12
I n a massive joint operation, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Navy, Army and Air Force, on Saturday res- cued amid heavy rain as many as 1,050 marooned passengers — including nine pregnant women — from the Mumbai- Kolhapur Mahalaxmi Express which remained stranded in heavy floodwaters for more than 17 hours near Vangani, 69 km away from Mumbai. The authorities used three helicopters — two Seaking of Navy, one Mi-17 of Air Force — and several inflatable boats for the first-of-its-kind rescue operation that lasted for near- ly eight hours. Beginning its journey amid pouring rain, the Kolhapur- bound Mahalaxmi Express — which had left Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus at 8.20am on Friday — got stuck at Chimtoli village near Vangani station. “What made matters diffi- cult was the Ulhas river flow- ing in the vicinity was in spate. With tracks under knee-deep water, the train could not pro- ceed further. The passengers on board were safe, but the raising water levels on tracks became a cause for concern,” a senior Thane district official said. A mid a heightened threat perception ahead of the Independence Day and the turf war between terror groups, the Centre has decided to deploy 10,000 additional troops on an “immediate basis” in Jammu & Kashmir. The addi- tional deployment will serve the twin agenda of strength- ening the counter-insurgent grid and maintaining law and order situation in the Valley. The Centre’s move has not gone down well with former Chief Minister Mehbboba Mufti, who criticised it claim- ing it has created a “fear psy- chosis” among the people. The decision assumes sig- nificance as it comes shortly after National Security Adviser Ajit Doval’s two-day visit to the Valley. Sources said he met senior officers and reviewed the law and order situation in the State that’s still under President’s Rule. In all, 50 additional com- panies of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), 30 com- panies from the SSB, and 10 companies each from the BSF and ITBP will be deployed. Sources said the troops are being airlifted from various parts of the country for deploy- ment in Jammu & Kashmir. In an order issued by the CRPF, the nodal force for operations in the Valley, the paramilitary said out of the 50 companies of the CRPF being moved to the State, nine deployed in Delhi for Parliament duty and Kanwaria security will be replaced by nine companies of the BSF. The security challenges in the Valley have been aggravat- ed by a gang war between Pakistan-based terror groups like Lashkar-e-Tayyeba and Jaish-e-Mohammad and Al Qaeda Kashmir on the one side and the Islamic State on the other. J&K DGP Dilbag Singh said they needed the addition- al deployment in North Kashmir. “100 companies have been airlifted and that’s what we had asked for,” said Dilbag. I n a big blow to the Jaish-e- Mohammad (JeM) leader- ship in Kashmir Valley, a joint team of security forces early on Saturday morning eliminated a dreaded Pakistani terrorist, also an expert in making Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs), along with his accom- plice in Bunbazar area of Shopian. The Pakistani terrorist, killed in the operation, has been identified as one of the top JeM Commanders Munna Lahori (code name). According to police records, Munna Lahori was active in the South Kashmir area for a long time and was also respon- sible for recruiting fresh cadre in the terror outfit. Meanwhile, an Indian Army jawan sacrificed his life while foiling a desperate infil- tration bid by heavily armed terrorists in Machhal sector of Kupwara district on Saturday. The clinical operation in Shopian was conducted by the security forces after a gap of almost three long weeks in South Kashmir, in view of the ongoing Amarnath Yatra. T he synergy between the security forces in Jammu & Kashmir is at an all-time high. This is resulting in reduction of reaction time in carrying out anti-terrorist operations and ensuring that there is no col- lateral damage. The biggest example of the co-ordination is the neu- tralisation of top militant Zakir Musa on May 23 when the response time of the security forces after getting the tip-off was less than 30 minutes. The success rate against the terror- ists too has increased with 23 ultras neutralised in 13 encounters in June alone there- by proving the effectiveness of these measures. Also, with a view to cause minimum trouble to the locals, the fire services has been co- opted to douse fire in the houses damaged during the fire fight. In fact, to ensure that ordinary citizens are not incon- venienced during the opera- tion, the local commanders have ordered the ground troops to desist from cor- doning the hamlet where the terrorist or terrorists are hiding. “This may result in the terrorists escaping but the security forces are determined to ensure that innocents are not harmed during the firefight or when they are closing in on to the targeted hiding place,” officials in the security estab- lishment said. Elaborating upon these standard operating procedures now in force, officials said this has come about due to perfect synergy between the Army, CRPF, the local police and intelligence agencies. On the response time, they said vastly improved coordi- nation between all the stake- holders in the counter-insur- gency grid has seen anti-ter- rorist operations launched only on the basis of hard and real time intelligence. C uttack district has the highest number of beg- gars in the State, informed Social Security & Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (SSEPD) Minister Ashok Chandra Panda in the State Assembly on Saturday. Giving data about beggars, Panda said that a total of 6,390 beggars have been identified in Odisha and Cuttack district is ranked first in the list with 1,060 beggars followed by Balangir (708), Mayurbhanj (485) and Ganjam (458). Puri district has 120 beggars, Baleswar 131, Bhadrak 220, Angul 97, Dhenkanal 97, Jagatsinghpur 53, Jajpur 196, Jharsuguda 41, Kalahandi 214, Kandhamal 117, Malkangiri 21, Kendrapada 22, Keonjhar 135, Khordha 53 and Boudh 19. Deogarh district has the lowest num- ber of 16 beggars, the Minister said. Last year, the SSEPD Department had launched a special drive to make the State beggar- free, he pointed out, replying to a question by MLA Prashant Behera. The Minister said the Government has introduced a scheme called ‘Sahaya’ to rehabilitate and provide self-employ- ment opportunities to the beggars. Under the pro- gramme, a total of 2,886 beggars have been pro- vided assistance so far for their livelihoods. E ven as Opposition mem- bers on Saturday alleged in the Assembly that the KALIA Yojana helped the BJD win elec- tions though it didn’t benefit farmers much, the State Government claimed that the scheme has shown the way to the Centre and other States as to how to help farmers and bring reforms in the agriculture sector. Initiating discussion on an Adjournment Motion on the issue, BJP Chief Whip Mohan Charan Majhi said that if the Government had any concern for farmers, it would have waived their loans. “According to the State Level Bankers Committee, 54,24,000 farmers have incurred a total loan of Rs 26,606 crore. If the Government had waived a maximum loan of Rs 70,000 of each farmer, the State exchequer would have borne an expenditure of Rs 24,635 crore,” he said. He alleged that the Government’s claims of pro- viding insurance to famers and stipend to students of KALIA beneficiary families are baseless. Congress Legislature Party Leader Narasingha Mishra asked the Government to pre- sent the data of 51,05,290 fam- ilies to whom KALIA assis- tances have been provided. “I have received complaints that many farmers have not received assistances under the KALIA scheme. I request the Minister to give the data of all farmers to whom assistance has been provided,” urged Mishra. Turn to Page 4 C ongress Legislature Party Leader Narasingha Mishra on Saturday expressed concern in the State Assembly that business- es are not being conducted in the House as per the Rules of Procedures of the Odisha Legislative Assembly. Raising the issue, Mishra said members should be allowed times to deliver speeches as per the Rules of the Procedure. “In Adjournment Motion discussion, opposition members are required to give a brief statement of facts and ruling members to raise a single question only. But members are giving speeches for longer periods,” lamented Mishra. He said members are allowed more times during demand discussion. He wanted that the Speaker call all members to discuss the mat- ter soon. BJD member Amar Prasad Satpathy and Congress member Santosh Singh Saluja too wanted that businesses be conducted as per the Rules of Procedures of the House. Speaker Surjya Narayan Patro agreed to the proposals. T he State Cabinet on Saturday approved as many as 16 important proposals, includ- ing tenders of three projects under the Buxi Jagabandhu Assured Water Supply to Habitations (Basudha) Scheme. The Cabinet, which met under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, Okayed three proposals of the Panchayati Raj and Drinking Water Department, three pro- posals of the Revenue Department, one proposal each of General Administration and Law Departments and two proposals of the Higher Education Department, according to information. The Government didn’t brief about the decisions as the Assembly Session is underway now.

Daily Pioneer

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In a massive joint operation,National Disaster Response

Force (NDRF), Navy, Armyand Air Force, on Saturday res-cued amid heavy rain as manyas 1,050 marooned passengers— including nine pregnantwomen — from the Mumbai-Kolhapur Mahalaxmi Expresswhich remained stranded inheavy floodwaters for morethan 17 hours near Vangani, 69km away from Mumbai.

The authorities used threehelicopters — two Seaking ofNavy, one Mi-17 of Air Force— and several inflatable boatsfor the first-of-its-kind rescue

operation that lasted for near-ly eight hours.

Beginning its journey amidpouring rain, the Kolhapur-bound Mahalaxmi Express —which had left ChhatrapatiShivaji Terminus at 8.20am onFriday — got stuck at Chimtoli village near Vangani station.

“What made matters diffi-cult was the Ulhas river flow-ing in the vicinity was in spate.With tracks under knee-deepwater, the train could not pro-ceed further. The passengers onboard were safe, but the raisingwater levels on tracks becamea cause for concern,” a seniorThane district official said.

���� ����� �

Amid a heightened threatperception ahead of the

Independence Day and theturf war between terror groups,the Centre has decided todeploy 10,000 additional troopson an “immediate basis” inJammu & Kashmir. The addi-tional deployment will servethe twin agenda of strength-ening the counter-insurgentgrid and maintaining law andorder situation in the Valley.

The Centre’s move has notgone down well with formerChief Minister MehbbobaMufti, who criticised it claim-ing it has created a “fear psy-chosis” among the people.

The decision assumes sig-nificance as it comes shortlyafter National Security AdviserAjit Doval’s two-day visit to theValley. Sources said he metsenior officers and reviewed thelaw and order situation in theState that’s still underPresident’s Rule.

In all, 50 additional com-panies of Central ReservePolice Force (CRPF), 30 com-panies from the SSB, and 10companies each from the BSFand ITBP will be deployed.Sources said the troops arebeing airlifted from variousparts of the country for deploy-ment in Jammu & Kashmir. Inan order issued by the CRPF,the nodal force for operationsin the Valley, the paramilitarysaid out of the 50 companies ofthe CRPF being moved to theState, nine deployed in Delhifor Parliament duty and

Kanwaria security will bereplaced by nine companies ofthe BSF.

The security challenges inthe Valley have been aggravat-ed by a gang war between

Pakistan-based terror groupslike Lashkar-e-Tayyeba andJaish-e-Mohammad and AlQaeda Kashmir on the one sideand the Islamic State on theother. J&K DGP Dilbag Singh

said they needed the addition-al deployment in NorthKashmir.

“100 companies have beenairlifted and that’s what we hadasked for,” said Dilbag.

������������� ����������������

������������� ������������������� � �������������� �����

In a big blow to the Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) leader-

ship in Kashmir Valley, a jointteam of security forces early onSaturday morning eliminateda dreaded Pakistani terrorist,also an expert in makingImprovised Explosive Devices(IEDs), along with his accom-plice in Bunbazar area ofShopian.

The Pakistani terrorist,killed in the operation, hasbeen identified as one of thetop JeM Commanders MunnaLahori (code name).According to police records,Munna Lahori was active inthe South Kashmir area for along time and was also respon-sible for recruiting fresh cadrein the terror outfit.

Meanwhile, an IndianArmy jawan sacrificed his lifewhile foiling a desperate infil-tration bid by heavily armedterrorists in Machhal sector of Kupwara district onSaturday.

The clinical operation inShopian was conducted by thesecurity forces after a gap ofalmost three long weeks inSouth Kashmir, in view of theongoing Amarnath Yatra.

������������ ������������������� �������

The synergy between thesecurity forces in Jammu &

Kashmir is at an all-time high.This is resulting in reduction ofreaction time in carrying outanti-terrorist operations andensuring that there is no col-lateral damage.

The biggest example ofthe co-ordination is the neu-tralisation of top militant Zakir

Musa on May 23 when theresponse time of the securityforces after getting the tip-offwas less than 30 minutes. Thesuccess rate against the terror-ists too has increased with 23ultras neutralised in 13encounters in June alone there-by proving the effectiveness ofthese measures.

Also, with a view to causeminimum trouble to the locals,the fire services has been co-opted to douse fire in thehouses damaged during the firefight. In fact, to ensure thatordinary citizens are not incon-venienced during the opera-tion, the local commanders

have ordered the groundtroops to desist from cor-doning the hamlet wherethe terrorist or terrorists

are hiding. “This may result inthe terrorists escaping but

the security forcesare determinedto ensure thatinnocents arenot harmed

during thefirefight

or when they are closing in onto the targeted hiding place,”officials in the security estab-lishment said.

Elaborating upon thesestandard operating proceduresnow in force, officials said thishas come about due to perfectsynergy between the Army,CRPF, the local police andintelligence agencies.

On the response time, theysaid vastly improved coordi-nation between all the stake-holders in the counter-insur-gency grid has seen anti-ter-rorist operations launched onlyon the basis of hard and realtime intelligence.

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Cuttack district has the highest number of beg-gars in the State, informed Social Security &

Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities(SSEPD) Minister Ashok Chandra Panda in theState Assembly on Saturday.

Giving data about beggars, Panda said that atotal of 6,390 beggars have been identified inOdisha and Cuttack district is ranked first in thelist with 1,060 beggars followed by Balangir (708),Mayurbhanj (485) and Ganjam (458).

Puri district has 120 beggars, Baleswar 131,Bhadrak 220, Angul 97, Dhenkanal 97,Jagatsinghpur 53, Jajpur 196, Jharsuguda 41,Kalahandi 214, Kandhamal 117, Malkangiri 21,Kendrapada 22, Keonjhar 135, Khordha 53 andBoudh 19. Deogarh district has the lowest num-ber of 16 beggars, the Minister said.

Last year, the SSEPD Department hadlaunched a special drive to make the State beggar-free, he pointed out, replying to a question by MLAPrashant Behera. The Minister said theGovernment has introduced a scheme called‘Sahaya’ to rehabilitate and provide self-employ-ment opportunities to the beggars. Under the pro-gramme, a total of 2,886 beggars have been pro-vided assistance so far for their livelihoods.

����������������� �������)

Even as Opposition mem-bers on Saturday alleged in

the Assembly that the KALIAYojana helped the BJD win elec-tions though it didn’t benefitfarmers much, the StateGovernment claimed that thescheme has shown the way tothe Centre and other States as tohow to help farmers and bringreforms in the agriculture sector.

Initiating discussion on anAdjournment Motion on theissue, BJP Chief Whip MohanCharan Majhi said that if theGovernment had any concernfor farmers, it would havewaived their loans.

“According to the StateLevel Bankers Committee,54,24,000 farmers haveincurred a total loan of Rs

26,606 crore. If the Governmenthad waived a maximum loan ofRs 70,000 of each farmer, theState exchequer would haveborne an expenditure of Rs24,635 crore,” he said.

He alleged that theGovernment’s claims of pro-viding insurance to famers andstipend to students of KALIAbeneficiary families are baseless.

Congress Legislature PartyLeader Narasingha Mishraasked the Government to pre-sent the data of 51,05,290 fam-ilies to whom KALIA assis-tances have been provided. “Ihave received complaints thatmany farmers have notreceived assistances under theKALIA scheme. I request theMinister to give the data of allfarmers to whom assistance hasbeen provided,” urged Mishra.

Turn to Page 4

���� � �������)

Congress Legislature Party LeaderNarasingha Mishra on Saturday expressed

concern in the State Assembly that business-es are not being conducted in the House asper the Rules of Procedures of the OdishaLegislative Assembly.

Raising the issue, Mishra said membersshould be allowed times to deliver speechesas per the Rules of the Procedure.

“In Adjournment Motion discussion,opposition members are required to give abrief statement of facts and ruling membersto raise a single question only. But membersare giving speeches for longer periods,”lamented Mishra.

He said members are allowed more timesduring demand discussion. He wanted that theSpeaker call all members to discuss the mat-ter soon.

BJD member Amar Prasad Satpathy andCongress member Santosh Singh Saluja toowanted that businesses be conducted as perthe Rules of Procedures of the House.

Speaker Surjya Narayan Patro agreed tothe proposals.

���� � �������)

The State Cabinet on Saturdayapproved as many as 16

important proposals, includ-ing tenders of three projectsunder the Buxi JagabandhuAssured Water Supply toHabitations (Basudha) Scheme.

The Cabinet, which metunder the chairmanship ofChief Minister Naveen Patnaik,Okayed three proposals of thePanchayati Raj and DrinkingWater Department, three pro-posals of the RevenueDepartment, one proposal eachof General Administration andLaw Departments and twoproposals of the HigherEducation Department,according to information. TheGovernment didn’t brief aboutthe decisions as the AssemblySession is underway now.

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There is a saying — any publicity isgood publicity even if it isnegative. After being in the news

over the title of the movie — originallyit was Mental Hai Kya— the film nowtitled as Judgementall Hai Kya on theface of it may appear to be — at leastthe first half — is funny in parts.However, looking at it more closely andone realises that the film has not justbeen made for entertainment purposes.There is an underlining message here —that of mental disease — which is acause of worry. According to 2018National Mental Health survey, around150 million people in India need carefor their mental health condition.

These are alarming figures and thefilm doesn’t stress on this aspect. However,through its characters — Bobby played byKangana Ranaut and Keshav played byRajkummar Rao — the movie takes us ona journey where there is a thrill quotientand keeps you on edge till the climax.

The first half is in total contrast towhat transpires after the interval. The

former is in a much lighter vein than thelatter. Even though the movie is of 121minutes, the second half drags. Butdirector Prakash Kovelamudi makes up forthis by extracting some great performancefrom both Ranaut and Rao. Ranaut whois shown to have mental issues, has layersto her which explains why she is the wayshe is. Despite her mental health problemsone can’t help but love her character.

