Cricketer Krunal Pandya was on Thursdaydetained at the Mumbai International Airport by

the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) forallegedly being in possession of undisclosed goldand other valuables, DRI sources said. Krunalhad returned shortly after 5 pm by a flightfrom UAE when he was stopped at theairport by DRI personnel, the sourcessaid. Krunal was part of the MumbaiIndians team which won its record fifthIPL title on November 10, defeatingDelhi Capitals in the final match inDubai.

CRICKETER KRUNAL PANDYADETAINED AT MUMBAI AIRPORT

MAHAGATBANDHAN LOST BECAUSEOF CONG, ADMITS TARIQ ANWAR

The condition of Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust presidentMahant Nritya Gopal Das, admitted at the Medanta hospital here,

continued to be critical on Thursday, a health bulletin issued by the hospitalsaid. "His condition is critical but undercontrol. He has been kept under thesupervision of critical care experts," thebulletin said. Das was admitted to thehospital for thromboembolism. On Monday,the seer was taken to the government-runShriram Hospital in Ayodhya after hecomplained of breathlessness, but doctorsreferred him to the Medanta hospital inLucknow as his condition was "serious".

Attorney General K K Venugopal Thursday granted consent for initiation ofcriminal contempt proceedings against stand-up comic artist Kunal

Kamra for his tweets which allegedly criticised the Supreme Court, saying thetweets are in bad taste and it is time that people understand that attacking theapex court brazenly will attract punishment. Venugopal said today peoplebelieve that they can boldly and brazenly condemnthe Supreme Court of India and its judges byexercising their freedom of speech, but under theConstitution, the freedom of speech is subject tothe law of contempt. “I have gone through eachone of the tweets which you have annexed forconsent to proceed by way of criminal contemptagainst Kunal Kamra,” he said.

Senior Congress leader Tariq Anwar on Thursday came out with thecandid admission that his party, on account of its dismal

performance in the Bihar Assembly elections, emerged as the weak linkpreventing the Mahagatbandhan (GrandAlliance) from forming its government in thestate. He also expressed worry over entry ofthe AIMIM in Bihar. Anwar, an AICC generalsecretary, came out with a flurry of tweetscalling for "urgent and deep introspection"over the debacle of the party, the secondlargest constituent of the opposition coalition,which contested as many as 70 seats butreturned with a tally of just 19.

RAM JANMABHOOMI TRUST HEADMAHANT NRITYA GOPAL DAS CRITICAL

A-G GRANTS CONSENT FOR CONTEMPTPROCEEDINGS AGAINST KUNAL KAMRA

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Current Weather ConditionsUpdated November 12, 2020 5:00 PM

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Nakshatram: Chitra: 11:05 pm

Time to Avoid: (Bad time to start

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Rahukalam: 10:36 am – 12:00 pm

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Varjyam: 08:58 am – 10:23 am,

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Abhijit Muhurtham: 11:37 am – 12:22 pm

FFoorreeccaasstt:: Partly cloudyTemp: 31/22Humidity: 72%Sunrise: 06.20 amSunset: 05.40 pm

Jagan’s ‘Jungle Raj droveSalam family to suicide: Naidu PNS n VIJAYAWADA

Describing the death of auto-rickshaw driver Abdul Salamand his family as ‘murder’ andnot suicide, TDP national pres-ident N Chandrababu Naiduon Thursday held the YSRCPGovernment and the StatePolice Department solelyresponsible for the tragic turnof events that wiped out anentire family in Nandyal inKurnool district.

Naidu said that the suicidewas merely the culmination of

a series of non-stop atrocitiesbeing committed against the

BCs, SCs, STs and MuslimMinorities under theJaganmohan Reddy's 'PoliceRaj'.

“It was only after theNandyal police terrorised andmentally tortured Abdul Salamthat he lost all hope that he, hiswife and his two childrenwould be able to live in peaceany longer. Their deathsseemed like an 'animal sacri-fice' to the diabolical rule inAP,” Naidu said.

Thick fog draws tourists to ChintapalliSUMIT ONKA n VISAKHAPATNAM

A thick blanket of fog coveredChintapalli in Vizag Agency onThursday as the temperaturedropped to single digit — 9degree C — for the first timethis winter.

The rainfall activity pre-dicted over the next four to fivedays may further bring downthe mercury.

After going viral on socialnetworking platforms, picturesof the blanket of fog are now

drawing visitors to the hills ofthe Eastern Ghats. Youngstersfrom Vizag and other parts ofthe region are flocking to

Lammasingi, Tajangi, and a fewother areas in and aroundChintapalli of Vizag Agency toexperience the cool and foggy

weather conditions.The Regional Agriculture

Research Station (RARS) atChintapalli in Vizag Agencyrecords the temperature atChintapalli.

Based on it, the temperatureof surrounding areasLammasingi and Tajangi arecalculated by deducting 1degree C to 2 degree C. Theminimum temperatures aresliding day by day in theAgency.

Centre widens stimulus ambitto boost economic recoveryn FM unveils incentives for job creation, home sale deals small businesses PNS n NEW DELHI

Finance Minister NirmalaSitharaman on Thursdayannounced tax relief on selecthome sale deals, enhancedcredit guarantee programmefor small businesses and pro-vided incentives for new jobcreation as the governmentwidened stimulus measuresto boost the economy.

The measures, that alsoinclude additional fertilisersubsidy and alreadyannounced production-linked incentive schemefor manufacturing units,totalled Rs 2.65 lakh-crore, taking thecumulative stimu-lus packa-geannounced sincethe lock-

down to almost Rs 30 lakh-crore, or 15 percent of theGross Domestic Product(GDP).

It also includes additionalfunding for real estate develop-ers and contractors, a new

e m p l o y m e n tscheme and

additional

spending on the rural jobsplan.

Sitharaman cited data,including increase in tax col-lections for goods and services,rise in energy consumptionand improvement in bankcredit, to state that the econo-my was seeing "strong recov-ery" taking root.

The Indian economy hasrecovered from its worst-ever

contraction of 24 per cent inthe April-June quarter butwill end up shrinking byclose to 10 per cent in thefiscal year to March 2021.

But she saw hope in theReserve Bank of India pre-

dicting a strong likeli-hood of growth in thecurrent quarter.

SNV SUDHIR n VIJAYAWADA

Reflecting the precariousfinancial situation of the twoTelugu states, both AndhraPradesh and Telangana haveborrowed Rs 31,250 crore andRs 22,961 crore respectivelyfrom the market in the first sixmonths of the current financialyear, 2020-21.

Andhra Pradesh standsthird — with only Maharashtraand Tamil Nadu ahead in thelist — among the States whenit comes to borrowing from themarket to meet its expenses.Telangana stands sixth.

With dwindling revenuereceipts due to the Covid trig-gered financial crisis, both theTelugu States have opted forborrowing to fund the expen-diture. This is more true ofAndhra Andhra Pradeshwhich has been implementingits ambitious welfare agendaaggressively.

Despite facing a massivefinancial crisis, mostly due topoor revenue receipts, theAndhra Pradesh governmenthas been crediting amounts tothe bank accounts of the ben-

eficiaries of its various variouswelfare schemes without miss-ing any timeline as set byChief Minister YS JaganmohanReddy in launching theseschemes.

Both the states have alsoapproached the Reserve Bankof India (RBI) to tap all sourcesof revenues and have availedSpecial Drawing Facility(SDF), Ways and MeansAdvances (WMA) andOverdraft (OD) facilities to thetune of Rs 4,641 crore and Rs3,514 crore respectively inSeptember.

Andhra Pradesh has availedRs 1,182 crore under SDF for30 days, Rs 1,939 crore under

WMA for 29 days and Rs1,520 crore as OD for 17 daysin September alone.

Telangana availed Rs 1,240crore under SDF for 30 days,Rs 1,576 crore under WMA for30 days and Rs 698 crore asOD for 21 days during thesame month.

As per the RBI’s latest bul-letin, Andhra Pradesh is nextonly to Maharashtra to availsuch high amounts of financialaccommodation generallyavailed by state governmentsunder various facilities.Maharashtra availed Rs 6,240crore under various heads.

Modi, Biden to speakat ‘mutuallyconvenient time’PNS n NEW DELHI

Prime Minister NarendraModi and United StatesPresident-elect Joe Biden willspeak with each other in duecourse at a mutually conve-nient time, the Ministry ofExternal Affairs said onThursday and asserted thatIndia-US ties enjoy bipartisansupport in America.

TTD sanctity under threat: TDP

PNS n VIJAYAWADA

Stating that it was a matter ofgrave concern that the spiritu-al pre-eminence of the TirupatiTirumala Devasthanams hascome under serious threatbecause of the unholy practicesof the YSRCP Government,TD Politburo Member VarlaRamaiah on Thursdaydemanded the resignation ofthe TTD Chairman YV SubbaReddy.

“He should resign immedi-ately, considering the series ofcontroversies that have threat-ened the sanctity of the Seven

Hills over the past 17 months,”Ramaiah said, pointing to theunsavoury incident in whichan employee of the SriVenkateswara Bhakti Channelwas involved leaving devoteesin a state of shock.

In a statement here, the TDleader said that too muchpolitical interference was tak-ing place in TTD affairs eversince the YSRCP came topower.

l AP’s debt burden is Rs 3.02lakh-crore at the end of March2020, up from Rs 2,58,928 a yearago

l As per the Budget estimates,AP’s debt burden is expected togo up up to Rs 3,48,998 crore inthe current fiscal.

l The AP governmentenvisaged to dole out over Rs 75,000 crore in cash to peopleunder various welfare schemes

l Estimated revenue deficit Rs 18,434 crore, while theestimated fiscal deficit Rs48,295 crore

Telugu States borrow, falldeeper into the debt trap

Positive news:Chiru is CovidnegativePNS n HYDERABAD

Actor-politician K Chira-njeevi on Thursday con-firmed that he has testednegative for Coronavirus,days after he was tested pos-itive.

In a tweet on Thursday,Chiranjeevi said: “A group ofdoctors did three differenttests and concluded that I amCovid-negative and that theearlier result was due to afaulty RT PCR kit.”

After he was tested positiveon Sunday, Chiranjeevi start-ed off with basic medication,but he didn’t display anysymptoms.

As he had apprehensionsover the test results, he got aCT scan for chest done at theApollo Hospital, where doc-tors told him that there wereno traces of the infection.

n Varla Ramaiah wants Subba Reddy to resign over inappropriate email

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PNS n NEW DELHI

India saw a single-day increase of47,905 infections taking the country'sCovid-19 caseload to 86,83,916, whilethe number of people who have recu-perated from the disease have surgedto 80,66,501, according to the UnionHealth Ministry data updated onThursday.

The coronavirus death toll climbedto 1,28,121 with 550 new fatalities, thedata updated at 8 am showed.

The number of active casesremained below 5 lakh for the secondconsecutive day.

There are 4,89,294 active cases ofcoronavirus infection in the countryas on date which comprises 5.63 percent of the total caseload, the data stat-ed. The total recoveries have surged to80, 66,501 pushing the national recov-ery rate to 92.89 per cent, whileCovid-19 case fatality rate stands at

1.48 per cent.India's Covid-19 tally had crossed

the 20-lakh mark on August 7, 30 lakhon August 23 and 40 lakh onSeptember 5. It went past 50 lakh onSeptember 16, 60 lakh on September28, 70 lakh on October 11 and crossed

80 lakh on October 29.According to the ICMR, a cumula-

tive total of 12,19,62,509 sampleshave been tested up to November 11with 11,93,358 samples being tested onWednesday.

The 550 new fatalities include 125

from Maharashtra, 85 from Delhi, 49from West Bengal, 31 from Punjab, 29from Kerala, 28 from Tamil Nadu, 25each from Haryana and Chhattisgarh,23 from Karnataka and 20 from UttarPradesh.

A total of 1,28,121 deaths have beenreported so far in the country includ-ing 45,560 from Maharashtra fol-lowed by 11,453 from Karnataka,11,415 from Tamil Nadu, 7,452 fromWest Bengal, 7,281 from UttarPradesh, 7,228 from Delhi, 6,828from Andhra Pradesh, 4,389 fromPunjab and 3,776 from Gujarat.

The health ministry stressed thatmore than 70 per cent of the deathsoccurred due to comorbidities.

"Our figures are being reconciledwith the Indian Council of MedicalResearch," the ministry said on itswebsite, adding that state-wise distri-bution of figures is subject to furtherverification and reconciliation.

PNS n MALKANGIRI

A Maoist hideout wasunearthed and a huge quanti-ty of explosives and armsdumped by the ultras seizedduring a special operation bysecurity forces inside a forestin Odisha's Malkangiri district,a senior police officer said onThursday.

The hideout was bustedduring a joint operationlaunched by Special OperationGroup (SOG) and DistrictVoluntary Force (DVF) ofOdisha Police and BorderSecurity Force (BSF) inJodambo area of 'SwabhimanAnchal' recently, MalkangriSuperintendent of PoliceRishikesh D Khilari said.

Acting on specific informa-tion, an intensive search andarea domination was con-ducted near Arapadar-Andrapalli villages inSwabhiman Anchal, earlierknown as cut off area, result-ing in uncovering of a majorMaoist hideout and arms and

ammunition, he said."This has led to recovery

and seizure of a large quanti-ty of arms, ammunition,explosive materials and otherarticles stocked by theMaoists," the SP said, addingthat these arms were intend-ed to be used against innocentcivilians and security forces forcarrying out their subversiveactivities.

The seized arms includedaround 148 rounds of ammu-nition, 14 grenades, two landmines, 13 electronic detona-tors and other articles, hesaid. "This is a major jolt to thesubversive and anti- nationaldesigns of Maoists in thisarea," the SP said.

It is suspected that theexplosives belonged to Maoistcadres of Andhra-OdishaBorder Special ZonalCommittee (AOBSZC),Khilari said.

In the wake of the recovery,further combing and searchoperations have been intensi-fied in this area, he added.

PNS n VISAKHAPATNAM

Logistic cost for the waterwayswill be reduced further, statedUnion Minister for ShippingMansukh Mandaviya during aprogramme on Thursday.

The Minister unveiled theplaque of the Union ShippingMinistry's new nomenclatureas the Ministry of Ports,Shipping and Waterways(Pattan, Pot Parivahan aurJalmarg Mantralaya).

Visakhapatnam Port Trustchairman, K. Rama MohanaRao along with all Heads ofDepartments participated inthe programme.

Mandaviya said it is a mat-ter of pride that with the PrimeMinister's vision, the countryis moving ahead with a holis-tic and long-term approach ofmulti-modal connectivity.

"With the changed name,the ministry is going to putextra focus on the develop-ment of waterways and coastalshipping. Around 1,400 kilo-metres of waterways havealready been fully developedand additional 1,000 kilome-tres are being developed onpriority for which DPR/ feasi-bility study has been complet-ed.

"We are also focussing forcreation of a Port Grid,encompassing various small-er ports like fisheries port,agriculture port and mineralport etc so that port develop-ment and port-led develop-ment takes place in the coun-try," he said.

On November 8, PrimeMinister Narendra Modi hadannounced renaming of theMinistry of Shipping whileaddressing the inaugural cer-emony of Ro-Pax ferry service

between Hazira and Ghoghain Gujarat.

"Now, this ministry will beknown as Ministry of Ports,Shipping and Waterways. It isbeing expanded. In most ofthe developed economies, theshipping ministry is alsoresponsible for ports andwaterways. In India, the ship-ping ministry has been doinga lot of work related to portsand waterways. Now, withmore clarity in the name,more clarity will also come in

the work," Modi had said.The Ministry said that as

soon as the Prime Ministerannounced the name it swunginto action to complete all therelated formalities.

All the formalities werecompleted within two workingdays and the official notifica-tion of the name change waspublished in the Gazette ofIndia on November 10, 2020,the ministry said in a state-ment.

According to a notification

issued by the CabinetSecretariat, maritime shippingand navigation, provision ofeducation and training for themercantile marine, lighthous-es and lightships, administra-tion of the ports, shipping andnavigation — including car-riage of passengers, and goodson inland and national water-ways — will come under theMinistry.

The notification, signed byPresident Ram Nath Kovind,said the decision had beentaken by exercising the powersconferred by clause (3) ofArticle 77 of the Constitutionand by amending theGovernment of India(Allocation of Business) Rules,1961.

Other subjects that willcome under the Ministry ofPorts, Shipping and Waterwaysinclude shipbuilding and ship-repair industry, ship-breaking,fishing vessels industry, float-ing craft industry among oth-ers.

Various autonomous bodieslike the Port Trusts in Mumbai,Kolkata and others, the InlandWaterways Authority of Indiaand the Shipping Corporationof India will also come underthe Ministry.

PNS n VIJAYAWADA

Over 77,000 sample tests in 24hours ending 9 am onThursday turned out 1,728fresh cases of Covid-19in Andhra Pradesh,taking the infec-tion count to8,49,705.

Also, 1,777patients got curedwhile nine moresuccumbed duringthe period, the latestbulletin said.

After 8,22,011 recoveriesand 6,837 deaths, the numberof active coronavirus casesstood at 20,857, it said.

Five districts reported

between 200 and 300 freshcases, with East Godavariadding 290.

The remaining eight dis-tricts in the state added less

than 100 new caseseach.

Chittoor districtreported three andKrishna two freshfatalities while fourother districts saw

one more death each,the bulletin said.

So far, 89,40,488 sam-ples were tested for Covid-19in AP at the rate of 1,67,425per million population, turn-ing out an overall positivityrate of 9.50 per cent.

Logistic cost for waterways toreduce further, predicts Minister

Maoist hideout inOdisha unearthed,arms, explosives seized

Covid caseload in India climbs to 86,83,9161 AP reports 1,728 new Covid cases

Continued from Page 1

Addressing a press confer-ence here, the TDP chief saidthat the ruthless harassment inthe form of foisting of falsecases and oral threats drove theentire family to end their lives.Prior to his death, Abdul Salamtold his mother-in-law how thepolice threatened to send himto jail once again and alsowarned of sending one police-man to visit his wife everydayafter he was put behind thebars.

“His mother-in-law herselfclearly stated this. Abdul Salamwas first implicated in a false

robbery case and sent to jail.He came out of jail after 42days and tried to earn hislivelihood by driving an auto-rickshaw. Again, another falsecase was filed against him andAbdul Salam was called to thepolice station where he was ter-rorised,” Naidu said.

The former chief ministerdescribed the Nandyal suicideas highly disturbing, sayingthat the psychological black-mail and torture tactics of thepolice led to the ghastly inci-dent. This was reflective of theinefficient and insensitive ruleof Jaganmohan Reddy, who hasbeen discriminating and

oppressing all sections of peo-ple from the Opposition lead-ers to members of the public,he added.

“The Government and thepolice tried to suppress theAbdul Salam case as just a sui-cide. If his mother-in-law didnot release the selfie videotaken before the suicide, thisincident would not have cometo light. It was only after theTDP tweeted on the incidentthat the Government initiat-ed action against the guiltyofficials,” Naidu added.

Terming it as murder of theAbdul Salam family, Naidudemanded the Government

order a probe by the CentralBureau of Investigation (CBI)to bring out the facts.

“The incident was very dis-turbing, going by how theentire family underwent men-tal turmoil and even took theselfie video before endingtheir life. Abdul Salam's wifewas a graduate and was work-ing as a teacher in a privateschool. Their family was wellplaced and had no reason tocommit suicide. Completeloss of trust and confidence inthe system pushed them tocommit the extreme step,”the TDP supremo said.

Continued from Page 1

Doubling down on the pre-viously announced measures,she said Income Tax law will berelaxed to allow primary orfirst sale of housing units of upto Rs 2 crore at a price that canbe 20 per cent below the stampduty circle rate.

Currently, the law restrictsdifferential between circle rateand agreement value at 10 percent, and "the move will helpreduce hardships faced by bothhome-buyers and the develop-ers and help clear unsoldinventory," she said.

“Under the new job creationscheme, the government willprovide a subsidy equal to thecontribution that an employeeand the employer have to maketowards the retirement fund(totalling 24 per cent of thewages) to establishments thathire new employees or re-hirethose it fired during Covid-19pandemic,” she said.

The Rs 3 lakh-croreEmergency Credit LineGuarantee Scheme (ECLGS),under which small businessescan get collateral-free loans,

has been extended till March31, 2021.

The same has also beenextended to 26 stressed sectorsidentified by a high-level com-mittee as also the healthcaresector. The companies will geta one-year moratorium onloans and four more years torepay the amount, she said.

Sitharaman counted a pro-duction-linked incentive pro-gramme worth Rs 1.46 lakhcrore for manufacturing units,already approved by the gov-ernment, as part of the 12 sup-port measures unveiled onThursday.

In the past, Rs 51,355 croreof incentives has been provid-ed for mobile manufacturing,drug intermediaries and man-ufacturing of medical devicesand now automobiles, tele-com, textile and food products,white goods, specialty steeland electronic products havebeen included.

An additional outlay of Rs18,000 crore will be madetowards the affordable urbanhousing programme, she said.

To provide higher liquidityto contracts, the government

has decided to lower theearnest money deposit for pro-jects till December 31, 2021.

Also, Rs 10,000 crore wasprovided for rural employ-ment, Rs 3,000 crore to EximBank for extending lines ofcredit, and Rs 10,200 croreadditional budget outlay fordefence and infrastructure.

A Rs 900 crore grant wasmade to the Department ofBiotechnology for Covid-19vaccine research, she said,adding this did not include thecost of procuring and distrib-uting the vaccine which will beestablished later.

Sitharaman said the govern-ment will provide Rs 65,000crore of additional subsidy onfertiliser to ensure the cropnutrient is available to farmersduring the current season.

The measures are the gov-ernment's latest efforts to boostthe economy, which slippedinto an unprecedented reces-sion after gross domestic prod-uct probably declined for a sec-ond straight quarter in thethree months endedSeptember.

The Rs 29.87 lakh-crore

stimulus package, spread overfive announcements over thepast few months, includes Rs12.71 lakh-crore of liquidityboosting measures by theReserve Bank of India (RBI).

