PNS n HYDERABAD

Reflecting TRS leaders' resolve tostep up political heat against theBJP, MLC and former deputy chiefminister Kadiyam Srihari hasassailed BJP leaders for their arro-gance and predicted that the saf-fron party would suffer a humili-ating defeat at the hands ofAkhilesh Yadav-led SamajwadiParty in the upcoming UttarPradesh elections.

Addressing a media conference,along with MLCs PochampallySrinivas Reddy, MLA Dr.MethukuAnand and others at the TelanganaBhavan here on Tuesday, Sriharisaid that BJP would face an uphilltask in the next elections. Even inPunjab, it would face similar situ-

ation. People would teach a stronglesson to BJP in the next elections,he said.

Srihari alleged that BJP hadgarnered power through the backdoor in Madhya Pradesh andKarnataka and that the Centre wascreating problems for theTelangana government as it wasapprehensive that KCR wouldform a front against the BJP in thenext elections. He called upon peo-ple to 'bury' BJP as it was an 'anti-farmer and anti-Dalit' party andadvised BJP leaders to put a stopto cheap politics.

4

ROW AS US PLANE TO SHANGHAIRETURNS OVER CHINA'S NEW RULES

Delta Air Lines on Monday cited new Chinese cleaningrequirements after it rerouted a China-bound flight backto the United States, drawing criticism from Chinese

authorities. The December 21 flight was supposed to land inShanghai after disembarking from Seattle, but insteadreturned to the US city midair. Delta said the reason for thereversal was new Chinese requirements issued earlier that dayin the wake of the latest Covid-19 surge. "The new cleaningprocedures require significantly extended ground time and arenot operationally viable for Delta," a Delta spokesman said.

EX-CRICKETER DINESH MONGIA JOINSBJP AHEAD OF PUNJAB ELECTION

Former cricketer Dinesh Mongia joined the BJP today at aceremony in the party's Delhi office. Mr Mongia, 44, took aprimary membership of the ruling party at the centre to start his

political innings, likely from Punjab where assembly elections will beheld in a few months. The former cricketer who played limited overinternationals for India is a resident of Punjab. Three Punjab MLAs -Fateh Jung Bajwa, Balwinder Singh Laddi and Rana Gurmeet Sodhi -have also joined the BJP. In the 2017 Punjab assembly election, theCongress won an absolute majority by taking 77 seats and oustedthe Shiromani Akali Dal-BJP government after 10 years.

BOOSTER DOSE FOR 60 PLUS: NONEED FOR PRESCRIPTION

People above 60 with comorbidities do not need to show a doctorcertificate or prescription to show they belong to the high-riskcategory to be eligible for a "precaution dose" or booster against

COVID-19. Medical professionals, frontline health staff and senior citizenswith comorbidities can take the booster dose from January 10. Thecentre announced the move to administer boosters amid concern overthe highly transmissible variant Omicron. "Doctor certificate/prescriptionnot required to establish comorbidity; doctors advice an indication for 60+persons to consult with their doctors before opting for a precaution dose,"the Health Ministry said in a statement today.

SOURAV GANGULY TESTS POSITIVE,SAMPLE SENT TO CHECK FOR OMICRON

Sourav Ganguly, former India captain and current president of theBoard of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), has been admitted to ahospital in Kolkata after testing positive for Covid. Ganguly, who is

double vaccinated admitted to the hospital on late Monday evening, anda statement from the hospital said that the former cricketer was in stablecondition. The doctors at the hospital informed NDTV that Ganguly'ssample is being tested for the Omicron variant."Sourav Ganguly, BCCIPresident and former Indian cricket captain, got admitted at WoodlandsMultispecialty Hospital on December 27, 2021 late evening with CovidPositive status," Woodlands Hospital said in an official statement.

RNI No. TELENG/2018/76469

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ANALYSIS 7INDIA IS KEY TO WORLDECONOMY’S RECOVERY

MONEY 8INDIA'S REAL GDP LIKELY TO MAINTAIN 9%GROWTH RATE IN FY2022, FY2023: REPORT

AVENUES 122021: EDUCATION

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Month & Paksham:

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Tithi : Dashami 16:11

Nakshatram : Swati 26:38

Rahukalam : 12:18 pm - 1:40 pm

Yamagandam : 8:11 am - 9:33 am

Varjyam : 9:25 am - 10:55 am

Gulika : 10:55 am - 12:18 pm

Amritakalam : 6:24 pm - 7:54 pm

Abhijit Muhurtham : Nil

DELHI CURBS

50% office limit, odd-evenfor shops, 20 at weddingsPNS n NEW DELHI

Private offices in Delhi willoperate at 50 per cent,malls and shops will openon odd-even basis andweddings will be allowedwith only up to 20 peopleas new restrictions undera "yellow alert" take effectin the capital from todayamid a surge in Covidcases. Though the restric-tions were announced at 3pm, more than half-waythrough the work day, thegovernment said theywould be in "immediateeffect".

o There will be a night curfew between 10pm and 5 am daily.

o Private offices will function with 50% staffbarring those designated essential services,which includes hospitals, media, banks,insurance companies and telecom services.

o Weddings are allowed with up to 20 people andthey can take place only at home or in court.The 20-person limit also applies to funerals.

o Malls and shops will open on an odd-evenbasis, between 10 am and 8 pm. Onlinedeliveries can continue.H

ere

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o Standalone shops ormarkets in residentialcolonies will notfollow the odd-evenrule.

Govt allows liquorshops to remainopen till midnighton December 31PNS n HYDERABAD

The state government has grant-ed permission to the Director ofProhibition and ExciseDepartment to permit the licenseholders of bars, licensees of eventpermit managements and in-house licensees of the TourismDevelopment Corporation toserve liquor up to 1 am on theintervening night of December 31and January 1.

Revanth flays KCR for extending

timings of liquor shops

P4

Form Tribunal to fix water disputes withAP without further delay: TS to CentreML MELLY MAITREYI n HYDERABAD

The Telangana government has rep-resented to the Union government toconstitute a tribunal under section 3of the Inter State River Waters DisputeAct, 1956 without further delay.

Chief Secretary Somesh Kumar,who took part in the video conferenceheld by Pankaj Kumar, UnionSecretary, Ministry of Jal Shakti, withthe Chief Secretaries of Telangana andAndhra Pradesh on the implementa-tion of various provisions of theGazette notification on Krishna andGodavari River Management Boards,requested the Centre to expedite theprocess related to the Tribunal.

Somesh recalled that the Telanganagovernment had withdrawn the casefrom the Supreme Court as suggest-ed by the Jal Shakti Minister to enablethe Centre set up a Tribunal. PankajKumar assured the CS that the GoIwas actively pursuing the matterwith the Law Department.

Somesh Kumar said thatTelangana government had sub-mitted six detailed project reports ofSita Rama LIS, Sammakka SagarProject (Thupakulagudem project),Mukteshwar (Chinna Kaleshwaram)LIS, Chowtpally Hanumanth ReddyLIS, Modikuntavagu Project andChannaka-Korata Barrage on the

Godavari River to the CWC inSeptember 2021 and they were stillpending with the CWC.

He also referred to another fiveprojects in the Godavari Basin-Ramappa-Pakala link project,Kaleshwaram Project (additional 1tmc per day), Kandakurthy LI scheme,Gudem LIS and P V Narasimha Rao

Kanthanapally Barrage, which werewrongly included in the unapprovedlist of projects in the Gazette notifi-cation of GRMB. He requested theSecretary to delete them from the listof unapproved projects.

Somesh Kumar said that there wasno need for GRMB as there were nomajor issues and no common irri-gation projects for regulationbetween the two States on theGodavari River.

The Union Secretary assured theTelangana government that theywould look into all the issues raisedby the State government on the ille-gal irrigation projects taken up byAndhra Pradesh on the KrishnaRiver. Additional Secretary DebashriMukherjee, Joint Secretary SanjayAwasthi participated from theMinistry of Jal Shakti. Special ChiefSecretary - Irrigation Rajat Kumar,Engineer in Chief C Muralidhar Rao, Sridhar Deshpande, OSD to CM ,Engineer in Chief Hariram repre-sented the Telangana State.

‘UP polls will deal ashocking blow to BJP' o It will suffer defeat at

the hands of AkhileshYadav:Kadiyam Srihari

o Telangana’sperformance betterthan that of BJP-ruledStates

Centre to procure addl 6 L MT of Kharif rice o TS Kharif procurement to touch 68.65 lakh tonnes of paddy on Centre’s behalf

PNS n HYDERABAD

The Centre has agreed to procurean additional quantity of six lakhtonnes of rice over and above theagreed quantity of 40 lakh tonnesof rice cultivated during Kharif/Vaanakaalam season.

Although the Telangana govern-ment wanted the Centre to procuremore rice in view of bounteouspaddy yield, the Centre wrote a let-ter indicating that it would procuresix lakh tonnes of Kharif rice addi-tionally.

The State government has so farprocured 60 lakh tonnes of paddy.

Now, in view of the Centre's letter,it would procure a total of 68.65lakh tonnes of paddy.

The Centre's written commit-ment to procure additional rice,however, did not come easy. A

team of Ministers comprisingAgriculture Minister S NiranjanReddy, Civil Supplies MinisterGangula Kamalakar, PanchayatRaj Minister Errabelli Dayakar,Energy Minister G JagadishReddy and others, along withMPs K Kesava Rao and NamaNageswara Rao, had gone toDelhi to meet Union Minister andif possible even Prime Minister toseek a written assurance fromUnion Minister Piyush Goelabout purchasing additionalquantity of rice.

Telangana completes 100% Covid first dose vaxK VENKATESHWARLUn HYDERABAD

Health Minister T. Harish Raohas said that Telangana has com-pleted 100 per cent corona firstdose vaccination.

He said that Telangana is the firststate in India to complete 100 percent vaccination. He said that it waspossible only due to the hard workof the Medical and HealthDepartment staff.

Chief Minister K.Chandrasekhar Rao concentratedon vaccination from the begin-ning and had issued directions toCollectors, Harish said onTuesday.

Harish Rao said that Asha work-ers and ANMs administered vaccines

visiting every house. He also said thatthe Panchayat Raj and Municipal

Departments also took part in thevaccination drive.

Congressdemands inquiryinto ‘rice scam’ PNS n HYDERABAD

Alleging that a huge scam tookplace in the purchase of rice inTelangana, the Congress hasdemanded an inquiry into the deal.The government has created a sit-uation forcing farmers to sell theirpaddy to millers, the Congress said.

Speaking to the media alongwith Nalgonda MP Uttam KumarReddy, Kisan Congress Vice-President M. Kodanda Reddy, for-mer TPCC working President JettiKusuma Kumar, and TPCCCampaign Committee chiefMadhu Yashki Goud asked ChiefMinister K. Chandrasekhar Raohow he can dictate to farmers notto cultivate paddy when he is cul-tivating paddy himself.

He asked people to rise againstKCR at least now. He said that theTRS and the BJP were colludingwith millers to loot farmers. UttamKumar Reddy lashed out at the TRSand the BJP alleging that both theparties have entered into a secretdeal. He asked whether the TRSdoesn’t know about the auction of100 Singareni coal blocks. Why isTRS not raising the issue inParliament, he asked.

BJP will win all 19 SC seats;sitting TRS MLAs facing strongopposition: Bandi SanjayPNS n HYDERABAD

The BJP can win all the 19 SC con-stituencies as sitting TRS SC MLAswere facing strong opposition inthe constituencies, Telangana BJPchief Bandi Sanjay Kumar hassaid.

Addressing the ‘BJP’s Aim isMission-19’ workshop on SCAssembly constituencies held onTuesday, Sanjay stated that peoplehave a feeling that the BJP is thealternative in those constituenciesand in the State.

He urged SC leaders to launcha movement at the field level bypreparing a perfect action plan.

Reviewing the party’s situationin SC constituencies across the

state, Sanjay asked party leaders tostrive hard to come to power.

Play Indian music in flights, airports: MinistryPNS n NEW DELHI

The Ministry of Civil Aviation onTuesday asked all airlines and air-ports to consider playing Indianmusic in their flights and terminalpremises.

The Indian Council of CulturalRelations (ICCR) had on December23 requested Aviation MinisterJyotiraditya Scindia to promoteIndian music in flights operated byIndian carriers.

Therefore, the ministry wrote aletter to all airlines and airports onMonday stating that music played bymost of the airlines across the globewas in quintessential of the countryto which the airline belongs, forexample, Jazz in an American airlineor Mozart in an Austrian airline andArab music in an airline from theMiddle East.

"But, Indian Airlines seldom play

Indian music in the flight, whereas,our

music has a rich heritage and cul-ture and it has one of the manythings every

Indian has a reason for trulyproud of it," the ministry noted.

India has a rich diversity of tradi-tional music, it noted.

"Owing to India's vastness anddiversity, Indian music encompass-es numerous genres in multiplevarieties and forms, which includeclassical music, folk, light vocal,

instrumental music, etc," it men-tioned.

India has a history spanning sev-eral millennia and developed overseveral geo-locations spanning thesub-continent, it said.

Music in India began as an inte-gral part of the socio-religious life,it noted.

The ministry said it is in receiptof request from ICCR for playingIndian music in the aircraft beingoperated in india and also at airports.

"It is, therefore, requested to kind-ly consider playing Indian music inthe aircraft being operated in Indiaand at airports following the regu-latory requisites," the ministry stat-ed. Scindia had on December 23 vis-ited the headquarters of the ICCRhere and met its president VinaySahasrabuddhe.

Missionaries ofCharity says ‘work asusual to continue’PNS n KOLKATA

A day after a controversy brokeout over the Central governmentrefusing to renew the Missionariesof Charity's license to accept for-eign donations, top officials of theorganisation said work in itsorphanages, hospices and sheltersfor the poor were "going on asusual."

Officials from the Mission,founded by Mother Teresa here in1950, said that talks were on withauditors and experts to try andresolve the situation,

There was no needfor GRMB as therewere no majorissues and nocommon irrigationprojects forregulation betweenthe two States onthe Godavari River

— SOMESH KUMAR

Chief Secretary of Telangana

TS to raise oil palmin 30 lakh acresPNS n HYDERABAD

The Telangana government hasrequested the Centre to approve theambitious target set by the State tocultivate oil palm in 30 lakh acresunder the National Mission of EdibleOils - Oil Palm and allocate funds.

Agriculture Minister S NiranjanReddy said that Telangana State wasencouraging crop diversificationand had chosen oil palm cultivationeven before the Centre announcedthat oil palm should be cultivatedin a big way in the country.

TS Health Minister T Harish Rao cutting a caketo mark 100% administration of the first dose ofCovid vaccine in the state, which is the first onein the country to achieve the target.

BIOLOGICAL E AIMS TO PRODUCE 100 MNDOSES/MONTH OF CORBEVAX FROM FEB 2022

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Printed and published by B Krishna Prasad for and on behalf of CMYK Printech Ltd., Phone: 040-23322341, Hyderabad Office: F-502, Diamond Block, Lumbini Rockdale, Somajiguda, Hyderabad - 500 082. Telangana. Printed at Sree Seshasai Enterprises, Plot No.19, IDA Balanagar , Hyderbad-500037, Medchal -Malkajgiri District, Telangana. Executive Editor: Navin Upadhyay. Resident Editor: B Krishna Prasad, AIR SURCHARGE of Rs 2.00.

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hyderabad 02HYDERABAD | WEDNESDAY | DECEMBER 29, 2021

EGG

RATES

HYDERABAD 465

VIJAYAWADA 490

VISAKHAPATNAM 500

RETAIL PRICE `4.65

`/100

CHICKEN

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Dressed/With Skin `120

Without Skin `190

Broiler at Farm `180

`/KG

(IN HYDERABAD)

Biological E aims to produce 100 Mn doses/month of Corbevax from Feb-22PNS n HYDERABAD

Biological E. Limited plans tocomplete production at a rate of75 million doses of its COVID-19 vaccine Corbevax per month,anticipating over 100 milliondoses per month from February2022 which will enable the city-based company to deliver 300Million doses as promised to theCentre, BE said on Tuesday.

Corbevax , India's first indige-nously developed protein sub-unit vaccine against the virus,received the approval from the

Drugs Controller General ofIndia (DGCI) today, it said.

According to a press release

issued by the vaccine makersoon, the company plans todeliver more than one billion

additional doses globally."Biological E. Limited plans to

complete production at a rate of75 Million doses per month,anticipating over 100 milliondoses per month from February2022. These capacities willenable the Hyderabad-basedcompany to deliver 300 Milliondoses as promised to theGovernment of India," it said.

The vaccine has been developedby Biological E. Limited in collab-oration with Texas Children'sHospital Centre for VaccineDevelopment (Texas Children's

CVD) and Baylor College ofMedicine (Baylor) in Houston,Texas. Mahima Datla, ManagingDirector, BE limited said, "Overthe years, we have worked tomake quality vaccines and phar-maceutical products accessibleto families around the world.With this as our backdrop, weresolved to develop an affordableand effective COVID-19 vac-cine. It has now become a real-ity. Corbevax has completedtwo Phase III clinical trialsinvolving more than 3000 sub-jects between the ages of 18 and

80 at 33 study sites across India.The vaccine was found to besafe, well tolerated and immuno-genic, the company said.

In the pivotal Phase III studyconducted with an endpoint ofimmunogenic superiority,Corbevax demonstrated superi-or immune response in compar-ison with Covishield vaccinewhen assessed for NeutralizingAntibody (nAb) GeometricMean Titers (GMT) against theAncestral-Wuhan strain and theglobally dominant Delta variant,the release said.

Jagga Reddy’s letter to Soniaexposes fissures in CongressK VENKATESHWARLU

n HYDERABAD

TPCC Working President T.Jagga Reddy’s letter to AICCchief Sonia Gandhi created aflutter in the Congress onTuesday.

Congress leaders expressedtheir personal opinions onJagga Reddy’s letter to SoniaGandhi. The letter to SoniaGandhi by Jagga Reddy provesthat the gap between RevanthReddy and other seniors haswidened.

Former PCC president andsenior leader V. HanumanthaRao said that TPCC chiefRevanth Reddy is a new leaderin the Congress and that hedoesn’t know how to be inclu-sive. He said that Jagga Reddyaddressed a letter to SoniaGandhi as he was insulted byRevanth regarding the RachaBanda programme inErravalli.

Jagga’s complaint is thatRevanth didn’t consult himbefore finalising the RachaBanda programme at Erravalli,which is located in Jagga’s

district.Jagga is the only MLA in the

Congress from the erstwhileMedak district, he said, mak-ing it clear that there is noth-ing wrong in addressing theletter to Sonia Gandhi.

Revanth has the responsibil-ity to ensure that there is nodissent in the party, he said.VH made it clear that Jaggawill not leave the Congress.

However, another leader oncondition of anonymity toldThe Pioneer that Jagga Reddy’sletter proves that differencesbetween Revanth and othersenior leaders are increasing.

He said that seniorCongress leaders are interest-ed in an alliance with the TRS,but Revanth is not interestedin any alliance with them. Aspart of it, seniors are nowexpressing their anger atRevanth Reddy through Jagga.

Jagga got a good opportuni-ty to launch a scathing attackon Revanth, who had commit-ted the mistake of not consult-ing Jagga before finalising theRacha Banda programmevenue at Erravalli.

With an unseemlyrow over thepricing of cine-

ma tickets taking the cen-tre-state, the administra-tion has taken a back seatin Andhra Pradesh.There is also a view thatminds of most people arebeing willfully diverted by thestate government to ensurethat no one talks aboutPolavaram and the SpecialCategory Status (SCS) that isyet to be granted by theGovernment of India despiteassurances during the bifurca-tion of the combined state ofAP.

The state government seemsto be targeting popular starswith wide market for theirfilms on the ground that theirremuneration possiblyaccounts for 80% of the totalexpenditure on a film project.Ministers in the YS

Jaganmohan Reddygovernment PerniVenkatramaiah and AnilKumar Yadav pointedlyquestioned their party's

political opponentand popular hero and Jana

Sena Party chief PawanKalyan on the remuneration hehad taken for his latest filmsand claimed that 80% of thecosts of the films concernedconstituted the hero's remuner-ation. This came in handy forYSR Congress leaders andcadre to 'fix' Pawan Kalyan.

It is well known that theKapu community is angling toassume greater political cloutin AP and is on the lookout fora capable leader with massappeal. The Kapu communitypinned its hopes on mega starChiranjeevi in 2009. Thosehopes were dashed due to thedismal performance of thePraja Rajyam Party (PRP) led

by Chiranjeevi. Now, after agap of one and half decades, hisyounger brother Pawan Kalyanseems to have positioned him-self as the community's mostpromising candidate for lead-ership. This surely promptedthe YSRC government to focusits attention on its politicalopponents in the film industry.

No wonder, it has taken thecolour of the common manbeing forced to buy cinema

tickets at excess rates - up tothree or four times the originalrates at cinema theatres. So, thestate government, which hadpreviously granted permissionfor several filmmakers toincrease ticket earnings,including by screening of ben-efit shows, is now pressing forslashing the rates of cinematickets ostensibly "in the inter-ests of common man".

