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AALLMMAANNAACC

TTOODDAAYY

Month & Paksham:

Margashirsha & Krishna Paksha

Tithi : Dashami 16:11

Nakshatram : Swati 26:38

Rahukalam : 12:18 pm - 1:40 pm

Yamagandam : 8:11 am - 9:33 am

Varjyam : 9:25 am - 10:55 am

Gulika : 10:55 am - 12:18 pm

Amritakalam : 6:24 pm - 7:54 pm

Abhijit Muhurtham : Nil

PNS n VIJAYAWADA

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) seniorleader Prakash Javadekar hasalleged that YSRCP, TDP and TRSare family political parties and areindulging in high-level corrup-tion.

Addressing the gathering at theBJP’s ‘Prajagraha Sabha’ organisedon Tuesday, Javadekar said that inAndhra Pradesh both the rulingYSRCP and the Opposition TDPare cheating the people. Most of theleaders in Andhra Pradesh are outon bail and all of them may go tojail very soon.

The BJP leader said that there isa distractive ruling by the presentYSRCP in the State. The State gov-ernment was running the showwith the revenue coming from theExcise department despite sayingthat they are prohibiting alcohol inthe State. None of the promisesmade by Chief Minister YS

Jaganmohan Reddy are being ful-filled, pointed out Javadekar.

Javadekar further alleged that theState government is giving itsnames to the Central governmentschemes. the Jagananna Coloniesthat are being constructed are

actually Modi Colonies. He saidthat permissions were given to thePolavaram project seven years agoand till now the project has notbeen completed.

He said that the ruling YSRCPand the Opposition TDP are mak-

ing a big issue out of CapitalAmaravati. He said that on the wayto the meeting he had seen aposter of the movie 'Pushpa' andrecalled that the Central govern-ment has constituted SIT to probered sandalwood smuggling whichwas cancelled in the State. He saidthat the State needs leadershipthat would benefit the people of theState and expressed the hope thatthe BJP will win the 2024 electionin Andhra Pradesh.

Many leaders in AP on bail,may go to jail: Javadekar

The BJP leader said

that in Andhra

Pradesh both the

ruling YSRCP and the

Opposition TDP are

cheating the people.

ML MELLY MAITREYI n HYDERABAD

The Telangana government hasrepresented to the Union govern-ment to constitute a tribunal undersection 3 of the Inter State RiverWaters Dispute Act, 1956 withoutfurther delay.

Chief Secretary Somesh Kumar,who took part in the video confer-ence held by Pankaj Kumar, UnionSecretary, Ministry of Jal Shakti,with the Chief Secretaries ofTelangana and Andhra Pradesh onthe implementation of variousprovisions of the Gazette notifica-tion on Krishna and GodavariRiver Management Boards,requested the Centre to expeditethe process related to the Tribunal.

Somesh recalled that theTelangana government had with-drawn the case from the SupremeCourt as suggested by the JalShakti Minister to enable theCentre set up a Tribunal.

Pankaj Kumar assured the CSthat the GoI was actively pursuing

the matter with the LawDepartment.

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

Channaka-Korata Barrage on theGodavari River to the CWC inSeptember 2021 and they were stillpending with the CWC.

He also referred to another fiveprojects in the Godavari Basin-Ramappa-Pakala link project,Kaleshwaram Project (additional 1tmc per day),

There is no need forGRMB as there wereno major issues andno commonirrigation projectsfor regulationbetween the twoStates on theGodavari River

— SOMESH KUMAR

Chief Secretary of Telangana

Form Tribunal to fix water rowswith AP at once: TS to Centre

PNS n VIJAYAWADA

Crimes Against Women (CAW)cases have gone up by over 25 per-cent in Andhra Pradesh in 2021,while the average days taken forinvestigation was considerablydown to 42 days from 102 in 2020.

The overall crime rate was up bythree percent, a presentation by thestate police said here on Tuesday.

As many as 1,27,127 cognizablecrimes took place in the state asagainst 1,22,987 during 2020, itsaid. The cases of crime againstwomen, which constitute 14 per-cent of the overall crimes in thestate, were at 17,736 in 2021 whileit was 14,603 in 2020.

AP Director General of PoliceGautam Sawang said the rise in thenumber of cases in crimes againstwomen should not be seen in anegative sense as the number indi-cates the access to the police andcriminal justice system and aware-

ness that the government is creat-ing among women.

25% rise in crimes againstwomen in AP, reveals DGP

PNS n VIJAYAWADA

In a key decision, the AP govern-ment on Tuesday constituted anew committee to look into issueof movie tickets. The latest com-mittee will be chaired by theHome department PrincipalSecretary. The members of thecommittee will be PrincipalSecretaries of Revenue, Financeand Municipal departments alongwith Information Commissionerand a Judicial Secretary. Thecommittee will examine the tick-et prices and submit a report tothe government.

Cinematography Minister PerniVenkataramaiah (Nani) said thatthe government had appointed acommittee on the cinema ticketsprice and that committee willdecide on the classification of the-atres and movie ticket prices. Thecommittee will confirm the pricesand a report will be sent to thegovernment. On Tuesday sever-al film distributors, exhibitors, andtheatre owners met the MinisterPerni Nani.

Speaking to the media personsafter the meeting, the ministersaid that action was taken againstseveral cinema theatres for viola-tion of rules and regulations.The Minister said that officialsseized 24 cinema halls in Chittoorand 12 in Krishna district.Around 22 halls which were nothaving valid licences were alsoclosed, 83 were seized and 23 the-atres were fined, he explained.

Cognizable crimeincreased by 3 percent in

State in 2021

PAGE-3

SNV SUDHIRn VIJAYAWADA

As the year is coming to an end ina few days, tension is said to bemounting on a few of the ministersin the YS Jaganmohan ReddyCabinet. Will Chief Minister YSJaganmohan Reddy overhaul theexisting Cabinet or won’t he is thebuzzword that is making rounds inthe political circles in the State.

It’s been almost a month into thesecond half of his five-year term andthere are no clear indications fromCM Jaganmohan Reddy on theoverhaul of the Cabinet.

Jaganmohan Reddy at the timeof swearing-in of the Cabinet in June2019 in a party meeting had open-ly announced his intention toreplace the ministers for the second

half of his term after two-and-a-halfyears. The two-and-a-half-yearterm ended by November and aspi-rants are pinning hopes. There arealso many ‘loyal’ leaders who wereignored in the first half of the five-year term and aspired to get thechance to be part of the Cabinet inthe second half. Speculations are rifethat Jagan had already launched theexercise on the Cabinet overhaul andit will be done during the comingSankranti in a few days from now.

However, the grapevine has itthat the Chief Minister may post-pone the Cabinet overhaul a littleover a few months till May next yearas the government completes athree-year term.

A few ministers had hoped thatJagan would consider the Covidperiod of inaction and would let

them continue in their job at leastfor one more year as they lost themajority of their tenure due toCovid. A few of them are said tohave expressed the same to the ChiefMinister also.

Taking their requests into con-sideration, Jagan is said to be look-ing at pushing the overhaul byanother few months.

Though it is widely speculatedthat it will be a total overhaul of theCabinet, it is learnt that Jagan mayretain a few of the ministers for var-ious reasons.

“The Chief Minister is said to bealso assessing the ground situationtaking various factors into consid-eration on the Cabinet reshuffle oroverhaul. We will all have to waitand see,” said a senior functionaryof YSRCP.

Jagan likely to push Cabinet overhaul by a few more months

The list of aspirants includes Tamminei

Sitaram and Dharmana Prasad Rao from

Srikakulam, Kolagatla Veerabhadhra

Swamy, P Rajanan Dora, from

Vizianagaram, Gudivada Amarnath,

Karanam Dharmasri, Budi Mutyala

Naidu, from Vizag, Dadisetty Raja,

Ponnada Venkata Satish, N. Dhana

Lakshmi, from East Godavari, M. Prasad

Raju, Kottu Satyanarayana, Grandhi

Srinivas from West Godavari, Kolusu

Parthasarathy, Jogi Ramesh, V. Krishna

Prasad, S. Udaya Bhanu, M. Venkata

Pratap Rao from Krishna district,

Ambati Rambabu, K. Raghupathi,

Pinnelli Ramakrishna Reddy,

Mohammed Mustafa from Guntur

district, Nallapureddy Prasanna Kumar

Reddy, K. Govardhan Reddy, Anam

Ramanarayan Reddy, Kiliveti

Sanjeevaiah, from Nellore, Chevireddy

Bhaskar Reddy, RK Roja from Chittoor,

Korumutla Sreenivasulu, Gadikota

Srikantha Reddy, C Ramachandraiah

from Kadapa, Anantha Venkataram

Reddy, Thopudurthy Prakash Reddy and

Usha Sree Charan, from Anantapur,

Silpa Chakrapani Reddy from Kurnool.

WAITING IN THE WINGS

WHAT'S UP HIS SLEEVES?

PNS n VIJAYAWADA

A Pulivendula court in Kadapa dis-trict on Tuesday admitted the peti-tion of Muli Venkata KrishnaReddy who acted as PA of formerminister YS Vivekananda Reddywho was murdered before the 2019polls. YS Viveka, uncle of CM YSJaganmohan Reddy was foundmurdered on March 15, 2019, at hisPulivendula residence.

Krishna Reddy was one of thefew people who first sawVivekananda Reddy in a pool ofblood.

