EVcc`c Wc`^ 2W hZ]] SV UVR]e+ 45D - Daily Pioneer

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I ndia had anticipated the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan but was “sur- prised” by the speed of the turn of events, Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Bipin Rawat said here on Wednesday. He also said the country is ready to deal with the possi- bility of terrorist activity after the latest developments there. His observations came a day ahead of the all-party meeting called by the Centre to brief various political lead- ers about the situation in Afghanistan. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will brief the leaders. Rawat asserted that any possible terrorist activity flow- ing out of Taliban-controlled Afghanistan and finding its way into India will be firmly dealt with. He also suggested that the Quad nations should boost cooperation in the glob- al war on terrorism. He also said India was anticipating a Taliban takeover of Afghanistan but the time- lines of the latest develop- ments have surprised it, noting that the outfit has not changed over the past 20 years. “From India’s perspective, we were anticipating a Taliban takeover of Afghanistan. We were concerned about how the terrorist activities from Afghanistan could overflow into India,” Rawat said. “And to that extent, our contingency planning had been ongoing and we are pre- pared for it. Yes, the timelines certainly surprised us. We were anticipating this thing hap- pening maybe a couple of months down the line,” he added. The CDS made these remarks while addressing an interactive session, with Commander of the US Indo- Pacific Command Admiral John Aquilino, organised by the Observer Research Foundation. Aquilino referred to chal- lenges that India has been fac- ing, specifically with regard to “sovereignty on the Line of Actual Control” as well as the “foundational security con- cerns” in the South China Sea region, in a clear reference to China’s aggressive behaviour. On the latest developments in Afghanistan, Rawat said India is committed to ensuring a terrorist-free environment in the region. “As far as Afghanistan is concerned, we will make sure that any activity likely to flow out of Afghanistan and then find its way into India will be dealt with in the manner in which we have been dealing with terrorism in our country,” he said. I n an effort to prevent the entry of persons with doubt- ful credentials, India will only allow e-visas to Afghan nation- als wanting to come here. This development came amid reports that some Urdu-speak- ing people attacked the Kabul office of an agency and took away Afghan passports with stamped Indian visas. Fearing the misuse of the Indian visas to prepare fake passports that could help ter- rorists enter India, the Government on Wednesday decided with immediate effect to declare all the earlier visas invalid. Those willing to trav- el to India were asked to apply for e-visa only, officials said, adding it is mandatory. “Owing to the prevailing security situation in Afghanistan and streamlining of the visa process by intro- duction of the e-Emergency X- Misc visa, it has been decided that all Afghan nationals henceforth must travel to India only on e-visa,” the Home Ministry said. The directive also said visas issued to all Afghanistan nationals, who are currently not in India stand invalidated. Afghanistan nationals who want to apply for an Indian visa can apply via the Indian Government’s official website: indianvisaonline.gov.in. On the missing passports from the office of an agency handling visas on behalf of India, reports said these could be used by Pakistan-based ter- rorists to enter India. C hina has established its first diplomatic contact with the Taliban in Kabul after the militant group took control of Afghanistan and the two sides now have “smooth and effective communication”, a Chinese official said on Wednesday. The Taliban seized power in Afghanistan on August 15, two weeks before the US was set to complete its troop with- drawal after a costly two- decade war. “China and the Afghan Taliban have smooth and effec- tive communication and con- sultation,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin told a media briefing here when asked about the talks between the deputy head of the Taliban’s political office Abdul Salam Hanafi and Chinese Ambassador to Afghanistan Wang Yu in Kabul. “Kabul is naturally an important platform and chan- nel for the two sides to discuss various important matters,” Wang said, without disclosing the details. “We always respect the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of Afghanistan, follow the prin- ciple of non-interference in Afghanistan’s internal affairs and adhere to the friendly pol- icy for all the Afghan people,” Wang said, adding that China respects the Afghan people’s independent choice of their own future. “China also stands ready to continue to develop good- neighbourliness, friendship and cooperation with Afghanistan and play a constructive role in Afghanistan’s peace and recon- struction.” A s schools are gradually reopening amid fear of Covid-19 third wave and lack of vaccines available for schoolchildren under the age of 18, the Government is plan- ning to vaccinate all school- teachers across India on pri- ority before Teacher’s Day on September 5. The Government said it will provide 2 crore addition- al vaccine doses to States to vaccinate teachers.“In addition to the plan to provide vaccines to every State this month, more than 2 crore vaccine doses are being made avail- able. We have requested all the States to try to vaccinate all schoolteachers on priority before Teacher’s Day,” said Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya. Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan too has said that vaccinating teachers will reduce the disruption of the sector that has been hit severely since March last year. A staggering high number of 31,445 new cases of Covid-19 were detected in Kerala while 215 persons suc- cumbed to the pandemic on Wednesday. The test positivity rate shot up to 19.03 per cent sending the health workers to a state of confusion. Minister for Health Veena George had told early this week that the State may see daily cases crossing 40,000- mark in the backdrop of the relaxation in Onam holidays. The Department of Health tested 1.65 lakh samples during the last 24 hours. Health work- ers accounted for 123 cases on Wednesday and this has caused serious concern among the medical fraternity. As on Wednesday, 1.7 lakh Covid-19 patients were under treatment in various hospitals across the State. The official death tally stood at 19,972. Ernakulam topped the table of districts with the high- est number of Covid-19 patients (4048). Thrissur (3865), Kozhikode (3680) and Malappuram (3502) logged more than 3,000 new cases. Kabul: Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said Afghan citizens will not be allowed to leave the country any more by the ongoing US evacuation process, while also warning that Washington should withdraw all troops and contractors before August 31 deadline and no extension would be possible. Mujahid’s remarks came as US President Joe Biden told G7 leaders that he aims to stick with his August 31 deadline to withdraw troops from Afghanistan as long as the Taliban does not disrupt ongo- ing evacuation operations or airport access. PTI London: Britain on Wednesday warned the Taliban against attempts to coercively seal off Afghanistan from the rest of the world and urged the militant group to keep its borders open. Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said attempts by the Taliban to shut down the coun- try could trigger a “refugee cri- sis” once Western forces with- drew from Kabul airport on August 31, as migrants make their way to neighbouring coun- tries. He noted that Afghan bor- der was “rugged and wide- ranging” and that efforts to isolate the country from the rest of the world would fail. PTI A n expert committee set up by the Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) has recommended a phase-wise reopening of schools in the national Capital, according to sources. In its report submitted on Wednesday, the panel recom- mended that students from senior classes be called in the first phase followed by the middle-grade students and ulti- mately the primary classes, they said. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said his Government wants the schools to be reopened as soon as pos- sible but is evaluating all factors to ensure the safety of students. “The panel has submitted its report today. The recom- mendations include reopen- ing of schools for all classes but in a phase-wise manner. The report will be studied in detail and a final decision will be taken soon in this regard,” a source said. A day after a Mahad Taluka court granted him bail in the “tight-slap-slur” case, Union Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Minister Narayan Rane on Wednesday received a further relief in the Bombay High Court, as the Maharashtra Government informed the court that “no coercive action” would be taken against him till September 17 in the FIR regis- tered against him for his remarks against Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray. When the case filed by Rane’s lawyers came up for hear- ing before a HC bench of Justices SS Shinde and NJ Jamadar, Special Counsel for the Maharashtra Government Amit Desai told the court that even in the absence of proper docu- mentation of FIRs filed against the Union Minister, he was will- ing to make a statement at the outset that “no coercive action” would be taken in the Nashik FIR till the next hearing sched- uled for September 17.Desai submitted to the court that the petition filed by Rane’s lawyers challenging the case filed against the Union Minister mentioned the details of only one FIR filed by the Nashik police, while there was mention of details of FIRs filed against the BJP leaders in other police stations in the State. In the absence of the details of all the cases, Desai said it would be difficult for him to proceed in the matter. Earlier, advocate Satish Maneshinde, representing Rane, pressed for no coercive action in other FIRs, as he apprehended that police might take action against his client in other FIRs in the interim period. T he vaccine effectiveness among the frontline work- ers declined from 91 per cent to 66 per cent after the Delta variant of Covid-19 became prevalent in the country, said a study by the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention. However, what came as a relief was that despite the reg- istered decline, the overall vaccine effectiveness was esti- mated to be 80 per cent in pre- venting infection during the study period. The study was conducted between December 14, 2020, and August 14, 2021. It includ- ed data from 4,217 partici- pants, including healthcare personnel, first responders, and other frontline workers in eight US locations across six States. They were tested week- ly for Covid infection using the RT-PCR method. At least 83 per cent of the participants were vaccinated with Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna-mRNA, and Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen vaccines. About two-thirds of those vaccinated had received the Pfizer Inc-BioNTech SE shot, 2 per cent received Johnson & Johnson’s, and the rest received the Moderna Inc vaccine. The CDC said the findings of the study should be looked at with caution as the vaccine effectiveness might be declin- ing over time. T he State on Wednesday reported 887 new Covid-19 positive cases in the 30 districts and the State pool, with which the total tally increased to 10,03,210. Notably, the State had recorded 625 cases on Tuesday.And again, out of the new cases, 131 children in the age group of 0 and 18 years tested positive. A total of 68,717 samples were tested in the last 24 hours and the test positivi- ty rate (TPR) was 1.29 per cent. The active cases in the State stood at 8,226.Out of the new cases, 515 were from quar- antine and 372 local contacts. Khordha district reported the day's highest 323 cases followed by Cuttack with 119, Baleswar 56, Jajpur 43, Puri 39, Jagatsinghpur 37, Mayurbhanj 31, Angul 27, Sambalpur 21, Keonjhar 19, Dhenkanal 16, Kendrapara 15, Nayagarh 11, Bargarh Bhadrak and Deogarh nine each, Sundargarh seven, Jharsuguda five, Koraput four, Gajapati and Nuapada three each, Rayagada, Nabarangpur, Malkangiri and Ganjam two each and Kalahandi and Boudh one each.Besides, 69 positives were detected from the State Pool. Meanwhile, another 69 patients succumbed to the dis- ease, mounting the total death toll to 7,562 in the State, the Health and Family Welfare Department said. The maximum 25 deaths were reported from Cuttack district followed by 21 from Jagatsinghpur, nine from Dhenkanal, three each from Baleswar and Khordha, two each from Angul, Ganjam and Puri and one each from Bhadrak and Keonjhar. However, another 721 patients recovered on the day, increas- ing the total recoveries to 9,88,090. B hubaneswar on Wednesday registered 170 Covid-19 positive cases, with which the total tally in the State capital city went up to 1,05,850. Notably, the city had recorded 197 positives on Tuesday. Out of the 170 new cases, 139 were local contacts and 31 were from quaran- tine.The local contacts includ- ed 11 cases in Nayapalli fol- lowed by nine in Patia, seven in Unit-8 and six in Saheed Nagar.The active cases in the city stood at 3,390. Meanwhile, two more patients succumbed to the dis- ease in the city, with which the total death toll rose to 989 in the city.However, 186 persons recovered from the disease in the last 24 hours, increasing the total recoveries to 1,01,450. T he mega pipe water project on the Kharasrota river is to hoodwink the people of Odisha. The motto is to divert water to a company establish- ing a port in Bhadrak district under the pretext of supplying water for domestic consump- tion, stated water conservation activist and Magsaysay awardee Rajendra Singh here. He further reiterated that the project would pose a threat to the biodiversity of the Bhitarkanika National Park, besides triggering water crisis in Kendrapada.Meeting envi- ronmentalist, Srikant Nayak, on the 16th day of his fast and agitators of Kharasrota Banchao Sangram Samiti on Wednesday, Singh said that he is a good friend of the Odisha Government for its pitched battle against the Chhatisgarh’s monopoly over Mahanadi water, but on the Kharasrota project, he backs the protestors. “I have been fighting to save the Mahanadi river and to provide the rights over Mahanadi to Odisha,” said Singh, popularly known as the Waterman of India, adding, “But in Kharasrota issue, I am against the State Government and going to oppose the con- struction work with the locals as I met with locals and pro- testers and came to know about their problems and their rights over Kharasrota river. If the mega pipe water project would come up here, I will fight for the rights of Kharasrota river and people of the locality.”

Transcript of EVcc`c Wc`^ 2W hZ]] SV UVR]e+ 45D - Daily Pioneer

Page 1: EVcc`c Wc`^ 2W hZ]] SV UVR]e+ 45D - Daily Pioneer

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India had anticipated theTaliban takeover of

Afghanistan but was “sur-prised” by the speed of the turnof events, Chief of DefenceStaff (CDS) General BipinRawat said here on Wednesday.He also said the country isready to deal with the possi-bility of terrorist activity afterthe latest developments there.

His observations came aday ahead of the all-partymeeting called by the Centreto brief various political lead-ers about the situation inAfghanistan. External AffairsMinister S Jaishankar will briefthe leaders.

Rawat asserted that anypossible terrorist activity flow-ing out of Taliban-controlledAfghanistan and finding itsway into India will be firmlydealt with. He also suggestedthat the Quad nations shouldboost cooperation in the glob-al war on terrorism.

He also said India wasanticipating a Taliban takeoverof Afghanistan but the time-lines of the latest develop-ments have surprised it, notingthat the outfit has not changedover the past 20 years.

“From India’s perspective,we were anticipating a Talibantakeover of Afghanistan. Wewere concerned about howthe terrorist activities fromAfghanistan could overflowinto India,” Rawat said.

“And to that extent, ourcontingency planning hadbeen ongoing and we are pre-pared for it. Yes, the timelinescertainly surprised us. We wereanticipating this thing hap-

pening maybe a couple ofmonths down the line,” headded.

The CDS made theseremarks while addressing aninteractive session, withCommander of the US Indo-Pacific Command AdmiralJohn Aquilino, organised bythe Observer ResearchFoundation.

Aquilino referred to chal-lenges that India has been fac-ing, specifically with regard to“sovereignty on the Line ofActual Control” as well as the“foundational security con-cerns” in the South China Searegion, in a clear reference toChina’s aggressive behaviour.

On the latest developmentsin Afghanistan, Rawat saidIndia is committed to ensuringa terrorist-free environment inthe region.

“As far as Afghanistan isconcerned, we will make surethat any activity likely to flowout of Afghanistan and thenfind its way into India will bedealt with in the manner inwhich we have been dealingwith terrorism in our country,”he said.

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In an effort to prevent theentry of persons with doubt-

ful credentials, India will onlyallow e-visas to Afghan nation-als wanting to come here. Thisdevelopment came amidreports that some Urdu-speak-ing people attacked the Kabuloffice of an agency and tookaway Afghan passports withstamped Indian visas.

Fearing the misuse of theIndian visas to prepare fake

passports that could help ter-rorists enter India, theGovernment on Wednesdaydecided with immediate effectto declare all the earlier visasinvalid. Those willing to trav-el to India were asked to applyfor e-visa only, officials said,adding it is mandatory.

“Owing to the prevailingsecurity situation inAfghanistan and streamlining

of the visa process by intro-duction of the e-Emergency X-Misc visa, it has been decidedthat all Afghan nationalshenceforth must travel to Indiaonly on e-visa,” the HomeMinistry said.

The directive also said visasissued to all Afghanistannationals, who are currentlynot in India stand invalidated.

Afghanistan nationals whowant to apply for an Indian visacan apply via the IndianGovernment’s official website:indianvisaonline.gov.in.

On the missing passportsfrom the office of an agencyhandling visas on behalf ofIndia, reports said these couldbe used by Pakistan-based ter-rorists to enter India.

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China has established itsfirst diplomatic contact

with the Taliban in Kabul afterthe militant group took controlof Afghanistan and the twosides now have “smooth andeffective communication”, aChinese official said onWednesday.

The Taliban seized powerin Afghanistan on August 15,two weeks before the US wasset to complete its troop with-drawal after a costly two-decade war.

“China and the Afghan

Taliban have smooth and effec-tive communication and con-sultation,” Chinese ForeignMinistry spokesman WangWenbin told a media briefinghere when asked about thetalks between the deputy headof the Taliban’s political officeAbdul Salam Hanafi andChinese Ambassador toAfghanistan Wang Yu in Kabul.

“Kabul is naturally animportant platform and chan-nel for the two sides to discussvarious important matters,”Wang said, without disclosingthe details.

“We always respect the

sovereignty, independence andterritorial integrity ofAfghanistan, follow the prin-ciple of non-interference inAfghanistan’s internal affairsand adhere to the friendly pol-icy for all the Afghan people,”Wang said, adding that Chinarespects the Afghan people’sindependent choice of theirown future.

“China also stands ready tocontinue to develop good-neighbourliness, friendship andcooperation with Afghanistanand play a constructive role inAfghanistan’s peace and recon-struction.”

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As schools are graduallyreopening amid fear of

Covid-19 third wave and lackof vaccines available forschoolchildren under the ageof 18, the Government is plan-

ning to vaccinate all school-teachers across India on pri-ority before Teacher’s Day onSeptember 5.

The Government said itwill provide 2 crore addition-al vaccine doses to States tovaccinate teachers.“In additionto the plan to provide vaccinesto every State this month,more than 2 crore vaccinedoses are being made avail-

able. We have requested all theStates to try to vaccinate allschoolteachers on prioritybefore Teacher’s Day,” saidUnion Health MinisterMansukh Mandaviya.

Education MinisterDharmendra Pradhan too hassaid that vaccinating teacherswill reduce the disruption ofthe sector that has been hitseverely since March last year.

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Astaggering high numberof 31,445 new cases of

Covid-19 were detected inKerala while 215 persons suc-cumbed to the pandemic onWednesday. The test positivity

rate shot up to 19.03 per centsending the health workers toa state of confusion.

Minister for Health VeenaGeorge had told early thisweek that the State may seedaily cases crossing 40,000-mark in the backdrop of therelaxation in Onam holidays.

The Department of Healthtested 1.65 lakh samples duringthe last 24 hours. Health work-ers accounted for 123 cases onWednesday and this has caused

serious concern among themedical fraternity.

As on Wednesday, 1.7 lakhCovid-19 patients were undertreatment in various hospitalsacross the State. The officialdeath tally stood at 19,972.

Ernakulam topped thetable of districts with the high-est number of Covid-19patients (4048). Thrissur(3865), Kozhikode (3680) andMalappuram (3502) loggedmore than 3,000 new cases.

Kabul: Taliban spokesmanZabihullah Mujahid saidAfghan citizens will not beallowed to leave the countryany more by the ongoing USevacuation process, while alsowarning that Washingtonshould withdraw all troopsand contractors before August31 deadline and no extensionwould be possible. Mujahid’sremarks came as US PresidentJoe Biden told G7 leaders thathe aims to stick with his August31 deadline to withdraw troopsfrom Afghanistan as long as theTaliban does not disrupt ongo-ing evacuation operations orairport access. PTI

London: Britain on Wednesdaywarned the Taliban againstattempts to coercively seal offAfghanistan from the rest of theworld and urged the militantgroup to keep its borders open.Foreign Secretary DominicRaab said attempts by theTaliban to shut down the coun-try could trigger a “refugee cri-sis” once Western forces with-drew from Kabul airport onAugust 31, as migrants maketheir way to neighbouring coun-tries. He noted that Afghan bor-der was “rugged and wide-ranging” and that efforts toisolate the country from the restof the world would fail. PTI

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An expert committee set upby the Delhi Disaster

Management Authority(DDMA) has recommended aphase-wise reopening ofschools in the national Capital,according to sources.

In its report submitted onWednesday, the panel recom-mended that students fromsenior classes be called in thefirst phase followed by themiddle-grade students and ulti-mately the primary classes,they said.

Delhi Chief MinisterArvind Kejriwal said hisGovernment wants the schoolsto be reopened as soon as pos-sible but is evaluating all factorsto ensure the safety of students.

“The panel has submittedits report today. The recom-mendations include reopen-ing of schools for all classes butin a phase-wise manner. Thereport will be studied in detailand a final decision will betaken soon in this regard,” asource said.

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Aday after a Mahad Talukacourt granted him bail in the

“tight-slap-slur” case, UnionMicro, Small and MediumEnterprises Minister NarayanRane on Wednesday received afurther relief in the BombayHigh Court, as the MaharashtraGovernment informed the courtthat “no coercive action” wouldbe taken against him tillSeptember 17 in the FIR regis-tered against him for his remarksagainst Chief Minister UddhavThackeray.

When the case filed byRane’s lawyers came up for hear-ing before a HC bench of JusticesSS Shinde and NJ Jamadar,Special Counsel for theMaharashtra Government AmitDesai told the court that even inthe absence of proper docu-mentation of FIRs filed againstthe Union Minister, he was will-ing to make a statement at theoutset that “no coercive action”would be taken in the NashikFIR till the next hearing sched-

uled for September 17.Desaisubmitted to the court that thepetition filed by Rane’s lawyerschallenging the case filed againstthe Union Minister mentionedthe details of only one FIR filedby the Nashik police, while therewas mention of details of FIRsfiled against the BJP leaders inother police stations in the State.In the absence of the details of allthe cases, Desai said it would bedifficult for him to proceed in thematter.

Earlier, advocate SatishManeshinde, representing Rane,pressed for no coercive action inother FIRs, as he apprehendedthat police might take actionagainst his client in other FIRs inthe interim period.

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The vaccine effectivenessamong the frontline work-

ers declined from 91 per centto 66 per cent after the Deltavariant of Covid-19 becameprevalent in the country, saida study by the US Centres forDisease Control andPrevention.

However, what came as arelief was that despite the reg-istered decline, the overallvaccine effectiveness was esti-mated to be 80 per cent in pre-venting infection during thestudy period.

The study was conductedbetween December 14, 2020,and August 14, 2021. It includ-ed data from 4,217 partici-pants, including healthcarepersonnel, first responders,and other frontline workers ineight US locations across sixStates. They were tested week-ly for Covid infection usingthe RT-PCR method.

At least 83 per cent of theparticipants were vaccinatedwith Pfizer-BioNTech,Moderna-mRNA, andJohnson & Johnson’s Janssenvaccines. About two-thirds ofthose vaccinated had receivedthe Pfizer Inc-BioNTech SEshot, 2 per cent receivedJohnson & Johnson’s, and therest received the Moderna Incvaccine.

The CDC said the findingsof the study should be lookedat with caution as the vaccineeffectiveness might be declin-ing over time.

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The State on Wednesdayreported 887 new Covid-19

positive cases in the 30 districtsand the State pool, with whichthe total tally increased to10,03,210.