Moreover, there is the

unseen pressure of theTelangana government's stanceon cinema tickets. Telanganahas accorded permission tofilmmakers to increase ticketrates for new films. High ratesof cinema tickets will burn ahole in the pockets of thecommon man. Filmmakers are

now harbouring hopes that theAP government would followwhat the Telangana govern-ment has done in the case ofticket rates.

In any case, the influence ofcaste over the film field isexpected to be very high those.Noticeably, many Kammashave grip over the film indus-try. The Reddy community hasbeen trying hard to regain theground it had yielded previ-ously to Kammas. In fact, thehold of the Kamma communi-ty over the film world has beenso tight that even theTelangana government couldnot 'bifurcate' the Telugu filmindustry.

Prominent film personalitiesremained as supporters of theearlier government headed byTelugu Desam Party. So, whenthe change of guard took place,the attitude of the state govern-ment towards the film indus-

try has also been different.When Dr.YS RajasekharaReddy became chief ministerof the combined state ofAndhra Pradesh, the Telugufilm industry had felicitatedhim on a grand scale at TeluguLalitha Kalatoranam of PublicGardens in Hyderabad. Filmpersonalities had a well-knitplan to impress YSR to get sopsfor industry. But YSR did notmake any commitment, despiterequests made by film indus-try. After a gap of few months,a team comprising prominentfilm personalities met YSR atthe Secretariat to make a for-mal request for allotment ofsite for housing purpose for thebenefit of cine workers. ThenYSR gently responded by ask-ing a question in a lighter vein:"Where is the need to come tothe government as you (filmpersonalities) are havingMurali Mohan at your side?"

The allusion was to actorMurali Mohan's role as realtorand developer thorough hisfirm Jayabheri.

Noticeably, the same filmindustry did not pay even acourtesy call on Chief MinisterYS Jaganmohan Reddy. It maybe recalled that another formerReddy chief minister of APBhavanam Venkatram(iReddy) was felicitated by thefilm industry on 19April, 1982.Dr.Marri Channa Reddy did alot for the film industry andhelp it spread base inHyderabad.

Film figures will also have toexplain their argument on howthe increase in prices of cine-ma tickets would benefit thecommon man! This is oneoff-screen show that is much-talked about with neither thestate government nor the filmindustry sounding right to thecommon people.

M D RATNA KUMAR

Senior Journalist

It is well known that the Kapu community is

angling to assume greater political clout in

AP and is on the lookout for a capable leader

with mass appeal. The Kapu community

pinned its hopes on mega star Chiranjeevi in

2009. Those hopes were dashed due to the

dismal performance of the Praja Rajyam

Party (PRP) led by Chiranjeevi.

PIN

POINT

Row over cinema tickets takes centre-stage in Andhra Pradesh politics

BJP, Congress trying tocorner TRS GovernmentSNCN ACHARYULU

n HYDERABAD

While the BJP has shifted itsfocus to unemployment fromthe paddy procurement con-troversy the Congress is tryingto intervene on the paddyissue.

This is indicated by TPCCPresident A. Revanth Reddyraising questions about thecultivation of paddy at thefarmhouse of Chief Minister K.Chandrasekhar Rao and takingup a protest regarding that.

Since the last three months,the procurement of paddy hasbecome a big controversybetween the BJP and the TRS.The hostility between the BJPand the TRS reached its peakafter TRS ministers camped atNew Delhi to corner the BJP.

While everyone was thinkingabout the controversy on thepaddy procurement issuebetween the BJP and the TRS,suddenly the BJP shifted its

focus to the unemployment issue.At this juncture, TPCC

President Revanth Reddy tookup the paddy issue to cornerthe TRS. The TRS governmenthas asked farmers not to cul-tivate paddy in the comingKharif season.

Intervening on the paddycontroversy Revanth askedfarmers to cultivate paddyduring Kharif without anyfear. Revanth claimed thatChief Minister K.Chandrasekhar Rao himself

was cultivating paddy in theKharif season on his 150 acresat Errabelli.

In fact, both the TRS and theBJP have some disadvantagesregarding the paddy controver-sy. May be this is the reasonwhy the BJP has shifted itsfocus to unemployment.

The BJP thinks that theunemployment issue may givemore political mileage to itthan the paddy controversy.

While the BJP has decidedto stage a huge dharna ofunemployed youth at theDharna Chowk in Hyderabadthe TPCC has decided to stagea dharna of farmers at Erravelliwhere the KCR’s farmhouse islocated. But the state govern-ment spoiled the plans of boththe BJP and Congress.

The BJP and the Congressare trying to gain the upperhand by cornering the TRSGovernment. The final winnerwill be known only in next theAssembly elections.

Continued from page 1

The Ministers had stayed therefor over a week, waiting for thewritten assurance. They had toreturn without any concreteassurance last Friday even asthe Union Minister showed hisimpatience as the TelanganaMinisters landed without priorappointment and blamed theCentre for not giving timeimmediately.

The Telangana Ministerson their return said theywould announce their futurecourse of action on the paddyissue if Centre did not comeforward.

Earlier, TRS MPs also boy-cotted the winter session ofParliament to register theirprotest against the Centre'sattitude towards paddy pro-curement in Telangana and forimposing conditions that itwould not procure boiled ricein Rabi. Telangana has repre-sented that only boiled ricewould be viable in the Rabiseason and tried to reason that

it was the Centre's responsibil-ity to procure rice cultivated byStates to provide food securi-ty to the nation.

The TRS government saidthat the Centre had made itclear that it would not procurerice in the next Rabi seasonand accordingly the govern-ment advised farmers to gofor crop diversification andalternative crops. The stategovernment said it would notset up any paddy procure-ment centres in Rabi as theCentral government hadrefused to take boiled ricefrom Telangana.

However, even in Kharif,paddy was cultivated exten-sively, thanks to good irriga-tion and other facilities andassistance extended by theState government.

The Centre had initiallyagreed to procure 40 lakhtonnes of rice, but gave an oralassurance that they wouldprocure more rice later andaccordingly wrote a letter tothe State on Tuesday.

Centre to procure addl

6 L MT of Kharif riceContinued from page 1

The government cleared thedoubts and fears about thecorona vaccine. In the state,7,970 vaccination centres areworking, Harish said.

The government willadminister 5.55 crore doses intwo phases in the State, hesaid.

On Tuesday Telanganaachieved an important mile-stone in containing the Covidpandemic by administeringthe first dose of covid vac-cines to 100 per cent of thoseeligible.

The Health Departmenton Tuesday completedadministering the first dose ofCovid vaccine to all the2,77,67,000 eligible beneficia-ries in Telangana. There arestill nearly 27 lakh individu-als who are yet to get the sec-ond dose of the Covid vac-cine in Telangana and author-ities are aiming to cover themalso soon.

Telangana

completes

100% Covid...

50% office...Continued from page 1

o Cinemas, multiplexes andgyms will be closed again.Schools and colleges willstay shut.

o Restaurants and bars willbe closed at 10 pm andthey will operate at halfcapacity.

o The Delhi Metro willfunction with half itscapacity.

o Salons, barber shops andparlours will be allowed.Spas and wellness clinicswill be closed.

o Political, religious, festival-related gatherings won'tbe allowed. Religiousplaces can stay open butvisitors won't be allowed.

o Public parks will also stayopen, but picnics orgatherings won't beallowed.

o The restrictions followDelhi's biggest single-dayspike in infections in sixmonths yesterday, with331 new cases. In twoweeks, the share ofOmicron cases has gonefrom 2-3 per cent to 25-30 per cent. The positivityrate - the percentage ofsamples that returnpositive -- was above 0.5per cent for two days,which, according to GRAP,is the trigger for a yellowalert

BJP will win all 19 SC...Continued from page 1

He said that SC constituen-cies are very important to theBJP and that TRS MLAs werefacing a lot of oppositionfrom people in all the 19 SCconstituencies. A recent sur-vey found that the BJP wasstrong in the constituencies.

He said that as part of it anaction plan was prepared inthe name of ‘Mission-19’aim-ing to win all the 19 SCseats.

Sanjay said that the BJP hasbeen working as per theideals of BabasahebAmbedkar and ShyamaPrasad Mukherjee from thevery beginning. The Modigovernment is working for

Dalits, he said.Recalling that even though

the Congress has been cam-paigning for years that theBJP is anti-Dalit and that theConstitution will be changedand that laws for Dalits arebeing watered down, he saidthat people had not trustedthe Congress at all.

He said that the BJP won46 SC constituencies acrossthe country in the lastParliamentary elections whilethe Congress was limited tojust five seats. He said theModi Government is con-stantly working towards thegoal of justice for the poor.That is why the BJP couldimprove its tally to 303 seatsfrom just two MP seats.

‘UP polls will deal...Continued from page 1

In the coming days, ChiefMinister K Chandrasekhar Raowould decide in what form hewould have to work with oth-ers to take on BJP, he said.

Referring to the TRS govern-ment, Srihari said thatTelangana State had achievedimpressive progress in eightyears. There was no State in thecountry which had spentRs.50,000 crore on welfare in ayear. The BJP government,instead of facilitating develop-ment, had been creating hur-dles to Telangana State. TheBJP MPs in the State could noteven talk about assurances onthe Bayyaram Ssteel Plant,Tribal University proposed aspart of State reorganization,though they had not beenimplemented by the Centre tilldate.

Union Minister KishanReddy had failed to use hisposition to get national projectstatus to Kaleshwaram LiftIrrigation Scheme. BJP leaderswere speaking about KCR in aderogatory manner and resort-ing to personalized comments,instead of confining to politi-cal criticism.

Lashing out at the BJP gov-ernment for selling away pub-lic sector undertakings andsupporting as well as working

to the advantage of corporateentities, he said that the rise ininequalities in the country wasdue to BJP's rule. The unem-ployment problem hadincreased as the BJP govern-ment was closing down PSUs.It had become a habit forPrime Minister Narendra Modito announce packages to Statesthat were going for elections.

The BJP government hadwaived Rs 15 lakh crore loansof big industrialists and allegedthat it was getting ready towaive another Rs.10 lakh croreloans.

Jivan Reddy calls Revanth,Bandi as 'evil forces'

Meanwhile MLA and PUCChairman Jivan Reddy, in adiatribe against BJP andCongress parties, said thatRevanth Reddy, Bandi Sanjay,MP Arvind and BJP leaderTeen Maar Mallanna hadturned out to be 'evil forces' forTelangana State.

Speaking at the TRSLegislature Party office here onTuesday, he said that the twoparties had no inclination tospeak about people's problemsand would talk only aboutpersonal issues of KCR. Thetwo party leaders had turnedout to be 'Nampally Brothers'and both had party offices inNampally and had clandestineunderstanding, he alleged.

Congress demands inquiry...Continued from page 1

Uttam said that paddy pro-curement is not new to thestate and that farmers are fac-ing problems due to the inef-ficiency of KCR. He said thatfarmers will bury the TRS.

Questioning the Ministerson how they accepted theagreement with the Centre toprocure 40 lakh tons of paddy,Uttam asked whether theMinisters were monks.

Former Minister PonnalaLaxmaiah asked the BJP to tellwhether they remember thatKCR’s deeksha was a fake one.It is ridiculous for the BJP tosay that it will launch a strug-gle for golden Telangana. Hesaid that it is not proper for theTRS government to enhancepower charges.

Former MLA SA SampathKumar said that the TRS is los-ing popularity. He said thepopularity of Congress under

the leadership of TPCC chiefRevanth Reddy has beenincreasing.

He said the Congress sticksto the statement of Revanththat KCR is cultivating paddyon 150 acres at his Erravallifarmhouse.

The government stoppedthe Congress’ Racha Bandaprogramme at Erravalli fearingthat facts will come out, hesaid. He challenged TRS lead-ers to a debate on the same.

TS to raise oil palm in 30 lakh acresContinued from page 1

He was speaking at the BusinessSummit organized by theNMEO-OP here on Tuesday.

Niranjan Reddy said as theCentre was spending Rs. 1 lakhcrore every year on import ofedible oils. Therefore, the Staterealized the necessity to cultivateoil seeds and focused on oilpalm. To meet the domesticdemand for oil palm, it shouldbe cultivated in another 70 lakhacres in the country, he said. Theoil palm variety cultivated inTelangana gave high yield of oilwith a recovery rate of 19.22 percent, he pointed out.

The Centre had suggested cul-

tivation of 1.12 lakh acres in theState under the NMEO-OPscheme over the next five years, butTelangana had set a target of 30lakh acres and sought cooperationof the Centre to achieve the target.

The government must giveminimum guaranteed price ofRs.15,000 per tonne for the oilpalm fresh fruit bunch (FFB) toencourage farmers to take up thiscrop. The government shouldalso enhance the amount givenfor drip irrigation unit and doaway with limit of extent of crop.

Niranjan Reddy submitted amemorandum to UnionMinister Narendra Singh Tomardetailing the Centre's helprequired for oil palm cultivation.

The Union Minister andMinister of State KailashChoudhary assured the stateminister that full cooperationwould be extended for oil palmcultivation.

Niranjan Reddy explainedthe encouragement given toirrigation and agriculture sectorsand how it had increased thearea under cultivation in theState. For instance, paddy yieldincreased from 68 lakh tonnesin 2014-15 to 259 lakh tonnes in2020-21. So far, Rs.50,000 crorehad been given as investmentassistance under the RythuBandhu in eight instalments atthe rate of Rs.5,000 per acretwice in a year.

Missionaries of Charity says ‘work as...Continued from page 1

indicating an appeal againstthe Centre's decision to cancelthe license under the ForeignContribution Regulation Actwould be made.

"Work in all our orphan-ages, shelters, homes are goingon as usual," the official said,adding that "in India we havebeen sustaining all these yearswith love and support of peo-ple in this country. So we willcontinue to serve the poor,destitute, ailing, aged with thesame gusto in the same way."

A large portion of themoney spent in India comesfrom donations sourced local-ly, officials said while pleadingignorance of the exactamounts received as dona-tion locally or through foreigndonations.

The MoC headquartered inKolkata has over 250 bankaccounts in the country forutilising foreign funds, anoth-er official of the organisationsaid.

"We are in talks with expertsand auditors to resolve the sit-uation," the official said.

Play Indian...Continued from page 1

The ICCR, which works underthe Ministry of External Affairs,had said on Twitter that varioussuggestions were made during themeeting "including promotion ofIndian music in flights operatedby the Indian air companies".Eminent artists and musicians,including Malini Awasthi, AnuMalik, Kaushal S Inamdar,Shounak Abhisheki, ManjushaPatil K, Sanjeev Abhyankar, RitaGanguly and Wasifuddin Dagarwere also present during themeeting, it added.

HYDERABAD | WEDNESDAY | DECEMBER 29, 2021 hyderabad 03

PNS n HYDERABAD

Quality inputs, and use of mod-ern technology, like drones forcrop protection, are crucial forsubstantially increasing theexport of agricultural producefrom Telangana, and makingthe state a role model for oth-ers to follow, said Mr. R GAgarwal, Group Chairman ofDhanuka here today.

Mr. Agarwal called upon thestate farmers to take the help ofdrones, robotics, and artificialintelligence (AI) and use thebest quality seeds, fertilizers,and pesticides to increase theagri-yield, crop quality, andincome of the farmers. Giventhe vast resources and a vibrantfarming community, Telangana

has the right potential to emergeas a major center for the exportof farm produce, he said,adding, the need of the hour isto sensitize the farmers aboutthe long-term benefits of usingthe latest technology and qual-ity inputs. “Use of technology,including crop protections byfarmers will go a long way inhelping the state of Telangana inrealizing its potential of agricul-ture exports,” Mr. Agarwal said.

Dhanuka Group has been atthe forefront in promoting thelatest technology to help farm-ers increase yield. The compa-ny has the latest technologicalCrop Protection products(Herbicides, Insecticides,Fungicides, and Plant GrowthRegulators) and has technical

tie-ups with 2 American, 3European, and 6 Japanese firms.Mr. Agarwal emphasized thatthe use of right and good inputswill also help farmers increasetheir export share and helprealize the cherished dream ofdoubling the income of farmers.

"There is a vast market forquality Indian agriculturalproducts in overseas markets.The keyword is 'Quality'. Thefarmers must use quality inputs,and take the help of moderntechnology to increase perhectare yield. This will help

them increase the exports andhence income," Agarwal said.

He further stressed that farm-ers need to be educated andsensitized to take full advantageof the scientific and technolog-ical advances in the field of agri-culture.

Dhanuka Group has alsosigned a Memorandum ofUnderstanding (MoU) withProfessor JayashankarTelangana State AgriculturalUniversity, Hyderabad. As perthe MoU, the two institutionswill work jointly to providetechnical know-how and sup-port to farmers at large.

Dhanuka Group will partic-ipate and sponsor conferencesand together with the univer-sity will jointly conduct

research activities in the fieldof crop protection chemicals.In partnership with theUniversity, Dhanuka willencourage farmers to usemodern agriculture technolo-gies, which will play a vital rolein increasing crop produc-tion.

Dhanuka Group is workingto increase the income offarmers who are the founda-tion of our nation. These ini-tiatives will ultimately help inachieving the vision of Hon’blePrime Minister of doubling thefarmers’ income and trans-forming India into a US$ 5Trillion economy of whichUS$ 1 Trillion will be con-tributed by the agriculturesector, Mr. Agarwal said.

PNS n HYDERABAD

Fourteen Kids from twoTelugu states made it to thenationals of SIP ArithmeticGenius 2021. It is India’slargest online ArithmeticContest-2021 organised by SIPAcademy.

The fourteen kids of class 2to 5 belonging to different250 schools in Telangana andAndhra Pradesh are regionalwinners and will compete with200 plus regional winners atthe National level to be held inJanuary 2022. The contest washeld for the students of class-es 2 to 5. 14 kids qualified andthey will represent Telangana,AP. It is the 6th edition of theArithmetic Genius Contest. Itwent online last year.

The first four editions wereheld physically. This is anationwide contest and the

objective is by the year 2025,every student in Grade 5 andbeyond has achieved founda-tional literacy and numeracy.

Speaking on the occasionMs Uma Swaminathan theRegional Head of SIP Academysaid, "Arithmetic skill is one ofthe crucial skills for children'sfuture development. All future

learning in school and lifedepends on this foundation”.

Three toppers in each of thefour classes in the regionalcontest were given cash prizesof Rs 5000/-; 7000/- and10,000/- The national toppersin each grade will walk awaywith Rs 10,000; 15,000 and25000/- respectively.

PNS n HYDERABAD

Mohammed Farha (MrsUniverse 2021, Mrs.India2021) from Hyderabad hasbeen awarded the SuperWoman Award. Farha washonored at an event hostedby FSIA(forever star indiaawards)in Jaipur onTuesday.

Speaking on the occa-sion, Farha said that she hasreceived the award in theWomen Entrepreneur cate-gory which honoredwomen from various fields.

The FSIA CEO RajeshAgarwal, Organizer ShivaniJaiswal and other guestswere present at the event.

On 18th December, she washonored with an award byTwell magazine. On 20thOctober, the GlobalScholars Foundation recog-nized and honored her withNariratna Award for hercontribution to womenempowerment.

She has also receivedhonorary doctorate fromWorld human rights protec-tion commission ( WHPRC).Farha who is the secretaryof world human rights andsocial Justice mission(WHRJSM ) for the state ofTelangana said she hasalways been proactive inworking for womenempowerment.

PNS n HYDERABAD

The RTC has issued a noti-fication inviting quotationsto hire 70 more privatebuses to operate them onunder hire with RTC basis.There are over 3000 busesunder hire with the RTC. Inthe same process, the RTC istoying with the idea of hir-ing double-ducker buses astheir prices are prohibitive aseach bus costs at least Rs 70lakh.

The RTC ran double-ducker buses till 2006, butwithdrew them later as theyaresustaining losses for theRTC.

Responding to a tweetfrom a city resident on run-ning double decker buses,

municipal administrationminister KTR re-tweetedtagging it to TransportMinister Puvvada AjayKumar, who evinced inter-est to buy them. The RTCwants to buy 20 double-decker buses on an experi-mental basis. The AshokLeyland company quoted aprice of Rs 70 lakh for eachbus. Since the RTC’sfinances are in bad shape,the management decided tobuy normal buses instead ofdouble-decker buses.However, it wanted to pro-cure double-decker buseson a hire basis and entrustthe responsibility to AhokLeyland Company. A moreclear picture is yet to emergeon the issue.

Recently, tenders have beencalled in Mumbai, besides theTSRTC, for double-decker buses. InMumbai too, Ashok Leyland’s com-pany tender was finalised.

PNS n HYDERABAD

The Telangana Secretariat sawtight security on Tuesday.The police was deployed onall roa ds leading to theSecreta riat.

