tuesday, july 27, 2021 Chennai - ONGC

CMYK

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tuesday, july 27, 2021 Chennai

City Edition

16 pages O ₹�5.00

Printed at . Chennai . Coimbatore . Bengaluru . Hyderabad . Madurai . Noida . Visakhapatnam . Thiruvananthapuram . Kochi . Vijayawada . Mangaluru . Tiruchirapalli . Kolkata . Hubballi . Mohali . Malappuram . Mumbai . Tirupati . lucknow . cuttack . patna

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CMYK

J CH-CHE

CHENNAI THE HINDU

TUESDAY, JULY 27, 2021J2EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

CMYK

M CH-CHE

tuesday, july 27, 2021 Chennai

City Edition

16 pages O ₹�5.00

Printed at . Chennai . Coimbatore . Bengaluru . Hyderabad . Madurai . Noida . Visakhapatnam . Thiruvananthapuram . Kochi . Vijayawada . Mangaluru . Tiruchirapalli . Kolkata . Hubballi . Mohali . Malappuram . Mumbai . Tirupati . lucknow . cuttack . patna

follow us:

thehindu.com

facebook.com/thehindu

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President Kovind

pays tributes to Kargil

War bravehearts

page 9

Uttar Pradesh got a

huge portion of

Clean Ganga funds

page 8

Clashes in Tunisia after

President ousts PM

amid COVID protests

page 11

Sharath battles his way

into the third round;

Manika, Sutirtha lose

page 13

Farmers stage protestover Mekedatu dam plan TIRUCHI

A group of farmers belonging

to the Tamil Nadu Vivasayigal

Sangam staged a demonstra-

tion here on Monday, urging

the Centre not to allow

Karnataka to build a dam

across the Cauvery at

Mekedatu. The farmers also

urged the Centre to remove

the dam across Markandeya

river in Karnataka.

TAMIL NADU A PAGE 2

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NEARBY

Tamil Nadu records1,785 fresh casesCHENNAI

With 1,785 people testing

positive for COVID-19 in

Tamil Nadu on Monday, the

overall tally surpassed 25.5

lakh. The State added

50,000 more cases to its

tally in 21 days. Coimbatore

recorded 164 cases and Erode

127 cases, followed by 122 in

Chennai. The State reported

26 deaths. There were no

fatalities in 22 districts.

TAMIL NADU A PAGE 2

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Putting to rest endless speculation over a leadershipchange in Karnataka, B.S. Yediyurappa on Monday submitted his resignation asChief Minister to GovernorThaawarchand Gehlot, ending his fourth stint at thehelm exactly two years afterhe took charge. This was the78yearold veteran leader’sfourth tenure as Chief Minister, none lasting a full term.

With this, the stage is nowset for a new BJP Chief Minister, and all eyes are on theparty high command’s decision following a Parliamentary Board meeting in Delhiand the BJP Legislature Partymeeting to be held in Bengaluru this week.

Mr. Yediyurappa, who hadbeen saying that he was waiting for the “high command’smessage” on his future, announced his resignation tearyeyed at the end of anemotionally charged speech

at a function to mark twoyears of his government inthe morning. He said he haddone it “happily andvoluntarily”.

Mr. Gehlot accepted Mr.Yediyurappa’s resignation,dissolved the Council of Mi

nisters and asked Mr. Yediyurappa to continue till theprocess of appointing hissuccessor is completed. Thisis expected to happen by theweekend, sources said.

The name of the successor is shrouded in secrecy,

with most State leaders alsoclaiming to be “clueless”about what is on the highcommand’s mind while coming up with various formulaebeing considered.

Yediyurappa bows out, suspenserises over new Karnataka CM78-year-old BJP veteran quits ‘voluntarily’; party yet to reveal name of successor

Special Correspondent

Bengaluru

Short term: Karnataka Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappaduring a function in Bengaluru on Monday. * MURALI KUMAR K.

CONTINUED ON A PAGE 8

Six Assam police personnelwere killed in an exchange offi�re with their Mizoramcounterparts after the protracted border row betweenthe two northeastern Statestook a violent turn on Monday. The clashes in the border town of Vairengte alsoleft at least 60 persons fromAssam injured.

The incident comesless than two days afterUnion Home MinisterAmit Shah held a meeting with the Chief Ministers of the northeastern States in theMeghalaya capital ofShillong for resolving

the interState boundary disputes. The injured includedNimbalkar Vaibhav Chandrakant, Superintendent of Police of Cachar district in Assam, and the offi�cerincharge of the Dholai police station in the district. Offi�cials said the SP, in the in

tensive care unit with abullet injury in the hip,could be airlifted to Mumbai.His personal security offi�cer,Liton Suklabaidya, wasamong those killed.

“I am deeply pained to inform that six brave jawans of@assampolice have sacrificed their lives while defending constitutional boundaryof our State at the AssamMizoram border. My heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families,” AssamChief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, who holds theHome portfolio, tweeted.

Mizoram’s Home Minister Lalchamlianasaid the chain of eventsbegan at 11.30 a.m.

when some 200 Assam police personnel came to theVairengte autorickshawstand and “forcibly” closedthe duty post of the CentralReserve Police Force and asection of Mizoram policepersonnel. The CRPF is deployed as a neutral force ondisputed stretches along the164.6km AssamMizoramborder.

“The Assam police damaged some Mizoramboundvehicles and committed arson. They did not listen toour offi�cials and lobbed teargas shells and grenades andstarted fi�ring around 4.30p.m.,” he said.

6 policemen killed in Assam-Mizoram rowRahul Karmarkar

Guwahati


Dream come true: Olympics silver medallist Mirabai Chanu celebrating at the Indira GandhiInternational Airport in New Delhi upon her arrival from Tokyo on Monday. * MOORTHY R.V.

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Hero’s welcome

The West Bengal government on Monday set up aninquiry commission, comprising retired SupremeCourt judge Madan B. Lokurand former Chief Justice ofthe Calcutta High Court Jyotirmoy Bhattacharya, to lookinto the allegations of snooping on politicians, activistsand journalists using the Israeli spyware Pegasus.

Chief Minister MamataBanerjee said the Cabinethad approved the appointment of the commission.“Everyone is under surveillance… We had hoped theCentre will start an inquiryinto the Pegasus row underthe supervision of the Supreme Court. But this government did nothing evenwhen Parliament is in session. Therefore, before going to Delhi, we took the decision to set up an inquirycommission. West Bengal is

the fi�rst State to set up an inquiry commission in the Pegasus spyware row.”

‘Phones tapped’Since there were “aggrievedparties” in the State whosephones had been put undersurveillance, the commission would investigate thematter, she added.

Last week, she had urgedthe Supreme Court to takesuo motu cognisance of theissue.

The West Bengal government issued a notifi�cationfor setting up the commis

sion under the Commissionsof Inquiry Act, 1952 (60 of1952) to “enquire into and report on inter alia the reported interception and the possession, storage and use ofsuch information collectedthrough such interception,in the hands of state actorsand nonstate actors.”

The notifi�cation said thecommission may submit itsreport within six months ofthe notifi�cation ( July 26).

Bengal forms panel to look into snooping allegationsTwo-member committee to submit report within 6 months

Shiv Sahay Singh

Kolkata


As Karnataka Chief MinisterB.S. Yediyurappa resigned, apart of the action shifted toNew Delhi and the nationalleadership of the BJP, whichnow has the task of evolvinga consensus over hisreplacement.

According to BJP sources,general secretaryorganisation B.L. Santhoshhas left for Bengaluru.

BJP leadershipto take a call

Nistula Hebbar

NEW DELHI


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The DMK government inTamil Nadu on Monday issued a government orderto implement an Act thatprovides 10.5% special reservation for Vanniyars ineducation and employment with retrospective effect from February 26 thisyear.

The erstwhile AIADMKgovernment had passedthe legislation in Februarythis year.

G.O. issued forspecial quotafor Vanniyars


CHENNAI


MAMATA TO MEET PRIME

MINISTER TODAY A PAGE 9

CMYK

M CH-CHE

TAMIL NADU

The talk of accommodatingformer interim general secretary V.K. Sasikala in theAIADMK was revived againas party coordinator O. Panneerselvam and cocoordinator Edappadi K. Palaniswami met Prime MinisterNarendra Modi in New Delhion Monday.

While there was no wordfrom the Prime Minister’sside on what transpired atthe meeting that reportedlylasted 20 minutes, Mr. Palaniswami told reporters thathe and Mr. Panneerselvamonly raised issues of importance to Tamil Nadu. Theformer Chief Minister didnot reply to a questionwhether the matter of accommodating Ms. Sasikalawas discussed.

This was the fi�rst meetingof the two leaders with thePrime Minister after their

party lost power in the State.In the fi�rst part of the meeting, a delegation of MPs andMLAs along with the twoleaders met Mr. Modi forabout 10 minutes. Amongthem were M. Thambi Durai,A. Navaneethakrishnan, P.Ravindhranath, S.P. Velumani, Manoj Pandian and Thalavai Sundaram.

The meeting was preceded by a couple of events overthe past week. On Sundayevening in New Delhi, therewas a meeting between Mr.Panneerselvam and L. Murugan, Union Minister of Statefor Fisheries and Information and Broadcasting. Fivedays ago, in Chennai, K. Annamalai, the newly appointed president of the BJP in Tamil Nadu, had oneononemeetings with the twoAIADMK leaders separately.

While some sources in theAIADMK said a rapprochement with Ms. Sasikala had

been hinted at by the BJP, asenior leader of the nationalparty said his party did notpursue the matter after Mr.Palaniswami expressed reservations about taking herback into the party, and whatMr. Modi wanted was thatthe AIADMK should becomestronger than what it was. Inthe runup to the Assemblyelection, the BJP tried torope in the Amma MakkalMunnetra Kazhagam(AMMK), led by Ms. Sasikala’s nephew T.T.V. Dhinaka

ran, into the AIADMKledfront, but the AIADMK andMr. Palaniswami, in particular, opposed the idea.

In the last two months,Ms. Sasikala, who declaredin early March that shewould step aside from politics, has been reaching out toher supporters through telephone conversations, audioclips of which are being released by her offi�ce almostdaily. She has also given interviews to a few media organisations and sought to

portray herself as a seasonedpolitician. Mr. Dhinakaran,whose AMMK tasted defeatin the election, on Sundayannounced that he wouldlead a demonstration inThanjavur on August 6 onthe Mekedatu issue.

Among the issues raisedby Mr. Palaniswami and Mr.Panneerselvam while meeting Mr. Modi were the adverse consequences of granting permission for Karnatakato go ahead with the Mekedatu dam project, the need forsupplying suffi�cient doses ofCOVID19 vaccine to theState, the importance of expeditious linking of the Godavari with the Cauvery andthe problems faced by fi�shermen in the Palk Strait region.

Asked whether the exit ofseveral functionaries andformer Ministers from theparty was a sign of their dissatisfaction with the leadership, Mr. Palaniswami saidthose who did not get thenomination in the Assemblyelection had left the party.

OPS, EPS meet Prime Minister in DelhiTheir meeting comes amid talk ofaccommodating Sasikala in AIADMKSpecial Correspondent

CHENNAI

Discussing issues: O. Panneerselvam and Edappadi K.Palaniswami with Prime Minister Modi. * SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

With 1,785 people testingpositive for COVID19 in Tamil Nadu on Monday, theState’s overall tally surpassed 25.5 lakh.

The State has added50,000 more cases to its tally in 21 days. So far,25,50,282 people have testedpositive.

As the daily tally fell belowthe 1,800mark, fresh casesremained concentrated in ahandful of districts. Coimbatore recorded 164 cases, followed by Erode with 127 cases. A total of 122 peopletested positive in Chennai,while Salem recorded 102cases. The cases once againcrossed 100 in Thanjavur as103 persons were found to bepositive. Chengalpattu andTiruppur recorded 96 and90 cases respectively.

The State reported 26deaths due to COVID19.There were no fatalities in 22districts. There were fourdeaths each in Coimbatoreand Thanjavur, and two each

in Chennai, Kanniyakumari,Perambalur and Salem.

Two of the deceased werein their 30s. One of them wasa 35yearold woman fromThoothukudi, who was admitted to the ThoothukudiMedical College Hospital onJuly 10. She had no comorbidities. She died of COVID19 pneumonia on July20. So far, 33,937 peoplehave succumbed to theinfection.

The number of peoplecurrently under treatmentstood at 22,762. Of them,

2,028 patients were in Coimbatore. There were 1,502 active cases in Chennai and1,494 active cases in Erode.

As many as 2,361 peoplewere discharged after treatment. In the last 24 hours,1,37,292 samples were tested. So far, 3,66,72,027 samples have been tested.

The State received fourlakh doses of Covishield onMonday.

Another 3,04,707 people,

including 1,70,702 in the 1844 age group and 96,491aged 45 to 59 years, werevaccinated against COVID19in Tamil Nadu on Monday.

Vaccination coverageThis took the overall coverage so far in government vaccination centres to1,97,98,121.

The cumulative total ofcoverage in private centresstood at 14,22,108.

Tamil Nadu records 1,785 fresh casesCase tally surpasses 25.5 lakh; State adds 50,000 cases in 21 days


CHENNAI

<> There were no

fatalities in 22

districts. There were four

deaths each in

Coimbatore and

Thanjavur, and two each

in Chennai,

Kanniyakumari,

Perambalur and Salem

There were 102 claims fromTamil Nadu pending beforebanks under the PradhanMantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojna (PMJJBY) for assistance tothe families of COVID19 victims in the current fi�nancialyear from April 1 to July 16,2021, according to information given in Parliament.

The PMJJBY is a oneyearlife insurance scheme, renewable each year. The annual premium of ₹�330 willbe autodebited by May 31.The risk coverage is for ₹�2lakh in case of death. The benefi�t will go to the nominee.The scheme is being off�eredby the Life Insurance Corporation and other life insurersand off�ered through banks.

Union Minister of State forFinance Bhagwat Karad gavethe written reply in the LokSabha in response to a question on the pending claimsfor COVID19 deaths. Five

claims were pending for thefi�nancial year 202021, hesaid. In the current fi�nancialyear till June 30, 12,253

claims amounting to ₹�245.06crore were cleared in theState, he said.

In the fi�nancial year 2021,11,704 claims amounting to₹�234.08 crore were clearedin the State. The highestnumber of claims wascleared during the fi�nancialyears 2021 and 2022.

12,253 claims amounting to ₹�245.06 cr. cleared till June 30


CHENNAI

102 claims pending underPMJJBY for COVID19 deaths

<> Five claims were

pending for the

fi�nancial year

202021

Bhagwat Karad

Union Minister of State for Finance

On the fi�rst day of registration for admission to engineering programmes underthe single window system,5,363 candidates submittedcertifi�cates to the Tamil Nadu Engineering Admissions(TNEA) 2021 committee online. A total of 25,611 candidates registered themselvesfor applications and 10,084of them made payments, asof 5.30 p.m.

Registration began in themorning after the Directorate of Technical Educationactivated the websitewww.tneaoline.org. Applications can be downloadeduntil August 24. TNEA hasalso opened facilitationcentres, the details of whichcan be accessed from theabove website or at

https://www.tndte.gov.inOnline counselling will be

held for all categories ofcandidates, including thosefrom special categories suchas persons with disabilities,sportspersons and wards ofexservicemen, and the vocational stream.

B. Arch admissionsAdmission to B. Arch andlateral entry to B.E. andB.Tech will be announced later, TNEA offi�cials said.

The TNEA admission follows the norms laid downby the All India Council forTechnical Education.

The regulatory body’sacademic calendar has stipulated that the last date forcompletion of the fi�rstround of counselling/admission for allotment of seats isSeptember 30.

Over 25,000 register forengineering admission 5,363 candidates submit certifi�cates


CHENNAI

The Madras High Court onMonday ordered notice toMinister for Water Resources Duraimurugan onan election petition challenging his victory fromKatpadi Assembly constituency this year with aslender margin of 746 votescompared to his nearestrival candidate V. Ramu ofthe AIADMK who secured84,394 votes.

Justice V. Bharathidasandecided to issue notice, returnable by September 6,after petitioner’s counselArvind Srevatsa contendedthat the petition had beenfi�led purely on grounds ofimproper rejection of certain valid votes and reported noncompliance with legal provisions during thevote counting process onMay 2.

Dealing with yet anotherelection petition, the judgeordered notice, returnableby the same date, to formerHealth Minister C. Vijayabaskar of the AIADMK.That petition had beenfi�led by DMK candidate M.Palaniappan, challengingthe former Minister’s victory from the Viralimalai Assembly constituency thisyear.

Senior counsel P. Wilson, representing the petitioner, said the electionhad been challenged ongrounds of the elected candidate having indulged incorrupt practices. Heclaimed the returned candidate had distributed cashand gifts to the voters.

HC ordersnotices toDuraimurugan,Vijayabaskar

Legal Correspondent

CHENNAI CPI(M) State secretary K. Balakrishnan on Mondayurged the DMK governmentto take action in corruptioncases fi�led against formerAIADMK Ministers andleaders.

“Corruption and irregularities were rampant during the AIADMK rule. Money played a major role inall appointments and transfers. Petitions were fi�ledagainst the Chief Minister,the Deputy Chief Ministerand Ministers in the HighCourt. The DMK government should conduct a thorough inquiry into all thesecases and bring to justicethose involved in corruption,” he told reporters.

He said AIADMK leadersEdappadi K. Palaniswami

and O. Panneerselvam hadgone to New Delhi to meetPrime Minister NarendraModi to fi�nd a solution tofactionalism in their party.“Now the Prime Ministerhas become the leader ofthe AIADMK,” he said.

Mr. Balakrishnan said theDMK government had takengood measures since itcame to power.

“It should further increase the medical infrastructure and ensure uninterrupted vaccine supply asexperts have warned of athird wave of COVID19,” hesaid.

He said the CPI(M), alongwith the other Left partiesand the VCK, would stage aprotest in front of the U.S.Consulate here on July 29,demanding that the sanctions on Cuba be lifted.

CPI(M): pursue casesagainst AIADMK Ministers ‘Money played major role in appointments’


CHENNAI

Tamil Nadu Chief MinisterM.K. Stalin on Mondaychaired a meeting to reviewthe working of the Department of Transport. He askedoffi�cials to erect solar panelsat the department’s offi�cesand consider using renewable energy and opening fuelpumps on department land,an offi�cial release said.

He also reviewed thefunctioning of eight transport public sector units andpublic transport services.Steps being taken to acquireland for the expansion of airports and railway projectswere also discussed, the release said.

Transport Minister R.S.Rajakannappan, Chief Secretary V. Irai Anbu and senioroffi�cials were present.

Mr. Stalin also reviewedthe functioning of the Department of Planning andDevelopment.

Minister for CooperationI. Periyasamy, Minister forFinance and Human Resources Management Palanivel Thiaga Rajan, State Development Policy CouncilViceChairperson J. Jeyaranjan, Mr. Irai Anbu and senioroffi�cials were present.

He asks offi�cials to erect solar panels


CHENNAI

M.K. Stalin

Stalin reviews functioning of Transport Department

A plan to introduce tobaccovendor licensing to regulatesale of products is yet to takeoff� in the State.

The Health Department,in coordination with the Police and Local AdministrationDepartments, has launcheda twomonth drive to checkthe sale of banned, chewabletobacco products, such asgutka and pan masala.

In this line, the need to implement vendor licensing isbeing reiterated as it was thenext step in tobacco control.

An earlier proposal to rollout a licensing mechanismfor vendors is yet to materialise. Recently, the Tamil NaduPeople’s Forum for Tobacco

childrelated product cannotsell tobacco. The only issue isthat the government shoulddecide who will issue the license — the Public Health Department or Municipal Administration. If brought in, itwill be a great achievement,”he said. “We are technicallyexploring the possibilities ofvendor licensing and cessation services in view of thepotential benefi�ts expectedout of this in tobacco controlactivities,” T. S. Selvavinayagam, Director of PublicHealth and Preventive Medicine, said.

cess to tobacco products.There will be no shops selling tobacco near schools aslicences will not be given.Smoking in public places willbe reduced to a large extent,”he said.

V. Surendran, associateprofessor and head of PsychoOncology and ResourceCentre for Tobacco Control,Cancer Institute (WIA), said,a few years ago, they hadsubmitted a representationto the State government requesting to introduce vendorlicensing. “Any shops thatsell candy, biscuits or any

5 (prohibition of advertisement of cigarettes and othertobacco products) and 6(prohibition of sale to a person below the age of 18) under Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act.

“Vendor licensing is nothing new. It is in force in anumber of countries, such asHungary, Australia, Canada,Bangladesh, Thailand andVietnam and some States inthe country such as MadhyaPradesh, Rajasthan, Assamand West Bengal. This is thenext move in tobacco control. It will cut children’s ac

Control submitted a memorandum to the Health Minister to bring in vendor licensing among a number of otherdemands. This was a licens

ing formulation for shopkeepers through which theywould not be permitted tosell any product other thantobacco. This would reducethe availability and accessibility of tobacco productsand also limit the density oftobacco retailers in the community, schools, colleges,parks and hospitals, the forum said. S. Cyril Alexander,State convenor of the forum,said vendor licensing wouldhelp in sustaining the enforcement measures. It wouldcover sections 4 (prohibitionof smoking in a public place),

Vendor licensing to regulate sale of tobacco products in Tamil Nadu yet to take off� Health Department launches twomonth drive to check sale of banned, chewable tobacco products


CHENNAI

An earlier proposal to roll out a licensing mechanism forvendors is yet to materialise. * FILE PHOTO

A group of farmers belonging to the Tamil Nadu Vivasayigal Sangam, affi�liated tothe Communist Party of India, staged a demonstrationhere on Monday, urging theCentre not to allow Karnataka to build a dam across theCauvery at Mekedatu.

Led by Sangam district secretary Ayilai Sivasuriyan,the farmers also urged theCentre to remove the damacross Markandeya rivernear Yargol in Karnataka.They said that if the damcame into operation, itwould reduce the volume ofwater fl�owing into the Thenpennai, thus battering agriculture in northern TamilNadu.

Police sources saidaround 65 persons took partin the protest.

In Coimbatore, membersof the Tamil Nadu Farmers’Association staged a demonstration near the Collectorate, condemning the Mekedatu project.

Led by S. Palanisamy,head of the association’sCoimbatore district committee, they raised slogans condemning the Central government.

In his petition to District

Collector G.S. Sameeran, Mr.Palanisamy said the Karnataka government had alreadybuilt four dams across theriver, and that the proposedMekedatu drinking waterproject would adversely impact the supply of water tothe farmers in the delta region.

The Central governmentmust intervene and stop theproject, the petition said.

In Coimbatore, farmers submit petition to Collector


TIRUCHI

Farmers belonging to the Tamil Nadu Vivasayigal Sangamstaging a protest in Tiruchi on Monday.

Tiruchi farmers protestagainst Mekedatu dam plan

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CHENNAI THE HINDU

TUESDAY, JULY 27, 20212EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

The Hindu Religious andCharitable Endowments(HR&CE) Department hasdecided to deposit around2,000 kg gold in nationalised banks and will use theinterest for maintenance oftemples, Minister of theDepartment P.K. Sekarbabu said.

“Temples are getting jewels as off�erings from devotees and some of themhave not been used for thelast 10 years. Now the ChiefMinister, in a review meeting, advised us to make useof it to generate revenuefor the temples,” Mr. Sekarbabu told The Hindu. Heexplained that big templesin the State were alreadymaintaining gold depositsand getting interest, besides money deposits.

2,000 kg goldto be depositedin banks


CHENNAI

CMYK

M CH-CHE


THE HINDU CHENNAI

TUESDAY, JULY 27, 2021 3EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

CHENNAI

Published by N. Ravi at Kasturi Buildings, 859 & 860, Anna Salai, Chennai-600002 on behalf of THG PUBLISHING PVT LTD., and Printed by D. Rajkumar at Plot B-6 & B-7, CMDA Industrial Complex, Maraimalai Nagar, Chengleput Taluk, Kancheepuram Dist., Pin: 603209. Group Editorial Officer: Krishna Prasad. Editor: Suresh Nambath (Responsible for selection of news under the PRB Act).

Regd. TN/ARD/17/2012-2014 ● RNI No. 1001/1957 ● ISSN 0971 - 751X ● Vol. 144 ● No. 177

0DISCLAIMER: Readers are requested toverify and make appropriate enquiries tosatisfy themselves about the veracity ofan advertisement before responding toany published in this newspaper. THGPUBLISHING PVT LTD., the Publisher &Owner of this newspaper, does not vouchfor the authenticity of any advertisementor advertiser or for any of the advertiser’sproducts and/or services. In no event canthe Owner, Publisher, Printer, Editor, Dir-ector/s, Employees of this newspaper/company be held responsible/liable inany manner whatsoever for any claimsand/or damages for advertisements inthis newspaper.

Timings

CHENNAI

TUESDAY, JUL. 27

RISE 05:54 SET 18:38

RISE 21:28 SET 08:44

WEDNESDAY, JUL. 28

RISE 05:54 SET 18:37

RISE 22:06 SET 09:36

THURSDAY, JUL. 29

RISE 05:54 SET 18:37

RISE 22:43 SET 10:24The presence of heavy metals, including nickel, manganese and silica, in the ambient air has technically putChennai in the ‘unhealthy’category.

Air samples were collected in 20 locations across thecity during FebruaryMarch2021.

Out of that, samples in 19locations contained heavymetals, according to HealthEnergy Initiative (India).

“These heavy metalscause irreversible damage tohuman beings. And they arenot confi�ned to any particular geographical area butpresent in 19 of the locations

that we sampled,” said Vishvaja Sambath, a citybasedair pollution researcher.

From the samples analysed at a U.S. lab, it wasfound that the presence ofsilica, manganese and nickelwere beyond the annual average level of exposure. Citizens living in the 19 locations, where levels of silicawere high, are at risk ofchronic lung problems. Manganese is a known neurotoxin that aff�ects the neurobehavioral functions andprolonged exposure cancause permanent brain damage.

Manganese exceeded safelimits in 12 sampling locations. Nickel, which is a po

tent carcinogen can also affect the respiratory andimmune systems in the body.

The group has been conducting air pollution studiessince 2017, except for 2020due to the pandemic.

“We chose to take samples during diff�erent seasonsand found that there was notmuch change in the parameters except for some placesin north Chennai,” she said.

