Union Minister arrested in Maharashtra for remark on CM

CMYK

A ND-NDE

A namesake of Bihar ChiefMinister Nitish Kumar wasgranted bail by a local courton Tuesday, after ninemonths of imprisonment under the State’s prohibitionlaw, on condition that hewould enable free educationfor fi�ve underprivileged children of his village for threemonths, which the parentswould certify.

Additional District SessionJudge (First) Avinash Kumar

at Jhanjharpur in Madhubanidistrict of north Bihar granted bail to the accused, NitishKumar, who was arrested inNovember 2020 under the2016 State prohibition law.

‘Adhere to the law’The court also asked the accused to adhere to the law inthe future. The FIR againstKumar was lodged at theMadhepur police station bythe village chowkidar

(watchman), Jaldhari Paswan. The complainant said

he had received informationthat some liquor smugglershad reached the vicinity of atemple in Pachahi village inan SUV and a motorbike.“When I reached there andtried to stop the smugglers,they fl�ed the spot after fi�ringin the air,” he said.

Kumar, a resident of theBhargamaBheja village, wasriding the motorcycle loadedwith illicit liquor, Mr. Paswansaid in the police complaint.Kumar was later arrestedand sent to jail.

Parents must certify this was done, rules Bihar court judge

Amarnath Tewary

Patna

Educate 5 children for 3 months:bail condition for liquor smuggler

‘77 Muzaff�arnagar riotcases withdrawn’NEW DELHI

Seventyseven cases relating

to the Muzaff�arnagar

communal riots were

withdrawn by the Uttar

Pradesh government without

assigning any reasons, a

report alerted the Supreme

Court. Senior advocate Vijay

Hansaria said the information

is part of a letter sent to him

by the Uttar Pradesh State

counsel on August 20.

NEWS A PAGE 8DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD

Sugarcane farmers endstir after hike in SAPCHANDIGARH

Sugarcane farmers in Punjab

on Tuesday withdrew their

protest in response to Chief

Minister Amarinder Singh’s

announcement of a ₹�35 per

quintal hike in the State

Agreed Price for the cane

crushing season 202122,

taking the SAP to ₹�360 per

quintal. The matter was

resolved during a meeting of

farmer leaders with the CM.

NORTH & EAST A PAGE 4DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD

NEARBY

In a fi�rst, Army receives

hand grenades from

the private sector

page 10

U.S. VicePresident

Kamala Harris accuses

China of ‘intimidation’

page 11

Kohli's India takes on

Root's England in third

Test from today

page 13

OPPORTUNITIES A PAGE 5

Union Minister NarayanRane was on Tuesday arrested and taken into custody bythe police at Sangameshwarin Ratnagiri district of Maharashtra for his statement onMonday that he would haveslapped State Chief MinisterUddhav Thackeray for forgetting the year India gotfreedom during his Independence Day speech.

Late in the evening, acourt in Mahad granted himbail. Mr. Rane was producedin the court by the police alittle after 9 p.m.

Reports say the court considered his health conditionand age. BJP leader PravinDarekar and Prasad Lad,MLC, told a news agency that

he had left for Mumbai.Earlier, the Bombay High

Court denied him relief. ARatnagiri court too rejectedhis petition for anticipatorybail. His lawyer, Aniket Nikam, will approach the courton Wednesday, seeking toquash the fi�rst information

reports against the formerChief Minister.

Soon after Mr. Rane spokeat the “Jan Ashirvad Yatra” ofthe BJP in Raigad district,clashes broke out in theState.

He is charged with Section153 (wantonly giving provo

cation with intent to causeriot, if rioting be committed,if not committed) and 505(statements conducing topublic mischief ) of the IPC.Shiv Sena supporters protested in various places.

Union Minister arrested inMaharashtra for remark on CMRane gets bail in case fi�led for saying he would have slapped Uddhav Thackeray

Sonam Saigal

Shoumojit Banerjee

MUMBAI/ PUNE

Quick trigger: BJP and Shiv Sena workers facing off� at theparty offi�ce of the former in Thane on Tuesday. * PTI

The Congress high command’s eff�orts to resolve issues in the party’s Punjabunit have failed to yield thedesired results as the crisisdeepened on Tuesday, afterfactions supporting ChiefMinister Captain AmarinderSingh (retd) and Punjab Pradesh Congress Committeechief Navjot Singh Sidhuspoke out against each other.

Four Ministers and over20 MLAs openly came outagainst Capt. Amarinder’sleadership. And, taking exception to the “antinational” and “proPakistan” comments of two of Mr. Sidhu’saides, Malwinder Mali andPyare Lal Garg, a group ofCongress Ministers andMLAs called for strong legalaction against them.

Raising the pitch againstCapt. Amarinder at a meeting held here, four Ministers, including SukhjinderRandhawa, Tript RajinderBajwa, Sukhbinder Sarkariaand Charanjit Channi, apartfrom close to two dozenMLAs, expressed lack offaith in the leadership of theChief Minister in fulfi�llingthe party’s 2017 Assemblyelection promises.

‘Issues not resolved’“We have lost faith in his[the CM’s] leadership. Thereare certain issues for whichwe have been fi�ghting for awhile now. It’s all aboutthose issues, which are notsettled, be it the Bargari sacrilege, curbing the drugsand transport mafi�as, etc. Allthese issues relate to the previous Akali Dal government,which have not yet been addressed. We earlier apprisedthe Central leadership ofthese issues, after which an18point programme was re

leased to resolve them. Butthe Chief Minister is only attempting to kill time and doing nothing on the ground.Each passing day is criticalas we are inching towardsthe Assembly election,” Mr.Channi told The Hindu.

Within hours, however,seven of the 20odd leaderspurported to have been party to the demand for the removal of Capt. Amarinder,categorically disassociatedthemselves from any suchmove. Denying being part of

what they termed “a conspiracy hatched by a section engaged in trying to drive awedge within the party”,these seven leaders reposedtheir full faith in the CM’sleadership.

The seven leaders are Kuldeep Vaid, Dalvir Singh Goldie, Santokh Singh Bhalaipur, Angad Singh, RajaWarring and Gurkirat SinghKotli, MLAs, and Ajit SinghMofar, former MLA.

Ministers, MLAs siding with CM or Sidhu slug it out

SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT

Chandigarh

Shortlived peace: Punjab Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhuand Capt. Amarinder Singh at a meeting in July. * PTI

The faithful receiving the Guru Granth Sahib fl�own in from Afghanistan by the IAF to New Delhi on Tuesday. As many as 75 Afghan Sikhs and Hindus, who had taken refuge in a Kabul gurdwara, were on the fl�ight. * V.V. KRISHNAN (PAGE 9)

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On safe shores

The Tamil Nadu governmentwill implement an urban employment scheme on thelines of the Mahatma GandhiNational Rural EmploymentGuarantee Scheme(MGNREGS) at a cost of ₹�100crore to improve the livelihood of urban poor, Ministerfor Municipal Administration, Urban and Water Supply K.N. Nehru said in the Assembly on Tuesday.

“In the current year, it will

be implemented in twozones in the Greater ChennaiCorporation, one zone eachin other Municipal Corporations, one municipality eachin under the seven RegionalDirectorate of Municipal Administration and one townpanchayat each in 37 districts,” the Minister saidwhile replying to the debateon demands for grants forhis department.

Mr. Nehru said, unlikeother States, the urban population in Tamil Nadu wasgrowing fast and it wouldreach 60% of the total population by 2036. A total of fourcrore people are now livingin urban areas, accounting

a cost of ₹�1,000 crore. “Infrastructure including community hall, markets, modern libraries will be createdin municipalities and townpanchayats,” he said.

Pilot schemeGovernment sources toldThe Hindu that this was a pilot scheme and the government would soon come outwith guidelines for providingwages under the scheme.

The objective of the programme was to provide employment to urban poor,who had lost their jobs because of the COVID19 pandemic as recommended bythe committee headed by

former RBI Governor CRangarajan.

“Thousands of jobs werelost and the government discussed ways to create jobsfor them. Under the scheme,workers will be used for activities such as desilting ofwater bodies and maintenance of public parks andother places,” a senior offi�cial said. Asked if the schemewould be implemented permanently, he said, “no decision has been taken so far”.

The State government hadsubmitted a memorandumto the Centre seeking fundsfor an urban employmentscheme but was yet to get aresponse.

for 53% of the totalpopulation.

Mr. Nehru added that asannounced in the State budget, the government wouldimplement the Kalaignar Urban Development Scheme at

Like MGNREGS, itoff�ers a livelihoodfor urban poorSpecial Correspondent

CHENNAI

The rising urban populationmade the State frame thenew job scheme. * M. MOORTHY

T.N. launches ₹�100 cr. urban employment scheme

BJP national president J.P.Nadda has termed NarayanRane’s arrest “a violation ofconstitutional values”. “Wewill neither be scared norsuppressed by such action,”he tweeted. Partyspokesperson Sambit Patracalled it “murder ofdemocracy”. A page 8

‘We cannot besuppressed’

Bhupesh Baghel willcontinue as the ChiefMinister of Chhattisgarh fornow, but he shouldtreat his colleagues inthe government withrespect. This messagewas conveyed to Mr.Baghel after formerCongress presidentRahul Gandhi met him andthe State’s Health Minister,T.S. Singh Deo, to resolvetheir growing diff�erencesover the leadership issue.

Mr. Deo had earlierclaimed that Mr. Baghel wassworn in as the Chief

Minister on the conditionthat he will abide by apower sharing formulaagreed upon at a meetingbetween him, Mr. Baghel

and Mr. Gandhi.Under thearrangement, Mr.Baghel was to vacatethe Chief Minister’spost in favour of Mr.Deo on June 17 this

year on completing atenure of 2.5 years. Mr.Baghel maintains that nosuch arrangement wasagreed upon.

Baghel to continueas Chhattisgarh CMSpecial Correspondent

NEW DELHI

TREAT COLLEAGUES WITH

RESPECT, SAYS RAHUL A PAGE 8

Amarinder Ministry reelsunder Congress feud again

CONTINUED ON A PAGE 8

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Only 15% in the eligible

group fully vaccinated

against COVID19

page 10

The People’s Alliance for theGupkar Declaration (PAGD)on Tuesday reiterated its demand for the restoration ofthe preAugust 5, 2019 special constitutional positionof Jammu and Kashmir, andwarned the Union government against mistaking “thecurrent graveyard’s silencein J&K as normalcy”.

It demanded an “end tohumiliating people that, otherwise, has dangerous consequences”.

“To India’s civil society

and political parties, wewant to convey that we toowant to live a life of dignity.However, the current government takes pride in infl�icting humiliation on us.It’s unacceptable to the people of Kashmir, Jammu andLadakh,” Gupkar alliancespokesman M.Y. Tarigami

said, after a meeting of thealliance at the residence ofNational Conference president Farooq Abdullah.

Former Chief Ministerand Peoples Democratic Party chief Mehbooba Muftiparticipated.

‘Present govt.takes pride inhumiliating us’

Peerzada Ashiq

Srinagar

Graveyard silence in J&K isnot normalcy: Gupkar alliance

National Conference chief Farooq Abdullah, CPI(M)’s M.Y.Tarigami and other Gupkar leaders in Srinagar. * NISSAR AHMAD


wednesday, august 25, 2021 Delhi

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The Supreme Court on Tuesday held that economic criterion should not be the solebasis to identify sections ofbackward communities as'creamy layer'.

Social advancement,higher employment in government services, etc.,played an equal role in deciding whether a person belonged to the creamy layerand could be denied quotabenefi�ts, it said.

“The basis of exclusion of‘creamy layer’ cannot bemerely economic,” a Benchof Justices L. Nageswara Raoand Aniruddha Bose observed in their judgment,while referring to the Su

preme Court’s Indra Sawhney verdict of 1992, whichdeclared that ‘creamy layer’in a backward communityshould be excluded from reservation so that the moredeserving were able to comeup.

The court had illustratedthat ‘creamy layer’ would include “persons from backward classes who occupiedposts in higher services likeIAS, IPS and All India Services had reached a higher levelof social advancement andeconomic status, and therefore, were not entitled to betreated as backward”.

Two notifi�cationsThe court was hearing a petition challenging two notifi�

cations issued on August 17,2016 and August 28, 2018 bythe Haryana governmentsubclassifying backwardclasses solely on economicbasis while fi�xing the criteria

for creamy layer.The notifi�cations, issued

under the Haryana Backward Classes (Reservation inServices and Admission inEducational Institutions) Actof 2016, said backward community members who earnabove ₹�6 lakh annuallywould be treated as 'creamylayer'.

The Supreme Court heldthat the Haryana’s notifi�cations have violated the lawdeclared in the Indra Sawhney judgment by identifyingcreamy layer only on the basis of income.

Fresh guidelines“In spite of Section 5(2) ofthe 2016 Act making it mandatory for identifi�cation and

exclusion of ‘creamy layer’to be on the basis of social,economic and other relevant factors, the State of Haryana has sought to determine ‘creamy layer’ frombackward classes solely onthe basis of economic criterion and has committed agrave error in doing so,” thecourt held, quashing boththe notifi�cations.

The Supreme Court directed the State to issuefresh notifi�cations in threemonths.

It did not, however, disturb admissions to educational institutions and appointments to Stategovernment services madeon the basis of the two notifi�cations.

‘Economic criterion not sole basis for creamy layer’Social advancement, higher employment in govt. services, etc., play role in deciding quota eligibility: SC

The court referred to theIndra Sawhney verdict of1992 for the observation.

Krishnadas Rajagopal

NEW DELHI

Muslim family thrashedby residents in AjmerJAIPUR

Barely 24 hours after the

attack on a Muslim bangle

seller by a frenzied mob in

Madhya Pradesh’s Indore city,

a family of destitute Muslims,

seeking alms, was brutally

thrashed by some persons in

a residential colony in

Rajasthan’s Ajmer city and

told to “go to Pakistan”.

NORTH & WEST A PAGE 5DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD

CMYK

A ND-NDE

A day after the Delhi HighCourt ordered the police tohand over the keys of Nizamuddin Markaz residentialarea to Maulana Saad Kandhalvi’s mother, the premisesremained locked from theoutside. The police handedover the keys late on Tuesday.

Maulana Saad’s family refused to speak to the mediabecause of the “negative portrayal” when the Markaz wastold to close last year after acase was registered in connection with a Tablighi Jamaat congregation held inviolation of COVID19 rules.

Already hit by lockdownAt the religious centre, a fewpeople who were inside refused to open the door or respond to repeated calls.

Locals, however, said theycannot wait for the Markaz toreopen because their busi

nesses have been heavily impacted and the COVID19 induced lockdown madematters worse.

Zulfi�qar Alam, 52, who hasan ittar stall outside the Markaz, said he used to sell biscuits and other edibles.

As there was no sale of theproducts after the Markazshutdown, he switched toselling perfume. “I used to

make ₹�400₹�500 a day butnow I barely make ₹�200. I willswitch back to selling biscuitsas soon as the Markaz reopens,” he said, adding thatscores of people who used tovisit the Markaz were his customers. “This place ensuredincome for over 3,500 people. Now, not even 350 aremaking money.”

Sarfaraz, 24, who sells ap

parel on a wooden cart, saidhe is barely able to make endsmeet. “Markaz khule.. Ja-maatein aaye jaaye… pehlejaisa mahaul ho… Usi ka in-tezar hai [The Markaz shouldopen. People should startcoming in. I am waiting for aday when it’s just like before],” he said.

On the blame that the Tablighi Jamaat received at the

stating: “What is Section 60[of Evidence Act on oral evidence], Section 310 [Code ofCriminal Procedure on localinspection]? What sectionshave you registered? Preserving a site does not mean youlock it. Take photos and movefrom the site. What was recovered? Case was only that people were residing there.”

Justice Yogesh Khanna hadalso directed the police tohand over the keys of the residential area within two days.

The court additionally clarifi�ed that the occupants cannot enter any nonresidentialportion of the property tillfurther orders.

Due to last year’s incidentas well as COVID19, thecrowds at Nizamuddin AuliyaDargah has also fallen.

Mohammed Ashiq, 18, whoworks at a tea stall in the areasaid that he is also waiting forthe Markaz to reopen becausehe is “not used to the emptystreets”.

The High Court had takenthe police to task on Monday,

He said the money he usedto make is nowhere close towhat he is earning now. “Iused to open at 7 a.m. and getdone by 10 a.m. I used tomake a good amount. Now, Isit all day, but can’t make thesame money,” he said, addingthat as soon as the Markaz reopens, the congregation episode will have no bearing andpeople will fl�ock back.

time of the incident, Mr. Sarfaraz said they did what theywere told. “They stayedwhere they were as the publicservices messages at the timewere saying”.

Rizwan, a 33yearold seller of Islamic books, has beenrunning a shop for over 10years after taking over fromhis father and grandfatherwho ran it for 50 years.

Traders wait with bated breath for Nizamuddin centre to reopenPolice hand overkeys to MaulanaSaad Kandhalvi’smother

Hemani Bhandari

NEW DELHI

The caretaker inside the centre locks the door from the inside; traders outside the religious centre in Delhi on Tuesday. * SANDEEP SAXENA

<> I used to make

₹�400₹�500 a day but

now I barely make

₹�200. I will switch

back to selling

biscuits as soon as

the Markaz reopens.

This place ensured

income for over

3,500 people. Now,

not even 350 are

making money

Zulfiqar Alam

Trader in the area

The Delhi High Court onTuesday ordered the DelhiFire Service to conduct amock drill at Nehru Place —where a fi�re incident tookplace recently — on a working day and identify theshortcomings.

An Bench of Justice Manmohan and Justice NavinChawla said the recommendations and suggestions made by the DelhiFire Service will be considered by a committee,which was set up to keep awatch on any issue emerging in relation to NehruPlace.

“We have to ensure thatthe building is safe from allsides and the fi�re brigadehas access to enter from allsides,” the Bench said, adding that the bylanesshould also be cleared.

The court’s directioncame while hearing a public interest litigation (PIL)initiated by it after takingnote of an incident of fi�rein a building at NehruPlace, District CommercialCentre.

HC asks DFSto conductdrill at Nehru Place

Staff Reporter

New Delhi

People from Afghanistan onTuesday continued theirprotest outside the VasantKunj offi�ce of the United Nations High Commissionerfor Refugees (UNHCR) forthe second day.

The protest slogans andcries for help got louder asthey refused to budge fromnear the venue. They are also considering a hungerstrike in case the UNHCRdoes not recognise thoseseeking refugee statuses,provide them with resettlement options and ensuretheir security.

Visas expiring, no jobsThe protesters said theyhave no option but to stayput outside the UNHCR offi�ce as returning to Afghanistan is not an option now.With no job opportunitiesand their visas expiringsoon, the protesters are aworried lot.

Sauraya, a single motherwho came to India 10 yearsago, said she earned a livingin Delhi working as a translator. Currently, she is leftwithout a job and is worriedabout how she will getthrough the next few

months as there is no helpfrom back home as well.

“My refugee card provided by the UNHCR expiresnext month. I am unsure ofwhat I am going to do. Thereare no job opportunitieshere and the chances of going to another country atthis moment look slim. I amworried for my child’s education and future,” Ms. Sauraya said.

Ahmar Zia Ghani, thehead of the Afghan Solidarity Committee, said the protesters are asking the UNHCRto let them in to process

their refugee status or provide them with documentation to travel to anothercountry.

Seeking protection“We want UNHCR to protectus. Even if you receive a refugee card, you cannot fi�ndemployment here. You haveto apply for a long term Visa,which is not easy. We want arefugee status for all Afghanis, a support letter fromUNHCR that we can take tothe Embassy of other countries here who are willing towelcome us,” Mr. Ghani

said. Another protester Zehra, who also worked as atranslator in Delhi, said herfamily in Afghanistan haveexhausted all sources of income as businesses havebeen shut under the Talibanregime.

“If the Taliban gets toknow that their daughter isin India, they will attack myfamily and destroy myhouse. There is no employment at home and there isno employment here aswell. We don't know how toget on with our lives,” Ms.Zehra said.

Afghans continue stir outside UNHCR offi�ceThey refuse to budge from Vasant Kunj site, may go on hunger strike if demands not met

Jaideep Deo Bhanj

NEW DELHI

Afghan refugees protest outside the UNHCR offi�ce in Delhi on Tuesday. * SANDEEP SAXENA

The High Court on Wednesday issued notice tothe Delhi government ona petition seeking to putin place a robust mechanism for mandatory checking of age at liquor shops,bars and restaurants serving alcohol with government identity cards.

An HC Bench postedthe case for further hearing on September 17.

The plea fi�led by Community Against DrunkenDriving, through activistPrince Singhal, alsosought direction to theDelhi government to restrain it from giving eff�ectto the recent amendmentmade in the Excise Rules,which permit the doorstep delivery of liquor, until a robust age verifi�cationmechanism is put in place.

Mr. Singhal furtherurged the court to restrain the Delhi government from giving eff�ect toanother amendment inthe excise policy, whichreduced the drinking agefrom 25 to 21 until a robust age verifi�cation mechanism is instituted.

Mr. Singhal said that hefi�led the current petitionas the Delhi governmenthas failed to take action

on the previous petitionfi�led by him in 2017 wherethe court had directed thegovernment to form a policy on age checking at alcohol points of sale.

“Since the Delhi government introduced thenew excise policy and liberalized the alcohol policy bringing down the legal drinking age andincreasing alcohol availability making the alcoholpolicy almost at par withcountries in the west, ithas become even morepertinent to strictly monitor the age of consumer as

is done in the western nations,” Mr. Singhal said.

The petition has urgedthat only governmentissued documents such asAadhaar card, Election Icard and a valid passportfor foreign nationalsshould be used to verifyage at points of sale.

“Tools such as portable age verifi�er and a biometrix age check can beplaced at points of saleto check buyers belowthe age of 30 years,” theplea said.

Senior advocates Abhishek Manu Singhvi andRahul Mehra, representing the Delhi government,contended that this pleawas an attempt to stall thepolicy under one pretextor the other.

Underage drinkingMr. Singhal said that underage drinking has beenconsistently rising at 28%annually and one in everyfi�ve people in AIIMS deaddiction centre are below 21 years.

The petition said wasfi�led to address the serious need for a legislativeenactment to combat excessive underage drinking, which often results inunruly and careless behavior by young people.

Plea in HC seeks mechanism tocheck age in liquor shops, bars Delhi govt. says petition is an attempt to stall policy

Staff Reporter

New Delhi

<> Tools such as

portable age

verifi�er and a bio

metrix age check

can be placed at

points of sale to

check buyers

below the age of

30 years

Plea in HC

The Delhi High Court on Tuesday asked the Delhi governmentand Delhi Jal Board to respond toa plea seeking direction to theComptroller and Auditor General (CAG) to audit the accounts ofDJB whose fi�nancial audit has allegedly not been carried out forthe last six years.

An HC Bench also issued notice to CAG on the petition by Delhi BJP leader Harish Khuranaand posted it for further hearingon October 4.

Mr. Khurana, in his plea,sought direction to DJB to maintain proper accounts and otherrelevant records and prepare anannual statement of the profi�tand loss with proper balancesheets from 2015 onwards as

prescribed under the law. Thepetition said in response to queries posted under the RTIhas revealed that the copy of balancesheet for the year 201516 andonward is under preparation.

Senior Advocate SanjoyGhose, appearing for DJB, contended that the plea has beenfi�led by an offi�cebearer of therival party with political motivesand submitted that the auditingwas going on.

“It is mandatory to maintainfi�nancial accounts and conductan annual audit of the accounts,in order to ascertain eff�ectivefunctioning of the state and localbodies. Maintaining fi�nancial accounts and conducting an annual audit of the accounts, helpto secure accountability...,”theplea said.

Govt., CAG told to respond toplea for audit of DJB accountsHC to hear matter again on October 4

Staff Reporter

New Delhi

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DELHI THE HINDU

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 25, 20212EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

CITY

CMYK

A ND-NDE

Published by N. Ravi at Kasturi Buildings, 859 & 860, Anna Salai, Chennai-600002 and Printed by S. Ramanujam at HT Media Ltd. Plot No. 8, Udyog Vihar, Greater Noida Distt. Gautam Budh Nagar, U.P. 201306, on behalf of THG PUBLISHING PVT LTD., Chennai-600002. Group Editorial Officer: Krishna Prasad. Editor: Suresh Nambath (Responsible for selection of news under the PRB Act).

Regd. DL(ND)-11/6110/2006-07-08 ● RNI No. UPENG/2012/49940 ● ISSN 0971 - 751X ● Vol. 11 ● No. 202

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THE HINDU DELHI

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CITY

Timings

DELHI

WEDNESDAY, AUG. 25

RISE 05:56 SET 18:51

RISE 20:51 SET 08:24

THURSDAY, AUG. 26

RISE 05:57 SET 18:50

RISE 21:21 SET 09:20

FRIDAY, AUG. 27

RISE 05:57 SET 18:48

RISE 21:51 SET 10:14

Workers inspect fl�oating rafters full of plants that are said to fi�lter dirty water. The rafters have been installed by the AAPgovernment to clean Sanjay Van lake in Delhi, on Tuesday. * AFP

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Green interlude

The Transport Departmenthas begun working on transforming its 13 existing MotorLicencing Offi�ces (MLOs) into centres meant exclusivelyto facilitate and assist citizens who cannot avail of itsonline services.

As part of its bid to go“completely faceless” assoon as possible, the department has zeroedin on whatit views as the sole hurdle inthis direction by focussingon detection and resolutionof “legacy complaints” viainterMLO interface.