The previous stimulus mea-sures announced included freefood grains and cooking gas tothe poor and cash support tosome.

The International MonetaryFund (IMF) has forecast thatthe Indian economy will shrinkby 10.3 per cent in the year toMarch.

"Recovery (in economy) ishappening," Sitharaman said,pointing to some high-fre-quency indicators.

"In the last 10-15 days, therehave been quite a few steps andindicators which have shownthe recovery is happening. ThePMI rose to 58.9 in October.This is the strongest increase inoutput in close to nine years.This shows that it is not justpent up demand but a strongpitch for recovery," she said.

Further, Sitharaman said, "atotal of 15 percent of GDP iswhat is being given here asstimulus till today."

Continued from Page 1

The MEA's assertioncomes days after Bidendefeated incumbent PresidentDonald Trump in a bitterly-fought election that attracteda record number ofAmericans to cast their votes.

MEA spokespersonAnurag Srivastava said thePrime Minister had congrat-ulated Biden through a tweetand had also appreciated theformer American Vice-President’s contribution tostrengthening India-US rela-tions.

Modi had also conveyedthat he looks forward toworking with him to takeIndia-US relations to greaterheights, Srivastava said at anonline media briefing.

Asked when will the twoleaders speak with each other,he said it will happen in "duecourse at a mutually conve-nient time".

On the future of ties underthe incoming US administra-tion, Srivastava said the foun-dation of India-US relationsis very strong and this com-prehensive global strategicpartnership between the twocountries has bipartisan sup-port in the United States.

"It has been seen that suc-cessive presidents and admin-istrations have deepened theties," he said.

The ties between Indiaand the US have witnessed amajor upswing in the last fouryears, particularly in areas ofdefence and security.

Continued from Page 1

“The SVBC already suffereda severe setback following theglaring error made by its for-mer chairman. Even beforethe people could forget aboutthat, another indecent inci-dent shook the prestige of thechannel and the TTD as awhole,” Ramaiah said. He said

that the TTD Chairman shouldtake moral responsibility for theongoing untoward incidentsand submit his resignation.“Subba Reddy has also failed tocurb the rising political inter-ference in the day to day affairsof the TTD administration,which has sullied the image ofTirumala temple altogether,”Ramaiah said.

Telugu Statesborrow, falldeeper ...Continued from Page 1

Maharashtra, AndhraPradesh and Telangana stoodtop in the order in the monthof September to avail suchfacilities from RBI.

Remaining states in thecountry had availed meagreamounts under SDF, WMAand OD.

As per the data available,Andhra Pradesh had bor-rowed Rs 5,000 crore in July,Rs 5,250 crore in August andRs 7,000 crore in Septemberfrom the market whileTelangana borrowed Rs 3,000crore in July, Rs 3,000 crore inAugust and Rs 4,500 crore inSeptember.

Andhra Pradesh remains arevenue deficit state since thebifurcation of state in June2014, while Telangana remainsrevenue surplus.

Positive news:Chiru is CovidnegativeContinued from Page 1

The Congress leader thengot himself tested at the hos-pital and the report was neg-ative. He went to TenetDiagnostics and got threedifferent tests done which allreturned negative.Chiranjeevi even went to theplace where he tested positiveand the result there againreturned negative.

After doctors concludedthat the initial RT-PCR kitwas faulty, Chiranjeevithanked his fans and well-wishers for the concern andlove shown to him.

Centre widens stimulus ambit ...

‘TTD sanctity under ...

Continued from Page 1

Around 10 days ago, theminimum temperature atChintapalli was around 15degrees C and the tempera-tures have been sliding bythe day for the past oneweek.

The weather conditionseems to indicate that themercury levels will furtherdip in December and theseason’s lowest temperature

may be recorded in the sec-ond week of December.

The tiny tribal hamletsLammasingi and Tajangi andYerravaram waterfalls underChintapalli Mandal haveemerged the most soughtplace for the youngsters dur-ing the winter as the two tribal villages haveunique features of chillingweather and thick cover ofthe fog till 10 am during theseason.

Jagan’s ‘Jungle Raj drove Salam family to...

Modi, Biden to speakat ‘mutuallyconvenient time’

Thick fog drawtourists to Chintapalli

HC steps in to ban saleof crackers in TelanganaINKESHAF AHMED

n HYDERABAD

In line with the orders of cer-tain High Courts and proac-tive moves of some of theStates/UTs, the TelanganaHigh Court has stepped in toban the sale and bursting offirecrackers, though the stategovernment did not give anyindication of its thought on thematter till Thursday.

Mentioning that the coun-try in general and TelanganaState in particular are strug-gling to cope with the impactof Covid-19 pandemic, theTelangana High Court onThursday directed the stategovernment to immediatelyban the sale and use of fire-crackers by people and orga-nizations across the state dur-ing the upcoming Diwali sea-son.

"Since the Government hasnot declared any ban on the useof fireworks so far, but consid-ering the fact that the lives ofpeople need to be protected,considering the fact thatuncon-trolled and untrammeled use offireworks may jeopardize thelives of many, this Court directsthe State to immediately banthe sale and use of fireworks bypeople and by organizations,"adivision bench of the HighCourt, comprising the ChiefJustice of the State JusticeRaghavendra Singh Chauhanand Justice B. Vijaysen Reddy,passed the orders, while deal-ing with a petition filed by city-based 57-year-old advocate P.Indra Prakash, a resident ofKukatpally.

The High Court also direct-ed the state to forthwith clam-pdown and close the shopswhich are selling fireworks.

vijayawada 03VIJAYAWADA | FRIDAY | NOVEMBER 13, 2020

CAPSULE

TIRUCHANOOR: The colourfulSnapana Tirumanjanam wasperformed on the second day toGoddess Padmavathi Devi atTiruchanoor on Thursday. On theday two of ongoing annualBrahmotsavams,the specialabhishekam with milk, curd,honey, coconut water, turmericwater, sandal water wasperformed to Goddess at SriKrishna Mukha Mandapam.Shankhadhara, Chakradhara,Sahasradhara and Mahakumbhabhishekam wereperformed chanting hymns fromTaittiriya Upanishad,Purushasooktam and Sri PrasnaSamhita. Goddess was adornedwith special garlands made withsweetcorn, anjeer, apricot, roses,pineapple and tulsi duringSnapana Tirumanjanam. JEO PBasant Kumar and deputyexecutive officer Jhansi Raniwere also present on theoccasion.

SnapanaTirumanjanamperformed

PNS n ONGOLE

Prakasam district police bust-ed a gang of four inter-statethieves, one of whom wasinvolved in 75 thefts, for aseries of burglaries and vehiclethefts recently. Police arrestedChintala Sisindri, 24, fromChintalapalem village,Mannem Ramanjaneyulu, 23,Mota Naveen, 24, and SheikhShahul, 25, all three fromOngole town, and recoveredstolen property worth Rs 18lakh.

Puzzled by a series of thefts,Prakasam districtSuperintendent of Police (SP)Siddharth Kaushal held acrime review meeting to crack-down on the thieves.

He formed a special teamunder the supervision ofMarkapuram DSP and inspec-tor to look out for people like-ly to commit such crimes.After thoroughly monitoringthe prison monitoring sys-tem, police zeroed in somecriminals, who have beenreleased from Ongole jail forsimilar past crimes.

Following the preparation ofa suspect list, police immedi-ately formed three teams totrace for the thieves. Kaushalgot a tip-off that some suspectsare arriving in Prakasam dis-trict from Guntur district.Swiftly acting on this, policestarted vehicle searches inMarkapuram town, Kuntajunction and Y Palem junction.

“Near Markapuram -Kambham road, while inspect-ing vehicles at the Vemulakotabus shelter in Markapuram, thefour accused were seen com-ing towards Markapuram in acar and turned back and start-

ed fleeing,” said an official.However, police managed tochase and nab them aroundnoon on Wednesday.

On interrogation, policefound that Sisindri wasinvolved in more than 75 theftsin Andhra Pradesh andTelangana. When he was in

Ongole jail, he metRamanjaneyulu, Shahul andNaveen, who were arrestedand lodged in the prison in atheft case.

After procuring a bail, thefour together and separatelyburgled four houses and stolefive motorcycles inMarkapuram, Kambam,Ulavapadu and Kandukurtowns. They also broke intotwo houses in Guntur dis-trict, stole a car and threemotorcycles there. Anotherhouse was also burgled inNalgonda.

“They roamed varioustowns and villages at night,stole motor vehicles when noone was around and commit-ted thefts in locked houses,”said the official. The inter-stategang was involved in ninecrimes in Prakasam, six inGuntur and one in Nalgonda.

Police seized 114 grams goldjewellery valued at Rs 6 lakh,nine motorcycles worth Rs 8lakh, a car worth Rs 2.5 lakh,four cell phones worth Rs40,000, an LED televisionworth Rs 25,000 and two lap-tops worth Rs 80,000, all of theitems amounting to Rs 18lakh.

“Movements of criminalsin Prakasam district are beingclosely monitored and thecrime trends being monitoredby field level officers fromtime to time, with the help oftechnology. Criminals arebeing caught and the stolenproperty is being recoveredimmediately,” said Kaushal.He said criminals will be iden-tified and strictly acted upon,even as he called upon old andhabitual offenders to transformand lead a normal life.

2 die as truckoverturnsPNS n VISAKHAPATNAM

Two construction workerswere killed and three otherswere injured in a road accidenton Yarada Hill road onWednesday night inVisakhapatnam. The accidenttook place when the driver ofthe Bolero truck in whichthey were travelling lost con-trol over it.

According to sources, brakefailure of the vehicle caused theaccident as the driver couldnot control it and it hit thedivider and overturned. Thedeceased were identified asMohan (43) and Sekhar (47)of Thatichetlapalem andGajuwaka area. Around 10labourers were returninghome in a truck after finishingtheir work on Yarada Hill,when the accident occurred.Malkapuram cops are investi-gating the case.

Inter-state thieves nabbed

gold jewelleryvalued at 6 L

114

PNS n VIJAYAWADA

The AP State SkillDevelopment Corporation(APSSDC), the Nodal agencyof AP Skill Mission, signed anMoU with industry--academ-ic partners – IBM India,Singapore PolytechnicInternational (SPI), IndiaTourism DevelopmentCorporation (ITDC) and LVPrasad Film & TV Academy(LVPA)--on Thursday.

The government has made itmandatory for existing andupcoming industries in theState to reserve 75 per cent ofemployment to locals throughthe Industries/Factories Bill-2019.

In this regard, to increase thequality of the skill ecosystemand manpower supply in theState, Chief Minister YSJaganmohan Reddy has direct-ed to establish Skill Universityand Skill Colleges one in eachparliamentary constituency,one in each IIITs and one inJNTU in Pulivendula ofKadapa district.

Since then the APSSDC hasbeen partnering with reputedindustries, industry associa-tions, technical institutions,universities and internationalagencies in the process of estab-lishing Skill University andSkill Colleges that will impartindustry driven finishingschool skill courses to studentsfrom ITI, polytechnic and grad-uation.

On Thursday four MoUswere signed by the APSSDCMD and CEO, Dr ArjaSrikanth, in the presence ofSkill Development andTraining, Special ChiefSecretary, G Anantha Ramu,the APSSDC Chairman,Challa Madhusudhan Reddy.

The APSSDC will set up andoperate the Centre ofExcellence (CoE) in the ITSector. As part of CoE, IBMshall include only bearing thecost of giving access to theindustry relevant software asper academic initiative norms.

The IBM India will assist inactivities that include develop-ing course and curriculum,

training of the trainers’ pro-grammes, industrial exposure,guest lectures and execution ofhigh-end trainings in ITdomain - Coding, CloudComputing, ArtificialIntelligence, Internet of Things,Blockchain, Data Science &Analytics, Cybersecurity,Quantum Computing, Big Dataand Full Stack.

Singapore PolytechnicInternational (SPI) has part-nered with the APSSDC forenabling international levelindustry led courses in theAdvance Manufacturing, FoodInnovation & Food Processingand Entrepreneurship to beoffered in Skill Colleges.

They will provide technicalassistance and handholdingsupport in establishing theindustry specific labs, developcourses and curriculum, designand deliver the Training ofTrainer programme, offer jointcertification and accreditationfor the proposed courses, designand develop a quality assuranceframework for standardizationof teaching and learning mod-ules.

LVPA has partnered withAPSSDC to set up and operatea Centre of Excellence (CoE) inthe media and entertainmentsector in Visakhapatnam. Theywill design and develop cours-es and curriculum, design anddeliver the Training of Trainerprogramme, offer courses inBasics of 2D animation, digitalphotography, basics of editing,basics of VFX and digitalrestoration, industrial expo-sure, guest lectures and alsoprovide apprenticeship sup-port under NationalApprenticeship PromotionScheme (NAPS).

The ITDC has partneredwith the Government ofAndhra Pradesh to set up andoperate a Centre of Excellencein the hospitality sector, designcourses & curriculum and offercourses in Hospitality trades,event management, front officeoperations, housekeeping, food& beverage operations andentrepreneurship programmes.They will also provide accred-itation and certification support.

APSSDC INKS MoUs

Govt to set up CoEs in IT,media, hospitality sectors

The government has made itmandatory for existing andupcoming industries in the Stateto reserve 75 per cent ofemployment to locals through theIndustries / Factories Bill-2019

Ninemotorcycles

8L

worth a car

2.5L

four cellphones

40K

worth LED television

20K

two laptops

80K

grams

POLICE SEIZED

PNS n VIJAYAWADA

In a fiat to officials, ChiefMinister YS JaganmohanReddy has directed them toexpedite the works onPolavaram and other irrigationprojects. During a reviewmeeting on irrigation projectshere on Thursday, the ChiefMinister said there should notbe any delay in Polavaram,Veligonda and Owk tunnel-IIworks.

Officials apprised the ChiefMinister of the head regulatorand other works of Polavaram.The Chief Minister said thatthe approach, spill channelworks should be completed byMay and the coffer dam worksshould be completed beforethat. He also asked officials tofocus on supplying drinking

water to Visakhapatnamthrough pipeline.

Officials said that work onthe second tunnel of PulaSubbaiah Velugonda projectwould be completed by Augustand water would be suppliedfrom tunnels one and two.Regarding Owk tunnel-II thework on 137 metres fault zonewould be completed by March.For kharif 20 k cusecs of waterwill be released.

The work on tender for

tunnel-III is getting ready,officials said. They have alsoshown the registered logo ofSpecial Purpose Vehicle (SPV)of Rayalaseema DroughtMitigation Project. Chitravatiand Ghandikota reservoirworks had also come up fordiscussion.

Minister for WaterResources Anil Kumar Yadav,Irrigation Secretary AdityanathDas and other officials partic-ipated in the meeting.

Umbrellaspresented toGoddessPadmavathiTIRUCHANOOR: Three sacredumbrellas from Chennaireached Tiruchanoor onThursday. These umbrellaswere presented to Goddess onthe occasion of annualBrahmotsavams by HinduDharmartha SamitiOrganisation from Chennai ledby its organising secretary RRGopalji. He has handed overthe umbrellas to JEO PBasanth Kumar in front ofTiruchanoor temple. Templedeputy executive officer JhansiRani, AEO Subramanyam werealso present.

Officials told to expediteworks on Polavaram project

PNS n VIJAYAWADA

Chief Minister YS Jaganmohan Reddy hasdirected officials to prepare a comprehensivereport on Contributory Pension Scheme(CPS), including 52,000 Road TransportationCorporation (RTC) employees, in the list ofCPS employees.

Officials told the Chief Minister that theyhave examined the reports of the CabinetSub-committee, Working Committee with theSecretaries of the Departments headed by theChief Secretary and Thakkar Committee onContributory Pension Scheme (CPS).

Officials said the State has 1,98,221 employ-ees in the government, grant-in-aid, univer-sities and educational institutions underContributory Pension Scheme, of whom

1,78,705 are directly government employees,while 3,295 are working under grant-in-aidand the remaining 16,221 are working in uni-versities and educational institutions. Officialsgave details of the expenditure to implementdifferent types of pension systems to theemployees.

During a review meeting held on contractemployees, the Chief Minister said the pre-vious government had released GOs and noneof them were implemented. “We have imple-mented them besides Minimum Time Scale(MTS) for contract employees. As regular-isation of contract employees is linked withlegal issues, the Chief Minister directed offi-cials to formulate guidelines to providefinancial benefits to them without raising anyproblems.”

PNS n VIJAYAWADA

The TDP was trying to politi-cise the Nandyal incidentthough the government hastaken action against theaccused, said YSRCP MLAKolusu Parthasarathy.Addressing a press conferencehere on Thursday, the MLAcriticised TDP chief NChandrababu Naidu for politi-cising the Nandyal issue andreiterated that Chief MinisterYS Jaganmohan Reddyresponded quickly and initiat-ed arrests of the accused policepersonnel. The TDP func-tionary and advocate hadmoved a bail petition to set the

accused free, while the govern-ment has taken action againstthe cops, he pointed out.

Brushing aside the TDPremarks, he made it clear thatthe YSRCP leaders have nei-ther filed a bail petition for theaccused nor were involved inthe incident. The governmenthas given Rs 25 lakh ex gratiato the kin of Abdul Salam’sfamily.

The demonic rule of whichN Chandrababu Naidu hasbeen speaking of was wit-nessed by people during histerm in office as the previousgovernment had miserablyfailed in taking action againstthe accused in attacks against

women officers, which werecommitted by TDP leaders, hesaid.

“It is the nature of Naidu tospeak in support of SC, ST, BCand Minorities while inOpposition, but abandon themwhile in the government. Hefailed to give a Cabinet berthto a Muslim until the end of histerm although his son Lokeshand Narayana were inductedinto his Cabinet,” he remind-ed. Chief Minister YSJaganmohan Reddy had spentabout Rs 3,428 crore to thewelfare of minorities in just 15months, while Naidu had spentonly Rs 2,661 crore in his fiveyears term, he said.

YSRCP brushes aside TDP remarks on Nandyal suicide

PNS n VIJAYAWADA

Chief Minister YS JaganmohanReddy will meet GovernorBiswa Bhshan Harichandan onFriday at the Raj Bhawan. Whileagenda of the meeting is not yetknown, the Chief Minister’smeeting the Governor hadturned interesting at a timewhen issues like conducting oflocal body polls, his letter to theChief Justice of India, recentjoint suicide of a Muslim fami-ly in Nandyal had generatedenough political heat in theState. According to sources at theRaj Bhawan, Jagan is expected tomeet the Governor at 11 am onFriday.

It may be recalled that afterone such meeting in the past, the

Governor had approved an ordi-nance issued by the governmentthat had cut short the tenure ofState Election Commissioner(SEC), which had snowballedinto a major political controver-sy. Later, with the court's inter-vention the ordinance was can-celled reinstating the existingSEC. The Governor had also

given his assent to two othercontroversial Bills in recenttimes, one related to the govern-ment’s plan to have three capi-tals and another repealing theCRDA. Both the Acts were laterchallenged in the High Court.In this scenario Jagan’s meetingwith the Governor on Fridayassumed significance.

All eyes on CM’s meetwith Governor today

It may be recalled that after one suchmeeting in the past, the Governor hadapproved an ordinance issued by thegovernment that had cut short thetenure of State ElectionCommissioner (SEC), which hadsnowballed into a controversy

PNS n VISAKHAPATNAM

As part of the Navy Weekactivities, a mega blood dona-tion camp was conducted atNaval Dockyard,Visakhapatnam, on Thursday.

The camp was inauguratedby Surgeon Rear Admiral CSNaidu, Command MedicalOfficer of Eastern NavalCommand (ENC), and con-ducted in collaboration withthe King George Hospital(KGH) Blood Bank and NTRMemorial Blood Bank adher-ing to all Covid precautions.There was an overwhelmingvolunteer response from boththe Service and Defence

Civilian personnel and theirfamilies wherein 316 units ofblood have been donated to theblood banks ofVisakhapatnam. During theday-long blood donationcamp, Vice- Admiral AtulKumar Jain, Flag OfficerC ommanding- in-Chie f ,reviewed the conduct of thecamp.

Dr PV Sudhakar, principal,Andhra Medical College, DrK Satyavara Prasad, DirectorVIMS, and Dr JitenderSharma, CMD and CEO, APMed Tech Zone, also gracedthe occasion. Dr JitenderSharma also donated bloodduring the camp. Service and Defence Civilian personnel donate blood as part of Navy Week activities in Visakhapatnam on Thursday

Good response to Navy blood donation camp

PNS n VISAKHAPATNAM

In a crucial decision to ease theburden on those going forCovid-19 tests, the govern-ment on Thursday slashed theCovid-19 test charge to Rs 800from Rs 1,600.

On Thursday, PrincipalSecretary to Government AnilKumar Singhal issued orderreducing the charge forCoronavirus testing conduct-ed by the ICMR approved pri-vate laboratories.

Giving out the reason for thereduction in charge, the gov-ernment said that the kits forthe conduct of rapid Covid-19tests are now abundantly avail-able in the State and alsoreduction in the cost of bothRNA extraction and RT-PCR

kits, the cost of the reagents, orkits decreased. This has led tothe fall in the test kit prices.

The government order stat-ed that the charge, which wasfixed at Rs 1,600 earlier for thesamples forwarded by the gov-ernment, will henceforth be Rs800.

Similarly, the AndhraPradesh Medical and HealthDepartment has also restrict-ed the charge for those gettingtested directly in the privatelaboratories from the existingRs 1,900 to Rs 1,000.

On the other hand, AndhraPradesh where the daily casestouched 10,000 once is record-ing below 2,000 cases. The gov-ernment claims that the num-ber of tests was not decreasedthough.

‘CM committedto women’sempowerment’PNS n VIJAYAWADA

Rs 510 crore has been creditedto bank accounts of 2.72 lakhbeneficiaries under YSRCheyutha second phase, cover-ing those who couldn’t make itin the first phase, disclosedMinisters PeddireddyRamachandra Reddy andBotsa Satyanarayana.

