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O ne of the two prime accused in the brutal killing of a tailor in Udaipur has links with the Pakistan-based organisation Dawat-e-Islami and had visited Karachi in 2014, the Rajasthan Police chief said on Wednesday. A day after the brutal mur- der of Hindu tailor Kanhaiya Lal Teli in Udaipur by two rad- ical Muslims, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) took over the probe into the terror incident from the Rajasthan Police. The police have detained three more people in connec- tion with the killing so far, Director General of Police (DGP) ML Lather said at a press conference in Jaipur. “One of the accused, Ghouse Mohammad, has links with the Karachi-based Ismalist organisation Dawat-e-Islami. He had visited Karachi in 2014. So far, we have detained five people, including the two prime accused,” Lather said. Meanwhile, a policeman was slashed with a sword dur- ing a protest march in Rajsamand district’s Bhim town, where police used tear gas to stop a stone-pelting mob from advancing towards a mosque. In Udaipur, hundreds took part in a funer- al procession for Kanhaiya Lal. Stones were hurled at a burial ground and some peo- ple tried to vandalise its gate as the procession passed by. Elsewhere in Rajasthan, mar- kets were closed in Sojat (Pali), Bhinmal and Sanchore (Jalore) and Reodar (Sikar) in protest over the Udaipur murder. Two men, identified as Riaz Akhtari and Ghouse Mohammad, allegedly hacked Kanhaiya Lal to death with a cleaver at his shop in Udaipur on Tuesday and posted videos online saying they are avenging an insult to Islam. The duo was taken into custody on Tuesday and booked under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and the various sections of IPC, the police chief said. When asked whether both the accused had links with Dawat-e-Islami, Lather said that it cannot be ruled out as both of them were equally involved. Lather said that looking into all the perspectives and on directions of the Chief Minister, it was considered as act of ter- ror, so investigation was start- ed after registering a case under the UAPA. Lather said Ghouse Mohammad in 2014 had visit- ed Dawat-e-Islami, Karachi. The outfit has its offices in Mumbai and Delhi, he said. Detained accused Riaz works as a welder and Ghouse is into some petty works. “It is also found that the distinct weapon used to hack Kanhaiya was made by Riaz around four- five years ago,” said the DGP. On the trans-border con- nection of the two prime accused, he said all digital evi- dence is being looked into. A case has been lodged under IPC sections 302, 452, 153 (A), 153(B), 295(A) and 34, and sections 16, 18 and 20 of UAPA, 1967. Lather also said a case was lodged against Kanhaiya Lal on June 10 by one Nazim at Dhan Mandi police station over an alleged objec- tionable post hurting senti- ments of a community. U ndeterred by the looming terror threats, the first batch of 4,890 pilgrims embarked on the Amarnath yatra on Wednesday under unprecedented security cover. Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha flagged off the convoy of 176 light and heavy motor vehicles after perform- ing traditional prayers at the base camp at Jammu. Chief Secretary Arun Mehta, senior police and administrative officers, along with local politicians, attended the ceremony and prayed for peace, prosperity and a safe spiritual journey for pilgrims. The LG is scheduled to perform pratham pooja inside the holy cave shrine on Thursday. The atmosphere inside the base camp was upbeat since early morning as a large num- ber of pilgrims from different States were seen singing prais- es of Lord Shiva and chanting vedic mantras before embark- ing on the journey. So far around 3 lakh pil- grims have registered them- selves for the yatra this year. The shrine board authorities are expecting the largest ever footfall of 6 to 7 lakh pilgrims this year. The shrine board authori- ties have also made elaborate arrangements for spot regis- tration to facilitate rush of pil- grims. For the first time, a Radio Frequency Identification tag has been issued to the pil- grims by the shrine board, while drone cameras have been deployed across base camps and yatri niwas to maintain tight vigil. Pilgrims have been extended helicopter services from Srinagar for the first time this year. The Amarnath yatra was cut short in 2019 days ahead of Abrogation of Article 370. However, the yatra remained suspended in 2020 and 2021 due to the Covid-19 pandem- ic. Elaborate security arrange- ments have been made along the entire yatra route. The Centre has deployed over 350 companies of paramilitary troops to guard the yatra route and base camps along both the Baltal and Pahalgam axis. J&K’s regional parties, including the National Conference (NC) and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), have welcomed the pilgrims and asked people to ensure their security and safety. The Amarnath shrine board authorities have thrown open both the traditional Pahalgam-Chandanwari route and Baltal route for pilgrims. M inutes after the Supreme Court refused to stay Maharashtra Governor’s direc- tion to the Shiv Sena-NCP- Congress Maha Vikas Aghadi Government to take a floor test in the Assembly on Thursday, Uddhav on Wednesday announced his resignation as the Maharashtra Chief Minister. “I am also quitting as the member of the Legislative Council,” Thackeray said in a webcast, on Thursday night while appealing to the workers of his party not to take to the streets in protest. He said he was not interested “in playing the numbers game”. “Let the rebels who grew politically because of Shiv Sena and Balasaheb Thackeray get joy and satisfaction of pulling down his son from the post of Chief Minister,” Thackeray said. Earlier, after hearing all sides for more than three hours on Wednesday on Governor’s order for a floor test by the Sena-led Government in Maharashtra, a Supreme Court Bench comprising Justices Surya Kant and JB Pardiwala delivered the order around 9 pm, refusing to stay the floor test. However, the court issued notice on Shiv Sena Chief Whip Sunil Prabhu’s petition to all parties to respond and tagged the case with rebel MP’s case against disqualification notice, scheduled on July 11. The apex court said the final outcome of the floor test will be subject to the disquali- fication case. The court allowed jailed Ministers Nawab Malik and Anil Deshmukh to attend the floor test. “We are not staying the floor test. We are issuing notices. You can file counter. We will hear on merits along with other cases on July 11. The result of tomorrow will depend on the final outcome of this petition,” the court directed, adding that the results of tomorrow will be subject to the final outcome of the petition before the court. Senior Counsel Abhishek Manu Singhvi, appearing for Prabhu, said the entire voting pool will change if the floor test is held after disqualification. “The decision of the Speaker will change the pool who will be voting. Before plunging into the pool, the size has to be noted,” he said. “If on July 11, the court decides the petition, say the Speaker’s bar is lifted, and cer- tain MLAs are disqualified, then the test could have con- cluded the next day,” said Singhvi arguing that the case before the top court will become infructuous. Singhvi questioned the act of the Governor in showing undue haste in calling for floor test. “The Governor is bound to act on the aid and advice of the Council of Ministers. Here he may act on the advice of Ministers or not, but definitely cannot act on the advice of the Opposition,” he contended. Senior Counsel Neeraj Kishan Kaul, appearing for Eknath Shinde, said the Speaker cannot decide dis- qualification proceedings when no-confidence motion against him is pending. “You (Speaker) are seized of a matter, you know there are proceedings against you. You cannot pro- ceed at all. It is a jurisdiction- al issue,” Kaul said. “When the CM has lost confidence in the House, the moment the CM shows reluc- tance, it shows that he knows he has lost the majority. This is all the more reason to have a floor test,” Kaul argued. “Assuming a floor test takes place, who are competent to participate,” asked Justice Kant. T he election to the post of Vice President will be held on August 6, the Election Commission (EC) on Wednesday announced. As per the poll panel, the notification for the election to decide the successor of M Venkaiah Naidu will be issued on July 5 and the last date for filing of nomination papers will be July 19. The votes will be counted on August 6. Naidu’s term as Vice President ends on August 10. The BJP-led NDA has a clear edge in the poll in which the members of the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha, including nominated members, are eligi- ble to vote. As per Article 68 of the Constitution, the election to fill the vacancy caused by the expiration of the term of office of the outgoing Vice President is required to be completed before the expiration of the term. At a meeting also attend- ed by Election Commissioner Anup Chandra Pandey, Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar finalised the schedule for the Vice Presidential poll. The scrutiny of nomina- tion papers will be done on July 20 and the last date for with- drawal of candidature is July 22. For the 16th Vice- Presidential Election, the Electoral College consists of 233 elected members of the Rajya Sabha, 12 nominated members of the Rajya Sabha and 543 elected members of the Lok Sabha. The voting is done by the secret ballot. Open voting and showing the ballot to anyone under any circumstances in the case of presidential and vice-presi- dential elections are totally prohibited, the EC cautioned, adding that parties cannot issue whip to its MPs in the matter of voting. A nomination paper of a candidate has to be subscribed by at least 20 electors as pro- posers and by at least other 20 electors as seconders. An elec- tor can subscribe to only one nomination paper of a candi- date as either a proposer or a seconder. A candidate can file a maximum of four nomina- tion papers. The security deposit for the election is 15,000. F our of the five MLAs of the AIMIM in Bihar on Wednesday defected to the RJD, helping it become the largest party in the 243-strong Assembly with a strength of 80 MLAs, three more than that of the BJP. Leader of the Opposition Tejashwi Yadav, who hailed this as strengthening of sec- ular forces, himself drove the four MLAs to the Assembly. The MLAs submitted a letter to Speaker Vijay Kumar Sinha requesting him to accept their group’s merger with the RJD. Yadav was also present with them in the Speaker’s chamber. The MLAs who have jumped ship are Syed Ruknuddin Ahmed (Baisi), Shahnawaz Alam (Jokihat), Mohd Izhar Asfi (Kochadhaman) and Mohd Anzar Naeemi (Bahadurganj). The party, headed by Asaduddin Owaisi, which won five seats and cut into RJD-led alliance’s vote on several seats in the 2020 Assembly elections is now left with only its State president Akhtarul Iman. I n what will further hurt the middle class, pre-packed and labelled wheat flour, papad, paneer, curd, and buttermilk will be taxed at 5 per cent after the GST Council on Wednesday decided to stop allowing exemptions on such items while raising rates on a host of others. The GST Council, at a two-day meeting here, accept- ed recommendations for rate rationalisation made by differ- ent groups appointed by it, resulting in tax changes, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman told reporters. The tax rate changes will come into effect from July 18. However, the council decided to refer the report of the GoM (Group of Ministers) on casinos, online gaming and horse racing back to the panel for further deliberation. The Finance Minister of Goa wanted further discus- sions on the GST rate to be applicable on casinos and in that context both online gam- ing and horse racing too would be relooked. The panel had recommended 28 per cent GST levy on all three activities and equalled them to gambling. The report is expected to be ready by July 15 and would be taken up by the council in its next meet- ing in August. The ending of the exemp- tion would mean the pre- packed and labelled meat (except frozen), fish, paneer, lassi, honey, dried leguminous vegetables, dried makhana, wheat and other cereals and puffed rice (muri) will now attract a 5 per cent tax. Mumbai: The rupee depreci- ated 18 paise to close at a record low of 79.03 (provi- sional) against the US dollar on Wednesday, weighed down by persistent foreign capital outflows, a strong dollar over- seas and surge in crude oil prices. At the interbank foreign exchange market, the rupee opened lower at 78.86 against the greenback and finally set- tled at 79.03, down 18 paise over its previous close. During the session, the rupee touched an all-time low of 79.05 against the American currency. On Tuesday, the rupee plunged by 48 paise to close at the record low of 78.85 against the US dollar. The domestic unit has lost 1.97 per cent so far this month and has eroded a staggering 6.39 per cent since the start of this year. Panaji: Rebel Maharashtra Shiv Sena MLAs led by Eknath Shinde on Wednesday evening landed at Dabolim airport in Goa from Guwahati en route to Mumbai. The MLAs arrived at the Dabolim airport by a chartered flight.

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One of the two primeaccused in the brutal

killing of a tailor in Udaipur haslinks with the Pakistan-basedorganisation Dawat-e-Islamiand had visited Karachi in2014, the Rajasthan Police chiefsaid on Wednesday.

A day after the brutal mur-der of Hindu tailor KanhaiyaLal Teli in Udaipur by two rad-ical Muslims, the NationalInvestigation Agency (NIA)took over the probe into theterror incident from theRajasthan Police.

The police have detainedthree more people in connec-tion with the killing so far,Director General of Police(DGP) ML Lather said at apress conference in Jaipur.

“One of the accused,Ghouse Mohammad, has linkswith the Karachi-based Ismalistorganisation Dawat-e-Islami.He had visited Karachi in 2014.So far, we have detained fivepeople, including the twoprime accused,” Lather said.

Meanwhile, a policemanwas slashed with a sword dur-ing a protest march inRajsamand district’s Bhimtown, where police used teargas to stop a stone-peltingmob from advancing towardsa mosque. In Udaipur,hundreds took part in a funer-al procession for Kanhaiya Lal.

Stones were hurled at aburial ground and some peo-ple tried to vandalise its gate asthe procession passed by.Elsewhere in Rajasthan, mar-kets were closed in Sojat (Pali),Bhinmal and Sanchore (Jalore)

and Reodar (Sikar) in protestover the Udaipur murder.

Two men, identified asRiaz Akhtari and GhouseMohammad, allegedly hackedKanhaiya Lal to death with acleaver at his shop in Udaipuron Tuesday and posted videosonline saying they are avengingan insult to Islam.

The duo was taken intocustody on Tuesday andbooked under the UnlawfulActivities (Prevention) Act andthe various sections of IPC, thepolice chief said.

When asked whether boththe accused had links withDawat-e-Islami, Lather saidthat it cannot be ruled out asboth of them were equallyinvolved.

Lather said that lookinginto all the perspectives and ondirections of the Chief Minister,it was considered as act of ter-ror, so investigation was start-ed after registering a case under

the UAPA.Lather said Ghouse

Mohammad in 2014 had visit-ed Dawat-e-Islami, Karachi.The outfit has its offices inMumbai and Delhi, he said.

Detained accused Riazworks as a welder and Ghouseis into some petty works. “It isalso found that the distinctweapon used to hack Kanhaiyawas made by Riaz around four-five years ago,” said the DGP.

On the trans-border con-nection of the two primeaccused, he said all digital evi-dence is being looked into.

A case has been lodgedunder IPC sections 302, 452,153 (A), 153(B), 295(A) and 34,and sections 16, 18 and 20 ofUAPA, 1967. Lather also saida case was lodged againstKanhaiya Lal on June 10 by oneNazim at Dhan Mandi policestation over an alleged objec-tionable post hurting senti-ments of a community.

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Undeterred by the loomingterror threats, the first

batch of 4,890 pilgrimsembarked on the Amarnathyatra on Wednesday underunprecedented security cover.

Lieutenant GovernorManoj Sinha flagged off theconvoy of 176 light and heavymotor vehicles after perform-ing traditional prayers at thebase camp at Jammu.

Chief Secretary ArunMehta, senior police andadministrative officers, alongwith local politicians, attendedthe ceremony and prayed forpeace, prosperity and a safespiritual journey for pilgrims.

The LG is scheduled toperform pratham pooja insidethe holy cave shrine onThursday.

The atmosphere inside thebase camp was upbeat since

early morning as a large num-ber of pilgrims from differentStates were seen singing prais-es of Lord Shiva and chantingvedic mantras before embark-ing on the journey.

So far around 3 lakh pil-grims have registered them-selves for the yatra this year.The shrine board authoritiesare expecting the largest everfootfall of 6 to 7 lakh pilgrimsthis year.

The shrine board authori-ties have also made elaboratearrangements for spot regis-tration to facilitate rush of pil-grims. For the first time, aRadio Frequency Identificationtag has been issued to the pil-grims by the shrine board,while drone cameras have beendeployed across base campsand yatri niwas to maintaintight vigil. Pilgrims have beenextended helicopter servicesfrom Srinagar for the first time

this year. The Amarnath yatra was

cut short in 2019 days ahead ofAbrogation of Article 370.However, the yatra remainedsuspended in 2020 and 2021due to the Covid-19 pandem-ic. Elaborate security arrange-ments have been made alongthe entire yatra route. TheCentre has deployed over 350companies of paramilitarytroops to guard the yatra routeand base camps along both theBaltal and Pahalgam axis.

J&K’s regional parties,including the NationalConference (NC) and PeoplesDemocratic Party (PDP), havewelcomed the pilgrims andasked people to ensure theirsecurity and safety.

The Amarnath shrineboard authorities have thrownopen both the traditionalPahalgam-Chandanwari routeand Baltal route for pilgrims.

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Minutes after the SupremeCourt refused to stay

Maharashtra Governor’s direc-tion to the Shiv Sena-NCP-Congress Maha Vikas AghadiGovernment to take a floor testin the Assembly on Thursday,Uddhav on Wednesdayannounced his resignation asthe Maharashtra ChiefMinister.

“I am also quitting as themember of the LegislativeCouncil,” Thackeray said in awebcast, on Thursday nightwhile appealing to the workersof his party not to take to thestreets in protest. He said hewas not interested “in playingthe numbers game”.

“Let the rebels who grewpolitically because of Shiv Senaand Balasaheb Thackeray getjoy and satisfaction of pullingdown his son from the post ofChief Minister,” Thackeray said.

Earlier, after hearing allsides for more than three hourson Wednesday on Governor’sorder for a floor test by theSena-led Government inMaharashtra, a Supreme CourtBench comprising JusticesSurya Kant and JB Pardiwaladelivered the order around 9pm, refusing to stay the floortest. However, the court issuednotice on Shiv Sena ChiefWhip Sunil Prabhu’s petition toall parties to respond andtagged the case with rebel MP’scase against disqualification

notice, scheduled on July 11. The apex court said the

final outcome of the floor testwill be subject to the disquali-fication case. The court allowedjailed Ministers Nawab Malikand Anil Deshmukh to attendthe floor test.

“We are not staying thefloor test. We are issuingnotices. You can file counter.We will hear on merits alongwith other cases on July 11. Theresult of tomorrow will dependon the final outcome of thispetition,” the court directed,adding that the results oftomorrow will be subject to thefinal outcome of the petitionbefore the court.

Senior Counsel AbhishekManu Singhvi, appearing forPrabhu, said the entire votingpool will change if the floor testis held after disqualification.“The decision of the Speakerwill change the pool who willbe voting. Before plunging intothe pool, the size has to benoted,” he said.

“If on July 11, the courtdecides the petition, say theSpeaker’s bar is lifted, and cer-tain MLAs are disqualified,then the test could have con-cluded the next day,” saidSinghvi arguing that the casebefore the top court willbecome infructuous.

Singhvi questioned the actof the Governor in showingundue haste in calling forfloor test. “The Governor isbound to act on the aid andadvice of the Council of

Ministers. Here he may act onthe advice of Ministers or not,but definitely cannot act onthe advice of the Opposition,”he contended.

Senior Counsel NeerajKishan Kaul, appearing forEknath Shinde, said theSpeaker cannot decide dis-qualification proceedings whenno-confidence motion againsthim is pending. “You (Speaker)are seized of a matter, youknow there are proceedings

against you. You cannot pro-ceed at all. It is a jurisdiction-al issue,” Kaul said.

“When the CM has lostconfidence in the House, themoment the CM shows reluc-tance, it shows that he knowshe has lost the majority. This isall the more reason to have afloor test,” Kaul argued.

“Assuming a floor testtakes place, who are competentto participate,” asked JusticeKant.

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The election to the post ofVice President will be held

on August 6, the ElectionCommission (EC) onWednesday announced.

As per the poll panel, thenotification for the election todecide the successor of MVenkaiah Naidu will be issuedon July 5 and the last date forfiling of nomination papers willbe July 19. The votes will becounted on August 6.

Naidu’s term as VicePresident ends on August 10.The BJP-led NDA has a clearedge in the poll in which themembers of the Lok Sabha andthe Rajya Sabha, includingnominated members, are eligi-ble to vote.

As per Article 68 of theConstitution, the election to fillthe vacancy caused by theexpiration of the term of officeof the outgoing Vice Presidentis required to be completed

before the expiration of theterm. At a meeting also attend-ed by Election CommissionerAnup Chandra Pandey, ChiefElection Commissioner RajivKumar finalised the schedulefor the Vice Presidential poll.

The scrutiny of nomina-tion papers will be done on July20 and the last date for with-drawal of candidature is July 22.

For the 16th Vice-

Presidential Election, theElectoral College consists of233 elected members of theRajya Sabha, 12 nominatedmembers of the Rajya Sabhaand 543 elected members of theLok Sabha. The voting is doneby the secret ballot.

Open voting and showingthe ballot to anyone under anycircumstances in the case ofpresidential and vice-presi-dential elections are totallyprohibited, the EC cautioned,adding that parties cannotissue whip to its MPs in thematter of voting.

