EVcc`c Wf_UZ_X ac`SV T`c_Vcd AR\ - Daily Pioneer

16
T he NIA probe into funding of terrorism in Jammu & Kashmir has put the pressure at the right places on foreign agencies that are sponsoring terror in the Valley, National Security Adviser Ajit Doval said at a conference to top police officers on Monday. Stressing on a comprehen- sive approach to counter ter- rorism, Doval said to squeeze terrorism curbing terror financing through meticulous investigation is a must. The NSA quoted the examples of NIA crackdown against terror funding in Jammu & Kashmir and action by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) to choke such funds. “NIA has been able to make tremendous contribu- tion in its terror funding probe in Jammu & Kashmir. This action put the pressure at the right place in foreign agencies which were running this,” he further said. Pakistan is under a lot of pressure at the FATF meeting, currently under way in Paris, to rein in terror groups operating from its soil, he said in his address at the meeting of the chiefs of the Anti Terrorism Squads (ATS) held by the NIA here. “One of the biggest pres- sures that are coming on Pakistan today is because of the procedure of the FATF, I guess. The FATF has put so much of pressure on them that no other action could have been so,” he said. In the present context, no country can afford to go for a war as the financial and human costs are huge and no one is sure about the victory, he fur- ther said. The FATF is an inter-gov- ernmental body established in 1989 to combat money laun- dering, terror financing and other related threats to the integrity of the international financial system. Pakistan was placed on the grey list by the Paris-based watchdog in June, 2018 and was given a plan of action to complete it by October 2019, or face the risk of being placed on the black list with Iran and North Korea. At the ongoing plenary of the FATF, chances are high that Pakistan will be retained on the ‘grey list’ as it has complied with just one of the 40 recommen- dations set by the global anti- money laundering watchdog at the time of its inclusion in the list. If Pakistan continues with the ‘grey list’, it would be very difficult for the country to get financial aid from the IMF, the World Bank and the European Union, making its financial condition more precarious. If the investigating agencies could collect correct, sustain- able and quotable informa- tion, which could be put before the international forums effec- tively that how Pakistan is sup- porting and financing terror- ism, it would expose the coun- try, the NSA stressed. On Pakistan’s terror spon- sorship, the NSA said terrorism is a low-cost sustainable option which may damage the per- ceived enemies to a great extent. “A state is supporting a criminal and some states have mastered in this act. Pakistan has made terrorism as an instrument of State policy. That has made it a very great chal- lenge (for Indian security agen- cies),” he said. Doval said war has become increasingly a cost ineffective instrument in achieving polit- ical and strategic objectives and nobody can afford it these days because of the cost involved with it. “Not only is it a matter of money but in terms of lives that would be lost. But more impor- tant thing is you are not sure of victory. In spite of the superi- ority in terms of resources and technology, the Americans could not achieve their objec- tives in Vietnam and the Soviets in Afghanistan. “So increasingly, the reliance on war is on the instru- ment of covert actions. And in the instrument of covert actions, terrorism is one of the manifestations of covert actions that adversarial powers are using it. It is a low cost sus- tainable option and it bleeds the enemy much more than prob- ably in the war, and that it can be done for a long period,” he said. As the world has become more complex and as strategic and geopolitical relations become complex, a war is no longer an option and that is why the terrorism has increas- ingly been used, he said. Doval also underscored that terrorism in India and many other parts of the world is state-sponsored. “When I say it is state sponsored terrorism, they not only provide training to the recruits, they provide weapons, they provide ideology, they fix targets. A s the air quality turned “very poor” with the over- all Average Air Quality Index (AQI) touching 301 micro grams per cubic (μgm-3), the Graded Action Rapid Programme (GRAP) will come into force on Tuesday to tack- le air pollution in Delhi. When the air quality turns “very poor”, GRAP measures include ban on diesel gen-sets and entry of trucks into the Capital, increase in bus and metro services, and hike in parking fees. When it turns “severe”, GRAP recommends closure of brick kilns, stone crushers and hot mix plants, and pre- scribes sprinkling of water, fre- quent mechanised cleaning of roads and maximising power generation from natural gas. The measures to be fol- lowed in “emergency” situation include ban on civil construc- tion and introduction of the odd-even car rationing scheme. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has said stricter measures under GRAP will come into force in Delhi- NCR on Tuesday, as per Environment Pollution Prevention and Control Authority direction (EPCA). “The odd-even scheme will come into force on November 4 and will last till November 15. Pollution levels in Delhi reduced slightly on Monday, a day after air quality in several parts of the city plunged to the ‘very poor’, Kejriwal said. Considering NCR as con- tributor to the rising pollutants in and around Delhi, the EPCA has asked neighbouring States to put a ban on the use of diesel generator sets. The Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) is the nodal agency to implement the GRAP in Delhi region. Center run pollution mon- itoring agency System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research (SAFAR) has put the AQI ‘Dark Red’ (highly noxious). Significantly, Dwarka Sector- 18 recorded highest in Delhi- NCR with 315μgm-3. I ndian-American innovative MIT economist Abhijit Banerjee, his wife Esther Duflo and Harvard professor Michael Kremer jointly won the 2019 Nobel Economics Prize on Monday “for their experimental approach to alle- viating global poverty”. Banerjee and French- American Duflo both work at the US-based Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) while Kremer is at Harvard University. President Ram Nath Kovind, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Congress president Sonia Gandhi and a host of other leaders congrat- ulated Banerjee on winning the coveted prize. “Their research has helped economists better understand how to fight poverty in India and the world,” Kovind said. Prime Minister Modi said, “Congratulations to Abhijit Banerjee on being conferred the 2019 Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel.” Congratulating Banerjee, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said he had helped the party conceptualise its “Nyay” scheme to help remonetise the economy. Banerjee was educated at the University of Calcutta, Jawaharlal Nehru University and Harvard University, where he received his PhD in 1988. He is the Ford Foundation International Professor of Economics at the MIT. In 2003, Banerjee found- ed the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL), along with Duflo and Sendhil Mullainathan, and he remains one of its directors. In Kolkata, his mother Nirmala Banerjee said it was a proud moment for her. B CCI president-elect Sourav Ganguly on Monday said ‘conflict of interest’ is one of the biggest issues facing Indian cricket since the contentious clause is discouraging the best of the cricketers from getting into the game’s administra- tion. Ganguly himself faced the heat after allegations of conflict of interest were levelled against him for his dual role as the president of Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) and mentor of IPL franchise Delhi Capitals. While he has left Delhi Capitals mentorship already, he will relinquish his post as CAB president on October 23 after officially taking charge as BCCI chief. “Conflict of interest is an issue. And I am not sure whether we will get the services of the best cricketers in the sys- tem, because they will have other options to avail,” Ganguly told reporters after filing his nomination with veteran offi- cials like N Srinivasan, Rajeev Shukla and Niranjan Shah by his side. Ganguly made it clear that the present rule of ‘one person one post’ will prevent most of the former greats to get into cricket administration as they also need to earn their livelihood. H aryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar’s use of an improvised timeworn cliché against Congress presi- dent Sonia Gandhi has out- raged India’s oldest party. In his poll rally at Kharkhoda near Sonipat on Sunday, Khattar took a dig at the Congress saying all they managed was picking someone from the Gandhi family again (after Rahul Gandhi resigned as party president). “Khoda pahad, niklee chuhiya,” he said, using a pop- ular Hindi proverb that suggests big effort but little gain. Literally, it means finding a mouse after digging a mountain. In itself the proverb was not at all offensive, but Khattar went on to add, “That too a dead one,” and this created a furore. The Chief Minister had targeted both the Congress and the Jannayak Janta Party (JJP) at the meeting. “You know the kind of ‘tamasha’ these family- based parties are doing. Now, within the family too, fights are taking place. On one side there is `Pappu’, and on the other ‘Mummy’,” he said. Reacting to the mouse remarks of Khattar, Congress demanded an immediate apol- ogy. “The Chief Minister’s remarks are inappropriate, he stooped to the lowest level and it also shows the anti-women character of the BJP,” the Congress tweeted. On Monday, Mahila Congress chief Sushmita Dev and Haryana Congress presi- dent Kumari Selja slammed Khattar. Sushmita Dev said Khattar’s remarks are a clear reflection of his and the BJP’’s disrespectful attitude towards women. “We in the Congress are committed to upholding the dignity in public life. But as a woman, I take offence to the disgraceful remark made and demand an unconditional apol- ogy,” she said. Dev accused him of lowering public dis- course in an attempt to divert attention from real issues like joblessness and acute econom- ic slowdown. Selja asked the Chief Minister to reflect. “In what light remarks such as these por- tray women of Haryana and elsewhere. It is because of the mindset of people like you that Haryana has come to be known as the crime capital, which tops the country in crime. Crimes against women are on the rise,” she said. At another poll rally week ago, Khattar had accused the Congress of sympathising with terrorists and said Sonia Gandhi “sheds tears for mili- tants”. T he Uttar Pradesh Government on Monday suspended the Maharajganj District Magistrate and five other officials for fudging fig- ures and “negligence” at a State-run cattle shelter. Announcing the suspen- sion — a rare move against an IAS officer — at a hurriedly called press conference, Chief Secretary RK Tiwari said there were “continuous complaints of negligence” in the upkeep of stray cows in Madhvaliya cow shelter in Nichlaul tehsil of Maharajganj district. “The Government consti- tuted a committee under the chairmanship of Additional Commissioner, Gorakhpur Division. The committee found several anomalies in the number of cattle during probe,” the UP Chief Secretary said. F ive days after the Union Cabinet gave its approval for including the names of 5,300 displaced families in the Rehabilitation Package approved by the Cabinet on November 30, 2016, for dis- placed families of Pak Occupied Kashmir (POK) and Chhamb under the PM’s Development Package, confu- sion prevails over the number of real beneficiaries. According to the records, only around 500 families who were registered outside the State and later returned and settled down in J&K, are reg- istered with the office of Provincial Rehabilitation Officer (PRO), Jammu. In the absence of any offi- cial communication, even the senior officers are not in a position to clarify the status of actual beneficiaries of the package. “The State Government had recommended the reha- bilitation package for 26,319 displaced families. In response, the Centre approved the pack- age and financial assistance of 5.5 lakh,” Custodian, Evacuee Property and Ex-Officio, Provincial Rehabilitation Officer Mushtaq Hussain Malik told The Pioneer, He said claims of only around 500 displaces families, who were registered outside the State and later returned and settled down in the State, are registered in his office. “I had recommended their cases to the office of Divisional Commissioner (DC), Jammu so that a final decision can be taken,” he said, adding, even the DC had recommended their cases and forwarded the file to the Civil Secretariat. Srinagar: It was no less than Eid for some, time to reconnect with family and friends for others and back to much needed business for many as post-paid mobile phone services were restored after 72 days in Kashmir on Monday. Cellphones rang out across the Valley for the first time since August 5, when the Centre revoked J&K’s special status and bifur- cated it into the union territories of Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh — much to the delight of residents longing to reach out to their loved ones outside the Valley and inside too. PNS F ive police personnel, under- going life sentence for offences committed during militancy in Punjab, will be released from jails as the Centre has approved the State Government’s proposal for the same. The decision came a fort- night after the Union Home Ministry decided to release eight Sikh prisoners, lodged in different jails across the coun- try for committing crimes dur- ing the militancy in Punjab. “The Government of India has accepted the request of the Government of Punjab for grant of special remission and release of five Punjab Police personnel undergoing sentence in different jails in Punjab for offences committed during militancy period in Punjab,” said a Union Home Ministry official. Welcoming the Centre’s decision to release these cops on humanitarian grounds, Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh thanked the Union Home Minister Amit Shah while hoping that the Central Government would also give due cognizance to favourably consider his plea to release other cops whose release he had sought last month on humanitarian grounds. Granting special remission and release of five of the around 20 personnel, the Union Home Minister has termed it a deci- sion motivated by humanitar- ian and compassionate con- sideration. Notably, Capt Amarinder had written to Shah in September seeking the release of about 20 police personnel, pointing out that these men had acted while fighting ter- rorism, sponsored from across the border, in the interest of Punjab and the country. Some of these police per- sonnel were, in fact, suffering from serious or terminal ill- nesses and deserved the Centre’s mercy, he added, pointing out that these men risked their lives during the dark days of terrorism for the nation, without any personal vested interest. Most of the men whose release had been sought by the Chief Minister are now at advanced ages. The Chief Minister had further pointed out that around 1800 police officers of various ranks sacrificed themselves during the terrorism days, while fighting proxy war with terrorists to protect the unity and integrity of the country. Continued on Page 4

Transcript of EVcc`c Wf_UZ_X ac`SV T`c_Vcd AR\ - Daily Pioneer

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The NIA probe into fundingof terrorism in Jammu &

Kashmir has put the pressure atthe right places on foreignagencies that are sponsoringterror in the Valley, NationalSecurity Adviser Ajit Dovalsaid at a conference to toppolice officers on Monday.

Stressing on a comprehen-sive approach to counter ter-rorism, Doval said to squeezeterrorism curbing terrorfinancing through meticulousinvestigation is a must. TheNSA quoted the examples ofNIA crackdown against terrorfunding in Jammu & Kashmirand action by the FinancialAction Task Force (FATF) tochoke such funds.

“NIA has been able tomake tremendous contribu-tion in its terror funding probein Jammu & Kashmir. Thisaction put the pressure at theright place in foreign agencieswhich were running this,” hefurther said.

Pakistan is under a lot ofpressure at the FATF meeting,currently under way in Paris, torein in terror groups operatingfrom its soil, he said in hisaddress at the meeting of thechiefs of the Anti TerrorismSquads (ATS) held by the NIAhere.

“One of the biggest pres-sures that are coming onPakistan today is because of theprocedure of the FATF, I guess.The FATF has put so much ofpressure on them that no other

action could have been so,” hesaid.

In the present context, nocountry can afford to go for awar as the financial and humancosts are huge and no one issure about the victory, he fur-ther said.

The FATF is an inter-gov-ernmental body established in1989 to combat money laun-dering, terror financing andother related threats to theintegrity of the internationalfinancial system.

Pakistan was placed on

the grey list by the Paris-basedwatchdog in June, 2018 andwas given a plan of action tocomplete it by October 2019, orface the risk of being placed onthe black list with Iran andNorth Korea.

At the ongoing plenary ofthe FATF, chances are high thatPakistan will be retained on the‘grey list’ as it has complied withjust one of the 40 recommen-dations set by the global anti-money laundering watchdog atthe time of its inclusion in thelist. If Pakistan continues withthe ‘grey list’, it would be verydifficult for the country to getfinancial aid from the IMF, theWorld Bank and the EuropeanUnion, making its financialcondition more precarious.

If the investigating agenciescould collect correct, sustain-able and quotable informa-tion, which could be put beforethe international forums effec-tively that how Pakistan is sup-porting and financing terror-ism, it would expose the coun-try, the NSA stressed.

On Pakistan’s terror spon-sorship, the NSA said terrorismis a low-cost sustainable optionwhich may damage the per-ceived enemies to a greatextent.

“A state is supporting acriminal and some states havemastered in this act. Pakistanhas made terrorism as aninstrument of State policy. Thathas made it a very great chal-lenge (for Indian security agen-cies),” he said.

Doval said war has become

increasingly a cost ineffectiveinstrument in achieving polit-ical and strategic objectivesand nobody can afford it thesedays because of the costinvolved with it.

“Not only is it a matter ofmoney but in terms of lives thatwould be lost. But more impor-tant thing is you are not sure ofvictory. In spite of the superi-ority in terms of resources andtechnology, the Americanscould not achieve their objec-tives in Vietnam and theSoviets in Afghanistan.

“So increasingly, thereliance on war is on the instru-ment of covert actions. And inthe instrument of covertactions, terrorism is one of themanifestations of covert actionsthat adversarial powers areusing it. It is a low cost sus-tainable option and it bleeds theenemy much more than prob-ably in the war, and that it canbe done for a long period,” hesaid.

As the world has becomemore complex and as strategicand geopolitical relationsbecome complex, a war is nolonger an option and that iswhy the terrorism has increas-ingly been used, he said.

Doval also underscoredthat terrorism in India andmany other parts of the worldis state-sponsored.

“When I say it is statesponsored terrorism, they notonly provide training to therecruits, they provide weapons,they provide ideology, they fixtargets.

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As the air quality turned“very poor” with the over-

all Average Air Quality Index(AQI) touching 301 micrograms per cubic (μgm-3), theGraded Action RapidProgramme (GRAP) will comeinto force on Tuesday to tack-le air pollution in Delhi.

When the air quality turns“very poor”, GRAP measuresinclude ban on diesel gen-setsand entry of trucks into theCapital, increase in bus andmetro services, and hike inparking fees.

When it turns “severe”,GRAP recommends closure ofbrick kilns, stone crushersand hot mix plants, and pre-scribes sprinkling of water, fre-quent mechanised cleaning ofroads and maximising powergeneration from natural gas.

The measures to be fol-lowed in “emergency” situationinclude ban on civil construc-tion and introduction of theodd-even car rationing scheme.

Delhi Chief MinisterArvind Kejriwal has saidstricter measures under GRAPwill come into force in Delhi-NCR on Tuesday, as perEnvironment PollutionPrevention and ControlAuthority direction (EPCA).

“The odd-even scheme willcome into force on November4 and will last till November 15.

Pollution levels in Delhireduced slightly on Monday, aday after air quality in severalparts of the city plunged to the‘very poor’, Kejriwal said.

Considering NCR as con-tributor to the rising pollutantsin and around Delhi, the EPCAhas asked neighbouring Statesto put a ban on the use of dieselgenerator sets.

The Delhi PollutionControl Committee (DPCC) isthe nodal agency to implementthe GRAP in Delhi region.

Center run pollution mon-itoring agency System of AirQuality and WeatherForecasting And Research(SAFAR) has put the AQI‘Dark Red’ (highly noxious).Significantly, Dwarka Sector-18 recorded highest in Delhi-NCR with 315μgm-3.

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Indian-American innovativeMIT economist Abhijit

Banerjee, his wife Esther Dufloand Harvard professorMichael Kremer jointly wonthe 2019 Nobel EconomicsPrize on Monday “for theirexperimental approach to alle-viating global poverty”.

Banerjee and French-American Duflo both work atthe US-based MassachusettsInstitute of Technology (MIT)while Kremer is at HarvardUniversity.

President Ram NathKovind, Prime MinisterNarendra Modi, Congresspresident Sonia Gandhi and ahost of other leaders congrat-ulated Banerjee on winningthe coveted prize.

“Their research has helpedeconomists better understandhow to fight poverty in India and the world,” Kovindsaid.

Prime Minister Modi said,“Congratulations to AbhijitBanerjee on being conferredthe 2019 Sveriges RiksbankPrize in Economic Sciences inMemory of Alfred Nobel.”

Congratulating Banerjee,Congress leader Rahul Gandhisaid he had helped the partyconceptualise its “Nyay”scheme to help remonetisethe economy.

Banerjee was educated atthe University of Calcutta,Jawaharlal Nehru Universityand Harvard University, wherehe received his PhD in 1988.He is the Ford FoundationInternational Professor ofEconomics at the MIT.

In 2003, Banerjee found-ed the Abdul Latif JameelPoverty Action Lab (J-PAL),along with Duflo and SendhilMullainathan, and he remainsone of its directors.

In Kolkata, his motherNirmala Banerjee said it was aproud moment for her.

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BCCI president-elect SouravGanguly on Monday said

‘conflict of interest’ is one of thebiggest issues facing Indiancricket since the contentiousclause is discouraging the bestof the cricketers from gettinginto the game’s administra-tion.

Ganguly himself faced theheat after allegations of conflictof interest were levelled againsthim for his dual role as thepresident of CricketAssociation of Bengal (CAB)and mentor of IPL franchiseDelhi Capitals.

While he has left DelhiCapitals mentorship already, hewill relinquish his post as CABpresident on October 23 afterofficially taking charge as BCCIchief.

“Conflict of interest is anissue. And I am not surewhether we will get the servicesof the best cricketers in the sys-tem, because they will haveother options to avail,” Gangulytold reporters after filing his

nomination with veteran offi-cials like N Srinivasan, RajeevShukla and Niranjan Shah byhis side. Ganguly made it clearthat the present rule of ‘oneperson one post’ will preventmost of the former greats to getinto cricket administration asthey also need to earn theirlivelihood.

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Haryana Chief MinisterManohar Lal Khattar’s use

of an improvised timeworncliché against Congress presi-dent Sonia Gandhi has out-raged India’s oldest party.

In his poll rally atKharkhoda near Sonipat onSunday, Khattar took a dig atthe Congress saying all theymanaged was picking someonefrom the Gandhi family again(after Rahul Gandhi resigned asparty president).

“Khoda pahad, nikleechuhiya,” he said, using a pop-ular Hindi proverb that suggestsbig effort but little gain. Literally,it means finding a mouse afterdigging a mountain. In itself theproverb was not at all offensive,but Khattar went on to add,“That too a dead one,” and thiscreated a furore.

The Chief Minister hadtargeted both the Congress andthe Jannayak Janta Party (JJP)at the meeting. “You know thekind of ‘tamasha’ these family-based parties are doing. Now,within the family too, fights are

taking place. On one side thereis `Pappu’, and on the other‘Mummy’,” he said.

Reacting to the mouseremarks of Khattar, Congressdemanded an immediate apol-ogy. “The Chief Minister’sremarks are inappropriate, hestooped to the lowest level andit also shows the anti-womencharacter of the BJP,” theCongress tweeted.

On Monday, MahilaCongress chief Sushmita Devand Haryana Congress presi-dent Kumari Selja slammed

Khattar. Sushmita Dev saidKhattar’s remarks are a clearreflection of his and the BJP’’sdisrespectful attitude towardswomen.

“We in the Congress arecommitted to upholding thedignity in public life. But as awoman, I take offence to thedisgraceful remark made anddemand an unconditional apol-ogy,” she said. Dev accusedhim of lowering public dis-course in an attempt to divertattention from real issues likejoblessness and acute econom-ic slowdown.

Selja asked the ChiefMinister to reflect. “In whatlight remarks such as these por-tray women of Haryana andelsewhere. It is because of themindset of people like youthat Haryana has come to beknown as the crime capital,which tops the country incrime. Crimes against womenare on the rise,” she said.

At another poll rally weekago, Khattar had accused theCongress of sympathising withterrorists and said SoniaGandhi “sheds tears for mili-tants”.

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The Uttar PradeshGovernment on Monday

suspended the MaharajganjDistrict Magistrate and fiveother officials for fudging fig-ures and “negligence” at aState-run cattle shelter.

Announcing the suspen-sion — a rare move against anIAS officer — at a hurriedlycalled press conference, ChiefSecretary RK Tiwari said therewere “continuous complaintsof negligence” in the upkeep ofstray cows in Madhvaliya cowshelter in Nichlaul tehsil ofMaharajganj district.

“The Government consti-tuted a committee under thechairmanship of AdditionalCommissioner, GorakhpurDivision. The committeefound several anomalies inthe number of cattle duringprobe,” the UP Chief Secretarysaid.

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Five days after the UnionCabinet gave its approval

for including the names of5,300 displaced families in theRehabilitation Packageapproved by the Cabinet onNovember 30, 2016, for dis-placed families of PakOccupied Kashmir (POK) andChhamb under the PM’sDevelopment Package, confu-sion prevails over the numberof real beneficiaries.

According to the records,only around 500 families whowere registered outside theState and later returned andsettled down in J&K, are reg-istered with the office ofProvincial RehabilitationOfficer (PRO), Jammu.

In the absence of any offi-cial communication, even thesenior officers are not in aposition to clarify the status of

actual beneficiaries of thepackage.

“The State Governmenthad recommended the reha-bilitation package for 26,319displaced families. In response,the Centre approved the pack-age and financial assistance of�5.5 lakh,” Custodian, EvacueeProperty and Ex-Officio,Provincial RehabilitationOfficer Mushtaq HussainMalik told The Pioneer,

He said claims of onlyaround 500 displaces families,who were registered outsidethe State and later returned andsettled down in the State, areregistered in his office.

“I had recommended theircases to the office of DivisionalCommissioner (DC), Jammuso that a final decision can betaken,” he said, adding, eventhe DC had recommendedtheir cases and forwarded thefile to the Civil Secretariat.

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Srinagar: It was no less than Eid for some, time to reconnectwith family and friends for others and back to much neededbusiness for many as post-paid mobile phone services wererestored after 72 days in Kashmir on Monday.