The system, which a senior government offi�cial saidis being put in place underthe direct supervision ofTransport Secretary andCommissioner Ashish Kundra, will allow citizens withpending service requests tolodge complaints, be trackedfrom scratch and resolved assoon as possible. Mr. Kundrais said to be visiting eachMLO for the purpose.

“Complaints can be regarding a service requestpending due to the pandemic and especially those whichdo not completely fall under

any specifi�c category forquick resolution,” Mr. Kundra said, confi�rming the development.

“The interface will attacha particular complaint withthe application number ofthe pending request whichwill then be tracked, processed and delivered by theMLO concerned. Citizenscan lodge such grievancesthrough 1076, the transportdepartment website or viaour Whatsapp chatbot,” Mr.Kundra added.

A signifi�cant majority of

services off�ered by the department can now be accessed online with only twoservices requiring physicalpresence at an MLO: giving adriving test and checking fi�tness of a vehicle.

10,000 learners’ licencesSources said as many as10,000 learners’ licenceshave been issued to citizenswho applied for it from thecomfort of their homes sincethe launch of the initiative byChief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on August 11.

Currently, the Delhi government’s Faceless Servicesprogramme includes 33 major transportrelated services, which account for 95% ofthe total services which citizens can avail: driving licence and related services,vehicle registration and related services and permit related services.

The remaining smallerservices will soon be addedto the faceless basket in thecoming months, accordingto the government. Physicalinteraction will be limited tothe driving skill test conducted at 13 fully AutomatedDriving Test Tracks and fi�tness tests of vehicles.

Prepandemic, the government stated, approximately 30 lakh services werebeing provided to citizensonline annually.

As of August this year, according to the government,Delhi was the fi�rst State inthe country to go ‘faceless’replete with esign and Aadhaarbased authentication,and the fi�rst State to provideelearners’ licence testthrough Artifi�cial Intelligencebased facial recognition or feature mapping.

Going faceless: Transport Dept.moves to tackle old complaintsIt is transforming its 13 Motor Licencing Offi�ces into facilitation centres

Jatin Anand

New Delhi

As part of the inauguration of ‘faceless services’ on August 11,Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had ‘locked’ a transport offi�ce in IP Estate. * FILE PHOTO: SANDEEP SAXENA

Youth shot in Dwarka;accused on the runNEW DELHI

An 18yearold youth was

shot in a restaurant in

Dwarkaon Monday evening,

the police said. DCP

(Dwarka) S.K. Meena said the

victim has been identified as

Aman alias Gulam Sabir, a

resident of JJ Colony in

Bawana. The accused fled

the spot. The police said a

case has been registered and

a probe is under way.

IN BRIEF

In a fi�rst of its kind move inthe city, the Delhi government has asked districts tosend all positive samples ofCOVID19 for genome sequencing, said offi�cials.

On August 18, The Hindu

had reported that there wasa 93% fall in the number ofsamples for which COVID19genome sequencing wasdone in June, compared toApril. The current decisionwas taken by the government on the same day.

“All districts have beentold to send all positive COVID19 samples for genomesequencing. Right now, ourdaily new cases are in singledigits and we have startedsending all such samples directly to the lab assigned tous,” a district offi�cial said.

The districts have beenasked to send the samples tothe National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), LokNayak Hospital, and Institute of Liver and BiliarySciences, the offi�cial said.

“Right now, a new wave ispossible only with a new variant and this will help usidentify the new variants,”the offi�cial added.

The development wasconfi�rmed by a second offi�cial who said they receivedthe communication on August 18 and started sendingsamples from last week.

“Since the cases are lessnow, this is a good move andwill help us discover newvariants early and help tofi�ght the virus,” said JugalKishore, head of Community Medicine Department atSafdarjung Hospital. He added that before the secondwave, the government took alot of time to fi�gure out theDelta variant and that contributed to the chaos.

Like other viruses, CO

VID19 is constantly changing and genetic variationsoccur over time, which canlead to new variants.

Scientists use a processcalled genomic sequencingto decode the genes andlearn more about the virus.

Genomic sequencing allows scientists to identify avirus and monitor how itchanges over time into newvariants, understand howthese changes aff�ect the characteristics of the virus, anduse this information to better understand how it mightimpact health, according tothe Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, USA.

This will help us identify new variants, say govt. offi�cials

Nikhil M Babu

New Delhi

All positive samples of COVIDto go for genome sequencing

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday reviewed theprogress of the Delhi Drainage Master Plan followingwhich he stated that the Capital would soon “get freedomfrom waterlogging” as workrelated to the policy was being expedited. He added thatnecessary changes suggestedby IITDelhi will be implemented to bolster the city’sdrainage system and that itwill be further enhanced todeal with heavy rainfall.

According to the government, Mr. Kejriwal instructedoffi�cers to implement solutions on the ground level inorder to make the drainagesystem foolproof. He also directed them to take up specific projects to implement solutions for fi�xing slopes ofdrains, connecting stormdrains to larger drainage system and similar problems,adding that consultants willbe roped in to plan and present project reports for alldrainage lines to expedite implementation of the projects.

“The drainage system willbe further bolstered andmade foolproof. Offi�cersshould conduct studies andfi�nd solutions for each and

every storm drain and sewersystem. Every gap in thedrainage system of Delhi hasto be plugged,” the CM said.

“If there is a fault in theslope of a drain, it needs tobe fi�xed. If any drain is a deadend, it needs to be corrected.A proper plan should bechalked out for connectingsmaller drains with the largedrainage lines,” he added.

Heavy rainfallAccording to the government, offi�cials have been instructed to implementchanges keeping in mindheavy rainfall, so that any instances of waterlogging canbe dealt with.

A majority of the estimated 2,846 drains in Delhi, with

a combined length of about3,692 km, fall under the jurisdiction of the Public WorksDepartment (PWD). The objectives of the drainage planinclude formulation of a policy for the city for about 3035years compatible with theMaster Plan of Delhi2021 forimprovement of its drainagewithin a fi�xed time frame.

A technical expert committee has been working todecide design parametersand technical inputs such asrainfall intensity, return period, runoff� coeffi�cient, retention period for the drainage plan, while experts fromIITDelhi have been roped into analyse the drainage systems and suggest solutions.

To enhance the drainagesystem, studies were alsoconducted using digital modelling of the physical drainage systems of the city.

The recommendations forthe plan include ensuring noencroachments, sewage, solid or construction waste isallowed into storm drains; effectiveness of desilting ofdrains with public display ofdesilting schedules; rejuvenation of water bodies; andfl�ood monitoring using sensors to improve fl�ood management.

Delhi will soon get freedomfrom waterlogging: KejriwalCM says work on drainage master plan is being expedited

Special Correspondent

New Delhi

A rickshaw puller struggleson a fl�ooded road under theShalimar Bagh �railway bridgeafter a heavy spell of rain inDelhi. * FILE PHOTO

The Delhi Congress on Tuesday alleged that the AamAadmi Party governmentwas resorting to a “gimmick” instead of dealingwith the problem of air pollution in the city by installing a smog tower, which wasinaugurated by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal at Connaught Place on Monday.

Delhi Congress chief Ch.Anil Kumar said Mr. Kejriwal

should take strong stepssuch as improving publictransport to improve airquality instead of installinga “white elephant”, the effectiveness of which is “unknown, even to those whoerected the structure”.

“The main reason for pollution levels crossing dangermarks is the large number ofprivate vehicles on roads inthe absence of a robust public transport system,” Mr.Kumar said.

Delhi Congress calls smog tower a gimmickSpecial Correspondent

NEW DELHI

Aam Aadmi Party Delhiconvenor Gopal Rai onTuesday said the party willlaunch a monthlong ‘Aapka Vidhayak Aapke Dwar’programme from September 1 to make the BJPgoverned civic bodies “free ofgarbage and corruption”.

He said the municipalcorporations are corruptand the party will hold2,500 meetings as part ofthe campaign to discusswith people how to makeDelhi free of corruptionand garbage.

“The fi�rst phase of thiscampaign will run fromSeptember 130 and 2,500meetings will be conducted. AAP MLAs will visitareas in various VidhanSabha Assemblies to discuss problems with locals,”said Mr. Rai.

‘AAP campaignagainst graft,garbage incivic bodies’

Staff Reporter

New Delhi

The city on Tuesday reported no new COVID19 deathsfor the fi�fth consecutive day.The toll remains at 25,079,as per a bulletin released bythe Delhi government.

Also, 39 new cases werereported over 24 hours, taking the tally to 14,37,485.

The test positivity ratewas 0.06% and there are 411active cases in the city.

The COVID19 vaccinestock will last for one day, asper another governmentbulletin. A total of 1,43,258vaccine doses were administered on Monday.

Earlier in the day, Health

Minister Satyendar Jain saidmedical infrastructure is being ramped up and 37,000beds, dedicated for CO

VID19 patients, are being setup to tackle the anticipatedthird wave of the pandemicin the national capital.

Streak continues, no deaths for 5th day Staff Reporter

New Delhi

Jamia Millia Islamia alumniassociation president ShifaUrRehman, who was arrested under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act inconnection with the Delhiriots, asked a court on Tuesday why no FIR was lodgedagainst Union Minister Anurag Thakur, BJP leader KapilMishra, and others for allegedly instigating the riots.

During a bail hearing, Mr.Shifa’s lawyer, AbhishekSingh, showed AdditionalSessions Judge Amitabh Ra

wat a complaint fi�led by himon January 30, 2020, seeking registration of FIRagainst Mr. Thakur, Mr. Mishra, BJP leader ParveshSharma, and Jamia shooterRam Bhakt Gopal for allegedly “instigating riots”.

‘Incendiary slogan’According to the complaint,Mr. Shifa mentioned thatMr. Mishra took out a rally inwhich slogans to shoot people were raised, followingwhich Mr. Thakur, on January 28, 2020, also raised a similar incendiary slogan.

‘Why no FIR fi�led againstAnurag Thakur, Mishra?’Riots accused poses question in court

Press Trust of India

New Delhi

CMYK

A ND-NDE


DELHI THE HINDU


NORTH & EAST

Sugarcane farmers in Punjabon Tuesday withdrew theirprotest in response to ChiefMinister Amarinder Singh’sannouncement of a ₹�35 perquintal hike in the StateAgreed Price (SAP) for thecane crushing season 202122, taking the SAP to ₹�360per quintal.

Poor fi�nancesThe matter was resolvedduring a meeting of farmers’union leaders with the ChiefMinister here this afternoon,during which Capt. Amarinder, while agreeing to theSAP hike, said the State’s fi�scal situation had prevented

an adequate increase in theSAP for the past three to fouryears.

The farmers’ union leaders had earlier pointed outthat Punjab had failed tohike sugarcane SAP in pro

portion to Haryana’s overthe same period, causing fi�scal losses to them.

The Chief Minister saidthe farmers were not to beblamed for the problem,which had been caused by

Punjab’s poor fi�nances.While he was always withthe farmers and wanted todo his best for their welfare,the State’s fi�scal crisis hadprevented him for increasing the SAP earlier, he said,adding that balancing theneeds of the farmers withthose of the cooperative andprivate sugar mill ownerswas tough, given the prevailing fi�scal situation.

The farmers’ union leaders, representing the SanjhaKisan Morcha that has beenspearheading the sugarcanefarmers’ agitation for thepast several days, thankedthe Chief Minister for addressing their problem andannouncing the hike.

Sugarcane farmers in Punjab endstir after hike in SAP announcedState Agreed Price increased to ₹�360 per quintal, says Amarinder Singh


CHANDIGARH

Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh with sugarcanefarmers at a meeting in Chandigarh on Tuesday. * PTI

In the Jhandapur colony ofGhaziabad, the name of Uttam Upadhyay is on everybody’s lips. The dance teacherturnedlocal rightwing leader is absconding since thevideo of his hate speechagainst Muslims at JantarMantar became viral on August 8. The hearing on his anticipatory bail is scheduledfor August 25.

Advocate Ashish Jogi saidhe had applied for anticipatory bail because his client suffered from episodes of epileptic seizures leading tobipolar disorder. “No man inhis senses could say suchthings. He was under the careof an AIIMS doctor in 2019.

We have submitted the papers.”

Interestingly, last Sunday,in an interaction with thiscorrespondent, Uttam’s elderbrother Anuj didn’t mentionthe medical condition. Hehad said the family memberskept telling Uttam that oneday he would get into troublebecause of his ‘rant againstMuslims’. “It slipped out ofmy mind,” said Anuj.

He informed Uttam last visited his house on August 9.“The family has no idea

where he is and the Delhi Police teams have checked ourhouse and questioned usmultiple times.”

Anuj said he has Muslimfriends and didn’t know howhe would face them. “Uttamused to attend RSS shakhasfrom a young age. He had attended a Bajrang Dal campand had been the zonal deputy president of the BJP’s KisanMorcha. But this aggressiveside has developed in the lastcouple of years since he started following Narsinghanand

Saraswati (controversialpriest of Dasna temple),rightwing political commentator Pushpendra Kulshreshta and Pinky Chaudhary ofthe Hindu Raksha Dal,” hesaid.

Sanjeev Sharma, BJP’s district president, denied thatUttam was a party memberor held any post in sisterorganisation.

Death in familyUttam’s father Dinesh Kumar,who runs a stationery shopnamed after his abscondingson, was also in a shock as thefamily was already mourningthe death of their second sonin a road accident last August.“We had been extra protective towards Uttam but hewould not listen. He didn’ttell us about the Jantar Mantar event. We came to knowwhen relatives sent us videos.” Anuj remembered oneincident. “Some years ago, acow had died in an accident

and was being taken away bythe residents of the neighbouring Peer Colony. As thenews spread, it enraged Uttam. He conducted its burialwith the help of local police.Soon he started taking out‘Tiranga Yatras’. He had thisbelief that where Muslims arein minority, they preachbrotherhood, but where theyare in majority they try todominate Hindus.”

The family hailed from Muradnagar town of Ghaziabadand Mr. Kumar’s father shifted to Jhandapur in the 1970s.One of his elder brothers is amember of the local BJP unit.“None of the party membershas come in our support,” hesaid.

Situated in Sahibabad’s industrial area, Uttam’s residence is not far from the spotwhere theatre icon SafdarHashmi was killed by a mobcomprising Congress workers on January 1, 1989, whenJhandapur was a village.

Uttam Upadhyay’s family in a shock over hate speechCourt to hear hisanticipatory bailin Jantar Mantarcase todayAnuj Kumar

Ghaziabad

Uttam Upadhyay’s shop in Jhandapur colony of Ghaziabad.* ANUJ KUMAR

A proposed Bill seekingequal rights to property forwomen in Arunachal Pradesh has refreshed the demand for a policy to safeguard the indigenouscommunities from childrenof nonlocals “fraudulentlyavailing rights” in the nameof State’s Scheduled Tribes.

The A.P. State Commission for Women had on Monday said it has submitted thedraft proposal for the Arunachal Pradesh Marriage andInheritance of Property Bill,2021. “We have receivedmemorandums from variousorganisations to scrap twosections of the draft propo

sal,” the Commission said.The clauses pertain to themovable and immovableproperty enjoyed by an Arunachal Pradesh ScheduledTribe (APST) woman married to a nonAPST man.

While pressure mountedon the Commission to remove the clauses, the AllArunachal Pradesh Students’ Union resented the“inordinate delay” by the government in publishing thedraft proposal related to theexisting system of issuingAPST certifi�cates to theoff�spring of nonAPST menand APST women.

The AAPSU and other students’ bodies demanded theearly tabling of the Bill.

Arunachal students’body demands policy to protect native groups ‘Nonlocals availing of rights of STs’


GUWAHATI

An Assam Civil Service offi�cer was arrested on Tuesday for allegedly acquiringassets disproportionate tohis known sources of income. An inquiry by theChief Minister’s Special Vigilance Cell revealed 89landed properties registered in the name of SaibarRahman and his two wives.The market value of theproperties was estimatedto be more than ₹�100 crore.

An offi�cial statementsaid assets of more than₹�6.38 cr. were found in hisname. Most of these wereacquired by illegal means,the statement added. Thevigilance cell had receiveda complaint while the offi�cer was posted as the Additional Dy. Commissioner ofDhubri district.

Assam civilservant heldin DA case


GUWAHATI

I, PRERNA Lakhi Bakshi, havechanged my name to Prerna Dilipku-mar Lakhi, court decree dated 13/05/2021 for all future purposes

PUBLIC NOTICE

TENDERS

GENERAL

EDUCATIONAL

SITUATION VACANT

PERSONAL

MEDICAL

CHANGE OF NAME

GENERAL

A special civicrun COVID19 vaccination centrefor transgenders andthose from the LGBTcommunity was inaugurated on Tuesday at Vikhroli in Mumbai.

In the fi�rst few hours of

the centre, located inSaint Joseph School under N Ward, being operational, some 100 transgenders and LGBTcommunity members received vaccine doses, anoffi�cial said. Health Minister Rajesh Tope inaugurated the centre.


Mumbai

Vaccination centre opened fortransgenders, LGBT community

CMYK

A ND-NDE


THE HINDU DELHI


SOUTH

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 Wednesday: Heavy/very heavy rainfall likely at isolated places over Uttarakhand, east Uttar Pradesh, Assam,Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Bihar, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and Karaikal. Thunderstorm accompanied with lightninglikely at isolated places over West Bengal, Jharkhand, Odisha,Telangana, coastal Andhra Pradesh, Yanam, Kerala and Mahe

city rain max min city rain max min

Agartala.............. 21....34.6....24.6 Kozhikode................. 0.2....31.4....24.4

Ahmedabad...........—....35.1....26.3 Kurnool .......................—....34.3....25.4

Aizawl................ 0.2........ —....20.5 Lucknow...................... 5....33.0....25.7

Allahabad..............—....34.8....28.2 Madurai .................... 0.5....36.7....25.0

Bengaluru .......... 3.7....29.1....20.3 Mangaluru ...................—....30.2....23.6

Bhopal ..................—....29.9....23.4 Mumbai .......................—....32.3....25.0

Bhubaneswar.... 40.6....34.8....24.6 Mysuru ........................—....29.0....20.6

Chandigarh ...........—....36.0....27.4 New Delhi ................... 2....34.6....27.3

Chennai ................—....34.8....26.5 Patna ........................ 50....32.6....25.4

Coimbatore ...........—....33.8....23.1 Port Blair................... 11....29.1....23.6

Dehradun .............. 5....31.2....24.6 Puducherry ..................—....34.6....20.2

Gangtok............. 5.7....21.2....17.5 Pune............................—....32.0....22.0

Goa.......................—....31.4....24.6 Raipur ....................... 11....32.0....25.4

Guwahati ........... 0.4....34.9....25.6 Ranchi ......................... 9....32.2....24.1

Hubballi ................—....31.0....21.0 Shillong....................... 8....26.2....18.0

Hyderabad .......... 54....33.4....22.2 Shimla........................ —....26.8....19.6

Imphal ............... 0.9....27.2....22.0 Srinagar.......................—....33.5....19.4

Jaipur ...................—....35.9....27.0 Thiruvananthapuram.........—....32.0....23.3

Kochi .................... 1....30.8....24.8 Tiruchi...................... 0.8....35.1....24.8

Kohima ................. 9....25.6....16.9 Vijayawada ..................—....34.1....26.0

Kolkata .................—....35.1....27.8 Visakhapatnam .............—....34.6....26.8

(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 at 4.00p.m., Panipat, Haryanarecorded an overall airquality index (AQI) score of376 indicating an unhealthylevel of pollution. Incontrast, Gadag, Karnatakarecorded a healthy AQI scoreof 18

Ahmedabad..... 41 .35 21 ....76 ...79 ....*

Bengaluru ....... 12 .11 37 ....55 ...54 ....*

Chennai .......... 15 .15 36 ....60 ...63 ....*

Delhi .............. ..8 .90 68 ..144 .232 ....*

Hyderabad ...... 15 .41 22 ....66 ...66 ....*

Kolkata........... 13 .27 28 ....97 .111 ....*

Lucknow ......... ..4 .34 86 ....49 ...57 ....*

Mumbai .......... 14 .10 .— ....66 .105 ....*

Pune............... ..— ...8 52 ..144 .115 ....*

Visakhapatnam 20 .42 40 ....52 ...88 ....*

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

With COVID19 cases continuing to rise in Kerala,Health Minister Veena George called an emergencymeeting of senior health offi�cials here on Tuesday to review preparations for a possible third wave. She alsodirected that at least onedose of COVID vaccine be administered to all personsabove 18 years in the State bythe end of September.

Better distributionAll districts should strengthen vaccination campaignsby preparing a clear plan ofaction and ensure that thereare no delays in vaccine distribution, the Minister said.

The State will take allsteps to prevent the shortageof syringes, something thathas been aff�ecting the pace

of vaccination. The Centrehas promised to deliver 1.11crore doses of COVID19 vaccine to the State, said Ms.George.

The Minister said that asall indications pointed to asurge in cases after Onam,hospitals need to be prepared to meet likely increased caseload.

Stressing that the CO

VID19 mortality rate neededto be brought down, she saidit must be ensured that thosewho have tested positive andare in home isolation are following all directives of theHealth Department.

Ms. George has also directed that testing bestepped up. If anyone whoparticipates in a public eventtests positive, then all per

sons who had attended thesaid event should undergotesting compulsorily.Anyone with infl�uenzalikesymptoms and those whomight have come into contact with known cases of COVID19 should necessarily gettested for the disease andshould not resort to selftreatment, she said.

The meeting also re

viewed the preparations inhospitals in view of a likelythird wave. District medicaloffi�cers informed the meeting of hospital beds, oxygenbeds, ICUs and ventilatorsbeing readied and how paediatric care facilities, including wards and ICUs, were being augmented. Oxygenavailability has been ensured. .

Kerala to ensure one jab for all above 18 Health Minister sets Septemberend deadline, directs district offi�cials to strengthen vaccination drive


Thiruvananthapuram

Kerala Chief MinisterPinarayi Vijayan hasdirected that COVID19testing be maximised indistricts where thevaccination coverage is low.

At a review meeting heldhere on Tuesday, it was

decided that in districtswhich had already achieveda good vaccination coverageof at least one dose, testingbe restricted to only thosewho display infl�uenzalikesymptoms.

In rest of the districts,extensive testing would bedone.

Increase testing: PinarayiSpecial Correspondent

Thiruvananthapuram

The Kerala High Court onTuesday asked the Centre toclarify the basis on whichthe 84day gap between twodoses of the Covishield vaccine had been prescribed.

The court said that itwanted to know whetherthe stipulation of the 84dayinterval between the twodoses of Covishield wasbased on the availability ofthe vaccine or its effi�cacy.

Justice P.B. Suresh Kumarsought the clarifi�cationwhen a writ petition by Kitex Garments Ltd., Kochi,seeking a directive to theState government to allow itto administer the seconddose of the Covishield vaccine to its workers without

following the 84day gap,came up for hearing.

The court said if the gapwas set based on the availability of vaccines, those willing to buy it could be allowed to take the secondshot before the completionof the prescribed days ofgap.

In fact, hundreds of persons who were ready to payfor vaccines were waitingfor completion of the gapdays.

Centre’s policyThe State government submitted that it followed theCentral government’s vaccine policy, and unless theCentre altered its policy, itcould not allow narrowingdown the gap.

Why 84day gap betweenvaccine doses: Kerala HCCourt asks Centre to clarify reason


KOCHI

After a gap of 10 months,two actors are in the dockagain in the case that put thespotlight on drug use in theKannada fi�lm industry. Central Crime Branch (CCB) offi�cials said they had come upwith stronger evidenceagainst the accused as thehair follicle test conductedby the Central ForensicScience Laboratory (CFSL)in Hyderabad confi�rmeddrug consumption by actorsRagini Dwivedi and Sanjjanaa Galrani.

According to offi�cials, asthe urine and blood sampletests were not conclusive,the Central Crime Branchcollected hair follicles andsent them to the CFSL, Hyd

erabad, in October 2020.This is the fi�rst time that hairsamples were sent for testsin a drugs case investigation. Drug traces can befound in hair for up to oneyear, offi�cials said.

The CCB may summonthe duo again. The two arecurrently out on bail.

Ragini, Sanjjanaa tookdrugs, test confi�rms‘Hair follicle tests valid for up to a year’


Bengaluru

A fi�le photo of actors RaginiDwivedi & Sanjjanaa Galrani.

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan MohanReddy on Tuesday creditednearly ₹�667 crore into thebank accounts of over seven lakh persons towardscompensation for the deposits (below ₹�10,000 and₹�10,000 to ₹�20,000) madeby them in the AgriGoldGroup. A sum of ₹�208 crorewas remitted to 3.86 lakhpersons who invested up to₹�10,000, and ₹�459 crore to3.14 lakh persons with investments ranging from₹�10,000 to ₹�20,000.

With this, the totalamount of compensationpaid to 10.40 lakh victimsof AgriGold scam so farreached approximately₹�906 crore.

7 lakh victimsof AgriGoldget relief

Staff Reporter

VIJAYAWADA

Water dispute: Bommai todiscuss with legal team BENGALURU

Karnataka Chief Minister

Basavaraj Bommai will

convene a meeting of

Karnataka’s legal team and

experts on interState river

water sharing disputes on

Thursday in New Delhi. The

meeting with the legal team

gains significance following

Tamil Nadu’s opposition to

the proposed Mekedatu

project, a balancing reservoir

in the Cauvery basin.

IN BRIEF

Mild tremors felt in partsof A.P. and Tamil NaduVIJAYAWADA

An earthquake of magnitude

5.1 occurred in the Bay of

Bengal off the Andhra

Pradesh and Tamil Nadu

coasts at 12.35 p.m. on

Tuesday, the National Center

for Seismology has reported.

