PNS n HYDERABAD

Stating that the Krishna Riverbasin is water deficit, the TRS saidit is pertinent to keep in abeyanceall clearances accorded to UpperBhadra and Upper Thunga projectsforthwith. TRS MP Ranjith Reddysaid that the Jal Shakti Ministry andthe Central Water Commission(CWC) should respond to this andsaid, “We are for settling issues ami-cably, but the Ministry and CWCcannot be blind to issues raised bythe Telangana government.”

He asked why is the ProjectAppraisal (South) Directorate ofthe CWC not examining inter-Stateissues raised by lower riparianStates and tribunal reports metic-ulously before considering clear-ance for Upper Bhadra and ThungaProjects. Ranjith tweeted that theSupreme Court in February 2022had asked to settle the KrishnaWater dispute amicably betweenAndhra Pradesh, Telangana andKarnataka. Telangana submittedbefore the SC that information is

not forthcoming from Karnatakafor the last 14 years about howmuch Krishna water it had divert-ed. He asked the Centre, “Is it nottrue that the CWC should consid-er clearances to Upper Bhadra &Upper Thunga only after KrishnaWater Disputes Tribunal (KWDT-II) Award is published?”

Ranjith recalled that duringproceedings of KWDT-1,Karnataka requested the Tribunal

to prescribe the authority for mak-ing further studies of water avail-ability in Thungabhadra, provideadditional allocation to theThungabhadra Sub-Basin ofKarnataka and reconsider the deci-sion that all three sources shouldremain open by modifying ClauseIX of KWDT-1.

RNI No. TELENG/2018/76469

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WIVES OF PAKISTAN PM SHEHBAZ, EX-PMIMRAN KHAN RICHER THAN HUSBANDS

EU LEADERS ON VISIT TO UKRAINEDECRY RUSSIAN BRUTALITY

Four European leaders made a high-profile visit to show theirsupport for Ukraine on Thursday, denouncing the brutality of theRussian invasion as they surveyed the ruins of a Kyiv suburb that

was the scene of intense fighting early in the war and where manycivilians were killed. After arriving in Kyiv to the sound of air raidsirens, the leaders of France, Germany, Italy and Romania headed toIrpin, which was seized and briefly held by Russian troops along withother areas near the capital. Mass graves have been unearthed in thearea, most notably in Bucha, and French President Emmanuel Macrondecried the massacres and said there were signs of war crimes.

MCDONALD'S TO PAY FRANCE $1.3 BILLION IN TAX FRAUD CASE

McDonald's France and related companies have agreedto pay over 1.2 billion euros ( 1.3 billion) to theFrench state to settle a case in which the fast-food

giant was accused of years of tax evasion. A Paris courtapproved the settlement Thursday, the French nationalfinancial prosecutor's office said. McDonald's said thesettlement was the result of productive discussions withFrench tax authorities. The decision means a tax fraudinvestigation targeting the company, opened after a legalcomplaint by unions in 2016, will be closed.

US COSMETICS GIANTREVLON FILES FOR BANKRUPTCY

US cosmetics giant Revlon has filed for bankruptcy after yearsof stiff competition from rivals focused on online sales andsupply chain problems. In a court filing late Wednesday, the

company initiated Chapter 11 proceedings to manage its debt,which it said stood between $1 billion and $10 billion. Revlon,known for its signature nail polish and lipstick, reported long-termliabilities of $3.3 billion in the first quarter. "Today's filing will allowRevlon to offer our consumers the iconic products we havedelivered for decades, while providing a clearer path for our futuregrowth," CEO Debra Perelman said in a statement.

CONTENT IS KEY, YOU

CAN’T FALTER WITH

THAT:

SRIYA REDDY

Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and former premier Imran Khan'swives have financial assets worth more than their husbands, the mediareported on Thursday. According to a statement of assets filed for the

fiscal year ending June 30, 2020 with the Election Commission of Pakistan(ECP), Nusrat Shehbaz, the first wife of the prime minister, is richer than herhusband and owns wealth worth Rs 230.29 million. The prime minister'swife also owns nine agricultural properties and one house each in Lahore andHazara divisions. Apart from the assets, Shehbaz Sharif's wife has significantinvestments in various sectors, but does not own a vehicle, the Dawnnewspaper reported.

ALMANAC

Updated: JUNE 16, 2022 5:00 PM

Forecast: Sunny

Temp: 33oc

Humidity: 47%Sunrise: 5:46 AMSunset: 6:47 PM

Month & Paksham:

Tithi: Tritiya: Jun 16 09:45 AMto Jun 17 06:11 AM

Chaturthi Jun 17 06:11 AMto Jun 18 02:59 AM

Panchami: Jun 18 02:59 AMto Jun 19 12:19 AM

Nakshatram: Uttara Ashadha: Jun 16 12:37 PM

to Jun 17 09:56 AM

Shravana: Jun 17 09:56 AMto Jun 18 07:39 AM

Rahukalam: 10:39 AM to 12:17 PM

Yamagandam: 3:32 PM to 5:10 PMVarjyam: 01:33 PM to 03:00 PM

Gulika: 7:23 AM to 9:01 AM

TTOODDAAYY

HYDERABAD WEATHER

PNS n HYDERABAD

The Telangana State HumanRights Commission (SHRC) hasviewed seriously the police lathi-charge on Gouravelli Projectland oustees. Reacting to thepetition filed by the BJP LegalCell leader Karuna Sagar onWednesday, the SHRC directedthe DGP on Thursday to conducta comprehensive inquiry into theincident and submit a reportbefore August 4.

PNS n HYDERABAD

Industries Minister K. TarakaRama Rao has criticised PrimeMinister Narendra Modi's silenceregarding the accusation levelledby a Sri Lankan government oiffi-cial.

KTR said that opposition lead-ers all over the country are subject-ed to grilling by the ED, the CBI,and the I-T department.

In a tweet, KTR said,“Opposition leaders all over Indiaare routinely targeted and subject-ed to grilling by the ED, the CBI& the I-T Department. But whena senior Sri Lankan Governmentofficial directly accuses the PM ofIndia regarding his involvement inwind power contracts neither thePM nor Adani responds. Themedia is also deafeningly silent!”

MMC Ferdinando, theChairman of Sri Lanka’s CeylonElectricity Board (CEB), statedbefore a Lankan parliamentarypanel that Indian Prime MinisterNarendra Modi had exerted pres-sure on President Gotabaya

Rajapaksa to award a power proj-ect to the Adani Group.

Ferdinando told a parliamentarycommittee that Rajapaksa hadsummoned him after a meeting inNovember and told him to give the500-MW renewable energy proj-ect in Sri Lanka's Mannar districtto the Adani Group.

Days after he said that IndianPrime Minister Narendra Modihad pressured the Sri Lankan gov-ernment on allotting a wind powerproject to the Adani group, theChairman of the Ceylon ElectricityBoard (CEB), MMC Ferdinando,quit.

PNS n NEW DELHI

The Opposition on Thursdaystepped up its attack on the govern-ment over the Agnipath schemeamid protests against it in severalparts of the country and demand-ed that it be scrapped, even as offi-cial sources asserted that no changeis being done to the Army's regi-mental system under the new ini-tiative.

While Congress leader RahulGandhi urged Prime MinisterNarendra Modi to listen to thevoice of unemployed youths andnot take 'agnipareeksha (trial byfire)' of their patience by makingthem walk on Agnipath, SamajwadiParty president Akhilesh Yadavcalled the move "negligent" andpotentially "fatal" for the country'sfuture.

Trains were set afire, windowpanes of buses smashed andpassersby, including a ruling BJPMLA, pelted with stones in Biharby Army job aspirants whoseprotest against the short-termrecruitment scheme continued forthe second consecutive day.

Protests against the scheme alsotook place in Haryana and UttarPradesh.

Hundreds of young people tookto the streets in Haryana'sGurugram, Rewari and Palwalwhile scores of youngsters in UttarPradesh's Bulandshahr and Balliadistricts staged protests against it.

Amid the protests, governmentsources said no change is being

done to the Army's regimentalsystem under it and the numbersof personnel to be recruited in thefirst year of its roll out would onlymake up three per cent of thearmed forces.

The scheme is aimed at increas-ing opportunities for youths toserve in the armed forces and therecruitment of the personnel underit will be around triple of the cur-rent enrolment in the armed forces,

they said without specifying theduration of comparison.

On the criticism that the short-duration tenure of 'Agniveers' willharm the effectiveness of the armedforces, the sources said such a sys-tem exists in several countries, andhence, it is already "tested out andconsidered best practice for an agilearmy".

The Opposition came downheavily on the government over the

scheme and demanded a rollback."No rank, no pension, no direct

recruitment for 2 years, no stablefuture after four years, no respectshown by the government for thearmy," Gandhi said in a tweet inHindi, attacking the Centre over thescheme.

"Listen to the voice of unem-ployed youths of the country,don't take 'agnipareeksha' of theirpatience by making them walk on'Agnipath', Mr. prime minister,"the former Congress chief said.

In a tweet in Hindi, PriyankaGandhi said there are manydreams for the future in the eyesof those preparing for recruitmentin the armed forces such as serv-ing the country and their parents.

"What will the new armyrecruitment scheme give them?After 4 years, no job guarantee, nopension facility = no rank, no pen-sion. @narendramodi ji don'tcrush the dreams of the youth,"she said.

PNS n HYDERABAD

The findings of the study,'Unlocking India's Electric MobilityPotential,’ by Arthur D. Little, wasreleased on Thursday. It states thatEVs are expected to create 10 mil-lion new jobs in India, and 30 percent of the vehicles sold in Indiawill run on electricity by 2030.

Highlighting India's EV industry,the study says that the sector willcross sales of 10 million vehicles by2030, with an overall adoptionrate of more than 30 per cent acrossdifferent vehicle categories.However, the adoption of EV pas-senger vehicles is likely to be a mere10 per cent by the end of the peri-od, accounting for just a tiny 5 per

cent of total EV sales.India will require approximate-

ly 800 GWh of batteries by 2030 toattain more than 30 per cent EVadoption. India is acceleratingplans to manufacture Li-ion cells

within the country anticipatingUSD 2.3 billion in government sub-sidies and more than USD 7.5 bil-lion in investment potential tomeet this demand.

Apart from a cleaner environ-

ment, India's import bill is expect-ed to come down by almost USD14 billion in 2030. EVs are alsoexpected to create 10 million newjobs in India by 2030, boosting thecountry's growth, says the report.

Barnik Chitran Maitra, theManaging Partner & CEO of India& South Asia, Arthur D. Little, said,“Despite obstacles, India is one ofthe largest markets for EVs inAsia, behind only China and, sur-prisingly, ahead of Japan. We canbuild on this position by acting tosupport product innovation, createreliable charging infrastructure,and provide subsidies to buyers andadditional incentives to start-upsinvolved in battery R&D, amongothers.

PNS n HYDERABAD

TRS MP Divikonda Damodar Raois among the top three RajyaSabha MPs with high liabilities.

21 MPs declared liabilities of Rs1 crore and more. They are KapilSibal with Rs 92 crore, MasthanRao Beeda with Rs 69 crore andDivikonda with Rs 49 crore.

The National Election Watch(NEW) and the Association forDemocratic Reforms (ADR)analysed the sworn affidavits of allthe 57 newly elected MPs of theRajya Sabha in 2022.

Party-wise the MPs with crim-inal cases include nine (41%) outof 22 MPs of the BJP, 4 (44%) out

of 9 MPs of the INC, 2 (100%) outof 2 MPs from the TRS, 2 (100%)out of 2 MPs from the RJD and 1MP each from the YSRCP (25%),the DMK (33%), the AIADMK(50%), the SP (100%), the SHS(100%), and an Independent(50%).

Of the 57 newly elected MPs, 53(93%) are crorepatis. BandiParthasardhi has the highest networth among MPs. He is worth Rs5,300 crore followed by Kapil Sibalat Rs 608 crore and VikramjitSingh Sahney at Rs 498 crore

As per the analysis, out of 57MPs, only 10 (18%) newly electedMPs are women. 30 MPs havedeclared their age to be between 31

and 60 years while 27 MPs havedeclared their age to be between 61and 81 years.

The oldest MP is S.Kalyanasundaram aged 81 fromTamil Nadu and the youngest MPis Mohd. Imaran Khan aged 34from Maharashtra.

Eight (14%) MPs have declaredtheir educational qualification tobe between Class 8 pass and Class12 pass, while 23 (40%) MPs havedeclared having graduation or aprofessional degree.

17 (30%) MPs declared them-selves to be postgraduates while 7(12%) MPs declared they have doc-torates and two MPs have declaredthat they have diplomas.

Stop K’taka projects

TRS MP ranks third among MPs with liabilities

m Oppn seeks scrapping of scheme

SOME PPEOPLE UUSING SSTUDENTS FFOR PPOLITICAL GGAINS:UNION MMINISTER

Union minister and BJP leaderAshwini Kumar Choubey on Thursdayurged students protesting against theAgnipath scheme to stop theiragitation and keep away from thoseinciting them, as he asserted that theinitiative is in the interests of them,armed forces and the country.Choubey, a senior party leader fromBihar where protests started first on

Wednesday, also claimed that somepeople are using students for theirown political gains, an apparentreference to opposition parties whichhave criticised the scheme for short-term contractual employment in thearmed forces as soldiers.In a statement, he said Prime MinisterNarendra Modi always thinks andworks for the welfare of the youth and

the nation. "We assure you that thisprogramme is a constructive step tobring in long-term positive results.Lakhs of youngsters will not onlybenefit from this but nationalisticsentiments within them will also bestrengthened," Choubey said.Those selected under the scheme willget priority in central and stategovernment jobs, he said.

‘Probe lathi-charge onoustees’

KTR blasts silence ofModi on Lankan charges

m TRS opposes clearances to Upper Bhadra and Upper Thunga

22

Eatala may head BJP’s campaign panelK VENKATESHWARLUn HYDERABAD

The BJP MLA representingHuzurabad, Eatala Rajender, hasbecome active these days in theparty. Eatala has been attendingparty meetings daily and has alsochanged his style of makingspeeches. Eatala Rajender becameactive after meeting the BJP highcommand in New Delhi beforeUnion Home Minister Amit Shah’smeeting held on May 14. Sincethen Eatala has been actively par-ticipating in party activities.

It is learnt that the BJP highcommand may select Eatala for thepost of the Chairman of theTelangana BJP CampaignCommittee or as the party’s StarCampaigner.

The party has to discuss it fur-ther to finalise it, a party leader told‘The Pioneer’ on condition of

anonymity. Eatala was silent formany months after he won theHuzurabad by-election. Thenrumours spread that Eatala whohad joined the BJP after quittingthe TRS which had removed himfrom a ministerial post was think-ing that the BJP is not utilizing hisservices properly.

He also had a feeling that how theBJP can come to power if it didn’tuse the services of leaders like him.The party leader said that the BJPmust defeat the TRS and for that ithas to use the services of leaders likeEatala as he knew well about TRSstrategies. He also said that the BJPhigh command had recognised theimportance of Eatala and hadassured something to him andhence he had become active. Theassurance may be the post of theTelangana BJP CampaignCommittee Chairman or the BJP’sStar Campaigner, he said.

TS Govt adopts newClinical Establishments ActPNS n HYDERABAD

The Telangana government hasissued orders adopting the ClinicalEstablishments Act (Registrationand Regulation), 2011, giving a lotof powers to the HealthDepartment for regulating andlevying hefty penalties on privatehealthcare establishments in theState.

Some of these regulations saythat all private hospitals must reg-ister with health authorities andthat they must submit their patientrecords every month to the med-ical authorities.

The healthcare facilities have to

register themselves with theDistrict Registering Authority(DRA) in each district. The DRAcan grant, renew, suspend and can-cel the registration of any hospitaland can also investigate com-plaints of the breach and enforcecompliance with the provisionsand rules of the Act.

Penalties can be imposed on pri-vate hospitals in case of non-adherence to minimum standards.Authorities now have the power toenter and conduct inspections onthe premises of private hospitals.

Hospitals will be granted regis-tration for five years after that theymust be renewed again.

EVs can create 10 million new jobs by 2030

PNS n HYDERABAD

The TS Police on Thursdayfiled cases against several Congressleaders after foiling their 'Chalo RajBhavan' programme that was ini-tiated without obtaining prior per-mission, causing inconvenienceto people.

The Panjagutta Police filed casesagainst 10 Congress leaders,including TPCC chief A RevanthReddy, CLP leader Malli BhattiVikramarka, TPCC working pres-

ident T Jagga Reddy, MLA DSridhar Babu, senior leader VHanumantha Rao under 13 sec-tions. The Telangana Congressleaders had sought to organise the'Chalo Raj Bhavan' programme inresponse to the call given by theparty's national unit to protest theED's probe against Rahul Gandhiand Sonia Gandhi. As part of it,Telangana Congress leaders triedto lay siege to the Raj Bhavan.

'Chalo Raj Bhavan' foiled:Police book Cong leaders

2

Agnipath triggers nationwide protests

Continued from page 1

KWDT-1 held that unlessa further study is made aboutwater availability inThungabhadra, allocation toThunga & Bhadra is deferred.Ranjith said that it is unfor-tunate that the CWC’s ‘claims’did not bring any new addi-tional information broughtout by Telangana.

The Chevella MP asked,“What is the CWC’s reply tothe request made by theKarnataka Government tomake 20 TMC to UpperThunga & 10 TMC to UpperBhadra out of 75% depend-able flows? The report clear-ly says that the tribunal didnot allot any water to UpperThunga & Upper Bhadraprojects.”

He said that the needs oflower riparian States shouldbe considered before givingclearance.

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hyderabad 02HYDERABAD | FRIDAY | JUNE 17, 2022

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(IN HYDERABAD)

SNCN ACHARYULU

n HYDERABAD

The much-publicised opposi-tion unity to fight the BJP hasended as a mirage.

Since a few months, oppo-sition parties have been sayingthat they would give a shockto the BJP in the presidentialelection by closing their ranks.

All opposition leaders hadsaid that opposition partiesincluding regional parties haveto join hands to fight the BJPin the next general elections.They had said that their aim isto see that the BJP does notform the government after

the next elections.But the meeting convened

by West Bengal Chief MinisterMamata Banerjee has givenconfidence to the BJP notonly about victory in the pres-idential election but also in thenext general elections.

The Congress has become abig hurdle in the unity ofopposition parties. The TRS,AAP and some other partiescategorically said that theywill not share the dais with theCongress.

But some regional partiessaid that without the Congressit is not possible to fight theBJP in the next general elec-

tions.Regional parties have differ-

ent opinions about theCongress. Due to local politicsin their states, some regionalparties are opposing theCongress and are not ready toshare the dais with them.

For example in Telangana,the Congress is the mainopposition to the TRS. If theTRS joins hands with theCongress at the national level,in the state also it has to joinhands with the Congresswhich is not acceptable to theTRS and the Congress.

In Tamil Nadu, the rulingDMK is an ally of the

Congress since a long time.The DMK cannot break itsalliance with the Congress. Inother states also some region-al parties are facing a similarsituation.

For the TRS and AAP, theBJP is the main adversary butthey are not ready to joinhands with the Congress tofight the BJP.

In fact, the TrinamoolCongress headed by WestBengal Chief Minister MamataBanerjee fought against theCongress during the GoaAssembly elections.

Mamata has expressed dif-ferent opinions about the

Congress. Once she said thatthe Congress has to stop play-ing big brother and join handswith regional parties. Anothertime she said that there is noneed to ally with the Congressto fight the BJP.

Now, when AICC PresidentSonia Gandhi decided to holda meeting with some opposi-tion parties to discuss thepresidential election Mamatadecided to convene a meetingof anti-BJP parties on thesame day. This shows howMamata is treating theCongress and it appears thatshe has no consistent opinionabout the Congress.

Opposition parties unity bid fails

KTR blasts silence..Continued from page 1

Ferdinando's revela-tion had sparked a polit-ical controversy forcinghim to retract his state-ment and finally, it led tohis resignation onMonday.

Issuing a statementaddressed to COPEChair Dr CharithaHerath, the former CEB

chairman had said thathe was compelled to saythe ‘Indian PrimeMinister’ due to unex-pected ‘pressure andemotions’ during the dis-cussion. Ferdinando saidhe had become “emo-tional due to the pres-sures and unreasonableallegations” levelledagainst him during thetestimony.

Stop K’takaprojects..

‘Jagga Reddy behindRaj Bhavan violence’PNS n HYDERABAD

The BJP MLA representingDubbaka, M. RaghunandanRao, has alleged that TPCCWorking President T. JaggaReddy was behind the inci-dents that took place duringthe Congress’ Chalo RajBhavan programme held toprotest the EnforcementDirectorate (ED)’s probeagainst Rahul Gandhi.

Raghunandan said that theCongress protest was a pro-gramme sponsored by theTRS government.

He recalled that the CBI hadinterrogated Prime MinisterModi when he was ChiefMinister of Gujarat.

He ridiculed TRS WorkingPresident IT Minister KTRamarao saying that he isperplexed after hearing ED’sname.

He said that the Congressand the TRS are both targetsof the ED. He asked what thepolice intelligence had beendoing.

BJP Vice-President DKAruna said that the Congress’Chalo Raj Bhavan programmeproved once again that both

the TRS and the Congress areone.

Why did the police whichresorts to house arrests when-ever the BJP tries to conducta protest fail to control theCongress’ Chalo Raj Bhavanprogramme?, he asked.

She asked whether the EDhadn’t served notices to any-body when the Congress wasin power and whether theleaders who had receivednotices had resorted to thiskind of attack.

The Congress tried to attackthe Raj Bhavan and the TRSsupported it. Aruna demand-ed that the police should filecases against those whoattacked government and pri-vate vehicles.