Cellphones rang out across the Valley for the first time sinceAugust 5, when the Centre revoked J&K’s special status and bifur-cated it into the union territories of Jammu and Kashmir, andLadakh — much to the delight of residents longing to reach outto their loved ones outside the Valley and inside too. PNS

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Five police personnel, under-going life sentence for

offences committed duringmilitancy in Punjab, will bereleased from jails as the Centrehas approved the StateGovernment’s proposal for thesame.

The decision came a fort-night after the Union HomeMinistry decided to releaseeight Sikh prisoners, lodged indifferent jails across the coun-try for committing crimes dur-ing the militancy in Punjab.

“The Government of Indiahas accepted the request of theGovernment of Punjab forgrant of special remission andrelease of five Punjab Policepersonnel undergoing sentencein different jails in Punjab foroffences committed during

militancy period in Punjab,”said a Union Home Ministryofficial.

Welcoming the Centre’sdecision to release these copson humanitarian grounds,Punjab Chief Minister CaptAmarinder Singh thanked theUnion Home Minister AmitShah while hoping that theCentral Government wouldalso give due cognizance tofavourably consider his plea torelease other cops whoserelease he had sought lastmonth on humanitariangrounds.

Granting special remissionand release of five of the around20 personnel, the Union HomeMinister has termed it a deci-sion motivated by humanitar-ian and compassionate con-sideration.

Notably, Capt Amarinderhad written to Shah inSeptember seeking the releaseof about 20 police personnel,

pointing out that these menhad acted while fighting ter-rorism, sponsored from acrossthe border, in the interest ofPunjab and the country.

Some of these police per-sonnel were, in fact, sufferingfrom serious or terminal ill-nesses and deserved theCentre’s mercy, he added,pointing out that these menrisked their lives during thedark days of terrorism for thenation, without any personalvested interest.

Most of the men whoserelease had been sought by theChief Minister are now atadvanced ages.

The Chief Minister hadfurther pointed out that around1800 police officers of variousranks sacrificed themselvesduring the terrorism days,while fighting proxy war withterrorists to protect the unityand integrity of the country.

Continued on Page 4

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Punjab Chief Minister CaptAmarinder Singh on

Monday called upon the pro-gressive farmers, who haveshunned stubble burning, tojoin the State Government inlaunching a massive campaignto persuade the entire farmingcommunity to give up thisdangerous practice in the inter-est of environmental protectionfor the future generations.

Describing the progressivefarmers, who have refrainedfrom burning paddy stubble, aspioneers of change, CaptAmarinder said that theseagents of change had doneyeoman’s service to humanityby helping create a pollution-free environment.

“Their experiences andexpertise must be replicated byone and all to save the fertilityof soil on the one hand and pre-vent environmental pollutionon the other,” he said.

Emphasising the need tomake judicious use of ground-water, which was swiftly deplet-ing, the Chief Minister said thatit was the duty of the farming

community to save water forfuture generations as otherwisethe State would soon become adesert and the entire agricul-ture economy would be devas-tated.

He stressed that diversifi-cation of agriculture, coupledwith techniques like drip irri-gation, was the only answer tothe problem of water depletion.

Lauding the professionalsand agricultural technocratswho were taking up agriculture

as a full-time profession, theChief Minister said that theircontribution, especially inputting the latest technologicaladvancements in the field ofagriculture into practice, wouldfurther motivate the farmers toadopt new techniques toenhance the crop productivity“both quantitatively as well asqualitatively”.

The Chief Minister alsocomplemented the AgricultureDepartment’s efforts in moti-

vating the farmers to shunstubble burning by creatingawareness amongst them. “Thishas resulted in reducing theincidents of stubble burning by10 percent last year and a sim-ilar trend was expected duringthe current year too,” he said.

Sharing his experience,Surjit Singh, a farmer fromSadhugarh village in FatehgarhSahib, said that he was the firstto shun the malpractice ofcrop residue burning in the

open fields at a time whenmodern equipment and farmmachinery was not even invogue.

He underscored the needto educate farmers on a megascale so as to make them awareabout the harmful effects ofstubble burning, which notonly reduces the fertility of soilbut also creates pollution,thereby harming human life.

Gurbachan Singh, a farmerfrom Burj Deva Singh in Tarn

Taran district, highlighted theconservation of air, water andsoil, which had been propa-gated by the first Sikh masterGuru Nanak Dev Ji, and askedthe farming fraternity to followGuru Ji’s message.

Several others farmers alsoshared their valuable inputs,and suggested practical waysand means to tackle the men-ace permanently. Majority ofthe farmers urged theGovernment to reward thosefarmers who refrained fromstubble burning and punishothers who recklessly continueto indulge in this malpractice.

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Himachal chief minister JaiRam Thakur on Monday

would launch a campaign toeradicate drug abuse from Stateon Tuesday.

Presiding over a meeting onPrevention of Drug Abuse andAlcoholism, Chief SecretaryShrikant Baldi said that an effec-tive action towards drug abusewould be taken by the linedepartments in campaign man-ner from November 15 toDecember 15 this year in theentire State.

Baldi said drug abuse mustbe tackled through this specialcampaign in the State, addingthat Social Justice andEmpowerment department hasbeen appointed as the nodaldepartment for this campaign.

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To ensure adequate supplyof medicines in the

Government Hospitals, thePunjab Government hasdecided to make the supply ofall medicines to all districthospitals, sub-divisional hos-pitals, community health cen-tres and block primary healthcentres directly from region-al drug warehouse.

Announcing this, the stateHealth and Family WelfareMinister Balbir Singh Sidhuon Monday said that earlier,district hospitals had distrib-uted the stock of medicines toall categories of governmenthospitals of HealthDepartment after getting itfrom the regional drug ware-

houses.“This mechanism did not

fulfil the overall requirementof all hospitals. With a view toensure the continuous deliv-ery of medicines, now all hos-pitals would directly get themedicines from the concernedregional drug warehouses atKharar (Mohali), Bathindaand Verka (Amritsar),” hesaid.

Sidhu added that SeniorMedical Officers (SMOs) havebeen assigned the responsi-bility to maintain the stock ofmedicines which would beprovided free of cost in theirrespective hospitals. He alsodirected the SMOs to ensurethey place the demand formedicines through onlinemode in advance.

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Punjab State CooperativeBank on Monday made it

clear that Punjab andMaharashtra Cooperative(PMC) Bank, in the news forfraudulently extending loansto Housing Development andInfrastructure Limited(HDIL), has no relation withthe Punjab Cooperative Bankand District CentralCooperative Banks working inthe state of Punjab.

“Punjab and MaharashtraCooperative Bank (PMC),which has imperilled depositsof numerous customers, is anurban cooperative bank work-ing in the state of Maharashtrawhich has no relation with thePunjab State CooperativeBank and District CentralCooperative Banks working inthe State of Punjab,” saidPunjab State CooperativeBank Limited managing direc-

tor Dr SK Batish.He said that the Punjab

State Cooperative BankLimited, Chandigarh, andDistrict Central CooperativeBanks are serving the peopleof Punjab with its network ofmore than 800 branches andare in sound financial health.

“Some District CentralCooperative Banks are morethan a century old. Thesebanks are catering to thesocio-economic needs of morethan nine lakh farmers of theState. Around 39 lakh depos-itors and 16 lakh borrowersare getting banking servicesfrom these banks,” he said.

Reassuring the customersof the state’s CooperativeBanks, Dr Batish said that thePunjab State CooperativeBank and the District CentralCooperative Banks are havinga total business of Rs 34,000crore.

Agricultural loans, worth

Rs 9,200 crore, have beenprovided to the farmers of theState, he said adding that theDistrict Central CooperativeBanks are among the biggestagriculture lenders of theState.

It is reiterated that thePunjab State CooperativeBank and all the DistrictCentral Cooperative Banksin the state of Punjab adhereto the norms fixed by the reg-ulators, that is the ReserveBank of India (RBI), andNational Bank for Agricultureand Rural Development(NABARD) vis-à-vis Capitalto Risk (Weighted) AssetsRatio (CRAR), Cash ReserveRatio (CRR) and StatutoryLiquidity Ratio (SLR) etc.

Dr Batish exhorted thedepositors and borrowers ofthe Cooperative Banks ofPunjab to transact with thebank in a fearless manner onconsistent basis.

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Prime Minister NarendraModi on Monday chal-

lenged the Congress party overArticle 370 and asked whetherthe party would bring it backif they come back to power.

In an election rally inBallabhgarh, Modi said thatwhen he comes to Haryana, hefeels as if he has come home.He said that development inthe State was his priority."Haryana has taught me a lotand so whenever I come here,I feel that I have come to myhouse," Modi said.

The prime minister alsosaid, "Development in Haryanaand change in the lives of the

people has always been my pri-ority. Haryana has got a strongcaptain and a strong team.Opposition is disintegrating."He said, "Haryana is the land ofthe brave. The state has givenmany sports heroes."

Modi said the state hashelped him grow. Talking aboutthe decisions taken by hisnewly formed government,Modi said, "You have given mefive years. But I have been tak-ing steps and not even five

months have passed. I amworking towards fulfilling allmy promises."

Talking about India's standinternationally, he said, "Worldleaders are standing with Indiatoday." Modi also mentioned

Article 370 and said that Indiawas taking bold decisions now."India is taking decisions whichcould not be imagined before.India is taking bold decisionstoday."

He said, "Jammu andKashmir and Ladakh are on theway to development and trust.All Indians wanted Kashmir tobe integrated." He gave thecredit for abrogation of Article370 to the people of India andsaid, "It is not because of Modi,but the people of India. You

clicked the Kamal button andgave me the pwower to takethese decisions for you."

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Modi slammed theCongress and said corruptionhad sunk the grand old party.He criticised the party forpoliticising Rafale deal duringthe Lok Sabha elections. "Whatwas the hype Rahul Gandhicreated during the Lok Sabhaelections regarding the Rafaleplane. These people tried theirbest to cancel the aircraft agree-ment. But despite all the effortsof these people, the first Rafaleaircraft has been handed overto India," he said.

He also said that Congress

was asking help from abroadagainst Article 370 and chal-lenged the party to revoke thedecision.

"Congress is going abroadto ask for help against Article370. I challenge Congress tobring Article 370 in their man-ifesto," PM Modi said. "Willyou bring back Article 370 ifyou come to power?" PM Modisaid. He also accused Congressof opposing all decisions of theModi government just for thesake of it and said, "Congressis shedding crocodile tears."

Modi said "only a few peo-ple" are offended by the deci-sion to revoke Article 370 inJammu and Kashmir. Thesepeople, he said, are now raisingquestions on the government’s

decision and asking for helpwhile going to foreign coun-tries.

"If Article 370 is so dear toyou, you go among the peopleand tell them that you willreverse the Center’s decision,"he said.

The Prime Minister saidgovernment recruitment inHaryana used to mean bribery."The kind of tricks used for jobshas ended up with many lead-ers in jail. This situation haschanged now. The develop-ment is being done with hon-esty and integrity and the con-nectivity has improved. Be itPalwal, Ballabgarh, Faridabad,modern facilities of traffic andconnectivity are being made,"he said.

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Former Congress President andparty's star campaigner Rahul

Gandhi on Monday mocked PrimeMinister Narendra Modi''s pep talk''Mann Ki Baat'' by saying he will do''Kaam Ki Baat''.

Addressing his first political rallyahead of the Haryana Assembly elec-tions in Nuh, he said, "We will fightcorruption, two crore youths will getjobs, farmers will get remunerativeprices," Rahul said, adding, "I am nothere to make false promises. This isKaam Ki Baat. The Congress party iseveryone’s party and we believe inuniting people. And the BJP is doingwhat the British India was doing -divide".

Slamming the BJP governmentover the economic slowdown, thesenior Congress leader hit out at theruling party for doing nothing to tack-le rising unemployment and farmers''distress. Speaking in Muslim-domi-nated Marora in Nuh district, hecharged Prime Minister NarendraModi with only working for the cor-porates, not the common man.

Gandhi said that the PrimeMinister has been putting money intothe pockets of few selected businessgroups, and "gave Rs 5.5 lakh crore tohis selected 15-20 corporates". Torejuvenate the economy, the govern-ment should put money back into thecommon man's pocket, he said, prais-ing the party-led UPA government''sflagship MNREGA programme for

leading to a boom in the economy."The economy is in shambles andModi is talking about the moon," hesaid.

Raising the issues of unemploy-ment and farmers’ distress, Rahulasked the BJP why Maruti shut its fac-tory and why Tata closed its units here,warning that in six months, the econ-omy will reach in such a position thatyouth will stand up against Modi.

The Congress leader said, "Modiji keeps making false claims. So doesChief Minister Manohar Lal Khattarji. They do ‘Mann Ki baat’. I thoughtI will do Kaam Ki Baat. And whateverI say today from this stage, it wouldbe done, go and ask Congress-ruledstates in Rajasthan and MadhyaPradesh. Whatever we say, we do it.

I am not here to make false promis-es. This is Kaam Ki Baat. TheCongress party is everyone’s party andwe believe in uniting people. "And theBJP is doing what the British weredoing in India dividing people,"Gandhi said in his about 20-minute-long speech.

For people of Mewat, one of themost backward regions in Haryana,he promised a railway line fromGurugram to Alwar, a university aswell as speedy completion of theMewat Canal and Kotla irrigation pro-ject. "These are four main issues youhave, the list is with me. I give you myword, if we come to power, these willbe done. I don''t make false promis-es."

Nuh is the district headquarters

in the Mewat area and falls under theGurgaon parliamentary constituency.With the promise of loan waiver tofarmers and job reservations towomen, the Congress, in its manifestofor the state polls, promised 33 percent job quota for women in the gov-ernment sector, cash incentives toeducated jobless youth apart fromfarm loan waiver within 24 hours ofcoming to power.

Besides this, the party promisedto bring in a strong legislation to checkthe menace of mob lynchings, to dras-tically cut electricity bills and tocounter pollution caused by stubbleburning by providing machines toremove it from the roots.

Gandhi also targeted BJP and itsideological mentor Rashtriya

Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), accusingthem of dividing the country and itspeople on the basis of caste, religionand region like the British, and saidthe Congress united people. "TheCongress is the party for everyone andour job is to unite people, while theBJP-RSS, like the British, divide the

country and its people and make themfight each other. Wherever they go,they make people fight on the basisof caste, religion, region," he said.

"The economy is destroyed. Youask the small and medium traders andthey will say that they have beendestroyed," he said.

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Having witnessed severalclassic political battles in

the past, the PanchkulaAssembly constituency willwitness a neck-and-neck con-test this time in the Assemblyelections.

Congress has fielded for-mer deputy chief minister ofthe State Chandra MohanBishnoi from Panchkula citywhile Bharatiya Janata Party isbatting on its sitting MLAGyan Chand Gupta. The rep-utation of the both the partieswill be at stake and henceevery vote polled will matter.

Panchkula constituency isone of the two constituencies ofPanchkula district and thoughit is the smallest district in theState, it is said to be the “mini-capital” of the state as severaladministrative offices are locat-ed in the city. It forms a part ofa continuous area with theUnion Territory of Chandigarhand the city of Mohali.

The Panchkula Assemblysegment, which is part of theAmbala Lok Sabha seat, hadbeen a stronghold of theCongress till BJP’s Gian ChandGupta wrested the seat in the2014 Vidhan Sabha elections.He had polled 69,916 votes,defeating Indian National LokDal (NLD’s) KulbhushanGoyal.

Gyan Chand, a formermember of the RashtriyaSwayamsevak Sangh (RSS),had lost to Devender KumarBansal of the Congress in 2009,when the grand old party hadformed the state governmentled by Bhupinder Singh Hooda.

This time, the constituen-cy has got 2.8 lakh electoratesand 21 candidates have beenfiled for the Assembly elections.Indian National Lok Dal(INLD) has fielded its candi-date Karundeep Chaudharywhile candidate YogeshwarSharma by Aam Aadmi Party(AAP). JJP has fielded its can-didate Ajay Gautam whileMadhu Anand by Swaraj India.

Bishnoi, the elder son offormer Chief Minister ofHaryana, Bhajan Lal, has beenelected as member of legislativeassembly for continuously fourtimes from Kalka Constituency.However, Gyam Chand is con-fident of being elected again onthe back of development worksdone in the past five years. Heclaims the BJP governmentstarted development worksworth Rs 2,000 crore in theconstituency. “Ever since theformation of Haryana, theseworks had been pending,” heclaimed. One of the projectsthat he boasts of is the four-lan-ing of the Panchkula-Yamunanagar highway.

Bishnoi said BJP was tak-ing credit of Yamuna Nagar-Panchkula national high way,but this was approved byCongress leader Kumari Seljawhen party was in power at the

centre. The BJP in last five yearshave miserably failed to com-plete the project, he added.

In the war of words aheadof the Assembly polls, theCongress’ Panchkula candi-date said that BJP MLA hadfailed to develop Panchkula,and also added that it only dur-ing Congress rule that the citywitnessed any development.

He said, “Gyan Chand hasbeen completely unsuccessfulin developing Panchkula. TheBJP has been fooling people bylaying the foundation stones ofprojects right before the elec-tions. After becoming an MLA,my priority will be to get thegarbage processing plant, beingset up at Jheuriwal village,shifted to Bhanu village locat-ed on the Haryana-Punjabborder.”

Dr Anand Kumar,Associated Professor, Instituteof Integrated and HonoursStudies, KurukshetraUniversity said, “At a timewhen Congress is striving toregain its lost ground in theState, former deputy CMChandra Mohan is also facinga 'now or never' like situation.With the Congress announcingname of its nominee forPanchkula, the fight hasbecome a tough one for BJPcandidates. BJP candidateseems to be feeling a little ner-vous after finding Bishnoi as hiscompetitor. The reputation ofboth Congress and BJP will beat stake and hence every votepolled will matter.”

He said, “If the past twoAssembly elections are anyindicator, voters of thePanchkula segment go with thetide. It elects a legislator fromthe party that goes on to formthe government. Will it be thecase this elections as well?Only time will tell.”

Chandra Mohan had madehis debut in politics in 1993when he fought a by-electionfrom Kalka assembly con-stituency. The seat had gotvacated following the death ofPurush Bhan. Then CM BhajanLal fielded his elder sonChandra Mohan. He was lastelected from Kalka in 2005assembly elections. In 2009, hewas denied a ticket andDevender Bansal was electedfrom Panchkula. But Bansallost the seat to Gyan ChandGupta in 2014.

This time, Chandra Mohanis mainly banking on the con-tribution of his family as well ashis late father and former CMBhajan Lal for the growth ofPanchkula that happenedalmost two decades back. Onthe other hand, Gupta is bank-ing on the projects incepted overa period of the past five years.

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����������� ��� �0Strongly condemning the

Centre’s decision to release fivePunjab police personnel as “theblatant violation of natural jus-tice and shielding of killer policeofficers”, Bholath MLA andPunjab Ekta Party presidentSukhpal Khaira on Mondaysaid that this was nothing but“making mockery of our judicialsystem by overriding its deci-sions after decades of strugglefor justice by aggrieved familiesof victims”.

Khaira, in a hard hittingstatement, said: “I’m sure these

police officers have killed inno-cent person or persons in fakeencounter. I hope it’s not thekillers of Jaswant Singh Khalrawhose wife and Khalra Missionfought for 25 years to bring cul-prits to justice. This is nothingbut a police state now.”

“In other words, it’s a mes-sage to killers in uniform that goahead eliminate innocents infake encounters and extra judi-cial killings, we (Govt) will takecare of you. This is the new def-inition of human rights inPunjab,” he said.

Khaira said that first Badal-Capt combine illegitimatelyreleased four Uttar Pradeshkiller cops convicted for the fake

encounter of a Dalit Sikh boyHarjit Singh of Saharan Majravillage of Ludhiana whose fam-ily fought for 20 years in a PatialaCBI Court for their conviction,and now five more killers to beset free. “Shame on our crimi-nal justice system,” he said.

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Punjab Chief Minister CaptAmarinder Singh on

Monday asked the PunjabiUniversity, Patiala, to under-take extensive research on theholy journey (udasi) of the firstSikh master Guru Nanak Devto Nepal.

Capt Amarinder, addressinga galaxy of Sikh intellectuals, aca-demicians and scholars during apresentation on Sikh Heritage ofNepal at Punjab Bhawan, saidthat Nepal had a strong Sikh con-nect. “Guru Nanak Dev Ji hadblessed the holy land during his'udasi', aimed at redeemingmankind from suffering andpain,” he pointed out while sug-gesting that research on the sub-ject would go a long way inexploring new dimensions toGuru Nanak Dev Ji’s holy visit toNepal.

The Chief Ministerobserved that both India andNepal shared century-old tiesand had common cultural her-itage, with his own family shar-ing warm family relations withthe Ranas of Nepal. TheMaharaja of Patiala had, in fact,attended the wedding of YuvrajRaghunath Singhji of Jaisalmer

at Singha Durbar inKathmandu in April 1950, hepointed out.

On the occasion, the ChiefMinister also extended aninvite to the Punjabi diasporasettled in Nepal to attend the550th prakash purb celebra-tions of Guru Nanak Dev inNovember at Sultanpur Lodhi,where the founder of Sikhismspent over 18 years of his lifeand got enlightenment.

Earlier, in his presenta-tion, Indian Ambassador to theHimalayan kingdom, MajeevPuri, briefly mentioned theplaces visited in Nepal by GuruNanak Dev, including NanakMatth, Gyaneshwor, ShobhaBhagwati, Thapathali andPashupatinath.

He also revealed that therewere 10 copies (sarups) ofGuru Granth Sahib at varioussacred places connected withthe first Sikh Guru.

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Demanding cancellation ofCongress nominee for

Jalalabad bypoll RaminderAwla’s candidature, theShiromani Akali Dal (SAD) onMonday filed a complaint withthe Election Commission ofIndia (ECI) against Congressparty and its candidate allegingviolation of model code ofconduct in Jalalabad con-stituency.

The party has sought sternaction against the Congressparty for violating the code byasking the voters to approachPSPCL (Punjab State PowerCorporation Limited) offices toget their electricity bills waivedoff.

Lodging a formal com-plaint before the state ChiefElectoral Officer, the politicalsecretary of SAD presidentCharanjit Singh Brar said thatthe Congress leaders were try-ing to “bribe voters by promis-ing to pay off their electricity

bills”. People were being askedto support the Congress can-didate and get their power billwaived off or paid by the party,he alleged.

Brar said that theCongressmen were openly col-lecting the power bills from thevillages and paying them fromtheir own pockets. “A personnamed Sunil Kumar was col-lecting the power bills as wellas phone numbers of the peo-ple while sitting in the PSPCLoffice. Voters are beinginformed by making calls orsending SMSes to them aftertheir power bills get paid by thepower department,” he said.

Terming it a ‘clear violationof the poll code’, the SADleader urged the ECI to orderthe registration of a case againstthe Congress candidate forindulging in the practice of ‘lur-ing the voters with money’ andimmediately cancel his candi-dature to ensure a free and fairpoll in the constituency.

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Punjab Congress presidentSunil Jakhar on Monday daredthe SAD president SukhbirBadal to shun double standardsand clarify stand on SAD rela-tions with the Bharatiya JantaParty (BJP).

“When you (Sukhbir)describe BJP anti-farmer andanti-poor in the election cam-paign in Haryana, how the saf-

fron party can be termed aspro-farmer and pro-poor inPunjab and at Centre whereSAD has alliance with the BJP,”

he asked, adding that the SADleaders condemned BJP inHaryana for its policies butappreciate the Central

Governmentrun by thesame party.

Jakhar saidthat it was a strange that on oneside, SAD president calling theHaryana voters to root out theBJP government from power inthe State, while on other hand, SAD is partner in NDAat the Centre and enjoyingministerial berth in the UnionCabinet.

Only a day before, Sukhbir,while campaigning in Haryanawhere SAD is contesting inalliance with the INLD againstthe BJP, had appealed the vot-ers to exclude the anti-farmerand anti-poor BJP Governmentfrom power in the state.

“If the BJP’s policies areanti-farmer and anti-poor inHaryana, then why the SADran the Government for 10years in the Punjab with theBJP and still partner in thesame the BJP Government atthe Centre for the last five anda half years,” he said.

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3#56�2�7��39#;)�376�(5Chandigarh: The ElectionCommission of India onMonday ordered the transferof Dakha SHO. Punjab ChiefElectoral Officer Dr S KarunaRaju said that complaintshad been received againstDakha SHO, and a report wassought from the concernedauthorities in this regard.

After receiving thereport, it was forwarded withcomments to the ElectionCommission of India for fur-ther action, said the CEO.

Dr Raju said that a panelhad also been sought fromPunjab Police for the appoint-ment of new SHO at Dakha.

