HYDERABAD, FRIDAY JANUARY 8, 2021; PAGES 12 `3

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‘BEAUTIFUL SIGHT’: CHINA GOESONLINE TO MOCK US CAPITOL CHAOS

IVANKA CALLS RIOTERS ‘AMERICANPATRIOTS’, THEN DELETES TWEET

MUMBAI HOMES MAY BECOMECHEAPER AS LEVIES ARE SLASHED

ELON MUSK IS CLOSE TO TOPPLINGJEFF BEZOS AS WORLD'S RICHEST

China's internet erupted in mirth at America'stroubled democracy after supporters of

President Donald Trump broke into the USCapitol, with Beijing criticising the "sharpcontrast" between Washington's response tothe chaos and the 2019 Hong Kong anti-government protests. On Thursday morning,state media tabloid Global Times tweeted side-by-side photo comparisons of Hong Kongprotesters occupying the city's LegislativeCouncil Complex in July 2019 withWednesday's Washington riots. The latter sawhardcore Trump fans invade the US Capitol to protest the election defeat,taking selfies, scuffling with security and ransacking parts of the building.

Ivanka Trump deleted a tweet calling themob that stormed the US Capitol on

Wednesday "American Patriots", the USmedia reported, even as screenshotscirculating online provoked a hugebacklash. Four people died in clashesafter a large group of supporters ofPresident Donald Trump entered theCapitol in extraordinary events inWashington on Wednesday evening, whenthe Congress was meeting to certifyPresident-elect Joe Biden's election win.Ivanka Trump posted the controversial tweet as she retweetedher father's post urging his supporters to "stay peaceful".

Homes prices may fall in Mumbai, India'scostliest housing market, after the local

administration slashed levies by as much as 50%until December 2021. Maharashtra state cutvarious levies on construction projects on therecommendation of a government-appointedcommittee headed by Deepak Parekh, chairman ofHousing Development Finance Corp. The move willlikely bring down development costs for mostbuilders and result in lower home prices for buyersin addition to boosting stocks of realty developers.This will "help development at lesser input costand, over a period of time, there is a possibility of lower price for newinventories that shall come into the market," Niranjan Hiranandani said.

Elon Musk, the entrepreneur behind Tesla Inc.and SpaceX, kicked off the new year by

homing in on a characteristically audacious title:the richest person on the planet. A 2.8% rally inthe electric carmaker's share price Wednesdayboosted Musk to within $3 billion of Amazon.comInc. founder Jeff Bezos, who occupies the topspot on the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, aranking of the world's 500 wealthiest people. TheSouth Africa-born engineer's net worth was$181.1 billion on Wednesday, just shy of Bezos,who has held the top spot since October 2017. AsCEO of Space Exploration Technologies Corp., or SpaceX, Musk is also a rivalto Bezos, owner of Blue Origin LLC, in the private space race.

69% peoplewant reduction inexcise duty onpetrol and diesel

TN GovernorBanwarilalPurohit welcomesJaishankar's...

58

Are All IndiaServices relevantin modern India?

2

Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao at the swearing-in ceremony ofJustice Hima Kohli as Chief Justice of High Court of Telangana

Justice Hima Kohlitakes oath as new CJPNS n HYDERABAD

Hima Kohli was on Thursdaysworn in as the new ChiefJustice of the Telangana HighCourt here.

Kohli, who was a judge ofDelhi High Court, was admin-istered the oath of office byGovernor TamilisaiSoundararajan at an event

held at Raj Bhavan here.Chief Minister

K Chandrasekhar Rao, UnionMoS (Home) G Kishan Reddy,several Telangana ministersand other dignitaries werepresent on the occasion.

Kohli succeeded Justice R SChauhan, who has been trans-ferred as Chief Justice of theUttarakhand High Court.

KCR indisposed,advised ‘rest’Undergoes CT scan, tests after complaintof burning sensation in lung region

PNS n HYDERABAD

As hinted in these columnsrecently, Telangana RashtraSamiti president and ChiefMinister K ChandrasekharRao has not been keepingwell and, going by the anxietythat is writ large on the facesof the party circles, there ismore to it than meets the eyein KCR's visit to YashodaHospital on Thursday forundergoing tests.

For the record, KCR went toYashoda Hospital with a com-plaint of 'burning sensation' inhis lung region and saw hispersonal physician Dr MVRao, pulmonologist DrNavneeth Sagar and cardiolo-gist Dr Pramod there. To the

great relief of KCR and thosein his entourage, doctors ruledout Covid-19.

Briefing media persons atthe hospital, Dr MV Rao men-tioned that initially doctorspreferred to go for both CTscan and MRI.

K VENKATESHWARLUn HYDERABAD

Telangana Congress Affairsin-charge Manickam Tagorehas said that the party highcommand, in deference to thewishes expressed by formerCong CLP leader K JanaReddy, would name the newTPCC chief only after theNagarjuna Sagar by-poll. Tillthen, outgoing TPCC chief NUttam Kumar Reddy wouldhelm the party unit.

The TPCC working presi-

dents-A Revanth Reddy,Ponnam Prabhakar and MohdAzaruddin would also contin-

ue in their positions till the by-poll, Tagore told media per-sons. He maintained that the

party high command had post-poned the announcement atthe behest of Jana Reddy.

Responding to question,Tagore that the party was con-ducting deliberations in ademocratic manner; hence thedelay. The party would be inposition to announce a full-fledged '2023 election team'after the by-election. "Ourparty chief Sonia Gandhi is nota dummy like BJP chief JPNadda," he observed.

New PCC only after Sagar by-poll:Tagore

Trump exposed... Biden win confirmedUS Congress confirmed Biden’s win hours after

harrowing Capitol Hill assault that killed 4PNS n WASHINGTON

A Joint Session of the USCongress on Thursday for-mally certified the ElectoralCollege victory of Joe Biden asthe next US President andKamala Harris as the VicePresident in the November 3election.

The formal certification bythe Joint Session came in thewee hours of Thursday. TheJoint Session resumed itsmeeting late Wednesday nightafter it was disrupted by hun-dreds of supporters of incum-bent President Donald Trumpwho violently stormed theCapitol Hill.

Commenting on the certifi-

cation, Trump said the decision"represents the end of thegreatest first term in presiden-tial history."

He, however, said there willbe an "orderly" transfer ofpower to Biden on January 20.

"Even though I totally dis-agree with the outcome of theelection, and the facts bear meout, nevertheless there will bean orderly transition onJanuary 20th," Trump said in astatement.

"It's only the beginning ofour fight to Make AmericaGreat Again," Trump said whilerepeating false claims about theelection fraud.

Biden, 78, and Harris, 56, arescheduled to be sworn in as the

President and Vice President ofthe country on January 20. Theinauguration is going to be alow-key affair given theCOVID-19 pandemic.

The counting of ElectoralCollege votes and its subse-quent certification came afteran ugly episode of violenceinside the US Capitol, resultingin four deaths, wherein CapitolHill was brought under a lock-down, with lawmakers beingtaken to safe places, shots werefired inside the Congress andtear gas was used. Former USPresident, Barack Obama,described it as a moment ofgreat dishonor and shame forthe United States.

Chaos, violence,mockery as pro-Trump

mob occupies CongressPage: 2

IIT-JEE Advancedto be held on July 3PNS n NEW DELHI

IIT JEE-Advanced test wouldbe held on July 3. This time thetest would be conducted byIIT-Kharagpur, according toUnion Education MinisterRamesh Pokhriyal.

Disclosing this at a virtualmeeting held here onWednesday evening, Pokhriyalsaid that there is ample timefor the students to prepare forthe examination. He wished

the students and their parentsthe best.

It may be recalled that theCentre had already announcedIIT-JEE Main test dates andthe CBSE 10th and 12th finalexamination dates.

In view of the Covid-19 pan-demic in the country and hon-ouring demands from parentsand students, the governmenthas relaxed this year also therule of students securing qual-ifying marks of 75 per cent.

ED conducts raids inHyd in e-tendering casePNS n NEW DELHI

The ED has conducted search-es at multiple locations inBhopal, Hyderabad andBengaluru as part of its moneylaundering probe in the overRs 3,000-crore alleged e-ten-der rigging racket of MadhyaPradesh, official sources saidon Thursday.

They said the agencylaunched the searches to collectevidence early this week at

locations of various suspectsinvolved in the case, and theaction is being conductedunder the Prevention of MoneyLaundering Act (PMLA).

At least 15-16 locations inBhopal, Hyderabad, andBengaluru have been searched,including that of the formerchief secretary of MadhyaPradesh. Searches were under-way at some places onThursday, the sources said.

Coronavirus candamage brainwithout infecting itPNS n LONDON

The new coronavirus does notneed to directly invade braintissue to damage it, a new studysuggests. Researchers exam-ined the brains of 19 patientswho died from COVID-19,focusing on tissues fromregions thought to be highlysusceptible to the virus: theolfactory bulb, which controlsthe sense of smell, and thebrainstem, which controlsbreathing and heart rate. In 14patients, one or both of theseregions contained damagedblood vessels - some clotted,and some leaking.

The areas with leakage weresurrounded by inflammationfrom the body's immuneresponse, they found. But theresearchers saw no signs of thevirus itself, they report inThe New England Journal ofMedicine. "We were com-pletely surprised," said coau-thor Dr. Avindra Nath of theNational Institute ofNeurological Disorders andStroke in a statement. Thedamage his team saw is usu-ally associated with strokesand neuroinflammatory dis-eases, he said.

Centre rewards TS for reforms,allows Rs 2,508 cr addl borrowingsPNS n NEW DELHI

After Andhra Pradesh andMadhya Pradesh, Telanganahas become the third state tocomplete urban local bodiesreforms stipulated by theUnion finance ministry.

With the completion of thereforms, the ministry hasallowed the state to make addi-tional borrowing of Rs 2,508crore. The permission formobilising additional financial

resources of Rs 2,508 cr throughOpen Market Borrowings wasissued by Department ofExpenditure under Ministry ofFinance on Thursday.

On completion of the urbanlocal body reforms, the threestates have been granted addi-tional borrowing permission ofRs 7,406 crore, the ministrysaid in a statement.

Reforms in the urban localbodies and the urban utilitiesreforms are aimed at financialstrengthening of ULBs in a stateand to enable them to providebetter public health and sanita-tion services.

Varavara tostay in hospitalfor a week: HC PNS n MUMBAI

Jailed Telugu poet and activistVaravara Rao will continue tostay at a private hospital heretill January 13, the BombayHigh Court said on Thursday.

Rao, 80, an accused in theElgar Parishad-Maoist linkscase, was admitted to NanavatiHospital in the city owing tohis health issues in Novemberfollowing the court's orders.

A division bench of JusticeSS Shinde and MS Karnik onThursday extended Rao's stayat the private hospital afteradjourning the hearing on hisbail plea to January 13. TheMaharashtra government sub-mitted a fresh medical reportwhich said his health was"much better" and he "hasrecovered and is able to walk".

The TPCC workingpresidents- RevanthReddy, PonnamPrabhakar and MohdAzaruddin would alsocontinue in theirpositions till the by-poll, Tagore said

Briefing mediapersons at thehospital, Dr MVRao mentionedthat initiallydoctors preferredto go for both CTscan and MRI

Govt mulling Sectt complex spread over 11 floors

RAJESH JAIN NIDARKAR n HYDERABAD

Although the Union Ministryof Environment has given thegreen light for the Telanganagovernment's September 2020proposal to build a new seven-story Secretariat complex,Chief Minister KChandraskehar Rao, who has

been personally overseeing itsdesign aspects to ensure thatthe structure would bestreflect Telangana's culture andtraditions, is keen on pushinga revised proposal for a 11-story complex with enhancedsecurity detail and qualityparameters at much highercosts.

Sources shared with The

Pioneer that the KCR govern-ment has already sent therevised proposal relating to the

new building plan for theSecretariat's to the centralgovernment. Central to the

revised proposal is theincrease in the integratedbuilding area from 6 lakhsquare feet to 7.50 lakh squarefeet and the creation of anentirely bullet-proof office forthe Chief Minister. This meansthat the related costs, as perpresent estimates, would cor-respondingly increase by Rs219 crore per floor per lakhsquare feet. The governmentintends to make furtherchanges to the existing masterplan.

PADI THARALA KOSAM

Earlier proposal for 7-story complex,

approved by Centre, put on hold

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(IN HYDERABAD)

HYDERABAD | FRIDAY | JANUARY 8, 2021 hyderabad 02

Broadly speaking, publicadministration consistsof a set of policymakers

assisted by a team to imple-ment their policies.

In some countries, bureau-cracy is selected by policy-makers from academia, tradeand industries or any otherfield. This system is popular-ly known as the 'spoils system'.Such a hire-and-fire policykeeps incumbents on theirtoes. This type of bureaucra-cy remains by and large, ide-ologically committed to theadministration of the day.

Contrary to this, India hasa system of permanentbureaucracy to assist policy-makers as per theConstitution and within theoverarching framework ofActs, Rules, and Notificationsetc. In our system, policymak-ers have limited choices interms of availability of AISand other officers in theirstates.

More or less, a similar sit-uation prevails at the Centre.

Policymakers can only reshuf-fle the team and are often con-strained. Job security alsoadds to complacency in thepermanent bureaucracy,including AIS officers. Toenhance the talent pool, theGovernment of India recent-ly introduced a system of lat-eral entry at the level of jointsecretaries.

The conduct of bureaucra-cy is governed by a set ofStandard OperatingProcedures. Conflict betweenpolicymakers and imple-menters starts when any sideeither flouts, expects the otherside not to follow, or intendsto transgress SOPs. So, thereare safeguards at various lev-els.

In a democracy, a politicalexecutive is the head of gov-ernment and is also the finalauthority to take decisions.The role of permanentbureaucracy is to analyse thepolicy issue under consider-ation, list out pros and cons ofthe decision and possible

options to facilitate the polit-ical executive in taking aninformed decision. However,most of the time, the bureau-cracy lacks the courage toexpress free and frank opin-ions. Political executivesshould be given freedom toexpress themselves and shouldhave the moral conviction totake any decision. However,this cannot address the situ-ation when political execu-tives and permanent bureau-cracy collude for mutual ben-efits.

The bureaucracy consists

broadly of two categoriesnamely; specialists and gener-alists; in the Indian context,the latter means IndianAdministrative Service (IAS).Instead of calling it a gener-alist service, the more aptdescription of IAS would be aservice of multi-specialists.

Higher civil services inIndia consist of three AllIndia Services (AIS) -Administrative, Police andForests; and a host of centralservices (Foreign, Revenue,Audit and Accounts,Economic, Statistics,

Information and the like).Members of all major servicesare selected by the UnionPublic Service Commission.The difference between AISand Central Services interalia is that while AIS areselected by the CentralGovernment; they work withthe respective state cadres towhich they are allotted. Apartfrom serving their allottedstates, AIS officers also sec-

onded to the Central govern-ment on deputation.

Members of variousCentral Services work for theGovernment of India. Only afew get the opportunity towork with the state govern-ments under special circum-stances. Most of the states alsorecruit their bureaucratsthrough the State PublicService Commissions andother agencies.

Two of the three All IndiaServices, namely police andforests; and all central ser-vices, are considered as spe-cialist services and through-out their career, they work intheir particular departments.The only other exposure theyget is when they are on dep-utation to any other depart-ment. All AIS officers work invarious state governmentsand man important positionsin Central government ondeputation.

Constitutional safeguardshave been provided to AISofficers to insulate them from

any vendetta to the extent thatdisciplinary action against anAIS officer can be taken by theCentral government only inconsultation with the respec-tive state governments.Despite such protection, per-formance varies from oneextent of the spectrum to theother.

Among AIS, the uniquefeature of IAS is that its mem-bers are exposed to workingas the lowest village levelfunctionary, serving urbanand rural local bodies, andfinally navigate their waythrough various state gov-ernment departments, centralMinistries and agencies. As asecond class judicial magis-trate during training, IASOfficers trainees get a fair ideaof functioning of judiciaryand police. No other serviceperhaps, anywhere in theworld, is privileged to havethis multi-dimensional expo-sure.

In fact, it would be an ideaworth trying to allow the

officers of other services ofcertain seniority to beabsorbed in IAS as is done atthe State level. Such a step willenhance the available talentpool. Alongside, it would beworthwhile to have regularreviews every 10 years of ser-vice to remove deadwood.

Officers with substanceshould work fearlessly andneed to be heard. Sometimes,some parochial state govern-ments consider AIS officers asan agent of the central gov-ernment and discriminateagainst them. Many officersalso get entangled in politicalcross-fire. Still, it is tribute toAIS that they serve such adiverse nation as ours in var-ious capacities. Many of themare posted thousands of kilo-metres from their nativeplaces.

To sum up, AIS officers arerelevant in the system. Byinducting officers from otherservices and pruning the non-performers, the efficiency ofthe system can be enhanced.

DR SHAILENDRA JOSHI,IAS (RETD)

The conduct of bureaucracy isgoverned by a set of StandardOperating Procedures. Conflict betweenpolicymakers and implementers startswhen any side either flouts, expectsthe other side not to follow, or intendsto transgress SOPs. So, there aresafeguards at various levels

Are All India Services relevant in modern India?

MEIL’s oncology block atNIMS to open tomorrow PNS n HYDERABAD

The ground and first floor ofthe newly established oncolo-gy block of Nizam's Institute ofMedical Sciences (NIMS), thatwill house exclusive day-careand outpatient centres andother vital facilities for the hos-pital faculty, will be inaugurat-ed by Health Minister, EatalaRajender on Saturday.

Redeveloped from scratchwith a cost of Rs 10 crore byMegha Engineering Infrastru-ctures Ltd (MEIL), the oncol-ogy block is spread over 20,000sft and is equipped with all themodern amenities.

The sophisticated wing has50-beds including five ICUbeds along with four wards

with a break-up of 12 beds formale, 10 for women, 11 bedsfor paediatric and 12 forleukaemia patients. It is alsoequipped with oxygen, venti-lator and lift for emergency ser-vices.

The first phase of the cancerblock spread over 18,000 sftwas inaugurated in 2018. In

fact, the MEIL had taken-upthe task of complete mainte-nance of the second floor andlater decided to further devel-op the ground floor and firstfloor of the building with mod-ern amenities. The novel initia-tive to completely redevelopthe cancer block has been ledby MEIL Chairman, PP Reddy

and its MD, P V KrishnaReddy. The MEIL has alsoequipped the building with abed lift that can carry 20patients at a time, CCTV cam-eras, LED lights, electricalroom and centralised air-con-ditioning. The ICU unit hasoxygen and vacuum pressurefacility apart from access forevery two beds in the wards.

Rooms for doctors, faculty,processing and staff are builtmaking it a full-fledged unit todeal with any emergenciesrelated to cancer patients. Whi-le the cellar will have a day-carefacility, the first floor will havehigh-end outpatient facilityalong with seminar rooms andother much needed facilitiesfor the faculty at the medicaloncology wing of the hospital.

Three city traders held fora fraudulent claim of GSTPNS n HYDERABAD

The officers of the Anti-Evasion team of RangareddyCommissionerate booked acase of fake invoices and fraud-ulent claim of GST refundsagainst Mukesh Kumar Goel,Sanjay Joshi and RahulAggarwal, who created non-existent firms, issued invoiceswithout supplying goods orservices facilitated fraudulentavailment of Input Tax Creditand claimed refunds onaccount of the inverted taxstructure.

They have floated manyfirms either directly by them orwith the help of their knownpersons and such firms haveclaimed Input Tax Credit basedon fake/bogus invoices.

Furthermore, an investiga-

tion conducted so far revealedthat the following firms name-ly Pritam FootwearCorporation, Rajesh Footwearand Yogesh Footwear haveissued fake GST Invoices/ e-Way bills and facilitated in thepassing of ineligible ITC to thetune of Rs.32.54 crore andfraudulently claimed refund tothe tune of Rs. 19.1 crore.

Investigations carried out sofar have revealed that they hada well thought out conspira-cy aimed at duping the exche-quer by way of creation of acomplex web of interconnect-ed firms/companies engagedin the fraudulent issuance oftax invoices without supply ofgoods or services to enable therecipient companies to availand utilise fake input taxcredit leading to loss of gov-ernment revenue. MukeshKumar Goel, Sanjay Joshi andRahul Aggarwal have accept-ed their involvement in theirstatements and were arrestedand produced before the EOCon Thursday seeking forremand up to January 21.Furthermore, investigationand recovery proceedings areunderway.

Govt mulling Sectt complex spread...Continued from Page 1

On the advice of certainarchitects, it is proposed tobuild a complex of struc-tures spread over 11 floors.In this context, tenders pro-posals and estimates are beingreviewed. KCR has shared histhoughts on the matter withsome senior ministers. He hasdrawn up an action plan toovercome possible legal chal-lenges to the massive struc-tures that are to come upalong the Hussain Sagar lake.The Government has soughtenvironmental clearance afterproviding guarantees that theoverall structure would be ofappropriate standards in linewith ecological norms.

