Hyderabad 1Sunday,March,13,2022

Pages : 6 Price: 1-00HyderabadVolume : 17 Issue No. 307 Sunday,March,13,2022Editor: MERUGU CHANDRAMOHAN

Amaravati: Chief Minister YS Jaganmohan Reddy said teachersshould never be used for programmes other than teaching in orderto ensure that the students’ studies are not affected. Participatingin a review programme of the Education department at his campoffice in Tadepalli here, he suggested that all the 26 new districts inthe state should have teacher training centres while the facilities atthe existing centres should be improved under the Nadu-Neduprogramme. He proposed that there should be two junior collegesin every mandal.Jagan reviewed the decisions taken under the neweducation policy, setting up of schools under six categories, map-ping, subject-wise teachers, English teaching, digital learning andother aspects. He suggested that all schools should have play-grounds. He also called for immediate implementation of skill devel-opment plans in the state. Minister for Education AdimoolapuSuresh, and officials attended the review meeting.

No non-teaching work for teachers: AP CMEven After 12 Years, YSRCP Yet to Strengthen Cadre BaseVijayawada: The ruling YSR

Congress is celebrating the12th formation day on Saturdayacross the state. There is jubi-lation among the rank and fileas it could not celebrate eventhe 10th anniversary due toCovid 19. The party came topower after a decade of its for-mation and the victory was his-torical as it had won 151 seatsout of 175.

Though the rank and file ofthe party are joining the cel-ebrations across the state, onequestion haunting the politicalanalysts or even the party

cadre is its failure to haveorganisational structure.

Even after 12 years, the partycould not build a structure fromthe grassroots to the districtsand state level.

The party’s cadre remainsunorganised or disorganisedeven today. But what keeps theparty winning the election isthe voter base. People havesympathy towards JaganMohan Reddy and the cadrehave commitment to their leader.

Unfortunately, there is nomechanism to convert sympa-thy into loyalty and commit-

ment to organised dedication.The Communist Parties or

even the TDP has such anorganised structure right fromthe village level to the statelevel.

The Left and TDP cadre arewell organised and they keepmeeting their leaders whichstrengthens the bond.

Look at the Dravidian par-ties like DMK which has astrong and organised cadrebase. The party may fail inthe elections some times, butthe organised cadre bringsthe party back to power.

KTR threatens to stop power and water supply to defenceareas if LMA continues to inconvenience peopleFrom Our Staff ReporterHyderabad: In a clear and loud

message to Central Govern-ment, Municipal Administra-tion and Urban DevelopmentMinister KT Rama Rao warnedthat power and water supplywould be cut to defence areasin Cantonment limits in the city,if the Local Military Authority(LMA) continued to cause in-convenience to residents byblocking roads and opposingdevelopment works.

Announcing this duringquestion hour in the Assemblyhere on Saturday, the Ministersaid instructions would be is-sued to Special Chief Secretaryto hold a meeting and take upsuch issues with LMA and ini-tiate stringent measures, if theydo not mend their ways.

Residents were being sub-jected to lot of inconvenienceby LMA due to blocking ofroads in Secunderabad Can-tonment limits. In addition tothese problems, checkdamswere constructed obstructingflow of water in the nalas.

He said that the defence au-thorities had constructed acheck dam in Langar Houz,where the Balkapur nala flowsinto the Hussainsagar, and thisstructure was posing a threatto Shahtham Tank.

As a means to ensure freeflow of water from Shahthamtank near Golconda Fort down-stream, a few works wereplanned but the ArcheologicalSurvey of India denied permis-sions, citing different reasons,he explained.

The Minister reminded thateven after 18 months not asingle paisa was released ascompensation after the floodsin October 2020 in the city. Ateam of Central Governmentofficials and elected public rep-resentatives had visited thecity and inspected different ar-

eas, which were affected dueto floods but there was no an-nouncement yet, he said.

The Centre does not give anyfinancial assistance and in ad-dition hurdles were created inexecution of different develop-ment works. Telangana wasbeing discriminated and treatedas if it was not part of India, hesaid. Considering all these is-sues and the problems faced byresidents due to the LMA ac-tions, the State Governmentwould be forced to take actionaccordingly, he said, adding“Power and water supply

would be cut to defence areasin Cantonment limits in thecity,” When TRS MLA KVenkatesh asked about theCentre’s contribution in theStrategic Nala DevelopmentProgramme being taken upin the city, the Minister re-plied that there was zerocontribution.

When financial assistancewas sought from Central Gov-ernment for execution of SNDPphase II works, the State Gov-ernment was asked to includethe works under Amrut phaseII works, the Minister said.

CJI NV Ramana lays foundation stone forconstruction of new building of IAMC-Hyderabad

From Our Staff ReporterHyderabad: Chief Justice of

India Justice NV Ramana laidfoundation stone and per-formed groundbreaking cer-emony for the construction ofa new building of the Interna-tional Arbitration and Media-tion Centre-Hyderabad (IAMC-H) coming up at Raidurg hereon Saturday. IAMC-Hyderabad is India’s first arbi-tration centre for alternate dis-pute resolution. It is currentlyoperating from a temporarycampus at Nanakramguda, fol-lowing its inauguration by Jus-tice Ramana along and ChiefMinister K Chadrashekhar Raoin December last year. Speak-

ing after laying the foundation,Justice NV Ramana thanked theTelangana government for al-locating a prime land in theheart of the city and also pro-viding Rs 50 crore for construc-tion of the IAMC-Hyderabad.He said the State governmenthas been very proactive andcooperative in establishment ofthe Centre which he hopedwould find its place alongsidereputed arbitration centresCentres in London, Singaporeand others abroad. He felt thatthe Hyderabad Centre is al-ready attracting lot of peopleseeking low-cost alternate dis-pute resolution systems. It willbe promoted at the fourth edi-

tion of the international confer-ence on ‘Arbitration in the Eraof Globalization’ to be held atDubai on March 19. SupremeCourt judges Justice L NageswaraRao and Justice Hima Kohli, SCformer judge Justice RVRaveendran, Telangana HighCourt Chief Justice Satish ChandraSharma, Ministers KT Rama Rao,Mohd Mahmood Ali, A IndrakaranReddy, Talasani Srinivas Yadav, PSabitha Indra Reddy and VSrinivas Goud, along withTelangana State Planning Boardvice-chairman B Vinod Kumar,Chief Secretary Somesh Kumarand judges from the TelanganaHigh Court were among the digni-taries who attended the ceremony.

New Delhi: Prime MinisterNarendra Modi who is on atwo-day visit to Gujarat deliv-ered the convocation addressat the Rashtriya Raksha Uni-versity in Gandhinagar`

s Lavad area on Saturday morning. In his address, he praisedthe security forces and under-lined their contribution toIndia's fight against the Covid-19 pandemic. Bedore his ad-dress at the University, PMtook on Twitter to express hisgratitude and informed that abuilding in the university willalso be dedicated to the nation.

Emphasizing the role of tech-nology in the security of thecountry PM said, "Technologyhas now become a potentialweapon in the security appara-tus. Mere physical training isnot enough to be in securityforces, now specially-abledpeople can also contribute to

the security sector despite notbeing physically fit."

"We have seen during thecovid pandemic, many police-men in uniform gave food andmedicines to the needy duringthe lockdown. People saw thehumane face of the police,"added PM Modi.

PM Modi suggested Policepersonnel should be trained ina way that changes the percep-tion of people about the police-men. "There's a perceptionabout police-stay away fromthem, the same isn't true aboutArmy. Imperative that Policemanpower should be trained ina way that they're amicable withpeople" Stressing on the needof reforms in the recruitment insecurity forces PM said, "Af-ter independence, recruitmentin law and order needed re-forms. Unfortunately, we wereleft behind."

'T'T'T'T'Technology has now become a potentialechnology has now become a potentialechnology has now become a potentialechnology has now become a potentialechnology has now become a potentialweapon in security apparatus': PMweapon in security apparatus': PMweapon in security apparatus': PMweapon in security apparatus': PMweapon in security apparatus': PM

Hyderabad 2Sunday,March,13,2022

EDITORIALEnglish Daily

The political project of Hindutva isup against many contradictions

The prime minister is the tallest politicalleader in the country today. The tremendousfaith that the masses have in him hashelped him sail through major policy fail-ures. In fact, failures such as demonetisation seem to have strengthened thepeople’s faith in him. The rise in fuel priceshas made no dent in this faith. Against thisbackdrop, one wonders why he didn’t usehis political capital and oratorical skills todissuade the devotees from coming toKumbh this year. Recently, the PM inter-acted with students and even offered tipsfor facing exams. Could he not have had asimilar dialogue with the devotees atKumbh? It would have certainly had someeffect on the number at Haridwar. The main-stream media could have repeatedly trans-mitted his appeal to the devotees. TheBJP’s all-powerful and efficient social me-dia could have played its role in making theprime minister’s message reach everynook and corner of the country. Followingthis massive campaign, the state adminis-tration could have imposed strict restric-tions. All this should have been tried as thestakes were very high. The prime ministercould have drawn upon the rich tradition ofthe Bhakti movement in the Hindu traditionto convince devotees that there are manypaths toward punya and moksha. But theprime minister chose not to do this. Thiscannot be without reason, and raises manydisturbing questions about the Indian stateand the present state of Hindu society. Itwas believed that unlike monolithic reli-gions such as Islam and Christianity, Hin-duism won’t pose any challenge to thesecular state. Thus, in the Indian context,the word “secular” was interpreted as sarvadharma sama bhava. The original mean-ing of secular seemed irrelevant in the In-dian context. Medieval Europe saw conclu-sive defeats of organised religion by theidea of a secular state. Religion got re-stricted to otherworldly faiths. This eman-cipation from the clutches of religion trig-gered progress in all walks of life. Such abattle was considered irrelevant in the In-dian context, as the religion of the majoritywas not monolithic, incapable of produc-ing a “dharmsatta”. This belief now needsserious reconsideration. The otherworldlyfaith of Hindus is giving rise to powerfuldharmsatta and the Indian state appearsweak facing it. The prime minister’s reluc-tance to appeal to the devotees shows thisweakness. It portends a precarious futurefor Hindus. Any political project to organisethe masses based on their religious iden-tities tends to use three strategies. One,cultivate in them a sense of victimhood.Two, cultivate suspicion — if not hatredagainst the people of other religions. Three,not just ignore the religious reformers butalso question their integrity. The last is im-portant as reformers challenge the ritualis-tic aspect of religion that makes organisingaround religion difficult. It is no wonder thatthe abusive language that was hurled atNarendra Dabholkar soon after his assas-sination was not condemned by any main-stream Hindutva organisation. Contrastingthe failure of the state to exercise any con-trol at the Kumbh with that of thePandharpur Yatra in Maharashtra is instruc-tive. The state government tried its best topersuade the “varkaris” to suspend theyatra this year. After sustained efforts, thegovernment succeeded. This was not amean achievement, as the Pandharpur Yatra has a long tradition and is an inherentpart of Maharashtra’s culture. The prime minister too must have wished that the holybath at the Kumbh should be avoided thisyear. But he couldn’t appeal to the devoteesto do so, fearing probably that it would hurtthe sentiments of the Hindu vote bank. Timeshave changed and his fears may not be un-founded. This is the inevitable fallout of theHindutva ideology. Ironically, the political ide-ology that made Narendra Modi the mostpowerful leader in the country has also cur-tailed his power at this crucial moment. Theprice to be paid could be heavy.