Notably, the State hadrecorded 625 cases onTuesday.And again, out of thenew cases, 131 children in theage group of 0 and 18 yearstested positive. A total of 68,717samples were tested in the last24 hours and the test positivi-ty rate (TPR) was 1.29 per cent.

The active cases in theState stood at 8,226.Out of thenew cases, 515 were from quar-antine and 372 local contacts.Khordha district reported theday's highest 323 cases followedby Cuttack with 119, Baleswar56, Jajpur 43, Puri 39,

Jagatsinghpur 37, Mayurbhanj31, Angul 27, Sambalpur 21,Keonjhar 19, Dhenkanal 16,Kendrapara 15, Nayagarh 11,Bargarh Bhadrak and Deogarhnine each, Sundargarh seven,Jharsuguda five, Koraput four,Gajapati and Nuapada threeeach, Rayagada, Nabarangpur,Malkangiri and Ganjam twoeach and Kalahandi and Boudhone each.Besides, 69 positiveswere detected from the StatePool.

Meanwhile, another 69patients succumbed to the dis-ease, mounting the total deathtoll to 7,562 in the State, theHealth and Family WelfareDepartment said.

The maximum 25 deathswere reported from Cuttackdistrict followed by 21 fromJagatsinghpur, nine fromDhenkanal, three each fromBaleswar and Khordha, twoeach from Angul, Ganjam andPuri and one each fromBhadrak and Keonjhar.However, another 721 patientsrecovered on the day, increas-ing the total recoveries to9,88,090.

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Bhubaneswar on Wednesdayregistered 170 Covid-19

positive cases, with which thetotal tally in the State capitalcity went up to 1,05,850.

Notably, the city hadrecorded 197 positives onTuesday. Out of the 170 newcases, 139 were local contactsand 31 were from quaran-tine.The local contacts includ-ed 11 cases in Nayapalli fol-lowed by nine in Patia, seven inUnit-8 and six in SaheedNagar.The active cases in thecity stood at 3,390.

Meanwhile, two morepatients succumbed to the dis-ease in the city, with which thetotal death toll rose to 989 inthe city.However, 186 personsrecovered from the disease inthe last 24 hours, increasing thetotal recoveries to 1,01,450.

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The mega pipe water projecton the Kharasrota river is to

hoodwink the people ofOdisha. The motto is to divertwater to a company establish-ing a port in Bhadrak districtunder the pretext of supplyingwater for domestic consump-tion, stated water conservationactivist and Magsaysay awardeeRajendra Singh here.

He further reiterated thatthe project would pose a threatto the biodiversity of theBhitarkanika National Park,besides triggering water crisisin Kendrapada.Meeting envi-ronmentalist, Srikant Nayak,

on the 16th day of his fast andagitators of KharasrotaBanchao Sangram Samiti onWednesday, Singh said that heis a good friend of the OdishaGovernment for its pitchedbattle against the Chhatisgarh’smonopoly over Mahanadiwater, but on the Kharasrotaproject, he backs the protestors.

“I have been fighting tosave the Mahanadi river and toprovide the rights overMahanadi to Odisha,” saidSingh, popularly known as theWaterman of India, adding,“But in Kharasrota issue, I amagainst the State Governmentand going to oppose the con-struction work with the localsas I met with locals and pro-testers and came to know abouttheir problems and their rightsover Kharasrota river. If themega pipe water project wouldcome up here, I will fight forthe rights of Kharasrota riverand people of the locality.”

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We have been hearingheartrending cries from

many of the so-called propo-nents and exponents of a caste-less India. But a majority ofthese figures have been provento be mindlessly self-serving,publicity-hungry and unfor-givably hypocritical.

Some of the modern dayanti-caste advocates, makingmuch public noise, haveremained merrily, nay, proud-ly stuck to their upper-casteidentities at all times. Many ofthese loudmouth fraudsters

are particularly those runningsocial work business throughNGO shops and make-believenonprofit organisations.

Going deep into the cul-tural history of India, one getsto know that the caste systemhad provided a hierarchy ofsocial roles that hold inherentcharacteristics and, moreimportantly, remain stablethroughout life. An implicit sta-tus is attached to one's caste,which unfortunately changedfrom the social roles to hered-itary roles later in time.

According to the socialhistorical theory, the caste sys-tem finds its origin in thearrival of Aryans in Indiaaround 1500 BC. The Aryansdismissed the prevailing localcultures and forced their ownon the conquered originalinhabitants.

The system which dividesHindus into rigid hierarchicalgroups based on their karma(work) and dharma (religion-driven duty) is more than 3,000years old. The caste systemcontinues even after losing itsreason for being. But the

scramble for comfort-baseddevelopment has steadilydestroyed the ancient sustain-able and joyously-shared pat-terns of resource use thatremained relevant for cen-turies.

The original caste systemensured joyful social order andleft no room for discrimination.Each skill-based communityenjoyed its unique dignity.

At the present time whensocial tensions keep rising aspeople fight over scarce natur-al resources, it is important toknow that the original castesystem taught ‘genuine cultur-al adjustment’ and sustainablepatterns of resource use overcenturies. Each communitywas sensitively aware of itsentitlements.

The present-day sociolo-gists seem to have failed in fig-uring out exactly how India’scaste system, looked downupon as so elaborate, rigid,hereditarily-determined, hier-archical and essentially oppres-sive, lasted for so many cen-turies. Some truly researchingecologists and anthropologists

have reasons to believe that thecaste system had ensured anon-negotiable discipline inthe use of natural resources.

It was a system whichforced its members to sharenatural resources as much as itcreated the right social milieuin which sustainable liveli-hoods and peaceful coexis-tence were strongly encour-aged. The social system thenforced as well as cajoled theindividual being right frombirth to adopt sustainable cul-tural mores.

True sustainable develop-ment was in the system of everytalking, thinking member ofthe caste-based society.Unfortunately, today the once-fantastic caste system is criti-cised for being unjust andregressive, which is the view-point of the colonial Britishwhich had introduced thedowry system too.

The modern-day Indianthinker reads and believes the-ories and philosophies pro-pounded by Western authors.No school, college or universi-ty has in its syllabus books by

Chanakya, Nagarjuna, Vyasa,Ramanuja, Vatsayana or Manuor for that matter Aswaghosaand many more whose wisdomcan persuade anyone to discardall the Western crap in the firsthour of reading.

Historians say that until the18th Century, the formal dis-tinctions of castes were of lim-ited importance to Indians associal identities were muchmore flexible and people couldmove easily from one caste toanother.

But a latest research showsthat hard boundaries were setby the British colonial rulerswho made caste India's defin-ing social feature when theyused censuses to simplify thesystem primarily to create a sin-gle society with a common lawthat could be easily enforced fora governance of their choice.

So, in 1950, not surpris-ingly, independent India'sConstitution banned discrim-ination on the basis of caste,and, in an attempt to correcthistorical injustices and providea level playing field to the tra-ditionally disadvantaged, the

authorities announced quotasin Government jobs and edu-cational institutions for sched-uled castes and tribes, the low-est in the caste hierarchy. In1989, quotas were extended toinclude a grouping called theOBCs (Other BackwardClasses) which fall between thetraditional upper castes and thelowest.

In recent decades, with thespread of secular educationand growing urbanisation, theinfluence of caste has greatlydeclined, especially in citieswhere different castes live sideby side and inter-caste mar-riages are becoming more com-mon. Successively, quite a fewpetitions have been filed withthe Constitutional courts,including the apex court, whichhave ruled very sanely.

For instance, the observa-tions made by judges duringthe Maratha reservation hear-ing, though not binding, theirtexture indicates that the state-ments must not be ignored orread in isolation: “For howmany generations will reser-vations continue? This may be

a beginning; all reservationsmay go and only EconomicallyWeaker Sections may remain,but these are all policies. It is forthe Government to take a deci-sion on dismantling caste andreservations.”

Obviously, among variousaffirmative actions taken by aGovernment for the under-privileged, reservation is anextreme measure in contrast toother steps such as providingfree education, housing, etc.,because it implies segregationof some posts for certain class-es of persons, which otherwisemight have been secured byother persons. And this is whythere is strong reason to per-ceive that reservation givesbenefits to some persons at thecost of many others.

Lastly, the people mustknow how some of the scream-ing pretenders weeping for thesurname-linked upper casteidentity are causing discrimi-nation among communities.Incidentally, most Indian com-munities are caste-identifiableby their popular surnames.

In Odisha, during the

1980s, a few publicity-madheadless guys made it popularlyknown that they are droppingsurnames to turn true castelesscreatures. The leader, a teacherat some college, kept changinghis name several times even-tually over-dragging it to acocktail of Greek, French andIndian names.

The other ordinary disci-ples followed suit and thumpedtheir chests saying they havegiven up their caste mentalityfor good by simply kickingaway the surnames. Come thenew millennium, and whenpublicly asked on television, itgot revealed that none of theguys have ever given up any-thing to do with caste.

The one fit to marry thenhad chosen to wed a castewoman; later in life, all theirchildren have married into thecaste religiously and kept theirsurnames intact on all officialrecords. Only if one child ofany of these loudmouths hadmarried a Dalit, they wouldhave been deified by now.People better beware of thesehypocrites!

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The Orissa High Court onWednesday issued notices

to the State Government andthe State Election Commission(SEC) seeking responses fromthem within four weeks as towhy elections to form urbanlocal body (ULB) councils havenot been conducted for aboutthe past three years.

Holding analogous hear-ings of three similar petitions,a Division Bench of the courtheaded by Chief Justice SMuralidhar issued the noticesto the SEC, the Chief Secretaryand two other Secretariesdirecting them to file theirseparate responses in affidavitswithin four weeks, informedsenior advocate PitambarAcharya. While Acharya isconducting the case on behalf

of senior BJP leader and formerMinister Samir Dey, formerbureaucrat Prasanna Mishraand Puri BJP MLA JayantSarangi are the other two peti-tioners. The five-year terms of114 ULB councils have endedsince September 2018. Thepetitions alleged that the SEC,which is a Constitutional body,has now become a “puppet” inthe hands of the StateGovernment and is so biasedthat it is acting at the behest ofthe Government.

“Instead of approachingthe High Court suo motu tochallenge the Government’spressure, the SEC is takingorders from the Government,”Acharya alleged while speakingto the media outside the court.

It may be mentioned thatthe petitioners and other polit-ical leaders had earlier peti-tioned the SEC and the StateGovernor in this regard. “TheGovernor too had reprimand-ed the SEC over the delay inholding ULB elections,”Acharya said and alleged thatSEC has failed in carrying outits Constitutional mandate.

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For active involvement ofwomen in MGNREGS

works at the grassroots level,the State Government hasdecided to engage Women SelfHelp Groups (WSHGs) forplanning and execution ofMGNREGS works.

Panchayati Raj andDrinking Water, PrincipalSecretary Ashok K Meena haswritten letters to the districtCollectors and ProjectDirectors of DRDAs in thisregard.

The Mahatma GandhiNational Rural EmploymentGuarantee Scheme (MGN-REGS) provides 100 days ofguaranteed wage employmentto every rural household whoseadult member volunteers to dounskilled manual works.

It empowers the vulnerablepopulation of rural areas &secures their livelihoods,strengthens Panchayati RajInstitutions and provides qual-ity rural infrastructure. Thescheme can be a potent tool inimproving women participa-tion in economic activities,Meena has ststed. The StateGovernment has been puttingtremendous emphasis onwomen empowerment through

a multipronged approach inorder to bring them to socio-economic mainstream.

The State has formedaround 7 lakh Women SelfHelp Groups under the MissionShakti Department. “TheseWSHGs can be productivelydeployed to bring about trans-formation in implementationof MGNREGS, that will reflectthe demand driven executionof projects under the scheme,”he said.

He urged the Collectors tofacilitate their involvement inplanning & implementation ofthe scheme. The Mission Shaktigroups would be engaged increation of awareness amongthe MGNREGS job cardhold-ers about their entitlements andto issue new job cards to will-ing eligible households/ vul-nerable households.

They can also be engagedto assess their availability forwork, seasonality of demand ofwork and type of works theyare interested in, duration ofwork etc.

The SHGs would also beengaged to assess the need forcommunity assets and indi-vidual assets. The members ofWSHGs would also bedeployed as Mates for worksitesupervisors and would play a

leading role in mobilisation ofwomen to worksites, Meenasaid. Members of SHGs wouldalso act as Village ResourcePersons (VRPs) for conductingSocial Audit and would bepart of the GP-level Vigilanceand Monitoring Committees(VMCs).

Meena also urged theCollectors to provide commu-nity assets to the WSHGs andthe Gram Panchayat LevelFederation (GPLF) subject tofeasibility of the project andadhering to norms and proce-dures under the MGNREGA.

The women memberswould be given common worksheds for livelihood activities,storage godown to enable theSHGs to run their businesswithout facing any difficulty instorage, grading, etc., commu-nity livestock shelter, commu-nity nutri garden, plantation incommunity land, fodder culti-vation in gochar land and com-munity land development.

“You are, therefore,requested to impress upon allfield functionaries underMGNREGS to facilitate activeinvolvement of WSHGs atgrassroots level in planning andimplementation of the schemeabiding by the above instruc-tions,” Meena added.

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The Odisha Government isworking to make the State

a hub of sports industries andis inviting businesses to set upmanufacturing units, Ministerfor Energy, MSME, Industriesand Home (MoS) DibyaShankar Mishra said. "Goingforward the Government willprovide an ecosystem to helpsports industries serve not onlyIndian requirements but alsomeet global demands," said hewhile addressing the businessleaders in an ASSOCHAM vir-tual meet on 'Building OdishaState Capabilities for GlobalValue Chain'. PrincipalSecretary, Industries, HemantSharma said, "From the globalvalue chain point of view,“Odisha is emerging as one ofthe most important destina-tions for business.Traditionally known as a min-

eral rich State, every mineralknown to mankind is mined inOdisha and every mineral isrequired for any industry in theworld. This resource businesshas led to a very intensiveprocess of industrialisation inthe State of Odisha, particularlyin the last two decades." Otherkey speakers includedChairman, ASSOCHAM Iron& Steel Sub Council-East &Director, Amalgam SteelSoham Misra; Co-Chairman,ASSOCHAM National on Easeof Doing Business and GroupLogistic

Director, Vedanta DeepakGulahti; Head, KalinganagarProject, The Tata Power Co. Ltdand ASSOCHAM memberBhakti Raj; Executive Vice-President (Corporate Affairs),Jindal Steel and Power LtdBibhu Prasad Mishra; Director,Phoenix India andASSOCHAM memberSrikanth Badiga and Chairman,ASSOCHAM National Councilon Sports and Fitness Industryand Managing Director, Nivia,Rajesh Kharbanda.

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BHUBANESWAR: A freshfraud allegation has been levelledagainst self-proclaimed godmanBijayananda Choudhury, whowas recently arrested by theEconomic Offences Wing(EOW) of the Crime Branch forhis alleged involvement in dup-ing a man of Rs 3 crore.

As per the new complaint,Bijayananda has cheated a con-tractor of Rs 25 lakh inBrahmapur of Ganjam district.Sources said he has also invest-ed in a movie project.Meanwhile, the EOW has seizedRs 2 lakh after freezing two of hisbank accounts. The accused islikely to be taken on a remandby the investigating agency forquestioning. On August 22, theEOW arrested Bijayananda andengineer Chandan AkashMohanty from their residencesin Cuttack CDA and Nayapalliof Bhubaneswar, respectively,

for allegedly defrauding a man ofRs 3 crore in the guise of OTDC(Odisha Tourism DevelopmentCorporation) officials. The twocheated one DhanurdharChampatiray, a Special ClassContractor, by issuing fake workorders in the name of OTDC.They have been booked underSections 419, 420, 467, 468, 471,

120-B of IPC. During investiga-tion, it was revealed thatDhanurdhar was in search ofwork orders during the Covid-19 pandemic. In May, 2020, hevisited the house of the self-pro-claimed godman, who intro-duced himself as the Chairmanof OTDC and a member ofITDC.

He later introduced the vic-tim with accused Chandan as theAssistant Engineer of OTDCthough his contract period hadlapsed since May 31, 2019. BothBijayananda and Chandanassured the victim of providingwork order from the OTDC andasked him to deposit a heftyamount of money towards EMDin personal bank account ofChandan.Between August andNovember last year, Chandangave over 23 work orders, issuedunder the seal and signature ofOTDC Ltd Executive Engineer.

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The State Government onWednesday decided to

intensify the crackdown againstthe motorists who violate theMotor Vehicle Act by sus-pending their driving licences(DLs).The TransportCommissioner wrote to allRegional Transport Officers(RTOs) for stringent enforce-ment of traffic rules and toachieve 100 per cent DL sus-pension of the drivers whoflout the rules.“While analysingthe performance of RTOs, forthe last two quarters i.e. Januaryto March, 2021 and April toJune 2021, it is observed that

only 39 per cent (2,7,264 nos)and 61percent (10,724 nos) ofDLs of the offending driverswere suspended in theSARATHI database respec-tively,” the letter stated.

Again, the report generat-ed in the SARATHI databaseon DL suspension also includesthe DLs forwarded by thepolice for suspension undervarious offences.

It means, if we count thenumber of DLs suspendedagainst the detection by theenforcement officials ofTransport Department, thenumber will be even less,” theTransport Commissioner’s let-ter mentioned.

As per the road accidentand fatality data of the CrimeBranch, over speeding is one ofthe major causes of the roadaccidents and fatalities in the

State. In 2020, 72 per cent of theroad accidents were causeddue to over speeding resultingin 73 percent of the total fatal-ities.“This implies that strictenforcement actions againstthese drivers are not beingtaken. The report shows thatduring January to June 2021, atotal of 40,319 e-challans havebeen issued for over speedingcases against which only 4,027DLs of the offending driverswere suspended which is just10 per cent,” the letter added.

Notably, the SupremeCourt Committee on RoadSafety had earlier directed thesuspension of Driving Licenceof a violator for a minimumperiod of three months underSection 19 of the MotorVehicles Act, 1988 along withRule 21 of the Central MotorVehicles Rules, 1989.

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After an attempt to close theSambalpur Road railway

station in the heart of the city,stoking a row from various

quarters of the town, nowanother attempt is made toshut down the DoordarhanKendra, Sambalpur (DDK-S).

However, soon the newsspread, hundreds of denizensof the town including artists,poets, intellectuals and com-mon gentry under the bannerof Sambalpur Lok KalakarMahasangha staged a protestrally recently. The DDK-S wasinaugurated in the year 1978.They squatted in front of the

office of the Collector andgave memorandums to CentralMinisters on visit to Odisha,demanding a reconsiderationof the decision as it woulddirectly go against the art andculture of western Odisha.

Poet Padma Shri HaldharNag, singer Padma ShriJitendra Harpal, lyricistMitrabhanu Gountia, formerMLA Dr Raseswari Panigrahi,famous actor in BargarhDhanu Yatra in role of Kansa

Maharaj, BhubaneswarPradhan, Sambalpur DistrictBar Association president DrPramod Rath and a good num-ber of important people fromall walks of life were present inthe dharna to protest the move.

“We demand to makeDDK-S as a full-fledged centreas it has contributed immense-ly for the State and the coun-try as a whole in promoting artand culture to agriculture,”said folk artist Tarpan Pradhan.

The Mahasangha furtherdemanded 24x7 hour telecastof different programmesthrough RLSS (regional lan-guage satellite services).

Meanwhile, Bargarh BJPMP Suresh Pujari, who is a res-ident of Sambalpur town, haswritten to Prime MinisterNarendra Modi seeking hispersonal intervention and sup-port in reviving the DDK-Sand bringing it back to its pastglory.

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The Vigilance police onWednesday caught Sujan

Kumar Sahu, in-ChargePrincipal of the OdishaAdarsha Vidyalaya, Badi,Khariar in Nuapada district,red-handed while accepting abribe of Rs 4,000.

Sahu demanded bribe fromcomplainant in order to updatehis service book and also forsanction of annual incrementin his favour. Following thetrap, simultaneous searcheswere conducted on rented res-idential house and office roomof Sahu at Khariar in Nuapadadistrict and his house at nativevillage Lachha Bandha inAngul district. Later, thePrincipal was arrested and for-warded to court.

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The Kalinga Institute ofSocial Sciences (KISS)

University celebrated its 4thfoundation day on Wednesday.KISS & KIIT founder DrAchyuta Samanta said manyresearch articles have beenpublished under the aegis of allthe Research Chairs institutedin the university."I am glad toshare that we are going to startKISS-TBI in KISS-DU andachieve a new pinnacle of suc-cess. These are my dreams and

desires for KISS-DU in thecoming years,” he stated.Inaddition to four ResearchChairs, two new ResearchChairs in the names of BirsaMunda and Laxman Naik havebeen instituted, informed Vice-

Chancellor Prof Deepak KumarBehera. “KISS transformed itspicture in front of the world bybecoming a university. In thelast few years, KISS has trans-formed into a revolution,” saidPro-Vice-Chancellor ProfSasmita Samanta.

Statues of two tribal heroes,Birsa Munda and LaxmanNaik, were unveiled in KISSpremises while books “ThePhilosophy of Bhima Bhoi andMahima Dharma”, “ManasweeGopabandhu” and “Sikhya OSahitya” were released.

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PNSBHUBANESWAR: Themega scam in CooperationDepartment has unmasked StateGovernment’s claim of trans-parency. The scam of hundred ofcrores of rupees has been com-mitted under patronage of con-cerned Minister, allegedCongress in a Press meet here onWednesday. Party spokesper-son Padmakar Guru said scamin Gurudijhatia Cooperativeworth crores of rupees withhelp of Minister’s brotherBirendra Pratap Swain is a burn-ing example of that. If function-ing of the 1,500 cooperativesocieties is scrutinised, it wouldbe clear that money meant forpeople have been embezzled bysecretaries and employees underdirect or indirect instructions ofruling party leaders, Guru said.The rules for cooperative soci-eties have been blatantly floutedand crores of rupees have beensiphoned off. There has been ascam of �2,206 crore in purchaseof sacks for farmers, which hasnot been taken seriously.