Tamil Nadu BJP joint in-charge Ponguleti SudhakarReddy said that the Congressleaders' actions prove thatthey are admitting that Rahuland Sonia Gandhi are guilty.He said the Congress-spon-sored violence in Hyderabadwas shocking. Ponguleti saidthat the Congress’ Chalo RajBhavan programme provedthat the TRS and the Congresshave joined hands.

Yadadri powerplant achievesmilestonePNS n HYDERABAD

A major milestone in settingup the 450 ton generatorrotor at the Yadadri ThermalPower Plant has beenachieved.

CMD D. Prabhakar Raocongratulated BHEL repre-sentatives and engineers.CMD Prabhakar Rao super-vised the installation of the450-tonne generator rotorfor the second unit when itwas installed on the 17-meterhigh floor using a towercrane.

CMD Prabhakar Rao vis-ited the 4,000 MW YadadriThermal Power Plant onTuesday.

CMD Prabhakar Rao, whowas present at the plant, helda review meeting with BHELrepresentatives on theprogress of the works andgave suggestions to speed upthe works. They were orderedto complete the construc-tion on time.

CMD Prabhakar Raodirected BHEL to synchro-nize the first two units andcommercial operations of thefirst unit by June 2023 as perthe agreement.

Continued from page 1

RENUKA PULL SI BY COLLAR

The police filed cases againstformer Union Minister RenukaChowdhary for pulling thePanjagutta SI Upendra by his col-lar on Thursday. The police filedcases against Renuka Chowdharyunder IPC Sections 151, 140, 147,149, 341 and 353, following a

complaint lodged by SI Upendra. The police later shifted Renuka

Chowdhary to the GolcondaPolice Station.

In the evening, Congressactivists staged a dharna in frontof the Golconda Police Stationdemanding the release of RenukaChowdhary. Renuka Chowdharysaid that she knew how to respectthose in uniform. "We have

respect for the police. But why didthe male policemen round upwomen leaders? Moreover, thepolice pushed me from behind. Icaught a policeman by his collaras I was about to fall on theground, losing balance. My inten-tion was not to insult the police-man", she said. Later, the policereleased her, along with all otherCongress leaders.

‘Chalo Raj Bhavan' foiled..

CS, Secretaries to attend Dharamshala conferencePNS n HYDERABAD

Chief Secretary SomeshKumar is attending the confer-ence of Chief Secretaries fromJune 15 to 17 at Dharamshalain Himachal Pradesh.

Somesh Kumar will beaccompanied by Special ChiefSecretary Arvind Kumar,Agriculture SecretaryRaghunandan Rao andEducation Secretary VakatiKaruna.

Prime Minister NarendraModi will chair the ‘FirstNational Conference of ChiefSecretaries’ on June 16 andJune 17. The conference, whichwas inaugurated onWednesday (June 15) byCabinet Secretary Rajiv Gaubais being held at the HPCA sta-dium in Dharamshala.

The conference aims tostrengthen the partnershipbetween the Centre and stategovernments. The conference

will focus on the sustained eco-nomic growth of states in part-nership with the Centre.

Working as Team India, theconference will sow the seedsfor collaborative action in cre-ating jobs, improving educa-tion and bringing about ‘aat-manirbharta’ (self-reliance) inagricultural practices.

As per the agenda of theconference, three themes havebeen decided upon for detaileddiscussions.

PNS n HYDERABAD

A Combined Graduation Parade(CGP) will be held at Air ForceAcademy Dundigal, Hyderabadon 18 June 2022 to mark the suc-cessful completion of pre-com-missioning training of FlightCadets of various branches of theIndian Air Force. General ManojPande, Chief of the Army Staff

would be the Chief Guest andReviewing Officer of the CGP.During the function, he willconfer the President 'sCommission to the graduatingtrainees. The ceremony includesthe presentation of Wings andBrevets to the Flight Cadets whowould be successfully completingflying and navigation trainingrespectively.

Air Force Academy to hostCombined Graduation Parade

PNS n NEW DELHI

Aspirational districts should be'inspirational districts' of India,and the Aspirational DistrictProgramme should be extend-ed to block and city levels,Prime Minister NarendraModi said on Thursday.

Aspirational DistrictsProgramme (ADP) launchedin 2018 aims to transform 112districts that have shown rela-tively lesser progress in keysocial areas.

"Lauding the success of theAspirational DistrictsProgramme, the PrimeMinister said the governmentshould strive to make these the'inspirational districts' of Indiaand extend the programme tothe block and city levels," anofficial statement said quoting

Modi.The prime minister was

chairing the three-day nation-al conference of chief secre-taries, which is currentlyunderway at Dharamshala,Himachal Pradesh. The confer-ence began on June 15.

The statement said theprime minister stressed thatIndia's best, young officersshould be posted to the aspira-tional districts to bring aboutnoticeable changes throughtheir creative thinking andfresh ideas.

The experience and learn-ings gained by them whileworking in these districtswould be unparalleled andprove useful for the entirecountry, the statement said,quoting Modi.

Speaking on education, the

prime minister said that teach-ers' training can be strength-ened by leveraging digital tech-nology and learning mobileapps.

He said that award winningretired school teachers couldalso be roped in for visitingschools and training teachers.

Modi also noted that therecould be a dedicated TV chan-nel for teachers' training.

It may be recalled that in theBudget 2022-23, the govern-ment announced that 200 TVchannels would be launchedfor improving access to highquality education in theremotest part of the country.

The statement said theprime minister suggestedorganising competitionsamong young entrepreneurs,startups and youths across

states for preparation of qual-ity content in various mediumssuch as drama, animation,mono-acting, etc. in regionallanguages.

According to the statement,deliberations were held on'Crop Diversification andAchieving Self-Sufficiency inOilseeds, Pulses and OtherAgri-Commodities' and'Implementation of NationalEducation Policy-SchoolEducation'.

There were sessions on'Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav:Road to 2047' and theAspirational DistrictsProgramm, it added.

According to the statement,the issue on "ReducingCompliance Burden" was takenup on each table for delibera-tions.

‘Aspirational’ districts should beextended to block levels: PM

Ts-iPass bagged investmentsworth Rs 4.1 trillion in 7 yearsPNS n HYDERABAD

The successful introductionof the TS-iPass scheme by theTS government in 2014 hasattracted around Rs 4.1 trillionin investments and createdaround five lakh direct jobsand an equal number of indi-rect jobs, despite Covid-19,according to the study on thedevelopment of Telanganareleased jointly by Dr DSRawat, the Chairman of theMSME Export PromotionCouncil and Mr JigishSonagara, the founder & CEOof BillMart Fintech, a knowl-edge firm on Thursday.

The study jointly undertak-en by the MSME EPC andBillMart revealed that the Statehas achieved the unique dis-tinction of projects gettingclearances from 38 depart-

ments in less than 10 days. Theinitiative, said Dr Rawat, hassignificantly contributed tothe ‘ease of doing business inthe State.

The achievement in attract-ing fresh investments has beenmuch higher than investmentsreceived in a 7-year spanbefore the introduction of thescheme.

Referring to the CMIECapEx database, Rawat said, interms of projects announced,there has been a surge. Beforethe TS-iPass scheme, 1126project announcements weremade and it increased to 1461after the implementation of thescheme which is a 30 per centincrease in project count.

The quantum of projectsthat are being implementedhas been progressing well y-o-y and in 2020-21, 218 projects

worth Rs 399 billion werebeing implemented against109 projects worth Rs 309.6billion in 2019-20 which isaround 29 per cent high.

The study says, “With theTS-iPass scheme speeding upthe clearances of projects, theprojects that were being imple-mented witnessed a spike. Inthe seven years from 2014-15to 2020-21, 1124 projects weregranted clearances that helpedthem move to the implemen-tation phase. The seven yearsbefore this had 831 projects inthe pipeline. Even in terms ofvalue, there has been a 94 percent increase. Mr Rawat saidthat by providing timely pro-ject clearances and approvals,the ratio of projects complet-ed to total projects outstand-ing in the under-implementa-tion phase also shot up.

Amidst the present churnin national politics,Telangana Rashtra

Samiti president and TS ChiefMinister K ChandrasekharRao's move to launch a newnational party to fight theBharatiya Janata Party-led cen-tral government is a welcomeinitiative.

For the past eight years, theBJP government at the Centrehas been taking steps thathave only weakened the econ-omy of various states. Afterthe introduction of GST, thestates started losing their rev-enues. The Centre has notbeen releasing funds to com-pensate the states' GST-relat-ed losses. The November 2016'demonetisation', ostensibly toweed out black money fromthe country, saw the currencynotes of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000denominations gettingbanned, wiping out 86% ofIndia's currency overnight. Itbrought untold hardships tocommon people for more thantwo years.

Agencies like the CentralBureau of Investigation (CBI),the Enforcement Directorateand the National InvestigationAgency, which are under thecontrol of the Centre, have reg-istered cases against leaders ofnon-BJP parties in Delhi,West Bengal, AP, Maharashtraand other states.

Of course, the movementfor separate Telangana startedinitially in 1969 under theleadership of Dr Marri ChannaReddy, who had launched theTelangana Praja Samithi (TPS).However, the agitation wassuppressed and TPS dissolvedlater. Despite claims by otherparties to the contrary, it is aknown fact that separate state-hood for Telangana wasachieved due to the indefatiga-ble efforts of KChandrashekhar Rao. In thesecond phase of the move-ment, several organisations -students, teachers, RTCemployees, Singareni work-ers, folk artistes and others -participated in the protests

demanding statehood forTelangana. However, KChandrashekar Rao and TRSled the campaign forTelangana statehood. TheUPA government at theCentre, headed by theCongress party, announcedseparate statehood forTelangana only due to fear ofbacklash from the people ofthe region.

Although Dr YSRajasekhara Reddy took up thePranahita-Chevella Project, itcould not be given propershape due to various reasons.By making some alterations

and with strong resolve, theTRS government took up theKaleshwaram project and wasable to complete a major partof the project. Thanks toKaleshwaram, in TelanganaState today farmers inNizamabad, Karimnagar andother districts are able to cul-tivate three crops in a year.Earlier, most parts ofTelangana region used to suf-fer from drinking water scarci-ty and power supply shortageproblems. People in Nalgondadistrict especially were suffer-ing from problems linked toexcessive fluoride levels in

water. However, MissionBhagiratha launched by theTRS government was able tosolve water woes in most areasof the state.

Architectural wonder SriLakshmi Narasimha Swamytemple at Yadadri was renovat-ed due to the sincere efforts ofthe TRS government. The stategovernment extended supportfor the development of Statueof Equality (the massive

Ramanujacharya statue) atMuchintal. KCR also launchedRythu Bandhu and KCR Kitsschemes to benefit farmersand pregnant women respec-tively across the state.

In addition, MunicipalAdministration and UrbanDevelopment and IT MinisterK T Rama Rao, during his vis-its to foreign countries, wasable to attract several thou-sands of crores as investmentsfor the development of indus-tries and business establish-ments in Telangana. Despitethe routine outcry of Congressand BJP leaders, it is a fact theTRS government's contribu-tion to the development andwelfare of Telangana peoplehas been significant. Anotherplus point is that KCR speaksHindi fluently and has thecapacity to analyse thingscomprehensively.

Similar attempts to fightthe central government weremade in the past by charismat-ic actor and TDP founder N TRama Rao. His TDP govern-

ment was dissolved undemo-cratically by the Congress gov-ernment at the Centre.However, due to wide-spreadagitations, NTR's governmentwas restored within a month.In those days, senior leaderslike Farooq Abdullah, BijuPatnaik, Sharad Pawar, DeveGowda and many othersreposed confidence in NTR'sability to fight the Centre.The Third Front was formedand later disbanded due to sev-eral reasons. As an oppositionparty, TDP was having consid-erable number of MPs then.

In the present circum-stances, KCR must strive togarner the support of majorpolitical parties and leadersacross the country for hisnational party. The nationalparty has to take steps to gar-ner the confidence of leadersof YSRCP, DMK, NCP, TMC,JD, Shiv Sena and other par-ties.

People in north India ingeneral may not prefer aleader from south India. PV

Narasimha Rao was madePrime Minister by SoniaGandhi in peculiar circum-stances.

NCP chief Sharad Pawarrecently made it clear thatwithout having an alliancewith the Congress, forma-tion of Third Front would notbe possible. Ignoring anymajor political party thatopposes BJP may not beadvantageous to the newnational party. The newnational party can at leasthave electoral understandingin some of the regions of var-ious states to fight the mightyBJP.

West Bengal Chief MinisterMamata Banerjee and BSPchief Mayavati have alreadyexpressed their interest tolead the nation. Even if theparties agree for alliances,the actual problem arises indeclaring the PrimeMinisterial candidate. If theyraise the issue at the begin-ning, it would be difficult toarrive at a consensus.

P CHANDRASEKHAR

Senior journalist

In the present circumstances, KCRmust strive to garner the support ofmajor political parties and leadersacross the country for his nationalparty. The national party has to takesteps to garner the confidence ofleaders of YSRCP, DMK, NCP, TMC, JD,Shiv Sena and other parties

Unified efforts essential to fight the mighty BJPKCR's national party welcome, but it requires support of all parties opposed to BJP

hyderabad 03HYDERABAD | FRIDAY | JUNE 17, 2022

IN BRIEF

PNS n PATANCHERU

Patancheru legislator GudemMahipal Reddy (GMR) saidthat Chief Minister KChandrashekhar Rao had ini-tiated revolutionary changes inthe education sector in govern-ment schools by introducingMana Ooru -Mana Badischeme and accordingly pub-lic representatives have to playa key role in increasing thenumber of students in govern-ment schools.

On Thursday, MLA GMR,along with local public repre-sentatives, inaugurated theMandala Parishad Primary,Primary and Zilla Parishadhigh school buildings con-structed at an estimated cost ofRs 2.20 crore in Lakadaram,Isnapur and Pati villages under

Patancheru zone. A meetingwas organized on the occasion.Addressing the meeting, theMLA stated that the state gov-ernment would take steps tostrengthen the educationalinstitutions.

As part of this, new build-ings are being constructed andcorporate schools are beingtaught in Telugu as well as

English medium. He urgedthe people's representatives atall levels from the ward num-ber to participate in the pro-gramme to increase the num-ber of students in governmentschools. They have to held dis-cussions with parents directlyand make efforts to enroll thechildren in governmentschools.

Strive to enroll children in govtschools, MLA urges public repsSAITEJA BURRA

n HYDERABAD

The fourth phase of PattanaPragathi programme undertak-en by the Greater HyderabadMunicipal Corporation(GHMC) has failed to addressthe sanitation issues satisfacto-rily in the city. Although theprogramme is nearing comple-tion, there are still a number ofsanitation problems whichwere not addressed in GHMClimits. Residents expressedconcern that many sanitationissues, such as garbage dispos-al, litter removal, and commu-nity cleaning, remain unsolved.

As part of the PattanaPragathi programme, author-ities have identified more than500 colonies in the GHMC cir-cles in Hyderabad. The pro-gramme has been completed inonly about 270 colonies in

150 wards, with a focus onissues such as drinking water,sanitation management, green-ery enhancement, construc-tion of Vaikuntha Dhamamand dump yards in the towns.As GHMC has failed to addressthe problem of sanitation,roads are becoming miserable

due to heavy rains in the city. On the other hand, special

teams under the UrbanProgress Programme are tryingto solve the sanitation prob-lems on a temporary basis.

The Pioneer Correspondentfound that the issues previous-ly addressed by GHMC offi-

cials in areas such asKhairatabad, Yousufguda,Panjagutta, Jubilee Hills,Banjara Hills and Madhapurhave come back to the samestate again and creating unhy-gienic problems for the resi-dents and commuters.

Special teams under the

Pattana Pragathi programmealso failed to remove garbagenext to the office of HMWSSB(Hyderabad MetropolitanWater Supply and SewerageBoard) in Jubilee Hills. Anactivist who came to knowabout this told The Pioneerthat there are many such prob-lematic places in the city

One of the activists toldThe Pioneer that there weremany places in the city whereGHMC officials did not careabout addressing the issues.

"I keep noticing that thereare a lot of problems in termsof sanitation in the city.Recently, I called one of theGHMC officers to complainabout the issue by standing 20feet away from him.

In a phone conversation, hesaid he was busy with theongoing Pattana Pragathi pro-gramme.

PATTANA PRAGATHI NEARING COMPLETION

Sanitation problems continue to haunt city residents

Panjagutta FoB'slifts, escalatorsswitched off

Lifts and escalators havebeen switched off amonth after the

inauguration of the new Footover Bridge (FoB) inPanjagutta.The FOB wasopened to provide a safe wayfor pedestrians to cross thebusy Panjagutta junction. Butnow the lifts and escalators ofthe new FoB) are not availablefor public use.The lifts andescalators were foundswitched off on Wednesday,just a few months after theFOB was opened. After a cityresident brought the issue tothe attention of the authoritieson Twitter, the escalatorsstarted working but the liftsare not working.It may bementioned here that the FoBwas built to help pedestrianscross the busy junction and itconnects to the PanjaguttaMetro Station Road. Eventhough the FoB was availablefor use people preferred tocross the junction via theroad.The FoB was inauguratedby GHMC Mayor GadwalVijayalakshmi, andKhairatabad MLA DanamNagender on May 11.

PNS n HYDERABAD

The Greater HyderabadMunicipal Corporation urgedpeople to set up eco-friendlyGanesh idols to protect theenvironment during theVinayaka Chavithi festival,which will be celebrated fromAugust 31 to September 6.

According to the pressrelease, with a view to create anawareness among people oneco-friendly Ganesh idols, atotal of 60 clay Ganesha idolsare being set up by GHMC atthe zonal circles, in crowdedareas, at business complexesand malls. Information on themakers of clay Ganesh idols isprovided in.

"The Clay Ganesh idols havemany benefits. There will be noadverse effect on the environ-ment. Will not cause healthhazards and it will be ecofriendly. The Painting and glit-tering Ganesha idols have the

material detrimental to health.Everyone should give priorityfor installing eco-friendlyearthen Ganapati idols andavoid practices that causehealth trouble to the people,"said GHMC officials.

Attractive clay idols ofGanesha ranging from 8 inch-es to 8 feet were erected. Free

training is being imparted tothose interested in making ofclay Ganesh idols. Training onmaking eco-friendly clay idolsunder the GHMC is in fullswing.

GHMC urges devotees towork for installation of eco-friendly Ganesh Idols in thecity.

GHMC to install 60 clayGanesh idols in various circles

PNS n HYDERABAD

Infertile couples can now havea child through surrogacy inTelangana without waiting fora long time for legal formali-ties. The state officially nowhas announced a board forregulating surrogacy services.Telangana government hasappointed State AssistedReproductive Technology andSurrogacy Board for imple-mentation of AssistedReproductive Technology(Regulation) Act, andSurrogacy Act 2021.

This is on the lines ofCentral government'sSurrogacy (Regulation) Act2021 and AssistedReproductive Technology(Regulation) Act 2021The actsaim at regulating in vitro fer-tilisation (IVF) clinics andprohibit commercial surroga-cy. The IVF and ART clinicswill be registered afterapproval from the Boarddeterring them from commer-cialisation.Health Minister isthe Chairman, HealthSecretary is the Vice

Chairman and ex-officio andmembers include secretariesof Women and Child Welfare,Home, Law, Social Welfareand Commissioner of Health.Three MLAs, GongidiSunitha, Padma DevenderReddy and Dr Hari Priya aremembers and ex-officio. TheBoard includes expert mem-bers who are doctors fromNIMS, Gyanecologists fromGovernment hospitals, socialscientists, women from wel-fare organisations and mem-bers of civil society organisa-tion.

TS sets up Board forregulating surrogacy services

The IVF andART clinics willbe registeredafter approvalfrom the Boarddeterring themfromcommercialisation.

DEEPIKA PASHAM

n HYDERABAD

The Telangana High Court hasissued notice to the UnionHome Secretary in a contemptpetition filed as officials dis-obeyed its order in directing theMinistry to consider a represen-tation seeking FIR againstTwitter and its users, who arespreading communally chargedhate messages through the web-site. The petitioner, KhajaAijazuddin is an Advocate whohad filed a PIL in 2020 seekingtwo things. The one is to stopthe illegal trending on thesocial network of Twitter underthe name#Islamiccoronavirusjihad,#Coronajihad, #tablighijamator #islamophobic posts andother is to register criminalcases against Twitter and theSocial media users for spread-ing Islamophobic posts or mes-sages which hurt the senti-ments of a particular religion.

The Petitioner Khaja

Aijazuddin said, " This all start-ed after Covid where somemongers tried to put a blame onthe Islam people that they arethe reason for the CoronaVirus. This compelled me tocomplain to the Cyber team,but nobody responded and Icould see that a massive trendwas going on. Then Iapproached the Supreme Courtin Delhi and they directed meto the Telangana High Court.The notice was issued andTwitter removed the concernedcomments on particularMuslim community."

But my grievance before theHigh Court is that a criminalcase must be filed againstTwitter and its users and guide-lines must be framed for allsocial media platforms. It is theduty of the micro blogging siteto find out the persons who areresponsible in sending thosemessages because they can onlyhave that module to find theperson. We must know who arethese mischief mongers who are

spreading these types of mes-sages, because it disturbs thepeace of the State, he added.

He later explained that thisis the case of last year, The HighCourt at Hyderabad in its orderdated 22.04.2021 has directedthe Respondent Union HomeSecretary to consider the rep-resentation made by Petitionerand take appropriate steps ascontemplated in law.

Thereafter, the Petitionersent a representation to theHome Ministry for the compli-ance of the Order. The UnionHome Ministry replied thatlaw enforcement agencies reg-ularly monitored the socialmedia platforms against themisuse.

The Bench of Chief JusticeSatish Chandra Sharma andJustice B Vijaysen Reddy passedan order issuing Notice to theUnion Home Secretary,Ministry of Home Affairs,Government of India for filingthe Counter and posted the casefor hearing on August 24.

