12
T he first batch of five Rafale fighter jets landed at the Ambala airbase on Wednesday. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said the presence of Rafale will revolutionise the capabilities of the IAF. In a veiled warning to China and Pakistan, he also said those try- ing to threaten the territorial integrity of the country should be worried now. The much-awaited jets landed at the Ambala airbase in the presence of IAF Chief RKS Bhadauria. Covering a dis- tance of more than 7,000 km from France over two days, the five jets were escorted by two SU-30 frontline planes when the Rafales entered the Indian airspace. Upon touching base, the new planes were given the customary water canon salute by bowsers at the airstrip. They will formally join the NO. 17 Golden Arrows squadron. “The touch down of Rafale combat aircraft in India marks the beginning of a new era in our Military History. These multirole aircraft will revolu- tionalise the capabilities of the IAF,” Rajnath said in a series of tweets. Maintaining that the Rafale jets were purchased when they fully met the operational requirements of the IAF, he said “I would like to add, if anyone who should be worried about or critical about this new capa- bility of the IAF, it should be those who want to threaten our territorial integrity.” He also said the aircraft has very good flying performance and its weapons, radar and other sensors and electronic warfare capabilities are amongst the best in the world. “Its arrival in India will make the IAF much stronger to deter any threat that may be posed on our country.” Rajnath also said the “base- less” allegations against this procurement have already been “answered and settled.” It was in apparent reference to the Congress launching a vocifer- ous campaign claiming wrong- doing in the deal and favour- ing some Indian industrial houses. Home Minister Amit Shah described the arrival of the jets as a historic day and said the induction of these planes will prove to be a “game changer.” The Home Minister said they are the world’s most powerful machines capable of thwarting any challenge in the sky. In a series of tweets, Shah also said the Modi Government is committed to building on India’s defence capabilities. The induction of the next genera- tion aircraft is a true testimo- ny of the Prime Minister’s resolve to make India a pow- erful and secure nation, he said. Ahead of the arrival of the jets, Section 144 was imposed around the Ambala Cantonment to prevent large gatherings and public were advised not to gather on rooftops. Incidentally, the IAF has got a modern and versatile fighter jet after two decades. A fter 34 years, the Modi Cabinet on Wednesday approved the much-awaited National Education Policy (NEP)-2020 which aims to revamp all aspects of India’s education system and bring it closer to the best global stan- dards. The Cabinet has also renamed the Ministry of Human Resource Development as the Ministry of Education. The existing NEP was framed in 1986 and last revised in 1992. The new NEP proposes MPhil courses to be discon- tinued and change the existing 10+2 curricular and pedagog- ical structure with 5+3+3+4 design covering the children in the age group 3-18 years. This would mean 12 years of school- ing and three years of Anganwadi or pre-school. Addressing a Press confer- ence, Human Resource Development (HRD) Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal and Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar said it is important as for 34 years there were no changes in the education policy of the country. The NEP aims to create an education system that con- tributes directly to transform- ing the country, providing high-quality education to all, and making India a global knowledge superpower. The policy aims at reducing the cur- riculum load of students and allowing them to become more “multi-disciplinary” and “multi-lingual”. “There will be no rigid sep- aration between arts and sci- ences, between curricular and extra-curricular activities and between vocational and acad- emic stream,” Javadekar said. Secretary of Higher Education Amit Khare and Secretary of School Education and Literacy Anita Kanwal made the major announcements. The new structure will be split as follows: A foundation- al stage (ages three and eight), three years of pre-primary (ages eight to 11), a preparato- ry stage (ages 11 to 14) and a secondary stage (ages 14 to 18). The mother tongue or local/regional language is to be the medium of instruction in all schools up to Class 5 (prefer- ably till Class 8 and beyond), according to the policy. As per the policy, Board exams are set to get easier and, moots lowering the stakes of these tests, which lead to a lot of stress among not just stu- dents but also parents. According to the Government, the revised structure will “bring hitherto uncovered age group of three to six years, recognised globally as a crucial stage for development of mental facul- ties, under school curriculum”. T here is no virtue like pro- tecting the nation, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Wednesday as he welcomed the first batch of five Rafale jets, with a tweet in Sanskrit. Broadly translated, the PM tweeted that there is no virtue like protecting the nation, there is no vow like defence of the nation. “Swagatam” (welcome), he said with the hash tag “RafaleInIndia”. He also shared a brief video of a Rafale jets landing at the Ambala Air Force station. G irls also outshone boys in this year’s High School Certificate (HSC) Examinations, the results of which were published by the Board of Secondary Education (BSE) on Wednesday. The pass percentage was 78.76% against the last year’s 72.35%. While 1,279 students passed in Grade A against the last year’s 1,180, 8,458 passed in Grade A2 and 18,188 passed in B1. Besides, 31, 328 students passed in Grade B2, 49,153 in Grade C, 89,556 in Grade D and 2,23,195 students passed in Grade E. School and Mass Education Minister Samir Ranjan Dash released the results through a video- conferencing. He also announced the results of State Open School Certificate Examination and Madhyama (Sanskrit) Examination, which are also conducted by the State Board and treated equivalent to matriculation. The Minister claimed that evaluation and tabulation of answer sheets have been done flawlessly despite challenges put by the Covid pandemic and Cyclone Amphan. While a total 5,34,843 stu- dents had appeared for the examination, 4,21,256 emerged victorious in different grades. Of the 2,72,738 girls who appeared, 2,15,367 succeeded, registering 81.88% results. Similarly, 2,47,451 boys had sat for the test and of them, 1,92,501 passed, registering 77.8% results. This year, as many as 678 high schools achieved 100% results against the last year’s 289. The number of schools doing nil results also declined this year. While 82 schools had done nil results last year, the number declined to 31 this year. Students have been given one-month time from August 6 to apply for rechecking of their answer sheets. In the Open School cate- gory, 3,653 students cleared the test from among 9,126 appeared; In the Madhyama examination, 4,135 students passed, registering a pass per- centage of 97.18. T wo Class-X students, a girl and a boy, committed sui- cides at two different places in Kendrapara district before knowing about their results which were published on Wednesday. Barsarani Sahu, a resident of Balipada village under Ward- 8 of Pattamundai police station, committed suicide by hanging herself at her room after she got wrong information that she failed in the examination. Later she was found to have passed in Grade E division. Barsharani, a daughter of Brahmananda Sahu, was study- ing in the Kasanianta based Panchayat High School. On Tuesday, a 15- year-old boy, Soumya Ranjan Pradhan, of Kodapalla village under Patkura police station had too committed suicide by hanging himself at his room. Soumyaranjan, a son of Naresh Pradhan, was a student of Naindipur High School. While the exact reason behind his death was yet to be ascertained, police suspect that Soumya Ranjan might have committed suicide due to depression relating to Matriculation examinations. B hubaneswar on Wednesday registered 137 more Covid- 19 positive cases, taking the capital city’s total tally to 2,502. Out of the new cases, 98 were from quarantine centres and 39 were local contacts, the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) said. The quarantine cases included seven cases of Satya Nagar linked with an earlier positive case; six cases, all employees of a private hospital; five of Kalpana Square linked with an earlier case; five of Bomikhal Jaydurga Nagar linked with an earlier case; four of Saheed Nagar linked with an earlier case; three of Patrapada Krishna Vihar linked with an earlier case; three of Aiginia Alu Gadi linked with an earli- er case; three of Uni-4 MLA Colony Basti; three of Naharkanta; three of Badagada Jharana Sahi; and three of Bhimpur linked with an earli- er case. The local contacts includ- ed a 87-year-old man of Old Town Tarasundari road; a 57- year-old man of Old Town Banadurga Nagar; a 42-year- old man of Badagada; four cases, all men, of Shastri Nagar; two cases, both men, of IRC Village; two of Badagada Brit Colony; three of Kalinga Nagar K-5 with travel history to a hotspot district; two of Laxmi Nagar near Sainik School; and a 27-year-old employee of a medicine store at Bapuji Nagar. However, as many as 75 patients recovered in the cap- ital city on the day. In Cuttack, 56 positive cases were detected on Wednesday. With this, the city’ tally surged to 833. Of the 56 fresh cases, 47 were from home quarantine, seven institutional quarantine and two local contacts. Nine were children. Besides, a corona warrior from Badambadi with recent travel history to Srinagar and two from the SCB Medical College Hospital were among the infected. C hief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Wednesday urged the MLAs to take care of Covid warriors and encourage cured people to donate plasma and requested common people to follow Covid guidelines. He assured that there would be no constraint of funds for the Covid-19 fight. While interacting with the MLAs, he said the State would put every resource in its com- mand to fight the pandemic and save people’s lives. “When in many States hos- pitals are charging lakhs of rupees for treatment, our Government is providing everything free of cost. “Whatever best treatment is available in any part of the world, Odisha will implement the same and make it accessi- ble to our people free of cost,” said the CM. Hailing the people engaged in the fight against Covid-19, he said, “I can proudly say that my Odia brothers and sisters as Covid warriors are not just doing work for salary but work- ing for a mission to save life of every Odia. Let me as the Leader of the House humbly say that the dedication and sac- rifice of our Covid warriors is an inspiration for the entire Odisha.” “I see a Gopabandhu Das, a Madhubabu, a Maa Rama Devi, a Parvati Giri in each one of your sacrifices,” Patnaik said. T he State recorded five more Covid-19 deaths on Wednesday, taking the total number of fatalities to 159. One death each was reported from Baleswar, Puri, Ganjam, Kandhamal and Malkangiri districts. The deceased included a 46-year-old man of Baleswar district, who was also suffering from diabetes and hyperten- sion; a 55-year-old woman of Puri district; a 60-year-old woman of Ganjam, who was also suffering from diabetes and hypertension; a 50-year- old man of Kandhamal, who was also suffering from alco- holic liver disease, jaundice and hepatic encephalopathy; and a 62-year-old woman of Malkangiri, who was also suf- fering from hypertension, the Health and Family Welfare Department said. A two-year-old Covid-pos- itive girl of Bhadrak district died due to congenital heart disease with cardiac failure. The number of such deaths due to other health complications stood at 36 in the State, the department said. Meanwhile, the State reg- istered 1,068 new positive cases on the day, increasing the total tally to 29,175. Of these cases, 662 were reported from quarantine cen- tres and 406 were local con- tacts, according to the Information and Public Relations Department. Ganjam district continued to top the chart with 245 cases followed by Khordha 194, Sundargarh 112, Gajapati 88, Koraput 66, Cuttack 61, Baleswar and Nayagarh 29 each, Balangir and Nabarangpur 26 each, Rayagada 24, Sambalpur 21, Angul and Mayurbhanj 20, Kalahandi 19, Puri 16, Jharsuguda and Jajpur 12 each, Kandhamal and Nuapada 11 each, Kendrapada eight, Bargarh five, Bhadrak four, Jagatsinghpur three, Deogarh and Subarnapur two each and Dhenkanal and Malkangiri one each. However, 878 patients recovered on Wednesday, tak- ing the total recoveries to 18,938. This was the highest single-day recovery so far. The highest 396 recovered in Ganjam district, 114 Khordha , 49 in Gajapati, 44 in Jagatsinghpur, 35 in Koraput, 33 in Baleswar, 29 in Kandhamal, 26 in Angul, 23 in Keonjhar, 16 in Nayagarh, 14 in Cuttack, 14 in Sundargarh, 13 in Bhadrak,11 in Malkangiri, 10 in Jajpur, eight in Kendrapada, seven each from Bargarh, Boudh and Dhenkanal, five in Jharsuguda, four each in Balangir and Puri, three each in Nuapada and Rayagada, two from Mayurbhanj and one from Sambalpur.

ˆ · Soumyaranjan, a son of Naresh Pradhan, was a student of Naindipur High School. While the exact reason behind his death was yet to be ascertained, police suspect that Soumya

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Page 1: ˆ · Soumyaranjan, a son of Naresh Pradhan, was a student of Naindipur High School. While the exact reason behind his death was yet to be ascertained, police suspect that Soumya

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The first batch of five Rafalefighter jets landed at the

Ambala airbase on Wednesday.Defence Minister RajnathSingh said the presence ofRafale will revolutionise thecapabilities of the IAF. In aveiled warning to China andPakistan, he also said those try-ing to threaten the territorialintegrity of the country shouldbe worried now.

The much-awaited jetslanded at the Ambala airbase inthe presence of IAF Chief RKSBhadauria. Covering a dis-tance of more than 7,000 kmfrom France over two days, thefive jets were escorted by twoSU-30 frontline planes whenthe Rafales entered the Indianairspace. Upon touching base,the new planes were given thecustomary water canon saluteby bowsers at the airstrip. Theywill formally join the NO. 17Golden Arrows squadron.

“The touch down of Rafalecombat aircraft in India marksthe beginning of a new era inour Military History. Thesemultirole aircraft will revolu-tionalise the capabilities of theIAF,” Rajnath said in a series oftweets.

Maintaining that the Rafalejets were purchased when theyfully met the operationalrequirements of the IAF, he said“I would like to add, if anyonewho should be worried aboutor critical about this new capa-bility of the IAF, it should bethose who want to threaten ourterritorial integrity.”

He also said the aircraft hasvery good flying performanceand its weapons, radar andother sensors and electronicwarfare capabilities areamongst the best in the world.“Its arrival in India will makethe IAF much stronger to deterany threat that may be posedon our country.”

Rajnath also said the “base-less” allegations against thisprocurement have already been“answered and settled.” It wasin apparent reference to theCongress launching a vocifer-ous campaign claiming wrong-doing in the deal and favour-ing some Indian industrialhouses.

Home Minister Amit Shah

described the arrival of the jetsas a historic day and said theinduction of these planes willprove to be a “game changer.”The Home Minister said theyare the world’s most powerfulmachines capable of thwartingany challenge in the sky.

In a series of tweets, Shahalso said the Modi Governmentis committed to building onIndia’s defence capabilities. Theinduction of the next genera-tion aircraft is a true testimo-ny of the Prime Minister’sresolve to make India a pow-erful and secure nation, he said.

Ahead of the arrival of thejets, Section 144 was imposedaround the AmbalaCantonment to prevent large

gatherings and public wereadvised not to gather onrooftops.

Incidentally, the IAF has

got a modern and versatilefighter jet after two decades.

����� ��������

After 34 years, the ModiCabinet on Wednesday

approved the much-awaitedNational Education Policy(NEP)-2020 which aims torevamp all aspects of India’seducation system and bring itcloser to the best global stan-dards. The Cabinet has alsorenamed the Ministry ofHuman Resource Developmentas the Ministry of Education.The existing NEP was framedin 1986 and last revised in 1992.

The new NEP proposesMPhil courses to be discon-tinued and change the existing10+2 curricular and pedagog-ical structure with 5+3+3+4design covering the children inthe age group 3-18 years. Thiswould mean 12 years of school-ing and three years ofAnganwadi or pre-school.

Addressing a Press confer-ence, Human ResourceDevelopment (HRD) MinisterRamesh Pokhriyal andInformation and BroadcastingMinister Prakash Javadekarsaid it is important as for 34years there were no changes inthe education policy of thecountry.

The NEP aims to create aneducation system that con-tributes directly to transform-ing the country, providinghigh-quality education to all,and making India a globalknowledge superpower. Thepolicy aims at reducing the cur-riculum load of students andallowing them to become more

“multi-disciplinary” and“multi-lingual”.

“There will be no rigid sep-aration between arts and sci-ences, between curricular andextra-curricular activities andbetween vocational and acad-emic stream,” Javadekar said.Secretary of Higher EducationAmit Khare and Secretary ofSchool Education and LiteracyAnita Kanwal made the majorannouncements.

The new structure will besplit as follows: A foundation-al stage (ages three and eight),three years of pre-primary(ages eight to 11), a preparato-ry stage (ages 11 to 14) and asecondary stage (ages 14 to 18).

The mother tongue orlocal/regional language is to bethe medium of instruction inall schools up to Class 5 (prefer-ably till Class 8 and beyond),according to the policy.

As per the policy, Boardexams are set to get easier and,moots lowering the stakes ofthese tests, which lead to a lotof stress among not just stu-dents but also parents.According to the Government,the revised structure will “bringhitherto uncovered age groupof three to six years, recognisedglobally as a crucial stage fordevelopment of mental facul-ties, under school curriculum”.

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There is no virtue like pro-tecting the nation, Prime

Minister Narendra Modi saidon Wednesday as he welcomedthe first batch of five Rafale jets,with a tweet in Sanskrit.

Broadly translated, the PM

tweeted that there is no virtuelike protecting the nation, thereis no vow like defence of thenation. “Swagatam” (welcome),he said with the hash tag“RafaleInIndia”.

He also shared a brief videoof a Rafale jets landing at theAmbala Air Force station.

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Girls also outshone boys inthis year’s High School

Certificate (HSC)Examinations, the results ofwhich were published by theBoard of Secondary Education(BSE) on Wednesday.

The pass percentage was78.76% against the last year’s72.35%.

While 1,279 studentspassed in Grade A against thelast year’s 1,180, 8,458 passed inGrade A2 and 18,188 passed inB1.

Besides, 31, 328students passed inGrade B2, 49,153 inGrade C, 89,556 inGrade D and2,23,195 studentspassed in Grade E.

School andMass EducationMinister SamirRanjan Dashreleased the resultsthrough a video-conferencing. Healso announced theresults of State OpenSchool CertificateExamination andMadhyama (Sanskrit)Examination, which are alsoconducted by the State Boardand treated equivalent tomatriculation.

The Minister claimed thatevaluation and tabulation ofanswer sheets have been doneflawlessly despite challengesput by the Covid pandemic andCyclone Amphan.

While a total 5,34,843 stu-dents had appeared for theexamination, 4,21,256 emerged

victorious in different grades.Of the 2,72,738 girls who

appeared, 2,15,367 succeeded,registering 81.88% results.

Similarly, 2,47,451 boyshad sat for the test and of them,1,92,501 passed, registering77.8% results.

This year, as many as 678high schools achieved 100%results against the last year’s289. The number of schoolsdoing nil results also declinedthis year. While 82 schools had

done nil results last year, thenumber declined to 31 thisyear.

Students have been givenone-month time from August6 to apply for rechecking oftheir answer sheets.

In the Open School cate-gory, 3,653 students cleared thetest from among 9,126appeared; In the Madhyamaexamination, 4,135 studentspassed, registering a pass per-centage of 97.18.

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Two Class-X students, a girland a boy, committed sui-

cides at two different places inKendrapara district beforeknowing about their resultswhich were published onWednesday.

Barsarani Sahu, a residentof Balipada village under Ward-8 of Pattamundai police station,committed suicide by hangingherself at her room after she gotwrong information that she

failed in the examination. Latershe was found to have passedin Grade E division.

Barsharani, a daughter ofBrahmananda Sahu, was study-ing in the Kasanianta basedPanchayat High School.

On Tuesday, a 15- year-oldboy, Soumya Ranjan Pradhan,of Kodapalla village underPatkura police station had toocommitted suicide by hanginghimself at his room.

Soumyaranjan, a son ofNaresh Pradhan, was a studentof Naindipur High School.

While the exact reasonbehind his death was yet to beascertained, police suspect thatSoumya Ranjan might havecommitted suicide due todepression relating toMatriculation examinations.

����� ��-�2��,�20(�-112�=

Bhubaneswar on Wednesdayregistered 137 more Covid-

19 positive cases, taking thecapital city’s total tally to 2,502.

Out of the new cases, 98were from quarantine centresand 39 were local contacts, theBhubaneswar MunicipalCorporation (BMC) said.

The quarantine casesincluded seven cases of SatyaNagar linked with an earlierpositive case; six cases, allemployees of a private hospital;five of Kalpana Square linkedwith an earlier case; five ofBomikhal Jaydurga Nagarlinked with an earlier case; fourof Saheed Nagar linked with anearlier case; three of PatrapadaKrishna Vihar linked with anearlier case; three of AiginiaAlu Gadi linked with an earli-er case; three of Uni-4 MLAColony Basti; three ofNaharkanta; three of BadagadaJharana Sahi; and three of

Bhimpur linked with an earli-er case.

The local contacts includ-ed a 87-year-old man of OldTown Tarasundari road; a 57-year-old man of Old TownBanadurga Nagar; a 42-year-old man of Badagada; fourcases, all men, of Shastri Nagar;two cases, both men, of IRCVillage; two of Badagada BritColony; three of Kalinga NagarK-5 with travel history to ahotspot district; two of LaxmiNagar near Sainik School; anda 27-year-old employee of amedicine store at Bapuji Nagar.

However, as many as 75patients recovered in the cap-ital city on the day.

In Cuttack, 56 positivecases were detected onWednesday. With this, the city’tally surged to 833.

Of the 56 fresh cases, 47were from home quarantine,seven institutional quarantineand two local contacts. Ninewere children.

Besides, a corona warriorfrom Badambadi with recenttravel history to Srinagar andtwo from the SCB MedicalCollege Hospital were amongthe infected.

����� ��-�2��,�20

Chief Minister NaveenPatnaik on Wednesday

urged the MLAs to take care ofCovid warriors and encouragecured people to donate plasmaand requested common peopleto follow Covid guidelines. Heassured that there would be noconstraint of funds for theCovid-19 fight.