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BHAWANIPATNA: A mandied when he jumped into theburning funeral pyre of hisdeceased wife at Sialjodi villageunder Golamunda block ofKalahandi district onTuesday.According to reports,Raibari Sabar (60), wife ofNilamani Sabar of the village,died of cardiac arrest, follow-ing which her body was takento the local crematorium. Thelast rites were performed in thepresence of the woman’s fam-ily members and relatives.While her relatives returnedhome, Nilamani went towardsthe funeral pyre and jumpedinto it. He sustained criticalburn injuries and died on thespot. Others present at thecrematorium couldn’t dare tosave him as the fire was intense.A pall of gloom descended onthe village due to the tragicincident. PNS

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The Taliban have once againoccupied power in

Afghanistan. President Ghanihas fled away. The most pow-erful USA has disowned itsmuch-hyped so-called globalresponsibility of protectingdemocracy and human rights.Reportedly, the women andkids are being tortured there.

Innocent people are beingkilled and amidst the fall ofKabul, there come the shock-ing visuals of how the peoplejam the Kabul's Hamid Karzai

International Air Port in a bidto flee the country. This signalsa reminder of the atrocities ofthe times, the Islamic hardlin-ers ruled Kabul 20 years ago.Ironically, the world now silent-ly hears the painful screamingof the Afghans.

The Taliban, as theypresently look, have notchanged their characters whichthis world saw 20 years agowhen they had captured powerin Kabul and governedAfghanistan from 1996 to 2001.

Democracy, freedom andhuman rights all became shamthen. There was also brute dis-play of dominance on theopponents. The non -believersand idol worshippers werekilled. The idols were van-dalised.

The common people wereasked to adhere to themedievalist version of Islam.Even the Muslims who failed tocomply with the puritanicalview of the Islam as propagat-ed by the Taliban were humil-

iated and punished. Obviously,no terrorist and extremistgroup all over the world everwants coexistence with theirpolitical and ideological oppo-nents. But there was disgustingdisplay of terror when theTaliban began the culturalpurging in their first spell oftenure in Kabul in the last partof 1990s and destroyed the cen-tury old Buddha statues inBamiyan in March 2001.

How were the Buddhastatues, the symbols of peace,obstacles to the Taliban rules?This question was asked thenand is being asked now whenthe world tourists see thevacant space of the statuesafter their destruction. Such adestruction has crossed all thelimits of cultural and religiousintolerance, there thus surfacethe automatic reactions afterwitnessing the site.

A Muslim named MirzaHusain who helped the Talibanblow up the Bamiyan Buddhas,in an interview with the BBC

just a few days before theTaliban took over Kabul again,recalls the incident that hap-pened two decades back.

Mirza is now working as amotor mechanic in Bamiyan.Mirza explains, “A decree waspromulgated on February 27,2001 by the Taliban leader,Mullah Muhammad Omar toeliminate all non Islamic stat-ues in Afghanistan includingthe statues at Bamiyan valley.Mullah Omar's announcementwas met with the global criti-cism. The prominent peoplelike Dalai Lama raised theconcern and appealed to theTaliban to refrain from destroy-ing the historical heritages ofAfghanistan.

But the international crit-icism did not work. On March2, 2001, the Taliban terroristsreached the valley to blow uptwo Buddha statues. One stat-ue was 38-meter high andanother was of 55 meters high.Both were the largest statues ofGautama Buddha built in 6th

century AD carved in the sand-stone in Bamiyan valley.Bamiyan was a big Buddhistmonastery then where thou-sands of Buddhist monks hadsheltered. It was on the path ofthe Silk Route connecting theEast with West with materialsand ideas in the ancient times.

The Chinese monk,Xuanzang, (Hsuan Tsang) whotravelled the Bamiyan valley in643 AD had discovered thestatues and documented themin his travel text. After theorder issued by Mullah Omar,a jihad was waged against twoBuddha statues. The Talibanbegan to destroy the statueswith tanks and artilleries.

When such artillery failed,Mirza reveals, the Talibanbrought in explosives in trucksand conscripted soldiers likehim were asked to carry theexplosives with dynamites ontheir back to the statues' sites.Men spent three days plantingexplosives around the statues.All the wires for detonation

went all the way to a nearbymosque where dynamites weretriggered amidst the shouts ofAllah o Akbar, Mirza painful-ly recalls.

He with a heavy heart tellsin the interview that he regretsthe incident where he was aperson involved and asks if thestatue can be reconstructed.Following the fall of BamiyanBuddhas, the United NationsEducational, Scientific andCultural Organisation(UNESCO) included theremains in its list of the worldheritage sites in 2003 with sub-sequent efforts to restore andreconstruct the Buddhas intheir original place with piecesavailable. How can the Taliban’sbigotry deny its own past andlegacy? How can the Talibanfollowing a medieval version ofreligious ideology

destroy their own histori-cal relics? And how were theBuddha statues a threat to theTaliban when all the Buddhistsin Bamiyan valley had been

converted to Muslims by the10th century AD? These ques-tions still remain unansweredbecause the destruction ofBuddhas has been regarded asa crude symbol of the obliter-ation of the ancient relics andheritage in human history.

After the USA capturedKabul dethroning the bruteTaliban regime in 2001, it wasexpected that democracy inAfghanistan would be strong-ly rooted with an inclusiveGovernment and the Buddhaswould smile again.

But the Americans, itseems, wasted twenty years,spent thousands crores of USdollars and left Afghanistan todarkness when they silently leftKabul. But the hardlinerTaliban have come to poweragain in Afghanistan in abloodless fight. They may startdisdain campaign against thenon-believers, idol worship-pers and idols as a part of theirreligious ideology. If it so hap-pens who will check them

despite the fact that they havepromised to submit to inter-national obligations? India dur-ing the last two decades hasprovided the humanitarian anddevelopment assistance of over3 billion US dollars in differentprojects in Afghanistan.

The projects included theconstructions of schools, col-leges, hospitals, electric grids,dams and the parliament build-ings. India has made such hugeinvestment to serve the com-mon Afghans without ideo-logical and ethnical discrimi-nation.

The current Afghan-Taliban development isundoubtedly a big wary forIndia and for UNESCO aswell. Hopefully, Afghanistanwill not be a hub of terroristsand a proxy of other countriesand the Taliban will not repeatfanatical act to destroy ancientmonuments.

(The writer is a Gandhianauthor, Ph: 9861469328)

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The demand for a railwayline from Kantabanji to

Koksara is gaining momentumas people as well as elected rep-resentatives from Dharamgarhblock of Kalahandi district andBangomunda and Kantabanjiblocks of Balangir district havejoined hands with those ofKhariar block in Nuapada dis-trict to echo their voices in sup-port of the demand.

Various groups and indi-viduals in these blocks sub-mitted memorandums toRailway Minister AshwiniVaishnaw during his recent

visit to Kalahandi andBalangir."It is a good suggestionto link Kantabanji toNabarangapur via Khariar andKoksara paving a railway line

through an unreached areameaning an opening for devel-opment of the people," saidJagdish Suna of Bangomundawho submitted a memoran-

dum to the Minister in Haldivillage in the presence ofKalahandi BJP MP BasantaPanda. Khariar Congress MLAAdhiraj Panigrahi also sub-mitted memorandum to theMinister demanding this linewhile journeying with him ina train from Kantabanji.

"We got an opportunity todiscuss with the Minister aboutthis railway line," saidPanigrahi. However, he resent-ed that the Minister was notsuggested by the concernedauthorities for visiting Khariar.

"The Minister’s route chartcould have been throughKhariar, which could have pro-vided an opportunity toKhariar people for interac-tion," added he.Tapan Dash,secretary of the Khadial BikashManch, a forum demanding aKantabanji-Koksara railway

line since 2010, reiterated thedemand by submitting a mem-orandum to the Minister atBangomunda. "As per our ear-lier demand for this railwayline, the Ministry had allocat-ed fund for a survey in thefinancial year 2012-13. Thesurvey was completed, but theRate of Return (ROR) wasshown negative.

Now, the Ambaguda-Nabarangapur line will passthrough Koksara. Thus, wehave proposed for a KBJ-Koksara line, which will reducethe distance by 40 km in thehilly terrain," said Dash.

The proposed line wouldtouch Dharamgarh ofKalahandi district, which hascreated interest amongst thepeople of that area. They havealso submitted a memorandumto the Minister. The demand

for this line has also come fromKantabanji. Both the formerand present MLAs ofKantabanji, Ayub Khan andSantosh Singh Saluja, also sub-mitted memorandums to theMinister.

"The lead of 37,000 votes inthe Khariar Assembly con-stituency in last parliamentelection by the presentKalahandi BJP MP was possi-ble only because the voterswanted him to fulfil theirdream of this railway line," saidSaluja while submitting thememorandum to the Minister.

"Considering such a wideracceptability of the proposal, itis hoped that the demand forour railway project would beacknowledged by the Ministry,"said Chitta Ranjan Singh Deo,a member of Khadial BikashManch.

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While protest against theclosure of Fatak or

Sambalpur Road RailwayStation catering to the needs ofthe maximum rail users of theregion is gathering momen-tum, a team of delegates metRailway

Minister AshwiniVaishanw at Balangir to nar-rate the necessity of the 125-old station. At the same time,they also apprised the Ministerof its historical backgroundwhere Mahatma Gandhi, thefather of the nation, got downto address people during thefreedom movement. A teamcomprising of MLA of Rengali

Nauri Naik, former MLA RabiNaik, Sachetan NagarikaCommittee convenor SapanMishra and its members,Sambalpur District BarAssociation members PradeepBahidar, Satya Narayan Panda,presidents and secretaries ofdifferent socio cultural organ-isations met the RailwayMinister at Balangir on theone-point demand of ‘reten-tion of Fatak station’ at anycost.

They apprised theMinister that common peoplein large numbers and railwayusers apart, the station comesto the use of two universities-Gangadhar Meher Universityand Odisha State OpenUniversity (OSOU), whoseboundary wall is just 30 feetaway from the main gate of thestation. “This is a unique fea-ture all over the country and

hence carries importance. Atthe same time, the DRM andhis officials have misled theMinistry and the Governmentwhich is not a healthy practiceand needs a vivid inquiry,” theteam told the Minister.

Further they handed overa long memorandum to theRailway Minister enlistingdemands. “Even though theRail Minister didn’t give anyspecific assurance, but heassured us to look into thematter.

Since we know his back-ground as a positive bureau-crat, we hope that Fatak stationwill not only be retained but itwill be declared as one of theheritage stations of the coun-try as the feet of Gandhijitouched this station,” saidseniormember of the DistrictBar Association PradeepBahidar.

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CISF officer SomnathMohanty of Odisha’s

Rayagada, who recentlystopped Bollywood superstarSalman Khan at the Mumbaiairport for security check, wasrewarded by the CISF contraryto media reports of Mohantybeing punished for his act.

“The officer concerned hasbeen suitably rewarded forexemplary professionalism inthe discharge of his duty,” theCISF said. Mohanty’s dutiful-ness was rewarded with a tokencash award of Rs 5,000. It hadearlier been reported by sever-al news channels, news web-sites and newspapers that theCISF had seized the mobilephone of Mohanty due tobreach of protocol for talkingto a media organisation afterstopping Salman Khan.

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JHARSUGUDA: TheJharsuguda district adminis-tration has imposed restrictionsfor the upcoming festivals inthe district. During GaneshPuja, Biswakarma Puja, DurgaPuja, Laxmi Puja, the restric-tions will continue like last year,an office order issued onAugust 21, said.

While permission ismandatory for puja celebra-tions under Jharsuguda munic-ipality from the Sub Collector,the same should be obtainedfrom Tehsildars in other twotowns and all rural areas. The

Puja will be allowed only forthe sake of formalities withoutany dance, music or celebra-tions of any kind, the orderclarified. All cultural functionsand use of speakers have beenbanned. Puja pandals will beclosed from three sides andfront side will also be coveredso that it will not be seen fromoutside.

Not more than seven per-sons including priest will beallowed inside the pandal andthe height of the idol shouldnot more than 4-ft. Spiritualexhibitions and processionsare prohibited during the fes-tive season including feasts.Limited students will beallowed in the educationalinstitutions during Ganesh Pujacelebration, it said. PNS

SAMBALPUR: Police onWednesday booked six personsand detained another forallegedly attacking the AssistantConservator of Forests (ACF)of Rairakhol Forest Divisionand his staffs near Gargadbahalvillage in Sambalpur district onTuesday night.

ACF Debiprasad Routalong some staffs on receivinginformation about illegal trans-portation of Kendu leaves inthe forests under the Charmalpolice station rushed to thespot.

However, some personssuspected to be Kendu leafsmugglers, stopped the official’svehicle and threatened theACF by brandishing sharpweapons.In the meantime, apickup van carrying smuggledKendu leaves hit the officer’svehicle from the side and fled

the spot. The driver of theACF’s vehicle suffered minorinjuries. “After receiving leadfrom a reliable source regard-ing the smuggling of Kenduleaves, a team of forest staffreached the spot for investiga-tion. However, they were inter-cepted and threatened by thesmugglers.

On hearing this, I imme-diately rushed to the spot andmanaged to bring back theteam,” informed the ACF.Following the incident, theACF lodged an FIR with theCharmal police. “Based on theFIR filed by the RairakholACF, a case has been registeredagainst six persons.

We have also detained avehicle and its driver. Thevehicle is the one which col-lided with the ACF’s patrollingvan yesterday. Further investi-gation is underway and appro-priate action will be takenagainst the attackers,” saidRairakhol SDPO PrashantKumar Meher. PNS

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Members of the Sahara TaliAnchal Milita

Kriyanusthan Committee(STAMKAC) under the lead-ership of its president SanjibaKumar Patanaik metBrahmapur MLA BikramKumar Panda and MP

Chandra Sekhar Sahu onSunday and held discussion onmerger issue of sub-urban areasand periphery panchayats intothe Berhampur MunicipalCorporation (BeMC) area. Thecommittee wanted to knowfrom both the public repre-sentatives about the progress ofwork in this respect and the

steps taken by both of them.They urged them to expeditethe process by giving thrust toit and also prioritising it.

The committee empha-sised that the process of merg-er ought to be completed beforethe Panchayat and UrbanMunicipal Corporation elec-tions due in a few months. Boththe MP and MLA said that theyhave already put forth the mat-ter before the Housing andUrban DevelopmentDepartment Secretary. It wasalso decided that a delegationof STAMKAC would accom-pany the MP and MLA toBhubaneswar to apprise theissue with authorities.

The meeting was attendedamong others by working pres-ident NC Parichha, secretaryDr Siva Prasad Mishra, vice-president Marinara Nayak andAntaryami Behera.

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The NTPC Talcher-Kanihaconducted a “CSR

Stakeholders' Meet-2021” onTuesday as per the company’spolicy.The Sarpanch, presi-dents/vice-presidents of the 25project affected villages werepresent in the meeting whichwas presided over by ExecutiveDirector (Talcher Kaniha unit)K Srinivasa Rao in the presenceof GM (Project) RN Das, GM(TS) S Murugan, CMO Dr G

Mohakul and GM (HR)Rajnish Rastogi. Different CSRworks undertaken by the powerstation were presented, besidesdiscussions were held on newCSR policies and success storiesof Talcher Kaniha, followed bysharing of best practices ofother NTPC stations. The keyareas of CSR were explainedand active co-operation fromall stakeholders was sought.The queries and grievances ofthe stakeholders were heard.The requests and issues weretaken note of and feedback onNTPC's CSR work wasobtained from all stakeholders.The programme was success-fully conducted by the CSRteam of Talcher- Kaniha.

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Seeing the gravity of the mys-terious death row of ACF

Soumya Ranjan Mohapatra inGajapati district, the NationalHuman Rights Commission(NHRC) has sought a detailedinquiry report within six weeksfrom the State Additional ChiefSecretary (Forests) and theDirector General Police (DGP).

Acting on a petition filedby Human Rights DefenderSubrat Das, the NHRC hasasked for an Action-TakenReport (ATR) and the inquiryreport. It has been more than44 days of the mysterious deathof Mohapatra, who died at aCuttack hospital after beingbrought with 90? burn injuries.

First the district police andlater the State Crime Branchassigned with the investiga-tions, during which at least 14persons have been interrogat-ed including Divisional ForestOfficer (DFO) SangramKeshari Behera.Mohapatra'sfamily has been alleging thathis wife and the DFO hadillicit relationship.

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The Union Home Ministryhas directed the CRPF to

take immediate action forincorporating the provision ofSecurity Force Court “as avail-able in Acts and Rules of otherCAPFS” for expediting disci-plinary action against Group ‘A’officers. The move comes asthe CRPF takes “undue longtime” in finalisation of disci-plinary cases against cadreofficers.

In communication titled“Disciplinary action againstGroup A officers of CRPF” onMonday sent to the InspectorGeneral (Personnel) of CRPFand Legal Officer of theMinistry, the Centre under-scored that the officers are gov-erned by the provisions ofCentral Civil Service(Classification, Control andAppeal) Rules, 1965.

“It has been observed thatthe disciplinary cases being ini-tiated against Group ‘A’ officersof CRPF take a very long timeto reach the finalisation and alarge number of such casespertain to unauthorisedabsence/desertion from duty,”reads the communication.

In forces like BorderSecurity Force (BSF), SashastraSeema Bal (SSB) and Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP),there is a provision for SecurityForce Court where disciplinaryaction is concluded in a short

period of time.“Undue long time in final-

isation of disciplinary cases ofCRPF has been viewed seri-ously by the competent author-ity. The competent authorityhas, therefore, been directedthat CRPF may include theprovision of Security ForceCourt as available in the Actsand Rules of other CAPFs(Central Armed Police Forces)for initiating disciplinaryaction against delinquent offi-cers, so that such cases arefinalised within minimumtime,” the Ministry said in itsletter. The Ministry directed itslegal officer to coordinate withthe CRPF for incorporating theprovision of SFC for expedi-tious disciplinary actionagainst the officers.

The Central Reserve PoliceForce (CRPF) is an armedforce of the Union under theHome Ministry and the Actsand Rules are akin to the

defence forces which providefor an in-house court for tak-ing timely disciplinary action.

While officials welcomedthe move to set up the SFC, asection of other officials said itis a ploy against the cadre offi-cials liable to be exploited bythe IPS officers deputed to theCRPF.

Retired senior officials ofthe CRPF said the provision ofthe SFC must apply uniform-ly to the Group ‘A’ or cadre offi-cers, IPS officers and otherranks to strengthen the cultureof discipline in the Force byswiftly taking action againsterring officials.

A section of serving offi-cials said there is an actualrequirement of setting tri-bunals on the lines of theArmed Forces Tribunals foradjudication of disputes arisingout of administrative deci-sions of the Force impactingthe personnel.

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The Supreme Court onWednesday asked the Delhi

High Court to decide withintwo weeks the plea pendingbefore it challenging theappointment of RakeshAsthana as the Delhi PoliceCommissioner.

The Special Bench com-prising Chief Justice N VRamana and justices D YChandrachud and Surya Kantpermitted Prashant Bhushanheaded NGO, ‘Centre forPublic Interest Litigation’(CPIL), to move the DelhiHigh Court to intervene in thepending plea against Asthana’sappointment. Supreme Courtalso directed to list the matterto another Bench after twoweeks as the petition narratedChief Justice’s observationagainst Asthana during CBIDirector’s selection.

The 1984-batch IPS officerAsthana was shifted to theUnion cadre from Gujaratcadre and appointedCommissioner on July 27 --four days before his superan-nuation on July 31 -- for atenure of one year.

The petition, moved byadvocate Prashant Bhushan,urged the court to set aside theCentre’s order to appointAsthana after extending his ser-vice period. The CJI Ramanaexpressed his inability to hearthe PIL saying, “I had expressedmy views during the selection

of CBI Director”. “There are two issues. One

is about my participation... Ihad expressed views about theselection of this gentleman inthe CBI Director selection.Second thing...As somebodyhas filed a petition in the HighCourt, rightly or wrongly. Weunderstand that time is of theessence of the matter. So, wewill fix a time limit of twoweeks for the high court todecide the case and we willhave the benefit of the highcourt judgment also,” CJIRamana said.

Bhushan alleged foul playsaying sometimes “ambushpetitions” by simply resortingto “cut-paste” are filed in col-lusion with the government.The bench gave Bhushan theliberty to intervene in thepending petition or file a fresh

one before the high court.Solicitor General TusharMehta, appearing for theCentre, opposed the PIL sayingthe matter pertained to theappointment of police chief ofa state and the high court con-cerned should deal with it. Hesaid the high court may begranted some more timeinstead of two weeks as so farno notice has been issued to theCentre which will have to fileits response.

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The Supreme Court onWednesday said that it

will likely pass a comprehen-sive order next week on thebatch of petitions related toPegasus Snoopgate. TheBench, headed by Chief Justiceof India NV Ramana, said thiswhile hearing a plea chal-lenging the decision of theWest Bengal Government toset up of a two-memberCommission of Inquiry head-ed by retired Supreme Courtjudge, Justice Madan Lokur toprobe into allegations sur-rounding use of Pegasus byGovernment of India.

“We are saying that nextweek we will pass a compre-hensive order,” the Benchremarked. The plea filed by aGlobal Village FoundationPublic Charitable Trust,

argued through noted lawyerHarish Salve challenged thedecision of the MamataBanerjee Government toprobe Pegasus by way of ajudicial commission. Judgessaid that they will hear the pleanext week along with otherpetitions related to the matterseeking probe into the scandal.

Salve, appearing for thetrust, said that the commissionof inquiry should not proceedwith the probe till the SupremeCourt hears the plea nextweek. Abhishek Singhvi,appearing for the West BengalGovernment, initially opposedthe same.

The Courtsaid that it willbe passing a comprehensiveorder next week and if theLokur commission proceedsin the meanwhile, then theSupreme Court will be forcedto pass orders today.

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Ahead of assembly polls insugarcane producing states

Uttar Pradesh and Punjab, theUnion Cabinet on Wednesdayincreased the minimum pricesugar mills pay to sugarcanegrowers by �5 per quintal to �290 a quintal for the next mar-keting year 2021-22 startingfrom October amid protests bysugarcane grower farmers. Thedecision will benefit around 5crore sugarcane farmers andtheir dependents, as well asabout 5 lakh workers employedin sugar mills and related ancil-lary activities. The govern-ment has ruled out any imme-diate increase in the sellingprice of sugar.

Briefing the media afterthe Cabinet meeting, Food and

Consumer Affairs MinisterPiyush Goyal said the FRP hasbeen increased to �290 perquintal for a basic recoveryrate of 10 per cent. He said apremium of �2.90/quintal willbe provided for each 0.1 per centincrease in recovery over andabove 10 per cent. There will bea reduction in FRP by �2.90/quintal for every 0.1 percent decrease in recovery.