Rao too has given some greatperformance and the duo keep youengaged through the mind games that areplayed out even if they are extremely darkand twisted. This appears to be bizarresince Ranuat’s character is always shownwearing bright and floral patterns. Threeare in. Total contrary to what is actuallyhappening in her brain — the chemicallocha. The juxtaposition is very apt. Onecan be outwardly fit but the inside isanother matter.

Ekta Kapoor has definitely picked upa subject that is tricky to deal with on the70 mm. But it has been delivered well ina thriller format. For those who arelooking for movies that are hatke, not theusual romance that Bollywood puts out,Judgmentall Hai Kya makes for aninteresting watch.

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�What is your character about inKawach Mahashivratri?

I play Kapil, an aggressive ghost. Hehas returned to take revenge by possessinghis friend Angad’s (played by Namik Paul)body.�How tough is it to be a part of asupernatural show?

It’s not that tough. Whenever I play acharacter, I try to live it. I don’t copyanyone. I try to put myself in the samesituation as of my character and decidehow I would have reacted in a situation.This makes it easy for me to play any role.I try to keep things natural. �You are doing two shows at the sametime — Kumkum Bhagya and Kawach.How do you manage?

The production house — BalajiTelefilms is managing everything becausethe company is same for both the shows.It becomes hectic sometimes but it’s notthat I have to shoot for both the showseveryday. Sometimes, I even push myselflike if I have to shoot for KumkumBhagya from 7 am to 2 pm and then fromthere I have to go to shoot for KawachMahashivratri till 10 pm. It is almost 15hours of shooting, which is a tedious taskto do but it is fine since I am young blood.It’s time to prove myself, so there’s nothingto feel tired about. I enjoy my work.�How did acting happen with you?

I was a businessman. But, acting wason my cards since my childhood. One day,I got an offer to act through Facebook andthat’s how I got into the industry. Then,I shifted to Mumbai and there is nolooking back since then.�Why did you choose an epic —Mahabharat as a debut?

I didn’t choose it. Being a newcomerin the industry I didn’t have the liberty topick and choose my projects. I did whatI was offered. I went with the flow.Moreover, it was a big show. There’s noreason one can say ‘no’ to it. Today,whatever and wherever I am, I owe it tothe show.�This is your second supernaturalshow. What attracted you to this genre?

Yes, this is the second time I am being

a part of a supernatural show. But, thestories of both the shows are different.Stories of both the shows were good andappealing. This is why I said ‘yes’ to them. �What attract people to supernaturalshows?

The main thing is the story line. If thestory is good then people get hooked up.The other thing is the entertainmentfactor. �Do you think such shows encouragesuperstition?

I come from Delhi and never in mylife I have got to heard about superstitionsor evil powers. Therefore, I have nopersonal experience of this as such. But,the motive of television is to entertain theaudience and not to encourage anything.People are liking such shows and that’swhy makers are making them. Ouraudience is wise enough to make out thedifference in right and wrong. Theyunderstand it is solely for theirentertainment purpose.

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Actor Swaalina, whorecently featured in themusic video titled 3 Fire,

has been loving the weather.The actor says that monsoon isher favourite season and sheenjoys everything about it.“Who doesn’t like monsoon?And if there is someone whodoesn’t , well , I don’t likethem!” she laughs, adding,“Once it begins to rain, coloursget brighter and the air freshensup. It’s a total filmyenvironment, it’s like all theromantic songs about raincome alive.”

Ask her what she enjoys themost about monsoon, and shesays: “My most favourite thingto do in the monsoons is to takea book and read while I listento the raindrops hitting thewindows. It’s a stress-relievingtherapy for me.”

She adds: “I think everyonecelebrates monsoon in theirown special way. I personally

love to go for evening walksduring the monsoon. I am abig foodie so this is myfavourite time as I get to havesamosas. Rainy days makeeverything so much better.

Masala chai combined withthe crispy samosas . . it’sheavenly!”

Come rain, and Swaalinahas to dance for sure! “For me,it’s customary to dance in the

rain. I mean if you haven'tdanced in the rain then whathave you done in life ? I thinkfor me, the ideal rain dancepartner would be Shah RukhKhan. I would like to do thescene between him andMadhuri Dixit from Dil TohPagal Hai. But I think I am theKajol from Dilwale DulhaniaLe Jayenge dancing in the rainwith my mother and dreamingabout SRK,” she laughs.

The actor also loves tolisten to music during therains. “Some songs are simplymeant to be heard during themonsoon. They’re exclusive tomonsoon as if they werecomposed for the season only.My favorites are Rim JhimGhirey Saawan, Pyaar HuaIkraar Hua , Roop TeraMastana and many more. Isound like a romantic freakright now but believe me,there is just something aboutmonsoon," she says.

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StarPlus’ much loved musical drama,Kullfi Kumarr Bajewala, is going to

see an interesting high point withSikandar getting into a new avatar!

As we know Mohit Malik, is aversatile actor as he is pulling offmultiple avatars with ace since thestart of the show, first Sikandar, thennegative man Chandan, innocentBhola and now Murphy Singh. Thebeautiful bond between father-daughter duo is the main attractionpoint of the show and the audiencewill witness an interesting high pointin the coming episodes.

This is the first time whereSikandar will be essaying the role ofa sardar and this is what he has to sayabout his new look “Playing a sardaronscreen is exciting for me becausehalf of my relatives from my mom’sside are sardars and they are extremelyhappy to see me in this look! I knowfor a fact that sardars are funny andbright, so I am trying to grasp thosecharacteristics. And now that I amplaying a Sardar, for the first time inmy life I tried to tie a turban with myown hands and I felt so proud.”

Playing the role of a sardar for thefirst time and that too in a show likethis is a great opportunity as very fewactors get the chance to portray so

much diversity in one show. This isdefinitely a great way to impress theaudience with his talent.

This shifting in characters is whatmakes the story alive and interestingas it piques the interests of theaudience.

The fans are exhilarated to see himperform in this avatar and keepingpace with the previous roles they aresure he will portray this character ina commendable way.

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���%����+�!��%��We all get goose bumps with a lump in our

throats everytime we think of martyrs fromour Army. They offer themselves for supremesacrifice in order to protect us. Words are notenough to thank them. Actor Aniruddh Dave,currently playing the role of Hanuman Singh inthe show Patiala Babes, agrees. In his own way hepaid a very nice tribute to the soldiers who diedduring the Kargil War. He had recently beenfeatured in a tribute song celebrating the valour andsacrifices of soldiers and officers who took part inthe Kargil war. Dedicated to Kargil heroes, the videoalso features Bollywood megastar AmitabhBachchan, Olympic medallist boxer Mary Kom,actors Salman Khan, Anupam Kher, KanganaRanaut, Suniel Shetty, and Vicky Kaushal of Uri:The Surgical Strike fame. Kargil Vijay Diwas wason July 27. The song titled Tujhe Bhulega Na TeraHindustan has been penned by well-knownBollywood lyricist Sameer. Speaking about the songand his experience Aniruddh says, “It is a rareopportunity for an actor like me to get somethinglike this and for me it is a matter of pride.”Interestingly he had been brought up in armycantonments mostly. “My parents were teachers inarmy schools. I have studied in Kendriya Vidyalaya.Our whole family can understand the passion andpathos of an army family. We have witnessed whatthey go through when their family member whois an army man goes to war. We have seen theemotions of their families how they miss themduring festivals. In fact my wife Subhi and Icelebrated our first Diwali after wedding with anarmy family in Jaipur.” Aniruddh also feels havingfeatured in the video with all the other dignitariesis a huge achievement.

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Tension continued to prevailin Baliapal of Baleswar dis-

trict on Saturday after the bodyof a minor boy was foundhanging in a dhaba near IDCO Square in the areaon Friday.

In the morning, irate localsdetained the driver of an ambu-lance and two policemen nearat Uluda Chhak on theKamarda-Baliapal road complaining against post-mortem of the deceased’s bodyin the absence of his family members.

Sources said the DistrictMagistrate had on Fridayordered postmortem of the body.

But police did not take thebody since it was evening bythe time. When the cops tookthe body the early in morning,locals staged a demonstration.

Demanding a compensa-tion of Rs 20 lakh to the fam-ily of the deceased and imme-diate arrest of he accused in the‘murder’, irate locals also stageda road blockade at UludaChhak disrupting vehicularcommunications.

In a related development,Baliapal police stationInspector-in-Charge (IIC)Prabhukalyan Acharya wastransferred with immediateeffect.

As per reports, Baleswar SPJugal Kishor Banoth trans-ferred the IIC to the districtpolice headquarters here.Remuna PS IIC Ranjit Sahuwas posted in his place.

Besides, Director Generalof Police (DGP) Dr RP Sharmaon Saturday directed theHuman Rights Protection Cell(HRPC) of the Odisha Police totake up investigation of thecase. A team of the HRPCunder the charge ofInvestigating Officer DSPRanjit Naik proceeded fromCuttack to Baleswar to takecharge of the probe.

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Disciplinary action wastaken on Saturday against

three police personnel in con-nection with the death of a manin custody of the Dharuadihipolice station in Sundargarhdistrict.

Sundargarh Superintendentof Police (SP) Saumya Mishrasuspended ASI Binod ChandraPatel and two Constables,Baikuntha Nayak and Jayram

Madhel, attached to the policestation. It may be mentionedthat a special team of theSundargarh police had arrest-ed one Sunil Lodhi from Sagarof Madhya Pradesh on thecharge of buying a girl fromSundargarh district and latermarrying her forcibly.

Lodhi was supposed to beproduced before court on July20 but was found dead the pre-vious night with ligature markin his neck.

BALESWAR: A day after twoschool students drowned in acanal at Haripur under Khairablock in the district, localsreleased two teachers, includ-ing a woman, whom they haddetained following the incident,after the Sub-Collector assuredthem to take action in this con-nection. The Sub-Collectoralso assured to provide a com-pensation of Rs 4 lakh to fam-ily members of each deceased.

Notably, Class-VI studentRajesh Sahoo and Class-VII stu-dent Dhananjaya Jena of RatinaNodal Upper Primary School,drowned in canal while washingtheir hands after having theirmidday meal on Friday. Tensionprevailed in the school premis-es following the deaths as iratevillagers blamed the schoolauthorities for their negligencethat led to the tragedy. PNS

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Ayouth was attacked withacid allegedly by two per-

sons over past enmity in Anguldistrict on Friday evening. Thevictim, identified as KunaBehera, a resident of Pipalbahalin the Chhendipada area of thedistrict, was admitted to theDistrict Headquarters Hospitalin a critical condition.

According to sources, Kunawas targeted by two youths ofhis village while he was goingto his house after alightingfrom a bus in the evening.

The two assailants, identi-fied as Kalia Sethi and BijaySethi, who are siblings, threwacid at Kuna allegedly over apast enmity with an intent todisfigure his body.

The victim suffered burninjuries in his face, neck, chestand most of the other parts ofhis body.

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Two Bol Bam devotees werekilled and 10 others seri-

ously injured when an SUV(Bolero) carrying them was hit by a truck nearDuarasuni Ghat under theBangiriposi police limits inMayurbhanj district late onFriday night.

The deceased were identi-fied as Ranjit Ram and SibuSahoo, who were residents ofHanda village in theBangiriposi area.

The injured were admittedto the Pandit Raghunath

Murmu Medical CollegeHospital here.

Reports said a group of BolBam devotees were travelling toGupteswar to pour holy wateron Lord Shiva during this aus-picious month of Shraavana.The truck collided head onwith the SUV, killing two devo-tees on the spot.

The truck driver was alsocritically injured in the mishap.Locals with the help of policeand Fire Services personnel res-cued the truck driver and theinjured persons trapped in theSUV and rushed them to thehospital.

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Amajor mishap was provi-dentially averted when a

bus en route to Jharsugudaturned turtle at Bhabanipaliunder the Jujumara police station in Sambalpur dis-trict in the wee hours ofSaturday.

Reports said the bus car-rying around 50 passengers wasgoing to Brajrajnagar inJharsuguda district fromBhubaneswar.

The incident occurredwhen the bus driver lost con-trol while overtaking another vehicle.

At least 14 persons wereinjured, including two critical-ly, in the mishap.

The injured were admittedto the Sambalpur DistrictHeadquarters Hospital.

Receiving information, apolice team reached the spotand began an inquiry into theincident.

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The Manager of BharatpurOCP in the Talcher coal-

fields of the MahanadiCoalfields Limited (MCL) wason Saturday suspended withimmediate effect in connectionwith the strata failure that trig-gered a massive landslide in themine on Tuesday night.

The MCL Chairman-cum-Managing Director placedunder suspension VK Singh,Senior Manager (Mining)/Manager, Bharatpur OCP, forhis alleged negligence leadingto the accident resulting in the

death of three workers so far.While nine workers had

been rescued immediately andshifted to the company’sCentral Hospital by fellowworkers, bodies of three work-ers trapped in debris wererecovered later.

However, rescue operationwas underway on the fourthday on Saturday for the fourthperson reportedly missing inthe mishap.

The Directors of the com-pany are overseeing the rescueoperation being conducted byNDRF and MCL Mines Rescueteams under the supervision ofthe General Managers withthe help of the Angul districtadministration.

An inquiry into the inci-dent is also underway to ascer-tain the reasons behind theaccident, said an MCL release.

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The Commission-erate police late

on Friday nightcracked down ondance bars in the cityfor illegal operationand rescued as manyas 96 girls engaged asdancers in the bars.

Eleven bars onCuttack Road wereraided for allegedlyoperating as dancebars and employinggirls without licence.

The girls werefrom various places outsideOdisha such as Nainital, UttarPradesh, Himachal Pradesh,Punjab, West Bengal, Delhiand Haryana. They were hand-ed over to their relatives fol-lowing verification of their

identity proofs. The girls werereportedly engaged in the barsfor various purposes.

No licences were given tothe bar owners to run dancebars. As per Section 25 of theBihar and Orissa Excise Act,

1915, the girls could not beemployed at any bar for whichthe State Government has notissued licence for operation ofdance bars.

The licences have been givenonly for running bars.

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Two days after self-styledgodman Sarathi Baba alias

Santosh Roul was released fromjail on a conditional bail, theEnforcement Directorate (ED)on Saturday put up a notice athis ashram at Barimula hererestricting entry of his devoteesinto its premises.

A four-member ED teamdisplayed the notice that men-tioned a list of Sarathi Baba’simmovable properties currentlyunder the possession of the EDunder Section 8 (4) of thePrevention of MoneyLaundering Act, 2002.Trespassers into the ashramwould be prosecuted, the notice

warned.This was done in appre-

hension of entry of Sarathi’s fol-lowers into the ashram follow-ing his release from jail afterfour years.

Meanwhile, nobody knowswhere Sarathi Baba has goneafter his release from the jail.

The Crime Branch police

would keep a strict vigil onSarathi Baba’s activities toensure that he follows the bailconditions set by the OrissaHigh Court. Stringent actionwould be taken against Sarathiif he is found flouting thecourt order, Crime BranchADG Santosh Upadhyay hadsaid on Friday.

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The BJP on Saturday pulledup the State Government in

the State Assembly for the callousness of theOdisha Sahitya Akademi inpreserving traditional palm-leaf manuscripts, Madala Panjiand old Utkal literary works inits archives.

Raising the issue during theZero Hour, BJP memberBishnu Charan Sethi allegedthat the Sahitya Akademi has failed to pre-

serve old Utakl literary worksand enhance the quality ofOdia literature.

Stating that many house-holds in Cuttack and Puri dis-tricts have old palm-leaf man-uscripts, Sethi said the SahityaAkademi should collect themand preserve them.

He said the ‘MughalTamasa’, after its renovation, hasbecome a famous in the coun-try and worldwide.

“If we don’t find PrachinUtkal Sahitya in the Akadimi’sarchives and Youtube, how canwe promote glorious past of out literature works,” point-ed out Sethi.

He urged Speaker SurjyaNarayan Patro to direct theGovernment to modernize andstreamline the Akademi at theearliest.

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The Right to EducationForum, Odisha chapter has

opposed the StateGovernment’s decision to scrapthe “No Detention Policy”(NDP) from Class-VIII and reintroduce the pass-failsystem from the current acad-emic session.

The rights body said thatby the pass-fail system childrenfrom marginalised communi-ty would be affected and the

number of out-of-school chil-dren would increase.

A member of the body saidthe academic performance ofevery child is depended ontheir family and school envi-ronment, teaching methodol-ogy, contextual teaching learn-ing materials and others. TheGovernment needs to under-stand that if children are notperforming well it is not theirfault, the member added.

The member said theGovernment has not imple-mented the NDP in letter andspirit, adding that, the NDP

should be implemented alongwith Continuous andComprehensive Assessment(CCA) which was not done.

Much before the enactmentof the RTE Act 2009, Odisha waspioneer in implementing theNDP up to Class-VII and manysouthern region States are not infavour of scraping the NDP, thebody added. The members saidbefore taking such major deci-sion the Government shouldhave consulted the StateAdvisory Committee and urgedthe Chief Minister to reconsid-er the decision.

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The demand for engineeringcourses in the State is on

the decline as is evident frommore than 27,000 seats stilllying vacant in the engineeringcolleges after a second-phaseOJEE admission.

Even after 4,073 seats werereduced in 2019-20 academicsession in view of a low per-centage of students’ enrolmentinto engineering courses, theseats are still unfulfilled afteradmission in two phases.

Admission would havebeen held for a total of 34,223

seats for the students securingrank in the Odisha JointEntrance Examination (OJEE)this year.

But only 20 per cent of theseats are filled up so far and theremaining 80 per cent of seatsvacant both in Governmentand private engineering col-leges.

Only 7,100 students havetaken admission in two phas-es. Over 27,000 seats are yet tobe filled.

While the seats in the topbranches of engineering cours-es have been filled, the studentsshow less interest to get

enrolled into the non-trendingcourses. However, some moreseats are expected to be filledup in a special OJEE counsel-ing, according to OdishaPrivate Engineering CollegeAssociation (OPECA) secre-tary Binod Dash.