While interacting with theMLAs, he said the State wouldput every resource in its com-mand to fight the pandemicand save people’s lives.

“When in many States hos-pitals are charging lakhs ofrupees for treatment, ourGovernment is providingeverything free of cost.“Whatever best treatment isavailable in any part of theworld, Odisha will implementthe same and make it accessi-ble to our people free of cost,”said the CM.

Hailing the people engagedin the fight against Covid-19,he said, “I can proudly say thatmy Odia brothers and sisters asCovid warriors are not justdoing work for salary but work-ing for a mission to save life ofevery Odia. Let me as theLeader of the House humblysay that the dedication and sac-rifice of our Covid warriors isan inspiration for the entireOdisha.”

“I see a Gopabandhu Das,a Madhubabu, a Maa RamaDevi, a Parvati Giri in each oneof your sacrifices,” Patnaik said.

����� ��-�2��,�20

The State recorded five moreCovid-19 deaths on

Wednesday, taking the totalnumber of fatalities to 159. Onedeath each was reported fromBaleswar, Puri, Ganjam,Kandhamal and Malkangiridistricts.

The deceased included a46-year-old man of Baleswardistrict, who was also sufferingfrom diabetes and hyperten-sion; a 55-year-old woman ofPuri district; a 60-year-oldwoman of Ganjam, who wasalso suffering from diabetesand hypertension; a 50-year-old man of Kandhamal, whowas also suffering from alco-holic liver disease, jaundiceand hepatic encephalopathy;

and a 62-year-old woman ofMalkangiri, who was also suf-fering from hypertension, theHealth and Family WelfareDepartment said.

A two-year-old Covid-pos-itive girl of Bhadrak districtdied due to congenital heartdisease with cardiac failure. Thenumber of such deaths due toother health complicationsstood at 36 in the State, thedepartment said.

Meanwhile, the State reg-istered 1,068 new positive caseson the day, increasing the totaltally to 29,175.

Of these cases, 662 werereported from quarantine cen-tres and 406 were local con-tacts, according to theInformation and PublicRelations Department.

Ganjam district continuedto top the chart with 245 casesfollowed by Khordha 194,Sundargarh 112, Gajapati 88,Koraput 66, Cuttack 61,Baleswar and Nayagarh 29each, Balangir andNabarangpur 26 each,Rayagada 24, Sambalpur 21,Angul and Mayurbhanj 20,Kalahandi 19, Puri 16,Jharsuguda and Jajpur 12 each,

Kandhamal and Nuapada 11each, Kendrapada eight,Bargarh five, Bhadrak four,Jagatsinghpur three, Deogarhand Subarnapur two each andDhenkanal and Malkangiri oneeach.

However, 878 patientsrecovered on Wednesday, tak-ing the total recoveries to

18,938. This was the highestsingle-day recovery so far.

The highest 396 recoveredin Ganjam district, 114Khordha , 49 in Gajapati, 44 inJagatsinghpur, 35 in Koraput,33 in Baleswar, 29 inKandhamal, 26 in Angul, 23 inKeonjhar, 16 in Nayagarh, 14 inCuttack, 14 in Sundargarh, 13

in Bhadrak,11 in Malkangiri,10 in Jajpur, eight inKendrapada, seven each fromBargarh, Boudh andDhenkanal, five in Jharsuguda,four each in Balangir and Puri,three each in Nuapada andRayagada, two fromMayurbhanj and one fromSambalpur.

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Page 2: ˆ · Soumyaranjan, a son of Naresh Pradhan, was a student of Naindipur High School. While the exact reason behind his death was yet to be ascertained, police suspect that Soumya

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The National Human RightsCommission (NHRC) has

sought an Action-Taken Report(ATR) from theCommissionerate police overthe death of social activist andmotivational speaker AdityaDash within four weeks.

The NHRC passed theorder taking cognisance of apetition filed by Supreme Courtlawyer and rights activistRadhakanta Tripathy on July24.

In his petition Tripathyhad alleged that Aditya, whosebody was found on the railway

tracks on July 7, was murdered.“As wife and friends of the

deceased are engaged in mud-slinging, the mystery shroud-ing the death of the socialworker is yet to solved. Besides,Aditya was receiving threatsfrom criminals as he launchedan anti- liquor agitation,”Tripathy mentioned.

Besides, the CCTV footageof the railway station whereAditya was killed is missingwhile the postmortem report,his hand written diary, theforensic and circumstantialevidence shroud mystery overthe death of the social activist,he added.

“The delay in arresting the

culprits, exposing the truthand uncovering the mysteryover the death poses seriousquestion of human rights as itinvolves role of police, intelli-gence and law and order of theState,” Tripathy stated

The commission askingthe police to submit the ATRwithin four weeks said, “In casethe ATR is not received with-in the stipulated time, theCommission will be con-strained to invoke coerciveprocess Under Section – 13 ofthe Protection of HumanRights Act, 1993 for personalappearance of the concernedauthority.”

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BJD MLA Amar PrasadSatpathy was on

Wednesday sent to home quar-antine for 14 days after some ofhis staff tested positive forCovid-19.

“I and my family havebeen advised to put ourselvesunder isolation as we havecome in contact with the staffsat my residence. Based on sug-gestion from the authorities, Iand my family membersunderwent antibody tests and,fortunately, we all tested nega-tive,” Satpathy said in a videomessage.

Sources said Satpathy’s aPSO, driver and two domestichelps have been infected withcoronavirus.

“I will be in touch withpeople over telephone and tryto sort out their issues even

though I will be unavailablepersonally with them,” Satpathysaid.

He made it clear that he

would not be able to tour hisJajpur district to attend a pro-gramme as directed by theChief Minister.

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The BMC onWednesday closed

the Rabindra MedicalHall, a popular medi-cine store located atBapuji Nagar here, untilfurther orders as one ofits employees tested positive forCovid-19.

As many as 13 staffs of theshop and the proprietor wereasked to undergo home quar-antine for 14 days as a precau-tionary measure. The BMCwould collect swab samples ofall of them for Covid-19 test.

BMC South East ZonalDeputy Commissioner (ZDC)Anshuman Rath said staffs of

the store reside in differentplaces in the city. The storemanagement has been asked toget details of the persons whovisited the store from theirdatabase. Their phone numberswould be available in the billingdatabase. “We told them tosend individual messages ask-ing them to contact BMC incase of symptoms,” Rathinformed.

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As many as 16,639 under-trial prisoners and 150

convicts have been releasedfrom various jails in the Statefor decongestion of the prisonsafter the Covid-19 outbreak,official sources said onWednesday.

The prisoners werereleased between March 20

and July 28 as per the directionof the Supreme Court and thedecision of a High-PoweredCommittee of the State.

As directed by the High-Powered Committee, theUnder Trial ReviewCommittees of 30 districts hav-ing District Judges, DistrictMagistrates, Superintendentsof Police, Secretaries of DLSAaand Jail Superintendents asmembers had taken the deci-sion on merit for ensuringdecongestion of jails.

This apart, a total of 1,202prisoners have been shiftedfrom overcrowded jails to less-crowded Jails so far, the sourcesadded.

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Archana Soreng, a climateactivist from Odisha, has

been named by United NationsSecretary-General AntonioGuterres as a member of hisnew Advisory Group onClimate Change.

The group comprising sixyoung leaders in the age groupof 18-28 years would provideperspectives and solutions totackle the worsening climatecrisis at a time when the UN isleading the world in fightingC o v i d - 1 9pandemic.

“Soreng is experienced inadvocacy and research. She isworking to document, pre-serve and promote traditionalknowledge and cultural prac-tices of indigenous communi-ties,” the UN said in a statementon Monday.

“Our ancestors have beenprotecting the forest and natureover the ages through their tra- ditional knowledge and prac- tices. Now it is on us to be the

front runners in combatingthe climate crisis,” said Soreng,a pass out of the Tata Instituteof Social Sciences (TISS),Mumbai.

The young activists wouldadvise the UN chief regularlyon accelerating global actionand ambition to tackle theworsening climate crisis, saidreports.

The other membersinclude climate activistsNisreen Elsaim of Sudan andErnest Gibson of Fiji and youngeconomist Vladislav Kaim ofMoldova.

Chief Minister NaveenPatnaik congratulated Sorengfor her selection.

“Congratulate Odisha'sSoreng Archana on being cho-sen in UN Secretary-General’syouth advisory group on cli-mate change. Glad to see ouryoung leaders taking lead rolesin combating climate crisis.Wish her the best, tweeted theChief Minister.

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In a major breakthrough, theKhandagiri police on

Wednesday busted a notorioushighway looters’ gang andarrested three persons.

The two looters were iden-tified as Dabasish Pujapandaalias Sonu and Krishna Singhalias Kishan. The third arresteewas a receiver of stolen goods,Basanta Kumar Nayak aliasBaina.

Police said the accused arehabitual offenders and involvedin series of snatchings on theNational Highway-16 betweenNayapally to Khordha. Themodus operandi was they tar-geted commuters by usingbikes with tampered number

plates. The cops have seizedtwo motorcycles and 15 mobilephones from the trio’s posses-sion.

Police stumbled upon thegang while investigating intothe snatching case lodged by

one Hareskrushna Senapati ofBaipur.

Senapati was on his wayfrom his rented house nearNews7 office in Khandagiri byhis motorcycle, when twomotorbike youths came from

behind and snatched his mobilephone at Baramunda flyover.Later he lodged a complaint atthe Khandagiri police station.

Police forwarded all theaccused to court after register-ing a case.

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The Kalinga Institute ofSocial Sciences (KISS) has

posted 98%t result in the Class-X examination.

As many as 1,916 KISS stu-dents appeared for the exami-nation which is the highestnumber in the country from asingle school, which is a tribalinstitute.

Primitive tribe student

Jogesh Kadraka from Rayagadabecame school topper securing90% marks while Devraj Majhihas also secured 90% markswith 99 in Math. Expressing sat-isfaction over the result, KIIT &KISS founder Dr AchyutaSamanta said continued successof KISS students year after yearhas been possible only due tothe blessings of God, sustainedefforts of teachers and staffs andhard work of students.

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The PG Department ofSociology and

Department of Anthropologyof Vikram Deb AutonomousCollege (VDAC) organised anational webinar on July 27 on“The Impact of Covid-19 onTribal Livelihood."

Dr Sagarika Mishra, con-vener of the webinar, intro-duced the delegates and deliv-ered the welcome address.The symposium was presidedover by VDAC Principal DrGopal Halder.

In course of his presiden-tial address, key issues relat-ed to Covid-19 and triballivelihood were discussed andthe panelists included a range

of eminent speakers from var-ious corners of India engagedin teaching, research andadministration. FormerDirector of Scheduled Castesand Scheduled TribesResearch and TrainingInstitute (SCSTRTI),Bhubaneswar, ProfPremananda Panda, DrNilakantha Panigrahi fromGuru Ghasidas Vishwavidyala,and Dr Aditya Keshari Mishraand Dr BK Srinivas from theCentral University of Odisha,Koraput, joined the discus-sion.

Around 270 participantsthat include faculty members,researchers and students fromdifferent parts of the countryparticipated.

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Around 71 per cent of themigrants who have

returned to the State fromacross the country due to theCovid-19 crisis are not inter-ested to migrate elsewhere ifthey find stable employmentopportunities in the homeState, said a study conducted infour western Odisha districts ofSambalpur, Balangir, Deogarhand Bargarh.

As many as 227 migrantreturnees, 88 from Bargarh, 75from Sambalpur, 35 fromBalangir and 29 from Deogarh,were interviewed in the survey.

The study on migrantlabourers, “Perception ofreturnee migrants on Covid-19and its impact on social andmigratory status”, was con-

ducted by the Centre ofExcellence RegionalDevelopment and TribalStudies of SambalpurUniversity.

People from the four dis-tricts migrate primarily foremployment as they are unableto get stable jobs within theState, said Prof Arun KumarAcharya.

During the study it wasfound that the workers wouldnot migrate if constantemployment opportunities arecreated in the western region,he said.

Mentioning that manypeople go to Tamil Nadu fromBalangir to work in textilemills there, Acharya said thereis no textile factory in Balangirthough cotton is cultivated inthe district. “People in the

State have the expertise and ifthey are provided with theopportunity to work in textilefactories here, there will be noneed for them to migrate insearch of jobs,” he said.

Similarly, if the agricultur-al infrastructure is strength-ened in the State, people wouldnot migrate, Prof Acharya said.The MGNREGS does not pro-vide constant employment, hepointed out.

The study showed thataround 50 per cent of themigrant returnees are below theage of 25 years while about 15per cent of migrants neverattended school and 46 per centof them are educated up to pri-mary school level.

The survey also revealedthat there are multiple reasonsbehind the return of the

migrants. While 46.7 per centof the returnees said they cameback because the industrieswere closed due to the lock-down, 36.3 per cent said theyreturned as they were worriedabout contracting coronavirus.

The report said that around88 per cent of migrants wereimmediately taken to quaran-tine centres on their return.While 56.4 per cent of themsaid they were not allowed toenter their villages, 41 per centrued that they faced discrimi-nation and isolation after beingdischarged from the quarantinecentres.

The study said that about49 per cent of the returnees arenow working in their agricul-tural fields and 21 per cent asdaily wage labourers.

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BJP State president SamirMohanty on Wednesday

slammed the State admonitionfor the alleged misbehaviormeted out to the party’s twoMLAs Jayanarayan Mishra andNauri Nayak while they weregoing to submit a memoran-dum to the Sambalpur districtCollector relating to the plightsof both Covid and non-Covidpatients in the district.

“As people’s representa-tives, the MLAs shoulder a big

responsibility to see that theCovid management and otherhealthcare systems are going onwell. Mishra and Naik hadgone to the SambalpurCollectorate to discharge thisduty. Instead of listening tothem on their suggestions, thedistrict Collector drove awaythem by police. The Collectorleveled false charges againstthem. This had not even hap-pened in British rule. The BJPseverely criticizes this act of theCollector,” Mohanty told aPress conference.

He said the BJP had recent-ly sent a memorandum toChief Minister Naveen Patnaikthrough the RDC regardingnon-fulfillment of Governmentannouncements of convertingthe Sambalpur DistrictHeadquarters Hospital into aCovid facility and establish-ment of a 30-bed ICU and not

taking appropriate steps fortreatment of non-Covidpatients. However, no step hasbeen taken.

Mohanty too alleged thatthe administration and policeare not taking any actionagainst BJD leaders when theyviolate Covid guidelines.

He said MLA PranabPrakash Das and MinisterSushant Singh had recentlycelebrated birthdays amongsupporters and the Sorada BJDMLA distributed moved tohouses in violation of Covidnorms. Law Minister PratapJena organised a public meet-ing in Mahanga.

Alleging that the StateGovernment has adopted dif-ferent policies for the BJD andnon-BJD leaders, Mohanty saidstopping BJP MLAs from rais-ing people’s problems is an anti-people act.

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Demanding arrest ofKalahandi Deputy

Collector Anisha Das, whowas recently suspended on thecharge of dereliction in duty,three MLAs of Mayurbhanjdistrict staged a dharna infront of the Baisinga police sta-tion on Wednesday.

Das, an OAS officer, hadearlier been posted as Tehsildarof Betanati in Mayurbhanj.

Badasahi MLA SanatanaBijuli, Baripada MLA PrakashSoren and Saraskana MLA DrBudhan Murmu along withBJP workers staged the dharnaand also demanded a CrimeBranch probe into Das’ allegedrelationship with mining mafia.

On July 26, theGovernment suspended Dasand said a disciplinary pro-ceeding against her was con-templated for negligence in

discharging her duties and lackof absolute integrity.

Recently, Das was trans-ferred from Mayurbhanj andposted as Deputy Collector ofKalahandi district.

During her posting inMayurbhanj, a truck ownerhad lodged a complaint againsther and three others that theyhad demanded bribe from him.Though she denied the allega-tions, the truck owner submit-ted an audio clip in support ofhis claim at the Baisinga policestation in Mayurbhanj.

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BHUBANESWAR: TheIndependence Day would becelebrated this year adhering toCovid, said Chief SecretaryAsit Tripathy on Wednesday.

During the State-level cele-bration to be held at theExhibition Ground in Unit-3here, measures such as main-taining social distancing, wear-ing of masks, proper sanitisationand avoiding large congregationswould be followed, said Tripathy.

No parade would be held.Only three troupes of policealong with band party wouldperform the National Anthemand pay respect to the chiefguest and the Tricolour.

A very few people, includ-ing Covid warriors, would beinvolved in the celebration.Live pictures of the ceremonywould be provided to themedia through common feedso that people can watch it sit-ting at their homes. PNS

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Page 3: ˆ · Soumyaranjan, a son of Naresh Pradhan, was a student of Naindipur High School. While the exact reason behind his death was yet to be ascertained, police suspect that Soumya

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Family members of a Covid-19 suspect, who was under-

going treatment at a CovidHospital in Ganjam district,were informed about his deathfour days after the demise.Moreover, the family membershave alleged sheer negligenceon the part of the hospitalauthorities.

The deceased had beenadmitted to the hospital on July19 with Covid-19 symptomsand died on July 24.

As per a police complaintlodged by the family members,Basant Kumar Sahoo (49) ofGanapati Nagar under theBadabazar police limits here,there was telephonic commu-nication between them andSahoo till July 24.

After the communication

got discontinued, his kin con-tacted the helpline of the hos-pital. They were informed bythe hospital authorities till July27 that Sahoo was being treat-ed in the ICU. Shockingly,they were told on Tuesday thatSahoo died on July 24.

However, the hospitalauthorities in a release havestated that Sahoo’s relativescould not be contacted over theregistered phone numberdespite repeated attempts. Asper protocol, the body was safe-ly kept in the hospital mortu-ary, the release said.

The local administrationwas then informed by the hos-pital to trace out his familymembers. On receipt of thecorrect phone number, his kinwere informed about the death,the release added.

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The Brahmapur Press Clubhas expressed its serious

concern over ignoring theworking journalists, one of theimportant classes of coronawarriors, at the time of distress.

The Ganjam district haswitnessed an unprecedentedsurge in number of coronapatients; so also in the deathtoll and the district has figuredas the hotspot and marked asred zone in the corona map ofthe State.

The journalists are cur-rently working hard sacrificingtheir comfort amid high risk tothem and their family membersthat goes unrewarded, lament-ed senior scribe Dr KC Panda.

In spite of such huge ordealand risk, the journalists arebeing neglected and their gen-

uine demands unfortunatelyremain unheeded by theGovernment, he pointed out.

The club demanded thatthe working journalists, animportant class of Covid war-riors needs to be treated equal-ly at par with the police per-sonnel, doctors and otherhealth workers.

The State Governmentfailed in its promise to releaseex-gratia payment of Rs 15 lakhto the family members of latePriyadarshi Pattnaik (47), aHinjilikatu based journalist ofa leading vernacular daily whowas affected by the Coronavirus on duty and later suc-cumbed at the KIIMs CovidHospital at Bhubaneswar,senior scribe Sisir Panigrahipointed out.

A delegation of the work-ing journalists of BrahmapurPress Club met the RDC(Southern) and submitted amemorandum addressed tothe Chief Minister recently.

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Apoor man of Bonei subdi-vision of Sundargarh dis-

trict, who had been earning hislivelihood in Deogarh for last30 years, was disowned by hissons and brothers recentlywhile he was taken in criticalcondition to his village and thecritically ill man again had toreturn to Deogarh where hebreathed his last.

Even if he had been testednegative of Covid-19, sons ofthe poor man reportedly scaredof Corona transmission did notcome near him and even afterhis death, the family membersfrom his village did not cometo see him.

Premananda Sahu(60) gotbed ridden after suffering fromkidney disease and heart attack.Premananda’s wife Santilata

with the help of Khireswar andfew locals, had takenPremananda to the VIMSAR,Burla.

After getting treatment inBurla hospital, Premanandahad come to his house atDeogarh but his health condi-tion was not good. SincePremananda had desired tospend his last time in his nativeplace in Bonei, kind heartedKhireswar hired a vehicle andtook him to his village in Boneisub division but the brothersand sons of Premanandastraightway refused to acceptPremananda and even didcome near to Premananda.

Finding no other alterna-tive, Khireswar brought back illPremananda to his home atDeogarh. On July 24,Premananda passed away.

After death ofPremananda, when Khireswarrang to his sons for last rites,they told that they would notcome. Later the body was cre-mated with the help of locals.

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The world is faced with a ter-rible testing time as the

Covid-19 pandemic hasadversely impacted almostevery sectors. Governmentshave adopted a slew of mea-sures to soften the setbackinflicted by this frighteningpandemic. In such a disas-trous circumstance, the NitiAayog urged and listed 92,000NGOs to join hands with theadministration in its battleagainst Covid-19. But, the eco-nomic slowdown is expected todisrupt all NGOs’ operations ina number of ways.

A recent CBI report statesthat there are approximately 31lakh NGOs in the country.Even though many of them arenot actively operating, yet thereare lakhs who are implement-ing several target based welfareprogrammes. IndianPhilanthropy Report 2019 byBain and Company said annu-

al fund flow to this sector isestimated to be around Rs 70,000 crore and much of this isactually contributed by indi-vidual philanthropists (62%).Domestic corporation-drivenmajorly by CSR mandatesinject another Rs 13,000 crore(19%). Resources received fromforeign sources were approxi-mately Rs 13,000 crore in 2018.

