PNS n HYDERABAD

In political 'dharm yudh' itbecomes difficult to perceive whois upholding dharma, for whom,and, above all, at what cost. InTelangana, on Tuesday, when theauthorities recorded 100% increasein Covid-19 cases in the state, BJPpresident Jagath Prathap Nadda putseveral karyakartas milling aroundhim at risk of infection. His follow-ers hardly paid heed to the alarmraised in the state over the perils ofovercrowding. A huge crowd wasseen at the Secunderabad Gandhistatue at the airport waiting for thearrival of the BJP president.

Upon arrival, Nadda observed:"This is 'Dharm Yudh' for us.

RNI No. TELENG/2018/76469

Established 1864Published From

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HYDERABAD, WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 5, 2022; PAGES 12 `3

HHYYDDRRAABBAADDWWEEAATTHHEERR

Updated JANUARY 04, 2021 5:00 PM

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AALLMMAANNAACC

TTOODDAAYY

Month & Paksham:

Pausa & Sukla PakshaTithi : Tritiya : Jan 04 05:19 PM to Jan 0502:35 PMChaturthi : Jan 05 02:35 PM to Jan 06 12:29 PM

Nakshatram : Shravana: Jan 04 10:57 AM to

Jan 05 08:46 AM

Dhanishta: Jan 05 08:46 AM to Jan 06 07:11 AM

Rahukalam : 12:21 PM to 1:44 PM

Yamagandam : 8:13 AM to 9:36 AM

Varjyam : 12:30 PM to 02:00 PM

Gulika : 10:58 AM to 12:21 PM

Amritakalam : 09:28 PM to 10:58 PM

Abhijit Muhurtham : Nil

PNS n HYDERABAD

In a massive jump, Telangana onTuesday reported 1,052 newCOVID-19 cases, more than dou-ble that was recorded yesterday,taking the tally to 6, 84,023, whilethe death toll rose to 4,033 with twomore fatalities.

The state also reported 10 newOmicron variant of COVID-19cases, pushing the tally to 94.However, 37 people recoveredfrom the new strain.

The State had recorded 482 newcases yesterday. It was on June 26last year that the state had regis-tered over 1000 in fresh COVID-19 infections.

The Greater HyderabadMunicipal Corporation (GHMC)accounted for the most number offresh cases with 659, followed byMedchal Malkajgiri (116) district,

the bulletin said, providing detailsas of 5.30 PM today.

It said 240 people recoveredfrom the infection on Tuesday. Thecumulative number of recoveriestill date was 6, 75,132.

The number of active cases was

4,858, the bulletin said.It said nearly 43,000 samples

were tested today and the totalnumber examined till date was over2.98 crore. The samples tested permillion population were over eightlakh.

NAVEENA GHANATE n HYDERABAD

After a brief lull, rapid antigen kitshave started flying off pharmacyshelves in Hyderabad in significantnumbers over the past one week.Going by the statements of citypharmacists, it appears that thereis more to it than meets the eye inofficial figures relating to Covid-19caseload because of the use of self-testing kits by many people who donot bother to report positive cases,if any, as directed in the kits.

The state government, on itspart, has declared the onset of thethird wave, going by surging cases.

Simultaneously, there has been aspurt in the demand for self-test-ing kits.

Owners of several medical shops

in the city confirmed to ThePioneer that they are seeing morenumber of customers for the kitsnow than in the previous months.

The owner of a medical storeowner in Kukatpally said, "Yesthere is increase in rapid kit pur-chases. Until last month, we did notreally keep huge stocks, but over thepast one week more kits were soldthan from the time we actuallybrought them to the store.However, so far, we have been ableto procure kits easily and foreseethe momentum to continue".

The Mylab CoviSelf - COVID-19 Rapid Antigen Self Test Kit ispriced at Rs 250 and is even avail-able for online purchase on e-com-merce sites.

PNS n HYDERABAD

The Telangana High Court onTuesday said it is suspending phys-ical hearing of cases owing to aspike in COVID-19 cases.

Considering the fact of spike inthe cases of COVID-19 and othervariants in the State of Telanganaand also looking at the issues relat-ing to health and safety of the StakeHolders, the High Court has decid-ed to suspend the physical hearingof cases by the Hon'ble DivisionBenches and Single Benches in the

High Court with immediate effectuntil further orders, the High Courtsaid in a notification.

However, the judges will havediscretion to hear the matters either

physically or virtually, it furthersaid.

The Registrar (Judicial-I) shalltake instructions from the judges asto the mode of their sitting for noti-fying the same in advance.

During the course of physicalhearing, advocates and parties-inperson should adhere to COVID-19 protocols such as wearing facemasks, using sanitisers and main-taining physical distancing amongother norms, the notification said.

Telangana has over 4,000 activeCOVID-19 cases in the state.

G RAVI KIRANn HYDERABAD

“We will revoke passports of NRIswho post hateful posts in thesocial media and register cases,issuing lookout notices”, theCommissioner of Police,Hyderabad Mr. C.V.Anand hasstated in the first video conferenceas CP of Hyderabad held onTuesday.

He has instructed officers to actstrict on social media harassment.He said that those harassing peo-ple by morphing their photos andposting them on social media plat-forms with derogatory commentsshould be dealt with strictly. Inaddition to registering cases againstthose spreading fake news onsocial media, he expressed thedesire for a speedy trial.Speaking atthe conference, which was attend-

ed by police officers of all depart-ments, the commissioner directedthe authorities on the precautionsto be taken in case of cybercrime.

During this, several suggestionshave been made on the course tobe followed in the case of cyber-crime including speedy investiga-tion in cybercrime cases.

With instances of NRIs postinghateful and derogatory posts onsocial media platforms, the com-missioner warned of registeringcases against them apart fromissuing lookout notices. Their pass-ports will be seized and visas toowill be canceled as per legal provi-sions, CP Hyderabad warned.

The commissioner further askedthe officials to provide informationregarding crimes and criminals tothe sections and wings concernedfrom time to time.

PAGE-2

Nadda ‘Dharm Yudh' begins byexposing Karyakartas to Covid PNS n HYDERABAD

In a broadside against the rulingTRS in Telangana over its "unde-mocratic and autocratic" function-ing and others, BJP president J PNadda on Tuesday alleged thatChief Minister K ChandrasekharRao has "lost mental balance" in thewake of BJP's wins in the Assemblybypolls.

Hitting out at the TRS govern-ment over the arrest of state BJPpresident Bandi Sanjay Kumar andalleged corruption, he alleged thatthe TRS regime is "the most unde-mocratic" and "one of the most cor-rupt" in the country.

BJP would fight against the TRSin a democratic way, till the "deci-sive end", he said.

"We will expose KCR (ChiefMinister K Chandrasekhar Rao).We will expose his corrupt prac-tices," he told reporters hereTuesday night.

Nadda arrived here Tuesdayevening to attend the three-daycoordination meeting of RSS and

the various organisations inspiredby it. The coordination meeting ofRSS would be held fromWednesday.

Nadda was scheduled to partic-ipate in a "peace rally" of state BJPat Mahatma Gandhi statue inSecunderabad here Tuesdayevening against Sanjay Kumar'sarrest and subsequent imprison-

ment for alleged violation ofCOVID-19 prohibitory norms.

Kumar was arrested on Sundaynight over a protest in solidaritywith teachers and other govern-ment employees against the stategovernment's recent Order (No317). However, police denied per-mission to the "peace rally" in viewof the COVID-19 prohibitory

orders. With police denying per-mission, high drama prevailed hereas Nadda arrived at the airport.

TRS regime ‘most undemocratic’: Nadda

PNS n HYDERABAD

There was high drama at the RajivGandhi International Airport,interspersed with tense moments,during Nadda's arrival. Nadda,despite arriving in city for an RSSmeeting, chose to expresssolidarity with Bandi Sanjay, whohad been arrested and remandedin judicial custody for 14 days.Soon upon arrival, Naddaexpressed his intention to stageprotest against the action of theTelangana Government at GandhiChowk, Secunderabad.

High drama atairport

Telangana records huge spike,fresh Covid infections at 1,052

HC suspends physical hearing of cases

PNS n HYDERABAD

Amid police restrictions, BJPPresident JP Nadda on Tuesdaypaid floral tributes to MahatmaGandhi's statue here as part of theparty's "peace rally" in protestagainst the arrest of BJP's Telanganaunit president Bandi Sanjay Kumar.

High drama prevailed onTuesday evening as Nadda arrivedat the city airport to participate in

the party rally but police deniedpermission for holding it in viewof COVID-19-related prohibitoryorders.

Nadda told reporters at the air-port that city joint commissionerof police Kartikeya met him andtold him that the COVID-19norms should be adhered to andthat no permission was accordedfor the event.

Nadda said he told the police

official that he would follow allCOVID-19 norms and go toMahatma Gandhi's statue accord-ingly, in a democratic way.

Asserting that he would followCOVID-19 norms, Nadda said herequested the police official tomake necessary arrangements sothat he can pay his respects atMahatma Gandhi's statue as per thenorms.

Amid restrictions, BJP chief Naddaparticipates in ‘peace rally’in Hyd

PNS n HYDERABAD

Nearly 4.42 lakh passports andPolice Clearance Certificates (PCCs)were issued during 2021. This is justabout one and a half times the num-ber of passports issued in 2020. Inyear 2020, 2.93 lakh passports wereissued. In 2019, 5.54 lakh passportswere issued.

Dasari Balaiah, IRS RegionalPassport Officer & Head of MEABranch, said, "During the lockdownlast year, the passport services werenever stopped and all the emer-gency passports requirements wereattended from RPO, Secunderabad".

Post lockdown in May 2021, thePassport Offices opened with 50%appointments in June 2021 and laterwith 75% in August, 2021. In viewof the demand for passports, 100%appointments were released w.e.f. 23September, 2021. Appointmentavailability cycle in September, 2021was 7 working days, whereas itincreased to 15 working days in the

months of October and November,2021. To reduce the delay in gettingappointments, 200 additionalappointment slots per day werereleased throughout all PSKs inDecember, 2021 and passport appli-cants were attended while followingall the COVID - 19 appropriatebehaviour protocol. This resulted inimmediate dropping of the waitingtime for passport appointments atPSKs (Begumpet, Ameerpet,Tolichowki)/PSLK (Karimnagar) to7-8 working days and to two daysin PSK, Nizamabad.

Demand for self-testing kits soaring

PNS n HYDERABAD

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla hasresponded to the letter sent byTelangana BJP chief Bandi SanjayKumar requesting the LS Speakerto protect his rights and privilegesas an MP. Sanjay representsKarimnagar in the LS. Sanjay sentthe letter as a Privilege Motion. OmBirla directed the Union HomeDepartment to submit facts aboutthe arrest of Sanjay within 48hours.

Passports will be canceled for

NRIs who do hateful posts: CP

LS Speaker asks HomeSecy to submit reporton Sanjay’s arrest

4.42 lakh passports issued in 2021

PNS n NEW DELHI

The Indian Women's Press Corpson Tuesday termed the 'Bulli Bai'app "a well-planned conspiracy"to persecute the minority andpromote gender-based violenceand it hoped the government willtake "strong steps" to stop the"auction of women's respect onthe Internet".

In a statement, it also thankedthe Mumbai police for taking "aprompt action" in the case byarresting two accused. Thewomen journalists' body hopedthe police will take "a promptaction" and arrest the accusedinvolved in a similar case of list-ing of Muslim women for "auc-tion" on the 'Sulli Deals' app thathad surfaced in July last year.

PNS n MORADABAD

All India Majlis-e-IttehadulMuslimeen leader AsaduddinOwaisi on Tuesday said BJP lead-ers are trying to destroy commu-nal harmony and dignity of theIndian Constitution. Addressing agathering at Dingarpur, Owaisiaccused Prime Minister NarendraModi, Uttar Pradesh Chief MinisterYogi Adityanath and Union HomeMinister Amit Shah of encourag-ing people who are spreadinghatred in name of religion.

The Muslim leader was referringto the Dharamsansad' recentlyheld in Haridwar, where open callsfor violence against Muslims weremade by seers and many others.Owaisi also slammed the contro-versial Bulli Bai' app which postedpictures of many Muslim womenin an auction'.

BJP trying todestroy communalharmony: Owaisi

Bulli Bai app conspiracyto persecute minority,promote violence againstMuslim women: IWPC

Explaindevelopmentson Indo-China

border: CPI to PM

PAGE-5

Why are majorparties in AP after

slain legislatorRanga's family?

Uptick in issue of passports

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(IN HYDERABAD)

Although the GeneralElection is notround the corner,

one can prematurely feelthe 'heat' of hustings fromthe strategies being craft-ed by the principal polit-ical parties in AndhraPradesh. The ruling YSRCPand the principal oppositionTDP are out to woo the elec-torate, particularly thosebelonging to a particular castethat is known to be predomi-nant in the coastal Andhraregion.

It is in this context that thefamily of former Congress leg-islator from VijayawadaVangaveeti Mohana Ranga Rao,who had been a cult figure inhis heyday, is extremely impor-tant. Even today there is wide-spread feeling that the partythat sails with Ranga's familywill have the last laugh at thehustings. Naturally, the princi-pal political players in the stateare running after Ranga fami-ly's and unabashedly own it.

In Krishna, Guntur, East

and West Godavaridistricts, the Ranga fac-tor is crucial for the out-come of any elections.Ranga was brutally mur-

dered when he wason indefinite fast in

Vijayawada on 26,December 1988. So, rulingYSRCP and Telugu DesamParty are moving cautiously toown Ranga's family for the pur-pose of influencing voters.

Ranga's son Radha Krishnahas been facing an embarrass-ing situation following hispolitical decisions. RadhaKrishna was elected to theAssembly of undivided AndhraPradesh in 2004 with patron-age extended by YSRajasekhara Reddy. By the timeof the next elections, he hadswitched his loyalties to thepolitical party launched byfilm actor Chiranjeevi andunsuccessfully contested thenext Assembly elections.

With the emergence of YSJaganmohan Reddy as YSRCPchief, he moved there, but

could not adjust himself asJagan had refused the Assemblyseat represented by himselfearlier. Rejecting Jagan's offerto contest from theMachilipatnam Lok Sabha con-stituency, he joined TeluguDesam Party. Now the equa-tions are changing.

For parties, latching on tothe qualities of Ranga is crucialfor influencing voters. Afterserving local people as a corpo-rator of the VijayawadaMunicipal Corporation, heentered the erstwhile AP stateAssembly by contesting from

Vijayawada -East in the 1985elections. He won the seat witha thin margin of 3,000 votes bydefeating Y. Rajagopal Rao,who was a lecturer. He contin-ued as legislator for just threeand half years. With the expe-rience of his one term in theAssembly, he appeared to haveconsolidated his position in theconstituency. It became a bas-tion of his family as his wifeRatna Kumari won the subse-quent two elections for theAssembly in 1989 & 1994. Onedecade later, his son RadhaKrishna got elected from the

same seat after delimitation ofconstituencies. In fact, theCongress party had lost famewith two consecutive blowsdelivered by TDP in the elec-tions of 1983 and 1985.

Ranga was murdered in theearly hours of 26, December1988 by his political opponents,following faction feuds betweentwo families of VangaveetiRanga and DevineniRajasekhar (Nehru).

Vangaveeti's murder hadsparked violence and arson incoastal Andhra. But the thenNTR government did not showany visible efforts to control theviolence, probably with a viewto present a different picturethat influence of violence onthe public would be more thanthat of the sensational murder.But people did not believewhat the then government pro-jected in order to belittle thelegislator. Interestingly, threedecades after the death ofRanga, his name still has influ-ence on some sections of soci-ety, particularly among peoplebelonging to the caste to whichRanga belonged.

So, Ranga's name is beingchanted by all parties, includ-ing Jana Sena headed by filmstar Pawan Kalyan whobelongs to the same caste.Ranga's son Radha Krishna ispresently in TDP, though hehas not been active for quitesome time. Recently duringthe programmes organisedon the occasion of Ranga's

death anniversary, there was asensational revelation byRadha Krishna that a reccewas conducted by some mis-creants to physically eliminatehim at the behest of his polit-ical opponents.

AP Minister KodaliSrivenkateswara Rao andGannavaram MLAVallabhaneni Vamsi Mohan,who participated in a pro-gramme organised to markRanga's death anniversary,made a vain bid to convinceRanga's family to get closer toruling party YSRCP. RecentlyTDP supremo ChandrababuNaidu visited Radha Krishna'shouse and discussed the issuesurrounding the alleged recce.Naidu tried hard to instil con-fidence among mother andson at their residence.

YSRCP also offered Radhaan MLC post and one positionin the party, but he did notrespond officially. TDP is con-templating to field Radha froman Assembly seat. PawanKalyan's JSP is also interested

to get Radha into its fold. Infact, Ratna Kumari, as a legis-lator of Congress party, hadopposed TDP tooth and nail.But at the fag end of her secondterm as MLA, she surprising-ly joined the Telugu DesamParty. Then CLP leader P.Janardhan Reddy had tried invain to convince Ratna Kumarito continue to remain in theCongress.

At the time of the death ofher husband Ranga, she hadshut the door on then chiefminister &TDP president NTRama Rao, who had come toconsole her over the incident.He stood for two minutes out-side the door and went back. Itwas a sensational political inci-dent in those days and was dis-cussed among the general pub-lic with much enthusiasm.Now the present TDP presidentChandrababu Naidu has beenwelcomed by the same RatnaKumari and her son RadhaKrishna at their residence.

As they say, "anything ispossible in politics".

M D RATNA KUMAR

Senior Journalist

So, Ranga's name is being chanted

by all parties, including Jana Sena

headed by film star Pawan Kalyan

who belongs to the same caste.

Ranga's son Radha Krishna is

presently in TDP, though he has not

been active for quite some time.

PIN

POINT

Why are major parties in AP after slain legislator Ranga's family?

PNS n HYDERABAD

A meeting of the TPCCPolitical Affairs Committee(PAC) will be held onWednesday to discuss variousissues including TPCCWorking President T. JaggaReddy's letter leakage andthe unilateral functioning ofTPCC chief Revanth Reddy.

The meeting will be heldvirtually as Revanth is coro-na positive. TelanganaCongress Affairs in-chargeManickam Tagore is comingto Hyderabad to attend thePAC meeting.

Training classes of theCongress will be held onOctober 10, 11 and 12 tostrengthen the party in theState. The classes will be con-ducted at the Celebrity Clubin the suburbs of Hyderabad.

The classes train districtpresidents, former ministers,MLAs, MPs and state com-mittee members. They willalso discuss the measuresneeded to strengthen theparty in the state.

On Tuesday evening theTPCC had a meeting withDCC presidents at the GandhiBhavan.

PNS n HYDERABAD

The arrest of TelanganaBJP chief Bandi Sanjay hasbecome a hot topic.

On Tuesday, the BJPcalled for a rally from theMahatma Gandhi statuein Secunderabad toParadise Circle to protestagainst the arrest ofSanjay. BJP President JPNadda arrived at RGIAfrom New Delhi to attendthe rally. But only a fewwere allowed into the air-port to receive Nadda.

PNS n HYDERABAD

"It is just a year away for thetwo bosom buddies, the TRSand the BJP, to head to the Bayof Bengal, if one goes by theirrecent utterances against oneanother, which are meant forpublic consumption, and theirdubious behind-the-scenemanipulations," said TPCCPresident & MP RevanthReddy on Tuesday.

In a media statement,Revanth said that the theatricsthat the leaders of the two par-ties are engaged in whileostensibly blaming each otheris not missed by the people of

Telangana, who are waiting toserve a deadly blow on boththe opportunists for their anti-people policies.

"The so-called arrest of theBJP’s State President BandiSanjay Kumar for reportedlybeing ‘set to create publicunrest’ with his programme atKarimnagar is yet anotherclassic instance of fooling thepeople. It is not just theCongress but every individualfrom Telangana who realizesthat this is part of a stage-managed drama being enact-ed by a known betrayer like K.Chandrasekhar Rao and hiscomrades-in-crime from the

BJP, particularly Sanjay," hesaid. Politically speaking thearrest of Sanjay is a part of thedeal between the two leadersto show that the BJP is the pri-mary opposition in Telangana,he said.