In the petition, he said CBI ASPRam Singh, who is leading theinvestigation, Viveka’s daughter DrNarreddy Sunita and her husbandNarreddy Rajasekhar Reddy werepressurising him to falsely namesome politicians in the murder case.

Already, the then Pulivendula CI& SDPO J Sankaraiah and RVasudevan respectively wrote toKadapa SP KKN Anburajan alleg-ing that CBI ASP Ram Singh was

pressuring them to give statementsagainst facts in the sensationalmurder.

Krishna Reddy’s advocateLokeshwar Reddy said that sincethere was no action from the policeto a letter written by KrishnaReddy, he approached the court.The hearing will be heldsoon, he added.

In a letter pur-portedly written toKadapa SP KKNAnburajan inOctober, andseen by ThePioneer DSP RVasudevan whoacted as SubDivisional PoliceOfficer (SDPO) ofPulivendula said “Theway CBI SP Ram Singhhad behaved with me whilelooking at me like a suspect in thecase and with anger and impatiencehas caused me a lot mental agony.In my 30 years of service, my track

record was without any remarks.”It may be worth mentioning here

that at least two persons, who aresuspected by the CBI of havinglinks with Vivekananda Reddy’smurder had come out in open say-ing they were either pressured by

the CBI or sought policeprotection citing life

threat from theimmediate family

members of thedeceased.

Sankaraiahalso wrote aletter to theKadapa SPabout which

and its contenthas also been

published inthese columns.YS Vivekananda

Reddy who is the uncle ofChief Minister YS JaganmohanReddy was found dead under sus-picious circumstances at hisPulivendula residence on March

15, 2019. The Andhra Pradeshgovernment had constituted threeSITs to investigate the murder.The SIT examined at least 1,300witnesses and conducted a narcoanalysis on three suspects. Threepersons have also been arrested onthe allegation of tampering withthe evidence. At least two teamsof CBI have been changed duringthe course of the investigation.

Based on the confession state-ment by a key accused in the caseSheik Dastagiri who was a formerdriver of Viveka another accusedDevireddy Siva Sankar Reddywho is a key aide of Kadapa MPYS Avinash Reddy has alreadybeen arrested by the CBI.

Dastagiri confessed to havingparticipated in the murder ofViveka along with three others.

He had also said in the state-ment that he was told thatDevireddy Sankar Reddy wasbehind the murder and that hehad offered Rs 40crs as supari tokill Viveka.

Pulivendula court admits Viveka PA’s plea

PNS n VIJAYAWADA

Indian pharmaceutical giant SunPharma has come forward to estab-lish its integrated end-to-end man-ufacturing plant in Andhra Pradesh.Sun Pharma MD Dilip Shangvi, onTuesday, met Chief Minister YSJaganmohan Reddy at the campoffice here on Tuesday and discussedsetting up a new plant in the State.

The Chief Minister explained tothem the government’s policies forindustrial progress and invited themto make use of opportunities toinvest in the state. He told them thattransparent policies have been madeavailable for the establishment ofindustries and steps are being takento provide quality human resourcesthrough skill development.

In this regard, Dilip Shangvi said

that he was happy to interact withthe Chief Minister and impressedwith his vision in creating new jobsusing industries, especially towardsthe development of the pharmaindustry. He said that they wereseriously considering setting up amanufacturing facility here inthe State to enhance their manu-facturing capacity.

Sun Pharma to set up unit in APPNS n VIJAYAWADA

TDP State president K Atchan-naidu has advised the JaganMohan Reddy government toprovide free registration to thehousing scheme beneficiaries inview of the rising public resent-ment against the 'forcible collec-

tions' for the One-TimeSettlement (OTS) scheme.Atchannaidu said that despitevarious measures taken by theYSRCP leaders and the police, theanti-OTS demonstrations turnedout to be a big success in all thedistricts.

New panel to look intomovie ticket prices

Provide free registration of houses

for the poor, TDP demands State govtRadha turnsdown govt

security

PAGE-32 2 2

2

2

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

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

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

EX-CRICKETER DINESH MONGIA JOINSBJP AHEAD OF PUNJAB ELECTION

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

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

BOOSTER DOSE FOR 60 PLUS: NONEED FOR PRESCRIPTION

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

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

SOURAV GANGULY TESTS POSITIVE,SAMPLE SENT TO CHECK FOR OMICRON

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

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

2

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(IN VIJAYAWADA)

PNS n VIJAYAWADA

Minister Balineni SrinivasReddy has said that the PayRevision Committee (PRC)will decide the new pay scalesof electricity employees andthe employees need not worryabout the decision of the gov-ernment in this regard.

Addressing the employeesat the Venue ConventionCentre, Vijayawada, onTuesday on the occasion of thesecond anniversary ofAPCPDCL and inaugurationof New Year diaries and cal-endars of power utilities, theminister said that the new reg-ulations would not apply tothe existing employees. “Theywill apply to the employeeswho will enter into services inthe future. Compassionateappointments will be in accor-dance with the regulations,” hesaid.

The government will take adecision on the DA of theemployees soon. It will look

into the concerns of the out-sourcing employees and takeappropriate decisions. Theemployees can take their con-cerns to the notice of theCMDs of power utilities andthe government will giveproper direction to the CMDsto look into those issues of

employees, he said. The minister also said that

the employees had done agood job and provided excel-lent services to electricity con-sumers during the period ofthe COVID-19 pandemic andnatural calamities in the State.They strive hard to supply

power 24x7 to consumers andnever compromise on deliver-ing their duties, he said.

“As electricity is the primedriver of the State’s develop-ment, the government consid-ers 24x7 power supply is thekey in reviving economicgrowth and improving livingstandards of people. The nine-hour free power supply tofarmers during daytime givesan assurance to the farmingcommunity on protectingtheir crops,” he said.

Stating that the employeeswere the true assets of APpower utilities, he said theywere like a strong foundationfor the development of thepower sector. They were con-tributing effectively towardsthe successful functioning ofpower utilities in providingquality power supply anddelivering better services tothe consumers. “The govern-ment has serious concernsregarding the issues of powersector employees. Employees

have no need to worry. Thegovernment is always ready todiscuss their issues and verykeen to resolve them. Thedevelopment of the powersector is not possible withoutthe great contributions ofemployees,” the minister said.

The power utilities havesaved Rs. 2,500 crore by pur-chasing power at the openmarket and implementingbest practices. No other statein the country has achievedsuch a huge saving for whichthe Union Ministry of Powerhas also appreciated the APpower utilities.

Secretary for EnergySrikant Nagulapalli said thatthe State government wasgiving full support to thefinancially distressedDISCOMs. The governmentreleased Rs 28,166 crore forthe power sector in 2019-20and 2020-21. It has sanc-tioned Rs. 5330.04 crore topower companies in thisfinancial year so far.

PNS n VIJAYAWADA

Municipal Minister BotsaSatyanarayana has said thatwith the funds of the 14thFinance Commission, manydevelopment activities hadbeen planned in the city. OnTuesday, the Minister inaugu-rated the modernisedRaghavaiah Park that includ-ed a walking track, food courtand other amenities.

Modernisation works ofDandamudi Rajagopal RaoIndoor Stadium were inaugu-rated by MinisterSatyanarayana. Minister

Vellampalli Srinivas Rao, MLAMalladi Vishnu, Mayor RBhagyalakshmi, VMCCommissioner V PrasannaVenkatesh, East constituencyin-charge Devineni Avinash,and corporators were present.

On the occasion, the min-ister said that the corporationwas taking up various develop-ment works in the city and wasensuring that the works werecompleted successfully withthe cooperation of public rep-resentatives.

Velampalli Srinivas said thatall players should make gooduse of the stadium with mod-

ernised equipment and ameni-ties. He said that everyoneshould utilise the parks thatare modernised and are at ahand’s reach for the people inthe city.

MLA Malladi Vishnu saidthat as part of the modernisa-tion of parks, a walking track,pathway, food court, entry, andseating plaza, children's playequipment, etc. have been setup in Raghavaiah Park to cre-ate a pleasant atmosphere. Hethanked MinisterSatyanarayana for his contri-butions to the development ofVijayawada city.

With an unseemlyrow over thepricing of cine-

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

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

Jaganmohan Reddygovernment PerniVenkatramaiah and AnilKumar Yadav pointedlyquestioned their party's

political opponentand popular hero and Jana

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

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

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

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

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

Moreover, there is the

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

M D RATNA KUMAR

Senior Journalist

It is well known that the Kapu community is

angling to assume greater political clout in

AP and is on the lookout for a capable leader

with mass appeal. The Kapu community

pinned its hopes on mega star Chiranjeevi in

2009. Those hopes were dashed due to the

dismal performance of the Praja Rajyam

Party (PRP) led by Chiranjeevi.

PIN

POINT

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

PRC will decide pay scales ofelectricity employees: Minister

Vijayawada city will be developedin a planned manner, says Botsa

Continued from Page 1

BJP AP president SomuVeerraju lamented that devel-opment in AP had come tonaught due to the rulingYSRCP and the TDP. He saidthat the State was run by thefunds of the Central govern-ment and the YSRCP waspainting its stickers on theCentral schemes. “We neverwent to jail and we will not goto jail in the future and we arenot afraid of anyone, he saidand added that the rulingparty leaders are striving hardto accumulate assets as muchas possible,” he said.

