RNI No. TELENG/2018/76469

Established 1864Published From

HYDERABAD DELHI LUCKNOWBHOPAL RAIPUR CHANDIGARH

BHUBANESWAR RANCHIDEHRADUN VIJAYAWADA

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ANALYSIS 7POLL FREEBIES: ROAD TO

ECONOMIC DISASTER

MONEY 8SUGAR EXPORTS MAY JUMP TO 90 LAKH

TONNES IN 2021-22 MARKETING YEAR

SPORTS 12PSG ON BRINK OF

FRENCH TITLE

GOVERNMENT APPOINTS LT GENPANDE AS NEXT ARMY CHIEF

Lt Gen Manoj Pande will take charge as the 29th Chief ofthe Army Staff after incumbent Gen MM Naravane retireson April 30. Lt Gen Pande, currently serving as the Vice

Chief, will become the first officer from the Corps of Engineersto take charge of the 1.3-million-strong force as the positionhas been held so far by officers from infantry, artillery andarmoured regiments. "The government has appointed Lt GenManoj C Pande, presently Vice Chief of the Army Staff, as thenext Chief of the Army Staff with effect from the afternoon ofApril 30," the defence ministry said in a statement on Monday.

TOMAR LAUNCHES TWO NEWPORTALS FOR AGRI SECTOR

Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar on Monday launchedtwo new portals, including one for registration of pesticides.Another portal is for documentation related to imports and

exports of agri-products and plants. The minister launched the twoportals -- CROP (Comprehensive Registration of Pesticides) andPQMS (Plant Quarantine Management System) -- in an event held atthe Pusa complex, with an aim to improve ease of doing business.Addressing the event, Tomar said the two new portals have beenlaunched to make the process of pesticides registration anddocumentation process for export-import simple and transparent.

CBI NOW PART OF INTERPOL'SANTI-CHILD ABUSE DATABASE

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has joined theinternational child sexual exploitation database of Interpol,a move which will bolster its fight against sex abuse of

minors and help in identification of victims and abusers usingsophisticated analytics software, officials said. Sources in theagency said the CBI recently joined a select group of agenciesof 67 countries that are connected to the database. Interpoldatabase on paedophiles and disseminators of child sexualabuse material (CSAM) on the internet relies on multi-mediafrom various countries which are analysed.

‘BIGGEST-EVER' UK DELEGATION TOTAKE PART IN BENGAL GLOBAL SUMMIT

The upcoming Bengal Global Business Summit -- the state'sannual marquee event to woo investors from across theglobe -- will see the "biggest-ever" UK delegation of 49

senior figures in attendance, officials said on Monday. Thecontingent will include top personalities from a wide range ofbusinesses, institutions and universities, who would representthe United Kingdom at the BGBS here on April 20-21, they said."The British Deputy High Commission and British CouncilKolkata will bring the biggest-ever UK delegation to the BGBS,"the British Deputy High Commission Kolkata said in a release.

HYDERABAD, TUESDAY, APRIL 19, 2022; PAGES 12 `3

ALMANAC

Updated: APRIL 18, 2022 5:00 PM

Forecast: Mostly sunny

Temp: 38oc

Humidity: 38%

Sunrise: 6:01 AM

Sunset: 6:29 PM

Month & Paksham:

Tithi: Sukla Paksha Sapthami:

Apr 18 10:35 PM – Apr 20 12:01 AM

Sukla Paksha Ashtami:

Apr 20 12:01 AM – Apr 21 12:43 AM

Nakshatram:

Punarvasu: Apr 19 05:02 AM

– Apr 20 06:53 AM

Rahukalam: 7:34 AM – 9:08 AM

Yamagandam: 10:41 AM – 12:15 PM

Varjyam: 05:57 PM – 07:40 PM

Gulika: 1:49 PM – 3:22 PM

Amritakalam: None

Abhijit Muhurtham: 11:50 AM –

12:40 PM

TTOODDAAYY

HYDERABAD WEATHER

TRS workers try to block padayatraPNS n HYDERABAD

Tension gripped Telangana BJPchief Bandi Sanjay Kumar’s paday-atra when TRS activists tried toblock it on Monday in the Vemulavillage of Itikyal mandal in GadwalJogulamba district.

The TRS activists protestedagainst Sanjay’s padayatra, andBJP activists raised slogans againstChief Minister K. ChandrasekharRao. The BJP activists destroyed thecar of a TRS leader who protestedagainst Sanjay’s padayatra.

Speaking to the media, Sanjaysaid that they welcome the blockingof the padayatra by TRS activists.

“We are ready to answer thequestions raised by TRS leaders.We are bringing the problems of

Palamuru to light. Everyone has theright to launch padayatras in ademocracy. Everyone has the rightto question too. TRS leaders areblocking us as we are questioninggovernment policies. KCR mustlaunch a padayatra against theCentre’s policies, Sanjay said.

My statements distortedo I never said I will dismiss TRS Govt, says Guv

PNS n HYDERABAD

Governor Dr TamilisaiSounderarajan has said that shehad never said that she will dismissthe TRS Government.

“The media distorted my state-ments,” Dr Tamilisai said. Shesaid that governments in otherstates are respecting the RajBhavan even if the Governors dif-fered with them.

She said that she has been func-tioning only as a Governor andthat she has no need to engage inpolitics.

“Some are baselessly criticisingme by saying that I am engaged inpolitics. That is criticism withoutevidence. Ministers and MLAs arearbitrarily criticising me. Some aretrolling me on social media usingold videos. Is taking up publicproblems wrong? Meeting peopleis misunderstood. No matter whatthe position, my goal is to serve thepublic. The Centre is doing its jobon protocol violations by itself. Iam touring tribal areas for thegood of tribal people. Don't lookat the invitations politically,” said

Governor Dr Tamilisai.The Governor made it clear that

she doesn't care about protocol andwill keep on serving people.

She said that she has been work-ing for the last one year withouttaking a single day off and addedthat the Governor has to give areport to the Centre every month.

She made it clear that she hadgone to New Delhi to submit areport on the state. “I am doing myjob as Governor. I have no politi-cal agenda at all.

PNS n WASHINGTON

Omicron is more likely than othercoronavirus variants to cause upperairway infection (UAI) among chil-dren, putting them at risk of heartattack and other severe complica-tions, according to a study.

The researchers from theUniversity of Colorado,Northwestern University, and StonyBrook University in the USanalysed data from the NationalCOVID Cohort Collaborative per-taining to 18,849 children underage 19 who were hospitalised withCOVID-19.

The study, published last weekin the journal JAMA Pediatrics,also found that Omicron causesUAI in younger children with the

mean age of hospitalised childrenfalling from about four years andfive months during the pre-Omicron period to about twoyears and one month during the

Omicron period.The researchers conducted the

study to determine if cases of UAIamong children increased whenOmicron became the dominant

SARS-CoV-2 variant inthe US.

The proportion of chil-dren with a pediatriccomplex chronic condi-tion was not significant-ly different in the pre-Omicron period com-pared with the Omicronperiod, they said.

Overall, 21.1 per centof children hospitalisedwith both COVID-19and UAI developedsevere disease requiring

measures like inserting a tubeinto the lungs to assist with breath-ing, known as intubation.

"Children with severe UAI are atrisk of cardiac arrest from rapid-onset upper airway obstruction.

Omicron cause airway infections among children

Hard on fares soft on liquiorTelugu CMs sailing in the same boat oHike fares of RTC and power, reduce liquior price

SNCN ACHARYULUn HYDERABAD

Ahead of theAssembly elec-tions, both theTelugu ChiefMinisters are sail-ing on the sameboat by raisingtaxes and chargeson the people.

Both govern-ments are compet-ing with each other in burdeningthe people through extra chargesand other levies. Surprisingly,both governments have cut liquorrates.

The Telangana governmentheaded by Chief Minister K.Chandrasekhar Rao and theAndhra Pradesh government head-

ed by Jagan MohanReddy are concentrated on raisingadditional revenue.

The reason is that the state gov-ernments will not get compensationunder the Goods and Services Tax(GST) from the Centre from June.

The Centre is implementingGST from 2017 and it had assuredstate governments that it would pay

compensation for fiveyears if they suffer revenue loss dueto GST. The five-year period iscoming to an end by June.

Both the Telugu states are gettingaround Rs 5,000 crore each per yearas GST compensation. The stategovernments will not get thismoney from June and both govern-ments have started increasing

charges to raisea d d i t i o n a lincome.

Both the gov-ernments areimplementingseveral welfareschemes. Theg o v e r n m e n t sneed moremoney in theabsence ofCentral funds tofund these

schemes. So the Telangana government

has increased power tariff in thecurrent f inancial year. Theincrease in power charges willgenerate about Rs 5,596 crore asadditional revenue.

DoubletroublePK entry may cause embarrassment

to PCC chief Revanth, strategist Sunil

PNS n HYDERABAD

Poll strategist Prashant Kishore'sdecision on the Congress will putTPCC President Revanth Reddy inan embarrassing situation.

After the ruling TRS engagedPrashant Kishore, the TPCCPresident had strongly criticised him.

Revanth had said, “PK can donothing here (PK ikkada pikediemi ledu). If the TRS has PK the

Congress has 40 lakh AK 47s in theform of committed workers.”

Now the same PK will join theCongress or work for the partyduring the elections and that willbe an embarrassment for Revanth.

He had also commented that byengaging Prashant Kishore ChiefMinister K. Chandrasekhar Raohas accepted defeat in elections.

T’gana likely tooppose changesPNS n HYDERABAD

The Telangana governmentis likely to oppose the pro-posal to make changes in therules on Central deputationof IPS officers.

Sources said that it is stillin the proposal phase, and ifcomments are sought fromthe State, Telangana willreject the move as there is ashortage of IPS officers.

The Union HomeMinistry has sent proposalsto the Prime Minister'sOffice to change the servicerules of IPS officers andmake Central deputationfor IPS officers compulsoryfor Superintendents of Police(SPs) and Deputy InspectorGenerals (DIGs).

DEPUTATION OFIPS OFFICERS

PNS n GANDHINAGAR

Prime Minister Narendra Modi onMonday said students should bemotivated towards the use of tech-nology, but at the same time theyshould not forget to engage withsports and social life.

The PM, who is on a three-dayvisit to his home state of Gujarat,cautioned children against focus-

ing just on online activities andpointed out that under the NewEducation Policy, sports is a part ofeducation and not just anotherextracurricular activity.

Modi started his Gujarat trip byvisiting "Vidya Samiksha Kendra,"or the Command and ControlCentre for Schools,

‘Only KCR and family enjoying power in TS’

Telangana BJP President BandiSanjay Kumar has alleged that

Chief Minister KCR’s family alone isenjoying power in Telangana,although the state was created by thesacrifices of many. He asked people,“Was this the purpose of fighting fora Telangana state?” Addressing agathering in the Vemula village ofAlampur constituency on Mondayduring his Praja Sangrama Yatra, heexpressed concern over people notbelieving the words of eminentpolitical leaders due to the liesuttered by KCR. BJP leaders are outnot to seek votes from the people.

Moreover, elections are not aroundthe corner. He said that in spite of it,

“Children with severe UAIare at risk of cardiac arrestfrom rapid-onset upperairway obstruction. Theymay require therapiestypically provided inintensive care units,including frequentadministration of nebulisedracemic epinephrine,helium-oxygen mixtures,and intubation”

In the sameway, the Andhra

Pradesh govtalso increasedpower charges

to collect anextra Rs 1,400

crore.

The Telangana governmentheaded by Chief MinisterK. Chandrasekhar Rao andthe Andhra Pradeshgovernment headed byJagan Mohan Reddy areconcentrated on raisingadditional revenue.

Frame National policyon E-Commerce: KTRPNS n HYDERABAD

The Centre should frame anational policy on e-commerce,IT Minister KTR said here onMonday.

KT Rama Rao was address-ing the Parliamentary StandingCommittee on Commerce ledby Chairman Vijay Sai Reddy.The committee is on a studytour to Hyderabad regardingthe ‘Promotion and Regulationof e-Commerce in India.’

KTR said that if India has tomake the most of the revolu-tionary changes in the field ofsoftware and technology, it isimperative to take policy deci-sions and bring about infra-structural changes swiftly.

He suggested that the Centreshould move more activelyregarding the delivery of citizenservices.

“E-Commerce has the poten-tial to create large-scale jobs by

using changes in the technolo-gy sector. The people of Indiawill be in the forefront inembracing new technology. It isclear that e-commerce is noexception,” KTR said.

He said that the focus shouldbe on digital literacy in the faceof the growing large-scale E-Commerce activities.

PNS n NEW DELHI

The Enforcement Directorate(ED) has attached assets worthover Rs 757 crore of one of thecountry's most known multi-level marketing (MLM) anddirect-sel l ing companies,

Amway India, as part of amoney-laundering investiga-tion.

The federal agency issued astatement on Monday, allegingthat the company was perpetrat-ing a "scam" by running a pyra-mid "fraud" in the guise of

direct-selling MLM network."The entire focus of the com-

pany is about propagating howmembers can become rich bybecoming members. There is nofocus on the products.

ED attaches assets worth over Rs 757 Cr of Amway India

Ready tosupport Billon free edu,healthcare

PNS n HYDERABAD

TRS Working PresidentKalvakuntla Tarak Rama Rao(KTR) lashed out at BJPstate President Bandi Sanjay’spadayatra.

“If the BJP comes to powerthey are telling that they willgive free education andhealth. Now BJP is ruling atthe Centre. Who is prevent-ing you from passing a Billon providing free educationand health services across thecountry,” KTR said.

He said that free educationand medical care should beprovided across the country,and private hospitals andeducational institutionsshould be abolished. He saidthat if they bring the Bill inParliament TRS will sup-port it.

“Did the Centre spend arupee for the JogulambaTemple or the VemulawadaTemple? You keep hummingLord Rama every morning,

KTR lashes out at BandiSanjay padayatra

Active Covidcases in the

country are 11,542

Page : 5

States need toreset spending,cut freebiesPNS n MUMBAI

Several states are spendinghigh amounts on populistschemes like farm loanwaivers, and with the GSTcompensation from theCentre ending in June, theyneed to re-prioritise expen-diture in accordance with therevenue receipts, a reportsaid on Monday. In someinstances, the Goods andServices Tax (GST) revenuefrom the Centre forms overa fifth of a state's tax revenue,while they have been foundto be spending on "econom-ically unsustainable" freebies,

‘Log into technology don’t shun social life’

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PNS n HYDERABAD

Power Minister Jagadish Reddysaid that the Centre is trying tosabotage Telangana's free elec-tricity scheme.

Speaking in Suryapet hesaid, “People are asking theCentre that if it is possible forTelangana to give free electric-ity to farmers why not all overthe country?”

He said that the Centre wasconspiring against Telanganawhich had a sterling record inthe power sector.

Jagadish alleged that aUnion Minister is trying tomake Telangana go without

electricity. The Centre isbehaving in a deplorable wayby stopping Telangana power

distribution companies fromgetting loans.

The Centre is also conspir-ing to stop Telangana frombuying electricity from powerexchanges, he said.

He said that the Centre was

creating obstacles, burdeningthe supply grid and trying todisrupt power supply inTelangana.

He said he was being pres-sured to put meters on agricul-ture motors. Jagadish made itclear that free electricity willnot be stopped for Telanganafarmers under any circum-stance.

He said that a power holi-day has been declared due topower outages in Gujarat. Hesaid that the Centre is unableto bear the fact that Telanganais providing uninterruptedpower supply to all sections ofpeople.

Prime Minister NarendraModi strongly believesin strengthening the

hands of the poor to eradicatepoverty. He emphasizes thatpoverty can be rooted outonly by empowering the poorand fulfilling their needsthrough effectively imple-mented welfare schemes.

Recently, the PrimeMinister, while addressingFuture Investment Initiativeconference held in Dubai,traced his own ascent to thehighest office in the country- the Prime Minister's Office- from a poor family.I did nothail from a reputed politicalfamily. I did not learn aboutpoverty by reading about it inbooks. I experienced pover-ty and climbed up many stepsto reach the PMO. I grew upselling tea on railway plat-forms,"he said, revealing allabout himself.

"If a poor man gets toknow that he himself canremove his poverty, howwould he feel? Can't we erad-icate poverty by creating an

atmosphere congenial for thepoor to lead a life of dignity,without having to stretchtheir hands before anyone?"Modi asked. Accordingly, hehas devised several govern-ment schemes. If a sea-change takes place in India, itwould drastically alter statis-tics across the globe, the PMsaid soon after coming topower.

As predicted by him, glob-al statistics have changed.The International MonetaryFront, in its latest report,said that utter poverty hadbeen wiped out from thecountry.The World Bank hasauthenticated the fact.Therate of poverty, which was22.5 in 2011, dropped to 10.2in 2019, according to a poli-cy document of the WB.Compared to urban poverty,rural poverty has come downdrastically, it said.The rate ofrural poverty in 2011 was26.3 as against 11.6 in 2019,it pointed out. The statisticssuggest that Modi's policieshave been effecting changes

from the grassroots level. According to World Bank

statistics, farmers with smallland holdings have been earn-ing higher revenue. Theannual income of small andmarginal farmers had regis-tered an increase of 10 percent, according to a survey bythe World Bank in 2013 and2019.

Under the PM GaribKalyan Yojana, the Uniongovernment works to preventsmall and marginal farmersand the poor from facinghardships. In all, 1,003 lakhtons of food grains were dis-tributed free of cost amongthe poor in six phases of thePM Garib Kalyan Yojana.

The Modi government facil-itated migrant labourersinsecuring their rations fromanywhere in the countryunder 'One nation, Oneration card' scheme. Today,migrant labourers can gettheir rations from any of the5 lakh odd ration shopsacross the country. Statisticsreveal that at least 61 crorepeople got their rations fromdifferent ration shops. Thescheme benefits over 80 crorepopulation of the country.The government incurred anexpenditure of over Rs 70,000crore for the purpose.

Not only the reports of theWorld Bank and the IMF, butOxford Poverty and Human

Development Initiative andthe UNDP's joint exercise ofMultidimensional PovertyIndex indicate that millionsare people coming out ofpoverty annually in India.

The Modi government alsoprovides LPG, sanitationschemes, drinking water facil-ity, healthcare at low cost,health insurance and puccahouses for the homeless poorto improve their living stan-dards. Besides implementingPM UjjwalaYojna, Swachh

Bharat, Jan-Dhan Yojna,G r a m e e nS a d a k Yoj n a ,J a l - J e e v a lMission andS o u b h a g y aschemes, theCentre has imple-mented AyushmanYojana and JanAushadhiYojna to make avail-able medicare to people toimprove their living stan-dards. In fact, 50 crore peo-ple get free health care.

Funds are being transferreddirectly into Jan-Dhan bankaccounts of the 45 lakhpeople.In fact, 50 per cent of the ben-eficiaries are women. Puccahouses are being built at a costof Rs 60,000 to benefit mil-lions. Over 30 crore peoplebenefit under Ujjwala schemeand get LPG. Over 3 crorehouses will be built underAwasYojna. Rural roads arebeing developed up to alength of 7,82,530 km. Underthe DeenDayalAntyodayascheme, loans have been sanc-tioned to over 3 lakh SHGs.

The Union governmenthas allocated Rs 33,000

crore to benefit theaged, widows andphysically chal-lenged. The govern-

ment has allocated Rs7 lakh crore to the Union

Rural Development Ministryfor the period 2018-19 to2021-22, indicating priori-ties of the Modi government.

BJP's coming to power inmost ofthe states, includingthe latest thumping victory inUP, is attributed to the BJPgovernment's commitmenttowards the poor and thedowntrodden sections, imple-mentation of welfare schemesefficiently, attempts at eradica-tion of corruption and spend-ing every paisa judiciously.

However, opposition par-ties do not understand thephenomenon. Surprisingly,the Congress and other par-ties, during their regimes,served their own interestswhile allowing the poor tocontinue in poverty. So, theyare not able to criticize the

Union Government construc-tively on the accelerated paceof poverty eradication.Instead, these parties havebeen raising an alarm allegingthat the Modi government isstoking up communalismamong people. It is evidentthat the opposition partieshave no agenda, but slingingmud on the BJP government.

The communal riots thathad taken place in Meerut,Moradabad, Bhiwandi,Muzaffar Nagar, Bhagalpurand Hyderabad during theCongress regime is every-body's knowledge. Similarly,people are aware of the polit-ical violence witnessed recent-ly in West Bengal and Kerala.

The opposition parties,while trying to deflect publicattention from the construc-tive activities taken up byModi to empower the down-trodden sections, have beenspewing venom on the centralgovernment, accusing it ofstoking the flames of commu-nalism. It is sure that theircries will fall on deaf ears.