To protect the interest offarmers, Goyal said the gov-ernment has decided that therewould be no deduction whererecovery is below 9.5 per cent.“Such farmers will get �275.50per quintal for sugarcane inensuing sugar season 2021-22 inplace of �270.75 per quintal inthe current sugar season 2020-21,” the minister said.

The central government

announces the FRP, the mini-mum price that mills have topay to cane growers, every yearbefore start of the sugarcanecrushing season. However,many state governments,including Uttar Pradesh andTamil Nadu, have beenannouncing their sugarcanerates (state advised price orSAP) over and above the FRP.The government had fixed sug-arcane FRP at �285 per quintalfor the current 2020-21 mar-keting year.

The cost of production ofsugarcane for the sugar season2021-22 is �155 per quintal. TheFRP of �290 per quintal at arecovery rate of 10 per cent ishigher by 87 per cent over pro-duction cost, he said, addingthat sugar cane farming is moreremunerative than other crops.

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The Enforcement Directorate(ED) on Wednesday said it

has carried out search opera-tions at 8 premises of humanhair merchants/exporters inHyderabad and in WestGodavari District, AndhraPradesh under ForeignExchange Management Act(FEMA). The FEMA probe isan outcome of the Chineseonline betting racket.

During the money laun-dering investigation by EDagainst Chinese Online BettingApplications, it was noticedthat hawala payments to thetune of Rs 16 crore were paid tohuman hair merchants.Consequently, FEMA investi-gation was initiated against thehair merchants based inTelangana and Andhra Pradesh.

During the FEMA investi-gation by ED, it was found thatmany domestic merchants wereaggregating and selling the rawhair to foreign merchants basedin Hyderabad, Guwahati andKolkata. The hair was thensmuggled out of India by roadvia points at Moreh (Manipur),Zokhawthar (Mizoram), Aizawl(Mizoram) to Mandalay(Myanmar). Ultimately, it findsits way to China, where theseare labeled as domestic Chinesehair and processed, the agencysaid in a statement.

Through such transactions,the Chinese traders were able toavoid import duty of 28 percent

at the time of import and alsoearn 8 per cent export incen-tives at the time of export, byclaiming smuggled Indian hairas Chinese hair. Many Indianexporters are also suspected tobe under-valuing the exportedhuman hair in terms ofvalue/quality to evade importduties in the recipient country,it said.

During the search opera-tion, the ED has seized 12mobile phones, three laptops,one computer, handwrittendairies, ‘kacha’ account booksand loose sheets containingincriminating information.

Total unaccounted cash ofRs 2.90 crore was also seizedfrom the possession of the hairmerchants. Theseexporters/merchants could notexplain the source of the seizedcash found at their premises.

Further, it was also foundthat two Hyderabad-based mer-chants had received Rs 3.38crore for domestic sale toNortheast merchants throughillegal Chinese App (Linkyun

Technology Private Limitedand Dokypay TechnologyPrivate Limited) in the compa-ny’s Paytm accounts.

It was also noticed that fewMyanmar citizens are perma-nently stationed in Hyderabadand are purchasing human hairlocally for exporting it toMyanmar by using the IECcode of Indian persons/entitiesat under-valued prices. Thedifference amount is settledeither locally or through hawalachannels, it further said.

The ED is analyzing thepurchase and sale/export pricesand quality. Prima facie it is sus-pected that human hair export-ed to Myanmar, Bangladesh,Vietnam and Austria amongother such countries are under-invoiced.

Evidence has furtherrevealed that some entities havebeen receiving paymentsagainst sale of human hair inthe bank account of theiremployees and subsequentlycash is withdrawn and handedover to their owners.

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The CBI has filed achargesheet before a desig-

nated court at Jaipur against 18accused including a CharteredAccountant, businessman,other private persons and offi-cials of Syndicate Bank besidesthree private firms in a bankfraud case of �209 crore.

The CBI had registered acase on March 23, 2017 on acomplaint from SyndicateBank, Regional office, Jaipuragainst six private personsincluding the CharteredAccountant, a builder, twoAGMs of Syndicate Bank, twoChief Managers and otherunknown public servants/pri-vate persons.

It was alleged in the com-plaint that 118 loan accountswere sanctioned and disbursedby three branches of SyndicateBank. These loan accountswere housing loan accounts,

term loan accounts for pur-chase of commercial propertyof World Trade Park (WTP),overdraft limits and ForeignLetter of Credits.

It was further alleged thatUdaipur-based CharteredAccountant Bharat Bombalong-with his employees andothers hatched a conspiracywith the branch officials of MIRoad and Malviya Nagarbranches in Jaipur and anoth-er one at Udaipur and got var-ious credit facilities sanc-tioned.

The accused therebycheated the bank to the tuneof �209.93 crore on the basisof forged and fabricated doc-uments, bills, quotations andcertificates. It was also allegedthat several of the borrowerswere found to be ordinaryemployees in firms owned bythe accused CA and otherswho were not eligible for suchhigh value loans.

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The number of adults livingwith hypertension world-

wide has doubled over the pastthree decades, with over 30 percent of Indians suffering fromhigh blood pressure, accordingto a mega study published inThe Lancet journal Wednesday.

What was more disturbingwas that nearly half of the peo-ple studied — 41 per centwomen and 51 per cent men —in 2019 were unaware of theircondition, it said adding asmany as 53 per cent of thewomen and 62 per cent of themen with the condition werenot treated.

The number of people suf-fering from hypertension hasincreased to 626 million womenand 652 million men in 2019,from an estimated 331 millionwomen and 317 million men in1990, said the researchers afteranalyzing blood pressure mea-surements over three decadesfrom more than 100 millionpeople in 184 countries.

Costa Rica, Kazakhstan,South Africa, Brazil, Turkey,

and Iran were among the coun-tries that have seen significantimprovements in treatment andcontrol rates over the past threedecades, the researchers said.

This, according to theresearchers, shows that theexpansion of universal healthcoverage and strengtheningprimary care have been instru-mental in improving hyper-tension care and reducing theseverity of the condition.

Canada and Peru had thelowest proportion of peoplewith hypertension in 2019 ataround 1 in 4. Taiwan, SouthKorea, Japan, and some coun-tries in western Europe —including Switzerland, Spain,and the UK — were found tohave the lowest hypertensionrates among women, whileEritrea, Bangladesh, Ethiopia,and the Solomon Islands hadthe lowest rates among men(less than 25 per cent).

At the other extreme, morethan half of the women studiedin Paraguay and Tuvalu in 2019were found to have hyperten-sion. Among men, this was thecase in Argentina, Paraguay,

Tajikistan and several countriesin central and eastern Europe(i.e. Hungary, Poland,Lithuania, Romania, Belarus,and Croatia).

High blood pressure, one ofthe leading risk factors forstroke, heart disease, and kid-ney disease, is linked to morethan 8.5 million deaths world-wide each year, the study said.

Past studies have shownthat lowering blood pressurecan reduce the number ofstrokes by 35-40 per cent,heart attacks by 20-25 percent, and heart failure byaround 50 per cent.

“Despite medical andpharmacological advancesover decades, global progressin hypertension managementhas been slow, and the vastmajority of people withhypertension remain untreat-ed, with large disadvantagesin low- and middle-incomecountries,” Majid Ezzati, aprofessor at Imperial CollegeLondon and the senior authorof the study, said in a state-ment accompanying thestudy.

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The India MeteorologicalDepartment (IMD) said on

Wednesday break monsoonconditions are prevailing result-ing in poor rainfall over mostparts of central, western andnorth India. These regions arelikely to see subdued rainfall inthe next four days while theeastern part of the country islikely to see an increase in rain-fall activity.

Month of August has seena long ‘break’ in the 1st fort-night, depriving rainfall over thecore monsoon area mostly cov-ering central parts of the coun-try. Pan India rainfall deficien-cy was on the rise throughoutand has reached an alarmingfigure of 10%. Of the 694 dis-tricts, 250 received deficientrainfall. The number of districtsthat received normal rainfall is288. The excess rainfall receivedby 120, 26 witnessed large excessrainfall and 16 large deficient

rainfall.“The current spell of break

condition will be short lived andis going to be over soon.Monsoon activity will reviveshortly with a decent spread ofrain over the eastern, centraland northern parts of the coun-try,” the IMD said. The IMDsaid the entire monsoon troughlies close to the foothills of theHimalayas. It is likely to remainthere till August 26. “Subduedrainfall activity is likely to con-tinue over the northwest, cen-tral India and west coast duringthe next four days,” the IMDsaid. Heavy rainfall was con-fined to some parts of East UttarPradesh, Bihar, Sub HimalayanWest Bengal, Assam, Meghalayaand Arunachal Pradesh. Isolatedlocations in Tamil Nadu alsoexperienced moderate to heavyshowers.

Strong southerly or south-westerly winds from the Bay ofBengal to northeast India arevery likely to continue.

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Bengal Chief Minister MamataBanerjee on Wednesday

attacked Prime Minister NarendraModi for “hatching a design” tosell out national assets in thename of National MonetisationPipeline. This, even as her otherparty colleagues warned that allsuch moves to alienate nationalproperty would be met with strongnationwide protests.

“We condemn this shockingand unfortunate decision (to putnational assets on lease),” Banerjeesaid wondering “who gave themthe power to take sell nationalproperties. In the name of NMPthey are selling out prime assets ofthe country … these propertiesneither belong to Modi nor BJP”so that they could be sold at the“whims and fancies” of the CentralGovernment.

“This is an unfortunate inci-dent” she said adding the proceedsfrom the sale of national proper-

ties would beused to sup-press theoppositionin the coun-try. “But theys h o u l dre m e mb e r

that the entire country will standtogether against such anti-peopledecision,” she said adding the BJPshould be ashamed of taking suchdecisions.

“This so-called leasing out ofthe national assets is anothername of sale … because theseassets will never return to theGovernment once their manage-ment goes into the hands of theprivateers … this is different fromwhat the Trinamool Congresscalls Public Private Partnership…this is sheer fraud with the peopleof the country whose hard-earnedmoney has gone into the buildingup of these assets,” TMC MPSukhendu Roy earlier said adding“the TMC will start a countrywide

protest agaisnt NMP.”Finance Minister Nirmala

Sitharaman on Mondayannounced Rs 6 lakh crore NMPaimed at unlocking value in infra-structure assets ranging frompower to road to railways to min-ing to telecommunication.

The Chief Minister alsoattacked the BJP for “instigatingdivisive” politics in Bengal bymaking demands for partitioningthe State.

“The BJP should rememberthat some stray demands made bysome of their ministers and MPsseeking partition of the State willnot lead to the break-up of Bengal… Bengal will never be divided onthe wishes of the BJP ministersand MPs … those days are gonewhen divisive politics wouldarouse mass sentiments and someparties fed on it … till theTrinamool Congress is in powerno such demand will be met …The BJP should know that Bengalis not for division.”

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Kolkata: The Trinamool Congressleadership would once again movethe Election Commission of Indiademanding early by-elections inseven Assembly seats of the State.

Senior TMC MP SukhenduShekhar Roy on Wednesday saidthat “our delegation will onceagain approach the ECI for con-ducting early elections as the timeis suitable for it to be conducted…Elections can be held before theDurga Pujas,” he said adding “thetime is also good because currentlycorona is under control with onepercent infectibility rate … we arehearing of a third wave coming …so it would be prudent to hold theelections before that.”

Roy said that the “ECI should

consider the fact that people ofseven Assembly seats should notremain unprecedented … which iswhy by-elections should be heldearly.”

By-elections are to be held inBhawanipore in Kolkata,Khardaha in North 24 Parganas,Jangipur and Rezinagar inMurshidabad.

Chief Minister MamataBanerjee who was defeated bySuvendu Adhikari in NadigramAssembly seats in the April-MayAssembly elections needs get elect-ed to the House within six monthswhich ends in the first week ofNovember. Banerjee is likely tocontest from her home turfBhawanipore.

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The Rashtriya Lok Dal hasdemanded a judicial probe

into the alleged PrayagrajMahakumbh Mela-2019 scam.

In a statement, RLDnational spokespersonAnupam Mishra alleged thatthe corruption in crores ofrupees spent on organising the2019 Prayagraj Kumbh Melawas the tip of an iceberg ofscams during the tenure of YogiAdityanath’s Government.

He wondered if ChiefMinister Yogi Adityanathwould speak on the corruptionin the Kumbh Mela whilereleasing the book 'PrayagrajKumbh' in which the historical,cultural, economic, environ-mental and administrativeaspects of Prayagraj Kumbh2019 had been included.

The RLD leader furtherasked if the chief minister

would recommend an impar-tial judicial inquiry into thismega-scam.

Mishra said that althoughthe State Government had leftno stone unturned to hide thisscam, the report of theComptroller and AuditorGeneral of India (CAG) tabledduring the monsoon session ofUP legislature had exposed it.

He said if the Governmenthad honestly shared all the cor-rect facts related to Kumbh

with the CAG, then a biggerscam would have come to thefore.

“Therefore, the RLDdemands that keeping in viewthe seriousness of the scam inPrayagraj Kumbh, the UttarPradesh government shouldconstitute a committee underthe chairmanship of a retiredjudge of the High Court to con-duct a fair investigation andsubmit its report within amonth,” he said.

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An unsavoury controversy erupted inAligarh Muslim University with the

university students slamming ViceChancellor Prof Tariq Mansoor formourning the death of former ChiefMinister of UP, Kalyan Singh, and issu-ing a condolence message.

Hate posters were put up on the uni-versity campus by the students con-demning the vice-chancellor for an “act”that they termed “shame and hurtful tothe community”. The university admin-istration hurriedly removed the postersand maintained that it was being ascer-tained who put them up.

On August 22, the vice-chancellor ofAMU issued a press note mourning thedeath of Kalyan Singh through the PROof the university. In the note, Prof TariqMansoor condoled the passing away ofthe former chief minister of UP and for-mer governor of Rajasthan and said thatKalyan Singh played an important rolein public life and the development of

Uttar Pradesh. He prayed to the almightyto give peace to the departed soul and hisfamily the strength to bear this immenseloss. Mansoor also expressed his con-dolences and sympathy to Kalyan Singh’sson and Bharatiya Janata Party MPRajveer Singh.

Next day, the news appeared in alllocal newspapers, after which hateposters were spotted at some places onthe campus. "The condolence of the vicechancellor of Aligarh Muslim Universityon the demise of ex-chief minister of UPKalyan Singh is not only a matter ofshame but also hurts religious sentimentsof our community since it is against theethos, culture and tradition of AMU.Kalyan Singh is not only the main cul-prit in the demolition of Babri Masjid butalso an offender of disdain with regardto the Supreme Court order. Praying fora criminal is an unforgiving crime," theposter displayed on the varsity walls read.

AMU Student’s Union presidentFaizul Hassan feigned ignorance aboutwho was behind the posters.

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Despite registering a steady dip in the num-ber of fresh coronavirus infections, Uttar

Pradesh has been testing more than two lakhsamples regularly which is nearly 10 times morethan the prescribed testing protocol for the Stateby global health body World HealthOrganisation.

The testing protocol by the WHO for UttarPradesh is 32,000 tests per day, whereas theCovid testing in the State has hovered between1.50 lakh and 2 lakh of late.

A top UP Government official said, “UttarPradesh has come a long way from getting thefirst Covid test conducted from the lab at theNational Institute of Virology, Pune in 2020 tocrossing the milestone of seven crore tests as ondate. As many as 7.10 crore samples have beentested so far that testifies the enlarged testingcapacity of the state. Following the guidelinesissued by the World Health Organisation, UPadopted the master strategy of ‘Trace, Test andTreat’ for Covid-19 patients to reach the last milewithin the State.”

On the scale of testing samples per positivecase, 6.4 tests per positive case were conductedin Maharashtra, 11.5 in Karnataka, 8 in Kerala,14 in Delhi, 12.8 in Tamil Nadu and 11.4 testsper positive case in Andhra Pradesh, whereasUttar Pradesh has been able to test 41.6 samplesper positive case and is leading by example.

“Out of over 1.87 lakh samples tested in thelast 24 hours, UP reported 22 fresh Covid-19cases, with a positivity rate down to 0.01 per cent,testifying success of numerous proactive mea-sures adopted by the State Government in lim-iting the virus transmission in the densely pop-ulated state.

Uttar Pradesh has been registering a steepdecline in the number of active Covid-19casesas the figure has dropped from a high of 3.10lakh in April to 345 now, a remarkable reduc-tion by 99 per cent.

More than 73,000 surveillance committeeshave been moving across 97,941 villages in all75 districts checking for Covid-19 cases. In fact,70 per cent of tests since the second wave ofCovid-19in the State have solely been conduct-ed in the rural regions,” the official said.

In addition to spreading awareness onimportance of early detection and early treat-ment, the surveillance committees have also beenvisiting houses in rural areas to educate the ruralpopulace and have been repeatedly appealing tothem to not hide the symptoms and rather getthemselves tested.

Lucknow: Aiming to improve the liv-ing standards of poor families, ChiefMinister Yogi Adityanath started thedistribution of free cooking gas con-nections under the Ujjwala 2.0(Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana) onWednesday.

Enabling households to cook usingsmoke-free fuels, the Uttar Pradeshgovernment has set a target to provide20 lakh free cooking gas connectionsto the poor families under Ujjwala 2.0.

The Pradhan Mantri UjjwalaYojana under which women of belowpoverty line (BPL) families are beingprovided with clean cooking fuel waslaunched by Prime Minister NarendraModi in Ballia (Uttar Pradesh) on May1, 2016.

Distributing free LPG connec-tions through a virtual programmefrom his official residence in Lucknow,Yogi Adityanath also interacted withthe beneficiaries from as many as 10districts, including Banda, Chitrakoot,Hardoi, Amethi, Farrukhabad,

Sonbhadra, Rae Bareli, Mahoba,Budaun and Fatehpur.

“There cannot be a better exampleof women empowerment than theUjjwala scheme through which theGovernment has succeeded in ensur-ing a safe and healthy environment forwomen and children in poor house-holds. Women are the ones who areresponsible for feeding their families.

There were eight crore families inthe country who did not have LPGconnections. Women were forced tocook on wood and coal, which was haz-ardous for their eyes, lungs, and over-all health. To help women get rid ofthis, Prime Minister Narendra Modipursued the goal of 'Healthy Life,Better Life' through Ujjwala scheme.

This golden scheme has taken careof the health of our mothers and sistersby freeing them from smoke on the onehand and on the other, it has given relieffrom the trouble of arranging fuel, thestruggle of finding dry wood duringmonsoon and rains and hours in thekitchen,” the chief minister told the ben-eficiaries during his interaction. PNS

Aligarh: A woman tried to set herselfablaze by spraying kerosene outside theSSP office on Wednesday afternoon. Thesecurity personnel posted at the gatestopped the woman on sight, after whichshe was produced before the SSP. Thewoman alleges that the Gabhana policeis not taking any action in the case ofmolestation and assault. Here the SPTraffic heard the problem and instruct-ed the Gabhana police to investigate.

A woman resident of a village inHathras area was married 12 years agowith a youth resident of the village ofGabhana police station area. The husbandused to run a puncture shop outside thevillage. According to the woman, amonth ago some people from the neigh-borhood entered the house, thrashed andmolested her. When the woman com-plained about this to the Gabhana policestation in-charge, no action was taken.

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Kerala, reeling under theonslaught of Covid-19 has

been struck by another pan-demic in the form of the bittermemories of MappilaRebellion, the biggest com-munal pogrom witnessed inthis part of the country.

The communal riots whicherupted on August 21, 1921,claimed the lives of more than2,000 persons who refused tochange their religion. The year2021 marks the centenary ofthis rebellion and has broughtback memories of 1921 result-ing in the polarisation of com-munities.

The Mappila Rebellioncommenced under the garb ofKhilafat Movement patronisedby leaders of Muslim League toexpress their solidarity with theKhalifa of Turkey who had losthis pre-eminence position asthe guardian of the Muslimcommunity at the end of theFirst World War. Though theKhalifa had no relevance inIndia, as pointed out by Sir CSankaran Nair, who has beenthe only Keralaite to adore thepresidency of the Congress,Mahatma Gandhi chose tosupport the Movement in hisanxiety to enlist the support ofthe Muslims in the freedomstruggle.

But the Khilafat agitation

took the shape of massive com-munal pogrom in the Eranaduand Valluvanadu regions ofMalabar and saw the slaughterof Hindus who refused to con-vert to another religion.Eminent Congress leaders likeK P Kesava Menon and KMadhavan Nair who ques-tioned the course of the agita-tion earned the wrath of therioters and both of them had tomake a quick retreat. BothMenon and Nair had in theirmemoirs described the agita-tion as a communal pogrom.

C Gopalan Nair, deputycollector, Malabar Provincehad authored a book MappilaRiots 1921 in which he haschronicled the details. The rul-ing CPI(M) claims that theMappila Riot of 1921 was partof the freedom struggle. Butthey are evasive when askedwhy people who refused toconvert were butchered. Nair,writes with documentary evi-dences that the riot was a bla-tant communal riot.

“The Mappila Riot wasaccepted as part of the freedommovement only on December5, 1981 by the thenGovernment led by IndiraGandhi as part of a politicalaccord between the Congressand the Muslim League,” saidProf C I Issac, eminent histo-rian, who studied the riots indetail and submitted a report to

the Government asking for theremoval of the names of near-ly 350 persons who have beenlisted as Freedom Fighters.“The name of VariamkunnathuAhmed Haji, had not figured inthe list of freedom fighterssubmitted by the KeralaGovernment and this wasadded later,” Prof Issac told ThePioneer.

Annie Besant who touredthe region in the aftermath ofthe riots wrote: “It would bewell if Mr Gandhi could betaken into Malabar to see withhis own eyes the ghastly hor-rors which have been createdby the preaching of himself andhis ‘loved brothers’Muhammed and Shaukat Ali..”

The atmosphere in Keralagot vitiated with the Ministerfor Tourism Mohammed Riyazannouncing the construction ofa memorial forVariankunnathu Ahmed inMalappuram. “Both the LDFand the UDF Governmentshave refused to instal a statueof Thunchathu Ezhuthachan,the father of the Malayalamlanguage, in his hometown ofTirur citing religious senti-ments. Then why is this specialhonour for a mass murderer?”asks Ali Akbar, move maker.The Government of Kerala,could have stayed away fromthis controversy, say many aca-demicians.

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The Uttar Pradesh Sugarcanedepartment has constructed

roads of over 792 km using plas-tic waste. This has served thedual purpose of facilitating farm-ers as well as protecting the envi-ronment.