The study, which primarily studied PM 2.5 levels (particulate matter below 2.5 micron size), found that itexceeded the Indian 24hourNational Ambient Air QualityStandard (NAAQS) for PM 2.5of 60 microgram/cubicmetre by 1.1 to 3.8 times.

Locations sampled included neighbourhoods that areindustrial, commercial andresidential in nature. The results of the study indicatethat there is a need to develop a locallevel air qualitymonitoring and plan to control air pollution and protectpublic health.

Tirusulam (near airport),

Parry’s corner and Vyasarpadi (near fi�shing harbour) hadlevels of PM 2.5 between 228and 176 microgram/cubicmetre, which is categorisedas ‘very unhealthy’ by theU.S. EPA.

“People living aroundthese sampling locationsseem to have lost their rightto clean air. Despite the pandemic, every single breath ofpolluted air taken by peoplein these regions has an added danger of lowering theirlung capacity and eventuallyreducing their life expectancy. This can increase the hospital admissions, emergencyvisits and fatalities whichcan be identifi�ed onlythrough a health assessmentin the areas concerned,” saidGajapriya, an air pollutionresearcher with HealthyEnergy Initiative (India).

Study fi�nds heavy metals in ambient air in city Air samples collected in 19 of the 20 locations present a bleak picture


CHENNAI

Commuters travelling throughareas like Poonamallee and Porur can heave a sigh of relief asthere is no immediate plan fortraffi�c diversion although Chennai Metro Rail Ltd. (CMRL) hasstarted the phase II projectwork.

The phase II project will havethree corridors of PoonamalleeLight House, MadhavaramShollinganallur and MadhavaramSIPCOT, running to 118.9 km.CMRL started work on the PoonamalleePorur stretch a fewweeks ago.

The contract to build the elevated stretch on the PoonamalleePorur line has been awardedto Hindustan Construction Company Ltd. (HCC), in a joint venture with KEC International Ltd.(KEC), and the test piling work

started recently. Barricadeshave been placed at variouspoints near Poonamallee bypass, Porur bypass and a fewother locations as well for thiswork. Many commuters wereapprehensive that the projectwork would shrink the roadspace, necessitating long de

tours in their daily commute.CMRL offi�cials are in talks

with contractors and are in theprocess of fi�nalising the traffi�cdiversion plan, which could takesome time.

“There was also a meetingwith the traffi�c police in this regard. We have informed that wewill fi�nalise and submit it tothem soon. After a discussionwith them, the fi�nal plan will begiven to the public before implementation. We will try to make ithasslefree for the public as faras possible. Commuters neednot worry about traffi�c diversionfor the next three months, atleast,” an offi�cial said.

For now, barricades havebeen put up in the middle of theroad and since it is a wide roadbetween Poonamallee and Porur, it will be possible to managetraffi�c congestion.

No traffi�c diversion in Porur due to Metro Rail work for now Plans are yet to be fi�nalised for phase II work, say offi�cials

Staff Reporter

CHENNAI

The CMRL has initiated work onthe Porur-Poonamalleestretch. * B. VELANKANNI RAJ

Army observes Kargil Vijay DiwasCHENNAI

Lt. Gen. A. Arun, General

Officer Commanding (GOC),

Dakshin Bharat Area, laid a

wreath at the War Memorial,

Chennai, on Saturday to pay

tributes to slain soldiers to

mark Kargil Vijay Diwas.

Many senior military officers

and veterans laid wreaths on

the occasion.

IN BRIEF

Stalin releases song for Olympics participantsCHENNAI

Chief Minister M.K. Stalin on

Monday released a song

composed by music director

Yuvan Shankar Raja in support

of Indian sportspersons

taking part in the Tokyo

Olympics. Titled Vendru Vaa

Veerargale, the composition

was supported by the Tamil

Nadu Sports Development

Authority and the Tamil Nadu

Basketball Association.

School Education Minister

Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi,

and Chepauk-Thiruvallikeni

MLA Udhayanidhi Stalin were

present.

New Governor for Rotary Dist 3232CHENNAI

Jagannathan Sridhar has been

made the governor of Rotary

District 3232, which covers

147 clubs in Chennai city. Mr.

Sridhar is the CEO of Magal

Engg. Tech P. Ltd, a subsidiary

of Magal Engineering Ltd,

U.K. He is the Chennai zonal

chairman of the Automotive

Components Manufacturers

Association of India.

The Greater Chennai Corporation has launched a wall painting project in all 15 zones of thecity.

Around 70,000 posters havebeen removed to launch thewall painting project. The wallsalong EVR Periyar Salai willhave paintings of heritage buildings located on Anna Salai, theoffi�cials said. NGOs have beeninvolved in the initiative.

With regard to parks, the Corporation has asked residents tocall helpline 1913 to complainabout poor maintenance. Contractors of 540 parks have beentold to carry out maintenance oflawns every seven days duringthe rainy season. Contractorswho fail to comply with this directive will be penalised. Thecontractors have been directedto maintain a register for complaints from visitors.

Corpn. launcheswall paintingproject


CHENNAI

CMYK

M CH-CHE


CHENNAI THE HINDU


TAMIL NADU

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or Contact your nearest Authorised space sellers

The Tamil Nadu Generationand Distribution Corporation (Tangedco) is takingsteps to bring the overheadpower lines underground.But residents in variousparts of the city grumbleabout the growing menace ofoverhead cables of telecomand satellite companies.

Thousands of interiorstreets are crowded withiron poles, and their skylineis cluttered with overhanging cables. The menace hasbecome more pronouncedin the past few years: severaltelecom and cable televisionnetworks have put up polesto carry their cables. Theseare in addition to the Chennai Corporation’s streetlightpoles used for carrying cables.

The overhanging cablesare an eyesore. They alsopose a threat to residents.

T. Abishek, a resident ofR.A. Puram, points out thatwith workfromhome beingthe norm, telecom cables

have become indispensablefor Internet link. But the civic body has to regulate theinstallation of the poles andwork out rules for the maintenance of cables that hangon avenue trees or streetlight poles at most places.

Residents say the streetsare already fi�lled with overhead electricity lines andstreetlight poles and the installation of huge poles forcarrying the telecom cablesis adding to their problemsbecause they are being erected without any regard for safety.

A senior Corporation offi�cial says the power to grantpermission (‘right of way’)for laying underground Internet cables and televisioncables on arterial roads restswith the Bus Route Department.

And the Electricity Department will have to grantpermission for stringing thecables overground throughstreetlight poles.

The civic body grants thepermission after collectingthe annual track rent for using the streetlight poles.

The rent for 202122 is

₹�63,236 per kilometre, hesays.

The Corporation has beenable to collect the track rentfrom the telecom companies. But it is unable to regularise the standalone polesput up by the fi�beroptic cable operators because theState government is yet to fi�xthe annual rent.

‘File is pending’The civic body recommended ₹�4,500 in annual rent forthe erection of a single poleby fi�beroptic cable companies on February 3 last year.

A senior offi�cial says theregularisation scheme forthe poles installed by the fi�beroptic cable operatorscould not be implemented asthe Information TechnologyDepartment “advised a onetime payment of ₹�3,000 for asingle pole”, which was notacceptable. The fi�le was keptpending. The delay in theregularisation of the poleswas also causing the civic body a huge revenue loss, theoffi�cial says.

A threat to residents from above Overhanging cables in many areas of the city are putting lives at risk


CHENNAI

A messy problem: Telecom and cable television networkshave put up poles on several streets. * S.R. RAGHUNATHAN

A webinar on “Cancer Careduring the Pandemic” willtake place on July 28 at 5p.m. as a part of the TheHindu Wellness Series presented by Kauvery Hospital.

The webinar will focus oncancer care and its impact,precautions, treatment, andthe way forward during thepandemic.

List of speakers Dr. A.N. Vaidhyswaran, director and senior consultant, radiation oncologist,

Kauvery Hospital, Chennai;Dr. B. Anis, consultant surgical oncologist, Kauvery Hospital, Tiruchi; and Dr. Aravind Krishnamurthy,

professor, head of surgicaloncology, Cancer Institute(WIA), Adyar, Chennai, willspeak during the session.

The session will be moderated by Zubeda Hamid,Special Correspondent, TheHindu.

Those who wish to register themselves for the webinar can logon tohttps://bit.ly/THKAUVor scan theQR codegiven.

Staff Reporter

CHENNAI

Webinar on July 28 to discusscancer care during the pandemic Focus on impact, precautions, treatment and way forward

“The special reservationwithin the MBC quotawould be applicable for admission to all educationalprogrammes, includingprofessional programmes,from this year,” a releasesaid.

In a tweet, Chief Minister M.K. Stalin announcedthat he directed offi�cials toissue the G.O. In pursuanceof the Act, the roster prescribed earlier in 2009 wasbeing revised. “The government directs that theroster prescribed in this order shall be given eff�ectfrom February 26, 2021,and it shall be made applicable in respect of those vacancies notifi�ed by the recruiting agencies and theappointing authorities onor after the said date,” theG.O. said. It said necessaryamendments to the TamilNadu Government Servants (Conditions of Service) Act, 2016, would beissued separately.

Writing on Twitter, PMKfounder S. Ramadoss“wholeheartedly” thankedMr. Stalin.

The Act provides for“special reservation” to theMost Backward Classes(Vanniakula Kshatriya), theMost Backward Classes andDenotifi�ed Communitiesand the Most BackwardClasses, at 10.5%, 7% and2.5% respectively, withinthe 20% reservation provided for these communities. (Access the G.O. athttps://bit.ly/TNPublic-Services)

G.O. issued forspecial quotafor Vanniyars

The city police booked 34cases and arrested 39 persons on two days last weekfor allegedly storing and selling banned chewable tobacco products.

On Friday, top offi�cials ofthe Greater Chennai Corporation, the Food Safety Department and the GreaterChennai Police met traders’representatives in the cityfor the eff�ective implementation of the ban on the saleof tobacco products such asgutkha, pan masala and ‘mava’.

In the meeting, traderswere asked comply with theban on these products enforced in 2013.

Commissioner of PoliceShankar Jiwal later ordered acrackdown on thee illegaltransport, storing and sale of

the tobacco products. Inspectors were advised

to coordinate with offi�cialsof the Greater Chennai Corporation, Food Safety Department, to take actionagainst hoarding of suchcontraband.

More than one tonne of

banned products wereseized in places includingKodungaiyur and Pallikaranai on Friday and Saturday.

On Monday, gutkha andbanned tobacco productswere seized in the Egmore,ICF and Ambattur police station limits.

Police crack down on the saleof pan masala and gutkha34 cases booked, 39 persons arrested in two days


CHENNAI

Vigil stepped up: Food Safety and police offi�cials checking theproducts seized in Chennai on Monday. * R. RAGU

Hitachi ABB Power Gridshas commissioned a 1,800kmlong 6 GW ultrahighvoltage direct current(UHVDC) transmission linkfrom Raigarh in Chhattisgarh to Pugalur in TamilNadu for the Power GridCorporation of India Limited. The 800 kilovolt (kV),6,000megawatt (MW) linkhas the capacity to meetthe electricity needs ofmore than 80 millionpeople.

The link supports thegoal of the Centre’s missionunder the UN SustainableDevelopment Goals to provide everyone access to affordable, reliable and sustainable energy. Theconsortium of Hitachi ABBPower Grids and BHELwon the order in 2016 tolay the line.

Power linkfrom Raigarhto Pugalurcommissioned


CHENNAI

Tamil Nadu Governor Banwarilal Purohit presided over the 87th jayanthi celebration of Jayendra SaraswathiShankaracharya of Kanchimutt at the manimandapamin Orikkai, Kancheepuram,on Monday. He addressedthe gathering in which Vice

President M. Venkaiah Naiduparticipated as chief guestthrough video conferencing.

“Kancheepuram is thespiritual capital of this State,being home to majestic temples and the seat of Jagadguru Adi Shankaracharya. Itwas a poignant momentwhen I off�ered my prayers atthe Brindavanams of Kanchi

Mahaswamy and Pujya SriJayendra Saraswathi Shankaracharya Swamigal a whileago,” he said. “Today is alsothe Jayanti Mahotsav of HisHoliness Jayendra Saraswathi Swamiji, the 69thShankaracharya of Sri Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam. He travelled across our countryand his entire life was devot

ed to the service of humanity, dharma, and goodness,transcending divisions suchas religion, race, money,caste, etc.,” he added. “Fromthe Governor’s discretionaryfund, we are contributing ₹�1crore to Shri Sankara KripaEducational and MedicalTrust to set up a cath lab inKancheepuram.”

Jayendra Saraswathi’s 87th jayanthi celebrations held Special Correspondent

CHENNAI

FROM PAGE ONE

Finding parking space nearKapaleeswarar temple inMylapore is a nightmare fordevotees. But this is set tochange soon with the templeauthorities planning to pulldown old buildings adjacentto the temple and build amultilevel parking lot.

On ordinary days, beforethe COVID19 pandemic, thetemple used to get around1,500 visitors on weekdaysand 5,000 on weekends.Now, the numbers are higher on the weekends.

As part of a master plan, awedding hall, a library, anandhavanam (garden withfl�owering plants/trees to beused in the temple), prasadham stall and a ‘kaarya mandapam’, where rituals relating to last rites can beconducted, will beconstructed.

“All this will come up

within walking distance ofthe temple and there will beaccess from the temple tothis space. At present, 68houses are occupied, including by 38 retired staff� of thetemple.

Staff� quartersThose who have been payingrent would be provided alternative accommodation. Astaff� quarters will come upon this property,” said Hin

du Religious and CharitableEndowments (HR and CE)Minister P.K. Sekarbabu,who inspected the templerecently. The work is expected to commence in sixmonths. “The constructionwill be done keeping in mindthe aesthetics of the temple.We want to provide properfacilities to devotees who visit the temple, which is thewish of Chief Minister M.K.Stalin as well,” he said.

Parking lot, wedding hall and a hall for last rites will be built


CHENNAI

Set for rejuvenation: The HR&CE Department plans to fl�oattenders to invite experts to suggest ways to improve the tankof Kapaleeswarar temple in Mylapore. * K.V. SRINIVASAN

Master plan ready forKapaleeswarar Temple

The Tiruvallur District CyberCrime Wing has arrested a25yearold accused for allegedly cheating job aspirants.

The name of the arrested

man was given A. Aravindhan of Thirupachur colony.The police said G. Parthasarathy, 21, of Nadukuthagaivillage in Thirunindravur,had appeared for written exam for the post of police con

ly when he reportedly developed acquaintance withsome staff� in the department. He misused theirname and cheated 10 persons with the promise of ajob in the Police Departmentand eight more with the promise of getting placements inHyundai.

He was remanded in judi

cial custody. Further investigation is on. The role of thestaff� working at the DistrictPolice Offi�ce in connivancewith the suspect is beingprobed.

Superintendent of PoliceV. Varun Kumar advised jobaspirants to try on merit andnot fall prey to fraudulentcalls and messages.

6379904848. Immediately, aCyber Crime Wing team arrested Aravindhan. A cellphone, two SIM cards and incriminating documents wereseized from him.

Police investigation revealed that Aravindhan applied to the Home Guards in2020 and used to visit theDistrict Police Offi�ce regular

fi�ce and collected ₹�4,67,207through mobile wallet andother transactions. He issuedfake appointment orders toMr. Parthasarathy.

The crime came to lightwhen Mr. Parthasarathy sentthe appointment order to theSuperintendent of Police, Tiruvallur, through WhatsApphelpline number

stable in 2020 and approached Aravindhan, whoclaimed to be working in thedepartment.

A few days later, Aravindhan called Mr. Parthasarathyand informed him that hewas not selected. He told thecandidate that he could gethim the job of an offi�ce assistant in the District Police Of

Police unearth job racket in Tiruvallur; man arrested for cheating 18 persons


CHENNAI

The accused allegedly collected ₹�4.67 lakh from one of the candidates

DEATH

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M CH-CHE

SOUTHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

THE HINDU CHENNAI


Weather WatchRainfall, temperature & air quality in select metros yesterday

Temperature Data: IMD, Pollution Data: CPCB, Map: INSAT/IMD (Taken at 18.00 Hrs)

Forecast for Tuesday: Heavy/very heavy rainfall likely at isolatedplaces over Assam, Nagaland, Manipur, Tripura, Sikkim, WestBengal, Bihar, Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, Konkan & Goa, coastalKarnataka and Kerala. Thunderstorm accompanied with lightninglikely at isolated places over Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Jharkhand, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and Karaikal

city rain max min city rain max min

Agartala................—....34.7....26.8 Kozhikode.................. 85....30.0....23.6

Ahmedabad...... 12.8....28.0....25.1 Kurnool .......................—....34.4....25.7

Aizawl...................—....28.2....23.4 Lucknow......................—....35.7....29.1

Allahabad..............—....33.5....28.4 Madurai .......................—....38.7....25.7

Bengaluru ........ 59.8....28.3....20.5 Mangaluru .............. 75.8....27.2....23.1

Bhopal ............. 16.9....26.1....23.8 Mumbai ....................... 4....31.5....26.6

Bhubaneswar.........—....31.8....26.6 Mysuru ........................ 7....28.7....20.2

Chandigarh ........ 2.2....31.9....28.7 New Delhi ...................—....33.1....28.3

Chennai ............. 0.8....36.2....26.0 Patna ..........................—....35.4....27.4

Coimbatore ...........—....32.0....23.0 Port Blair..................... 5....31.0....25.0

Dehradun ............ 37....25.8....24.0 Puducherry ............... 3.4....36.4....24.6

Gangtok.............. 18....21.9....18.5 Pune.......................... 10....27.7....22.5

Goa..................... 15....31.0....25.6 Raipur ...................... 0.8....32.4....24.2

Guwahati ..............—....36.0....27.6 Ranchi .........................—....31.6....24.1

Hubballi ................—....27.0....21.0 Shillong.................... 0.8....24.1....18.0

Hyderabad ............ 1....31.1....23.5 Shimla......................... 6....20.8....18.3

Imphal .................. 3....30.7....22.1 Srinagar.......................—....33.3....24.8

Jaipur ...................—....34.6....28.6 Thiruvananthapuram......... 7....30.4....23.0

Kochi .................... 5....29.6....24.8 Tiruchi.........................—....37.7....26.4

Kohima ................. 1....28.6....17.8 Vijayawada ................ 15....34.6....25.4

Kolkata .................—....35.1....28.0 Visakhapatnam .............—....33.0....25.8

(Rainfall data in mm; temperature in Celsius)

Pollutants in the air you are breathing Yesterday

CITIES SO2 NO2 CO PM2.5 PM10 CODE

In observation made at4.00 p.m., Darbhanga, Biharrecorded an overall airquality index (AQI) score of143 indicating a moderatelevel of pollution. Incontrast, Shillong,Meghalaya recorded ahealthy AQI score of 13

Ahmedabad..... 33 .35 .26 ....47 ...47 ....*

Bengaluru ....... 11 .46 .38 ....16 ...56 ....*

Chennai .......... ..5 .16 .69 ....24 ...41 ....*

Delhi .............. ..8 .19 .66 ..210 .116 ....*

Hyderabad ...... ..4 .50 .20 ....25 .....— ....*

Kolkata........... 11 .24 .23 ....76 ...95 ....*

Lucknow ......... ..6 .13 .88 ....71 .101 ....*

Mumbai .......... ..7 .51 .31 ....35 ...67 ....*

Pune............... 33 .33 109 ....16 ...78 ....*

Visakhapatnam ..— ..— .57 ..... — .....— ....—

Air Quality Code: * Poor * Moderate * Good (Readings indicate average AQI)

SO2: Sulphur Dioxide. Short-term exposure can harm the respiratory system,

making breathing difficult. It can affect visibility by reacting with other air

particles to form haze and stain culturally important objects such as statues

and monuments.

NO2: Nitrogen Dioxide. Aggravates respiratory illness, causes haze to form by

reacting with other air particles, causes acid rain, pollutes coastal waters.

CO: Carbon monoxide. High concentration in air reduces oxygen supply to

critical organs like the heart and brain. At very high levels, it can cause

dizziness, confusion, unconsciousness and even death.

PM2.5 & PM10: Particulate matter pollution can cause irritation of the eyes,

nose and throat, coughing, chest tightness and shortness of breath, reduced

lung function, irregular heartbeat, asthma attacks, heart attacks and premature

death in people with heart or lung disease

7 kg gold looted fromKerala cooperative bank PALAKKAD

Cash and gold, worth more

than ₹�3 crore in total,

have been stolen from a

cooperative bank in Palakkad

town. The burglary is

suspected to have taken

place on Saturday or

Sunday at the Marutharoad

Cooperative Rural Credit

Society Bank at

Chandranagar. About seven

kg of gold jewellery was

looted from the bank locker,

as per early estimates. It was

not immediately clear how

much money was stolen.

IN BRIEF

Hyderabad firm handsover fuselage to HALHYDERABAD

The first central fuselage for a

supersonic plane made in the

private sector for the

indigenous singleengine

fighter plane Light Combat

AircraftTejas by citybased

VEM Technologies was

handed over to Hindustan

Aeronautics Limited (HAL)

here on Monday. The carbon

compositebased fuselage is

among the eight contracted

to be made by the firm and

involves fusion of about

1,595 parts, inspected

at every stage before

being assembled.

Singareni Collieries raisesretirement age to 61HYDERABAD

The management of Singareni

Collieries Company Ltd.

(SCCL) has approved the

decision to increase the

retirement age of workers

and employees from the

existing 58 to 61, on a par

with other employees of the

State government. The

decision will benefit 43,899

workers and officials of the

coal company. A total of 767

employees, who retired

during March 31June 30,

would be allowed to rejoin

service in view of the increase

in retirement age.

B.S. Yediyurappa, who holdsthe record of being Chief Minister of Karnataka fourtimes, could not completethe full term even once.

Two of the terms wereshort as he failed to musterthe support of an adequatenumber of MLAs to sustainthe government. But hefailed to complete the othertwo terms because of bickering in his own party, whichhe had built brick by brick inthe State.

A close look at the turn ofevents, particularly in thepast two years, shows thatthere was a clear indicationof him not completing theterm this time too as the gulfbetween him and the partycadre, as well as the highcommand, had begun wi

dening from the very beginning.

Also, past mistakes, particularly with respect to administration, continued thistime too, with his own partymen raising allegations ofcorruption and nepotism.

But unlike his previousstint when he had steppeddown unceremoniously fol

lowing a report on illegalmining, the 78yearold Mr.Yediyurappa had a honourable exit this time.

The fi�vedecadelong political saga of Mr. Yediyurappa, who began his public lifeas president of the Shikaripur taluk unit of the then JanSangh in 1972, was markedby constant struggle and fi�re

fi�ghting. Despite endearinghimself to party workers andoccupying prominent posts,such as that of Leader of theOpposition, president of theparty’s State unit, and Deputy Chief Minister, Mr. Yediyurappa had not emergedstrongly in the State’s political spectrum till 2008.

Role of JD(S)The failure by the coalitionpartner Janata Dal (S) totransfer power to the BJP in2008 changed the politicalfortunes of the party and Mr.Yediyurappa.

The party’s campaign, ledby Mr. Yediyurappa on thetheme of “deception” by theJD(S), was not only receivedwell by the public but alsoelevated his political statureand turned him into a towering Lingayat leader.

Despite making a quantum leap in terms of seatswon, the party marginallyfell short of the majoritymark. That is when Mr. Yediyurappa resorted to the controversial strategy of gettingseveral Opposition MLAs toquit their Assembly membership and recontest onBJP ticket — a move codenamed ‘Operation Kamala’.

Also, Mr. Yediyurappa’sfourth stint in power wasmarked by alleged interference in the administrationby his younger son B.Y.Vijayendra.

It now appears that whatis often called “subversion ofdemocracy” in the form of‘Operation Kamala’ was theorigin of troubles for the BJPstalwart, who had to stepdown despite taking the party to its peak in Karnataka.

A CM who never completed a full termThe fi�vedecade political saga of Yediyurappa was marked by constant struggle and fi�refi�ghting

B.S. Satish Kumar

Bengaluru

Unhappy cadre: Supporters of B.S. Yediyurappa protesting atShikaripur in Shivamogga on Monday. * SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

The Supreme Court on Monday recorded that the CBIhad registered an FIRagainst former Kerala policeoffi�cers who allegedlyframed space scientist Nambi Narayanan in the IndianSpace Research Organisation (ISRO) espionage case of1994 after perusing a reportfi�led by the courtappointedJustice D.K. Jain Committee.

A Bench led by JusticeA.M. Khanwilkar said theCBI probe would proceed inaccordance with law. TheCBI should not let the committee report either over

whelm or infl�uence its independent investigation. Thereport was only meant as an“initial basis” for the courtto better understand thecase. The CBI probe shouldnot be coloured by the committee report. The agencyshould collect its own evidence, the Bench said.

It said that while the committee report need not be

made public, the FIR registered by the CBI ought to beuploaded on the website.

Solicitor General TusharMehta orally undertook topublish the FIR in the courseof the day.

In April, the court askedthe CBI to look into the committee report on the roles ofsenior Kerala police offi�cialsin the case.

FIR says expoliceoffi�cers framedspace scientist

Legal Correspondent

NEW DELHI

SC says CBI should collect itsown evidence in ISRO case

The Kerala High Court onMonday asked the Centre torespond to a petition by themother of Nimisha Fathima,a Keralite woman languishing in a prison in Afghanistan, for the repatriation ofher daughter andgranddaughter.

Justice P.B. Suresh Kumarpassed the order on a pleaby K. Bindu, mother of Nimisha. According to the petitioner, her daughter’s husband, an Islamic State (IS)fi�ghter, was killed in an attack. As per news reports,after the killing of Abu BakralBaghdadi, former leaderof the IS, in 2019 by the United States Armed Forces, agroup of 10 women and 21children had surrendered to

the Afghanistan police. Herdaughter was among thosein the group.

Afghanistan wanted todeport Nimisha and her minor child and other Indiansdetained in jail. However,the Indian government refused to take them back. Itwas the responsibility of theCentre to bring back its citizens. said the petitioner.

Repatriation plea: HCseeks Centre’s response Nimisha, daughter in Afghan prison


KOCHI

Nimisha Fathima

The Kerala High Court onMonday granted interimanticipatory bail of twoweeks to S. Vijayan andThampi S. Durga Dutt,former Kerala police offi�cersaccused in the ISRO

frameup case. The court,however, said thepetitioners would have tocooperate with the probe.