Tremors were reportedly felt

in Machilipatnam, Chennai

and other coastal areas.

Three killed as bus ramsstationary truckNALGONDA

Three passengers were killed

when the bus in which they

were travelling rammed into a

stationary truck on the

NarketpallyAddanki State

highway in the Miryalaguda

TownI police limits of

Telangana on Tuesday.

“Passengers, who spoke to us,

said they had warned the

driver twice about his rash

driving,” a police officer said.

Three held for PDS ricepilferage in HyderabadHYDERABAD

Kandukur police apprehended

three persons for allegedly

pilfering 6.65 tonnes of rice

meant for public distribution.

The accused A. Satyanarayana

Reddy, and drivers Vijay and

Vamsi were apprehended

during a joint operation by

police and Civil Supplies

officials. A case has been

booked against the accused

and a probe is under way.

DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD



NORTH & WEST

After a steady recoveryspree, Maharashtra’s casesurge marginally outweighed the number of patients discharged on Tuesday, with 4,355 newCOVID19 cases being reported against 4,240 recoveries.The active case tally reached49,752.

As many as 119 deathspushed the State’s cumulative fatalities to 1,36,355. Thecase fatality rate stands at2.11%.

The total cases havereached 64,34,649 while itscumulative recoveries haverisen to 62,43,034 with therecovery rate standing at96.93%.

“Of a total 5,26,32,810 lab

oratory samples tested thusfar, 64,34,649 (with the average case positivity falling incrementally to 12.22%) havereturned positive with morethan 1.93 lakh samples being

tested in the last 24 hours,”State Surveillance Offi�cer Dr.Pradeep Awate said.

Pune reported nearly 900new cases, taking its totalcase tally to 11,11,790 while

27 deaths pushed the toll over 18,600. As per districtauthorities, the active casesstand at a little over 7,700.

Mumbai recorded 272new cases to take its total tally to 7,41,661 while the activecount stood at 3,073. A singledeath took the toll to 15,952.

Ahmednagar added 681fresh cases and 13 fatalities,taking its total cases to3,03,944 of whom 4,601 areactive. The district’s deathtoll has gone up to 6,469.

Satara registered 515 newcases and 24 deaths to takethe total case tally to2,34,891 of whom 5,472 areactive, while the death tollclimbed to 5,864.

Neighbouring Sanglilogged 525 new cases and 16deaths.

Maharashtra’s fresh cases exceedrecoveries; 119 fatalities reportedActive COVID19 cases rise again to reach 49,752; State’s fatality rate stands at 2.11%

Staff Reporter

Pune

As many as 530 doses ofCovishield, a COVID19 vaccine, were administered ata vaccination camp recently held in Mumbai.

Residents of MacchimarNagar (mainly fi�sherfolk)near Badhwar Park benefi�ted from this camp organised by the State Bank of India (SBI) under itscorporate social responsibility initiative. A teamfrom Apollo Clinic administered the shots. This campwas organised with thehelp of local police stationand community leaders,and SBI offi�cials thankedthem for their cooperation.

SBI organisesvaccinationcamp

Staff Reporter

MumbaiBarely 24 hours after the attack on a Muslim bangle seller by a frenzied mob in Madhya Pradesh’s Indore city, afamily of destitute Muslims,seeking alms, was brutallythrashed by some persons ina residential colony in Rajasthan’s pilgrim town of Ajmerand told to “go to Pakistan”.

A video clip of the incident, which went viral on social media, showed a manslapping and kicking themembers of the family multiple times and humiliatingthem because of their religious identity. “This is notthe place for you. Go to Pakistan. You will get alms onlythere,” an assailant is heard

telling the victims in the video footage. The incidentled to widespread outrageacross the State and causeda major embarrassment tothe ruling Congress.

The group of youths, whocaught hold of the destitutepersons, were enraged bytheir entry into the Hindudominated neighbourhood.One of the assailants repeatedly kicked a boy on hishead as he crouched on thestreet. The family of victimsshown in the video, including a woman, are yet to beidentifi�ed.

Five persons arrested after their identifi�cation in thevideo were released on bailby the court, as they werecharged under a lesser pro

vision of Section 151 of CrPC.Following the demandraised by Ajmer city’s Muslim community, the policeon Tuesday registered a caseunder the provisions of Indian Penal Code andlaunched investigation.

While the police said thevictims, who apparently belonged to Uttar Pradesh,were being traced, Muslimsocial activists took exception to the initial laxity ofpolice which resulted in theaccused getting bail. Policeregistered the case underthe stringent provisions onlyafter the community members approached the senioroffi�cers with the plea thattheir religious sentimentshad been hurt.

Some men kicked, beat victims, told them to leave country


JAIPUR

Muslim family assaulted in Ajmer

CMYK

A ND-NDE


DELHI THE HINDU


EDITORIAL

Caste censusThe Bihar Chief Minister’smeticulously craftedmission, an allpartycontingent, to meet PrimeMinister Narendra Modi topress for a castebasedcensus is timely (Page 1,August 24). Since the lastsuch census wasundertaken, the country’spopulation has grownexponentially. No politicalparty that has ruled sinceIndependence has thoughtit wise to take up the job forreasons best known tothem. The creation of acomprehensive database on

the numerical strength ofeach caste in the countrywill only enable theGovernment to have a clearpicture as well so as toevolve appropriate laws andpieces of legislation toextend all mandatedwelfarerelated schemes. V. Johan Dhanakumar,

Chennai

Opposition unityThe effi�cacy and success ofOpposition unity in Indiawill be found wanting aslong as the BJD, TRS,YSRCP, BSP and SP arereluctant to join forces

(Editorial page, “Bondingrites”, August 24). Draftinga mutually acceptablecommon minimumprogramme will be aHerculean and thanklesstask for the Oppositionfront. Another seeminglyinsurmountable obstaclewill be the taming of the‘infl�ated’ egos of theleaders, all wanting to bedesignated as the Front’sleader or prime ministerialcandidate. How far theCongress and the strongregional parties are willingto adopt a policy of ‘giveand take’ will be another

ticklish issue. If the partieswant to build a crediblefront against the BJP andentertain any realisticchance of succeeding, theywill all have to make selfl�esssacrifi�ces in order toachieve the common andlarger goal. C.G. Kuriakose,

Malippara, Kothamangalam, Kerala

MPs and Bill scrutinyThe Chief Justice of India’sassumption is that betterthe quality ofparliamentary debates, themore unambiguous thelaws are. This is a debatable

homework of scrutiny.Parliamentary committeescan check the law’sindeterminateness only ifthe MPs can discuss theBills in a nonpartisanmanner. Maybe,knowledgeable citizens canplay a role in drafting laws.V.N. Mukundarajan,

Thiruvananthapuram

correlation. The question isdo our Members ofParliament have theknowledge and expertise toscrutinise bills clause byclause and pick outambiguities if any? They donot seem to attach anyimportance to the law’ssemantic clarity. Even if thedraft bills are circulated inadvance the MPs do notseem to be keen to do their

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

Tatiana Belousova

It is tempting to view the currentgeopolitics of the Arcticthrough the lenses of the ‘great

power competition’ and inevitableconfl�ict of interests. Interestingly,the current geopolitical scenariois, to a certain extent, mirrored inthe Arctic region as well. This ismainly about the growing tensionsbetween North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) allies andRussia.

There are eight countries thathave direct access to the Arctic resources, i.e., Canada, Denmark,Finland, Iceland, Norway, the Russian Federation, Sweden and theUnited States. In 2013, six Observers joined the Council, includingChina, Japan, India, Italy, SouthKorea, and Singapore, bringingtheir total number to 13.

Security concernsBy the end of the Cold War, the geopolitical tensions and securityconcerns in the Arctic were almostforgotten. In October 1987, duringa visit to the Kola Peninsula, Mikhail Gorbachev, then SecretaryGeneral of the Soviet CommunistParty, acknowledged the end ofthe Cold War era and promoted a‘zone of peace’ in the Arctic.

The perceived ‘harmony’ wasbroken in 2007, when the Russianexplorers planted their fl�ag on theseabed 4,200m (13,779ft) belowthe North Pole to articulate Moscow’s claims in the Arctic. Thismove was certainly viewed as provocative by other Arctic States,and the Canadian Foreign Minister, Peter MacKay, said “this is notthe 15th century”, and “countriescannot just go around, plant theirfl�ags, and claim the territories”.

The regional tension increasedafter the RussiaUkraine confl�ict in2014. Consequently, relations between the U.S. and Russia reachedtheir lowest point again. The rhetoric of the bilateral mistrust wastransferred ‘up to the North’ andcreated anxiety among other stakeholders in the Arctic.

After the events in Ukraine in2014, Russia has been increasinglyviewed as a ‘rulebreaker’, ‘revisionist power’ and an ‘untrustworthy player’. Besides, Russia’s intention to reestablish the militarymight of its Northern Fleet alsocreates the security concerns andfeatures prominently in the Norwegian foreign policy. On the other hand, some Russian military experts believe that the Barents Seacan serve as the launching area fora western seaborne attack; therefore, the Russian Navy should ensure the readiness of its antisubmarine forces in the Arctic Ocean.

The eco-dimensionIn the last decades, we have beenconfronted with the multiple

‘wakeup calls’ that are related toclimate change; and these calls aregetting louder. The summer of2021 would be recorded in historyas one of the most devastating seasons of our times, when ferociousfl�oods and wildfi�res were destroying communities in many parts ofthe world. Due to the environmental transformations, natural catastrophes occur unexpectedly — onan unprecedented scale, and inunusual geographic locations. Forexample, the extreme heat inNorth America or wildfi�res in Russian Siberia (Yakutia), where thewinter temperature can be belowminus 40°. The Arctic region alsobears the brunt of climate change.At the same time, it provides aplatform for scientifi�c researchthat can help to get to the bottomof natural calamities around theworld.

Keeping in mind the existentialthreats, the environmental challenges should be an absolutepriority for all players in the Arcticregion. These considerationsshould outweigh military and economic issues and unite countriesfor the sake of eliminating the potential (and real) dangers attribut

ed to climate change.According to The World Climate

and Security Report 2020 (https://bit.ly/3mrTmo5; the fi�rst report ofthe Expert Group of the International Military Council on Climateand Security, or the IMCCS), ‘theArctic is warming nearly twice asfast as the rest of the planet withconsecutive recordbreakingwarm years since 2014... The Arctic is likely to begin experiencingicefree summers within the nextdecade, with summers likely to becompletely free of sea ice bymidcentury’.

There should be concerted efforts to minimise the adverse effects on the fragile Arctic ecosystem. A good example to behighlighted is the recent case of aNorwegian drilling project; it wastaken to the European court by thegroup of environmentalists. Theirmain argument is that the negativeimpact of mining activities canspread beyond the continentalshelf of Norway.

The geopolitical vs strategic The environmental transformation and rapid ice melting have also opened up new opportunitiesin the region, which includestransArctic shipping routes.These opportunities have inevitably attracted all stakeholders inthe region, both the Arctic andnonArctic states. China, for example, with its selfproclaimed statusof a ‘near Arctic state’, has beenactively engaged in various projects across the region.

The importance of the Arctic region for China mostly stems fromits energy security issues and theneed to diversify shipping lanes.Transport routes from China toEurope through the Arctic are notonly much shorter but also freefrom the challenges associatedwith the Malacca Strait and SouthChina Sea. In the latter case, Chinawill continue facing a backlashfrom many Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) members, supported by U.S. forces.

Given the signifi�cance of the region, the Arctic will continue todraw increased attention. Apartfrom pursuing national interests,participating nations should alsobe concerned about the future developments in the region and theirlarger implications for humanity.

Hence, they should refrain frommutual provocations, excessivemilitarisation, and quid pro quotactics. All the Arctic actors shouldhave a longterm vision and strategic goals as compared to immediate shortterm gains. Instead ofcreating a potential battlegroundthat is reminiscent of the ColdWar, the parties concerned shouldutilise their expertise and createthe required synergy to achieveshared goals. Climate change andits dramatic consequences mustbe a catalyst for Arcticcooperation.

Tatiana Belousova is Assistant Professor,

Jindal School of International Aff�airs

(JSIA), O.P. Jindal Global University,

Sonipat, Haryana

Climate change, a catalyst for Arctic cooperation Environmental challenges should be a priority for all players in the region, outweighing military and economic issues

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In the monsoon session of Parliament, no meaningful debatecould take place due to the con

troversy over Pegasus, the spyware. Some Indian journalists, civil society activists and politicalleaders, and a top election strategist were possibly under surveillance. There has been no categorical denial by the Government andthat the Israeli software was notpurchased. But above this, there isa much bigger issue of the privacyof the entire citizenry which hasnot received much public attention. On June 23, 2021, the JointCommittee examining the Personal Data Protection Bill (2019) wasgranted a fi�fth extension by Parliament (https://bit.ly/388uk4Z).While informational privacy is notthe Government’s priority, it hasbeen simultaneously exploring thepotential of facial recognitiontechnology.

A prying technologyTo empower the Indian policewith information technology, India approved implementation ofthe National Automated Facial Recognition System (NAFRS) to “facilitate investigation of crime anddetection of criminals” in a quickand timely manner. On its implementation, it will function as a nationallevel search platform thatwill use facial recognition technology: to facilitate investigation ofcrime or for identifying a personof interest (e.g., a criminal) regardless of face mask, makeup, plasticsurgery, beard or hair extension.

The technology is absolutely intrusive: computer algorithms mapunique faciallandmarks (biometric data) such as shape of thecheekbones, contours of the lips,distance from forehead to chin,and convert these into a numericalcode — termed a faceprint. Thus,for the purposes of ‘verifi�cation’or ‘identifi�cation’, the system

compares the faceprint generatedwith a large existing database of faceprints (typically available to lawenforcement agencies) through adatabase on driver’s licence or police mugshots). But the real problem is that facial recognition doesnot return a defi�nitive result — it‘identifi�es’ or ‘verifi�es’ only inprobabilities (e.g., a 70% likelihood that the person shown on animage is the same person on awatch list). Though the accuracyof facial recognition has improvedover the years due to modern machinelearning algorithms, the riskof error and bias still exists. For instance, there is a possibility of producing ‘false positives’ — a situation where the algorithm fi�nds anincorrect match, even when thereis none — resulting in wrongful arrest. Moreover, much researchsuggests facial recognition software is based on pretrained models. Therefore, if certain types offaces (such as female, children,ethnic minorities) are underrepresented in training datasets,then this bias will negatively impact its performance.

As NAFRS will collect, process,and store sensitive private information: facial biometrics for longperiods; if not permanently — itwill impact the right to privacy. Accordingly, it is crucial to examinewhether its implementation is arbitrary and thus unconstitutional,i.e., is it ‘legitimate’, ‘proportionate to its need’ and ‘least restrictive’? What is its potential forabuse and misuse with the pendingstatus of the Personal Data Protection Bill (PDPB), and the absence of clear guidelines for itsdeployment? How does it impactother fundamental rights such asthe right to dissent? Should NAFRSbe banned or simply regulated?

The Federal Bureau of Investigation in the United States uses facial recognition technology for potential investigative leads; policeforces in England use facial recognition to tackle serious violence.In other cases, countries such asChina use facial recognition for racial profi�ling and mass surveillance — to track Uighur Muslims.Policing and law and order beingState subjects, some Indian States

have started the use of new technologies without fully appreciating the dangers involved.

Test of ‘proportionality’Facial recognition being an intrusive technology has an impact onthe right to privacy. The Constitution of India does not explicitlymention the right to privacy. However, a ninejudge Bench of theSupreme Court, in Justice K.S. Puttaswamy vs Union of India (2017)recognised it as a precious fundamental right. Since no fundamental right can be absolute and thuseven in respect of privacy, thestate may impose reasonable restrictions on the grounds of national integrity, security of the state,public order, etc.

The Supreme Court, in the K.S.Puttaswamy judgment provided athreefold requirement (whichwas reiterated in Anuradha Bhasinwhile examining denial of the‘right to Internet’ to the people ofKashmir) to safeguard against anyarbitrary state action. Accordingly,any encroachment on the right toprivacy requires the existence of‘law’ (to satisfy legality of action);there must exist a ‘need’, in termsof a ‘legitimate state interest’; and,the measure adopted must be‘proportionate’ (there should be arational nexus between the meansadopted and the objective pursued) and it should be ‘least intrusive.’ Unfortunately, NAFRS failseach one of these tests.

First, NAFRS lacks ‘legitimacy’.It does not stem from any statutory enactment (such as the DNATechnology (Use and Application)Regulation Bill 2018 proposed toidentify off�enders or an executiveorder of the Central Government.Rather, it was merely approved bythe Cabinet Committee on Eco

nomic Aff�airs in 2009 during United Progressive Alliance rule. Second, and more importantly, evenif we assume that there exists aneed for NAFRS to tackle modernday crimes, this measure is grosslydisproportionate. This is becauseto satisfy the test of ‘proportionality’, benefi�ts for the deployment ofthis technology have to be suffi�ciently great, and must outweighthe harm. For NAFRS to achievethe objective of ‘crime prevention’or ‘identifi�cation’ will require thesystem to track people on a massscale — avoiding a CCTV in a publicplace is fi�endishly diffi�cult — resulting in everyone becoming a subject of surveillance: a disproportionate measure. In the absence ofa strong data protection law orclear guidelines on where thistechnology can be used or whocan be put on a watch list? And,how long the system will retainsensitive personal data of thosethe surveilled people, NAFRS willindeed do more harm than good.

Impact on rightsFrom a technical angle, facial recognition technology can betasked to ‘identify’, among otheruses, cases. In doing so, one faceprint is compared to many otherfaceprints stored in a database(known as 1:N matching). In somecases, it is known that the personto be identifi�ed exists in the database, whereas, in other scenarios,it is not (for e.g., when persons arechecked against watch lists). Thisis where its deployment becomeshugely worrisome. With the element of error and bias, facial recognition can result in profi�ling ofsome overrepresented groups(such as Dalits and minorities) inthe criminal justice system.

Further, as anonymity is key tofunctioning of a liberal democracy, unregulated use of facial recognition technology will disincentivise independent journalism or theright to assemble peaceably without arms, or any other form of civic society activism. Due to its adverse impact on civil liberties,some countries have been cautious with the use of facial recognition technology. The Court of Appeal in the United Kingdom ruled

the use of facial recognition technology by South Wales as unlawfulin the absence of clear guidelines.In the United States, the Facial Recognition and Biometric Technology Moratorium Act of 2020 wasintroduced in the Senate to prohibit biometric surveillance withoutstatutory authorisation. Similarly,privacy watchdogs in the European Union have called for a banon facial recognition.

Unchecked pathway At present, the Information Technology Act 2000, and the Rulesframed thereunder off�er broadpowers to the Central governmentto infringe privacy in the name ofthe sovereignty, integrity or the security of the state. The PersonalData Protection Bill 2019 is notmuch diff�erent. It gives the centralgovernment unchecked power forthe purposes of surveillance — itcan exempt any agency of the Government from the application ofthe proposed law in the name oflegitimate state interest.

Without adequate safeguardssuch as penalties that are dissuasive and suffi�ciently deterrent, police personnel may routinely usefacial recognition technology. Insum, even if facial recognitiontechnology is needed to tacklemodernday criminality in India,without accountability and oversight, facial recognition technology has strong potential for misuseand abuse. In the interest of civil liberties and to save democracyfrom turning authoritarian, it isimportant to impose a moratorium on the use of facial recognitiontechnology till we enact a strongand meaningful data protectionlaw, in addition to statutory authorisation of NAFRS and guidelinesfor deployment. If the Government has the will, it can get anylaw passed with god speed just likethe recently passed 20 Bills including the OBC Bill or three FarmBills.

Faizan Mustafa is ViceChancellor,

National Academy of Legal Studies and

Research (NALSAR) University of Law,

Hyderabad. Utkarsh Leo is Assistant

Professor at NALSAR, Hyderabad. The

views expressed are personal

The ugly face of a crimefi�ghting move The implementation of the National Automated Facial Recognition System in India lacks adequate safeguards

Faizan Mustafa &

Utkarsh Leo

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Lebanon, which has been battling multiple crises

for the last couple of years, is on the brink of an

economic collapse. The meltdown that forced the

country to default on its bonds in 2019 for the fi�rst time

since its independence in 1943 was aggravated by last

year’s Beirut port blast. The explosion that killed over

200 people and wounded about 7,000 others on Au

gust 4, 2020 is estimated to have caused damage worth

$15 billion. The blast has also deepened the country’s

political crisis as Lebanon has been ruled by a caretaker

government ever since. The Mediterranean country is

now reeling under a severe economic downturn, med

icine, food and fuel shortages and rising crimes. Re

cently, its central bank stated that it could no longer fi�

nance fuel imports at subsidised rates citing depleted

reserves. Fuel shortages have led to chaotic scenes

across the country. Last week, at least 28 people were

killed in the country’s north when a fuel tank exploded

while locals were scrambling for its fuel. UNICEF has

warned that millions of Lebanese are facing a severe

water shortage. The economic crisis has pushed more

than half the population into poverty, while the curren

cy value has fallen by 90%. According to the World

Bank, Lebanon’s GDP per capita fell by 40% in dollar

terms between 2018 and 2020, while real GDP contract

ed by 20.3% in 2020. The Bank assesses that even with

quick reforms, it will take years before the economy

gets back to its precrisis size.

Since the Beirut blast, President Michel Aoun ap

pointed three Prime Ministerdesignates. Two of them

stepped down after having failed to form a government.

According to Lebanon’s Constitution, the President

should be a Maronite Christian, the Prime Minister a

Sunni, and the Parliament Speaker a Shia. Political par

ties are divided largely along sectarian lines. The PM

designates, who were Sunni politicians or technocrats,

often failed to bring together the country’s diff�erent

political factions, including that of President Aoun. In

late July, former Prime Minister Najib Mikati was tasked

with forming the next government. He is yet to con

clude talks with other political blocs. With the country

facing a severe fuel shortage, Hezbollah, the powerful

Shia militiacumpolitical party, has moved to import

fuel directly from Iran. Hezbollah says it is trying to ease

the country’s fuel situation while its opponents say the

move is aimed at drawing Lebanon further into the Ira

nian orbit and could be counterproductive as oil deals

with Iran could attract sanctions from the U.S. Leba

non’s politicians have sought fresh loans from the IMF,

but the fund will release money only if the government

commits itself to reforms. For that, Lebanon has to

form a government fi�rst. Lebanon’s political elites

should realise that the country is facing a onceinacen

tury crisis, set aside their sectarian politics, and come

together to form a stable government. If not, nothing

can stop the country’s free fall.

In free fallUnless Lebanon sets aside sectarian politics,

it will be unable to have a stable government

The clamour for a fresh caste census is getting

louder in the country. Bihar Chief Minister Nitish

Kumar led a delegation of 10 political parties of

the State to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi on

Monday. No political party in the country has publicly

opposed the demand as yet, and most have supported

the call. Mr. Modi listened to the delegation but did not

open his mind on the topic. Predictably, there will be

more political mobilisation on the issue. The Bharatiya

Janata Party has the advantage of being in the saddle

and could time an announcement best suited for itself.

The last time India’s population was enumerated on the

basis of caste was in 1931, when it was under colonial

rule. There is a strong argument that the colonial cen

sus was about creating and reinforcing caste and reli

gious categories in India rather than recording them in

a benign manner. Eff�ective governance requires robust

data on the governed. The creation of categories is itself

a political act. Indian politics and the governance struc

ture are all premised on categories that were fi�rmed up

during colonialism. But the salience of caste as the fun

damental marker of identity for an Indian has only

grown since Independence.

As the democratisation of society deepens, questions

are being raised regarding the status of Dalits, tribal

communities and a large section of the population that

is characterised in the Constitution as Socially and Edu

cationally Backward Classes. Political representation of

these communities has increased and their participa

tion in government jobs has risen. It is assumed that

particular groups within each category have benefi�ted

disproportionately from political and job reservations,

and there are demands for subquotas. Many commun

ities are demanding inclusion in one category or the

other. Some communities are feeling shortchanged by

the affi�rmative action steps of the state. With the role of

the Government as a big employer diminishing, there is

a demand for affi�rmative action in the private sector. All

these questions are being debated without adequate

and reliable data, leading to confl�icting and often mis

leading claims. Supporters of a caste census cite these

reasons, while sceptics fear it will only widen social

rifts. They also point to the multitude of practical pro

blems such an exercise will encounter. What is not de

batable, however, is the fact that inequitable distribu

tion of power and wealth endangers the stability of any

society. Partisan political gains should not be the motiv

ation for a fresh census. A renewed vision for a just and

united India, where all divides are reduced must guide

the discussion on a caste census.

Caste countsA vision for a just India, and not partisan

political gains, should inspire a fresh census

corrections & clarifications:

The story regarding Finance Minister’s direction to Infosysabout the new Income Tax fi�ling portal (Aug. 24, 2021) had erroneously referred to Pravin Rao as the CEO of Infosys. He is the COO.

The Readers’ Editor’s office can be contacted by Telephone: +91-44-28418297/28576300;

E-mail:[email protected]

CMYK

A ND-NDE


THE HINDU DELHI


OPED

Coimbatore, August 22: Though Coimbatoreis known as one of the districts of notorietyfor grave crimes, never before this, was thesituation so grave as it is for some time past.For all crimes aff�ecting life, the existence oftoddy shops in thickly populated centres ofthe town, in lonely attris, near temples andfreshwater wells account most. In broaddaylight and in open markets, a serious riotoccured last year and ended in the coldblooded murder of one of the market goers,and in the fatal injury of another. A few menwere apprehended but the case endedagainst the prosecution. The head of the Vellala community... met in conference with coconut tree owners and appealed to them tostop trees being allowed for purposes of tapping toddy. This had the desired eff�ect andthe matter went up one step further.