Later, admission would beheld at the college level, saidDash, adding that some moreseats would still remain vacant even after all phases ofadmission.

It all suggests a lack ofinterest among students in the State to pursue technicaleducation.

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An incident of aschoolteacher floggingstudents at the MuturmaTribal Primary School inUmarkote block ofNabarangpur districtcame to light onSaturday.

According to availableinformation, seven students,including a girl, of Class-IIIwere admitted to a local hos-pital after they were beaten upby the teacher when they failedto answer the correct meanings

of some words.“Our teacher asked us the

meanings of words in a class.We gave wrong answers andthen she beat us,” said a student.

The students sufferedbruises on their backs and

hands, following whichthey were taken to theUmarkote CommunityHealth Centre (CHC)for treatment.

The teacherJayantibala Bhadra isreportedly abscondingafter the incident as theschool authorities are

unable to contact her.Block Education Officer

(BEO) Bikash Chandra Sarkarsaid that an inquiry would bemade into the matter and nec-essary action would be takenagainst the teacher.

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A26-year-old youth wasarrested on Saturday for

allegedly raping a four-year-oldgirl in the Attabira area of thedistrict. The accused was iden-tified as Sudhansu Pradhan.

Pradhan, a relative of thevictim, has been accused ofallegedly outraging the girl’smodesty. Her mother lodged acomplaint in the Attabira policestation on Friday followingwhich police launched a probeinto the matter.

Though the accused wasabsconding after the incident,the Attabira police formed ateam and managed to nab himin the morning fromGodabhanga area.

Bargarh SDPO Khira SagarNayak said Pradhan has beensent for medical check-up andwould be forwarded to court.

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Ahead-on collision betweena car and an auto-rickshaw

resulted in the death of a per-son and injuries to three oth-ers in front of the AakhuapadaHaraparbati temple on NH-16in Bhandaripokhari block onSaturday.

The deceased was identi-fied as the auto-rickshaw dri-ver Maguni Das, a resident ofHaripur in Jajpur district.

The auto-rickshaw washeading towards Bhadrak from

Kuakhia when it dashed againstthe Hyundai car going fromBhadrak to Cuttack.

Irate locals staged a road-block disrupting traffic on the route.

Bhandaripokhari policeofficials reached the spot anddispersed the crowd

A person travelling in theauto-rickshaw was seriouslyinjured while two passengers inthe car also sustained injuries.They were rushed to theBhandaripokhari CommunityHealth Centre.

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From Page 1Congress MLA Suresh

Kumar Routray too allegedmany irregularities in thescheme.

BJD members PrasantKumar Muduli, Sudhir KumarSamal, Praulla Samal andAshok Kumar Bal refuted theOpposition charges, sayingfamers affiliated to all partieshave got KALIA benefits.

In his reply, Agricultureand Famers’ EmpowermentMinister Dr Arun KumarSahoo said that as many as

36,34,710 small and marginalfarmers and 14,70,580 landlessfarm labourers have receivedthe first-phase assistance ofRs 5,000. The Government hasa target to provide KALIAassistance to 50,000 small andmarginal farmers and 25,000farm labourers, he said.

Claiming that the KALIAscheme has been followed bythe Centre and the AndhraPradesh and West BengalGovernments, the Minister saidall data on farmers receivingKALIA aid would be put in pub-lic domain in August this year.He too assured the House thatthe KALIA scheme would reachpinnacles of its success soon.

Expressing unhappinessover the Minister’s reply, BJPmembers staged a walkout.

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The Bharatiya BikashParishad has filed a PIL in

the Orissa High Court seekingquashing of the Union RailwayMinistry’s order for creation ofa new railway division atRayagada.

Parishad presidentSurendra Panigrahi has prayedthe HC to intervene in the mat-ter and issue directions to theRailway Ministry for setting upof the proposed railway division at Brahampur insteadof Rayagada.

The petitioner argued that,Brahamapur the commercial

and educational hub of entiresouth Odisha is providinghighest revenue collectionunder the East Coast RailwaysECoR.

Besides, there are around165 passenger and expresstrains (up and down) passingthrough Brahmapur RailwayStation daily, while only tenpassenger trains run throughRayagada Station with meagrerevenue collection. Hence,there is no rationale for settingup of a new railway division atRayagada.

The Brahmapur RailwayStation is strategically locatedin almost equidistance fromKhordha and Visakhapatnam,while Rayagada is located only80 km from Sambalpur divi-sion, declaring the new divisionat Rayagada becomes redun-dant, Panigrahi stated.

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Former SundargarhCollector Rashmita Panda,

who is accused of bypassing thetender process, has been serveda notice by the Lokayukta ask-ing her to submit her reply inthe matter by August 21.

The IAS officer is accusedof misusing his position byspending a huge amount of Rs70 lakh on renovation of herresidence-cum-office inRourkela.

The expenditure incurredfor renovation of herGovernment quarter came tothe fore following a reply by theRourkela DevelopmentAuthority to an applicationfiled by RTI activist RashmiRanjan Padhi.

The RTI reply says Pandahad spent a total of Rs68,57,950.42 for renovating herofficial residence at Uditnagarin Rourkela in six monthswithout any open tender while

she was the Vice-Chairpersonof Rourkela DevelopmentAuthority (RDA) and the CEOof Rourkela Smart CityAuthority.

Following the expenditurebeing brought in publicdomain, the State Governmenttransferred her and appointedher as the Director ofEmployment-c um-Chie fExecutive Officer of OdishaSkill Development Authority.

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Now, India’s fastest sprinterDutee Chand has found a

place among the country’s 50most powerful people havingbeen ranked 47th in a list pub-lished in August edition of‘India Today’. The magazinetermed her as the first openly

‘gay’ sportsperson. The powerlist 2019 is topped by the world’s13th richest man MukeshAmbani, who has a net worth of$50 billion (Rs 3.45 lakh crore).

Earlier, Dutee was featuredin this year’s list for her out-standing performance at the2018 Asian Games and 2019World Unversiade.

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Former Nepal PrimeMinister Lokendra Bahadur

Chand would visit Odisha forthree days from July 29,informed Odisha InternationalCentre vice-chairman JayPrakash Mishra at a Press meethere on Saturday.

Mishra said Chand wouldbe welcomed by a State-levelteam which includes its chair-man Bharatiya Vidya BhawanVP Dr SK Tamotia, workingchairman Sankaracharya PRO

Pandit Matruprasad Mishra,president Paresh Nayak, VPseminent sculptor UdayanathSahu, Satyasundar Panda, UdayKumar Shanti, BhabagrahiShanti and secretaries JayPrakash Mishra, PratapChandra Mishra, GeetanjaliPanda and Suman Dash.

Tamotia said the team wouldhold discussions with Chand forfriendly relations between thetwo countries. The team wouldapprise Chand about the culture,tradition, history and touristand historic places of Odisha.

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Atemporary bridge overriver Kalyani in

Kalyansinghpur block in thedistrict on Saturday got washedaway due to torrential rains inthe Niyamagiri Hills range.

Though the rains in otherparts of the district are scanty,incessant rains due to a lowpressure on Friday caused aflash flood in the river. In2017, the permanent bridgeconnecting Parsali gram pan-chayat and other four GPs hadbeen swept away due to tor-rential rains and a severe floodmarooning several villages.

Since then the districtadministration has been con-structing a temporary bridgeon the river Kalyani. This has

compounded the misery ofnearly 20,000 inhabitantsincluding Dongaria Kandhas,school students and pregnantwomen depending on health-care facilities inKalyansinghpur.

Every year in rainy season,the Kalyani plays havoc bysweeping away the temporarybridge. According to RDExecutive Engineer PradipMandal, a tender has beenfloated and the work would startfor a permanent bridge soon.

Kalayansinghpur BDOAnup Panda informed that novillage has been marooned. Aboat and safety jackets havebeen provided immediatelywith a trained boatman toferry people in the river.

The district administra-tion is alert to counter anyeventuality.

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Members on Saturday gavea standing ovation in the

State Assembly to the scientistsfor the successful launch of thecountry’s indigenous moonmission Chandrayaan-2.

During the Zero Hour, BJDMLA Amar Prasad Satapathyproposed to the Speaker to givea standing ovation to the sci-entists for the achievementwhich was supported byCongress Legislature PartyLeader Narasingha Mishra. Inresponse, Speaker SurjyaNarayan Patro asked all theMLAs to give a one-minutestanding ovation to the scientistsfor the historic achievement.Notably, the Chandrayaan-2was launched from Sriharikotain Andhra Pradesh on July 22.

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As t a t e - o f -t h e - a r t

physiotherapyand occupa-tional therapycentre wasinaugurated atthe KalingaInstitute of Medical Sciences(KIMS) by Minister of Healthand Family Welfare NabaKishore Das on Saturday.

The Minister also inaugu-rated a yearlong mega healthcamp by the KIMS for four dis-tricts, Kandhamal, Boudh,Nayagarh and Ganjam. Hethanked KIMS founder DrAchyuta Samanta for the ini-

tiative. The health camp withfree medicine distribution willbe held in every block head-quarters of the four districts onfirst Sunday of every month.Doctors, specialists and para-medical staffs from KIMS willjoin the camp and providehealth services. The camp willbe held in district headquarterstwice every month.

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The All Odisha Private BusOwners’ Association

(AOPBOA) on Saturday threat-ened to launch an indefinite stirfrom August 12 in protestagainst the State Government’s decision to can-cel the route permit of a bus, in which a minor tribal girl was raped in the city bus-stand during theRath Yatra.

“If the Government does-n’t revoke the cancellation ofroute permit of the bus, wewould launch a State-wideindefinite stir from August 12,”AOPBOA secretary DebendraSahoo said.

The TransportCommissioner had directedthe RTO to cancel the drivinglicense of the driver and con-ductor too. Besides, ashow–cause notice was alsoserved to the bus owner toreply within a fortnight as towhy the route permit of his busshould not be cancelled per-manently.

The helper of the busaccused of raping the girl was arrested and forward-ed to court.

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About 1,000 volunteers ofthe Shri Sant Janardhan

Swami Sanskar Sanstha fromMaharashtra joined hands toclean the waste on the five-kmPuri beach on Saturday.

Amid occasional rainfall,the volunteers, who were divid-ed into 16 groups having 60members in each group, spreadover Digabareni to the LightHouse and Digabareni to PinkHouse on the beach to give amakeover to the shoreline.

The two-hour-long cleanupdrive by the volunteers, includ-ing women and senior citizens,not only drew eyeballs from theonlookers but made a significantimpact on the beach. Plasticcups and bottles, aluminiumcans, plastic plates, among thewaste materials were removedby the volunteers.

The district administra-tion made all the necessaryarrangements and providedtrash bags, gloves and othercleanup materials to the vol-unteers who came all the way

from Maharashtra to take partin the shoreline cleanup drivein Puri.

“We are very thankful tothe volunteers who cleaned upthe entire beach with full ofpassion and determinationamid rains and inclementweather conditions. It is reallya praiseworthy action and willsure inspire others to join thedrive to keep the beach waste-free,” said Puri CollectorBalwant Singh.

Singh also appeals touristsand people not to throw plas-

tic cups and bottles, aluminiumcans on the beach as it wouldcause an irreversible damage tothe whole ecosystem.

Earlier, the administrationhad launched a ‘Mo Beach’campaign to keep the shorelineclean and beautiful.

Notably, the Puri beach isthe first beach in Asia to get theBlue Flag certification, a tag isgiven to environment-friendlyand clean beaches which areequipped with amenities ofinternational standards fortourists.

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In a curious turn of events, theEnforcement Directorate has

arrested Hyderabad-basedbusinessman Sana Satish Babu,the complainant whose allega-tions triggered a war among theCBI top brass last year, in con-nection with a money-laun-dering probe against contro-versial meat exporter MoinQureshi and others.

Babu was grilled for a fewhours and was taken into cus-tody as he was “not cooperat-ing” in the probe. FollowingBabu’s complaint, the CBIheaded by Alok Verma thenhad registered a criminal FIRon charges of corruptionagainst its former special direc-tor Rakesh Asthana last year.

Babu was earlier sum-moned as a witness in the EDmoney laundering case butwith the latest development, hebecomes an accused.

Babu was arrested late onFriday night under the provi-sions of the Prevention ofMoney Laundering Act(PMLA) as he was “not coop-erating” in the probe, officialssaid.

His links with Qureshi, anaccused in a CBI and ED case,as also in certain financialtransactions, are suspected tobe dubious by the agencywhich will be probed during hiscustodial interrogation.

He is suspected to be

involved in the bribery case andhad made payments to Qureshiwhich are illegitimate, sourcesclaimed.

After submitting a writtencomplaint against Asthana tothe CBI, Babu had recorded astatement under Section 164 ofthe Criminal Procedure Code(CrPC) before a Magistrate.Following his statement underSection 164, the CBI thenunder Verma registered an FIRagainst Asthana.

In his statement to theCBI, Babu had said he paid abribe of Rs 2 crore to Asthanato be spared from any adverseaction in the investigationlinked to Qureshi. The moneywas paid over a 10-monthperiod -- starting fromDecember 2017.

Babu was being investigat-ed by a special investigationteam (SIT) of the CBI, headedby Asthana, when he hadaccused him for acceptingbribes.

Taking cognisance of thecomplaint filed by Babu, the

CBI had registered a FirstInformation Report (FIR)against Asthana and others,including a few other agencyofficials.

Later, Asthana had accusedthen CBI Director Verma ofbeing corrupt and filed a com-plaint against him with counterallegations of shielding Babuand not allowing the SIT to goagainst him.

Asthana, in an exhaustiveletter to the Cabinet Secretaryon August 24 last year, hadgiven a list of 10 instances ofalleged corruption by Verma inwhich it was alleged that Sanapaid the CBI chief Rs 2 crore toget clean chit in the case.

The ED had registered acriminal case under the anti-money laundering law againstQureshi in 2017 for alleged cor-ruption in connivance withGovernment officials. It hadalso arrested Qureshi as part ofthe probe and attached hisassets. Former CBI Director APSingh is also being probed inthis case by the ED.

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In a suspected case of maritaldiscord turning fatal, a

newly-wed couple and theman’s mother were found hang-ing in their residence inside theIIT campus in South Delhi onFriday night.

Gulshan Das, 35, — asenior lab assistant in IIT’sbio-chemistry department —was found hanging from anoverhead rod in the corridor,while his wife Sunita and hismother Kanta were foundhanging in two bedroom oftheir residence, police said onSaturday.

The couple married inFebruary 2019 and had nochildren. It was second mar-riage for both of them, policesaid. A domestic violence com-plaint was filed against Das byhis wife merely two monthsafter their marriage. Sunitahad alleged that Das used toassault her. She had also allegedthat he had demanded dowry

from her family, police said.Police suspect the couple

might have fought on Fridaynight following which the threefamily members took theextreme step. No suicide notehas been recovered, however.

A senior police officer saidthey were alerted by Sunita’smother Krishna Devi, wholives in Naraina, at 10:59pm on

Friday. “She called her daugh-ter all day but Sunita did notrespond, following which shepanicked and informed police,”said Deputy Commissioner ofPolice (southwest) DevenderArya.

An inquest has been initi-ated by a magistrate as man-dated by law, since the couplehad not been married for morethan seven years, he said.

The post-mortem exami-nation will be conducted by aboard of doctors, which hasbeen constituted. The investi-gation so far suggest the case tobe of suicidal hanging, theDCP added.

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US aerospace companyBoeing on Saturday hand-

ed over the first four of the 22Apache attack helicopters to theIndian Air Force at its HindonAir Force Base while anotherbatch of four helicopters will bedelivered next week. The eighthelicopters will then move tothe Pathankot air station forformal induction.

The AH-64E Apache is oneof the world's most advancedmulti-role combat helicopters,and is flown by the US Armyand several other countries.The IAF had signed a contractwith the US government andBoeing Ltd in September 2015for 22 Apache helicopters.Additionally, the DefenceMinistry in 2017 approved theprocurement of six Apache heli-copters along with weaponssystems from Boeing at a cost ofRs 4,168 crore for the Army.This will be its first fleet of attackhelicopters to be flown by theArmy pilots.

Senior IAF officials said theaddition the Apache fleet willsignificantly enhance the force'scombat capabilities as thechopper has been customisedto suit IAF's future require-

ments. “The arrival of theApaches, ahead-of-schedule,validates Boeing's commitmentto delivering on its promise ofmodernising India's defenceforces. Boeing has ensuredhigh rate of mission readinessand increased operationalcapabilities through its currentpartnerships with the IAF,”Boeing said in a statement.

The company has deliveredmore than 2,200 Apaches tocustomers around the worldsince the aircraft entered pro-duction and India is the 14thnation to select it for its military.“By 2020, the IAF will operatea fleet of 22 Apaches, and thesefirst deliveries are ahead ofschedule,” Boeing said.

The aerospace major saidthe AH-64E has the latest tech-nology insertions, maintaining

its standing as the world's bestattack helicopter. The AH-64EApache for the Indian AirForce completed successful

first flight in July 2018. Thefirst batch of Indian Air Forcecrew began their training to flythe Apache in the US in 2018

“It is the only availablecombat helicopter with a spec-trum of capabilities for virtu-ally any mission requirement.For the AH-64 E, this includesgreater thrust and lift, joint dig-ital operability, improved sur-vivability and cognitive deci-sion aiding. It is uniquely suit-ed to meet the commander'sneeds, including reconnais-sance, security, peacekeepingoperations, and lethal attack -in both land and littoral envi-ronments - all without recon-figuration,” it said.

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The Government has appoint-ed Lt General Paramjit Singh,

who has vast experience incounter-terror operations, as thenext Director General of MilitaryOperations (DGMO) of theIndian Army. He will take overfrom the incumbent Lt GeneralAnil Chauhan who will nowhead the Eastern Command.