PNS

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SAD president SukhbirBadal on Monday said that

Punjab Chief Minister CaptAmarinder Singh was bentupon dividing the Sikh com-munity on the pious occasionof 550th parkash purb of GuruNanak Dev in keeping with thedivide and rule policy of theCongress party.

Sukhbir, addressing largegatherings at a dozen villagesin Dakha constituency infavour of SAD candidateManpreet Singh Ayali, saidthat the Sikh communitywould not let the nefariousdesigns of the Congress todivide the community by

holding a separate functionagainst the advisory of SriAkal Takht succeed.

He said that the “panth”would repose faith in theSGPC and the programmesbeing organised by the demo-cratically elected religiousbody.

Sukhbir asked whetherCapt Amarinder had organ-ised a religious function oreven ‘kirtan darbar’ during thelast two and a half years? “Hehas not deemed it fit to payobeisance at Sri Darbar Sahabafter taking over as chief min-ister.

Even now, nothing is beingdone to improve the infra-structure in the holy city of

Sultanpur Lodhi,” he added.Recounting how the

Congress party had thwartedall efforts for a joint celebra-tion and even disregarded the“adesh” of the Sri Akal TakthJathedar in this regard,Sukhbir said: “The SGPC evenformed a CoordinationCommittee for this purposeand made numerous pleas tothe CM all of which fell ondeaf ears.”

Asking the chief ministerto concentrate on governanceinstead of interfering in reli-gious matters, he said thatPunjab was witnessing homedelivery of drugs underCongress rule.

“This has happenedbecause Congress Ministersand legislators are providingshelter to the drug mafia,” hesaid while highlighting howeach and every section ofsociety was discriminatedagainst during Congress therule with farmer loans notbeing waived, youth not beinggiven the promised jobs andsocial welfare schemes beingdiscontinued.

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Several States on Mondayjoined hands to pave the

way for a common electronictoll system across the countryas mandated by the RoadTransport and HighwaysMinistry beginning December1. States signed an MoU for anintegrated FASTag with e-waybill system and also a NHAIprepaid wallet system to enablecommuters for a hassle free rideon tolled roads and express-ways throughout the country.

Road Transport andHighways Minister NitinGadkari said the integratedtolling system will provideseamless movement for roadusers and check revenues leak-age at toll plazas. Minister ofState for Road Transport andHighways Gen. (Retd.) V.KSingh and transport ministersand senior officials from sev-eral states were also in atten-dance.

The Ministry is encourag-ing States to come onboardFASTag, so that seamless move-ment of transport can beassured across the nation. Forthis, Scheme Guidelines forInclusion of State/ City TollPlaza under NETC programme(FASTag) was circulated to all

states by Indian HighwaysManagement Corp Ltd(IHMCL).

The Scheme offers par-t icipat ing Stateauthorities/agencies shorterturnaround time by allowingthem to be a part of therobust FASTag solution archi-tecture which already sup-ports approx. 6 million tagswith approximately daily 10lakh transactions. AnotherMoU was also signed betweenIHMCL and GST Network(GSTN) for integrating E-Way Bill system with FASTag.

"The move assumes specialsignificance due to the fact thatfrom 1st of December thisyear, toll collections on allNational Highways willmandatorily be done throughFASTag only.," said Gadkariinaugurating a conference on'One Nation One Tag - FASTag'in the national Capital to rollout the process for having aunified electronic system acrossthe country.

The Minister said that theFASTag is being positioned asthe 'Aadhaar' for a vehicle andin future efforts are being car-ried out to enable usage ofFASTag for making variousvehicle related payments apartfrom toll payments, such as fuel

payment, parking charges, etc. Under the National

Electronic Toll Collection pro-gramme of the Ministry, tollcollection at national high-ways toll plazas is done throughRFID based FASTags. However,collection at State highways tollplazas is done either manuallyor through other tags. Thisleads to inconvenience for theroad users.

FASTag is acceptable acrossover 490 National Highwaystoll plazas and selected 39+State highways toll plazas. Morethan 6 Million FASTag wereissued till last month, withoverall cumulative ETC col-lection of over �12,850 Croresince inception. The totalcumulative number of suc-cessful ETC transactions car-ried out is over 5540.67 lakhsas in September 2019.

IHMCL and NHAI havedeveloped the ‘My FASTagmobile App’ to provide a sin-gle one-stop solution to FASTagcustomers. The App helpslinking of bank neutral FASTagto bank account of customer'schoice.

An NHAI Prepaid Walletwas also launched giving cus-tomers the choice of not link-ing their FASTag to their bankaccounts.

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As county's High Courtshave estimated to have

piled up around three lakhcases and lower courts havingtwo to three crore pendingcases, members of a parlia-mentary panel on Monday sought to know fromtop law Ministry officials as towhy alternate methods are notbeing used to resolve legal dis-putes , particularly thoseinvolving Government as a lit-igant .

Members also asked aboutthe number of cases in which thegovernment is the litigant andsought detailed response fromthe Department of Legal Affairsin the form of a questionnaire tobe sent to the department. Government isreportedly the largest litigant inthe courts.

Law Secretary (Departmentof Legal Affairs) AlokShrivastava made presentationson functioning of the depart-ment and Alternative DisputeResolution (ADR) mechanismsin a meeting on Monday beforethe Parliament's standing com-mittee on Personnel, PublicGrievances, Law and Justice.

The 30-member parlia-mentary standing committee onPersonnel, Public Grievances,Law and Justice, which has MPsfrom across the party lines isheaded by BJP's Rajya Sabhamember Bhupender Yadav.Sources quoted a member ask-ing the secretary Legal Affairsthat if it is true that theGovernment is the major litigant,then why not alternate methodsof resolving disputes involvingthe Government to dent hugependency of case were beingtaken.

New Delhi: The BorderSecurity Force (BSF), thatguards important Indian bor-ders with Pakistan andBangladesh, has protested non-inclusion of its marching con-tingent in the Republic Dayparade to be held at the Rajpathin January next year, officialsources said on Monday.

An official order issued bythe Union home ministry earlythis month has been accessedby PTI and it said that only themarching and band contin-gents of the Central ReservePolice Force, Central IndustrialSecurity Force, Indo-TibetanBorder Police and Delhi Policewill be part of the Republic Dayparade-2020 to be held onJanuary 26.

The BSF has been asked toonly send its camel contingentand camel-mounted bandteam.

"The BSF has taken up theissue with the home ministry.It is being considered," a seniorhome ministry official said onthe condition of anonymity.

Official sources in the forcesaid the BSF marching contin-gent was not given a slot in theparade that was held this yearin January and despite repre-sentation made by the border

guarding force, the contingentwas not included.

The Republic Day parade isan esteemed event and troopsand officers of various uni-formed forces take pride inshowcasing their ceremonialbest at the event that showcas-es the defence, security, devel-opment and cultural prowess ofthe country.

The about 2.5 lakh per-sonnel strong BSF is tasked toguard India's terror and infil-tration prone border withPakistan, the crime-sensitivefrontier with Bangladesh and isalso deployed to render a num-ber of tasks in the internal secu-rity domain of the country.

Last year, amongst the

Central Armed Police Forces(CAPFs), both CISF and CRPFwere kept out of the January 26event while the contingents ofITBP, Sashastra Seema Bal(SSB) and BSF participated inthe parade.

These squads, dressed intheir best official and ceremo-nial regalia, march down thecitadel of power at RaisinaHills in central Delhi to the17th century-built monumentRed Fort as per tradition.

The Government, in April2017, had told Parliament thatthis random exclusion of theCAPF contingents wasbeing done due to "time con-

straints" during the annualparade. PTI

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The Union Health Ministryon Monday finalised the

much-awaited names of 25members of the NationalMedical Commission (NMC)that will replace the MedicalCouncil of India (MCI),through a draw of lots from thenominations sent by the StateGovernments, Union territoriesand State medical councils.

Once the NMC comes intobeing, the MCI will automati-cally get dissolved and thenearly 63-year-old IndianMedical Council Act will standabolished.

The exercise of selectingthe 25 members took place in thepresence mediapersons, whoparticipated in the entire process,which was video-graphed.

"Today, 25 part-time mem-bers, including 10 vice-chan-cellors (VCs) from differentstates, nine representativesfrom the State MedicalCouncils (SMCs) and fourmembers for the fourautonomous boards, wereselected," Union HealthMinister Harsh Vardhan said.

"We had nine months to

select the members of the NMCand within a short span of twomonths, we have framed therules, notified those and alsocarried out the process of selec-tion of the part-time members.To ensure probity and integri-ty of the highest order, a com-pact body is being selectedthrough a transparent mecha-nism and representation of thestates and state councils in rota-tion. This will facilitate fasterdecision making also," he added.

He said the inclusion ofmembers from a diverse back-ground for balanced policyprescriptions was also beingensured.

The four boards to be set upunder the NMC Act are theUnder-Graduate MedicalEducation Board (UGMEB),the Post-Graduate MedicalEducation Board (PGMEB),the Medical Assessment andRating Board and the Ethics andMedical Registration Board.

During the lottery, 10 VCsfrom Tamil Nadu, West Bengal,Gujarat, Delhi, HimachalPradesh, Andhra Pradesh,Rajasthan, Dadra and NagarHaveli, Punjab and Haryanawere selected.

Those selected includeProfessor Rajendra Pandey, VCof the West Bengal University ofHealth Sciences, Himanshu APandya, VC of the GujaratUniversity, Professor MaheshVerma, VC of the Guru GobindSingh Indraprastha Universityin Delhi, Rajababu Panwar, VCof the Rajasthan University ofHealth Sciences and RajBahadur, VC of the Baba FaridUniversity of Health Sciences inPunjab's Faridkot among others.

Following the same proce-dure, nine representatives fromthe SMCs of Uttar Pradesh,Sikkim, Kerala, Karnataka,Uttarakhand, ArunachalPradesh, Bihar, Maharashtraand Manipur were selected.

In the third segment of thedraw of lots, four membersfrom Tripura, Jammu &Kashmir, Nagaland andMadhya Pradesh, who willserve as part-time members forthe autonomous boards, wereselected.

Ajay Kumar Khanna fromthe Uttarakhand MedicalCouncil was selected for theSearch Committee fromamongst the nine part-timemembers of the NMC.

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The Bihar Government sub-mitted before the Delhi

High Court early this monththat the process for payment ofJitendra Gupta, the 2013-batchIAS officer of Bihar cadre, isunderway and in considerationat PMCH and will be paid toGupta before the next hearing,which is November 11, 2019.

The AppointmentsCommittee of Cabinet is yet todecide about his postingdespite the Delhi High Court'sAugust 4 deadline.

Gupta had to go to multi-ple hospitalisation, including atAIIMS. The Supreme Court,Delhi High Court and CAThave simultaneously exonerat-ed the officer of all chargesframed against him and direct-ed the Nitish KumarGovernment to pay the entirebacklog salary and foot themedical bill expenses.

Fearing his postings inBihar, Gupta plead to judicia-ry, Centre and the Staterequesting a care transfer.

The Delhi High Court hadrebuked the Nitish KumarGovernment for ''humiliating,harassing” Gupta.

New Delhi: SyrianAmbassador Riad KamelAbbas on Monday welcomedIndia's statement on Turkeyfor its "unilateral militaryoffensive" in northeasternSyria, saying New Delhi has a"strong voice" in the international community andDamascus looks forward tojoining hands with it for fur-ther cooperation.

The envoy also said,"Turkey supports terror and allcountries who support Turkey,support terror". He said this inresponse to a question onPakistan extending supportto Turkey's military offensivein Syria.

Pakistan has offered backing to Turkey in its offensive against Kurdishforces in Syria.

Turkey last week launchedan offensive in northern Syriatargeting the Kurdish-ledSyrian Democratic Forces.

India had said it was"deeply concerned" over the"unilateral military offensive"by Turkey in northeasternSyria and asserted that theaction can undermine stability in the region as wellas the f ight against terrorism. PTI

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As many as 127 personsconnected to the global

terror group ISIS have beenarrested in India so far. Most ofthe ISIS-linked persons werearrested from Tamil Nadu,where 33 radicals were nabbed,followed by 19 from UttarPradesh, 17 from Kerala and 14from Telangana, the NIA saidon Monday.

The NIA has registered atotal of 287 cases till Septemberthis year and a bulk of it is relat-ed to terrorism. The number ofterror related probe under NIAprobe is 110.

Of the 177 remaining cases,the agency has registered 50cases for probing insurgency inthe Northeast, 48 instances ofFake Indian Currency Notes(FICN), 28 for investigatingNaxal-related incidents, 15 forKhalistani terrorism, one caseinvolves human traffickingbesides 35 in miscellaneous cat-egory.

Terror-related cases underNIA probe, 32 instances arefrom Jammu and Kashmir, 22are connected to the ISIS ter-ror group 50 have been put in

"others" category. "In three of these ISIS cases

from Kerala and Tamil Nadu,the accused have admitted thatthey were radicalised byColombo suicide bomberZahran Hashim's videos.

The NIA had swung intoaction only after the Colomobobombings that took a toll ofover 250 persons including 12Indians in a serial suicidebombings incident.

The Jamaat-ul MujahideenBangladesh (JMB) was tryingto spread its tentacles acrossIndia and a list of 125 suspectshave been shared with differentstates, National InvestigationAgency (NIA) Chief, YC Modisaid.

Modi was addressing ameeting of chiefs of the Anti

Terrorism Squads (ATS), Modisaid the JMB has spread itsactivities in States likeJharkhand, Bihar, Maharashtra,Karnataka and Kerala in theguise of Bangladeshi immi-grants.

"The NIA has shared withstates concerned a list of 125suspected activists who haveclose links with the JMB lead-ership," he said.

NIA Inspector GeneralAlok Mittal said from 2014 to2018, the JMB has set up 20-22hideouts in Bengaluru andtried to spread its bases inSouth India.

"The JMB even conducteda trial of rocket launchers in theKrishnagiri hills along theKarnataka border," Mittaladded.

New Delhi: With the air qual-ity plunging to "very poor" cat-egory in Delhi, the SupremeCourt on Monday asked theMinistry of Environment,Forests and ClimateChange(MoEF) to file a statusreport on the recommenda-tions of a high level task forceon prevention of stubble burn-ing in Punjab, Haryana andwestern Uttar Pradesh.

The overall Air QualityIndex (AQI) in Delhi touched

the 301 mark by 10 pm onSunday and during night, theair quality had plunged to the"very poor" category in all theparts of the national capital.

The issue cropped upbefore a bench of justices ArunMishra and Deepak Guptawhen senior advocate AparajitaSingh, assisting the top court asan amicus curiae in the pollu-tion matter, said that MoEFshould be asked to file a statusreport on this.

Singh told the bench that onJanuary 29 last year, the apexcourt has passed an order on theissue after the Centre had saidthat report of a sub-committeeof the high level task force onprevention of stubble burning inthese three States was accept-ed.She said that as long time hasgone by since the top court's lastyear order, MoEF should beasked to file a status reportabout the implementation of thedirections as well as the report

of the committee.Thebench asked the MoEF,which is the nodalministry for imple-mentation of thereport of the sub-com-mittee on stubbleburning, to file a statusreport within twoweeks.On November 23, 2017,a high level task force for man-agement of air pollution inDelhi and the national capitalregion (NCR) PTI

New Delhi: TheSupreme CourtMonday gave fourmore weeks to theCentre and 25

States to file respons-es on a plea seeking

directions for setting uponline RTI portals, enablingpeople to apply electronicallyfor the information requiredinstead of filing applications

physically.A bench of justices N V

Ramana, Sanjiv Khanna andKrishna Murari expressed dis-pleasure that though the apexcourt had issued notice to theCentre and States on the peti-tion on August 26, they havenot filed their responses yet.

The top court, while givingfour more weeks for filingresponse, made it clear that

no further adjournment would be given in the matter.

The bench was hearing aPIL, filed by Delhi-based NGO'Pravasi Legal Cell', which hassaid the Right to Information(RTI) Act is a "powerful tool"and its true objective could be achieved only by timelyresponse to citizens' request. PTI

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The CBI has booked sevenpersons for allegedly being

part of international WhatsAppgroups in which child pornimages were being shared.

The case was registeredafter a Preliminary Enquiry onthe basis of an a note verbale(diplomatic communication)received from the GermanEmbassy here to the theInternational PoliceCooperation Cell (IPCC) of theCBI on January 31, 2019.

Germany had informedthe CBI about child porn con-vict Sasche Treppke, who wassentenced to five years inprison in that country forinvolvement in sexual abuse ofchildren and distributing childpornography.

The PE revealed that he waspart of 29 WhatsApp groupswhere child porn was beingshared. These groups have

seven Indian mobile numbersand all the seven persons hav-ing these numbers have beenbooked by the CBI, officialssaid.In early 2018, the agency had launched aworldwide probe into a childpornography case with helpfrom Interpol.

The agency hadapproached 40 countries inprobing details of mobilephone owners who were part ofa WhatsApp group, in whichcertain inappropriate imagesand videos were beingshared.

As many as 234 memberswere there in the "child pornog-raphy group" comprising 66Indian numbers, 56 Pakistani,29 from the US and the remain-ing from 37 other countries.

The agency had sent a ref-erence to these countriesthrough Interpol and some ofthem have been sharing infor-mation related to the users.

New Delhi: Prime MinisterNarendra Modi on October 14held talks with King of theNetherlands Willem-Alexanderand Queen Maxima with afocus on enhancing bilateral,cultural, and economic tiesbetween the two countries.

The royal couple, accom-panied by a large delegation ofministers, officials and topDutch business honchos,arrived on October 13 on afive-day visit.It is KingAlexander's first State visit toIndia, following his ascensionto the throne in 2013.

In their talks, the PrimeMinister and the royal couplebroadly reviewed the overallbilateral ties and touched uponpossible areas of deepeningcooperation between the twonations, officials said.

Earlier in the day, the Kingand the Queen were accorded

a ceremonial reception at theRashtrapati Bhavan.

The royal couple will alsovisit Mumbai and Kochi.

The ties between India andthe Netherlands have been onan upswing in the last fewyears.India and the Netherlandshave a bilateral trade turnover of$12.87 billion in 2018-19. TheNetherlands is the fifth largestinvestor in India with a cumulative investment of $23 bil-lion for the period 2000 to2017. PTI

New Delhi: Five police per-sonnel, undergoing life sen-tence for offences committedduring militancy in Punjab, willbe released from jails after theCentre approved a proposal ofthe State Government in thiseffect, officials said.

The decision came a fort-night after the Union HomeMinistry decided to releaseeight Sikh prisoners, lodged indifferent jails in the country forcommitting crimes during themilitancy in Punjab.

"The government of Indiahas accepted the request of thegovernment of Punjab for grantof special remission and releaseof five Punjab Police personnelundergoing sentence in different jails in Punjab foroffences committed duringmilitancy period in Punjab," aHome Ministry official said. PTI

New Delhi: The CentralGovernment will soonannounce concession in DelhiMetro fares for students andsenior citizens as a technology-based solution has been foundto implement the same, UnionMinister Hardeep Singh Purisaid on Monday.

In an interview to PTI, theUnion housing and urbanaffairs Minister said that therelief can also be extended topassengers of other categories,but it would be need-based.Currently, no discount on faresis offered for any category ofpassengers on the DelhiMetro."We are ready with tech-nology-based solution to pro-vide relief to students and seniorcitizens travelling on metrotrains. The Central Governmentwill implement it appropriate-ly," Puri said. PTI

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New Delhi: The BorderSecurity Force (BSF) has soughta modern "anti-drone system"that could detect and destroy alone or swarm of suspiciousaerial platforms in the opera-tions area, in the wake ofrecent spurt of UAVs beingspotted across the India-Pakistan international border. A full drone detection systemwill have radars, radio fre-quency receivers, jammers andsystem controllers to neutraliseall Unmanned Aerial Vehicles(UAVs). PTI

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The Khadi and Village IndustriesCommission (KVIC) has bagged an

order worth �5.88 crore from the GasAuthority of India Limited (GAIL), inthe form of Khadi gift coupons for its23,504 employees.

GAIL agreed to gift Khadi couponsof �2,500 to each of its 23,504 employ-ees in all its units across the Nation. Theemployees, however, would be able topurchase Khadi and products of VillageIndustries worth �3,250 from thecoupon of �2,500. The coupons could beredeemed throughout the year at allDepartmental Sales Outlets of KVIC.

To give easy access to the employ-ees of GAIL to redeem their coupons,KVIC will organize 3 special exhibitionsalso, at Pata, District Etawah, Vijaypur,District Guna and Jhabua, in MadhyaPradesh where the GAIL have their max-imum employees. The MOU has beensigned between KVIC and GAIL on 10thOctober 2019. KVIC will deliver thecoupon this week.

KVIC Chairman Vinai KumarSaxena said that such huge orders fromgovernment and PSUs not only increasethe income of the artisans — pivotal inthe growth of Khadi sector, but alsoinspires new entrepreneurs to associatewith Khadi with better job avenues.

“Orders in recent past from GAIL,

ONGC, REC, IOC, MRPL, OIL, JKCement and BEE have been implementalin making a compounding effect on thelivelihood of Khadi artisans and havebeen creating more jobs by addingthousands of new artisans in KVIC’skitty,” he said, adding, “These orders willcertainly create more employment andsubsequently raise the income of theexisting artisans. It would also pave wayfor KVIC for more convergence with dif-ferent Ministries and Public SectorUnits.”

For the first time. The KVIClaunched gift coupon scheme in 2017and till date gift coupons of face valueworth �89.29 Crores have been soldwhich is a record in itself and also anindication that the people have startedadopting Khadi in place of other inter-national brands.

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Even as Abhijit Vinayak Banerjeebecame the second Indian econ-

omist to win the prestigious NobelPrize the City of Joy and particularlyhis alma maters South Point HighSchool and Presidency Collegeerupted in joy with the Kolkata civilsociety congratulating the newNobel Laureate for “taking thecause of the poor to Stokholm at atime when inclusive developmenthas fallen prey to market forces.”

While his soft spoken motherNirmala Bandopadhyay, herself aneconomist said, “More than beingmy son Abhijeet belongs to thewhole nation I have nothing to sayseparately. The credit belongs toIndia.”

She said “I came to know aboutthis only late in the afternoonwhen my younger son called meup.” In his reaction the NobelLaureate economist said, “I can’tbelieve that I will get the Prize soearly. I am happy. ... There are anumber of scholars who are yet toget the recognition and so I fell fromthe sky to know about me gettingthe prize ahead of them. I hope theirwork too will be acknowledged

soon.”Chief Minister Mamata

Banerjee said “Hearty congratula-tions to Abhijeet Banerjee, alumnusof South Point School & PresidencyCollege Kolkata, for winning theNobel Prize in Economics. AnotherBengali has done the nation proud.We are overjoyed.”

Registrar of Presidency College(now University) Debjyoti Konarsaid, “we are planning a grandwelcome for him. It is the sameDepartment of Economics thatgave us a Nobel Laureate inAmartya Sen. Today his student hasbagged it. We are overjoyed.”

Abhijeet Pathak a close friendof college days rememberedBanerjee as a “shy, meritorious boywho always impressed the teacherswith his skills. We used to know himmore as Jhima rather than Abhijeet.

Though I used to come second

he used to be a topper and was wayahead.

He was equally adept in English,Mathematics and History.” He isagood cook as well, his friends said.

Incidentally “he got 232 out of400 and I got 235 in Honours courseand some other students got muchmore than us. However in Part II hegot so much marks that he broke allthe records. This proves the deter-mination in him.”

Bangla writer SirshenduMukherjee said “once again wehave been able to prove that Indiaand Indians and more so theBengalis can do it in internationalarena.”

Former Bengal Finance Ministerand himself an alumnus of the his-toric Presidency University DrAshim Dasgupta said, “The subjectof Amitava Banerjee is almost akinto what we as Marxist say. His worksare a reflection of the fact that nodevelopment can achieve the targetwithout targeting inequality.”

Another writer rememberedhow Banerjee had in a public func-tion in Kolkata asked his audienceto read his book which is “notimpregnable as people think eco-nomics to be.

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Bengal ChiefM i n i s t e r

Mamata Banerjeeon Monday heapedpraise on formerIndia captain SouravGanguli for beingtipped to be the president of Board of Controlfor Cricket in India.

Banerjee said, “heartiest congratulations toSourav Ganguly for beingunanimously electedas the BCCI President. Wish you all the bestforyour term. You have made India and Banglaproud. We were proud of yourtenure as CABPresident. Looking forward to a great newinnings.”