Veerraju said that in protestagainst the State government’sattitude, the BJP had organised

the Prajagrahana Sabha’. Hereminded that the Centralgovernment had funded manyroad projects in the State. TheState would develop on allfronts only with the BJP lead-ership. He asked the people toquestion TDP chiefChandrababu Naidu as to whyhe said no to Special CategoryStatus to AP and that it isunder the purview of the NitiAayog. He made a statementthat the BJP was still protect-ing the Visakhapatnam SteelPlant (VSP) and the Centralgovernment was compensat-ing the steel plant loss of Rs3,000 crore. He said that thereis no future for TDP in AP andBJP is the only alternative inthe State, he added.

Many leaders in AP on bail,may go to jail: Javadekar

25% rise in ...Continued from Page 1

"We have several outreachprogrammes for women tocome forward and lodgecomplaints in case of anyproblems. Our Disha app,which was designed forwomen's safety, has over 97lakh downloads, whichindicates the level of aware-ness," Sawang told PTI.

As many as 75 rape casesand 1,061 sexual offencescases have been chargedwithin seven days, the pre-sentation said.

The road accidents caseshave come down, thoughnot considerably, to 18,286during the current yearfrom 18,357 during lastyear.

Continued from Page 1

Special teams formed by theMunicipal, Revenue, andPolice department conductedchecks on movie theatresacross the State of AP to findout whether standard ticketrates, fire safety norms, andCovid protocol were being

followed.Speaking further, he said

that GO No. 35 was issued inthe month of April. Taking adig at actor Nani's commentson comparing theatre earningswith kirana shops, theMinister said,” I am not surewhere Nani was or where hecounted the Kirana shop earn-

ings at that time, he stated inhis imitable style.

In reference to Tamil actorSiddharth, he said, "I do notknow whether these people(Nani & Siddharth) werespeaking with the knowledgeor not. We had a meeting withdistributors and exhibitors inSeptember. The owners of the

cinema halls did not take thenecessary permits, or theNOC for fire regulations, etc.,despite telling them to renewthem. We have taken actionagainst the theatres only ofthose who have no permis-sion. There is no question ofany vengeful act by us,” he stat-ed.

New panel to look into movie ticket prices

Sun Pharma toset up unit in APContinued from Page 1

He also said that the ChiefMinister shared his visionof end-to-end pharmamanufacturing which is todevelop the processes, pro-duce APIs, make formula-tions, export the medicinefrom the factory. He addedhis company is looking atsetting up such an integrat-ed manufacturing unit inAP.

Company representa-tives Vijay Parekh, SaurabhBora and Vidyasagar werepresent at the meeting.

Sun Pharma is the fourthlargest specialty genericpharmaceutical companyin the world with globalrevenues of over US$ 4.5billion. It has more than 40manufacturing facilities andprovide high-quality med-icines to 100 countriesacross the globe.

Provide free registration ofhouses for the poor...Continued from Page 1

In a statement issued here onTuesday, the TDP leadersaid that it was high time theYSRCP government realisedits mistake and it shouldmake corrections before itwas too late.

“It was atrocious on thepart of the government toforcibly collect the OTS pay-ments,” he said.

“The ruling YSRCP is say-ing that the OTS payments arenot mandatory, but onlyoptional. However, pressure isput on poor families to paythe amounts under any cir-cumstances,” saidAtchannaidu. The TDP leaderaccused the Chief Minister ofresorting to ulterior methodsto generate revenue for hisparty's corruption activities.The ruling party could notcreate a single asset to gener-ate wealth for the State in the

past two-and-a-half years.The failures of the JaganMohan Reddy regime haveled to financial crisis andbankruptcy.

Atchannaidu asserted thatthe Jagan Mohan Reddy gov-ernment had no right to col-lect OTS payments for thehouses that were built underthe previous governmentsover the years. The TDPwould continue its agitationtill the Jagan governmentwithdrew the draconian OTScollections, he added.

Continued from Page 1

Kandakurthy LI scheme,Gudem LIS and P VNarasimha Rao KanthanapallyBarrage, which were wronglyincluded in the unapprovedlist of projects in the Gazettenotification of GRMB. Herequested the Secretary todelete them from the list ofunapproved projects.

Somesh Kumar said thatthere was no need for GRMBas there were no major issuesand no common irrigationprojects for regulationbetween the two States on theGodavari River.

The Union Secretaryassured the Telangana gov-ernment that they wouldlook into all the issues raisedby the State government onthe illegal irrigation projectstaken up by Andhra Pradeshon the Krishna River.

Additional SecretaryDebashri Mukherjee, JointSecretary Sanjay Awasthi par-ticipated from the Ministry ofJal Shakti. Special ChiefSecretary - Irrigation RajatKumar, Engineer in Chief CMuralidhar Rao , SridharDeshpande, OSD to CM ,Engineer in Chief Hariramrepresented the TelanganaState.

Form Tribunal tofix water rows ...

Telanganacompletes100% Covidfirst dose vax

K VENKATESHWARLU

n HYDERABAD

Health Minister T. HarishRao has said that Telanganahas completed 100 per centcorona first dose vaccination.

He said that Telangana isthe first state in India tocomplete 100 per cent vacci-nation. He said that it waspossible only due to the hardwork of the Medical andHealth Department staff.

Chief Minister K.Chandrasekhar Rao con-centrated on vaccinationfrom the beginning andhad issued directions toCollectors, Harish said onTuesday.

Harish Rao said that Ashaworkers and ANMs adminis-tered vaccines visiting everyhouse. He also said that thePanchayat Raj and MunicipalDepartments also took part inthe vaccination drive.

The government clearedthe doubts and fears aboutthe corona vaccine. In thestate, 7,970 vaccination cen-tres are working, Harish said.

The government willadminister 5.55 crore dosesin two phases in the State, hesaid.

PNS n HYDERABAD

Union Secretary, Ministry ofJalshakti Government of IndiaPankaj Kumar held a VideoConference today with theChief Secretaries of Telanganaand Andhra Pradesh on theimplementation of variousprovisions of the Gazette noti-fication regarding KRMB andGRMB.

As per the decisions takenin the apex council meetingheld on 6-10-2020, the min-ister for Jalshakti requestedChief Minister of Telangana towithdraw the case fromSupreme Court to consider torefer the matter to a tribunalunder Section 3 of ISRWD act,1956. Accordingly, Telangana

state withdrew its case fromSupreme Court. ChiefSecretary Somesh Kumar IASrequested the Government ofIndia to take immediate actionin this regard. Union Secretaryhas reiterated that theGovernment of India is active-ly pursuing the matter withIaw Department, GOI. Andsoon after receipt of opinionfrom law department the mat-ter would be referred to thetribunal. Chief Secretaryreferred to five projects inGodavari Basin – Ramappa-Pakala link project,Kaleswaram Project(Additional 1TMC per day),Kandakurthy LI Scheme,Gudem LIS and PVNarsimharao Kanthanapally

Barage - which were wronglyincluded in the unapprovedlist of projects in gazette noti-fication of GRMB and askedthe Secretary to delete themfrom the list of unapprovedprojects.

Chief Secretary observedthat as there are no majorissues and no common pro-jects for regulation betweenthe two states regarding irri-gation projects on Godavaririver, there is no need ofGRMB. Union Secretary alsoassured the TelanganaGovernment that it wouldlook into the issues raised bythe state government on theillegal irrigation projectstaken up by Andhra Pradeshon the Krishna river.

Union Secy holds meet withTelangana Chief Secretary

vijayawada 03VIJAYAWADA | WEDNESDAY | DECEMBER 29, 2021

PNS n VIJAYAWADA

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

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

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

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

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

GPL displayed excellent per-formance by loading 8,500MTs and 1,88,887 bags whichwere completed in a recordtime with 10 MBUs in 24

hours.“We are incredibly proud of

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

ities, and faster turnaroundtime and delivery,” said aspokesperson of GangavaramPort Ltd.

Gangavaram Port has theunique distinction of beingone of the few Greenfield portprojects in India. GangavaramPort, with its deep draft berthsand efficient operations, hasbecome the gateway port for ahinterland, spread overEastern, Western, Southernand Central India. The port hasthe ability to handle largervessels efficiently and hasresulted in substantial savingsto the Port users and the trade.

Gangavaram Port achievesyet another cargo milestone

PNS n VIJAYAWADA

Former MLA VangaveetiRadhakrishna has turneddown the security provided tohim by the state government.

Radhakrishna, son of slainKapu strongman VangaveetiRanga on Sunday during thedeath anniversary programmeof his father had made sensa-tional comments that a fewgroups are trying to eliminatehim and also conducted arecce.

Immediately after hisremarks chief minister YSJaganmohan Reddy had per-sonally intervened and askedthe state intelligence depart-ment to provide 2+2 securityto Radha.

Responding to the reportsRadha on Tuesday said he hadinformed authorities that hedoesn’t need any security. Healso said that he can managehis security and his followers

will stand guard for his safe-ty. “I informed the authoritiesthat I don’t need any security.No police officer is yet to talkto me about the recce. If theyreach me I will cooperate.More than me, they have totalknowledge about the plot tokill me. I’m always among thepublic so I don’t need anysecurity,” he said.

Jagan on Monday had alsoasked the State intelligence

chief to submit a report on theclaims of Radha about thethreat to his life.

Radha made sensationalcomments during the unveil-ing of his father’s statue at asmall village in Gudlavallerumandal of Krishna districton Sunday. He alleged thatthere was a threat to his life assome people conducted arecce at his residence andwere planning to eliminatehim.

He said that he was readyfor the attack and urged thepeople to teach a befitting les-son to those trying to assaulthim. He also said he willsoon reveal the names ofthose trying to eliminate him.