Singh, currently serving asGeneral OfficerCommanding(GOC) ofNagrota-based XVI Corps, willtake over as the new DGMO onOctober 15, sources said hereon Saturday. As DGMO, LtGen Singh will oversee variousoperations of the Indian Armyincluding along the LOC inJammu and Kashmir.

He has extensive experi-ence of counter-terror opera-

tions and was involved in theplanning of the 2016 surgicalstrikes on terror launch padsacross the LOC in Jammu andKashmir. An alumnus ofDefence Services Staff College,Wellington and Mhow-basedArmy War College, Lt GenSingh has held various opera-tional and staff positions in theArmy in Kashmir valley.

He has vast experience inhigh-altitude warfare, includingtenure at the Siachen Glacier.He spent most of his careerconducting counter insurgencyoperations in Jammu andKashmir, besides taking part inoperations against the LTTE inSri Lanka. He was commis-sioned into the Army in 1982in Madras Regiment and hewas shifted to the eliteParachute Regiment (SpecialForces) in January 1984.

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Amidst uproar in the LokSabha over the “double

meaning” comments of theSamajwadi Party (SP) MPAzam Khan against BJP MPRama Devi , the Lok JanshaktiParty (LJP) said on Saturdaythat the Lok Sabha shouldhave acted against theParliamentarian by now anddemanded that the Speakertake strict action against him ifhe does not apologise.

In a party statement issuedby its Lok Sabha MP VeenaDevi, the LJP, which is the BJP'sNDA ally, said Khan's remarksin the House “cannot be con-doned and were extremely

condemnable”.“Action should have been

taken against Azam Khan bynow. The Speaker shouldensure that stringent actionshould be taken against him ifhe does not apologise,” she said.

Cutting across party lines,Lok Sabha members on Fridaydemanded exemplary actionagainst Khan.

Speaker Om Birla has con-veyed to Khan's party that hemust apologise or action will betaken against him.

Parliamentary affairsMinister Pralhad Joshi has alsosought an exemplary action onthe issue saying all MPs areexpected to uphold the digni-ty of the august house.

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The Congress on Saturdaylashed out at the Modi

Government for allowing cut-ting of over 1 crore trees fordevelopment projects since2014 as the party wondered ifthe “BJP is destroying ourfuture”. The Congress also hitout at the BJP government inUttar Pradesh over issues beingfaced by farmers and ques-tioned the efficacy of farmand loan waiver schemes.

“Trees are 'life'. Tress are'oxygen'. Tress absorb 'carbondioxide'. Trees protect 'envi-ronment'. Modi Govt has cut awhopping 1,09,75,844 trees inthe past 5 years! (ParliamentaryReply),” Congress' chiefspokesperson RandeepSurjewala said on Twitter.

He also posted theEnvironment Ministry's replyin the Lok Sabha that it per-mitted cutting of over 1 croretrees in the last five years fordevelopment work. “Is BJPdestroying our future?” heasked.

Responding to a questionin the Lok Sabha on Friday,Minister of State forEnvironment Babul Supriyosaid the ministry gave permis-sion to cut 1.09 crore trees fordevelopment purposes between2014 and 2019. Out of thetotal, the highest number oftrees (26.91 lakh) was cut in2018-19, he said. Supriyo saiddata on trees destroyed in for-est fires is not maintained byhis ministry

For her part, Congress gen-eral secretary Priyanka Gandhi

Vadra focused on her battle-ground as she hit out at the BJPgovernment in Uttar Pradeshover issues being faced byfarmers and questioned theefficacy of farm and loan waiv-er schemes.

She cited a media reportwhich said that five farmershave committed suicide in asmany days in Bundelkhand'sBanda. “Farmers grow crop,don't get the price for it.Famine occurs, compensationis not given,” Priyanka said ina tweet in Hindi.

“Farmers in Bundelkhandare getting threats of confisca-tion every day. What kind offarm policy and loan waiverschemes is it that farmers areleft with no option but to com-mit suicide,” the AICC in-charge (UP) said.

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Congress leader RahulGandhi on Saturday

alleged that the Modi govern-ment is “diluting” the RTI Actto “help the corrupt steal fromIndia”.

While the Lok Sabhapassed the Right toInformation (Amendment)Bill, 2019 on Monday, theRajya Sabha gave its approvalon Thursday after opposition

walkout over what it said was“intimidation” tactics by trea-sury benches to influence vot-ing on the motion to send theBill to a Select Committee forgreater scrutiny.

“Government is dilutingRTI in order to help the corruptsteal from India. Strange thatthe normally vociferous anti-corruption crowd has sudden-ly disappeared,” Rahul said ina tweet, using the hashtag“GovtMurdersRTI”.

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JDU (U), an ally of the BJP inthe ruling National

Democratic Alliance (NDA),would oppose the triple talaqbill that aims to remove the ret-rograde practice in the coun-try in the Rajya Sabha too. Thebill passed by the Lok Sabha onJuly 25 may come up for con-sideration in the Rajya Sabhaon Monday. The practice isabolished in over 20 Islamiccountries including Pakistanand Bangladesh.

JD(U) spokesperson KCTyagi slammed the bill, whichcriminalises instant divorce byMuslim men ( by uttering theterm Talq three-times) with ajail term of up to three years,saying it is of “imposing nature”and will “definitely create a lackof trust in society”. “We will

oppose the bill,” he said onSaturday.

After having passed the billin Lok Sabha, the governmentneeds the approval of the RajyaSabha to convert it into a lawto end the retrograde practicewhich leaves a wife at themercy of his husband.

Even after government haspassed an ordinance for itsimplementation and SupremeCourt made it illegal, therehave been nearly 350 cases ofinstant talaq with Muslimwomen left to fend for them-selves. The bill provides jail tothe offender husband if wife orany blood relative makes a caseagainst him in case of tripletalaq.

The Congress, TMC andSP, among other parties, areopposed to “criminalizing”triple talaq, a stand, according

to the BJP, was yet anotherinstance of “Muslim appease-ment”. JDU's stand to oppose isalso seen in the similar light bythe BJP.

The JD(U), led by BiharChief Minister Nitish Kumar,had not voted in the bill's sup-port in Lok Sabha and hadstaged a walkout. It madethough little difference as theBJP enjoys a strong majority inthe Lower House on its ownbut the same may not be thecase in the upper house whereBJP does not have a majority.Just as in case of the RTIAmendment Bill, the BJPexpects `friendly parties` likeBJD, TRS and YSR Congress toback it..

The Bihar-based party mayadopt a similar tactic in RajyaSabha and stage a walkout. TheJD(U), which is otherwise a

NDA constituent, has six mem-bers in Rajya Sabha, whose cur-rent strength is 240.

“We believe that ours is anation based on a delicate bal-ance in respect of laws and gov-erning principles for differentreligious and ethnic groups.We must not impose any viewwithout obtaining substantiveconsultations,” Tyagi said.

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Slamming Pakistan forindulging in deceit since

1947, Prime Minister NarendraModi on Saturday said theKargil war of 1999 had changedthe world’s perception aboutIndia, which took militaryaction to evict the PakistaniArmy and foiled the neighbour’sattempt to redraw the boundary.

Addressing a gathering tocommemorate the 20thanniversary of the Kargil war,the Prime Minister said mod-ernisation of the armed forceswas a priority of his govern-ment as the wars have nowreached the space and arebeing fought even in the cyberworld.

In 1999, Pakistani Armyhad captured the mountainousheights in Kargil in Ladakhregion of Jammu and Kashmirand India undertook militaryaction to evict the intruders ina three-month war.

“We foiled Pakistan'sdeception in Kargil... This warchanged the perception of theworld towards India... Weexposed the deceitful plans ofPakistan to re-draw the Line ofControl (LoC). The world wit-nessed that we never initiatedany act of violence and insteadgave a befitting reply,” Modisaid.

While quoting the thenPrime Minister Atal BihariVajpayee on the episode, Modisaid Pakistan had launchedthe misadventure, thinkingthat India would seek the helpof the international communi-ty and foreign powers wouldstep in to mediate.

However, India did noth-ing like that and on its ownused the military power to

throw out the Pakistani Army,the Prime Minister said.

Hailing the armed forcesfor their exceptional valourdisplayed while recapturingthe mountain peaks of Kargil,Modi named a few of thosedecorated for their bravery.

He recalled the Param VirChakra awardee CaptainVikram Batra, who hadfamously said, “Yeh Dil Maange

More” and said the late officer's“heart wasn't asking for him-self, not for a religion, languageor caste, but for the wholeBharat, for 'Maa Bharati'.”

Batra, who belonged toHimachal Pradesh, was killedin close combat with Pakistanitroops while recapturing apeak after having taking overone peak already.

Paying tributes to the

armed forces for safeguardingthe borders of the country, heemphasized modernization tomake them in tune with themodern warfare scenario.

“Today, the wars havereached the space. Wars arebeing fought even in the cyberworld. So, the modernization ofdefence forces is not only anecessity but also our priority”,said Modi.

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Senior Congress leaderSiddaramaiah on Saturday

said the government of the BJPin Karnataka was not “consti-tutionally or ethically formed”and called it “a victory ofhorsetrading.”

Siddaramaiah, who is theleader of the Congress LegislatureParty, accused the BJP of “mis-using” the office of governor toform the government.

“Yeddyurappa taking oathitself is against the constitutionby misusing the office of theGovernor though they don'thave the majority,” he toldreporters here.

Explaining the equation, hesaid the strength of the

Assembly after the disqualifi-cation of three MLAs was 221and the halfway mark was 111.

However, the BJP has only105.

Asserting that the BJP hasto give the list of 111 MLAs,Siddaramaiah underlined thefact that the names of rebelMLAs camping in Mumbaicannot be given as they werefrom Congress and the JD(S).

“This (BJP's) is not a con-stitutionally or ethically formedgovernment.

How will they (BJP) provemajority then? Has it got anyrecognition within the frame-work of constitution?”Siddaramaiah asked.

He said the H DKumaraswamy led coalition

government would not havecollapsed if the MLAs ofCongress and the JD(S) werenot confined.

“They (BJP) confined ourMLAs illegally by luring themand now they (BJP) are sayingit is the victory of people. No,it is not the victory of people.It is the victory of horse-trad-ing,” Siddaramaiah said.

The former Chief Ministerclaimed that two rebel MLAshad called him regarding theirdisqualification but he did notreceive their calls.

Four days after the coali-tion government collapsed,BJP leader Yeddyurappa stakedclaim to form the governmentand took oath as chief minis-ter on Friday.

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Outgoing West BengalGovernor Keshari Nath

Tripathi on Saturday said ChiefMinister Mamata Banerjee's“appeasement policy” isadversely affecting the socialharmony of the state.

Tripathi, who has had sev-eral run-ins with the chiefminister during his five-yeartenure, said that Banerjee hasthe vision and power to imple-ment her decisions but needs tokeep a check on her sentimentsand exercise restraint.

He said the chief ministershould treat every citizenequally without discrimina-tion.

“Chief Minister MamataBanerjee has got vision, she hasthe power to implement herdecisions but she should exer-cise restraint too. She becomessentimental on occasions, soshe has to keep a control on it,”Tripathi told PTI while reply-ing to questions on a widerange of issues.

His successor Jagdeep

Dhankar will take oath as gov-ernor on July 30.

“Her (Banerjee's ) policy ofappeasement has the effect ofadversely affecting societal har-mony... I think she should lookat every citizen equally. Ibelieve that every citizen ofWest Bengal should be dealtwith equally without discrim-ination,” he said.

Asked whether he saw anydiscrimination in West Bengal,85-year-old Tripathi said,

“Discrimination is apparent.Her (Banerjee) statementsshow the discrimination”.

He also expressed concernon violence in the state, sayingthe law and order situationshould be improved.

“I think a lot of improve-ment is required in the law andorder situation. I do not knowwhy people are adopting vio-lence. There may be a politicalreason, a communal reason orinflux of Bangladeshis and

Rohingyas or several othercauses,” he said.

The state witnessed sever-al incidents of political violenceduring and after the Lok Sabhapolls.

On whether he felt thecurrent law and order situationin West Bengal could warrantimposition of President's Rule,Tripathi refrained from givinga direct reply.

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The Indian Air Force onSaturday airlifted over 120

people stuck in different partsof Thane district in Maharashtradue to flash floods triggered byheavy rains, an official said.

While at least 70 peoplewere stranded on the terrace ofa petrol pump in Badlapurtown, around 65 km fromMumbai, another 45 peoplewere stuck at a private resort inShahad, 46 kilometres away, thestate disaster control roomofficial said here.

Heavy showers sinceFriday night have caused theUlhas river in the district tooverflow, with water gushingonto roads in Badlapur andinundating many areas.

“A rescue operation waslaunched with the help of theIndian Air Force after wereceived a call at 11 am request-ing airlift from the terrace of

the petrol pump. An IAF heli-copter was dispatched to thespot and also to the resort inShahad. All of them have beenrescued,” the official said.

Personnel of NationalDisaster Response Force, localpolice, fire brigade, and disas-ter management force weredeployed for the rescue oper-ations, he said.

In another operation car-ried out by a helicopter-borneteam of the IAF, nine personswere rescued from a rooftop inKalyan in the district, an offi-cial said.

The building is close to theUlhas river which has breachedits banks, said the official.

While Thane city recorded160 millimetres of rainfall till8 am on Saturday, Murbadtehsil recorded 332 mm, whileKalyan, Ulhasnagar andAmberanth recorded over 200mm of rainfall each, the districtcollector's office said.

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No right is permanent as itchanges with the concept

of socio-economic conditions,former president PranabMukherjee said Saturday.

He said that the architect ofthe Constitution, B RAmbedkar, had advised duringthe discussion on the statutethat it will be the people ofIndia who will decide thenature of the Constitutionbecause it will depend on therepresentatives they elect to thelegislatures.

“They (people) will be thefinal player. The nature of theConstitution will depend asand when the situation arises,”Mukherjee said, referring to thepowers of Parliament to amendthe Constitution.

He was addressing a gath-ering of Delhi University (DU)professors and students afterreleasing the book 'Discourseon Rights in India: Debate andDilemmas'.

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New Delhi: The high-poweredGST Council on Saturdaydecided to reduce the tax rate onelectric vehicles (EVs) to 5 percent from the existing 12 percent, a move aimed at acceler-ating the adoption of eco-friendly mobility solutions.

The new Goods andServices Tax (GST) rate on EVswill be effective from August 1,the Finance Ministry said in astatement after the 36th meet-ing of the GST Council.

The GST rate on all EVs hasbeen reduced from 12 per centto 5 per cent. Additionally, thetax rate on chargers or chargingstations for EVs has beenslashed from 18 per cent to 5 percent.

The council also approvedGST exemption for hiring ofelectric buses (of carryingcapacity of more than 12 pas-sengers) by local authoritiesfrom August 1, the statementsaid. The meeting, chaired byFinance Minister Nirmala

Sitharaman, was held via videoconferencing.

The GST Council, headedby the union finance minister,has state finance ministers asmembers.

It also took certain decisionsregarding changes in GST law.

The last date for filing ofintimation, in Form GST CMP-02, for availing the option ofpayment of tax (by exclusivesupplier of services) has beenextended from July 31 toSeptember 30, the statementadded. Further, the last date for

furnishing statement containingthe details of the self-assessedtax in Form GST CMP-08 forthe June quarter (by taxpayersunder composition scheme)has been extended to August 31.The earlier deadline was July 31.

The Central Governmenthas been taking initiative topopularise environment friend-ly electric vehicles.

In the Union Buget 2019-20, the Government providedadditional income tax deduc-tion of �1.5 lakh on the interestpaid on loans taken to purchaseEVs.

Besides, customs duty hasbeen exempted on certain partsof EVs to further incentivise e-mobility in the country. TheCentre has also approved�10,000 crore to encouragefaster adoption of EVs in thecountry under the FAME IIscheme, which aims to encour-age faster adoption of such vehi-cles by right incentives andcharging infrastructure. PTI

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Ahmedabad: India has put inplace a game plan for electricvehicles (EV) and its compo-nents like batteries to ensureclean cities, reduce importsand utilise solar power, NITIAayog CEO Amitabh Kantsaid here on Saturday.

He said domestic batterymanufacturing for electricvehicles provides a "massivemarket opportunity", and alsoquickens the transition to suchenvironment-friendly trans-port, which is vital for thecountry to help combat pollu-tion, congestion, strengthenenergy security and create jobs.

Addressing a conferenceon sustainable mobilitythrough video link, Kant saidthe country's EV focus should

mainly be on two-wheeler andthree-wheeler vehicles andpublic transport.

"We have a game plan todrive electric vehicles, partic-ularly two and three-wheelers,public transport and manufac-turing of batteries in India. Ourobjective is that we shouldfirst work on about 80 per centof components of two andthree-wheelers and buses andalso push manufacturing ofbatteries in India," Kant said.

"From the perspective ofenergy security and competi-tive advantage, new mobilitysolutions will reduce oil importcosts, lower India's trade deficitand limit our vulnerability tooil supply disruptions," Kantsaid. PTI

New Delhi: The auto industryon Saturday welcomed thereduction in GST on electricvehicles (EVs) and chargers,saying it will help in creating anecosystem that will encouragefaster mass adoption of eco-friendly mobility.

While terming the step as yetanother bold move, the manu-facturers, specially electric two-wheeler makers, sought similarreduction of 18 per cent GST onspare batteries, claiming it wouldhelp maintain low running costof EVs over their lifetime.

"We welcome the GSTCouncil's historic decision toreduce the GST on electric vehi-cles from 12 per cent to 5 percent and on EV chargers from 18per cent to 5 per cent.

"The tax benefit will help

create an ecosystem that willencourage faster mass adoptionof EVs in our society," HyundaiMotor India Ltd (HMIL) MDand CEO S S Kim said in a state-ment.

The company had recentlylaunched its full electric SUVKona priced at �25.3 lakh.

