FA a`af]ReZ`_ UcRWe 3Z]] ac`a`dVd # TYZ]U a`]ZTj - Daily Pioneer

12
A head of the Assembly elec- tions, the Uttar Pradesh Government is all set to bring a population control Bill that provides for debarring those with more than two children from contesting in local polls, as well as preventing them from applying for or getting promotion in Government jobs, and even receiving Government subsidies. The provisions are part of the draft Bill, titled The Uttar Pradesh Population (Control, Stabilisation and Welfare) Bill, 2021, highlighting the concept “Bacche Do He Acche”. The Bill, drafted by the Uttar Pradesh State Law Commission (UPSLC), is uploaded on its website and is open for public suggestions till July 19. The Bill is expected to kick-off a political storm before Assembly elections of 2022 as it may be objected by a partic- ular community which has higher birth rate than Hindus. Moreover, under the shad- ow of this Bill, Chief Minister Y o g i Adityanath will unveil a new popula- tion policy on Sunday, July 11 — the World population Day. Under the proposed pop- ulation control Bill, any couple who follows the two-child pol- icy will receive perks from the Government, said State’s Law Commission chairman Aditya Nath Mittal on Saturday. “We have proposed that any couple that follows the two-child pol- icy will be given all government benefits. They will be able to avail all government welfare schemes,” said Mittal to a select group of journalists. The UP Law Commission chairman said the new Bill has provisions to debar people who have more than two children from benefitting Government schemes. “If somebody doesn’t fol- low this policy, they won’t be eligible for such schemes. Their ration card will be restricted to four units. They will not be able to apply for Government jobs and if they are already Government employees, then they won’t get a promotion,” Mittal stated. However, the Law Commission chairman added that adherence to the policy will be a voluntary exercise. “If a person voluntarily keeps the number of his family members limited, they will be eligible for Government schemes. We are planning to present the Bill to the Government by the second week of August,” he added. Meanwhile listing out ben- efits for public servants who adopt the two-child policy, the draft Bill said, “Public ser- vants who adopt the two-child norm will get two additional increments during the entire service, maternity or as the case may be, paternity leave of 12 months, with full salary and allowances and three per cent increase in the employer’s con- tribution fund under national pension scheme.” L egendary Ayurvedic physician Dr Panniampilli Krishnankutty Warrier, popularly known as Dr PK Warrier, is no more. He breathed his last on Saturday noon at his residence in Kottakkal. Dr Warrier took Ayurveda system of medicine to the global arena. He was the managing trustee of Kottakkal Aryavaidya Sala, a position he was holding for the last six decades. The All India Ayurvedic Conference, the apex body of the country’s Ayurvedic physicians, had honoured him with the title Ayurveda Maharshi. The President of India bestowed him with the country’s top civilian honours Padma Shree and Padma Bhushan in 1999 and 2010 respectively. On June 8, the great Ayurvedic scholar celebrated his 100th birth anniversary. His wife Madhavikutty Warassyar, a poetess of repute, had predeceased him. He is survived by his son K Balachandran Warrier and daughter Subhadra Ramachandran. Kottakkal, a remote and under developed rural area in Malappuram district of Kerala has become a hub of Ayurveda and arts thanks to the initiatives of Dr Warrier, one of the founder patrons of the Communist Party of India. Though engineering and mathematics were his passions, Dr Warrier ended up as a student of Ayurveda. Vaidya Rathnam PS Warrier, his maternal uncle was his “guru” and guardian. He joined P S Warrier Ayurvcda College as a student and since then the branch of medicine was his life and mis- sion. Political, social and cultural Kerala expressed sorrow and sad- ness over the demise of Dr Warrier. President Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed condolences over the passing away of Dr Warrier. “Saddened by the passing away of Dr PK Warrier. His con- tributions to popularise Ayurveda will always be remembered. Condolences to his family and friends. Om Shanti,” the Prime Minister said in his message. “In the demise of P K Warrier, Ayurveda has lost one of its great- est modern proponents. Honoured with Padma Shri and Padma Bhushan, he exemplified the efficacy of Ayurveda through his active life spanning 100 years. Condolences to his family, admir- ers and associates,”the President said in his message. W ithin the next four to six weeks, the World Health Organization (WHO) will decide on including Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin in the emer- gency use list (EUL). Sources said once the decision is taken, it will boost the export status of the Hyderabad-based pharma maker and make it eligible for “green passport.” WHO chief scientist Soumya Swaminathan has said the global body is reviewing Covaxin as the manufacturer Bharat Biotech is uploading its entire data on the official por- tal. As per WHO guidelines, EUL is a procedure to stream- line the process by which new or unlicensed products can be used during public health emergencies. “There is a process to be followed for EUL and pre- qualification of vaccines under which a company has to com- plete phase 3 trials and submit the whole data to the regulatory department of WHO which is examined by an expert advi- sory group,” Swaminathan said at a webinar organised by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) here recently. Currently, six vaccines have been granted EUL and have recommendations from Strategic Advisory Group of Experts (SAGE). T he Delhi Government on Saturday issued orders that people violating noise pollution norms will have to pay 10,000 to 1 lakh fine. Those using loudspeakers without permis- sion or diesel generator sets will be penalised as the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) has asked authorities to strictly implement the revised rules. According to the Central Pollution Control Board’s (CPCB) revised penalties, one will have to pay 10,000 fine in case of noise violation by a loudspeaker or a public address system at a public place with- out permission or during night, and the equipment will also be confiscated. “A fine of 1 lakh has been set for diesel genera- tor (DG) sets of over 1,000 KVA, 25,000 for DG sets between 62.5 KVA to 1,000 KVA and 10,000 for DG sets upto 62.5 KVA,” the DPCC order said. In Delhi, the permissible noise level in residential areas is 55 decibel during day time and 45 decibel during night. Similarly, in commercial areas, the permissible sound limit is 65 decibel during day time and 55 decibel during night. In sensi- tive areas it is 50 decibel during the day and 40 decibel at night. Other than this, there are silent zones that includeareas which lie within 100 metres of premises of schools, colleges, hospitals and courts. According to the order, in case of bursting of firecrackers beyond the prescribed limit within premises of any RWA or at a marriage function, the organiser and the owner of the premises will have to pay 20,000 for the first violation. “For the second violation, the organiser and the owner will have to pay 40,000. For more than two violations within a fixed premises or at a marriage function, the organiser and the owner will have to pay a fine of 1 lakh. The premises will also be sealed,” the DPCC order stated. W ith the arrest of four peo- ple, including an Afghan national, the Special Cell of Delhi Police on Saturday claimed to have busted a syn- dicate involved in smuggling drugs in the country. Police have recovered a record quan- tity of 354-kilogram Afghan heroin worth over 2,500 crore in international markets. The accused have been identified as Rizwan Kashmiri, a resident of Ghitorni and native of Anantnag in Jammu and Kashmir, Gurpreet Singh and Gurjot Singh, both resi- dents of Jalandhar in Punjab and Hazrat Ali, a native of Kandhar in Afghanistan. Police said recently it came to notice that Kashmiri was involved in drug peddling in Delhi and other States like Punjab, Madhya Pradesh and Haryana. According to Pramod Singh Kushwah, the Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), Special Cell, on Monday, information was received that Kashmiri was going to deliver contraband in south Delhi’s Ghitorni area. “Following the inputs, a trap was laid and the accused was arrested when he was going to deliver a packet of one kilogram of heroin. On inter- rogation, Kashmiri revealed that he works under the com- mand of an Afghan national Isha Khan who recently left India for Afghanistan. Khan directed him to contact Gurpreet and Gurjot who were currently operating a drug racket from Faridabad Sector- 65 in Haryana,” said the DCP. C racking its whip against the Government employees, including policemen harbour- ing terrorists, the Union Territory administration in Jammu & Kashmir has termi- nated the services of at least 11 employees with immediate effect. Among the sacked employees are two sons of Hizbul Mujahideen founder Syed Salahuddin. A senior bureaucrat of the Jammu and Kashmir General Administration Department confirmed the news to The Pioneer. Syed Shahid Yusuf and Shakeel Yusuf, both sons of Syed Salahuddin, came on the radar of the National Investigation Agency when they started a probe in the ter- ror funding cases. Salahuddin’s eldest son Shakeel Yusuf was arrested by the NIA in connection with a 2011 terror funding case for allegedly receiving money from his father in August 2018. At the time of the arrest. Shakeel was working as a laboratory assistant at a prestigious Government hospital in Srinagar. In October 2017, Salahuddin’s son Syed Shahid Yusuf was arrested in the same case for allegedly receiving money from his father, who is currently based in Pakistan. Shahid Yusuf was working in the Agriculture department. Official sources claimed some of these employees, including two policemen, were working as overground work- ers for terrorist organisations. These employees were involved in arranging logistics, provid- ing shelter, transporting arms consignment and spread- ing propaganda on social media platforms. A new study of antibodies produced in saliva after the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vac- cine shows both the impor- tance of the second vaccine dose and updating vaccines to combat new variants of con- cern. The study showed that the number of antibodies pro- duced and protection offered by vaccination increased sub- stantially after the second vac- cine dose was given. The team, including Nicole Schneiderhan-Marra, at the University of Tubingen, also examined whether it offered protection against Alpha and Beta variants. While there was no reduc- tion in neutralising antibodies against the Alpha variant, there was a substantial reduction in neutralising antibodies against the Beta variant, indicated the study, presented at the European Congress of Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases. I n order to prevent crowding by visitors at tourist destina- tions and check the resulting Covid-19 threat, the State Government is expected to ask hoteliers to put a cap on the booking in hotels in Nainital and Dehradun districts. The authorities in Dehradun and Nainital strict- ly enforced Covid guidelines and other measures to prevent crowding in popular tourist destinations like Mussoorie and Nainital. In Dehradun dis- trict, only those tourists with RT-PCR negative test con- ducted not more than 72 hours earlier and with prior hotel bookings are being allowed to enter Mussoorie, while similar measures have been adopted along with a changed traffic management plan in Nainital. New Delhi: Highly transmis- sible Delta Plus variant has now reached the Northeastern region of the country also with Tripura, for the first time, reporting 138 cases. At least 90 per cent of samples in Tripura that were sent for genome sequencing have been found to be con- taining Delta Plus variant, offi- cial said. However, hours after the announcement confusion pre- vailed over the variant with the Centre claiming that it was the Delta variant that was found in these samples. Detailed report on P5

Transcript of FA a`af]ReZ`_ UcRWe 3Z]] ac`a`dVd # TYZ]U a`]ZTj - Daily Pioneer

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Ahead of the Assembly elec-tions, the Uttar Pradesh

Government is all set to bringa population control Bill thatprovides for debarring thosewith more than two childrenfrom contesting in local polls,as well as preventing themfrom applying for or gettingpromotion in Governmentjobs, and even receivingGovernment subsidies.

The provisions are part ofthe draft Bill, titled The UttarPradesh Population (Control,Stabilisation and Welfare) Bill,2021, highlighting the concept“Bacche Do He Acche”.

The Bill,drafted by theUttar PradeshState LawC o m m i s s i o n(UPSLC), isuploaded on itswebsite and isopen for publicsuggestions tillJuly 19.

The Bill is expected tokick-off a political storm beforeAssembly elections of 2022 asit may be objected by a partic-ular community which hashigher birth rate than Hindus.

Moreover, under the shad-ow of this Bill,Chief Minister

Y o g iAdityanathwill unveil anew popula-tion policy on

Sunday, July 11

— the World population Day.Under the proposed pop-

ulation control Bill, any couplewho follows the two-child pol-icy will receive perks from theGovernment, said State’s LawCommission chairman AdityaNath Mittal on Saturday. “Wehave proposed that any couplethat follows the two-child pol-icy will be given all governmentbenefits. They will be able toavail all government welfareschemes,” said Mittal to a selectgroup of journalists.

The UP Law Commissionchairman said the new Bill hasprovisions to debar people whohave more than two childrenfrom benefitting Governmentschemes.

“If somebody doesn’t fol-low this policy, they won’t beeligible for such schemes. Theirration card will be restricted tofour units. They will not be ableto apply for Government jobsand if they are alreadyGovernment employees, thenthey won’t get a promotion,”Mittal stated.

However, the LawCommission chairman addedthat adherence to the policywill be a voluntary exercise. “Ifa person voluntarily keeps thenumber of his family memberslimited, they will be eligible forGovernment schemes. We areplanning to present the Bill tothe Government by the secondweek of August,” he added.

Meanwhile listing out ben-efits for public servants whoadopt the two-child policy, thedraft Bill said, “Public ser-vants who adopt the two-childnorm will get two additionalincrements during the entireservice, maternity or as the casemay be, paternity leave of 12months, with full salary andallowances and three per centincrease in the employer’s con-tribution fund under nationalpension scheme.”

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Legendary Ayurvedic physicianDr Panniampilli Krishnankutty

Warrier, popularly known as DrPK Warrier, is no more. Hebreathed his last on Saturdaynoon at his residence in Kottakkal.

Dr Warrier took Ayurvedasystem of medicine to the globalarena. He was the managingtrustee of Kottakkal AryavaidyaSala, a position he was holding forthe last six decades.

The All India AyurvedicConference, the apex body of thecountry’s Ayurvedic physicians,had honoured him with the titleAyurveda Maharshi. The Presidentof India bestowed him with thecountry’s top civilian honoursPadma Shree and Padma Bhushanin 1999 and 2010 respectively.

On June 8, the great Ayurvedicscholar celebrated his 100th birth

anniversary.His wife Madhavikutty

Warassyar, a poetess of repute, hadpredeceased him. He is survivedby his son K BalachandranWarrier and daughter SubhadraRamachandran.

Kottakkal, a remote and underdeveloped rural area inMalappuram district of Keralahas become a hub of Ayurvedaand arts thanks to the initiativesof Dr Warrier, one of the founderpatrons of the Communist Partyof India.

Though engineering andmathematics were his passions, DrWarrier ended up as a student ofAyurveda. Vaidya Rathnam PSWarrier, his maternal uncle was his“guru” and guardian. He joined PS Warrier Ayurvcda College as astudent and since then the branchof medicine was his life and mis-sion.

Political, social and culturalKerala expressed sorrow and sad-ness over the demise of DrWarrier.

President Ram Nath Kovindand Prime Minister NarendraModi expressed condolences overthe passing away of Dr Warrier.

“Saddened by the passingaway of Dr PK Warrier. His con-tributions to popularise Ayurvedawill always be remembered.Condolences to his family andfriends. Om Shanti,” the PrimeMinister said in his message.

“In the demise of P K Warrier,Ayurveda has lost one of its great-est modern proponents.Honoured with Padma Shri andPadma Bhushan, he exemplifiedthe efficacy of Ayurveda throughhis active life spanning 100 years.Condolences to his family, admir-ers and associates,”the Presidentsaid in his message.

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Within the next four to sixweeks, the World Health

Organization (WHO) willdecide on including BharatBiotech’s Covaxin in the emer-gency use list (EUL). Sourcessaid once the decision is taken,it will boost the export status ofthe Hyderabad-based pharmamaker and make it eligible for“green passport.”

WHO chief scientistSoumya Swaminathan has saidthe global body is reviewingCovaxin as the manufacturerBharat Biotech is uploading its

entire data on the official por-tal. As per WHO guidelines,EUL is a procedure to stream-line the process by which newor unlicensed products can beused during public healthemergencies.

“There is a process to befollowed for EUL and pre-qualification of vaccines underwhich a company has to com-plete phase 3 trials and submitthe whole data to the regulatorydepartment of WHO which isexamined by an expert advi-sory group,” Swaminathan said at a webinar organised by the Centre for Science

and Environment (CSE) here recently.

Currently, six vaccines havebeen granted EUL and haverecommendations fromStrategic Advisory Group of Experts (SAGE).

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The Delhi Government onSaturday issued orders that

people violating noise pollutionnorms will have to pay �10,000to �1 lakh fine. Those usingloudspeakers without permis-sion or diesel generator sets willbe penalised as the DelhiPollution Control Committee(DPCC) has asked authoritiesto strictly implement therevised rules.

According to the CentralPollution Control Board’s(CPCB) revised penalties, onewill have to pay �10,000 fine incase of noise violation by aloudspeaker or a public addresssystem at a public place with-out permission or during night,and the equipment will also beconfiscated. “A fine of �1 lakhhas been set for diesel genera-tor (DG) sets of over 1,000KVA, �25,000 for DG setsbetween 62.5 KVA to 1,000KVA and �10,000 for DG setsupto 62.5 KVA,” the DPCCorder said.

In Delhi, the permissiblenoise level in residential areas is55 decibel during day time and45 decibel during night.Similarly, in commercial areas,the permissible sound limit is 65

decibel during day time and 55decibel during night. In sensi-tive areas it is 50 decibel duringthe day and 40 decibel at night.

Other than this, there aresilent zones that includeareaswhich lie within 100 metres ofpremises of schools, colleges,hospitals and courts.

According to the order, incase of bursting of firecrackersbeyond the prescribed limitwithin premises of any RWA or

at a marriage function, theorganiser and the owner of thepremises will have to pay�20,000 for the first violation.“For the second violation, theorganiser and the owner willhave to pay �40,000. For morethan two violations within afixed premises or at a marriagefunction, the organiser andthe owner will have to pay afine of �1 lakh. The premiseswill also be sealed,” the DPCCorder stated.

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With the arrest of four peo-ple, including an Afghan

national, the Special Cell ofDelhi Police on Saturdayclaimed to have busted a syn-dicate involved in smugglingdrugs in the country. Policehave recovered a record quan-tity of 354-kilogram Afghanheroin worth over �2,500 crorein international markets.

The accused have beenidentified as Rizwan Kashmiri,a resident of Ghitorni andnative of Anantnag in Jammuand Kashmir, Gurpreet Singh

and Gurjot Singh, both resi-dents of Jalandhar in Punjaband Hazrat Ali, a native ofKandhar in Afghanistan.

Police said recently it cameto notice that Kashmiri wasinvolved in drug peddling inDelhi and other States likePunjab, Madhya Pradesh and Haryana.

According to PramodSingh Kushwah, the DeputyCommissioner of Police(DCP), Special Cell, onMonday, information wasreceived that Kashmiri wasgoing to deliver contraband in

south Delhi’s Ghitorni area.“Following the inputs, a

trap was laid and the accusedwas arrested when he wasgoing to deliver a packet of onekilogram of heroin. On inter-rogation, Kashmiri revealedthat he works under the com-mand of an Afghan nationalIsha Khan who recently leftIndia for Afghanistan. Khandirected him to contactGurpreet and Gurjot who werecurrently operating a drugracket from Faridabad Sector-65 in Haryana,” said the DCP.

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Cracking its whip against theGovernment employees,

including policemen harbour-ing terrorists, the UnionTerritory administration inJammu & Kashmir has termi-nated the services of at least 11employees with immediateeffect. Among the sackedemployees are two sons ofHizbul Mujahideen founderSyed Salahuddin.

A senior bureaucrat of theJammu and Kashmir GeneralAdministration Departmentconfirmed the news to The Pioneer.

Syed Shahid Yusuf andShakeel Yusuf, both sons ofSyed Salahuddin, came on theradar of the NationalInvestigation Agency whenthey started a probe in the ter-ror funding cases.

Salahuddin’s eldest sonShakeel Yusuf was arrested bythe NIA in connection with a2011 terror funding case forallegedly receiving money fromhis father in August 2018. At thetime of the arrest. Shakeel wasworking as a laboratory assistantat a prestigious Governmenthospital in Srinagar.

In October 2017,Salahuddin’s son Syed ShahidYusuf was arrested in the samecase for allegedly receivingmoney from his father, who iscurrently based in Pakistan.Shahid Yusuf was working inthe Agriculture department.