Contributions of “individ-ual philanthropists” who con-stitute the major share of totalresources may dip as this comesfrom a handful of ultra-high-net-worth individuals andgroups as their revenue gener-ation and profits will presum-ably be hit significantly. Withlow economic activity and nosurplus funds, any liquidity inNGO funding could get divert-ed to Government identifiedpriorities.

CSR funds as mandated bylaw require to be a minimumof 2% of the profit on activitiesspecified under schedule VIII

of section 135 of CompaniesAct 2013. 11,584 companiesadded Rs 13,326 crore to thesocial sector. With businessprospects being decimated bythe lockdown, funding will besqueezed or channelized toprioritise for other corpuseslike PM-CARES as it attract

100% tax benefit (against 50%if donated to NGOs) besidesbeing accounted as company’sCSR spending.

The multiplier effects onglobally connected economiesalso translate into less foreignfunding possibility for rough-ly 21,000 NGOs with FCRA

approvals.Due to the

lockdowns, manyof those sched-uled programmedeliveries maynot be attainedor inordinatelydelayed. Manydonors haveasked their part-ner NGOs toreduce budgetand undertakequick exit plans.Pipeline projectsscheduled forsanction andbudget allocationare being shelved.

Sudden onset of financialconstraints brings many unwel-come changes and inevitablythe reduction in manpower.This is more so for NGOshaving single donor optionand with limited resource base.

In view of the emerging sit-uation, intervention areas are

likely to be re-prioritised.Livelihood, a hard hit area, hasgarnered top focus. Health andsanitation, which are directlylinked to mitigating risk ofCorona infection, get moreattention. Education, whichreceives 34% of CSR expendi-ture, may get less attention.

This is the time for manyNGOs to reposition their pro-gramme portfolio to mobilisemonetary resources to addresssocial issues arising out ofongoing pandemic. NGOsshould identify local socialissues with underlying solu-tions in the wake of Covid forfund mobilization with poten-tial donors. They must gobeyond just a survival plan andexplore diversified option ofresource generating throughcrowdfunding, social mediamarketing, impact bonds, etc.

However, the new chal-lenges can become new oppor-tunities with simple systemicchanges for the NGOs.

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With breakthroughs andnew inventions in

Medical Science, Covid-19 maybe short-lived, but climatechange is here to stay. Climatechange has been an existentialcrisis and would pose moresevere threat to humankind,opined experts here.

“We need to act on it soon-er than later as climate vari-ability and extreme weatherevents have become more fre-quent,” said visiting Professorof School of Earth, Ocean andClimate Sciences, IITBhubaneswar, Prof UCMohanty.

All it needs is more focusshould be on building climateand disaster resilient villagesand preparing resilient cities, so

that people will survive futurethreats like Coronavirus pan-demic, added Prof Mohanty.

Dr Mohanty was speakingat the virtual dialogue, Is cli-mate change anything to dowith COVID-19?

A national webinar onClimate Change,Environmentalism and Covid-19 was organised by city basedFocus Odisha Foundation incollaboration with Covid 19-Civil Society Initiative,Mahashakti Foundation andMigration Watch India.

In his keynote address,CEO of New Delhi basedResearch Organization i-FOR-EST Chandra Bhushan under-lined the need for a strategicand cautious approach at bothpolicy and community level toprotect and conserve the envi-

ronment, ecology and biodi-versity.

He further added thatbecause of massive deforesta-tion, changing eating habits ofhumans to consume moreexotic foods and intensivedestruction of natural resourceswe are witnessing massivespread and outbreak of virusand bacteria related diseases.

“That’s ostensibly the rea-son zoonotic and novel virusspread, though during the lasttwenty years we have experi-enced frequent outbreak ofswine flu, Bird Flu, SARS,Ebola etc. Covid-19 hasbecome more serious with itsspread of both in length andbreadth,” Bhushan added.

“Even though, there is noscientific evidence or study torelate climate change with

Covid pandemic, but circum-stantial reality shows, there isan intrinsic relationship and theIntergovernmental Panel onClimate Change (IPCC) hastime and again warned aboutserious health hazards due tochanging climate”, statedBhushan.

Former bureaucrat and Stateresource person for CompetitiveCommission of India Pradip KBiswal stressed the need for pol-icy and plan integration of eco-logical aspects and emerging cli-mate challenges.

Director of Focus OdishaFoundation and moderator ofthe virtual event SudarshanChhotoray described both cli-mate change and Covid-19 astwo sides of a coin and said thathuman interference with naturewas coming to haunt us.

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Srikant Mishra, a youth fromKendrapada, has helped sev-

eral youths from the districtstranded in Dubai to reachnative village. For his noblework, he has won accoladesfrom all quarters.

Mishra, a resident ofKumartanka village under Aulblock, is working as a seniormarine surveyor at EasternMaritime Compancy LLC inUAE. He came forward to helpa 28-year-old ailing youth ,Abhaya Das, of Dhanamandalvillage under Aul block, wholost his job and failed to returnto his village from Dubai.

A b h a y afell sick twomonths backand spent allhis savings intreatment inDubai. Hiswidow moth-er, HemalataDas, made afervent appealin social media seeking help forher son, who was in deep trou-ble.

When the matter came tothe notice of Mishra, he imme-diately came to his rescue.

“I booked a flight ticketand also provided some moneyto Abhaya for his return to Aul.I asked Abhaya to get propertreatment and repay his debt.Abhaya is going to fly to Indiaon July 31,” said Mishra.

According to PramodKumar Mallick, an intellectu-al person and social worker of

Aul, Mishra is a jewel for thelocality. He helped severalyouths, who were struggling inDubai.

Recently, Mishra helped alocal youth Manoj Sahu ofDhanamandal village byarranging a flight ticket andalso providing financial help ofRs 46,000 for treating his can-cer-afflicted mother.

It’s a rare gesture by Mishrato come to the aid of so manypeople in distress, said SubCollector JyotishankarMohapatra.

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Kashinath Sahoo, theatreexponent, dramatist and

playwright died at his Pipiliresidence on Tuesday. Hewas 108 and one of the old-est persons in the entireState. He died just after a fewhours of falling ill.

Sahoo was among thefounders on the AnnapurnaTheatre Group and hadstaged more than 100 plays.He had been honoured withmany awards for his perfor-mances.

Sahoo was a trueGandhian who had writtenmany small plays duringthe freedom struggle. Ayoung man then, he waspart of the group who hadwalked with MahatmaGandhi fromDandamukundpur to Pipili onMay 12, 1934.

He founded the first cine-ma hall of Pipili and many cul-tural organisations.

According to historian Anil

Dhir, Sahoo was the last livingperson who had had personalcontact with Mahatma Gandhi.Release of a book on Sahoowritten by Dhir and RameshMahapatra has been delayeddue to the Covind-19 situation.

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Vigilance off icials onWednesday arrested Sub-

Inspector Saroj Ranjan Rath ofthe Muribahal police stationin Balangir district fordemanding and acceptingbribe of Rs 10,000.

Rath had demanded thebribe from complainant SanjibKumar Pradhan of Gudighatavillage to help in investigationof a case registered at thepolice station against hisyounger brother. On February 20, 2019, police hadregistered a case against com-

plainant’s younger brother Manas Pradhan underSections- 493, 417, 294, 323,506 and 376 (2)(n) of lPC.

Acting on the complaint,the Vigilance officials con-ducted a raid and caught theSI red-handed while he wasaccepting the bribe.

Following the arrest, theVigilance officials searchedhis office chamber, police bar-rack situated in the police sta-tion campus and his house atShaktinagar Pada inBhawanipatna of Kalahandidistrict.

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An online symposium wasorganised by the Business

Management Department ofthe Central University ofOdisha (CUO) for its studentson July 27. Vice-ChancellorProf I Ramabrahmam was thechief patron and Prof PDurgaprasad, VisitingProfessor, CUO and Dr PradipKumar Parida, AssociateProfessor, RGIPT, Raibareli,UP were the main speakersapart from distinguished fac-ulty members of the universi-ty like Prof Sharat KumarPalita, Dean and other domainspecialists.

Prof Ramabrahmamexplained how public policiespronounced by theGovernment of India havechanged with times and havebeen increasingly orientedtowards the needs of the peo-ple. He highlighted the rolesbusiness management studentshave to play in translating the

changes to actionable mea-sures which will ensure thesocial and economic uplift-ment of the common people.He cited the examples of theWomen Self Help Group fromKeonjhar, utilising digital tech-nologies for enhancing thedesign skills of the fabrics andcapturing the global market. Hestressed the need for innova-tion to link public policy, man-agement and skill develop-ment for social and economictransformation.

Dr Parida projected theneed of convergence and syn-chronization of all public poli-cies announced by theGovernment and the role skill-building plays towards socialand economic transformationof the society. He explainedseveral policy measures like theNational Rural LivelihoodMission and the MahatmaGandhi National RuralEmployment Guarantee Actetc. as a means for rebuildingthe rural economy in the pre-

sent Covid scenario. SkillDevelopment, attitude andaptitude will be the main build-ing blocks towards this, headded.

Prof Durgaprasad advisedthe students to start liking theroles they have to play, howev-er difficult these may be. Hesaid while freedom meansdoing whatever a studentenjoys, happiness comes whena student enjoys whatever he issupposed to do as a part of hisacademic roles.

Prof Sharat Kumar Palitagave practical examples of re-skilling and up-skilling of themigrant labourers who havereturned from the other States.

The faculty members andthe students interacted with thespeakers in a very lively man-ner.

CUO academic consul-tant Ashish Roy explained tothe students how they canmaximise the benefits fromthe deliberations and inno-vations.

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Jagatsinghpur CollectorSangram Keshari Mohapatra

saved lives of a Covid motherand newborn.

This is the story aboutbirth of Sangram, whose namewas given by the parents afterCollector Mohapatra.

Sanjay Prasad Rath (36), anative of Jagatsinghpur dis-trict, a company executive,lives at Pokhariput,Bhubaneswar. His wifeManisha had gone to a privatehospital in Bhubaneswar forregular check-up where doctorsfound that there might be acase of early CS delivery.Looking at the urgency,Manisha and her husband weretold for Covid test where shewas found positive withoutany travel history or contactwith affected person.

From then, the nightmarestarted. The testing reportcame 24 hours later and thecouple passed sleepless nightsthough husband’s test camenegative. Next day, they weretold to take Manisha in a sep-arate vehicle without the hus-band for Covid treatment andthe husband resisted vehe-

mently. A relative of Sanjay con-

tacted Jagatsinghpur Collectorwho swung into action imme-diately along with a team ofadministrators. In the mean-time, as per BMC order, thecouple had proceeded to theSUM Hospital.

The Jagtsinghpur districtCollector had coordinated withthe Khurda Collector to makearrangements in SUM Hospital.Later, the patient was referredto the KIMS Hospital withwhich the district Collector,Jagatsinghpur, was in constanttouch. After they reachedKIMS, the doctors immediate-ly attended the expectantmother Manisha.

Finally, Covid report ofManisha came negative andlater they proceeded to ShreeHospital, where they enrolledfor regular pregnancy check upsince beginning. Finally after 10days of uncertainty and misery,Manisha gave birth to a healthybaby boy.

Similarly, in anotherinstance, Sanjay Kumar Mishra,a Ravenshaw Collegiate school-mate of Collector Mohapatrawas also inspired to keep hisson’s name as Sangram.

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Areview meeting was heldon Covid-19 situation in

Jagatsinghpur district onSunday, chaired by CollectorSK Mohapatra. The CDMO,Public Health Officer, epi-demiologists, doctors, para-medical staff and civil officialsjoined.

It was revealed that 90percent of household survey fordetection of Covid19 suspectshad been over, which was con-ducted by health staff andAasha, Angawanwadi work-ers.

Out of 2,53,537 house-holds, tentatively 2,28,690 fam-ilies had been inspected by thehealth workers and enumera-tors in the district and the rest10 percent survey would becompleted within a week, theCollector said.

It was told that the districtwas not heading to local

spreading of Corona infectiontill date. Only migrantreturnees had created infection.

It was further informedthat about 13,024 swabs werecollected from Corona sus-pects and tested. From them628 cases were reported posi-tive and the patients had beenshifted to different Covid-19hospitals for treatment. Asmany as 459 patients haverecovered and 167 persons areundergoing treatment. Thecausality figure is two in thedistrict till June 26, theCollector informed.

Also, a few cases of Covid-19 were detected in port townof Paradip last week. Due to thereason, about 1,200 profes-sionals, technicians and labour-ers had been asked to stopworking at the IOCL Paradip.These people are from outsideOdisha and their swab testshave been taken, the Collectorsaid.

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Page 4: ˆ · Soumyaranjan, a son of Naresh Pradhan, was a student of Naindipur High School. While the exact reason behind his death was yet to be ascertained, police suspect that Soumya

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As coronavirus spread likewildfire from Tier-1 to

Tier 2 cities to villages acrossthe country stretching the exist-ing overburdened healthcaresystem, Covid-19 infectedseverely ill patients requiringisolation beds and ICU bedsbesides basic oxygen facilitiesare likely to be at the receivingend in view of shortage of spe-cialists and needed emergencymedical infrastructure.

India is third-worst virushit country among the worldwith US and the Brazil toppingthe list. On an average, India isreporting almost above 45,000cases daily. “Though recoveryrate is also on increase simul-taneously, once the patientshad started to die in a smallercity or town, the Governmentwill have to be ready for thehuge demand for medicalneeds, “ said a doctor from theAIIMS, Delhi on the conditionof anonymity.

According to the UnionHealth Ministry, around 3 percent of active patients needICU beds, less than 3 per centneed oxygen support and only0.45 per cent need ventilators.However, in contrast, in vil-lages and small cities there has

always beendeficiencyof the spe-cialists andthe health-care infra-structure.

Samplethis: Indiahas 1.1 mil-lion allo-pathic doctors registered withthe Board of Governors/StateMedical Councils/MedicalCouncil, while for people liv-ing in rural areas, the govern-ment allopathic doctor-patientratio is 1:10,926, according tothe National Health Profile2019.

Assuming 80 per centavailability, it is said thataround 920,000 qualified allo-pathic doctors and specialistsmay be actually available foractive service.

It gives a doctor-popula-tion ratio of 1:1404 as per cur-rent population estimate of1.35 billion, which is lowerthan the World HealthOrganisation (WHO) normof 1:1000.

In addition to doctors, thecountry has a little more thantwo million (2,048,979) regis-tered nurses and midwives,many of whom need infection

control training to care forpatients with airborne infec-tions, according to reports.

Almost from all the dis-tricts in Maharashtra, Delhi,Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, UP,Rajasthan, West Bengal,Madhya Pradesh, Haryana,Karnataka (in that order) areregistering the cases. TheNorth-eastern region is alsonot left untouched by the viruscalling for better health ser-vices.

Overall, India has an esti-mated, 1.55 million nurses,and 750,000 nurse associates,according to the Ministry. Inaddition, there are around200,000 dentists, 600,000AYUSH qualified practitioners,about 1.1 million pharmacistsand 700,000 qualified alliedand healthcare professionals,including those in labs, radi-ology, physiotherapy, optome-try, occupational therapy,

nutrition and life sciences.According to Dr Srinath

Reddy, President of the PublicHealth Foundation of India(PHFI), the availability ofphysicians and nurses varieswidely across the country, withthe central, northern, eastern,and northeastern states beingpoorly served.

Rural areas have an espe-cially severe shortage of qual-ified health professionals.

Researchers in Chennaitoo after conducting an inde-pendent statistical analysishave asserted that the numberof Covid-19 patients who needICU beds might exceed theexisting inventory of around32,000 beds by early August.

Sitabhra Sinha from theInstitute of MathematicalSciences, Chennai, and hiscolleagues have suggested thata demand for ICU beds from3 per cent of the patientswould approach the 32,000limit by August end.

Shortages of critical-caremedicine specialists and nurs-es could hamper the country’sability to deliver efficient ICUservices to every patient whoneeds them, Shikha Panwar, asenior critical-care specialist inFaridabad, Haryana echoedsimilar concerns.

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Even after the lapse of 12years, covering

Governments both under theCongress and BJP at theCentre, Indian agencies havefailed to put in place structur-al mechanisms to assess bio-logical threats as outlined bythe National DisasterManagement Authority(NDMA) in its 156-pagereport.

The 156-page guidelinesfor management of biologicaldisasters formulated in July2008 by the NDMA had envis-aged the need for assessment ofthreat perceptions and intelli-gence inputs, including thoseemanating from biological ter-rorism.

Insiders in the securityagencies now say that such sur-veillance mechanisms couldhave helped in early detectionand mitigation of Covid-19pandemic that emerged fromWuhan in China and also inchecking the entry of foreignTablighis as the initial spread inIndia was suspected to havebeen aggravated by the TablighiJamaat, thousands of whoseoverseas members carried thevirus here after attending ijtema(religious congregation) inMalaysia.

A timely interventionthrough advanced intelligence

could have saved the miserieson the health and economyfronts that have crippled due tothe continuing spread of theCovid-19 pandemic, they con-ceded.

While Covid-19 wasbeginning to spread its tenta-cles in Wuhan and Tablighiswere conducting ijltemasabroad, the Indian missionscouldn’t properly assess the sit-uation leading to delayed evac-uation of Indians stranded inWuhan and prevention ofentry of Covid carriers into thecountry, the officials said.

“India needs to maintainthe necessary level of epi-demiological intelligence topick up early warning signalsof emerging and re-emergingdiseases of epidemic/pan-demic potential. This wouldalso require advance knowl-edge of the activities of ouradversaries in developing apotential BW (bio-warfare)ensemble) and its potential useduring war and by terroristoutfits using available inhouse

facilities to develop suchweapons.

“A coordinated action planof the intelligence agencies,MHA, MoH&FW and MoD(Ministry of Defence) will bedeveloped and put in place togather intelligence and develop appropriate deter-rence and defence strategies,”the guidelines had clearly speltout the role of the intelli-gence agencies in gatheringinputs on biological disasters.

“MHA Ministry of HomeAffairs) is the nodal ministryfor BT (bio-terrorism) andpartners with MoH&FW(Ministry of Health andFamily Welfare) in its man-agement. MHA is responsiblefor assessing threat percep-tions, setting up of deterrentmechanisms and providingintelligence inputs. MoH&FWwill also provide the requiredtechnical support,” said thereport titled National DisasterManagement Guidelines:Management of BiologicalDisasters formulated by the

NDMA that is headed by thePrime Minister as Chairmanof the body.

The report further noted,“For implementing IHR(International HealthRegulations) 2005, core capac-ity needs to be developed forsurveillance, border control atports and airports, quarantinefacilities, etc,” the report hadunderscored.

In the foreword, the thenVice Chairman of NDMAGeneral NC Vij had noted,“The spectre of pandemicsengulfing our subcontinentand beyond poses new chal-lenges to the skills and capac-ities of the Government andsociety.

The intent of these guide-lines is to develop a holistic,coordinated, proactive andtechnology driven strategyand management of biologicaldisasters through a culture ofprevention, mitigation andpreparedness to generate aprompt and effective responsein the event of an emergency.”

The document containedcomprehensive guidelines forpreparedness activities, bio-safety and bio-security andothers for containment of bio-logical disasters includingagro-terrorism and evenstockpiling of essential medi-cines, masks and PPE kitsright up to the Block level.

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The Union health Ministryhas asked the Drugs

Controller General of India toensure equitable distribution ofRemdesivir and Tocilizumabdrugs, which have been includ-ed as “investigational therapies”in the national treatment pro-tocols for Covid-19, across thecountry.

The aim is to ensure thattheir availability is not skewedand does not remain confinedto metropolitan areas, an offi-cial said. The move followedafter Arunachal Pradesh,Dadra and Nagar Haveli andDaman and Diu informed theministry of the requirement ofinvestigational therapy drugs.

Subsequently, the ministryhas written to the top drug reg-ulator, asking it to ascertainhow many States and Unionterritories (UTs) have beencovered and which of them areleft, as far as the availability anddistribution of these drugs bythe respective companies isconcerned.

“Apart from availability,the geographical distribu-tion/reach of the drugs includ-ed as part of investigationaltherapies in ClinicalManagement Protocols forCOVID-19, namelyRemdesivir and Tocilizumab,may also be monitored.

“This ministry may kind-ly be apprised as to how manystates and UTs have been cov-ered and which of the statesand UTs, if any, are left as faras the availability and distrib-ution of these drugs by therespective companies is con-cerned,” the letter dated July 27said.

The ministry has includedthe use of Remdesivir (forrestricted emergency use pur-poses) and off-label application

of Tocilizumab for treatingCovid-19 patients in moderatestage of the illness as “investi-gational therapies” in theupdated Clinical ManagementProtocol for Covid-19.

The Ministry had last yearrevised the prescribed dosageof anti-viral drug Remdesivirfor coronavirus patients fromsix days to five. According tothe updated version of itsClinical Management Protocolfor the coronavirus , thepatients must be injected with200 milligram of Remdesiviron day one and 100 milligramfor the next four days.