The court also extendedthe interim bail granted toformer central intelligenceoffi�cer P.S. Jayaprakash fortwo weeks.

Two get anticipatory bailSpecial Correspondent

KOCHI

DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD

Veteran multilingual actor Jayanthi,76, passed away ather residence inBengaluru on Monday owing to agerelated ailments.

Born as KamalaKumari in Ballarion January 6, 1945,she was groomedby her mother San

tanalakshmi to become a classical dancerfrom a very young age, for which she shifted to Chennai, then Madras. But it was movies that became her calling.

As a student at a dance school, the teenager acted in small roles with other girls,including Tamil veteran actor Manoramawho was her batchmate. Spotted by fi�lmmaker Y.R. Swamy, she debuted in Kannada cinema with the screen name he gaveher — Jayanthi. Jenu Goodu in 1963 was herfi�rst fi�lm and she never looked back.

National award for second fi�lmHer second fi�lm Chandavalliya Thota opposite Dr. Rajkumar was a huge hit and shewon a national award for it.

She acted in more than 500 fi�lms in fi�velanguages — Kannada, Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam and Hindi. She was paired in several fi�lms with matinee idol Dr. Rajkumarin Kannada and did the most number ofmovies with him. She acted with N.T. Rama Rao in Telugu and Gemini Ganesh inTamil. She also had long collaborationswith important fi�lmmakers of the time —Puttanna Kanagal in Kannada and K. Balachander in Tamil. However, all her awardscame for her work in Kannada fi�lms — fourtimes best actor, twice best supporting actor and two Filmfare awards for best actor.

Ms. Jayanthi often spoke of how stardom did not come easy to her. She was often derided for being ‘overweight’. Shehad a turbulent personal life too. She wasmarried to Telugu actor Peketi Shivaram,but the couple soon separated.

Veteran actorJayanthi no moreK.V. Aditya Bharadwaj

Bengaluru

Jayanthi

A Catholic Church diocese inKerala has announced a welfare scheme for families withfi�ve or more children.

Launched by the FamilyApostolate of the Pala diocese under the SyroMalabar

Church, the scheme seeks tooff�er a monthly aid of ₹�1,500to couples married after2000 and having fi�ve ormore children. Women delivering their fourth child onward will be given free delivery care at a hospital run bythe church while children

born as the fourth or subsequent in a family will be given scholarships at a collegerun by the Church.

The scheme has evokedsharp reactions from the public, with a section termingit a deliberate bid to raise thecommunity’s strength.

Row over church aid for large families Hiran Unnikrishnan

KOTTAYAM

CMYK

M CH-CHE


CHENNAI THE HINDU


EDITORIAL

India and the TalibanWhether it is moral or not,justifi�able or not, ethical ornot, India should engagewith the Taliban. If theTaliban are neglected,Pakistan will join handswith them and thecombination will be verydeadly for India. It shouldnot be forgotten that not solong ago, the AfghanPresident accused Pakistanof letting in thousands ofthe Taliban from thePakistan border. India’sposition is still worse. TheAmericans just want to endthe endless war. They wantto escape, leaving the entireregion in turmoil. It wouldbe just a matter of monthsbefore the Taliban overrunKabul. The situation isdeteriorating with eachpassing day. My heart alsogoes out to the youngstersin Afghanistan born after

the invasion. They have sofar enjoyed education andfreedom. It will all becrushed under the Taliban.Though India should neverengage with such entities, ithas no other choice.T. Anand Raj,

Chennai

Migrant detailsThe proposed creation of adata bank of migrantworkers, announced inTamil Nadu, is timely. Inthe aftermath of the suddenlockdown last year, theCentre was left cluelessfollowing the SupremeCourt’s pointed queries onthe exact number ofmigrant workers across thecountry. The role ofmigrants in theinfrastructuraldevelopment of any Statecannot be underestimatedor quantifi�ed. However, the

data bank should not belimited to just identifyingand weeding out illegalimmigrants. There is a needto make availableprovisions through fairprice shops and also freemedical facilities. It is to benoted that migrants arefrom the lower rungs,forsaking family life to ekeout a living by migrating . Awell streamlined datasystem covering all aspects,right from their legality ofexistence to extendingwelfare measures wouldprovide a template forother States to follow. V. Subramanian,

Chennai

From the REMonday mornings havealways been extra special.The weekly columns of Mr.A.S. Panneerselvan, theReaders’ Editor, The Hindu,

are thought provoking andmake newspaper readinginteresting, especially intimes when the readinghabit is said to be on thedecline.It is sad to note that thetenure of the Readers’Editor would be coming toan end. As stated, thecentral concern needs to becourse correction and notpunitive steps. One wisheshim well in his futureundertakings.Balasubramaniam Pavani,

Secunderabad

■ As the RE, Mr.Panneerselvan has been atrue ombudsman betweenThe Hindu and its readers.His deft replies to the queriesput to him on journalismstand testimony to hisprofi�ciency in the subject.That he is leaving makes for asad reading but the point is

The Minister forParliamentary Aff�airs needsto act and set an example indealing with suchaberrations.Mani Nataraajan,

Chennai

SteamrolledThe 71 drubbing that Indiagot in its hockey matchagainst Australia at the TokyoOlympics should not surpriseanyone given the quality ofhockey played in India(‘Sport’ page, July 26). Theissue needs to beintrospected over as theIndian hockey team wasonce synonymous with glory.It is embarrassing every timethe team comes a cropper. Afew hard decisions may haveto be taken.V. Lakshmanan,

Tirupur, Tamil Nadu

that he will be leaving behinda rich journalistic legacy.K. Pradeep,

Chennai

House proceedingsIt is unlikely thatparliamentary proceedingswill be smooth in themonsoon session especiallyin the background of a wholerange of sensitive issues —from snooping using Pegasusto the ongoing stir offarmers. There is nothingnovel or new for theproceedings of both Housesof the Parliament to bestalled, but if this becomes a‘permanent’ feature, it onlymakes a mockery ofdemocracy. It becomesdistressing when documentsare snatched from Ministersand torn and there is highdecibel shouting.Why are errant MPs notpunished?

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Letters emailed to [email protected] must carry the full postal address and the full name or the name with initials.

To read more lettersonline, scan the QR code

Nikhil Eapen

In early June 2021, the Ministryof External Aff�airs invited public inputs to the Emigration

Bill 2021 (https://bit.ly/2VerwzXand https://bit.ly/2ULrNdS). TheBill could be introduced in Parliament soon and presents a longoverdue opportunity to reform therecruitment process for nationalsseeking employment abroad.

Exploitative conditionsFor years, independent investigations into migrant worker conditions have underlined serious exploitative practices which includelarge recruitment charges, contract substitution, deception, retention of passports, nonpaymentor underpayment of wages, poorliving conditions, discriminationand other forms of illtreatment.In recent months, media reportshave highlighted how the majorityof migrant worker deaths in theArab Gulf States/West Asia are attributed to heart attacks and respiratory failures, whose causes areunexplained and poorly understood. Labour migration is go

verned by the Emigration Act,1983 (https://bit.ly/3i4gfvd andhttps://bit.ly/2VcJm6s) which setsup a mechanism for hiringthrough governmentcertifi�ed recruiting agents — individuals orpublic or private agencies. It outlines obligations for agents to conduct due diligence of prospectiveemployers, sets up a cap on service fees, and establishes a government review of worker travel andemployment documents (knownas emigration clearances) to 18countries mainly in West Asianstates and SouthEast Asian countries (https://bit.ly/2WmmfHp).

Improvements, drawbacksThe Emigration Bill 2021 is an improvement over the 1983 Act. Itlaunches a new emigration policydivision, establishes help desksand welfare committees, requiresmanpower agencies to conductpredeparture briefi�ngs for migrants, and increases accountability of brokers and other intermediaries who are also involved inlabour hiring. But the Bill does notgo far enough.

First, the 2021 Bill’s purpose “toconsolidate and amend the law relating to emigration of citizens ofIndia”, lacks a human rights framework aimed at securing therights of migrants and their families. Progressive labour regimes doso. For example, in a country suchas the Philippines, it explicitly re

cognises the contributions of Filipino workers and “the dignity andfundamental human rights andfreedoms of the Filipino citizens”.

Another signifi�cant drawback isthat the Bill permits manpoweragencies to charge workers’ service fees, and even allows agentsto set their own limits. International labour standards such as International Labour Organization(ILO) Private Employment Agencies Convention No. 181 and theILO general principles and operational guidelines for fair recruitment recognises that it is employers, not workers who shouldbear recruitment payments including the costs of their visas, airtravel, medical exams, and servicecharges to recruiters. Largescalesurveys by the ILO and the WorldBank show that Indian workerspay exorbitant charges for theirjobs and that poorer workers payprogressively larger fees — Indiansin Saudi Arabia paid on average$1,507 in recruitment charges;their counterparts in Qatar paid$1,156 (https://bit.ly/3zzxLxh).

To some, recruitment chargesmight appear like a justifi�ed ser

vice fee, but the tens of thousandsof rupees that workers pay far exceed the real cost of recruitment.When low wage migrants pick upthe tab it makes them vulnerableto indebtedness and exploitation.Workerpaid recruitment fees eatinto their savings, force them totake highinterest loans, live onshoestring budgets, and in theworst cases of abuse, leave workers in situations of debt bondage —a form of forced labour.

But perhaps the Bill’s most glaring inclusion is that it permits government authorities to punishworkers by cancelling or suspending their passports and imposingfi�nes up to ₹�50,000 for violatingany of the Bill’s provisions. Whenenforced, it can be used as a tool tocrackdown on workers who migrate through unregistered brokers or via irregular arrangementssuch as on tourist visas. Criminalising the choices migrant workersmake either because they are unaware of the law, under the infl�uence of their recruiters, orsimply desperate to fi�nd a decentjob is deplorable, runs contradictory to the purpose of protectingmigrants and their families, andviolates international humanrights standards. Recruiters andpublic offi�cials could misuse thelaw to instil fear among workersand report or threaten to reportthem. Migrants in an irregular situation who fear that they could be

fi�ned or have their passports revoked, are also less likely to makecomplaints or pursue remedies forabuses faced.

Scant gender dimensionsThis Bill does not also adequatelyrefl�ect the gender dimensions oflabour migration where womenhave limited agency in recruitment compared to their counterparts and are more likely to be employed in marginalised andinformal sectors and/or isolatedoccupations in which labour,physical, psychological, and sexual abuse are common. The Bill also provides limited space for worker representation or civil societyengagement in the policy and welfare bodies that it sets up.

To ensure that labour recruitment works for the tens of thousands of Indian women and menwho migrate outside our borderseach year, the Ministry of ExternalAff�airs must start at the top, anddraft a clearer purpose which explicitly recognises the contributions of Indian workers, the unique challenges they face, anduphold the dignity and humanrights of migrants and their families. Then it must address the specifi�c provisions that diverge fromthis purpose.

Nikhil Eapen is a freelance journalist and

researcher at Equidem, a labour rights

non-governmental organisation

An emigration Bill that does not go far enoughThe new Bill is better than the Emigration Act 1983, but more reforms are needed to protect Indian workers

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It is not a coincidence that theUnited States is exiting Afghanistan at the same time that the

focus of its foreign policy is shifting to East Asia. There is growingconsensus in Washington DC thatthe U.S., instead of staying engaged in the lost wars, which addslittle value to American power,should now urgently prepare itselffor the unfolding geopolitical contest with China. America’s strategic response to China’s rise is its IndoPacifi�c strategy, which seeks tobuild a bloc of Indian and Pacifi�cOcean democracies aimed at containing China’s rise and challenging its highfunctioning single party dictatorship. The U.S. wantsIndia to play a key role in this bloc,which along with Australia and Japan, make up the socalled Quadgrouping.

But there is one problem. India,unlike the other members, is theonly continental Asian power inthe Quad, which shares a contested land border with China and isvulnerable to the geopoliticalchanges in the Eurasian landmass.The U.S. may have retreated fromAfghanistan as part of a grand strategy to take on China in maritimeAsia, in which it needs India’s involvement, and India might fi�nd ittempting to join the ranks, especially after China’s aggression onthe Line of Actual Control lastyear. But the irony is that theAmerican withdrawal and the vacuum it leaves in Afghanistan andcontinental Asia in general —which is being fi�lled by China andRussia — is reinforcing India’s identity as a continental Asian power.

Barring a brief interregnum in

the 1990s, India has historicallyenjoyed good ties with Afghanistan, which go back to the 1950Treaty of Friendship. Indian interests and infl�uence suff�ered whenthe Taliban, backed by Pakistan,captured Kabul in 1996. But Indiawas back in action as soon as theTaliban were ousted from powerafter the U.S. invasion in 2001. Ithas made huge investments andcommitments ever since, whichrun into over $3 billion, and cultivated strong economic and defenceties with the Afghan government.Now, it is again staring at uncertainty with the U.S. pullback having eff�ectively changed the balance of power in Afghanistan andthe Taliban making rapid territorial gains.

The U.S.’s strategic objectives inAfghanistan were limited, as U.S.President Joe Biden himself pointed out earlier this month — killingOsama bin Laden and disruptingalQaeda networks. Defeating theTaliban and nationbuilding werepart of the neoconservative ideological project, which has evidently failed. This means, the U.S., having met its realist objectives, canabandon the Afghan governmentand exit the theatre — which iswhat Mr. Biden is doing. But Indiacannot. It has to protect its investments, prevent Afghanistan frombecoming another safe haven forantiIndia terrorist groups, and also check Pakistan deepening its infl�uence in Kabul.

Talking with the TalibanSo what should India do? One option, as many commentators havealready pointed out, is to holdtalks with the Taliban. India has already established contacts withthe Taliban in Doha. Talking tothem would allow New Delhi toseek security guarantees from theinsurgents in return for continueddevelopment assistance or otherpledges (in the 1990s, India hadbacked the antiTaliban NorthernAlliance) as well as explore the

possibility of the Taliban’s autonomy from Pakistan. At this point,talking to the Taliban looks inevitable. But India should not overlook the deep ties between Pakistan’s security establishment andthe Haqqani Network, a major faction within the Taliban that’s driving the successful campaigns onthe battlefi�eld. The U.S. overlooked it while fi�ghting the Talibanalong with Pakistan, and it paid aheavy price for it. There is no guarantee that India’s quest for engagement with the Taliban wouldproduce a desirable outcome. SoIndia should broadbase its options. While talking to the Talibanto protect its interests, New Delhishould also enhance aid to Afghanistan’s legitimate government andsecurity forces and work with other regional powers for longtermstability in the country.

Kabul versus the TalibanTrue, the Taliban now control orcontest most of Afghanistan’scountryside. But still, it is not a foregone conclusion that they couldtake Kabul easily. The Afghan military has some 200,000 battlehardened soldiers, including the highly trained special forces. In thecities, which saw relative freedomsand rights compared to the darkperiod of the Taliban regime, thegovernment, despite its infi�ghting,corruption and incompetence,still commands support. There isno Northern Alliance this time.The Taliban have already takennorthern districts, including Badakhshan and Takhar. The only

force that is standing up to the Taliban is the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces. Indiashould urgently step up trainingAfghan forces and provide militaryhardware, intelligence and logistical and fi�nancial support so thatKabul can continue to defend thecities. New Delhi should also coordinate with other regional powersto support the Afghan governmentbecause if the government forcescrumble before the Taliban, theprospects for a political settlementwould be narrowed. Why should awinning Taliban makeconcessions?

Regional solutionThere is a convergence of interestsbetween India and three key regional players — China, Russia andIran — in seeing a political settlement in Afghanistan. These threecountries have already opened public, direct talks with the Taliban.But these contacts are largely tactical in nature. For China, whoserestive Xinjiang province shares aborder with Afghanistan, a jihadistoriented Taliban regimewould not serve its internal interests. Russia, which fears that instability would spill over into theformer Soviet Republics, has already moved to secure its CentralAsian perimeter. For the Shia theocratic Iran, a Sunni Deobandi Taliban with which it had almost goneto war in 1998, will continue to remain an ideological, sectarian andstrategic challenge. None of thesecountries would like to see the Taliban taking over Kabul militarily,which means there would be anisolated Sunni Islamist regime in acountry with fractured ethnic equations. There would neither belegitimacy for a Taliban regimenor peace in Afghanistan.

India, to break this impasse,should take a layered approach. Itsimmediate goal should be the safety and security of its personneland investments. The longtermgoal should be fi�nding a political

solution to the crisis. And if a political solution is not achieved, itshould seek nonconventionalmethods, like what it did in the1990s, to off�er support to its allieswithin Afghanistan and retainsome infl�uence. None of this canbe achieved unless it works together with the regional powers.

Russia has cultivated links withthe Taliban in recent years. Indiawould need Russia’s support inany form of direct engagementwith the Taliban. When it comes toAfghanistan, Iran is an irreplaceable country. It shares a long borderwith Afghanistan and has builtcontacts through several stakeholders in the country, especially theethnic minorities. The original objective of India’s Chabahar projectin Iran was to create a direct access to Afghanistan, bypassing Pakistan. This direct access is criticalfor India in all diff�erent scenarios— move supplies to Kabul in largerquantities, retain its presence inthe event of a civil war or carry outcovert operations if the Talibantake power by force. But India, under pressure from the U.S., sloweddown on the Chabahar connectivity projects, which fi�nally prompted Iran to drop India and goahead. Building strategic ties withIran, irrespective of the U.S.’s policy towards the Islamic Republic, isessential for India’s Afghan bets.Finally, India should talk with China, with the objective of fi�nding apolitical settlement and lasting stability in Afghanistan.

Central to this approach is Indiastriking the right balance betweenits continental realities and theU.S.’s pivot to maritime Asia. TheU.S., and the West in general, aredone with Afghanistan. India, asone of the countries that would beimpacted by the consequences ofAmerican withdrawal, has to workwith Eurasian powers to protect itsinterests and stabiliseAfghanistan.

[email protected]

Evaluating India’s options in AfghanistanWith the West done with Afghanistan, New Delhi needs to adopt a layered approach in fi�nding a political solution

Stanly Johny

AF

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The tragic death of nine tourists in a landslip in

Kinnaur district of Himachal Pradesh is another

pointer to the fragility of the ecology of the Hima

layan States. Extraordinarily heavy rain pummelled the

State recently, leaving the hill slopes unstable and caus

ing fl�oods in builtup areas including Dharamshala. The

descending boulders from destabilised terrain, which

crushed a bridge like a matchstick, are a source of wor

ry even for cautious local residents, and for unwary vis

itors, such as the tourists travelling in a van, they can

turn into sudden disaster. Himachal is famed for its

scenic vistas and welcoming summer climate, and drew

a few hundred thousand tourists in June this year as

States began relaxing the controls for COVID19. There

was justifi�ed alarm at the prospect of a fresh surge in in

fections, prompting Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur to

appeal for COVIDappropriate behaviour. Unfortunate

ly, there was not enough vigil against travel to risky

areas, in the wake of a disastrous year for tourism, re

sulting in the mishap in Kinnaur’s Basteri area. What

should worry Himachal, and neighbouring Uttarak

hand, is that the States may be entering a phase of irre

versible decline because of losses to their ecology; fre

quent landslides may become inevitable. Bootstrapping

an incompatible model of development in the hills, re

presented by big hydroelectric projects and largescale

construction activity involving destruction of forests

and damming of rivers, is an invitation to harm.

Mega hydropower, which Himachal Pradesh is work

ing to tap as a signifi�cant source of “green” power that

substitutes energy from fossil fuels, could alter several

aspects of ecology, rendering it vulnerable to the eff�ects

of extreme events such as cloudbursts, fl�ash fl�oods,

landslides and earthquakes. The parliamentary Stand

ing Committee on Energy during 201819 noted that the

State could more than double its existing harnessed hy

dropower potential of 10,547 MW. Kinnaur is a focus

point for such development, centred around the poten

tial of the glaciallyfed Sutlej valley, but one scientifi�c es

timate warns that avaricious tapping of the river

through all planned projects would impound nearly a

quarter of its waters in dams, and divert a staggering

72% through tunnels. Other researchers, studying the

2015 Nepal earthquake, point to high seismicity causing

fatal landslides and severe damage to hydropower

structures in the Himalayas; the cost of power pro

duced was underestimated, while the potential was

overestimated. Evidently, it is impossible to assign a

real value to the costs to people and communities, to

gether with the loss of pristine forests that weak aff�ores

tation programmes cannot replace. As catastrophic

weather events infl�ict frequent, heavy losses, Himachal

Pradesh and other Himalayan States can only watch

their ecological base erode. Changing course may yet

preserve a lot of their natural riches.

Wounded mountainsTourist tragedy in Himachal Pradesh points

to the importance of preserving ecology

By unseating B.S. Yediyurappa from the Chief Mi

nister’s chair in Karnataka, the Bharatiya Janata

Party (BJP) has set in motion a new strategy for its

consolidation in the State. Considering that this change

of guard has been in the making for a while, the party

must have accounted for the ramifi�cations. The BJP had

to change its Chief Minister in Uttarakhand twice within

a span of four months recently, pointing to the pitfalls

in eff�ecting changes even when they are premeditated.

Mr. Yediyurappa is no pushover and remains agile and

active even at the age of 78. He has already said he

would remain active in politics. At least for now, he has

no intention of crossing swords with the central leader

ship of the party, which gave him the marching orders.

But the Lingayat community that he belongs to has left

no opportunity to express its displeasure. Community

leaders and seers have come out openly in support of

the displaced Chief Minister. Lingayats form the axis of

the BJP’s social base in Karnataka. Mr. Yediyurappa has

been the mastermind of the party’s rise in Karnataka

and became the party’s fi�rst Chief Minister in a south

ern State, in 2008. In 2018, the BJP did not win a major

ity, but a year later, he undermined the CongressJanata

Dal(S) coalition government by engineering defections.

Two years later, he is handing over the baton, leaving

the fate of the defectors in the hands of his successor.

The BJP high command has been wary of strong re

gional leaders, and Mr. Yediyurappa has given it no rea

son to relax. His cunning has been a doubleedged

sword for the party. On the one hand it helped the par

ty’s rise, but on the other he used it to consolidate his

own personal power. He parted ways with the party

once and even went to jail on corruption charges. He

has been brazen in promoting a son, B.Y. Vijayendra, in

the BJP, and as the inheritor of the Lingayat mantle. The

BJP’s game plan appears to be to hold the community

within its tent, but loosen its grip over power, mimick

ing its approach to the Patels in Gujarat who had turned

the party into a vehicle of their domination until Naren

dra Modi arrived on the scene. It took a while before the

Patels reconciled to their changed status in the BJP. The

highcommand party that the BJP has become may like

to promote a Lingayat leader, though not necessarily as

the new Chief Minister, who will be more compliant to

its wishes than Mr. Yediyurappa. A lot will also depend

on Mr. Yediyurappa’s plans and his command over the

Lingayats, once out of power. But the BJP’s new strategy

should not involve communal polarisation and its new

Chief Minister must refrain from playing competitive

Hindutva with other Chief Ministers of the party.

Change at the helmAs the BJP seeks to widen its social base, it

should avoid the politics of polarisation

CMYK

M CH-CHE


THE HINDU CHENNAI


OPED

A Bill entitled “The Madras City Tenants Protection Bill” is published for information inthe current “Fort St. George Gazette.” Thefollowing is the statement of objects and reasons: In many parts of the city of Madras,dwelling houses and other buildings have,from time to time, been erected by tenantson land belonging to others in the full expectation that, subject to payment of a fairgroundrent, they would be left in undisturbed possession notwithstanding the absence of any specifi�c contract as to the duration of the lease or the terms on which thebuildings were to be erected. Recently, stepstaken to evict a large number of such tenantshave shown that such expectations are likelyto be defeated. The tenants, if they are evicted, can at the best only remove the superstructures. Congested parts of the city willbecome more congested. It is reasonablethat the landlords when they evict the tenant should pay for and take the buildings.There may, however, be cases where the landlord is unwilling to eject a tenant if he canget a fair rent for the land. The Bill providesfor the payment of compensation to the tenant in case of ejectment to the value of anybuildings which may have been erected byhim . It also provides for the settlement of afair rent at the instance of the landlord.

A HUNDRED YEARS AGO JULY 27, 1921

City Tenants’ Protection Bill

Why was it so diffi�cult, but necessary,for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) toretire an old warhorse such as B.S.Yediyurappa? After all, he clearly defi�ed all that the party publicly standsfor. He shows no distaste for engaging in oldstyle corruption, and haseven paid the price for it. He makesno bones about extending his ‘ruleby nextofkin’ in promoting the defacto power of B.Y. Vijayendra. Butabove all, he showed a degree of fairness to the Muslim population of theState (approximately 13%) when hecategorically stated, at the height ofthe pandemic in 2020, that ‘no oneshould say a word against Muslims;this is a warning’. Such fairness isquite alien to many other membersof the party, which obliges its members to foster a hatred of Muslims.His warning fl�ew against the successful ethnic profi�ling of Muslims following the Tablighi meeting at Nizamuddin Markaz in March 2020. Naturally,it only earned him greater displeasure.

He has symbolically ended twoyears of a troubled time as Karnataka’s Chief Minister in a blaze of advertisements recounting his achievements. As he counts his days to theMargdarshak Mandal, or to a safe sinecure elsewhere, Mr. Yediyurappahas revealed his capacity to rally support from the local men in orange –the mathadishas (head of mutts) ofseveral Lingayat (and a few other)mutts, of which Karnataka has adense and active network. Smallgroups meeting in his support coalesced into a gathering of about 450who convened at Bengaluru’s PalaceGrounds on Sunday.

Generous grantsMr. Yediyurappa had inaugurated hislast victory in 2008 with generousgrants to these mutts. Between 2008and 2013, the BJP government hadgranted at least ₹�152 crore to 20named institutions. In his new,though illegitimately obtained, timein power, he steered Karnataka’s decadeslong legacy of development in

completely new directions throughthe creation of castebased development corporations – one of whichwas the VeershaivaLingayat Development Corporation that was endowed with ₹�500 crore last year. Mr.Yediyurappa made development allabout caste.