The reason for the tightsecurity was the UpadhyaSanghala Porata Committee’s(UPSP) call to attack theSecretariat demanding cancel-lation of the zonal allocationprocess and GO 317.

On Monday, the TelanganaEmployees Association hadalso tried to attack theSecretariat. The road from theTelugu Talli flyover to MLAquarters in Adarsh Nagar and

surrounding areas cameunder the control of the

police. Footpaths were alsobarred to the public. The

traffic police had put up ‘noentry’ boards to block

motorists. Vehicles wereallowed only on the flyover.The area was open only toemployees working in theSecretariat. Security officialsstrictly checked employees’identity cards and otherthings. The public was notallowed to go to banks in thearea. Visitors to the city facedmore problems. They wereasked by security officials togo to the concerned officer inthe Secretariat. Meanwhile,the public were seriouslyinconvenienced by the trafficdiversion. Employees of theGHMC, BSNL and LIC had totravel via Ravindra Bharathiand Basheerbagh Road.

Tight security at Telangana Secretariat

PNS n HYDERABAD

The HMDA has finalised tendersto collect toll to the tune of Rs700 crore per annum throughtoll tax on the ORR. The com-panies who have been awardedtenders will function from sec-ond week of January. The tendershave been awarded for a periodof 24 months.

There are 19 toll gates on 158-km-long ORR. Two more tollplazas are under construction.The government finds mainte-nance of roads burdensome asthe number of vehicle plying oncity roads is increasing. JapanInternational CooperationAgency projects are being fund-ed from HMDA coffers pending

release of grants to it. In thisbackdrop, the HMDA finalisedtenders to earn higher revenuefrom the ORR. In all, 10 compa-nies participated in the tenderprocess. For the first time thetenders were given on the basisof Toll, Operate and Transfer(TOT). The companies winningthe contract should take care ofmaintenance of the ORR too.

HMDA eyes to earn Rs 700 crthrough toll revenue from ORR

K VENKATESHWARLU

n HYDERABAD

At a time when the new vari-ant of Corona ? Omicron isspreading rapidly, Corona hascreated a panic in Narsingi,Rangareddy district in thesuburbs of Hyderabad as 14students in a private college(Sri Chaitanya Junior College)were found to have coronapositive when conducted testsfor 93 students. With this, fel-low students panicked.

In fact, the students, whohave been suffering fromsevere cold and fever for thelast two days underwent med-ical tests on Tuesday morning.As part of that Covid tests con-ducted for them and 14 stu-dents were found to have

corona positive. The Healthofficials have stated that theywill conduct RT PCR tests onWednesday besides conduct-ing tests to all students of thecollege. The rest of the stu-dents were advised to be vig-ilant.

On the other hand, 7 newOmicron cases were regis-tered on Tuesday. With the 7new cases, the total number ofOmicron cases reached 62.Revealing this, the HealthMinister T Harish Rao statedthat 46 persons out of 62Omicron positives didn’t takethe vaccine. Meanwhile, a pri-vate lab technician, who hasno travel history, one pregnantwoman, and a software engi-neer were among the 7Omicron positive cases.

PNS n HYDERABAD

The Upadhyaya SanghalaPorata Committee (UPSP)attempted to attack theTelangana Secretariat (BRKBhavan) in Hyderabad onTuesday.

Thousands of teachers fromall over TS had come to thecity heeding the UPSP call.The government took intocustody UPSP Member JaadiRajanna and members of itssteering committee onMonday midnight and keptthem till early Tuesday morn-ing. Thousands of teacherscame to Hyderabad andprotested at the Secretariatfrom 11 am to 3 pm. Therewas high tension as the policeargued with the union leadersto make them withdraw theprotest. The police blocked the

road to the main gate of theSecretariat and the other sideof the Secretariat. The teach-ers came from different sidesof the Secretariat. Some ofthem came from the GHMCoffice side, some others fromthe MLA quarters and AdarshNagar side and some from theTelugu Talli flyover side.

The police arrested the pro-testers and sent them toNampally, Gandhi Nagar,Musheerabad andNarayanguda police stations.

UPSP Steering CommitteeMember K. Jangaiah spoke tothe media condemning theteachers’ arrests.

He said the governmentshould cancel allocations asper the zonal process. “Thereis no transparency and clari-ty on nativity in GO 317.Abolish GO 317 immediately.

PNS n HYDERABAD

Members of the film chamber ofcommerce met the ChiefSecretary Somesh Kumar IAS atBRKR Bhavan today. Theythanked the Chief Minister K

Chandrashekar Rao and thestate government for resolvingthe long pending demands ofthe film industry. Membersinformed that the proactivedecisions of the state govern-ment has resulted in the theatres

running with more than 80 per-cent occupancy throughout thestate. Sunil Narang, President,Telangana State Film Chamberof Commerce, Anupam Reddy,Secretary, Sri Balagovind Raj,Vice President were present.

‘Govt resolved long-pendingdemands of film industry’

Members of the Film Chamber of Commerce met Chief Secretary to Govt. Sri Somesh Kumar IAS at BRKR Bhavan.

7 new Omicron cases recorded on Tuesday

Teachers’ union attemptsto storm Secretariat

‘Use of technology key to make Telangana major agri hub’

14 kids qualify to compete nationally inlargest online Arithmetic Contest

14 students testpositive in Narsingi

Mrs India 2021 is superwoman at star awards

PNS n HYDERABAD

TPCC President RevanthReddy exhorted the youth tosupport the Congress torestore democracy in thecountry and to revive thedevelopment process.

He was addressing the137th Foundation Day cele-brations of the Congress atthe Gandhi Bhavan here onTuesday after hoisting theparty flag.

The TPCC President saidthat the Congress focussedon public welfare while theBJP Government wasengaged in vote bank politics.

While Rajiv Gandhiempowered youth by reduc-ing the voting age from 21 to18, the BJP has brought a lawto increase the minimumage of women for marriage

from 18 to 21. He said thatthis was an attempt to inter-fere with the personal laws ofsome communities. He saidthat the decision was unilat-eral and that the Bill wasintroduced without consult-ing anyone, including thenearly 80 women MPs in theLok Sabha. Revanth said thatthe Bill was drafted and intro-duced in haste with an eye onthe Assembly elections infive States. He said that thegovernment should have heldconsultations before bringingin such contentious laws.

He said that women MPs,religious heads and women’sorganisations should havebeen consulted.

"It is strange that PrimeMinister Modi, who ‘aban-doned’ his wife and has nochildren is deciding how and

when people should get mar-ried and have a family," hesaid. He said it was due to theobjection of the Congressand other opposition partiesthat the Bill was referred to aParliamentary StandingCommittee. He said that newlaws should be introducednot for political gains but tohelp the people. However, hesaid that the BJP has beenmisusing Parliament to bringin controversial laws like thefarm laws aimed at eitherhelping a few companies orlike the CAA for purely polit-ical gains.

He stressed the need topass the Women'sReservation Bill. He said thatwomen can be empoweredonly by increasing their rep-resentation in law-makingbodies.

Revanth slams BJP govt forraising girls’ marriage age

The reason for thetight security wasthe UpadhyaSanghala PorataCommittee’s (UPSP)call to attack theSecretariatdemandingcancellation of thezonal allocationprocess and GO317.

PNS n HYDERABAD

The 32-second edition of theHyderabad Book Fair conclud-ed on Tuesday at NTR Stadium.The Book Fair began on 15 ofthis month went on for 10days by attracting almost 9lakh visitors this year. Apartfrom books and stalls, the orga-

nizers conducted various cul-tural programmes for the lastten days, which have becomemore attractive till the last day.Conduction competitions forchildren were another attractionin the Book Fair. Noted actorPrakash Raj's book DositaChinukulu was launched dur-ing the period.

Book Fair concludes

TSRTC likely to hiredouble-decker buses

04HYDERABAD | WEDNESDAY | DECEMBER 29, 2021

PNS n MAHABUBNAGAR

Excise Minister Dr. V Srinivas Goud has called upontribals to send their wards toschool without fail as educa-tion will bring them recogni-tion in the society.

Inaugurating a workingwomen’s hostel for SCs atYedira, built at a cost of Rs2.75 crore, on Tuesday, theminister said that the hostelcan accommodate 150 work-ing women and has allamenities for them in it. Apost-Matric hostel that isunder construction for trib-al students will be madeavailable for the students inJanuary. On Monday, theminister laid a foundationstone for the Girijan Bhavanto be built at a cost of Rs1.10crore, he said. A residen-tial school for SCs and STswould be built soon at a cost

of Rs 4.20crore, he said. TheState Government alienatedland to build the SevalalMaharaj temple in the dis-trict. Further, various Bhavanwould be built for tribals a t acost of Rs 13 crore for tribals,he said. In the TRS regime, thetribals have been leading a

dignified life.Revenue additional collec-

tor K Sitarama Rao, munici-pal chairman KCNarasimhulu, RDO Padmasri,tribal welfare officer Chatru,engineering officials Vasanta,and others were present on theoccasion.

PNS n KAMAREDDY

District Collector Jitesh VPatil on Tuesday visitedGandhari Ekalavya ResidentialSchool, which he adopted fordevelopment, and asked thestudents to excel in sports alsoalong with academics.

In connection with his visit,the school students extendeda grand welcome to theDistrict collector by present-ing an impressive march past.

Jitesh Patil went round thesports ground and asked theprincipal to make arrange-ments to develop courts forarchery, football, basketballand directed the physical edu-cation teachers to groom thestudents in such a the way that

they excel in sports at homeand abroad. During his inter-action with the students, hesaid that he would be visitingthe school quite often as headopted the school. Besidesresolving the problems in theschool, he said that he wouldstrive to create amenities there.He asked them to study hardand bring good names to theirschool.

He asked the students toappear for competitive exam-inations and come out in fly-ing colors. Later, he wentthrough the school records.

School principal AmarSingh, local sarpanchSanjeevYadav, Tahsildar Goverdhanand others were present on theoccasion.

Minister inaugurateswomen’s hostel for tribals

PNS n MAHABUBNAGAR

Excise Miniter Dr. V SrinivasGoud has called upon ZPTCs,MPPs to explain to villagers thedevelopment achieved in anew state of Telangana vividly.Addressing ZP General Bodyheld at the ZP meeting hallhere on Tuesday, he appealedto the MPPs and ZPTCs tobring people’s problems to theZP meeting as it is the rightforum to solve the people’sproblems. The ZP meetingshould take action on the prob-lems referred to it by membersand it should intimate themembers the action is taken.The minister asked officials torecord the action taken on thegrievances in a register. Thegovernment provides drinkingwater, power, implements RytuBandhu, Rytu Beema, and soon and gives necessary supportto the caste-based vocations, he

said adding that the govern-ment will implement the DalitBandhu without fail.

On a pilot basis, 100 bene-ficiaries would be given Rs 10lakh each under the thescheme, he said inviting sug-

gestions on Dalit Bandhu fromZP members. He asked the ZPmembers to sensitise farmerson alternative crops as therewill be no paddy procurementin Rabi. Rytu Bandhu funds arebeing credited into bank

accounts of farmers fromTuesday onwards. As far asMahabubnagar district is con-cerned, crediting Rs 220 croreinto bank accounts of farmershas commenced. The ZPTCsand MPPs should ensure that

villages achieve 100 per centvaccination. Sarpanches,

ZPTCs and MPPs of such vil-lages would be felicitated, theminister said. He hinted at thecommencement of boating inKoilsagar soon deploying fourboats. Koil Sagar would betreated as a tourist destinationand a guest house would bebuilt there. Similarly, theKoilkonda guest house wouldbe brought into use, he added.

ZP Chairperson SwarnaSudhakar Reddy appealed tothe ZPTCs, MPPs and ZPmembers to play their bit ofrole in taking the governmentschemes to the doorstep of thepeople. MP Of MahabubnagarManne Srinivasa Reddyappealed to people to makegood use of the governmentschemes, including RytuBandhu and Rytu Beema. Headvised the farmers to growalternative crops in Rabi.

PNS n SIDDIPET

Husnand MLA Voditala SatishKumar has said that theGouravelli project works havereached the concluding stageand all arrangements are being

made to inaugurate the pro-ject in New Year.

Addressing media at his campoffice here on Tuesday, he saidthe long- awaited dream of thefarmers of the area is going to befulfilled soon in the

form of the GouravelliProject. Farmers of the drylandsarea would have no problems forwant of irrigation facility, he saidadding that all arrangements arebeing made to complete theproject overcoming any amountof hurdles.

The government is ready toclear the problems of payment ofcompensation and other prob-lems, he said appealing to themnot to entertain any qualmsabout him. He is always ready to

extend necessary support tothem, he said. Barring pluggingtwo breaches into the project,there are no other problems infilling the reservoir with water.At first, 1.14 tmc of water is letinto the project, which has acapacity of 8.2 tmc. Later, thewater will be filled according tothe capacity of the reservoir.

The project is described as aboon to farmers of dry land inHusnabad. It will pave the wayfor accelerated development of

the region, he said. HusnabadMunicipal Chairperson AkulaRajita and vice-chairman Venkatand other elected people’s repre-sentatives and TRS functionar-ies were present on the occasion.Later, the MLA held discussionswith Gudapatipalli farmers byvisiting the dharna camp of thefarmers, who have been agitat-ing for the past six days. Heassured them that he wouldstrive to see to it that everyonewill get their compensation.

PNS n JAGITYAL

Welfare Minister KoppulaEswar has said that a Rs 700-crore Ethanol, rice brawn oilthe factory will be set upunder the limits of Stambhampalli in Velgatur Mandalof Dharmapuri constituency ofthe district.

On Tuesday, KRIBHCOchairman, directors, and vice-chairmen inspected the site for

the project in the village.District Collector and otherrevenue officials were alsopresent on the occasion. TheStambhampalli village has413.12 acres of land under sur-vey number 1090 in the vil-lage. The BRIBHCO authori-ties inspected 100 acres of thegovernment land for theirproject. Later, they went toRayapatnam road bridge on

River Godavari to study thewater stored in the river.KRIBHCO Chairman Dr.Chandrapal Singh said thatthe company is manufacturingethanol in Surat of Gujaratstate, Krishnapatnam town ofAP. Now, the company is

looking for a suitable site atVelgatur Mandal ofDharmapuri. Annually, 8crore liters of ethanol will beproduced. For this purpose,the company uses six lakhtons of broken rice, damagedrice, and maize. He appealedto the people to welcome theestablishment of the factoryand extend their coopera-tion. District Collector GRavi, former MP PonnamPrabha kar, RDO Madhuri,company representatives andothers were present on theoccasion.

We have achieved a lot in 7 years* Explain to people about development * Goud tells ZPTCs, MPPs

PNS n NEW DELHI

Union Agriculture Minister NarendraSingh Tomar on Tuesday lauded effortsmade by the Telangana government in thepromotion of oil palm cultivation and saidthe southern state can become an emerg-ing leader in palm oil production.

Telangana has notified 26 districts foroil palm cultivation and set a target of fivelakh hectares of plantation for 2022-23.Around 11 oil processors are operating inthe state at present.

Recently, the central government cameout with the National Mission on EdibleOil-Oil Palm (NMEO-OP) to boostdomestic production and cut importdependence.

Addressing a business summit inHyderabad to promote the centrallysponsored scheme NMEO-OP, Tomar"assured all the state governments thatthere will be no shortage of resources forthe successful implementation of thisscheme".

Currently, about three lakh hectares ofland is under palm oil cultivation, whilestudies have shown that about 28 lakhhectares of land is suitable for oil palm cul-tivation in the country, he said.

"It is our mission to bring 28 lakhhectares of land under cultivation to make

India Atmanirbhar in edible oil," headded. Appreciating the efforts made bythe Telangana government to increasepalm oil production, Tomar said that hesees "Telangana as an emerging leader inoil palm production".

Speaking on the occasion, TelanganaAgriculture Minister S Niranjan Reddysaid the state government has drawn anambitious plan for oil palm expansion,while Kerala Agriculture Minister PPrasad shared that the state governmentis also emphasising the promotion of oilpalm in the state.

Talking about the scope of naturalfarming in the state, the Union agricul-ture minister also called upon the state

government to adopt and promote natur-al farming to reduce the production costwithout hampering production.

Further, Tomar expressed happiness atthe progress made under NMEO-LPsince the first business summit held inGuwahati, an official statement said.

The minister said the Centre hassigned a memorandum of understanding(MoU) with nine state governments forviability gap payment, finalised revisedannual action plans (AAPs) of 11 statesincorporating new provisions of the mis-sion and organised a national workshopon oil palm in Arunachal Pradesh as sub-theme of the crop diversification pro-gramme. AAPs of 11 states worth Rs

106.90 crore were approved for areaexpansion in 6,563 hectares, replanting3,058 hectares maintenance and inter-cropping in 25,197 hectares of existing andnew oil palm orchards and drip irrigationfacility in 1,569 hectares of palm orchards,he said. The minister also said four pro-cessing mills will be established in north-eastern states with subsidies from the mis-sion. In addition, three seed gardens and39 nurseries will be created for increas-ing the availability of seed sprouts andseedlings.

A total of 360 vermicompost sheds forthe production of quality organic manureand 18 custom hiring centres for rentinggarden tools will also be made operationalin the current year. Further, a meeting washeld with Indian ambassadors of major oilpalm sprouts exporting countries toensure an uninterrupted supply of quali-ty planting materials in large quantities, headded. Telangana Chief Secretary SomeshKumar expressed hope that the statewould emerge as the largest oil-palm pro-ducing area in the country in 3-4 years. Heoutlined the state initiatives in this regardsaying that Telangana has placed indentsfor procurement of 324 lakh seed sprout,while 1,045 hectares of land has been pur-chased for seed nurseries and 23 nurserieshave already been established in the state.

PNS n HYDERABAD

Criticising Chief Minister K.Chandrasekhar Rao forextending the timings ofliquor shops on December 31night, TPCC chief RevanthReddy asked the ChiefMinister to explain whetherhe gives priority for revenueor human lives. Revanthtweeted on Tuesday eveningsaying "Other states areimposing night curfew tocontrol covid cases…But@Telangana CMO permitsbars to serve liquor till 1 amand wine shops to be open till12 midnight. Revenue getspriority over lives …?!".

DC asks studentsto excel in sports

Gouravelli project nearing completion trial run in 2022

Ethanol unit to be set up inJagityal at a cost of Rs 700 cr

Revanth flays KCRfor extending timingsof liquor shops

Recently, the centralgovernment came outwith the NationalMission on Edible Oil-Oil Palm (NMEO-OP)to boost domesticproduction and cutimport dependence.

Continued from page 1

Permission was also grant-ed to keep liquor shopsopen up to 12 midnight onDecember 31 on the eve ofNew Year subject to theobservance of StandardOperating Procedures(SOP) of Covid-19, says thegovernment release issuedon Tuesday. The Directorof Prohibition and ExciseDepartment will takeaction in the matter, saidChief Secretary SomeshKumar.

Govt allows...

PNS n VIJAYAWADA

Gangavaram Port, the deepestand the most modern port in thecountry, on Tuesday, continuedits unprecedented streak ofrecords by achieving yet anoth-er milestone in various cargocommodities. The port providesefficient cargo handling servicesfor a variety of bulk and break-bulk cargo groups to the cus-tomers. The port and its relatedfacilities and material handlingsystem are amongst the mostadvanced in Asia meeting thehighest standards in terms ofsafety.

Vedanta cargo of 16,894 MTAluminum Billets was sent tothe United States throughGangavaram by the vessel MVOutrider. De-stuffing, stacking,moving through trailers, andloading into vessel were alldone by the Gangavaram Portteam and containerised cargo

was changed to bulk.Signode's Lashing Straps

were used for the first time.Tough Stowage devised a suc-cessful plan for the voyage.Heat Treated Dunnage wasused for the first time in accor-dance with international stan-dards. In another achievement,Gangavaram Port Ltd (GPL)made a record by loading 4,256MT on 24 hours basis when

Vessel MV Eagle Trader car-ried 25,085 MT of VedantaCargo Aluminum Ingots andSows was berthed atGangavaram Port. Also, GPLmade a record in the VesselMV Mandarin Eagle by load-ing 9,078 MT of RINL SteelBlooms in 24 hours basis.

The port has also achievedanother milestone in baggingthe highest quantity of fertiliz-

ers. GPL displayed excellentperformance by loading 8,500MTs and 1,88,887 bags whichwere completed in a recordtime with 10 MBUs in 24hours.

“We are incredibly proud ofour team's accomplishments.Our cargo management effi-ciency is demonstrated by ourrecord cargo loading and dis-charge of numerous commodi-ties. We at Gangavaram Portalways strive to provide thebest service to our customers.GPL provides significant costsavings to Indian importersthrough reduced ocean freight,highly efficient Operations,advanced material handlingand evacuation systems, vaststorage areas for all types ofcargo, extensive ancillary facil-ities, and faster turnaroundtime and delivery,” said aspokesperson of GangavaramPort Ltd.