"The Congress has beenreiterating that the TRS andthe BJP have struck a secretpact to criticize each otheropenly but remain the best ofbuddies behind closed doors.Misleading the public is sec-ond nature to the leaders ofboth the parties. This gainscredence from the way the twoapproached issues concerningthe state.

PNS n HYDERABAD

The TPCC’s SC CellChairman, Preetham, hasdemanded that TRS MLAsshould resign to make thegovernment implement theDalit Bandhu scheme.

He assured TRS DalitMLAs that he will convincethe Congress high commandnot to field candidates in by-elections in SC constituenciesso that the TRS SC MLAscan win easily again.

Preetham asked the ChiefMinister to explain why hehas not implemented theDalit Bandhu scheme even

though two months havegone by after November 4.

He alleged that the SCCorporation Chairman hasno powers to sign on chequesand that loans which had tobe released have not beenreleased.

Preetham alleged that onlypiravicars are using GO No:317 and that employees whofailed to do piravis are suffer-ing a lot.

He alleged that the govern-ment has transferred manyemployees to places 100 kmaway using GO No: 317 toensure that Dalit employeesare not able to work locally.

He called upon Dalitemployees to join the move-ment launched by theCongress against GO No:317.

He stressed the need forlaunching a movementagainst Chief Minister K.Chandrasekhar Rao similarto the Non-Mulki move-ment of 1968.

He asked the 19 SC MLAsto force the government toimplement the Dalit Bandhuscheme at least in their con-stituencies or else resign tomake the government imple-ment the scheme immediate-ly.

PNS n HYDERABAD

The Congress has alleged thatthe family of a person namedRamakrishna had committedsuicide due to harassment byRaghavender Rao, the son ofKothagudem TRS MLA,Vanama Venkateshwar Rao. TheCongress said that Raghavenderis facing seven cases.

TPCC Working President B.Mahesh Kumar Goud said thatthere is no law in the State afterthe TRS came to power as sexvideos are coming out one afterthe other. Mahesh alleged that60 TRS MLAs have been facingcases as they have been grabbingland. He demanded the govern-ment should arrest Raghavenderbefore Tuesday night.

PNS n HYDERABAD

The RSS will hold a three-daycoordination meeting of thechief functionaries of variousorganisations "inspired" bythe outfit, here fromWednesday. The 'SamanvayBaithak' (coordination meet-ing), to be held at Annojigudahere, would be attended by topfunctionaries of the variousorganisations affiliated to theRSS, Sangh sources here saidon Tuesday."The SamanvayBaithak (coordination meet-ing) of the chief functionariesof various organisationsinspired by the RSS working in

different areas of social life willbe held from January 5 to 7 atBhagyanagar, Telangana," theRSS said on twitter onDecember 21.

This all-India level meeting

is held once a year, SunilAmbekar, Akhil BharatiyaPrachar Pramukh, RSS, hassaid on the Sangh's website.

RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat,it's Sarkaryavah DattatreyaHosbale, along with all the fivesah-sarkaryavah and otheroffice-bearers of the Sangh,will take part in the meetingto review the activities of theallied organisations.

The meeting would also beattended by BJP national pres-ident J P Nadda.

Representatives from 36organizations, includingHiranmaya Pandya and B.Surendran of the Bharatiya

Mazdoor Sangh, Alok Kumarand Milind Parande of theVishwa Hindu Parishad,would also participate in themeeting.

All these organizations areactive in sectors like education,economy and others. Whilesharing their experiences onthe current situation, everyorganization would informabout the efforts being madeby them, Ambekar had said.

Special discussions wouldalso be held in the meeting onthe important areas of envi-ronment, family awarenessand social cohesion and coor-dinated efforts in those fields.

Coordination meeting of organisationsaffiliated to RSS to be held in Telangana

Manickam to attendPAC meeting today

TRS, BJP headed for doomin Bay of Bengal: Revanth

Raja Singh notinvited to welcomeNadda at RGIA

TPCC asks TRS MLAs to quit toforce Govt to implement Dalit Bandhu

60 TRS MLAs facingland grab cases,says Congress

Continued from page 1

We will take all legal recourseand fight in democratic ways tillthe end. We will not overstep thelaws and continue our fight".Incidentally, in this Dharm Yudhparty folks on the frontline i.e.karaykatas will have to run pil-lar to post. What if (God forbid)even one of them is infected?

Nadda may have made a pointwhen he asserted that no onecould deprive him of his demo-cratic rights. The grave fact isthat the country is reeling underOmicron-led third wave.Having arrived in the city for anRSS event, Nadda, in view of thearrest of BJP state unit presidentBandi Sanjay, decided to helm aprotest against the government.

Of course, Nadda, at his level,had informed the police that hewould follow Covid protocol.The ground reality was different:it looked as if the place was cutout for a spurt in Covid-1 cases.All important leaders, includingUnion Minister G Kishan Reddy,made themselves vulnerable byheading to the airport to greetthe BJP national president.

Nadda ‘Dharm Yudh' begins by ....

Continued from page 1

Nadda told reporters at theairport that city jointcommissioner of police Kartikeyamet him and told him that theCOVID-19 norms should beadhered to and that there is nopermission for the event.Naddasaid he told the police officialthat he would follow all COVID-19 norms and go to MahatmaGandhi's statue, the venue of therally, accordingly.Asserting thathe would follow COVID-19norms, Nadda sought the policeofficial to make the necessaryarrangements so that he can payrespects at Mahatma Gandhi'sstatue.

TRS regime ‘most...

Continued from page 1The police intimated him thatthere was no permission for hisplanned rally in Secunderabad andmade efforts to hold him at theairport, where BJP leaders andcadre also had assembled in huge

numbers in obvious violation ofCovid norms. There were tensemoments as heated argumentsensued between police personneland party leaders. JointCommissioner of PoliceKarthikeya explained to Nadda that

as per Covid rules, permissioncould not be granted for his rally.However, Nadda asked the officialto allow him to participate in therally as per Covid rules with "asmall number of people".Karthikeya did not respond.

High drama at airport

Continued from page 1

In fact, some of the doctors areadvising people to screenpatients before attending thecase. They are purchasing SDAKCovid-19 Rapid Antigen kits inbulk.

The flipside of this is that theresults are not reported to theMedical and HealthDepartment as there is no dataon how many rapid kits arebeing used. Even though thetesting kit says they need toupload the data, not many aredoing so. There is no proper sys-tem to report cases.

When this correspondentcalled 104 to check on whom toinform if a person tests positivein self-test, the call centre rep-

resentative said: "There is noneed to inform anyone if theself-test is positive. Please visitthe nearest government hospi-tal, where the doctors will givethe medicines kit and also howto use it. The doctors will adviseon what to eat".

Telangana has come underscrutiny for not maintainingproper count of cases. If true,this will only become a majorchallenge as cases surge due tothe new Omicron variant. Theseat-home kits play around notonly with case count, but alsothe official positivity rate. It alsobecomes difficult in the way thegovernment responds to thepandemic. With such a volun-tary system, thousands of testsper day are going unreported.

Demand for self-testing kits soaring

Continued from page 1

The officials were also asked toidentify criminals who arerepeatedly committing thesame offense and take actionagainst them and prevent themfrom being involved in crimes.This will help in deterringothers who are inclined tocommit offenses.

Emphasizing that everypolice officer should make it ahabit to take actions necessaryon their own, the commission-er asked them not to wait fororders from superior officers inemergencies and utmostimportant incidents. Take thenecessary technical assistanceto gather evidence, he said.

Passports willbe canceled ...

BJP trying to ...

Continued from page 1

"Had the police identified theperpetrators of the infamous'Sulli Deals' that went online lastyear, this incident of targetingand terrorising Muslim womenwould not have recurred andthose with nefarious intentionsto defame Muslim womenwould not have become socourageous," it said. Hundreds ofMuslim women were listed for"auction" on the 'Bulli Bai'mobile application with pho-tographs sourced without per-mission and doctored. It hashappened for the second time inless than a year. The appappeared to be a clone of 'SulliDeals' which triggered a similarrow last year. The Delhi Police

on Saturday registered an FIRagainst unknown persons forallegedly uploading a doctoredpicture of a woman journalist ona website. The journalist hadlodged a complaint and shareda copy on Twitter.

The cyber cell of the MumbaiPolice, probing the app case hasarrested a 19-year-old woman,alleged to be the main culprit,from Uttarakhand, and a 21-year-old engineering studentfrom Bengaluru. Vishal KumarJha, the student, and co-accusedShweta Singh reportedly kneweach other. According to thepolice, more arrests are likely.

"We are thankful to theMumbai Police which under-stood the gravity of the matterand took prompt action," the

Indian Women's Press Corps(IWPC) said.

The women journalists' bodysaid it was "very unfortunate"that objectionable things werewritten about Muslim women"through the Bulli Bai app"."What we understand is that theBulli Bai app is a well-plannedconspiracy to persecute theminority and promote gender-based violence against Muslimwomen," it said."The IWPCstrongly condemns this con-spiracy against women. Weexpress our solidarity with all ofour members who have sufferedmental harassment due to thisentire episode... we will notallow our voices to be sup-pressed against violence or injus-tice against women," it added.

Continued from page 1

The police official, however,expressed his inability sayinghe had no permission for it, hesaid.

"I said you wanted me toadopt the norms and I adopt-ed the norms. I will go as perthe norms. They can tell mewhere they feel that I am notfollowing it. I will fulfil if thereis any shortcoming in follow-ing the norms."

"But, I will go to pay my

respects at Gandhiji's statue ina democratic way and withinthe system," Nadda said.

The rally to "save democra-cy in Telangana" was organisedat Mahatma Gandhi statue atSecunderabad here to protestthe arrest of BJP's Telanganaunit president Bandi SanjayKumar.

Kumar, whose plannedprotest was foiled on Sundaynight for alleged violation ofCOVID-19 guidelines, wasarrested in Karimnager on

various charges including vio-lation of provisions of theDisaster Management Act andIPC section 188 (disobedienceto order duly promulgated bya public servant) and remand-ed to judicial custody.

Kumar, Lok Sabha memberfrom Karimnagar, was arrest-ed when he planned to under-take a 'Jagarana' protest, anight vigil, in solidarity withteachers and other govern-ment employees against a stategovernment order on introduc-

ing a zonal system in the allo-cation of jobs.

The city police announcedearlier in the day that the rallydoes not have permission inview of the prohibitory ordersissued by the state governmentagainst rallies and public meet-ings to check the spread ofcoronavirus.

Nadda is scheduled to par-ticipate in the three-day coor-dination meeting of RSS andvarious organisations inspiredby the Sangh from Thursday.

Bulli Bai app conspiracy to...

Amid restrictions, BJP chief Nadda ... Continued from page 1

It is learnt that the UnionHome Department hasserved notices on theTelangana DGP and ChiefSecretary asking them tosubmit the report sought bythe Lok Sabha Speaker.

LS Speaker Om Birlaasked Union HomeSecretary Ajay Kumar Bhallato submit a detailed reporton the arrest of Sanjay. Basedon that, the Home Secretaryissued notices to the TS

DGP and CS. Sanjay sent let-ters not only to Om Birla butalso to Union HomeMinister Amit Shah,Telangana GovernorTamilisai Sounderarajan, BJPpresident Nadda, TelanganaBJP Affairs in-charge TarunChugh urging them to takeaction against theKarimnagar police for usingexcessive force against him.

He also requested theCentre in his letter to inter-vene to protect democracy inTelangana.

LS Speaker asks Home Secy to submit...

inued from page 1

He attacked opposition partyleaders for not raising anyquestions on activities of"Hindu activists".He alsoalleged that BJP only raisesslogans championing womenbut does not respect them.

Taking note of the recentcomments made byMeghalaya GovernorSatyapal Malik, he said thateven the Governor was crit-icising BJP's policies.

HYDERABAD | WEDNESDAY | JANUARY 5, 2022 hyderabad 03

PNS n HYDERABAD

The Telangana SocialWelfare Residentia lEducational InstitutionsSociety (TSWREIS), MasbTank, Hyderabad, issuedadmission notification hereon Tuesday.

TSWR JC & COE CET -2022, Noti f icat ion forAdmission into 1st yearIntermediate in COEs,General & Vocat ionalColleges in Social WelfareResidential EducationalInstitutions for the AcademicYear 2022-2023

TSWREIS invites onlineapplications from eligiblecandidates for admissioninto COEs, General &Vocational Colleges in SocialWelfare Residentia lEducational Institutions forthe academic year 2022-

2023. The candidates who are

appearing for SSC exam inMarch, 2022 & 10th classthrough CBSE/ICSE in theacademic 2021-2022 on aregular basis are eligible toapply for the TSWR JC &COE CET - 2022. The can-didates can submit onlineapplications from 06.01.2022to 25.01.2022 (5pm),Entrance exam will be con-ducted on 20.02.2022(Sunday) in designated cen-tres across Telangana. Thecandidates are instructed tovisit the TSWREIS websiteswww.tswreis.ac.in ; www.tss-wreis jc .cgg.gov in forprospectus and other admis-sion related details Receipt ofonline applications from06.01.2022 to 25.01.2022(5pm) Date of entrance exam- 20.02.2022 (Sunday).

PNS n HYDERABAD

The ISB’s I-Venture depart-ment has launched a pro-gramme named Women ofInnovation (I-WIN) to provideassistance to women-foundedor co-founded start-ups.

I-WIN aims to mentorwomen entrepreneurs andenable them to scale up theirbusinesses.

Sector agnostic start-upswith a minimum of one year ofoperational experience afterincorporation and proof ofconcept stage ventures canapply for benefits under the I-WIN programme.

Building on ISB's robustnetwork and focused guid-ance, I-WIN facilitates womenentrepreneurs to fine-tune theirbusinesses, explore fundraising

avenues and forge vibrant part-nerships.

As a result of the multi-pronged approach adopted byI-Venture @ ISB, women entre-preneurs can glide through

the go-to-market stage andscale up their products andtechnologies.

Saumya Kumar, the Directorof I-Venture at ISB said,“Having women entrepreneurs

is important for the economy'sgrowth because their participa-tion directly impacts theimprovement of the standardof living and helps in job cre-ation. Well-equipped women

entrepreneurs help in openingnew growth avenues and bring-ing about positive outcomes atthe community level. We see I-WIN as another programme inthat direction."

Those who are interested inknowing more about I-WINshould visit: https://www.isbd-l a b s . o r g / e n / s t a r t u p s / I -WIN.html ISB’s I-Venture fos-ters entrepreneurship and nur-tures start-ups. It administersbusiness incubators that pro-vide 'Start-to-Scale' supportfor entrepreneurship and facil-itates the conversion of start-ups into profitable ventures.

ISB has specific programmesthat cater to entrepreneurs andventures of all types and stages.I-Venture offers a strongecosystem of mentors, VCs,and academicians.

ISB launches I-WIN programme for women

PNS n HYDERABAD

Jawaharlal Nehru TechnologyUniversity ( JNTU)Hyderabad Vice- ChancellorProf. Katta Narasimha Reddyannounced that the Centralresearch facility (CRF) will bestarted for those who arepursuing Engineering cours-es in the campus. Theresearch centre will be madeavailable within a month.The building is also allocatedto the research centre andmaterial worth Rs 50 lakh

will be provided in the CRF.Advanced technology like 3Dprinting machines, Roboticlabs, Artificial intelligencelabs and Electro micromachines will also be madeavailable, he said.

The Vice-Chancellor saidthat JNTUH students will beadmitted to CRF free of cost.Those students who belong toaffiliated colleges can pay anominal fee for the admissionin the CRF. The Universityhas 200 researchers doingCRF every year, he added.

Central Research facilityto come up in JNTUH

PNS n HYDERABAD

The Telangana state PhysicalEducation CommonEntrance Test (TSPECET)convenor Prof. Ramesh Babuannounced the TSPECETsecond and final phase coun-selling to be conducted onWednesday.

The Convener said thatthose who are eligible candi-dates can register on 5th and6th January. The eligible listwill be released on 7thJanuary. Up to 8th of thismonth candidates will go forthe web options, he added.

Prof Ramesh Babuexplained that the provision-ally selected list will be dis-played on 11th January andthe verification process willbe conducted between 12thto 17th January. Those can-didates who are selected haveto come with original certifi-cates for verification.

TS PECETcounsellingstarts today

TSWREIS issuesadmission notification

PNS n HYDERABAD

Metros have been operatingwith full capacity and duringthe peak hours, heavy crowd-ing is being witnessed.Worried citizens are ques-tioning about maintainingCovid norms in Metro.Citizens are seeking to runmore trips to avoid violationof Covid norms.

United Residents WelfareAssociation pointing at theheavy crowds on RaidurgamMetro, urged authorities torun separate train fromMettuguda to DurgamCheruvu and Ameerpet toavoid rush.

Responding to this request,L&THMRL on twitter said,"frequency of the trains is

decided based on various cri-teria. We have run previouslyshort route trains whichdepends on the crowd pattern.We seek public understandingand co operation in terms of

adherence to Covid proto-cols."

Meanwhile several Netizensraised concerns on over-crowding at Metro stations.L&THMRL said that they

have setup necessary signage,announcements in place .L&THRML said, "Also, ourmarshals do random audits.We seek public understandingand cooperation".

HMRL seeks public supportto follow Covid norms PNS n HYDERABAD

The Board of Intermediateeducation secretary SyedOmer Jaleel on Tuesdayreleased the Intermediateexaminations fee dates forappearing in the IntermediatePublic examinations. The lastfor the payment of fee isextended from 5th January to24th January, 2022. The sec-retary mentioned on notethat all the principals of thegovernment and private col-leges are informed in thisregard. The secretary explained thatthe second year regular stu-dents who appeared first yearin Intermediate public exam-ination, October 2021 arepermitted to appear forimprovement in their firstyear passed subjects in inter-mediate public examination,April 2022.

Inter exams lastdate for feepayment 24

thJan

PNS n MEDCHAL MALKAJGIRI

The state government decidedto conserve and develop lakes,ponds, and water bodies inGHMC limits by stringentmeasures to provide greeneryto the posterity and to groomthe regions with water bodiesinto picnic spots for the peo-ple. Municipal AdministrationMinister KT Rama Rao, at arecent meeting, was reportedto have asked special chief sec-retary Arvind Kumar to takestringent measures to safe-guard the lakes, ponds, andtanks, which constituted theheritage of Telangana.

The realty sector is develop-ing in leaps and bounds inGHMC and HMDA limits.But, the water bodies in thoseareas are facing utter neglect.Sewerage is being dischargedinto them unofficially.

Therefore, the state govern-

ment has decided to entrustthe maintenance of the lakes

and ponds to the local real-tors to develop to restore pastglory to the tanks. At the timeof giving permission to layouts,multi-story buildings, gatedcommunities, commercialcomplexes, the government

will put a condition that therealtors should take steps to

develop water bodies in theirareas.

Real estate developers oragencies should take up theresponsibility to develop thearea up to a radius of 500meters from the water body.

Realty firms to be saddled with thetask of developing water bodies

PNS n HYDERABAD

Municipal AdministrationMinister K T Rama Rao, alongwith Ministers E DayakaraRao and Sathyavathy, releasedthe book on Telangana

Municipal Act - 2019 in Braillescript on Tuesday. In an act offirst of its kind in the country,the book was brought out bythe Telangana Governmentfor the benefit of blind per-sons.

KTR releases MunicipalAct - 2019 in Braille

Notorious house burglar Manthri Shankar apprehended

PNS n HYDERABAD

The Tribal Welfare MinisterSatyavathi Rathode instructedthat the teachers and staffshould take special care of thechildren's health who are study-ing in Tribal Welfare Residentialschools, Ashram schools andthe Ekalavya Model schools toprevent the spread of omicronand Covid pandemic in thestate. The Minister stated thatsome students are infected bythe Covid pandemic inMahabubabad and KuraviEkalavya model schools andcare should be taken againstthem. It needs special care andalso arrange comprehensivetreatment for the students, shesaid. Sathyavathi Rathode saidthat to provide vaccination tothose who are in the age of 12to 18 years students before hol-idays. The institutions can utilisethe vaccination centre madeavailable by the government.The Minister said that the offi-cers, teachers and all staff who

are working in Residential,Ashram schools and Model

schools should take responsibil-ity to vaccinate every student.