Bengal Minister Partho Chattopadhyaysaid “we enjoy great cordialrelation ... I have seenhim closely as to how he learnt the art ofad-ministration from his onetime mentorJagmohan Dalmiya. I wish himall the best andhope he will take Indian cricket to newheights.”

Bengal BJP president Dilip Ghosh said “wehave always known SouravGanguli as a greatcaptain. Now we will see his new inning as acap-tain of the BCCI where he will start his newDadagiri.”

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The police started investigating thechit fund angle in Jiaganj triple-

murder case with investigators pick-ing up a number of people who hadinvested money with Bondhu Paul analleged RSS worker and a cheater whoalong with his wife Beauty and eight-year-old son was brutally stabbed todeath on the Vijay Dushmi Day.

“We have come to know that thevictim was involved in chit fund businesses and had takenmoney from various people withassurances of hefty returns. We aretrying to see whether these peoplehave any hand in killing him or not,”a senior officer said.

Meanwhile in separate develop-ment angry mob set a police stationafire in Malda district after a 50-year-

old person arrested of gamblingdied in police custody.

Police said at least three men inkhaki were injured in the attack.Incidentally it is the same districtwhere angry mob of drug allegedpeddlers burnt down the KaliachakPolice Station.

“Drastic action is being taken. 15people have been arrested and thehunt is on for the other miscreants,”Alok Rajori, District Superintendentof Police, later said adding eight peo-ple including one Ainul Khan, werearrested on Sunday night from gam-bling dens in the area. Ainul Khanwho was unwell and was taken to aPrimary Health Centre located nearthe Milki Police Station died subse-quently of heart attack. Later an angrymob torched the police station andbeat up the policemen.

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Peaceful precincts acrossKashmir valley Monday

reverberated with buzzingsounds of different ‘ringtones’after a gap of 71 long days,bringing back smiles on thefaces of common people,including businessmen, stu-dents and tour operators.

Large number of people,staying away from Kashmir,especially those who had failedto get connected with theirloved ones in the absence ofland line facilities, finally heardtheir parents speak, children‘giggle’ after a long gap.

Many local residents inSrinagar cheerfully claimed, “Itwas like Eid is round the corner”.

Rough estimates suggestedaround 40 lakh post paid sub-scribers across Kashmir valleywere connected to the outsideworld.

Mobile calling facility wassuspended across all the net-

works since August 5 whenHome Minister Amit Shahannounced the Government’sdecision to nullify Article 370to strip Jammu & Kashmir ofits special status, and alsobifurcated the state into twoUnion Territories.

Since morning, every onewas seen hooked on to theirmobile phones and strugglingto get connected as the author-ities had announced that theservices would be restoredaround 12.00 p.m. Initially thenetwork was slow but as theday progressed people startedtalking to each other freely andexchanged greetings.

Despite shutdown, mostof the streets, wore a festivelook across different parts ofSrinagar and other districtheadquarters following restora-tion of mobile calling facilities.

Tour operators in Kashmirvalley are looking forward tofresh arrival of tourists in thecoming days following restora-

tion of mobile calling facility.Security forces are also expecting to intensify theircounter terrorist operationsacross Kashmir valley onreceipt of real time informationfrom different ‘sources’.

Since August 5, total incidents of militant relatedviolence had come down drastically.

Students, staying awayfrom their classes and gearingup for their competitive exams,

are also expected to resumetheir studies with a positiveframe of mind to make up forthe loss of two months of classroom studies. Health careproviders also heaved a sigh ofrelief as they were facing lot ofhardships in the absence ofcommunication facilities inproviding best facilities to theirpatients.

In Kathua, Governor SatyaPal Malik defended the com-munication blockade in the

Valley saying safety ofKashmiris was more importantthan mobile services which theterrorists use for their activities and mobilisation.

“People used to make noisethat there is no telephone. Westopped telephone servicesbecause terrorists were usingthem for their activities, mobil-isation and indoctrination,”Malik said at a police functionhere.

“For us, the life of aKashmiri was important andnot telephone. People were liv-ing without telephones earlieralso,” he added.

Asserting that mobilephone services were restorednow, he said people can goabout their normal lives andclaimed that tourists had begunarriving in the Valley.

He also ensured that inter-net services will soon berestored.

“Young boys and girls werehaving difficulties earlier but

now they can speak to eachother. Now, there are no issues.Very soon, we will restoreinternet services,” he remarked.

The Governor said thatthe situation in Kashmir wasnormal and there had been noviolence in the last more thantwo months.

He said in the last twomonths, “not a single bullet”was fired in the Valley and noprotests had taken placed as hecredited the security forces fortheir strict vigil.

“The Prime Minister(Narendra Modi) had con-gratulated me for this. I saidthat I am not worthy of thepraise and you should thankthe Kashmiri people and thepolice forces for taking steps toensure that law and order ismaintained,” Malik said.

He termed the J&K Policeas one of the best police forcein the country and promised toincrease the compensationamount offered to them.

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Prohibitory orders under sec-tion 144 have been

clamped in Ayodhya as theSupreme Court’s revised dead-line for wrapping up the pro-ceedings in the sensitive RamJanmbhoomi—Babri Masjidland dispute case approaches.

The prohibitory orders willcontinue till December 10,officials said.

Posting the order on hisofficial Twitter account, DistrictMagistrate Anuj Kumar Jhasaid,”The order has been issuedconsidering safety and securi-ty of Ayodhya and those visit-ing here as Govt’s paramountconcerns.”

He added,”I must add thatalready there is another orderin force since 31.08.2019 cov-ering aspects of unlawfulassemblies and undesirableactivities. The order dated

12.10.2019 has been issued tocover a couple of points whichwere not there in the earlierorder.”

The administration hasalso demanded a large numberof security forces to maintainlaw and order and communalharmony.

Jha told PTI that the orderalso restricts drones,unmanned aerial vehicle forfilming and shooting insideAyodhya. The sale and pur-chase of crackers will not beallowed on the occasion ofDiwali without permission ofthe magistrate.

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At least 13 people died and 15 wereinjured in an explosion caused by

a leakage in a cooking gas cylinder ata house here on Monday, officials said.

The house in Walidpur area col-lapsed while two adjoining ones wereextensively damaged due to the impactof the explosion which occurredaround 7 am, police said.

The loud bang shook the neigh-bourhood, prompting people to rushout of their homes in panic.

The blast took place at the houseof Chhotu Vishwakarma, who diedaround ten years ago. His widow andfive daughters were staying in thehouse, the police said.

Chhotu’s three daughters —Mona(20), Mamta (18) and Sanjana (15) —died while the remaining family mem-bers are missing, they said.

Prima facie, the blast was triggeredby a possible leakage in the cooking

gas cylinder, Inspector General (Lawand Order) Praveen Kumar said inLucknow.

Due to the intensity of the blast,the roof of the house collapsed. Twoadjacent houses were also badly dam-aged, he said, citing the initial reportby Mau superintendent of police (SP)Anurag Arya. Four family members ofKanhaiya Vishwakarma, whose housestood next to Chhotu’s, also died inthe blast, the police said.

They said it was not immediatelyknown how the deceased — Reena,Sarita, Sonam and Simpi — wererelated to Kanhaiya.

Another neighbour Surendra

Vishwakarma and his daughter Nidhi(10) also died in the explosion, thepolice said.

Four passers-by — Imtiyaz (25),Zeehsan (15) and Yasir (13) andShivam — also died in the blast, theysaid. The injured are undergoing treat-ment at district hospitals in Mau andadjoining Azamgarh, they added.

Immediately after getting newsabout the blast, Chief Minister YogiAdityanath directed the Mau districtmagistrate and SP to rush all help tothe injured, Additional Chief Secretary(Home) Awanish Awasthi said.

Adityanath also expressed his con-dolences to the family of the deceased,he said. Speaking to reporters outsidethe Mau district hospital, cabinetminister Anil Rajbhar said, “It is a sadincident. A house has been completelydestroyed. The State Government iswith the aggrieved family. Every pos-sible medical help will be given to theinjured.”

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An unprecedented increase inthe number of visitors to the sea

shore town of Mahabalipuram(Mamallapuram in Tamil) has beenthe balance sheet of the summit levelinformal talks between PrimeMinister Narendra Modi andChinese President Xi Jinping heldhere on Friday and Saturday.

The media build up to the eventand the discussions held by the lead-ers of Asia’s two military powers andthat too in front of the global mediahas increased the stature of thisancient town as well as Tamil Nadu,according to Chief MinisterEdappadi Palaniswami.

“The informal summit betweenleaders of India and China held atMahabalipuram has made TamilNadu a centre of attention amongglobal powers. This has increased thestature of the State,” said Palaniswamiin a statement released on Monday.

Sunday and Monday sawunprecedented crowd making it tothe sea shore town and watchingwith amazement the sculpturescarved out during the Pallava andChola periods of rule.Mahabalipuram has been describedby archaeologists and historians asTamil Nadu’s ‘Gateway to China’.

K Pandiarajan, Tamil NaduMinister for official language said

that the descision to establish a con-nect between Tamil Nadu and theFujian province of China was arecognition for Tamil and TamilNadu’s rich cultural heritage. This isthe first official reaction from theTamil Nadu Government about theestablishment of Tamil Nadu-Fujianlink by the two heads of States. Theincrease in number of tourists toMahabalipuram during the last twodays prove that the summit talkshave helped the heritage town to

boost its main economy –tourism.“People in Tamil Nadu itself were notaware of the significance ofMahabalipuram and the patronageof the seaside resort was limited tobusiness barons and industrialistswho have built farm houses and vil-las along the sea shore town.Hereafter the town would see manytourists from India and abroadflocking to Mahabalipuram,” said TRamakrishnan, author and colum-nist.

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Chief Minister Nitish Kumaron Monday expressed

concern over the rising trend offarmers in Bihar setting agri-cultural residue on fire andwarned the cultivators burningstubble in fields will bedeprived of the facilities pro-vided by the State Government.

Underscoring the adverseimpact of stubble burning onthe environment, he instruct-ed agriculture department offi-cials to launch a campaign toend the practise.

“Farmers burning stubble(crop residue) in their fieldswill be deprived of facilitiesbeing given by the state gov-ernment,” Kumar said whileinuagurating a two-day inter-national conference on “CropResidue Management” here.

The event was organisedjointly by the State’s agriculturedepartment and Bihar

Agriculture University, Sabour(Bhagalpur).

The State Government isproviding every possible help tothe farmers in the State, he saidadding power is supplied tothem at a rate of 75 paise perunit. In addition, the State isgiving �60 as subsidy on everylitre of diesel.

Earlier, the practise of stub-ble burning was prevalent inDelhi and Punjab causing badimpact on Delhi’s environ-ment, he said while adding thatthe custom has now gainedprevalence in some parts of theState.

“Farmers need to be con-vinced that stubble burning notonly has its adverse impact onproductivity but also has itseffect onenvironment...Farmers need tobe convinced that the properuse of stubble will increasetheir income too,” the CMsaid.

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Indian-American AbhijitBanerjee, who on Monday won

the 2019 Nobel for Economics, saidIndian economy is on a shakyground.

The data currently available donot hold any assurance for thecountry’s economic revival anytimesoon, he stated.

“The condition of Indian econ-omy is on a shaky ground. Afterwitnessing the present (growth)data, just can’t be sure about it(revival of economy in near future).

“In the last five-six years, atleast we could witness some growth,but now that assurance is alsogone,” Banerjee told a news chan-nel from the US.

The 58-year-old economist,who bagged the coveted prize joint-ly with his wife Esther Duflo andanother economist Michael Kremerfor his “experimental approach toalleviating global poverty”, said he never thought he would geta Nobel so early in his career.

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The Congress on Monday hitout at the BJP for harping

on scrapping of Article 370 inpoll rallies, saying the rulingparty and Prime MinisterNarendra Modi were deflectingattention from issues concerning common peoplelike economic slowdown, pricerise and unemployment.

Top BJP leaders, includingModi and party president AmitShah, have been repeatedlyspeaking about abrogation ofprovisions of Article 370 inJammu and Kashmir in theirrallies in poll-boundMaharashtra and Haryana.

Modi has challenged theCongress to publicly state it willrestore the controversial con-stitutional provision, whichgranted special status to Jammu& Kashmir, if voted to power.

Addressing a press meethere, AICC spokesman JaiveerShergill said instead of askingthe Congress whether it willrestore the now scrappedArticle 370, Modi should talkabout reducing the prices ofpetrol, diesel, onion and toma-to whose rate has crossed �70a kg in retail market.

Shergill said the primeminister should come to the

rescue of harried depositors ofscam-hit PMC Bank and alsotook a jibe at Modi over his 56-inch chest remark.

“The Congress will speakabout Article 370 during theAssembly elections in Jammu& Kashmir.

“But, if the Prime Ministerreally has a 56-inch chest, heshould work to reduce theprices of petrol, diesel, onionand tomato, and also handover the money of lakhs ofdepositors of PMC Bank,” hesaid.

The Congress spokesmanaccused the Prime Minister ofalways being in campaignmode instead of focusing ongovernance.

Speaking at the press meet,AICC general secretary R P NSingh said for the Governmentto find solutions to the eco-nomic slowdown and growingunemployment, it has to firstacknowledge these problems.

“Accept the problem beforeyou find solutions. Instead asenior Minister like

Ravishankar Prasad says threeHindi movies had becomeblockbusters and hence therewas no recession,” he said.

Singh said industrial out-put, manufacturing growth rateand investment have seen adecline while unemploymentwas at all-time high.

In BJP-ruled Maharashtra,between 2014 and 2018-19,220 factories had shutdown.Thousands of industrial unitsin Pune, an automobile hub,were on verge of closure, theformer Congress Minister said.

But, Chief MinisterDevendra Fadnavis and Modihave no answers to these prob-lems, Singh said.

“PMC Bank directors haveBJP links and hence Fadnavishas not uttered a word aboutthe bank’s collapse. If the ModiGovernment can take �1.76lakh crore from RBI (reserves)using its majority, can’t it askthe RBI to return money toPMC Bank depositors?” theCongress leader asked.

Singh said the BJPGovernments at the Centreand in Maharashtra have weak-ened Mumbai’s position as theeconomic capital by shifting theproposed International FinanceCentre, conceived by the UPAGovernment, to another State.

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Former Maharashtra ChiefMinister Prithviraj Chavan

on Monday accused the rulingBJP of “sidestepping” coreissues like “economic down-turn” and instead raisingrhetoric over abrogation ofArticle 370 in the run-up to theState Assembly elections.

Chavan, who is in the frayfrom Karad South seat in Sataradistrict, dared the StateGovernment to name even asingle big ticket project con-ceived and implemented by itin the last five years.

“Projects like the NaviMumbai international airport,Eastern Freeway, memorialsfor Babasaheb Ambedkar andChhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj,Coastal Road, Trans-HarbourLink were all conceived by theerstwhile Congress-led gov-ernment. The ‘bhumipujan’ forthe Metro 3 line was per-formed by us. OurGovernment had improved theeast-west connectivity inMumbai,” he told a press con-ference.

He alleged the BJP was shy-

ing away from discussing theissues concerning the commonman in its campaigning.

“People are now realisingthat Article 370 is being rakedup to sidestep the real issues.The economy is a cause of con-cern now. Automotive andconstruction sectors inMaharashtra are severely affect-ed. Joblessness is on the high,but the Government is in adenial mode,” he added.

Taking a veiled swipe atUnion Ministers NirmalaSitharaman and Ravi ShankarPrasad for their statements,Chavan said, “Instead ofaddressing serious issues, thegovernment is blaming Olaand Uber. They are referringto the box office successes offilms to state that all is well.”

Chavan also asked theGovernment to “reveal links offew industrialists with thebanking sector” which heblamed for “irregularities insome PSU banks and thePunjab and MaharashtraCooperative (PMC) bank”,resulting into depositors losingtheir money.

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Campaigning for the BJPfor the October 21

Maharashtra assembly elec-tions, Uttar Pradesh ChiefMinister Yogi Adityanath onMonday hailed Prime MinisterNarendra Modi for removingspecial status of Jammu andKashmir under Article 370, amove he described as the“final nail in the coffin of ter-rorism”.

Addressing a public rally inLonavla in Pune district in sup-port of BJP candidate SanjayBhegde, Adityanath said that bynullifying Article 370 Moditurned the idea of “One nation,great nation” into reality.

“Kashmir, which is calledas paradise on the Earth,turned into hell under Article370. Terrorists used to killinnocent civilians and Indiansoldiers,” he said, adding thatthe withdrawn provision was amajor impediment in develop-ment of Jammu & Kashmir.

The chief minister alsosaid that it was Syama PrasadMukherjee, the founder of theBJP’s forerunner Jana Sangha,who had staunchly opposed the

idea of “two Prime Ministers,two signs, and twoConstitutions” under Article370.

“The idea of ‘one nation,great nation’ became a realitythanks to Narendra Modijiand (Union Home Minister)Amit Shah. With this decision,the final nail was put in the cof-fin of terrorism. The move hassent the message that terrorismhas no place on the Indian soil,”he said.

Adityanath also praisedModi Government for workingfor the cause of the empower-ment of women, which he saidwas previously restricted onlyto “slogans”. He listed schemes

like ‘Beti Bachav, Beti Padhao’,

‘Ujjwala Yojana’, and thelaw to criminalise triple talaqto make his point.

He said his Maharashtracounterpart DevendraFadnavis, who is seeking asecond term, has “transformed”the lives of people by imple-menting several welfare pro-jects.

“Gone are the days whenthousands of farmers used tocommit suicide. The FadnavisGovernment has not onlystopped suicides by launchingpro-farmer schemes, but alsogenerated employment oppor-tunities for people,” he added.

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Uttar Pradesh Deputy ChiefMinister Keshav Prasad

Maurya has said voting infavour of the BJP will mean“dropping of a nuclear bomb onPakistan”.

He said the upcomingMaharashtra and HaryanaAssembly elections are crucialas these will be the first polls inthe country after the abrogationof Article 370, which gave spe-cial status to Jammu andKashmir. He was addressing apublic gathering in support ofBJP candidate Narendra Mehtafrom Mira Bhayander Assemblysegment in Maharashtra’sThane district on Sunday night.

“By pressing the lotus but-ton (BJP’s poll symbol), not onlyPrime Minister NarendraModi, Chief Minister DevendraFadnavis and Narendra Mehtawill be benefitted, but it willmean that a nuclear bomb willby itself get dropped onPakistan,” Maurya said.

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The Parli Assembly seat inBeed district, brought to

prominence on Maharashtra’spolitical map by BJP veteranlate Gopinath Munde, willagain see his daughter PankajaMunde and nephewDhananjay Munde lock hornsfor supremacy in the upcomingState Assembly polls.

BJP leader Pankaja Munde,a minister in the DevendraFadnavis-led state Cabinet,defeated her cousin and NCPleader by a margin of 25,000votes in the 2014 polls fromParli, a rural pocket locatedabout 470 km from Mumbai.

The BJP is aiming to retainthe seat this time by highlight-ing the developmental workscarried in the area, includingfast-tracking of the rail routenetwork.

The saffron party is confi-dent that people from the seg-ment will vote for PankajaMunde, who is the Minister forrural development and womenand child welfare, and alsoBeed’s guardian Minister.

However, DhananjayMunde, who is Leader of the

Opposition in State LegislativeCouncil, is banking on the“poor performance” of hiscousin sister to usher in the“change that’s imminent”.

While the BJP says peopleof the segment, dominated byVanjari and Maratha commu-nities, have experienced devel-opment, the NCP leader claimshis cousin sister could notensure growth of Parli, despiteholding four portfolios in thestate Cabinet and her party incontrolling position at theCentre.

“Not a single irrigationproject was developed overpast five years in the con-stituency,” Dhananjay Mundesaid.

He said work on the Parli-Beed-Nagar railway projectremains derailed, while roadprojects have also hit road-blocks.

“There is not a single goodroad approaching Parli,” healleged.

The opposition leader alsofeels that Parli’s developmentwas “fettered” as the local civicbody and 65 per cent of thegram panchayats were beingled by the NCP.

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Two terrorists, including asuspected Pakistani nation-

al, shot dead the driver of aRajasthan truck and assaultedan orchard owner in Shopiandistrict of Jammu and Kashmiron Monday, police said.

The deceased has beenidentified as Sharief Khan, theysaid, adding that the terroristscarried out the attack inShirmal village in desperation as fruit trans-portation has picked up in theValley.

The incident came on a daypost-paid cellular servicesresumed in Kashmir after a 72-day communication clamp-down following abrogation ofArticle 370 provisions.

Police said “there was aresentment among the localsover the Mondayincidents”.

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Defence Minister RajnathSingh on Monday said

had India possessed Rafalefighter jets earlier the IAFwould not have needed toenter Balakot in Pakistan to hitthe terror camps.

Addressing a poll rally forBJP’s Mira Bhayander nomineeNarendra Mehta inMaharashtra’s Thane districtneighbouring Mumbai, Singhdefended performing ‘shastrapuja’ while taking delivery ofthe first Rafale jet in Francerecently.

“Had we possessed Rafalefighter jets we would not haverequired to enter Balakot andlaunch a strike. We could havestruck at Balakot while sittingin India,” he said.

Singh reiterated that thefighter planes were meant onlyfor self-defence and not foraggression.

On a controversy sur-rounding the “shastra puja”,Singh said, “I wrote ‘Om’ on

the plane, broke a coconut (asper tradition). Om depictsnever-ending Universe”.

“I acted as per my faith.Even other communities likethe Christian, Muslim, Sikh etcworship with words like Amen,Omkar etc. Even when I wasperforming ‘shastra puja’, peo-ple from communities likeChristians, Muslims, Sikhs,Buddhists were present at theevent,” he said.

At a ceremony in France onTuesday, Singh formally tookthe delivery of the first of the36 long-awaited French-madeaircraft acquired by the IndianAir Force. He also took a sor-tie in the two-seater jet.

The Congress has accusedSingh of “drama” over per-forming “shastra puja”.

On his Rafale sortie, Singhsaid he had asked the flight cap-tain to fly at supersonic speed.

“Only I and the captain,who was from Paris, were thereinside the plane. I wanted toexperience the supersonicspeed,” he said.

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The CPI in Telangana on Monday withdrewsupport to the ruling TRS for the October

21 bypoll to Huzurnagar Assembly con-stituency for ‘failing’ to address the issues of agi-tating State Government transport employees.

CPI state secretary Chada Venkat Reddy,while announcing this as the reason for with-drawal of support, said it would decide in a dayor two on which party it would support in thebypolls.

Nearly 48,000 employees of different unionsof TSRTC, are on a state wide indefinite strikesince October 5 on a call given by theJointAction Committee employees’ unions to accedeto their demands.

These include merger of the RTC with thegovernment, pay revision, recruitment to vari-ous posts, among others.

On October 9, the CPI’s State unit had

said it would rethink its support to TRS for theOctober 21 bypoll if Chief Minister KChandrasekhar Rao continued with his “oppres-sive” stand against the striking transport cor-poration employees.

The term “self-dismissal” of employeesused by Rao will boomerang on him and he willbe self-dismissed, Venkat Reddy had said,adding he should immediately withdraw suchremarks.

On October 1, Venkat Reddy hadan-nounced CPIs support to TRS. He had statedthat the party discussed the issue at its state exec-utive meeting and decided to support the TRS candidate “in the prevailing political sit-uation.”

Telangana Pradesh Congress CommitteePresident N Uttam Kumar Reddy had earliersaid the CPI should reconsider their support toTRS for the bypoll “in view of TRS government’sattempts to crush RTC employees”.

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Aday after a group of peoplegheraoed Bihar Deputy

Chief Minister Sushil KumarModi’s residence in RajendraNagar area over problem ofwaterlogging, his close aidesaid despite waiting for anhour neither any delegation ofthe protestors came to meethim on Monday nor any mem-orandum was submitted ontheir behalf.

Angry over problem ofwaterlogging and accumulationof trash, some people ofRajendra Nagar had on Sundaygheraoed Modi’s residencelocated in the same area.

The BJP leader, however,was not present at the house

during the protest. He waitedon Monday to hear them.

The statement said thatthe Government had been sen-sitive towards both the VIPsand the commoners duringthe disaster arising on accountof incessant rains for threeconsecutive days at the end ofSeptember.

A total of 59,000 affectedpeople of Rajendra Nagar wererescued at that time, a releaseissued by the Dy CM office

said.“Despite waiting for an

hour for victims of water-logged Rajendra Nagar areatoday, neither any delegationcame to meet him nor anymemorandum was submittedto him by the people,” Modi’sprivate secretary ShailendraKumar Ojha said in the release.