Speaking on the occasionhere on Thursday, Minister forPanchayat Raj PeddireddyRamachandra Reddy said thatChief Minister YS JaganMohan Reddy has redefinedwelfare and empowerment ofwomen with the implementa-tion of various welfare schemes.

PNS n VIJAYAWADA

YSRCP Tadikonda MLA DrVundavalli Sridevi lodged acomplaint with police overcirculation of fake audio andvideos on social mediaagainst her and alleged theinvolvement of the TDPbehind the malicious cam-paign.

Addressing a press meethere on Thursday, Sridevisaid, “How can a channel playmorphed films of a woman(her) without even verifyingthe authenticity of the same.Abstaining to even make anattempt to seek a responsefrom me shows the intent”.

Fake clips:YSRCP MLAlodges plaint

Prepare report on CPS: CM

Govt slashes Covid test charge by 50%

VIJAYAWADA | FRIDAY | NOVEMBER 13, 2020 telangana 04

Uttam asks KCR to helpfarmers on war footing

PNS n HYDERABAD

Telangana Pradesh CongressCommittee president N UttamKumar Reddy demanded thatthe State Government take mea-sures on war footing to help thefarmers who lost their crops dueto multiple factors includingheavy rains, floods, pests anddiseases. He also urged ChiefMinister K ChandrashekharRao to fulfill the promise ofwaiving off crop loans up to Rs1 lakh in a single take.

Addressing the RhythuDeeksha programme inNalgonda, Uttam said that theRegulated Cropping system,forcibly imposed by CM,proved disastrous for thou-sands of farmers who cultivat-ed superfine varieties of paddy,instead of regular varieties.He said that the cultivation of'sanna rakala vadlu' not onlyinvolved higher investmentcompared to regular varieties,the overall yield was less thantwo-third of original quantity.Therefore, he said that thepaddy farmers, on an average,lost over Rs. 10,000 per acre.He demanded that the State

Government purchase the'sanna rakala vadlu' by payingat least Rs 2,500 per quintal. He

also demanded that the StateGovernment purchase all othercrops at the MSP.

Demands Rs. 2,500/acre for super fine varieties of paddy

‘CM LIVING IN HIS OWN ILLUSIONARY WORLD’

Hyderabad: Former MinisterMohammed Ali Shabbirdemanded that Chief Minister KChandrashekhar Rao come out ofdenial mode if he was seriousabout the welfare of farmers inTelangana. Addressing the RythuDeeksha programme at MachaReddy Chowrasta in Kamareddydistrict on Thursday, Shabbir Alialleged that the TRS governmentwas not even assessing theproblems being faced by thefarmers in Telangana State.

He said that the Chief MinisterXhas entered into a denial modeand is not even willing to listenthat lakhs of farmers were inhuge stress after losing theircrops due to heavy rains, floods,pests and other factors. Citing anexample, he said that when sometenant farmers in Shivnoorvillage of Narsingi mandal setablaze their damaged crops, theChief Minister ridiculed them andeven claimed that they were noteven farmers.

After Dubbak, all eyes on GHMC pollsK VENKATESHWARLUn HYDERABAD

The victory in the bypoll to theDubbak Assembly constituen-cy has come as a shot in thearm for BJP and is a sure boostto its claim of being the viablealternative to the ruling TRS.This is the first defeat for TRSin any by-election since the for-mation of Telangana state in2014. It comes almost twoyears after TRS retained powerwith a massive majority in theAssembly elections. By wrest-ing the seat from TRS in KCR'shome district Siddipet, theparty has sent the alarm bellsringing in the ruling partycamp.

The saffron party wants tocontinue the momentum in theupcoming GHMC electionstoo. However, the Dubbakresult has shocked the rulingTRS. The TRS lost to the BJPby a little over 1,000 votes inthe see-saw contest betweenBJP candidate M RaghunandanRao and TRS rival SolipetaSujatha. While the result of thisby-poll will have no impact onTRS's dominance in the StateAssembly, but winning theDubbak seat was important forit to convey that it remainsunchallenged in the state and

a loss will not only dent its aurabut also give the Opponents,especially the BJP, hope ofdethroning the party in thenear future.

The Congress, which saidthat it will win big in Dubbakby-poll lost deposits andsecured third place. All thesethree political parties-BJP, TRSand Congress are now gearingup for upcoming GHMC pollsand want to show their markand settle the scores. However,along these three political par-ties, AIMIM too will joinGHMC elections bandwagon

as an alliance party of the rul-ing TRS.

Already, the ruling TRS andthe BJP have launched theirGHMC elections campaign intheir own style by criticisingeach other regarding Centralhelp to the flood victims inHyderabad.

Congress launched its cam-paign by criticising both TRSand BJP. However, both BJPand Congress criticised theruling TRS party alleging thatthe TRS government showedpartiality in distributing theflood relief funds. The parties

alleged that the governmentdistributed flood relief only toTRS activists.

The AIMIM is yet to jumpinto campaign. The AIMIM isconfident that no party dares tobreak their bastion and hencethey have not yet launched anycampaign directly or indirect-ly. However, the BJP criticisedthe AIMIM alleging that it alsodistributed the flood relieffunds to their activists.

On Thursday, the ChiefMinister conducted a reviewmeeting along with theMinisters, MPs, MLAs andMLCs on the ensuing GHMCand MLC elections. He direct-ed them not to show anyleniency in the upcoming elec-tions as the party already faceda shocking debacle in Dubbakby-election. BJP already con-

ducted a review meeting onGHMC and MLC elections acouple of weeks ago. Congresshas been conducting continu-ous review meetings on theseelections.

However, the fight inGHMC elections may bebetween the ruling TRS andthe BJP as both will try to showtheir mark. The TRS is statingthat it will win more than 100divisions this time. However,the BJP is stating that it willregister victory in 80 divi-sions. The tempers may risewith their strategies andcounter strategies between TRSand BJP. Already, the saffronparty is reaching out to the vot-ers with 'Mana Hyderabad-Mana BJP" slogan and said thatit will change the name ofHyderabad as 'Bhagyanagar'after coming to power in thestate.

On the other hand, the rul-ing TRS is going to show doorsto the weak corporators by notgiving tickets this time.According to political ana-lysts, the GHMC elections maynot be that easy this time as BJPis in full swing. They said thatthe TRS also will not keep quietand it will deploy its allstrengths to grab the mayorpost again.

By wresting theseat from TRS inDubbak, BJPhas sent thealarm bellsringing in theruling partycamp

PNS n HYDERABAD

Five newly-elected legislatorsof the Bihar Assembly belong-ing to the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM)called on party PresidentAsaduddin Owaisi here onThursday. Owaisi, who is alsothe Member of Parliamentfrom Hyderabad, welcomedthe MLAs at his residence byshaking hands and huggingthem.

AIMIM Bihar state unitPresident Akhtarul Iman, whowas elected from Amour con-stituency, Muhammed IzharAsfi (Kochadamam),Shahnawaz Alam (Jokihat),Syed Ruknuddin (Baisi) andAzhar Nayeemi (Bahadurgunj)arrived in the city late onWednesday to meet Owaisi.The AIMIM put up an impres-sive show in the recent Biharelections to win five out of 20Assembly seats it contested.

The Hyderabad-headquar-tered party, which polled 1.24per cent (5,23,279) votes, wasa constituent of the Grand

Democratic Secular Front,which contested all 243 seatsand had projected UpendraKushwaha as the chief minis-terial candidate. However,except the AIMIM andBahujan Samaj Party (BSP),which bagged one seat, otherconstituents of the Front drewa blank.

Kushwaha-led RashtriyaLok Samta Party (RLSP), theSamajwadi Janata DalDemocratic and theDemocratic Party (Socialist)were the other constituents ofthe Front. Owaisi, who hadaddressed over 60 rallies in

Bihar, termed as "historic" theresults for his party but said theoutcome for the alliance wasnot on the expected lines. Healso said his party wouldanalyse the results in otherconstituencies and will try toovercome the weaknesses. TheAIMIM was eyeing the king-maker's role but its hopes weredashed as the BJP-led NDAretained the power with sim-ple majority.

The Congress, a constituentof the RJD -ledMahagathbandhan (MGB) hasblamed AIMIM for spoilingthe chances of MGB.

Newly-elected AIMIM legislatorsfrom Bihar call on Owaisi

Rs 5 lakh aid for kinof Asifabad youthPNS n HYDERABAD

Forest Minister A IndrakaranReddy has declared an ex gra-tia of Rs 5 lakh to the kin ofSidam Vignesh, a tribal young-ster who was attacked andkilled by a tiger near Digidavillage in Dahegaon mandal ofKumram Bheem Asifabad dis-trict. Terming the incident asunfortunate, the Minister con-veyed his heartfelt condo-lences to the family members.

The Minister was speakingafter inaugurating the DistrictForest Protection Complex,housing the Divisional ForestOfficer at Medchal-Malkajgiridistrict built at a cost of Rs 65lakh in a 3 acre plot onThursday. The Minister reiter-ated the government's resolveto strengthen the forestdepartment.

"The department is deter-mined to improve green coveras per the vision of Chief

Minister K ChandrashekharRao. The officers are also work-ing hard to protect forest, for-est land and wildlife," he said.He said that the governmenthas embarked on a programmeto provide urban forests on theoutskirts of Hyderabad so thatthe urban population can enjoythe pleasant environment dur-ing their leisure time. He saidMedchal-Malkajgiri district hasalready become famous for itsurban forests and snake rescuecentres.

MIM MLA bookedfor attacking CongfunctionaryPNS n HYDERABAD

A case has been registeredagainst an AIMIM legislatorand others here for allegedlyabusing and attacking aCongress functionary, policesaid on Thursday. A 38-year-old man, a local Congressleader, accused AIMIM leg-islator Jaffer Hussain Meraj,representing Nampally con-stituency, and some others ofattacking him and causinginjuries on his face and alsothreatening him with direconsequences. According tothe complainant, he alongwith other party leaders andgovernment employees weredistributing the state govern-ment's financial assistanceof Rs 10,000 each to the fam-ilies affected by the recentrains and floods in AhmedNagar on November 11 whenthe MLA allegedly abusedhim. Later he along withsome others beat him up,police said.

Farmers' bid to lay siegeto Pragati Bhavan foiledPNS n HYDERABAD

Farmers made a vain bid onThursday to lay siege to thePragati Bhavan demandingpayment of Rs 2,500 as MSPfor the paddy. Responding toa call given by the RythuAikya Vedika state committee,farmers from Karimnagar,Jagityal, Rajanna Sircilla dis-tricts arrived here to lay siegeto the CM's official residencePragati Bhavan. However, thepolice foiled their attempt andtook them to Gosha Mahalpolice station.

Speaking at theGoshamahal Police Station,representatives of farmers'bodies said that the farmersraised fine variety of paddypaying heed to government'sadvice. At the time of harvest-ing the paddy crop, heavyrains and floods have damagedthe standing crops in thefields. As a result, the paddybecame discoloured.

The paddy procurementcentres are not coming for-ward to procure the damagedpaddy. Therefore, the Aikya

Vedika representativesdemanded the government toprocure paddy immediately bypaying an MSP of Rs 2,500 perquintal of the paddy.

The farmers who have sus-tained crop loss due to natur-al calamities have been sus-taining further losses unable toget the MSP for their produce.At the field level, the officialsare not procuring paddy,maize, cotton and other crops.Therefore, the farmers wantthe government to procure allcrops at the MSP. The farmersin order to bring their prob-lems to the notice of the gov-ernment set out for PragatiBhavan, the police have resist-ed them and took them intotheir custody, lament the farm-ers' representatives.

Vivek demands probe intoKCR's family assetsPNS n HYDERABAD

Telangana BJP core committeemember Gaddam VivekVenkatswamy on Thursdaysaid that he requested theCentral government agenciesto hold an inquiry into ChiefMinister K ChandrasekharRao family's illegal assetswhich have been acquired by'looting' the people ofTelangana. "In the last sixyears, KCR has been in powerand he has looted thousands ofcrores in the name ofKaleswaram Project andMission Bhagiratha. KCR istaking actions based on hispersonal superstitious beliefsand not for the betterment ofthe Telangana people," healleged.

Speaking to the media,Vivek alleged that KCR haspushed state into debt trap."State's debt increased from Rs

60,000 crore to Rs 4 lakh croreover a span of six years. Theresult of the Dubbak by-elec-tion proves that the people ofTelangana are not satisfiedwith the KCR 'Tughlaq' admin-istration. The verdict showsthat farmers, youth, dalits andweaker sections are againstthe KCR government," heclaimed. "We can clearly con-clude that this is a verdictagainst the KCR family rule,"he said. He alleged that KCRdeceived the people, especial-ly by promising them 2BHKunits in the state. "While in

other states millions of hous-es are being built for the peo-ple under the Prime Minister'sAwas Yojana scheme," heclaimed. Former MP said thatBJP's victory in Bihar and theby-elections to 59 seats acrossthe country shows people aresatisfied with Prime MinisterNarendra Modi government.

"During the recent Dubbakby-elections, Hyderabad PoliceCommissioner Anjani Kumarheld a press conference anddragged my name and mycompany, Visaka Industries,into a controversy with theintention of ruining my imageby accusing me and BJP ofbuying votes. I have beenworking hard for the party andagainst this dictatorship rulesince joining the BJP and that'swhy KCR wants to threaten meand my colleagues by filingfalse cases against them," healleged.

BJP demands SECto rectify mistakesPNS n HYDERABAD

Telangana BJP state vice-pres-i d e n t s - - C h i n t h a l aRamachandra Reddy andNVSS Prabhakar requested theSEC to rectify mistakes/irregu-larities in the GHMC Draft vot-ers list and take necessaryaction by conducting anenquiry against such erringOfficials found responsible. OnThursday, the BJP leaders sub-mitted a memorandum in thisregard.

In their memorandum, theysaid that upon perusal of thedraft voters list, it is observedthat in each ward, thousands ofvotes are missing and when weverified the same, the voters ofthe BJP, where the BJP won orstood second during the year2016 GHMC elections, weredeleted. On further verification,it was also noticed that theMIM voters/muslim votersreplaced in the BJP voters inthose wards where the BJP lasttime won or stood second.

Cong ridicules Kishan over ‘phone tapping’PNS n HYDERABAD

AICC Spokesperson Dr SravanDasoju on Thursday ridiculedthe Minister of state for HomeAffairs G Kishan Reddy'sremarks on the phone tappingissue in Telangana. Despitebeing in the constitutionalpost, and having the competentauthority to initiate an inves-tigation on the Chief Ministerof Telangana and the PoliceDepartment, how can KishanReddy talk like a normal citi-zen who wanted to complainwith the Election Commission,he questioned.

The senior Congress partyleader further asked the UnionMinister to showcase his cal-iber by taking the necessaryaction against the miscreantswho are violating the right toprivacy of the citizens byinvading into their privatelives. "Being an empoweredperson, the Union Ministerhimself cries foul, imaginewhat would be the condition ofa normal citizen in this coun-

try," Dr Sravan asked. "It is a known fact that the

phone tapping has beenoccurring in Telangana. Andit is being done as per theinstructions given by the ChiefMinister K ChandrashekharRao for a long time. Now theUnion Minister Kishan Reddyhas himself realised this fact.So, why can't the Ministerdirectly take action against theculprits and why is he stilltalking about lodging a com-

plaint before the election com-mission," he added.

The AICC leader, Dr SravanDasoju said that he hadalready complained aboutmisusing public data in thestate with the Chief Secretaryof Telangana and also theUnion Home Ministry.According to him, theTelangana Police and the IASofficer Jayesh Ranjan havebeen violating the rights ofindividual freedom and their

privacy by misusing publicdata collected during the com-prehensive survey. The stategovernment itself is behavinglike a peeping tom by resort-ing to the unaccepted activi-ties such as tapping the phonesin the state, he alleged."Despite complaining aboutthe issue a long time ago, therewas no action taken againstthem".

Farmers demandedthe state governmentto procure paddyimmediately by paying an MSP ofRs 2,500 per quintal

PNS n HYDERABAD

Often described as theuncrowned “Sultan ofHyderabad”, he maintains closerapport with the ChiefMinisters of both the Telugustates, but his political strategiesmore often than not benefit theBharatiya Janata Party. He isnone other than AsaduddinOwaisi. His style of function-ing can be best described as“Bahar dushman…andar dost”.Asad, who claims himself to bethe voice of Muslims, hasalways in the news, but more soafter any Assembly election inthe country.

The Hyderabad-basedAIMIM figures in debates

across the nation, even onsocial media, following theBihar election results. Thehype, and buzz surroundingthe party, is attributed to thepolitical strategies beingdevised Owaisi. TheHyderabad-based AIMIM ear-lier limited its activities toundivided AP alone, but overtime, it has spread its wings toother states. Asaduddin Owaisihas over the last decade or sostarted moving his pawns deft-ly on the political chessboardin his characteristic style andmade his party’s presence feltin other states too. Gradually,the AIMIM is capturing seatsin north Indian states. Thishas generated a lot of debate in

the media. Earlier, the AIMIM con-

tested elections held in UP andMaharashtra, acting as per astrategy. It fielded its candi-dates and opened its accountin Maharashtra. In the recentBihar elections, AIMIM candi-dates won five seats. Derivinginspiration from this, theAIMIM chief revealed that heplans to contest the forthcom-ing Assembly elections in WestBengal, due next year. He isconfident of winning someseats in West Bengal too,despite the howls of protests bysome quarters, and outrightcriticism from others.

While some hold their crit-icism and describe him as a

‘vote-cutter’, others are morevocal, and allege him to be astooge of the BJP. The AIMIMis likely to affect the electoralprospects of the rulingTrinamool Congress inMuslim-majority areas. Thecriticism is that the objective ofthe AIMIM, which identifiesthe BJP as its main rival, is tobenefit the BJP. If the AIMIMwere to contest the WestBengal elections, it wouldbring sea change in the polit-ical scenario of the state, polit-ical analysts say.

West Bengal ranks No 2 inthe country in terms ofMuslim population and a splitin the Muslim vote will bene-fit the BJP indirectly. The

TMC and many parties suspectthat Asaduddin Owaisi hashad a tacit understanding withthe BJP to split the Muslimvotes to help the national partywin more seats in West Bengal.They cite the example of Biharin this regard.

The entry of the AIMIM inthe Bihar election fray led tosplit of Muslim votes spoilingthe party of the RJD andCongress. The RJD andCongress could not win some ofthe sure shot seats because of thesplit of Muslim votes, they say.

In Maharashtra and UP, theAIMIM engineering a split inMuslim votes and benefitedthe BJP, either by design or inad-vertently.

Owaisi’s rise continues as AIMIM looks to expand base

The Congressspokesperson,Dasoju Sravanalleged that the Stategovernment has beeneavesdroppingon oppositionparty leaders fora long time

Setback forRaghunandanin High CourtPNS n HYDERABAD

The MLA-elect of BJP M.Raghunandan Raoapproached the TelanganaHigh Court and urged it toquash the FIR registeredagainst him on Siddipet inci-dent. The incident was relat-ed to recovery of huge cashfrom the houses of the rela-tives of Rao during the elec-tion campaign. The casecame up for hearing beforethe Bench of Justice KLakshman. He however,referred it to the Chief Justicebench for adjudication. Heasked the High Court regis-trar to take steps to transferthe case to the Chief Justice’sbench. He told the counselfor the petitioner that thecriminal cases filed againstpublic representatives wouldbe dealt by the Chief Justice’sbench.

TIGER ATTACK

VOTERS LIST

VIJAYAWADA | FRIDAY | NOVEMBER 13, 2020 nation 05

A vendor arranges firecrackers at a roadside shop for sale, ahead of the Diwali festival, in Amritsar

FESTIVAL OOF LLIGHTSINDIA CORNER

Three persons were arrestedwhile they were allegedlyplanning to lob tennis balls filled

with marijuana in Kalamba jail inMaharashtra's Kolhapur district foran associate lodged there, an officialsaid on Thursday. During patrollingon Wednesday, some policeconstables found three menroaming around a wall of the Kalamba jail with three tennis balls intheir hands. "Upon inquiring, they told the policemen that they werefrom Pune. The cops on duty got suspicious about their presence inthe sensitive and prohibited area," the official from Juna Rajwadapolice station in Kolhapur said. The police seized three tennis ballswith insulated adhesive tape over it from their possession, he said."On cutting open, marijuana was found inside the balls," the officialsaid, adding that the three men were allegedly planning to lob thecontraband-filled balls in the jail for one of their associates lodgedthere,” he said.

PNS n PATNA

RJD's Tejashwi Yadav was onThursday elected the leader ofthe Grand Alliance legislatureparty and promptly hit out atthe NDA, claiming it won theassembly elections through"deceit".

Addressing a press confer-ence, Yadav mocked ChiefMinister Nitish Kumar, whoseJD(U) has been relegated to thethird position in terms of seattally, and wondered whetherthe latter would "heed his con-science and give up his attach-ment to the chair".

He was obviously referringto Kumar resigning and snap-ping ties with the GrandAlliance before returning to the

NDA fold in 2017 afterTejashwi's name had croppedup in a money launderingcase. Kumar had then said hewas stepping down after heed-ing his conscience (atma kiawaaz). Yadav claimed the peo-ple's mandate was for a changebut it was manipulated. "It wasundoubtedly a mandate forchange. The NDA won bydhan, bal and chhal (money,muscle power and deceit," healleged. Asked whether theMahagathbandhan would tryto muster numbers to form itsown government, he said, "Wewill go to the people who gavethe mandate. If they express

such a wish we will act accord-ingly." Quoting election data,he claimed the NDA got only12,270 votes more than the

Mahagathbandhan."How can it convert into

their victory in 15 more seatsthan us? We believe that had

the counting of votes beenfair, we would have returnedwith a tally of more than 130seats," said Yadav, whose coali-

tion has won 110 seats, 12 lessthan the magic figure of 122.The NDA clinched 125 seats.

"In so many constituencies,postal ballots were counted inthe end and not at the begin-ning of counting which is thenorm. Moreover, there wereseats where as many as 900postal ballots were invalidated,"the RJD leader alleged.