"We are thankful toGovernment of India for fulfill-ing their promise as this strate-gic decision by GST Council willfurther strengthen confidence ofprospective buyers for electricmobility in future," he added.

Expressing similar senti-ments, Mahindra & MahindraManaging Director PawanGoenka tweeted, "One morebold enabling step by GoI (gov-ernment of India) to support EVmovement. PTI

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Coimbatore: The trade warbetween USA and China hasprovided a good opportunityto India in the textile sector,convenor of IndianTexpreneurs FederationPrabhu Dhamodaran said onSaturday.

With the global export oftextiles pegged at $260-billion,the export from China to UShas gone down by three to fourper cent in the last fivemonths, which has to becashed in on by the Indian tex-tile manufacturers, he said.

Dhamodaran was speak-ing after inaugurating the 2ndedition of the National TextileConclave aimed at creatingawareness and spreading theprinciple of Japanese '5S sys-tem' (which stands for: order,cleanliness, purity and com-mitment), and quality circleprinciples.

The conclave was organ-ised by Quality Circle ForumOf India (QCFI) here.

He further said manufac-turers have to shift their focusto value-added products inapparel segment and large-scale apparel manufacturing,which would reduce the costin basic commodity apparels.

Increase by one-billiondollar export from Indiawould help in generating 1.5lakh new jobs, he said.

Prabhu said there was aneed to strengthen the TamilNadu textile sector by achiev-ing manufacturing excellence,consistent quality, and con-tinuous improvement tomatch the moving bench-marks.

QCFI executive director DK Srivatsava said the nationalconvention of the forumwould be held here in 2020.

In his address, CEO ofIDFC (InfrastructureDevelopment FinanceCompany) Dr N S Rajan saidhappy employees deliver 30 percent more productivity, twotimes more innovative solu-tions, which lead to less attri-tion in the organisations. PTI

Paris: France is pushing aheadwith a landmark tax on techgiants like Google and Facebookdespite US President DonaldTrump's threats of retaliatorytariffs on French wine.

After Trump slammed the"foolishness" of the tax in a tweetFriday and promised reciprocalaction, French Finance MinisterBruno Le Maire said "Francewill implement" it anyway.

According to Le Maire'soffice, he added, "the universaltaxation of digital activity is achallenge that concerns us all."

He said the tax is meant asa temporary measure pendingnegotiations on an internation-al tax deal.

The 3 per cent tax, whichwent into force this week, main-ly concerns companies that useconsumer data to sell onlineadvertising.

It's designed to stop multi-nationals from avoiding taxes bysetting up European headquar-ters in low-tax EU countries.

Currently, companies suchas Google, Amazon, Facebook,Apple, Airbnb and Uber payvery little tax on their significantbusiness in countries like France.

The Trump administrationsays the tax is discriminatoryagainst US business.

But the tax targets any dig-ital company with yearly glob-al sales worth more than 750million euros ($835 million)and French revenue exceeding25 million euros ($27 million).

It should affect about 30companies, based in the US,China and Europe, includingFrance.

The revenue threshold issupposed to allow more roomfor startups. France argues thattech giants are abusing theirmarket dominance, notablythrough tax avoidance, and pre-venting others from a fairchance of competing.

Also, the tax only concernsrevenues earned in France —not sales in the US or elsewhere.

US Trade RepresentativeRobert Lighthizer began aninvestigation earlier this monthto determine whether the tax isdiscriminatory or unreason-able and restricts US com-

merce. Such a finding wouldallow Trump to levy retaliatorytariffs.

Trump derided Frenchwines in his tweet, and later saidhe might hit them with retalia-tory tariffs to French. He madea similar threat last year.

Trump insisted on Fridaythat he has a good relationshipwith President EmmanuelMacron and had just spokenwith him.

After initially befriendingthe US president despite theirstarkly different worldviews,Macron has increasingly stoodup to the impulsive, America-first Trump on trade, climatechange and Iran's nuclear pro-gram. AP

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Washington: US PresidentDonald Trump on Friday saidhe would impose tax on Frenchwine in retaliation of France'sdigital tax that would impactAmerican companies.

"I told him (FrenchPresident Emmanuel Macron)don't do it, because if you do it,I'm going to tax your wine —tariff or tax — call it whateveryou want. So, yeah, we areworking on that right now,"Trump told reporters at the

White House.Earlier, Trump spoke to

Macron over phone, duringwhich the two leaders dis-cussed a host of issues, includ-ing addressing the continuedthreat posed by Iran to com-mercial shipping traffic in theStrait of Hormuz, France's deci-sion to adopt a digital servicestax and the upcoming G7Summit, according to WhiteHouse spokesperson JuddDeere. PTI

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Washington: US PresidentDonald Trump has threatenedto slap Apple with tariffs on thecomponents of its high-endMac Pro computer, the mostexpensive of the company'sproducts, if it finally decides toshift production from the US toChina.

"Apple will not be given tar-iff waiver, or relief, for Mac Proparts that are made in China.Make them in the USA, noTariffs!" Efe news quoted the USPresident as saying on Twitteron Friday.

Immediately after Trump'smessage, the value of Appleshares dipped slightly on theNasdaq index where shares ofthe main technology firms aretraded.

As The Wall Street Journalreported last June, Apple plansto move production of its MacPro computer from the US toChina, despite the trade warbetween the two powers.

According to the New Yorkdaily, which cited "people famil-iar with the matter," Apple haschosen the Chinese contractorQuanta Computer Inc. to pro-duce the new Mac Pro at one ofits Shanghai plants near otherfactories that already makeproducts for the firm.

The Mac Pro, whose latestmodel was presented at theApple Worldwide DevelopersConference (WWDC19) earlylast June in San Jose, California,

is a computer conceived basi-cally for specialists in videodesign and edition, at a price of$6,000.

This is the last large devicethat Apple still makes in the US- but since it is a luxury item,production is relatively small -so the tech giant of Cupertino,California, has decided to moveits manufacturing at a time ofhigh trade tension between theUnited States and China, and isweighing the possibilities that it

will be slapped with higher tar-iffs.

For that reason, last June thecompany managed by TimCook asked in a letter to the USgovernment that it refrain fromimposing new tariffs on importsfrom China, since that would bedisastrous for such Apple prod-ucts as iPhones, iPad tablets,Mac computers, AirPod wirelessheadphones and Apple TVmedia streaming devices.

In the note, addressed to USTrade Representative RobertLighthizer, Apple asked himdirectly not to impose tariffs onthose products.

Washington and Beijinggot into a trade war in 2018 thatled Trump to impose tariffs onall Chinese goods importedannually into the US, which areworth some $300 billion, whilethe government of ChinesePresident Xi Jinping did thesame with US products valuedat $60 billion. IANS

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Panaji: The 'ease of doingbusiness' was at its lowest pointin Goa, said Audhut Timblo,Chairman of FomentoResources, here on Saturday. Ithas come down to zero since2012 when mining was banned,he said.

Terming it a serious issue,he said the successiveGovernments had failed toprovide a conducive environ-ment for doing business in thestate. In 1950s the ease ofdoing business in that sectorwas 100, after 1962 it was 50

and in 2012 it declined to zero,Timblo said at the first editionof the Fomento lecture series atthe Goa University..

In the 2018 'ease of busi-ness' ranking, released by theCentral Government as part ofthe 'make In India' initiative,Goa was ranked below Bihar at19.

After Vedanta Resources,the Fomento Group is one ofthe largest mining entities inGoa. "The central and the stateGovernments were getting�3,000 crore a year from that

(mining) activity," he said.The mining sector has

been hit hard by stoppages,the first of which came in2012 when the SupremeCourt ordered a ban follow-ing revelation of �35,000 croreillegal mining scam. IANS

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Washington: President DonaldTrump has pressed the WorldTrade Organisation to stop let-ting China and othereconomies receive lenient treat-ment under global trade rulesby calling themselves "devel-oping" countries.

In a memo, Trump direct-ed US Trade RepresentativeRobert Lighthizer to "use allavailable means" to get theWTO to prevent countriesfrom claiming developingcountry status if their eco-nomic strength means theydon't need beneficial treat-ment.

Developing countries, sup-posedly not yet competitivewith advanced economies suchas the US, get more time toopen their economies, moreleeway to subsidise theirexports and procedural advan-tages in WTO disputes.Countries can choose theirown status, and other countriescan challenge them.

Trump said the designationlets powerhouse China andothers take "unfair" advantageof trade rules. If the US decidesthe WTO has not made "sub-stantial progress' after 90 days,it will seek unilaterally to stoptreating those countries asdeveloping economies.

In a tweet, Trump wrotethat the "WTO is BROKENwhen the world's RICHESTcountries claim to be develop-ing countries to avoid WTOrules and get special treatment.

NO more!!! Today I direct-

ed the US Trade Representativeto take action so that countriesstop CHEATING the system atthe expense of the USA!" Hismemo also asks Lighthizer toreport back to the president in60 days.

Despite claiming develop-ing country status, China is theworld's second-biggest econo-my and No. 1 exporter.

Among wealthy economiesthat claim developing status areSingapore, South Korea, Brunei,Kuwait and the United ArabEmirates. AP

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Hong Kong police onSaturday fired tear gas and

swung batons at protesters whodefied authorities' warningsnot to march in a neighborhoodwhere six days earlier a mobapparently targeting demon-strators brutally attacked peo-ple in a train station.

Protesters wearing blackstreamed through Yuen Long,even though police refused togrant permission for the march,citing risks of confrontationsbetween demonstrators andlocal residents.

For the protesters, it was ashow of defiance against boththe police and the white-cladassailants who beat dozens ofpeople last Sunday night,including some demonstratorsheading home after the latestmass protest in the Chinese ter-ritory's summer-long pro-democracy movement.

Police said some of theattackers at the train stationwere connected to triad gangsand others were villagers wholive in the area. Demonstratorsaccused law enforcement of not

acting quickly enough to pro-tect the victims and even col-luding with the mob, an alle-gation that police have firmlydenied.

The streets of Yuen Longbecame a sea of umbrellas asthe march began Saturdayafternoon. A symbol goingback to the Occupy Centralprotests that shook Hong Kongin 2014, umbrellas havebecome tools to help protestersconceal their identities frompolice cameras as well as shieldsagainst tear gas and pepperspray. Some also wore masks toobscure their faces.

"Hong Kong police knowthe law and break the law," pro-testers chanted as they madetheir way through the streets.

Less than three hours afterthe start of the march, policefired tear gas to try to dispersecrowds that had ignoredauthorities' appeals to leavethe area. Police said in a state-ment that they were clearingout the protesters, who were"holding iron poles, self-madeshields and even removingfences from roads."

Some protesters also

endangered police officers' livesby surrounding and vandaliz-ing an occupied police vehicle,the statement added.

As the demonstrationrolled into the evening, officersin riot gear faced off with pro-testers using wooden sheets as

shields. Live footage frombroadcaster RTHK showedprotesters on one street forcingback riot police by throwingumbrellas and waving rods atthem. On another street, offi-cers repeatedly raised warningsand fired tear gas at masked

demonstrators who were stand-ing their ground.

Soon afterward, many ofthe protesters dispersed, butothers stayed put. A group ofofficers appeared with batonsand held up banners that read,"Stop charging or we use force."

At least one woman wasknocked down when policeused the rods.

Later in the evening, pro-testers encircled a smashed-upblack car. The windows of thecar were shattered and its bodywas covered with postersdenouncing the police. It wasnot immediately clear whoowns the vehicle or whodestroyed it.

Hong Kong's public transitnetwork had announced earli-er Saturday that its trains wouldnot be making their usual stopsin Yuen Long, but protestersreported being able to disem-bark at stations in the neigh-borhood. Several area busi-nesses and public facilities wereclosed in anticipation of themarch. Service at a nursingcenter was temporarily sus-pended, and sports venues shutdown early.

A few hours before themarch started, a man wasarrested in Yuen Long forinjuring someone with a knife,police said.

Massive demonstrationsbegan in Hong Kong in earlyJune against an extradition bill

that would have allowed sus-pects to face trial in mainlandChina, where critics say theirrights would be compromised.The bill was eventually sus-pended, but protesters'demands have grown toinclude direct elections, the dis-solution of the current legisla-ture and an investigation intoalleged police brutality.

A former British colony,Hong Kong was returned toChina in 1997 under the frame-work of "one country, two sys-tems." The arrangementpromises the city certain demo-cratic freedoms that are notafforded mainland citizens, butsome residents say these liber-ties have been steadily erodedin recent years after the arrestsof booksellers and democracyactivists.

A distrust of China'sCommunist Party-led centralgovernment in Beijing hasundergirded the protests thissummer. After last Sunday'smarch, a group of protestersvandalized Hong Kong'sLiaison Office, which repre-sents the mainland govern-ment. They spray-painted the

building's surveillance cam-eras and threw eggs and blackink at the Chinese nationalemblem, an act that Beijing hasvehemently condemned.

In response to the police'sobjection to Saturday's marchin Yuen Long, protesters havecheekily labeled the processiona "shopping trip," as well as amemorial service for formerChinese Premier Li Peng, whodied on Monday. Li was ahard-liner best known forannouncing martial law duringthe 1989 Tiananmen Squareprotests that ended in blood-shed.

Some Yuen Long residentsparticipated in the march,while others stood outside withsigns warning protesters not toenter. For their part, demon-strators pasted calls for democ-racy on sticky notes around thearea.

"After the violence (lastSunday), as a resident of YuenLong, I think I have the respon-sibility to come out," said a 24-year-old man surnamed Man."After all these protests in pastmonths, the government stillhasn't responded to us."

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President Donald Trump's"maximum pressure" cam-

paign against Iran is at a cross-roads.

His administration is try-ing to decide whether to riskstoking international tensionseven more by ending one of thelast remaining components ofthe 2015 nuclear deal. The USfaces a Thursday deadline todecide whether to extend orcancel sanctions waivers toforeign companies working onIran's civilian nuclear programas permitted under the deal.

Ending the waivers wouldbe the next logical step in thecampaign and it's a movefavored by Trump's allies inCongress who endorse a toughapproach to Iran. But it alsowould escalate tensions withIran and with some Europeanallies, and two officials say adivided administration is like-ly to keep the waivers afloatwith temporary extensions.

The officials spoke on condi-tion of anonymity to discussinternal deliberations.

The mere fact that theadministration is divided on theissue — it's already postponedan announcement twice,according to the officials — isthe latest in a series of confus-ing signals that Trump has sentover Iran, causing confusionamong supporters and critics ofthe president about just what hehopes to achieve in the stand-off with the Islamic Republic.

Some fear the mixed mes-sages could trigger open con-flict amid a buildup of U.S. mil-itary forces in the Persian Gulfregion.

"It's always a problem whenyou don't have a coherent pol-icy because you are vulnerableto manipulation and the mixedmessages have created the envi-ronment for dangerous mis-calculation," said KarimSadjadpour, an Iran expert atthe Carnegie Endowment forInternational Peace. "Trump

has simultaneously provokedan escalatory cycle with Iranwhile also making clear to Iranthat he is averse to conflict."

The public face of the pres-sure campaign is Secretary ofState Mike Pompeo, and herejects suggestions the strategyis less than clear cut.

"America has a strategywhich we are convinced willwork," he said this past week."We will deny Iran the wealthto foment terror around theworld and build out theirnuclear program."

Yet the administration'srecent actions — which includ-ed an unusual mediation effortby Kentucky's anti-interven-tionist Sen. Rand Paul — havefrustrated some of Trump'sclosest allies on Capitol Hill andelsewhere. Those actions alsohave led to unease in Europeand Asia, where the adminis-tration's attempt to rally supportfor a coalition to protect shipstransiting the Gulf has drawnonly lukewarm responses.

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Iran's top diplomatMohammad Javad Zarif

hosted his Omani counterpartYusuf bin Alawi in Tehran onSaturday, his office said, amidmounting tensions in theregion between Tehran andWashington.

The talks between Zarifand Bin Alawi centred on the"latest regional and interna-tional issues", the foreign min-istry said in a brief statementposted on its Telegram channel.

Oman has maintainedgood relations with Iranthroughout successive region-al crises, allowing it at times toplay a key mediating role,including with the UnitedStates.

Tensions in the Gulf havesoared since last year whenPresident Donald Trump with-drew the United States from the

2015 nuclear deal with Iran andreimposed sanctions on thecountry.

In retaliation, Iran said inMay it would disregard certainlimits the deal set on its nuclearprogramme and threatened totake further measures ifremaining parties to the deal,especially European nations,did not help it circumvent USsanctions.

Tensions have escalatedfurther in the region with astring of incidents involvingtankers and drones.

The United States and Gulfpowerhouse Saudi Arabiaaccused Iran of being behindmultiple attacks on tankers inthe Gulf in June, which Irandenies.

On July 19, a British-flagged tanker was impoundedby Iran's Revolutionary Guardswith its 23 crew aboard in theStrait of Hormuz.

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Armed men described asjehadis raided a village in

Burkina Faso's restive north,killing 14 people, plunderingand burning shops and motor-bikes, local and security sourcessaid Saturday.

The raid took place on thenight of Thursday to Fridaywith "around 20 individualsattacking the village of Diblouand killing 14 people," a secu-rity source said.

"The terrorists burnt shopsand motorcycles. Almost theentire market was looted," alocal resident said.

"Almost all the inhabitantsfled to neighbouring areas."

The poor Sahel state hasbeen battling a rising wave ofjihadist attacks over the lastfour years which began in thenorth but have since spread tothe east, near the border withTogo and Benin.

Most attacks in the formerFrench colony are attributed tothe jihadist group AnsarulIslam, which emerged near theMali border in December 2016,and to the JNIM (Group toSupport Islam and Muslims),which has sworn allegiance toAl-Qaeda in the IslamicMaghreb.

Those groups are believedto be responsible for around500 deaths since 2015.

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Two Iranian ships strandedoff the coast of Brazil for

weeks will set sail this weekend,officials said on Saturday, aftera court ordered state oil giantPetrobras to fill up the vessels.