Interestingly, MinisterKodali Nani, along with TDPMLA Vallabhaneni Vamsiwho is now aligned withYSRCP, were also presentwhen Radha made these com-ments.

PNS n VIJAYAWADA

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

As part of this initiative, thestate government will re-ver-ify those who are eligibleand have not availed the ben-efits and provide the welfareschemes in June andDecember every year. Theintention is to take welfareschemes to every eligible per-son in the State, without leav-ing anyone behind.

Drawing comparison

between TDP term, the ChiefMinister said that the previ-ous government had onlytried to minimize the numberof beneficiaries by providingwelfare schemes to selectnumbers throughJanmabhoomi Committeesand always took a back seat indelivering welfare schemesto the people, doing theirbest to exclude as many peo-ple as possible. However, wehad taken only eligibility asthe bar and are providing wel-fare benefits in a transparentway irrespective of their caste,religion, or political affilia-tions.

Going into the details, hesaid that the number of ben-eficiaries and the amountbeing spent on them hasincreased at a great rate andprioritised welfare even dur-ing Covid times when therevenue was on the decline.During the TDP rule, only 39lakh people have receivedpensions of Rs 1000 permonth incurring a monthlybill of Rs 400 crore. The cur-rent government increasedthe pension amount to Rs

2250 and has been providingpensions right at the doorstepof over 61 lakh beneficiariesevery month at an expendi-ture of Rs 1450 crore.

Through this initiative,under YSR Cheyutha Rs470.40 crore will be creditedto 2,50,929 beneficiaries, Rs7.67 crore to 1136 peopleunder YSR Aasara, Rs 53.51crore to 59,661 people underYSR Sunna Vaddi Runalu(women), Rs 58.89 crore to2,86,059 people under YSRRythu Bharosa, Rs 19.92 croreto 31,940 people under VidyaDeevena, Rs 39.82 crore to43,010 people under VasathiDeevena, Rs 19.47 crore to12,983 people under KapuNestham, Rs 8.09 crore to8080 people under VahanaMitra, Rs 3.79 crore to 3788people under MatsakaraBharosa, and Rs 1.91 crore to794 people under NethannaNestham. Apart from these,house pattas are being givento 1,10,986 people, pensioncards to 1,51,562 people, ricecards to 3,07,599 people andAarogyasri cards to 1,14,129people.

CM credits Rs 703 cr to beneficiaries

PNS n VIJAYAWADA

TDP official spokesman SyedRafi on Tuesday asked whyChief Minister YS JaganmohanReddy was arbitrarily hikingRTC bus charges duringSankranthi when his govern-ment reduced cinema ticketrates in the name of helping thepeople.

Rafi termed it unfortunatethat the YSRCP regime decid-ed to increase RTC fares by 50percent on the pretext of spe-cial bus services. The financialburden was being imposed

on the people even beforethey started making prepara-tions for the Sankranthi cele-brations.

Addressing a press confer-ence here, the TDP leadersaid the CM should explainwhy his regime was not mak-ing any effort to reduce therates of sand, cement, essentialcommodities, petrol and diesel.The latest hike in RTC fareswas also part of an ulteriorstrategy to fill the public trea-sury so that the ruling partyleaders could continue theirirregularities endlessly.

Rafi expressed concern thatthe ruling YSRCP's politics ofvengeance seemed to be insa-tiable despite huge destructiongoing on in the State. TheChief Minister was hell bent ondestroying the whole cineindustry out of his grudgeagainst just two or three castesand one or two actors.

The TDP leader said theYCP Government had decid-ed to shut down the Telugufilm industry which broughtname and fame all over theworld. The CM was saying thatthe cinema ticket rates were

reduced just to make themmore affordable to the poorersections of people. In thatcase, the same poorer sec-tions were unable to bear theincreased RTC and currentcharges.

Rafi deplored that the ChiefMinister's decision had led tohuge losses and even closure ofmany theatres. Thousands ofworkers were thrown out ofwork and unable to earn a liv-ing. Jagan Mohan Reddy usedto say that the liquor rates wereincreased so that the drinkerswould receive a shock. The

CM should explain why he hadcaused a severe rise in rates ofcement, sand, steel, and so on.

The TDP leader said theYSRCP government hadalready started making plans tohike current charges in thefuture. Till now, the tenantshave been paying current billsbased on sub-meters fixedseparately for their portion ina large house. But the CM wasbringing a rule for only onemeter in each house so as toturn it into the commercial cat-egory in order to collect farhigher current charges.

PNS n VIJAYAWADA

Indira Gandhi Zoological Park,Visakhapatnam and theAndhra Pradesh ForestDepartment in collaborationwith IISER Tirupati are goingto organise the first of -ts-kindevent V'izag Bird Festival' onJanuary 22 & 23 (Saturday &Sunday) at Indira GandhiZoological Park,Visakhapatnam.

The East coast of AndhraPradesh, Visakhapatnam ishome to many bird watchersand nature enthusiasts. Everyyear, bird watchers from acrossAndhra Pradesh visit theVisakhapatnam district forbird-watching and exploringthe biodiversity of NorthernEastern Ghats. The wetlandsaround Visakhapatnam andthe Ghats are known to host

rich avian diversity. However,systematic surveys and long-term research on avian life arelong due in the landscape.

Dr. SP Yadav, ADG (ProjectTiger) & Member Secretary,

NTCA and Member Secretary,CZA released the Vizag BirdFestival Posters & Teaser dur-ing his visit to IGZP OnTuesday in presence ofConservator of Forests, P

RamMohan Rao, and otherzoo officials. Dr SP Yadav,Member Secretary congratu-lated the Zoo team for theirefforts in making awarenessamong the public about

wildlife through variousevents.

The Vizag Bird Festival aimsto create more awarenessamong the public on the aviandiversity of Andhra Pradesh,

said Dr. Nandani Salaria,Curator, IGZP. It also helps tobring the Andhra Pradesh birdwatching community together,and fill the gap between thelocal science & research com-munity and the broaderresearch groups across thecountry, she added. In this fes-tival visitors can learn moreinformation and interestingunknown facts about the birdsaround us, said Dr. NandaniSalaria, Curator, IGZP. Variousevents are going to take place inthis Bird Festival which is use-ful to children as well as adults.

The registrations for eachevent during the festival willcommence in the first week ofJan 2022. For registrationsand more details, one canvisit www.vizagzoo.com orcontact Ramana on9441130894.

Radha turns down govt security

Probe begins into ‘recce' charge by RadhaPNS n VIJAYAWADA

DGP Gautam D Sawanghas said that the Policedepartment is looking intothe comments of formerMLA Vangaveeti Radhakrishna about a recce beingcarried out to kill him. Hesaid that the Police depart-ment is taking all measuresin this regard without anynegligence.

It may be recalled thatearlier Radhakrishna, duringthe death anniversary of hisfather Vangaveeti MohanaRanga, alleged that a reccewas performed to kill him.Minister for Civil SuppliesKodali Venkateswara Raoalias Nani was present dur-ing the comments and hetook the same to the noticeof Chief Minister YSJaganmohan Reddy.

Responding to the reports,CM Jagan directed policesecurity to Radhakrishnaand instructed the Policedepartment to conduct athorough investigation.

According to sources, theVijayawada police startedan investigation into theallegation of Radhakrishnaand are questioning severalsuspects by taking them intotheir custody.

Jagan adopting double standards on cinema, RTC rates: TDP

First-ever ‘Vizag Bird Festival' on Jan 22, 23

Cognizable crimeup by 3%: DGPPNS n VIJAYAWADA

The charge sheet and convic-tion rate got better in AP dueto the efforts of the AP PoliceDepartment compared to ear-lier years. The State has regis-tered 90.2 percent charge sheetand 75.09 percent convictionrates this year.

DGP Gautham D Sawang onTuesday, along with othersenior IPS officers, said at theannual media conference thatthe AP police registered a92.27 percent investigationcompliance rate against thenational average of 40 percentand women largely are comingforward to lodge complaintsdue to people-friendly policing.

The DGP said that cogniz-able crime increased by 3 per-cent in the State in 2021 com-pared to the previous year of2020. He said a total of 1,27,127cognizable crime cases regis-tered in the State in 2021against the 1,22,987 cases reg-istered in the year 2020. He saidTirupati Urban registered a 58percent increase in cognizablecrimes in 2021 as against thefigure in 2020 and WestGodavari recorded a 42 percent

increase. Visakhapatnam cityrecorded 36 percent,Vijayawada city 30 percent,Guntur urban 24 percent,Prakasam 18 percent and EastGodavari five percent increasein 2021 compared to the pre-vious year. He said the Guntur,Krishna, Rajamahen dravaramurban, YSR Kadapa, Nellore,Chittoor, Vizianagaram,Kurnool, Anantapur,Srikakulam andVisakhapatnam rural have reg-istered fewer cases compared tothe previous year of 2020.

Sawang said the Police depart-ment is trying to increase trans-parency and accountabilityamong the police personnel andinstalling CC cameras in all thepolice stations and lockups in theState.

He said the impact ofSpandana is very high in theState and 96 percent of casesreceived in Spandana were dis-posed of within seven days. Hesaid only 6,679 cases are pend-ing against the 1,63,033 com-plaints received by the police.Sawang said 52 percent arewomen among those wholodged complaints in theSpandana programme.

PNS n VIJAYAWADA

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

Sikkim, Mizoram, andGujarat secured the nextplaces. Bihar stood last at29th place with 5.74 points.Uttar Pradesh got 28thplace with a 5.81 Indexscore. Jharkhand andPunjab stood at 26 and 27.