So far, India has reportedover 15.31 lakh Covid-19 caseswith over 34,000 deaths.

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As the popularity of the KhadiFace Masks grows across the

country due to its fine qualityand affordable price, the Khadiand Village IndustriesCommission (KVIC) hasreceived a prestigious purchaseorder from Indian Red CrossSociety (IRCS) to supply 1.80lakh face masks.

The IRCS masks will bemade of 100% double-twistedhandcrafted cotton fabric inbrown colour with red piping.KVIC has especially designedthese double-layered cottonmasks for the Indian Red CrossSociety as per the samples pro-vided by them. The mask willhave suitably printed IRCS logoon the left side and the KhadiIndia tag on the right side. Thesupply of masks will begin bynext month.

The execution of this order

will require over 20,000 meterof the fabric which will gener-ate 9000 additional man-daysfor the Khadi artisans.

KVIC Chairman VinaiKumar Saxena welcomed theorder from the Indian RedCross Society and said the mas-sive demand of Khadi FaceMasks is a major step in thedirection of “AatmanirbharBharat”. “This order will helpour Khadi artisans to producemore yarn and fabric and willfurther add to their income inthese difficult times,” Saxenasaid.

So far KVIC has sold over10 lakh face masks whichinclude double-layered CottonMasks and triple-layered SilkMasks. The biggest order forface masks that the KVICreceived was from the Jammu &Kashmir Government for 7lakh masks that have beendelivered on time.

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The National InvestigationAgency (NIA) has arrest-

ed three persons accused inthe killing of MLA BhimaMandavi of Chhattisgarh.

The NIA arrested LaxmanJaiswalalias Laxman Sao (46),Ramesh Kumar Kashyap aliasRamesh Hemla (35) andKumari Linge Tati (25), allresidents of Distr ictDantewada, Chhattisgarh, onTuesday in connection withthe probe into the murderMandavi on April 9, 2019.

The case arose out ofChhattisgarh FIR No.11/2019registered on April 10 lastyear registered under variousSections of the Indian PenalCode (IPC) relating to crim-inal conspiracy, murder anddacoity among others besidesprovisions of the Arms Act,Explosive Substances Act andUnlawful Activit ies(Prevention) Act.

The incident refers to anIED blast and indiscriminatefiring by banned CPI (Maoist)

cadres on April 9, 2019 nearShyamgiri Village underPolice Station Kuakond inDantewada district resultingin death of Bhima Mandavi,the then sitting BJP MLAfrom Dantewada, along withfour police personnel ofChhattisgarh Armed Force(CAF).

The arms and ammuni-tion of the martyred policepersonnel were also looted bythe CPI (Maoist) cadres.

The NIA had re-regis-tered the case as RC-11/2019/NIA/DLI on May 17,2019. Two accused persons---Bhima Tati and Madka RamTati, both residents of PatelPara, Tikanpal Vi l lage,Dantewada were earl ierarrested by NIA.

“Investigation has

revealed that arrested accusedLaxman Jaiswal alias LaxmanSao, who runs a grocery shopin Nakulnar, provided electricwires, explosive substancesand other items for the IEDblast carried out by CPI(Maoist) cadres.

Accused Ramesh KumarKashyap alias Ramesh Hemla(ex-Sarpanch of KakadiVillage) and Kumari LingeTati were instrumental inproviding logistic support tothe Naxalites and were part ofthe conspiracy which led tothe killing of Bhima Mandaviand four security personnel,”the NIA said in a statement.

On Wednesday, theaccused were produced beforethe NIA Special Court ,Jagdalpur and have beentaken on police remand forseven days.

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In a warningto smokers,

the UnionH e a l t hMinistry onWe d n e s d a ysaid the use of tobacco prod-ucts like cigarettes, smokelesstobacco including pan masalacan increase severity of respi-ratory infections and makeusers susceptible to coron-avirus which primarily attackslungs.

Further, warned theMinistry in its document‘Covid-19 Pandemic andTobacco Use in India’, as the actof smoking means that fingers(and possibly contaminatedcigarettes) are in contact withlips, there is possibility of trans-mission of virus from hand tomouth.

“While smoking the fingers(and possibly contaminatedcigarettes) come in contactwith lips which increases thepossibility of transmission ofvirus from hand to mouth.Besides, use of water pipes orhookah by multiple personsenhances the possibility of thetransmission of the virus,” thedocument said.

Citing various experts, theMinistry said that smokingimpairs lung function, therebyreducing the immunity andmaking it harder for the bodyto fight off various diseases.“Smoking, e-cigarettes, smoke-less tobacco, pan masala anduse of similar products canincrease risk and severity of

pulmonary infections becauseof damage to upper airwaysand a decrease in pulmonaryimmune function,” it said.

The Ministry pointed outthat chewing tobacco products(khaini, gutkha, paan, zarda)also increased the urge to spit.Spitting in public placesincreased health risks, espe-cially those of spreading theinfectious and contagious dis-eases like COVID-19, tuberculosis, swine f lu,encephalitis, etc. Various Stateshave already banned spitting inthe places to curb the spread ofthe infectious virus.

It is a well-known fact thattobacco use is a major risk fac-tor for the four main Non-communicable Diseases(NCDs) — cardiovascular dis-ease, cancer, chronic lung dis-ease and diabetes, which putspeople with these conditions athigher risk for developingsevere illness when affected byCovid-19.

NCDs are estimated toaccount for 63 per cent of alldeaths in India and these areexpected to rise further.

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Rajasthan Chief MinisterAshok Gehlot’s brother

Agrasain failed to keep datewith the EnforcementDirectorate that had sum-moned him to appear before itsoffice here on Wednesday inconnection with the probe intothe fertiliser scam.

The agency had conductedsearches at his premises inJodhpur last week amid theongoing political turbulencein the State government trig-gered by the revolt of formerDeputy CM Sachin Pilot. Adozen other premises inRajasthan, West Bengal,Gujarat and Delhi were alsosearched by the ED.

The agency is expected tosummon Agrasain again tojoin the probe into the fertilis-er scam.

The ED had registered acase under Prevention ofMoney Laundering Act(PMLA) after taking cogni-sance of a Customs Departmentcase of 2007-09 and relatedchargesheet filed in 2013.

The fertiliser scam caserefers to the CustomsDepartment case relating to thealleged irregularities in the sup-ply of subsidised Muriate of

Potash to the farmers.The Customs Department

chargesheet filed in 2013 allegedthat Agrasain and others divert-ed the MoP meant for thefarmers and exported the itemdespite a ban on its export.

Agrasain is also facing a �7crore penalty slapped by theCustoms Department in con-nection with the fertiliser scamcase.

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Terming the new educationpolicy as a move for com-

mercialisation, the CPI(M)Politburo on Wednesday saidthat this would enhance cen-tralisation and communalisa-tion of the academic field. TheLeft party also “denounced” themove to rename the Ministryof Human ResourceDevelopment and interven-tion in the education sector bythe centre, which is basically astate subject.

“Education is in theConcurrent List in ourConstitution. It is a gross vio-lation by the Central govern-ment to impose a New

Education Policy unilaterallybypassing all the objectionsand opposition recorded byvarious state governments. Anew policy of such a natureneeds to be discussed in theParliament. This was assuredby the Government earlier.The draft is, as per norm,placed on the table of theHouses with a statutory timelimit within which Members ofParliament can move amend-ments/give opinions. TheParliament has been completely

bypassed,” said CPI(M) in astatement soon after the Centrehas announced the new policy.

“This unilateral drive is todestroy the Indian educationsystem with a policy that seeksgreater centralisation, com-munalization and commer-cialization of Indian education.The Polit Bureau of the CPI(M)strongly protests against thismove by the BJP CentralGovernment. The Polit Bureaudemands that a thorough dis-cussion in Parliament be heldbefore implementation begins,”said CPI(M), adding that theBJP Government avoideddebate with people in academ-ic sector before introducing thenew policy.

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Union Aviation MinisterHardeep Singh Puri took

to Twitter and congratulatedthe people of Uttarakhandafter inaugurating a low costhelicopter service on theDehradun-New Tehri-Srinagar-Gauchar route. OnWednesday, Pawan HansLimited (PHL) launched onWednesday helicopter ser-vice on the Dehradun-NewTehri-Srinagar-Gauchar routein Uttarakhand under theCentral government’s region-al connectivity schemeUDAN (Ude Desh ka AamNaagrik).

The Aviation Ministersaid he was “delighted” to

inaugurate the UDAN routealong with Uttarakhand ChiefMinister Trivendra SinghRawat.

“With this, we have addedsix more routes and two heli-ports at New Tehri andSrinagar,” he said.

Puri noted that theseroutes provide a much-need-ed air connectivity to thepeople of the hill state and thecost for availing the service isaffordable.

The Narendra ModiGovernment had launchedthe UDAN Scheme in 2016 toimprove regional air connec-tivity.

Under the scheme, finan-cial incentives in terms ofconcessions from the Centre,

state governments and airportoperators are extended toselected flight operators toe n c o u r a g eoperations from unserved andunder-served airports, andkeep airfares affordable.

As at least half of the seatsin UDAN flights are offered atsubsidised fares, and the par-ticipating carriers are pro-vided a certain amount of via-bility gap funding (VGF) —an amount shared betweenthe Centre and the state con-cerned. The government-runPHL too announced onTwitter on Wednesday :“Pawan Hans launched RCSUttarakhand Route todayfrom Dehradun-NewTehri-Srinagar-Gauchar-Dehradun.”

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About 89 per cent of NGOssurveyed for a study have

said that trafficking of bothadults and children for labourwill be “one of the biggestthreats” in the post-lockdownperiod as household incomes ofthe most vulnerable deplete.

The study conducted by theKailash Satyarthi ChildrenFoundation said the non-gov-ernmental organisations voicedthe concern that “there is a veryhigh likelihood” of an increase

in human trafficking in thepost-lockdown period for thepurpose of labour.

“Seventy-six per cent of theNGOs anticipate human traf-ficking for the purpose ofsexual abuse and child traf-

ficking for the purpose of sex-ual exploitation to see anupsurge post the lockdown,” itsaid.

The study recommendedgreater surveillance at villagelevel and alertness on the partof law enforcement agencies.

Titled Impact of Lockdownand Economic Disruption onLow-Income Households withSpecial Reference to Children,the study is based on responses of 53 NGOs (phase-1) and 245 households from thetrafficking-prone states (phase-2).

The phase 1 was carriedApril 27-May 5 and the phase-2 from May 17 to 24.

The responses of NGOswere sought because of theirclose links at the grassroots level.

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Page 5: ˆ · Soumyaranjan, a son of Naresh Pradhan, was a student of Naindipur High School. While the exact reason behind his death was yet to be ascertained, police suspect that Soumya

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Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh Sunni Central Waqf BoardPresident Zufar Ahmad Farooqui announced onWednesday the formation of a Trust for construc-tion of a mosque on a five-acre land in Ayodhya.Hesaid the Trust will have 15 members, of which namesof nine have been declared. They will “co-opt sixother members,” Farooqui said.

The Uttar Pradesh Sunni Central Waqf Boardpresident said that he will be chief trustee and thechairman of the trust.

“We made the Trust named Indo-IslamicCultural Foundation. It will oversee the constructionof a mosque, Indo-Islamic research centre, libraryand hospital in the five-acre land allotted to the boardin Ayodhya''s Dhannipur village,” Farooqui told PTI.

The Supreme Court had in November last yearpaved the way for the construction of a Ram Templeby a Trust at the disputed site at Ayodhya, and direct-ed the Centre to allot an alternative 5-acre plot tothe Sunni Waqf Board for building a new mosqueat a “prominent” place in the holy town in UttarPradesh.The state government allotted a five-acreland in Dhannipur village in Sohaval Tehsil ofAyodhya. PTI

Amaravati: Andhra Pradeshreported a massive 10,093 newCovid cases on Wednesday, itshighest ever single-day tally.State health officials said thatan unprecedented 70,584 testswere conducted in the 24 hoursending 9 am Wednesday.

The day also saw the high-est number of deaths in a sin-gle day.

The previous single-dayhigh of 8,147 cases was record-ed on Friday last week. AndhraPradesh's overall Covid tallynow stands at 1,20,390 caseswhile the death toll has touched1,213.

As many as four districtsreported fresh cases in fourdigit figures, while one districtreported double digit Covidnumbers on Wednesday. Yet

again, East Godavari reportedthe highest numbers with 1,676new cases, followed byAnantapur with 1,371 cases,Guntur with 1,124, andKurnool with 1,091 cases.

Vizianagaram was the lonedistrict to report double digitCovid figure of 53 cases duringthe past 24 hours. Meanwhilethe day count of deaths alsorose to 65 on Wednesday. Theoverall death toll now stands at1,213. The state's death toll hadbreached the 1,000-mark on

Sunday, while the previousone-day high of 61 deaths wasreported on Thursday.

In all, 2,784 persons werereported cured and dischargedfrom hospitals and Covid treat-ment centres. As on date, thereare 63,771 active cases in thestate, while 55,406 personshave been declared as curedand discharged.

Meanwhile, there havebeen no new additions to theCovid tally from returnees tothe state. Till date, 2,461 caseshave been identified as Covidpositive among persons whoreturned from other states.The active cases tally in this cat-egory currently stands at 16,while 2,445 persons have beendeclared as recovered tillWednesday. IANS

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Ayodhya: The Shri Ram JanmabhoomiTeerth Kshetra Trust has appealed to fol-lowers of Lord Ram not to rush to Ayodhyafor the 'bhumi poojan' ceremony of Ramtemple construction, scheduled to be heldon August 5.

The trust has appealed to followers towatch the ceremony on television and lighta lamp in the evening to mark the occasion.

According to Shri Ram JanmabhoomiTeertha Kshetra Trust members, PrimeMinister Narendra Modi will be visitingAyodhya on August 5 for the 'bhumipujan' ceremony to begin the constructionof the Ram temple.

The trust said huge gatherings and par-ticipation in massive numbers would notbe possible during the Corona pandemic.

The trust has invited Modi to lay thefoundation stone of the temple either onAugust 5. The rituals for the 'bhumi pujan'will begin on August 3 with a 'Ganesh GauriPuja'. IANS

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Dr Rubiya Sherif, daughter oflate Mufti Mohammed

Sayeed, had filed a case withChennai Police over lewd callsreceived by her in her mobilephone. Dr Rubiya, who is settledin Chennai for the last twodecades because of terrorism inJammu & Kashmir, in a com-plaint told the poice that thecaller was using obscene lan-guage. She had furnished thenumbers from where shereceived the calls and the policeis investigating the case.

Rubiya shot into fame whenshe was kidnapped by the ter-rorists of the JKLF in 1989,immediately after her fatherMufti Mohammed Sayeed wassworn in as the Home Ministerin the VP Singh led governmentand was released in lieu of set-ting free 13 Kashmiri terroristsfrom the jails in Kashmir.

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Tamil Nadu, despite being battered by Covid-19 pandemic since February 2020has reasons to rejoice as five Chennai based scientists have been honored by

the Government of India for the exemplary contributions they have made to thesociety from the laboratories of National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT)which comes under the Ministry of Earth Sciences.

M A Atmanand, director, NIOT , a veteran in the field of deep sea technolo-gies has been honored with the National Award of Excellence for the pioneeringresearch and development work he has done that has helped India to establish itselfas an emerging superpower in harnessing the hitherto unseen and unexplored depthsof the ocean.

Dr Atmanand , through his industrious and perseverance works developedIndia’s first Remotely Operable Vehicle capable of undertaking missions up to 6km to the bottom of the ocean. The work led by him and his team of technolo-gists have helped India to think about drawing the vast deposits of gas hydratesfrom the deep bottom of the Bay of Bengal and Central Indian Ocean Basin.

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903 new persons were diag-nosed with Covid-19 on

Wednesday in Kerala. Out ofthis 706 persons contracted thepandemic through local trans-mission while 35 persons failedto point out the source fromwhere they got infected,according to a release issued bythe Department of Health,Government of Kerala.

The situation in the Stateremained grim as the numberof hotspots rose to 492 byWednesday evening. In addi-tion to cities and towns, the vil-lages in the State, known forheir scenic landscapes, pondsand rivers have been declaredas covid infected and unsafe.

The entireThiruvananthapuram hasbecome an epicentre of the dis-ease as 213 persons tested pos-itive for Covid-19 onWednesday and most of thesecases were from villages.

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Number of new Covid-19 patients in TamilNadu came down to 6,426 while 82 persons

lost their lives to the pandemic in the last 24 hours.The fall in the number of new patients broughtsome relief to the policy makers and Governmentofficials as the State had tested 6, 972 on Tuesday.Number of new patients diagnosed with covidremained on the higher side of 6,000 for the entireweek beginning July 23.

Wednesday also saw 5,927 persons leaving hos-pitals across the State fully recovered and energisedto resume normal life. This makes the total num-ber of persons recovered from the pandemic in theState till date to 1.72 lakh.

The day also saw 58, 818 persons getting test-ed in the 119 laboratories across the State.

While 1,117 new persons were tested positivein Chennai, the numbers from districts likeChengalpet (540), Kancheepuram (373) andThiruvallur (382) were not encouraging.

On Wednesday Governor Banwarilal Purohitdecided to stay ‘isolated’ for a week on the adviceof his doctors. Though the First Citizen of the Stateis fit and healthy, his medical officer advised himseven days isolation following three staff membersof Raj Bhavan testing positive.

Meanwhile Chief Minister EdappadiPalaniswami told the district collectors of the Statein a video conference that the fatality rate in TamilNadu was 1.6 per cent.

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The Centre’s new education policy propos-als have found mixed reactions in the

Kolkata civil society with a section of the intel-ligentsia strongly criticising the neo-educationsystem as “pro-rich, unrealistic” and un-Indiaspecific.”

Questioning the “logic and intellectualprowess and profile” of those drafting the newproposal veteran linguist, educationist andSanskrit scholar Nrisingha Prasad Bhaduri onWednesday said that “such proposals are high-ly India unspecific … and such policies are thehandiworks of intellectually some below parpeople who have imported such novel ideasfrom countries where education is aluxury.”

In India education is a necessity and nota luxury he said wondering why the CentralGovernment has decided to minimize theimportance of Class X. “Instead of further con-solidating the syllabus of class X making itmore informative updated and competitive weare virtually diluting and trivializing it. Thiswill be counter-productive and you will findnumerous students and job applicants with-out enough basic skills in future … Only for-eign-returned fools can suggest such kind ofreforms,” he said comparing it to the act of“cutting its roots and watering the plant.”

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The Bengal police strictlyimplemented the bi-week-

ly lockdown on Wednesdaypunishing violators and arrest-ing and penalising about twohundred people from variousplaces, sources said.

Strict lockdown was imple-mented across the State fromKolkata, Howrah and Hooghly in South Bengal toMalda and Coochbehar in theNorth.

No flight took off fromKolkata and no buses ran.Information Technologysector too witnessed a com-

plete lockdown, sources saidadding police resorted to mildlathi-charge at places likeJagaddal, Birbhum, Baruipur and other placeswhere people tried to break theprotocols.

In a bid to break the coro-na chain the BengalGovernment has decided toimpose bi-weekly lockdowns inthe state with exceptions on thefestival days.

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Amajor turf war broke out between theMumbai and Bihar police over the investi-

gations into the suicide of Sushant Singh Rajputon Wednesday, as spotlight turned onto the lateactor’s girl friend Rhea Chakraborty who movedthe Supreme Court seeking the transfer of theFIR registered in the case from Patna to Mumbai.

In new twist that came in the sensational caseafter the actor’s father Krishna Kumar Singhlodged a FIR against Rhea and her family mem-bers in Patna, Rhea Chakraborty swiftly movedthe Supreme Court on Wednesday, even as theBihar police slugged it out with the Mumbaipolice for taking charge of the investigations intothe case.

Rhea’s lawyer Satish Maneshinde confirmedthat a petition had been filed by his client in theSupreme Court seeking transfer of investigationin the FIR filed against her and her family mem-bers in the Sushant Singh Rajput's alleged sui-cide.

The late actor’s father KK Singh lodged anFIR with Rajiv Nagar police station under var-ious sections of IPC including 306 (abetment ofsuicide) on July 25.

Following the registration of the FIR by theRajiv Nagar police station, a four-member teamof the Patna police that arrived here on Tuesdaybegan pressuring the Mumbai police to transferthe investigations in the case to the visiting policeon the ground that the FIR was registered firstin the Bihar capital.

Sushant (34), who had acted in films like “MSDhoni: The Untold Story”, “Shuddh DesiRomance”, PK, “Raabta”, “Kedarnath”, “DetectiveByomkesh” and Chhichore, committed suicideat his rented duplex flat in Bandra on June 14.

The Bandra police, who had registered anAccidental Death Report (ADR) in connectionwith Sushant’s suicide, have come in for severalquarters for its failure to register an FIR in thecase, despite the fact that they have questioneda host of film personalities, friends and acquain-tances of the deceased actor for the past six weeks.

Defending the move by Sushant’s father inhis son’s suicide case in Patna, Vikas Singh, for-mer solicitor general and lawyer, who is repre-senting Sushant’s family, said: “Sushant’s familywas in a state of shock. As the Mumbai did notregister an FIR in the case but was merely forc-ing the family members to implicate big pro-duction houses in the case. Sushant’s family hadno alternative but to register the FIR with thePatna police”.