The state government'sexisting proposal (sent tothe Centre in September andrecently approved by theMinistry of Environment) islikely to be put on hold.Several aspects from it have,however, been incorporatedin the new proposal .Architects recommended astructure comprising 11floors to take care of futureneeds of the state.

The state government hassanctioned Rs 400 crore forthe new Secretariat. A copy ofthe relevant orders, a copy ofthe State High Court judg-ment clearing the overallplan, a report on the HMDAMaster Plan and other detailshave been sent to the Centre.

As of now, the statecabinet has broadly clearedproposals relating to theoverall structure of the newSecretariat complex. Someof the tender processes havebeen completed. Workswould be taken up byShapoorji & Pallonji group,the lowest bidder.

Meanwhile, the UnionMinistry of Finance hasexpressed its views regardingescalation of costs in thecomponents of the existingplan and additional costsinvolved in the modifiedplan. For, the Chief Minister'soffice will be entirely bullet-proof. The main structurewill have bays, water foun-tains and ornamental carv-

ings. On each floor, there willbe a conference hall, a dininghall, and state-of-the-artchambers for ministers.

The government hasdecided to give primacy toquality aspects and securitydetail in the construction ofthe integrated secretariat.KCR, apart from conductingreview meetings, has beenreviewing samples anddesigns from time to time.The overall costs, estimatedat Rs 400 crore at the time ofdrafting the proposal a yearago, have since gone up to Rs750 crore.

Officials say the Secretariatcomplex, if built as per thenew plan, would serve 10generations.

Trumpexposed...Biden winconfirmedContinued from Page 1

Biden, a Democrat, describedthe riots in the US Capitol asan "unprecedented assault"on American democracy, andhas his task cut out to spendthe next four years on hisadministration to heal andunite a deeply polarised coun-try after the fiercely-foughtelection.

Trump, a Republican whohas been making unsubstan-tiated allegations of voterfraud, has lost several dozencourt cases. On the eve of themeeting of the Joint Session ofthe Congress, Trump pres-surised his Vice PresidentMike Pence to overturn theresults, which he refused.

Trump fired back by accus-ing that Pence lacked courage.Addressing thousands of hissupporters in the WhiteHouse he urged his followersto march to the US Capitol.Hundreds of his supportersturned violent. As theyreached the Capitol, they tooklaw into their hands, breachedthe security and disruptedthe constitutional process.

ED conducts raids in Hyd in e-tendering caseContinued from Page 1

The Enforcement Directorate(ED) had filed a criminal caselast year to probe the instancewhere it was alleged that the e-tender portal of the state gov-ernment was hacked to manip-ulate tenders and grab con-tracts, and it was allegedlydone when the BJP was inpower.

A case was first filed by theEconomic Offences Wing(EOW) of the Madhya PradeshPolice when the previousCongress government underchief minister Kamal Nathwas in power in the state. TheED studied this FIR to file thecase under the PMLA.

The EOW has filed casesagainst directors and market-ing representatives of sevencompanies, unknown officialsof five state governmentdepartments and certain politi-cians. They were chargedunder IPC section 420 (cheat-ing), the Information

Technology Act, and thePrevention of Corruption Act.

The seven constructioncompanies involved in thealleged racket were identifiedas GVPR Limited and MsMax Maintaina (both based inHyderabad), The Hume PipeLimited and JMC Limited(both based in Mumbai),Sorathia Velji Limited and MsMadhav Infra Projects (bothbased in Vadodara) and RamKumar Narwani Limited(based in Bhopal), the EOW

had said in a statement.Some officials of Bhopal-

based OSMO IT Solution,which issued 'signature certifi-cate' for e-tenders, too werecharged.

Government departments,including Jal Nigam, LokNirman Vibhag (Public WorksDepartment and its ProjectImplementation unit), MPRoad DevelopmentCorporation and WaterResources Development, hadfloated nine tenders whichwere allegedly tampered with.

Some officials of two soft-ware firms which developedthe e-tendering portal of theMP Electronic DevelopmentCorporation are also under thescanner for leaking informa-tion which allowed hacking ofthe portal, EOW officials hadsaid. The companies allegedlyhacked the MP e-tenderingportal to quote lowest rates andbag projects worth Rs 3,000crore between January andMarch, 2018.

New PCC onlyafter Sagar...Continued from Page 1

It may be mentioned here thatJana Reddy has requested theparty high command to post-pone the announcementregarding the new TPCC Chieftill Nagarjuna Sagar by-poll.

He reasoned that any suchannouncement ahead of theby-poll would spoil the win-ning chances of the Congressparty, considering that keyleaders like N Uttam KumarReddy and KomatireddyVenkat Reddy are fromNalgonda district. Shouldpremature announcementregarding TPCC chief resultin differences among partyleaders, there would be neg-ative impact on the by-poll.

The party high commandbought the idea of Jana Re-ddy, who is going to contestthe Sagar by-poll. It has alsogiven a breather to the party,which has been overwhelmedby the number of leaders inthe race for the TPCC chiefpost, with some leadersdeclaring openly that theywould quit if the wrong per-son is picked for the key post.

KCR indisposed,advised ‘rest’Continued from Page 1

However, upon considerationof the readout of CT scan, theychose to dispense with MRI.Without going into prognosis,Dr Rao tersely said KCR"needs rest". This recommen-dation of an open-ended 'rest',without specifying whether itwould be for a few days orweeks, and without pinpoint-ing to stabilise which condi-tion, has given room for undueconcerns among party andother circles.

KCR's daughter and MLCKalvakuntla Kavitha, his sonand IT & MAUD Minister KTRama Rao as well as kin andMP J Santhosh were amongthose who accompanied KCRto the hospital. But they toowere mum about the details ofhis health condition known tothem.

It may be mentioned herethat post his three-day Delhitrip in the second week ofDecember KCR has remainedlargely confined to his farm-

house. The few meetings thathe addressed occasionally atPragati Bhavan -- his officialresidence -- were meant toshare his views or take a callon Pay Revision Commissionand recruitment to fill 50Kvacancies in governmentdepartments, among othermatters. The final proposalsrelating to these matters, afterbeing vetted by speciallyformed official panels, areawaiting approval by KCR. Itis likely that the approvals maybe delayed in view of the restthat the Chief Minister hasbeen advised to take.

All this has once again giventraction to the talk of KTRama Rao's long-awaitedcoronation as Chief Minister.Party circles now feel thatKTR's Pattabhishekam couldhappen as early as in January.For, with the talk of KCR's pro-posed federal front receding tothe background and his illnesscoming to the fore, KTR'searly anointment as CM isnow a foregone conclusion.

Varavara tostay in hospitalfor a week: HCContinued from Page 1

On December 21, the stategovernment and the NationalInvestigation Agency (NIA),the prosecuting agency, hadrequested the HC to transferRao from Nanavati Hospitalto the Taloja prison hospitalor state-run JJ Hospital inMumbai. The bench, howev-er, had said it would need tosee his latest medical reports.

Rao has been in and out ofhospital since he was arrest-ed in June 2018 and lodged inTaloja prison in neighbouringNavi Mumbai.

On July 16, 2020, he test-ed positive for coronavirus,after which he was shifted toNanavati Hospital and dis-charged on July 30 afterrecovery. In December hewas admitted to NanavatiHospital again when hislawyers moved the court cit-ing his deteriorating health.

Besides his bail plea onmedical grounds, the benchis also hearing a writ petitionfiled by Rao's wife Hemlatha,alleging violation of his fun-damental rights due to con-tinued incarceration with-out adequate medical care.

Rao and several other Left-leaning activists and writerswere arrested for alleged linkswith Maoists following theDecember 2017 ElgarParishad conclave in Pune.

The EOW has filedcases against directorsand marketingrepresentatives ofseven companies,unknown officials offive state govtdepartments andcertain politicians

Centre rewards TS for reforms...Continued from Page 1

Also, economically-rejuvenat-ed ULBs will be able to creategood civic infrastructure, itsaid. The reforms stipulatedinclude the state concernednotifying floor rates of proper-ty tax in ULBs which are inconsonance with the prevailingcircle rates, and floor rates ofuser charges in respect of theprovision of water-supply,

drainage and sewerage thatreflect current costs or pastinflation.

In view of the resourcerequirement to meet the chal-lenges posed by the Covid-19pandemic, the Union govern-ment on May 17, 2020enhanced the borrowing limitof states by 2 per cent of theirGSDP. Half of this special dis-pensation was linked to under-taking citizen centric reforms

by the states, the statementsaid, adding that the states getpermission to raise additionalfunds equivalent to 0.25 per-cent of GSDP on completion ofreforms in each sector. Thefour citizen centric areas iden-tified for reforms were imple-mentation of One Nation OneRation Card System, ease ofdoing business reform,ULB/utility reforms and powersector reforms, it said.

PNS n HYDERABAD

Shivsena Reddy has beenelected the Telangana YouthCongress president, accord-ing to the party high com-mand. Three candidates--Shivsena Reddy, Rajiv Reddyand Sai Naik--vied for thepost. However, ShivsenaReddy bagged more votesthan the other two. TheYouth Congress nationalbody already conductedinterviews of the three con-tested candidates several daysago. However, the NationalYouth Congress announcedthe results on Thursday.

Shivsena Reddyis TS youthCongress chief

HYDERABAD | FRIDAY | JANUARY 8, 2021hyderabad 03

To encourage continuation of riskcover in the current circumstancesof coronavirus pandemic and high

risk, LIC brings an opportunity for itspolicyholders to revive their lapsedpolicies. It has decided to launch aspecial revival campaign from January7 to March 6 for its customers torevive their individual lapsed LICpolicies. It has also authorised its 1,526 satellite offices to revivepolicies where special medical tests are not required.Under thisspecial revival campaign, policies of specific eligible plans can berevived within 5 years from date of the first unpaid premium subjectto terms and conditions. Certain concession in health requirementsis also being offered subject to eligibility. Most policies can berevived only on the basis of a Declaration of Good Health and aCovid questionnaire to be submitted by the proposer/life assured.

Environmental lovers, along with Green India Challenge, plantedfive thousand saplings at Malkapoor Industrial Park onWednesday. The programme was attended by Parliament

Member and Green India Challenger founder J. Santhosh Kumarand Bollywood Hero Ajay Devagan. During the launch of theprogramme, around hundred industrialists, no artists and 3oo localgreen lovers participated and hailed the importance of improvinggreen cover. Speaking after the programme, actor Ajay Devganexpressed serious concern on increase of pollution and stressed theimportance of protecting the environment. "I am very grateful to seeSanthosh Kumar, who started the Green India Challenge programmeand taking it very seriously for the well-being of society," he said.

As part of beautification works and to improvegreen cover, the Hyderabad Metropolitan

Development Authority and the HyderabadGrowth Corridor Limited set up 'Kakatiya KalaThoranam' at Narasingi point on Outer Ring

Road. It helps break the monotony apart frombeautifying with added green zones. Soothing

sculptures are being put up at variouslocations on ORR and elsewhere. Earlier

greenary and maintenance, including densetree plantations, lighting and landscaping was

taken up by HGCL at 152 KM point nearNarsingi inter-change.

BREAKING THEMONOTONY

PNS n HYDERABAD

The festival of Sankranti is cel-ebrated different ways in vari-ous parts of undivided AndhraPradesh by holding bull races,rangoli competitions, cock-fights and so on. But, inHyderabad, kite flying emergedas a traditional popular sportsince several centuries and isregarded as a sign of commu-nal harmony in the city, espe-cially in the Old City ofHyderabad.

The month of January sig-nifies commencement of thekite flying in the city.

Dating back to the QutbShahi period, the kite festivalwas grandeur in the city. Eventhe rulers used to participateenthusiastically in the festival.During the Muhammad QuliQutb Shah regime, the kite fes-tival was held in Golconda fortin the month of Basanth. Inthose days, kites were made

with paper and manza wasmade using herbs. Historiansdocumented kite flying com-petitions. During the regime of

Asaf Jahi rulers, the kite flyingfestival was held in opengrounds in the Old City.During the regime of Mir

Mahboob Ali Khan, the festi-val received more recognition.Even prizes were distributed tothose who won the competi-

tions. The sporting event washeld even during the seventhNizam regime too. The festivalwas continued till the prince-ly state of Hyderabad wasmerged with the Indian Unionin 1945.

Meanwhile, shops sellingkites in Dhoolpet, Mallepalli,Nampalli, Gulzar House, CharKaman and Dabirpura in theOld City are abuzz with cus-tomers. Currently, all kites arebeing made using plastic sheet.

Earlier, the kites made ofpaper were so light they usedto fly very quickly. Earlier, notmany colours were used tomake the kites. Now, the kitesare being manufactured in dif-ferent designs and colours fea-turing photos too.

Now-a-days, residents cansee images of political leadersand film actors on kites.Besides slogans like 'GoCorona Go' are being printedon the kites.

The manza twain manufac-tured in Dhoolpet has goodcraze among the youth. It isalso exported to other states aswell as it plays a crucial role inthe festival. The manza twainis made in the Old City ofHyderabad.

The total kite trade turnoverin the current season is put atRs 100 crore. The Dhoolpettraders say that they sell manzaworth Rs 25 crore during theseason. Manza twain is sold ina measure of 45 meters. Thereare several varieties of thetwain available in the marketlike Motia, Gandhak, Gajar,Feroza, Teela, Hara, YerraGulabi, Kala and Andeka andso on.

The demand for Panda andC-28 varieties of the twain ismore. The demand for indige-nously produced manza twainhas increased following a banon the plastic manza importedfrom China.

Kites have adorned Hyderabad skies for centuries

PNS n HYDERABAD

Telangana reported 379 newCovid cases and three deathsduring the last 24 hours, healthofficials said on Thursday.

The fresh cases pushed thestate's tally to 2,88,789 whilethe death toll rose to 1,559.

According to director ofpublic health and family wel-fare, the fatality rate remained0.53 per cent against thenational average of 1.4 percent.

While 44.96 per cent of thedeaths occurred due to Covid,55.04 per cent had co-mor-bidities.

A total of 305 people recov-ered from the virus, during thelast 24 hours, taking the cumu-lative number of recoveries to2,82,177. The recovery ratestands at 97.73 per cent againstthan the national average of96.4 per cent. The number ofactive cases in the state was5,053 including 2,776 who arein home or institutional isola-tion.

For the sixth consecutiveday, Greater Hyderabadrecorded less than 100 newCovid cases. The state capitallogged 71 new cases during thelast 24 hours.

Medchal Malkajgiri districtrecorded the second highest

number at 37 followed byRangareddy (36), Karimnagar(19) and Warangal Urban (14).

A total of 41,246 Covid testswere conducted across thestate during the last 24 hours.While government-run labo-ratories conducted 36,723 tests,the remaining 4,523 sampleswere tested in private labs.

There are 19 government-run laboratories, 56 private lab-oratories and 1076 RapidAntigen test centres in thestate.

Samples tested per millionpopulation ratio rose further to1,91,983. The data shows that63.9 per cent of those tested

positive so far were agedbetween 21-50 years. As manyas 22.91 per cent were agedabove 51 years. The positivecases include 13.18 per centwho were below 20 years.

Of the total cases, 60.44 percent were male and 39.37 percent female.

Bed status in 62 govern-ment-run hospitals treatingCovid-19 in the state showsthat out of total 8,575 besds,7,807 remained vacant.

Similarly, in 219 private hos-pitals treating Covid, 1,509beds were occupied.

Out of 7,769 beds, 6,260were vacant.

PNS n HYDERABAD

Lack of critical infrastructureat Telangana government hos-pitals, is staring in the face ofHealth department officials.There is a definite need formore resources at Gandhi andOsmania General Hospital.

Diagnostic equipment inGandhi, OGH and other gov-ernment hospitals at districtheadquarters require minorrepairs and some of the dam-aged equipment needs replace-ment.

Gandhi Hospital has twoCT scan machines, but one ofthem is out of order forcing thepatients to send to OsmaniaGeneral Hospital for getting theCT scan done. The MRImachine is also out of order.Thousands of patients, visitingthe hospital daily, will be ben-efited by procurement of thetwo machines spending Rs 20crore.

The Osmania GeneralHospital has two CT Scanmachines, but one of them isout of order as was the casewith Gandhi Hospital.Moreover, the multi-channelmonitors in the hospital's ICUare also out of order. The hos-pital is required to spend as lit-tle as Rs 10,000 to get the CTscan machine repaired andspend up to Rs 1 lakh to repairthe multi-channel monitors. Ifthe hospital wants to acquirenew ones, it is required tospend at the most Rs 2 crore.

In many district hospitals,CT scan, ultrasound equip-ment, 2D-echo and other med-

ical equipment are not avail-able. As a result, the poorpatients are required to gettheir diagnostic tests done inprivate laboratories. Theseequipment can be obtained byspending at least Rs 3 crore foreach hospitals.

There are 46 PHCs andCHCs in the state one year ago.

To provide basic amenities inthese hospitals, the governmentis required to spend Rs 2.30crore to enable them to providefull-scale services to patients.

The government hospitals,including CHCs and PHCs,have not been dispensing med-icines sufficient to last for onlyone week as against three

months earlier. The patientsare required to buy them afterone week.

In fact, 20 per cent of themedical equipment in manygovernment hospitals havebeen gathering dust. If they arebrought back to the order byundertaking repairs, manypatients will stand benefited.

Therefore, the government isrequired to appoint techni-cians at a low cost.

The hospitals are required toappoint the patient-careproviders to inform thepatients about where diagnos-tic tests are done and to showthe patients the offices of var-ious doctors.

Govt hospitals lack critical equipmentClosure of departments in NIMS forcepatients to approach private hospitalsPNS n HYDERABAD

The failure of the govern-ment to appoint senior med-ical officials in various gov-ernment departments inNizam's Institute of MedicalSciences (NIMS) in place ofthose who laid down theiroffices upon attaining the ageof superannuation and not fill-ing vacancies caused by thosedeserting the organisation forvarious reasons has led toclosure of several medicaldepartments.

As a result, patients visitingthe NIMS have come down.The patients used to nevermind minor deficiencies inservices, if any. But, due to theclosure of some of somedepartments, the patients areapproaching private hospi-tals, due to which the revenueof the NIMS has been affect-ed. Some of the employees of

the NIMS have been express-ing concern over the sorrystate of affairs. They appeal totop authorities of the NIMS totake some remedial measuresto ensure the survival of othermedical departments.

The dermatology depart-ment used to receive a largenumber of patients earlier.But now, the number ofpatients have come down, assome of the seniors haveretired from service, whilesome others left NIMS to joinother hospitals. The onlywoman specialist doctor hasretired recently. Another spe-cialist was appointed in herplace, but the doctor quit thepost. This has been causing aloss of revenue to the tune ofRs 25 lakh per day.

The otorhinolaryngologydepartment, which deals withthe ear, nose, and throat dis-eases treated patients in the

initial days of NIMS, but aftera few months it faced a clo-sure. The department of den-tistry in NIMS was closed.Therefore, patients areapproaching Osmania GeneralHospital and private hospitals.Earlier, the NIMS used toextend costly treatment togovernment employees underthe employees health insur-ance scheme. The loss to theNIMS runs into several croresby virtue of the closure of thedepartment as the valuablemedical equipment has beengathering dust.

When his clarification hasbeen sought, NIMS directorProf Manohar said that a noti-fication will be issued soon torecruit a dermatologist torevive the services in the rel-evant department. He saidthat he would discuss withother doctors to revive thedepartment of dentistry.

PNS n HYDERABAD

A minor fire broke out in theUrology Operation Theatre ofGandhi Hospital late night onWednesday. No casualtieswere reported, but equip-ment was damaged.

According to Fire andRescue Services officials, ashort circuit is suspected tohave led to the fire that brokeout in the operation theatreon the third floor.

People on the hospitalpremises informed the man-agement who called the firecontrol room.

One fire engine was imme-diately sent to the spot and thesituation was brought undercontrol within minutes.

Officials said nobody wasinjured and no casualtieswere reported. An estimate ofthe damaged material is yet tobe done.

Fire breaks out in Gandhi Hospitaloperation theatre

PNS n MEDCHAL

The SOT of LB Nagar Policeraided a gambling den at afarmhouse at Kongara Kalanvillage under Adibatla PoliceStation limits and arrested 11persons on Thursday.

The accused identified asVanam Govardhan Reddyhas been running a gamblingden at his farmhouse by org-anising three card game ille-gally.

On receiving information,the LB Nagar SOT with thehelp of Adibatla Police raid-ed the farmhouse at eveninghours and apprehended theaccused persons involved inthe betting games and seizednine mobile, 4 four-wheelervehicles and Rs 1,87,000 netcash. The officials arrested 11persons and sent them tojudicial custody.