Y SATYA KUMAR

BJP National Secretary

TRULY

SPEAKING

Under the PM Garib Kalyan Yojana, the Uniongovernment works to prevent small andmarginal farmers and the poor from facinghardships. In all, 1,003 lakh tons of food grainswere distributed free of cost among the poorin six phases of the PM Garib Kalyan Yojana.

Modi's policies effecting changes from the grassroots level

‘Centre trying to derail freeelectricity scheme in TS’

He said that theCentre wasconspiring againstTelangana which hada sterling record inthe power sector

T Rama Rao, Minister forMunicipal Administration andUrban Development, Industriesand Commerce, andInformation Technology ofTelangana has inauguratedMindspace Business ParksREIT’s 1 km long skywalk. Itconnects the Raidurg MetroStation to strategic locations inand around the MindspaceMadhapur campus.

Hard on faressoft on liquiorContinued from page 1

In the same way, the AndhraPradesh government alsoincreased power charges tocollect an extra Rs 1,400crore.

The Telangana govern-ment has increased RTC busfares and in addition to this,the RTC is collecting safetycess from passengers. Due tothis RTC passengers havebeen burdened by about Rs700 crore.

In Andhra Pradesh also thegovernment increased RTCbus fares and it is also collect-ing cess from passengers.This is going to generate Rs620 crore.

By increasing powercharges and RTC fares theTelangana government bur-dened the people by about Rs6,000 crore in the currentfinancial year.

The Andhra Pradesh gov-ernment also burdened peo-ple by an extra Rs 2,000crore. In addition to thisboth the governments haveincreased registration chargesand land values too. Due tothis buying property hasbecome expensive forTelugus.

As per the CentralGovernment's decision, thereis a steep hike in the re-reg-istration fee of motor vehiclesolder than 15 years.

My statements...Continued from page 1

I submitted the memorandumsubmitted by Congress leadersrequesting me to make theCentre order a CBI inquiry intopaddy procurement irregular-ities to the people concerned.Everyone has to respectConstitutional systems. Womenmust not lose self-confidence inany situation and must moveforward bravely,” she added.

Frame National policy on...Continued from page 1

He called for efforts to promotedigital literacy in all the lan-guages of India, as well as forinitiatives such as BharatNetundertaken by the Centre andthe Government of Telanganato provide financial assistanceto projects like the In-HouseInternet.

When last mile connectivi-ty is provided through theInternet, even the most remoteareas will get the opportunityto receive world-class knowl-edge and services, he said.

The Minister said that theTelangana government hasstarted the process of draftinga special law with the help ofNalsar University to checkcybercrimes. He said therewas a need to bring a law at thenational level on the subject.

Putting the progress of

Telangana before theParliamentary Committee setup on E-Commerce, KTR saidthat TS is facing discriminationfrom the Centre.

He alleged that the Centrewas ignoring a number ofguarantees on topics like theBayyaram Steel Plant to theRailway Coach Factory, theNational Design Centre andspecial industrial incentivesfor the Telangana government.

He said the Centre was notresponding to the Telanganagovernment's request forindustrial corridors as well asfinancial assistance for theDefence Corridor, PharmaCity and the Kakatiya MegaTextile Parks.

He said the Centre was nottaking the initiative in promot-ing Telangana, which hasbecome the most successfulstate in the country in seven-

and-a-half years.He reminded that the

Centre should recognize thatthe development of Telanganameans the development ofIndia.

KTR said realization of theMake in India slogan would bepossible only if the CentralGovernment gives more indus-trial incentives as well as takespolicy decisions.

TS likely to oppose changesContinued from page 1

The proposal suggests thatofficers who do not take upCentral deputation will bebarred from Central Service forthe rest of their careers. Sourcesin the police are divided overthe matter with some in favourof it while others opposing it.

Incidentally, both the stateand the Centre are arguing thatthere is a shortage of IPS offi-

cers.As per current rules, an IPS

officer will not be empaneledfor Central deputation if hedoes not spend three years onCentral deputation till theInspector General (IG) level.

Sources said that everybodyis going on deputation at IGlevel which led to a shortage atthe SP and DIG levels in policeorganisations of the CentralGovernment.

TRS workers try to block padayatraContinued from page 1

Reacting to the incident, BJPVice-President DK Arunaalleged that TRS leaders madesome people block the BJPpadayatra by giving them liquor.

She said that some peoplefrom Aija mandal threw stonesand warned that the BJP willnot remain quiet if the TRS con-tinues its attacks. She demand-ed that the state governmentand the police have to take stepsto ensure a peaceful padayatra.

Adilabad MP SoyamBapurao warned Chief MinisterKCR to be careful. BJP activistswill hit back if Sanjay gives thesignal to them. However,

Sanjay’s aim is to find out theproblems of people and makethem aware of the TRSGovernment’s deceptions. SoBJP cadres are showingrestraint, he said.

Goshamahal MLA T. RajaSingh alleged that the attacks onBJP’s Praja Sangrama Yatratook place as per the directionsof TRS Working President KTRamarao.

Sanjay said before the paday-atra that the TRS would launchattacks and that it is conspiringto block his padayatra, RajaSingh said.

He asked the state govern-ment to provide security toSanjay’s padayatra.

‘Only KCR and family enjoying...Continued from page 1

he and other BJP leaders hit the streets braving the hot sun to gainfirst-hand knowledge of people’s problems. A woman namedMunemma poured out her tale of woe to Sanjay expressing concernover how she and her community members live as KCR does notknow her community, the Boyas, and what their occupation is. Shepointed out that the CM distributed sheep for Gollas and Kurumas andreleased fishlings in water bodies to help fishermen but has donenothing for the Boyas. Sanjay asked people to teach a fitting lesson tothe TRS in the next elections and underscored the need for puncturingthe ego of KCR to establish a people’s government in Telangana. KCRis ruling the state by rendering the ultimate sacrifices of PoliceKistanna and Sriknatachary for Telangana useless. He said althoughthe Krishna River flows close by, the lands adjacent to the river havebeen rendered wastelands and asked who is responsible for this.

States need to...Continued from page 1

the report by Soumya KantiGhosh, group chief econom-ic adviser at State Bank ofIndia, said.

Telangana has committed35 per cent of revenuereceipts to finance populistschemes, while Rajasthan,Chhattisgarh, AndhraPradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand,West Bengal and Kerala haveall committed to spend 5-19per cent of their revenuereceipts on such schemes,the report said, adding that interms of percentage of astate's own tax revenue, thefigure is as much as 63 percent in the case of somestates.

Double troubleContinued from page 1

If the Congress engagesPrashant Kishore the samething will apply to theCongress also.

Meanwhile, the Congresshigh command has hired pollstrategist Sunil Kanugolu tolead the party in Karnatakaand Telangana Assembly elec-tions. Sunil also came fromPrashant Kishore's school.Now Sunil is working inde-pendently.

If Prashant Kishore joins theparty or works for the party inelections Sunil may also findhimself in an embarrassing sit-uation. Once Prashant Kishorejoins the Congress or worksfor the party he will get more

importance from the highcommand.

If the Congress high com-mand asks Sunil to work as perthe directions of PrashantKishor then also he may feelslighted.

One TPCC leader said thatif Prashant Kishore joins orworks for the Congress thehigh command may retainSunil for the Telangana andKarnataka Assembly electionsand Prashant Kishore may beasked to take care of otherstates and the Lok Sabha elec-tions.

Prashant Kishore is workingfor the TRS in Telangana andfor the YSR Congress inAndhra Pradesh for the nextAssembly elections.

KTR inauguratesone-km longMadhapurskywalkPNS n HYDERABAD

The Minister for MunicipalAdministration & UrbanDevelopment, Industries &Commerce and IT, KTRama Rao, inauguratedMindspace Business ParksREIT's circular, one-kmlong skywalk connectingthe Raidurg Metro Stationto locations in and aroundthe Mindspace Madhapurcampus on Monday.

The skywalk which is 1km long and 3.5 metersbroad is expected to easetravel for around 30,000people every day.

The inaugural functionheld on Monday wasattended by Jayesh Ranjan,IAS, the Principal Secretaryof Industry, Commerce andITE & C, E. VenkatNarasimha Reddy, the MDof TSIIC and other officials.

The skywalk integratesthe business park with a keypublic transport node of thecity. The skywalk has beenconscientiously designedto decongest traffic, andensure easy crossing ofroads.

‘Log into...Continued from page 1

in state capitalGandhinagar, which col-lects over 500 crore datasets annually fromschools and analysesthem to enhance overalllearning outcomes forstudents. The centre hasbeen deemed a globalbest practice by theWorld Bank, which hasalso invited other coun-tries to visit and learnabout the facility.

"You all have experi-enced the benefits oftechnology. We are fortu-nate to be living in an erawhere technology is easyand accessible. Once youtake a little interest in it,all the world's doors willopen up to you," Modisaid, interacting withteachers and students ofsome governmentschools from the centrevia video conferencing.

Ready tosupport Bill...Continued from page 1

but did you give any money forBhadradri?” KTR asked.

KTR met Ranga Reddy andHyderabad district TRS leadersand ministers to discussarrangements ahead of theTRS plenary meeting beingheld at the Madhapur HICC onApril 27.

Responding to the com-ments by BJP leader Sanjay thatthe TRS was conspiring toblock his padayatra, KTR said,“Instead of conducting a paday-atra in Wanaparthy district goto Raichur district in Karnatakaa few km away. Cars can bearranged if required, go thereand ask about BJP rule.

ED attaches assets...Continued from page 1

"Products are used to mas-querade this MLM pyramidfraud as a direct-selling com-pany," the ED alleged.

An Amway spokespersonsaid they are cooperating withthe authorities "towards a fairlegal, and logical conclusion ofthe outstanding issues".

The ED issued a provision-al order under the Preventionof Money Laundering Act(PMLA) for attachment ofassets worth Rs 757.77 crorebelonging to Amway IndiaEnterprises Private Limited.

It said the company isaccused of "running a multi-level marketing scam".

The attached propertiesinclude land and factory build-ings of Amway located inDindigul district of Tamil Nadu,plant and machineries, vehicles,bank accounts and fixed deposits.Of the total attachment value,immovable and movable proper-ties are worth Rs 411.83 crore,while the remaining amount ofRs 345.94 crore is deposited in 36bank accounts "belonging" toAmway, the agency said.

Amway said the ED actionwas with regard to an investi-gation dating back to 2011 andsince then, the company hasbeen cooperating with theagency and has shared all theinformation sought by it fromtime to time.

AP GEMS AND JEWELERS LAND DISPUTE

Cops arrest 58, named BJP MP TG Venkatesh as A5PNS n HYDERABAD

A group of people fromRayalaseema who attempted tograb land worth Rs.100 croreon Banjara Hills Road No.10were arrested by Banjara Hills

Police on Monday. Police havealready arrested 58 people inthe case and have named BJPMP TG Venkatesh as A5. It islearnt that cases have beenregistered against BJP MP TGVenkatesh, Vishwa Prasad,

Subhash Pulishetti, MithunKumar, VVS Sharma and 80others.

In February and March 2021,a group of people from Kurnooldistrict tried to occupy landworth Rs 100 crore overnight.

They came in groups fromRayalaseema to occupy theland and created unrest. Uponlearning about this issue, theBanjara Hills police arrived atthe scene and arrested thosewho tried to seize the land.

KTR STARTS

SKYWALK

hyderabad 03HYDERABAD | TUESDAY | APRIL 19, 2022

CAW signs MoU with OU for MA degree

GHMC completes 60 pc of SRDPphase-1 works in last 6 years PNS n HYDERABAD

The Greater HyderabadMunicipal Corporation hascompleted over 60 per cent ofthe works under the StrategicRoad Development Plan(SRDP) as the TelanganaGovernment is making spe-cial ef forts to developHyderabad as a cosmopolitancity. In the last six yearsGHMC has spent around Rs.2497.95 crore for construc-tion works of SRDP.

According to press notereleased by GHMC, out of the47 works undertaken bySRDP in the first phase, about30 works have been complet-ed. These works are 13 fly-overs and 7 underpasses, 6Road Over Bridges (ROBs)and Rail Under Bridges(RUBs), 1 Cable Stayedbridge, 1 Panjagutta bridge, 1Panjagutta widening, 1 ORRto Medak Rehabilitation road.

The road developmentwork was undertaken by theCRMP (Comprehensive RoadDevelopment Programme)

along with the SRDP schemeto overcome the growing traf-fic problem in Hyderabadand to make the city signalfree. In this context, theauthorities are taking all nec-essary steps to complete theremaining 17 works in thefirst phase of the SRDP, whichwill be completed by the endof December this year.

It may be mentioned herethat SRDP was formulated aspart of improving the basicamenities in Hyderabad forsafe driving, to improve facil-

ities, to minimise the traveltime, to increase average trav-el speed and to reduce air pol-lution levels.

The proposals are intend-ed to cover the major trafficcorridors and activity centerssuch as Banjara Hills, JubileeHills, Hitech city, Kukatpally,Bachupally, Patancheru,Abids, Charminar, LB Nagar,C h a n d r a y a n g u t t a ,Shamshabad Airport, Uppal,Secunderabad, ECIL, Alwal,Kompally and Jeedimetla andother areas.

PNS n HYDERABAD

The state government hasbeen making special efforts toprotect the Nizam-era his-toric monuments in the oldcity of Hyderabad so thatpeople of future generationswill know about them.

Municipal Administrationand Urban DevelopmentMinister KTR, along with MPAsaduddin Owaisi, legislatorsand ministers will lay thefoundation stone for therestoration of four historicmonuments on Tuesday.

So far, the state government

has sanctioned Rs. 90.45 crorefor restoration of the fourhistoric buildings.

The restoration of fourworks in Old City includesface lift to Mahabub Chowk(Murgi Chowk) at Charminarat a cost of Rs 36 crore,revamp and renovation of MirAlam Mandi in theCharminar Zone at an esti-mated cost of Rs 21.90 crore,development of Sardar Mahalat an estimated cost of Rs 30crore and setting up of musi-cal fountain at Mir AlamMandi at a cost of Rs 2.55crore.

Minister KTR will alsoinaugurate the BahadurpuraFlyover on Tuesday. In addi-tion, works will be taken upunder Rehabilitation ofService Network in Zone 3with an estimated cost of Rs297.30 crore by HMWSSB inKarwan Assembly constituen-cy.The Greater HyderabadMunicipal Corporation,Hyderabad MetropolitanDevelopment Authority andQuli Qutub Shah UrbanDevelopment Authority willcarry out the work under thepurview of the HyderabadParliament constituency.

KTR to lay stone for restoration worksof four historic monuments todayState government has sanctioned Rs 90.45 crore for restoration of the monuments

PNS n MEDCHAL MALKAJGIRI

Priyanka Varghese, Officer onSpecial Duty (OSD) to theChief Minister, on Mondaygave a call to the officials toensure that Haritha Haramincreases green cover in theState. The programme, intro-duced by Chief Minister KChandrashekar Rao, is aimedat increasing green cover inthe state, she said and urgedthe Panchayat Raj Secretariesto play a prominent role intaking forward the pro-gramme.

A special review meetingwas held on Haritha Haramprogramme at Medchal-Malkajgiri Collectorate.District Collector S Harish,Panchayat Raj Secretaries andMunicipal Commissioner

were present at the meeting. Priyanka Varghese stressed

the need to plant saplings andprotect them. She asked thePanchayat Raj Secretary todistribute saplings to villagersto plant them at schools, hous-es and on vacant lands.

She also stressed the need toinstall tree guards for the safe-ty of saplings. Broken tree

guards should be replacedwith new ones, she said.

Additional DistrictCollector, Zilla Parishad ChiefExecutive OfficerDevasahayam, DPO RamanaMurthy, District Forest OfficerVenakateswarlu, DRDAProject Officer Padmaja Rani,Excise and Panchayat Raj offi-cers were present.

PNS n HYDERABAD

Meerpet Police arrested sixganja peddlers and seized190 kgs of ganja, 5 mobilephones and a car. Theaccused are NenavathKrishna (25), Boda HathiRam (30), Sabavat Balu,Nenavath Hari (26),Nenavath Ashok (23),Ramavath Rohith (21).

Six years ago the accusedNenavath Krishna migratedto Hyderabad fromChinthachettu Thanda,Mallepally Mandal, Nalgondadistrict and working as cardriver. In the year 2019,Krishna was arrested by theKotananduru Police Station,East Godavari while he was

transporting ganja fromDarakonda toVishakhapatnam. He was sentto Rajahmandri Jail. In jail, hemet with other accused BodaHathi Ram. After they werereleased from Jai l theyplanned to sell ganja andinformed the same toNenavath Hari and NenavathAshok. In February-2022,Nenavath Krishna, Nenavath

Hari and Nenavath Ashokhave sent Rs 94,000 as anadvance through bank trans-fer to Boda Hathiram andBalu to purchase ganja fromBadrachalam. They hired aMaruthi Suzuki car andengaged two driversRamavath Rohith andRamavath Kiran and offeredRs 40,000 for trip fromBhadrachalam to Hyd.

Meerpet police arrested sixpeddlers, seize 190 kgs ganja

Officials asked to ensuresuccess of Haritha Haram

Priyanka Varghese, OSD to the Chief Minister, holding a review meeting atMedchal-Malkajgiri collectorate on Monday

Police officials addressing media persons in Hyderabad on Monday

PNS n HYDERABAD

US Embassy has launched acertificate training programmefor TSWREIS English teach-ers. The Regional EnglishLanguage Office division ofthe US Embassy, Hyderabad,has launched a core certificatetraining programme forEnglish subject teachers ofTelangana Social WelfareResidential EducationalInstitutions Society

(TSWREIS). Ronald Rose,Secretary, TSWREIS inaugu-rated the programme at TSI-PARD on Monday.

The main objective of thisprogramme is to improve theEnglish language teachingskills of teachers and pro-mote the latest trends inEnglish teaching methods.David Moyer, Public AffairsOfficer, US Consulate GeneralHyderabad participated in theinaugural ceremony.

US Embassy launchesprogramme for TSWREIS

PNS n HYDERABAD

The Telangana State RoadTransport Corporation(TSRTC) has announced freetoilet usage at MahatmaGandhi Bus Station (MGBS).The officials have come upwith this initiative to upholdSwachh Telangana. The cor-poration stated that it will beextended to all bus stations inthe state soon."TSRTClaunches a historical initiativeto uphold Swachh TSRTCand Swachh Telangana bymaking the toilet usage freein MGBS for passengers on apilot basis from today," cor-poration said adding that thesame will be rolled out in allbus stations across the state.

Earlier the other servicemade for public was, TSRTCstarted a baby trolley serviceat MGBS to help womenpassengers who are carryingluggage and travelling withchildren. It has been under-taking several initiatives, par-ticularly for women and theelderly.

Free toiletsusage at MGBS

PNS n HYDERABAD

The Multimedia MusicalFountain work was taken up atMir-Alam Tank along theNational Highway (BangaloreHighway) and it will be openedonn Tuesday. This project wascompleted at a cost of Rs.2.55crores. The facility is created forthe Old City public and also tothe tourists visiting the Zoo Park.

This Musical Fountain com-prises 40 metre length and thefountain raises upto 10 to 12metres duly synchronising withmusic and lighting. The fountainwill also have the dancing effect.

The entire system is integrat-ed with a software and musicsystem and it is formulated for15 minutes with 2 shows per dayin the evening.

Musical fountainat Mir Alam Tanklaunching today

PNS n HYDERABAD

Dr Haval Abubaker,Governor of Sulaymaniyah,Kurdistan, Iraq, has called onProf E Suresh Kumar,Member, UGC, New Delhi,and Vice-Chancellor, theEnglish and ForeignLanguages (EFLU) onMonday.During his visit tothe campus, he had interact-ed with the Vice-Chancellorand some senior academicadministrators of the univer-sity.

Dr Haval Abubaker called

for greater collaborationbetween the EFLU and theUniversity of Sulaimani,Kurdistan region, Iraq.

"There is a great scope forcollaborative efforts in facul-ty and student exchange,research activities, linguisticstudies, conferences andscholarships," he added.

The visit of Dr HavalAbubaker to the EFLU wasarranged by the IndianCounci l for CulturalRelations (ICCR), Ministryof External Affairs, NewDelhi.

Guv of Sulaymaniyah,Kurdistan, calls on EFLU V-C

PNS n HYDERABAD

In a first ever official event inMetaverse, Telangana govern-ment has launched itsSpaceTech Framework to sup-port the participation of pri-vate industry in the SpaceTechsector and thereby increaseIndia's share in the globalmarket growing at a CAGR of5.6% to reach USD 558 Bn in2026.

The vision of the frameworkis to vision to "EstablishTelangana as a globally recog-nised one-stop destination inSpace Technology". Under theframework, the governmentseeks to build an ecosystemwhere advancement of tech-nologies in SpaceTech isincreasingly done within Indiaboth by supporting indige-nous development and attract-ing best global companies.

