agency here. Dr Guleria is also a mem- ber of the national task force on Covid-19 management. He added, “Chennai trial case is an incidental finding rather than related to vaccine. When we vaccinate a large number of people, some of them may have some other dis- ease, which may not be relat- ed to vaccine.” Elderly, people with comorbidities and front-line workers should be vaccinated first, said Dr Guleria. On vaccine distribution, he said, “Work is going on at war-footing both at the Centre and the State level for vaccine distribution plan in terms of maintaining cold chain, having appropriate storehouses avail- able, developing strategy, train- ing vaccinators and availabili- ty of syringes.” On Covid-19 pandemic’s new wave in India, he said, “Now, we’ve seen a decline in current wave and I hope this will continue if we are able to have a good Covid-19 appro- priate behaviour. We’re close to having a big change related to a pandemic if we manage this behaviour for the next three months.” Continued on Page 11 N avy Chief Admiral Karambir Singh on Thursday said attempts to “change the status quo” on the northern borders (Line of Actual Control) has impacted the security situation and prompted the Navy to period- ically deploy its aircraft and drones at the borders for recon- naissance in the last six months. “The year was defined by the challenge of Covid pan- demic which has permeated and disrupted every aspect of our lives. A near simultaneous attempt to change status quo on our northern borders has increased the complexities in our security situation,” he said. Outlining the operational readiness of the armed forces, Singh said, “This dual challenge scenario continues as we speak. The Army, IAF and Navy were working in close coordination to produce the desired results at the border and ensure secu- rity. The Navy is ready to face any threat.” Addressing the annual Press conference on the eve of the Navy Day on Friday, the Navy chief termed the present tension at the LAC as still ongoing. Replying questions about the role of the Navy in meeting the challenge at the LAC in Eastern Ladakh and other parts, Singh said the Navy sev- eral times deployed its P-8I long range reconnaissance air- craft on the Northern borders during the ongoing standoff. “The P-8I is a potent plat- form that has certain equip- ment that can be used on the border. Based on the require- ments of the Army and IAF we have deployed the P-8I on sev- eral occasions. We have also deployed the Heron Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) from one of the Northern bases,” the Navy chief said in response to a question. The reconnaissance air- craft was also used during the 73-day long face-off in Doklam near Sikkim in 2017 to get real time picture. The situation was defused following parleys at the highest diplomatic and politi- cal levels then. On the possible deploy- ment of the two MQ-9B Predator drones that were leased from the US recently at the LAC, the Navy chief said it depends on the requirements of the Army or IAF. Continued on Page 11 T amil Nadu’s tryst with spir- itual politics materialised on Thursday as reigning super- star of Tamil cinema Rajinikanth declared the for- mation of his political party. “If it is not now, it is going to be never. We will change everything associated with Tamil Nadu politics. My victo- ry will be yours and your vic- tory will be mine,” declared the actor in a specially convened Press meeting at the courtyard of his Poes Garden Residence in Chennai. He said he would declare the name of the party and plan of action on December 31. “We will surely contest the next Assembly election and form the Government which the people have been waiting for long,” said the superstar. As expected, Rajinikanth was accompanied by Tamilaruvi Manian, his Man Friday who has been working steadfast since 2016 with the actor for forming the political outfit. Manian is a former chief of Tamil Nadu Congress Committee and belongs to the school of titans like K Kamaraj, C Subramaniam and R Venkitaraman. Arjunamurthy, one of the BJP leaders, too joined the Rajinikanth band- wagon on Thursday as adviser. What culminated on Thursday was the preparations that began more than four years ago by Rajinikanth to usher in a new politics and way of thinking in the State domi- nated by Dravida Maya, according to Kolahala Srenivaas, political thinker and author. Continued on Page 11 N DA ally Jannayak Janata Party (JJP) in Haryana warned the BJP that it may not hesitate to step out of the Government if the demand of the agitating farmers was not met by the Centre. JJP chief Dushyant Chautala, who is Deputy Chief Minister of the State with core electoral base of Jat farming community, has said his party would stand with farmers on the MSP issue. If the standoff between the farmers and the Centre con- tinues, pressure is expected to increase on all non-BJP Haryana MLAs who helped the BJP form the Government. Continued on Page11 T he honour the BJP Government bestowed upon Punjab’s five-time former Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal in 2015 has apparently ended up embarrassing the party. Often dubbed as the founder of the NDA, Badal on Thursday returned Padma Vibhushan — country’s second highest civilian award — to protest “betrayal of farmers”. Rajya Sabha MP Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa too returned his Padma Bhushan award to oppose the farm laws. The BJP Government, in March 2019, had presented him the award after he announced to part ways with the Akali Dal fol- lowing political differences with party chief Sukhbir Badal, in an apparent attempt to woo him. Continued on Page11 New Delhi : Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Thursday made an appeal to Union Home Minister Amit Shah and the protesting farm- ers to find an early resolution to the impasse over the new farm laws, saying the agitation is affecting Punjab’s economy and the nation's security

Transcript of eR]\d WRZ] Rd WRc^Vcd deZT\ e` eYVZc Xf_d - Daily Pioneer

Page 1: eR]\d WRZ] Rd WRc^Vcd deZT\ e` eYVZc Xf_d - Daily Pioneer

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��� ����������������� �������������� (����������������������������������������� ���������������������������������������������������)���������������������������������������*������������������������������'������������� ������������������+����%��������������,-�� ����������������������������������.--/�����0��'���������������������������������������������

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The eight-hour-long fourthround of talks between the

agitating farmer unions and theGovernment on Thursdayfailed to end the standoff overthe new farm laws as the pro-testors refused to accept any-thing less the repeal of all thethree farm laws. Another roundof discussions will be held onSaturday in a bid to forge a res-olution.

Althought the Governmentside, led by AgricultureMinister Narendra SinghTomar, assured the group ofnearly 40 farmer leaders that alltheir valid concerns would bediscussed and considered withan open mind, but the farmersstuck to their demand ofrepealing the three “hastily-passed” farm laws, saying therewere several loopholes anddeficiencies.

Bharatiya Kisan Union(Ambarta) president Rishipalsaid, The Government noted allpoints. Ministers assured thatthey will look into them andsought one day’s time.”

The farmer leaders empha-sised on a five-point set ofdemands that seeks to frame aspecific law on MinimumSupport Price (MSP) and endthe punishment provision forstubble burning.

Farmer leader KulwantSingh Sandhu said the govern-ment made many proposalsincluding on MSP and pro-curement system, which wouldbe discussed among the farmerorganisations on Friday, beforethe next meeting.

The farmers emphasisedthat the provision to register acase for stubble burning shouldbe ended, and asked why theGovernment wasn’t ready to

give them “written assurance”on MSP despite its earlierstatements that MSP will con-tinue.

The farmer union repre-sentatives emphasised that anew law on MSP be framed ina special session of Parliament,demanding that it must guar-antee them MSP not only nowbut in the future as well.

The farmer leaders said,“Let us assume that MSP willcontinue but the procurementwould stop. The MSP will haveno meaning then.”

The farmer union repre-sentatives said the Governmentsaid the three farm laws werebrought in with the interests offarmers in mind.

Continued on Page 11

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Farmer leaders on Thursdayrefused the lunch offered by

the Government during theirmeeting with three UnionMinisters here and preferred toeat the food ferried in a vanfrom the Singhu border, wherethousands of their colleaguesare sitting in protest against thenew agri laws.

During the lunch break, asmall van carrying food foraround 40 people was seen out-side the Vigyan Bhawan, wherethe meeting is underway.

“Our farmers’ representa-tives did not accept the lunch

offered by the Governmentand we arranged it from theSinghu border,” Lok SangarshMorcha president PratibhaShinde told PTI.

Farmers’ leaders told theGovernment to focus onresolving the issues instead oftrying to be a good host byoffering lunch, said the LokSangarsh Morcha president.

“How can we have lunchoffered by the governmentwhen our fellow farmers are sit-ting on roads,” said Shinde,whose organisation, LokSangarsh Morcha, is among the40 farmers’ groups engaged inthe talks.

������������� )12�13��

As protesting farmers con-tinued to be adamant on

their demand for scrapping ofthe Centre’s agriculture reformlaws and stayed put at thenational Capital’s borders withHaryana and Uttar Pradesh, thepolice on Thursday closedroutes on two national high-ways connecting Ghaziabad toDelhi as the farmers sat on theDelhi-Meerut Expressway.

The protesting farmers hadon Wednesday threatened toblock other roads of Delhi iftheir demands were not met.

“The local police haveclosed the routes on NH-9and NH-24 from Ghaziabad toDelhi. On NH-1, both sides ofthe route have been closed

near Shani Mandir,” the DelhiTraffic Police tweeted. Thecrowd of farmers continued toswell at Ghazipur, promptingthe police to close the Delhi-UPborder on NH-24.

“The Ghazipur border onNH-24 is closed for trafficfrom Ghaziabad towards Delhidue to farmers’ protests. Peopleare advised to avoid NH-24 forcoming to Delhi and use

Apsara/Bhopra/DND instead,”the traffic police said.

It said NH-44 is closed onboth sides and asked people totake alternate routes via NH-8,Bhopra, Apsara border, andPeripheral expressway.

At the Chilla border, onecarriageway — from Delhi toNoida — has been opened fortraffic. However, the other car-riageway — from Noida toDelhi — is still closed.

People commuting fromNoida to Delhi are advised toavoid Noida link road, thetraffic police said. The Delhi-Haryana border at Jharodaand Jhatikra remained closedfor traffic movement. TheBadusarai border is open onlyfor two-wheeler traffic.

Continued on Page 11

���� )12�13��

The Union Government onThursday increased the cap

on domestic flights up to 80 percent of the pre-Covid levels.The domestic carriers wereoperating at 70 per cent of theircapacity. Domestic air travel issteadily reviving after beingallowed to resume on May 25following a two-month sus-pension.

While making theannouncement, UnionMinister of Civil AviationHardeep Singh Puri said thedomestic operations in India,which recommenced with30,000 passengers on May 25,have touched a high of 2.52lakh passengers till November30, 2020.

Continued on Page 11

���� )12�13��

India has said it is monitoringdevelopment related to

reports that China plans tobuild a major dam on theBrahmaputra. New Delhi alsosaid it intended to remainengaged with China on theissue of trans-border rivers tosafeguard its interests.

At a media briefing,External Affairs MinistrySpokesperson AnuragSrivastava played down reportsabout damn construction andsaid the Chinese side hasrepeatedly conveyed to Indiathat it was only undertakingrun-of-the-river hydropowerprojects, which do not involvediversion of the waters of theBrahmaputra.

Continued on Page 11

���� )12�13��

The Interpol has warned lawenforcement agencies

across the globe that organisedcriminal networks could try toadvertise and sell fake Covid-19 vaccines both physicallyand online.

In an Orange notice issuedto all 194 member countries onWednesday, the Lyon-basedinternational police coopera-tion body warned agencies toprepare for potential criminalactivity in relation to “the fal-sification, theft and illegaladvertising of Covid-19 and fluvaccines”.

“It also includes examplesof crimes where individualshave been advertising, sellingand administering fake vac-cines,” the Interpol said in astatement.

An Orange notice is issuedto warn of an event, a person,an object or a process repre-senting a serious and imminentthreat to public safety.

The CBI, which is thenational Central bureau forIndia, is the nodal agency forcoordination with the Interpol.

The warning came on theday the UK became the firstnation to approve a Covid-19vaccine, leaving behind theUS and the European Union inthe race to approve a vaccine tocontain the pandemic.

Continued on Page11

���� )12�13��

Director of AIIMS, Delhi, DrRandeep Guleria on

Thursday said he was hopefulthat an emergency regulatorynod will be given to coron-avirus vaccine by the end of thismonth or early next month tostart vaccinating people.

Amid reports of allega-tions of an adverse event caseagainst Covishield vaccine, hesaid that safety and efficacy ofvaccine are not compromisedat all. “Around 70,000-80,000volunteers have received thevaccine and no significant seri-ous adverse effects were seen.The data shows that in theshort term, vaccine is safe,” hesaid.

“There is good data avail-able that the vaccines are verysafe. We should get emergencyuse authorisation from Indianregulatory authorities to start

giving vaccine to public,” DrGuleria said to a news agencyhere. Dr Guleria is also a mem-ber of the national task force onCovid-19 management.

He added, “Chennai trialcase is an incidental findingrather than related to vaccine.When we vaccinate a largenumber of people, some ofthem may have some other dis-ease, which may not be relat-ed to vaccine.”

Elderly, people withcomorbidities and front-lineworkers should be vaccinatedfirst, said Dr Guleria.

On vaccine distribution, hesaid, “Work is going on atwar-footing both at the Centreand the State level for vaccinedistribution plan in terms ofmaintaining cold chain, havingappropriate storehouses avail-able, developing strategy, train-ing vaccinators and availabili-ty of syringes.”

On Covid-19 pandemic’snew wave in India, he said,“Now, we’ve seen a decline incurrent wave and I hope this

will continue if we are able tohave a good Covid-19 appro-priate behaviour. We’re close tohaving a big change related to

a pandemic if we manage thisbehaviour for the next threemonths.”

Continued on Page 11

���� )12�13��

Navy Chief AdmiralKarambir Singh on

Thursday said attempts to“change the status quo” on thenorthern borders (Line ofActual Control) has impactedthe security situation andprompted the Navy to period-ically deploy its aircraft anddrones at the borders for recon-naissance in the last six months.

“The year was defined bythe challenge of Covid pan-demic which has permeatedand disrupted every aspect ofour lives. A near simultaneousattempt to change status quo onour northern borders hasincreased the complexities inour security situation,” he said.

Outlining the operationalreadiness of the armed forces,Singh said, “This dual challenge

scenario continues as we speak.The Army, IAF and Navy wereworking in close coordinationto produce the desired resultsat the border and ensure secu-rity. The Navy is ready to faceany threat.”

Addressing the annualPress conference on the eve ofthe Navy Day on Friday, theNavy chief termed the presenttension at the LAC as stillongoing.

Replying questions aboutthe role of the Navy in meetingthe challenge at the LAC inEastern Ladakh and otherparts, Singh said the Navy sev-eral times deployed its P-8Ilong range reconnaissance air-craft on the Northern bordersduring the ongoing standoff.

“The P-8I is a potent plat-form that has certain equip-ment that can be used on the

border. Based on the require-ments of the Army and IAF wehave deployed the P-8I on sev-eral occasions. We have alsodeployed the HeronUnmanned Aerial Vehicle(UAV) from one of theNorthern bases,” the Navy chiefsaid in response to a question.

The reconnaissance air-craft was also used during the73-day long face-off in Doklamnear Sikkim in 2017 to get realtime picture. The situation wasdefused following parleys at thehighest diplomatic and politi-cal levels then.

On the possible deploy-ment of the two MQ-9BPredator drones that wereleased from the US recently atthe LAC, the Navy chief said itdepends on the requirements ofthe Army or IAF.

Continued on Page 11

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Tamil Nadu’s tryst with spir-itual politics materialised

on Thursday as reigning super-star of Tamil cinemaRajinikanth declared the for-mation of his political party.

“If it is not now, it is goingto be never. We will changeeverything associated withTamil Nadu politics. My victo-ry will be yours and your vic-tory will be mine,” declared theactor in a specially convenedPress meeting at the courtyardof his Poes Garden Residencein Chennai.

He said he would declarethe name of the party and plan

of action on December 31.“We will surely contest thenext Assembly election andform the Government whichthe people have been waitingfor long,” said the superstar.

As expected, Rajinikanthwas accompanied by

Tamilaruvi Manian, his ManFriday who has been workingsteadfast since 2016 with theactor for forming the politicaloutfit. Manian is a former chiefof Tamil Nadu CongressCommittee and belongs to theschool of titans like K Kamaraj,C Subramaniam and RVenkitaraman. Arjunamurthy,one of the BJP leaders, toojoined the Rajinikanth band-wagon on Thursday as adviser.

What culminated onThursday was the preparationsthat began more than fouryears ago by Rajinikanth tousher in a new politics and wayof thinking in the State domi-nated by Dravida Maya,according to KolahalaSrenivaas, political thinker andauthor.

Continued on Page 11

���� )12�13��

NDA ally Jannayak JanataParty (JJP) in Haryana

warned the BJP that it may nothesitate to step out of theGovernment if the demand ofthe agitating farmers was notmet by the Centre.

JJP chief DushyantChautala, who is Deputy ChiefMinister of the State with coreelectoral base of Jat farmingcommunity, has said his partywould stand with farmers onthe MSP issue.

If the standoff between thefarmers and the Centre con-tinues, pressure is expected toincrease on all non-BJPHaryana MLAs who helped theBJP form the Government.

Continued on Page11

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The honour the BJPGovernment bestowed

upon Punjab’s five-time formerChief Minister Parkash Singh

Badal in 2015 has apparentlyended up embarrassing theparty. Often dubbed as thefounder of the NDA, Badal onThursday returned PadmaVibhushan — country’s secondhighest civilian award — toprotest “betrayal of farmers”.

Rajya Sabha MP SukhdevSingh Dhindsa too returned hisPadma Bhushan award tooppose the farm laws. The BJPGovernment, in March 2019,had presented him the awardafter he announced to partways with the Akali Dal fol-lowing political differenceswith party chief Sukhbir Badal,in an apparent attempt to woohim.

Continued on Page11

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New Delhi: Punjab ChiefMinister Amarinder Singh onThursday made an appeal toUnion Home Minister AmitShah and the protesting farm-ers to find an early resolutionto the impasse over the newfarm laws, saying the agitationis affecting Punjab’s economyand the nation's security

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NOTICE

Be it known to all that dateof birth 15.07.1947 of my wifeis wrongly registered in my ser-vice record which is wrong. Hercorrect date of birth is21.07.1947. This should beread and written in future for allpurpose. Ram Sanehi H/OSmt. Ramlali, 12 B ChandpurSalori, Po-Teliarganj, Prayagraj.

OBITUARY

NAIB SUBEDAR RAM SROOP04 APR 1977 - 27 OCT 2020

ALL RANKS OF ARMY MEDICALCORPS SOLEMNLY PRAY TO THEALMIGHTY TO BESTOW PEACE TOTHE DEPARTED SOUL AND GRANTSTRENGTH TO THE BEREAVED FAM-ILY TO BEAR THE GREAT LOSS OFNAIB SUBEDAR RAM SROOP WHODIED WHILE SERVING WITH 303 FIELDHOSPITAL.

FROM: MAJ GEN NAVEEN AGGARWALAND ALL RANKS OF ARMY MEDICAL CORPS

OBITUARY

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Adding another feather to itscap, the IT and Electronics

department of UP is going toset up a centre of excellence(CoE) in Noida (GautamBuddha Nagar) for productsbased on Li-ion cells.

Deputy Chief MinisterDinesh Sharma who holds theIT and Electronics portfolio,said the centre of excellencewould provide crucial techni-cal inputs to start-ups andMSMEs for production of massmarket electronics accessoriesup to prototype stage.

“Besides, the state govern-ment would be able to nomi-nate diploma and ITI certificateholders, and BSc, MSc in elec-tronics degree holders as cer-tification engineers, therebycreating enormous employ-ment opportunities,” he said.

Underlining the impor-tance of the centre of excel-lence, Additional ChiefSecretary (IT and Electronics)Alok Kumar said that the state’selectronics policy provided forsetting up of centres of excel-lence as world-class infrastruc-ture for enabling research,innovation and entrepreneur-ship in electronics systemdesign and manufacturing,skill development (ESDM)industry.

“In view of availability of awell-established necessaryecosystem at Noida, IndianCellular and ElectronicsAssociation (ICEA) proposedthe setting up of a productbased Li-ion cells (post cell)centre of excellence in Noida.This has been approved in-principle and work on its estab-lishment would commence assoon as the sanction is receivedfrom the Government of India,”he said. Kumar said that thegovernment would set up threecentres of excellence in collab-oration with the Ministry ofElectronics & InformationTechnology and industrialassociations.

The UP government wouldbear 25 percent of the cost,while 75 per cent of the cost

would be borne by theGovernment of India andindustrial associations.

“Once operational, thesecentres will boost high-endmanufacturing of Li-ion cellbased products, such as batterymonitoring system for electricvehicles, solar system batterypack, GPS navigation system,ticket vending machines fortrains and buses, power banks,

bluetooth speakers, chargers,wireless chargers, smart light-ing systems, radio, UPS systemand routers,” he said.

“The new centre will aid inbuilding an excellent ecosystemfor designing and develop-ment hub for power banksand Indian mobile handsets inUttar Pradesh, which is a majormobile phone manufacturinghub in India,” Kumar said.

Lucknow (PNS): Once infamous forcorruption and high-handedness, UPPolice have been recognised for smartpolicing, better work culture, trans-parency and cooperation. A recentreport of the Union government onthe country’s police system hasendorsed just that.

As per a Union Home Ministryreport, Kanth police station ofMoradabad has figured among the 10best police stations working across thecountry. While Nongpok Semkaipolice station of Thoubal (Manipur)was ranked first for best work, a policestation in Tamil Nadu and anArunachal police station were rankedsecond and third.

Kanth police station ofMoradabad in UP clinched the 8thspot.

Besides, one police station each ofGoa, Chhattisgarh, Sikkim, Telanganawas also included in the top 10 list.

Apart from UP, no police stationsfrom Maharashtra, Delhi, Punjab,

Rajasthan, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh andWest Bengal could make it to the cov-eted list. Chief Minister YogiAdityanath is believed to have a directrole in changing the work culture andimage of UP Police. During the pre-sent regime, the police were given afree hand to take on criminals and alsowork transparently and have a cordialinterface with the public.

UP cabinet minister SidharthNath Singh said that the positivechange in police system was part of thepolicy of continuous improvementand self-review of the Yogi govern-ment. In 2015, Prime MinisterNarendra Modi suggested that crite-ria be set for grading police stationsbased on feedback and performancewhile addressing DGPs of variousstates in Kutch (Gujarat).

Thereafter, 19 criteria were set toidentify techniques for improvingpolice stations and people were con-sulted for feedback on the function-ing of police stations.

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The Dandupur railway station situated betweenPratapgarh and Badshahpur on Lucknow-

Varanasi rail section will now be named Maa BarahiDevi Dham.

The Union government has given its consentafter which Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath gavehis nod to the renaming of the railway station.

Giving this information on Twitter, the CMOffice posted that a notification would be issuedin this regard after getting approval from the chiefminister. There has been a long-standing demandto change the name of Dandupur railway stationin Raniganj tehsil of Pratapgarh. The chief min-ister initiated the process to give recognition to localreligious and spiritual sites while respecting pub-lic aspirations.

Many express and passenger trains, includingKashi-Vishwanath Express, Rae Bareli-JaunpurExpress, Lucknow-Varanasi Intercity, and othertrains have a halt at Dandupur railway station.There is a temple of Maa Barahi Devi inParasrampur village, six kilometres from the rail-way station and an annual fair is organised therethat is visited by a large number of devotees.

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Chief Minister YogiAdityanath said that his

government was committed toopening new vistas of opportu-nity for the youth and washence focusing on the micro,small and medium enterprise(MSME) sector so that trainedyouth could get employment attheir doorsteps.

“The MSME sector hasstarted turning the tide towardsdevelopment. The governmentis committed to providing allnecessary assistance for MSMEdevelopment and to tradition-al craftsmen as they form thebase of realising the dream ofa self-reliant India. Therewould be no dearth of capitalfor youths wanting to start anew venture and loans arebeing provided as per theirrequirements,” he said.

Addressing a virtual pro-gramme at his official residencein Lucknow on Thursday, Yogidisbursed loans of over Rs 10crore for capital requirement of

3.54 lakh MSME units whichincluded 29,914 new units.

While the chief ministerdistributed loans to eight entre-preneurs at the programme,others were provided loans atprogrammes organised at dis-trict level. “Small-scale indus-tries form the basis of a pow-erful state and the state govern-ment’s efforts to speed up

industrial development is goingto bring prosperity in every-one’s life,” he said.

“During COVID-19 peri-od, the Central and UP govern-ments jointly made efforts toencourage migrant labourers,traditional craftsmen andMSMEs,” the chief ministeradded.

“When Prime Minister

Narendra Modi released thefirst economic package duringlockdown on May 14, the nextday the UP government pro-vided loans of Rs 2002 crore to56,754 new MSME units underOnline Self EmploymentProgramme. In addition,MSME Saathi portal and appwere also launched to solveproblems of these units,” Yogi

Adityanath said.More than four lakh

MSME units were given loansof Rs 10,999 crore after theprime minister launched theAtmanirbhar Uttar PradeshRojgar Abhiyan on June 26. Inaddition, over 2.50 lakh MSMEunits were also given loans ofRs 7,841 crore in the thirdphase. Lauding the role ofbanks, Yogi Adityanath saidthat large-scale loan fairs werebeing organised in coordina-tion with banks.

“The MSME units in thestate are moving towards self-reliance and recently 15 unitsgot listed on the Bombay StockExchange in an effort to meettheir capital requirements. Thisinnovative endeavour will alsoplay the role of a motivator forother MSMEs,” the chief min-ister added.

Yogi Adityanath also virtu-ally distributed advanced toolkits related to handlooms,handicrafts, textiles, metalcrafts, food processing, andpottery, to 5,000 beneficiaries.

: �������%����������������Lucknow (PNS): Six peoplewere killed in a collision betweena bus and a tempo in Banda onThursday evening. InspectorGeneral of Police Satya Narayansaid the accident occurred nearJamalpur in Kotwali Dehat policestation area of Banda. The IGsaid five passengers of the tempodied on the spot and anothersuccumbed to his injuries in thehospital while three were serious-ly injured and were undergoingtreatment.

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Lucknow(PNS): Ordering thesetting up of biodiversity parksin 25 districts on Ganga riverbanks, Chief SecretaryRajendra Kumar Tiwaridirected the departments con-cerned to take appropriateaction on the orders of theNational Green Tribunal(NGT) immediately. At areview meeting on Thursday,Tiwari said that regular mon-itoring should be done todetermine the time-table forcompletion of all works.

“In order to save theGanga from pollution, dump-ing of any kind of solid andother waste be done awaywith in and around the river.Old deposits of wastes shouldalso be cleaned. Setting up bio-diversity parks in 25 districtsadjacent to the Ganga shouldbe completed in a time-boundmanner,” he added.

The top bureaucrat of thestate also directed officials totake action at the earliestregarding problems of indus-trial units on residential andagricultural land. He said thatthe work of preserving sevenwetlands of internationalimportance of Ramsar shouldbe completed soon. “Besides,additional steps should betaken to prevent noise and airpollution,” he said.

The meeting was organ-ised by the Environment,Forest and Climate Changedepartment for the review ofcompliance status of govern-

ment directions in response toNational Green Tribunaldirectives.

Officials of Agriculture,Urban Development, RuralDevelopment, Namami Gangedepartments, Jal Nigam andother departments participat-ed in the meeting.

The top official wasinformed that in respect to theNGT order, work of providingclean water in 103 villages of148 villages affected bygroundwater in Doaba area ofHindan river was completedby UP Water Corporationunder Pipe Drinking Waterproject. The remaining workin 45 villages would be com-pleted by December 31, 2020.

JEWAR AIRPORT: A meet-ing of PMIC (ProjectMonitoring ImplementationCommittee) for Jewar Airportchaired by Chief Secretarywas held in which studies oftechnical consultants regard-ing extension of two runwaysof Jewar Airport from 4 to 6were discussed.

Consulting body PWC andChief Executive Officer ofNoida Airport and YamunaAuthority Dr. Arun Veer Singhmade the presentation in whichfeasibility of five runways wasvoiced. In the first phase, 1,365hectares of land would beacquired for the third runwayand in the second phase, a totalof 3,418 hectares land would beacquired for three runways.

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Amidst protest and boycott ofcounting by all the opposi-

tion parties candidates inLucknow, Bharatiya Janata Partywas all set to give a major setbackto the teachers group leader OmPrakash Sharma in Meerut.

Though no officialannouncement has been made,but BJP candidate ShreeshChandra Sharma is all set todefeat veteran and eight-timeMLC Om Prakash Sharma byover 4,300 votes.

Sharma held the seat for overfour decades.

In the graduate constituen-cy of Meerut also, BJP’s DineshGoyal was leading.

In Moradabad-Bareilly divi-sion also, BJP’s Hari SinghDhillon defeated SamajwadiParty’s candidate Sanjay Mishraby a margin of 7,960 votes.

Bareilly DivisionalCommissioner Ranveer Prasadconfirmed the victory of Dhillon.

The BJP candidates werealso leading in Lucknow andAgra teachers constituencies.

In Lucknow, BJP’s UmeshDwivedi was leading by 2,000votes over teachers group-sup-ported candidate MahendraNath till the second round ofcounting. However, countingwas disturbed as alleging large-scale irregularities, SamajwadiParty candidate Ram Singh Ranaand all other opposition candi-dates sat on dharna, boycottingthe process. They alleged that theseals of the ballot boxes were notopened before the candidates.They also accused the presidingofficers of malpractices.