ISLAMOPHOBIC POSTS ON TWITTER

Advocate files case in HC seekingcriminal case against Twitter, users

PNS n HYDERABAD

The Cyber Crime wing ofCyberabad Police busted aracket and arrested a gang of7 members who prepare poly-mer fingerprints (rubber fin-ger prints) and withdraw theamounts from innocent bankaccount holders. Police haveseized 2,500 cloned fingerprints, cash of Rs. 3.4 lakh, 121SIM cards, 20 mobiles, 13Debit Cards, 1 PAN Card, 2Aadhaar, 3 Routers, 4Biometric FingerprintScanner, 3 Pen drives (withland documents downloaded),4 kg Photopolymer orangeliquid gel, 3 kg primer liquidbottles and one laptop.

The accused are NallagallaVenkateshwarlu, MeghavathShanker Naik, RathamSrinivas from Sangareddy;Darshanam Samelu fromOngole, Challa Manikantafrom Guntur, Sheik KhasimVali and Vishwanathula Anil

Kumar from Prakasam dis-trict. They have vast experi-ence in the banking, lands andregistration fields. They down-loaded land registration doc-uments from IGRS Portal ofAndhra Pradesh State. Theycollected the Name, AadhaarNumber and fingerprints. Byusing those finger prints, thefraudster prepares polymerfinger prints (RubberFingerprints) of them using achemical. After preparing thefinger prints, fraudsters regis-ter with Digital Banking appli-cations (AEPS Applications)which are also called as mini-ATM's. Easy Pay applicationswere used for finding out the

linked bank accounts and bal-ance in those bank accounts.E-Point India applicationswere used for withdrawingthe amounts using the pre-pared polymer finger prints. Inthis way they prepared morethan 10,000 fake fingerprintsand lured the innocent bankaccounts to the tune of croresof rupees.

On May 4, 2022 fraudstercontacted the complainantand asked for AEPS License togive service to the customers.The complainant verified hisKYC documents and gave hima User ID and password. Theaccused started transactionson May 5, 2022.

Cheating gang busted, 7cyber fraudsters held

PNS n HYDERABAD

The Special Team ofBalanagar Zone police arrest-ed Maan Singh andMohabatt, who are hard coreand notorious inter-statehouse burglars. They belongto Dhar district, MadhyaPradesh State and detected 98house burglary offenceswhich include 68 inCyberabad, 10 in Nizamabad,two in Karimnagar, six inWarangal, nine in Jagitial,two in Kamareddy and one inSiddipet.According to thepress note, the Special teamscollected the clues (CCTVfootage, MO, Chance Prints &Technical Information) andvisited al l the scene ofoffences and analysed theinformation. They concludedthat the gangs committingoffences in Cyberabad and

Telangana State are fromDhar District , MadhyaPradesh.

Police further said thatthese criminals formed a gangwith 11 members and visitedTelangana 21 times from2018 to March - 2022 alongwith house breaking imple-ments i.e., heavy cutters, rods,screw drivers and committedseveral offences in Telanganaand other states.

The Special Teams visitedseveral times to Dhar District,MP, collected informants inthere area, and identified thegang members with the helpof local Police .

Man involved in 43 houseburglary cases held

The sleuths of Madhapurteam have apprehended thehard-core house burglaryoffender Kotipally Chandri,who committed 43 house

burglary offence, including 10in the limits of CyberabadCommissionerate and 33 inSanga Reddy District. Policerecovered gold ornamentsweighing 57 tulas and cashRs.2.70 lakhs. According tothe press note, the accusedfrom Nizampet, Kukatpally,Hyderabad was arrested seventimes earlier in the cases ofnotorious house burglaryoffences. Madhapur policesaid that the accused is a nighthouse burglary offender,moves single in isolated areasin late nights searches forlocked houses. He breaksopen the door lock usingiron rod, later he breaks thealmirah and steals away cashand gold ornaments.Theaccused committed 6 offens-es after his release from jailfrom August 2019 to June2022, police said.

Balanagar cops nab 2 inter-state house burglars

Seeking shifting of

dump yard, residents

write to Governor

Social activists andresidents staying nearSalarjung Museum write

a letter to Governor with arequest to shift the dumpingyard located between ShivajiBridge and Mahatma GandhiBus Station. The associationdemanded a solutionbecause the GHMC garbagedumping yard locatedbetween the colonies hasincreased the mosquitomenace. The residents saidthat from 6pm mosquitoeswere flying from the areasand causing healthproblems.``Despite severalrepresentations to shift thedumping yard to anotherlocation, the authorities havefailed to respond and do notpay attention. The dumpingyard is also spreading a foulsmell. The passersby arefinding it difficult to crossthe Shivaji Bridge. The dustis slipping onto the road asthe yard is overflowed.

10,000 farmers beingtrained on productquality, says Flipkart

PNS n HYDERABAD

Flipkart announced onThursday that it has trainedand built capacity with over10,000 farmers across thecountry, providing them withnational market access andenabling their growth. Flipkartis working with multipleFarmer ProducerOrganizations (FPOs) andsmall and marginal farmersacross the country to buildsustainable and scalable part-nerships. To help FPOs adhereto quality standards on e-com-merce platforms, Flipkart hasconducted training and capac-ity-building programmes tostrengthen the production ofFPOs, small and marginalfarmers.Flipkart has collabo-rated with FPOs, and smalland marginal farmers acrossstates like Karnataka, AndhraPradesh, Telangana, MadhyaPradesh, Kerala, Maharashtra,Gujarat, and Uttar Pradesh.Flipkart has on boarded mul-tiple FPOs nationwide, givingthem access to over 400 mil-lion customers nationwide.

PNS n HYDERABAD

Spiritual Guru Jaggi Vasudevlaunched Green IndiaChallenge 5.0 on Thursdayand as part of the programme,planted saplings in Golluru for-est, on Hyderabad outskirts.

At the programme, spiritu-al Guru Jaggi Vasudev said, "'Telangana Ku Harita Haram'and Green India Challengestood as a role model in thecountry and asserted that allother states should accept thechallenge." "I was on a worldtour and was overwhelmed byseeing lush green cover whileentering the Telangana State.There is no alternative to Earthand Soil. I strongly hope forthe conservation of Earth andsoil, and to want gift them tothe future generations."Vasudev said. "The indiscrim-inate use of chemicals willdestroy the Earth's life, and itwill be a big threat to the future

generations," he warnedVasudev started his journey

to Bengaluru from Hyderabadon Thursday as part of the SaveSoil movement. On his way, thespiritual guru planted saplingsin Golluru forest areas inShamshabad and declared thelaunching of the Green IndiaChallenge- 5.0.

Green India Challenge

founder and MP J SantoshKumar, Ministers AIndrakaran Reddy, SabithaIndra Reddy, Satyawati Rathod,MP Ranjit Reddy, MLAPrakash Goud, MLCs- NaveenKumar, Shambhipur Raju, andD Vittal also participated andplanted saplings.

State Forest Minister AIndrakaran Reddy presented a

report on 'Telangana KuHaritha Haram' and explainedthe government's endeavour toincrease Green cover in thestate.

Sadguru Vasudev praisedSantosh Kumar for taking upthe big task of the plantationprogramme and playing a rolemodel for the youth. "MPSantosh Kumar takes a bigresponsibility at an early age.He asserted the need to educatepeople about the importance ofconserving nature and theenvironment. The goals of theGreen India Challenge andSave oil are the same.Protection of the Earth," hesaid. Santosh Kumar said,"With the inspiration of'Telangana Ku haritha haram',the brainchild of ChiefMinister K ChandrasekharRao, I launched the GreenIndia challenge four years agoto spread the awareness ofgreenery across the country."

Spiritual Guru Jaggi Vasudev launchesGreen India Challenge 5.0 in city Planted saplings in Golluru forest in Shamshabad on Hyderabad outskirts

PNS n HYDERABAD

Now devotees can offer Bonamto Secunderabad Mahankaliand participate in BalkampetYellamma's celestial marriagethrough online. The last date forthe registration of both theevents is July 4 on TAPP Folioor temple websites.

Endowments Minister IndraKaran Reddy said that theDepartment has made arrange-ments to submit Bonalu toUjjain Mahakali Amma onlineas well. On Thursday at AranyaBhavan, he formally launchedan online service to offer aBonam to the Goddesses ofUjjaini Mahakali andBalkampeta Ellamma.

On the occasion, theMinister said that if bookedonline, the temple administra-tors would offer Bonam to thegoddess, worship with namesand send the Prasadam direct-ly to the house. He said the ser-vices would be available fromJuly 4 to devotees who submitBonams online to MahakaliAmma of Ujjain. For domes-tic services Rs. 300, for inter-national services and Rs. 1,000will have to be paid.

Now devotee canoffer Bonam Online

PNS n HYDERABAD

In a major reshuffle, 2,865PCs, HCs and ASIs to betransferred. The HyderabadCity Police, in overhaul of itsforce, transferred the PCs,HCs and ASIs who wereworking for more than fiveyears in L&O and TrafficPolice Stations or seven yearsin an L&O Zone. These trans-fers have been long pendingsince 2018 due to Covid.

A list of eligible personnelfor general transfer on longpending basis has been gen-erated through a new soft-ware, 'Human ResourcesManagement System', devel-oped by Telangana StatePolice. Guidelines for trans-ferring and posting PCs, HCsand ASIs were circulated to allthe Police personnel on 6thMay 2022.

All the eligible police per-sonnel were notified throughthe HRMS portal individual-

ly and were requested to exer-cise the option of any fourplaces of their choice fortransfer. The options wereopen from 12th May andwere closed on 21st May2022. As many as 2,865Personnel exercised theirchoice.

The options were processedin the HRMS, resulting in a66.66 per cent satisfactionrate. The remaining 33 percent of personnel whose fouroptions could not be consid-ered were then reconsideredbased on their previous post-ings, options and their placeof residence.

Transfer orders have beenissued on Thursday in respectof 2006 PCs, 640 HCs and 219ASIs, and individual orderswill be delivered electronical-ly to all the above personnel.Their relief and reporting atthe new place of posting willalso be done on the HRMSportal.

Hyd City Police issue pending ordersfor transfer of PCs, HCs & ASIsAs many as 2,865 Personnel were transfered

The accused, along with others, involved in 98 house burglary cases

04HYDERABAD | FRIDAY | JUNE 17, 2022

PNS n HYDERABAD

Declaring that TransportMinister Puvvada Ajay Kumarhas no loyalty to any party as hehad shifted from the CPI (M) tothe Congress and then to theTRS, YSRTP President Y SSharmila said. Puvvada's hungerfor money had not been satiat-ed even though he had amassedassets and had grabbed lands.

She said that Puvvada hadgrabbed the government aswell as private lands inKhammam. Puvvada hasgrabbed even roads and canalsapart from the lands of farmers,she said.

She asked Puvvada, who hadno house earlier, as to how hegot 80 acres in Hyderabad.

She said that Puvvada wife'scompany or his proxy compa-nies execute all contracts grant-ed in Khammam whether it isworth Rs 100 or Rs 100 crore,

she said.She said that a youth had

committed suicide unable tobear the harassment of Puvvada.Puvvada's dictatorship runs theshow in Khammam and it cannow be called rowdy rajyam, shesaid.

Puvvada constructed fourroads and is giving an impres-sion that he had done a lot, shesaid and asked whether peoplecan live on roads.

Puvvada is the TransportMinister, she said, and addedthat one can understand whatthe RTC's condition is. Therewere no unions in the RTC, shepointed out.

Puvvada has been removingthe statues of YSR, she said, andasked him to focus on develop-ment instead of behaving like arowdy.Sharmila addressed apublic meeting in Khammamon Thursday as part of her PrajaPrasthanam padayatra.

Puvvada's hunger for moneycannot be satiated, says Sharmila

PNS n HYDERABAD

The state government mustspeed up recruitment to gov-ernment departments, seniorBJP leader Gudur NarayanaReddy said on Thursday.

In a media statement, he saidthe delay in completing therecruitment process is leadingto despair among those whohave applied for the posts.

"Even though three monthshave gone by after theannouncement by ChiefMinister K. ChandrasekharRao in the Assembly on filling80,000 posts in governmentdepartments, the process isgoing on at a snail's pace," hesaid.He said that so far the gov-ernment has given permissionto fill 35,200 posts in variousdepartments. No one knowswhether permission has beengiven to fill the remainingposts and when they would befilled. Notifications have not

been issued and applicantshave been waiting for them,Gudur said.

He said that the TRS govern-ment decided to fill the vacantposts years after coming topower. The unemployed wereelated by the decision and theythought that their problemswould end soon. However, thedelay in completing the processhas poured cold water on theirhopes, Gudur added.

He said lakhs of people havebeen preparing for the recruit-ment examinations after theannouncement of the ChiefMinister. But they are not sureeven now when they would beable to write the tests.

He said it seems that the TRShas been deliberately delayingthe recruitment process to useit for election purposes. Itwants to drag on the process tillthe announcement of theschedule for elections to theAssembly, Gudur said.

The government wants tokeep the unemployed engagedso that they would not come onto the streets, he added.

The BJP leader said that theChief Minister came forward tofill up the vacancies in the gov-ernment departments after theBJP applied pressure.

BJP leader Bandi SanjayKumar had called for a millionmarch to the Assembly to pres-sure the government to fill thevacant posts in government

departments. Fearing the BJP'sprotests the Chief Ministerannounced the recruitmentprocess, he added.

He said that the movementfor Telangana was waged onlyto secure the rights of the peo-ple of Telangana regardingwater, jobs and funds. TheTRS government miserablyfailed in providing jobs toTelangana's youth, he said.

Gudur said that it also seemsthat the TRS has been delayingthe recruitment process as thetreasury is empty. He said thegovernment was not in a posi-tion to pay salaries to employ-ees.The salary burden on thegovernment will go up after fill-ing the vacant posts and thegovernment has been trying toavoid that.

He urged Chief Minister K.Chandrasekhar Rao not to playwith the lives of youth who aretrying to enter governmentservice.

Speed up Govt's recruitment process, urges Gudur

Nalgonda police arrest two chainsnatchers, recover 24 gold chains

PNS n NALGONDA

Nalgonda police onThursday arrested two inter-state chain snatchers andrecovered 24 gold chainsfrom them, according toDistrict Superintendent ofPolice Rema Rajeswari.

The arrested are PallepakaLenin (27) andGunduguntla Shoban Babu(24). They hailed fromKallur vi l lage underNeredchela mandal inSuryapet district.

Rema Rajeswri told thereporters that the policehad taken two persons intocustody during vehiclecheck-up at Allagadapa tollplaza. During the interroga-tion, the accused confessedto have committed 20 chainsnatching. They had com-mitted 11 chain snatchingsin Nalgonda, 15 in Suryapetdistr ict and one inKhammam district. Theyhad been committing crimesince 2020. The police seized24 gold chains and 70,000cash from the arrested per-sons. The modus operandiof the accused was that they

used snatch gold ornamentsfrom the women and escapeon motorcycle. TheSuperintendent of Policesaid that PreventiveDetention Act would beinvoked against the accused.

She further said theaccused used to eke out aliving as labourers. Theywere addicted to vices andstarted committing crimeto fund their vices.

PNS n RAJANNA SIRICILLA

There are vegetarians andnon-vegetarians among peo-ple. Some survive by eatingfruits and others taking sal-ads. Some depend only onmilk. But, here is a strangelady who survives by eatingpieces chalk. This has beenthe old woman's daily intakeof food for the past 14 years.

Another strange practice ofher is drinking water fromthe same well without touch-ing any other water. She wasidentified as ChintakulaMallavva, a resident ofBandanakal village ofMustabad mandal of Sircilladistrict. People who cameacross her strange practice areastonished at her keepinggood health. They want toknow whether piece of chalkis edible at all. Noticing herstrange habit, her son anddaughter-in-law took her tohospital and got her tested.Doctors gave a clean bill ofhealth to her and did not findanything wrong with herhealth. Her relatives and vil-lagers are raising eyebrowsnoticing the strange foodhabits of Mallavva.

She takes pieces ofchalk as her food!

Yoga practitioners take out rally in Kamareddy PNS n KAMAREDDY

District Superintendent ofPolice B Srinivas Reddy hassaid that practicing yoga givespeace of mind.

Practitioners of yoga tookout a sobha yatra in the town

on Thursday under the aegisof the Ayush Department andPatanjali Yoga Samiti in con-nection with eighth WorldYoga Day. The SP flagged offthe procession and advisedpeople to make practicingyoga a part of their routine.

Employees working in theAyush Department andPatanjali Yoga Samiti memberstook part in the rally.

Doctors Venkateswarlu,Devaiah, Anil Kumar, YogaRamreddy and others tookpart in the event.

Kamareddy District Superintendent of Police B Srinivas Reddy flagging off Sobha Yatra in Kamareddy on Thursday

PNS n HYDERABAD

The verification of the certifi-cates of those who have appliedfor financial assistance underthe Mahatma Jyotibapule BCOverseas Scholarship Schemewill start from June 20. Detailshave been posted on the PASSTelangana website.

BC Welfare CommissionerPrincipal Secretary BurraVenkatesham, IAS, said,“Candidates who applied inMarch 2022 must come withtheir original certificates asper the details given onhttps://telanganaepass.cgg.gov.in.” “A total of 571 people haveapplied under the scheme ofwhich 438 are from BCs, and133 are from EBC castes.Candidates who have alreadyapplied have been sent detailsregarding the certification ver-ification date, time and officeaddress via SMS,” he added.

Verification for BC OverseasScholarship from June 20

World boxing champ from Nizamabad Nikhat Zareen feted PNS n NIZAMABAD

Tumultous welcome has beenextended to IBA women's box-ing champion for 2022 - NikhatZareen -- when she arrivedhere on Thursday. The districtadministration felicitated her ina befitting manner.

Earlier she was taken roundthe city from Pulang CrossRoads to New AmbedkarBhavan via Collectorate in anopen top jeep. She was seengreeting the people showingthem her gold medal.

A bike rally by employees'unions representatives, stu-dents and youth formed thefront of her jeep. The bikerswere seen moving raising slo-gans praising the champion.

The atmosphere has beenelectrified with the arrival ofthe procession.

As her procession reachedNew Ambedkar Bhavan, Roadsand Buildings Minister VemulaPrashant Reddy, ZP ChairmanDadannagari Vithal Rao, MLAsBigala Ganesh Gupta, ShakilAmir, Collector C NarayanaReddy, police commissionerKR Nagaraju, city mayor NituKiran and others extendedgrand welcome to the champi-on. Later, she was felicitated ina befitting manner. Her coachSamsamuddin who initiatedher into the sport of boxing waspresented a purse of Rs 50,000.

MLA Bigala Ganesh Guptapresented her Rs 1 lakh, whileShakil assured her to arrange afelicitation function for her inhis Bodhan constituency andallot her a house-site.

Vemula Prashant Reddyaddressing at the felicitationfunction said she put the name

of Nizamabad district andTelangana state in general inworld boxing map and her vic-tory as the boxing champion isa wonderful incident.

It is not a joke to emerge asthe number one champion inglobe in boxing, a sport whichis no bed of roses.

Encouragement of her par-

ents and best training impart-ed to her by coach made herworld champion, he said.

Feeling proud for the"Nizamabad bidda" (localwoman) for becoming worldchampion, he said he was for-tunate enough to have got anopportunity to felicitate her.

Referring to Chief Minister

K Chandrashekhar Rao hasbeen encouraging sports innew state of Telangana, he saidthat the government gaveincentives to several championslike Saina Nehwal, Sania Mirza,PV Sindhu, Malawat Purna,Yendala Soundarya and others.He recalled how the TRS gov-ernment extended Rs 50 lakhincentive to Nikhat for winninggold in junior world boxingcategory.

He pointed out that KCRannounced a cash incentive ofRs 2 crore, 600-square yardhouse site and the job of a sub-divisional police officer.However, he said that all theseincentives pale in front of herbig achievement. He wishedthat Nikhat Zareen achievemany more successes and sur-pass the renowned boxer MaryKom.

District Collector CNarayana Reddy praised herfor spreading greatness of Indiain general and Telangana stateand Nizamabad district in par-ticular across world. The ladypugilist from Nizamabadproved that she can hurl dead-ly punches in global events. Hesaid that the country is earningglobal reputation in sportsrealm too.

Every person of the stateshould feel proud for herachievements. She is a symbolof perseverance and hard work,he said extolling her.

City Police CommissionerNagaraju has said that sheproved that the hard work, butnot luck, would pay and want-ed youth to emulate her andachieve success in their choic-est fields.

Boxing champion Nikhat Zareen being welcomed by officials in Nizamabad on Thursday

Rural sports complexes helppromote sports: MinisterPNS n WANAPARTHI

'We are lagging behind insports because of lack ofsports complexes, ' saidMinister for Agriculture SNiranjan Reddy on Thursday.A sporting culture at thegrassroots is the need of thehour, he said.

The Minister was inaugu-rating a sports complex atKarne Thanda under KhillaGhanpur mandal. Speakingon the occasion, he said theTRS government under theleadership of Chief MinisterK Chandrashekar Rao hasembarked on establishingsports complexes in everyvillage. The sports complex-

es, he said, were intended tobring out hidden talent in theyouth and help India forgeahead in sports, he pointedout.

The setting up of ruralsports complexes, he felt,would help the youth in vil-lages get enough physicalexercise.

The sportspersons and thephysical education teacherswelcomed the government'sdecision to set up rural sportscomplexes, he said. Regularphysical exercise wouldimprove mental health andensure emotional wellbeing.The Minister expressed hisgratitude to the ChiefMinister for taking the mea-

sures to set up rural sportscomplexes.