On September 30, Modiand his family members wererescued by an SDRF team fromhis f looded residence inRajendra Nagar. However, theyreturned later to the house.

The State capital waspounded by heavy rain late lastmonth leading to waterlog-ging in areas such as RajendraNagar, Kankarbagh andPataliputra colony.

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Making an issue of a suicideby a distressed farmer

clad in BJP poll T-shirt aheadof Maharashtra Chief MinisterDevendra Fadnavis ‘public rallyin Buldhana district of easternMaharashta, the Oppositionon Monday slammed Fadnavisfor lack of “insensitivity” andfailure to visit the family mem-bers of the deceased farmers.

A day after 38-year oldRaju Talware was found hang-ing from a tree branch in hisnative village in Buldhana dis-trict on Sunday morning nearthe venue of the ChiefMinister’s rally venue, formerdeputy chief minister andsenior NCP leader Ajit Pawarsaid in Pune on Monday: “Thefarmers’ suicides are continu-ing unabated. Yesterday, a dis-tressed farmer committed sui-cide the chief minister’s rallyvenue. He was wearing B-T-shirt. Despite such an unfor-tunate incidents having takenplace near the CM’s rally venue,he did not bother to visit thefamily of deceased farmer”.

The farmer’s body wasfound hanging to a tree branch

in native Khatked village at 8.30am. He was sporting a colour-ful T-shirt with the BJP symbol‘Lotus’ embossed on it alongwith the campaign slogan,“Punha Aanuya Aaple Sarkar”(Let’s Re-elect OurGovernment). The T-shirts hadbeen distributed by the BJP toactivists ahead of the October21 Assembly elections. Theincident happened on a daywhen Prime Minister NarendraModi and BJP president AmitShah were in Maharashtra to address elec-tion rallies.

Dubbing the incident as“extremely serious”, Shiv Senafarmers’ leader Kishore Tiwariasked the various political par-ties to cognisance of the agrar-ian crisis and consequent farm-ers’ distress in the State. “ Thiskind of incidents turn focus onthe gravity of the agrarian cri-sis in the State. TheGovernment should take con-crete measures to prevent thesituation from going out ofhand,” Tiwari said.

Ajit Pawar’s attack againstFadnavis over farmer suicidescomes on the heels of the chiefminister’s charge that the con-

tinued farmers’ suicides in thestate were a fallout of the “sins”committed by former UnionAgriculture Minister and NCPpresident Sharad Pawar and hispolicies.

At their election rallies,the NCP and Congress leadershave been slamming theDevendra FadnavisGovernment for its failure toarrest the farmers’ suicides andinitiative concrete measures toresolve the agrarian distress inthe state. They have also beentargeting the ruling BJP for itsfailure to implement the farmerloan waiver scheme.

The severity of the agrari-an crisis in Maharashtra shouldbe seen in the context of theunabated farmers’ suicides and

poor implementation of thefarm loan waiver schemeannounced by the BJP-led saf-fron alliance Government inthe state.

The available official sta-tistics, obtained by RTI activistJeetendra Ghadge, reveal thatthe four years from 6268 in2015 to 11,995 in 2018.Incidentally, in the first fourmonths of 2019, as many as 808farmers committed suicides invarious parts of the state. Thefarmers’ suicides are continu-ing unabated.

The Opposition’s chargeagainst the BJP-led saffronalliance Government inMaharashtra is that theDevendra Fadnavis dispensa-tion has badly implemented its

the 34,022 crore loan waiverscheme “Chhatrapati ShivajiMaharaj Krishi SammanYojana” which it announced onJune 4 2017.

Seeking to blunt the criti-cism of the Opposition parties,Fadnavis had lashed out at SrPawar an election in Akot talu-ka of the epi-centre of farmersuicide belt— Akola district inVidarbha region on Saturday.

“Farmer suicides are thesins of Sharad Pawar and hisGovernment in Maharashtra. Itstarted and increased duringyour regime,” Fadnavis hadsaid

“Pawar is talking aboutfarmer suicides in his rallies inVidarbha. I want to ask him,who was in power inMaharashtra when farmersstarted committing suicides,”Fadnavis had pointed out.

Fadnavis had charged thatPawar had stopped irrigationwater supply to easternMaharashtra and said the lat-ter’s “corrupt policies” haddeprived the farmers ofVidarbha region of flow offunds from the earlier DF gov-ernment in the state and UPAgovernment at the Centre

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Fourteen Pakistani migrantsliving in Rajasthan’s Jaipur

district for past several yearswere on Monday given certifi-cates of Indian citizenship.

District Collector JagroopSingh Yadav said apart from 14Pakistani migrants, who weregiven the citizenship certificates

on Monday, 42 others are alsobeing considered for the grantof citizenship.

A total of 108 Pakistanimigrants were given Indian cit-izenship in the last few years, hesaid, adding Jaipur is a pioneerdistrict in providing Indian cit-izenship to Pak migrants throughonline process. In Rajasthan,district collectors of Jaipur,

Jodhpur and Jaisalmer have thepowers to provide Indian citi-zenship to Pak migrants aftercomplete verification.

Pakistani migrantsexpressed their happiness rais-ing “Bharat Mata ki jai” sloganand saying that getting Indiancitizenship after “so manyyears is an old dream comingtrue” for them.

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In Tripura, the Molsom tribesmen cel-ebrate the Sangkrak puja duringmaagh (January-February). Sangkrakis their kula devata (clan deity) andgoats, chicken and pigs (sometimes

buffaloes) are sacrificed by the priest. At least14 animals are sacrificed as chaudha deva-ta (14 gods) puja is part of the ritual. Moreanimals are offered if the community wish-es, after which the meat is cooked and dis-tributed as prasad (sacred offering).

The sacrifice of life — for sharing one’sgood fortune (harvest) with the divine — isconducted with utmost sobriety and pietyin temples or open altars. There is nothingvoyeuristic about it: Life is returned to itssource for renewal. The hoary traditions ofIndia’s diverse communities are sanctified bytradition and sometimes mentioned insacred texts. The Yajur Veda mentions ani-mal sacrifice, which is today mostly linkedwith Shakta (Devi) traditions, widely preva-lent in West Bengal, Assam, Tripura andOdisha, where Durga puja during Navratriis accompanied by animal sacrifice to com-memorate the slaying of the asura, Mahisha,who took the form of a buffalo.

Hindu dharma is not a canonical faith likethe Abrahamic creeds. It is not codified as theimmutable word of a particular god as con-veyed through a messenger. The tradition issacred in itself; changes are sanctified asdesired by age. The existence of a text doesnot prevent change; absence of one does notnegate hoary beliefs and practices.

Flawed equivalence led the TripuraHigh Court to ban sacrifice of animals inState-run temples on the eve of Durga ash-tami. The shocked State Government is con-sidering an appeal before the SupremeCourt, while a scion of the erstwhile royalfamily said the court cannot overrulepromises made at Accession (September 9,1947) whereby the State Government wouldcontinue sponsorship (including sacrifice ofanimals) of several traditional tribal pujas in14 temples, including Mata Tripureswaritemple and Durga Bari.

Responding to a writ petition(C)(PIL)No.2/2018 by Subhas Bhattacharjee (who isunlikely to use the Tripura precedent to forcethe issue in West Bengal), the Tripura HighCourt on September 27, 2019, declared bali(sacrifice) a “social evil” and “against theConstitutional mandate and spirit.”

At a time when more and more StateGovernments are taking over the manage-ment of cash-rich Hindu temples and divert-ing monies offered by devotees to their deitiesto non-religious purposes, the court ruled thatthe State can regulate or restrict any econom-ic, financial, political or secular activity asso-ciated with a religious practice. TheGovernment may participate in religiousactivities, “which are secular in nature”,(whatever that means) but the “act of the Stateof offering one goat every day, for a sacrificein the Mata Tripureswari temple and othertemples on certain occasions, lacks the

essence of economic, commer-cial, political or secular charac-ter and, hence, the action of theState in offering such an animalfor sacrifice is neither permissi-ble under the Indian Constitutionnor any statute.”

The court asserted that the“right of offering an animal forsacrifice is not an integral andessential part of the religion, pro-tected under Article 25(1) of theConstitution.” Declaring that the“State has no religion other thanconstitutionalism and the expres-sion ‘person’ under Article 25 hasto be in reference to natural per-son”, as in the case of the SupremeCourt’s verdict in Sabarimala, itruled that the “withdrawal ofsuch practice would not tanta-mount to any change, fundamen-tal in character of the religion.”

Pointing out that humansacrifice was stopped (by KingGobinda Manikya, 1660-1667,1671-78), the court ruled that the500-year-old tradition of sacrific-ing animals in Tripureswari DeviTemple, either by the State or byan individual, is not an essentialpart of the religion and is not pro-tected under Article 25(1) andheld it to be against the princi-ple/doctrine of morality andhealth, and also against the pro-visions of the Prevention ofCruelty to Animal Act, 1960. Itcalled the practice violative ofArticle 21 of the Constitution ofIndia.

Though constitutional pro-visions are subject to legislative

amendment and to varying inter-pretations by courts at varioustimes, the Tripura High Courtdeclared, “Constitutional valuesare to be embraced and not to besuperseded by personal beliefs.”This means that non-canonicaltraditions of non-monotheisticfaiths are subordinate to judicial-ly determined “constitutionalvalues” that are not mentioned ordefined in any law.

The court issued a blanketban on sacrifice within anytemple in Tripura and orderedthe district magistrate/collectorand superintendent of police ofall districts to ensure complianceby installing CCTV cameras inthe temples and placing thevideo recording before the courtevery month. It is questionableif the Constitution permitscourts to undertake such track-ing. The Tripura judgementapprovingly cites the SupremeCourt’s verdict on Sabarimala(2018) that trampled the reli-gious sensitivities of devotees inpursuit of a reformist agenda ofgiving equality to women of aparticular age group, who didnot want this “liberation.”

The issue of locus standi isrelevant. The Tripura benchhailed the petitioner as a retiredjudicial officer but there is noth-ing on record to show that he wasa believer. Yet, he has ensuredcodification of “essential” reli-gious practices in Hindu templesand tampered with the verynature of the faith.

Indian courts are increasing-ly wading into theology to thedetriment of the Hindu dharma.In the Shirur Mutt case (1954),the Supreme Court enunciated adoctrine of essential religiouspractice and ruled that the “essen-tial part of a religion” should beascertained with reference tothe doctrines of that religion itself.But now courts are deciding the“essential” in an interventionistmanner.

Five centuries of sacrifice inTripura temples makes the ritu-al “settled usage and custom.” Thefact that the State Governmentshouldered this responsibility in1947 means the deity(s) shouldhave been treated as a juristicentity(s) with the right to its spe-cial puja-paddhati. Indeed, thediversity of Hindu tradition enti-tles all deities with distinct ritu-als to be treated as denominationsunder Article 26 of theConstitution.

Finally, the most distressingpart of the judgement was thecomment that sacrifice cannot bepermitted as Tripureswari tem-ple is being promoted as an“international tourist destina-tion” for people of all beliefs andfaiths. Henceforth, the imaginedtastes of tourists will dictate theworship of the Devi. Is this anessential part of secularism andconstitutionalism?

(The writer is Senior Fellow,Nehru Memorial Museum andLibrary; the views expressed arepersonal)

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Sir — Rashtriya SwayamsevakSangh (RSS) chief Mohan SinghBhagwat recently said that “lynch-ing” is a foreign concept and it isfor this reason that it is irrelevantfor our purposes. However, real-ity — good or bad — cannot beignored simply because of its for-eign origin. We cannot overlookthe fact that instances of mob vio-lence, many of which happen tothose belonging to minority com-munities, have increased mani-fold. The Aryans were of foreignorigin, too, but can we ignoretheir assimilation into Indiansociety for that reason?

On the other hand, lynchingis a shame wherever it happensacross the world. In his playRomeo and Juliet , WilliamShakespeare wrote, “What’s in aname? That which we call a rose/By any other word would smell assweet...” Indeed, rose will smell assweet even if it is called golap inBengali or gulab in Hindi.Following this we can also say,“What’s in a name? That whichwe call lynching/ By any otherword would carry equal shame.”

Sujit DeKolkata

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Sir — Rashtriya SwayamsevakSangh (RSS) chief Mohan SinghBhagwat’s claims on “lynchings”stand out for their clear denial of

the brutal reality of the crime inIndia. He is not bothered by thecrime itself; he seems to only beconcerned with how it is “defam-ing” Hindu society. Whether ornot lynching is a Western con-

struct is up for discussion but per-haps Bhagwat and the RSS needto be reminded that the last pub-lic “lynching” in the West tookplace decades ago, when a Whitesupremacist group brutally

lynched some members of theblack community.

Bhagwat’s take on the econ-omy is also disquieting. There isno denying that the vision of anation in which one majority reli-gion reigns supreme lives on.Bhagwat would like all citizens tolive in denial of the gross viola-tions of the rights of minoritycommunities that occur daily.

Bidyut Kumar ChatterjeeFaridabad

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Sir — The Right to Information(RTI) Act, 2005, is, perhaps, oneof the best legislations the coun-try has. It empowers the citizensto take a critical look into theworkings of the Government. Asagainst Union Home MinisterAmit Shah’s claim that there hasbeen a reduction in RTI queriesbecause the Government hasturned “transparent”, reality is thatthe filing of RTIs in itself is risky.There is a need to revisit the pro-visions of the RTI Act.

RashmiVia email

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Council resolution condemning the“heinous and cowardly terror attacks”against India, even though initially, itslone opposition in the 15-memberCouncil to any mention of terrorismresulted in a delay of nearly one week inthe issuance of the statement. At the RICSummit, China endorsed the proposalfor a “closer policy coordination to erad-icate the breeding grounds of terrorism.”On the issue of listing Masood Azhar asglobal terrorist under UNSC resolution1267, China finally shifted its positionafter 10 years, a key breakthrough inbilateral relations, much to the satisfac-tion of the domestic constituency inIndia. Despite remaining apart on tac-tical and strategic issues, these develop-ments do suggest a positive side of bilat-eral relations.

In the context of bilateral relations,Xi’s recent visit to India holds importancefor many reasons. First, it underscoresthe centrality of the leadership discourseand its importance in bilateral relationsunder the present regime. In countriesas vast as India and China, the leadersderive their strength from their domes-tic constituencies, which also propelsthem to keep assuring each other inorder to avoid any crisis in the region.Second, the developments in SouthAsia and China’s inroads in the Indianperiphery, including the China PakistanEconomic Corridor (CPEC), remain asource of concern for New Delhi. Thiskind of summit allows for better under-standing of each other’s intentions in apositive and open manner from the high-est leadership, while also making a wayforward to a more agreeable frameworkfor a peaceful geo-political space in theregion. This also sets a better directionfor bilateral relations in the future. Andthird, the summit holds significance foreconomic relations between India and

China. This forms the biggest strategicasset in bilateral relations. The decisionto set up a new high-level economic andtrade dialogue mechanism betweenboth will help address India’s concernson trade deficit and to promote bettermarket access to Chinese markets. Quitenotably, both the nations also agreed todeepen the fight against terror financingand reiterated their resolve to deepenexchanges at all levels, including legislatures, cultural and youth organi-sations.

Global politics remains at thecrossroads, with rising protectionism andunilateralism affecting stability. To this,add the rise of Asia and other regionaldisruptions, which have come withtheir own set of challenges for both.These uncertainties at the internation-al and regional level do pose a commonconcern to both China and India. Thus,it is imperative to boost the idea of “devel-opmental partnership” between both andto strive for greater consultation on allmatters of common interest, right fromthe economy to security.

The summit was an importantopportunity to deepen dialogue and topromote mutual understanding. Themain task before bilateral relations is howto remain more prudent while strength-ening channels of communication andcoordination on a range of issues. At atime, when the international situation iswitnessing re-adjustments, the summitheld significance, propelling both nationsto look for mutual stability and cooper-ation in bilateral relations. As was aptlyput by Modi at the summit, the “Wuhanspirit had given a new momentum andtrust to our ties. A new era of cooper-ation will begin today through theChennai Connect.”

(The writer is a PhD in East AsianStudies and teaches at Delhi University.)

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After more than a year since the April 2018Wuhan summit between India and China,the leadership from both countries met

again for the second informal summit at the his-toric town Mamallapuram in the southern Stateof Tamil Nadu. As both the nations consistentlyendorse the geo-civilisational framework of theirbilateral relations, the coastal city formed the rightsetting for the meeting between Prime MinisterNarendra Modi and the Chinese President XiJinping, given its historical significance for boththe neighbours. The place boasts strong trade andcommerce links going way back to the second cen-tury BC between the Pallava kingdom and impe-rial China. In fact, Chinese Premier Zhou Enlaihad also visited the place for a short tour duringhis trip to India in 1956. In the post-colonial era,the narrative for India-China relations has beenbuilt around the expression of Asian-African sol-idarity at Bandung (1955), Indo-China rap-prochement and pragmatism (1989), sharedvision for the 21st century (2008) and the objec-tive of the Asian dream (2015). The WuhanSummit, which took place last year post theDoklam standoff, was an attempt to restore theequilibrium in bilateral relations. It underlined therole of “strategic guidance” to the two militariesfrom the leadership to maintain peace and tran-quility at the border between the neighbours.

In the post-Wuhan timeline, both Modi andXi have maintained close high-level exchanges witheach other, having met at different multilateral plat-forms and through various meetings. At the glob-al level, both India and China are members of mul-tilateral forums like BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India,China and South Africa), Shanghai CooperationOrganisation, G20 and Russia-India-ChinaSummit (RIC) sharing common interests in pro-moting globalisation and opposing trade protec-tionism. In the bilateral context, the sixth StrategicEconomic Dialogue (SED) 2019 reached a “newconsensus” on cooperation in policy coordination,infrastructure, energy conservation and environ-mental protection, high technology, energy andmedicine between both. Moreover, at the ninthFinancial Dialogue (2019), both the countriesaimed to strengthen the framework for macro-eco-nomic cooperation and investment. These devel-opments reflect a desire from both sides towardsgreater alignment in their development strategiesfor the future.

On defence cooperation, both the countriesresumed their Annual Defence Joint MilitaryExercise ‘Hand-in-Hand’, 2018, in the city ofChengdu, China and will hold it again inDecember this year in Umroi, Meghalaya.Moreover, two Indian ships visited the Chineseport of Qingdao in April this year to mark the cel-ebration of the 70th anniversary of the People’sLiberation Army (PLA) Navy in China.

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Undoubtedly, India isgoing through a badphase in its economic

growth history. Data released bythe Ministry of Commerce andIndustry, the Reserve Bank ofIndia (RBI) and the NationalStatistical Office (NSO) indicatethe likelihood of a prolongedperiod of slow growth, whileMoody’s Investors Service cutour Gross Domestic Product(GDP) growth forecast for 2019-20 to 5.8 per cent from the ear-lier estimate of 6.2 per cent.Further, the macroeconomicdata shows that factory outputfigures fell by 1.1 per cent inAugust, recording the poorestproduction rates in seven years.

These and several otherfactors that have led to the fis-cal slowdown don’t augur wellfor a country that for nearly twoyears enjoyed the tag of “thefastest growing major economyin the world.” Moreover, thedeceleration struck when the

world was looking to India forits ability to sustain and attractforeign investments and theradical reforms it initiated in thepast. Globally, economies, bothin developed and developingcountries, are grappling with asimilar crisis where growth rateshave seen a major slowdown andthis is expected to continue.

In a consumption-led econ-omy like India, the revival ofgrowth will largely depend onhow much people spend.Therefore, the Government’schallenge is to put cash in theirhands, provide relief to labour-intensive sectors, rationaliseGoods and Services Tax (GST)rates, create jobs and revivedemand for goods and services.But such measures are notmeant to produce a long-termimpact but work well in theshorter term.

According to the UN Tradeand Development Report 2019 inGeneva, global growth is expect-ed to witness a decline fromthree per cent in 2018 to a pro-jected 2.3 per cent in 2019-20.With increasing debt levels,subdued growth and escalationin trade tensions, global eco-nomic growth momentum hassuffered badly. Rising trends ofhyper-nationalism manifestedin the form of inward lookingtrade policies, de-globalisation

and political unwillingness toaddress issues such as climatechange and terrorism couldpotentially trigger a full-blowneconomic crisis. CarolineAnstey, Senior Adviser,Sustainable Markets, WorldEconomic Forum, in a recentarticle, titled “We need an eco-nomic model that works for peo-ple and the planet” highlightsthat “an increasing number ofmillennial business leaders andwomen in particular are callingfor a new kind of market: A sus-tainable market, an inclusive,equitable, green and profitablemarket where sustainable prin-ciples drive growth, generatinglong-term value through theintegration and balance of nat-ural, social, human and financialcapital.” Tough times call for flex-ible, sustainable and resilientpolicy action that will lay aroadmap for securing the future,drawing lessons from the pre-sent crisis.

As a result, vulnerabilities inthe current economic policiesand periodic slowdowns havebecome subjects of intensedebate and scrutiny globally,raising questions on the eco-nomic models that financialmarkets are following. This isparticularly true as the impact ofthe 2008 global economic melt-down continues to haunt many

economies even today. JosephStiglitz, noted AmericanEconomist in his book Freefall:America, Free Markets, and theSinking of the World Economypoints out that “during the GreatDepression of the 1930s, the eco-nomics profession, especiallyin America, was having a hardtime. The reigning paradigmthen, as now, held that marketswere efficient and self-correct-ing. As the economy plungedinto recession and then depres-sion, many gave some simpleadvice: Do nothing. Just wait andthe economy will quickly recov-er.” It was around this time thatJohn Maynard Keynes, a Britisheconomist of the time, pro-posed a remedial action in theform of increasing expenditureand creating more jobs to tack-le a prolonged period of slow-down. For a demographicallyvast India, this may seem incred-ibly challenging but consump-tion and job creation hold thekey to economic revival.Evidently, many would agreethat it was President Franklin DRoosevelt’s New DealProgramme that pulled Americaout of the Great Depression thatfocussed a lot of its attention onexpenditure and job creation.

The immediate steps torevive the economy should,therefore, take into considera-

tion — reviving demand,increasing expenditure and cre-ating jobs.

Reviving the weakeningdemand for goods and servicesis one of the foremost steps toboost growth and provide animmediate relief to a saggingeconomy. A fillip to privateconsumption will do wonders inensuring that people spendmoney, thereby triggering agradual rise in demand and thus,production of goods and ser-vices. But spending will happenonly when there is money in thehands of the people. Usually,during slowdowns or recession,people prefer to hoard money ordeposit it in banks for future use.And it seems that is exactly whatis happening here at themoment. Therefore, theGovernment should announcemore festive bonuses and incen-tives so that higher expendituremay result in revival of goodsand services. Another way thatthe Government can boostgrowth and revive demand is byway of offering tax cuts. Therecent announcement of corpo-rate tax cuts is a welcome stepin this direction.

Though the recent mea-sures that the Government hasannounced aim to increasespending, very few of them willserve the intended purpose.

One of the reasons is that con-sumer confidence is at an all-time low. As per the RBI’s latestConsumer Confidence Survey,people’s feelings around employ-ment, income and discretionaryspending are at a six-year low.Therefore, the challenge at handis to restore consumer confi-dence so that instead of holdingback, people may loosen theirpurse strings a bit.

The rising employment ratehas added to the current slow-down and will further escalateit if this is not contained. As perthe latest Periodic Labour ForceSurvey (PLFS), the unemploy-ment rate in India stands at a 45year high. Employment gener-ation is a key component of astable economy. When thereare enough jobs for people,credit availability and discre-tionary spending will naturallygo up, resulting in increased eco-nomic activity. Amid fears of aworsening economic crisis, theGovernment should be willingto take further action to fix thedamage and propose a long-term roadmap to build econom-ic resilience, sustainability andflexibility and secure the futureof the world’s second-most pop-ulous country.

(The writer is a communica-tions professional and a graduatein Economics)

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Retail inflation climbed to a14-month high of 3.99 per

cent in September due to cost-lier vegetables and pulses butstill remained within the RBI’scomfort zone, government datashowed on Monday.

The Consumer PriceIndex-based inflation stood at3.28 per cent in August and3.70 per cent in the September2018. The previous high was4.17 per cent in July 2018.

However, the wholesaleinflation in September slippedto an over three-year low of0.33 per cent.

The CPI data released bythe National Statistical Office(NSO) showed that the rate ofprice rise in the food basket inSeptember 2019 was 5.11 percent as against 2.99 per cent in

the preceding month.The inflation print for veg-

etables shot up to 15.40 percent during the month from 6.9per cent. Besides, price rise inpulses and meat and fish bas-kets for the reported monthwas higher over August.