Taking a pro-environmen-tal measure, the Sugarcanedepartment is mulling the use ofplastic waste for the constructionof roads linking cane fields to thenearest mill or mandis for fastermovement of the cash crop,thereby making the way easierfor the farmers under the RuralRoad Connectivity scheme.

One such example has comeforth in Belrayan of Lakhimpurdistrict where the journey of thecane farmers on the one-kilo-metre long dilapidated roadfrom Rakehati Banjargarh toJholupurwa was tough earlier.The Sugarcane Developmentdepartment has constructed afour-metre wide and one-kilo-metre long road with plasticwaste under the Rural RoadConnectivity scheme. Now, thefarmers are easily commuting onthese roads with tractors loadedwith sugarcane.

Such environment-friendlyroads are saving both time andfuel for the farmers travellingfrom their fields to the mill andthe market. The departmenthas used 329 kg of plastic wastein the construction of this road,which has saved 329 kg of bitu-men. This is just one example;the Sugarcane department hasconstructed 792 km of roads infour years.

With the aim to reduceplastic waste and make the envi-ronment plastic-free, the depart-ment has set a target of con-structing 76 km long roads withthe help of single-use plastic inthe current financial year 2021-22.

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After he got relief from the Mahadcourt and the Bombay High Court

over his controversial remarks againstMaharashtra Chief Minister UddhavThackeray, Union Micro, Small andMedium Enterprises Minister NarayanRane on Wednesday upped the anteagainst the ruling Shiv Sena by reviv-ing the controversial “suicides” by lateactor Sushant Singh Rajput’s ex-man-ager Disha Salian and Tik-Tok starPooja Chavan.

Addressing a news conferencehours after the Bombay High Courtruled that “no coercive action” wouldbe taken against him till September 17,Rane — who had earlier been grant-ed bail by a Mahad court on Tuesdaynight in the “tight slap slur” case —said that the two court’s rulings in hisfavour showed that “there is rule of lawin the country”.

Rane said that he would resumehis “Jan Ashirwad Yatra” from August25 from Sindhudurg district. “After twodays’ rest, I will resume Jan AshirwadYatra from Sindhudurg on August 27.I do not think there will be impedi-ments to my yatra in future”.

Rane thanked the BJP nationalpresident J P Nadda, former chief min-ister Devendra Fadnavis, state BJPpresident Chandrakant Patil and otherparty leaders for supporting him afterhe was arrested by the Ratnagiri police on Tuesday in the“tight slap slur” case registered againsthim.

Making it clear that he was not theone to take things lying down, Ranesaid that he would revive the issuesrelating to the mystery surrounding thedeaths of Disha Salian and PoojaChavan.

Disha (28), it may be recalled, hadreportedly committed suicide by jump-ing from the 14th floor of GalaxyRegent building at Malad in northMumbai on the intervening night ofJune 8, 2020. Her death had takenplace five days before Sushant (34)committed suicide at his rented duplexflat in Bandra in north-west Mumbaion June 14.

Rane and his sons had attemptedto drag the name of the CM’s son andTourism Minister Aditya Thackeray inthe entire matter.

It may be recalled that PoojaChavan (22) had allegedly committedsuicide by jumping off the Heaven Parkbuilding in Pune’s Wanwadi locality on

the intervening night of February 7and 8, 2021. Following her death, theOpposition BJP had made an issue over Pooja’s death, by rooting for thearrest of then Shiv Sena MinisterSanjay Rathod, who was reportedly inlove with the deceased woman.

At Wednesday’s news conference,Rane – without taking any names –demanded to know as to who wereresponsible for the deaths of DishaSalian and Pooja Chavan. “How didDisha Salian die? Who was present atthe crime scene? Why have the policenot established the cause of her death?.What about the death of PoojaChavan? I am not going to sit quietly,till the Ministers responsible for thetwo deaths are arrested. If need be Iwill move the court. Let me see whowill protect these Ministers?” Raneasked.

Dubbing the suicides by Disha andSushant as inter-linked, Maharashtra’sformer Chief Minister and BJP leaderNarayan Rane had on August 4, 2020created a sensation by claiming thatboth Sushant was “murdered” while hisex-manager Disha Salian was “raped”and “murdered”.

Addressing a news conferencehere on Tuesday last, Rane indirectlyhad targeted Maharashtra Minister andThackeray scion Aaditya Thackeray, bydemanding to know: “Who all werethere in the parties that were held onJune 8 and June 13? Find them out”. Hehad suggested that a Maharashtra Minister too was in theseparties.

“The State Government is tryingto shield the culprits behind thedeaths of Disha and Sushant. We asopposition are efficient and we will letthat happen. Parties are held in DinoMorea every day. Many ministersattend these parties. There was aparty on that day as well. The sameminister had gone to Sushant’s homebefore the actor’s suicide. The policeshould investigate that minister con-cerned,” Rane had alleged.

Rane had alleged that on June 8,Disha Salian was raped and thenmurdered, while on June 14, SushantSingh Rajput was murdered. “ThatDisha Salian was raped was evidentfrom the post-mortem report,” hesaid.

Alleging that both the incidentswere linked, Rane said: “It is not dif-ficult to find out who was issuingthreatening calls to Sushant SinghRajput”.

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A63-year-old man was arrested for alleged-ly molesting a minor girl in Cachar dis-

trict of Assam, police said on Wednesday. The accused had been engaged as the 9-

year-old girl's music teacher, they said. The incident that took place at Rongpur

area of Silchar town came to light when hermother lodged an FIR.

"Family members of the girl approachedthe man, after the minor complained of painin the pelvic area and did not wish to attendthe music classes. The accused admitted tocommitting the crime," a police officer said.

Her mother also alleged that the man hadoffered money for not reporting the incident,he said.

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Page 6: EVcc`c Wc`^ 2W hZ]] SV UVR]e+ 45D - Daily Pioneer

Parsi girl, Ruttie Petit.A telling incident narrat-

ed by Pran Chopra, later theeditor of The Statesman, as areporter witnessing a MuslimLeague rally at Jalandhar in thecampaigning during the 1945-46 elections reveals howJinnah was the man of themoment for the country’sMuslims. He could addressgatherings only in English;the only other language heknew was his native Gujarati;certainly not Urdu. In themiddle of his speech, the callfor azaan (Muslim prayer)was sounded. While the crowdtrooped off to pray, Jinnah satdown on a chair to smoke acigar, resuming his speechafter the crowd had returned.No one minded. For them, hewas the messiah who woulddeliver them what they ardent-ly wanted — freedom fromHindu domination after theBritish quit. Cigar smokingand pork gorging were smalldetails that didn’t matter.

Jinnah, the highest paidbarrister in the British Empire,was a brilliant courtroomadvocate but remained onlythat. To him, the MuslimLeague and his Muslim fol-lowers were clients; his finalfee was a place in the hall offame in history as the founderof a new country for his com-

munity. The Muslim desire fora separate homeland existedbefore Jinnah, but he was itseffective articulator, winningit for them after unleashingviolence on Hindus and con-vincing the British of theimperative for Partition.Jinnah talked to his Muslimsonly in English as he did withall his clients, except Gujaratis.Unlike Jawaharlal Nehru,Jinnah did not offer theGovernor-Generalship toLord Mountbatten for a yearor so, but kept it for himself.

In the minds of theMuslim League leaders, onthe eve of Partition, it wasclear that all or most Muslimsof India’s provinces mustrelocate to Pakistan. Through1946 and early 1947, Jinnahand his senior colleaguesdemanded an exchange ofpopulation at Partition. Hispress appeal was published onNovember 26, 1946, on thefront page of the Dawn whichwas still being published fromDelhi. On December 19 thesame year, Raja Ghazanfar AliKhan stated in the Dawnthat the population map ofIndia must change. TheLeague President of Punjabmade a statement that suchan exchange was good. Theother leaders who publiclyagreed were Sir Mohammed

Ismail of Madras and SyedIlahi Bux of Sind. They andothers were of the view thatif Hindus and Muslims couldhave coexisted, what was theneed for Partition? JusticeGopal Das Khosla, ICS, anda member of the Punjab HighCourt, also held that anexchange of population wasan integral part of Partition.

The view wasn’t confinedto Jinnah and the leaders ofthe Muslim League. India’sfirst President Dr RajendraPrasad propagated the samein his book, India Divided. Heproposed that Muslims inIndia and Hindus and Sikhsin Pakistan unable to migrateshould be allowed to stay onwith visas issued by NewDelhi and Karachi. Qaid-e-Azam MA Jinnah hadendorsed his proposal. Butthe Nehru regime, adamanton hoisting a rootlessnessthat would later come to becalled “secularism”, sold thefalsehood that Partition wasa ‘territorial’ division andnot a religious one, the con-sequences of which Indiacontinues to battle eventoday.

(The writer is a well-known columnist, anauthor and a former memberof the Rajya Sabha. The viewsexpressed are personal.)

����������� ���������Sir — The Taliban continue to strength-en their footprint in Afghanistan andexpected to form an official governmentsoon. Interestingly, decoding how Chinais managing its geopolitics and foreignpolicies with respect to the Taliban seemsto be a well calibrated approach. Basically,China wants to keep the terror ideologyaway from its hinterland, therefore, it isnegotiating with the Taliban for the sakeof its own internal peace. Also, China’svested interest in Afghanistan for itsstrategic location and rare earth metals isno surprise. The withdrawal of troops bythe US from Afghanistan could probablygive China the opening it needed.

China has held talks with the nine-member Taliban delegation last monthand now Pakistan’s Foreign MinisterShah Mahmood Qureshi paid a visit to theChinese officials in Beijing. China andPakistan were already a threat to India andif the Taliban happen to join forces withthem, which is likely, it can be a big bigproblem for India. Therefore, it is impor-tant for India to resume back channel talkswith the Taliban and not let it be usedagainst India for funds and recognition.

Kirti Wadhawan | Kanpur

�� �������������������Sir — After the failed demonetisation pol-icy of 2016, the BJP Government hasannounced a four-year NationalMonetisation Pipeline (NMP) worth anestimated �6 lakh crore. The policy aimsto monetise the assets across sectors bytransferring their rights to private playersaimed to generate revenue. As many as 25Airports Authority of India (AAI) airports,40 railway stations, 15 railway stadiumsand an unidentified number of railwaycolonies have been identified for gettingprivate investments. Isn’t this how theModi Government is bent upon destroy-ing its strategic assets like railways, airport,national highways, telecom, gas pipelines,warehouses and the power sector?

People are amused that even afterseven years in power, the BJP Governmentstill remains incompetent in matters of

economy and hence resorting to privati-sation. One has to agree that at the end ofthe ‘transaction life’, the future governmentwill retain the ownership of these appar-ently under-utilised assets, but the modal-ities of the mandatory handback need tobe spelt out to help private players decidefor how long they can commit themselvesto the projects. Lack of clarity can defeatthe purpose of the entire exercise.

Bidyut Kumar Chatterjee | Faridabad

��������������Sir — It refers to the viral videos show-ing the arrest of Union Minister NarayanRane in Maharashtra for his remarksagainst Maharashtra Chief MinisterUddhav Thackeray. The Union Ministercan be seen in the middle of having hislunch as the Mumbai Police try to get holdof him. Comments like the one for whichhe was arrested, though undesirable, arequite common in Indian politics. At least

such an abrupt arrest was not required. Itwould have been better to reciprocate sim-ilar goodwill by countering through polit-ical comments rather than an unusualarrest which may even ultimately politi-cally benefit the Union Minister.

During his Jan Ashirwad Yatra inMaharashtra, the Union Minister hadallegedly said it was shameful that UddhavThackeray did not know the year ofIndependence and had to ask aides thecount of years of Independence during hisspeech. He added that he would have giventhe Maharashtra Chief Minister a “tightslap” had he been there. Interestingly, thefeud between the two has a long historyand both the leaders are known for tak-ing personal digs at each other on socialmedia every now and then.

Madhu Agrawal | Delhi

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With IndependenceDay just gone by,India has enteredits 75th year as an

independent nation after colonialrule. But as our Prime Ministeralso declared that August 14 —which is our neighbourPakistan’s independence day —will be remembered as PartitionHorrors Remembrance Day, it isapt to recall Partition. Thishuman tragedy was set in motionby Mohammad Ali Jinnah for-mally on March 23, 1940, in theMuslim League’s plenum on theeve of passing a resolution todivide India. Excerpts fromJinnah’s speech the previous daymake it evident that the Qaide-e-Azam was clear about what hewas advocating.

“Muslims are not a minority;we are a nation,” Jinnah claimed.He further said: “Hindus andMuslims are distinct and separatecivilisations, deriving their inspi-ration from different sources ofhistory. They have different epics.Very often, the hero of one is a foeof the other and, likewise, theirvictories and defeats overlap. Toyoke together two such nationsunder a single State must lead togrowing discontent and the finaldestruction of the fabric. The his-tory of 1,200 years has failed toachieve unity; India was alwaysdivided into Hindu India andMuslim India. Therefore, theymust have their homeland, theirterritory and their State.” ForJinnah and his League, this wastheir inexorable logic.

Jinnah did not stop at mererhetoric. To convince the Britishthat the two communities couldnot coexist in one country, heunleashed the “Direct Action” inCalcutta on August 16, 1946.Riots erupted not only in Bengalbut spread up to Bhagalpur inBihar. For a man of the elite, whowore only Saville Row suits, didnot wear pyjamas or sherwanisbefore embracing Muslim poli-tics, couldn’t do a namaz andenjoyed his pork, this was a com-plete U-turn. The Qaid’s youngerbrother Ahmed Ali, also mymaternal grandfather’s friend(they met frequently), told mygrandpa that the brothers wereculturally Parsi, and ate anddrank what they liked. The elderJinnah had married a beautiful

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The BJP leaders bid a tearful adieuto Kalyan Singh, the former ChiefMinister of Uttar Pradesh who wasprojected as the Hindu mascot by

the saffron party during the RamJanmabhoomi campaign. From PrimeMinister Narendra Modi to Union HomeMinister Amit Shah and from UnionDefence Minister Rajnath Singh to NationalBJP president J P Nadda, all flew down toLucknow or Aligarh pay their last respectsto Kalyan Singh. Chief Minister YogiAdityanath accompanied the mortalremains of Kalyan Singh to Aligarh andeven went to Narora where the last riteswere performed.

Kalyan Singh, the first BJP ChiefMinister in UP, deserved the respect. Butthe way in which senior leaders made a bee-line for darshan and news channels beamedthe program for three days, BJP has suc-ceeded in sending a subtle message balanc-ing the complex Mandal and Kamandalissues. Caste and religion are bound to playan important role in the coming assemblyelections in Uttar Pradesh.

Probably, this was the reason as whySamajwadi Party leaders stayed away frompaying tributes to Kalyan Singh as there wasa fear that this might antagonize Muslimsand harm SP in assembly elections. It is nosecret that Kalyan Singh had blow-hot-blow-cold relations with BJP. Twice he leftthe party and once he even joined handswith Mulayam Singh Yadav. In 2003,when Mulayam Singh Yadav became ChiefMinister, Kalyan Singh’s son Rajveer Singhbecame Health Minister in his Governmentand continued to hold the post till 2007.In this scenario, Akhilesh and Mulayamskipping Kalyan’s funeral raised manyeyebrows. Though Akhilesh has condoledthe death through a tweet calling KalyanSingh a great administrator.

BJP state president Swatantra DevSingh took a dig at Akhilesh Yadav whenhe tweeted: “…. Whether love for Muslimvotes prevented Akhilesh from payinghomage to the biggest backward casteleader.”

Kalyan Singh, a Lodh, played aninstrumental role in balancing Mandal andKamandal issues. This was in the 80s whenBJP’s aggressive Hindutva was challengedby the rising tide of backward caste poli-tics. The onerous task before the BJP washow to propel Hindutva amid rising castepolitics. The brilliant answer was KalyanSingh - the backward caste leader from theLodh community. His era became the start-ing point of BJP’s caste calculations andbroadening of the Hindutva base across thecaste fault lines.

Singh’s emergence gave BJP the lever-age to call itself a ‘sarv-hara’ because, withone brilliant stroke, the saffron politics, tillthen largely seen to be aligned with theHindu upper castes, was redefined. “For theSangh and the BJP, which have not mus-tered much around the caste dynamics, thenecessity to counter the rising tide ofMandal politics was making it imperative

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Simplistically, by virtueof the decree ofRestitution of Conjugal

Rights (RCR), a civil courthas the power to compel arecalcitrant partner to cohab-it with their spouse, withouttheir consent. But this provi-sion of the Hindu MarriageAct is more than just moral-ly displeasing. It is a contra-diction in terms of the stridesIndia has made in its pursuitof gender justice.

Looking at the wording ofthe provision, I realise that theone thread that links thiscolonial-era law with the pre-sent is that gender remains apost-facto thought for ourlegislators and the State. Untilwe mainstream gender intothe design of things, we can-not sufficiently rectify thecurrent gender inequity.

The pro-RCR argument isthat it is a legal remedy avail-able to both aggrieved spous-es and is in fact gender-neu-tral. Today, as we stand at thecusp of a new decade, it isimperative we emphasise thatanything within the spec-trum of gender justice mustnecessarily be gender-respon-sive. Time and again ourcourts have decreed that RCRis an obsolete provision of ourpersonal laws that are viola-tive of citizens’ fundamentalrights.

The Justice K. S.Puttaswamy v. Union of Indiajudgment delineates the rightto engage in sexual inter-course as an intrinsic part ofthe right to privacy. As aresult, we are equipped todeduce that privacy is inex-plicably intertwined with the

right to bodily integrity, self-determination and sexualautonomy. And yet a decreeof RCR infringes on all theaforementioned rights. If ourideal of privacy is the bench-mark of individual autonomythat recognises the ability ofan individual to control vitalaspects of her life, vestingsuch a power in the hands ofthe State is meaningless. Itthen follows that privacy is aprivilege forbidden forwomen considering how

often they are coerced tocohabit with abusive andtoxic husbands. This raisesenough need to abolish itcompletely.

The selective use of ‘discretion’ by the State (indrafting) and the courts (in decreeing) an RCR, is indirect contrast to the voiceand choice framework. Thereason I say the State is adopt-ing a “pick and choose” pol-icy concerning the institutionof marriage is with referenceto section 375 of the IndianPenal Code that offers a blan-ket of impunity to husbandsperpetuating marital rape.We must reacquaint our-selves with an imperative forthe State to not defend patri-archy. Our right to life dwellson the right to live with dig-nity and liberty to choose for

ourselves. But far moreimportant than this jurispru-dential thematic is the free-dom to exercise this right inthe face of forced co-habita-tion in a patrilocal setup. It isimportant we view marriageby placing it in the ecosystemof socio-cultural patriarchythat operates all around us,often nearly indistinguish-able and invisible. What, ifany, is the role of the State ina marriage between two con-senting adults? The Indianconstitution, as per Article 38,recognizes the Governmentas a welfare State to the bestof any jurisprudential extent.With the State constitutional-ly empowered to limit itself asa democratic country with asocialist vision, the legislativeshift we are asking forrequires a paradigm shift in

the current jurisprudentialdiscourse.

Gender-responsive andgender-neutral are two partsof the spectrum of change. Ihave often made the argu-ment for why patriarchy isnot to be mistaken as anisland notion floating intooblivion; it is in fact the old-est surviving institution in theworld, and any rattling of thisinstitution is bound to createfriction. The bottom line is -if you are not gender-respon-sive, you are definitely genderoppressive. But we must real-ize that there is no question-ing patriarchy till the time wechallenge the very institutionof marriage, one that is basedon a patrilocal system.Culture, cleverly cited in resis-tance to the empowerment ofwomen and conveniently tai-

lored to rule a woman's lifesince eternity, lingers as thatone brushed aside aspect inall dialogue concerningwomen. While we activelyencourage discourse on gen-der mainstreaming, cultureshould be brought to theforefront of our conversa-tion as a means to channel theadvancement of genderequality. And with referenceto this instance, we mustunderstand that culture andpersonal laws are in abjectcontrast to a progressive dis-course on gender-responsivelaws. Let me conclude byquoting Indian economistDevaki Jain, “this is a conver-sation we must have with cau-tion, as culture may clashwith the universality inwomen’s human rights, a bat-tle that is hard-won”.

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to look towards their own leaders foran answer to the new challenge.Singh a prominent OBC face wasbest suited. He was the personifiedsynthesis of Kamandal and Mandal,”said Pranshu Mishra, a politicalcommentator.

In the present-day scenario,Kalyan Singh’s caste and Hindutvaimage can come to the rescue of BJPonce again when the backwards aremuch in demand politically. It isbelieved that in the Yogi regime,backwards are feeling alienated.This led to the murmur of even pro-jecting Keshav Prasad Maurya,Deputy Chief Minister in the pre-sent political dispensation, as nextChief Minister. In the recent expan-sion carried out in the Modi cabi-net, four out of seven ministers fromUP are from backward castes.

In UP politics Yadavs are thedominant backward caste. As itforms the bulwark of SamajwadiParty’s support base, the otherpolitical parties are locked in anintense race to woo non-dominantor non-Yadav, other backward castes(OBCs), who constitute about 40percent of the population. The rul-ing BJP got a good share of OBCvotes in the 2014 Lok Sabha elec-tions, 2017 UP Assembly election,and 2019 Lok Sabha polls.

Castes like Sahus, Kashyaps,Sainis, Kushwahas, Mauryas,Shakyas, Pals, Dhangars, Gaderiyas,Kumhars, Nishads, and Mallas aremuch in demand. The BJP in 2017had also expanded its reach amongOBCs by allying with Om PrakashRajbhar’s Suheldev Bhartiya Samaj

Party (SBSP) and the Nishad Partyin 2019. The SBSP, however, brokeoff ties after the 2019 Lok Sabhaelections despite Rajbhar beingmade a Cabinet minister in the YogiGovernment and his son and othersupporters given chairmanships ofstate-run corporations. The break-up with Rajbhar has hit the BJP andtherefore it is trying desperately towoo Nishad and other non-domi-nant OBCs.

The Nirbal Indian ShoshitHamara Aam Dal (NISHAD)Party’s President Sanjay Nishad hasasked for 70 seats and ministerialposts in the coming assembly elec-tions. In the meeting of the party’snational president JP Nadda, HomeMinister Amit Shah, state organiza-tion general secretary Sunil Bansalalong with the state Chief MinisterYogi Adityanath in Delhi last weekmade it clear that if BJP wants theirsupport it will have to ensure arespectable share in power. The BJPhas agreed to give a vacant seat ofthe nominated quota of theLegislative Council to Sanjay Nishadbut is so far non-committal aboutseat-sharing for the assembly elec-tions.At present Nishad Party doesnot have a member in either Houseof legislature. Sanjay Nishad’s sonPraveen Nishad is MP from SantKabir Nagar.