A nomination paper of acandidate has to be subscribedby at least 20 electors as pro-posers and by at least other 20electors as seconders. An elec-tor can subscribe to only onenomination paper of a candi-date as either a proposer or aseconder. A candidate can filea maximum of four nomina-tion papers. The securitydeposit for the election is�15,000.

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Four of the five MLAs of theAIMIM in Bihar on

Wednesday defected to theRJD, helping it become thelargest party in the 243-strongAssembly with a strength of 80MLAs, three more than that ofthe BJP.

Leader of the OppositionTejashwi Yadav, who hailedthis as strengthening of sec-ular forces, himself drove thefour MLAs to the Assembly.The MLAs submitted a letterto Speaker Vijay KumarSinha requesting him toaccept their group’s mergerwith the RJD.

Yadav was also presentwith them in the Speaker’schamber. The MLAs who havejumped ship are SyedRuknuddin Ahmed (Baisi),Shahnawaz Alam (Jokihat),

Mohd Izhar Asfi(Kochadhaman) and MohdAnzar Naeemi (Bahadurganj).

The party, headed byAsaduddin Owaisi, which wonfive seats and cut into RJD-ledalliance’s vote on several seatsin the 2020 Assembly electionsis now left with only its Statepresident Akhtarul Iman.

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In what will further hurt themiddle class, pre-packed and

labelled wheat flour, papad,paneer, curd, and buttermilkwill be taxed at 5 per cent afterthe GST Council onWednesday decided to stopallowing exemptions on suchitems while raising rates on ahost of others.

The GST Council, at atwo-day meeting here, accept-ed recommendations for raterationalisation made by differ-ent groups appointed by it,resulting in tax changes, UnionFinance Minister NirmalaSitharaman told reporters. Thetax rate changes will come intoeffect from July 18.

However, the councildecided to refer the report of

the GoM (Group of Ministers)on casinos, online gaming andhorse racing back to the panelfor further deliberation.

The Finance Minister ofGoa wanted further discus-sions on the GST rate to beapplicable on casinos and inthat context both online gam-ing and horse racing toowould be relooked. The panelhad recommended 28 percent GST levy on all threeactivities and equalled them

to gambling. The report isexpected to be ready by July15 and would be taken up bythe council in its next meet-ing in August.

The ending of the exemp-tion would mean the pre-packed and labelled meat(except frozen), fish, paneer,lassi, honey, dried leguminousvegetables, dried makhana,wheat and other cereals andpuffed rice (muri) will nowattract a 5 per cent tax.

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Mumbai: The rupee depreci-ated 18 paise to close at arecord low of 79.03 (provi-sional) against the US dollaron Wednesday, weighed downby persistent foreign capitaloutflows, a strong dollar over-seas and surge in crude oilprices.

At the interbank foreignexchange market, the rupeeopened lower at 78.86 againstthe greenback and finally set-tled at 79.03, down 18 paiseover its previous close.

During the session, therupee touched an all-time lowof 79.05 against the Americancurrency.

On Tuesday, the rupeeplunged by 48 paise to close atthe record low of 78.85 againstthe US dollar.

The domestic unit has lost1.97 per cent so far this monthand has eroded a staggering6.39 per cent since the start ofthis year.

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Panaji: Rebel MaharashtraShiv Sena MLAs led by EknathShinde on Wednesday eveninglanded at Dabolim airport inGoa from Guwahati en routeto Mumbai. The MLAs arrivedat the Dabolim airport by achartered flight.

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DEHRADUN | THURSDAY | JUNE 30, 2022uttarakhand 02

Although every possible care and caution has been taken to avoid errors or omissions, this publication is being sold on the condition and understanding that information given in this publication is merely for reference and must not be taken as having authority of or binding in any way on the writers, editors, publishers, and printers and sellers who do not owe any responsibility for anydamage or loss to any person, a purchaser of this publication or not for the result of any action taken on the basis of this work. All disputes are subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of competent court and forums in Delhi/New Delhi only. Readers are advised and requested to verify and seek appropriate advice to satisfy themselves about the veracity of any kind of advertisement beforeresponding to any contents published in this newspaper. The printer, publisher, editor and any employee of the Pioneer Group’s will not be held responsible for any kind of claim made by the advertisers of the products & services and shall not be made responsible for any kind of loss, consequences and further product-related damages on such advertisements.

Printed and published by Ajit Sinha for and on behalf of CMYK Printech Ltd., published at Unigate General Media Pvt Ltd # 162, Old Nehru Colony Opp Uttarakhand Jal Sansthan Dharampur, Dehradun­248001 Ph: 0135­2673111, Mob 9045057787 and printed at Amar Ujala Publications Ltd, Plot No-H-1 to H-6, Selaqui Industrial Area, Dehradun,Uttarakhand, Executive Editor: Navin Upadhyay. AIR SURCHARGE of Re. 1.00 East: Calcutta, Ranchi, Bhubaneswar, North: Leh: West: Mumbai & Ahmedabad South: Bangalore & Chennai. Central : Khajuraho, Delhi Office: No. 6, Behind Gulab Bhawan, Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg, New Delhi-110 002, Phone: 011-40110455, Communication Office: F-31,Sector 6, NOIDA, Gautam Budh Nagar-201301, U.P. Phone: 0120-4879900, Lucknow Office: 4th Floor, Sahara Shopping Centre, Faizabad Road, Lucknow-226 016. Telephones: 0522-2346443-45

PNS HARIDWAR

GUEST COLUMN

Tamil Nadu sitting on Rs 50,000crore aquaculture opportunity

The diversity in agro-cli-matic conditions in the

Indian coastal States is one ofthe natural advantages for thecountry to design and imple-ment sustainable blue econ-omy projects. The diversity iswell suited to leverage fordesigning projects in tunewith the requirements andneeds of each State. Forinstance, take the case ofTamil Nadu, considered thecradle of the Blue Revolutionin the country. The state ishaving the potential to gen-erate Rs 50,000 crore peryear by using the vast stretch-es of degraded land infestedwith thorns and prickly bush-es with next-generation aqua-culture. The districts ofToothukudi, Tirunelveli andRamanathapuram have vaststretches of salinated coastalland that could be convertedfor the development of thenext-generation aquaculture.These lands infested withprickly bushes, currently lyingidle, are also causing an eco-nomic drain to the State gov-ernment and the private own-ers as the high court issued anorder for the removal of thebushes regularly.

A well-designed schemeto utilise the land for devel-oping eco-friendly aquacul-ture ventures would help the

State to easily generate Rs50,000 crore per year in thecoming decade. The adoptionof the latest technology wouldenable in transforming theseplaces into highly productivesustainable aquaculture farmswith the capacity to generatehigh-quality protein-richfood production. The degrad-ed land in the three districtsis in addition to 56,000hectares of brackish waterarea in the State with greatpotential for sustainable aqua-culture. The information onthe website of the Tamil Nadu

Government FisheriesDepartment says out of the56,000 hectares of brackishwater in the state only 6,115hectares are under aquacul-ture at the moment.

The opportunities for newgeneration aquaculture exist-ing in the degraded land andbrackish water blend wellwith India's blue economyframework. The projects touplift the coastal infrastruc-ture as part of the Sagarmalaproject would provide theadded impetus for better util-

isation of the degraded landand brackish water resourcescurrently lying idle. The well-designed scheme for effec-tively utilising these resourcesshould also incorporate plansto address the concernscaused by climate change andby global warming. Thecoastal regions have beenidentified as one of the mostvulnerable areas to be hit byglobal warming. The newgeneration of aquacultureneeded to have systems andpractices to minimise con-cerns of coastal erosion,

resource depletion, livelihoodissues of the coastal commu-nities and many other relat-ed issues.

The SISTA360 protocols(System for IntegratedSustainable and TraceableAquaculture offering 360-degree solutions) and theindoor precision aquaculturedeveloped by our companywith its roadmap for new gen-eration aquaculture wouldbe ideal for leveraging thepotential in Tamil Nadu. Thespecial purpose vehicles

(SPVs) spearheading theseinnovative solutions into suc-cessful business ventures havealready indicated plans todevelop a network of 10,000aqua entrepreneurs acrossthe country using these solu-tions. The SISTA360 proto-cols and indoor precisionaquaculture based on theproof of the concept methodcould be replicated all overthe country by taking intoaccount the agro-climaticspecificities in each State.The salient feature of thenext-generation aquaculture

based on zero waste and net-zero energy consumptionwould provide a good oppor-tunity for aqua farmers andentrepreneurs to substantial-ly improve their income whilehelping the country to moveaway from the present aqua-culture system. The new sys-tem also ensures a healthyfood production system at atime when concerns overunhealthy foods dominatediscussions related to publichealth. The other importantfeature of the next-generationaquaculture is using tools of

information technologyincluding AI and IoT forfarming practices.

The new system offersgood scope for developing apublic-private partnership(PPP) model across the valuechain in the marine foodsector. The farm-to-fork con-cept with mandatory trace-ability norms gaining tractionthroughout the world makessuch models essential asgreater coordination betweenall those in the food industryvalue chain becomesinevitable. The regulatoryagencies in the food industrytoo need to maintain bettercoordination and cooperationwith the industry.

Tamil Nadu with its repu-tation for a proactive investorgovernance system couldbecome India's blue economyhub with the help of a well-designed project to utilisedegraded lands and brackishwater resources lying idle forimplementing sustainableaquaculture. The projectwould also be a game-chang-er in terms of promotingeconomic growth along withemployment generation inthe coastal regions of theState. The protection of thelivelihood of the coastal com-munity is one of the coreprinciples of the next-gener-ation sustainable aquacul-ture. Tamil Nadu with itsexperience in heralding thefirst blue revolution in Indiais well placed to lead the sec-ond blue revolution based onthe blue economy frameworkof the country.

(The author is the chairmanof Kings Infra VenturesLimited who also writes on theblue economy and sustainablefood production system. Viewsexpressed are personal)

Shaji Baby John Presenting an alarming picture of the substance abuse in Dehradun a youth inhales chem-ical fumes on the roadside Pioneer photo

Chipko leader’s son gets awardmoney pending since 2016PNS JOSHIMATH

Following the order of thechief minister Pushkar

Singh Dhami, the State gov-ernment has presented Rs five

lakh as Samman Nidhi to theson of Chipko movement leaderGaura Devi. It will be recalledthat Gaura Devi was posthu-mously chosen for theUttarakhand Ratna Award bythe State government in 2016.Her family members were pre-sented with a citation but theSamman Nidhi was not pre-sented to them with it. Later

after an inquiry into the matter,chief minister Pushkar SinghDhami had ordered that theamount be presented to her

family. On Wednesday, subdivisional magistrate KumkumJoshi called Gaura Devi’s sonChandra Singh to her office tohonour him with a shawl andpresent a cheque for Rs fivelakh. Singh thanked the chiefminister after receiving theamount. He said that all worksget done if the public repre-sentatives are aware.

Steps taken to preparefor Kanwad Yatrastarting next month

After a gap of about twoyears, the Kanwad Yatra is

going to start in Haridwar fromJuly 14. According to theUttarakhand police, this timearound four crore devotees areexpected to reach Haridwar inthe Kanwad Yatra. Keeping thisin mind, the Haridwar policeand administration have startedtheir preparations.In view ofthe Kanwad Yatra slated to startnext month, a new traffic planhas been implemented in

Haridwar from Wednesday.Apart from this, an anti-encroachment drive will alsobe started in the city fromThursday.

The preparations of theadministration are in full swingfor the upcoming Kanwad Mela.A new traffic plan has beenimplemented in the city fromWednesday to get rid of the jamin the markets adjacent to Har KiPaidi. At the same time, beforethe start of the Kanwad Mela, the

police and administration are toundertake an anti-encroach-ment drive in the markets to pre-vent public inconvenience andtraffic jams. The superinten-dent of police (traffic) HimanshuVerma and city magistrateAvadhesh Singh today visitedand inspected Har Ki Paidi andnearby market. They said thatencroachments should beremoved from the area. Vermasaid that a new traffic plan hasbeen implemented to get rid of

the problem of traffic jam inHaridwar. The traffic plan will bestrictly followed. As a result ofthis traffic plan, the auto standon the Bhimgoda barrier hasbeen shifted to Chamgadar Tapu.The auto rickshaw drivers willnot pick up passengers from thenew site. The zero zone up toPost Office tri-junction has nowbeen extended to Shivmurti tri-junction.This plan is expected tonot only streamline the trafficbut also ensure the convenienceof the pedestrians.

Joint inspection reveals irregularities in MNREGA workPNS HARIDWAR

Ajoint inspection by the Roorkee joint magistrate and Khanpur MLA on Wednesdayrevealed irregularities in beautification of ponds being done under MNREGA. The

Khanpur MLA Umesh Kumar and joint magistrate Anshul Singh conducted the joint inspec-tion in Nagla Imarti and Jabarpur Jorasi villages acting on complaints received from vil-lagers.

Taking serious cognisance of the matter, they directed the block development officer toget the work done according to the rules and give work to the villagers under MNREGA.They warned that any irregularity would not be tolerated in the work of beautification ofthe ponds.The joint magistrate said that instead of getting the work done by MNREGAlabourers, the soil was being diverted elsewhere by digging the ponds.The machine beingused for the purpose was also sealed. The MLA and joint magistrate also directed the vil-lage development officer to get the work done as per rules. The MLA said that complaintswere being made by the villagers that instead of MNREGA laborers to lift the soil for thebeautification of ponds, the work is being done using a mechanical excavator which iswrong.The purpose of MNREGA is to give employment to locals. He averred that variousshortcomings had come to the fore during the inspection. Kumar said that the officials havebeen directed to ensure that MNREGA job card holders get work. He further said that hehad clearly told the officials and contractors that the soil excavated from the ponds willnot be sold but will be used for the embankment of the pond. Any irregularity will not betolerated, he stressed.

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uttarakhand 03

PNS DEHRADUN

DEHRADUN | THURSDAY | JUNE 30, 2022

PNS DEHRADUN / NEW TEHRI

PNS DEHRADUN

PNS DEHRADUN

We have got a mandate to implementUniform Civil Code : CM Dhami completes 100 days of second consecutive tenure as CM

When Pushkar SinghDhami took oath as

chief minister of Uttarakhandfor the second consecutiveterm on March 23 this yeardespite facing a shocking de-feat in Khatima Assemblyconstituency in the Assemblyelections it became clear thatthe central leadership of theBharatiya Janata Party has im-mense faith in this youngleader. In these 100 days of hissecond tenure the CM hasregistered a landslide victoryin Champawat Assembly by-elections and is moving for-ward to implement the prom-ises made by the BJP in its

election manifesto. In an in-teraction with GajendraSingh Negi of The PioneerDhami talked about a few is-sues and his vision for theState.

What are the majorachievements of the Stategovernment during these100 days?

We are moving ahead with

full dedication and commit-ment to implement our visiondocument. We got a publicmandate for Uniform CivilCode (UCC) and we havenow moved forward on ourpromise. An expert commit-tee headed by retired justice ofthe Supreme Court RanjanaDesai has been constitutedwhich would present the draftof the UCC after interactingwith all stakeholders. We havealso decided to provide threeLPG cylinders free of cost to1.85 lakh poor (Antyodaya)families of the State. Our gov-ernment has increased thewidow and old age pensionand this pension is now givento both husband and wife in afamily. The allowance of sani-tation workers has been in-creased. The Char Dham Yatrais successfully going on andthis year more than 25 lakhpilgrims have already visited

the shrines. We are takingnecessary preparations for theKanwad Yatra which is takingplace after two years of pan-demic enforced break. Ourgovernment is working forsuccessful implementation ofall centrally sponsoredschemes and I am regularlymonitoring them personally.

The recently launched Ag-nipath scheme for recruit-ment in the armed forces iseliciting opposition fromvarious quarters. Being aState with a high representa-tion in the armed forces,what effect would the schemehave on Uttarakhand?

The Agnipath schemebrought by PM NarendraModi and Defence ministerRajnath Singh is in the best in-terest of the country and theyouth. It would further en-

hance the prestige of thearmed forces. The youngstersneed to be told about the ben-efits of the scheme. Our gov-ernment has already declaredthat the Agniveers would begiven preference in recruit-ment in police and other serv-ices after the end of theirtenure in the army.

Recently 42 senior lawyersexpressed concern over per-ceived communal dishar-mony in the State andstatements made in contextof UCC. How do you viewthis?

We are open to good sug-gestions coming from anyquarter. On UCC I want tomake it clear that the people ofUttarakhand have given theirmandate for this and we havetaken necessary steps in thedirection of implementing itin the State.

Schism appears to be in-creasing between the politi-cal leadership andbureaucracy in the State. Re-cent episode involving cabi-net minister Rekha Arya andthe secretary of her depart-ment is an example. How areyou handling the situation?

We are taking stock of thesituation and soon would finda solution.

Gairsain was made thesummer capital by the BJPgovernment but the generalbelief is that the governmentis not serious on the issue.

The opposition has targetedyou for not holding thebudget session of the Assem-bly in Gairsain and not mak-ing any provision in thebudget.

This year the budget sessionwas delayed due to Assemblyelections and holding the ses-sion in June at a time whenChar Dham Yatra was at itspeak would have createdproblems for everyone includ-ing the pilgrims. The opposi-tion is raising the issue as ithas a habit of opposing every-thing. In this budget we havemade a provision of Rs 22crore for Gairsain. We arecommitted to the develop-ment of Gairsain as it is thecentre point of our aspirationand sentiments.

What are your plans forgovernance and delivery ofservices in the State?

My government has made‘simplification solution, dis-posal and satisfaction’ as themantra for good governance.Prime Minister NarendraModi’s vision that Uttarak-hand should be among theleading States of the countryin the silver jubilee year of itscreation is our guiding princi-ple and we are committed tothis. We have asked all the de-partments to prepare aroadmap for the future and Iregularly follow up theprogress of the variousschemes and our developmentplans.

Agnipath scheme –

Harish Rawat leads protest of seniorcitizens from opposition parties

In protest against the Agni-path scheme for recruit-

ment in the armedforces, a march wastaken out in Dehradunby senior citizens ofvarious opposition par-ties on Wednesday. Themarch was led by sen-ior Congress leaderand former chief min-ister Harish Rawat. Themarch was also at-tended by the Leader ofOpposition (LoP) inState Assembly YashpalArya, lieutenant gen-eral (retd) TPS Rawat,armed forces veterans,former IAS officers andleaders of oppositionparties.

Speaking on the occasionRawat said that the Agnipathscheme is a fraud with theyouth of the country. He saidthat the unfortunate decisionto implement the Agnipathscheme would have an impacton the military power of thecountry and internal security.He said that the youngsterswho were waiting for the re-cruitment to open in thearmed forces for the last twoto three years are feelingcheated after the government

launched the Agnipathscheme. Rawat said that when

youngsters retire after servingfor only four years in theArmy, they will face an uncer-tain future with no benefit ofpension, gratuity and other fa-cilities.

After consulting the leaderspresent on the occasion for-mer CM Harish Rawat an-nounced that villagePradhans, former Pradhans,armed forces veterans andwomen would be requested tosend letters to the Prime Min-

ister Modi requesting him thatthe Agnipath scheme should

be immediately rolled back.

The LoP Yashpal Arya saidthat the agitation against theAgnipath scheme would con-tinue till it is not taken back bythe government.

Retired IAS officer SSPangti, Samajwadi Partyleader SN Sachan, UKDleader Kashi Singh Airy, com-munist leader Samar Bhandariand others took part in themarch.

Arya demands CBIinquiry in controversialrecruitment exams of pastPNS DEHRADUN

The leader of oppo-sition (LoP) in the

State Assembly, Yash-pal Arya has de-manded that all theexaminations con-ducted in past by theUttarakhand PublicService Commission(PSC) and Uttarak-hand SubordinateServices SelectionCommission (USSSC)that had elicited ques-tions should behanded over to theCentral Bureau of In-vestigation (CBI) for inquiry.Arya said that it is unfortunatethat almost every examinationconducted by the USSSC hascome under scanner and dis-cussions on the misdeeds ofthe commission have oc-curred in different forums in-cluding the state assembly butno action has been takenagainst the culprits. Arya al-leged that scams in the re-cruitments have occurred inan organised manner in all theBJP ruled states of the coun-try. He said that there are 14lakh registered unemployed inthe state and more than onelakh posts are vacant in differ-ent departments of the state.Giving example of VillagePanchayat officer examina-

tions, forest ranger examina-tion, forest guard examina-tions of USSSC and LowerPCS examination of Publicservice commission whichwere marred by many irregu-larities, Arya said that a highlevel inquiry should be con-ducted on all these examina-tions and action should betaken against the culprits. Hesaid that the Congress partywants that the governmentshould ensure that the recruit-ment process is fair and trans-parent so that the lakhs ofunemployed aspiring for a jobare not cheated. Arya saidthat 70 per cent posts in all therecruitments should be re-served for the youngsters ofthe State.