The launch event that wasconducted from 5 PM to 6:15PM on Monday (April 18)has also become the first ever

official event in Metaverse.For the event, a custom devel-opment of a space themedmetaverse that allows interac-tion with nearby attendeeswithout disrupting the eventproceedings was carried out.

The same was spearheadedby the Emerging TechnologiesWing, ITE&C Dept. of thestate government and imple-

mented by a Hyderabad start-up called Gamitronics.

Towards the closing of theevent, the NFT collection cor-responding to this uniqueevent and comprising limitededition platinum, gold, silver,bronze virtual coins has alsobeen launched on Open Seaunder the listing accountnamed TS Govt Emerging

Technologies.The move to launch the

Telangana's state-specificSpaceTech Framework cameamidst the recent nationalreforms in the sector andstrategic advantage of the stateowing to its robust ecosystemin SpaceTech with establishedindustry players like AnanthTechnologies, MTAR, VEM

Technologies, etc., start-upslike Skyroot Aerospace,Dhruva Space, etc. The advan-tage is evident has Telanganabased SMEs had contributed30% of parts for ISRO's MarsOrbiter Mission (MOM). Thegovernment also seeks to lever-age Hyderabad's unique posi-tion by leveraging the syner-gies with its robust aerospaceand defence ecosystem.

The framework has beenofficially launched on Mondayin the presence of KT RamaRao, Amitabh Kant, CEO,NITI Aayog, S Somanath,Chairman, ISRO; and Dr.Pawan Goenka, Chairman,Indian National SpacePromotion and AuthorisationCenter (IN-SPACe). Since theevent was in metaverse, each ofthese key dignitaries in addi-tion to representatives ofTelangana Secretariat and var-ious industry members hadtheir custom avatars with reallife resemblance developedusing 360° photos/videos cap-tures. KTR said, "Telanganahas always been a 'start-upstate' and a key supporter forinnovation. As the IndianSpaceTech sector is witnessingincreasing activity by the pri-vate sector, the state seeks tofurther boost its already lead-ing SpaceTech ecosystem toestablish Telangana as a glob-ally recognised one-stop des-tination in Space Technology.

KTR in custom Avatar in Metaverse launches SpaceTechThe event was

spearheaded by

the Emerging

Technologies

Wing, ITE&C

Dept. of the state

government and

implemented by a

Hyderabad

startup called

Gamitronics.

PNS n HYDERABAD

Telangana State ElectricityRegulatory Commission(TSERC) chairmanSrirangarao said that theydirect Discoms to setup metersat DTR's and not at agriculturepumpsets. He issued a clarifi-cation after MLARaghunandan Rao said thatTSREC has directed Discomsto setup meters to agricultureconnections. TSREC clarifiedthat the meters are for DTRand not individuals.

TSERC chairman sent atariff order copy to BJP MLARaghunandan Rao, anddespite that the Dubbaka MLAcontinued to give statementsthat the meters are being

setup. TSERC said that thesuggestion was given to ensurethat they can understand thetransmission losses and how toreduce it. It is only to under-stand the agriculture con-sumption and not to stop sup-ply.

Sriranga Rao said,"Electricity tariff order was

issued last month. In additionto this tariff order, some sug-gestions were also given to theDiscoms. Some key directionshave been given to the powercompanies, some of whichhave been given directionsregarding the supply of elec-tricity to the agricultural sec-tor.

Meters for agri transformers,not individual motors: TSERC

PNS n HYDERABAD

Ecom Express Limited, one ofIndia's leading technologiesenabled end-to-end logisticssolutions providers to the e-commerce industry, onMonday has announced itsplans to have 50 percent of itslast mile fleet converted toelectric vehicles by 2025. Tofurther strengthen its positionas a sustainable company inthe industry, it announcedthe deployment of E-bikes inJaipur and Hyderabad to com-plement its push into electricvehicles.

The adoption of electricvehicles is a part of EcomExpress' larger sustainabilitygoals to reduce carbon foot-print and continue to be aresponsible delivery partner to

the e-commerce industry.T.A. Krishnan, Chief

Executive Officer and Co-Founder, Ecom ExpressLimited, said, "We are thrilledto have added e-vehicles as astep towards our journey ofachieving 50 percent electricfleet in the last mile by 2025.I believe that this is a progres-sive step toward sustainablegreen logistics and reassertsour commitment to a saferenvironment. Sustainablemobility is a catalyst to revo-lutionise the logistics andtransportation sector. At EcomExpress, we are looking to cre-ate greater avenues to makesustainable deliveries. The useof the electric bikes marks thebeginning of our efforts tomake our last-mile deliverygreener.''

Ecom Express plans to convert50 pc fleet into EVs by 2025PNS n HYDERABAD

The College of Air Warfare(CAW) has entered into anMoU with the Institute of IndoPacific Studies (IIPS), OsmaniaUniversity on Monday for theaward of Master's degree inInternational Studies to officersof Higher Air CommandCourse (HACC). The course isbeing conducted by the CAW.Prof D Ravinder, Vice

Chancellor of OsmaniaUniversity was the chief guest.He was received by Air ViceMarshal KSK Suresh,Commandant, CAW. TheCollege of Air Warfare is asso-ciated with Osmania Universityfor the last 16 years and 29 offi-cers were selected for M.Phildegree. With the implementation ofNew Education Policy 2020and discontinuation of M Phill

Programme, the College ofAir Warfare initiated a case forfresh MoU for the award ofMA degree concurrent to itsprestigious Higher AirCommand Course Dignitariesincluding Air Vice MarshalKSK Suresh, Vayu Sena Medal,Commandant College of AirWarfare, Air Commodore PSWadodkar, Dy CommandantCAW and other senior officerspresent.

PNS n HYDERABAD

The Greater HyderabadMunicipal Corporation(GHMC) officials have decid-ed to conduct summer coach-ing camps in the city for chil-dren aged between six and 16years. The camps will be con-ducted between April 25 toMay 31 and a series of sportsfacilities will be set up for thechildren during the summer.

The entire exercise will

involve an estimated cost of Rs1.42 crore. As part of it, sportsequipment has been procuredand distributed to the manage-ments of the playgrounds inthe city where these camps willbe organised.

This annual activity by theGHMC is to promote sports.The Corporation could notconduct the summer coachingcamps for children during2020 and 2021 due to Covid-19 pandemic.

GHMC’s Summer camps from April 25

PNS n HYDERABAD

Personnel of the RachakondaPolice Special OperationsTeam (SOT) nabbed 15 per-sons who were allegedlyorganising gambling onrooster fights at Adibatla inRanga Reddy. The policeseized Rs.29,280 and otherarticles from the spot.

Acting on a tip off, theteam raided a forest area onthe outskirts of Adibatla andfound the suspects organisinggambling on rooster fights.On noticing the police, theytried to escape but werecaught.

15 held for gamblingon rooster fight

PNS n HYDERABAD

On the occasion of WorldHeritage Day-2022, ArvindKumar , Special Chief Secretaryfor Municipal Administrationand Urban Development, onMonday said that heritagewalks will be organised everyweek on Sunday. He alsoannounced that the restorationworks of Sardar Mahal,Mahaboob Chowk and MirAlam Mandi will be startedsoon as per the instructions ofMinister KTR.Arvind Kumar made anannouncement on Twitter forrestoration of works afterTelangana State TourismDevelopment Corporation(TSTDC) and Deccan HeritageAcademy's walk to mark WorldHeritage Day on Monday.

Heritage walks onevery Sunday:Arvind Kumar

Officials at the launch of training programme for TSWREIS English teachers onMonday

04HYDERABAD | TUESDAY | APRIL 19, 2022

PNS n SANGAREDDY

Finance Minister T Harish Raohas asked the aspirants of thesub-inspector and police con-stable jobs to work hard twomonths to lead a life holdingtheir heads high.

He was inaugurating freecoaching classes for SI andconstable recruitment tests con-ducted by the PoliceDepartment with the supportfrom State government at a pro-gramme held in Balaji Gardensin Sangareddy on Monday.

The government hasembarked on a large-scalerecruitment drive to fill vacan-cies in various governmentdepartments. To undergo train-ing for the recruitment tests onehas to spend at least Rs 20,000to Rs 30,000 for coaching pur-pose. Therefore, the state gov-ernment has been offering freecoaching, especially benefitingthe poor, he said exhorting thejob aspirants to make good useof the coaching facility.

The notification to fill atleast 20,000 vacancies, includ-ing those in Fire, Forest, Exciseand Police Departments, wouldbe issued soon, he said. Heexhorted the job aspirants towork hard and crack the recruit-ment tests. The preparationwill be useful for the lower-rungrecruitment tests.

The Chief Minister decidedto fill all vacancies in govern-ment departments, he said.Total number of vacancies filled

since the formation ofTelangana was at 1.32 lakh.Process to fill 91,000 morevacancies has been initiated.The State government hasdecided to fill the vacancies inaccordance with a job calendar.

There are over 16.50 lakhvacancies in various Centralgovernment departments, butthe Centre is not keen to fillthem, he said. He demandedthat the Centre spell out as whyit had failed to fill the vacancies.

The Government of Telanganahas been filling vacancies, pro-moting industries and creatingjobs in private sector. Peoplefrom other States are cominghere in search of livelihood, hesaid.He asked the job aspirantsto prepare in such a way to getjobs at the national level. Theupper age limit for applying togovernment jobs has beenraised by three years. Therefore,all the eligible should make useof the facility. MP Kotha

Prabhakar Reddy, Zilla ParishadChairperson Manjusri JaipalReddy, TSMIDC ChairmanYerrolla Srinivas, DistrictCollector Hanumantha Rao,

Superintendent of PoliceRamana Kumar, AdditionalCollector Rajarshi Sha and oth-ers were present on the occa-sion.

Work hard, crack competitive examinations: Harish to job aspirantsThe Minister exhorts candidates that if they give full attention to studies, they can lead a life holding their heads high

Minister for Finance T Harish Rao speaking at meeting in sangareddy on Monday

PNS n JAGTIAL

Congress MLC T JeevanReddy on Monday accusedthe TRS government of fail-ing to fulfil the promisesgiven in the run up to theAssembly elections.

The government had failedto keep its promise of unem-ployment allowance. The gov-ernment has announcedreduction in the eligibilityage limit for old age pension,but failed to implement it, hesaid.

The then Chief Minister YS Rajasekhara Reddy hadintroduced Abhaya Hasthamscheme for Self-help Groups(SHG), promising to ensurethat the government wouldrelease matching grant fordeposits the women made inbanks. The women groupsdeposited Rs 600 crore inbanks. The government haskept the money with it for thelast six months. When heraised the issue, the Ministerfor Panchayat Raj announcedthat the government had

scrapped the scheme. When a social activist

Indira Sobhan filed a petitionin the court, the governmentsaid it would repay the moneyin instalments. It was ridicu-lous on the part of the gov-ernment to promise to repaythe money instalments, hepointed out. Jeevan Reddyfurther said the governmenthad not sanctioned new pen-sions.

On Teacher Eligibility Test(TET), he said the govern-ment had not introducedpaper-lll for language pundits.He advised the government tointroduce paper-lll without

fail in the TET.He criticised the govern-

ment for failing to waive Rs50,000 farmers' loans byMarch-end as announced bythe Minister for Finance dur-ing the Budget speech. Hesuggested that the govern-ment at least now waive thefarmers' loans by the end ofthe month.A section of farm-ers had not cultivated paddyin 15 lakh acres after the gov-ernment appealed to thefarmers to switch to alterna-tive crops. He demanded thatthe government pay Rs 10,000compensation to farmers whodid not cultivate paddy.

Jeevan Reddy accuses govtof failing to keep promisesThe Congress MLC flays the government for not introducingpaper- III for language pundits in the Teacher Eligibility Test

Congress MLC T Jeevan Reddy addressing a media conference in Jagtial on Monday

PNS n HYDERABAD

Telangana BJP chief BandiSanjay Kumar has demanded aCBI probe into the suicide ofBharatiya Mazdoor SanghKhammam president SaiGanesh.

He made it clear that the BJPwill not let go of the personsresponsible for the suicide ofSai Ganesh.

Sanjay said that the BJPLegal Cell Fact FindingCommittee will visitKhammam and Ramayampeton Tuesday.

Sanjay had a meeting withBJP Legal Cell leaders onMonday at Vemula during thelunch break of his padayatra.They discussed the suicide ofthe mother and son ofRamayampet due to the harass-ment of TRS leaders and SaiGanesh's suicide and the legalaction that can be taken.

The BJP Legal Cell demand-ed a CBI inquiry into the sui-cide of Sai Ganesh due to TRSand police harassment.

The BJP Legal Cell made itclear that they don't have faithin the inquiry conducted by the

TS police as TRS leaders andthe police are involved in theincident.

The meeting decided that aBJP Legal Cell Fact FindingCommittee will visitKhammam to find out facts.

BJP Legal Cell convenerRavindra Vishwanath said thatthey met Sanjay as per hisrequest.

He said that it is painful thatthere was police involvement inthese incidents and that the BJPwill go up to the SupremeCourt if the need arises regard-ing Sai Ganesh's suicide.

BJP demands CBI probe into partyactivist Sai Ganesh's suicide

Harish ropes in Edu-Cog to offer GRE,

TOEFL coaching, visa processing PNS n SIDDIPET

Finance Minister T Harish Raohas offered free coaching forthose who passed degree or

BTech in 2020- 21 and aspiredfor overseas education. He saidthat coaching for the GRE,TOEFL is being offered free ofcost besides free visa processingwith the help of Edu-cog. Thisfacility is available for thestudents of Siddipetaconstituency.The Edu-Cog willcoach the interested aspirantsand gives necessary direction tothem so that the students canget the admission in course oftheir choice, he said appealing to

students to make good use ofthe opportunity.The interested should contact theOfficer on Special Duty in hiscamp office- Bal Raj and MarketCommittee chairman Pala Sairamfor further details. Harish Raohas took special interest to fulfillthe dreams of foreign educationsince poor financial condition,technical defects in processingvisa are proving to be the baneof the students wishing topursue overseas education. Thatis why, he persuaded Edu-Cog tooffer coaching for exams free ofcost and process the visa alsofree of cost.

Cong to give Rs 10 lakh to the family of Sai Ganesh

The Congress has made itclear that it will give Rs 10lakh to the bereaved family of

Bharatiya Mazdoor SanghKhammam district President SaiGanesh in case the BJP fails todo so. TPCC working president TJagga Reddy said that he will talkto Telangana Congress Affairs In-charge Manickam Tagore andCLP leader Mallu BhattiVikramarka regarding help to thebereaved family."The Congresswill help the bereaved family ofSai Ganesh in case the BJP failsto do so," Jagga Reddy said.Speaking to the media onMonday at the Gandhi Bhavanhere Jagga Reddy demanded theBJP leader Bandi Sanjay Kumarshould help the family of SaiGanesh. He said that one canunderstand that the BJP and theTRS have a secret deal in casethe BJP fails to launch a protesttill the dismissal of TransportMinister Puvvada Ajay Kumarwho allegedly forced Sai Ganeshto end his life. "We will settle theissue of the secret deal betweenthe BJP and the TRS soon," he

said.Jagga Reddy alleged that somepolice officials had turnedmonsters in Telangana underTRS rule."We will not leave police officialstroubling Congress leaders andactivists. We will initiate severeaction against those monstersafter the Congress comes topower. Why didn't the police takethe dying declaration of SaiGanesh? Why did they violate therules? Why is Chief Minister K.Chandrasekhar Rao notresponding to it?. Some policeofficials are engaged insycophancy towards TRSleaders. Nothing has happened inthe advocate couple's murder. Amother and son committedsuicide in Ramayampet unable tobear the harassment of themunicipal chairman. The TRSleaders in Ramayampet areengaged in the real estatebusiness. Two lives have beenlost due to the police. Do theRamayampet police feel ashamedor not? KCR has to take thisissue seriously," he said.

BJP State unit president Bandi Sanjay Kumar holding a meeting with party Lecal Cell members at Vemula Jogulamba-Gadwaldistrict on Monday

PNS n HYDERABAD

AICC spokesperson DrDasoju Sravan termed theWorld Health Organisation'sreport that 40 lakh Covid-19deaths took place in India asa slap on the face of the NDAGovernment.

Saying that both the Centreand state governments havebeen underreporting Covid-19deaths to cover up their fail-ures, Dr Dasoju demandedthat governments at both theCentre and the states shouldconduct a fresh audit ofCovid-19 deaths and providecompensation to the familiesof the deceased.

“The WHO report thatCovid-19 deaths in India werearound 40 lakhs is a slap onthe face of the Centre. It isshameful that instead of tak-ing corrective measures, Modiis questioning the methodol-ogy of WHO and is trying tohide actual figures to cover uphis failure in handling theCovid-19 pandemic,” said Dr

Dasoju Sravan in Hyderabadon Monday.

Raising serious concernsabout the Centre's policy todepend on states for assessingCovid-19 deaths, Dr DasojuSravan had asked the ModiGovernment during the sec-ond wave itself last July to takeup the responsibility of assess-ing the correct figures ofCovid-19 deaths, as theTelangana Government hadgrossly under-reported Covid-19 deaths to hide its failures.

PNS n HYDERABAD

The Congress MP representingNalgonda, N. Uttam KumarReddy, has said that theCongress would demand thatAssembly elections in TSshould be held only underPresident's Rule.

He said that the Congresswill demand the same even ifChief Minister K.Chandrasekhar Rao opts forearly elections. He said thatTelangana may go for electionsalong with Karnataka.

Uttam said that 20 TS dis-tricts have non-IPS cadre offi-cers as Superintendents ofPolice (SPs).

Earlier, district SPs couldonly be IPS officers, Uttam said

and added that SP postingswere being given to policeofficials extending coopera-tion to TRS leaders.

He also alleged that DCPs inHyderabad city have beenworking at one place for years.Some police officers have notbeen given postings, he said.

Uttam asked why five to sixpolice pilot escorts are provid-ed to TRS MLAs and addedthat TRS leaders are engaged inillegal activities in villages.

Addressing the media at theGandhi Bhavan here onMonday along with AICCProgrammes ImplementationCommittee Chairman A.Maheshwar Reddy, Uttam saidthat TRS MLAs have beenrecommending police officials

for the post of SI and otherposts after taking lakhs asbribes from them.

Incidents like the suicidethat happened in Ramayampetare taking place as bribes arebeing taken for police postings,he said.

Uttam said that nobodyimagined that such a corruptrule will come into effect in

Telangana. He said that onefamily and a mafia of a fewpolice officials is running thestate.

He said that due to harass-ment by TRS leaders and policeofficials a family committedsuicide in Ramayampet, anadvocate couple was murderednear Manthani and a familycommitted suicide atKothagudem. The TRS rule isrunning on police and money,he pointed out.

The police had a good namein united Andhra Pradesh butKCR destroyed the police andother institutions, he said.

Maheshwar Reddy said thatone can understand the condi-tions that exist in Telangana byseeing the Khammam incident.

‘Elections must be held only under Prez rule in TS’

PNS n HYDERABAD

The Congress MP representingNalgonda, N. Uttam KumarReddy, has alleged that 20 dis-tricts have non-IPS cadre offi-cers as Superintendents ofPolice (SPs).Earlier, district SPscould be only IPS officers,Uttam said and added that SPpostings were being given topolice officials extending coop-eration to TRS leaders.

He said that many DCPs ofHyderabad city have beenworking at one place for yearsand that some police officershave not been given postings.

Uttam asked why five to sixpolice pilot escorts are provid-ed to TRS MLAs and addedthat TRS leaders are engaged inillegal activities in villages.

Addressing the media at theGandhi Bhavan here onMonday along with AICCProgrammes ImplementationCommittee Chairman A.Maheshwar Reddy, Uttam saidthat TRS MLAs have been rec-ommending police officials forthe post of SI and other postsafter taking lakhs as bribesfrom them.Incidents like thesuicide that happened inRamayampet are taking place

as bribes are being taken forpolice postings, he said.

Uttam said that nobodyimagined that such a corruptrule will come into effect inTelangana. He said that onefamily and a mafia of a fewpolice officials are running thestate.He said that due to harass-ment by TRS leaders and policeofficials a family committedsuicide in Ramayampet, anadvocate couple was murderednear Manthani and a familycommitted suicide atKothagudem. The TRS rule isrunning on police and money,he pointed out.

20 districts have non-IPS cadrepolice officials as SPs:Cong MP

WHO report on covid deathsexposes Centre: Dasoju

PNS n HYDERABAD

Chief Minister K.Chandrasekhar Rao's brother'sdaughter Ramya RaoRegulapati has alleged thatRajya Sabha MP JoginpallySanthosh Kumar had grabbedher two-and-a-half acre landand has dumped granite quar-ry scrap on it and is notremoving it.