Take special care of students'health, Minister tells teachers

PNS n MEDCHAL MALKAJGIRI

Rachakonda Traffic Policearranged Green Channel fortransportation of LIVEORGANS - Heart and Lungsfrom Kamineni Hospital, LBNagar to KIMS Hospital,

Begumpet.Ambulance started from

Kamineni Hospital, LB Nagarto KIMS Hospital at 08.04 hrsand reached KIMS Hospital,Begumpet at 08.19 hrs, cov-ered 17.6 km within 15 min-utes without traffic obstruc-

tions.Both the hospital manage-

ments appreciated the ser-vices rendered by RachakondaTraffic Police. CP Rachakondahas commended the servicesof Rachakonda Traffic Policefor the noble cause.

Rachakonda Traffic Police arrangeGreen Channel for transport of organs

PNS n HYDERABAD

The higher officials of Railwaydepartment have taken animportant decision to introduceBullet Train betweenHyderabad-Bengaluru. TheRailway officials have plannedto run the Bullet Trains on eightcorridors across the country. Aspart of this and in the firstphase, it was decided to run aBullet Train between Mumbai-Ahmedabad and a detailedproject report (DPR) was pre-pared for the project. Furthersteps were in progress in thecase which included land acqui-

sition plans. Along with this,running of Bullet Trains werealso planned between Delhi-Varanasi, Delhi-Ahmedabad,Mumbai-Nagpur, Mumbai-Hyderabad, Chennai-Mysore,Delhi-Amritsar and Varanasi-Howra. The officials are striv-ing to prepare DPR for allthese projects. Keeping in viewof the commuters' welfare andfuture needs, it is also decidedto run Bullet Train betweenHyderabad-Bengaluru. BulletTrains will also be arrangedbetween Nagpur-Varanasi,Patna-Guwahati, Amritsar-Jammu routes, it is learnt.

Hyderabad-BengaluruBullet Train on the cards

Bullet Trains were

also planned

between Delhi-

Varanasi, Delhi-

Ahmedabad,

Mumbai-Nagpur,

Mumbai-

Hyderabad,

Chennai-Mysore,

Delhi-Amritsar and

Varanasi

PNS n HYDERABAD

Hyderabad: Distribution ofamount under Rythu Bandhufarm investment supportscheme cont inued onTuesday. As much as Rs512.26 crore was crediteddirect ly into the bankaccounts of 1.91 lakh farm-ers.

Agriculture Minister SNiranjan Reddy said ChiefMinister K ChandrashekharRao turned agriculture sectorinto a profit-making occupa-tion for farmers. As a result,not only farmers returned toagriculture, but many people especially young profession-

als started taking up farmingas a passion and also as aprofession.

The week-long celebra-tions of Rythu Bandhu reach-ing the milestone of distrib-ution of Rs 50,000 crore arein full swing across the State.Farmers are organising cele-brations at village junctions,farm fields and other places.

In several other villagesacross the State, the TRScadre took out bullock cartrallies and also organisedrangoli, essay writing andelocution competitions. Thecelebrations will continuetill January 10.

‘KCR turns agriculture intoprofit-making venture’

G. RAVI KIRAN

n HYDERABAD

The Task Force Police ofHyderabad nabbed a notori-ous house burglar ManthriShankar along with his threeassociates on Tuesday. Almostsix cases were registeredagainst the accused.

The accused ManthriShankar (60), Syed AsadKhan (39), Syed Mehraj (32)and Mohammed Moiz (26),who have committed six

house breakings inHyderabad, Cyberabad andRachakonda Co mmissioner-ates, were apprehended. Twocases in Saidabad, two casesin Saroornagar, one inMeerpet and one inKukatpally were registered.

The accused MantriShankar, who was born andbrought up in Chilkalgudaarea of Hyderabad is a noto-rious house burglar. To earneasy money, he started com-mitting offenses in 1979. He

committed more than 260house burglaries and theft

cases in threeCommissionerates. He wasconvicted in 209 cases.Manthi Shankar has beenarrested more than 22 timessince 1979.

He was released from jailon Dec 14, 2021. After beingreleased from jail, he formeda gang with three associatesnamely Syed Asad, SyedMehraj and Moiz Khan andinvolved in a house burglaryoffense.

A known face among

police personnel and othercriminals, the offender fre-quently shifts his place of stay.He used iron rod, screwdriv-er to break open the doorlocks and committed offens-es.

Generally he commitsoffenses between 1 A.M to 4A.M. Once he enters anylocality, he moves from onehouse to another house bycrossing over the compoundwalls of the houses to avoidpolice and local people.

Sathyavathi Rathode said that toprovide vaccination to those who arein the age of 12 to 18 years studentsbefore holidays. The institutions canutilise the vaccination centre madeavailable by the government.

04HYDERABAD | WEDNESDAY | JANUARY 5, 2022

PNS n MAHABUBNAGAR

The TRS government hasbeen providing Rythu Bandhuand free power to farmerssince it came to power, saidMinister for Excise SrinivasGoud. This is the first of itskind in the world, he said.

Participating in RythuBanhdu celebrations, held atAgriculture Market Yard onTuesday, as a chief guest,Srinivas Goud said the gov-ernment had credited Rs50,000 crore to the farmers’accounts across the Stateunder Rythu Bandu scheme.He expressed his happinessover a large number of farm-ers participating in the cele-brations.

The TRS government set anexample for other States byproviding Rythu Bandu, RytuBheema and free power tofarmers since it came to powerafter bifurcation of the State.Telangana region stood at 25th place in paddy production

in the united State of AndhraPradesh. Now it has leapt tothe first place in paddy pro-duction. The government’swelfare measures ensured thateveryone was happy in theState, he said.

Telangana State is makingrapid strides towards develop-ment all sectors. The govern-ment has posted agriculture

extension officer in all man-dals. The government hadallotted Rs 228.20 crore underRytu Bandu in Mahbubnagardistrict, he said. The previousgovernments had not evenallotted Rs 100 crore for thewelfare of farmers. The TRSgovernment has, however,credited Rs 50,000 crore to thefarmers’ accounts across the

State under Rytu Banduscheme, the Minister said.

He demanded that theCentre accord special statusfor Palamuru- Rangareddylift irrigation project. Heappealed to everyone toexplain to farmers the welfaremeasures being implementedby the government. DistrictCollector S Venkat Rao,

MLAS Ala VenkateswarReddy and Bandla KrishnaMohan Reddy, DCB vicechairman Venkatayya, ZillaGrandalaya Samasta presi-dent Rajeswar Goud,Agriculture Market YardCommittee vice-presidentTirupati Reddy, BhoothpurMunicipal ChairmanBhasvaraj Goud and otherparticipated in the celebra-tions.

‘Rythu Bandhu first of its kind across globe’PNS n JAYASHANKAR

BHUPALPALLY

Bhupalpally MLA GandraVenkataramana Reddy statedthat Chief Minister KChandrashekar Rao has beenstriving for the welfare offarmers and commended himas Rythu Bhandava.

As part of state-wide pro-gramme, Rythu Bhandu cele-brations were held on a grandnote in the district on Tuesdayand the MLA participated inthe programme at Gorlaveeduvillage.

`The Chief Minister hasbeen implementing RythuBhandu programme to meetinput costs for farmers, con-structing major irrigation pro-jects on a massive scale andimplementing crop insurancescheme to farmers. He is theonly Chief Minister globallywho has been striving for thewelfare of farmers. Free powersupply is provided to farmersin the State which has been

standing as a role model toother states,' the MLA said.

On the occasion, a bullock-cart rally was organised andPalabhishekam was performedto the portrait of ChiefMinister K ChandrashekarRao.

MPP Lavanya Sagar Reddy,Sarpanch Sankar, former man-dal president of the party

Ravinder Reddy, former chair-man of PACS (PrimaryAgriculture CooperativeSociety) Sagar Reddy, party'sTown president Janardhan,former presidentSambamurthy , other leadersSeggem Siddhu, PingiliRavinder Reddy and MalleshYadav and others participatedin the programme.

MLA lauds CM as ‘Rythu Bhandava’

PNS n BHADRADRI-

KOTHAGUDEM

CLP leader Bhatti Vikramarkavisited the Area Hospital at OldPaloncha on Tuesday and con-soled Sahiti who has been get-ting treatment there for burns.Sahiti is the daughter of NagaRamakrishna died in a suicidepact. In this connection, it maybe recalled that the familymembers of Ramakrishnakilled themselves by lettingloose the LPG cylinder and bylighting it at their house in OldPaloncha on Monday. Three ofthe family members died in theincident and Sahihi sustainedmajor burns and was admittedin Area Hopsital.

After visiting the hospital,the CLP leader alleged that thefamily members ofRamakrishna had committedsuicide in a suicide pact due toharassment from MLA’s sonVanama Raghavendra Rao. Asa consequence, Sahiti hasbecome an orphan by losinghis parents

and elder sister, Bhatti said.He stated that the Congress

party and Congress LegislatureParty condemned the harass-ment by Raghavendra Raotowards the family ofRamakrishna. ̀ The girl is suf-fering from 90 per cent burns,’he said and urged the doctorsto provide better treatment toher. Bhatti alleged that VanamaRaghavendra Rao has beenindulging in threats and prop-erty settlements for the pastseveral years. The gory inci-

dent took place as police hadfailed to take action againstVanama Raghava, heremarked. Police and otherofficers have not been takingany action against Raghavathough there were several casespending against him even inthe past, he said.

The CLP leader urged thepolice officials to take into cus-tody of MLA’s son VanamaRaghavendra Rao without fur-ther delay so that such ghast-ly incidents be prevented.

PNS n BHUPALPALLY

TPCC leader GandraSatyanarayana has alleged thatthe BJP and TRS governmentshave left the unemployed andfarmers in the lurch.

Addressing media here onTuesday, he said that the BiswalCommittee puts the total num-ber of vacancies in various gov-ernment departments inTelangana at 1.91 lakh, whilethe JAC of the unemployedputs them at 2.50 lakh.Referring to the BJP promiseof creating 2 crore jobs perannum in case it voted topower, he sought to knowwhether the BJP filled 16 crore

jobs in eight years. Similarly,Chief Minister KCR prior tothe elections promised onegovernment job for eachhousehold, he reminded thestate government questioningwhat happened to the promise.He reiterated his allegationthat the Cenre and State havebeen duping the farmers andunemployed and wanted theTRS and BJP to stop playinghistrionics and come to theirrescue. Youth Congress statesecretary Bandam Umesh,youth Congress district presi-dent Banda Srikant, districtCongress leaders RamneniRavinder and others were pre-sent at the press conference.

BJP, TRS left farmers,unemployed in lurch:Cong

PNS n NAGARKURNOOL

Poachers have been killingtigers, peacocks, and otherwild animals with the help of

clutch, gear, and bike wiresendangering lives of the wildspecies in the Nallamala forestregion, according to tribal andAdivasi association leaders.

In fact, mechanics in andaround the forest region havebeen advised against sellingeither the clutch wire or gearwire or the brake wire to pre-vent poaching. However, thepoachers have been bringingthem from urban areas to pre-pare traps to catch the wild ani-mals and kill them.

Expert poachers have notbeen sparing the life of a tinyanimal like rabbit and resort-ing to poaching. As it growsdark, the poachers will camp inforest areas and prepare thetraps with the help of the two-wheeler wires. If any wild ani-mal trapped in it will die if itwriggles to free itself from thetrap.

It has become a commonpractice for the forest depart-ment personnel here to send

the meat of deer, blackbuck

or sambhar to their near anddear or to their superiors as a

gift, it is alleged. A KG ofwild animals is being sold at Rs800, while that of peacockfetches Rs 600- 800. In fact, apeacock weighs 6-8 kg. Headsof the tigers, bears and leopardsare severed and stuffed withother material and will be soldto the rich for displaying themin their buildings.

Preserving the bodies in a

special solution, they removethe skill, nails and teeth andbury the rest of the body.

The poachers target pea-cocks and other small wildspecies – not cruel animals –according to the order andserve their customers withoutthe knowledge of others.

Last year, a gang of poach-ers belonging to Haryanaentered the Nallamala forestarea, according to an alert

issued by the Wild LifeProtection Organisation.However, the local poachergangs have been hand-in-glovewith forest officials and killingthe wild animals at will andescaping detection by enforce-ment officials. The tribal and

Adivasi associations havebeen perceiving threats to thewild species from these gangs.

In places where theChenchus, Tribals, and

Adivasis life the wild animalsare roaming free, but they arethreatened in places wherethese tribes do not live.

The Amrabad Tiger Projectarea is spread over 2611.4square KM of the reserve for-est area. The recent tiger andwild animal species put thetotal number of tigers at 20- 26,tiger cubs-6, leopards-101, wildboars 109. Besides, the forest ishome to deers, sambars, mon-keys, and other vertebratesand invertebrates. Animallovers are apprehensive that theconstant poaching of animalswill endanger the wild animalsin the forest area. Last year,over 131 tigers got killed inproject tiger areas across thecountry in a year, which signalsthe alarming situation ofpoaching.

Poaching in the Nallamala forestregion going on unchecked PNS n SANGAREDDY

Health Minister T Harish Raohas asked the District Medicaland Health officer to keep 2lakh testing kits and one lakhhome isolation kits ready, toensure that a not single med-ical officer post should remainvacant in government hospi-tals, wanted the police, munic-ipalities and panchayats toimpose fines on those who donot wear masks and appealedto the people to do not wastetheir money by approachingprivate hospitals as all ameni-ties are available in govern-ment hospitals.

Addressing the medical andhealth officials at the zillaparaja parishad general bodymeeting chaired by ZPChairperson Manjusri here onTuesday, he appealed to thepeople not to neglect Omicronvirus threat.

The officials of healthdepartment told the Ministerthat first dose of the vaccinehas been administered to all100 per cent, while theprogress of the second dosewas only 54 per cent.

From Jan 3 onwards vac-cines are being administered tothe teenagers – 15 to 18 group.He put the number of thosewho are in the age group at82,000, while there are 2 lakh

persons aged 60 to administerbooster dose to them.

‘Those who were born priorto 2007 should be focussed onadministering the vaccine, hesaid. Students of all private andgovernment schools shouldbe administered the vaccine, hetold the authorities. ZPTCsand MPPs should show specialinitiative to get teenagers intheir areas to get them vacci-nated. The Omicron virus isnot so severe as that of theDelta variant, Yet, the officialsshould take all precautions tohold the number of casesunder check. They shouldreassure the people that thereare all amenities in govern-ment officials as it is the dutyof the government to save the

lives of the people, he said.District Collector is empow-

ered to issue notification to fillgovernment doctor posts, hereminded the officials.

Elected people’s representa-tives should ensure thatadministering the second doseof the vaccine should be 100percent successful. Special offi-cers at Mandal level and con-stituency level should takemeasures to ensure the vacci-nation is 100 percent success-ful. A special drive should beimplemented on Jan 9, theSunday, in all constituencies toadminister the second dose.Local bodies additional collec-tor Rajarshi Shah was direct-ed to send him the dailyprogress report.

Keep 2 lakh testing kits, onelakh home-isolation ones ready

Bhatti alleges involvement of MLA’s son in family suicide pact

Municipal Councillor fearsthreat to life from MinisterPNS n MAHABUBNAGAR

Municipal Councillor ofMahabubnagar municipalitySudhakar Reddy complainedto the Human RightsCommission (HRC) statingthat he was facing threat to hislife from Excise, Sports andTourism Minister SrinivasGoud. To this effect, the coun-cilor, who also belongs to TRScomplained to the BCCommission of the HRC inHyderabad on Tuesday. Healso stated that the complaintmay be considered as his deathstatement.

He stated that his family hasbeen living respectfully, but theMinister has been trying todefame him and his familymembers. The Minister hasbeen indulging in land grab-bing cases soon after he tookthe oath and harassing thosewho oppose his moves, thecouncilor complained.

Sudhakar Reddy alleged thatthe Minister has been trying tokill him, by colluding with OneTown CI Rajeswar Goud. He

further stated that on lastDecember 21, he was falselyimplicated in two cases andwhen came out from prisonafter getting bail, on the sameday, he was booked in anoth-er case and was again sent tojail.

Even now, the police person-nel of the Two Town police sta-tion have been looking afterhim stating that there are stilltwo cases pending against him,the councilor said. TheMinister involves in land grab-bing where ever he finds anopen plot or venture in the sur-roundings of Palamur anddemands 40 percent of land inthe ventures. Thus the Ministeramassed thousands of crores,Sudhakar Reddy allegedCouncillor further stated thatthe District Collector hadthreatened to suspend him ashe was facing cases. `TheCollector was instigated bythe Minister to take actionagainst me. In this way theMinister has been harassingme in several ways’, SudhakarReddy added in the complaint.

PNS n SANGAREDDY

Congress leaders on Tuesdaydemanded that stringentaction be taken against Medakdistrict Ramayampet mandalKonapur Cooperative SocietyChairman Devender Reddyfor allegedly misusing funds.

Congress leaders PalleRamchander Goud andSociety Directors MahipalReddy and Siddiramulualleged that funds to the tunesof Rs 2.26 lakh were misused.They further said no actionwas taken against DevenderReddy, husband of MedakMLA, though the officialsconfirmed the misuse offunds.“They went on a foreigntour by stealing the moneydeposited by farmers,” theCongress leaders said. Theyaccused the government andofficials of failing to takeaction in the case. Despite theHigh Court orders, the offi-cials had failed to take actionagainst Devender Reddy.

Cong demandsaction againstsociety chief

PNS n NAGARKURNOOL

District Collector P UdayKumar on Tuesday directedMandal PanchayatDevelopment Officers(MPDOs) and officials of RuralDevelopment Department toenroll more workers forMahatama Gandhi NationalRural Employment Guarantee

Scheme MNREGS).Speaking at a meeting to reviewthe progress of Palle Pragati anddevelopment of nurseries underthe MNREGS, he asked theMPDOs, APOs of all mandalsto ensure speedy implementa-tion of the development works.He directed the officials tocredit the

wages of the MNREG work-ers to their bank accounts.

TS-iPass approval TheCollector, at another meeting,directed the officials ofIndustries o issue approvalsunder the TS-iPass to theprospective industrialists who

came forward to set up microand small-scale units in the

district. He was chairing theIndustries PromotionCommittee meeting at hischambers here. During thecurrent fiscal year, approvalswere granted to 98 industries

with an investment of Rs 4.52crore. The industries, whenestablished, will provideemployment to over 469.

Drinking water supplyAt another meeting District

Collector, P Uday Kumar hasasked the officials of local bod-ies, Additional Collector ManuChowdary, Mission BhagiradhaExecutive Engineers andMunicipal Commissioners totake all measures to prevent thedrinking water crisis inNagarkurnool, Kalwakurti,Atchampet and Kollapur dur-ing summer. He stressed theneed for supply of potablewater daily through MissionBhagiradha in municipalities inthe four municipalities.

Speed up developmental works: Collector

Telangana Stateis making rapidstrides towardsdevelopment allsectors. Thegovernment haspostedagricultureextension officerin all mandals.

PNS n KARIMNAGAR

Union Tourism Minister GKishan Reddy on Tuesday metBJP's Telangana unit presi-dent and MP Bandi SanjayKumar at a jail in Karimnagarwhere the latter has beenlodged following his arrestover a foiled protest.

Kishan Reddy called onKumar and other BJP leaders,who have been arrested, at theKarimnagar district jail.

Kumar and others were "ille-gally charged and arrested",Kishan Reddy alleged.

"Sri Sanjay garu & others areundeterred, and we're all com-mitted to fight the draconianrule of KCR," he tweeted.

Kishan Reddy also visited

Kumar's residence and campoffice where he was taken intocustody by police on Sundaynight.Sanjay Kumar was onMonday sent to 14-day judicialremand following his arrestafter a foiled protest plan, with

the BJP's national leadershipdubbing the police action as"murder of democracy."