However, there was adecline in inflation in the fueland light segment.

The Reserve Bank of India,which has been slashing the keyinterest rate (repo) sinceJanuary 2019, mainly factors in CPI while arriving atits bi-monthly monetary policy.

India Ratings and Research(Fitch Group) PrincipalEconomist Sunil Sinha saidthe central bank will continuewith its accommodative policystance and may go for furtherrate cut in the policy review of

December 2019.However, Emkay Wealth

Management Head ResearchJoseph Thomas said the per-sistence of prices at higherlevels beyond the amelioratinginfluence of the rains mayalone would invite a policy shiftby the RBI to neutrality.

Principal Economist withICRA Aditi Nayar said whilefood inflation did record abroad-based increase inSeptember 2019, the primarydriver of the uptick was veg-etables, a fallout of the flood-ing in various states.

As vegetable prices nor-malise over the next twomonths, particularly with theseasonal arrival of winter sup-plies, food inflation may recedebelow 4 per cent by the end of this quarter, shesaid.

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Wholesale inflation easedto more than three-year

low of 0.33 per cent inSeptember mainly due tofalling prices of fuel and certainfood articles, according to offi-cial data.

The wholesale price index-based inflation was 1.08 percent in August this year and5.22 per cent in September2018.

The previous low wasrecorded in June 2016 whenwholesale inflation was in neg-ative at 0.1 per cent.

Inflation print for foodarticles, as a basket, remainednearly flat at 7.47 per cent dur-ing the month. Prices of pota-to fell by a further 22.50 percent as against a decline of21.28 per cent in August, theCommerce and IndustryMinistry data showed.

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For the third time since itspunitive actions, the

Reserve Bank on Mondayincreased withdrawal limits atthe crippled cooperative PMCBank to �40,000 from the pre-sent �25,000 per accountholder.

The move follows theweekend assurance by financeminister Nirmala Sitharamanto urge the Reserve Bank tolook into the woes of thedepositors of the cooperativebank with urgency, after iratedepositors met her.

Punjab & MaharashtraCooperative Bank, which isamong the top 10 urban coop-erative banks, was placed underan RBI administrator onSeptember 23 for six monthsdue to massive under-reporting

of dud loans. The regulator alsocapped deposit withdrawalsfirst at �1,000, which was sub-sequently increased to �10,000and �25,000.

“The financial position ofthe bank has been substantial-ly impaired due to fraud per-petrated on it by certain per-sons. As soon as the mattercame to the notice of theReserve Bank, action was takenin appointing an administrator and ensuringthat the bank’s availableresources are protected and notmisused or diverted,” the RBI said.

In a press statement, thecentral bank also said the moveto increase the withdrawal capto �40,000 has been taken“after reviewing the bank’s liq-uidity position and its ability topay its depositors”.

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In a boost to the divestmentprocess, the shares of Indian

Railway Catering & TourismCorporation (IRCTC) onMonday made a stellar debuton the bourses, zooming 127percent to close at �728.60over the issue price of �320.

This is the first listing of agovernment-owned entity thisfiscal and the IPO received 112times oversubscription for anissue of �645 crore-the secondbest in decades.

The mini-ratna firm, asubsidiary of the Railways,made a dream stock marketdebut listing at �644, a jump of101.25 percent, rallied to�743.80 to close at �728.60 theBSE. The stock did not below �625 during thetrade. On the NSE, it skyrock-eted 95.62 percent to �626 inopening trade.

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Benchmark indices Sensexand Nifty managed to close

with gains after a volatile ses-sion on Monday as positivesentiment reflected on domes-tic bourses after a breakthroughin US-China trade talks.

After swinging 448 pointsduring the day, the 30-shareSensex ended 87.39 points, or0.23 per cent, higher at38,214.47. It hit an intra-dayhigh of 38,513.69 and a low of38,066.13.

Likewise, the NSE Niftymoved up 36.10 points, or 0.32per cent, to 11,341.15.

Gains on the benchmarkgauges were restricted by cau-tious participants awaitingretail inflation data due aftermarket hours.

Meanwhile, wholesaleinflation eased to more thanthree-year low of 0.33 per centin September, official datashowed.

On the Sensex chart, TataMotors was the top gainer ral-lying 5.32 per cent.

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The rupee declined by 21paise to close at a three-

week low of 71.23 against theUS currency on Monday asinvestors rushed to safe havenbets on fading hopes of an ini-tial trade deal between the USand China.

Weak Chinese trade dataalso weighed on the domesticcurrency, analysts said.

At the interbank foreignexchange market, the rupeeopened higher at 70.83 andtouched an intra-day high of70.74 against the Americancurrency.

However, later the localunit pared initial gains andfinally settled at 71.23 againstthe US dollar, down 21 paiseover its previous close. OnFriday, the domestic unit hadclosed at 71.02 against the USdollar.

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Asian investors on Mondaycheered a partial trade deal

between China and the UnitedStates, sending regional mar-kets rallying, though observerswere sceptical about the over-all significance of the agree-ment.

Dealers took their leadfrom a strong performance onWall Street after top-level nego-tiators ended two days of talkssaying US tariffs due to takeeffect this week would be putoff and China would ramp upits purchases of US farm prod-ucts.

They also agreed on otherissues including intellectualproperty, financial services andcurrencies.

The news provided somemuch-needed support to Asianmarkets, with Hong Kong up0.8 per cent and Shanghaijumping more than one percentdespite data showing Chinese imports and exportsfell more than forecast inSeptember.

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Walk: Today, our biggest prob-lem is stress, if you want to

avoid it take a walk to boostmental health.

Yoga: It is the easiest and mosteffective way and there are manyaasans and poses for mental health� Bhramari keeps your mindcalm. This can eliminate anger andanxiety from the brain.� Paschimotsan gives mentalrelief. It relaxes the muscles andhelp to reduce stress.� SetuBandhasana is also a bet-ter way to keep the mind fit.� Sarvangasan leads for bettercirculation of blood to the brain,reducing stress and feelingrelieved.

Swimming: Swimming canboost mental health and it is agreat form of exercise. Swimminghelps to reduce weight and pro-motes the growth of new braincell which help to boost mentalhealth.

Cycling: Cycling is also agreat exercise for mental health.Cycling Reduces stress, reducerisk of depression, Helps yousleep better, Improves your mem-ory, Improves creative thinkingand helps you to feel good

Dance: Regularly dancingkeeps a person physically andmentally healthy. There is protec-tion against many diseases andsolutions to existing diseases andphysical problems. Dance canincrease your memory.

Because of this, your chancesof developing dementia (demen-tia, dementia) are also significant-ly reduced as you get older.Science suggests that aerobic exer-cise prevents damage to the partof the brain that controls memo-ry. Also, Dance can help you torelease stress.

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Hair fall is very common in today’s hectic and unhealthylifestyle. Whether men or women, hair fall is a problem that

everyone is facing. The most likely cause of scalp hair loss isAndrogenetic Alopecia (AGA). The underlying cause of woman’sAGA is believed to be related to production of androgenetic(male) hormones and their effect on the hair follicle — the sameunderlying cause responsible for male androgenetic alopecia (malepattern baldness).

However, hair loss in women can occur for reasons other thanfemale pattern baldness like breaking of hair from treatmentsand twisting or pulling of hair, certain skin diseases that lead toscarring of the hair follicles; hormonal abnormalities, iron defi-ciency or vitamin deficiency, medications such as chemothera-py and beta blockers; temporary shedding of hair after a majorillness, surgery, or pregnancy.

Hair thinning in women is different from that of male pat-tern of baldness. In female hair thins mainly on the top and crownof the scalp. The hair loss rarely progresses to baldness in womenand develop the cue-ball appearance often seen in male-patternandrogenetic alopecia. Female pattern baldness does not meanthat a woman has a medical disorder.

In most cases, hair loss ismild or moderate. For a perma-nent and more complete solu-tion you may want to considerhair transplantation. In most ofthe cases doctors even use boththe manual and the mostadvanced Robotic System forhair transplantation with nodowntime.

To stop hair fall problemmany people use expensive cos-metics, conditioners and sham-poos available in the market. Butthey don’t understand that theeffect of these cosmetics mightharm the scalp and hair roots. Abetter understanding of whatshampoo and conditioner doesmay help with this question.Shampoo is a cleaner, it’s sup-posed to get all the dirt andgrime out of your hair. Hairproducts are extensively used

because hair is that aspect of your appearance which completesyour look. Shampoos, conditioners, gels and serums may makeyour hair look perfect for the day, but in the long run they aredoing nothing but damaging your hair. Such cosmetics effect thehair quantity and quality leading to excessive dandruff, thinningof hair or redness of scalp.

Hairsprays are even more dangerous as they can result in scalpdamage and permanent discoloration of hair. Hair colours andhair dyes are next to toxic as allergic reactions can cause burn-ing, redness, itchy scalp, breathing difficulties and facialswelling. The chemicals in hair dyes are toxic and can cause dis-eases like cancer, reproductive failure and damage to lungs.

Today, many people use modern technologies like laser toget rid of hair fall problem. But, many people have some mis-conceptions that laser and aesthetic medicine treatment causeshair reduction that will be harmful to health, can damage inter-nal organs. But the fact is the depth of laser penetration is 1-4mm, it reaches only the hair follicles and is then completely dis-sipated and does not penetrate deeper. Therefore, weak laserslike low level laser therapy helps to grow hair on the scalp with-out causing much damage.

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��������Fennel seeds are

highly aromaticand flavourfulherbs used incookery. They areused to treat somecommon digestiveailments includingheartburn,intestinal gas andbloating.

Some people eat fennel seeds as mouth fresheners.Chewing fennel seeds can also help in getting rid of badbreath as they increase the production of saliva therebywashing out the bacteria. They also help to relieve morningsickness.

The antioxidants and other antimicrobial properties infennel seeds help treat a host of hair ailments. Some ofthese include dandruff, scalp itchiness, hair breakage andhair fall.

They also contain nitrites, compounds known to lowerblood pressure levels. The fiber content in them also help inlowering the cholestrol levels.

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Poor dietary habits,increased stress andharsh skincare rou-

tines were among themost significant factors asso-ciated with acne, according to a study.

The research was presented at the 28thEuropean Academy of Dermatology andVenereology Congress in Madrid. “For thefirst time, this study allows us to identifythe most important exposome factorsrelating to acne from patient questioningprior to any treatment prescription,” saidthe study’s lead researcher Brigitte Drenofrom the University Hospital of Nantes inFrance.

The results showed that significantlymore individuals with acne (48.2 per cent)consumed dairy products daily com-pared to individuals who did not (38.8 percent). The difference was also statistical-ly significant for soda juices or syrups (35.6per cent vs 31 per cent), pastries andchocolate (37 per cent vs 27.8 per cent) andsweets (29.7 per cent vs 19.1 per cent).

Surprisingly 11 per cent of acne suf-ferers consume whey proteins versus 7 percent without acne and 11.9 per cent of acnesufferers consume anabolic steroids ver-sus 3.2 per cent without acne.

Exposure to pollution or stress wasalso more frequently observed in partic-ipants with acne compared to control par-ticipants.

The research also found that harshskincare practices were more common inacne sufferers.

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In most cases, if the diar-rhoea is not severe, thereare home remedies that

one can follow to make thebaby feel better. But diarrhoeabecomes more severe and orthe baby has fever, consultthe pediatrician imme-diately as babies canquickly become dehy-drated.

Because of loosemotions, babieslose potassi-um. Bananasc o n t a i npotassium,zinc, iron,calcium, magne-sium, and Vitamin A and B6.Diarrhoea can sap the baby’senergy making him cranky,this will help restore hisstrength.

Another fruit that canhelp is apple. They are full ofpectin which helps in firming

up the baby’s bowel move-ment. Wash an apple proper-ly, peel and cut into pieces. Boilit in water to make a puree.This too will help the baby

gain strength.Rice water is

a boon to as t o m a c h

especiallyin diar-rhoea.

G i v ehalf a glassof coconutwater tothe babyto drinkonce in the

morning.One can give

the baby a boiled potatoto toeat. It is not only easy todigest when the stomach isupset, but it is one of the eas-iest home remedies to stopdiarrhoea in babies.

Babies have the tendency to puteverything in their mouth

leading to stomach infectionand causing diarrhoea.

ROSHANI DEVI shares homeremedies that can be beneficial

Heart surgeries are complicated andwhen it comes to Bentall’s procedure

the risks go higher. Paras Hospital,Gurugram has come up with an effectivesolution, as they successfully cureda patient above maladies, with-out much need for an inva-sive approach. Using theirinvasive technology, Parashas done the difficult jobas it provided a conclusiverelief to this ongoingproblem.

A 21-year-old manAmit Kumar, who hailsfrom Haryana, had been suf-fering from chest pain, breath-lessness on minimal exertion.Echocardiogram showed severe aorticregurgitation with dilated ascending aorta.CT aortogram showed dilatation of aortaover 5.9cms (normal range -2.0-3.5cms).He was advised to undergo a complex

heart surgery called as Bentall’s operation. “This was the first time we were treat-

ing such a patient. Through this surgerywe replaced ascending aorta and aortic

valve together. This operation is gen-erally done through a full midline

sternotomy wound around 25cm in length. As he has to joincollege in Australia in a fewmonths, we decided to do itthrough minimally inva-sive approach and did thesame surgery through a 9cm incision, by using latest

minimally invasive technolo-gy. Due to this technique, we

believe that he will be able torecover fast and be fully independent

in a few days instead of taking a fewweeks,” said Dr Mahesh Wadhwani, MS,MCh, Head of Department,Cardiothoracic and vascular surgery,Paras Hospital, Gurugram.

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Sleeping on the wrong pillow may lead to neckand back pains. One of the key factors

towards getting the benefits of your time in bedis having a pillow that fills the needs of the per-son. Many people don’t consider, but pillows playa very specific role in their sleep. Since pillowsserve an important role in your sleep, they willhave a great impact on your better standard ofrest and your overall health.

Sleeping on your pillow serves two basicfunctions. A pillow provides support to upperback and neck when they are resting, and theyprovide comfort than cannot be had without apillow. When you are shopping for one, it isimportant to consider both of these factors, asthey will both play a huge role in the bettermentof your sleep. So selection of pillows in daily lifeplays a very important role. However, differentkind of pillow support play different role ·

�If you had problem with your spine andback pain, opt for a classic Ortho pillow. Sincethis posture supported the neck and the head.These pillows come with unique round-shapedridge at the front, and provide support to theneck. When the neck and shoulders are in stressfree position, Also pillows come with uniqueVario system for adjustable height, as per indi-vidual preference it reduces the chance of prob-lems in the cervical region. Make sure your nightsleep is the most comfortable one. ·

�If you prefer sleeping on your back, snor-ing is more common in men, though manywomen also snore. The flapping of airway tis-sues against each other causes a loud snoringnoise. Most of the doctors recommend sleepingon the side and using a comfortable body pil-low. You should consider an anti-snoring pillowdue to a specially designed, inflatable head-side-roller, it induces side sleep. Regular use of pil-low provides a therapeutic and durable anti-snor-ing solution. ·

�When you are in the office sometimes chaircan be an unpleasant experience which can leadto lower back and spine problems. Make sure thatyour back problems are in check with the lum-ber pillows. It’s curved shape makes sure that theback is properly supported while sitting. It willrelieve lower back issues, and also correct thespine anatomically. ·

�Not, only that, after a heavy stressful daywhen you return to your home, driving becomesa huge task for working people. OrthopedicWedge cushion will keep this problem in check.Sitting on it will stimulate the correct sitting pos-ture on any surface. It can be used to sit in a caror on office chair. At home, you can use it to siton normal chairs as well.

�Many of the people who have a habit offalling asleep anywhere, this is a miracle. It willimprove the neck posture and make sure nap-ping anywhere becomes easier. While workingon a desktop, people tend to slouch, this can causeunnecessary stress to the neck. For this neck pil-low can be your best friend for having a napunder a little shorter break. ·

�Not, only are pillows important for the rolethey play during our sleep, mattress also do thesame job for us. One can go for Talalay Latex mat-tresses, research says that those mattresseswhich made from natural materials are the bestfor sleeping. Also 100 per cent natural latex willnot cause allergies because of the way it isprocessed and the end product being open celled.

So give yourself the support you needthroughout the day and night. Always remem-ber pillows should be classy in style, guaranteebest pressure relief and provide comfort. This willensure a cuddle-some sleep setting.

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H A V E A G O O D N I G H T ’ S

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Take care of your body: Tohave a healthy body, you

should take care of your health.For this, eat healthy food anddrink plenty of water. Apartfrom this, exercise and get com-plete sleep. Especially keep away

from smoking.Keep learning new things:

To keep the mind healthy oneshould try to keep learningsomething new. Apart from this,take time for the work you likeand do it. It will also give you fun

and a chance to learn more.Take time for hobby :

However busy you are, but taketime out for your hobby. Bydoing this you also feel mental-ly refreshed. There is a secretionof feel-good hormone in thebrain which has a positive effecton your mental health.

Keep stress away: In today’stime, there is tension in every-one’s life. Due to which webecome physically and mental-ly ill. In such a situation, weshould integrate exercise, play,and walk in our daily routine.

Set goals: Set goals for whatyou want to do in your life. Forthis, adopt a practical approach.By doing all this you will reachyour goal easily. In such a situ-ation, you will be mentallyhealthy.

� Heredity: Mental disease is more inpeople whose relatives have mental illness.Certain genetic factors can increase therisk of mental illness.� Exposure to environmental causesbefore birth: Environmental stress in thewomb, exacerbated conditions, expo-sure to alcohol or drugs can cause men-tal illness.� Childhood trauma: When some neg-ative incident occurs with children, suchas death or exploitation in the family, thisaffects their mind and abnormality comein their behaviour in childhood.� Parenting: The way parents raisetheir children also determines theirdevelopment to a large extent. Many par-ents give their children too much free-dom, many become very strict with chil-dren. According to psychologists, inad-equate parenting occurs in many wayssuch as over protection, restriction, over-permisivness.

There are different typesof mental health dis-eases and it is important

to differentiate between them.Listed below are the five typesof mental disorders.

Major depressive disor-der (depression): Depressionis a very common mental ill-ness that has negative effectson many aspects of life. It canalso reduce your ability tothink. A person sufferingfrom this can feel sad and thissadness is unrelenting. Ifuntreated it can last formonths or years. Not beinginvolved with anything, avoid-ing social contacts/ gather-ings, a change in appetite, achange in sleep patterns, alack of energy or an increasein fatigue, making yourselffeel worthless and guilty.Friends and family of adepression patient play a hugerole in its treatment. Not onlycan they help you to identifythis disease but can also helpone get over it.

Schizophrenia: It is aserious mental disorder inwhich a person can have a dis-torted sense of reality. He/shebecomes irritable, can misin-terpret actions or body lan-guage, and may stop takingcare of hygiene. It is not verycommon, but it can causeserious symptoms.Diagnosing schizophrenia inadolescents can be difficultbecause symptoms can bequite vague like irritability,keeping to one self, moodswings, and change in sleeppattern. It can be cured only

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with the help of medicine and psy-chologist.

Bipolar Disorder: It is a type ofmental illness in which mood dis-turbance is the core issue. Thechanges in mood may last from afew weeks to a few months. A per-son suffering from bipolar disordermay experiences either depressionor a state known as mania. InManic state self-esteem becomesinflated, energy levels are very high,one may not feel like sleeping ormay feel fresh even after sleeping foronly two-three hours, one maystart spending recklessly, becomesovertalkative and others. This phasegenerally alternates with depressive

phases with normal periods inbetween the two. It can be curedonly with the help of medicines

Obsessive compulsive disorder(OCD): It is a type of anxiety dis-order in which obsessive thoughtsand images predominate. Peoplewith OCD see something from aperspective.

In this disease, it is necessaryto wash hands continuously, checkbody parts, repeat regular activities,and count things repeatedly. It canbe cured with help of medication,psychological therapy, ERP therapy,and self-help strategies.

Anxiety: Anxiety, restlessness,fear of the future based on real or

imaginary events all the time affectsboth body and mind. The majorsymptoms of anxiety are fatigue,headaches, and insomnia.

These symptoms may also varyfor a particular person, but perma-nent fear and anxiety are seen in all.If these symptoms are not severethey may end with the passage oftime, otherwise the anxiety disorderoccurs and the ability to performeveryday life and work begins to beaffected.

It can be treated by followinghealthy lifestyle, it is very importantto improve our chaotic lifestyle. Eatat regular intervals and also makea fixed time to sleep and get up.

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Tall Tamr (Syria): The Syrianregime sent troops towardsthe Turkish border on Mondayto contain Ankara's deadlyoffensive against the Kurds,stepping in for US forces due to begin a controversialwithdrawal.

Outgunned and withoutUS protection, the autonomousKurds in northeastern Syriahad few other options to stopthe rapid advance of Turkishtroops and their Syrian proxies.

Turkey wants to create aroughly 30-kilometre (20-mile)buffer zone along its border tokeep Kurdish forces at bay andalso to send back some of the3.6 million Syrian refugees ithosts.

The United States and itspartners, who spent years fight-ing alongside the Kurds againstthe Islamic State group in Syriabefore deserting them, havecondemned the Turkish inva-sion, but their threats of sanc-tions have failed to stop it.

Washington says that it isplanning to pull out 1,000troops — almost the entireground force — from Syria'snorth, in a move welcomedMonday by Turkish PresidentRecep Tayyip Erdogan as "apositive approach." The chaosin the areas targeted in the six-day-old Turkish assault has

already led to the escape ofaround 800 foreign womenand children linked to IS froma Kurdish-run camp, Kurdishauthorities said.

The Kurds had repeatedlywarned of that scenario whenWestern countries refused torepatriate their IS-linkednationals and when USPresident Donald Trump madeit clear he wanted to end the USmilitary presence.

But Trump on Mondaysaid the Kurds "may be releas-ing" IS prisoners to keep the USinvolved in Syria.

Wasting no time to fill thevoid, Moscow — already thetop broker in Syria — clincheda deal between the Kurds and Damascus, whose ties hadbeen icy since the minoritythrew its lot with Washingtonand unilaterally declared self-rule. AFP

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Washington: President DonaldTrump suggested on Mondaythat Kurdish fighters may bereleasing imprisoned ISISjihadists to bait the UnitedStates into remaining involvedin northeastern Syria.

The Pentagon said onSunday Trump had ordered thewithdrawal of up to 1,000troops from northern Syria —almost the entire ground forcein the war-torn country —amid an intensifying Turkishassault on Kurdish forces.

Trump's decision last weekto pull out of the area — clear-ing the way for the Turkishincursion — has been attackedat home as a betrayal ofAmerica's Kurdish allies, thatrisks triggering a resurgence ofIS. "Europe had a chance to gettheir ISIS prisoners, but didn'twant the cost. 'Let the USA pay,'they said..." Trump tweeted,using an alternate acronym forthe Islamic State group.

"Kurds may be releasingsome to get us involved. Easilyrecaptured by Turkey orEuropean Nations from wheremany came, but they shouldmove quickly." Kurdish author-ities said Sunday that 800 ISfamily members being held ina camp at Ain Issa in northernSyria had fled due to Turkishbombing. AFP

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Luxembourg: EU memberstates united on Monday tocondemn Turkey's offensive inSyria but stopped short ofimposing an arms embargo,while opening the way to sanc-tions over Ankara's contro-versial drilling off Cyprus.

"The EU condemnsTurkey's military action whichseriously undermines the sta-bility and the security of thewhole region," the bloc said ina joint statement at a meetingof Foreign Ministers inLuxembourg.

The bloc noted the deci-sion made by some members— including France andGermany — to halt weaponsexports to Turkey but did notimpose an EU-wide embargo.

Instead, the Ministersagreed that EU member coun-tries should pay close regard totheir existing common policyon arms exports, whichincludes a provision that theyshould not be approved wherethere they may "contribute toregional instability".

Separately, the ministersgave the go-ahead to creatingthe legal framework for sanc-tions over Turkey's explorato-ry drilling for oil and gas off thecoast of Cyprus.

"In light of Turkey's con-tinued illegal drilling activitiesin the eastern Mediterranean,the Council reaffirms its full solidarity with Cyprus," the EU Council said in a statement. AFP

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London: Prime Minister BorisJohnson repeated on Mondaythat Britain must leave the EUon October 31, as divorce talksresumed in Brussels in a pivotalweek that could define how andwhen Brexit finally happens.