There is no control overSanthosh's actions, Ramyaalleged saying that her two-and-a-half acre land in theYelagandula village ofKarimnagar district purchasedin 2007 was grabbed bySanthosh, who is engaged inthe quarrying businessthrough his Goldmine GlobalGranites Company from 2013.

She said that Santhosh hasbeen running a mafia by col-luding with mining and rev-enue departments.

She added that Santhosh hasbeen using AGP RamachanderRao for his irregularities asRamachander Rao is thematernal uncle of Santhosh's

wife.Speaking to the media at the

Somajiguda Press Club onMonday, Ramya alleged thatSanthosh is using his powersfor irregularities. She askedSanthosh how he earned thou-sands of crores in a shortspan of time.

She said that Santhosh isnow in a position to dictate tothe TRS government. Manypeople are facing trouble dueto the harassment of Santhosh,she said.

Ramya asked KCR whetherhe is not in a position to checkthe illegal activities ofSanthosh. She said that she willnot let go of Santhosh andwould fight in Court.

She said that Santhosh'sproxies are in Tamil Nadu. "Iwill file complaints withCentral agencies soon," shesaid.

Ramya said that Santhoshhad built a villa in Londonwith Rs 100 crore. Why is theCentre not taking any actionagainst Santhosh's illegal activ-ities, she asked.

MP Santhosh Kumar grabbed myland, says KCR's niece Ramya Rao

PNS n SURYAPET

A horrific incident of gan-grape of a 22-year-old womancame to light on Monday. TheKodad police registered acase against two persons andsent the woman to the gov-ernment hospital for medicalexaminations.

Two persons forciblydragged her into an auto-rickshaw and took her towardTammara village on the nightof April 15. She was alleged-ly confined to a house there.She complained to the policethat she was beaten andforced to drink a soft drink.She fell unconscious.

Police took Sair RamReddy and Md Ghouse ( sonof TRS 26 ward member ofKodad Municipal) into cus-tody for allegedly raping a 20year old and confining her toa room for two days.

Woman allegedlygang-raped

PNS n HYDERABAD

Thoug h TelanganaCongress affairs in-chargeasserted that there is noquestion of an alliancewith TRS party, TelanganaCongress leaders haveexpressed the opinion thata pact with the TRS cannotbe ruled out. The leadershave been stating that theconditions are in favour ofan alliance between theCongress and TRS party.

A Congress leader hasstated that nobody canoppose an alliance withthe TRS if the high com-mand pays attention to theadvice of political strategistPrashant Kishor.

‘Cong-TRSalliance cannotbe ruled out'

PNS n HYDERABAD

Forest College is taking stepsto further enhance the skillsof students pursuing foresteducation. As part of this, anagreement was reachedbetween the Forest Collegeand Research Institute(FCRI) and the CenturionUniversity of Technologyand Management.

To provide students withadvanced skills, the CollegeDean, Priyanka, co-founderand vice president,Centurion University ofTechnology andManagement, D Narasimha,signed on the papers relat-ed to the satellite centre forskill development center.

B P Acharya, a retiredIAS officer, who participat-ed in the programme, inau-gurated the skill develop-ment centre. The event wasattended by the college'sdeputy director, faculty andstaff.

FCRI signs MoUwith CenturionUniversity

PNS n HYDERABAD

Congress MP from Nalgondaand former TPCC chief NUttam Kumar Reddy onMonday felt that insultingGovernor's office was a seriousissue.

He said that it is not properfor the Chief Minister, KChandrasekhar Rao, to ignorethe Governor. 'What will hap-pen if Governor too ignoresChief Minister,' Uttam asked.Stating that KCR has beenalleging that the Prime MinisterNarendra Modi has beenundermining the spirit of fed-eralism, Uttam Kumar Reddywondered what the ChiefMinister was doing in the State.In a chit chat with the scribesat Gandhi Bhavan on Mondayevening, Uttam said that theTelangana Congress MPs werefacing insults in the State. Hesaid that the Telangana MPsbrought the issue to the noticeof Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birlain this regard.

Insulting Governoris a serious issue :Uttam Kumar Reddy

PNS n HYDERABAD

Minister for Municipaladministration and TRSWorking President K T RamaRao said that MLAs are notsupreme but only party issupreme.

Sources confirmed thatthe Minister was irked byUppal TRS MLA BhethiSubhash Reddy. The MLAbrought to the notice of KTRthat some welcome arrange-ments are being made with-out the permission of theMLAs.

However, KTR expresseddeep dissatisfaction over theremarks made by SubhashReddy. KTR reportedly said,'You have to make arrange-ments on a par or even bet-ter than others. But you can-not tell others not to doarrangements.' He said, 'justbecause you are part of agi-tation you cannot ignoreparty discipline is unaccept-able, if they MLAs considerthemselves as supreme.'

Irrespective of who theleaders it is party which isultimately supreme, he said.

The MLAs were advisednot to act unilaterally. KTRsaid, 'This is not monarchy.MLA is not the king of theconstituency.' KTR said thatif there is no party, there willbe no MLA and no Minister.

He suggested that MLAscould conduct programmesfor the party in their ownconstituencies.

MLAs are not supreme,party is supreme, says KTR

Mega health campinaugurated in MuluguPNS n MULUGU

In connection with platinumjubilee of the IndependenceDay celebrations, an ArogyaMela Mega Health Campwas held here o Mondayunder the aegis of govern-ment.Inaugurating the camp,local MLA Sitakka appealedto the government authori-ties to extend continuedhealth services to the peopleof the district to ensure theirgood health.She said thatpeople have been experienc-ing health problems likehypertension and diabetes ata relatively young agebecause of the stressful life,food habits and changinglifestyle. She appealed to the author-ities to take steps for prevent-ing people from contractingthese diseases.DistrictCollector Krishna Aditya hasasked the people to make useof the Arogya Mela andmaintained that the healthprofile project launched inthe district on a pilot basis isgoing on rather smoothly.

nation 05HYDERABAD | TUESDAY | APRIL 19, 2022

IND

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R Centre asks Kerala to provide updated Covid-19 data daily

The Centre has asked Kerala to provide updated COVID-19 data daily and noted that the statereporting figures after a gap of five days has skewed India's key pandemic monitoring indi-cators such as cases, deaths and positivity rate. Daily and diligent reporting of data is criti-

cal to arrive at a meaningful understanding of the pandemic situation and will help not only intracking and monitoring but also in defining the strategies and plans at the Centre, state anddistrict levels, Join Secretary in the UnionHealth Ministry Lav Agarwal said in a let-ter to Kerala's Principal Secretary ofHealth Rajan N Khobragade. "It has beenobserved that Kerala has reported itsstate-level COVID-19 data after a gap offive days (since April 13). This hasimpacted and skewed the status ofIndia's key monitoring indicators likecases, deaths and positivity. India hasreported a 90 per cent increase in newcases and 165 per cent increase in posi-tivity in a single day," Agarwal said.

Zaid crops sowing marginally up at60.12L hectare so far this year: Govt

The total area sown to zaid (summer) crops has increased marginally to 60.12 lakhhectare so far this year, with maximum coverage under paddy, according to theagriculture ministry data. Zaid, also called grishmkal crops, are sown between

February-June -- the intervening period between rabi (winter) harvest and kharif(monsoon) sowing. About 58.32 lakh hectare was sown under zaid crops in the year-ago period. "Area under zaid cropshas increased substantially to over 60lakh hectare now from 30 lakhhectare in the first year 2018-19 ofintroduction," former AgricultureCommissioner SK Malhotra told PTI.Rice is sown during this seasonmainly in West Bengal, Telangana,Karnataka and Odisha, while short-duration pulses, especially moongand urad, and some oilseeds are alsogrown in states like Madhya Pradesh,Rajasthan and others, he said.

Up to NIA to take over Gorakhpurtemple attack case: UP Police

The Uttar Pradesh Police on Monday said "nothing is pending" at its end as far as theprobe into the Gorakhnath Temple attack incident is concerned and added that it is up tothe NIA to take over the case. "Nothing is pending at our end," said Additional Director

General of Police (Law and Order) Prashant Kumar when asked on Monday about theGorakhnath temple attack case. "It is upto them to take over. The NIA has to takea decision in this regard," he said refer-ring to the National Investigation Agency.On Saturday, the stringent UnlawfulActivities Prevention Act (UAPA) wasinvoked against the accused in theGorakhnath Temple attack case. TheAnti-Terror Squad (ATS) of Uttar PradeshPolice, which is investigating the case,produced accused Ahmad MurtazaAbbasi in the court of Additional ChiefJudicial Magistrate (ACJM) in Gorakhpuron Saturday.

AAP prepares for 2023 K’tka pollsPNS n BENGALURU

Delhi Chief Minister and AamAadmi Party (AAP) nationalconvener Arvind Kejriwal willbe in the city on April 21, andwill give a message of "new agepolitics" to the people ofKarnataka, ahead of assemblypolls next year, party leadershere said on Monday.

He will be attending a con-vention of farmers', women,youth and people from varioussections of the society, on theinvitation of Karnataka RajyaRaita Sangha chief and farmerleader KodihalliChandrashekhar.

Kejriwal's visit to the statecomes as AAP is preparing tomake its presence felt in

Karnataka, during the 2023Assembly polls.

AAP Karnataka ConvenerPrithvi Reddy said AAP is theplatform for people who fightfor farmers' cause, and wantsto get such people elected toVidhana Soudha, to solve theissues faced by the farmingcommunity.

"It will be a historic day. Sofar farmers of the state havevoted various parties to power,but have only obtained false

promises and cheating inreturn. Farmers of the statehave now decided to enter pol-itics themselves and shapetheir future. After studying allthe parties, they today feel thatonly AAP is working to solveissues after understanding thedifficulties faced by the peo-ple," he said.

Kejriwal will also be sharinginsights on how common peo-ple can create a "revolution"that was created through AAPin Delhi and Punjab, and howit can be replicated inKarnataka, and about startinga "new age politics" of commonpeople, he said, adding thatseveral inductions into theparty is likely to take place onthe occasion.

‘Most Indians don't know much about country's history’PNS n NEW DELHI

A majority of Indians admit thatthey do not know much aboutthe country's history, culture,destinations, nature and food,with many of them unaware offacts such as Gir being the onlynatural habitat of Asiatic lions orKhajuraho festival is celebratedin Madhya Pradesh, accordingto a study by MahindraHolidays.

The knowledge and aware-ness of different facets of Indiaappears to be the lowest in cui-sine, as per India Quotientresearch -- a light-hearted studyconducted to mark MahindraHolidays' 25th anniversary, thecompany said in a statement.

Stating that there is a "surpris-ing lack of knowledge of ourown country, its diversity, vast-ness, culture, heritage, andcuisines", the company said asper the study,"60 per cent of therespondents admit that theydon't know much about Indianhistory, culture, geography/des-tinations, nature, food etc."

"The India Quotient, whichindicates the knowledge andawareness of different facets ofIndia, appears to be the lowestin cuisine. In fact, less than athird of the respondents (31 percent) are aware that when cof-fee was brought to India, it wasplanted first in Coorg," it said.

The research also revealedpeople's low awareness of Indian

art, culture, and heritage."For instance, more than half

(55 per cent) of the respondentsalso don't know that Aipan is thesignature folk art of Uttrakhand,more than a third (39 per cent)

of the respondents don't knowthat the Khajuraho festival is cel-ebrated in Madhya Pradesh,and nearly a third (32 per cent)don't know Maharashtra is thebest place to shop for the

Paithani sari," MahindraHolidays said.

Stating that the same trend isobserved in terms of Indians'geographical knowledge of theirown country, the study saidmore than a third of the respon-dents (39 per cent) were notaware that Gir is the only nat-ural habitat of Asiatic lions.

Similarly, it said, "One inevery three respondents (33per cent) is unaware thatUdaipur is known as the 'City ofLakes' and more than a third ofrespondents (35 per cent)remain unaware that the wall atKumbhalgarh Fort, the second-longest wall, in the world, afterthe Great Wall of China, islocated in Rajasthan."

Peace prevails in Hubbali, 89held in connection with violencePNS n BENGALURU/HUBBALI

Police sources said the violencewas triggered following a socialmedia post of a digitally alteredimage of a saffron flag flyingover a mosque. The man whoallegedly put out the post hasbeen remanded to police cus-tody.

State Chief MinisterBasavaraj Bommai warned ofaction against those guilty inconnection with the violence.

According to police, the sit-uation in Hubbali was peace-ful on Monday.

"Arrests have been madeand investigation is on. Allthose behind it, also leadersbehind it, will face investiga-tion and action will be takenagainst those guilty in accor-dance with law," Bommai toldreporters in Bengaluru inresponse to a question regard-ing the violence in Hubbali,about 410 km from the statecapital, in the early hours ofSunday.

Police have arrested 89 peo-ple who were allegedly

involved in the violence in theOld Town in the wee hours ofSunday while four areabsconding.

The violence broke out overthe contentious social mediapost. Despite persuading theleaders of a community twice,the mob went on the rampage,police sources said.

According to police, thearrests were made on the basisof the CCTV camera footagewhen they were setting the

police vehicles on fire, peltingstones on police personneland damaging the Old Townpolice station in Hubballi.

Additional Director Generalof Police Dr C H Pratap Reddy,appointed by the governmentto monitor the investigationinto the riots, visited theHubballi-Dharwad policeCommissioner Labhu Ram'soffice and held a detailed dis-cussion with him, policesources said.

‘No need for alarm ashospitalisations low’ PNS n NEW DELHI

Delhi Health MinisterSatyendar Jain on Mondaysaid though the number ofCOVID-19 cases is rising inthe national capital, it is not analarming situation as the rateof hospitalisation is low.

He said the government iskeeping a watch on the situa-tion. He also underlined thatit is necessary to wear facemasks, even though the finefor not doing so had beenwithdrawn.

A crucial meet-ing of the DelhiD i s a s t e rManagementAuthority onWednesday isexpected toconsider thereimposition offine for not wear-ing face masks.

"The number ofpositive cases has been ris-ing in Delhi. But we have car-ried out 100 per cent vaccina-tion and a large number of res-idents have already beeninfected with the(corona)virus. Also, there arenot a lot of hospitalisations. So,it is not an alarming situation.We are keeping a watch on thesituation," Jain said in a brief-ing. When asked about theincreasing number of COVID-19 cases among children, theminister said the Delhi gov-ernment has already issued anadvisory asking schools to

close specific classes for a fewdays if any student or teachertests positive for the coron-avirus.

Delhi had on Sundayrecorded 517 COVID-19cases, 56 more than the previ-ous day, with a positivity rateof 4.21 per cent, while nodeath was reported, accordingto city health department data.

The national capital hasbeen witnessing an upwardtrend in daily COVID-19 cases

and the positivity rateover the last few

days. However,the positivity

rate onS u n d a ycame downto 4.21 percent from5.33 per cent

on Saturday.The city had

on Saturdayrecorded 461

COVID-19 cases and twodeaths with a positivity rate of5.33 per cent.

On Friday, 366 cases wererecorded with a positivity rateof 3.95 per cent, while nodeath was reported.

On Thursday, Delhi record-ed 325 cases and the positivi-ty rate was 2.39 per cent.

There are 9,735 beds forC OV I D - 1 9 p at i e nt s i nDelhi hospitals and 66 (0.68per cent) of them are occu-pied, the health depart-ment said in a bulletin onSunday.

SC cancels bail granted toMishra, sets aside HC orderPNS n NEW DELHI

The Supreme Court Mondaycancelled the bail granted toAshish Mishra, son of Unionminister Ajay Mishra, in theLakhimpur Kheri violence caseand asked him to surrender ina week, saying the 'victims'were denied a fair and effectivehearing in the Allahabad HighCourt which adopted a myopicview of the evidence."

The apex court held that thehigh court took into accountirrelevant considerations andgave extra weightage to thecontents of the FIR.

It remanded the bail appli-cation for fresh adjudication "ina fair, impartial and dispassion-ate manner, and keeping inview the settled parameters"within three months after tak-ing note of relevant facts andthe fact that the victims werenot granted a complete oppor-

tunity of being heard.The top court dealt in

detail with the rights ofvictims in criminalcases and said they

are totally inde-

pendent, incomparable, andare not accessory or auxiliaryto those of the state under theCode of Criminal Procedure.

We are, thus, of the view thatthis court on account of thefactors like (i) irrelevant con-siderations having impactedthe impugned order grantingbail; (ii) the High Court

exceeding its jurisdictionby touching upon the

merits of the case; (iii)denial of victims'right to participate int h e

proceedings; and (iv) the tear-ing hurry shown by the HighCourt in entertaining or grant-ing bail to therespondent/accused; can right-fully cancel the bail, withoutdepriving the Respondent-Accused (Mishra) of his legit-imate right to seek enlargementon bail on relevant considera-

tions, said a bench comprisingChief Justice N V Ramanaand justices Surya Kant andHima Kohli.

Writing the 24-page orderfor the bench, Justice SuryaKant took note of submissionsof victims that they were notheard in the high court as thevideo connection of theirlawyer was lost and said, we areconstrained to express our dis-appointment with the mannerin which the high court failedto acknowledge the right of thevictims.

The verdict considered ques-tions including whether a 'vic-tim', as defined by CrPC, isentitled to be heard at the stageof adjudication of the bail pleaof an accused. It also dealt withthe issue of whether the highcourt overlooked relevant con-siderations while granting bailand if so, should the apexcourt interfere.

PNS n NEW DELHI

A Delhi court has directed theArchaeological Survey of India(ASI) not to remove two idolsof Lord Ganesha from theQutub Minar complex here tillfurther directions.

It is directed that status quobe maintained till the nextdate of hearing," saidAdditional District JudgeNikhil Chopra in the orderpassed on April 13, and post-ed the matter for further hear-ing on May 17.

The judge noted that"although it is impressed by theASI that they do not contem-plate the removal of the idols at

this stage, counsel for the ASIhas candidly stated that he hasno directions as to whetherthere is any possibility of relo-cation of idols in nearfuture, the concern ofthe appellant, thatASI was likely toremove the idolsto one of theNational Museumsas mere artifacts,could not be lost sightof."

The court passed the orderon a suit filed by advocate HariShankar Jain on behalf of Jaindeity Tirthankar Lord RishabhDev, claiming that 27 templeswere partly demolished by

Qutubdin Aibak, a general inthe army of Mohamad Gauri,and Quwwat-ul-Islam Mosque

was raised inside the complexby reusing the material.

Jain stated thatthere were two idolsof Lord Ganesha,situated in thepremises sincetimes immemorial

and that he appre-hended that the ASI

was likely to remove them toone of the National Museumsas mere artifacts.

It would imply injury to thesentiments of not only theappellants but also various sec-tions of the public, having faith

in the said idols. According tothe appellant, the same as wellmay strike at the very funda-mental rights of the appellant,and thus, the respondents needto be injuncted at this stage, theapplication said.

The application was opposedby the ASI on the ground thatthe apprehensions of the appel-lant were misplaced, as the ASIwas not contemplating anyremoval or shifting of the idolsas of now.

Shifting of the idols wouldinvolve various permissionsfrom different agencies, andhave national implications as itwould amount to a policy deci-sion, the ASI stated.

PNS n NEW DELHI

India logged 2,183 new coro-navirus infections taking thetotal tally of COVID-19 casesto 4,30,44,280, while the activecases declined to 11,542,according to the Union HealthMinistry data updated onMonday.

The death toll climbed to5,21,965 with 214 fresh fatal-ities, including 213 fromKerala, the data updated at 8am stated.

The active cases comprise0.03 per cent of the total infec-tions, while the national

COVID-19 recovery rateremained at 98.76 per cent, theministry said.

A decrease of 16 cases hasbeen recorded in the activeCOVID-19 caseload in a spanof 24 hours.

The daily positivity ratewas recorded as 0.83 per centand the weekly positivity rateas 0.32 per cent, according tothe ministry.

The number of people whohave recuperated from thedisease surged to 4,25,10,773,while the case fatality ratewas recorded as 1.21 percent.

Eight Naxalsinvolved in Feb2 arson incidentarrested

Court directs ASI not to remove idols ofLord Ganesha from Qutub Minar complex

Govt declares JeM commanderNengroo as a designated terroristPNS n NEW DELHI

Ashiq Ahmed Nengroo, acommander of banned outfitJaish-e-Mohammad (JeM),was designated as a terrorist bythe Centre on Monday for hisinvolvement in various terrorincidents in Jammu andKashmir.

Nengroo is the fifth individ-ual to have been designated asa terrorist by the Centre in thelast fortnight.

In a notification, the Unionhome ministry said Nengroohas been involved in the infil-tration of terrorists intoJammu and Kashmir and hasalso been responsible for per-

petrating various terror inci-dents in the Union Territory.

Nengroo (34) is running aterror syndicate in Kashmirand is now "engaged in a per-ilous campaign to orchestrateterror in Jammu andKashmir", remote controlledfrom Pakistan, the ministrysaid.