Official sources claimedsome of these employees,including two policemen, wereworking as overground work-ers for terrorist organisations.These employees were involvedin arranging logistics, provid-ing shelter, transporting arms consignment and spread-ing propaganda on socialmedia platforms.

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Anew study of antibodiesproduced in saliva after the

Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vac-cine shows both the impor-tance of the second vaccinedose and updating vaccines tocombat new variants of con-cern. The study showed thatthe number of antibodies pro-duced and protection offeredby vaccination increased sub-stantially after the second vac-cine dose was given.

The team, including NicoleSchneiderhan-Marra, at theUniversity of Tubingen, alsoexamined whether it offered

protection against Alpha andBeta variants.

While there was no reduc-tion in neutralising antibodiesagainst the Alpha variant, therewas a substantial reduction inneutralising antibodies againstthe Beta variant, indicated thestudy, presented at theEuropean Congress of Clinical Microbiology &Infectious Diseases.

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In order to prevent crowdingby visitors at tourist destina-

tions and check the resultingCovid-19 threat, the StateGovernment is expected toask hoteliers to put a cap on thebooking in hotels in Nainitaland Dehradun districts.

The authorities inDehradun and Nainital strict-ly enforced Covid guidelinesand other measures to preventcrowding in popular touristdestinations like Mussoorieand Nainital. In Dehradun dis-trict, only those tourists withRT-PCR negative test con-ducted not more than 72 hours

earlier and with prior hotelbookings are being allowed toenter Mussoorie, while similarmeasures have been adoptedalong with a changed trafficmanagement plan in Nainital.

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������������� ���������������� �����������New Delhi: Highly transmis-sible Delta Plus variant has nowreached the Northeasternregion of the country also withTripura, for the first time,reporting 138 cases.

At least 90 per cent ofsamples in Tripura that weresent for genome sequencinghave been found to be con-taining Delta Plus variant, offi-cial said.

However, hours after theannouncement confusion pre-vailed over the variant with theCentre claiming that it was theDelta variant that was found inthese samples.

Detailed report on P5

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However mindless animation maybe but there is something rathercute about watching such movies. And if these happen to be themonster kind, the better. Why? The reason is simple, the monsters

may be ugly to look at but these films are made for kids so they arenever going to be blood curling scary or frightening. If you are the kindof person who wants to watch horror films but can’t, a good place tostart is watching animation horror films like Monsters At work or theHotel Transylvania series. There are always exceptions to the rule likeCoraline or Monster House.

The good part about Monsters At Work is that it is a TV series andDisney+Hotstar has just dropped two episodes in Season 1. The 24-minuteanimation is simple and mindless to watch and the toddlers will love itsince there are plenty of scenes that will make them laugh and the adultswill smile.

The monsters here are cute even if they come with one eye or five,look like a snail or have large sharp teeth or for that matter even if theyhave large horns to scare the heebie-jeebies out of you if they actually existedin real-life.

But here, they are screw-ups and can no longer scare kids. Their tagline— We Scare Because We Care — gets changed to It’s Laughter We’re After.This, of course, brings in plenty of fun moments — both for the monsterswho don’t know how to make others laugh and the tiny tots watching themblunder their way ahead.

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�How has your experience been doingKhatron Ke Khiladi Season 11?

It was the most crazy experience I haveever had. It is something which not manypeople have done in life and I am extremelylucky to have been a part of this show.�What are your biggest fears?

I am terrified of snakes and water. I haveconsiderably overcame them, but you can’tbe fully comfortable under water because ofthe sinking feeling, but still I have overcameit to a certain extent.�How about heights? Are you comfortablewith it?

It is of course scary. No one would beable to walk with confidence on the 17thfloor of a building. Sab ke paerkaanpenge. But Khatron KeKhiladi is the only show whichmakes you do the mostadventurous fun games atutmost safety and also pay youto play these games. Whatelse does one needs?�Did you have any strategy in mind beforedoing the show?

I never strategise anything in life. To gowith the moment has always been myphilosophy. But, I had a bad back issues, sothat was the only I was careful about. Andthe only promise that Disha (Parmar) hastaken from me was that: You are doing a show,you can take as much time as you want, butcome back in one piece. And I have lived upto that promise of mine.�Whom did you bond well on the sets?

Many people ask this question, I don’tknow why and I find it hard to answer. Asartists, we all are doing our job together. Beinga part of a show is work for us. We alreadyhave our separate set of people whom weresonate with, and when we are workingtogether with a group on a show, it isprofessional. But, having said that, I did bondwell with everybody and all of them are lovelypeople. There’s no particular person.�Who is your favourite contestant?

It has to be Vishal Aditya Singh. The wayhe pulled off and nailed a few stunts wascommendable.�How has your life changed after Bigg Boss14?

Bigg Boss is one show which is followedby a variety of people and this is the mostbeautiful thing about it. The other day, therewas a painter in my building, he happenedto see me and he was like: ‘Sir, aap mujhebohot pasand aaye the Bigg Boss me’. Then,I met a bureaucrat who was also a fan of theshow. The only reason I opted for Bigg Boss

was to get colloquial with the new generation.Going to the show has been of my bestdecisions and I feel fortunate.�Do you feel you should have donesomething differently in Bigg Boss?

Not at all. I never see my work andneither do I think what if I had done this orthat. I believe in what’s mean to be will happenand what didn’t happen was because it wasn’tmeant to be. There’s no point of thinking whatshould or shouldn’t have been done. It is assimple as that. I never regret something thatdidn’t happen. Every person tend to react indifferent ways, in different situations. It isnatural.�You have done Bigg Boss and nowKhatron Ke Khiladi, both of which arevery different from each other. What elsewill we see you exploring in the nearfuture?

Like you said, Bigg Boss is done, KKKis done, now a dance show is left. May bewill do that as well. Honestly, with myback issues, until and unless those aresorted, I wouldn’t be doing a dance show

anytime soon. Also, I don’t enjoy dancing,that is why I don’t do it. But I am getting alot of offers to come as judge on some realityshows, so probably I will take up one of that. �Certain reality shows have landed in somecontroversies...

I know you are talking about Indian Idol,but that show is the reason behind what I amtoday. My only answer is that at the end ofthe day, all these shows are made forentertainment purposes and if certain thingsare changed for entertainment, I don’t thinkit is a big deal.�But if you are judge on a reality show andyou are asked to praise contestants, wouldyou do it?

I will never lie about my feelings and Ihave never done that. I will only do what Ifeel is correct.�You have recently announced yourwedding on July 16, 2021. With so muchgoing on, how are you managing things?

It’s extremely difficult. It’s like everythinghas come together at one point. I am gettingmarried in less than nine days and my clothesare still not sorted. It’s crazy. �How’s Disha coping with your busyschedule?

She is extremely patient. She had let hergroom-to-be to go in a different country anddo a show only about a month before themarriage. People plan for months for suchoccasions, but I have given only 20 days toit. But, like I mentioned, she has beenextremely supportive and patient.

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There are no guesses why thismovie has this title; it is self-explanatory — a bomber who

enters a school with a bomb around hisneck which needs to be diffusedprovided certain tasks are completed.Nothing new here. There have been anumber of movies that have been madewhere the hero has to pander to thewhims and fancies of a terrorist so thathe doesn’t blow up the place!

Collar Bomb comes with a twist andas the story unfolds one gets pulled intothe story that gets bizarre as the minutespass. From the word go, we know thatour hero or should we say anti-heroManoj Hesi played by Jimmy Shergillhas a past where his hands are not soclean.

Director Dnyanesh Zoting, howevertakes the viewers on a rollercoaster

journey with plenty of turns and twiststhat will keep one engrossed for 86minutes. For a Hindi movie, it is awelcome change. The film doesn’t losepace and the way it moves forward israther intriguing. The reason for theshort run-time could stem from the factthat Zoting has in the past directed threeshort films. In fact, many of ourdirectors should take a leaf out of CollarBomb and not drag the plot for the heckof it, taking away the essence of thestoryline.

Shergill along with the other starcast do their part well. But it is Shergill,who plays the not so clean cop whoshoulders the film as the plot unravels.It is here that the movie loses steam andwhile it had started off on a high note,the end is a damp squib just like a dudbomb that refuses to light up.

Over all, Collar Bomb makes for aone time watch if you can get past themany loopholes and the whimperingend.

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Ends on a whimper

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Ahead of the Assembly polls,Punjab BJP on Saturday

expelled former state ministerAnil Joshi from the party for sixyears after he gave his reply toa show-cause notice issued bythe state unit of the party for his“anti-party” activities. The nextpolitical move of Joshi is beingwatched now.

According to the notice,Joshi had been making state-ments against the Union gov-ernment, party's central lead-ership and policies. He wasexpelled on the directions ofstate unit chief AshwaniSharma, according to a partystatement.

Joshi did not give up hisstubborn attitude of goingagainst the party whereuponstate BJP chief Ashwani Sharmaon the recommendations of adisciplinary committeeexpelled him from the prima-ry membership of the party forsix years.

Earlier, in a two-page replyto the show-cause notice, Joshisaid he never spoke against theCentre’s farm laws and askedthe state party chief if it is indis-cipline to talk about farmers.The former Amritsar NorthMLA asserted that he alwaysspoke about the party's inter-ests. “I neither spoke against theCentre's farm laws nor againstcentral leaders,” Joshi replied.

Joshi rather asked PunjabBJP chief Ashwani Sharma

whether it was indiscipline totalk about farmers. “Is it indis-cipline to talk about arhtiyas,industrialists, small traders andlabourers,” he asked. The for-mer minister said workers areleaving the party and asked thePunjab BJP chief whether giv-ing a suggestion to save theparty was indiscipline.

Joshi also pointed out thatinitially, farmers protestingagainst the farm laws in thestate had a few demands thatcould have been handled hadthe BJP's Punjab unit madesome efforts.

Joshi has been blaming theparty's state leadership for notgiving a correct feedback to theCentre on the farm laws. Hehad also stated that it hadbecome difficult for partyworkers to come out of theirhomes.

Earlier this week, the for-mer legislator from AmritsarNorth segment slammed thestate unit for giving “incorrectfeedback” to the Centre onfarm laws, and severely impact-ing the state party unit by“misguiding” the central lead-ership. Mincing no words toattack the state’s senior leader-ship in wrongfully dealing withthe issue of farmers’ agitationover the controversial laws,Joshi demanded the resignationof the state unit presidentAshwani Sharma.

“State BJP presidentAshwani Sharma should admithis failure and resign ratherthan issuing me notices. He

should resign for failing insecuring the party leaders andworkers in the State, who arefeeling suffocated or suffering.He failed to stand by the partyMLA who was thrashed andstripped,” said Joshi who wasasked to respond to notice intwo days explaining whyrepeatedly he has been makinganti-party statements and act-ing against the interests of theparty.

Joshi maintained that thestate party leadership did notconveyed the real picture offarmers’ issue to the high com-mand but always “misguidedthe Centre”, projected com-mon people as farmers bymaking them wear turbansduring video conference meet-ings with the central leaders;

He said that the state unit,led by Ashwani Sharma, “liedto the party’s senior leadershipby telling them that they hadmade farmers in villages under-stand the benefits of the farmlaws by holding programmesand functions, whereas thetruth was that farmers were sit-ting on toll barriers and railwaytracks to protest these laws”.

Joshi had shown support tothe farmers’ agitation by sayingthat they have to contest theelections in Punjab and theycannot ignore the voice of peo-ple from Punjab. Joshi hadheld state leaders of BJPresponsible for the condition ofparty workers and attacks onthem.

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Punjab police on Saturdaysaid it has busted another

Madhya Pradesh-based illegalarms supply network andarrested its main supplier. Thisis the third such MP-based ille-gal weapon manufacturing andsupply module busted by thePunjab Police in the last eightmonths.

The accused has been iden-tified as Baljit Singh aliasSweety Singh, a resident ofBarwani district in MP. He wasfound indulging in manufac-turing and supplying high-quality illicit weapons toPunjab and other states innorth India, said DirectorGeneral of Police (DGP)Dinkar Gupta here. The policealso recovered three .32 borepistols, along with three mag-azines from his possession, headded.

Earlier, Amritsar RuralPolice had unearthed two suchmodules, including one illicitsmall arms manufacturing unitin MP with the arrest of smug-glers, who were supplyingweapons to gangsters, criminalsand radicals in Punjab.

DGP Gupta, in a state-ment, said the developmentcame 10 days after theKapurthala police in the follow-up operations led by SSPHarkamalpreet Singh Khakhhad arrested four robbers afterrecovering 10 pistols and onerifle along with ammunitionfrom their possession. He saidthe arrested robbers revealed

they were getting the supply ofweapons from MP-basedsmuggler Sweety Singh andwere hatching a conspiracy tocarry out robberies, snatchmoney from petrol pumps aswell as farmers.

The DGP said followingthese inputs, the Kapurthalapolice procured arrest war-rants of Sweety Singh and aspecial police team fromKapurthala was despatched toBarwani district to arrest himafter coordinating with theMadhya Pradesh Police. "Aftervigorous efforts, the PunjabPolice team, while workingclosely with MP police, man-aged to arrest Sweety Singh,who unsuccessfully attemptedto evade arrest by crossing theNarmada river to enter theMaharashtra border," he said.

Senior Superintendent ofPolice Khakh said Sweety haddisclosed that he and his elderbrother, Sumer Singh, wereinto the weapons manufactur-ing and supply trade frommany years and they used toupload videos of pistols on var-ious social media platforms tolure their customers and this ishow the present robber mod-ule of Punjab established con-tact with them. He said initialinvestigations found thatSweety was running a YouTubechannel in the name of ''AzadGroup Munger'' on which heused to flourish his illegalweapons business and whenbuyers ask about price, thegroup used to share theirWhatsApp number.

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The power woes in Punjabcontinues as the state is

witnessing all time high powerdemand due to prolonged dryspell, increase in demand ofpower from agricultural sectorand reduced power availabili-ty due to low reservoir levelsand reduced generation fromhydro power stations includingBBMB and outage of units ofTalwandi Sabo Power Limited(TSPL) Mansa.

To bridge the gap betweendemand and supply, PSPCL onSaturday said it has been con-strained to impose power reg-ulatory measures on industri-al consumers.

CMD, A.Venu Prasad saidthat keeping in view of per-sistent demand of the indus-trial consumers of the state,Punjab State PowerCorporation Limited has

relaxed power regulatory mea-sures on general category LSconsumers having sanctionedcontract demand up to 1000KVA with effect from Saturday.

Industrial consumers havenow been allowed to operateup to 100 KVA of load, whilethe earlier exemption limitwas only up to 50 KVA only.This shall increase the load onthe PSPCL system by about600 MW. The CMD said thatPSPCL has arranged to pur-chase 752 MW power at therate of 3.08 Paise per unit forJuly 11.

He informed that onSaturday peak demand wasrecorded at 12500 MW andPSPCL supplied nearly 8 hourspower supply to the agriculturesector. He also said that due totripping of TSPCL thermalunit generation to the extent of1980 MW was lost.

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Haryana Chief MinisterManohar Lal Khattar has

written a letter to MeenakshiLekhi, Minister of State,Ministry of External Affairsover Kurukshetra youth VishalJood’s release who is lodged inan Australian prison sinceApril 2021 over charges ofbeing involved in an assault inSydney.

Urging Lekhi’s high prior-ity intervention to secure jus-tice for a 'Son of Haryana' inAustralia, Khattar has writtenthat he has received represen-tations from various quartersincluding his family who haveconveyed to him that VishalJood got into a tussle with agroup, that was raising anti-Indian slogans and even dese-crating the Indian NationalFlag and these groups have sub-sequently framed him on falsecharges.

In the letter, the ChiefMinister has further high-lighted that he had also held avirtual meeting with some rep-resentatives of the Indian dias-pora in Australia, who arebacking Vishal and have start-ed a campaign there, to get himreleased from jail, as early aspossible.

There have been protestsand demonstrations in variousparts of Haryana and NorthIndia in support of Vishal andthere is strong public sentimentfor his early release, headded.

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In one of the largest raids, theHaryana Power Department

has detected 5,508 cases ofpower theft in the last two daysacross the State, Power MinisterRanjit Singh said on Saturday.

Talking to reporters, hesaid that a highly confidentialraid was been conducted afterconstituting 507 teams includ-ing officials of PowerDepartment, CM Flying Squad,Vigilance and Police personnelheaded by the Officers of UttarHaryana Bijli Vitran Nigam(UHBVN) and DakshinHaryana Bijli Vitran Nigam

(DHBVN) utilities of PowerDepartment in the State. About27,307 premises includingpoultry farms, industries,mobile towers, water RO’s,water and milk chilling plants,brick kilns, cold stores and roadside situated Dhabas werechecked during the raid and5,508 cases of power theft havebeen revealed, he added.

Ranjit Singh said that fol-lowing the raid, FIRs havebeen lodged against the powertheft defaulters and power con-nections have been discon-nected. He said that so far,more than 12.5 MegaWatt of

power theft has been revealedand a penalty of about Rs 24crore has been imposed againstdefaulters.

The Minister said thesepower theft cases will increaserevenue in crores in the powersector which will furtherdecrease the power losses andincrease power supply in thecommercial and domestic sec-tor. He said that the permanentconsumers, whose power con-nections were dysfunctionalwill clear their dues and seeknew power connections whichwill lead to generation of morerevenue in the Power Sector inthe State.

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Former Himachal Pradeshchief minister Virbhadra

Singh was on Saturday cre-mated with full state honoursat a royal crematorium in JogniBagh near Shimla's Rampur.

His son and MLAVikramaditya Singh performedthe last rites around 4.30 pm.A police contingent gave theguard of honour and gun saluteto the former chief minister.Thousands of his well-wishersgathered at the crematorium tobid adieu to the leader.

Himachal Pradesh ChiefMinister Jai Ram Thakur,Urban Development MinisterSuresh Bhardwaj and ForestMinister Rakesh Pathania alsoattended the last rites.

A delegation of Congressleaders represented party pres-ident Sonia Gandhi at his cre-mation on Saturday. The dele-gation comprised ChhattisgarhCM Bhupesh Baghel andCongress treasurer PawanKumar Bansal.

Earlier before the crema-

tion, his son VikramadityaSingh's "coronation" as the"king" of Rampur Bushahr tookplace in the morning.

Remembering VirbhadraSingh, Chief Minister Thakursaid he contributed immense-ly for the development ofHimachal Pradesh and welfareof its people during his longpolitical career spanning oversix decades. Virbhadra Singhwill always be remembered by

people of the state for his con-tribution, he added.

Meanwhile in a tweet,AICC secretary incharge forHimachal Pradesh Sanjay Duttsaid, "Final farewell to our vet-eran leader Resp#VirbhadraSingh Ji, with tearsin our eyes & resolve in ourhearts that we shall unitedlystrive to fulfill his dream ofrestoring old glory & progressof #Himachal, by bringing back

#Congress Govt in the State.Raja Sahab Amar Rahe."

Earlier the body was keptat Rampur's Padam Palacefrom 8 am to 2 pm before thefuneral. His body was taken tothe crematorium at 2.45 pm.The 87-year-old veteranCongress leader breathed hislast after prolonged illness atShimla's Indira GandhiMedical College on Thursday.

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Several industrial associa-tions of Punjab on Saturday

held a protest in the industri-al city of Ludhiana against thepower regulatory measuresimposed on factories, amid anelectricity crisis in the state.

As part of the measures todeal with the shortage, thePunjab State PowerCorporation Limited (PSPCL)has cut down supply to facto-ries, including to rolling millsand induction furnaces, tillJuly 11.

The PSPCL has stated thatthe regulatory measures were

imposed in the wake of a pro-longed dry spell, rising demandfor power from the agricultur-al sector and outage of units ofthe Talwandi Sabo Power plant.