Gangavaram Port achieves yet another cargo milestone

PNS n VIJAYAWADA

Chief Minister YSJaganmohan Reddy onTuesday credited Rs 703 croreinto the bank accounts of9,30,809 eligible beneficia-ries who were earlier notconsidered due to variousreasons for the welfareschemes and programmesthat were implemented by thegovernment. Speaking on theoccasion, the Chief Ministersaid that earlier people usedto wait and run from pillar topost to avail welfare schemes,

but now the situation haschanged, where the schemesare being delivered right atthe doorstep of the beneficia-ries. As part of this initiative,the state government will re-verify those who are eligibleand have not availed the ben-efits and provide the welfareschemes in June andDecember every year. Theintention is to take welfareschemes to every eligible per-son in the State, without leav-ing anyone behind. Drawingcomparison between TDPterm, the Chief Minister said

that the previous governmenthad only tried to minimizethe number of beneficiaries byproviding welfare schemes toselect numbers throughJanmabhoomi Committeesand always took a back seat indelivering welfare schemesto the people, doing theirbest to exclude as many peo-ple as possible. However, wehad taken only eligibility asthe bar and are providing wel-fare benefits in a transparentway irrespective of their caste,religion, or political affilia-tions.

AP CM credits Rs 703 cr to beneficiaries

PNS n VIJAYAWADA

AP State Skill Develop mentCorporation (APSSDC), in col-laboration with Andhra LoyolaCollege, is organising a 'Mega JobMela' on December 30 at ALCDegree College campus. Morethan 30 companies will berecruiting about 2,100 candi-dates for various roles. Male orfemale candidates between 18and 45 years of age and who arelooking for jobs can make use ofthis opportunity, said Principal FrKishore. The salary ranges fromRs 10,000 to Rs 32,000 per monthdepending on the type of job andexperience. Freshers, as well asexperienced persons, can makeuse of this opportunity. Interestedcandidates can report at AndhraLoyola College on December 30by 10:30 am with copies of cer-tificates, Aadhaar card, passportsize photo and resume.

‘Job Mela' atAndhra LoyolaCollegetomorrow

PNS n VIJAYAWADA

The Andhra Pradesh Statepolice have ranked first inthe Smart Police Index,which is conducted in 29states and Union territoriesby the Delhi-based IndiaPolice Foundation. AndhraPradesh scored 8.11 Indexpoints followed byTelangana with 8.10 points.Assam stood third with a7.89 score and Kerala fourthwith 7.53. Sikkim,Mizoram, and Gujarat

secured the next places.Bihar stood last at 29thplace with 5.74 points. UttarPradesh got 28th place witha 5.81 Index score.Jharkhand and Punjabstood at 26 and 27.

Addressing a media con-ference on Tuesday at theState police office, DGPGautam D Sawang saidAndhra Pradesh policestood first in Smart PoliceIndex 2021 survey con-ducted by the Indian PoliceFoundation, Delhi.

AP tops in Smart Police Index

Cognizablecrime up by3%: AP DGPPNS n VIJAYAWADA

The charge sheet and convic-tion rate got better in AP dueto the efforts of the AP PoliceDepartment compared to ear-lier years. The State has reg-istered 90.2 percent chargesheet and 75.09 percent con-viction rates this year. DGPGautham D Sawang onTuesday, along with othersenior IPS officers, said at theannual media conference.

Telangana can become leader in oil palm

nation 05HYDERABAD | WEDNESDAY | DECEMBER 29, 2021

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The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Tuesday said it has seized shares worth Rs 293.91crore of former Tamil Nadu Mercantile Bank Limited Chairman Nesamanimaran Muthuin connection with a probe against him linked to alleged contravention of the FEMA law.

The seized assets are in the form of shareholdings of Muthu alias MGM Maran in fourIndian companies: Southern Agrifurane Industries Private Limited, Anand Transport PrivateLimited, MGM Entertainment PrivateLimited and MGM Diamond BeachResorts Private Limited. The agencysaid in a statement that Muthu hadincorporated two companies inSingapore during 2005-06 and 2006-07financial years and invested SGD5,29,86,250 (equivalent to Rs 293.91crore). "This investment was madewithout taking approval from the RBI.Further, the source of such a hugeinvestment abroad was not disclosed tothe Indian regulators," the agency said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi took a swipe at the SP on Tuesday over the seizureof crores of rupees in cash from a Kanpur-based perfume trader and said it wasthe "achievement and reality" of the opposition party. "Boxes filled with notes that

have come out, I was thinking they (Samajwadi Party) will say that this was also doneby us. The people of Kanpur understand business and trade well. Before 2017, theperfume of corruption that they hadsprinkled all over Uttar Pradesh isthere for everyone to see," the primeminister said after inaugurating ametro rail project and the 356-km-long Bina-Panki multi-productpipeline project here, without takingany name. "But now, they are sittingwith their mouths shut. They are notcoming forward to take credit for themountain of currency notes seen bythe entire country. This is theirachievement and their reality.

The Aam Aadmi Party on Tuesday accused the BJP of offering money to hisparty's three municipal councillors from Chandigarh to poach them. AAPleader Raghav Chadha made the allegation a day after the results of the

Chandigarh Municipal Corporation polls threw up a hung verdict, with AAPwinning 14 of 35 wards and BJP bagging 12. The Congress got eight seats andthe Shiromani Akali Dalone.Addressing the media here onTuesday, Chadha alleged that someBJP leaders have contacted andeven visited the houses of winningAAP candidates and offered themmoney. "Two of them were offeredRs 50 lakh and one was offered Rs75 lakh by BJP's senior leaders onMonday evening" for leaving AAPand joining the BJP, claimedChadha without disclosing thenames of the councillors.

ED seizes over Rs 293 crore worthshares of ex-bank chairman

PM takes dig at SP over seizure ofcash from Kanpur-based businessman

Chandigarh MC: Raghav Chadhaalleges BJP offering money to AAP

India put climate change at centre-stagePNS n NEW DELHI

Placing climate change at thecentre of its environmental poli-cies, India took bold pledges in2021 with Prime MinisterNarendra Modi asserting at thecrucial international climatesummit COP 26 that it is theonly country delivering in "let-ter and spirit" the commit-ments under the ParisAgreement.

From pledging to becomenet zero emitter of carbon by2070 to achieving 500 gigawattsnon-fossil energy capacity by

2030, India led from the fronton environmental issues thisyear, grabbing eyeballs acrossthe world. At the UN climate

meet, India once again high-lighted that developed nationshave not only failed to meet theUSD 100 billion goal annually

of support to developing nationssince 2009 but also continue topresent it as the ceiling of theirambition all the way to 2025.

Addressing the world leadersat United Nations COP 26 atGlasgow, Modi listed out fivecommitments of India to com-bat climate change with a boldannouncement that it willachieve the target of net zeroemissions by the year 2070,achieving 500 giga watt non-fos-sil energy capacity by 2030,fulfilling 50 per cent of its ener-gy requirements from renewableenergy sources by 2030.

India also launched 'OneSun, One World, One Grid'(OSOWOG) at the conferencewith an aim to harness solarenergy wherever the sun isshining, ensuring that generat-ed electricity flows to areas thatneed it most. Towards the endof the summit, the countrydrew sharp criticism from sev-eral nations for allegedly water-ing down the global commit-ment to cut down use of coal inthe climate pact adopted atCOP26 by using the term "phasedown" instead of "phase out" ofcoal in the Glasgow pact.

PNS n MUMBAI

The proceedings of theMaharashtra LegislativeCouncil were adjourned for10 minutes, following anuproar in the House over alle-gations of malpractice levelledby a Shiv Sena MLC againstthe BJP-ruled AkolaMunicipal Corporation(AMC). Sena MLCGopikishan Bajoria demand-ed the dissolution of the

AMC, claiming that severalmalpractices had taken placein the civic body. “The AkolaMunicipal Corporationshould be dissolved. Someexecutives in the corporationhave been involved in wrongpractices. They should besuspended from their duties,"Bajoria said. Leader ofOpposition and BJP leaderPravin Darekar and othermembers objected to Bajoria'sallegation.

Uproar in Maha Council over SenaMLC's corruption claim against Akola

Detestable efforts to weakenIndia's heritage, says SoniaPNS n NEW DELHI

In a veiled attack on the BJP,Congress president SoniaGandhi on Tuesday said divisiveideologies anchored in hate andprejudice were making everyeffort to weaken the strongfoundation of India.

In a message to Congressworkers on the party's 137thFoundation Day, Gandhi saidhistory was being falsified anddetestable efforts were beingmade to erase the "Ganga-Jamuni" heritage of the country."The common citizen of thecountry is feeling insecure andafraid. There is reign of dicta-torship in the country, bypass-ing democracy and constitu-tion,” the Congress presidentsaid in a video message inHindi. She vowed that theCongress will not remain amute spectator and will notallow anybody to destroy therich heritage of the country.

"Electoral ups and downs areinevitable but what is enduringand lasting is our commitmentto the service of all people of ourdiverse society," Gandhi said.Her remarks come at a time a

section of fringe Hindu religiousleaders have hurled abuses atMahatma Gandhi and hailed hisassassin Nathuram Godse as thesymbol of truth and religion.

"Divisive ideologies anchoredin hate and prejudice and whichhad no role whatsoever to playin our freedom movement arenow causing havoc on the sec-ular fabric of our society,"Gandhi said.

"They are rewriting history togive themselves a role they donot deserve. They inflame pas-sions, instill fear and spread ani-

mosity. The finest traditions ofour parliamentary democracyare being deliberately dam-aged," the Congress presidentsaid. "Let there be no doubt onour steadfast resolve. We havenever and we will never com-promise on our fundamentalbeliefs that are part of our glo-rious legacy,” she said.

Gandhi said the Congress willnot allow anyone to destroy theheritage of the country andwill do everything possible tofight against anti-national, anti-social conspiracies.

‘Lot of time wasted already,begin work on India they want’PNS n KANPUR (UP)

Prime Minister Narendra Modion Tuesday asked IIT graduatesto chooses challenge over com-fort and urged them to startworking now for the kind ofIndia they want in the next 25years, saying a lot of time hasalready been wasted.

Addressing the 54th convo-cation of the Indian Institute ofTechnology-Kanpur, Modi toldthe fresh graduates to showimpatience to make India self-reliant.

He said India too had start-ed its new journey afterIndependence. “By the time 25years were completed, a lot ofwork should have been donefor standing on our own feet.But a lot of time has been wast-ed.” “The country has lost a lotof time, two generations havegone by and so we should notmiss even two moments now,"he said. The PM said manypeople will tell the students totake shortcuts for convenience.

“But my advice would bethat you don't choose comfort.Choose challenge becausewhether you want it or notthere are bound to be chal-

lenges in life and those whorun away from them becomevictims," he said.

He told students that theyhave to take over the reins ofthe country's development andstart work on it right now.

“It is the responsibility of allof you to give direction to thecountry for the next 25 years,to give momentum to thecountry," he said. Modi said thecountry is standing on thethreshold of “immense oppor-tunities”, which brought bigresponsibilities as well.

He said these responsibilitiesalso represented dreams for thecountry. “You and your gener-ation have got the opportuni-ty to realise those dreams andmake a modern India."

He said the attitude of the

IIT graduates was the same asthat of the country -– to worktowards bringing results ratherthan just make do.

He said the students mightdetect impatience in his talk.

“I want that you should alsobe impatient for atmanirbharBharat. Self-reliant India isthe core of completeIndependence where we arenot reliant on anyone," hesaid, invoking SwamiVivekananada. In this 75thyear of Independence thecountry has more than 75unicorns and over 50,000 star-tups, the PM said. Of these10,000 have emerged only inthe last six months, he added.

Today, India has emerged asthe second largest startup hubin the world, he said.

‘Centre targeting Christians toadvance majoritarian agenda’

The Congress on Tuesday slammed the Modi governmentover its refusal to renew the FCRA registration of theMissionaries of Charity, accusing it of targeting

Christians to advance its majoritarian agenda. “MotherTeresa and her Missionaries of Charity are the latest victimsof Modi Government's vicious, vengeful and hate drivenagenda against minorities,” Randeep Singh Surjewala, AICCGeneral Secretary and in-charge of Communications, said onTwitter. Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram said as theyear 2021 ends, it was clear that the Modi government “hasfound another target - Christians - to advance its majoritarianagenda”. Chidambaram asked the Union Home Ministry to“put to use its Sherlock Holmes-like skills to quell communalviolence and terrorist activity, not to suppress Christiancharity and humanitarian work”. “Nothing can be moreshocking than denying future foreign contributions to theMissionaries of Charity in Kolkata, West Bengal. This is thegreatest insult to the memory of Mother Teresa who devotedher life to caring for the ‘poor and wretched' of India,” hesaid. Surjewala accused the BJP of creating “fake bogies ofcommunalism”. “Haridwar to Calcutta - BJP and its hatemongers are creating fake bogies of communalism. This isan affront to India's Constitutionalism,” he charged. TheCongress statement came after the Ministry of Home Affairssaid that it had refused to renew the FCRA registration of theMissionaries of Charity for not meeting eligibility conditions,as some adverse inputs were received.

PNS n NEW DELHI

Amid a rise in COVID-19cases, the Delhi DisasterManagement Authority onTuesday ordered closure ofschools, colleges, cinemas andgyms with immediate effectand put various restrictions onthe functioning of shops andpublic transport as a yellowalert was sounded under theGraded Response Action Plan(GRAP).

The 'yellow' alert restric-tions stipulate that shops andestablishments of non-essen-tial goods and services andmalls will open based on odd-even formula from 10 AM to8 PM.

The timing of night curfewimposed from Monday nighthas also been extended by anhour and it will now begin at10 pm. The night curfew from10 pm to 5 am will remain inforce till further orders, stat-ed the order issued by the

DDMA.Marriages and funerals will

be allowed attendance of 20persons while all other typesof gathering related to social,political, cultural, religiousand festival events will beprohibited.

Also, the Delhi Metro willrun at 50 per cent of its seat-ing capacity while auto-rick-shaws and cabs can ferry up totwo passengers. Busses too willply at 50 per cent of capacitywith exempted category pas-sengers, says the GRAP.

After a high-level meetingto review the pandemic situ-ation in the national capital,Chief Minister ArvindKejriwal said earlier in the daythat a decision has been takento issue 'yellow' alert in viewof fast rising cases of infec-tions.

The DDMA order statedthat all the restrictions as per'yellow' alert will be enforcedwith immediate effect.

Delhi schools,cinemas, gyms shut

PNS n MUZAFFARNAGAR

With the arrest of 12 personsfrom Khatoli, police hereTuesday claimed to have bust-ed an interstate gang alleged-ly involved in smuggling andselling adulterated liquor asbranded drinks after repackag-ing them in bottles imitatingoriginal products.

Along with Muzaffarnagarand adjoining areas, the gangwas active in Alighar andHaridwar too, SeniorSuperintendent of PoliceAbhishek Yadav told newsmenhere.

Their act resulted in revenueloss of crores of rupees to thegovernment, he said.

The raid in Khatoli was ajoint exercise of local police

with Special Operation Groupof Uttar Pradesh Police, asenior official said.

According to police, 6,281

bottles, over one lakh bottlecaps and wrappers of topbrands, bar codes and holo-grams of different distillerieswere seized in the raid.

Seven bikes and two carswere also impounded, theysaid.The gang was supplyingadulterated liquor in govern-ment licenses shops in Khatolitoo, they said.

The SSP said, the gang wasalso planning to supply liquorduring state assembly pollsearly next year.

Meanwhile, ADG (Meerutzone) Rajive Sabberwal hasannounced a reward of Rs50,000 for the police teamwho arrested the accused, offi-cials said. The gang leaderNaresh Karanwal was arrestedearlier too.

Inter-state gang selling adulterated liquor

with fake labels busted, 12 arrested

PNS n CHENNAI

Work to install electricitymeters for agricultural powerconnections should be haltedimmediately in Tamil Nadu toallay the apprehensions offarmers, the main oppositionAIADMK demanded onTuesday.

Hitting out at the rulingDMK for maintaining 'doublestandards' on the issue ofmetering farm connections,AIADMK top leader OPanneerselvam said Chief

Minister M K Stalin shouldtake necessary steps to stall theUnion government's move,

vis-a-vis metering. Pointing to Stalin rolling

out the one lakh farm electric-ity connection scheme inSeptember, Panneerselvam,also deputy leader of the oppo-sition in the Assembly, said itwas projected as if the initiativewas a huge achievement.

Stalin, however, did notmention anything aboutmetering such connections,he said adding, that effortswere now on to install metersfor all farm service connec-tions. There is an apprehension

among farmers that the meter-ing exercise is only to levy con-sumption charges in future, hesaid.

Hence, the governmentshould stop installing metersand Stalin must take steps tohalt the Centre's move inrespect of metering, theAIADMK leader added.

Panneerselvam, also formerChief Minister, slammed theDMK for shifting its stand onissues, based on whether it wasin the opposition or on the rul-ing side.

AIADMK accuses DMK of double standards

‘Have the strength to worktirelessly for 365 days’PNS n HUBBALLI (K'TAKA)

Ruling out health issues,Karnataka Chief MinisterBasavaraj Bommai on Tuesdaysaid that he has the strengthto work tirelessly for 365 dayswithout any rest, and his tar-get was to bring BJP back topower after the 2023 polls.

The Chief Minister's state-ment came amidst specula-tions that he was sufferingfrom a serious knee ailmentand was likely to fly overseassoon for a treatment.

".....I have the strength towork tirelessly for 365 withoutany rest. I have decided towork a minimum of 15 hoursa day. Bringing BJP back topower in the 2023 polls is mytarget and I will begin prepa-rations for it in 2022,"Bommai said in response to aquestion.

Speaking to reporters here,he said BJP leaders will collec-tively work as a team for thepolls. To a question on BJPNational General Secretaryin-charge of the state ArunSingh's recent statement thatthe party will contest assem-bly polls under his leadership,Bommai said, "He is a Delhilevel leader.. he has kept thatconfidence in me. I thankhim. We in the BJP work as ateam together and collective-ly, it's team work, as I'm theChief Minister he has saidthat."

There is complete coordina-tion and good relationshipbetween the government and

the party and we will it carryforward, he added. There havebeen rumours for some timenow about a leadershipchange in the state andBommai's possible exit fromthe top job.

Bommai on Monday hadtermed speculations about"changes" as a creation of themedia. Even the party leader-ship has rejected such talks.

The Chief Minister is in thecity to attend the two day BJPstate executive meeting, that isalso being attended by Singhand a host of party leaders.

".....I have thestrength to worktirelessly for 365without anyrest. I havedecided to worka minimum of 15hours a day.

PNS n MUMBAI

The Maharashtra Assembly onTuesday extended the period ofsubmission of report by the priv-ileges committee on the notice ofShiv Sena MLA Pratap Sarnaikagainst television anchor ArnabGoswami and actor KanganaRanaut till the last day of the leg-islature's next session. The pro-posal to this effect was moved inthe Assembly by the chairman ofthe privileges committee DeepakKesarkar and it was approved.Sarnaik filed a privilege noticeagainst Goswami, editor in chiefof Republic Network, and actorKangana Rananut on September7 last year for breach of privilegeand insult of Chief MinisterUddhav Thackeray and others.

More times forreport on privilegenotice againstArnab, Kangana

PM TO IIT GRADS

Sulur airbase, weather fore-cast indicated mist andclouds, not fit for flying. At11.35 am, the Embraer carry-ing the CDS and party fromDelhi landed at Sulur. But thehelicopter manifest had to bechanged: One person wasdropped to accommodateMrs Madhulika Rawat, whowas never a passionate trav-eller. It was mentioned thatafter his DSSC assignment,Rawat was to travel toAndaman & Nicobar Tri-Service Command the nextday. By 11.30 am, clearancefor flying was given bySulur/Coimbatore ATC andthe Mi17 MV took off withone change in its passengermanifest. The aircraft was toland at Wellington at 12.20pm and when it did not,around 12.30 pm, signs ofconcern were visible. It seemsno one — neither Sulur norCoimbatore ATC and noteven Wellington helipad wasin communication with thehelicopter.

Wing Commander PSChauhan was a Master Greenpilot who had the highest fly-ing grade with 3,000 hours offlying in different terrainunder his belt. Inside the heli-copter, Chauhan, his co-pilotand two Wing Airmen whoare lookouts on both flankswere in full control till thechopper hit a low clouddraped in mist. Around 12.15

pm, it struck a tree branchnear Kattery and went down.The helicopter was so badlyburnt that the hardest partsof the aircraft could not beretrieved. Four bodies wereflung out while others wentdown the slope. Gp CaptVarun Singh, who was theliaison officer with the CDSsent from Staff College,waved with his cell phone,saying: “Call my wife.” Hehad tried speaking to herfrom Sulur but could notconnect. The rest of the storyhas become folklore. A per-son, who says he was privy tothe black box recording, said:“There was no distress call orany May Day call before thefinal five seconds.” He added:“There was a black hole incommunication, with nocommunication with any-one.” That day, the first-evercrash of a helicopter attempt-ing a landing at Wellingtonwas recorded.