Debris crush jeep, killingone, injuring nine returningfrom Kedarnath

One woman fromM a h a r a s h t r a

died on the spot whilesix were injured whendebris fell on the jeepthey were travelling infrom Gaurikund toSonprayag inRudraprayag districton Wednesday. Theaccident took placenear Munkatiya whenrocks and debris fellon the jeep. Three ofthe six injured per-sons were hurt seri-ously in the accident.Meanwhile, with rainsbeing experienced invarious parts of theState, at least 40 roadsare blocked in variousdistricts due to debrisand other factors.

“ 40 roadsblocked in vari-

ous parts ofState by debris ”

A total of 10 persons weretravelling in the Max jeepfrom Gaurikund to Sonprayagwhen the mishap occurred.According to sources, pilgrimsfrom Maharashtra, Bihar andNepal were returning fromKedarnath and travelling fromGaurikund to Sonprayag in ajeep on Wednesday. The jeephad travelled about two kilo-metres when it was hit byrocks and debris falling fromthe mountain at Munkatiya.All the occupants of the vehi-cle were stuck in it. On being

informed about the mishap,personnel of the State DisasterResponse Force (SDRF) andpolice reached the accidentsite to rescue the injured pas-sengers. Pushpa MohanBhonsle (62) a resident ofAhmednagar in Maharashtradied on the spot due to beingcrushed inside the vehicle.The rescue team had to cut aportion of a vehicle in order toremove her body. Out of thesix injured, the three seriouslyinjured persons were referredto the district hospital inRudraprayag while the otherswere admitted in communityhealth centre in Sonprayag fortreatment.

Meanwhile, according toinformation provided by theState Emergency OperationCentre (SEOC) at least 40roads were blocked in variousparts of the State on Wednes-

day evening. Three ruralmotor roads were blocked inChamoli district while onerural motor road was blockedin Almora district. One maindistrict road and one ruralmotor road was blocked inDehradun district, two ruralmotor roads were blocked inChampawat, three ruralmotor roads were blocked inTehri whereas in Bageshwardistrict the Balighat-Daufad-Kotmaniya and Bageshwar-Kapkot- Aso State highways,Buyain-Gadera, Bhani-Har-sigiya-Bagad main districtroad were blocked by debris inaddition to 13 rural motorroads. Similarly, the Thal-Munsyari State highway andTawaghat-Ghatiyabagarh bor-der road are blocked by debrisin addition to 11 rural motorroads blocked in Pithoragarhdistrict.

Protest march againstAgnipath mere formality: BJPPNS DEHRADUN

The protest march of seniorcitizens headed by senior

Congress leader Harish Rawatagainst the Agnipath schemewas more of a formality. Stat-ing this, the Bharatiya JanataParty State media in-chargeManveer Singh Chauhan saidthat the Congress and otherparties have been traditionallyopposing any scheme intro-duced in national interest andthere is nothing new in this.

" The Congresshas been play-ing the politicsof misguidingthe public byspreading lies

on all issues fora long time.The protest

rally of seniorcitizens headedby the Congress

is part of thisstrategy. "

The Congress and its alliesare turning their face awayfrom reality and confusing theyouth. Chauhan said that theopposition is raising hue andcry regarding the Agnipathscheme whereas the responseto thesef a l s eallega-t i o n shas beengiven be-fi t t i n g l yby morethan twolakh youthwho havea p p l i e dwithin oneweek in theIndian AirForce under thisscheme. “The Congress hasbeen playing the politics ofmisguiding the publicby spreading lies onall issues for a longtime. The protest rallyof senior citizensheaded by the Congress is partof this strategy. The Congressand other opposition partiesare purposely ignoring the en-couraging number of appli-cants under the scheme forIAF. In only three days, morethan two lakh applicationswere received for 3,000 Ag-

niveer positions in the IAFwhereas the last date of appli-cation is July 5, which meansthat the total number of appli-cants will total to many lakhs,”said the BJP State media in-charge. He further said that

the Con-g r e s swhich

is stat-ing thatt h es c h e m ew i l lw e a k e n

the armedforces and

s o l d i e r sstalled themodernisa-tion of

armed forces forthree decades and termedthe purchase of weapons

and bulletproof jacketsunnecessary, puttingthe life of the soldiersin danger. The Con-

gress claims to be alertfor national security but thereality is that during its termin the Centre, the Defenceminister had stated in the par-liament that works to enhancethe strategic strength of thenation at the borders shouldbe avoided.

Education Dept to holdtwo-day Chintan ShivirThe State Education depart-

ment will hold a two-daybrainstorming sessionon different aspects andsubjects of education inDehradun on July 1and 2. In these sessions,the officers from blockto State level wouldtake part. The session isbeing organised on theinitiative of Educationminister Dhan SinghRawat and delibera-tions on new enrol-ments, dropouts andimprovement in qualityof education, schoolcomplex, basic educa-tion, hybrid learning,identification of de-prived and differentlyabled children will beheld in it. All districtlevel officers would present apresentation on the education

scenario in their respectivedistricts.

The Education ministerRawat said that the Chintan

Shivir would be held in IndiaPublic School, Rajawala. He

said that the inaugural sessionof the event would be inaugu-

rated by chief ministerPushkar Singh Dhami whilethe governor of Uttarakhandlieutenant general (retd) Gur-mit Singh would participate inthe second session.

The minister informed thatthe suggestions coming out ofthe deliberations would bebrought into practice forstrengthening the educationsystem of the State. He saidthat more than two dozencommittees have been consti-tuted for successful holding ofthe session. On the first daydiscussion of ways of imple-menting National EducationPolicy (NEP) would also beheld. Discussions would alsobe held on national achieve-ment surveys, financial man-agement, board results, schoolmonitoring and innovationsduring the session.

Railways complete electrification of Lalkuan-Kathgodam section

Train covers 29 km distance at 100 kmph as part of speed trialPNS KATHGODAM

The Indian Railways com-pleted work under its elec-

trification mission on the 29kilometre Lalkuan-Kathgo-dam section on Wednesday. Aspeed trial was also conducted

as part of which a train wasoperated at 100 kmph. Withthis development, the opera-tion of long distance trains isexpected to start from heresoon. Further, various trains

will now be pulled by electriclocomotives from here. Thenorth eastern railway,Gorakhpur, principal chiefelectrical engineer AnilKumar Shukla and divisional

rail manager Ashutosh Pantinspected the rail section andthe Lalkuan, Haldwani andKathgodam railway stations.They directed officials to en-sure immediate redressal ofgaps. The duo launched thespeed trial from Lalkuan afterwhich the train was operatedat 100 kmph on the 29 kilo-metre stretch from Lalkuan toKathgodam. It is pertinent tomention here that the opera-tion of electric locomotiveshas started from Lalkuanwhereas speed trial is to beheld on the stretch betweenKashipur and Lalkuan.

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Taking exception to a com-ment by the UN Human

Rights office regarding the arrestof social activist Teesta Setalvadand two others, India onWednesday termed them as“unwarranted.” It also said itconstitutes an interference inIndia’s independent judicial sys-tem.

The sharp reaction by theministry of externalaffairs(MEA) here came a dayafter the UN Office of the HighCommissioner for HumanRights (OHCHR)voiced con-cern over the arrest and deten-tion of Setalvad and called forher immediate release. “#India:We are very concerned by thearrest and detention of #WHRD@TeestaSetalvad and two ex-police officers and call for their

immediate release. They mustnot be persecuted for theiractivism and solidarity withthe victims of the 2002#GujaratRiots,” the UN HumanRights office said in a tweet onTuesday.

Making India’s stand clear,MEA spokesperson ArindamBagchi said, "We have seen acomment by the Office of theHigh Commissioner for HumanRights (OHCHR) regarding

legal action against TeestaSetalvad and two other persons.The remarks by OHCHR arecompletely unwarranted andconstitute an interference inIndia's independent judicialsystem. Authorities in India actagainst violations of law inaccordance with establishedjudicial processes. Labellingsuch legal actions as persecutionfor activism is misleading andunacceptable,” he said.

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The Supreme Court onWednesday stayed the

orders of the Tripura HighCourt on a PIL challenging thegrant of security cover to indus-trialist Mukesh Ambani and hisfamily members in Mumbai.

A vacation bench ofJustices Surya Kant and JBPardiwala issued notice to thePIL petitioner before HighCourt on Centre's plea bywhich it had challenged the twoorders of the High Court datedMay 31 and June 21.

“Issue notice that is return-able on July 21.

“Meanwhile, implementa-tion of orders dated May 31and June 21 shall remainstayed”, the bench said in itsorder.

Solicitor General TusharMehta, appearing for Centre,said further proceedings before

the High Court on the PIL shallalso be stayed as Tripura hasnothing to do with the securi-ty of individuals provided inMumbai.

He said if the proceedingsare not stayed, then again hewill have to knock on doors ofthe top court.

The bench told Mehta,“When we have stayed theorders of High Court do youthink there will be a need foryou to come here. Even if theneed arises, we are here”.

The Tripura High Courthad on a PIL filed by oneBikash Saha had passed twointerim orders on May 31 andJune 21 and had directed theCentral Government to placethe original file maintained bythe Ministry of Home Affairs(MHA) regarding threat per-ception and assessment reportof Ambani, his wife and chil-dren based on which securityhas been granted to them.

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The BJP on Wednesdayaccused the Congress-led-

Gehlot Government inRajasthan of pursuing “votebank politics of appeasement”and termed the killing of tai-lor Kanhaiya Lal in Udaipur asa "terror attack".

The party also saw a pat-tern in the State Government’sfailure to prevent f such ter-rorist incidents in the past. BJPleader and Union MinisterAnurag Thakur lashed out atAshok Gehlot over the killingsaying the State Government

remained a "mute spectator" asthe Congress' internal rivalriesaffected law and order. TheInformation and BroadcastingMinister was responding toreporters' questions on thekilling of Lal Monday.

At a separate Press confer-ence, BJP spokesperson andformer Union MinisterRajyavardhan Rathore saidLal's killers filmed the incidentand made the video viral in anattempt to terrorise societyand accused the State police ofnot acting on the complaint ofthe deceased and allowing afree-run to the ‘jehadi nexus’ in

the State. He said the ChiefMinister who is also HomeMinister is treating the terror-ist act as a “simple murder” andaccused the CongressGovernment of pursuing “vote-bank politics of appeasement”.Rathore charged the CongressGovernment in Rajasthan wasresponsible for Lal's killingand that it has taken many stepsduring its tenure to appease onecommunity.

“Festivals of different reli-gions are given different treat-ment by the StateGovernment,” he said whileleveling charge of appease-ment on the Gehlot govern-ment. “Not a single week hasgone by in the last six monthswhen terrorist, jihadi incidentshave not happened inRajasthan. The Government ofRajasthan is solely responsiblefor this,” he said adding theGehlot Government is seen as“giving support to terroristorganisations”.

The BJP spokesman saidfundamentalist are running afree-run and “sleeper cells”have penetrated the state and“law and order has turnedzero”. “Police intelligence isbeing used for political intelli-gence”, he alleged and sought toknow as to why the ChiefMinister was there if he was tolook at the Prime Minister todo everything. On a questionthat the opposition has blamedBJP for creating a negativeatmosphere , Rathore hit-out at

them saying such argumentsare dished-out to justify‘Jehadi’ killings. BJPspokesman, however, saidNational Investigation Agencyis “competent enough” tounravel conspiracy and ter-rorist nexus and will investi-gate as who was giving protec-tion to them in state.

Former Rajasthan ChiefMinister Vasundhara Raje alsoslammed the Gehlot govern-ment over the beheading inci-dent in Udaipur saying “poli-cies of incitement and appease-ment” led to the Communalviolence in state. “ ..it hasbecome clear that due to theinstigation and appeasement ofthe state government morale ofcriminals is high .

Due to this policy of thestate government , a situationof communal frenzy and vio-lence has arisen in the state “,Raje tweeted. The tailor waskilled on Tuesday by two men,who had posted videos onlinethat said they were avenging aninsult to Islam.

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Prominent Muslim organi-sations on Wednesday con-

demned the brutal killing of atailor in Udaipur, calling it"un-Islamic" and asserting thatno person has the right to takelaw into one's hands.

Bodies like All IndiaMuslim Personal Law Board(AIMPLB) and Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind issued statements con-demning the murder ofKanhaiya Lal by two menwho had posted videos onlinethat claimed they were aveng-ing an insult to Islam.

Delhi Jama Masjid ShahiImam Syed Ahmed Bukharicalled the killing an "act ofcowardice" and "an act againstIslam". Islam is a religion of"peace and tranquillity," besaid.

In its statement, the AIM-PLB said such acts wereagainst the principles of Islamand no one should take law intheir hands.

"Insulting holy personali-ties of any religion is a seriouscrime. BJP spokespersonNupur Sharma made deroga-tory remarks about the holyProphet of Islam, which is verysad for Muslims.

“The Government nottaking any action againstNupur Sharma is like rubbingsalt on the wounds. But despitethis, taking the law into one'sown hands and killing a per-son by declaring him a crim-inal is a condemnable act," thestatement issued on behalf ofAIMPLB general secretaryMaulana Khalid SaifullahRahmani.

"Neither the law allows itnor does the Islamic Shariahjustify it. Therefore, the AllIndia Muslim Personal LawBoard strongly condemns theincident in Udaipur(Rajasthan)," the statementsaid.

The board also urged theGovernment to make stringentlaws regarding disrespectfulcomments against holy per-sonalities and take immediateaction in such cases.

The board also appealedto the Muslim community toact patiently and not take lawinto their own hands as well asnot indulge in any such actionthat might disturb communalharmony in the country. Boththe Arshad Madani andMahmood Madani factionsof the Jamiat Ulema-e-Hindcondemned the incident and

called it "un-Islamic".In a statement, Maulana

Arshad Madani said that justas "we had opposed mob-lynching in many places, wealso consider this an inhu-mane act".

"We are always againstanyone taking the law intotheir own hands. The Udaipurincident is a very tragic, un-Islamic and inhumane act, it ishighly condemnable. The lawof the state would workaccordingly in this case aswell," he said.

Madani also said thatwhatever happened "due toderogatory words" was bad,but in order to maintain lawand order and communal har-mony in the country, it is nec-essary to show tolerance andpatience.

"Just as we oppose thisincident, we are stronglyopposing insulting the digni-ty of any religious figure,"Arshad Madani said.

"We once again demandthe government to immedi-ately arrest those who haveinsulted the Prophet and pun-ish them severely according tothe law so that no one will dareto do so again in the future,"he said.

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The Drugs ControllerGeneral of India (DCGI)

has approved country’s firstindigenously developedmRNA vaccine GEMCOVAC-19 against Covid-19. The vac-cine has been given approvalfor restricted emergency usefor those aged 18 years andabove.

" G e n n o v aBiopharmaceuticals Ltd., a sub-sidiary of EmcurePharmaceuticals Ltd.,announced that its mRNAvaccine — GEMCOVAC-19— against Covid-19 receivedthe Emergency UseAuthorization (EUA) from theoffice of the Drugs ControllerGeneral of India (DCGI)," saida statement from the vaccine

manufacturer GennovaBiopharmaceuticals onWednesday. It is a two dosevaccine to be administeredintramuscularly at 28 daysapart.

The vaccine will be soldunder the brand name GEM-COVAC-19. GEMCOVAC-19is the very first mRNA vaccinedeveloped in India and onlythird mRNA vaccine to beapproved for Covid-19 in theworld.

"These vaccines are high-ly efficacious because of theirinherent capacity of beingtranslated into the proteinstructure inside the cell cyto-plasm. mRNA vaccines areconsidered safe as mRNA isnon-infectious, non-integrat-ing in nature, and degraded bystandard cellular mechanisms",said the vaccine manufacturer.

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Global warming is expectedto increase the intensity

and frequency of futuredrought in several globalregions, adversely affecting thewater resource, agriculture,and energy sectors, as per astudy by the National Institutefor Environmental Studies(NIES).

“Given that the currentwater management practicesand existing infrastructures inthese sectors are based on his-torical statistics or experiences,under a changing climate, thesepractices and infrastructuresmay eventually become insuf-ficient. “Therefore, it is criticalto better understand whensevere drought conditionsexpressed as “unprecedented”will become frequent,” said thestudy. The projected impacts ofwarming show significant

regional disparities in theirintensity and the pace of theirgrowth over time,” said the cor-responding lead author YusukeSatoh, a research associate pro-fessor at Korea AdvancedInstitute of Science &Technology. “Regarding pre-cipitation and temperature,preceding studies report thetiming at which the impact ofclimate change emerges.

However, no study hadsuccessfully estimated the tim-ing in terms of drought focus-ing on river discharge at a glob-al scale,” added TokutaYokohata, a coauthor and aChief Senior Researcher of theEarth System Risk AnalysisSection at the Earth SystemDivision, NIES. “A temporalevaluation about futuredrought conditions in com-parison to our historical expe-riences is essential to takeappropriate climate changestrategies, especially for cli-

mate adaptations, in the longterm and in time.”

The paper published inNature Communications esti-mates the periods whendrought conditions will shift toan unprecedented state in awarmer world. The researchgroup evaluated changes indrought day frequency for 59global subcontinental regionsuntil the end of the 21st cen-tury. They estimated the timeof first emergence (TFE) ofconsecutive unprecedenteddrought, which is the firstonset of exceedance beyond the

maximum bound of the his-torical climate variability dur-ing the reference period (1865-2005) that occurs consecutive-ly for a certain number ofyears.

“Appropriate and feasibleclimate mitigation and adap-tation plans are essential forovercoming the expected extra-ordinarily severe dry condi-tions. Particularly regardingadaptation, it is crucial toimprove our preparedness inthe given time horizon beforeunprecedented drought condi-tions emerge,” said Satoh.

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As pollutants, microplasticscan be harmful to the

environment and animalhealth. But now a team of sci-entists have found that themicroplastic also acts as apotential surface for the lethalvirus to move into the fresh-water.

For instance, they foundthat Rotavirus, which causesdiarrhoea and an upset stom-ach, was surviving for up tothree days in lake water byattaching itself to the surfacesof microplastics.

Microplastics are tiny plas-tic particles that result fromboth commercial productdevelopment and the break-down of larger plastics. As apollutant, microplastics canbe harmful to the environmentand animal health Previous

studies have focussed only onthe spread of such viruses insterile hospital settings, how-ever, the new study publishedin the journal EnvironmentalPollution has shown how theyare present in the fresh wateras well.

This study has come closeon the heels of an almost sim-ilar report by researchers atIIT-Bombay which has foundthe presence of microplastics infood, air and water at theinstitute’s Powai campus.

The study conducted bythe Centre for EnvironmentalScience and Engineering, pub-lished on June 24 in theElsevier journal EnvironmentalResearch, analysed 35 sampleseach of ambient air and drink-ing water, and 10 samples offood and deduced that anindividual at the campus maybe ingesting between 1,414 to2,610 microplastic particles

per day, with cooked foodbeing the dominant mode.

Professor RichardQuilliam, lead researcher fromthe varsity whose study hasbeen published in.journalEnvironmental Pollution said,“We found that viruses canattach to microplastics, whichallows them to survive in thewater for three days, possiblylonger,” said “Even if a waste-water treatment plant is doingeverything it can to cleansewage waste, the water dis-charged still has microplasticsin it, which are then trans-ported down the river, into theestuary and end up on thebeach.

We weren’t sure how wellviruses could survive by ‘hitch-hiking’ on plastic in the envi-ronment, but they do survive,and they do remain infec-tious.” The researchers testedtwo types of viruses – those

with an envelope, or “lipidcoat” around them, such as theflu virus (they tested bacterio-phage Phi6), and those with-out: enteric viruses, such asrotavirus and norovirus (theytested rotavirus strain SA11).

They found that in thosewith an envelope, the envelopequickly dissolved, and the viruswas deactivated, whereas thosewithout an envelope success-fully bound to the microplas-tics and survived.