Lucknow District MagistrateAbhishek Prakash had to be

called to resolve the issue.Prakash assured the candidates

that the counting would be freeand fair and if anyone still had

any complaint, he could submitit in writing.

In Gorakhpur-Faizabadzone, outgoing MLC DhruvTripathi had a little edge overother candidates when the reportlast came in. In Agra, BJP’sDinesh Vasishth was leading byover 208 votes.

In Allahabad-Jhansi gradu-ate seat, BJP’s four-time MLCYagyadutt Sharma was trailingbehind SP candidate Dr ManSingh Yadav when the reportslast came in.

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Maximum Covid deaths inNovember took place in

Vishwas Khand (Gomtinagar)and Aliganj in the state capital,according to a senior healthofficial. The officials have car-ried out plotting of Coviddeaths on Google Earth toidentify these areas. “We willcarry out sampling in thesespecific areas. The plottingwas carried out as our teamsneeded to be aware of why thedeaths were occurring. Weneeded be know if there wasany delay in shifting of patientsto hospitals,” he said.

On Thursday, 331 personstested positive for coronavirusin the city while 244 patientsrecovered. Lucknow’s deathtoll stands at 1015 while thereare 3,529 active cases in thedistrict. The fresh cases includ-ed 34 from Gomtinagar, 27from Indiranagar, 22 fromChowk, 21 from Rae Bareliroad, 19 from Alambagh, 18from Cantt, 16 from VikasNagar, 14 from Jankipuram, 11from Aliganj, and 10 eachfrom Ashiyana, Hasanganj &Hazratganj.

Across the state, 1,967 per-sons tested positive, including

220 in Meerut, 113 inGhaziabad, 113 in Varanasi,120 in Gautam Buddhnagarand 53 in Muzaffarnagar, tak-ing the UP tally to 5,49,228.There were 31 deaths acrossthe state, including seven inLucknow, five in Meerut, threein Kanpur, two each in Agra,Ayodhya, Shahjahanpur &Amroha, and one each inPrayagraj, Varanasi, Barabanki,Muzaffarnagar, LakhimpurKheri, Maharajganj, Sitapur,Sultanpur & Mahoba takingthe toll to 7,848. Besides, 1,696patients recovered, taking UP’srecoveries to 5,18,390. Thereare still 22,990 active cases inthe state.

In a meeting with DistrictMagistrate Abhishek Prakash,it was decided that the deathsdue to coronavirus had to becurtailed. “Though ambu-lances reach the doorstep ofpatients, they don’t want to behospitalised. However, we willnow be strict in this regard andany patient with co-morbidi-ties will have to go be hospi-talised,” the official said.

A 14-day targeted sam-pling of the hotspots will beginfrom December 4. “It will be aspecial drive to make sure thatthe circulation of virus in five

focal areas — Indiranagar,Gomtinagar, Chinhat, Aliganjand Alambagh — is stopped,”he said.

Meanwhile, head ofSGPGI’s Microbiology depart-ment Dr Ujjawala Ghosal saidthey have conducted over sixlakh RT-PCR tests.

“We feel privileged that wegot an opportunity to do ourbit in the fight against coron-avirus. We would like to takethis opportunity to thankSGPGI administration, coronawarriors working since March,their families, and all thosewho have contributed towards

this noble cause and stood withus,” she stated.

“Our team conducted7,748 RT-PCR tests in a singleday on December 2 and it hasbeen the highest number oftests done by any lab in thecountry in a day. We are adopt-ing several innovative ways to

do the sampling faster. Earlier,we were not opening our poolof samples on the same day, butwe are doing it now,” sheadded. There are 70-75 teammembers and some of themtested positive due to beingexposed to this deadly virus.

Meanwhile, DM AbhishekPrakash, in a meeting held forcontaining the spread of virus,said that on December 5, ameeting will be organised withreligious leaders, NGOs andtraders in which they would bemade aware about how tobreak the chain of coronavirusinfection.

The meeting also dis-cussed the increase of beds inhospitals such as SGPGI andKGMU. The DM directed theofficials at Integrated Controland Command Centre to shiftpatients to hospitals within24 hours or be ready to face themusic. Reviewing the contacttracing and tracking beingcarried out in the district, theDM said this should be expe-dited and community healthcentres should ensure 100 per-cent contact tracing and track-ing with door-to-door sur-veillance teams separating ILIand SARI patients to ensuretesting.

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Lucknow zoo is gearing up for itscentenary year celebrations next

year. Director RK Singh said theywould be holding a meeting of ZooAdvisory and Board would be heldon December 16. The zoo will com-plete its 100 years on November 29next year.

The director said discussionwould include not only for planningthe grand celebrations but also for

initiatives for bringing the zoo underthe state government since it is stillunder a trust. Singh said they areplanning to invite some big person-alities for the celebrations. Lucknow’sis the oldest zoo in north India.Others which have completed 100years are Kolkata and Mysore zoos.

The zoo was established to com-memorate the arrival of the Princeof Wales to India by the thenGovernor, Harcourt Butler, and he

converted Banarasi Bagh into a zoo.“Banarasi Bagh was a mango orchardwhich was established by NawabNasir-ud-Din Haider in 1827 com-plete with a Baradari to enjoy theevenings. It was called BanarasiBagh because it had trees bearingBanarasi mangoes. It was namedPrince of Wales Zoological Gardensby Harcourt Butler,” he said.

It was named Lucknow Zoo in2001 and Nawab Wajid Ali Shah

Lucknow Zoological Garden in 2015.The employees working at the zooare under a trust and they are givensalaries and allowances as their stategovernment counterparts.

The trust is under the chairman-ship of principal secretary, Forest.

The first butterfly park of thestate was inaugurated at the zoo byForest Minister Dara Singh Chauhanin 2018.

Lucknow (PNS): The General Surgerydepartment of KGMU is hosting the 46thannual conference of the UP chapter ofAssociation of Surgeons of India online inassociation with Association of Surgeonsof Lucknow from December 5-6. Asenior faculty member said the confer-ence would be a virtual academic feastconsisting of various named orations, guest& keynote lectures, symposiums, PGteaching-based case discussions and com-petitive as well as free paper presentations.

This conference will be organisedunder the aegis of UPASI with KGMUVice-Chancellor Dr Bipin Puri as its chiefpatron. “The theme of the conference is‘Safe surgeon and safe surgery: Integratedapproach’. Various speakers from differ-ent surgical subspecialties, includingpaediatric surgery, endocrine surgery,trauma surgery, laparoscopic surgery,

thoracic and vascular surgery, will deliv-er lectures and orations.

Dr Ali Zamir Khan from the UK willdeliver a guest lecture on video-assistedthoracic surgery training while DrParveiz Sheikh and Dr Kushal Mittalfrom Mumbai will be delivering a guestlecture on anorectal diseases. Dr GyanChand (SGPGI) will deliver a lecture onendoscopic thyroid surgery, Dr VKKapoor (SGPGI) on gall bladder diseases,Dr AK Khanna (BHU) on varicoseveins and Dr Parveen Bhatia from Delhiand Dr MM Ansari on hernia surgery.

“This year, UPASICON-2020 willhave detailed virtual case discussions pre-sented by PG residents and moderatedby senior surgical teachers. Students willalso have a chance to present theirresearch work, thesis on competitive andfree paper presentation sessions.

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In a tragic incident, threelabourers were electro-

cuted to death while carry-ing band and lights duringa baraat procession inKakori on Wednesdaynight. The deceased wereidentified as Kamal Rawataka Raj Kumar (32), RajuRawat (42) and JagdishRawat (50), all of Hardoi.

As per reports, a baraatprocession fromSarojininagar reached thehouse of Benchalal Lodhiof Rani Kheda village inKakori on Wednesdaynight. The baraatis enteredthe house around 10:30 pmon Wednesday, withlabourers carrying lights ontheir heads. When the pro-cession was passing fromnear a transformerinstalled in the village, oneof the lamps came in con-tact with the transformerand the above-named per-sons suffered a powerfulelectric shock.

They were rushed toKGMU Trauma Centrewhere they were declaredbrought dead. The policesaid they were yet to getany complaint in thisregard. Sources said thedeceased were from poorfamilies and their case wasnot taken up on priority.

In another case, a 58-year-old man, identifiedas Banwari Lal of Banthra,was found hanging froman electric pole with a rope

tied around his neck onThursday. Reports said theman was found hanging onThursday morning bysome villagers.

Meanwhile, police gota vital clue about the mis-creants who had kid-napped a dentist, AkhileshChaturvedi, in VibhutiKhand police station areaon Tuesday night. The clin-ic of Akhilesh (ofGudamba) is situated inKhurram Nagar. A groupof men kidnapped the den-tist near a hospital wherehe had gone for somework. Akhilesh stopped torelieve himself on the road-side when the miscreantsreached near him andasked him about someaddress. The miscreantsbundled him in their car,took him to an apartmentclose to DGP headquartersand thrashed him. Thenext day, the doctors madea call to his friend askinghim to give Rs 30 lakh asransom. He was asked toreach the clinic in VikasNagar on Wednesdaynight. When the moneywas to be exchanged,Akhilesh played some trickand fled the scene. He ranas fast as he could andreached near Vikas Nagarpolice station where hesaw a police jeep andsought help. He was latertaken to Vibhuti Khandpolice station where henarrated his ordeal toADCP (East) Qasim Abdi.

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In a crackdown against landmafia, Lucknow

Development Authority onThursday demolished an ille-gally constructed Dragon Mallin Lalbagh after four days ofoperation. On Sunday, theLDA began the demolitiondrive of the mall.

Earlier on November 3,Allahabad High Court hadbarred LDA from taking actionagainst the illegal constructionfor one month. As soon as themonth-long period was over,the LDA officials swung intoaction. According to reports,Dragon Mall, a commercialproject, was built on a plotmeant for hostel of LalbaghGirls’ Degree College. TheLDA had sealed the propertya month ago. Later, the mallowner challenged the order in

the high court. The court, in itsorder, had stayed the LDAaction for one month.

Joint secretary Ritu Suhastold reporters that action hasbeen going on since 2017against the Dragon Mall, ille-gally constructed on the landof Lalbagh Girls College. Themall was sealed but the high court had put a stay on it,which was in effect ti l l June 30, 2017.

After this, enforcementzone-6 demanded that themall be re-sealed. According tothe LDA order, MohammadSalim had taken permissionfor the construction of thethree-storey Dragon Mall, butconstructed five-storey com-mercial building, includingthe basement. Later, LDA tookthe action on the illegal con-struction of the mall undersections 16 and 27.

!��*���������������������Lucknow (PNS): Members of two families foughtfiercely in Thakurganj on Thursday morning and sev-eral persons from both sides sustained injuries. Thebrawl erupted reportedly over an issue related to somewoman and a long-standing enmity between the twofamilies living in the same house. The complainant,Soni Singh of Balaganj, said she was busy in house-hold work when Rajesh, who lives in the same house,reached the scene. “Rajesh was with his wife Aneetaand two unidentified men. They attacked me and myfamily members without any provocation, leaving me,my son and two other women in the family injured,”she alleged. Soni further alleged that Rajesh’s childrenpelted the house with stones at the same time. “Theyransacked my house. Rajesh and his aides misbehavedwith women members in our family,” she alleged.

However, Rajesh’s wife Aneeta alleged that malemembers of Soni’s family — Mukesh, Arun, Krishnaand Dilip — and Soni herself attacked her while menmisbehaved with her. A cross-FIR was registered inthis connection the police started a probe into the alle-gations and counter-allegations.

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The Para police onWednesday night stopped

solemnisation of marriagebetween an interfaith coupleinvoking the Prohibition ofUnlawful Conversion ofReligion Ordinance whichwas promulgated by the UPgovernor recently.

The police action came asa dampener for both thefamilies as it was said thatthey had given consent forthe marriage without anycoercion. Both the familiesare now scheduled to appealto the district magistrate toseek nod for the marriage. Asper reports, the girl of DudaColony was getting marriedto Adil in the area onWednesday night and boththe families had madearrangements. Police reachedthe place and quizzed parentsof the bride and groom.

ADCP Suresh Rawat saidboth the parties were sum-moned to the police stationand were apprised of the newlaw. “The families were askedto take permission from thedistrict magistrate. Both theparties agreed and gave anundertaking that they wouldabide by the law,” he said. Thelegislation calls for curbs onreligious conversions for thesake of marriage. The new

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Directing officials to main-tain an effective manage-

ment of prevention and treat-ment of COVID-19 cases,Chief Minister YogiAdityanath on Thursday saidthe Uttar Pradesh govern-ment was committed to pro-viding quality medical facili-ties to the public.

The chief minister, whowas presiding over an unlockreview meeting at his officialresidence here on Thursday,also directed officials to payspecial attention to Lucknow,Kanpur Nagar, Meerut, Agra

and Varanasi districts. “Themedical education ministershould hold a meeting withthe chiefs of SGPGIMS,KGMU and RMLIMS andreview the treatment facilitiesof these institutions,” the chiefminister said.

He also directed the divi-sional commissioners anddistrict magistrates to visit themedical colleges in theiradministrative jurisdictionsand hold meetings with theauthorities.

“It should also be ensuredthat specialist doctors takeregular rounds of Covidwards and make better treat-

ment accessible to patients.The patients should not faceany difficulty in gettingadmitted to Covid hospitalsand after reviewing therequirement of beds in thesehospitals, efforts should bemade to arrange for addition-al beds,” the chief ministersaid.

He said awareness cam-paigns should be organisedregularly and the IntegratedCommand and ControlCentres should be operatedactively. He also directed offi-cials to maintain effectivecontact tracing and surveil-lance systems.

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law provides for imprisonmentup to 10 years for any violation.

In another incident, aChinhat police team arrestedtwo person on the charges ofchain-snatching during anencounter with them inHardasi Kheda of Chinhat onthe inter vening night ofWednesday and Thursday. Theaccused were identified asDheerendra Kumar andKaushlendra Soni, both ofBarabanki. The police saidboth were planning their nextstrike when a trap was laid forthem. Dheerendra sufferedinjuries in the exchange of fire.

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��8�����Indian Bank is one of the

pioneers in supporting MSMEsby leveraging various MSME-specific products. Recently, thebank has also introduced anonline programme, ‘MSMEPrerana’ to train MSMEs inbasic accounting, maintenanceof account books, government/bank schemes for MSMEs etc.Indian Bank on November 30signed an MoU with SmallIndustries Development Bankof India (SIDBI) for usage ofproduct by MSME borrowers.The MoU was signed in thepresence of MD & CEO ofIndian Bank PadmajaChunduru, executive directorsMK Bhattacharya & KRamachandran, and SIDBI MD

Manoj Mittal. The MoU wasexecuted on behalf of SIDBIand Indian Bank by SIDBIGM Chitra Alai and GM(MSME) of Indian Bank KSSudhakara Rao.

���� ����<�Vritika Soni, a student of

City Montessori School, AliganjCampus II, won the first prizein an inter-school speech andfancy dress competition. Thecompetition was organisedonline under the aegis of LotusSocial Welfare Charitable Trustin which students of variousnoted schools of Lucknow par-ticipated. Vritika impressed thejudges by displaying her expres-sive ability, creative thinkingand attractive costumes.

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In a shocking incident, thebody of a child was found

missing from a grave inKhanpur police station area ofBulandshahr.

The kin of the deceasedand the locals staged a demon-stration at the graveyard. Later,senior officers backed by localpolice rushed to the spot andpacified the protesters by assur-ing them that the culpritswould soon be arrested.

As per reports, a four-year-old child died of fever atThona village on Wednesdayand was buried in a nearbygraveyard. However, the nextday, the kin found the bodymissing from the grave.

The angry relatives later

informed other residents of thevillage and they created aruckus on the spot. The kinalleged that the body of thechild was removed for carryingout occult practices (tantramantra).

Later senior officers andthe police reached the spot andpacified the people. Policeteams were formed and allefforts were being made toidentify and nab the miscreantsand recover the body.

Meanwhile in Mirzapur,the autopsy report of threemissing minors whose bodieswere recovered on Wednesday,confirmed that they were mur-dered. Three children of afamily, Hariom (14),Sudhanshu (13) and Shivam(12) of Bami village of Lalganj

(Mirzapur), had gone out for apicnic at Kushira forest onTuesday afternoon after whichthey disappeared.

Their families were busy ina marriage ceremony andnoticed their absence in theevening. After their searchfailed to yield results, the fam-ily members reported the mat-ter to the police. OnWednesday, the bodies of themissing kids were found nearan embankment in the forest.The victims had injuries andtheir eyes had been gouged out.

The bodies were sent forautopsy which confirmed thatthey had been murdered.Initially, trying to pass thedeaths as accident, the policehave now altered the case toone of murder.

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Within a week of a newanti-conversion law

being promulgated, theBareilly police made the firstarrest after a man accused ayouth of harassing his daugh-ter to change her religion onWednesday.

On November 28,Governor Anandiben Patelhad given her assent to the UPProhibition of UnlawfulConversion of ReligionOrdinance, 2020 to thwartforcible or fraudulent reli-gious conversions. The lawprovides for imprisonment ofup to 10 years and a maximumfine of Rs 50,000 under differ-ent categories.

The case, the first of its

kind in the state, was regis-tered at Devarniya police sta-tion of Bareilly district againstOwais Ahmad based on acomplaint by Tikaram ofSharif Nagar vil lage onNovember 28.

In his complaint, Tikarammentioned that his daughterand Ahmed studied together

in Class 12. He stated thatthree years ago, Ahmed start-ed pressuring his daughter toconvert to Islam and marryhim and when the girlopposed, he threatened to kid-nap her. Tikaram’s daughtermarried someone else in Junebut Ahmad continued toharass her and her family.

The accused was chargedunder various sections of theIndian Penal Code and theanti-conversion law. “This isthe first arrest under the newlaw. Owais Ahmad was arrest-ed from the Richha railwaygate of Bahedi area onWednesday. He was producedbefore a local court whichsent him to 14-day judicialcustody,” DIG, Bareilly Range,Rajesh Kumar Pandey, said.

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In an effort to motivate theyouth of Mumbai to serve the

nation with pride, a Sea HarrierMonument was dedicated tothe city of Mumbai byMaharashtra's Tourism andEnvironment Aditya Thackerayon Thursday, a day ahead of theNavy Day. Held in the presenceof Rear Admiral V Srinivas,Flag Officer CommandingMaharashtra Naval Area, thededication of the monument to the citizens ofMumbai marked “reassuranceof devotion and commitment ofIndian Navy towards safeguard-ing our maritime boundaries”.

Located at the popularjunction of Bandra Band Stand,the monument stands tall andproud next to the sea, remind-ing of the heydays of the air-craft's illustrious service

towards safeguarding the maritime frontiers of theNation. The monument show-cases the Indian Navy's aviationcapabilities as also keeping thelegacy of INS Viraat alive fromwhose deck the aircraft operat-ed. The Indian Navy becameonly the second country to flythe Sea Harrier when it wasinducted in 1983. The aircraftoperated from the deck of INS Viraat. Built by the BritishAerospace, the Sea Harrier wasa Short Take-Off and VerticalLanding/Vertical Take-Off andLanding (STOVL/ VTOL) jetfighter, reconnaissance andattack aircraft. The aircraftformed part of INAS 300squadron popularly known as“White Tigers” whose legacy isbeing continued by the latest MIG 29 K fightersonboard INS Vikramaditya.

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Bengal Chief MinisterMamata Banerjee has

extended her support to thefarmers’ movement and askedthe Centre to repeal the three“oppressive laws” threatening anationwide movement by herparty if the “anti-people” legis-lations were not taken backimmediately.

Farmers from Punjab,Haryana, UP, Bihar and else-where were protesting in Delhiagainst the enacting of theFarmers’ Produce Trade andCommerce (Promotion andFacilitation) Bill, 2020; theFarmers (Empowerment andProtection) Agreement of PriceAssurance and Farm ServicesBill, 2020 and the EssentialCommodities (Amendment)Bill, 2020 passed by the Centre.

“I am very much concernedabout the farmers, their lives andlivelihood. GOI [government of

India] must withdraw the anti-farmers bills. If they do not doso immediately we will agitatethroughout the state and thecountry. From the very start, wehave been strongly opposingthese anti-farmer bills,” Banerjeesaid. Bengal’s ruling TrinamoolCongress was likely to hold ameeting on Friday to discuss thestrategy regarding the proposedmovement even as a number ofleaders are in favour of taking alarge number of farmers fromBengal to Delhi to support themovement.

The Chief Minister tweetedsaying “We will discuss how theEssential Commodities Act isimpacting common people andresulting in skyrocketing prices.The central government mustwithdraw this anti-people law.”

She earlier told in a meet-ing how the three laws werecomplimentary to each otherand would hit the farmers,townsmen, poor and the mid-

dle class equally hard in the daysto come.

“This Government is nothappy with selling the govern-ment properties to the priva-teers. Now they are selling thefarmers to the private busi-nessmen… They have broughta ruinous law that will send thefarmers at the mercy of the cor-porate houses who will buy offtheir produce for low prices.The other laws would allow thesame corporate to collect theproduce and hoard them with-out police intervention till theprices go up … this is blatantthrowing of the common peo-ple at the mercy of the rich,” shesaid. On the large-scale privati-zation she said, how “theGovernment of India is sellingeverything. You cannot sellRailways, Air India, Coal, BSNL,BHEL, banks, defence etc.Withdraw ill-conceived disin-vestment and privatization policy.”

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Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee onThursday announced a host of “out-reach”

measures that could to some extent offset prob-able the loss of clout with the exit of powerfulmass leader Suvendu Adhikari who is almost onthe verge of quitting the party the rulingTrinamool Congress.

The Chief Minister told reporters herGovernment decision to cap the price ofRTPCR test for ascertaining corona infection toRs 950/-. Earlier the test was priced at Rs 1,250.“I have told that no one will be allowed to chargemore than Rs 950/- Banerjee said. Initially thetests cost anywhere between Rs 4,000 and Rs4,500 which was later reduced by the ChiefMinister to Rs 2,000 and then to Rs 1,500.

Apart from reducing the charge of coronatest Banerjee also announced that about one mil-lion students of government schools would beprovided with tabs for continuing with theironline classes. “There are about 9.5 lakh students(class XII) in 14,000 government aided schoolsand 636 madarsas… they have been facingimmense problem in continuing their onlineclasses. So we have decided to provide them withtabs so that they can carry on their education,”Banerjee said adding to help the students in less-er classes the government schools will be pro-vided with computers for facilitating onlineeducation.

Apart from this the Chief Minister alsoannounced 3 per cent dearness allowance forstate government employees in January. “Wehave limited resources still we will provide 3 per-cent DA to our Government employees inJanuary,” Banerjee said even as BJP leader SamikBhattacharya said that “these decisions are aimedat winning back the fleeing electorate … butpeople have tolerated her for ten years they arenot willing to see her coming to power again…so these measure will not help her win elections.”

Launching a scathing attack on the ChiefMinister, State BJP president Dilip Ghosh saidthe populist schemes --- including DuareySarkar (Government at the door steps) --- thatthe Government is unleashing are aimed at thevoters but the Chief Minister will have to answeras to what she was doing all these years. Whyher officers did not meet the people then… whythe people would have to return empty hand-ed from the BDO offices… so these schemes willnot work for her now.”

On rebellions in the TMC Ghosh said that“there are more police men guarding the TMCleaders than they are guarding the peoplebecause the TMC is afraid of these leaders leav-ing the party like the ones who are coming outof Trinamool now.”

Though he would not name SuvenduAdhikari inside sources said that the powerfulTMC leader had already been contacted by twovery senior BJP leaders including an MP.

Earlier even as the efforts to pacify himfailed the TMC leadership said they would notcommunicate with him any longer. “We are notgoing to him again. Now he will have to takehis decision… We have communicated ourmind to him,” senior leader and TMC MPSaugato Roy who was holding dialogues withhim as emissary of the Chief Minister said.

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Despite ongoing COVID-19pandemic, North Central

Railway achieved many mile-stones in November-2020.Besides surpassing last yearoriginating freight loading andachieving highest interchangeof 532 freight trains onNovember 30, 2020, NCR alsocompleted many importantworks of infrastructure devel-opment and safety relatedmaintenance of assets duringNovember-2020.

For safety of road usersfour RUBs one each inPrayagraj-Kanpur, Shikohabad-Farukhabad, Mathura-Alwarand Dholpur-Agra sectionswere commissioned inNovember and so far, nineRUBs have been commissionedin the current financial year.Manned level crossing no. 58 inKanpur-Tundla section was

closed during the month andtotal 28 manned level crossingshave been closed in currentfinancial year till November-2020.

Provision of power liftingbarriers at two level crossings,sliding booms at two levelcrossings and secured commu-nication between station andgateman at eight LCs are otherimportant road user safetyworks completed in November-2020.

North Central Railwayoperates more than 120 trainsat 130 Kmph or higher speedsand its trunk routes carry verydensity freight and passengertraffic. This calls for impecca-ble maintenance of track andother assets. In November-2020, 38 kms track renewal wasdone with cumulative renewalof 283 kms track in currentfinancial year. To enhance safe-ty and speed of trains overpoint and crossing zone, eight

nos. thick web switches havebeen provided in November2020 and so far, 30 thick webswitches have been commis-sioned in FY 2020-21.

Fortysix routes electronicinterlocking (EI) atMauranipur station in Jhansidivision commissioned inNovember 2020. With comple-tion of this work all electro-mechanical signaling in Jhansi-Banda section have beenreplaced with latest electronicinterlocking/ panel interlock-ing/ standard-III interlocking.Similarly, commissioning of45 routes EI at Malanpur sta-tion on November 10, 2020paved the way for replacementof electro-mechanical signalingin Gwalior-Bhind section. InNovember 11.88 km routebetween Prempur and Aungstations on Prayagraj divisionwas equipped with automaticsignaling which will enhancetrain handling capacity in this

section. In the field of rolling stock

maintenance, intermediateoverhauling (IOH) of 32 coach-es, shop schedule (SS-I) of 25LHB coaches, periodic over-hauling (POH) of 30 coaches,routine overhauling (ROH) of288 wagons and periodic over-hauling (POH) of 751 wagonswere done by depots and work-shops of NCR in November-2020 to ensure safe and deten-tion free train operations.

In view of foggy and coldweather, safety seminars onprevention of signal passing atdanger (SPAD); safe train oper-ation during foggy weather;precaution to taken duringshunting operation; precau-tions for workman at worksiteand cold weather patrolling andaction to be taken in case of railfracture etc were organised atdifferent stations, crew lobbies,yards etc. of Agra, Jhansi andPrayagraj division.

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Agricultural Education Daywas celebrated at Lal

Bahadur Shastri IntermediateCollege, Darekhun on the birthanniversary of Dr RajendraPrasad, the first President ofIndia, here on Thursday underthe auspices of Institute ofAgricultural Sciences, BanarasHindu University(IAS-BHU).Hundreds of students partici-pated in the celebrations.

Addressing the students,IAS-BHU Director ProfRamesh Chand motivated therural students to take interestin agricultural educationinforming them about varioustypes of employment . He alsoinformed them about variousentrance examinations to getadmissions in different under-graduate and postgraduatecourses of agricultural sciencesbeing conducted by the IndianCouncil of Agricultural

Research (ICAR). According tohim, better employmentopportunities are available inagriculture if the student getshis bachelor’s or master’s degreefrom a good institute. The stu-dents were also made aware ofthe hard work and various

course materials for admis-sion in good institutes.

Dean of AgricultureFaculty, IAS-BHU, Prof AnandPrakash Singh also informedthe students about the impor-tance and achievements ofagriculture. He also apprised

the students about new exper-iments in agriculture, agricul-tural education and employ-ment.

The Principal PhoolchandPrasad Verma encouragedthe students for agriculturaleducation and gave a vote ofthanks.

Meanwhile, the 136th birthanniversary of ‘Bharat Ratna’Dr Rajendra Prasad was cele-brated as Advocate’s Day in theBanaras Bar Association (BBA)auditorium. Paying their richtributes to Dr Rajendra Prasad,the advocates garlanded thestatue installed there and light-ed the lamp. They also high-lighted the contributions ofDr Rajendra Prasad.

The function was attendedby BBA president MohanYadav, general secretary ArunKumar Singh Jhappa,Nityanand Rai, Suresh Pal,Vivek Singh and DhananjaySharma.

ALLAHABAD (PNS): NuzhatBano, who was found dead ather in-laws’ house on the verynext day of ‘nikah’ at PureeMian Ji locality, under theMauaima police station, died ofinternal head injuries.Postmortem report revealedthis fact. This also shows thather death might be an accident.However, the police said thatthe picture would be crystalclear only after the husband isarrested.

The postmortem of thebody took place on Tuesdayevening. A panel of two doctorsperformed the autopsy amidvideography. According tosources, no external injurymarks were found on her bodyduring this period. However, aninternal head injury was foundand this injury was also the rea-

son for her death. Due to theinjury, blood was also shedinside his head, but it could notcome out. Police said that thepostmortem report hasrevealed that there are no exter-nal injuries on her body. SPtrans-Ganga Dhawal Jaiswalsaid that investigation is beingdone. Many things will be clearonly after the husband iscaught. He is currently beingsearched. It may be pointed outhere that the body of a 28-year-old bridegroom’s body wasfound in her bedroom of thewedding house. The groomescaped overnight. The inci-dent took place under theMauaima police station inPrayagraj. On hearing theinformation, the members ofthe deceased girl who cameweeping and wailing has filed

a case of murder against thegroom and his family by givinga complaint to the police.