So, with the death of KalyanSingh, BJP ensured that the rightsignal should go among the back-wards. That is why on August 22Prime Minister paid tributes whilethe next day the Union HomeMinister flew down to Aligarh. On

both days, Kalyan Singh and BJPremained in the limelight. Secondly,Keshav Prasad Maurya, the PWDminister, proposed that the roadleading to Ram Temple in Ayodhyawill be called Kalyan Singh Road.He also announced roads in Aligarh,Bulandshahr, and other parts of thestate would be named after KalyanSingh, whose Lodh communityhas a sizeable presence in over twodozen assembly seats in central andwestern UP.

Singh rose to power riding theRam Temple movement of which hewas one of the main crusaders. Butit is ironic that he wanted to attendthe foundation laying ceremony ofthe Ram temple held on August 5,2020, but could not do so due to hishealth problem.

The year 2020 was a landmarkyear for Kalyan Singh. After BabriMosque was demolished onDecember 6, 1992, he resignedtaking moral responsibility. Caseswere filed against him by the CBI,which was probing the demolitioncase. A total of 49 cases were filedin 1992 and in the second case FIRnumber 198 his name along with,LK Advani, Murali Manohar Joshi,and Uma Bharati were named forpromoting religious enmity andinstigating riots. On September13,2020, after 28 years, the SpecialCBI Court in Lucknow acquitted allthe 32 accused in the Babri Masjiddemolition case including KalyanSingh.

After the acquittal Kalyan Singhtold the waiting media: “Now I candie in peace.”

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Islamabad: The PakistanSupreme Court has asked threesenior officials to appear beforeit on Thursday to hear theGovernments version on therising incidents of harassmentof journalists.

The three officials are: theInterior Secretary, the FederalInvestigation Agency'sDirector General and theIslamabad police inspectorgeneral, Dawn news reported.

The court issued the direc-tives in response to a four-pagepetition complaining that jour-nalists in Pakistan were facingincreasing acts of intimidationat the hands of security agencies.

The court regretted that theFIA appeared to have over-stepped its mandate and under-mined the nation's confidencein the judiciary.

A two-judge SC bench, con-sisting of Justice Qazi Faez Isaand Justice Jamal KhanMandokhel, also issued noticesto the secretaries of informationand broadcasting; religiousaffairs and human rights min-istries; as well as to the Councilof Pakistan Newspaper Editors(CPNE); All PakistanNewspapers Society (APNS);the Pakistan BroadcastersAssociation (PBA); PakistanFederal Union of Journalists(PFUJ). IANS

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China will introduce President Xi Jinping'spolitical ideology in its national curricu-

lum for schools and colleges, in the latest effortto consolidate the ruling Communist Party'sgrip on power for the future.

“Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism withChinese Characteristics for a New Era” will beincorporated into China's textbooks for stu-dents at all levels, the country's Ministry ofEducation announced on Tuesday.

The guideline, issued by the NationalTextbook Committee, said textbooks reflectthe will of the Communist Party of China(CPC) and the nation and directly impact thedirection and quality of talent cultivation,state-run China Daily reported onWednesday.

The ideology will be integrated into thecurriculum covering basic, vocational and var-ious subjects of higher education, Han Zhen,a member of the National Textbook Committeesaid.

As per the new curriculum, the primaryschools will focus on cultivating the love forthe country, the CPC and socialism.

In middle schools, the focus will be on acombination of perceptual experience andknowledge study, to help students form basicpolitical judgments and opinions.

In colleges, there will bemore emphasis on the estab-lishment of theoretical thinking,state-run Global Times report-ed.

Billed as the most powerfulleader after the CPC's founderMao Zedong, Xi is widelyexpected to continue in powerfor an unprecedented thirdterm beginning late next year.

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President Joe Biden has saidthe US is on "a pace" to

complete its evacuation mis-sion in Afghanistan by August31 and doesn't plan to havetroops in the country past thatdate, but the completion of thedeadline depends on coopera-tion from the Taliban.

The US has currentlyapproximately 5,800 troops atthe Hamid Karzai InternationalAirport in Kabul.

“We are currently on apace to finish (the evacuationmission) by August 31. Thesooner we can finish, the bet-ter. Each day of operationsbrings added risk to ourtroops,” Biden told reporters atthe White House on Tuesday.

“But the completion byAugust 31 depends on theTaliban continuing to cooper-ate and allow access to the air-port for those who were trans-porting out and no disruptionsto our operations,” he said.

The Taliban -- which seizedpower in Afghanistan onAugust 15, two weeks before theUS was set to complete itstroop withdrawal after a cost-ly two-decade war -- haswarned that the US must end itsevacuation mission on August31.

Taliban spokesmanZabihullah Mujahid in a newsconference in Kabul onTuesday said the US must stickto its self-imposed deadline.“After that we won't let Afghansbe taken out” on evacuationflights, he said.

Any decision by the US tostay longer could led to a warbetween them and the UStroops who are executing theairlift at Kabul airport, theTaliban has said.

Biden said he has askedPentagon and the StateDepartment for contingencyplans to adjust the August 31timetable of leavingAfghnaistan, "should thatbecome necessary".

“I'm determined to ensurethat we complete our mis-sion...I'm also mindful of theincreasing risks that I've beenbriefed on and the need to fac-tor those risks in. They're realand significant challenges thatwe also have to take into con-sideration. The longer we stay,starting with the acute andgrowing risk of an attack by aterrorist group known as ISIS-K, an ISIS affiliate inAfghanistan, which is thesworn enemy of the Taliban aswell,” he said.

“Every day we're on theground is another day we knowISIS-K is seeking to target theairport and attack both US andallied forces and innocent civil-ians," Biden said.

The Islamic State group'sAfghanistan affiliate, ISIS-K, isknown for staging suicideattacks on civilians.

Biden said though theTaliban are cooperating "sothat we can get our people out.But it's a tenuous situation".

PTI � Washington

Influential lawmakers fromthe G-7 countries have urged

that India should be invited toattend the bloc's meetings thatseeks to develop a commonand united front for globalsecurity and regional stabilityin the aftermath of the Talibantaking control overAfghanistan.

US Senator BobMenendez, who is also theChairman of the powerfulSenate Foreign RelationsCommittee, and his counter-parts from Italy, France,Germany, Japan, the UK andthe European Parliament in ajoint statement also saidAfrican Union should beinvited to attend individualG-7 meetings when appro-priate.

“The withdrawal of US

and al l ied forces fromAfghanistan should not bemisinterpreted by the globalcommunity as any weakeningof resolve from G7 govern-ments in taking all necessarymeasures to combat cross-border terrorism, to supportregional cooperat ion oradvance democratic values,”Menendez and his counter-parts from G-7 countries

said in the joint statement.

“With the spillover of ter-rorism possible, we would liketo see India invited to attend thisG-7 meeting. As other terrorgroups are beginning to musterin the Horn of Africa andreawaken movements elsewhere,we believe the African Unionshould be invited to attend indi-vidual G-7 meetings whenappropriate,” the lawmakers said.

Kabul: Afghanistans seizure by the Taliban hasraised grave fears of a return to past patterns ofhuman rights violations, and stoked desperationamong many Afghans, said Michelle Bachelet, UNHigh Commissioner for Human Rights.

She added that in recent weeks, her office hasreceived harrowing and credible reports of theimpact on civilians of violations of internationalhumanitarian law, as well as violations and abus-es of human rights, by the parties to the conflict.

"In particular, we have also received crediblereports of serious violations of internationalhumanitarian law, and human rights abuses, tak-ing place in many areas under effective Talibancontrol. They include, among others, summaryexecutions of civilians and hors de combatmembers of the Afghan national security forces;restrictions on the rights of women, includingtheir right to move around freely and girls' rightto attend schools; recruitment of child soldiers;and repression of peaceful protest and expressionof dissent," Bachelet said.

She said that many people no fear reprisalsby the Taliban against those working with theGovernment or the international community;people who have worked to advance human rightsand justice; or those whose lifestyles and opin-ions are simply perceived to be opposed to theTaliban ideology.

IANS

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Britain on Wednesdaywarned the Taliban against

attempts to coercively seal offAfghanistan from the rest ofthe world and urged the mili-tant group to keep its bordersopen.

Foreign Secretary DominicRaab said attempts by theTaliban to shut down the coun-try could trigger a "refugee cri-sis" once Western forces with-drew from Kabul airport onAugust 31, as migrants maketheir way to neighbouringcountries.

He noted that the Afghanborder was "rugged and wide-ranging" and that efforts to iso-late the country from the restof the world would fail.

"If the Taliban leadership, asthey were saying overnight,want to avoid the brain drain,

they're not going to be able to dothat by coercively blocking theborder," he told Times Radio.

"You'll just see a largerflow of refugees going out andthey'll have to be processed.They're not going to be able toavoid the refugee crisis by justa few roadblocks, they're notgoing to be able to hermetical-ly seal the Afghan border,which is rugged and wide-ranging," he said.

During a series of inter-views on Wednesday, Raabalso sought to dismiss mediareports of him "lounging on thebeach" on holiday at the height

of the Afghan crisis earlierthis month.

He stressed that he hadbeen constantly in virtual con-tact with the COBRA [CabinetOffice Briefing Rooms] meet-ing and officials to ensure theairlift of British nationals andsupporters from the country.He said that the UK has evac-uated more than 9,000 peoplefrom Afghanistan since August15, including 2,000 people inthe last 24 hours.

"I think it's going right theway up to the end of the cal-endar month," Raab said, inreference to efforts to airlift afurther 4,000 people ahead ofthe Taliban's August 31 exitdeadline. This also includes aRoyal Marine veteran Paul"Pen" Farthing, who has beenseeking evacuation with all theanimals from his rescue shel-ter in the region.

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,��� ���������� ����������������������������������0���� A������������-:����������������United Nations: UN SecretaryGeneral Antonio Guterres hassaid he shares the concern, anx-iety and pain of the UnitedNations personnel inAfghanistan, asserting that theworld organisation is doingeverything in its power to ensuretheir safety and well-being.

Guterres, in a video mes-sage to UN personnel in war-torn Afghanistan on Tuesday,said that they have our full sup-port and solidarity.

"I want to personally thankyou for everything you aredoing to support the Afghanpeople in this time of crisis. Ispeak for the entire UnitedNations family when I say, weare all deeply grateful to you foryour service, in particular theAfghan national colleagues.You represent the best of thevalues of the United Nations,"

he said."I know most of you, espe-

cially the humanitarian actors,want to stay and deliver torespond to the dramatic needsof the Afghan people, he said,adding that the safety of allUnited Nations personnel inAfghanistan is our top priority."

"And we are doing every-thing in our power, namelythrough the permanentengagement with all relevantactors, and will continue to doso to ensure your safety andwell-being, and to find externalsolutions where they are need-ed," Guterres said.

"The UN chief told the UNpersonnel that he shares theirconcern, anxiety and pain andis distressed by the reportsthat some of them have expe-rienced harassment and intim-idation."

WASHINGTON: Israeli PrimeMinister Naftali Bennett’s meet-ing with President Joe Bidencomes in the midst of height-ened tensions with its regionalarch-enemy, Iran, and as Israelgrapples with a gradual resur-gence of hostilities on its south-ern border with the Gaza Strip.

Bennett, in his first state visitoverseas since taking office, wasscheduled to meet Wednesdaywith senior administration offi-cials, including Secretary ofState Antony Blinken andDefense Secretary Lloyd Austin,and on Thursday with Biden.

In a statement released bythe Prime Minister’s Officebefore his departure, Bennettsaid the top priority in his con-versation with Biden would be

Iran, “especially the leapfroggingin the past two to three years inthe Iranian nuclear program.”He said other issues would alsobe discussed, including theIsraeli military’s qualitative edge,the coronavirus pandemic andeconomic matters.

Bennett has spoken outagainst the possibility of a newnuclear accord between Iran andworld powers, and says that anyagreement must also put thebrakes on Iran’s regional aggres-sion. Recent months have seena string of attacks on Israeli-con-nected shipping, believed tohave been carried out by Iran.

Earlier this week, Bennetttold his Cabinet that he wouldtell the American president“that now is the time to halt theIranians, to stop this thing” andnot re-enter “a nuclear deal thathas already expired and is notrelevant, even to those whothought it was once relevant.” AP

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Google on Wednesdaylaunched its global ‘Be

Internet Awesome’ programmefor children in India in part-nership with Indian comicbook publisher Amar ChitraKatha to interweave criticalinternet safety lessons acrosseight Indian languages.

The tech giant has alsolaunched an enhanced GoogleSafety Centre in eight Indic lan-guages as part of its efforts tostep up safety of users on theinternet.

Google has significantlyincreased its resources dedi-cated to India’s Trust Safetyteams, including product policy analysts, security spe-cialists, and user trust expertsthat support over 10 vernacu-lar Indian languages, enablingits central teams to benefitfrom the local nuance andinputs.

This will help Google Indiacontinue its work around mis-information, fraud, threats tochild safety, violent extremism,phishing attacks, and malware.It will also further strengthenGoogle’s global trust and safe-ty operations of over 20,000people, who are dedicated toidentifying, fighting and pre-venting online harm.

“Our north star is to makethe internet helpful for a billionIndians...Every single day, morepeople are placing their trust inthe internet and adopting newservices and all of us in thetechnology industry, have aresponsibility to honour theirtrust,” Google India CountryManager and Vice-PresidentSanjay Gupta said at the‘Google for India’ virtual event.

He added that Googletreats user data with utmostresponsibility and gives userscomplete control over theirdata.

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The Centre on Wednesdaysaid Coal India arm NCL

has intensified its campaignagainst malnutrition in thesurrounding areas of its min-ing operations.

A memorandum of under-standing (MoU) has beensigned between NorthernCoalfields Ltd (NCL) and thedistrict administration ofSingrauli, to initiate and runproject ‘Bachpan’, with a com-mitment to eradicate childmalnutrition in and around thesurrounding areas of NCL, thecoal ministry said in a state-ment.

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The government may intro-duce legislative amend-

ments in the Budget session ofParliament to enable Indiancompanies to directly list cer-tain prescribed classes of secu-rities abroad, RevenueSecretary Tarun Bajaj said onWednesday.

Direct listing of securitiesoverseas by Indian entities isallowed but there are certainissues which need to be sortedout for this to become a suc-cess, he said, without elaborat-ing on the hurdles.

“The direct listing is underconsideration of the govern-

ment because to make it suc-cess there would be require-ments of some amendments tolegislations to ensure there issmooth trading of these secu-rities outside the territory ofIndia.

“We are in discussionswith the players who are ask-ing for this. Maybe in theBudget session we will seewhat we can do,” Bajaj said.

The two-part Budget ses-sion of Parliament usually com-mences in the last week ofJanuary every year. Bajaj alsosaid there is no mandatoryrequirement of listing of suchsecurities at the InternationalFinancial Services Centre(IFSC) at this point of time.

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The rupee on Wednesdaydeclined by 5 paise to close

at 74.24 against the US cur-rency due to a stronger dollarin the overseas markets.

Dollar demand from oilmarketing companies andimporters also weighed on therupee, analysts said.

At the interbank foreignexchange market, the domesticcurrency opened marginallydown at 74.20 and laterdropped to a low of 74.30 in theday trade.

On Tuesday, the rupee hadsettled at 74.19 against the USdollar.Meanwhile, the dollarindex, which gauges the green-back’s strength against a basketof six currencies, was trading0.04 per cent higher at 92.93.

Brent crude futures, theglobal oil benchmark, fell 0.15per cent to USD 70.94 per bar-rel.

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The Sensex closed modestlylower while the Nifty

inched up to a fresh closinghigh on Wednesday as bullstook a breather amid a subduedtrend overseas.

Banking and financestocks succumbed to profit-booking after the sharpupmove in the past few ses-sions, while IT and FMCGcounters bucked the trend.

After touching its all-timehigh of 56,198.13 in early trade,the 30-share BSE Sensex ended14.77 points or 0.03 per centlower at 55,944.21.

The broader NSE Nifty,however, ended 10.05 points or0.06 per cent higher at its newclosing record of 16,634.65. Ittouched an all-time high of16,712.45 during the day.

TCS was the top gainer onthe Sensex chart, rising 1.31 percent, followed by Infosys,Reliance Industries, NestleIndia, ITC and HUL.

On the other hand, Bajaj

Finserv, Titan, Maruti, BhartiAirtel, Tata Steel, Axis Bankand UltraTech Cement wereamong the laggards, skiddingas much as 3.51 per cent.

The market breadth wasnegative, with 22 of the 30Sensex constituents ending inthe red, while the remainingeight mustered gains.

“Market opened positivelybut main indices closed on aflattish note due to muted per-formance by large caps. Thebroad market was more posi-tive, as midcaps bounced afterthe correction mode during themonth, which lifted the moraleof investors.

“The global market trad-ed positive on COVID vaccineapproval and in anticipation ofa dovish comment by the Fedchair in the upcoming meeting(Jackson Hole),” said VinodNair, Head of Research atGeojit Financial Services.

Domestic equities tradedrange-bound ahead of F&Oexpiry, said Binod Modi, Head- Strategy at Reliance Securities.

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Union Finance MinisterNirmala Sitharaman on

Wednesday said it is too earlyto say if there is a lack ofdemand for credit andannounced a district-wise out-reach to be undertaken bybanks to help credit growthfrom October.

A push to credit growthfrom such outreach efforts willalso help the momentum set bythe stimulus packages, whichhave been extended by thegovernment since the onset ofthe pandemic.

It can be noted that in late2019, banks had conducted

the “loan melas” in 400 districtsto push up sagging creditgrowth. Even now, the creditgrowth is stuttering at around6 per cent.

“I think it is too early toconclude whether there is alack of demand… I don’t thinkit is time yet to conclude thatthere is no credit pick-up. Evenwithout awaiting indications,we have taken steps to ramp upcredit,” Sitharaman toldreporters here.

She noted that over Rs4.94 lakh crore was disbursedby the banks between October2019 and March 2021 throughthe outreach initiatives under-taken by them.

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Finance Minister NirmalaSitharaman on Wednesday

said she has requested banks towork with all state governmentsto push the ‘one district, oneproduct’ agenda.

Banks have also beenrequested to have interactionwith export promotion agen-cies, chambers of commerceand industry to understand andaddress the requirement ofexporters on a timely manner,Sitharaman said while address-ing media here on Wednesday.

The Finance Minister, whois on a two-day visit to thefinancial capital, said between

public sector banks, thereshould be some kind of a sim-ple approach so that exportersare not made to run betweenone bank to another scoutingfor a better offer. During theday, she met heads of publicsector banks (PSBs) to reviewtheir financial performance.

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The families of deceasedbank employees will receive

up to 30 per cent of the lastdrawn salary of the employeeunder the National PensionScheme (NPS).

Contribution made byPSBs for employee pensionsunder the National PensionScheme has been hiked to 14per cent from the earlier 10 percent. So far, the pension underthe scheme was capped at�9,284.

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Rapid changes in technology,lifestyle and economy war-

rant the auto industry tochange “old approaches and oldpractices”, said Prime MinisterNarendra Modi.

In a letter addressed toSIAM President and MarutiSuzuki Managing Director &CEO Kenichi Ayukawa on theoccasion of the 61st SIAMAnnual Convention, PM Modisaid that these rapid changeswarrant old approaches and oldpractices to change.

“It is also crucial to protectour environment, resourcesand raw materials. For this rea-son, India is not only empha-sising on exploring new possi-bilities, but also encouraging acircular economy.”

“Recently launchedNational AutomobileScrappage Policy exemplifiesthis vision.”

He cited that ‘21st century’India remains firmly commit-ted to move forward with thegoal of clean and modemmobility.”Holistic steps arebeing taken for the value chainassociated with auto manufac-turing so that the industrybecomes more productive andsustainable.”

PM Modi further said thatall stakeholders have an impor-tant role in Government’ssteadfast efforts to transformIndia into a global manufac-turing hub.

“Presence of manufactur-ing units of global automobilemanufacturers in India isreflective of a thriving ecosys-tem.”

Besides, he pointed outthat India celebrates the 75years of Independence, the“next 25 years are very impor-tant for the country”.

“We have to work togeth-er for next generation infra-structure, world class manu-facturing and new age tech-nology. India is committed toproviding its citizens with glob-al standards in terms of quali-ty and safety.”Furthermore, PMModi lauded the role of theautomobile industry in India’seconomy and progress.

“From contributing signif-icantly towards manufacturingto furthering exports, fromcreating numerous employ-ment opportunities to addingto the ease of living for people,the sector has been a partner inIndia’s growth story,” the letterquoted PM Modi as saying.

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From being a supplementary conduitof information and firmly moni-

tored entertainment, digital deviceshave now become virtual classrooms formillions of children all over the world.How has this transition, during the pan-demic, impacted early childcare andeducation is a question that cannot beanswered immediately. Only time willreveal the ramifications of this change,as per experts, though some pros andcons are evident even now.

The pandemic has reminded us ofthe importance of freedom of move-ment, interaction with loved ones, col-leagues and friends. It is during this dif-ficult time that technology has come toour rescue. Especially for educators,technology is proving to be a boon.

In these unprecedented times,online learning programmes are help-ing preschoolers to develop new skills,cultivate a sense of being part of a com-munity and also participate in someform of socialising with educators andpeer groups. To compensate for theabsence of brick-and-mortarplayschools, fun interactive games andactivities are used to reinforce concepts,apart from videos to broaden mindsand perspectives.

These methods are not withoutchallenges; the primary one is to some-how compensate for social interactionand collaborative learning. At home,children are easily distracted and canbe resistant to staying put in one placeduring a regimented study time. Orthey may act up if the parental pressureis getting to them. That is why it isimportant to make the learning processas stress-free and as enjoyable as pos-sible.

It needs to be mentioned that tech-nology was meant to augment children’sunderstanding of the real world and notreplace it. While technology helps to

plug learning gaps, at a time like this,it is important that parents structurescreen time, engage kids in activitieslike reading, and actual games andexpose them to nature wherever pos-sible because excessive screen time canharm mental and physical health.Excessive exposure to the internet is nothealthy either. We cannot ignore thata digital divide is an unfortunate real-ity. Automated learning modulesdepend on expensive devices whichmay not be affordable for all. Internetaccessibility in rural and remote areasis another major issue. Education is aright and not a privilege. The potentialof online education should be tappedto bridge the digital divide and bene-fit underserved children.