Covid-19 vaccination of the Indian peopleis the emergency task at the moment

A total of 24,882 newCovid-19 infections onMarch 12, the highest thisyear; active cases cross 2lakh again. That's theprogress of a pandemicwhich likes to kill in waves.Yup, fears are Covid-19 willnot go far from where we live,whether that's in Timbuctu,New York, London or Punein Maharashtra, the city nest-ling in the shadow of theRaigarh Fort, which oncewas house to ChatrapatiShivajiji Maharaj. Yes, Punegives the creeps to thoserunning away from thecoronavirus. For, wherewould/can you run wheneast, west, north and south,whichever direction youhead, there's coronaviruslying in wait!

And India's Covid-19numbers we thought hadsomewhat stabilized withsome government officialsgoing to the extent of lettingit out that the war was al-most won and two doses ofvaccine to each Indian willlay cold the coronavirus,eradicate the cussed crea-ture which they say is inani-mate but somehow seems tohave the ability to multiplyand carry forward it's un-holy, unmitigated agenda,infect in millions and mil-lions and kill in the tens ofthousands. And the rascalthat it is, the wretch is mu-tating like its dead inanimatelife depends on having asmany variants as it can be-come.

Now, there's a race on totake into account all the vari-ants, from the Brazil one tothe United Kingdom variantto the South African kind,and lay them all out coldwith one or more vaccines.But things aren't any moreclearer or easier than theywere. Cool, our scientists,i.e., humankind's scientistsare trying their best andthat's the only happy noteto this lousy Covid-19 sym-phony that we have beenforced to listen to ever sincefrom when the creep es-caped Wuhan in China toget ahold of the world, thefirst of the coronavirus vari-ant, the mother of all the vari-ants!

And, now, we hear dead-lier versions of the variantswill emerge and then therewill be no end to the pan-

demic unless the Quad planto beat Covid-19 succeeds.Yup, the Quad has decidedto take on the progeny of the'China Virus' though it willbe only in the Indo-Pacificregion, where thecoronavirus will be takenhead-on. This despite PrimeMinister Narendra Modi tell-ing President Joe Biden that,India was signatory, the solesignatory, to the ancient dip-lomatic pact that the wholeworld was one single'Vasudevakutumbakam!'

President Biden, ofcourse, could not have madehead or tail of what PrimeMinister Modi was talkingabout, all he must haveheard must have soundedlike gibberish fromHindustan. By the way, theday an American Presidentrefers to India as'Hindustan', that day Indiansshould do a triple and a halfsomersault just for the funand happiness of it. For now,let it sink that the US, Japanand Australia have decidedthat India should be two bil-lion doses of the Covid-19vaccines should be pro-duced! That must giveChina, which wanted to bethe world's pharmacy forCovid-19 vaccines, morethan a crick in the neck.China's mood-shifts eversince the coronavirusstarted on its world tour havebeen confounding to saythe least. As it is, Chinalaunched vaccine diplomacyto take advantage of Wuhan,but came up against India's'vaccine maitri' and sincethen India's friendship withChina has taken a beatingand plummeted way belowthe bottom of Pangong TsoLake in Ladakh.

Not many countries itseems want to test Chinesevaccines on their citizens.The Chinese are mighty dis-pleased. Even Pakistan,China's all-weather friendwith sweeter than naturalhoney talk between them,wants to take no risks withChinese vaccines and hasreached out to India for a fewmillion doses of Covishieldor Covaxin. It's all over theSocial Media and the othernight Arnab Goswami onRepublic TV laughed at acouple of Pakistanis, mock-ing them for being dirt poorand up the Dubai Creek with-

out a billion dollar paddle!It's not for nothing that

some if not many peopleconsider Arnab Goswamiobnoxious-ner than the mostvirulent variant of thecoronavirus. The only per-sons who never get thecross-eyes from Arnab isPrime Minister NarendraModi and Amit Shah, andoccasionally the smoothpate of Uttar Pradesh, YogiAdityanath, who one dayhopes to step into Modi'sshoes, but realises that therecould be a big fat alternativeto him in the interregnum.

So. If Prime MinisterNarendra Modi has justkicked off the 75th anniver-sary celebrations of India'sIndependence, which will fallin 2022, Yogi Adityanath hasannounced that the 100thanniversary will be cel-ebrated with even morepomp and show than Modi's75th extravaganza. Ofcourse, by then, a wholebunch of the present livingwould have become anniver-saries themselves! But theYogi will likely be around, ifhe takes care to maintainsocial distancing and if thecoronavirus variants haveall been accounted for in thenext 25 years.

By the way, isn't it nice tohear Modi take PanditJawaharlal Nehru's name inappreciation. At least somemedia are going gaga at thelatest Dandi March, version2021, kicked off by NarendraModi, during which Modisaid Pandit Nehru was aswell guy, one of them whoguided India to Indepen-dence. By the way, again,Modi does a lot of whatlooks and sounds like eventmanagement. Are they partof a Prime Minister's duties?Just asking, don't get ballis-tic, like the Chinese. Lastheard the Chinese PLA hadleft Ladakh for warmerclimes.

Remember we are living ina fearful state. People every-where are a scared lot. Petri-fied of the invisible dangerin and around them. Andthis begger has the knack toget airborne. We live in hardtimes folks. There's the pan-demic. And there are the vac-cines, which millions takebut millions more don't trust.Yup. People in the lakhs arenot taking the vaccine at face

value. Hundreds of thou-sands from the ranks of theopposition parties have re-fused to because they sayit's a BJP vaccine. So far, theBJP has not refuted thecharge!

But don't forget unless asizeable chunk of the popu-lation does not take the vac-cine there will be no herdimmunity to keep thecoronavirus at arm's length.The wretched rascal will bearound come the 75th, andeven the 100th anniversaryof India's Independence.Globally, more than 11.84crore people have been in-fected by the coronavirusso far and 26.28 lakh havedied. But only a fraction ofthe global population hasbeen vaccinated. India's sec-ond phase of vaccinationdrive is currently on. Every-one above 60 years of ageand those over 45 yearswith comorbidities are beingvaccinated.

But is everyone actuallybeing vaccinated? The an-swer to that is an emphaticNO! The Government hasnot given a diktat that ev-eryone will be vaccinated,that it is a must to get vacci-nated. Government officialsare not going door to doorto pull people out for vacci-nation. Request them or or-der them. The governmentis afraid, petrified, that tensof thousands in every local-ity would rise in opposition.So, it's leaving it to thepeople to decide for them-selves. This kind of "left tothe people operation" willwork in a developed coun-try, but not in a developingthird world country whereilliteracy is a byword andsuperstition an ingredient ofthe daily nightgrandmother's tale.

According to the UnionHealth Ministry, the cumu-lative number of COVID-19vaccine doses administeredin India had crossed 2.56crore till March 12, 2021.That accounts for how manyof the 1.35 billion or 135 croreIndians? The alarming factis that millions upon millionsof Indians are not taking thevaccine and don't intend togo for vaccination! TheModi Government's reluc-tance to compel Indians toget vaccinated will be thedeath of it. (IPA Service)

Lady judge who destroyedcliches of women's equalityJustice Indu Malhotra,

who retired the other dayafter a distinguished three-year tenure as a SupremeCourt judge, produced whatmany considered as an out-rageous verdict on theSabarimala women's entry,but subsequent develop-ments on the vexed issuecompletely bear her out.

Despite her unmatchedachievement as a lady of theBar to be only the secondwoman to be named SeniorAdvocate - former DelhiHigh Court chief justice LeilaSeth was the first - duringher busy law practice andthe first ever lady advocateto be directly elevated as aSupreme Court judge, Jus-tice Indu Malhotra penneda dissenting Sabarimala ver-dict, which opposed the en-try of women into the sacredhill shrine of Lord Ayyappa,vowed to remain celibate for-ever, something that womenactivists have been eyeingas the ultimate symbol ofequality with men. The age-old custom at the temple,situated in a deep forest, pre-vented women of menstru-ating ages from entering theprecincts, where devotees

go on an arduous pilgrimageat the end of a rigorous 41-day fasting.

Justice Indu Malhotrastated unequivocally in herjudgment that issues whichhave deep religious conno-tation should not be tinkeredwith to maintain secular at-mosphere and argued howthe right to equality cannotbe the only touchstone totest religious customs andpractices.