A HUNDRED YEARS AGO AUGUST 25, 1921

Threatened situation

The Taliban’s horrifi�c takeover of Afghanistan has triggered a new debatein international law on the issue ofrecognising an entity that claims tobe the new government of a state.This debate assumes signifi�cance because China and Russia, two of thefi�ve permanent United Nations Security Council members, have seemingly shown readiness to recognise aTalibanled government whereascountries like Canada have opposedit. Questions of recognition do not arise when change of government within a state occurs when political power is transferred through legalmeans. However, things are diff�erentwhen the change of government happens through extralegal methodslike ousting the sitting governmentusing unconstitutional means. TheTaliban’s takeover of Afghanistansquarely falls in this category.

Recognition of governments under international law is vital for several reasons. It is important to knowwho the governing authority of thestate is, who has the responsibilityfor eff�ectually carrying out domesticand international legal obligationsranging from pursuing diplomatic relations to the protection of humanrights, and so on.

Government versus stateA salient point to remember is thatrecognition of the governmentshould not be confused with recognition of the state under internationallaw. As Malcolm Shaw, the celebratedinternational lawyer, writes, “achange in government, however accomplished, does not aff�ect the identity of the State itself.” Thus, in thecurrent debate, the issue is not aboutthe recognition of Afghanistan,whose legal personality remains intact. Whether countries recognisethe Taliban regime or not will depend on their political considerations and geostrategic interests, asevident from the Chinese and Russian overtures. However, certain criteria have evolved in internationallaw on deciding the issue of recogni

tion of governments and these needto be prudently looked at.

Tests in international law Traditionally, the test used in international law to make a decisionabout the recognition of a new government is that of ‘eff�ectiveness’.According to this principle, to recognise a government means to determine whether it eff�ectively controlsthe state it claims to govern. In otherwords, it means to determine whether the government has eff�ective control over the state’s territory (or apart of it), a majority of the population, national institutions, the banking and monetary system, etc. with areasonable possibility of permanence. The inherent assumption isthat eff�ective control means the people of the country accept, or at leastacquiesce to, the new regime; if theydid not, they would overthrow it. Under this doctrine, it is immaterialhow the new government occupiedoffi�ce (whether through civil war, revolution, or a military coup). Sincethere is hardly any doubt that the Taliban now eff�ectively controls Afghanistan, as per this test, it would

be recognised as Afghanistan’s government for international law andthus, international relations.

A doctrine competing with the effective control theory is that of democratic legitimacy. According tothis doctrine, recognition of a government also depends on whetherit is the legitimate representative ofthe people it claims to govern. So, governments that capture powerthrough nondemocratic means —notwithstanding their exercising defacto control over the country —should not be recognised by states.The end of the Cold War, the subsequent spread of democracy in theworld, and the growing demand foruniversal respect for human rightsgave an impetus to this doctrine inthe last three decades.

This doctrine has led many countries to bestow de jure recognition(legal recognition) on governmentsin exile in place of governments exercising eff�ective control. Two recentexamples can be off�ered. First, manycountries recognised Yemen’s Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi government inexile since 2015 on the ground thatthe rebellious separatists acquired

power in Yemen through illegalmeans. Second, the Nicolás Madurogovernment in Venezuela is not recognised by several countries due tothe alleged lack of democratic legitimacy.

The Taliban regime, despite exercising eff�ective control over Afghanistan, lacks democratic legitimacy.Thus, it would fail to be recognisedas the legitimate representative of Afghanistan if the doctrine of democratic legitimacy is applied. Thingswould become even more complicated if the Afghan President, AshrafGhani, who fl�ed the country whenthe Taliban entered Kabul, were toannounce a government in exile.

However, some international lawyers like Erika de Wet doubt whether the doctrine of democratic legitimacy, notwithstanding its worth andinstinctive appeal to the championsof liberal democracy, has become abinding part of customary international law when it comes to the recognition of governments. In otherwords, governments may rely on thedoctrine of democratic legitimacy torefuse de jure recognition of the Taliban. Nevertheless, there is no binding legal obligation on countries towithhold recognition of the Talibanon the ground that it does not enjoydemocratic legitimacy. Thus, if Russia and China were to formally recognise the Taliban regime due to its effective control of Afghanistan, itwould be consistent with international law.

Options for IndiaGiven the Taliban’s brutal past, its extremist ideology, and profound absence of democratic legitimacy, Indiais within its right to withhold de jurerecognition of the Taliban regime.Nonetheless, it will have to fi�nd a wayto engage with the Taliban given India’s huge investments in Afghanistan and stakes in the South Asian region. India should adopt a clearpolicy that it will deal with the Taliban simply because it is the de factogovernment, not because it is a legitimate one. This principle should befollowed for bilateral relations and also for multilateral dealings such aswithin the South Asian Associationfor Regional Cooperation.

Prabhash Ranjan will soon join Jindal Global

Law School, O.P. Jindal Global University, as

Professor and Vice Dean. Views are personal

India can deal with the Taliban government because it is a de facto one, not because it is a legitimate one

A Taliban fi�ghter walks past a beauty salon in Kabul where the images ofwomen have been defaced using spray paint. * AFP

The legal challenges in recognising the Taliban

Prabhash Ranjan

A sero surveillance survey ascertains the prevalence of a past infectious disease in a population. In the case of COVID19, it helps todetect whether antibodies to SARSCoV2 arepresent in a population. The antibodies arelike evidence in a crime scene and the virusis like a criminal. But to prevent the criminalfrom repeating the crime, we need to conduct RTPCR and Rapid Antigen Tests (RAT).With this information, we can isolate the individual and prevent further infection andalso manage complications of the infection ifthey arise.

Benefi�ts of sero surveysIf anyone has had a severe case of COVID19,can they walk around freely believing thatthey won’t get the infection again as theyhave developed adequate natural antibodies? No. They can still be asymptomatic carriers of the virus. They cannot be exemptedfrom COVID19appropriate behaviour. Andthey must get vaccinated too. In other words,all sero positive individuals have to observeCOVID19appropriate behaviour and get fully vaccinated. This means that sero surveysdon’t personally benefi�t individuals.

For public health authorities, sero surveysare of varying use at diff�erent phases of thepandemic. Such surveys are widely used bythe media and by epidemiologists to showunderreporting of cases and deaths due toCOVID19. Independent sero surveillance data can expose the level of data suppression.

After releasing the fourth sero survey results, the ICMR recommended accelerationof vaccination of the vulnerable population,especially yettobevaccinated health staff�;tracking COVID19 infection in SARI cases inhospitals; and identifying clusters of currentcases and cases of clinical severity for genome sequencing which would help trackmutations of the virus. But these are valid irrespective of the sero conversion levels.

The second use of sero surveys is to fi�ndout whether community transmission has taken place or not. The ICMR was right in refuting some accounts by the media inmid2020 that community transmission hadtaken place without the system knowingabout it. Many demanded RAT or RTPCRtests on a large scale. That would have been awrong public health action. The fi�rst seroprevalence survey in MayJune 2020 showed

that overall infection was 0.73%. The relevant public health actions to be taken thenwere rapid case detection, isolation and containment measures as vaccines were not ready then. In August 2020, the second surveyshowed that sero prevalence had increasedto 7.1%. Even after the fi�rst wave, when evidence of rapid transmission was emerging,we needed an additional weapon to fi�ght thevirus apart from observing COVID19appropriate behaviour and that was vaccination.

The third use of sero surveys is to assesshow far or close we are to herd immunity.Many virologists said that 60% of the population should be immune to COVID19 for us toreach herd immunity. We were nowherenear a herd immunity level at that time.Though there were claims that parts of theurban poor population in Mumbai and Punehad 70% developing antibodies, the thirdsurvey found that after the fi�rst wave, only21.4% Indians had SARSCoV2 antibodies.The degree of change was highest in ruralareas at 19.1%. In nonslum urban areas, itwas 26.2%, while in urban slums the prevalence had increased to 31.7%. The fourth survey showed that 67.6% of the population haddeveloped antibodies against SARSCoV2meeting the earlier prophesied threshold forherd immunity. Now, we have to change thegoalpost to 8090%. There are breakthroughinfections everywhere. The AhmedabadMunicipal Corporation has reported that over 81% have developed antibodies againstSARSCoV2 in Ahmedabad, but there continue to be cases.

Costbenefi�t analysisUnder these circumstances, it is not rationalfor public health experts to advise governments to embark upon citywise seroprevalence surveys to detect the presence of COVID19 antibodies. Those surveys are nomore useful than our COVID19appropriatebehaviour and vaccinations to control thepandemic. For an academic documentationof the trend of the pandemic spread and penetration among communities, one nationallevel ICMR survey is good enough.

A survey of 5,000 people per city costsaround ₹�25 lakh. This is not a good investment for a country still grappling with thepandemic. If we do a costbenefi�t analysis,frequent sero surveys are a poor use of staff�time, technology and funds and divert attention from the core activities of screening,testing and other containment measures.The genome analysis of breakthrough casesin spite of vaccination is more benefi�cial forevidencebased policy changes.

K.R. Antony is a pediatrician and public health

consultant based in Kochi. Views are personal

A surfeit of sero surveysWhile they are useful in detecting the prevalence ofantibodies, frequent sero surveys are expensive and futile

K.R. Antony

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DATA POINT

After winning seven medals at the Tokyo Olympics, the Indian contingentwas felicitated by the sports federations, the Sports Ministry and eventhe Prime Minister. They were invited as special guests to the Independence Day function at the Red Fort inNew Delhi.

They were also given monetaryawards by various State governments, sports bodiesand others. NeerajChopra, a junior commissioned offi�cer inthe Army who won agold medal in javelin,received ₹�6 crorefrom the Haryana government, a ClassIgovernment job, and aplot of land at a concessional rate. He wasalso off�ered ₹�2 croreby the Punjab government, ₹�1 croreby the BCCI, ₹�1 crore by the ChennaiSuper Kings, ₹�2 crore by BYJU’S and₹�1 crore by the JSW Group. Ravi Dahiya and Mirabai Chanu, both silvermedallists, were also richer by croresafter their performance. The bronzewinners were awarded in lakhs.

Jobs and promotions In addition to cash incentives, Statesalso off�er government jobs. The Railways is the biggest employer of sportspersons. It provides a secure job forathletes. Chanu was working in theRailways. In a departure from theusual mode of appointment, she wasappointed as Additional Superintendent of Police, a rank above that ofDeputy Superintendent of Police, after winning the silver medal. Choprais expected to get a promotion in theArmy.

The problem begins when sportspersons are appointed to a certainrank after which the fl�oodgates arethrown open for further promotions.It may not really be deleterious to anorganisation if sportspersons arepromoted in nongazetted ranks. Butpromotion to gazetted ranks have amalefi�c impact not just on the organisation but also on the sportspersons.Even after they are promoted to gazetted ranks, they naturally continueto play sports and participate in tour

naments up to a certain age and haveno exposure whatsoever to their professional requirements. On attaininghigher ranks like Superintendent ofPolice, they come back to their jobswithout any training, exposure or experience. They prove to be misfi�ts.Nobody other than the system standsto be blamed for this sad state of affairs. While others slog to get into government jobs as gazetted offi�cers,these posts are off�ered to sportsper

sons on a silver platter.Going by the monetaryincentives off�ered toeminent sportspersons, there is a defi�niteneed to reconsiderwhether promotionsneed to be doled out tothem irrespective oftheir professionalcompetence to holdhigher posts andranks. This is especial

ly the case in the security forces,where competence of a high order iscalled for.

Contributing to their sportAlternatively, with crores of rupees intheir accounts, such eminent sportspersons can venture into businessand employ more sportspersons anddo a world of good to their respectivesports. They can set up academies totrain sportspersons in their fi�eld ofspecialisation and thus promote theirsport. The Sports Ministry and theSports Authority of India could recruit them in various capacities andutilise their experience not only atthe Central level but also in theStates. Universities, colleges andschools could better utilise their services. Many of them could turn out tobe good coaches.

For gazetted posts, the only channel should be competitive examinations. Recent reports stated that thenumber of employment off�ers giventhrough job fairs organised by the Labour and Employment Ministry hasfallen but applicants have increased.In these days of acute unemployment, it would be better if the needygot into government service onmerit.

M.P. Nathanael is Inspector General of Police

(Retd), CRPF

Rethinking a perk for playersThere is a need to reconsider promotions ingovernment jobs for eminent sportspersons

M.P. Nathanael

Madras, Aug. 25: India’s victory over England in the fi�nal test at the Oval on Tuesdaywhich was heard over radio by enthusiasticlovers of the game all over the countrybrought to an end England’s grand unbeatenrecord in the 28 Tests since 1968. With oneTest won and the other two drawn, India haswon the series to reach a milestone in itscricket history. It was the fi�rst ever win forIndia against England on English soil. It wasIndia’s superb fi�elding as typifi�ed by Solkar’sspectacular catch that sent back Knott andsplendid spinbowling exemplifi�ed by Chandrasekhar’s matchwinning spell (six for 38)which sent England crashing to a paltry totalof 101 in the second innings, England’s lowest against India, which tilted the scales inIndia’s favour. The series proved most exciting with fortunes fl�uctuating from one sideto the other. At Lord’s India let slip a goldenopportunity of getting off� to a fl�ying startand eventually struggling for a draw, rain after tea helping in no small measure. The second Test at Old Traff�ord belonged to England and it was the weather that defi�nitelycame to India’s rescue. At the Oval the gamewas unpredictable till the end. England,which appeared to hold the initiative with afi�rst innings lead of 71 runs, was skittled outfor 101. India made the requisite runs for theloss of six wickets shortly after lunch on thefi�nal day with Abid Ali making the winningstroke with a four when it required threeruns for a victory.

FIFTY YEARS AGO AUGUST 25, 1971

Indian cricket’s fi�nest hour

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FROM THE ARCHIVES

CMYK

A ND-NDE


DELHI THE HINDU


NEWS

FROM PAGE ONE

sot, along with MLA Raj Kumar Verka, said: “Statements by both these newlyappointed advisors areclearly against India’s interests and detrimental to national security.”

Besides stringent legal action against Mr. Mali and Mr.Garg, these leaders alsourged the Congress nationalleadership to direct Mr. Sidhu to immediately reininhis aides in the interest ofthe party as well as thecountry.

‘Massive damage’Congress leaders also questioned Mr. Sidhu’s failure toput his foot down on the diatribe by his close aides, despite the “justifi�ed uproar ithas triggered across partylines”.

Mr. Sidhu’s omission inthis regard had given ammunition to Opposition parties,which were quick to recallthe PPCC’s chief ’s personalbonhomie with the PakistanPrime Minister and Armychief, they pointed out,warning against the “massive damage this couldcause to the Congress in therunup to the 2022 PunjabAssembly polls”, which aredue in less than six months.

The faction against the ChiefMinister however, decidedthat a fi�vemember delegation would meet Congresspresident Sonia Gandhi andapprise her of the situationand their demands.

“A consensus among usemerged and we decidedthat if the Chief Ministerdoesn’t want to work, heshould step down. To raisethis demand and convey oursentiments, we have soughttime from the high command. We are going to meetAICC (All India CongressCommittee) in charge ofPunjab aff�airs Harish Rawattomorrow in Dehradun andthen decide further,” MrChanni said.

After the meeting, Mr.Sidhu tweeted: “Got a callfrom Tripat Bajwa ji askingfor an emergency meeting...Met him along with othercolleagues at the PPCC offi�ce. Will apprise the highcommand of the situation.”

Sidhu’s aides slammedMeanwhile, hitting out atMr. Sidhu’s aides, Mr. Maliand Mr. Garg, State Ministers Brahm Mohindra, VijayInder Singla, Bharat Bhushan Ashu, Balbir Singh Sidhuand Sadhu Singh Dharam

Amarinder Ministry reelsunder Cong. feud again

Centre’s claims on development, investment and employment. “They stand exposed. Even people inJammu have started feelinglack of governance and development now,” he noted.

The Gupkar alliance alsocriticised the move not to issue security clearance to people involved in pelting ofstones for passports andjobs. “Nobody can be deprived of their rights untilproved guilty by the court.”

Referring to their demand made during the allparty meeting with PrimeMinister Narendra Modi onJune 24, Mr. Tarigami said:“We want to ask the government how many peoplehave been released. Thereare cases where people havebeen released by courts after a decade saying theywere innocent.”

The “unjustifi�ed and frequent” raids by agenciessuch as the National Investigation Agency and the Enforcement Directorate onthe leaders seemed to beaimed at “projecting themas thieves and criminals inJ&K”, Mr. Tarigami said.

“We will rest our case before the people of India andthe political parties. We appeal to all that the currenttrend of humiliating peopleshould end. Besides, thevoices are being muzzled. Ithas dangerous consequences for the entire nation.” Thegovernment got unnervedeven by the press conferences of leaders, he alleged.

Mr. Tarigami accused theLG (Lieutenant Governor)administration of deprivinglocal offi�cers of top positions in the government.

He questioned the

Silence is not normalcy,says Gupkar alliance

The BJP on Tuesday cameout strongly in support ofUnion Minister NarayanRane, who has been arrested by the Maharashtra police after he made commentsagainst Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray.

The party’s national president J.P. Nadda termed thearrest “a violation of constitutional values”.

Taking to Twitter, Mr.Nadda said, “The arrest ofUnion Minister NarayanRane ji by the Maharashtragovernment is a violation ofconstitutional values. Wewill neither be scared norsuppressed by such action.”

“These people are troubled by the immense support the BJP is getting in theJanAashirvad Yatra. We willcontinue to fi�ght democratically, the yatra will continue,” he added.

BJP spokesperson SambitPatra termed the arrest a

“murder of democracy”.“He must have said some

words which could havebeen avoided. But is this thetolerance of the Uddhav government, is this the law,”Mr. Patra said, addressing apress conference n New Delhi on the issue.

Mr Patra said, “Some ministers of Maharashtra are

saying that the law has to befollowed, but is there a lawto pelt stones at BJP offi�ces?Is it law to put people’s livesat risk? Is it law to fi�le 3040FIRs against a minister?"

Mr. Patra referred to casesregistered against Ministersin the Uddhav Thackeray government and comparedthem to the precipitate ac

tion against Mr Rane. “There are cases against

27 Ministers out of 42 of theMaharashtra government.There are allegations of recovery on Anil Deshmukh,there are many allegationsagainst Anil Parab too. Werethey arrested, did the policego to their homes,” heasked.

Nadda condemns Rane’s arrestBJP says action goes against constitutional values, voices support for Minister


NEW DELHI

Cause and eff�ect: Shiv Sena workers protesting outside Union Minister Narayan Rane'sresidence at Juhu in Mumbai on Tuesday. * PTI

Three militants killed in Sopore encounterSRINAGAR

Three militants were killed in

an operation in north

Kashmir’s Sopore on Tuesday.

With this, the number of

militants killed this year so

far has crossed the

100-mark. “They were

affiliated with

Lashkar-e-Taiba’s The

Resistance Front,” Inspector

General of Police (IGP) Vijay

Kumar said. One AK 47 rifle

and two pistols were

recovered from the site of

encounter.

IN BRIEF

After Punjab and Rajasthan,Chhattisgarh is the latestCongressruled State that iswitnessing a bitter factionalwar playing out in the media. Tensions have been simmering since June when supporters of Health MinisterT.S. Singh Deo began reminding the Congress’s topleadership of the agreementto rotate the position of chiefminister.

However, Chief MinisterBhupesh Bhagel has said theChief Minister's post is rotated only in a coalition government, even as he maintainedthat he will resign wheneverthe Congress leadershipasked him to.

Mr. Bhagel and Mr. SinghDeo met former Congresspresident Rahul Gandhi on

Tuesday. Though both theChhattisgarh leaders arrivedsimultaneously, Mr. Gandhiis learnt to have met themseparately. General secretary (organisation) K.C. Venugopal and AllIndia Congress Committee (AICC)incharge P.L. Punia werepresent at these meetingsthat went on for nearly threehours.

No changes“Venugopal ji has been entrusted the work of resolvingsome of the issues that cameup in the meeting,” a sourcetold The Hindu.

Speaking to a news agency, Mr.Punia claimed that“there was no discussion ona change in leadership inChhattisgarh”.

“We met Rahul ji and discussed in detail the various

schemes undertaken by theChhattisgarh Government,”Mr. Baghel told reportersoutside Mr. Gandhi'sresidence.

Mr. Deo is said to be unhappy and sources say hemay not continue in Mr.Baghel’s Cabinet.

The Health Minister is reported to have raised the issue of split tenure as well asthe manner in which he wastreated by the Chief Ministerand Mr. Gandhi is said tohave expressed his displeasure over this in his meetingwith Mr. Baghel.

Despite a clean sweep inChhattisgarh in the December 2018 Assembly elections, the Congress had problems in naming its ChiefMinister, as the top post wasintensely contested by Mr.Baghel and Mr. Deo.

Treat colleagues with

respect, Rahul tells BaghelChhattisgarh CM, Health Minister Deo meet Cong. leader


NEW DELHI

Among the three States thatthe BJP lost in the 2018 set ofAssembly polls, the loss ofChhattisgarh rankled themost, as the defeat there,unlike Madhya Pradesh andRajasthan, was more of arout. Ever since then, theparty has been on the lookout for a way back intoelectoral favour, includingthe search for a new leaderin the State, which this timearound appears to be revolving around candidatesfrom the Other BackwardClasses (OBC) community.

Radical measuresAccording to senior sourcesin the party, the loss to theCongress has led to a radicalset of measures being takenin terms of organisationalthinking. “Immediately after the loss of 2018, we hadthe general election in 2019,where the BJP changed all 11of its candidates and managed to win nine out of the11. This also led to somerethink on the question ofleadership going up to thenext Assembly polls,” saidthe source.

BJP’s national general secretary in charge of Chhattisgarh, D. Purandareshwari, and joint generalsecretary (organisation)Shiv Prakash have mademultiple visits to Chhattisgarh, with senior party leaders in the State noticing thatleaders of the OBC community being givenattention.

Ajay Chandrakar, MLA, isone of the leaders beingpaid close attention to as heis active in the Assemblyand outspoken. Former IASoffi�cer O.P. Chaudhary, whotook premature retirementfrom the civil services tofi�ght and lose the 2018 pollson a BJP ticket, is also activein the interiors of the State,and is being groomed for animportant role going ahead.In Chhattisgarh, OBCs makeup nearly 50% of the vote,with Mr. Chaudhary belong

ing to the dominant Aghariya community among them.Mr. Chandrakar has been aMinister in former Chief Minister Raman Singh’s government. Leader of the opposition Dharam LalKaushik, belonging to theKurmi community, formsthe third part of this triumvirate of leadership beingpushed by Delhi.

In fact, the senior leadership of the party made itclear that the next polls maynot be fought around oneface, a development thatmany have taken to meanthat it is the end of the roadfor Mr. Raman Singh.

Rout analysedSenior party leaders inChhattisgarh said its rout inthe State was analysed, andwhile antiincumbency wasconsidered one of the mainreasons for the loss, the factthat the party drew a blankon OBC support to the Congress due to its promise ofbonus payment on grainprocurement and the leadership of Bhupesh Baghelbelonging to an OBC groupwas also an importantfactor.

The recent Cabinet reshuffl�e with emphasis on inclusion of many faces fromthe OBC communities, coupled with the demand for acaste census and the liftingof the cap for reservation,seem to have convergedwith the BJP’s reading inChhattisgarh, with the partyhoping that one of its OBCfaces may click with people.

BJP plans to play OBCcard in ChhattisgarhThe group has a 50% vote share

Nistula Hebbar

NEW DELHI

BJP’s plan to not stick withone face may spell doom forformer CM Raman Singh.

With schools having beenclosed for the last year and ahalf due to COVID19, theCentral government has issued a 12week playbasedmodule as a transition aid tohelp students ease into physical classes for the fi�rst time.

This preparatory moduleshould be used for all Class 1students across the countryeven after the pandemic, according to the NationalCouncil of Educational Research and Training(NCERT) professors whoprepared the ‘Vidya Pravesh’ module.

“COVID or no COVID, it’sa fact that there is a huge variety of children coming tojoin Class 1 in any given year.Children come with diff�e

rent levels of learning andthose who are behind continue to lag behind,” said oneof the NCERT professors,who did not wish to benamed.

“This situation is exacerbated as well as equalised bythe COVID19 school clo

sures,” said another NCERTprofessor. “Because of thepandemic, none of the children arriving in Class 1 thisyear have been in any sort ofphysical classes,” the professor added.

The ‘Vidya Pravesh’ module is meant to bridge thegaps for these students. .

The module lays out detailed plans, using activities,games, art integration andstorytelling tools to achievethree developmental goals.

For children to maintaingood health and wellbeing,it includes a focus on physical and motor development,socioemotional development, nutrition, safety, hygiene and sanitation.

The other two goals aimto build the foundations forliteracy and numeracy.

12-week play-based teachingmodule for Class 1 studentsNCERT wants to stick with it even after the pandemic


NEW DELHI

Play-based pedagogy is notpractised is 80-90% privatepre-schools.

In Solapur, they blackenedMr. Rane’s photo, garlandedit with chappals and hit itwith footwear. Party activists vandalised the BJP’s offi�ce in Nashik. Baramati,Nagpur and Sangli too witnessed protests.