Mohammad Nafees, sonof Khalil Ahmad, a resident ofMianji Mohalla of Mauaimatown, was married to NuzhatBano, daughter of MohammadNaseem, a resident of Sevai vil-lage under the Soraon policestation. Nafis Ahmed’s baraatarrived from Mauaima onSunday. After a late eveningfarewell ceremony after ‘nikah’,he came to his house inMauaima with other familymembers. After having dinneron Sunday night, the bride andgroom went to the room.When the women of the housereached the bride’s room onMonday morning, they wereshocked to see the view there.Seeing the bride’s corpse on the

bed and the groom disappear-ing, the women screamed. Assoon as information wasreceived about the incident, acrowd of people gatheredaround. In the meantime, thefamily members of the girlalso reached the house weep-ing and wailing. They alsoreported the incident to thelocal police. After the informa-tion, the police reached the spotafter investigation and took thebody and sent it for post-mortem. Inspector RamkevalPatel, incharge of the Mauaimapolice station, said that reportof murder have been lodgedagainst the family members,including the groom, on thebasis of the written complaintbeing given by the family mem-bers of the deceased. Police areinvestigating the case.

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The falling graph of coronainfection is relieving once

again for the denizens of thePrayagraj. On Wednesday, thegraph of COVID-19 infectedpatients has reached a fort-nightly position. Only 58 pos-itive patients were found forCOVID-19 in 24 hours.

Earlier on November 9,this was the figure of the infect-ed. More than 78 people defeat-ed the corona. The number of

active patients has come downto 784. An infected patient diedduring treatment.

According to Nodal Officerfor Corona Dr Rishi Sahai,there are three doctors of theSRN Covid Hospital among theinfected on Wednesday. Onedoctor is a Medicine depart-ment, while the other is ajunior in this department. Thethird physician was on Covidduty. The Assistant Professor ofthe Department of Anesthesiahas also been infected.

According to the nodal officer,the number of infected peoplehas so far reached 26,743. Atthe same time, the percentageof healthy people has alsoincreased.

The number of those whobeat corona has increased to25,616. About 47 patients arebeing treated at SRN L3Hospital, 20 at Beli and 21 atUnited Medicity. With thedeath of one patient onWednesday in the district, thedeath toll from Covid infection

has increased to 345.Two personal assistants

posted at the MunicipalCommissioner’s office, havebeen infected with coronavirus.Of them, one has been admit-ted to the Covid ICU of a HalatHospital, Kanpur. At the sametime, among those whosereports have been receivedpositive, including senior assis-tant posted in DPO office ofVikas Bhawan, assistant man-ager of Axis Bank Karelibranch, a constable of CRPF.

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Various programmes wereorganised at different

places in the city here onThursday on the occasion ofInternational Day of DisabledPersons. At a function organ-ised at Circuit House, UPCabinet Minister Anil Rajbhargave several accessories toDivyangs (Disabled persons) ata programme organised underthe auspices of DivyangjanEmpowerment department.Besides, under the leadership ofthe head of OrthopaedicsDepartment, Institute ofMedical Science (IMS),Banaras Hindu University(BHU) Prof AK Rai, a discus-sion on achievements of PMRProject was organised. He saidthat the OPD of PhysicalMedicine and Rehabilitationhas been running at SirSunderlal Hospital (SSH) inBHU for almost two yearswhereas earlier the same wasconducted only once a weekbut now it is being held thricea week.

According to him, through

this project, we try to removethe disabilities of the different-ly-abled persons, so that theycan make their identity in thesociety according to skills andcan be able to do daily routinework easily. ‘We are alwaysmaking continuous efforts withour team for the all-rounddevelopment of Divyangs. Ourteam consists of physiothera-pists, occupational therapists,vocational counsellors, psy-

chologists, social workers, pros-thetists and orthopaedists aswell as other health profession-als. State-of-the-art surgicalequipment is available toremove the disabilities of thepatients,’ he said. The functionwas also attended by DrSaurabh, Dr Vinita, Dr Ashish,Dr Niharika, Neeraj Kumar,Priya Singh, Nidhi, Vipin Rai,Sunita Rai, Akash Rai, Mamta,Moushumi and Dr SS Pandey.

The vote of thanks was pro-posed by Dr OP Singh.

Besides, a national sympo-sium on ‘Disability and SocialChallenges’ was organisedunder the joint auspices ofNational Service Scheme(NSS), BHU and Sakshamwhich was inaugurated bysocial worker Ramashish. In hisaddress, he praised the PrimeMinister Narendra Modi for hiscontinuous efforts to provideopportunities to Divyangs. ProfManisha Malhotra of theDepartment of Economics saidthat we need to make contin-uous efforts in the process ofenabling disabled persons. ProfGangadharan stressed the needfor connecting the disabledpersons with the mainstream ofthe society.

The function was presidedover by Prof Kuldeep Singh.Earlier, the guests were wel-comed by Dr Bala Lakhendra,Programme Coordinator ofNSS BHU. Convener SatyaPrakash Malviya proposed thevote of thanks. On the occa-sion, several persons were hon-oured.

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Amid tight security arrange-ment, the counting of the

votes polled to the Teachers’and Graduates’ constituenciesfor Varanasi division began atPahadia Mandi here onThursday. The SamajwadiParty (SP) candidate forGraduates’ constituencyAshutosh Sinha along withparty workers staged a protestat the counting venue levellingserious allegations of tamper-ing with ballot boxes. Thecounting continued till the fill-ing of this report.

Levelling serious allega-tions of tampering with the bal-lot boxes, Sinha along withparty workers staged a protestat counting venue. It led to utterchaos there and the policeforce along with PAC person-nel reached there. The SP can-didate put his protest before thereturning officer and DivisionalCommissioner DeepakAgrawal alleging that a ballotbox was not sealed. Though,the officers on duty ruled outthe allegation.

Earlier, the counting beganamid tight security arrange-ments. The ballot papers were

mixed by making 25 bundles ofboth teachers’ and graduates’constituencies each under thesupervision of AssistantReturning Officer and DistrictMagistrate Kaushal Raj Sharmaand thereafter the countingbegan. 14 tables have beeninstalled in counting halls forthe counting of votes of teach-

ers’ and graduates’ constituen-cies each. Only pass-holderswere allowed entery at thecounting venue.

It is pointed out that 68.83and 39.33 per cent polling wasrecorded for teachers’ andgraduate constituencies respec-tively.

The counting continued

till the filling of this report. Inthe initial rounds of counting,the independent candidate andsupported by the BJP ChetNarayan Singh and BJP candi-date Kedar Nath Singh havetaken edge to their nearestcandidates in teachers’ andgraduates’ constituency respec-tively.

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The state government led byBharatiya Janata Party

(BJP) is making all-rounddevelopment of Uttar Pradesh.Especially successful effortsare being made to provideemployment opportunities aswell. This process of develop-ment will not stop. Those whooppose will always do the samewhile those who develop will becommitted for the develop-ment.

Deputy Chief MinisterKeshav Prasad Maurya hasexpressed these aforesaidviews. He further said that inUttar Pradesh there is a BJPgovernment, in Maharashtraalso BJP is the biggest party.Along with Mumbai’s FilmCity, Noida’s Film City will alsobe made in which actors fromHollywood and Bollywoodwould like to come. And whyare the people of Shiv Sena andCongress worried about this isbeyond understanding, headded.

The Deputy Chief Ministerfurther said that Uttar Pradeshis a state with a population of

over 24 crores. It is the respon-sibility of the Government ofUttar Pradesh to create a plat-form for the employmentopportunities in the regionwhich is being played underthe leadership of ChiefMinister Yogi Adityanath. TheChief Minister of Maharashtrais being annoyed unnecessar-

ily.The Congress, Shiv Sena,

NCP will not be able to stopUttar Pradesh from becominga state with the best state, astate full of development, pro-viding opportunities to thetalent with the upliftment ofthe poor and farmers. TheBJP government has put Uttar

Pradesh on the path of devel-opment. This sequence willcontinue further as well. Thepeople here have opened thepath of development for them-selves by choosing this govern-ment. The state government isdoing development work onlyby understanding its responsi-bility, Maurya added.

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As many as 89 new COVID-19 patients have been

detected in the district, increas-ing the total number of cases to19,390 on Thursday. The daysaw two more deaths, increas-ing the toll to 313. During theday, the follow-up negativereports included 45 and out ofthem, 40 have been recoveredfrom home isolation, whilefive from the hospitals, increas-ing the number to 15,407 and2,873 respectively. The totalnumber of patients who havebeen recovered so far is 18,280,leaving 797 active cases. Therecovery rate is 94.27 per cent,while the mortality rate is 1.61per cent. Chief Medical Officer(CMO) Dr VB Singh hasinformed that in the first reportof the day, 27 positive patientswere found out of 2,917 reportsreceived. Till then, the total testreports received were 4,33,891

and the results of 1,547 areawaited. Out of them, 4,14,563were negative, while 19,328positive. The total number ofsamples collected was 4,53,887.Earlier, a male aged 80 fromPahadia succumbed toCOVID-19 at Sir SundarlalHospital, Banaras HinduUniversity (SSH BHU). Withthe addition of five new redzones, the total number ofhotspots has increased to 2,520including 221 red zones. Threegreen zones have been convert-ed into the red zones onceagain. There are 2,299 greenzones with five new ones.

Meanwhile, on the instruc-tions of the District Magistrate(DM) Kaushal Raj Sharma,mass/ group antigen tests con-ducted at marriage/ banquethalls, catering units, band par-ties, flower/ light decorationunits etc and on Wednesday, at40 sampling sites, 664 peoplewere tested and all of them

were found negative. Out ofthem, 440 samples were sentfor RT-PCR testing. The pas-sengers continued to be testedboth at Varanasi Junction(Cantt.) and Manduadih rail-way station but all the 115 and66 tests were found negativethere respectively. Besides, twoout of 220 tests have beenfound positive at Shree ShivPrasad Gupta (SSPG) Hospital,Kabirchaura and one out of 72at Swami Vivekanand Hospital,Bhelupur but all the 145 testsat Government Women’sHospital, 48 at CHC Shivpur,92 at LBS Hospital, Ramnagarand 125 at SSH BHU have beenfound negative.

NEW IIT-BHU DEANS:Three new deans have beenappointed at the IndianInstitute of Technology,Banaras Hindu University (IIT-BHU) for the tenure of thethree years. All the deans havetaken charge on Tuesday.

Professor Rajnesh Tyagi of theDepartment of MechanicalEngineering has been appoint-ed as Dean, Faculty Affairs,Professor Pradeep KumarMishra of the Department ofChemical Engineering as Dean,Student Affairs and ProfessorRajeev Srivastava of theDepartment of ComputerScience & Engineering asDean, Resource and Alumni.Further, the tenure of ProfessorRajiv Prakash of the School ofMaterial Science andTechnology, already working asthe Dean of Research andDevelopment has been extend-ed for one more year. The IIT-BHU Registrar has informedthat this order has been issuedwith the approval of theChairman, Board ofGovernors. The Director ofthe Institute Prof PramodKumar Jain has welcomed allthe deans and congratulatedthem on their appointment.

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As many as 23 convicts outof the total 39 released on

parole earlier in the year due tothe COVID-19 pandemic, whowere slated to return to Nainicentral jail on or beforeNovember 25, are yet to showup.

Officials, meanwhile, saidthat the parole term of all the39 convicts ended on

November 21. A week after theexpiry of their parole period,authorities of Naini central jailhave written letters to theDistrict Magistrate, and SeniorSuperintendents of Police(SSPs) concerned, seekingimmediate action and arrest ofthe errant convicts.

Senior Superintendent ofNaini central jail, PN Pandeysaid that ‘We have written toDM\SSPs of the concerneddistricts and sought their

immediate intervention regard-ing the return of convicts backto Naini central jail’.

He added, ‘Only 16 out ofthe total 39 short term convicts(less than seven years), releasedon parole in April and May,have returned to the Nainicentral jail so far’.

Last week, a total of 2,256convicts from 72 jails across thestate released on parole by thejail authorities to check thespread of COVID-19, were

sent notices by state authoritiesasking them to return to theirrespective prisons on or beforethe expiry of their parole exten-sions. As per jail authorities, theconvicts were given 3-4 exten-sions after the expiry of theirfirst parole of eight weeks onvarious dates initiated since thelast week of March. The date oftheir return depended on thedate of their release from thejail and expiry of the extensionperiod.

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Northern Coalfields Limited(NCL), a miniratna com-

pany of the Government ofIndia, besides strengtheningthe infrastructure in its nearbyareas and providing basic facil-ities to villagers and tribals,through proper education andskill development is making remarkable efforts tolink them to the mainstream of development.Under it the Dudhichua region of NCL under cor-porate social responsibility (CSR) for the con-struction of new community buildings in 11 grampanchayats in Singrauli district has signed a mem-orandum of understanding (MoU) worth �2.75crore with the Rural Engineering Service,Singrauli. Regional General Manager, Dudhichua,Bipin Kumar, and Executive Engineer Anil SinghBagole of Rural Engineering Services, Singrauli,signed on the MoU in the presence of DistrictCollector, Singrauli, Rajiv Ranjan Meena andGeneral Manager (CSR), NCL, AtmeshwarPathak. On the occasion. Staff Officer (Personnel),Dudhichua region, Kavita Gupta and ChiefManager (Civil) Rajeev Ranjan were also present.According to the said MoU, NCL Dudhichuaregion will release a sum of �25 lakh per com-

munity building for the con-struction of 11 communitybuildings in a phased mannerand the construction work willbe done by Rural EngineeringServices department. It is worthmentioning that under thisscheme under Devsar block inKhutar, Mada, Gahilra,Karsualal and Makroh, under

Solang panchayat Vaidhan block’s Bargawan,Charaki and Aamo and under Chitrangi block inKhirwa and Pondi-3 panchayats communitybuildings will be constructed.

FLAG HOISTED: General Manager ofNCL’s Jayant Project RB Prasad hoisted the 40-metre high high mast national flag in the GM’soffice. It can be seen from almost all the places ofJayant. On the occasion all departmental heads, labourrepresentatives, other officers and employees were pre-sent. The CISF contingent saluted the tricolour.General Manager RB Prasad in his address said thatdespite the Covid-generated difficult circumstancesthe personnel of Jayant had discharged their respon-sibilities while remaining safe. Due to it Jayant pro-ject has been successful in performing excellently inevery field. On the occasion chairperson of SamparitaMahila Samiti Neelu Prasad and its entire mem-bers were present.

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Three boys were found deadin a small dam located in

the forest area under Lalganjpolice station on Wednesday.Reports said that the threecousin brothers, Shivam(15),son of Rakesh Tiwari,Sudhanshu (14), son of RajeshTiwari, and Hariom (14), son ofMunna Tiwari, residents ofBaami Dhasara village, hadgone to the forest for collecingtfruits on Tuesday. When theydid not return home till late atnight their family memberslaunched a search for them.When they failed to trace theboys they lodged a report abouttheir going missing at Lalganj

police station on Wednesday.Taking instant action the policelaunched a search and foundthe clothes of the boys on thebank of Lehandia dam. Thepolice launched a search in thesmall dam and found the bod-ies of the boys in the water.Their death was believed to bedue to drowning but as theireyes had been gouged out andthere were some injuries ontheir bodies too their relativesmounted pressure on the policeto register a case of murder.However, they said that after thepost-mortem examination anysuch step would to be taken.

APPEAL: Vice-presidentof BJP, Kashi province unit,Awadhesh Gupta, has appealed

to workers to use the voter listrevision time to reach everyfamily. While addressing a meet-ing of workers organised at theoffice of Mirzapur unit onWednesday, he advised them tofirst contact those whose nameswere not included in the voters’list as well as those who hadbecome eligible. He expectedfrom the people’s representativestoo to cooperate with workers andcome forward to achieve the tar-get of including 10,000 new namesin each assembly segment of vot-ers’ list. Prominent among thosewho also spoke on the occasionwere MLAs Ratnakar Mishra andShuchismita Maurya and veteranparty leaders, Ganga Sagar Dubeyand Shyam Sundar Keshari.

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The railway administration isrevising the timings of spe-

cial trains being run for theconvenience of passengers fromDecember 5. As a result the fol-lowing special trains will be runat the revised time. All the coach-es in these trains will be ofreserved category and passengerstraveling in them will have to fol-low the Covid-19 preventionguidelines, CPRO PK Singh said.

AISHBAGH-GKP SPL: Asper the revised timetable the05070 Aishbagh-GorakhpurIntercity Express special train willdepart from Aishbagh at 16.30hrs, from Badshahnagar at 16.56hrs, from Barabanki at 17.30 hrs,from Gonda at 18.53 hrs, fromBalrampur at 19.39 hrs, fromTulsipur at 20.13 hrs, fromPachperwa at 20.43 hrs, from Badhniat 21.09 hrs, from Shohratgarh at21.34 hrs, from Siddharthnagar at21.58 hrs from Anandnagar at 22.35hrs and will reach Gorakhpur at23.45 hrs. During the return jour-

ney the 05069 Gorakhpur-Aishbagh Intercity Express specialwill depart from Gorakhpur at03.45 hrs, from Anandnagar at 04.32hrs, from Siddharthnagar at 05.02hrs, from Shohratgarh at 05.21hrs, Barhni at 05.45 hrs,Pachperwa at 06.02 hrs, Tulsipurat 06.27 hrs, Balrampur at 06.54 hrs,Gonda at 07.53 hrs, Barabanki at09.20 hrs, Badshahnagar at 10.00 hrsand reach Aishbagh at 10:40 hrs.The days of run and rake com-position of this train will remainas notified earlier.

M A N DUA DI H - N E WDELHI SPL: The 02581Manduadih-New Delhi specialtrain will depart fromManduadih at 23.10 hrs, fromGyanpur Road at 23.55 hrs, onsecond day from Prayagraj at01.40 hrs, from Kanpur Centralat 04.10 hrs, from Ghaziabad at10.45 hrs and reach New Delhiat 11.30 hrs. During the returnjourney the 02582 New Delhi-Manduadih special will departfrom New Delhi at 22.50 hrs,Ghaziabad at 23.22 hrs, the sec-

ond day Kanpur Central at 04.35hrs, Prayagraj at 07.45 hrs,,Gyanpur Road at 09.05 hrs andreach Manduadih at 10.15 hrs.The days of run and rake com-position of this train will remainas notified earlier.

LKO JN - PATALIPUTRASPL: The 02530 Lucknow Jn -Pataliputra special will leaveLucknow Jn at 05:00 hrs,Badshahnagar at 05.27 hrs,Gonda at 07.33 hrs, Basti at 08.36hrs, Gorakhpur at 10.10 hrs,Deoria Sadar at 11.06 hrs, Siwanat 12.08 hrs, Chhapra at 13.14 hrs,Dighwara at 13.48 hrs and arrive atPataliputra at 14.50 hrs. During thereturn journey the 02529Pataliputra-Lucknow Jn will leavePataliputra at 16.30 hrs, Dighwaraat 17.07 hrs, Chhapra at 18.11 hrs,Siwan at 19.03 hrs, Deoria Sadar at20.02 hrs, Gorakhpur at 21.35 hrs,Basti at 22.38 hrs, Gonda at 23.53 hrs,on the second day at Badshahnagar02.10 hrs and reach Lucknow Jn at02.45 hrs. The days of run andrake composition of this trainwill remain as notified earlier.

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The railway administrationhas decided to revise the

timings of special trains beingrun for the convenience of thepassengers from December 4.As a result, the following spe-cial trains will be run as per therevised timetable fromDecember 4. All the coaches inthem will be of reserved catego-ry, CPRO PK Singh said.

GORAKHPUR-KANPURANWARGANJ SPECIAL: The05004 Gorakhpur-KanpurAnwarganj special will leaveGorakhpur daily at 23.20 hours,Chauri Chaura at 23.57 hours, onsecond day Gauribazar at 00.12hrs, Deoria Sadar at 00.35 hrs,Bhatni at 01.01 hrs, Salempur at01.15 hrs, Lar Road at 01.28 hrs,Belthara Road at 01.44 hrs,,Indara at 02.13 hrs, Mau at 02.35hrs, Dulhapur at 02.57 hrs,Aunrihar at 03.30 hrs, VaranasiCity at 04.04 hrs, Varanasi at04.25 hrs, Manduadih at 04.38hrs, Bhulanpur at 04.50 hrs,Madhosingh at 05.28 hrs,Gyanpur Road at 06.00 hrs,Handia Khas at 06.33 hrs,Prayagraj Rambagh at 07.50 hrs,Prayagraj at 08.22 hrs, Bharwariat 08.49 hrs, Sirathu at 09.05 hrs,Khaga at 09.26 hrs, Fatehpur at09.51 hrs, Bindki Road at 10:12

hrs, Kanpur Central at 11.05 hrsand reach Kanpur Anwarganj at11.52 hrs. The 05003 KanpurAnwarganj-Gorakhpur specialas per the revised timetable willleave Kanpur Anwarganj daily at16.40 hrs, Kanpur Central at17.00 hrs, Bindki Road at 17.45hrs, Fatehpur at 18.12 hrs, Khagaat 18.42 hrs, Sirathu at 19.10 hrs,Bharwari at 19.27 hrs, Prayagrajat 21.05 hrs, Prayagraj Rambaghat 21.20 hrs, Handia Khas at 22.13hrs, Gyanpur Road at 22.38 hrs,Madhosingh at 22.56 hrs,Bhulanpur at 23.32 hrs,Manduadih at 23.44 hrs, thesecond day Varanasi at 00.15 hrs,Varanasi City at 00.28 hrs,Aunrihar at 01.03 hrs,Dullahapur at 01.38 hrs, Mau Jnat 02.05 hrs, Indara at 02.25 hrs,Belthara Road at 02.50 hrs, LarRoad at 03.18 hrs, Salempur at03.37 hrs, Bhatni at 04.05 hrs,Deoria Sadar at 04.33 hrs, GauriBazaar at 04.53 hrs, Chauri Charaat 05.08 hrs and reach Gorakhpur06.10 hrs. However, the days ofrun and rake composition ofthese trains will remain as noti-fied earlier.

LKO JN- VARANASI CITYSPECIAL: The 05008 LucknowJn- Varanasi City special as perthe revised timetable will departfrom Lucknow Jn at 23:10 hrs,Lucknow City at 23.27 hrs,

Badshahnagar at 23.49 hrs, onsecond day Barabanki at 00.22hrs, Burhwal at 00.48 hrs, Gondaat 02.20 hrs, Mankapur at 02.45hrs, Basti at 03.50 hrs, Khalilabadat 04.30 hrs, Domingarh at 5.35hrs, Gorakhpur at 06.20 hrs,Gorakhpur Cantt at 06.35 hrs.,Chauri Chara at 07.04 hrs,Gauribazar at 07.36 hrs, DeoriaSadar at 07.52 hrs, Bhatni at 08.27hrs, Salempur at 08.44 hrs, LarRoad at 08.57 hrs, Belthara Roadat 09.13 hrs, Kiriharapur at 09.29hrs, Indara at 09.49 hrs, Mau at10.15 hrs, Dulhapur at 10.42 hrs,Jakhanian at 10.55 hrs, Sadat at11.09 hrs, Aunrihar at 11.37 hrsSarnath at 12.01 hrs and reachVaranasi City at 12:20 hrs. The05007 Varanasi City-Lucknow Jnwill leave Varanasi City at 17.00hrs daily and after stopping atSarnath, Aunrihar, Sadat,Jakhanian, Dulhapur, Mau,Indara, Kiriharpur, BeltharaRoad, Lar Road, Salempur,Bhatni, Deoria Sadar, Gauribazar,Chauri Chaura, Gorakhpur,Dominagarh, JagatbelaKhalilabad, Basti, Mankapur,Gonda, Burhwal, Barabanki,Gomtinagar, Badshahnagar,Lucknow City arrive atLucknow Junction at 06:15hours. The days of run and rakecomposition of these trainswill remain as notified earlier.

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Two persons were killedwhen a truck hit a Bolero

going to Kanpur on Thursdaymorning. The incident occurredwhen the Bolero was carryinga patient who had been referredto Kanpur from the district hos-pital. As a result the patient andBolero driver died on the spot.

According to the police, Jagat Singh(50), a resident of Bhaunia village inSumerpur area, suddenly became seri-ously ill. His family took him to thedistrict hospital on the Bolero andgot him admitted there where thedoctors on duty referred him toKanpur in view of his critical con-dition. The accident occurredwhen the Bolero reachedLakshmibai trijunction in

Hamirpur city. As a result the dri-ver, Shivpujan, and the patient,Jagat, died on the spot.Meanwhile one of the occu-pants of the Bolero was serious-ly injured and referred to Kanpur.The police sent the bodies of thetwo deceased for the post-mortemexamination. The driver fled leav-ing the truck behind which hadbeen impounded by the police.

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Kanpur Nagar reported 63more coronavirus positive

cases on Thursday evening.Chief Medical Officer Dr AnilK Mishra said that 63 morepeople had tested positive forcoronavirus infection betweenWednesday evening andThursday evening taking thetally of confirmed cases to30,887 cases. He said that 14cases were discharged fromhospital. He said oneCOVID-19 death in the citywas reported till Thursdayevening keeping the deathtoll to 787. The CMO said atpresent 1062 active caseswere undergoing treatment.Dr Mishra said 4338 sampleswere sent for testing in thecity.

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Kanpur DivisionalCommissioner Raj

Shekhar has issued show causenotices and warnings to thedivisional incharges of NAFEDand NCCF for the unnecessarydelay in payments to the farm-ers.

He directed the RFC andADM (Finance & Revenue) tomonitor the payment on adaily basis and ensure timelypayments to the farmers.

Addressing the officialsafter his surprise visit toNaubasta Mandi paddy pur-chase centres on Thursday, thedivisional commissioner saidthat

paddy purchase fromfarmers on minimum supportprice was the priority of thegovernment and it had set updozens of purchase centres ineach district for the conve-nience of the farmers.

He said on an average, theprocurement at the purchasecentre was going on smoothlyand around six farmers werepresent with their paddy forsale.

He also took feedback fromthe farmers and enquired ifthey were facing any problemat these purchase centres.

He was informed b he offi-cials that on an average around

400-500 quintals of paddy werebeing purchased from thefarmers and the payments werebeing made within three to fourdays. The officials claimed thatin case of holidays or festivals,the payments were delayed bya day or two .

The divisional commis-sioner said the daily purchasestock of last five days waspending for being picked up bythe rice mills although it shouldhave been done on a daily basis.

He asked the ADM (F&R)to ensure that the purchasedpaddy was picked up and deliv-ered at the rice mills the sameday or latest by next day so thatdelay in payment of any kindwas avoided.

While going through theregisters, the divisional com-missioner asked the officialswhy the contact details of farm-ers were not noted down andwhy the signatures of the farm-ers were not taken on the‘Rejection Register’ in case ofrejection of the paddy. Hedirected the ADM (F&R) toensured that this was done atall the purchase centres.

It may be mentioned herethat the mobile phone numberhelps the checking officer tocross-check the complaint orthe rejection issues.

The divisional commis-sioner was informed by the

officials that the Kanpur divi-sions purchase percentage was26.48 points.

On an average, 1.5 to 2 per-cent increase in paddy pur-chase per day has been witnessfor last one week.

Shekhar said the Kanpurdivision would achieve its tar-get of paddy purchase by theend of January, 2021 as the pur-chase would continue tillFebruary 2021.

He said as per the feedback,out of the total Rs 175 croredue, around Rs 117 crore waspaid to the farmers and aroundRs 58 crore was pending forpayment which was of the lastone week.

The divisional commis-sioner directed the officials toensure that the pending pay-ment was made to the farmersin the next three days withoutfail and to report to the com-missionerate.

Meanwhile, in the entireKanpur division, one nodalofficer of SDM, ACM, tehsildarand nayab tehsildar rank hasbeen nominated for two pur-chase centres each and havebeen asked to review and ran-dom cross-check the purchas-es daily and make field visits.

It may be mentioned herethat the divisional commis-sioner and all the district mag-istrates are monitoring and

reviewing the paddy purchaseon daily a basis so that direc-tions of the government arecomplied with.

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Meanwhile, the divisionalcommissioner visited the pro-posed site of the GangaBiodiversity Park along withKDA VC and secretary, DFO,apar nagar ayukt and severalother officials.

The National GreenTribunal has mooted the set-ting up of the biodiversity parknear Ganga under the NationalMission on Clean Ganga(NMCG) and both the stateand Central governments wereimplementing many projects toensure Clean and AbundantGanga. This project had beencaught in a legal hurdle and gotdelayed by four years. Now theKDA and Forest departmenthave jointly planned to convertthe Botanical Garden place asthe biodiversity park . Thepark would cover an area of 50acre and will have all the bio-diversity of the Ganga beltstarting from origin of theriver. It will also have an activ-ity centre, display and audiovisual presentation for publicawareness, watch towers, foodcourts ,toilets, Ganga museumand Green Building plans.