Kumar, Lok Sabha memberfrom Karimnagar, was takeninto custody on Sunday nightwhen he planned to undertakea 'Jagarana' protest, a nightvigil, in solidarity with teach-ers and other governmentemployees against a state gov-ernment order. The order hurtthe interests of the teachers andothers vis-a-vis their transfers,Kumar alleged. Earlier, onSunday night, tension pre-vailed at the camp office ofKumar in Karimnagar whenpolice forcibly entered it break-ing open the office gates in theface of resistance from BJPactivists.

Kishan meets Bandi Sanjay in Karimnagar jailD K Arunademands releaseof Bandi Sanjay

PNS n MAHABUBNAGAR

BJP national vice-presidentDK Aruna took a dig at TRSGovernment and stated thatthe latter has been adoptingthe dictatorial rule in theState. Are the Covid curbs areapplicable only for BJP lead-ers and not for TRS leaders,she questioned.

The BJP activists organiseda camp at the party office inMahabubnagar on Tuesdayto express protest againstthe arrest BJP state presidentBandi Sanjay.

nation 05HYDERABAD | WEDNESDAY | JANUARY 5, 2022

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Maharashtra Minister Eknath Shinde and Shiv Sena MP Arvind Sawant onTuesday said they have tested positive for COVID-19, and were undergoingtreatment for the infection. Taking to Twitter, Shinde said, "I have tested positive

for coronavirus and am undergoing medical treatment under the supervision of adoctor. With the blessings of all of you, I will overcome corona and soon I will be atyour service. People who have comein contact with me in the last fewdays should be careful." In anothertweet, Sawant said, "I have testedpositive for Covid. Have isolatedmyself at home. Request all thosewho came in contact with me to getthemselves tested as a precautionarymeasure. Take care!" More than 10ministers and at least 20 MLAs havetested positive for coronavirus so far,Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar hadsaid last week.

Despite restrictions, a large number of people thronged the venue of the bullock cartrace organised in Sangli district of Maharashtra on Tuesday, days after the SupremeCourt granted the conditional permission to organise traditional bullock cart races in

the state. According to the district administration, the organisers were told to ensure thatonly a limited number of people are allowed at the venue near Nangole village in KavtheMahankal tehsil. However, hundreds ofpeople turned up to witness the race.Holding of bullock-cart races remainedbanned in Maharashtra for the lastseveral years before the apex court onDecember 16 allowed the resumptionof the bullock-cart races. Sandip Gidde,one of the organisers, said 45 farmersparticipated in this race. "We hadpermitted a limited number of peoplein view of the pandemic. However,people from the adjoining villages alsomanaged to come to the venue today.

Delhi reported 5,481 fresh COVID-19 cases on Tuesday, the highest number of suchcases since May 16, with a positivity rate of 8.37 per cent, and three more fatalities dueto the viral disease, according to data shared by the city health department. The

national capital had recorded 6,456 fresh COVID-19 cases and 262 fatalities on May 16,while the case positivity rate stood at10.4 per cent. Tuesday's positivity rateis the highest since May 17, when itstood at 8.42 per cent. According toofficial data, 531 COVID-19 patientsare admitted in various hospitals,including 41 who are suspected tohave contracted the disease. Fourteenpatients are on ventilator support,while 168 patients with moderatesymptoms are on oxygen support. Atotal of 308 patients are asymptomaticor have mild symptoms and arewithout oxygen support.

Maharashtra minister Wadettiwarplans separate OBC frontPNS n NEW DELHI

Amid a row over OBC reserva-tion in local body elections,senior Congress leader andMaharashtra minister VijayWadettiwar is planning tolaunch a separate front to raiseeffectively issues related to theother backward classes.

Maharashtra politics is cur-rently in a state of ferment afterthe Supreme Court ordered thecancellation of the local bodyelections to OBC seats, prompt-ing political parties to rush intodamage control mode.

"Several leaders from theOBC community haveapproached me to lead a sepa-rate front to effectively raiseissues of the backward classeswho have to get their rightfuldue in the society," Wadettiwar,the Minister of DisasterManagement & OBC Welfare,Relief & Rehabilitation in theMaharashtra government toldPTI. Wadettiwar, a former

Leader of the CongressLegislature Party, had planneda meeting of the proposed fronton Wednesday in Mumbai fol-lowed by a show of strength inAurangabad, but both the eventshave been postponed against thebackdrop of the resurgence inCOVID-19 cases in the state. Hesaid there were plans to inviteRahul Gandhi for theAurangabad rally. Sources closeto the minister said that theCongress ranked fourth in thestate when it came to the sup-

port of the dominant Marathacommunity which has heldsway over politics inMaharashtra since the forma-tion of the state in 1960.

Currently, the Sharad Pawar-led NCP is considered to enjoythe support of the majority ofthe Maratha community thatconstitutes 32 per cent of thestate's population, followed bythe Shiv Sena, BJP and theCongress.

The BJP carved a niche foritself by aggressively pursuingthe OBC communities that sawthe rise of leaders such asGopinath Munde, N S Farandeand Anna Dange who laid thefoundation of the party in thestate. Prominent OBC leaders inthe state include ChhaganBhujbal, Jitendra Avhad,Dhananjay Munde (NCP), NanaPatole, Wadettiwar (Congress)and Pankaja Munde, BhagwatKarad, ChandrashekharBawankule, Ramesh Karad,Gopichand Padalkar (BJP).

PNS n NEW DELHI

The Centre on Tuesdayopposed a plea filed by BJPleader Subramanian Swamy inthe Delhi High Court allegingthat the methodology adoptedby the government in the val-uation of national carrier AirIndia was "arbitrary, illegal andagainst public interest".

Swamy has sought to setaside and revoke any action ordecision or grant of any furtherapprovals, permissions or per-mits by authorities with respectto the Air India disinvestmentprocess. A bench of ChiefJustice D N Patel and JusticeJyoti Singh heard the argu-ments put forward by Swamy,Solicitor General Tushar Mehtaand senior advocate HarishSalve, who appeared in thematter on behalf of AirAsia,

and said it will pass an order onthe petition on January 6. Thecourt also asked the counsel forthe Centre and the otherrespondents to file a short noteduring the day and granted lib-erty to Swamy to file a shortnote by Wednesday.It furtherasked the petitioner to file leg-

ible copies of certain docu-ments annexed with the peti-tion.

Swamy has also sought a CBIinvestigation into the role andfunctioning of authorities andthe submission of a detailedreport before the court. InOctober last year, the Centre

accepted the highest bid madeby a Tata Sons company for 100per cent equity shares of AirIndia and Air India Express,along with the government's 50per cent stake in ground-han-dling company AISATS -- thefirst privatisation in the coun-try in 20 years. Swamy submit-

ted that a consortium led bySpiceJet was the other bidderbut as insolvency proceedingsare going on against the airlinein the Madras High Court, itwas not entitled to bid andtherefore, effectively there wasonly one bidder.

"The methodology adoptedby the government in the val-uation of Air India was arbi-trary, illegal, corrupt, malafide and against public inter-est," he said. Mehta contendedthat the petition was foundedon three misconceptions and itdoes not need any considera-tion. He said according to thepetitioner, SpiceJet was thesecond bidder, but the fact isthat the airline was never a partof the consortium that submit-ted the bid and proceedingspending against it have no rel-evance here.

‘Exercise freedom of expression with decency’PNS n WARDHA

Vice President M VenkaiahNaidu on Tuesday said citizensshould exercise freedom ofexpression with the decency oflanguage and discipline ofwords. He also said that it isexpected from civilised societythat its language is gentle, cul-tured and creative.

The vice president was virtu-ally addressing a gathering atthe Mahatma Gandhi Antarrashtriya Hindi Vishv avidyalayin Maharashtra's Wardha dis-trict after unveiling the statue of

B R Ambedkar and inaugurat-ing Atal Bihari Vajpayee Bhavanand Chandrashekhar Azad hos-tel located in the varsity premis-

es. "Let us exercise our freedomof expression with the decencyof language and discipline ofwords. Our writings should be

good for society. It is expectedfrom civilised society that itslanguage is gentle, culturedand creative," the vice presidentsaid. Sanskars and literary writ-ings of a university shouldinculcate civilised conversa-tion, not conflict, he said.

"We should use our freedomof expression keeping the dig-nity of language," he said. Aftera long debate, the ConstituentAssembly accepted Hindi as theofficial language and a consti-tutional status was accorded toother Indian languages ??inthe Eighth Schedule, Naidu

said. "We are fortunate to have lin-

guistic diversity in our country.Our linguistic diversity is ourstrength, as our languages??symbolise our cultural unity,"he said, adding that everyIndian language has a glorioushistory and rich literature.

For Mahatma Gandhi, thequestion of language was aquestion of national unity, thevice president said, adding thateven after insisting on Hindi,the Mahatma understood thesensitivity of every citizentowards his mother tongue.

Maha Minister Eknath Shinde, SenaMP Arvind Sawant test COVID-19

Many turn up at venue of bullock-cart raceheld near Maha village after SC nod

Delhi logs 5,481 fresh Covid cases,highest since May 16; positivity rate 8.3%

PNS n COIMBATORE

Prime Minister NarendraModi must explain to thenation about the develop-ments on the Indo-China bor-der even as both the neigh-bouring countries should con-tinue the dialogue process tofind a solution to the prob-lems, Communist Party ofIndia (CPI) General SecretaryD Raja said here on Tuesday.

Replying to a question onreports about China con-structing a new bridge atPangong Tso lake in Ladakh,Raja said both countries wereholding dialogue at thedefence and ministerial-levelsto bring down tensions andsolve the persisting borderissue.

Being neighbours, bothcountries should make effortsto find a solution to the prob-lems through dialogue, hesaid. Modi, along with Defence

Minister Rajnath Singh, hadearlier said in a meeting withall political party representa-tives on the Galwan valleyface-off that India had notconceded an inch of land toChina, the CPI leader said.

Modi is not talking aboutthe issue now but he is duty-bound to explain the develop-ments taking place along theborder areas at present, Rajasaid. He said CPI's three-daynational executive meeting

scheduled to be held inCoimbatore from January 26will discuss the issues prevail-ing in the country, political sit-uation and challenges beingfaced by the people.

The meeting will also delib-erate on the need for all polit-ical parties to unite and oustthe fascist Modi governmentthat has been functioningagainst the constitution,democracy and secular fabricof the country, he said.

Explain developments onIndo-China border: CPI to PM

PNS n INDORE

Three persons who were alleged-ly begging in a village in Indoredistrict of Madhya Pradesh werearrested as a precautionary mea-sure to prevent any "disruptionof the public peace", police saidon Tuesday.

In videos being circulated onsocial media, some people areseen questioning the three beg-gars in Kachaliya village and

asking them to show their iden-tity proofs including Aadhaarcards. Bajrang Dal's Indore unitcoordinator Tannu Sharmaclaimed that the trio was inter-cepted by the right-wing activistsas they had been seen in Kachaliavillage for the last many days.

He claimed that the trio failedto show Aadhaar cards andcouldn't give a satisfactory replywhen asked about their residen-tial address.

PNS n MUMBAI

Former Maharashtra homeminister Anil Deshmukhapproached a special court hereon Tuesday, seeking default bailin connection with a moneylaundering case registeredagainst him by the EnforcementDirectorate.

Deshmukh was arrested bythe ED on November 2, 2021and is currently in judicial cus-tody.

In his plea filed throughadvocate Aniket Nikam,Deshmukh said the specialcourt had not taken cognisanceof the prosecution complaint(charge sheet) filed by the EDbefore remanding him to fur-ther judicial custody.

Deshmukh pointed out thathe has been in custody for 60days and since the court has notyet taken cognisance of thecharge sheet, he should begranted default bail under theprovisions of Section 167 of the

Criminal Procedure Code(CrPC). As per Section 167 ofthe CrPC, if a charge sheet is notfiled and its cognisance is nottaken within 60 days from a per-son's arrest, then he/she canseek default bail.

Deshmukh in his applicationclaimed that on December 29,2021, the ED in a “surreptitiousmanner”, without informing thecourt that the statutory periodof 60 days expires on January 1,2022, obtained his further judi-cial custody till January 9, 2022.

PNS n ALLAHABAD

The policy of a universityshould not change every timethere is a new vice-chancel-lor, Uttar Pradesh GovernorAnandiben Patel said here onTuesday, suggesting universi-ties should constitute com-mittees which formulate theirlong-term policy in sync withthe changes in the countryand across the globe. In heraddress at the fourth convo-cation ceremony of ProfessorRajendra Singh (RajjuBhaiya) University here, Patelsaid it is the responsibility ofevery university to preparestudents keeping in mindthe global realities so that stu-dents from Uttar Pradeshcan go anywhere in the coun-try or the world and perform.

Policy ofuniversitiesshould notchange withVCs: UP Guv

'Bulli Bai' app row: Woman detainedfrom Uttarakhand, student heldPNS n MUMBAI

Mumbai cyber police havedetained a woman, believed to bethe main accused in the 'BulliBai' app case, from Uttarakhandand also arrested an engineeringstudent from Bengaluru in thecase, officials said on Tuesday.Police had earlier filed a firstinformation report (FIR) againstunidentified persons followingcomplaints that photographs ofMuslim women were uploadedfor ‘auction' on the app hosted by

GitHub platform. In this connec-tion, a team of the Mumbai cyberpolice detained a woman from

Uttarakhand, an official said,adding that she was the mainaccused.

PNS n KOLKATA

Bengal and eastern India'slargest metropolis Kolkata, is inthe throes of a third wave of theongoing Covid-19 pandemicwhich may last well intoFebruary with a peak sometimein the second week of thismonth , according to healthexperts.

They held the lack of visionon the part of the state admin-istration in allowing large con-gregations and festivities as wellas Covid fatigue and complacen-cy on the part of people for thecurrent surge of Covid-19 caseshere. "If you see the surge in the

last five days, it's evident that thethird wave is already here inWest Bengal. It's also there inother metros like New Delhi andMumbai. Cases in our state,

especially in Kolkata have goneup by 12 fold. Every third per-son coming for a test is testingpositive for the disease, "DrAnima Halder principal of state-

run Infectious Diseases andBeliaghata General (ID&BG)Hospital told PTI.

West Bengal like the rest ofthe country witnessed its firstwave in March 2020 and anoth-er after elections to the stateassembly in May-June last year.Dr Sanjib Band yopadhyay,Associate Professor of BurdwanMedical College, who has beenhandling COVID cases since theoutbreak of the pandemic, said"The infections that we see at themoment is not a result of thecongregation we witnessed onDecember 24-25 and and onNew Year's eve, that will comein the next few days."

Bengal in throes of third Covid waveImages of Indian Army's New Yearcelebration at Galwan surfacePNS n NEW DELHI

Photographs of Indian Armytroops holding a large tri-colour at the Galwan Valley ineastern Ladakh as part of theNew Year celebration werereleased on Tuesday by sourcesin the security establishment.

The photographs were alsoposted by Union Law andJustice minister Kiren Rijiju onTwitter with the caption "braveIndian Army soldiers inGalwan Valley on the occasion

of #NewYear2022." The imageswere released three days afterChina's state media played upa purported video of PLA sol-

diers sending New year greet-ings to Chinese people from alocation near the Galwan val-ley region.

PNS n JAMMU

National Panthers Party (NPP)chairman Harsh Dev Singh onTuesday alleged that the newassembly seats proposed by theJammu and Kashmir DelimitationCommission were decided in theBJP office and the panel acted asa mere rubber stamp. Addressinga public meeting in Udhampurdistrict, Singh said suggestions ofopposition parties and civil soci-ety groups seemed to have beenrejected by the commission andit "surrendered before the presentauthoritarian regime".

J-K Delimitation :NPP alleges newseats picked by BJP

Centre opposes Swamy's plea in HCseeking to set aside Air India valuation

Anil Deshmukh moves

Court for bail

Cops arrest 3 'beggars' in Indoredistrict as precautionary measure

us that the system of organ-ised medics began in the19th century during theNapoleonic Wars. For theanimals — mainly horses —in Europe and also elephantsand camels in India, there wasnever any medical facilityuntil their deployment inwar died out.

The advent of gunpowderand later the innovation of thefield gun, a revolutionaryweapon, were more damagingto the enemy, but of no pro-tective utility to one’s own sol-diers. The musket was active-ly used in Spain in the Battleof Parma in 1521, with itsdesign undergoing improve-ment to transform into themodern rifle, in which thecartridge travels in a groove.This was developed in the19th century based on themechanics conceived byEnglish mathematicianBenjamin Robins. It wasentirely an offensive weapon.Helmets thereafter havebecome compulsory battle-gear for soldiers. The head-gear is ancient but its consis-tent use began only towardsthe second half of WorldWar I. The bulletproof jack-et is not yet compulsory forall soldiers, although its use isnow being increasingly man-

dated by Special Forces acrossthe world.

The reason for suchsnail’s-pace progress in theevolution of defensive or pro-tective equipment for sol-diers must be sought in themindset of aggrandisers andconquerors, who believed inand lived for conquests. Warswere the most potent meansof attaining the political objec-tives of kingdoms, empiresand, later, nations. Territorialconquests and continualexpansions were the order ofthe age, for much of history.Soldiers were seen and treat-ed as cogs in the wheel of aheartless machinery or, toput it crudely, cannon fodder.They came from the lowestrungs of the socioeconomicladder and the incentive forthe common folk to enlist andshed their lives — other thanthe undeniable attachmentto one’s land, religion and wayof life — was also the promiseof a share in the spoils of war.The last factor was particular-ly crucial for monarchs andadventurers wanting to line upmultitudes of able-bodiedmen for conquests in far-away lands. Soldiers weremeant to fight and die fortheir king, country or God;such was the thinking prevail-

ing till the 19th century.Prince Klemens von

Metternich, diplomat, states-man and Austria’s ForeignMinister during theNapoleonic age, metNapoleon to try and per-suade him to cease his questfor hegemony over Europe atthe expense of human lives.Bonaparte’s bland riposte was:“Aristocrats like you don’tunderstand us soldiers bornin the cantonment (Napoleonwas born in one). They (sol-diers) are meant to fight anddie. I don’t give a damn aboutthem and neither do they.”Things certainly have come along way since those rathersordid days. The two WorldWars, plus the possible horrorof a nuclear holocaust, havecertainly forced a sea changein the approach to conflictand warfare. While only thenaïve would believe that waris a thing of the past, the tech-nologies of the defence or warindustry are undeniablyreflective of increased concernfor the safety of the fightingman and his individual andsocietal welfare.

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

EC MUST CONSIDER COVID THREATSir — We have been witnessing anoth-er increase in COVID cases in someparts of our nation as well as in othercountries, too. This situation, akin to therising of the Phoenix from ashes, shouldbe a wakeup call for India. At home, thenumber of COVID cases is rising steadi-ly and the States have started imposingthe night curfew as a precautionary mea-sure. The second wave affected our coun-try drastically and the holding of elec-tions in some States was one of the pri-mary reasons for the spread of the virusat that time.

It is ironic that the Election commis-sion has recently given the go-ahead forholding Assembly elections in five Statesin the coming weeks, even after the trag-ic experience of the devastation causedby the second wave. India can ill-affordanother situation like last year. Some ofthe alternatives in this situation areimposing President’s rule in those Stateswhere the elections are due and conduct-ing these when the situation comes undercontrol. Another alternative is to permitelection meetings through live video ses-sions by banning physical meetings. Also,the EC can allow election rallies withsmaller crowds by allowing parties in thepoll fray with strict COVID-appropriatebehaviour.

Nitesh Mandwariya | Neemuch

WHY A FILM FALTERS AT BOX OFFICESir —There were high hopes that thefilm, 83, will become a box office hit. Theinitial reports also revealed that the filmis a money-spinner and that there isevery possibility of the film becoming amajor commercial success. At a timewhen even matinee idol Rajinikanth’sfilm failed at the box office, 83 could notget the much-needed response despite itbeing about the heroics of Kapil Dev andthe entire Indian cricket team inEngland. But there are reasons for sucha setback. COVID-19 is a common fac-tor for these failures as the audiencecould not go to the theatres to see filmswith the same old enthusiasm.

Among other reasons, the most

prominent are that 83 was made on toohuge a budget (`270 crore) and then thepandemic increased costs by `30 crore;also, there was too much cricket in themovie (all matches except Kapil’s 175 areavailable on YouTube); the younger gen-eration does not have the same nostal-gia value for the 1983 win that we have;the overkill of advertising and pre-release marketing; and terrific competi-tion from Spiderman and Pushpa. Theaudiences have proved yet again that onlythe content is king.