“Viruses can also bind tonatural surfaces in the envi-ronment. However, plastic pol-lution lasts a lot longer thanthose materials,” said Quilliam.

“This research is verymuch a proof-of-concept forconducting more research intohow long pathogens can sur-vive by binding to microplas-tics, as we only tested for threedays, and what happens tothem next.”

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Janata Dal (S) leader and for-mer Chief Minister of

Karnataka H D Kumaraswamyon Wednesday indicated sup-port to BJP-led NDA's candi-date for Presidential pollsDroupadi Murmu.

"Already she (Murmu)has discussed with our nation-al president (H D Deve Gowda)over phone twice and hasrequested support. Also, shehad sought time to come andmeet. I requested our nationalPresident that there is no needfor her to come personally inthe current situation,"Kumaraswamy said.

Speaking to reporters atBengaluru, he said Murmualready has the majority on herside and she has expressed herdesire to seek Gowda's supportout of goodwill and generosi-

ty. "She has already won...Sheneed not come so far...We willdecide in the party...You(media) may have understoodby now what our decisionmight be. Before taking a finaldecision, we will look into thebackground of both candi-dates. There is no question ofCongress or BJP or any B-teamhere," he said, adding that hehas gone through Murmu'sbackground and her struggle.

Recently calling Murmu, asa "suitable" and "non-contro-versial" candidate, Gowda hadnoted that he doesn't want torefer to her as merely a tribalcandidate, but wants to say thatshe is "competent" for the postof President.

Jharkhand Chief Ministerwho recently met Union Homeminister Amit Shah is also todecide whether his party JMM,would switch its support to the

NDA nominee backing-outfrom the opposition side.

Meanwhile, as many as115 nominations were filedtill Wednesday, the last day ofthe filing papers for the July 18presidential election, the RajyaSabha Secretariat .

The scrutiny of the nom-inations would be done onThursday. Those who filedtheir papers include NDAnominee i Murmu and jointOpposition candidateYashwant Sinha, who are themain contestants.

Besides them, a host ofcommoners have also filedtheir papers for the top consti-tutional post in the country,which include a slum dwellerfrom Mumbai, a namesake ofRJD founder Lalu PrasadYadav, a social activist fromTamil Nadu and a professorfrom Delhi.

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The Congress on Wednesdayasserted that the Ashok

Gehlot Government inRajasthan was aware of its "rajdharma" and said action in thebrutal killing of a tailor wouldbe taken in accordance withlaw, unaffected by the religionor caste of those involved.

Two men with a cleavermurdered a tailor in Udaipurand posted videos online,claiming that they are avengingan insult to Islam.

Gehlot said the RajasthanPolice has booked the twomen who brutally murderedKanhaiya Lal in Udaipur a daybefore under the UnlawfulActivities (Prevention) Act(UAPA).

The case will be investi-gated by the NationalInvestigation Agency (NIA)and the Anti-Terrorist Squad(ATS) of Rajasthan Police willfully cooperate with the probeagency, he said. Gehlot madethe remarks after chairing a

high-level meeting in which hereviewed the situation inUdaipur. Gehlot also con-vened an all-party meeting athis residence over the Udaipurincident. Congress' mediadepartment head Pawan Kherasaid the party condemns theincident and said the GehlotGovernment had acted swiftlyin the matter.

"The Ashok GehlotGovernment got the accusedarrested within six hours. Anall-party meeting has beencalled in the evening. Thiswhole matter has been fast-tracked. On the basis of whatcame up during the probe,Ashok Gehlot has assured allhelp to the NIA," Khera said atAICC Press conference.

“With the atmospherebeing vitiated in the entirecountry for the last twomonths, Gehlot has been urg-ing Prime Minister NarendraModi and Home Minister AmitShah that they address thecountry, take steps to stop thespread of hatred in society, andappeal for maintaining peace,"

he said.Khera alleged that polari-

sation is evident in every nookand corner of the country, andasked why this was not the caseearlier. The Congressspokesperson asserted thatwhoever is found guilty in theprobe, strictest action will betaken against that person"There should be no doubtregarding that.

Hitting out at the BJP overits claim that terror outfits areflourishing in the Rajasthandue to its "appeasement policy"towards one community, Kherasaid, "Those talking ofappeasement forget that in2017 in Rajasthan's Rajsamanddistrict, Shambhu Lal Regarhad made a video while mur-dering someone and people ofa particular party had climbedatop a court complex in hisfavour and hoisted their flagafter removing the tricolour."

Those talking of appease-ment forget the murder ofinspector Subodh Singh andthat his murderers were gar-landed, Khera said.

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�������������� ������������Sir — The reports suggest that the PMOhas responded to a letter by theContractors’ Association of Karnataka, inwhich the body alleged that the Ministersand MLAs demand hefty commissions ofabout 40 per cent for giving approval todevelopment projects in the State.Meanwhile, the contractors’ associationpresident has said the relevant docu-ments pertaining to the case have been sub-mitted to the officer sent by the UnionHome Ministry. It’s a positive developmentas the Centre has taken an initiative to digout the truth in the serious charges of cor-ruption.

However, the Centre’s initiative toprobe the menace of corruption amongMinisters making headlines shouldn’tbecome an eyewash and a ploy to give theclean chit to the BJP leaders — just to bluntthe Opposition attack. The corruptiondeals between the Ministers and contrac-tors executing Government projects are anopen secret. The investigation shouldn’tend up as an image makeover exerciseahead of the Assembly elections. Also, thePrime Minister’s oft-repeated public state-ment “Na khaunga, na khane doonga”should hold good universally. Transparencyand fairness should be the prime criteriato make the investigation convincing andjustifiable.

N Sadhasiva Reddy | Bengaluru

����������� ������������������Sir — It’s a big shock to the citizens that31 per cent of the Rajya Sabha membersacross political parties have criminal casesagainst them, according to Association forDemocratic reforms, National ElectionWatch. The Members of LegislativeAssemblies elect the required number ofMPs to the Rajya Sabha. The RS alsoincludes men of integrity excelling in arts,literature, games and social service as theyare nominated by the President on theGovernment’s advice. Though ours is thebiggest democracy, the way these leadersare elected is concerning for the democ-

racy as several ills need to be cured.Thanks to former Chief Election

Commissioner TN Seshan for bringingreforms in election procedures and imple-menting the existing rules strictly. It gavegood results but not totally. Many thingsstill have to be strictly implemented dueto interference by politicians of ruling par-ties as they go by their convenience, result-ing in the disappointment of citizens. Butwhen the Elders are sent to the RajyaSabha, everything should be transparent.When many RS members are involved incriminal cases, how can they feel comfort-able with the title of Elders?

JP Reddy | Telangana

�����������������������������Sir — June 30, the International AsteroidDay, will have everyone looking toward theskies. The day was founded after the 2014release of the film 51 Degrees North, whichseeks to explore what would happen if anasteroid were to strike London. The film’screative team (many of whom are actual

scientists) wanted to raise more awarenessabout the threat of asteroids to earth, andhow we can help protect ourselves. Tomake that happen, they formed a founda-tion, and in 2015, they celebrated theworld’s first International Asteroid Day.There are over one million asteroids inspace that could potentially strike the earth,but modern scientists have discovered onlyabout one per cent of them.

To combat this real and actual threat,the Asteroid Day’s founders as well as a hostof accomplished scientists, created the100X Asteroid Declaration. The declara-tion aims for scientists to work towardsincreasing the rate of asteroid discovery to100,000 per year within a decade. TheInternational Asteroid Day focuses onspreading the word of the declaration andhelping fellow earthlings prepare for apotential asteroid impact.

Faizan Khan | Ujjain

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SOUNDBITE

In the pan-India protestsafter Friday prayers, the postersat different locations had aneerie commonality — ofimage, banner text. The simi-larity across distant locationspoints to coordinated planningand execution. Were theprotests orchestrated by vest-ed interests out to underminethe Modi Government by sow-ing discord between commu-nities? Were these instigators,inimical to Indian nationalinterest, inspired and fundedby foreign agencies?

Now about the protestsabroad. Does Qatar have anyright to demand a public apol-ogy from the Government ofIndia when in 2010 it hadgiven shelter and honorary cit-izenship to artist MF Husainwho, after painting Hindugoddesses in the nude, refusedto appear before court and fledthe country? Almost everyIslamic nation, as well as the57-member OIC, initially lam-basted India for the intemper-ate remarks by somebody notholding any Government posi-tion. The Pakistan presslamented that “the idea ofIndia was facing an existentialcrisis”, presumably because theidea was secular, quite forget-ting that the country itself is atheocratic State that unabashed-ly persecutes minorities.

An Arab newspaper point-

ed out that Nupur’s Muslim co-panellist was not blasphemingRam or Sita when in anger sheuttered the offending remarks.While that may well be true,she was instead provokedprobably by the worst blasphe-my possible for Hindus — theritual washing of feet, Vazoo,by Muslim worshippers atGyanvapi mosque That sure-ly is an offence much greaterthan a tactless, angry remark.

Why was the reactionoverblown? The Grand Muftiof Oman exhorted all Muslimsto rise as one nation, therewere calls in the Gulf countriesfor boycott of Indian goods,and there were reminders ofIndia’s dependence on theGulf countries for oil importsand inward remittances.

Under Modi, India hastried its best to improve rela-tions with the Gulf countriesand obtained significant suc-cess. Modi himself has paidseveral visits to the region,been received warmly andhad national honoursbestowed on him. Pakistanoften invokes the IslamicUmmah for underminingIndia; it did so this time also,especially with OIC. However,since its credibility is ratherlow, many Islamic countriesdid not take long to recoverfrom the initial kneejerk reac-tion. The Iranian Foreign

Minister after his recent visitto New Delhi approved of theIndian Government’s handlingof the controversy and its fall-out. The Kuwait Governmenthas taken strict action againstthe anti-India protesters, evendeporting some expatriatesand banning them from enter-ing the country again.

Domestically, it was a god-send opportunity for theOpposition to malign Modiand BJP. Though religious fig-ures like the Shahi Imam ofJama Masjid in Delhi dis-tanced themselves from theunruly protests and violentrioting, leaders who cultivatethe simple, unaware Islamicvote bank played to theirgallery and feigned righteousindignation. The fact thatmajor rioting started 10 daysafter the TV episode lends cre-dence to the allegation thatmob anger was built up overtime deliberately by leaders likeOwaisi. One of the downsidesof democracy is thatunscrupulous politicians maypander to the rabble’s irrationalsentiments for electoral gainsat the cost of social cohesion;this episode illustrates it vivid-ly.

(A former banker, thewriter’s love for words andideas has turned him towardswriting columns. The viewsexpressed are personal.)

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In the emotional thrust andparrying of viewpoints overNupur Sharma’s remarks,

some fundamental points havebeen lost sight of. Now that anauthentic video of the TV pro-gramme is no longer available, wecan only go by inferences anddeductions and try to answersome fundamental questionsbased on these. What exactly didNupur say that sparked this out-rage both domestically and inIslamist nations? Indications arethat she alluded to some detailsof the Islamic Prophet’s life. Didshe invent these details to malignIslam and mock its followers? Ifso, she deserves the strongest con-demnation and a harsh punish-ment. If, however, what she men-tioned was derived from Islamicsources, then her misdemeanourfalls in the category of an unfor-tunate choice of words or a tact-less iteration in the heat of debate.In that case, her immature sim-plicity was her only sin, quiteunderstandable in somebody inher 30s. And that requires at besta reprimand from her party, theBJP, and an admonition to bemore circumspect and to avoidsuch indiscretions.

The veracity of the above sce-narios notwithstanding, was theoverblown reaction to an off-the-cuff remark on national TV dis-cussion, in response to provoca-tion, proportionate and justifi-able? Are the rabid chants of sar-tan-se-juda asking for herbeheading, in Kanpur and else-where, condonable in civilisedsociety? Should it be par for thecourse for any community tomake children hold up postersasking for somebody’s head? Andall this when Nupur had alreadyapologised unconditionally?

Something forgotten in thepresent overcharged discourse iswhat Nupur stated in a videoflicker, since gone missing; thatshe cannot remain silent whenher Mahadev is insulted and thatshe had made the remarks inanger. What did her Musliminterlocutor on the TV debate sayabout Lord Shiva that she wasreferring to? And why are hiscomments muted and lost in thedin of her universal condemna-tion by the secular lobby in Indiaand the Islamist one abroad?

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Democracy serves peoplebest when it’s inclusive.The Bharatiya Janata

Party-led National DemocraticAlliance, by picking up formerJharkhand governor DraupadiMurmu as its candidate for theJuly 18 Presidential election,has abided by the inclusiveDharma of democracy.

The two successful candi-dates of the NDA in the pastwho made to RashtrapatiBhavan equally emphasisedinclusivity and most suitable tohold the top Constitutionalpost. APJ Abdul Kalam, India’smissile man, not only lived togive the country strategic deter-rence but also became a rolemodel for all, particularlyyouth. His life was a living tes-timony to the Indian traditionof pursuit of knowledge andhumility.

In Ram Nath Kovind, Indiagot a President who was mosthumble and democratic, whoopened the doors ofRashtrapati Bhavan for thepeople while being most cour-teous in his conduct and dis-charge of the duty. The politi-cal commentators sought tobracket him as the BJP’s Dalitbet, but he eventually provedthat he could conduct theConstitutional duties most effi-ciently.

Murmu struggled all herlife but beat the odds to raiseher children, while also becom-ing a foremost social and polit-ical worker. From being a leg-islator, she proved her mettle inOdisha as a minister and there-after as the governor ofJharkhand.

She would be the first trib-al President of India since the

NDA has the support of theBiju Janata Dal and the YSRCongress for the July 18 elec-tion. The BJP has for long beenpursuing an inclusive agenda.Even in 1996, when the AtalBihari Vajpayee governmentfell in 13 days despite being thesingle largest party, it had thelargest number of the tribalMPs in its ranks. The BJP’sforemost commitment to takeall sections of society has beenan abiding principle.

Murmu will be a candidatein the Presidential election at atime when the Narendra Modi-led government has given anew hope to the tribal popula-tion in the country by takinghis mantra of ‘Sabka Sath,Sabka Viswas aur Sabka Prayas’to every nook and corner of thecountry, including the tribalareas in Jharkhand, Odisha

and Chhattisgarh. During therule of the United ProgressiveAlliance, Leftwing or Maoistextremism was at its peak;people talked about the RedCorridor, connecting thehotbed of Maoist violence inNepal to the deep forests inSukma in Chhattisgarh. Theviolence cost several lives ofparamilitary forces.

The NDA government setout for course correction rightat the outset, and gave hope tothe tribal youth that they cansee better future in the main-stream of society, as severalwelfare schemes brought ben-efits to the people without has-sles, without paying bribes.The government’s honesty wasvisible, and the tribals of thecountry turned their backs toviolence.

In the last few years,

Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh,Telangana and Odisha havelargely been peaceful, with adecline in Maoist violence.

When Murmu takes theoath of the office as thePresident of India, the tribalpopulation will see the fulfill-ment of their political aspira-tions. They will see that onefrom among them is the firstcitizen of India.

The Aspirational Districtprogramme of the Central gov-ernment was envisioned withclear objective that the gains ofthe development must reachthe poorest of the poor, inaccordance with the true ofDeen Dayal Upadhyaya.

The tribals have seen thatthey have been brought in themainstream of the economywith financial inclusion, puccahouses with toilets, pension

schemes and so on. They don’tneed to fall for the allure-ments of the evangelists toembrace their religion.

The elevation of Murmu tothe post of the President ofIndia will be the firm democ-ratic empowerment of the trib-al population, as well as womenof the country. She has thor-oughly been a spiritual personand her association withBrahmakumaris is well known.

She was sweeping the floorof a temple a day after her namewas announced by the BJPpresident JP Nadda; peoplehave seen how humble a per-son she is. She stands for sim-plicity, spirituality.

She is a Constitutionalist, afirm believer in the IndianConstitution’s capacity to fulfillthe aspirations of all sections ofsociety. Her life is also a living

testimony of perseverance. Shenever lost hope even when shefaced personal losses. In her,India will have a Presidentwho will give hope to the vastmajority of the people that allhardships can be won over withhonesty and patience.

While the Opposition par-ties were busy in eliminationrounds to find a candidate forthe Presidential election, theBJP was thinking of nationalinterest. When the BJP namedMurmu as its Presidential can-didate, even the rivals suggest-ed that the contest has becomeone-sided. The Oppositioncandidate, Yashwant Sinha, cansave his lost reputation bygracefully withdrawing fromthe Presidential election topave way for the unanimouselection of Murmu as India’sPresident.

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The author is Director, PublicPolicy Research Centre

(@Sumeetbhasin)

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�"�0�1���"2�"���"�$�&�$""� My mind goes back to 1945 and1946. I was a postgraduatestudent in pure mathematics.We were just six students.

Shree Satyen Bose was our Professor. Heused to wear Dhoti Kurta (snow-white).Our classes were on the 3rd floor and therewere no lifts.

Bose and Einstein were collaborating onsome research which resulted in the discov-ery of the Bose-Einstein (Bosen) theory.Bose used to love me and was keen that afterfinishing studies, I go to study astronomyat Mount Wilson observatory in America.He was disappointed when I did not con-tinue my studies.

I came from a very poor family. Mymother died of tuberculosis without prop-er treatment for want of funds in 1936. Myfamily had great expectations from me, thatI would earn money as I was brilliant ineducation. But I became brilliant in busi-ness. I started learning business from myuncle in 1946 side by side with studies.

I came into business full-fledged in 1946and retired in 2000. I have been very closeto the Ramakrishna Mission since 1951.The mission had a splendid educationalinstitute at Narendrapur in the suburb ofCalcutta with about 3,000 students. Of thetop 10 students in Calcutta University, atleast two students were from Narendrapur.I was dreaming of having something likeNarendrapur but on a tiny scale run by theRamakrishna Mission monks.

Shree Arjun Singh was the humanresource development minister. Hebelonged to Madhya Pradesh where I hadestablished a technologically challenginggraphite electrode plant. I had become veryclose to him. He would attend lectures ofSwami Atmanandaji, whom we used toinvite to Bhopal for lectures.

The mission had a number of educa-tional institutions but no university. Theydecided to establish one at Belur Math intheir large compound on the banks of theGanges. They decided to send a delegationof monks to meet Arjun Singh. Knowingmy closeness with him, they asked me toaccompany them. His response was good;the next meeting was fixed after a month.

The Ramakrishna Mission had threesubjects in mind for the University: (i) dis-aster management whose practical experi-ence they had in floods and famines; (ii)rural development; and (iii) poverty alle-viation. I was keen that they included math-ematics so that their performance could becompared internationally.

I met Arjun Singh alone and request-ed him, while interacting with them, toemphasise on mathematics. He was enthu-siastic. The ministry did their homework.An additional secretary and other officersattended the meeting. Five senior monks ofthe mission and I attended the meeting. OnSingh’s emphasis, mathematics was agreedupon.

He was highly impressed that the pro-posed vice-chancellor was a scholar of

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The author is Emeritus Chairman,

LNJ Bhilwara

physics and was teaching it tograduates of the mission college andanother monk, Mahan Maharaj,was a great scholar of mathematicsand famous internationally.

The mission pointed out thatthe mathematics education wouldbe expensive. Faculty will have to bepaid liberally. As there are NobelLaureates in other subjects, math-ematics also has able laureates.The mission wanted a grant of Rs40 crore and Singh agreed to that.

The mission started looking fora mathematics scholar to start thiscourse. Fortunately, there was aBengali mathematician, AbhijeetDutt, at the Kyoto University whowas engaged in research withJapanese students. He was keen tocome to Bengal. With his comingback, the RK Mission Universitybecame a hub of mathematics inIndia. The board of governorsincluded four monks of the missionand four officials of the Ministry.Singh nominated me on the board.He told the mission that I had vastexperience in dealing with thebureaucracy and that I would behelpful. Thus I became a boardmember.

Unfortunately, Arjun Singhpassed away in 2011. Dealing withthe ministry became difficult.

The senior Sanyasinis of SardaMath once came to visit the univer-sity. Abhijeet Dutt welcomed themin his half pants and a sports T-shirt.The Sanyasinis were not very com-fortable. Nobody told anything tothe professor but he started feelinguncomfortable. He resigned andwent back to Kyoto. This wasunfortunate. I wish the mission hadhandled the professor better.

After the demise of ArjunSingh, I found my name had disap-

peared from the board without myknowledge. I was not happy.