SOT sleuths bustgambling den; 11held; Rs 1L seized

Telangana logs 379 freshCovid cases, three deaths

CITY LIGHTS

ANUSHA PUPPALAn HYDERABAD

A Rapid Action Force (RAF)team is constituted to monitorthe birds on daily basis underthe supervision of DeputyDirector of Nehru ZoologicalPark in view of the outbreak ofAvian Influenza in the country.

RAF team is taking preven-tive measures including disin-fection of all aviary areas, reg-ular monitoring of birds by vet-erinarians, biologist and ani-mal keepers. The zoo author-ities are monitoring migratorybirds visiting wetlands insidezoo and have also sprinkledlime and bleaching powder allover the zoo premises.

The officials have alsostopped raw chicken for all thecarnivores and replaced it withminced meat and white washhas been done to all nighthouses.

Phenyl solution was kept atmain entrance, service gateand all entrance doors. The zooauthorities have also arrangedreflecting ribbons in andaround the aviary area to avoidperching of free ranging birdsnear aviaries and have provid-ed anti-biotic powder and B-Complex syrup in feed/fish for7 days for birds.

LIC launches special revival campaign for policyholders

RAF team to monitor birds at Hyd ZooAVIAN INFLUENZA Six held for

murder of a fruit vendor in HyderabadPNS n HYDERABAD

The KPHB police solved themurder case of Shakib Ali, afruit vendor who was killedearlier this week, and arrest-ed six persons here onThursday.

According to the police,the prime suspect identi-fied as Mohammed Nazim,along with his associates,picked up an argument withShakib Ali over a purchase.

Mohammed Nazim endedup assaulting Shakib Ali atTulasi Nagar on Friday.Shakib Ali died while beingtreated in hospital on Sundaynight.

The suspects were pro-duced before court andremanded in judicial cus-tody.

Environmentalists plants 5K saplings at Malkapoor park

HYDERABAD | FRIDAY | JANUARY 8, 2021 hyderabad 04

CAPSULE

PNS n PATANCHERU

A youth riding a two-wheelerwas run over a car here onThursday. According toPatancheru SI Ramu Naidu,Srikanth Goud, 23, of Kalher,Sangareddy districtheadquarters, was on his wayto Sangareddy fromPatancheru on his two-wheeler when he the carcoming from Sangareddy hithis bike on the outskirts ofRudraram as a result he diedon the spot. The SI said acase was registered on thedrive based on a complaint ofthe deceased's elder brotherRavinder Goud.

INSPECTOR, SI SUSPENDEDPNS n HYDERABAD

Commissioner of PoliceRachakonda MaheshBhagwat suspendedInspector Venkanna and SINarsaiah of Choutuppal onThursday for theirinvolvement in the settlementof a civil dispute atThallasingaram village inChoutuppal mandalirrespective of a court orderto maintain the status quo.Charge memo was issued toACP Sattaiah of Choutuppalfor supervision lapses.

PNS n HYDERABAD

Minister for Environment,Forest, Law and EndowmentA Indrakaran Reddy releasedthe environmental tablecalendar prepared by theEnvironment ProtectionTraining and ResearchInstitute (EPTRI), Hyderabad,at Ministers Chambers,Aranya Bhavan, here onThursday. The ministeremphasised that each oneshould plant, nurture asapling to combat climatechange and also practiceyoga for one’s well-being.Furthermore, he called uponeveryone to follow safetyprecautions and stay healthy.Adhar Sinha, Special ChiefSecretary, Government ofTelangana and DirectorGeneral, EPTRI, explained thetheme for the calendar ‘GreenSpace Yoga for Wellness’.The calendar highlightspractising yoga in greenspace and the environmentalimportant days celebratedevery month.

YOUTH RUN OVER BY CAR PNS n HYDERABAD

The verbal duel between BJPMLA from Goshamahal TRaja Singh and police ensuedagain on Thursday. RajaSingh once again threw agauntlet at Cyberabad PoliceCommissionerSajjanar say-ing that hewill enterthe scene incase thepolice failed tostop the illegal transportationof cows within five days.

Raja Singh released a videoof illegal transportation ofcows from BahadurpuraPolice Station. He asked thepolice to set up check posts atleast now. “I have respect forthe Police Commissioner. Idon’t want to use the word‘inefficiency’. The police haveto set up check posts at leastnow. The police have to ini-tiate action against illegaltransporters of cows insteadof making comments againstpolitical leaders”, he said.

PNS n HYDERABAD

The Warangal TRS leadersignored the challenge of StateBJP unit chief Bandi Sanjay’sstatement on funds allocationfor the development ofWarangal city.

It may be recalled that BandiSanjay threw a challenge atTRS leaders saying that theyhave come to Bhadrakali tem-ple to take an oath on Rs 196crore Smart City funds issue.However, the BJP leadersreached Bhadrakali temple onThursday evening with allproofs but the TRS leaders didnot turn up.

The TRS and BJP leadershave been throwing challengesat each other alleging that theState government diverted Rs196 crore Smart City fundsreleased by the Centre. BandiSanjay said that the TRS lead-ers have to take oath atBhadrakali temple and makean open statement on diversionof the Central funds beforeGoddess. The BJP also gave a48-hours deadline for the TRSleaders. However, the TRSleaders didn’t turn up.Moreover, the TRS leadersthrew a counter at BandiSanjay saying not to malignGoddess Bhadrakali for polit-ical gains. The TRS leaders

asked Bandi Sanjay to take anoath on his mother if he hadguts.

On the other hand, BandiSanjay on Thursday alleged theTRS and MIM are trying todivide the Hindu society. ChiefMinister K Chandrasekhar Raohas no belief in ministers andMLAs. He alleged that theKCR has forgotten the welfareof people. Therefore, peoplehave to teach a lesson to theparty, he exhorted. He madeit clear that the BJP does notneed to enter an alliance withthe TRS.

TRS, BJP leaders’ face-offPNS n HYDERABAD

Congress Legislative Partyleader Mallu BhattiVikramarka pointed out thatChief Minister KChandrasekhar Rao took a U-turn after his Delhi tour. Healleged that KCR adopted theescapist route after Delhi tourforgetting the fact that PrimeMinister Narendra Modi’sfarm laws would harm to soci-ety. He pointed out that thetotal economy would go intothe hands of corporate compa-nies.

Addressing the media onthe Assembly premises here onThursday, Bhatti said that hewill stage a dharna at IndiraPark on January 9 extendingsupport to the farmers’ Delhidharna. He said that the entireCLP would participate in thedharna.

He alleged that the ChiefMinister had been stating thatthe government will not pro-cure the farmers' produce inthe future because he had col-luded with the rice millers. Itis not proper to KCR to see theprocurement of agricultureproduce as a business, he

lamented. He said that thegovernment is not a corporatecompany and KCR is not a

CEO to it. He demanded thatthe government procure everycrop cultivated by farmers.

Bhatti finds fault with KCRfor taking a U-turn on farms laws

Congress Legislative Party leaderMallu Bhatti Vikramarka said that hewill stage a dharna at Indira Park onJanuary 9 extending support to thefarmers’ Delhi dharna

Raja Singhthrowsgauntletat Sajjanar

DRIVE FOR

FOREST

RESTORATION

State Principal Chief ConservatorForest (CAMPA) PCCF IFS OfficerLokesh Jaiswal and Warangal CCFMJ Akbar inspect plantation beingdeveloped with CAMPA funds inLingala forest range. FO Pradeep

Kumar Shetty, Thadwai FDONikhita, Mahadevpur FDO Vajra

Reddy, Lingala Range Officer Satishand staff were present

PNS n JAGITYAL

After the formation of Telanganaas a separate State, the lost gloryof temples is being revived underthe leadership of Chief MinisterK ChandrasekharRao, saidMinister for Social WelfareKoppula Ishwar.

Under the auspices of MudirajSangh in Thimmapur village,Dharmapuri mandal of Jagityaldistrict, Minister for WelfareKoppula Ishwar laid the founda-tion for the construction of SriPeddamma temple. In additionto development and welfare, the

Chief Minister has also set up aplatform for the restoration oftemples. He also said that SriYadagiri Lakshmi NarasimhaSwamy temple was being devel-oped as Yadadri with a budget ofRs 1,000 crore.

The minister explained thatthe Chief Minister is striving tokeep culture, traditions anddevotion intact by developing thetemples across the State. DCMSchairman Ella Srikanth Reddy,ZPTCs Battini Aruna, BadineniRajender, MPTCs, MPP ChittiBabu and others were present onthe occasion.

‘Govt restores pastglory of temples’

Minister for Social Welfare Koppula Ishwar lays the stone for the construction ofSri Peddamma temple at Thimmapur village in Jagityla district on Thursday

PNS n HYDERABAD

Former minister MohammedAli Shabbir pointed out thatthe Congress has ensured polit-ical empowerment of sociallyand economically backwardMuslims in both the TeluguStates of Telangana andAndhra Pradesh.

Shabbir Ali, in a video mes-sage released on social media,informed that as many as 43Muslim corporators were elect-ed in the recently held electionsfor the Greater HyderabadMunicipal Corporation(GHMC). He said the numberwould have been just 13 if theprevious Congress governmentwould not have classifiedsocially and economicallybackward Muslims underBackward Classes category(BC-E). He said a total of 30Muslims were elected fromthe seats reserved for BackwardClasses.

He informed that the previ-ous Congress government,headed by YS RajasekharaReddy, had implemented afour per cent quota for

Muslims in jobs and educationafter it came to power in 2004.He said Muslims, falling underthe BC-E category, were madeeligible to contest from seatsreserved for BCs in local bod-ies (urban and local) and alsogram panchayats. This wasimplemented for the first timein GHMC elections in 2009. Asa result, of 45 Muslim corpo-rators belonging to all parties,a total of 18 were elected from

BC reserved seats while 27were elected from Generalseats. Similarly, he said of 46Muslim corporators electedduring the GHMC electionsheld in 2016, a total of 29 wereelected from BC reserved seatsand 17 were from Generalseats. This time, too, he said, of43 Muslim corporators, a totalof 30 Muslims were electedfrom BC reserved seats.

Unfortunately, Shabbir Ali

said that Congress did notbenefit from its policy of giv-ing a quota for Muslims. "Of 30Muslim corporators electedfrom BC seats, 27 belong to theMIM and three are from theTRS. The Congress govt neverimplemented policies for polit-ical gains. It only aimed atsocio-economic and politicalempowerment of backward,the poor and suppressed sec-tions of society," he said.

n Former ministerMohammed Ali Shabbirinformed that the previousCongress government,headed by YS RajasekharaReddy, had implemented afour per cent quota forMuslims in jobs andeducation after it came topower in 2004

n He said Muslims, fallingunder BC-E category, weremade eligible to contestfrom seats reserved forBCs in local bodies (urbanand local) and also grampanchayats

‘Cong strived for Muslims’ political empowerment’

PNS n HYDERABAD

The BJP leaders tookGovernment Whip BalkaSuman to task for issuing aveiled threat to BJP State unitchief Bandi Sanjay for ques-tioning the TRS governmentfor its failure in striving for thewelfare of the people and all-round development of theState.

SC Morcha chiefKoppu Basha lam-basted the Government Whip stat-ing that the BJP lead-ers are not in a posi-tion to learn etiquettefrom him. He said thatBalka Suman has to ques-tion Chief Minister KChandrasekhar Rao as to whyKCR had failed to make Dalitas the Chief Minister.

It may be recalled that BalkaSuman on Wednesday calledupon the TRS activists to attackBandi Sanjay like Shiv Sena

activists. He termed KCR as BalThackeray and warned BandiSanjay saying that the TRS iswaiting for an appropriate timeto see the end of Bandi Sanjay.He exhorted the TRS workersto attack Bandi Sanjay whenev-er the latter criticises KCR.

“Balka Suman has to intro-spect whether Dalits have free-

dom in the TRS.Some TRS MLAs

were involvedin lande n c r o a c h -ments andcorruption,”he alleged.

Addressingthe media here on

Thursday, KoppuBasha alleged that the TRS wasfilled with turncoats, andnobody knows when theywould defect to other parties.Hence, such leaders have nostature to criticise TelanganaBJP chief Bandi Sanjay, hesaid.

Speaking to the media atNirmal, Adilabad MP SoyamBapurao has found fault withthe TRS MLAs for criticisingBandi Sanjay. Bapurao saidthat the Adilabad-Armoor rail-way line works have beenstalled as the State govern-ment had failed to contribute itsshare of 40 per cent of funds.

PNS nWARANGAL RURAL

District Collector M Harithasaid the authorities should beready for the Covid vaccine dryrun. A review meeting with theDistrict Task Force Committeeofficials and a video conferencewith Zonal Task ForceCommittees were convened atthe Collector’s office here onThursday.

Speaking on the occasion, theCollector said that in the nearfuture, vaccination centres, facil-ities, staff and vehicles should be

kept ready as a standby and train-ing should be provided to thestaff concerned about vaccina-tion.

He said steps would be takento provide training depending onthe severity of the virus-like themock poll, which would be con-ducted before the elections, dryrun also should be conducted byappointing officers to supervisethe maintenance of the dry runin clusters and primary healthcentres, and take steps to admin-ister Covid vaccination as per thedirective of the State government.

He said the details of Covidvictims should be registeredthrough the CoWIN (COVIDVaccine Intelligence Network)

portal and awareness would becreated in that direction. Adummy portal has been set upfor the drive, which will record

where and where the vaccinationwill take place, their details, whowill be vaccinated and so on.

The vaccine would be admin-istered in 17 Primary HealthCentres, three CommunityHealth Centres, a total of 280centres, and steps are beingtaken to have 1 + 4 staff in 20centres to provide the vaccine. Inthe first instalment, steps will betaken to provide the vaccine to3,864 public and private medicalhealth care personnel, healthworkers, Asha, Anganwadi,ANM, staff nurses.

PNS n HYDERABAD

Minister for Legislative AffairsV Prashanth Reddy hasthrown a gauntlet atTelangana BJP chief BandiSanjay Kumar stating thatthe former would quit as theminister if shown procure-ments centres in the BJPruled States. Whether BandiSanjay will tender resignationto his position in case hefailed to show the procure-ment centres in BJP ruled

States, the minister ques-tioned? He said that the BJP’sstrength is small before theTRS. BJP MPs Bandi Sanjayand Dharmapuri Arvind arecriticising KCR’s welfareschemes whereas the BJPnational leaders are shower-ing praises on the same.Prashanth Reddy warned BJPleaders saying that they willwelcome constructive criti-cism, however, will teach abefitting lesson in case theymade meaningless remarks.

Officials told to be ready for Covid vaccine dry runMinister for Legislative Affairs dares Bandi Sanjay, D Arvind

Balka Suman faces wrath ofBJP for warning Bandi Sanjay

n It may be recalled thatBalka Suman onWednesday called uponthe TRS activists to attackBandi Sanjay like Shiv Senaactivists

n He termed KCR as BalThackeray and warnedBandi Sanjay saying thatthe TRS is waiting for anappropriate time to seethe end of Bandi Sanjay.He exhorted the TRSworkers to attack BandiSanjay whenever the lattercriticises KCR

Congress Legislative Party leader Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka addresses a pressconference in Hyderabad (file photo)

Former minister Mohammed Ali Shabbir speaks at a media conference inHyderabad (file photo)

PNS n HYDERABAD

Telangana BJP affairs in-chargeTarun Chug alleged that ChiefMinister K ChandrasekharRao has a tacitunderstanding withAIMIM chief AsaduddinOwaisi.Participating in theBJP activists’ meeting atDitchpally on Thursday, Chugsaid that the war must be heldwith the ballot and not withbullets. He warned that theNizam heirs’ atrocities won’t run

further in Telangana. He calledupon the party activists not tostop their fight till the Chief

Minister position isachieved.Bandi Sanjayalleged that the TRS andMIM are trying to divideHindus. The Chief Minister

is trying to give animpression that the BJP and

TRS are one. However, thepeople won’t believe in suchdramas of TRS leaders. Healleged that KCR forgot thewelfare of the people in the State.

Fight with ballot not bullets, says Tarun Chug

PNS n HYDERABAD

RTC employee and TMUfounder E AshwathamaReddy, who played anactive role during theTelangana movement,has been sacked, accord-ing to RTC sources. TheTSRTC managementreportedly issued a noticedismissing him.Disciplinary action wastaken against him fornegligence and miscon-duct. It is alleged that hetook unauthorised leavefrom January 25, 2020 toAugust 25.The decisionwas taken by the author-ities concerned afterreceiving a report fromthe bus depot managerwhere he was workingstating that he should besacked for violating theRTC rules.

It is learnt that theRTC management hadrejected AshwathamaReddy’s request to granthim leave as he wasunable to attend dutiesdue to illness. The RTCmanagement has clarifiedthat the request was con-trary to the facts andthat he was being firedfor acting irresponsibly induty.

TMU founder AshwathamaReddy sacked

ENVIRONMENTALCALENDARRELEASED

HYDERABAD | FRIDAY | JANUARY 8, 2021 nation 05

Acase has been registeredagainst a governmentschool teacher at Mangaon

in Raigad district ofMaharashtra for allegedlyraping a minor girl student,police said on Thursday. Theaccused, Madan Wankhede,was booked under relevantsections of the IPC and theProtection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, they said."The accused raped the minor victim, who studied in his school, onmultiple occasions since 2016. He used to threaten the girl that ifshe told about it to anyone, he would fail her in the exam and thather mother, who works in the same school, would also lose her job,"an official of Mangaon police station said. However, the girl usteredcourage and finally told her ordeal to her mother recently, followingwhich a complaint was lodged. Investigation into the case is on.

INDIA CORNER

Maha: Govt school teacherbooked for raping minor student

Asuspended policeconstable lodged in prisonin connection with a

spurious liquor casedied of a heart attack inBherugarh Jail in MadhyaPradesh's Ujjain district, aprison official said onThursday. Sudesh Khode (42),who had been in prison sinceNovember 25, 2020, suffered a heart attack around 2.40 am onWednesday night, Bherugarh jail superintendent Alka Sonkar said. All efforts to revive him proved futile, the official said, adding that anautopsy was conducted in the presence of a judicial magistrate, whorecorded statements of co-accused in the case. At least 14 persons,mostly poor, died after consuming spurious liquor in Ujjain inOctober, last year, following which a number of officials includingthe then superintendent of police and an excise officer weretransferred after a high-level probe into the incident.

Cop suspended in spurious liquorcase dies of heart attack in jail

PDP president MehboobaMufti on Thursday saidwhile New Delhi was

"preaching" other countries totreat minorities in a dignifiedway, the plight of minorities inIndia was getting worse. Muftiwas referring to External AffairsMinister S Jaishankar'sstatement during his visit to SriLanka. It is in Sri Lanka's own interest that the expectations of theTamil people, for equality, justice, peace and dignity, within a unitedSri Lanka are fulfilled, Jaishankar said in Colombo. The former chiefminister of the erstwhile Jammu and Kashmir state said in a tweet,"Preaching to other countries about treating minorities in a dignifiedway even though the plight of minorities in India is getting worse."The Peoples Democratic Party president said social cohesion wasessential for progress of any country, including India. "The onlyMuslim majority state here has been dismembered & isempowered.Social cohesion is essential for progress of any country, includingIndia," she added.

Plight of minorities in Indiagetting worse: Mufti

BSF Inspector General N SJamwal on Thursday called onJammu and Kashmir Lieutenant

Governor Manoj Sinha and briefedhim about the security situation alongthe International Border, officials said.The officer also apprised the LtGovernor about the threats prevailingon the border with Pakistan, thecounter measures being taken by the Border Security Force (BSF) tomeet the challenges and the border protection grid, they said. Severalissues related to border areas, including development of Suchetgarhand Chamliyal as tourist destinations jointly by the BSF and the Jammuand Kashmir tourism department, were also discussed, the officialssaid. Jamwal also strongly batted for road connectivity to BSF postsand areas along the International Border (IB) for the benefit of people,they said. The Jammu and Kashmir government's assistance was alsosought to clear wild growth in areas along the fences of the border toencourage farming, the officials said.

J&K Lt Guv Manoj on securitysituation along briefed border

‘Govt wants to privatise farm sector’

PNS n NEW DELHI

The Supreme Court Thursdayexpressed concern over largegatherings of farmers protest-ing against the new farm lawsat Delhi borders and asked theCentre whether they were“protected” against the spreadof COVID-19.

The top court was hearing aplea seeking various reliefsincluding CBI probe into thematter related to assembly ofpeople at Anand Vihar BusTerminal and the TablighiJamaat congregation atNizammudin Markaz in thenational capital after thenationwide lockdown wasannounced last year to containthe pandemic.

“The same problem is goingto arise in farmers' agitation. Ido not know if farmers are pro-tected from COVID. So, thesame problem is going to arise.It is not that everything is over,”said Chief Justice S A Bobde,heading a bench, also compris-

ing Justices A S Bopanna andV Ramasubramanian.

The top court asked SolicitorGeneral Tushar Mehta, appear-ing for the Centre, whetherprotesting farmers are pro-tected from COVID-19.