MR Subramaniam | Mumbai

TEST MATCH BATTING IS AN ART Sir — Cricket is a team sport where per-formance is the name of the game. TheIndian cricket team currently touringSouth Africa is finding it difficult to crossthe 200 run-mark and that is a worry-ing factor. The top order is making a

mess of the first use of the wicket. AtWanderers, we find the going tough.Both Pujara and Rahane failed to nego-tiate genuine pace and fell in successiveballs. The future hangs on their show-ing in the second innings. In the midstof failures, another seasoned batsmanRavichandran Ashwin stood firm andstroked freely to hit 46 off 50 balls. Thus,he added valuable runs and helped theIndian side cross a decent 200-plus total.

Batting is an art and Ashwin haslearnt it well. As an opener during hisearly days, he made a match of it withhis aggressive batting. Ashwin is a matchwinner in his own right even as abowler and this time he proved his worthas a batsman.

Calicut Krishnan Ramani | Trichy

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

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Send yyour ffeedback tto:letterstopioneer@gmail.com

Right through known history, greater attention and expenditure have

been devoted to killing enemy soldiers than to protect one’s own men

THINGS CERTAINLYHAVE COME A

LONG WAY SINCETHOSE RATHERSORDID DAYS.

THE TWO WORLDWARS, PLUS THE

POSSIBLE HORROROF A NUCLEAR

HOLOCAUST, HAVECERTAINLY FORCED

A SEA CHANGE INTHE APPROACH

TO CONFLICT AND WARFARE

LETTERS TO TTHE EDITOR

PRAFULL GORADIA

Recently, while laying the foundationstone for the Major Dhyan ChandSports University in Meerut, named

after the national hockey icon, PrimeMinister Narendra Modi rightly highlight-ed the need to encourage youngsters totake up sports as a career. It is true that2021 was a watershed year in the sport-ing arena, as it produced the best ever per-formance in Olympics by the country,including Neeraj Chopra’s historic gold in

the javelin throw and the bronze in men’shockey since the Moscow Olympics in1980, among other individual efforts.However, seven Olympic medals do notreflect the true potential of a large and pop-ulous country like India.

There is no dearth of talent, it justneeds to be tapped and harnessed to itstrue potential. The reality, however, is dif-ferent. With the cricket IPL ruling the roost,other sports are bereft of a healthy pro-fessional ecosystem, resulting in lukewarmresponse from the public, thereby relegat-ing these to the background. It is no won-der then that sports as a viable careeroption does not get the attention itdeserves. The success stories of China, theUS, Japan and other European countriesspeak volumes about their strong sport-ing culture in schools and universities. InIndia, creating a separate sports ecosys-tem that caters to the needs and aspira-tions of youngsters hoping to make it pro-fessionally will go a long way in realisingtheir dream.

Vijay Singh Adhikari | Nainital

Making a career in sports

Emphasis on offence& neglect of defence

It is a military axiom that anoffensive military opera-tion generally costs thricethe blood, money and

resources than a defensive one.Yet, conquerors — ambitiousand impatient as they usually are— do not wait long enough foran adversary’s provocation toattack. In the last century, AdolfHitler was an outstanding exam-ple of not being patient enoughto wait for the enemy to attackfirst. In the 19th century,Napoleon Bonaparte was a sim-ilar case. Napoleon and Hitlermet with defeat; the latter alsowith death. In Hitler’s case, alady crystal-gazer had predict-ed that he had to fulfil his mil-itary ambitions by 1943.Thereafter, her crystal showed adark curtain. Hitler too haddeclared on Radio Berlin that hewould rather fight in his 40sthan wait till his 50s.

Training and sustaining asoldier are expensive. Added tothis expenditure is the human-itarian factor like the life of one’sbrethren who have volunteeredto defend one’s country.Incidents of our country’s sol-diers falling in action makemost Indians grieve. Our latestexperience has been the tragicdeath of Chief of Defence StaffGen Bipin Rawat and 13 othersin a helicopter crash. Emotionof this intensity might not beseen or felt if an Air Force planecrashes or a naval ship sinks; asdid INS Khukri in the 1971 war.

Most countries term theirfunctionaries in charge of themilitary forces as Ministers orSecretaries of Defence, althoughin a few nations they are knownas Secretary of War; the UnitedKingdom in WWI, for instance.This might be because of theimplicit embarrassment of aMinister being proudly called awarmonger. Yet, right throughknown history, greater attentionand expenditure have beendevoted to killing enemy sol-diers than to protect one’s ownsoldiers. The sword and thespear cost more than the shield.In the centuries gone by, therewere no medics in the event ofinjuries to soldiers; nor was anambulance available to salvagethe wounded soldier. TheStanford Encyclopedia informs

SOUNDBITEI have tested

positive for

COVID-19. Mild

symptoms. Have

isolated myself

at home.

Delhi Chief Minister

—Arvind Kejriwal

The UK's State-runhospitals will face considerable pressure in thecoming weeks.

British Prime Minister —Boris Johnson

Every single night

Lord Krishna

appears in my

dreams and tells

me that we shall

form the

Government in UP.

Samajwadi Party chief—Akhilesh Yadav

I don't think ViratKohli has too muchof an issue playingbouncers. It's justabout knowing whereyour off-stump is.

Cricket commentator —Aakash Chopra

As almost always, political leaders and sundry other public representatives havebeen totally negligent of and careless about following COVID-appropriate behav-iour, with the express result that reports have now started trickling in of a num-

ber of them having contacted one or the other strain of the pernicious virus.Understandably, the rise in the number of such cases is especially remarkable in theStates that are going to elections in the first quarter of this year, or of those leaderswho have been out campaigning or routinely attending public gatherings. However,unfazed by the threat of COVID-19 and the fast-spreading Omicron variant in States

like Punjab and Uttar Pradesh, the political partiesin the fray continue to hold rallies. For its part, theElection Commission has said the parties want pollsto be held amid strict COVID-19 safety guidelines.According to experts, the third wave of COVID-19may have already started in India, spurred byOmicron. While the variant is dubbed less lethal interms of its illness compared to Delta, it is still con-sidered to be one of the most infectious variantsthe world has yet seen.

On Tuesday, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal,who has been campaigning for his Aam Aadmi Party

in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab and Goa, conveyed that he has tested positivefor the infection and has been isolated. During the devastating second wave of thepandemic in April 2021, Kejriwal along with his wife Sunita had tested positive forthe virus. Later, BJP MP Manoj Tiwari made a similar announcement, saying he wasdisplaying “mild symptoms” of the virus. The MP from Northeast Delhi could not attendhis party’s Rudrapur (Uttarakhand) campaigning on Monday as he wasn’t “feelingwell” since the night of January 2. In the recent days, the other leaders who testedpositive include Union Minister for Heavy Industries Mahendra Nath Pandey, TMC leaderBabul Supriyo, former Bihar CM Jitan Manjhi, Karnataka Education Minister BC Nagesh,10 Ministers and 20 MLAs in Maharashtra. Needless to point out that each and everylife, be it of the leaders or of common people, is far more important than the questfor staking claim to form a Government. Now the EC must take cognisance of suchprogrammes and announce punitive measures against the violators, including the candidate, campaigners and the party concerned. It can’t just look the other way.

Here we are, trying to handle Omicron, and the French have already discov-ered the latest, the B.1.640.2 variant, named IHU. Goes to show how unpre-dictable the virus is. One hopes studies indicating that Omicron is soft com-

pared to previous variants are not making the States complacent. Fresh cases areon the rise in India and the positivity rate is touching or crossing 10 per cent. InMaharashtra, occupancy rates in hospitals are going up. These are clear signalsof an impending wave of the Coronavirus pandemic and the States are still reluc-tant to impose severe restrictions on people’s movement. Attempts at making peo-ple follow safety protocols have failed. Many still avoid wearing masks. People throngmarkets and places of worship. Imposing a night curfew is not a reassuring step.What is needed is restricting movement in the daytime without impacting econom-ic activity. That can only be achieved by making work from home compulsory forall except the frontline workers and the manufacturing sector. The odd-even sys-tem in Delhi has reduced the crowds to some extent. It is time to be decisive; oth-

erwise, all the planning done and infrastructure putin place for a new wave would go to waste. TheDelhi Government, for instance, said it willdeclare a red alert if the positivity rate is over fiveper cent for two consecutive days. It has rangedbetween six and eight per cent in the last 48 hours,but the decision is still in abeyance.

Instead, some decisions have been taken whichraise eyebrows. The Metro has been allowed torun at full capacity instead of 50 per cent to reducepassenger queues outside stations. You cannot ‘un-crowd’ the stations by crowding the trains.

Mumbai is facing the fresh wave heat, but the Government plans to wait for thedaily caseload to top 20,000 before it imposes a lockdown. In their ways, Delhiand Mumbai are losing the initiative by their indecision. It is easy to understandwhy. They do not want a repeat of last year when the lockdown led to the migra-tion of millions of workers and the unmanageable chaos it led to. There is also aconsensus in the country, going by experience, that a lockdown that arrests eco-nomic activity will not be popular and should be the last resort. What the Statesought to do apart from strict restrictions is ramp up testing because that data alonetells us when to introduce or lift containment restrictions. And that is the crucialarea we are lacking in. On January 3, 11,54,302 samples were tested in the coun-try; quite a low figure that says nothing about the depth and speed of spread. Dailytesting dropped drastically since September, hovering between 9-12 lakh tests inthe first week of December. Compare this with the Centre’s target set last May —4.4-5 million tests per day. During the second COVID-19 wave, 16.8 million testswere conducted every day on an average.

Nonchalant

Sick of itPoll rallies and other public functions have led to politicians testing positive

PICTALK

Camel riders pass through the shallow part of the Ganga at Vindhyachal dham in Mirzapur PTI

Amid signs of an impending wave, Govts need to scale up testing for the virus

I love India. I love the people and I love the food. It’s avery warm and wel-coming atmosphereover there.

Actor—Chris Hemsworth

The TRIPS waiver isneeded more than ever

THE BJP IS FEELING PAINED BECAUSE THEIR THEFT (ILLEGAL LIQUOR SALES) HAS BEEN PLUGGED. IT HAS BEEN COMPLETELY JOLTED.—DELHI DEPUTY CHIEF MINISTERMANISH SISODIA

LIQUOR SHOPS WILL NOT BE ALLOWED TO OPERATE NEAR RELIGIOUS PLACES,

SCHOOLS AND RESIDENTIAL AREAS.—DELHI BJP CHIEF

ADESH GUPTA

The lack of vaccination facilities in the larger part of the world and theexpensive treatment for COVID-19 is haunting all, especially the poor

Omicron rapidly rising in India has triggered fears of a third wave.It will highly impact on the agricultural, industrial, services sec-tors, the tourism industry and the balance of payments posi-

tion. The policy makers are trying to maintain the forecast of 9 percent of GDP growth in FY2022, with a clear K-shaped divergenceamongst the formal and informal parts of the economy. Rising con-sumption will push capacity utilisation above the crucial thresholdof 75 per cent by the end of 2022, which should then trigger a broad-based pick-up in private sector investment activity in 2023. The gov-ernment of India will very soon circulate the revised e-commerce pol-icy for raising the online trading pattern while maintaining the swoosheconomy shape of recovery through its flagship PPP economic model.The Q3 FY 2022 data does not provide convincing evidence of sus-tainable growth for current the monetary policy in India and I expect

the Indian monetary policy to change in the upcoming budget inFebruary 2022 in order to control the direction of economic recov-ery amid the Omicron situation. The Government is also planning tomake a roadmap for energy transition in India. The policy makersare intent on maintaining net-zero emissions by 2070. The oil andgas sectors are vital players for achieving the set target. Today, ifwe look at the global energy systems, it is still largely dominated byfossil fuels, with well-established conventional technologies. Coal,crude oil, and natural gas account for about 84 per cent of primaryenergy, with about 12 per cent from renewable energy and four percent from nuclear power. The energy transition is essentially match-ing end-use applications with renewable resources using appropri-ate energy technologies in a cost-effective system, to bring the shareof renewable energy to more than 90 per cent. Reports say that Indianoil, GAIL and BPCL have also started the process to set up greenhydrogen production facilities. The run-up to the renewable energypolicy is marred by the rapid surge in Omicron cases and it has alreadyled to economic disruptions across many countries in the world. Casesare also rising in India and will badly impact the Indian economicrecovery. The Government must focus on its development policy forworking towards an economic revival despite Omicron. The new vari-ant of Covid-19 has set a new barometer of uncertainty for the Indianeconomy aimed at disrupting the speed of economic revival. Recently,the economic revival through foreign portfolio investors increasedthe pace of selling in the secondary equity market of India. As perNSDL, net sellers of equities were worth $4.5 billion. This is the high-est figure since March 2020. The economy endured to forge aheadin India, emerging out of the shackles of pandemic,but the rise ofOmicron has emerged as the biggest risk factor especially in the auto-mobile sector as an oligopolistic market player. The middle-class con-sumers are shifting towards buying needs-based goods and services(NBGS) for their defensiblelifestyle during the times of viral uncer-tainty. However, it is too early to quantify the risk Omicron poses forQ3 FY2022. The recovery rate needs to wait for the data of Q4 FY2022for understanding the economic shape of the country. The policy mak-ers need to create awareness about the risks and Covid-appropri-ate behaviour. There is a need for extreme caution till more is knownabout the virus and the impact on the economy.

(The writer is Dean of Economics, Chitkara University, Punjab.The views expressed are personal.)

HYDERABAD | WEDNESDAY | JANUARY 5, 2022

07

www.dailypioneer.com facebook.com/dailypioneer | @TheDailyPioneer | instagram.com/dailypioneer/

FIRSTCOLUMN

ECONOMY AMID VIRUS& ENERGY TRANSITION

POINTCOUNTERPOINT

DHIRESH KULSHRESTHA

ASHWANI MAHAJAN

Middle-class consumers are shifting towardsbuying need-based goods and services

For the last two years, humanity isgoing through a terrible pandem-ic whose end is not in sight in thenear future. Instead of ending,

the pandemic appears to be worseningwith wave after wave. In the last fewweeks, due to the spread of a new typeof variant named Omicron, there hasbeen an atmosphere of fear in theworld. Humanity is not only faced withthe burden of disease, lack of vaccina-tion in a major part of the world andexpensive medicines and treatmentafter the disease is haunting all especial-ly, the poor.

In such a situation, universal avail-ability of vaccines and cheap medicinesand treatment in case of disease, hasbecome a necessary condition to savehumanity. It is worth noting that com-panies have patents and other intellec-tual property rights of medicines andequipment necessary for the treatmentof COVID-19. Moreover, companiesalso possess control over the formula-tions and raw materials for the vaccines.

Due to the alertness of the govern-ment, the efforts of scientists and thehard work of the coronavirus warriors,India has been better off than manycountries of the world in battling thispandemic. With nearly 142 crore vacci-nations, 65 percent of the country’s adultpopulation fully vaccinated and about80 percent with at least one dose, it isbelieved that Indian population has gotgood immunity to fight COVID-19. Itis hoped that India will also be able tosave itself from the new Omicron vari-ant as well. But the rest of the world isnot so fortunate. There are many coun-tries in the world where the process ofvaccination has not yet started.Expensive medicines and treatment areno less than a death knell for the poorpeople of these countries.

What does an exemption fromTRIPS mean? In October last year, apetition was made by India and SouthAfrica in the World Trade Organizationseeking exemption from Trade RelatedIntellectual Property Rights (TRIPS), sothat vaccines and corona medicines inthe world are available to the entirehumanity on affordable basis. Globally,TRIPS mandates countries to honourintellectual property rights. The exemp-tion from TRIPS would mean thatcompanies that have intellectual prop-erty rights on vaccines, medicines andmedical equipment would be revokedfor the period so decided, and manycountries of the world, including India,would be able to produce these vaccines,medicines and devices on their own.This demand of India and South Africagot the support of more than 100 mem-ber countries of WTO. Although initial-ly, the US was opposing it, later itchanged its stand and supported exemp-tion from TRIPS, though only for thevaccine. The European Union continued

WE MUST NOTFORGET THAT THE

INDIAN ANDSOUTH AFRICAN

DEMAND FORTRIPS WAIVER

WAS NOT ONLYFOR THEMSELVES

BUT FOR ENTIREHUMANITY. SOME

FOREIGN FIRMS ININDIA HAVE GIVEN

VOLUNTARYLICENSES OF

MEDICINESNECESSARY FORTHE TREATMENT

OF CORONAVIRUSAND THEIR PRICE

IS STILL VERYHIGH. HOWEVER,IF THESE DRUGSARE EXEMPTED

FROM TRIPSPROVISIONS,

THEY WILL BEMUCH MOREAFFORDABLE

to oppose the proposal. Althoughthere has been some relaxation intheir stance recently, but still, theyare proposing many conditionsbefore giving their consent.

The Ministerial Conference ofthe World Trade Organizationfrom 30th November to 3rdDecember in Geneva(Switzerland), where a decisionwas expected, has been post-poned due to the spread of thepandemic. Due to the threat ofOmicron, now again there isconcern in the whole worldwhether humanity will continueto suffer without vaccine andtreatment, or a decision will betaken soon for this. It is believedthat had the proposal of India andSouth Africa on TRIPS waiverwas accepted in time, the speedof vaccination across the worldwould have been much faster. Butit is a matter of regret that thecountries l ike the US andEuropean Union, whose compa-nies possess most of patents andother intellectual property rights(IPRs), had been blocking theprevention and cure from disease.It is worth noting that the US,though has consented for TRIPSexemption from vaccine, but hasnot yet agreed to extend thesame for medicines.

The TRIPS waiver is neededmore now than ever before. Withthe advent of Omicron, theimportance of TRIPS waiver hasincreased much more. It is truethat if this decision is takensoon, we can still save manylives. Although some people in

India, are also arguing that today,India is capable of vaccinating itsentire population and it will soonachieve the objective of universalimmunisation; moreover, whenmany companies are already giv-ing voluntary licenses of theirpatented medicines to Indiancompanies, there is hardly anyimportance of TRIPS waiver forIndia. They also say that India hasmanufactured an effective vac-cine, sufficient for India andeven for export. It can also takeadvantage of IPR and sell thesame to the world. In this regardwe must not forget that theIndian and South Africandemand for TRIPS waiver wasnot only for themselves but forthe whole of humanity. Some for-eign companies in India havegiven voluntary licenses of med-icines necessary for the treatmentof coronavirus to Indian compa-nies and their price is still veryhigh. However, if these drugs areexempted from the provisions ofTRIPS, then they will be muchmore affordable and help thepoor people in their treatment inIndia and the rest of the world.Not only this, according to theterms of the voluntary license,Indian companies can generallymake and sell these medicines inIndia itself.

In such a situation, it isbelieved that even after gettingvoluntary licenses, these medi-cines will not be available tomore than half of the world’spopulation, which will be a veryunfortunate situation for the

humanity. In fact, the delay in theTRIPS waiver goes against thespirit of the TRIPS Agreement ofthe World Trade Organizationand the ‘Doha Declaration onTRIPS and Public Health’.Therefore, a voluntary license isno substitute for a compulsorylicense.

Today a new type ofapartheid is emerging in theworld and that is between vacci-nated and unvaccinated.Recently, in the ministerial con-ference, which was to be held inGeneva, Switzerland, it was alsostipulated that only those whohave been fully vaccinated witha vaccine certified by WorldHealth Organisation, would beable to participate, and otherswill have to satisfy organisers bygetting the RTPCR test done,every 72 hours. Significantly,there are many countries in theworld where vaccination has notyet started or is in a very nascentstage. Such countries whose rep-resentatives are not vaccinatedwill be left unrepresented ininternational forums.

In such a situation, the needof the hour is that all the richcountries including the US andEurope, who are endangeringhumanity by opposing thedemand for TRIPS waiver, beforced to change their stand.Thepress, media, intellectuals andpeople’s representatives shouldcreate such an environment thatthese countries give their consentfor TRIPS waiver. This is the onlyway to save the humanity.