In view of the danger thatNengroo poses to the securi-ty of India and in order todeter him from perpetratingterror acts, he has been desig-nated as a terrorist under theprovisions of the UnlawfulActivities (Prevention) Act,1967 (37 of 1967), the ministrysaid.

Active COVID-19 cases incountry decline to 11,542

Extreme poverty in Indiadeclined by 12.3% pointsduring 2011-19: WB paper

LAKHIMPUR CASE

PNS n BIJAPUR

Eight Naxals involved intorching two trucks inChhatt isgarh 's Bijapurdistrict on February 2have b een arres ted, apolice off icial said onMonday.

The arson incident hadt a k e n p l a c e b e t w e e nMa n g ap e nt a a n dBargapara and the arreststook place on Sundayevening from Eramangivillage under Kutru policestation limits, he said.

Hunga Kawas i (45) ,Wa m a n Poy a m ( 4 2 ) ,Sukhram Poyami (36),Fagnu Madvi (18), SitoRam Madvi (26), TulsiRam Madvi (26), BadruMa d v i a n d C h a n d r uKuhrami (52), all nativesof Eramangi, were heldduring an area domina-t i on e x e rc i s e by t h eDistrict Reserve Guardand the local police, theofficial informed.

PNS n NEW DELHI

Extreme poverty in Indiadeclined by 12.3 percentagepoints between 2011 and 2019,with rural areas doing betterthan urban centres, accordingto a working paper of theWorld Bank.

India has not released a newhousehold consumption sur-vey since the NSS from 2011.By extension, the country hasnot released any official esti-mates of poverty and inequal-ity for over a decade now,added the paper co-authoredby economists Sutirtha SinhaRoy and Roy van der Weide.

Earlier, a working paper ofthe International MonetaryFund (IMF) had said thePradhan Mantri Garib KalyanYojana (PMGKAY), whichprovides free foodgrains to thepoor, played a key role in keep-ing extreme poverty in Indiaat the lowest level of 0.8 percent during the pandemic-hit2020.

"We find that extremepoverty in India has declinedby 12.3 percentage pointsbetween 2011 and 2019 but ata rate that is significantlylower than observed over the2004-2011 period.

"Poverty reduction rates inrural areas are higher than inurban areas," said the papertitled 'Poverty in India HasDeclined over the Last DecadeBut Not As Much AsPreviously Thought'.

The authors further saidurban poverty rose by 2 per-centage points in 2016 duringthe demonetisation event andfell sharply thereafter. Ruralpoverty rose by 10 basis pointsin 2019 likely due to a growthslowdown.

"Our estimates of povertyfor recent periods are moreconservative than earlier pro-jections based on consump-tion growth in nationalaccounts and other surveydata," the paper said.

The paper further said theextent of poverty reductionduring 2015-2019 is estimat-ed to be notably lower thanearlier projections based ongrowth in private final con-sumption expenditure report-ed in national account statis-tics.

The authors also said therewas no evidence of rising con-sumption inequality in theiranalysis.

The paper noted that farm-ers with small landholdingsizes have experienced higherincome growth.

Real incomes for farmerswith the smallest landholdingshave grown by 10 per cent inannualised terms between thetwo survey rounds, comparedto a 2 per cent growth forfarmers with the largest land-holding, it said.

Rural households owningsmaller pieces of land aremore likely to be poorer thanothers, it added.

I don’t think it’s (marriage)happening anytime soon.Maybe a coupleof years later.

Singer— Jubin Nautiyal

ed when the world is interact-ing with leaders who repre-sent nearly 1/6th of humani-ty. He was, of course, attempt-ing to justify our even-hand-ed approach to events inEurope. But the truth is thatwhile our Government’sresponse to the outrage hasbeen measured, it just doesnot go far enough. At the endof the day, history will notethat when it mattered themost, our Government gaveits tacit approval to a genoci-dal regime.

What that implies shouldnot be difficult for our polit-ical leadership to compre-hend, given that they still findthemselves facing uncom-fortable questions, be it aboutthe anti-Sikh pogrom of 1984or the Gujarat riots, despitethe decades that have elapsed.There are many here whoapplaud the Government’sstand, especially its willing-ness to stand up to the BidenAdministration. The braveryin air-conditioned confer-ence halls is undoubtedlycommendable, but the harshfact is that it does little tomake life easy for those whowill face future Galwans inLadakh or Arunachal.

We have witnessed themanner in which the vulner-abilities of Russian weaponsystems have been exploited

by Ukrainians with assis-tance from the US and itsallies, leaving the Russiansred-faced. It therefore standsto reason that a similar modelwould be of great relevance inour context in bluntingChinese offensive actions;that is, of course, if we havegenuine interest in keepingour soldiers alive and not seethem only as cannon fodderfor our own bravado. It goeswithout saying that we havelittle choice but to take a freshlook at our military andimplications on nationalsecurity in the context ofevents in Europe. DespiteKargil, there appears to havebeen a growing belief withinour political establishment,especially the current dispen-sation, that given nucleardeterrence, the military hadincreasingly lost its relevanceas conventional wars were ananachronism.

Border policing was theextent of their requirementand the focus needed to beshifted to our Central ArmedPolice Forces, given theirutility in containing all man-ner of domestic violencewithout raising hackles, espe-cially among the internation-al community. Clearly themost important lesson tohave emerged from the war isthe vital importance of

trained, disciplined and moti-vated manpower. However,our Government, already onthe back foot over its denialof Non Functional FinancialUpgrade and OROP on com-pletely specious grounds, hasdone itself no favour by ban-ning recruitment andattempting to thrust the half-baked “Tour of Duty” conceptdown the throat of the mili-tary leadership.

Finally, the delay inappointing the Chief ofDefence Staff to replace LateGeneral Bipin Rawat suggeststhat the Government doesnot view unified militarycommands and the conductof joint operations withinthe military as vitally impor-tant. Even more than thepoor quality of Russian man-power, it has been their lackof unified command andcontrol and conduct of oper-ations by the separate ser-vices that have resulted in thedisaster that they have facedon the battlefield. It is a les-son we can ignore only at ourown peril.

(The writer, a militaryveteran, is a Visiting Fellowwith the Observer ResearchFoundation and SeniorVisiting Fellow with ThePeninsula Foundation,Chennai. The views expressedare personal.)

TIME TO END COMMUNAL TENSIONSir — India is in the grip of communalviolence after the clashes in Delhi dur-ing the Hanuman Janmotsav procession.Fresh reports of violence are emergingfrom Jahangirpuri after an investigationteam of Delhi Police was attacked by thefamily of one of the accused. The policeinvestigation team came under attackwhen it went to the house of a man whowas seen firing a gunshot during clash-es in Jahangirpuri that erupted during aHanuman Mahotsav procession in thearea. Accused family members and oth-ers pelted stones at the police team andthe situation is tense.

The Delhi Police has arrested a totalof 22 people and apprehended twojuveniles in a case of communal violencethat erupted during a Shobha Yatra pro-cession on the occasion of HanumanJanmotsav in the Capital. Not just inDelhi, but communal violence has beenreported in several other States includ-ing Uttarakhand, Karnataka and AndhraPradesh. Before this, clashes had brokenout in Madhya Pradesh and West Bengalduring Ram Navami processions. Withthese developments, India is in the gripof communal violence which is seriousand dangerous. Quick action must betaken against such incidents.

Bhagwan Thadani | Mumbai

THE POLITICS OF ‘GATHBANDHAN’Sir — Enough is enough. We have seenenough of coalition politics and itsrepercussions on the Government. It allstarted with the 2015 State elections inBihar but fizzled out after initial boost.It is fresh in our minds how Vajpayee’s13-day government was toppled by a sin-gle vote during the trust vote. TheTelangana Government tried such a trickrecently and the response was verypoor. Now Maharashtra is playing sucha gimmick with Sanjay Raut opening thissensitive subject just for the publicitypurpose. The prevailing political situa-tion in the country is governed by theUnion Government and instead of cre-ating trouble just like the one in farm-

ers’ agitation, the Opposition should notcreate chaos and confusion.

The public is very clever and theyknow where the results are forthcomingand how the Opposition is playing votebank politics. Underlining the need to dis-cuss the current situation will arise onlywhen the position is felt like the one inPakistan and Sri Lanka. Holding a meet-ing of a coalition of parties will be a futileexercise as they all are trying to becomethe Prime Minister without any politicalbacking or rich experience in governance.

CK Subramaniam | Navi Mumbai

DUAL DEGREE PROGRAMMESSir —As per the NEP-2020, the UGC hasissued new guidelines to all our CentralUniversities, permitting them to allowstudents to pursue two degree pro-grammes simultaneously. It is a goodidea. First of all, by doing two pro-grammes at a time, students can use theprime of their youth more meaningful-ly. With two degrees in hand, studentsbecome more competitive and add

something to their confidence and fight-ing spirit. More and more job opportu-nities are open to them. Again, thisincreases their levels of employability.Universities had thought it good to allowstudents to do twin courses at a time evenbefore the UGC came up with that idea.

Many universities are in the grip offinancial problems as the StateGovernments fulfil only a part of theirbudgetary needs. To overcome themoney crunch, these universities collecthuge fees and allow students to pursuedouble programmes simultaneously,albeit without obtaining permissionfrom the UGC. If the UGC doesn’t recog-nise the two degrees obtained prior to theissue of the new guidelines, thousandsof students would be left in a bind.Implementing the new guidelines witha retrospective date is the only option leftfor the UGC.

MS Prasad | Hyderabad

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

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06

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We have little choice but to take a fresh look at our military and theimplications on national security in the context of the events in Europe

ONE OF THE MOSTSIGNIFICANT

LESSONS WE LEARN ASCHILDREN IS

THAT ALL OURACTIONS HAVE

CONSEQUENCES;A LESSON THAT

ADULTS TEND TO FORGET.HOWEVER,

GRAVITY HAS ASTRANGE WAY OFBRINGING THINGSDOWN TO EARTH,

EVEN EGOS

LETTERS TO TTHE EDITOR

DEEPAK SINHA

The death note of contractor SanthoshPatil cost KS Eshwarappa his Ministryin Karnataka. The allegation against

Eshwarappa was that he demanded fromSanthosh 40 per cent commission to passthe bill for having completed the work.Nobody is above the law. If he is foundguilty, he must face the consequences. Buta person is innocent till he is proved guilty,goes the saying. The high command neednot have directed him to resign. Instead, aninquiry should have been instituted againstEshwarappa. Congress is neck-deep in cor-

ruption and now it is calling the BJPGovernment in Karnataka corrupt. This isnothing but a case of the pot calling the ket-tle black.

Of course, there is no Government with-out corrupt elements. It is well said “poli-tics is war without bloodshed and war is pol-itics with bloodshed”. It is a struggle forpower. Those who come down heavilyagainst corruption are not the enemies ofcorruption. They give vent to their anger fornot being able to make money for them-selves without being in power. Political par-ties are intolerant of corruption by their rivalpolitical parties. Allegations of corruption arepushed under the carpet when two rival par-ties stitch an alliance to face the elections.When the partners fall apart, the hithertohushed up cases of corruption resurface. Ifeach party strives to put its own house inorder, there will be no corruption at all.

KV Seetharamaiah | Bengaluru

Graft issue in Karnataka

Remember, actionshave consequences

In the battle of the Vlads,one cannot miss the ironythat Russia is saddled withthe wrong Vlad. Zelenskyy,

a stand-up comic by profession,has shown by example whattrue leadership means, some-thing Putin despite his years inoffice has just not been able toreplicate. One of the most sig-nificant lessons we learn as chil-dren is that all of our actionshave consequences; a lessonthat adults unfortunately tendto ignore. However, gravity hasa strange way of bringing thingsdown to earth, even egos; a factthat may now be dawning upon Putin.

The fact that morality mat-ters little in politics or diploma-cy is something we all take forgranted until, of course, somecataclysmic event changeseverything, leaving those on thewrong side of history scrabblingto recover from the aftermath oftheir decisions. The UnitedStates, for example, did notlose the wars in the battlefieldsof Vietnam, Iraq orAfghanistan, but at My Lai andthe notorious prisons that it ranin Abu Ghraib andGuantanamo Bay, that left itsmoral compass in disarray andshowed its hypocrisy.

We have just witnessed thatdefining moment in the Russo-Ukrainian conflict that is boundto leave Putin’s Russia morallydecimated. However this storyends, clearly Putin has joinedthe likes of Hitler and Pol Pot.The killing fields of Bucha,Mariupol and Kramatorsk,despite egregious denials byRussia, along with the manymore stories of horror that arebound to emerge, show theRussian military to be singular-ly bereft of honour, dignity orrespect: The very ethos that militaries around the worldfocus, develop and pride themselves on.

Closer home, our venerableDefence Minister, in a recentaddress to party workers, stated:“India’s global image haschanged under the leadership ofPrime Minister Narendra Modi.All countries across the worldnow listen carefully when Indiaspeaks.” But that is to be expect-

Recently, election strategist Prashant Kishor met Sonia Gandhi and present-ed a roadmap for the 2024 elections. Though it was not the first time hemet the Gandhis, not much headway could be made earlier. Perhaps the

Congress was not comfortable working on a strategy suggested by an outsider.This time it was different as he was asked to join the party rather than working

as a consultant. The party has also constituted acommittee to study Kishor’s strategy. Kishor hasworked with many major political parties, includ-ing the BJP, and has the reputation of making win-ning strategies for anyone willing to pay the price.Now there is a shift in his stance and he has showna willingness to join active politics. The Congressis having its worst existential crisis in decades. Itis in dire need of fresh ideas that can provide itwith oxygen to survive. Prashant Kishor or PK canbe that breeze of fresh ideas. The Congress stillhappens to be a potent force that can take on theBJP. AAP may be an emerging force but it is years

before it can be a pan-India party. Congress needs to wake up and discharge its role as the leading political force

in the country. It is not about Congress or the BJP; it is about democracy. A potentpolitical force in the Opposition is a deterrent. “All power corrupts and absolutepower corrupts absolutely”, goes the adage. So it is not about the right, left orcentre; whichever party gets the feeling of invincibility star ts acting recklessly.Congress may be down but is certainly not out. It would be wrong to blame onlyRahul Gandhi for the party’s downfall; most Congress leaders are absent fromthe public arena. Not that there are no issues, but no one is taking them up withmissionary zeal. It is here that PK’s political acumen can come in handy. Perhapshe nurtures a grudge against the BJP or is not happy with the BJP style of poli-tics, we don’t know, but we know that he can win elections. He once mentionedthat four Ms matter — message, messenger, mechanism and machinery — andif he can do something about it, why not give him a chance? PK may have beena mercenary but he is at the moment the best bet for the Congress.

Have some States taken a hasty decision to do away with face masks so early?The question arises because of the small spike in fresh COVID cases in sev-eral States. In Delhi, Telangana and Maharashtra, wearing masks in public

places is no longer mandatory. West Bengal lifted all restrictions, but masks arestill mandatory. Barely a fortnight later, there are reports that the Omicron hybridstrain XE has reached India. The number of fresh cases in Delhi, Gurugram andother cities across the country is still in the low hundreds, but the fact is that theinfection is indeed getting transmitted again. Initial reports suggest that the new strainis similar to Omicron. It may be more easily transmissible than Omicron but is notdangerous. Infected patients recover fast and rarely need hospitalisation, thoughthe chances could be higher for those with comorbidities. There is no need for patientsto be oxygenated as well. These are the reasons why there is a general lack of con-cern about the new variant. Omicron XE was discovered in January in the UK andhas since spread to a few other countries and scientists there are not worried either.New Zealand, Germany, Austria and South Korea are now registering fresh cases.

However, there is again no concern about theresumption of international flights. Should this meanIndia does not face the threat of a fresh wave? Lifeis back to normal in the country.

COVID-appropriate behaviour is hardly followedanywhere. Masks have mostly disappeared. Onlysenior citizens are seen wearing them, though hos-pitals still insist that patients and visitors do not enterwithout them. Markets, malls, theatres and other pub-lic places appear concern-free even though newcases are being reported. The Union and StateGovernments say they are monitoring the situation.

It is best to get back the masks at once and re-introduce the monetary fine for notwearing them in public places. Some cities like Delhi have resumed random testingand that has confirmed the regular uptick in daily cases. Such testing should onceagain become mandatory across the country. It is better to be forearmed. The keypreparation to face an onslaught by the new strain is to make COVID-appropriatebehaviour mandatory again. The current level of medical facilities in terms of bedsand oxygen is adequate for the time being. By now India is able to undertake genomesequencing in a big way. That helps scientists track how COVID-19 variants and strainsare evolving. What is worrisome, however, is that fresh cases are being reportedfrom schools, particularly among children under 12 who are not vaccinated. Thatleads to a debate about whether or not to shift classes online. It is examination timein India at the moment and the closure of schools will disturb the entire schedule.Entrance tests and admission processes will take up the coming months, and thesecannot be deferred either.

Threat looms

Hope floatsPrashant Kishor may just be the man to pull Congress out of its current rut

PICTALK

Smoke rises from a fire in the forest area of Taradevi, in Shimla PTI

As the scare returns, there’s the need to implement COVID-appropriate behaviour

The issues today are unemployment,inflation… azaan,aarti are not any issue.

Samajwadi Party chief— Akhilesh Yadav

We were 30-40runs short. Thediscussion withthe batters will beto save wicketstill 13-14th over.

PBKS captain— Shikhar Dhawan

SOUNDBITE

India, as a majoreconomic powerand the largestdemocracy, is ahighly valuedstrategic partner.

UK Prime Minister— Boris Johnson

Due to Govt negligence duringCOVID, not fivelakh but 40 lakhIndians died.

Congress leader

— Rahul Gandhi

gaining advantage in electoral pol-itics. An individual candidate dis-tributing cash or giving liquorbottles (using his own pocketmoney) to garner votes is treatedas corrupt practice, and rightly so,whereas a party bribing votersthat too using public money getslegitimacy (albeit de facto).

Second, unlike ‘normal’ budgetexpenses which are planned andbacked by well-orchestrated effortsto garner revenue, additional finan-cial liabilities imposed by the free-bies promised in election manifestoaffect the budgetary position of theState in a totally ‘uncontrolled’ and‘unplanned’ manner. For instance,free power (consumption upto300 units a month) and giving`1000 per month to an adultwoman will dent Punjab’s budgetby about `20,000 crore annually.

There being no correspondingrevenue generation against thisliabiity (as the same is unplanned),this will be at the cost of slashingother essential expenditure includ-ing on development. Alternatively,this will result in additional borrow-ings and resultant increase in debtto unsustainable level.At the end offive years, the afore-mentionedfreebies alone will increase State’sdebt by `100,000 crore (this does-n’t include interest; including it, theimpact will be even higher) on topof existing around `300,000 crore.

Third, any welfare measure isintended to help the poor as withmeagre income, she can’t afford topay for basic facilities. But, the free-bies given by contemporary breedof political parties defies this car-dinal principle;for instance, free bus

ride given by AAP in Delhi to ‘all’women. This means, even a richperson is eligible if that person hap-pens to be woman. Likewise, anadult woman in Punjab is entitledto `1000 a month even if she is amillionaire. By contrast, a manwon’t be eligible even if he is poor.

Fourth, unlike a normal welfarescheme which has a sunset dateand has a chance ofgetting termi-nated after the underlying purposeis achieved, the freebies offered bywinning parties have none. This isbecause such doles are not backedby any well-defined objective;here-in the sole consideration is toinfluence voters. Freebies being atthe foundation on which victory issecured, the concerned parties areprone to promising them election-after-election.

Fifth, look at things from theperspective of tax payers. When, thetax revenue is used for giving sub-sidies to the poor sections of thesociety -for instance, beneficiariesunder Ayushman Bharat whichcovers 100 million poor households- it passes muster as welfare mea-sure. But, when it is used to givefreebies to all including the rich, itmay even trigger non-complianceamongst tax payers.

Finally, assured of financialhelp to meet most of their basicneeds ‘perpetually’, the freebies cultis changing the mindset of peoplein a way that makes them compla-cent towards work. This can lead toa scenario whereby India’s demo-graphic dividend would be convert-ed into a demographic liability.

In short, we will have a deadlycocktail of perpetual drain on the

State exchequer leading to unsus-tainable debt, unfair and inequitabletreatment leading to tension in thesociety, a negative orientation andunwillingness to work, non-compli-ance among tax payers, bureaucrat-ic red tape and abetment to corrup-tion. Put simply, freebies are arecipe for economic disaster. Theonly way to avoid it is to prohibitparties from promising doles.

In a judgment in SSubramaniam Balaji vs Governmentof Tamil Nadu &Ors in July, 2013,the Supreme Court had said thatdistribution of freebies of any kindinfluences all people; that “It shakesthe root of free and fair elections toa large degree”. Yet, it had held thatpromises in the election manifestocannot be construed as “corruptpractice” under the Representationof People Act (RPA), or under anyother prevailing law and, hence, dis-tribution of freebies can’t be stoppedwhen the ruling party uses publicfunds for this purpose through thepassage of Appropriation Acts in thestate assembly.