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

He said the IPF consistsof eminent citizens, mem-bers of the police fraterni-ty, civil servants, academic

scholars, lawyers, editors,and the leaders of theindustry. He said that theyhad come together to formthe Indian PoliceFoundation and Institute. Itis a multi-disciplinarythink-tank and policy advo-cacy platform to drive anationwide campaign forreform and transformationin the police department.

The survey was conduct-ed on various parameterslike police sensitivity, strict-ness and good behaviour,accessibility to the people,police responsiveness, help-ful and friendly policing,technology adoption, unbi-ased and lawful policing,integrity and corruption-free service, police account-ability, and public trust inthe police.

Interestingly, the twoTelugu states AndhraPradesh and Telangana gotthe honours with the firstand second places in SmartPolice Index. Other southIndian States Kerala stoodat fourth place, Puducherryat 10th place, Tamil Nadu at13th place, and Karnatakaat 14th place.

PNS n VIJAYAWADA

Terming the BJP’s PrajagrahaSabha a ‘farce’, Informationand Public RelationsMinister PerniVenkataramaiah said themeeting was being organisedaccording to the script anddirection of the TDP.

Speaking to the media atthe party central office hereon Tuesday, the minister saidno one was angry with theYSRCP government exceptthe TDP leaders who joinedthe BJP. He flayed BJP lead-ers for alleging that the ChiefMinister was not meeting thepeople and said PrimeMinister Narendra Modiwould meet people only dur-ing elections for votes. Headded that BJP leaders weretargeting the Chief Ministeronly to implement the TDP’sagenda.

He said BJP leaders shouldfeel ashamed for protestingover liquor prices and daredthem to speak on the increas-ing fuel prices. He added thatit was the BJP governmentthat was responsible for theincrease in prices of fuels and

fertilisers.Asserting that the YSRCP

government was committedto the welfare and develop-ment of farmers, the minis-ter slammed the BJP forimplementing anti-farmerpolicies. He said they hadintroduced farm laws,repealed them after opposi-tion from farmers, and wereagain claiming that theywould reintroduce them.“The BJP is acting against theinterests of the farmers,” hesaid.

He lashed out at BJP lead-ers for targeting the Stategovernment over debts and

said it had been taking loansby following the guidelines ofthe Union Ministry ofFinance and the RBI. Hequestioned the BJP leadersover debts of the CentralGovernment and remindedthem that they had increasedfrom Rs 62 lakh crore in 2014to Rs 135 lakh crore at pre-sent.

The minister said SujanaChowdary and RameshNaidu were setting the agen-da of the BJP in the State onthe direction of TDP chief NChandrababu Naidu andquestioned their authorityto make statements on recall-ing IPS officers.

He said BJP leaders shouldfocus on putting pressure onthe Central Government forsanctioning the R & R pack-age for the Polavaram pro-ject. He said BJP leadersdidn’t have any stand on theissues in the State and theywere parroting the script ofNaidu. The minister daredBJP leaders to speak on theincreasing prices of fuel andessential commodities, spe-cial category status, privati-sation of steel plants etc.

PNS n VIJAYAWADA

AP State Skill Development Corporation(APSSDC), in collabo-ration with AndhraLoyola College, is organ-ising a 'Mega Job Mela'on December 30 at ALCDegree College campus.More than 30 companieswill be recruiting about2,100 candidates for var-ious roles.

Male or female candi-dates between 18 and 45years of age and who arelooking for jobs canmake use of this oppor-tunity, said Principal FrKishore. The salaryranges from Rs 10,000 toRs 32,000 per monthdepending on the type ofjob and experience.Freshers, as well as expe-rienced persons, canmake use of this oppor-tunity.

Interested candidatescan report at AndhraLoyola College onDecember 30 by 10:30am with copies of certifi-cates, Aadhaar card,passport size photo andresume.

‘Job Mela' atAndhra LoyolaCollegetomorrow

BJP’s Prajagraha Sabha afarce, Minister Perni Nani

AP tops in SmartPolice Index

Tight securityPNS n HYDERABAD

The Telangana Secretariat saw tightsecurity on Tuesday. The police wasdeployed on all roa ds leading to theSecreta riat.The reason for thetight security was the UPSP call toattack the Secretariat demandingcancellation of the zonal allocationprocess and GO 317.

04VIJAYAWADA | WEDNESDAY | DECEMBER 29, 2021

PNS n ELURU

West Godavari districtSuperintendent of Police RahulDev Sharma on Tuesday direct-ed the officials to identifycockfight and betting organis-ers in advance during the ensu-ing Sankranti season inadvance and register bind-overcases against them. He alsoasked them to prevent theactivities of unscrupulous ele-ments by issuing notices tothem.

He was addressing themonthly crime review meetingwith all DSPs, CIs, and SIs inthe district at the conferencehall in the Eluru PoliceHeadquarters.

The SP reviewed with theofficials circle-wise recovery inproperty-related crimes andothers in the district.

He said special attentionshould be paid to propertycrime, crime against women,SC & ST crimes. An in-depth

review of case registration,arrest of accused, investigationof cases, filing of charge sheetsshould be done. The officerswere briefed about the instruc-tions and techniques thatwould contribute to the reso-lution and control of the cases.

Rahul Dev Sharma said thecrime review meeting wascalled to discuss ways andmeans for curbing property-related crimes, curbing thesmuggling of cannabis andalcohol in the district, curbingthe sale of gutka and khaini,which the government hasbanned, as well as inter-statecheck posts to curb the smug-gling of alcohol and sand fromother states.

He said that inspectionsshould be carried out, coun-selling should be given to thetroublemakers within thepolice station, police officersshould visit each village,respond quickly to the prob-lems in the village and solvethem in the initial stage itself.

He also directed the officialsto enforce pending NBWs andbring defendants to justice. Hesaid that witnesses in the casesshould be present at all timesand steps should be taken tobring culprits to the book.Night patrols should bestrengthened within all policestations, he added.

The SP directed the policeofficers to remain vigilant and

work efficiently, give high pri-ority to the welfare of the staffand take immediate depart-mental action against any staffmember who is found to beinvolved in corrupt activities.

District Additional SP(Admin) AV Subbaraju,Special Enforcement BureauAdditional SP C JayaRamaraju, SB DSP RameshReddy, Eluru DSP Dr. DilipKiran, Kovvur DSP B Srinath,Narasapuram DSPVeeranjaneya Reddy,Jangareddy DSP Dr. RaviKiran, Polavaram DSP LathaKumari, Disha Police DSP KVSatyanarayana and Eluru CCSDSP GVS Paideswara Raowere present.

PNS n ELURU

Eluru Range DIG MohanRao has issued orders sus-pending CI Balarajaji as partof departmental action oncharges of raping a womanlevelled against him. He iscurrently in Vacancy Reserve(VR).

Balarajaji allegedly raped awoman repeatedly whileworking as Eluru One TownCI. SP Rahul Dev Sharmadirected DSP Dilip Kiran toregister a suo moto caseagainst CI Balarajaji and startan investigation.

PNS n ONGOLE

Balineni Praneeth Reddy, sonof Balineni Srinivasa Reddy,on Tuesday, unveiled theposter of the 'Pavitrotsavam'celebrations to be conducted atthe Prasanna ChennakesavaSwamy temple in Ongole forthree days from December 29.

On the occasion, the EOand the Chairman, and mem-bers of the Board of Trusteessaid that all devotees are invit-ed to participate and receivethe grace of 'Sri Swamivaru' asper the Covid rules.

The function was attendedby temple chairman EdupallyGurunatha Rao, EO VemuriGopi, board of trustees PGovardhan Reddy, KurraPrasad Babu, Emani MadanMohan, Kareti Kiran Babu,and others.

PNS n GUNTUR

In a novel protest, farmersstaged a dharna at the RythuBharosa Kendra (RBK) afterdumping paddy on the road inMunipalle of Ponnur mandalin Guntur district on Tuesday.

They raised slogansdemanding that the govern-ment buy the entire paddyproduce harvested by thefarmers.

Former MLA Narendraparticipated in the dharna insupport of the farmers.

PNS n GUNTUR

Home Minister MekathotiSucharitha has said that near-ly nine lakh people across theState have benefited fromvarious welfare schemes beingimplemented by the govern-ment. The eligible beneficia-ries for various governmentschemes introduced by theState government are identi-fied on a saturation basis.

Participating in the inau-gural function for disbursal ofthe third installment of the'Jagananna Thodu' scheme atthe Collector's Office here onTuesday, the Home Ministersaid about Rs 702 crore isbeing handed over to thedeserving people by the CM.

In Guntur district, she said,financial assistance of Rs 5crore under YSR ZeroInterest, Rs 30 lakh under YSRAasara, Rs 33.26 crore underYSR Cheyutha, Rs 5 lakhunder Nethanna Nestham,and Rs 3.52 crore under KapuNestham was given to thebeneficiaries.

"We have also identifiedthose who are eligible buthave not received the housetitle deeds and today we havehanded them over to the ben-eficiaries," she said.

Sucharitha said the CM

had taken this step with thegood intention that no eligi-ble beneficiary should be leftout of the schemes. "On behalfof all the beneficiaries, Iwould like to express my spe-cial thanks to CM JaganMohan Reddy," she added.