The protesting associationsclaimed that industrial unitshave been forced to shut downin the wake of cutting down ofpower supply to factories,which were limping back tonormalcy following an adverseimpact on their operations dueto the COVID-19 pandemic.

Industry representativesunder the banner of the AllIndustries and Trade Forumburnt an effigy symbolising thestate government and said it

had not been able to providesufficient power supply formeeting committed domesticand international orders.

They claimed that due tothe PSPCL’s measures, indus-trial units had suffered hugelosses because of lack of pro-duction. Ludhiana-basedindustrialist Narinder Bhamraaccused the state governmentand the PSPCL of mismanag-ing the power crisis.

He said if the state gov-ernment failed to providepower supply, industrialistwould hand over the keys oftheir units to the state govern-ment.

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Shiromani Akali Dal presi-dent Sukhbir Singh Badal on

Saturday issued a “stern warn-ing” against the proposedmove “to tinker with the cul-tural and regional characterand curtail the territorial juris-diction of the PanjabUniversity.”

He said this move would befraught with serious emotion-al, religious and political con-sequences, cautioning the ViceChancellor Dr Raj Kumar notto rush headlong into this rashand ill-advised venture whichconcerned the sentiments ofthe people of Punjab who werealready reeling under pro-longed injustice and discrimi-nation in various political, reli-gious, economic and territori-al spheres.

“It seems that the varsityauthorities are insensitive tothe emotional fallout of theiractions. Their motives strike atthe very roots of the idealswhich inspire SAD and whichform the cornerstone of theConstitution of India. At stakehere are the country’s federalcharacter and the ideal of unityand diversity. This move hasalready given rise to fears of anassault on minority interests,”said Badal in a statement here.

The SAD chief said thatthis move would virtuallydeprive this great institution ofits very character as an “insti-tution of global repute sym-bolising Punjab and its rich andvariegated culture.” He saidthat efforts seemed afoot todeprive this great institution ofits character as essentially theheart and mind of Punjabis.”

“There are credible anddisturbing reports of a move toreduce and limit the jurisdic-tion of this world famous andhistoric edifice of academicexcellence to just the peripheryof the Union Territory ofChandigarh. For this, they arereportedly going through theformality of having a HighLevel Committee recom-mending disaffiliation of morethan 200 colleges at presentwith the Varsity spreading overseven districts in the State inthe Malwa belt. This won’t beallowed”.

The Akali leader also camedown heavily against thereported move to change thecharacter and composition ofboth the Senate and theSyndicate of the university inorder to destroy their democ-ratic academic character aswell as turn these into central-ly controlled wings of the var-sity.

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Chandigarh: Congress leaderNavjot Singh Sidhu onSaturday attacked the AAPgovernment in Delhi over itspetition in the Supreme Court,which was later withdrawn,seeking closure of 10 powerplants in three states, includingPunjab.

The BJP and the SAD alsoslammed the Aam Aadmi Partyover the petition and accusedit of "plotting" against the inter-ests of Punjab.

The Delhi government onFriday withdrew from the apexcourt its plea seeking directionsto 10 coal-fired thermal powerplants in Uttar Pradesh, Punjaband Haryana, which allegedlycontributes to air pollution inthe national capital, to imme-diately cease operations tillFlue Gas Desulphurization

technology is installed toreduce harmful emission.

Sidhu, who has been rais-ing electricity issues in thestate for the past few days,alleged that the AAP govern-ment in Delhi wanted the ther-mal power plants in Punjab toshut down amid the electrici-ty crisis.

"Today, forces bent-uponPunjab''s destruction are clear-ly visible ... Delhi govt wantsPunjab''s lifeline, our thermalpower plants, to shut down inthe middle of a power crisisleaving Punjabis helpless inthis simmering heat and ourfarmers to suffer in this paddy-sowing season," the cricketer-turned-politician tweeted.

BJP national general sec-retary Tarun Chugh lambastedArvind Kejriwal for trying to

shut down thermal powerplants in Punjab on the pretextof saving Delhi.

In a statement, he saidDelhi Chief Minister ArvidKejriwal had always been "plot-ting against the interests ofPunjab" and now he was tryingto "bring the state to ruin".

Chugh said at a time whenPunjab is facing a power crisis,the Kejriwal government''smove could only be termed"heinous and criminal".

Shiromani Akali Dal''ssenior leader Daljit SinghCheema accused Kejriwal of"betraying" the people ofPunjab by filing the petition. Itwas a "big conspiracy" to fur-ther worsen the power crisis inthe state, he alleged.

Punjab is reeling under anunprecedented power shortagewith urban and rural areas fac-ing frequent load shedding and voltage fluc-tuations.

Congress MLA NavjotSidhu, in another tweet, blamedthe Badals for signing powerpurchase agreements (PPAs)during the SAD-BJP rule inPunjab.

"The Badals-signed PPAswith thermal power plants and(Bikram Singh) Majithia asminister of renewable energy(2015-17) signed PPAs for 25years for solar power at Rs 5.97to 17.91 per unit to loot Punjabknowing cost of solar isdecreasing 18 per cent peryear since 2010 and is Rs 1.99per unit today," said Sidhu. Agencies

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Government doctors inPunjab on Saturday decid-

ed to abstain from work forthree days from July 12 to July14 in protest against silence ofthe state government over theirissue of non-practicingallowance.

They also threatened to goon indefinite strike from July19 if their issues were not

resolved by the state govern-ment.

Doctors working in gov-ernment hospitals have beenprotesting against the recom-mendation of Punjab's SixthPay Commission de-linkingnon-practicing allowance fromthe basic pay. They are alsoagitating against the pay com-mission's recommendation ofreduction in the allowancefrom 25 per cent to 20 per cent.

The decision to boycotthealth and veterinary servicesfrom July 12 to 14 was taken bythe the Joint GovernmentDoctors CoordinationCommittee (JGDCC) whichhas members from the PunjabCivil Medical Services

Association (PCMSA) and issupported by the Punjab StateVeterinary OfficersAssociation, Rural MedicalOfficers Association, PunjabDental Medical OfficersAssociation and PunjabAyurveda Officers Association.

However, emergency ser-vices, post-mortem andCOVID-related services willcontinue despite the strike,agitating doctors said. Thegovernment doctors hadalready held strikes three timesover the allowance issue.

The JGDCC also decidedthat all the doctors in the statewould boycott the govern-ment OPDs from July 15 till 17and parallel OPD services

would be run during this peri-od in the lawns of hospitals sothat the persons who are inneed would not be deprived ofavailing health and veterinaryservices. They furtherannounced that during theboycott of health services, allthe doctors of the state wouldalso donate blood while area-wise blood donation campswould be organised.

The JGDCC said the statehealth minister had recentlyassured the Joint Committee toresolve the issue within a weekbut no action has been takenby the government in thisregard even after a week.Convener of JGDCC DrInderveer Gill said the agita-

tion over the allowance is tosave the public healthcare sys-tem.

“We will oppose any moveof the government that isdirected to destroy it. Doctorsof the state did not want toclose down the health andveterinary services but thegovernment was pursuing apolicy of evasion instead ofresolving the issue of non-practicing allowance,” he said.

The JGDCC said if thegovernment did not resolve theissue over the allowance by July18, all the health and veteri-nary doctors across the statewould go on indefinite strikefrom July 19.

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Haryana cadre 1982-batchIAS officer DS Dhesi who

had rejoined the ChiefMinister’s office as ManoharLal Khattar’s Chief PrincipalSecretary last year, will lookafter key government depart-ments besides being the over-all incharge of CM's office.

A fresh order has been

issued while re-allocating thedepartments to the officers inthe CM's office. The freshorder will supersede the previ-ous orders regarding allocationof departments to the officersissued in 2020 and 2021.

The Departments havebeen allocated to CPSCM DSDhesi (IAS retd), PSCM IASofficer V Umashankar, AdvisorResource mobilizationYogender Chaudhary, APSCMIAS officer Amit KumarAgrawal, DPSCM IAS AshimaBrar, POSD/CM NeerajDaftaur, ODS/CM HCS SatishKumar, OSD/CM BhupeshwarDayal and OSD/CM HCSSudhanshu Gautam

According to the order,Dhesi will look after all mattersrelating to legislative businessincluding legislative proposalstaken before the Council ofMinisters and issue ofOrdinances, ParliamentaryAffairs, Law and legislative.

He will also look after CitizenResource Information, Exciseand Taxation, Irrigation,General Administration,Personnel, AdministrativeReforms and Training,Hospitality and Vigilance,Home, Criminal Investigationand Administration of Justice,Jails, Town and CountryPlanning and Urban Estates,Urban Local Bodies, Industries,Electronics and InformationTechnology, Finance,Institutional Finance andCredit Control and Planning.He will be overall incharge ofCM's office, CM's office estab-lishment and subject not allot-ed to any other officer, theorder said.

After retiring as Haryana’sChief Secretary in June, 2019,Dhesi was appointed as chair-man, Haryana ElectricityRegulatory Commission(HERC) in August 2019. Hehad later resigned and joined as

CPSCM last year in October.The post of Chief PrincipalSecretary to CM was createdfor the first time in Haryana.

Meanwhile, PSCM VUmashankar will look afterthe Departments of RenewableEnergy, Revenue,Rehabilitation andConsolidation, Science andTechnology, Transport, Minesand Geology, Civil Aviationwhile Principal OSD NeerajDaftaur is given the key depart-ment of Public Relations. IASofficer Amit Kumar Agrawal isgiven Ayush, Health, Medical

Education, Forests and Wildlifeamong 10 departments whileIAS Ashima Brar is given 15departments includingArchitecture, Women andChild Development,Agriculture, Environment,Elections among others.

OSD/CM HCS SatishKumar is given the charge ofCM announcements, CM relieffund, Wakf, HRDF and othersanctions, OSD/CMBhupeshwar Dayal will lookafter grievance and HCSSuhanshu Gautam is givenworks related to HRMS andonline transfer policy.

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Delhi Jal Board (DJB) vicechairman Raghav Chadha

on Saturday accused theHaryana Government of sup-plying less water which affect-ed water production signifi-cantly in the national Capitaland resulting in a severe watercrisis.

Chadha said theChandrawal treatment plant'sproduction capacity hasreduced to 55 mgd from its ear-lier 90 mgd, Wazirabad is pro-ducing 80 mgd compared to135 mgd before and the Okhlawater treatment plant is sup-plying 15mgd instead of its ear-lier 20 mgd.

“Since Haryana hasdeprived Delhiites of theirrights, the daily water produc-tion in Delhi has come downfrom 245 MGD to 150 -145MGD. He further informedthat the Upper Yamuna RiverBoard has directed Haryana toprovide an additional 150cusecs of water besides pro-viding the legally prescribedamount of water to Delhiites,”he said.

It is the legal responsibili-ty of the Haryana Government

to provide water to Delhi as perthe Supreme Court orders butstill it has stopped the share ofDelhi’s water, he added.

Addressing the media, theAAP MLA said Haryana hasbeen supplying about 100 mil-lion gallons less water per day,which has led to water crisis inNDMC areas, central, south,and west Delhi.

"The Haryana governmenthas stopped the legal right ofthe people of Delhi as directedby the Supreme Court. Becausethey have reduced the watersupply in Yamuna, the three

major water treatment plantsare producing less water perday," he said.

AAP’s chief spokespersonSaurabh Bhardwaj emphati-cally said that if the BJP-ledHaryana government does notrelease Delhi’s share of water in24 hours, water supply will bestopped to Delhi BJP’s ChiefAdesh Gupta’s house.

The AAP leader said thatout of a total of 900 MGD ofwater consumed by Delhi,approximately 100 MGD ofwater was curtailed by the BJPled Haryana.

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Deputy Chief MinisterManish Sisodia on

Saturday said a Centre appoint-ed committee has given a cleanchit to the Delhi Governmentin procurement of buses andthis is the proof of ChiefMinister Arvind Kejriwal’shonest politics.

A three-member panel,that included Transport andVigilance Commissioners ofthe Delhi Government, wasformed by LieutenantGovernor Anil Baijal lastmonth to look into the allega-tions of corruption in the pur-chase of buses.

It submitted its report tothe Lt Governor on July 8,2021. The Opposition in Delhihas been accusing the AAPGovernment of being involvedin a scam in the annual main-tenance contract of 1,000 lowfloor buses to be procured byDelhi Transport Corporation(DTC).

Addressing vir tual ly,Sisodia said that the investi-gation committee of the BJP-

led Central Government hasnot been able to find any flawsor irregularities in the pur-chase of buses. “BJP leadershad previously made falseallegations against the Delhigovernment and the InquiryCommittee had summoned400 files from the Delhi gov-ernment. The Inquir yCommittee did not find anyerror even then. This makesit clear that the Delhi gov-ernment is working honestlyfor the interests of the peopleof Delhi.”

Sisodia further said thatBJP leaders in Delhi are spread-ing hatred and lies. “They arestopping the good work inpublic interest. BJP leaders

should be ashamed and theyshould come in front of thepublic to apologize,” he added.

Sisodia shared that nobuses were purchased in Delhifrom 2008 to 2015. After com-ing to the government in2015, whenever Kejriwal hastaken out a tender for the pur-chase of buses to improvepublic transport service, BJPleaders have tried to createhurdles. But despite all theirlies and hindrances, the DelhiGovernment is committed toworking for the interests of thepeople of Delhi. Now buseswill come to Delhi and pub-lic transport service will befurther improved.

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Highly transmissible DeltaPlus variant has now

reached the Northeasternregion of the country too withTripura, for the first time,reporting 138 cases of thedeadly variant of Covid-19.

At least 90 per cent ofsamples in Tripura that weresent for genome sequencinghave been found to be con-taining the highly transmissi-ble Delta Plus variant, said a topstate official. So far cass ofDeltaPlus had been reported fromDelhi, Maharashtra, Guajarat,Uttar Pradesh and MadhyaPradesh besides a few otherStates.

However, hours after theannouncement confusion pre-vailed over the variant with thecentre claiming that it was theDelta variant that was found inthese samples.

“About 151 samples weresent to a government laborato-ry in West Bengal. As many as138 or 90 per cent of these sam-ples have found to contain theDelta plus variant,” Dr DeepDebbarma, COVID nodal offi-cer of Tripura said, according tovarious reports.

However, a senior official in

the Union Health Ministry chal-lenged the States’s claim sayingthat it was the Delta variant thatwas detected in these samples.He also said that 161 cases of theDelta Plus variant have beenreported in the country so far.

The State Government offi-cial has also claimed that while10 samples had Delta variants,three contained Alpha variants.

“115 of the samples thatcontained the Delta Plus vari-ants were found in west districtalone while 8 samples inSepahijala district, Gomati dis-trict (5 samples), Unakoti dis-trict (4 samples) and 2 each inNorth and South districts con-tained Delta Plus variant,” hesaid.

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The daily death toll fromthe coronavirus disease

(Covid-19) in India crossedthe 1,000-mark for the firsttime in the last 24 hours totouch 1,206. The mortalitynumber was hovering belowthe 1,000 figure for the lastfew days but theGovernment is concernedabout tourists throwing windto caution as they throng hillstations.

On July 8th the deathnumber was 817. On July 6,India recorded 553 deaths —lowest since April 6. It was onMay 23 that India saw recordfatalities with 4,454 deaths in24 hours at the peak of thesecond wave.

Casewise, India recorded42,766 new Covid-19 cases inthe past 24 hours, the 32ndconsecutive day when Indiareported less than one lakhnew coronavirus cases. Theactive cases have now comedown below 5 lakh. Thecountry has 4,55,033 activecases presently and has wit-nessed a total of 4,07,145deaths so far.

According to the UnionHealth Ministry, a total of45,254 people have been dis-charged in the last 24 hours,taking the total discharge to2,99,33,538 till date. TheMinistry said that a total of37,21,96,268 people have

been vaccinated so far in thecountry, including 30,55,802who were administered vac-cines in the last 24 hours.

According to the IndianCouncil of Medical Research,42,90,41,970 samples havebeen tested up to July 9 forCovid-19.

Of these 19,55,225 sam-ples were tested on Friday.The first death in the coun-try due to the pandemic wasreported in March 2020.

In the meantime, thecountry’s cumulative Covid-19 vaccination coveragecrossed 37 crore on Fridaywith 30,55,802 doses admin-istered across the country inthe last 24 hours.

A total of 37,21,96,268vaccine doses have beenadminis tered through48,04,423 sessions, as perthe provisional report ofthe Ministry till 7 a.m. onSaturday.

In the ongoing vaccina-tion coverage, 1,02,44,459Hea lthcare Workers(HCWs) have so far admin-istered the first dose of theant i -C ovid jabs and73,84,439 of them have beenprovided with the seconddose. A total of 1,76,51,159Frontline Workers (FLWs)have received the first doseof the vaccine and 98,42,138have been administered thesecond dose.

The vaccination exer-cise has so far covered11,00,15,954 people agedbetween 18-44 who havegot their first dose and35,15,490 have receivedtheir second dose.

In the drive, 9,29,29,982people of the age groupbetween 45-59 have gottheir first dose of vaccineand 2,27,96,218 have beenadministered the seconddose.

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Newly appointed ChiefMinister of Uttarakhand

Pushkar Singh Dhami onSaturday met Prime MinisterNarendra Modi and apprisedhim about the ongoing pan-demic situation and pre-paredness for Assembly polls,early next year.

In the backdrop of twoUttarakhand Chief Ministerslosing their jobs and handlingof Covid-19 being a dominantfactor during and after the‘kumbh’ religious gathering atHardwar the new ChiefMinister is taking no chancesand seeking to crack the whipin the state.

The State has made itmandatory for tourists enter-ing the state to carry covidnegative test report with them.This followed tourists openlyflouting Covid19 protocol incities like Mussoorie, Hardwarand Nainital.

In Hardwar thousands ofdevotees were seen bathingand praying along Gangariver this week throwing cau-tion to wind, a recipe for apotential third Covid19 wave.The scenes of thousandscramping around the ‘Kemptyfall’ at Musoorie without face-masks or maintaining socialdistancing too have been verydisturbing.

The state government hasnow capped 50 percent occu-

pancy limit for hotels in thestate to restrain the touristflow.

In the nearly 40-minutemeeting with the PrimeMinister at his 7 Lok KalyanMarg residence, sources saidthe Uttarakhand ChiefMinister informed him aboutthe preparedness to deal withthe possible third wave ofCovid-19 and the proceduresbeing taken to enhance vacci-nation in the state to containthe spread of the disease.

He also briefed Modiabout the party’s prepared-ness about assembly pollsvis-a-vis the main rivalCongress.

It was the first formalmeeting of Dhami with thePrime Minister after he tookover the charge ofUttarakhand Chief Minister.

Aware of the PrimeMinister’s warning to not tolet down the guard againstthe pandemic and recentdropping of 12 cabinet min-isters, the young Chief

Minister directed the statedepartments concerned toensure all Covid19-relatedarrangements by the end ofJuly to counter the anticipat-ed third wave.

Besides the PrimeMinister, Dhami is slated tomeet party President J PNadda, Defence MinisterRajnath Singh, Union HomeMinister Amit Shah, andother top BJP leaders.

Dhami has a tough taskof limiting factional infight-ing in the state BJP and beat-ing anti-incumbency in therun-up to the assembly pollswhich are seven months away.

Two-time MLA fromKhatima constituency inUdham Singh Nagar district,45-year-old Dhami took overon July 4 as Uttarakhand’snew Chief Minister. Hereplaced Tirath Singh Rawat,who last week submitted hisresignation to the Governor.

Dhami is the third ChiefMinister of the state in near-ly four months.

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NEW DELHI: Union HomeSecretary Ajay Kumar Bhallaon Saturday sounded a note ofcaution against reported bla-tant disregard of Covid-appropriate behaviour at hillstations and other touristlocations, stressing that thesecond wave of the pandem-ic is not yet over.