At a time when the Bihar and Mumbai policeare fighting on technical ground to take over theinvestigations into the case, there is a clamourin certain quarters that the case be handed overto the CBI.

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Jammu: Ahead of the Eid-ul-Adha cel-ebrations in the Union Territory ofJammu & Kashmir, the total number ofcoronavirus cases is inching closer to20,000. On Wednesday the total tally ofpositive patients stood at 19,419 as 540new cases were detected and fifteenmore deaths due to Covid-19 werereported from different hospitals.

The local markets, which werethrown open after a brief period of lock-down in Srinagar and other districts,witnessed huge rush on account of Eidcelebrations.

The social distancing norms andother guidelines were flouted by com-mon people at many places.

In Jammu division, as the cases wererising constantly, Deputy CommissionerKathua announced weekend lockdownfrom Friday evening till Monday morn-ing while complete lockdown wasextended in four tehsils of Samba tillAugust 4.

Lockdown also remained enforcedacross several pockets of Rajouri andPoonch districts.

Local clerics have been roped in bythe various district authorities to issueappeals to the common masses torestrict their movement during Eid-ul-Adha and prevent mass gatherings toprevent further spread of Coronavirusin their respective areas. PNS

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Page 6: ˆ · Soumyaranjan, a son of Naresh Pradhan, was a student of Naindipur High School. While the exact reason behind his death was yet to be ascertained, police suspect that Soumya

As the intrigues, twists and moraldilemmas of Indian politicsensue, the brilliant but contro-versial enfant terrible of Britishpolitics, Winston Churchill’s

truism about democracy rings true: “TheOpposition occupies the benches in front ofyou but the enemy sits behind you.” Widelyhailed as one of the “Greatest Britons”,Churchill had a deeply unsavoury side thatmanifested in his irrefutable role in theBengal famine and his clearly racist opinionsabout Gandhi, Islam and the Jews amongothers. The quintessential politician had apenchant for party hopping, or “ratting” asit was called.

Never short of wit to describe his polit-ical fleet-footedness, Churchill justifiedjumping from the Conservatives to theLiberals to back the former by saying, “It iseasy for an individual to move through thoseinsensible gradations from the Left to theRight but the act of crossing the floor is onewhich requires serious consideration. I amwell informed on this matter, for I haveaccomplished that difficult process not onlyonce but twice.” However, it can be arguedthat Churchill’s political dalliances were prin-ciple-based and not just sheer opportunism,given the free trade absolutism professed byhim — one which got compromised initial-ly by the Conservatives (who developed pro-tectionist instincts) and then by the Liberals.

The Indian democracy is based on theBritish Westminster style of parliamentarydemocracy and serendipitously, in the mid-dle of the latest political revolt in Rajasthan,an Opposition leader alluded to Churchill’spredecessor and bete noire, NevilleChamberlain, as an analogy to questionabledecision-making. To some extent, thevibrancy, sleaze and “palace intrigues” ofIndian democracy mirror its progenitormodel in Great Britain but Indian politicshas not evolved on some more substantialaspects like accountability, honesty andprofessionalism that have a higher imprintin British politics currently.

Put simply, partisan moorings of theBritish politicians on either side of the fenceare more ideological, pronounced and amatter of personal faith. Whereas, in thecontext of Indian politics, it is a matter of“ticket”, legacy, ambition or even hate of theproverbial “other,” all of which define par-tisan preferences. In British politics, the evo-lutionary process is breaking down and theblurring of stereotypes of certain socio-cul-tural gravitation towards partisan prefer-ences, for example, Tony Blair’s NewLabour movement, is on. But religion, race,ethnicity, background or region still driveoverwhelming preferences in the Indiancontext.

A uniquely Indian phenomenon ofplaying down one’s personal ambition infavour of ascribing sharp political move to“what my supporters would advise” or con-versely in “abiding by the party whip as a

loyal soldier of the party” ishilariously untrue, cliched andconvenient.

Another tired expressionthat barely masks the reality isthe attribution of getting caught(prima facie) in a sticky situationto a rote and insipid, “it is a polit-ical conspiracy against me.” Thelargest democracy in the worldhas not evolved in matters ofexpression, honesty and justifi-cations. Continuing double stan-dards of morality have beenthrown into the admixture totruly exemplify the saying,“Politics is the last refuge of thescoundrel.” Not really so inBritish politics.

In Britain, there is a finelydeveloped culture of “internaldemocracy” that frequently andopenly facilitates cross-partyvoting on crucial matters. Brexitwas a typical example of multi-party huddles that composed theBrexiteer camp or theRemainiacs. In Indian politics,to assume intellectual or ideolog-ically contrarian positions fromthe party leadership stand (evenneutrality, if not opposition) isthe surest and fastest test of “dis-loyalty” that amounts to politi-cal suicide.

The dictatorial strain of anobsequious “high command”culture is celebrated and notfrowned upon — literally fromattributing divinity to professingblind faith. This is par for the

course in Indian politics. Another remarkable differ-

ence is the relative grace withwhich incumbents to the highoffices bid farewell, often willing-ly. Four of the last seven PrimeMinisters of the UK left 10Downing Street not owing toelectoral defeat by theOpposition party but due toleadership changes necessitatedon account of their own dimin-ishment within the ruling party.

More importantly, age is notthe criterion to justify theirover-staying at the political cen-tre-stage. A 49-year-old DavidCameron left active politics withhis final farewell speech com-ment, “I was the future once.”Cameron had resigned after theBrexit referendum went againsthis stated position to “stay” andhe assumed moral (not legal)responsibility for the result. Hisexit paved way for his colleagueTheresa May. Later, May herselfwas unable to see through theBrexit task and was replaced byher party member BorisJohnson.

Importantly, May had noqualms about assuming the“back bench” and continues toserve her constituency as a reg-ular Member of Parliament.May’s farewell speech as thePrime Minister concluded with,“I will shortly leave the job thathas been the honour of my lifeto hold — the second female

Prime Minister but certainly notthe last. I do so with no ill-willbut with enormous and endur-ing gratitude to have had theopportunity to serve the coun-try I love.” Such graceful politi-cal exits are unthinkable in theIndian context.

Our politicians perpetuatethe ostensibly selfless line of“serving the people” with muchgrandiosity and pomposity evenas the uniquely Indian phe-nomenon of “resort quaranti-ning”, “horse trading” and“accommodating rivals tillrecently with ministerships”continues. No political party inIndia can honestly claim to becleaner than the other.

Candidates of dubious per-sonal credentials win votes andseats for all parties — only the“monopoly on truth” changeshands with the dispensations inpower, who dominate the air-time. While we have a lot tobegrudge Winston Churchillfor what he believed in andinflicted on India, his wordswere profound nonetheless, “Inwar, you can only be killedonce but in politics, many times.”This moral or ideological deathseems to be an insignificant pricein our politics as we are able toadjust to any narrative, irrespec-tive of the substance.

(The writer, a military veter-an, is a former Lt Governor ofAndaman & Nicobar Islands)

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Sir — The TelanganaGovernment’s statement thatcapped prices of COVID-19 treat-ment in private hospitals do notapply to patients who have insur-ance cover is really shocking.Have the middle class citizenscommitted a sin by taking insur-ance policies? It is an undisput-ed fact that the taxpayers con-tribute to the growth of aState/nation but successiveGovernments have just chosen toignore them. The present situa-tion is so scary that even insuredpeople deserve to be consideredby the Government forCoronavirus treatment in privatehospitals.

Is it not the basic duty of aGovernment to help people dur-ing a national health emergency?In this critical situation, StateGovernments should work handin hand with private hospitals byfinancially supporting them toprocure PPEs and high-end med-icines and subsidise all-importanttests. It should either fix themaximum cost of COVID treat-ment in private hospitals or sub-sidise various costs.

The Government should

assist private hospitals by reim-bursing a certain percentage ofthe costs at least. This way, thebalance cost above the insurancelimit will be reimbursed, maybewithin a certain cap. Private hos-pital administrators should alsoshow their nationalistic spiritand reduce their charges to anoptimal level.

Katuru Durga Prasad RaoHyderabad

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Sir — This refers to the editori-al, “The big freeze” (July 28). TheUS’ decision to close China’sconsulate in Houston and the lat-ter’s retaliation by closing the USone in Chengdu are unprecedent-ed. The Trump administrationhas accused the consulate andother Chinese diplomatic mis-

sions of economic espionage,visa fraud and attempted theft ofscientific research. Matters wors-ened when the Chinese con-sulate in San Francisco providedrefuge to a researcher againstwhom the US had issued anarrest warrant because she lied tothe authorities about her tieswith the Chinese Army.

Tension between the US andChina no longer remains in the

trade and technology field. Whatstarted as a trade war has snow-balled into a larger geo-politicalcontest between the two super-powers. If this slide isn’t arrestedimmediately, China and US riska total breakdown in diplomaticrelations. That is bad news for theworld.

N Sadhasiva ReddyBengaluru

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Sir — The Government’s decisionto ban 47 mobile apps, judged tobe clones or variants of the 59Chinese apps, amid tensionbetween the two countries, notonly shows India’s new policytowards China but shows that wehave not forgotten what hap-pened in the Galwan valley. Inaddition, with such decisions,India is coming out of its non-aligned mode. It is standing upagainst injustice and intrusions.Better late than never. India tak-ing security steps for its citizens isappreciated.

RashmiVia email

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Page 7: ˆ · Soumyaranjan, a son of Naresh Pradhan, was a student of Naindipur High School. While the exact reason behind his death was yet to be ascertained, police suspect that Soumya

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In the preface to his insightful work, Generalship:Its Disease and Cure, British military tacticianMajor-General JFC Fuller quotes an apoc-

ryphal tale told to him by a member of the FrenchGeneral Staff. “At the battle of Waterloo, ColonelClement, an infantry commander, fought with brav-ery; but unfortunately, was shot through the head.Napoleon, hearing of his gallantry and misfortune,gave instructions for him to be carried into a farmwhere Larrey, the Surgeon-General, was operating.One glance convinced Larrey that his case was des-perate, so taking up a saw he removed the top ofClement’s skull and placed his brains on the table.Just as he had finished, in rushed an Aide-de-Camp,shouting: ‘Is General Clement here?’ Clement, hear-ing him, sat up and exclaimed: ‘No! but ColonelClement is. ‘Oh, General’, cried the Aide-de-Camp,‘the Emperor was overwhelmed when he heard ofyour gallantry, and has promoted you on the fieldof battle to the rank of General.’ Clement rubbed hiseyes, got off the table, clapped the top of his skullon his head and was about to leave the farm whenLarrey shouted after him: ‘General. Your brains!’ Towhich the gallant Frenchman shouted back: Nowthat I am a General, I shall no longer require them!”Fuller went on to add that, “In this modest study,my object is to prove that though Clement waswrong about brains, without his courage there canbe no true Generalship.”

One can go even further and suggest that thecentral premise of his argument is not just applic-able to Generals, but just as much, if not more so,to politicians in power. While intellectual ability andcompetence are indeed vital, they amount to verylittle without courage. Of course, what is requiredof them is more in the realm of the mind than ofthe physical variety. Most crucially, however, we mustnot mistake a display of bravado for the genuine spir-it. As the Cambridge Dictionary makes clear, brava-do is only “a show of courage, especially when unnec-essary and dangerous, to make people admire you.”

We recently witnessed an awesome display ofsheer bravery and exemplary courage on the partof Colonel Babu and his gallant band during theGalwan confrontation. It was indeed no meanachievement at that altitude to not just counter theperfidious ambush that the People’s Liberation Army(PLA) had sprung on his unsuspecting team but togive back more than they got. That is self-evidentfrom the lack of any formal acknowledgement ofcasualties by the PLA. One can be quite certain thatif that had not been the case, the ChineseCommunist mouthpiece, The Global Times, wouldhave gone to town proclaiming victory.

However, this makes it essential for us to square-ly confront the fact that while courage may win bat-tles, the latter remain just small tactical victories. Toemerge victorious in war requires not just enormoussacrifice, determination and decisiveness but alsocourage on our part and more importantly on thepart of those occupying the highest levels of our mil-itary and political establishment. Sadly, all we havebeen witness to in all these days since the confronta-tion began has been a display of much bravado andbluster, especially on the part of our political lead-ership.

The problem of our inadequate quality of strate-gic communication is predicated by the fact thatdespite all its protestations, the Modi Governmentseems incapable of shedding its feudal mindset.Transparency would require it to admit that therehas been gross negligence on its part in the man-ner that it has approached the issue of national secu-

rity, which in turn, has resulted in theongoing fiasco. Its shambolic attempts togloss over the issue and change the nar-rative to avoid accountability have onlyadded to its woes, as China was able totake advantage of its prevarications andembarrass it diplomatically.

While prudence dictates that muchof what is happening on the ground, espe-cially the actions initiated to resolve theissue to our advantage, need not be madepublic in the interest of security, it can-not be used as a licence to deny basicinformation that the citizens are entitledto. For that matter, it also needs to desistfrom its attempts to turn the spotlightaway from the matter by resorting to cre-ating turbulence within the RajasthanCongress or by announcing a grand cer-emony in Ayodhya on August 5.

Despite the Government’s bestattempt to dissemble, it is now clear thatthe PLA is in possession of a fair amountof territory that we claim as our ownthough its actual or relative importance,either tactically or strategically, may becontested. For example, while its occupa-tion of areas till Finger 4 in the PangongTso sector provides clear visual evidenceof its aggressive intent, other than caus-ing bruised egos and embarrassment, itis of little tactical or strategic value whencompared to the ingress that has beeneffected in both the Depsang Plains andHot Springs sectors.

Thus, while regaining every inch ofterritory that has been occupied may betactically or strategically unwarranted oreven unnecessary, how we handle theoverall issue of Chinese aggression will beperceived to either signify appeasementand capitulation on our part or signal afirm determination and resolve thatunprovoked aggression will be contested

and will result in adverse consequencesfor the PLA. Clearly, we have seen thatappeasement only results in further prob-lems down the road, so that has to stop.

As is often the case in such circum-stances, we are still neither very clear asto what led China to undertake suchunprovoked aggressive action, nor whatit hopes to accomplish. There have beensuggestions that the Home Minister’s pub-lic call for liberating Aksai Chin and theconstruction of the road to Daulat BegOldi may have been the casus belli, as itmay have felt we were keen to change thestatus quo or threaten the Tibet-XinjiangHighway. Others have suggested that thisaction in Eastern Ladakh is just a feint totest our resolve and that the main offen-sive is likely to be directed towards seiz-ing areas that it claims in ArunachalPradesh.

While none of these possibilities canbe ruled out, the existing force levels thatChina has committed within the TibetanAutonomous Region do not suggest thata major offensive is on the cards. It is pos-sible that the actions against India werejust a diversionary tactic to keep us occu-pied, while Beijing’s true intention was tocapture Taiwan before the ChineseCommunist Party kicks of its centenarycelebrations next year. This would, in fact,explain the move of two Pakistani divi-sions into the Gilgit-Baltistan Region,which could then operate in collusion withthe PLA in the event of any escalation.

The recent deployment by the USNavy of two Carrier Strike Groups intothe South China Sea (SCS) for “exercis-es”, with a third backing up, suggests thatthis speculation may well not have beentoo far off the mark. Not surprisingly thedeployment of these Carrier Groups hasforced the Chinese to reverse course, as

can be deduced from the public state-ments calling for a reduction of tensionin that region, despite increasing US bel-ligerence. In the normal course then, theywould look to cool tension along our bor-ders as well.

However, that may not happen asPresident Xi Jinping needs some substan-tial success to save face domestically,which he can only achieve against us inthese circumstances. It will not be easy forthe PLA to shift the requisite force levelsrequired for conducting a major offensiveagainst us. Moreover, even if Xi can inductthese forces speedily, he will continue toremain at a distinct disadvantage given hislong lines of communication and terrainconfiguration.

In addition, China also faces a disad-vantageous force ratio vis-à-vis the airforces and navy in this region. Xi wouldhave by now got fresh insight into thefighting capabilities of our Army, whichis experienced in high-altitude warfare.

Clearly all of this implies that evenwith the rather neglected state of our mil-itary, given the situation on the ground,we do have the option of responding withforce. Such an option would have a rea-sonable chance of success and wouldindeed bluntly convey to the Chinese andthe international community that suchunprovoked aggressive actions have con-sequences. Obviously, such a response onour part would be the correct one,though we would have to factor in the pos-sibility of conflict escalation, maybe evena two-front war. The question really is, doModi and his top military leadershipeither have the appetite or the courage toembark on such a course?

(The writer, a military veteran, is aConsultant with the Observer ResearchFoundation)

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Due to the closure of education-al institutions necessitated by thepandemic, a massive upsurge in

online teaching has been noticedthroughout the world and in India, too.The availability of quality e-learningresources such as SWAYAM, e-PGPathshala, Swayam Prabha, CEC-UGCYouTube Channel, the National DigitalLibrary as well as online lectures devel-oped and delivered by teachers havehelped students complete their cours-es. Now, the obvious task of assessmentof learning outcomes remains. In April,the University Grants Commission(UGC) constituted an ExpertCommittee for Examinations andAcademic Calendar. Given the spike inthe number of Coronavirus cases, the

UGC requested the panel to suggestoptions for conducting the examina-tions and holding admissions for thenew academic session. On July 6, theUGC issued revised guidelines whichstated that final/terminal semesterexaminations must be conducted by alluniversities/ institutions by the end ofSeptember.

In the guidelines, issued in consul-tation with the Home and HealthMinistries, care has been taken toensure the health and safety of studentsand provide equal opportunity, too. Theinstitutions were advised to conductexaminations through offline (pen andpaper), online or blended mode (onlineand offline) as per feasibility and suit-ability.

According to the UGC, by July 18,as many as 194 universities had con-ducted the final year examinations,while 366 were in the process of doingso. Out of the 755 universities fromwhich responses were received, 560 hadeither held the exams or were planningto conduct them. By July 24, out of 818universities, 603 had either conductedtests or were planning to hold them.

Considering the problems of studentsof terminal semesters or final year whohave a backlog, the UGC has empha-sised their compulsory evaluation byconducting examinations in offline,online or blended mode. In case a stu-dent is unable to write the test, s/he maybe given an opportunity to appear inspecial examinations for such coursesor papers, which may be conducted bythe university as and when feasible, sothat the student is not put to any incon-venience or disadvantage.

The UGC maintains that“Examinations are an integral part ofthe education system and the measureof a student’s learning, knowledge,skills and other competencies.” It fur-ther states that “Performance in exam-inations contributes to merit, lifelongcredibility, wider global acceptability foradmissions, scholarships, awards, place-ments, and better future prospects.”Here it is worth mentioning that stu-dents who have been studying hard toscore more in a competitive environ-ment need to be provided opportuni-ties to demonstrate their merit, acad-emic credentials, skills and knowledge.

Depriving them of such opportunitieswill be a setback to their year-longefforts. Examinations are crucial forevery student and more so for final yearstudents who are ready to embark ontheir journey of life and work.

Given the effects of COVID-19globally, universities in the US, UK,Canada, Australia, Germany andSingapore, too, have given variousoptions for examinations to their stu-dents. Since teachers and studentsacross the world and in India haveadapted well to online teaching-learn-ing, the most favoured option in thepresent scenario for conducting exam-inations has been through the onlinemode.

Many universities have held exam-inations by employing video-conferenc-ing apps, in-house LearningManagement Systems (LMSs) or withthe help of other suitable software anddigital platforms. While institutions,which have developed their own LMS,have an edge over others, various stu-dent and teacher-friendly platforms areavailable where online examinationscan be conducted, monitored and

password-protected answer paperssafely uploaded.

In fact, in the pre-COVID-19 era,the UGC had granted recognition toseven Higher Educational Institutes(HEIs) to offer degree, diploma and cer-tificate programmes in fully onlinemode. With the recent announcementof the ‘Pradhan Mantri e-VIDYA pro-gramme’, the top-100 educational insti-tutions of the country are likely to con-duct full-fledged online degree pro-grammes and examinations in comingyears. Online learning and examina-tions will boost digital literacy, help inimparting quality education to under-privileged students and increase theGross Enrollment Ratio (GER) inhigher education.

Online teaching during the lock-down has also been instrumental inhelping PhD students with submissionsof PhD theses, evaluations and viva.Another aspect where the onlinemethod of learning can be put to useis for the training of teachers. This caninclude talks and webinars about thedesign and delivery of lectures and eval-uation methods using digital plat-

forms. Online discussions and exchangeof thoughts would be of much help inthe formulation of multi-disciplinaryresearch projects.

In order to help in adjusting withthese extraordinary times and with thenew pattern of examinations, the UGChas given enough time to universitiesto complete their final-year examina-tions. Being a statutory body for coor-dination, determination and mainte-nance of standards of higher education,the UGC’s decision intends to bringuniformity in the online examinationprocesses and platforms of all HEIs.This will give students graduatingfrom any part of India a level playingfield.