Appearing before a Division Bench of Justices S.S.Shinde and N.J. Jamadar inthe High Court, Mr. Nikamsaid the off�ences underwhich Mr. Rane had beencharged attracted less thatseven years in prison and nonotice was issued to him under Section 41A (notice ofappearance before police offi�cer) of the Code of Criminal Procedure. The courttold him to follow the procedure and get the petitionnumbered by the registryfi�rst.

In his Raigad speech, Mr.Rane said, “The State’s economy and all businesses arein turmoil owing to thisman’s [Mr. Thackeray] pathetic management of aff�airs…more than 1.5 lakh persons have lost their lives dueto the State’s mismanagement of the COVID19 pandemic. There was a shortageof vaccines, no medicalstaff�, no doctors. The State’shealth infrastructure was ina shambolic state… Does he[Mr. Thackeray] even havethe right to speak on anything… He ought to keep a secretary as he did not evenknow it was the 75th anniversary of India’s Independence and was asking someone backstage [onIndependence Day]. I wouldhave given him a tight slap

had I been there for forgetting the number of years ofIndia’s Independence”.

The FIRs were registeredagainst Mr. Rane in Pune bythe Yuva Sena (the Shiv Sena’s youth wing), one inNashik and two at Mahad inRaigad district.

High dramaHigh drama was seen in Ratnagiri when the Sangameshwar police went to arresthim, triggering heated altercations between his aidesand the authorities. His custody was later handed overto the Raigad police.

While BJP Leader of theOpposition Devendra Fadnavis admitted that Mr.Rane ought to have shownrestraint in his statements,State BJP president Chandrakant Patil said it was“against protocol” for aState government to arrest aUnion Minister.

“All this arrest drama hasbeen contrived by the MahaVikas Aghadi government todivert the public’s attentionfrom the fact that Mr. Ranehas been receiving overwhelming support in theKonkan region during his‘Jan Ashirwad Yatra’,” Mr.Patil claimed.

The induction of Mr.Rane in the Union Cabinetlast month is being viewedas an aggressive move onthe BJP’s part to neutralisethe Sena in the Konkan.Himself a former Shiv Sainik, Mr. Rane’s ‘Sena baiting’ has grown even morestrident since he exited theCongress in 2017.

Union Minister arrestedfor remark on CM

Seventyseven cases relatingto the Muzaff�arnagar communal riots were withdrawnby the Uttar Pradesh government without assigning anyreasons, a report alerted theSupreme Court.

“The government ordersdo not give any reasons forwithdrawal of the case underSection 321 of Code of Criminal Procedure. They merelystate that the administration,after full consideration, hastaken a decision to withdrawthe particular case. Manysuch cases relate to off�ences

of dacoity punishable withimprisonment for life,” theSupreme Court’s amicus cu-

riae, senior advocate VijayHansaria, assisted by advocate Sneha Kalita, said in areport on Tuesday.

Mr. Hansaria said the information is part of a lettersent to him by the Uttar Pradesh State counsel on August20.

The letter said 510 casesrelating to the Muzaff�arnagar riots of 2013 were registered in fi�ve districts of theMeerut zone against 6,869accused.

Of this, chargesheets were

fi�led in 175 cases, fi�nal reports were submitted in 165cases, and 170 cases were“expunged”.

“Thereafter, 77 cases werewithdrawn by the Uttar Pradesh State Government under Section 321 of the CrPC,”Mr. Hansaria informed theSupreme Court in thereport.

‘Examine withdrawals’The amicus curiae urged theSupreme Court to have theAllahabad High Court examine the withdrawal ofthese 77 cases by the Stategovernment.

Mr. Hansaria recalled thatthe Supreme Court, on August 10, had specifi�cally ordered that no prosecutionagainst sitting or former legislators should be withdrawn without the permission of the High Court.

“Withdrawal from prosecution is permissible in public interest and cannot bedone for political consideration,” the report said.

“Such application can bemade in good faith, in the interest of public policy andjustice and not to thwart orstifl�e the process of law,” thereport added.

77 Muzaff�arnagar riot cases withdrawnNo reasons were provided, amicus curiae tells Supreme Court in a report


New Delhi

Teachers consume poisonoutside Eduction Dept.KOLKATA

Five teachers engaged on

contract allegedly consumed

poison outside the Bikash

Bhawan, the headquarters of

West Bengal Education

Department, on Tuesday. The

primary teachers, all of them

women, were rushed to

hospital. The condition of two

of them are said to be critical.

The teachers had been

seeking regularisation of

service for the past few years.

They also alleged that they

were being transferred to

remote areas after they

participated in protests. The

development triggered a

political war of words

between the TMC and BJP.

The Biju Janata Dal (BJD) onTuesday reiterated its demand for conducting castebased census and removalof 50% ceiling on reservation. The party said it wouldhit the streets to garner people’s support on the issue.

The BJD also criticisedthe BJP for remaining ‘silent’ on the issue at a timewhen its partners in the National Democratic Alliancewere demanding castebased census.

“In the absence of reliable and authentic dataabout the exact numbers ofSocially and EducationallyBackward Class or OtherBackward Class population,

focused programme for welfare of the backward castecannot be formulated. Thefederal system and legalconcerns have come in theway of the State governmentto address the issue,” saidRanendra Pratap Swain, senior BJD leader and FoodSupplies and ConsumerWelfare Minister.

BJD reiterates demandfor castebased censusIt calls for removal of 50% quota cap

Satyasundar Barik

BHUBANESWAR

Ranendra Pratap Swain

Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav has come underthe fi�re from the BJP for notphysically paying his fi�nalrespects to former UttarPradesh Chief Minister Kalyan Singh.

Singh, who was the ChiefMinister during the demolition of the Babri Masjid inAyodhya on December 6,1992, died aged 89 on Saturday evening and was cremated on Monday in Bulandshahr by the Ganga.

On Tuesday, senior BJPOBC leaders accused Mr. Yadav of trying to appeaseMuslims by not paying hisrespects to Singh, who wasa Lodh Rajput (OBC) and akey face of the Ram Janmabhoomi Temple movement.

Swatantra Dev Singh, BJPState president, said Mr. Yadav did not come to pay tribute to Kalyan Singh, wholived barely 1 km from hisresidence.

“Did the charm of Muslim vote bank prevent himfrom paying tribute to thebiggest leader of the backward castes,” he asked in atweet.

Keshav Prasad Maurya,Deputy CM, said Mr. Yadavlost the “moral right” to talkabout OBCs by not turningup to pay his fi�nal respectsto Kalyan Singh.

Sachidanand Hari aliasSakshi Maharaj, MP Unnaoand himself a Lodh, accused Mr. Yadav of avoidingthe last rites of Kalyan Singhjust to “appease” a “particular community” for votes.

‘Akhilesh didn’t off�er fi�nalrespects to Kalyan Singh’ He did this to appease Muslims: BJP

Omar Rashid

LUCKNOW

Four die in Agra afterdrinking spurious liquorAGRA

Four people have died in two

villages of U.P.’s Agra district

allegedly after consuming

suspected spurious liquor,

claimed a village head and

family members of the

victims on Tuesday. Police

said the incident took place

on Monday night in Kaulara

Kalan and Barkula villages

where they have sealed four

liquor shops. The police have

not yet confirmed that deaths

occurred due to consumption

of spurious liquor. The police

identified the victims as

Radhe (42), Anil (34) and

Ramveer (40) of Kaulara Kala

village and Gaya Prasad (50)

of Barkula village. PTI

CMYK

A ND-NDE


THE HINDU DELHI


NEWS

A special Air India fl�ight arrived here on Tuesdaymorning carrying 77 persons from Kabul, including46 Afghan Sikhs and Hindus.The passengers brought SriGuru Granth Sahib fromthree gurdwaras. They wereevacuated on Monday by anIndian Air Force fl�ight andspent the night at Dushanbebefore being airlifted on thespecial Air India fl�ight.

Minister of State for External Aff�airs V. Muraleedharanand the Minister for Housingand Urban Aff�airs HardeepSingh Puri received the Sikhholy books at the Delhi airport.

“Blessed to receive andpay obeisance to the threeholy Swaroop of Sri GuruGranth Sahibji from Kabul toDelhi,” said Mr. Puri after receiving the holy books.

Puneet Singh Chandhoke,one of the civil society activists who has been coordinating with the Ministry ofExternal Aff�airs, said thepersons bringing the Sikh

holy books would be takenin a procession to the GuruArjan Devji Gurdwara in thecapital’s Mahavir Nagar.

“Prominent New Yorkbased entrepreneur Mandeep Singh Sobti and Paramjeet Singh Anand, throughtheir Sobti Foundation, haveundertaken the lifetime rehabilitation of these displacedAfghan nationals in coordination and guidance of theGovernment of India,” Mr.Chandhoke said.

As a cautionary measure,in view of the COVID19 pandemic, all the passengers ofthe fl�ight have been sent formandatory quarantine for a

fortnight at Chhawla campin Najafgarh.

India is likely to operate afew more fl�ights to evacuateAfghan and stranded Indiancitizens in the coming days,Mr. Chandhoke noted.

Kabul continued to remain tense with hundredspouring in from variousparts of Afghanistan at theairport, which remains under the control of the U.S.forces. India has maintainedfocus on evacuating Sikhsand Hindus while also helping some of the lawmakersand offi�cials associated withthe government of PresidentAshraf Ghani.

Passengers bring Guru Granth Sahib from gurdwaras

Kallol Bhattacherjee

NEW DELHI

Warm reception: Union Ministers V. Muraleedharan andHardeep Singh Puri at the Delhi airport on Tuesday. * PTI

India evacuates 77 strandedpersons from Afghanistan

Prime Minister NarendraModi and Russian PresidentVladimir Putin on Tuesdaydiscussed charting out a“coordinated” strategy in Afghanistan, while National Security Advisers (NSA) fromthe fi�ve BRICS countries metvirtually to discuss developments there with a focus oncombating terrorism.

Offi�cials said the RussianPresident called Mr. Modi todiscuss developments in Afghanistan, with the two leaders agreeing to set up a “permanent bilateral channel”on the issues arising fromthe Taliban takeover.

“Had a detailed and usefulexchange of views with myfriend President Putin on recent developments in Afghanistan,” Mr. Modi tweeted after the 45minuteconversation.

Among the particular

areas of concern were ensuring regional security, countering radicalisation andspread of “terrorist ideology”, and the proliferation ofdrugs as a consequence ofthe developments, a RussianEmbassy spokesperson said.

These were also issuesthat fi�gured as the NSAs fromIndia, Russia, China, Braziland South Africa met virtually, one of the key meetings inthe leadup to next month’sBRICS leaders’ summit,

which India is chairing.NSA Ajit Doval hosted the

virtual meeting. The Ministry of External Aff�airs saidthe meeting “reviewed theregional and global politicaland security scenario withparticular reference to current developments in Afghanistan, Iran, West Asiaand the Gulf, and emergingthreats to national security,such as cybersecurity”.

The meeting also discussed counterterrorism,

and India raised “the issue ofcrossborder terrorism andactivities of groups such asthe LashkareTaiba [LeT]and JaisheMohammed[JeM], which enjoy State support and threaten peace andsecurity,” it said.

The Ministry added thatthe representatives “adopted and recommended theBRICS Counter TerrorismAction Plan”.

On Afghanistan, there doremain diff�erences withinthe grouping, with Chinaand Russia broadly aligningtheir positions.

China and Russia, alongwith Pakistan, are among thefew countries that continueto keep their embassies openin Afghanistan in contrast toIndia, which has evacuatedall diplomatic personnel.

Both Russia and Chinacontinue to maintain theirdiplomatic presence in Kabul and have hosted Talibandelegations on a number of

occasions, most recently byChina on July 28. However,both are yet to off�er recognition to the new regime.

How far India and Russiacan indeed coordinate theirstrategies, as both leadersdiscussed on Tuesday, remains to be seen.

Both Indian and Russianoffi�cials said it was signifi�cant that Mr. Putin reachedout to Mr. Modi directly, indicating the Russian interest inworking with India bilaterally, and multilaterally at theUnited Nations SecurityCouncil (UNSC) and at otherforums like BRICS, despitethe diff�erences between India and China on the Afghanistan issue, and on the role ofPakistan in facilitating theTaliban. China’s Foreign Ministry said in a statementthat the BRICS NSA’s meetwas “an important platformfor the fi�ve countries tostrengthen political securitycooperation”.

Modi, Putin discuss crisis in Afghanistan National Security Advisers of BRICS nations also met virtually to discuss developments in Kabul

Suhasini Haidar

Ananth Krishnan

Diplomatic ties: NSA Ajit Doval and other offi�cials during avirtual meeting of BRICS NSAs in New Delhi. * PTI

There are no requests fromthe United Nations SecurityCouncil’s (UNSC) permanentmembers for the delisting ofthe Taliban’s top leadershipfrom sanctions thus far, offi�cials said here. They also refuted reports that the nextmeeting of the UN’s 1988Sanctions Committee, duenext month, would lift restrictions on designated terrorists like Sirajuddin Haqqani and Mullah Baradar.

Sources told The Hinduthat the next meeting of theTaliban Sanctions Committee, as the resolution 1988committee is referred to, isdue to be held in “midSeptember”, ahead of an important meeting to discuss therenewal of the mandate ofthe UN Assistance Mission in

Afghanistan (UNAMA),which expires on September17.

India’s Permanent Representative to the UN (UNPR),T.S. Tirumurti, is the Chairman of the committee untilDecember 31 this year, and iskey to deciding the date ofthe meetings, and scrutinising requests to delist the Tali

ban leaders. While diplomats from at

least three countries as wellas External Aff�airs Ministryoffi�cials confi�rmed that therewere no requests to dedesignate or delist any of the sanctioned 135 individuals andfi�ve entities, they said a decision was likely to be taken onwhether to extend the spe

cial travel exemptions givento 14 Taliban members toparticipate in the “peace andreconciliation eff�orts”. Themeeting could also discusswhether to include other Taliban leaders in theexemptions.

Signifi�cant for India The reports concerning Sirajuddin Haqqani are signifi�cant for India as he and theHaqqani group, founded byhis father Jalaluddin Haqqani, are wanted for the IndianEmbassy bombings in Kabulin 2008 and 2009. Around70 persons were killed in theattacks.

In November 2012, Indiawas instrumental, as thethen President of the UN Security Council, in ensuringthat the Haqqani group wasdesignated as a terror entity.

Sirajuddin, deputy to Taliban chief Haibatullah Akhundzada, is now likely tohave considerable infl�uencein the next government in Afghanistan. His brother AnasHaqqani, who was arrestedin 2014 for fi�nancing thegroup’s terror attacks andwas released as part of a hostage swap in 2019 from Bagram prison, is now one ofthe chief negotiators in government formation talks inKabul.

This is the fi�rst time thecommittees would meet after the Taliban takeover ofKabul on August 15. Thestand taken by the UNSCmembers, particularly theP5 — the U.S., Russia, China,France and the U.K. — wouldindicate how they intend toapproach a future Talibanled regime in Afghanistan.

No request to delist Taliban leaders: offi�cials Series of September meetings key to decide UNSC stand on takeover in Afghanistan

Afghan police securing the site of a suicide car bomb blast atthe Indian Embassy in Kabul in 2008. * REUTERS

Suhasini Haidar

NEW DELHI

India on Tuesday hoped thatthe situation in Afghanistandid not pose a challenge toits neighbours and the Afghan territory was not usedby terrorist groups such asthe LashkareTaiba (LeT)and the JaisheMohammed( JeM) to threaten othercountries, as it pitched foran inclusive and broadbased dispensation in Kabulthat represented all sectionsof Afghan society.

In his address at a specialsession of the UN HumanRights Council on the situation in Afghanistan, IndianAmbassador to the UN in Geneva Indra Mani Pandey saida “grave” humanitarian crisis was unfolding in thecountry and everyone wasconcerned about the increasing violations of fundamental rights of the Afghanpeople.

He said India hoped thatthe situation stabilised soon,and the parties concerned

addressed the humanitarianand security issues.

“We also hope that thereis an inclusive and broadbased dispensation that represents all sections of Afghan society. Voices of Afghan women, aspirations ofAfghan children and therights of minorities must berespected,” he said.

“A broadbased representation would help the arrangement gain more acceptability and legitimacy,” headded.

‘Hope Afghan crisis does notpose challenge to neighbours’India pitches for inclusive, broadbased dispensation in Kabul


New Delhi

Papua New Guinea indefi�nitely banned fl�ights fromIndia on Tuesday and accused the country’s diplomats of “deception” overapparent breaches to COVID19 travel rules.

The nation’s top COVID19 offi�cial said in an actof deliberate “deception”,India’s High Commissionhelped dozens of unauthorised travellers, some COVID19 positive, to arrive inPapua New Guinea. A repatriation charter fl�ight fromIndia arrived in Papua NewGuinea on Tuesday with 111persons on board, 30 morethan the number approved, the offi�cials said.

Papua NewGuinea bansIndia fl�ights

Agence France-Presse

Port Moresby An outreach from the Canadiangovernment towards the Sikhs ofAfghanistan has jeopardised India’s ongoing operation to evacuate stranded persons, said a civilsociety leader.

Vikramjit Singh Sahney, entrepreneur and chairman of Sun

Foundation, who has been coordinating the evacuation processfrom Kabul, said the Canadian attempt to take Sikhs out of Afghanistan has put the Indian initiativeat risk. “At least 210 Sikhs remainin Kabul... A part of the group hasgone into the refugee centre runby Canada, which is creating problems for coordination,” he said.

‘Canada outreach imperils Sikhevacuation from Afghanistan’special correspondent

NEW DELHI

CMYK

A ND-NDE


DELHI THE HINDU


NEWS

(set by Gussalufz)

Never go off� the grid.

We are digital now. Come solve online.

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

■ ACROSS

1 Mister, after downing one, signs contracts (7)

5 Still wearing extremely painful small suits? (7)

9 Identify those responsible as mean men going berserk (4,5)

10 Adherent of church in Dublin (5)

11 Greek god with horns and claws, hiding an egg in baggy attire (10)

12 Crooked tendency (4)

14 Model is suffering quietly in a state of panic (8)

16 One’s late looking for a bite (6)

19 Country’s leader of Republicans is back, protected by another country (6)

20 Civil misconduct (exceptionally rude!) caused grief (8)

23 Head off to sea, fi�nally, with maiden (4)

25 Chart showing real range of cycling choices around European city (10)

28 Lecture about mask (5)

29 Macs with Cortana malfunctioning without one basic component of Siri (9)

30 Returning without covering the greatest mineralrich lakes? (7)

31 Crores made by good merchants (7)

■ DOWN

1 Boys reportedly getting marijuana in faraway cool area (7)

2 Movement spanning Virgil, Cicero, Byron, Coleridge, and Shelley (9)

3 Some assassin in Japan (5)

4 My API’s designed using Unix/Linux conventions (8)

5 Appointment where model is drawn? (6)

6 Imitation of one has come up regularly (4)

7 Because greed or lust leads to corruption, eventually (5)

8 Bus is close by, heading to township at outskirts of Lahore (7)

13 New Zealand cricketer called for run (4)

15 Send husband to fi�ll drink (4)

17 Block uncontrolled access to club... i.e., card properly! (9)

18 Spooner calling out pitch section with uneven movement (8)

19 Concentrate again and correct course, admitting a little failure (7)

21 Doctor sees fractured top of shoulder and bandages (7)

22 Peculiar actions of fast bowlers employing the middle part of arm for a bit

of chucking (6)

24 One by one, receives two introductions to algebra, involving X/Y (5)

26 Somewhat not certain about front page? (5)

27 Temper bottled up by “positive India” (4)

SCAN TO PLAY

+ 13335SUDOKU

Solution to puzzle 13334 Solution to yesterday’s Sudoku

DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD

In Srimad Bhagavatam, Lord Krishna explains the three gunas to Uddhava, said P.T. Seshadri in a discourse. A personwho has sattva guna is always awake. Even when it seems asif he is asleep, he is actually meditating on the Lord. Onewith rajas has many dreams when he sleeps. The one withtamas has deep sleep. Uddhava wants to know what heshould do to reach the feet of Lord Krishna. Krishna repliesthat those with sattva guna will reach a higher loka. Thosewith rajas will be reborn as humans. If the guna of tamas ispredominant in a man, naraka is guaranteed for him, andonce he has paid for his karma in naraka, he will be rebornas an animal, bird or plant.

Krishna says that if a person thinks of the Lord at the timeof death, he will reach His feet. We see how the story of Jadabharata illustrates that worldly aff�ections undo the goodeff�ects of tapas. Jadabharata knew the value of detachmentand moved to a forest to do penance. One day, he happenedto rescue a newborn deer. He took it to his ashram and caredfor it. In course of time, the deer became the centre of hislife, and he could not concentrate on his tapas. Even whenhe died, his thoughts were about the deer. Because his lastthoughts were not about the Supreme One, all his penancewent to waste and he did not attain liberation.

Krishna says even food habits can be classifi�ed as sattvic,rajasic and tamasic. That which has been off�ered to theLord, and that which is good for our health is sattvic food.Eating what the tongue likes is rajasic. Eating what is bad forone's health and eating that which is not off�ered to God is tamasic. He who conquers rajas and tamas, who worships theLord in archa form and spends his entire life meditating onthe Lord will attain moksha.

FAITH

Conquering rajas, tamas

The complacency in people’s behaviour early thisyear was one of the majorreasons for the severe second COVID19 wave, say experts. Also, with only 15% ofthe eligible population fullyvaccinated so far, “if the infection spreads uncontrollably, it will give the virus anopportunity to mutate more.These mutations can changeits characteristics — it can become less or more transmissible or virulent,” cautionedGitanjali Batmanabane, Director of AIIMS,Bhubaneswar.

She said that the only wayto contain the virus spreadwas by following COVID19appropriate behaviour at alltimes.

Ramji Singh, Director ofAIIMS, Kalyani, West Bengal,said, “Any carelessness dur

ing the coming festivals orduring the opening up maylead to a sudden surge in thenumber of cases. Though thedaily positivity rate has beenless than 3% for the last 23days, the upcoming festivalsmay help the virus to surge,jeopardising our gain in controlling the pandemic.”

The warning assumesgreater importance giventhat a majority of the population, which is not completelyvaccinated, continues to bevulnerable to a potentialthird wave.

“India has provided oneCOVID vaccination dose to45.6 crore people, that is

49% of the adult populationof about 94 crore, and twodoses to 13.28 crore people,that is 14% of the adult population,” NITI Aayog member(Health) V.K. Paul told TheHindu.

Gagandeep Kang, leadingvirologist and Professor atthe Christian Medical College, Vellore, spoke aboutthe need for a quicker paceof vaccination.

Priority groupsShe said, “We should be trying to get as high as possible,as fast as possible. Unfortunately with supply being limited, we can only move atthe pace which supply dictates. But within supply, weneed to prioritise vulnerablegroups and we have not beenmonitoring coverage bypriority groups beyondhealthcare and frontlineworkers. I am told that by

last week only 60% of thoseabove 60 years have beenreached with one dose ofvaccine and 30% with twodoses and that is really lowgiven that we started to vaccinate them on March 1.”

Dr. Kang also stressed better tracking. “Pregnant women need coverage as priority group 2, according to theWorld Health Organisation[WHO]. I think we are already seeing some impact of thevaccines, but we need bettertracking. We need at least75% coverage in prioritygroups with both doses before we move to newgroups.”

The Ministry noted thatmore than 57.15 crore doseshave been provided to theStates and Union Territoriesso far through the Central government’s freeofcostchannel and through directState procurement category.

Experts seek faster pace of vaccinationThey also highlight the need to follow COVIDappropriate behaviour and keep complacency at bay

Bindu Shajan Perappadan

NEW DELHI

Marking a fi�rst in ammunition supply by the privatesector to the Army, Nagpurbased Economic ExplosivesLimited (EEL) handed overthe fi�rst batch of MultiModeHand Grenades (MMHG) onTuesday.

“The fi�rst batch of MMHGmanufactured by EEL following Transfer of Technology from Terminal BallisticsResearch Laboratory of Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO),was handed over to the Army in the presence of Defence Minister Rajnath Singhin Nagpur,” a Defence Ministry statement said.

The EEL had taken thetechnology from DRDO in2016, the statement said.

“Extensive trials were successfully undertaken by theArmy and Directorate General of Quality Assurance(DGQA) in 201718 in plains,deserts and high altitudes

over summer and winter,” itstated.

The MMHG grenades willreplace Grenade No. 36 ofWorld War I vintage designstill in service. The EEL hadsigned a contract with theMinistry of Defence on October 1, 2020 to supply 10lakh modern hand grenadesto the Army and Air Force.The deliveries will be spreadover two years from the bulkproduction clearance,which was accorded to EELin March 2021, the statementadded.

Talking of the initiative oftechnology transfer to Industries by DRDO, Mr. Singhsaid that this was being undertaken free of cost, whileproviding access to testingfacilities and over 450 patents.

Technology from the DRDO was sourced in 2016


NEW DELHI

Rajnath Singh with areplica of the hand grenadefrom EEL.

In a fi�rst, Army receives handgrenades from private sector

A Division Bench of the Supreme Court on Tuesday referred to a larger Bench anappeal fi�led by the Employees Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) challenging a decision of the KeralaHigh Court, which set asideamendments to “determination of pensionable salary”under the Employees Pension Scheme (EPS) of 1995 as“ultra vires”.