Mehta replied, “Certainlynot”.

Mehta said that he will file areport within two weeks onwhat has been done and whatneeds to be done.

The plea, filed by lawyer

Supriya Pandita, alleged thatDelhi police had failed to con-trol the congregation of peopleand the Nizamuddin Markazchief Maulana Saad was stillevading arrest.

Advocate Om PrakashParihar, appearing for the peti-tioner, said that no statementhas been made by the Centreabout the whereabouts ofMaulana Saad.

The bench told Parihar,“Why are you interested in one

person? We are on the issue ofCOVID. Why do you wantcontroversy? We are interestedthat COVID guidelines shouldbe there”.

The top court issued formalnotice in the matter after whichMehta said that he will file areport in the matter.

The Centre had on June 5last year told the top court thatprobe into assembly of peopleat Anand Vihar Bus Terminalin east Delhi during nationwidelockdown and the TablighiJamaat event is being con-ducted on a day-to-day basis byDelhi Police and there was noneed for CBI investigation.

The Ministry of HomeAffairs (MHA) had given thedetails of the steps taken by theDelhi Police which is makingall efforts to complete theinvestigation within the timeframe to submit the chargesheet in the trial court.

It had told the top court thatdue to fake media reports andcirculation of certain misinfor-

mation in the areas of Delhi,thousands of migrants gatheredat Anand Vihar Bus terminaland Ghazipur border areashere on March 28, last year.

On the steps taken by Delhipolice, the MHA in its affidavithad said that probe in Markazmatter is being conducted ona day-to- day basis, in accor-dance with the mandate of lawand all efforts are being madeto finalize investigation andsubmit a report under section173 CrPC (charge sheet) beforethe trial court in a time boundmanner.

The MHA had said thatMaulana Saad and others hadallowed a huge gathering toassemble inside a closedpremise, over a protractedperiod of time, without anysemblance of social distancesor provision of masks and san-itizers and have caused a situ-ation where a highly infectiousdisease such as Covid-19 mayspread and threaten the lives ofinmates.

SC concerned over gathering of ryots amid Covid

PNS n AURANGABAD

Imtiaz Jaleel on Thursday saidthey have no problem if theairport here in Maharashtra isrenamed after ChhatrapatiSambhaji Maharaj, but thecity's name should not bechanged.

Jaleel's comments came aday after Chief MinisterUddhav Thackeray urged theCentre to issue a notificationat the earliest for renaming theAurangabad Airport afterChhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj.

The Maharashtra cabinet inMarch 2020 decided to renamethe Aurangabad Airport, situ-ated in Chikhalthana area here,after Sambhaji Maharaj.

The Shiv Sena, which sharespower with the NCP and theCongress in Maharashtra, hasbeen demanding for the pastcouple of decades that

Aurangabad be renamed asSambhajinagar.

However, the Congress hassaid it is against any suchmove.

Asked about the All IndiaMajlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen's(AIMIM) stand over the issue,Jaleel told PTI that, "We haveno issue with renaming of theAurangabad airport after

Chhatrapati Sambhaji. But, wedefinitely have a problem withrenaming of the city."

"Considering the work ofChhatrapati Sambhaji, whynot we rename our new indus-trial city after him. We alsohave a world class SamruddhiExpressway (between Mumbaiand Nagpur) which can berenamed after him," the LokSabha member said.

Earlier, on Tuesday, BJPRajya Sabha member DrBhagwat Karad also urgedCivil Aviation MinisterHardeep Singh Puri to renamethe airport here afterChhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj,saying the latter is the symbolof Maharashtra's self-respect.

Karad also demanded finan-cial aid for development ofareas surrounding some ofthe heritage sites inAurangabad.

PNS n KOLKATA

A senior doctor of theEmployees' State InsuranceScheme under the stateLabour depart-ment died dueto COVID-19on Thursday,a Health dep-artment officialsaid.

Dr Rajib Gon Choudhury,Deputy Director (Planning)of the ESI was diagnosed withthe contagion recently andwas undergoing treatment ata private hospital here. Hesuccumbed to the infectionthis afternoon, the officialsaid. Gon Choudhury's deathtook the total number ofdoctors and health workersdying due to COVID-19 inthe state to over 50, the offi-cial added.

PNS n NEW DELHI

A former corporal of theIndian Air Force was arrestedfor allegedly cheating severalpeople on the pretext of get-ting them jobs in the force andthe Railways, police said onThursday.

The accused, ChakrvirChaudhari (35), a resident ofAgra, had earlier been dis-missed from service by theIAF, they said. He was on therun ever since a case was reg-istered against him in 2015,following which a non-bailablewarrant was issued, and pro-ceedings to declare him a"proclaimed offender" wereinitiated last year, a seniorpolice officer said. Chaudhariand his associate Than Singhhave duped at least 18 peopleof approximately Rs 2.7 croresthrough the fake recruitment

racket. Singh was arrested inNovember 2019, and he is cur-rently on interim bail due toCOVID-19, the officer added.

The case was registeredbased on a complaint by anofficial of the air force policeheadquarter in Race Course.

"During investigation, itemerged that the accusedalong with his associates wereinducing innocent studentsby promising that they will getthem selected in the air forceand the Railways. They hadalso issued forged call lettersand joining letters to the stu-dents," O P Mishra said."Several teams were constitut-ed to trace and apprehend theaccused persons. ChakravirChaudhari was nabbed onTuesday late night from hisnative village Rithaura in Agradistrict of Uttar Pradesh," hesaid.

Ex-corporal of IAFheld for job racket

PNS n ERODE (TN)

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister KPalaniswami on Thursdaysaid a common effluent treat-mentplant would be establi-shed over 26 acres of land forthe benefit of the people.

On the second day of hiselection campaign in the dis-trict known for textile dyingunits, the Chief Ministernoted that the units violatednorms and polluted waterbodies by discharging efflu-ents without treating them.

In a bid to address the pol-lution-related problems thestate government proposed toestablish a CETP in the dis-trict with Centre's financialassistance, and 26 acres ofland has been acquiredalready for the purpose, hesaid.

ESI DeputyDirector diesof Covid

PNS n JAMMU

The Jammu and Kashmiradministration on Thursdayannounced a new industrialdevelopmental scheme (IDS)with a total outlay of Rs 28,400crore to encourage new invest-ment and to take industrialdevelopment to the block level.

"In a major decision of far-reaching consequence,Government of India hasapproved a new IndustrialDevelopmental Scheme forJammu and Kashmir,"Lieutenant Governor ManojSinha announced at a pressconference here. "The schemewill go a long way in usheringan era of socio-economicdevelopment of the region andfor catering to the aspirationsof people," he said. Sinha saidthat this scheme is from theperiod of date of notification

up to the year 2037 with a totaloutlay of Rs 28,400 crore.

He said that it is for the firsttime any industrial incentivescheme is taking developmentto the block level and addedthat it will promote far-flungareas of Jammu and Kashmir.

"The scheme will encouragenew investment, substantialexpansion and also nurture theexisting industries in theUnion territory. It will also pro-vide employment to 4.5 lakh

people besides leading to equi-table, balanced and sustainablesocio-economic developmentof the region," the LG said. Hesaid that manufacturing andservice sector units in theunion territory will benefitand noted that the schemevisualises a larger role ofJammu and Kashmir in theIndian economy.

"The scheme will optimiseutilisation of the local strengthsof Jammu and Kashmir," headded. While giving details ofthe scheme, Sinha said it willgive a major push to the econ-omy of the region and providehuge opportunities of employ-ment to the people of Jammuand Kashmir.

"The main purpose of thescheme is to generate employ-ment beyond government jobsin both manufacturing andservice sectors," he added.

LG announces new industrialdevelopment scheme for J-K

PNS n NEW DELHI

Fifty-seven police officialshave been transferred out ofMuzaffarnagar district as partof a reshuffle in UttarPradesh, officials said.

According to DIGSaharanpur range UpendraKumar Agrawal, 57 policeinspectors and sub-inspectorswere shifted to Saharanpurand Shamli districts fromMuzaffarnagar as directedby the UP police departmenton Thursday.

The police officials whowere shifted included SubeSingh, SHO of Bhopa policestation; Dharmendra Singh,Charthawal Station HouseOfficer; Dharmendra Singh,Titawi Station House OfficerRajendra Vashisht, andRatenpuri SHO RajendraGiri.

57 SIs, inspectors,transferred out ofMuzaffarnagar dist

PNS n MUMBAI

Calling Rahul Gandhi a war-rior for standing up against theModi government, the ShivSena on Thursday said "rulersin Delhi" are afraid of theCongress leader.

An editorial in Sena mouth-piece Saamana also said itwas a good thing that RahulGandhi is becoming theCongress president.

"The rulers in Delhi fearRahul Gandhi. Had it notbeen so, campaigns to discred-it the Gandhi family would nothave been carried out," the edi-torial said.

"A dictator is afraid even ifone man is against him, and ifthis lone warrior is honest, thefear increases by a hundredtimes. The Delhi rulers' fear ofRahul Gandhi is in this cate-gory," editorial said.

It is a good thing that RahulGandhi is becoming theCongress president again, theSena mouthpiece said. "Onemust accept that BJP has noalternative to Narendra Modiand Congress has no alterna-tive to Rahul Gandhi, theSena said.

"Despite propagating thatRahul Gandhi is a weak leader,he is still standing and attack-ing the government at everyopportunity he gets," it said.

Common effluenttreatment plant tobe set up inErode: TN CM

‘Rulers in New Delhi areafraid of Rahul Gandhi’

"The scheme will go along way in ushering anera of socio-economicdevelopment of theregion and for cateringto the aspirations ofpeople," he said.

PNS n BHOPAL

Madhya Pradesh Congresspresident Kamal Nath onThursday alleged that theCentre wants to privatise thefarm sector with its three newagri-marketing laws, which arebeing opposed by thousands ofcultivators.

Talking to reporters herewhile announcing the launchof his party's protest against thegovernment and an awakening

drive for farmers which willcontinue till January 23, Nath

claimed the "RSS and theBharatiya Jana Sangh werevotaries of privatisation sincethe beginning".

"They (the two organisa-tions) also opposed the nation-alisation of banks carried outby former prime ministerIndira Gandhi," the formerstate chief minister claimed.

"The (present) governmentwants to privatise the farm sec-tor with the three agri-market-ing laws," he alleged.

The farmers of MadhyaPradesh are simple and thethree new laws are againsttheir interests, he claimed.

Thousands of have beencamping at several Delhi bor-der points for over 40 days,demanding repeal of the new

farm laws and a legal guaran-tee on minimum support price(MSP) for their crops, besidesother issues.

"Our protest (against thegovernment) for the farmers'cause at various levels includ-ing blocks and districts acrossthe state - will continue tillJanuary 23," Nath said.

On January 15, a two-hour-long "chakka jam" (road block-ades) will be held from noon

across the state, he said.The Congress would also

hold a massive "kisan maha-panchyat" (farmers' meet) onJanuary 20 in the state'sMorena district, he said.

On January 23, farmerswould gherao the Raj Bhawan

(governor's house) here overthe demand for a repeal of the

three new agri laws, theCongress veteran said.

The Congress will launch a

farmers' awakening pro-gramme from Chhindwara inMadhya Pradesh on January16, the leader of opposition inthe state Assembly said.

Nath said he will address hisparty's first awareness meetingfor farmers on January 16.

The party would hold suchmeetings at different places, headded.

Enacted in September, thethree farm laws have been

projected by the Centre asmajor reforms in the agricul-ture sector that will remove themiddlemen and allow farmersto sell their produce anywherein the country.

However, the protestingfarmers have expressed appre-hension that the new lawswould pave the way for elimi-nating the safety cushion of theMSP and do away with the"mandi" (wholesale market)system, leaving them at themercy of big corporates.

Enacted inSeptember, thethree farm lawshave beenprojected by theCentre as majorreforms in theagriculture sectorthat will removemiddlemen andallow farmers tosell their produceanywhere in thecountry

Rename airport but not city:AIMIM MP Imtiaz Jaleel

PNS n CHENNAI

Governor Banwarilal Purohiton Thursday welcomedExternal Affairs Minister SJaishankar's statement in SriLanka, which he said signifiedthe Centre's concern towardsTamils and would be wel-comed by the people of TamilNadu.

Jaishankar unequivocallystated the Indian position onthe 13th Amendment to theisland nation, Purohit said ina statement.

Quoting Jaishankar from apress conference he addressedwith his Srilankan counterpartDinesh Gunawardena inColombo on Wednesday, theGovernor emphasised, "this isan important statement, signi-fying the concern of the IndianGovernment towards theirTamil sisters and brothers inSri Lanka."

"His words are sure to bewelcomed by the people ofTamil Nadu." Jaishankar'sstatement "is in the spirit ofPrime Minister NarendraModiji's own untiring effortsfor the welfare of the Tamilpopulation in Sri Lanka," the

Governor said.On January 6, Jaishankar

underlined India's backing forLanka's reconciliation processand an "inclusive political out-look" that encourages ethnicharmony.

The Foreign Minister hadsaid: "As we promote peaceand well-being in the region,India has been strongly com-mitted to the unity, stabilityand territorial integrity of SriLanka.

Our support for the rec-onciliation process in SriLanka is longstanding, asindeed for an inclusive politi-

cal outlook that encouragesethnic harmony."

"It is in Sri Lanka's owninterest that the expectations ofthe Tamil people for equality,justice, peace and dignity with-in a united Sri Lanka are ful-filled. That applies equally tothe commitments made bythe Sri Lankan government onmeaningful devolution, includ-ing the 13th Amendment tothe Constitution," Jaishankaradded.

The progress and prosperi-ty of Sri Lanka would surely beadvanced as a consequence, heasserted.

TN Governor Banwarilal Purohitwelcomes Jaishankar's comments

Never before have globaleducation systemsundergone such stress-ful times as were

unleashed on these — and theentire humanity, in fact — by theCOVID-19 pandemic. The chil-dren suffered unprecedentedrestrictions owing to lockdownand home confinement for extend-ed durations; away from theirclassrooms, friends, classmatesand teachers. There is considerableevidence of emotional, mentaland neurological impact on chil-dren, among others. Learning hasalso suffered much.

Mobiles, online learning andcontact with friends for the luckyfew did bring some solace but theseexperiences had their own limita-tions and inadequacies. Sufferingwas common to all, and caring wasexperienced from all sides. In thesetough times, positive vibes and ten-der, humane aspects were promi-nently evident all around. That was,and remains, the biggest ray ofhope. The pandemic is not yet overbut confidence has been regained:Vaccines are available; and humaningenuity shall overcome all adver-sity, no matter how major a deter-rent and of what magnitude theodds are. In the spirit of “We shallovercome”, things shall be put backon rails and start moving aheadmaybe with even greater vigour,confidence and assurance. Theworld’s population in the aftermathof the Coronavirus affliction wouldrequire new knowledge and newskill sets and, hence, all countriesshall strive to transform their edu-cation systems in the face of theemerging post-COVID world.

The world will no longer bethe same to which all of us havebeen accustomed for generations.This is the time for individuals,families, communities, countriesand international organisations toenvision the measure and magni-tude of the transition, be part ofit and ensure that the rhythm ofcivilisational advancement is sus-tained. Just when the number ofCorona positive cases had startedindicating a downward trend,media reports about the detectionof a new and more dangerousstrain in the UK have practicallynumbed the world. Suddenly, thehope of the impending relief withthe arrival of the anti-COVID vac-cines has given way to disturbingapprehensions and uncertainty.

A long battle ahead against theinvisible, albeit life-threatening,adversary appears inevitable. Itwould need people of the highesttalent, commitment, dedication

and spirit of service, and itwould need institutions of high-er education and research to getready at the optimum level oftheir efficiency to serve a glob-al cause. There would be noinstitution of higher learningthat could afford to ignore it inthe totality of its functioning.

The ray of hope, one wouldlike to emphasise, lies in the factthat human ingenuity wouldfinally win over. No calamity, vio-lence, war or any pandemiccould ever dampen the humanspirit to confront it, to explore theman-nature relationship and per-sistently unearth deeper secrets ofnature. This eternal human quest— symbolised by learning, re-learning and unlearning — shallcontinue with renewed vigour inthe years ahead. It would be sus-tained by the dynamic educationpolicies that would be subjectedto serious transformationsimposed by the pandemic.

India came out with a much-delayed new education policythat underwent finalisation in thethick of the Coronavirus crisis;thus enhancing its relevance andreadiness for a pragmatic, quickand sustained response. TheNational Education Policy (NEP-2020) presents a lofty transforma-tional vision and strategicallyindicates how to move ahead.One could scrutinise it for theinclusion of experiences and itspotential to comprehend theemerging aspirations and expec-tations of people. These shall haveto be achieved by the educationsystem through enhanced levelsof quality, dynamic skill acquisi-tion, appropriate personalitydevelopment, character building,innovations and research, andeverything else that is part of the

man-making education.Going ahead, the NEP-2020

shall be continuously assessed inits epistemological strength onthe premise that SwamiVivekananda had put beforeIndia more than 125 years ago:“We must have life-building,man-making, character-makingassimilation of ideas.” This, hetaught us, is the summum bonumof education, an education thataims at developing the an indi-vidual’s personality. He firmlydeprecated the practice of edu-cation that drives into the minds“of the learner a mass of infor-mation in which he may devel-op no interest”. The individual-ity of every child is to be com-prehended and respected as a liv-ing and growing up entity withinnate capacities and potential-ities, which are to be drawn out.

When the “Report toUNESCO of the InternationalCommission on Education forthe Twenty-First Century” waspresented under the title“Learning: The Treasure Within”,it accepted the philosophicalbase that Indian thinkers havepropounded since the ancienttimes. There are no limits tolearning and growing up. Theseelements need to be integralingredients in the implementa-tion of the NEP-2020.

The Indian education systemsuffered as it ignored the much-needed transition in strategy atthe time of Independence andopted for the convenience of con-tinuing with the transplanted sys-tem. In spite of commendableexpansion in access and partici-pation, India’s youth had to wadethrough the dilution of quality,inadequacy of personality devel-opment, lack of self-confidence,

disturbing levels of inadequacy ofentrepreneurial spirit and thespirit of caring and sharing. Thegap between the learner attain-ment and the level required/expected has become worrisome.

On the positive side, Indialearnt from its lapses and theNEP-2020 responds to the chal-lenges as it opens its first chap-ter with the words: “Education isfundamental for achieving fullhuman potential, developing anequitable and just society, andpromoting national develop-ment. Providing universal accessto quality education is the key toIndia’s continued ascent andleadership on the global stage interms of economic growth, socialjustice, equality, scientificadvancement, national integra-tion and cultural preservation.Universal high-quality educa-tion is the best way forward fordeveloping and maximising ourcountry’s rich talents andresources for the good of the indi-vidual, the society, the countryand for the world.” The youth ofIndia have the added responsibil-ity of acquiring the highest lev-els of competence, knowledgeand entrepreneurial skills in theglobal context and requirement.Our global presence would be agreat opportunity to put India atthe high pedestal on the world’sstage. India’s youth abroad shouldbe responsible ambassadors of itsculture, history and heritage.

India needs to uplift its insti-tutions to the level of Taxila,Nalanda, Vikramshila, Vallabhiand suchlike. The NEP-2020acknowledges it and inspiresIndia’s youth to march ahead onthe path of excellence. It recallsthe contributions made by theluminaries in the fields of math-

ematics, astronomy, metallurgy,medical sciences, engineering,architecture, ship-building, nav-igation and many others. The tra-ditional Indian education systemproduced scholars, researchers,scientists and philosophers of thehighest calibre; whose contribu-tions were indeed astounding fortheir times, and continue toserve humanity even at this junc-ture. Can anyone in the moderncivilised world ignore the contri-butions of Aryabhatta,Varahmihir, Bhaskaracharya,Brahmagupta, Chanakya,Patanjali, Panini, Maitreyi, Gargi,Thiruvalluvur and Gautama etal? Their contributions andexemplary dedication and devo-tion were worthy of acharyas.

The NEP-2020 has preparedthe necessary outline and strat-egy for the same. The challengeof implementation is facing thenation and the extent of successat another milestone would real-ly make a difference. The primeacceptors of the challenges thatwould unfold at the implemen-tation stage would be teachereducators, teachers and teachereducation institutions. Theywould determine the quality ofthe persons coming out of theschools and universities.

The NEP-2020 takes a com-prehensive view on the role ofteachers: “The teacher must be atthe centre of the fundamentalreforms in education system.The new education policy musthelp re-establish teachers, at alllevels, as the most respected andessential members of our society,because they truly reshape theupcoming generations of citizens.It must do everything to empow-er teachers and help them dotheir job as effectively as possible.The new education policy musthelp recruit the very best and thebrightest to enter the teachingprofession at all levels by ensur-ing livelihood, respect, dignityand autonomy while also instill-ing in the system basic qualitycontrol and accountability.”