(The writer is Professor,PGDAV College,

University of Delhi. The views expressed

are personal.)

Many people doubtwhether it is neces-sary to hold the

upcoming Assembly polls inthe poll-bound states nextmonth or postpone them, asthe Allahabad High Court hassuggested.In the previousround of elections last year, theMadras High Court had heldthe Election Commission irre-sponsible for conducting thepolls during the pandemic.Some argue that, after all,there are precedents of post-ponement of polls earlier eventhough former Chief ElectionCommissioner S.Y Quereshithinks Constituti-onally it isnot possible.

With the scheduled elec-tions in Uttar Pradesh, Punjab,Goa, Manipur, andUttarakhand, next month it isclear that the people can escape

the killer Covid-19 only if theElection Commission guide-lines are strictly enforced.

Nearly 70 countries theworld over have deferred elec-tions because of the pandem-ic. Forty-two countries havepostponed national electionsand referendums. Even if theEC could not delay the polls asthe political parties want tostick to the schedule, can theCommission at least ban thesuper-spreader poll rallies?

The poll panel decided tohold the elections after dis-cussing with all the stake-holders even though theMarch- April 2021 electionshad resulted in a massiveincrease of Covid-19 cases inWest Bengal, Tamil Nadu, andother poll-bound states. FromApril 1 to 14, coronaviruscases increased by 532 percent

in Assam, 420 percent in WestBengal, 165 percent inPuducherry, 159 percent inTamil Nadu, and 103 percentin Kerala, according to officialfigures.

In the past few months, asinfections fell, India had liftedmainly restrictions on publicgatherings, travel, and publicspaces. However, the new vari-ant Omicron is spreading fast.Covid-19 cases in several stateshave been rising, and the thirdwave may peak aroundFebruary. Things are compli-

cated by people refusing towear face masks. They get test-ed less frequently than before,and congregate in large num-bers.

Explaining the decision,Chief Election CommissionerSushil Chandra said recently:I have been told that 86 percent of people in the state havegot the first dose and 49 percent the second shot of Covidvaccine. We have been assuredthat in 15 to 20 days, all eligi-ble people will get their firstdose. We have asked forincreasing vaccination.

The Commission hasdecided to increase the votingtime by an hour to make thevoting easy, assuring that allpoll officials on duty would befully vaccinated. The poll bodywill reach out to the doorstepsof those who cannot come to

the polling booth to vote.Additionally, live webcastingfacilities will be available ataround one lakh voting boothsto ensure transparency in theelection process. Chandra saidbecause of the pandemic, thenumber of polling booths inthe state would be increased by11,000 to maintain propersocial distancing.

While poll-bound stateshave taken many steps tocheck the pandemic, partyleaders enjoy addressing mas-sive rallies. As parties scram-ble for votes, politicians are notthe shining examples of how tofollow Covid-10 regulations.They are brazenly going aheadwith mega rallies. For instance,SP chief Akhilesh Yadav’sUnnao rally, Union HomeMinister Amit Shah’s road-show in Hardoi, and Priyanka

Gandhi’s women’s march drewmassive crowds. The mostprominent state among the fiveelection states, Uttar Pradesh,has been declared a Covid-affected state. Some wonderwhy poll rallies are unregulat-ed when the government hasregulated the number of peo-ple at weddings.

Can the nature of pollcampaigns change? Most par-ties are now active in socialmedia and use Whatsapp andmobile communicationbesides TV ads. A digital cam-paign is also an option.

Due to the efforts of theUnion and state governments,we have controlled the pan-demic to a great extent. But noone knows the trajectory of theOmicron variant. The govern-ment machinery is on highalert, but people have to obey

government regulations likewearing the mast, keeping thesocial distance, and avoidingcrowded places.

If Omicron spreads further,as it has in the United Statesand Europe, political partieshave an equal share of theblame. In any case, all thosewho come to listen to their‘netas’ do not always vote forthe party. If wiser counsel pre-vails, leaders might opt for vir-tual rallies and other methodsof digital communication.Ideally, the nature of poll cam-paigns must also change, andthe political fraternity shouldcome together and think ofsafe campaigning methods.Above all, it is for the peopleto comply with Covid-19 reg-ulations as the governmentalone cannot do everything tocontain the pandemic.

If Omicron spreads further, as it has in the United States and Europe, political parties in India will have to take an equal share of the blame

Safe poll campaigning is the need of the hour

KALYANI SHANKAR

(The writer is a senior journalist. The views

expressed are personal.)

HYDERABAD | WEDNESDAY | JANUARY 5, 2022 Money 08

MO

NE

Y M

AT

TE

RS L&T Construction bags significant

order from DMRC

L&T on Tuesday said its construction business has bagged a significant order from DelhiMetro Rail Corporation Ltd for the design and construction of the underground metroproject Phase-1 of Patna Mass Rapid Transit System. The order has been awarded to

heavy civil infrastructure business of L&T Construction, it said in a BSE filing.Larsen andToubro (L&T) classifies a contract worth Rs 1,000-2,500 crore as a significant order. Theproject is being funded by Patna Metro RailCorporation (PMRC) and, uponcompletion, will be operated by PMRC."Themajor scope of work for the projectcomprises design and construction of twintunnel...ramp at Rajendra Nagar and six UGmetro stations viz, Rajendra Nagar, Moin UlHaq Stadium, University PMCH, GandhiMaidan and Akashvani along with otherassociated structures includingarchitectural finishing, water supply,sanitary installation and drainage works onthe new ISBT to Patna Station of Corridor-2of Phase-1 of Patna MRTS," it said.

Rising Omicron cases can impactgrowth by 0.3% in March quarter

Growth might be impacted by up to 0.30 per cent in the March quarter as normaleconomic activities come under pressure due to restrictions being imposed by morestates to curb rising Omicron cases, economists at the country's largest private sector

lender HDFC Bank said on Tuesday. The economists said they were earlier estimating Q4growth to come at 6.1 per cent, which can get impacted by 0.2-0.3 per cent because of theOmicron threat. "With states imposingCOVID-related restrictions (night curfewon movement of people, restaurantsallowed at 50 per cent capacity, officesto operate at 50 per cent capacity invarious states), economic activity islikely to get impacted in Q4FY22," theysaid. The downside risks at the currentjuncture emanate from more statesimposing restrictions, the restrictionsextending beyond January 2022 andalso a slowdown in global recoverywhich will weigh on the exports, theysaid in a note.

Yes Bank net advances up by 4 pc toRs 1,76,422 cr by Dec-end

Yes Bank's net advances grew by nearly 4 per cent to Rs 1,76,422 crore on aprovisional basis as of December 31, 2021, the bank said on Tuesday.Netadvances amounted to Rs 1,69,721 crore as of December 31, 2020.

According to the provisional data released by the bank, the gross retaildisbursements during the December quarter was Rs 9,233 crore, up from Rs 7,470crore in year ago quarter. Thedeposits rose by 26 per cent year-on-year to Rs 1,84,289 crore atend of December 2021, as againstRs 146,233 crore, Yes Bank said ina regulatory filing. Bank's credit todeposit ratio was 95.7 per cent atDecember 31, 2021 as comparedwith 116.1 per cent from the sameperiod a year ago. Stock of YesBank traded at Rs 14.38 apiece onthe BSE, up by 2.20 per cent fromprevious close.

PNS nMUMBAI

The BSE Sensex surged by 673points and the Nifty breachedthe 17,800-level on Tuesday onaccount of hectic buying acrosssectors.

Continuing its winningmomentum for the thirdstraight session, the 30-shareBSE benchmark opened withsignificant gains and saw fur-ther consolidation as the tradeprogressed. It finally closed at59,855.93, clocking a gain of672.71 points or 1.14 per cent.

Likewise, the NSE Niftyrose 179.55 points or 1.02 percent to end at 17,805.25.

On the Sensex chart, majorgainers were NTPC,PowerGrid, SBI, Titan,Reliance, Bajaj Finance andAxis Bank, rising as much as5.48 per cent.

On the other hand, SunPharma, Ultratech Cement,IndusInd Bank and Dr Reddy'sclosed in the red.

"US markets setting recordhighs on the first trading dayof 2022 is auspicious for glob-al stock markets," said V KVijayakumar, Chief InvestmentStrategist at Geojit Financial

Services.If the FIIs' buying of

Monday is an indication oftheir renewed interest in India,financials particularly the lead-ing banks, are likely to contin-ue the momentum witnessedin the previous session, headded.

However, the third wave ofthe pandemic is an area of con-cern even though the market'sview is that it is unlikely toimpact economic activity,Vijayakumar opined.

Elsewhere in Asia onTuesday, bourses closed mixedas concerns over the Omicronvariant tempered optimismset off by a rally on WallStreet.

Meanwhile, international oilbenchmark Brent crude rose0.27 per cent to USD 79.19 perbarrel. Foreign institutionalinvestors (FIIs) were net buy-ers in the capital market onMonday, purchasing sharesworth Rs 575.39 crore,exchange data showed.

Sensex zooms 673 pts,Nifty above 17,800

PNS n NEW DELHI

Operations of Indian papermills are getting severelyimpacted by lower coal alloca-tion and non-availability ofadequate railway rakes fortransportation of coal to themills, an industry body said onTuesday.

Indian Paper ManufacturersAssociation (IPMA) said thatfor the last several months,Coal India and its subsidiarieshave prioritised coal suppliesthe thermal power plants onpriority at the cost of non-power sectors. "The problemshave been compounded byeven priority allocation of rail-way rakes to the power sector/thermal power plants," it saidin a statement. In a communi-cation to Union Ministers ofCoal & Mines and Railways,IPMA has urged the govern-ment to consider priority allo-cation of both coal and railwayrakes to captive power plantsof the pulp and paper industryat par with thermal powerplants/ power sector.

"If supplies of coal fromallocated/ designated mines

to paper mills as prior to June2021 are not restored on pri-ority, a large number of papermills may need to have pro-longed shutdowns resulting ina shortage of writing and print-ing paper and packaging paperin the market and this mayhave cascading impact on allFMCG, food and pharma sec-tors," IPMA President A SMehta said. According toIPMA, pulp and paper indus-try is capital and power inten-sive, and has invested a hugeamount of money in setting upcaptive power plants for sus-

tained supply of power andsteam for the process require-ments. "Paper industry is acontinuous process industryand energy cost is a significantpart of the total productioncost in paper mills," it said.

IPMA also said that a resur-gent paper industry is a mustfor sustained economic growthsince paperboard and packag-ing is crucial for all kinds ofessential goods, FMCG, phar-maceuticals, food products,soaps, milk cartons andhygiene products, among oth-ers.

Lower coal allocation, non-availability of railway rakes

PNS nTOKYO

Global shares were mostlyhigher Tuesday despite worriesabout rising numbers of coro-navirus cases.

France's CAC 40 added 0.7per cent in early trading to7,266.59, while Germany'sDAX edged up 0.3 per cent to16,064.91. Britain's FTSE 100gained 1.2 per cent to 7,475.46.The future contract for theDow industrials was 0.2 percent higher and the contract forthe S&P 500 also gained 0.2 percent. Japan's benchmarkNikkei 225 jumped 1.8 per centto 29,301.79 in Tokyo's firsttrading day of 2022. Shares alsorose in Australia, South Koreaand Hong Kong, but edgedlower in Shanghai.

Toyota Motor Corp. gained6.1 per cent, while Sony Corp.added 3.4 per cent.

Finance Minister Shunichi

Suzuki and other dignitariesrang a bell at the Tokyo StockExchange to herald the open-ing of trading. At the smallerexchange in Osaka, in westernJapan, women carried on thetradition of attending the year'sopening ceremony in colorfulkimono. Troubled Chinesedeveloper Evergrandeannounced it had been ordered

to demolish a 39-buildingresort in the southern provinceof Hainan. Shares in the com-pany were suspended fromtrading on Monday butresumed trading Tuesday, gain-ing 1.9 per cent.

Evergrande is strugglingwith USD 310 billion in debtand the order to demolish theresort was a new blow to its

finances.Evergrande Group gave no

explanation, but news reportssaid the government ofDanzhou, a city on the south-ern island province of Hainan,found it was improperly builtand violated urban planninglaw. Tighter official restric-tions on use of borrowedmoney by China's real estateindustry have prompted fearsof possible defaults and a finan-cial crisis. Chinese regulatorshave tried to reassure investorsthat any potential impact onfinancial markets can be con-tained. Hong Kong's HangSeng was little changed, inch-ing up less than 0.1 per cent to23,289.84. The ShanghaiComposite edged down 0.2 percent to 3,632.33. Australia'sS&P/ASX 200 jumped nearly2.0 per cent to 7,589.80. SouthKorea's Kospi gained less than1 point to 2,989.24.

Global shares mostly higher after Wall Street rally

PNS nMELBOURNE

(The Conversation) Cyclingreduces greenhouse gas emis-sions, brings myriad healthbenefits and reduces traffic. Buturban planners and policy-makers often struggle to getmore people on bikes.

To increase urban cycling,we need more than extracycling infrastructure; we needa culture change. A worldwidemovement of community bikeworkshops, also known as bikekitchens, can help.

Bike kitchens offer tools,second hand parts and bikes,and convivial help with repairs.They are also hubs for commu-nity development.

Since 2014 we have visitedover 50 bike kitchens aroundthe world – in the US,Australia, NZ, UK, France,Germany, Austria, Switzerland,

Portugal, Mexico and Belgiumto research how they operate.We have also volunteered andled student projects at severalworkshops.

Building a culture of cyclingDedicated bike lanes, road

treatments and bike parkingare relatively cheap to build andmaintain compared to roads,

car parks, and major publictransport schemes. There issome correlation between bet-ter bike infrastructure andmore riders.

But better infrastructurealone does not solve the prob-lem. In Paris, with its pro-bikemayor and traffic calming ini-tiatives, a recent explosion inbike use has led to accidentsand clashes, suggesting otherfactors like social acceptanceand up-skilling need atten-tion.

In lockdown this year,Sydney experienced a 78%increase in cycling injurieswhen more people took totheir bikes.

Cycling in cities is a socialpractice, and building a cultureof cycling is essential – espe-cially where bike use has tradi-tionally been low.

It's essential to cycling cul-

ture that a critical mass of peo-ple have riding and bike main-tenance skills, and the activityis more socially accepted.

That's where bike kitchenscome in.

Convivial places to buildand repair a bike

Bike kitchen workshops areinitiated and run by activistsand socially-minded cyclists.Most teach hands-on self-repair and maintenance skillsto people who want to learn.Others give away free bikes tothose who need them.

Workshops extend the uselife of bicycles and compo-nents. They are part of thecommunity economy andinterrupt the waste stream;most parts come from donat-ed or scavenged bikes and arere-used creatively and cheaplywith a DIY ethos, avoiding newconsumption.

Bike kitchens: the community-run repair workshops

LML appoints Yamaha former executive Choudhary

PNS n NEW DELHI

Capital markets regulatorSebi is looking to hire anagency to revamp its ITinfrastructure network andcommunication systems. Ina notice, the regulator hasinvited Expression ofInterest (EoI) from solutionproviders for "upgrade andrevamp of IT network, IP(internet protocol) telepho-ny and video conferencingset-up of Sebi"."The pro-posed solution should berobust, secure, stable, effi-cient and easy to manageand should have latest col-laborative features," theSecurities and ExchangeBoard of India (Sebi) said.

Sebi plans torope in agencyto revamp ITnetwork

PNS n NEW DELHI

Amp Energy India onTuesday said it has commis-sioned a 30 MW solar powerproject for Bosch Ltd.

The solar project capacitywould be provided from AmpEnergy India's open accessfacility in Raichur district ofKarnataka. This is Amp's thirdopen access project inKarnataka, it said in a state-ment.

Bosch and Amp Energyhave signed a power purchaseagreement for procurement ofsolar power for 25 years.

The solar open access facil-ity commissioned this monthwill generate about 43 millionunits of green energy per yearfor Bosch and will meet about40 per cent of their energy

consumption.This project will provide

solar power to energizeBosch's plants/facilities in andaround Bengaluru and byswitching to solar power,Bosch will also help mitigateabout 31,000 tonne of CO2 perannum.

"Solar energy adoption bytop companies in India hasseen a major growth over thelast few years, especially postthe challenges posed by theCOVID pandemic. With thispartnership, we are sure Boschwill set up benchmarks forother conglomerates to followto switch to clean energy fortheir growth in the countryand move towards accom-plishing their RE100 targets,”Pinaki Bhattacharyya, MDand CEO, Amp Energy said.

Amp Energy commissions 30MW solar project for Bosch

PNS n NEW DELHI

Bank of Maharashtra onTuesday said it has registeredover 23 per cent growth ingross advances to Rs 1,29,052crore at the end of December2021.

The bank's gross advancesstood at Rs 1,04,904 crore atthe end of December 31,2020.

According to a regulatoryfiling, deposits grew by 15.21per cent to Rs 1,86,614 crorein the period under review asagainst Rs 1,61,971 crore inthe year-ago period.

The bank's total businesswas up by 18.28 per cent toRs 3,15,666 crore from Rs2,66,875 crore.

The CASA (CurrentAccount Savings Account)ratio was at 55.05 per cent atthe end of December 2021.

Bank ofMaharashtra'sgross advances riseto Rs 1.29 lakh cr

INDIAN PAPER MILLS’ BANEWhat will Silicon Valley learnfrom Holmes' conviction?PNS nSAN JOSE

The fraud conviction of formerTheranos CEO ElizabethHolmes could offer SiliconValley's culture of hubris andhype some valuable lessons.

Will anyone in the techindustry actually take thismoment to heart? Don't counton it.

Holmes was found guilty onMonday of duping investorsinto believing that Theranoshad developed a revolutionarymedical device that could detecta multitude of diseases and con-ditions from a few drops ofblood.

She could face up to 20 yearsin prison for each charge,although legal experts say sheis unlikely to receive the max-imum sentence. Federal pros-ecutors depicted Holmes as acharlatan obsessed with fameand fortune. In seven days onthe witness stand, she cast her-self as a visionary trailblazer inmale-dominated Silicon Valleywho was emotionally and sex-ually abused by her formerlover and business partner,Sunny Balwani. The trial alsolaid bare the pitfalls of one ofthe go-to moves of SiliconValley entrepreneurs — convey-ing a boundless optimismregardless of whether it's war-

ranted, known as “fake it til youmake it.”

That ethos helped hatchgroundbreaking companiessuch as Google, Netflix,Facebook, and Apple — the lat-ter co-founded by one ofHolmes' heroes, Steve Jobs.

But few expect her convic-tion to lower the wattage onthe brash

promises and bold exagger-ations that have become aroutine part of the tech indus-try's innovation hustle.

Holmes' conviction “willsend a message to CEOs thatthere are consequences inoverstepping the bounds,” sug-gested Ellen Kreitzberg, aSanta Clara University lawprofessor who attended thetrial.

On the other hand, shesaid, “investors are still goingto want to make more moneyon a promising idea.

PNS nMUMBAI

Two-wheeler maker LMLsaid on Tuesday it hasappointed Yamaha formerexecutive Partha Choudharyas its chief operating officer(COO) as it looks to enter

the fast-growing electricvehicle space.

In his role as COO, Parthawill be responsible for lead-ing the operations functionsat a time of major businessgrowth and transformation.Hoping to further promote

the growth of the LMLbrand, he will spearheadexciting new initiatives aspart of his role in ensuringthat LML is a leading force ine-mobility.

The Kanpur (UP)-basedLML earlier used to make the

iconic LML Vespa scooter incollaboration with Italy'sPiaggio and C Spa. InS eptember last year, i tannounced its plans to makea comeback in the marketwith a foray into the electrictwo-wheeler space. Ch oud-

hary, who holds a trackrecord of driving transforma-tive growth across geogra-phies, joins the league withYogesh Bhatia, chief execu-tive officer and managingdirector of LML, accordingto a statement.

PNS n NEW DELHI

Having access to over 10lakh customers post acquisi-tion of DHFL last year,Piramal Capital & HousingFinance (PCHFL) plans toopen 100 branches andexpand to 1,000 more citiesin coming years. InSeptember 2021, PCHFLcompleted acquisition ofdebt-laden Dewan HousingFinance Ltd (DHFL), there-by creating one of the largesthousing finance companiesin the country.