"Equal treatment underArticle 25 is conditioned bythe essential beliefs andpractises of any religion.Equality in matters of reli-gion must be viewed in thecontext of the worshippersof the same faith. In a plural-istic society comprising ofpeople with diverse faiths,beliefs and traditions, to en-tertain PILs challenging reli-gious practices followed byany group, sect or denomi-nation, could cause seriousdamage to the constitutionaland secular fabric of thiscountry," she wrote in herdissenting note.

Unfortunately, JusticeMalhotra's solid reasoningfailed to find favour with themajority and as such could

not influence the final ver-dict, which held that the agerestriction on women's en-try at Sabarimala was a non-essential religious practiceas the Ayyppa devotees didnot constitute a distinct reli-gious denomination differ-ent from other Hindu faithsthat could justify such ex-clusion as essential.

Although the verdict ap-peared to have settled theissue for good, the gravityof issues Justice InduMalhotra raised continuedto agitate. The massivepost-verdict conflict over-whelmed the Kerala society,forcing a deep division, of-ten accompanied by vio-lence and law and orderproblems.

The tactless assertionsby the state governmentthat the court order wouldbe implemented at any costonly led to the confronta-tion getting aggravated.The ruling Left DemocraticFront had to pay dearly forits stand, as it was routedin the Lok Sabha electionsthat followed. The stategovernment has since goneback on its obduracy andstatus quo has been re-

stored at the temple for allpractical purposes.

Over 50 review petitionsagainst the 4-1 majority ver-dict prompted a SupremeCourt constitutional benchto hear the arguments in theopen court, the first timesomething like that hap-pened in the case of revisionpetitions, underlining thevital importance of pointsraised by Indu Malhotra. Aninterim verdict pronouncedby the then Chief JusticeRanjan Gogoi, referred thematter to an even biggerconstitutional bench. It ex-panded the scope of the is-sue raised in the clutch ofreview petitions challengingthe 2018 September verdictupholding the right ofwomen of all ages to pray atSabarimala to include almosteverything that is related toreligions and religious prac-tices when it comes to con-stitutional propriety.

Accordingly, theSabarimala issue has beencombined with entry ofMuslim women in a Durgah/Mosques as well as the re-striction on Parsi womenmarried to a non-Parsi intoto visit the holy fire place

State of distrustThe Jammu and Kashmir administration’s recent or-

der aimed at the dismissal of government employeeswho apparently pose a security threat, is not just dra-conian in itself, it also contradicts claims by the topleadership of the country that “terrorism has ended”and the people of Kashmir are now fully integratedwith the rest of the country. Under the order, a SpecialTask Force will engage with members of a Terror Moni-toring Group to compile a list of employees to sack,and recommend these employees to a committee fordismissal. That this being done under existing Consti-tutional provisions — Article 311(2)(c) — does not makeit any nobler. Article 311 of the Constitution lays outthe conditions under which a government employeecan be dismissed from service. While clause 2 pro-vides that this shall be preceded by an inquiry in whichthe person will be given a reasonable opportunity topresent his side of the story, sub section (c) providesthat an inquiry can be waived by the President or theGovernor. In other words, summary dismissal. Evenaccepting the argument that this is being done be-cause of the security threat posed by such an em-ployee, it is most arbitrary, and highly likely to be mis-used.

The security threat ground is troubling. The settingup of a STF seems to suggest that a number of gov-ernment employees are terrorist sympathisers. Whatis the definition of security threat? If there are really somany bad apples, then the government has not toldthe nation of the scale of the problem in Kashmir. Ifthe issue is that a section of employees is politicallyseparatist-minded, ejecting them from government ser-vice may not solve the problem. Plus there is no guar-antee that those who replace them would not havesimilar views. Is the administration going to turn into athought police?

Through this order, the J&K administration has madean unwitting admission — the place has been dressedup with bonsai Assemblies in each district, namelydirectly elected District Development Councils, andthe tulips are in full bloom, but the task of winning overthe people remains. The more the government usesthe stick to “discipline”, the less it is going to succeedin persuading people to think what it wants them to. Itis not without reason that the most successful nation-states today are democracies. When people are freeto hold a political view of their choice and have thefreedom to express it, even when such views seem togo against the interests of the state, they make forbetter integrated citizens.

Centre’s second shotThe Centre’s Covid-19 vaccine strategy revolving

around differential pricing and decentralised procure-ment needs to be reworked for an effective expansionof the vaccination programme. The Covid vaccine is apublic good and the Centre has to helm its rollout asthe target group expands to all those above 18 begin-ning May 1. The Centre must anchor the purchases— negotiate factory gate prices, but subsidise theconsumer — and distribute among states. The key isto decentralise distribution, not procurement.

The clamour for decentralisation revolved around pro-viding states greater flexibility in the rollout of the vac-cination drive — if a state deems it necessary to vac-cinate one sub-set of population given the peculiargeographic and demographic spread of the infected,then so be it. It was not to create 28 separate stateentities negotiating with a private manufacturer for apublic good. This needlessly complicates the process.Who will be given priority? Surely, it can’t be first come,first served. Neither can it based on the quantum oforder placed. Who will decide on allocation of vac-cines across 28 states and eight Union Territories?Cannot be the sales directors of vaccine manufactur-ers. What is needed is to avoid a repeat of the oxygencrisis — state governments, guided by their consider-ations, blocking vaccine trucks from leaving their terri-tories, causing anxiety in other parts of the country.Or, rushing to several High Courts for supplies andthen waiting for the honourable Supreme Court to makesense of it! Because the fact is vaccine stocks arelimited, and it has to be rationed. The vaccine baskethas all of two vaccines, the new ones are weeks, if notmonths away. The anxiety of several state govern-ments isn’t misplaced.

A more prudent approach would be to rely on a judi-cious mix of centralisation and decentralisation. Yes,some states and experts may have asked for a glori-ous free market for vaccines unmindful of the stocksand the science. But it is surprising the Centre tookthat simplistic suggestion so seriously. What is neededis a single government body (Centre and states) ne-gotiating with vaccine manufacturers both prices andquantity, with states empowered to pursue a distribu-tion strategy they deem fit. Of course, prices at whichvaccines are bought should be high enough toincentivise manufacturers to ramp up production – al-truism is no business model. But the pricing distinc-tion made between Central and state governments —both represent the people — should be dispensed with.Private hospitals are integral to the rollout and theirsupplies should be under the regulatory eye of govern-ments — the CoWin platform will anyway register eachvaccination. Irrespective of price, vaccines to end us-ers can and should be subsidised by governments.Once the vaccine basket expands — and expand itwill — there is merit in providing greater flexibility.Considering that vaccine is the only stimulus the coun-try needs, at this critical juncture, the Centre needs totake a second shot on the strategy.

Hyderabad 3Sunday,March,13,2022

TikTok’s founder net worth soars to $60 billionOverall, the revenue of

ByteDance grew2x last year after the com-

pany expanded its play intoareas such as ecommerceand online gaming.

TikTok’s parent companyByteDance founder ZhangYiming has become one ofthe richest men in the world,despite the firm's cashingcow TikTok remaining in hotsoup throughout last year.

According to theBloomberg Billionaires In-dex, he is worth $60 billionand is as rich as Chinesebottled-water king ZhongShanshan and the Waltonand Koch families in the US.

Yiming's sudden accumu-lation of wealth has comeafter ByteDance was report-edly valued at $250 billion inthe private market.

In 2020, TikTok was fac-ing its most challenging time.

The Indian governmentbanned the short video app,and the Trump administra-tion tried its best to forceByteDance to sell its US op-erations to an Americanfirm.

Meanwhile, there hasbeen increased scrutiny ofChinese authorities on thecountry's technology com-panies. Despite all the pres-sure, ByteDance has grownamid the pandemic, which

increased the appetite ofinternet users.

Overall, the revenue ofByteDance grew 2x last yearafter the company expandedits play into areas such asecommerce and online gam-ing. The firm is now plan-ning to list some of its busi-ness via an initial public of-fering (IPO).

Ma Rui, partner at VC firmSynaptic Ventures report-edly said, “Zhang is some-

one who’s known for think-ing long-term and not easilydissuaded by short-termsetbacks.

” He further added thatZhang is set on building anenduring, global business.

There are some rumours inthe industry that in the pri-vate market, ByteDance in-vestors were asking for theequivalent of a $350 billionvaluation to part with theirshares.

Ola Electric’s upcominge-scooter to hit roads by July 2021

Aggarwal said that OlaElectric won’t share itscharging network with otherelectric vehicle players, andonly its customers will beable to use the facility.

On Thursday, Ola Electricrevealed its plans on howthe firm is planning to domi-nate the electric vehiclespace in India with OlaHypercharger Networkwhich is the charging net-work for its upcoming two-wheelers.

The company is yet tolaunch its first product in themarket. It is planning tolaunch electric scooters, asits first vehicle in India aswell as global markets byJuly 2021, according to a re-

port by Mint.Ola Electric claims that

Ola Hypercharger Net-work is going to be thewidest and densest elec-tric two-wheeler chargingnetwork in the world. Thecompany will set up over100,000 charging pointsacross 400 cities underthe plan.

It is planning to set upmore than 5,000 chargingpoints across 100 cities inIndia in the first yearalone. This is more thandouble the existing charg-ing points in the country,according to a report byBusiness Standard.

Bhavish Aggarwal,chairman and group CEO,

said, “Electric is the future ofmobility and we are reimaginingthe entire user experience ofowning an electric vehicle. Ourplans to build a comprehensivecharging network is a key pieceof this.”

As of now, companies likeAther Energy, Hero Electric,and TVS Motor Company,among others are selling two-

wheeler electric vehicles inthe country.

Aggarwal said that OlaElectric won’t share itscharging network with otherelectric vehicle players, andonly its customers will beable to use the facility. “Bycreating the world’s largestand densest 2-wheelercharging network.

Ford India increasesprice of its entire line-up

The Figo is now sellingfrom 5.82 lakh to Rs 8.37 lakh(all prices, ex-showroom,New Delhi).