In 2020, I came across an IITdean. I informed him that I havefour thousand students studying forhigher secondary at four placeswhere we have schools. I request-ed his assistance. He visited one ofour institutes and was highlyimpressed with our research activ-ities. We were looking forward tosome kind of association with IIT.But nothing came up.

Recently, my daughter becamevery enthusiastic for our schools.Therefore, I fixed a meeting with theDean of an IIT. The Dean was warmand he briefed me about theiractivities in mathematics researchdone by postgraduate mathemati-cians.

Similarly, I am now associatedwith the Harish-Chandra Mathsresearch institute at Allahabad.With my daughter’s involvementand my good health and alertmind, I am hopeful that I will bealive to see India produce an ablelaureate in mathematics.

I requested the Vice-Chancellor, SwamiAtmapriyanadaji, to include artifi-cial intelligence and I donated Rs15 lakh for that. He was alsothinking about artificial intelli-gence. One of his students is teach-ing artificial intelligence at theSouth African University; he hasagreed to join soon. I hope some-thing emerges.

I look across at my friends andmy own family. My grandson wentto the United States to study math-ematics. After two years, he want-ed to specialise in some branch ofmathematics whose expertise wasavailable at Cambridge; he movedto Cambridge. I was hopeful that

he would make his mark interna-tionally but he lost interest in math-ematics.

It is difficult for me to evalu-ate whether his education abroadfor five years did him some good.He took up music and joinedFayaaz Dagar, where I also joinedhim to renew my interest in vocalmusic. He lost interest in vocalmusic too and joined sarod, andmoved to Bombay because histeacher was in Poona.

One of my grandsons from mydaughter’s side did his graduationabroad and entered the business. Itis difficult to conclude whether hisforeign education was helpful.

Similarly, my granddaughterfrom my daughter's side did archi-tecture in the US with great enthu-siasm. On her return, she joined anarchitecture firm where she did well.But she is no longer in the field ofarchitecture.

The younger generation of richpeople is not accustomed to hardwork for a livelihood.

They are guided by their tem-porary whims.

The US earns billions of dollarsfrom students coming from Chinaand India. India spends a largeamount in foreign exchange onIndians studying abroad. Affluentfamilies send them abroad evenafter higher secondary education.After graduation, the US is wellequipped for studies in artificialintelligence, space travel, mathemat-ics, etc. But what do we get?

The Institute of Science inBangalore and the Atomic ResearchInstitute are world-class. IITs aregrowing well. Indians going to theUS for education need to beinformed about the internationalstatus of some such institutions.

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Former US president DonaldTrump rebuffed his own security'swarnings about armed protesters

in the January 6 rally crowd and madedesperate attempts to join his support-ers as they marched to the Capitol,according to dramatic new testimonybefore the House committee investi-gating the 2021 insurrection.

Cassidy Hutchinson, a little-knownformer White House aide, described anangry, defiant president who was try-ing that day to let armed protestersavoid security screenings at a rally thatmorning to protest his 2020 electiondefeat and who later grabbed at thesteering wheel of the presidential SUVwhen the Secret Service refused to lethim go to the Capitol.

And when the events at the Capitolspiralled toward violence, with thecrowd chanting to “Hang Mike Pence”,she testified on Tuesday that Trumpdeclined to intervene.

Trump “doesn't think they're doinganything wrong”, Hutchinson recalledhearing from her boss, White Housechief of staff Mark Meadows.

Hutchinson's explosive, moment-by-moment account of what was hap-pening inside and outside the WhiteHouse offered a vivid description of aRepublican president so unwilling toconcede his 2020 election defeat toDemocrat Joe Biden that he acted outin rage and refused to stop the siege atthe Capitol.

It painted a damning portrait of thechaos at the White House as thosearound the defeated president splinteredinto one faction supporting his falseclaims of voter fraud and another try-ing unsuccessfully to put an end to theviolent attack.

Her testimony, at a surprise hear-ing announced just 24 hours earlier, wasthe sole focus at the hearing, the sixthby the committee this month. Theaccount was particularly powerfulbecause of her proximity to power, withHutchinson describing what she wit-nessed first-hand and was told by oth-ers in the White House.

Hutchinson said that she was toldTrump fought a security official for con-trol of the presidential SUV on January6 and demanded to be taken theCapitol as the insurrection began,despite being warned earlier that daythat some of his supporters were armed.

The former aide said that she wastold of the altercation in the SUV imme-diately afterward by a White House

security official, and that Bobby Engel,the head of the detail, was in the roomand didn't dispute the account at thetime.

Engel had grabbed Trump's arm toprevent him from gaining control of thearmored vehicle, she was told, andTrump then used his free hand to lungeat Engel.

That account was quickly disputedon Tuesday, however. Engel, the agentwho was driving the presidential SUV,and Trump security official TonyOrnato are willing to testify under oaththat no agent was assaulted and Trumpnever lunged for the steering wheel, aperson familiar with the matter said.

The person would not discuss thematter publicly and spoke to TheAssociated Press on condition ofanonymity.

As the events of January 6 unfurled,Hutchinson, then a special assistant toMeadows, described chaos in WhiteHouse offices and hallways.

Trump's staff — several of whomhad been warned of violence before-hand — became increasingly alarmedas rioters at the Capitol overran policeand interrupted the certification ofBiden's victory.

Trump was less concerned, she said,even as he heard there were cries in thecrowd to “Hang Mike Pence!”Hutchinson recalled that Meadowstold aides that Trump “thinks Mikedeserves it".

The president tweeted during theattack that Pence didn't have thecourage to object to Biden's win as hepresided over the joint session ofCongress.

The young ex-aide was matter-of-fact in most of her answers. But she didsay that she was “disgusted” at Trump's

tweet about Pence during the siege.“It was unpatriotic, it was un-

American, and you were watching theCapitol building get defaced over a lie,"Hutchinson said, adding that, “I stillstruggle to work through the emotionsof that.”

Trump denied much of whatHutchinson said on his social mediaplatform, Truth Social. He called her a“total phony” and “bad news”.

Members of the panel praisedHutchinson's bravery for testifying andsaid that other witnesses had beenintimidated and did not cooperate.

“I want all Americans to know thatwhat Ms. Hutchinson has done todayis not easy,” said Wyoming Rep. LizCheney, a Republican who led ques-tioning.

Some of Hutchinson's former col-leagues, too, defended her account.Mick Mulvaney, who precededMeadows as Trump's chief of staff,tweeted that he knows Hutchinsonand “I don't think she is lying”.

Sarah Matthews, a former Trumppress aide who has also cooperated withthe committee, called the testimony“damning”.

As she described the scene in theWhite House after the election,Hutchinson depicted a president flail-ing in anger and prone to violent out-bursts. Some aides sought to rein in hisimpulses. Some did not.

At one point on January 6,Hutchinson said, White House counselPat Cipollone barreled down the hall-way and confronted Meadows aboutrioters breaching the Capitol. Meadows,staring at his phone, told the WhiteHouse lawyer that Trump didn't wantto do anything, she said.

Earlier, Cipollone had worried out

loud that “we're going to get chargedwith every crime imaginable” if Trumpwent to the Capitol after his speech atthe rally, Hutchinson recalled.

Before the crowd left for the Capitol,Hutchinson said she also received anangry call from House Republicanleader Kevin McCarthy, who had justheard the president say he was coming.“Don't come up here,” McCarthy toldher, before hanging up.

Hutchinson told the panel thatTrump had been informed early in theday that some of the protesters outsidethe White House had weapons. But heresponded that the protesters were“not here to hurt me”, Hutchinsonsaid.

She quoted Trump as directing hisstaff, in profane terms, to take away themetal-detecting magnetometers thathe thought would slow down support-ers who were gathering for his speechon the Ellipse, in back of the WhiteHouse.

In a clip of an earlier interview withthe committee, she recalled the presi-dent saying words to the effect of: “Idon't f-in' care that they have weapons.”

As a White House insider,Hutchinson told stories of a raging pres-ident who was unable to acknowledgehis defeat. At the beginning ofDecember, she said, she heard noiseinside the White House around the timean Associated Press article was pub-lished in which Attorney GeneralWilliam Barr said the JusticeDepartment had not found evidence ofvoter fraud that could have changed theelection's outcome.

She said she entered a room to findketchup dripping down a wall and bro-ken porcelain. The president, it turnedout, had thrown his lunch at the wall indisgust over the article. Trump deniedit in his social media posts.

In the days before the attack,Hutchinson said she was “scared, andnervous for what could happen” onJanuary 6 after having conversationswith Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani,Meadows and others.

Meadows told Hutchinson that“things might get real, real bad”, she said.Giuliani told her it was going to be “agreat day” and “we're going to theCapitol.”

Eventually, both men would seekpardons related to what happened thatday, Hutchinson said. A person famil-iar with the matter denied thatMeadows had ever sought a pardon.The person spoke on condition ofanonymity.

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Police in Argentina blockeda major entry point to the

capital's centre on Tuesday tokeep a group of truckers fromjoining a downtown protest,adding traffic snarls in BuenosAires to a series of disruptionscaused by anger over risingprices and shortages of fuelacross South America, largelyas a result of Russia's war inUkraine.

Cars were backed up forseveral kilometers (miles) untiltruckers agreed to open up alane to regular traffic as theymoved to take a protest overdiesel shortages and pricesthat has been going on forweeks to Argentina's capital.

Argentina is only one ofseveral countries in SouthAmerica to see reverberationsfrom increasing fuel prices,largely as a result of Russia's warin Ukraine. In Peru, truckerslaunched an indefinite strike onMonday to protest higher fuelprices while in Ecuador, atleast five people have beenkilled during more than twoweeks of a protest led byIndigenous people that has asits main rallying cry a demandfor lower gasoline prices.

The reverberations ofhigher prices are also hittingexecutive offices. In Brazil, thechief executive of state-run oilgiant Petrobras resigned lastweek amid political pressuredue to curb prices.

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Indirect negotiations between Iran and the USover Tehran's tattered nuclear deal with

world powers will end on Wednesday in Qatar,authorities in Tehran said.

A semiofficial news agency reported thetalks wouldn't break a diplomatic deadlock overthe accord. The US State Department and theEuropean Union, which is mediating the talksin Qatar, did not immediately acknowledge anend of the negotiations in Doha.

However, the semiofficial Tasnim newsagency, believed to be close to Iran's hard-lineRevolutionary Guard, described the negotiations

as finished and having “no effect on breakingthe deadlock in the talks”. Tasnim claimed thatthe American position did not include “a guar-antee for Iran benefiting economically from thedeal,” quoting what it described as unnamed“informed sources.”

“Washington is seeking to revive the (deal)in order to limit Iran without economic achieve-ment for our country,” the Tasnim reportclaimed.

US Special Representative Rob Malleyspoke to the Iranians through EU officialEnrique Mora during the talks. Mora then tookmessages to Iran's top nuclear negotiator AliBagheri Kani.

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Nepal on Wednesdaybanned the sale of street

food items in the Kathmanduvalley in an effort to contain thespread of cholera disease in thecapital city.

The decision to ban the saleof street food items was issuedby the Kathmandu Metro-politan City (KMC) as 12 pos-itive cases of cholera werereported in the area sinceSunday.

“As the number of cholerapatients have been increasing inKathmandu at present, the saleand distribution of food itemshas been banned for the timebeing,” said Balram Tripathi, theChief of the Health Departmentof the metropolis.

The KMC has also warnedof action against those whobreach the order.

Last week, the LalitpurMetropolitan City decided tostop the sale and distribution of

Pani Puri in the metropolis,claiming that cholera bacteriawere found in the water used inPani Puri.

The KMC has also request-ed the Department of FoodTechnology and QualityControl to check the level offood hygiene in hotels andrestaurants across the city.

Tripathi said that theKathmandu Upatyaka Khane-pani Limited has been urged tokeep eye into the condition ofthe water pipeline and sewagesystem.

The KMC has also instruct-ed the urban health facilities toprepare for any possible short-age of Oral Rehydration Salt andwater purification tablets.

Cholera is a bacterial dis-ease usually spread throughcontaminated water. The dis-ease causes severe diarrhea anddehydration. Left untreated,cholera can be fatal withinhours, even in previouslyhealthy people.

Hong Kong's honeymoon peri-od, when it carried on much asit always had, has passed, andits future remains uncertain,determined by forces beyondits control.

Before the handover, manyin Hong Kong worried that lifewould change when Beijingtook over. Thousands rushedto obtain residency elsewhereand some moved abroad. Forthe first decade or so, suchmeasures looked overly dra-matic - this bustling bastion ofcapitalism on China's southerncoast appeared to keep its free-doms, and the economy wasbooming.

In recent years, Beijinghas been expanding its influ-ence and control.

Those moves appeared tobe hastened by mass pro-democracy protests in 2014and 2019. Now, schools mustprovide lessons on patriotismand national security, and somenew textbooks deny HongKong was ever a British colony.

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When the British handedits colony Hong Kong to

Beijing in 1997, it waspromised 50 years of self-gov-ernment and freedoms of

assembly, speech and pressthat are not allowed Chinese onthe Communist-ruled main-land. As the city of 7.4 millionpeople marks 25 years underBeijing's rule on Friday, thosepromises are wearing thin.

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ATruth Commission pre-sented its final report on

Colombia's armed conflict onTuesday, urging the govern-ment, military and rebelgroups that are still fighting inthe countryside to recognisethe suffering victims haveendured and ensure that polit-ical disputes are no longersolved through violence.

The commission is madeup of academics and repre-sentatives of civil societygroups and was set up as partof a 2016 peace deal betweenthe government and theRevolutionary Armed Forces

of Colombia that ended fivedecades of conflict in which atleast 450,000 people werekilled.

It was tasked with docu-menting war crimes and pub-lishing its findings in a digi-tal format that will be availableto the public. The commissionalso issued a series of recom-mendations aimed at stoppingfuture conflicts from takingroot in Colombia, includingchanges to drug policy andtransformations in thenation's military forces.

The commission's finalreport is based on interviewswith 30,000 war victims, mil-itary leaders, former guerril-

la fighters and five formerColombian presidents.

The 900-page report said50,000 people were kidnappedbetween 1990 and 2018 as aresult of Colombia's armedconflict, often by rebel groupswho kept hostages for ran-som.

It also mentioned thatmore than 7 million peoplewere forced to flee theirhomes and that 56,000 civil-

ians were killed by Colombia'sarmed forces, including 6,300people who were murdered inremote areas and presented toauthorities as rebel fighterskilled in action.

The report called formajor changes to Colombia'smilitary and police forces,which have received morethan $8 billion from the U.S.Over the past two decades.

It said the military's objec-tives should be re-evaluatedand that all human rightsviolations committed by secu-rity forces should be tried bycivilian courts.

The truth commission'sreport also discussed drug

related violence in Colombiaand called on the nation's gov-ernment to regulate the drugtrade so that its profits go togovernment agencies and notdrug trafficking groups. Itsuggests that Colombia restartpeace negotiations with theNational Liberation Army,Colombia's largest remain-ing rebel groups.

The Truth Commission'srecommendations are notlegally binding. But some willlikely be implemented byColombia's new governmentwhich will take over inAugust. President-electGustavo Petro attended theceremony where the report

was presented to the publicand said its recommenda-tions would "effectivelybecome part of Colombia'shistory."

The leftist senator, whowas once a member of a rebelgroup, said during his cam-paign that he will re-establishdiplomatic relations withneighbouring Venezuelawhose socialist government isnot recognized by the UnitedStates. Petro has also called forreforms to Colombia's defenseforces, suggesting he policeshould stop being used formilitary operations and beplaced under greater civilianoversight.

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Afederal court has allowedTennessee to ban abor-

tions as early as six weeks intopregnancy, while a Texas judgetemporarily blocked enforce-ment of that state's decades-oldban on virtually all abortions,in a flurry of activity set off atcourthouses across the US bythe overturning of Roe v.Wade.

Statewide bans or otherrestrictions that were eitherleft on the books for genera-tions, tied up by legal chal-lenges or specifically designedto take effect if Roe were to fallare now in play as a result oflast week's Supreme Courtruling eliminating the consti-tutional right to terminate apregnancy.

Roughly half the states areexpected to prohibit or severe-ly limit the procedure now thatthe high court has left it up tothem.

Since Friday, judges haveagreed to allow bans or otherrestrictions to take effect inAlabama, Ohio, SouthCarolina and Tennessee.

But abortion bansremained temporarily blockedin some states, includingLouisiana, Texas and Utah.

Decisions are pending inother places, including Floridaand Indiana. Abortion rightsadvocates also dropped someof their legal efforts in Indiana,Minnesota and Missouri.

Some clinics initiallyturned patients away soonafter the high court rulingcame down, but then reopenedas judges ruled in their favour.That happened in Louisiana onTuesday.

In Houston, a Democraticcity in a conservative State, ajudge blocked enforcementfor now of a statewide ban onvirtually all abortions.

Abortions in Texas arestill prohibited at about sixweeks because of a law thattook effect last year.

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Israeli forces shot and killeda Palestinian man early on

Wednesday in the occupiedWest Bank during clashes thatbroke out during an arrestraid, Palestinian officials said.

The Palestinian HealthMinistry said that MohammadMarei, 25, was wounded byIsraeli gunfire near Jenin dur-ing an arrest raid by the Israelimilitary and later died.

The Israeli military saidthat while troops arrested twoPalestinians in the northernWest Bank city, Palestinians“hurled explosive devices” atsoldiers, who responded withgunfire.

It confirmed that aPalestinian was shot, but gaveno additional details about theman's condition. The armysaid no troops were injured inthe overnight arrest raids.

Recent months have seen arise in deadly violence in theWest Bank. The Israeli militaryhas carried out near-daily raids

following a string of deadlyattacks by Palestinians insideIsrael that killed 19 Israelis,with several of the attackerscoming from the northernWest Bank town of Jenin.

Several dozen Palestinianshave been killed in Israeli mil-itary raids. Most of the deadwere alleged to have openedfire on Israeli forces or hurledstones or firebombs at them.The dead also include twoapparent passersby.

Nearly 500,000 Israeli set-tlers live in more than 130 set-

tlements scattered across theWest Bank, many of which arefully built up and now resem-ble suburbs or small towns.Nearly three millionPalestinians live in the WestBank under Israeli militaryrule.

Israel captured the WestBank in the 1967 Mideast warand the Palestinians want it tobe the main part of their futurestate. Israel views the WestBank as the biblical and his-torical heartland of the Jewishpeople.

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Over the course of an extra-ordinary nine-month trial,

the lone survivor of the IslamicState extremist team thatattacked Paris in 2015 has pro-claimed his radicalism, wept,apologised to victims andpleaded with judges to forgivehis “mistakes”.

For victims' families andsurvivors of the attacks, the trialfor Salah Abdeslam and sus-pected accomplices has beenexcruciating yet crucial in theirquest for justice and closure. Atlong last, the court will handdown its verdict on Wednesday.Abdeslam faces up to life inprison without parole on mur-der and other counts, thetoughest sentence possibleunder France's justice system.

The historic trial in Parisis of 20 men suspected of crit-ical roles in the ISIS mas-sacres that killed 130 people onNovember 13, 2015.

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AIDE: TRUMP DISMISSED JAN 6THREATS, WANTED TO JOIN CROWD

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Acar bomb targeting a top provin-cial security official in the south-

ern Yemen city of Aden killed fourpeople Wednesday and wounded 10others, Yemeni officials said.

A car carrying explosives deto-nated while the convoy of a securityofficial from a neighbouring provincewas driving by, the officials said.Three of his guards were wounded, butthe dead were all civilians.

The top security official for Lahjprovince Brig. Saleh Sayed was notseriously hurt, added the officials, whospoke on condition of anonymitybecause they were not authorised tobrief the media.

Videos from the scene showed thedead and injured lying in a minibus,while a cloud of black smoke rose fromthe explosion site.

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US President Joe Bidenon Wednesday said theUS will significantly

increase its military presence inEurope for the long haul,including by establishing itsfirst permanent presence inPoland, to bolster regionalsecurity after Russia's invasionof Ukraine.

Meeting NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg at theopening of the alliance's annu-al leaders' summit in Madrid,Biden said “NATO is strongand united" and that steps to betaken during the gathering will"further augment our collectivestrength”.

Biden opened his partici-pation in the summit byannouncing the permanentbasing of a US military garri-son in Poland.

He also said the US issending two additional F-35fighter jet squadrons to the UK

and will send more air defenseand other capabilities toGermany and Italy.