PCHFL has now access toover 1 million (10 lakh) cus-tomers across 24 states witha network of 301 branches,PCHFL said in a release onTuesday.

Piramal Capitalto open 100branches

L.NIHARIKA

he idea of HUMAN,the new web-series onblock with OTT’s leadingladies Shefali Shah and KirtiKulhari on board, was actuallyborn when the African-drug trial

incident happened in 2007 catching producerVipul Shah’s attention! He went onto research onthe subject and it was in 2019, he wrote a script fora film considering the situation of drug trials inIndia. As per Vipul shah’s anecdote in the virtualpress conference, “The reason behind the entireepidemic happened due to one usage of a needlefor multiple people in the drug trial. Later, UNObanned the trail. But my heart goes for all the peo-ple who suffered all this while. During myresearch, I got to know that few elderly peoplewere ready for drug trials just because they didn’t

want to be a burden on their younger generation.”It is established that the basic premise of the seriesis about drug trials on humans. But, it also shinesthe light on how the trials are conducted, who thepeople, who sign up for them are and whether theyare aware of the dangers involved, especially in acountry like India.

The chief director of this interesting seriesMozez Singh shares, “We interacted with a lot ofNGO’s, activists and victims in Madhya Pradesh.Learned bitter truths about the trial and howhumans are greedy and treated fellow beings asGuinea pigs. It’s a sigh! Human tells the story ofgreed, deceit and class. Working on this script wasa very intense journey for me as I discovered a dif-ferent side of the medical world. It opened mymind and heart to the possibilities that the ones inpower plot against the vulnerable members ofsociety.”

So basically, while attending the press confer-ence, we realised what is the cost of human life intoday’s medical science? Is it saving it or manipu-lating it for greed? After opening to hearteningreviews of its riveting trailer, the medical thriller isincreasing the ante before the series’ release.National-award winning actress Shefali Shahstates, “The reality is very disturbing that how itdepends on the hands of those who hold thepower and misuse it. It’s so scary to imagine suchdrugs crossing the phases of testing and being

intro-duced inthe market. Ihope my portrayalof her opens the audi-ence’s mind to indecipher-able characters like her. Andthe show opens our eyes to what

actually happens when doctors who are consideredgods actually start playinggod. The script is allabout the balancebetween the darkeraspects of themedical field,physical andmental prep.”

On theother hand,Shaadisthanfame KirtiKulhari articu-lates, “It’s veryshocking, thestory line andthe character.How evil weare, what are wecapable of, onlyto be driven bygreed, power andmoney. I am superexcited tosee the

reactions Human willreceive. Thriller as a genre has always intriguedand drawn me to explore the role of Dr. SairaSabarwal with a veteran like Shefali Shah. I was onmy way to Lucknow, when I spoke to Vipul regard-ing the script. He sent me the script of the first 5episodes. Though I was on a trip, out of curiosity Iread all the episodes by the end of the trip. It’s rareto find good scripts, at least in Bollywood. I’m asucker for new-fangled content, which usuallymainstream celebs stay away from. I want toexplore unknown territories of the craft. We wouldspend hours going through the script trying toperfect the act much before the actual shoot. Thescript demanded a lot of silent acting and reactingwhere only our face and body language would be

used to express. Pinning those complexscenes was hard. A lot of blood

and sweat has gone into craftingit.”

Did you know there is aplace where people are readyto do drug trials just to gain700 rupees? Yes, this is trueand it was revealed by themale actor of the series in thepress con! It shows the powerof money and its utmost mag-nitude in the country we livein.

The producer thought thatthe concept would be a vast sub-

ject to settle in a film and optedOTT medium! He adds, “The

leads are women so that they canbreak the stereotypes. This story tooktwo and half years of research and

workshop to design in paperformat.”

heIndianonlinegamingindustry

runs on a tricky slope; in spite ofresounding decisions from the Supreme

Court of India and various High Courts onthe validity of online skill gaming for prizemoney, states including Telangana, TamilNadu, and more recently, Karnataka, havebeen quick to ban online money gaming inbouts of appeasement politics. It will be anunderstatement to say that India’s gaming lawhas failed to keep pace with technologicalgrowth like digitisation of payments that hasbeen made possible because of the “digitalIndia” initiatives. The Public Gambling Act,which is the only central legislation, datesback to 1867! Further, in a country of at least400 million online gamers, it is astoundingthat common terms such as ‘online skill gam-ing’, and ‘esports’ remain undefined. It is thenfair to assume that the current law cannotprovide a comprehensive regulatory model foronline gaming. In spite of such arbitrary bans,online gaming companies in India continue toflourish and garner investor interest. While itmakes for an interesting case study, the shortexplanation for the industry’s continuing suc-cess lies in two words: self-regulation.

Taking it on themselves

In absence of a government certification/stan-dard, esports and online skill gaming compa-nies are free to set their own rules whenlaunching a new game. Many leading compa-nies provide only ‘games of skill’ on their plat-form. As an example, on its website, MPLstates that all its games reward skills such as“knowledge of the game, familiarity withrules, experience, reflexes, practice, hand-eyecoordination etc”. Such a classification isaligned with the generally-accepted attributesof physical/offline skill games, and is likely towithstand any regulatory scrutiny. Onlinegaming platforms have also deployed tech toallay concerns of cheating, betting and collu-

sion. Artificialintelligence and

machine learning-backed models have

become the norm forfraud detection and throt-

tling collusion activities.Some companies have gone a

step further to impose manda-tory timeouts for users who

exceed time spent or money addedlimits on their platform to ensure user

wellbeing. The sporadic bans in certainstates have also necessitated the deployment

of geo-fencing technology, which preventsusers from these states from playing games forprize money on gaming apps. KYC measures

have also been adopted by gaming companies,even though the same are not applicable tosuch closed wallet platforms.

Self-regulatory bodies paving theway

Company-level measures aside, industry play-ers have also banded together to form self-regulatory bodies that provide a central char-ter and help standardise the complianceefforts. For instance, the All India GamingFederation (AIGF) was founded in 2015, tobring stakeholders “under a common plat-form and urge for reforms” in the gamingindustry. The body has laid down for itsmembers an ‘Online Games of Skill Charter’,which provides general compliances requiredfrom AIGF members. These relate to aspectsincluding transparency, disclosures, financialcompliance and best practices, and advertis-ing along with compliances related to gamecategory such as Indian fantasy sports games,and online rummy games.

Need for government to step up

While the industry’s efforts deserve apprecia-tion, a sustained interest in regulating theindustry is lacking from the government’send. Governments can no longer be abystander to online skill gaming and esports,especially since the category is being recog-nized globally, including as a medal event atthe 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou. It will beinteresting to see if India’s medal prospects aresupported with a favorable government poli-cy.

(The writer, Roland Landers, is the CEO, All India GamingFederation)

SHIKHA DUGGAL

riyanka Chopra, one of the top-grossingstars of our cinema, known to be a globalicon now, with her hard work and sheerdedication, has shined throughout mak-ing it impossible to not fall for her flairfor not just doing films but investing in

business ventures too. Sona, as pensive as itsounds, is PC’s recent asset! The extraordinary

restaurant raving on raving reviews in theheart of the United States’ New York proved

to the universe that she’s one beauty withbrains. The deal is locked but who’s run-

ning the madly popular resto now?Thinking it all right, all the

Michelin star chefs who are pen-ning down an account on the

best Indian fusion cuisinefor both Americans and

Indians in NYC.When the eminent

youtuber LillySingh tasted

the ‘golgap-pa shots’

at

Sona, in just a few seconds the news went viral. That’show successful the venture is. In order to live throughmore of Sona moments, we got in touch with ChefAbhijeet Singh Rathore who’s sure to give you a gastro-nomic orgasm! You know what is he prominent for? Ifthere is ‘Thayir Saadam’, ‘Bombay Bhelpuri’ and ‘Ghevar’,the chef is known to metamorphose its fourth element tothese quintessential Indian foods and present as one!Talking a little about his association with PC’s Sona, hesays, “I started my culinary journey when I was pursuingmy bachelor’s from Institute of Hotel Management, Jaipurand there I got the privilege to work in hotels like ITCand Taj groups. After completing college, I joinedMichelin star chef Vineet Bhatia’s newly-opened restau-rant in Bahrain, where I learned the new horizon of pro-gressive Indian cuisine. I moved to Dubai in 2016 andjoined Junoon Restaurant, which was also holding one ofthe Michelin chefs. I also worked in Masti Cocktail andCuisine Restaurant. But, while working in Dubai, I metChef Hari Nayak, who discussed the concept of Sonawith me and I liked the concept so much because I foundit very exceptional and progressive. The concept of Sonais to serve regional Indian cuisine or classic Indian dishesin a nuanced way and this concept worked so well in theheart of New York city, the Americans never tinged onthis ever before.”

Well, as we heard him speak, it felt to us thatNew Yorkers are inevitably deluging Sona asone of the must places to go. Sona — thenewest addition to the city that neversleeps!

The chef-in-charge also has‘Buckwheat Bhel’ on the menu!Sounds interesting, oh it savourseven better as per the appraisalson the internet. He continues, “Asa chef I love everything aboutfood. Food is something whichkeeps me inspired and motivat-ed all the time. It helps mekeep myself imaginative! Thenatives of New York love theseasonal produce to eat anddue to which I keep on chang-ing my menu according to theseason. New York has manygreat restaurants that serveInternational cuisine whichallow the people to taste andexperience the different foodthrough it but thebiggest miscon-ceptionabout

Indian food in the West is that people think thatIndian food is hella spicy and it is all about gravy.Hey, no! Our Indian foodstuff is more than just cur-ries, instead it is very versatile. India is a country of29 states and seven union territories and every statehas its own chow specialties and cookery style.Chefs like Vineet Bhatia, Vikas Khanna, Vivek singh,Hari Nayak, are the ones giving Indian cuisine inwestern countries a new countenance these days.” Asa cook and as cliche as it may sound, Abhijeet feels‘love’ is the ingredient which brings cooking to life.Without love for food preparation, he imagines noone can come up with extraordinary cuisine! ChefRahul Kanojia taught him discipline of toiling in amasterchef ’s kitchen, Chef Vineet Bhatia who helpedhim think out of the box when it comes to forwardthinking Indian cuisine, Chef Ferran Adria, HestonBlumenthal, Daniel Humm, Virgilio inspired him topush his boundaries in the field of culinary! That’show it rolls for the culinary chef who also hadanother reason to be part of this trendy venturesince it also had a feel of Mumbai in the late 30s andis channelling decades of experience into one of the

most talked-about menus inthe state. For the

Flatiron dis-trict,

this

restau-

rant is themain attraction

at the moment and onecannot turn back without expe-

riencing their Malabar chickenbiryani.

When we asked him whether hethinks in recent times there is agrowing awareness about thediversity of Indian food in theWest, especially with the concep-tion of Sona, he echoes, “I stronglybelieve that in recent times there isa growing awareness about thediversity of Indian food. Everyregion of India offers a number of

traditional meals and the diversityin cuisine stems from diverse local

culture, seasonal availability andeconomy. Social media platforms

also play a vital role in bringingout awareness about our

diversity. People notonly within the

coun-

try but people from other countries are coming toexplore the unique ‘bhartiya’ culture and flavours. Asa chef I always keep myself updated by reading andexploring and I see many well known restaurantsother than Indian cuisine restaurants in the USAwho keep very few elements in their menu whichare influenced by Indian flavours but Sona is differ-ent. As we all know Priyanka Chopra is so much

in love with the food she consumes, she reallyplayed a major part in the opening of this restau-

rant as well as in the designing of the menu. Herfirst impression was though she was startled withthe dishes she relished! She couldn’t stop gushingabout the metamorphosis we did. Her most pre-ferred picks from Sona are ‘Golgappa Shots’,‘Buckwheat Bhel’ and ‘Gajar Halwa’.”

The 29-year-old Chef ’s food has a maturi-ty that draws from his roots in a traditionalRajasthani family. “I remember rollingwheat-flour dumplings (baati) and infus-ing five types of lentils for the ‘dal’ forour traditional ‘dal baati’. My mothershared the secret of crushing ‘kasurimethi’ for that distinctive taste,”says Rathore. “I also rememberwe would make dishes like‘Pithorey ki kadhi’, ‘KerSangri’ and ‘Bajre ki Raab’.I know the roots of ourfood, and how togive a new twist toit!” concludesthe chef.

Follow us on

@TheDailyPioneer

facebook.com/dailypioneer

WednesdayJanuary 5, 2022

Chef Abhijeet from SONA revealstimeless Indian food in NYC

p

t

t Self-regulation: Onlineskill gaming's panacea

for regulatory uncertainty

Let's explore the twisted world of unethicalhuman drug trials with HUMAN

10

Hyderabad Wednesday January 5, 2022 what’s brewing?

Rules

ARCHIE

GARFIELD

SUDOKU

REALITY CHECK CROSSWORD

GINGER MEGGS

NANCY

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

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

Yesterday’s solution

CALVIN AND HOBBES

SPEED BUMP

FUN

l Apoorva l Dr.Shanta Thoutam l Dhruti

l Rithikal Srujana

l Sowmya

PAR

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Telangana State Innovation Cell (TSICFoundation) along with Welfare ofDisabled and Senior Citizens Department

hosted a state-level exhibition for assistivetechnology on Tuesday on account of WorldBraille Day, to recognise and showcaseassistive and rehabilitative solutions for theelderly and people with disabilities (PWDs).

REHABILITATIVE SOLUTIONS

usic icon DavidBowie’s estate hassold the publish-ing rights to his“entire body ofwork” to Warner

Chappell Music (WCM) formore than $250 million.The late Changes hitmakerdied of cancer in 2016. Hereleased a total of 111 singlesin his career, and the dealwith Warner Chappell Music(WCM) includes tracks fromhis 26 studio albums, hisupcoming posthumousrecord Toy, the two albumshe released with supergroupTin Machine, and songs fea-tured on soundtracks andother projects, reportsfemalefirst.co.uk.

WCM co-chairman andchief executive Guy Mootsaid they were “proud” to be“chosen as caretakers” for the‘Space Oddity’ singer’s “extra-ordinary” music.

He said in a statement: “Allof us at Warner Chappell areimmensely proud that theDavid Bowie estate has cho-sen us to be the caretakers ofone of the most ground-breaking, influential, andenduring catalogues in musichistory.”

“These are not only extra-ordinary songs, but mile-stones that have changed thecourse of modern music for-ever. Bowie’s vision and cre-ative genius drove him topush the envelope, lyricallyand musically — writingsongs that challenged con-vention, changed the conver-sation, and have become partof the canon of global cul-ture. His work spanned mas-sive pop hits and experimen-tal adventures that haveinspired millions of fans andcountless innovators, notonly in music, but across allthe arts, fashion, and media.We are looking forward totending his unparalleledbody of songs with passionand care as we strive to buildon the legacy of this most

extraordinary human being.”The new agreement fol-

lows a previous deal betweenBowie’s estate and WarnerMusic Group for them tooversee his full back cata-logue of albums between1968 and 1999.

WCM Co-Chair and COOCarianne Marshall added:“This fantastic pact with theDavid Bowie estate opens upa universe of opportunities totake his extraordinary musicinto dynamic new places.This isn’t merely a catalogue,but a living, breathing collec-tion of timeless songs thatare as powerful and resonanttoday as they were when theywere first written.

“We were pleased that theestate felt that WarnerChappell has the knowledge,experience, and resources totake the reins and continueto promote a collection ofthis stature.”

“All of our global leaders

and departments are incredi-bly excited and primed to getto work with these brilliantsongs across multipleavenues and platforms. Andwith both sides of WMGnow representing Bowie’scareer, we couldn’t be betterset up to represent this illus-trious body of work.”

The legendary singer’sestate are “truly gratified” bythe deal, reportsfemalefirst.co.uk.

On behalf of the DavidBowie Estate and RZO, AllenGrubman said: “We are trulygratified that David Bowie’sbody of music will now be inthe capable hands of WarnerChappell Music Publishing.We are sure they will cherishit and take care of it with thegreatest level of dignity.”

Although the cost of thedeal hasn’t been disclosed,variety.com estimated it to beworth “upwards of ” $250million.

m

David Bowie’s bodyof work sold for

$250 million

11

tollywoodHyderabad Wednesday January 5, 2022

ctor Ajith is returning to big screensafter a while and how! For the lovethe audience of Telugu states haveon Ajith, producer Boney Kapoor,on Tuesday, announced that he willrelease the much-awaited Tamil film

Valimai, in Hindi and Telugu on January 13.This will be Boney’s second collaboration withAjith (the first being Nerkonda Paarvai, theTamil remake of Pink) has been one of themost-awaited films this year. The trailer of thefilm that was released a few days ago receiveda massive response. The film is high on familyemotions and is touted to have some thrilling

action sequences, with Ajith Kumar at thecentre of it. Boney Kapoor announced thesame saying, “We are happy that finally, thefilm is releasing in theatres. We have seensome amazing content coming from the southand 'Valimai' is a film that audiences acrossIndia will be able to relate to. We wouldrequest people to enjoy the film in theatreswith all protocols in place.” Valimai, producedby Boney Kapoor and Zee Studios, has beenwritten and directed by H. Vinoth. The filmalso stars Huma Qureshi, Karthikeya, Bani,Sumithra, Achyunth Kumar, Raj Ayyappa, andPugazh, among others.

a

Boney Kapoor to releaseAjith’s Valimai in Telugu

ankranthi for many years hasremained a box office festivalwith multiple films releasingthe entire month. After thepostponement of RRR, the

makers of many films announced theirarrival on big screens during Sankranthi.The number of films to hit theatres thisSankranthi is close to a dozen now.

Cinema rush this Sankranthi

Dil Raju’s Rowdy Boys is releasing onJanuary 14, followed by

Rajasekhar’s Shekhar and SitaraEntertainment’s DJ Tillu starring SidhuJonnalagadda. All three films arereleasing on January 14.

Meanwhile, MS Raju’s 6 Days 7 Nightsand Kalyaan Dhev’s Super Machi alsoannounced their arrival on January 14.

Rana will haveto fight it outwith Aadi SaiKumar’sAthidhi DevoBhava andVeyiSubhamuluKalugu Neeku.

Nagarjuna andNaga Chaitanya-starrer Bangarrajumight also hit bigscreens onJanuary 15, while Ghattamaneni’snewbie actor’s Hero is also releasingon the same date.

However,Rana’s 1945is coming aweek early.The makersrecentlyannouncedthat the filmwill releaseon January7.

Even Tamil actor Vishal has joinedthe Sankranthi race on Tuesday.According to an announcement madeby the makers of the film, the actor’sSamanyudu is releasing on January14. A couple ofother small-budget films arealso trying tosecure theatres inthe same season.

s

he makers ofPrabhas andPooja Hegde-starrer recentlyannounced thatthe film will

release on January 14,despite RRR being post-poned. But the director’scryptic tweet on Tuesday

raised doubts amongmoviegoers over the post-ponement of the film’srelease.Director RadhaKrishna wrote on hisTwitter wall: “Times aretough, hearts are weak,minds in mayhem.Whatever life may throwat us – Our hopes are

always High. Stay safe, stayhigh – Team #rad-heshyam.” The commentssection was full of netizensquestioning the director ofthe film is being post-poned. However, the direc-tor replied that he wouldhave announced the samedirectly.

Radhe Shyam director’s tweethints at film’s postponement

ehind every film’sblockbuster suc-cess, music plays acrucial role. Casein instancePushpa: The Rise.

Eagerness to watch the filmincreased with its songs.Pushpa’s music emerged asthe surprise package of2021.

For music director DeviSri Prasad, better known asDSP, the movie is no lessthan a reunion as he teamedup with Allu Arjun andSukumar again after Arya 2which was released in 2009.