Ford India has become thelatest automaker in the coun-try that has hiked the pricesof its entire line-up, includ-ing its best-sellers such asFigo, EcoSport and the En-deavour. Rates of FordFreestyle and Aspire havealso been revised.

This is the second hikeintroduced by Ford in 2021.The new rates are effectivefrom April 2021, and variesacross different models. Theprice of its bestseller Figohas hiked by Rs 18,000across all variants. Notably,Freestyle is now expensiveby Rs 18,000.

Figo as well as Freestylecome with 1.2-litre petrol en-gines along with a five-speed manual gearbox intheir standard versions.However, Ford Figo’s enginegenerates power of 96 PSand a torque of 119 Nm,while Freestyle’s engine gen-erates 100 PS power and 215Nm torque.

With the price revision,

Freestyle is now retailingfrom Rs 7.27 lakh to Rs 9.02lakh, depending on the vari-ant. Meanwhile, the Figo isnow selling from 5.82 lakh toRs 8.37 lakh (all prices, ex-showroom, New Delhi).

Prices of Ford Aspire havebeen increased by Rs 3,000.The sedan is now retailingat Rs 7.27 lakh to Rs 8.72 lakh(ex-showroom, New Delhi).

Amazon Prime hits 200M users globallyIn his final annual letter to

Amazon`s shareholders onThursday, Bezos who will bereplaced by former AWShead Andy Jassy as Ama-zon CEO this year, said thatcustomers have connectedmore than 100 million smarthome devices to Alexa.

New Delhi: Amazon Primehas reached a user base of200 million, according to theoutgoing CEO Jeff Bezos,which is an increase of over50 million during the pan-demic only.

In his final annual letterto Amazon`s shareholderson Thursday, Bezos whowill be replaced by formerAWS head Andy Jassy asAmazon CEO this year, saidthat customers have con-nected more than 100 mil-lion smart home devices toAlexa.

"Last year, we hired

500,000 employees and nowdirectly employ 1.3 millionpeople around the world.We have more than 200 mil-lion Prime members world-wide. More than 1.9 millionsmall and medium-sizedbusinesses sell in our store,and they make up close to60 per cent of our retailsales," Bezos informed.

"Customers have con-nected more than 100 mil-

lion smart home devices toAlexa. Amazon Web Ser-vices serves millions of cus-tomers and ended 2020 witha $50 billion annualised runrate," he added.

Bezos said that Amazonhas created $1.6 trillion ofwealth for share owners.

On the Cloud servicesvertical, Bezos said thatacross AWS`s entire 2020revenue of $45 billion, "that

30 per cent would imply cus-tomer value creation of $19billion (what would havecost them $64 billion on theirown cost $45 billion fromAWS).

"To be conservative here(and remembering we`re re-ally only trying to getballpark estimates), I`ll sayit`s the same and call AWScustomer value creation $38billion in 2020. Adding AWS

and consumer togethergives us total customervalue creation in 2020 of $164billion," he noted.

According to him, thisvalue creation is not a zero-sum game.

"It is not just movingmoney from one pocket toanother. Draw the box bigaround all of society, andyou`ll find that invention isthe root of all real value cre-ation. And value created isbest thought of as a metricfor innovation," Bezosstressed.

On the Cloud servicesvertical, Bezos said thatacross AWS's entire 2020revenue of $45 billion, "that30 per cent would imply cus-tomer value creation of $19billion (what would havecost them $64 billion on theirown cost $45 billion fromAWS).

Kia Sonet SUV clocks more than 25,000units in the first three months of 2021

The price of Kia SonetSUV starts at ?6.79 lakh (ex-showroom) and the top-specmodel costs ?13.19 lakh (ex-showroom).

Kia Motors continue togrow in India with the helpof its two SUVs - Seltos andSonet. The Sonet sub-com-pact SUV, which waslaunched in August lastyear, has been one of thecornerstone of Kia’s suc-cess within a very short spanof time. The carmaker soldmore than 25,000 units Sonetsub-compact SUV in India inthe first three months of thisyear.

Kia sold 8,498 units ofSonet SUVs in March 2021.It was a 6% month-on-monthgrowth for the SUV as com-pared to 7,997 units sold inFebruary 2021. In January.Kia sold 8,859 units of Sonetsub-compact SUV. Overall,Kia Sonet clocked 25,354units between January andMarch this year.

Sonet had burst into thesub-compact segment in In-dia with a bang last year andits rise since then has beenso meteoric that it now con-tributes almost 50 per centof the Korean carmaker’s to-tal monthly sales. Sonet wasthe reason why Kia Motorshad recorded a 50% year-on-year growth in November.

The price of Kia SonetSUV starts at ?6.79 lakh (ex-showroom). The top-specmodel costs ?13.19 lakh (ex-

showroom). The Sonet SUVcompetes with the likes ofMaruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza,Hyundai Venue, NissanMagnite, Renault Kiger,Tata Nexon as well asMahindra XUV300.

The Kia Sonet is availablein three engines in the In-dian market. These include1.0-litre turbo-petrol, 1.2-litrepetrol, and 1.5-litre diesel. Its1.0-litre turbo-petrol gener-ates power of 117 Bhp and172 Nm of torque. Its engineis equipped with a dual-clutch automatic transmis-sion. At the same time, its1.2-litre petrol engine gener-ates 81 Bhp of power and 115Nm of torque.

Its engine is equippedwith a 5-speed manual trans-mission. The 1.5-litre dieselengine generates 113 Bhp ofpower and 250 Nm of torqueand is mated to a 6-speedmanual transmission. It hasthe option of a 6-speedtorque converter with a die-sel engine.

Sonet also offers one ofthe most feature loaded cab-ins in the segment. It has a10.25-inch HD infotainmentscreen, UVO connectivityoptions, Bose seven-speaker system with sub-woofer, LED Sound MoodLamps, wireless smartphonecharger with cooling func-tion, ventilated front seats,air purifier, and much more.Among safety features, KiaSonet comes with six

airbags, ABS with EBD, Ve-hicle Stability Management,Electronic Stability Control,Hill-Start Assist Control andBrake Assist.

During the launch eventof Kia Sonet, the Koreancarmaker said that its latestoffering in India is clockingaround 1,000 bookings on anaverage every day. Kia hasset an ambitious target ofselling one lakh Kia SonetSUVs in India and exporting50,000 units in the first yearitself.

The introductory price of?6.71 lakh is for Sonet's baseHTE variant. Price extendsup to ?11.99 lakh for the topof the line GTX+ variant.

The Sonet will be madeavailable in two trim con-cepts - Tech Line trim andGT Line trim - as previouslyseen with the Seltos. Whilethe Tech Line has been re-served for the lower and mid-spec variants, the GT Linewill be added on to thehigher-spec variants. More-over there will be as manyas seven colour optionsalong with three dual-tonecolour themes.

Kia Sonet SUV comespacked with features. Thecompany claims it has morethan 30 segment-first fea-tures. Besides, it is only thesecond carmaker to intro-duce the iMT technology inits cars after Hyundai intro-duced it in Venue subcom-pact SUV.

Zomato’s non-profit arm joins hands with Delhivery to take on COVID-19All the funds raised by

Feeding India will be di-rected towards the cause, asZomato is bearing the entireadministrative costs.

At a time when severalbrands are coming up withtheir initiative to help Indiafight the Covid-19 crisis,Zomato’s not-for-profit armFeeding India has inked apartnership with Delhiveryto source oxygen concen-trators to hospitals acrossthe country.

Announcing the partner-ship on Twitter, Zomato’sco-founder Deepinder Goyalsaid that both the compa-nies will also aim to deliverother important Covid-19related supplies to hospitalsand families.

"We have alreadykickstarted the effort, andnow need your help to raise

Rs 50 crores for@FeedingIndia in the nextfew days (hours?) to savehundreds of thousands oflives. If we raise more, we willget more oxygen," Goyalsaid on Twitter.

Domestic donors canhead over to the FeedingIndia website to make dona-tions while the platform willsoon open for internationaldonors, Goyal said on Twit-ter.

All the funds raised byFeeding India will be di-rected towards the cause, asZomato is bearing the entireadministrative costs. Till thetime of writing, the not forprofit organisation hadraised over Rs 50 lakh of theRs 50 crore target.

Meanwhile, logistics firmDelhivery is working to im-port oxygen concentrators

from China, with the aim tofulfil the unprecedented de-mand for life-saving gas. ADelhivery spokespersontold Economic Times that thecompany is providing logis-tical support on an urgentand subsidised basis, and

not importing the material it-self.

“We are going to fly thesecharters at subsidised pricesto ensure that a capacitycrunch on air freight doesnot delay or make the logis-tics of these essential items

prohibitive. Besides the airmovement, we will also helpwith local movement at bothends and assist with cus-toms clearance, againthrough partners, in India,”the spokesperson wasquoted as saying.

Fuel prices remain unchanged for 11th straight dayCentral government

makes up for Rs 32.98 per li-tre of the price of petrol inDelhi and sales tax or VATof the state governmentconstitutes Rs 19.55. Fordiesel, the central exciseadds up to Rs 31.83 and VATto Rs 10.99. Besides, theprice also includes a dealercommission of a minimum Rs2.6 per litre on petrol and Rs2 on diesel.

New Delhi: Petrol and die-sel prices remained un-changed for the eleventhconsecutive day on Mon-day, as oil marketing compa-nies kept rates on hold.

Petrol price on Thursday(April 15) was cut by 16 paiseper litre and diesel by 14paise -- the fourth minor re-duction in rates in threeweeks that followed sixmonths of relentless priceincreases. Petrol now costsRs 90.40 per litre in Delhi,down from Rs 90.56, accord-ing to a price notification ofstate-owned fuel retailers. Alitre of diesel comes for Rs80.73 per litre as against Rs80.87 previously.

Petrol prices have goneup by a record Rs 21.58 perlitre in the last one year whilediesel prices have increasedby Rs 19.18 a litre.