A Bench of Justices U.U.Lalit and Ajay Rastogi foundthat an authoritative decision on the question of lawconcerning the amendments should be made inconsideration with a 2016decision of another twojudge Bench of the SupremeCourt in the R.C. Guptacase. Justice Lalit’s Benchsaid a larger Bench of atleast three judges shouldconsider the appeal againstthe background of the “governing principles” laiddown in the R.C. Guptacase, which “go to the rootof the matter” in thisappeal.

The appeal was referredto the Chief Justice of Indiafor forming a larger Bench.

The dispute revolvesaround the controversialamendments made toClause 11(3) of the EPS1995.

Challenges to the EPSamendments said they wereskewed. The people whochallenged the amendmentscame from all walks of lifeand work. They sought amore secure life with decentpension.

In the earlier version ofEPS1995, the maximumpensionable salary cap was₹�6,500. However, members

whose salaries exceededthis cap could opt, alongwith their employers, tocontribute up to 8.33% oftheir actual salaries.

Raising of capThe amendments raised thecap from ₹�6,500 to ₹�15,000.But the amendments saidonly employees, who wereexisting EPS members as onSeptember 1, 2014, couldcontinue to contribute tothe pension fund in accordance with their actual salaries. They were given awindow of six months to optfor the new pension regime.

However, the changedpension regime introducedthrough the amendmentsmeant that someone whobecame an EPS member after September 1, 2014 wouldnot get pension on a parwith his or her actual salary.

“That is, even if your salary is ₹�1 lakh, you will getpension only for a salary₹�15000,” advocate Nishe Rajen Shonker, for the mainrespondents, explained.

The case concerns thousands of employees andpensioners who draw merely ₹�2,000 or ₹�,3000 as pension. The EPFO has arguedin favour of the amendments, saying the HighCourt had not only defeatedthe “object and purpose ofEPS1995 but will also prejudice the interests of thelower waged employees”.

Dispute linked to amendments


NEW DELHI

EPFO appeal goes to larger SC Bench

The Sahitya Akademi onTuesday named authorsYashodhara Mishra andOmcherry N.N. Pillai as thewinners of the 2020awards for their works inOdia and Malayalam,respectively.

Ms. Mishra has been selected for her work Samu-drakula Ghara and Mr. Pillai for his workAkasmikam: OmcheriyuteOrmmakkurippukal, astatement said.

Both winners would receive a “casket containingan engraved copperplaque” and cheques of ₹�1lakh at a formal ceremonyto be held at a later date,the statement added.

Akademiawards forPillai, Mishra


New Delhi

In the last three years, since2018, the defence trade between India and Russia was$15 billion because of somebig ticket defence deals, saidVictor N. Kladov, Head of International Cooperation andRegional Policy of Rostecstate corporation.

The S400 air defence systems deal, for which deliveries are scheduled to begin ina few months, was on schedule, Mr. Kladov said, whiledownplaying the threat ofU.S. sanctions under CAATSA (Countering America’sAdversaries Through Sanctions Act).

“Indian government

stands very fi�rm in protecting national interests… Sincegetting S400 is very important to enhance national airdefence, defi�nitely India willcontinue implementing thiscontract,” Mr. Kladov said ina conversation with The Hin-du at the ongoing Army 2021exhibition.

Stating that CAATSA wasnot targeted against Russiabut against third countriescooperating with Russia, Mr.

Kladov said it was for the Indian side to decide “how toprotect itself”.

“When it comes to ourside, we are very helpful. Forinstance, we protect ourbanking systems by doingpayments in national currencies,” he said.

Mr. Kladov said they hadno problems as far as payments are concerned. “At every stage of the contract,there is an instalment pay

ment. We are movingsmoothly because we aregetting instalmentpayments.”

As reported by The Hinduearlier, deliveries of S400long range air defence systems are scheduled to beginby November.

Air Force trained“One team of Indian AirForce (IAF) offi�cials has beentrained in Russia to operatethe system and a secondteam is being trained now,”said Vyacheslav K. Dzirkaln,Deputy Director General forforeign economic activitiesof Almaz Antey, which manufactures the S400, on thesidelines of Army 2021.

In October 2018, Indiaand Russia signed a $5.43 billion deal for fi�ve S400 regiments despite objectionsfrom the United States.

S400 air defence deal on track: RostecRussian offi�cialconfi�dent ofcontinuing ties

Dinakar Peri

MOSCOW

The Narendra Modi government is selling India’s“crown jewels”, built overthe past 70 years with publicmoney, to help three or fourpeople, former Congresspresident Rahul Gandhi saidabout the National Monetisation Pipeline (NMP) onTuesday.

Addressing a press conference along with former Finance Minister P. Chidambaram, Mr. Gandhi said theNMP is “designed to createmonopolies through privatisation” and will eventually

take away jobs from theyouth. He said job reservations would be impacted bythe privatisation.

“The Prime Minister andthe BJP (Bharatiya JanataParty) used to say that theCongress Party has done

nothing in 70 years. There isa list here of all the assetsthat the Congress Partyhelped build. These assetshave been built using publicmoney, thousands and thousands of crores of rupees,over the last 70 years. Now,the Prime Minister is in theprocess of selling the crownjewels of this country,” Mr.Gandhi told reporters.

Mr. Chidambaram said,“You don’t embark uponthis exercise without consultation with stakeholders...This is all hatched in secrecyin this wonderful organisation call NITI Aayog.”

Govt. selling India’s crownjewels, says Rahul GandhiHe denounces the National Monetisation Pipeline


New Delhi

Rahul Gandhi and P.Chidambaram

Union Minister Smriti Iranitook on Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over his criticism of the government’smonetisation programme,stating that the party was“upset” that India will make₹�6 lakh crore from that exercise. She reiterated that theCongress was trying to tarnish the Centre’s image forworking to fi�ll state coff�erstransparently while keepingthem secure from the “robbers” of the oppositionparty.

In a personal attack, theMinister said: “This man’s(Rahul Gandhi) politics begins with hypocrisy, is sus

tained through arroganceand ends with contempt,”adding that the Congressleader on Tuesday displayed all of it.

Recalls UPA decisionsShe pointed out that thecoalition government inMaharashtra, of which theCongress is a member, hadmonetised the MumbaiPune Expressway for₹�8,000 crore, asking if Mr.Gandhi’s charge meant ithad sold the asset. The UPAgovernment at the Centrehad fl�oated an RFP in 2008regarding the New DelhiRailway Station and startedairport privatisation in2006, Ms Irani said.

Cong. tarnishing eff�ortsto fi�ll state coff�ers: IraniMinister reacts to Rahul’s remarks


NEW DELHI The entire section on Indian “culture and heritage”of a governmentrun website was erased on Tuesday, a day after the description of the Mughal empireas “one of the greatest”,was removed from it following some protests onTwitter.

As reported by The Hin-du, the Ministry of Electronics and InformationTechnology (MeitY) onMonday deleted the parafrom its KnowIndia.gov.insite.

On Tuesday, the culturesection, which had the information on Mughals, wasno longer available.

Govt. websiteremovesculture page


New Delhi

AttorneyGeneral K.K. Venugopal in the SupremeCourt on Tuesdayslammed the Bombay HighCourt’s decision to acquit aman charged with assaultunder the Protection ofChildren from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO) solelyon the ground that hegroped the child over herclothes without ‘skintoskin’ contact.

“Someone can wear asurgical glove and exploit achild and get away scotfree... This is an outrageous order,” Mr. Venugopalexclaimed.

The court scheduled thecase for hearing on September 14.

AG slamsacquittal inPOCSO case

Legal Correspondent

NEW DELHI

CMYK

A ND-NDE

WORLDEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

THE HINDU DELHI


The Taliban must “guarantee” safe passage for thosefl�eeing Afghanistan beyondthe current August 31 evacuation deadline, the G7agreed on Tuesday, according to British Prime MinisterBoris Johnson.

Mr. Johnson, who convened the emergency meeting, said that he and his colleagues had agreed to “aroad map for the way inwhich we’re going to engagewith the Taliban” in future.

But he added that the“number one condition” was“to guarantee... through August 31 and beyond, a safepassage for those who wantto come out”.

The U.K. chaired theemergency talks among thegroup of wealthy countrieson Tuesday, saying it wouldurge Mr. Biden to extend hisAugust 31 deadline to pullAmerican forces out of Af

ghanistan. France also calledon Washington to push backthe timeline.

However, Mr. Biden decided after the G7 talks that hewould stick to the deadline,U.S. media reported.

Britain’s Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said earlieron Tuesday it was “unlikely”evacuations from Afghanistan would be extendedbeyond August 31.

The G7 leaders alsoagreed that the Talibanwould be “held accountablefor their actions on preventing terrorism, on humanrights in particular those ofwomen, girls and minoritiesand on pursuing an inclusivepolitical settlement in Afghanistan”, according to astatement issued by Mr.Johnson’s Downing Streetoffi�ce.

Taliban must guarantee safe passage: G7British PM Boris Johnson says the leaders have agreed on a road map for engaging with Afghanistan


London

Safety fi�rst: Members of the British and U.S. armed forcesevacuating people at Kabul airport. * AFP

Chairman and chief executive of the media conglomerate MOBY GROUP, which operates in South Asia, CentralAsia, West Asia and Africa,Saad Mohseni is Afghanistan’s topmost media entrepreneur. Named by TimeMagazine as one of the 100most infl�uential people inthe world, by Foreign Policymagazine as among 100 Global Thinkers, and by the BBCas one of the 10 men globallychampioning gender equality, Mohseni has modernisedthe media scene in Afghanistan over the past 20 years.Excerpts:

How is the situation outside

Kabul?

■ Panjshir Valley has seensome clashes. The opposition forces there seem tohave helicopters fl�ying inand out of the Kabul airport.They are not totally surrounded by the Taliban andcan get ammunition andsupplies via helicopters.There have also been clashesin the east of the country, involving the Islamic State.There have been some civildisturbances, people protesting and coming out ontothe streets. But generallyspeaking, the situationseems to be pretty much under the control of theTaliban.

Have you been speaking to

any major political players in

the past couple of weeks,

particularly the Taliban?

■ We talk to everyone regularly — former President Hamid Karzai, Abdullah Abdullah, other government

offi�cials. We also speak to theTaliban obviously.

We are trying to fi�gure outwhat are the best ways of engaging with this new movement that is going to takecharge.

You own and run a lion’s

share of media in

Afghanistan. What are your

concerns right now, as an

entrepreneur who has

invested heavily in the media

in Afghanistan?

■ I think continuity of whatwe have been doing for 20years in the same way is ourmain concern. The lives andwellbeing of our staff� are very important for us. A lot ofour staff� members are leaving or have left. In terms ofcontinuity, it is important forus to keep broadcasting andreporting on facts as we havedone so far. We would like toremain the truth tellers thatwe have been, championingthe narratives and valuesthat are important to us,such as women’s rights, freedom of expression and minority rights.

Have you received any clear

assurance from the Taliban

that they would not interfere

with the way you run your

media outlets?

■ Yes. They have visited us,were interviewed by us. As amatter of fact, their deputycultural commissioner wason our morning programme.They came to our stationtwo days ago (Saturday) andgave us verbal assurances.

Are you seeing any signs that

Taliban 2.0 will be more

benign, inclusive, and

tolerant?

■ It is mixed, but overall thesigns are good. This could bejust a strategy to win oversupport both domesticallyand internationally. But thesigns are more positive because there is a realisationamong the senior membersof the Taliban that the country has changed.

You have to rememberthat the Afghan population,which was 21 million, is now35 million, an increase of70%.

Sixtyfi�ve per cent of thepopulation is under the ageof 20, and these people never experienced a Talibantype rule. They use socialmedia, and are technosavvy, including young foot soldiers of the Taliban.

How inclusive can a Taliban

establishment get?

■ They have a constituencythat will demand a moreconservative approach. Theyhave to balance that with aworld that expects moremoderate, more liberal policies.

I think one of the reasonswhy it is important for people to engage, including yourgovernment, is because

there is this window to workwith them so that they dohave an inclusive approach.

Who are the Taliban in terms

of demographics?

■ The senior leadership hasalways been predominantlyfrom the greater Kandahararea. What they have attempted to do of late is to include others. They made inroads into the Tajiks and theUzbeks. The result of thatwas a total collapse of theNorth in their favour. TheKandahar Taliban are stillthe dominant ones, and theyare seen as more conservative, and perhaps more independent of Pakistan, unlike,say, the Haqqani network. Sowe will perhaps see this tugof war within the Taliban asto which group will prevailultimately.

India is nowhere in the

picture as far as Afghanistan

is concerned. How do you

look at it?

■ India’s blunder was that itsupported individuals ratherthan Afghanistan. They doubled down on a few individuals and backed them tothe hilt. The Indian government has to be pragmatic,and it has to deal with thingson the ground. India canplay a crucial role. India is afunder of big projects in Afghanistan. The Indiansought to reassess the waythey tackle this and becomea little bit more aggressive interms of their outreach withthe folks in Kabul today. It isimportant for India to thinklongterm.

(Shajahan Madampat isan Abu Dhabibased writerand cultural commentator)

INTERVIEW | SAAD MOHSENI

‘Situation under control of Taliban’ India can play a crucial role in Afghanistan, says the media entrepreneur

Shajahan Madampat

<> India’s blunder was

that it supported

individuals rather

than Afghanistan

VicePresident Kamala Harris accused China on Tuesday of intimidation in disputed Asian waters, seekingto rally regional allies as theUnited States’ superpowerstatus takes a hit overAfghanistan.

Her comments in Singapore came as Washingtonseeks to reset relations inAsia after the turbulent Donald Trump era and build abulwark against the risingmight of Beijing. But her tripto the region, which also includes a stop in Vietnam,comes as Washington facesfresh questions over its dependability amid the U.S.pullout from Afghanistan.

In a speech laying out heradministration’s foreign policy goals, Ms. Harris reiterated that Washington had “en

during commitments” inAsia — and took aim at China. “Beijing continues tocoerce, to intimidate and tomake claims to the vast majority of the South ChinaSea,” she said. “Beijing’s actions continue to underminethe rulesbased order andthreaten the sovereignty ofnations.”

Beijing hits backBut Beijing hit back, holdingup the Afghan debacle as anexample of Washington’s“selfi�sh” foreign policy, andaccusing Washington of“bullying, hegemonic behaviour”. “The current eventsin Afghanistan clearly tell uswhat the rules and order theU.S. speaks of are,” China’sForeign Ministry spokesmanWang Wenbin said.

China claims almost all ofthe resourcerich South Chi

na Sea, through which trillions of dollars in shippingtrade passes annually, withcompeting claims from fourSoutheast Asian states aswell as Taiwan.

Ms. Harris also sought toallay fears that growing U.S.China tensions could forcecountries that have strongties with both of the world’stop economies to choosesides. “Our engagement inSoutheast Asia and the IndoPacifi�c is not against any onecountry, nor is it designed tomake anyone choose between countries,” she said.

In Tuesday’s speech, shedefended Biden’s decision topush ahead with the U.S.pullout from Afghanistan as“courageous and right” andreiterated that the U.S. offi�cials were “laserfocused”on the chaotic evacuationfrom Kabul airport.

Kamala Harris accuses China of‘intimidation’ in disputed seasIt continues to undermine the rulesbased order, she says


Singapore

Mangala Samaraweera, aformer Foreign Minister ofSri Lanka and a notable advocate of liberalism from thecountry’s dominant SinhalaBuddhist polity, passed awayat a private hospital in Colombo after treatment forCOVID19related complications failed. He was 65.

Raised in capital Colombo, Mr. Samaraweera hailedfrom the southern Mataradistrict where he began hispolitical career as a chief organiser for the Sri LankaFreedom Party (SLFP). Fromthe late 1980s, Mr. Samaraweera campaigned for women whose sons or husbands who disappeared orwere killed in the government’s crackdown againstthe leftist Janatha VimukthiPeramuna ( JVP) that led twoarmed insurrections againstthe State. He was a coconvener of the ‘Mothers’ Front’movement, along with PrimeMinister Mahinda Rajapaksa,

his party colleague then,raising human rights violations during Ranasinghe Premadasa’s tenure as President.

Having built his politicalcareer in the SLFP, mainlyunder Presidents ChandrikaBandaranaike Kumaratungaand Mahinda Rajapaksa, Mr.Samaraweera defected to therival United National Party(UNP) in 2010, after he fellout with Mr. Rajapaksa.

Mr. Samaraweera rose toCabinet rank during diff�erent dispensations, making amark in key Ministries atchallenging times for thecountry. He served as Foreign Minister twice, from

2005 to 2007 in Mr. Rajapaksa’s fi�rst term as President,and from 2015 to 2017 in theMaithripala SirisenaRanilWickremesinghe ‘nationalunity’ government, when heengaged closely with the international community, withSri Lanka promising to fulfi�lseveral commitments towards postwar accountability and transitional justice.Despite his eff�orts, the ‘national unity’ government iswidely criticised for failing tofulfi�l its commitments, especially those made to the waraff�ected Tamil community.He shared a special friendship with then External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj.

Call for U-turnMr. Samaraweera stayed outof the August 2020 parliamentary elections that sawthe Rajapaksas consolidatepower in the legislature.Slamming the culture of militarisation, ethnic and religious polarisation in Sri Lan

ka, Mr. Samaraweera calledfor “a radical centre”, with a“commitment to liberalismand centrist values”. He remained a bold voice over thelast few years, critical of theRajapaksa administration’sdomestic and foreign policy.He stood out, challengingthe Buddhist clergy whowield great infl�uence in politics, and consistently speaking for minority rights.

In a social media post lastmonth, Mr. Samaraweera indicated he was disillusionedwith the country’s two mainpolitical parties — SLFP andUNP — of which he was partof at diff�erent times. Theirlatest versions — the rulingSri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP or People’s Front)of the Rajapaksas and themain Opposition party Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB,or United People’s Front) —were “two sides of the samecoin”, he said. Sri Lanka is“desperately gasping for a total Uturn” in policy direction, he wrote on July 28.

The former Foreign Minister of Sri Lanka was under treatment for COVID19

Meera Srinivasan

Mangala Samaraweera

Samaraweera, an advocate of liberalism, dies

Pakistan on Tuesday successfully test launched a indigenously developedguided multilaunch rocketsystem, Fatah1.

“The weapon systemwill give Pakistan Army thecapability of precision target engagement deep inenemy territory,” the Armysaid in a statement. The Army said the rocket was capable of delivering conventional warheads.

This was the secondfl�ight of Fatah1, after itsfi�rst launch in January. TheArmy had then said thatthe system can hit targetsup to a range of 140 km.

Pakistan testsindigenous rocket system


Islamabad

Rolling Stones drummerCharlie Watts dies at 80LONDON

Charlie Watts, the drummer

of the legendary British rock

‘n’ roll band the Rolling

Stones, died on Tuesday at

the age of 80. Watts was

known as the quiet man of

the band which helped define

the Swinging Sixties with

timeless hits such as “Jumpin’

Jack Flash” and “(I Can’t Get

No) Satisfaction”. His level

head off the stage was

reflected in his metronomic

time-keeping on stage,

counterbalancing the energy

and charisma of singer Mick

Jagger and guitarists Keith

Richards and Ronnie Wood.

ELSEWHERE

The Taliban on Tuesdayurged skilled Afghans not tofl�ee the country, as the newrulers of Afghanistanwarned the U.S. and its NATO allies they would not accept an extension to a looming evacuation deadline.

A spokesman for the Islamist group told America tostop taking “Afghan experts” such as engineersand doctors out of the country. “This country needstheir expertise. They shouldnot be taken to other countries,” Taliban spokesmanZabihullah Mujahid told apress conference in Kabul.

European nations havesaid they would not be ableto airlift atrisk Afghans be

fore the August 31 cutoff�,and U.S. President Joe Bidenhas faced calls from all corners to extend the evacuation window. But speakingat the press conference, Mujahid said the group opposed an extension. “Theyhave planes, they have theairport, they should gettheir citizens and contractors out of here,” he said.

He also added that women Afghan governmentworkers should stay homeuntil security conditions inthe country improved.

According to The Washington Post, CIA chief William Burns held a secretmeeting in Kabul on Monday with Taliban cofounderMullah Abdul GhaniBaradar.

Stop airlifting skilledAfghans, Taliban tell U.S.Agence France-Presse

Kabul

Hong Kong will scrutinisepast fi�lms for national security breaches under a toughnew censorship law announced on Tuesday in thelatest blow to the fi�nancialhub’s political and artisticfreedoms. Authorities haveembarked on a sweepingcrackdown to root out Beijing’s critics after democracyprotests convulsed the citytwo years ago.

A new Chinaimposed security law and an offi�cialcampaign dubbed “Patriotsrule Hong Kong” has sincecriminalised much dissentand strangled the democra

cy movement. Authoritiesin June said the city’s censorship board would checkany future fi�lms for contentthat breached the securitylaw.

But on Tuesday they unveiled a new censorship lawwhich would also cover anytitles that had previouslybeen given a green light.“Any fi�lm for public exhibition, past, present and future, will need to get approval,” Commerce SecretaryEdward Yau told reporters.

The maximum sentencefor showing illegal fi�lms willbe increased to up to threeyears jail and a HK$1 million($130,000) fi�ne.

Hong Kong to check oldfi�lms for security breachesCity announces new censorship law


Hong Kong

CMYK

A ND-NDE

BUSINESSEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

DELHI THE HINDU


NIFTY 50

PRICE CHANGE

Adani Ports. . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . 695.40. . . . . . . 27.10

Asian Paints. . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . 3045.95. . . . . . -31.50

Axis Bank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . 746.35. . . . . . . 10.25

Bajaj Auto . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . 3714.75. . . . . . . 46.50

Bajaj Finserv. . . . . . . . . . .. 16461.70. . . 1189.80

Bajaj Finance . . . . . . . . . .. . . . 6980.10. . . . . 227.90

Bharti Airtel . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . 620.10. . . . . . . . -2.55

BPCL. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . 456.40. . . . . . . . . 4.70

Britannia Ind . . . . . . . . . .. . . . 3812.20. . . . . . -54.05

Cipla . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . 917.65. . . . . . . 19.30

Coal India . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . 136.20. . . . . . . . . 2.25

Divis Lab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . 4863.20. . . . . . -11.45

Dr Reddys Lab . . . . . . . .. . . . 4587.40. . . . . . . 72.55

Eicher Motors. . . . . . . . .. . . . 2547.90. . . . . . . . . 3.90

Grasim Ind . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . 1460.15. . . . . . . 19.50

HCL Tech. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . 1152.90. . . . . . -10.20

HDFC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . 2691.25. . . . . . -30.70

HDFC Bank. . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . 1558.85. . . . . . . 34.25

HDFC Life . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . 671.10. . . . . . . . . 2.30

Hero MotoCorp . . . . . .. . . . 2675.85. . . . . . . . -4.75

Hindalco . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . 420.85. . . . . . . 14.00

Hind Unilever . . . . . . . . .. . . . 2633.00. . . . . . . . -1.15

ICICI Bank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . 694.45. . . . . . . 11.75

IndusInd Bank . . . . . . . .. . . . 1005.05. . . . . . . 16.45

Infosys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . 1720.85. . . . . . -17.90

Indian OilCorp . . . . . . . .. . . . . . 105.90. . . . . . . . . 2.90

ITC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . 205.75. . . . . . . . -0.55

JSW Steel. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . 691.65. . . . . . . . . 7.45

Kotak Bank . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . 1704.90. . . . . . -11.95

L&T . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . 1605.80. . . . . . . 25.05

M&M . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . 778.15. . . . . . . 12.25

Maruti Suzuki . . . . . . . . .. . . . 6803.20. . . . . . -22.70

Nestle India Ltd. . . . .. 19779.85. . . -241.20

NTPC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . 113.95. . . . . . . . . 0.55

ONGC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . 113.20. . . . . . . . . 1.45

PowerGrid Corp . . . . .. . . . . . 176.60. . . . . . . . . 0.95

Reliance Ind . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . 2183.70. . . . . . . 21.35

SBI Life . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . 1160.40. . . . . . . 24.95

State Bank . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . 417.60. . . . . . . . . 8.10

Shree Cement . . . . . . . .. 26232.95. . . . . 247.00

Sun Pharma . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . 771.35. . . . . . . 12.00

Tata Consumer

Products Ltd. . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . 836.90. . . . . . . . . 4.40

Tata Motors . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . 279.80. . . . . . . . . 2.85

Tata Steel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . 1404.65. . . . . . . 46.00

TCS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . 3613.20. . . . . . -24.20

Tech Mahindra . . . . . . .. . . . 1463.35. . . . . . . 47.35

Titan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . 1869.60. . . . . . . . -0.75

UltraTech Cement. .. . . . 7455.35. . . . . 104.35

UPL. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . 731.05. . . . . . . 12.10

Wipro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . 633.55. . . . . . . . . 4.70

EXCHANGE RATES

Indicative direct rates in rupees a unitexcept yen at 4 p.m. on August 24

CURRENCY TT BUY TT SELL

US Dollar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . 73.99. . . . . . . 74.31

Euro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . 86.84. . . . . . . 87.21

British Pound. . . . . . . . . . . . .101.56. . . . 102.00

Japanese Yen (100) . .. . 67.42. . . . . . . 67.74

Chinese Yuan . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . 11.42. . . . . . . 11.47

Swiss Franc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . 81.03. . . . . . . 81.39

Singapore Dollar . . . . . . .. . 54.57. . . . . . . 54.81

Canadian Dollar. . . . . . . . .. . 58.67. . . . . . . 58.92

Malaysian Ringitt . . . . . .. . 17.53. . . . . . . 17.62

Source:Indian Bank

market watch

24-08-2021 % CHANGE

Sensex dddddddddddddddddddddd 55,959 ddddddddddddddd0.73

US Dollardddddddddddddddddddd 74.19 ddddddddddddddd0.04

Gold ddddddddddddddddddddddddddd 46,544 ddddddddddddddd0.69

Brent oil ddddddddddddddddddddd 70.54 ddddddddddddddd2.87

IN BRIEF

BYD India to unveileMPV for B2B segmentCHENNAI

BYD India, a subsidiary of the

Warren Buff�ettbacked EV

maker BYD, is planning to

unveil an electric MPV

(multipurpose vehicle) for

the B2B segment from Q4 of

2021. The decision to enter

the B2B segment was in line

with its electrifi�cation

transport solutions goal to

help India achieve its ESG

goals, BYD India said.