KANPUR (PNS): Federationof Indian Export Organisationpresident Sharad Kumar Sarafsaid that exports showed asingle-digit negative growth of9.07 per cent in November dueto supply side disruptions anddeclining petroleum exports onaccount of fall in crude prices.

He said in addition to this,the farmers’ agitation in some ofthe hinterland states had alsoaffected exports during themonth. He said exports wereseeing signs of revival as orderbooking position had continu-ously improved and more neworders were in the offing.

He reiterated that the fore-cast of the arrival of theCOVID-19 vaccine along withgradual lifting of lockdownacross the country and theglobe had also helped in boost-ing the business sentiments forthe sector as a whole, whichcould be expected to be seenfrom the positive figures of the

upcoming months. He saidgoing by the trend, it wasexpected to end the financialyear 2020-21 with an overallmerchandise exports of aboutUS $ 290 billion. He added thatexporters had continuouslybeen receiving a lot of enquiriesand orders further adding to thepositive sentiments with signalsof further resilience in the glob-al supply chain. Saraf said thelitmus test for the traditionalsectors of exports would be theChristmas and New Year salesand if that went well, the inven-tory would be liquidated, addingto further demand. He said theexports of other cereals alongwith oil meals, iron ore, rice,ceramic products and glass-ware, handicrafts excludinghand-made carpet, cereal prepa-rations and miscellaneousprocessed item, carpet, jutemanufacturing, including floorcovering, spices, drugs andpharmaceuticals, tobacco, cot-

ton yarn, fabrics, made-ups,handloom products etc. wereseeing positive signs He saidbesides fruits and vegetables, tea,gems and jewellery, mica, coaland other ores, minerals includ-ing processed meat, dairy andpoultry products and electron-ic goods showed either a veryhigh or impressive growth orwere in positive territory show-ing signs of further revival. TheFIEO chief said that reductionin exports of major products,including petroleum products,leather and leather manufac-tures, cashew, plastic andlinoleum, marine products, oilseeds, man-made yarn, engi-neering goods, organic andinorganic chemicals, coffee andtextiles, which were major con-stituents in India’s export basketand related to labour-intensivesector of exports, had also beenof key concern during themonth. He said, however,reduction in imports during

November, 2020 by 13.33 per-cent to US $ 33.39 billion com-pared to the same period dur-ing the previous fiscal led to atrade deficit of just US $ 9.96 bil-lion with a substantial decline of21.93 percent during the month.Saraf urged the government toaddress some of the key issues,including adequate availabilityof containers, softening offreight charges, release of therequired MEIS benefits, resolv-ing risky exporters issues,immediate introduction ofRoDTEP across all sectors,introduction of NIRVIKScheme, demand for the cre-ation of a fund for marketing ofBrand India products and var-ious other infrastructure bot-tlenecks with regard to customsand port clearances, whichwould further help in revivingthe exports during the remain-ing four months of the fiscal,showing impressive perfor-mance for the sector as a whole.

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Seth Anandram JaipuriaEducational Society (SAJES)

Chairman Shishir Jaipuria saidthat the second Dr RajaramJaipuria Memorial Lecture willbe delivered by Union RoadTransport & Highways, andMSME Minister Nitin Gadkarilive on Facebook and YouTubechannel of Seth AnandramJaipuria School from 5:30 pmto 6:15 pm on December 5.

He said Gadkari wouldtake the centre stage to sharehis thoughts on the role of lead-ership in turbulent times. Hesaid the 45-minute lecture onthe topic ‘Role of Leadership inTurbulent Times’, would beginwith an invocation song by folksinger Malini Awasthi, fol-lowed by a welcome address bythe SAJES chairman.Thereafter, a green certificatewill be handed out to Gadkariby SAJES member YashJaipuria.

He said this certificate wasthe result of a great initiative ofplanting 501 trees spearhead-ed by the Jaipuria Group.

He said once the addresswas over, Saket Jaipuria wouldpropose the vote of thanks.

The virtual lecture will beattended by a large numbers ofstudents, teachers, principalsand faculty members of theJaipuria Group of EducationalInstitutions.

Besides, government offi-cials, corporate houses andentrepreneurs have also beeninvited and are likely to attendthe lecture online.

The first lecture was held in2019 and Vice PresidentVenkaiah Naidu was the chiefguest. The Dr Rajaram JaipuriaMemorial Lecture was inspiredby the life experiences andteachings of Dr RajaramJaipuria who practised andtaught ethical values and suc-ceeded in running an industrialempire and delivering educa-tion despite intense challenges.

The memorial lecture wasin fact an initiative by SethAnandram Jaipuria Group ofEducational Institutions tocommemorate Dr RajaramJaipuria’s contribution to soci-ety.

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The Central PollutionControl Board has decided

to strictly enforce the directiveof the National Green Tribunalunder which sale and explod-ing firecrackers has being total-ly banned.

It said in view the resur-facing of COVID-19 in, it hadbeen decided to impose thisrule strictly in Kanpur Nagar.

It may be mentioned here

that Kanpur Nagar has onceagain been ranked as the citywith dangerously polluted air.

Ironically, despite the banon sale and exploding of fire-crackers on Diwali, the peoplehere had openly flouted thenorms causing the air pollutionto shoot up dangerously.

CPCB Senior Engineer AKSingh said as per the newnorms, use of firecrackers hadcurrently been restricted totwo hours only in villages,

towns, cities and metros. Hesaid only green firecrackerscould be sold and used onoccasions. He said as perNGT Chairman AK Goyal, forapproaching Christmas andNews Year, the governmentshould restrict the use of fire-crackers. He said for Christmas,sanction would be givenbetween 11:55 pm to 12:30 amonly. He said those violatingnorms would be fined andlegal action would be taken

against them.He said in Kanpur Nagar,

the air pollution level was fardangerously high. He saidtoday it had become a trend toexplode firecrackers for overtwo to three hours in marriagesstarting from the beginning ofthe baraat. He said the air qual-ity of Kanpur Nagar was theworst and with the AQI shoot-ing up to the 352 it was rankedas the fourth most pollutedcities in India.

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KANPUR (PNS): On the occa-sion of Adhivakta Divas,dozens of lawyers staged ademonstration at the districtmagistrate’s office on Thursday,demanding that the AdhivaktaKalyan Nidhi be increased toRs.10 lakh from Rs.1.25 lakh.

Adhivakta KalyanSangharsh Samiti convenorRavindra Sharma said the stategovernment should now fulfilits commitment made duringassembly elections to increasethe lawyer’s welfare fund. Hesaid since 1989, the AdhivaktaKalyan Nidhi was still Rs.1.25lakh after a long period of 25years. He also demanded pen-sion of Rs 10,000 per month forthe elderly lawyers and incen-tive of Rs 10,000 per month toyoung lawyers for initial fiveyears of their registration. ACM(III) Anil Kumar Agnihotrireceived the memorandum onbehalf of the district magistrateand said it would be sent to thechief minister for furtheraction. Prominent lawyers pre-sent included Avinash Bajpai,BL Gupta, Vijay Kumar, AnoopSachan, Satraghun Sachan,Aditya Gupta, Alok Mishra,Vijay Sharma,& many more .

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Page 7: eR]\d WRZ] Rd WRc^Vcd deZT\ e` eYVZc Xf_d - Daily Pioneer

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India’s Covid-19 caseloadbreached the 95-lakh mark

on Thursday while the totalnumber of people who haverecuperated from the diseasesurged to 89.73 lakh pushingthe national recovery rate to94.11 per cent, according to theUnion Health Ministry.

The total coronavirus casesmounted to 95,34,964 with35,551 new infections beingreported in a day, while thedeath toll climbed to 1,38,648with 526 new fatalities.

The number of people whohave recuperated from the dis-ease surged to 89,73,373 push-ing the national recovery rateto 94.11 per cent, while theCovid-19 case fatality ratestands at 1.45 per cent.

The active Covid-19 case-load continued to remainbelow 5 lakh. There are4,22,943 active coronavirusinfections in the country whichcomprises 4.44 per cent of thetotal caseload, the data stated.

India’s Covid-19 tally hadcrossed the 20-lakh mark onAugust 7, 30 lakh on August 23and 40 lakh on September 5. Itwent past 50 lakh onSeptember 16, 60 lakh onSeptember 28, 70 lakh onOctober 11, crossed 80 lakh onOctober 29, and surpassed 90lakh on November 20.

India has reported moredaily recoveries than the daily

new cases during the past 24hours. While 35,551 personswere found to be infected withCovid in India, during thesame period, India has regis-tered 40,726 new recoveries. Ithas led to a net decline of 5,701cases from the total ActiveCaseload in the last 24 hours.

The new recoveries con-tinue to overtake the daily newcases continuously since thepast 6 days. India’s active case-load has fallen under the 4.5per cent mark. .

The trend of more dailyrecoveries than the daily caseshas led to a continuous con-traction of India’s ActiveCaseload. It has ensured thatIndia’s present active caseloadof 4,22,943 consists of just 4.44

per cent of India’s TotalPositive Cases.

New Recoveries outnum-bering the daily New Cases hasalso improved the RecoveryRate to 94.11% today. Thetotal recovered cases stand at89,73,373. The gap betweenRecovered cases and Activecases is steadily increasingand presently stands at85,50,430.

With 5,924 persons recov-ering from COVID, Keralarecorded maximum numberof recoveries. Delhi registeredanother 5,329 daily recoverieswhile Maharashtra 3,796 newrecoveries.

Ten States/UTs have con-tributed 75.5 per cent of thenew cases, said the Ministry.

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The Congress on Thursdaystepped up the demand for

the immediate scrapping ofthe farm laws in view of thefarmers’ protest in the nation-al capital.

Former Congress chiefRahul Gandhi said in atweet,”Accepting less thanscrapping of three black farmlaws will be deceit to farmersand the country.”

Rahul said it would be abetrayal of India and its farm-ers if the Centre fails to repealthe farm laws.

The grand old party hasbeen attacking the govern-ment over the use of forceagainst the protesting farmers,and urged them to withdrawthe new farm laws and redressthe grievances of the protest-ers.

Taking to Twitter ahead oftalks between farmers andgovernment, Rahul Gandhiwrote, “Accepting anythingless than the complete with-drawal of black farm lawswould be a betrayal of Indiaand its farmers.”

Rahul’s remarks come at atime when farmers from sev-eral states are protesting atDelhi borders against theCentre’s new agriculturereform laws.

A day before, Rahul hadattacked the Centre over itsclaim of doubling farmers’

income and alleged that theirincome in fact “halved” underthe “suit-boot” government,while that of its crony friendshas grown four times.

“ They said farmers’income will be doubled. Whatthey did was increase theincome of ‘friends’ four timesand halved that of farmers.This is a government of suit-boot, lies and loot,” theCongress leader said in atweet.

Rahul also shared a videoshowing police using watercannons and firing tear gasshells during protests byfarmers with a speech ofPrime Minister NarendraModi playing in the back-ground wherein he says hisgovernment is taking steps toresolve the problems faced byfarmers and double theirincome.

“Modi government, stopgiving ‘jumlas’ (rhetoric) tofarmers, stop the dishonestyand atrocities, stop givingthem the falsehood of talks,(and) abolish all three blacklaws which are against farm-ers and labourers,” RahulGandhi said.

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Congress’ Lok Sabha leaderAdhir Ranjan Chowdhury

on Thursday requested SpeakerOm Birla to convene a shortWinter Session of the House todiscuss several issues includingthe farmers’ agitation andpreparation of COVID-19 vac-cine.

In a letter to Birla,Chowdhury, also the WestBengal Congress chief, saidthat the winter session of theHouse be convened with all theCOVID-19 protocols in placeto help the people understandthe important issues the coun-try is facing at present.

“There are a number ofvery important issues that thenation is facing in presenttimes. The most notable amongthem are the ongoing farmers’agitation and the status/prepa-ration of the COVID-19 vac-cine,” the letter read.

Listing issues like “eco-nomic slowdown, unemploy-ment scenario, continuousstand-off along the India-Chinaborder and unabated ceasefireviolation along the India-Pakistan border”, Chowdhurysaid, “There is a need for athorough and transparentdebate/discussion on all theabove-mentioned importantissues.”

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Union Home Ministry onThursday released a list of

the top 10 police stations in Indiafor the year 2020. Nongpokpolice station in Manipur toppedthe first followed bySuramnagalam AWPS in TamilNadu and Kharsang police sta-tion in Arunachal Pradesh in the2020’s top 10 police stations inthe country.

The Ministry of HomeAffairs (MHA) in a statementsaid that 2020’s survey for thebest police station was done byMHA under “challenging cir-cumstances” due to the ongoingCovid-19 pandemic. It also saidthat Home Minister Amit Shahhad noted that a “vast majority”of police stations shortlisted forthe list were from small townsand rural areas.

Top 10 police stations awardstarted in 2015 as per suggestionof Prime Minister NarendraModi in the DGPs conference.The best police stations wereselected from a total of 16,671police stations on certain para-meters, said MHA. “From these,75 police stations were selectedfor the next stage, out of which10 were selected as the country’sbest police stations. A total of4,065 respondents participated inthe survey,’ said MHA.

The fourth best police sta-tion award was given to Jhilmilipolice station in Chhattisgarh,followed by Sanguem in Goa,Kalighat in Andaman, Andamanand Nicobar Islands, Pakyong inSikkim, Kanth in Moradabad,Uttar Pradesh, Khanvel in Dadraand Nagar Haveli andJammikunta Town police stationin Karimnagar, Telangana.

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The Centre on Thursdaysaid that the class 10th and

12th Central Board ofSecondary Education (CBSE)exams for the year 2021 will beconducted in the convention-al written mode and that as ofnow there is no considerationto conduct the exams online.

“The Board examinationsof 2021 will be in the regularwritten manner and notonline,” the CBSE stated. Thedates of examination, however,have not been decided yet,Education Ministry officialssaid.

Besides this, the CISCE,which conducts the ISC andICSE board exams has writtento the chief ministers of allstates and union territoriesasking for permission to par-tially reopen schools fromJanuary 4 so that board examstudents of classes 10 and 12could participate in projectworks, practical works, SUPW,and doubt-clearing sessions.

According to the Ministryof Education, “Conducting theexaminations is important toensure the progress as well asfor the better future of the stu-

dents”.This year, amid the pan-

demic and ‘new normal’scheme of things, a wide rangeof discussions have beenunderway among students,parents and teachers regardingthe examinations.

From registration of Boardexams to classroom opera-tions, everything is being con-ducted virtually.

Earlier, Union EducationMinister Ramesh PokhriyalNishank had said: “Online edu-cation is a big challenge for stu-dents who are constantly awayfrom school and college. Butstudents should always beready to turn this challenge intoan opportunity.”

In view of all such possi-bilities, the government hastaken a new initiative to con-duct the examinations timelyamid the Covid-19 situation.

The Education Ministerhas planned a three-stage dia-logue with the alumni, parentsand teachers for conducting theexaminations. He is likely tocommunicate directly with stu-dents, parents and teachersthrough webinars on three dif-ferent dates.

After this virtual dialogue,

the education minister willreview the examinations to beheld in the states and union ter-ritories. In this way, a detailedplan to conduct the examina-tions will be made according tothe orders of the Ministry ofHealth, Ministry of HomeAffairs.

“The biggest challenge is tostudy with better resolve andwill, and to release the resultson time so that students do notwaste an entire academic year,”he said, adding “for the betterfuture of students, it is neces-sary to conduct examinationsacross the country on time”.

The Council for the IndianSchool CertificateExaminations (CISCE) said ina statement that in case schoolsare allowed to reopen, theywould follow all the safetyguidelines and SOPs prescribedby the government.

CISCE has also asked thedates for the state elections tobe held in April-May 2021from the Chief ElectionCommissioner of India so thatCISCE can finalise the ICSEboard exam 2021 and ISCboard exam 2021 dates, thecommission said in their offi-cial statement.

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The NIA has arrested accusedGopal Oraon of Khunti dis-

trict, Jharkhand, in connectionwith a case relating to a humantrafficking racket running inguise of placement agencies.

Oraon was a close associateof arrested accused Panna LalMahto and was activelyinvolved in human traffickingracket, the NIA said on

Thursday.The case arose out of FIR

No. 07/2019 dated July 19,2019 registered at PS-AHTU,Khunti, Jharkhand under var-ious Sections of the IndianPenal Code and relevantSections of the Bonded LaborSystem (Abolition) Act.

The NIA re-registered thecase as RC-09/2020/NIA/DLIon March 4 this year and tookup the investigation.

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In the absence of human-to-human contact due to coro-

navirus induced lockdowns,job losses and social isolation,pet animals filled the need byproviding much-wanted com-fort via cuddles, pats and a con-stant physical presence, accord-ing to a study published in thejournal of BehaviouralEconomics for Policy (JBEP).

Researchers fromUniversity of South Australiaasserted that as pets haveplayed a lifesaving role in 2020,the Governments need takenotice of this connections.Hospitals, hospices and agedcare facilities should be encour-aging pet connections withresidents, they said in the study.

Lead author Dr JanetteYoung underlined that physicaltouch is a sense that has beentaken for granted - even over-looked - until Covid-19 visit-ed our door earlier this year.

“To fill the void of loneli-ness and provide a bufferagainst stress, there has been aglobal upsurge in people adopt-ing dogs and cats from animalshelters during lockdowns.Breeders have also been inun-dated, with demands for pup-pies quadrupling some waitinglists,” she said.

It is estimated that morethan half the global populationshare their lives with one or

more pets. The health benefitshave been widely reported,but little data exists regardingthe specific benefits that petsbring to humans in terms oftouch.

Touch is an understudiedsense, but existing evidenceindicates it is crucial forgrowth, development andhealth, as well as reducing thelevels of the stress hormonecortisol in the body. It is alsothought that touch may be par-ticularly important for olderpeople as other senses decline,she said.

In interviews with 32 peo-ple, more than 90 per cent saidtouching their pets both com-forted and relaxed them - andthe pets seemed to need it aswell while many referencedpets’ innate ability to just“know” when their humancounterparts weren’t feeling

well and to want to get physi-cally close to them.

Kavita Kumar, a DefenceColony resident in New Delhi,agreed with the observationrecalling how her furry pet,Muffin, has been a harbingerof peace and solace in thesetrying times. “He has been ableto gauge my ups and downsand has provided me withsane and streamlines thoughtstaking away the stress sur-rounding us,” said Kumar ateacher in a Delhi school

Unnati G Hunjan andJayasankara Reddy, researchersfrom Christ University,Karnataka in their study inSage Journals too have talkedabout various benefits of touchhealing of pets. “It also releas-es biochemicals which canfurther boost the immune sys-tem and enhance health andwell-being, “ they said.

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The lockdowns due toCovid-19 were harder for

people with disabilities (PwDs)with a study noting that about84.7 per cent participants inter-viewed had to borrow food tocope with financial crisis, 81per cent reported experiencinghigh levels of stress while 28 percent postponed their scheduledmedical appointments.

The CBM India, in collab-oration with IIPH Hyderabadand Humanity & Inclusionhad conducted the study across14 States on the Impact ofCovid-19 on PwDs with an aimto understand the level of dis-ruption on their living condi-tions and related restrictions.

“The aim was also to gen-erate evidence to be preparedfor future pandemics or emer-gencies, “ said Prof GVSMurthy, Director, IIPHHyderabad. The observationswere distressing as studyrevealed that the pandemicimpacted the health/ mentalhealth and rehabilitation, edu-cation, livelihood and social

participation of PwDs.For instance, 42.5 per cent,

i.e., two out of every five PwDsreported that lockdown hadmade it difficult for them toaccess routine medical careeven as isolation, abandon-ment, and violence were otherworrying psycho-social prob-lems reported, reflecting thelack of empathy on the part oftheir family during the difficulttimes.

At least 81.6 per centreported experiencing moder-ate to high levels of stress.Among the 34.5 per cent whostated that they needed infor-mation on mental health issues,only 25.9 per cent had access tosuch services.

Only 20 per cent were ableto get regular mental healthcounselling or therapy relatedservices during the lockdownperiod, and 11.4 per cent facedproblems getting their regularpsychiatric medicines. 58.2 percent were unhappy that thetherapy sessions for their childwith disability has ceased dur-ing the lockdown, said thestudy. Participants with varied

impairments like physical, visu-al, intellectual and speech andhearing impairments were fromChhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh,Uttar Pradesh, Bihar,Jharkhand, Odisha, Delhi,Uttarakhand, Assam,Meghalaya, Andhra Pradesh,Tamil Nadu, Telangana, andMaharashtra.

“People with disability suf-fered significantly more thanthe rest of the population inaccessing health and rehabili-tation care during the Covidlockdown. We need to be ade-quately prepared so that we donot comprise their healthneeds,” said Prof Murthy whileDr. Sara Varughese from CBMIndia, added “Many faced dif-ficulties in even accessing basicnecessities. Incomes were com-promised and even withdraw-ing their money from theirbank accounts was a challenge.”

The lockdown also posedmajor difficulties in accessingmedicines due to travel restric-tions, out-patient services athospitals/clinics, regular bloodpressure monitoring, rehabili-tation services.

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The Centre informed theSupreme Court on

Thursday that its guidelines donot contain any instructionsregarding affixing posters andsignages outside the homes ofCovid-19 patients and therecannot be any stigma attachedto it.

The Government said thisbefore a bench headed byJustice Ashok Bhushan whichreserved order on a plea seek-ing directions to do away withthe practice of pasting postersoutside the homes of those

infected by coronavirus.Solicitor General Tushar

Mehta referred to the affidavitfiled in the apex court by theMinistry of Health and FamilyWelfare (MoHFW) and toldthe bench, also comprisingJustices R S Reddy and M RShah, that the guidelines do notrequire any such affixation ofposters.

“The Central governmentguidelines do not require this,”he said, adding, “There cannotbe any stigmatic impact”.

The bench asked Mehtawhether the Centre can issuean advisory that this should not

be done.To this, Mehta said the cen-

tral government has alreadydone this.

“We will close it. Heard.Judgement reserved,” the benchsaid.

The counsel appearing forthe petitioner told the benchthat there are no such instruc-tions in the guidelines to affixposters outside the home ofthose found COVID positivebut the “reality is very different”.

“Posters are also affixedwith names of COVID positivepatients on it,” the counselsaid.

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The Supreme C our tThursday granted antic-

ip ator y b ai l to for merPunjab DGP Sumedh SinghSaini in a fresh case lodgedin the 1991 disappearanceand murder of a junior engi-neer B a lwant S ing h Multani.

A b ench of jus t icesAshok Bhushan, R SubhashReddy and M R Shah allowed the appeal of Sainiand set aside an order of thePunjab and Haryana HighCourt declining him the

pre-arrest bail in the 29-year-old case.

The top court directedPunjab Police to releaseSaini on bail in the event ofarrest in the fresh case onfurnishing of a personalbond of Rs 1 lakh and twosureties of the like amount.

It directed Saini to sur-render his passport and tocooperate with the investi-gation in the fresh case with-out any prejudice to hisrights and contentions inthe pending proceedingsbefore the top court forquashing of the FIR.

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The Delhi High Court hasgranted custody parole for

three days to jailed former MPMohd Shahabuddin, who islodged in Tihar Jail and serv-ing life term in a murder case,to meet his family in thenational capital, noting that thepolice departments of Biharand Delhi are in unison thatthey cannot assure his safety inSiwan.

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New Delhi: The Supreme CourtThursday refused to entertain acontempt plea filed by IndianMedical Association (IMA)against the Delhi Chief Secretaryfor alleged non-payment ofsalaries to doctors and asked itto approach the high courtwhich is dealing with the issue.

A bench of Justices AshokBhushan, R Subhash Reddyand M R Shah said the issuewas being dealt with by theDelhi High Court and there isno point in entertaining thisplea in the apex court.

Senior advocate Maninder

Singh, appearing for IMA, saidthe salary for April and May waspaid after the high court's inter-vention but no salary was paidagain from June to October.

The bench said the highcourt had already passed itsorder on July 29 and it is mon-itoring the issue.

Singh submitted doctorsare termed as frontline warriorsand they have to be paid salaryon time but there was no sub-stantial hearing in the HC.

He said that after the con-tempt application was filed inthe top court, salaries for the

months of June to Octoberwere paid to the doctors.

Singh contended that doc-tors should be paid their salaryon time to which the benchsaid that there is no doubt thatsalary has to be paid and Unionof India has already passed anorder in this regard.

On July 29, the Delhi HChad told the AAP Governmentto release to the North DelhiMunicipal Corporation(NrDMC) the funds it requiresto pay the stipends of the residentdoctors in the six hospitals runby the civic body. PTI

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Page 8: eR]\d WRZ] Rd WRc^Vcd deZT\ e` eYVZc Xf_d - Daily Pioneer

Israeli Prime MinisterBenjamin “Bibi” Netanyahuis a stereotypical Israeli politi-

cian, who has served in the IsraelDefence Forces (IDF). Hailingfrom a military family thatincludes elder brother YonatanNetanyahu, who commanded thedaring Operation Entebbe andbecame its only Israeli fatality,Benjamin himself was a teamleader in the Sayeret Matkal(Special Forces Unit) and tookpart in multiple covert operationsin Syria like Operation Gift andOperation Isotope. He was alsoshot in the shoulder during ananti-hijack operation. But today,Benjamin Netanyahu is also agreat political survivor and thelongest-serving Israeli PrimeMinister (1996-1999, 2009-tilldate). The politician par excel-lence also has an unmatched CVin escaping tight spots. Foremostamong them has been survivingthe difficult tenures of former USPresidents Bill Clinton and BarackObama (both of them were notpolicy hawks), surviving sex tapes,indifferent colleagues, accusa-tions of media manipulation,ongoing criminal trials for fraudand bribery, and above all, facingyet another potentially complicat-ed relationship with the incomingAmerican administration underJoe Biden.

But it is yet another illustriousIsraeli war hero and fellow-SayeretMatkal colleague of Netanyahu’s,Ehud Barak, who throws insightsinto the mind of the politicalescape-artist. Barak himself isthe former Israeli Chief of theGeneral Staff and the most deco-rated soldier in Israeli history.Later, he replaced Netanyahu asthe Prime Minister in1999. Barak,who has worked along withNetanyahu in the military and theKnesset, claims, “Netanyahu hasshown that no legal regulationsreally interest him” and given thelegal entanglements surroundinghis fate, “he understands that heis going nowhere, and his priori-ty will be anything that will gethim out of a trial.” Barak assess-es that a desperate, amoral andreckless Netanyahu could createinternal and external circum-stances that would galvanise hispolitical popularity and makehim irreplaceable. Barak is joinedby over 300 retired officers fromthe Israeli Army, Police, Shin BetSecurity Service, Mossad and

multiple former IDF Chiefs ofStaff like Gabi Ashkenazi,Moshe Yaalon and the tem-porarily aligned Benny Gaantz.Years ago, as the leader of theOpposition, Netanyahu hadled infamous protests againstthe then Prime MinisterYitzhak Rabin (who had justsigned the Oslo Peace Accord),where he walked at the head ofa mock funeral procession,featuring an empty black cof-fin and chants of “Death toRabin.” Days later, YitzhakRabin was assassinated by anIsraeli opposed to the accordand that marked the return ofextremist hardliners, amongwhom Netanyahu has beenthe most dominant player onthe scene.

Now, Netanyahu has beenbracing for a post-DonaldTrump administration. Thenomination of AnthonyBlinken as the Secretary of Statehas accelerated his worries.Blinken is a known supporterof rapprochement with Iran, asalso a rare critic of the contro-versial move to shift the USEmbassy from Tel Aviv toJerusalem. Netanyahu realisesthe inevitability of the loomingchange in the dynamics, as alsoof the very narrow window ofa few weeks before Trump iseased out of the White House.Frenetic backdoor activitiesare in full swing to securepositions in the chessboard ofthe Middle East, among whichwas the not-so-secretive meet-ing between Saudi PrinceMohammad Bin Salman andNetanyahu at Neom. Beyondpublic posturing, politicalrhetoric and official denials,both Riyadh and Tel Aviv aremore strategically aligned than

ever before, and between them,the irreconcilable sectarianangularity of Iran is a unifyingfactor. The Iranians are militar-ily challenging the Saudisthrough their proxies in Yemen(Houthi rebels) and rallyingagainst the Saudi-supportedSunni militia in the Syrian-Iraqi swathes whereas the Iran-backed Hamas in the WestBank and the co-sectarian Shia-Hezbollah in Lebanon are tak-ing on the Israelis. Iran is thecommon dread and, therefore,the essential playground foraccusations, intrigues andcovert operations.

During a news conferenceat the Ministry of Defence in2018, Netanyahu had spokenabout and stood before theimage of Iranian scientistMohsen Fakhrizadeh. Pointingto the image, Netanyahu hadchillingly warned, “Rememberthat name, Fakhrizadeh!” Lastweek when Fakhrizadeh wasassassinated by unknown gun-men, the Iranians wereunequivocal in blaming, “themercenaries of the oppressiveZionist regime”, referring toNetanyahu’s Government. Thetiming was eerily ominous andIranian President HasanRouhani alluded to the desper-ation of the very limited win-dow of Presidential transitionin the US when he said, “theenemies are experiencingstressful weeks.”