The effective implementa-tion of the NEP-2020 would bepossible only through a trans-formed work culture that respectsthe learner, his sensitivities, aspi-rations and expectations. Thiscan be achieved only with theteachers who are lifelong learn-ers and personally convinced oftheir role as the builders of “NewIndia”. Only they would be ableto transform the learning envi-ronment, in which every childwho enters the system is welllooked after, her/his talent andinterests are nourished and nur-tured and s/he is prepared toenter the world of employmentfully equipped professionally,mentally and spiritually.

(The author works in edu-cation and social cohesion. Theviews expressed are personal.)

Soon after the brutal Hathras gang rape, whichwas nothing but a manifestation of castevengeance, Uttar Pradesh (UP) Chief Minister Yogi

Adityanath had sought to overturn his State’s dismalreputation on crimes against women as a political powertool. He had publicly warned that “those harming moth-ers and daughters would get such punishment that itwould set an example for the future”. Sadly, the onlyexample that UP continues to set is in its series of rape-murders, political protectionism of the perpetrators, tardyand lax police investigation and a societal acceptanceof excesses as unfortunate and unavoidable. It con-tinues to legitimise the offenders by administrative inac-tion. What else explains the bestiality in Badaun with-

in months of Hathras? What explains the lack of outrage over the death of an aangan-wadi worker who went to a temple and where a mahant and his henchmen subjectedher to indignity and torture like the 2012 Nirbhaya case, brutalising her with iron rods?What sense does it make to protect the honour of women by waging a war against inter-faith marriages when the authorities can’t guarantee their basic safety from men theywould rather not touch, given their political stock and sensitivities? Predictably, therehas been the tokenism of justice being dispensed by the suspension of an SHO andarrest of two of the three accused. But that doesn’t quite make up for the police lapsein registering a missing person’s complaint despite the woman’s family running frompillar to post to be heard. That predictability of punishing the police post facto is worsethan a cover-up. And a similar laxity in the Badaun case shows why no lessons havebeen learnt from the rape and murder of a Dalit girl in Hathras. When nobody questionsthe police or even holds it to account for forcibly cremating the girl’s body, denying herparents and family that right and dignity, and ostensibly wishing away the taint on herupper caste rapists, then what does one expect? When the police, as an unabashedtool of State power, seemingly condones the crime by not following the rule of law andprocesses as it is mandated to do, when it abandons the victimised; there is legal sanc-tion of a lopsided thinking that emboldens and encourages offenders.

So a Chief Minister, who has been thriving on casteist and communal politics justlike his predecessors, only ends up mimicking an administrative drill routinised by suc-cessive regimes: A drill that privileges their casteist constituencies at the expense ofothers and mocks all claims of ushering in a rule of law. Hence the repetitive excess-es on Dalits, women and minorities continue to spiral in UP, making it the worst Statein the country for anybody vulnerable. As it is, the Centre had confirmed in the Lok Sabhain 2019 that UP accounted for 43 per cent of the total cases registered for harassmentagainst minorities and Dalits. It also tops the rape chart and, according to the NationalCrime Records Bureau, reported the most cases of violence against women in 2019.The best that the UP Police has done, and continues to do, is to impose Section 144to can every trouble, debate and dissent, like it did by stopping the Opposition leadersfrom reaching Hathras to meet the girl’s family and booking journalists who were on afact-finding mission, accusing them of intending to foment unrest. UP’s non-action hasmany precedents, the most recent being the Unnao rape case in which a girl was gan-graped in June 2017 but her rapist, BJP legislator Kuldeep Singh Sengar, was convict-ed only in December 2019. Or, take the recent encounter killing of underworld don VikasDubey that snuffed out all information we could have had on the politico-criminal nexusin the State. Sadly, the UP Police, which at one time had been a professional force, nowseems co-opted by the executive. Despite all the recommendations on police reformsand the Supreme Court’s directive to set up a police complaint authority at the Stateand district levels, compliance is a far cry.

Electoral and political violence before and afterelections is not a surprise in India and manyother parts of the world. But the incidents that

took place at the US Capitol in Washington DC —where the US Houses of Congress sit and meet,and were sitting to certify the results of the pres-idential election that took place in the US inNovember — are shameful since America has forthe past two centuries been seen as a promoter and,more recently, a protector of democracy across theworld. Egged on by the sitting US President, DonaldTrump, the loser of the election, his supporters gave

a shameful display of themselves and the US to the rest of the world. Not just Trump,many of those who owe their political careers to him encouraged the supportersand, while they expressed their shock and dismay at the end result, this was noth-ing short of an attempted coup. Part of the fault lies in the convoluted Americanelection system where different States are given the Electoral College votes basedon the weightages decided decades ago. Trump, who won the election in 2016on this very basis despite losing the popular vote, claims that in several States hisvotes were “lost” or “extra votes” were found by his Democratic opponents, andthe US State of Georgia has been in his crosshairs because he lost the electionthere by a narrow margin. Trump, who has made a career out of being a “win-ner”, is bitter with his loss in Georgia and some other States, particularly in Arizonaand Pennsylvania, and his claims of fraud have stoked his core supporters, whoare almost always racist white vigilante organisations who believe in the conspir-acy theories that formed the core of the militias that marched into Washington.

The US needs to move to a simpler and easier presidential election system wherethe person, a man or woman, who wins the plurality of the votes wins. Trump lostto Biden by over seven million votes, that is 4.4 per cent of the ballots cast. Whilenot a landslide, it is a comprehensive victory margin in any book. Trump does notlike losing, but he also lost the plurality of votes in 2016. The rest of the democra-tic world, which largely follows the first-past-the-post system that has its own flaws,cannot understand how a voter in the sparsely populated agrarian state of Wyominghas his or her vote count as almost double that of a voter in the most populatedState of California. The US electoral system is broken and it needs to be fixed urgent-ly, particularly as the country faces off against a rival across the Pacific Ocean onceagain. A rival that exports autocracy; a rival that exports tyranny. If the world is totrust the US to stand up to China, if India is to trust the US to stand up to China,we need the US to fix its electoral flaws. Fixing the deep divisions in American soci-ety, however, is something that might take much longer. The US is clearly a deeplydivided nation, much like many other democracies, including ours. Fixing these prob-lems will require exceptional leadership and a multi-partisan approach. As JosephRobinette Biden Junior becomes the 46th President of the US on January 20, hehas an incredibly difficult task in the shape of uniting his country, in front of him.

American shameP 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 nionHYDERABAD | FRIDAY | JANUARY 8, 2021

06

Another rape in UP

The violence at the US Capitol by Trump’s supportersis a stunning rebuke of American exceptionalism

Inaction is worse than delayed action and busts holes in CM Yogi Adityanath's claims of deterrent activity

A new world orderAs the agony of COVID-19 abates, it’s time for the Govt to invest in kidsby focusing on the emerging strategies for educational transformation

JS RAJPUT

Be wary of bird fluSir — The ongoing spread of thebird flu across India is a matter ofgreat concern. With the possibil-ity of the communicable virusalways being present in animalsand birds, the Government shouldensure complete safety of its citi-zens, especially for vegetarians, byinstructing restaurants and foodparlours to use separate kitchen-ware to cook and serve vegetarianand non-vegetarian dishes.

Such a step will also meanrespecting the religious sentimentsof people whose faith does notallow for the killing of animals forfood. All restaurants, especiallythose where non-vegetarian foodis served, must declare at promi-nent places and on menu cards thatseparate cookware was used forpreparing and serving vegetarianand non-vegetarian food.

Taking a leaf from people inthe West, who have adopted veg-etarianism after realising its bene-fits from a number of medical stud-ies, there should be a move in Indiaas well to propagate vegetarianism.Already, even several starred andbudget hotels are discovering thatexclusive vegetarian restaurantsare gaining popularity.

Subhash Chandra AgrawalDelhi

Realise PSBs’ potentialSir — The full potential of thePublic Sector Banks (PSBs) is notbeing realised because the officers,fearing that they could be pulledup in the name of fixing respon-sibility, are shying away fromtaking clear-cut decisions.

It would help clear a lot ofconfusion if the Government

clearly spelt out the powers ofeach officer and gave them theassurance that no personalaccountability would be fixed forthe decisions taken by them aslong as these are according to thepowers vested in their position.

Sometimes, business callsmay go wrong and a banker can-not be the master of the businessmodels of all his clients. The inves-

tigation for accountability shouldbe carried out only if the delegat-ed authority is breached, there issuspicious of mala fide or negli-gence. The joint decisions of theconsortium of banks should gen-erally not be probed and noinquiry should be conducted afteran officer is relieved from service.

M RaghuramanMumbai

Leaders should leadSir — Madhya Pradesh ChiefMinister Shivraj Singh Chouhanrecently joined a select group ofpoliticians in the country whohave refused to take theCoronavirus vaccine, saying thatthe priority groups should bevaccinated first.

Despite his claim that hewould await his rightful turnrather than getting the jab rightaway, it does seem more plausi-ble that he is biding time only tosee and judge the efficacy of thevaccine once it is rolled out amidreports of the possibility of inde-terminate side-effects. The fact isthat such pronouncements bypoliticians don’t inspire confi-dence about the anti-COVIDvaccine among the people.

As the Chief Minister,Chouhan should volunteer to beamong the very first to get vac-cinated to inspire confidenceamong the State’s people, especially after the DrugsController General of India hasstamped its approval on twoCoronavirus vaccines.

Bhagwan ThadaniMumbai

Democracy went downhill in Capitol Hill siege

It is with a sense of pride that I say India would neverhave seen the kind of violence which took place aroundCapitol Hill in the United States (US) early on Thursday.

However, it is certainly a worrying sign when the Headof a State refuses to honourably accept the people's ver-dict through the ballot and, instead, tries to incite themagainst respecting the democratic norms for his ownulterior motives of continuing in the seat of power.

But this message should be seen in a wider perspec-tive rather than limiting it to the unfortunate and one-offincident in Washington. It should come as a warning sig-nal to several countries across the globe, including India,where an individual leader is promoted as someone big-ger than the country s/he rules and those who speakagainst it are hounded and declared anti-nationals.

The voters should see the Head of the State assomeone who is elected to serve the people and not torule them by creating a larger-than-life aura and personaof personality cult. Though Prime Minister Narendra Modihas rightly said that there is no place for violence dur-ing the transfer of power in a democratically electedGovernment, he would do better to remember that he

himself had heaped praises on several occasions on theoutgoing US President Donald Trump, who has left ablack mark on a vibrant democracy.

Trump exhorting his supporters to lay siege toCapitol Hill and the resulting violence, which claimedat least one life, has left the entire world in a state ofshock and it is really doubtful if the world would in futurelook at the US as the model of a vibrant democracy.

N NagarajanSecunderabad

Send yyour ffeedback tto:letterstopioneer@gmail.com

I am absolutely fine now. I thank all the doctors andnurses at the hospital for thetreatment and care. I’m fine. I have come back to life.

BCCI president

Sourav Ganguly

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

During the last few days of his(Irrfan Khan's) schedule, hewould say: “Dada, can't we go on shooting like this? I amfeeling like a free bird; I don'twant this moment to stop.”

FilmmakerShoojit Sircar

When the beginning of theyear is good, the coming dayswill be much better. The inaugurations are importantbecause India has achieved all this during the pandemic.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi

This is not a protest, it'sinsurrection. It borders onsedition. I'm calling DonaldTrump to go on national TVnow to fulfill his oath anddefend the Constitution.

US President-elect Joe Biden

S O U N D B I T E

A doubtful future

WE CANNOT TAKE THE BJP’S VACCINE. THE

INOCULATION PROGRAMME UNDER THE BJP-LED

REGIME CANNOT BE TRUSTED.

—SAMAJWADI PARTY PRESIDENT

AKHILESH YADAV

WE CAN'T EVEN CALL HIM A MISLED YOUTH. WHEN

HE NEVER LISTENED TO HIS UNCLE OR FATHER, WHY

WOULD HE LISTEN TO THE COUNTRY?

—MADHYA PRADESH HOME MINISTER

NAROTTAM MISHRA

POINTCOUNTERPOINT

In an unprecedented move, China recentlyremoved the military from the Government’scontrol and expanded the powers of its Central

Military Commission (CMC), headed by Xi Jinping.The CMC will now be able to mobilise military andcivilian resources in defence of national interest, bothat home and abroad. The new Defence Law hasremoved policy and decision-making from the StateCouncil (the Cabinet), thus consolidating power inthe hands of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)and Xi. It is aimed at strengthening the military lead-ership under Xi, providing it with the legal groundsto respond to the challenges of accelerating con-frontations in which China is embroiled with itsneighbours and the US. It empowers Xi to deal firm-ly with situations that could harm the communistregime at home and abroad. The CMC will now beresponsible for the formulation of the NationalDefence Policy removing it from the purview of theState Council.

Has Xi realised that his move to take on India,that was aimed at sending a strategic message, hasbackfired? Coupled with this, many other decisionstaken by Xi in 2020 are haunting him. There isincreased dissension and threat to the regime,spurring a debate on the fallout of these follies onthe future of Xi and the CCP. It being a single-partyState, the CCP is synonymous with China.

Empirically speaking, no totalitarian party sofar has ruled for more than 74 years. The CCP hasalready entered the 72nd year. It relies on three “Ps”to maintain its iron grip on China. Personnel con-trol, Propaganda and the People’s Liberation Army(PLA). In his effort to consolidate the rule of the CCPand its ideology, Xi has assumed firm control of thethree “Ps”, sidelining the “collective leadership” pro-pounded by his predecessors and thus becoming avirtual dictator.

In the process, is the CCP yielding control toXi and being undermined? In the absence of col-lective leadership Xi is surrounded by a coteriewhich, instead of giving rational advice, generallyaccedes to the Paramount Leader’s thinking? In hisurge to become the most powerful Chinese leaderand be equated with Chairman Mao Zedong, he hastaken a few decisions which are proving counter-productive, leading to dissension within and againstthe party. The latter is fuelled more by external forcesdetermined to overthrow the communist regime bytaking advantage of growing economic disparity andgrowth of two distinct classes in China. Plus, theexpansionist ideology of the CCP followed aggres-sively by Xi is a major bone of contention at the glob-al level.

When the communists under Mao seized con-trol of mainland China in 1949, it aggressively dis-tanced itself from its feudal past. However, underXi there has been a concerted attempt to merge thepast with the present. In order to combat the dis-sent against the CCP, he has projected the party asthe inheritor of the great Chinese empire of the past.Despite being born with a “Red spoon”, Xi was notparachuted to the top and had to work his way up.His family background and the subsequent strug-gle to rise to power has made him ambitious,adamant and a committed communist.

Xi took over the reins of the party in 2012 whenit was in a disarray. In the process of consolidatinghis position and hold over the party, he brought anend to the “collective leadership” system andbecame all powerful by grabbing all the three pow-erful posts in China, including a resolution passedfor abolishing the President’s term limit, enablinghim to rule indefinitely. This act has not gone down

well with young and aspiring leaders with-in the CCP who see a dark future forthemselves and no chance of rising to thetop. Like all authoritarian leaders Xi, too,has a fair number of dissidents anddomestic opponents.

During his consolidation of power,among other things, he has relied a lot onemphasis on ideology and nationalism. Tofulfil his ambition he announced aroadmap, that is often referred to as the‘China Dream.’ The underlying ideabehind the China Dream is to restore theformer Middle Kingdom’s glory andregain Chinese supremacy through expan-sionism. It is also aimed at minimisinginternal dissension through nationalunity. Xi’s ambition is to make China notonly stronger but assertive and the world’snumber one power by 2050.

China, under Xi, has witnessed sub-stantial growth, thus seeking a greater lead-ership role in world affairs. At the sametime his repressive policies in Tibet,Xinjiang and Hong Kong as well asexcessive curbs on academic freedom,issues like ecological degradation and thewidening wealth disparities at home, aprotracted trade war with the US andaggressive behaviour with its neighbourshave posed serious challenges for the partyand Xi, both domestically and globally.

The policy of forced populationtransfers is also proving counterproduc-tive due to fewer livelihood opportunitiesin the new habitats, causing widespreaddissatisfaction. The income disparitybetween the rural and urban populationalso poses a serious threat. His attemptsto introduce a legal framework in Chinahas drawn flak from the hardliners with-in the party who consider the CCP to beabove any law.

After the outbreak of COVID-19, forwhich many nations blame China, Xi hasbeen mired in controversies due to vari-ous decisions taken by him that have ledto the weakening of China globally andthe CCP domestically. To combat the glob-

al anger against China, Xi embarked onan aggressive policy to silence his criticsand dissenters at home. In the process, hecommitted the Himalayan blunder ofemploying the PLA to “teach” India, itspotential competitor, “a lesson.”

By doing so, he wanted to convey astrategic message but the resolute responseof India thwarted all his hopes and put himon the back foot, severely denting hisimage at home and abroad. His simulta-neous aggressive moves in the SouthChina Sea (SCS), the East China Sea(ECS), Hong Kong and Taiwan, too,drew stiff resistance. There was a globaloutcry to halt the expansionist designs ofthe CCP turning it into a battle of ideolo-gies: Communism versus democracy;authoritarian versus the Free World. The“Wolf Warrior diplomacy” and the “ThreeWarfares” strategy of Xi not only provedcounterproductive but led to completeChinese isolation and increased abhor-rence for the CCP.

His adventurism in the seas and onthe borders with India resulted in a uni-fied alliance by the West and by nationsin the neighbourhood against China. TheQUAD is fast turning into a militaryalliance from just a formal grouping. Japanis strengthening its armed forces. Australiahas become more belligerent vis-a-visChina. India has signed pacts to augmentdefence and economic engagement withVietnam and Japan; both victims ofChinese aggression. Taiwan is deter-mined to face the mainland hegemony andnot to succumb to its threats. Taiwan’sdetermination is buoyed by increased sup-port from the US. The UK, US and Francehave begun aggressive patrolling of theSCS. All eyes are now on US President-elect Joe Biden and his China policy, whichis expected to be tougher and more dam-aging than his predecessor DonaldTrump’s. But for a handful of friends inTurkey and Pakistan, China under Xi facestotal global isolation.

Even at home, things do not appear

to be better due to growing unemploy-ment, loss of business, relocation of glob-al companies, the fallout of control overHong Kong, disruption and realignmentof global supply chains, food shortage,growing income disparities, cruelties of thePLA and suppression of dissent with aniron hand. These are all adding to the woesof Xi.

The implementation of the recently-introduced Civil Code, an effort to intro-duce the Rule of Law, would be anotherlitmus test of Xi’s hold over the CCP. Thereis bound to be conflict of interest in its suc-cessful implementation and maintenanceof the supremacy of the CCP. Growingdemands for reforms and resistance by theethnic communities of the autonomousregions to forced “Sinofication” is a tin-derbox that may lead to the demise of theCPC and China’s balkanisation as andwhen it explodes.

China is at a unique point in history.The CCP has presided over the countryfor more than seven decades and is closeto the shelf life of contemporary totalitar-ian parties.

Will the all-powerful and overambi-tious Xi be able to steer China through itspresent crisis or would he cause the demiseof the CCP? It will, to a large extent dependon how he reacts to China’s global isola-tion and growing dissension within theparty.

Former professor Cai Xia, who hasbeen recently expelled from the eliteCentral Party School, has criticised Xi andsaid that under his regime the CCP is nota force for the progress of China. She saidthere was widespread opposition withinthe party but few dared to speak out asthey were afraid of political retaliation inthe form of internal party discipline andcorruption charges. The China watchersare keeping their fingers crossed.

(The writer is a Jammu-based veteran, columnist, security and

strategic analyst. The viewsexpressed are personal.)