"We suspect this was done tooffset the support we hadreceived from a large numberof servicemen who were

moved by our commitment toone rank, one pension scheme.We demand recounting ofpostal ballots in all such con-stituencies and the process bevideographed," Yadav asserted.

The 31-year-old formerdeputy chief minister allegedthat errant polling officialshad acted like a "prakoshth"(cell) of the BJP, and replied inthe affirmative when asked iflegal remedy could be exploredif the EC did not satisfactorilyaddress the concerns.

NDA won by deceit, claims Tejashwi

Nitish Kumar may take oathas Bihar chief minister fora fourth successive term

next week but the date has notbeen finalised yet, a close aidesaid on Thurday. However,speculation is rife in politicalcircles that he will be sworn in onMonday, the day 'Bhaiyya Dooj'festival will be celebrated, as it isconsidered an auspicious day.He will visit the state partyheadquarters later Thursday to

meet the newly elected MLAs andother JD(U) functionaries.Raj Bhavan sources said theyhave not received anycommunication about when theswearing-in ceremony will takeplace. Before he is sworn-in asthe chief minister again,Nitish Kumar has to tender hisresignation to the governor.The newly elected MLAs of theNDA are yet to meetformally and elect Kumar as their

leader. However, with top BJPleaders, including PrimeMinister Narendra Modi, stronglyendorsing Kumar as the chiefminister, there are no doubts overa fourth straight term forhim in the high office.Chief Electoral Officer H RSrinivas, meanwhile,submitted the list of winningcandidates in the assemblyelections to Governor PhaguChauhan at Raj Bhavan.

UP Minister of State forParliamentary Affairs andBJP leader Anand Swaroop

Shukla has taken a potshot atthe Congress, holding itresponsible for the defeat of theGrand Alliance in BiharAssembly elections. He said thepeople of Bihar have given abefitting reply to those whowanted to revive "casteism,corruption, 'jungle raj' and familypolitics" in the state."Former Congress president

Rahul Gandhi took 70 seats buthis party could win only 19. Theentire credit for the defeat ofTejashwi Yadav and the RJD

goes to the Congress and RahulGandhi," Shukla told reporters onWednesday night. To a questionon senior Congress leaderDigvijay Singh's remark thatNitish Kumar should leave theBJP and back RJD leaderTejashwi Yadav, Shukla saidsome people are still living in adreamland. Meanwhile, formernational president of BJP KisanMorcha and Ballia MP VirendraSingh Mast said the BiharAssembly election results wereas per the expectations.The results are the realisation ofthe slogan "Modi Hai To MumkinHai", he added.

‘Cong responsible for defeat ofGrand Alliance in Bihar polls’

Nitish may take oath as CM on Monday

Aspecial court here onThursday rejected the defaultbail plea of businessman

Deepak Kochhar, husband offormer ICICI Bank CEO ChandaKochhar and an accused inmoney laundering case. DeepakKochhar was arrested by theEnforcement Directorate (ED) inSeptember under the Preventionof Money Laundering Act (PMLA)in the ICICI Bank-Videoconmoney laundering case. The

businessman, through his lawyer, applied for bail on merits as well ason account of default, claiming the prosecution has failed to file acharge-sheet in the case within stipulated period. The special PMLAjudge rejected his default bail plea, while the one filed on merits isposted for hearing on November 23, ED's lawyer Hiten Venegaokarsaid.

The Madhya Pradesh HighCourt bench here hasdismissed a petition of TV

producer Ekta Kapoor seeking thata case filed against her for allegedobjectionable content in webseries "XXX season 2" be quashed.However, the Indore bench, in its65-page verdict delivered onWednesday, observed that theprovision of the IPC sectiondealing with hurting religiousfeelings was not found to have been breached by the defendant. Fivemonths ago, an FIR was registered against Kapoor following acomplaint alleging that the web series, aired on her OTT platformALTBalaji, not only spreads obscenity, but also hurts religiousfeelings. The TV produder-cum-filmmaker was booked under relevantsections of the Information Technology Act and the IPC.

HC declines to quash FIR againstEkta Kapoor over web series

AKarnataka BJP MLA has landedin a row with a videopurportedly showing him

pushing party women councillors toprevent them from contesting theposts of president and vicepresident of a Town MunicipalCouncil, going viral. The state

Congress has shared the video on its Twitter handle. According toinformation received, the incident took place in Bagalkote district onNovember 9 when the MLA of Terdal constituency Siddu Savadiallegedly shoved BJP councillors Savitha Hurrakadli, Godavari andChandni Naik. These women had aligned with the Congress afterthey were denied tickets by their party and decided to contest theposts of president and vice president of the Mahalingpur TownMunicipal Council with the support of Congress members.

BJP MLA draws flak for shovingparty women councillors

PNS n NEW DELHI

Many traditions have flown outof the window this year but thisone stays steadfast – saying itwith gifts in the festival oflights. And tweaking it too inkeeping with the pandemictimes to include mask sets,immunity boosting food ham-pers and even portable UV dis-infection chambers.

The staples – the good oldbox of sweets, the acceptabledinner set, the trusted mixi orother home appliances andthe gourmet food basket –remain of course as peoplehold on tight to the ritual ofexchanging gifts during Diwalito keep the festive spirit alive.

Some are stepping out inmasks and face shields, armedwith sanitiser and sprayingeverything and anything theycome into contact with. Andmany are buying online asthey celebrate the festival of

giving -- one gift at a time. Registering an uptick in the

'work-from-home' (WFH) eraare utilitarian gifts such asbean bags, movable desks,ergonomic swivel chairs andeven full-year subscriptions tostreaming platforms likeNetflix for all those eveningswhen you can't go out like youonce did. Vandana Thappa, for

instance, bought an ergonom-ic chair and table as a Diwaligift for her brother sufferingfrom a stiff neck and shoulderfrom hours of sitting hunchedover his laptop on a bed.

"He is from the IT sectorand is working from homesince the lockdown in March.I was wondering what to givehim this Diwali and my moth-

er suggested I buy him a goodtable and chair. It should reachhim in a day or two, " saidThappa, a Delhi-based home-maker, who ordered the giftsonline.

As COVID-19 continues itsspread, the 'gift of health' is thegrowing trend.

So there are immunitybased gifting options -- dryfruit boxes, turmeric tea andspice kits – as well as reusablemasks, AC filters-cum-airpurifiers and the'CoronaOven', a portable UVdisinfection chamber to sani-

tise everyday belongings man-ufactured by nanotechnologystart-up Log 9 Materials.

"This festive season, thebest and most important giftyou can give someone is thegift of health. We at NirvanaBeing are giving you a chanceto do just that and protectyour loved ones from pollu-tion and COVID-19 with spe-cial offers -- valid ti l lNovember 15 -- on reusablemasks and AC filters," said JaiDhar Gupta, founder ofNirvana Being, a clean airsolutions company.

Celebrating Diwali during Coronavirus timesThe staples – the good old box ofsweets, the trusted mixi or other homeappliances and the gourmet foodbasket – remain of course as peoplehold on tight to the ritual ofexchanging gifts during Diwali

PNS n DHORDO

Union Home Minister AmitShah on Thursday said infra-structure development in thecountry's border areas in lastsix years of the NarendraModi government has beenmuch more than in the pre-vious 50 years.

Referring to air strikes andsurgical strike by the defenceforces, Shah said India isnow give a befitting reply toenemies rather than the pastpractice of just issuing a"diplomatic statement".

He was addressing peopleat the 'Simant KshetraVikasotsav-2020' at Dhordovillage in Gujarat's Kutchdistrict as part of the centralgovernment's Border AreaDevelopment Programme.

Sarpanchs (village heads)along with other elected rep-resentatives of Kutch,Banaskantha and Patan dis-tricts, which share land bor-der with Pakistan, were pre-sent at the event.

Shah said the central gov-ernment under PrimeMinister Narendra Modi iscommitted to develop areassituated along the country'sborder.

Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel(India's first Home minister)had stressed on stoppingmigration and providingwater, electricity to the bor-der villages. But, after hisdeath, the Congress govern-ment did not implement it,Shah said. "But now, Modijihas taken up that task," hesaid.

‘More growth underModi in border areas’

PNS n NEW DELHI

Actor Asif Basra, known forstarring in movies such as"Jab We Met", "Once Upon aTime in Mumbaai" and "Kai PoChe!", died on Thursday here,the police said. He was 53. Theactor was found hanging in aprivate complexhere by thepolice and ateam off o r e n s i cexperts is onthe spot, saidSSP Kangra VimuktRanjan. The police is investigat-ing the case and further detailsare awaited, Ranjan added. It isbeing reported that the actor hada property on lease for the pastfive-six years in McLeodganj,Upper Dharamshala, and usedto visit the place regularly. In hisover two decade-long career,Basra played supporting parts inmany critically-acclaimed fea-tures like "Black Friday."

Actor AsifBasra founddead

PNS n MUMBAI

Indian Navy's fifth Scorpeneclass submarine Vagir, havingsuperior stealth features likethe advanced acoustic absorp-tion technique, was launchedon Thursday at the MazagonDock in south Mumbai.

Vijaya, wife of Minister ofState for Defence Shripad Naik,launched the submarinethrough video conferencing.The minister was the chiefguest at the event and attend-ed it via video link from Goa.

Vagir is part of the sixKalvari-class submarines

being built in India. Thesubmarines, designed byFrench naval defence and ener-gy company DCNS, are beingbuilt as part of Indian Navy'sProject-75.

These submarines canundertake missions like anti-

surface warfare, anti-subma-rine warfare, intelligence gath-ering, mine laying, and areasurveillance, an official said.

Vagir is named after the

Sand Fish, a deadly deep seapredator of the Indian Ocean.The first Vagir, a submarinefrom Russia, was commis-sioned into the Indian Navy onDecember 3, 1973, and wasdecommissioned on June 7,2001 after almost three decadesof service to the nation.

"Building the Scorpene wasindeed a challenge for MDL, asthe complexity of the simplestof tasks increased exponential-ly due to all work having to bedone in the most congested ofspaces," MDL said in a release.

"The state-of-art technology

used in the submarine hasensured superior stealth fea-tures such as advancedacoustic absorption tech-niques, low radiated noise lev-els, and hydro- dynamicallyoptimised shape and also theability to attack the enemyusing precision guidedweapons," the release said.

"The stealth of this potentplatform is enhanced by thespecial attention to her charac-teristic underwater signatures.These stealth features give it aninvulnerability, unmatched bymost submarines," it said.

Navy's fifth Scorpene classsubmarine Vagir launched

PNS n CHENNAI

The Tamil Nadu governmenton Thursday cancelled itsorder allowing social, politi-cal,religious and culturalevents from November 16permitting participation of amaximum of 100 people.

Citing festival season andpeople congregating in largenumbers in public placesthrowing anti-COVID-19norms like social distancingto the winds, the governmentsaid curbs shall continue asregards such programmesand it includes those relatedto entertainment and educa-tion. It has come to the gov-ernment's notice that peoplegathered in large numbers inpublic places like markets,and they thronged bus termi-nals, "without paying atten-tion to social distancing andwearing masks," an officialrelease said here.

Permission forreligious events

PNS n MUMBAI

A sessions court here hasadjourned till November 23the hearing into the pre-arrest

bail plea of Republic TVEditor-in-Chief ArnabGoswami and his wife in acase registered against themby Mumbai Pol ice forallegedly assaulting a womanpolice officer.

Their lawyer ShyamKalyankar said the plea

could not be heard onThursday as the judge didnot preside.

"The anticipatory bail pleaof Goswami and his wife wassimply adjourned t i l lNovember 23," he said.

"We did not seek anyinterim protection fromarrest today as we are wait-ing for the detailed order ofthe Supreme Court (passedon Wednesday granting bailto Goswami in another mat-ter)," Kalyankar said.

PNS n NEW DELHI

Congress leader RahulGandhi on Thursday target-ed the government over thestate of the economy, claim-ing the country has enteredinto a recession for the firsttime in history due to thepolicies of Prime MinisterNarendra Modi. "India hasentered into recession forthe first time in history. MrModi's actions have turnedIndia's strength into its weak-ness," he said on Twitter.

PNS n NEW DELHI,

The Delhi High CourtThursday allowed the AAPgovernment to reserve 80 percent of ICU beds for COVID-19 patients in 33 private hos-pitals, saying the situation inthe national capital is fairlydynamic and cases of coron-avirus are spiralling.

A bench of Justices HimaKohli and SubramoniumPrasad allowed the appeal ofDelhi government challeng-ing a single judge's interimorder staying the govern-ment's decision to reserve 80per cent ICU beds.

The high court vacated thestay order passed by the sin-gle judge and listed the mat-ter for further hearing onNovember 26 before the sin-gle bench and till then thereservation of 80 per cent ofICU beds will continue.

The high court was hearing

a plea by the Delhi govern-ment urging it to empower itto enforce reservation of 80per cent of ICU beds forCOVID-19 patients in 33 pri-vate hospitals at least for 15days in view of the rise in thenumber of cases. Delhirecorded its biggest single-dayjump of 8,593 COVID-19cases on Wednesday that tookits infection tally to over 4.59lakh.

Arnab's pre-arrestbail plea adjourned

‘India enteredrecession due toPM’s policies’

80% ICU beds forCovid patients

Money laundering case: Courtrejects Kochhar's bail plea

Maha: 3 held for bid to lob drug-filled tennis balls in jail

The Delhi HIghCourt said thatthe situation inthe nationalcapital is fairlydynamic andcases ofcoronavirus arespiralling

Apejorative wisecrack onthe United Nations isthat it has become the“useless non-existentorganisation.” For

example, in 1999, the then UNSecretary-General, Kofi Annan,suddenly flew to Delhi to “mediate”in the Kargil War only to be polite-ly told by the Atal Bihari VajpayeeGovernment to mind his own busi-ness and be gone. It is reported thatthis international body employssome 1,00,000 employees. If theaverage cost of each is taken to be$50,000, it means an expenditure offive thousand million dollars annu-ally. The organisation’s other expens-es are separate.

The late American columnist,Charles Krauthammer, had dubbedthe UN a “corrupt impostor, unde-serving of any American support”.Titled A Table for Tyrants, the for-mer Czech President Vaclav Havelwrote an article in The New YorkTimes saying that he felt scan-dalised when he saw the UNHuman Rights Council filled withmembers like Sudan, Zimbabwe,China and Saudi Arabia, which hadno human rights.

Yet, India continues to be an ele-phantine contributor to the UNpeacekeeping contingents and hassent nearly 2,00,000 peacekeepers to44 missions over the years. This ismore than the national armedforces of most countries. Indianforces working for the UN have suf-fered more casualties than anyother country’s armed forces. Ourpolicy-makers argue that this isbeing done not for any strategicgains but in the service of “globalideals” — like strengthening theworld body and international peaceand security. On the other hand, theUN did not even condemn China’sunprovoked aggression againstIndia in October 1962, leave alonedo anything about it. The irony isthat the dictatorial and communistChina enjoys a permanent seat inthe Security Council while India, theworld’s largest democracy, doesnot.

The UN also did not supportIndia in its Bangladesh War wagedsolely to bring relief to East Bengalis,who were at the receiving end ofPakistan’s genocidal crackdown.The UN passed a resolution mak-ing the State of Jammu and Kashmiran internationally disputed territo-ry despite evidence that it wasPakistan that invaded Indian terri-tory in October 1947. The dispute,

which has seen four wars andcontinuing jihadi infiltration andterror attacks, has been geopolit-ically laid to rest by India’s uni-lateral abrogation of the contro-versial Article 370, and notbecause of the UN.

The world body has failedmiserably in bringing a terrorist-endorsing country like Pakistanto heel or prevent its nuclear pro-liferation. It is India that has hadto deal with Pakistan on itsown. Apart from the importanceof this international organisation,India’s boundless naiveté in theNehruvian era cannot be denied.

The only service the UNarguably performed was to pro-vide a platform for radical com-munist elements and a wholegeneration of dictators and auto-crats to portray themselves asleaders and statesmen. Mostnotable in this regard was India’sKrishna Menon, whose vitriolicanti-Western rhetoric and fire-spitting speeches in the UNearned him the dubious sobri-quet of a “spitting camel” — hewas so dubbed by the Americanswho hated Menon’s patronisinglecturing — but also more seri-ously earned India a lot ofWestern ill will.

The failures of the UN makean unusually long cataloguebeginning with 1948. That year,the Soviet Union blocked Berlin.The only action that preventedthe city’s surrender was theAmerican airlift of all conceivablesupplies in the spirit of Ich bin einBerliner (I am a Berliner), thefamous words of PresidentKennedy in 1961. In the KoreanWar (1950-53), the communistNorth had gone all out to takeover the entire peninsula. Again,the UN could do nothing. Itwatched Vietnam being bombed

more intensively than seen any-where, anytime since or beforeWorld War II. In 1956, theAnglo-French invasion of Egyptover the Suez Canal issue yetagain proved the UN’s incompe-tence. As it did again the sameyear when the Soviet Unioninvaded Hungary. In 1959, theworld witnessed the annexationof Tibet by China. In 1968, theinternational body lookedaskance at the Prague springwhen Soviet tanks rolled intoCzechoslovakia.

The idea of an internationalconcert of nations began in thepost-Napoleonic period withthe primary objective of avoid-ing war. At the start of World WarI, the call for an internationalorganisation to prevent futurewars began to gain considerablepublic support, particularly inBritain and the US. GoldsworthyLowes Dickinson, a British polit-ical scientist, coined the term“League of Nations” in 1914and drafted a scheme for itsorganisation. Together with LordBryce, he played a leading role inestablishing a group of interna-tional pacifists known as theBryce Group, later the League ofNations Union.

The forerunner of the Leagueof Nations, the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) wasformed by peace activistsWilliam Randal Cremer andFrederic Passy in 1889 and is cur-rently still in existence as a bodywith a focus on the variouselected legislative bodies of theworld. The IPU was foundedwith an international scope, witha third of the members of worldparliaments serving as its mem-bers by 1914. It aimed to encour-age Governments to solve dis-putes by peaceful means.

The concept of a peacefulcommunity of nations had beenproposed as far back as 1795.Immanuel Kant, German meta-physician and philosopher,whose comprehensive and sys-tematic work on the theory ofknowledge, ethics and aestheticsgreatly influenced philosophy,outlined the idea of a league ofnations to control conflict andpromote peace between States inhis work Perpetual Peace: APhilosophical Sketch. He arguedfor the establishment of a peace-ful world community, not in asense of a global Government,but in the hope that each Statewould declare itself a free Statethat respects its citizens andwelcomes foreign visitors as fel-low rational beings, thus promot-ing a peaceful society worldwide.

International cooperation topromote collective security orig-inated in the Concert of Europe,which developed after theNapoleonic wars in the 19th cen-tury, in an attempt to maintainthe status quo between theEuropean States and avoid war.This period also saw the devel-opment of international law,with the first Geneva Conventionestablishing laws dealing withhumanitarian relief duringwartime. Then the internation-al Hague Convention of 1899and 1907 laid down governingrules of war and the peaceful set-tlement of international dis-putes.

As historians William HHarbaugh and Ronald E Powaskipoint out, Theodore Rooseveltwas the first American Presidentto call for an international league.While accepting his Nobel PeacePrize, Roosevelt said: “It wouldbe a masterstroke if those greatpowers honestly bent on peace

would form a League of Peace.”Such an idea should logicallyhave emerged from Europe,whose long history is a record ofalmost unending wars. At theend of the Great War, the Leagueof Nations came up in the hopeof ending the era of war and heal-ing the West with an age of peace.Yet again, this idea emergedfrom American PresidentWoodrow Wilson.

However, the credibility ofthe League of Nations was weak-ened by the fact that the US neverjoined it and the Soviet Unionjoined rather late and was soonexpelled after invading Finland.Germany withdrew from theLeague, as did Japan, Italy, Spainand others. The onset of WorldWar II showed that the Leaguehad failed its primary purpose,which was to prevent any futureworld war. The League lasted for26 years and the UN replaced itafter the end of World War II,inheriting several agencies andorganisations spawned by theLeague.

True, the League of Nationsdid not last long. Yet, credit mustgo to it for having spawned theInternational Court of Justice andthe International LabourOrganisation and other bodies.It is doubtful that the UN wouldleave behind anything memo-rable except for its performanceof profligacy. It is high time Indiatold the big powers to give it apermanent seat in the SecurityCouncil with veto power. If theCouncil does, well and good, orelse, New Delhi should not be ascommitted to an organisationthat costs it time, money andhonour.

(The writer is a well-knowncolumnist and an author. Viewsexpressed are personal)

With the pandemic in its aggressive second phase,all countries are caught in a dilemma, forcedto choose between the need to keep their gasp-

ing economies open through the winter months or savelives by going under lockdown yet again. So a new studythat says that the reopening of restaurants, gyms andhotels carries the highest danger of spreading the virusis not something that the world even wants to deal withright now. But this is what researchers at StanfordUniversity and Northwestern University, using mobilephone data from 98 million people, have discovered. Theymodelled the risks of infection at different locations

between March and May in cities across the US to map the movement of people. Thestudy looked at where they went, how long they stayed, how many others were presentand then combined that information with data on the number of cases. That helped themmap the virus spread and create infection models. These predicted that if restaurants inChicago were reopened at full capacity, they would generate almost 6,00,000 new cases,three times as many as establishments in other categories. The researchers also foundthat about 10 per cent of the locations examined accounted for 85 per cent of predictedinfections. Though Governments across the world have to deal with this unsavoury truth,there is a silver lining too. Given the fact that there is very little epidemiological data onhow Corona protocols curb the spread of the virus, by collating this type of precise data,they can find vulnerable areas and take more localised preventive steps.