The Home Minister allegedthat the TDP was deliberate-ly campaigning against theOne-time Settlement (OTS)scheme and claimed that theOpposition was carrying outa false propaganda that thevolunteers were forcibly col-lecting money from housingbeneficiaries. CM JaganMohan Reddy himself hadmade it clear that there wasno forced collection anywhere

in the State."We have identified 48 lakh

people who do not have even'pattas' for their houses builtin 1983," she said.

Sucharitha said everyone inthe State is of the opinion thatOTS is a boon as it wouldfetch them house pattas.

"For those who do not havea loan, the facility of register-ing a house for just Rs 10 isbeing provided by CM JaganMohan Reddy. We are givingthe opportunity to those whoare in debt to register forRs10,000 in rural areas,Rs15,000 for those in urbanareas and Rs 20,000 for thosewithin the corporation," shesaid.

The Home Minister won-dered why Opposition leaderChandrababu Naidu whycould not solve the problemduring his reign if he were aman of integrity.

Chandrababu Naidu isspreading lies with the inten-tion of gaining politicaladvantage, she alleged andsaid, "The Opposition had nointention of doing good toreally poor people."

She said volunteers areworking to take governmentschemes to the people and dogood to them. The CM haddesigned the OTS programwith the aim of doing good tothe poor people. "That is whyall people are coming forward

voluntarily," she claimed.Since there is one volunteer

for every 50 houses, they goto the people and explainabout OTS. There is no extor-tion anywhere as claimed bythe Opposition, the HomeMinister asserted.

"It is ridiculous forChandrababu Naidu to saythat he will do it for free if hecomes to power. Why didn'the do it when he was the CMin the last regime?" she ques-tioned.

Chandrababu Naidu hadfailed to keep his promises ofwaiving farmers' loans, pro-viding jobs to each household,and waiving DWCRA loans.

As the TDP governmenthad cheated the people by notkeeping the electoral promis-es, the voters had given 151seats to the YSRCP and madeJagan Mohan Reddy the ChiefMinister, she said.

MLC UmmareddyVenkateswarlu, MLAsMustafa, Merugu Nagarjuna,Undavalli Sridevi, MaddaliGiridhar, ZP ChairmanChristina, Collector VivekYadav and others participat-ed. Cash was distributed tothose who were eligible butdid not receive welfarescheme benefits for variousreasons.

PNS n ONGOLE

Chief Minister YS JaganMohan Reddy on Tuesdayheld a video conference withall District Collectors from theThadepalli camp office on theoccasion of depositing fundsdirectly in the bank accountsof the beneficiaries, providingbenefits to those who are noteligible for the schemes due tovarious reasons despite beingeligible.

ZP Chairperson BuchepallyVenkayamma, Ongole MayorGangada Sujatha, legislatorPotula Sunitha and PravinKumar from the Collectoratewere present. The Collectorexplained to the ChiefMinister that about 25,000people in the district, whohave so far not benefited fromthese schemes, have becomeeligible to receive a total ben-

efit of Rs 30 crore. The ChiefMinister spoke to a womanfrom Manduvaripalem villagein Ongole mandal who is abeneficiary of the Cheyuthascheme.

Later, the Collector, speak-ing to the media, advised thebeneficiaries to make effectiveuse of the financial assistancefor a better livelihood. He

said that the suggestions andadvice of the respective depart-ments should be used in thisregard.

District Joint Collectors JVMurali (Revenue and FarmerAssurance), TS Chetan(Secretariats andDevelopment), K. Krishnaveni(Welfare) were present on theoccasion.

PNS n ONGOLE

In a development that will not augur wellfor the State government, Golla VishnuVardhan Raju Yadav, who was serving as aVolunteer at Kongalaveedu village panchay-at under Giddalur mandal of Prakasam dis-trict, resigned on Tuesday due to dissatis-faction with government policies in gener-al and the One-time Settlement (OTS)scheme in particular.

He submitted his resignation to a man-dal-level officer and later joined the TeluguDesam Party (TDP) in the presence of for-mer TDP in-charge MLA MuthumulaAshok Reddy.

On the occasion, Volunteer VishnuVardhan said that he had joined the serviceas a Volunteer two years ago, but since thenhe had been facing many difficulties.

Yadav alleged that he was under pressureto hand over welfare scheme benefits likepensions only to those recommended byYSRCP leaders and remove the supportersof other parties from the list of beneficia-ries. He said that in recent times the gov-ernment had been pressuring the Volunteersto collect Rs 10,000 from the poor peoplewho had built pucca houses in the past inrural areas and this had given a lot of dis-satisfaction and added that he was resign-ing in protest against the 'authoritarian' poli-

cies of the government.Mandal presidents Martala Subba Reddy

and Kongalaveedu Telugu Desam Party lead-ers were present.

Volunteer quits in protestagainst govt’s OTS policy

CM's aim is to take fruits of welfareschemes to all eligible people: HM

Register bind-over cases against organisers of cockfights: WG SP

Make good use of schemes,Collector tells beneficiaries

Novel protest by farmers

PNS n ONGOLE

Mayor Gangada Sujatha onTuesday inspected the muster-ing office of sanitation work-ers in the city. The attendancepercentage of sanitation work-ers was examined.

The Mayor expressed heranger at the sanitation work-ers not following the dresscode. |She said that everyoneshould wear the uniform givenby the Corporation.

The muster office wasinspected as part of an exerciseto find out how the field-level

workers are performing theirduties. Their performancewould be monitored on a reg-ular basis. He said that the cityis clean and hence strongmeasures are being taken.

Sujatha also said that theproblems of sanitation work-ers would be looked into.Traders were also asked to co-operate as plastic would bebanned from January. Staffwas asked to notify shop own-ers of the plastic ban.

Sanitation Inspector Babjiand secretariat sanitation staffwere also present.

PNS n ONGOLE

Prakasam District CollectorPravin Kumar has said that thenecessary facilities should beprovided to the industrialists toset up industries in the district.Addressing the DistrictIndustrial PromotionCommittee meeting here onTuesday, he said entrepreneursneed to be educated on how toapply online to set up industries.

He directed the authorities toallot vacant plots in APIIC lay-outs in the district to industri-alists. A large number of appli-cations for industry establish-ment were pending at the

Department of GroundwaterResources and steps should betaken to address them.Necessary proposals should bemade to increase exports in thegranite industries in the district.

Joint Collector (Aasara andWelfare) K Krishnaveni,

Industries GM Chandrasekhar, District PanchayatOfficer G V Narayana Reddy,Pollution Control BoardDepartment EE Nagireddy,Mines Department DDRavikumar, LDM Yugan dharand others participated.

Grant permits for new industriesthrough single window system: DC

CI suspendedon rape charges

Mayor inspects musteroffice of sanitation staff

PNS n ONGOLE

District SP Malika Garg hasfelicitated 11 retired policeofficers who have completed75 years of age and their fam-ily members. The retired offi-cers were honoured withshawls and presented memen-tos. The SP was the chief guestat a function organised by thePrakasam District RetiredPolice Officers' Association atthe Police Function Hall,Ongole, to honour retiredpolice personnel who hadserved the Police Departmentfor a long time. She also spoketo their family members andenquired about their well-being.

Speaking on the occasion,Malika Garg said the duties ofcops were very difficult andthey gave more priority toserving the public than theirown health. The SP laudedthem for sacrificing their per-sonal lives and performingtheir duties with commitment.The SP, on behalf of the police

department, thanked them fortheir selfless service. She saidthat she would also work forthe welfare of the retired policepersonnel and provide manybenefits for them through freemedical camps and other pro-grammes.

The SP advised the retiredstaff to take care of theirhealth, duly follow COVIDprecautions, and get vaccinat-

ed as the threat of the thirdwave, Omicron, was looming.She said steps would be takento give them booster doses aswell.

The SP said that even afterretirement, they were membersof the police family, and there-fore she would find the appro-priate solutions to their prob-lems. The SP assured them thatshe would direct police officers

to respond promptly to thecomplaints of retired policepersonnel and resolve them ona priority basis.

She informed them that ifany bills and files related to theDPO were pending and notresolved, they could contacther directly. She also said thatsteps would be taken to set upa building, library and otherfacilities for the retired police

community.OSD K. Chowdeshwari, AR

ASP M. Ashok Babu, SB-1Inspector K.V.Raghavendra,Taluka CI Srinivasa Reddy,RIs Srihari Reddy, Hari Babu,State Retired PoliceAssociation chairmanB.Mahabob Basha, districtchairman G. Ramamurthy,retired officers, staff and oth-ers participated in the event.

PNS n GUNTUR

Home Minister MekathotiSucharitha has directed theofficials to make elaboratearrangements for ChiefMinister YS Jagan MohanReddy's visit toPedanandipadu in the districton January 1 when he willaddress a meeting marking thehike in the social securitypensions for old-age people.

Addressing a meeting onTuesday, the Home Ministersaid that the current pensionof Rs 2,250 was raised to Rs2,500. "It is a matter of honourfor the district to host a meet-

ing where the hike in theprestigious pension would beinaugurated. therefore, theevent should be organised ona grand scale in a festive envi-ronment," she said.

District Collector VivekYadav said the meeting venue,barricades, vehicle parkingarrangements and sanitationarrangements should be made.Drinking water should bemade accessible to all. Theparticipants should take pre-cautions against Covid.

He directed the officials toensure that there is no poweroutage by s installing the nec-essary power generators.