Irrespective of the medium, what isimportant is that a child’s developmentshould not be hindered. The magicalingredients of discipline, structure,balance, social interactions, physicalactivity, and joy should be intrinsic toeducation, be it the chalk and talkmethod or e-learning.

(The author is the founder andCEO of TreeHouse, a borderless model

of preschool education that can beaccessed from anywhere in the world.)

DAY 1: MANISH MALHOTRACan you imagine the Couture Week

without Malhotra? His collection celebrat-ed brides in their original spirit andemotions that emanate from within. TheBRIDAL Edit of Nooraniyat is the latestcollection of Malhotra’s bridal couture. Acombination offine craftsman-ship and exquisiteintricate ele-ments, no sur-prise there, thecollection is anenchanting med-ley of bridal glorysprawled acrossstrikingly huedc o mp o s i t i o n swhere eachensemble nar-rates an emotional story of its own.

“My bridal edit is an amalgamation ofmoods and emotions of the brides andover the years of creating their dream out-fits and interacting with them, I inadver-tently got drawn into those intriguingmemories and decided to capture it all —from their enthusiasm and joy to the heart-felt and compassionate, there’s a myriad ofemotions and sentiments that are soheart-warming yet unsettling momentsbefore she turns the page onto her newchapter. There’s some surreal magic adorn-ing every bit of their feelings, transmittingyou into a world only known to a bride.Whether you are of the new age, or not,the feelings remain the same, the happytears nonetheless flow, and through it all,our collection that she adorns transcendsher dreams into reality,” says Malhotra.

Steering clear from trends, the collec-tion takes pride in legacies of sacred reds,plush peaches, scintillating golds while theheart of it beats on its contemporary yetglamorous silhouettes conforming withmodern pursuits.

The range was expansive with his sig-nature trails, sheer veils and layeringdrapes, as they are most favoured, and per-fect forms of extended silhouettes inbridal outfits, long enough to be sweep-ing behind, while the brides walk down theaisle in unparalleled elegance. The embroi-dery boasts of the age-old zardosi, badla,and, of course, signature sequins on mod-ern silhouettes.

DAY 2:SIDDHARTHA TYTLERDelhi-based designer Siddartha Tytler,

trained at the Fashion Institute ofTechnology in New York, made his debutat the India Couture Week with the

launch of his exquisite Ambrosia Couture2022 Collection.

This inspirational collection bore thehallmark of a heady engagement with the

finesse and excel-lent craft of adesigner who con-tinues to makewaves with eachnew offering.

Ambrosia, inGreek mythology,is the ‘nectar ofthe Gods.’ TheCouture 2022 col-lection sought itsinspiration frompurity, colour and

ethereal significance.Its colour palette was dominated by

ivory and shades of gold while the surfaceornamentation revelled in sequin, crystalsplashes, beadwork and threadwork, ruf-fles and pleating, laser cutting and quilt-ing.

The fabrics, for the first time, leanedtowards the organic. Cotton silk chanderis,silk taffeta, silk organza, silk tissue andgeorgettes ruled this collection.

SUNEET VARMASuneet led us down a path that

reminded us of the exciting journey ofyoung lovers — secret love notes, stolenglances, and the importance of celebrationin life. Depicting real-life scenarios andweaving his couture collection 2021,Suneet says, “I understand the importanceof finery and couture at an Indian wed-ding, and I also understand the needs ofthe modern young bride and groom —

whether the wedding is a lavish one or anintimate elopement.”

The collection comprises beautifulpastels in mint, ice-blue, blush, and yellow,with tone-on-tone embroidery in delicateglass beads, crystals, and threadwork fora daytime function in ultra-feminine,soft, flowy silhouettes. Suneet stays true tohis passion for creating new embroiderytechniques and mixes old traditional artswith a modern eye for shapes and silhou-ettes. Sheer sleeves, off-shoulder necklines,and deep, scalloped backs made for a sen-sual yet modest young bride. The groomwore easy, pastel-coloured sherwanis withthread embroidery and modern hemlines.

GAURAV GUPTA“Love makes us travel all universes,

love makes the cosmos go around, love is

all,” says Gupta.While living in the middle of a pan-

demic the only emotion that drives us islove. Gaurav Gupta Couture 2021/22comprised a film presentation titledUniversal Love, that picked up from wherethe previous couture show concluded.

With this couture presentation, Guptashared that, he has strived to bring percep-tion to the dialogue surrounding sexual-ities, gender fluidity, boundaries andidentities because there is always a reasonto keep celebrating love in all its forms,

ages, sizes, shapes and colours. Inspired by the Universe, the expanse

of the cosmos, the million stars, the axisand the movement of all planets; sprinklingand spiralling in infinite loops of time,meteoric showers and racing cometsinspire abstract galactic embroideries andsilhouettes. The garments exude a senseof expanse and grandeur of the cosmos.All done to strive for perfect harmony andlove. The collection is shamelessly glitter-ing and glamorously star-like.

DAY 3:PANKAJ & NIDHIWith renewed hope and energy,

Pankaj and Nidhi showcased a brand-newCouture Collection for 2021 — Afterglow.

Afterglow symbolises a new dawn witha longing for abright futureand with stellarcraftsmanship,to create piecesthat are time-less and radiat-ing an efferves-cent beauty.

The collec-tion had excep-tional tech-niques such asorigami folding,h a n d c r a f t e dappliqués andlatticework innew age materi-als with irides-cent sheen.Adopting a pathtoward sustain-ability, many ofthe embroiderymaterials werefashioned in-house, out ofexcess generat-ed in theprocess of cre-ation.

With entic-ing silhouettes

and the lustre of unique handmadeembellishments, Afterglow pushed theboundaries of the craft with a quest to winthe heart of a bride who appreciates sym-bolic and cultural identities, and valuesauthenticity

Speaking about their association withFDCI’s India Couture Week 2021, Pankaj& Nidhi said, “We are very excited tolaunch our collection, Afterglow, here at theIndia Couture Week. We have worked veryhard to create each piece & look forwardto seeing everyone’s response .The collec-tion incorporated our signature tech-

niques in newer silhouettes and colours.”

DOLLY JThe designer revealed that the collec-

tion, Ah-lam, was inspired by people whohave the strength to defy a set pattern andcarve their own journey. “We now havea more inclusive world where bothuniqueness and diversity are celebrated.Our work has been an effort to celebrateindividuality in a world which is beauti-fully transient,” she shared.

The collection is an ombre of Frenchblues merging into amethyst mauves,bathing in drops of gold and silver crys-tals. While the burnt coral ombres turnthe green ash into a playful marigold gold,organza peonies and crystal corsage lendit an old world charm.

Liquid silver fabric had been special-ly woven for this collection with simplesilhouettes and crystal encrusted belts. Thered bridal lehenga with a long veil seemsto be the flavour of this season.

AMIT AGGARWALIn the words of the designer himself, his

collection, Metanoia, is a story of his ownresurgence. “An ode to the three elementsthat form the centre of our existence andhelp nurture us, give us the freedom tomould ourselves to be authentically us andcarry us forward, earth, water and airinspired the genesis of Metanoia,” saysAggarwal.

Featuring 35 unique styles and silhou-ettes in colours ranging from moss, sage, for-est green, roseate, azalea, lisianthus, taffy,mulberry, fuchsia to eggplant and indigo,this elaborate collection lent emotion to gar-ments using intricate materials like glassfibre, raffia palm and optic fibre to spinarchitectural structures into fluid ensembles.

Innovating with technique, Metanoia,showcased hand painting through marblingpattern over discarded PVC and handwo-ven polymer The process of hand paintingwas applied in gradient over tulle and silks.The collection highlighted the use of thebrands signature metallic polymers whichhas been used for intricate pleating, 3D handembroidered thread work and metalliccording in detailed silhouettes which arestructured yet fluid, personifying hope,acceptance and new paths.

When women of greatcourage, optimism andwisdom join together,

society will change profoundly.When women of a sensitive natureand compassion rise to the occa-sion, human society is bound tochange on a fundamental level.”The words — spoken by DaisakuIkeda, president, Soka GakkaiInternational (SGI) at a webinarentitled Beautiful Stories of WomenCreating a New Age Towards 2030— highlighted the significance ofthe role of half the population ofthe planet in ushering in an era ofpeace. Organised by Bharat SokaGakkai (BSG), the Indian affiliateof the SGI, the webinar drewattention to the value and wisdomthat women can bring to our soci-ety as future leaders. And what bet-ter occasion to recall the insight lentby the panellists, since today isWomen’s Equality Day.

The illustrious panelists, rep-resenting a broad spectrum of soci-ety, were Vinita Bali, former CEOand MD of Britannia Industries,Mirian Vilela, the executive direc-tor of Earth Charter International,Safeena Husain, the founder andexecutive director of Educate Girlsand Tillotama Shome, a Filmfareaward-winning actor.

While all eyes were on the pan-ellists, the webinar sought to cele-

brate the struggles and victories ofordinary yet courageous womenwho rewrote their destiny and thatof others.

Bali, an iconic business leaderwith extensive experience in lead-ing companies both in India andoverseas, lent her voice to someextremely pertinent thoughts,“Women comprise almost half ofthe global population. Why do wedistinguish on the basis of genderfor job opportunities? Why do weneed to fight for women’s rights? Ithink fighting is the wrong termhere. In these times is respectingeach others’ rights too much to askfor? There can be no better time fora dialogue to foster empathy, com-passion, and understanding sothat we may live in a world that isfair and equitable for all.”

She brought a global and prag-matic approach to the panel, withrespect to strategy, marketing,innovation in operations havingworked across several continents.She was among 27 global leadersappointed by the UN to helpimprove maternal and child health,by scaling up nutrition initiatives.

Picking up from where Balihad concluded, Vilela expressed,“The innate feminine intelligenceoffers everything the world desper-ately needs today. Sensitivity, empa-thy, sense of care and flexibility are

essential human elements thatneed to be cultivated to move awayfrom the myopic view of indiffer-ence.”

Originally from Brazil, Vilelahas been working with the EarthCharter Initiative since early 1996.Prior to her work with the EarthCharter, she worked for the UnitedNations Conference onEnvironment and Development(UNCED) for two years in prepa-ration of the 1992 UN EarthSummit and a year at the UnitedNations Conference on Trade andDevelopment (UNCTAD). Whilethere is always room for change,Vilela rued how ‘women have tostill ask for empowerment. Why arewe not able to make it a reality?’And that question surely left amark on those who were listening.

Education is a game-changer,with respect to women empower-ment, believes Husain whose NGO,Educate Girls (EG), is focussed onmobilising communities for girls’education. Under her leadership,since EG’s inception in 2007, theNGO has enrolled over 7,50,000

girls in school and improved thelearning outcomes for more than1.3 million children in India.Previously, Husain had workedextensively with rural and urbanunderserved communities in SouthAmerica, Africa and Asia. She wasconferred with the 2017 NITIAayog’s Women TransformingIndia Award, the 2016 NDTV-L’Oréal Paris Women of WorthAward, and has received the BritishAsian Trust’s Special RecognitionAward from HRH Prince Charlesfor outstanding contribution ineducation.

“Over the decades, BSG hasstriven to create an environment ofpeace through cultural, educa-tional and community-lead initia-tives and I am glad to play my partas an advocate for girls’ educationand gender equality. I wouldn’twish my childhood on my enemy;that is how bad women had it backthen. However, where I am todayis due to the education that I couldaccess. Girls’ education is thebiggest investment that a nationcan make today and with consis-

tent support from like-mindedsupporters like BSG, we hope togain more traction on the achieve-ment of the fourth SustainableDevelopment Goal, which wouldensure inclusive and equitablequality education to promote life-long learning opportunities forall, by 2030,” noted Husain.

Rounding up the panel, Shomebatted for exploring one’s interestsand being yourself, as loudly aspossible, “As someone who wasalways on the move, because myfather was an army man, I had toadapt to eight different schoolsthroughout my growing years. Allthat moving around taught me thatI don’t need to be in the spotlight,I can be on the margins and stillshare my story with all my might.”

Shome is an actor who wasnominated for Best SupportingActress at the 63rd FilmfareAwards for her role in A Death InThe Gunj. In 2021, she won theFilmfare Award for Best Actress(Critics), for portraying a com-mendable role in Sir, at the 66thFilmfare Awards.

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CIGRE, the International Councilof Large Electric Systems, is aglobal non-profit organisation

founded 100 years ago in France. It isa global community of power systemprofessionals who voluntarily collabo-rate to share their knowledge andexperience for the greater good of theelectric energy industry. The presentnetwork of CIGRE comprises 60national committees across more than90 countries, with over 15,000 membersand 1,250 member organisations whocontribute technically to 16 study com-mittees, with over 250 working groups.Technical Council award is one ofCIGRE’s prestigious awards granted toa few members as a reward for theiractive participation in the activities ofthe technical work of the study com-mittees.

Anish Anand, executive director ofPOWERGRID, is a prominent trans-mission line expert who has more than35 years of professional experience andhas been associated with CIGRE activ-ities for many years. He is presently thechairman of CIGRE’s national com-mittee B-2 on overhead lines and amember of CIGRE study committeeB2 and its SAG, CAG & TAG(Strategic, Customer and TechnicalAdvisory Groups). Previously, he hadbeen the chairman of CIGRE’s nation-al committee C3 on system environ-mental performance and member

CIGRE study committee C-3.For his active participation and con-

tributions over the years in CIGRE activ-ities, Anand has been awarded theTechnical Council award during theinaugural ceremony broadcast ofCIGRE’s Centennial Session heldthrough virtual mode on August 20.Anand is the third professional fromIndia who has been considered for thiscoveted award by CIGRE since they wereintroduced in 1993. Previously, theCIGRE’s Technical Council awards werebestowed on the Indian power systemexpert Mata Prasad (NTPC) in 1998 andS Palki Bapuji (ABB) in year 2005.

Anand has assumed variousresponsibilities and positions in POW-ERGRID over the years. He carried outthe transmission line project engineer-ing, of more than 100 transmissionprojects of voltage levels from 66 kVto 1,200kV in various types of terrainsincluding high altitude snow-boundmountainous terrains and also lookedafter construction and O&M of 765 kVand 400 kV transmission lines andsubstations in the Western region.Besides project engineering & execu-tion, he was involved in research anddevelopment, in-house software devel-opment, in-house tower & foundation

design developments, environmentalimpact/line interference studies, uprat-ing/upgrading studies, transmissionline ROW conservation measures,failure investigations, O&M improve-ments, vendor development, ‘Make InIndia’ initiatives and various interna-tional consultancy assignments.

He had been associated withdesign optimisation and engineeringof India’s first 765 kV line, highcapacity 500 kV HVDC line, 400 kVhigh SIL line, 765 kV double circuitlines, 800 kV UHVDC lines and 1,200kV line as well as introduction of newtechnologies in the country viz OPGW,

HTLS conductors, composite insula-tors, modern survey techniques usingsatellite imageries, emergency restora-tion systems, narrow base/pole struc-ture towers.

Anand is also involved in stan-dardisation activities at the nationaland international levels. He is co-con-vener of the working group of IECTechnical Committee 122 for the for-mulation of new IEC Specification onDesign of UHV Transmission Systemand Chairman of TechnicalCommittee ETD 37 of Bureau ofIndian Standards (BIS), responsiblefor updating of various existingNational Standards/Codes and formu-lation of new standards for transmis-sion line design & construction, con-ductors, associated fittings and acces-sories.

Over the years, Anand has con-tributed to more than 40 technicalpapers as main/co-author for presen-tation in national and internationalconferences/seminars organised bydifferent agencies (viz CIGRE-France,CIGRE-India, CBIP, GRIDTECH,CEA, CII, ELECRAMA, IEEMA,Afro-Asian Forum, Power-India,Map-India et al). For his excellentcontributions, he was also conferredwith CIGRE-India’s SpecialRecognition Award-2019 duringCIGRE’s International Colloquiumin India in November 2019.

Highlighting’Atamnirbhar Bharat’ campaign of thegovernment, India Trade Promotion Organisation

(ITPO) has extended its support to startups in termsof providing 50 per cent rental discount to startups inthe 21st edition of India’s International Security Expo(7-9 October, 2021) in Hall 5 (GF), IECC Complex atPragati Maidan, New Delhi. These startups should benotified by the Department for Promotion of Industryand Internal Trade (DPIIT), the Ministry of Commerceand Industry, Government of India.

Facilitating transfer of technology, joint ventures,and system integration, IISE 2021 is being organised,as per preventive measures to contain the spread ofthe pandemic with the support of the Ministry ofHome Affairs, Government of India, while the co-organisers are CISF and BPR&D. Significantly, this isthe only security expo in the South-Asian region whichenjoys the support of all SPF, NDMA, CRPF, BSF, ITBP,SSB, Delhi Police, SPG, DFS, etc.

The Expo will cover almost all aspects of securi-ty and safety as these are vital components to protectand promote the core values of democracy, secular-ism, freedom and unity as enshrined in our constitu-tion. The event also showcases the new initiatives ofthe industry to promote manufacturing of securityequipment and gadgets under the ‘Make In India’ cam-paign. Featuring a wide range of the latest products,services and innovations of homeland security, cross-spectrum technology based security capabilities, theevent highlights fresh avenues for development of cybersecurity and skilled task force.

The concurrent seminars, delegation visits fromwithin the country and overseas and on-the-spotdemonstrations on concerns around women safety,‘Selfie-Points’ and dog shows will be among the addedattractions.

IISE 2021 focuses on a new range of gadgets andsystems in the field of surveillance, explosive detectionand disposal, fire fighting, access control, radio com-munications, training equipment and home and auto-motive security sectors. Over 100 leading companiesare displaying a wide range of products on homelandsecurity, fire safety, traffic management, industrial safe-ty, Disaster Management and Information Security.These include: access control systems, perimeter pro-tection devices, CCTV surveillance equipments and sys-tem, explosive detection & disposal equipment, disas-ter management & NBCW protection equipment,equipment for bank and hospital security, equipmentfor Forensic Science laboratories, fire alarm and firefighting equipment, equipment for counter terrorism,insurgency, anti-naxalism and security enforcementagencies, crowd control gadgets/anti-riot drill equip-ment, rescue and relief equipment, vehicle and person-nel GPS System, electronic gates/flap barriers, bombsuits/ bomb blanket, night vision devices, indoor/out-door shooting ranges, drone technologies, syber secu-rity, health security, software & solutions, baggagescreening system, integrated critical infrastructure pro-tection and jammer/cell phone monitoring system, etc.

As per previous practice, ITPO will extend invi-tations to all the stakeholders of the industry. Theseinclude the home ministers, secretaries and senior rep-resentatives from the state governments and lawenforcement agencies to visit the fair. Apart from a largenumber of security professionals, the fair will be vis-ited by the senior representatives from paramilitaryforces, state police forces, security agencies, embassies,MNCs, banks, PSUs and Residents WelfareAssociation.

Power Finance Corporation Ltd (PFC)signed a Memorandum of

Understanding (MoU) with NHPC Ltd tolend funds for the development of hydroprojects by NHPC. PFC will also providefinancial assistance for the acquisition ofstressed projects.

NHPC, a schedule-A miniratna catego-ry-I CPSE, is engaged in the developmentof hydropower in India and has also diver-sified into solar & wind power. NHPC alsoprovides consultancy services to hydropow-er and renewable energy projects.

Subir Saha, executive director of projectslike SR, ER &NER, CSP&C, signed the MoUon behalf of PFC while V K Maini, ED

(Strategy, BD & Consultancy) signed onbehalf of NHPC Ltd on August 24, 2021. TheMoU was signed in the presence of P KSingh, director (commercial) & additionalcharge (projects), PFC, R R Jha, (ED-in-charge projects), Manoj Sharma, ED (L&D),Praveen Verma, SGM (L&D) and NitinKumar, GM (Central Sector Unit), PFC.

The signing of the MoU will further bol-ster the long-standing association betweenPFC and NHPC and will herald a transfor-mational opportunity between the twoorganisations. The association will alsoserve to facilitate knowledge and technol-ogy transfer, contributing to sustainabledevelopment initiatives in the country.

SRM Medical College Hospitaland Research Centre (SRM

MCH&RC), Kattankulathur,today launched its new layout forits website. This was done on theoccasion of its Founder’s Day.The event held at the hospitalpremises was presided over bySRM Group of Institution’sfounder-chancellor Dr T RPaarivendhar, MP. Apart fromlaunching the website, threecentres of excellence were inau-gurated by SRMIST’s pro-chan-cellor (in Academics) Dr PSathyanarayanan.

The three centres of excel-lence are: division of cleft liftpalate and crania facial anom-alies in the department of Plastic& Reconstructive Surgery. Thisis partnered with ‘SMILETRAIN’, a US-based charityorganisation for the treatment ofcleft lift palate defects in childrenfree of cost; the department ofE&T has started a new divisionof neurotology and vestibularlaboratory. This is jointly oper-ated by ENT, neurology, audiol-ogy, vestibular therapy, and phys-

ical medicine rehabilitation.Dealing with patient vertigo andcomplex headaches. The thirdcentre of excellence is the clini-cal trial research unit. SRM hos-pital was selected by ICMR forthe conduct of Covaxin clinicaltrial. It is the only hospital inTamil Nadu to have achieved thisdistinction. All three phases ofthe trial were conducted hereand the new centre has beenconstructed and that was inau-gurated on August 24, 2021.

Present for the occasionwere members of the BuddhistsTzu Chi Foundation, Tzu ChiUniversity, SRMIST’s vice-chan-cellor Dr C Muthamizhchelvan,pro-VC (Medical & HealthSciences) Lt Col Dr A RaviKumar, registrar Dr SPonnusamy, dean (Medical) DrA Sundaram and medical super-intendent Dr K Thangaraj.

Speaking on the occasion,Dr T R Paarivendhar said, “Thisinstitution should excel amongall others in India. Our aimshould be to provide maximumfree service for patients. This

hospital has made a big changeunder the leadership of its Prochancellor (Academics) Dr PSathyanarayanan. Under me itwas only a medical college, nowit has grown to become a state-of-the-art hospital.”