SriLankan to add Indiadestinations, fl�ightsMUMBAI

SriLankan Airlines said it will

strengthen India presence by

adding more destinations

and frequencies for

passenger convenience. It

would introduce a host of

frequency enhancements out

of key Indian cities into

Colombo from September 1.

Currently, India accounts for

more than 120 million

fullyvaccinated citizens that

has resulted in reawakening

interest in travel, it said.


SPORTEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

The Federation of Automobile Dealers Associations(FADA) on Tuesday urgedthe Centre to set up a framework to help protect therights of auto dealers in cases of sudden exits of manufacturers from the market.

Participating in the AutoRetail Conclave, attended bythe Union Minister of HeavyIndustries Mahendra NathPandey and SIAM PresidentKenichi Ayukawa, FADA alsosought industry status forthe auto retail sector to aid inbetter fi�nancing options.

Stressing the need forOEMs and dealers to worktogether as partners in orderto ensure a “winwin for all”,

Mr. Ayukawa called for dealer workshops to be allowedto function as inspection andcertifi�cation centres underthe vehicle scrappage policy.He said SIAM was also requesting the government tostart the fi�tness testing pro

cess much earlier in the lifeof a car, noting that the current 15year or 20year period appeared too long.

Addressing the minister,FADA President Vinkesh Gulati observed that his ministry gave permissions to

MNCs such as OEMs to set upbusinesses in India, and withthe government’s ‘Make inIndia’ initiative many newplayers were likely to cometo India.

‘High and dry’"Once they begin their journey, they appoint dealers astheir long term partners. It istheir sudden exits whichhamper both, an entrepreneur's zeal to do businesswith them and the customers who are left high and drywith no proper support forafter sales," he said.

Mr. Gulati said these exitsnot only tarnished the dealers' names, as they were theface of the brand, but alsoBrand India's value.

Need protection from suddenMNC exits: auto dealers to govt.FADA urges Centre to evolve a framework to help protect vehicle retailer’s rights


NEW DELHI

Much at stake: OEM exits hurt both an entrepreneur’s zeal todo business and the customers, says FADA’s Gulati. * H. VIBHU

The Centre is committed toensuring policy certaintyand regulators have a keyrole in ensuring the same,Union Minister for Financeand Corporate Aff�airs Nirmala Sitharaman said.

The government isworking with regulators onthe issue, she said while interacting with industrycaptains at a Confederation of Indian Industrymeeting here on Tuesday.

“Also, once the Development Finance Institution isoperational, it will performthe function of longtermlending which has traditionally been done bybanks,” Ms. Sitharamansaid and added that thiswould increase the competition for banks and alsoimprove their effi�ciency.

Centre willensure policycertainty: FM


MUMBAI

The semiconductor shortage problem faced by theautomobile industry is temporary and is expected to beover by 2022, Maruti SuzukiIndia Ltd. chairman R.C.Bhargava said on Tuesday.He also said that the company hadn’t faced a major impact due to it though production had been partly hit.

Addressing shareholdersat Maruti’s annual generalmeeting, held virtually, healso said the carmaker waslooking at the electric vehicles space but would enter itonly when it becomes feasible for customers in termsof aff�ordability and also forthe company to operatewithout making a loss.

“The shortage of semiconductors is a temporary

problem, partly due to COVID19. Our estimation isthat this... will be over by2022,” he said, respondingto a shareholder query.

“There has been a bit of ahit on production... we havehad to adjust but there is nomajor loss that we have tobe concerned about,” Mr.Bhargava added. He alsosaid MSIL had outlined a capex of ₹�4,500 crore in theongoing fi�scal year.

‘Chip shortage transient,likely to resolve by 2022’MSIL output hit only partly: Bhargava

PRESS TRUST OF INDIA

NEW DELHI

R. C. Bhargava

The Ministry of CorporateAff�airs has warned peopleagainst parking savings inNidhi companies, after itfound that none of thefi�rms that had applied sofar to be recognised underrelevant rules was compliant with the norms.

A large number of fi�rmsoperating as Nidhi companies had not even appliedfor recognition under section 406 of the CompaniesAct, 2013 and the amendedNidhi Rules of 2014 andwere thus in violation ofthe law, the Ministry said ina statement. “Of the 348...scrutinised, not a singlecompany could satisfy therequisite criteria.”

Govt. cautionssavers againstNidhi fi�rms


NEW DELHI

India’s gross domestic product (GDP) is expected tohave grown by about 18.5%with an upward bias in thefi�rst quarter, State Bank ofIndia’s researchers wrote intheir Ecowrap report.

This estimate is lowerthan the RBI’s GDP growthprojection of 21.4% for theAprilJune quarter.

“Based on our ‘Nowcasting’ model, the forecastedGDP growth for Q1... wouldbe around 18.5% (with upward bias),” they wrote.

Higher growth in Q1 ismainly due to a low base.

SBI has developed the‘Nowcasting Model’ with 41highfrequency indicators

associated with industrialactivity, service activity, andthe global economy.

The researchers expectgross value added (GVA) toexpand 15% in Q1FY22.

Meanwhile, the businessactivity index based on ultrahighfrequency indicators show a further increasein August, with the latestreading for the week endedAugust 16, at 103.3, it added.

GDP likely grew at 18.5%in AprilJune: SBI report Bank’s researchers see ‘upward bias’


MUMBAI India has overtaken theU.S. to become the secondmost soughtafter manufacturing destination globally, driven mainly by costcompetitiveness, according to real estate consultant Cushman & Wakefi�eld.

China retained the topslot, the consultant said inits 2021 Global Manufacturing Risk Index, which assessed the most advantageous locations formanufacturing among 47countries. The rankingsare determined based onfour parameters: the country’s capability to restartmanufacturing, businessenvironment, operatingcosts, and the risks.

‘India pips U.S.as hub formanufacturing’


NEW DELHI

The Supreme Court onTuesday directed the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) to not invokebank guarantees of BhartiAirtel for three weeks, towards recovery of ₹�1,376crore in AGR dues of Videocon TelecommunicationsLtd. Videocon had sold itsmobile spectrum to theBharti group.

A threejudge Bench ledby Justice L. Nageswara Raoprovided the temporary relief to the Bharti group (represented by senior advocate Shyam Divan) whichhad moved the apex courtchallenging the notice issued by DoT on August 17

for payment of AGR dues ofVideocon. DoT had askedBharti to pay within a weekof the date of the notice, failing which the bank guarantees were to be invoked.

Mr. Divan, in the courseof the hearing, agreed towithdraw from the SupremeCourt to approach the “appropriate forum” for redressal against the notice.

Granting it liberty to doso, the Bench in turn notedthat the DoT was “at libertyto raise all contentions”.The Bharti group has paid₹�18,004 crore in AGRrelated dues to DoT till March 31,2021, which is much morethan 10% of its total AGRdues of more than ₹�43,000crore, Mr. Divan argued.

‘Don’t invoke Bhartiguarantees for 3 weeks’SC directs DoT in Videocon AGR issue

Legal Correspondent

NEW DELHI City Union Bank Ltd. said itexpected total incrementalslippages for FY22 to remain fl�at or slip slightly below those of last fi�scal, witha few quarterly spikes.

“We are on track,” saidN. Kamakodi, MD & CEO,said in a call with analysts.“In Q1, the bank had a slippage of ₹�482 crore and slippages were front loaded.We feel it should be moderating going forward,” headded. “We [will] push thegrowth pedal only whenthe environment becomesconducive for... normal advances. We expect therewill not be any third wave;at the same time we arecautious,” he added.

CUB seesslippages fl�ator tad lower


CHENNAI

Bringing its performanceoriented N Line range ofcars to India, Hyundai Motor on Tuesday unveiled thei20 N Line with motorsportinspired styling andperformance.

The i20 N Line, which istargeted at young millennials, is powered by a 1litrepetrol Turbo GDI enginemated with sixspeed iMT(intelligent manual transmission) and sevenspeedDCT transmission options.

The car is capable ofachieving 0100 km acceleration in 9.9 seconds, andHyundai claims a fuel effi�ciency of up to 20.25 kilometre per litre. “Our fi�rstmodel under the N linerange — i20 N Line, showcases our commitment toredefi�ne mobility for Indianconsumers,” Hyundai Motor

India MD and CEO S.S. Kimsaid. “This is a diff�erent product from i20, and willmake performance drivingaccessible to all,” he said.

“We will subsequently introduce other models underthis range over the next fewyears in India,” he added.

The price of the carwould be announced in thefi�rst week of September, andi20 N Line would be retailedthrough 188 Signature outlets spread across 97 citiesin the country.

Hyundai Motor unveils i20 N Line in India‘Motorsport styling aimed at millennials’


NEW DELHI

S.S. Kim * SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

Wistron Infocomm Manufacturing, the Indian subsidiary of Taiwanbased Wistron Corporation, willmanufacture mobile devices, IT hardware and automotive EV products for Optiemus Electronics Limited(OEL).

Optiemus holds performancelinked incentive(PLI) for mobile phone manufacturing and IT hardware manufacturing, andhas plans to invest ₹�1,350crore in the next three tofi�ve years, the companysaid in a statement.

Apart from manufacturing mobile phones, Wistron and OEL would alsowork towards design andmanufacture of tablets,laptops, hearables/wearables, telecom products,IoT/industrial IoT andsmart meters/devices.

Wistron tomake mobilesfor Optiemus


Bengaluru

Open digital ecosystems willunlock more than $700 billion worth of business opportunities for India by 2030across sectors such ashealthcare, agriculture,MSMEs, education, and eland records, industry apexbody Nasscom said in a report on Tuesday.

Indian platformsThree of the largest publicdigital platforms in theworld — Aadhaar, UPI, andCoWIN — were from India,which had signifi�cantly fasttracked the country’s pivotto digitalisation and becomeintegral to its $5trillion dollar economy aspiration, thereport titled Digital India:The Platformisation Play,said. “As we move from pro

ducts to platforms, it is commendable to see how theseplatforms are now taking over the world,” said AjaySawhney, Secretary, MeitY.

“We aim to witness a seachange from making the government services availableto people in a more effi�cientyet convenient manner,” Mr.Sawhney added.

“Such platforms can not

only bridge the silos wework in, but also help us organise our data with thehelp of technology, creatingtremendous value for all stakeholders,” he said at theNasscom Cloud Summit,where the report wasunveiled.

“Digital platforms help inthe systematic creation ofvalue generation,” said Nandan Nilekani, foundingchairman, UIDAI, and cofounder and chairman, Infosys. “The collaborative wayof getting AI, data empowerment, and digital lending aresome areas where we will befocusing on in the near future,” he added.

India’s robust public digital platforms had been thebedrock of the country’s digital advantage, said DebjaniGhosh, president, Nasscom.

‘Open digital systems to unlock$700bn opportunities by 2030’ Sectors such as healthcare, agri to benefi�t, says Nasscom


Bengaluru

Ajay Sawhney

With rising soyabean prices escalating the poultryindustry’s costs, the Centreon Tuesday allowed the import of 1.2 million metrictonnes of crushed and deoiled genetically modifi�ed(GM) soya cake till October31, 2021.

The development assumes signifi�cance as protein sources like fi�sh, meatand milk have recordedhigh infl�ation, even as overall retail and food infl�ationmoderated slightly in July.

Soyabean meal is an essential raw material for thepoultry industry, but prices have more than doubledover the past couple ofmonths, prompting the national poultry breeders’body to approach the government for a nod to import 1.5 million tonnes ofGM soyabean meal.

Centre allowsGM soya cakeimports till Oct.


NEW DELHI

Team balance usually scores over the record of individuals in selection. Fifty

years ago when India won a series in England for the fi�rst time, their most successful bowler didn’t play a single Test.

This was off�spinner Erapalli Prasanna,who in 25 Tests earlier had claimed 124wickets including 49 in eight Tests in Australia and New Zealand. He was the best inthe world. Ian Chappell, one of the fi�nestplayers of spin, called him ‘maestro’ (hecontinues to do so). Even the English media were shocked at the omission.

And now history seems to be repeatingitself. Off�spinner Ravichandran Ashwin,with 413 wickets, this Indian side’s most

successful bowler, found himself excess torequirements in the fi�rst two Tests.

That must be diffi�cult to accept for someone who has played 79 Tests and wasonce spoken of as a potential captain. LikePrasanna (also spoken of as a captain butwho never led), he is an engineer; theformer had to give up cricket for fi�ve yearswhile he completed the course to keep apromise to his father.

Prasanna’s main rival was Srinivas Venkatraghavan, whose tighter off�spin andsharper fi�elding (he was a great catcher atgully) meant that he fi�t best into skipperAjit Wadekar’s plans. He was the better batter too, but didn’t live up to potential at theinternational level.

Tribute to pace attackIt is a tribute to India’s pace attack todaythat one spinner is considered suffi�cientfor away Tests. Thus Ravindra Jadeja, thebetter fi�elder and the more restrictive spinner, is the better option, especially if givingthe fast bowlers some rest is an importantrole. Indian cricket falls into convenient ax

ioms quite easily. The received wisdom is:Ashwin the lead spinner for home matches, Jadeja when playing away.

Wadekar never fully articulated why hepreferred Venkatraghavan to Prasannawho had been his predecessor Tiger Pataudi’s goto bowler at every turn. Pataudi’stheory was that the four best bowlersshould play regardless of whether theywere spinners or seamers.

Perhaps Wadekar fi�gured that with thematchwinner Bhagwat Chandrasekhar atone end and the relatively restrictive andaccurate Venkatraghavan at the other, thechoice ought to be between Prasanna andBishan Bedi, attacking bowlers both, whofl�ighted the ball and did not shy away from‘buying’ their wickets by giving away runs.It kept out the bowler who had been India’sspearhead on the tours preceding.

Modern teams don’t buy into the ‘bestavailable’ theory but look for better balance. In the fi�rst Test in England it meantthat two bowlers — Ishant Sharma beingthe other — who between them had over700 Test wickets were not selected. That is

India’s reserve strength!It has been a while now since India have

had an allrounder who makes the team onthe strength of his batting or bowlingalone. This has aff�ected balance, but thenagain, not if victories in Australia and England are any indication. Hardik Pandyashowed some promise before injuries disrupted his career.

Two-out-of-three theoryTest teams now follow the twooutofthreetheory in selection. This is borrowed fromwhiteball cricket where a player is expected to contribute substantially in two of thethree crafts — batting, bowling, fi�elding.The pure specialist (who might be a greatbowler or the best wicketkeeper) thus misses out.

There was a time when Ashwin wasfi�elded in the slips, and he responded bytaking some fi�ne catches. But it was feltthat the threat of fi�nger injury was notworth the risk (Shane Warne was an exception in that position). Jadeja fi�ts into thescheme of things well. He has over two

thousand runs and two hundred wickets inTests and his limitations are his strengthsince he will not experiment too much. Heknows his role, and is under no pressurebowling even on the fi�fth day of a Test, ashe showed at Lord’s where he bowled justsix overs. That was all he was needed to do.

Teams tend not to change a winningcombination, and if India stay with the onethat won at Lord’s, it will mean that Ashwinwill have to wait a bit longer.

At Headingley, where they play next, India pulled off� one of their great wins in2002. Skipper Sourav Ganguly won thetoss, and in overcast conditions on a wicketwith a tinge of green favouring the seamers, he chose to bat.

It was a brave decision, and it paid off�handsomely with the skipper himself, Sachin Tendulkar, and Rahul Dravid all making centuries. India went in with two spinners, Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh,and won by an innings. They followed the‘best bowling attack’ theory then.

In sport, victory is the ultimate justifi�cation. Whether in 1971 or in 2021.

A tale of two of the fi�nest off�spinners, fi�fty years apart

BETWEEN WICKETSsuresh menon

The fi�rstever bilateral series between Pakistan andAfghanistan has been postponed until next year owing to multiple issues.

The threematch serieswas part of oneday SuperLeague, a qualifi�cation process for the 2023 WorldCup (50 overs) to be held inIndia. Since the Taliban takeover in Afghanistanthere has been fl�ight disruption. A 10day lockdown in Sri Lanka, wherethe series — Afghanistan’shome series — was to beheld, has also contributedto the postponement.

PakistanAfghanistanseriespostponed

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE

KARACHI

CMYK

A ND-NDE


THE HINDU DELHI


SPORT

Mariia Tailakova of Russiaovercame a fi�ghting Archana Kamath 811, 114, 1311, 1412, 911, 1210 in a women'ssingles quarterfi�nal matchof the Czech InternationalOpen table tennis tournament here on Tuesday.

Indian results: Men: Singles:Quarterfi�nals: G. Sathiyan btAli Alkhadrawi (KSA) 119, 112,119, 118; Doubles: semifi�nals:Jeet Chandra & S. Snehit lost toSamuel Walker (Eng) & TrulsMoregard (Swe) 811, 1513,116, 911, 114. Round of 16:Manav Thakkar lost to Ali Alkhadrawi (KSA) 911, 118, 911,118, 119, 115; G. Sathiyan btSadi Ismailov (Rus) 119, 119,118, 112; S. Snehit lost to Leo

De Nodrest (Fra) 117, 118,114, 311, 711, 115.

Doubles (quarterfi�nals): SanilShetty & Manav lost to VincentPicard & Bastien Rembert (Fra)119, 116, 1210; Jeet Chandra& Snehit bt Abdulaziz Bu Shulaybi & Ali Alkhadrawi (KSA)118, 811, 118, 115.

Women: Singles: Archana Kamath lost to Mariia Tailakova(Rus) 811, 114, 1311, 1412, 911, 1210. Round of 16: ArchanaKamath bt Paulina Vega (Chi)1210, 1113, 115, 117, 1012,117; Sreeja Akula lost to LindaBergstrom (Swe) 116, 119, 811, 1311, 117.

Mixed doubles (quarterfi�nals):Manav & Archana lost to AntonLimonov & Solomiya Brateyko(Ukr) 119, 911, 117, 1113, 118;Sanil Shetty & T. Reeth Rishyalost to Aleksandr Khanin & Daria Trigolos (Blr) 311, 1412, 1513, 711, 118.

Tailakova beats Archana

Sports Bureau

OLOMOUC (CZECH REPUBLIC)

TABLE TENNIS

A confi�dent India will look totighten the noose around England when the third matchof the fi�veTest series beginshere on Wednesday.

Skipper Virat Kohli will also like to end a prolongedlean patch. His last international hundred came in November, 2019. In this serieshe has managed just a coupleof 40s.

Concerns about Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane’s form were mitigatedto some extent on the fourthday of the Lord’s Test.

Strong opening pairThe performance of openersRohit Sharma and K.L. Rahulhas been a big plus. Bothhave showed remarkabletemperament and techniquein testing conditions.

Rishabh Pant has playedhis natural game and Ravindra Jadeja has also done a decent job at number seven,playing the role of a batsmanmore than that of a leftarmspinner.

Headingley has traditionally been seamerfriendlyand it remains to be seen ifIndia moves away from itsfourpronged pace attack.Shardul Thakur is fully fi�t butit is unlikely Kohli will makeany changes.

Malan backEngland will be hoping torestore some stability to itsbatting with the inclusion ofDawid Malan. The southpawlast played a Test three yearsago but is expected to deliverconsidering his rich FirstClass experience.

Malan will bat at numberthree, moving Haseeb Hameed to open alongside Rory Burns.

The England batsmenhave to fi�nd a way to scoreand help skipper Joe Root,

who has made the bulk ofthe team's runs. MarkWood’s injury puts SaqibMahmood in a good positionto make his Test debut.

No verbal battlesRoot confi�rmed that barringWood, the team was not facing any fi�tness issues, withlead pacer James Andersonalso in good shape. The England skipper also hintedthat his players would not bedrawn into needless verbalexchanges after things heated up at Lord's.The teams (from): India: Virat Kohli (Capt.), RohitSharma, Cheteshwar Pujara,Mayank Agarwal, Ajinkya Rahane, Hanuma Vihari, RishabhPant (wk), R. Ashwin, RavindraJadeja, Axar Patel, Jasprit Bumrah, Ishant Sharma, MohammedShami, Mohammed Siraj,Umesh Yadav, K.L. Rahul,Wriddhiman Saha, AbhimanyuEaswaran, Prithvi Shaw and Suryakumar Yadav.England: Joe Root (Capt.),Moeen Ali, James Anderson,Jonathan Bairstow, Rory Burns,Jos Buttler (wk), Sam Curran,Haseeb Hameed, Dan Lawrence, Saqib Mahmood, DawidMalan, Craig Overton, OlliePope and Ollie Robinson.

Match starts 3.30 p.m. IST.

India looks to take a stranglehold on seriesLord’s triumph has put Kohli’s team on the ascendancy; England batsmen have to pull up their socks


Leeds

INDIA IN ENGLAND

DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD

Weather forecast

B Day 1: Light cloud and agentle breeze (Max temp. 19°, min. 13°)

B Day 2: Light cloud and amoderate breeze (16° and 11°)

B Day 3: Light cloud and agentle breeze (17° and 9°)

B Day 4: Sunny intervals and agentle breeze (19° and 11°)

B Day 5: Light cloud and agentle breeze (17° and 11°)

B Source: bbc.comDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD

DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD

B Kohli’s last internationalhundred came in November 2019

DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD

Japanese emperor Naruhitodeclared the Tokyo Paralympics open in a nearly empty68,000capacity OlympicStadium on Tuesday, withathletes ready to defy stereotypes and shatter recordsdespite a yearlong pandemic delay.

The pareddown ceremony took place in front ofaround 800 VIPs and offi�cials, but there was a celebratory mood as 162 teamsenjoyed their longawaitedmoment in the globalspotlight.

The ceremony took “WeHave Wings” as its concept,creating a mini “airport” onthe stadium fi�eld and tellingthe story of a onewingedplane that takes to the skies.

Reduced paradeA reduced parade of roughly3,400 Paralympians andteam offi�cials entered thestadium, wearing masks butwaving and dancing after thedisappointment of the postponement and worriesabout a potentialcancellation.

Javelin thrower TekChand carried the Indian tricolour after Thangavelu Mariyappan was quarantined

following close contact witha COVID19 positive personon the fl�ight to Tokyo. Mariyappan and fi�ve other members of the Indian contingenthave been placed inquarantine.

A volunteer carried Afghanistan’s fl�ag into the stadium as a “sign of solidarity”with athletes from the country, which is one of 21 nations unable to compete atthe Games.

The 13day Games, with539 gold medals up for grabsacross 22 sports, arrives twoweeks after the close of anOlympics that also tookplace almost entirely behindclosed doors.

Pared-down ceremony in a nearly empty stadium ushers in the Games Chand carries the tricolour following Mariyappan’s quarantine

Agencies

TOKYO

PARALYMPICS

Lights, camera, action: The Indians, led by fl�agbearer Tek Chand, at the opening ceremony. * AFP

The Englishmen will dowell to avoid riling the In

dians. As seen in the secondTest, any aggression is metwith fi�erce resistance.

Ahead of the third Test,commencing at Leeds onWednesday, India skipperVirat Kohli stated that provocation from the oppositiononly sharpens his men’sfocus.

Motivation“I cannot give you details ofthe words spoken (duringthe second Test). It is for thecameras and the stump micsto pick up. What’s said onthe fi�eld gives you extra motivation to get together as ateam even more strongly.

“It gives you absolute clarity on what you need to do.When you are playing competitive sport these thingshappen, but what matters ishow you react to that situation,” Kohli said at a mediainteraction on Tuesday.

Kohli said there was noreason to change the playingeleven which got the jobdone at Lord’s in style. Theskipper, however, men

tioned that off�spinner R.Ashwin — yet to get a gamethis series — could beconsidered.

“You don’t want to disturb or interrupt a winningcombination, especiallywhen the team has achievedsuch an incredible win. Theplayers are even more excited to take the fi�eld again,and do the things that wereally enjoyed doing,” Kohlisaid.

The pitch may not be as

seamerfriendly as expected, Kohli said, giving rise tothe possibility of Ashwin getting a game.

“We were quite surprisedon seeing the pitch. Ithought there would bemore grass on the pitch, andthat it would be more spicyand lively. Anything is possible. We will have a look atthe pitch, and what it couldbecome on day three, dayfour, and accordingly we willgo with the right combination,” Kohli said, when askedabout Ashwin’s chances.

Praise for SirajKohli was all praise for fastbowler Mohammed Siraj,who bowled with fi�re toclaim eight wickets at Lord’s.

“I was not surprised at allwith his growth because Ihave seen him from closequarters (Siraj and Kohli areRCB teammates). He alwayshad the skill. You need theconfi�dence to back that skill,and the Australia series provided him with that boost.

“Siraj is walking aroundknowing he can get anyoneout at any stage. The beliefin his game has been elevated to another level,” he said.

Prick us at your peril: KohliAshwin Achal

Siraj . * AP

England batsman DawidMalan is excited about

facing the red ball again aftera lengthy period of limitedovers cricket.