The home secretary wasreviewing the steps taken bythe state governments forchecking the spread of Covid-19 at hill stations and touristlocations, a home ministrystatement said.

During the meeting, theoverall management of theCovid-19 situation and thevaccination status in Goa,Himachal Pradesh, Kerala,Maharashtra, Rajasthan,Tamil Nadu, Uttarakhand,and West Bengal were dis-cussed.

The meeting was con-veyed that the decline of thesecond wave is at variablestages in the different statesand UTs in the country, andwhile the overall case posi-tivity rate may be declining,the case positivity rate in cer-tain districts of Rajasthan,Kerala, Maharashtra, Tamil

Nadu, West Bengal,Uttarakhand and HimachalPradesh is over 10 percent,which is a cause for concern,the statement said.

The Union HomeSecretary sounded a note ofcaution in the wake of mediareports showing blatant dis-regard of COVID-appropriatebehaviour at hill stations andother tourist locations, thestatement said.

Bhalla emphasised thatthe second wave of Covid wasnot yet over and states shouldensure strict adherence tothe protocols prescribed in respect of wear-ing of masks, social distanc-ing and other safe behaviour

States were also asked to

follow the five-fold strategy ofTest-Track-Treat-Vaccinateand COVID AppropriateBehaviour, as has been laidout in the MHA order datedJune 29, 2021.

Adequate health infra-structure preparedness, espe-cially in rural, peri-urbanand tribal areas, was alsoadvised to tackle any poten-tial future surge in cases.

The meeting was attend-ed by V K Paul, Member(Health), NITI Aayog;Secretary, Ministry of Healthand Family Welfare, DirectorGeneral, Indian Council forMedical Research; and ChiefSecretaries, Directors Generalof Police and PrincipalSecretaries (Health) of theeight states. PTI

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In what could be an indicatorof the improving Covid

infection scenario in theCentral paramilitary ranks, thenumber of active cases in theForces has spiraled down, dur-ing the last six weeks, from ahigh of 5,973 cases on May 28to just 724 as on July 9, whichis a drop of about 88 per cent.

Till now, the paramilitaryforces have recorded 84,245cases of Covid-19 of which83,190 patients have recov-ered from the disease and 331personnel have succumbed tothe viral infection.

The daily case count hasalso dropped from 283 to 76 inthe paramilitary forces cover-ing the Central Reserve PoliceForce (CRPF), Border SecurityForce (BSF), Central IndustrialSecurity Force (CISF),Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB),Indo-Tibetan Border Police(ITBP), National DisasterResponse Force (NDRF) andthe National Security Guards(NSG).

As on Friday, the totalnumber of Covid-19 infectedpersonnel in these Forces stoodat 84,245 including 76 newcases of infection during the24-hour period. Of this, 83, 190personnel have recovered from

the disease and 724 men con-tinue to be active cases. Thetotal deaths due to Covid-19 tillso far is 331.

On May 28, the combinedtotal infection cases in theparamilitary forces was report-ed to be 79,861 cases including283 cases during the 24-hourperiod as on the date of the datacollation. Of these, 73,928patients had recovered, 314infected personnel died due tothe disease and 5,973 patientscontinued to be active till thatdate.

During the six-week peri-od, the total number of para-military personnel infectedwith the novel coronavirusincreased from 79,861 to84,245 cases, adding just 4,384cases during the period, whichis a jump of a little over five percent.

Likewise, the recoveriesrecorded a marked improve-ment from 73,928 to 83,190,adding a tally of 9,262 patientsbeating the virus during theperiod, which is an improve-ment of nearly 13 per cent.

The deaths during the peri-od increased from 314 to 331,adding only 17 casualties in thelast six weeks, which is an addi-tion of a little over five per centcasualties across the unformedforces.

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Khadi and Village IndustriesCommission (KVIC) has y

secured trademark registrationsin three countries – Bhutan,UAE and Mexico. This is a bigstride towards protecting theidentity of brand “Khadi” glob-ally. Apart from these countries,KVIC’s trademark applicationsare pending in 40 countriesincluding the USA, Qatar, SriLanka, Japan, Italy, Australia,New Zealand, Singapore, Braziland others.

The KVIC obtained the lat-est trademark registration inBhutan on July 9 , while trade-mark registration was granted inthe UAE on June 28.. With this,KVIC has succeeded in securingtrademark registration for thefirst time in a Gulf country.Earlier, KVIC got the trademarkregistration for “Khadi” inMexico in December 2020.

So far KVIC was havingTrademark registrations for theword mark “KHADI” in fivecountries--- Germany, UK,

Australia, Russia, China. TheEuropean Union also grantedKHADI trademark registrationsin certain classes. However, withrecent trademark registrations inBhutan, UAE and Mexico, thenumber of such countries hasgone up to nine. In these coun-tries, KVIC has got registrationsin various classes that pertain toKhadi fabric, Khadi readymadegarments and village industryproducts like Khadi soaps,Khadi cosmetics, Khadi incensesticks among others.

KVIC Chairman Shri VinaiKumar Saxena said these trade-mark registrations will preventany misuse of the brand name“Khadi” globally. “In recentyears, Khadi’s popularity has

seen a massive growth in Indiaand abroad due to PrimeMinister Shri Narendra Modi’sappeal to adopt Khadi. It has,therefore, become very impor-tant for KVIC to protect theidentity of Khadi and safeguardthe interest of consumers andlakhs of Khadi artisans who aremanufacturing genuine Khadiproducts. It is for the first timethat KVIC has made aggressiveefforts to safeguard Khadi fromsuch misuse. These efforts haveyielded significant results andhelped Khadi’s sales grow sig-nificantly in the last few years,”Saxena said, adding efforts arebeing made to secure trademarkregistrations in other countriesat the earliest.

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In a major initiative thatwould boost mango export

potential from the easternregion especially to MiddleEast countries, a consignmentof Geographical Identification(GI) certified Fazil mango vari-ety sourced from Malda districtof West Bengal was exported toBahrain. According to a com-merce ministry the consign-ment of Fazil mango wasexported by APEDA registeredDM enterprises, Kolkata andimported by Al Jazira group,Bahrain.

According to the ministry,the nine varieties which wereexported includes GI certifiedKhirsapati (Malda, WestBengal), Lakkhanbhog (Malda,West Bengal), Fazli (Malda,West Bengal), Dusshheri(Malihabad, Uttar Pradesh)and Amrapali and Chausa(Malda, West Bengal) andLangda (Nadiya, West Bengal).

Fazli mango is specialamong all these varietiesregarding its size and weight. Itis commonly grown in Maldadistrict of West Bengal. It islarge in size and weighs up to700-1500 grams. That is, thismango can be up to one and a

half kilos in full size. The peelof this mango is rough andslightly thicker than other man-goes. Mango pulp is light yel-low, slightly hard and juicy. Theamount of fiber in mango isvery less and that too little isfound near the peel. The aromaof this mango is very good andthe taste is very sweet. Fazlimango gets its name fromFazli Babu who is associatedwith Fazal Bibi of Arapur vil-lage.Apart from Bengal , it isgrown on a large scale inBangladesh abroad. Thismango is used extensively inmaking pickles and makingjam-jellies.

It said that in June 2021, aweek-long Indian mango pro-motion programme was organ-ised in Bahrain where 16 vari-

eties of the fruit includingthree GI certified Khirsapatinand Lakshmanbhog (WestBengal), Zardalu (Bihar) weredisplayed. More than 200 farm-ers from the Varanasi regionparticipated in the meet whereagricultural scientists and offi-cials from the leading institutesprovided valuable inputs forpromoting agricultural prod-ucts.

The GI tag helps growersget premium price for theproduct as no other producercan misuse the name to marketsimilar goods.

A geographical indication(GI) tag is used for an agricul-tural, natural or a manufacturedproduct (handicraft and indus-trial goods) originating from adefinite geographical territory.

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After Amul, Mother Dairyhas hiked milk prices in

Delhi-NCR and other cities by�2 per litre from July 11, deal-ing a further blow to the com-mon man’s struggle to meet theever-increasing kitchen budget.

The price revision, whichcomes after a gap of 1.5 years,has been done amid rising inputcosts and will be applicable forall milk variants. The companyretails milk in more than 100cities across the country. AfterMother Dairy and Amul, thereare several companies in the pri-vate sector like Nestle, NamasteIndia, Patanjali, Ananda in thecountry, which sell milk andproducts made from it mayalso follow the suit and increasethe price.

As per the revised prices,bulk vended milk (token milk)will be sold at Rs 44 per litrefrom Sunday as against the cur-rent price of Rs 42 per litre. Fullcream milk (poly pack) will beavailable at Rs 57 per litre upfrom Rs 55 per litre now. Pricesof toned milk has been revised

to Rs 47 from Rs 45 per litre,while double toned milk (LiveLite) rates have gone up to Rs 41from Rs 39 per litre. Cow milkwill cost Rs 49 from Sunday asagainst Rs 47 per litre now. Ratesof half litre milk pouch havebeen increased by Rs 1, whichmeans an effective hike of Rs 2per litre. Mother Dairy sellsmore than 30 lakh litres of milkper day in Delhi-NCR.

Justifying the hike, MotherDairy said it was “compelled toraise its liquid milk prices by Rs2 per litre in Delhi-NCR witheffect from July 11, 2021.” Pricesare also being revised across keymarkets including east and cen-tral Uttar Pradesh, Mumbai,Nagpur and Kolkata from July11 onwards to the tune of Rs2/litre on the current prevailingMRP in respective markets, itadded. “The company has beenexperiencing inflationary pres-sure on overall input costs,which has increased multi-foldin the last one year, accompaniedby the distress in milk produc-tion due to the ongoing pan-demic,” Mother Dairy said in astatement.

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Those suffering with mildcognitive impairment

(MCI) and early Alzheimer’sdisease can try supervisedmindfulness meditation, a non-invasive and cost-effectiveapproach, for brain activationenhancements, researchersfrom Shri Chitra TirunalInstitute of Medical Sciencesand Technology, Trivandrumhave advised.

Mild cognitive impairmentand early form of Alzheimer’sis a condition in which mem-ory deteriorates, but a personremains functionally indepen-dent.

Dr Ramshekhar N Menon,additional professor, SCTIMST,Trivandrum, Dr. C. Kesavadas,Dr. Bejoy Thomas, and Dr.Aley Alexander (SCTIMST)Dr. S Krishnan (Govt MedicalCollege, Trivandrum) con-ducted a two-phased studywith separate objectives foreach phase.

The first phase wasdesigned to explore neural cor-relations of mindfulness andstudy regions of brain activationenhancements among seasonedmindfulness practitioners and

healthy non-practitionersthrough Imaging Biomarkers,which is the first of its kindmultimodality imaging work indementia from India.

The second phase wasplanned to verify the changes incognitive performance ofpatients with MCI prior to, aswell as subsequent to, mind-fulness training. The team car-ried out cognitive retrainingweekly for 1 hour and provid-ed feedback on the perfor-mance of the retraining tasks atthe end of each session.

The patients were givenhome-based tasks for practicingduring the rest of the days.They also developed a 10 Weeksmindfulness meditation-basedprogram for patients called‘Mindfulness Unified CognitiveBehaviour Therapy (MUCBT)’training program.

The results of initial rest-ing-state fMRI indicated thatcompared to age-matchedhealthy subjects who did noform of meditation practice intheir routine lifestyle, mind-fulness practitioners estab-lish increased connectivity,based on resting-state brainactivity in medial prefrontalcortex.

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Ten major trade unionsexcept BMS decided to

observe July 23 as protest dayagainst Central Government’sdecision to bring corporatiza-tion in Defence productionand Ordnance factories. Thejoint declaration was signed byINTUC, AITUC, CITU, HMS,AIUTUC, TUCC, SEWA, AIC-CTU, LPF and UTUC. Thetrade unions accused the BJPled Central Government forbringing privatization throughthe backdoor and objected tobringing of 100% foreign directinvestment in the defence pro-duction sector.

“The Central Trade Unionsexpressed serious concern andvoiced their condemnation ofhastily promulgation of theEssential Defence ServiceOrdinance by the CentralGovernment, meant to brutal-ly suppress the rising discontentand anger among the defenceproduction employees. TheOrdinance bans the right tostrike in defence productionsector.

It has various draconianpenal provisions extendingeven beyond strike.

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Websites of Iran's transportand urbanisation min-

istry Saturday went out of ser-vice after a “cyber disruption”in computer systems of itsstaff, the official IRNA newsagency reported.

The report did not elabo-rate but said the case is underinvestigation. This is the secondabnormality in computer sys-tems related to the ministry.

On Friday, Iran's railroadsystem came under cyberattackwith hackers posting fake mes-sages about alleged train delaysor cancellations on displayboards at stations across thecountry. It came after the elec-tronic tracking system on trainsacross Iran failed.

Also on Saturday, ministerof telecommunications,Mohammad Javad AzariJahromi warned about possiblecyberattacks though ran-somwares. In 2018 Iran report-ed similar attacks.

In December that year,Iran's telecommunicationsministry said the country haddefused a massive cyberattackon unspecified “electronicinfrastructure” but providedno specifics on the purported attack.

No group has so far takenresponsibility of the either inci-dents.

In 2019, an error in the rail-way company's computer serverscaused multiple delays in train services.

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UK health officials said theDelta variant of Covid-19

continues as the dominantstrain of coronavirus andmarked a sharp increase in theUK with 54,268 more caseslogged on Friday, which marksa 32 per cent increase over theprevious week.

Public Health England(PHE) said its weekly analysisshows the continued rise ininfections is not followed by asimilar increase in hospitalisa-tions and deaths, which reflectsa high protection offered byboth doses of a coronavirusvaccine.

In a separate study, PHEalso found that all the vaccinesbeing administered are as effec-tive at preventing symptomaticdisease in the majority of peo-ple with underlying healthconditions as the rest of thepopulation.

“The data continues toshow that the sharp increase incases that we are seeing is notbeing followed by a similarincrease in hospitalisation anddeath,” said Dr Jenny Harries,Chief Executive of the UKHealth Security Agency.

“This is because two dosesof the available vaccines offera high level of protectionagainst the Delta variant.Getting both jabs is the bestway to ensure you and the peo-ple you love remain safe, so weonce again urge everyone to

come forward as soon as theyare eligible,” she said.

“As we approach theplanned end of restrictions, wemust remain cautious and care-ful. Cases are rising across thecountry, and whilst the vac-cines offer excellent protection,they do not offer 100 per centprotection,” she added.

The weekly PHE datafound the Delta AY.1 sub lin-eage, so-called Delta plusmutation for its feared vaccineresistance, remains low at 44cases. Overall, the Delta vari-ant – first identified in India –currently accounts for approx-imately 99 per cent of casesthat are sequenced across theUK, followed by the localAlpha variant of concern. ` Ina variant technical briefing,PHE revealed that “secondaryattack rates” – the likelihood ofan infection occurring in agiven context – amongsthousehold contacts of caseswith Delta has continued tofall. Despite this continuedfall, secondary attack rates forboth household and non-household contacts of caseswith Delta remain higher thanfor Alpha.

In its separate vaccinestudy, PHE found overall vac-cine effectiveness against symp-tomatic disease in risk groupsat approximately 60 per centafter one dose of either OxfordAstraZeneca [Covishield] orPfizer/BioNTech, with littlevariation by age.

�� +*�9)*�9

One of Hong Kong's mostestablished pro-democra-

cy civic organisations saidSaturday it is letting go its paidstaff and halving the size of itssteering committee amidBeijing's crackdown on oppo-sition activity in the semi-autonomous Chinese city.

The Hong Kong Alliance inSupport of PatrioticDemocratic Movements ofChina is best known for organ-ising an annual rally and can-dlelight vigil rememberingthose killed in the bloody 1989crackdown on pro-democracyprotests in Beijing's TiananmenSquare.

The group said in a state-ment that seven of its 14remaining steering committee

members had decided to stepdown in the face of “growingpolitical and legal risks.”

Of the seven membersremaining, three are currentlyin jail facing national securitycharges — chairman LeeCheuk-yan as well as vicechairmen Albert Ho Chun-yanand Chow Hang-tung.

Letting go of staff was to“ensure their safety" and wouldtake effect at the end of themonth, the statement said.

While the 32-year-oldgroup said the changes wouldaffect its operations, it vowedthat “regardless of whateverdifficulties or challenges weface, the alliance will contin-ue to grit our teeth and moveonwards one step at a time."

���� 12,�, ,49-*�9,/5

India and Georgia on Saturdayagreed to work jointly to ele-

vate their "very excellent rela-tionship" to a new level asExternal Affairs Minister SJaishankar held talks withGeorgian Vice Prime Ministerand Foreign Minister DavidZalkaliani and discussed withhim bilateral economic coop-eration, trade and connectivity.

Jaishankar is on a two-dayvisit to Georgia, a strategicallyimportant country situated at theintersection of Eastern Europeand Western Asia. He also invit-ed his Georgian counterpart toIndia with a business delegation.

"We discussed economiccooperation, tourism, tradeand connectivity. Our rela-tionship is doing well. There aresome big Indian projects inGeorgia, power projects andsteel projects," he said.

"A lot of Indian touristscome, about 50,000 of them.We have some 8,000 Indianstudents in Georgia. But inevery sector, we felt we can domore. We agreed today that wewill work together to find waysof raising it," Jaishankar said.

"I invited the Vice PrimeMinister to visit India with a

business delegation. In India,people need to know aboutGeorgia, especially about theirhigh ranking in the ease ofdoing business," he said.

He expressed hope thathis visit to Georgia, which is thefirst by an Indian foreign min-ister to the country, will be theopening of a new chapter in therelationship.

"I think our very excellentrelationship will even go to ahigher level," he said, adding "Itwas a very good discussion".

Earlier, Jaishankar met theIndian community representa-tives in Georgia and appreci-ated their hard work in theagriculture sector.

"As I begin the day, nice tomeet Indian Community repre-sentatives from Tsnori, Khaketi.Their hard work in the agricul-ture sector has earned a goodname. Enterprising Indians areour global bridge," he said.

There are many farmersfrom India who have investedin the agriculture sector inGeorgia.

"Also congratulated PravasiBharatiya Samman awardeeDarpan Prasher," he said.Prasher is the Vice President atthe Indian Chamber ofCommerce in Georgia.

�� 2-,.,�9

China's regulator orderedthe removal from app

stores of 25 apps owned by DidiGlobal Inc., the country'slargest ride-hailing service, cit-ing severe violations of rulesagainst collecting personal data.

The CyberspaceAdministration of China hadalready taken down the mainDidi app last Sunday, pendinga cybersecurity review, after itdebuted on the US stock mar-ket last week.

The 25 additional appsinclude Didi Enterprises, aswell as ones designed for Dididrivers.

A spokesperson for Dididid not immediately respond toa request for comment.

The move comes afterChinese authorities said earli-er this week they would step upsupervision of companies list-ed overseas. Under the newmeasures, regulation of datasecurity and cross-border dataflows, as well as the manage-ment of confidential data, willbe improved.

Didi is the latest compa-ny facing the scrutiny fromthe Chinese government. Aninvestigation found “seriousviolations” in how Didi col-lected and used personalinformation, the internet reg-ulator said earlier in the week.A statement said the compa-ny was told to “rectify prob-lems” but gave no details.

The internet regulator alsosaid Didi was barred fromaccepting new customers untilthe investigations were com-pleted.

���� (�,1-��/1,*�

Expressing concern over theinvolvement of external

actors in Syria, India has saidit is committed to advancing aSyrian-led and Syrian-ownedUN-facilitated political processto bring long-term securityand stability in the conflict-rid-den country.