“This is an important mile-stone in the history of SRMMedical College Hospital andResearch Centre. SRM hasalways been known for impart-ing education and all that is relat-ed to it,” expressed DrSathyanarayanan. He urged doc-

tors to take up more research sothat they can treat patients bet-ter. “Our motto should be‘Corporate level of healthcare forpoor patients’. All patients will betreated with due respect and beguided with whatever doubtsthey have.”

Praising the good relation-ship between Tzu ChiUniversity and SRM he men-tioned, “This is only the begin-ning of a good relationshipbetween SRM and TaiwanUniversity. We would like to rec-

iprocate it in some other way.”SRM MCH&RC is a tertiary

care teaching hospital attached toSRM Institute of Science andTechnology (SRMIST). The hos-pital has been existing since2005. In 2011, post-graduatecourses in all specialties inmedicare were started. At pre-sent, the hospital has a bedstrength of 1,590 in various spe-cialties. It is located in the uni-versity campus and meets all theregulations of the NationalAccreditation Board for hospitalsand healthcare providers. It com-prises 351 doctors includingspecialties, and 574 nurses in theparamedical administrative staff.There are 45 departments inbroad and super specialties. Onaverage, 1,500– 1,600 patientsattend in the OP.

This hospital was at theforefront of the fight againstCOVID-19 pandemic and 3,111patients were treated from April2020 till date. About 13,165 OPpatients were screened duringthis period. The hospital has spe-cialties to conduct through

telemedicine centres. Althoughthis is the largest hospital locat-ed on the national highway NH45 in the outskirts of Chennai, itis located well inside the institute’spremises.

Dr Sathyanarayanan contin-ued, “During the second wave ofCOVID-19, patients in the hos-pital were fully sketched andshortage of oxygen made mattersworse. At that time, a large con-signment of 162 oxygen concen-trators was donated by Tzu ChiUniversity and the charity foun-dation from Taiwan. The next lotof five ventilators are being deliv-ered shortly (total cost �1.75crore). This great deed of com-passion and donation that wereceived is being recorded pub-lically by SRMIST Chancellorwho offered his thanks to TzuChi University for their generos-ity. The global donations by TzuChi University was webcast to theaudience during the programme.”

The event ended with thecelebration of the birthday of DrPaarivendhar and the symboliccake cutting ceremony.

The ambassador of Argentina toIndia, Hugo Xavier Gobi, called on

the Chief Minister of Rajasthan,Ashok Gehlot, at his residence onAugust 24, 2021.

During the meeting, the ChiefMinister discussed the possibilities ofcooperation between Rajasthan andArgentina. He told the Gobi that theState Government has taken severalpolicy decisions in the last two and ahalf years for the convenience of theinvestors. To increase investment inthe state, many important policies andprogrammes like RajasthanInvestment Promotion Scheme (RIPS-2019), MSME Act-2019, RajasthanIndustrial Development Policy-2019,Solar and Wind Policy, One Stop Shopsystem have been implemented. Thesepolicy reforms have created a verypositive environment for entrepre-neurship and investment in Rajasthan.

The ambassador discussed the

possibilities of investment in sectorslike agriculture, industry, tourismand mining. He said Argentine com-panies are keen to invest in areas suchas medical and health, informationtechnology, lithium and silver explo-

ration in mining and battery manu-facturing for electric vehicles.

In the meeting, the officials wereinformed about the investment pos-sibilities available in the state in theareas of tourism, agro-processing,agricultural marketing, contract farm-ing, animal husbandry etc. Apartfrom this, information was providedregarding the increase in productionof fruits like olives, dates, guava in thestate.

Also present on the occasionwere Mariano Behran, AgricultureAttache from the Embassy ofArgentina, and Denis Preguica Bojic,Head of the Department ofCommerce.

The Directorate of Tourism, Jammu, incollaboration with Food and Craft

Institute, Nagrota, organised a workshop fortourism stakeholders to raise the standardsof the hospitality industry in preparation forthe forthcoming tourist season and reacti-vation of the tourism sector over the nextfew months.

The workshop was inauguratedby Jyoti Bhatti, principal of FCI, Nagrota.While speaking at the opening of the work-shop he said that “the participants are localstaff of hotels and the workshop will ben-efit the attendees as they will acquire newknowledge and skills”.

Speaking on the occasion NatashaKalsotra, Joint Director of Tourism, Jammu,expressed, “the workshop is important asit will shape and optimise the Hospitalitychain in the tourism sector. The workshopwill train the participants in a range of skillsto enhance their flexibility, adaptability andreadiness to serve across a multitude offunctions enabling them to react positive-ly.”

Amar Jyoti Raina, Deputy Director of

Tourism, Jammu, while addressing mediacommented, “as the industry strives toemerge from the pandemic, stronger andmore resilient than ever, these workshopsare facilitators for real and genuine trans-formation which is the need of the hour.”The workshop was attended by 30 partic-ipants from various hotels of Jammu. It wasdesigned around the key themes ‘Behavioraletiquettes, innovation and future’. It also hada special session on COVID-19 sensitisa-tion. The resource persons includedRajinder Singh, faculty of FCI, Sh GaganDeep, faculty of FCI, etc.

Despite of unprecedented challenges,the tourism sector has to focus on multi-ple fronts, be it digitisation, sanitation,health, customer service and more. Theseworkshops not only provide adaptability butalso hold the key to increase profitabilityand success for this industry as it strives tooffer guests highly personalised travelexperiences that fulfill their ever-changingneeds and expectations.

At the conclusion, certificates were dis-tributed to the participants.

Fish is nature’s superfood andplays an important role in

human nutrition. It is a source ofproteins and healthy fats and alsoprovides a unique source ofessential nutrients, includingomega-3 fatty acids, lipids, car-bohydrates, iodine, vitamin D,and calcium.

India is a potential habitatfor successful aquaculture withits rich natural resources. Basedon the geographical availabilityof water resources and habitatshere, aquaculture farming isbroadly divided as inland orfreshwater fishing, and marine orcoastal aquaculture. In India, theinland sector is a major contrib-utor to aquaculture.

As one of the rapidly grow-ing food sectors, aquaculture orfish farming majorly contributesto meet the daily nutritional andfood demands and maintains ahealthy livelihood. However, thecurrent practices in fish farminginvolve the use of chemicals, hor-mones, antibiotics and artificialfeed which leads to environmen-tal degradation, pollution, andcause a negative impact on

human health. Thus, it is neces-sary to maintain safety, qualityand quantity of aqua food tomeet the increasing fooddemand.

Antibiotics such as ter-ramycin, furazolidone, aure-omycin, along with pigments, arecommonly added to the conven-tional artificial feed. Nonetheless,one of the major concerns of theaddition of these artificial chem-icals to the fish farms is thedevelopment of antibiotic resis-tance against bacterial pathogenswithin the fish species and thepossibility of transmittance ofthis resistance to humans afterconsuming them. Therapeuticagents like formalin, malachitegreen, dipterex and copper sul-phate are being used as a treat-ment for diseases.

Various nutritional con-stituents are considered crucialfor optimum reproduction,

health and growth of fish speciesand are grouped into micronu-trients (mineral and vitamins)and macronutrients (protein,lipid and carbohydrate). Proteinsare helpful in fish diets, requiredin adequate amounts for holis-tic growth of the fish. Lipidsessentially serve as fatty acidsources and play vital roles astransporters of soluble fats.Vitamins are required in mini-mal amounts for the normalgrowth and maintenance of cellsand organs. Minerals are oftenreferred to as ultra-trace ele-ments and are required for prop-er metabolism in fishes.

Sometimes, feed additives(probiotics, antioxidants andimmune-stimulants) are addedduring feed preparations toenhance efficiency, quality offeed and fish health. Feed addi-tives provide better alternativesto antibiotics. Probiotics are livemicroorganisms supplementedin feed that are capable ofenhancing the immune systemand improving the intestinalmicrobial balance in fish. On theother hand, probiotics are usedto trigger activity or growth ofcertain beneficial bacterialspecies in the gut that enhanceshost health.

The adverse impact of con-ventional fish farming methodson human health, aquatic pollu-tion, destruction of fish habitatsand environment has led to thestrengthening the demand fororganic aquaculture/fish farmingproducts and methodologies.

Organic aquaculture essen-tially deploys production man-agement systems. These promoteenvironmental and ecologicallysound practices, maintenance ofecosystems, soil, biological activ-ities and biocycles by preventingharmful practices.

Organic practices also aug-ment soil fertility, better qualityof yield and eco-friendly prod-ucts. The use of organic productsin aquaculture ensures that weproduce healthy, disease-freefish. Organic products also helpin benefiting the ecosystem, soilfertility and biological activitiesto improve the quality of yieldand provide better quality food.

Undoubtedly, the future ofaquaculture lies in the innova-tive, organic and sustainablefish farming, nutrient-rich andclean feed for the fishes, cleanand oxygen-rich ponds, fairprofits to the aquaculturists andhealthy fish food to the con-sumers.

(The author has a PhD inBiotechnology, and is the seniormanager of Biofit Aquaculture’s

R&D wing.)

DDA successfully con-ducted a draw of

waitlisted applicants forthe DDA Housing

Scheme 2021 yesterday.689 flats were included inthe draw and a total of130 waitlisted applicants,

who had submitted theregistration money, werealso considered for thedraw. Out of which, 79

applicants successfullygot their preference, asfilled in the applicationform.

POWERGRID’s ED gets CIGRE’s Technical Council award

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James Anderson rocked the top-order in an early morning spell asIndia got a rude jolt from a dis-

ciplined England pace attack whichshot the visitors out for a paltry 78on the first day of the third Test hereon Wednesday.

At tea, England were 21 for noloss taking complete control of theproceedings after Virat Kohli’s deci-sion to bat under overcast conditionsbackfired badly.

It is now second time in ninemonths that India have been bowledout for less than 100 after theirAdelaide debacle of 36 all out inDecember last year.

After the Lord’s high, it was anabsolute low for Kohli and his menas this is India’s lowest score on a firstday track in the past 34 years. The lasttime India were all-out for less than100 on the first day of a Test was backin 1987 when fiery Jamaican PatrickPatterson scared the hell out ofDilip Vengsarkar’s team, skittlingthem out for 75 at the Feroz ShahKotla in New Delhi.

On the day, Rohit Sharma (19 off105 balls) and Ajinkya Rahane (18 off54 balls) were the only ones to reachdouble digits and the third highestcontribution was 16 extra runs.

Once Anderson (8-5-6-3), whois back at his best, used his lethaloutswingers to good effect and gotthe wickets of KL Rahul (0),Cheteshwar Pujara (1) and rivalskipper Virat Kohli (7), all caught bywicketkeeper Jos Buttler, there wasno resistance as India lost six wick-ets for 22 runs in the post lunch ses-sion.

Craig Overton (3/14 in 10.3overs), Ollie Robinson (2/16 in 10overs) and Sam Curran (2/27 in 10overs) didn’t loosen the stragleholdafter Anderson’s first assault as Indiafailed build on a single significantpartnership.

The best part about 39-year-oldAnderson’s bowling during thatopening session was his masterful useof strategy.

For someone, who primarilyrelies on outswing as his stock ball,he changed his tactic and used theoutgoing delivery as a ‘shock’ ball

after pegging back the batters withincoming deliveries.

Rahul, the in-form batsman,went for an expansive drive early toa delivery that moved a shade in theair with a wobbly seam and took hisoutside edge into Buttler’s gloves.

Pujara, who is going through theworst phase of his internationalcareer, got a conventional outswingerafter a few incutters, and Andersonforced the batsman to have a feel forthe delivery.

Kohli hit an off-drive for threeruns but it was amply clear that theIndian captain was suffering fromboth technical and mindset issueswith Anderson picking him onceagain like it has been his day job forseveral years.

While Kohli had slightly tweakedhis front-foot movement but hedangled his bat away from his bodyto offer Buttler his third catch of theinnings.

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Shaheen Shah Afridi com-pleted a ten-wicket match

haul to bowl Pakistan to aseries-levelling 109-run victo-ry over the West Indies in thefinal session of the second andfinal Test at Sabina Park onTuesday.

Frustrated by the loss ofan entire day’s play and anoth-er session to rain and a sod-den outfield over the weekend,Shaheen kept Pakistan’s hopesalive with a devastating firstinnings effort of six for 51 onday four — his best Testinnings performance — andreturned on the final day tostrike critical blows.

Then, when it seemed theweather would ruin their des-perate push for victory, hecame back for a final spellwith the second new ball totake the last two wickets andgive his team a tremendoustriumph with one hour tospare.

Starting the day at 49 forone and facing the unlikelytarget of 329, the West Indieswere again let down by theirtop-order batting, sliding to113 for six in mid-afternoondespite a battling 39 fromcaptain Kraigg Brathwaite.

Former skipper JasonHolder eventually topscoredwith 47 but it was his demiseto Nauman Ali, the left-armspinner’s third wicket, whicheased a rising sense of panicin the Pakistan camp. ThenAfridi, new ball in hand andwith eight wickets down,trapped Kemar Roach leg-before.

Afridi then induced amistimed drive from Joshuada Silva for Faheem Ashraf totake the catch at mid-on anddismiss the West Indies for219 and seal yet anothercome-from-behind effort forPakistan in the Caribbean.

As in 2005 and 2011,Pakistan, this time led by

Babar Azam, lost the firstTest but rebounded to take thesecond and share the honourswith the hosts.

New Delhi: Rajasthan Royalson Wednesday roped in SouthAfrica’s left-arm wrist spinnerTabraiz Shamsi for the remain-der of IPL scheduled to be heldin the UAE from September 19.

Shamsi, the world No 1ranked T20I bowler in ICCrankings, will be joining theRoyals squad as their secondreplacement player.

The 31-year-old fromJohannesburg has picked up 45wickets in 39 T20Is since mak-ing his international debut forSouth Africa against Englandin 2017

In the IPL, Shamsi hasplayed 4 matches in which hepicked up 3 wickets for RoyalsChallengers Bangalore in the2016 season.

Meanwhile, Australianpacer Andrew Tye, who hadleft for home amid the Covid-19 pandemic during the firstphase of the IPL, said he won’tbe available for the remainderof the season.

RCB SIGNS GARTONRoyal Challengers

Bangalore roped in Englishfast bowler George Gartonas a replacement forAustralian pacer KaneRichardson for theremainder of IPL 2021

season. The uncapped left-arm quick has featured in 38T20 matches and has taken 44wickets with a bowling averageof 20.06. As a batsman, Garton

has a batting aver-age of 20.77 inT20s, with astrike rate of

124.66. PTI

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Kolkata: West Bengal chiefminister Mamata Banerjee onWednesday brokered peacebetween the warring East Bengaland their investors ShreeCement Limited and announcedthat the red-and-gold outfitwould play in the upcomingIndian Super League, endingmonths of uncertainty.

“Khela hobe. I’m very happytoday,” Banerjee announced atthe state secretariat Nabanna.“All is well that ends well. Theyhad some uncertainties till nowwhether they would be able toplay in ISL but now East Bengal’sproblem is solved. Shree Cementhas accepted my request withEast Bengal and have acceptedall my proposals.”

Banerjee once again playeda key role, about a year after shehad roped in the Rajasthan-based investors to acquire a 76per cent stake that had paved thecentury-old club’s last minuteentry to ISL last season. PTI

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Serena Williams has pulledout of next week’s US

Open because of a hamstringinjury, the 23-time GrandSlam winner announced onher Instagram page onWednesday.

“After careful considera-tion and following the adviceof my doctors and medicalteam, I have decided to with-draw from the US Open toallow my body to heal com-pletely from a torn ham-string,” wrote the 39-year-old American.

Williams, who has notplayed since a tearful firstround exit at Wimbledonwhen she hobbled off courtduring the first set againstAliaksandra Sasnovich, is asix-time winner in New York.

She won her first Major atthe 1999 US Open as ateenager, the first step on herpath to a domination of thewomen’s game.

Williams, whose rankinghas now slipped to 22, lastmissed the US Open in 2017because of the birth of herdaughter.

She reached the final in

2018 and 2019, losingboth.

“New York is one ofthe most exciting cities inthe world and one of myfavorite places to play - I’llmiss seeing the fans but willbe cheering everyone onfrom afar. Thank youfor your continuedsupport and love.I ' l l see yousoon,” shewrote onsocial media.

New York: Indian tennis play-ers’ struggle at the Grand Slamevents continued as both SumitNagal and RamkumarRamanathan lost their respec-tive first round singles match-es to make an exit from the USOpen qualifiers.

Nagal lost 5-7, 6-4, 3-6 toArgentina’s Juan Pablo Ficovichin two hours and 22 minuteson Tuesday night.

Ramkumar frittered awaya one-set advantage to lose 6-4,6-7(1), 4-6 to Russia’s Evgeny

Donskoy in two hours and 35minutes in his opening round.

It was Ramkumar’s 21stattempt to qualify for the sin-gles main draw of a GrandSlam since 2014.

Prajnesh Guneswaran isthe only Indian left in the men’ssingles qualifiers. The left-hander is up against CanadianBrayden Schnur.

Ankita Raina has also exit-ed after losing her first roundin women’s singles qualifiers toAmerican Jamie Loeb. PTI

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Paris Saint-Germain haverejected a 160 million-euro

($188m) offer from RealMadrid for Kylian Mbappe butthe French club’s sportingdirector Leonardo onWednesday admitted that theywill not be able to keep theWorld Cup winner “if hewants to leave”.

“Our position hasalways been the same, tokeep Kylian and extend hiscontract,” Leonardo toldmedia as he discussed thefuture of Mbappe,whose currentcontract expiresat the end ofthis season.

It emergedon Tuesdaythat Real hadmade a bid forMbappe, aplayer theyhave courted ever

since he was a young boy.The offer has been

knocked back by PSG, who sayit is “not enough” for someonewho arrived from Monaco in2017 in a 180 million-euro deal.

Real, though, are laying theground to bring in Mbappenow, even though he will be ableto sign as a free agent next sum-

mer if he does not extendhis contract in Paris. “If aplayer wants to leave, hewill leave. The club, theproject is bigger thanany one person,” said

Leonardo, as heslammed the

S p a n i s hgiants forbeing “disre-spectful” int h e i rapproach ofthe 22-year-old.

The offercomes with just

six days to go

before the summer transferwindow in Europe closes onAugust 31 and with PSG des-perate to keep hold of a playerthey still consider their crownjewel despite the presence ofNeymar and, now, of LionelMessi in the French capital.

“We have done everythingfor Kylian, even this transferwindow has been built around

him,” insisted Leonardo.However, he admitted it

“seems clear” that Mbappewants to go and said the play-er had “always promised that hewould not go for free”.

Those comments suggestMbappe is therefore likely toleave this month, at least aslong as Real come back with animproved offer.

London: Harry Kane onWednesday announced that hewill remain at Tottenham thisseason, ending speculation overhis future with Man City.

Kane had made clear hisdesire to leave his boyhood clubin the quest to end his wait forthe first trophy of his career.

However, the 28-year-oldwas warmly welcomed back bythe Spurs supporters as hemade his first appearance of theseason as a substitute in a 1-0

win at Wolves last weekend.“It was incredible to see the

reception from the Spurs fanson Sunday and to read some ofthe messages of support I’ve hadin the last few weeks,” he post-ed on Twitter.

“I will be staying atTottenham this summer andwill be 100% focused on help-ing the team achieve success.”

Kane is Tottenham’s secondtop goalscorer in history with221. AFP

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Kingston: Pakistan headcoach Misbah-ul-Haq hastested positive for Covid-19and will stay here in quaran-tine for the next 10 days evenas the rest of the squad fliesout to Lahore after complet-ing a Test and T20 series.Misbah was the onlyPakistan squad member whofailed two pre-departurePCR tests. PTI

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The Indian women cricketteam’s schedule for the

upcoming tour of Australiacould be altered due to the bor-der restriction and Covid-19lockdowns in Sydney andMelbourne, according to amedia report.

India and Australia are setto battle it out across all threeformats from next month.

The schedule includesthree One-Day Internationals,as many T20 Internationalsand a historic Day-Night Test

match at the WACA Ground.The series is slated to begin

with the first ODI in Sydney onSeptember 19, before movingto Melbourne and Perth.

“But the ongoing Covid-19lockdowns in Sydney andMelbourne as well as stateborder closures make thatunlikely,” cricket.com.aureported.

“Cricket Australia is cur-rently speaking with govern-ment authorities about how,where and when the sevengames can be played.

“.. .An announcement

expected shortly regardingchanges to the seven-matchschedule,” the report added.

The Indian team is slatedto leave for Australia onSunday.

All international arrivalshave to undergo a two-weekquarantine, according to theCovid-19 protocols inAustralia.

Australian players fromNew South Wales and Victoriawould also need to quarantinebefore the series if the match-es are scheduled for anotherstate.

Auckland: Virat Kohli isintense and aggressive on thefield but off it he is nice andwelcoming, according to hisRoyal Challengers Bangaloreteammate New Zealandpacer Kyle Jameison.

The lanky pacer said theIndian skipper is extremelypassionate about winning.

“He is a lovely guy. I haveplayed against him a coupleof times and obviously, he isquite intense and quite fiercein the field. But off the park,he is so nice and welcoming,”

Jamieson said on Baz andIzzy Breakfast show podcaston SENZ radio.

“He just loves to win as

well. He could be at it on thefield and stuff, but he is justpassionate about being there,about winning,” he added.

The 26-year-oldJamieson was bought by RCBfor a whopping 15 crore atthe auction after making ahuge impression in the inter-national arena.

Jamieson said he is for-tunate to be playing in a tour-nament like the IPL, addingthat he missed out on theexperience of travellingacross India due to the lock-

down.“It’s good to see how

different guys work. We havegot some good overseas play-ers in our group. Pretty for-tunate to be involved in atournament like that.”

“India was under lock-down when I was there. Sowe were pretty much in bub-bles. I kind of missed out onthat experience which is ashame. Hopefully, once thisthing gets down, I can getback there and get a taste ofwhat it’s really like.” PTI

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New Delhi: Olympic Silvermedallist Ravi Dahiya says hehas decided to give the upcom-ing wrestling WorldChampionship a miss since hedid not get time to prepare forthe selection trials that WFI is

organising next week to pickthe Indian team for the presti-gious tournament.

The Wrestling Federationof India (WFI) will conduct tri-als on Tuesday for the Worlds,set to be held in Oslo, Norway

from October 2-10.Dahiya and other Tokyo

Games medal winners havebeen hopping from one state toanother for the numerous felic-itation functions being organ-ised in their honour. PTI


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