The bulk carriers havebeen stuck at Paranagua port inthe southern state of Paranasince early last month afterPetrobras refused to providefuel for fear of breaching USsanctions.

The port administratorsaid the dispute "ends thisweekend." The Bavand, whichis loaded with corn, will receive1,300 tons of fuel, Portos doParana said in a statement. TheTermeh will get 600 tons.Petrobras would not confirm ifit was complying with theSupreme

Court order handed downThursday for it to refuel theships.

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Russian police arrested morethan 300 people as they

gathered in Moscow onSaturday to demand free andfair elections, a monitor said,following a crackdown on theopposition.

The rally comes a weekafter the capital's biggestdemonstration in years, whensome 22,000 people protestedthe authorities' decision toblock opposition candidatesfrom standing for the citycouncil in September.

Investigators raided thehomes and headquarters ofseveral disqualified candidatesin the run-up to the fresh rallyon Saturday.

Top Kremlin critic AlexeiNavalny was jailed for 30 daysfor calling for the demonstra-tion.

Other leading oppositionfigures and would-be candi-dates were also arrested in thehours leading up to the event,which comes amid decliningliving standards and a fall inPresident Vladimir Putin'sapproval ratings.

OVD Info, which monitorsprotests, said at least 317 peo-ple had been arrested in thefirst hour of the demonstration.

"Honestly, I'm scared," 42-year-old IT worker AlexeiSprizhitsky told AFP at thedemonstration.

Rome: Italian police saidSaturday that two 19-year-oldAmerican tourists have con-fessed in the fatal stabbing of anItalian paramilitary policemanwho was investigating the theftof a bag.

In a statement, Carabinieriofficers investigating the deathearly Friday of officer MarioCerciello Rega, 35, said theAmerican men were detainedfor alleged murder andattempted extortion after being

questioned overnight. Theywere taken to a Rome jail as theinvestigation continues. Italianauthorities have not releasedtheir names.

The two had snatched thebag of a drug dealer in Romeafter the man apparently gavethem "a different substance"instead of cocaine, according toan Italian investigator whospoke on condition ofanonymity since the probe wasongoing. AP

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Brazil's Foreign Minister hasplunged immediately into

the divisive question ofVenezuela, urging his counter-parts from BRICS nationsRussia, China, India and SouthAfrica to hear Venezuelans'"cry for freedom."

"Brazil has heard that cry.I appeal to you all to listen toit too," Foreign MinisterErnesto Araujo said at theopening session, reiterating hisconservative government's sup-port for VenezuelanOpposition leader Juan Guaidó over President NicolásMaduro.

Few issues divide the infor-mal trade group as deeply ashow to deal with Venezuela,whose socialist government isstrongly backed by Russia andChina. But a mass migrationcaused by the country's eco-nomic and political crisis hasled to an influx of tens of thou-sands in Brazil.

Araujo denounced "aregime sustained by force" thathe said has led to extremepoverty, hunger and "the exo-dus of 4 million Venezuelans."He agreed with Russia, how-ever, on one key point:Opposition to foreign inter-vention.

"We agree that the solutionmust be constructed byVenezuelans," Araujo toldreporters later.

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Nordic countries are expe-riencing searing tempera-

tures as Europe's record-break-ing heatwave moves north, theSwedish Meteorological andHydrological Institute (SMHI)said Saturday, with some areasrecording "tropical nights".

In Sweden, the mostextreme heat has headedstraight for the country's farnorth. On Friday the smalltown of Markusvinsa in the farnorth recorded a temperatureof 34.8 degrees Celsius (95degrees Fahrenheit), the high-est mark reached in all ofSweden so far this year.

"That's the hottest tem-perature in the far north since1945 and the third highesttemperature on record," JonJorpeland, meteorologist atSMHI, told AFP.

Earlier in the week sever-al places in Sweden experi-enced "tropical nights," mean-ing that temperatures stayedabove 20C throughout thenight.

According to Jorpeland,temperatures in the south ofSweden haven't been asextreme and it's not unusualthat the mercury reaches 30degrees a few days a year in thecountry, even though currenttemperatures are above average.

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Uncapped fast bowler Jofra Archer has beenincluded in England’s 14-man squad

announced on Saturday for next week’s Ashesopener against Australia, with all-rounder BenStokes re-appointed as vice-captain.

The pair both enjoyed starring roles inEngland’s stunning World Cup final win over NewZealand at Lord’s on July 14, with all-rounderStokes ensuring England drew level with the BlackCaps total in regulation play before Archer bowledthe decisive Super Over that sealed victory.

Archer, 24, who only became England qual-ified earlier this year, could now make his Testdebut when the first of a five-match series startsat Edgbaston on August 1.

He carried a side strain throughout the WorldCup but reported fit after a brief holiday in hisnative Barbados, with Archer returning to actionfor Sussex on Friday, where he took 2-21 in a tiedTwenty20 Blast match with Surrey.

Meanwhile Stokes was restored to his posi-tion as Joe Root’s deputy after being stripped ofthe vice-captaincy following a late night brawl inSeptember 2017. He was subsequently cleared ona charge of affray last year, with Jos Buttler act-ing as vice-captain.

Both Buttler and Stokes were rested from asee-saw Test against Ireland that England even-tually won by 143 runs at Lord’s on Friday, withveteran spearhead James Anderson also return-ing to the squad after missing the match with aside injury.

But while 10 of the 11 players who defeatedIreland were included, there was no place for left-arm spinner Jack Leach following his man-of-the-match heroics that saw the nightwatchman makea career-best 92 in England’s second innings.

Chris Woakes and Stuart Broad finished theIreland match in spectacular style, the seamerstaking six for 17 and four for 19 respectively asthe visitors collapsed to 38 all out.

England squad for 1st Ashes Test:Joe Root (capt), Moeen Ali, James Anderson,

Jofra Archer, Jonny Bairstow, Stuart Broad, RoryBurns, Jos Buttler (wkt), Sam Curran, Joe Denly,Jason Roy), Ben Stokes, Olly Stone, ChrisWoakes.

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Alex Carey’s omission from theAshes sqaud was met with disbe-

lief on Saturday by former Australiangreats Mark Waugh and Shane Warne,while Mark Taylor said he was surprisedJoe Burns and Kurtis Patterson missedout.

Australia named a 17-man squadfor the five-Test series against Englandon Friday, with opener CameronBancroft recalled alongside Steve Smithand David Warner following their bansfor a ball-tampering scandal in SouthAfrica last year.

Matthew Wade also made thegrade, having not played a Test for near-ly two years, following recent outstand-ing form with the bat.

He can act as back-up wicketkeep-er to captain Tim Paine, as couldBancroft, which meant the fast-improv-ing Carey, who starred for Australia atthe recent World Cup, was controver-sially overlooked.

“Got to be kidding re Alex Carey,”128-Test veteran Waugh tweeted. “Forme Alex missing the squad is thebiggest shock particularly after his bat-ting during the World Cup and beingthe second best gloveman.”

Spin king Warne was also stunnedat Carey’s omission.

“Very surprised/disappointed thatCarey didn’t make the Aussie squad,” he

said on Instagram in posting what hebelieves will be Australia’s team for theopening Test at Edgbaston.

Warne has Bancroft opening withWarner and Wade coming in at num-ber six, while opting fot fast bowlerJames Pattinson instead of MitchellStarc alongside Josh Hazlewood, PatCummins and Nathan Lyon.

Former Australia captain Taylorsaid opener Burns and middle-orderbatsman Patterson missing out was

tough to take given both made centuriesin Australia’s last Test, against SriLanka.

“I was disappointed KurtisPatterson didn’t make the squad. Youcan’t help but feel a little bit sorry forboth him and (Joe) Burns,” Taylor said.

“They’re both coming off hundredsin their last Test matches.”

Taylor said their omissions reflect-ed the country’s current selection ethos.

“It’s a sign of the times,” he said.

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Cameron Bancroft, who was at the cen-tre of the Sandpaper Gate controver-

sy, has been named in the 17-man Ashessquad and is looking to leave behind themistake he made and move forward.

Bancroft was banned last year inMarch for his role in the ball-tamperingincident along with former skipper SteveSmith and fellow opener David Warner inthe Cape Town Test against South Africa.

“I think being serious about cricket isimportant, but I think it’s also about beingable to realise the game is just a game ofcricket,” cricket.com.au quoted Bancroft assaying on Saturday.

“One of the big lessons that I learnedlast year was about being true to yourself,”he added.

The 26-year-old also insisted that heused his Test cap which he received fromGeoff Marsh in the Brisbane Test versusEngland in 2017 as a form of inspirationto get back into the national side.

“It’s something you’re obviously veryproud of,” Bancroft said of his BaggyGreen No 451.

“It’s a very prestigious item to have andyou take good care of it because it meanssomething to you... and being able to seethat is obviously really good to focus yourgoals, and where you want to be going.

“It’s good motivation, isn’t it? To lookat it and go ‘yeah I’m playing cricket butthere’s something bigger I eventuallywant to be able to get back to’. I guess itwas good motivation to keep workinghard... to keep my goals and keep focused,”he added.

The opener, who played an undefeat-ed knock of 93 in the warm-up game inSouthampton, also said he is ready to facethe hostile England crowd in the Ashesseries beginning August 1 at Edgbaston. ������ �5��5�

England players Sam Curran and Jack Leach havemade significant gains in the ICC Test Rankings

after a 143-run victory over Ireland in their one-off Test at Lord’s even as they prepare to hostAustralia for the Ashes series starting on Thursday.

Leach’s knock of 92 on being promoted to openthe innings after coming in at No 11 in the firstinnings, saw him not only win the Player of theMatch award but also gain 57 places to reach 117thposition.

Curran has gained in all three lists, moving upthree places to 52nd among batsmen after scoresof 18 and 37 and advancing six places to 67th witha first-innings haul of three for 28. His efforts havealso lifted him eight places to 23rd among all-rounders.

Stuart Broad has moved up one place to 18thafter finishing with seven wickets in the match,while Chris Woakes’ second innings haul of 6/17has helped him retain 33rd position amongbowlers.

England’s players will get a chance to improvetheir rankings in the upcoming Ashes when theytake on some of the best in the business.

England captain Joe Root slipped a place to sev-enth after the Test against Ireland but will be hop-ing to work his way towards the top while new-ballbowler James Anderson will be looking to wrestback the top place from Australia’s Pat Cumminsafter missing the one-off Test at Lord’s.

Australia’s Steve Smith and David Warner, cur-rently in fourth and sixth positions, too have thechance of improving their rankings, while NathanLyon will be looking to move up again after beingovertaken by Broad.

In the Test Team Rankings, England remain inthe fourth position and on 105 points after win-ning the match while Ireland have yet to win a pointafter three matches.

In the upcoming Ashes, Australia can overtakeEngland to the fourth position with a series winwhile England can gain up to six points and moveup the table.

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You have to be a match-winner” isthe golden rule to survive in vet-eran pacer Lasith Malinga’s gold-

en words for the youngsters after playinghis final ODI for Sri Lanka in front of hishome crowd.

On Friday, Malinga brought an endto his illustrious ODI career with a wick-et off the last ball he bowled in the firstODI of the three-match series againstBangladesh — which Sri Lanka won by91 runs. He took 3/38 and went past AnilKumble’s tally of wickets in the 50-overformat.

Malinga finished with 338 wickets in226 matches, finishing as one of the finestmatch-winners to have played for SriLanka since 2004.

After the match, he insisted it was theright time for him to retire as Sri Lankabegin rebuilding for the next World Cup.The pacer bowler, who will turn 36 nextmonth, urged the younger generation tostep up.

“My captains expect me to takewickets,” Malinga said at the post-matchpresentation. “I tried my best all throughmy career. I hope all the young bowlersdo this as well. Because just surviving incricket, I don’t think anyone can go far.You have to be a match-winner.

“That’s what I’m looking forward toin the future. These young bowlers haveto get match-winning performances andpeople have to say, ‘That’s a match-win-ning bowler!’ We have a couple of guys,they have the ability and we have to lookafter them.”

He is the only bowler to have takenthree ODI hat-tricks. He achieved hishighest ranking of seventh in November2011, achieved against Pakistan in Dubai.

Malinga chose to bow out in front ofthe home crowd, and they turned out inhuge numbers to send him off.

“I’ve played the last 15 years for SriLanka. Really an honour to play, and real-ly happy to play for these people and forall crowd that’s been behind me,” he said.“I feel this is the time I have to move onbecause we have to build for the 2023World Cup and that’s why I realised, ‘OK,my time is up, I have to go’.”

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Six-time WorldChampionships Gold

medallist Mary Kom and for-mer World ChampionshipsBronze medallist GauravBidhuri on Saturday staved offtough challenges in their

respective weight categories tomake the finals of 23rdPresident’s Cup in LabuanBajo in Indonesia.

Apart from Mary Komand Bidhuri, nine other Indianboxers also reached the finals.

Fresh from winning theGold at the India Open two

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Pakistan pace greats includingWasim Akram and Shoaib

Akhtar have slammed MohammadAmir's decision to retire from Testcricket at the age of 27.

“To me Mohammad Amirretiring from Test cricket is a bitsurprising because you peak at 27-28 and Test cricket is where you arejudged against the best, it’s the ulti-mate format. Pakistan will needhim in two Tests in Australia andthen three in England,” former cap-tain Akram tweeted.

Amir announced his retire-ment from the longest format onFriday having played 36 Tests in hischequered career that saw himbeing banned for spot-fixing.

“I am thoroughly disappoint-ed that Amir has retired at the agewhere players are at the peak oftheir careers. It was time for Amirto pay back Pakistan. In a timewhere Pakistan's run in Test match-es is so poor, Amir was needed todeliver for his side and help themwin some series.”

“I had helped Pakistan winseries in England and New Zealanddespite knee injuries,” the formerPakistan pacer Shoaib Akhtar saidon his You Tube channel.

“If I were part of the Pakistanselection board, I would have notallowed these boys to play T20s.

There are times when you shouldmake money but this is the timewhen Pakistan needs you. I requestthe board to look into the matter.Amir is just 27 and his retirementshows us the mentality of the play-ers. I think this is the time forPakistan PM Imran Khan to lookinto the matter to bring dynamicand energetic people,” he added.

Former captain Waqar Younisposted a rather cryptic tweet in hisreaction to Amir's retirement.

“All the best with your white

ball cricket,” he wrote taggingAmir.

Former opener and captainRamiz Raja, too, was left disap-pointed.

“Amir white flagging TestCricket at 27 is disappointing.Besides being dismissive of thegreatest format that makes stars &legends his decision is clearly notin in line with the needs of Pak cktwhich is desperately looking toreboot test cricket. Was time torepay & not eject,” Raja wrote.

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Similar to Lasith Malinga in moreways than one, Jasprit Bumrah says

he will “continue to admire” the SriLankan pace ace, who ended hiscareer in a blaze of glory.

As he has done so many times inhis glittering limited overs career,slinger Malinga rattled Bangladeshwith a fiery spell in his final ODI, sign-ing off in style with figures of 3/38 infront of his home crowd in Colombo.

“Classic Mali spell. Thank you foreverything you’ve done for cricket.Always admired you and will alwayscontinue to do so,” Bumrah wrote onhis twitter handle.

Both have an unusual action thatinflicts tremendous pressure on theirtorsos, both have an uncanny abilityto hurl the ball at high velocity andtrouble the toes and timber at theother end.

And, both have spent time togeth-er at IPL franchise Mumbai Indians,often exchanging ideas with the youngIndian speed merchant receiving morethan he could offer to his battle-hard-ened senior.

Tributes poured in from the crick-et community as the veteran SriLankan walked out one last time.

Indian batting great SachinTendulkar led the way while other SriLankan legends, who were once the35-year-old’s teammates, also joinedin to praise the fast bowler’s achieve-ments.

“Congratulations on a wonderfulOne Day career, #Malinga. Wishingyou all the very best for the future,”Tendulkar tweeted.

Malinga’s former captain andteam-mate for over 10 years, MahelaJayawardene recalled his early days.

“As a 18-year-old net bowler whoI faced in Galla 2002 to the champi-on who’s going to walk out today foryour last ODI game u have been trueto your self. Champion a team mateand above all a good friend you havedone Sri Lanka proud. Enjoy everymoment Mali !!!!!” Jayawardene wroteon Instagram.

Malinga’s Mumbai Indians team-mate Rohit Sharma termed him oneof the biggest match-winners for MIin the last decade.

“If I had to pick one match win-ner among many others for @mipal-tan in the last decade, this man willbe on the top for sure. As a captain hegive me breather during tense situa-tion and he never failed to deliver,such was his presence within the team.Best wishes LM for the future,” Rohittweeted.

Former India all-rounder YuvrajSingh said, “Congratulations on theglorious journey Yorker King#Malinga. There will never be anoth-er toe crusher like you again. Bestwishes for your future endeavours.”

Former Sri Lanka cricketerRangana Herath tweeted,“Congratulation to Lasith Malinga ona fantastic ODI career. He has singlehandedly won many games for SriLanka. All the best for the T20Is infuture.”

Upul Tharanga said the sportwill “definitely miss you in 50 overcricket”.

“Go well champion,” Tharangawrote.

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����� (��� ����������������#������� �months ago, Indian boxinglegend Mary Kom participat-ed in this prestigious tourna-ment with the aim of testingherself and getting somemuch-needed bouts under thebelt ahead of the WorldChampionships in October.

Mary (51kg) had to sweatit out against Vietnam’s Anhvo Thi Kim in the semifinalbefore she could prevail 3-2over her opponent.

Mary will be continuingher Gold quest againstAustralia’s Franks April onSunday.

India’s other star pugilistBidhuri (56kg) also labouredto a tough 3-2 win overPhilippines ' OgayreJunmilardo.

Among the men, onlyAnanta Pralhad Chopade(52kg) had a breezy win as heoutpunched Sri Lanka’sDharmasena Piyal 5-0 toprogress to the final.