Given the UGC’s mandate tostreamline and improve the educationsystem and bring it at par with globalstandards, this latest decision to con-duct examinations via different modesduring the pandemic has come at theright time for lakhs of students, keep-ing in mind their career prospects andthe future generation, too.

(The writer is Vice-Chancellor,Central University of Gujarat)

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Iran’s paramilitary Revoluti-onary Guard launched under-

ground ballistic missilesWednesday as part of an exerciseinvolving a mock-up Americanaircraft carrier in the Strait ofHormuz, highlighting its net-work of subterranean bases.

Although state televisiondocumentaries have focusedon operations underground atthe bases, all have avoidedshowing geographic detailsrevealing their locations.Wednesday’s launch from whatappears to be central Iran’sdesert plateau changes thatamid heightened tensionsbetween Tehran and the U.S.over its tattered nuclear dealwith world powers and as eco-nomic pressures grow.

“We have carried out thelaunch of ballistic missiles fromthe depths of the earth for thefirst time,” Gen. Amir AliHajizadeh, commander of theGuard’s aerospace division, toldstate TV. “That means withoututilising conventional launch-pads, the buried missiles sud-denly rip out of the earth and hit

their targets precisely.”Drone footage captured by

the Guard showed two missilesblasting out from covered posi-tions in the desert earlyWednesday morning, withdebris flying up into the air intheir wake. The Guard did notidentify the location of thelaunch, nor the missilesinvolved. The launch, sixmonths after the Guard shotdown a Ukrainian jetliner andkilled all 176 people on board,appeared geared toward demon-strating the strength of its mis-sile program to a domestic audi-ence, missile expert MelissaHanham said. The above-ground footage shown on statetelevision, coupled with inves-tigative techniques, make it pos-sible to locate the site, she said.

“Once you find the silo, it’sreally not a safe place to keepyour missile anymore,” saidHanham, who works as thedeputy director of an Austria-based group called the OpenNuclear Network.

Given how corrosive thefuel used for the missiles is andthe maintenance required, suchweapons can’t simply be buried

in the desert and forgotten. Since its bloody 1980s war

with Iraq, which saw bothnations fire missiles on cities,Iran has developed its ballisticmissile program as a deterrent,especially as a UN arms embar-go prevents it from buyinghigh-tech weapons systems.

The underground tunnelshelp protect those weapons,Hanham said.

“What they’re trying to dois increase the survivability oftheir missile forces,” she said.“They feel that their missileforces are exposed and thatthey could be taken out pre-emptively. By building this elab-orate tunnel scheme, they’retrying to increase the surviv-ability.” The drill, called “GreatProphet 14,” also sends a mes-sage to the United States. Iranhas been firing at a fake aircraftcarrier resembling America’sNimitz-class carriers towed outto the strait by a tugboat. Adm.Ali Reza Tangsiri, the Guard’snaval chief, said its armeddrones attacked the bridge of thefake carrier Wednesday, thesemiofficial Tasnim newsagency reported.

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Spurred on by PresidentDonald Trump’s demand to

pull troops out of Germany, theU.S. will bring about 6,400forces home and shift about5,600 to other countries inEurope, US defence leaders saidWednesday, detailing aPentagon plan that will cost bil-lions of dollars and take years tocomplete. The decision fulfillsTrump’s announced desire towithdraw troops fromGermany, largely due to its fail-ure to spend enough on defense.A number of forces will go toItaly, and a major move wouldshift US European Commandand Special OperationsCommand Europe fromStuttgart, Germany, to Belgium.

Defence Secretary MarkEsper said that some moves willbegin in months and will leaveabout 24,000 troops inGermany. He said that whilethe decision was “accelerated”by Trump’s orders, the movesalso promote larger strategicgoals to deter Russia, reassureEuropean allies and shift forcesfurther east into the Black Seaand Baltic regions.

Trump, however, reassert-ed his very narrow reasonWednesday morning, tellingreporters, “we’re reducing theforce because they’re not pay-ing their bills. It’s very simple.They’re delinquent.” He addedthat he might rethink the deci-sion to pull troops out ofGermany “if they start payingtheir bills.”

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Muslim pilgrims, donningface masks and moving in

small groups after days in iso-lation, began arriving at Islam’sholiest site in Mecca onWednesday for the start of ahistorically unique and scaled-down hajj experience reshapedby the coronavirus pandemic.

The hajj is one of Islam’smost important requirements,performed once in a lifetime. Itfollows a route the ProphetMuhammad walked nearly1,400 years ago and is believedto ultimately trace the footstepsof the prophets Ibrahim andIsmail, or Abraham andIshmael as they are named inthe Bible.

The hajj, both physicallyand spiritually demanding, isintended to bring about greaterhumility and unity amongMuslims.

Rather than standing andpraying shoulder-to-shoulderin a sea of people from differ-ent walks of life, pilgrims thisyear are social distancing —standing apart and moving insmall groups of 20 to limitexposure and the potentialtransmission of the coronavirus.

The pilgrimage is a journeythat Muslims traditionallyexperience with relatives. In

past years, it was common tosee men pushing their elderlyparents around on wheelchairsin order to help them completethe hajj, and parents carryingchildren on their backs. Thecommunal feeling of morethan 2.5 million people fromaround the world — Shiite,Sunni and other Muslim sects

— praying together, eatingtogether and repenting togeth-er has long been part of whatmakes hajj both a challengingand rewarding experience likenone other.

This year, however, pil-grims are eating prepackagedmeals alone in their hotelrooms and praying at a distance

from one another. The Saudigovernment is covering all thepilgrims’ expenses of travel,accommodation, meals andhealthcare.

While the experience isstarkly different, it remains anopportunity for pilgrims towipe clean past sins and deep-en their faith.

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Washington: President DonaldTrump is painting a dystopianportrait of what Joe Biden’sAmerica might look like, assert-ing crime and chaos wouldravage communities should theformer vice president win theWhite House in November.Left unsaid: A recent surge inviolent crime in severalAmerican cities has happenedon his watch.

“Irony is way down the listof things that President Trumpworries about,” said RobertSpitzer, a political scientist at theState University of New YorkCollege at Cortland whoseresearch focuses on gun politicsand the American presidency.“He’s turning to the old play-book — appeal to the fears ofAmericans and then associatethose fears with the DemocraticParty, specifically Joe Biden.”

Trump’s attempt to castBiden in that light follows a pat-tern seen throughout his pres-idency, where he attempts toshift responsibility, often toPresident Barack Obama, even

more than three years after tak-ing office.

With echoes of RichardNixon’s law-and-order cam-paign in 1968 — whenAmerican streets were rife withracial protests and Nixon cam-paigned vowing to crack downand restore order in an appealtailored to white voters —Trump is trying to energize hisconservative base while alsomaking an appeal to a smallpatch of undecided voters byposing the question: Whichman will keep you safer?

By leaning hard on selectscenes of violence, Trump isbanking on that unrest con-tinuing. But the protests couldwane. Violent crime around theU.S. has been on a downwardtrajectory for the better part ofthe last three decades. LanaeErickson, a senior vice presi-dent for social policy and pol-itics at the center-left think tankThird Way, said, “Trump is theincumbent, so if bad things arehappening right now, they getblamed on him.” AP

Sarajevo (Bosnia-Herzegovina): The Ministerfor veteran affairs in theGovernment of one of Bosnia’s two highly indepen-dent regions has died at the ageof 53, a week after testing pos-itive for Covid-19.

Salko Bukvarevic diedWednesday in a Covid-19 hos-pital in Sarajevo, where he wasadmitted last week with pneu-monia and breathing prob-lems.

He had served in the gov-ernment of Bosniak-Croat fed-eration since 2015. The region’sprime minister, Fadil Novalic,was also hospitalised withCovid-19, but was releasedTuesday following two weeks oftreatment. So far, Bosnia, theBalkan country of 3.5 millionpeople, has tallied over 10,700virus cases, with 297 deaths.

Nearly 80% of all caseswere registered since mid-May,when a strict, nearly 2-month-long, coronavirus lockdownwas lifted. AP

Washington: US biotechnolo-gy company Moderna’s exper-imental vaccine to preventCovid-19 induced robustimmune response and rapidlycontrolled the novel coron-avirus in the upper and lowerairways of monkeys exposed toSARS-CoV-2, according to astudy published on Tuesday.

The candidate vaccine,mRNA-1273, was co-developedby scientists at Moderna and theNational Institute of Allergyand Infectious Diseases (NIAID)in the US. The study, publishedin the New England Journal ofMedicine, complements recent-ly reported interim results froman NIAID-sponsored Phase 1clinical trial of mRNA-1273.

On Monday clinics aroundthe US began a Phase 3 trial ofthe vaccine candidate, with theaim of enrolling 30,000 peopleto test for safety and effective-ness. In the latest study, threegroups of eight rhesusmacaques received two injec-tions of 10 or 100 micro-grammes (μg) of mRNA-1273or a placebo. PTI

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The United States supportsJapan’s protests over

Chinese ships venturing intothe economic waters near dis-puted East China Sea islands,the commander of the USForces in Japan saidWednesday.

“The United States is 100%absolutely steadfast in its com-mitment to help the govern-ment of Japan with the situa-tion in Senkaku,” Lt. Gen.Kevin Schneider said of thegroup of islands, which arecontrolled by Japan.

China also claims theislands, which it calls Diaoyu.

“That’s 365 days a year, 24hours a day, seven days a week.There is no deviation in thatregard,” Schneider toldreporters.

Japan has long protestedthe repeated presence ofChinese coast guard vessels inthe waters. Schneider alsonoted such incursions hadincreased recently.

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Boeing is reporting a $ 2.4billion loss for the second

quarter due to the grounding ofits 737 Max jet and the coron-avirus pandemic, which isexpected to depress airlinetravel even longer than previ-ously expected.

The company saidWednesday that revenue fell25%, which is worse than ana-lysts had expected.”The realityis the pandemic’s impact on theaviation sector continues to besevere,” CEO David Calhounsaid.

“This pressure on our com-mercial customers means they

are delaying jet purchases,slowing deliveries, deferringelective maintenance, retiringolder aircraft and reducingspend — all of which affectsour business and, ultimately,our bottom line.”

Calhoun said it will take“around three years” to returnto 2019 passenger levels. OnTuesday, an airline industrytrade group said air travelwon’t recover to pre-pandem-ic levels until at least 2024, ayear longer than its previousforecast. The InternationalAir Transport Association citedthe inability of the UnitedStates and developing countriesto contain the coronavirus.

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It is imperative for banks toexpand their balance sheets

and revive credit offtake insteadof just concentrating on assetquality, says a report.

The RBI’s conscioussteps to reduce the repo ratehave also lowered the margin-al cost of fund-based lendingrate across banks, ratingsagency India Ratings andResearch said in a note.

The central bank hasreduced repo rate by 250 basispoints since February 2019.

However, the transmissionof rate cuts has been unevenamong private and public sec-tor banks, the note said.

“We believe that it will beimperative for banks to expandbalance sheets and simultane-ously revive credit offtake,rather than focusing only onasset quality,” the agency said inits July edition of Credit MarketTracker.

The recent FinancialStability Report (FSR) releasedby RBI said credit growth (y-o-y) of banks, which had con-siderably weakened during thefirst half of FY20, slid furtherto 5.9 per cent by March 2020and remained muted up toearly June 2020.

India Ratings said theasset quality of banks would bea critical factor to watch out forfrom the second quarter of thecurrent fiscal when the loanmoratorium ends.

The Reserve Bank of India(RBI) had announced morato-rium on repayment of termloans from March 1, 2020 tillAugust 31, 2020.

The FSR said the grossNPA ratio of all banks mayincrease from 8.5 per cent inMarch 2020 to 12.5 per cent byMarch 2021 under the baselinescenario.

“If the macroeconomicenvironment worsens further,the ratio may escalate to 14.7per cent under the very severe-ly stressed scenario,” it had stat-ed.

The gross and net NPAratios of bank stood at 8.5 percent and 3 per cent respective-ly in March 2020.

The ratings agency said

during June 2020, status quowas largely maintained in theliquidity position in the system.

“While some amount ofrisk aversion was playing out inthe market before the pan-demic, the credit offtake hastaken a severe beating withonset of the Covid-19, result-ing sustained, excess system liq-uidity,” the note said.

The agency further said inJune 2020, foreign portfolioinvestments witnessed thesharpest rebound with equityinvestments of �21,800 crore,highest of 2020 till date and up50 per cent month-on-month.

The note also said com-mercial paper (CP) issuanceshave increased since March2020, while corporate deposits(CDs) have not been issuedmajorly due to the excessive liq-uidity in the banking system.

The total outstanding CDamount contracted 13 per centmonth-on-month during June2020 and the fresh CDissuances have remained low.

“The CP issuances duringJune 2020 remained strong,driven by public and privatefinancial institutions and cor-porates,” it said.

CPs issued by non-bank-ing finance companies(NBFCs) and housing financecompanies improved in June2020, with the major issuanceshappening from AAA-ratedNBFCs, it added.

New Delhi: As the real estatesector goes through twin issuesof subdued demand and stuckprojects amid the pandemic,market experts say ‘propertyswap’ may be a major tool inhelping both distressed homebuyers and increasing sales.Developers and consultancycompanies have of late came upwith this feature in a bid to helpout home buyers who are wait-ing for their home to be com-pleted for a long time. Recently

realty consulting company,Investors Clinic announcedthe launch of the ‘PropertySwap’ model in a bid to helpbuyers stuck with projects bothin housing as well as commer-cial real estate properties. Thecompany has partnered withdevelopers and it says that thestrategic tie up will enable cus-tomers to reach out to devel-opers for upgrading orexchanging their properties.

IANS

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Amid the coronavirus pan-demic, regulator Sebi on

Wednesday gave extension tillSeptember 30 to depositoryparticipants, share transferagents and brokers for compli-ance with various regulatoryrequirements.

Through a circular, theregulator eased compliancerequirement with regard toprocessing of demat requestforms by issuer or registrar ofshare transfer agents (RTA)and depository participants(DP).

Under the norms, pro-cessing of demat request formsby issuer or RTA needs to bedone within 15 days, while thesame for depository partici-pants is within seven days.

The period from March 23till September 30 shall beexcluded for computing theexisting timelines for compli-ance, Sebi said in the circular.

Further, a 15-day periodafter September 30 has beenallowed to registered deposi-tory participants to clear thebacklog.

Sebi has also given time tillSeptember 30 to depositoryparticipants for submittinginternal audit report for half-year ended March 31.

The markets watchdoghas also relaxed compliancerequirement pertaining toredressal of investor griev-ances, transmission of securi-ties and closure of demataccount.Timeline for systemsaudit on annual basis for finan-cial year ended March 31 hasalso been extended tillSeptember 30, as per the cir-cular. Through a separate cir-cular, Sebi extended the time-lines for compliance with reg-ulatory requirements for trad-ing members, clearing mem-bers and depository partici-pants till September 30.

For submission of cyber

security and cyber resilienceaudit for the year ended March31, 2020, Sebi has given time tillSep 30. Other relaxations per-tain to client funding reporting,reporting for artificial intelli-gence and machine learningapplications, risk based super-vision for the year ended March31. In addition, internal auditreport, system audit reportand compliance certificate formargin trading for CM seg-ment for half-year endedMarch 31 can also be submit-ted till September 30.

Among others, due datefor net worth certificate formembers as well as net worthcertificates in margin tradingfor half-year ending March2020 have been extended tillSep 30.Under the norms, KYC(know your customer) appli-cation form and supportingdocuments of clients need to beuploaded on system of KRA(KYC registration agency)within 10 days.

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With global oil market sta-ble for the past few days,

consumers in India were sparedan increase in prices of autofuels for the third consecutiveday on Wednesday.

Oil companies kept petroland diesel prices unchanged,taking global cues whereinbenchmark crude oil priceshave remained static around$43 a barrel for past few days.

In Delhi, diesel continuesto be priced at �81.94 a litrewhile petrol’s steady run con-tinued for the 29th straight dayat �80.43 a litre.

While the price rise hasgone for a pause now, sourcesin oil companies indicated thatsome increase could be expect-ed this week as well though itwould be marginal consideringthe international price move-ments.Any reduction in petroland diesel prices at this junc-ture looks remote and woulddepend on oil prices fallingconsistently from the currentlevels and then holding thetrend for a few days.

Assuming a steady rupee,every dollar per barrel fall incrude prices could result inabout 40 paisa per litre decreasein petrol and diesel prices andvice versa.Oil companiesresumed the dynamic pricingsystem for daily revision of thetwo auto fuels from June 7 afterkeeping the price unchangedfor around 82 days during thelockdown. Since then, whilepetrol prices have risen by�9.17 a litre, diesel prices haverisen by �12.55 a litre in theNational Capital.

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Jet Airways, which is under-going an insolvency resolu-

tion process, saw its loss widen-ing to �5,535.75 crore in theyear ended March 2019, main-ly due to surge in expenses.The full service carrier, whichshuttered operations in Aprillast year, had a loss of �766.13crore in 2017-18. These figuresare for standalone compre-hensive losses. Two resolutionplans have been received for theairline and those are underevaluation.

In 2018-19, the airline’stotal income declined to�23,314.11 crore from�23,958.37 crore in the year-ago fiscal, according to a reg-ulatory filing. Total expensessurged to �28,141.61 crore in2018-19, mainly on account ofhigher fuel costs.

After stopping operationson April 18, the airline wentinto Corporate InsolvencyResolution Process (CIRP) inJune 2019. The financial state-ments have been signed by JetAirways ResolutionProfessional AshishChhawchharia. In a state-ment, that is part of the regu-latory filing, Chhawchhariasaid he was not in a position toprovide the consolidated finan-cial results, as the subsidiariesof the company are separatelegal entities, also currentlynon-operational and that hewas facing huge difficulty inobtaining relevant data fromthe said subsidiaries.

�!1�� 3-3�2

The rupee gained 4 paise tosettle at 74.80 against the

American dollar onWednesday tracking weaknessin the greenback.

At the interbank forexmarket, the rupee traded in anarrow range.

It started the day at 74.83and closed at 74.80, up 4 paiseover its previous closing of74.84 against the US dollar.

The USD-INR spot tradedin a very narrow range of74.75-75.

US Fed’s policy outcome,scheduled to be announcedlater in the day.

It will provide some clari-ty over the trend, said RahulGupta, Head of Research-Currency, Emkay GlobalFinancial Services.

�!1�� 3-3�2

Equity benchmarks took aknock on Wednesday as

profit-booking emerged inrecent outperformers RelianceIndustries and HDFC Bankamid a cautious trend in over-seas markets.

The BSE Sensex ended421.82 points or 1.10 per centlower at 38,071.13, while theNSE Nifty tumbled 97.70points or 0.86 per cent to11,202.85. Reliance Industrieswas the top loser in the Sensexpack, dropping 3.75 per cent,followed by Nestle India, HCLTech, M&M, HDFC Bank,Maruti and Tech Mahindra.

The country’s largest car-maker Maruti Suzuki India on

Wednesday reported its firstever quarterly loss since goingpublic 17 years back, with aconsolidated net loss of � 268.3crore for the first quarter endedJune 30, hit hard by the coro-navirus pandemic.

On the other hand,IndusInd Bank, Tata Steel, SunPharma, Bajaj Finance,UltratEch Cement and L&Twere among the gainers, spurt-ing up to 4.54 percent.According to traders,besides stock-specific profitbooking, domestic market par-ticipants were also cautiousahead of the US FederalReserve’s policy outcome.

Concerns over the risingnumber of COVID-19 casestoo spooked investors afterIndia’s tally went past 15 lakhon Wednesday, two days afterit crossed the 14-lakh mark,with 48,513 fresh cases record-ed in a day. “Indian indicesgave up gains and closed in thenegative with profit booking

seen in the recent outper-former RIL. Global marketswere generally undecidedahead of the US Fed Reservemeeting and mixed earningsreports in addition to risingvirus cases forcing economiesto reconsider restrictions tocontain the spread. “Stock spe-

cific action was also visible,post earnings...And this trendis expected to continue.Adequate liquidity in the mar-ket should ensure that thesecorrections are bought into,”said Vinod Nair, Head ofResearch at Geojit FinancialServices.

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The country’s largest car-maker Maruti Suzuki India

on Wednesday reported firstever quarterly loss sincebecoming public 17 years backwith a consolidated net loss of�268.3 crore for the first quar-ter ended June 30, hit hard bycoronavirus pandemic.

The auto major, which gotlisted way back in July 2003,had posted a consolidated netprofit of �1,376.8 crore in theApril-June quarter of 2019-20. Net sales declined to �3,679crore in the first quarter asagainst �18,738.8 crore in theyear-ago period, MSI said in astatement.

On a standalone basis, thecompany reported a net loss of�249.4 crore for the first quar-ter ended June 30.

It had posted net profit of�1,435.5 crore on standalonebasis in April-June of 2019-20.

The auto major’s net salesduring the period under review

declined to �3,677.5 crore, ascompared to �18,735.2 crore inthe year-ago period.

During the first quarter,MSI sold a total of 76,599vehicles. Sales in the domesticmarket stood at 67,027 units,while exports were at 9,572units.

The company had sold4,02,594 units in the first quar-ter previous fiscal.