“Today I'm announcingthe US will enhance our forceposture in Europe and respondto the changing security envi-ronment as well as strength-ening our collective security,”he said.

Stoltenberg, who earlieron Wednesday said the alliancewas facing its biggest chal-lenge since World War IIbecause of Russia's aggressiontoward Ukraine, welcomedBiden's announcement.

“This really demonstratesyour decisive leadership andstrength in the trans-Atlanticbond,” Stoltenberg said, thank-ing Biden for the "unwaveringsupport from you and from theUS to Ukraine.”

Biden said the US will per-manently station the US ArmyV Corps forward command inPoland , a move that he saidwould strengthen US-NATO

inter-operability across thealliance's eastern flank.

The move marks the firstpermanent basing of US forceson NATO's eastern edge.

Biden added that the US isalso stepping up its rotational

deployments of troops toRomania and the Baltic region.

Celeste Wallander, an assis-tant US secretary of defence forinternational affairs, toldreporters that having a perma-nent presence in Poland will be

key to helping NATO navigatethe changed security environ-ment in Europe caused byRussia's invasion. The US sup-plies the bulk of NATO's mil-itary power.

US officials emphasisedthat the permanent basingapplied only to headquartersunits, not combat troops, andwas therefore consistent with a1997 agreement betweenNATO and Russia in which thealliance agreed not to perma-nently base combat troops inEastern Europe as it aimed tobuild more constructive ties inthe post-Cold War environ-ment.

Poland's Deputy ForeignMinister Pawel Jablonski toldPoland's state PAP news agencythat the decision to add UScommand structure was a“manifestation of the ever clos-er cooperation between theUS and Poland” and would givegive NATO allies a frontlineinsight into the Russian threat.

The combat units Biden issending to Romania and theBaltic region are on rotationaldeployments, rather than per-manent assignment, to remainin compliance with that agree-ment.

“There has been no com-munication with Moscowabout these changes, nor isthere a requirement to do that,"John Kirby, a spokesman forBiden's National SecurityCouncil.

Biden announced onTuesday after arriving for thesummit that the US wouldbase two additional destroyersat its naval base in Rota, Spain,bringing the total number tosix.

The US currently has morethan 100,000 service-membersdeployed across Europe, upby about 20,000 since justbefore Russian PresidentVladimir Putin's invasion ofUkraine began four monthsago.

Biden predicted that meet-ings this week would make fora “history-making summit” asleaders were set to approve anew strategic framework,announce a range of steps toboost their defense spendingand capabilities, and clear theway for historically neutralFinland and Sweden to joinNATO.

Biden said Putin thoughtNATO members would splin-ter after he invaded Ukraine,but got the opposite responseinstead.

“Putin was looking for theFinland-isation of Europe,”Biden said. “You're gonna getthe NATO-isation of Europe.And that's exactly what hedidn't want, but exactly whatneeds to be done to guaranteesecurity for Europe.”

Turkey, the last remainingholdout to approve the Nordiccountries' accession intoNATO, reached an agreementon the eve of the summit late

Tuesday to support addingthem to the 30-nation alliance.

While the White Housesaid the US was not a directparty to the negotiations, asenior administration officialsaid Biden spoke with TurkishPresident Recep TayyipErdogan on Tuesday toencourage him to clear the wayfor Sweden and Finland tojoin. The two leaders are set tomeet on Wednesday afternoonto discuss other issues, theWhite House said.

Biden will also sit down onWednesday with South KoreanPresident Yoon Suk Yeol andJapanese Prime Minister FumioKishida, who are attending theNATO summit as the alliancelooks to strengthen its ties inthe Indo-Pacific region andaddress challenges from China.

The White House said thethree leaders would also dis-cuss North Korea's nuclearand ballistic missile pro-grammes.

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Ukraine's President VolodymyrZelenskyy chided NATO for not

embracing his embattled country morefully and asked for more weapons tofight Russia's invasion, as the leaders ofthe alliance met amid what its chiefcalled its biggest crisis since World WarII. Russia's invasion of its neighbourshattered Europe's peace, drove NATOto pour troops and weapons into east-ern Europe on a scale not seen since theCold War and is set to give the defenceorganisation two new members inSweden and Finland.

Members of the alliance have alsosent billions in military and civilian aidto Ukraine. But Zelenskyy lamentedthat NATO's open-door policy to newmembers did not apply to Ukraine.

“The open-door policy of NATOshouldn't resemble old turnstiles onKyiv's subway, which stay open butclose when you approach them untilyou pay,” Zelenskyy said by video link.“Hasn't Ukraine paid enough?”

He asked for more modern artillerysystems and other weapons and warnedthe leaders that they either had to pro-vide Ukraine with the help it neededto defeat Russia or “face a delayed warbetween Russia and yourself ”.

Zelenskyy has acknowledged thatNATO membership is a distantprospect. The alliance is trying to strike

a delicate balance, letting its member-nations arm Ukraine without sparkinga direct confrontation between NATOand nuclear-armed Russia.

As 30 NATO leaders met inMadrid, Secretary-General JensStoltenberg acknowledged the allianceis “in the midst of the most serioussecurity crisis we have faced since theSecond World War”.

US President Joe Biden, whosecountry provides the bulk of NATO'smilitary power, said the summit wouldsend “an unmistakable message ...That NATO is strong and united”.

“We're stepping up. We're provingthat NATO is more needed now thanit ever has been,” said Biden.

He announced a hefty boost inAmerica's military presence in Europe,including a permanent US base inPoland, two more Navy destroyersbased in Rota, Spain, and two more F35squadrons to the UK.

But strains among NATO allieshave also emerged as the cost of ener-gy and other essential goods has sky-rocketed, partly because of the the warand tough Western sanctions on Russia.

There also are tensions over howthe war will end and what, if any, con-cessions Ukraine should make to stopthe fighting.

Money could also be a sensitiveissue — just nine of NATO's 30 mem-bers currently meet the organisation's

target of spending two per cent of grossdomestic product on defence.

British Prime Minister BorisJohnson, whose country does hit thetarget, urged NATO allies “to dig deepto restore deterrence and ensuredefense in the decade ahead”.

The war has already triggered a bigincrease in NATO's forces in easternEurope, and allies are expected to agreeat the summit to boost the strength ofthe alliance's rapid reaction force near-ly eightfold, from 40,000 to 300,000troops, by next year.

The troops will be based in theirhome nations, but dedicated to specif-ic countries on NATO's eastern flank,where the alliance plans to build upstocks of equipment and ammunition.

Stoltenberg said NATO was under-taking “the biggest overhaul of our col-lective defense since the end of the ColdWar”.

The leaders are also set to publishNATO's new Strategic Concept, itsonce-a-decade set of priorities andgoals.

The last such document, in 2010,called Russia a “strategic partner”.Now, the alliance is set to declareMoscow its No. 1 threat. The documentwill also set out NATO's approach onissues from cybersecurity to climatechange — and the growing economicand military reach of China.

For the first time, the leaders of

Japan, Australia, South Korea andNew Zealand are attending the summitas guests, a reflection of the growingimportance of Asia and the Pacificregion.

Stoltenberg said China was notNATO's adversary, but posed “chal-lenges to our values, to our interest andto our security”.

Biden was due to hold a raremeeting with Japanese Prime MinisterFumio Kishida and South KoreanPresident Yoon Suk Yeol on the side-lines of the summit, focused on NorthKorea's nuclear programme.

The summit opened with oneproblem solved, after Turkey agreed onTuesday to lift its opposition to Swedenand Finland joining NATO.

In response to the invasion, the twoNordic nations abandoned their long-held nonaligned status and applied tojoin NATO as protection against anincreasingly aggressive and unpre-dictable Russia — which shares a longborder with Finland.

NATO operates by consensus, andTurkish President Recep TayyipErdogan threatened to block the Nordicpair, insisting they change their stanceon Kurdish rebel groups that Turkeyconsiders terrorists.

After urgent top-level talks withleaders of the three countries, allianceSecretary Stoltenberg said the impassehad been cleared.

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Voicing grave concern overreports of civilian deaths in

the ongoing Russia-Ukraineconflict, India has said that crit-ical civilian infrastructure inurban areas have become easytargets in situations of armedconflict.

Speaking at the UNSecurity Council Briefing onUkraine on Tuesday, India'sDeputy PermanentRepresentative to the UNAmbassador R. Ravindra saidthe conflict has resulted in theloss of lives and countless mis-eries for its peoples, particularlyfor women, children and elder-

ly, with millions becominghomeless and forced to takeshelter in neighbouring coun-tries.

Under-Secretary-Generalfor Political and PeacebuildingAffairs Rosemary DiCarlo toldthe Council that the Russianmissile strike on a mall in theUkrainian city of Kremenchukkilled 18 civilians and injured59 and the final toll may bemuch higher.

"India remains deeply con-cerned over the situation inUkraine," Ravindra said.

The Council meeting wasalso addressed virtually byUkraine's President VolodymyrZelensky, the second time that

leader spoke directly to thepowerful 15-nation UN organsince the start of the conflict inFebruary.

“Reports of deaths of civil-ians in the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict are deeplydisturbing and in this regard,we express our grave concern.In recent years, critical civilianinfrastructure in urban areashave become easy targets in sit-uations of armed conflict,”Ravindra said.

India added that the issueof the protection of civilianobjects in armed conflictsshould be considered withinthe framework of applicableinternational law.

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Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyyaccused Russian President Vladimir Putin

Tuesday of becoming "a terrorist" leading a "ter-rorist state" and urged Russia's expulsion fromthe United Nations.

In a virtual address to the UN SecurityCouncil, Zelenskyy urged the UN to establishan international tribunal to investigate "theactions of Russian occupiers on Ukrainian soil"and to hold the country accountable.

"We need to act urgently to do everythingto make Russia stop the killing spree," Zelenskyysaid, warning that otherwise Russia's “terroristactivity” will spread to other European countriesand Asia, singling out the Baltic states, Poland,Moldova and Kazakhstan.

"Putin has become a terrorist," he said. "Dailyterrorist acts, without weekends. Every day theyare working as terrorists."

In urging Russia's ouster from the 193-mem-ber United Nations, Zelenskyy cited Article 6 ofthe UN Charter which states that a member"which has persistently violated the principlescontained in the present Charter may beexpelled from the organization by the GeneralAssembly upon the recommendation of theSecurity Council."

Russia's expulsion, however, is virtuallyimpossible. That's because as a permanent coun-cil member Russia would be able to use its vetoto block any attempt to oust it.

Ukraine called the council meeting afterRussia's recent upsurge in attacks includingMonday's fiery airstrike on a crowded shoppingmall in the central city of Kremenchuk thatZelenskyy said killed at least 18 people andwounded 30 others. "Dozens are missing" andbody fragments have been found includinghands and feet, he said, adding that unfortu-nately there may be more victims.

The Ukrainian leader began his speech list-ing Russia's attacks in recent days and giving thefirst names and ages of many of the victims. Heended his address asking the 15 SecurityCouncil members and others in the chamber tostand in silent tribute to commemorate the "tensof thousands" of Ukrainian children and adultskilled in the war.

All members rose including Russia's deputyUN ambassador Dmitry Polyansky.

When he took the floor later, Polyanskyprotested against giving Zelenskyy a secondopportunity to address the Security Council, adecision by Albanian which holds the councilpresidency this month.

The Russian envoy said the Ukrainianpresident's video address violated the council'straditions and existing practices which state thatleaders who wish to speak to the council mustbe present in the chamber.

"The U.N. Security Council should not beturned into a platform for a remote PR campaignfrom president Zelenskyy in order to get moreweapons from participants at the NATO sum-mit" starting Wednesday in Madrid, Polyanskysaid.

He claimed that there was no Russian strikeon the shopping centre in Kremenchuk, sayingRussian precision weapons struck hangars in theKremenchuk road machinery plant withweapons and ammunition from the UnitedStates and Europe destined for Ukrainiantroops in eastern Donbass.

The shopping center was some distanceaway but the detonation of ammunition "createda fire which then spread to the shopping cen-tre," Polyansky said.

The Russian envoy told Western nations thatby supplying weapons to Ukraine they were pro-longing the time when Ukraine's leaders “willsit down at the negotiating table with a realis-tic position rather than with slogans.”

"We began a special military operation inorder to stop the shelling of Donbass byUkraine and so that the territory of this coun-try, which has been turned into anti-Russia atthe behest of a number of Western countries, aswell as its nationalist leadership, ceases to posea threat to Russia or the inhabitants of the southand southeast of Ukraine," he said. "And untilthose goals are achieved, our operation will con-tinue."

US deputy ambassador Richard Mills, likemany other Western ambassadors, accusedRussia of destroying the shopping center, say-ing the attack “fits into a cruel pattern, one wherethe Russian military kills civilians and destroyscivilian infrastructure in Ukraine.”

He stressed that there is ample publicly avail-able evidence "that Russia, and Russia alone" isresponsible for this and other attacks.

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The mall was nothing extraordinary, but in the middle of awar it was an escape for those in this Ukrainian city who

had decided not to flee. Then it exploded in a Russian airstrike.In moments on Monday afternoon, a summer hangout

became a hellish inferno. Life and death depended on a shop-per's decision whether to heed yet another air raid siren andtake shelter. Among those who stayed, at least 18 are dead, morethan 20 are missing and scores are wounded.

The crowded mall in Kremenchuk, which housed the largesttoy store in town, is now the latest shorthand for allegationsof war crimes against Russia. As with earlier attacks on a the-ater, a train station and a hospital elsewhere in Ukraine, author-ities in Moscow said the mall was not the target.

One day after the airstrike, the scene still smelled of charreddebris. Grit hung in the air, irritating the skin and throats.Visitors laid red carnations, a spot of color in the still-smok-ing ruins.

Images on social media showed the burned body of awoman, white sneakers still intact, who appeared to have beencaught in the blast as she tried to run. In another video, aroundthe time of impact, a man could be heard calling for his moth-er.

One mall employee, who gave only his first name,Oleksandr, said he had stepped outside with a colleague for acigarette when the air raid siren went off. He described themoment of impact.

"There was darkness in my eyes for two minutes," he said."There was a black tunnel, smoke, fire. I started to crawl. I sawthe sun up there, and my brain was telling me I needed to savemyself."

Everything was on fire, he said. A blast wave threw himunder a car. He couldn't hear. Bits of shrapnel were embeddedin his leg.

"Thank God that was it," he said. "I was very lucky."He estimated 1,000 shoppers and employees had been in

the mall at the time, contradicting Russia's claim that it wasempty.

Kateryna Romashnya had just reached the mall on her walkhome from work when the explosion threw her to the groundand blew out nearby windows. Stunned, she estimated that 10-15 minutes passed before another explosion occurred.

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Ukraine's leader pushes for fuller NATO embrace, more arms

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New Delhi: Exports of marineproducts rose 30.26 per cent toUSD 7.76 billion during 2021-22 as against USD 5.96 billionin previous fiscal year, thecommerce ministry said onWednesday. India shipped13,69,264 MT (metric tonne) ofseafood worth �57,586.48 croreduring 2021-22.”During 2021-22, the export improved inrupee term by 31.71 per cent,in USD terms by 30.26 per centand in quantity terms by 19.12per cent,” the ministry said ina statement.

K N Raghavan, Chairman,Marine Products ExportDevelopment Authority(MPEDA), said India man-aged to do “all-time high”exports of USD 7.76 billion.

Frozen shrimp remainedthe major export item in termsof quantity and value. Its ship-

ments stood at USD 5.82 billionlast fiscal year. The segmentaccounts for 75.11 per cent ofthe total dollar earnings.

The US is the largest mar-ket of frozen shrimp, followedby China, the European Union,South East Asia, Japan, and theMiddle East.

Frozen fish, frozen squidand frozen cuttlefish, are alsomajor items for exports.

“The US continued to bethe major importer of Indianseafood in value and volumeterms with an import worthUSD 3,371.66 million, account-ing for a share of 37.56 per centin terms of dollar value,” itadded. It said China hasemerged as the second largestseafood export destination forIndia in terms of quantity withan import of 2,66,989 MT worthUSD 1,175.05 million. PTI

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Months after theDepartment of Heavy

Industries (DHI) notified anorder making it mandatoryfor the Ev-buses operator(s) toplace the FAME logo on boththe sides of the vehicles promi-nently, the manufacturers arefeeling the pinch with adver-tisement revenues taking a sig-nificant hit, according tosources close to funding agen-cies/lenders.

The order released by theDHI makes it compulsory forthe manufacturers to get theFAME logo on the buses, at thespots which the manufacturersearlier used to lease out topotential advertisers for somerevenue.

A couple of industry insid-ers told The Pioneer on thecondition of anonymity that

this move has not gone downwell with the operator(s) andhas caused considerable lossesfor them as per early assess-ment.

Earlier in the contracts,advertisements were allowedon the FAME contracts-award-ed products, ev-buses mostly,and the revenue generatedfrom them used to go to themanufacturers or the Operator.The latest move has left themsquandering for options todeal with it, with little or nomechanism to raise their con-cerns. According to sources, thenew directions have been laidout retrospectively whichimpact the revenue. Industryexperts see the move by thegovernment as its intent toreduce overall cost for the stategovernments.

A top official of one of themajor lending agencies said themanufacturers don't have any

issue with keeping the FAMElogo on buses but with size andplacement of the logo, whichdirectly impacts their revenues.The loss becomes significant inthe long run as the buses are tobe operated and maintained for12 years.

"Can the OEMs/Operatorsmanage for 12 years makinglosses continuously? It mightlead to a situation where themanufacturers start showingtheir inability to operate thebuses," another official said,adding the "purpose of pro-moting Green mobility is get-ting defeated in the process".

The Indian EV sector isseeing a massive boom withboth central and governmentsgoing full throttle in acquiringelectric buses in their bid toensure clean and green trans-portation. States after states areplacing big orders for electricbuses.

New Delhi: Capital marketsregulator Sebi has sent a noticeto an individual asking him topay �27 lakh in a case pertain-ing to violation of insider trad-ing norms in the matter of L&TFinance Holdings Ltd.

The notice came afterUday Agarwal failed to pay thefine imposed on him by theSecurities and Exchange Boardof India (Sebi).

Sebi has directed Agarwalto pay �27.01 lakh, whichincludes interest, all costs,charges and expenses, within15 days. In the event of non-payment, it will recover theamount by attaching and sell-ing their moveable andimmoveable properties.

He will also face attach-ment of his bank accounts andarrest, Sebi said in an orderpassed on Tuesday.

The regulator, through anorder passed in November2021, levied a fine of �25 lakh

on Uday Agarwal.The regulator observed in

its investigation that Agarwalbeing an insider traded in thescrip of L&T Finance Holdingswhile having possession ofunpublished price-sensitive

information during tradingwindow closure period, failedto obtain pre-clearance andfailed to make disclosures forhis trading and further madecontra trades.

The Unpublished Price-Sensitive Information (UPSI)pertained to financial resultsfor the period ended June 30,2018. The period of UPSI wasfrom July 7 to 20, 2018. PTI

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Mumbai: Markets regulatorSebi on Wednesday allowedForeign Portfolio Investors toparticipate in the exchange-traded commodity derivativesmarket.

At its board meeting, thewatchdog also cleared amend-

ments to regulations governingmutual funds and portfoliomanagers.

According to a statement,the board has approved SebiAnnual Report: 2021-22. Thereport will be submitted to thecentral government. PTI

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New Delhi: The Governmentwill release the ranking ofstates and Union Territories(UTs) in terms of ease of doingbusiness on June 30, the com-merce and industry ministrysaid on Wednesday.

Finance Minister NirmalaSitharaman will release theassessment report of states/UTsunder Business Reforms ActionPlan (BRAP), 2020 in the pres-ence of Commerce andIndustry Minister Piyush Goyalon Thursday, it said.

The exercise is aimed attriggering competition amongstates to improve the businessclimate to attract domestic andglobal investors.

BRAP 2020 includes 301

reform points that cover 15business regulatory areas suchas access to information, singlewindow system, labour, envi-ronment, sectoral reforms andother reforms spanning acrossthe lifecycle of a business.

Sectoral reforms have beenintroduced this time wherein72 reforms were identifiedacross nine sectors - tradelicense, healthcare, legalmetrology, cinema halls, hos-pitality, fire NOC (no objectioncertificate), telecom, movieshooting and tourism.

The Department forPromotion of Industry andInternal Trade (DPIIT), since2014, has been releasing BRAPfor steering business reforms to

create an investor-friendlyecosystem across the country.