Minister for Agriculture S Niranjan Reddy at a newly-opened sports complex at Karne Thanda in Wanaparthy district on Thursday

The sportscomplexes, he said,were intended tobring out hiddentalent in the youthand help India forgeahead in sports, hepointed out. Thesetting up of ruralsports complexes,he felt, would helpthe youth in villagesget enough physicalexercise.

PNS n HYDERABAD

During a Central Peace andWelfare Committee meetingheld at the CP of f ice,Basheerbagh on Thursday,city police commissioner CVAnand said that HyderabadCity has been the flag bearerof Ganga-Jamuna Tehzeeb.Ahead of the festivals startingfrom June 30th, cops interact-ed with the members of thepeace committee, whichcomprised representativesfrom various religions andurged them to maintainpeace.

The peace committeeswhich were instituted in theyear 2002, had been instru-mental as the participant'sclose connections to the com-munity placed them in aunique position to identifyand intervene in communityissues early on, acting as a

link between the city policeand the people they serve.

CP Anand in his addressfloated the idea of formingpeace forces composed ofthe local youth at the wardlevels and exhorted the eldersto be proactive in guidingthem.All the zonal DCPswere instructed to revamp thepeace committees with moreyoungsters onboard and tomaintain frequent interac-tions with the members.

Let us spread positive over-whelming content throughsocial media to foster peaceand harmony, said Anand.While thanking the leadersfor maintaining peace inHyderabad, CP said the citypolice have stepped up socialmedia monitoring and actionis being taken against personswho are trying to disturbpeace.

He urged leaders not to be

carried away by fake mes-sages calling upon the com-munity to hold protests.

The peace committeemembers appreciated the ini-tiative of the city police to callrepresentatives of differentreligions and also thanked forthe work done in handlingsecurity arrangements duringthe festivals of various reli-gions that were concludedpeacefully. Members assuredthe police that they wouldmaintain utmost caution andensure that no untoward inci-dent would occur. Later theyfelicitated CP Anand.

The 17,000 police person-nel guard the city 24/7 to pro-tect the state capital which isa home of diverse peopledrawn from various parts ofthe globe and HCP officersstrike the best possible bal-ance between religious liber-ty and public safety.

‘Youth can play pivotal role inidentifying community issues’

Hyderabad City Police Commissioner C V Anand addressing peace committee meeting in Hyderabad on Thursday

PNS n HYDERABAD

A group of Bajrang Dal lead-ers have lodged a complaintwith Hyderabad's Sultan Bazarpolice against noted actressSai Pallavi. She has beenaccused of making controver-sial remarks over cow vigilan-tism and the film KashmirFiles. The complaint statedthat action should be takenagainst her. It is learnt that thepolice have said that they willtake legal action against SaiPallavi after taking legal adviceon the complaint of BajrangDal leaders.Sai Pallavi wasrecently interviewed as part ofthe promotion of his film'Virata Parvam'. When askedabout her political leanings,she said that she was ideolog-ically neutral and thus grewup. She said she did not knowif they were leftists or right-wing groups.

Case against Sai Pallaviover remarks on KashmiriPandits’ exodus

PNS n HYDERABAD

The students of Rajiv GandhiUniversity of Knowledge andTechnologies-Basar (RGUKT-Basar) on Thursday refused tocall off protest though the gov-ernment announced theappointment of OsmaniaUniversity professor SateeshKumar as Director. The stu-dents insisted that either ChiefMinister K Chandrashekar Raoand Minister for InformationTechnology K T Rama Raoshould visit the campus andaddress their problems. Theydeclared that they would with-draw the agitation until theircharter of demands weremet.Tension prevailed whenthe police arrested CPI leaderK Narayana was arrested whenhe went to the campus toaddress the students.

RGUKT-Basarstudents persistwith protest

PNS n HYDERABAD

In a new development ofthe Jubilee Hills gang rapecase, the police receivedmedical report on theaccused. It was that all theaccused, including minors,are 'potent.'

Sources said that the testreports would form part ofthe charge sheet to be filedin the court of law. Thesixth minor, who is accusedof outraging the modesty of

the girl, need not undergothe test as he was notcharged with assaulting theminor sexually.

The test was conductedas per section 53A of CrPC.Those accused of rape orrape attempt should under-go a detailed examinationby a registered medicalpractitioner.

The potency test con-firms that the accused inthe rape case are capable ofsexual intercourse.

Test confirms all accused inrape case are 'potent'

TRS govt attackedCongress leaders toplease BJP: Revanth

PNS n HYDERABAD

TPCC President RevanthReddy said that the policeattacked Congress leadersand cadres during theparty's Chalo Raj Bhavanprogramme as per theCentre's secret directions.

Speaking to the mediaafter being released fromthe Bollaram Police Station,Revanth said the TRS gov-ernment ordered the policeto attack Congress leadersand cadres to please the BJP.

He called upon Congresscadres to stage dharnasbefore government officesat all district headquartersto protest the lathi-chargeon Congress leaders andcadres.He said the policeattacked NSUI activists firstand later Congress cadres.DCP Joel Davis attackedCLP leader Mallu BhattiVikramarka after Congressworkers left the place.It ispainful that the police filedfalse cases against formerUnion minister RenukaChowdhary, who hadpulled the collar ofPanjagutta SI Upendra asshe was going to fall afterlosing balance as someonehad pushed her frombehind.He asked whetherKCR and KTR would havesurvived if the thenCongress government hadbehaved in this mannerduring the Telangana move-ment.

Ensure no loss of lifethis monsoon: KTRPNS n HYDERABAD

With monsoons coveringTelangana, Minister K TRama Rao on Thursdaydirected officials to ensurethat there is no loss of lifeduring this rainy sea-son. He held areview meetingwith GHMC,HMWSSB andMAUD depart-ment on Thursday.

KTR directedauthorities to ensurethat the barricading of nalasand other potentially dan-gerous places is completedand make sure there is noloss of life. He said that theworks which are pendinginauguration should becompleted quickly. Heasked the officials to be

alert and be very activeespecially when it rains.Water logging issues shouldbe attended immediately.He urged the officials towork in coordination with

other departments andnot leave the work in

the middle. The infrastruc-

ture works takenup byH M W S & S B

including theconstruction of

Sewage TreatmentPlants (STPs), works beingexecuted by the MusiRiverfront DevelopmentCorporation Ltd, progressof link roads, Strategic NalaDevelopment Programme(SNDP) works and otherdevelopmental works werereviewed.

nation 05HYDERABAD | FRIDAY | JUNE 17, 2022

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R UP: SIT arrests four men in 1984 anti-Sikh riots case

The Special Investigation Team (SIT), probing the mass killings during the anti-Sikh riotsin 1984, arrested four men accused of setting a building to fire in which three personswere burnt to death, a senior official said on Thursday. The arrests were made on

Wednesday by the SIT, headed by Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) BalenduBhushan Singh, from the Ghatampur area of Kanpur. The SIT, constituted by the UttarPradesh government on May 27, 2019, onthe orders of the Supreme Court, has beenprobing the anti-Sikh riots' cases for the lastthree years and efforts are on to nab moresuspects, DIG Singh told PTI. It hadidentified 96 persons as prime suspects, ofwhich 22 have died. Complete informationabout 11 suspects was gathered and ithelped the SIT to nab four of them, he said.The four arrested accused were identified asSaifullah, Yogendra Singh, Vijay NarayanSingh and Abdul Rahman, all sexagenarianresidents of the Ghatampur area.

Hijab issue: 19 Muslim girl students to miss studies

Three months after Karnataka High Court ruled that Muslim girl students shouldabide by the decisions of the college development committees (CDCs) and wearprescribed uniforms without hijab, 19 students of government first grade college at

Haleyangadi here have been skipping classes. The students, who are adamant onwearing hijab in classrooms, are now on the verge of dropping out of the college asthey have neither written examinationsnor attended classes for the last threemonths. Similar issues at universitycollege of Mangalore, governmentfirst grade college at Uppinangadywere solved after discussions withstudents and parents. However, the 19students at Haleyangadi college arefacing loss of education after thecollege authorities strictly prohibitedwearing of hijab inside the institutionas per the High Court verdict onMarch 15.

SC judge MR Shah falls ill inHimachal, being airlifted to Delhi

Supreme Court Judge Justice M R Shah was being airlifted to Delhi after falling sickin Himachal Pradesh on Thursday, according to sources. Justice Shah sufferedsome discomfort in the chest, they said. Chief Justice of India N V Ramana was in

touch with Justice Shah and the Ministry of Home Affairs to bring him to Delhi fortreatment, said the sources. Later in avideo message, Justice Shah said heis stable and reaching Delhi. By thegrace of God. I am Ok and stable.Nothing to worry (about). I amreaching Delhi and you can see me.You can watch. By the grace of God Ihad the darshan' (in some temple)yesterday (Wednesday) and the daybefore and thereafter, I am leavingwith all blessings to me and myfamily. God bless everybody and mealso, Justice Shah said in the videocirculated within the legal fraternity.

Pak still trying to bleed Indiawith a thousand cuts: RajnathPNS n SRINAGAR

Defence Minister RajnathSingh on Thursday saidPakistan is continuously tryingto disturb peace in Jammu andKashmir through its approachof bleed India with a thousandcuts , but warned that a befit-ting reply will be given ifattempt is made to hurt theunity and integrity of thenation.

Our neighbour has alwaysresorted to anti-India activities.The state also witnessed terroractivities in the past. Pakistancontinuously tries to disturbpeace in the country throughits approach of bleed India witha thousand cuts, Singh saidwhile addressing securityforces in Baramulla district.

The defence minister arrivedhere on a two-day visit toreview the security situation inthe Union territory.

Singh, however, assured thenation that if an attempt is evermade to hurt the unity andintegrity of the country, thearmed forces will give a befit-ting reply.

Lauding the security forces,he said there has been a signif-icant decline in the number of

terror activities in J&K recent-ly due to the relentless effortsof the personnel of armedforces, BSF, CRPF and J&KPolice.

Our security forces are sucha protective shield for thiscountry that whoever tries tobreak it, bleeds himself. Thenation has immense faith inour forces who are alwaysready to deal with any situa-tion, Singh added.

The defence minister alsovisited the forward areas andtook stock of the security sit-

uation along the border.Chief of the Army Staff

General Manoj Pande,General OfficerCommanding-in-Chief (GoC-in-C) Northern Command LtGen Upendra Dwivedi, GoC15 Corps Lt Gen AS Aujla andGoC 19 Infantry Division MajGen Ajay Chandpuria accom-panied the minister andbriefed him about the opera-tional preparedness of thearmed forces, an officialspokesman said.

Singh commended the secu-

rity forces for fulfilling theirresponsibilities efficiently evenin challenging situations,describing their valour andzeal as remarkable.

He lauded the security per-sonnel for serving the countrywith indomitable courage anddedication and instilling thesense of national pride in thepeople, especially the youth.

Reiterating that India is apeace-loving country whichhas given the message of'Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam' (thewhole world is one family) tothe world, Singh asserted thatwe have never tried to hurt anycountry in any way, nor havewe tried to capture even aninch of anyone's land .

He exuded confidence thatthe armed forces will face thefuture challenges with fullstrength and their valour anddedication to build a goldenfuture of the country.

The defence minister isscheduled to visit the JawaharInstitute of Mountaineering &Winter Sports at Pahalgam insouth Kashmir on Friday. He islikely to be briefed about thecounter-terrorism operationsin south Kashmir belt as wellduring his visit.

India, ASEAN agree to worktowards strategic partnershipPNS n NEW DELHI

India and the ASEAN onThursday agreed to worktowards a comprehensivestrategic partnership that ismeaningful, substantive andmutually-beneficial by furtherenhancing their strategic ties.

This was stated in a state-ment by External AffairsMinister S Jaishankar and hisSingaporean counterpartVivian Balakrishnan at theIndia-ASEAN foreign ministe-rial meeting being hosted byNew Delhi to mark the 30thanniversary of its relationswith the 10-nation grouping.

Jaishankar and Balakrishnanare the co-chairs of the two-day meeting that began onThursday.

It is understood that themeeting discussed the situationin the South China Sea, aresource-rich region that hasbeen witnessing increasingChinese muscle-flexing.

In their statement, the co-chairs said the meeting reaf-firmed commitment to multi-lateralism founded on the prin-ciples of international lawsincluding the Charter of theUnited Nations, the 1982 UNConvention on the Law of theSea (UNCLOS) and other rel-

evant UN treaties and conven-tions.

The foreign ministers agreedto work towards maintainingan open and inclusive region-al cooperation framework,support ASEAN centrality inthe evolving rules-basedregional architecture anduphold multilateralism injointly responding to regionaland global challenges.

The Association ofSoutheast Asian Nations(ASEAN) is considered one ofthe most influential groupingsin the region, and India andseveral other countries, includ-ing the US, China, Japan andAustralia, are its dialogue part-

ners.In their statement, the co-

chairs said the meeting agreedto further strengthen anddeepen the ASEAN-Indiastrategic partnership acrossthe whole spectrum of politi-cal, security, economic, socio-cultural and developmentcooperation by utilising exist-ing ASEAN-led mechanisms.

The meeting agreed to worktowards a comprehensivestrategic partnership betweenthe ASEAN and India that is"meaningful, substantive andmutually-beneficial by furtherenhancing ASEAN-Indiastrategic partnership", theysaid.

Authorities should strictly follow due process under lawPNS n NEW DELHI

Stating that "everything shouldbe fair" and authorities shouldstrictly follow the due proce-dure under the law, theSupreme Court Thursday gavethe Uttar Pradesh governmentand its authorities three days torespond to pleas which allegedthat the houses of thoseaccused in last week's violencewere illegally demolished.

There must be a senseamong the citizens that the ruleof law prevails in the country,a vacation bench of Justices A

S Bopanna and Vikram Nathsaid and urged the authoritiesto ensure nothing untowardhappens until it hears the mat-ter on June 21.

Everything should be fair.We expect the authorities tostrictly follow the due proce-dure under the law, it said.

The bench added, How do weensure their safety in the mean-time? We have a duty towardsthem. We should ensure theirsafety in the meantime. Let us beclear, they (accused) are also partof society. Ultimately, whensomeone has some grievances,

they should get achance to addressthem. If this courtdoes not come totheir rescue, thatwould not bea p p r o p r i a t e .Everything shouldlook fair.

The bench clarified that itcannot stay the demolitions butcan only say that such actionshould be strictly under the dueprocess of law.

Justice Bopanna said, We asjudges are also part of thesociety. We also see what is

h a p p e n i n g .Sometimes, wealso form ourimpressions .

The top courtwas hearing pleasfiled by theMuslim body --Jamiat Ulama-i-

Hind --- seeking directions to theUttar Pradesh government toensure that no further demoli-tions of properties of allegedaccused of recent violence arecarried out in the State.

The Muslim body in its pleahas said that no demolitions of

properties be carried out with-out following due process andsuch exercise is done only afteradequate notice.

Solicitor General TusharMehta, appearing for the UttarPradesh government, andsenior advocate Harish Salve,representing the Kanpur andPrayagraj civic authorities, saidthe due process of law was fol-lowed and notice in oneinstance of demolition wasgiven way back in August 2020.

Mehta said none of theaffected parties are before thecourt and the Jamiat Ulama-i-

Hind has approached the courtseeking a generic order thatthere should not be any demo-lition.

Senior advocates C U Singh,Huzefa Ahmadi, and NityaRamakrishnan, appearing forthe Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind, saidstatements are being made bythe highest constitutionalauthorities, including the UttarPradesh chief minister, anddemolitions are subsequentlybeing carried out without giv-ing an opportunity to thealleged riot accused to vacatetheir houses.

SC ON UP DEMOLITIONS

PNS n NEW DELHI

Soon, a person sending photo-graph of a wrongly parkedvehicle may get a reward of Rs500 in case the fine works outto be Rs 1,000, Union RoadTransport and HighwaysMinister Nitin Gadkari said onThursday.

Addressing an event here,Gadkari, who is known for hisfrank views, said that he is con-templating a legislation to curbthe practice of wrongly parkedvehicles on streets, which oftenresults in the clogging of roads.

"Main ek kanoon laane walahun ki road par jo vehiclekhadi karega, uska joh mobilese photo nikal kar bhejega,usko agar Rs 1,000 fine hoga,

toh Rs 500 photo nikalane waleko milega. Toh parking kaproblem solve ho jayega (I amgoing to bring a law underwhich a person sending pho-

tograph of a wrongly parkedvehicle will get Rs 500 if thetotal fine works out to be Rs1,000. Then the problem ofparking will be solved)," hesaid.

The minister regretted thatthe people do not make park-ing spaces for their vehicles,instead, their vehicles occupythe road.

In a lighter vein, he said, "Mycook in Nagpur also ownstwo second hand vehicles...Now, a family of four membershas six vehicles. It appearsthat Delhiites are lucky peopleas we have made road forparking of theirvehicles...Nobody makes park-ing spaces, most of them parktheir vehicles on streets".

Law to reward person sending picsof wrongly parked vehicle in offing

Govt job aspirantsblock rly track

AGNIPATH ANGER

PNS n NEW DELHI

More than a dozen defenceforce aspirants on Thursdaystopped a train at NangloiRailway Station in outer Delhi bylying down on tracks protestingagainst the centre's Agnipath'scheme that seeks to recruit sol-diers on short term contract.

According to police,around 15-20 people peoplegathered at Nangloi RailwayStation around 9.45 am toprotest against a delay in rail-way recruitment examina-tions and against theAgnipath Scheme.

They stopped a train whichwas bound for Old Delhi fromJind in Haryana, police said.

Police reached the spotimmediately where GRP staffwas also present, asked theprotesters to vacate the railway

track peacefully, they said.The protesters said they

had applied for some govern-ment jobs two to three yearsago, but the examinations forthe recruitment have not beenconducted yet, and they havecrossed the minimum eligibil-ity age now, DeputyCommissioner of Police(outer) Sameer Sharma said.

At present the situation isunder control and all the stu-dents have been dispersed fromthe railway track, he said.

The central government onTuesday announced Agnipath'scheme for the recruitment ofsoldiers in the Army, Navy,and Air Force on a short-termcontractual basis, apparently tocut the ballooning salary andpension bills and carve out ayouthful profile of the armedforces.

PNS n NEW DELHI

A yoga week will be organ-ised by the DelhiUniversity from June 21 tomark the 8th InternationalDay of Yoga, officials saidon Thursday.

A yoga camp-cum lec-ture will also be organisedon June 22 where 1500people will perform vari-ous asanas. The world willcelebrate the 8thInternational Day of Yogathis year on June 21.

"The university isorganising a Yoga weekfrom June 21 to 27. A yogacamp-cum-lecture willalso be organised on June22 as part of it," said DUregistrar Vikas Gupta.

Yoga week is beingorganised as a part of thecentenary celebration. K PSingh, associate professor,DU Department of library,said, "On June 22, around1,500 people includingteachers, students andresearch scholars, willgather to perform Yoga.Yoga guru Baba Ramdevwill be the chief guest atthe event."

Delhi varsity toorganise ‘yogaweek' fromJune 21

PNS n NAGPUR

The Nagpur bench of the BombayHigh Court has dismissed a reviewpetition, which sought that PrimeMinister Narendra Modi and HomeMinister Amit Shah be disqualifiedunder Representation of the People(RP) Act, 1951. The petitioner,advocate Ram Khobragade, hadearlier filed a writ petition in thisconnection, which was dismissedby the high court on August 6 lastyear. The petition demanded that

Modi and Shah be declared guilty of"corrupt practices" under section123 of the RP Act and disqualifiedfor alleged violation of the modelcode of conduct during the 2019Lok Sabha elections. The petitionerhad later filed a review petition,which was also dismissed by thehigh court on June 10 and imposeda cost of Rs 500 on him, which itordered be deposited in the accountof the High Court Legal ServicesSub-Committee, Nagpur. A divisionbench of Justices Sunil Shukre and

Anil Kilor dismissed the petition.The petitioner submits that thecourt has power to declare both therespondents disqualified on theground that they indulged in corruptpractices and this power is con-ferred upon the court under Section99 of the RP Act, it added. Section99 of the Act deals with the powerof the high court trying an electionpetition. This proposition of lawpertains to the nature of the ordersthat may be passed by the highcourt trying an election petition.

HC dismisses review petition against PM, Amit Shah

HC to pronounceorder on June 17on pleas of Malik,DeshmukhPNS n MUMBAI

The Bombay High Court willpronounce on Friday its orderon two petitions filed byMaharashtra minister NawabMalik and former state homeminister Anil Deshmukh, bothjailed NCP legislators, seekingpermission to cast their votesin the MLC elections sched-uled on June 20. Justice N JJamadar on Thursday heardextensive arguments by allsides and reserved the verdictfor Friday.

During the day's hearing,senior counsel Amit Desai,who appeared for Malik, saidthe minister's case was a sim-ple request for going underescort, while being in thecourt's custody, to cast his vote.

Desai said though section62(5) of the Representation ofthe People Act imposed aprohibition or an embargoon those in prison from vot-ing, such prohibition was onaccount of "physical difficul-ties" such as arranging forsecurity and creating requisiteinfrastructure for prisoninmates to vote. "He (Malik) iscurrently in a hospital and notconfined inside a prison. He isalso yet to be convicted, so heis not disqualified from theprocess of casting his vote,"Desai said.

Cong seeks actionagainst ED officialsover selective leaks'PNS n NEW DELHI

The Congress has soughtaction against EnforcementDirectorate officials who"selectively leaked" to somemedia houses informationrelated to Rahul Gandhi'squestioning, as the party alsoserved a legal notice on threeUnion ministers over the issue.

In the notice to HomeMinister Amit Shah, FinanceMinister Nirmala Sitharamanand Law Minister Kiren Rijiju,the Congress MP and legal cellhead Vivek Tankha has askedthem to stop using the ED asa tool to settle political scores,and desist from "spreadingfalse narratives" about the for-mer Congress chief.