“Owing to the global pan-demic of Covid-19, it was anunprecedented quarter in thecompany’s history wherein alarge part of the quarter hadzero production and zero salesin compliance with a lock-

down stipulated by theGovernment,” MSI said.

Production and sales start-ed in a very small way in May,it added.The company’s firstpriority was health, safety andwellbeing of all employees andassociates across the valuechain, including its customers,the auto major said.

“Hence, with carefullydesigned safety protocols,which went far beyond com-pliance levels, the production inthe whole Quarter was equiv-alent to just about two weeks’of regular working. The resultshave to be viewed in this con-text,” it noted.

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Right from film screenings,workshops, masterclasses,

interaction with celebrities,music concert to award cere-mony, the first edition of IndusValley International FilmFestival (IVIFF) will be heldonline. Organised by SAFACH(South Asia Forum for Art andCreative Heritage), the uniqueaspect of this festival is beingthe South Asia’s first borderlessdigital film festival.

The festival presents a veryimpressive line-up of filmsfrom other South Asian coun-tries such as Sri Lanka, Nepal,Bangladesh, Pakistan and Indiaas well. The audience will get arare opportunity to not onlywatch the films from the regionbut also interact with eminentdirectors and star cast.

It will open with Patakhaand a remark by VishalBhardwaj. The closing remarkwill be by Nandita Das with herfilm Manto as the closing film.A film by Brahmanand SinghJhalki will also be screenedduring the festival.

Harsh Narayan, founderand creative director of the fes-tival, said, “We have a culturaland historical legacy. Cinema isthe modern medium ofexpressing, continuously evolv-ing our artistic traditions. SouthAsian art, music and folk tradi-tions are interconnected, andthey get evolved furtherthrough communicating witheach other. So I believe a pop-ular platform connecting cine-ma and art practitioners, pro-duction houses, studios and cre-ative professionals willimmensely benefit the creativeeconomy of South Asia.”

Four films fromBangladesh will be part of thefestival. Nolok, with interactionwith Shakib Khan; Maya TheLost Mother, Qasida of Dhaka

and a short film Mala Bhabi willbe screened. Dying Candle, aninternationally award-winningfilm from Nepal, along withinteraction with its directorNaresh Kumar KC and actorSrijana, will also be screened.Thanha Rathi Ranga from SriLanka, along with interaction

with its director NilendraDeshapriya will be anotherattraction for film enthusiasts.

Moor and Motorcycle Girl— the two internationallyacclaimed and award-winningfilms from Pakistan, directedby Jami and Adnan Sarwarrespectively, will be show-

cased. A documentary,Pakistan’s Best Kept Secrets,directed by acclaimed theatredirector of Ajoka Theatre ofLahore, Shahid Nadeem, willbe screened as well. He isgoing to interact with theaudience too.

Another key attractions ofIVIFF are workshops and mas-terclasses by renowned namesof the industry. Director,author and producer,Brahmanand S Singh will beconducting a workshop onFiction and DocumentaryFilmmaking. Shahid Nadeemwill be steering a masterclasson Theatre Direction andActing, whereas Karachi-basedHaider Ali’s masterclass will beon a modern evolving art form— Truck Art.

(The festival will be heldfrom August 1 till August 9.)

It is certainly the comingtogether of two of the

biggest creative forces in theindustry today. DirectedAbhishek Kapoor and actorAyushmann Khurrana arejoining hands for the firsttime to do a progressive lovestory.

Abhishek says,“Ayushmann and I are bothknown for a certain kind ofcinema and this film is defi-nitely a special one for both ofus. We want the audience tocome back to the theatres andwatch films as a communityand for that we will spare noeffort. We strive to bring ourbest game for this one.”

The filmmaker says he isgoing to present Ayushmannin a never-seen-before avatar.Abhishek shares, “Ayushmannplays a Cross FunctionalAthlete in the film and he willhave to go through a physicaltransformation that he hasn’tdone before. It’s quite a chal-lenge and he’s very commit-ted to it.”

Ayushmann is excitedabout creatively collaboratingwith Abhishek and is lookingforward for his physical trans-formation. “Abhishek has avery distinct voice in cinematoday and I’m glad that wefinally got the opportunity tocollaborate on a project that’sexceedingly close to my heart.This film has all the trappingsto take the audience througha ride of emotions. It is a totalfamily entertainer,” he says.

(The film will release nextyear worldwide.)

The lockdown has meant that “sight-ing tourism” at our tiger reservesis non-existent. But with the

wildlife economy shut and the concur-rent reduced vigilance at parks, poach-ers have become very active again.According to the Wildlife TradeMonitoring Network, TRAFFIC, whichrecently released a report, Indian wildlifeamidst the COVID-19 crisis: An analysisof poaching and illegal wildlife trade,more than 88 poaching incidents werereported from March 23 till May 3,almost double the number during the sixweeks before the lockdown. Nat Geoexplorers Krithi Karanth and Malaika Vazare currently assessing conservationchallenges in the post-pandemic era.

Recalling the good old days of film-making in various national parks, Vazrecalls an experience she had inKarnataka. She was walking towards hercar at midnight without any guardsaround her and had a “distinct feeling ofbeing watched.” However, she kept walk-ing. She looked up to find a pair of glim-mering eyes of a leopard through thebushes. “And I remember that momentviscerally — an enormous cat staringback at me in the middle of the night ina jungle. I had frozen. But surprisingly,for a moment, I stared back at him. Andlater, walked back silently. It was the mostmagical experience for me. I got up closewith an incredible animal like a leopard,”says she. For Krithi Karanth, who hasresearched the man-animal conflict, thevery “unpredictability” of being in thejungle is the ultimate challenge.

� How has the pandemic impactedtigers?

Krithi: I think the impact of this pan-demic has clearly demonstrated thatnot just tigers but all wildlife species areinextricably connected to people.Tinkering with nature, particularly frag-menting and disturbing their habitats,hunting their prey base and consumptionof wild meat have led to an emergenceof zoonotic diseases. Once the zoonosisreaches the people, we can see its devas-tating impact. I think it’s really importantthat we create intact habitat spaces,which allow wildlife to live and movesecurely and reduce opportunities for dis-ease transmission between people andwildlife as much as possible.

Malaika: Tigers are huge drivers ofthe eco-tourism in India. The tigereconomy employs a large number of peo-ple from local communities. There hasbeen a lot of discourse on how this pan-demic has provided a respite to wildlifeand wild places. This may be true in someplaces but as per field reports and stud-ies over the past couple of months, wehave come across a substantial increasein poaching and wildlife trafficking of

tigers and other wildlife.

� What is the role of local communi-ties in protecting tigers and otherwildlife species?

Malaika: When you have local com-munities as leaders of conservation andnot just token stakeholders, that’s whenconservation becomes truly effective.However, they need to be empowered tomake decisions about the fate of tigers onan everyday basis because they knowtheir land and necessities better than any-one else. They understand tiger behav-iour.

I would like to share the example ofan organisation called Tigerwatch in theoutskirts of Ranthambore, Rajasthan. Itworks with the Moghiya tribe (a tribe oftraditional tiger poachers, who claim tobe loyal courtiers of the erstwhile king-dom of Udaipur). After the tiger-poach-ing ban, they lost their livelihood. Theorganisation provided them conservationeducation, training and work opportuni-ties. It also stewards a network of VillageWildlife Volunteers (VWV) from the sur-rounding communities, who set up cam-era traps to monitor tiger movement andapprehend poaching activity.

� How do you think the pandemicaffected local communities?

Malaika: Multiple communitiesdepend on the forest for their livelihood.Over the last couple of months, as oureconomy has been hit badly by the pan-demic, tourism in wildlife zones has cometo a near standstill. This disproportion-ately affects the local communities thatlive alongside wildlife and receive anincome from being employed as natural-ists, nature guides, forest protectors andeco-tourism operators.

I think the pandemic has taught usthat tigers cannot survive without the fullparticipation and support of local com-munities. So, as conservationists, we haveto do everything that we can to empow-er these communities and provide fortheir needs — to ensure that they receive

the benefits of living alongside tigers. Thisis imperative for tiger conservation.

For people who are passionate aboutit, I would recommend doing somehomework online and donating to small-scale organisations like Tigerwatch, theLast Wilderness Foundation or TRACT,which have been working to conservewildlife and empower local communities.I think if we support these organisationson the frontline of tiger conservation, wewould also support the larger cause.

� What do you have to say aboutIndia’s potential to conserve tigers?

Krithi: My father, Dr K UllasKaranth, is one of the pioneering tigerbiologists in the world and his work hasshown that India can accommodate upto 10,000 tigers as of today. So weshouldn’t be patting our backs on havingaround 3,000 tigers. Yes, tigers are doingmuch better in India today as comparedto the situation in the 1970s or 80s.

However, we still should aim higher andreach a number bigger than 3,000.

Malaika: Tigers are such a charismat-ic species. They can captivate people ofevery generation — from the youngesttoddler to the oldest grandparent. Giventhis fact, a lot of national parks have beenset up and protected areas have beenassigned to regions with large tiger pop-ulation.

For example, the BandhavgarhReserve is known for its big cats but isalso home to lesser-known species like arusty-spotted cat, which is protectedinevitably when the land gets demarcat-ed as a protected area. I think tigers actas an umbrella species and under theumbrella, smaller species also receiveunprecedented attention.

I would say that when you go tonational parks and protected areas, oncethis pandemic ends, take some time tonotice the little creations like the flow-ers, the birds, the trees, the waterresources and the other animals around.Observing the complex forest ecosystemin its entirety can help you better under-stand the role of its apex predator.

� The vanishing forest cover has beena rising cause of concern...

Krithi: I think there is enough sci-entific evidence that has established thatcertain species are very adaptable and canlive alongside humans. But there are oth-ers like tigers which require large swathesof forests and intact habitats that remainconnected and not fragmented due tohuman activities. With an economythat’s booming and a country that’sgrowing at the rate we are, there’s a lot ofinfrastructural development coming inlike railway lines, roads, highways,hydropower and so on. Rapid environ-mental clearances for such projects arebeing approved across many parts ofIndia. And we may not be able to see itnow, but these projects have the poten-tial to cause huge disruptions to natureand wildlife habitats. They can have adevastating impact in the long run. I

think that’s a major challenge we have.

� As a wildlife scientist and explorer,any anecdote that you would like toshare...

Malaika: I was on a shoot forNational Geographic and I spent sometime in the jungle getting up close withtwo male tigers. I had been observingthem for four hours. And after that, theygot into a fight for territory. I believe itwas one of the most intense scenes thatI had witnessed.

� What are the challenges that suchtravels offer on an everyday basis?

Krithi: I think unpredictability is achallenge because of the nature of thework in both conservation and research.You can only plan so much after that youhave to go with the flow. On any givenday, I have to interact with so many typesof people like scientists, conservationists,community leaders, donors, media,artists. It is both inspiring and invigorat-ing.

Malaika: One of the most challeng-ing things out there could be the weath-er. For the last week, I’ve been filming ashort video for the National Geographicin the Western ghats and throughout theshoot, we experienced torrential rains.And when you’re in the rainforest, film-ing with an enormous amount of digitalequipment and cameras, weather can bea huge challenge, but it’s adventurous atthe same time.

� What’s the fun part?Krithi: The fact that it is not a nine

to five job and the outdoors are nevermonotonous. It is life unscripted. Besides,how else would you get to see the realIndia?

Malaika: As a wildlife presenter andfilmmaker, every single day is different.One day, you are in the jungle, and thenext day, you’re in the middle of the TharDesert. You could be on the Himalayasor diving under water. This unpre-dictability keeps us going.

HOW THE VIRUSHURT THE TIGER

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The Department of Empowerment ofPersons with Disabilities through its

various organisations strives to addressthe concerns of person with disabilitiesfor their effective rehabilitation andinclusion.

The Artificial Limb ManufacturingCorporation (ALIMCO) has started ahelp line service for providing infor-mation on aids and assistive devices forPwDs including repair of such devices.Similarly National Handicapped FinanceDevelopment Corporation (NHFDC),which provides loan at concessional rateof interest and also runs skill trainingprogrammes for PwDs has started helpline services for dissemination of infor-mation relating to such matters.

Further, one of the NationalInstitutes namely National Institute forEmpowerment of Persons withIntellectual Disabilities (NIEPID),Secunderabad is providing informationrelating to special education, occupa-tional therapy physiotherapy relatedissues etc, through a dedicated toll-freehelpline number.

In addition, All India Institute ofMedical Sciences (AIIMS), Delhi, thepremiere Health Institute underMinistry of H&FW also has a dedicat-ed helpline for persons with autism andtheir parents.

With a view to give wide publicityto these helpline numbers of the aboveorganisations, the department has start-ed advertising these numbers throughDoordarshan news channel from July 23.

The COVID-19 pandemichas infected millions and

caused panic across the globe,including India and Odisha.The number of newCoronavirus infections isincreasing day by day in Odisha.The livelihoods of the people hasbeen disrupted and devastated,to an extent that many have losttheir lives too.

KIIT has always reached outto the distressed people at thetime of natural calamities in thestate. It has become the pride ofOdisha as it has always stood bythe people of the state at the timeof their need.

Now, the deemed to beuniversity (DU) has extended ahelping hand to the families ofthe COVID deceased. Acting ona proposal by the founder ofKIIT & KISS, Dr AchyutaSamanta, KIIT-DU has decided

to provide technical and pro-fessional education absolutelyfree of cost to the children of theCOVID deceased.

Their sons and daughters,who are interested, can apply todifferent technical and profes-sional courses of KIIT-DU,including ITI and diploma, asper their eligibility for admis-sion. This facility will be avail-able for two academic years,2020-21 and 2021-22 only,

informed KIIT authorities.Preference will be given to thechildren of COVID deceasedfrom BPL, SC, ST and SCBCcategories. The move will pro-vide relief to the people ofOdisha who feel helpless due tothe pandemic.

KIIT is the only universi-ty in India and abroad toextend such humanitarian ges-ture to the families of thedeceased.

Government-owned PowerFinance Corporation

(PFC), a non-banking financialcompany (NBFC), signed aMoA with Indian Institute ofTechnology-Kanpur (IIT-K)for training, research andentrepreneurship developmentin smart grid technology.Under the MoA, PFC willprovide financial assistance of`2,38,97,000 to IIT-K under itsCSR initiative.

R Murahari, ExecutiveDirector (CSR&SD), PFCinformed that the objective ofthe pact is to provide supportto IIT-K in developing infra-structure for research anddevelopment on smart grid

technology. As part of project,IIT-K will also provide train-ing on smart grid technologyto 90 participants and providefellowship to nine selectedcandidates for developmentof ideas on the technology. Thefellows will be assisted byStart-up Innovation andIncubation Centre (SIIC) ofIIT-K and encouraged to takeup entrepreneurial activities.

M Prabhakar Das, ChiefGeneral Manager (CSR&SD),PFC and Prof Jayant KumarSingh, Dean Resource andAlumni, IIT-K signed theagreement on behalf of respec-tive organisations on a virtualplatform.

After successful implemen-tation of Prime Minister

Garib Kalyan Ann Yojana(PMGKAY) from April to Junethis year, the governmentextended this scheme foranother five months from Julyto November this year itself.

About 81 crore beneficia-ries covered under NationalFood Security Act (NFSA)and Antyodaya Ann Yojana(AAY) are being provided fivekilograms of rice/wheat free ofcost under the scheme. Thetotal allocation for PMGKAYII from July to November is200.19 LMT (91.33 LMTWheat and 109.96 LMT rice).There has been very enthusi-astic response from the stategovernments as well as bene-ficiaries. The scheme wasrolled out on July 8 and till July27 a quantity of 33.40 LMTfoodgrains (13.42 LMT wheatand 19.98 LMT rice) has

already been handed over tostate governments across thecountry for further distribu-tion to the beneficiaries, which

is about 83 percent of theallocation for the month ofJuly.

Including the additional

allocation of 200.19 LMT forPMGKAY II, the total quanti-ty of foodgrains that will bedistributed by the governmentto the vulnerable sections ofthe society during the fivemonths will be about 455LMT. Every beneficiary underNFSA and AAY shall receivefive kilogram wheat or rice forfree in addition to their regu-lar quota of foodgrain at sub-sidised prices.

Extensive and detailedlogistical planning has alreadybeen done by FoodCorporation of India (FCI) toensure that food grain stocksreach every part of the coun-try as per the allocation overthese five months. This is ahuge challenge as it is doublethe normal allocation and theexisting warehousing capaci-ties and transportation systemsare based on the regular allo-cations. However, FCI is fully

geared up for the challenge andits ability to deliver in the mosttrying circumstances hasalready been demonstratedduring the lockdown periodwhen new records were set interms of logistical operations.It will be ensured that food-grains reach every corner ofthe country as per allocationsand the stated objective of thegovernment that no poor per-son will have to remain hun-gry for want of food will beachieved.

FCI has already wound upthe procurement operations forthe current season and has setnew records in procurement ofboth wheat and rice. A total of389.76 LMT wheat and 504.91LMT rice has been procured inthe just concluded crop season.Going by the present trend ofprogress of monsoon, the com-ing Kharif season of 2020-21 isalso expected to be a good one.

SRM University, AndhraPradesh has commenced its

journey to secure a better futurefor the first batch of students.Promising students of the uni-versity have grabbed excellent joboffers in the CampusRecruitment Drive for Class 2021B.Tech students.

Anheuser-Busch InBevoffered six months internship,followed by a job offer to someof the candidates. The companyshortlisted Pesala Sai Tanmayi, SriHarsha Tavidisetty Rajendra,Tuhin Sarkar and Koushik MBhargav. Commonly known asAB InBev, this is a Belgian multi-national drink and brewing com-pany. The company has offeredan internship stipend of �30,000per month and a CTC of 12-17lpa to the candidates who willjoin the company after success-

ful completion of their internship.Another renowned compa-

ny Health Rx, a health-tech start-up from Bajaj Finserv group hasoffered technical internship witha stipend of �35,000 per monthand post that a confirmed joboffer with CTC of 12 lpa to TalariHrisheekesh and Gude Abhin.Further, Virtusa Corporation,an American IT service provider,offered a position in the compa-ny with a CTC of 4.5 lpa toYallammagari Rachakada PoojithReddy, Nagamlla Venkata SaiNikhith, Chattala Vasundhara,Rampati Venkat Tarun and SaiRishvanth Katragadda. The othercompany which conducted therecruitment drive, Sahaj Soft,selected Sri Ritika Katragaddaand offered her a CTC of 10 lpa.It is a software services and con-sulting firm which provides sim-

ple solutions backed by theirtime-tested methodology andengineering practices.

As the recruiters shortlist thebest young talent who are enthu-siastic, devoted to learning andbrimming with fresh and creativeideas, the university’s placementteam have thoroughly trained thestudents, both in terms of tech-nical expertise and soft skills. Therigorous training that the stu-dents underwent since the begin-ning of their course, coupled withtheir talent and motivation, hasenabled them to succeed inrecruitment drive with flyingcolours. SRM-AP believes thatthis is merely the beginning of theplacement season and manymore brilliant students are wait-ing to showcase their mettle toland up with excellent job offersin top-notch companies.

Minister of Culture andTourism Prahlad Singh

Patel planted Pipal, Ashoka,Amla, Neem and Bargad treesin Rabindra Bhavan Complex,New Delhi. Secretary (Culture)Anand Kumar and JointSecretary, MOC, NirupamaKotru also contributed to thispurpose.

Patel conveyed the messagethat conservation of naturalresources is very important.Due to nature’s imbalance,human beings are facing a lot ofproblems these days. UnderSankalp Parva, the Ministry ofCulture has planted a big num-ber of trees in last 15 days.Whatever nature has bestowedupon us, we can repay by con-

serving nature only.On this occasion,

Secretary (I/C) Lalit KalaAkademi, Ravindra KumarKhanduja, Secretary SahityaAkademi, K Sreeniwas Rao

and Secretary Sangeet NatakAkademi, Rita SwamyChaudhary, along with officersand staff were also present andtook a pledge to care fornature.

In the next 12 months, the world’s firstelectrified rail tunnel fit to run dou-

ble-stack containers will be operationalin the Western Dedicated FreightCorridor.

The tunnel breaking ceremonymarks the completion of the tunnelcaving work at the WDFC’s one-kilo-meter long tunnel through theAravallis near Sohna in Haryana. Thelast blasting of the tunnel, which is sit-uated on the Rewari-Dadri section, hasbeen done. This work has been com-pleted in less than a year’s time.

Geologically, this tunnel is safe andstable as it is caved through 2,500 to500 million-year-old Proterozoic Rocksmainly Quartzite, Schists and slates ofAlwar/Azabgarh groups of DelhiSupergroup rocks, which have the highbearing capacity. Double stack con-tainers and 25 ton axle load freighttrains will run through this tunnel at aspeed of 100 kmph.

The tunnel connects the Mewat andGurugram district of Haryana andnegotiates a steep gradient on theuphill and downhill slope of the Aravallirange. The D-shaped tunnel has a

cross-sectional area of 150 squaremeters to accommodate double linewith higher OHE (Over HeadEquipment) to enable double-stackcontainer movement on WDFC.