Elaborate arrangements forCM's visit to Pedanandipadu

Mrs India 2021is super womanat star awardsPNS n HYDERABAD

Mohammed Farha (MrsUniverse 2021, Mrs.India2021) from Hyderabadhas been awarded theSuper Woman Award.Farha was honored at anevent hosted by FSIA(for-ever star india awards)inJaipur on Tuesday.

Speaking on the occa-sion, Farha said that shehas received the award inthe Women Entrepreneurcategory which honoredwomen from variousfields.

3-day ‘Pavitrotsavam' atChennakesava temple

Malika vows to work for welfare of retd cops

nation 05VIJAYAWADA | WEDNESDAY | DECEMBER 29, 2021

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Chandigarh MC: Raghav Chadhaalleges BJP offering money to AAP

India put climate change at centre-stagePNS n NEW DELHI

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

PNS n MUMBAI

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

He said the attitude of the

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

He said the students mightdetect impatience in his talk.

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

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

‘Centre targeting Christians toadvance majoritarian agenda’

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

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

PNS n NEW DELHI

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

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

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

DDMA.Marriages and funerals will

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

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

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

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

Delhi schools,cinemas, gyms shut

PNS n MUZAFFARNAGAR

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

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

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

The raid in Khatoli was ajoint exercise of local police

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

According to police, 6,281

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

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

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

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

Inter-state gang selling adulterated liquor

with fake labels busted, 12 arrested

PNS n CHENNAI

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

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

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

vis-a-vis metering. Pointing to Stalin rolling

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

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

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

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

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

AIADMK accuses DMK of double standards

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

PNS n MUMBAI

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

More times forreport on privilegenotice againstArnab, Kangana

PM TO IIT GRADS

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Tharcius S Fernando | Chennai

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

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

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

Bidyut Kumar Chatterjee | Faridabad

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

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

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

Sri Vari Nilaya |Bengaluru

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

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VIJAYAWADA | WEDNESDAY | DECEMBER 29, 2021

06

Send yyour ffeedback tto:letterstopioneer@gmail.com

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

some accounts suggest that there was a black hole in communication

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

UNPRECEDENTEDFAREWELL BY THE

NATION ANDGOVERNMENT. IF

ONLY HE WAS IN AHIGHER SECURITY

PROTOCOL, THINGSMIGHT HAVE BEEN

DIFFERENT

LETTERS TO TTHE EDITOR

ASHOK K MEHTA

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

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

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

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

Venu GS | Kollam

The danger inches closer

New facts about CDSRawat’s chopper crash

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

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

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

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

SOUNDBITEMamata Banerjee

is more active than

Asaduddin Owaisi

in fomenting

communal politics

in the country.

Bengal BJP chief

—Sukanta Majumdar

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

that very clear.

Brazilian President —Jair Bolsonaro

We are 10 times

more prepared

than before to

deal with the rise

in COVID cases

in Delhi.

Delhi Chief Minister

—Arvind Kejriwal

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

England captain —Joe Root

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Living with the enemy

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

PICTALK

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

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

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

Actor—Jr NTR

India is key to worldeconomy’s recovery

THE BJP GOT ITS OWN BUSINESSMAN RAIDED.

INSTEAD OF SP LEADER PUSHPRAJ JAIN,

IT GOT PIYUSH JAIN RAIDED.

—SAMAJWADI PARTY CHIEF

AKHILESH YADAV

RECENTLY, A PERFUME BUSINESSMAN FROM

THE SP WAS CAUGHT. AKHILESH JI IS SQUIRMING,

ASKING WHY WE CONDUCTED THE RAIDS.

—UNION HOME MINISTER

AMIT SHAH

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

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

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

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

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

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

VIJAYAWADA | WEDNESDAY | DECEMBER 29, 2021

07

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FIRSTCOLUMN

NO CONCESSIONS BUTSHOW PUTIN RESPECT

POINTCOUNTERPOINT

GWYNNE DYER

SHIVAJI SARKAR

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

OMICRON IS BEING WATCHED

CAREFULLY. IT HAS ITS IMPACT

ON THE STOCKMARKET AND,

IF THERE ISANOTHER

LOCKDOWN, THECOST COULD BE

HIGHER. INDIAREMAINS

IMPORTANT TOTHE WORLD

ECONOMY, AS IMFREPRESENTATIVE

LUIS BREUERSAYS. SO, A

POSITIVE GROWTHFOR INDIA

WOULD DECIDETHE FUTURE. THE

NEW YEAR HASHOPES, CONCERN

AND THE KEY TO UNRAVEL IT

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

A concern is that developingeconomies will need to be careful as

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

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

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

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

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

(The writer is a seniorjournalist. The views

expressed are personal.)

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

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

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

countries predicted it might befragmented, but they wereproved wrong.

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

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

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

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

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

equations are changing fast.Meanwhile, the opposi-

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

STEC). India could play ameaningful role inAfghanistan.

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

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

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

Matters of anxiety and pride await India in 2022

KALYANI SHANKAR

(The writer is a senior journalist. The views

expressed are personal.)

VIJAYAWADA | WEDNESDAY | DECEMBER 29, 2021 Money 08

oney atters

SpiceTech develops digitallibrary of documentsS

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

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

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

Maha Bank, MAS FinancialServices enter co-lendingB

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

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

CESL distributes 50 lakhbulbs under Gram Ujala

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

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

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

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

Cipla gets EUA from DCGI tomarket Molnupiravir

Drug major Cipla on Tuesday said it has received emergencyuse authorisation (EUA) permission from the Drug ControllerGeneral of India (DCGI) to launch

antiviral drug Molnupiravir in the countryto treat mild-to-moderate COVID-19. TheMumbai-based firm said it plans tolaunch Molnupiravir under the brandname Cipmolnu. "This launch is yetanother step in our endeavour to enableaccess to all treatments in COVID care.We continue to be guided by the powerof science to address the unmet needs of patients across theglobe and bring care closer to the patients," Cipla MD and GlobalCEO Umang Vohra said in a statement.

Income Tax refunds of over Rs 1.49

lakh cr issued so far this fiscal

Income Tax refunds of over Rs 1.49 lakh crore have been issued to1.45 crore taxpayers so far this fiscal, the I-T department said on

Tuesday. This includes 1.07 crore refundsof AY 2021-22 (fiscal ended March 31,2021), amounting to Rs 21,021 crore.More than 4.67 crore ITRs for the 2020-21 fiscal (ended March 2021) have beenfiled till December 27. In a tweet, thedepartment said Income Tax refunds ofRs 50,793 crore have been issued toover 1.42 crore entities, and corporate

tax refunds of Rs 98,504 crore have been issued in over 2.19 lakhcases.

PNS n MUMBAI

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

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

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

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

Icra Ltd Chief Economist AditiNayar said in the report.

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

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

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

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

ly interrupt the eco-nomic recov-

ery,

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

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

"Based on our assumptionsof the

GDP

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

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

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

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

by the end of 2022, whichshould then trigger a

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

govern ment spendingin 2022.

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

PNS n MUMBAI

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

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

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

On the other hand, IndusIndBank and PowerGrid were the

laggards.The resilience of the US mar-

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

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

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

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

PNS n NEW DELHI

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

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

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

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

TorrentPharma tolaunchMolnupiravir

PNS n NEW DELHI

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

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

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

specialised jobsapart

from

indi-rect

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

PNS n NEW DELHI

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

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

FDI (foreign direct invest-ment) regulations.

"Foreign direct investmentin multi-brand retail trade is

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

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

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

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

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

"This is a very serious mat-

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

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

PNS n NEW DELHI

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

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

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

Ajanta Pharmaboard approvesup to Rs 286-crshare buyback

PNS n NEW DELHI

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

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

income countries (LMICs)including India.

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

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

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

Sun Pharma gets DCGInod to market molnupiravir

PNS n MUMBAI

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

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

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

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

On the domestic equitymarket front, the BSE Sensex

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

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

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

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

Rupee jumps 34 paise to closeat 74.66 against US dollar

PNS n NEW DELHI

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

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

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

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

Covovax approval to strengthenimmunization efforts in India,

PNS n NEW DELHI

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

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

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

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

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

Withdraw permissions given to Amazon, Flipkart-Walmart : SJM

9

Vijayawada | Wednesday December 29, 2021 what’s brewing?

roducer-actor NikhilDwivedi is all set tobankroll a film based onthe life of superstarRajesh Khanna.The producer has

acquired the rights to GautamChintamani’s book Dark Star: TheLoneliness Of Being Rajesh Khanna.The screen adaptation will be direct-ed by Farah Khan, who will alsoscript the film along with GautamChintamani. However, the casting ofthe film is underway.

Shedding light on the develop-ment, Nikhil Dwivedi said: “Yes, I’veacquired the rights to GautamChintamani’s book, Dark Star, andI’m in talks with Farah Khan tomake the film. That’s all I can say fornow. As and when any major devel-

opment happens, I’ll be happy toshare because I’m really very excitedabout bringing Rajesh Khanna’sstory to the big screen.”

Born Jatin Khanna, and affection-ately called Kaka by his industryfriends, he was quite a complex per-sonality, and unfortunately, misun-derstood by many. The actor isknown for delivering 17 mammothblockbusters in succession, whichresulted in mass hysteria, especiallyamong his female followers, back inthe 1970s.Talking about the project,Farah Khan said: “Yes I have readGautam’s book and it’s very fascinat-ing. It’s definitely an exciting story.”

However, she declined to enlistthe details of the project, saying,“We are in a conversation over thisbut I cannot comment more.”