It has been acknowledgedby the international watchdogagency, International AtomicEnergy Agency (IAEA), thatwhile Fakhrizadeh was indeedthe head of the Iranian nuclearprogramme, there were noalarm bells in the Iranian reac-tivation status as yet despite the

unilateral pullout by the USfrom the Iran nuclear deal.Legally also, Iran was no longerbound to restrain its nuclearprogramme after the US hadreneged on the deal, despiteassurances from IAEA thatIran had fully complied with allcommitments. If anything,Trump-Netanyahu had uppedthe ante with avoidable andprovocative steps like killing therevered General QasemSoleimani, who had played apivotal role in destroying thedangerous edifice of the ISILCaliphate in Iraq-Syria.

The killing of Fakhrizadehcannot possibly make anymaterial impact on the Iraniannuclear preparedness as it is notdependent on any individual,in any case, and the motivescould only be purely political.This act looks intended todeliberately worsen the rela-tions to draw retaliatory actionfrom Iran, thereby premature-ly stalling any thawing oppor-tunities that are presumablyforthcoming with the Bidenadministration. Details ofTrump discussing a possiblemilitary strike against Iran justbefore the Presidential electionsare already doing the rounds.From the same political play-book, heightened political ten-sion between Tel Aviv andTehran can also help shore upcrucial and invaluable nation-alistic fervour in favour of themuch-cornered Netanyahu.For politicians like him, peacedelegitimises their politicalappeal and instead, provoca-tion, tension and violence,strengthen the same.

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

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��������������� Sir — At last, Thalaiva hastaken the political plunge, end-ing years of vacillation and sus-pense. We are not quite surewhether superstar Rajinikanthtook the decision to float hisown political party at the turnof the year of his own free willor at the behest of somebodyelse. Either way, it has triggeredspeculation over the possiblepolitical churn it could stir inTamil Nadu politics ahead of theAssembly elections. The actor isentering the political fray at anage most leaders think in termsof retiring from it. Certainly, hiseagerness to do public servicedespite his age and ill-health iscommendable. But what he rep-resents — a slant to the rightwing — could make the peoplequite wary of supporting himand limit his space in the polit-ical sphere.

He is close to the BJP and afan of Prime Minister NarendraModi. He shares their ideolo-gy but can’t afford to appear asan opponent of the Dravidianmovement and its mores. His“spiritual politics is, in a way, justa euphemism for “saffron poli-tics.” It is no secret that RSS ide-ologue and Rajini aide

S.Gurumurthy is the bridgebetween the actor and the SanghParivar. Who will back himwith funds is not clear though.

Given his natural affinity forHindutva, nobody expects himto stand up against the CentralGovernment when it tries toimplement its agenda to thedetriment of Tamilian inter-ests. Rajinikanth speaks ofcleaning up politics and projectshimself as a harbinger of change.

But the kind of change he has inmind may not advance thecauses of social justice dear toTamilians.

The rich cultural identity ofTamil Nadu stands betweenRajinikanth and his success inpolitics. He must consider him-self lucky if his fan base does notshrink when BJP cosies up tohim.

G.David MiltonMaruthancode

����� � ��������Sir — It is noteworthy that for-mer Punjab Chief MinisterParkash Singh Badal haslaunched his protest against thenew farm Acts and shown sup-port for the agitating farmers inDelhi by returning the PadmaVibhushan award. He receivedthe second highest civilian hon-our in 2015.

Some sportspersons andcoaches from Punjab have also

said that they would returntheir awards and will march toDelhi on December 5 in solidar-ity with the protesters. It iscommendable that celebritiesand notables of the State arestanding by the farming com-munity. The CentralGovernment must negotiate amiddle ground lest this becomesanother battle of identities andmutates into a social uprising.

Noor Ahmad Hyderabad

����Sir — Someone has rightly said,“Don’t trust a person that does-n’t like dogs.” Most families feelincomplete without a pet. So oneof the most interesting news ofthe week was about Joe Bidengetting hurt while playing withhis dog. It’s nice to know that thenext US President is fond of ani-mals like many previous ones.

This President will be morerelatable than his predecessors,like Obama and Bush amongothers, simply because he does-n’t shy of projecting his home-ly pleasures.

Dennis FitzgeraldMelbourne

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On November 17, the Central Governmentimposed restrictions on the withdrawalof funds from the Lakshmi Vilas Bank

(LVB) till December 16, (except for a maximum�25,000 per account as relief to small depositors)on the advice of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).Plus, the LVB’s Committee of Directors wassuperseded. The RBI invited suggestions andobjections “within three days” on a draft schemeof amalgamation of LVB with DBS Bank India.On November 25, the Central Governmentapproved the scheme proposed by the RBI. TheLVB-DBS merger came into force on November27 and the moratorium imposed on with-drawals was lifted. Foreign banks may operatein India either by having their branches in thecountry directly owned/operated by them or bycreating a wholly-owned subsidiary (WOS) reg-istered here. The Singapore-based DBS GroupHoldings Limited has been operating in branchmode since 1994 but switched to WOS model inMarch 2019.

All the assets and liabilities of LVB now standtransferred to DBS India. By June, DBS India hada sizeable customer deposit base of �24,700 crore,including �5,700 crore as low-cost deposits. It isnow busy rebranding LVB branches and ATMswith its logo. The parent foreign bank is expect-ed to bring an additional investment of �2,500crore. DBS India, with just over 30 branches inthe country (most of its business is in the branch-less mode) now gets ownership of the LVB’s fixedassets (historical, depreciated cost of �463 croreon March 31, mainly comprising 560 branchesand 970 ATMs); cash and investments with theRBI (�1,048 crore on March 31) and other invest-ments (�5,384 crore on March 31). The LVB getsaccess to deposits of �21,443 crore, includingabout �6,000 crore low-cost CASA (current andsavings accounts) deposits. On the flip side, DBShas to service LVB’s borrowings (�756 crore onMarch 31). Out of the total advances (�13,828crore outstanding on March 31), about one-fourth were Non Performing Assets (NPAs). Thegross NPA ratio had deteriorated from 15.3 percent on March 31, 2019 to 25.39 per cent onMarch 31 this year and remained high at 24.45per cent on September 30.

While the LVB’s 20 lakh depositors and 4,000employees can heave a sigh of relief, its over97,000 investors have been hit hard. Forced merg-ers of banks are nothing new but in an unprece-dented action in the LVB’s case, the sharehold-ers have been divested of their equity sharehold-ing, reserves and surpluses. Since the value ofequity shares is officially decreed to be zero, theerstwhile owners of the LVB will not get any sharein the LVB+DBS banking entity. Also hurt arebondholders as all of LVB’s Basel-III compliantTier-2 bonds worth �318 crore were writtendown. Bond-holders will not get back theirinvested money, nor interest on them.Significantly, srapping Tier-2 bonds is anunprecedented action. The move was thus both,swift and uncommon, but the problem had beenbrewing for some time. The LVB had been incur-ring losses for the past 10 quarters and the RBIinitiated Prompt Corrective Action (PCA) inSeptember 2019, which asked the bank to bringin additional capital, restrict further lending tocorporates, reduce NPAs and improve theProvision Coverage Ratio to 70 per cent.

These actions/decisions of the CentralGovernment and the RBI have been challengedby the LVB’s shareholders in Mumbai andMadras High Courts (HCs). The Mumbai HC

declined to stay the amalgamation butkept the plea filed before it for mone-tary compensation pending. TheMadras HC, too, declined to stay theamalgamation but passed some inter-im orders giving some relief to the LVB’sshareholders on a petition filed by AUMCapital Market Private Limited, a retailinvestor holding shares in LVB.

Shareholders contend that theyhave been deprived of the LVB’s own-ership without any monetary compen-sation. This amounts to unjust enrich-ment of a foreign bank. The manner ofselection of DBS India as the transfer-ee company has also been questioned.What has frustrated the LVB sharehold-ers is the fact that the same DBS thathas now acquired the bank with zerocompensation to shareholders hadoffered to buy 50 per cent of the LVB’sshares for at least �100 per share in2018. Since then, the LVB’s value dete-rioration has been fast. The shareprice of the LVB lost 58 per cent thisyear and went to less than �10 a share.The LVB’s total business shrank from�47,115 crore at the end of September2019 to �37,595 crore at the end ofSeptember this year.

By then, the LVB’s Tier-1 CapitalRatio and overall Capital AdequacyRatio (CAR) as per Basel-III norms hadturned negative. With a large gross NPAratio of 24.45 per cent, the LVB had anegative net worth of �699 crore.Therefore, scrapping the shares andTier-2 bonds of the LVB means that thebank has been practically wound up,with core investors asked to bear theaccumulated losses. And the junkedentity has been handed over to a whiteknight investor to take over in the inter-est of the LVB’s 20 lakh depositors.Aggrieved shareholders contend thateven if the authorities have the power

to reduce the share value during anamalgamation, reducing share value tozero cannot be done without verycompelling reasons. And these reasons(if any) have not been disclosed.

Instances of commercial banksfailing are rare. As the Government andthe RBI are empowered to order con-solidation, compulsory amalgamationand liquidation of small banks, no com-mercial bank has failed. Forced merg-ers of weak banks with stronger onesare a normal practice to safeguarddepositors’ interest.

The LVB is one of the oldest privatebanks. It was founded in 1926 with afairly distributed ownership. At the endof March 2012, the LVB had 12.92 percent non-resident shareholding, whichincreased to 43.1 per cent by March2019. During the period, resident indi-vidual shareholding came down from56.73 per cent to 27.7 per cent. Residentfinancial institutions increased theirstake from 8.47 per cent to 20.9 percent.

The 20.9 per cent Indian FinancialInstitutions and 38.4 per cent foreigncompanies, together commandingmajority control of the LVB, failed toexercise due diligence and control themanagement even as the bank’s lend-ing portfolio became problematic. TheLVB is a banking company registeredunder the Companies Act, 1956.Banking companies are governed dif-ferently from other companies in India.They are regulated by both theCompanies Act and the BankingRegulation Act, 1949. And the BankingRegulation Act, being a specialised law,takes precedence over the conflictingprovisions of the Companies Act.Section 45 of the Banking RegulationAct, 1949 empowers the RBI to applyto the Central Government “for suspen-

sion of business by a banking compa-ny and to prepare a scheme of recon-stitution of amalgamation.” So thetriggers, processes, control mechanismand so on for mergers and acquisitionsare different than those for non-bank-ing companies.

Just like the Companies Act, theInsolvency and Bankruptcy Codeapplies to banking companies, too, butthe Banking Regulation Act prevailsover the other two Acts. The onemonth “moratorium” imposed on theLVB on November 17 was akin toanaesthesia that is given before asurgery. Keeping the LVB under amoratorium for too long would haveaffected 20 lakh depositors. The RBIhad to find an able and willing investorready to take over. For the last two years,the LVB and its promoters have beentrying to lure investors to infuse addi-tional capital to meet regulatory norms.

For the takeover of financially-dis-tressed non-banking companies, reso-lution professionals are appointed bythe National Company Law Tribunal(NCLT). This invites tenders frompotential investors and the company ishanded over to the highest bidder. Inthe case of weak banks that are in needof rescue, there is no such practice ofinviting tenders. The transferee bank-ing company is selected based on theprofessional judgment of the RBI.Whether the selection of DBS India wasbased on rational considerations andwhether the LVB’s pre-amalgamationvaluation justified shareholders/bond-holders being denied any monetarycompensation are now sub-judice.Judicial review of regulatory wisdom isnot unprecedented.

(The writer is former SpecialSecretary, Ministry of Commerce andIndustry)

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On the night of November 1,thousands of Goans gatheredon the railway lines at Chandor,

South Goa to protest against the dou-bling of railway tracks for enhancementof coal transportation from theMormugao Port Trust (MPT) to steelplants in neighbouring Karnataka.Currently, the State serves as a cruciallink to coal transportation toKarnataka. However, despite the exist-ing infrastructure, the Government islooking to fast-track the process byintroducing three major infrastructureprojects. Goa’s fate was sealed by the“devil’s dust” (fine particles of coal) in

2016 as the MPT led development pro-gramme, Sagarmala, received theCentre’s nod aimed at converting Goainto a coal hub.

During the nationwide lockdown,the Union Ministry of Environment,Forest and Climate Change and theNational Board for Wildlife gave “vir-tual clearance” over a video conferenceto three interconnected infrastruc-ture projects — four laning of the exist-ing NH-4A (Goa-Karnataka Highway),laying a 400KV transmission line anddoubling of an existing railway linefrom Mormugao to Londa. The threelinear projects are situated within thesame protected area. Reportedly, allthree projects require felling of 70,000trees and diversion of 216 hectares offorest and private land in MollemNational Park and Bhagwan MahaveerWildlife Sanctuary in South Goa. Thisforest is part of the Western Ghats,which is one of the eight biodiversityhotspots of the world and part of theUNESCO World Heritage Site. Theprotected area is home to more than721 plant species, 235 bird species, 219

butterfly species, 70 mammal species,45 reptile species, 44 fish species and27 amphibian species. This includesendemic as well as rare and vulnera-ble species such as the tiger, dhole,mouse deer, gaur and the Indian pan-golin among others. In addition, thereare 18 bird species that are endemic tothe Western Ghats and seven birdspecies that are of high conservationconcern are found here. This area wasmarked as an Ecologically SensitiveArea by the Madhav Gadgil Committeein 2012.

The Bhagwan Mahaveer WildlifeSanctuary and Mollem National Park,part of a larger contiguous forest, is atreasure trove of flora and fauna andis an important tiger corridor betweenGoa and the adjoining Kali TigerReserve in Karnataka. Of 240 sq km,the sanctuary and the national parkconstitute the largest protected area inGoa. The Western Ghats are one of themost important tiger habitats in theworld. Expanding the highway anddoubling of the South WesternRailways will leave the southern part

of the Ghats disconnected from thenorth. This will lead to death andinjuries to tigers and other numerousanimals as they cross the tracks in theircyclic movements. The Tilari Dam andrelentless mining have already decimat-ed elephant habitats and other signif-icant parts of the Ghats. Forests in theWestern Ghats that have existed forthousands of years are irreplaceable.The Intergovernmental Panel onClimate Change (IPCC) Report, 2019,shows that the Western Ghats are oneof the most resilient ecosystems thatwill buffer us from climate change.

Roads and power lines are knownto fragment habitats, impacting floraand fauna in incalculable ways. Thehabitat where these projects are pro-posed is also home to a newly-discov-ered dragonfly species. Dandeli andGoa are believed to be an elephantmovement route. Now tigers and leop-ards are also likely to move throughhere. While there are eight or nineunderpasses proposed for wildlife,there is little information on wherethese will be constructed, and even less

is known about their scientific effica-cy. Ironically enough, these projectshave been cleared at a time whenCOVID19 has revealed how loss of for-est land, wildlife and biodiversity canincrease zoonotic diseases.

The Government’s move goes toshow how India’s wildlife laws are open-ly flouted with little or no regard to con-sequences. According to experts, athorough verification of theEnvironmental Impact Assessment(EIA) and project proposals is rarelydone, showing regulatory bodies’ scantregard towards eco-sensitive zones. Itis a sad reflection on the state of envi-ronmental governance that theMoEFCC and NBWL overlook crucialstatutory requirements and haveundermined the purpose of the EIA.The evidence put forth by naturalists,conservationists and the people livingin these forests over centuries needs tobe taken into consideration.

Coal dust causes a host of prob-lems for wildlife. Beginning withsevere respiratory problems, in the longterm, increased exposure to toxic ele-

ments through coal dust can cause ani-mals to suffer from a variety of life-threatening disorders and dysfunction-alities. According to the NationalWildlife Federation, “Unless significantaction is taken now, global warmingwill likely become the most importantfactor to affect wildlife since the emer-gence of mankind.” Climate change, towhich coal burning and dust areamong the prominent contributors, hasthe potential to significantly alterecosystems and cause mass extinctionof species. In underground and surfacewaters, coal dust can cause decrease inaquatic oxygen content and in lightpenetration. This reduces the growthof aquatic plants. In turn, this leads tomanifold increase in mortality of fishand other aquatic species that aredependent on aquatic plants as a foodsource.

Coal dust also decreases the abil-ity of plants and trees to photosynthe-sise. If this natural process is stymied,most plants would begin to die.Although they could hold out for a fewdays, or in some cases, a few weeks,

how long they live would largelydepend on how much sugar they hadstored within their cells. Large trees, forexample, may be able to soldier on forseveral years because of their energystores and the slow rate of use.However, the majority of plants woulddie and so would the animals that relyon them for nourishment. With theherbivores dead, the omnivores andcarnivores would soon follow.

Coal dust is affecting humans, too,as it is increasing incidents of respira-tory ailments. In 2016-17, a consign-ment of 12.75 million tonnes of coalwas unloaded at the MPT and carriedacross Goa to power stations andrefineries. It is expected to grow to 19-21 million tonnes per annum (MTPA)by 2025 and to 34-40 MTPA by 2035.This will completely transform the faceof Goa. Transport of such huge quan-tities of coal risks entire habitats, vil-lages and towns; it is threatening theecological resilience of Goa required todeal with the effects of climate change.

(The writer is CommunicationsAssociate, Wildlife SOS)

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Script Open High Low LTPHDFCLIFE 626.00 650.95 617.55 647.75RELIANCE 1970.00 1981.10 1958.05 1963.45INFY 1152.15 1152.15 1122.55 1126.55MARUTI 7240.00 7777.00 7240.00 7740.15HDFC 2281.15 2288.50 2235.20 2253.90SBIN 249.00 259.00 248.05 256.35TCS 2768.55 2768.80 2702.30 2708.45HDFCBANK 1420.10 1431.60 1374.25 1377.05ICICIBANK 481.70 484.80 479.00 481.90BAJFINANCE 4860.00 4889.70 4817.00 4867.55HCLTECH 847.00 864.00 843.00 861.70AXISBANK 610.10 611.10 600.50 602.60HINDUNILVR 2145.00 2151.95 2121.00 2127.55BAJAJFINSV 8845.00 9181.00 8813.05 9112.60TATASTEEL 608.00 624.80 607.65 620.90BHARTIARTL 486.00 488.00 474.20 479.95LT 1127.00 1135.25 1121.00 1125.05INFRATEL 226.80 247.25 222.30 239.55ASIANPAINT 2320.00 2421.65 2316.05 2410.85IDEA 9.96 10.03 9.82 9.94TATACHEM 439.35 464.75 435.25 455.45GAIL 117.50 121.85 116.70 118.15TATAMOTORS 185.00 186.00 183.30 184.80BANKBARODA 54.85 58.65 54.40 58.30ITC 196.85 197.35 194.60 196.25ONGC 85.10 89.00 85.10 88.70SUNPHARMA 549.00 551.00 540.75 548.05ADANIPOWER 46.10 54.15 46.10 54.15BPCL 387.45 400.00 382.80 395.05TITAN 1396.00 1422.35 1386.75 1417.45WIPRO 364.65 364.65 357.90 360.15INDUSINDBK 903.00 907.45 890.75 896.00DRREDDY 4853.30 4940.00 4844.80 4924.50ZEEL 199.10 206.90 199.00 204.50KOTAKBANK 1839.45 1843.00 1813.05 1821.50DELTACORP 135.40 157.00 134.30 153.10NTPC 95.50 99.05 95.20 98.65AMBUJACEM 264.50 264.50 259.35 261.15TECHM 912.00 920.05 903.00 914.65LICHSGFIN 344.90 364.45 343.65 356.65ADANIPORTS 440.50 444.50 433.40 435.75M&M 753.00 756.30 744.00 745.80ULTRACEMCO 4950.00 4952.35 4841.85 4892.25PNB 34.40 36.05 34.15 35.80HINDALCO 233.00 243.00 233.00 241.90JSWSTEEL 370.00 374.20 367.80 371.05ASHOKLEY 93.95 96.00 93.55 95.25ADANIENT 454.95 457.30 443.50 447.90PFIZER 5320.30 5436.00 5280.00 5314.20PEL 1425.00 1499.90 1425.00 1492.05IBULHSGFIN 191.00 198.60 187.85 193.30CANBK 105.75 114.30 105.75 109.90POWERGRID 194.50 195.00 190.95 193.50NESTLEIND 17524.00 17524.00 17329.50 17498.35L&TFH 86.05 91.30 86.05 90.30ADANIGREEN 1149.00 1159.00 1126.15 1145.30DMART 2430.05 2479.80 2430.05 2469.10SOUTHBANK 7.90 9.35 7.90 9.21BANDHANBNK 372.40 377.80 368.45 376.35TATAPOWER 68.50 69.65 67.60 69.20TRIDENT 8.31 9.84 8.31 9.04SAIL 52.10 54.45 52.00 54.30FEDERALBNK 66.00 67.00 65.30 65.60APOLLOHOSP 2490.00 2499.95 2372.20 2388.60EICHERMOT 2555.00 2577.05 2538.00 2548.95SRTRANSFIN 1049.00 1058.75 1025.00 1032.75BHEL 34.05 34.80 34.05 34.15RBLBANK 226.55 234.80 226.55 231.85BEL 115.00 116.80 114.00 115.00SBICARD 802.00 841.55 798.60 839.20MOTHERSUMI 156.60 157.90 155.10 156.60SUNTV 435.00 449.40 432.05 442.70UPL 449.00 458.90 437.30 454.70VAKRANGEE 53.20 54.15 46.20 46.20IOC 89.75 90.10 87.60 89.90KEC 375.95 375.95 361.10 363.90AFFLE 3932.00 3959.30 3749.95 3853.70JINDALSTEL 261.00 265.00 260.00 263.10OBEROIRLTY 514.00 535.30 501.60 531.60INDIGO 1605.00 1652.25 1605.00 1644.45CADILAHC 453.45 463.80 451.20 462.80TATACONSUM 540.50 552.40 540.00 550.20HINDPETRO* 215.25 220.90 214.55 220.25COALINDIA 131.90 134.00 129.30 133.40ADANITRANS 426.65 438.60 420.45 427.75BLUESTARCO 775.65 854.00 759.55 811.45IRCTC 1360.00 1395.05 1352.00 1376.70VEDL 124.75 127.40 123.70 126.35DLF 202.00 204.90 199.20 203.05SPICEJET 78.00 83.40 78.00 81.35ADANIGAS 374.40 382.50 362.00 363.95CIPLA 759.95 764.85 756.35 762.00BHARATFORG 534.00 542.00 519.05 539.30M&MFIN 165.20 169.45 165.20 167.90AIAENG 2147.40 2147.40 2038.00 2077.35DIVISLAB 3680.00 3722.65 3638.00 3702.55APOLLOTYRE 185.15 191.80 185.15 187.55IGL 482.95 486.45 472.60 484.50HAVELLS 840.00 840.40 826.40 832.45SBILIFE 883.35 883.35 854.75 858.85PVR 1335.00 1359.00 1333.30 1345.75JUBILANT 798.90 834.10 790.20 795.85BAJAJ-AUTO 3365.00 3367.75 3282.80 3293.85

BALMLAWRIE 122.20 134.00 120.00 121.35GRAPHITE 256.40 267.90 248.00 263.20ESCORTS 1440.00 1440.00 1398.00 1406.00VOLTAS 802.30 818.90 794.45 805.55MRF 79247.00 79727.50 78500.00 78805.50HEROMOTOCO 3160.00 3166.95 3127.00 3139.35MGL 1058.90 1058.90 1021.75 1040.45IDFCFIRSTB 37.05 37.35 36.80 36.95JSWENERGY 63.30 71.80 63.30 70.65ALOKTEXT 21.85 22.40 21.60 22.10CENTURYTEX 378.00 401.00 378.00 399.00PFC 107.25 115.95 107.25 114.50MUTHOOTFIN 1169.00 1182.35 1156.75 1179.40IBREALEST 68.50 72.40 68.50 70.55CYIENT 477.45 495.00 477.20 481.75TATAELXSI 1700.00 1713.40 1673.90 1689.90MANAPPURAM 174.05 176.50 174.00 174.85DEEPAKNI 849.00 862.00 844.10 847.05NMDC 104.45 107.15 104.05 105.75INDIANB 67.65 73.95 67.65 72.95DISHTV 10.23 11.05 10.14 10.80CESC 616.00 634.80 610.00 628.30AUROPHARMA 899.00 902.60 887.80 898.35MARICO 382.00 392.00 379.65 389.45HINDZINC 233.00 239.00 232.80 238.10BOSCHLTD 13445.00 13445.00 12951.00 12999.35NATIONALUM 41.60 42.45 41.45 42.00COFORGE 2448.00 2513.10 2448.00 2480.05SUDARSCHEM 471.30 493.95 465.50 485.35GLENMARK 477.05 489.00 477.05 487.70CONCOR 417.95 422.65 407.00 417.50NBCC 29.00 29.40 28.50 28.75TVSMOTOR 494.00 501.35 487.50 497.85SRF 5201.00 5323.45 5201.00 5266.05

TV18BRDCST 32.25 33.90 31.60 33.55HFCL 23.10 23.30 21.00 22.20GRASIM 915.60 924.40 905.60 910.05LTI 3390.00 3400.00 3285.10 3299.40UNIONBANK 29.45 31.20 29.45 30.95GODREJCP 720.00 724.85 705.80 712.00RECLTD 121.45 127.20 121.45 126.50NAUKRI 4210.00 4253.90 4141.00 4154.15LUPIN 919.00 922.00 910.65 914.90NCC 46.80 48.40 46.20 47.95EDELWEISS 75.00 78.15 74.30 78.15ECLERX 728.00 800.00 709.30 790.25POWERINDIA 1270.00 1374.95 1232.80 1278.85BATAINDIA 1550.00 1556.95 1532.80 1539.05EXIDEIND 185.15 185.50 182.60 183.95TORNTPOWER 318.00 325.35 315.75 324.30PTC 57.40 61.65 57.40 60.70RADICO 453.60 470.00 453.60 464.50DABUR 502.00 506.85 500.70 501.30PIDILITIND 1615.00 1619.15 1593.50 1614.50BALKRISIND 1655.05 1689.55 1632.60 1646.50INFIBEAM 94.10 97.00 86.10 95.70MCX 1575.00 1594.75 1565.60 1570.60CHOLAFIN 378.00 381.15 368.70 370.70TNPL 111.95 117.20 111.95 116.00ACC 1740.00 1742.25 1706.60 1717.35INDHOTEL 132.00 132.00 127.10 127.75IRCON 86.70 92.05 84.25 91.20GNFC 225.00 227.50 220.25 222.15METROPOLIS 2132.25 2170.00 2019.60 2044.40PIIND 2322.00 2349.00 2278.40 2334.00PGHH 10590.00 11400.00 10581.90 10920.80MINDTREE 1424.90 1445.00 1415.10 1442.35HEG 820.00 836.65 819.00 824.95FORCEMOT 1160.80 1244.80 1159.30 1202.40PHOENIXLTD 774.80 799.25 751.10 755.85BIRLACORPN 747.35 761.60 738.50 748.35UBL 1068.55 1081.15 1060.75 1068.60IFCI 6.82 7.80 6.82 7.64RAJESHEXPO 460.00 477.25 457.05 473.45SYMPHONY 830.00 882.10 829.35 852.90LAURUSLABS 324.00 324.00 318.00 319.65BIOCON 432.00 439.25 429.30 433.75MFSL 639.70 641.50 630.85 634.85BEML 724.95 742.00 722.55 732.80NAM-INDIA 289.30 296.85 289.20 294.20BANKINDIA 47.50 49.45 47.50 48.75SCI 60.00 61.50 59.65 60.90CROMPTON 339.00 339.00 318.50 324.55CENTRALBK 13.50 14.15 13.44 13.99SIEMENS 1533.00 1549.90 1504.10 1534.40INOXLEISUR 277.10 283.70 277.00 281.25