Till date, state rankingshave been released for 2015,2016, 2017-18 and 2019.

“DPIIT has undertaken afeedback-based exercise where-in feedback was taken frombusinesses on the quality ofimplementation of the reformscarried out by the states andUTs. The assessment is basedon the feedback obtained fromthe actual users of respectivestates/UTs,” it added.

In the last ranking releasedin September 2020, AndhraPradesh topped the chart, fol-lowed by Uttar Pradesh,Telangana, Madhya Pradeshand Jharkhand. PTI

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Expressing concern overfood scarcity in the wake of

the ongoing Ukraine conflict,India has said it exported more1.8 million tons of wheat tocountries suffering from short-age. It also flagged the issue ofcivilian deaths in the militaryaction terming them as “deeplydisturbing” and called for ces-sation of hostilities.

Highlighting these issues inthe United Nations SecurityCouncil(UNSC)briefing onUkraine, India’s DeputyPermanent Representative tothe UN Ambassador RRavindra also said the conflicthas resulted in the loss of livesand countless miseries for itspeoples, particularly forwomen, children and elderly,with millions becoming home-

less and forced to take shelterin neighbouring countries.

Making this point, he saidon late Tuesday India has allalong favoured the path ofpeace, dialogue and diploma-cy to end the conflict whichbegan in February.

“We support all efforts toalleviate the suffering of thepeople of Ukraine, especiallytalks” between Ukraine andRussia.

He noted that India hasalso been sending humanitar-ian supplies to Ukraine and itsneighbours, which includemedicines and other essentialrelief materials.

Underlining that theimpact of the Ukraine conflictis not just limited to Europe,Ravindra said the conflict isexacerbating concerns overfood, fertilizer and fuel securi-ty, particularly in the develop-ing countries. PTI

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New Delhi: India needs toform Green HydrogenCorridors and governmentscan look at providing grants tostartups as well as supportentrepreneurs to promotegreen hydrogen, NITI Aayogsaid on Wednesday.

In a report titled‘Harnessing Green Hydrogen -Opportunities for DeepDecarbonisation in India’, theAayog also suggested that thereis a need to facilitate investmentthrough demand aggregationand dollar-based bidding forgreen hydrogen.

“Three hydrogen corridorsshould be developed acrossthe country based on stategrand challenges ... The gov-ernments can provide grantsand loans to startups and pro-jects, support entrepreneursthrough incubators andinvestor networks, and put inplace regulations that managefirst-mover risks, “ the reportsaid. The government can alsouse public procurement andpurchase incentives (for greenhydrogen) to create demand inniche markets and crowd inprivate investment, it added.

The report suggested thatthe government should pro-mote export of green hydrogenand green hydrogen-embeddedproducts through a globalhydrogen alliance.

Green Hydrogen/ GreenAmmonia is defined as hydro-gen/ ammonia produced byway of electrolysis of waterusing renewable energy, includ-ing renewable energy which

has been banked and thehydrogen/ammonia producedfrom biomass.

Most large economiesincluding India have commit-ted to net zero targets.

Transition to green hydro-gen and green ammonia isone of the major requirementsfor reduction of emissions,especially in the hard to abatesectors. The report predictedthat hydrogen demand in Indiacould grow more than fourfoldby 2050, representing almost 10per cent of global hydrogendemand.

In the longer term, steeland heavy-duty trucking arelikely to drive the majority ofdemand growth, accountingfor almost 52 per cent of totaldemand by 2050, it added.

Emphasising that theroadmap should also identify atimeline and scale of manu-facturing support for electrol-ysers, the report said India mayaim for 25 GW of electrolysersby 2030, while also investingUSD 1 billion in R&D to catal-yse the development of com-mercial green hydrogen tech-nologies across the value chain.

It noted that radicallyimproving the speed of regu-latory clearances coupled withpreferential treatment in pub-lic tenders will help catalyselocal manufacturing.

The report suggested thatgrand challenges, public-pri-vate venture capital and financ-ing test bench infrastructurecould be part of the R&Dinvestments. PTI

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New Delhi: Gold price in thenational capital fell by �176 to�50,649 per 10 grams onWednesday, reflecting a declinein international precious metalprices, according to HDFCSecurities.

In the previous trade, theyellow metal settled at �50,825per 10 grams.

Silver also fell by �443 to�59,725 per kg from �60,168per kg in the previoustrade.”Spot gold prices for 24-carat gold in Delhi fell by Rs176 in line with decline inCOMEX gold prices,” saidTapan Patel, Senior Analyst(Commodities) at HDFCSecurities. PTI

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New Delhi: Housing salesjumped over 4.5 times year-on-year in April-June across eightcities to 74,330 units on lowerbase effect, while demand wasup 5 per cent from the previ-ous quarter, according toPropTiger data.

Housing sales stood at15,968 units in the April-Juneperiod last year and 70,623units in the January-Marchquarter of 2022.

The price of residentialproperties rose 5-9 per centannually, driven by rise ininput costs, inflationary pres-sures and premium attachedwith ready-to-move-in inven-tory. Pune and Chennai saw

maximum appreciation at 9 percent each.

In its latest ‘Real InsightResidential’ report, Australia’sREA group-ownedPropTiger.Com, said the YoY(Year-on-Year) growth in April-June 2022 is multi-fold due thelow base as demand in April-June 2021 was severely impact-ed owing to the second wave ofthe COVID pandemic.

On the sequential rise insales, Vikas Wadhawan, GroupCFO of REA India, said: “Eventhough the RBI increased therepo rate twice during thequarter, home loans remainedlargely affordable.”

The biggest booster to

housing demand has been theincreased importance of own-ing a property, he said.

This, he said, has been fur-ther backed by the consumerconfidence in the overall eco-nomic scenario and impendingincome stability.

As per the data, housingsales in Ahmedabad rosesharply to 7,240 units in April-June 2022, from 1,280 units inthe year-ago period. Sales wereup 30 per cent from 5,550 unitsin the January-March quarterthis year.

Bengaluru saw sales of8,350 units in April-June, asagainst 1,590 units in the year-ago period. PTI

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New Delhi: The Governmenton Wednesday decided to givemarketing freedom to domes-tic crude oil producers, allow-ing them to sell oil to whoso-ever they want.

Briefing reporters on thedecisions taken at a meeting ofthe Union Cabinet,Information and BroadcastingMinister Anurag Thakur saidthe Cabinet approved deregu-lation of the sale of domesti-cally produced crude oil.

From October 1, conditionin Production SharingContracts (PSC) to sell crudeoil to the government or itsnominee or government com-

panies will be waived.This essentially means pro-

ducers will be free to sell oilfrom their fields in the domes-tic market. PTI

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New Delhi: After back-to-backdownward corrections, steel pricesare expected to rise from July due tohigh input costs, an industry exec-utive said on Wednesday.

“While coal price is at �17,000a tonne, iron ore prices by OdishaMineral Corporation are still high.It is the main supplier of iron ore inOdisha,” JSPL Managing Director VR Sharma told PTI on the sidelinesof an event organised by the IndianChamber of Commerce here.

“The prices have already bot-tomed out. There is no chance ofreducing them further. There will bean upward price correction fromFriday, July 1 by (primary players)mainly on account of higher input

costs,” he said.Secondary steel makers have

already increased the price of rebarsby �2,000 to �55,000 per tonne in thelast four days, Sharma said.

There are various other factorsbuilding pressure on steel makers,Sharma said, adding there are issueswith the availability of coal. Rakes arealso not available for the supply of

coal as most of them have beendiverted for power sector.

Steel players use iron ore as rawmaterial to make steel and coal tofeed their captive power plants.

According to SteelMint, prices ofhot rolled coil (HRC) are ruling inthe range of �59,000-60,000 a tonnefrom its peak in May at�76,000/tonne. PTI

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New Delhi: Terming duties imposed on steelproducts a “short-term headwind”, JSW GroupCMD Sajjan Jindal said he is hopeful of the gov-ernment withdrawing the levies once inflationmoderates. The duties were imposed last monthwith the objective of controlling inflation, theindustrialist said.

Jindal’s statement comes days after he alongwith other top industry leaders met FinanceMinister Nirmala Sitharaman in her office.

In a tweet on June 16, office of the FinanceMinister, without sharing the details of the meet-ing had said, “Delegation of Indian SteelAssociation @steel_indian, including Shri@MPNaveenJindal - Chairman JSPL, Shri @saj-janjindal - Chairman JSW, Smt Soma Mondal -Chairman @SAILsteel & other senior members ofthe industry, calls on Smt @nsitharaman.” PTI

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New Delhi: Tata TechnologiesLtd on Wednesday said it hasjoined the Foxconn-initiatedMIH Consortium to promotedevelopment of sustainablemobility solutions and encour-age collaboration within theindustry.

The MIH (Mobility InHarmony Consortium) com-prises more than 2,300 mem-bers in the field of software,hardware, and services.

The goal of this openelectric vehicle alliance is tobring the strategic partners

together to build the next gen-eration of EV, autonomous dri-ving, and mobility serviceapplications, the global engi-neering and product develop-ment digital services firm saidin a statement.

“Tata Technologies is atthe forefront of the eMobilityrevolution and our associa-tion with MIH Consortiumreinforces our position as a keypartner in the automotive valuechain,” Tata TechnologiesManaging Director and CEOWarren Harris said. PTI

��������(�����.�@����:�����������������!����������#�����#��������������� Faridabad: Home grown

affordable fashion footwearand accessories brand KhadimIndia Ltd has opened a newstore in association with itsfranchisee partner SAR RetailPvt Ltd in Faridabad.

“We are confident that thepeople of Faridabad will bedelighted by our trinity offashionable range of products,a great in store experience andaffordable pricing.

We hope to make Khadimthe first choice brand forfootwear for the complete fam-ily,” said Namrata A Chotrani,CEO, Khadim India Ltd. PNS

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Mumbai: Snapping its four-daywinning run, benchmarkSensex declined by over 150points on Wednesday due toprofit booking in IT, FMCGand banking shares followingweak global trends and persis-tent foreign capital outflows.

In a volatile session, the30-share BSE Sensex settled150.48 points or 0.28 per centlower at 53,026.97 as 20 of itsstocks ended with losses.During the day, it tumbled564.77 points or 1.06 per centto a low of 52,612.68 ahead ofthe expiry in the derivativessegment on Thursday.

The broader NSE Niftydeclined by 51.10 points or 0.32per cent to 15,799.10 with 34 ofits constituents closing in thered.In the four-day rally toTuesday, Sensex spurted by2.59 per cent or 1,354 pointswhile Nifty had gained 2.84 percent or 436 points.

Among Sensex shares,Hindustan Unilever fell themost by 3.46 per cent. IndusIndBank, Axis Bank, Bajaj Finserv,Wipro, HCL Technologies,Titan, Kotak Mahindra Bankand Bajaj Finance were theother major losers.

However, gains in NTPC,Reliance Industries, SunPharma, UltraTech Cementand ITC restricted a major fallin the barometer.

NTPC rose the most by

2.46 per cent while RelianceIndustries advanced 1.98 percent.

“Markets traded volatilefor yet another session and lostnearly half a percent. Weakglobal cues were weighing onthe sentiment in early tradewhich triggered a gap-downstart however buying in selectindex majors trimmed the loss-es as the day progressed,” AjitMishra, VP - Research, ReligareBroking Ltd said.

Consumer confidence isdeclining rapidly due to theuncontrolled and constant risein inflation, Vinod Nair, Headof Research at Geojit FinancialServices said. India had tobear the double-whammyeffect of a dampening globalequity market and rising crudeprices as major suppliers likeSaudi are unable to boost theoutput in the short-term.

“However, the domesticmarket was able to recovermost of the losses due to the

strong movement of indexheavyweights, PSUs, metalsand oil & gas stocks before slip-ping some gains by the end ofthe day due to volatile globalmarket,” Nair said.

In the broader market, theBSE midcap gauge dipped 0.70per cent and smallcap indexdeclined 0.18 per cent.

Among the BSE sectoralindices, bank fell by 1.20 percent, while FMCG (1.01 percent), finance (1 per cent),teck (0.83 per cent), and tele-com (0.54 per cent) alsodeclined.

Energy, utilities, auto,metal, oil & gas, power andrealty were the gainers. A totalof 1,781 firms declined, while1,521 advanced and 148remained unchanged.

Meanwhile, internationaloil benchmark Brent crudegained 0.31 per cent to USD118.3 per barrel ahead of themeeting of the oil cartel OPEC. PTI

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Top-seeded Novak Djokovicadvanced to the third round atWimbledon with a 6-1, 6-4, 6-2

victory over Thanasi Kokkinakis ofAustralia.

The six-time Wimbledon champi-on has won the past three men's singlestitles at the All England Club.

The 26-year-old Kokkinakis isranked 79th.

French Open runner-up CasperRuud lost in the second round atWimbledon.

The third-seeded Norwegian wasbeaten by Ugo Humbert of France 3-6, 6-2, 7-5, 6-4 on No. 2 Court.

Ruud was making his thirdappearance at the All England Club.His victory over Albert Ramos-Vinolas on Monday was his first at thegrass-court Grand Slam.

Second-seeded Anett Kontaveit ofEstonia was eliminated in the secondround of Wimbledon, losing to JuleNiemeier of Germany 6-4, 6-0.

Kontaveit has never reached thefourth round at the All EnglandClub, the only one of the four majortournaments in which she has failedto get that far. She was making hereighth appearance at Wimbledon.

It was Kontaveit's first match ongrass this year.

On Tuesday, an off-key Nadal,already halfway to a calendar GrandSlam after winning the AustralianOpen and French Open, dug deep tobeat Francisco Cerundolo 6-4, 6-3, 3-6, 6-4.

The two-time Wimbledon cham-pion, who has not played at the tour-nament since 2019, thanked the crowdfor their wholehearted support.

"It's not a surface that we play veryoften, and especially in my case, fordifferent reasons, the past three years

I didn't put any foot on a grass court,so it always takes a while," said Nadal,36.

"It was my first match and as Iknow, every day is a test and today wasone of these important tests."

����� ��� �����A day after eliminating Serena

Williams from Wimbledon in herdebut at the grass-court Grand Slam,Harmony Tan surprised and angeredher doubles partner by withdrawing

from that tournament on Wednesdaywith a thigh injury.

Tan, a Frenchwoman ranked 115thwho beat the 23-time Grand Slam sin-gles champion 7-5, 1-6, 7-6 (10-7) onCentre Court on Tuesday, was sched-uled to team with Tamara Korpatsch fortheir opening doubles match onWednesday.

"She just texted this morning. Letme wait here 1 hour before the matchstart," Korpatsch wrote in an Instagrampost. "I'm very sad, disappointed andalso very angry that I can't play my 1stDoubles Grand Slam.

"And it's really not fair for me ... Ididn't deserve that."

Tan is scheduled to play No. 32 SaraSorribes Tormo of Spain in the secondround of the singles tournament onThursday. Sorribes Tormo advanced bydefeating American qualifier ChristinaMcHale 6-2, 6-1.

The 24-year-old Tan is ranked611th in doubles and has never played

in that event at Wimbledon. Korpatsch,a 27-year-old German who is ranked298th in doubles, lost in the first roundof the singles tournament but hasnever played a doubles match at anyGrand Slam tournament.

Tan was two points from losing toWilliams, a seven-time Wimbledonchampion who hadn't played a singlesmatch since injuring herself in the firstround a year ago at the All EnglandClub.

The match lasted 3 hours, 11 min-utes.

"If you're broken after a 3 (hour)match the day before, you can't play pro-fessional (tennis). That's my opinion,"Korpatsch wrote.

Tan and Korpatsch were scheduledto play 15th-seeded Nadiia Kichenokand Raluca Olaru on Wednesday in thefirst round of the doubles tournament.They were replaced in the draw byValentini Grammatikopoulou andPeangtarn Plipuech.

�����������Top-ranked Iga Swiatek of Poland

will host a charity tennis tournamentnext month to raise funds for childrenand teenagers impacted by the war inUkraine.

The event will be held in Krakowon July 23 and will feature a mixed dou-bles exhibition match. Ukraine soccergreat Andriy Shevchenko will be a spe-cial guest.

Elina Svitolina of Ukraine willserve as umpire for the event. They hopeto sell at least 10,000 tickets.

Swiatek has been wearing a pin withthe Ukrainian colors during her match-es. More than 4 million refugees crossedinto Poland after Russia invadedUkraine in February. Poland is provid-ing them with free shelter, social andmedical care, education and job oppor-tunities.

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Serena Williams brushedoff any talk of retirement

on Tuesday by insisting sheis "motivated" to play at theUS Open later this yeardespite a shatteringWimbledon defeat.

"The US Open was theplace where I won my firstSlam, it's super-special.There's definitely a lot ofmotivation to get better andplay at home," the 40-year-old American said.

Williams was speakingafter losing in her first sin-gles match for a year whenshe went down 7-5, 1-6, 7/6(10/7) to unseededHarmony Tan, the worldnumber 115, in the openinground of Wimbledon.

The 23-time major win-ner, who debuted at the AllEngland Club in 1998,refused to speculate onwhether or not she will beback at Wimbledon in 2023.

"I am just playing forright now. I see how I feeland go from there.

"Who knows where Iwill pop up."

Williams walked ontoCentre Court for the eveningmatch and quickly lookedrusty. She was broken in herfirst service game.

Williams, far below herimperious best and appar-ently lacking f itness,bounced back, breaking inthe fourth game to level at 2-2, buoyed by a supportivecrowd.

The pair swapped furtherbreaks but Tan, ranked 115th,broke again in the 11th gameand held her nerve to closeout the set 7-5.

Williams broke after amammoth second game ofthe second set and went onto level the match 6-1.

The American was firstto break in the decider butTan levelled at 3-3.

Williams broke again inthe ninth game, throwingher arms into the air injubilation but faltered as sheserved for the match.

She faced a match point

on her own serve in the 12thgame but saved it with aforehand volley, taking thecontest into a third-set tie-break.

Williams stepped up agear, winning the first fourpoints as the match, underthe Wimbledon roof, tickedpast three hours.

But still her Frenchopponent was not down andout, winning the next fivepoints to edge ahead.

Williams, looking outof breath, could not findinspiration, netting whenfacing a second match point.

BB��� ��� � ���BShe finished with 61

winners but 54 unforcederrors in the 3-hour, 11-minute evening match.

"I'm so emotional now,"said Tan. "She's a superstar.When I was young, I waswatching her so many timeson the TV.

"When I saw the draw, Iwas really scared. She's sucha legend. I thought if I canwin one game, two games,that would be really good forme."

Twelve months ago,Williams quit herWimbledon first-roundmatch in tears after sufferingan injury and she had notplayed singles tennis sinceuntil Tuesday.

Doubts had been grow-ing about whether the for-mer world number one —who has slumped to 1,204thin the rankings after herperiod of inaction — wouldreturn to the sport.

But she warmed up byteaming up with Ons Jabeurin the doubles at Eastbournelast week.

Williams won the last ofher seven Wimbledon sin-gles titles six years ago butreached the final in 2018 and2019.

The American, who wasgiven a wildcard for thisyear's tournament, remainsstuck on 23 Grand Slamsingles titles — agonisinglyone short of MargaretCourt's all-time record.

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The Serie A title will bedecided by a play-off if two

teams are locked on points atthe top of the table from nextseason, Italy's FootballFederation (FIGC) announcedon Tuesday.

In a statement, the FIGCsaid that it had approved reg-ulations for the title decider,which will go straight to penal-ties should the two teams fin-ish the match level.

This system has been inplace in the past in Serie A buthas only been used once, in1964 when Bologna beat InterMilan in Rome to claim the lastof their seven league crowns.

FIGC chief GabrieleGravina has in the past saidthat he would like every leaguetitle to be decided by play-offs.

Last season AC Milan werecrowned champions after fin-ishing two points ahead oflocal rivals Inter Milan.

� ��������������C��Thiago Motta has left

Spezia after the Serie A clubannounced on Tuesday thetermination of the former Italymidfielder's contract.

"Spezia Calcio announcesthat an agreement has beenreached regarding the terms ofthe consensual termination of

the contracts of coach ThiagoMotta and his technical staff,"Spezia said in a statement.

Motta, who won the SerieA, Champions League andItalian Cup treble as a playerwith Inter Milan in 2010, ledSpezia to Serie A safety last sea-son.