Earlier in September, asPresident Kovind was toaddress the Staff College, theWellington Gymkhana Clubwas vacated for four days, incase he landed at their heli-pad. In fact, his three heli-copters landed inUdagamandalam (Ooty),from where he drove down toWellington. Presidents andPrime Ministers figure in thehighest security grade thatmandates a scout and two

additional helicopters. It isnot clear why WGC vacatedits occupants when only onehelicopter can land atWellington which precludes apresidential landing.

In September, bothDefence Minister RajnathSingh and Army chief, GenNaravane, were unable to flyand had to go by road to StaffCollege. The same month, LtGen Raj Shukla managed tosneak into Wellington as hishelicopter pilot found a prov-idential opening in the cloudsto land at Wellington. Manytri-service commanders havemade similar landings in thelast 60 years. It’s hearteningthat the CDS was given a fan-tastic, spontaneous andunprecedented farewell bythe nation and Government.If only he was in a highersecurity protocol, thingsmight have been different.Field Marshal SamManekshaw, who gave Indiaits first and only militaryvictory in a thousand years,died unsung in WellingtonMilitary Hospital. But Rawat’sstory has taken a differentcourse.

(The writer, a retiredMajor General, wasCommander, IPKF South, SriLanka, and founder memberof the Defence Planning Staff,currently the IntegratedDefence Staff. The viewsexpressed are personal.)

A CHRISTMAS GIFT BY THE BJP GOVT Sir — It is not a surprise that the BJPGovernment has refused to approve theForeign Contributions Regulation Act(FCRA) renewal application of MotherTeresa’s Missionaries of Charity, quotingthe usual, baseless allegations of conver-sions by the charitable organisation.This is a long-time aspiration of the saf-fron party and it preferred to execute itso very sadistically on Christmas day.While their right wing fringe elementswent on to desecrate the statue of JesusChrist, attack churches and those cele-brating Christmas and instigate Hindusto massacre the minorities, the saffronGovernment on its part has struckMother Teresa’s Organisation that isdoing unmatched yeomen and human-itarian services to the lepers, aged andthose left uncared for.

Though the Government has saidthat it has not frozen the accounts of theorganisation, refusal of their FCRAapplication is nothing but stalling all theircharitable activities by blocking fundsflow. Its heartless and inhuman actagainst the Missionaries of Charity wouldhave made the hearts of not onlyChristians but also of true Hindus bleedin agony, knowing the fact that this organ-isation is serving the really needy peopleirrespective of their caste, community,creed or religion.

Tharcius S Fernando | Chennai

AUSTRALIA MAULS ENGLAND IN THE ASHESSir —Congratulations, Australia, oncomprehensively retaining the Ashes.That was awesome. Nobody expected aninnings victory after a score of 267. It wasa fabulous, all round performance by theteam, and an amazing spell of bowling by‘Man of the Match’ and the winner ofJohnny Mullagh Medal Scott Boland. The32-year-old had a fairy tale Test debut ashe blew England away with stunning fig-ures of 6-7.

The Melbourne Test lasted just 165overs and ended within seven sessions.Cricket is known as the game of gloriousuncertainty and its perfect instance waswhen England came out to bat on the

third day with four for 31 runs, needinga miracle. Instead, they were on thewrong end of a fairytale. Cricket loversare stunned to see that England were allout for a meager 68 in just 27.4 overs, oneof the lowest totals in the Ashes. The wayEngland was beaten in the last three Tests;it seems the English team really needs tocomplete an overhaul to work on all thethree fronts — batting, bowling and field-ing — for the remaining Tests.

Bidyut Kumar Chatterjee | Faridabad

GHULAM NABI AZAD SHOWS THE MIRROR Sir — Addressing a public meeting atKhour near the international Border inJammu, former Chief Minister of Jammuand Kashmir Ghulam Nabi Azad hasasserted that Pakistan cannot take an inchof Jammu and Kashmir’s territory despiteall its efforts, He is right. He should havealso talked of wresting the Pakistan-occu-pied Kashmir. Asked about his opinionon the National Conference and PDPinsisting on holding talks with Pakistan,Azad has rightly left the matter to the

BJP-led centre. The Centre is not, and cannot be,

averse to talk to Pakistan if it creates aconducive atmosphere to hold talks. Solong as Pakistan does not eschew perpe-tration of terrorism on India, holding thetalks is of no use. When talks were goingon between India and Pakistan, attackson India took place. One cannot eat thecake and have it too. Talks and terrorismcannot go hand in hand. The abrogationof Article 370 has facilitated peoplefrom other parts of India to acquire prop-erty in Jammu and Kashmir. This hasinfuriated both the NC and PDP. Whilethe warning to Pakistan by Azad is laud-able, there was no reason for blaming thepolicies of the BJP. The action of abro-gating the controversial Articles has dis-pleased some people of Jammu andKashmir but pleased the people of theentire country.

Sri Vari Nilaya |Bengaluru

P A P E R W I T H P A S S I O N

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HYDERABAD | WEDNESDAY | DECEMBER 29, 2021

06

Send yyour ffeedback tto:letterstopioneer@gmail.com

Even as a tri-service inquiry pieces together the tragedy’s missing links,

some accounts suggest that there was a black hole in communication

IT’S HEARTENINGTHAT THE CDS WASGIVEN A FANTASTIC,SPONTANEOUS AND

UNPRECEDENTEDFAREWELL BY THE

NATION ANDGOVERNMENT. IF

ONLY HE WAS IN AHIGHER SECURITY

PROTOCOL, THINGSMIGHT HAVE BEEN

DIFFERENT

LETTERS TO TTHE EDITOR

ASHOK K MEHTA

The Central Government is justified in giv-ing extensive publicity about the newCOVID variant Omicron. It is the respon-

sibility of any Government to inform peopleabout a possible health crisis that the coun-try could face soon. We can never forget theharrowing experiences that we underwent dur-ing the second COVID-19 wave. The health-care crisis and deaths that occurred have alert-ed the Government to the great perils facingthe country. As a result, various State

Governments have imposed alerts as a pre-caution. The Delhi Government, too, hasimposed a ‘yellow’ alert.

True, the data from across the world onOmicron is not frightening. On the other hand,no country can afford to take the transmis-sion of the disease lightly. Research on thenature of the transmission of the disease, thepotency of the virus and the impact of the dis-ease are in progress. Fortunately, the virus hasnot caused a high number of hospitalisationsor deaths so far. Data from different parts ofthe world shows that the virus is milder thanthe Delta plus variant. It is hoped that theimpact of the transmission won’t be as severeas that of the second wave. The necessaryCOVID measure must be followed at all timesto avoid the impending danger. Festivities andpolitical rallies must be avoided or done in acontrolled manner. We must not let the guarddown at this moment.

Venu GS | Kollam

The danger inches closer

New facts about CDSRawat’s chopper crash

Returning to Wellington’sDefence Services StaffCollege, still reelingfrom the CDS Gen

Bipin Rawat tragedy, was amemorable experience in spiteof the grave setback. Wellingtonprovides a textbook lesson forkeeping the station/cantonmentclean and tidy. The picture-perfect Madras RegimentalCentre happily shares spacewith Staff Colleges’ myriad owls.The Staff College prepares mid-level leaders for higher respon-sibility in Staff and Commandand guest lectures are inspira-tional, especially when thespeaker is India’s first CDS.

The Wellington GymkhanaClub, a relic of 1873, whichdivides Coonoor andWellington, houses a helipad ona cricket pitch on its golf coursewhich has not seen any heli-copter landing since that fatefulday. The talking point hereamongst the service communi-ty is the life-shattering helicoptercrash. Our taxi driver,Mahendran, who has worked inthe Staff College for 35 years,initiated the conversation know-ing I was a retired General vis-iting Wellington. He showed usthe gorge-like valley overlookedby towering mountains andslowed down the car to indicateKattery village where the heli-copter went down. “The pilotwas flying low; he should haveflown further up the valley andthen taken a right turn,” heoffered an expert comment.Two Three Star and three TwoStar officers who are conductingthe tri-service inquiry come upfrequently to Wellington, driveto Kattery putting pieces togeth-er that are more complex thana jigsaw puzzle. Their findingsare to be tabled in the next ses-sion of Parliament when somecorrections to security protocolare expected. This piece hassome new facts.

December 8 is a black dayfor Staff College. Classes wereterminated early so that studentscould return for the CDS lectureat 3.30 pm. The morning weath-er in Wellington was cloudy, set-ting some Directing Staff tospeculate that the CDS wouldlikely be forced to travel by road,delaying the lecture. Back at

SOUNDBITEMamata Banerjee

is more active than

Asaduddin Owaisi

in fomenting

communal politics

in the country.

Bengal BJP chief

—Sukanta Majumdar

I hope there's nojudicial interferencebecause my daughter isn't getting vaccinated,let me make

that very clear.

Brazilian President —Jair Bolsonaro

We are 10 times

more prepared

than before to

deal with the rise

in COVID cases

in Delhi.

Delhi Chief Minister

—Arvind Kejriwal

It’s bitterly disappointing to be 3-0 down in theseries but there aretwo more Tests to go.

England captain —Joe Root

As we observe yet another death anniversary of Nirbhaya today, it’s time for thenation to pause and rethink how we treat our womenfolk. No, words like ‘shab-bily’ or ‘brutally’ don’t do justice to our thinking or actions; rather it’s more like

mutilation of their body and soul. There’s no need here to recount the bestiality the23-year-old paramedic student had to suffer in December 2012, before losing a 13-day battle for life, sending shock waves across the nation. The death row convictswere executed finally in 2020, making it the first time in the history of India that fourconvicts were hanged simultaneously. There’s no saying whether this crass sense of

manly entitlement rises from the scum to the top orif it percolates down indeed. Starting with the recentinstance of former Karnataka Speaker and Congressleader KR Ramesh Kumar saying in the Assemblythat “when rape is inevitable, lie down and enjoy it”,the nation’s celebrities and politicians — almostalways male — have trivialised a female survivor/vic-tim’s pain and trauma. ML Khattar, Salman Khan,Mamata Banerjee, Pranab Mukherjee’s son Abhijeet,Mulayam Singh Yadav, Babulal Gaur or Sheila Dikshit,have all shown proclivity to insensitivity.

It’s time we, in our respective roles as lawmak-ers or members of society and this great nation, moved decisively to eliminate this scourgeof gender discrimination and respect the female voice, wishes, sentiment and consent.There’s no point in praying to female deities when women around us are marauded,molested, mauled and murdered. Lame-duck decisions like increasing the age of mar-riage for girls in the name of empowerment will not lead to far-reaching improvementin their condition. Of course, the development is largely symbolic and seemingly aimedat wooing female voters. It reminds one of seeking the blessings of very young girls tomark the single day of kanya pujan towards the end of Navratri. What’s really neededis that we treat the fair gender fairly and equally. The skewed gender ratio needs to bebalanced and improved. Women will be empowered by educating them and allowingthem equal opportunities, not by exposing them to harassment and not trusting themwith responsibilities. Give them what they rightfully deserve rather than giving them some-thing in charity. Here’s a thought to chew on for all patriarchy-oriented and chauvinistmales: Remember, the trustees are not authorised to be the owners of a trust.

Along-term issue India has to tackle head-on is work and productivity in the timesof the Coronavirus. The developed countries have had a head start on this,most of their drawing board models already being transformed into reality across

shop floors and boardrooms. Faced with the virus’ unpredictability and its mutations,India has reached a stage where it is getting its priorities right in dealing with theinfection. There is no time to lose to jump to the next stage to ensure that produc-tivity, and thereby the economy, is not affected when a new variant or wave threat-ens us. The Government is aware of the threat the Omicron variant poses and plansare being implemented to face the expected surge. All precautions are being takento prevent crowding. Educational institutions are closed. However, what about work?Last year, the lockdown was introduced by simply shutting down factories and offices.Sectors that could do with work from home managed, but manufacturing and indus-try could not. We can least afford another repeat. We have to find a way to live withthe virus. As the country is ready to go into a shell should the Omicron wave be

upon us, we have to face this question and find ananswer. What we are looking for is a national workpolicy that tweaks the nature and process of workto adapt productivity to live with the virus.

The new work template will be the basis forfuture adaptations as modern tools, like digitisationand AI, restructure the concept of work and bringinevitable changes in human resources practices.In that sense, we are not looking for a new workstrategy merely for the duration of the pandemic.We are looking at a new structure of work that, unlikeanything in the past, can maintain workflows even

when challenged by unpredictable variables like disasters or epidemics. The pan-demic period is the interim stage that helps us experiment with new work modes.Tata Sons chairman N Chandrasekharan has said his Group is already adopting changespropelled by three themes — digital, new energy and supply chain resilience — alongwith an additional one, health. It is about accounting for the virus and new variantoutbreaks while deciding the work structure. A public-private initiative should initi-ate a debate on changing our approach to work. In the short run, work from homewill be extended. The hybrid work model will gain popularity. Digitisation and automa-tion will pick up pace because of the nagging uncertainty about the virus. Workerswill be called upon to change as well. Big challenges face us, like imparting skillsets to all workers, retraining skilled workers, supporting workers in the inevitablemigration between occupations, expanding and enhancing digital infrastructure, amend-ing the education system by focusing on skills rather than academic degrees, etc.Technology and physical proximity are factors that will determine work, workplacesand work culture. Omicron can be an opportunity for us to change.

Living with the enemy

Sorry, NirbhayaEven nine years after the shame, the Indian malemindset refuses to let women do their own thing

PICTALK

A drone shot shows snow-covered streets and homes in Bellingham, Washington PTI

The pandemic period can be an opportunity for us to change our work template and ethics

Once you become a Rajamouli character, you want to give your100 per cent.

Actor—Jr NTR

India is key to worldeconomy’s recovery

THE BJP GOT ITS OWN BUSINESSMAN RAIDED.

INSTEAD OF SP LEADER PUSHPRAJ JAIN,

IT GOT PIYUSH JAIN RAIDED.

—SAMAJWADI PARTY CHIEF

AKHILESH YADAV

RECENTLY, A PERFUME BUSINESSMAN FROM

THE SP WAS CAUGHT. AKHILESH JI IS SQUIRMING,

ASKING WHY WE CONDUCTED THE RAIDS.

—UNION HOME MINISTER

AMIT SHAH

India's broad range of fiscal, monetary and health responses to the crisis arehelping mitigate a longer-lasting adverse impact of the COVID-19 pandemic

The geo-political question of the moment is: how important is it tohumour Vladimir Putin? The answer is: not very. Throw him a fishor two, because he's running a bluff and you don't want to humil-

iate him, but there's no need to placate him with major concessions.This question has become urgent because President Putin is demand-ing guarantees that Ukraine will never join NATO. He also wants the allianceto withdraw all the non-local troops and weapons it has deployed in coun-tries that were not in NATO before 1997. And he is hinting that he mightinvade Ukraine if NATO does not comply. 'Areas that were not in NATObefore 1997' is a lot of territory. It includes Poland, the Czech Republic,Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, allunder Soviet rule before 1989, plus five other countries in the Balkansthat were Communist-ruled but not under Soviet control: Slovenia, Croatia,Montenegro, Albania and North Macedonia. That's more than one hun-

dred million people, most of whom have unhappy memories of Russianrule and a lingering fear of Russian domination. That's why they all joinedNATO (and most of them joined the European Union, too). They will neverlet the Russians make them vulnerable again, and there is no reason forNATO to give in to Putin's demands. The notion that Russia might actu-ally invade Ukraine is frankly ridiculous. Ukraine is a country the size ofFrance with 43 million people. Its armed forces are less well equippedthan Russia's, but they have become considerably more professionalduring seven years of low-level fighting against Russian-backed sepa-ratists in the two south-eastern provinces of Donetsk and Luhansk.Invading Ukraine would not be a stroll in the park. And afterwards, Russianoccupation troops would face a huge and long-lasting guerilla resistance.Besides, the immediate consequence of an overt Russian invasion wouldbe a trade embargo by all the NATO countries that would quickly bringthe Russian economy to its knees. Moreover, the Russian people aredefinitely not up for that kind of adventure: Putin's entire regime wouldbe at risk of collapse. Russia has lots of nuclear weapons, so nobodyis going to attack it, but in any other kind of war it is hopelessly over-matched. Putin's demands don't really make sense in terms of Russiansecurity. There was never much support for Ukrainian membership inNATO anyway, precisely because it might oblige the alliance to defendUkraine against Russia. By creating a permanent military confrontationin eastern Ukraine, Putin made Ukrainian membership unthinkable.

The status quo was ugly but satisfactory — so why try to changeit? One possibility is that having Donald Trump in his pocket — nobodyknows why, but he did — gave Putin a sense of security that hasnow evaporated. Another is that he just sees Joe Biden as weak, andhe is trying his luck. But his motive doesn't matter, really, becausethe whole project is foredoomed. NATO doesn't have to do anythingexcept to make it clear to Moscow in private that any Russian aggres-sion against Ukraine — not a full-scale invasion, which is out of thequestion, but even a border incursion somewhere — will be met witha full economic blockade of Russia. Don't say that in public, of course.Don't back Putin into a corner, don't make him lose face. Don't cre-ate panic in the Western public with exaggerated reports of a Russianmilitary build-up either (as the boys and girls at the Central IntelligenceAgency in Washington have been doing simply out of habit). Give Putinno concessions, but show him respect.

(Gwynne Dyer's new book is 'The Shortest History of War'. Theviews expressed are personal.)

HYDERABAD | WEDNESDAY | DECEMBER 29, 2021

07

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FIRSTCOLUMN

NO CONCESSIONS BUTSHOW PUTIN RESPECT

POINTCOUNTERPOINT

GWYNNE DYER

SHIVAJI SARKAR

After invasion, Russian troops would face a huge and long-lasting guerrilla resistance

Even as India's macroeconomic sit-uation improves, it may not yet bethe time to celebrate. The possi-bility of a third wave of the coro-

navirus pandemic is being weighed cau-tiously by International Monetary Fund,World Bank and the government ofIndia.

World Bank sees a rise in globalextreme poverty, and a large number ofpeople are subsisting on $1.90 a day,below the Bank's standard of $2 a day.

However, the IMF says India's econ-omy is poised for a rebound after endur-ing a second wave of COVID-19 infec-tions this year that further constrainedactivity and took a heavy toll on its peo-ple.

"What happens in India has a bigimpact, both in the region and in theworld," Luis Breuer, IMF's senior residentrepresentative to India, says. "You're talk-ing about a large slice of humanity andthe global economy."

India's broad range of fiscal, mone-tary and health responses to the crisis sup-ported its recovery and, along with eco-nomic reforms, are helping to mitigate alonger-lasting adverse impact of the cri-sis, according to the latest annual reviewby IMF.

Though policy steps helped mitigatethe pandemic, it is still likely to result ingreater poverty and inequality. And thepath of recovery will follow the path ofthe virus.

New infections have fallen significant-ly and vaccination rates have risen to sur-pass a billion doses, although anotherresurgence is not impossible even if itseems unlikely today. "There's a lot ofuncertainty about COVID," Breuer said."We cannot rule out future waves".

Despite large increases in India'scentral budget the state budgets are pre-senting problems with contraction of rev-enues and rising deficits. It contracted by16 per cent in 2020-21. It has been fallingsince 2018-19 by 13.1 per cent.

In the face of dwindling revenuereceipts, RBI observes, states tookrecourse to expenditure compression. Asa result, developmental expenditure oncrop husbandry, water supply and sani-tation, social security and welfare hous-ing and rural development was squeezed.Simultaneously, capital expenditure wascut in key social and economic servicesincluding medical and public health, irri-gation and flood control, transport andrural development. This underscores theneed for raising additional resources.

Director of the National Institute ofPublic Finance and Policy (NIPFP),Pinaki Chakraborty, expressing concern,says inflation may remain at an elevatedlevel as there was a significant fiscal andmonetary expansion in the last 18months. It simply means money circula-tion has increased and inflation may notbe easy to check. So, the country has tomake strides amid high prices and not so

OMICRON IS BEING WATCHED

CAREFULLY. IT HAS ITS IMPACT

ON THE STOCKMARKET AND,

IF THERE ISANOTHER

LOCKDOWN, THECOST COULD BE

HIGHER. INDIAREMAINS

IMPORTANT TOTHE WORLD

ECONOMY, AS IMFREPRESENTATIVE

LUIS BREUERSAYS. SO, A

POSITIVE GROWTHFOR INDIA

WOULD DECIDETHE FUTURE. THE

NEW YEAR HASHOPES, CONCERN

AND THE KEY TO UNRAVEL IT

high income levels. Once again, thegovernment as it has done now,may have to extend the dole topublic on various counts andincome support.

Finance Minister NirmalaSitharaman precisely for this reasonplaced the second batch of supple-mentary demands for additionalspending of `3.73 lakh crore. Thisinvolves higher than expected cashoutgo of `2.99 lakh crore. The restwould be through cut in expendi-tures.