GSFC 72.00 75.50 72.00 73.80HDFCAMC 2558.00 2577.35 2544.75 2565.85FORTIS 149.00 149.00 144.25 144.95ITI 127.85 130.75 127.00 128.35UFLEX 367.15 391.90 366.55 388.85SUZLON 3.50 3.69 3.46 3.64GSPL 231.00 231.80 225.35 226.60BALRAMCHIN 171.90 171.90 163.90 164.80KNRCON 290.00 303.85 285.00 301.30BRITANNIA 3600.15 3650.00 3600.15 3634.75KTKBANK 49.30 52.00 49.30 51.30ABB 1199.00 1237.95 1168.80 1171.25JKPAPER 96.00 100.90 96.00 99.20AVANTI 539.10 549.00 533.50 542.00CANFINHOME 479.25 492.05 479.25 490.90NATCOPHARM 908.90 936.00 908.90 918.05JUBLFOOD 2526.00 2592.15 2515.00 2543.50AARTIIND 1170.00 1209.50 1170.00 1194.85GODREJPROP 1203.00 1203.95 1180.00 1183.10MOIL 136.05 138.85 134.00 138.50TATAMTRDVR 79.40 79.40 77.80 78.10GRANULES 425.00 425.00 416.65 419.45GHCL 185.85 203.75 184.00 198.55BERGEPAINT 660.10 673.30 660.10 670.15OIL 103.15 104.75 101.00 104.25PETRONET 255.95 257.00 251.50 256.00GUJGAS 348.60 350.70 342.30 345.00WOCKPHARMA 458.75 462.60 436.85 443.60GMM 3755.05 3850.70 3754.15 3825.50IIFL 121.80 123.30 114.70 118.00HSCL 42.85 43.60 42.70 43.30RAIN 122.50 128.00 122.50 125.00FRETAIL 75.50 79.65 75.45 76.95LEMONTREE 38.90 39.30 37.90 38.90ICICIPRULI 468.00 478.20 468.00 477.30MPHASIS 1343.00 1377.70 1330.00 1352.55HAL 835.00 852.90 830.50 847.95MEGH 84.00 87.80 84.00 86.25INDIACEM 154.80 158.00 153.15 154.25ENGINERSIN 74.40 75.60 74.40 75.25TRENT 699.95 700.95 675.20 677.25ABFRL 166.80 167.85 163.10 163.75PCJEWELLER 17.05 18.00 17.00 17.15APLLTD 1009.00 1016.00 994.50 1014.70IDBI 38.50 39.50 38.10 39.20STAR 781.90 787.35 761.80 766.95SUPREMEIND 1725.00 1725.00 1591.00 1617.80WELCORP 126.80 131.40 125.70 128.90BOMDYEING 71.45 74.15 71.45 72.00INDIAMART 5117.00 5150.00 4996.85 5013.80JINDALSAW 76.70 77.95 75.60 75.95JUSTDIAL 611.00 611.00 602.00 604.50PNBHOUSING 377.00 389.60 355.35 381.80BAJAJELEC 571.25 604.70 571.25 594.00MMTC 19.95 21.80 19.65 21.00PAGEIND 23257.35 23350.00 23027.85 23248.00RAYMOND 322.55 328.40 322.55 325.25ICICIGI 1520.00 1526.30 1476.15 1480.95GMRINFRA 26.40 26.85 26.30 26.65BAJAJHLDNG 3119.00 3149.70 3090.05 3140.70POLYCAB 971.00 983.95 967.25 978.35PERSISTENT 1229.95 1239.00 1205.95 1231.20VENKYS 1664.20 1721.00 1654.15 1682.90NAVINFLUOR 2689.95 2695.50 2614.80 2628.90SYNGENE 580.00 580.00 565.60 569.45JKLAKSHMI 348.60 366.20 348.60 358.65CENTURYPLY 210.00 233.00 207.85 227.65CSBBANK 225.65 230.00 223.20 224.65KAJARIACER 680.00 683.40 669.00 676.80ABCAPITAL 91.00 93.25 90.90 91.35JSL 69.30 72.90 69.30 71.75MAHSEAMLES 301.85 322.80 301.50 317.55ISEC 451.75 463.00 450.80 452.40SWANENERGY 148.85 148.85 136.75 139.50TATAMETALI 604.00 621.00 604.00 611.65J&KBANK 23.60 24.00 23.32 23.79IPCALAB 2267.00 2290.00 2230.00 2239.25KRBL 277.00 292.80 276.80 282.15GREAVESCOT 85.95 86.45 84.50 85.40TATACOFFEE 108.05 110.00 108.05 109.00RVNL 23.40 23.85 23.25 23.75BSOFT 190.00 195.00 186.65 188.15COLPAL 1530.00 1539.95 1518.10 1538.35PARAGMILK 111.00 118.50 111.00 116.20NBVENTURES 56.20 58.65 55.85 57.10MIDHANI 193.10 197.70 193.10 195.00GMDCLTD 47.75 49.70 47.75 49.15HINDCOPPER 43.10 44.60 43.10 43.50SANOFI 7891.50 7969.15 7880.00 7900.20ENDURANCE 1150.00 1202.00 1136.50 1186.95FSL 77.25 77.65 75.40 75.65VIPIND 362.65 366.30 358.20 361.75VBL 872.00 881.55 836.00 845.20CHENNPETRO 90.20 93.50 90.20 91.75AJANTPHARM 1552.50 1564.55 1547.00 1557.40BRIGADE 223.05 233.95 223.05 232.05SHREECEM 24849.40 25047.85 24742.40 24895.20CARERATING 571.00 588.00 569.60 574.20UJJIVAN 284.00 288.00 282.50 284.40ABBOTINDIA 15150.05 15354.85 15150.05 15294.40SHILPAMED 471.05 471.05 454.00 455.05DCBBANK 118.00 118.90 115.50 116.00EIHOTEL 95.70 99.70 94.15 99.10SUNTECK 331.75 331.75 312.55 319.85

TORNTPHARM 2710.00 2715.10 2661.00 2669.60SWSOLAR 249.15 252.00 237.90 242.40CUMMINSIND 573.00 585.60 569.00 572.35VARROC 406.65 429.35 404.10 424.80TEAMLEASE 2657.20 2840.00 2624.25 2806.90INDOCO 285.10 298.00 285.10 290.20ALKYLAMINE 4116.00 4137.10 3990.00 4027.85ASTRAZEN 4522.00 4550.00 4512.45 4530.50NLCINDIA 52.20 53.80 51.30 53.45CASTROLIND 129.30 130.65 128.40 128.60AMARAJABAT 928.80 930.70 911.05 917.10SOBHA 323.00 325.80 311.25 320.80VINATIORGA 1132.00 1158.75 1130.00 1141.05SPARC 187.45 189.80 182.55 186.40RCF 48.20 49.50 48.20 49.10CRISIL 1945.00 1995.00 1945.00 1964.45AUBANK 898.70 898.70 871.85 881.20UCOBANK 12.46 12.92 12.45 12.86FCONSUMER 8.69 8.69 8.44 8.54NHPC 21.80 21.80 21.50 21.65EQUITAS 69.55 70.25 68.60 69.15MOTILALOFS 614.75 620.00 606.95 615.75SHK 136.55 138.00 134.30 134.95PHILIPCARB 174.50 176.75 172.40 173.35CGCL 285.55 299.45 285.55 294.50OFSS 3030.00 3067.95 3022.75 3050.00RELAXO 727.80 735.00 720.40 728.50NOCIL 144.90 146.65 142.45 142.65CEATLTD 1165.00 1182.00 1151.90 1159.50HUDCO 37.95 37.95 37.20 37.45RALLIS 287.00 288.60 285.40 286.55RITES 252.80 259.60 250.80 258.25WELSPUNIND 66.00 67.85 65.85 66.60GODFRYPHLP 920.00 920.00 905.25 908.35GUJALKALI 341.30 346.75 340.00 343.55VRLLOG 183.95 187.00 181.50 184.15BAYERCROP 5040.00 5165.00 5040.00 5116.10ASHOKA 81.65 83.65 81.00 83.25IDFC 40.00 40.85 39.70 39.90JSLHISAR 124.80 130.60 124.80 129.50ADVENZYMES 353.75 355.85 343.10 347.25KALPATPOWR 325.00 332.65 316.00 326.00MAHLIFE 324.05 337.95 319.75 331.20BDL 321.95 331.95 321.95 324.60DEEPAKFERT 150.95 154.90 149.25 153.80JAMNAAUTO 57.35 57.35 55.30 55.50EIDPARRY 349.00 349.00 331.50 331.85SHOPERSTOP 187.95 191.00 184.80 187.65PGHL 6540.00 6841.15 6540.00 6748.95WHIRLPOOL 2149.10 2175.00 2121.65 2154.00TVSSRICHAK 1574.35 1650.00 1544.95 1624.10EMAMILTD 439.90 439.90 426.55 428.95MINDACORP 83.00 84.40 81.90 82.25MAHABANK 12.70 13.36 12.69 13.04DBL 364.90 383.95 361.00 381.35ASTRAL 1487.00 1487.00 1426.70 1471.15CHAMBLFERT 200.05 205.20 196.50 197.10IEX 219.00 219.10 214.30 215.10IOB 10.65 11.20 10.65 11.05SUMICHEM 289.90 296.25 289.90 292.15DCAL 144.00 149.20 143.30 145.95NILKAMAL 1424.00 1440.10 1403.20 1429.65NIACL 117.85 121.05 117.35 118.45SONATSOFTW 347.00 348.50 336.80 345.35CHOLAHLDNG 534.15 538.70 524.30 534.10GALAXYSURF 1925.00 1925.00 1877.40 1881.15JAICORPLTD 93.05 95.25 93.00 93.65FINOLEXIND 633.00 633.00 616.45 626.35BLISSGVS 168.50 179.80 168.50 177.30SUPRAJIT 202.70 206.65 199.05 203.45HEIDELBERG 213.25 216.15 210.00 214.50AMBER 2399.00 2399.00 2301.60 2315.15NETWORK18 37.50 37.55 35.50 37.10ORIENTELEC 230.90 230.90 224.30 228.90TIMETECHNO 46.70 50.55 46.70 50.00THYROCARE 1045.20 1070.10 1045.20 1047.40COROMANDEL 818.00 818.00 786.60 791.40SUVENPHAR 381.05 393.75 380.60 387.00LINDEINDIA 920.00 920.00 888.60 899.45DALBHARAT 1174.95 1188.00 1157.85 1180.60TATACOMM 1044.50 1057.50 1021.00 1025.85ATUL 6192.80 6195.85 6160.00 6181.80COCHINSHIP 367.65 368.10 359.50 360.30KEI 420.50 429.05 420.50 423.853MINDIA 22320.30 22750.00 22295.80 22679.30CREDITACC 790.05 827.60 788.00 792.20BAJAJCON 203.00 203.20 197.00 198.30JMFINANCIL 82.80 83.90 82.10 82.55MRPL 33.80 33.95 33.15 33.70HIMATSEIDE 127.25 130.85 127.25 127.85STLTECH 158.45 160.40 158.30 158.95REPCOHOME 265.00 265.00 255.00 258.85CUB 183.80 183.80 177.65 178.65VGUARD 194.00 195.60 191.20 191.60DIXON 11399.00 11596.00 11375.00 11420.45DHANUKA 780.90 780.90 763.70 767.05DBCORP 85.50 90.00 85.00 87.00WESTLIFE 435.90 439.00 425.80 436.50GEPIL 281.00 285.00 278.05 279.35ARVINDFASN 134.95 137.25 133.15 133.90SJVN 23.90 24.20 23.80 24.00EPL 263.00 264.90 254.00 261.70ORIENTCEM 78.00 80.50 77.80 77.85SOMANYCERA 298.00 300.00 286.20 291.55

GRSE 199.00 203.00 196.95 197.20CHALET 164.70 168.45 162.75 167.40JYOTHYLAB 142.15 146.75 142.15 144.30HAWKINCOOK 5100.00 5150.00 5078.00 5133.95ALKEM 2815.00 2865.00 2800.00 2848.15KANSAINER 543.25 548.80 541.25 545.85ZYDUSWELL 1835.00 1841.60 1812.60 1826.45TCNSBRANDS 405.15 433.75 353.70 399.65GODREJAGRO 512.50 517.45 512.50 513.40GDL 104.65 111.00 104.55 110.25UJJIVANSFB 38.90 38.90 37.85 38.00NESCO 535.00 546.85 535.00 538.25LAXMIMACH 4332.65 4484.00 4332.65 4471.65SUNDRMFAST 554.45 554.45 524.50 534.15SKFINDIA 1580.00 1658.00 1580.00 1631.30WABAG 209.00 211.25 203.00 205.45APLAPOLLO 3538.25 3575.10 3523.50 3554.10BASF 1645.80 1655.00 1621.00 1629.85TVTODAY 220.00 223.15 216.45 217.90QUESS 517.15 519.85 502.40 506.70TIINDIA 846.85 846.85 820.00 833.40TATAINVEST 967.05 987.80 961.45 973.85TCIEXP 875.90 915.00 873.95 879.00GICRE 141.00 141.80 139.10 140.80JKTYRE 81.80 82.75 81.20 81.40HATHWAY 31.10 31.85 30.60 31.70ERIS 534.00 535.00 525.80 528.10FINEORG 2633.40 2652.95 2600.00 2619.85ALLCARGO 127.50 128.10 125.60 127.40CARBORUNIV 375.50 397.60 375.50 384.90ZENSARTECH 224.90 224.95 216.20 216.90WABCOINDIA 5955.10 5963.55 5763.00 5786.50BBTC 1275.00 1310.00 1275.00 1285.20FINCABLES 336.60 340.05 329.40 330.25BLUEDART 3860.00 3980.75 3860.00 3944.45PNCINFRA 171.30 179.65 171.30 179.10LTTS 1786.10 1786.10 1764.80 1775.65RAMCOCEM 880.50 890.00 873.00 884.75VTL 879.00 904.50 870.55 894.30LALPATHLAB 2290.00 2290.00 2242.00 2254.35MAHSCOOTER 3653.00 3658.80 3600.00 3635.05VSTIND 3635.35 3720.00 3612.50 3688.05MHRIL 198.70 204.80 197.20 201.35HONAUT 31665.00 31679.10 30900.00 30985.15FLUOROCHEM 594.00 599.15 588.55 590.95DCMSHRIRAM 378.30 384.50 376.00 378.70KPITTECH 109.40 110.00 106.65 107.45GODREJIND 411.85 423.20 411.75 420.85AEGISLOG 262.60 265.30 250.25 251.60JAGRAN 41.25 43.00 40.85 41.75GESHIP 264.10 265.45 262.35 263.80VAIBHAVGBL 2150.00 2151.90 2112.00 2117.85THERMAX 913.05 924.00 900.60 917.05JBCHEPHARM 1005.00 1005.90 981.90 992.85PRESTIGE 291.90 292.40 287.60 289.10GPPL 93.90 94.00 92.40 92.85CAPPL 489.50 490.45 479.50 482.90JKCEMENT 2129.95 2129.95 2051.00 2091.35ITDC 268.20 279.00 268.00 272.30SCHNEIDER 91.45 93.60 90.00 90.70TASTYBIT 11212.25 11304.90 11055.70 11196.10PRSMJOHNSN 82.00 83.50 81.10 82.60GLAXO 1557.30 1558.65 1550.00 1551.55MINDAIND 393.50 395.05 384.65 388.15IRB 117.55 118.65 117.00 117.85LAOPALA 227.15 231.10 227.15 228.30CCL 267.00 271.50 266.10 267.45VMART 2197.65 2210.00 2173.20 2177.95GULFOILLUB 788.00 824.00 781.60 790.60IFBIND 792.00 814.00 790.85 807.90NAVNETEDUL 80.95 82.00 80.10 80.70GILLETTE 5875.00 5875.00 5733.00 5761.00REDINGTON 134.80 136.90 134.35 135.30SOLARINDS 1020.50 1075.00 1020.35 1054.55SHRIRAMCIT 1083.25 1090.30 1075.00 1077.00JCHAC 2231.95 2251.50 2205.05 2212.80MASFIN 1007.00 1047.75 1007.00 1028.20FDC 346.15 349.00 343.50 344.60TTKPRESTIG 5803.10 5810.00 5732.20 5742.75GRINDWELL 625.00 637.00 619.00 633.00CERA 3210.00 3242.05 3184.90 3205.45KPRMILL 810.00 816.00 791.95 807.75JTEKTINDIA 80.40 81.65 79.45 79.65GARFIBRES 2196.35 2197.00 2150.90 2160.70SPANDANA 760.00 768.00 745.95 750.30IIFLWAM 992.75 1006.75 988.90 992.20NH 397.90 397.90 383.15 384.55SIS 461.60 467.00 458.65 461.60AKZOINDIA 2171.45 2189.90 2147.20 2172.95ORIENTREF 220.00 223.00 218.00 221.25RATNAMANI 1727.00 1727.00 1666.85 1670.95SCHAEFFLER 3984.70 3990.00 3918.45 3953.10ASTERDM 170.40 170.65 166.35 168.20STARCEMENT 87.30 92.35 87.30 90.85AAVAS 1659.50 1684.95 1651.00 1683.15TIMKEN 1172.95 1177.15 1153.00 1157.45KSB 570.00 572.20 563.60 566.85SFL 1610.00 1645.05 1602.65 1621.20LUXIND 1609.05 1615.40 1585.05 1593.55MAHLOG 394.00 399.30 392.25 395.10INDOSTAR 298.25 300.30 295.45 299.85HERITGFOOD 291.45 291.45 282.20 283.45ESABINDIA 1459.80 1470.90 1445.05 1451.20OMAXE 73.90 73.90 70.85 71.25

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SCRIP OPEN HIgh LOW LTP CHANGENIFTY 50 13215.30 13216.60 13107.90 13133.90 20.15MARUTI 7250.00 7782.85 7249.60 7735.00 528.50NTPC 95.85 99.15 95.30 98.80 4.00ONGC 85.40 89.00 85.00 88.40 3.55HINDALCO 234.60 243.15 233.10 241.20 9.35SBIN 249.30 259.00 248.00 256.40 9.45BAJAJFINSV 8831.00 9191.20 8811.10 9139.00 336.80ASIANPAINT 2340.00 2421.85 2316.25 2403.90 88.05UPL 446.75 458.90 437.50 455.65 13.70COALINDIA 131.35 134.00 129.25 133.50 3.75TATASTEEL 609.00 624.75 608.00 619.30 14.95BPCL 387.00 397.80 382.65 393.35 8.85HCLTECH 848.50 864.00 843.30 862.05 18.90DIVISLAB 3655.00 3724.90 3636.10 3715.60 76.05TITAN 1398.90 1424.00 1386.05 1416.90 27.90HDFCLIFE 626.10 650.70 625.00 648.55 12.05DRREDDY 4870.00 4939.00 4842.60 4939.00 88.75IOC 89.45 90.10 87.60 89.90 1.50GAIL 117.25 121.90 116.15 118.55 1.85NESTLEIND 17450.00 17540.05 17316.00 17500.00 233.55SHREECEM 24785.00 25040.60 24702.35 24930.00 294.30LT 1135.00 1137.45 1120.30 1126.00 12.25BRITANNIA 3647.00 3653.90 3608.05 3636.00 39.00BAJFINANCE 4865.00 4890.00 4817.00 4865.15 41.25SUNPHARMA 550.00 551.45 541.00 549.20 4.55TATAMOTORS 185.00 186.00 183.25 185.00 1.40EICHERMOT 2555.00 2580.00 2535.00 2549.95 17.45KOTAKBANK 1836.00 1844.00 1811.70 1825.00 10.80JSWSTEEL 370.00 374.30 367.70 370.55 2.15TECHM 913.00 920.60 902.95 913.00 4.30HEROMOTOCO 3156.00 3167.00 3125.50 3139.50 13.30CIPLA 760.00 764.80 756.05 761.50 3.15ICICIBANK 482.10 485.00 478.85 482.20 1.75WIPRO 364.00 364.00 358.00 360.05 1.15ITC 197.20 197.20 194.55 196.35 0.40RELIANCE 1972.00 1981.10 1958.65 1960.80 2.65INDUSINDBK 900.10 907.90 890.50 897.00 -0.30POWERGRID 195.00 195.10 191.00 193.50 -0.65HINDUNILVR 2153.00 2156.40 2120.10 2130.00 -9.30GRASIM 921.00 924.90 906.00 910.85 -4.65ADANIPORTS 442.00 444.50 433.05 435.85 -2.35ULTRACEMCO 4960.00 4960.00 4841.20 4895.00 -38.10AXISBANK 610.15 611.00 600.35 602.85 -5.25BHARTIARTL 487.10 489.15 474.00 479.90 -5.00HDFC 2287.00 2289.45 2235.00 2252.75 -23.60M&M 750.05 756.35 743.70 745.00 -8.60BAJAJ-AUTO 3368.70 3371.20 3281.00 3298.30 -39.85INFY 1147.00 1147.00 1122.70 1125.00 -15.90TCS 2773.90 2773.90 2700.80 2710.00 -39.55HDFCBANK 1429.00 1432.00 1374.05 1381.00 -25.95SBILIFE 880.00 881.00 851.40 858.00 -17.55

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SCRIP OPEN HIgh LOW LTP CHANGENIFTY NEXT 50 31157.95 31346.40 31074.20 31319.40 326.85BANKBARODA 54.65 58.70 54.35 58.40 4.30INFRATEL 226.00 247.25 222.15 238.45 13.65SBICARD 800.95 841.85 798.00 840.15 43.20PNB 34.35 36.05 34.15 35.75 1.80PEL 1430.00 1500.00 1426.00 1492.00 69.75PFC 109.70 116.00 109.60 114.75 5.05MARICO 381.00 392.00 379.30 391.55 12.90INDIGO 1606.00 1653.20 1606.00 1646.90 53.80PGHH 10651.95 11429.50 10490.35 10886.00 325.90CADILAHC 450.80 463.80 450.80 463.25 12.45HINDZINC 233.50 239.10 233.00 238.25 6.00HINDPETRO 215.85 220.90 214.50 219.95 5.25ADANITRANS 423.00 438.35 420.00 428.45 9.25NMDC 104.90 107.15 104.00 105.45 2.25MUTHOOTFIN 1165.00 1183.00 1155.05 1180.00 24.35SIEMENS 1516.20 1549.90 1503.70 1538.00 31.10ICICIPRULI 470.10 478.50 468.40 477.05 9.45MOTHERSUMI 157.80 158.00 155.00 156.25 3.05TATACONSUM 541.00 552.90 540.00 550.00 10.75CONCOR 415.00 422.90 407.00 417.95 8.15ALKEM 2819.85 2870.00 2797.80 2844.00 49.00PETRONET 255.00 257.20 251.50 256.20 3.85BAJAJHLDNG 3115.00 3150.00 3105.25 3149.00 44.45COLPAL 1524.50 1541.00 1518.00 1540.70 20.80PIDILITIND 1620.00 1620.00 1592.75 1620.00 20.25IGL 482.00 486.65 472.25 485.00 5.70AUROPHARMA 894.95 902.75 887.80 900.00 10.05OFSS 3025.00 3073.45 3018.00 3050.05 33.60BANDHANBNK 373.40 377.85 368.25 376.00 3.70BIOCON 430.00 439.50 429.35 434.00 3.70GICRE 140.00 141.90 139.10 140.80 1.15DLF 202.00 204.95 199.10 202.15 1.30MCDOWELL-N 571.00 575.75 565.25 572.40 3.00ABBOTINDIA 15215.25 15380.00 15215.00 15290.95 75.75HDFCAMC 2559.95 2578.00 2544.05 2567.00 11.95BERGEPAINT 667.80 673.65 663.25 668.00 2.80DMART 2460.10 2479.30 2440.00 2461.10 5.10UBL 1077.25 1081.95 1060.35 1070.55 1.75LUPIN 921.90 922.30 910.00 915.00 0.70DABUR 500.50 506.95 500.50 502.10 -0.40ADANIGREEN 1154.00 1159.90 1140.10 1145.00 -1.00AMBUJACEM 264.50 264.50 259.30 261.20 -1.30HAVELLS 841.90 841.90 826.10 832.00 -4.35GODREJCP 725.00 725.00 705.60 712.00 -5.90ACC 1739.75 1742.90 1707.10 1715.15 -14.10TORNTPHARM 2706.00 2718.00 2660.60 2666.05 -24.00NAUKRI 4205.00 4256.40 4141.15 4158.95 -46.05BOSCHLTD 13300.90 13350.00 12950.00 12968.85 -332.05ICICIGI 1516.55 1526.35 1476.80 1480.00 -41.55LTI 3400.00 3400.00 3280.00 3300.00 -93.75

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The Reserve Bank is likely tokeep the benchmark inter-

est rate unchanged at its bi-monthly monetary policyreview outcome to beannounced on Friday, but mayrevise growth estimates in viewof the September quarter GDPturning out to be better thanRBI’s earlier projections.

According to experts, thestubborn retail inflation, whichhas remained above the comfortlevel of the RBI of around 4 percent, will refrain the centralbank from reducing interestrate on Friday.

The RBI, however, isexpected to revise its growthprojections as the second quar-ter GDP numbers at –7.5 percent worked to be better than itsprojected contraction.

In its October monetarypolicy statement, the RBI hadsaid the real GDP growth in2020-21 was expected to be neg-ative at –9.5 per cent, with riskstilted to the downside: –9.8 percent in Q2:2020-21; –5.6 per centin Q3; and 0.5 per cent in Q4.

According to the FinanceMinistry’s Monthly EconomicReview, “The year-on-year GDPcontraction of 7.5 per cent in Q2of 2020-21 underlies a quarter-on-quarter surge in GDPgrowth of 23 per cent. This V-shaped recovery, evident at thehalf-way stage of 2020-21,

reflects the resilience androbustness of the Indian econ-omy”.

Meanwhile, SecretaryGeneral of industry bodyAssocham Deepak Sood saidthe focus of the bi-monthlyreview of the credit policy isexpected to be ensuring ade-quate liquidity into the system,retaining the policy stance asaccommodative.

“While the cut in repo ratemay not be announced tomor-row, the accommodative stanceshould assure the industry andthe market participants aboutthe RBI’s commitment to keepthe lending rates benign to givea continuous support to growth,especially in the post-Covidperiod,” he said.

Dhruv Agarwala, GroupCEO, Housing.com,Makaan.com andProptiger.com, said the RBIhad taken several favourablemeasures this year for the realestate sector. “However, thehopes have not died down as alot needs to be done.”

“The sector is, obviously,looking at a further reduction inhome loan interest rates.However, we feel that there ishardly a scope for a further ratecut this year. The sector shouldtry to utilise the opportunitiescoming out of the decisionstaken by the RBI in the last fewmonths,” he said.

A report by Yes Bank said

though India had officiallyentered into a technical reces-sion with second-quarter GDPprint, “we believe that we arepast the nadir in India’s growthtrajectory. The sharper thanexpected recovery in key eco-nomic indicators is suggestive ofthis view”.

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Domestic equity bench-marks ended marginally

higher on Thursday, with theNifty settling at a fresh record,amid mixed cues from globalmarkets.

After scaling an all-timeintra-day peak of 44,953.01, the30-share BSE Sensex paredsome gains to end 14.61 pointsor 0.03 per cent higher at44,632.65.

Similarly, the broader NSENifty touched a fresh intra-dayhigh of 13,216.60, before set-tling 20.15 points or 0.15 percent up at 13,133.90 — its life-

time closing high.Maruti was the top gainer

in the Sensex pack, rallyingaround 7 per cent, followed byONGC, Asian Paints, NTPC,SBI, Bajaj Finserv and TataSteel. On the other hand,HDFC Bank, TCS, Bajaj Auto,Infosys and M&M were amongthe laggards.

“Indian market openedmixed following mixed globalmarket cues in Asian markets.Trades in the global marketsalso remained lackluster...,” saidNarendra Solanki, head ofequity research (fundamen-tal), Anand Rathi.

During the afternoon ses-

sion, markets briefly traded inthe negative territory but laterscaled back to trade in the pos-itive zone.

On sectoral front, the gainswere led by metals, financialsand bank stocks while auto sec-tor traded marginally negative.

Elsewhere in Asia, bours-es in Hong Kong, Tokyo andSeoul ended with gains, whileShanghai was in the red.

Stock exchanges in Europewere trading on a negativenote in early deals.

Meanwhile, the global oilbenchmark Brent crude futuresrose 0.68 per cent to USD47.92 per barrel.

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The rupee weakened byanother 12 paise to end at

73.93 against the US dollar onThursday as investors remainedcautious ahead of the RBI pol-icy meet outcome.

Analysts said investorfocus is on the Reserve Bank ofIndia’s Monetary PolicyCommittee’s three-day interestrate-setting meeting that start-ed on Wednesday, with thedecision due on Friday.

At the interbank forexmarket, the domestic unit wit-

nessed a highly volatile tradingsession. It opened at 73.81and saw an intra-day high of73.68 and a low of 73.95.

It finally closed at 73.93 adollar, registering a decline of12 paise. This is the secondstraight session of decline forthe rupee, during which it haslost 25 paise.

“Indian rupee depreciateddespite weakness in dollar andrise in risk appetite in the glob-al markets as investorsremained cautious ahead of theRBI monetary policy meetingoutcome,” said Saif Mukadam,

research analyst at Sharekhanby BNP Paribas.

Meanwhile, the dollarindex, which gauges the green-back’s strength against a basketof six currencies, fell 0.12 percent to 91.00.

“The Indian rupee depre-ciated for the 2nd consecutivesession against the US dollar,weighed down by continuousdollar purchases likely fromthe central bank probably tomop up portfolio inflows,”said Sriram Iyer, seniorresearch analyst at RelianceSecurities.

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New Delhi (IANS): India’s services sector recovery weakenedin November despite further upturn in new work supported busi-ness activity growth.However, the sector reported the first risein employment for nine months. Moreover, the overall level ofpositive sentiment climbed to the highest since February amidpredictions that market conditions would normalise once a vac-cine for the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) is rolled out.