But did the men in orange comeout on the streets of Karnataka to express their gratitude for this largesse? The public engagements ofthe mutts, particularly in the worldof education, have been about a century in the making, when Lingayatmutts fi�rst began to build institutionsto serve those of their own caste, andlater, a much larger community ofKannadigas. From the 1970s, theyhave expanded their educational engagements to set up professional colleges and related facilities. Today, forinstance, the Jagadguru Sri Shivarathreeshwara ( JSS) group of institutions number close to 350 educational institutions, while the SreeSiddaganga Mutt at Tumkur has anenviable 125.

To add to their institutionalstrength, there has been an increased involvement of mutts andmathadishas in all parts of Karnatakain the developmental works of theirregions. This may range from building bridges and irrigation works.They are even involved in establishing a balance between new livelihoods and ecological sustainability.For example, making iron ore miningcompanies in Chitradurga more accountable to the communities thatthey have thoroughly ravaged.

The Karnataka mutts have been,as M.M. Kalburgi so well described it,an ‘unauthorised government’.Wielding a moral, rather than a legal

authority, mathadishas of especiallythe Lingayat mutts have long established themselves as the arbiters ofeveryday life in Karnataka.

What of their engagement withthe world of electoral politics? Itcould consist of nudging adherentstowards a particular candidate.Former Karnataka Chief Minister S.Nijalingappa was a ‘victim’ of thisprocess. Participating in public protests became common as mathadishas and political representatives together demanded Other BackwardClass (OBC) reservation for the Vokkaligas and the Lingayats in the late1980s. In 2017, they demanded separate religious status for the Lingayats.

This engagement has gone furthertoday. Attempts are being made to reduce the cacophony and expense ofelectoral politics, particularly in localbody elections, by urging electoratesto ‘unanimously’ choose one oranother candidate, who then winswithout a contest. This does notbode well for a democracy, but reveals the mutt’s formidable local political power.

Current assertion What of the current assertion by themen in orange in support of Mr. Yediyurappa or another Lingayat leader?Is it to enlarge the powers they already enjoy, free of the accountability ofthe elected representative?

Or has the promised ‘doubleengine sarkara’, in fact, shown signs ofdisobediently pulling in a directionquite opposed to the Union government? Ironically, the power of themathadishas, strengthened nodoubt by the wider political climatethat privileges all men in orange,may precisely be that which under

mines the homogenising Hindutvaproject. It was the dangerous threatto Hindu unity that was exposed inthe 2017 campaign for the recognition of the Lingayats as belonging to aseparate religion, a demand that wassuccessfully beaten back — at leasttemporarily — by the Union government.

Prime Minister Narendra Modiand the Chief Minister were able toget away with yoking ‘sanatana’(eternal or absolute dharma) to ‘pragathipara’ (progressive) when inaugurating the renovations to AnubhavaMantapa at Basavakalyan in Bidar – amove that sent up a futile cry of protest among those who saw this as acontradiction of Basava’s ideals.

But again, it was the radical heterogeneity of the mutts that came intopublic display for three months afterJanuary 2021, when the mathadishasof a subsect of the Lingayats, thePanchamasali Lingayats, marched towards Bengaluru, demanding a rearrangement of reservation categoriesto better represent their subcaste.

Mr. Yediyurappa was himself besieged in this war that broke out between the castes and subcastes. Thesecond wave of COVID19 arrived as agrotesque succour, but he still had toclaw back the dangerous tilt in powertowards the men in orange when hephysically rapped the wrist of Vachananda Swami, after the latter publicly asked him to accommodate morePanchamasali Lingayats in his Cabinet.

We have, therefore, witnessed thecontradictory process by which theunity that the Union governmentstrives for is continually underminedby the fractious struggles of the region and its castes.

Karnataka’s mathadishas – whomno political party can do without –are a mixed bunch. Some such as thethen Nidumamidi Swami, and thecurrent Nijagunananda Swami, havepublicly campaigned against theBJP’s communal politics. Their commitment to their caste ironicallystaved off� the precipitous plunge towards the Uttar Pradesh ‘model’,which other members of the partyhave eagerly embraced. For sometime, Basava tattva’s orange may wellrun counter to Hindutva’s saff�ron.

Janaki Nair taught Modern Indian History at

the Centre for Historical Studies, Jawaharlal

Nehru University, Delhi

The Lingayat mutts’ infl�uence and their heterogeneity have been a tough nut for the BJP to crack

Did ‘Orange’ counter ‘Saff�ron’ in Karnataka?

Janaki Nair

In solidarity: Seers from the Lingayat community gathering to show supportfor Karnataka Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa in Bengaluru on Sunday. * PTI

As Turkey’s geopolitical and regional ambitions grow, its soft power infl�uence throughits most popular television export, Diriliş�:Ertuğ�rul (Resurrection: Ertuğrul), does notseem to wane. Recently, its fi�rst publiclyowned fl�oating liquefi�ed natural gas (LNG)storage and regasifi�cation vessel — alsonamed Ertuğ�rul Gazi — was inaugurated.Present at this event, which would enablethe country to cover much of its energyneeds, was President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

Returning to its Islamic roots and reestablishing the Ottoman glory have been a toppriority for Mr. Erdoğan and his AK Party.Hence, last September, while commemorating the 739th death anniversary of ErtuğrulGhazi, he reiterated the “goal of preservingAnatolia as a homeland”. Ertuğ�rul refl�ectsthat ambition for prestige and national assertion.

Produced by Turkish Radio and TelevisionCorporation (TRT), the national broadcaster,this historical extravaganza, set in the 13thcentury, has been inspired by the life of Ertuğrul Ghazi, whose son, Sultan Osman, became the fi�rst Caliph of the Ottoman Empire.His heroic acts managed to capture thehearts of billions of viewers across 72 countries and became popularly known as theMuslim Game of Thrones.

Mr. Erdoğan, a great proponent of thisshow, has been playing an active leadershiprole in the Islamic world — whether it is in Afghanistan, supporting Bangladesh with regard to the Rohingya issue, aiding Azerbaijanagainst Armenia or extending its presence inNorth Africa. For someone who has beenmodelling himself as an Ottoman sultan, adrama series like Ertuğ�rul is an eff�ectivecommunication vehicle.

In 2019, Turkey, Pakistan and Malaysiahad proposed setting up a television channelto promote Muslim heroes and counter Islamophobia. While that did not take off�, thefollowing Ramzan, Pakistan Prime MinisterImran Khan recommended the show to hisyouth. Soon, a quarter of the global audiencewere Pakistanis and by July 2021, PakistanTelevision Corporation’s (PTV) YouTubechannel gained 14.9 million subscribers.

Extending beyond its political leadership,the TurkeyPakistan ‘brotherhood’ is wit

nessed across shops and hotels in KhyberPakhtunkhwa and GilgitBaltistan, where thetwo fl�ags fl�y together.

Recently, Bangladeshis turned fans aftersome Bengalidubbed episodes becameavailable. The Turkish Ambassador there,Mustafa Osman Turan, after visiting Deepto,the popular private TV channel, said suchshows would help bring two fraternal countries together. Meanwhile, Deepto hasplanned to purchase the series. Incidentally,Bangladesh has become the fourthlargestarms buyer from Turkey, reportedly receiving weapons worth about $60 million in thefi�rst quarter of 2021.

The historical conquests of the hero havealso resonated with Kashmiris in India. InMay 2020, a TRT offi�cial tweeted that moreIndians searched for these videos on YouTube than for Shah Rukh Khan. Many parents in Kashmir have even chosen to nametheir newborns Ertugrul, and a restaurant indowntown Srinagar is themed around it.

In August 2020, Azerbaijan became a major gas supplier in Turkey. A month later, thelatter supported the former after intensefi�ghting broke out between Azerbaijan andArmenia. During this time, it was also announced that Ertuğ�rul would be dubbed inthe Azeri language and aired on its state television channel, AZ TV.

However, not the entire Muslim world hastaken to it. In a bid to curb Turkey’s soft power infl�uence, some religious organisations inEgypt and Saudi Arabia called for a ban. Saudi Arabia, which holds a grudge against theOttomans, launched a big budget productiontitled Mamalik elNar (Kingdoms of Fire)that has not caused any ripple.

The popularity of Ertuğ�rul is in a way refl�ective of Turkey’s growing infl�uencearound the world, including Venezuelawhere Mr. Erdoğan shares a warm relationship with President Nicolas Maduro. Mr. Maduro not only endorsed the series but also visited the sets during his trip to Turkey in2018. For now, it seems that wherever Mr. Erdoğan goes, Ertuğ�rul follows.

With the christening of an LNG vessel, itwouldn’t be wrong to assume that Ertuğ�rul,which has become a symbol of Turkish power, has expanded beyond being a historicalhero to other critical sectors of its societyand economy. At the inauguration, Mr. Erdoğan said his government was “determined toensure a more prosperous life” for each oneof its 84 million citizens.

Nithya Subramanian is an Editor at the Institute of

South Asia Studies (ISAS), an autonomous research

institute at the National University of Singapore (NUS).

Diriliş�: Ertuğ�rul is morethan just a Turkish delightTurkey’s infl�uence through its TV show has not waned

Nithya Subramanian

A recent event in Kerala, though farfrom the industrial centres of India,may hold a clue to understanding themalaise crippling the nation’s industry. This event took the form of one ofthe State’s major employers making amuch publicised investment outsideKerala. What is unusual about this isthat the company had earlier announced that it would make an evenlarger investment within the Stateitself.

The negative publicity given to itsdeparture by the company was considered unnecessary by the State government and experts have pointedout that the original promise of investing this larger amount in theState is incredible, as its volume isseveral times the fi�rm’s market capitalisation. The investor, however, announced that he had been houndedout by the regulatory authorities. Independently, journalists have confi�rmed that the company’s premiseshad been subjected to 11 inspectionsin one month by the concerned government departments, and its CEOhad stated on public television thathe had been charged with over 70compliance failures following these.

In a swift move, Kerala’s Ministerfor Industries appeared on public television, where he opened himself toquestioning. He stated categoricallythat the inspections had been in response to alleged violation of humanrights and labour laws by the company, and that they had not been ordered by the Industries Ministry ofthe State. We have no reason to disbelieve him, but are left wonderingabout the legitimacy of a regulatoryarrangement under which the elected government of the day has no sayon inspections, even if some of themare related to court rulings.

The picture of an ungoverned bureaucracy that emerges from this incident is breathtaking in its implication for the kind of democracy thatwe are living in. But it is not diffi�cultto see where this originates from. Itwas the governance model during colonial rule in India. In an insightfulcommentary on his compatriots ofthe East India Company, the economist Adam Smith had observed thattheir only concern was to build a fortune by any means and to get out of

the country as fast as possible, nomatter what the consequences for itsinhabitants. However, even this understanding of the rationale of colonialism is not enough to appreciateits debilitating consequences for India. To hold India, the British invented an intermediary class standingbetween themselves and the natives.For the latter, there was no redressagainst the depredations of this class,whose excesses the colonial regimetolerated as a small price for retaining their colony.

Crippling eff�ect The colonial administrative apparatus has been retained intact in Independent India. Of course, this wasnot inevitable. The toxic measuresthat enslaved Indians could havebeen removed forthwith, but for reasons that are not diffi�cult to comprehend, India’s political class keptthem. Now, it has the Supreme Courtasking why stick with a sedition lawthat had been used to immobilise Indians. While many understand theabsurdity of the sedition law today,and the more aware among them cansee how it kills our democracy, thecrippling eff�ect of colonial practicesthat govern economic activity havegone unscrutinised. Random inspection of a company’s premises by Statefunctionaries sits at their pinnacle,preventing India’s industry fromachieving its potential.

On the 30th anniversary of theeconomic reforms, a puzzle thatneeds resolution is that while theyhave been focused on the manufacturing sector, the manufacturing sector has not expanded relative to theeconomy. Its share has remainedquite the same. We may just have received a clue from Kerala to comprehend this outcome. While the elegantly crafted trade and industryreforms have addressed the policyregime, they have not addressed theconditions under which productiontakes place in this country. This mayhave held back investment, standingin the way of the expansion of themanufacturing sector as intended.India’s regulatory regime needs aradical overhaul.

Pulapre Balakrishnan teaches Economics at

Ashoka University, Sonipat, Haryana

Yet another colonial legacyIndia’s regulatory regime needs a radical overhaul

Pulapre Balakrishnan

A black New York criminal court judge whoreturned from a visit to South Africa has saidthat he saw dozens of news graves of SouthAfrican black infants and 62 open graveswaiting for those expected to die of malnutrition. The Judges, Mr. William Booth,talked to U.N. committees inquiring intoSouth Africa’s racial separation practices. Hesaid he saw the new and expectant graves ina cemetery for blacks in the Dimbaza area.He also told of visiting a prison for blacks,which the authorities called one of the best,where he found “35 to 40 inmates crowdedinto a 30’ by 30’ cell, where they are expected to live for 10 to 15 years.” He said in Dimbaza, described as a settlement for 7,000blacks in the southern part of the republic,50 per cent of all children born there die ofmalnutrition before they are one year of age.Parents decorate their sorry little graveswith milk bottles, rattles and toys so theywill be happy in death as they were unhappyin life.

FIFTY YEARS AGO JULY 27, 1971

Graves for blacks not yet dead

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FROM THE ARCHIVES

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DATA POINT

CMYK

M CH-CHE


CHENNAI THE HINDU


NEWS

FROM PAGE ONE

“The party’s parliamentaryboard will discuss the issue,” Arun Singh, inchargeof party aff�airs, Karnataka,said in New Delhi.

The resignation of Mr. Yediyurappa could well drawthe curtains on his nearlyfi�ve decades of political career, during which he rosefrom the ranks of the RSS inShikaripura in the Malnaddistrict of Shivamogga to become the Chief Minister ofthe State. In this period heemerged as the tallest leader in the Lingayat community, which is among the biggest voter base for thesaff�ron party in Karnataka.

At what turned out to behis farewell speech in Vidhana Soudha to mark the second anniversary, an emotional Mr. Yediyurappabroke down as he recountedhis work in building the party in the State and took notso veiled potshots at the party high command.

He recalled his bumpyride into the offi�ce duringhis fourth term and obliquely expressed his displeasuretowards high command forforcing his hands. “I had toface a lot of challenges whenI formed the government.The high command did not

allow me to form the Cabinet for one and a halfmonths despite fl�oods andrains in Karnataka. I had toroam around [the State] likea mad man. Last one and ahalf years I had to fi�ght COVID19,” he said.

Mr. Yediyurappa breaking down has now become asubject of political debate.While state Congress chiefD. K. Shivakumar said thetears only indicated he wasforced to step down, a prominent Lingayat seer Dingaleshwara Swamy of Balehosur Math said Mr.Yediyurappa’s tears would“ruin” the BJP in the days tocome. Amid speculation over his replacement in thelast 15 days, Mr. Yediyurappa’s camp had also tried tograb the Lingayat politicaloptics as LingayatVeerashaiva seers and the All IndiaVeerashaiva Mahasabha rallying behind the leader, urging BJP not to dislodge him.

On his part, Mr. Yediyurappa thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi, HomeMinister Amit Shah and BJPnational president J.P. Nadda “for having allowed meto be in offi�ce for two yearsdespite the rule of no powerfor those above 75 years.”

Yediyurappa bows out,suspense over new CM

man Savadi, Mines MinisterMurgesh Nirani and Homeand Law Minister BasavarajBommai. If the consensus isnot reached around thesecandidates then anothercandidate would be proposed. If a Brahmin candidate is to be brought forward, Union MinisterPralhad Joshi and SpeakerVishweshwara Kageri’snames are popping up indiscussions.

In any scenario, the situation in Karnataka has become a little more complexthan in other States wherethe BJP eff�ected a change inleader, as Mr. Yediyurappamustered a show of supportfrom Lingayat Mutts andleaders and also declaredhis intention to stay active inpolitics. Later on Mondaynight, RSS leaders had ameeting in Bengaluru,which was attended by party national organisationalgeneral secretary B.L. Santosh among others.

Possible central observers,Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and national general secretary incharge of Karnataka ArunSingh, are also likely toreach Bengaluru in a day.While no date for a Legislature Party meeting has beenset, it will be sooner ratherthan later.

Sources said while manynames were fl�oating as a replacement for Mr. Yediyurappa, the priority would beto choose from among theexisting MLAs. Only if a consensus after consultingMLAs was not arrived at,would someone other thanan MLA be considered.

“We are to face electionsafter two years, and the leadership should be such thatwould run for the next fi�veyears, that is why Yediyurappa (78) has been asked toresign,” said a source.

Among the Lingayat contenders, sources said, wereDeputy Chief Minister Lax

Action shifts to Delhi onKarnataka CM options

meeting leaders of the Opposition parties.

The terms of reference ofthe commission include thatit will inquire into the stateand nonstate actors whowere involved in such reported Interception. .

The announcement of theformation of the inquirycommission came justhours before the Chief Minister left for New Delhi.

Ms. Banerjee is likely toremain in the national capital for the next few days,

Bengal forms panel toprobe snooping issue

inside its territory. As the border clash inten

sifi�ed on Monday, Dr. Sarmaand his Mizoram counterpart Zoramthanga tradedcharges on Twitter whiletagging the Prime Minister’sOffi�ce and Mr. Shah.

Pointing out that the vehicle of a Mizoramboundcouple was attacked, Mr. Zoramthanga sought Mr.Shah’s intervention. “Howare you going to justify suchviolent acts?” he asked.

However, Dr. Sarma toldhis Mizoram counterpartthat his offi�cials were beingthreatened with violenceuntil they “withdraw fromour post”.

Minor clashes were alsoreported in the KillingIongkhuli area of AssamMeghalaya border on Monday when Assam police personnel allegedly tried touproot electric poles erected by workers engaged byMeghalaya Energy Corporation Limited.

“Mizoram police respondedspontaneously by fi�ringback. The aggression of theAssam police started the unfortunate development. TheAssam police withdrew andthe duty post was handedback to the CRPF after theUnion Home Minister spoketo the Chief Ministers ofboth the States,” he added.

Offi�cials in Assam, however, blamed the Mizoram police for the fl�areup. They also blamed people in civilianclothes armed with telescopic rifl�es. “They openedfi�re,” Cachar Deputy Commissioner Keerthi Jalli saidwhen asked what triggeredthe trouble.

Assam offi�cials also saidtheir team had gone to evictencroachers from Mizoram.Assam claims Mizos havebeen squatting in areassome one to three kilometres from the interStateborder while Mizoramgroups claim Assam haspushed its people 1012 km

6 policemen killed inAssamMizoram row

The National Mission forClean Ganga (NMCG), conceived as a ₹�20,000croreprogramme in 2014 to cleanup the river, has so far beenallocated ₹�15,074 crore.

Of this only ₹�10,972 crore,or about twothirds, hasbeen released by the FinanceMinistry to the NMCG, a body under the Jal Shakti Ministry, according to a responseto a question in the RajyaSabha on Monday.

The NMCG further allocates the money to the riverine States.

Gajendra Shekhawat, JalShakti Minister, said in awritten response to a question by Congress MP Mallikarjun Kharge that severalsets of interventions forcleaning and rejuvenation ofthe river had been taken upsuch as treating domesticsewage, industrial effluentand solid waste, river front

management, maintainingecological fl�ow, rural sanitation, aff�orestation, biodiversity conservation, and publicparticipation. The plannedoutlay for the Ganga cleanup mission, accounting forfuture costs, is well over

₹�20,000 crore.Overall, 346 projects had

been taken up at a sanctioned cost of ₹�30,235 crore,out of which, 158 projects arecompleted, the reply said.

An NMCG offi�cial told The

Hindu that the agency had

approached the Finance Ministry for funds to meet thesanctioned cost. “Some ofthe allotted funds refl�ect theinvestments in Ganga cleanup programmes all the wayfrom 1985. The amount sanctioned is much higher be

cause they are sewage treatment infrastructure projectswith government supportuntil 15 years from the present,” said D.P. Mathuria, Executive Director, NMCG.

The funding is critical because as of June 30,₹�1,040.63 crore was availablewith NMCG under the Namami Gange Programme, saidMr. Shekhawat.

Uttar Pradesh, at ₹�3,535crore, has received the mostfunds, followed by Bihar(₹�2,631 crore), Bengal(₹�1,030 cr) and Uttarakhand(₹�1001 cr).

Sewerage projects fortowns along the Ganga in Uttarakhand have already beencompleted for pollutionabatement under the Namami Gange program and theMission has been focussingon rejuvenation of tributaries of the Ganga with priorityon the polluted stretches,said a statement from theNMCG on July 17.

U.P. gets big chunk of Clean Ganga funds₹�3,535 crore of the ₹�10,972 crore given by Finance Ministry has been allocated to the State

Jacob Koshy

NEW DELHI

Cleaning in progress: National Mission for Clean Ganga workers spraying bioremediationsolution at Dashashwamedh Ghat in Varanasi. * FILE PHOTO

More than 3.54 crore FASTags have been issued inthe country, the government has told Parliamentrecently.

“After declaration of alllanes as FASTag lanes, theoverall FASTag penetrationhas reached approximately96%, from 80% on February 14, 2021,” Union Minister for Road Transport andHighways Nitin Gadkarisaid in a written reply inthe Lok Sabha.

The FASTag works withthe electronic paymentssystems developed by theNational Payments Corporation of India (NPCI).

Ituses the RFID technology to automatically collect payments at the tollgates without the vehiclehaving to stop or make payments in cash.

Over 3.54crore FASTagsissued so far,says govt.

SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT

NEW DELHI

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On the draw

A day after he was detainedat Varanasi airport andsent back without being allowed to enter the city,chief of Vikasheel InsaanParty (VIP), an NDA ally inBihar, Mukesh Sahanilashed out at the coalitiongovernment in Patna, andsaid none listened to themin the alliance.

Mr. Sahani also boycotted the NDA leaders meeting ahead of the monsoonsession of Bihar legislatureand announced that hisparty would contest 165seats in the Uttar PradeshAssembly elections.

“In the NDA no one listens to us. The Varanasi incident has put a questionmark on PM Narendra Modi’s slogan of sabka saath,

sabka vikas (with all, development for all). Our partyhas decided to contest 165seats in U.P. polls next yearand form the governmentthere,” Mr. Sahani told media persons outside the Bihar Assembly.

The fi�veday monsoonsession of the Assembly began on Monday. Mr. Sahaniis Minister for Animal Husbandry and Fisheries in theNitish Kumar Cabinet.

Denied entryto Varanasi, allyhits out at NDA

Amarnath Tewary

Patna

Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh have acquired land forthe Defence Industrial Corridors (DIC). Tamil Nadu hasacquired 283.28 hectaresand Uttar Pradesh 196.7 hectares in 202021, the government said on Monday.

“As on July 19, 2021, theinvestments made by thepublic and private sector inthe TNDIC and the UPDICare ₹�2,252.28 crore and₹�1,236.10 crore respectively,” Minister of State for Defence Ajay Bhatt said in awritten reply in the RajyaSabha.

The DICs are aimed atproviding fi�llip to the defence manufacturing ecosystem. The TNDIC hasidentifi�ed fi�ve nodes —Chennai, Coimbatore, Hosur, Salem and Tiruchirappalli. The UPDIC has sixidentifi�ed nodes — Agra, Aligarh, Chitrakoot, Jhansi,Kanpur and Lucknow.

Both the DICs are in theirformative stages, the replysaid. “In the TNDIC, TamilNadu Industrial Develop

ment Corporation (TIDCO),the nodal agency, has signed22 MoUs with private/publicindustries, worth potentialinvestments of ₹�4,800crore.” The U.P. Expressways Industrial Development Authority has signed55 MoUs with private industries, worth potential investments of ₹�7,449.33 crore.

As per present estimatesreported by the respectiveState governments based onthe MoUs signed, the TNDIChas potential to generateemployment for 25,000persons and the UPDIC haspotential to generate employment for more than16,700 persons.

Both are in their formative stages


NEW DELHI

Ajay Bhatt

T.N., U.P. acquiredland for defenceindustrial corridors

The Bombay High Court onMonday reserved the judgment in a plea by advocateSurendra Gadling, an accused in the Bhima Koregaon violence, against rejection of his temporary bailapplication.

A Division Bench of Justices S.S. Shinde and N.J. Jamadar was hearing an appeal

fi�led against the rejection ofhis temporary bailapplication.

The appeal mentions,“On August 15, 2020, Mr. Gadling’s mother died at Nagpur. After two days, he fi�leda temporary bail plea beforethe special National Investigation Agency (NIA) court inMumbai. He sought temporary bail for three weeks toperform the last rites of his

mother as his brother couldnot attend them because hewas COVID19 positive. However, on September 11,2020, the petition got rejected. He then moved the HighCourt in appeal, challengingthe order of rejection.”

National InvestigationAgency’s counsel SandeshPatil opposed the plea, saying he is not required to attend the funeral anymore.

Bombay HC reserves order inGadling’s plea for temporary bailSpecial Correspondent

Mumbai

The report of the investigation into the 2018 Air IndiaExpress plane crash in Tiruchi is a coverup to exoneratethe pilots, says aviation safety expert Captain MohanRanganathan. Not only didpilot error result in insuffi�cient thrust, but the cockpitcrew also endangered thepassengers’ lives by continuing to fl�y for close to fourhours despite a damaged aircraft in order to ensure thatcrucial data recording wasdeleted, he alleges.

On October 11, 2018, thefl�ight from Tiruchi to Dubaiwith 130 passengers hit theairport boundary wall and

the antennas of a groundbased navigation aid duringtakeoff�, resulting in a gapingwound in the aircraft belly.Despite the ATC informingthe pilots of the damage, thecrew continued to fl�y till

Muscat airspace, where theywere ordered to make alanding in Mumbai.

The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau in its report made public recentlyhas blamed a snag in the pi

lotincommand (PIC)’s reclining seat for the incident.

Captain Mohan Ranganathan, a former member ofthe Civil Aviation Safety Advisory Council and formerairline instructor pilot onBoeing 737NGs, says theprobe has been whitewashed to ensure pilots goscotfree. “The report fails tofault the pilots for continuing to fl�y. This is a criminalact,” he alleges.

“The thrust lever movingback to 75% thrust is an indication that it wasn’t the backrest that reclined inadvertently, but in fact the pilotfailed to lock his seat and theentire seat moved backwards,” he notes.