Cross-sectional area wise, it is oneof the biggest Railway tunnels in India.One end of the tunnel is near Rewaricalled as Portal-1 or West Portal, whilethe other end of the tunnel is at Dadri

called as Portal-2 or East Portal.TheDimension of the tunnel is 14.5 metersand 10.5 meters height in straight por-tion and 15 meters wide and 12.5metre height to provide extra clearancewhile negotiating the curve.

The work has been done system-atically and in a planned mannerfrom both the ends by deployinghigh-tech machinery and man power.

This is the reason that it was completedin less than a year. The high-techmachinery used were: Boomer doublearm type with arm reach spanning 7meters, shotcrete machine roboticarm type with a reach of 12 meters,transit mixer having 6 CUM capacity,Hywa with a load capacity of 20 tons,scissor lift, DG set of 500 KVA capac-ity, two concrete pumps, grout pumpsand ROC.

There are a total of six tunnels inboth the Eastern and WesternDedicated Freight Corridors. InWDFC, there are one km long SohnaTunnel, 430 metre long Vasai DetourSouth Tunnel and 320 metre long VasaiDetour North Tunnel. The EDFC alsohas three number of tunnels measur-ing 150 metre, 475 metre and 300 metrerespectively in the Sonnagar-Gomohsection.

Till date, more than 1,600 trainshave been run by the DFCCIL in theBhadan-Khurja section of EDFC andthe Madar-Rewari section of theWDFC. The WDFC and the EDFC(excluding the PPP section) is slated forcompletion in the month of June 2022.

Under Godhan NyayYojana, cowdung sell-ers of the state will

receive payment within 15days. Chief Minister BhupeshBaghel said in his address tothe review meeting of the for-est department, held at his res-idence office, that GodhanNyay Yojana was started onJuly 20. Cowdung sellers willreceive payment against pro-curement on the 15th day i.e.August 5. He directed theChief Secretary to chair ameeting of cooperative, ruraland other banks and ensure allarrangements for this work.Cowdung sellers will receivepayment against the procure-ment directly in their bankaccounts.

The CM has also given

instructions to fix a time tablefor procurement of cowdung.He further said that the gau-than inspection tour scheduleof veterinary doctors and gau-sevaks should also be finalisedand displayed on notice boardof gauthans. Baghel hasentrusted the rural agricultureexpansion officials to look

after gauthans and pasturages.He said that youngsters whohave returned to Bastar fromother states should be provid-ed maximum number ofemployment opportunitiesthrough minor forest producecollection, Panchayat andRural DevelopmentDepartment and Godhan NyayYojana.

Baghel added that specialattention should be paidtowards marketing arrange-ments of minor forest produce.Contracts should be signedwith companies that use largequantity of forest produces inmanufacturing products, andas per their requirements,minor forest produces andherbal medicines should bemade available to the compa-

nies after processing. He alsosaid that Ayurvedic companiesshould be encouraged to estab-lish processing plants inChhattisgarh. Baghel empha-sised over setting up a coldstorage network across thestate for safe storage of agri-culture, gardening and forestcrops. “Cold storages should berun by the Agriculture andHorticulture Department onPPP models,” said he.

The meeting was attend-ed by Agriculture and WaterResource Minister RavindraChoubey, Forest MinisterMohammad Akbar, UrbanAdministration Minister DrShiv Kumar Daharia, SchoolEducation Minister DrPremsai Singh Tekam and alsoHealth Minister TS Singhdeo

from Ambikapur via videoconferencing. ParliamentarySecretary Shishupal Sori andChandradev Prasad Rai,Advisors to Chief MinisterRajesh Tiwari, Vinod Verma,Pradeep Sharma and RuchirGarg, Chief Secretary ManojPingua, Panchayat and RuralDevelopment PrincipalSecretary Gaurav Dwivedi,Agriculture ProductionCommissioner Dr M Geeta,Urban AdministrationDepartment SecretaryAlermelmangai D, TribalCaste Welfare DepartmentSecretary DD Singh, Secretaryto Chief Minister SiddharthaKomal Pardeshi, PrincipalChief Conservator of ForestRakesh Chaturvedi, alsoattended.

It’s not less than a wonder that a desire originatesin human beings. After putting in great efforts,when the person obtains the desired matter, he

experiences a sense contentment. For instance,when human beings came to know about diamond,gold or coal for that matter, they immediately wentin search and acquired satisfaction.

If we talk about the present scenario, we see thatpeople go after materialistic things and other sourcesto satisfy themselves. But inspite of achieving all thewealth, they still remain unhappy. Do you know why?The mere reason is that they are working hard anddoing everything in order to achieve happiness andpeace but they can never attain it in the absence oflistening to the preach of Vedas. People are slowlymoving away from tranquillity. Humans have forgotthat it is god, who is the creator of the universe andhe is the one who is nursing the world.

The Vedas and rishi-munis have clearly taught usthat salvation cannot be attained in the absence ofworship of god. Therefore, like previous yugas, it isimportant that people start taking interest in followingthe divine Vedas, wherein the definition of god andprocess of his worship is explained by god himself.Do you know that no one has ever claimed the author-ship of the Vedas and every great name in the histo-ry of Indian culture has accepted the validity of theVedas. So for a devotee to start worshiping the ulti-mate power, he must first understand who is god andhow his worship can be performed.

In one of the Yajurved mantras, it is said that godresides within this world as well as within every soul.Many people have questioned as to where does thegod reside? In this connection, Rigved mantrathrows light that the god is connected to the knowl-edge of Vedas, yogis and rishi-munis. He resides intheir intellect. The Vedas place before us the knowl-edge which is beyond sense-perception and limitedintellect and experience.

Rishi Yagyavalkya states in Shatpath BrahminGranth about the residence of almighty god, stating,YasyaAtmaShareeram i.e. that the soul is the residenceof god. So the aspirants, who follows the Vedic pathand worships god must realise that god is within theirsouls. In this connection, Yog Shastra Sutra educatesus that Yogaschittavrittinirodhaha i.e. by doing hardpractice of Ashtang Yog, an aspirant must control allthe five vrittis and stop them from going outside.

In view of the above, though the god isomnipresent but he manifests in the heart of thehuman beings, who follow the Vedic path, performdaily agnihotra, seek shelter of acharyas who haveknowledge of the Vedas and perform Ashtang Yog.So god neither has any image nor he resides in anyparticular idol or statue but within us.

(The author, Swami Ram Swarup, is the chief edi-tor of Ved Ishvareeya Vani, a bi-annual magazine.)

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West Indies captain Jason Holder feels“relevant” authorities need to ensure

that smaller teams get to play regular inter-national cricket as in a world scarred byCOVID-19, only India, Australia andEngland have the resources to stage gamesin bio-secure bubbles.

The cricketing fraternity has lauded theWest Indies' decision to tour England amidthe pandemic. The three Test-series, whichEngland won 2-1 on Tuesday, markedresumption of international cricket.

“If something doesn’t happen soon we’llsee less international cricket being playedby smaller countries because we simply can'tafford it. We’ve gone from having four, five-match series, down to two and three,”Holder said after the conclusion of the thirdTest here.

“And it’s very difficult to host any morethan that for us, particularly the Caribbean.So yeah, it is a serious dilemma that we’refaced with. I think the relevant personnelreally need to sit down and have a look atit,” he added.

The West Indies were confined to justtwo venues — Manchester andSouthampton -- during the eight-week tour.Both teams stayed on site.

Holder hopes that England too will rec-iprocate their gesture and tour the

Caribbean soon.“We only really make money from

England, and I think India. We break evenwith Pakistan and Australia, and all the restof the series we play are losses. But in thesetrying times only England, Australia andIndia can probably host cricket,” he said.

“Outside of that, the smaller territoriesare struggling financially to get cricket on...Ifthere's an opportunity for England to

come over to the Caribbean before the endof the year, I‘m sure that would help signif-icantly for Cricket West Indies’ financialrecords.”

The West Indies players and staff havehad to take pay cuts due to the financialimpact of COVID-19 on their board.

“It’s been a tough couple of years inWest Indies cricket financially. We’ve pret-ty much had to take a pay cut, so if it's pos-sible to host a tour before the end of 2020,it would probably keep us afloat as an organ-isation,” Holder said when asked about thecurrent situation.

�!1��32����,1�0

Skipper Joe Root says his teammates “should feellucky” sharing the dressing room with James

Anderson and Stuart Broad, adding that there isno better place for a youngsters to learn the tricksof the trade than watching the veteran pace duooperate.

Broad followed the footsteps of Anderson tojoin the elite 500 Test wicket club, a landmarkachieved by only by six others in cricket history.

The duo has been leading England's bowlingattack for years and is considered as one of themost successful fast bowling pairs in world crick-et.

“We’re looking at two of England’s bestbowlers of all time. To be playing in the same teamas both of them - we’ve got to understand howlucky we are to be watching them go about theirbusiness,” Root was quoted as saying by ‘SkySports’.

“Playing alongside them, seeing them oper-ate day in, day out - it couldn’t be a better placefor a young fast bowler to come in and learn theirtrade.”

Earlier, Root had urged naysayers to write offAnderson and Broad individually at their ownperil even though he dropped hints that their daysas a pair may be over.

“It’s a real privilege to play alongside bothJimmy and Stuart and hopefully that’s going tohappen for a lot longer as well,” Root added.

Broad, who was dropped from the openingTest in Southampton, silenced his critics by puttingup scintillating performances in the remaining twoTests, to help England clinch a series victoryagainst West Indies.

In the series deciding third Test, Broadclaimed his international career's third 10-wick-

et haul, ending with match figures of 10-67. Hewas also adjudged player of the series alongsideWest Indies’ Roston Chase.

“For him to come back into the team and havesuch an impact is testament to how good a play-er he’s been for England over such a long periodof time,” Root said.

“It sums Stuart up, he seems to get on thosehot streaks and have a real impact in games andI’m really pleased for him to get to that milestone- 500 Test wickets is a phenomenal achievement.

“He’s the sort of guy that really grabs a gameand wrestles it in your favour. He wants to be partof those big occasions and he wants to take theball when you’re up against it. There are so manydifferent occasions he's done that,” Root added.

�!1�� 32����,1�0

Pacer Chris Woakes isEngland’s “unsung hero”

who just goes quietly abouthis business while the likesof Stuart Broad, JamesAnderson and Jofra Archersteal the spotlight, feels for-mer skipper Alec Stewart.

Woakes grabbed fivewickets to help Englandbowl out West Indies for 129in the second innings of thefinal Test as the hostsclaimed the Wisden Trophywith a 2-1 series victory.

Stewart said Woakes,who has been a consistentperformer, claiming 106wickets from 35 Tests, isoften deprived of the recog-nition he deserves.

“He’s almost the unsunghero of the England set-upbecause we talk about Broadand Anderson then the paceof Archer and Wood, whereas Woakes just goes quietlyabout his business,” Stewartsaid on ‘Sky Sports’.

“I’m pleased he finishedwith a five-for because a lotof the time his performances

go under the radar com-pared to these perceivedbigger players,” he added.

Stewart said the the 31-year-old all-rounder hasbeen outstanding inEngland, and the fact that hewas picked in the playing XIfor the series decider againstWest Indies speaks for itself.

“I’m a massive fan ofWoakes, especially inEngland. His record inEngland is outstanding. It’sa real feather in his cap thathe got the nod when ChrisSilverwood said ‘we arepicking our very best bowl-ing attack for this Test matchwe have to win,” he said .

The former wicketkeep-er, who featured in 133Tests and 170 ODIs between1989 to 2003 for England,reckons it will be a difficultfeat for young Sam Curranto chase Woakes’ spot in theTest side.

“Sam Curran playedone Test match and gotthree wickets, he wants tochase down Chris Woakes’slot but, at the moment,while Woakes is in thisform it is going to be verytough for Sam Curran to getin,” he said.

�!1�� �-�2

Stuart Broad progressedseven places to grab thethird position among

bowlers in the latest ICCPlayer Rankings after a stellarshow in the final Test againstthe West Indies.

England won the thirdand final game by 269 runs toclinch the series 2-1.

The formerly top-rankedbowler, who finished with amatch haul of 10 for 67 dur-ing which he touched themilestone of 500 Test wickets,has reached his best positionsince August 2016 when hewas third.

The 34-year-old has alsogained seven places with thebat after his quick-fire 62 off45 balls in the first innings,the joint-third fastest forEngland in Test history, andrisen three places among all-rounders to 11th.

Indian cricketers, whohave not taken the field sinceMarch due to the COVID-19pandemic, retained their posi-tions in the top-10 of batsmenrankings.

Skipper Virat Kohliremains second in the bats-

men standings behind SteveSmith while CheteshwarPujara and Ajinkya Rahaneremain seventh and ninthrespectively.

In the list of all-rounders,Ravindra Jadeja andRavichandran Ashwin con-

tinue to occupy the third andfifth spot respectively.

However, with Broadmoving seven places to breakin to the top 10, India’s JaspritBumrah was pushed down aspot to be placed eighth in thebowlers list.

Another England bowlerto advance in the rankings wasChris Woakes, whose five-wicket haul in the secondinnings lifted him to 20thposition and a career-best rat-ing points tally of 654.

England opener RoryBurns gained 13 spots to reach17th position after scores of 57and 90 at Old Trafford, thefirst time the 29-year-old left-hander has moved into the top20.

Ollie Pope reached acareer-best 46th position,gaining 24 slots on the back ofhis 91 in his only innings ofthe match, while wicketkeep-er Jos Buttler’s knock of 67 lift-ed him from 50th to 44th.

For the West Indies, ShaiHope has gained two slots toreach 68th position whilepacer Kemar Roach hasmoved a place to reach 15thplace after grabbing four wick-ets in England’s first innings.

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Batting coach Younis Khan saidhe is working hard on the skills

of the lower-order batsmen as hebelieves a “fighting tail” will be cru-cial for Pakistan in the next month’sthree-Test series against England.

The series begins atManchester on August 5.

“If we have to win series inEngland, if we have to fightback,it is important that our tail-endersalso fight, which is the hallmark ofall successful teams,” Khan said,referring to the role of England’slower order in their 2-1 series vic-tory against West Indies.

“It’s not just the top six-sevenbatsmen. The tail-enders mustalso perform with the bat,” he saidduring a virtual press conferenceon Tuesday.

“We are working with ourbowlers, who bat at number 9, 10,11. They may not score a lot, butthey need to put up a fight with thebat,” he said.

“I think Abbas has nice bal-ance. I’m trying to make himtheir leader, so that he can guidethe tail-enders. We’ve been work-ing really hard on their batting -feeding them bouncers and york-ers in the nets.”

Top batsman Babar Azam willbe leading the batting for Pakistanand Younis said his job will to betake his game to the next level.

“He’s been a fantastic per-former for Pakistan with strongperformance in the last couple ofyears. I want him to bat longer,converting his 100 into 150 and150 into 200,” he said.

“Hopefully, he will end up asa legendary batsman. I don't thinkwe should put comparisons ofother players with Babar. All thiscould put unwanted pressure onhim. Babar has a class of his ownand I hope I can take him to thenext level.”

Younis said adapting to theconditions will be the key for thebatsmen in England.

“It’s an open secret that bats-men struggle here, especially ontheir first tours. Batting isn’t easy,more so when it’s cold and over-cast. It’s crucial to play close to thebody, under your eyes and play latewith soft hands,” Younis said.

"We’re working with the boysto ensure that they adapt. See, youcan not change techniqueovernight. Maybe with theextremely young and raw playersyou can, but not with the estab-lished players. That’ll surely back-fire. So, it’s about adapting andrefining your technique to adjustwith the conditions.”

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England opener Jason Roy has said theIreland ODI series will give the team

an opportunity to check out new facesin the ranks with an eye on the T20World Cup, which has now been post-poned to next year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

It will be a young England side ledby Eoin Morgan which will take onIreland with many first team stars likeBen Stokes, Joe Root and Jofra Archerrested after the West Indies Test series.

Speaking to Rob Key on the latestedition of the Sky Sports Cricket pod-cast, the Surrey batsman said: “We’veobviously got the T20 World Cup towork towards [in 2021] and then wewant to go on and win the followingWorld Cup.

“This Ireland series is giving us anopportunity to see a lot of young play-ers — Tom Banton, Saqib Mahmood andother players coming through and oneswho haven’t got a chance in the past.

“It’s another opportunity to see theraw talent coming through. The talentin the squad that we got together for thetraining camp before the cut for thisODI series was scary," said Roy, an ODIWorld Cup winner with England on

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Veteran Ireland all-rounder Kevin O’Brienfeels it is upto the younger crop now to take

cricket in the country to the next level.O’Brien, 36, is part of the 14-man squad to

face England in the first ODI of the three-matchseries that is scheduled to be played at Ageas Bowlhere on Thursday.

O’Brien wrote his name into Irish cricket-ing folklore with a magical innings againstEngland in Bangalore during the 2011 World Cupas he smashed a 50-ball century to set up a his-toric three-wicket win.

“It’s coming on 10 years now,” he said as quot-ed by ESPNcricinfo.

“It’s a little bit frustrating. It’s obviously a veryproud thing, and to talk and think about it doesgive me goosebumps. But I'd like to think I'vehad some performances since then to not just goback to one game.

“Whether my scores show it or not, I thinkI’m a better cricketer now: more rounded, withmore experience under my belt. I'm certainly ina better space now; a more comfortable spacewith where I am mentally and physically," saidO'Brien who has played three Tests, 145 ODIs,96 T20Is for Ireland.

“There’s four or five players all around a sim-ilar age,’ O’Brien said of the younger crop whohave shown promise...” and for them it’s a greatopportunity to write their own legacy and writeIrish cricket’s next chapter. The hunger's certain-ly there with the young guys to get better, trainhard, and be the best players that they can be.

“Ultimately it’s up to them to bring CricketIreland forward when myself and a few of theolder boys hang up the boots. We’ve brought itas far as we can, and it’s up to the younger guysto bring it even further.

“It’s certainly something that I’ve taken noticeof over the last 14 or 15 weeks, over lockdown— a few areas that I need to improve on to staya step ahead of the younger guys. That’s great tohave for me as an individual, and from the team’spoint of view if we’re all trying to be better thaneach other, ultimately the team should be in a bet-ter place going forward.

“The competition for places is crucial andit’s important that we have as much depth as wecan. People are only going to experience that bybeing thrown in at the deep end and playinggames like this and learning on their feet.”

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West Indies played into England'shands by asking the hosts to bat first inthe lost second and Third Tests, reckonslegendary pacer Courtney Walsh.

The legendary Caribbean pacemanfeels the West Indies played it safe afterwinning the opening match and it costthem the series.

The West Indies team won the open-ing Test by four wickets in Southamptonbut lost the second and third match at theOld Trafford to allow England to regainthe Wisden trophy.

“They were probably thinking ‘we’re1-0 up, let’s play safe and try not to losethe next two' and I think that played into

England’s hands, especially in the last onewith the history of the ground,” Walsh,who took 519 wickets in 132 Tests, toldSky Sports.

“To win the toss twice and not batfirst, it is a good question for them toanswer. I think it probably cost us.”

The 57-year-old Walsh, however,credited England for bouncing back afterthe defeat in the series-opener.

“But you still can’t take anything awayfrom England, they played some verygood cricket, they had some top-classbowlers and Broad came in with a pointto prove in the second Test and just con-tinued with that momentum. Oncemomentum swung England's way, theywere dominant,” he said.

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England retained the 14-strongsquad which defeated the West

Indies in the Test series but addedyoung batsmen James Bracey andDan Lawrence to reserves list forthe next month's red ball assign-ment against Pakistan.

The series which will be heldbehind closed doors in a bio-secure environment will begin onAugust 5 at the Old Trafford inManchester, followed by the gamesat Ageas Bowl, Southampton (Aug13-17 and Aug 21-25).

“After three Tests in quicksuccession against the West Indies,we now turn to an equally con-densed Test series against Pakistan,with 15 days of Test cricket sched-uled in a three-week period. Our14-man squad is unchanged,”national selector Ed Smith wasquoted as saying in an ECB state-

ment.“County cricket now restarts

on Saturday 1st August. We wantto have sufficient reserves inside thebio-secure Test match ‘bubble’, butwe may also want to give opportu-nities, where possible, for thereserves to play county cricket.

“As we seek the best balancehere, England may make changesto the reserves during the three-match series against Pakistan.”

The squad and reserves willreport at Old Trafford on Sunday.

Hosts England defeated theWest Indies by 269 runs in the thirdand final Test on Tuesday to claimthe Wisden trophy 2-1.

England Test Squad: Joe Root(Captain), James Anderson, JofraArcher, Dominic Bess, StuartBroad, Rory Burns, Jos Buttler, ZakCrawley, Sam Curran, Ollie Pope,Dom Sibley, Ben Stokes, ChrisWoakes, Mark Wood.

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home soil in 2019.“It was just so good to

watch; that would have been astinking job for the selectors toselect out of that. It must havebeen so difficult. “The processis the same again as it was forthe last four years — build thosefoundations and then find whatworks.”

Roy said the T20 WorldCup is at the forefront ofEngland’s plans going ahead.

“The T20 World Cup isprobably at the forefront of ourminds. But I think we do quitewell as a squad to separate allof the three-forms. But for thetime being we just want to winthis series now.”