The 39-year-old had a tro-phy-packed playing career,winning the 2006 Champions

League and two La Liga titleswith Barcelona, as well as fiveLigue 1 crowns and a host ofdomestic cups at Paris Saint-Germain.

Spezia are expected toannounce Luca Gotti as theircoach for the coming cam-paign.

Gotti has been out of worksince being sacked by Udinesein December.

���� ���1��

Newcastle have agreed adeal in principle to sign

Dutch defender Sven Botmanfrom French side Lille.

Botman, 22, completedhis medical in Newcastle onTuesday and is set to arrive ona five-year contract in areported £35 million ($42 mil-lion) transfer.

The Premier League clubsaid they had held off compe-tition "from a host ofEuropean sides to secure thehighly-rated centre-back",with "the formalities of thetransfer set to be concludedthis week".

Botman's arrival continuesNewcastle's rebuilding for thenew campaign, with Englandgoalkeeper Nick Pope havingbeen signed from Burnley lastweek.

Newcastle also signedAston Villa full-back MattTargett on a permanent movefollowing a successful loanspell during the second half oflast season.

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Chelsea have leapfroggedLondon rivals Arsenal to moveinto pole position to signRaphinha.

The Blues are understoodto be on the verge of agreeingto a fee with Leeds United forthe winger that could be worth

more than £55 million, reportsDavid Ornstein of TheAthletic.

However, the race forRaphinha's signature isn't yetfinished.

Arsenal remain in pursuitafter reportedly pledging toreturn with an improved offerfollowing Leeds' rejection oftheir initial bid.

Tottenham Hotspur werealso linked to Raphinha, whileit 's been reported thatBarcelona previously agreed topersonal terms with him buthave failed to match LeedsUnited's valuation.

If Raphinha, who's undercontract until 2024, does

decide on a move to StamfordBridge, he'll join a retoolingChelsea outfit that's in theprocess of trying to completeanother blockbuster transferfor Manchester City's RaheemSterling.

Raphinha, who joinedLeeds from Rennes for £17million in 2020, scored 11goals in 35 Premier Leagueappearances last season.

If Arsenal miss out on theBrazilian, the disappointmentcould be eased by the antici-pated arrival of Raphinha'scompatriot, Gabriel Jesus. TheGunners are reportedly closeto signing the 25-year-old for£45 million.

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Two stalwarts of Indianwomen's badminton, PV

Sindhu and Saina Nehwal, suf-fered contrasting fates at theMalaysia Open Super 750 tour-nament with the former pro-gressing to the second roundand the latter bowing out afterlosing her opener here onWednesday.

Sindhu, a former worldchampion, dished out a fine per-formance to outwit Thailand'sworld number 10 PornpaweeChochuwong 21-13, 21-17, butLondon Olympics Bronzemedallist Saina went downfighting against American IrisWang, ranked 33rd in the world,11-21, 17-21 in 37 minutes.

Former CommonwealthGames champion ParupalliKashyap also made a positivereturn from injury as he pre-vailed 21-12, 21-17 over Korea'sHeo Kwang Hee to advance tothe second round in men's sin-gles.

Sindhu, seeded seventh,will next face PhittayapornChaiwan, a 21-year-old fromThailand who held the numberone ranking in world juniorranking and also was part of theBronze medal-winning team atthe Uber Cup in Bangkok.

Kashyap, ranked world

number 39, will meet Thailand'sKunlavut Vitidsarn, who hadwon the German Open Super300 in March.

B Sumeeth Reddy andAshwini Ponnappa, who will beleading India's charge at theCommonwealth Games, could-n't get past world number 21pairing of Robin Tabeling andSelena Piek of the Netherlands.

The Indian duo lost 15-21,21-19, 17-21 after a 52-minute

battle.Sindhu enjoys a 5-3 head-

to-head record againstChochuwong, having won thelast time they met, at the 2021World Championship, and theIndian looked in good touchagainst the Thai, who struggledwith her lengths and finishingstrokes.

The match started with theduo playing at a good pace butit was Sindhu who dictated

terms with her better courtcoverage. Chochuwongmatched Sindhu in the ralliesbut faltered in her finishing.

The result was Sindhu ledthroughout the first game aftersecuring a 4-1 advantage earlyon. Sindhu's front court playwas more polished than herrival and she used the smashesand attacking returns to goodeffect whenever there was anopportunity.

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Ruled out of the 2018 FIHWorld Cup due to an

injury, experienced India mid-fielder Sushila Chanu is look-ing to the upcoming edition ofthe tournament to makeamends.

Sushila may have played208 matches for India but thetournament in theNetherlands will be her maid-en World Cup appearance.

"In 2018, I missed playingthe World Cup in London dueto an injury. Subsequently, Istruggled with form whichresulted in me missing out onthe Asian Games that year. Itwas perhaps one of the biggestlows of my career.

"It was a difficult phasebut I was determined to over-come it and earn my place inthe squad again," recalled anemotional Sushila.

While the tournamentstarts on July 1, India begintheir campaign againstEngland on July 3.

The 30-year-old made astrong comeback and hasplayed a significant role in theteam's progress over the pastfour years after missing out onthe Asian Games in 2018.

"For many of my team-mates, it's their second outingat the World Cup but for me,it's a first. It is an emotionalmoment for me and I surelybelieve it will be a memorableone for us," she said on thesidelines of the team's practicematch against Chile onTuesday evening.

She was part of India's tri-umph at both the FIHOlympic Qualifications andthe FIH Series Finals inBhubaneswar. The 2014 AsianGames Bronze medallist alsoplayed a role in the team's his-toric fourth-place at the TokyoOlympics last year.

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Buoyed by a strong start to theseason, Olympic champion

javelin thrower Neeraj Choprais primed to clinch his maidenDiamond League medal in hisfirst appearance in four years inthe prestigious one-day meethere on Thursday. The 24-year-old Chopra was second in thePaavo Nurmi Games in Turkuwith a big national record throwof 89.30m before winning hisevent at Kuortane Games witha creditable 86.60m effort undertreacherous conditions.

Both the events in Finlandhad strong fields, though theTurku line-up had more starsthan at Kuortane, where Chopraslipped after an awkward releaseof his spear in his third attemptunder slippery conditions due torains. Luckily, he was up on hisfeet immediately and won theevent without any injury.

This will be Chopra's first

competition in a DiamondLeague meet after his fourth-place finish in Zurich in August2018 with an effort of 85.73m.He has taken part in sevenDiamond League meets -- threein 2017 and four in 2018 -- butis yet to win a medal. He had twofourth-place finishes, the otherone being in Doha in May2018, where he had thrown87.43m.

The prestigious one-daymeet at the Swedish capital willbe Chopra's biggest event aheadof the World Championships inEugene, USA, next month. Hewill also be facing the toughestfield of the season so far with allthe three Tokyo Olympicsmedallists in fray.

Germany's Johannes Vetter,who has the maximum numberof 90-plus throws among theactive throwers, continues to bein the sidelines. He is not fullyfit and also did not take part inthe German nationals.

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Three-time Grand Slam cham-pion Andy Murray will play

alongside Rafael Nadal and RogerFederer at the Laver Cup inLondon in September.

Murray will be making hisdebut at the competition, which isplayed in a Europe vs. World for-mat and does not award ATPranking points.

This will be the fifth edition.It's being held at the O2 Arena onSeptember 23-25. Team Europe is4-0 so far.

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DJOKER IN 3rd ROUND, RUUD OUT

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Deepak Hooda hit a master-class maiden century as Indiasurvived a mighty scare before

defeating Ireland by four runs in anail-bitting high-scoring second T20International to sweep the two-match series here on Tuesday.

Hooda scored 104 off 57 balls tobecome only the fourth Indian to hita T20 International ton, while SanjuSamson contributed 77 off 42 balls topower India to a mammoth 225 forseven after opting to bat.

Ireland took the chase to the lastover with skipper Andy Balbirnie (60off 37), Paul Stirling (40 off 18), HarryTector (39 off 28) and GeorgeDockrell (34 not out off 16) shinningbright but they eventually fell shortas rookie India pacer Umran Malikdefended 17 runs in the final over.

Opting to bat, Hooda showed hebelonged to the big stage with hisscintillating stroke play, both off thefront and backfoot.

While Hooda was elegant and atease on the frontfoot, he was equal-ly good on the backfoot, dispatchingthe ball over the midwicket bound-ary for a few sixes.

Hooda decorated his knock withnine fours and six hits over the fence.

He was ably supported by SanjuSamson, who, opening the batting inplace of injured Ruturaj Gaikwad,played second fiddle but grabbed hisopportunity with both hands.

Both Hooda and Samson'sstrokeplay down the ground were atreat for the eyes.

Ireland made a rollicking start totheir chase, with Stirling and Balbirniesharing 72 runs for the opening wick-et off just 34 balls. Stirling went ham-mer and tongs from the world go.

Stirling took BhuvneshwarKumar to task, hitting the bowler fora six and three boundaries to pick up18 runs from the opening over.

Stirling then clobbered skipperHardik Pandya for a six. The open-

ing duo continued their attacking dis-play to notch up Ireland's 50 for noloss in just four overs.

Leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi brokethe dangerous-looking 72-run open-ing stand in the sixth over, cleaningup Stirling.

In his next over, Bishnoi hadBalbirnie stumped by Ishan Kishanbut it turned out to be a massive noball.

Balbirnie utilised the chance andclobbered all the Indian bowlers to allparts of the ground to keep Irelandat par with the asking rate.

He was particularly severe onyoung pace sensation Malik, dis-patching the pacer's short deliveriesover the fence as Ireland brought uptheir 100 in nine overs for the loss oftwo wickets.

Balbirnie notched up his sixthT20 International 50 off 34 balls andcontinued his onslaught for sometime before being caught by Bishnoioff Harshal Patel.

But Tector, Dockrell and MarkAdair (23 not out off 12 balls) keptIreland in the hunt till the last ballfrom which the hosts needed a six to

win the match and draw the series.Adair, however, could manage justone run as Malik lived up to his cap-tain's call.

Earlier, India did not have thebest of starts as they lost IshanKishan (3) early. The left-handedopener once again wasted an oppor-tunity, nicking a Mark Adair deliveryto Lorcan Tucker behind the stumpsin the third over.

Hooda and Samson joined handsand the duo batted effortlessly, albeithanding two difficult chances, toshare 176 runs off just 85 balls to lay

the foundation for India's huge total.It was a one-way traffic after

Kishan's dimissal as Hooda andSamson toyed with the Irish bowlersand did not let them settle down.

Except for a difficult chancewhich Paul Stirling dropped at extraoff in the eight over, Hooda played aperfect knock.

Samson too was handed a life inthe ninth over when leg-spinnerGareth Delany dropped a difficultcaught-and-bowled chance.

Samson too played some delight-ful strokes, particularly off the back-

foot during his hallf-century knock.He, however, was cleaned up by Adairin the 17th over.

Hooda brought up his maidenT20I century off 55 balls with a sin-gle to join the likes of Rohit Sharma,KL Rahul and Suresh Raina in theelite club of only four Indian centu-

rions in the format.Once Hooda departed at the

team score of 212, Surya KumarYadav (15) and skipper HardikPandya (13 not out) tried to acceler-ate the scoring but failed as India lostthree wickets for the addition of just14 runs in the last two overs.

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The big-hitting DeepakHooda believes himself to

be "a warrior" when faced withthe task of tackling the new ballin conditions favourable tobowlers.

Because, according to him,there is no other option but tojust face the challenges head onwhen batting at the top of theorder.

Riding his powerful strik-ing abilities, Hooda hoggedthe limelight with a 57-ball 104in India's second T20International against Irelandhere on Tuesday.

Batting at number three,Hooda became only the fourthIndian batter to score a centu-ry in the shortest format.

"I've never opened in aninternational game, but being atop-order batsman, you have tocope up to the challenges andyou don't have any option.

"And if you don't have anyoption, then why don't you gothere like a warrior. That's howI think, and things turned in myway. I'm happy about that," saidHooda after the match.

With young talents burst-ing at the seams, the 27-year-oldall-rounder admitted that it isnot easy to get into, and retain,one's place in the Indian team.

"To be honest, yes it is dif-

ficult to find a spot in the Indianteam and then staying there.But at the same time whenyou're playing in India colours,that time you never think aboutyourself, you think about the

team."That's what I think about

on the ground 'How can I con-tribute to the team in that sit-uation'. I don't think morethan that, try to keep thingssimple. Yes, it's a matter of pridefor me that I'm playing forIndia, no matter if I'm scoringor not," said Hooda.

Walking in following thedismissal of opener IshanKishan in the third over, Hoodasmashed nine boundaries andsix sixes to score his maidenT20I century.

"To be honest, the Irishteam played really well againstus and we enjoyed playingagainst them.

"Between the first and sec-ond game, I think there was adifference in the pitch. In thefirst game, the conditions wereovercast and the wicket wasdamp. But today the wicket wasvery good for batting, as is clearby the way both teams batted.So I felt the wicket was a big fac-tor."

Hooda also revealed that amindset change recently hashelped him perform better.

"Being a cricketer, what

I've learnt lately is that youshould not think too far ahead.How many ever series, look atit one game at a time. If mywork ethic is good, I'm going tobe in a good space of mind andI'm going to score, that's mythinking.

"Try to keep it simple, livein the present, play the situationwell, and then automatically theoutcome will come. Now orlater, it will come," Hooda said.

During the course of theIndia innings, Hooda was asso-ciated in a record-breaking sec-ond-wicket partnership of 176runs with Sanju Samson, whoscored a career-best 77 on hisreturn to the team.

It is the highest partnershipby an India pair for any wick-et in the format, surpassing theprevious best of 165 by RohitSharma and KL Rahul in 2017against Sri Lanka in Indore.

"To be honest, I was com-ing from a good IPL and want-ed to follow the same perfor-mance. Happy with my intent.I like playing in that manner(aggressive) and these days I ambatting up the order so gettingsome time.

���� �����

Pakistan captain Babar Azamhas surpassed India's Virat

Kohli in becoming the worldNo 1 T20I batter for the longestperiod of time after he maintainedhis top spot in the latest ICC T20batting rankings.

Kohli was the No 1 rankedT20I batter for a total of 1,013days during his reign lastdecade, but Babarhas now surpassedthis number follow-ing his long-stand-ing stay at the top.

Among others, IshanKishan slipped two placesbut Deepak Hooda and SanjuSamson made huge gains at theICC T20I Player Rankings follow-ing their sensational innings at thesecond and final T20I againstIreland.

Left-handed batter Kishanslumped to number 7 after scor-ing 26 and 3 in the two T20sagainst Ireland but Hooda,who smashed 47 in the firstgame and a maiden centu-

ry in the second match to power India to aseries-clinching four-run win, galloped 414places to 104th.

Samson was also rewarded for his knock of77 as he reached the 144th spot in the battingchart.

Ireland's Harry Tector gained a mas-sive 55 places to reach 66th position

among batters with scores of 39 and 64not out in the rankings, which wasupdated after the two-match India-Ireland series.

In the bowlers' list, pacer HarshalPatel moved from 37th to 33rdposition while Ireland's Mark Adairclimbed to 43rd from 45th.

In Test ranking, Joe Root hungon to his narrow lead as the top-ranked batter but there was somebig movement behind him follow-

ing the completion of England'shome series against New Zealand.

New Zealand batting pair ofDaryl Mitchell and TomBlundell have attained career-best positions as has England

spinner Jack Leach, aftersuperb performances in the

third match of their ICCWorld Test Championshipseries in Leeds.

���� ����

Nathan Lyon took his 20thfive-wicket haul to bowl

Sri Lanka out for 212 beforeAustralia reached 98-3 atstumps Wednesday on theopening day of the first Test.

Sri Lankan off spinnerRamesh Mendis dismissedDavid Warner (25) lbw andhad Marnus Labuschagne (13)caught by Asitha Fernando inAustralia's innings to finish theday on 2-35.

Steven Smith was run outfor 6 after a mix-up withUsman Khawaja, who refusedto run after calling Smith fora single.

Khawaja was batting on 47with Travis Head on 6 atstumps.

Earlier, Lyon returnedbowling figures of 5-90 and legspinner Mitchell Swepson had3-55 to help Australia bowl SriLanka out to a modest score.

Niroshan Dickwella topscored for Sri Lanka with 58,his 21st Test half-century. Headded 42 runs for the sixthwicket with Angelo Mathews

(39) after Sri Lanka lost fivewickets for 97 runs, and 54runs for the seventh wicketwith Mendis (22).

Lyon trapped Mendis lbwwith just two runs added to theteatime score to end his part-

nership with Dickwella.Dickwella edged Lyon to

wicketkeeper Alex Carey andhad Lasith Embuldeniya (6) ashis fifth wicket.

Earlier, he dismissedDimuth Karunaratne (28) and

Angelo Mathews (39), bothcaught by David Warner.

Australia's second spin-ner Mitchell Swepson tooktwo consecutive wickets inthe 37th over with identicaldeliveries.

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Jasprit Bumrah is set to becomefirst fast bowler in 35 years to

lead Indian Test team in therescheduled 'fifth Test' againstEngland as regular captain RohitSharma has been ruled out of thegame after testing positive forCOVID-19 for the second timeon Wednesday.

The last pacer-captain thatIndia had was the great KapilDev, who was removed fromcaptaincy in 1987. Since thenIndia has never had a speedmerchant leading the team intraditional cricket.

"Rohit is out of this Testmatch, starting July 1, as his RT-PCR test has come positiveagain. He is still in isolation.Jasprit Bumrah, who is one ofthe vice-captains in absence ofKL Rahul, will lead the team," asenior BCCI official said.

Bumrah will be the 36thcricketer to lead India in thelongest-format since the coun-try first played in 1932. TheGujarat pacer, who has 123wickets in 29 Tests, has growninto world's best fast bowlers.

The Chairman of selectorsChetan Sharma had alreadysaid that he is being groomed as

a future leader.

��0���������� � ����With the experienced Rohit

out of the playing eleven, sea-soned Cheteshwar Pujara has agood chance of opening the bat-ting with young Shubman Gill.

The soure said that Mayank

Agarwal has just been broughtas "cover" and is not in thescheme of things as far featur-ing in the playing eleven is con-cerned. It is understood that thespecialist batters in the set-upwill be Pujara, Gill, Virat Kohli,Shreyas Iyer, Vihari and RishabhPant.

���� �����:�

South Africa batsman andlimited-overs captain Temba

Bavuma was ruled out of nextmonth's tour to England onWednesday with a left elbowinjury.

Bavuma will miss the threeODIs and three T20 gamesagainst England, two T20sagainst Ireland, and the three-match Test series againstEngland. Bavuma was injured inthis month's T20 series in India.He needs eight weeks to recov-er from the injury, Cricket SouthAfrica said.

Keshav Maharaj will fill infor Bavuma as ODI captainand David Miller will stand inas T20 captain. Dean Elgar is theProteas' regular Test captainbut Bavuma is an important top-order batsman for the Test team.

Fast bowler Kagiso Rabadawill be rested for the ODI gamesbut is part of the T20 and Testsquads. Young fast bowlerGerald Coetzee received hisfirst call-up and is included inthe T20 squad.

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Express pace was the reasonIndia skipper Hardik Pandya

asked Umran Malik to bowl thefinal over of the second T20International against Ireland here.

Ireland took the chase of 226to the last over but fell short byfour runs as Umran defended 17runs in the last over on Tuesday.

"Not worried to be honest.Wanted to keep pressure out of myequation, wanted to be in the pre-sent. I backed Umran since he haspace. With his pace, it's difficult forpeople to hit," Hardik said,explaining the rationale behindgiving Umran the crucial finalover.

Deepak Hooda hit a blisteringmaiden century as India surviveda scare before prevailing overtheir less fancied opponents in anail-bitting finish.

"I think we've come to play agame of cricket, so Ireland weregoing to show us what they have.Credit to them, they played amaz-ing shots. At the same point oftime, credit to our bowlers to crossthe line.

"The crowd was amazing.Their favourites boys were Dineshand Sanju, great to see them

enjoy them. Good for us to expe-rience cricket in this part of theworld too. Grateful to the fans,"Hardik said to loud cheers.

Set an imposing target, Irelandshowed a lot of heart and nearlypulled off what would have beena memorable victory.

"We are all pretty good, we dida lot of good stuff with the bat. Wewanted to express and we did that.Bitterly disappointed, a bitter pillto swallow," Ireland captainAndrew Balbirnie said after thematch.

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rd junio 2022 - Ayuntamiento Rivas Vaciamadrid

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