Will the overambitious Xi be able to steer China through its present crisis or would he cause theCCP’s demise? It will all depend on how he reacts to global isolation and discord within the party

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

Ties for free dataflow must

KUMARDEEP BANERJEE

A world crawling out of global devastation needsmulticountry data alliances to find solutions to

current and future pandemics and cybersecurity

ANIL GUPTA

XI’S REPRESSIVEPOLICIES IN TIBET,

XINJIANG ANDHONG KONG AS WELL AS

EXCESSIVE CURBS ONACADEMICFREEDOM,

ISSUES LIKEECOLOGICAL

DEGRADATION AND THE

WIDENING WEALTH

DISPARITIES ATHOME, A

PROTRACTEDTRADE WAR

WITH THE US AND AGGRESSIVEBEHAVIOUR WITHITS NEIGHBOURS

HAVE POSEDSERIOUS

CHALLENGES FOR THE PARTY

AND XI, BOTHDOMESTICALLY AND GLOBALLY

The new decade brings with it unresolved issues of the past andrisks and opportunities in the days to come. Did you know thatChina is the world’s largest storehouse of cross-border data while

also being the single-largest exporter of what is being termed as themost precious resource or commodity on the planet? If data is the goldreserve of the new decade, it is time to understand the complexitiesaround data silos and a regulated Earth. The pandemic-ravaged yearand a “sheltered at home” humanity saw some key rulings and poli-cy documents on data regulations, pinned across strategic geogra-phies, which possibly hold the key to a new world order. In October2020, China came up with a Personal Information Protection Law (PIPL)draft to provide a structured privacy and data governance regime. Thisdraft, besides stating the obvious about protecting the privacy of Chinesecitizens while providing for technological innovation and growth, hassignificant insights on China’s outlook towards the global digital econ-omy. It raises key points related to national security vis-a-vis the worldeconomy, banning of overseas data controllers and processors, andusing Chinese companies or investments as economic attaches to inter-national sovereigns, thereby threatening them with reciprocal actionsin case of adverse decisions or threats. The PIPL has borrowed heav-ily from the European Union (EU) General Data Protection Regulation(GDPR) and has provisions which give Beijing digital policing reachbeyond its physical boundaries. It also allows China to strictly controldata flows from its territory, with possible sanctions and bans againstblacklisted entities. The PIPL does not have the provision for an inde-pendent data protection authority, with the Cyberspace Administrationof China being the enforcer and policymaker on data regulations.Meanwhile, along similar timelines a European top court ruling has junkedthe provisions of the Privacy Shield, a legal framework which guideddata flows between the US and EU countries. The landmark ruling willhave substantial ramifications for thousands of companies currentlysharing millions of dollars worth of data with the US. Meanwhile, theEU has also released a first set of measures under the Data GovernanceAct to “foster the availability of data for use by increasing trust in dataintermediaries and by strengthening data-sharing mechanisms.” ThisAct has ambiguous guidelines and references on international data trans-fers, access requests from third countries and provisions to controlnon-personal data. All of these have edges to cut through the existingfabric of global trade and cooperation.

India introduced a Bill in Parliament for protecting the data priva-cy of its citizens in 2019, called the Personal Data Protection Bill. Itsprovisions are still being deliberated by lawmakers. Meanwhile, in thelast week of 2020, it also came up with a second draft on the regu-lation of non-personal data which, according to the committee whichprepared the draft, will lead to “India becoming the first country to putin place a simple, comprehensive framework for non-personal data.”The underlying principle is to generate economic value through pro-cessing and use of data. When we look at the big picture we find somekey phrases such as “data sovereignty”, “economic value of data”,“data protectionism” and “data diplomacy” emerging as commonal-ities among all regional regulations. It would be naïve to assume thateach region in its respective bubble, can derive and create significantvalue out of the evergreen commodity called data, unless it is helpedby real world multinational company investments. The beauty of a dig-ital market economy is that it is both a receiver and a generator of thecommodity. Any data regulation applicable for a country/geographywill find resonance only if it is interoperable with comparative policiesin other economically strategic regions. Let us add another dimensionof the emerging technology-led promise of greater well-being in theform of 5G, Artificial Intelligence (AI), the Internet of Things (IoT) andcloud computing, and cyberspace becomes a complex multilayeredchessboard. Every player has equal opportunity and risk, with everynew move.

To stay in the game, one needs to build alliances or corridors offaith with other players. For instance, the incoming Biden Administrationin the US can take the lead in building mutually beneficial tunnels offree data flows between like-minded countries. It may be significantto mention here that China will increasingly use this tactic in its Beltand Road Initiative partner countries, cushioned by large State fund-ed investments and sponsored companies. What is interesting is thateach player is learning from the other, while sharpening the next move.Make no mistake that growing concerns/regulations on data flows havea significant impact on the power cords of a “Digi global world order”running on innovations in fintech and technology-aided healthcare,whilelooking at collective issues of tackling pandemics, climate change andsustainable living. A world crawling out of global devastation needsmulticountry data alliances to find solutions to current and future pan-demics. It needs to collectively find regulatory principles for AI and emerg-ing technology, including ensuring a safe cyberspace. Any damage tothe fragile ecosystem will lead to additional layers of regulatory com-plexities, which will not benefit anyone.

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

The Indian Parliament took a his-toric decision through the 73rdand 74th Constitutional

Amendment Acts. These Acts gave thePanchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs)and Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) a con-stitutional status in India. Accordingto the Annual Report (2019-20) of theMinistry of Panchayati Raj, there aremore than 2.76 lakh panchayats in thecountry spearheading the cause ofdemocracy. The number of womenrepresentatives elected to these insti-tutions is a whopping 13.79 lakh. It isthe largest number of elected womenrepresentatives in the world.

Both the amendment Acts provide

reservation for women to make theman important stakeholder in theprocess of decision-making at theground level. The PRIs and ULBs aredoing significant work across thecountry. The ongoing pandemic hasshown that these are effective institu-tions, especially for the delivery of pub-lic services till the last mile.

Similar bodies, called the DistrictDevelopment Councils (DDCs), havebeen functioning in Jammu andKashmir (J&K). The recent DDCelections signalled the resumption ofdemocratic processes in the newly-formed Union Territory (UT).

The DDCs are contributing to thestrengthening of grassroots democra-cy in the region. These institutions areworking towards the cherished idealsof the Constitution. J&K has beenunder the scanner of various countriesand international organisations sincethe abrogation of Article 370 and 35-A of the Constitution. But the DDCelections were a testimony to the com-mitment of the nation to the peace,prosperity and progress of J&K. It alsoreflects the eagerness of the Central

Government to involve and engage thepeople of J&K in the decision-makingprocess. The Union Government isready to pass the baton to the peopleof the UT so that they can provide adirection to the development process.

The Central Government’s deci-sion to appoint former Union MinisterManoj Sinha as its representative in theUT is owing to his ability to reach outto people and address their genuinegrievances. His long political careerand administrative acumen came inhandy to restart political activities inJ&K.

Even the political parties whichwere the stakeholders in the electionprocess vouch for the credibility of theDDC polls. These political partiesbelong to a spectrum of ideologies,from the BJP to the People’s Alliancefor Gupkar Declaration. Despite secu-rity concerns, all the political partieswere provided a fair chance to cam-paign, interact and engage with theirvoter base. Although, the GupkarAlliance won big and bagged 110 outof the total 280 seats, the BJP remainedthe single-largest party with 75 seats.

This was contrary to all expectations.The elections saw a 51 per cent voterturnout which was overwhelmingconsidering the harsh weather condi-tions in the UT at this time of the year,juxtaposed with the pandemic scare aswell. It showed that the citizens werealso willing and enthusiastic about par-ticipating in the electoral process.Such a high voter turnout also helpedto break the stereotypes associated withthe various political actors involved.

While the world worried about thehuman rights and basic civil libertiesof the people of J&K, India took theconstitutional way of returning democ-racy to the people who have sufferedlong enough for a multitude of reasons.Many scholars and independentobservers have vouched for the cred-ibility of these polls and comparedthem to the 1977 elections when theruling Janata Party lost all but two seatsof Eidgah and Handwara to SheikhMohammad Abdullah’s NationalConference.

Irrespective of the electoral scoresand the bickering that is taking placenow with charges of horse-trading fly-

ing thick and fast among various par-ties, the successful conduct of the elec-tions and the results are a victory of therule of law and deep democratic rootsof the country. The polls buried ques-tions regarding the restoration ofdemocratic institutions and process-es.

The security forces along with theadministrative mechanism need to belauded for conducting the democrat-ic exercise in the most transparentmanner in such a tense atmosphere.The rise in the number of Independentcandidates showcases the open-mind-edness of the voters and the start of anew trend in the politics of the UT. Awhopping 50 seats were garnered byIndependent candidates in the elec-tions. Conducting free and fair pollsin J&K under the shadow of terror isa humongous task. Even a tiny mistakecould have cast a black shadow overthe whole exercise.

A part of the credit for this cru-cial exercise should be given to the pre-sent Lieutenant-Governor of J&K.This political initiative is an integralpart of the three-point agenda set by

him when he assumed the position.The agenda focuses on prosperity inthe region, industrialisation, employ-ment creation and eradication of anti-India activities.

These elections indicate a freshhope in politics which will go a longway in building a sense of trust andfaith between the people and theauthorities. These elections settledthe apprehensions and doubts in theminds of those who believed that thepolitical system would remain in sus-pension perpetually. It also broadenedthe scope for smaller parties to partic-ipate in the polls, as parties like the BSP— which have a relatively limited base— also managed to win one seat.Smaller parties like Apni Party won 12seats whereas the CPI (M) also baggedfive. The participation and the voterturnout also nullified the narrative cre-ated by separatist forces in J&K.

It is said that “well begun is halfdone.” After the DDC elections thereis hope that fresh polls for theLegislative Assembly would be con-ducted soon in a transparent andpeaceful environment. Such polls

would be a chance for all stakehold-ers in the political system to showcasetheir resilience and restore completenormalcy in J&K. It was an adminis-tratively sound decision to first test thewaters in the UT by conducting theDDC elections and then go for morelarge-scale elections for the LegislativeAssembly.

Peace and normalcy are a prereq-uisite for development anywhere in theworld. The peaceful conduct of elec-tions will also encourage investorsfrom India and abroad to view J&Kfrom a fresh perspective and couldopen newer growth prospects.

Martin Luther King Jr. once said:“Peace is not merely a distant goal thatwe seek, but a means by which wearrive at that goal.” I believe that pollsare one such means to chase the cher-ished goal of peace in J&K and theserecent elections will certainly show theway forward.

(The writer is founding facultymember of University School of MassCommunication, Guru Gobind SinghIndraprastha University, New Delhi.The views expressed are personal.)

Democracy returns to J&K through the grassrootsAfter the DDC elections, there is hope that fresh polls for the Legislative Assembly would be conducted soon in a transparent and peaceful environment

DURGESH TRIPATHI

HYDERABAD | FRIDAY | JANUARY 8, 2021

www.dailypioneer.com analysis

HYDERABAD | FRIDAY | JANUARY 8, 2021 Money 08

MONEY MATTERS

German luxury carmaker BMW onThursday said it has launched a

special edition of MINI three-doorhatchback in India priced at Rs41.7 lakh (ex-showroom). Offeredas a completely built-up unit (CBU),only 15 units of the MINI PaddyHopkirk Edition would be available,BMW Group India said in a

statement. "The MINI Paddy Hopkirk Edition is a reflection of MINI'schallenger spirit and racing genes. It is a celebration of the ultimateMINI challenger moment – Paddy Hopkirk's first Monte Carlo Rallyvictory in the classic Mini Cooper S," BMW Group India PresidentVikram Pawah said. The model comes with two litre petrol engineand sprint to 100 km/hr in 6.7 seconds with the top speed being 235km/hr.

Union Asset Management Company(AMC) on Thursday said it is looking

beyond top 30 cities to double its assetbase to Rs 10,000 crore withn a year.Union AMC's plan also comes against thebackdrop of the amalgamation of Andhra

Bank and Corporation Bank with Union Bank of India, which is the co-sponsor of the fund house along with Japan's Dai-ichi Life Holdings.In addition, the fund house is looking to drive the business throughmutual fund distributors rather than depending only on the bankbranches to sell the financial product. Also, the fund house has hired a40-member team to push growth. "Armed with a committed andresourceful set of sponsors, a new CIO at the helm and a robustinvestment process that aims to deliver consistent returns, combinedwith an aggressive sales and marketing strategy we aim to double ourAUM from current levels in a year's time," Pradeepkumar said.

Tata Sons Pvt Ltd, the holdingcompany of salt-to-software Tata

Group, has raised about Rs 10,000crore from selling close to 1 per centholding in Tata Consultancy Services(TCS) in the IT firm's recently

concluded share buyback. Tata Sons tendered 3.33 crore shares inthe group's most profitable firm's share buyback plan, according to acompany's filing to the stock exchanges. Post completion of thebuyback, where the company will buy shares and extinguish them,Tata Sons will hold 72.16 per cent of TCS. At the buyback price ofRs 3,000 apiece, Tata Sons' share sale amount comes to Rs 9,997crore. Tata Investment Corporation - another promoter group firm -tendered shares worth about Rs 3.7 crore of TCS during the ITmajor's Rs 16,000 crore-buyback offer.

TCS buyback: Tata Sons sellsshares worth Rs 10,000 crore

BMW launches MINI PaddyHopkirk Edition in India

Honda Motorcycle & ScooterIndia (HMSI) on Thursday said

its “Activa” scooter model hascrossed 2.5 crore customers inthe domestic market. TheJapanese two-wheeler maker hadfirst launched Activa in India in2001 when the scooter demand in

the country was on the wane. "Activa has now created a new first asthe only scooter brand in the history of Indian two-wheeler industryto achieve 2.5 crore customers-mark," Honda Motorcycle & ScooterIndia (HMSI) said in a statement. It took the Activa brand 15 yearsto achieve the initial 1-crore customers in 2015 and just five years tocross 2.5 crore customers, it said. "Since 20 years, Activa has beenat the forefront of technological innovation, sometimes even decadesbefore it became the industry norm," said Atsushi Ogata.

Union AMC aims to doubleAUM to Rs 10,000-crore

Activa scooter model crosses2.5 crore customers-mark

MG Motor India onThursday launched the

seven-seater version of itspopular SUV Hector pricedbetween Rs 13.35 lakh andRs 18.33 lakh (ex-showroom), as it enhancesits product portfolio with an

eye on selling a total of 50,000 vehicles in the country this year. Thecompany, which also launched the 2021 version of its SUV Hectorrange priced between Rs 12.89 lakh and Rs 19.13 lakh (ex-showroom), also plans to launch a smaller SUV later this year as itseeks sales in India to grow around 70-75 per cent this year over2020. "We are happy that 2020 is over, and now we are getting into2021. Luckily we finished at a very good pace in the last fewmonths...I hope there are no more surprises this year...Thestrengthening of our existing cars and the new car put together, weare looking at at least 70-75 per cent growth for this year," MG MotorIndia President and Managing Director Rajeev Chaba told PTI. In theHector 2021 line up, he said the company has made changesconsidering customer and automotive experts' feedback.

MG Motor launches seven-seater version of SUV Hector

PNS n NEW DELHI

The private sector is willing tosupport and augment govern-ment's capacity across the valuechain of COVID-19 vaccinedistribution and administra-tion, industry body FICCI onThursday said.

In this regard, the Federationof Indian Chambers ofCommerce and Industry(FICCI) has submitted adetailed plan outlining whatsupport private sector, includ-ing healthcare, can provide,through the FICCI-EY Strategypaper on 'Protecting India -Public Private Partnership forvaccinating against COVID-19'. The strategy paper wassubmitted to the NationalExpert Group on VaccineAdministration for COVID-19(NEGVAC) last month.

"Given that we are on theverge of launching the largestever and a complex vaccinationprogramme, effective partner-ships and seamless collabora-

tions will be pivotal for its suc-cess. We hope that the govern-ment has taken note of theintent and commitment fromprivate sector players for accel-erating the process of targetedvaccination across the coun-try," FICCI Chair HealthServices Committee andChairman Medica Group ofHospitals Alok Roy said in astatement.

The FICCI-EY paper, that

was developed in consultationwith various stakeholders fromhealthcare, pharmaceuticals,medical devices, logistics, coldchain and allied sectors, statesthat India would need 1.3-1.4lakh vaccination centres, 1lakh healthcare professionalsand 2.0 lakh support staff/volunteers to support govern-ment's mass-inoculation pro-gramme.

Private healthcare sector,

responsible for almost 70 percent of healthcare delivery inthe country, can adequatelysupplement the physical andhuman infrastructure supply inkey capacity constrainedregions, specifically in urbanand semi-urban areas, FICCInoted.

A FICCI survey conductedin collaboration with EY andNABH, showed that 81 percent of survey respondentsfrom private healthcare indus-try are willing to inoculatefront-line workers in localareas and 75 per cent are will-ing to inoculate their localcommunities, 70 per cent arewilling to allocate manpower insemi-urban/rural areas for vac-cination and 94 per cent arewilling to impart training forinoculation, it added.

The private players are nowwaiting for a direction from thegovernment on how to con-tribute towards the massivevaccination program, innational interest, FICCI said.

Private sector willing to supportgovt in administering Covid vax

PNS n NEW DELHI

Realtors' apex bodies CREDAIand Naredco on Thursdayhailed the Maharashtra gov-ernment's decision to cut pre-miums charged on realty pro-jects, saying it will lead toreduction in construction costand boost property demand.

On Wednesday, theMaharashtra government cutpremiums levied by the civicbodies on real estate develop-ment by 50 per cent tillDecember 31. However, thereduction in premium can beavailed only by those develop-ers who will bear homebuyers'stamp duty burden.

"The 50 per cent cut in var-ious premiums levied by theMaharashtra government onconstruction projects tillDecember 31, 2021, is thefirst-of-its-kind step taken bythe state government,"CREDAI National ChairmanJaxay Shah said.

"We hail the proactive andprogressive measure as it willhave a strong impact oninvestments in the affordablehousing sector and will bene-fit all the partners and stake-holders in the realty ecosys-tem, the homebuyers and the250 allied industries that arereliant on real estate," Shahsaid.

The CREDAI Chairmansaid this will benefit the home-buyer as developers availingthe scheme will pay the stampduty on behalf of the home-buyers.

Shah thanked theMaharashtra government ledby Uddhav Thackeray for tak-ing various measures to reviverealty sector including thereduction in stamp duty.

He said it is imperative thatthe sector receives similarnationwide support andrequested other state govern-ments to emulate theMaharashtra policy.

PNS n MUMBAI

The 50-share Nifty benchmarkwill rise at over 10 per cent perannum over the next threeyears, a domestic asset man-agement company said onThursday, terming the cur-rent valuations in the market asfair.

Aditya Birla Sun Life MutualFund (ABSLMF), which man-ages assets of over Rs 2.70 lakhcrore, said the market mayseem to be overvalued to somepeople but that is because ofthe temporary hit to compa-nies' earnings.

It can be noted that follow-ing a rise of over 80 per cent inthe benchmarks after the sell-off following the outbreak ofthe pandemic in March lastyear, many have raised con-cerns over the rally and its dis-connect with the economy,which is set to contract by over7 per cent in financial year2020.

ABSLMF's co-chief invest-ment officer Mahesh Patil toldreporters that India is at the“cusp of a new cycle” whereearning potentials get re-

looked.The Nifty will grow at a

Compound Annual GrowthRate (CAGR) of 10-11 percent in the next three years,Patil said.

In the near term, the marketis reasonably priced from a val-uation perspective. It looksoverpriced but it should beoverlooked because the earn-ings are also depressed, hesaid.

Maneesh Dangi, also a co-CIO, said the fund house

expects the COVID pandem-ic will not leave a scar on theIndian economy, which is set torecover fully.

The economy will contractby only 5 per cent in financialyear 2021, and the high infla-tion and the resulting negativeinterest rates have been a boon,he said.

Patil said the flows by theyield-chasing foreign investors,which have been the drivingforce for the ongoing rally, willcontinue even in the new year.

He said there could be someshort-term episodes of volatil-ities but the markets will notcorrect by more than 10 percent in such episodes.

The risk of a likely secondwave has been taken care of bythe arrival of a vaccine, headded. It can be noted thatmarkets had corrected by 40per cent following theannouncement of the pan-demic.

Dangi said the fund house is“neutral” on commodities aftera surge in prices lately in bothmetals and oil, but added thatthe prices will be stable, whichwill help a country like India.

The mutual fund industrybenefits from the TINA (ThereIs No Alternative) factor andshould witness a spike of Rs 1lakh crore in assets undermanagement to Rs 14 lakhcrore during the year, the com-pany's managing director andchief executive ABalasubramanian said.

He said the company wouldcontinue to focus on addingboth assets under manage-ment and also new customersin the new year.

PNS n NEW DELHI

A survey has said that 69 percent respondents want thegovernment to cut excise dutyon petrol and diesel to bringdown the fuel prices that havetouched record highs.

As central excise is one ofthe two major components ofthe prices of fuel, moderationin the duty will provide suc-cour to people who are facingthe heat of economic slow-down and income disruptiondue to the COVID-19 pan-demic, according to the surveyconducted by Local Circles, acommunity social media plat-form.

"The aggregate percentage ofresponses from 69 per cent cit-izens want the government to

reduce excise duty on petroland diesel. Of which, themajority of citizens want theprices to be reduced by 20 percent or by Rs 6 or more forboth petrol and diesel," it said.

If done, it will reduce theprice of petrol to Rs 78 per litre

and diesel to Rs 68 per litre inDelhi and similarly acrossIndia where the impact to thecitizens is even higher, it said,adding, Delhi has one of thelowest prices of diesel andpetrol in the country.

The survey had 9,326responses from citizens resid-ing in 201 districts of India. Ofthis 71 per cent respondentswere men while 29 per centrespondents were women.

Petrol price on Thursdayscaled to an all-time high of Rs84.20 per litre in the nationalcapital after state-owned fuelretailers hiked rates for the sec-ond day in a row.