Explaining India's vote onthe Adoption of SyriaHumanitarian Resolution onFriday, India's PermanentRepresentative to the UnitedNations Ambassador T.S.Tirumurti said that India firm-ly believes that long-term secu-rity and stability of this regioncan only be achieved by pre-serving the sovereignty and ter-ritorial integrity of Syria.

"We are deeply concernedwith the involvement of exter-nal actors in Syria which ismaking the situation worse.

"We also remain convincedthat there can be no militarysolution to the Syrian conflictand reaffirm our commitmentto advancing a Syrian-led andSyrian-owned UN facilitatedpolitical process in line with theUN Security CouncilResolution 2254," he said.

Noting that the decade-long violence and terror hascaused devastating impact onthe lives of Syrians, Tirumurti

said that India has been callingfor enhanced and effectivehumanitarian assistance to allSyrians throughout the countrywithout discrimination, politi-cisation and preconditions.

He said that more than 13million people across Syrianeed humanitarian assistancein one form or another.

"Syrian women, children,elderly have severely impactedin disproportionate ways.Today's adoption, therefore,will reassure 3.4 million peoplein the northwest of Syria," hesaid.

"We also need to reflect onthe humanitarian situationnot just in the northwest, butalso on the rest of the territo-ry of Syria. Both the UNSecretary General and Officefor the Coordination ofHumanitarian Affairs(OCHA) have repeatedly spo-ken about the worseninghumanitarian operations onthe ground," he said.

Tirumurti said that there isan urgent need for an activeengagement between interna-tional donor community,humanitarian agencies andfinancial institutions with Syria,consistent with the sovereign-ty, independence and territor-ial integrity of Syria to addressthe humanitarian situation andreconstruction needs.

���� "/ +,�91*�#

The US has said that region-al consensus and support

for an Afghan-led and Afghan-owned peace process is impor-tant for an enduring peace,stressing that Afghanistan'sneighbours and countries inthe region have a real stake inthe war-torn nation's future.

The comments came onFriday, hours after US Secretaryof State Antony Blinken had atelephonic conversation withhis counterpart ShahMahmood Qureshi, amidst arapid withdrawal of Americanand NATO troops fromAfghanistan.

During the call, Blinkenunderscored the importance ofcontinued bilateral cooperationbetween the US and Pakistan.The conversation took place inthe backdrop of reports that theTaliban has made huge terri-torial gains in Afghanistan.Taliban militants are nowthought to control about athird of the war-torn country.

“Afghanistan's neighboursand countries in the region havea real stake in Afghanistan'sfuture and influence with theparties,” a State Department

spokesperson told PTI.“Regional consensus and

support for an Afghan-led andAfghan-owned peace process isimportant for an enduringpeace,” the spokesperson saidin response to a question.

In reply to another ques-tion, the spokesperson said thatsecurity assistance to Pakistanwas suspended in 2018.

“We continue to work withthe Pakistan military onnumerous issues and value ourstrong bilateral partnership,”the spokesperson said.

“We do not comment orspeculate on policies that mayor may not be under delibera-tion,” the official said whenasked if President Joe Biden isreviewing the suspension ofsecurity assistance to Pakistan.

In May, Biden continued hispredecessor Donald Trump'spolicy on suspending securityassistance to Pakistan withoutany clarity if the administrationwill change its stance in thefuture. Trump suspended allsecurity assistance to Pakistan inJanuary 2018, arguing that hewas not satisfied withIslamabad's cooperation androle in the fight against terrorism.

Earlier during her daily news

conference, White House PressSecretary Jen Psaki told reportersthat the American intelligencecommunity has never said it wasinevitable for the Taliban to takeover Afghanistan after the with-drawal of US forces from there.

“We have trained over300,000. We've provided USD3.9 billion in humanitarianassistance. These are bravefighters who have taken oncasualties and fought off overthe course of the last severalyears. We want to equip andempower them, and it is nowin their hands. But it is notinevitable, nor has any intelli-gence assessment predicted itwas inevitable,” she said.

Biden on Thursdayannounced that America'snearly 20-year military missionin Afghanistan will concludeon August 31. The US militaryexit from Afghanistan beforeSeptember 11 stems from theFebruary 2020 agreementWashington signed with theTaliban in return for coun-terterrorism guarantees andpledges the group wouldnegotiate a political settle-ment to the war with theAfghan government.

���� "/ +,�91*�

US President Joe Biden haswarned Russia of conse-

quences for the ransomwareattacks emanating from thecountry, underscoring theneed for Moscow to take actionagainst groups engaged in thecrime.

Biden spoke with RussianPresident Vladimir Putin onFriday about the ongoing ran-somware attacks by criminalsbased in Russia that haveimpacted the US and othercountries around the world, theWhite House said in a readoutof the call.

“Yes,” Biden told reportersat the White House hours afterhis call with Putin on thisissue when asked if there wouldbe consequences to the ran-somware attack.

“I made it very clear to himthat the United States expects,when a ransomware operationis coming from his soil, eventhough it's not sponsored bythe state, we expect them to actif we give them enough infor-mation to act on who that is,”he said.

“And, secondly, that we

have set up a means of com-munications now, on a regu-lar basis, to be able to com-municate to one anotherwhen each of us thinks some-thing is happening in anoth-er country that affects thehome countr y,” Biden said.

During the call, the WhiteHouse said, Biden under-scored the need for Russia totake action to disrupt ran-somware groups operating inRussia and emphasised that heis committed to continuedengagement on the broaderthreat posed by ransomware.

During the call, Biden reit-erated that the United Stateswill take any necessary actionto defend its people and its crit-ical infrastructure in the face ofthis continuing challenge.

“The President has alsocalled on governments andagencies to modernise theirdefences to meet this threat,building on the President'sexecutive order on cybersecu-rity that was released in May,”a senior administration officialtold reporters.

���� 2-,.,�9

The Taliban has said it seesChina as a "friend" of

Afghanistan and assuredBeijing that it would not hostUyghur Islamic militants fromthe volatile Xinjiang province,which is a major worry for theChinese Government, accord-ing to a media report.

The comments came asthe Taliban made territorialgains in the war-torn countryamid the withdrawal of the USforces. China has alreadyevacuated 210 of its nationalsfrom Afghanistan by a char-tered flight this week.

Beijing is concerned thatunder Taliban rule,Afghanistan will become ahub for the East TurkistanIslamic Movement (ETIM), aseparatist outfit aligned toAl-Qaeda which is waging aninsurgency in Xinjiang.

The resource-richXinjiang shares about 80-km-long border with Afghanistan.

Playing down China'sconcerns, the Talibanspokesman Suhail Shaheensaid they see China as a“friend” to Afghanistan and ishoping to talk to Beijing aboutinvesting in reconstructionwork “as soon as possible”.

Suhail a lso said theTaliban would no longer allowChina's Uyghur separatistfighters from Xinjiang, some

of whom had previouslysought refuge in Afghanistan,to enter the country.

The Taliban would alsoprevent al-Qaeda or any otherterrorist group from operatingthere, he said.

“We have been to Chinamany times and we have goodrelations with them,” Suhailtold Hong Kong-based SouthChina Morning Post, recallingthe few meetings hosted byChina in the past for Talibandelegations.

“China is a friendly coun-try and we welcome it forreconstruction and developingAfghanistan,” he said addingthat "If (the Chinese) haveinvestments, of course, wewill ensure their safety,"Shaheen said.

Sharply critical of the USmove to pull out its troopswithout stabilising the peaceprocess in Afghanistan, Chinathis week has asked its closeally Pakistan to step up coop-eration to contain the securi-ty risks in the war-torn coun-try following the withdrawalof the foreign forces.

"(China and Pakistan)need to defend regional peacetogether. Problems inAfghanistan are practical chal-lenges that China andPakistan both face," especial-ly the expansion of both inter-national and regional terror-ism, Chinese Foreign Minister

Wang Yi said on Tuesdayaddressing a meeting of the70th anniversary of diplo-matic relations with Pakistan.

While the Americantroops' withdrawal and resur-gence of the Taliban shouldstrategically benefit China asthe Taliban shares close tieswith Pakistan, both Islamabadand Beijing are concerned asthey faced threats from theIslamic militant groups whichwere part of Al-Qaeda andTaliban.

China has been eying bigscale investments inAfghanistan as the countryhas the world's largest unex-ploited reserves of copper,coal, iron, gas, cobalt, mer-cury, gold, lithium and thori-um, valued at over USD onetrillion.

In 2011, the ChinaNational PetroleumCorporation (CNPC) won aUSD 400 million bid to drillthree oil fields for 25 years,containing roughly 87 millionbarrels of oil.

Chinese firms have alsogained rights to mine copperat Mes Aynak in Logarprovince, according to thePost report.

But observers say Chinawill remain very cautious andconcerned about the Talibandelivering on its promises.

“Whatever benign lan-

guage the Taliban use, Chinaremains highly concernedabout the security situationthere,” Andrew Small, a seniortransatlantic fellow with theGerman Marshall Fund's AsiaProgramme told the Post.

He said China's biggestconcern in its dealings withthe Taliban had always beenwhether it was shelteringUyghur separatists.

China's crackdown inXinjiang, observers say, hasexasperated the resentmentamong native UyghurMuslims in Xinjiang. The US,the EU and internationalhuman rights organisationshave accused Beijing of com-mitting genocide in theprovince.

The 12th report of theAnalytical Support andSanctions Monitoring Team ofthe UN last month confirmedthe presence of ETIM mili-tants in Afghanistan.

“The Eastern TurkistanIslamic Movement (ETIM)consists of several hundredmembers, located primarily inBadakhshan and neighbour-ing Afghan provinces," thereport submitted to the UNSecurity Council said.

The report said that largenumbers of Al-Qaeda fightersand other foreign extremistelements aligned with theTaliban are located in variousparts of Afghanistan.)

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Haiti's interim governmenthas asked the U.S. And

U.N. To deploy troops to pro-tect key infrastructure as it triesto stabilize the country and pre-pare for elections in the after-math of President JovenelMoïse's assassination.

Amid the confusion, hun-dreds of Haitians gathered out-side the U.S. Embassy in Port-au-Prince pleading for a wayout of the country. Women car-ried babies and young menwaved passports and ID cardsas they cried out, “Refuge!” and“Help!”

“We definitely need assis-tance and we've asked ourinternational partners for help,”Interim Prime Minister ClaudeJoseph told The AssociatedPress in a phone interview lateFriday. “We believe our partnerscan assist the national police inresolving the situation.”

The stunning request forU.S. Military support recalledthe tumult following Haiti's lastpresidential assassination, in1915, when an angry mobdragged President VilbrunGuillaume Sam out of theFrench Embassy and beat himto death.

'��� 4D�����������*������ *�"�� ++,�-.-+

���� �-"�-�+,

Equitas Holdings, the pro-moter of Equitas Small

Finance Bank (SFB), onSaturday said the bank hasreceived Reserve Bank ofIndia’s (RBI) nod to apply foramalgamation of the promot-er into itself. As per the SFBlicensing guidelines of RBI, apromoter of SFB can exit or tocease to be a promoter after themandatory initial lock-in peri-od of five years (initial pro-moter lock-in) depending onRBI’s regulatory and supervi-sory comfort and SEBI regula-tions at that time.

“In case of Equitas SmallFinance Bank (the bank), oursubsidiary for which the com-pany is the promoter, the saidinitial promoter lock-in forthe company expires onSeptember 4, 2021,” it said in a

regulatory filing.Hence, the bank had

requested RBI if a scheme ofamalgamation of the companywith the bank, resulting in exitof the promoter, can be sub-mitted to RBI for approval,prior to the expiry of the saidfive years, to take effect after theinitial promoter lock-in expires,it said. “RBI vide its commu-nication dated July 9, 2021, tothe bank has permitted thebank to apply to RBI seekingapproval for scheme of amal-gamation,” Equitas Holdingssaid. RBI has also conveyed thatany ‘no objection’, if and whengiven on the scheme of amal-gamation, would be withoutprejudice to the powers of RBIto initiate action, if any, for vio-lation of any licensing guide-lines or any terms and condi-tions of license, or any otherapplicable instruction, it added

���� �-"�-�+,

India’s fuel demand rebound-ed in June after slumping to

a nine-month low in the pre-vious month as restrictions tocurb the spread of the pan-demic were eased, helping eco-nomic activity and mobility topick up.

Fuel consumption rose1.5 per cent to 16.33 milliontonnes in June from a year ear-lier and by 8 per cent over May2021, data from the PetroleumPlanning and Analysis Cell(PPAC) of Ministry ofPetroleum and Natural Gasshowed.

Petrol sales rose 5.6 percent year-on-year to 2.4 milliontonnes in June. It was up 21 per

cent from May sales of 1.99million tonnes.

Diesel - the most used fuelin the country - rose 12 percent from May to 6.2 milliontonnes, but was down 1.5 percent from June 2020 and 18.8per cent from June 2019.

This is the first monthlyincrease since March.

Fuel demand had recov-ered to near-normal levels inMarch before the onset of thesecond wave of Covid-19 infec-tions led to the re-impositionof lockdowns in different states,stalling mobility and mutingeconomic activity.

Consumption in Mayslumped to its lowest sinceAugust last year amid lock-downs and restrictions in sev-

eral states.Fuel demand showed signs

of resurgence in June afterrestrictions began to be easedand the economy gatheredpace.With Covid case additioncontinuing to decline and vac-cination pace picking up, stategovernments have continued toreopen, though some exceptions such as Maharashtraexist.

The then Oil MinisterDharmendra Pradhan had lastmonth stated that India’s fueldemand would recover to pre-pandemic levels by the end of2021. “We are confident by theend of this calendar year wewill be in a position to restoreour original (pre-COVID) con-sumption behaviour,” Pradhansaid. Consumption of LPG,the only fuel which showedgrowth even during the firstlockdown because of free sup-plies by the government to thepoor, rose 9.7 per cent year onyear to 2.26 million tonnes. Itwas up 26.3 per cent over June2019. With airlines yet toresume full-scale operationsbecause of travel restrictionsaround the globe, jet fuel salesat 2,58,000 tonneswas up 16.2per cent year on year but 61.7per cent lower than June of2019.

����� �-"�-�+,

Finance Minister NirmalaSitharaman has said that

integrating technology withinclusive service delivery wouldhold the key to accelerate thepace of economic recoveryduring the time of pandemic.

Speaking virtually in thesession on policies for eco-nomic recovery at the secondday of the ongoing G20 FinanceMinisters & Central BankGovernors Meeting,Sitharaman also cited digitisa-tion, climate action and sus-tainable infrastructure as thethree catalysts of economicrecovery.

In this regard, she alsoshared India’s successful expe-rience in integrating technolo-gy with inclusive service deliv-ery during the pandemic. As anexample, the finance minsteralso shared how CoWIN appli-cation used by the country toregister and vaccinate millionsof its population has efficient-ly supported scale and scope ofcountry’s massive vaccinationprogramme.

Sitharaman said that Indiahas made this platform freelyavailable to all countries giventhe country’s firm belief that

humanitarian needs outweighcommercial benefits.

The third meeting of G20finance ministers and centralbank governors is scheduled on

July 9 and 10, 2021, under theItalian G20 presidency. This isthe first in-person FinanceTrack meeting since February2020.

����� �-"�-�+,

The impact of the secondCovid wave has raised con-

cerns over the recovery of themicrofinance (MFIs) and thesmall NBFC sector, which wasalready battling the elevatedcredit stress and decliningAUM in FY21.

Accordingly, out of thirteenissuer downgrades by creditrating agencies during Q1FY22in the financial sector, tenissuers are smaller MFI andNBFCs engaged in providingunsecured MSME loans, per-sonal and vehicle loans.

A report by Acuite Ratingssaid that collection efficiencieswhich were seen recoveringabove 90 per cent in Mar-21have dropped to between 65-85 per cent levels duringQ1FY22.

“Besides the lower collec-tions, the debt raising ability of

these smaller players has beenimpacted with an estimated 50per cent of players (having aloan portfolio of more than 500crore) having received ade-quate funds.”

“Relief measures providedby the government and RBIrecently is expected to supportthe continuity of credit flow tomicrofinance and MSME bor-rowers while also enhance liq-uidity relief to the smallerlenders.”

Furthermore, it said thatimpact of second wave ofCovid has been more pro-nounced on collections in theasset classes of microfinanceand two-wheeler loans as com-pared to the first cycle.

“Even as two-wheeler as anasset class fared better duringthe first wave of lockdowns, theimpact has been greater duringthe second cycle on account ofthe spread of the pandemic in

rural areas and the stress on theborrowers’ cash flows due toloss of income as well as highmedical expenses,” said SumanChowdhury, Chief AnalyticalOfficer, Acuite Ratings &Research.

“Given the intermittentnature of economic activities inthe wake of Covid spread inQ1FY22, the borrower incomestreams, particularly of thoseserviced by smaller NBFCs orMFIs have been severelyimpacted, thereby exacerbatingthe asset quality stress for theselenders.”

However, the reportadded that absence of mora-torium has made the bor-rower stress more visible inthis cycle and along with lackof adequate funding, the dete-rioration in liquidity andtherefore credit quality forsmaller NBFCs and MFIs wasalmost inevitable.

����� �-"�-�+,

India’s highway toll collectionsare expected to bounce back

after a subdued April-May sea-son this year.

Accordingly, toll collec-tions are expected to reach4QFY21 revenues in 2QFY22and record 15 per cent growthbeginning 3QFY22 over FY20sans a third wave.

“These expectations aredriven by the recovery in June2021, stronger than the earlierseen in 2QFY21 during the firstwave,” India Ratings andResearch (Ind-Ra) said in aresearch report.

In April and May 2021,average toll revenue fell by 10per cent and 34 per cent respec-tively, compared to 4QFY21owing to the localised lock-downs during second Covidwave.

However, the toll collec-

tions in June 2021 saw anupward trajectory, reaching 90per cent of 4QFY21 levels inthe last week of June 2021.

“In the backdrop of ade-quate liquidity and a recoveryin traffic, the cash flows of theprojects rated above ‘A’ showconsiderable resilience to

stress cases, reflecting amplecushion for timely debt ser-vicing in potential downsidescenarios.”

Besides, the report saidthat implementation of a full orpartial lockdown during April-June 2021 in several parts of thecountry had hit the people

mobility impacting toll collec-tions.

“Ind-Ra’s sample study on36 toll projects spread across 10states indicates the averagedaily toll collections on a week-ly basis reached a peak of 38per cent in the third week ofMay 2021, after a 17 per cent

fall in the last week of April.”“Ind-Ra expects a gradual

relaxation in the lockdownmeasures with a drop in Covidcases and ramp-up in toll col-lections 2QFY22 onwards.”

In addition, the report sayFY21 witnessed a robust traf-fic recovery, erasing the trafficlosses during the peak COVID-19 lockdown period.

“This was led by the fasteradoption of private trans-portation and a swift com-mercial traffic recovery pro-viding stability to toll rev-enues.”

“The commercial trafficsaw a quick recovery, given themovement of essential com-modities and was in line withE-Way bills generation andfuel consumption trajectorywhile the Covid-19 spread con-tinued to saddle the publictransportation (buses) recov-ery.”

����� �(�2/,

Covid’s second wave alongwith regional lockdowns

are expected to dampen theQ1FY22 earnings result season,thereby, unleashing volatility.

Notably, the trend mightlead to value correction, this intheory, can trigger anotherbull run.

However, the scale of thisexpected trend might only beknown via the impact on rev-enue that different sectors sus-tained in respect to lockdown’seffect on operations and sales.

Other factors such as highcommodity and fuel pricesalong with impact of ruralCovid spread on the FMCGdemand will exert pressure onQ1 revenues.

In contrast, pharma com-panies could benefit due to thesecond Covid wave, besides,metals, BFSI and IT are expect-ed to drive earnings’ growth inQ1FY22.