The notice comes in the

wake of media reports claim-ing that Gandhi has told theED that he has no knowledgeabout the dealings of YoungIndia with AssociatedJournals, which publishes theNational Herald, and that itwas done by the late partytreasurer Motilal Vora.

The notice also calls upon theministers to fix responsibility onsuch officers of the EnforcementDirectorate who have resortedto such "illegalities".

"This is a judicial proceed-ing and selective leaks by theED to malign Rahul Gandhi'simage is a criminal offence andan attempt to interfere with anongoing judicial proceedingwhich is a second crime,"Congress chief spokespersonRandeep Surjewala said.

TN's objections ‘illegal’ and‘meaningless’, says K'taka CM

MEKEDATU PROJECT

PNS n DAVANAGERE

Expressing confidence thatKarnataka's DPR on theMekedatu project will getapproval, Chief MinisterBasavaraj B ommai onThursday termed TamilNadu's object ions toCauvery Water ManagementAuthority (CWMA) dis-cussing the project at itsmeeting as "illegal" and"meaningless".

He reiterated that CWMAhas the powers to discuss

and decide on the matter."We need not respond to

everything they (TN) say;there is no stay from theSupreme Court; already thematter has been referred toCWMA; 15 meetings havetaken place, and CWMA hasthe powers and accordinglyit may call a meeting nextweek. We have put forwardour case and we are confi-dent about our DPR(Detailed Project Report)getting approved," Bommaisaid.

The Centre’s Agnipath scheme for recruitment of armed defence personnel has stokedpublic protests across at least seven States, besides leading to a political slugfest.Getting brickbats from across the political spectrum, the plan has expectedly been

criticised by several Opposition as well as BJP leaders. Naturally, the scheme is beingviewed as not only being against the aspirations of the nation’s youth but also a steptoward weakening the robust setup of our armed forces. While Congress leader RahulGandhi advised the Prime Minister not to take the “agnipariksha” of unemployed youth,his sister Priyanka wondered why the Government was making defence recruitment its“laboratory”. Several other Opposition leaders, including SP president Akhilesh Yadav (“poten-tially fatal move for nation’s future”), BSP supremo Mayawati (“the youth are dissatis-fied and angry”), and even BJP MP Varun Gandhi prudently asked about the prospects

for these soldiers when the corporate sector doesn’tshow much interest in hiring even the regular militarypersonnel who retire after 15 years. The Governmentshould have seen all this coming, and taken steps topreempt such vociferous protestations either by mak-ing its policy details unambiguous or sealing all pos-sible routes of inviting reproval.

These accusations and remonstrance, though clear-ly borne out of political adversity and the desire for one-upmanship and to score brownie points, do carry apoint. As only 25 per cent of the Agniveers will beabsorbed for regular employment after four years, thescheme will actually result in a waste of training cost

and likely prove to be an unnecessary burden on the defence budget. Already militaryrecruitment has been suspended for more than two years on account of the COVID-19pandemic. Since unemployed youth yearning to become soldiers cannot suppress theirzest, they are apparently running aimlessly. However, the bitter truth is that the tenacious19-year-old Pradeep Mehra has not been running 10 km each night, nor did Suresh Bhucharcarry the national flag 350 km from his Rajasthan village to Delhi, to join the Agnipathscheme which is anyway ill-suited for Indian conditions. Since recruitment to the defenceforces is age-driven, this halt on recruitment has adversely impacted youngsters, most-ly from rural areas, who suddenly find themselves stuck in limbo. Then there have beentragic cases like the suicide by Pawan of Bhiwani district on becoming overage.

The Government’s decision to auction 5G airwaves will give a fillip to new-age busi-nesses and boost machine-to-machine communications, Internet of Things (IoT)and artificial intelligence (AI) across sectors including automotive, healthcare, agri-

culture and energy. A total of 72,097.85 MHz of spectrum with a validity period of 20years will be auctioned by the end of July. The auction will be held for spectrum invarious low (600 MHz, 700 MHz, 800 MHz, 900 MHz, 1,800 MHz, 2,100 MHz, 2,300MHz), mid (3,300 MHz) and high (26 GHz) frequency bands, an official press releasehas said. Digital connectivity has not only brought people closer in terms of commu-nication but also opened up new vistas in governance, business and economy. E-com-merce, aggregation and other digital-enabled businesses have not just created unicorns

but also generated a large number of jobs. Broadband,particularly its mobile version, has hugely impactedlives. The 4G services have brought in a sea changein the way people use their mobile phones. In fact,change is so immense and all-encompassing that thepresent-day scenario could not have been imaginedin 1995 when mobile services began at that time. Withextremely high tariffs — even on incoming calls —owning a cell phone was a status symbol. And todayeven the poorest of the poor own such phones; indeedmobile telephony is playing a key role in bringing wel-fare measures to the doorstep of those from the weak-er sections.

Therefore, the Government should focus on the spread and quality of 5G services.But sometimes economic policy in India gets hurt, even derailed, by the Government’simpulse of revenue maximisation. The introduction of retrospective taxation to get moremoney from Vodafone by the Congress-led UPA Government is a case in point; forabout a decade, it hurt the capabilities of India to attract foreign investment. Equallypertinent to the telecom sector was the issue of adjusted gross revenue (AGR) dues.This was an irrational demand made on telcos, which brought Vodafone Idea to thebrink of closure — something that was averted by a kind of package at the last moment.The same impulse of revenue maximisation seems to be at play in 5G airwaves auc-tion, for the reserve price of 5G airwaves at the auction, to be held in July-end, hasnot been changed from the 2018 levels. Telecom companies wanted 90 per cent reduc-tion in the reserve price of 5G airwaves. But following the Trai recommendations inApril, they have been cut by 39 per cent. By putting up 72GHz of 5G frequencies forsale, the Government could earn net up to `4.5 lakh crore at base prices. While thepublic exchequer receiving large sums is good news, it should not be at the expenseof the business it is getting the money from. The Government should be focused onthe wellbeing of the telecom sector and the businesses and activities associated withit; when they thrive, tax revenue will zoom.

5G boost

MUSINGS ON THE NEXT PRESIDENTSir — It is remarkable that SharadPawar and Nitish Kumar, who were con-sidered the frontrunners in the race forpresidentship, have made it clear thatthey are not interested in the post. Theyhave categorically ruled themselves out.It is worth pondering why few nation-al-level leaders aspire to be President. Hasthe country’s highest constitutional postlost its attractiveness? Perhaps the officeof President has now come to be per-ceived in reductionist terms, ie as a rub-ber stamp devoid of any real power. Oneplausible explanation for the office lack-ing lustre, perception-wise, is that it hascome to be held by those who have beenhandpicked by the ruling party forpolitical or ideological considerations.

It implies that the President shouldideally be elected on the strength ofher/his personality. The post deservesfamous sons of India like DrRadhakrishnan and K Narayanan, whowere looked up to for their integrity, eru-dition, sagacity and philosophical out-look. Why shouldn’t GopalkrishnaGandhi, Kailash Satyarthi or MadhavGadgil or someone like them, who iseminently qualified to be the FirstCitizen, be considered for the post?Whether it is possible for the Presidentto ever ‘outshine’ the Prime Minister,even if s/he is not worth her/his salt is adifferent question.

G David Milton | Kanyakumari

LOGIC BEHIND THE AGNIPATH SCHEMESir — The proposed ‘Agnipath Yojana’ forthe recruitment of soldiers in the armedforces will help the Government cut itssalary and pension bills. Defence MinisterRajnath Singh, however, rejected such anassumption. But the statistics of the lastfew years do not back the Minister’s state-ment. In 2020, the Government allocat-ed `3.3 lakh crore for defence pension.The allocation towards the defence sec-tor in the 2022-23 budget was ̀ 5.25 lakhcrore, whereas the allocation for the pre-

vious fiscal was ̀ 4.78 lakh crore. It showsthe defence budget for 2022-23 is about10 per cent higher than the previous year.

Again, the salary given to the Armyhas also been increasing over the years.In 2020-2021, `88,800 crore were paidto the Army for salary and allowances.This year, the Government has allocat-ed `1.07 lakh crore for salary andallowances of the Army. With thestrength of more than 11 lakh officersand soldiers, the Army is the largestamong the three armies of our country.In 2020, the Army had come out with apreliminary proposal to make a roughassessment of how much money couldbe saved by such a scheme.

Abhijit Roy | Jamshedpur

THE BENEFITS OF DONATING BLOODSir — Many thanks to The Pioneer forpublishing a useful and important arti-cle, ‘Let us donate blood because we can’(June 14) on the World Blood Donor Day.Every year, this day is observed to pro-mote awareness on the need for blooddonation and thank voluntary blood

donors for their life-saving gift. The hostnation for World Blood Donor Day 2022is Mexico, and the theme this year is‘Donating blood is an act of solidarity.Join the effort and save lives’. Blood isneeded for all kinds of patient care: fromtraumas to obstetrical haemorrhage tohaematological conditions.

Provider organisations can play animportant role in raising awareness of theimportance of donating blood. Besidescreating an opportunity to receive freehealth screening, donating blood can helplower blood pressure and the risk of heartattack. Donating blood can lengthen adonor’s lifespan and improve mental well-being. The feeling someone gets byhelping an unknown person by donatingblood is something indescribable. By sim-ply committing about 15 minutes of one’stime, a life can be saved with minimaleffort. Where else can a small investmentyield such a great return?

Ranganathan Sivakumar | Chennai

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

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Path of fire?The Agnipath scheme is drawing fire from all

quarters: Politicians, aspirants, general public

PICTALK

Locals stand on a road damaged by the flooded Pagladiya river at Goalbil village, in Baksa district PTI

LETTERS TO TTHE EDITOR

Digital connectivity has opened up new vistas in governance, business & economy

In Kedarnath, `9,100 are charged for

engaging a doli if the person weighs 70 kg

and below and `10,100 if the person weighs

above 70 kg. `7,000 are shared by the four

persons involved in the doli commute; mean-

ing that each person gets `1750 per trip.

Undoubtedly, those involved in carrying the

doli are humble and render such good ser-

vice that no customer can be niggardly at pay-

ing tips at the journey’s end. Then there are

porters who single-handedly carry devotees

to the hilltop in a basket tied to their back.

These people need payments commensurate

with the work they do.

But what is disturbing is that they

demand from the pilgrims their whimsical

‘fixed amount’ in the concluding session of

the journey. This practice needs to be desist-

ed at the intervention of either the temple man-

agement or the State Government. Tourists

and pilgrims, having already paid the hefty

amount, feel annoyed at the demand. That is

why the doli experience is a mixture of good

and bad. The helicopter facility should be made

available to all those who ask for it. If one uses

a doli, it takes a minimum of six hours going

to the temple and four hours climbing down.

Therefore, in the interest of all pilgrims in gen-

eral and senior citizens in particular, the

Government and the temple management

committee should take it seriously.

KV Seetharamaiah | Bengaluru

A mix of the good and bad

SOUNDBITEOur efforts are to create ayouthful profile of the armedforces.

Defence Minister— Rajnath Singh

I’d really like toemphasise theheroism of theUkrainian people.This situation ismartyring a heroic people.

Catholic Church head— Pope Francis

Giving

opportunities to

the young in public

administration is

welcome.

Finance Minister

— Nirmala Sitharaman

SW and SW19. It’s a date. 2022,see you there.

Tennis player— Serena Williams

I am a person whoknows we reallycan’t plan much.We can only giveour 100 per cent.

Actor— Rakul Preet Singh

ceed to the site, which result-ed in escalation of the situa-tion and more deaths.

This leads to the suspi-cion that there is more to thisincident than what we havebeen given to believe.Context is important andone must keep in mind thatthis operation was undertak-en based on intelligence pro-vided at the highest levels,duly vetted by the chain ofcommand. Moreover, just asthe intelligence provided hadsuggested, a vehicle carryingpersonnel suspected to bemilitants was observed andattempts made to halt it. Thetroops opened fire only afterit didn’t halt, with expectedresults. The real tragedy wasthat the vehicle was in facttransporting innocent min-ers, instead of militants. Thisraises suspicions that eitherthe information providedwas false or that the opera-tion had been compromisedat the highest levels.

One also needs to factorin the fact that easternNagaland (where this inci-dent occurred), led by theEastern Nagaland People’sOrganisation (ENPO), is agi-tating for a new State, FrontierNagaland. This is due to per-ceived ill treatment of thelocal Konyak tribe, which is

the largest Naga tribe.Moreover, well before thisoperation had been undertak-en, the ENPO had directed allfactions of the NSCN to desistfrom operating in the area.They had also developedclose ties with the Armywhich, in turn, had helped theArmy achieve some majorsuccesses against theNSCN(K), the faction thathas yet to sign the ceasefire.

This state of affairs wouldnot have suited many, andthere is thus the distinct pos-sibility that the NSCN leader-ship, which has fairly stronglinks within the NagalandGovernment, may have beeninstrumental in deliberatelyfeeding wrong information tointelligence sources, to placethe Army and the Centre inan untenable position. Notonly would such an incidentput severe strain on the rela-tionship between the ENPOand the Army but also providelocal political parties and civilsociety groups to demandAFSPA removal, which wouldlead to de-induction of theArmy from the State.

This would give theNSCN factions a free run toindulge in what can best betermed the “business of insur-gency” and thrive on a rangeof illegal activities ranging

from drugs and small armssmuggling to human traf-ficking which they indulge inalong with transnationalcriminal syndicates.Economic clout has enabledthem to subvert elementswithin polity, bureaucracyand the security establish-ment.

In the final analysis, whileaccountability is extremelyimportant and provides clo-sure to the families of thosekilled, the Centre must pro-ceed with abundant caution.From the evidence available,it appears that the SpecialForces personnel involvedare but pawns in a much larg-er and complex game. It hasimplications on the smoothand peaceful integration ofthe region into our nationalfabric. It is the Centre’sresponsibility that soldiersare not sacrificed to allow criminals to make goodin a game of political oneup-manship.

(This is the concludingpart of the series.)

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

There are grave suspicions that either the information provided was false

or that the Mon operation had been compromised at the highest levels

IT HAS BEENALLEGED THAT THE

DSP CALLED UPTHE VILLAGERS

AND ASKED THEMTO PROCEED TO

THE ENCOUNTERSITE, WHICHRESULTED IN

ESCALATION OFTHE SITUATION

AND MORE DEATHS

DEEPAK SINHA

Implications ofNagaland tragedy

This columnist’s pieceyesterday drew atten-tion to the farcicalnature of the investiga-

tions conducted by theNagaland Police intoDecember’s tragic incident inwhich six coalminers weremistakenly killed by troopsfrom a Special Forces unit inMon district. Prior to the SITeven beginning its work,Nagaland DGP T JohnLongkumer and DivisionalCommissioner (Kohima)Rovilatuo Mor made seriousaccusations against the Armyunit involved, based purelyon hearsay and speculation.

By their own admission, theaccusations were based oninformation conveyed by vil-lagers who reached the scenefour hours later. The same vil-lagers attacked the detachmentand killed a soldier and injuredthe rest while they were stillawaiting the police’s arrival.Not only does it put seriousdoubts on the credibility oftheir statement, but also casts adeep shadow on the work of theSIT, composed wholly of per-sonnel from the NagalandPolice, on its ability to carry out a free, fair and unbiasedinvestigation.

The fact that the policehave rushed ahead and decid-ed to chargesheet 30 Armypersonnel, accusing them ofcrimes under various sectionsof the IPC, including murderand attempted murder, amongothers, without awaiting therequisite sanction from theCentre, suggests that they areunder certain pressure.However, what is truly intrigu-ing is that the police neverreached the incident site tillmuch after the mob hadattacked the personnel andforced them to flee. Among themany questions that the DGPneeds to answer, an importantone would be the reason for thepolice’s lack of response. It iswell-established that the policewere informed of the incidentwithin minutes by the Army.Yet, despite the nearest policepost being just 40 minutesaway, the police did not respondat all. In fact, it has been allegedthat the DSP called up the vil-lagers and asked them to pro-

given that Vande Bharat trains hadproved to be remunerative. As forthe question of financial viability,IR has leapfrogged to spend mul-tiple times more on infrastructureupgrade since 2014, underlyinggovernment’s belief that invest-ments would drive growth of rail-ways and country’s economy byborrowing heavily and, therefore,IR’s financial performance in iso-lation is not a deterrent to govern-ment investments.

It is important to review theannouncements made whenRailway Minister AshwiniVaishnaw visited the ICF recently.It was announced that the thirdrake, or the first prototype of therevised-specification train, isexpected to roll out in the first weekof August, to be followed by thesecond prototype in the secondweek of August.

After the rolling out of thetrains, prototypes would be put ontrial for 45 days before launchingcommercial services. This means adelay of some months from the ear-lier announcements but that is notimportant. In case the testing isindeed completed in 45 days itwould be a great progress whichwould clear the way for quick seri-alization of manufacture at ICF.

A word about the revisedspecification: Revision of thespecification was an exercise dri-ven by extraneous factors and notby any deficiency in the product;it attempts to enhance the accel-eration of a train which was atthe optimum already or improvethe ride index of a train which isacknowledged to have a ride-comfort far superior to theexisting coaches.

The die was already cast by the

time the thrust came for a largenumber of trains. One can onlyhope that these pointless modifi-cations do not come in the way ofproliferation of the trains due tosome unforeseen complication;these changes have already set theproject back by three years.

It is not that the train does notneed improvement. The ICF didbuild a great train but was itworld-class? Not quite. They want-ed to, but they were runningagainst time; they were trying to dosomething in 18 months against theglobal norm of 36 to 42 months.The improvements relate to passen-ger amenities like more comfort-able seats, spacious catering para-phernalia, finish of the interiors,reliability of light fittings and sim-ilar issues, in addition to someminor technical issues like venti-lation of traction motors and pro-vision of shatter-proof glass. Onehopes that these issues have beenaddressed appropriately.

It was also announced that theproduction capacity of VandeBharat rakes at the ICF was beingenhanced from four to six rakes permonth to meet the target of 75Vande Bharat trains in 75 weeks.The ICF may be eager to go into amad rush to meet, or at leastreach close to, this ambitious time-line declared by the PM, but thisseems too far fetched.

The ICF has not made any rakefor more than three years and toclaim its capacity of four rakes permonth is bizarre, let alone itsupgrade to six rakes per month.Heavens would not fall if the ICFgoes about making these trainscautiously to ensure that the qual-ity does not get compromised.The country had waited for

decades for modern train sets till2018-19. It can wait a little more;the tearing hurry, which mayimpact continued reliability, shouldbe avoided.

Then there was the declarationthat IR had finalised the plan of set-ting up depots for maintenance at15 stations on the 28 routes ofShatabdis and other intercity trains.Can we really run these trains inlarge numbers all over the countrywithout a robust plan for mainte-nance and training? Shall we pushthese rakes on unprepared railwayzones, running the risk of frequentcancellations and disruptions dueto maintenance downtime andreduced reliability? Once again, IRmust tread with caution.

The intended routes shouldfirst be concentrated around two orthree depots in addition to Delhi;and only after a robust regime ofrunning and maintaining at least 30rakes is consolidated, should theythink of introducing more routeswhich would necessitate addition-al maintenance depots.

IR also needs to address otherimportant issues like developmentof sleeper and energy-efficient alu-minium-bodied versions to replaceRajdhanis. It is quite an overreachto run 104 trains, which are onorder, only in day time services likeShatabdis, simply because we donot have that many viable day ser-vices at present.

IR has come very far in givinga much-needed fillip to the VaneBharat project but they must movewith circumspection instead ofmoving rashly. The country ishoping to see an improved avatarof Vande Bharat trains and thosehopes should not be dashedbecause of hasty execution.

Haste can impair theVande Bharat project

WHEN LAWFUL ACTION IS TAKING PLACE IN A CASE OF CORRUPTION, THE CONGRESS IS DOING THIS DRAMA.— BJP NATIONAL SPOKESPERSONSAMBIT PATRA

YOU HAVE QUESTIONED HIM (RAHUL GANDHI) FOR 30 HOURS

ALREADY … AND AGAIN CALLED HIM!— CONGRESS LEADER

ABHISHEK SINGHVI

New Delhi played host to the Special Asean-India Foreign Minister’sMeeting (SAIFMM) to mark three decades of dialogue and a decadeof strategic level engagement with Asean this week. The SAIFMM

was preceded by a senior officials’ in-person meeting. The senior offi-cials of Asean, which is a regular platform for engagement, had lastinteracted virtually in May 2022. During the virtual meeting in May, Indiahad talked about the “convergence between the Asean Outlook for theIndo-Pacific (AOIP), India’s Indo-Pacific Oceans’ Initiative (IPOI) and Indo-Pacific policies announced by several ARF countries.” The focus forall the meetings had been on security, post-pandemic recovery, devel-opment of resilient supply chains, cybersecurity and open transparentrules-based maritime zones. The Asean leaders held a special summitwith US President Joe Biden in Washington DC in April. The summitwas high on political and regional posturing but lacked economic push.The US-Asean relationship is likely to be elevated to the “comprehen-sive economic partnership” status towards the end of the year. However,this would not guarantee a wholehearted support from all of Asean fora US-led Indo-Pacific order. Most of the nations in the southeast Asianneighbourhood, which constitutes Asean, are striving for greater eco-nomic engagement with rich nations. The US has investments worth$330 billion in Asean nations. However, as many analysts have point-ed out, the US has taken a back seat in furthering its economic engage-ments and trade relations with Asean. This has led to an aggressiveChina-led Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) dic-tating most of the economic agenda. Notably India is not part of RCEP,

which is the largest free trade agreement in force. The Asean countrieshave been using the RCEP+ model to negotiate favourable agreementswith large trading partners such as EU and Canada.