What the study has, in fact, shown is that hard lockdowns aren’t necessary to curbthe infection. As the study showed, capping occupancy at 20 per cent in locations in theChicago metro area cut down predicted new infections by more than 80 per cent. Andbecause the occupancy caps primarily impacted visitors during peak hours, the restau-rants only lost 42 per cent of patrons overall, as against losing all of their business dur-ing a lockdown. Other countries, too, can create their own virus dashboards and roll outtargetted policies to tackle the contagion. They can harness technology, such as mobilephones and fitness trackers, to scout potential virus hotspots. But much will depend onhow people continue to observe Corona-appropriate behaviour. As Health Minister HarshVardhan aptly said, consider the mask and other protocols as a vaccine till we get one.

The faster we imbibe this, the faster can

Choice is that precious, unclaimed space in thehuman mind that allows us to decide ourresponse to stimulus and helps us understand the

value of freedom. It is the only agency we have to decideour own good and that defines and grows our sense ofresponsibility. When it is runaway and affects othersdestructively, mediation is required for the sake of bal-ance. As former US President Ronald Reagan once said,“The Government exists to protect us from each other.Where the Government has gone beyond its limits is indeciding to protect us from ourselves.” And the NarendraModi Government’s move to step into an area of per-

sonal freedom, namely the digital and OTT platforms — which are paid services for cus-tomised consumption, and, therefore, not overarching in their reach as other mass media— has raised hackles. The Government has issued an order seeking to regulate onlinenews portals and content providers such as Netflix by the Ministry of Information andBroadcasting (I&B). News on social media platforms, such as Facebook, Twitter andInstagram, will also be subject to the Ministry’s scrutiny as will audio-visual content. Thisrefereeing is being seen as tantamount to censorship considering that both print and TVmedia, too, are not subjected to a direct watch by the Ministry but by regulatory bodies,the Press Council of India for print media and the News Broadcasters Standards Association(NBSA) for television media. Besides, there are enough existing laws and self-check mech-anisms by the industry to ensure that no content crosses the line in such sensitive mat-ters as child pornography or terrorism. The crackdown on “fake news” and incendiarymaterial is also fairly stringent now. What is astounding about the move is that the Ministryitself had in principle agreed to consider the proposal of a self-regulatory model by theInternet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI), a representative body of the OTT plat-forms. The Online Curated Content Providers or OCCPs had further proposed a Digital CuratedContent Complaints Council as part of a two-tier structure. So the new move seems ratherOrwellian. And no matter how much the Government may claim to be a well-meaning super-visor, we cannot discount an internecine attempt to police the democracy on the Internet,curb free speech, dilute the plurality of viewpoints, track criticism of Government policiesand worse, in the culture space, prevent stories that speak of the multiplicity of a real Indiaand not of the homogenous makeover that the “one country” propaganda demands. Sothis is about a war of perception. When it comes to print, it is far more trustworthy andthorough than the screaming matches that are disguised as “news” on TV channels, morepartisan than fair. Is it because the self-regulation of the TV industry has failed that theGovernment decided to take the self-control proposals by online news publishers and videostreaming services with a pinch of salt? Or is it because it is scared of the social mediahaving gotten too deeply embedded in all aspects of our life and, therefore, becoming aninfluencer in itself? Facebook and Twitter are behemoths that are being used by both indus-try and political parties to harness numbers and disseminate their ideas. Would the Governmentensure that it is not disproportionately represented?

Regulation should be an enabler, not a disabler. It should ensure that shows and evennews published on online platforms meet an acceptable standard and aren’t besmirchedby fake and outrageous claims. Online news sites or websites disguised as online newspurveyors often proclaim snake oil cures for all sorts of ailments, including COVID-19.Such misinformation can be deadly. Besides we have seen how rumour-mongering bysuch news providers can lead to actual physical harm. But that does not mean that dis-cussions uncomfortable to the powers that be or content that is sexual in nature can becensored. That does not mean squeezing websites because they are anti-establishmentor clipping shows that expose the hidden dystopia the Government doesn’t want you toquestion. Its truth cannot be the only truth. As for entertainment-oriented OTT platforms,that thrive on a creative bandwidth of ideas, agitate us out of our comfort zones with thought-provoking shows and help us release our angst through satiric comedy, the Governmentmove is a dampener. For now, it has more power to force streaming services to act oncomplaints even from the most wayward fringe. That could kill innovation and even makelicensing mandatory. The Government must realise that people are not looking for Doordarshanon a service they pay for and, therefore, have a right to demand their kind of content. Infact, the Ministry of Electronics & IT (MeitY) had clarified that there was no need for reg-ulation under the Cinematograph Act for prior licensing of content. It had also told the DelhiHigh Court that the IT Act and Indian Penal Code were sufficient to deal with complaintsagainst streaming platforms. In fact, Section 69A of the IT Act allows the immediate take-down of controversial content and is quite punitive in nature. The I&B Ministry only hasoversight powers and no statutory authority. That said, with broadcasters increasingly mov-ing online as are traditional newspapers and magazines, and there being an overlap withthe Telecom and IT Ministries, maybe it is time to consider a single unified Ministry thatlooks over all these issues. But that should just encourage resolution, not regulation.

Big brother watching

Congress in a tight spotSir — The BJP’s much-improvedtally has enabled the NationalDemocratic Alliance (NDA) toretain power in Bihar even afterRashtriya Janata Dal leaderTejashwi Yadav gave it a toughfight. The BJP’s scorecardincreased from 53 seats in the2015 Assembly election to 74seats in the 2020 Assembly elec-tion. However, it should notbask in the glory of an increasedtally. Laxity in performanceexacts its price in the next elec-tion and the party cannot bankupon the charisma of PrimeMinister Narendra Modi only.Amid all this, the Congress partyis facing an existential crisis. Theparty had 27 seats in the 2015Assembly election and now hasbeen reduced to 19.

Another reason for the BJP tocelebrate is because of its perfor-mance in the byelections across11 States, including MadhyaPradesh, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh,Manipur, Karnataka andTelangana. Here, too, the BJP wassuccessful in wresting seats fromthe Congress. The latter nowfinds itself in a desperate posi-tion. It is even prepared to allowany regional party to run theGovernment with its support and

play second fiddle to it with a onepoint-agenda of keeping the BJPout of power.

The Congress is being seen asan entitled party by the people.Unless it makes sincere efforts torefurbish its dented image, itspresence in the political mapwould continue to be just sym-bolic.

KV SeetharamaiahHassan

Green Diwali Sir — The National GreenTribunal banned the sale and useof firecrackers, which is a rightstep as studies have shown thathigh levels of air pollution canaggravate the health condition ofCorona patients. People acrossthe country, especially Delhi,should respect the decision. It istime to observe a green Diwali.

The concentration of sus-pended particulate matter in theair has a significant impact on aperson’s health. Bus drivers, two-wheeler riders and auto-rickshawdrivers are among those who suf-fer most with chronic respirato-ry diseases. Airborne lead fromleaded petrol is a major air pol-lutant and in high concentra-tions, it is known to impair liverand kidney functions. It is also

associated with reduced mentaldevelopment of infants and chil-dren. Thus there is an urgentneed to control the level of sus-pended particulate matter andbring it down to the WHO’s pre-scribed limits.

Abhishek Ramaswamy Mumbai

Virat’s decisionSir — The sports calendar is fullof cricket tournaments aroundthe year and at various places.While it is the most popular sportin India by far and is playedalmost everywhere, cricketenthusiasts need to respect thebalance players have to maintainbetween their professional andpersonal lives. And understandthat Indian captain Virat Kohli iswithin his rights to seek somepersonal family time in betweenthe Australia tour as he is expect-ing his first child. We shouldrespect his decision and let RohitSharma prove his mettle as theTest captain in the remainingthree Test matches of the series.

Bal GovindNoida

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

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

op nionVIJAYAWADA | FRIDAY | NOVEMBER 13, 2020

06

A seat at the high tableIndia should now push for a permanent seat at the UN Security Council. As the

largest democracy and contributor to peace-keeping forces, it deserves more

The creation of an absolutelysecure facility for controllingstrategic nuclear forces,among others, is nearing completion. It will have a very high safety margin.

Russian President —Vladimir Putin

Expectations from Biden

How Joe Biden’s administration reshapes the US’role in world affairs will be something that will befollowed with interest across the globe. The

President-elect’s pledge to restore the US on the worldstage signals a major shift in its foreign policy. It willneed a lot of imagination, tact and diplomacy to regainthe world leadership that has slipped away under theDonald Trump administration.

If Biden’s renegotiation and re-engagement withother Governments are to succeed, he has to first con-vince them that the US has no intention to dominatethe world or play the global policeman. Reshaping for-eign relations should not be motivated merely by fur-thering the US’ self-interest, it has to be based on part-nership and promotion of multilateralism in a multi-polarworld. Biden should commit to the emergence of anequitable world order and seek global cooperation fortackling global problems.

His decision to rejoin the WHO will strengthen thefight against the COVID-19 pandemic. Also, rejoining

the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, signed by Barack Obama,will reduce the scope of a conflict in the Middle Eastand advance the cause of world peace. It is hoped thatthe Biden administration will not let down thePalestinians in their struggle for a homeland on the ter-ritory which is rightfully theirs.

G David MiltonMaruthancode

Send yyour ffeedback tto:letterstopioneer@gmail.com

Superspreader spots

As OTT platforms and digital media come under the purview ofthe I&B Ministry, regulation should be an enabler, not a disabler

A Stanford University study identifies restaurants, gyms andhotels as risky and suggests targetted containment protocols

PRAFULL GORADIA

If our (AAP) party comesto power in Bengaluru,our first and foremostpriority is to set up suchMohalla Clinics acrossthe city.

Delhi Deputy CM—Manish Sisodia

This is our third week inside thebio-bubble and I must confess itisn't easy but, of course, needed.We are trying our best as a teamto be as fit as possible beforethe tournament starts.

Footballer—Sunil Chhetri

L E T T E R S T O TT H E E D I T O R

S O U N D B I T EThe recent results of electionsin 11 States have sent out aclear message that the 135crore people of India are standing like a rock with PM Narendra Modi.

Union Home Minister —Amit Shah

Divided States of America

WE HAVE TO STOP BEING A COUNTRY OF FAGS....

WE HAVE TO FACE UP TO IT (CORONAVIRUS) AND

FIGHT. I HATE THIS FAGGOT STUFF.

—BRAZILIAN PRESIDENT

JAIR BOLSONARO

BETWEEN ‘GUNPOWDER’ AND ‘FAGS,’ WE HAVE

MORE THAN 1,60,000 DEAD IN BRAZIL. OUR

SOLIDARITY IS WITH THE KIN OF COVID VICTIMS.

—SPEAKER OF THE LOWER HOUSE OF CONGRESS

RODRIGO MAIA

POINTCOUNTERPOINT

Like they do so often these days, pollsters andpundits got it wrong about a so-called massivevictory for Joe Biden propelled by public anger

against Trump’s presidency that had split the US wideopen. They had harped on the social and racial dividethat Trump had engineered and had put all their cardson the table around this core issue, hoping that thisdivide would secure a comfortable win for Biden andheal the present divided States of America. What wegot instead was an election that went down to thewire which Biden managed to scrape through. Evenas Trump was breathing down his opponent’s neck,the pollsters had a tough time convincing the peo-ple, and themselves, where they went wrong and whythey failed to sense the public mood.

If Biden won some key States like Pennsylvania,Michigan and Wisconsin, it was a sigh of relief ratherthan a vindication of poll pundits. To give the devilhis due, Biden in his victory speech, said, “I pledgeto be a President who does not see red or blue States,but United States. For all those of you who voted forPresident Trump, I understand the disappointmenttonight… But now, let’s give each other a chance…It’stime to put away the harsh rhetoric, lower the tem-perature, see each other again, listen to each otheragain. And to make progress, we have to stop treat-ing our opponents as our enemies. They are not ourenemies. They are Americans.” It is difficult to findfault with such clarity of thought that offers an insightinto the way he is planning to run the show.

Though statesmanlike, Biden’s speech must beseen in terms of realpolitik. On the face of it, he ismaking an effort to move away from a binary frame-work which many believe was mainstreamed byTrump. It is another story that Biden may not be rad-ically different from Trump in terms of economicpolicies or international relations and in spite of hissage-like calmness vis-à-vis Trump’s abrasivedemeanour, his policies may not reflect that outwardgarb. The declaration of intent by Biden that his firstjob is to unify the country has been celebrated as awatershed development and a moment of awaken-ing of the great nation that is waking up to its Puritanideals of being a city on the hill. But the reality is thatthe US will pursue a politics that favours its own inter-est rather than India’s or China’s. Even if we assumethat Biden will indeed usher in world peace that hasnot been seen before, its reality can only be imag-ined in a time yet to be.

Biden’s speech was apparently a clarion call to“make America great again.” What was lost in thecacophony of media analysis is that race ties are muchmore than the Black-White divide. Since the timeof the founding fathers, the idea of frontier has dom-inated the US’ imagination and the worst victims havebeen the native Americans who went on movingwestward while vacating space for the Europeans. Thehistory of slavery is as much a history of disposses-sion and violence as has been the history of the fron-tier. And unlike the visibility and general awarenessof African-American history, it just does not existoutside books and certainly not in the populardebates, maybe because of the numerical weaknessof native Americans. Similarly, the presence ofMexicans in the southern borders and later the influxof Hispanic migrants and Asians in the aftermathof the World War do not count as racial issues. HamidDabashi, an Iranian-American professor fromColumbia, was clear that in spite of the intellectu-als’ fascination for Biden, he is not going to vote forhim. He was convinced that Biden is as much a sym-bol of misogyny as is Trump, one who also support-ed the Iraq invasion. He differed from other lead-ing intellectuals like Cornel West and NoamChomsky, who preferred Biden. This is because

“demonic” Trump is unredeemable where-as Biden can be pressurised to do good.This lesser-evil syndrome in Englishmedia is a lame excuse rather than a posi-tion of conviction. Converting a politicalchoice into a moral one is dangerous to saythe least because it sees things in black andwhite, creates saints out of challengers anddemons out of the incumbent. Now thequestion remains if the media simply rep-resented what they saw taking place or cre-ated a razor-sharp divide. If one believesin the constitutive power of language andimages, then the media, too, created thedivide, gave wind to it so that it could framethe debates along predictable lines.

Unfortunately, most of the mediareduced race relations to Black-Whiteproblems and limited the enormity of theircomplexity to the period of Trump’s pres-idency. What we got in the process is nota substantive engagement with the foun-dation of the US as a nation with multi-ple layers of conflict and collaboration, butsound-bites and clichés that concentratedaround Black-White relations, more or lessthe way Indian problems are framedaround the Hindu-Muslim conflict. Thisvastness got squeezed into the period of2016-2020 and cathected onto a symbolthat is Trump. By reducing him to the beall and end all of everything that ails theUS, most of the media peddled in sloga-neering rather than explaining anything.What we got was a caricatured version ofsocial reality where we have heroes and vil-lains. In the process, the media absolveditself and society at large from taking anyresponsibility for simplifying things andimmunised all possible future perpetratorswith the understanding that all race-relat-ed problems will disappear with Trump’sdefeat. What is disturbing is the ease withwhich experts saw him as the root causeand refused to see the problem in the veryAmerican consciousness and its exception-alism that pervades Biden’s psyche asmuch.

Some commentators believe that

“Trumpism” will continue to live on evenafter his loss. Their understanding is that“if a demagogue has the skill and the cheekto build a dominant majority’s latentinsecurities into a victim complex, he canbuild an impregnable base.” They go on tocompare Trump’s US with NarendraModi’s India, something which betraysignorance of unique historical experiencesof these two nations. What they ignore istheir own position as knowledge produc-ers create and perpetrate the language ofexclusion. In the act of interpreting real-ity, many thought leaders end up produc-ing it and cling on to that as if reality is afiction of journalistic language. US TVanchor Van Jones broke down on live TVwhile covering Biden’s victory. Anothercalled Trump an “obese turtle on his backrealising his time is over.” Yes, Trump wasa sore loser but such language perpetuatesthe divide and conditions intellectualdebates around them.

Now let us face the reality of race pol-itics and the impact of the Black LivesMatter (BLM) movement and to whatextent the social divide actually played outduring the election. It may surprise manythat Trump actually improved his popu-larity among Black voters compared to2016. Even though it stands at a meagreeight per cent, it is still two per cent high-er than what he polled earlier. Even as thisis nothing compared to what Biden got, itwill continue to rile the Democrats andpundits alike as to why eight per centBlacks voted for Trump in spite of BLMreaching its crescendo just before the elec-tion. What we know so far is that the Blacksupport was due to Trump’s performancevis-à-vis the economy and improvedemployment among African-Americans.Another reality is that Democrats them-selves believed that Black youth are preda-tors.

Trump made significant gains amongLatino voters in important States like Texasand Florida. In Democratic strongholds,like Rio Grande Valley region, he got close

to 50 per cent Latino votes. The BLMmovement consolidated the Latinosaround Trump as they predominantlyidentify themselves as White; alsoMexican-American voters are usuallyconservative. Another aspect that weshould not lose sight of is the fact thatmany Latinos fled from their countries toescape the so-called Marxist utopia run byLeft-wing dictators. Among Cuban votersin Florida, Trump had more than 30 percent lead. These nuances are rarely dis-cussed in a mainstream media.

So far as issues are concerned, PewResearch said that Biden and Trump coali-tions fundamentally differ over racialinequality following the killing of GeorgeFloyd, with more than 75 per cent Bidensupporters agreeing that racial inequalitywould be a determining factor for theirvoting behaviour compared to 24 per centof Trump’s. In spite of Trump polarisingand vitiating the climate to an extent, weshould not forget that US voters areentrenched in their political beliefs andonly outliers can be persuaded to vote oth-erwise. This becomes even more pro-nounced in a bi-party system in the US.This election was not as polarising as ismade out to be. To put it in perspective,Trump won 58 per cent of the White votein 2016 and 57 per cent this year. DerekThompson in The Atlantic argued that thiselection may be a case of depolarisationand that demography is no longer goingto be a path to majority for Democrats. Hebelieved that it is polarisation of placerather than race, as urban areas are gettingpro-Democrat whereas rural areas areturning Republican. Regardless of conflict-ing approaches, for the sake of intellectu-al honesty, we must acknowledge that inall societies, political behaviour cannot bereduced to catch phrases such asracial/social divide. That would be intel-lectually naïve and analytically problem-atic.

(The writer is Professor, Faculty ofHumanities & Social Sciences, IIT Madras)

Regardless of conflicting approaches, we must acknowledge that in all societies,political behaviour cannot be reduced to catch phrases such as racial/social divide

analysis 07F I R S T C O L U M N

A new politicalreality

KUMARDEEP BANERJEE

The fresh binaries in the US and Bihar may achieve similar charters if they decide to continue with a similar cosmic resolve

JYOTIRMAYA TRIPATHY

UNFORTUNATELY,OBSERVERS

REDUCED RACERELATIONS TOBLACK-WHITE

PROBLEMS ANDLIMITED THE

ENORMITY OFTHEIR

COMPLEXITY TOTHE PERIOD OF

TRUMP’SPRESIDENCY.

WHAT WE GOT INTHE PROCESS IS

NOT ASUBSTANTIVEENGAGEMENT

WITH THEFOUNDATION OF

THE US AS ANATION WITH

MULTIPLE LAYERSOF CONFLICT ANDCOLLABORATION,

BUT SOUNDBITES AND

CLICHÉS THATCONCENTRATED

AROUND BLACK-WHITE

RELATIONS,MORE OR LESS

THE WAY INDIANPROBLEMS ARE

FRAMED AROUND THE

HINDU-MUSLIMCONFLICT

The world has woken up to a new era of binaries, where seem-ingly distant stars have moved closer, occupying pole posi-tions of significant strength. I am not pointing to any cosmic

event but to the verdicts of the US and Bihar elections, where newdimensions of 21st century political reality have started to emerge.Let us see what it means for businesses, with regard to key pol-icy manoeuvres. Cybersecurity, in an era of work from anywhere,should be the first stop for the new administration in the WhiteHouse. It is expected that the Joe Biden administration will movetowards a multilateral approach on tackling complex cybersecu-rity challenges. A link of commonality with the past may be to takean aggressive stance towards China’s hyper technology-aided eco-nomic ambitions with a tech-colonisation background. The onlydivergence may be to move away from the company-by-compa-ny approach to a wider, sustainable, multilateral, partnership-basedone to arrest China’s disproportionate share in ICT supply chains.

That is where the Bihar election verdict becomes relevant. Ithad many firsts, including the absence of veterans of Bihar poli-tics from the centrestage, at least till the last phases. This threwup a simple yet complex verdict, where many preconceived notionsabout the State and its citizens were trashed and the paradigmshifted. A bunch of young netas appealing for votes, for the firsttime, brought the issue of jobs to the forefront, for a State wide-ly known for its caste-led voting patterns. That leaves the fourth-term incumbent Chief Minister with the clear-cut task of provid-ing jobs to Bihar’s youth, just emerging from the trauma of a forcedreverse migration.

One of the easiest ways of creating thousands of jobs in arelatively short span of time is by persuading one of the biggercompanies in the ICT domain to set up a manufacturing base. Thisrequires a “cast in stone” assurance of freedom from future tyran-nies of any “jungle raj” and a guarantee of return on investmentssunk into the region. The Centre’s push towards domestic man-ufacturing for ICT products via performance-linked incentives shouldget its well-deserved play in Bihar, like it is finding resonance inUttar Pradesh. A diversified (globally and within the country) sup-ply chain network addresses key concerns of sovereign cyber-security and increases the self-sufficiency of a country in an eraof technology.

The next big area is of immigration, where half the world, givena chance, wants to move to the US. The Biden administration islikely to abandon some of the stringent policies of the Donald Trumpregime, including travel bans on certain categories of people basedon their religious and regional identities or access to modern health-care facilities. The more in demand non-immigrant visas could seesome relaxations as could country caps for PhD graduates in sci-ence, technology, engineering and mathematics. The regime mayagain make it lucrative for trained-in-US, PhD degree holders fast-track their permanent citizenship in the US.