Here is looking at the pricedifference of diesel andpetrol in four metro cities onApril 26, 2021.

Central governmentmakes up for Rs 32.98 per li-tre of the price of petrol inDelhi and sales tax or VATof the state governmentconstitutes Rs 19.55.

For diesel, the central ex-cise adds up to Rs 31.83 andVAT to Rs 10.99. Besides,the price also includes adealer commission of a mini-mum Rs 2.6 per litre on petroland Rs 2 on diesel.

Petrol and diesel prices arerevised on a daily basis inline with benchmark interna-tional price and foreign ex-change rates. This is the firstcut in the month of Aprilwhile Crude Oil has nowcrossed $ 66 per barrel in theinternational market.

Brent crude futures fell 8cents, or 0.1%, to $66.03 abarrel by 0058 GMT, follow-

ing a 1.1% rise on Friday.U.S. West Texas Intermedi-ate (WTI) crude futureswere down 4 cents, or 0.1%,at $62.10 a barrel, after rising1.2% on Friday. Both bench-mark crudes fell about 1%last week, a Reuters reportsaid. OMC have decided topause price revision as theywant to watch the crudeprice movement that hasnow fallen to around $62.5 abarrel from remaining abovethis level in much of the last

week. Across the country aswell the petrol and dieselprice remain static on Satur-day but its retail levels var-ied depending on the levelof local levies on respectivestates. In Mumbai,

petrol continues to bepriced at Rs 96.98 a litre anddiesel at Rs 87.96 a litre. Pre-mium petrol, however, con-tinues to remain over Rs 100a litre in the city as is thecase with several citiesacross the country.

Thereafter, fuel priceshave remained unchanged.Earlier, petrol and dieselprices increased 26 times in2021 with the two auto fuelsincreasing by Rs 7.46 and Rs7.60 per litre, respectively, sofar this year.

Officials in public sectoroil companies said that re-tail price may rise again ifcrude and product pricespick up but for now it willfall or remain static for fewmore days.

Hyderabad 4Sunday,March,13,2022

Burj Khalifa lights up to showcasesupport amid India's COVID-19 crisis

With a total height of 829.8m and a roof height of 828 m,Burj Khalifa, a skyscraper inDubai displayed the Indianflag and #staystrongIndia.

Burj Khalifa in Dubai lit upwith the tricolour to show-case support in India's fightagainst the unprecedentedCOVID-19 situation.

In a tweet on Sunday, theIndian embassy in AbuDhabi on Sunday tweeted a17-second video of BurjKhalifa, the world's tallestbuilding, displaying the In-dian flag and#staystrongIndia. With a to-tal height of 829.8 m and aroof height of 828 m, BurjKhalifa, a skyscraper inDubai, is the tallest structureand building in the world.

"As #India battles thegruesome war against#COVID19, its friend #UAEsends its best wishes

@BurjKhalifa in #Dubai litsup in to showcase its sup-port," the Indian embassytweeted. India has been reel-ing under the deadly secondwave of COVID-19. Thecountry on Sunday recorded3,49,691 new COVID-19cases, the highest single-day spike since the pan-demic broke out last year.According to the UnionHealth Ministry, the coun-try has recorded 2,767 new

deaths due to COVID-19 inthe last 24 hours.

The worsening COVID-19situation has seen a surgein the demand for medicaloxygen and beds for theCOVID-19 patients andmany states are reporting anacute shortage in essentialmedical supplies.

Availability of oxygen is akey element in the treatmentof certain medical conditionsin the COVID infection.

Top Chinese cargo airline suspends flights to IndiaThe suspension comes

despite Beijing’s repeatedoffers of “support and as-sistance” to India to fightthe pandemic.

The largest cargo flightoperator from China to In-dia, the Chinese state-owned Sichuan Airlines hassuspended its services toIndia for 15 days because ofthe surge in Covid-19 cases.

It is likely to disrupt fran-tic efforts by Indian privatecompanies to import medi-cal supplies including oxy-gen concentrators to fightthe pandemic from China.

The suspension comesdespite Beijing’s repeatedoffers of “support and as-sistance” to India to fightthe pandemic.

The airlines operated 10flights on six routes to fourIndia cities comprisingDelhi, Mumbai, Chennaiand Bangalore.

In a letter to the salesagents on Monday, the

Sichuan Chuanhang Logis-tics Co.

Ltd, part of the SichuanAirlines said the airline hassuspended its cargoflights on all six routes -Xi’an-Delhi, Xi’an-Mumbai, Chengdu-Chennai, Chongqing-Chennai, Chengdu-Banga-lore, and Chongqing-Delhi- for 15 days,

The airlines said “…inthe face of suddenchanges in the epidemicsituation (in India), in or-der to reduce the numberof imported cases, it is de-cided” to suspend theflights.

The airlines added theIndia route has “alwaysbeen the core strategicroute for Sichuan Airlines”but added that the IndianCovid-19 outbreak had notonly caused “…a recordnumber of deaths but alsocaused a surge in importedcases in China, many

places in the world havegrounded flights to India.”

The Chinese foreignministry, however, did notoffer any comment on thesuspension of cargoflights from the Chinesemainland to India.

“With regard to the op-eration of airlines, I will re-fer you to the relevant air-lines for more informa-

tion,” foreign ministryspokesperson, WangWenbin said when asked tocomment on the develop-ment.

The ministry also did notconfirm or deny a tweet bythe Chinese embassy in SriLanka, which said 800 oxy-gen concentrators havebeen airlifted from HongKong to Delhi with another

10,000 to be dispatched inthe coming week.

“800 Oxygen Concentra-tors have been airlifted todayfrom #HongKong to #Delhi;10,000 more in a week. #Chinais keeping in touch with #In-dia for urgent needs. StayStrong,” the tweet publishedby the Chinese embassy inColombo early on Mondaysaid.

Australia to send oxygen, ventilators, PPE toIndia as part of immediate support

“And while we can assistwith the national medicalstockpile, their particular re-quest is for assistance withregards to the physical sup-ply of oxygen. That will beone of the things we are look-ing at, in particular with thestates,” Health MinisterGreg Hunt said.

Australia will send oxy-gen, ventilators and per-sonal protective equipmentto India as part of an imme-diate support package to thecountry which is battlingwith the latest surge of theCovid-19 cases, Health Min-ister Greg Hunt said onMonday.

The federal governmentwas in the process of con-sidering what it could sendto help, the AustralianBroadcasting Corporationnews channel quoted Huntas saying.

"India is literally gaspingfor oxygen," the federalhealth minister said.

“And while we can assistwith the national medicalstockpile, their particular re-quest is for assistance withregards to the physical sup-ply of oxygen. That will be

one of the things we are look-ing at, in particular with thestates,” the minister said.

The federal governmentalso confirmed to send oxy-gen, ventilators and per-sonal protective equipmentto India as part of an imme-diate support package to beannounced on Tuesday, ac-cording to the report.

However, Australia wouldnot send vaccines.

Hunt further said: ''We arein a strong position on thatfront because we don't needthem at this point in time. Wewill still keep a reserve, butif they can be of assistance

(they will be donated)."The National Security

Committee of Cabinet is setto meet on Tuesday to dis-cuss any assistance for In-dia, as well as any extra stepsthat may need to be taken tominimise the risk of infec-tions spreading to Austra-lia.

The government was alsoconsidering banning allflights from India followingthe massive spike ofcoronavirus cases in thecountry.

The Cabinet meeting willdiscuss temporarily haltingall repatriation flights out of

India.The move could affect

thousands of people, in-cluding Australian cricketerscurrently playing in the In-dian Premier League in In-dia.

Foreign Affairs MinisterMarise Payne, Australia’sambassador to India BarryO’Farrell and officials fromthe Health Department, theDepartment of Foreign Af-fairs and Trade, and the De-partment of Home Affairswere holding discussionsover recent days on how todeal with the emerging situ-ation.

Battling the second wave

In the immediate context,focus on surveillance andresearch, infrastructure,behaviour, vaccines. In themedium term, set up a dedi-cated institution

India is in a war-like situ-ation with a highly adapt-able and unpredictable en-emy. A few months ago,we thought the war wasover, but have now discov-ered that was merely onebattle — the next battle hasturned out to be even moreaggressive and unpredict-able. So, how did we gethere and where do we gonow?

The first wave took us bysurprise. Our health systemdid not hold up to the chal-lenge of the virus. Wefought as best as the coun-try could and built a planewhile learning how to fly

it. Economically and so-cially expensive lockdownsbought time; the adminis-trative capacity of the coun-try focused on this oneemergency; a rudimentarytest-trace-isolate capabilitywas built, as was a criticalcare capacity; extensivecommunication campaignswere rolled out motivatingpeople to wear masks andpractise social distancing.We came through it all far-ing better than some of thepredictions. With vaccinesbeing developed surpris-ingly fast, it was hoped thatthe pandemic would be be-hind us.

And then the virus out-smarted us. New strains,with higher infectivenessand virulence, surprised usin a second wave with asteep exponential rise.

From the viewpoint of thehealth system, we are inbetter shape today in somerespects. A large number ofhealth workers have beenvaccinated and are at workin the private and publicsector, unlike last year. Pro-cesses of quarantine, isola-tion, tracking and clinicalcapabilities are stronger to-day, although the

infrastructure like testing,Intensive Care Units (ICU)sand oxygen is completelyoverloaded and over-whelmed with a far greaternumber of patients than itcan handle.

The experience andlearnings of the first wavehave been organic andfragmented, without asystematic machinerythat could have avertedthis second wave.

Cummins donates $50,000 to PM CaresFund to help India in battle against Covid

"India is a country I'vecome to love dearly over theyears and the people hereare some of the warmest andkindest I've ever met. Toknow so many are sufferingso much at this time saddensme greatly," Cummins saidin his post.