The Asean members’ agility in negotiating trade and economic rela-tions has also seen many of the member countries joining the recent-ly announced Indo-Pacific Economic Framework in Tokyo. India has hada free trade agreement in place with Asean members since 2010; how-ever, it has always seen a trade imbalance, with imports exceedingexports by huge margins. Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal, speakingat an event for Asean trade and finance ministers, had last year lament-ed, “It is unfortunate that in the recent past, we had to deal with sev-eral restrictive barriers on our exports in the Asean region, particular-ly in the agriculture and auto sectors.” The rising challenges of non-tariff barriers, import restrictions, export taxes by Asean countries, togeth-er with backdoor entry of China (read China-made goods) through Aseancountries is a major cause of concern for India. There have been ongo-ing talks for setting up a review panel on the India-Asean FTA for a moreequitable growth for the partners. India has been looking at expandingthe Asean FTA to include several novel aspects of such as services,digital economy, electronics, supply chains, fisheries, etc. The goal, ashighlighted by the Minister, is to take the economic relationship fromnearly $80 billion to $200 billion. It might be a difficult FTA review forIndia to pull out, given it is entering in parallel negotiations with bodiessuch as the EU and UK. The EU and UK trade agreements could includenegotiations on some of the novel aspects including those related tothe digital trade on which India has apprehensions. These upcomingnegotiations could have dedicated work groups on cross-border dataflows, data privacy related topics, on some of which India has chosento tread a path different from that of the Western world. India’s posi-tion on these new-age trade issues with the developed world could shapeits negotiations with existing partners such as Asean.

(The writer is a policy analyst. The views expressed are personal.)

HYDERABAD | FRIDAY | JUNE 17, 2022

07

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FIRSTCOLUMN

INDIA WANTS BROADERFTA WITH ASEAN

POINTCOUNTERPOINT

SUDHANSHU MANI

Wants several novel aspects of services to be included

IT IS NOT THAT THE

TRAIN DOESNOT NEED

IMPROVEMENT.THE ICF DID

BUILD A GREATTRAIN BUT

WAS ITWORLD-

CLASS? NOTQUITE. THEYWANTED TO,

BUT THEYWERE

RUNNINGAGAINST TIME

(The writer is retiredGeneral Manger, Indian

Railways. The viewsexpressed are personal.)

Acontent creator fromNoida, along with hishusky dog Nawab,

recently visited the famousKedarnath shrine dedicated toLord Shiva (also known asPashupati, the lord of animals).Many people praised the footageof Nawab paying homage to thestone figure of a seated Nandi(the bull vahana of the Lord ofKedarkhand) and receivingblessings from the priest.

However, some people gotoffended and filed an FIRagainst the pet owner (but notagainst the priest) for hurtingtheir religious sentiments. Mr.Tyagi, the pet owner, said thatpeople should not be so bitterthat they don’t spare a creaturethat can’t even defend itself.

Nepal and India revere dogs.The scriptures stress feedinganimals, especially dogs, on

Saturday. According to thePuranas, Indra’s female dog,Sarama, is the mother of all wildcreatures. Many temples havedog murals. The Pandavas erect-ed the Kilkari Bhairava Templein Delhi. Dogs are common inthis temple since they are LordBhairava’s vehicle. The samegoes for Gujarat’s GoddessHadkamai, whose vahana is adog. The Khandoba andMallana in the Deccan plateauand Revanta on the Easternplateau (Bihar and Bengal), areall revered as guardian deities ofanimals.

According to Islam, Allahhas given humans authorityover animals. To treat animalsinhumanely is thus to contra-vene Allah’s will.

Kindness to animals is alsoconnected with righteousness inHebrew texts. The story of Jonah

also offers insight into God’sconcern for animals.

While Nawab, which hadvisited many temples before,faced the ire of the more vocal,privileged, and ‘rational’ humanspecies, the new government inPunjab came up with a Tuglaq-like diktat banning pets in gov-ernment accommodations.There is no precedent for sucha move. The government wasforced to withdraw the orderwithin a week after a justifiableoutcry.

Soon after, a prominenthigh-rise in Vasundhara,Ghaziabad, came up with its

own set of rules banning entryof pets in green areas, parks, andbasements. They even wentahead and proposed that peoplehave to take clearance fromtheir residents’ welfare associa-tion (RWA) before getting a newpet. The Noida Authority, in oneof the tweets, prevented theentry of animals into one of itsparks.

These two examples from astate having an ardent animallover as Chief Minister!

The Vedas say, “Sarva-bhuta-hita.” This encouragespeople to see life in all animals.People who can’t understand thisidea of life miss the whole pointof being alive and risk losingtheir humanity.

Article 51A (g) of the IndianConstitution deems it a funda-mental duty of all people toexhibit “compassion for living

creatures.” The Animal WelfareBoard of India (AWBI), a statu-tory body established underSection 4 of the Prevention ofCruelty to Animals (PCA) Act,1960, mandates in its 2015 cir-cular that the general body of anRWA cannot frame bye-laws oramend them in a manner that isat variance with the laws of thecountry. The Thane ConsumerDispute Redressal Forumordered a housing society to paythe complainant pet ownertowards compensation and legalexpenses when the com-plainant’s dog was not allowedto use the lift.

The AWBI also encouragesthe use of parks by pets and sug-gests arriving by consensus attimings acceptable to all resi-dents.

The Kerala High Court inPeople For Animals vs. State of

Kerala (2021) held that theclauses in the byelaws of RWAsthat seek to preventowners/occupiers of residentialapartments from keeping petanimals of their choice in theresidential apartments are illegal,unconstitutional, and unen-forceable in law. The court fur-ther stressed that RWAs shouldstop posting signs prohibitingpets on their premises.

The Supreme Court of Indiain AWBI vs. A. Nagaraja & Ors(2014) emphasized that “animalrights” is an issue of “seminalimportance.”

In determining whether anaction is ethically correct, thetotal amount of good that willresult is compared against theentire amount of harm that willresult. All religions talk about thecyclical embodiment of all liv-ing beings. RWAs’ colonial

mindset stems from the conceptof speciesism—‘a prejudice orattitude bias in favour of theinterests of members of one’sown species and against those ofmembers of another one.’

The Kerala High Courtlashed out at this anthropocen-tric view of RWAs that humansalone are seen as morally wor-thy and privileged to enjoy thebounties that nature has to offer.

Thankfully, we have a judi-ciary but the states should stepup to set up active state animalwelfare boards. Pet ownersshould come forward to educatetheir ignorant RWAs. They cel-ebrate Gandhi Jayanti in parks(with ‘pets banned’ signage).They must reflect on Gandhi’sstatement: “The greatness of anation and its moral progresscan be judged by the way its ani-mals are treated.”

The Vedas say, ‘Sarva-bhuta-hita,’ which encourages people to see life in all animals

RWAs must give up biases, actions against pets

(The author is a medicaldoctor, teacher, disabilityrights activist and a pet

lover. The views expressedare personal.)

SATENDRA SINGH

KUMARDEEP BANERJEE

It was significant that the IntegralCoach Factory (ICF) of Indian rail-ways (IR) conceived but also mar-shaled and achieved the impossible in

2018—Train 18/Vande Bharat Express, aworld class train. A sterling team of bril-liant engineers and technicians from ICFand the allied industry came together withgreat synergy and delivered Train 18/VandeBharat Express, which was made entirelyin India in just 18 months at a fraction ofwhat it would take both in terms of timeand cost, anywhere across the globe.

This train caught the imagination ofpeople because they saw it as a symbol ofresurgent and aspirational India; the firsttime that a rolling stock project of this mag-nitude was executed from concept-to-man-ufacturing entirely in India. The train pavedthe way for a whole new ballgame in railtransportation—not a mere organic con-tinuation of what IR had been used to beproducing in respect of trains but a coura-geous, transformational leapfrog into thefuture, a signal that India had arrived onthe global scene in the Rail sector.

The first train was launched betweenNew Delhi and Varanasi by Prime MinisterNarendra Modi, and the second onebetween New Delhi and Katra by HomeMinister Amit Shah in 2019. Shortlyafter, some negativity emerged out of theblue. The train was scandalised, but sinceit was working flawlessly, the mud did notstick; some unscrupulous media housespersisted though. Soon the entire teamresponsible for Vande Bharat trains wasvictimized through bogus vigilance cases.

Even as this negativity continued,delaying furtherance of the project, the twotrains continued trouble-free service andthen came the announcements by the PMon August 15, 2021, that 75 such trainswould ply across the country in 75 weeks.A new Minister had taken charge. Vibeshad changed dramatically.

The Budget this year sprang anothersurprise by Finance Minister NirmalaSitharaman that 400 Vande Bharat trainswould be manufactured in the comingthree years. Meanwhile, the CentralVigilance Commission threw away the vig-ilance cases, restoring the dignity and hon-our of the team which built the train.

Negativity is a thing of the past now.It is time to look at the future dispassion-ately against the backdrop of the plan tointroduce 400 Vande Bharat trains. Thecommon refrain in Railway and industri-al circles has been that the government hadoverreached because, while not even onetrain had been made after the success ofthe first two in 2018-19, the financial per-formance of IR was so poor that such amassive investment in passenger trains,which are largely losing propositions,seemed out of place.

A more practical analysis would, how-ever, be that the government had shownits intent, and the question should be how,and not whether, this can be achieved,

IR has done well in giving a fillip to the Vande Bharat project but nowit must move with circumspection

HYDERABAD | FRIDAY | JUNE 17, 2022 Money 08

MONEY MATTERS

Equity indices facedheavy drubbing onThursday after an initial

rally, with the Sensextanking 1,045.60 pointsamid a largely bearish trendoverseas after the USFederal Reserve hiked ratesby 75 basis points.Across-the-board sellingplayed havoc on the

headline indices, with index majors Reliance Industries and HDFCtwins contributing most to the decline.Despite a smart rally inmorning trade, the BSE benchmark failed to hold on to the gainsand plummeted 1,045.60 points or 1.99 per cent to settle at51,495.79 -- its fifth day of decline.During the day, it tumbled1,115.91 points or 2.12 per cent to its one-year low of 51,425.48.On similar lines, the NSE Nifty plunged 331.55 points or 2.11 percent to close at 15,360.60.From the Sensex pack, Tata Steel, TechMahindra, IndusInd Bank, Wipro, Bharti Airtel, Bajaj Finance, KotakMahindra Bank and NTPC were the biggest laggards.Nestle India was the only gainer.Elsewhere in Asia, markets inShanghai and Hong Kong settled lower, while Tokyo and Seoulended marginally higher.Markets in Europe were trading sharplylower in mid-session deals.Stock exchanges in the US ended withsharp gains in the overnight session on Wednesday despite the ratehike by Fed.

Markets go into tailspin after Fed

rate hike; Sensex tumbles 1,046 pts

The retail businessesacross India witnesseda growth of 24 per

cent in May this yearagainst the pre-pandemiclevel of the same month in2019, according toindustry body RAI.As perthe latest 'retail businesssurvey' by the RetailersAssociation of India (RAI),

sales in western India grew by 30 per cent, while eastern Indiashowed a growth of 29 per cent compared to the pre-pandemicsales level in May 2019.Similarly, southern India posted a rise of 22per cent and northern India grew 16 per cent, it added.RAI CEOKumar Rajagopalan said, "It is encouraging to see a steadyimprovement in sales with 23 per cent growth in April and 24 percent in May as compared to the pre-pandemic levels".Categories,such as garments and footwear, have begun to do well on accountof the ongoing wedding season and resumption of work from office,he added."

Retail businesses grow 24 pc in May

against pre-pandemic level: Report

PNS n NEW DELHI

The government is gearing upto increase the stock of coalat power plants to 40 milliontonne (MT) during the mon-soon season, Union powerminister R K Singh said.

Speaking to PTI, the min-ister said right now, there arereserves of around 22.9 MTat the power plants.

"On April 1, our reservestock at power plants was at24 MT. On April 30, it camedown to 19 MT and on May

15, it came down to 15 MT.However, because of (coal)imports, it has gone up toabout 22.9 MT again," theminister said, replying to aquestion related to coal avail-ability.

When asked if the govern-ment is planning to increasethe buffer stock of coal antic-ipating production and sup-ply issues during theapproaching rainy season, hereplied in affirmative.

"This happens every yearduring the rainy season. The

domestic coal productionfalls. So we are preparing forthat. During the monsoonJuly-September, dai lydemand will come down to2.1 MT because the temper-ature will drop.

"But at the same timedomestic coal supply willalso come down. So, the gapwill be increasing.

That's why this import ishappening. I believe thebuffer should be at least inthe range of 40 MT," theminister said.

Govt aims to build 40 MTcoal stocks at power plants

PNS n NEW DELHI

The Securities AppellateTribunal (SAT) has set asideSebi's direction that derecog-nised Indian CommodityExchange Limited (ICEX) as abourse on certain conditions,including raising requisite fundswithin one year.

The appellate tribunal saidthat "ship may be sinking, butthe leaks could be plugged andcould be kept afloat" and everyeffort must be made to revivethe exchange.

In its order passed onMonday, the appellate tribunalhas given relief to ICEX on cer-tain conditions. This includedall trading operations on ICEXwould remain suspended untilit raises the requisite funds andcomplete all compliances tothe satisfaction of Sebi withinone year.

Among other conditions,SAT said the money available inthe Investor Protection Fundand Investor Services Fund ofICEX will only be utilised forsettlement of any claims, if any,and will not be utilised for anyother purposes.If ICEX raisesthe requisite funds and com-pletes all compliances withinone year, it can approach Sebifor resuming trading operations.In case it fails, the regulatorwould be open to pass an order

for withdrawal of the recogni-tion of ICEX's commodityderivative exchange after givingan opportunity of hearing.

Further directions werepassed by Sebi asking ICEX todeposit the money lying in theInvestor Protection Fund andInvestor Services Fund of theexchange to the InvestorProtection and Education Fundof Sebi.

Also, ICEX challenged itsderecognition which was noti-fied by Sebi in the officialGazette on May 18 following theorder.

Setting aside Sebi's order,SAT said the approach of thecapital markets regulator was"harsh and arbitrary" as ICEX allalong had requested for certainconcessions.

"The request of the appellant(ICEX) should have been con-sidered sympathetically andcannot be brushed aside with a

one line observation that theappellant is only seeking conces-sions and are not complyingwith the other requirements. Allthe compliances to be made arebased on funds which the appel-lant is facing financial crunch,"the tribunal noted.

On the exchange's request forone year's time to bring in thefunds, SAT said such requestshould have been consideredand accepted and should nothave been rejected on theground that no plan has beengiven. Sebi's finding that theMD and CEO has resignedfrom the exchange and that it isunlikely that ICEX will find suit-able Key Managerial Personnel(KMP) and that two out of threePublic Interest Directors (PIDs)have resigned are not suchdrastic matters which couldlead to a conclusion that therecognition of exchange shouldbe withdrawn, the tribunal said.

PNS n MUMBAI

The share of contactless cards,which help a customer pay ata merchant by tapping thecard on a device, grew to 16 percent in December 2021, glob-al payments major Visa said onThursday.

The number of usage ofcontactless cards during face-to-face transactions at mer-chants' end was less than 2.5per cent in December 2018, thecompany, which commands abig share of the market, said.

It can be noted that the RBIregulations now allow users topay up to Rs 5,000 per trans-action through the contactlessalternative, which does notrequire a four-digit PIN code.

The maximum limit has beencapped keeping security con-cerns in mind, wherein just thepresence of a card can result inlosses to the user.

Visa's head of products andsolutions for India and South

Asia Ramakrishnan Gopalansaid that availability, conve-nience, utility, and security arethe key drivers of growth incontactless cards.The reportdone in association with pay-ments processing company

Worldline India said the high-est adoption of contactlesspayments was observed in sec-tors like quick-service restau-rants, pharmacies, food, gro-cery, etc., which acceleratedwith the impact of the pan-demic.In supermarkets, a

fourth of the overall transac-tions were done using contact-less cards in January 2020,which has increased to 31 percent in January 2022, it added.

Delhi-NCR, Karnataka,Gujarat, and Telangana had thehighest proportion of contact-less transactions and penetra-tion, across debit and creditcards in 2020 and 2021, thereport said.

"Coupled with the increasingmerchant acceptance of con-tactless cards, we are seeing notonly in metro cities but in non-metro cities as well, we antic-ipate contactless payments tobe a key driver of digital pay-ments in the future,"Worldline's senior vice presi-dent Sunil Rongala said.

Contactless cards account for 16 pc transactions in Dec 2021

PNS n NEW DELHI

South Korean auto majorHyundai is undeterred by thethreat to its position as the sec-ond-biggest car maker in India,and believes that it will contin-ue to do well in the market asit has done over the last twodecades, according to a seniorcompany official.

The auto major, which hasbeen facing tough competitionfrom Tata Motors for the sec-ond spot in the domestic pas-senger vehicle industry, iscounting on its continuousfocus on new product launch-es and the introduction ofnew technologies to maintainits leadership in the market.

"What I can say is that weare a long-term player and wehave no reason to believe thatwe will not do well," HyundaiMotor India Ltd (HMIL)Director-Sales, Marketing,Service Tarun Garg told PTI inan interaction.

He was replying to a queryif the company would be ableto hold on to the second spotin the domestic passengervehicle segment this fiscal.

In the past six months, TataMotors has surpassed Hyundaitwice in terms of dispatches tothe dealers.

"We will definitely do welland make efforts to not onlyget volumes but to offer sus-tainable offerings to the cus-tomer. I think that is very veryimportant, we should not losefocus on our long-term sus-tainable goals.

"In the past two years, therehas not been any let-off in newmodel launches or on the up-gradation of models, so wehave never let the foot off theaccelerator and I believe, wewill continue to bring in solu-tions for the customers," Gargsaid.He noted that the compa-ny is a long-term player and itsefforts and identity could notbe limited by one month salesnumber.

"We are a long-term playerand a month here and a monththere doesn't give the truepicture.

Hyundai undeterred by threat to losesecond-biggest carmaker position in India

PNS n NEW DELHI

The sharp increase in aviationturbine fuel (ATF) prices andthe depreciation of the rupeehave left the domestic airlineswith no choice but to imme-diately raise airfares, said AjaySingh, Chairman andManaging Director, SpiceJet,on Thursday.

A minimum 10-15 per centincrease in air fares is requiredto ensure that cost of opera-tions are better sustained,Singh said in a statement.

The ministry had imposed

lower and upper limits ondomestic airfares based onflight duration when serviceswere resumed on May 25,2020, after a pandemic-forcedtwo-month lockdown. Forexample, airlines currentlycannot charge a passengerless than Rs 2,900 (excludingGST) and more than Rs 8,800(excluding GST) on flightswith duration of less than 40minutes.

The lower caps wereimposed to help the airlinestide over financial loss suffereddue to travel restrictions.

‘Minimum 10-15% increase inairfares must due to ATF price rise’

PhonePe saysnot planningIPO right nowPNS n NEW DELHI

Walmart-backed paymentscompany PhonePe onThursday said it is not plan-ning an IPO right now andwill look at going publiconce its core businesses turnprofitable.

"PhonePe is not planningan IPO right now," the com-pany said in a statement."We are focusing on build-ing our business, and will gopublic once our core busi-nesses turn profitable andour new initiatives haveachieved a good product-market fit and scale."

It did not give details ofits financials.PhonePe wasfounded in 2015 and wasacquired by Flipkart in2016. It became part ofWalmart after the retaileracquired Flipkart Group in2018.

PNS n MUMBAI

The first tranche of SovereignGold Bond (SGB) for 2022-23will open for subscription forfive days from June 20, theReserve Bank of India said onThursday.

The RBI further said that thesecond tranche (2022-23 SeriesII) will be available for subscrip-tion during August 22-26, 2022.

The central bank issues thebonds on behalf of theGovernment of India, and thesebonds are restricted for sale toresident individuals, HinduUndivided Families (HUFs),trusts, universities and charita-ble institutions.

"The tenor of the SGB will befor a period of eight years withan option of premature redemp-tion after 5th year to be exercisedon the date on which interest ispayable," the RBI said, andadded, minimum permissibleinvestment will be one gram ofgold.In 2021-22, SGBs wereissued in 10 tranches for an

aggregate amount of Rs 12,991crore (27 tonnes).

The maximum limit of sub-scription is 4 Kg for individuals,4 Kg for HUFs and 20 Kg fortrusts and similar entities per fis-cal year.

The RBI further said theprice of SGB will be fixed inrupees on the basis of a simpleaverage of the closing price ofgold of 999 purity, published bythe India Bullion and JewellersAssociation Limited (IBJA) forthe last three working days of theweek preceding the subscriptionperiod.

The issue price of the SGBswill be less by Rs 50 per gram forthe investors who subscribeonline and pay through digitalmode.

"The investors will be com-pensated at a fixed rate of 2.5 percent per annum payable semi-annually on the nominal value,"the central bank said.

The SGBs are sold throughbanks, Stock HoldingCorporation of India Limited(SHCIL), Clearing Corporationof India Limited (CCIL), postoffices and the two stockexchanges (NSE and BSE).

First tranche of 2022-23 gold bondsto open for subscription on Jun 20

The number of usageof contactless cardsduring face-to-facetransactions atmerchants' end wasless than 2.5 percent in December2018, the company,which commands abig share of themarket, said.

PNS n CHENNAI

Healthcare financing startupCare.Fi on Thursday said ithas launched CareCred -- ahealthcare supply chainfinancing platform for busi-ness to business customers --, the company said onThursday.The platformwould benefit healthcareinstitutions with seamlessdigital payment capabilitiesand easy access to credit.

"We are proud to bring firstever interactive product toIndia that aims to simplifyand optimise businessprocesses for healthcarefinancing," Care.