In an elaborate ceremonyin parliament in London,Queen Elizabeth II set outJohnson's legislative pro-gramme for the coming year,with leaving the EU top of theagenda.

"My government's priorityhas always been to secure theUnited Kingdom's departurefrom the European Union onOctober 31," she said in aspeech to robed peers from agilded throne in the upperHouse of Lords.

"My government intends towork towards a new partner-ship with the European Union,based on free trade and friend-ly cooperation."

But this depends on theoutcome of closed-door dis-cussions in Brussels, whereofficials are racing to reach adeal on Britain's exit termsbefore a summit of EU leadersstarting on Thursday.

If he cannot get a deal bySaturday, Johnson will fall foulof a British law demanding heask the EU to delay Brexit fora third time rather than risk apotentially disastrous "no deal"departure.

"A deal is possible and it's

possible this month," IrishDeputy Prime Minister SimonCoveney said as he arrived fortalks with EU foreign ministersin Luxembourg.

"It may even be possiblethis week but we're not thereyet." Michel Barnier, the bloc'schief Brexit negotiator, briefedEU ambassadors late Sundayafter a weekend of talksbetween officials described as"intense" and "constructive".

After weeks of gloom, thelast few days have given aglimmer of hope that an agree-ment can be reached but therehas so far been no decisivebreakthrough.

Barnier warned on Sundaythat "a lot of work remains tobe done".

This message echoed by

Johnson's spokesman inLondon, who said on Monday:"The talks are constructive butthere is a lot of work still to do."

More than three years afterthe 2016 referendum vote toleave the EU, divorce talksremain stuck on how to avoidcustoms checks between BritishNorthern Ireland and Ireland.

After British MPs rejecteda previous plan, Johnson putforward fresh proposals earli-er this month -- but they havebeen met with a cool responsein Brussels.

Johnson took over from hispredecessor Theresa May inJuly vowing no more delays,after she postponed Brexittwice in a failed attempt to gether own divorce deal throughthe British parliament. AFP

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Hong Kong: Hong Kongpolice say a homemaderemote-controlled explosivedevice intended to "kill or toharm" police officers was det-onated during violent protestsacross the territory on Sunday.

No casualties were report-ed. But Chin-chiu Suryanto,an officer with the policeforce's bomb-disposal unit,told a news conferenceMonday that the device wasconcocted with a "highlyeffective" explosive.

Speaking through a trans-lator, he said there was "a loudthud" from the detonationSunday night on a usuallybusy thoroughfare inKowloon.

He said the use of anexplosive device marked anescalation in violence seenduring the anti-governmentprotests, which are in theirfifth month. He likened theuse of such a device to "ter-rorist events" seen elsewherein the world. AP

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Hong Kong: Hong Kong is slid-ing towards becoming a policestate, US senator Josh Hawleywarned on Monday, as tens ofthousands filled the strife-torncity's streets waving Americanflags and calling on Washingtonto punish China over slidingfreedoms. The internationalfinance hub was battered byanother weekend of unrest ashardcore pro-democracy pro-testers and police fought run-ning battles with officers warn-ing the violence had nowreached "life-threatening lev-els". Protests pushing for greaterdemocratic freedoms and policeaccountability have raged for thelast 19 weeks and there is littleend in sight as Beijing and localleaders refuse concessions. AFP

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Madrid: Spain's Supreme Courton Monday convicted 12 formerCatalan politicians and activistsfor their roles in a secession bidin 2017, a ruling likely to inflameindependence supporters in thewealthy northeastern region.

The court sentenced ex-Catalan regional Vice PresidentOriol Junqueras to 13 years forsedition and misuse of publicfunds following one of Spain'smost important trials sincedemocracy was restored after thedeath of dictator Gen. FranciscoFranco in 1975.

Eight received lengthyprison terms in Catalonia'sattempt to break away fromSpain following an illegal inde-pendence referendum, whilethree received lesser sentences.

Although prosecutors hadrequested convictions for themore severe crime of rebellion,which under Spanish law impliesthe use of violence to subvert theconstitutional order, judges con-victed nine of sedition, implyingthat they promoted public dis-order to subvert the law.

Regional ParliamentSpeaker Carme Forcadell wasgiven 11 and a half years in

prison; former Cabinet mem-bers Joaquim Forn and JosepRull 10 and a half years each; andgrassroots pro-independenceactivists Jordi Sánchez and JordiCuixart nine years.

Junqueras and three otherformer Cabinet members —Raül Romeva, Jordi Turull andDolors Bassa, who were sen-tenced to 12 years — were alsoconvicted for misuse of publicfunds. Three other former mem-bers of the Catalan Cabinet —Santiago Vila, Meritxell Borràsy Carles Mundó — were finedfor disobedience. Grassrootspro-secession groups have saidthat if any of the defendants werefound guilty they would organ-ise protests and "peaceful civildisobedience."

Spanish authoritiesdeployed hundreds of extrapolice to the region in anticipa-tion of the ruling. The court'sdecision was another milestonein the long struggle for sepa-ratists who want Catalonia tobreak away from Spain and cre-ate a new European state. Spaininsists it won't allow it. TheSpanish constitution says thecountry is "indivisible." AP

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Moscow: Russia on Monday denied a US news-paper report that its warplanes bombed four hos-pitals in rebel-held territory in Syria over a peri-od of 12 hours this year.

The Russian Defence Ministry rubbished theclaim in a report by The New York Times, say-ing "the alleged 'evidence' provided by the NYTis not worth even the paper it was printed on".

The May strikes — which the newspaper tiedto Moscow through Russian radio recordings,plane spotter logs and accounts by witnesses —are part of a larger pattern of medical facilities tar-geted by forces supporting Syrian PresidentBashar al-Assad in the country's devastating civilwar.

Nabad al Hayat Surgical Hospital — whichstaff had fled three days earlier in anticipation ofthe facility being bombed — was one of thosestruck during the 12-hour period beginning onMay 5, according to the Times' investigation.

A Russian ground controller gave the exactcoordinates of the hospital to the pilot, who report-ed having it in sight a few minutes later, the news-paper said.

The controller gave the go-ahead for the strikeat the same time that a spotter who was tasked withwarning civilians about impending strikes loggeda Russian jet in the area. The pilot then reportedreleasing bombs, and local journalists filming thehospital recorded three bombs going through itsroof and exploding. AFP

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He has a long powder-white hair,tired, blood-flecked eyes, a

full white beard, bushy eyebrowsand wrinkled blue-veined skin.One can notice his unsteady walkand faded smile with two weakteeth and feeble voice as he holds acigarette between his crooked fin-gers and says, “I will just have asmoke and come back.” Meanwhile,I sit there on a rusted bench amidthe trees and chirping birds won-dering what this unusual style ofinterview has in store for me.

Uncle Larry Walsh, a localAboriginal cultural leader, is one ofthe first indigenous storytellers atthe Kathakar Storytelling festival.Inspired by his local communityand Kulin ancestral blood connec-tions, he is one of the only seniorsin Melbourne who focusses on sto-rytelling, ensuring the cultural con-tinuity of his ancient oral traditions.

While performing 60,000-year-old stories honouring the oral tra-ditions of the Kulin NationsDreamtime (South EasternAustralia), Walsh presents themthrough a contemporary lens, illus-trating the timeless quality and rel-evance of these ideas and knowl-edge to modern day life. Throughhis stories he wishes to display thatAboriginal people are connected tothe modern world as intimately asthey are connected to their past.

Talking about the festival, hesays, “I hadn’t seen Indian story-tellers performing before. It wasgreat listening to them. Though Idon’t know Hindi but the voicemodulations, the comic timingand the reaction of the audiencehelped me understand the essenceof the stories. We shared our pup-petry too.” He adds that he was sur-prised by a woman who was tellingstories in Hindi and English as well.As there was no language barrier,everyone in the hall, includinghim, understood her.

Storytelling is an art where thenarration has to be in a way that thelisteners feel connected. Theyshould be able to picturise the inci-dents while being transported to adifferent world altogether. Walshsays, “It is a tough but powerfulmedium of connecting with people.Everyone has stories to tell but noteveryone has the right way or art ofdoing it. For me, it is more abouthaving a rhythm. So, I judge a sto-ryteller on this basis.”

The 65-year old storyteller wasnot allowed to share all the storieshe wanted to. He could only sharethe stories from the areas that he

had permission. He shares that evenin ancient times, nobody wasallowed to openly discussAboriginal tales. “My grandmoth-er narrated some to her children.While doing so, she made sure thatno one noticed this because shewasn’t allowed. Later, my uncle toldme some that he remembered.When I travelled with him to thehilly areas, he told me stories of eacharea that we passed by. This helpedto build a memory bank.”

Every narrator has a reasonwhy they had come into this pro-fession and stayed. Even Walsh hasone. He says, “I loved talking abouthistory and ancient things. So, oneday while I was talking about it, myaunt said, ‘when you share yourviews and knowledge about anysubject, it seems as if you aretelling a story which one wants tohear more’.” He grins, pauses andadds, “I took that comment so seri-ously that even after 25 years, I amstill telling stories.”

Walsh feels that because he wasalways interested in reviving theancient traditions, he was seen assomeone who would take it to thefuture generations. This madeeveryone share stories with him.Along with this, he also helpedcommunities. So when it was any-thing around revival, he was askedto join in.

One can clearly see the lines ofexperience on his forehead. He haswitnessed the technology and dig-ital era taking over the worldbecause of which the content and

storytelling have changed. Andbecause of this, the essence of sto-rytelling is getting diluted. Walshagrees: “Earlier we used to tell sto-ries in many folds. Each had manycontext which were important tothe narration. But that is not thecase now.”

It’s important to revive storiesto keep them alive else the youthwon’t be aware of their rich histo-ry. “We also describe the naturalcalamities that had occurred thou-sands of years ago and their after-math. It is important for people toknow this so that they are alwaysprepared for them. They also needto know what and how their peo-ple have faced disasters,” he says.

Walsh particularly loves work-ing with the younger generation ashe sees them as the torch-bearers ofthe society. But it is important forthe youth to be interested in the oraltraditions. He says, “It gives a senseof pride to them that they know astory which is 20,000 or 60,000 yearold. It also helps them to learnimportant places that are relevantto their history and culture.”

However, the audience wondersabout the relevance of Aboriginetales in India. “Many Indian stories,for instance the one about a magi-cian, were similar to our tales. Evenyour stories describe the forgottenhistory of India. So, this helped usexchange ideas and learn fromeach other. Now, I want to call someIndian storytellers to Australia asthey were so good that they prompt-ed me to exclaim in disbelief,” he

adds.Another storyteller, Ron is a

cultural educator, musician,Didgeridoo maker and a woodsculptor. He is known for perform-ing with Didgeridoo, which ismade out of a hollow, native treecalled Maali. It is one of the oldestmusical instruments in the worldwhich he says dates back to over25,000 years. The instrument, inci-dentally burst into the collectiveIndian consciousness with DilChahta Hai (2001) and its popularduet Jaane Kyun.

He mimics the sound of theKookaburra or the engine of a car.The traditional instrument lends hisstories a lilting touch which, he says,enthralled the crowd. As I ask hima Aborigine tale, he immediatelyruns towards a tree where hisDidgeridoo is lying and returns withit. He then plays the instrument andshares how his people formed cir-cles around rocks and danced withthe instrument.

Ron also performs around thefire. When I ask him about it, hesays, “Fire is a very important sub-ject. For me, it’s related to ghosts andspirits. In ancient times, whenthere were no matchsticks andpeople lived in forests, they rubbedstones to create friction and gener-ate fire. A spark in the fire madepeople believe that the spirit of theforest was listening to the stories.”

A spark of love for storiesfrom ancient times has certainlybeen lit and people will keep coming back for more.

The moon shines brightly. As bright-ly as only a full one can. The air, themonuments and the stones lying

around are laden with stories of people whopassed by them. And the ruins are willingto whisper these in the ears of anyone whois willing to listen. The area is said to berife with Jinns. And then there is the mau-soleum a stone's throw away, built unlikethe one it inspired, by a queen for herbeloved king. Across the road lies AmirKhusrau who wove an intricate and vividweb with his poetry that more than 700years down the line continues to cast itsmesmerising spell. Sunder Nursery, Delhi'’snewest recovered monument, is just theappropriate setting to narrate qissa, kahaniand gapp, says the original rockstar, direc-tor Imtiaz Ali.

Dressed in a black t-shirt embroideredwith the word sheer (sweet) in the Arabicscript, with a grey zipped sweatshirt thatseemed to match his salt and pepper hair,Ali exudes a Sufi-like calmness despitebeing up for a discussion in the next hourat the IXth Kathakar—InternationalStorytellers Festival. Ali is a part of the fes-tival for the second consecutive year andhe came back for a reason. “I was fascinat-ed by the audience participation. The showextended for more than two hours beyondthe designated time. You gain so much con-fidence when you realise that the subtletiesof the work that you’ve done is being spo-ken about by people who you intended itto reach,” he says.

However, it isn’t just the pleasantmemories that tugged him. “From mychildhood I was and still am a people gazer.My biggest interest is to look at people andinteract with them. It gives me the basis forstories. There are dreamers from whom Ican borrow ideas and memories. The inter-actions aren’t one-sided and give me aninsight for survival and growth whileadding a bounce to my stories,” says he.

However, it is a common refrain thatthe art of story-telling is getting lost in thedin of social media and digital devices. Alimakes a point: “Too much of somethingmakes the reverse rise. So if there’s so muchdevice-oriented communication, there’sgoing to be that need of people to speakorally and communicate with each otheras some sort of a therapy in order to relievethe tension and anguish caused by devices.”He looks up at his bodyguard, tells him torelax and asks us to dig into the kebabs thathave been neatly placed in front of us beforeresuming the conversation: “Having some-one to talk to was not a big deal when I wasgrowing up. But now, for a young guy it isa rarity, a luxury. It is easier to find some-one to have sex with but more difficult tofind someone to talk to. Humzuban milna

mushkil hai. (Someone who communicatesand understands at the same level is diffi-cult).” He gestures with his hand and itseems that the sounds emanating from thenearby stage too have paused to let that sinkin.

He points out that oral storytelling wasthe oldest form of the art and even today,it is the most common. “When people nar-rate incidents, that is oral storytelling eventhough the listener doesn’t know if it is factor fiction and doesn’t really care. Evenwhen a husband and wife switch off thelights and talk about the day, that too is sto-rytelling and fulfills a need which a devicecannot. In Bangla, everyday talking iskatha,” says the director whose first filmSocha Na Tha released in 2005.

Through his films, Ali has beenknown to tell stories that are layered butat their heart lies a simple tale which canfind a resonance in everyone. “I am on aquest for a good story but simplicity, notnecessarily. I think in a certain way, I haveseen life in a certain way and, because I amnot a very cinema-literate person, I haveno option but to present it in a certain man-ner. If that becomes simple so be it,” saysAli before asserting that he has to live withhis films forever unlike the audience whomight watch it once, twice or more. “Thismakes it imperative that the story shouldbe engaging, meaningful and, in some way,transcending,” he says and one can’t helpbut nod in agreement, looking back at thejourney of Ved from Tamasha or Geet fromJab We Met.

However, of all of Ali’s films, it isRockstar (2011), the unusual tale of singerJanardhan aka Jordan with its Sufi core,which is often discussed to the bone at fes-tivals and conclaves. The series of coinci-dences that occurred during its making areso surreal that they triggergoosebumps. “Jab We Met(2007), Love Aaj Kal (2009) andSocha Na Tha had tight scriptswith cause and effect. ButRockstar was a loose cannonand things were moving witha certain emotion that had tobe experienced in one scene inorder for the next scene to hap-pen. While shooting the firstbit of Naadan Parindey, whereJordan is arrested by the policeat the hospital and he goeswild, all that I had in mind wasthe sound of the drums com-posed by AR Rahman sir. Afriend from Australia sent mepoetry by Rumi which said,‘the hunting falcon hearsthe sound of the drums,come home, come

home. This turning towards what you lovetruly saves you.’ I didn’t understand it onthe day but later it became the premise ofNaadan Parindey. In the realistic realm ofthe world, coincidences do happen,” hesays.

But that was not the end. It seemed thatthe 13th century poet was trying to inserthimself in the film by being omnipresent.“We were nearing the end and anotherquote ‘Out beyond the ideas of wrongdo-ing and rightdoing there is a field and I willmeet you there’, was sent to me by anoth-er friend. It was at this moment that Irealised that whoever this guy Rumi was,he knew more about the film than I did,”he says as the air around us is lulled intoquiet as if paying its respect to the wordsof wisdom spoken long back and in a dis-tant land. This, as we know, became theopening quotation with which Ali startedthe film.

Just like the Ranbir Kapoor-starrer, hebelieves that stories have a way of findingtheir tellers. “I didn’t have information orthe knowledge to tell these stories. Storieshave a way of finding me as I am sittingin front of a computer in a surrender mode.The best that I can do is not get in the wayor impose my own ideas upon them,” hesays.

Writing is often considered a lonelyaffair and Ali has written all the films thathe has directed till date. “I don’t enjoy writ-ing. I write the first draft feverishly. But thenthere is rewriting, fine tuning and outsideinfluences like a Rumi quote till it isfinalised. Filming is the next chapter ofwriting when there are hundreds of peo-

ple on the set and issues like per-missions not having comethrough, or fading light and more.

You tell the story in the most con-crete fashion at this time because itis recorded on the camera. It does-n’t matter what you have writtenbefore,” he says.

Ali says that a film usually startswhen a writer imagines a scene or acharacter. “You imagine a girl missinga train and talking rudely to the sta-tion master but this imagination isincomplete,” he says as murmurs ofGeet and Jab We Met go round the audi-ence. “When an actor walks in flesh andblood and says it, that is when itbecomes real. So, the interaction betweenthe actor and director is a two-way streetto tell the story effectively,” adds Ali.

However, the Jamshedpur boyprefers not to become a character in hisfilms and says, “Sometimes when I ammaking a movie, I start to behave likesome characters subconsciously and Ihave to stop myself because that is notsustainable in the reality of my world.These often predate the film when theysimply existed in my head.”

However, he does admit that he

enjoys when Jordan peeks out from his per-sona, “I believe I am not at all like him. Heis stupid and I am intelligent. He can singreally well like Mohit Chauhan and I can’tsing at all. In his stupidity and naivety, thereis a truth and lack of cunning. His igno-rance is a path to a higher truth which Iadmire. When I am like that, I push myboundaries which I would have ignored ifI was being myself,” he says.

Though Ali doesn’t want to be Ved orJai (Saif in Love Aaj Kal) as the latter is soflummoxed by different thoughts that hecan barely complete a sentence, this is is acharacter that he sees often in himself andpeople around him. “I start a sentence andrealise that it’s redundant and jump ontosomething else confusing the hell out ofeverybody,” he says.

However, there is a consistency in hisfilms like the use of journey as a metaphorfor life. “Journeys are important to mebecause they change the perspective. If youare at a new place, you feel new. The thingsyou feel or experience are dramatically newas well. That is entertaining in life as wellas movies,” he says.

Linked to the journey is also the ele-ment of the protagonists being a seeker inhis films. Does Ali relate to the fact that theso-called millennials are more often foundto be engaging in the quest for spirituali-ty than the generations past? “There is somuch invigoration in their brain that theabsence of substance really hits them hard.They feel a little hollow. All of us would,if our lives centered around imaginaryfriends. If we are more device-oriented thanhuman interaction oriented. They feel thesense of abyss and they seek a meaning. Sothey are seekers and drawn to spirituali-ty,” he says nodding sagely.

When a person from the audience asks,the way to tell stories, Ali replies, “If therewas only one answer to how, that wouldhave been the end of pursuit in life. Youare fortunately condemned to a life whereyou will constantly try to find it.”

A Hindu College alumnus, Ali loves toshoot in the capital as the old, the very old,the modern and the uber modern coexist.“It is unbelievable that we are sitting overhere and just close by is Humayun’s tomb,Hazrat Nizamuddin dargah, a flyover, TheOberoi hotel and a metro station. Whenyou see a frame in Delhi, you find variouslayers. I really feel proud that there is thepresence of old heritage and culture along-with the new. This is visually representedin every frame,” he says.

Since it is a storytelling festival, Alidecides to narrate one and asks the audi-ence to huddle up close which theypromptly do. He requests them to switchoff their phones and not record it for thereare a few tales which must remain a secretwithin the hearts of the stones, monumentsand a few mortals that are present.

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Though rooted in ancient times,the idea of a tribe has been find-

ing an echo in recent times. Modelsessayed this concept walking downthe levelled-up digital runwaydesigned especially for the grandfinale of FDCI’s Lotus Make-up IndiaFashion Week Spring/Summer 2020.

Designers Anamika Khanna,Rajesh Pratap Singh, WendellRodricks and Manish Arora show-cased their collections in line of ‘MyFashion, My Tribe’.

Khanna opened the show withher collection to a cheering crowd thatincluded actor Sonam Kapoor Ahuja,wearing a white sari with a colourfulcut-work border, paired with a multi-colour shrug. Her collection com-prised contemporary clothing likedhoti drapes, dresses and skirts in var-ious colours — black, red, yellow andwhite. She used digital prints, a lot offeathers and patchwork to give herdesigns a cool, relaxed and summerylook.

The second line-up by Singhopened with a live contempo-rary dance by four dancerswhich emerged from eachcorner of the runway. Hisall-white designs had hugepolka dots and stripes inneon yellow, green andpink. Relaxed silhouettesof dresses, pant suits,jackets and body suitswere accessorised withover-the-top headgearsand chunky white shoeswith neon polka dots.

Rodricks’ collectionpaid an ode to the islandtribes and modelssashayed on Wakanda,wearing free-falling sil-houettes of skirts, capes,bralettes, skirts in most-ly white and with a dashof sky blue, silver and grey.The highlightwere eye-catch-ing headgears.

Models’ faces were painted white giv-ing them a sea goddess look.

Known for his psychedelic colourpalette, Arora showcased the last col-lection. He displayed his love forkitsch motifs with colourful shim-mery dresses, jackets, skirts, gowns,blouses, skirts and trousers made theline-up. The ramp was set ablaze withquirky prints in multi colour, big bowson collars and waist of the outfits,accessories on the wrist, models withhigh pencil pony tails,exaggerated eyelashesand shiny high-heelswith big bows. Itended on a high note

with actorKangana

Ranaut taking to the ramp. Theactor decided not to don anydesigner’s outfit as it was difficultto select one. “My stylist told meto go with something simple and

here I am wearing a white shirt andblack tulle skirt, accessorised with

multiple silver kundan neck-laces,” she said and added that

fashion is a way of life for her.“To enhance yourself is nota favour that you do to theworld. Today, fashionweeks have set such highstandards that we havemodels from all walks of

life — from acid attack sur-vivors, transgenders to people who

are not zero size. Fashion is for every-one,” the actor said.

Her minimalistic make-up andcentre-parted hair neatly tied at theback complemented the perfect look.

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William Dalrymple’s trail ofhis new book — the jour-ney of the East India

Company as it steadily laid claim tothe Indian subcontinent — broughthim up, close to all historical strong-holds of major dynasties of the day.So he chose to photograph them onhis Samsung Edge. Forty of the strik-ing black and white images featurein the exhibition, The Historian’sEye, at Vadehra Contemporarystudio. They convey the immedi-acy and lack of pretension that acellphone offers in recordingthe world around us. For trig-ger-happy cellphone photogra-phers all over the world,Dalrymple has said:“Photography should alwaysbe about the eye, not theequipment.”

The grainy, hauntingimages depict places inDelhi as well as the EastIndia Company’s head-quarters in Calcutta,the capital of thenawabs of Bengal inMurshidabad, TipuSultan’s base

of Srirangapatnam and a few placesin Pakistan.

Dalrymple’s book is about smalland larger truths, about exploitationand diatribes but his photographs atVadehra are the stuff of nostalgia. Inhis photo book, published by HarperCollins, he writes, “I have travelledfrom the Red Fort and Jama Masjidof Delhi to the Company’s head-quarters in Calcutta,” “...from thecapital of the nawabs of Bengal inMurshidabad to as far south as TipuSultan’s base of Srirangapatnam, afortified island in the Cauvery riverbetween Mysore and Bangalore.”

The political dynamics at thetime were tense, rife with familyfeuds and exiled rulers, Marathasand Mughals in a state of constantconflict, and all the while the shad-ow of the Company looming steadi-ly larger.