Accordingly, the seasonally adjusted India Services BusinessActivity Index reading remained above the critical 50 mark thatseparates growth from contraction for the second month in arow during November.Despite falling from 54.1 (index reading)in October to 53.7 (index reading) in November, the latest read-ing was still indicative of a solid pace of expansion.

Companies that signalled output growth commented on bet-ter demand conditions and a relaxation of Covid-19 restric-tions.”New business inflows likewise rose for the second straightmonth and solidly, despite growth easing from October.

According to survey participants, the increase in salesstemmed from a pick-up in demand, marketing efforts and theloosening of Covid-19 controls,” the IHS Markit reportsaid.”Underlying data suggested that the upturn in total new workwas driven by the domestic market, with new export ordersdecreasing sharply again in November.”Resultantly, the overallIndian private sector activity rose for the third straight monthin November, but the pace of growth softened from October’snear nine-year high.

��������������75,��,-����New Delhi (PTI): Gold price rose by �481 to �48,887 per 10 gramin the national capital on Thursday in-line with bullish trendsin global precious metal prices, according to HDFC Securities.The yellow metal had closed at �48,406 per 10 gram onWednesday. Silver price too went up by �555 to �63,502 per kilo-gram on Thursday. It was at �62,947 per kilogram in the previ-ous trade.

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New Delhi (PTI): The Indianeconomy is witnessing a V-shaped recovery as the GrossDomestic Product has recordeda quarter-on-quarter growth of23 per cent in the July-September quarter of this fiscal,according to the FinanceMinistry’s latest MonthlyEconomic Review. The declinein the GDP narrowed to 7.5 percent in the second quarter of thisfinancial year, over 23.9 percent in April-June quarter.

“The year-on-year GDPcontraction of 7.5 per cent in Q2of 2020-21 underlies a quarter-on-quarter surge in GDP growthof 23 per cent. This V-shapedrecovery, evident at the half-waystage of 2020-21, reflects theresilience and robustness of theIndian economy. The funda-mentals of the economy remainstrong, Monthly EconomicReview for November said.

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Beijing: China’s total fertility ratehas fallen below the warning lineand the population growth hasentered a critical turning point,Chinese Minister of Civil AffairsLi Jiheng has said amid demog-raphers warning that the coun-try’s population will soon startto decline.

Facing a demographic crisiswith a rapidly ageing populationafter implementing the decades-old one child policy, China per-mitted to have a second childsince 2016.

Now the demographers callon the government to immedi-

ately lift restrictions on havingbabies and be more toleranttoward babies born out of wed-lock, and do more to lower thecosts of raising and educatingchildren.

Li in an article said thatunder the influence of variousfactors, Chinese people are lesswilling to have children, the totalfertility rate has fallen below thewarning line, and the populationdevelopment has entered a crit-ical transition period, state-runGlobal Times reported onThursday. On November 1,China started the world’s biggest

exercise of population count todocument demographic changesin the country.

About seven million work-ers began a door to door surveyfor the seventh census in thecountry to account for China’spopulation stated to be 1.37 bil-lion in the last exercise con-ducted ten years ago.

The figures were expected toreveal more data related to thepopulation which is key forChina’s strategic development asthe second-largest economyafter the US and demographiccrisis faced by it. PTI

Copenhagen: A Hong Kongpro-democracy activist andformer lawmaker who is visit-ing Denmark said Thursday heis going into exile and will soonmove to Britain.

“I hereby announce that Iwill go into exile and will with-draw my membership in theDemocratic Party of HongKong to leave Hong Kong,” TedHui said in a statement to TheAssociated Press. “There is noword to explain my pain andit’s hard to hold back tears.”

It was not clear when hewould travel to Britain which,in response to a crackdown onopposition in Hong Kong, hasextended residency rights forup to 3 million Hong Kongerseligible for British National

Overseas passports, allowingthem to live and work there forfive years.

“My personal determina-tion is that my exile will not bea migration. My only home isHong Kong which is why I willnot apply for asylum in anycountry,” Hui said.

“I will wait for the day thatI can go home with the bells offreedom ringing in a free HongKong. Until my last breath I willfight to the end.

Revive Hong Kong, revo-lution now!” In July, anotherdemocracy activist, NathanLaw, left Hong Kong after tes-tifying in a U.S. Congressionalhearing about a tough newsecurity law imposed by main-land China on the semi-

autonomous territory.At first, he declined to dis-

close his whereabouts for safe-ty but later appeared inLondon.

“I will continue to fight onaboard and will make it my lifemission to widen Hong Kong’sinternational battle front withpeople like Nathan Law in theU.K.,” Hui said.

Hui was arrested in HongKong in May over an incident inthe Legislative Council in whichhe dropped a rotten plant andattempted to kick it at the body’spresident. He was able to get hispassport back from the govern-ment and a visa after receivingan invitation from Danish law-makers to travel to Denmark,where he arrived Tuesday. AP

Lahore: Mumbai terror attackmastermind and Jamat-ud-Dawa (JuD) chief Hafiz Saeed’sspokesperson Yahya Mujahidhas been sentenced to another15 years in jail by a Pakistanianti-terrorism court in a terrorfinancing case.

Mujahid was last monthhanded down 32 years jailterm by the anti-terrorismcourt (ATC) in two terrorfinancing cases.

Besides Mujahid, the ATCLahore on Wednesday alsohanded down 15 years impris-onment to JuD’s senior leaderZafar Iqbal and six months jailterm to Saeed’s brother-in-lawHafiz Abdul Rehman Makki.

Earlier, the ATC Lahorehad sentenced Iqbal for 26

years imprisonment in threesuch cases.

Judge Ijaz Ahmad Buttarannounced the verdict underdifferent provisions of the Anti-Terrorism Act 1997.

The three convicts werepresent in the court when thejudge announced the verdict.

The Counter TerrorismDepartment (CTD) of Punjabpolice had registered as manyas 41 FIRs against JuD leaders,including Saeed in differentcities. The trial courts have sofar decided 25 cases.

The ATC has sentencedSaeed for a collective imprison-ment of 21 years on terrorfinancing charges under sections11-N of Anti-Terrorism Act1997 in four cases so far. PTI

Washington: Advocates andlawyers anticipate a flurry ofclemency action fromPresident Donald Trump in thecoming weeks that could testthe limits of presidential par-don power.

Trump is said to be con-sidering a slew of pardons andcommutations before he leavesoffice, including potentiallymembers of his family, formeraides and even himself.

While it is not unusual forpresidents to sign controversialpardons on their way out thedoor, Trump has made clearthat he has no qualms aboutintervening in the cases offriends and allies whom hebelieves have been treatedunfairly, including his formernational security adviser,Michael Flynn.

The list of potential candi-dates is long and colorful:Trump’s former campaignchairman, Paul Manafort,imprisoned for financial crimesas part of the Russia investiga-tion; George Papadopoulos,who pleaded guilty to lying to

the FBI, just like Flynn; JosephMaldonado-Passage, aka “JoeExotic,” who starred in the theNetflix series “Tiger King”;and former contractors con-victed in a Baghdad firefightthat killed more than a dozencivilians, including women andchildren.

Trump, long worried aboutpotential legal exposure after heleaves office, has expressedworry to confidants in recentweeks that he, his family or hisbusiness might be targeted byPresident-elect Joe Biden’sJustice Department, althoughBiden has made clear he won’tbe part of any such decisions.

Nonetheless, Trump hashad informal conversationswith allies about how he mightbe able to protect his family,though he has not taken anysteps to do so.

His adult children haven’trequested pardons nor do theyfeel they need them, accordingto people familiar with thediscussions who spoke on con-dition of anonymity to discussprivate matters.

Trump has also discussedpotentially shielding himself,The New York Times firstreported.

In a video posted onFacebook on Wednesday, hemade a glancing reference tohis potential vulnerabilities.

“Now I hear that thesesame people that failed to getme in Washington have sentevery piece of information toNew York so that they can tryto get me there,” he said. AP

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Washington: Up soon forPresident-elect Joe Biden: nam-ing his top health care officialsas the coronavirus pandemicrages. It’s hard to imagine moreconsequential picks.

Already one prominentcandidate to lead theDepartment of Health andHuman Services has faded fromthe scene. New MexicoDemocratic Gov. Michelle

Lujan Grisham was offeredanother Cabinet post — interi-or secretary — and turned itdown, a person close to theBiden transition saidWednesday.

That person spoke on con-dition of anonymity to discussinternal deliberations. LujanGrisham’s office had no com-ment.

Biden is expected to

announce his choice for HHSsecretary next week. That indi-vidual has to have “the confi-dence of the president, the abil-ity to operate collaborativelyacross the government, credi-bility within the health careworld, and the capacity to workwith the states,” said formerHHS Secretary Mike Leavitt,who served under RepublicanPresident George W. Bush. AP

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Sacramento: Vice President-elect Kamala Harris has namedTina Flournoy, a veteranDemocratic strategist and aideto the Clintons, as her chief ofstaff, the transition teamannounced Thursday.

Flournoy’s appointment asHarris’ top staffer adds to a

team of advisers led by Blackwomen. Harris, who is ofJamaican and Indian heritage,is the nation’s first female vicepresident. Flournoy joinsAshley Etienne as Harris’ com-munications director andSymone Sanders as her chiefspokeswoman. AP

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Azerbaijani authorities dis-closed for the first time on

Thursday details of the coun-try’s military casualties in therecent fighting with Armenianforces over the separatist regionof Nagorno-Karabakh, whichwas halted last month by aRussian-brokered truce.

Azerbaijan’s DefenceMinistry said that 2,783 troopswere killed during the 44 daysof intense clashes, and 103 ofthem are yet to be identified.More than 100 servicemen areconsidered to be unaccountedfor, the ministry said, and 1,245are currently undergoing treat-ment in medical facilities.

President Ilham Aliyev said

earlier this week that 94Azerbaijani civilians were alsokilled and 400 more have beenwounded. On Thursday, hesigned a decree ordering amoment of silence at 12:00p.M. (0800 GMT) on Friday tohonor the victims of the fight-ing. Nagorno-Karabakh lieswithin Azerbaijan but has beenunder the control of ethnicArmenian forces backed byArmenia since a separatist warthere ended in 1994. That warleft Nagorno-Karabakh itselfand substantial surroundingterritory in Armenian hands.Heavy fighting erupted in lateSeptember, marking the biggestescalation of a long-simmeringconflict between the two ex-Soviet nations. AP

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Beijing: China on Thursdayaccused critics in the US gov-ernment of “an escalation ofpolitical suppression” againstBeijing following a report ofnew visa restrictions on mem-bers of China’s rulingCommunist Party and theirimmediate family members.

Foreign ministryspokesperson Hua Chunyingsaid China would “make rep-resentations” to the U.S.Following the report Thursdayin the New York Times thatsuch people would be limited toone-month, single-entry visas.

Hua called Washington’sapproach “totally inconsistentwith the US’s own interests,”and said it would damageAmerica’s global image. AP

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London: The massiveGreenland ice sheet could befacing a point of no return,beyond which it may no longerfully regrow, permanentlychanging sea levels aroundthe world, warns a new study.

Using computer simula-tions, the study, published inthe journal The Cryosphere,analysed how climate changecould lead to irreversible sea

level rise as temperatures con-tinue to rise and the Greenlandice sheet continues to decline.

While there were scenariosin which the ice sheet meltingcould be reversed, the scien-tists, including those from theUniversity of Reading in theUK, said these relied on actionsto counteract global warmingbefore it’s too late.

According to the

researchers, the ice sheet isseven times the area of the UK,and stores a large amount ofthe Earth’s frozen water.

In the research, the scien-tists simulated the effects ofGreenland ice sheet meltingunder a range of possible tem-perature rises, ranging fromminimal warming to worst-case scenarios.

At current rates of melting,

they said the ice sheet con-tributes almost one millimetreto sea level per year, account-ing for around a quarter of thetotal increase.

The researchers saiddespite seasonal periods ofgrowth, Greenland has lost3.5 trillion tons of ice since2003.

Under all future climateslike the present or warmer,

they found that the ice-sheetdeclined in size and con-tributed to some degree of sea-level rise.

Importantly, the scientistssaid there were scenarios inwhich the ice sheet meltingcould be reversed.

But these depended onactions to reverse global warm-ing before it’s too late, the sci-entists added. PTI

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���� ��� ����666However, they had never

kept these in mind. They said thefarm laws have been passed tobenefit big business and corpo-rate houses. Giving an exampleof sugarcane procurement, thefarmers’ organisations objectedto contract farming and point-ed out its drawbacks.

The 5-point set of demandscame two hours after the ongo-ing meeting which startedaround 12.30 pm at VigyanBhawan in presence of theCentre’s representatives:Agriculture Minister NarendraSingh Tomar and ConsumerAffairs, Food and PublicDistribution Minister PiyushGoyal. The Bharatiya KisanUnion, the Bharatiya KisanSanyukta Morcha and theKrantikari Kisan Union areamong the more than 34 farmunion representatives who putthe demand before the Centre tocall a special session ofParliament and frame a law onMSP. The farm unions werealso reportedly adamant ondemanding the Governmentrepealing its three farm lawsenacted in September during theMonsoon Session of Parliament.They have also put some otherdemands on behalf of thou-sands of farmers owing alle-giance to these organisations,huddled under the open sky inthe cold winter, refusing tobudge until their demands aremet. The meeting, which isexpected to play a major role infarmers’ future course of actionon whether they would contin-ue the protest or withdraw it, iscrucial as many of the farmers’demands would lead to newchallenges for the governmentwhose focus is to end the farm-ers’ agitation going on sinceNovember 26. Thousands ofprotesters have blocked fiveDelhi borders connectingChandigarh, Haryana and UttarPradesh crippling the chain ofsupply to the national Capital.

The meeting is also being attend-ed by Union Minister of State forCommerce Som Prakash andAgriculture Secretary SanjayAgarwal. The fourth round ofmeetings with the farmer lead-ers started at Vigyan Bhawanafter the earlier talks remainedinconclusive on December 1.

In the last meeting, thefarmers’ representatives hadunanimously turned down theCentre’s proposal of a specialcommittee to thrash out the dif-ferences and resolve concernsover the farm laws.

���������D8� 666However, people can travel

to Haryana through Dhansa,Daurala, Kapashera, Rajokri,NH-8, Bijwasan/Bajghera, PalamVihar and Dundahera borderpoints, the traffic police havesaid. The police also kept theHaryana-Delhi border at Singhuand Tikri closed for traffic for theeighth day on the trot.

“Singhu border is still closedfrom both sides. Lampur,Auchandi & other small bordersalso closed. Please take alternateroutes. Traffic has been divertedfrom Mukarba Chowk & GTKRoad,” the traffic police tweeted.

“Traffic is very heavy. Pleaseavoid Outer Ring Road fromSignature Bridge to Rohini &vice versa, GTK road, NH 44 &Singhu, Auchandi & Lampurborders,” it said. As traffic spilledover to alternate routes, it led tolong jams there as well.

On Wednesday, the farmershad demanded that a specialParliament session be convenedto repeal the three agriculturereform laws which were enact-ed in September. The farmers’unions also called for a nation-wide protest on Saturday tooppose what they claimed was“corporatisation” of farming.

Meanwhile, most of the pro-testers at Burari left on Thursdayto join others at Singhu and Tikriborders. “We are going at Tikriborder as our main protest is

going on borders not here,” saidRajendra, a farmer from Hisar inHaryana. At Singhu border, atJatha also joined the protest. TheJatha with eight horses and sev-eral men came from Punjab onThursday to join the protestors.A group of Muslim men fromPunjab also reached at Singhuborder and served food to pro-testers. “Most of the people fromour group were already here inthe protest but we came todayfrom Punjab. We are serving thefarmers sweet rice. We will stayhere for as long as the farmers arehere,” said Mohammad Furkaan(22), who has come from Punjab.

!����� ��� �666Guleria also said that in the

beginning, Covid-19 vaccinewill not be available in sufficientdoses to give to everyone. “Weneed a priority list to see that wevaccinate those who’ve highchances of dying due to Covid.Elderly, people with comorbidi-ties and front line workers shouldbe vaccinated first,” he added.Recently, Union Health SecretaryRajesh Bhushan had ruled outvaccinating entire populationstating that a few vulnerable peo-ple will be identified who will beinoculated. The AIIMS Directoralso said that once the boosterdose is given, vaccine will givegood amount of anti-body pro-duction and will start giving pro-tection. “This will last for manymonths giving protection for asignificant time when numberswill be less. We need to see typeof immunity vaccine gives,” headded.

�! ���������666Puri tweeted saying,

“Domestic operations recom-menced with 30K passengers on25 May & have now touched ahigh of 2.52 lakhs on 30 Nov2020. Ministry of Civil Aviationis now allowing domestic carri-ers to increase their operationsfrom existing 70% to 80% of pre-COVID approved capacity.” On

June 26, this was increased to 45per cent and on September 2, itwas further increased to 60 percent. On November 11, it wasincreased to 70 per cent.

:��� ������666He said these drones induct-

ed some days back into theNavy can remain in air for morethan 30 hours and are alreadyhelp in mounting surveillance onlarge areas of the strategicallyimportant Indian Ocean region.He also said these drones have tosome extent also aided the Navyovercome capability gap.

In the backdrop of the face-offs at the LAC and growingChinese maritime prowess in theIndian Ocean region, the Navychief said the service has a stan-dard operating procedure (SOP)in place in case there is anyinfringement there by theChinese research or other mar-itime ceases operating there. Healso said the warships wereactively deployed in deep seaspatrolling critical areas and var-ious choke points at the sea lanes.However, there were no infringe-ments by the Chinese in theregion so far, Singh said.

“As of now, three Chinesewarships are in the Indian Oceanregion. The Chinese have beenmaintaining three ships since2008 for anti-piracy patrols,” headded. Stressing the fact that theNavy is in the forefront of indi-genisation, Singh said at least 26ships inducted into the Navy inthe last six years were manufac-tured in India. He also said 41 ofthe 43 warships and submarineswill be built in India includingthe Indigenous Aircraft Carrier.

��������666He was asked about media

reports that China will build a‘super dam’ on the lower reach-es of the Yarlung Tsangbo riverin Tibet. “We have taken note of

some media reports in thisregard. The Government care-fully monitors all developmentson the Brahmaputra river,”Srivastava said.

Noting that issues relating totrans-border rivers are discussedwith China under the ambit ofan institutionalised expert levelmechanism as well as throughdiplomatic channels, the MEAspokesperson said, “We intend toremain engaged with China onthe issue of trans-border riversto safeguard our interests.”

The MEA spokesperson alsosaid that “as a lower riparian Statewith considerable establisheduser rights to the waters of thetrans-border rivers, theGovernment has consistentlyconveyed its views and concernsto the Chinese authorities andhas urged them to ensure that theinterests of downstream Statesare not harmed by any activitiesin upstream areas.”

In Beijing, the Chinese for-eign ministry said there is noneed to have “any anxiety” overthe project and that China willcontinue to have “good com-munication” with lower riparianStates -- India and Bangladesh.

On China’s plans to build thedam over the river near the Lineof Actual Control (LAC) nearArunachal Pradesh where theBrahmaputra enters India,Chinese Foreign Ministryspokesperson Hua Chunyingtold a media briefing that the“hydropower development inthe lower reaches of YarlungZangbo river is China’s legitimateright. When it comes to use anddevelopment of cross borderrivers, China always acts respon-sibly.”

“We have a policy featuringdevelopment and conservationand all projects will go throughscience-based planning andassessment giving full consider-ation to impact downstream

and accommodating the interestsof upstream and downstreamregions,” Hua said.

“The development of lowerreaches of Yarlung Zangbo is inthe early stages of planning andassessment. There is no need toread too much into that,” shesaid, and added that “going for-ward China, India, Bangladeshand other concerned countrieswill continue to have good com-munication. There is no need forany anxiety on this matter.”

BB�� ���� ��666JJP leaders claimed that

Chautala will resign from hispost if farmers were not given“justice” by the Centre. JJP hasasked the Centre to resolve thedemands of the farmers relatedto MSP as soon as possible, theysaid.

“The JJP has asked theCentral Government to consid-er the demands of the farmers.It is important to get an assur-ance from the Government onMSP. We are hopeful that theCentre will talk to the farmersand resolve the issue soon so thatthe deadlock can be broken,” saida JJP spokesperson. Nationalpresident of the JJP and formerMP Ajay Singh Chautala hadalso asked the Centre to bring alaw on MSP. Earlier, the ongoingfarmers agitation on the outskirtsof Delhi has led another NDAally Rashtriya Loktantrik Partyleader and Nagaur MPHanuman Beniwal asked theCentre and Union HomeMinister Amit Shah to immedi-ately withdraw the farm laws lesthe would quit the alliance. TheCongress in Rajasthan is seekingto bring Beniwal to its fold in theState, sources said.

���!����������666The return of the honours by

the two political veterans isbeing seen as symbolic of their

attempts to completely disasso-ciate themselves from the partythey were in alliance with.Notably, SAD had, in September,snapped ties with the BJP overthe farm Bills.

That was not all! OlympianPargat Singh, currently theCongress legislator, has alsoannounced to return his honours- Padma Shri and Arjuna awards.The list does not end here.Punjab’s sportspersons andOlympians have also written toPresident Ram Nath Kovind toreturn all the awards and hon-ours “bestowed by theGovernment of India” on them.As the farmers’ ongoing agitationagainst the Central farm legisla-tions, with its epicenter inPunjab, turning into a massmovement with people from allwalks of lives, notables or com-mon, joining in, the decision bythe “honoured”, especially Badal,to return the awards is expectedto put a huge pressure on theCentral Government.

��B���� �� �666“Politics will not be the

same again in Tamil Nadu. Weare going to see advisers likeManian leading the State to arenaissance and bring TamilNadu back to the national main-stream,” Srenivaas told ThePioneer.

S Gurumurthy, editor,Tughlaq and the State’s leadpolitical commentator, is of theview that Rajinikanth has thepotential to make a transforma-tion in the State because of hisbroad national outlook. “Wewill soon see Dravida politicsbeing pushed out from the State.There is going to be a refreshingchange,” said Gurumurthy.

The entry of Rajinikanth willsee electoral alliances in TamilNadu undergoing major changeswith more realignments, per-mutations and combinations.The coming day will see theDMK dumping the Congressand accepting the PMK as an

alliance partner. I do not rule outthe possibility of Rajinikanth, theBJP and Tamil Manila Congresscoming together in time for thepolls. Exciting things are on theanvil,” said Srenivaas.

According to Gurumurthy,the serious political vacuumexperienced in Tamil Nadu bythe departure of Jayalalithaa andKarunanidhi would be addressedto a great extent by Rajinikanth,the Maharashtrian-born formerbus conductor, who has emergedas a rallying point for people inall walks of life.

��������� �����666The Interpol has asked

police organisations to ensure“the safety of the supply chain”and said “identifying illicit web-sites selling fake products will beessential”.

“Criminal networks will alsobe targeting unsuspecting mem-bers of the public via fake web-sites and false cures, which couldpose a significant risk to theirhealth, even their lives,” InterpolSecretary General Jurgen Stocksaid in a statement.

“It is essential that lawenforcement is as prepared aspossible for what will be anonslaught of all types of crimi-nal activity linked to the Covid-19 vaccine, which is why Interpolhas issued this global warning,”the official said.

The Interpol cybercrimeunit has analysed that of 3,000websites associated with onlinepharmacies suspected of sellingillicit medicines and medicaldevices, around 1,700 containedcyber threats, especially phishingand spamming malware makingsuch operators even more potentof causing financial and healthharms, it said.

As a number of Covid-19vaccines come closer to approvaland global distribution, ensuringthe safety of the supply chain andidentifying illicit websites sellingfake products will be essential, itwarned.

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First things first, let me make onething straight, ‘introductory prices’

as well as extremely low prices of thebase version of new cars are nothingmore than a ploy to get prospective carbuyers into a showroom. Both of thesethings have a catch, for example, intro-ductory prices usually apply for a cer-tain number of units or have a limitedtime-frame. And as for the very lowprices of base specification models,you get almost no features. Yes, you willget four wheels and the engine, but read-ing the specifications for base modelsyou often realise just how featurelessthose cars are.

This isn’t true with all manufactur-ers but this is a major reason that basemodels rarely contribute more than 10per cent of overall unit sales of most cars.It is also a fact that during media dri-ves, we auto reviewers always get thefully-loaded variants, which in the caseof some cars cost a substantial bitmore, sometimes even 60-70 per centmore than the entry-level model. But itis also true that Indian car buyers likehaving features such as automatic trans-missions, smartphone connectivity andautomatic air conditioning, so much sothat nowadays, across all car brands,fully loaded models contribute almosta third of all units sold.

This brings us to the NissanMagnite, now you would have readabout the fantastic entry-price of this carat �4.99 lakh. However, I didn’t drive this

bargain basement priced car, I drove thetop-end XV Premium with the 1.0 litreturbocharged engine coupled to aContinuously Variable Transmission(CVT) gearbox. This variant had all thebells and whistles and cost a much moresubstantial �9.35 lakh ex-showroom.Personally speaking, I drove this vari-ant because this is the one that I wouldconsider. That said, I do believe that itwill be the variant one level below thetop-end, the XV that might be the best-seller. That loses things like the fabricinlays, a bit of chrome garnish and thereversing camera, but on the whole ispretty well-specced, although I reallyappreciate reversing cameras. Also, sev-eral electronic driving aids alike theVehicle Dynamic Control (VDC) andTraction Control System (TCS) areonly available on the variant with theTurbo engine.

Now let me explore the negativesand positives of this car, and there aremany to talk about. Let me start with theexteriors, the Magnite certainly haspresence, even though it gets the Datsunopen radiator grille instead of the tra-ditional Nissan ‘V’ grille. The headlights

and dropdown LED daytime runninglights along with the high ground clear-ance do give the car a road presence thathonestly is more imposing than some ofits major rivals like the Maruti Brezzaand Tata Nexon. One thing I really likedthe most was the fact that roof rails onthe Magnite are actually functional, youcan fit cross members and suitcases ontop as well. While it has an average bootfor its class, this additional storage areawill make life a lot easier during fully-packed long holiday drives.

My issues are more to do with theinteriors, where you do get a feeling thatthe Magnite is built to a cost when youtouch the plastics and the steeringwheel feel felt a bit off in my opinion.While the overall interior look is verymodern with the hexagonal aircondi-tioning vents, the feel could be better.That said, the eight-inch floating touch-screen on the top models, particularlythe seven-inch digital display in theinstrument cluster with its very large andnice font size and changing displays isdefinitely a major plus. On the top mod-els, you have a wireless charger andambient lighting at night, which doesgive a better feel to the car.

But let us get to the driving, andNissan’s turbopetrol engine. I drove thefour-cylinder variant of this engine onthe Kicks, but this 999cc three-cylinderunit produces an impressive 100PS ofpower and it is very smooth indeed. TheCVT gearbox delivers that power seam-lessly. On the highway and in the cityyou never feel wanting for power. Atcruising speeds on the highway, I got animpressive 16 kilometres per litre(kmpl), and on the crowded streets ofGurugram, the car gave an impressive13+ kmpl. This has a lovely engine andthe gearbox, the Magnite, unlike its big-ger and older sibling, the Kicks, alsohandles very well indeed. Issues? Well,the Magnite has some noise, vibrationand harshness problems. Of course, youcan listen to music to drown it out, butthere was a bit of rattle and hum aboutthe car. Nothing disconcerting though.

The car was a joyride. Yes, there isa price warrior feel to the interiorsalthough not to the exteriors. Theengine and gearbox are brilliant and ifyou keep the Korean cars in this segmentaside, it is very good. With its aggres-sive pricing, introductory or not, theMagnite might even attract small hatch-back buyers, folks looking at the Santroor WagonR, let alone small SUV buyers.Nissan’s sales and service has beeninconsistent till today, and that, and notthe car will be the brand’s biggest chal-lenge.

Winter is everyone’s favouriteseason to shower yourself withlove and some hot chocolate.

It’s a great time to pamper yourself butyou should not forget the cold-weatherwoes — dry, flaky skin, chapped lips and

unnecessary redness. As you step outevery day, your face is exposed to thechilling wind and dust. This can makeyour skin look dull. Hence, the change inweather calls for some changes on theskincare regimen too. Here are some waysto take care of your skin during winters.

���� !"�#$%��&Our skin condition gets impacted

during winters due to various internal andexternal factors. Internal factors like ourskin health and gut has a direct impact.Hence, it is very important to be mind-ful about what you eat, when you eat andhow much you eat. The season is full ofgoodies and lots of house parties, whichhas pleasant side effects. So it is advisableto regularly have a handful of nuts to keepyour skin nourished. Drink loads of waterto remain hydrated. Have food which isrich in vitamins and nutrients as our diet

plays a very important role in skinhealth. This also helps in delaying the age-ing process. Balanced diet can keep age-ing at bay for sure. External factor like the weather has animpact on our skin condition. On placeswhere weather is too cold and chilly, ourskin tends to get dry, itchy and flaky. Andheating on fireworks at-home, skin mayalready have taken a toll. But do notworry, right skin care routine will ensurethat glow on your skin.