Care.Fi unveils digitalfinancial platform toserve b2b customers

HDFC invokes 50lakh pledged sharesof Ansal Housing forrecovery of duesPNS n NEW DELHI

The country's largest mort-gage lender HDFC onThursday said it hasinvoked 50 lakh pledgedshares of Ansal Housing aspart of recovery of its out-standing dues from thedeveloper.Ansal Housing isengaged in the business ofconstruction and develop-ment of residential town-ships and commercial com-plexes."For the purpose ofrecovery of part outstand-ing dues against loansavai led by cer tainpledgers/borrowers, theCorporation on June 15,2022, invoked the pledge on50,00,000 shares of AnsalHousing Ltd (Ansal) aggre-gating 8.42 per cent of itspaid-up share capita l ,pledged with theCorporation by the saidpledger/borrower," HDFCsaid in a regulatory filing.

India has scope to producehydrogen from domestic coalPNS n NEW DELHI

An expert panel constituted bythe government has suggestedthat India has enough potentialto produce hydrogen fromdomestic coal and the countryshould strongly pursue thisoption.

This assumes significance inthe wake of Prime MinisterNarendra Modi annoucinghydrogen mission on India's75th Independence Day.

Hydrogen is a clean fuel andcan serve as a possible substituteto liquid and fossil fuels. It is alsothe most abundant element inthe universe, making up morethan 90 per cent of all knownmatters."India has an opportu-nity to produce hydrogen fromdomestic coal and we mayaggressively pursue this optionin our overall hydrogen ecosys-tem," the expert committee saidin its report on roadmap for coalto hydrogen production.

The panel also suggested forsetting up of a couple of semi-commercial gasification units toconvert coal to hydrogen.

The integration of CarbonCapture Utilisation and Storage(CCUS) units along with gasi-fication, it said, can be exploredso that blue hydrogen thus pro-duced is more acceptable.

"The gasification technologiesmay be selected based on assess-

ment of the potential for even-tual commercial upscaling andkeeping the option of biomassco-gasification along with coalsubject to availability of biomassin the close vicinity of such gasi-fication units," the panel said.

The coal gasification unitsshould be set up near the hydro-gen demand centres or close tothe coal mines.

The cost of transportation ofhydrogen would be high at pre-sent and hence there was a needto examine the economicsbefore deciding upon the loca-tions of gasification plants.

"Alternatively, we could estab-lish the plants closer to the nat-ural gas grid so that hydrogenthus produced could be inject-ed to some extent i.e. up to 18-20 per cent into the natural gaspipelines, as to that extent ofhydrogen injection in the natur-al gas pipelines may not need themodification of the gaspipelines," the panel recom-mended.This, it said, will facil-itate the utilisation of hydrogenproduced from coal in theindustries currently usingimported natural gas. The coalministry had earlier said thatcoal has not been encouragedelsewhere because of the fearthat while extracting hydrogenvia coal (from the moistureembedded in coal) there may becarbon emission.

SAT sets aside Sebi's direction toderecognise ICEX on certain conditions

India may need US$ 10 trillioninvestment to achieve net-zeroemission by 2070: StudyPNS n NEW DELHI

India will need an invest-ment of over USD 10 trillionto achieve its net-zero emis-sion target by 2070, a reportsaid on Thursday.

Prime Minister NarendraModi had announced India'szero emission target to beachieved by 2070 at COP-26(26th United Nations ClimateChange Conference in 2021).

"India may require aninvestment of over USD 10trillion to achieve its net-zerotarget by 2070," a joint whitepaper issued by GE-EY saidon Thursday.

It said that India wouldcontinue to rely on coalpower, at least in the nearfuture. Thus, the countryneeds to focus on and incen-tivise cleaner coal technologyto further reduce carbonemissions.

The report further recom-mended policy initiatives

"essential for a future drivenby sustainable industries."

To achieve the target, Indiamust overcome import-dependence in the energysector through measures thatincentivise domestic produc-tion like the ProductionLinked Incentive (PLI)scheme, it suggested.

Leveraging carbon capturetechnologies for the usage ofcoal-based energy, which isthe largest source of primaryenergy and is domesticallysourced, besides encouragingthe promotion of green hydro-gen through demand-sideincentives and policies tobring down costs is also essen-tial to meet the goal."Mostimportantly, create carbonmarkets and incentives for theadoption of clean energy tech-nologies. India also needs toundertake several policy mea-sures to help deepen the greenbond market to facilitatefinancing," it said.

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FridayJune 17, 2022

Speaking ofhis journeyin the

Indian Idol,being aired onaha, he informsus, “It is a greatlearning experi-ence. We havelearnt a lot fromeach other, andeveryone hadsomethingunique to teachthe other. Thejudges did guideus a lot through-out the journey,their encourage-ment and com-ments helped usa lot. Even thefeedback fromthe audiencehelped usimprove, and allthe love and sup-port we got fromthem has beenmagnificent, andI hope it contin-ues.” Of all the songsthat Jayanth sang dur-ing his stint at IndianIdol, he has four per-sonal favourites, tostart with Oho Laila oCharusheela that hesang in the retro round.“Oh Isha that I sang inthe race to finale, OhPriya Priya Balu sir'sround that I sang withPranati, and Zara Zarathat I sang in the block-buster round. ZaraZara is something Iworked hard for, sothat tops the list. I haveenjoyed all the songs Ihave sung, but these 4hold a special place,” heshares.

“Before Indian idol, Iparticipated in 13shows, 8 in Telugu and5 in Tamil. I have

observed that I did notreceive such love andsupport before thisshow. The love hasbeen impeccable. Weget messages onInstagram, Facebookand even WhatsAppappreciating our per-formance. The showhas reached many peo-ple, and it has goneinternational as well; Ihave received messagesfrom the U.K, U.S,Australia, and Africa.This platform has givenme the confidence toshowcase my other tal-ents. I was not this con-fident and free beforeIndian idol,” says hewho is awaiting forgood opportunitiesfrom the industry atthe moment.

JAYANTH

Another finalist Pranathi feelsamazing to be a part of thisshow and it stands as the

most memorable journey in her life.“I still remember being scared dur-ing the studio and theatre round. Ihad to write my final exams andattend the audition. I was tensed,but once I got the golden mic andentered the top 12, I was deter-mined to present the songs I sage ina new way, to improvise them withthe help of my Gurus and with thehelp of the band members. It was agreat learning experience, I got toperform songs of all the genres, andthe feedback we got from the judgeswas very valuable. Considering allthat, it was a great journey for me,”

she says, adding, Vidhata talupunaand Race Gurram will remain hertwo favourite performances of alltime.

Expressing her feelings on beingone of the finalists, she explains,“Every round has been a challengeand a task for me; you have to proveyourself as a performer each week. Ihad to walk out of my comfort zoneand sing various songs, whetherfast-beat or western songs, toimpress the judges and audience isa task. Overcoming all that andcoming all this way feel very proud,and looking back makes me realisehow challenging a journey I haveaccomplished. I am very happy thatI have reached a milestone in the

journey by reaching the top 5.”Meanwhile, speaking about her

journey to singing, Pranathi shares,“My mom is my inspiration; mymom and aunt both sing but forsome reason, they had to stop,and later they realised I couldsing, and that is how I got intosinging and learning, so I cansay that she is my first inspira-tion. Chitra Garu, ShreyaGhoshal Garu, Susheela Garuand Balu Garu will stay myinspiration forever. Because ofthis show, I sang in front of myfavourite music directors andsingers, like Mani Sharma Garu.I feel so overwhelmed, and all ofthis happened because of music.”

On the other hand,we have Srinivas,who is the eldest

of all and is everyone’sfavourite that everyonefondly call himanna in the show.“Music has beenmy life, all of themhave persuadedmusic parallelly totheir education, butmy life has alwaysbeen about music.When I learnedabout the TeluguIndian Idol, I onlyconcerted andworked on how toimprove or experimentwith the songs I wantedto perform. With every-thing in mind, I gotthrough the theatre andstudio round, entering the top 12. Istill remember Taman sir tellingme, ‘It is not just a mic that is givento enter the top 12, but this is aresponsibility, and you must workhard to fulfil it’. I had to face somechallenges; everyone had to; chal-lenges are something you have toface if you want to achieve some-thing. It could be me getting low orme battling my internal struggles. Iwas scared that I could not per-form and give my 100 per cent.That might have happed for vari-ous reasons, but I had a goal fixedin mind; even if I did not win thetitle, I wanted to be a part of thetop 5, and I have achieved it, so Iam very happy,” he says on hisjourney thus far.

How toovercome neg-ativity? Learnfrom Srinivas.He was sothickskinnedand dedicatedto his dreamsand goals thathe didn’t anynegativityaround himaffect him inany way.“People usedto taunt mewhen theylearned that Ihad dedicatedmy life tomusic; theymade fun ofme, sayingthat it was

useless and had no future. Myfather was adamant and joined mein a music school for personal rea-sons, but now if I go back home, Iam sure that people will recogniseand appreciate me and my talent.People will recognise me not justback home but wherever I go. Thatis what Indian idol has done forme. People have been showing uslove and support. They sent usscreenshots of their votes, and evenwhen I was down, I received manysupportive messages,” he tells us.

Srinivas wants to work and cre-ate fusion music or a fusion bandwith a touch of classical music. Hehopes to be a well-recognised play-back singer and start a band some-day.

SR

INIV

AS

Diabetes is a chronic con-dition that requires life-long management.

According to a study byNational Library of study, dia-betes is more prevalent inmales (2.3%), as compared tofemales (1.4%). Recent studiesalso show that by the year 2025,almost a third of Indian popu-lation can end up with diabetes.

Numerous factors are associ-ated with diabetes such asgenetics, environmental condi-tions, lifestyle patterns, eatinghabits and obesity. As we age,the changes in body composi-tion and insulin resistanceresult in dysregulation of physi-ological pathways that lead toobesity and diabetes.

Today, there are fathers whoare living each day with dia-betes themselves.

Dr. Sunil Bohra, SeniorConsultant – InternalMedicine, Diabetology andNon-Invasive Cardiology,Hosmat Hospitals, Bengaluru,said, “Managing type 2 diabetesmeans making lifestylechanges, taking medicationsand checking blood glucoselevels – all of which require

planning. Technologies play avital role in diabetes manage-ment as they help do this bet-ter. It is therefore important tohave a plan that works best, beit calendarizing their medica-tion schedule or settingreminders on their smart-phones.”

With the generation of role

reversals, where children aretaking care of parents, here aresimple ways that can help chil-dren take care of their pre-dia-betic or diabetic fathers.

Building a workout regime:Studies have shown that peoplewith diabetes are overweight,which is also responsible forthe increased risk of atheroscle-

rosis-related complications likeheart attack, stroke or kidneydisease in them. Ensuring regu-lar physical activities like swim-ming, cycling, jogging, aerobicsetc. can be helpful. The bestway to manage diabetes is bystaying active.

Avoid refined sugars:Alcoholic beverages, softdrinks, juices, sweets, candyetc. are sugars that are highlyrefined and have the tendencyto spur the glucose levels inone’s body. Avoiding suchproducts and instead consum-ing natural sugars for a sweettooth is advised.

Regularly monitoring yourglucose levels: Glucose testingis key for managing diabetes.With busy lifestyles, it becomesdifficult to keep a check on glu-cose levels. A continuous glu-cose monitoring device like theprick-free FreeStyle Libreallows one to freely go aboutthe day and check your glucoselevels with a simple scan.Monitoring glucose levels alsohelps with ideal meal plans,workout routines and a healthylifestyle.

Manage your stress: Being a

father is one of the greatestresponsibilities of a man’s life.As much as you work hard tolook after your children andfamily, it is equally importantto find time for yourself. Stresshas been seen to contribute tothe release of various hormonesthat can elevate glucose levels.Inculcating mindful practiceslike yoga and meditation isvery important that would helplower your stress levels.

Improve testosterone levels:A study suggests that an imbal-ance of testosterone levels inthe male body can lead to dia-betes. Maintaining an appropri-ate level of hormones can helpdecrease the risk of diabetesaltogether. Foods rich inVitamin D and Zinc helpimprove testosterone levels andmale fertility.

Quit smoking: Tobacco andtoxins in cigarette smoke canworsen the control of diabetes.This combination of smokingand high glucose levels cancause vascular damage andincrease the risk of early mor-tality in people with diabetesdue to heart attack, stroke orkidney disease.

For Dads with Diabetes

Last but not the least isVagdevi, who entered theshow with a clear mind to

learn; and certainly it did cometrue. She says she learned a lot; asthey say, the journey should bemore beautiful than the end. Itwas the same, and the journeywas more impressive than theend for her.

Recalling her most favouritesongs in show, she said, “The

song I sang for theUgadi special was myfavourite, I sang itwith a lot of hard

work and interest, and it showed.All the songs in that movie are ahit, but that song, in particular, Ifeel is underrated. I hoped peoplemight recognise and appreciate itif I sang that song.”

The singer says she shares dif-ferent relationship with everyone.“Talking about these 4, Jayanthand I constantly keep bantering,Pranati and I have meme refer-ences, and Vaishu and Sinu annaare my closest. We had a specialbond from the beginning, andonce we had that connection, wehad the freedom to express our-selves freely. I never expectedthat to happen here, but it didand considering everything find-ing such great friends would be acherry on the top. Somemoments were not shown, likewhen we sing something special,there is a spark in their eyes, or

when we do something funny,they look at us and simply laugh.These small moments which arenot captured on recorded aresome of the sweetest moments,”she said.

In real life, she credits her suc-cess to her sister, because ofwhom she got into singing. “Istarted training that is when myparents got to know I could sing.Even Indian idol, she was the onethat told me about this opportu-nity and encouraged me to pur-sue it. She supported methroughout my journey; be itpromotions, voting, or even if Ihad a doubt regarding a song, shewas always there. If it was not forher, I would not be here; I do notthink I would have reached thetop 5.” On the work front,Vagdevi wants to be a mindfulmusician; no matter what shedoes in life. She wants to do itwith complete understandingand acceptance and sing in agood symphony.

VAGDEVI

MAINA MANGA

The Indian idolshow has been oneamongst those

shows that has gained ahuge fan following formore than a decade.

Be it Hindi, Telugu orany other language, theshow has its own fanbase. We exclusivelyinterview all the five topfinalists of Indian IdolTelugu, who share withus their journey, memo-ries and a lot more inthe show.

Indian Idol Teluguis almost at its endand we’ve got the

top 5 finalists of theshow. The Pioneer

connects with thefinalists, who

exclusively sharewith us their

journey in the show

Another finalistVaishani recallsher journey

from getting a goldenmic in the studioround, theatre round,and then entry to thetop 12. “In all thereality shows I haveparticipated in, this isthe first time I am theyoungest. I feel thewarmth; I have neverexperienced thisbefore. I have also

found amazingpeople in myjourney, and Iam happy totake forward thetime I spentwith them,” saysshe on what sheloved the mostabout the show.

Vaishnavi

says, “My mother was asinger, but she could notcontinue her career for some

reasons; fortunately, I wasblessed with a good voice likeher, my grandfather recognisedmy talent, and that is how myjourney started. Since then, Ihave been so grateful for everyGuru that has taught me.”

This show has helped thisyoung talent so much that she ismore confident and outspokennow than her previous self whowas an introvert.

VAISHNAVI

When you're lookingfor ways to stayhydrated and be

healthy, the first recommen-dation you'll probably find isto drink more water. Due toexcessive sweating in thesummer season, many typesof minerals get removed fromthe body, which leads to theproblem of dehydration.Varun Khanna, Co-Founder,Fast&Up shares his list ofalternatives to help you stayhydrated.

Cucumber detox drink

Cucumber juice is a hydrat-ing and alkalising beveragepacked with nutrients such asvitamin A, C, K, magnesium,silicon, and potassium. It cancleanse and detox the entirebody, as well as aid withdigestive issues like gastritis,acid reflux, heartburn, indi-gestion, and ulcers. The juicewill taste like a stronger ver-sion of the spa water you mighthave sipped after a massage.

Aloe vera Juice

The aloe plant has high watercontent. So, if you're searching for astrategy to stay hydrated while alsobenefiting your health in a varietyof ways, get some aloe vera juice!

Buttermilk

Buttermilk is incredibly refresh-ing and cools our bodies off imme-diately. In the sweltering summer, aglass of buttermilk topped with

cumin seeds, mint, and saltis ideal for quenching ourthirst and cooling our bod-ies.

Lemonade

Lemonade is a popularbeverage that offers numer-ous health benefits.Lemonade is one of thefinest drinks for hydrationbecause the acid encouragessalivation, which can helpyou feel hydrated. On a hotday, lemonade not onlyrefreshes you but also keepsyour body hydrated.

Coconut Water

Coconut water contains avariety of essential elements,including minerals thatmany individuals need.Coconut water could be theideal drink for rehydratingand replenishing electrolyteslost during physical activity.Electrolytes are minerals

that serve a variety of functions inthe body, including maintainingfluid balance.

Herbal TeasHerbal teas can be made in a

variety of flavours and tastes, mak-ing them an appealing alternative tosugary beverages or plain water.Some herbal teas contain health-promoting characteristics in addi-tion to being delicious.

Vegetable juiceVegetable juice is an excellent

source of vitamins and minerals, aswell as hydration.

Sta

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When musicbecomes life

10

Hyderabad Friday June 17, 2022 what’s brewing?

FUN

ARCHIE

GARFIELDREALITY CHECK CROSSWORD

GINGER MEGGS

NANCY

Yesterday’s solution

CALVIN AND HOBBES

SPEED BUMP

SUDOKU

Rulesl Each row and column can

contain each number (1 to 9)exactly once.

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

PAR

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l Saleem Elahi

l Kushma

l Anam

Fashion choreographerSalim Elahi, organised afashion week that was

hosted by Sky modelingInstitute, at Banjara HillsRoad no:10. Many modelsand fashion lovers took partin the event.

Barley and Grapesorganised its monthlyfestival, a once-a-month

music and brew festival thatcelebrates Alternate musicand their equally alternativebrews. Their first editionfeatured Peekay, Zokhumaand Alboe, some of thefinest in the country. Thisfestival is in continuation ofthe celebration of their one-of-a-kind, limited editionbrews inspired by the lifeand music of The Beatlescalled The Beertles. Tocelebrate the start of thesemonthly specials earlier thismonth, a new "TropicalMango Hefe'' wasintroduced to their collectionof "The Beertles”.

Epione super specialtyhospital, pioneers indealing with all types

of chronic pain andinterventional pain

management, was bestowedwith the prestigious

International HealthcareConference Award 2022,

recognizing the maximumnumber of non-surgical plasma

therapies performed for kneejoint osteoarthritis in South

India. The award was presentedby Padma Shri Awardee and

Legendary Cricketer, SunilGavaskar, to Dr Sudheer Dara,

founder and director of thehospital; at a glittering ceremony

attended by leading medicalpractitioners from all over India

and hosted by TIMECyberMedia Pvt. Ltd. in

Mumbai.FASH

ION

MAN

TRA

l Kanika

l Shirein

l Asad

l Sameeral Shveta

Megastar AmitabhBachchan, who iscurrently in

Hyderabad shooting for theupcoming Prabhas-starrerProject K, has talked aboutshooting in two languages.He

says it's exciting butmonitors apprehension.The cine-icon took to hisblog, where he also

talked about gettingnot much sleep dueto load of work. Hewrote, “ace.. 9 hrs.. up and down afew winks .. workin consolation ..the dual lan-guage excitesbut monitorsapprehension

and the load ofwork that con-

tends and runsaway.” “The face the

design the trials ofits occurrence .. every

time a determined deci-sion , 'never again' and

there we are .. at it and inhuge expansion could

show but against rulescontractually .. give recog-nition .. law is huge andgreat .. respect and find duecause .. final authority.” Headded, "The strain of work ,at each step a revelation ..needs attention and consid-ered concern .. a slower stepan easier climb .. stand, sitabout , a consider, strangely.. was never before .. now is.. I complain far too much ..I need to be brief in the

brief.” Project K is directedby Nag Ashwin. It also starsDeepika Padukone. It willbe the first time Deepikawill be sharing screenspace with Prabhas on thebig screen. Apart fromPrabhas and Big B. ActressDisha Patani is also a partof the film. Project K istouted as a mega-budgetsci-fi thriller. Details abouttheir roles are still underwraps.

11

Hyderabad | Friday June 17, 2022 tollywood

SHIKHA DUGGAL

hile studying inVijayawada, I gotsome understand-ing of rhetoric.Rayalaseema was

known when a bloody historytook place over there. I nevercared about Telangana. Kondasaw Surekha Garu's interviewsduring the election. Theyremembered her. But, I neverknew who is Konda Murali. Ispoke to the former Naxalitesafter being told by the police.There are twists in the life ofthe Konda couple. There isdrama,” explains sensationaldirector Ram Gopal Varma inhis upcoming movie Konda.He continued, “I love the wayhe speaks, feels like an oratorand such expressive peopleattract me in real life. You'llsee the couple's life frombeing in the same college toentering politics together. Noone knows the truth till today,because what happens in thisworld is people tend to dofavouritism. I am also abeliever in information only, Icontinue to learn today. Thecouple has a massive fan fol-lowing. How did it comethrough? Because they didsome good deeds.”

While Trigunha playsKonda Murali, Irra More willbe seen as Surekha in the film.The film is set to release onJune 23. The second theatricaltrailer of the film was released

last Friday. He also men-tioned, “If anyone is wonder-ing this is a political stint, solet me clarify, elections arestill far-away (he laughed). Weare doing this because I lovedrama. I have even shownsuch scenes when SoniaGandhi visited Warangal andpraised the work of KondaSurekha, it was an impossibleaspect. My background scoreis going to be bang-on toosince that's the creative ele-ment in there. Especially thescene we shot in the hospital!"The basic point of the film isunderstood from the trailer.He had also made films onVijayawada rowdies andRayalaseema factionalism ear-lier too. But he had no under-standing of Telangana. But,when he heard about itrecently while talking tosomeone, It was quite fasci-nating for him. Then he hap-pened to meet Konda Murali,who seemed special to him.Ram Gopal Varma is a manwho just loves realistic andrustic movies. The story andcharacters of Murali andSurekha seemed special tohim in that way. He uttered,“To your surprise, my singinghobby led me to sing a songin my own movie withGaddar garu. Conditions backat the theatres may still not befavourable for us, but theseare circumstances of life. Lifeis like a bicycle ticket rateswere slashed four months agohowever still some movies

were killed mercilessly at thebox office. It's only after that,that the ticket rates increased!And, now lowered again. Sowe have to change according-ly. It's all dependent on thoseaudiences who are voting inthe elections, it's the voters,not the other way round.”