India Open Gold medal-list Jamuna Boro (54kg) willtake on Italy’s veteran boxerGiulia Lamagna after a com-manding 5-0 win over KaseSerlin Alin Li l iwati ofIndonesia.

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There has been a spate of floods inAssam as Brahmaputra is at its fullfury. The disaster management unitsas well as the daredevil soldiers of theIndian Army are on high alert/stand-

by to assist the administrations in rescue andrelief operations. The television news channelshave deployed their camera crew along thebanks of the overflowing river to capture theexclusive and distinct visuals of Nature’s furyand human helplessness.

The same news bulletins carry reports ofdrought in South India, especially Tamil Nadu,with visuals of dried up river beds, that now bearstrong resemblance to deserts and a long queueof women walking with plastic pots on theirheads (and hands) in search of this preciousresource that would quench their thirst and meettheir daily needs. There are stories highlightingthe agony of farmers, who are possibly facing theworst drought in many years. In Madurai, thetemple city of Tamil Nadu, water tankers andtractors fitted with GPS and sensors supply waterto the local population. The GPS and the sensorsare precautions taken by the local officials toensure that the water is not pilfered by the truckand tractor drivers. Yes, water has become a pre-cious commodity in the State. There were a cou-ple of murders in Tamil Nadu over the sharing ofwater drawn out from village wells.

Simultaneous drought and flood situationsin different parts of the country is nothing new.This has become an annual ritual. WhenKarnataka sneezes because of shortage of waterin Kaveri River, it is Tamil Nadu which gets thecold. If there is no water in Kaveri, farmingoperations in the five fertile districts ofThanjavur, Thiruvaroor, Nagapattinam,Cuddalore and Thiruchirappalli go haywire.Availability of water in Kaveri depends on thequantity of Monsoon rain received by the catch-ment areas in Karnataka and Kerala. If the mon-soon, to be precise, the South West monsoonfails, it generates not only misery for the farmersbut a series of spats between politicians in TamilNadu and Karnataka.

Political historians like N Kalyanasundaramalways stand by the dictum that politics in TamilNadu has been an extension of cinema since theadvent of the Dravidian parties. And theDravidian leaders have always proved that right.The ruling AIADMK is criticised by the opposi-tion DMK for the former’s failure to get Kaveriwater from Karnataka where a Congress govern-ment is in place. Though the DMK and theCongress are in alliance, Stalin, the DMK chiefnever blames the Grand Old Party for its refusalto release the water due to Tamil Nadu.

But that being that, the weather phenome-non by the name of monsoon is unique to theIndian subcontinent. It is this monsoon that isspread over six months across the length andbreadth of the country that fills the coffers withgrain and ‘gold’. Whenever the monsoon fails tomake it in time, life in farms and factoriescomes to a standstill. India’s share market too isdependent on the monsoon showers. Thevagaries of the monsoon decide the winner inthe bout between bears and bulls.

The word monsoon comes from Arabic. It isthe anglicised version of mausim which meansseason. It has been known since the seventeenthcentury when Edmund Halley, the then secre-tary of the Royal Society and the man whofound the comet, produced a remarkable mon-soon flow chart. Though the monsoon windsconstitute one of the greatest weather systemson earth (and an enormous amount of researchhas been carried out since), many questionsremain shrouded in mystery. “It is like thehuman brain. We know it and yet we don’t,”writes Alexander Frater, the famous British trav-el writer in his book “Chasing The Monsoon”.Frater travelled from Kanyakumari to Mumbaiand then to New Delhi and from there toMeghalaya’s Cherrapunji, the then wettest placeon earth.

This weather phenomenon was known toIndians, not by the word coined by the colonialmasters, but from much long before. Kalidasa,the greatest ever poet and dramatist the subcon-tinent has produced and who is believed to havelived between the 4th and 5th century CE haswritten a khanda kavya (minor poem) by nameRitusamhara in which he has described the sixseasons — grishma (summer), varsha (mon-soon/rains), sarat (autumn), hemanta (cool),sisira (winter) and vasanta (spring).

“The six seasons that constitute this mini-epic have been divided into six cantos andKalidasa explains each climatic condition byelaborating the behaviour of two lovers to theprevailing weather conditions. Only a personwho has first-hand knowledge about these sea-sons could compose such a master piece,” says SRameshan Nair, winner of this year’s KendraSahitya Akademi Award for poetry.

Nair describes how varsha is portrayed byKalidasa. “The rains hit us like the sound pro-duced by the hoofs of a galloping battle horse,which stand out in its rhythm and style...”

This is substantiated by Indologist Dr SKalyanaraman, author of the seven volume,Saraswathi Civilisation, a work that details thetracing and tracking of the mythological river bythe same name. “India is blessed with the

Himalayas, the largest water tower in the world.It is growing taller by 1 cm every year due to theplate continental drift with Indian plate juttinginto Eurasian plate and causing the ongoingdynamics of Himalayas’ growth,” says DrKalyanaraman.

Rameshan Nair and his poetess wife Remareminiscence their childhood when no droughtconditions existed in Kerala. “By mid May ofevery year, monsoon rains would hit and coverthe entire Kerala stretch like galloping horses.We always had copious rainfall accompanied bylightening and thunder. These rains would lasttill the end of Karkkadaka (the Malayalammonth equivalent to Sravana),” says Rema,whose poems on nature are a treat to the soul.

Though Tamil Nadu, sans any major riversother than Thamarabharani, was hot andhumid, the seasons in the province were enjoy-able, according to Dr Nanditha Krishna, direc-tor, CPR Centre for Environmental Studies.“The Madras summer was harsh those days toobut it was bearable. The sea breeze from Bay ofBengal ensured that the temperature remainedwithin limits. But the ever expanding ChennaiMetropolitan area and the high rise buildings donot allow the sea breeze to set in the city any-more and we face the worst humidity formonths,” says Dr Krishna.

While Dr Krishna, Kalyanaraman andRameshan Nair are unanimous in their viewthat the monsoon has lost its sting over the lastfew decades because of urbanisation, concretisa-tion and massive deforestation, atmospheric sci-entists disagree. “Monsoon is a tropical atmos-pheric phenomenon. Any small changes in theatmospheric or ocean states such as temperatureor wind will lead to dramatic changes in weath-er pattern over tropics, whereas that is not thecase with mid-latitude weather events over USAor Europe. Hence, tropical atmosphere is highlyunpredictable” says Dr S Abhilash, Institute ofAtmospheric Sciences, Cochin University ofScience and Technology.

The truth is that the monsoon has becomeweaker and haphazard over the decades.“Earlier, the rainfall was well distributed withinthe four months of monsoon season. Now wereceive the same amount of rainfall but theactive rainy days have decreased with shortspells of intense rainfall followed by extendedbreak during which subdued rainfall activity isseen. That’s why we experience torrential down-pours which ravaged Mumbai, Chennai andparts of Kerala in a single day,” says Abhilash.He also pointed out the inherent variability inthe monsoon that we see today.

John Peruvanthanam, an environmental

activist in Kerala says the weakening of mon-soon began with the destruction of the densejungles of the State. “Kerala’s jungle canopy wasalmost 35 per cent and this had acted as a cata-lyst for the precipitation. Destruction of forestsfor hydro-electric projects, cultivation of cashcrops like rubber and encroachments led to thedepletion of the canopy and this has playedhavoc with the weather pattern,” saysPeruvanthanam.

Kerala’s Bharata Puzha, popularly known asRiver Nila, the banks of which saw the creationof some of the all time great literary works andart forms in the state, has almost dried up. Thisriver originates from Western Ghats, describedonce as the eternal jungles. “If you want to knowthe reasons behind the changes in South India’sweather pattern, please read ‘The Report of theWestern Ghats Ecology Expert Panel” preparedby Prof Madhav Gadgil and his team of scien-tists. Irreversible damage has been done to theecology of South India which has destroyed notonly the dense jungles and wild animals butflora and fauna. This has upset the rhythm ofMonsoon,” said Murali Parappuram, well knownauthor and journalist. We can also blame ElNino, a state of the ocean somewhere in Pacificfor fluctuations in Monsoon pattern.

The fact is that there is acute water shortagein most parts of the country. Though policymakers suggest rain water harvesting as anoption, it would only be a piecemeal arrange-ment. Our problem lies with water manage-ment. “A country blessed with the Himalayas,the water tower, cannot have any water problembecause the water can move into every part ofthe nation by gravity from the heights of over24000 ft. The northern monsoon continues toenrich the waters of the tower because everydrop of rain which falls on the Himalayas turnsinto snow and ice, as frozen sacred waters,” saidDr Kalynaraman, who heads SaraswathiResearch Centre, a Chennai based think tank onwater.

He wants the Central Government to takeup the project to inter-link the major rivers ofthe country so that the flood waters of northIndia could be transferred to the water deficitregions through a network of canals. This wouldbe permanent solution to India’s water scarcity.Please remember that States like Tamil Nadu,Karnataka and Maharashtra reel under droughteven as the Godavari River discharges 2500TMC ft to 5000 TMC ft water into the Bay ofBengal in a normal year.

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According to Vastu Shastra, every emotion that aris-es within you is generated by the energy emittedthrough the 16 zones or directions of your home.

These zones are governed by the five elements (Panchtattva)— Earth, Fire, Water, Air and Sky. It is believed that theseelements are responsible for creating a harmonious envi-ronment, in turn influencing everything around us. Whenthese elements are out of proportion, they lead to nega-tive forces overriding the positive ones; creating a field thatmakes your thoughts and actions negative, resulting indelays.

South-West is the zone of relationship, family, mar-riage and stability in life. If this zone is disturbed by a toi-let, anti-activity, or an anti-element, then it will not onlydelay marriage, but can even spoil a marital relationship.First strengthen the South-West zone; if this corner is miss-ing, then the marriage proposals will not be successfullyfinalised. A kitchen in this area will also destroy marriagepossibilities and disturb the relationships established.

The South-East is the zone of fire. This zone shouldbe treated, as it has the sacred fire that binds two peoplein marriage and blue colour from this zone must beremoved as it will delay in marriage and disturb relation-ships. If this corner is cut or missing, or if there is an anti-fire activity in it, in such cases, a possible engagement willnot convert into marriage. Here’s how it flows: the rela-tionship may start well as the South-West (SW) is fine, butsince the South-East (SE) zone energy is poor, it will notcontinue or end properly.

Without the support of a partner, no relationship canexist. And this comes from a well-activated and healthyNorth-West area. This is the third significant vastu zonefor the marriage area. You must also clear North-East vastuzone. Doing so would remove adamant thoughts of get-ting married to a very specific personality and family. Ifthe North-East is clear, clarity will be maintained aboutwhat you really want.

Placing a pair of Love Birds in South-West zone wouldattract the right person into your life. A picture of a lov-ing couple may also be placed along with the Love Birds.The bedroom direction of a girl plays a crucial role in hermarriage timing. As per vastu, a girl of marriageable ageshould sleep in the West Zone of gains. Choosing to sleepin the South-South-East area would make her more con-fident and having a bedroom in the South-West area wouldmake her a desirable partner for her future husband. Sheshould, however, never have her bedroom in South-South-West zone of disposal. In addition, if the girl sleeps in attrac-tion’s zone of North-North-West, it will help her get newmarriage proposals.

Similarly, North Zone is zone of opportunities, bach-elors should preferably choose this space to sleep. Alwaysavoid having a water tank in your house’s South-West zoneof relationships as this could lead to delay in marriage.

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Adventure sports are not everyone’s cup of tea,or so goes the popular belief. It takes a heroto perform heroic acts. Or is it that such hero-

ic acts bring out the hero in you and throw lightupon the immense power that always lay within?

For those who are yet to experience the gloryof extreme adventure, it is important to know thatthese sports come with benefits that can complete-ly turn your perspective around and enhance yourmental health. Think of these as an HIIT (HighIntensity Interval Training) programme to reset andreprogramme your mind — that’s the potential theseexperiences have to impact your life for the better.

�����������It is said that a mind that is stretched by a new

experience can never go back to its old dimensions.Indulging in adventure sports releases hormoneswithin your body, which directly contribute to goodmental health. Adventure sports activities push yourmental and physical limits. When you take up a chal-lenge that takes so much out of you and you are ablecomplete the same, it fills you with a great sense ofaccomplishment which makes you confident to takeon more. The more you opt for such activities, themore you develop the ability to stay calm under pres-sure. Activities such as bungy jumping and sky div-ing continue to attract enthusiasts as they boost men-tal health making one stronger from within. Theadrenaline that kicks in is biologically fun for every-body, regardless of whether you’re an adventuresports enthusiast or not. And taking up activities thatbring joy and satisfaction, as an act of self love itself,boosts mental health.

��������������“Face your fear”, we are often told. But seldom

do we know how to do this. Adventure sports helpyou learn to stay in control in the face of your worstfears, by bringing you face to face with them, in ahighly controlled environment. You are forced tocalm you mind and learn to manage your panic andfear impulses. This is where you learn the art oftransforming your fear from being an obstacle toan opportunity. Every first timer feels the fear. Thetrick is to allow yourself that feeling of fear and then

go on to rise above it. It’s there in you, you just haveto give it a shot.

� ���������������������������In a world of black and white, we are often made

to live with the greys. To the point where we get usedto a stable, but mundane life with pent up frustra-tions, and more often than not, no outlet for our realemotions. Participating in adventure sports helps inreducing that stress and anxiety thereby checkingblood pressure. Experts say individuals who active-ly participate in adventure sports have lesserchances of getting a heart attack. But more impor-tantly, going extreme feels like an act of rebellion.This is where one is forced to give all or be out. Thereis no halfway. The act of letting go evokes a long for-gotten passion and zest for life.

����������������������������������There is nothing more binding between people

than shared memories. Sharing an adventure helps

people to get out of their comfort zones, and bringtogether a mix of people with common interest. Itopens up opportunities to build friendships withpeople from different walks of life. Getting past chal-lenges and supporting each other, can truly form alasting bond.

��������������������Adventure sports can really help you find your

true potential. Visiting new places and indulging innew experiences with new people always helps inseeing different perspectives, outlooks and open upyour mind. Sometimes, it takes some chaos to beable to deal with the calm better. There are very fewexperiences that make you face your ‘life’ and your‘being alive’ as do extreme adventure sports. It forcesyou to stand on the edge and listen to life.

The question is: Do you choose to dwell on thefear or do you dare to fly?

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Inside a cosy space in the heartof urban Delhi, called Paro atThe Chanakya, an intimate gath-ering of women dressed in theIndian finery, welcome Varsha

Ritu or monsoon in traditional style.They are greeted with a freshlystringed gajra made of jasmine flow-ers and application of colourful pow-dered bindi on their foreheads, liketilak. The air is fragrant with the notesof Ruh Khas (vetiver) that reminds youof petrichor, that unique fragrance thatthe earth emits after the first rain dropstouch its surface. Strains of kajri in thebackdrop set the mood. Their joy isevident as they reach out to thechooriwala and seek their selection ofglass bangles, the tinkle of silver jew-ellery adding to the lure… Sawan ishere.

Traditionally, India celebrates sixseasons as mentioned in Kalidasa’sRitusamhara, where each Ritu carriesthe sense of the correct time for cer-tain actions. Shishira, Vasant andGrishma are part of the Uttarayana, thetime of taking in, while Varsha, Sharadand Hemant form the Dakshinayana,which is the time of release or visar-ga, dominated by the moon.

Samagato ghanagamah kaami-janpriyah priye (Monsoon, dear to

those in love) is how the naayak inKalidasa’s Khand Kaavya introducesthis season to his naayika. WhileShringar rasa dominates the flavours,it is also referred to as the season oflonging and desire. The women, whoare happy, bedeck themselves withflowers, dab themselves with perfumeand dress their finest in anticipationof a meeting with their lovers. Theones who are lonely gaze at the clouds.Like a lover, the rainy season person-ifies the women with flowers…

Given that India has a primarilyrain-fed agrarian system, the seasonenjoys a lot of attention. Our ancientliterature and now popular culturemakes a celebration out of this season,evoking flavours of joy. If Kalidasa’sRitusamhara and Meghdoot describethis season as one of the first chasteencounter the grey skies and parchedland, moisture-laden bringing dark-ness at noon and the following delugethat lasts days, the Harivamsha in theMahabharata, invokes the totemicimages associated with the rains, suchas dancing peacocks, croaking frogs,the fragrance of the Kadamba, anddesire, that strikes like lightning. TheVirahini of the medieval Baramasa(songs for the 12 months of the years)talks of the pain of separation as this

was the time when men traditionallystayed put where they were possiblybecause roads are flooded or blocked.

This pain of separation is bestdrawn in the melodious KunjariMalhar sung in Chamba, a raag ded-icated to monsoon. The most notablesongs of Kunjari Malhar are addressedto kunja, a bird found in the hillsaround this time. “Jaa meri Kunjariyo,barsat aave mere Rama, udi ke mila,kaiyon udi ke mila, mere preetam, hoRama…” the singer tells the bird tocarry her message to her beloved,promising gifts if the bird does so.

Another example of rain inspiredstyle is the Kajri, found in the Bhojpuriand Awadhi language. Derived fromthe word kajal or kohl, Kajri is an odeto the dark kohl-like colour of theclouds. Most songs in Kajri are cen-tred around the imagery of divine lovebetween Radha and Krishna, mangoand kadam trees (burflower tree), thejhoola or swing, call of the peacock orpapiha and the gathering of girlsdressed in their fineries. Kaise khelejaibu saawan mein kajaria; Badariyagheri aayi nanadi (How do I go playwith my friends in the rain when I seethe dark clouds gathering quickly?)

If the ancients texts speak andillustrate the traditions that we carry

forward there are others that list howone must conduct ourselves in termsof food habits and lifestyle. TheAyurveda speaks in detail about thebody constituency during this periodand suggests ways to make sure thata balance is maintained.