‘Tiruchi plane crash probe a coverup’Report drafted to exonerate pilots of criminality, says aviation safety expert

The damage: The aircraft hit an Instrument Landing Systemantenna and brushed against the compound wall. * FILE PHOTO

JAGRITI CHANDRA

NEW DELHI

Chaman Lal, a former senate member of Panjab University and honorary adviser, Bhagat Singh Archivesand Resource Centre, Delhi,has urged the Punjab government to take up the issue of acquiring fi�les relating to the court cases ofBhagat Singh now at thePunjab Archives in Anarkalitomb in Lahore.

Professor Lal, in a letterto Chief Minister AmarinderSingh through Finance Minister Manpreet Singh Badal, said, “Scholars, including me, visiting this archivehave not been shown these

fi�les. However, situation hasnow changed for the better.On March 23, 2018, for thefi�rst time Lahore archivesheld a monthlong exhibition of more than 200 itemsfrom the Bhagat Singh fi�les.

Professor Lal said it was ahappy situation that Pakistan was preserving the legacy of Bhagat Singh.

“But this is as much a factthat Bhagat Singh enjoys aspecial status in Indian Punjab as their most beloved revolutionary hero. So, it ismost appropriate that, therecords of his case fi�les arekept in one of important archives of Indian Punjab,” headded.

Plea to acquire papersof Bhagat Singh’s trial They are currently stored in Lahore

special correspondent

CHANDIGARH

One militant was killedduring a search operationat Kulgam’s Aharbal areaon Monday.

Police said more militants were hiding in thearea and the operation wasin progress.

This is the second majoroperation in Kulgam in thepast 24 hours. One ultrawas killed in an encounterin the district on Sunday.

Militant killedduring searchin Kulgam


SrinagarThe Ashok Gehlotled Congress government in Rajasthan is all set for a Cabinetexpansion by the secondweek of August, a wellplaced Congress source saidon Monday.

The source told The Hin-

du that party general secretary (organisation) K.C. Venugopal and the generalsecretary incharge of Rajasthan Ajay Maken, are learntto have fi�rmed up a peace

formula between Chief Minister Gehlot and his formerdeputy, Sachin Pilot, whohad rebelled against Mr. Gehlot last July.

Resolving factionalism inRajasthan is fi�rst priority forthe party and Mr. Maken isscheduled to visit Jaipuragain on July 28 and 29 tohave discussions with MLAs.

While some of Mr. Pilot’ssupporters will fi�nd a placein the Council of Ministers,Mr. Pilot himself is likely tobe drafted as a general secre

tary in the All India CongressCommittee (AICC).

Two diff�erent sources saidthat apart from accommodating Mr. Pilot’s supporters,the Congress leadership islooking to reward some ofthe independent MLAs thatsupport the Gehlot government as well as the formerBahujan Samaj Party lawmakers who merged theirparty with the Congress.

Hence apart from a Cabinet rejig, in which nonperformers may be dropped,

the Congress will also consider appointing chairpersons to various corporationsboards and commissionsalong with new Ministers.

Currently, there are ninevacancies in the Council ofMinisters but it is not knownhow many of them will be given to the Pilot camp. Thereis a reported tussle over it.

Supporters of Mr. Gehlotare not keen that the partyconcedes too many seats toMLAs whose rebellion hadthreatened the stability of

the Congress government ayear ago.

Those supporting Mr. Pilot, however, argue that theirfi�ght was never about ministerial berths but about givingdignity to leaders whoworked hard to bring theparty to power in 2018.

Amid claims and counterclaims, top Congress sourcesindicated that all the ministerial vacancies may not befi�lled up in one go and a fewvacancies may be there evenafter the reshuffle exercise.

Rajasthan Cabinet reshuffl�e likely in midAugust K.C. Venugopal, Ajay Maken fi�rm up peace formula between Gehlot and Pilot factions of Cong.

Sandeep Phukan

New Delhi

CMYK

M CH-CHE


THE HINDU CHENNAI


NEWS

West Bengal Chief MinisterMamata Banerjee landed inDelhi on Monday for a fi�veday visit. This is her fi�rst tripto the national capital afterthe Trinamool Congress’svictory in the Assembly election.

Ms. Banerjee will meetPrime Minister NarendraModi at 4 p.m. on Tuesday.She has also sought time tomeet President RamnathKovind.

Trinamool parliamentaryleader in the Rajya Sabha Derek O’Brien told The Hindu,“This is an important visit ofMamata Banerjee and this isan important week for theIndian politics.” Asked if thevisit indicates a more activerole for Ms. Banerjee in thenational politics, Mr. O’Briensaid she was not seeking anychair or post.

Signifi�cantly, key changestook place in the Congress

and the Trinamool dynamicsahead of her visit, with theformer showing willingnessto make many concessions.

Congress concessionsThe fi�rst step was to removeWest Bengal Pradesh Congress President Adhir RanjanChowdhury from the equation, with whom the Trinamool was not willing tospeak. Congress presidentSonia Gandhi gave Mallikar

jun Kharge, Leader of theOpposition in the Rajya Sabha, the responsibility tocoordinate with the allies inboth Houses of Parliament.

Sources said senior leaderShashi Tharoor had nowbeen enlisted to liaise withthe Trinamool in the LokSabha. Mr. Tharoor met itsparliamentary party leaderSudip Bandhopadhyay toconvey this on Monday.

The second step was the

Congress had acknowledgedthat not only Rahul Gandhibut Trinamool general secretary Abhishek Banerjee toohas been the victim of Pegasus cyber attack with a tweetfrom its offi�cial handle. Itposted a picture saying Mr.Banerjee was targeted because of the West Bengal Assembly election.

Ahead of Ms. Banerjee’svisit, the Trinamool Parliamentary Party discussed thestrategy for the monsoonsession. She is expected tomeet a host of leaders duringher visit. She will also be paying a visit to Ms. Gandhi.

She will also spend a dayin Parliament, where meetings with other Oppositionleaders, including Samajwadi Party’s Akhilesh Yadav,and those of the DMK, theRJD and others are planned.

The party remained tightlipped on whether she willhost a joint Opposition meetor not.

Mamata in Delhi on fi�vedayvisit, will meet PM Modi todayWest Bengal CM is also expected to meet Sonia and other Opposition leaders

Sobhana K. Nair

New Delhi

Forging ties: The Trinamool Congress has dubbed MamataBanerjee’s visit as an important week in Indian politics. * PTI

Afghanistan Army chief Lt.Gen. Wali Mohammad Ahmadzai has postponed histrip to India amid increased Taliban violence inthe country.

Lt. Gen. Ahmadzai wasscheduled to arrive on athreeday visit beginningJuly 27 and meet ArmyChief Gen. Manoj Naravaneand National Security Adviser Ajit Doval.

The visit was closelywatched amid the U.S. military exit from Afghanistan,and raging fi�ghting between the Taliban and theAfghan national Army.

Afghan Armychief ’s Indiavisit put off�


NEW DELHI

India is engaging all stakeholders in Afghanistan, including some parts of the Taliban, as part of a“multitrack” strategy necessitated by the advance of theTaliban militants on theground, according to offi�cialsources, who for the fi�rsttime confi�rmed the talks areongoing. The talks with themilitant group don’t diluteIndia’s concerns over the Taliban’s recent military gains,and Pakistan’s support to Taliban fi�ghters, but signifythat a negotiated powersharing agreement is nowseen as the “best case scenario” for Afghanistan.

“We support the Afghangovernment. We deal withthem irrespective of who isin power. We are in constanttouch with Afghan leadersfrom all ethnic backgrounds.We have participated at theDoha [conference inauguration] and later on also havebeen in meetings [with theTaliban]. We believe Afghans deserve peace, and ifwe have to be in touch withall stakeholders and regionalcountries, we will be,” thesources explained.

Purported hold According to the government’s latest assessment,the Taliban is attempting toacquire territory to thesouth and border posts of Afghanistan, and will accelerate its eff�orts to take majorcities once the U.S. completes its pullout of troopsat the end of August. In particular, the assessment hasfound that while the Talibanholds territory considerablyless than media speculationof “85%”, and pegs its reachto only about “4550%”, it isin a position to establishcontrol of one or more of the

southern provinces including Kandahar, Helmand,Ghazni and Paktia.

The detailed assessmentdoes not predict the fall ofKabul at present, but thatthe next three or fourmonths will be crucial to decide Afghanistan’s future.

External Aff�airs MinisterS. Jaishankar is expected toshare this perception withU.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken on Wednesday in Delhi, pointing outthat the U.S. air support andinternational fi�nancial assistance would be necessary tostave off� the Taliban’s onslaught against the Afghanistan National Defence and Security Forces (ANDSF),along with a check on Pakistan’s continued support tothe Taliban. He would alsodiscuss the outcome of hisrecent visits to Doha, Dushanbe, Moscow, Tehran andTashkent, all of which focused on the situation in Afghanistan and India’s concerns about Pakistan’s role.

In particular, the sourcescited recent reports from international news agenciesand videos that showed Taliban fi�ghters being treated inPakistani hospitals, and

identifi�ed hospitals in theborder town of Chaman andQuetta as places wherethose injured in the fi�ghtingwith the ANDSF near theborder post at Spin Boldakwere brought.

The sources said many ofthose killed and injured alsoheld Pakistani identitycards, which was one of thereasons Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani had, at aconference in Tashkent thismonth, openly blamed Islamabad for failing to stop thefl�ow of “10,000” jihadis,who he said had entered Afghanistan from Pakistan andother countries in the pastmonth.

Pressurising PakistanOn Sunday, MEA offi�cials involved in the planning oftalks during Mr. Blinken’s visit had also said they woulddiscuss the “the need forsustained pressure on Pakistan on terror fi�nancing andterror havens”.

However, it is far fromclear how much the U.S. willbe willing to criticise Pakistan publicly, given that it isdeeply engaged with its military and political leadershipon pushing the Taliban towards some sort of a “facesaving” peace agreement before the U.S. pulls out all itstroops.

Earlier this month, theU.S. also announced a newconnectivity ‘Quad’ comprising U.S.UzbekistanAfghanistanPakistan. In NewDelhi, the move is seen aspart of the U.S.’s search for arole in Afghanistan postpullout, amidst reports thatAmerican offi�cials are discussing acquiring a base inCentral Asia, and also negotiating shelter for those in Afghanistan who have helpedtheir forces and hence, targeted by the Taliban.

India ‘engages Taliban’ butquestions Pakistan’s supportJaishankar to share detailed assessment with Blinken

Suhasini Haidar

NEW DELHI

S. Jaishankar will also talkabout his visits to Doha,Moscow and Tashkent.

NEWS ANALYSIS

President Ram Nath Kovind,who could not fl�y to Kargildue to inclement weather,on Monday laid a wreath atthe Dagger War Memorial,Baramulla, to pay tributes toall the soldiers who sacrificed their lives in defendingthe nation.

President Kovind, accompanied by senior Army offi�cers, reached Baramulla fromSrinagar after his choppercould not take off� due to badweather and diffi�cult fl�yingconditions around ZojilaPass in central Kashmir, offi�cials said.

He was scheduled to pay

homage at the Kargil WarMemorial in Drass on the22nd Anniversary of KargilVijay Diwas.

The President, who was

accompanied by J&K Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha,was received by Major General Virendra Vats, GeneralOffi�cer Commanding, Bara

mulla DivisionThe Presidentinteracted with the soldiersof Baramulla Division andwished them luck for all future endeavours, an offi�cialsaid.

Later Mr Kovind chaired ahigh level meeting of the unifi�ed high command at theRaj Bhawan. Attended by topsecurity offi�cials of diff�erentwings, including Army andthe police, the President wasbriefed about the securitysituation in the wake of abrogation of Article 370, antimilitancy operations, and infi�ltration. Sources said President Kovind praised the roleof security forces in combating militancy.

Kovind pays homage to martyrsInclement weather prevents the President’s visit to Kargil memorial at Drass

Ode to the brave: President Ram Nath Kovind laying a wreathat the Dagger War Memorialin Kashmir on Monday. * THE HINDU

Peerzada Ashiq

Srinagar

A British court on Mondaygranted a bankruptcy order against Vijay Mallya,paving the way for a consortium of Indian banksled by the State Bank of India (SBI) to pursue a worldwide freezing order to seekrepayment of debt owed bythe nowdefunct Kingfi�sherAirlines.

“As at 15.42 [U.K. time], Iadjudicate Dr Mallya bankrupt,” Chief Insolvenciesand Companies CourtJudge Michael Briggs saidin his ruling during a hearing of the Chancery Division of the High Court.

The Indian banks had argued for the bankruptcyorder to be granted in theirfavour.

The 65yearold businessman, meanwhile, remains on bail in the U.K.while a “confi�dential” legalmatter, believed to be related to an asylum application, is resolved in connection with the unrelatedextradition proceedings.

U.K. courtdeems Mallyabankrupt

Press Trust of India

London

A discussion on the Pegasuscyberattack in the presenceof Prime Minister NarendraModi and Home MinisterAmit Shah, followed by ajudicial probe, are the preconditions for Parliament tofunction, the Congress saidon Monday.

This was to counter criticism from the government,which accused the Opposition parties of disruptingParliament for the sixth dayin a row in the ongoing monsoon session.

Former Union Ministerand Congress Chief Whip in

the Rajya Sabha Jairam Ramesh said in a tweet, “Theentire Opposition is united.1. Have a discussion on Pegasus snooping issue in presence of the Prime Ministeror Home Minister. 2. Announce a Supreme Courtmonitored inquiry into thescandal.”

Parliament, Mr. Rameshstated, was not functioningbecause the governmentwas not agreeing to theselegitimate demands.

Trinamool Congress leader Derek O’Brien, concurring with Mr. Ramesh, saidthis was exactly what wasneeded.

Cong. sets 2 conditionsfor House to functionDiscussion in front of PM is one of them


New Delhi

Among those who weremembers of the Mahila Kisan Sansad here on Mondaywere an assistant professorfrom Punjab, the wife of anArmy offi�cer and a homemaker, who occasionallyworks towards women empowerment in her village inHaryana.

Amandeep Kaur Sandhu,32, assistant professor at acollege in village Baba SangDhesian, said back home,people used to believe thatwomen should stay indoors.

But during the protestagainst the farm laws, wo

men and men shared thestage and continued the agitation shoulder to shoulder.

The 40yearold wife of anArmy offi�cer, a resident ofMohali who didn’t wish to beidentifi�ed, said she was taking part to expresssolidarity.

At the ‘parliament’,speakers and deputy speakers included CPI leader Annie Raja, Jagmati Sangwan,and activist Medha Patkar. Intwo of the three sessions, an“agriculture minister” wasalso to made to sit andspeak.

Farm laws: ‘Women and menstand shoulder to shoulder’Event brings together participants from all walks of life

Hemani Bhandari

NEW DELHI

Women conducting 'KisanSansad' at Jantar Mantar inNew Delhi on Monday.

Both Houses of Parliamentsaw repeated adjournmentson Monday, as Oppositionmembers continued theirprotests over allegations ofsnooping using the Israelispyware Pegasus and thecontroversial agriculturalreform laws.

The Lok Sabha was adjourned for the day after itcleared two Bills, amid thedin. The Factoring Regulation (Amendment) Bill,2020, and the National Institutes of Food Technology,Entrepreneurship and Management Bill, 2021, werepassed by voice vote.

The proceedings of theRajya Sabha were adjournedfi�ve times before beingcalled off� early for the day,as Opposition memberscontinued raising slogansagainst the government.

Chairman M. VenkaiahNaidu said the persistentdisruptions had cost themembers their opportunityto raise issues of public importance. Mr. Naidu said important matters about COVID19 vaccines, the allegedattacks on press freedomand even the chance to seekclarifi�cations from the government on the Pegasus issue were denied. He said 57matters raised by 63 members had been permittedlast week but none of themcould be taken up due to thedisruptions. On Monday,too, there were 12 mattersadmitted for Zero Hour. “Weare becoming helpless dayby day,” Mr. Naidu said.

In the Lok Sabha, discussions on the two Bills couldnot take place as the Opposition members raised slogans demanding a discussion on the Pegasus issueand the farmers’ demandfor the repeal of the threefarm laws.

Rama Devi, who waschairing the proceedings,urged protesting membersto return to their seats and

participate in the discussions. When that did nothappen, she went aheadwith the consideration andpassing of the Bills.

Minister for Parliamentary Aff�airs Pralhad Joshiand Minister of State ArjunRam Meghwal also urgedmembers to return to theirseats and participate in thediscussions.

Factoring regulationWhile Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman spoke before moving the FactoringRegulation Bill, giving a bitof background on why theamendments were beingmade, Food Processing Mi

nister Pashupati Kumar Paras simply moved the Bill forconsideration and passing.

The Factoring Bill, Ms.Sitharaman said, was for thebenefi�t of the Medium andSmall Scale Enterprises(MSME) and that the Bill hadaccepted all the changessuggested by the StandingCommittee which went intoits details.

Earlier in the day, theHouse saw repeated adjournments and when it metat 2 p.m. and ran for a fewminutes, papers were laidon the table and Ms. Sitharaman introduced the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code(Amendment) Bill, 2021.


NEW DELHI

Lok Sabha passes two Billsamid protests by Opposition

Former Congress presidentRahul Gandhi,accompanied by hisparliamentary colleagues,drove a tractor toParliament on Monday toexpress solidarity with thefarmers protesting againstthe three agriculture reformlaws.

Mr. Gandhi, along withRajya Sabha membersPratap Singh Bajwa(Punjab), Deepinder SinghHooda (Haryana) and Lok

Sabha member RavneetSingh Bittu (Punjab),carried a banner and raisedslogans. “We have broughtthe message of farmers toParliament. A discussion isnot allowed inside theHouse and the farmers arebeing suppressed. That’swhy we are here and they[the Centre] will have totake back these black laws,”he said.

Later, the police detainedaround eight Congressworkers and seized thetractor.


NEW DELHI

Show of support: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi arriving atParliament in a tractor on Monday. * PTI

Rahul Gandhi drivestractor to Parliament

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CMYK

M CH-CHE


CHENNAI THE HINDU


NEWS

(set by Gussalufz)

Never go off� the grid.

We are digital now. Come solive online.

@ https://qrgo.page.link/jjpTn

■ ACROSS

1 She may be interested in taking some men out: essentially easy

going and without disrespectful speech (8)

5 Transmitter’s extent of some longwave signal cut back (6)

9 So, Atlas Shrugged is not making a profi�t? (2,1,4)

10 Massaged closer, fi�nding model's protective garment (7)

11 Add fi�fty eggs at fi�rst and mix up (5)

12 Organelle initially released in intimate ecstasy (8)

13 Really aced cooking this vegetable with a dal! (6)

14 Anand, perhaps countered joke about a kind of Hindu philosophy (8)

18 Survey is old and unfavourable, choose rejecting to participate (4,4)

20 Spy agitated by Marxist mentality (6)

23 Varying by the time of the year? Nothing's irrelevant in sales

modelling (8)

25 Happens to be standing in cool wind (5)

27 Behaviour of a certain tiger: primarily charges (7)

28 Active, ripped, hot gent wearing glasses (2,3,2)

29 League’s leader drops out of fi�nal game for bribe! (6)

30 Once batter’s spooned, they might use their hands (8)

■ DOWN

1 Husband wrapped up in drapery after a big fall (9)

2 Outrage of upwardly mobile young man when under examination (7)

3 Coronets made with the top part of pretty fl�owering plant (9)

4 Bat crossed the line, absolutely — guarantee! (6)

6 Coins term in neuroscience (5)

7 Shy about hugging, well, without restraints? Set boundaries! (7)

8 Regularly gathered erotica for retired judge (4)

10 Animal captures boy (quintessentially Watterson’s boy!) in intricate

trap (6)

15 High? (Hesitate about appealing) (9)

16 Exceptionally nice costs and special deliveries! (18)

17 Afghans avoiding alien spaces? (6)

19 Setter has set plenty without competence! (7)

21 Foreigners popular for some eccentricity in Old Amsterdam,

perhaps? (7)

22 Tumour covered up in cream, oil, gelatin (6)

24 Laugh very loudly after saucy comic operetta starts (5)

26 Division of a million pence by one hundred (4)

SCAN TO PLAY

+ 13310SUDOKU

Solution to puzzle 13309 Solution to yesterday’s Sudoku

DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD

When Lord Narayana asked Brahma to create the world,Brahma became very proud of himself. To teach him a lesson, the Lord made two asuras — Madhu and Kaitabha —emerge from His ears, said V.S. Karunakarachariar in a discourse. The two asuras stole the Vedas from Brahma. Without the Vedas, Brahma could not create. The two asuras hadinadvertently uttered a beejakshara in the Durga mantra,and so Durga said they could ask for a boon. They requestedthat they should die only if they wanted to. Durga grantedthem their wish. Because of Durga’s boon, it became diffi�cult to destroy them. Lord Narayana fought them for a thousand years, but the fi�ght was inconclusive.

Lord Narayana complimented them and said they foughtwell, and He could give them a boon. But they were so arrogant that they told the Lord that they were powerful enoughto grant Him boons! So, the Lord said He wanted them bothto die. They had not anticipated this. So, they said that if theLord’s promise to give them a boon was still on, then theywould like to make use of it. The Lord assured them that Hisoff�er was still very much there. They then said they wantedto be killed by Him, but this killing had to take place only in aplace where there was no water. The world had not takenshape fully, because Brahma had not commenced his job ofcreation. The world was covered fully with water. So, the asuras had assumed that killing them where there was no water would be impossible. The Lord took the huge form ofHayagriva, placed the two asuras on His thigh, and slappedthem hard, crushing them in one blow. His hands becamecoated with the fat from their bodies. The Lord rubbed thisoff� on the earth. The earth came to be known as Medini, because ‘medas’ in Sanskrit means fat.

FAITH

Madhu and Kaitabha

Maharashtra offi�cials onMonday said that 164 persons had lost their liveswhile 100 persons were missing in the landslips andrainrelated accidentscaused by the unprecedented downpour that has lashedthe western part of the Stateand the coastal Konkan region since July 22.

In Raigad district alone, 71persons died in the landslipswhich buried Taliye villagein Mahad tehsil and SakharSutarwadi and Kevnale inPoladpur taluk.

Satara district reported 41deaths in the landslips atMirgaon and Ambeghar villages. More than 25,500head of livestock have beenengulfed by the fl�oodwatersor buried.

The scale of the destruction and loss is estimated tobe even worse than the 2019fl�oods which ravaged Kolhapur and Sangli in westernMaharashtra or the Malinlandslip of 2014 when morethan 150 persons werekilled.

It is estimated that 1,028villages have been affl�icted

by the rain since July 22, withnearly 400 of these in Kolhapur district and 120 in Satara. A consolidated assessment of the damage in theKonkan, especially in Chiplun and Khed in Ratnagiridistrict which are among theworsthit, is expected soon.

Nearly 2.3 lakh peoplehave been evacuated, saidoffi�cial reports while the livelihood of 1.95 lakh people issaid to have been hit in Kolhapur alone. The damage as

sessments from other districts in Konkan and westernMaharashtra have yet tocome in.

After four days of arduouseff�orts in severely inclementweather, authorities have fi�nally called off� rescue operations in Taliye village withthe 31 missing persons to bedeclared dead after due process.

“After seeking the opinionof the NDRF, the SDRF andother rescue teams and res

pecting the sentiments of thesurvivors and relatives of themissing people, we have accordingly withdrawn ourrescue teams from Taliye,”said Raigad Collector NidhiChaudhary.

Chief Minister UddhavThackeray, who was due tovisit rainbattered Satara onMonday, was compelled toabandon his visit after thehelicopter in which he wastravelling could not land owing to poor visibility.

Death toll in rain and landslipsclimbs to 164 in Maharashtra100 persons are still missing while nearly 2.3 lakh people have been evacuated

Shoumojit Banerjee

Pune

Towards safety: An NDRF team undertaking a rescue operation at Shiroli village in Kolhapur onMonday. * @6NDRFVADODARA/PTI

The JEE Advanced, usedfor admission to the eliteIndian Institutes of Technology, will be held on October 3, Education MinisterDharmendra Pradhan hasannounced. “The examination will be conducted adhering to all COVIDprotocols,” he tweeted onMonday night.

It was earlier scheduledto be held on July 3, butwas cancelled due to thesecond wave of the COVID19 pandemic. The IITKharagpur is responsiblefor conducting the examination this year.

The fi�nal session of theJEEMain examination,used as a qualifying test forJEEAdvanced as well as anentrance test for other engineering institutions, willconclude on September 2.Once JEEMain results arereleased, qualifi�ed students may then appear forJEEAdvanced.

As a onetime measure,students who had qualifi�edand registered to write JEEAdvanced last year but hadfailed to appear for the examination will be allowedto attempt it this year without having to requalifythrough JEEMain.

JEE Advancedto be held onOctober 3


NEW DELHI

After nine people lost theirlives in a landslip in Himachal Pradesh’s Kinnaur district, a debate surroundingthe degradation of the environment in this ecologicalsensitive hill terrain is boundto gain momentum.

A recent study suggeststhat both hydropower projects and aff�orestation efforts, carried out as compensation for the forest landdiverted for hydropowerprojects in the name of ‘mitigation’, have altered landuse and are negatively impacting the forest ecosystems.

The study, titled Mitigation or myth? Impacts of hydropower development andcompensatory aff�orestationon forest ecosystems in thehigh Himalayas, was undertaken by Manshi Asher andPrakash Bhandari, environmentalists associated withthe Himdhara EnvironmentResearch and Action Collective. It was published in theLand Use Policy journal ofJanuary 2021.

The study, conducted between 2012 and 2016, usedinformation from govern

ment records and ground research to examine the extent, nature and impact offorest diversion for hydropower projects in Kinnaur.

“Our study found that notonly have construction activities for hydropower projects impacted existing landuse, disturbed forest biodiversity and fragmented theforest landscape, but the related compensatory aff�orestation plantations are alsoridden with problems.These include abysmally lowpresence of surviving saplings [up to 10%], interspecies confl�ict, infringementon local land usage and damage by wildfi�res and landslips,” said Ms. Asher.

She said studies show that

the tunnelling in mountainareas will result in the risk ofmore landslips as largeamounts of water percolateinto surfaces. “The use of dynamite for blasting throughthe surfaces and underground components of theprojects disturb existingslopes and the fragilegeology.”