Ram Gopal Varma is plan-ning his next with AmitabhBachchan paving his way tothe horror genre again after somany years which may startbank-rolling in the month ofNovember.

‘We are doing Kondabecause I love drama!’w

Tollywoodmusicdirector SS

Thaman, who isknown for hisworks for themovies AlaVaikunthapuramLoo, BheemlaNayak, andmany othermusical hitalbums of recenttimes, is all setto kick startworking forMahesh Babu'supcoming movieSSMB28

Thaman, wholeaves no stoneunturned to pro-mote his movieprojects, keepshis social mediafollowers postedabout his everymove.

The Sarkaru

Vaari Paatacomposer tookto Instagram toshare a photo ofhimself withcelebrity direc-tor TrivikramSrinivas, earlieron Thursday.“On our NewJourney ToMake Some NewRecords,Trivikram Sir,”he said.

This postfrom Thamannot only thrilledfans but alsoeffectively put astop to rumoursthat he was nolonger workingon the project.

Thaman hasearlier collabo-rated withTrivikramSrinivas for the

movies AravindaSametha VeeraRaghava, AlaVaikunthapuramLoo, andBheemla Nayak(Trivikrampenned thescreenplay).Now that theduo is comingtogether, fansexpect the bestoutput fromthem. The regu-lar shoot forSSMB28 isexpected tobegin in August.Pooja Hegdeplays Mahesh'slady love in thisfilm, which isproduced byRadha Krishnaand distributedby Haarika &HassineCreations.

Thaman's Insta pic hints

he's getting started on

music for SSMB28

AmazonPrimeVideo’s

original Tamilseries Suzhal-The Vortex isgoing to be outtomorrow, andthere’s nodoubt that thisinvestigativedrama is goingto be a grip-ping and spell-binding expe-rience foraudiences. Theengrossingseries is multi-layered and itis all set tocapture theminds andhearts ofcinephiles.Suzhal featuresAishwaryaRajesh, SriyaReddy, Kathiralong withR.Parthiban inlead roles.When askedabout theseries, theactors spoke

about itsuniqueness,and also howrealistic andrelatable con-tent, irrespec-tive of the lan-guage, is thegame changerin today’s time.

“Content iskey, you can’tfalter with thatand languageof cinema isuniversal. Ifstories are bril-liant, languagedoesn't matteranymore. And,for better clari-ty, films arebeing dubbedand there aresubtitles too,like in case ofSuzhal-TheVortex. Themost rootedand local sto-ries today arebeing watchedand appreciat-ed across theworld. Indiancinema needs

to come up onthe worldstage, it’salready gettingthere, but weneed to push ita little more,try a littleharder,” saysSriya Reddy.

Agreeingwith heropinion,Kathiradds fur-ther,“Peoplewatchingit aroundthe worldwill befascinat-ed aboutthe cul-turalnuances,themicro-festivaland thenarrativebased ina smallvillage inSouthIndia.”

rabhas will beseen in a doublerole in KGFmaker PrashanthNeel's upcomingdirectorial Salaar.

Prabhas' latest look hassparked conjecture that heis rocking a dual look inSalaar. According to thenewest reports on Prabhas'

upcoming film Salaar, theMirchi actor will be seen intwo different looks, imply-ing that the film will betold in two different timeperiods.

Furthermore, as indicat-ed by his most recent shot,the actor has slimmeddown dramatically. Toutedto be a high-octane action

thriller, Salaar will havePrabhas in the titular role,while actress Shruti Haasanwill be seen as his loveinterest. Prashanth Neel hasgotten a lot of attentionsince KGF therefore theanticipation for 'Salaar' hasbeen continuously high.

On the other side,Prabhas will be next seen

in Om Raut's highly-tech-nical movie Adi Purush,while he has upcomingmany projects in his port-folio. Prabhas will play acool role in filmmakerMaruthi's comedy, while healso has Spirit which will behelmed by Sandeep ReddyVanga, who directed ArjunReddy.

Prabhas double role in Salaarcreates a buzz among fans

p

Neha shetty to starin Rules Ranjan

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Actor KiranAbbavaram ispacked up

with some interest-ing and crazy pro-jects. He is starringin films likeSammathame, NenuMeeku BaagaKavalasina Vaadiniand VinaroBhagyamu VishuKatha. According tothe latest updates, helined up anothercrazy entertainerand it is being said

that DJ Tillu beautyknocked him down.

Kiran Abbavaramis all set to star inthe direction ofRathinam Krishnaand the project istitled in an interest-ing manner as RulesRanjan. The makersroped in NehaShetty who gavesleepless nights withher performance inDJ Tillu. The makersfelt that Neha Shettywill be apt for the

role. The film starsVennela Kishore,Satya, Annu Kapoor, Siddarth Sen, AtulParchure ), AshishVidhyardhi inimportant roles andis produced byDivyang Lavaniaand V MuraliKrishna under StarLightEntertainments Pvt.Ltd, The film is pre-sented byAM.Ratnam in aprestigious manner.

Ram Gopal Varmais gearing up for therelease of Konda, apolitical drama onthe life of politiciansKonda Murali andKonda Surekha. Thedirector tells ThePioneer why hechose to makeKonda, about thefilm and others.

Content is key,you can’t falterwith that:Sriya Reddy

sports 12HYDERABAD | FRIDAY | JUNE 17, 2022

PTI n RAJKOT

As he doesn't possess the pace ofUmran Mailk, India medium pacer

Harshal Patel feels he has to keep uppinghis 'variations' game to extend his nas-cent international career.

Harshal had made his India debutafter the T20 World Cup last Novemberand more than six months into interna-tional cricket, the 31-year-old has 17wickets in 11 games at an average of19.52.

Slower pitches suit his style of bowl-ing more and that was evident in the lasttwo games after the hammering he goton a true Kotla surface in the seriesopener.

Being a shrewd operator, Harshalvery well knows how to remain effectiveunder extreme pressure despite his lim-itations.

"To be honest, people have been try-ing to anticipate what I am bowling forthe last two years (in IPL). With everybowler they longer they play, the oppo-sition will realise what the bowlersstrengths and patterns are.

"As a bowler my job is to stay onestep ahead of them. At the end of the dayyou can have 15 plans but on a partic-ular day in a pressure situation if youdon't go out and execute with confi-dence, everything doesn't fall in place.

"My focus is on trying to execute thebest possible delivery at that point oftime," he said ahead of the fourth T20against South Africa.

The RCB bowling mainstay relies alot on his variations to outsmart the bat-ters and he says that is something heneeds to constantly develop.

"I can't worry about pace because Ican't bowl fast as Umran Malik. I haveto develop skills to render myself effec-tive at the international level. I havenever been an express fast bowler thoughon a good day I can go near 140 kmph.

"My focus has always been to devel-op skills around my bowling and what-ever limitations and advantages I havein my bowling.

"I would certainly prefer to pay onslow wickets. It gives you a fightingchance. If you can keep playing on pitch-es like Delhi it can hamper your confi-dence a little bit.

"We have bowlers who can bowl onall pitches but it brings them more intothe game when there are slightly slow-er pitches and slightly bigger grounddimensions," he said.

PTI n RAJKOT

Under pressure Indiaskipper Rishabh Pantwill be hoping to tideover his struggles with

the bat and help the hosts improvetheir middle overs play whenthey take on South Africa in thefourth T20 International here onFriday.

Save Pant's problems, Indiawere able to plug the gaps in Vizagto open their account in the serieswith a comprehensive win. Theywill need another near perfectgame to take the five-match seriesinto the decider.

Such has been the brilliance ofPant that every time he has beenwritten off across formats, he hasfound a way to bounce back. Thestage is set for him in anothermust-win game for India.

The southpaw has beencaught in the deep multiple timesin the series trying to reach for theball when it is not there in his hit-ting zone. Pant prefers to hit in thecow corner region but the SouthAfrican bowlers have not allowedhim to do that by bowling a wideline.

The hosts had got off to anelectric start in the last game withRuturaj Gaikwad finding somemuch-needed runs and comple-menting Ishan Kishan who hasmade a good case for being India'sreserve opener in the long run,including in the T20 World Cupin Australia later this year.

The two will be looking tomake the most of the remainingtwo games, followed by a couplein Ireland, before the regularopeners walk back into the play-ing eleven.

Shreyas Iyer, who has beentested with the short ball regular-ly in the series, has not yet madea significant contribution at num-ber three and will be itching tochange that on Friday.

The home side struggled inthe middle overs in Vizag after aperfect start before Hardik Pandyacame to the team's rescue and tookthe score close to 180.

Pant's men will be aiming to

rectify that here and ensure themomentum is not lost through theinnings.

India rely on their spinners inthe middle overs and the biggestpositive out of the last game was

the performance of YuzvendraChahal and Axar Patel.

While Axar kept it tidy,Chahal bore the fruits of bowlingslower through the air. The turnand dip that deserted him in theearlier games was back and helooked at his threatening best.

In the pace department, theseasoned Bhuvneshwar Kumarhas been remarkably consistent.Avesh Khan has not gone for a lotof runs but is yet to take a wicketin the series while Harshal Patel,who relies on his variations to beeffective, found his rhythm inVizag and ended up with a four-wicket haul.

The South Africans, on theother hand, would back them-selves to win the next game andseal the series. They currently lead2-1.

The visitors will be hopingtheir star batter Quinton de Kockrecovers fully from a wrist injuryand rejoins skipper TembaBavuma at the top.

After outplaying India in thefirst two games, the South Africanswere at the receiving end in thethird match, eventually losing bya massive 48-run margin. Theirbatting failed miserably after amixed performance with the ball.

Their spinners Tabraiz Shamsiand Keshav Maharaj have leakedmore than 10 runs an over withthe Indians purposely going on theoffensive against them.

Pace spearhead KagisoRabada has been their mostimpressive bowler and the hostshave given him due respect by nottaking many chances against him.

Although South Africa'sground fielding has been alright,catching has left a lot to be desired.

PTI n BENGALURU

Mumbai produced an inci-sive bowling display to

bundle out Uttar Pradesh for apaltry 180 and take the crucialfirst-innings lead on the thirdday of their Ranji Trophy semi-final, here on Thursday.

Resuming at the overnightscore of 25 for two, UP batterscould add just 155 runs asTushar Deshpande (3/34), off-spinner Tanush Kotian (3/35)and Mohit Avasthi (3/39) sharednine wickets between them forMumbai. Dhawal Kulkarni(1/25) also chipped in with ascalp.

Skipper Prithvi Shaw made64 off 71 balls with the help of12 boundaries as Mumbai fin-ished the day at 133 for one intheir second innings, taking anoverall lead of 346 runs.

Mumbai had posted 393 intheir first essay, courtesy hun-dreds by Yashasvi Jaiswal andHardik Tamore.

UP lost wickets regularlyafter resumption with the 41-time Ranji Trophy championsdominating from the start.

The first UP batter to bedismissed on the day was skip-per Karan Sharma (27), whobecame Avasthi's first victim.

Opener Madhav Kaushik(38) and Rinku Singh (16) tried

to rally the innings, but man-aged to forge only a 32-runstand for the fifth wicket beforethe former was dismissed byKotian.

After that, the UP battersmade a beeline to the pavilion.Rinku, Dhruv Jorel (2) andSaurabh Kumar (0) fell in quicksuccession. Kotian trapped

Rinku in front of the wickets,while Awasthi accounted for thetwo other dismissals.

Coming onto bat at no. 8,Shivam Mavi (48) showed somelate resistance, but it was too lit-tle and too late.

Mavi hit four boundariesand two sixes in his blazing 55-ball knock.

Deshpande then swung into

action and ripped apart the tail.But the day belonged to

Kotian, who broke Mavi's resist-ance as UP conceded a massive213-run first innings lead.

There was more agony instore for UP as Shaw (64) andYashasvi Jaiswal (35 not out)made an aggressive start byadding 66 runs for the openingwicket in Mumbai's second

innings.While Shaw played in his

usual aggressive style, Jaiswalplayed the second fiddle.

After Shaw's dismissal,Jaiswal and Armaan Jaffer (32not out) continued to tormentthe UP bowlers as the AmolMazumdar-coached sideseemed to have put one foot inthe final.

PTI n RAJKOT

South African speedsterAnrich Nortje says he

remains a work in progressand is constantly trying to findthe 'missing ingredient' in hisbowling after coming backfrom a long injury lay-off.

Nortje was out of actionfor six months after the T20World Cup last year. He hadbowled exceptionally well inthe 2020-2021 IPL seasonbefore being sidelined due toa stress fracture.

Alongside Kagiso Rabada,Nortje formed arguably themost potent fast bowling pair-ing in the IPL.

Delhi Capitals chose toretain him ahead of Rabadabut when he made a come-back to this year's IPL,

Nortje was not the same bowler."I am still not there. I am

still working on it, still trying tofind one or two things. Bodywise I am still not 100 percent,slowly building it up. I wouldprobably rate myself fromwhere I was at the end of IPLlast year and start of T20 WorldCup. Still trying to get there,"said Nortje here on Thursday.

Nortje was putting in thehard yards ahead of the fourthT20 International against India.He bowled at the centre wick-et for a while alongside DwainePretorius and spinner TabraizShamsi.

So, what exactly is missingfrom his bowling?

"If I knew exactly what itwas, I would have done it(laughs). It is going to be aminor adjustment. I generally

keep it simple. I am working onsomething at this stage and wewill see how it goes.

"It is not like it is complete-ly out of shape. It is about smallmargins for me and I would liketo get back to where I was," saidthe 28-year-old.

Nortje said injury hastaught him a valuable lesson.

"It was hard (the come-back phase) because some of thestuff is limited. Some of thebowling is limited. You can't goout and bowl 8 to 9 overs everyday. It has been a good chal-lenge and will help in the futureif there are any niggles orinjuries going forward," he said.

Like India's Umran Malik,who is yet to get a game in theseries, Nortje built his reputa-tion by bowling in excess of150kmph regularly. He also

held the fastest delivery recordin the IPL for a while but thisseason Lockie Ferguson raisedthe bar with a 157.3 kmphscorcher.

When asked about the'pace' war, Nortje said he is notin the race with Malik or anyother fast bowler.

"Malik is a good bowler anda very fast bowler. He hasshown that on the field. If hegoes faster, good for him, if I go,faster good for me. It is notabout bowling fast, it is aboutwinning games," said Nortje.

Star opener Quinton deKock has not played since theseries opener in Delhi due to awrist injury and South Africarely heavily on him. He waspresent at the nets on Thursday,raising hopes of his return butNortje did not reveal much.

PTI n RAJKOT

India's Nitin Menon hasretained his place in the

ICC Elite Panel and is set tomake his maiden appearanceas a neutral umpire in SriLanka later this month.

A BCCI official told PTIthat Menon has got a one-yearextension from theInternational Cricket Council.

The 38-year-old fromIndore remains the onlyIndian in the 11-memberElite Panel of Umpires.

"The ICC recently gave aone-year extension to Menonwho has been our leadingumpire over the last three tofour years. You will also seehim making his debut as aneutral umpire later thismonth," the official told PTI.

Menon was promoted tothe Elite Panel at the start ofthe COVID-19 pandemic in2020, becoming the third

Indian to enter the club afterS Venkataraghavan and SRavi.

However, Menon was lim-ited to officiating interna-tional matches only withinIndia with the ICC allowinglocal umpires due to the trav-el restrictions in place.

With COVID-19 on thewane, the governing bodyhas resumed normal servicewith Australian Paul Reiffelcurrently performing dutiesin England's home seriesagainst New Zealand.

After completing hisduties in the ongoing five-match T20 series betweenIndia and South Africa,Menon is set to travel to SriLanka for the home team'stwo-Test ser ies againstAustralia, beginning June 29in Galle.

There is no change in theElite Panel and besidesMenon, it includes AleemDar from Pakistan, ChrisGaffaney from New Zealand,Kumara Dharmasena fromSri Lanka, Marais Erasmusfrom South Africa, MichaelGough, Richard Illingworthand Richard Kettleborough(all three from England), PaulReiffel and Rod Tucker fromAustralia and Joel Wilsonfrom the West Indies.

The BCCI takes the callon who to include in the ICCInternational Panel ofUmpires. Currently, fourIndians are in the lower tierincluding Anil Chaudhary,Virender Sharma, JMadanagopal and K NAnanthapadmanabhan.

PTI n PALLEKELE

Pace bowler Pat Cumminsclaimed four wickets as

Australia kept Sri Lanka downto 220 for nine as rain forcedthe innings to end in 47.4 overson Thursday.

The tourists, who lead thefive-match series 1-0, havebeen set a target of 216 runs in43 overs in Pallekele, as per theDuckwor t h-L e w is -Ster nmethod.

Australia's bowlers backedup their captain's call to fieldfirst, as they removed theopeners inside 10 overs and SriLanka suffered from a lack ofpartnerships.

Debutant left-arm spin-ner Matthew Kuhnemannstruck in his third over of inter-national cricket to send backPathum Nissanka, who wascaught behind for 14.

Kuhnemann returned fig-ures of 2-48 and took twocatches.

Cummins, Australia's Test

captain who returned to theside after recovering from aninjury at the start of the series,got the left-handed DanushkaGunathilaka caught in thedeep for 18.

Wicketkeeper-batsmanKusal Mendis, who hit 36, andDhananjaya de Silva, whomade 34, attempted to rebuildwith a 61-run stand that wasbroken by Cummins.

Cummins took down DeSilva and Mendis fell to GlennMaxwell's caught and bowledeffort. Maxwell took one wick-et with his off-spin to rattle theopposition middle order.

Wickets kept fallingdespite skipper DasunShanaka's attacking cameo of34, which ended with a mishitto point off leg-spinnerMitchell Swepson.

Cummins was looking fora five-wicket haul when rainstopped play and the inningsended after more than an hourof persistent showers. He fin-ished with figures of 4-35.

AP n LONDON

Devon Conway became the fourth per-son in the New Zealand contingent to

test positive for COVID-19.Earlier, all-rounder Michael Bracewell

and support staff including physio VijayVallabh and strength & conditioningcoach Chris Donaldson had tested posi-tive and were under isolation.

Conway will now have to begin his fivedays of isolation and New Zealand havenot called for any replacements.

"The three will travel separately fromthe team to Leeds on Sunday and provid-ing they recover as expected will be ableto join the squad for training at Headingleyon Tuesday ahead of Thursday's final Test.

"The rest of the touring party havereturned negative results and will contin-ue following the tour health protocols ofsymptom reporting and subsequent test-

ing if required," read a statement from NewZealand Cricket (NZC).

New Zealand are set to play the thirdTest at Leeds starting on June 23.

ENG INCLUDE JAMIE OVERTONEngland have handed a maiden Test

call-up to Surrey seamer Jamie Overton forthe third and final Test against the visitors,New Zealand, starting at Headingley onJune 23. The 28-year-old, who will join histwin brother Craig in the squad, has beenin excellent form in the ongoing CountyChampionship for league leaders Surrey,having taken 21 wickets this season at anaverage of 21.61. In his 81-match first-classcareer, Jamie has picked up 206 wicketsincluding five fifers. The fast bowler wasalso called up to the England ODI squadagainst New Zealand in 2015 but didn'tplay a game.England squad for 3rd Test: Ben Stokes(C), James Anderson, Jonathan Bairstow,Stuart Broad, Harry Brook, Zak Crawley,Ben Foakes, Jack Leach, Alex Lees, CraigOverton, Jamie Overton, Matthew Potts,Ollie Pope, Joe Root.

PTI n ALUR

Rajat Patidar hit an unbeaten half-centuryto put Madhya Pradesh in the driver's seat

against Bengal in their Ranji Trophy semifinal,here on Thursday. Continuing his dream run,Patidar took the center stage in MP's secondessay with an elegant 63 not out after his sidegained a vital 78-run first innings lead.

The Royal Challengers Bangalore batter,who scored one century and two half centuriesin the recently-concluded IPL, found himselfat home as he slammed 10 boundaries in his109-ball unbeaten knock to push MP to 163for two at stumps on day three.

In their quest for first appearance in Ranjifinal since 1998-99, MP now have an overalllead of 231 runs with skipper Aditya

Shrivastava lending Patidar fine support at theother end with a resolute 34 not out from 90balls.

Earlier, resuming the day on 197 for five,veteran Manoj Tiwary (102), who wasovernight 84, completed his 29th first classhundred, his second in a row.

He was well-supported by Bengal and RCBall-rounder Shahbaz Ahmed (116), whonotched up his maiden first-class hundred afterresuming at overnight personal score of 72.

The duo formed the backbone, in an oth-erwise, sloppy batting display by Bengal as eightof their batters failed to get double digits scores.

Skipper Abhimanyu Easwaran (22) was theonly other batter to register double digit runsas Bengal were bundled out for 273 in 89.2overs in reply to MP's 341.

India vs South AfricaLive from 7:00pm ISTSTAR SPORTS 1 NETWORK

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ICC retains NitinMenon in Elite Panel

Mumbai on cusp of Ranji final MP IN DRIVER'S SEAT

Nortje in relentless pursuit of ‘missing ingredient’

I am still notthere. I am stillworking on it,still trying to

find one or twothings. Body

wise I am stillnot 100

percent, slowlybuilding it up

—ANRICHNORTJE

Australia need 216 to win rain-hitSri Lanka ODI

NZ’s Conway tests +ve for Covid-19

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