Petrol price on Thursdaywas hiked by 23 paise per litreand diesel by 26 paise a litre,according to a price notifica-

tion from oil marketing com-panies. In Delhi, petrol nowcosts Rs 84.20 per litre anddiesel is priced at Rs 74.38. InMumbai, petrol comes for Rs90.83 a litre and diesel for Rs81.07.

Of the Rs 84 per litre thatcommoners pay at the pump,the actual value of the petrol isonly Rs 26 while the rest aretaxes, duty and dealer's com-mission, the survey said.

The central governmentcharges Rs 32.98 (125 per centof the base price) as excise andthe Delhi government levies Rs19 (72 per cent of the baseprice) per litre on petrol Value-added Tax (VAT), it said,adding, similar levies in com-mission and taxes are appliedon diesel.

69% people want reduction inexcise duty on petrol and diesel

PNS n MUZAFFARNAGAR

Sugarcane procurement bymills in the Muzaffarnagardistrict of Uttar Pradesh hasreduced to 4.45 lakh quintalsper day as compared with 5.55lakh quintals, due to rains dur-ing the past few days.

District Cane Officer R DDwivedi said eight sugarmills' average procurement ofsugarcane, which was 5.55lakh quintals earlier, hasreduced to 4.45 lakh quintalsper day due to rains.

The eight sugar mills, inKhatauli, Titawi, Mansurpur,Tikola, Budhana, Khai-Kheri,Morna and Rohana, havebeen witnessing crushingwork in full swing.

PNS n MUMBAI

Equity benchmark Sensexslipped 81 points onThursday, weighed by sellingin IT, banks and consump-tion stocks despite a firmtrend in global markets.

The 30-share BSE indexended 80.74 points or 0.17per cent lower at 48,093.32.The broader NSE Nifty fell8.90 points or 0.06 per cent to14,137.35. Titan was the toploser in the Sensex pack,shedding around 2 per cent,followed by Nestle India,HUL, HCL Tech, Infosys,ITC and Kotak Bank. On theother hand, Bharti Airtel,IndusInd Bank, Axis Bank,Bajaj Finserv and L&T wereamong the gainers. "Afterthe US Democrats won theGeorgia Senate, global cueswere positive in morningtrade. Afternoon trade, how-ever, saw profit-taking inFMCG stocks despite whichwe saw a close above 48K ledby financials and metals."

Rupee plunges20 ps to end at73.31 against $PNS n MUMBAI

The rupee dived 20 paise tosettle at 73.31 (provisional)against the US dollar onThursday, tracking muteddomestic equities and arebound in the Americancurrency.

At the interbank forexmarket, the domestic unitopened flat at 73.10 againstthe greenback. It swungbetween a low of 73.31 and ahigh of 73.08 during the ses-sion. It finally settled at 73.31,down 20 paise against itsprevious close. On Wednes-day, the rupee had settled at73.11 against the Americancurrency. Meanwhile, the dol-lar index, which gauges thegreenback's strength againsta basket of six currencies, rose0.26 per cent to 89.75.

On the domestic equitymarket front, the BSE Sensexended 80.74 points or 0.17per cent lower at 48,093.32,while the broader NSE Niftydeclined 8.90 points or 0.06per cent to 14,137.35.

PNS n NEW DELHI

India Post Payments Bank(IPPB) on Thursday said JVenkatramu, former seniorexecutive of Equitas SmallFinance Bank, has takencharge as its managing direc-tor and chief executive Officer.

His appointment is effectivefrom October 29, 2020.

"Venkatramu's deep under-standing of payment products,associated technologies andsystems, combined with well-honed strategic and businesscapabilities, will help drivethe bank in its next growthjourney. "I wish him all thesuccess in his efforts to buildIPPB into a customer-centric,technologically advanced, andaccessible bank," IPPBChairman Pradipta KumarBisoi, who is also the secretaryof Department of Posts, said ina statement. Venkatramu hasover two decades of experi-

ence across various domains inthe banking sector. His exper-tise is in products, businessmanagement and strategyspanning liabilities, digitalfinancial services, payments,cards, mobile banking, andwallets, the statement said.

As part of the start-up teamat Equitas, he was instrumen-tal in launching the entiresuite of retail and institution-al payment products, settingup alternative delivery chan-nels and digital payment plat-forms, and handling keystrategic partnerships and pro-jects. "With its robust networkand comprehensive suite ofproducts and services cateringto various sections of the soci-ety, IPPB has the potential toplay a transformative role inthe payments banking land-scape in the country. I'mdelighted to be given theresponsibility of leading thebank," Venkatramu said.

PNS n NEW DELHI

Two power distribution com-panies of the Delhi govern-ment and RelianceInfrastructure Ltd have beenasked to pay Rs 1,864 crore ofoverdue electricity paymentsor face corporate insolvencyproceedings, according to pay-ment notices.

Aravali Power Company PvtLtd (APCPL), a joint ventureof state-owned NPTC,Haryana Power GenerationCorp Ltd (HPGCL) andIndraprastha PowerGeneration Co Ltd (IPGCL),have slapped separate pay-ment notices on BSESRajdhani Power and BSESYamuna Power for defaultingon payments for the electrici-ty they buy from its Jhajjar

plant.It sought Rs 999 crore from

BSES Rajdhani Power Ltd(BRPL) and another Rs 865crore from BSES YamunaPower Ltd (BYPL), accordingto January 2 notices reviewedby PTI.

These dues have been accu-mulated for the electricity theybought up to March 2020.The dues after that are notbeing pressed as the period hasbeen classified as pandemic-hitera. In the notices, the firmasked the two companies to

"unconditionally repay theunpaid operational debt (indefault) in full within 10 daysfrom the receipt of this letterfailing which we shall initiatea corporate insolvency resolu-tion process."

Under the new insolvencyand bankruptcy code (IBC),creditors can take a defaultingcompany for insolvency torecover dues.

BRPL and BYPL could notbe immediately reached forcomments.

APCPL has a coal-basedpower plant at Jhajjar inHaryana and BRPL and BYPLbuy electricity from it.

Reliance Infrastructureholds a 51 per cent stake inBRPL and BYPL while the bal-ance is with the Delhi govern-ment.

BSES Rajdhani, BSES Yamunaasked to clear Rs 1,864 cr dues

Digital services tax discriminatesagainst American firms: USTRPNS n NEW DELHI

India's 2 per cent digital ser-vices tax on e-commerce sup-ply discriminates against UScompanies and is inconsistentwith international tax princi-ples, according to a US TradeRepresentative (USTR) inves-tigation.

The finding paves the wayfor potential retaliatory tariffsbut the USTR did not imme-diately specify actions tocounter such taxes.

USTR's investigation saidthe Indian levy discriminatesagainst American companies,unreasonably contravenesinternational tax principles,and burdens or restricts UScommerce.

The latest report of theoffice of the USTR said that"our investigation indicatesthat India's DST discriminatesagainst US digital services

companies".It observed that India's dig-

ital services tax (DST) is dis-criminatory on its face, as thelaw explicitly exempts Indiancompanies, while targetingnon-Indian firms.

"The result is that US 'non-resident' providers of digitalservices are taxed, while Indianproviders of the same digitalservices to the same customersare not. This is discriminationin its clearest form," the USTRreport said.

According to the report, anIndian government officialalso confirmed that the very"purpose" of the DST is to dis-criminate against non-resi-dent foreign companies,explaining that "[a]ll parts ofthe digital taxation incidentshould be on the foreign play-er, because if the incidence ispassed on to the Indian play-er, then it doesn't really servethe purpose".

Moreover, it said the DSTtargets digital services but notsimilar services provided non-digitally.

According to the report,because US companies areglobal leaders in the digital ser-vices sector, US companiesface an inordinate share of taxburden. Indeed, of the 119companies that USTR hasidentified as likely liable underthe DST, 86 (or 72 per cent) areUS companies, it said.

The DST targetsdigital servicesbut not similarservicesprovided non-digitally

Lupin getsUSFDA nodfor genericdiabetes drugPNS n NEW DELHI

Drug maker Lupin onThursday said it has receivedapproval from the US healthregulator for its Empaglif-lozin and Metformin Hydr-ochloride extended-releasetablets, used to treat diabet-es, in the American market.

The company has receivedtentative approval for theproduct in multiple strengthsfrom the United States Foodand Drug Administration(USFDA), Lupin said in astatement.

The Mumbai-based com-pany's product is a genericequivalent of BoehringerIngelheim Pharmaceuticals'Synjardy XR tablets, it added.

The product will be man-ufactured at Lupin's Nagpur-based manufacturing facility.

‘Halving premiumswill boost housingdemand’

Nifty to see 10 pc annual growth in 3 yrs Sensex slips 81pts; Nifty holds14,100 level

Venkatramu takes chargeas MD, CEO of IPPB

8 sugar mills inMuzaffarnagarcut caneprocurement

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FridayJanuary 8, 2021

he technologyof 5G has con-tributed to anuptick in videocreation andconsumptionamongst 5G

smartphone users in thepast year. The new 5G ser-vices will be an indicationof the fourth industrialrevolution leading thepack. India won’t lagbehind, not anymore.According to the report byGlobal Mobile SuppliersAssociation, there areabout 412 operators in 131countries who are invest-ing in 5G. Displaying aplethora of advantages likeaffordable, spectrum pric-ing and more revenueopportunities. India defi

nitely has the capability ofrolling out 5G as they havebeen building the infra-structure since then. It willbe the opening of a newcommercial deploymentindeed, and who doesn’twant to grow?

Indian consumers, espe-cial

ly millennials, believe5G will strengthen thethrust to user-generatedcontent. So, as per a newglobal consumer studyfrom CMR, 5G hasenabled explosive growthin video content creation,especially short-formvideos amongst con-sumers. More than four inevery five 5G smartphoneusers are satisfied withoverall 5G usage. In India,

there is heightenedconsumer excite-ment and optimismaround 5G smart-

phones!According to

Prabhu Ram, Head-

Industry IntelligenceGroup, CMR, “5G will

positivelyimpact theway we create,

communicate, collabo-rate, consume content

and share our experienceswith our loved ones andthe world, through avideo-led medium. In

global markets, 5Gsmartphones are fuellingvideo content creation andconsumption, as well as,use cases such as mobilegaming among others. Ibelieve that when 5Gbecomes available in Indiawithin the next two years,it will give a considerablethrust to the increasingtrend of short-form videocreation and sharing,amongst millennials.”

Some of the benefitsthat early 5G users haveinclude better qualityvideo calls, faster down-loads and the ability tostream UHD videos. 5G issignificantly faster than4G. For consumers, 5Gtranslates into superiorspeeds while uploading,sharing on social media orin streaming better qualityvideos without any lags. Intechnology-developedmarkets where 5G is

already available, it is akey smartphone purchasedriver just behind batterylife. In India, 5G readinessis one of the top threeconsiderations amongstpremium smartphoneusers, just behind smart-phone brand imagery.

Nearly three in everyfive existing premiumsmartphone users are defi-nitely seeking to upgradeto 5G ready smartphones.“The future will be visual.With the extremely lowlatency of 5G, consumerswill be able to upload andstream their content asseamlessly and effortlesslyas they stream musictoday. At a macro level,there will be a significantdigital accelerationenabled by the confluenceof 5G. In essence, 5G is adefinitive trendsetter thatwill fundamentally rede-fine the future of content,remote work, virtuallearning, healthcare andmanufacturing amongothers,” Prabhu Ramadded.

Ultra-fast speed, highbandwidth and low laten-cy will envision the newdigital transformation ofthe country! From agri-culture, manufacturing,healthcare, energy, media,etc., everyone is going tobenefit from it. It’s goingto revolutionise the indus-tries and youngstersacross the countrythrough its high-speeddata.

relationshiprequires seeding,nourishing andmellowing, toblossom over-time as though

cultivating a garden in ourbackyard. The open secretto a stable and balancedrelationship is somethingthat couples find difficult tocomprehend and navigate away through, to worktowards a healthy andsecure relationship. Thesecret is simple;Relationships are hard work.

The way a gardener goesabout decluttering the gar-den of unwanted weeds, dryleaves and twigs, the samehas to be done in any rela-tionship. Crystal clear com-munication clears unwantedbaggage and allows spacefor more understanding.

A balanced relationship isa two-way street andrequires equal give and take.The element of forgivenessand clear communicationbecomes critical during offdays and days of mis-matched efforts. A relation-

ship does not work on auto-mode rather it requires con-stant willingness to put hardand heart work. Perfectmarriages are not made inheaven but made perfect byimperfect individuals.

If you are unhappy inyour marriage then askyourself the echoing ques-tion, why am I unhappy? Is

it because:1. There has been a lack

of interest from the spouse?2. There has been infi-

delity in your marriage?3. Continuous fights and

arguments are leading younowhere?

4. There is no spark andrelationship has become liv-ing like strangers?

5. Being forced into thisrelationship by elders of thefamily and there is no sparkin the marriage?

6. The spouse does meetyour expectations and youare unhappy about this?

There is always a point ofgiving a second chance. Buthow many chances wouldone give to the relationship

is dependent upon eachone’s circumstances andchoice.

Breaking a relationship isvery easy but working on itand trying to make the rela-tionship stable and healthyis difficult. However, theend result of hard workfrom both partners willweather all storms of life.

How to keep thespark and keep a rela-tionship healthy?

1. Understand your part-ner's likes and dislikes.That’s important to help youunderstand them better andavoid unnecessary conflicts.

2. Keeping the bound-aries of interpersonal rela-tionships is much needed to

have a healthy relation-ship and personal space.

3. The initial years canbring in many surprises as ittakes time to get to knoweach other.

4. Avoid hiding facts, betruthful to self as well asyour partner. If there is adrift happening, take timeto sit back and introspect towork things out.

5. Boundaries should beset and space must be givento each other to avoidunwanted fights and argu-ments which could weakenthe relationship as timepasses.

6. When certain patternsare repeating time and againit’s good to check as to whyand what are the triggers forthese patterns to be repeat-ing time and again

7. Communication isvery important, hence, lookat ways to be more expres-sive and make your partner

understand your feelings.8. Take time out and

spend that quality time andmake the most of it. Attimes it’s okay to forgive andaccept your partner for whohe/she is than trying to ruinthe relationship with egoclash. The chaos of technol-ogy has got so much confu-sion and stress into all rela-tionships that it’s easy to nagand drift away from eachother.

However, before jumpinginto any kind of commit-ment, try to understandwhat exactly you want outof it. Be clear in yourthought process of what youchoose and be groundedwith your decision withoutregrets.

It takes years of emotionalinvestment to build a strongand steady relationship,hence, toxic and necessaryissues should not hamperyour emotional returns.

Relationships that arebuilt on a strong foundationcan withstand the storm andchaos that comes with it.

The author, JayapalashriAnil, is a priestess, shaman,light body practitioner, medi-tation facilitator, spiritualhealer and wellness guide atSamaskara Healing Centre,Bengaluru.

here’s nodoubt aboutthe fantastic2020 Kliprhas had with

music. He started 2020with a 6 track EPLockdown which sawhim head down aslightly heavier tech-house route, and now,he is back with anoth-er banger 5 track EPcalled Final Hour.

As Klipr continuesto develop and matureas an artist, he showssigns of becoming oneof the most promisingnew acts in the nearfuture. Releasedrecently, Kliprexplores the energywith the Progressive-House tracks in thisEP. Final Hour startswith the track All YourLove which sons avery harmonic noteand sets the tone forthe tracks that follow.

Next up is Alonewhich picks up thevibe with airy synthsand vocals, followedby Be Together' pick-ing up the vibe evenfurther than the onebefore. Touch My Bodyis a track that brings asensual vibe with thevocals, lyrics and theinstrumentation usedby Klipr. The lasttrack from the EP isNew Place which, withit’s positive andrefreshing lyricsbringing a sense ofnewness, that remindsus that we’ve movedinto a New Year andhopefully things willget better than theycurrently are.

As a whole, FinalHour, from start tofinish, makes the lis-tener experience dif-ferent energies whilekeeping the vibe andthe sequence of the

tracks consistent! “Istarted 2020 withLockdown extendedplay, so it felt fair tobegin the year withanother. I’ve grown asan artist the formeryear and Final Hourshows the same. Fromstart to finish, myvision was to create acumulative vibe fromall the music I’ve pro-duced in 2020,” saysKlipr.

Inspired by theinternational electron-ic music scene, Kliprmakes music that cap-tures feelings andemotions of excite-ment and energyexperienced at a musicfestival.

With a passion formusic and a uniquedrive to succeed, he issure to become one ofthe hottest new namesin the electronic housegenre!

Klipr takesprogressivehouse route

t

A

T

A balancedrelationship isa two-way street

THE FUTURE IS In India, 5Gtechnology is takinga revolutionary trun!Powered largely bythe indigenoussystems andnetwork, it's an aptrepresentation ofAatma NirbharBharat amidst thedevastating impactof the pandemic.The Pioneer'sSHIKHA DUGGALwrites about 5G andits prospects in theyears ahead in thecountry.

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Hyderabad Friday January 8, 2021what’s brewing?

Rules

ARCHIE

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REALITY CHECK SPEED BUMP CROSSWORD

GINGER MEGGS

NANCY

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

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

Yesterday’s solution

CALVIN AND HOBBES

FUN

FASHION FEVER

Calling youngsters to finetune their fashion sense this new year,

Design Library, one of the most-awaited exclusive fashionexhibitions in the city, was held in HICC Novotel from January 5-7.

Fashion lovers from around the city added sparkle to the unique,extravagant, and luxurious exhibition which presented designer wear,

artefacts, home decor, footwear, jewellery and more.

l A

rya

l S

halu

l N

eha

l N

ikita

In his next, Thank You,with Vikram Kumar, Naga

Chaitanya will be seen as adie-hard fan of superstarMahesh Babu. Earlier thisweek, the director shotportions of the actorwelcoming the release ofPokiri with his friends at Ramakrishna theatre,reports NAGARAJ GOUD

e werethe firsttoinformyou (Dec29, 2020)

that NagaChaitanya will beseen as a hockeyplayer in a few por-tions of VikramKumar’s ThankYou, for which theactor prepped for aweek, and evenshot for them. Thelatest on his charac-ter front is that hewill be seen as ahardcore fan ofsuperstar MaheshBabu in hisyounger portions.The film traces thejourney of an ordi-nary guy whoworks his way up tobecome a successfulbusiness magnate,with business estab-lishments acrossthe world and howhe wants to thankpeople who havehelped him in hisjourney.

A source close tothe developmenttells us, “Chay willbe seen asAbhiram, a diehardfan of Mahesh.Earlier this week,portions involvingChay celebratingthe release of

Mahesh’s monsterhit, Pokiri, werefilmed atRamakrishna the-atre, Abids,Hyderabad. Thescene is straight outof the hullabaloothat fans resort to,on the release dayof an A-list actor’sfilm at RTC Xroads, Hyderabador other importantfilm centres. Chayshot for the scenein a fully-grownbeard, sportingshades, puffing acigarette and withunmatchable swag.In fact, as the presi-dent of Maheshfans association, heeven got a cut outerected for him,welcoming Pokiri tocinemas.”

The source addsthat the filming atRamakrishna the-atre went on for aday and half afterwhich Vikram shotscenes featuringChay and AvikaGor at a college inthe city. Avika isone of the threeleading ladies of thefilm, with the otherbeing SamanthaAkkineni, while themakers are tight-lipped about theother actress.

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Hyderabad Friday January 8, 2021 tollywood

Pokiri

n a first forRam, hisSankrantirelease, Red, isbeing dubbedinto seven

Indian languages. Film’sproducer Sravanthi RaviKishore on Thursday saidthe film has been dubbedinto Hindi, Kannada,Tamil, Malayalam,Bengali, Bhojpuri andMarathi. “While theKannada version willrelease simultaneouslywith the Telugu versionon January 14, the otherversions are beingplanned for a roll outtowards this month-end.The Tamil version, how-ever, will be dropping onan OTT platform. AsRam’s dubbing market inother languages is on theascendancy, we decided todub it,” the producer, whois Ram’s uncle, stated.

He further added thatGreat India Films is dis-tributing the Telugu ver-sion in overseas marketslike the US, Australia,Singapore and Dubai.

Red, an official remakeof Arun Vijay-frontedTamil hit Thadam, is aninvestigative thrillerwhich narrates the confu-sion that arises among afew cops when they findout that the one accusedin the murder of a young-ster has a look-alike. Lastweek, director KishoreTirumala stated that hehad worked on it like anew script altogether,only taking the basic ideaand plot from the originaland giving it a completenew spin.

Red torelease

in 7 Indianlanguages

ith her career going greatguns, including landing amaiden Hindi film,Rashmika Mandanna haspurchased a swanky RangeRover. The actress, who

made Hyderabad her home for thepast one year, posted a picture of her-self standing beside the killer SUVthat is worth more than Rs. 1 crore.“I’d mostly/normally keep things likethese to myself.. but this time I want-ed to share this with you because youare part of this journey…and I wantyou to know that… I love you. Thisone’s for you (sic),” the actress said,addressing her followers.