Nikhil Dwivedi to produce RajeshKhanna biopic directed by Farah Khan

new trailerfor WarnerBros’much-awaitedThe

Batman teases analliance of sortsbetween RobertPattinson’s titularsuperhero and ZoeKravitz’s Catwoman.The studio droppedthe surprising newtrailer for the MattReeves-directoriallate on Monday, teas-ing the scheme ofthings being plannedby the film’s mainantagonist, TheRiddler, played byPaul Dano.

Titled The Bat andThe Cat, the traileropens with a womancasually chastisingPattinson’s BruceWayne for not doing

enough for the wel-fare of the society asan influential figure.But unbeknownst toher, the trailer showsthat Wayne moon-lights as Batman, tak-ing on the mob andthe corrupt. It thenshows a masked fig-ure, The Riddler, whowants to reachBatman for anunknown reason.While his motivationsand their connectionto Wayne’s family isstill unknown, hisultimate goal hasbeen made clear bythe trailer. TheRiddler wants todestroy Gotham foronce and all.

The trailer hints atan uneasy alliancebetween Pattinson’sWayne aka Batmanand Kravitz's Selina

Kyle aka Catwoman.There are a few shotsin the trailer of thepair fighting.

It ends with anaction scene ofBatman andCatwoman workingtogether. In between,there are few scenesfeaturing ColinFarrell as Oswald“Oz” Cobblepot akaPenguin, JeffreyWright as JamesGordon, Andy Serkisas Alfred Pennyworthand Alex Ferns asCommissioner PeteSavage.

The Batman willalso feature JohnTurturro as CarmineFalcone and PeterSarsgaard as GilColson. The moviewill be released byWarner Bros Pictureson March 4, 2022.

ritish star Jessica Henwickhas heaped praise on her TheMatrix Ressurections co-starPriyanka Chopra Jonas andcalled her very professional,talented and stylish.

Reminiscing about meeting Priyanka onthe sets of the film, starring KeanuReeves, Henwick in a conversation withIANS said: “I love her. She is so sweet.Bless her, her first day on set was noteasy.” The 29-year-old actress said thatPriyanka had to deliver a 10-page mono-logue, which she described as not easy.

“They (makers) gave her like a 10-pagemonologue and it was just her talking infront of us and she knocked out the partshe absolutely smashed it. She is very tal-ented, professional, very stylish and verylovely,” Henwick added.

Henwick’s filmography boasts of pro-jects such as Star Wars: The ForceAwakens, On the Rocks, Love andMonsters and Game of Thrones to name afew.

How different was to work on a filmlike The Matrix Ressurections?

“How different: A lot of the worlds Ihave played in have to give thanks to theMatrix.. The Matrix changed film andstyle music and the lexicon.. It impactedeverything so... Yes, it is different but I amsure a lot of my work has been payinghomage to the Matrix.”

Distributed by Warner Bros Pictures,the film also stars Carrie-Anne Moss,Lambert Wilson, Jada Pinkett Smith,Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Jessica Henwick,Jonathan Groff and Neil Patrick Harris.

apper Kanye West hasbought a house across thestreet from KimKardashian.Although the former cou-ple, who have four chil-

dren together, are currently goingthrough a divorce, they haveremained amicable and Kanye hassplurged $4.5 million on the proper-ty in Hidden Hills California, inorder to remain close to his family,reports femalefirst.co.uk.

Kanye, who has officially changedhis name to Ye, paid $421,000 morethan the original asking price so thathe could purchase the home directlyacross from where Kim lives withtheir children North, eight, Saint,six, Chicago, three and Psalm, two.

Kim, 41, and Kanye previouslyagreed to seek joint legal custody ofthe kids in their divorce, with asource explaining: “(Kim) wantsKanye to be a big part of the kids’lives. He will be invited to all holi-days and family celebrations.”

Earlier this month, Kim filed legaldocuments asking to be declaredlegally single as she and Kanye havefinished dividing up their assets.

She stated: “Irreconcilable differ-ences have existed and continue toexist between (West) and me, whichhave caused our marriage to irre-

trievably break down. No counselingor reconciliation effort will be of anyvalue at this time. There will be noprejudice to (West) if our marriage isimmediately dissolved, especiallygiven the fact that throughout ourmarriage, we adhered to the terms ofour premarital agreement and main-tained the separate property charac-ter of our assets.”

ra

bp

Kanye West buys house acrossstreet from Kim KardashianWarner Bros unveils new

trailer of The Batman

Jessica Henwick on Priyanka: She'svery talented, professional, stylish

Rules

ARCHIE

GARFIELD

SUDOKU

REALITY CHECK CROSSWORD

GINGER MEGGS

NANCY

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

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

Yesterday’s solution

CALVIN AND HOBBES

SPEED BUMP

FUN

L NIHARIKA

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

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

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

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

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

AJD has recently launched a new

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

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

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

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

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

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

AJD for the new-age brides

t

he salesof elec-tricvehiclessaw over

a two-fold increasein 2021. From newmanufacturing capacities, to newvehicle launches, this year saw manyinteresting things happening in theEV industry, and there’s a lot morein the pipeline! The Indian EVindustry had a solid run, marked byprogress and promise. Governmentshave stepped up incentives. Batterycharging infrastructure has strength-ened. Alternative solutions to publiccharging stations are being explored.High fuel prices are turning con-sumers towards EVs.

PLI scheme for the auto sector

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

FAME II amendment

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

Centre's scrappage policy

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

Changes in state EV policies

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

EV is thefuture!

t

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

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

Deceased donor organ transplantation(DDOT) — the challenges

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

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

Improving DDOT awareness and implemen-tation — potential solutions

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

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

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

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

Making every effort count

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

t

Deceased donors are savioursA collectioninspired by the magic hour

of the evening, House of Soiproudly presents to you their

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

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

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

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

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

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

of Soi.This is thebrands first

foray intocreating

piecesappropri-ate foreveningwearmadefromnaturalbemberg

crepeand have

added fab-rics like

mashru silkand shimmer

georgette in themix!

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

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

HOUSEOF SOI

PRESENTSNIGHTFALL

WednesdayDecember 29, 2021

Follow us on

@TheDailyPioneer

facebook.com/dailypioneer

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

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

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

several influential digital

marketing trends in 2021.Digital automation: We have often

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

Digital automation simply means

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The writer is Sahil Chopra, founder-CEO,iCubesWire

VIJAYAWADA | WEDNESDAY | DECEMBER 29, 2021 avenues 11

M I N D I T

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Girish SSinghaniaCEO EduBridge

The University ofStrathclyde is offeringthe MSc Psychology

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

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

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

Supporting documents:Submit academic transcriptsand copy of passport

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

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

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

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

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

the Faculty of Humanities &Social Sciences.

Application deadline: It isAugust 31, 2021.

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

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

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

All other documents andcertificates that are relevant tothe application

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

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

IELTS – 6.0How to apply: Students are

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The writer is Vinay Sharma,CEO-director, Convergia

The BITS Pilani WorkIntegrated LearningPrograms (WILP) division

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

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

The GraduateManagementAdmission

Council announcedthe additionalregistration windowfor the NMAT byGMAC exam starting

January 3-9, 2022. In its effort to

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

that GMAC isoffering anadditionalregistration window.

Candidates canlog on tomba.com/nmat toregister.

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

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

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

— AAshwani AAwasthi, MManaging DDirector, RRICS SSchool oof BBuilt

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

— AAmit NNigam, CCOO && EExecutive DDirector oof BBANKIT

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

— VVictor SSenapaty, CCo-FFounder oof PPropelld

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

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

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

— VVictor SSenapaty, CCo-FFounder oof PPropelld

5-DAY FACULTY DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME

REGISTRATION WINDOW FOR GMAC

WEBINAR ON FACTORS OF DHARMASHASTRA

INBRIEF QUOTEUNQUOTE

The Mahindra UniversitySchool of Law organised awebinar on the Three

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

Religion at Washingtonand LeeUniversity.ProfessorMadabhushiSridharAcharyulu,Dean, School

of Law, Dr ParomitaDas Gupta, Faculty at

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

“We are happy to havean academician of Professor

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

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

2021: Education & COVID-19

A tumultuous year

While education hasalways been givenprime importance in

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Taking baby steps

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

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

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

EdTech is fast becoming the game-

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

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

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

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

The gamechanger

Time to review

12

tollywoodVijayawada Wednesday December 29, 2021

hroughoutthe 200-plus dayshootingschedule ofRRR, Jr

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

The Telugufilm, set in thepre-independentIndia, fictionalises

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

Komaram

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

RRR is set to arrive in cinema halls onJanuary 7.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Karan also predictedthat Rajamouli’s

upcoming mag-num opus RRR

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

first day of itsHindi version

alone in India.

Karan Johar inawe of Allu Arjun’s

pan-India craze

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

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

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

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

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

sheet will be filed if thereis no reaction from

the actor,”Ravindra

said.Sai

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

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

K RAMYA SREE

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

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

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

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

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

nobody initially believedin him. I am very

happy the way

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

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

superhits.‘You are the rose that

spreads beauty and happi-ness to all the thorns

around’ dedicating this dia-logue from the

film to Sai Pallavi,Nani heaped praises for

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

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

Roy will not becompletely left to DilRaju unlike Jersey’.

Jersey is being producedby Dil Raju and Allu Aravindin Hindi.

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

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

Shyam

Singha Roy

may be remade

in Hindi

b

A

A

a

Legal notice issued to Sai Dharam Tej in bike accident case

t

Dhanush up for biopic on Rajinikanth

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