Similarly, everyone knows the story of migrations from Biharto the rest of the country, particularly to unfriendly, big cities. Aswitnessed recently, when a mass-scale misfortune threatens, theyare often seen heading back to their towns and villages.This con-stant cycle of migrations creates a social churning and to someextent stigmatisation of Bihar as a region, which can be arrestedby creating great livelihood opportunities. From day one, the NitishKumar regime has to deliver economic and holistic well-being.Creation of long-term economic opportunities, healthcare and edu-cational facilities for the citizens could prevent migration out of Biharand result in the creation of a new and sustainable loyal voter base.

One of the key issues dominating Bihar election campaignswas the status of infrastructure in the State. This echoed widelyin the aftermath of the recurring floods. The Central Governmenthas widely been credited with creating world-class infrastructurein a relatively short span of time within the country. Now with theBJP as the dominant partner in the new Bihar Government, no kuc-cha road, bridge or piped water connection should be left unat-tended, so that the glorious days of the State can be revived.

Similarly, the new regime in the US has talked a great dealabout infrastructure investments being the centrepiece as well asdominant sub-theme of activities such as workforce development,climate change, digital connectivity, on-shoring and so on. Earlier,it had promised a $2 trillion infrastructure spend across multipleareas. What has caught the world’s attention is the President-elect’spromise of allocating sizeable investments towards building cleanenergy future-ready infrastructure. The world awaits a switch toa cleaner, healthier tomorrow and is looking for directions fromthe oldest democracy. It is often observed that binary star sys-tems eventually create large magnetic fields, ultimately leaving theecosystem energy-rich and charged. The new binaries in the USand Bihar may achieve similar charters if they decide to contin-ue with similar cosmic resolve.

(The writer is a policy analyst)

The result of the bypoll for theBaroda Assembly seat inHaryana may not have any sig-

nificance for the stability of the BJP-JJP (Jannayak Janta Party) coalitionGovernment in the State, nor will itaffect its strength in the Assembly. Butit is expected to have a far-reachingimpact on the politics of the State inthe medium to long-term. Despite aspirited campaign by top leaders,BJP candidate and Olympic medallistYogeshwar Dutt was routed by over10,000 votes by the Congress nomi-nee Indu Raj Narwal in a constituen-cy dominated by Jats.

Political precedence and elec-toral behaviour of the past suggest that

candidates from the ruling party orcoalition usually have an edge in thebypolls and they win two times out ofthree. Even in the bypolls in differentStates this time round, the ruling par-ties or coalitions in Madhya Pradesh,Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand,Chhattisgarh, Karnataka and Odishahad it easy and they won handsome-ly. But the Baroda bypoll proved to bedifferent as the combined might of theBJP-JJP could not consolidate enoughto get victory for Dutt, the Olympianwho was defeated in the 2019Assembly polls as well.

Interestingly, the margin of defeatincreased in his second electoral out-ing. He was routed by around 4,800votes in 2019 by Congress candidateShri Krishan Hooda. This time, themargin has doubled to over 10,600votes. What could be a matter of con-cern for the ruling dispensation inHaryana is the fact that in 2019, theJJP and BJP fought against eachother; this time around they fought inan alliance but still lost by a biggermargin.

The bypolls were held in the back-

ground of the farmers’ agitation inPunjab and Haryana against the threefarm Acts. The Congress has beenhammering the point that the laws areagainst the interests of the farmers andthe regime of Minimum SupportPrice (MSP) has been threatened bythem. The BJP, on the other hand, hasbeen repeatedly stressing that theseActs are for the benefit of the farm-ing community and are set to increaserural prosperity by giving more moneyinto the hands of the tillers.

Baroda is largely a rural con-stituency with the dominant Jats in aposition to determine political out-comes. The defeat of the ruling BJP-JJP combine in Baroda seems toclearly suggest that farmers are not yetconvinced that the farm laws are intheir favour. They have rejected thearguments of the BJP-JJP leadership,forcing the alliance partners to havea rethink on the way forward.

Of course, there is no election inHaryana in the near future. The ear-liest one could be in May 2024 whengeneral elections are scheduled and theBJP-JJP combine could perhaps get

enough time to make a course correc-tion. Alliance or not, the BJP will haveto woo the farming community backinto its fold. Particularly the Jats if itwants to be close to its spectacular per-formance in the next Lok Sabhapolls. On the defensive now, BJPstrategists are insisting that Baroda hadalways remained a Congress strong-hold and the result should be seen inthat context. They are also arguingthat the BJP got more votes than lasttime and “all is well” in the alliance andthis was one “stray and local” politi-cal incident, which cannot have anyimpact on the politics of the State.

Clearly, the outcome has put theruling coalition on the defensive andmany in the JJP know that it wasentirely owing to the mistrust over thefarm laws that the alliance could notmake any headway.

The Baroda seat fell vacant inApril following the death of sittingMLA Hooda, who had won it threetimes in a row in the 2009, 2014 and2019 Assembly polls. It is adjacent tothe Garhi Sampla-Kiloi constituency,represented by Congress strongmanand two-term Chief Minister of theState, Bhupinder Singh Hooda.Another question which wouldemerge at this point is the winningpotential of the BJP-JJP combine andwhether they will stick together in thenext elections.

The alliance was formed after theBJP won 40 of the 90 Assembly seatsin the 2019 polls and needed a post-election partner to give a stableGovernment in the State. Though thetwo parties formed the partnership,many in the JJP have been openly voic-ing concerns and have repeatedlyraised the issue of the three Central

farm laws. Deputy Chief Minister Dushyant

Chautala, who belongs to the JJP, hasfaced protests in several parts of theState for backing these laws. Being agrassroot politician, he is aware thatthere are strong apprehensions andresentment among the land-holdingcastes about the impact of the Acts.

The Baroda result has undoubt-edly made it clear that the JJP has notand may not be able to transfer itsvotes to the BJP. In fact, many on theground believe that whatever votes theBJP got was entirely from its vote bank.They say the JJP was defensivethroughout the campaign and couldnot garner any support for the BJPcandidate.

This was the only electoral testwhich the BJP-JJP alliance facedjointly after the 2019 tie-up and itfailed miserably. It is more or less amarriage of convenience. For the BJP,it is a route to a stable Governmentand for the JJP it is a shot at being inpower before going solo again in thenext general elections. BJP poll man-agers have more or less realised now

that it would be futile to fight futureelections jointly with the JJP.

The message of the Baroda bypollis also clear for the Indian NationalLok Dal (INLD), the parent party ofthe JJP, led by Om Prakash Chautalaand his elder son Abhay Chautala.The people of Baroda and the Statehave made it clear that the JJP is thetorchbearer of the legacy of formerDeputy Prime Minister ChaudharyDevi Lal. The INLD will have tobecome a really serious Oppositionwith an accompanying strategy toreplace the JJP.

If there is one person who has aplace on the victory podium besidesthe winning candidate Narwal, it is theLeader of Opposition in the State,Bhupinder Singh Hooda. He notonly managed to retain his familypocket borough but also harvested theanti-farm law feelings to his electoraladvantage. At present, he has no chal-lenger in the State Congress and thisunchallenged reign is likely to contin-ue till the next elections.

(The writer is Senior ResidentEditor, The Pioneer, Chandigarh)

Time for the BJP-JJP combine to introspectThe defeat of the ruling combine in Baroda seems to clearly suggest that farmers are not yet convinced about the farm laws being in their favour

AMITABH SHUKLA

VIJAYAWADA | FRIDAY | NOVEMBER 13, 2020

www.dailypioneer.com

VIJAYAWADA | FRIDAY | NOVEMBER 13, 2020 Money 08

MONEY MATTERS

Kia Motors India onThursday announced thelaunch of a complete

contactless, paperlessaftersales and personalisedvehicle service for itscustomers, in view of safetyconcerns amid COVID-19.This initiative entails an'Advanced Pick and Drop'programme, ensuringhighest customer safety witha no contact pick-up and drop service and live vehicle tracking in acompletely paperless process, the company said. Kia Motors Indiais also launching a new 'My Convenience' service initiative, whichoffers personalised vehicle maintenance to its customers. Withboth these initiatives, the company said it aims to redefine the after-sales experience by personalising and digitising the service processto facilitate an enhanced user experience.

Kia Motors launches contactless,paperless aftersales service

American niche bikemaker IndianMotorcycle on Thursday

said it has commencedbookings for its 2021 modelline-up in India. The newrange, which includes newmodel iterations and next-level technology upgrades,is priced between Rs 15.67lakh and Rs 43.96 lakh (ex-

showroom), Indian Motorcycle said in a statement.To pre-bookthese luxury machines, interested customers can pay a bookingamount of Rs 2 lakh at the nearest company dealerships across thecountry, it added. The delivery of bikes will begin from January2021 onwards. The Scout range is priced between Rs 15.67 lakhand Rs 16.20 lakh, while the Indian Vintage is tagged at Rs 25.81lakh, the company said. Similarly, Indian Vintage Dark Horse startsat Rs 26.63 lakh, while the Indian Springfield is tagged at Rs 33.06lakh.

Indian Motorcycle reveals ’21 modelline-up prices, commences bookings

Tech giants IBM andAMD have announced amulti-year joint

development agreement toenhance and extend thesecurity and ArtificialIntelligence (AI) offerings ofboth the companies. Thejoint developmentagreement will expand thisvision by building uponopen-source software, open standards, and open systemarchitectures to drive 'confidential computing' in hybrid cloudenvironments, a statement said.This will also support a broad rangeof accelerators across high-performance computing (HPC), andenterprise-critical capabilities such as virtualisation and encryption,it added. Confidential computing protects data while it is beingprocessed. For many companies, securing highly sensitive data stillremains a challenge: cybersecurity is currently the top barrier foradoption as well as the top criteria for selection of cloud providers.

IBM, AMD ink joint developmentpact for security, AI offerings

Drug firm Lupin onThursday said that inalliance with Concord

Biotech, it has receivedapproval from the US healthregulator to market genericimmunosuppressantTacrolimus capsules used inthe American market. Inalliance with ConcordBiotech, the company has

received approval from the United States Food and DrugAdministration (USFDA) to market Tacrolimus capsules USP, in thestrengths of 0.5 mg, 1 mg, and 5 mg, Lupin said in a filing to theBSE. The product is a generic version of Astellas Pharma US, Inc'sPrograf capsules in the same strengths, it added. According toIQVIA MAT September 2020 data, Tacrolimus capsules USP had anannual sales of about USD 303 million in the US, Lupin said.Shares of Lupin Ltd on Thursday fell 1.76 per cent to Rs 897.70per scrip on the BSE.

Lupin gets USFDA nod for genericimmunosuppressant capsules

PNS n NEW DELHI

Finance Minister NirmalaSitharaman on Thursday saidperishable goods are puttingupward pressure on inflationand the government is workingon both short and medium-term measures for controllingprice rise.

The wholesale price index(WPI) based inflation rose toa seven-month high of 1.32 percent in September, while retailinflation was at eight-monthhigh of 7.34 per cent on spi-ralling prices of food items,especially vegetables.

peaking to reporters,Sitharaman said floods in cer-tain districts have led to uptickin prices of perishable goods,and the government is takingsteps for their better preserva-

tion, long shelf life and provid-ing weather proof storage, par-ticularly for crops like onionand potato.

"Strictly, the perishablegoods are the one which wentup...and its more because some

districts got flooded...The gov-ernment is working on bothshort-term and medium-termsteps. Import where necessaryfor short duration and formedium-term, enough invest-ment is being attracted to and

incentives being provided tocreate agri infrastructure," shesaid.

he Reserve Bank in a reporton the state of economy onWednesday had also flaggedunrelenting pressure of infla-tion as a downside risk con-fronting the prospects of eco-nomic recovery.

"The foremost is the unre-lenting pressure of inflation,

with no signs of waning in spiteof supply management mea-sures...There is a grave risk ofgeneralisation of price pres-sures, unanchoring of inflationexpectations feeding into aloss of credibility in policyinterventions and the eventu-al corrosion of the nascent growth impulses thatare making their appearance,"RBI said.

Govt working on measures tocontrol price rise: Sitharaman

The wholesale price index (WPI) based

inflation rose to a seven-month high of

1.32 per cent in September, while

retail inflation was at eight-month high

of 7.34 per cent on spiralling prices of

food items, especially vegetables

PNS n NEW DELHI

Moody's Investors Service onThursday revised upwards itsGDP forecasts for India to (-)8.9 per cent contraction in the2020 calendar year, as theeconomy reflates after a longand strict nationwide lock-down but said the recovery ispatchy.

In its Global Macro Outlook2021-22, Moody's also revisedupwards India's GDP forecastfor calendar year 2021 to 8.6per cent growth from an ear-lier projection of 8.1 per centexpansion. The Indian econo-my had grown by 4.8 per centin 2019.

For the calendar year 2020,it forecast a -8.9 per cent con-traction, up from its an earli-er projection of -9.6 per centcontraction. "India's economyhad the biggest contraction, 24per cent year-over-year in thesecond quarter (April-June), asa result of a long and strictnationwide lockdown," the rat-

ing agency said.India had a 69-day nation-

wide lockdown, which wasfollowed by local and state-level restrictions to containthe spread of the pandemic.

Restrictions have eased onlyslowly and in phases, andlocalised restrictions in con-tainment zones remain.

"As a result, the recovery hasbeen patchy," it said.

steady decline in new andactive cases coronavirus casessince September, if maintained,

should enable further easing ofrestrictions.

"We, therefore, forecast agradual improvement in eco-nomic activity over the comingquarters," it said. "However,slow credit intermediation willhamper the pace of recoverybecause of an already weak-ened financial sector."

Moody's said the nascentglobal economic recovery isunder threat from risingCOVID-19 cases in the US andEurope. "All of the G-20 coun-

tries have sustained severeoutput losses this year, but thecontraction in some economiesis sharper than in others. Thepace of improvement will beasymmetric across countries,"it said. The recovery path isbeset by uncertainty and willremain highly dependent onthe development and distribu-tion of a vaccine, effectivepandemic management, andgovernment policy support.

"Overall, sustained econom-ic improvement is not possiblein countries where new wavesof the virus continue to causedisruption," it said.

For the G-20 advancedeconomies, it forecast a 5.1 percent contraction in 2020, fol-lowed by a growth of 4.2 percent in 2021 and 3.3 per centin 2022. "We forecast a verygradual improvement in eco-nomic activity of other emerg-ing market countries, namelyArgentina, Brazil, Mexico,India, Indonesia, Turkey andSouth Africa," it said.

Moody’s revises India ’20 GDP forecast

PNS n NEW DELHI

Pre-Diwali Dhanteras sales ofgold and silver kicked off onThursday but overall businessis likely to be a muted affair inview of sharp rise in prices andsubdued demand due to theCOVID-19 induced economichardship, according to jew-ellers and industry experts.

Although the buying senti-ment has improved after theCOVID-19 curbs were relaxed,consumers are still wary ofinvesting in precious metal atcurrent high rates, they said.

Jewellers also said they arerecycling old jewellery stock tomeet the festive and weddingseason demand.

Besides, a caution still pre-vails among people while com-ing out of their homes for shop-

ping amid rising COVID-19cases in key consuming mar-kets across the country, andconsumers in view of the pan-demic have made advancedbooking through online jew-ellery platforms, they added.

Dhanteras, considered the

most auspicious day in Hinducalendar for buying items,ranging from precious metalslike gold and silver to utensils,is being celebrated for twodays on Thursday and Fridaythis year.

Gold prices are ruling in the

range of Rs 51,000-53,000 per10 grams, more than 35 percent higher than Rs 38,096 per10 gram prevailed onDhanteras 2019.

Similarly, silver prices haveshot up to over Rs 62,000 perkg. Speaking to PTI, WorldGold Council (WGC)Managing Director (India)Somasundaram PR said, "Thefoot falls are better and people

are interested. Sales are recov-ering but it will not be as goodas last year during the sameperiod. The organised playerswill have better market share,bars and coins will do better."

Digital gold and otheronline platforms could findthis period very conducivefor increasing volumes and forbroadening the consumerbase, he said. Echoing similar

views, All India Gem andJewellery Domestic CouncilChairman AnanthaPadmanaban said the marketis recovering gradually and theconsumer sentiment is posi-tive. Jewellers are seeingincreased growth in footfallssince morning but need to seewhether the pent-up demandwill translate into sales, hesaid, adding that the buyingmomentum is expected topick up by evening across thecountry.

Malabar Gold andDiamonds ChairmanAhammed MP said the pre-Diwali Dhanteras has kickedoff with a decent buying sea-son amid pent-up customerdemand, revival of the econ-omy and positive consumersentiment.

High prices of gold, silver may dent sales this DiwaliAlthough the buying sentiment has

improved after the COVID-19 curbs

were relaxed, consumers are still

wary of investing in precious

metal at current high rates, Industry

experts said

PNS n FRANKFURT

German industrial equipmentand technology makerSiemens AG recorded a 28%increase in net profit to 1.88billion euros ($2.21 billion) inthe most recent quarter, boost-ed by a gain of 800 millioneuros from discontinued oper-ations, the Munich-basedcompany said on Thursday.

It gave an upbeat outlookfor 2021, saying the pandem-ic “will not have a long-lastingeffect” on the global economy.

The gain compared withprofit of 1.47 billion euros inthe July-September quarterlast year.

It was the last set of earningsat the 173-year-old companyunder CEO Joe Kaeser, who isturning over the top post inFebruary to current deputyRoland Busch.

Since taking over in 2013,Kaeser has led a restructuringthat included spinoffs of stakesin the energy and medical

equipment businesses “TheSiemens team delivered astrong finish to a remarkableyear,” Kaeser said in a state-ment. The quarterly profitrounded off the company's fullfiscal year, which saw an annu-al profit of 4.2 billion euroseven as the COVID-19 pan-demic disrupted the globaleconomy. The annual figuredeclined from 5.7 billion eurosin the previous fiscal year; thefiscal 2020 figure was heldback by a loss of 100 millioneuros from discontinued oper-ations compared with a gain of500 million from such opera-tions in 2019.

Siemens quarterlyprofit rises

PNS n MUMBAI

The rupee depreciated 28paise to close at 74.64 (pro-visional) against the US dol-lar on Thursday, as weakdomestic equities weighedon investor sentiments.

The local unit opened at74.44 against the greenback atthe interbank forex marketand finally settled at 74.64against the greenback, down28 paise over its last close.

During the session, thedomestic unit witnessed anintra-day high of 74.38 and alow of 74.74 against theAmerican currency.

On Wednesday, the rupeedeclined by 18 paise to closeat 74.36 against the US dol-lar. The dollar index, whichgauges the greenback'sstrength against a basket ofsix currencies, fell 0.22 percent to 92.83.

Rupee slumps28 paise againstUS dollar

PNS n DUBAI

Emirates Group, the owner ofthe Middle East's biggest carri-er, reported Thursday it lostUSD 3.8 billion in the first halfof the year, its first net loss inover three decades after thepandemic wiped out air travel.The state-owned company saidrevenue for its Dubai-based air-line, Emirates, had dropped 75per cent to USD 3.2 billion fromthe same period a year ago,

even with this year's 52 per centreduction in operating costsand rise in cargo traffic. Thelong-haul carrier parked its

planes for two months as virus-induced lockdowns took holdaround the world. Even whenrestrictions were loosened, pas-senger traffic was still down 95per cent from pre-pandemiclevels.

Emirates flew just 1.5 millionpassengers between April andSeptember. Last year, Emiratescarried around 58 million, help-ing Dubai's airport maintain itsclaim of the world's busiest forinternational travel.

PNS n NEW DELHI

Mortgage lender HDFC Ltdon Thursday said insuranceregulator Irdai has given thefinal nod for merger of HDFCERGO Health Insurance withHDFC ERGO GeneralInsurance.

In late September, theNational Company LawTribunal, Mumbai had okayedthe scheme of amalgamationbetween HDFC ERGO HealthInsurance (formerly ApolloMunich Health Insurance CoLtd) and HDFC ERGO GeneralInsurance Co Ltd (HDFCERGO).

"In this connection, we wishto inform that the InsuranceRegulatory and DevelopmentAuthority of India (Irdai) vide itsletter dated November 11, 2020,has given its final approval formerger of HDFC ERGO Health

with and into HDFC ERGO,"HDFC said in a regulatory fil-ing. The general and healthinsurance companies are thesubsidiaries of country's largestmortgage lender HDFC Ltd. Asper the scheme of amalgamationthrough a share swap deal, therewill be dissolution of HDFCERGO Health without windingup.

Under this, share exchangeratio of 100:385 has been okayedby the board of the subsidiarycompanies which would meanallocation of 385 shares inHDFC ERGO Health for 100shares in HDFC ERGO.

PNS n NEW DELHI

British premium motorcyclemaker Triumph Motorcyclessaid it has launched a pre-owned bike vertical in India.

Under the TriumphApproved programme, thecompany will offer pre-ownedbikes across its dealerships inthe country, the motorcyclemaker said in a statement. Thepre-owned motorcycles will gothrough a thorough checklistto ensure they provide the newcustomer with a genuineTriumph experience, it added."We continuously put efforts tocome up with innovative andpractical ideas to assist our cus-tomers. The program has beenintroduced basis our cus-tomers' demand for an officialpre-owned motorcycle busi-ness," Triumph MotorcyclesIndia Business Head ShoebFarooq said. With this pro-gramme, the company aims toattract new customers andenable them to own theirdream Triumph at an attractiveprice point, one-year warran-ty, and ensure required techni-cal checks for a smootherexperience, he added.

HDFC to merge itshealth, general insurance

TriumphMotorcyclesintroduces pre-owned bike vertical

State-owned Emirates posts$3.8 billion in half-year losses

PNS n NEW DELHI

The Commerce Ministry onThursday sought suggestionsfrom stakeholders, includingindustry and trade associa-tions, for the formulation ofnext FTP. The FTP providesguidelines for enhancingexports to push economicgrowth and create jobs.

The Directorate General of

Foreign Trade (DGFT), in atrade notice, said a Googleform has been created to col-late, analyse and process thesuggestions/ inputs.