According to Ayurveda, due to thepoor strength of Agni (digestive fire),doshas start vitiating one another, pri-marily the vata dosha and secondari-ly pitta and kapha dosha which maycause many ailments. Therefore, thefood consumed should be soothing toall the three doshas and one thatincrease digestive capacity. Since thisis the time that water borne diseasesare most likely to strike, drinking watershould be boiled before consuming.The food should have predominantsour and salt tastes and should not bein liquid state. Ginger, black pepper,lemon can be used to aid better diges-tion and pulses, soups, old grains andmastu (thin water of yogurt) be addedto the diet.

The suggested Ayurvedic treat-ments include Panchakarma treat-ments in order to prevent any kind ofdisorders and boost immunity.Application of Sugandhi or perfume isencouraged as also wearing properclothes to help protect from from coldbreeze, wind and rain. Warm oilapplication before bath, cover-ups toprevent mosquito bites, burning ofcamphor infusion make for someother suggestions to aid good healthby preventing infections.

The Yogshastra, too, recommendsasanas to maintain body-mind health.Many of these asanas are a pre-emp-tive cure to problems like asthma,arthiritis, rheumatoid that get aggra-vated during the monsoon. Yoga hasa major effect of prevention of cold andcough and is known to increase theoverall body immunity protecting itfrom all kinds of allergies. A niyamcomprising of Linga and Pran mudra;Pranayam (Bhastika, Kapalabhati,Anulom-Vilom and Udgeeth) and yog-asanas, namely, Bhujangasana,Matsyasana, Sarvangasana,Shalabasana and Dhanurasana is rec-ommended for full body protectionagainst ailments that are likely to hitduring this season.

Even as we put on a guard to checkthe problems that come with this sea-son, it does not take away from the joyof celebrations that fall in this timeperiod. This is the time when India cel-ebrates festivals like Raksha Bandhan,Janmashtami, Onam and GaneshChaturthi. The Ritu brings back thefreshness of the environment andmakes it clean and green, even theurbanscape comes out looking clean.As someone rightly pointed out: Toknow the monsoon is to know India,to love the monsoon is to love India.

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Man’s instinct to survival has led him tofind out solutions to tame the drought.Some of the best brains in India have

developed scintillating solutions to counter thewater scarcity. Scientists of Indian Institute ofTechnology, Madras (IIT-M) have developed aninnovation by which water can be generatedfrom thin air.

Ramesh Kumar Soni, a young engineeringgraduate who joined the IIT-M for his PhD wasgreatly affected by what he saw of water scarci-ty in Chennai and elsewhere. His research workyielded an Atmospheric Water Generator whichcaptures moisture available in the air.“Atmospheric air has water content at any givenpoint of time and this is what we work on,” sharesSoni. The AWG developed by Soni has manyadvantages including energy efficiency. “It con-sumes just 0.3 to 0.5 units power for producingone litre water,” says Soni, who has launched acompany by name VayuJal Technologies basedin the IIT-M Research Park. An AWG that pro-duces 30 litres per day water costs Rs 50,000.

Prof Sundara Rama Prabhu, head of thealternative energy and nanotechnology labo-ratory, IIT-M and his team of young scientistshave developed a number of technologiesbased on nano materials to clean the CooumRiver and Buckingham canal in Chennai. Theproject to set up a major water purificationplant based on nanotechnology would costless that Rs 300 crore. This writer had attend-ed a demonstration by Prof Rama Prabhuwhen he purified the highly polluted watercollected from Cooum River and transformedit into potable water.

National Institute of Ocean Technology(NIOT), a research laboratory under theMinistry of Earth Sciences is helping the peo-ple of Lakshadweep by offering them drink-ing water desalinated using the LowTemperature Thermal DesalinationTechnology. There is something unique about

these innovations. So far, no one from thegovernment of Tamil Nadu has approachedthese people or their establishments with arequest to know more details about theseinnovations. It’s a pity that despite our tech-nologists having the know-how to address thewater shortage, the administrative and politi-cal will appears to be missing.

“Never ever find a permanent solution toany issues plaguing the people. These prob-lems should last so that we would remain rel-evant,” a Communist leader was heard tellinghis acolyte in one of the Malayalam films shotsome three decades ago. Could that be a casehere? We hope not.

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Alexander Boris de PfeffelJohnson has taken up the

reins of the British PrimeMinister’s office at a crucialjuncture when the UK is nei-ther moving out of theEuropean Union nor it is ableto decide what should be thenext viable course of action.Some say Johnson is an illu-sionist, some claim he is a truepost-modern classicist, and forothers, he is “first BritishFrench Prime Minister” and“Donald Trump of Britain”.However, his true identity willbe known only when he takesfeasible steps to redeem hispromise of Brexit.

The Brexit task, whichtook the job of his predecessorTheresa May, is very troublingfor Johnson too. This Brexitdebate between Brexiteers andremainers has increasinglybecome radical. Critics seeboth Johnson and his do-or-dieBrexit as the nothing but therise of English nationalism.Thus the Conservative Party ison its way to fast become anEnglish nationalist party ratherthan a unionist one. A recentYouGuv poll indicated that 63per cent of Tory memberswould rather see Scotland inde-pendent than lose Brexit.Further, the Conservative Partyis now more concerned aboutlosing voters to another Englishnationalist party i.e. NigelFarage’s Brexit Party, than it isabout keeping this great his-toric land intact. They all mustunderstand that the economiccost of a Brexit-led break-up ofthe UK would be definitelyunmanageable.

Johnson’s MinisterialCabinet is far too right thanformer Prime MinisterMargaret Thatcher of the1980s. Thatcher never had aHome Secretary as remotelyilliberal as Priti Patel, never hada Foreign Secretary as xeno-phobic as Dominic Raab, nevereven had a Chancellor as anti-state interventionist as SajidJavid, and never had a DefenceSecretary as bellicose as BenWallace. Thatcher deliberatelywrecked the social democrat-ic society wherein many hadgrown up to live their lives.And this was done to destroyany capability of the workingclass people to protect them-selves from the wraths of thewealthy sections of society.But Thatcher never broughtprivate players to the NationalHealth Service or state-runschools. She maintained freeuniversity education inEngland and in Wales. Thatwas destroyed by Tony Blairduring his ten years of rule. Butthen many of the Britons hadaccepted the Thatcher regimeas the definitive most right-wing Government possible inthe recent political history of

the country. However, the cur-rent one, many observes, canbe treated as the most vocifer-ous and right-wingGovernment since 1832. PritiPatel openly admires theapproach to law and order fol-lowed by Benjamin Netanyahuin Israel. She also voted againsta measure to stop pregnant asy-lum seekers being sent toimmigration detention cen-tres pending hearing. Javid,who is a Chancellor now, oncevetoed as a Business Secretarythe tariffs in Brussels againstdumped Chinese steel thatfinally caused the problems forBritish steel. Raab, who is nowhandling the crucial ForeignOffice, had negotiated a dealwith the EU but ultimatelyresigned because it was toobad. Thus how the newGovernment would spearheadBritain is a matter of seriousquestion for the Britons aswell as for the global policyobservers.

Around the same time,former Prime Minister Gordon

Brown, in an electrifyingspeech, highlighted the shameof anti-semitism in his ownLabour Party. He warned, “TheUnion is today more at riskthan at any time in 300 yearsand more in danger than whenwe had to fight for it in 2014during a bitter Scottish refer-endum.” He also noted thatthere was much more at riskthan simply the unity andintegrity of the country. Tohim, the country is fast losinga series of values, which it usedto enjoy in the past for gener-ations i.e. “tolerance, respect fordiversity and being outwardlooking”. These all are threat-ened by various competingnarrow nationalisms.

About Johnson himself,people are not sure how he willlead Britain out of the EU. Hecan easily be regarded as one ofthe most arresting and enter-taining political leaders of thecountry at this moment. He isdefinitely a sprezzatura whogoes completely out of his wayto look dishevelled and sound

unprepared whenever he isappearing in the public.

He is, as many says, is try-ing to project himself as Britain’sfirst French Prime Minister. Itis so because that the way he issafeguarding his private lifesimply resembles how in thepast the French President’s likeFrançois Mitterrand andFrancois Hollande did. Butunlike the French people, theBritish people take keen inter-est in the personal lives of theirpolitical leaders. This could beone of the few challenges thatJohnson might encounter incourse of time. This mightserve as a fatal blow even to hispolitical survival if he handlessuch matters recklessly.

Many say that Johnson hastaken a Trumpian path to reach10 Downing Street. EvenTrump called him “Britain’sTrump” while congratulatinghim for his victory in the elec-tion. This former Londonmayor resembles more to the45th President of the US,Donald Trump, than anyone

else. Three years ago, the slo-gan to stop Trump was “#Never Trump” and it camefrom the conservatives lobbyonly. It was done to preventTrump from winning presi-dential nomination from theRepublican Party. In the samemanner, the establishmentConservatives in the UK issueda call, saying “Anyone butBoris”. The establishmentTorries rallying cry was meantto stop Johnson from becom-ing the next Prime Minister ofBritain. Unfortunately, like the“#Never Trump” movement,this one in Britain has miser-ably failed. Rather, it has gar-nered more support forJohnson to head hisWestminster Cabinet for whichhe was desperately waiting forquite some time.

Both Trump and Johnsonare true evidences that demon-strate that voters like those whospeak their minds. Even ifthey do not understand whatthey are speaking, people votedfor them and came out in their

support. Interestingly, theirpolitical speak is replaced byspontaneous thought, leavingmany a time, both their criticsand sympathisers enraged andenthralled. Johnson looksremarkably inept. UnlikeTrump, Johnson is not veryactive in his twitter account.But like Trump, his penchantfor making politically incorrectblunders simply suggest thispublic platform would suithim very well. MoreoverJohnson is concerned withpublicity stunts than with thenuts and bolts of politicalreform that Britain awaits des-perately at the moment.

Despite all the controver-sies surrounding him and hiscountry at the moment, whathas helped Johnson coming tothe 10 Downing Street is theconsistent support of theConservative voters and theparty members who werebehind him for his hard-linestand on Brexit. Though he hasbeen ducking debate with hisopponent and Foreign

Secretary Jeremy Hunt, hisvoters supported him for thetop job. Throughout the cam-paign, he was largely invisible.After facing constant criticismfrom the Opposition, he start-ed appearing in a series ofinterviews speaking about hisplan to leave the EU byOctober 31 to his hobby ofpainting buses on old wineboxes. But he was cleverenough to avoid his private lifeall the time.

However, to be a goodleader and a successful politi-cian, Johnson has to take firmstands, because a politiciancan’t achieve anything tangiblewithout taking hard decisions.Amid the Brexit campaign,Remainer Amber Rudd, theformer Home Secretary, oncesaid, “Boris is the life and soulof the party, but you would notwant him driving you home.”But today, Boris Johnson is dri-ving the entire nation “home”.

(The writer is an experton international affairs)

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"�7�������< ���*����� �����������������#������British Prime Minister BorisJohnson on Saturday said Brexit isa “massive economic opportunity”but had been treated under his pre-decessor Theresa May as “animpending adverse weather event”.

In a speech in Manchesterwhere he pledged new investmentin Leave-voting areas, Johnsonpromised to step up negotiationson post-Brexit trade deals and setup free ports to boost the econo-my.

“When people voted to leavethe European Union, they were notjust voting against Brussels, theywere voting against London too,”he said. Johnson promised to givemore powers to local communities,as well as boost broadband andtransport infrastructure in a speechfocused on domestic issues.

“Taking back control doesn’tjust apply to Westminster regain-ing sovereignty from the EU, itmeans our cities and counties andtowns becoming more self gov-erning,” he said. “Leaving the EUis a massive economic opportuni-ty to do things we’ve not beenallowed to do for decades,” he said.

Asked about the prospect ofBrexit negotiations, Johnson said hewas willing to engage with EU part-ners but only if the backstop clausewas removed from the current

divorce agreement struck by May.The backstop seeks to ensure

a free-flowing post-Brexit borderbetween British Northern Irelandand the Republic of Ireland, an EUmember state, in all eventualities.

“The approach of the UKGovernment is not going to be dis-engaged or aloof or waiting forthem to come to us, we are goingto try to solve this problem,” hesaid.

“We can’t do it as long as thatanti-democratic backstop, thatbackstop that seeks to divide ourcountry, divide the UK, remains inplace. We need to get it out andthen we can make progress.”

The new leader earlier tried todampen speculation he could callan early election. The formermayor of London, who only tookcharge on Wednesday, haspromised to take Britain out of theEU by the latest deadline ofOctober 31 — deal or no deal. Buthe has focused on domestic prior-ities in his first few days in office,including a pledge on Friday toreverse drastic cuts to the policeforce made under May.

Commentators have speculat-ed that he could be preparing tocall a general election, hoping toregain the Conservative majoritythat May lost at the polls in 2017.

Johnson on Friday “absolutely”ruled out initiating such a pollbefore Britain leaves the bloc.

“The British people voted in2015, in 2016, in 2017,” he said dur-ing a visit to the central English cityof Birmingham. “What they wantus to do is deliver on their man-date, come out of the EU onOctober 31. They don’t wantanother electoral event, they don’twant a referendum, they don’twant a general election.”

However, Britons could beheaded to the polls if MPs bringdown Johnson’s new Governmentin a no confidence vote in order totry and prevent a no-deal Brexitfrom happening.

Britain voted 52 per cent infavour of leaving the EuropeanUnion in a shock 2016 referendumthat partially reflected deepresentment over economicinequality.

Johnson said Saturday’s speechintended to “set out his vision torebalance power, growth and pro-ductivity across the UK”. May alsocame to power promising to fightBritain’s “burning injustices” buther domestic agenda was over-whelmed by Brexit negotiationsand her failed attempts to persuadeparliament to vote in favour of herexit deal. AFP

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The whole of Shravana month,immediately following GuruPurnima, is dedicated to Lord

Shiva, believed to be the UniversalGuru. Those having a living Guruenjoy the privilege of being regularlyguided, and so keep evolving accord-ing to their level of dedication and sin-cere efforts. A large majority, however,either not aware of the significance ofa Guru, or not been able to find one,do also deserve to have an exposure tothe existential realities of life. Forthem, a month-long self-educationmechanism has been incorporated inannual Hindu calendar.

The believers submit to austeremeasures and make their offerings intemples dedicated to Lord Shiva acrossthe nation all through the month.Seeking Lord Shiva’s grace, lakhs ofdevout can be seen picking up waterfrom the Ganges and then taking allthe pain of walking barefoot to theirdesignated temples covering miles at astretch. I leave it to readers’ belief —whether or not Lord Shiva overseeingfrom the heaven would be rewardingthem in return for their transactionalofferings. But the concept underlying

Lord Shiva — not the form-God as weperceive him to be but symbolisingthat singular source and effective causeunderlying the creation of the wholeUniverse — carries great meaning. Itoffers us educative inputs on the con-duct rules that would help us steer lifewith relative ease and comfort.

In this context, it would be inter-esting to look at the two imageries ofLord Shiva. First, bare bodied LordShiva with tiger skin covering his pri-vate parts, seated in a meditative pos-ture on ‘Mount Kailasa’. Second, LordShiva mounted on a bull with hisentourage comprising an assortment ofmultitude forms of existence, some ofthem weird and even invisible. Toname a few, divine presences; humanbeings; devilish existence; animals;birds; goblins, and even invisible exis-tence such as ghost etc. Symbolically,his entourage stands for multipolarmanifest world with all its enormityand diversity.

Mount Kailash is one of the highpeaks in the Himalayan range to whichlot of perennial rivers provide theground necessary for emergence of livecreatures. Remember, even science

believes that the first live existenceemerged in water body. Being one ofthe highest peaks, Mount Kailash sym-bolises the bridge between the cosmosand life on planet Earth, both rootedto the Creator Shiva. Added to that ispresence of Lunar Crescent over LordShiva’s head. Moon symbolises conver-

gence of all nature driven forces as itgains luminosity out of the lightextended by the Sun, as well as all theplanets and stars up above in the sky— marked with energy providers inthe cosmos. It, thus, serves as interfacebetween cosmic energies and life cycleof earth.

Meditative posture symbolises self-reflection — the stirring within — thatexcited the chain of creation. The corre-sponding sound note that emerged wasOm, symbolised here as play of Damru(hand drum) that he holds. As this pri-mal Shakti (Om) — comprising all ener-gies playing in the world — gravitated,first emerged Shakti-trinity – Sata, Rajas,and Tamasa. The random mutation ofthe three guided by the element of con-sciousness intrinsic to Shiva, led to theemergence of innumerable differentiatedenergies. These energies following acourse of progressive evolution eventual-ly manifested into a multipolar worldthat runs in succession. The river Gangaflowing out of Shiva’s hair lock runsdown the stream nourishing life allthrough its run, ending up in ocean.Water evaporates all along, whichincludes the sea-body, leaving the impu-rities behind, forms cloud, and then rainsback to recharge the water bodies afresh.So does our life cycle run in succession.

Now coming back to Lord Shiva’sentourage, the divine existence arepersonification of the cosmic forces,vital to creation, sustenance, and recy-cling of existential order. Humanbeings armed with intelligence andawareness level, higher than other

creatures, the onus lies on them towork towards qualitative existence.Devilish existence imply ignorant peo-ple with relatively lower intelligencelevel and primarily driven by animalis-tic instincts. They, therefore, are notexpected to be conscious about theircollective obligations. It also impliesall negative orientation of mind thatmay prove detrimental to harmoniousand peaceful coexistence.

The presence of invisible existencesuch as ghosts, make out a purposefulreference. These unseen creatures sup-posedly symbolise the invisible exis-tence in the intervening periodbetween two successive form-exis-tence. They, therefore, symbolise con-tinuum between successive lives. In away it can be said that Lord Shiva’sentourage presents a picture of all seenand unseen existence forming this liveworld.

To be continued...

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