Furthermore, in Q1FY22,Indian corporates have thebenefit of a low base, while dur-ing Q1FY21 the aggregate netsales of most companies hadfallen sharply and their netprofits had plunged.

“In Q1FY22, though therewas disruption or partial lock-down in several states in Aprilor May due to the secondCovid wave, the impact of thison the business activities does

not seem to be as severe as inlast year. Also states were wellprepared this time to deal withthe situation,” said DeepakJasani- Head of Retail Researchat HDFC Securities.

“Trends in shift from infor-mal to formal sectors, impactof raw material price increaseand inventory gains or lossesdue to China intervention incommodity markets will beinteresting to watch out for. Inthe BFS space, asset quality orslippages trends in the books oflenders will be monitoredclosely.”

Additionally, Jasani saidthat several high-frequencymacro indicators haveimproved lately includingpower consumption, auto fueldemand, e-way bills, exportsamongst others.

“Rising commodity costs,higher inflation, and a likelyrate increase are key concernareas.”

According to Gaurav Garg,Haed of Research at CapitalViaGlobal Research: “The openingof the season was good by TCS,it posted a net profit growth of28.5 per cent, it also posted agrowth of 18.5 per cent in con-solidated revenue.”

“However, this earningsseason may have few surpris-es as it coincided with the sec-ond wave of the pandemic andtherefore there might be mixedresults.”

����� -*(�

SsangYong Motor, a debt-ridden automaker, has

decided to sell the site of itsplant in Pyeongtaek as part ofself-rescue efforts, the localgovernment said on Saturday.

The company has beenunder court receivership sinceApril, as its Indian parent,Mahindra & Mahindra, failedto secure a buyer for its 75 per-cent stake in the automaker.

The city government ofPyeongtaek, 70 kms south ofSeoul, said it has signed amemorandum of understand-ing with the court-appointedmanager of SsangYong and itslabor union, regarding the saleof the site, which measures850,000 square meters and isvalued at 900 billion won ($786million).

The plant was constructedin 1979.The company will builda new factory in Pyeongtaek,and the city will provideadministrative support in theprocess of construction andrelocation, the city said.

“We will actively supportSsangYong Motor to grow intoa global company that con-tributes to the development ofthe local economy,” Jung Jang-seon, mayor of Pyeongtaek,said.Chung Yong-won, court-appointed administrator ofSsangYong, said the new plantwill focus on green and self-dri-ving cars as a base for the com-pany’s long-term survival,reports Yonhap news agency.

SsangYong opened an auc-tion for its majority stake onJune 28.Half of SsangYongMotor Company’s workers willgo on unpaid leave for twoyears beginning next month aspart of self-help measures asthe debt-ridden automaker isstriving to speed up its salesprocess, the company said lastmonth.

���� )*�+,

Federal Bank shareholdershaveApproved the resolu-

tion to re-appoint ShyamSrinivasan as the ManagingDirector and Chief ExecutiveOfficer for a period of threeyears.

The decision was taken inthe 90th Annual GeneralMeeting of shareholders ofFederal Bank which was con-ducted through video confer-encing on Friday.

The bank streamed it liveon four social media platforms- Facebook, YouTube, Twitterand Clubhouse.

Addressing the AGM,Srinivasan said the bank’s dig-ital innovations of today are onthe cusp of redefining thebanking paradigm of tomor-row.”Simple, Digital,Contactless this is what I had

defined last year to be the cor-nerstones of our strategic focusfor FY 2020-21, and a steppingstone in our journey to becomethe bank of FIRST CHOICE forIndians,” he said.

Srinvasan’s reappointmentwill come into effect fromSeptember 23 this year toSeptember 22, 2024.

He took over as the CEO ofthe bank on 23 September2010.

A release issued by thebank said the approval of share-holders was sought for adopt-ing audited financial state-ments of FY 2020-21.

The meeting also passedother resolutions includingdeclaration of dividend of 35per cent to the shareholders,approval of issuance of equityshares on preferential basisand raising of Tier I Capital ofthe Bank through Issuance of

securities among others.The AGM’s approval was

also sought for revision oftenure of one of the JointStatutory Central Auditors, theappointment and fixation ofremuneration of branch audi-tors in consultation with theStatutory

Central Auditors and othernecessary appointments.

The meeting was presidedover by Bank’s ChairpersonGrace Elizabeth Koshie andjoined by other Directors,shareholders, senior execu-tives, representatives ofStatutory Auditors andSecretarial Auditors of thebank.

In her address, Koshieremarked that the Bank led byits twin focus on digital enable-ment and people empower-ment, supported by opera-tional

Kolkata:To ensure social dis-tancing in Metro premises andtrains, Metro will run 104 (52UP & 52 DN) MaintenanceSpecial Services instead of 90Maintenance Special Servicesfrom 12.07.2021 (Monday) .

In the morning, the firstservice will leave fromDakshineswar and KaviSubhash at 08:00 hrs (instead of08.30 hrs.) and the last servicewill leave from Dakshineswarand Kavi Subhash at 11:30 hrs(no change in timing).

In the evening, the first ser-vice will leave fromDakshineswar and KaviSubhash at 15:30 hrs (instead of15.45 hrs.) and the last servicewill leave from Dakshineswarand Kavi Subhash at 19.15 hrs(instead of 19.00 hrs).

These services will ply at aninterval of 8 minutes duringpeak hours from Monday toSaturday. There will be no ser-vices on Sunday.

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Auto pent-up demand hasbeen impacted from

high fuel cost as well as pricehikes taken by OEMs in thecurrent unlock phase vis-a-vis last year.Accordingly,‘2W’ demand has been tepidwhile that of ‘PVs’ is moreresilient, given the relativelybetter income profiles of carcustomers.

“In the current unlockphase, the pent-up demand islukewarm (unlike last year)as customer sentiment hasbeen partially impacted byhigher fuel prices - petrolprices are more than INR 100in several states, which hasresulted in high runningcosts and price hikes taken bythe OEMs to offset risingcommodity prices,” saidHDFC Securities.

“Further, demand in the

rural segment has not been asresilient as that in the previ-ous year, with 2W OEMsreporting flattish sales inJun-21. However, demandfor PVs is holding up (as thehigher income consumershave been relatively lessimpacted by Covid).”

The progress of thesouth-west monsoon will bea key variable to determinethe extent of recovery, thebrokerage firm said.

Besides, firm pointed outthat commodity prices haveremained firm, with OEMsraising prices to partially off-set the above.

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Finance Minister NirmalaSitharaman on Saturday

offered to share CoWIN plat-form with other nations forfree, saying that humanitarianneeds outweigh commercialbenefits.Participating on thesecond day of the ongoingG20 Finance Ministers andCentral Bank GovernorsMeeting, Sitharaman sharedIndia’s successful experience inintegrating technology withinclusive service delivery dur-ing the pandemic, the FinanceMinistry said in a series oftweets.

“FM Smt. @nsitharamanshared how #CoWIN applica-tion has efficiently supportedscale and scope of our vacci-nation & #India has made thisplatform freely available to allcountries given our firm belief

that humanitarian needs out-weigh commercial benefits,” atweet said.During the meeting,discussions of finance ministerswere focused on policies foreconomic recovery, sustain-able finance and InternationalTaxation. “In policies for recov-ery session, FM discussed 3 cat-alysts of economic recovery-#Digitalization #ClimateAction& #SustainableInfrastructure;shared India’s successful expe-rience in integrating technolo-gy with inclusive service deliv-ery during the pandemic,”another tweet said.

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New Delhi:The Central Boardof indirect Taxes and Customs(CBIC) has taken further stepsto streamline the facelessassessment mechanism put inplace in the customs clearanceprocesses and has decided thatup to 90 per cent of non-riskyimport consignments would becleared within hours withoutany physical interface.

The new mechanism wouldbecome functional from July 15an aid faster clearance of importconsignments as the systemswould clear such consignmentswithout any physical interface.At present, the facilitation (doesnot require assessment orexamination) levels in importsis up to 80 per cent for AircargoComplexes, 70 per cent forSeaports and 60 per cent forICDs. However, with the use of

technology the overall averagefacilitation levels have alreadyexceeded these levels with theAll-India average facilitationlevel across all Customs stationsbeing 77 per cent for May2021.“Board also notes thatthe use of machine learning andthe other state of art technolo-gies now enables RMS (riskmanagement systems) to moreprecisely target the risky con-signments thereby enablingmore focussed attention onlesser number of Bills of Entryfor assessment by the (facelessassessment groups) FAGs.Thus, Board has decided thatw.e.f. 15.07.2021 the facilitationlevel across all Customs stationswould be increased to 90 percent relating to RMD (riskmanagement division),” CBICsaid IANS

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Ashleigh Barty won herfirst Wimbledon title onthe 50th anniversary of

fellow indigenous AustralianEvonne Goolagong Cawley’smaiden crown, beating KarolinaPliskova 6-3, 6-7 (4/7), 6-3 in thefinal on Saturday.

The 25-year-old Australian— who wore a specially-designed dress in tribute toCawley’s iconic scallop one shesported in 1971 — adds theWimbledon crown to her 2019French Open title.

“It took me a long time toverbalise, to dare to dream it andsay it,” said Barty, who was alsofulfilling a childhood dream.

“I didn’t sleep a lot lastnight, I was thinking of all thewhat-ifs. I hope I made Evonneproud.”

It was the first women’sWimbledon final to go to three

sets since 2012 when SerenaWilliams beat Poland’sAgnieszka Radwanska.

Barty is also the first topseed to win the women’s titlesince Williams in 2016.

Barty had looked like cruis-ing to victory after soaring intoa 4-0 lead over her opponent —the Australian’s start so blister-ing that she won the first 14

points.However, 29-year-old

Pliskova steadied herself whileBarty faltered when she servedfor the match at 6-5 in the sec-ond set.

The Czech broke and thenswept the tiebreaker to take thefinal into a decider.

Barty got the break for 2-0in the final set and despite one

or two wobbles she got herselfover the line sinking to herknees, her hands over her facein disbelief.

She wiped a couple of tearsaway before climbing up to theplayer’s box, just like her com-patriot Pat Cash did when hewon the Wimbledon men’s titlein 1987.

Victory would taste sweet-

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England all-rounder Nat Sciver smasheda record-equalling half century before the

bowlers put the struggling Indian battersunder pressure to ensure an 18 run-win forthe hosts via DLS method in the rain-cur-tailed first T20I.

Put in to bat, England rode on Sciver’s27-ball 55, that included eight fours and ahit over the fence, and wicketkeeper AmyJones’ 43 off 27 balls to reach 177 for sevenin 20 overs.

Sciver’s sensational fifty was England’sjoint fastest in the format.

In reply, India failed to keep up with therequired run-rate despite vice-captain SmritiMandhana’s quickfire 29 off 17 balls beforerain gods had the last laugh with the visi-tors at 54 for three in 8.4 overs, 18 runsbehind England via the DLS method.

England now lead the three-matchseries 1-0 and 8-4 in the multi-format pointssystem having lifted the ODI trophy.

Chasing 178, India was off to the worstpossible start as pacer Katherine Brunt bam-boozled the big-hitting Shafali Verma for aduck, leaving India nought for one.

However, Mandhana and Harleen Deol(17 not out) got the tourists back on trackafter the initial upset.

With rain on the cards, the duo quick-ly stitched a 44-run partnership withMandhana hitting six boundaries, includ-ing successive fours off Brunt in the third

over of the chase, while Harleen played sec-ond fiddle.

But Sciver struck soon, getting rid of thedangerous Mandhana in the sixth over.

Skipper Harmanpreet Kaur’s (1) pro-longed lean patch continued as the seniorbatter became all-rounder Sarah Glenn’s firstvictim in the very next over.

The loss of the skipper’s wicket in quicksuccession cost the Indians dear, ensuringthat they were well behind in the DLSmethod.

Earlier, veteran pacer Shikha Pandey(3/22) snared three wickets while spinnersPoonam Yadav (1/32) and Radha Yadav(1/33) took a scalp each in what was an ordi-nary bowling effort.

It was a good day for the visitors in thefield as skipper Harmanpreet and Harleenpulled off splendid catches.

While skipper Harmanpreet, fielding atlong on, put an end to Sciver’s brilliantinnings by diving to pouch the ball inchesover the ground.

Harleen put an end to Jones’ innings, asshe jumped to take a superb reverse-cupped catch at the boundary above herhead before losing her balance.

She threw the ball in the air as shestepped out of the boundary rope only tojump back in, diving forward to completethe catch.

Harman said the team’s fielding hasimproved considerably under the guidanceof coach Abhay Sharma but the bowlingcould have been better.

“We knew there’d be rain after 8:30 PM.We couldn’t make it due to back-to-backwickets. We fielded really well, there’s a lotof improvement in our fielding.

“Shikha did really well in the bowlingdepartment. We need to think of theboundaries we’re are giving in between overs.If we can work on that, we can stop any team.Every game is important for us, today wasunfortunate because of rain,” she said at thepost match presentation.

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Bangladesh scented victory in their Testagainst Zimbabwe, having got rid of a

rampant Brendan Taylor late on the fourthday, to take command of the game. TheZimbabwe captain smacked a 73-ball 92,keeping the visiting side on the back footfor much of the evening session. Eventually,the home side went to stumps at 140 for 3,still 337 runs adrift of the 477-run targetBangladesh had set them.

Taylor ridiculously dominated the 95-run second wicket stand with

Takudzwanashe Kaitano, who contributedjust two runs. He struck 16 fours, plenty ofthem in the range between cover to rightbehind the bowler, with a few struckthrough the legside.

Bangladesh had set up the target afterShadman Islam and Nazmul Islam Shantoadded 196 runs, Bangladesh's highest sec-ond-wicket stand against Zimbabwe break-ing the 121 between Javed Omar andHabibul Bashar from 2001.

Shanto made 117 off 118 with five foursand six sixes while Shadman struck ninefours in his 115 off 196 balls. Shanto hit themost sixes in an innings in Zimbabwe.

MAHMUDULLAH TO RETIRE Senior Bangladesh al l-rounder

Mahmudullah has made a sudden decisionto stop playing Test cricket, a day afterrecording a career-best 150 in the ongoingone-off Test against Zimbabwe in Harare.

According to a report in Cricbuzz,Mahmudullah informed his colleaguesthat he is not willing to continue his Testcareer anymore, leaving the team manage-ment shocked.

“Yes, he (Mahmudullah) had informedthat he does not want to prolong his Testcareer after this game. But he did notinform us anything officially and we haveto see whether it’s an emotional outburstor not,” the website quoted a top BangladeshCricket Board (BCB) as saying.

Mahmudullah has played 49 Tests with2764 runs at an average of 31 plus and fourhalf-centuries.

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Obed McCoy and HaydenWalsh combined for seven

wickets to trigger a stunningAustralian collapse as the WestIndies pulled off an 18-run vic-tory in the opening fixture of thefive-match T20I series at theDarren Sammy Stadium in StLucia on Friday.

Seamer McCoy (four for 26)and leg-spinner Walsh (three for23) turned the match on its headas the tourists, replying to thehome side’s total of 145 for six,lost their last six wickets for 19runs to be dismissed for 127 off16 overs.

Mitchell Marsh’s 51 off 31balls with two sixes and fivefours appeared to have tilted thematch decidedly in his team’sfavour until he fell to Walsh at117 for six in the 13th over.

West Indies were indebtedto Andre Russell’s explosive 51off 28 balls — his first T20I fifty— in reaching a total of somerespectability.

Opening bowler JoshHazlewood produced the out-

standing figures of three for 12off four overs and it requiredRussell’s power-hitting whichbrought him five sixes and threefours to give the innings lateimpetus after the home side’stop-order batting struggled afterthey were put in.

“I felt we always had achance if we could pick up a cou-ple wickets and when it startedgoing for us we were able to pullit off,” said a delighted McCoyafter receiving the Man of the

Match award. “I’m really enjoy-ing my bowling and I am glad Ican just make a contribution tothis team.”

While McCoy was the out-standing bowler for the WestIndies in the South Africa series,Walsh was not selected for anyof those five matches but had animmediate impact when calledinto service at the start of thisduel with the Australians.

He triggered the slide bybowling Ben McDermott with agoogly in the 11th over and thenclaimed the all-important wick-et of Marsh caught-and-bowledtwo overs later.

For Australian captainAaron Finch, who was the firstwicket to fall at the start of thechase when drove left-arm spin-ner Fabian Allen to extra-cover,the batting performance wascompletely unacceptable.

“We’ve got no excuses forwhat happened out theretonight,” was his curt assessment.“In fact the pitch got better forbatting as the match wore on.We just didn’t focus on the jobproperly and paid the price.”

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Novak Djokovic admits “itwill mean everything” to

capture a sixth Wimbledontitle and record-equalling 20thGrand Slam on Sunday but hewill have to overcome MatteoBerrettini, the Italian sluggerwith the build of a heavy-weight boxer.

Djokovic will move levelwith Roger Federer and RafaelNadal on career majors withvictory and also go three-quar-ters of the way to the first cal-endar Slam in more than halfa century.

The 34-year-old is in hisseventh Wimbledon final and30th at the Slams.

Only Federer, with 31, hasappeared in more champi-onship matches at the majorsbut the fading Swiss star ismore than five years older.

“It would mean everything.That’s why I’m here. That’swhy I’m playing,” said Djokovicwho has already captured aninth Australian Open andsecond French Open in 2021.

The victory in Paris madehim just the third man to winall four majors more than once.

“I imagined myself being ina position to fight for anotherGrand Slam trophy prior tocoming to London.

“I put myself in a very good

position. Anything is possiblein the finals. Obviously expe-rience is on my side.”

Berrettini, the 25-year-oldworld number nine, is the firstItalian ever to make a singlesfinal at Wimbledon.

Victory will make himItaly’s first male Slam champi-on since Adriano Panatta at the1976 French Open.

He has lost both his previ-ous encounters with Djokovic,including the quarter-finals atRoland Garros last month.

But he is on a run of 11-0

this season on grass havingwon the Queen’s Club event onthe eve of Wimbledon.

“It’s going to be a greatatmosphere. My first final inWimbledon, it’s just crazy tothink about it,” said Berrettini.

A shock victory on Sundaycould be the first part of asporting double for Italy inLondon with the country’sfootball team taking onEngland in the Euro 2020 final.

“Obviously for Italian peo-ple in general, but it’s going tobe tough Sunday,” he said.

Berrettini is likely to havethe majority of the 15,000 fansinside Centre Court behindhim.

Djokovic has becomefamiliar with such scenarios.

“People also like to seesomeone win who is an under-dog or is not maybe expectedto win, is not the favourite towin,” admitted Djokovic.

“But hopefully people canalso recognise also the impor-tance of this match for me, thehistory that is on the line.

“I’m prepared for anythingreally that is going to happen interms of the crowd support onSunday.”

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Marija Cicak will make history on Sundaywhen she becomes the first woman to

umpire a Wimbledon men’s singles final.The All England Club confirmed that the

43-year-old from Croatia will overseeSunday’s clash between five-time championNovak Djokovic and Matteo Barrettini.

She is a gold badge chair umpire and amember of the WTA Elite Team since 2012.

Cicak officiated at the 2014 Wimbledonwomen’s final between Petra Kvitova andEugenie Bouchard as well as the 2017

women’s doubles final.The Zagreb native has worked at 15 suc-

cessive Wimbledons as well as the Olympicsin Athens, London, and Rio in 2016 whereshe umpired the women’s singles final.

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WAHAB TO GO ENG NEXT WEEK�������3��� ���C �8����������� �������#"�������K#����������8������������������-��������������������������1��+������!"������ ������������������(�����)�������������������������������$�������������!

DAVIES OUT OF GOLD CUP ������ ����/����� ���$�� �� ��������������*��/�/>9��������>���������� �����������������%�������������#������ ����� ������ �������!