Australia and KolkataKnight Riders fast bowlerPat Cummins has donated$50,000 to the PM CaresFund to help in India's fightagainst Covid-19. Cumminssaid that he made the con-tribution to the fund to helpthe country to purchaseoxygen supplies for hospi-tals.

"India is a country I'vecome to love dearly over theyears and the people hereare some of the warmest andkindest I've ever met. Toknow so many are sufferingso much at this time saddensme greatly," Cummins saidin his post.

Cummins also encouragedother IPL players to alsocontribute to India's fightagainst Covid.

"I encourage my fellowIPL players -- and anyonearound else the world who

has been touched by India'spassion and generosity -- tocontribute. I will kick it offwith $50,000," Cumminsadded.

The KKR pacer is hopefulthat the amount he has do-nated will make a differenceto someone amid the risingCOVID-19 cases in India.

"At times like this it iseasy to feel helpless. I'vecertainly felt that of late. ButI hope by making this publicappeal we can all channel

our emotions into action thatwill bring light into people'slives," said Cummins.

"I know my donation isn'tmuch in the grand schemeof things, but I hope it willmake a difference to some-one," he added.

This comes after severalAustralian cricketers optedout of the ongoing IPL.Royal Challengers Banga-lore (RCB) on Monday con-firmed that two Australianplayers -- Adam Zampa and

Kane Richardson -- will beheading back for personalreasons.

Rajasthan Royals pacerAndrew Tye opted out ofthe ongoing tournament onSunday. India and DelhiCapitals spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has also an-nounced that he would betaking a break from the on-going IPL season as hewants to extend support tohis family who are currentlybattling Covid-19.

CJI Bobde’s tenure was marked by reluctanceto hear cases affecting people’s life, liberty

Chief Justice of India S ABobde demitted office onApril 23 after completing atenure lasting 17 months.When he took over fromChief Justice Ranjan Gogoi,the image of the SupremeCourt, on a decline for thepast few years, had reachedits nadir. Justice Bobde in-herited a legacy which, toquote the Supreme Court,deserved to be “buried fath-oms deep”.

Suffice it to say that Jus-tice Gogoi’s tenure remainedmired in controversies rang-ing from allegations ofsexual harassment againsthim and to his accordingleast priority to civil rightsclaims in the wake of the ab-rogation of Article 370. Theonly case that he gave ut-most priority to was theAyodhya dispute. In theabove dismal scenario, itwas hoped that JusticeBobde would restore thepeople’s faith in the SupremeCourt as protector of theirfundamental rights and civilliberties.

Although Justice Bobdedid not run into any majorcontroversy, he did court hisown set of controversies.During the height of lastyear’s lockdown, a PIL wasfiled in the Supreme Courtseeking direction to the gov-ernment to make payment ofwages to migrant workers,

who had been forced totravel hundreds ofkilometres on foot to go backto their homes. Unfortu-nately, the Supreme Courtbench presided over by Jus-tice Bobde failed to give ap-propriate directions whichcould have helped mitigatetheir sufferings. It observedthat it could not “supplantthe government’s wisdomon providing succour tolakhs of migrant workers”.Worst still was the remark ofthe Chief Justice, who re-portedly said, “If they arebeing provided meals, thenwhy do they need money?”.It reflected a lack of compas-sion, and was against theessence and spirit of Article21 of the Constitution towhich the Supreme Courthas given an expansive in-terpretation, holding that“the right to life” does not

mean mere animal existence,but the right to live with dig-nity, including the right tofood and shelter. To put therecord straight, later a differ-ent bench of Supreme Courtdid pass certain directions,but only after a group of se-nior advocates had writtento the Chief Justice and otherjustices, flagging the inhu-man plight of thousands ofmigrant workers.

Equally insensitive wasanother remark of the ChiefJustice in the case ofSiddique Kappan, a Keralajournalist who was arrestedby UP police on October 5last year under the UAPAwhile he was on his way toHathras to cover the gang-rape of a 19-year-old Dalitgirl. A day after his arrest,the Kerala Union of Work-ing Journalist filed a habeascorpus petition under Article

32 of the Constitution chal-lenging his custody, whichwas listed on October 12.Even though the matter in-volved the liberty of a citi-zen, it was adjourned by fourweeks, and during the hear-ing, the Chief Justice report-edly observed that the courtwas “trying to discourageArticle 32 petitions”.

This was in stark contrastto what happened beforeanother bench of the Su-preme Court in a petitionfiled by editor-in-chief ofRepublic TV, ArnabGoswami, which also wasunder Article 32. Goswami’spetition was listed within aday of its filing, even thoughit was under objections. Notonly did the court grant himinterim bail, but also casti-gated the Bombay HighCourt for not examiningwhether a prima-facie caseof abetment to suicide wasmade out, and observed that“constitutional courts havea duty to intervene whenpersonal liberty is at stake”.When this fact was broughtto the notice of CJI’s bench,CJI reportedly said that“each case is different”. Per-haps, the CJI was right.Kappan is no ArnabGoswami. On November 6,CJI Bobde, while issuing acontempt notice to the as-sistant secretary ofMaharashtra legislative as-

sembly, which also con-cerned Arnab Goswami, hadreportedly observed: “Noauthority in the country canpenalise somebody fromcoming to the court. Whatis Article 32 for?”

What has been noticedabove should not be mis-taken for off-the-cuff re-marks. They are symptom-atic of a larger malaise. Whatelse can explain the fact thatArticle 32, described by B RAmbedkar as “the heart andsoul of the Constitution”,and which is a doorway tothe enforcement of funda-mental rights, is open onlyto a privileged few, whilelesser mortals are supposedto take a different and cir-cuitous route? The generalperception that the SupremeCourt is shying away fromhearing cases which affectthe life and liberties of thepeople is not without basis.According to informationgathered under the RTI, ason December 18, 2020, 1,072cases relating to bail, and ason February 14 this year, 58habeas corpus petitionswere pending and waiting tobe heard. The challenge toArticle 370 of the Constitu-tion is lying in abeyance.The Citizenship Amend-ment Act, which had rockedthe nation, and 140 petitionschallenging the same arehanging fire.

Hyderabad 5Sunday,March,13,2022

Havells redefines the energy-efficient fan market,launches a new range of ECOACTIV energy-efficient models

Hyderabad; Media Express; Havells India Limited, a lead-ing Fast Moving Electrical Goods (FMEG) company to-day unveiled its revolutionary range of energy-efficientECOACTIV fans by launching 19 new models under theceiling, pedestal, wall and ventilator fan category for theupcoming summer season.The new range of technologically advanced fans comesequipped with ECOACTIV super-efficient BLDC and in-duction motor. The basket covering models based onECOACTIV technology delivers excellent performanceand consume lower energy offering cost savings up toINR 1900 per annum on electricity bills.Havells has launched the designer Amaya ceiling fan thatcomes in an elegant design inspired by Italian style offer-ing premium aesthetics with attractive glass filled bladesin rivet-less design, premium PU paint finish and higherenergy efficiency. Under the BLDC ceiling fan category,Havells has also launched 6 new models that include thesuper-silent Stealth Air Neo and Stealth Air Prime ceilingfans. The BEE 5 star-rated BLDC range comes equippedwith ECOACTIV super-efficient BLDC technology of-fering advanced and low power consumption along withpremium aesthetics with wood film transfer on its bot-tom plate. The new fan range is designed to offer low-noise operation and unbeaten air delivery with in-builtvoltage stabilization, timer setting up to 4 hours, memoryback up along with RF technology remote for long-rangeand multi-directional usage.The innovative IoT variant Trinity-I ceiling fan comeswith industry-first ‘Smart Mode’ feature based on sensortechnology function that senses the temperature andhumidity in the room and adjusts the fan speed accord-ingly. The same temperature, humidity and speed are alsodisplayed for the user's convenience. The technologi-cally advanced ceiling fan is also compatible with voice-enabled devices like Alexa & Google Home and can beoperated with mobile applications. Other features includenew auto modes like 'Sleep' and 'Breeze' for night comfortand natural breeze effect along with five-level speed con-trol, timer setting and automatic ON and OFF.Speaking on the occasion, Ravindra Singh Negi, Presi-

dent-Electrical Consumer Durables, Havells India Limitedsaid “Aligned with the commitment to provide state-of-the-art innovations and energy-efficient solutions, we arepleased to introduce a new range of energy-efficient fansincluding the industry-first BLDC Table Wall Pedestalrange designed to revolutionize the fan market in India.Our new energy efficientECOACTIV fan range is designed specifically for work-ing on low energy usage helping consumers cut the powercosts and save money on electricity bills, thus address-ing the biggest concern of energy consumption whenusing an appliance.“Conceived and designed by our in-house R&D team,the fans are a testimony to Havells’ commitment towardsdesign and high quality. With our constant progressionand focus on driving innovation in the fan category,Havells has carved its position as a leader in the premiumdecorative segment and has been awarded National En-ergy Conservation Award 2021.We are confident that our latest addition to the fan port-folio will be well-received and appreciated by aspiringbuyers in Telangana state which is a significant growthregion for us.”Under the ECOACTIV technology range, Havells has alsointroduced the Platina Wall and Sprint Pedestal super-efficient BLDC fan that can save up to 50% power con-sumption. Other features include new auto modes likeremote control operation, memory back-up, sleep & breezemodes for comfort, inbuilt voltage stabilization to give aconstant performance at lower voltages and motorizedoscillation for smooth swing operation.Under the wall fan category, Havells has also launchedMarvel Wind and Dzire HS fan which offers superior lowvoltage performance and high air delivery. Under the ven-tilator fan category, Havells has launched the AirwynnCabin fan, Ciera HS cabin fan, Ventilair Hush wood,Ventilair Hush steel and Ventilair DSP offering low-noiseoperation, superior low voltage performance and elegantdesign. The new range of fans has been indigenouslydeveloped by the R&D team of Havells and custom-crafted for today’s modern and sophisticated customers.