The items of additional expen-diture include Rs 62057 crore forpast liabilities of Air India, `58430crore for fertiliser subisidies,`49,805 crore for department ofpublic distribution and food. A sig-nificant recovery of `13901 crorerecovery was made from fugitives,Vijaya Mallya, Nirav Modi andMehul Choksi.

Despite this, Chakrabortypoints out that in the fiscal year2020-21, the deficit of all levels ofgovernment is estimated to be 14per cent of GDP and the same isestimated to be around 10 per centof GDP in 2021-22.

Fiscal deficit may exceed ̀ 15.1lakh crore, according to ICRAdespite the proposed cut in manyexpenses termed as savings. Thehigh borrowings may have animpact on finances and wouldrequire high-paced growth to check

the difficult effects on finances andeconomic conditions in the yearsahead. It means the sailing for thecommon man may not be easy withpossible impact on consolidation ofthe economy due to higher debt ser-vicing cost and further increase inthe process of running the govern-ment.

The greatest problem is inincreasing consumption demand. Itaccounts for 50 per cent of the totalGDP. In the second quarter privatefinal consumption expenditure reg-istered a growth of 8.64 per cent yearon year compared to 11 per centcontraction a year back. It indicatesan enhanced economic perfor-mance. This is followed by increasegovernment financial consump-tion expenditure growth of 8.7 percent against contraction of 23.9 percent in 2020-21.

Agriculture shows a growth of4.49 per cent and manufacturing,5.5 per cent.

Everything, however, is not inshape. World Bank finds that debtloads in emerging market anddeveloping economies have spikedduring the pandemic. The challengeis acute, says Global EconomicProspects, and comes after a decadethat saw the fastest, biggest andbroadest expansion of debt levelsaround the world.

A concern is that developingeconomies will need to be careful as

they would have to withdraw post-pandemic fiscal support and look toincrease the efficiency of publicspending.

The WB says that debt burdenwill be felt long after the virus abates,as servicing costs rise, slowingrecoveries and hindering efforts toaddress other development chal-lenges. The concerns are equallygood for India.

In reality, it says that there ismore debt than what meets the eyebecause "it is not a very straightfor-ward exercise".

Global debt surveillance todaydepends, WB says, on a patchworkof databases with different standardsand definitions. They contain largegaps: the report shows that publiclyavailable tallies of debt stocks in low-income countries can vary by asmuch as 30 per cent of a country'sGDP because of divergent defini-tions and standards in local andinternational databases.

India's most projects are havinghigh debt and have their problems.Omicron is being watched careful-ly. It has its impact on the stock mar-ket and if there is another lockdown,the cost could be higher. Indiaremains important to world econ-omy, as IMF representative LuisBreuer says. So, a positive growth forIndia would decide the future. TheNew Year has hopes, concern andthe key to unravel it.

(The writer is a seniorjournalist. The views

expressed are personal.)

What does the crystalball say about 2022?As we enter the new

year, it is time to look aheadand gaze at the future. Ofcourse, much can happen,unexpected and unknown.The year will be one of themultiple pivots: Economic,environmental, political, social,and personal. In short, 2022will be challenging politicallywhile the economy and Covidare unpredictable.

India will be entering thenew year with anxiety andpride. The country will cele-brate the 75th year ofIndependence. The country'smost significant achievementis the survival of democracyand the transfer of power sev-enteen times without any trou-ble. When India attainedIndependence, many western

countries predicted it might befragmented, but they wereproved wrong.

A glance at the crystal ballreveals that the elections willbe another critical subject nextyear. Polls will be held for theoffice of President and VicePresident, to Rajya Sabha,state assemblies of seven states,including Uttar Pradesh, andsome bye-elections.

BJP is likely to get its can-didates as President and Vice-President. It can get a majori-ty of votes because of itsstrength in Parliament andstate Assemblies. It will be atest for the opposition as itdoes not have the number toget its candidates elected.

Whether the incumbentpresident Ram Nath Kovindwill get a second term or BJPwill think of a new president

is not known. Same aboutVice-President M. VenkaiahNaidu. The upcoming stateelections are crucial to thenational parties and regionalparties like Samajwadi Party,Bahujan Samaj Party, andsome smaller outfits for theirsurvival. Also, it is likely to bea pointer for the 2024 generalelections.

BJP enjoys power in fourof the poll-going states — UP,Uttarakhand, Goa, andManipur — while Congress isruling in Punjab. Political

equations are changing fast.Meanwhile, the opposi-

tion parties are sharpeningtheir knives against the rulingBJP. They have enough pollissues. They include anti-incumbency, handling ofCovid-19, inflation, the crimerate, law and order situation,farmers' protests, etc. Anothersignificant issue is the castepolitics in the UP.

BJP is trying to wooMuslims, unsure Brahmins,upset Jats and Other BackwardClasses. The UP governmenthas announced a hike in sug-arcane purchase prices forfarmers.

Congress has a chance toimprove its performance in thepoll-bound states provided itsorts out the leadership crisis,factional fights, and indisci-pline. Rahul Gandhi might

take over the party next year.At the national level, BJP

would like to expand its powerin as many states as possible.The problem is that the partydoes not have strong stateleaders. Winning UP is crucialfor the saffron party. BJPdepends on Narendra Modi toget votes. The divided opposi-tion is a strength for Modi.

Regional parties likeSamajwadi Party, BahujanSamajwadi Party, Aam Aadmiparty, etc., could slide if theydo not perform well. A multi-cornered contest might not begood for SP, BSP, and Congressbecause the votes get splin-tered.

Finance Minister NirmalaSitharaman will present thenew budget in February, indi-cating the government's direc-tion. Health care and educa-

tion will get more allocation.The rural economy is likely tobe the focus. Global invest-ment will be encouraged,promising better ease of doingbusiness. The economydepends on how Covid-19will behave in 2022.

India would like to play asignificant role in foreignaffairs. The G-20 presidencyallows India to display itsglobal vision. Modi has devel-oped a rapport with mostinternational leaders in thepast seven years.

Pakistan will continue tobe a problem. The relationshipwith China might improve. SriLanka will be the destinationfor the Prime Minister whenhe goes for the 5th edition ofthe Bay of Bengal Initiative forMulti-Sectoral Technical andEconomic Cooperation (BIM-

STEC). India could play ameaningful role inAfghanistan.

Many foreign visits areplanned for the Prime Ministernext year. He may visit Africa,ASEAN Region, Europe, WestAsia, Russia in 2022. He willtake part in the 6th Indo-German Inter-GovernmentalConsultations (IGC) and willalso meet the new Chancellorof Germany, Olaf Scholz. Hewill participate in the ASEANsummit later in the year, inCambodia. The next in-per-son QUAD leaders' summitmay take place in Japan in thesecond month of 2022.

On the whole, the year2022 is full of challenges andapprehensions. Caution andprudence are required in tack-ling the multiple issues thatmight arise.

The upcoming State elections are crucial to the national and regional parties. Also, it is likely to be a pointer for the 2024 general elections

Matters of anxiety and pride await India in 2022

KALYANI SHANKAR

(The writer is a senior journalist. The views

expressed are personal.)

HYDERABAD | WEDNESDAY | DECEMBER 29, 2021 Money 08

oney atters

SpiceTech develops digitallibrary of documentsS

piceTech, a subsidiary of SpiceJet, on Tuesday said it hasdeveloped a digital library of documents used by pilots in the

cockpit. The library has been named'Pilot Docs' and it eliminates the need tocarry a large amount of paper manuals onthe aircraft, SpiceTech's press releasestated. Pilot Docs contributes to theairline's overall sustainability initiative,enhance safety through easy andimmediate access to relevant informationin any situation, eliminate compliance

errors and augment operational efficiency, it mentioned. Pilot Docshas been approved by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA)for use on SpiceJet's Boeing 737 aircraft fleet, it noted.

Maha Bank, MAS FinancialServices enter co-lendingB

ank of Maharashtra will tap MSME borrowers through a co-lendingarrangement with MAS Financial Services. The bank has entered into

a strategic co-lending partnership with MASFinancial Services to offer loans to MSMEborrowers under priority sector, Bank ofMaharashtra said on Tuesday. Thispartnership will result in greater expansionof portfolio by the bank and the non-bankingfinance company (NBFC). Under the co-lendingarrangement, MAS Financial Services willoriginate and process the loans to MSMEborrowers as per jointly formulated credit parameters and eligibility criteria andthe state-owned lender will take into its book loans under mutually agreedterms, Bank of Maharashtra said in a release.

CESL distributes 50 lakhbulbs under Gram Ujala

State-owned CESL has achieved a milestone of 50 lakh LED bulbdistribution under the flagship Gram Ujala programme.

Convergence Energy Services Ltd (CESL),a wholly-owned subsidiary of Energy

Efficiency Services Ltd (EESL), hasachieved a remarkable milestone ofdistributing 50 lakh LED bulbs under theProject Crore of their Gram Ujalaprogramme, the power ministry said in astatement. Gram Ujala's scheme is beingimplemented in rural households in Bihar,

Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, and Telangana. Under theable leadership of Union Minister for Power and New & RenewableEnergy R K Singh, CESL began this illuminating the villages journey inMarch this year.

PNS n MUMBAI

The country's real grossdomestic product (GDP) islikely to maintain a 9 pcgrowth rate in fiscal 2022and 2023, amid concernsover the Omicron variant ofCOVID-19, says a report.

The Indian economy grewat 8.4 per cent in the secondquarter of the current fiscal, asagainst a growth of 20.1 percent in the April-June quarter.

"We are maintaining ourforecast of a 9 per cent GDPexpansion in FY2022,with a clear K-shapeddivergence amongstthe formal andinformal parts ofthe economy,and the largegaining at thecost of thesmall.

"Lookingahead, weexpect theeconomy tomaintain a simi-lar 9 per centgrowth inFY2023," domesticrating agency

Icra Ltd Chief Economist AditiNayar said in the report.

She expects the percentageof double-vaccinated adults torise to 85-90 per cent byMarch 2022.

While the announcementof booster doses and vaccinesfor the 15-18 age group iswelcome, it remains tobe seen whether allthe existing vac-cines wouldoffer ade-quate

protection against the newOmicron variant to avert athird wave in India, Nayarsaid.

In any case, fresh restric-tions being introduced by sev-eral states to curb the spreadof COVID-19 may temporari-

ly interrupt the eco-nomic recov-

ery,

especially in the contact-inten-sive sectors in Q4 FY2022, sheadded.

Nayar, however, expects theexpansion in FY2023 to bemore meaningful and tangiblethan the base effect-led rise inFY2022.

"Based on our assumptionsof the

GDP

growth, if the COVID-19 pan-demic had not emerged vs.

the actual shrinkage thatoccurred in FY2021 and theexpected recovery in the nexttwo years, the net loss to theIndian economy from the pan-demic during FY2021-23 isestimated at Rs 39.3 lakhcrore, in real terms," she said.

The available data for Q3FY2022 does not offer con-vincing evidence that theMonetary Policy Committee's(MPC's) criteria of a durableand sustainable growth recov-ery has been met, to confirm achange in the Monetary Policystance to neutral in February2022, the rating agency said.

It believes that rising con-sumption will push capacityutilisation above the crucialthreshold of 75 per cent

by the end of 2022, whichshould then trigger a

broad-based pick-upin private sectorinvestment activity in2023. The agencyalso expects the visi-bility of tax revenuegrowth to spur faster

govern ment spendingin 2022.

India's real GDP likely to maintain 9 pcgrowth rate in FY2022, FY2023: Report

PNS n MUMBAI

Equity benchmark Sensex ral-lied 477 points on Tuesday,tracking gains in index heavy-weights Reliance Industries,Infosys and HDFC Bank amida positive trend in global mar-kets.

The 30-share index surged477.24 points or 0.83 per cent toend at 57,897.48. Similarly, theNifty rose by 147.20 points or0.86 per cent to 17,233.45.

Asian Paints was the top gain-er in the Sensex pack, rising near-ly 3 per cent, followed by SunPharma, M&M, NTPC,UltraTech Cement and Titan.

On the other hand, IndusIndBank and PowerGrid were the

laggards.The resilience of the US mar-

ket (S&P 500 registered its 69threcord high on Monday) and thespike in crude oil are indicationsthat the Omicron variant, thoughsurging, is unlikely to impact eco-nomic activity in any meaning-ful way, said V K Vijayakumar,Chief Investment Strategist atGeojit Financial Services.

Elsewhere in Asia, bourses inShanghai, Hong Kong, Seouland Tokyo ended on a positivenote. Stock exchanges in Europewere also largely trading withgains in mid-session deals.

Meanwhile, internation-al oil benchmark Brent cruderose 0.61 per cent to USD 78.70per barrel.

Sensex surges 477 pts, Niftyreclaims 17,200 amid global rally

PNS n NEW DELHI

Torrent Pharmaceuticals onTuesday said it will launchMSD and Ridgeback's mol-nupiravir under the brandname Molnutor in India forthe treatment of COVID-19.

Earlier this year, TorrentPharma inked a non-exclu-sive voluntary licensing pactwith MSD for manufacturing,distribution and marketing ofMolnupiravir in more than100 low-and middle-incomemarkets, including India.

The Drugs ControllerGeneral of India (DCGI),based on the review of clini-cal data of Molnupiravir, hasapproved the drug for thetreatment of COVID-19 inadults for restricted emer-gency use in India.

Molnupiravir is the oralantiviral approved by the UKMedicines and Healthcareproducts Regulatory Agency(MHRA) and US Food andDrug Administration foremergency use authorisation(EUA) for the treatment ofCOVID-19 in adults.

TorrentPharma tolaunchMolnupiravir

PNS n NEW DELHI

IT Minister AshwiniVaishnaw on Tuesday tookto Twitter to "welcome"Intel to India follow-ing a post by IntelFoundry ServicespresidentRandhir Thakurlauding thesemiconductordesign andmanufacturingincentivesannounced bythe governmentrecently.

Earlier this month,the government hadapproved a Rs 76,000-crorescheme to boost semicon-ductor and display manufac-turing in the country, in abid to position India as aglobal hub for hi-tech pro-duction, and attract largechip makers. The move isexpected to further India'sambitions to be self-reliantin electronics manufactur-

ing, bring massive invest-ments and result in 35,000

specialised jobsapart

from

indi-rect

employment for one lakhpeople. IT Minister AshwiniVaishnaw on Tuesday tweet-ed "Intel - welcome to India."

This was in response to atweet by Intel's Thakurwhich said, "Congrats to@GoI_MeitY@AshwiniVaishnaw@Rajeev_GoI for

Semiconductor design &manufacturing incentives forIndia as hub for electronics& semiconductors".

Thakur further wrote:"Glad to see a plan laid outfor all aspects of the supplychain: talent, design, manu-facturing, test, packaging &logistics".

It is pertinent to mentionhere that under the Rs76,000-crore schemeapproved for the develop-ment of semiconductors anddisplay manufacturingecosystem by India, incen-tives have been lined up forcompanies engaged in siliconsemiconductor fabs, displayfabs, compound semicon-ductors, silicon photonics,sensors fabs, semiconductorpackaging and semiconduc-tor design.

With the semiconductorincentive scheme in place,the government expectsinvestments of around Rs 1.7lakh crore and 1.35 lakh jobsin the next four years.

IT Minister tweets ‘Intel-welcome to India'after sr co exec lauds sops for semiconductor

PNS n NEW DELHI

The RSS-affiliated SwadeshiJagran Manch (SJM) hasdemanded that the govern-ment should immediately with-draw permissions given to e-commerce companies Amazonand Flipkart-Walmart to oper-ate in India as they are "blatant-ly contravening rules".

In a resolution passed at itsnational conclave recently, theoutfit also demanded for aCBI probe into the operationsof Amazon, Flipkart-Walmartand other multinational e-commerce companies, allegingthat they are doing business inIndia "blatantly" violating the

FDI (foreign direct invest-ment) regulations.

"Foreign direct investmentin multi-brand retail trade is

regulated through the FDIPolicy. Foreign players cannothave inventory based model tooperate (in India). They arealso barred from influencingprices by cash burning models.Multinational e-commercecompanies such as Amazonand Walmart/Flipkart are bla-tantly contravening rules andoperating uncontrolled inIndia," claimed the SJM reso-lution passed at its 15th nation-al conclave in Gwalior onDecember 26.

Amazon is "on a spree" toacquire brick and mortar retailoutlets along with its e-com-merce retail activities, the SJMclaimed, adding that the com-

pany's investment in ShoppersStop and More Retail chain are"some major steps in this direc-tion."

"From 2017-18 to 2019-20,just in three years, Amazon hasspent Rs 9,788 crore on legaland professional fees in India.Internal sources have exposedthat the money is being rout-ed through these accounts forbribing officials in India," italleged.

This "proves" that licensesand permissions obtained by"all such e-commerce compa-nies" were obtained "fraudu-lently using unfair means", itadded.

"This is a very serious mat-

ter. The Rashtriya Sabha ofSwadeshi Jagran Manchdemands that all the permis-sions given to these companiesbe withdrawn forthwith and alltheir activities be declared ille-gal," the SJM demanded in theresolution.

"The entire matter should beinvestigated by the CBI and assoon as the government offi-cers including people sitting inthe high offices, gaining fromthese companies, directly orindirectly, are identified, theyshould be sent on leave toensure a fair investigation intothe entire matter; and be pun-ished for their offences," itadded.

PNS n NEW DELHI

Drug firm Ajanta Pharma onTuesday said its board hasapproved a share buybackplan of up to Rs 286-crore,wherein the drug maker willbuy back shares at a maxi-mum price of Rs 2,550 apiece.

The company's board hasapproved buyback of up to11,20,000 fully paid-up sharesof face value of Rs 2 each ata price of Rs 2,550 per sharepayable in cash, AjantaPharma said in a regulatoryfiling.

The total pay-out towardsbuyback of shares will be notexceeding Rs 356 crore,including a share buybackconsideration not exceedingRs 286 crore and tax notexceeding Rs 70 crore, on aproportionate basis throughthe tender offer process, itadded.

Ajanta Pharmaboard approvesup to Rs 286-crshare buyback

PNS n NEW DELHI

Sun Pharma on Tuesday saidits subsidiary has receivedemergency use authorisation(EUA) from the DrugsController General of India(DCGI) to manufacture andmarket a generic version ofMSD and Ridgeback's antivi-ral drug molnupiravir underthe brand name Molxvir inIndia.

Earlier this year, the Mumbai-based drug major had signed anon-exclusive voluntary licens-ing agreement with MSD tomanufacture and supply a gener-ic version of molnupiravir inover 100 low and middle-

income countries (LMICs)including India.

The DCGI has approved mol-nupiravir for treatment of adultpatients with COVID-19 andwho have high risk of progres-sion of the disease including hos-pitalisation or death.

Molnupiravir is an importantaddition to the portfolio of oraltherapies available for treatingCovid-19 patients, SunPharmaceutical Industries CEO(India Business) Kirti Ganorkarsaid in a statement.

"In line with our consistentefforts to accelerate access to newdrugs for Covid-19 treatment,we will make Molxvir availableto patients at an affordable price

Sun Pharma gets DCGInod to market molnupiravir

PNS n MUMBAI

Continuing its gain for theninth trading session in a row,the rupee surged 34 paise toclose at 74.66 (provisional)against the US dollar onTuesday, tracking positivedomestic equities amid a ris-ing appetite for high-riskassets.

At the interbank forex mar-ket, the local unit opened at74.95 against the greenbackand witnessed an intra-dayhigh of 74.60 and a low of74.95. In the previous session,the rupee appreciated 3 paiseto 75 against the US dollar.

Positive moves in Indianequity indices and strongerAsian currencies aided senti-ments, forex traders said,adding that trading is likely toremain range-bound this weekahead of the year-end holidays.

However, Omicron worriesand firm crude oil pricesrestricted the appreciation biasof the local unit to some extent.

On the domestic equitymarket front, the BSE Sensex

ended 477.24 points or 0.83per cent higher at 57,897.48,while the broader NSE Niftyadvanced 147 points or 0.86per cent to 17,233.25.

Meanwhile, the dollar index,which measures the green-back's strength against thebasket of six currencies, fell0.08 per cent to 96.02.

Brent crude futures, theglobal oil benchmark, rose0.57 per cent to USD 79.05 perbarrel.

Foreign institutionalinvestors remained net sellersin the capital market onMonday, as they offloadedshares worth Rs 1,038.25 crore,as per stock exchange data.

Rupee jumps 34 paise to closeat 74.66 against US dollar

PNS n NEW DELHI

Vaccine major Serum Instituteof India (SII) on Tuesday saidthe approval for the COVID-19 vaccine 'Covovax' wouldstrengthen immunization ini-tiatives across India and vari-ous lower and middle incomecountries (LMICs) across theworld.