Shanta Kumar Negi, president of the Kinnaurbasedenvironment conservationorganisation Hangrang Sangharsh Samiti, told The Hinduthat over the years, climatechange is visible. “The conditions of Kinnaur are not favourable for hydropowerprojects. Construction activities include blasting, whichhas to be done in a scientifi�cmanner, but the ground reality is that there’s hardly anycheck on the frequency ofblasting. We are not againstdevelopment but Kinnaur isenvironmentally fragile, andthis fact should not be ignored. Development at thecost of human lives is not acceptable,” said Mr. Negi.

Nine tourists were killedafter boulders fell on theirvehicle in a landslip nearBasteri in Kinnaur district onJuly 25.

Development projects could up the risk of landslips

VIKAS VASUDEVA

CHANDIGARH

A stretch of road that wasdamaged by the recentlandslip in Kinnaur.

Land use change disruptedKinnaur’s ecology, says study

Ticket sales at monumentsfell from ₹336 crore in 201920 to a little over ₹40 crore in202021, the year that sawthe start of travel bans andlockdowns due to the COVID19 pandemic, accordingto Culture Ministry data given to the Lok Sabha onMonday.

In response to a questionfrom MPs Chandeshwar Prasad, Vinayak Raut and RekhaVerma, Culture Minister G.Kishan Reddy’s written replysaid there were 1.19 crore visitors at the Centrally protected monuments and ₹40.32crore in revenue in 202021.In 201920, the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI)monuments had seen 4.82crore visitors that brought in

a revenue of ₹336.23 crore,while in 201819, there hadbeen 5.31 crore visitors and₹317.2 crore in revenue.While the ASI maintained3,693 monuments across thecountry, 143 of them wereticketed, an ASI offi�cial said.

Replying to another question by MPs Bhagwant Mann

and Vijayakumar (Vijay Vasanth), the Minister said theCentrally protected monuments, including the WorldHeritage Sites, were closedfor 61 days from April 16 toJune 15 during “lockdown2.0 in view of COVID19 situation”, referring to the second wave of the pandemicearlier this year.

Funding ideasA “pay as you wish” entry feeat monuments and outsourcing the maintenance of archaeological sites wereamong the recommendations of the ParliamentaryStanding Committee onTransport, Tourism and Culture in its report on the condition of museums in thecountry. The panel’s report,which was presented in the

Rajya Sabha and the LokSabha on Monday, acknowledged the inadequate budget of the Culture Ministry asone of the biggest stumblingblocks. “The committee feelsthat it is imperative for theMinistry to seek the participation of private sector in order to have the necessary investment needed to makeour museums and archaeological sites/monuments atpar with international standards...,” the report said.

The committee that isheaded by T.G. Venkatesh recommended that donationdrives, including allowingvisitors to pay what theywish, beyond a minimumamount, and corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives be taken up.

Revenue from monuments downTicket sales fall from ₹�336.23 crore in 201920 to ₹�40.32 crore in 20202021

The entrance to the FatehpurSikri mosque, which isprotected by the ASI.

Damini Nath

NEW DELHI

Educational bodies underthe Central governmenthave been asked to assessthe status of COVID19 vaccination among staff� andteachers in schools and colleges, according to a seniorEducation Ministry offi�cial.This comes amid demandsfrom a section of faculty, parents and students that vaccination be made a prerequisite for reopeningeducational institutions toensure that the infectiondoes not spread oncampuses.

The offi�cial said the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) and the University Grants Commission(UGC) were among thosewho had been asked to makesuch an assessment regarding vaccination of bothteaching and nonteachingstaff� in institutions undertheir purview. Such datacould be key to decisions regarding reopening campuses.

These regulatory and administrative bodies have alsobeen asked to provide topdown encouragement andpressure to speed up therate of vaccinations andmove quickly toward 100%

coverage. However, the offi�cial said that there is nomove as of now to set a formal deadline for mandatoryvaccination of teachers.

At a press conference lastweek, Indian Council ofMedical Research (ICMR) Director General Balram Bhargava had urged that not onlyteachers, but also all support staff� such as school busdrivers should be vaccinatedon a priority basis. He hadsuggested that it would bewise to reopen the primaryschool sections fi�rst, oncestaff� are vaccinated, asyoung children are at lowerrisk of infection.

Many States have begunreopening schools thismonth for the higher class

es, especially Classes 10 and12. Several States have already taken steps to encouragevaccination among educational staff�. The Delhi government set up a specialvaccination centre for teachers and their families, whilethe Goa educational department warned teachers that ifthey do not get vaccinated ordo not have a medical exemption, they may be required to produce negativeRTPCR tests on a weekly basis. Karnataka has launcheda drive to vaccinate all collegegoing students andhigher education faculty bythe end of July.

The Education Ministry islikely to convene a virtualmeeting of education offi�cials in States — includingthose in charge of schools,higher education, technicaleducation and skill development and vocational education — after IndependenceDay to take stock of the current situation after 16months of school closure.

However, Education Ministry offi�cials emphasisedthat the onus for reopeningschools as well as for assessing learning gaps caused bythe extended closures largely rest with Stategovernments.

CBSE, UGC asked to assessvaccination rate among staff�Immunisation is key to reopening educational institutions


NEW DELHI

A teacher getting vaccinatedat a camp organised in herschool.

The Supreme Court on Monday refused to entertain aplea by BJP MP GautamGambhir’s foundation to staythe proceedings in a case ofillegal procurement and distribution of COVID19 drugs,saying individuals cannotmonopolise the distributionof drugs during the pandem

ic when medicines werescarce.

“People were going helterskelter to procure drugsduring the second wave. Andthen suddenly, one personstarted distributing drugs.This is not done,” Justice D.Y.Chandrachud observed orally. Justice M.R. Shah, also onthe Bench, objected to thesubmissions of the founda

tion’s lawyer, senior advocate Kailash Vasdev, that hisclient was working for people. Mr. Vasdev sought a stayof the proceedings initiatedunder the Drugs and Cosmetics Act.

“We saw how the common man was suff�ering. Individuals cannot distributedrugs... Do you want us to gointo the merits of this case?”

Justice Shah asked the lawyer. The Bench advised thefoundation to move the Delhi High Court for relief. Mr.Vasdev withdrew the case.

The Delhi government’sdrug controller had accusedthe foundation in the HighCourt of unauthorisedlystocking, procuring and distributing the Fabifl�u medicine for COVID19 patients.

SC turns down plea of Gambhir foundation Legal Correspondent

NEW DELHI

Hundreds died due tooxygen scarcity: BJP MLALUCKNOW

Days after the Central

government said that it had

not received any reports of

death due to oxygen

shortage in the second wave

of COVID-19, a BJP MLA in

Uttar Pradesh has claimed

that “hundreds of people

died in agony due go lack of

oxygen”. Shyam Prakash, BJP

MLA from reserved seat

Gopamau in Hardoi, made the

statement in reply to a

Facebook post by a local

journalist on Sunday.

IN BRIEF

Biocon Biologics to makemonoclonal antibodyBENGALURU

Biocon Biologics Ltd., a

biosimilars firm and

subsidiary of Biocon Ltd., on

Monday said it had further

stepped up its fight against

COVID with the addition of a

novel antibody. The firm has

been granted an exclusive

licence by the U.S.-based

Adagio Therapeutics to

manufacture and

commercialise an antibody

treatment based on ADG20

for India and select emerging

markets, it said in a

statement. ADG20, a novel

monoclonal antibody, targets

the spike protein of

SARS-CoV-2 and related

coronaviruses.

CMYK

M CH-CHE

WORLDEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

THE HINDU CHENNAI


Street clashes erupted onMonday outside Tunisia’s Armybarricaded Parliament, aday after President KaisSaied ousted the Prime Minister and suspended the legislature, plunging theyoung democracy into a constitutional crisis.

Mr. Saied sacked PrimeMinister Hichem Mechichiand ordered Parliamentclosed for 30 days, a movethe biggest political partyEnnahdha decried as a“coup”, following a day ofangry street protests againstthe government’s handlingof the COVID19 pandemic.

Soldiers from early Monday blockaded the Assemblyin Tunis while, outside, thePresident’s backers hurledstones, bottles and insults atsupporters of the Islamistinspired Ennahdha, whoseleader was barred entry tothe complex.

Troops also surroundedthe offi�ce of Mr. Mechichiwho was yet to offi�ciallyreact to the events rockingthe North African country.

On Monday afternoon, thepresidency announced thedismissals of Defence Minister Ibrahim Bartaji and Hasna Ben Slimane, the actingJustice Minister.

Mr. Saied’s move — a de

cade on from Tunisia’s 2011revolution, often held up asthe Arab Spring’s sole success story — comes even asthe Constitution enshrines aparliamentary democracy.

It “is a coup d’etat againstthe revolution and againstthe Constitution,” Ennahdha, the lead party in Tunisia’s ruling coalition,charged in a Facebook post,

warning that its members“will defend the revolution”.

Months-long deadlockThe crisis follows months ofdeadlock between the President, the premier and Ennahdha chief Rached Ghannouchi, which has crippledthe COVID19 response asdeaths have surged to one ofthe world’s highest per capita rates. The rivalry hasblocked ministerial appointments and diverted resources from tackling economicand social problems.

Mr. Saied declared that hehad “taken the necessary decisions to save Tunisia, thestate and the Tunisian people,” after a day where streetprotests over COVID19fl�ared in multiple cities.

The President, who underthe Constitution controls thearmed forces, warned hisopponents against taking uparms, threatening that ifanyone “fi�res a single bullet,

our forces will respond witha rain of bullets”.

Tunisian police also shuttered the local bureau of Qataribased Al Jazeera television, the network’s Tunisdirector Lotfi� Hajji said,warning that “what is happening is very dangerous, itis proof that freedom of thepress is threatened”.

The President’s powergrab sparked jubilant rallieson Sunday by thousands ofhis supporters who fl�oodedthe streets of the capital,waving the national fl�ag andsounding their car horns asfi�reworks lit up the sky.

But the shock move wascriticised abroad, with Germany urging a rapid “returnto constitutional order”.

The Foreign Ministry inTurkey, where the government supports Ennahdha,said it was “deeply concerned” and called for “democratic legitimacy” to berestored.

Tunisian President sacks government Kais Saied orders Parliament closed for 30 days, a move the largest party decried as a ‘coup d’etat’

Agence France-Presse

Tunis

On the boil: Security offi�cers holding back protesters outsidethe Parliament in Tunis on Monday. * AFP

Maldives President IbrahimMohamed Solih on Mondaycalled upon citizens to riseagainst religious extremism,in order to safeguard thecountry’s independence andsovereignty.

In a special address tomark the Indian Ocean island nation’s 57th Independence Day, Mr. Solih saidsome “erroneously” believein and “propagandisebloodshed” in the name ofIslam. “Everyone of us whowish to safeguard the independence and sovereignty ofthe Maldives must readily

rise against this dangerousmovement,” he said, adding,“those countries, particularly a number of Islamic countries embattled by war andunrest have been swept bythis very extremist ideology.”

The President’s referenceto threats of religious extremism comes weeks after Parliamentary Speaker andformer President MohamedNasheed urged him to“coursecorrect before it istoo late”, amid a growing riftbetween the two leadersfrom the country’s rulingMaldivian Democratic Party(MDP).

Mr. Nasheed is currently

in the U.K, recovering fromthe multiple injuries sustained in an explosion targeting him in Male on May 6.Maldivian police whotermed the incident a “terrorattack” have so far arrested10 persons in connectionwith the case. No evidence of

a direct link between themand ISIS has been found yet,the police chief told a mediaconference on Saturday. However, the suspects “supportISIS”, and are involved in“propagating the terrorgroup’s ideology” in the Maldives, he said.

Recurring concern Religious extremism hasbeen a recurring concern inthe Maldives, from wheredozens are known to havejoined the Islamic State terror group as fi�ghters in Syriaand Iraq. Further, extremistgroups in the Maldives havein the past been linked to themurder cases of dissidentjournalists and bloggers whosought to challenge their ideology. While acknowledging

the problem in his speech onMonday, President Solih emphasised that legal actionsalone will not solve the issues of religious extremism,or blasphemy directed at Islam that caused “social discord”. “The lasting solutionto these two issues is instilling Islamic faith in our children,” he said. His government “exploring options”within the education systemto resolve the matter.

“As long as such divisiveforces exist in our society,our peace and harmony willbe at persistent risk of disruption. Our position tomanage other major criseswill be consequently weakened if we allow our national aff�airs to spiral to that extent,” President Solih said.

Solih asks Maldivians to rise against extremismPresident’s comments come afterNasheed urged him to ‘coursecorrect’

Mohamed Solih

Meera Srinivasan

COLOMBO

Monday’s talks between senior American and Chineseoffi�cials in the city of Tianjinunderlined a “stalemate” inrelations, offi�cials said, asboth sides traded barbs anddemands with little prospectof either appearing willingto concede any ground.

Chinese offi�cials for thefi�rst time presented “twolists” of demands to visitingU.S. Deputy Secretary ofState Wendy Sherman, whilethe U.S. side repeated itsconcerns over Xinjiang,Hong Kong and other Chinese actions — concerns thatBeijing has rebuff�ed as “interference” in its internal affairs.

China’s Vice Foreign Minister Xie Feng slammedU.S. calls for a “rulesbasedinternational order” — callsalso voiced by the U.S., India, Australia, Japan Quadgrouping — describing it as“an eff�ort by the UnitedStates and a few other Western countries to frame theirown rules as internationalrules and impose them onother countries”. “The purpose is to resort to the tacticof changing the rules tomake life easy for itself andhard for others, and to introduce 'the law of the jungle'where might is right and thebig bully the small,” the Chinese Foreign Ministry quoted him as saying.

China put forward “twolists” during the talks, calledthe “List of U.S. Wrongdoings that Must Stop” and the“List of Key Individual Casesthat China Has Concerns

With”, the South ChinaMorning Post reported. Inthe fi�rst, Beijing demandedWashington “unconditionally revoke the visa restrictions over Communist Partyof China (CPC) members andtheir families, revoke sanctions on Chinese leaders, offi�cials and government agencies, and remove visarestrictions on Chinese students”. Beijing has alsoasked the U.S. to revoke theextradition request for Chinese tech giant Huawei’schief fi�nancial offi�cer MengWangzhou, also the daughter of Huawei founder RenZhengfei, who has been under house arrest in Canadapending extradition.

Downturn in relationsWhile the Chinese side entirely blamed the U.S. for thedownturn in relations, withMr. Xie accusing the U.S. of“treating China as an imagined enemy,” Ms. Shermanunderlined U.S. concerns“about a range of PRC actions that run counter to ourvalues and interests andthose of our allies and partners, and that undermine the

international rulesbased order,” State Department spokesperson Ned Price said ina statement.

“In particular, she raisedour concerns about humanrights, including Beijing’santidemocratic crackdownin Hong Kong; the ongoinggenocide and crimes againsthumanity in Xinjiang; abuses in Tibet; and the curtailing of media access and freedom of the press,” he said.“She also spoke about ourconcerns about Beijing’sconduct in cyberspace;across the Taiwan Strait; andin the East and South ChinaSeas.” The Deputy Secretaryalso raised concerns “aboutthe PRC’s unwillingness tocooperate with the WorldHealth Organization and allow a second phase investigation in the PRC into COVID19’s origins”.

She also “affi�rmed the importance of cooperation inareas of global interest, suchas the climate crisis, counternarcotics, nonproliferation, and regional concernsincluding DPRK, Iran, Afghanistan, and Burma,” theState Department said.

Neither side appeared willing to concede ground in talks

Ananth Krishnan

Tough talks: U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Shermanwith Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Tianjin. * REUTERS

‘Stalemate’ in ties as U.S.,China offi�cials trade barbs

Britain is investigating waysto block China’s stateowned nuclear energy company from all future powerprojects in the U.K., amidchilling relations betweenLondon and Beijing, according to reports Monday.

The move could see China General Nuclear (CGN)excluded from several projects, including a consortium planning to build a nuclear plant on the Suff�olkcoast in eastern England, according to the Financial

Times newspaper.British government

sources said the decisioncould also impact anotherplanned plant in Essex,southeast England.

It comes as U.K.China relations have become increasingly strained on issues ranging fromespionage and cyberattacksto human rights and HongKong.

CGN is already workingwith France’s EDF in theconstruction of a nuclearplant at Hinkley Point, insouthwest England.

‘U.K. could bar China fi�rmfrom nuclear projects’Agence France-Presse

London

New Zealand announcedon Monday it would accepta woman linked to the Islamic State group and hertwo children.

The New Zealandbornwoman — widely identifi�edas Suhayra Aden — movedto Australia at age six andwas a dual national untilCanberra stripped her ofcitizenship last year.

Australian PM Scott Morrison had said “terroristswho fought with terrorismorganisations” have forfeited their citizenship.

New Zealand PM JacindaArdern said cancelling hercitizenship would leavethem stateless. “They arenot Turkey’s responsibility,and with Australia refusingto accept the family, thatmakes them ours,” she saidin a statement on Monday.

WIll acceptwoman linkedto IS: Ardern


Wellington

The United Nations warnedon Monday that Afghanistancould see the highest number of civilian deaths in morethan a decade if the Taliban’soff�ensives across the countryare not halted.

Violence has surged sinceMay when the insurgentscranked up operations tocoincide with a fi�nal withdrawal of U.S.led foreign forces.

In a report released onMonday documenting civilian casualties for the fi�rsthalf of 2021, the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan(UNAMA) said it expected fi�gures to touch their highestsingleyear levels since the

mission began reporting over a decade ago.

It also warned that Afghantroops and progovernmentforces were responsible for aquarter of all civiliancasualties.

“Unprecedented numbersof Afghan civilians will perish and be maimed this yearif the increasing violence isnot stemmed,” UNAMA headDeborah Lyons said in astatement.

“I implore the Taliban andAfghan leaders to take heedto the confl�ict’s grim andchilling trajectory and its devastating impact oncivilians.”

During the fi�rst half of2021, some 1,659 civilianswere killed and another3,254 wounded, the UNAMAreport said — a 47% increaseon the same period last year.

The rise in civilian casualties was particularly sharp inMay and June with 783 civilians killed and 1,609wounded, it added. “Particularly shocking and of deepconcern is that women, boysand girls made up of close tohalf of all civilian casualties,”the report said.

‘Afghan confl�ict is having devastating impact’Around 1,659 civilians killed, 3,254 wounded in fi�rst half of 2021, says UN report

Mounting toll: A convoy of Afghan Special Forces at acheckpost in the Kandahar province on July 13. * REUTERS


Kabul

Fortysix Afghan soldierssought refuge in Pakistanafter losing control of military positions across theborder following advancesby Taliban insurgents, Pakistan’s Army said onMonday.

Hundreds of Afghan Army soldiers and civil offi�cials have fl�ed to Tajikistan,Iran and Pakistan in recentweeks after Taliban off�ensives in border areas. TheAfghan military commander requested refuge at theborder crossing in Chitralin the north, the Armysaid.

46 Afghansoldiers seekrefuge in Pak.

Reuters

Islamabad

Wildfi�res burned in regions acrosssouthern Europe on Monday, fuelledby hot weather and strong winds, assome northern countries cleaned upafter a weekend of torrential rainand fl�ooding.

In Greece, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said fi�refi�ghters hadbattled around 50 fi�res during thepast 24 hours and it was likely therewould be more with meteorologistswarning that a further heatwave wasin prospect.

On the Italian island of Sardinia,fi�refi�ghting planes from France and

Greece reinforced eff�orts to battleblazes. More than 4,000 hectares offorest were destroyed in the fi�re.

In Spain, the northeastern regionof Catalonia saw more than 1,500hectares destroyed near Santa Coloma de Queralt, forcing dozens to beevacuated, although the blazes were90% stabilized on Monday, fi�refi�ghters and authorities said.

Conditions in southern Europewere in sharp contrast to the rainstorms that lashed northern countries from Austria to U.K. followingthe catastrophic fl�ooding in Germany and neighbouring countries lastweek.

Southern Europe battles wildfi�res

as north cleans up after fl�oodsFrance, Greece send aircraft to tackle Italy fi�res

Reuters

Athens

Situation worsens: A fi�refi�ghting helicopter in front of a thick cloud of smokefrom a forest fi�re at Spathovouni village, near Corinth, in Greece. * AP

Lebanon picks billionaireMikati as Prime MinisterBEIRUT

Leading Lebanese

businessman Najib Mikati

secured enough votes in

parliamentary consultations

on Monday to be designated

the next Prime Minister,

raising hopes for an urgently

needed government to tackle

a crippling financial crisis. Mr.

Mikati received 72 out of 118

votes in Parliament. Lebanon

has been run by a caretaker

administration for nearly a

year. REUTERS

ELSEWHERE

Junta cancels results of Myanmar pollsYANGON

Myanmar’s junta on Monday

cancelled the results of 2020

polls won by Aung San Suu

Kyi’s party, announcing they

were not “free and fair”,

almost six months after

deposing the Nobel laureate

in a coup. Investigations had

uncovered more than 11

million cases of fraud, the

junta’s Election Commission

said. AFP

CMYK

M CH-CHE

BUSINESSEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

CHENNAI THE HINDU


NIFTY 50

PRICE CHANGE

Adani Ports. . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . 682.80. . . . . . . . . 2.75

Asian Paints. . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . 3061.20. . . . . . -22.55

Axis Bank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . 756.30. . . . . . . . . 0.90

Bajaj Auto . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . 3836.35. . . . . . . . -5.55

Bajaj Finserv. . . . . . . . . . .. 13525.05. . . . . 323.85

Bajaj Finance . . . . . . . . . .. . . . 6162.45. . . . . . -18.45

Bharti Airtel . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . 544.05. . . . . . . . -4.25

BPCL. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . 456.00. . . . . . . . -5.35

Britannia Ind . . . . . . . . . .. . . . 3482.00. . . . . . . 42.20

Cipla . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . 950.55. . . . . . . . . 2.55

Coal India . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . 144.00. . . . . . . . -0.10

Divis Lab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . 4921.15. . . . . . . 96.40

Dr Reddys Lab . . . . . . . .. . . . 5411.25. . . . . . -10.90

Eicher Motors. . . . . . . . .. . . . 2563.20. . . . . . . 13.55

Grasim Ind . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . 1550.25. . . . . . . . . 0.75

HCL Tech. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . 1000.30. . . . . . . . . 6.30

HDFC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . 2464.30. . . . . . -18.20

HDFC Bank. . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . 1434.55. . . . . . . . -8.20

HDFC Life . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . 663.10. . . . . . . . -2.25

Hero MotoCorp . . . . . .. . . . 2810.25. . . . . . -24.75

Hindalco . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . 400.05. . . . . . . . . 8.30

Hind Unilever . . . . . . . . .. . . . 2348.70. . . . . . . . -9.40

ICICI Bank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . 676.75. . . . . . . . . 0.10

IndusInd Bank . . . . . . . .. . . . . . 981.30. . . . . . . . -8.00

Infosys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . 1603.90. . . . . . . 13.45

Indian OilCorp . . . . . . . .. . . . . . 104.65. . . . . . . . -1.35

ITC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . 211.15. . . . . . . . -1.25

JSW Steel. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . 704.55. . . . . . -13.00

Kotak Bank . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . 1740.60. . . . . . . 17.65

L&T . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . 1597.60. . . . . . -14.15

M&M . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . 754.30. . . . . . . . -9.90

Maruti Suzuki . . . . . . . . .. . . . 7235.80. . . . . . -58.05

Nestle India Ltd. . . . .. 18101.35. . . . . . -42.60

NTPC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . 119.35. . . . . . . . . 0.85

ONGC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . 114.55. . . . . . . . -0.75

PowerGrid Corp . . . . .. . . . . . 232.70. . . . . . . . -0.30

Reliance Ind . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . 2076.85. . . . . . -28.85

SBI Life . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . 1076.65. . . . . . . 26.20

State Bank . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . 423.30. . . . . . . . -5.60

Shree Cement . . . . . . . .. 27968.30. . . . . . -18.10

Sun Pharma . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . 703.40. . . . . . . . . 9.40

Tata Consumer

Products Ltd. . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . 776.35. . . . . . . . . 1.20

Tata Motors . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . 293.15. . . . . . . . -2.40

Tata Steel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . 1297.95. . . . . . . 16.55

TCS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . 3197.55. . . . . . -15.30

Tech Mahindra . . . . . . .. . . . 1120.20. . . . . . -10.80

Titan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . 1722.85. . . . . . . 21.90

UltraTech Cement. .. . . . 7616.70. . . . . 126.40

UPL. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . 819.95. . . . . . . . . 0.25

Wipro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . 590.45. . . . . . . . -8.70

EXCHANGE RATES

Indicative direct rates in rupees a unitexcept yen at 4 p.m. on July 26

CURRENCY TT BUY TT SELL

US Dollar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . 74.22. . . . . . . 74.54

Euro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . 87.53. . . . . . . 87.91

British Pound. . . . . . . . . . . . .102.39. . . . 102.83

Japanese Yen (100) . .. . 67.27. . . . . . . 67.57

Chinese Yuan . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . 11.45. . . . . . . 11.50

Swiss Franc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . 80.85. . . . . . . 81.20

Singapore Dollar . . . . . . .. . 54.57. . . . . . . 54.83

Canadian Dollar. . . . . . . . .. . 59.12. . . . . . . 59.38

Malaysian Ringitt . . . . . .. . 17.54. . . . . . . 17.62

Source:Indian Bank

market watch

26-07-2021 % CHANGE

Sensex dddddddddddddddddddddd 52,852 ddddddddddddd-0.23

US Dollardddddddddddddddddddd 74.42 ddddddddddddd-0.02

Gold ddddddddddddddddddddddddddd 46,753 ddddddddddddddd0.11

Brent oil ddddddddddddddddddddd 74.07 dddddddddddddddddddddddd


SPORTEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

High commodity prices haveboosted the value of India’sexports, which have hit a record $95 billion in the fi�rstquarter of 2021 and outbound trade is likely to leadthe country towards a recovery after the pandemic’s‘onetwo punch’ hit the economy, Moody’s Analyticssaid in a report on Monday.