The new range will be manufactured at the company’smodern manufacturing plant at Haridwar.Havells has the most modern manufacturing plant for fansin Haridwar, Uttarakhand. It is India’s first and largestfully integrated, state-of-the-art manufacturing plantwhere all categories of Fans including ceiling, table, wall,exhaust & pedestal are manufactured under one roof. Thecurrent production capacity of the plant is more than 10million fans annually. The plant is equipped with ‘state-of-the-art’ technology including automated CNC ma-chines for end covers, computerized conveyor assemblyline and testing facilities.In Fan’s Havells is the first company to introduce Metal-lic colour fans in India in 2004. Havells has also startedmaking its presence felt in the international markets in thefan’s category.Havells India Ltd is a leading FMEG (Fast moving electri-cal goods) and a consumer durable company, with a pres-

ence across India. Its product range includes Industrial& Domestic Circuit Protection Switchgear, Cables & Wires,Fans, Luminaires for Domestic, Commercial & Industrialapplications, Solar Lighting Solutions, Modular Switches,Air Conditioners, LED Televisions, Washing Machines,and Refrigerators, Domestic Appliances covering theentire gamut of household, commercial and industrial elec-trical needs like Kitchen Appliances, Irons, Water Heat-ers, Air Purifiers, Water Purifiers, Coolers, Room Heaters,Pumps & Motors to name a few. Havells owns presti-gious brands like Havells, Lloyd, Crabtree, Standard andREO. With 39 branch offices and over 5500 profession-als. Havells has achieved rapid success in the past fewyears. Its 14 state-of-the-art manufacturing units in Indialocated at Haridwar, Baddi, Sahibabad, Faridabad, Alwar,Ghiloth, and Neemrana are manufacturing globally ac-claimed products, synonymous with excellence and pre-cision in the electrical industry.

Britain to now vaccinate people above the age of 44 and aboveAround half a million 44-

year-olds will receive a textmessage inviting them toget their jab through theNational Booking Service,with England’s top doctorurging people to come for-ward for their jab whenthey are invited.

Everyone aged 44 andabove in Britain will nowbe able to book theirCovid-19 jab starting onMonday as the UK’s Na-tional Health Service(NHS) vaccine programmeexpands further to moreyounger age groups.

Around half a million 44-year-olds will receive a textmessage inviting them toget their jab through theNational Booking Service,with England’s top doctorurging people to come for-ward for their jab whenthey are invited.

The move to the next agecohort in the vaccinationprogramme comes along-side the latest NHS figuresshowing that more thantwo-thirds of people aged45 to 49 have now beenvaccinated as theprogramme movesthrough age and risk-basedcohorts.

"Now that 95 per cent ofall over 50s have had theirfirst jab, and more thantwo-thirds of those aged45-49, we are opening upvaccinations to 44-yearolds,” said UK Health Sec-retary Matt Hancock.

'The biggest vaccinationprogramme in NHS his-tory has delivered 45.5million doses so far acrossthe UK, and we are ontrack to offer a jab to alladults by the end of July. Iencourage everyone who

is 44 to book an appoint-ment to get the jab – it willprotect you and your lovedones, and help put this pan-demic behind us,” he said.

The NHS said the deci-sion to move to the nextgroup of people aged be-tween 40 and 43 will be setout in the coming dayswith the

NHS vaccinatingin line with Joint Commit-tee on Vaccination andImmunisation (JCVI) ad-vice and as supply allows.

"Thanks to NHS staff,people aged 45-49 havebeen hot on the heels of

millions of people most atrisk who were quick totake up the offer of a vac-cine with more than twothirds getting their lifesav-ing jab, marking anothermedically important mile-stone in the biggest vacci-nation campaign in NHShistory,” said Sir SimonStevens, NHS EnglandChief Executive.

NHS staff have also car-ried out more than 10 mil-lion second doses and hasbeen reminding people toattend their second dose toensure they receive maxi-mum protection.

Health hacks for the work-from-home lifeFollow these simple

hacks for a better lifestylewhile you are working fromhome. New Delhi: Thework-from-home routine in2020 brought many fami-lies closer as they foundthemselves under thesame roof for an extendedperiod of time. As curfewsrestrict movement andpeople have to home shel-ter, setting health goalscan help you achievewellness as a family whileyou stay safe. MadhuriRuia, nutritionist andPilates expert shares howyou can become eachother's cheerleaders byencouraging a healthier,happier lifestyle. Thelockdown has turned upthe heat on indoor fitness,pushing everyone to strivefor a healthier way of liv-ing. Investing together inonline fitness classes oreven props like resistancebands and dumbbells isthe perfect way for you and

your siblings to stay on topof your fitness routine.Motivate each other dailyand take consistency toanother level by followingthe habit-forming 21/90rule. This will not onlyboost self-confidence, butwill also leave you feelingrejuvenated and relaxedafter a long day's work.The solution for WFHstress is to take work-freebreaks during the day. Thelockdown made us realisethat there is more to lifethan deadlines and virtualcalls. These uncertaintimes have encouraged usto take a pause, be grate-ful and enjoy each momentas it comes. Small thingslike taking a 15-minutebreak with your familymembers every threehours for a cup of coffee,a game of catch or a quickcomedy show will in-stantly liven up the mood,making the day feel lighterand less mundane. The

little moments help clearthe headspace, which im-proves productivity, help-ing you work better. Whilewe focus on staying fit andtoning our bodies, onething that we often forgetis to provide it with the rightnutrition. Starting your daywith nuts like almonds willgive your body the energyboost it needs during theday. Almonds are rich inVitamin B2, Vitamin E,magnesium, and phos-phorus; nutrients that areknown to provide energy

that help keep you active.A handful of almonds mayhave satiating propertiesthat promote a feeling offullness, which helps limitunhealthy snacking bykeeping hunger at bay. Al-monds contain immunitysupporting nutrients likezinc, copper, and folate.Starting your day the nuttyway will help you and yoursiblings reap nutritiousbenefits that not only adda natural glow but also helpmanage diabetes and im-prove heart health.A fatty liver can beA fatty liver can beA fatty liver can beA fatty liver can beA fatty liver can be

dangerous to your heartdangerous to your heartdangerous to your heartdangerous to your heartdangerous to your heart

Lack of adequate exercise and consumption of excesscalories have been shown to lead to obesity and excessfat deposits in the liver. New Delhi: ‘Fatty Liver’ com-monly finds mention in an ultrasound examination reportand is often passed off as an incidental finding, it maynot be innocuous after all, suggest recent studies in re-puted medical journals. Japanese and European scien-tists were the first to report a strange four-fold increase inheart disease in these patients compared to those of thesame age and sex who had normal livers. And their obser-vations are proving true across the world. Using sophis-ticated techniques, doctors have found the wall of arter-ies to be thicker and the lumen narrower, causing reducedflow of blood to their heart muscles and brains, in thesepatients. Their findings support the clinical observationthat those with excess fat in their livers are more vulner-able and die earlier from heart problems. The appearanceof a ‘bright’ and swollen liver suggesting excess fat depo-sition is a common finding on ultrasound examination.While it is commonly seen in drinkers, it is often seen intee-totallers too, and is referred to as non-alcoholic fattyliver disease or NAFLD in them. Although the risk of liverdamage due to this fat is modest and occurs in only 20per cent when present for over 20 years, proneness toheart attacks grossly increases.

Hyderabad 6Sunday,March,13,2022

Edited, Printed, Published and Owned by N.Purushotham, Published at 22-976, Muruganpally Road, CK Pally Post, Chittoor, Andhra Pradesh andPrinted at Arunodaya Printers, Renigunta Road, Tiruipathi, Chittoor District, A.P. : RNI No. APENG/2005/19122 : Editor : MERUGU CHANDRAMOHAN

MLA raise the issue ofthe development of Nala'sQuthubullapur; Media Express; For the fifth day in arow, Quthubullapur MLA KP Vivekanand asked the Mu-nicipal Minister KTR to pay special attention to the de-velopment of the canals as part of the Telangana Assem-bly sessions. Fox Sagar canal in Quthubullapur constitu-ency, Rs 95 crore and Nizampet Municipal Corporation Rs 84 crore and in Kompally municipality Rs 13 crore. MLAKP Vivekanand thanked Municipal Minister KTR for sanc-tioning and continuing the work. He said high-rise build-ings and gated communities were being set up aroundthe ring road, but no information was available on thedrainage, and field canals for each pond. The MLA brought to the notice of the Minister of State for MunicipalAffairs, KTR, that the details of the canals coming throughthe ponds were not even visible in the irrigation mapsand finally in the satellite photos. He said the problemwas causing many problems when it rained, causing un-accounted for occupations in the areas where the ca-nals were to be built, and rainwater infiltration in the eventof floods due to the lack of proper drainage system bythose with house permits to build. The MLA asked theMinister KTR to take steps to ensure that the issue is notjust in the Quthubullapur constituency but also in themajor towns of Hyderabad and various districts and thatthe NOC should take special steps to identify and regis-ter these canals as well as the NOC for structures. TheMLA asked Minister KTR to take special care to look into

the issue thoroughly and find a permanent solution, add-ing that registrations and constructions were taking placein Dundigal, Bhaurampet and Bachupally areas due tolack of canal information, which could lead to floods inthe future. The MLA asked Minister KTR to take initia-tive to allocate additional funds for the said proposals asfunds have been allotted for almost all the ponds in theQuthubullapur constituency but several proposals havebeen sent to Dundigal Municipality and Gajularamaramareas. Similarly, funds have been sanctioned for the bigchemical mine going to Balanagar from the IDPL colonyand it should be completed as a first priority. To this end,Minister KTR assured that the issues raised by MLA KPVivekanand must be looked into.