After almost a decade, thematter has again come up beforethe SC - this time through a pub-lic interest litigation (PIL), filed byadvocate Ashwani Dubey. OnJanuary 25, 2022 it observed “Thisis no doubt a serious issue. Budgetfor freebies is going above the reg-ular budget. As the SC said before,this disturbs the level playing field,”

The top court recognizes thatthe problem is serious. Yet, thus farit has expressed helplessness.Whether, anything concrete willcome out of the pending PIL, onlytime will tell.

Poll freebies: Roadto economic disaster

OUR SACRIFICES AND CONTRIBUTION IN

FIGHTING AND ELIMINATING TERRORISM ARE

WELL KNOWN AND GLOBALLY ACKNOWLEDGED.

— PAKISTAN PM

SHEHBAZ SHARIF

INDIA DESIRES PEACE AND STABILITY IN A

REGION FREE OF TERROR, SO THAT WE CAN

FOCUS ON DEVELOPMENT CHALLENGES.

— PRIME MINISTER

NARENDRA MODI

Assured of financial help to meet most of their basic needs ‘perpetually’, thefreebies cult is changing the mindset of people and making them complacent

The heads of the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund (IMF),the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) and the WorldTrade Organisation (WTO) issued a joint statement on April 13, urg-

ing coordinated action to help vulnerable countries address growing threatsto food security. The proposed actions include providing emergency foodsupplies and deploying financial support to households and countries,facilitating unhindered trade, and investing in sustainable food produc-tion and nutrition security. World Bank Group President David Malpass,IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva, WFP Executive Director DavidBeasley and WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala issued the fol-lowing joint statement ahead of the Spring Meetings of the IMF and WorldBank Group next in the end of April: “The world is shaken by compound-

ing crises. The fallout of the war in Ukraine is adding to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic that now enters its third year, while climate change andincreased fragility and conflict pose persistent harm to people aroundthe globe. Sharply higher prices for staples and supply shortages areincreasing pressure on households worldwide and pushing millions moreinto poverty. The threat is highest for the poorest countries with a largeshare of consumption from food imports, but vulnerability is increas-ing rapidly in middle-income countries, which host the majority of theworld’s poor. World Bank estimates warn that for each one percentagepoint increase in food prices, 10 million people are thrown into extremepoverty worldwide.” “The rise in food prices is exacerbated by a dra-matic increase in the cost of natural gas, a key ingredient of nitroge-nous fertilizer. Surging fertilizer prices along with significant cuts in glob-al supplies have important implications for food production in most coun-tries, including major producers and exporters, who rely heavily on fer-tilizer imports. The increase in food prices and supply shocks can fuelsocial tensions in many of the affected countries, especially those thatare already fragile or affected by conflict.” A study by the InternationalMonetary fund has found that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s food secu-rity project - the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY)- has been critical in preventing any increase in extreme poverty levelsin India during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The new IMF paper - Pandemic, Poverty, and Inequality: Evidencefrom India - found that extreme poverty (with purchasing power parityof less than USD 1.9 per person per day) in India was less than 1 percent in 2019 and it remained constant even during the pandemic in2020.”PMGKAY was critical in preventing any increase in extreme pover-ty levels in India and the doubling of food entitlements worked substan-tially in terms of absorbing the Covid-induced income shocks on thepoor,” the report stated. Last month, Prime Minister Narendra Modiannounced the extension of PMGKAY till September 2022. Under thePMGKAY, free food grain is provided to those in need.”A low level ofextreme poverty for two consecutive years, including one marked bythe pandemic, can be considered as elimination of extreme poverty,” itread. PM Modi says India is ready to supply food stock to world if WTOagrees. Stating that he has discussed the issue of the global food short-age with US President Joe Biden, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on April12 said that India is ready to supply food stock to the world. It is alreadysupplying to Afghanistan and Sri Lanka on moral grounds. India hasunveiled a $22 billion package to provide food rations and cash trans-fers to about 800 million people hit by the coronavirus lockdown. AlthoughIndia had a record harvest and has enough reserves, there are concernsabout the food supply chain disruptions, especially for the poor.

(The writer is former Senior Professor, International Trade and Member, Vivekananda International Foundation.

The views expressed are personal.)

HYDERABAD | TUESDAY | APRIL 19, 2022

07

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FIRSTCOLUMNGLOBAL CALL TO ENSURE

FOOD SECURITY

POINTCOUNTERPOINT

UTTAM GUPTA

Leading world bodies have lauded the Indian food programme

WE WILL HAVE A DEADLY

COCKTAIL OFPERPETUAL

DRAIN ON THE STATE

EXCHEQUERLEADING TO

UNSUSTAINABLEDEBT, UNFAIR

ANDINEQUITABLETREATMENTLEADING TO

TENSION IN THESOCIETY, ANEGATIVE

ORIENTATIONAND

UNWILLINGNESSTO WORK, NON-

COMPLIANCEAMONG TAX

PAYERS,BUREAUCRATICRED TAPE ANDABETMENT TOCORRUPTION

(The writer is a policyanalyst. The views

expressed are personal.)

Ukraine wants moreoffensive weaponsincluding modern tanks,

self-propelled artillery and com-bat aircraft from NATO coun-tries for its war with the Russianinvaders, but it won’t be gettingthem from the United States inthe latest tranche of Americanmilitary aid. There is a good rea-son for that.

Germany and Slovakia areconsidering sending Leopardtanks and SP artillery to Kyiv ina few weeks’ time, but Joe Biden’sadministration is still playing‘Mother May I?’/ ‘Grandmother’sFootsteps’ with Moscow. Hemoves one cautious step up onthe list of weapons he gives Ukraine, watches for theRussian response, then takesanother step.

It doesn’t matter at themoment, because this is the

‘rasputitsa’, the season of rain andmud in eastern Ukraine whenoff-road travel for heavy vehiclesvaries from difficult to impossi-ble. The Ukrainian forces won’tbe attempting any grand offen-sives, and the Russians (who areplanning exactly that) are verylikely to get bogged down.

The mud season will prob-ably last for another six weeks.Strict military logic would arguefor postponing the Russianoffensive in eastern Ukraineuntil then, but Putin probablycan’t wait that long. The defeatsand losses he suffered in his firstattacks in northern Ukrainewill gradually but inevitablyleak out to the Russian public, sohe needs a quick victory now.

He might get lucky, butthere is unlikely to be a decisiveRussian victory for two reasons.First, the Russians in the east will

be attacking the best-trained,most experienced part of theUkrainian army, well dug intodefences that have grown everyyear since 2014.

That would not save themain Ukrainian army if otherRussian forces can make a ‘pin-cer movement’ behind it and cutit off, which is precisely whatthey will now try to do.

The Russian troops nowbesieging Mariupol on thesouth coast will advance to thenorth as soon as it finally falls.Other Russian troops arealready attacking south fromaround Kharkiv, probably aim-ing to join up with thembetween Barvinkove andPokrovsk and trap the mainUkrainian army.

If they succeed, Ukrainewill have to seek a ceasefire inplace, ceding all the lost terri-tory to Russia, and Putin willhave his victory. But first theRussians will have to advanceabout 150 km. on a single two-lane road that passes throughvillages ideal for ambushesevery five or ten km. And it’s therasputitsa, so you can’t goaround the villages.

This is precisely the task thatthe Russian army spectacularlybungled in its attempt to seizeKyiv last month. What are theodds that it will do better thistime? And if it bogs down onceagain, what happens then?

Assume that it’s late June,the ground is drying out, and theRussian troops are exhausted,over-extended and demoralised.In Kyiv they will be thinkingabout taking back their lost ter-

ritory - at least the territory theyhave lost since February, butsome will also be thinking aboutrecapturing the territories thatRussia conquered in 2014.

The latter territories -Crimea and the eastern parts ofDonetsk and Luhansk provinces- have little economic value, andmost of the people who livethere have been taught to hateUkrainians. If Russia loses againin the coming battles, there willbe strong pressure in Kyiv toexploit the situation and takethem back.

That’s when the extra tanksand self-propelled artillery thatthe United States is not givingUkraine now would come invery useful. But it would also bethe moment of utmost humili-ation for Vladimir Putin (assum-ing that he is still in power), andit is always wiser to leave your

defeated enemy an avenue ofretreat.

Perhaps this entire article isan exercise in counting one’schickens before they hatch, butyou may be sure that they arealso being counted inWashington and in NATO rightnow. Concern about whatUkraine would do if it wins isalready a major factor in decid-ing what kinds of weapons, andhow many of them, the Westgives to Ukraine.

Nobody will admit out loudthat Ukraine is being kept on aleash, but of course it is. Sixweeks ago it had not occurred toanybody that doing that wouldbe necessary, because they allexpected Ukraine to lose. Youcan sympathise with its desire totake revenge if it wins, but for thesake of peace in the future it cannot be allowed to do that.

Concern about what Ukraine would do if it wins is already a major factor in deciding what kind of weapons the West gives to Ukraine

Ukraine: The second Russian offensive

(Gwynne Dyer’s new book is ‘The Shortest History ofWar’. The views expressed

are personal.)

GWYNNE DYER

PK VASUDEVA Afew days back, Prime MinisterNarendra Modi asked seniorbureaucratsto point out defi-ciencies in government policies.

In response, some officials have zeroed inon ‘the freebies promised by winning partyin state elections’.

In the past, freebie - an acronym for“something given free of charge” - founda place in a corner of the manifesto of par-ties. In recent years, thishas occupied thecentre-stage and holds the key to winningelections. For instance, in February 2020,the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) led byArvind Kejriwal mesmerised Delhi vot-ers by promising freebies. They returnedAAP to the seat of power with a thump-ing majority giving it 62 out of a total of70 assembly seats.

Then, the freebies included free orheavily subsidised electricity and freewater, free bus ride for women, free Wi-Fi, full reimbursement of hospitalisationexpenses in case of accident, free testingand diagnostic services etc.

In the just-concluded Punjab elections,AAP was voted to power getting 92 outof a total of 117 assembly seats. Here again,the freebies promised by Kejriwal especial-ly free electricity to each and everyhousehold for consumption upto 300 unitsper month, waiving off all outstandingpower bills, depositing `1000 per monthin the account of every woman aged 18or above, guaranteed treatment for everyPunjabi regardless of the cost of the treat-ment or operation and so on have playeda dominant role in AAP’s victory.

In Uttar Pradesh too, the winningparty, i.e., BJP had promised a host of free-bies such as 20 million smartphones andtablets for poor students, two free LPGcylinders under ‘Pradhan Mantri UjjwalaYojana’ every Holi and Diwali, free com-mute for women passengers above 60years in public transport, financial assis-tance of up to `100,000 for the marriageof girls belonging to poor families, freepower to farmers for irrigation and so on.

A flood of negatives come to the forethe moment one starts introspecting onthe subject. An overarching negative isabetment to corruption and erosion ingovernance ethics.

The Union Government’sstandardsof financial propriety clearly lays downinter alia that “no authority shall exerciseits powers of sanctioning expenditure topass an order which will be directly or indi-rectly, to its advantage; and the expendi-ture from public moneys should not beincurred for the benefit of a particular per-son or a section of the people unless a claimfor the amount could be enforced in a courtof law or the expenditure is in pursuanceof a recognised policy or custom”.

The reckless spending of the taxpayer’s money on freebies is neither arecognised policy/custom nor it is sanc-tioned in a court of law. It is blatant finan-cial irregularity that amounts to bribingvoters using public money solely for

HYDERABAD | TUESDAY | APRIL 19, 2022 Money 08

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Zydus Lifesciences Ltd on Monday said it has received final approval from the UShealth regulator to market its generic version of Cyanocobalamin injection which isused to treat and prevent vitamin B12 deficiency caused by pernicious anemia.

The approval granted by the US Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) is forCyanocobalamin injection in strengths of 1,000 mcg/ml, 10,000 mcg/10 ml and 30,000mcg/30 ml multiple-dose vials, thecompany said in a regulatory filing."The drug will be manufactured at thegroup's injectables manufacturingfacility at Jarod, Gujarat," it added.The company said Cyanocobalamininjection is used to treat and preventlack of vitamin B12 that may becaused due to pernicious anemia --lack of a natural substance needed toabsorb vitamin B12 from the intestine-- , certain diseases, infections ormedications that decrease the amountof vitamin B12 absorbed from food.

LML Electric on Monday said it has inked a letter of intent (LOI) to form a jointventure with Germany-based electric hyperbike manufacturer eROCKIT AG.If theparties agree on the JV, the mass production of the bikes will take place at LML's

facilities in India."With this new jewel in LML's crown, the technology strength,manufacturing prowess, and disruptive consumer experience that we stand committedto offering, will get a new dimensionaltogether, besides meeting the highlevel of expectations of our primary aswell as secondary target audience,"LML CEO Yogesh Bhatia said in astatement.eROCKIT, a unique pedal-powered electric motorcycle, is ahyperbike that runs with effortlesspedalling and has a top speed of over90 km/h, supported by an advancedbattery and electric direct drive motor.The innovative, clutch-free direct driveof the eROCKIT intelligently adapts tothe intuitive pedal control.

State-owned NBCC (India) Ltd on Monday said it has bagged business worth Rs981.17 crore in the last month.In a regulatory filing, the company informed thatit has bagged a work order for Rs 500 crore (approximately), namely for

providing comprehensive, design, engineering and project management consultant(PMC) services for various works in the Union Territory of Ladakh.Besides, the company hadbagged many other projects lastmonth.NBCC (India) Limited,formerly known as NationalBuildings ConstructionCorporation Limited, is aNavratna Enterprise.Withoperations spreading acrossIndia and overseas, the companyis into three business verticals:PMC (project managementconsultancy), EPC (engineeringprocurement & construction)and real estate.

PNS n MUMBAI

Total value of loan assets secu-ritised by non-banking finan-cial companies, includinghousing finance firms, grew byaround 43 per cent in the lastfiscal year to Rs 1,25,000 crore,driven by quick economicrecovery and lower base effect,a report said on Monday.

The amount of loans secu-ritised by NBFCs (Non-Banking FinancialCompanies) and HFCs(Housing Finance Companies)in FY21 stood at Rs 87,300crore, Icra Ratings said in areport.

The agency expects thesecuritisation volume to touchthe pre-Covid level of Rs 2lakh crore in fiscal 2023-24.

"The growth (in securitisa-

tion volumes) in FY22 was onaccount of the lower base ofFY21 and quick recovery ineconomic activities followingthe second pandemic wave inthe first quarter and limiteddisruptions seen during thethird wave," the agency said.

Securitisation refers to the

pooling of cash-flow-produc-ing assets such as mortgages,loans, bonds and subsequentissuance of securities in thecapital markets backed bythese collateral pools.

The securitisation of retailassets too was in line with ear-lier estimate of Rs 1.1 lakh

crore, while additional securi-tisation of wholesale loans ofclose to Rs 15,000 crore wasobserved in the fourth quar-ter of the last fiscal.

Abhishek Dafria, vice pres-ident and group head (struc-tured finance ratings), IcraRatings, said the last quarterof FY22 commenced withuncertainty arising from thehigh COVID-19 infectionrates in the country.

However, the less severity ofthe wave led to lower disrup-tion of activities, due to whichthe securitisation volumes inQ4 continued the upward tra-jectory, he said.In Q4, securi-tisation volumes were aroundRs 50,000 crore, which were inline with pre-Covid quarterlyvolumes, Darfria said.

For FY22, total securitisa-

tion through DirectAssignment (DA) transactions(bilateral assignment of poolof retail loans between twoentities) accounted for close to55 per cent of the total annu-al volumes, lower than abouttwo-thirds seen over the pastfew years, the report said.

This was partly on accountof securitisation of wholesaleloans in Q4, which were donethrough the Pass ThroughCertificate (PTC) route, itsaid.Within the PTC segment,vehicle loans accounted forone-third volumes, whereasDA was dominated by mort-gage-backed loans.

Microfinance Institution(MFI) loans, which had lostinvestor preference post theonset of pandemic, witnessedsignificant traction in Q4.

Loan assets securitised by NBFCs jump to Rs 1.25 lakh crore

Zydus Lifesciences gets USFDA nodfor generic product

LML Electric inks LOI with Germany'seROCKIT to form JV

NBCC gets work order worth Rs 981 cr in March

PNS n NEW DELHI

Sugar exports are estimated toincrease to over 90 lakhtonnes in the current market-ing year ending September,from 71-72 lakh tonnes in theprevious year, on betterdemand for the Indian sweet-ener from Bangladesh andIndonesia, according to indus-try body ISMA.The sugar marketing yearruns from October toSeptember.

"As per market reports andport information, around 80lakh tonnes of sugar exporthave been contracted so far.Out of that, about 57.17 lakhtonnes of sugar have beenphysically exported out of thecountry during October 2021March 2022 period, as com-pared to about 31.85 lakhtonnes exported in the lastsugar year during the same

period," Indian Sugar MillsAssociation (ISMA) said in astatement.

About 7-8 lakh tonnes ofsugar is in pipeline for exportin April 2022.

"In the current year, majorexport destinations are

Indonesia and Bangladesh,accounting for almost 44 percent of total exports, as against48 per cent shared collective-ly by Indonesia andAfghanistan last year duringthe corresponding period,"the association said.

Sugar exports may jump to 90 lakh tonnes in 2021-22 marketing year

PNS n MUMBAI

The Sensex plunged 1,172points while the Nifty crashedbelow the 17,200-level onMonday, hammered by robustselling in market heavyweightsInfosys and HDFC Bank fol-lowing their below-estimateresults.

A weakening rupee andlacklustre macroeconomic dataadded to the woes, traders said.

Resuming trade after a two-day holiday last week, the BSESensex tumbled 1,172.19points or 2.01 per cent to set-tle at 57,166.74 -- marking itsfourth straight session of loss.

Similarly, the broader NSENifty plunged 302 points or1.73 per cent to 17,173.65.

Infosys was the top loser inthe Sensex pack, plummeting7.27 per cent, after the coun-try's second-largest softwareservices company posted a 12per cent rise in its Marchquarter net profit, missing

market estimates.HDFC Bank lost 4.74 per

cent after the largest privatesector lender on Saturdayreported a 23 per cent jump inQ4 standalone net profit, ledby lower provisions, even asother metrics like net interestincome came in below expec-tations.HDFC, Tech Mahindra,Wipro, TCS and HCL Techwere the other major laggards

In contrast, NTPC, TataSteel, Maruti, Titan, HUL,

M&M and Nestle India wereamong the gainers, spurting asmuch as 6.11 per cent.

The market breadth wasnegative, with 20 of the 30Sensex constituents closing inthe red."After a long weekend,we witnessed huge fall of 2 percent in the benchmark index.The fall was mainly on accountof below estimate results ofInfosys and HDFC Bank andthe rising tension betweenRussia and Ukraine.

Sensex sinks 1,172 pts as Infosys,HDFC Bank tumble post Q4 show

PNS n NEW DELHI

The board of Tata Steel willconsider a stock-split propos-al during its meeting on May3.

The meeting will be held toconsider the company'sfinancial results for the quar-ter and year ended March 31,2022, according to a regula-tory filing.

The board will "consider aproposal for sub-division ofthe equity shares of the com-pany having a face value of Rs10 each, in such manner asmay be determined by theBoard of Directors, subject tor e g u l a t o r y / s t a t u t o r yapprovals as may be requiredand the approval of the share-holders of the company," thefiling said on Sunday.

Besides, the board will alsorecommend dividend, if any,for 2021-22 fiscal, the filingsaid.

Tata Steel board toconsider stock-splitproposal on May 3

PNS n NEW DELHI

The country's largest carmak-er Maruti Suzuki India (MSI)on Monday said it hasincreased prices of its entiremodel range, between 0.9 percent to 1.9 per cent, withimmediate effect.

The company, which cur-rently sells a range of vehiclesfrom Alto to S-Cross, said ithas taken the decision to hikeprices due to an increase ininput costs.The weighted aver-age price rise, with effect fromApril 18, in ex-showroomprices (New Delhi) acrossmodels is 1.3 per cent, it

added.MSI has already hiked vehi-

cle prices by around 8.8 percent from January 2021 toMarch 2022, owing to constantincrease in input costs.

Over the past year, the costof the company's vehicles con-tinues to be adversely impact-ed due to increase in variousinput costs, the auto major hadstated in regulatory filing ear-lier this month.With prices ofvarious essential commoditieslike steel, copper, aluminiumand precious metals going up,automakers have been hikingprices on a regular basis to off-set the impact.