The moment he heard thestory, DSP smelt a winner inthe works, he told IANS. “Igot an opportunity to workon something different, interms of songs and back-ground score as well. Onceyou have a radically differ-ent concept and the plat-form ready, I was confidentthat people would own it,”he explained. The success ofthe songs in all the lan-guages that the moviereleased in, has come as abooster for DSP. Recallinghow each song was pro-duced individually for eachof the five languages -Telugu, Kannada, Tamil,Malayalam, and Hindi -DSP said that composingthe song tunes was the easypart. However, getting thevocals right for each lan-guage was not so simple, heconfessed. “As and whenwe’re discussing the scriptitself most of the song’scompositions happen, likein 5 to 15 minutes I get thesong tune ready, thereafterorchestration takes sometime. But when it came torecording the vocals, I hadto spend around a monthon recording vocals for eachsong. I would have to briefthe singers on each languageexpression, and sometimes Ihad to change the expres-sions depending on the lan-guage.” The movie back-ground too had DSP don-ning his creative hat andburning the midnight oil.He credits his love for back-ground music compositionto music maestro Ilayaraja."He showed us the power ofbackground music in the

movies,: DSP stated rever-entially. For the confronta-tion scene in the movie’s cli-max, DSP decided to use asixth language in the back-ground music. Apart fromthe sense of gravitas, it lendsto the scene where the pro-tagonist and antagonist faceoff against each other, DSPfelt Sanskrit would be uni-versally accepted in all theregional language marketsthat Pushpa was screened in.

He went the whole dis-tance for the scene’s back-ground music.

“I took the help of aSanskrit pandit for the back-ground score in the climaxscene. I gave him the tune,explained the sequence, andtold him to compose thebackground lyric inSanskrit. Everybody lovedit.”

With the movie’ssongs Oo Antava... andSaami... trending atNew Year dos all overIndia and even abroad,DSP jokingly describesthem as unofficialNew Year partyanthems of 2022.And with Pushpa 2expected to go onfloors in around amonth, DSP ispreparing to flour-ish his music wandfor an encore.“We have plansfor a couple ofsongs forPushpa 2.There aregoing to besome terrificsituations inthe movie.You can alsoexpect somesoulful musicin the movie,”DSP says. Asfor the yearahead, DSPactively plansto work onBollywoodprojects. “I’llbe releasingsome sin-gles andmusicvideos thisyear,” hesigned off.

Oo Antava, Saami are unofficial

party anthems of 2022: DSP

b

Tctress HansikaMotwani, who isworshipped as a god-dess in Tamil cinema,has her hands fullthis year. She began

2022 with a bang by lining upnine films.

Hansika, who is very opti-mistic about the new year, said,“The last year has been quite abig challenge for everyone.Especially, the movie industry,which was confined to unbear-ably tough times. However, it’sgreat to see the light at the endof the tunnel as life is gettingback to normal for everyoneduring this New Year 2022.”

Thanking her friends in the

film fraternity, the media, herfans, and everyone who hadbeen a great support duringthese tough times, the actresssaid, “It’s love and compassionthat keeps the world progressing,and I am glad and blessed tohave found them in plenty. I amexcited to announce that I havenine projects lined up this yearthat are in different stages ofproduction. I wish everyone thattheir dreams and goals getaccomplished this year. Stayhappy, peaceful, successful, anddon’t forget to spread positivity,which is the need of the hour.”

Her films include Maha,Partner, Rowdy Baby, My Nameis Shruthi, among others.

a

Hansika lines up9 films for 2022

sports 12HYDERABAD | WEDNESDAY | JANUARY 5, 2022

AP n PARIS

Kylian Mbappe scored asecond-half hat trick as

French Cup holder Paris Saint-Germain won at fourth-tierVannes 4-0 to reach the last 16.

Goalkeeper Clement Petrelmade a couple of smart savesbefore PSG central defenderPresnel Kimpembe stooped toscore a powerful header froma Nuno Mendes corner in the28th minute.

Mbappe was kept quiet bythe Vannes defense in the firsthalf on a rainy night in the

Brittany region of northwest-ern France. But he made it 2-0 in the 59th when he latched

onto Kimpembe’s long passfrom defense to sprint clearand finish with a low shot that

looped in. His next goal was farmore emphatic as he arroweda shot high into the net from20 meters, after good workfrom midfielder Marco Verrattiallowed 18-year-old Dutchmidfielder Xavi Simons tosend Mbappe through in the71st.

His third goal was fromclose range after swappingpasses with substitute EricEbimbe in the 77th. It markedhis 18th goal in 25 gamesoverall. PSG coach MauricioPochettino also picked 18-year-old French midfielder

Edouard Michut, whoimpressed with his technicalability albeit against modestopposition.

PSG was without LionelMessi, isolating at home inArgentina after being amongfour players who tested posi-tive for the coronavirus duringa brief winter break.Pochettino was uncertain ifMessi will recover in time toplay at Lyon in the league onSunday.

Lens hosts Lille in a north-ern derby on Tuesday for thefinal spot in the last 16.

PTI n RAJKOT

Former Saurashtra cricketerAmbapratasinhji Jadeja died

of COVID-19 infection onTuesday, the Saurashtra CricketAssociation (SCA) said.

He was 69.“Everyone at Saurashtra

Cricket Association are deeplysaddened on the sad demise ofSaurashtra’s yesteryears’ crick-eter late Shri AmbapratapsinhjiJadeja. He passed away todayearly morning at Valsad fight-ing hard battle against Covid-19,” the SCA said in a mediastatement issued here.

Hailing from Jamnagar,Jadeja was a prominent right-arm medium pacer and right-handed batsman. He playedeight Ranji Trophy matchesrepresenting Saurashtra.

He was a retired DSP,Gujarat Police.

In a condolence message,former BCCI secretaryNiranjan Shah said,“Ambapratapsinhji was aremarkable player and I haveinteracted good cricketingmoments with him. May hisnoble soul rest in the shelter ofthe Almighty.”

PTI n ADELAIDE

On an all-win day for Indiantennis players, Sania Mirza

and the pair of RamkumarRamanathan and RohanBopanna emerged victorious intheir respective first roundmatches, albeit in contrastingfashion, in the ATP and WTAtournaments, here on Tuesday.

Sania and her Ukrainianpartner Nadiia Kichenok over-came a first-set thrashing toknock out second seeds

Gabriella Dabrowski andGiuliana Olmos 1-6 6-3 10-8 inthe WTA 500 event.

In the ATP 250 men’sevent, the Indian combinationof Ramkumar and veteranBopanna, pairing up togetherfor the first time on the ATPtour, had an easy day out.

They trounced AmericanJamie Cerretani and BrazilianFernando Romboli 6-2 6-1 toset up the pre-quarterfinal witheighth seed American pair ofNathaniel Lammons and

Jackson Withrow.“We had a good match.

Both of us served And returnedwell. We combined well andstuck to the plan,” Ramkumartold PTI.

“We had practiced oncewith the same team before thedraw which helped us.

“I am always happy to playwith Bops (Bopanna), who is soexperienced and is someonewho has always been of goodsupport and helps me with mytennis with all the experiencehe has,” he added.

Since India will hostDenmark on grass courts inNew Delhi in their next DavisCup tie in March, it is a possi-bility that Bopanna andRamkumar, who has devel-oped a fantastic serve and vol-ley game, may pair up for thedoubles.

This tournament will givethem that opportunity to findout what works for them, if atall the captain decides to fieldthem as a team.

Interestingly, Ramkumargot a chance to play withDenmark’s top singles playerHolger Rune in the singlesQualifiers and lost 4-6 6-7(7) ina close first round match.

Rune, ranked 103, eventu-ally qualified for the maindraw.

The match must have givenhim a fair idea of what to expectfrom Rune when he lands inDelhi for the Davis Cup.

AP n SYDNEY

Scott Boland has retained his spot inAustralia’s bowling attack for the fourth

Ashes test after his starring role on debutin the series-deciding victory over Englandlast week.

Boland took six wickets for seven runsas England collapsed in the second inningsto be all out for 68 in Melbourne, allowingAustralia to retain the Ashes with twomatches to spare.

Any debate about Boland’s spot in thestarting XI ended when veteran pacebowler Josh Hazlewood was ruled out fora third consecutive match because of a sidestrain.

Australia made one injury enforcedchange for the fourth test startingWednesday at the Sydney Cricket Ground,with Usman Khawaja replacing middle-order batter Travis Head.

Khawaja’s return for the first time since2019 comes after Head was ruled out fol-lowing a positive COVID-19 test.

England’s coronavirus concerns havemainly been off the field, with head coachChris Silverwood among the support staffin isolation in Melbourne and missing theSydney match.

Assistant coach Graham Thorpe, whowill guide the squad in Silverwood’sabsence, recalled 35-year-old pacemanStuart Broad in the only change to England’slineup. Broad missed selection for the first

and third tests but returned to replace OllieRobinson, who leads the team with ninewickets in this series but has been sidelinedwith a shoulder problem.

Australia’s pace bowling stocks arestrong, with skipper Pat Cummins andMitchell Starc getting good support acrossthe last two tests from Boland in Melbourneand from Richardson and Michael Neser inAdelaide, as well as allrounder CameronGreen.

After inspecting the SCG pitch,Cummins opted against bringing in MitchSwepson as a second spinner to work withNathan Lyon. “You need that disciplined

stump to stump bowler. That’s what Scottbrings to the table,” Cummins said.

“It’s no secret. If Josh Hazlewood wasavailable he was going to play. (But) it wouldhave been a real shame to see Scotty not playthis week after his efforts last week.

I’m really glad he gets another crackout here.”

Thorpe said Broad and star allrounderBen Stokes, who is yet to hit top form sincereturning in Australia from a prolongedbreak, were like a “couple of caged tigers”ahead of the Sydney match as England triesto end a run of 13 Ashes tests in Australiawithout a win.

AP n MOUNT MAUNGANUI NEW ZEALAND

Ebadot Hossain bowled Bangladesh to thebrink of a famous victory over World Test

Champion New Zealand in a fiery spellTuesday on the fourth day of the first crickettest.

On a pitch on which Bangladesh and NewZealand collectively amassed 786 runs in theirfirst innings — with the tourists taking a 130-run lead — Ebadot reduced New Zealand to147-5 at stumps, a lead of only 17 runs.

After dismissing first innings century-maker Devon Conway for 13, Ebadot removedWill Young (69), Henry Nicholls (0) and TomBlundell (0) in the space of six balls to forti-fy the strong position the Bangladesh battershad created.

“The first thing to know about Ebadot asa person is that he only came to cricket aboutfive years ago,” Bangladesh’s West Indies-bornbowling coach Ottis Gibson said.

“He won a fast-bowling competition some-where and two years later he was playing inter-national cricket.

“He’s a joy to work with because he’s enthu-siastic and he wants to learn so much. Whenhis confidence is high he can bowl spells likethis.”

New Zealand was just hanging on atstumps in the face of Ebadot’s aggressive swingbowling. Veteran Ross Taylor, in his penulti-mate test match before retirement, was 37 andallrounder Rachin Ravindra was 6.

Bangladesh hasn’t won any of its previous43 matches in New Zealand across all three for-mats and wasn’t expected to test New Zealandin this match in the absence of veteran play-ers such as Shakib Al Hasan, Tamim Iqbal andMahmudullah.

But the tourists have steadily got on top ofNew Zealand, and Ebadot rammed home theiradvantage on Tuesday, finishing the day withfigures of 4-39.

Bangladesh first dismissed New Zealandfor 328, claiming the last five wickets for 70runs to leave it short of a par score on a docilepith at the Bay Oval. Bangladesh replied with458, lifted by the contributions of captain

Mominul Haque (88), Liton Das (86),Mahmudul Hasan Joy (78) and NajmulHossain Shanto (64).

Resuming on Tuesday at 401-6, Bangladeshadded a further 57 through Mehidy Hasan (47)and Yasir Ali (26).

When the tourists finally were all out, NewZealand had been in the field for more than176 overs — the better part of two days — inhot conditions and seemed wilted when theirsecond innings began.

Latham again was out cheaply when hedragged a short ball from Taskin Ahmed ontohis stumps. Ebadot had his first wicket whenConway was caught at slip by Shadman Islam,though the Decision Review System wasneeded to confirm the dismissal.

AP n BRISBANE

Novak Djokovic will get a chance todefend his Australian Open title

after receiving a medical exemption totravel to Melbourne, ending months ofuncertainty about his participationbecause of the strict COVID-19 vacci-nation requirements in place for thetournament.

The top-ranked Djokovic wrote onInstagram on Tuesday he has “anexemption permission” to travel toAustralia.

Djokovic, who is seeking a record21st Grand Slam singles title, has con-tinually refused to reveal if he is vac-cinated against the coronavirus.

The Victoria state government has

mandated that all players, staff and fansattending the Australian Open must befully vaccinated unless there is a gen-uine reason why an exemption shouldbe granted.

Australian Open organizers issueda statement later Tuesday to confirmDjokovic will be allowed to compete atthe tournament, which starts on Jan. 17,and is on his way to Australia. He ear-lier withdrew from Serbia’s team for theATP Cup, which started last weekendin Sydney.

“Djokovic applied for a medicalexemption which was granted follow-ing a rigorous review process involv-ing two separate independent panels of medical experts,” the state-ment said.

PTI nMELBOURNE

Multiple COVID-19 out-breaks inside bio-bubbles

threw Australian domesticleagues haywire on Tuesday ascricket administrators grappledto keep schedules on track whileplayers complained of anxiety.

Both the men’s and women’sdomestic games were hit hardand Cricket Australia (CA) wasforced to make many late sched-ule changes.

Two matches of theWomen’s National CricketLeague involving WesternAustralia were postponed tillMarch due to border closuresafter a spike in COVID-19 cases.This has pushed the women’sdomestic 50-over final to mid-March.

WA were scheduled to playTasmania in Hobart twice thisweek, on January 7 and 9, but thegames have been pushed back toMarch 9 and 11 given the west-ern state’s hard border with therest of the country.

PTI n NEW DELHI

Virender Sehwag, Yuvraj Singh and HarbhajanSingh will be among a host former stars in

the India Maharaja team which will take part inthe inaugural edition of the Legends LeagueCricket (LLC), starting on January 20 in Oman.

The first season of LLC, which is a profes-sional cricket league for retired internationalcricketers, will be played at the Al Amerat CricketStadium in Oman among three power-packedteams.

The other two teams would be representingAsia and rest of the world.

Apart from the above trio, Irfan Pathan, YusufPathan, Badrinath, RP Singh, Pragyan Ojha,Naman Ojha, Manpreet Gony, Hemang Badani,Venugopal Rao, Munaf Patel, Sanjay Bangar,Nayan Mongia and Amit Bhandari will also bepart of the India Maharaja team.

Ebadot puts Bangladesh ontop in 1st test vs New Zealand

Sania-Kichenok, Ramkumar-Bopanna advance in Adelaide

Mbappe hat trick as PSG beats Vannes 4-0 in French Cup

Multiple COVID-19outbreaks hitAustraliandomestic leagues

Djokovic given medical exemptionto play at Australian Open

Sehwag, Yuvraj, Harbhajan to play for India Maharaja ininaugural Legends League Cricket

Former Saurashtra player AmbapratasinhJadeja dies of COVID-19 infection

Boland retains spot in Australia

line-up for 4th Ashes test

PTI n JOHANNESBURG

Unheralded seam bowler ShardulThakur turned out to be an unlike-ly hero with a career-best 7 for 61to keep India on even keel against

South Africa on an intriguing second day ofthe second Test here on Tuesday.

Standing at 5 feet 7 inches and with aphysique which is an antithesis of what is per-ceived to be a fast bowler’s body, the skiddyThakur (17.5-3-61-7) landed crucial blows atopportune moments to send the Proteaspacking for 229 in their first innings.

It was his effort that nullified India’s seem-ingly inadequate first innings score of 202with the lead being restricted to 27 and thenerased by visitors as they reached 85 for 2 atstumps, losing stand-in skipper KL Rahul (8)and Mayank Agarwal’s (23) wicket.

The two under-fire seniors CheteshwarPujara (35 batting) and Ajinkya Rahane (11batting) were at the crease and for a changeshowed lot of positivity and intent. India nowlead by 58 runs.

Shardul means ‘Tiger’ in Sanskrit and histeammates teasingly call him ‘Lord Beefy’which incidentally is legendary all-rounderIan Botham’s nickname.

The ‘Tiger’ was in a mood to hunt insidethe ‘Bull Ring’ under sunny the Johannesburgskyline and he did exactly that, coming up

with a performance which is over and abovewhat even coach Rahul Dravid would haveexpected. On a pitch with spongy, tennis balllike bounce, a total of 180 to 200 will be anonerous fourth innings chase for South Africaas the match is expected to end well withinfour days if the weather doesn’t play spoil-sport. The day started nicely for South Africaas their dogged skipper Dean Elgar (28 off120 balls) was happy to play the ugly wait-ing game while allowing his younger col-league Keegan Peterson (62 off 118 balls) to

play an attacking role.It was going well in a stand of 74 as South

Africa reached 88 for one before Thakur wasbrought into the attack in the 34th over as thesecond change.

With Mohammed Siraj bowling from ashorter run-up and not able to exert himselffully due to a hamstring injury, the man fromMaharashtra’s Palghar district had to takemore responsibility with the team virtuallyone bowler short.

Mohammed Shami (2/52 in 21 overs)

and Jasprit Bumrah (1/49 in 21 overs) onceagain bowled their hearts out, beat the out-side edges without much luck before Thakurcame into the picture and dealt three blowsin quick succession just before lunch.

UNDER-RATED SKILL SETS BUT VERY EFFECTIVE

Thakur, when he burst into the domes-tic scene, was more of a 135 kmph plus bowlerbut over the years, he is bowling in the 120-130 kmph band but possesses a meanoutswinger and a lethal off-cutter deliveredwith scrambled seam and grip of a slowerdelivery.

In case of a scrambled seam, the stitchedpart of the ball doesn’t hit the ground and ifthe ball’s shine is maintained well, which theIndian team did diligently, it lands on the skin(red part) and starts skidding at a pace whichis more than what the batters can apprehend.

“Since he has a habit of bowling a lot ofoff-breaks (slower delivery for pacers withtweak of finger) in limited overs cricket, heis using that skill effectively in Tests also. Hemight bowl at 130 kmph but with thescrambled seam, he hurries the batter a touchmore),” his childhood coach Dinesh Lad toldPTI from Mumbai.

The delivery that got Peterson was a con-ventional outswinger which wasn’t at drivablelength and the batter went for a non-existent

punch through covers only to land in secondslip Agarwal’s palms.

Before that, Peterson’s left-handed skip-per Elgar got one that moved late taking theoutside edge.

Similarly, in the second session, just whenTemba Bavuma (51 off 60 balls) and KyleVerreynne (21) added 58 and looked likeheading for a sizeable lead, Thakur produceda fuller one with scrambled seam that land-ed on the ‘fifth off stump’ and cut back sharplyto trap the young keeper leg before.

In case of Bavuma, the delivery was firedtowards his rib cage and was drifting downbefore Rishabh Pant took an extraordinarycatch down the leg-side.

A CONTENTIOUS CAUGHT BEHINDOut of Shardul’s seven wickets, the dis-

missal of Rassie van der Dussen did createsome controversy as TV replays turned outto be inconclusive whether Thakur’s off-cut-ter, that literally had the batter cut into half,was taken cleanly by Pant.

One angle seemed to suggest that it waspicked on the bounce and it was learnt thathome team captain Elgar visited the matchreferee’s room to have a chat.

In 2011, Mahendra Singh Dhoni in anexemplary show of sportsmanship had calledback Ian Bell after the batter was adjudgedrun-out in the post lunch session.

PTI n NEW DELHI

India’s premier domestic first-classcompetition Ranji Trophy will

not start as scheduled on January 13due to a massive surge in COVID-19 cases across the country, a BCCIofficial told PTI on Tuesday.

The first round was to start inmultiple cities on January 13 but hasbeen put off and the BCCI willdeliberate on when to conduct theblue riband tournament some timelater.

“Yes, the Ranji Trophy has nowbeen put on hold and will not starton January 13,” a BCCI tournamentcommittee member told PTI onconditions of anonymity.

Recently, the Bengal teamreported six COVID-19 cases,including five players whileMumbai’s India player Shivam Dubealso tested positive and is in isola-tion. The Ranji Trophy is being heldin six cities including Bengaluru andKolkata among others.

Ranji Trophyput on hold dueto surge in Covid casesNot to start from Jan 13

Shardul’s 7 brings India back in game