BLR Trust provided financialassistance to journalist

Kushaiguda; Media Express; The Bandari Lakshma Reddy Charitable Trust [BLR trust] providing financial aidto encouragement to the poor. Here in Medchal-Malkajgiridistrict, the Uppal constituency senior TRS leader, BLRTrust chairman Bandari Lakshma Reddy have the highobjective of lending a helping hand and providing finan-cial aid for higher education needy students, and finan-

cial assistance for health to the poor, particularly thosewho are economically backwards irrespective of sex, creedand religion. Its main aim is to assist the meritorious stu-dents and fulfil their dream of pursuing higher educationby providing financial aid. On Saturda y, TRS senior leader,BLR Trust Chairman Bandari Laks hma Reddy handedover financial assistance to journalist Nomula RameshYadav of ''Hansa Voice'' who was injured in an accidentrecently was admitted at Surya Ortho pedic Hospital, ECIL.Bandari Lakshma Reddy spoke to the doctors and askedthem to provide him with better tre atment.He handed over Rs. 10000/- financial assistance on behalf of BLR Trust. On this occasion, BLR Trust membersByri Naveen Goud, Nemuri Mahesh Goud, Surya Hospi-tal MD Jagdish Babu, senior journalists Merugu Chandramohan, Empally Padma Reddy, Kadiyala Ramesh, Gummadi Hari Prasad, Dommati Kiran Kumar Rao and GummadiRoja Rani were accompanied by TRS senior leader, BLRTrust Chairman Bandari Lakshma Reddy

Police intervention bringscompensation to an accident victim

Kapra; Media Express; Etv senior journalist Gopi SatishReddy who met with an accident last week at ECIL, whenhe reached at Near ECIL Company 2nd gate Admin build-ing at about 22:30 hrs in the meantime an unknown AutoNo [AP28X8812] who was proceeding from ECIL towardsAshok Nagar had rider his Auto in the wrong direction inrash and negligent manner and hit his bike from the frontdirection, by which he has fallen on the road. Due to this,he received Major multi fractures in his right leg. Further,theroad passes shifted him in Surya hospital through 108Ambulance, the same was informed to his family members Later admitted him in Yashoda Hospital, Secunder abadfor better medical treatment. Making a claim is one of ourlegal rights after an accident and fairly compensates forinjuries that were not our fault. It can pay for private medical treatment and rehabilitation therapies to speed yourrecovery said Kapra press club general secretary Shan

agaram Ashok. On Saturday the compensation of onelakh was given to injured journalist Gopi Satish Reddyfro m the auto driver for better treatment.

Corporator Rajita visitscolonies to know about issues

hwar Reddy said efforts would be made to address drain-age and freshwater problems in Gandhi Nagar in the Uppaldivision. The problems in Gandhi Nagar were recently brought to the attention of the locals by Rajitha Parameshwar Reddy. With this, Rajitha Parameshwar Reddy alongwith officials visited Gandhi Nagar on Saturday. Rajitaparameshwar Reddy directed the municipal and water-works authorities to immediately address the drainageand freshwater issues. On this occasion, Division presi-dent Bakaram Laxman, Sukka Jeevan, Sirivelu Prem Kumar, Ganjai Mahesh, Ganjai Narsingarao, Darshanam Jangayya, Jalla Raju, Paladi Vijay, Vinod, Salla Prabhakar Reddy,Delhi Chandrasekhar Reddy, Kannamaina Naresh, JittuReddy, Bunty and others were present.

Uppal; Media Express; Uppal division Corporator Mandumula Rajitaparameshwar Reddy and Mandumula Parames

Uppal; Media Express; Uppal divisionCorporator Mandumula Rajitaparameshwar Reddy was the chief guest at thefree medical camp at Uppal Hills in UppalDivision on Saturday, The free medicalcamp organized by Hand of Hope inUppal Hills. On this occasion, M VijayKumar, Durgam Naveen Yadav, Ratnam,Sudhakar, Govind, Kumar Swamy Kuruma, Santosh Reddy, Prabhakar, Yehonu,George, Chanti, Govardhan, Srinivas Goud, Amrita Raju, Satyanarayana Chari,Hari Krishna Chari, Ravi Medical, Sandeep Goud and others participated.

Protest - The concern of IEPLworkers who have reached the tenth day

Quthubullapur; Media Express; The IEPL workers pro-testing for past ten days, no action taken by managementsaid Keelukani Laxman, Ishwara Rao, President, Secre-

tary, Gandhinagar Industrial Area, CITU Jeedimetla on Saturday. On the occasion, they said that if the workers were concerned about the need to do justice to the employ-ees, the employees are working for 34 years by contractworkers as there was no work in the company. They al-lege that the management taking support from the police,and doing injustice to the workers. While company man-agers not supporting employees, and sidelining the com-pany MD for their own benefit. The working class in theJeedimetla area will stand by the entire IEPL workers andfight until their problem is solved. The CITU district presi-dent Erra Ashok, leaders Birappa, Rajireddy, Sadanandam,Sai, Srinivas, Rambabu company workers Venugopal andVeeram Shetty were present on the occasion.

Nagaram - Chandrareddy laidthe foundation stone for CC roadNagaram; Media Express; Nagaram Municipal chairmanK Chandrareddy laid the foundation stone for CC roadsat Hanuman Nagar, under Nagaram Municipality on Sat-urday. The works will be taken up with an outlay of ru-pees seven lakh. Later, Talking to Media Express NagaramMunicipal chairman K Chandrareddy told that providingdrinking water, sanitation, installing street lights and lay-ing of roads was the priority of the newly created NagaramMunicipality of Medchal constituency, Nagaram Munici-pal chairman K Chandrareddy said they we were workingtowards improving basic amenities in the newly built colo-nies in particular. He called upon the residents of his municipality to be part of the development. On this occasion,Annam Raju Srinivas, Dayakar Rao, Rangareddy, Raghu

Prasad, Reddy Nayak, Colony Association President, Secretary and others were present.

Revanth Reddy unveiled the Time Today logo

Hyderabad; Media Express; Telangana Pradesh CongressCommittee President Anumula Revanth Reddy Saturdayunveiled the Time Today YouTube channel logo at his re

sidence. On this occasion, Revanth Reddy said that the power of the media to work for the solution of public prob-lems without bias. He said that media acts impartially isgood happening to the society.He criticized that the dictatorial rule continues in the state.He criticized the state government for trying to stranglethe media along with the voices of the people. Raju Kotla,CEO of Time Today channel, said our channel work forthe solution of public problems as a bridge between thegovernment and the people.The Dammaiguda Congress party president Muppa RamaRao, executive president Samala Srinivas Reddy, YouthCongress president Sumesh Mohan, leaders Nandu Kotlaand others were present on this occasion.

Cherlapally; Media Express; On Saturday, Cherlapally division Corporator Bonthu Sridevi Yadav, vis-ited several colonies in Charlapally Division. In theNagarjuna Nagar colony, the drainage was frozen several times with the ancient drainage causing troubleto the residents. It was suggested that a large drain-age pipeline be sanctioned at a cost of Rs 42 lakh tomonitor the works and adhere to quality standards. She also inspected the 120-meter ongoing CC road works in Maruti Nagar and said that roads have beencompleted for all the streets in the colony, and alsoshe inspected CC road works in Adarsh Nagar.

Quthubullapur; Media Express; Former MLA KunaSrisailam Goud said the youth should learn skills insports and politics. Minority Cell President SK Jahangir was honoured with a shawl at his birthday partyat his residence in Shapoor Nagar on Saturday. Onthis occasion, he said that the TRS government iscompletely misleading the youth. He said that he wasready to go for early elections in the hope of givingjobs to the unemployed youth. He wanted the youthto be ready to thwart the government’s shack at-tempts. He said that if there is a change in the youth,there will be a change in all sections.

A new study suggests that drinkingA new study suggests that drinkingA new study suggests that drinkingA new study suggests that drinkingA new study suggests that drinkingcoffee before exercise increases fat burncoffee before exercise increases fat burncoffee before exercise increases fat burncoffee before exercise increases fat burncoffee before exercise increases fat burn

Good news for all the coffee lovers! A cup of strongcoffee might do a lot more good than just helping youovercome the morning drowsiness. According to anew study, just one cup of strong coffee before exer-cising can help in weight loss. The findings of thestudy were published in the Journal of the Interna-tional Society of Sports Nutrition. Scientists from theDepartment of Physiology of the University of Granada(UGR) have shown that caffeine (about 3 mg/kg, theequivalent of a strong coffee) taken half an hour be-fore aerobic exercise significantly increased the rateof fat-burning. They also found that if the exercise isperformed in the afternoon, the effects of the caffeineare more marked than in the morning.

In their study, the researchers aimed to determinewhether caffeine–one of the most commonly-con-sumed ergogenic substances in the world to improvesports performance–actually does increase oxidationor “burning” of fat during exercise. Despite the factthat its consumption in the form of supplements is

very common, the scientific evidence for its benefi-cial claims is scarce. “The recommendation to exer-cise on an empty stomach in the morning to increasefat oxidation is commonplace. However, this recom-mendation may be lacking a scientific basis, as it isunknown whether this increase is due to exercisingin the morning or due to going without food for a longerperiod of time,” explained the lead author of this re-search, Francisco Jose Amaro-Gahete of the UGR’sDepartment of Physiology. A total of 15 men (meanage, 32) participated in the research, completing anexercise test four times at seven-day intervals. Sub-jects ingested 3 mg/kg of caffeine or a placebo at 8am and 5 pm (each subject completed the tests inall four conditions in random order). The conditionsprior to each exercise test (hours elapsed since lastmeal, physical exercise, or consumption of stimu-lant substances) were strictly standardised, and fatoxidation during exercise was calculated accordingly.“The results of our study showed that acute caffeineingestion 30 minutes before performing an aerobicexercise test increased maximum fat oxidation dur-ing exercise regardless of the time of day,” explainedFrancisco J. Amaro. The existence of a diurnal varia-tion in fat oxidation during exercise was confirmed,the values being higher in the afternoon than in themorning for equal hours of fasting. These results alsoshowed that caffeine increased fat oxidation duringmorning exercise in a similar way to that observedwithout caffeine intake in the afternoon.