FORMER PACER PANKAJ RETIRES �� ����3����3����% ����#������������������%� ����C ������%�1����������� �������������������,����#�� ������������������ ������������������ ���������!

HOKKAIDO REGION BANS FANS �������.����C ��������+��������������� ������������ �������� �����*������������������ �� ������������!

VVS TO REMAIN CONSULTANT�� ����>����,�������� ��OO ��8���� ��������� ������������� ��������2�����#�������8������ ������� ���������� (������A�����#�������� �������������������� �8���� !

CHENNAIYIN APPOINT BOZIDAR ��������1������������ ����������>��� ��������������2�K����2����$��� �����������������'�6������������, �!

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The Indian team’s six-matchlimited-overs series in Sri

Lanka will now start from July18, BCCI secretary Jay Shah saidon Saturday, a day after a Covid-19 outbreak in the home teamcamp forced the postponement.

The series, which was orig-inally scheduled to start with thethree ODIs on July 13, had to berescheduled after Sri Lanka’sbatting coach Grant Flower anddata analyst G T Niroshan test-ed positive for the dreaded viruson their return from the UK.

It also meant an extendedquarantine period for the squadmembers. While the tentativedate that was originally beingdiscussed was July 17, but Shahconfirmed that it will start fromJuly 18. “India-Sri Lanka ODIseries to start on July 18 due toCovid-19 outbreak in hometeam camp,” Shah said.

The three ODI matches willnow be held on July 18, 20 and23 at the Premadasa Stadium

followed by the T20Is, startingon July 25. The last two T20Is areset to be played on July 27 and29 at the same venue.

“We understand that cir-cumstances are extraordinary,but the BCCI would like toextend its full support to SriLanka Cricket (SLC) duringthese tough times for the smoothconduct of the upcoming series,”Shah said in a statement, issuedby the BCCI.

Sri Lanka Cricket secretaryAshley De Silva expressed hisgratitude towards BCCI forstanding by them during hour ofcrisis. “We are grateful to theBCCI for understanding thesituation and agreeing to coop-erate with us at this moment oftime, as it has done on numer-ous occasions, during our long-standing relationship.”

Earlier in the day, a SriLankan player in one of the twobio-bubbles had tested positivefor Covid-19 as the virus out-break continued to rock thehome team.

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Pakistan’s Hasan Ali took fivewickets but England recov-

ered to 247 all out in the secondODI at Lord’s on Saturday.

England were set for a com-manding total in a matchreduced by rain to 47 overs perside with Phil Salt (60) andJames Vince (56) sharing athird-wicket stand of 97 afterboth Dawid Malan and ZakCrawley had fallen for ducks.

From 118-2, however,England lost five wickets for 42runs to be 160-7 in what was thefirst ODI at Lord’s sinceEngland’s dramatic 2019 WorldCup final win over New Zealandand the first in the UK where acapacity crowd had beenallowed since the start of thecoronavirus pandemic.

Fast bowler Ali, a star ofPakistan’s 2017 ChampionsTrophy triumph in England, fin-ished with 5-51 in 9.2 overs —his fourth five-wicket haul in 56matches at this level — whenSaqib Mahmood holed out.

But by then Lewis Gregory

(40) and Brydon Carse (31),both playing their maiden ODIinnings, had frustrated Pakistanwith an eighth-wicket stand of69.

And with the floodlightsswitched on at a gloomy homeof cricket, a Pakistan sidebowled out for just 141 in thefirst ODI on Thursday had

work to do in difficult battingconditions if they were to levelthis three-match series at 1-1.

Both sides were unchangedafter England, forced into select-ing a wholly new squad after aCovid outbreak within theircamp, had thrashed Pakistan bynine wickets at Cardiff ’s SophiaGardens.

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er too as only last month sheretired from the French Open inthe second round due to a lefthip injury.

“This is incredible,” saidBarty, the third Australianwoman to be crownedWimbledon singles champion inthe Open era (Cawley andMargaret Court (1970) the oth-ers).

“I have to start with Kaja(Karolina Pliskova).

“Congratulations on anincredible tournament to you

and your team. I love testingmyself against you and I’m

sure we’ll have manymany matches.”

For Pliskova, it wasmore heartbreak as theformer world number

one fell at the final hur-dle in three sets in the

2016 US Open final.At one point with

Hollywood superstar TomCruise looking on it lookedfeasible, though, that she couldpull off mission impossible inwinning the title.

However, her previouslysuperb weapon — her serve thathad only been broken four timesprior to the final — deserted herwhen she most needed it.

So did her emotions asPliskova — the fourth Czechwoman to appear in aWimbledon singles final in theOpen era — spoke after receiv-ing the runner-up trophy.

“I never cry, never, andnow,” said Pliskova steppingback a bit. “I want to say Ashplayed an incredible tourna-ment, I fought to make it diffi-cult for her but she played verywell so congrats to her.

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Recently, I spoke to a relative wholost her dearest friend to the pan-demic. “Please don’t offer me con-dolences. Please don’t talk to me,write to me or leave care packages

at my doorstep. All I want is to bore a hole inthe ground and bury myself in it. Whyshould I see the light, seek food and comfortwhen she is locked in darkness?” She criedbrokenly.

We all know someone who has testedpositive for Covid-19 and died from it.However, not everyone can tell you the self-flagellating story of those left behind to facethe loss. Yes. Survivor guilt is a thing. And itaffects the human psyche like an ill wind thatsweeps your house and destroys both yourfurniture and your repose.

������������ � ��������������On a fundamental level, survivor guilt is

exactly what the words suggest — the feelingsof guilt one experiences when they survivesomething painful.

It can run rampant as a contagionamongst survivors of large-scale, (manmadeor natural) disasters such as the current pan-demic, the partition, forest fires, and majorearthquakes. Or it may knock down one per-son here, another there. Like the sibling whosurvives domestic violence. Or a car crash.The parents who outlive their children. Thelist goes on and on. So does the trauma.

�����������������The victim of trauma may sleep as one

person but wake up as another — a bedrag-gled, unsure version of one’s former self.Parched of joy. Covered in loneliness. In themirror, he will see the same face, except forthe imprint of absence.

The symptoms of survivor guilt, however,can be as multi-faceted and dramatic as theindividuals who feel the guilt, and just as dif-ficult to pin down. Over the next few days, ormonths, or even decades (as documented in astudy of Holocaust survivors) they may festerlike depression, erupt like anger, flare up likean ulcer, or react like a child overpowered byan adult.

When my little boy was eight years old,he witnessed an accident. He was roller-skat-ing with a friend in the neighborhood. Apassing car, driving at a speed limit waybeyond the requisite ten miles per hour in aresidential zone, whizzed past at the exactmoment that his friend skidded down thesloping driveway. He breathed his last rightthere on the asphalt.

It is hard to process the fact that you can-not tip open the doors to someone’s life everagain and feel their human print on yours.My son wet his bed for weeks. He expressedhis anguish with quivering incoherence: “Ishould have not gone to his house, right?”;

“We should have played at home instead,right?” And the unasked question that flood-ed his eyes and broke my heart — am I some-how responsible? Grief is the seed form ofsurvivor guilt. And it does not favour adultsover children.

�������������When someone passes, you are left hold-

ing the urn of their unfulfilled longings, theirunrealised dreams. You feel simultaneouslybereft and responsible.

If you are introspective by nature, youagonise not only over how they died but alsowhy they had to lose their lives and not you.It may well be flukish luck, but the guiltbegins an endless drum beat of counterfactu-als-thoughts that you could have or shouldhave done otherwise, though, in fact, you didnothing wrong. And you may find yourselfburied under an added weight of questionsabout the very nature and purpose of humanexistence.

Your world is turned upside down. It nolonger feels like a safe place. Guilt keeps thefear at bay. It is a story you tell yourself overand over, like a mantra, until you start believ-ing it.

Subjective guilt — quoted verbatim fromNancy Sherman Ph.D. — is associated withthis sense of responsibility, is thought to beirrational because one feels guilty despite thefact that one knows one has done nothingwrong. Objective or rational guilt, by con-trast-guilt that is “fitting” to one’s actions-accurately tracks real wrongdoing or culpa-bility: guilt is appropriate because one actedto deliberately harm someone, or could haveprevented harm and did not.Blameworthiness, here, depends on the ideathat a person could have done somethingother than he did. And so, he is held respon-sible, by himself or others.

����������� ��������� ���In some cases, however, survivor guilt can

also make you blame others — blame God;blame the neighbour’s dog... Often it stemsfrom feelings of inadequacy, bitterness, andlack of control — as if your life is careeningoff the highway. It is a symptom of PostTraumatic Stress Disorder but the experiencecan work independently of a PTSD diagnosis.

When Malavika (a feisty character in mybook The Slow Disappearing) loses herchronically depressed mother to suicide, herfather all but blames her for his wife’s pass-ing. “It took me a day or two to realise ourfather did not wish to speak to me. At first, Ithought it was a temporary meanness, thebyproduct of sudden death. But he was com-mitted. Committed to treating me like acriminal,” she says.

Blaming someone else is the chador somesurvivors pull over their heads to cover their

themselves, their failures and their loss. Everyday is a day fraught with unforeseen occur-rences. Those lucky enough to be raised in astable environment may come out of a loss, ifnot unscathed, at least not marred for life.

That survivor guilt may be heightened bya history of trauma, such as childhood abuseis not difficult to understand. To find your-self in the midst of a threatening situationwhen you suffer from preexisting issues suchas anxiety or depression can be like addingsalt to your wounds. Some families have ahistory of psychiatric disorders or alcohol ordrug abuse (a modern-day bane that surelydeserves its very own feature). With theircoping mechanisms already at a low, howwell they survive explosive situations can beanybody’s guess.

It is not a coincidence, that many doctorsare now looking at a holistic, a body-mind-soul approach to health. Because, in the end,we are nothing if not our stories. Shaped bythe sins of our fathers. Reflected in thebehaviors of our children.

������ ����������������� If you are a reader, or a movie buff, a

keen observer of life, or, God forbid, a victimof trauma, you may be familiar of the pletho-ra of symptoms that survivors of guilt dis-play:� Flashbacks of the traumatic event� Obsessive thoughts about the event� Irritability and anger� Feelings of helplessness and disconnection � Fear and confusion� Lack of motivation� Problems sleeping� Headaches� Nausea or stomachaches � Social media isolation� Thoughts of suicide� Insecurity. Wanting to hide from theworld.

According to Timothy J. Legg, Ph.D.,CRNP: People who continue to experienceintense guilt, flashbacks, disturbing dreams,and other symptoms of PTSD should consid-er getting professional help, such as talking toa doctor or a psychotherapist who specialisesin trauma.

Therapy remains the primary treatmentfor PTSD, but some people may also requiremedication. Treatment can help people beginto regain control of their lives and experiencerelief from symptoms.

Survivors who have thoughts of death orsuicide or have attempted suicide should,needless to say, seek immediate medicalattention. Research indicates that surviving atraumatic event that involved a loss of life canincrease the risk of suicide.

������������������������� ��� I once confessed to our Swamiji of feeling

overwhelmed in the face of a crisis. Hisresponse was one I have carried like prasaadto guide me through the haze. One mustaccept the situation, first and foremost, hesaid. Recognise what is before you can steptoward what next. Most counselors will agree.

You have survived a life-threatening situ-ation. Others have not. Shock and denial isthe first stage of grief. Make acceptance thefirst stage of your healing.

Some of the other gems I have gatheredalong life’s turbulent passage: � It is okay to appreciate and feel relief atyour survival even while you grieve. To knowthat life on earth is still beautiful. That it stillignites your passions with the rising sun. Andcasts enchantment with the nightly stars.Celebrate the life you have. � Yes, the world as you know it, no longerexists. But like the movements of the eartharound the sun, the turning face of the clock,the ebb and flow of the waves, your routinestoo must continue. Taking baths, reading,meditating, journaling, eating, exercise... theactivities of quotidian life are restful, andmeaningful. Self-care paves the way to nor-malcy.� There is no shame in sharing your feelingsof guilt, whether in person or a safe space onsocial media. It can bring relief as well as fos-ter a feeling of community. What’s more, it’s apurely voluntary activity, entirely within yourcontrol. And who knows, the hand you takein yours might one day walk you home?

A doctor who had the misfortune of notbeing able to save his own parents fromCovid-19, believes serving others has helpedhim survive their loss. Where he spent sixtyhours a week tending to his patients, he nowspends about a hundred. He shaves in his car,sleeps standing up in elevators, and sustainshimself on black coffee and sugared cereals.“One more life,” he says. “If I can only saveone more life!”

That there is no one-stop-shop for curingsurvivor guilt is a given. And every onegrieves differently. And, yes, proverbs can beannoying, even tedious. But here’s one thathas stuck with me: God helps those who helpthemselves.

Doing something good for others, in theend, make you feel better about your life —and less helpless in traumatic circumstances.When you participate you are no longer theoutsider looking in. By donating your bloodor giving your time, offering hot food orwarm conversations you are preparing a placefor yourself in the sustaining hearth of life.

And finally: Let your breath guide youback to well-being. To the blessings, you haveaccrued thus far. And to a future, rife withpossibilities. Inhale sabr, exhale shukr.

The writer is the author of The SlowDisappearing. Her previous books include

Mumbai Mornings, The Shenanigans of Time

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Known as the ‘Train Man ofIndia’, Sudhanshu Mani, theauthor of My Train-18 Story,led the project to design andmanufacture the first ever

semi-high speed modern train of India,the Train 18 — now in service as VandeBharat express within the Indian Railwaysnetwork system.

Sixth publication by this IRSMERailway Officer, the book chronicles hislast 29 months as a government servantheading the famous Integral CoachFactory (ICF) of Indian Railways (IR) atChennai.

On the face of it, the book appears tobe a narrative about how a train was con-ceived and built. But it is much morethan that. The project itself came to beknown as one of the most ambitiouswhen it was projected as a symbol of aspi-rational India in 2018 — now dubbed as‘Atma Nirbhar Bharat’, a term coined byPrime Minister Narendra Modi.

The book describes the journey of aman, and above all his team, whichcommitted itself to creating somethingwhich was considered unachievable.The book is about the leadership of anindividual to bring transformationalchanges in an organisation. It is aboutthe creative power of Indian engineers,which if channelised properly, can workwonders.

The author has included technicaldetails, but with a stress on his mantrason dealing with mulitple complexitiessuch as Public Procurement Systems,Design of rolling Stock, Manufacturingtechniques and Train Simulations.

The technical details are written in amanner that can be easily comprehendedby an average reader, making it insightfuland a good read. For example, the authorexplains in the beginning what a train setis. While a conventional train is made upof coaches and a locomotive (an engine incommon parlance), at one end or eitherend, a modern train set is a train of per-manently-coupled coaches such that allthe equipment is mounted under thetrain chassis itself and there are no loco-motives. Such a train has many advan-tages — such as, faster acceleration,reduction in travel time, better comfortand aesthetics.

The author shares the way the team

went about determining their technicalcapability truthfully and then challengingthemselves to strive for something thatwas perceived to be beyond them. Theirpractical approach is what made itachievable. Mani describes how theymade a matrix in the beginning of theproject, listing three categories: 1) areawhere ICF was there or almost there, 2)areas in which ICF could be there withsome extra effort and or judicious selec-tion of manufacturing vendors, includingimport, but strictly as per specificationsand drawings developed by ICF and 3)areas in which we could be there onlywith handholding by some superior pro-fessionals.

Some of the anecdotes mentionedby Mani in his book are funny, someare scathing but they all are befittingthe narrative. In one of these, whiledescribing his way to deal with peoplewho do not care for action and deliv-ery but sit smugly with inaction, theauthor says that they reminded him ofjalebis because jalebi-making is syn-onymous with unnecessary nitpickingto stall any work. Whenever he cameacross any such instance, he wouldmake his own judgement from file not-ings, invite the officers delaying thecase to his room, order jalebis andoffer it to them, saying that they hadreally earned this feast.

In another one, he talks about a gov-ernment officer and the quintessential hisbriefcase. An officer never carries hisbriefcase, his peon does. Should he berequired to carry it himself someday, hemakes a funny spectacle as he thinks car-rying a briefcase yourself is infra dig. Thiswhy the author says he started using ashoulder bag early in his career. His insid-er’s description of the huge Rail Shivir, ajamboree for ideation organised by theRailway Ministry in Delhi is uproariouslycomical and brings out what nobody inthe media ever was able to.

Calling the senior officers chosen tomake presentations to the Prime Minister,“a caboodle of burlesque”, which included

him as well, it sarcastically speaks of howa simple suggestion of the top man wasmade into a tamasha with the spirit ofideation taking a backseat. A drama wasplayed out with 5000 railway men as will-ing, or unwilling, actors cum spectators.

The author explains how this was aneffort not merely by ICF but the associat-ed industry as well; these companies sawin this project the pride of nation-build-ing and not a business opportunity alone.

The book brings out the stiflingbureaucracy of Indian Railways. But, itis not only about this malady whichplagues India but also about how bold,honest and driven men can challengethe babudom and strive to put an end

to it to bring about the much neededchange.

Mani’s book is a must read to under-stand why India has become a big con-sumer of technology that the world iseyeing to place its products in, mainlybecause of the size of the market and pur-chasing power, but when it comes tobeing a producer of technology, it doesnot have much to show for, laggingbehind even some small developed coun-tries. You will find lot of answers to thequestions which bug us all.

Interspersed with Shakespearean andGhalibian quotes, perhaps overdone, it isalso a delight for those who seek to definemanagerial situations and solutionsthrough poetic expressions.

A must read for all age-groups whohave the fire in their belly to try some-thing novel and arduous. It is an exhila-rating story told in an eminently readablemanner. The book is the sixth in hisseries of publications. Mani’s earlierworks — Trains Unchained; A Skein ofTrains; Greening of a Factory; Reinventingthe Wheel, Art & Railways (co-authoredwith his colleague Lily Pandeya) — havebeen well received and highly acclaimed.

Maa Karpoori

Maa is a sanyasi. She isalso a friend. When Ireflect on the fact that

my inner circle of friendsincludes two monks, it gives mepause. It is no coincidence, I’vedecided. There is somethinghere that I have to acknowledge:I am fascinated, on some level,by monkhood.

Back in college, I had aJesuit mentor and friend whotold me he might easily havejoined the Communist Party atthe age of nineteen if he hadn’tdiscovered the Society of Jesusfirst. Nineteen myself, I thoughtI understood his life choice. As Iwatched him work furiously onhis monographs in his shabbyoffice with wooden ceilings andtemperamental kettle, or vanishfor days of fieldwork in theMaharashtrian hinterland, Icould see the temptation of therenunciate’s life.

I relate to the idea (even if Idon’t feel called to live it) of par-ing away inessential identities,of giving up the seductive dailyjugglery of roles — employee,offspring, spouse, parent — thatwe are encouraged to believe isthe excitement of human life.Outsourcing one’s material anxi-eties to a monastic order to leada life of social engagement orcontemplation also makes senseto me. Simplifying life makesdeeper sense still.

At the same time, the Jesuitvow of obedience was a daunt-ing one. I found it more intimi-dating, I told Rudi, than eventhe vows of chastity or poverty.With my mistrust of authority, Inever quite understood how onecould entrust one’s freedom toanyone — least of all, to aninstitutional authority. Yes, I wasaware of how ‘freedom’ as a

catchword had been mangled tojustify, and even valorize, theunconscious life. I knew I wasprobably guilty of it. And yet,my issues with obedience lin-gered.

I have learnt over time,however, that the lives of house-holder and monk aren’t aspolarized as they seem. If youare committed to self-under-standing, both lives entail a mixof freedom and discipline. It’s abit like asking a poet which issuperior-metre or free verse.Freedom and form are vital toboth, so how do you answer thatone? In a good poem, free verseisn’t self-indulgence, and metreisn’t a straitjacket. In a badpoem, they are. The monk asmetrician, and the committedseeker as free verse practitioner-

those images help me navigatethe simple-minded comparisonsthat often arise on the spiritualpath.