Stakeholders are requestedto send their comments onlythrough this form rather thane-mail or paper based submis-sions within 15 days fromNovember 12, it added. "Theforeign trade policy (2015-

20) was extended for a year tillMarch 31, 2021. In order toprepare a new five year FTP,suggestions/inputs are invitedfrom various stakeholders,"the directorate said in a tradenotice to export promotioncouncils, commodity boards,trade/industry bodies/associ-ations/organisations, membersof trade and industry and allregional authorities of DGFT.

Centre seeks stakeholder tipsfor next foreign trade policy

PNS n NEW DELHI

India has imposed anti-dumping duty on clear floatglass, used in automobilesand refrigeration industries,from Malaysia for five yearswit h an a im to guarddomestic industry fromcheap imports.

The duty was imposedafter a recommendation wasmade by the commerceministry's investigation armDirectorate Genera l ofTrade Remedies (DGTR).

"The anti-dumping dutyimposed under this notifica-tion shall be effective for aperiod of five years (unlessrevoked, superseded oramended earlier)...and shallbe paid in Indian currency,"the department of revenuehas said in a notification.While DGTR recommendsthe duty, the finance min-istry takes the final call toimpose the same. The dutyimposed is in the range ofUSD 273 per tonne to USD326 per tonne.

Anti-dumping duty imposedon clear float glass

PNS n NEW DELHI

The Indian Renewable EnergyDevelopment Agency Ltd(IREDA) has sanctioned loansworth Rs 12,696 crore and hasdisbursed Rs 8,785 crore, sup-porting capacity addition of5,673 MW during 2019-20, aMinistry of New & Renewableenergy statement said.

At the 33rd Annual GeneralMeeting (AGM) of IREDA,the PSU under the Ministry ofNew & Renewable Energy,

held on November 11, theannual accounts for the finan-cial year 2019-20 were adopt-ed. Addressing the directorsand shareholders, PradipKumar Das, CMD, IREDA,highlighted the performanceof FY 2019-20 and informedthat gross income of the com-pany increased to Rs 2,372.38crore, registering a growth of17.32 per cent.

IREDA has sanctionedloans of Rs 12,696 crore anddisbursed Rs 8,785 crore.

IREDA sanctions loans worthRs 12.6K cr in 2019-20

FridayNovember 13, 2020

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CHILD-REARINGPaternity leave on priority?Paternal leaves have long been a hot topicof discussion. But when celebrities set the

trend, it gets people talking, writesSHIKHA DUGGAL as she talks to actor

Ruslaan Mumtaz and dads on the issue

irat Kohli will bemissing three outof the four testmatches inAustralia to bewith wife

Anushka Sharma as the cou-ple prepares to welcometheir first child in earlyJanuary. The BCCI hasgranted paternity leave tothe Indian captain. He willreturn after the first testagainst Australia inAdelaide. Hence, gone arethe days when it was onlywomen who would be athome taking care of theirchild and depend on themen functioning as thebread earners. Though,we’re to abide by the law ofnature of a mother having tobe available for her child24×7, emotionally and phys-ically as it’s the mother whodelivers the child, the fatherplays an equally importantrole too. A father is expect-

ed to be emotionally andphysically available for bothmother and child before andafter the delivery.

When dads take paternityleave, the whole family bene-fits. Fraternities don’t alwaysoffer paid parental leave tomen and even when they do,some men don’t feel they canjustify taking it. But if wewant fathers to be equal par-ents, they need an equalopportunity to parent inthose early weeks andmonths. That’s why we loveto see high-profile fatherstalking about paternity leave.

Actor Ruslaan Mumtaaz ishere to show the world howit’s done — by playing thisimportant role in raising hischild and that can changeattitudes everywhere.“Nurturing a child is notsomething that only my wifeis entitled to do, majority ofus men think that our dutybegins when the child

begins interacting with us.No, it doesn’t work like thatat all. Giving a child dueattention and care is not thesole job of a mother whohas brought him/her in thisbeautiful world. Luckily forus, Rayaan stepped into thisserene world amid the lock-down and I was there forhim 24×7. I bathed him,helped him expel gas by pat-ting his back, put him tosleep and also change hisdiapers. Hilariously, I wason a forced paternity leavefor which I am extremelythankful l, as it has totallychanged my perceptiontowards parenting it helpedme realise how importanttaking paternity leave is sowhy not apply this bestspent time on your selfgrowth as well,” shares theactor of Balika Vadhu fame.

Parenting is both themother and father’s respon-sibility. It is normal and

important for a man to bean equal partner in parent-ing. It was in 1999 whenIndian law legalised paterni-ty leave for male employeesbut only few organisationsfollow it. Although it wasonly for 15 days for fathersas compared to 26 days formothers because they areprimary caregivers. But still,many men are reluctant totake paternity leaves. Themajor reason could be thetoxic masculinity that per-ceives child-rearing andpaternity leave as womanly.The perspective relegatesthat men should befocussing on their careers,however, ArshdeepBhardwaj, who owns therenowned brand nameCrivly in Hyderabad says,“Family dynamics arechanging with time. While ababy brings joy, it alsobrings some drastic changesin your lives. Mommies can-

not deal with everything sofathers have to step up theirgame and come to their res-cue and that’s exactly whatVirat has done. Now, granti-ng paternity leaves in thecorporate sectors dependsupon the company’s diverseprotocols. Family policiesare always a hot topic in ourcorporate culture! Paidpaternity leaves does make adifference, parents can bondon a new level. Caregivingjust doesn’t limit to feeding,it also includes giving med-ical attention, ensuringinsurances, filing work andabundant affection towardsyour newly born. So, don’tthink twice to take time offfor your child.”

With the hope that pater-nity leaves give way to moregender equal relations, itwill mark the role of a fatheras well, in child rearingbecause it’s not just a moth-er’s last resort.

V

fter playing a whippy,warm and an extraordi-nary woman who’s headingfor numbers by consistent-ly entertaining audienceswith her latest edu-tain-

ment flick Shakuntala Devi,actress Vidya Balan is now asso-ciating with Cuemath, the mathlearning edtech platform as it’snew brand ambassador. Set up in2013 by visionary teacher andfounder Manan Khurma,Cuemath is among the top ed-tech brands in India havingimparted an impressive 25 mil-lion+ classes to more than 40,000students across geographies sofar and it continues to grow fromstrength to strength.

Mathematics is a one-of-a-kind subject that makes a manmethodical in life — it bringsorder to our life and preventschaos. It’s the cradle of all cre-ation without which, the worldperhaps can’t move. Everyoneneeds and uses basic math intheir day-to-day lives and the lat-est commercial by Cuemathtackles math in a fun manner bylaying out a situation where achild is able to order more pizzafor less money due to the appli-cation of math he’s been learningwith Cuemath, resulting in himmaking better decisions andmaximizing fun.

Excited about her associationon becoming Cuemath’s newface, Vidya Balan said, “I attend-ed a Cuemath demo class whileresearching for my last film.

Imagine my surprise when 45minutes into the demo, I learntto visualise math concepts withsimulations. I never thought Icould SEE Math! I was furtherastonished when the teacher gaveme an example saying two medi-um 8” pizzas have less pizza ascompared to one large 12” pizza.WOW, I have been ordering piz-zas the wrong way. It’s the area ofthe pizza that matters and notthe diameter! It’s this Cuemathway of making math fun andtaking the anxiety off it thatappealed to me immensly. This isthe future of learning.”

Anyone can learn math withproper guidance and Cuemath ishere to do this! It’s born with avision to help students learnmath the right way and over-come difficulties they face dueto traditional blackboard learn-ing. CEO Manan Khurma says,“With our classes, we havesteered clear of the traditionalboard teaching method. We helpchildren learn Math organicallyby visualising concepts from dif-ferent points of view, buildingtheir own mental models andalgorithms, developing logicalreasoning by finding multipleanswers, and applying math ineveryday thinking and problemsolving.”

So, the more mathematical weare in our approach, the moresuccessful we will be. Take thistool into your hands, log ontoCuemath and make your lifesimpler and easier.

Mathematics karo,

aagey badho

A

From Darkness to Light: This festival, donate!t is that magical time ofthe year when twinkling,glittering lights, are allover the place in theevenings, on the roads,malls, markets and

homes. Light from earthendiyas, candles, sky lanterns,fairy lights not only illumi-nate the darkest corners ofour homes, streets and thor-oughfares, but also light up aray of hope in our heartsand minds, dispelling fearand despair. After all, it isDeepawali, the festival oflights, which leads us fromdarkness to light. And yet, inthis extraordinary year (defi-nitely not for the right rea-sons) Diwali is already beingtouted as a dampener —hundreds of families whichwere affected by floods insome parts of the city arestill reeling under its effect,with their homes and pos-sessions damaged and thembeing dependent on relieffor sustenance.

Goonj, an NGO thatworks mainly towards usingsurplus material, usually old(and in rare cases, new too)clothes for recycling andhelping marginalisedwomen, has been working inflood affected localities ofHyderabad, but has beenstruggling with shortages ofrelief material, some of it,

thanks to public perceptions. “Somehow, people,

including corporate groupsthink that donating clotheswill help the flood-affectedwhen actually the need is totackle hunger and disease.Priority should be foodgrains and medicines, notclothes frankly,” says Arpita,who works full-time atGoonj, Hyderabad.

But kudos to the NGO forturning around and recy-cling scrap material into fes-tive and colorful bags, bask-ets, durries (mats) and dup-attas under its Green ByGoonj campaign. This year,they have also turned tosocial media to spread themessage and Goonj DiwaliLive Store on Instagram istrending fairly well. So arethe jholas/denim bags,masks, scrunchies sold bythe Green by Goonj onAmazon this festive season.

Elsewhere, foodpreneursand entrepreneurs, whoseDiwali business plans, espe-cially related to corporategifting, have gone kaput thispandemic-struck year, aregoing ahead with newlaunches and innovations.“We are working on about30 corporate gifting hampersfrom our brand The GoodBox, which made premium-end, luxury gift hampers for

corporates, this year, withfewer goodies, compared tothe hundreds did earlier,”shares Nimisha Dugar, co-owner at Morsel & Tisane,along with her husband

Amrit Dugar. “We used todo about 3-4 pre-Diwalicatering parties, but that’s athing of the past now. Butsweets, especially Indianmithai is something, which

no Indian family can dowithout during Diwali. Sowe wanted to launch amithai brand withIndianness at its core onthose lines,” adds Nimisha.

And so, Barfi —Handcrafted GourmetMithai was launched by theDugars just around Dussera.While the base maybe theubiquitous motichoor lad-doos or barfi, the flavouring

(natural extracts, no essen-ces or preservatives or Daldais the promise) could be alittle more global, like rasp-berry, lavender and even achampagne or vodka or waitfor this, a JagerBomb one!Or how about Persian LoveBarfi or even a LemonRaspberry Truffle one thisseason? The traditionalistscan be happy with the totallyIndian paan gulkandcoconut laddu. And the lux-ury-obsessed will order in24-karat gold leaf laddus orthe matcha truffles and theWhite chocolate, pistachioand cranberry truffle.

Newbie restaurant inFilmnagar, Cravery whichopened and then shut rightbefore lockdown, reopeningin August and wowing din-ers with its unique line ofdesserts, has also launchedan avant garde array of

Diwali treats which arebound to create ripples, bothfor the taste and the smart-ness of their crafting. Forexample, the local delightKaddu Halwa has beengiven a “tarty” makeoveralong with its more popularcousin Gajar Ka Halwa andpresented as part of the fes-tive delights are CalabashCheese Tart and GajorerCheese Tart. The first beinga “buttery kaddu halwa tartdressed with ras malaicream” and the second a“crumbly gajar halwa tarttopped with swirls of rasmalai cream”. Even theAndhra sweet Pu-ran Poli(polelu) is beingturned around in acookie version, theUbbatti cookie,“puffy puran polisandwich stuffedwith creamy

lentils" Tempting much?And all of my privileged

and well-to-do friends andreaders who can afford tohelp themselves to these go-urmet mithai and desserts,please also take some timeand money out for donatingto the less privileged, thisDiwali. As NGOs like Goonjare exhorting, please donatenew clothes if possible, aswell as utensils, blankets, dryrations and the like. Orendorse their productsonline, like those bags andmats by Goonj.

And yes, dear readers,wish you all A HappyDiwali!!

SWATI SUCHARITA, Senior journalist

I

ne of this year’smost anticipatedBollywoodmovies, Laxmiistarring Akshay

Kumar and KiaraAdvani that wasreleased has gone onto shatter records!Within hours of itsrelease the movie hasbroken all previousrecords set byany otherBollywoodblock-buster tobecomethe

movie with thebiggest opener for anOTT platform. Thehorror-comedy moviethat sees AkshayKumar in a never-before-seen role oftransgender piquedthe interest of mil-lions of fans whologged in to catch thefirst day first show of

the blockbusterfilm and made

it the mostwatchedmovie onthe plat-form.ActorAkshayKumar

said, “Iam over-whelmed

and over-joyed bytheresponsethatLaxmiireceived.It’s heart-ening toknow thataudi-encesand fansfrom

across the countrylogged on to watchthe movie withinhours of its release.Who doesn’t lovebeating records –whether it’s at thebox-office or openingnight on streamingplatforms. Nothing iscomparable to thisfeeling of euphoria.”Laxmii is the story ofa man possessed bythe ghost of a trans-gender. The familyentertainer has beendirected by RaghavaLawrence the filmalso stars AyeshaRaza Mishra, SharadKelkar, Tarun Arora,Ashwini Kalsekar,Manu Rishi Chadha,Rajesh Sharma andothers.

inger-actorSelena Gomezwill play SilviaVasquez-Lavado,the Peruvianmountaineer

and social entrepreneur ina biopic to be helmed byMayans MC co-creatorElgin James.

According to TheHollywood Reporter, thefilm is titled In the Shadowof the Mountain and isbased onan

upcoming memoir of thesame name by Vasquez-Lavado.

Vasquez-Lavado whobecame the first Peruvianwoman to summit MountEverest and the first openlygay woman to complete theSeven Summits, a challengeto climb the highest moun-tain on each continent.

Her story has foundhome in One Community,an impact-focused co-finance company whichbacked Michael B Jordan’slegal drama Mercy, givenshe is a victim of childhoodassault and neglect whofound healing and power inmountaineering.

Vasquez-Lavado’s workin survivor circles has beenheralded, particularly herefforts to organise treks toMt Everest’s base camp forother women who haveendured abuse.

Gomez will also producethrough her July MoonProductions. Vasquez-Lavado and Lara LoveHardin of Idea Architectsare on board to executiveproduce.

Oscar winner DonnaGigliotti and her

Tempesta Films bannerare producing.

10

Vijayawada Friday November 13 2020

FUN

Rules

ARCHIE

GARFIELD

SUDOKU

REALITY CHECK SPEED BUMP CROSSWORD

GINGER MEGGS

NANCY

CALVIN AND HOBBES

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

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

Yesterday’s solution

what’s brewing?

SANIA MIRZA setfor digital debut asherself in fiction series

ennis ace Sania Mirzawill make her digitaldebut with the series,MTV Nishedh AloneTogether, and says theshow aims to raise

awareness about tuberculo-sis (TB). Sania will playherself in the fic-tion series.

A digitalspin-off ofthe TV show“MTVNishedh,which pre-miered inJanuary thisyear, the“self-shot-at-home” seriesspotlights theneed to raiseawarenessaround TBand

throw light on the impor-tance of proper medica-tion, especially in theCovid-19 era.

“TB continues to be oneof the most chronic healthissues in our country. With

about half of the diag-nosed cases under

the age of 30,there is anurgent needto tackle fal-lacies aroundit and drive aperceptionchange,”Sania said.

“MTVNishedh Alone

Together con-veys that in a

unique andimpactful

way.

The youth of today is moreaware, sensitive, and con-scious about issues thatplague our country. TB is acontinuing menace, and itsimpact has only worsenedthrough the pandemic. Thefight to curb TB is moredifficult now than ever andthat’s what prompted me tocome on board. As some-one who is in a place ofinfluence, I hope my pres-ence helps in some way tocollectively fight the soci-etal conventions and bringabout a positive change,”she added.

The show will explorethe challenges of a youngcouple, Vicky and Megha(played by Syed RazaAhmed and PriyaChauhan). Sania will beseen discussing the chal-lenges young couples faced

during the lockdown.The show also featuresAkshay Nalwade andAshwin Mushran.

The five-episodeseries will launchon the social mediahandles of MTVIndia and MTVNishedh in thelast week ofNovember.

T

s o

Amazon Prime Video green-lights Mirzapur 3mazon PrimeVideo onThursdayannouncedthey wererenewing

popular crime dramaseries Mirzapur for athird season.

The season two of theshow, which became themost-watched show onthe streamer in Indiawithin just seven days ofits release, debuted lastmonth.

The second season ofMirzapur not onlyrecorded one of the highest completionrates but remarkably

almost half of the viewerswho completed theseries, binge-watched thesecond season within just48 hours of its launch,setting a new bench-

mark, the streamer said in a release.

The second seasonalso saw a new set ofactors such as VijayVarma, PriyanshuPainyuli, and Isha Talwar being introduced.

The second seasonwas watched in over 180 countries withinseven days of its releaseon the service, therelease said. AparnaPurohit, Head of IndiaOriginals, Amazon

Prime Video India said,the overwhelmingresponse on the new sea-son of Mirzapur is a tes-tament to the streamer'scommitment and efforts.

“Over the last twoyears, viewers continued

to engage with theimmersive universe ofMirzapur and its charac-ters. The love that they have showered onthe show for this seasonhas been unprecedent-ed,” Purohit said in astatement. RiteshSidhwani, Producer,Excel Entertainment,said, “Across two grip-ping seasons, Mirzapurhas become a global sensation and we could-n’t be happier associatingwith Amazon PrimeVideo to make this hap-pen! The show’s massivefandom and the viewers’magnitude of lovetowards the new seasonwas seen through reac-tions on social mediawithin days of its release,and we are truly hum-bled by the response.”

a

Selena Gomez set to play mountaineerSilvia Vasquez-Lavadoin biopic

Akshay Kumar, KiaraAdvani starrer Laxmii

shatters records!

PTI n MELBOURNE

The prodigiously talented pairof Will Pucovski andCameroon Green were

among five uncapped playerspicked Thursday in a 17-memberAustralian Test squad for the big-ticket four-match series againstIndia, starting December 17.

The other uncapped Test play-ers in the Tim Paine-led side arefast bowler Sean Abbott leading tohis tragic death — leg-spinnerMitchell Swepson and all-rounderMichael Neser.

All the players who are yet towear the Baggy Green have beencalled on the back of extraordinaryperformances in the domestic cir-cuit in recent times, CricketAustralia said.

Cricket Australia’s nationalselector Trevor Hohns said theShield performances augur well forthe country’s cricketing future.

“Two of those many standoutplayers were of course CameronGreen and Will Pucovski,” Hohnssaid in a statement.

Each of these players, though,has represented Australia in otherformats.

Up against a strong Indianline-up and seeking to regain theBorder-Gavaskar Trophy they lostfor the first time in 2018-19, thefresh faces in the Australian Testsquad will join the seasoned starswho dominated their most recentTest series’ — against Pakistan and

N e wZealand athome.

The perfor-mance took the team tothe top of the world rank-ings before the COVID-19pandemic hit.

The limited overs leg,which will comprise threeODIs and as many T20Is,will be held prior to the Testseries, starting November 27.

World’s number one pacer PatCummins was named Paine’sdeputy in the Test team.

The selectors also named a 19-member Australia A squad, whichincludes nine members from theTest team, for tour matches againstIndia.

In recent times, past Australiangreats have called for Pucovski’sselection in the team following hisfine run in domestic cricket —the 22-year-old struck successivedouble centuries in his twoShield appearances.

His inclusion sets up acompetition with fellow open-er Joe Burns, who is feelingthe heat after a disastrousstart to the first-class sum-mer.

In all likelihood,Pucovski will partnerthe seasoned DavidWarner at thetop.

“Theirundeniable

f o r mdemanded selec-

tion and we are verypleased to have these young

men in the squad for what willbe a tremendous Test Series

against an extremely formidableopponent,” Hohns said.

sport 11VIJAYAWADA| FRIDAY | NOVEMBER 13, 2020

PTI n ST. JOHN'S (ANTIGUA)

West Indies all-rounderRoston Chase has been

elevated to Test vice-captaincywhile wicketkeeper NicholasPooran will continue as deputyin T20Is in the upcoming tourof New Zealand, startingNovember 27.

Chase replaced openerKraigg Brathwaite, who wasJason Holder's deputy in theseries against England in July,while the 25-year-old Pooran,first named the West Indiesvice-captain in 2019, retainedhis position.

“Nicholas Pooran contin-ues in the role of vice-captainof the T20I Team for the tourof New Zealand. He was firstnamed vice-captain for thisformat for the series againstAfghanistan in 2019,” CricketWindies’ chief selector, RogerHarper, said.

Chase, 28, has so far played35 Test matches, scoring fivecenturies and collecting threefive-wicket hauls with his off-spin bowling.

“Roston Chase has beenappointed vice captain of theWest Indies Test Team for thistour of New Zealand. He is anexperienced player who is tac-tically aware and very purpose-ful in his approach to thegame,” Harper said.

“He is readily willing to

offer advice and discuss ideaswith his fellow players and thecoaches and I think will offergood leadership support tocaptain Jason Holder both onand off the field,” he added.

Chase has already landedin New Zealand while Pooran,who was part of the recently-concluded Indian PremierLeague, is expected to reach onThursday along with the otherplayers who competed at thetournament, including T20Iskipper Kieron Pollard, Testcaptain Holder, Fabian Allen,Shimron Hetmyer, KeemoPaul and Oshane Thomas.

“I see this as anotheropportunity to learn and growin the game. I was vice- cap-tain for the tour of Sri Lankaearlier this year, so this is con-tinuation of that work. It’salways good to share yourknowledge as we look to con-tinue the winning mentality,”Pooran said.

“I have been makingstrides in Test cricket since mydebut back in 2016 and I seethis new role as vice-captain asan honour. It is just for me totry and carry on and try toachieve great things for WestIndies,” Chase said.