"The approval of Covovax byDCGI is a significant milestonein strengthening our immu-nization efforts across Indiaand LMICs. We are proud todeliver a highly-effective pro-tein-based COVID-19 vaccineof more than 90 per cent effi-cacy rate, based on clinical data

demonstrating a favorable safe-ty profile. "We are certain thatas the repertoire of theCOVID-19 vaccine increases,we will be poised strongly tosave the lives of millions ofpeople against the pandemic,"SII CEO Adar Poonawalla saidin a statement.

He was responding toUnion Health MinisterMansukh Mandaviya'sannouncement that theCentral Drug Authority, theCentral Drugs StandardControl Organisation(CDSCO), has approved theSII's vaccine Covovax forrestricted use in emergency sit-uations.

Covovax approval to strengthenimmunization efforts in India,

PNS n NEW DELHI

Over 4.67 crore Income TaxReturns have been filedincluding over 15.49 lakhITRs filed on December 27alone, the I-T departmentsaid on Tuesday.

The last date for filingITRs for 2020-21 fiscal endedMarch 31, 2021, by individ-ual taxpayers is December 31,extended from the originaldate of July 31, 2021.

"A total of 4,67,45,249#ITRs have been filed up to27.12.2021 including 15,49,831#ITRs filed on the day itself,"the department tweeted givingdetails of ITRs filed forAssessment Year 2021-22(2020-21 fiscal year).

This includes over 2.50crore ITR-1 and over 1.17crore ITR-4. ITR Form 1(Sahaj) and ITR Form 4(Sugam) are simpler formsthat cater to a large number ofsmall and medium taxpayers.

Over 4.67 crITRs filed so far,15.49 lakh alonein single day

Withdraw permissions given to Amazon, Flipkart-Walmart : SJM

Follow us on

@TheDailyPioneer

facebook.com/dailypioneer

WednesdayDecember 29, 2021

L NIHARIKA

he brides today are donningoutfits that are differentfrom the usual and the tra-ditional ones. It is not justthe good old red lehenga,but brides are going for

minimalist outfits or the ones withcolors beyond the traditional red thesedays. One such designer giving her allto doll-up new-age brides is AnishaDesai. Starting a career in finance totaking a huge step in the entrepre-neurial journey six years ago, AnishaDesai, a Dubai-based fashion designer,is carving a niche for herself in fashiondesigning. She moved to Dubai 11years ago with her husband to settlein. A few years later, post deliveringher first child, Anisha had to quit herjob to give full attention and love toher litter one, but the zeal in her keptasking her to come back to what sheloved doing — fashion designing. In

2016, Anisha started her couture, AJD,Amaira Jalak Desai, and this is howthe mompreneur’s journey began.

When asked what inspired her tostart AJD, Anisha shares with ThePioneer, “The inspiration of AJD camewhen I was looking at bridal outfits formy brother’s fiancé. I was unable tofind something similar to her taste. Icouldn’t get my dream outfit too forthe D-Day, so I designed her bridaloutfit seven years ago, as there were nosuch designer outfits back then that areeconomical, except for the big labels.”

“My journey to successfully runningAJD has been a roller coaster, especial-ly with my two children around. Therehave been times when I wanted toquit, as I felt designing bridal attirewas very taxing, mainly because a per-son is putting her whole trust in youabout the D-Day of her life. It’s alwaysafter seeing the bride’s happy face onher D-day over her outfit, pushes meto give my best,” she adds.

AJD has recently launched a new

collection, Siya. The name, Siyareflects the love for helping others —the one who loves to make everyonelaugh and encourage. With the newbridal collection, Siya, a bride willbring generosity and positive vibes tothe house. Specialising in bridal out-fits, Anisha designs the bridal collec-tion on her own and gives a personaltouch while bringing out the eleganceof the attire. Interestingly, AJD takesup only 7-8 brides per year makingtheir attire exclusive.

“Siya is all about white weddings. It’snot completely white, it’s the mixtureof white with the colour palette, whichmakes it stand out and gives a breakon the red. We use all the shades. Siyais about breaking the monotone. Thecollection includes sarees and lehen-gas," says Anisha about her latest col-lection.

Speaking about the present scenario,and how her collection helps a bridestand out, the young designer shareswith us, “These days the bride’s maid,sisters, and mothers sometimes over-power the bride by their outfits andjewels. I want our brides to standout. I only take a selected number ofbrides because we want to give equalamounts of attention to each one ofthem. We invest most of our time indesigning each bridal outfit fromhead to toe for months, based onthe bride’s requirements. We alwaysmade sure that our jewelry andclothes go hand-in-hand.”

“The only challenge we face isto convince the bride that theydon’t have to go for everythingwhich they see on Instagram.Each one of us has our personal-ities, and so are the attires. Ihad that confidence that mywork speaks more than mywords. So I never believedthat marketing was ahazard. The spread ofthe word worked forus,” adds the designerabout the challengesshe overcame.

For Anisha, themost memorablemoment was when abride video called herin 2018 right after she

completed herpheras. “Thosewere the initialdays of mycareer, so thatmade me veryemotional.That day Idecided thatwe’ll do morewith qualitythan quantity.I can't evendescribe what itmeant to her,” sheconcludes.

AJD for the new-age brides

t

he sales ofelectricvehiclessaw over atwo-fold

increase in 2021.From new manufactur-ing capacities, to new vehiclelaunches, this year saw many inter-esting things happening in the EVindustry, and there’s a lot more inthe pipeline! The Indian EV indus-try had a solid run, marked byprogress and promise. Governmentshave stepped up incentives. Batterycharging infrastructure has strength-ened. Alternative solutions to publiccharging stations are being explored.High fuel prices are turning con-sumers towards EVs.

PLI scheme for the auto sector

In September this year, the UnionCabinet approved a Rs 26,058 croreproduction-linked incentive (PLI)scheme to accelerate domestic man-ufacturing of electric and fuel cellvehicles and drones in India. As perthe government’s estimate, thescheme would attract Rs 42,500crore in fresh investment in theautomobile and auto componentsindustry over five years. The govern-ment has allocated Rs 25,938 crorefor the automobile sector and theremaining Rs 120 crore for thedrone sector.

FAME II amendment

In another move to promote electrictwo-wheeler usage in the country,the government of India in June thisyear r amendment to the ongoingFAME-II (Faster Adoption andManufacturing of Electric Vehicles-II) scheme. Under it, the govern-ment significantly reduced the pricegap between petrol-powered two-wheelers and electric ones byincreasing the subsidy rate for elec-tric two-wheelers from Rs10,000/kWh, to Rs 15,000/kWh,while also capping the incentives at40 per cent of the cost of vehicles asagainst 20 per cent earlier.

Centre's scrappage policy

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, inAugust this year, launched theVehicle Scrappage Policy virtually atthe Gujarat Investor Summit. Thepolicy aims to phase out unfit andpolluting vehicles in an environ-ment-friendly manner. Under thepolicy, vehicles will not just bescrapped by their age but also if theyare found to be unfit in automatedtesting. The vehicle scrappage policyfor private vehicles is set to beimplemented in 2024. The policy issaid to offer a much-needed boostfor the Indian auto sector and bringinvestments of around Rs 10,000crore by improving new vehiclesales.

Changes in state EV policies

To increase penetration and adop-tion of battery electric vehicles, gov-ernments of around 20 states inIndia, including Delhi, Gujarat, Goa,Maharashtra, and Rajasthan havealready come up with either a draftor final state-level EV policies. Theobjectives of each state-level policywill vary but some common objec-tives include -- solving air qualityissues, helping in climate changemitigation, reducing dependence onoil imports, and promoting thedevelopment of the EV industry.

EV is thefuture!

t

here is a huge need for organ donors in thecountry. However, there is an imbalance andthe key reason is that less than 1 out of every 5organ transplants are from deceased donors,says Dr Vivek Kute, Secretary, Indian Society ofOrgan Transplantation (ISOT).

Organ transplantation involves the surgical removal ofthe organ/tissue from one person (the donor) and itsplacement in another (the recipient). It is often called the‘gift of life’ since it saves the lives of the recipients whoare affected by organ failure. Depending on the organbeing harvested, the potential donor can either be aliveor one who has died naturally or in an accident. Despitethis, there is a huge gap between the need for organs anddonors in India. Kidney failure occurs in nearly 1.8 lakhpersons every year but only 9751 and 5486 renal trans-plants were undertaken in the year 2019 and 2020respectively. Though an estimated 2 lakh lives are lost toliver failure and cancer every year, only 2592 and 1780liver transplants were carried out in 2019 and 2020respectively. Similarly, heart failure affects 50000 individ-uals every year but only 187 and 89 heart transplantswere performed in year 2019 and 2020 respectively asper WHO Global Observatory on Donation andTransplantation. Though by volume, India performs thesecond-largest number of transplants globally, the needfar outweighs the supply.

Deceased donor organ transplantation(DDOT) — the challenges

One of the key reasons for this imbalance is that lessthan 1 out of every 5 organ transplants are fromdeceased donors. Enhancing DDOT can be the way for-ward to fill this gap. The Transplantation of HumanOrgans (Amendment) Act (THOA) 2014 by theGovernment of India also promotes deceased organdonation to improve access to this life-saving procedure.However, DDOT is impeded by the lack of awarenessamongst the general population as well as the medicalcommunity.

Also, there is widespread misinformation and hesitan-cy towards declaring or accepting brain stem death (inwhich the brain is non-functional and the person cannotregain consciousness or breathe without support). This isespecially important since only a few organs can be har-vested from a donor who has died of natural causes,whereas a brain-dead donor can donate up to 8 differentorgans. Other challenges include the lack of adequateinfrastructure (specifically in the government sector),specialised transportation for the organs and a nationalregistry to facilitate data collation and organ allocation.Last but not the least, the prohibitive costs (transplanta-tion costs are two times more in private vs. public sectorhospitals) make the procedure inaccessible to the poor.

Improving DDOT awareness and implemen-tation — potential solutions

DDOT can be improved by implementing a robustnational policy for declaring brain death and making thedonor pledge form legally binding. On the other hand,the potential donor’s family can be supported by dedicat-

ed grief counselors to make the transition easier. Donorsand their families can be honoured or initiatives such asa tree-planting drive can be conducted in the donor’smemory. Social support for cremation rituals can also beprovided to acknowledge their contribution and toencourage others to pledge their organs similarly.

Cultural barriers to DDOT can be addressed viaInformation, Education and Communication (ICE)teams who can reach out to the general population withthe help of health workers, social media, religious lead-ers and key opinion leaders to clear myths and miscon-ceptions about organ donation. Organ donation pledgescan be linked to driving license applications and dissem-inated by caller tunes.

Medical hurdles in transplant hospitals can be sup-ported by a dedicated transplant procurement managerand a multidisciplinary team who can identify potentialdonors and proactively recruit them by creating aware-ness. State-of-the-art donor care can be implementedwith the rapid transport of organs to increase their via-bility. Key features from states with successful DDOTprogrammes can be enforced across the country. A ‘OneNation One Policy’ can be instituted for digital organallocation to ensure a transparent system at the regional,state and national levels. A uniform data collation andmanagement system can be applied to ensure that theright organ reaches the right recipient at the right time.

Making every effort count

Lastly, all stakeholders must be knit together by thegovernment’s policy which should aim for developingself-sufficiency in organ transplantation. Each link in theorgan transplant chain—the donor, the non-transplantorgan retrieval center, integrated organ allocation sys-tem, affordable care at transplantation units in hospi-tals—can be optimised to bridge this life-saving resourcegap. This November 27, as our country observes OrganDonation Day, let us pledge to donate our organs to savelives even after we are gone and encourage others to doso too.

t

Deceased donors are savioursA collectioninspired by the magic hour

of the evening, House of Soiproudly presents to you their

newest collection “Nightfall”. Withthis line the brand has experiment-

ed with moody dark hues with adash of glam! The brand brings toyou their take on a festive and partyedit while staying true to their roots,that are, florals and flowy silhouettes.Nightfall is a compilation of pieces indeep dark shades representing the playof light that are a precursor to dark

mysteriousnights. Florals beingtheir signature, the printliberally uses flora and faunaand is off set against shimmerfabrics to add that touch ofoomph.

House of Soi is known for theireasy breezy, flowy, day time casualsummery silhouettes but in this col-lection they have done flowy in astructured manner giving it a beautifulcontradiction that is in the form ofmore party appropriate ensembles.The pieces are fitted with a corsetstructure and dramatic sleeves orshoulders which include pleated fab-ric, thread detailing and deep neck-lines. The brand has dresses that aremini shift dresses, jumpsuits and evencorset fitted maxi dresses, all goodenough to dance the night away in.

“The collection was envisionedkeeping in mind the comfort, glamand edgy quotient, how the night is allabout letting loose this party season!These pieces are perfect for your datenights, dinner parties, evening soirées,formal parties and of course your holi-

day nights too!”, says SarikaPawar, Founder, House

of Soi.This is thebrands first

foray intocreating

piecesappropri-ate foreveningwearmadefromnaturalbemberg

crepeand have

added fab-rics like

mashru silkand shimmer

georgette in themix!

The ensembles are fun, flirty,feminine yet glamorous; an easy, fussfree choice for any evening event, be itbig or small. This year before thenight sets in, get glamorous inNightfall by House of Soi.

House of Soi as a brand hasalways tried to be inclusive andmake people feel beautiful, joyousand like themselves when theywear an HOS outfit. This col-lection is here to celebrateyou, with you!

HOUSEOF SOI

PRESENTSNIGHTFALL

10

Hyderabad Wednesday December 29, 2021 what’s brewing?

PAR

TY

Ph

oto

s b

y S

V C

ha

ry

Machilipatnam MPBalasouri Vallabhanenihosted his son’s

wedding ceremoney at aprominent palace in Udaipurover the weekend. The eventwas graced by manydiginitaries Chiranjeevi alongwith his wife

WEDDING BLISS

l Chandana l Sridhar Rao l Akkineni Nagarjuna, Amala, Akhil Akkineni

l Ananditha and Pavana Reddy l Sitakka l Siddaramaiah l Ramgopal Varma

l Shubal Rajeswari,Geeta,Neela,Leena,Sirisha and Jaya

Rules

ARCHIE

GARFIELD

SUDOKU

REALITY CHECK CROSSWORD

GINGER MEGGS

NANCY

l Each row and column cancontain each number (1 to 9)exactly once.

l The sum of all numbers inany row or column mustequal 45.

Yesterday’s solution

CALVIN AND HOBBES

SPEED BUMP

FUN

Actor Akkineni Nagarjuna,Amala, Akhil, direcctorsSukumar,Ramgopal

varma,Buchibabu Sana,Telangana Tourism ChairmanSrinivas, Mulugu MLASitakka, formar KarnatakaChief Minister Siddaramaiah,and other dignitaries gracedthe house warmingceremoney of Telecomindustrialist Sridhar Rao atRoad no 49. Jubilee Hills

SWEET HOME

11

tollywoodHyderabad Wednesday December 29, 2021

hroughoutthe 200-plus dayshootingschedule ofRRR, Jr

NTR felt the weightof filmmaker SSRajamouli’s ambi-tion, which theactor says inspiredhim to give hisbest for the much-awaited actiondrama.

The Telugufilm, set in thepre-independentIndia, fictionalises

the lives of twofreedom fighters-Alluri SitaramaRaju, played by RamCharan and

Komaram

Bheem, essayed by Jr NTR.RRR, being Rajamouli’s follow-up to

the game changing blockbusterBaahubali, sparked fan interest since itsannouncement in 2018.

In an interview with PTI, NT RamaRao Jr, known among fans as Jr NTR,said he shot the film with the awarenessthat it was a “responsibility” to give hisall.

“I felt the burden, constantly, every-day. How can you survive if you don’thave that pressure on you? You need tobe reminded that you are part of some-one’s vision, who has believed andinvested in you. Forget about the money,that is a different thing, but he has trust-ed you with his material so you have todo justice to that, there was responsibili-ty,” Jr NTR said.

The 38-year-old actor creditedRajamouli for his unwavering belief,which helped the team work towards thefilm the director had envisioned.

For instance, even if the crew was on abreak, Rajamouli would constantly workto improve the project. The filmmakerwould call up Jr NTR and discussnuances of a scene with him, so that theactor never felt out of touch with hischaracter.

“You need to have the right peoplearound you and a fantastic director

like Rajamouli to remind you whatyou are here for. The journey forRRR demanded that kind of anemotional and physical invest-

ment. When we werehome and not shoot-ing, we were givenexercises so that wedon’t get away fromthe film. He wouldcall me and discussscenes, say that mycharacter’s expres-sions should havebeen exploited morein some places. So Ihad to gather all thethoughts, recollectthe moment and beback to the scene. Ihad to be completelyinvolved, immersedin the film,” headded.The scale ofRRR is bigger thanthat of the actor’sprevious three collab-orations with the 48-year-old director.

The duo first worked together in the2001 action film Student No 1, followedby Simhadri and Yamadonga.

Jr NTR said Rajamouli is perhaps oneof the few directors in the country, whocan truly challenge an actor. WithKomaram Bheem, a revolutionary whothe actor was well versed with,Rajamouli added more layers and pre-sented a novel character.

RRR attempts to fill the historical gapwhere the two freedom fighters, whobelonged to the same era, left home withno record of what they did for four yearsbefore they came back and started tofight for the people.

“Once you become a Rajamouli char-acter, you want to give your 100 percent. You just don’t want to settle at 50percent or 80. You want him to get himfrom his seat, when he is watching youon the monitor, and tell you an excited‘Okay!’ You want to hear that. Workingwith him is a challenge but I have alwaysloved that. The beauty is that he has alsoconstantly challenged himself as a film-maker. He has earned that respect. As anactor that's what you want, to get adirector who can push you, make youfeel vulnerable at times,” he added.

The film is also being hailed forpulling a casting coup with Jr NTR andCharan together in a project.

The actor said he is aware that thegenre of multi-starrer films have virtual-ly faded, but hoped RRR will ignite thetrend considering how more pan Indiafilms are being made today.

RRR also stars Alia Bhatt and AjayDevgn. “Somewhere, our industries havestopped making multi starrers films.With RRR, a multi-starrer film in Teluguis coming after, probably, 30 years. Ithink Karan Arjun was the last Hindifilm where two massive stars, equal instature, came together for a film. Starshaving equal persona, talent and follow-ing. Why did it stop, I don’t have ananswer. But maybe it will start again.There is now going to be a lot of culturalexchange, with crossover, multi-starrerfilms. It is good to call ourselves one bigIndian film industry. I feel so proud thatI, as an actor, am a part of this era. Anera which was earlier closed, now it isopening and combining all of us togeth-er. I truly feel blessed,” he added.

RRR is set to arrive in cinema halls onJanuary 7.

The film will be released in Hindi, Tamil, Malayalam and Kannadaas well.

I felt the burden, constantly,everyday: Jr NTR on RRR

ollywood filmmak-er Karan Johar hasopened up with hisviews on southIndian cinema,

especially Telugu movies, ina discussion on what a pan-Indian film is all about.Karan admits that evenHindi movies are not doingas much business as Telugufilms in recent times. Heeven cites an example, tak-ing Allu Arjun’s recentlyreleased movie Pushpa toexplain the commercial sta-mina of Telugu movies.“With no promo-tions at all, AlluArjun’sPushpa wasreleasedwith justa fewpostersand thetrailer.EventhoughAllu Arjun is

not known in the north, themovie made a lot of moneyat the box-office. Can youimagine the scenario? Now,this is called the ‘pan-Indiacraze’,” the Bollywood direc-tor said.

Karan opined that thewhole terminology of a‘pan-Indian film’ startedwith S.S. Rajamouli’sBaahubali. He saidBaahubali 1 had done busi-ness of Rs 112 crore, where-as Rajamouli’s previous filmMakki made just Rs 1 crorein the Hindi belt.

Karan also predictedthat Rajamouli’s

upcoming mag-num opus RRR

is going to beone of thebiggest open-ers and mightcollect Rs 30crore on the

first day of itsHindi version

alone in India.

Karan Johar inawe of Allu Arjun’s

pan-India craze

ctor Dhanush is presently busy promoting hisBollywood film Atrangi Re. During a mediainteraction, the actor expressed his interest toact in a biopic. If everything goes well, it willbe Dhanush’s first biopic in his cinema career.Moreover, the actor said he wants to act in

Rajinikanth and Ilaiyaraja’s biopics.He said that he admires both of them a lot and that is

the reason why he wants to act in their biographicalfilms. Recently, Dhanush announced his Tamil-Telugubilingual film, Sir, which will be directed by Venky Atluri.Apart from that, he also announced another Telugu-Tamil bilingual film with director Shekhar Kammula.

ctor Sai Dharam Tej received a legal notice regard-ing his bike accident that took place on DurgamCheruvu in Hyderabad earlier in September.A case under section 912 of CrPC was registered,as per Cyberabad Commissioner of Police StephenRavindra, while disclosing the crime report of

Cyberabad on Monday. The Commissioner of Police said thatthe actor was asked to submit his documents – driving licence,RC, insurance, and pollution papers. The actor failed to sub-mit his documents, which has landed him in trouble.“So far,we haven’t received any response from the actor and a charge

sheet will be filed if thereis no reaction from

the actor,”Ravindra

said.Sai

Dharam Tej, who hasacted in movies likeSupreme,Subramanyam ForSale, Winner, and oth-ers, had met with anaccident in September.The actor managed tosurvive the near-fatalaccident.