Stating that India is struggling to accelerate COVID19vaccination, the fi�rm reckoned that ‘herd resilience’ —when 65% of the populationis fully immunised — is nowexpected in the fourth quarter of 2022. Only Indonesia,Philippines and Thailand areexpected to reach those le

vels of vaccination later,among India’s peers in theregion. In an economic outlook report on the Asia Pacific Region titled ‘The DeltaRoadblock’, the fi�nancial intelligence fi�rm said the deltavariant of COVID19 is among

the key factors adversely affecting economies.

‘Exports, a lifeline’It termed exports a lifelinefor the region which are nowwell above prepandemic levels and continued to rise in

the AprilJune quarter. “Even in India and Indo

nesia, where exports makeup relatively small shares ofthe economy, high commodity prices have boosted thevalue of exports. This is onefactor that helped reinvigorate India after its fi�rst devastating wave of COVID19,” thefi�rm said in its report.

“[India has] suff�ered lengthy economic shutdowns,accompanied by only modest fi�scal support provided toSMEs and lowincome households, that could lead tovery deep and lasting scarring as they struggle to reopen businesses, pay backloans, or fi�nd employmentas the economy fi�nally recovers,” it concluded.

Commodity prices boostingexports’ value: Moody’s arm‘Modest fi�scal support to SMEs, lowincome groups may cause deep scarring’


NEW DELHI

A legup: Higher commodity prices have helped reinvigorateIndia after the COVID19 fi�rst wave, the fi�rm said. * FILE PHOTO

Axis Bank on Monday sawits net profi�t almost doubleto ₹�2,160.15 crore in theJune quarter on the back ofhealthy loanbook growthand a fall in bad loan provisions. The lender had posted net profi�t of ₹�1,112.17crore a year earlier.

Total income rose to₹�19,591.63 crore from₹�19,032.15 crore, accordingto a regulatory fi�ling. Sequentially, it was downfrom ₹�20,162.76 crore inthe quarter ended March2021. Interest income fellto ₹�16,003.46 crore in Q1FY22 from ₹�16,445.47 crorea year earlier. However, income on investments roseto ₹�3,428.20 crore from₹�2,973 crore. The loanbook grew 12%yearonyear.

Axis Bank Q1net jumps 94%to ₹�2,160 crore

Press trust of india

new delhi

Describing the recent twoconsecutive spikes in retailinfl�ation beyond 6% as a‘transitory hump,’ a WallStreet brokerage said it expects the RBI to overlook itand unanimously stick tothe dovish stance at theforthcoming policy review,though further upward revision of its alreadyrevised infl�ation target is more likely.

The Reserve Bankledmonetary policy panel(MPC) is scheduled to announce the third monetarypolicy review on August 6,amid the continuing spike inretail infl�ation that hasbreached the 6% uppertolerance level for the past twoconsecutive months.

“We expect the MPC tostick with a dovish pause in

the August 6 policy, overlooking the ‘transitoryhump’ in infl�ation,” Bank ofAmerica Securities (BofA)India house economistssaid. “Thereafter, the normalisation path will dependon the evolution of growth,infl�ation and the pandemic.The governor is likely to reiterate a dovish message andargue against a hasty withdrawal of monetary policysupport,” they added.

But they were quick towarn that abnormally highcrude prices may force theReserve Bank to adapt to thenormalisation process sooner than later.

‘High infl�ation transitory,RBI may remain dovish’MPC announcement due August 6

PRESS TRUST OF INDIA

MUMBAI <> The governor is

likely to argue

against a hasty

withdrawal of

policy support

Indian airport operators areestimated to have posted aconsolidated loss before taxof ₹�7,000 crore in FY21 compared with a profi�t of ₹�5,160crore in FY20, according toaviation consultancy CAPA.

Of the losses, the AirportsAuthority of India (AAI) accounted for 69% with thebalance incurred by airportsoperating under publicprivate partnership (PPP).

The combined operatingrevenue of the airports declined by an estimated64.1% to ₹�8,310 crore inFY21. However, as most airport expenses are fi�xed, theairports saw their operatingcosts decline by only 13.8%,said CAPA in its Indian Airport Outlook report.

The airport sector’s EBIT

DA declined from ₹�9,420crore in FY20 to ₹�1,500crore in FY21.

In addition, airportbasedconcessionaires such as retail, dutyfree, food and beverage outlets lost ₹�7,900₹�11,600 crore in FY21 takingthe total losses for the sectorto ₹�14,900₹�18,600 crore.

CAPA forecasts FY22 losses for operators to be comparable with those of FY21at ₹�7,010 crore.

‘Indian airports turned₹�7,000crore loss in FY21’AAI accounted for 69% of losses: CAPA


NEW DELHI More than 107 prosecutioncomplaints have been fi�ledunder the Black Money(Undisclosed Foreign Income and Assets) and Imposition of Tax Act, 2015,Minister of State for Finance Pankaj Chaudharysaid in a written reply to aquestion in Lok Sabha.

As on May 31, assessment orders were passedin 166 cases, wherein a demand of ₹�8,216 crore hasbeen raised. Besides, undisclosed income of about₹�8,465 crore has beenbrought to tax and a penalty of ₹�1,294 crore levied inHSBC cases. In the Panamaand Paradise Papers cases,undisclosed credits of₹�20,078 crore and ₹�246crore, respectively, havebeen detected.

‘Orders passedin 166 cases for₹�8,216cr. tax’

Press Trust of india

New delhi

The board of Equitas Holdings Ltd. (EHL) on Mondayapproved the scheme ofamalgamation with subsidiary Equitas Small Finance Bank Ltd. (ESFBL).

The appointed date forthe scheme is November 1,2021, EHL said in a fi�ling.For every 100 shares ofEHL, shareholders will get226 shares in ESFBL. Earlier this month, EquitasSFB had received ReserveBank’s nod to apply foramalgamation of the promoter into itself, in compliance with SFB normsthat mandate the promoterto lower stake in the subsidiary to 40% within 5 yearsof the SFB beginning operations. As of June 30, EHLheld 81.75% in Equitas SFB.

(With PTI inputs)

Equitas parent,SFB to mergeon November 1


CHENNAI

Infrastructure major Larsen& Toubro (L&T) on Mondayposted a more than twofoldjump in consolidated profi�tafter tax to ₹�1,531.66 crorefor the quarter ended June,helped by higher income.

A year earlier, “net profi�tafter tax from continuing operations & discontinued operations” was at ₹�543.93crore, L&T said in a fi�ling.

Total income in the AprilJune quarter of FY22 rose to₹�29,982.70 crore from₹�22,037.37 crore.

The engineering and construction conglomerate’s expenses were at ₹�27,708.08crore as against ₹�21,367.63crore earlier. Project progress was impacted with re

gional lockdowns, shortageof industrial oxygen andsupply chain disruptions.

International revenues at₹�11,186 crore constituted38% of total revenue. Thecompany bagged ordersworth ₹�26,557 crore at thegroup level during the quarter, a growth of 13%. Orderswere received in various segments across metros, rural

water supply, minerals andmetals, residential, powertransmission and distribution, power and hydrocarbon off�shore sectors. International orders comprised34% of order infl�ow.

With expectation of a repeat normal monsoon, theagriculture sector is likely toremain buoyant, it said, adding the economy is expected to gain lost ground, aidedby the fi�scal stimulus packages announced, adoptionof new COVID compatibleoccupational models by businesses and vaccination efforts gathering momentum.

With external demandstrengthening, a rebound inglobal trade is expected,providing a fi�llip to the country’s exports, it said.

L&T Q1 profi�t zooms to ₹�1,531 crore on higher income‘New orders grow 13%; external demand strengthening’


New delhi

Rane Brake Lining Ltd. hasreported a standalone netprofi�t of ₹�1.73 crore for Q1FY22 against a loss of ₹�6.89crore in the yearearlier period. Revenue from operations more than doubled to₹�94 crore, the fi�rm said in aregulatory fi�ling.

“Q1FY22 was an eventfulquarter with the countryweathering the secondwave of coronavirus,” saidL. Ganesh, chairman, RaneGroup. “Plants operatedduring the quarter albeit atlower utilisation levels.

“Demand environmentin India looks encouragingfor the upcoming quarter.However, commodity priceincrease remains a concern,” he added.

Rane BrakeLining turns₹�1.73cr. profi�t


CHENNAI

Edtech platform Byju’s hasacquired SingaporebasedGreat Learning in a deal valued at $600 million.

Great learning focuseson professional and highereducation.

Byju’s said it would invest a further $400 million,making a total commitment of $1 billion in theprofessional upskilling andlifelong learning space.“With this acquisition, Byju’s would expand...beyond the K12 and testprep segments,” it said in astatement. “Great Learningwould continue... as an independent entity of Byju’sunder the leadership of itsfounder and CEO, MohanLakhamraju, it added.

Byju’s buysGreat Learningfor $600 mn


Bengaluru

Nonperforming assets(NPAs) or bad loans ofbanks have declined by₹�61,180 crore to ₹�8.34 lakhcrore at the end of March31, 2021, as result of various steps taken by the government, Minister of Statefor Finance Bhagwat K. Karad said on Monday.

Scheduled commercialbanks were carrying NPAsworth ₹�8.96 lakh crore ontheir balance sheet at theend of March 2020. As a result of government’s strategy NPAs have since declined to ₹�7,39,541 crore onMarch 31, 2019, ₹�6,78,317crore on March 31, 2020,and further to ₹�6,16,616crore as on March 31, 2021(provisional data), he said.

‘NPAs fell to₹�8.34 lakh cr.at Marchend’


New Delhi

Tata Motors Ltd. said itsconsolidated fi�rstquarternet loss narrowed to ₹�4,450crore compared with ₹�8,444crore loss in Q1 FY21.

Consolidated revenuemore than doubled to₹�66,406 crore.

Retail sales at JLR rose68% to 1,24,537 vehicles ascustomer off�take continuedto recover from the impactof the pandemic. Howevershortage of semiconductorsupplies constrained production resulting in a pretax loss of £110 million.

Revenue rose 74% to £5billion, 73.7% higher than Q1of FY21, refl�ecting a 73%yearonyear growth in wholesales to 84,442 vehicles.

The Indian operations ofTata Motors showed signifi�cant improvement. However, the second COVID wavealong with the supply issuesslowed down the growthmomentum.

As a result the companyreported standalone pretaxloss of ₹�1,314 crore for Q1FY22 against a loss of ₹�2,191crore. Revenue surged fourfold to ₹�11,904 crore.

Tata Motors Q1 net lossnarrows to ₹�4,450 crore Revenue surges to ₹�66,406 crore


MUMBAI

The Indian auto components industry is expectedto witness a 2023% growthin revenues in the current fi�nancial year on the back ofstrong demand in domesticas well as global markets,aided by the low base, ratings agency ICRA said onMonday.

The agency noted thatthe industry bounced back‘handsomely’ during the second half of last fi�scal(FY21), with many auto components suppliers registering record revenue and profi�ts during the fourthquarter. Exports, which account for 29% of the industry’s turnover, also witnessed healthy recovery,

supported by strong traction in the key markets ofthe U.S. and Europe, it said.

“‘COVID 2.0’ applied atemporary brake on the auto component industry’s recovery prospects in Q1FY22,” said Ashish Modani,VP and sector head, ICRA.

“The aftermarket saleswere also impacted for closeto 46 weeks, because of thelockdowns,” he added.

Auto parts sector likelyto grow 2023%: ICRA‘Strong demand, low base to aid growth’


NEW DELHI

Eighth seed Ramkumar Ramanathan was defeated 76(4), 62 by sixth seed MitchellKrueger of the US in the fi�nalof the $52,080 Challengertennis tournament in Cary,USA.

The 26yearold Ramkumar was pleased with hisfi�ghting performance as hehad won his fi�rst four roundsin three sets each. It included a victory over secondseed and compatriot Prajnesh Gunneswaran.

“It was a long week forme, but a good one here inNorth Carolina. I could sustain a good game thanks tothe grace of God. Also, I wasin touch with coach T. Chandrasekaran sir before every

match, and he guided mewell. I am grateful to him,”said Ramkumar.

Incidentally, it was Krueger who had beaten Ramkumar in the second qualifying

round of the Newport ATPevent last week.

After the heartbreaking911 loss in the fi�fth set of thefi�nal qualifying round inWimbledon, the 227thranked Ramkumar hasstepped up his performancewith increased confi�dence.

Taste of Grand Slam

He did get the taste of playing in his fi�rst Grand Slam ashe got into the mixed doubles draw with Ankita Raina,and ended up playing RohanBopanna and Sania Mirza inthe fi�rst round.

“It was a wonderful feeling, playing fi�rst time inWimbledon. It was an extremely tight last round ofqualifying event, but I willtake the positives and keepworking hard,” saidRamkumar.

Ramkumar happy despite losing in the fi�nalTENNIS

Kamesh Srinivasan

New Delhi

Good augury: Ramkumar was pleased with his performance inthe Challenger event. * FILE PHOTO

Coromandel Q1 profi�tsurges 35% as sales rise HYDERABAD

Agrisolutions provider

Coromandel International

has reported an almost 35%

rise in consolidated net profi�t

to ₹�338 crore for the quarter

ended June on higher sales.

Total income stood at ₹�3,686

crore (₹�3,224 crore). The

healthy show was driven by

strong revenue growth in the

cropprotection business and

sustained performance in the

nutrient and allied

businesses, said Sameer

Goel, managing director.

Govt. cuts import levy onMasoor Dal to 10% NEW DELHI

The government has reduced

the effective customs duty

payable on imports of Masoor

Dal from 30% to 10%, the

Finance Ministry said, citing

‘public interest’ and added

this will bring down the retail

price of the lentil. The latest

notification, issued by the

Central Board of Indirect

Taxes and Customs, does not

mention a cutoff date.

IN BRIEF

HYDERABAD: Trainer M. SrinivasReddy’s Ashwa Bravo (P. Trevorup) claimed the Three WishesPlate, the feature event of theopening day of the monsoon season races, here on Monday ( July26). The winner is owned by Mr. Zavaray S. Poonawalla, Mrs. BehrozeZ. Poonawalla rep. PoonawallaRacing & Breeding Private Limited, Mr. Yohan Z. Poonawalla,Ms. Delna Z. Poonawalla & Ms. Simone Z. Poonawalla & Mr.Ravinder Pal Singh Chauhan. P. Trevor stole the limelight byriding four winners, while trainers M. Srinivas Reddy and L.V.R.Deshmukh saddled three winnerseach.1. CON AMORE PLATE (DIV. II)(1,200m), (Terms) Maiden, 3yoonly (Cat. II): BY THE BAY(Chouhan) 1, Total Darc (AfrozKhan) 2, Maximum Glamour (Akshay Kumar) 3 and Angelita (R.Manish) 4. 6, 5 and 1/2. 1m, 13.33s.₹�12 (w), 11, 17 and 12 (p). SHP: 51,THP: 43, FP: 85, Q: 80, Tanala:188. Favourite: By The Bay.Owner: Mr. Teja Gollapudi.Trainer: Laxman Singh.2. TENACITY PLATE (DIV. II)(1,400m) rated 20 to 45 (Cat. III):

FIRE POWER (Trevor) 1, Cheltenham (N.B. Kuldeep) 2, Explosive(Gaurav Singh) 3 and Royal Pal(Nakhat Singh) 4. 41/2, 1/2 and 2.1m, 26.72s. ₹�13 (w), 11, 66 and 34(p). SHP: 234, THP: 72, FP: 339, Q:283, Tanala: 11,164. Favourite:Fire Power. Owners: Col. S.B. Nair & MissAmeeta Mehra. Trainer: L.V.R.Deshmukh.3. CON AMORE PLATE (DIV. I)(1,20m), (Terms) Maiden, 3yoonly (Cat. II): SIYAVASH (Ashad Asbar) 1, City Of Bliss (Ajeeth Kumar) 2, Hard To Toss (B.R. Kumar) 3 and Paladino (KuldeepSingh) 4. 1/2, 2 and 11/4. 1m,13.76s. ₹�43 (w), 13, 13 and 43 (p).SHP: 33, THP: 90, FP: 140, Q: 69,Tanala: 1,411. Favourite: City OfBliss. Owners: Mr. S. Daljeet Singh& Mr. Mohammed Rashed AliKhan. Trainer: M. Srinivas Reddy.4. TENACITY PLATE (DIV. I)(1,400m), rated 20 to 45 (Cat. III):FRANCIS BACON (Trevor) 1, AshwaArjun (Rafique Sk) 2, Just Incredible (Ajeeth Kumar) 3 and KingRoger (Koushik) 4. 23/4, Sh and 2.1m, 27.39s. ₹�40 (w) 14, 130 and 10(p). SHP: 355, THP: 51, FP: 1,687,Q: 771, Tanala: 2,436. Favourite:Just Incredible. Owners: Mr.

Aditya P. Thackersey & Mr. M.Satyanarayana. Trainer: L.V.R.Deshmukh. 5. SCARLET PRINCE PLATE (DIV. I)(1,100m), 4yo & upward, rated20 to 45: APPENZELLE (AkshayKumar) 1, Star Racer (Ajeeth Kumar) 2, Blink Of An Eye (N.B.Kuldeep) 3 and Hidden Hope(Santosh Raj N R) 4. Not run: Bedford and Berkeley. 21/2, 1 and Sh.1m, 06.82s. ₹�22 (w), 12, 75 and 41(p). SHP: 347, THP: 106, FP: 836,Q: 749, Tanala: 23,548. Favourite:Hidden Hope. Owner: Mr. S.Pathy. Trainer: D. Netto.6. THREE WISHES PLATE(1,200m), rated 40 to 65 (Cat. II):ASHWA BRAVO (Trevor) 1, HouseOf Diamonds (Akshay Kumar) 2,Vijays Simha (Chouhan) 3 and Lagos (A.A. Vikrant) 4. Not run:Chuckit. 31/2, 21/4 and Nk. 1m,12.26s. ₹�12 (w), 12, 10 and 13 (p).SHP: 22, THP: 29, FP: 33, Q: 27,Tanala: 68. Favourite: AshwaBravo. Owners: Mr. Zavaray S.Poonawalla, Mrs. Behroze Z.Poonawalla rep. Poonawalla Racing & Breeding Private Limited,Mr. Yohan Z. Poonawalla, Ms.Delna Z. Poonawalla & Ms. Simone Z. Poonawalla & Mr.Ravinder Pal Singh Chauhan.

Trainer: M. Srinivas Reddy.

7. RANDOM HARVEST PLATE(1,400m), 5yo & upward, rated40 to 65: ASHWA YASHOBALI(Gaurav Singh) 1, Maxwell (AjeethKumar) 2, Full Volume (Chouhan)3 and King Maker (Surya Prakash)4. Not run: Kesariya Balam, Baliusand Mystery. 1/2, 2 and 11/2. 1m,26.98s. ₹�37 (w), 13, 14 and 13 (p).SHP: 37, THP: 47, FP: 180, Q: 112,Tanala: 439. Favourite: FullVolume. Owner: Mrs. AnitaChauhan. Trainer: M. SrinivasReddy.

8. SCARLET PRINCE PLATE (DIV. II)(1,100m) 4yo & upward, rated 20to 45: COLACHEL BATTLE (Trevor)1, Thunder Road (Kuldeep Singh)2, Gusty Note (A.A. Vikrant) 3 andAmyra (N.B. Kuldeep) 4. Hd, 21/2and 1. 1m, 07.35s. ₹�15 (w), 12, 61and 18 (p). SHP: 192, THP: 53, FP:490, Q: 607, Tanala: 2,072. Favourite: Colachel Battle. Owner:Col. S.B. Nair. Trainer: L.V.R.Deshmukh.

Jackpot: 70%: ₹�2,521 (124 tkts.)and 30%: 683 (196 tkts.).

Treble: (i) 165 (166 tkts.), (ii) 411(41 tkts.), (iii) 233 (140 tkts.).

Mini Jackpot: (i) 523 (45 tkts.), (ii)654 (64 tkts.).

Ashwa Bravo obliges in Three Wishes PlateRACING

CMYK

M CH-CHE


THE HINDU CHENNAI


SPORT

A. Sharath Kamal, the fl�agbearer of Indian table

tennis, entered the round of32 in men’s singles while thecountry’s campaign in women’s singles ended on Monday in Tokyo.

Sharath overcame stiff� resistance from Portugal’s Tiago Apolonia to make it to thethird round. While 10th seedSofi�a Polcanova of Austriaproved too hot to handle forManika Batra in the women’sthird round, Sutirtha Mukherjee failed to put up any re

sistance against 32nd seed FuYu of Portugal.

Sharath, seeded 20th,used his powerpacked backhand winners to precisionwhile overpowering his

Chennai teammate in the Ultimate Table Tennis league insix games. Sharath won 211,118, 115, 911, 116, 119.

Sharath will next face defending Olympic and World

champion Ma Long of China.Later as Manika — a day af

ter surprising 20th seed Margaryta Pesotska of Ukraine —took to the table, Sharathmay have been in a bit of a di

lemma. After all, it was aclash between his partnersfor India and UTT franchise.

Forehand targeted

The lefthanded Polcanovagave an exhibition of how tonegate the advantage that Manika derives from her longpimpled rubber that she prefers to use on the backhand.

For a majority of the fi�rstthree games, Polcanova targeted Manika’s forehand andthe European was far too superior and quick in the rally.

Despite getting her act together in the fourth set, Manika couldn’t snatch a set fromher fancied opponent to godown 118, 112, 115, 117 in 27minutes.

In the women’s secondround, Sutirtha lost 113, 113,115, 115 to the 42yearoldveteran of Chinese origin.

Sharath surmounts Apolonia’s challengeManika unable to handle 10th seed Polcanova; Sutirtha blown away by Fu Yu in second round

Winning gameplan: A. Sharath Kamal used his powerpacked backhand to precision to subdue his UTT teammate, Portugal’s Tiago Apolonia. * AP

Amol Karhadkar

TABLE TENNIS

TNPL 2021: Star Sports 2(SD & HD), 7.30 p.m.Sri Lanka vs India: 2ndT20I, Sony Ten 1, 3 & Sony Six(SD & HD), 8 p.m.Tokyo 2020: Sony Ten 2, 3 &Sony Six (SD & HD), 4.30 a.m.onwards (Wednesday)

TV PICKS

Olympic silver medallist Mirabai Chanu returned fromTokyo to a rousing welcomeamidst tight security at theIndira Gandhi InternationalAirport here on Monday.

Quite thoughtfully, Mirabai retained her face shieldand mask when she was escorted by security personnel and other offi�cers.

“It is a fruit of fi�ve years ofhard work. I learnt a lotfrom the Rio failure. Winning an Olympic medal wasmy dream.

“I was confi�dent that Iwould do my best and return with a medal this time.I am very happy,” saidMirabai.

Top support

While Mirabai thanked thePrime Minister and SportsMinistry (for the TargetOlympic Podium Scheme)for providing the best support when required, coachVijay Sharma put things inperspective.

“After the fi�rst lockdown,it was thanks to TOPS’ sanc

tion of ₹�60 lakh that wecould train in the US. The reward for that training camein the Asian Championship.Later, before the Olympicswe got the clearance and USvisa in time to train tensionfree when TOPS sanctioned₹�75 lakh.

That played a huge role inthis Olympic medal. If TOPShad not supported this well,the result may not havebeen that great,” said Vijay.

Both Mirabai and thecoach said that it could havebeen a far better fi�ght for thegold against the Chinese,but for the 49kg lifter facinga ‘biological situation’, a dayprior to the competition.

“I was tense. I thoughtthat it would have been better if it had not happened atthis time. Then, I told myselfthat it keeps happening. So,better to forget about it, andfocus on my competition,”Mirabai said about dealingwith her menstrual cycle.

It will be a busy schedulefor Mirabai over the nextfew days in the capital before she returns home to Imphal.

Mirabai accorded a grand receptionSays she was confi�dent of doing her

best and returning with a medal

Mobbed: Security personnel had their hands full as theyescorted Mirabai on her arrival in New Delhi. * R.V. MOORTHY

Kamesh Srinivasan

NEW DELHI

South Korea: Archery: Men’steamRussia: Artistic gymnastics:Men’s teamBenjamin Savsek (Slo): CanoeSlalom: MenTom Pidcock (GBr): CyclingMountain bike: Men’scrosscountryThomas Daley & Matty Lee(GBr): Diving: Men’s synchronised 10m platformCheung Ka Long (HK): Fencing: Men’s foilSofi�a Pozdniakova (ROC):Fencing: Women’s sabreNora Gjakova (Kos): Judo:Women’s 57kgShohei Ono (Jpn): Judo: Men’s73kgVincent Hancock (USA):Shooting: Skeet menAmber English (USA): Shooting: Skeet womenMomiji Nishiya (Jpn): Skateboarding: Women’s streetAriarne Timus (Aus): Swimming: Women’s 400m freestyleMargaret MacNeil (Can):Swimming: Women’s 100mbutterfl�yAdam Peaty (GBr): Swimming: Men’s 100m breaststrokeUSA: Swimming: Men’s 4x100mfreestyleJun Mizutani & Mima Ito(Jpn): Table tennis: MixeddoublesMaksim Khramtcov (Rus):Taekwondo: Men’s 80kgMatea Jelic (Cro): Taekwondo:Women’s 67kgKristian Blummenfelt (Nor):Triathlon: MenHidily Diaz (Phi): Weightlifting: Women’s 55kg

GOLDIES

Hancock... third gold inskeet after 2008 and 2012Olympics. * GETTY IMAGES

21 medals are on off�er at theGames on TuesdayArtistic gymnastics: Women’steamCanoe Slalom: Women’s kayakCycling mountain bike: Women’s crosscountryDiving: Women’s synchronised10m platformEquestrian: Dressage teamFencing: Women’s epee teamJudo: Women’s 63kg, Men’s81kgShooting: 10m air rifl�e mixed,10m air pistol mixedSurfi�ng: Men and womenSwimming: Women’s 100mbackstroke, Women’s 100mbreaststroke, Men’s 200mfreestyle, Men’s 100mbackstrokeTaekwondo: Men’s +80kg,Women’s +67kgTriathlon: Women’s individualWeightlifting: Women’s 59kg,Women’s 64kg

MEDAL EVENTS

Bhavani Devi created history as she became the

fi�rst Indian fencer to participate in the Olympics and also register a win.

Her campaign, however,came to an end as she lost tofourthseeded Manon Brunet of France 157 in the women’s sabre second roundon Monday.