“It is all about offeringsupport to the captain, coachand other players as we try toplan strategy and put morewins on the board,” he added.

PTI n KARACHI

The Pakistan Cricket Board(PCB) on Thursday extended

batting coach Younis Khan’s con-tract till 2022 T20 World Cup inAustralia.

The PCB said it had receivedpositive feedback about Younis’role during tour of England, whichpaved way for is contract exten-sion.

“I am delighted that Youniswill now be with for, at least, thenext two years as our battingcoach. The feedback we receivedabout Younis' impact in a shortperiod of time in England was

excellent,” Pakistan CricketBoard Chief Executive WasimKhan said.

“His work ethics, commit-

ment and knowledge are second tonone, and I am confident that hisappointment will benefit a num-ber of talented batsmen.”

When not on national duty,Younis will work at the HighPerformance Centre at Karachi,where he'll be joined by anotherPakistan legend MohammedYousuf.

“The PCB will also be utilis-ing Younis Khan’s expertise andskills when he is not on nationalduty as he will help local batsmenhone their skills.”

“This is part of the PCB's strat-egy to appoint highly-qualified andrespected coaches across all major

centres of the country so that wecan start producing cricketerswho can represent Pakistan withdistinction,” Wasim added.

He also led Pakistan to itsmaiden T20 World Cup triumphin 2009.

“I am pleased to join thePakistan cricket set-up on a long-term basis,” Younis said on his part.

“I felt honoured when I wasgiven the opportunity this summerand thoroughly enjoyed my time,and I now look forward to contin-uing the work with the samegroup of people on an importanttour of New Zealand,” Younissaid.

PTI n DUBAI

The BCCI is commit-ted towards hosting a

safe and healthy ICCT20 World Cup nextyear and “will leave nostone unturned” in itsendeavour, board secre-tary Jay Shah said as thecountdown for themuch-anticipated eventbegan on Thursday.

The ICC T20 WorldCup was scheduled inAustralia in October-November this year buthad to be postponed to2022 owing to theCOVID-19 pandemic.

India, however, willbe hosting the 2021 edi-tion of the global eventas per schedule inOctober-November.

“The BCCI will leaveno stone unturned inensuring that the healthand safety of everyoneconcerned in this show-piece event is taken careof,” Shah was quoted assaying in an ICC state-ment.

The board secretarypromised that all the 15visiting teams will get ataste of India's warmhospitality.

“While we are deter-mined to provide a richcricket-viewing experi-ence, I would also like toassure the ICC andMember Boards thatIndia is known for itswarm hospitality and wewill make you feel athome.”

He also ensured thatin these unprecedented

times, the BCCI will doeverything possible to"innovate and adapt”itself in challenging con-ditions.

“In these times ofpandemic, when thereare severe restrictions,the BCCI believes in thepolicy of innovating andadapting, and I am con-fident that we will over-come every challenge.”

The seventh editionof the men’s T20 WorldCup comes five yearsafter the event was lastheld in India. It will alsobe the first global crick-et event since the ICCWomen’s T20 World Cupin Australia earlier thisyear.

For BCCI presidentSourav Ganguly, it willbe a different challengeas an administrator, hav-ing played and captainedin multiple events as aplayer.

“I have enjoyedbeing part of ICC eventsas a player and knowfrom experience thatnothing beats thebuzzing atmosphere of aglobal cricket event withmillions around theworld watching everygame.

“I now look forwardto playing my part as anadministrator as we pre-pare to host the presti-gious event,” saidGanguly, confident thatIndia would uphold itstradition of organisingsuccessful global eventssince the 1987 WorldCup.

PTI n NEW DELHI

Ethiopia’s Andamlak Belihu and TsehayGemechu will return to defend their men’s

and women’s titles respectively in the 16thedition of the Airtel Delhi Half Marathon onNovember 29.

The Ethiopian pair will both be aimingfor an unprecedented third successive victo-ry in the prestigious IAAF Gold Label RoadRace.

“This has been a difficult year, foreveryone around the world, not just profes-sional athletes, due to the COVID-19 pan-demic and I have been training alone muchmore than that I am normally used to.

“But my fifth place at the World AthleticsHalf Marathon Championships last monthhas assured me that I am in good shape andI am confident I can put up a good defenceof my title,” said Belihu.

Ethiopia’s Guye Adola will return to Delhifor the first time since he set the courserecord of 59:06 in 2014.

An unprecedented 13 men in the ADHM2020 elite field have run under the world classbench mark of one hour, and five of themhave run faster than Belihu in their careers.

The fastest man in the field is Bahrain’s2018 World Athletics Half MarathonChampionships Silver medallist AbrahamCheroben, who holds the Asian record forthe distance with 58:40.

Two other men to watch out will be theEthiopian pair of Amdework Walelegn, whowas second in Delhi last year and also took

the Bronze medal at 2020 World AthleticsHalf Marathon Championships, and 2017and 2019 world 5000m champion MuktarEdris, who will be making his half marathondebut.

Last year, Gemechu improved her ownwomen’s course record by 50 seconds whenshe ran a stunning personal best of 66 min-utes. She will have a host of outstand-ing rivals in this year’s race, arguably thestrongest women’s field ever seen in the his-tory of the ADHM with seven women hav-ing run under 67 minutes.

Among them are two of her compatri-ots, Yalemzerf Yehualaw and NetsanetGudeta.

The in-form Yehualaw finished secondin the ADHM last year, just a second behindGemechu.

She grabbed the third place at the WorldAthletics Half Marathon Championshipslast month with a personal best of 65:19.While Gudeta finished eighth in Poland buthelped Ethiopia bag the team gold and wasthe 2018 world half marathon champion.

Both the men’s and women’s races havea first prize cheques of USD 27,000 with atotal prize purse (combined men andwomen) of USD 233,270.

This year's ADHM will be held in a bio-secure bubble with only an estimated 60 eliteinternational and Indian runners in action.

Non-elite runners of all abilities will havea chance to participate virtually from anylocation, running at any time betweenNovember 25-29.

AP n FRANCE

Finland stunned WC win-ner France 2-0 in a friend-

ly as the hosts were punishedfor missing a number ofchances.

First-half goals fromwinger Marcus Forss andstriker Onni Valakari gave theFinns an unexpected win,which had looked even moreunlikely after France carvedopen the visiting defence earlyon.

Forward Marcus Thuram,could have made a scoringdebut at Stade de FranceThuram almost scored withhis first chance for Francewhen he headed against thecrossbar from close range inthe 16th minute. Two minuteslater, Thuram volleyed overanother good opportunityfrom close range and tried hisluck with a speculative curlingshot a few minutes later.

With Thuram probingdown the left and combining

well with striker Wissam BenYedder, the French looked intotal control only to concedetwice in quick succession.

After midfielder MoussaSissoko gave the ball away inthe 28th, Forss charged intothe penalty area and finishedconfidently with a drivingshot. Three minutes later, theValakari curled a shot pastgoalkeeper Steve Mandanda

from the edge of the penaltyarea.

France had a lot of thepossession in the second halfyet created little until the lat-ter stages.

PORTUGAL WIN 7-0Cristiano Ronaldo scored

once in Portugal’s 7-0 rout ofAndorra in a friendly, movinga step closer to becoming the

all-time top scorer for anational team.

Ronaldo reached 102goals with Portugal to sitseven shy of the 109 scored byformer Iran striker Ali Daei,the only other male soccerplayer to surpass the 100-goalmilestone for a national team.Ronaldo broke the centurymark after scoring twice inPortugal’s Nations League winover Sweden in October.

Ronaldo entered thematch after halftime at theStadium of Light in Lisbon.He made it 6-0 with a close-range header in the 85thminute after having squan-dered a few good chances.

He had replaced PedroNeto, the 20-year-oldWolverhampton forward whowas making his national teamdebut and opened the scoringfor Portugal in the eighthminute. Paulinho, who wasalso making his Portugaldebut, added to the lead in the29th and Renato Sanches

scored in the 56th.

GERMANY BEAT CZECH Lucas Waldschmidt’s early

goal was enough for an inex-perienced Germany team tobeat the Czech Republic 1-0 intheir friendly game.

Germany goalkeeperKevin Trapp made a late saveto deny Matej Vydra an equal-izer for the visitors, who werewithout two players due topositive coronavirus tests. Thegame was played without fansto minimize the risk of infec-tions.

Germany coach JoachimLöw handed debuts to bothPSV Eindhoven defenderPhilipp Max and Wolfsburgdefender Ridle Baku.

SPAIN, DUTCH DRAWDonny van de Beek put

his Manchester United trou-bles behind him to score theequalizer as the Netherlandscame from a goal down todraw 1-1 with Spain in a

friendly at the Johan CruyffArena.

Van de Beek has strug-gled to establish himself as afirst-team player inManchester but felt right athome back at the stadiumwhere he rose to prominencewith Ajax as he drilled a lowshot past Unai Simon in the47th minute.

It was a fourth match incharge without a win forNetherlands coach Frank deBoer, whose record is now aloss and three draws.

ITALY WIN 4-0 Vincenzo Grifo scored

his first two goals for Italy ina 4-0 win over Estonia in afriendly as the host won com-fortably despite missing anumber of players and itscoach because of coronavirusinfections.

Federico Bernardeschialso scored in the first half,while Riccardo Orsolini con-verted a penalty four minutes

from time. Italy was withoutcoach Roberto Mancini andseveral players because of thecoronavirus.

BELGIUM WIN 2-1Striker Michy Batshuayi

scored twice to help amakeshift Belgium side comefrom behind to beatSwitzerland 2-1 in a friendlygame.

The Crystal Palace for-ward showed clinical effi-ciency to convert Belgium’stwo best chances in thesecond half afterSwitzerland deservedlytook the lead with anearly goal that rewardedits intense pressing.

Ahead of upcomingNations League matchesagainst England andDenmark, Belgium coachRoberto Martinez playedmostly his backups and hand-ed debuts to youngsters DodiLukebakio, Hannes Delcroixand Charles De Ketelaere.

AP n LONDON

Liverpool’s injury problems mountedwith defender Joe Gomez leaving

England duty with a knee injury sustainedin training.

England manager Gareth Southgate saidthe severity of the injury was still

unclear.“What was upsetting was to

see he was in a fair bit of pain,”Gomez said.

“No one was aroundhim when the injury hap-pened.”

Liverpool alreadyhas center back Virgilvan Dijk out for a

lengthy spell with a kneeinjury, Fabinho sidelined witha thigh injury and right backTrent Alexander-Arnold outwith a thigh problem.

England plays Ireland onThursday in a friendly ahead of

Nations League games againstBelgium and Iceland.

PUCOVSKI GETS CALL UP FOR INDIA TESTS“Cameron has already won

selection in the white-ball squadand continues that in joining theTest squad. He is a wonderfulyoung talent who has greatpotential to become an all-rounder of substance over time.His batting alone has demandedhis place in the squad.”

Pucovski has been in stun-ning form in the openingrounds of the Shield games,

amassing 495 runs at anunbelievable average of247.50 in his two matches.

“His ability to showsuch patience is some-thing which stands himin good stead for Testcricket and he is in rarecompany with two dou-ble centuries to startthe summer.

“We very much lookforward to Will developing

further on the internationalstage,” Hohns said.

Australia Test squad: TimPaine (c), Sean Abbott, JoeBurns, Pat Cummins, CameronGreen, Josh Hazlewood, TravisHead, Marnus Labuschagne,Nathan Lyon, Michael Neser,

James Pattinson, WillPucovski, Steve Smith,

Mitchell Starc,Mitchell Swepson,

Matthew Wade,David Warner

PTI n NEW DELHI

Former England skipper MichaelVaughan feels Australia will

“quite easily” win the upcomingBorder-Gavaskar Trophy againstIndia as talismanic batsman ViratKohli will not be there for the finalthree matches of the four-Test series.

“No Virat Kohli for three Testsin Australia...The right decision

going to be at the birth of his firstchild...but it means Australia willwin the series quite easily IMO ..#JustSaying,” Vaughan said in atweet.

Kohli will, however, feature inthree ODIs and as many T20Iswhich will be played before the firstTest — a pink-ball fixture — ofwhich the Indian skipper will be apart of.

‘In Kohli’s absence, Auswill easily win Test series’ The other

uncappedTest playersin the TimPaine-led

side are fastbowler Sean

Abbottleading to histragic death -

leg-spinnerMitchell

Swepson andall-rounder

MichaelNeser.

Pooran retainsplace for NZ tour

Younis is Pak batting coach will 2022 T20 WC BCCI committedto deliver safe2021 T20 WC

Belihu and Gemechu to defend ADHM titles

Finland stun World Champions France

Finland's Onni Valakari, second right, is congratulated by teammates afterscoring the team's second goal AP

Gomez out forindefinite period

alyaan Dhev, who hascommenced the film-ing of SridharSeepana’s untitled fam-ily entertainer some-time back, has now

green-lit Aswathama directorRamana Teja’s second film. Ram

Talluri’s SRT Entertainments isproducing it jointly withSubham Entertainments. Itwas launched in Hyderabadon Thursday, with VenuUdugula and VenkyKudumula gracing it asguests. Kalki fame DesharajSaitej has penned the film’sstory, while Mahati SwaraSagar is on board formusic. Suresh Ragutu willbe the director of cine-matography.

Speaking to ThePioneer, film’s directorRamana said he lovedthe treatment of thestory. “It is a love

story which willunfold like a

suspensethriller,” hestated. Onhis choiceofKalyaan,he saidhe wason the

lookout for a mainstream actorwho hasn’t been explored much asan actor. “Kalyaan was that. Hewas a boy next door in Vijetha butwhen I saw some photo shootstills of him with a beard duringthe lockdown, I felt I found mylead. I was travelling with writerDesharaj around that time withthe story. It was an instant yesfrom Kalyaan after the narration.”

Ramana is looking to take theHyderabad-set film to floors fromnext month. “It will be shot inmultiple schedules with propersafety measures in place. The ideais to wrap it up by February-end,”he revealed.

While he is looking at theatreactors to fill the supporting actors’category, he did sign on hisfemale lead. “Ann Sheetal(Malayalam Ishq fame) has beenroped in as the leading lady. Herchoice too, boiled down to thefact that she is fairly new. I wantthe story to be highlighted,” henoted.

With Aswathama ending up asan average grosser, Ramana wantsto strike it big with the untitledproject. “I gave my 100 percent tomy maiden film but you know ithappens in the industry… Thistime around, I’m careful as I’velearned from my mistakes and Idon’t want to repeat them again,”he asserted. — NG

12

Vijayawada Friday November 13 2020tollywood

unarnavi Bhupalam isa little nervous aheadof what will be herbiggest solo releasecareer-wise, CommitMental. The five-

episode web series, an officialremake of Permanent Roommates,drops on aha from today. But sheadmits to have given all she got toit. “My character Anu gave a lot ofscope to exhibit a wide range ofemotions. I gave my 100 percentto it,” she tells us.

It was through TamadaMedia that she landed the pro-

ject. “I have good connec-tions with them and theyapproach me frequentlywhenever they find some-thing appropriate for me. Itis how they first spoke

about PermanentRoommates remake

sometime back, askingme to audition for thelead role. I watched theshow when it firststreamed in 2014, andI’m a big fan of it. Iwas in immediately

after the audition,”she recalls, adding

that she neverfelt nervous

aboutmatchingup to the

stan-

dards set by Nidhi Singh. “I waspretty confident about my partbefore we went to the floors. I wassure that I would give it my owntake as my body language is dif-ferent to that of Tanya (Nidhi). Itwas a challenging role but thenmy theatre stint came in handy.”

Director Pavan Sadineni, whostepped into the show at theeleventh hour as a director afteroriginal choice Kowshik Beemidicouldn’t take it up due to healthreasons, was another factor thathelped her craft immensely. “Theproject looks like a new showaltogether because of what Pavanbrought to the table as ashowrunner-director. It was toughfor me to shoot after the lock-down but Pavan’s entry meantthat I and Udhav could focussolely on our work. He was veryclear with his vision and ensuredthat everything went smooth. If itwasn’t for him, the project would-n’t have been ready for Diwali,”she rhapsodizes.

She goes on, “The way he inter-acts with his actors helped me alot as it built a lot of confidence inme. He is not someone whoboasts off his credentials. For himwhat counted the most was thescreenplay and how effectively henarrated the story. The project is aremake at the end of the day buthe owned it. The originalstreamed seven years ago whenresources were, to an extent, lim-ited. Now, we are in 2020 andresources are unlimited. He usedall these to his advantage.”

Giving a peek into her roleAnu, she shares that itis going to be thesame as the originalbut at the same timedifferent. “Anu is anindependent, strong

and level-headed young womanwho is soft inside but hard out-side. She loves her boyfriendPhani (played by UdbhavRaghunandan), with whom she isin a long-distance relationship ofthree years, immensely. So, whenall of a sudden he lands in front ofher door and pops up the mar-riage question, she gets a shock.It’s a difficult piece of news forher to digest. She is practicalabout a lot of things and doesn’tbelieve in rushing. Phani, on theother hand, is impulsive,” shestates.

The show hinges a lot on thechemistry between the lead pairand Punarnavi mentions that ittook time for her to break the icewith Udbhav. “Back in March,when we participated in the testshoot, it wasn’t easy. We wereuncomfortable and it was awk-ward too as we barely knew eachother. After Pavan joined us, itbecame easier. We went out,spoke about personal lives and gotto know each other, which helpedimmensely for our roles. Onshoot days whenever I didn’t likeanything he did, I’d tell himpolitely. It was vice-versa withhim as well. Combined withPavan, we became best of bud-dies,” she notes fondly.

Her monologue in the trailerreceived thumbs-up from every-one and she states that it was thesame dialogue she was asked toreel during the audition. “Onactual shoot day, all it took for meto give a right take was two shots,”she concludes with a grin.

Punarnavi Bhupalam spoke toNAGARAJ GOUD on landing

Permanent Roommates remake,giving the role her own take and

breaking the ice with co-star UdbhavRaghunandan among other things

FOUND ANU CHALLENGINGBUT MY THEATRE STINT ANDPAVAN HELPED: PUNARNAVIP

With megastar Chiranjeevi

quarantined at homeafter testing positive for COVID-19,

Koratala Siva resumed the filming ofAcharya in Hyderabad on Thursday

— three days behind the originalplan. The director is filming portions

that don’t involve Chiru as of now.In the socio-political entertainer,

Chiru plays the role of an ex-naxalitewho fights to protect nature’s natural

resources. Kajal Aggarwal has beencast opposite him, while Ram Charan

will be playing a significantsupporting role.

ACHARYABACK ON SETS

Avik

a G

or

is in love

opular actressAvika Gor onWednesday con-firmed that she isdating MilindChandwani, who

runs an NGO called CampDiaries. The diminutiveactress, who played the lead-ing lady in films like CinemaChoopista Maava, UyyalaJampala and Raju Gari Gadhi3, met Milind during one ofhis NGO workshops. As theystarted working on the causeof various projects, they gotto know each other wellbefore love blossomed.

Sharing pictures withMilind from a Goa vacay,Avika wrote on Instagram,“La vie en rose. My prayershave been answered. I havefound the love of my life!(Shiroo ke alava) This kindhuman is mine. And I’m his..forever..We all deserve a part-ner that understands us,believes in us, inspires us,helps us grow & trulycares for us. But, most of usfeel that it's impossible to findsuch a partner. So, it feels likea dream, but it’s real! So so soreal! I pray for all of you .. Iwant u all to feel what I’mfeeling today….(sic).”

The actress added thatmarriage is not the cards inthe near future. “My heart isso full and the feeling is pre-cious. I thank God for givingme this experience that’sgoing to be most importantchapter of my life... Haha...Nahi nahi, not getting mar-ried or anything so soon...Lekin log kya kahenge waalethoughts toh ab jaa chukehai.. isiliye is pyaar ke baaremein khule aam batanachahti thi.. I feel so blessedand I feel this emotion rightnow for someone who

entered my life with theintention of just making mesmile.. Today I can proudlysay that this idiot is makingmy heart smile.. I love youfrom the bottom of my heart.Thanks for completing me(sic),” she concluded her noteon Instagram.

Milind, too, confirmedtheir relationship on his veri-fied Instagram account onWednesday.

He wrote, “Life is reallyunpredictable and you findthe right people when youleast expect them. This kindsoul entered my life to helpme create a larger impact withthe children that I workedwith. She got so immersed inour work that I almost forgotthat she was a well-knowncelebrity. She hosted our train-ings at her house, taught ourkids drama and dance, tookcare of them when we traveledfor competitions, helped usraise more funds and so muchmore. Her kindness, humilityand cheerful nature kept mein awe of her everyday. Shestood with me when thingsgot really hard and ensuredthat I never felt low.”

“Today, I’m happy to sharethat this beautiful soul is anintegral part of my life. Nono, not getting married yet,but yes, we are together. I loveher. Oh wait, she’s readingthis as well. I love you, beau-tiful,” he added.

Avika is right now shootingfor an untitled Telugu project,which is the official remakeof Marathi hit Happy Journey.A fantasy drama, it narratesstory of a sister (played byAvika) who helps her brother(Naveen Chandra) to makethe journey back to happinessafter an unfortunate eventshatters him inside.

P

K

Kalyaan Dhev, AnnSheetal team up forRamana Teja’s next

ith Nuvvu Thopuraa dashing hishopes of finding his footing inTelugu cinema, actor SudhakarKomakula is out to try his luck asa lead once again. He is introduc-ing Nuvvu Thopura’s story writer

Ajju Mahakali as a director with the filmtitled Reset. Ajju, who has a diploma infilmmaking from Newyork FilmAcademy, said that Sudhakar agreed to dothe film immediately after the narration.“It’s a crime comedy thriller whichunfolds during lockdown 1.0. Sudhakarplays a unique role in it. His world opensup after the lockdown. The filming willbegin from next month,” the directorsaid. Sukha Studios, Highlight Visualsand Kaaraboondhi Productions are joint-ly producing it.

Sudhakar’s nextin the backdropof lockdown 1.0

W