The actor landed ina private hospital, andit took him more thana month to recover from the injuries caused by the accident.The commissioner also conveyed that around 759 people losttheir lives in road accidents in 2021.

K RAMYA SREE

fter quite some time, Nanifinally tasted big successwith the recently releasedShyam Singha Roy starringSai Pallavi and Krithi. The

actor who is enjoying the super suc-cess of the film, is delighted by theway the audience supported his film.During a media interaction the actorhinted that this film might soon go toBollywood.

Thanking Neerja Kona for provid-ing such wonderful costumes forShyam Singha Roy that are muchtalked about now, Nani said,

“Shyam Singha Roy is a big filmwith major casting. The respon-

sibility to ride this boat safelywas put in Rahul’s hands and

nobody initially believedin him. I am very

happy the way

Rahul pulled off thisfilm and there are manymore hits waiting forRahul.”

The actor callingKrithi Shetty a super-star called her a luckycharm as both herfilms turned out to be

superhits.‘You are the rose that

spreads beauty and happi-ness to all the thorns

around’ dedicating this dia-logue from the

film to Sai Pallavi,Nani heaped praises for

the actress. He said, “Weall know howPranavalayam song wasshot. However, the smileon her face was incredi-ble. Whenever I watchedfilms like Sakhi, I alwayswanted to be a part ofsuch a love story andthat wish came true withthis film. If it wasn’t forSai Pallavi’s performance,the love between Shyamand Rossie wouldn’t havecome out this well.”

Meanwhile, during thepress meet, the actorhinted that this film toomight go to Bollywood.Nani was asked if thisfilm too will go toBollywood, just like oneof his previous outings— Jersey, the AlaModalaindi actor gave apositive hint. He laughedand said Shyam Singha

Roy will not becompletely left to DilRaju unlike Jersey’.

Jersey is being producedby Dil Raju and Allu Aravindin Hindi.

While both Dil Raju and Nanibroke into laughter after that, Nanisaid they will take a proper call afterplanning it.

Going by what the actor said, itseems like Shyam Singha Roy is goingto Bollywood and Nani might pro-duce it along with Dil Raju.

Shyam

Singha Roy

may be remade

in Hindi

b

A

A

a

Legal notice issued to Sai Dharam Tej in bike accident case

t

Dhanush up for biopic on Rajinikanth

New Year's Eve is just round the cor-ner, and Samantha Ruth Prabhualready jet off to Goa to spend thelast few days of 2021 with her dearones. The actress, along with her bestfriend Shilpa Reddy and anotherfriend, is enjoying the cosy Goanweather swimming and exploring.Samantha shared pictures from hertrip and she wrote in her Instagramstory: "A morning well spent." The pictures from Samantha's Goaholiday are trending big time onsocial media and it is easy to see why.

The new year is just around the corner,and keeping the trend alive, marketersare busy analysing digital marketing

strategies that may demand our attentiongoing ahead. Consumer behaviour changesin a blink of an eye and we must keep oureyes and ears open to these subtle changesto invest effectively and gain an edge in themarket.

Digital marketing in India iscontinuously evolving, and marketers neverstop looking for new and innovative ways toreach their target audience. Owing to theconsistent hit and trial, we came across

several influential digital

marketing trends in 2021.Digital automation: We have often

witnessed businesses talk about automationto become more agile, and the marketingworld is not lagging when it comes toeliminating mundane jobs and manuallabour. However, digital marketers aregradually concluding that automation mightnot be enough. To leverage that data andtranslate it into profitability, artificialintelligence, machine learning, and roboticprocess automation is seeping into SEO toanalyse data and make critical decisionsautomatically.

Digital automation simply means

employing machines to make decisionsbased on how consumers interact. Forexample, personalised messaging, deals andrecommendations garner a consumer'sattention the most, and devices can learnthat in a short period.

Video content: Video content has takenover the throne on the world wide web, andnothing can take its place anytime soon.Video consumption has skyrocketed, andmore people than ever are consuming

videos on platforms like YouTube, TikTokand Instagram reels. Unfortunately, socialmedia platforms are becoming contentdump yards, and it's only convenient towatch a short video over a long article.

Chatbots: There has been a steadygrowth in businesses employing chatbots tointeract with customers on site visits.Chatbots are instrumental in onboardingautomation, mitigating manual interactionexpense, and allocating more budget on

essential areas. One of the most prominentadvantages of having a chatbot enabled onyour website is that it can cater to severalvisitors at once. Moreover, chatbots offer24x7 service and immediate responses.

Personalisation: How am I making myconsumer feel special is one question everybusiness owner must ask themselves. If youwant to set your brand apart in the market,personalising the communicationthroughout your content, emails, productsand services is a must. Audio and videostreaming channels were the first to take onpersonalisation with recommendations foreach user. Personalisation is on its way to

becoming the new industry standard asrepetitive content continues to fail atgrabbing consumers' attention.

Shoppable content: Simplifying theuser experience is at the core of marketing,and shoppable content is the next steptowards achieving it. Shoppable content isany content that contains a link to theproduct landing page. This makes the entireshopping process more seamless, fromspreading awareness through contentmarketing and making it easier than ever tobuy the product through the direct link.

The writer is Sahil Chopra, founder-CEO,iCubesWire

HYDERABAD | WEDNESDAY | DECEMBER 29, 2021 avenues 12

M I N D I T

HUMAN RESOURCES (HR) AT FEROZ BUXLocation: Work From Home

Stipend: `12,000 per monthLink: internshala.com/i/84ace5Deadline: January 5, 2022

SEO AT REAL-TIME DATA SERVICESLocation: Work From HomeStipend: `30,000 per monthLink: internshala.com/i/a69fd8Deadline: January 5, 2022

CONTENT WRITING AT UXINDIALocation: Work From HomeStipend: `10,00-`12,000 per monthLink: internshala.com/i/1d50b4Deadline: January 5, 2022

PRODUCT MGT AT SOFTSENSOR.AILocation: Work From HomeStipend: `15,000-`25,000 per monthLink: internshala.com/i/d17b50Deadline: January 5, 2022

DIGITAL MARKETING AT MEDICALDIALOGUESLocation: DelhiStipend: `8,000 per monthLink: internshala.com/i/f6da74Deadline: January 5, 2022

MARKETING AT BYJU'S THE LEARNING APPLocation: Ranchi, JamshedpurStipend: `20,000 per monthLink: internshala.com/i/86caf5Deadline: January 4, 2022

WEB DESIGNING AT THE UNIQUE CULTURELocation: BhubaneswarStipend: `10,000 per monthLink: internshala.com/i/a76e7dDeadline: January 5, 2022

MARKETING AT BYJU'S THE LEARNING APPLocation: Ranchi, JamshedpurStipend: `20,000 per monthLink: internshala.com/i/86caf5Deadline: January 4, 2022

The job uncertainty that learnersand professionals witnessed duringthe course of the pandemic, now

transitions into a growing opportunity foremployees to essay an array of roles in theBSFI sector and the tech domain. Eventhough healthcare is fast emerging as apromising domain for learners to explore,Technology and BSFI rule the roost.

To bridge the gap, e-learning platformsare arming learners and professionals withfuturistic courses that will help elevate theircorporate presence. A Postgraduate coursein Business Intelligence and Data Analytics,is a great course for professionals consid-ering a career switch from the non-IT tothe IT domain. Investment Bankingemerges as yet another pioneering optionin the 21st century. Considering that thisprofile now associates itself with prominentbanking institutions, it is a great profile fornumber-crunchers to explore!

In recent times, Smart Accounting isthe way to go! A birds-eye view on accounting that covers the know-how of theIndian financial system; with a detailed uptick on the tax structure is anothercourse that is trending amongst professionals and learners.

Skill and knowledge in the above mentioned job profiles will now only bridgethe gap that the workforce is experiencing in recent times, but will also help ele-vate the resume and position of the learner or professional in prominent cor-porate circles.

Girish SSinghaniaCEO EduBridge

The University ofStrathclyde is offeringthe MSc Psychology

with a Specialization inBusiness Scholarships for theacademic year 2022-2023.

Eligibility: Be available tocommence their academicstudies by the start of the aca-demic year in September 2022.

Hold an unconditionalacademic offer to the MScPsychology with a specialisa-tion in Business at theUniversity of Strathclyde (full-time, part-time, and flexibleroute included).

Supporting documents:Submit academic transcriptsand copy of passport

Admission requirements:Aspirants will need a goodhonours or bachelors degreequalification from a Britishuniversity or another equiva-lent qualification.

Language requirement:The university accepts a num-ber of English language tests asproof of proficiency in English:

IELTS (Academic): 6.5overall (no individual bandless than 5.5)

Faculty of Science: IELTS(Academic): 6.0 overall (noindividual band less than 5.5).

How to apply: Aspirantsmust have to enroll in the PGdegree programme at the uni-versity. Those eligible for thescholarship will be notified by

the Faculty of Humanities &Social Sciences.

Application deadline: It isAugust 31, 2021.

The Manukau Instituteof Technology is offeringextra support with itsInternational Study Grantsto all students for the academ-ic year 2022-2023.

Eligibility: The applicantsmust be enrolled in the desiredprogramme by 21st February2022 or 25th July 2022 insemester 1 or 2 respectively.

Supporting documents:Certified and verified HighSchool / Diploma academictranscripts & certificates ofcompletion; Certified and ver-ified Bachelor Degree academictranscripts and certificate ofcompletion; Employment his-tory; Up to date CV.

All other documents andcertificates that are relevant tothe application

Admission requirements:Students must meet the entryrequirements of their countryof origin.

Language requirement:The students must submitscores of the following Englishlanguage proficiency tests:

IELTS – 6.0How to apply: Students are

required to fill the admissionapplication form and send it toapplication@manukau.ac.nzwith above listed documents.

Application deadline: Youcan send applications either byFebruary 21, 2022 or July 25,2022.

The year 2021 has been a tumul-tuous year vacillating betweenhope, fear, grief, optimism, and

hopefully transitioning into a muchdesired normal 2022. Disruption whichbegan with COVID in 2020 continuedthough world leant to live with it. It hasconsolidated some of the trends whichgot accelerated with COVID while cre-ating newer ways of coping with theuncertainty and continuing educationdelivery in an uncertain environment ofdisruptions.

There has been mass adoption oftechnology by education institutions tocontinue their teaching and learningdespite closures during the second wave.Teachers, parents and students builtupon their learnings of 2020 in usingtechnology, and have innovated to notonly make up for lack of physical class-es but also find new applications toenhance learning and engagement. At thesame time, digital divide remained quiteevident with significant percentage ofschools and students with no access todevices being further marginalized.Latest ASER report shows that smart-phone access is at 67 per cent of students.

Thankfully, the second half sawCOVID wave receding, leading to grad-ual opening up of institutes with studentsreturning back to classes. Though this has

varied across regions and institutes witheducation being delivered across a spec-trum from fully remote to fully physical,mostly it has been in a hybrid form. Eventhe study abroad market has also seen ajump over last year with students andparents more comfortable with goingahead with plans.

Technology has played a stellar rolein continuation of teaching and learning.Maximum impact of this is evident in athome learning, remote classes, highereducation, skill upgradation, extra-cur-ricular i.e., coding, hobbies space.Convenience and ease of learning onlinehas brought in a large set of new learn-ers who can pursue these courses with-in their constraints of timing, locationand finances. This has expanded scopeand addressable market for variousonline education offers.

Edtech as a sector has really gainedtraction during this year with more than$4 billion funding so far and formationof new unicorns like Upgrad andEmeritus. There is also a trend towardsconsolidation with mergers and acqui-sitions leading to emergence of few larg-er players trying to dominate large seg-ments like K12, competition, HE, skillingand study abroad.

The writer is Vinay Sharma,CEO-director, Convergia

The BITS Pilani WorkIntegrated LearningPrograms (WILP) division

recently conducted a five-dayworkshop for academicians,doctoral researchers andindustry practitioners to equipthem with the know-how of data

analytics and its significance inthe area of marketing and retailin today’s times. Held virtuallyin collaboration with ATALAcademy, the FacultyDevelopment Programme (FDP)was titled "Analytics forMarketing and Retail".

The GraduateManagementAdmission

Council announcedthe additionalregistration windowfor the NMAT byGMAC exam starting

January 3-9, 2022. In its effort to

support candidateswho are aspiring topursue theirmanagementdegree, this is thesecond year in a row

that GMAC isoffering anadditionalregistration window.

Candidates canlog on tomba.com/nmat toregister.

After the impact caused by the complete lockdown in 2020 due to Covid-19, peoplein the education sector hoped for a better 2021. Their expectations were met, to a largeextent. The situation could have been much better if the second wave in April-May ofthis year didn't play spoil sport. The complete shut down of educational institutionsfrom offering physical sessions was a big dampener in the initial days of the lockdown,in 2020. Institutes and students, however, were able to adapt to online sessions fairlyquickly. While physical sessions are ideal, students realised that to make the most ofthe time at hand, online classes is a decent via media.

— MManek DDaruvala, FFounder-ddirector, TTriumphant IInstitute oof MManagement EEducation

India is a significant participant in the global education market and has one of thelargest networks of higher education institutions globally. For the Indian educationsystem, on the other hand, there is still room for improvement, and with NEP (NationalEducation Policy), there is an infinite scope of evolution. Strengthening andimplementing student-centred learning is critical for the future of education. Thewatchword that governs the future trend of providing great education to students isflexibility in learning. Given that each student is unique, with their array of choices andskills, they will benefit immensely from flexible learning patterns in the future.

— AAshwani AAwasthi, MManaging DDirector, RRICS SSchool oof BBuilt

The accelerated rate of digital transformation and innovation will continue in the Fintechsector in 2022. Many of the trends that are showing green shoots today will bloom in themonths to come. Having said that, I reckon cash will still be the king in the Fintech world,with banking services becoming more accessible for the last mile of the society, particularlyin rural areas. I also expect to see local kirana stores evolving into a banking point for thepeople in the vicinity.

— AAmit NNigam, CCOO && EExecutive DDirector oof BBANKIT

2021 has been like a boom for Indian startups despite the challenging pandemic phase. Theyhave emerged quite differently in terms of strategies to sustain in the market with businessprofits which have led the Indian startups three times in venture capital than what they did in2020. Recently, we have been noticing the emergence of tier 2 and tier 3 start-upsprominently and they will continue to dominate in 2022 year. Also, Indian startups from thefinance, AI & IoT space are expected to make big moves.

— VVictor SSenapaty, CCo-FFounder oof PPropelld

In 2022, the companies which are in the digitization phase will focus on data pipelineautomation and data integration across systems. That gives a strong base for building adata-driven organization. Those companies which have integrated their data from diversesystems will bring in dynamic data factors like IoT and social media data. Essentially CTOs,CDOs, and Chief Data Analysts of these companies have the single most important target toincorporate AI & ML, predictive and prescriptive analytics into their data pipelines and enrichthe data before it is presented to business users.

— RRajesh MMurthy, FFounder AArchitect && VVice PPresident EEngineering, IIntellicus TTechnologies

The Ed-tech industry in India has witnessed tremendous growth last year during the pandemic due to theshift of offline education to online across India. We have seen the emergence of new startups in theeducation sector providing education to students with AI, Animation technology enriching the learningexperience of students.

— VVictor SSenapaty, CCo-FFounder oof PPropelld

5-DAY FACULTY DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME

REGISTRATION WINDOW FOR GMAC

WEBINAR ON FACTORS OF DHARMASHASTRA

INBRIEF QUOTEUNQUOTE

The Mahindra UniversitySchool of Law organised awebinar on the Three

Factors in the formation ofDharmashastra by the leadingacademician in the field,Professor Timothy Lubin, theJessir Ball duPont Professor of

Religion at Washingtonand LeeUniversity.ProfessorMadabhushiSridharAcharyulu,Dean, School

of Law, Dr ParomitaDas Gupta, Faculty at

School of Law and theorganis and Dr SeharKhwaja, Faculty at School ofLaw also spoke. .

“We are happy to havean academician of Professor

Lubin’s stature amidst us. Hislecture underlined the fact thatreligion preaches Dharma, whichis the supreme law that prevails.Rajadharma actuallycorresponds to the “rule of law”which holds the basis of ourconstitution and reignssupreme,” ProfessorMadabhushi Sridhar Acharyulu,Dean- School of Law, MahindraUniversity, said.

Professor Lubin, anauthority on religion and law, isassociated with the Centre forthe Study of DevelopingSocieties, Delhi and the FrenchInstitute of Pondicherry. He hasearlier taught at HarvardUniversity and University ofVirginia. He is a continuousresearcher in Dharmashastraand their relationship topractices.

2021: Education & COVID-19

A tumultuous year

While education hasalways been givenprime importance in

a country like India, by theGovernment and the massesalike, the existence of certainfactors like lack of uniformresources has always hampereda leveled availability of educa-tional resources. The unfortu-nate reality is such that the new,innovative learning resourcesthat are at par with the require-ments of the job industry today,seldom reach the classrooms ofthe relatively lesser developedareas. Some ways in whichonline resources and e-learninghave changed the learninglandscape in tier 2 and tier 3cities are listed as follows:

Uniform availability ofresources: The biggest techni-cal invention that has impact-ed human life in the most com-mon manner is the internet.The internet allows data to betransmitted in endless amountsfrom one place to anotherwithin a matter of seconds.Further, as cellular data andsmartphones have innovated tofit the budget brackets of most

of the country’s population, theinternet has become a uni-formly exercised tool. Theeducation sector has reallyleveraged this tool to makeupdated curriculums and new-gen learning devices availableacross cities.

Increasing awareness andopportunities: The edtechplatforms that have made amark on tier2 and tier 3 citiesactually do a lot more thanproviding educationalresources. They also aid thestudent’s knowledge about var-ious careers available in themarket and what they canexpect from each one of them.By increasing student aware-ness about the existence anddemands of different fields,edTech platforms facilitatepreparation for the same.These platforms also providelearning opportunities for sub-jects and skills outside scope ofcurriculum.

Hyperlocalisation of cur-riculums: Anything technicalis bound to upgrade andimprove with further innova-tions and development. The

edTech platforms, too, havebeen consistent in makingtheir offerings and contentincreasingly helpful. The latesttrend is that of hyperlocalisa-tion. Hyperlocalisation essen-tially refers to customisingsomething to fit the nativenorms and culture of a place.Thus, when educational con-tent is available in regional lan-guages and makes use of localexamples, learning becomesmuch easier and more famil-iar to students. In this way, bydoing away with the need forknowing complex and foreignlanguages, edtech platformsmake education accessible.

Improved Governmentpolicies : The StateGovernments of today are pro-gressively adopting blendedlearning models. These mod-els will help them to cater totier 2-3 cities in their states bet-ter. The data collected withthese models will enable Statesto make better policy decisions,such as the purchase of techhardware for schools.

The writer is Maninder Singh Bajwa,CEO-founder, iScuela

Taking baby steps

Much against the anticipation of thepublic, the millennium bug was welladdressed by preemptive measures

and the programmers who averted thedisaster. Rather the Y2K problem createdhuge opportunities in India alone. It led tothe BPO boom and so did many Indiansoftware engineers geot hired in the USA tofix the issue. Y2K also and brought arevolution in the radio, television, andtelephone arena.

EdTech as a valuable supplement toschool curriculum: EdTech is going to play abigger role in education as it providesstudents a channel to gather extraknowledge relevant for their schoolcoursework, allows learning extra-curricularactivities, helps in skilling and reskilling ofemployees, and an array of things at theconvenience of learning from home. Plus,people have come to understand that now isthe time to push on to acquire as many skillsas possible. EdTech may not wipe out thetraditional school curriculum but surelysupplements the prescribed educationmodels better.

EdTech is fast becoming the game-

changer: We are in times when we can'timagine a world without IoT or Xbox.Technologies are so fast-changing that whatis trending today will soon become obsolete.If we don't keep up with what's in now, wecannot be at the top of the game tomorrow.EdTech platforms are essentially helpingstudents to get the hang of the technologiesthat are ruling today to have a brighterfuture.

Several edTech companies found theirplace among the Unicorns that are havefound being valued over a billion Dollars.With 'cloud campus' gaining dominance, theinclusion of robot teachers that havemultisensory powers, AI-aided educationpowered by services such as Amazon Web,and now with the latest buzz that Metaverseis going to take education throughaugmented reality, it only broadens thescope for EdTech industries.

In other words, edTech has found itsrenaissance. We are on the verge of a newera of education that will put learners aheadof mere theoretical learning.

The writer is Sricharan Tadepalli, COO & Co-founder, byteXL

The gamechanger

Time to review