Malan, the world’s No. 1T20 batsman, played the lastof his 15 Tests in August,2018. The 33yearold has725 Test runs in 15 matcheswith one century and six fi�fties.

Asked about his surprisecall up, Malan said: “I’d always wanted another crackat it (Tests). Realistically, didI think it would happen?Probably not. To get that callwas fantastic... I’m a bit worried about how I’d face up

against the red ball, but it’salways exciting getting a callto play for your country.”

Malan acknowledged thata constant exposure to international cricket would helpease the pressure.

“Whiteball and redballcricket have their own unique set of challenges. Butplaying whiteball cricket atthat level and pressure doeshelp you stay in the mix. Itdoesn’t guarantee you runsin a diff�erent format, but ithelps prepare mentally forthe pressures that comewith it.”

Malan conceded that lackof game time in First Classcricket would be a concern.

“We all know how toughEnglish conditions can be.It’s also a great place to batonce you get in — as Joe Roothas shown in all these Tests.He gets in and scores big,and that’s the challenge forall of us.”

Malan excited to be back in the mixLalith Kalidas

Malan. * GETTY IMAGES

Pakistan threw down thegauntlet to the West Indieson the penultimate day oftheir twomatch Test serieson Monday, setting the hosts329 to win. The West Indieswas 159 for seven on the fi�fthday when rain forced an early tea break.

The fourth day saw Shaheen Afridi claim Testbestinnings fi�gures of six for 51as the West Indies was routed for 150 in the fi�rst in

nings. Building on a healthyadvantage of 152, the Pakistanis threw caution to thewind in racing to 176 for sixat better than a runaballthrough the afternoon, declaring for the second timein the match when captainBabar Azam was dismissedto give the bowlers morethan 90 minutes to attackthe home side’s top order. The scores: Pakistan 302/9

decl. & 176/6 decl. in 27.2 ov

ers (Imran Butt 37, Babar Azam

33) vs West Indies 150 & 159/7

in 65.3 overs (Kraigg Brathwaite 39, Kyle Mayers 32).

Shaheen has West Indiesstaring down the barrelChasing 329, hosts reduced to 159/7

Cock of the walk: Shaheen Afridi backed up his sixfor in thefi�rst innings with two more wickets in the second. * AFP

PAKISTAN IN WI


Kingston

Senior England pacer JamesAnderson felt that JaspritBumrah was not trying toget him out during theLord's Test after the Indianrattled him with a barrageof bouncers.

“I got caught off�guard alittle because all the batterscoming in were saying howslow the pitch was. Bang itin short and it was reallyslow.

“When I came out to bat,Root said Bumrah was notbowling as quick as henormally does,” saidAnderson on the BBCTailenders Podcast.

“And then, the fi�rst ballwas 90 miles an hour andon the money. I haven’t feltlike this in my career, but Ifelt he wasn’t trying to getme out.

“He bowled an over,maybe 10, 11, 12 balls [sic10]. He was bowling noballafter noball, bowlingshort... I think he bowledtwo on the stumps which Imanaged to dig out.”

‘Bumrah wasn’t trying to get me out’

In the line of fi�re: Anderson gets into a tangle while handlinga Bumrah missile. * AP


LEEDS

Anderson feels Indian pacer was trying to intimidate him

Uttar Pradesh’s MeghnaSingh has been named

in the India women’s squadfor the tour of Australia,while Himachal’s RenukaSingh Thakur has been included in the T20I squad.

The Indian team will leavefor Australia on August 29.The squads: ODIs and oneoff� Test: MithaliRaj (Capt.), Harmanpreet Kaur(ViceCapt.), Smriti Mandhana,Shafali Verma, Punam Raut, Jemimah Rodrigues, Deepti Sharma, Sneh Rana, Yastika Bhatia,Taniya Bhatia (wk), Shikha Pandey, Jhulan Goswami, MeghnaSingh, Pooja Vastrakar, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Poonam Yadav,Richa Ghosh, and Ekta Bisht.

T20Is: Harmanpreet Kaur(Capt.), Smriti Mandhana (ViceCapt.), Shafali Verma, JemimahRodrigues, Deepti Sharma,Sneh Rana, Yastika Bhatia,Shikha Pandey, Meghna Singh,Pooja Vastrakar, RajeshwariGayakwad, Poonam Yadav, Richa Ghosh (wk), Harleen Deol,Arundhati Reddy, Radha Yadav,and Renuka Singh Thakur.The schedule: ODIs: Sept. 19 (North SydneyOval, 8.45 a.m.), Sept. 22(Junction Oval, Melbourne,4.35 a.m.), Sept. 24 (JunctionOval, 4.35 a.m.).Oneoff� Test: Sept. 30 to Oct.3, WACA, Perth, 11.30 a.m.T20Is: October 7 (2.10 p.m.),October 9 (1.40 p.m.) and October 11 (1.40 p.m.), all atNorth Sydney Oval.

All times IST.

Meghna, Renuka in squadIndia will leave for Australia on Aug. 29

Sports Bureau

Joining forces: The Indians will look to click as a unit in thetour down under. * TWITTER/BCCI WOMEN

India interested inhosting 2036, 2040Olympic Games: BachNEW DELHI

India is among a host of

countries who are interested

in hosting the Olympic Games

in 2036, 2040 and even

beyond, IOC president

Thomas Bach has said.

The IOC enjoys a queue of

suitors to host the Olympics

in 2036, 2040 and even

beyond, Bach said in a report

in the Wall Street Journal.

Those aspiring hosts include

Indonesia, India, Germany

and Qatar, the report added.

IOA Secretary General Rajeev

Mehta confirmed that India

had shown interest in hosting

the showpiece event. PTI

IN BRIEF

Ankita, Nagal bow out of US Open qualifyingNEW YORK

India's Ankita Raina bowed

out of the US Open women's

qualifiers following a

threeset defeat to American

Jamie Loeb 36, 62, 46

here on Tuesday. Sumit Nagal

lost to Argentina’s Juan Pablo

Ficovich 57, 64, 36. PTI

CMYK

A ND-NDE


DELHI THE HINDU


SPORT

Tokyo Paralympics 2020:Eurosport (SD & HD), 12.30p.m. onwardsEngland vs India: 3rd Test,day 1, Sony Six & Sony Ten 3(SD & HD), 3.30 p.m.Champions League: Play-offs, Sony Ten 2 & Sony Six(SD & HD), 12.30 a.m.(Thursday)

TV PICKS

Finau is champ; LahiriT56th at Northern TrustNEW JERSEY

Anirban Lahiri returned a

modest one-under 70 in the

final round on Monday to

sign off tied 56th at the

Northern Trust golf

tournament, ending his

hopes of qualifying for this

week’s FedExCup playoffs.

Lahiri needed a top-10 finish.

American Tony Finau

defeated Australian Cameron

Smith in the first hole of a

sudden-death playoff after

both tied on 20-under 264.PTI

IN BRIEFATK Mohun Bagan (ATKMB)made it to the interzonalsemifi�nals of the AFC Cup asit held its fi�nal GroupD opponent Bashundhara Kingsof Bangladesh to a 11 draw inMale on Tuesday.

Bashundhara Kings tookthe lead around the halfhourmark through its Brazilianmidfi�elder Jonathan Fernandes. ATK MB equalisedjust past the hourmarkthrough Australian forwardDavid Williams.

Sushanto gets red

The Kings were reduced to 10men in the stoppage time ofthe fi�rst half when rightwinger Sushanto Tripura was given a red card.

ATKMB looked disorganised at the start. Needing awin to make it to the next

round, the Bangladesh sidedid well to stick to a pressinggame to unsettle the rhythmof the ATK MB, which needed

a draw to advance.

Fernandes put Kings in thelead in the 28th minute, fi�ring a sharp grounder from

the edge of the box that beatATKMB goalkeeper Amrinder Singh all ends up.

Faced with the prospect of

an imminent exit, ATK MBtried to regroup after conceding the goal.

The equaliser

The equaliser came afterchange of ends when Kingsappeared on the defensivemode. In the 62nd minuteListon Colaco did the hardwork on the fl�anks and set upWilliams with a nice cross.The Australian forward hadno problem in placing theball home.

ATKMB will now play thewinner of the Central Zone fi�nal which is scheduled onWednesday between Uzbekistan Club FC Nasaf andTurkmenistan club Ahal FC.

The interzonal semifi�nalwill be played on September22 and will be hosted by thewinner of the central zonefi�nal.The result: GroupD: ATKMB 1(David Williams 62) drew withBashundhara Kings 1 (JonathanFernandes 28).

ATKMB enters knockout semifi�nalsHolds Bashundhara Kings in its fi�nal GroupD match, will play winner of the Central Zone fi�nal

Amitabha Das Sharma

Kolkata

AFC CUP

Good teamwork: The ATK Mohun Bagan players acquitted themselves well againstBashundhara Kings on Tuesday. * TWITTER/AFCCUP

JFC signs up DinpuiaJAMSHEDPUR

Ahead of the Indian Super

League (ISL) 2021-22 season,

Jamshedpur FC on Tuesday

completed the signing of

Mizoram defender PC

Laldinpuia. Also fondly called

Dinpuia, the defender comes

to Jamshedpur on a

three-year deal after a

vigorous I-League campaign

with Aizawl FC. ANI

Four Indian boxersmove into semifinalsNEW DELHI

Four of the seven Indians in

action on Monday entered the

semifinals of the Asian junior

boxing championships in

Dubai.The results: 71kg: JaydeepRawat bt Mohammed Eissa(UAE) RSC; 63.5kg: Vanshaj btMakhkamov Dovud (Tjk) 5-0;67kg: Daksh Singh bt EldarTurdubaev (Kgz) 4-1; 48kg:Suresh Vishvanath bt AmanturZholbborosv (Kgz) 5-0; 54kg:Victor Saikhom Singh lost toDerbek Tilvaldiev (Kgz) 3-2;57kg: Vijay Singh lost toMorodov Abubakr (Tjk) 3-0;and Rabindra Singh lost toYoqubov Abdurrahim (Tjk) 3-2.PTI

Siddhanth Banthia andUSA’s Matthew Thomsonlost 62, 64 to top seedsLukasz Kubot and MarceloMelo in the fi�rst round ofthe WinstonSalem OpenATP 250 tournament here.

In the $25,000 ITF women’s event in Spain, Rutuja Bhosale sailed into thesecond round with a 63,60 victory over Alba ReyGarcia.The results: WinstonSalemOpen: Qualifying (Firstround): Alexei Popyrin (Aus)bt Mukund Sasikumar 6-1,7-6(6).Doubles: First round: LukaszKubot (Pol) & Marcelo Melo(Bra) bt Matthew Thomson(USA) & Siddhanth Banthia6-2, 6-4.$25,000 ITF men, Trier, Germany: First round: MarlonVankan (Ger) bt Manish Su-reshkumar 7-6(2), 6-1.$25,000 ITF women, Vigo,Spain: First round: RutujaBhosale bt Alba Rey Garcia(Esp) 6-3, 6-0.

Banthia &Thomsoncrash out

Sports Bureau

Winston-Salem (USA)

INDIANS ABROAD

Playing in his fi�rst tournament since COVID19 struckthe country, Abhishek Pradhan made short work of topseeded Abhay Singh 118,116, 116 in just 24 minutesto progress to the semifi�nalsof the HCLSRFI Indian Toursquash tournament, a PSAChallenger Tour10 event, atthe ISA courts here on Tuesday.

However, it was smoothsailing for the top seed inthe women’s section withSunayna Kuruvilla overcoming Urwashi Joshi, the fi�fthseed, 1715, 116, 113 in thequarterfi�nals.

Harinderpal Singh Sandhu, the second seed, conceded complaining of groinpain, while trailing 49 inthe fi�rst game against S. Ve

lavan, in the men’s quarterfi�nals.

Abhishek, seeded sixth,was solid from the backcourt, seldom making anyunforced errors. Though he

didn’t come up with manydrop shots, his doubleboasts fetched him quite afew points, especially in thethird game. Abhay was notthe player one knows about.

He was subdued for themost part, lacking in intensity and fi�ghting spirit.

“I was expecting a tougher battle, and in fact, the lasttime we met at the Maha

rashtra Open State closed Satellite tournament in 2018, Ibeat him in fi�ve games,” saidAbhishek, who was foundCOVID19 positive when hecame to play in the PSA Challenger tournament here inMarchApril this year.

Akshaya Sri continued herdream run, with an authoritative 119, 118, 112 win overSachika Balvani, the thirdseed.

The results (quarterfi�nals):Men: S. Velavan bt HarinderpalSingh Sandhu 9-4 (concd.); Abh-ishek Agarwal bt Kanhav Nana-vati 11-7, 11-5, 11-5; Rahul Baithabt Aadit Zaveri 11-7, 11-6, 11-1;Abhishek Pradhan bt AbhaySingh 11-8, 11-6, 11-6.

Women: Sunayna Kuruvilla btUrwashi Joshi 17-15, 11-6, 11-13,11-5; Akshaya Sri bt Sachika Bal-vani 11-9, 11-8, 11-2; AparajithaBalamurukan bt AbhishekaShannon 13-11, 11-7, 11-7; TanviKhanna bt Janet Vidhi 11-4, 11-4,11-6.

Abhishek Pradhan knocks out top seed Abhay SinghAkshaya continues her dream run; Sunayna Kuruvilla marches on; Harinderpal injured

SQUASH

K. Keerthivasan

CHENNAI

Easily done: Abhishek Pradhan, right, had the measure of Abhay Singh in quick time.* SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

India downs Nigeria inWorld U19 volleyballTEHRAN

India defeated Nigeria 25-17,

23-25, 25-21, 26-24 in its

FIVB World under-19

volleyball championship here

on Tuesday, according to a

Volleyball Federation of India

release. India plays host Iran

on Wednesday.

O. Chandrasekharan, a defender in one of India’s fi�nest football teams, passedaway here on Tuesday. Hewas 86 and is survived bywife, two sons and adaughter.

Chandrasekharan was amember of the Indian teamat the 1960 Rome Olympicsand also a star of the teamthat won gold at the 1962 Jakarta Asian Games, thecountry’s last triumph atthe Asiad.

Just before India’s matchagainst Hungary at theRome Olympics, the Indianhockey players had a warning for the footballers.

“Don’t concede morethan 10 goals, our hockeyplayers told us, for Hungarywas the European champion then,” Chandrasekharan had told this writer during a chat a few years ago.

But India surprised everybody by giving Hungary ascare, losing narrowly 12. Italso held France 11 andthen lost its last leaguematch to Peru 13.

Top-notch squad

Though India fi�nishedfourth in the 1956 Melbourne Olympics, whereNeville D’souza scored ahattrick against host Australia, legendary coach S.A.Rahim felt that the 1960team was the best.

“Our coach S.A. Rahimalways used to say that the

Rome team was the best hehad coached.

And it had around sixplayers who had played inthe 1956 Olympics but notNeville, he was not in formthen,” Chandrasekharan,who played alongside Neville in Mumbai’s Caltexteam at the WIFA HarwoodLeague, had once said.

Santosh Trophy successChandrasekharan whohailed from Irinjalakuda later moved to Mumbai andwas the captain of the Maharashtra team that won theSantosh Trophy in thesixties.

A genial man, Chandrasekharan was with the StateBank of India and retired asits zonal manager.

After S.S. Narayan andS.S. Hakim, who bothplayed in the Rome Olympics team and passed awayrecently, the country haslost three of its fi�nest football stars in the space of 20days.

O. Chandrasekharanpasses awayHe was a defender in one of India’s

fi�nest football teams in the 1960s

Stan Rayan

KOCHI

O. Chandrasekharan.* FILE PHOTO

Arjun clinches title,Gukesh secondBRAGANCA (PORTUGAL)

Grandmaster Arjun Erigaisi

emerged champion in the II

Terras de Tras-os-Montes chess

open while D. Gukesh ended

second. Arjun secured 8.5

points from nine rounds while

Gukesh won eight games and

lost to Arjun. PTI

Michail Antonio becameWest Ham United’s alltimePremier League top scorer(49 goals) after netting twiceto help secure a resounding41 home win on Monday over Leicester City.

Pablo Fornals and SaidBenrahma had opened thescoring for the Hammers,who made it two wins out of

two and went top of the tableon goals scored after a superb performance in a cracking atmosphere at the London stadium.

In Serie A, Brahim Diaz’searly goal was enough toearn AC Milan a 10 victory atSampdoria in its openingmatch on Monday. In another match, Joao Pedro nettedtwice as Cagliari fought backfrom two goals down toshare points with Spezia.

Erik Lamela continued his

fl�ying start to life with Sevilla, striking a lastminute winner for the Andalusians togive them a 10 victory overGetafe in the LaLiga.

The results: Premier League:West Ham 4 (Fornals 26, Ben-rahma 56, Antonio 80, 84) btLeicester 1 (Tielemans 69).

Serie A: Cagliari 2 (Pedro 62,66-pen) drew with Spezia 2(Gyasi 7, Bastoni 58); Sampdo-ria 0 lost to AC Milan 1 (Diaz 9).

LaLiga: Getafe 0 lost to Sevilla1; Osasuna 0 drew with CeltaVigo 0.

Antonio double puts West Ham on topEURO LEAGUES

Reuters

LONDON

What a feeling! Michail Antonio, left, celebrates hisrecord-breaking 49th goal for West Ham. * REUTERS

Chirag Duhan is a special talent. The newlycrowned National junior champion hada nice interaction withOlympian Vishnu Vardhanon putting his tennis careerin perspective.

The 17yearold Chiragcredited coach Gaurav Sharma with an “equally important role” along with his parents in shaping his tenniscareer for the last fi�ve years.

Chiraj, who has won twoITF junior titles earlier thisseason and taken his international junior rank to 132,was planning to focus in themen’s international circuit,but had to cool his heels athome.

In trying to make use ofthe time, he entered thetournaments in Chennai.

“We have been preparingfor this for a long time. It isvery special for me to be thenational champion,” Chiragtold Vishnu, who pointedout that the country’s bestplayers Prajnesh Gunneswaran and Ramkumar Ramanathan had won the event inthe past.

When queried, Chirag ac

cepted that Sidharth Rawat,fellow trainee at the Pro Tennis Academy in the Capital, adisciplined and dedicatedplayer was quite helpful “onand off� the court” in mentoring him.

A big fan of Tokyo Olympics champion AlexanderZverev of Germany, the tallChirag said that his focuswould be to play the men’stournaments in Egypt andTunisia in the coming weeksto take his professional career forward.

Chirag had got a taste ofthe men’s international circuit in the qualifying events

of two tournaments at homethis season, before the second wave of COVID19 put apause to the proceedings.

He likes badminton andswimming, but with longhours of tennis and fi�tnesstraining he has no time tothink about other games oractivities.

Vishnu, a stakeholder inTennishub which sponsoredthe national junior championship, congratulated Chirag for his double triumph,and said that it was commendable considering thehumid conditions and raindelays in the tournament.

‘Very special to be national champion’ Vishnu congratulates Chirag on his double triumph

TENNISKamesh Srinivasan

NEW DELHI

Guiding force: Chirag, right, credits coach Gaurav Sharmafor playing a part in shaping his career. * FILE PHOTO

Indian men’s hockey midfi�elder Vivek Sagar Prasadsaid it felt surreal to be nominated for the FIH Rising Starof the Year Award for the second time in his career, having already claimed the honour in the 201920 season.

Vivek was part of theteam’s bronze winning featat the Tokyo Olympics.

“I never imagined thiswould happen again. It’s asurreal feeling to have been

nominated for the secondtime in the same category(FIH Rising Star of the Year

Awards),” Vivek, who is oneof the six nominatedplayers, said in a release issued by Hockey India.

“I got to know this late inthe night when I saw textsfrom my friends congratulating me. To be honest, it’sreally overwhelming.”

The Indian hockey contingent made the shortlist of allthe categories of FIH Awards202021.

The 21yearold, whoplayed a vital role in thecampaign, said: “It’s the result of teamwork and thesupport of senior players.

It’s a surreal feeling, says VivekMidfi�elder nominated for FIH Rising Star of the Year Award again

HOCKEY


NEW DELHI

Vivek. * GETTY IMAGES

Mohammed Sheikh of Karnataka was in brilliant formas he unleashed an ultimateslam on the fourth board togain sole lead after threerounds in the Indian onlinecarrom challenge organisedby the All India Carrom Federation (AICF).

After two dropped chances each in clearing the fi�rstthree boards, MohammmedSheikh collected 10 bonuspoints for the ultimate slam,which gave him a negativescore of 4 in the thirdround. Thus, he led the fi�eldof 46 players with 16 points.

Abdul Jabbar of Assamwas second with 34 points,followed by Abdul Rahman(39), Rahim Khan (41),Mohd. Rehan (44), FazalAhmed (49), Muneeruddin(53), Gautam Prasad Bhol(54), Abhishek Chavan (54)and Kalpesh Nalawade (55)among others.

In the women’s section,Kavya Shree of Jharkhandcontinued to lead with 66points, and was followed byNidhi Gupta, Deepa Naik,Aakanksha Kadam, Tanishka Viswakarma, Shruti Sonawane, Mantasha Iqbal,and Neha Kumari amongothers in a fi�eld of 41.

Sheikh, KavyaShree in leadSpecial Correspondent

NEW DELHI

Shivam battles past JatinGURUGRAM: Shivam Dalmiafought hard to beat JatinDahiya 36, 62, 76(4) in thefi�rst round of the ₹�1,00,000AITA men’s ranking tennistournament on Tuesday.

Other results (fi�rst round):

Dalwinder Singh bt Udit Kaboj

6-2, 6-1; Ritabrata Sarkar bt

Amit Bzad 7-5, 6-4; Sushant

Dabas bt Amit Dahiya 6-3, 6-1;

Ayyoque Khan bt Lakshit Sood

6-2, 6-2; Fardeen Qamar bt

Sam Chawla 4-6, 6-2, 6-3;

Karan Singh bt Gourav Gulia

6-3, 7-5; Mohit Bhardwaj bt

Kavish Kathuria 4-6, 6-4, 6-4;

Yugal Banssal bt Jagmeet

Singh 6-3, 6-1; Anuj Malik bt

Ayussh Gurnani 6-2, 6-0;

Ricky Sehrawat bt Harnor

Singh 4-6, 6-3, 6-3; Lakshya

Gupta bt Amandeep Rathee

6-1, 6-3; Chinmay Dev

Chouhan bt Shivank Bhatnagar

1-6, 6-2, 6-1; Ajay Malik bt

Ajay Kundu 6-3, 6-1; Sourabh

Sehrawat bt Viek Kumar 6-2,

6-3; Neeraj Yashpaul bt

Chandril Sood 6-4, 7-6(4).

Sanjami Arora advancesJHAJJAR: Sanjami Arora beatsixth seed Kriti Tomar 63,62 in the fi�rst round of the₹� 1,00,000 AITA women’sranking tennis tournamentat the Joygaon Academy onTuesday. Other results (fi�rst round):

Jagmeet Kaur bt Lalitya Kalluri

6-1, 3-6, 6-1; Steisha Buddhala

bt Niharika Deshmukh 2-6,

7-5, 6-2; Shefali Arora bt Gia

Alana Pereira 7-5, 6-1.

Bela Tamhankar bt Shreya Naik

6-1, 6-2; Varshita Ranabothu

bt Devidas Kambli 6-0, 6-0;

Himaanshika bt Shruthi Gupta

6-4, 5-7, 6-2; Kundali Majgaine

bt Kavya Khirwar 6-1, 6-1.

Adrija Bisswas bt Ananya

Dhankhar 6-2, 6-2; Pooja

Ingale bt Kiran Kalkal 7-5, 6-3;

Vanshika Choudhary bt Ananya

Yadav 6-2, 6-0.

S Srinidhi bt Himadri Kashyap

6-2, 6-3; Yashika Venu bt Ritu

Ohlyan 6-3, 6-3; Kashish

Bhatia bt Richa Chougule 6-0,

6-0.

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\ TENNIS ROUND-UP \

NEW DELHI: Mayank Rawat(57) and Virender Dahiya(55) guided S.S. Sports to afourwicket victory overACC XI in the fi�nal of theM.R. Kangra memorialcricket tournament onMonday.The scores: ACC XI 226/6 in20 overs (Anuj Rawat 53, Pra-mod Chandila 47, Arun Cha-prana 37, Rahul Tewatia 28)lost to S. S. Sports Club 227/6in 18.5 overs (Mayank Rawat57, Virender Dahiya 55, UvaisAhmad 31, Yash Dhull 28).

Rawat, Dahiyabat well

Onesided matches provedthe fl�avour of the day as Rani Khera Club and Khera Kalan Hockey Centre registered big wins in thesemifi�nals of the Delhi subjunior women hockeychampionship at the National Stadium here on Tuesday.

Rani Khera thrashed Jhilmil Hockey Centre 160 with

Pooja (5 goals), Anjali, Kumkum (4) and Muskan (3) contributing to the tally. In thesecond semifi�nal, Khera Kalan drubbed Mundka XI110. Varsha Pal, Nishu Rana,Anshika (3 goals each) andNisha (2) were the scorers.The results: Rani Khera 16(Pooja 5, Anjali 4, Kumkum 4,Muskan 3) bt Jhilmil HockeyCentre 0. Khera Kalan 11 (Var-sha Pal 3, Nishu Rana 3, Anshi-ka 3, Nisha 2) bt Mundka XI 0.

Rani Khera, Khera Kalanin title clashSpecial Correspondent

NEW DELHI

Union Minister arrested in Maharashtra for remark on CM

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