��'#(%����$�)!���� �#�You must ensure that you prepare

yourself multi-dimensionally for thechange as per the season. It can be prepar-ing your home, switching to the right prod-ucts, or a balance diet. Winter means drierair. Hence, it is important to have the rightelectronic gadget at home which will helpin maximising the level of water in the air.Therefore, investing in humidifier wouldbe a perfect idea for the season. This waythe moisture level in the room remainsintact and helps skins epidermal layer toretain hydration and natural moisture.Also, ensure a safe distance from the heater.

$'*���$"+*)*"�)#$',�-�*�!+%(Apply right products on your skin,

use heavy cream instead of a moisturis-er as it has rich ingredients like hyaluron-ic acid which helps in retaining naturalmoisture and hydration. Use antioxidant-rich products for skin and as well as diet.It is advisable to use alcohol-free prod-ucts as they are good for any season. Ourskin, be it is summer, monsoon, autumnor winter, gets affected by free radicalswhich eventually leads the skin to prema-ture ageing, fine lines. To keep fine linesand premature ageing at bay one can con-tinue to use the year sunscreen. Anotherexcellent product to keep fine lines andpremature ageing at bay is Retinal A.Whether indoor or outdoor, vitamin Crich products which will help in boost-ing collagen.

"**.� *��&#�%"#���&�#��#�%(Look for calming and natural ingredi-

ents such as aloe vera, vitamins etc. Just assunblock plays an essential role all roundthe year, similarly, exfoliator plays animportant part in keeping skin soft and sup-ple. Use any gentle exfoliator on your skin

atleast two times a day to keep away thosedry flaky layer on your skin. Check yourskin type and decide on scrubbing. Thosewho have very sensitive skin may use some-thing very gentle like oatmeal as an exfo-liator. There are gentle peels available in themarket like a glycolic or lactic peel. One cando a patch test behind their ear, if no irri-tation or redness occurs, you are good togo and use it to remove dead cells. One canalso use a muslin cloth as a gentle exfolia-tor for face. People use it to keep theunwanted facial hair at bay and also anykind of congestion on the face. Retinal A is a great source of exfoliation.One must patch test before using any newproduct behind the ears. Always use agood heavy cream post usage of a chem-ical peel or retinal A. Do ensure to usesunblock. Do not step out onto directsunlight.

()*�%#��,*!��()*�#��%����&With winters, shower temperature

becomes hot. But keep shower timingshort. A hot shower can ultimatelyimpact to premature ageing of our skinand may also dehydrate one’s skin. Keep

the shower a less hot and short. Use alco-hol-free and creamy shower wash insteadof those harsh soap which has tons ofalcohol and takes away the natural mois-ture. Apply body cream post shower toretain the hydration.

��&)%�(.��+$�#�The most important step of the

skincare regimen is night care. It is thetime when our skin does all the repair-ing job. Hence opt for products which aremore of curing and repairing in natureas per your skin type. I suggest doublecleansing your face to remove dirt, oil andmakeup. Start with a face oil followed bya gentle moisturiser. Then use eye creamfor eye contour. I mix drops of vitaminC oil with anti-ageing night repair creamfor both, face and neck. Then use foot andhand cream. Also use sleeping mask forlips to keep it from drying due to theweather. Avoid any kind of mud or clayproducts during dry skin. It may furthermake your skin dryer. Keep your skin anddiet healthy.

(The writer Rukshmani Thakkar isTechnical Head-Skin, Enrich.)

Artistes are unstoppable and theyalways have the onus of entertain-

ing, regardless of what they might begoing through. Comedian-actor VirDas took the responsibility of spreadingcheer and ended up creating the first-of-its-kind homegrown comedy specialOutside In from 30 virtual shows that hedid during the lockdown. Though theshow itself started off as a one off gig inApril but as the demand continued, heconverted into a continual series thatkept his fans laughing together despitethe world undergoing heightened anx-iety and pressures created due to thelockdown.

After having started the year witha special called Vir Das : For India, thistime around Vir gave his audience a tasteof how a virus ended up uniting theentire globe at the same time. The showoriginally premiered on his website forcharity but will now make it on Netflixon December 16, thus making sure weend the year on a sweet note.

Capturing the mundaneness ofbeing stuck at home, the special hassome unique and heartwarming storiesabout the everything that the lockdownput us through. From a young man whocan’t find his favourite ice cream flavourto lovers separated in different citiesweeks ahead of their engagement to aman hoping to dine with his girls soonto a nurse who is on COVID duty every-day, the show captures lives of diversepeople who are all waiting for the samething — the world to go back to normal.

In a statement, Vir said, “Therecouldn’t have been a better way to endthe year and I say this beyond my per-sonal reasons. The special was ashowreel of everything that we’ve gonethrough this year and how as humanbeings we went through the same emo-tions at the same time. It was my mostfulfilling piece of work because even foran hour I could make people smile whenthey needed it the most. And we raisedmoney for charity while doing it. Thisspecial is dedicated to each of us whosurvived a horrific year and hopefullywe carry forward the lessons to 2021.”

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We can notice a certain change to thewinter vibe this year as the seasonof sweaters, shawls and multiple

cups of hot chocolate begins. It has becomeimperative to consume healthy food andmaintain a balanced diet. There is a risingawareness about strengthening the immunesystem in these challenging times.

Due to social distancing norms andrestrictions, people are spending more timeindoors and the cold weather has had a directimpact on our bodies. A compromisedimmune system results in frequent cold andcough, which is why maintaining the rightdiet is essential.

The foundation of general health andwell-being is a diverse diet and consuminghealthy food. Fruits and vegetables are justthe beginning and have a huge impact on ourimmune system. So it is important to suffi-ciently include them in your diet. Takingadvantage of the seasonal fruits and vegeta-bles available is an absolute necessity. Let uslook at the easily available things at the localsupermarkets that can be consumed to keepyour immunity in check during winter.Across cafeterias, we have salad bars andfocus on serving a variety of menu items con-taining ingredients that are good indicatorsof immunity and have distinctive taste.

��&�#��#�%(� �*��%)#�.�%+)#�We must also include certain ingredients

in our home kitchens for regular usage. Inaddition, we also can take advantage of thethings that are easily available like green tea.It acts as a great antioxidant and includeshigh immunity-boosting elements. Sweetpotatoes are also available in plenty during

these months. Peanuts are packed with plen-ty of energy-boosting ingredients. Multiplethings can be made from peanuts by eitherboiling them or preparing a chutney.

Apart from this, carrots and mushroomsare the go-to ingredients in winters due totheir various benefits. Mushrooms can beconsumed just by sautéing or preparing agravy as made by a lot of Indian kitchens.Immunity-boosting elements like parsleyprotects us from chronic diseases and are richin vitamins. Ginger tea made with cinnamonand cloves always keeps us fresh and nour-ished.

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The making of traditional Kaadah, apotion that is considered as the best solutionto build a healthy immune system involvesthe usage of secret ingredients — herbs andspices. Some of the herbs that grow well dur-ing winter are mint, peppermint, basil,lemongrass and sage.

As we near Christmas, we have turkeystuffed with sage. Basically, when con-sumed raw by grilling or sautéing, it providesthe important elements to strengthen theimmune system.

�!�%(A lot of fruits and vegetables that are

native and healthy are available in these coldmonths as this is the most appropriate tem-perature for them to grow — papaya, pam-plemousses or pomelo or grapefruit (a cit-rus fruit), melons, grapes, gooseberries,guavas, kiwi and pomegranate, to name a few.These fruits contain plenty of vitamins to

fight a flu.For instance, eating one gooseberry is

equivalent to the total amount of VitaminC needed by a human body for a day,according to scientific reports.

'#&#%$�"#(A few vegetables that are commonly

consumed and available in plenty with highimmunity-boosting power during wintersare broccoli, ginger, spinach and arugula,which is a peppery, distinctive-tasting greenand is immensely beneficial. They are thebest natural remedies to protect the immunesystem.

All these things are usually grown in theopen during winter. They are cultivatedunder modified temperature-controlledzones like a greenhouse throughout the year.But during this time, they are grown in theopen and result in giving better immunityboosting power they grab the naturalessence through air and sunlight. Hence,using them in the correct manner and cook-ing them without killing those essentialnutrients is crucial.

%)#��#(%��#��+��#Well, healthy food is the best and nat-

ural medicine for all our ailments becausewe are basically what we eat. One tip: waterinfused with these immune-boosting spicesshould be kept at accessible places for peo-ple to consume regularly. One must get intothe habit of a balanced diet that provides allthe nutrition required to keep your healthin check.

(The author is the Managing Partner,Elior India.)

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In a unique study, researchershave claimed that chemical com-

pounds in foods or beverages likegreen tea, muscadine grapes anddark chocolate can bind to andblock the function of a particularenzyme, or protease, in the SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible forCOVID-19.

“Proteases are important to thehealth and viability of cells andviruses. If proteases are inhibited,cells cannot perform many impor-tant functions for example, repli-cation,” said study author De-YuXie from the North Carolina StateUniversity in the US

“One of our lab’s focusses is tofind nutraceuticals in food ormedicinal plants that inhibit eitherhow a virus attaches to humancells or the propagation of a virusin human cells,” Xie added.

In the study, published in thejournal Frontiers in Plant Science,the research team performed bothcomputer simulations and labstudies showing how the so-called“main protease” (Mpro) in theSARS-CoV-2 virus reacted whenconfronted with a number of dif-ferent plant chemical compoundsalready known for their potentanti-inflammatory and antioxi-dant properties.

“Mpro in SARS-CoV-2 isrequired for the virus to replicateand assemble itself. If we caninhibit or deactivate this protease,the virus will die,” Xie said.

Computer simulations showedthat the studied chemical com-pounds from green tea, two vari-eties of muscadine grapes, cacaopowder and dark chocolate wereable to bind to different portionsof Mpro.

“Mpro has a portion that is likea ‘pocket’ that was ‘filled’ by thechemical compounds. When thispocket was filled, the protease lostits important function,” Xieexplained.

Lab experiments also showedsimilar results. The chemical com-pounds in green tea and musca-dine grapes were very successful atinhibiting Mpro’s function; chem-ical compounds in cacao powderand dark chocolate reduced Mproactivity by about half.

“Green tea has five testedchemical compounds that bind todifferent sites in the pocket onMpro, essentially overwhelming itto inhibit its function,” Xie said.

“Muscadine grapes containthese inhibitory chemicals in theirskin and seeds. Plants use thesecompounds to protect themselves,so it is not surprising that plantleaves and skin contain these ben-eficial compounds,” the authornoted.

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Neymar’s brace helpedParis Saint-Germain to avital 3-1 win over

Manchester United onWednesday that took the Frenchclub to within touching distanceof the Champions League last 16,while Olivier Giroud scored allfour goals in Chelsea’s 4-0thumping of Sevilla.

Elsewhere, BorussiaDortmund secured their quali-fication for the next round.

PSG could have been on thebrink of elimination from GroupH with a defeat at Old Traffordbut Neymar put last season’srunners-up ahead in the sixthminute and the world’s mostexpensive player sealed their vic-tory in stoppage time.

In between, MarcusRashford’s shot went in offDanilo Pereira to bring Unitedlevel in the first half, andEdinson Cavani hit the baragainst his former club.

Marquinhos prodded theFrench champions back in frontmidway through the secondhalf and the game appeared upfor Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s sidewhen Fred was sent off for a sec-ond yellow, having been fortu-nate to escape a red card earlyon.

Neymar’s late clincher couldprove crucial as it gives PSG thehead-to-head advantage (in atwo-way tie) following United’s

2-1 win in Paris in October.There is a three-way tie on

nine points at the top of thegroup with RB Leipzigright in contentionafter Norwegian strik-er Alexander Sorlothscored in injury timeto give them a 4-3 vic-tory at IstanbulBasaksehir.

Irfan Can Kahveci’s superbhat-trick looked to have rescueda draw for Basaksehir as theycame back from 3-1 down todraw level. Yussuf Poulsen,Nordi Mukiele and Dani Olmoalso scored for Leipzig.

But the German side scoreda stunning later goal to throwGroup H wide open.

It all means PSG nowneed only draw at home toBasaksehir next week toqualify.

“We have almost qual-ified, which means we havenot qualified yet. That is thereality. Being almost preg-

nant does not mean you arepregnant,” said PSG coachThomas Tuchel.

United also only require apoint when they visit Leipzig,but will be out if they lose, whilethe Germans would in that case

go through.Dortmund secured their

progress after a 1-1 draw athome to Lazio in Group F,despite losing Erling BrautHaaland to a leg injury.

Raphael Guerreiro put theGermans in front but CiroImmobile’s penalty against hisold side brought Lazio level.

Lazio will join Dortmund inthe next round if they avoiddefeat against Club Brugge nextweek.

The Belgians are two pointsback and still in contentionafter beating Zenit Saint-Petersburg 3-0, with teenageBelgian international Charles DeKetelaere putting them ahead,Hans Vanaken adding a penal-ty and Noa Lang also scoring.

������������ �The performance of the

evening came from Giroud, asthe France striker scored all fourgoals in Chelsea’s 4-0 win awayto Sevilla.

On just his second start thisseason, Giroud produced twolovely finishes before heading into make it 3-0 and then winningand converting a late penalty.

The 34-year-old is the old-

est player to score a hat-trick inthe competition sinceHungarian great Ferenc Puskasin 1965 for Real Madrid againstFeyenoord.

Both teams were alreadythrough but the win allowedChelsea to secure top spot inGroup E.

“Amazing solo performancefrom Olivier. Delighted withhim, delighted with the team,”Chelsea manager FrankLampard, the last Chelsea play-er to score four goals in a gamein 2010, told BT Sport.

In the same group, MarcusBerg’s goal gave Krasnodar a 1-0 win over Rennes, meaning theRussians will play in the EuropaLeague in the new year.

����������� �������History was made in Turin

as France’s Stephanie Frappartbecame the first woman to ref-eree a men’s Champions Leaguegame when Juventus beatDynamo Kiev 3-0.

The game was also notablefor Cristiano Ronaldo scoringhis 750th career goal, his record-extending 132nd in theChampions League.

Federico Chiesa and Alvaro

Morata also scored for Juve, whohad already qualified fromGroup G before the game, alongwith Barcelona.

The Catalans kept up theirperfect record and stayed oncourse to win the group by beat-ing Ferencvaros 3-0 in Budapestwithout the rested Lionel Messi.Antoine Griezmann and MartinBraithwaite netted beforeOusmane Dembele converted apenalty.

���������������������� 8��� Stephanie Frappartbecame the first woman to ref-eree a men’s Champions Leaguegame during Juventus 3-0 winover Dynamo Kiev.

The 36-year-old Frapparthas already made history as thefirst woman to referee in Ligue1, and took charge of the 2019Uefa Super Cup final betweenLiverpool and Chelsea. Shealso made her Europa Leaguedebut in October.

“Another barrier has beenbroken down, we know that sheis very good, which is the mostimportant and fundamentalthing,” Juventus chief footballofficer Fabio Paratici said.

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Short of resources in ODIs,India will have enoughoptions to choose from to

pose a stiffer challenge toAustralia when the two sidesclash in a three-match T20 seriesbeginning at Manuka Oval onFriday.

The 1-2 ODI series loss reaf-firmed that India have a lot ofwork to do in the 50-over formatbut they possess a much more bal-anced squad in the shortest for-mat.

Before the pandemic sus-pended sporting activities aroundthe world, India had blankedhosts New Zealand in a five-match series and they will be tak-ing a lot of confidence out of thatresult into the contest againstAustralia.

The presence of WashingtonSundar, Deepak Chahar and TNatarajan, who did well on hisODI debut on Wednesday, lendsmuch-needed balance to thebowling department.

Sundar will be high on con-fidence after a solid IPL whereRoyal Challengers Bangalore andIndia skipper Virat Kohli usedhim effectively in the powerplayand middle overs.

With Hardik Pandya notbowling regularly, India had onlyone specialist all-rounder inRavindra Jadeja in the one-day-ers.

However, in the T20s, Kohli

will also have the services ofSundar in both the departmentsand there is a possibility thatHardik can roll his arm over fora brief spell like he did from thesecond ODI onwards.

Yorker specialist Natarajan,who was a late addition to theODI squad, could also make hisT20 debut on Friday havingshown enough promise in hismaiden international appearance.

Unlike the SCG, the ManukaOval surface had enough for boththe spinners and pacers. It will beinteresting to see who opens up thebowling alongside Jasprit Bumrahwith the toss-up being betweenMohammad Shami and DeepakChahar.

Yuzvendra Chahal, who had aforgettable outing in the ODIs, willalso be looking to bounce back.

In batting, K L Rahul, whobatted at five in ODIs, is expectedto go back to his preferred open-ing slot alongside ShikharDhawan.

The in-form wicketkeeperbatsman had also opened in theprevious series against NewZealand and would be expected to

bat the bulk of the 20 overs like hedid so well in the IPL.

Skipper Kohli looked in goodtouch in ODIs and will be aiming

to build on that while number fourShreyas Iyer will be targetting bigscores from great starts like he didin the preceding three-match

series.As Kohli mentioned, the win

in the inconsequential third ODIwas just the kind of result theyneeded ahead of the T20 series,else the tour would have gottenharder.

Australia, after naming thesame squad for ODIs as well asT20s, would be backing them-selves to beat India after a clini-cal display over the last one weekdespite injury concerns.

Star batsman David Warneris unavailable due to a groininjury and it remains to be seenif Marnus Labuschagne comesalongside skipper Aaron Finch onFriday like they both did a nightago.

Marcus Stoinis would havebeen another good openingoption with Finch but he too is adoubtful starter due to a sideinjury he suffered during theODIs.

Mitchell Starc, who was rest-ed on Wednesday, is expected toreturn to bolster the attack evenas the side misses the services ofPat Cummins, who has beenrested as part of the his workloadmanagement.

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Wary of the “huge threat” the Indian pacers poseto them, Australia Test opener Joe Burns on

Thursday said they will use the tour games to land thefirst punch and put the visitors on the back foot beforethe four-match series begins on December 17.

The Australians have already made a statementof sort with their dominant ODI series win as theirbatsmen came down heavily on the fancied Indianbowlers. Before India and Australia begin the Test bat-tle, the visitors are scheduled to play two three-day tourgames against Australia A.

India A, which features Test specialists, will takeon Australia A in the first three-day game, startingDecember 6. The second tour match, scheduled tobegin from December 11, will be played with pink ball.

“The focus is always about trying to win gamesand starting this week with Australia A, it’s about get-ting our preparations sorted for the Test series but alsoputting India on the back foot, landing the first punchand making sure they don’t take any momentum intowhat’s going to be a fantastic series,” Burns said at avirtual news conference.

Burns said India have a skillful bowling attack,spearheaded by Jasprit Bumrah, and they have to “startwell” against them.

“It’s the role of the openers. It’s not always the runsyou make. Sometimes it’s the balls you can face andthe pressure you can absorb that goes a long way togetting results.

“Their bowling attack has stayed together for along time now, so we’ve all seen their bowlers, butthey’re very skillful and they’re going to pose a hugethreat. They’re a team that you can’t take lightly, they’rea world class outfit and their bowling attack plays abig part in that.”

“We’ll prepare really well for this game and do asmuch preparation as we can (for Adelaide Test) andmake sure we are really prepared for a really tough bat-tle. If we can start well it’s going to go a long way towinning the series.”

Burns said spending time in the middle duringthe A games will help them get a measure of the vis-iting batsmen and bowlers.

“So by the time we get to that first Test we’ll beas best prepared as possible,” he said.

The 31-year-old, who has appeared in just 21 Testssince making his debut against India in December2014, has been struggling of late. His top-score was29 from five innings in Sheffield Shield.

������()&�1+�14

Neymar dropped a bomb-shell on Wednesday as he

followed up scoring twice forParis Saint-Germain in their 3-1 Champions League win overManchester United by revealinghis desire to reunite with LionelMessi next season.

The Brazilian enjoyed foursuccessful seasons alongside thesix-time Ballon d’Or winner atBarcelona before making aworld record 222 million euromove to the French capital in2017.

“It’s what I most want, toenjoy being with him on thefield again,” Neymar, whosecontract at PSG runs until 2022,told ESPN.

“I want to play with him for

sure, next year we have to do it.”Neymar was heavily linked

with a return to Barcelona in2019, but the Catalan giants wereunable to fund an acceptableoffer for PSG.

Barca have had to agreesalary cuts worth 122 millioneuros in players’ salaries this sea-son to help offset the financialhole left by the coronaviruspandemic and are highly unlike-ly to be in a position to bringNeymar back next year.

Instead, it is Messi whocould be on the move as theArgentine is out of contract atthe end of the season and pub-licly expressed his desire toleave in August.

“He can play in my position,there is no problem,” Neymarjoked. “Take me out.”

� � � )12�13��

The BCCI will hold itsAnnual General

Meeting on December 24 todiscuss the induction oftwo new IPL franchisesbesides the appointment ofIndia’s ICC representativeand three new nationalselectors.

Also on the agenda isthe election of a new vice-president. As per norm,the BCCI has sent a 23-point agenda to all affiliat-ed units 21 days prior to theholding of the AGM.

The most significantpoint is seeking approvalfor two new teams to makeit a 10-team IPL.

It is understood that theAdani Group and SanjeevGoenka’s RPG (owners ofthe Rising PuneSupergiants) are interestedin owning new teams with

one franchise surely fromAhmedabad.

Another importantpoint will be BCCI’s repre-sentative to the ICC and theAsian Cricket Council. It isexpected that secretary JayShah will be the BCCI rep-resentative in the globalcommittees.

Appointment of threenew selectors, along with achairman of selectors, isalso on cards given thatCricket Committees andStanding Committees arepart of the agenda.

The agenda alsoincludes discussion onIndia’s Future ToursProgram for 2021, prepa-ration with regards toorganisation of next year’sT20 World Cup (includesthe ICC tax issue) andinclusion of cricket in the2028 Los AngelesOlympics.

�9��9� Former fast-bowling starBrett Lee has questionedAustralia’s decision to rest pacespearhead Pat Cummins afterjust two games against India in therecently-concluded ODI series.

Cummins, who was part ofAustralia’s England tour in Augustand also played for KolkataKnight Riders in the IPL, was rest-ed for the final ODI and will alsomiss the upcoming T20 series aspart of his workload management.

“It probably wouldn’t havebeen his call, he probably would

have wanted to play, the playersgenerally want to play,” Lee toldFoxsports.Com.Au.

“I would have thought after acouple of games they shouldn’t betired. I always found that for myrhythm personally that the moregames I played the better rhythmI had,” Lee added.

Lee opined that a player canbe rested if he is nursing an injurybut a fit one should be playing asmany as possible.

“If I had a week’s break,whether it be a break in the tour-nament or whether I was rested,it’s almost like you’ve got to goback and find that rhythm again,”he said.

“There could be a guy who iscarrying a hamstring injury or alittle niggle, shoulder might be abit sore, and the best way to getthem into their best preparationis to have a few days off. “That’sfine but if they’re fully fit theyshould be playing.” PTI

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Senior South Africa batsman Fafdu Plessis has been rested for the

upcoming three-match ODI seriesagainst England, Cricket SouthAfrica confirmed on Thursday.

Along with du Plessis, KagisoRabada, Pite van Biljon, BjornFortuin and Reeza Hendricks havealso been released from the squad.

Faf played all the three T20Isandscored 121 runs, with his high-est score being 58 which came in thefirst T20I.

South Africa squad: Quinton deKock (captain), Temba Bavuma,Junior Dala, Beuran Hendricks,Heinrich Klaasen, George Linde,Keshav Maharaj, Janneman Malan,David Miller, Lungi Ngidi, AnrichNortje, Andile Phehlukwayo,Tabraiz Shamsi, Lutho Sipamla,Jon-Jon Smuts, Glenton Stuurman,Rassie van der Dussen, KyleVerreynne.

����� +(9��4

Romain Grosjean ‘saw death’after he left the hospital on

Wednesday following his dra-matic escape from a fiery high-speed crash in last weekend’sBahrain Formula One GrandPrix.

Haas driver Grosjeansomehow wrenched himselffree from his blazing car withjust burns to his hands and a

broken left foot after a collisionwith Daniil Kvyat on the firstlap of Sunday’s race, and wastreated in a military hospital inBahrain.

“I saw death too closely.You can’t live that and be thesame man,” said Grosjean.

The 34-year-oldFrenchman was stuck in his carfor nearly half a minute beforegetting out alive, largely thanksto the car’s survival cell, his so-

called ‘halo’ device.He described the crash,

which he said “was not themost violent” of his F1 careerand the subsequent fire fromwhich he managed to flee withminor injuries.

“I undid my seat belt rightaway and I tried to get out ofthe car, but I realised my hel-met was hitting something,”Grosjean said, his voice trem-bling.

“I sat back down, toldmyself that I was stuck and thatI’ll wait.

“But on my left, it was allorange and I realised that it wasburning. I told myself: ‘Notime to wait, I’m going to try toget out on the right’, but Icouldn’t. I couldn’t get out onthe left either.

“I thought: ‘It can’t end likethis, not now’. I tried to get outagain, but I couldn’t, so I satdown and I saw death, not closeup, but from too close... It’s afeeling that I wish on no-one.”

����� �(��3�<)

The West Indies delight at winning thetoss on a lush green wicket turned to

frustration as New Zealand were rarely trou-bled in posting 243/2 on day one of the firstTest in Hamilton on Thursday.

Kane Williamson, despite being trou-bled with cramp late in the day, produceda masterful innings to be unbeaten on 97at stumps with Ross Taylor on 31.

Williamson featured in a 154-run standwith Tom Latham for the second wicketbefore Latham was bowled for 86.

After the start of play was delayed twohours by rain, the West Indies were delight-ed to win the toss with an emerald wicketthat potentially offered untold demons fortheir pace attack.

But after Shannon Gabriel bowledWill Young early for five, the tourists found

they did not getting the assistance theyexpected from the wicket.

Williamson, who will resume on Fridayrequiring just three runs to register his 22ndTest century, worked patiently with Latham

for more than 50 overs, waiting for bad ballsto hit as the pair were rarely tempted to playshots at anything else.

Gabriel, Kemar Roach and Holdercould not keep a consistent line and saw rarechances spoiled by fielding errors.

The 2.01 metre (6ft 7in) Holder usedhis height to extract some bounce but theno-risk approach of Latham andWilliamson served only to tire the bigBarbadian.

Wicketkeeper Shane Dowrich had anuncomfortable day by failing to get a gloveto a chance from Young and then he did notappeal when it appeared he had caughtLatham on 43 off Holder, who also keptquiet.

On 80, Latham was well out of hiscrease when he aborted an attemptedcheeky single, but Shamarh Brooks’ shy atthe stumps went well wide.

� ��� &()%144(

Young Australian all-rounderCameron Green is in awe of the

Indian team’s “quality” spin attackand feels no amount of researchwork can prepare one for the on-field experience.

The prodigiously talented Greenmade his international debut in thethird ODI against India. AlthoughAustralia lost the fixture by 13runs, the rookie gained crucialmatch experience in the middle.

“Their spinners, I haven’t facedquality like that,” Green was quot-ed as saying by cricket.Com.Au.

The 21-year-old came in atnumber five on Wednesday and hita boundary and a six before asuperb catch by Ravindra Jadejaended his debut innings on 21.

“Jadeja is a beautiful bowler who

knows exactly what he’s trying to do:Spin some away from you and dartone back in.

“You can do as much researchand watch as much footage as youwant to get an understanding howthey bowl. But it’s a different beastout in the middle. I will take a lotout of it,” Green said, referring toKuldeep Yadav and Co.

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Intellectual Property Center, 28 Upper McKinley Rd.

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Artist Titles Category VCD Ai Iijima Gold Jav Rape Madness ...

tugas akhir - rd 141558 - ITS Repository

tugas akhir - rd 141558 - ITS Repository

Remodeling of second-order neurons in the retina of rd/rd mutant mice

Remodeling of second-order neurons in the retina of rd/rd mutant mice

ANALISIS SKRIPSI BERJUDUL : ANALISIS DAN PERANCANGAN SISTEM INFORMASI PENYEWAAN VCD BERBASIS KOMPUTER PADA KARTIKA RENTAL VCD DI RANGKASBITUNG

ANALISIS SKRIPSI BERJUDUL : ANALISIS DAN PERANCANGAN SISTEM INFORMASI PENYEWAAN VCD BERBASIS KOMPUTER PADA KARTIKA RENTAL VCD DI RANGKASBITUNG

RD 10 167 - ERIC

RD 10 167 - ERIC

MATHS BOOKS RD SHARMA MATHS (HINGLISH) SURFACE ...

MATHS BOOKS RD SHARMA MATHS (HINGLISH) SURFACE ...

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7Rc^Vcd cV[VTe DYRY `WWVc dVe eR]\ eVc^d - Daily Pioneer

Intellectual Property Center, 28 Upper McKinley Rd. McKinley ...

Intellectual Property Center, 28 Upper McKinley Rd. McKinley ...

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7Rc^Vcd W`c da] DVddZ`_ e` cVaVR] ]Rhd - Daily Pioneer