On the work front, Rashmika, whowas a part of successful films like

Sarileru Neekevvaru andBheeshma last year, will be

next seen in Pushpa, star-ring Allu Arjun. She is

also attached to featurein NTR’s next with

Trivikram, whilesimultaneously

having discus-sions with a

host of otherfilmmakers inTelugu. In Hindi,besides her debut, Mission Majnu,starring Siddharth Malhotra, she issaid to have signed Vikas Bahl’s sliceof life comedy Deadly, headlined byAmitabh Bachchan.

Rashmika'shot

wheels

As expected,Ravi Teja is nolonger spear-headingMaruthi’s nextwith GA2

Pictures and UVCreations over the issue ofhis paycheck. Maruthi,who immediately knockedthe doors of Gopichandwith the same script, hasgot the actor’s nod, andthe project was officiallyannounced on Thursday.The makers haverefrained from reveal-ing any details,except for indicatingthat it’s a commer-cial entertainer andthat the title and firstlook poster will be outsoon.

In the film, tenta-tively titled PakkaCommercial,Gopichandwill be seenas a criminallawyer.Accordingto a source,the makers

are planning to completethe film in Rs. 18-20crore, with Maruthi pock-eting Rs. 6 crore as his fee.“The makers are lookingto introduce a newbie as aheroine. A KannadaTikTok sensation is in therace along with a coupleof other new girls,” thesource adds.

With Gopi giving con-sent to this project, itremains to be seen what

happens to Teja’sAlamelu

MangaVenkataRamana,which hewanted toshoot from

nextmonth.

KGF: Chapter 1was mind-

blowing: Raveena

aveenaTandon,who ismaking hersouthcomeback

with Yash-starrer KGF:Chapter 2, says shehad a blast workingwith Yash in the film.“Yash is really sweetand a gem of a person.He is super talentedand a meticulousactor. The experienceof working with himwas amazing,”Raveena, who com-pleted her portions forthe film before thecentral governmentannounced the firstlockdown, says.

In the high-octane

action drama, whosefirst teaser dropstoday, she will be seenas Prime MinisterRamika Sen. Whileshe wouldn’t disclosemore, saying that it’squite an interestingand different role, shedoes add, “Ramika Senis quite complex, verypowerful and has gotshades of grey. Youcannot predict hernext move.”

Raveena admits tobeing a fan of KGF:Chapter 1. “Prashanth(Neel) narrated thescript of the sequeleven before I had seenthe first part. Andwhen I finally saw it, Ifound it to be

absolutely mind-blowing. The narrativehad a new approach.However, it was alsoimportant for me to bethorough with the sto-ryline, the narrativeand how the moviepans out in the sequel.My role was so inter-esting that I couldn’tdecline it,” she states,clearly mesmerised bythe director’s skills.

“His work is quitepowerful. I think thatis what makes himspecial because youcan never guess theincredible ideas run-ning behind the mindof his calmdemeanour,” theactress says of him.

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It's official: Maruthi gets Gopi

Chay celebrates

PTI n SYDNEY

In signs ominous for India and encour-aging for Australia, the beleagueredSteve Smith looked dangerous and his

understudy Marnus Labuschagne struck anunbeaten half-century as the hosts reached166 for two on a rain-marred opening dayof the third Test.

At stumps, Labuschagne was unbeatenon 67 and Smith, after his uncharacteristicrun of low scores so far, seemed out of thewoods with 31 confident runs, whichincluded five authoritative boundaries.Labuschagne found the fence eight times.

This was after debutant Will Pucovski,riding on some luck, made 62 on debut tobreak the shackles for the under-fire side.

Smith looked positive from the word goand was determined to not let the Indianbowlers dictate terms to him.

“It was good to get a couple of bound-aries early. Marnus played well, hopefully wego along well tomorrow,” he said at the endof day’s play in which 55 overs were bowledowing to a four-hour rain disruption.

Having entered the match after register-ing scores of 1, 0 and 8 in his last threeinnings, Smith’s first confident shot cameagainst India’s pace spearhead JaspritBumrah, who was nicely driven through the

mid-on for his first boundary of the series.His confidence up after dismissing

Pucovski for his first Test wicket, debutantpacer Navdeep Saini got carried away andwas guilty of bowling too full to Smith, wholatched on to them with a couple of fours.

With Smith looking in fine fettle, theearly signs were ominous for India and skip-per Ajinkya Rahane brought back hisnemesis Ravichandran Ashwin into theattack, but the Australian was equal to thetask on this occasion.

A tossed up delivery was whipped offpads through mid-wicket and then Smithdanced down the track to loft Ashwin on theonside for another boundary.

Meanwhile, Labuschagne was in his ele-ment after he had settled in and played a fewpleasing drives on both sides of the wicket,having drawn confidence from the pull shothe played against Bumrah at the beginningof his innings.

The two added 60 runs for the thirdwicket after a 100-run association betweenLabuschagne and Pucovski, who wastrapped in front of the wicket by Saini butnot before starting his Test career with a solidknock. Pucovski also had luck on his sideas wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant dropped theopener twice before tea.

Pucovski was on 54 and Marnus

Labuschagne on 34 at the tea break after fourhours of play were lost due to rain.

In between three reprieves, Pucovskiplayed some impressive shots and alsolooked solid in defence after MohammedSiraj had sent back the returning DavidWarner early.

Introduced into the attack after 13 oversin India’s first bowling change, senior off-spinner Ashwin tempted Pucovski into adrive and the batsman only managed anedge after losing his balance, but Pant failed

to hang on to the offering despite getting hisgloves to it in the 22nd over.

Pant spilled one more chance and onthat occasion the unlucky bowler was Siraj,whose fast and short delivery touched thebatsman’s gloves on his way to the keeper,who could not complete the task. Pant man-aged to take it on the second attempt, butthe ball had hit the ground by then.

With luck on his side, Pucovski got tohis fifty when he pulled another debutant,Navdeep Saini, through the wide mid-onregion for a boundary.

Earlier, play resumed as the sun shonebrightly after a four-hour rain interruption.

Groundsmen at the Sydney CricketGround worked relentlessly, including usinga blower to go with the super-sopper, to getthe surface ready for resumption at 3pmlocal time.

As many as 35 overs were lost due torain. Scheduled close of play was extendedto 6.30pm with extra 30 minutes permittedto ensure minimum overs.

This was after young pacer Siraj dis-missed Warner to leave Australia at 21 forone before the inclement weather stoppedplay barely seven overs into the first day’saction.

The home team had batted for only 7.1overs when play was interrupted.

Siraj sent back Warner (5) when he hadthe seasoned opener caught behind byCheteshwar Pujara at first slip in the fourthover, giving India their first breakthroughbefore the heavens opened up.

Making a return after a long injury lay-off, Warner showed intensity in the first fewovers but got carried away as he chased awide Siraj delivery.

if Atletico will be hard to catch, giventhey also have two games in hand.

Koeman admitted last week itwould be “very difficult” to close thegap but was more optimistic after thevictory at San Mames.

“There is always a chance,” he said.“The season is very long and you canhave ups and downs. It may be that oneteam that is doing very well will laterfind it difficult.”

Barca trailed to an early InakiWilliams strike but responded with aslick attacking performance that hadMessi at the heart of it.

It was his cross that led to Pedri’sequaliser and then the Argentiniancould have had a hat-trick, only forVAR and the woodwork to intervene.

But this was a vintage display fromthe 33-year-old, perhaps his best of theseason so far, at a time when his future

at Barcelona remains up in the air.Only a late mistake took some

of the shine off Messi’s night, apoor pass allowing Iker Muniainto finish and make the result lookcloser than it was.

Bilbao had scored in the thirdminute and the 90th, each time expos-ing Barcelona’s defensive frailties thatremain unsolved.

Yet in between, Koeman’s teamwere able to dictate the match anddemonstrate why going forward theyare still a force to be reckoned with.

“The team is growing, playing withmore confidence,” said Koeman.“Sometimes we look close to ourbest.”

sport 12HYDERABAD | FRIDAY | JANUARY 8, 2021

AFP nMANCHESTER

Manchester City reached theLeague Cup final for

fourth consecutive season asthey inflicted more semi-finalpain on Manchester Unitedwith a 2-0 win at Old Traffordon Wednesday.

John Stones andFernandinho were the unlikelygoalscorers for Pep Guardiola’smen, who will face JoseMourinho’s Tottenham in thefinal at Wembley on April 25.

Mourinho was United bossthe last time they lifted a trophyin 2017 and the Red Devils waitfor silverware under Solskjaergoes on as they lost a fourthsemis in the past two seasons.

Any fears of a repeat of thegoalless draw between the sideslast month in the league were

quickly dispelled as both hadgoals ruled out inside the firstfive minutes.

Stones breathed a sigh ofrelief when his own goalwas chalked off for offsideby Rashford in the build-up before Ilkay Gundoganwas also denied by the off-side flag.

Zack Steffen wasdeputising for first-choicegoalkeeper Ederson, whowas one of City’s absentees dueto a coronavirus outbreak, and

the American produced anincredible save to deny Brunohis 16th goal of the season witha curling effort that was destined

for the top corner.City looked more

like their old selves in athrilling first-half per-formance and wereinches away from theopener thanks to astunning move thatstarted deep inside their

own half and ended with DeBruyne smashing against the

post from the edge of the area.The deadlock was finally

broken five minutes into the sec-ond half when Stones cushionedin Foden’s free kick with histhigh for his first goal in threeyears.

Stone’s poor form has seenhim fall down the pecking orderin recent seasons, but City havenow kept nine clean sheets in the11 games Stones has started thisseason as he has formed a for-midable partnership with RubenDias.

City’s issues this season havebeen at the other end and theyagain failed to make the most oftheir chances in the secondhalf.

Cancelo’s piledriver flewjust over before DeanHenderson made fine saves todeny Sterling and Riyad Mahrez.

However, Henderson couldonly watch as Fernandinhovolleyed into the bottom cornerafter United failed to clear a cor-ner for his first goal in two years,seven minutes from time.

AFP n BILABO

Ronald Koeman saidBarcelona can still win

La Liga after Lionel Messiscored twice on Wednesday

in a 3-2 win over AthleticBilbao.

Messi’s double helpedBarca reduce the gap behindLa Liga’s leaders AtleticoMadrid to seven points, even

Milan: Federico Chiesa scoreda brace as Juventus inflicted afirst league defeat this season onSerie A leaders AC Milan, end-ing their 27-match unbeaten runwith a 3-1 win on Wednesday.

Stefano Pioli’s side main-tained their one-point advan-tage over city rivals Interwho missed a chance to gotop with a 2-1 loss at Samp.

AC Milan had beenunbeaten since before the coro-navirus lockdown last March,with a run of 12 matches with-out defeat to complete last sea-son where they finished sixth,and 15 games this campaign.

But Chiesa, who joinedfrom Fiorentina last October,bagged his first brace for the

champions, scoring on 18 and 62minutes in the San Siro withMcKennie getting a third withquarter of an hour to go.

“This defeat hurts,” saidPioli. “If there is an opponent

against whom we havesuffered it is Juventus,who have won theScudetto for nine years ina row. “But understand-ing how bad you feel

after a defeat will also help usgrow.”

The hosts, chasing theirfirst Scudetto since 2011, hadbeen hit hours before kick-offwith the news that forwardAnte Rebic and midfielder RadeKrunic had tested positive forCovid-19. AFP

AFP n PARIS

Mauricio Pochettino’s firstmatch as Paris Saint-

Germain coach ended in a 1-1draw at Saint-Etienne onWednesday as his new teamslipped three points behindLigue 1 leaders Lyon.

The defending leaguechampions fell behind earlyon to Romain Hamouma’sstrike before Moise Keanlevelled soon after, butlaboured in the secondhalf and failed to finda winner.

The formerTottenham bosswas only confirmedas Thomas Tuchel’ssuccessor on Saturday,four days after theGerman’s sacking wasofficially announced.

But the scale ofthe task facing the

former PSG defender was laidout in front of him at the StadeGeoffroy-Guichard as the cap-ital-city giants’ title defence suf-fered another blow.

Lyon survived a late Lenscomeback to extend their leadwith a 3-2 win, with Memphis

Depay’s double proving cru-cial. PSG did move intosecond, above Lille on goal

difference, after ChristopheGaltier’s team slippedto a surprise 2-1 homeloss to Angers.

Marseille boostedtheir title hopes,though, as DimitriPayet’s 80th-minutestrike helped secure a 3-1 home success againstMontpellier.

Andre-Villas Boas’men are fifth, but onlyeight points behindLyon with two gamesin hand.

Madrid: La Liga leadersAtletico Madrid crashed out ofthe Copa del Rey onWednesday after suffering ashock second-round 1-0 defeatby third-division Cornella.

Cornella sit seventh intheir Segunda B division,Spain’s third tier, but deserveda historic win thanks to avolleyed finish by AdrianJimenez in the seventh minute.

Atleti’s task becametougher when 20-year-oldRicard Sanchez was sent off inthe 63rd minute, while SaulNiguez had hit the crossbar inthe first half.

Diego Simeone alsoleft out some key playersincluding Luis Suarez,Koke, Marcos Llorente andYannick Carrasco, withJoao Felix taken off in the sec-ond half when they needed anequaliser.

But Atletico also strug-

gled for fluency and chancesagainst a far less prestigiousopponent. “We apologise to thefans,” said Saul. “We are theones to blame.”

Atletico’s defeat makesit consecutive seasons theyhave lost to a third-tierside in the cup after beingknocked out by Cultural

Leonesa 12 months ago.“The cup is not giving us

much satisfaction,” said Atleticoboss Diego Simeone. AFP

IANS n KOLKATA

Former Indian skipper and theBoard of Control for Cricket

in India (BCCI) presidentSourav Ganguly was dischargedfrom Kolkata’s WoodlandsHospital on Thursday morning,following six days of hospitali-sation.

“I am absolutely fine now. Ithank all the doctors and nurs-es at the hospital for the treat-ment and care,” Ganguly saidafter getting discharged from thehospital.

He, however, refused toanswer any question from themedia.

The 48-year-old had suf-fered a sudden blackout follow-ing mild chest pain during aworkout session at his Behalaresidence on January 2. He wasmoved to the WoodlandsHospital that day itself where heunderwent angioplasty.

Meanwhile, Ganguly’s fansgathered in front of the hospi-tal as well as in front of his BirenRoy Road residence at Behalathis morning to catch a glimpseof their favourite cricketer.

“I’m keeping fine. I havecome back to life,” said Gangulytowards his followers after reach-ing his residence.

Earlier, noted cardiac sur-geon Devi Shetty, who came tothe West Bengal capital onTuesday morning, had exam-ined the BCCI chief and said theformer batting great was stableand could be discharged.

“His heart today is as strongas it was when Sourav was 20years old,” Shetty told reporters.

“Sourav can participate in amarathon, fly a plane, or evenget back to cricket if he wantswithout this event being any set-back.”

According to hospitalsources, Ganguly will have to fol-low a strict guideline for the nexttwo weeks. Some medical testswill also be conducted upon himduring that time.

New Delhi: The IPL’s govern-ing council has decided thatthe eight franchises will beallowed to submit the namesof their retained players byJanuary 21, league’s chairmanBrijesh Patel said on Thursday.

Patel and members of theIPL GC recently had a virtualmeeting earlier this weekwhere the planning and prepa-rations of the next IPL was dis-cussed at length.

“We will have the players’retention till January 21 andthe trading window for thefranchises closes on February4,” Patel, the former IndiaTest batsman told PTI whileinforming that the date of theauction is yet to be finalised.

It is expected that themini auction that is supposedto be held this year for theexisting eight teams will beheld in the second or thirdweek of February. The eightIPL teams enjoy a players’purse of `85 crore and Patelsaid that thre will be “noincrease of purse” for the 2021auction.

It is learnt that governingcouncil has decided to wait fora month before finalisingwhether the IPL-14 will beheld in India or not. PTI

Messi back to his best

Lionel Messi celebrates with Pedri after scoring La LLiga/Twitter

Juve end Milan'sunbeaten run

I’m absolutely fine: Gangulydischarged from hospital

Jan 21 deadline forIPL player retentionTrading window closes Feb 4

PSG held in Poch’s 1st matchMAN CITY TO FACE MAN CITY TO FACE SPURS IN FINALSPURS IN FINAL

Atletico out of Copa del Rey

It was a very nice batting wicket.I am very hopeful that with theamount of batting in the teamnow and what we have got to

come, we can post a really goodtotal and then with the world-class attack that we have putthem (India) under the pump,hopefully dominate the game.

WILLPUCOVSKI

It is very a flat wicket. Our planwas to build pressure and not try

too much as it is a very easywicket for the batsman. Even the

bouncers are not carrying as wellit was in the earlier games. But

Test cricket it is all aboutpatience and we must keep that

in mind.MOHAMMED

SIRAJ

PTI n NEW DELHI

The BCCI on Thursdaywrote to Cricket

Australia seeking relax-ation in hard quarantineprotocol of Brisbane for thefourth Test to go ahead,reminding the host boardthat the visitors are donewith the strict isolationthat was agreed upon at thebeginning of the tour.

It is learnt that a topBCCI executive has writtento CA head Earl Eddingsciting to him theMemorandum ofUnderstanding signed bythe two boards on themodalities of the tour

which never had any spec-ification on two hard quar-antines in separate cities.The Brisbane Test is due tostart on January 15 and thequarantine rules willrestrict the players to justtheir hotel rooms after day’splay.

“The discussions arestill on but today BCCI hasformally sent a letter seek-ing relaxation of hard quar-antine for its players if theyare to have the match inBrisbane,” a senior BCCIofficial told PTI.

“The MoU that wassigned never mentionedabout two hard quaran-tines. India have done one

hard quarantine in Sydney(practice and back to hotelroom),” he added.

So what are the precisedemands placed by theBCCI after addressing thegrievances of its playersand where exactly doesQueensland health author-ities stand at the moment?

“The BCCI’s demand issimple. The players want tomingle with each otherinside the hotel bio-bubblelike they did in the IPL.They want to have theirmeals together inside thehotel and also have theteam meetings together.That’s not a big demand,”he informed.

Sydney: India pacer Mohammed Siraj hasrevealed that his late father’s memorybrought tears to his eyes while the nation-al anthem was being played ahead of thethird Test against Australia which began onThursday at the SCG.

Video and images of Siraj fighting backtears went viral on social media before thestart of the play.

Siraj had lost his father on November20, about a week after the Indian team land-ed in Australia and were in quarantineahead of the limited-overs series.

The pace bowler, who was part of thesquad for the Tests that were to begin onlyon December 17, was given the option ofreturning home to attend the burial of hisfather but decided to stay back as the entireprocess of going back and returning would

have involved quarantine periods.“During the national anthem, I just

remembered my father. That is why I felta bit emotional. Dad always wanted to seeme play Test cricket. If he would have beenalive, he would have seen me,” said Sirajafter the end of the first day’s play.

Former India batsmen Wasim Jafferand Mohammad Kaif both appreciatedSiraj.

“Even if there’s little or no crowd tocheer you on, no better motivation thanplaying for India. As a legend once said ‘Youdon’t play for the crowd, you play for thecountry’,” tweeted Jaffer.

“I just want certain people to remem-ber this picture. He is #SirajMohammed andthis is what the national anthem means tohim,” said Kaif. IANS

Pucovski scores fifty in his maiden Test innings to put Aus in front before Labuschagne, Smith take charge

WILL FINDS A WAY FOR OZ

Marnus Labuschagne congratulates Will Pucovski on his maiden fifty in Test cricket Cricket AAustralia/Twitter

Dad’s memory broughttears to my eyes: Siraj

3rd Test. Day 2Live from 5:00am IST

SONY TEN 1, 3 & SIX

BCCI formally writes to CA on relaxation

of Brisbane hard quarantine

Sydney: Former Australiacaptain Ricky Ponting onThursday slammed RishabhPant for his below-par wick-et-keeping on the openingday of the third Test here,stating that the Indianyoungster has droppedmore catches than any otherkeeper since his debut andneeds to work harder.

Pant dropped WillPucovski on 26 and 32respectively as the debutantopener went on to score 62.

“Since his debut in Testcricket, he’s dropped more

catches than any other keep-er in the world. That high-lights he has got some workto do with his keeping,”Ponting toldcricket.Com.Au.

“The one’s (droppedcatches) today are two that

should be taken, simple asthat,” he said. Ponting saidthat on a flat track, Pucovskicould have caused moredamage with a daddy hun-dred.

“It’s probably lucky forRishabh that Pucovski did-n’t go on and make a bighundred or a double hun-dred and looking at thewicket, it looks like an unbe-lievable surface,” Ponting,who also happens to bePant’s head coach at DelhiCapitals, said.

PTI

Pant needs to work on keeping: Ponting