His travels to various historicalsites become his subject. “I certain-ly find that when I’m writing, myview of an event is almost alwayscompletely changed by visiting thesite,” he explains. “Obviously, every-

thing has changed in 250years and

what you see when you go some-where today is not what Shah Alamsaw in the early 1800s. For example,the Red Fort today is completely dif-ferent; nonetheless, if you’ve neverbeen to the Red Fort, you can’t pos-sibly imagine what his life had beenlike.”

The blacks and whites haveabout them a surreal stillness. Whileeach image has something to pon-der, it is the Delhi series that grabsyou by the eyeballs because it issteeped in the beauty of solitude.Jama Masjid is a panoramic flat lin-ear image that distills the tide oftime. Jantar Mantar has its geomet-ric gravitas while Rajon ki baoli,Mehrauli, has an aura of antiqui-ty. Among narratives that captureevocative experiences isMonsoon afternoon atSafdarjung Tomb.

Dalrymple surfaces as aconcerned historian and pho-

tographer. While he photographs allthese places, we can sense a certainbrand of sensitivity. “The Mughalempire, which had been one super-centralised, hyper-organised empire,suddenly fragmented overnight —like a mirror dropped from a first-floor window,” said Dalrymple abouthis work in an exclusive interview.

His images give an hour-glassdefinition to an area of photographythat has a specific point of view.These images talk to us through thetapestry of faith and the veil of his-

tory. It unravelsDalrympleas a pho-

t o g r ap h e rwho is also a

committed humanist. Unlike a num-ber of run-of-the-mill photojournal-ists as well as mundane, pedestriandocumentary photographers,Dalrymple comes through as anobserver who is far from neutral.Rather he comes through as a pas-sionate historian who has a humanpulse and a viewpoint aboutexploitation, atrocities and colonialhangovers. He is a champion of thenarrative with an eye on integrity.

In more ways than one, youremember the words of the lastMughal, Bahadur Shah Zafar, justbefore his death: “Delhi was once aparadise/ Where Love held swayand reigned/ But its charm liesravished now/ And only ruinsremain.”

Archaeologists excavatingwhat may have been an

ancient Roman drinkingden, in the ruined city ofPompeii, they haveunearthed a well-preservedwall painting of gladiators inaction, complete with realis-tically gory wounds.

The three ft by 4.5ft fres-co is located in the Regio Vsite, in the northern sectionof Pompeii’s archaeologicalpark, in an area not current-ly accessible to visitors. It wasfound on a wall beneath thestairwell of what was prob-ably a tavern or a wine shop.

“The fresco decorated aplace used by gladiators,perhaps a watering hole alsofrequented by prostitutes,”said Massimo Osanna, direc-tor general of the archeolog-ical park. “Of particularinterest in this fresco is theextremely realistic represen-tation of the wounds,” saidOsanna, adding that the out-come of the fight is

unknown. The losing gladi-ator is holding up his fingerto “implore for mercy,” henoted.

The gladiators’ fresco isthe latest finding in thePompeii park, which hasyielded dozens of impressivediscoveries in the last twoyears. But the site in recentyears has also received badpublicity due to decay andpoor maintenance.

Italy’s Culture Minister,Dario Franceschini, hailedthe discovery recently, not-ing that “a few years agoPompeii was known aroundthe world for its negativeimage... Today’s story is oneof redemption.”

Pompeii was a flourish-ing city destroyed by theeruption of Mount Vesuvius

in 79 AD Last October, thefinding of a charcoal inscrip-tion suggested that the erup-tion happened in October 79AD rather than August of thesame year, as was previous-ly believed.

Franceschini stressedthat the fresco finding “real-ly shows that Pompeii is aninexhaustible source ofresearch and knowledge forthe archaeologist of todayand for the future.”

As part of a multi-mil-lion project founded by theEuropean Union, Pompeii iscurrently undergoing itsmost extensive excavationssince the 1950s, with archae-ologists removing tons ofdebris from long-buriedareas of the city.

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Last Friday, the world wokeup to the news of the sud-

den demise of Carnatic saxo-phone maestro KadriGopalnath (1949-2019). Hewas 69, unexpected because hewas in great health and hasbeen regularly performingacross venues. With his passing,the world of Indian classicalmusic lost a pioneer and aninnovator.

Gopalnath was born atSajeepa Mooda in the DakshinaKannada Taluk of Bantwal onDecember 6, 1949. He was thethird among nine children ofNagaswaram artiste Taniyappaand Thangamma, a home-maker. He learnt to play theNagaswaram and clarinet at anearly age. It was during someDussehra celebrations inMysore that he heard the palaceband. The saxophone highlyattracted the eight-year-old.He began training in it underGopalakrishna Iyer inMangalore and later fromBalakrishna Pil lai inKumbakonam. A priest heardhim and invited him to per-form during a puja in the Kadritemple, which was his officialdebut. He was only 15.

Growing up in a poor fam-ily was not easy for the buddingmusician. He even rolled beed-is to earn some money. He wentfor various auditions at the AIRand was selected in the ‘BHigh’ category. After making adebut at the All-India Radio in1978, there was no lookingback. The Bombay Jazz Festival1980 saw him as an instant hitwhen he performed with JohnHandy.

Later, he also went to trainwith Mridangam maestro andsinger Sangita Kalanidhi T VGopalakrishnan. Fondlyaddressed as “TVG,” he wasalready a guru to stalwarts likefilm music director Ilayarajaand several others. TVG taught

him further innovations onthe instrument.

While the Nagaswaram hasbeen integral to Carnaticinstrumental music fromancient times, being played attemples and other festival cer-emonies, the other instrumentswere fairly alien to the genre.The Mysore Palace was famousfor kings who were greatpatrons of art and music. Thepalace had its own band, onewhich inspired Gopalnath.Though initially he performedon the existing saxophones, heeventually worked closely witha company in Hyderabad andengineered his own instrumentto adapt it to Carnatic music.

Gopalnath’s innovation on

the instrument was unique andoriginal. Until then, nobodyhad dared to even try playingthe complicated Carnatic musicnotes on it. There were alreadyseveral artistes playing the clar-inet. But the saxophone wasunexplored. Well, it was a devilthat needed to be tamed. AndGopalnath did it.

Initially, he also faced a lotof opposition from the conser-vative establishment that patro-nised the genre. However, even-tually, it was through his ownmusic that he was able to con-vince them that it was possibleto have a Carnatic saxophone.Soon some of the biggest insti-tutions invited him to perform— the prestigious MusicAcademy of Madras, NaradaGana Sabha, Krishna GanaSabha and so forth. He hadproved that the most complexof Carnatic pieces could beperformed perfectly on a mod-ern Western instrument. Inone of his many concerts, thefamous f i lm director KBalachander and young musicdirector A R Rahman werepresent. They invited him toperform for their films.

Gopalnath’s music washence heard in the famous songAnjali Anjali Pushpanjali in thefilm Duet (1994), starringPrabhu. The song was anastounding success and numer-ous offers followed post that.However, going by what musiccritic Subbudu had said,Gopalnath refused all filmoffers and stuck to performingonly Carnatic music.

Gopalnath was invited reg-ularly to perform at classicalmusic festivals across the world,be it the Berlin Jazz Festival,International Cervantino

Festival in Mexico, the MusicHall Festival in Paris, USA,Canada, and so on. He was thefirst Carnatic musician to beinvited to perform at the BBCpromenade concert at the RoyalAlbert Hall in London in 1994.His name eventually becamesynonymous with the Carnaticsaxophone much like Mandolinwas associated with the prodi-gy stalwart U Shrinivas.

He was the Asthana Vidwanof prominent religious institu-tions like the Sringeri SharadaPeetham, Ahobila Mutt andPillayarpatti temple. He record-ed several noteworthy albums,some of which are East-Westand Southern Brothers withAmerican jazz and classicalflautist James Newton. The2008 album with Americancomposer RudreshMahanthappa Kinsmen is hisanother notable album. He wasalso popular for his music jugal-bandis. From pianist AdnanSami to Hindustani flautistPraveen Godkhindi, he neverhesitated to perform even if theother artistes were far youngerin age than him. He was calledthe “Saxophone Chakravarthy.”

Several awards and recog-nitions came his way for hisimmense contribution to music.In 2008, the album BlueRhizome, by the New Quartet,featured a title Gopalnath com-posed by Karl Seigfried. Apartof this, he was also awarded theTamil Nadu state awardKalaimamani, the CentralSangeet Natak Akademi Award(2004), the Padma Shri (2004)and the Sangita Choodamani(2018).

One of Gopalnath’s twosons, Manikanth Kadri, is amusic composer.

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A HISTORIAN’S TAKE

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Spinners helpedIndia pull off a

thrilling six-runwin over SouthAfrica in a low-scoring thirdwomen’s ODI andcomplete a 3-0series whitewashhere on Monday.

India were ableto defend a modest146 by bowling outSouth Africa for140 in 48 overs.

Spinners EktaBisht (3/32 in 10overs), DeeptiSharma (2/24 in10) and RajeshwariGayakwad (2/22 in10) were the archi-tect of the win thatreaffirmed India’ssupremacy overSouth Africa, whoalso lost the preced-ing six-game T20series.

It seemedSouth Africa wouldget their first win ofthe series whenthey bundled outIndia in 45.5 oversbut another disap-pointing battingp e r f o r m a n c edenied them theopportunity.

India made adisastrous startafter winning thetoss, losing openersPriya Punia andJemimah Rodrguesin the second over.

With the hostsreeling at 55 forfive, T20 skipperHarmanpreet Singh

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World Champion P VSindhu will look to

shake off her indifferentform and regain touch whenshe competes at the $775,000Denmark Open from today.

After claiming the Worldtitle in August, Sindhuendured surprise first and

second round exits at theChina Open and KoreaOpen last month, respective-ly.

World number sixSindhu, who has not won atitle in the BWF World Tourthis season, will take onIndonesia’s Gregoria MariskaTunjung in the first round ofthe World Tour Super 750

tournament.Sindhu enjoys a 5-0

head-to-head record againstthe world number 16. WorldNo 8 Saina Nehwal, on theother hand, has been goingthrough a tough phase withfitness issues hindering herprogress since claiming theIndonesia Masters in January.

The London Olympic

Bronze medallist, who wasdiagnosed with agastroen-teritis problem in March,made first-round exits atChina and Korea and sheaim to get deep into the draw.

A finalist at the last edi-tion, Saina, seeded 8th, is upagainst World No 12 fromJapan Sayaka Takahashi, whohad defeated the Indian thelast time they meet at theThailand Open in August.

Former championKidambi Srikanth, who hadskipped the events in Chinaand Korea due to a kneeissue, too will be eagar tomake a positive start but hewill have to get pastDenmark’s Anders Antonsenin the opening round.

While Srikanth hadbeaten Antonsen at the2017 WorldChampionships, theDanish shuttler has come along way since then, hav-ing reached the finals ofthe World Championshipsat Switzerland.

Currently rankedfourth, Antonsen has wonthe Indonesia Masters,Barcelona Spain Masters,European Games andmade it to the finals at

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Former Australia cricketerand Chennai Super Kings

all-rounder Shane Watson onMonday said it is up to the leg-endary Mahendra SinghDhoni to take a call on hisretirement though “he is stillplaying incredibly well”.

“He has still got the skill.But it is down to him todecide. He still moves incred-ibly well, runs hard betweenthe wickets and has beautifulhands. Whatever he does, itwill be the right thing becausehe knows what lies ahead,”Watson told reporters.

The burly Aussie all-rounder also praised ViratKohli’s captaincy and said hehas done a great job with theIndian team.

“He (Kohli) has done agreat job with the Indian team.He has been playing so well inall formats. Whatever he isdoing right now is certainlyworking and the team isresponding to his leadership,”he added.

Asked if India could dom-inate in the manner done byAustralian sides of the past ledby Steve Waugh and RickyPonting, he said “it is going tobe hard to replicate..But thereis no reason why India can’t do

it.”“There is no doubt that

India has got the depth in allfacets... Batting, bowling andfielding. The depth in Indiancricket is incredibly strong. Ithas got the luxury of havingsomeone like a Rohit Sharmaopening the batting and scor-ing lots of runs. The depth inIndian cricket is incredible... Iam sure this team can winaway from home as well.”

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Lewis Hamilton said he is in nohurry to win a sixth world

championship after the title bat-tle was reduced to a two-horseMercedes race at the JapaneseGrand Prix.

The Formula One circusmoves on to Mexico in twoweeks’ time where Hamilton,enjoying a 64-point lead overValtteri Bottas, can wrap up athird consecutive drivers’ crownif he outscores his teammate by14 points or more.

More likely is that the battlewill be concluded at the subse-quent race at the Grand Prix ofthe Americas in Austin, Texas.

Bottas’ victory at Suzuka andHamilton’s third place clinched asixth consecutive constructors’championship for Mercedes andleft the Finn as the only driverwho can catch Hamilton over thefinal four races of the campaign.

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steadied the innings with a76-ball 38 with the othervaluable contribution coming

from Shikha Pandey (35 off40).

Most of the batters,

including captain Mithali Raj(11 off 46), failed to shift gearsafter getting settled, resultingin India posting a below-partotal.

In the end, even thatproved to be enough againstSouth Africa who were oncourse for a comfortable win at103 for five in the 30th over.

However, India foughtback through their spinnersand even part timersHarmanpreet and Rodrguesdid their bit.

Rodrigues took the finalwicket of the game to sparkcelebrations. It was also herfirst scalp in internationalcricket.

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Indonesia Open Super 1000this year.

World ChampionshipsBronze medallist B SaiPraneeth will be up againstthe legendary Lin Dan, whohad entered the finals atThailand Masters in Januaryand won the Malaysia Openin April but have lookedoff-colour since then.

Former CommonwealthGames champion ParupalliKashyap has been in decentform this year. He reachedthe semifinals at India Openbefore making it to the lastfour at Korea Open. The33-year-old will open againstThailand’s SitthikomThammasin.

Returning to action afterrecovering from dengue willbe H S Prannoy, who faces anuphill task against eighthseeded Indonesian AnthonySinisuka Ginting in theopening match.

Among other Indians inaction, Thailand Open win-ners Satwiksairaj Rankireddyand Chirag Shetty will squareoff against Korea’s Kim GiJung and Lee Yong Dae inthe men’s doubles first round.

Commonwealth GamesBronze medallists AshwiniPonnappa and N SikkiReddy will face top seedsMayu Matsumoto andWakana Nagahara of Japanin women’s doubles.

Men’s doubles pair ofManu Attri and B SumeethReddy will meet England’sMarcus Ellis and ChrisLangridge in the openinground.

Mixed doubles pair ofPranaav Jerry Chopra andSikki will open againstGermany’s Marvin Seideland Linda Efler, while Satwikand Ashwini will take on sec-ond seeds Chinese Wang YiLyu and Huang Dong Ping.

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Buoyed by their gallant goal-less draw against Asianchampions Qatar, India

would be looking to register theirfirst win in the FIFA World Cupqualifiers when they take onBangladesh in a group E secondround match at the SaltlakeStadium, here today.

India put a gritty performanceagainst an attacking Qatar, to holdthe reigning Asian champions toa goalless draw and earn their firstpoint of the qualifiers after suffer-ing a heartbreaking loss in theopening match against Oman.

The absence of defender,Sandesh Jhingan due to an ACLtear on his left knee is a big blowto the hosts. But the return of tal-ismanic captain Sunil Chhetriafter missing the last game will liftthe team’s spirit.

Goalkeeper Gurpreet SinghSandhu took the charge inChhetri’s absence and thwarted abarrage of attacks from Qatar,making 11 saves in a heroic displayto snatch a point from the 2022World Cup hosts.

While defence, tactical forma-tion and discipline were the high-lights of their match against Qatar,the focus against Bangladesh, whoare ranked 83 places below India,would be on the strikers.

Chhetri will remain the go-toman in the attacking zone, but theonus will also be on the likes ofBalwant Singh and Manvir Singhto make an impact.

The skipper will also have thesupport of his Bengaluru FCteammates Udanta Singh andAshique Kuruniyan, whileMandar Rao Desai and SahalAbdul Samad will be key in cre-ating chances.

As for the back line, Stimacwill be forced to rejig his central-defence with Anas Edathodikalikely to pair up with Adil Khanin front of Sandhu.

Jhingan’s injury gives Anaswith a perfect opportunity toprove himself again, especiallyafter returning from retirement.

India failed to keep up theintensity in the final minutesbecause of fitness concerns againstOman but Stimac addressed theissue against Qatar. And it will beinteresting to see how the BlueTigers cope up with the challengeagainst Bangladesh, who have

eight under-23 players in theirsquad.

Bangladesh head to the matchafter two consecutive defeats.They lost narrowly to Afghanistanand in their last match beforegoing down 0-2 to Qatar. But theJamie Day-coached side has putup a strong fight and createdmany chances in the two games.

The Englishman may haveconceded that India are firmfavourites but Bangladesh willcertainly look to make an impactwith their forward duo of NabibNewaz Ziban and Saad Uddin.

On paper, India enjoy a com-manding 15-2 head-to-headrecord in 28 meetings butBangladesh have managed to stayunbeaten in their last two fixtures(1-1 in SAFF Championships,2013 and 2-2 in an Internationalfriendly, 2014).

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Poland and Russia securedtheir places at Euro 2020 on

Sunday with victories over NorthMacedonia and Cyprus respec-tively, while Germany and theNetherlands boosted their hopesof reaching the finals.

Russia eased to a 5-0 thrash-ing of 10-man Cyprus, withPoland joining them, Belgiumand Italy in qualifying this weekby seeing off North Macedonia2-0.

Stanislav Cherchesov’sRussia, only had to avoid defeatin Nicosia to follow Belgium inqualifying from Group I.

Valencia winger DenisCheryshev fired in a ninth-minute opener for the visitors,before Magomed Ozdoev madeit two midway through the firsthalf.

Striker Artem Dzyubascored his third goal in twogames in the 79th minute, beforeAleksandr Golovin andCheryshev’s second completedthe rout late on.

Russia will attempt to over-take Belgium, who beatKazakhstan 2-0 earlier onSunday, at the summit when theyhost the world’s number one sideon November 16.

Poland went into their gameagainst North Macedonia know-ing victory would punch theirticket for the Euros.

They were forced to bepatient by the visitors, whocould qualify through the play-offs after winning their NationsLeague group if they fail to do soautomatically.

But Przemyslaw Frankowski

prodded home less than 60 sec-onds after coming on as a sub-stitute in the 74th minute, beforeAkardiusz Milik made the pointssafe.

Poland remain three pointsclear of Austria, who won 1-0 inSlovenia, at the top of Group G,with North Macedonia andSlovenia five points furtheradrift.

DUTCH SEE OFF BELARUSRonald Koeman’s

Netherlands remained at thetop of Group C ahead ofGermany on head-to-headrecord with a nervy 2-1 win overBelarus in Minsk.

Georginio Wijnaldum head-ed the away team in front in the32nd minute, shortly after DenisLaptev had spurned a golden

chance to give Belarus a shocklead.

The Liverpool midfielderdoubled the advantage before thebreak with a wonderful 25-yardstrike into the top corner, andalthough Stanislav Dragun gaveBelarus hope early in the secondhalf, the Netherlands held onwith relative comfort.

Victory in Belfast over theNorthern Irish next monthwould secure the Oranje a firstappearance at a major tourna-ment since finishing third at the2014 World Cup.

Germany eased to a 3-0victory in Estonia despite seeingEmre Can sent off in the 14thminute.

Ilkay Gundogan, who alongwith Can before kickoff ‘unliked’a controversial Instagram post by

Turkey forward Cenk Tosun,scored twice, with Timo Werneralso finding the net.

WALES HOLD UP CROATIACroatia were made to wait to

qualify, as Gareth Bale’s strike infirst-half injury time provedenough to grab a 1-1 draw forWales in Cardiff.

Nikola Vlasic fired a lowninth-minute shot in off the postto put Croatia on course for qual-ification, before Bale’s fine goalsecured Wales a point in a bad-tempered affair.

Croatia will qualify if theyavoid defeat against Slovakia intheir final match, while Euro2016 semi-finalists Wales couldjoin them with two closing wins,as long as Slovakia do not beatthe Croatians.

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Indian SuperLeague (ISL) will

replace the I-League as the top-tier competition inthe country afterthe stakeholdersagreed to a propos-al of the AsianF o o t b a l lC o n f e d e r a t i o n(AFC), ending the long-drawn and con-tentious restructuring process.

In a meeting at the AFC headquar-ters in Kuala Lumpur, the I-League andISL clubs agreed on a roadmap present-ed by the AFC on domestic football struc-ture reforms in India.

As per the roadmap, the ISL will bethe top league in the country from thisseason itself while I-League will contin-ue as second tier league.

The ISL, which begins in Kochi onOctober 20, will not have promotion andrelegation till 2023-24 by which time theLeague would have completed 10 seasons.

From the 2024-25 season onwards,performance-based promotion and rel-egation will be implemented and therewill not be two parallel leagues.

The ISL champions would now beentitled to a play-off place in the AFCChampions League, the top-tier clubcompetition in Asia, while I-Leaguechampions would compete in the secondtier AFC Cup “as a special compensationto India”.

Another key recommendation by theAFC is to open a pathway for two I-League clubs’ entry into the ISL by theend of the 2020-21 season, subject to thelicensing criteria being fulfilled.

There has been speculation for sometime that Mohun Bagan and East Bengalmay join the ISL but no agreement couldbe reached as the two Kolkata giantswanted a waiver of the �15 crore partic-ipation fee.

The AFC statement is not clear on theparticipation fee issue but AIFF GeneralSecretary Kushal Das said the two clubswill have to pay the fee.

“Whichever two clubs (open forinclusion in the ISL) will have to pay theparticipation fee. This is also accordingto FIFA recommendation,” Das said.

In addition to this, the AFC propos-al said starting with the 2022-23 season,the winner of I-League will stand achance to be promoted to the ISL withno participation fee, subject to fulfillingsporting merit and the national clublicensing criteria to be set out by the AIFF.

“Everyone has to put the good ofIndian football at the forefront and takethe best decisions to develop Indian clubfootball. The AFC will be very muchinvolved to ensure the growth of the gameto the next level with the pathway to a sin-gle league,” AFC General Secretary ‘Dato’Windsor John said.

Former I-League champions MinervaPunjab owner Ranjit Bajaj, who had ear-lier vociferously opposed the AIFF’smove to grant ISL the top league status,said he is happy that main concerns of theI-League clubs have been addressed.

“Four clubs are being promoted (toISL) by four years and then promotionand relegation (in ISL) will start. I con-sider this as a victory even at the cost oflosing the AFC Champions League spot,”he said.

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Expectations are always highfrom India’s record goalscor-

er Sunil Chhetri but ahead ofBangladesh game, the skippersaid others players in the side arevery much capable of outperform-ing him.

Having sat out of Qatar game,Chhetri will return to take chargeof the team but he played downhis presence in the side.

“It was never about me, it willbe never about me. It’s alwaysabout India versus Bangladesh.I’m just one of the 23 players. Idefinitely have been lucky to havea little bit more experience andthat’s about it. There’s no depen-dency on me from my teammates. We are one and we aregoing to play like one,” Chhetrisaid on the eve of group E fixture.

The Jamie Day-coachedBangladesh have made it clear thatIndia will start as favourites withChhetri being the main threat.

“I hope four people markme. So me and four from theopposition are out and we areplaying 10 versus six. I will be veryhappy then we will come to knowabout someone like Udanta(Singh), Ashique (Kuruniyan),

(Abdul) Sahal, Manvir orBalwant.”

“I will try to be as best that Ican be. But if they want to mark,

then it’s good because we havebetter players who are in bettershape than me. You will see themtomorrow,” the 35-year-old said.

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�������Bangladesh captain Jamal Bhuyanon Monday said his team is relishing thechallenge of producing an upset winagainst favourites India, something whichwill give a big boost to the sport in thecricket-crazy country.

“If we win something will change inBangladesh football. India have big com-panies supporting the sport but we lack ininvestment. So it’s a great opportunity tochange that by showcasing what we haveand attract big investments,” he said.

Bhuyan said his team is ready tobreak the hearts of home fans in theirWorld Cup group qualifier. “No pressureon us, the pressure is on India as if they

don’t win the fans will be after them,” hesaid.

“I am going to tell my boys to go thereand give their best. But yes India arefavourites. I am going to break the Indiahearts tomorrow,” the Danish-bornBangladeshi captain said on the eve of thematch.

Bhuyan, a defensive midfielder, said thecontest will centre around the midfield.

"This a big game because we have a his-tory between the two countries and all theplayers from both camps are eager to playthis game. Whoever wins the midfield bat-tle has the better chance to win thematch," said the 29-year-old. PTI

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