Fifteen years ago, in thecourse of a conversation with asanyasi from the ashram that Ihave considered to be my sanc-tuary for several years, I casuallyobserved, ‘Monkhood, I imag-ine, is like a particularlydemanding marriage: finding away to be committed not to onesingle individual, but to anentire sangha.’

Maa happened to be a silentbystander to that conversation.We barely knew each other atthe time. But she says that shefiled away that comment. It wasevidently proof for her that Iwasn’t just a nosy journalist, anethnographer foraging for case

studies. ‘I thought to myselfthen: okay, she sees more than Ithought,’ she says.

Since then, Maa has sweptinto my life and settled down init — decisively, as is her manner.She is a significant referencepoint for me, not to mention, anendless source of fellowship andmirth. Talkative and given totheatrical pronouncements, shecan be entertaining company.And yet, there is much more toher than that. In the middle of atorrent of anecdote and opinion,she offers liberal doses of insightthat, I often suspect, startle heras well. She is a whirlwind:cheerful, opinionated, large-hearted, bristling withdynamism and her own brandof sensitivity.

Maa has been able to propel

me into situations I would cus-tomarily have run a mile from.She has got me to agree to athree-day ash-gourd-juice diet,to plunge into a chilly templetank thrice in a single morning,and even to stand on a wobblyladder to perform a vertiginoussnake ritual. I obey because Ihave learnt over the years that itis futile to resist. Maa is a forceof nature. To argue with her islike trying to reason with a par-ticularly determined tornado.Or like debating free will with awildly rampaging earthquake.

She once related a story thatgave me an insight into herdefining mix of temerity andhumour. In the early days ofmonkhood, she visited thehome of her sister, a doctor. Themedical check-up took time,and her sister suggested she stayover. The two sisters had dinnerand stayed up late, chatting.They turned in at midnight. Itwas around one in the morning

when eight or nine menentered Maa’s room. They werecopybook burglars, Maa recalls,with knives, blazing eyes, theirbreaths heavy with paanmasala. They surrounded herbed. ‘I was terrified,’ says Maa.‘But from somewhere insideme, a voice spoke up.’ She paus-es for effect. ‘I heard myselftelling them loudly and sternly,“Don’t you dare touch me!”’

The burglars were takenaback. I imagine them hesitat-ing, moustaches aquiver withuncertainty. Maa pressed heradvantage. ‘Can’t you see I’m amonk? Don’t you lay a fingeron me.’

The men conferred brieflywith each other. If they had anybaser motives in mind, theydecided to quell them.Nonetheless, they gagged Maa,

bound her arms and legs, andleft her on her bed. They thenwent about their business. ‘Icould hear them moving aroundthe house. I stayed still, watch-ing my breath. There was notmuch else I could do.’ Twohours later, Maa managed tofree herself. She went in quest ofher sister. The burglars had evi-dently given up when theyfound that there was little toburgle in her recently occupiedhome. ‘My sister and her hus-band were in their bedroom,shaken. When I told them whatI’d said to the burglars, theycouldn’t believe it. My sisterkept saying: How could you beso bold?’ Maa chuckles tri-umphantly at the memory.

Excerpted with permissionfrom Women Who Wear Only

Themselves: Conversations withFour Travellers on Sacred

Journeys by ArundhathiSubramaniam. Published by

Speaking Tiger

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%����1������ ���� � �0�������7Deng Xiaoping is known to

have used the phrase“cross the river by feeling thestones” to metaphoricallydescribe a cautious, slow andwell-thought-out plan to openChina’s economic reform in1980s. The same phrase canwell be used to assess theChinese policy in Afghanistanas it transits into an uncertainphase post the US withdrawal.The US withdrawal fromAfghanistan scheduled onSeptember 11 this year has ledto immense speculation amongstates that have stakes in a post-withdrawal world order inCentral Asia.

Afghanistan’s geographi-cal location is pivotal, both geo-politically as well as geo-eco-nomically, to any East-West aswell as North-South linkages inAsia. The British, the Russiansand the Americans, at variousstages over the last centuryhave singed themselves inAfghanistan, aptly termed the“graveyard of Empires”.

With China emerging as amajor player, control of thiscritical space will herald itsarrival as a global power. Thequestion is, will it “cross theriver”?

Chinese interests inAfghanistan are well docu-mented. They can essentially bediscussed under two verticals:Security and economy.

Security concernsThe restive and sensitive

province of Xinjiang is a “core”issue for China and Beijing isunlikely to compromise onthreat to sovereignty or unityby Uighurs operating fromlaunch pads in the geographi-cally contiguous regions withAfghanistan.

There is also the fear ofpan-Islamic groups based inPakistan and Afghanistan step-ping up support to Uighurgroups in their quest for inde-pendence from China. TheChinese have not forgottenthe ideological support forUighurs by Islamic State leaderAbu Bakr in July 2014, wherehe had thundered that “Muslim

rights are forcibly seized inChina, India, Palestine”. Evenearlier, in 2013, Al-Qaeda bossAyman al-Zawahiri extendedfull support to fight “China’stakeover of East Turkestan”.

Politically China has beenhedging its bets by enteringinto parleys with both theAfghan Government as well asthe Taliban. Beijing has beenhosting Taliban delegations inChina while offering arms andmilitary support to the AfghanArmy. China has also careful-ly balanced its relations withother Islamic states in wardingoff any diplomatic actions as aconsequence of her “atrocities”against Uighur Muslims.Therefore China would like anassurance that any regime thatcomes to power in Afghanistanmakes a commitment that it

will not aid or abet instabilityin Xinjiang.

Economic InterestsChina had initially left out

Afghanistan from the BRI (Belt& Road Initiative). Realisingthe changing global dynamicsin Afghanistan, in 2016, Chinaand Afghanistan signed amemorandum of understand-ing (MoU) to incorporateAfghanistan into its flagshipproject.

Among the major connec-tivity projects are the China-Afghanistan Special RailwayTransportation Project link-ing Afghanistan to China viaUzbekistan and Kazakhstan,the Five Nations RailwayProject linking China to Iranvia Kyrgyzistan, Tajikistan &Afghanistan and the China-

Pakistan Economic Corridor(CPEC).

The two countries havealso initiated a fibre optic linkvia the Wakhan Corridor in theBadakhshan Province ofAfghanistan. China sees greatopportunity in mining in min-eral rich Afghanistan with apotential of over $1 trillion incopper, iron, gold and lithiumand at least 200 bn barrels of oilreserves, which can be extract-ed to meet its burgeoning ener-gy need.

While little progress hasbeen made in two ongoingcontracts of copper mines inAynak and oil exploration inthe Amu Darya basin, essen-tially due to the instable situa-tion, things could see a mendonce peace returns toAfghanistan.

Securing interests: WouldChina put PLA boots on

Afghan ground?The idea of occupying the

space vacated by the US isundoubtedly a huge temptationfor any strategist especially fora revanchist power like China.Military strategy is driven bynational interests and the useof military power as a part ofa nation’s toolkit is a naturaloutcome of its aspirations. Inthe case of China, aside fromits economic interests and ironcladding, its weak underbelly inXinjiang, a military presencewould signal the PLA’s expedi-tionary as well as global reachcapability. For that to happen,China has to put boots on theground.

However, I would arguethat China will be extremely

reluctant to get directlyembroiled in the Afghanembroglio because of the fol-lowing:

First, China has no histor-ical relations or connect withAfghanistan. It sees no directthreat from Afghanistan andhas no cause to commit mili-tary force if assurance andguarantees are forthcomingfrom a favourable dispensationin Kabul regarding security ofXinjiang.

Second, history is a greatteacher. China understandsthat the internecine tribal andethnic divide withinAfghanistan cannot be resolvedby use of military force.Superpowers like Britain,Russia and the US have failedto bring peace to this region inover a century. There is no

compelling reason why thePLA should “lose face” in analien land.

Third, the PLA neither hasthe experience nor the leader-ship to undertake expedi-tionary and irregular warfare asis obtained in Afghanistan. Ithas had no training or under-standing of counter-insurgencyoperations unlike other worldsarmies. The CCP is in no posi-tion to accept any reverses or“body bags” for a distant causelike in Afghanistan as it march-es towards its “twin centurygoals”.

Fourth, China is consciousthat any intervention will bringit directly in conflict with pan-Islamic groups which coulddraw attention of a jehad onitself. Why “beat the grass tostartle the snake”?

PrognosisFirst, China has enough

leverage on Pakistan andthrough it, the Taliban tosecure its interests inAfghanistan. As the Chinesesaying goes — why not “killwith a borrowed knife”?

Second, alternate BRIroutes to the Indian Oceanexist through CPEC. There is little motivation tosink money into Afghanistan toachieve connectivity especial-ly through a chronically unsta-ble region.

Third, Afghanistan-Chinatrade is negligible and onesided. It has no impact onChina or its economy. Aside from connectivitythrough Afghanistan, there islittle to gain from infrastruc-ture projects.

Fourth, in an extreme case,if China does step up to theplate, it may consider puttingboots on the ground under theauspices of SCO as part of amulti-lateral security mecha-nism.

(Major General MandipSingh, SM, VSM, retired recent-ly from Northern Command,Indian Army. He is a keenChina watcher and writes reg-ularly on military affairs.)

�'#��#��������� �"������� ��� ��������� ���� >Any loan which ceases giv-

ing a return to its lenderfor a specified period is knownas a non-performing asset(NPA). Generally, that specifiedtime is 90 days but may varywith countries and instru-ments. In case of India also,NPAs are loans and advanceswhere the borrower hasstopped making interest orprincipal repayments for over90 days.

According to projectionsby RBI, the gross NPA ratio forIndian commercial banks islikely to expand from 7.5 percent in September 2020 to13.5 per cent in September2021. It seems to be a directwarning of a looming creditcrisis.

Reasons for rising NPAsMany of the loans cur-

rently classified as NPAs orig-inated in the mid-2000s whenthe economy was booming,and the business outlook wasvery positive.

First, large corporationswere granted loans for projectsbased on extrapolation of theirrecent growth and perfor-mance.

Second, with loans beingavailable more easily thanbefore, corporations kept grow-ing backed by financings fromexternal borrowings ratherthan internal promoter equity.

But as economic growthstagnated following the globalfinancial crisis of 2008, therepayment capability of thesecorporations took a visible hit.This contributed to what isnow known as India’s TwinBalance Sheet problem, whereboth the banking sector (thatgives loans) and the corporatesector (that takes and has to

repay these loans) have comeunder heavy financial stress.

When the project forwhich the loan was taken start-ed underperforming, borrow-ers lost their capability of pay-ing back the bank.

At this time, the bankstook recourse to the ingeniouspractice of “evergreening”,where fresh loans were given tosome promoters to enable themto pay off their interest.

This effectively pushed therecognition of these loans asnon-performing to a later datebut did not address the rootcauses of their unprofitability.

When an economy experi-ences healthy GDP growth, asubstantial part of it is financedby the banking system’s cred-it. If the GDP keeps growing,the repayment schedule doesnot get affected.

However, when the GDPgrowth slows down, the badloans increase due to a host ofmacroeconomic factors, pri-mary among these are interestrates, inflation, unemploymentrates, and changes in exchangerates.

Further, recently there havealso been frauds of high mag-nitude that have contributed torising NPAs. Although the sizeof frauds relative to the totalvolume of NPAs is relativelysmall, these frauds have beenincreasing, and instances ofhigh-profile fraudsters beingpenalised are non-existent.

Point worth notingThe sudden spike in NPAs

can be attributed to the trans-parency pressures imposed bythe RBI.

In the absence of any trans-parency measures, up untilnow, Indian commercial banks

had been underreporting NPAsby way of interbank transac-tions resulting in helping eachother to window dress theiractual figures.

At the same time, bankshaven’t shied away fromemploying other methods likerestructuring or evergreeningexisting loans to make theirbalance sheets look cleanerthan they actually were.

However, the pressure byRBI to bring more transparen-cy in admitting NPAs has com-pelled banks to make capitalprovisioning for those badloans, thereby reducing theirprofits. Hence, official NPA fig-ures might just fail to representthe gravity of the actual prob-lem.

The trends in the growthrates show that bad loans often

tend to grow with a lag in GDPgrowth rates, which meansthat once the GDP growthrate takes an upward trajecto-ry, the Indian banking systemis likely to extend more cred-it, and once economic activityslows down, bad loans startsurfacing like an oil spill in theocean.

What has been done toaddress the problem of

growing NPAs?The measures taken to

resolve and prevent NPAs canbroadly be classified into twokinds:

First, regulatory means ofresolving NPAs as per variouslaws (like the Insolvency andBankruptcy Code), and

Second, remedial measuresfor banks prescribed and reg-

ulated by the RBI for internalrestructuring of stressed assets.

The Insolvency andBankruptcy Code (IBC) wasenacted in May 2016 to providea time-bound 180-day recoveryprocess for insolvent accounts(where the borrowers cannotpay their dues).

Under the IBC, the credi-tors of these insolvent accountspresided over by an insolven-cy professional, decide whetherto restructure the loan or sellthe defaulter’s assets to recov-er the outstanding amount.

If a timely decision is notarrived at, the defaulter’s assetsare liquidated. The DebtRecovery Tribunal’s proceed-ings under the IBC are adjudi-cated for personal insolvenciesand the National CompanyLaw Tribunal (NCLT) for cor-

porate insolvencies. A total of701 cases have been registered,and 176 cases have beenresolved as of March 2018under the IBC.

Post-Covid initiatives by theGovernment

In terms of supporting thebanking sector, the Centre hadinfused �90,000 crore intopublic sector banks in 2017-18,followed by �1.06 lakh crore in2018-19. In 2019-20, it pro-posed a �70,000 crore capitalinfusion, and approved anoth-er �20,000 crore in September2020. For 2021-22, the Centreis committed to pumping a fur-ther �20,000 crore into publicsector banks.

On March 27 last year, theRBI had announced a morato-rium on the repayment of allretail loans till May to givesome relief to borrowersimpacted by the pandemic.This was later extended byanother three months, tillAugust 31.

On March 23, the SupremeCourt rejected pleas to furtherextend the moratorium, andalso ruled out a full waiver ofinterest during the moratori-um.

In October last year, theCentre said it was willing towaive compound interest onthe repayment of loans up to �2crore in some categories, pro-viding some relief to individ-uals and firms. And for themoment, the SC has restrainedbanks from classifying stressedloans as NPAs.

The Government has sanc-tioned �2.46 lakh crore forECLGS loans to MSMEs, ofwhich �1.81 lakh crore had been disbursed as onFebruary 28.

Difficulty in finding theway forward

As of June 2019, the trans-parency in balance sheet initi-ated by the RBI brought to lightbad loans amounting to �9.4lakh crore. About 85 per centof these NPAs are loans issuedby public sector banks.According to former financesecretary Subhash ChandraGarg, new NPAs resulting fromthe Covid pandemic could addanother �10 lakh crore to totalNPAs. This doubling of badloans is a sure sign of loomingcredit crisis within the bankingsector. The crisis is lookinginevitable with strong surge insecond wave of Covid-19 cases.

This could hit vulnerableindustries in the services sec-tor once again, creating newproblems. The Governmenthas limited resources for anoth-er stimulus. The Governmentclaims to have already spentover �27 lakh crore through theAatmanirbhar BharatAbhiyaan (including the RBI’smonetary measures), or about13 per cent of GDP.

The Government of theday finds itself stuck in anunenviable position to balancethe needs of an economy strug-gling with Covid-19 whileensuring that the banking sys-tem does not collapse.Therefore, it becomes increas-ingly important that an inno-vative and flexible approach isopted for each affected bank toapply on a case-by-case basis.Only then there is a possibili-ty of preventing the economyfrom an inevitable credit crisis.

(The writer is a former IRSofficer & author of upcomingbook “The Current Perspectiveon INDIAN ECONOMY.”)

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There was entropy (disorder) once atthe primordial-source, when ener-gy streams got released.

Immediately thereafter, harmonisation ofthose energy streams began, which fol-lowing a course of progressive evolutionculminated in the manifest world with allits enormity and diversity. As cause per-meates the effect, the essence of bothorder and disorder has to be there ineach being. What particular aspectbecomes more evident depends uponone’s mental orientation.

No wonder Buddha said: There is noscope for having a perfect situation inthis transitory life. Life is paradoxical -full of contradictions. Reconciling duali-ties of life is called for. Life, in fact, is anexpression of harmony of contradictions.

Human beings are also empoweredto deal with such contradictions.Invoking indwelling buddhi (faculty ofdiscriminate intelligence), one couldevaluate and pick up the right lead,transgressing individual limitations. Theirony, however, is that blindly followingthe callings of our mind-trends, we sel-dom care to remain alert enough toinvoke our buddhi for due diligence, andwith obvious consequences.

Consequently, we are not able to use ourempowerment tool optimally. And whenwe meet failure, we blame our destiny.Remember, the course of destiny is notadministered by external forces. Thechoices that we make bind us to a cause-effect chain, which forms the premise ofour destiny. So, rather than trying to shiftblame on some assumed non-existentreality, take charge of oneself. Better useyour empowerment tools optimally, andpick up the right lead.

Seen in practical terms, it needs to beappreciated that nobody is ever born aperfect. Each being carries a mix ofpotential as well as infirmities. The nega-tives play from the front, finding reflec-tion in our usual day to day conduct. Thepositives need to be consciously invoked,honed, and then put to use. Often, thenegatives play spoil sport with indwellingpotential from playing out in full. Thatmakes it incumbent upon us to addressour fault lines to come out with our best.

Worried parents of someone in hislate thirties came asking: “Sir, he wasvery good at studies till he completed his12th. He then decided not to join formalcollege course. He wished to pursue hispassion. He went on his own but has not

been able to earn his living yet. Will youplease throw light on his future.”

A look at the person’s astrologicalchart revealed that he carried immensepotential. For, all benefic planets — Sun,Jupiter, Mercury and Venus — were overthe head when born. Also mind signify-ing Moon is in exaltation in the lagna.All put together qualifies him to make itbig in life, and turn out a celebrity in hisfield of work. The mental infirmities too,are no less, that stand in way of hispotentials come into full play. He hasbeen fighting so far an inner battle, butnot able to resolve. For, he doesn’t lookbeyond his own beliefs and perceptionsfor a reality check. He is not open to lis-tening or counsel either.

Let us first examine his positives.Sun and Jupiter are conjunct in the 10thhouse identified with his career potential.Both are well aligned to psychic planetNeptune. This read together with exaltedMoon implies that he has a fertile mind,having strong imagination, which isbacked by intuition. He seems to behumanitarian, generous, and idealistic.He is well meaning, who subscribes to avalue system, which may not allow himto ever stoop low for his individualistic

gains. Mercury and Venus are conjunct,both again in the 10th house, well-dis-posed to Neptune and the Sun. That isindicative of high intelligence, a goodcommunicative skill, strong artistic abili-ties and would be charming.

Coming to negatives, 8 major planetsas well as the lagna falling in fixed signsmake him stubborn. Moon is ill-disposedto Mars, Mercury, Saturn and Uranus.That reflects a mercurial temperamental,is moody, irritable and argumentative.He would be breeding conflictingthoughts and not able to resolve fast. Hewould be unconventional, erratic, care-less, and mistrustful of others. He has arigid one track mind, not open to lookbeyond for a better option if any avail-able. The result is there to see.

He needs to look within, identify andacknowledge his mental infirmities, andseek guidance to resolve them. The posi-tives within will then come out with theirbest. In terms of time frame, it may nottake long, whereafter he may not have tolook back.

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