Maruti Suzuki hikes vehicleprices by up to 1.9 pc

CCI approves dealto acquire minoritystake in BDR PNS n NEW DELHI

The Competition Commissionhas cleared the proposed acqui-sition of a minority stake inBDR PharmaceuticalsInternational Pvt Ltd byMultiples Private Equity FundIII and other investors.

Under the transaction, theminority stake would be pur-chased by Multiples PrivateEquity Fund III, SRFTransnational Holdings Ltd,Balkrishna Industries Ltd,Dharmayug Investments Ltd,QRG Investments andHoldings Ltd, Nishant KAgarwal and MallikaSrinivasan, according to a noticefiled with the watchdog.BDRPharmaceuticals is mainly intofour therapeutic segments --oncology, critical care, gynaecol-ogy, and neurology. It isengaged in manufacture andsale of active pharmaceuticalingredients as well as formula-tions, and contract developmentand manufacturing services.

PNS n NEW DELHI

The wholesale price-basedinflation spiked to a four-month high of 14.55 per centin March on rising prices ofcrude oil and other commodi-ties due to disruption in glob-al supply chain in the wake ofthe Russia-Ukraine war, adevelopment that may promptthe RBI to raise interest ratesto contain price rise.

In February, WPI Inflationwas at 13.11 per cent, while inMarch last year, it was 7.89 percent.WPI inflation hasremained in double digits forthe 12th consecutive monthsince April 2021.In November2021, it had touched a high of14.87 per cent.

The data released by theCommerce and IndustryMinistry on Monday, showedthat crude oil prices were thebiggest contributor to the risein WPI inflation in March2022, relative to February, fol-lowed by fuels and core items.

Food articles witnessedsome softening month-on-month led by vegetables andpulses, even though wheat,paddy, potato, milk, egg, meatand the fish basket saw mod-erate increases during March.

During March, inflation infood articles eased to 8.06per cent, from 8.19 per cent inFebruary. Vegetable inflationwas 19.88 per cent in themonth under review, asagainst 26.93 per cent inFebruary.

"The high rate of inflation inMarch, 2022 is primarily dueto rise in prices of crudepetroleum and natural gas,mineral oils, basic metals, etcowing to disruption in theglobal supply chain caused bythe Russia-Ukraine conflict,"the Commerce and IndustryMinistry said in a statement.

Inflation in manufactureditems was 10.71 per cent inMarch, as against 9.84 per centin February.

In the fuel and power bas-ket, the rate of price rise was34.52 per cent during themonth under review, against31.50 per cent in February.

Oil companies had begun topass on the high import costof global crude oil prices byhiking domestic petrol anddiesel prices from March 22 -- ending a four-and-half-month long hiatus. Besides,domestic cooking gas (LPG)prices were hiked during themonth.

WPI inflation hits 4-month high of 14.55pc in March as crude prices spike

PE inflow in realtysector declines 47pc to USD 1 billionin Jan-Mar 2022

PNS n NEW DELHI

Private equity investmentinto the Indian real estatesector fell 47 per cent toUSD 1 bi l l ion duringJanuary-March this yearcompared to the year-agoperiod, but the inflowsjumped over 4.5 times fromthe previous quarter,according to property con-sultant Savills India.

The PE (Private Equity)inflows stood at USD 1.9billion in the same quarterlast year.

During October-December 2021, the invest-ments were at USD 218million.

"Commercial office assetscontinued to remain thefrontrunner during Q12022, garnering more thantwo-third share of theinvestment pie. All thequarterly investment camefrom foreign institutionalinvestors and was concen-trated in core office assetsin Bengaluru," Savills saidin a statement.

Last week, Anarock hadreported that the PE invest-ments in the real estate sec-tor fell 32 per cent to USD4.3 billion in the last fiscalyear from USD 6.3 billionin the 2020-21 financialyear.

Myre Capital to raise Rs 500 crto invest in commercial realty PNS n MUMBAI

The rupee declined 6 paise toclose at 76.25 (provisional)against the US dollar onMonday, tracking the strengthof the greenback overseasand elevated crude oil prices.

At the interbank foreignexchange market, the rupeeopened lower at 76.41 againstthe American currency, andfinally settled for the day at76.25, down 6 paise over itsprevious close.

During the trading ses-sion, the rupee witnessed an

intra-day high of 76.20 and alow of 76.43.

On Wednesday, the rupeehad dipped 4 paise to close at76.19 against the US dollar.

The forex market wasclosed on Thursday forMahavir Jayanti and DrBabasaheb Ambedkar Jayantiand on Friday on account ofGood Friday.

Meanwhile, the dollarindex, which gauges thegreenback's strength against abasket of six currencies, wastrading 0.20 per cent higherat 100.70.

Global oi l benchmarkBrent crude futures fell 0.18per cent to USD 111.50 perbarrel.

The 30-share BSE Sensexended 1,172.19 points or 2.01per cent lower at 57,166.74,while the broader NSE Niftyfell 302.00 points or 1.73 percent to 17,173.65.

Foreign institutionalinvestors remained net sellersin the capital market onWednesday as they offloadedshares worth Rs 2,061.04crore, according to stockexchange data.

Rupee slips 6 paise to 76.25 against US dollar

PNS n MUMBAI

Flagging risks of disruptivespillovers from geopoliticalhostilities, an RBI article onMonday said India faces thesechallenges from a position ofstrength built on broadenedvaccine coverage, financialsector resilience and robustexports.

The article on 'State of theEconomy', published in theApril 2022 RBI Bulletin, saidIndia enters Samvat 2079 hav-ing crested the third wave ofthe pandemic with economicactivity returning to speed inseveral sectors.

These gains are, however, atrisk from disruptive spilloversfrom geopolitical hostilities asincreasingly evident in infla-tion prints, tightening finan-cial conditions and a terms oftrade shock accompanied by

portfolio outflows."India faces these challenges

from a position of strengthbuilt on broadened vaccinecoverage, financial sectorresilience, robust export andremittances and fiscal repri-oritisation to spur capitalspending on infrastructure," itnoted.

Going forward, spurring

private investment remains akey thrust area for sustaininggrowth on a durable basis, itpointed out.

The RBI, however, saidviews expressed in the articleare those of the authors and donot necessarily represent theopinion of the central bank.

The authors said the near-term global outlook appears

grim, caught up in a vortex ofgeopolitical risks materialisingrapidly, strained supply chainsand the quickening pace ofmonetary policy normalisa-tion.They added that theIndian economy is notimmune to these negativeexternalities.

India faces global challenges fromposition of strength: RBI article

The article on 'Stateof the Economy',published in theApril 2022 RBIBulletin, said Indiaenters Samvat 2079having crested thethird wave of thepandemic witheconomic activityreturning to speed inseveral sectors.

PNS n MUMBAI

Myre Capital, which facilitatesreal estate investment throughfractional ownership, onMonday announced that it willraise Rs 500 crore fund to investin commercial realty assetsacross the country after July thisyear.The Rs 500-crore AlternateInvestment Fund (AIF) will bethe first of its neo-realty invest-ment fund, and will raise moneyfrom high net-worth individu-

als, family offices, retail investorsand institutional investors,according to an official state-ment.The company, a ventureby Morphogenesis which claimsto provide easy access, trans-parency, and liquidity to acurated selection of rent-yield-ing commercial real estateassets, also announced that in 12months, it has registered over30,000 investors and has assetsunder management of over Rs175 crore.

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TuesdayApril 19, 2022

fter the greatsuccess of SanjayLeela Bhansali’sGangubaiKathiawadi,

Shantanu Maheshwari hasestablished himself asBollywood’s heartthrobwith his performance asAfshan.

His debut on the cellu-loid was hailed as impec-cable and promising by thecritics and audience.Shantanu pulled off therole of a tailor besotted byGangubai, the madame ofKamathipura (esaayed byAlia Bhatt). Havingamassed praises andacclaim for his act in the

movie, Shantanu is nowhonoured with ‘BestBollywood Actor &Outstanding Performancein Gangubai Kathiawadi’ atWedding Icon HonourAwards 2022 in Goa. Theaward was presented to theyoung star by the chiefguest of the ceremony,Sonu Sood.

Shantanu Maheshwarisays, “I feel honoured withthis award for my firstfilm. With immense love, Ithank my family and audi-ence for their unwaveringsupport and I thank SonuSood for presenting thisaward to me. The journeyhas just begun for me and

getting this kind of recog-nition is surreal. I amgrateful to Sanjay LeelaBhansali sir who gave me achance to play the role ofAfshan.”

Shantanu brought anold-world romance in theBhansali directorial in therole of a tailor who’s asinnocent as the white thatGangubai is seen wearingin the film.

The film captured thematurity in his craftdespite his boyish charmand his sparkling chem-istry with Alia. His lovestory with Alia in the filmis one of its memorablehighlights.

treetCause VBIT do notwant the city to moveback on sustainabledevelopment goals. Theyare well aware of the suf-

fering from the impact ofunprecedented emergenciescaused by climate crisis, pollution,biodiversity loss, COVID-19 pan-demic, ongoing conflicts, and byinequalities. Their youth assemblyby the title of Congregate shone aspotlight on cooperation andexposed massive shortcomings,from vaccine inequity to a lack offinancial solidarity. Many issueswere discussed openly — educa-tion, women empowerment, envi-ronmental changes or socialimpact. Out of all this, the out-come resulted in coming to acommon belief pertaining wemust move into the right direc-tion now. For example, if youswitch on your televisions now,the war in Ukraine is now causingfood, fuel and fertilizer prices toskyrocket, and United Nationsagencies are warning of hunger onan unprecedented scale. Shouldthis happen? “The youth assemblyin Hyderabad namely Congregate5.0 gathers numerous flamboyantminds on one rostrum for discus-

sion of four different sustainablegoals as a step towards empower-ing and enabling youth to developcreative ideas to tackle the majorissues in our society. This hashelped today’s Hyderabadi youthto think about a better future!This mindset of a better futurewill definitely help the society forfostering a sustainable develop-ment,” mentioned executive chairoerson Tejasree. In fact, when theBJP leader Rakesh Reddy gracedthe very occasion recently, he alsoaddressed these interlinked criseshead-on, so that we can rescue thesustainable development goals.None wants to move backwards,there shouldn’t be lack of funda-mental solidarity in today’s timesin the city. Adding to that, “Thisevent held in Hyderabad was onestep towards a better future, andthe response that we have got wasunimaginable. There is a lot tochange in the youth of Hyderabadright now, technology should goanother notch higher and manymore initiatives should be organ-ised to think about a sustainableand better society here.” Socialactivist Rukmini Rao wants toaccelerate women’s participationin every sphere. She believes,

“Everyone is equal and everybodyshould be treated with dignity, nomatter what the circumstancesare. There shouldn’t be any reser-vation systems. Women can man-age both household chores andjob affairs brilliantly.” Accordingto the computer science student atthe institute, both the dignitariesguided them about all the sustain-able development goals, on howwomen are now exceeding men inevery aspect, on how educationand extracurricular activities playa substantial role in molding themindset of the youth. “Educationshould focus on each student’ssocial, emotional, mental, physi-cal, and cognitive developmentregardless of gender, race, ethnici-ty, or socioeconomic status.Today’s youth are tomorrow’sfuture.” When Vice-President MVenkaiah Naidu said that the con-tribution of educational institu-tions is of critical importance inachieving SustainableDevelopment Goals, & VignanaBharathi Institute of Technologytook note of it. Leaving no onebehind, how they change as sus-tainable development progressesremains elusive for them in thecity and that’s the priority.

Improvingsustainabledevelopment in Hyds

he liver is the second largest andmost complex organ in the body. Inthe human body, the liver plays acrucial role in digestion and hasmany necessary functionalities that

are unknown to most people. From producingbile to carrying away waste and breakingdown fats in the small intestine during diges-tion, the liver performs many roles. It is alsoresponsible for the production of proteins forblood plasma, the conversion of glucose intoglycogen, amino acid regulation, and more.

World Liver Day is observed on April 19every year to spread awareness about liver-related diseases.

On World Liver Day today, we spoke to afew doctors who enlightened us about liverhealth and more.

At the same time, Dr. Kavita Munjal,Technical Operations Head, MetropolisHealthcare Ltd., said, “A double-lobbed brownand meaty 3-pound organ, the liver doesmany important things in our body, but at thesame time is repeatedly abused by our wrongfood choices and irregular lifestyle. Our ongo-ing modern lifestyle involving high-caloriefood, alcohol, and sedentary lifestyle has putthe liver under constant abuse.”

Dr. Ashutosh Niranjan (Dean & Professorof General Surgery), Noida InternationalInstitute of Medical Sciences, shared with us,"In the human body, the liver is responsiblefor performing the most crucial functionsrelated to digestion, immunity, storage ofabsorbed nutrients, excretion, and metabo-lism. Keeping your liver in good shape is the

key to preventing liver diseases. It’s importantto know that your liver doesn’t show anyimmediate symptoms or signs of deteriorationunless it is severely damaged. However, if youfeel nausea, vomiting, pain in the upperabdomen, and symptoms of jaundice, neveravoid seeing a doctor in such cases.”

On the other hand, Dr. Vinoda Kumary,Deputy Chief Medical Officer, JindalNaturecure Institute, lists five ways to detoxyour liver naturally:

Make certain that your diet is liver andgut-friendly: Your diet should be balancedand healthy and contain nutrients that pro-mote gut and liver health. A 6% reductionin body weight can reduce the fat levels inyour liver by up to 40%, taking a massiveload off the body’s detoxifying organs.Avoid processed foods andaddictive beverages such asalcohol and caffeine to main-tain a healthy weight.

Try intermittent fasting: Once youhave overhauled your diet regimen, youshould try intermittent fasting once aweek. Research has shown that, during fasting,the

Liver cells produce a protein that helpsimprove sugar metabolism and reduce levelsof fat. Fasting also promotes autophagy, whichis when the healthy cells in the body eat upthe unhealthy cells, promoting cellular detox.

Use supplements strategically: Certainsupplements have been shown to support liverhealth by reducing inflammation, guardingthe body against injuries from toxins or chem-

icals, stimulating the produc-tion of bile, and more.Buttermilk thistle has anti-inflammatory and antioxi-dant properties. Studies haveshown that it helps regener-ate liver cells and protectsthem from damage caused byharmful substances likeacetaminophen and alcohol.Sweat session:Detoxification is contingenton two main factors: avoiding exposure totoxic substances and remov-ing any that arealready

present in the body.There aretwo

ways toget rid of the

toxins in your body.The first method is to improve the function-ing of the liver, and the second method is tosweat them out. The skin is the largest organin our body, and sweating is the most effectiveway to get toxins out of your system. Whileaerobic exercises are an excellent way toinduce sweat, a steam session at a naturopath-ic facility is much more efficient.

Yoga: Yoga asana offers several benefits,including detoxification. With twist variationsand proper alignment, you can significantly

improve digestion and detoxify your liver,which will help remove toxins from yourbody. Marichyasana is very effective at mas-saging the internal organs and promotingoptimal function. Sit down on the groundwith your legs stretched out in front of you.Make sure your spine is erect and your coremuscles are engaged. Bend the right knee andplant the right foot’s sole beside the stretchedleft knee. Inhale, and lift your spine and armstowards the ceiling. As you exhale, slowlytwist over the right shoulder, placing the rightpalm on the ground in the direction of yourgaze while the left elbow is pressed against theoutside of the right knee. Stay in this positionfor five breaths and repeat it on the other sideas well. Make sure you practise it under theguidance of a certified yoga instructor beforeyou master it.

Dr. Rajasekhar Perumalla, Senior LiverTransplant Surgeon,

Department of LiverTransplantation,

KamineniHospital,LB

Nagar,Hyderabad,

highlighted thealarming increase in the

incidence of liver diseasesamong the population and the

various treatment options availablein India that can treat them suc-cessfully. He further added that dis-

easesrelatedto the

liver are reversible if treated intime. Therefore, people need

mass awareness on preventionand early detection of the liver andthe related diseases.

Diseases related to the liver

Non-alcoholic fatty liver, hepati-tis B, and C have been highlightedas the three major killer diseases ofthe liver.

Hepatitis B Infection in India

The prevalence of hepatitis B infection inthe national average of 15-20% is a matter

of great concern for governments and society,as 30% of all cases of liver cirrhosis in theworld are caused by hepatitis B infection.

Hepatitis C infection in India

As per the reports, 25% of patients fromSouth India who have undergone liver trans-plants had Hepatitis C infection, and 20%were due to lifestyle diseases like alcohol andnon-alcoholic fatty liver disease.

Get vaccinated against the hepatitis B virus.The disease can infect and damage the liverwithout causing any symptoms. Vaccines havebecome available for hepatitis A and B viruses.Be sure to get regular liver tests every year ifyou have a habit of drinking or smoking. It isvery important to take the precautions pre-scribed by the doctors based on them.

Save your liver tolead a healthy lifet The following tips can help you maintain a

healthy liver.

” Maintaining and monitoring your body weightwill help you avoid fatty liver and, as a result, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).Weight losscan play an important part in reducing liver fat.” A well-balanced diet, well-adjusted with therequired portions of fat, protein, carbohydrates,and fibre, will avoid putting your liver undermetabolic stress. Extreme dietary habits and rawfood, which has a risk of contamination, should beavoided. ” Regular exercise of 40 min/day for 5 days/weekhelps to burn triglycerides for fuel and can alsoreduce liver fat.” Avoid alcohol abuse as it injures your liver andcan lead to cirrhosis.” Take precautions with the use of toxins like pesti-cides, insecticides, cleaning and aerosol productsthat are injurious to the liver.” Be careful with medication: always take medi-cines under medical supervision at prescribeddoses.” By avoiding the use of contaminated needles,practising safe sex would help prevent infection byHepatitis B, which is one of the causes of liver can-cer. If you are exposed to blood, immediately con-tact your doctor for emergency aid.” To avoid infection, get the hepatitis A and hepati-tis B vaccine shots.” Don’t forget that the liver performs more than500 chemical functions. Keep it in good health toremain healthy.

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Hyderabad Tuesday April 19, 2022

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

what’s brewing?

Flechazo, a finedining

restaurant,launchedits fourthoutlet inHyderabadonMonday atKukatpally.

The two-day AakritiElite Exhibition tookoff at Taj Deccan,

Hyderabad on Monday.Renowned fashiondesigners, and artisansfrom across the countryare presenting theirwork at the expo.

ELITE EXPO

Anchor SumaKanakala inau-gurated

KancheepuramHaripriya Silks inHyderabad.KancheepuramHaripriya Silksoffers its customersthe best shoppingexperience with thelatest fashion gar-ments.

SUMMER FASHION

Sutraa Exhibitions’ summer edi-tion is all set to enthrall the peo-ple of Hyderabad from April 28

to 30 at Hotel Taj Krishna, BanjaraHills. Models and fashion loversgraced the curtain raiser event ofSutraa held in the city on Monday.

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oratala Siva,the directorof Acharya,spoke abouthis upcom-ing film

recently.While promoting

the Chiranjeevi andRam Charan-starrer,the director wasquizzed on a varietyof topics, to which heresponded.

Amid the ongoingtalks and assumptionsabout RRR actor NTR’snext with Koratala Sivabeing shelved, thedirector’s clarity cameas a source of reliefto NTR’s fans.

Siva says ofNTR30, “I’vewritten astrong storyfor NTR.Pre-pro-ductionwork isunderway,and film-ing willbegin inJune

2022.”This statement from

Koratala Siva has sentrelief across NTR’sfans, as a few Telugu

web-

sites had reported onthe project beingshelved a few weeksago.

NTR’s casting teamis scouting for aBollywood actress topair up with NTR inthis highly-anticipatedmovie.

NTR is currentlypreparing for NTR30while Koratala Siva ispromoting Acharya,which is slated for agrand release on April29.

usic School, beingdirected by PapaRao Biyyala,wraps its fun-filled fourthschedule, com-

prising of scenesbetween Shriya

Saran, SharmanJoshi, andShaan inGoa. A sig-nificantchunk of thetalky portionof the musi-cal has beenshot in thetourist's par-adise, withscenic localesand beachesin the back-drop. Withthis wrap-upin Goa, 95%of the filmhas beenshot.

Shaan,who wrapsup his por-tion of themusical, says,“I had a

wonderful time shoot-ing for Music School.The entire cast andcrew are like a bigfamily. We had a won-derful time, especiallywith the children.They’re always soenthusiastic and full oflife. We’re going tomiss all the fun thatwe had. I can’t wait tosee how the filmshapes up. I’m hopingto meet up at thereunion party once thefilm is ready forrelease. Until then, mybest wishes to PapaRao ji and the entirecrew of the MusicSchool.”

The director castShaan for a criticalrole in the film afterwatching him sing asong for the film inIlaiyaraaja’s recordingstudio in Chennai.Papa Rao Biyyala waslooking for a flamboy-ant persona for thisrole, and he thoughtthe singer fit the bill.This schedule also

wraps up the shootingof the second leads inthe film, Ozu Baruaand Gracy Goswamy,who, the directorremarks, did a won-derful job. This teenduo has somethingspecial in store for theaudience in the film.