It was always going to bediffi�cult for Bhavani againstthe Frenchwoman, rankedthird in the world. In fact,the 27yearold Indian hadlost all four previous encounters to Brunet.

However, Bhavani wasn'toverawed by the opponentand took the battle to Bru

net with some wonderful riposte and attack.

But, the Frenchwoman,who had fi�nished fourth inthe 2016 Rio Olympics,

seemed to have all the answers. At the turn, the scoreread 82, summing up thediff�erence between the two.

Though Bhavani showed

her skill and won a fewpoints, it wasn't enough.

Earlier, Bhavani had putit across Tunisia’s Nadia BenAzizi 153 in the fi�rst round.

Bhavani makes history but goes down fi�ghtingFENCING

K. Keerthivasan

Shortlived joy: Bhavani, right, had it easy against Azizi before losing to Brunet. * AFP

Badminton: Men’s doubles(group stage): R. SatwiksairajRankireddy & Chirag Shetty vsSean Vendy & Ben Lane (GBr),8.30 a.m.

Boxing: Women's welterweight (round of 16): LovlinaBorgohain vs Nadine Aptez(Ger), 10.55 a.m.

Hockey: Men (Pool A): vsSpain, 6.30 a.m.

Sailing: Women: Laser Radial(from 8.35 a.m.): Nethra Kumanan.

Men: Laser (from 8.45 a.m.):Vishnu Saravanan.

49er (from 11.20 a.m.): K.C.Ganapathy and Varun Thakkar.

Shooting: Mixed 10m air pistol: Manu Bhaker and SaurabhChaudhary, Yashaswini SinghDeswal and Abhishek Verma.Qualifi�cation stage 1, 5.30a.m.; qualifi�cation stage 2, 6.15a.m.; bronze medal match,7.30 a.m.; gold medal match,8.05 a.m.

Mixed 10m air rifl�e: ElavenilValarivan and Divyansh SinghPanwar, Anjum Moudgil andDeepak Kumar. Qualifi�cationstage 1, 9.45 a.m.; qualifi�cationstage 2, 10.30 a.m.; bronzemedal match, 11.45 a.m.; goldmedal match, 12.20 p.m.

Table tennis: Men's singles(third round): Sharath Kamalvs Ma Long (Chn), 8.30 a.m.

INDIANS IN ACTION

India drew a blank in shooting for the third consecutiveday as Angad Vir Singh Bajwaand Mairaj Ahmed Khanfailed to advance from themen’s individual skeet qualifi�cation round at the AsakaShooting range on Monday.

Angad fi�nished 18th andMairaj 25th. The former,making his Olympic debut,had been in raging form onSunday when he shot 24, 25and 24 to total 73.

With only the top six qualifying for the fi�nal, Angad,who holds the world recordof 60/60 in a fi�nal (Asian shot

gun championship, KuwaitCity, 2018), had to come outall guns blazing to remain incontention.

However, he shot 23 and24 in the last two rounds toslip down the ladder andended his campaign with ascore of 120.

Mairaj, who managed onlya 22 in his third round andwas on the back foot cominginto the second day, registered 23s in both rounds tofi�nish 25th out of 30 shooters.

France’s Eric Delaunaytopped the qualifi�cationstandings with a new qualifying Olympic record of 130.

However, it was skeet legend Vincent Hancock whoruled the fi�nal.

He clinched his thirdOlympic gold with a newGames record of 59, whileDenmark’s Jesper Hansen,who won the 2013 skeetWorld championship, baggedsilver.

Kuwait’s Abdullah Alrashidi, who had bagged thebronze at the 2016 Rio Gamesas an Independent Olympicathlete, fi�nished third again.

He represented his nationthis time and was not wearing an Arsenal jersey andcausing a social media fl�utteras he did in Rio.

Indian shooters draw a blank in skeetAngad and Mairaj fail to make it past qualifi�cation roundShyam Vasudevan

TOKYO

Archery: Men's team: Quarterfi�nals: Atanu Das, PravinJadhav and Tarundeep Railost to Kim Je Deok, KimWoojin and Oh JinHyek(Kor) 06; 1/8 eliminations:bt Ilfat Abdullin, Denis Gankin, and Sanzhar Mussayev(Kaz) 62.Badminton: Men’s doubles(group stage): SatwiksairajRankireddy & Chirag Shettylost to Marcus Fernaldi Gideon & Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo(Ina) 1321, 1221.Boxing: Men’s middleweight(round of 32): Ashish Kumarlost to Tuoheta Erbieke (Chn).Fencing: Women’s Sabre individual: Table of 32: BhavaniDevi lost to Manon Brunet(Fra) 715; Table of 64: bt Nadia Ben Azizi (Tun) 153.Hockey: Women (Pool A):lost to Germany 02. Sailing: Men: Laser: VishnuSaravanan (25th overall afterthree races); Women: LaserRadial: Nethra Kumanan(28th overall after fourraces).Shooting: Men's skeet: Qualifi�cation, Day 2: 18. Angad VirSingh Bajwa, 25. Mairaj Ahmad Khan. Did Not Qualify(DNQ) for fi�nal. Swimming: Men’s 200m butterfl�y: Sajan Prakash (24thoverall), DNQ for semifi�nals.Table tennis: Men's singles:Second round: Sharath Kamalbt Tiago Apolonia (Por) 42;Women's singles: Thirdround: Manika Batra lost toSofi�a Polcanova (Aut) 04;Second round: Sutirtha Mukherjee lost to Fu Yu (Por) 04. Tennis: Men's singles (second round): Sumit Nagallost to Daniil Medvedev(ROC) 26, 16.

INDIAN ODYSSEY

The Indian women’s hockeyteam put up a brave fi�ght butfailed to take its chances andlost 02 to Germany in its PoolA encounter on Monday.

Showing vast signs of improvement from its opening51 loss to The Netherlands,Sjoerd Marijne’s side played ahighintensity game for mostpart. The Indians began well,but were soon left to chase the

ball as Germany settled in anddominated possession.

India goalkeeper Savita Punia was kept on her toes fromthe word go but could donothing to stop Nike Lorenz’saccurate shot off� a penaltycorner. The 12thminute goalgave Germany the early advantage and saw the side seizecontrol of the game. The German defence shut out any attack attempted by the Indians.

Germany won a penaltystroke early in the second

quarter when Gurjit Kaur’stackle on Cecile Pieper sawthe referee point to the spot,but the Indians referred thedecision and had it reversed.

India had a golden chanceto equalise in the third quarter but squandered it. RaniRampal’s strike off� a penaltycorner struck Lisa Altenburgon the thigh on the goalline.

Even though it hit Altenburg above the knee, the Indians opted for a referral andwon a penalty stroke. GurjitKaur stepped up to take it but

was denied by a stunning savefrom Julia Sonntag.

The missed chance wouldcome back to torment India asAnne Schroder scored in the35th minute with a ferociousstrike.

Vandana was one of thebetter players on the Indianside and made repeated forays into the circle. She forceda fi�ne save from Sonntag latein the third quarter. The Germans, with a 20 lead, werecontent to hold on to possession and control proceedings.

Indian women put up a better show, but lose to Germany this time

Dominating possession: The Indians were left chasing thegame against the Germans most of the time. * GETTY IMAGES

HOCKEY

Shyam Vasudevan

TOKYO

Sumit Nagal bowed out ofthe Tokyo Olympics losing tosecondseeded Daniil Medvedev 62, 61 in just 66 minutes in the second roundon Monday.

The Russian World No. 2did not even need his Agame as he cruised past the160thranked Nagal.

Too big a gap

The gap between the twowas evident as Medvedev hitthunderous serves and shotsthat brooked no reply.

Novak Djokovic smacked14 aces in a 64, 63 win over

Germany’s 48thranked JanLennard Struff� .

Naomi Osaka raced intothe last 16 as she poweredpast Switzerland’s Viktorija

Golubic 63, 62 in just overan hour, playing her secondmatch in as many days afterlighting the Olympic cauldron on Friday.

Medvedev proves too hot for NagalTENNIS


Tokyo

Tough luck: Nagal was unlucky to run into Medvedev so early in the tournament. * REUTERS

Indian archers fall tothe mighty KoreansThe Indian men’s archery

team of Atanu Das, Pravin

Jadhav and Tarundeep Rai

was shown the door by

topranked South Korea in the

quarterfinals of the Tokyo

Olympics on Monday.

The Korean lineup of Je Deok

Kim, Woojin Kim and Jinhyek

Oh relied on its skill and

consistency to win 60

(5954, 5957, 5654).

The Koreans scored 10s on 13

occasions, while the Indians

managed just seven 10s.

Earlier, India defeated

eighthplaced Kazakhstan

62. India won the first,

second and fourth sets 5554,

5251 and 5554.

The Kazakh side, consisting of

Ilfat Abdullin, Denis Gankin

and Sanzhar Mussayev, took

the third 5756.

TOKYO TITBITS

Vishnu, Nethra slip downthe leaderboard

India’s Vishnu Saravananand Nethra Kumananfailed to hold on to theirovernight positions as theyslipped to the 25th and28th spots in the laserstandard and laser radialcategories of the sailingevent on Monday.The results (overallposition):Laser standard (men) (afterthree races): 1. Kaarle Tapper(Fin), 2. Tonci Stipanovic(Croa), 3. Pavlos Kontides(Cyp); 25. Vishnu Saravanan(Ind).Laser radial (women) (afterfour races): 1. Liem FlemHost (Nor), 2. VasileiaKarachaliou (Gre), 3.AnneMarie Rindom (Den);28. Nethra Kumanan (Ind).

Bhavani Devi was satisfi�edwith her maiden

Olympic campaign at Tokyo.

The 27yearold said shecouldn't have possibly doneanything better in thesecond round againstFrance’s Manon Brunet,ranked third in the world.

“I am very happy.Olympics has been a dreamfor me. I realised that it wastrue a few minutes beforemy fi�rst match [againstNadia Ben Azizi of Tunisia],”

she said. Ranked 42nd in theworld, Bhavani said she wasnervous before the start ofthe opening contest as shehadn’t participated in anyevent after the 2021 WorldCup in Budapest in March.

“The way I fought in thefi�rst round showed that Iwas well prepared for theGames,” she said.

About the bout againstBrunet, Bhavani revealedthat the Frenchwoman wastoo quick in the fi�rst half andadmitted that she couldn’t

understand her opponent’sstrategy. She felt that shehad a plan and put up abetter fi�ght.

“I did my best,” she said,adding that she haddefeated Brunet in a trainingcamp in France a few weeksbefore the Olympics.

Bhavani will return toLiverno, Italy, before takinga fl�ight back to Chennai, herhometown.

“I want to rest my mindand body, and get ready forfuture competitions.”

I did my best, says Bhavani DeviK. KEERTHIVASAN

Japanese teenager MomijiNishiya won the gold in thewomen’s street skateboarding competition on Monday,adding to the host nation’sgold haul at the Olympics.Rayssa Leal of Brazil won silver and Funa Nakayama ofJapan clinched the bronze.

All three medalists are intheir teens, with Nishiyaand Leal both 13. Nakayama

is 16. Though she initiallystumbled and missed thelandings on her fi�rst twotricks, Nishiya nailed herlast three, bringing her totalabove Brazilian prodigyLeal.

Nishiya’s victory came after Japan’s Yuto Horigomewon the men’s gold on Sunday.

Nishiya wins gold

Momiji Nishiya... teensensation * GETTY IMAGES

SKATEBOARDING

Reuters

TOKYO

Nails her last three landingsDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD

B All three medalists are intheir teens, with Nishiyaand Leal both 13

DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD

CMYK

M CH-CHE


CHENNAI THE HINDU


SPORT

Australia’s Ariarne Titmuswon a thrilling 400m freestyle duel with Americangreat Katie Ledecky in theOlympic pool on Monday asCaeleb Dressel launched hisbid for a sevengold spree instyle.

The Tokyo AquaticsCentre also witnessed another dominant 100m breaststroke swim by worldrecordholder Adam Peaty, who defended his title to give Britainits fi�rst gold medal of theGames.

Absorbing encounter

Ledecky came to Japan onthe back of four gold medalsand a silver at Rio in 2016,but Titmus has been snapping at her heels, ousting heras World champion in 2019and topping the timesheetsthis season.

Titmus inched clear overthe fi�nal 50m to touch in

3min 56.69sec after an absorbing encounter.

Only world recordholderLedecky has ever gonequicker.

The United States teamspearheaded by Dresselstormed to the men’s4x100m relay gold medal inthe thirdquickest time ever.

Zach Apple brought themhome after Dressel led off�,with sizzling legs from BlakePieroni and Bowen Beckerensuring they touched in

3:08.97s, ahead of Italy andAustralia.

It could be the start of a seventitle spree for Dressel,24, whose 13 world titles

have prompted inevitablecomparisons with MichaelPhelps — winner of eightgolds in 2008 and 23 in total.

The unstoppable Peaty ex

tended his dominance of the100m breaststroke event, powering to the line in 57.37sahead of Dutchman ArnoKamminga while Canada’s

Maggie MacNeil dethronedSarah Sjostrom to win thewomen’s 100m butterfl�y.

Britain's Tom Daley paidtribute to his late father afterhe and Matty Lee edged hotfavourites China to the goldin synchronised 10m platform diving.

Finally, a gold!Daley, 27, who revealed thathe might have missed theGames after knee surgery,wiped away tears on the podium as he fi�nally added goldto the bronzes he won at theLondon 2012 and Rio 2016Games.

The Britons held theirnerve on the last dive to winthe fi�nal with 471.81 points,with the Chinese Chen Aisenand Cao Yuan second on470.58 and Russians Aleksandr Bondar and Viktor Minibaev a distant third.

Daley’s thoughts turned tohis father, Rob who died ofcancer in 2011, aged 40.

Titmus wins duel in the pool against American great LedeckyDressel launches sevengold bid spearheading USA’s triumph in the 4x100m relay; Peaty defends 100m breaststroke title

TOKYO OLYMPICS


Tokyo

Making a splash: World champion Ariarne Titmus pulled off� a fantastic sprint in the last lap to dethrone Katie Ledecky in the 400m freestyle, while Adam Peaty underlined his credentials byretaining the 100m breaststroke crown. * GETTY IMAGES, AP

AQUATICS

Nikita Nagornyy led the Russian team to the covetedmen’s artistic gymnasticsgold at the Tokyo Olympicson Monday to add to itsworld title.

The Russians turned theturned the tables on Japan,which had pipped it to thetitle in Rio 2016. China hadto settle for bronze.

Nagornyy joined ArturDalaloyan, David Belyavskiyand Denis Abliazin.

The Russians last won themen’s team title in 1996.

And they swelled withpride on top of the podiumas Tchaikovsky’s concertoNo. 1 fi�ltered out through thesound system at the AriakeGymnastics Centre. The Russian composer was called upto play the role of super subas Russia’s national anthemcannot be used because thecountry is under a dopingsuspension and their athletes are competing under aneutral banner.

The outcome of the fi�rstgold on off�er at the gymnastics competition was in thebalance until the fi�nal tumble on the fl�oor.

China was within lessthan a point of the Rio silvermedallist going into the sixthrotation, with Japan set forthird.

But a brilliant last throwof the dice on the horizontalbars from Tokyo teenager

Daiki Hashimoto, earning ahigh 15.100 points, propelled the Games’ hostsback into at least second.

Nagornyy chalked up hisfeet and hands and took tothe fl�oor to try to get the Russian Olympic Committeeteam over the line. And theworld allaround championpulled it off� superbly, hisscore of 14.666 securing theROC a memorable win.

A rare gold for Russian menNagornyy at the fore in artistic gymnastics team triumphAgence France-presse

Tokyo

Emotional moment: Team ROC’s David Belyavskiy, ArturDalaloyan, Nikita Nagornyy, and Denis Abliazin after theirgold was confi�rmed. * GETTY IMAGES

Hours after she ended hersecond Olympic journey

by becoming the fi�rst Indianfemale paddler to win twosingles rounds in Olympics,Manika Batra opened upabout the last fortnight thathas kept her in the headlines, not just for her exploits on the table.

How have the last eight daysbeen?

Overall, it went really well,but not today. If you compare my stint in fi�rst Olympics (in 2016), I am — not satisfi�ed, but — really happywith my performance overhere. My aim is 2024, so Ihave to train harder once Ireturn. I am really happywith the way I played againstthe higherranked Ukrainian(Margaryta Pesotska, 20thseed and World No. 32) in thesecond round.

What went wrong in mixeddoubles?

They (Lin Yu Jun and Cheng IChing) are a real strong opponent. They are World No.1, were seeded third overhere but they are reallystrong. The boy (Lin) wasjust way too fast and had astrong ball. He was attackingrelentless. We did try andput up our best (but, itwasn’t enough).

Against Sofi�a Polcanovatoday (Monday), you neverlooked to be in the game…

Yes, I think my game and mymind weren’t on the samepage. I was a bit nervous andperhaps expected too muchfrom myself. Of course, youhave to aim higher but Ithink I tried way too hard. Ithink I was desperate to winrather than enjoying thegame. I will blame myself onthat. I should have enjoyedmyself and taken it point bypoint.

The Team Leader of the tabletennis contingent (M.P.

Singh) has said that yourefused to let national coachSoumyadeep Roy sit for yourmatches. Your response?

I think sometimes it’s portrayed wrongly. Roy da is Sutirtha’s (Sutirtha Mukherjee)personal coach and Sanmay(Paranjape, Manika’s personal coach) was in the gallery.Sanmay knows my game andI would prefer that Sanmaywould advise me (in singles).Once that didn’t happen, Ithought I would play alonesince Sanmay and I were devising strategies ahead of every match and he was alsotelling me from the gallery.

So was there an ego issuebetween you and Roy?

He sat for our mixed doublesmatch. Later, he asked meand I told him I would playalone. He was fi�ne with it. Hedidn’t say anything. I don’tknow if anyone said anythingin the media but it’s okay. Iam mentally strong and I’llremain that way only.

‘I am mentally strong and I’ll remain that way’My aim is 2024, so I have to train harder once I return, says Manika Batra

No sync: Manika Batra admitted that her game and mindweren’t on the same page on Monday. * PTI

TABLE TENNIS

Amol Karhadkar

Deepak Kabra is living hisdream at the Tokyo Olympics, but lack of fl�ights to theJapanese capital due to theCOVID19 pandemic nearlyrobbed him of the chance of

becoming the fi�rst Indiangymnastics offi�cial at theGames. At 33, he is the secondyoungest judge hereand is offi�ciating in the men’sgymnastics events.

“Four of the fl�ights I hadbooked got cancelled and all

the other judges had comehere four days before me. I’dsay it was special to just beable to reach in time andjudge my event. I am quiterelieved after judging oneevent. I’ve made my mark atthe Olympics!,” said Kabra.

I’ve made my mark at the Olympics,says gymnastics judge Deepak KabraShyam Vasudevan

Tokyo

Deepak Kabra. * FILE PHOTO

Opener Prithvi Shaw andmiddleorder batsman Suryakumar Yadav have beenadded to the Indian Testsquad for the fi�vematch series against England starting on August 4 as replacements for injured playersShubman Gill and Washington Sundar.

Bengal opener Abhimanyu Easwaran, who was astandby, has been addedto the main squad afterAvesh Khan also having togo back home with a fractured left thumb. The squad: Rohit Sharma,Mayank Agarwal, CheteshwarPujara, Virat Kohli (Capt.),Ajinkya Rahane (ViceCapt.),Hanuma Vihari, Rishabh Pant(wk), R. Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Jasprit Bumrah, Ishant Sharma, Mohd.Shami, Mohd. Siraj, ShardulThakur, Umesh Yadav, K.L. Rahul, Wriddhiman Saha (wk),Abhimanyu Easwaran, PrithviShaw and Suryakumar Yadav.Standbys: Prasidh Krishna &Arzan Nagwaswalla.

Suryakumar,Shaw to jointeam in UKPress Trust of India

London

Vidit Gujrathi overpowered Azerbaijan's VasifDurarbayli with a splendiddisplay in the second gameof the fi�fth round for aplace in the quarterfi�nalsof the chess World Cup inSochi on Monday. Following his 38move win for a1.50.5 triumph, Vidit became the fi�rst Indian to enter the quarterfi�nals since2002 when ViswanathanAnand won the title.

Vidit enters

the last eightRAKESH RAO

NEW DELHI

Maan K. Bafna is a smoothstroking southpaw with timing and placement. Importantly, he can carry the teampast the fi�nish line under thepressures of a chase.

Bafna’s skilful 51ball unbeaten 72 was the decisiveinnings as iDream TiruppurTamizhans chased downNellai Royal Kings’ 148 withthree wickets and a deliveryremaining in the ShriramCapital TNPL game at theM.A. Chidambaram Stadiumon Monday.

Mounting tensionUnder mounting tension —the side needed 51 in the lastfi�ve overs with six wickets inhand — Bafna kept piercingthe gaps.

Bafna, with loads of time,contemptuously swept paceman Sharun Kumar to thefence. And he reached aquality 50 (off� 39 balls),swinging Sharun for themaximum.

Slinger Athisayaraj Davidson erred in length in the18th over and Bafna struckhim over squareleg for a six

and then squeezed the seamer to the square fence.

Earlier, T. Ajith Kumar, alively seamer with a higharm action, stuck early — hegot Tushar Raheja with alovely delivery that left thelefthander for ’keeper Indrajith to snaffl�e a fi�ne catch— and Tiruppur was understress.

S. Siddharth (42 off� 28),

stroking with power andstriking leftarm spinners forhuge onside sixes, kept Tiruppur on course.

Bafna had the fi�nal say.

For Nellai, the young andtalented Arjun Murthy batted with freshness and freedom for a delightful cameo(35 off� 16 balls) dotted withgems on both sides.

On view was timing, foot

work and balance.

For Tiruppur, It was niceto see Aswin Crist — he hascome back from a careerthreatening back injury —generating pace and hittingthe right areas on the surface.

After Nellai was inserted,opener L. Suryaprakash (43off� 40 balls) stroking crisplydown the ground and B. Indrajith (26 off� 10), fl�eetfooted and connecting well, lifted Nellai.

Both fell to Rajkumar, taken in the deep. Tidy leftarm spinner Mohan Prasathimpressed with his control.

In the end, it was the Tiruppur side that was celebrating after a few jitters inthe fi�nal over.

The scores:

Nellai Royal Kings 148 in19.5 overs (L. Suryaprakash 43,Pradosh Ranjan Paul 20, B. Indrajith 26, Arjun Murthy 35, Aswin Crist two for 31, R. Rajkumar three for 42, M.Mohammed three for 23) lostto iDream Tiruppur Tamizhans149 for seven in 19.5 overs (S.Siddharth 42, Maan K. Bafna 72n.o., T. Ajith Kumar two for 37,Sanjay Yadav two for 29, B. Aparajith three for nine).

Points: Tiruppur 2; Nellai 0.

Bafna takes Tiruppur past the fi�nish lineNellai Royal Kings puts up a fi�ght, but fails to pull it off�

TNPL

S. Dinakar

Chennai

Crucial knock: Maan K. Bafna (72 n.o.) held his nerve in a tense chase against Nellai Royal Kings. * TNPL

India will want Sanju Samson to translate his phenomenal talent into consistentperformances when it triesto wrap up the T20I seriesagainst Sri Lanka by winningthe second match here onTuesday. Having won theopening encounter, India isunlikely to change the winning combination unless theteam management decidesto rest Prithvi Shaw and Suryakumar Yadav. However, itis expected that both willplay on Tuesday and be rested for the last game once India has sealed the series.

In case there is an alternative plan, Devdutt Padikkaland Ruturaj Gaikwad mayget a lookin.

The other minor worry isHardik Pandya’s battingform. His bowling has beensteady, but is nowhere nearwhat he used to be as a skiddy pacer before his surgery.The Indian bowlers put up afantastic show in the fi�rstgame and Yuzvendra Chahalwould like to do an encorewith Varun Chakravarthy.The teams (from):

India: Shikhar Dhawan (Capt.),

Prithvi Shaw, Devdutt Padikkal,Ruturaj Gaikwad, SuryakumarYadav, Manish Pandey, HardikPandya, Nitish Rana, Ishan Kishan (wk), Sanju Samson (wk), Yuzvendra Chahal, Rahul Chahar, K.Gowtham, Krunal Pandya, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakravarthy,Bhuvneshwar Kumar (ViceCapt.), Deepak Chahar, NavdeepSaini and Chetan Sakariya.

Sri Lanka: Dasun Shanaka(Capt.), Dhananjaya de Silva, Avishka Fernando, Bhanuka Raja

paksa, Pathum Nissanka, CharithAsalanka, Wanindu Hasaranga,Ashen Bandara, Minod Bhanuka,Lahiru Udara, Ramesh Mendis,Chamika Karunaratne, BinuraFernando, Dushmantha Chameera, Lakshan Sandakan, Akila Dananjaya, Shiran Fernando, Dhananjaya Lakshan, IshanJayaratne, Praveen Jayawickrama, Asitha Fernando, Kasun Rajitha, Lahiru Kumara and IsuruUdana.

Match starts at 8 p.m. IST.

India aims to wrap up the seriesManagement unlikely to change winning combination

INDIA IN LANKA

PRESS TRUST OF INDIA

Colombo

Expectation: Team India would like Sanju Samson to be more consistent. * AP

Sathish stars in ITQCC’strophy triumph

Sathish’s unbeaten 51helped ITQCC beat RisingStars CC by four wickets inthe fi�nal of The Blue Sky CAShirdi Saibaba knockouttrophy recently.

The scores: Rising Stars CC

155/9 in 20 overs (Karthik 79)

lost to ITQCC 159/6 in 18 overs

(Parthi 35, Sathish 51 n.o.,

Kamal 28).

Under-13 tournamentHarrington CricketAcademy, along with EsbeeSports, is organising anunder13 tournament foracademies and clubs fromAugust 2. For details,contact A. Harrington at94440 12725.

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\ AROUND THE CITY \

Cricket: TNPL, DindigulDragons vs Ruby TrichyWarriors (MAC Stadium), 7.30p.m.; Harrington CA u15roundrobin tournament,Reddy MN Greams, 1 p.m.;Young Talents GRCAChampions Trophy, semifi�nals,KCM Sports FoundationA, 1p.m.

ENGAGEMENTS

tuesday, july 27, 2021 Chennai - ONGC

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