Produced by YaminiFilms and written anddirected by Papa RaoBiyyala, Music Schoolis a one-of-a-kindbilingual (Hindi andTelugu) musical byIlaiyaraaja, with cine-matography by KiranDeohans and starringSharman Joshi, ShriyaSaran, Shaan, SuhasiniMulay, BenjaminGilani, SrikanthIyengar, Vinay Varma,Mona Ambegaonkar,Gracy Goswamy, OzuBarua, Bugs Bhargava,Phani Eggoti, VaquarShaikh, Praveen Goel,Rajnish, Kartikeya,Rohan Roy, OliviaCharan, Vivaan Jain,Sidiksha, Adhya andKushi.

Music School wraps upits fourth season in Goa!

11

Hyderabad | Tuesday April 19, 2022 tollywood

howcasing apractise thatinfringes onthe rights andcapabilities ofchildren,

actress KamakshiBhaskarla becomes asolid part of an Ahavideo series titled QuboolHai?, where you can seeher facing some distress-ing problems. QuboolHai? narrates a drama-tised fictional story byPranav Pingle Reddy,Sanjiv Chakravarthy, andKevin Ronith Kumar,inspired by real incidentsof child marriages andtrafficking inHyderabad’s Old City!With the series of eventsunfolding, the actresswas taken aback, won-dering about the violenceand fraudulent practisesthat go on in one cornerof the city, and this seriescame as an eye openerfor her. When in conver-sation with her, she stat-ed, “The story came as aprostrating incident tome. I had never ever wit-nessed any real incidentsof trafficking in reality,just heard it as the break-ing news on the chan-nels. When the directorbriefed me about thecharacter, it made merealise I’d be in an influ-ential position persuad-ing the truth, and that'swhat attracted me to signup for this series. Therole was subtle, but we

showed some intenseemotions that clickedwith the Telugu audi-ences.”

Many are routinelytrafficked illegally forcommercial sexualexploitation and forcedlabor. And, if this hap-pens in the old city ofHyderabad, the creatorswanted to bring this tothe limelight without anyfabrication of facts. Shecontinued, “There is anauthentic atmosphere asthe camera leads us intoa lower middle-classhome that is decked outfor a wedding. Beyondthe gaiety is the sordidreality of a young girl, inher early teens, beingmarried off to a mucholder Arab man. Overthe years, there havebeen several newsreports of girls beingmarried to elderly menand later trafficked. Theseries turns its gaze onsuch instances that con-tinue to happen withoutvoyeurism.”

Besides, Kamakshi,like any other blossom-ing actress in the Teluguindustry, is also hopingto show an optimisticattitude. She wants, “Idesire to have an inflat-able amount of accep-tance here. I don’t have aGodfather, nor am I astar kid. So, I don’t wanthopelessness in the ele-phant’s room. We mustget equal marketing and

promotional chanceslike other big bannerstudios. Despair is adaily battle in anactor’s life, but I justlove being on the setsand that makes mecontinue to be a part ofthis industry.”

Kamakshiopens up aboutQubool Hai?s

m

rabhas will next appearalongside Bollywoodactress DeepikaPadukone in the highly-anticipated movieProject K.

Sources suggest that the creatorsare incorporating a new technolo-gy into the making of this movie.

The film is being shot with ArriAlexa technology, making it thefirst Indian film to use this cut-ting-edge technology.

Arri Alexa Technology is a digi-tal motion picture camera system,which is used in the cinematogra-

phy of sci-fi thrillers.The goal is to enhance the visu-

al experience, while the technolo-gy will not interfere with the emo-tions in the drama.

Project K, directed by NagAshwin, is expected to be one ofthe most expensive projects inIndian cinema.

Billed as a sci-fi thriller, themakers have collaborated with topIT company, Mahindra, to deliverthe best output possible.

The film will star Prabhas,Deepika Padukone, AmitabhBachchan, and other big names.

First-of-its-kind technology

used for Prabhas' Project K

pollywood starAnil Kapoorrecentlyshared hisviews on the

success that SouthIndian cinema hasbeen witnessing of latewith films like Pushpa:The Rise, RRR, and themost recent K.G.F:Chapter 2.

Talking at the trailerlaunch of his upcomingfilm, Thar, in which hestars alongside his sonHarshvardhan Kapoor,Anil said, “The Southhas always been mak-ing exceptional films.They have been at theforefront of changingthe dynamics of Indiancinema. I’m happythat they’re breakinginto new territo-ries.”

He main-tained thatSouthIndiancine-ma

serves as an inspirationto Bollywood and hasbeen a pillar ofstrength for Indiancinema.

“I started mycareer with filmsdown south, and itgives me immensepleasure to see themdoing so well. They’rean inspiration. Themore Bollywoodimbibes from them,the better it will be forHindi cinema atlarge,” he fur-ther said.

b

Anil Kapoor: SouthIndian cinema is an

inspiration to all of us

Actor R Madhavansays he is “over-whelmed and

humbled” by his sonVedaant’s winningstreak after hescored his secondmedal, a gold, inswimming at theDanish Open inCopenhagen.

The 16-year-oldbagged gold in themen’s 800mfreestyle and bet-tered his personalbest time by a whop-ping 11:48 to stop theclock at 8:17.28, edgingpast local swimmer

Alexander L. Bjorn by0.10 to stand atop thepodium on Sundaynight.

Madhavan took toInstagram and posted avideo of his son fromthe ceremony.

“Today is a goldmedal in the 800m for@vedaantmadhavan. Iam overjoyed.and hum-bled. Thank you, Coach@bacpradeep sir,@swimmingfederation.in @ansadxb and theentire team,” the 51-year-old actor wrote.

On Friday, Vedaantwon the silver medal inthe 1500m freestyleevent, before betteringhis 200m freestyle timeto finish 12th overall in

the event.The Danish

Open con-cludes on

April19.Madhavan’s

son bags a goldmedal at the Danish

Open swimmingmeet

k

Koratala Siva clears

the air on NTR30

sports 12HYDERABAD | TUESDAY | APRIL 19, 2022

AP n PARIS

AKylian Mbappe penaltyproved decisive as ParisSaint-Germain beat bitter

rivals Marseille 2-1 on Sunday,meaning they could clinch theLigue 1 title this week.

Mbappe converted from thespot in first-half stoppage timeafter the referee awarded a penal-ty for handball on a VAR review,restoring PSG's lead followingNeymar's early opener and aDuje Caleta-Car equaliser.

PSG are 15 points clear ofsecond-placed Marseille with sixgames remaining and MauricioPochettino's side -- who alsohave a far superior goal difference-- stand poised to reclaim the tro-phy they relinquished to Lille lastseason. If Marseille fail to beatNantes on Wednesday then PSGwill officially secure their eighthLigue 1 title in 10 seasons if theycan better their nearest rivals'result when they face Angers.

Despite the apparently highstakes for the biggest fixture inFrench football, there was a dis-tinctly flat atmosphere at theParc des Princes.

Authorities banned Marseillefans from the game over concernsof possible violence, a recurringthem in France in recent months.

Meanwhile PSG 'ultras', themost vocal members of theirsupport, have decided to staysilent until the end of the seasonin protest at the club's manage-ment and at results in a campaign

marked by the ChampionsLeague last-16 exit to RealMadrid. In any case, a record-equalling 10th French champi-onship in their history has neverreally been in doubt for PSG, evenbefore their current run of threestraight wins in which Neymarand Mbappe have each scored sixtimes.

The Brazilian gave PSG a12th-minute lead, meeting aflighted ball forward by MarcoVerratti and lobbing strandedgoalkeeper Pau Lopez.

Marseille drew level just afterthe half-hour as GianluigiDonnarumma made a mess ofdealing with a corner, allowingCaleta-Car to prod home on theline.

Lopez saved a Neymar free-kick and Messi had two goals dis-allowed for offside before PSGwere awarded the penalty deep instoppage time at the end of thehalf.

Valentin Rongier blocked ashot with his thigh, the ball ric-ocheting up and striking hiselbow, an infringement spotted bythe referee after he was invitedover to the pitchside monitor.

Mbappe's successful penaltywas his 21st Ligue 1 goal of theseason and 32nd in all competi-tions.

The France star had anothereffort disallowed for offside in thesecond half.

Marseille then thought theyhad snatched a point whenWilliam Saliba turned in DimitriPayet's late free-kick.

Yet that effort was also disal-lowed, and PSG held on.

Despite seeing their eight-game winning run come to anend, Marseille remain on courseto qualify automatically for theChampions League as they sitthree points clear of third-placedRennes.

AP n LIVERPOOL

Virgil van Dijk says talk of a his-toric quadruple for Liverpool

belongs to the "outside world" andrisks putting extra pressure on theDutchman and his teammates.

Liverpool are now 11 gamesaway from becoming the first sideto ever win the Champions League,Premier League, FA Cup and LeagueCup in the same season.

Jurgen Klopp's men saw offManchester City 3-2 in a FA Cupsemi-final thriller on Saturday to setup a final with Chelsea next month,who they beat on penalties to lift theLeague Cup in February.

City stand in their way for thePremier League title with the Englishchampions holding a one-point leadat the top of the table with sevengames to go. And the top two inEngland could also meet in theChampions League final asLiverpool take on Villarreal and Cityface Real Madrid in the last four.

"Nobody did the quadruple andthere is a reason for it -- because itis almost impossible to do," said VanDijk.

Liverpool on paper face thetougher run-in for the PremierLeague title with old rivals

Manchester United and Evertonvisiting Anfield this week desperatefor points in their own battles toreach next season's ChampionsLeague and avoid relegation respec-tively.

"All this talk about quadruple ortreble is from the outside world andcould put extra pressure on us," saidVan Dijk.

"It is something that everyonewould dream about, to win everycompetition you participate in, butwe will see what it brings.

"Anything can happen, withother teams as well."

Van Dijk's return to fitness hasbeen pivotal to Liverpool's stunningseason so far.

The Dutch captain missed 10months due to cruciate ligamentdamage last season and the chanceto lead his country at Euro 2020.

With the World Cup in Qataralso just seven months away, he isrelishing just being back on the field.

"I was not a great player back inthe days, I was quite a late bloomer-- that's why I enjoy my career evenmore," he added

"I just want to keep it going, stayfit, win games and see what itbrings and get ready for the WorldCup as well."

AP n SEVILLE

Karim Benzema completedanother incredible Real Madrid

comeback on Sunday as they foughtfrom two goals down to defeatSevilla 3-2 in La Liga.

After trailing Chelsea 3-0 onTuesday only to secure their placein the Champions League semi-finals, Madrid stunned Sevilla toseal the victory that has surely wonthem La Liga.

Defeat would have given freshhope to the chasing pack, withSevilla and Barcelona both begin-ning the day 12 points behind,Barca with two games in hand.

Instead, goals in the second halffrom Rodrygo, Nacho Fernandezand Benzema in the 92nd minutemean Madrid extend their advan-tage to 15 points with six games leftto play.

An Ivan Rakitic free-kick andErik Lamela's smart finish had putSevilla two up at the RamonSanchez Pizjuan.

Benzema's goal finishedChelsea off on Tuesday afterRodrygo had forced extra-time atthe Santiago Bernabeu and thosetwo, along with Vinicius Junior,were crucial again. Benzema nowhas 44 goals in 46 appearances thisseason. Rakitic gave Sevilla the leadin the 25th minute, curling a free-kick into the corner after Luka

Modric had brought down PapuGomez. Lamela doubled the advan-tage four minutes later, slotting afterTecatito drew out Thibaut Courtoisand left the net open.

But a superb Vinicius backheel

for Dani Carvajal allowed Rodrygoto pull a goal back in the 50thminute. Vinicius thought he hadmade it 2-2 in the 74th minute, onlyfor the goal to be ruled out, the ref-eree deciding the Brazilian had con-

trolled with his arm and not hischest. Madrid though were unde-terred as Rakitic headed away a cor-ner, only for Carvajal to drive to theline and pull back for Nacho to fin-ish.

AP n MANCHESTER

Manchester United midfielderBruno Fernandes was

involved in a car crash on the wayto the club's training ground butwas unhurt and should be availableto play against Liverpool in thePremier League, manager RalfRangnick said Monday.

Nobody involved in the inci-dent sustained serious injuries,Britain's PA news agency report-ed. The 27-year-old Fernandestook part in training and "was OK,"said Rangnick, who was speakingahead of the game againstLiverpool at Anfield on Tuesday.

"That's why I think he will alsobe OK for tomorrow," Rangnick

added. United would be tied forpoints with fourth-placeTottenham in the race forChampions League qualification.

PTI n CHENNAI

The 100-day countdown forthe 44th Chess Olympiad, to

be held here later this year,began on Monday with the leg-endary Viswanathan Anandterming the tournament a life-time opportunity for youngstersto catch a glimpse of their idols.

"It is a lifetime opportuni-ty for youngsters to get aglimpse of their idols, watchthem play and possibly interactwith them," said India's first-ever Grandmaster Anand in apress release.

The Olympiad will be heldfrom July 28 to August 10.

"The Countdown to the#ChessOlympiad2022 begins!#100daystogo and to mark theoccasion find me on livestreamlooking at some games of the

past Chess Olympiads," Anandsaid in a tweet.

Several other playersincluding women's star DHarika and noted coach R BRamesh tweeted about thecountdown.

"And the countdownbegins. Just 100 more days to gofor the grand #FIDECHES-SOLYMPIAD2022 to take placein India," Harika said.

Meanwhile, All India ChessFederation (AICF) secretaryBharat Singh Chauhan said,"We are sparing no effort toensure that this Olympiad willbe the best ever and hope thatpeople will be talking about itfor the next 100 years."

Several Grandmasters andnational champions from morethan 150 countries will be par-ticipating in the Chess

Olympiad.Hundreds of district-level

players from Tamil Nadu havealready put in their requests towitness the games live andsoon the fever will catch up inthe whole country, the releasesaid.

The Olympiad was origi-nally scheduled to be hosted byRussia between July 26 andAugust 8 in Moscow but wasmoved out following the inva-sion of Ukraine by Russia inFebruary.

Subsequently, FIDE (worldchess body) allotted the cham-pionship to Chennai.

The last chess event of suchstature to come to India was the2013 World Championshipclash between Anand andMagnus Carlsen, the currentworld No. 1.

PTI n NEW DELHI

Peaking at the right timetwice over will be a mas-

sive challenge in theCommonwealth Games andAsiad, feels leading Indianswimmer Sajan Prakash, whois trying to shave off a secondfrom his personal best tim-ing. Sajan began his interna-tional season with a goldmedal finish in the 200mbutterfly event at the DanishOpen last week.

The Kerala swimmer,whose personal best in theevent is 1:56.48, is gearing upfor a hectic year whichincludes big-ticket events

like the CWG, Asian Gamesand the WorldChampionships.

"I'm picking the impor-tant meets this year. I will tryto peak for the big eventswhich are the CWG andAsian Games. I'll be taperingfor those two events. I'll takeall other meets also serious-ly. However, main target isCWG Asian," Sajan told PTI.

The 28-year-old wrote anew chapter in Indian swim-ming by becoming the firstswimmer from the countryto qualify for the Olympicsby breaching the 'A' standardin June last year. A day later,Srihari Nataraj replicated the

feat to seal his berth at theTokyo Games.

However, the duo wasunable to peak at the TokyoGames a month later. Withthe Commonwealth Gamesscheduled from July 28 toAugust 8 and Asian Gamesfrom September 10 to 25, itwill be a tall order for theswimmers to peak twice atsuch short notice. "We havesome competitions comingup this month. They arepreparation meets. The aimis to slowly try and peaktowards the CommonwealthGames and Asian Games."

In order to peak twicewithin a month, Sajan and

his coach Pradeep Kumar aremeticulously planning theKerala swimmer's workload.

"I am going to train sothat I'm able to peak in boththe events. We will consis-tently train and will try notto peak in the othermoments. "In a year we peak2-3 times depending on theperiodisation and how youplan it. Since both events areclose to each other we aretrying to load in as much aspossible right now.

"You never know how thebody works but we are plan-ning to peak in those twoweeks, let's hope for thebest."

PTI n KOLKATA

Local heavyweights ATKMohun Bagan will have

their task cut out when theyface six-time BangladeshPremier League championsAbahani Limited in the AFCCup playoff here on Tuesday.

The winners of the knock-out match will join GokulamKerala, Bashundhara Kings(Bangladesh) and MaziyaSports and Recreation(Maldives) in the group D ofthe AFC Cup main roundbeginning May 18.

The Mariners, who madean inter-zone semifinal exit inlast season's AFC Cup, had iteasy in the preliminary stageand secured a resounding 5-0win over a weak Blue Star SC ofSri Lanka to make the playoffs.

The Bangladeshi outfit onthe other hand made the cutafter Club Valencia of Maldivesgave a walkover in their prelim-inary round-two match, inSylhet on April 12, citing finan-cial crisis. That they're playingat home and coming off aftera big win will give the localteam a slight edge.

They will also be bolsteredby the return of their regulargoalkeeper Amrinder Singh,who had to sit out againstBlue Star because of a niggle,and midfielder Liston Colaco.

The biggest advantage forATKMB is that their big sign-ing, Finnish midfielder JoniKauko, was in his elementsscoring a brace against BSC,while Moroccan midfielderHugo Boumous was sensa-tional with his raids.

Forward Manvir Singh wasalso among goals and scored adouble and the Juan Ferrando-coached side would count onthe positives while treating thematch like a 'final'. "It's time toenjoy for the players untiltomorrow and for the fans, thiswill be a good moment but tobe honest, this is football andthe next match is the nextTuesday. "It will be like a finaland it's very important for usthat we don't forget to focus onthe next game," Ferrando said.

Talking about their oppo-nents, he said: "They are a com-pact team, they don't playthree-four players in theattack... We need to pay atten-tion in pressing as we need tokeep the ball and move for-ward. It's not so easy but weneed to work hard to win the

next match."Euro 2020 recruit Kauko

said he's excited to get back hisrhythm and was looking for-ward to the match.

"Before coming to India, Iwas in two minds whether Icould cope with the weatherand would be successful inIndia or not. I may not be at mybest at the moment, but slow-ly getting back my rhythm.

"The first target would beto finish in regulation time, wedon't know much about ouropponents which is alwaystricky. I heard they have verygood foreigners, it would be atough contest," he added.

According to a team offi-cial, ATKMB will continue tomiss their Fijian star striker RoyKrishna, who has flown backhome for personal reasons.

AP n LEIPZIG

Asolitary strike from DominikSzoboszlai helped RB Leipzig

round off a memorable week, withDomenic Tedesco's men rising abovetheir vanquished opponents BayerLeverkusen and into third spot in theBundesliga standings.

Such is Leipzig's success underTedesco since the tactician tookcharge last December, the visitors werecompeting in this top-four battlewith Leverkusen wedged in betweentwo other competitions. The Saxony-based side are through to a UEFAEuropa League semi-final followingThursday's impressive win in Atalantawhile this coming Wednesday, a DFBCup semi-final against Union Berlinawaits.

Unsurprising then, that the awayside rang the changes, withChristopher Nkunku, Dani Olmo,Angelino and Konrad Laimerbenched.

For their part, the third-placedhosts were keen to at least maintaina one-point advantage over their busyopponents.

Tedesco introduced his 17-goaltop scorer Nkunku after the restartand the French forward's presence wasalmost immediately felt.

The 24-year-old's nimble move-ment in the Leverkusen area led toWilli Orban sending a shot at the tar-get which smacked the inside of thepost.

At the other end, the lively Diaby

muscled through before finding theside netting with an angled drive. Thegame opening up more and more, twoof the division's most entertainingteams this season appeared to revel inproducing an end-to-end spectacle.

A goal seemed certain and ifNordi Mukiele fluffed one of thegame's best chances, skewing widewhen brilliantly played in by substi-tute Laimer, Szoboszlai would makeamends soon afterwards.

Taking advantage of a lapse inLeverkusen possession, Leipzig broke,with Nkunku feeding Szoboszlaiwhose outside-of-the-boot shot tookthe slightest of nicks before thumpingthe back of the net.

It would prove to be the winnerfor the visitors, who jump abovetheir opponents into third with justfour games to play.

PSG on brink of French title

MEANWHILE PSG 'ULTRAS', THE MOST

VOCAL MEMBERS OF THEIR SUPPORT,

HAVE DECIDED TO STAY SILENT UNTIL

THE END OF THE SEASON IN PROTEST

Szoboszlai goal putsLeipzig third

Comeback kings Real stun Sevilla Quadruple quest piles pressureon Liverpool: Van Dijk

Sajan working to improve from personal bestMan United star Fernandesinvolved in car crash, nobody hurt

100-day countdown for Chess Olympiad begins ATK Mohun Bagan face stern Abahani test