12
T amil Nadu has been wit- nessing incessant rain since Wednesday, leading to death of 20 people, with normal life in Chennai and suburbs coming to a standstill. However, the Government is yet to come out with any death figures. The Airport Authority of India (AAI) suspended the arrivals at Chennai Airport from 1.15 pm to 6 pm. However, the service was resumed later in the day. Several roads in Chennai were inundated on Thursday. The traffic police closed at least seven roads and 11 sub- ways, and created diversions across the city for commuters. Due to waterlogging on rail tracks, some suburban trains were suspended while others were delayed. The Regional Meteorological Centre has fore- cast that the metro and suburbs are likely to receive moderate to heavy rainfall during the next 24 hours and this is like- ly to aggravate the situation. S Balachandran, head, RMC, told The Pioneer that Tamil Nadu received 54 per cent rainfall more than the nor- mal level during the North East monsoon. “Chennai has received 77 per cent more rain- fall than normal level,” he said. In the next 24 hours, thun- derstorms with scattered heavy to very heavy rainfall are expected in Chennai, Kancheepuram, Tiruvallur and Ranipet. Thunderstorm with heavy rain can be expected in Vellore, Tirupattur, Vellore, Villupuram and Chengalpattu. Strong winds of 40-45 kmph likely over Chennai and suburbs. At the time of going to Press, there was an announce- ment from the RMC that the intensity of rain would come down by Friday morning. Last two days of rain inun- dated 1.5 lakh acres of stand- ing crops in Cauvery Delta dis- tricts, known as rice bowl of Tamil Nadu. Chief Minister M K Stalin has rushed a team of Ministers to Thanjavur to take stock of the situation. Massive relief operations are underway in Chennai and suburbs to help the people got stranded in the floods. The storm water drainages that carry the excess water from the seven reservoirs that feed the metro have been chocked and this is being seen as the reason for water logging and flooding of the main thoroughfares and ring roads. Pravin Pillai, a resident of Indira Nagar, a high end resi- dential premises, said he has been held up in the house because of the flooded roads and could not move out any- where for buying essential items. “We did not expect this kind of rain though the weath- er bureau had forecast of heavy downpours,” said Pillai. The Chief Minister is tak- ing stock of the situation on a round-the-clock basis and has deputed a team of ministers to lead and supervise the rescue and relief measures undertak- en by the national disaster response force. Governor RN Ravi, himself a former IPS officer, spoke to the NDRF and conveyed to the Centre about the kind of relief works underway in the flood affected areas. Video images of a woman police inspector in the suburbs carrying a person on her shoulders to an autorickshaw went viral. The inspector was seen carrying the 28 -year-old man on her shoulders to a waiting autorickshaw and asking the driver to take him to the near- est hospital caught the attention of the police chief who instant- ly complimented the officer. P unjab Vidhan Sabha on Thursday adopted a reso- lution against the Centre’s noti- fication extending the juris- diction of the Border Security Force from 15 to 50 km along the Indo-Pak interna- tional border in the State, call- ing it an “insult” to the State police force and seeking its withdrawal. The House urged the State Government to take up the matter with the Centre and get the notification withdrawn. The resolution was unan- imously passed by the House “rejecting” the Centre’s order in the absence of the only two BJP MLAs — Arun Narang and Dinesh Babbu — who left the House just before the Deputy Chief Minister-cum-Home Minister Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa was to move the resolution. Notably, the Central Government had the previous month amended the BSF Act to authorise the border guarding force to undertake search, seizure, and arrest within a 50 km stretch, up from the exist- ing 15 km, from the interna- tional border in Punjab, West Bengal and Assam. The resolution stated that “Punjab is a land of martyrs”, and “they have made exem- plary sacrifices in our country’s freedom struggle”. “Punjab police is a unique patriotic force which has con- tributed immensely in main- taining the unity and integrity of the country. As per the Constitution of India, main- taining law and order is the responsibility of the State Government and for this pur- pose, Government of Punjab is fully competent,” read the resolution. A ir quality deteriorated from the higher end of the very poor to severe category on Thursday. According to the System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research (SAFAR), the overall air qual- ity index (AQI) settled at 411 micrograms per cubic. Delhi will not get any respite from pollution as pol- lution monitoring agency, SAFAR, a unit of Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES), said that air quality is likely to deteriorate further and it may touch the higher end of severe category. Though the reason for the high concentration of pol- lutants in the city’s air is slow dispersion of particles due to meteorological factors, stubble burning impact is also signifi- cant. “It is likely to be in the ‘upper end of very poor’ to ‘severe’ category for the next two days. The effective fire count was reduced to 3914 today. Today’s share of crop residue burning is about 26% in PM2.5,” SAFAR said. According to MeT, at 12.6 degree Celsius, Thursday morning was the coldest of the season with the mercury falling below 13 degrees for the first time. Values of Suspended Particulate Matters (SPMs) on the National Ambient Air Quality Index (NAAQI) also recorded many folds higher than prescribed standards of WHO and IMD. As per the SAFAR’s index, Particulate Matters (PMs) 10 and 2.5 were recorded at 387 and 237 micrograms per cubic. In the short range air pol- lution forecast, values of both particles are expected to be 445 and 272 for Friday and 368 and 225 for Saturday! An AQI between 201 and 300 is categorised as “poor”, between 301 and 400 “very poor” and over 400 is “severe”. At 8 am, at least 21 air quality monitoring stations were in the severe range, with Anand Vihar the worst (453). Ghufran Beig, founder and project director at SAFAR, said local wind speed, which was hovering between 8- 10 km/hr, was also expected to drop. “A combination of strong transport-level winds, along with calm wind speed over Delhi is likely to see ‘severe’ air again. If the farm fires remain the same, the share of stubble burning will start increasing again from Thursday as winds from Punjab and Haryana will pick up,” he said. P resident on India Ram Nath Kovind on Thursday made a special mention of the Governor of Jharkhand, Ramesh Bais, and appreciated the work being done by him in the direction of solar energy in Raj Bhavan, Jharkhand during his concluding speech at the 51st Governors’ Conference at Rashtrapati Bhawan in New Delhi. Governor Ramesh Bais, on the occasion talked about sev- eral important issues pertain- ing to the State of Jharkhand including issues of Sarna Code, Tribal Advisory Council and abrogation of the rights of municipal heads in the State. “There is a constant demand for the implementa- tion of Sarna Dharma Code in the State. Several delegations met me in this context, although officially this matter has not come before me yet. I would like to inform that the powers of the Governor in the formation of TAC and appoint- ment of members have been abolished by the State Government without the prior consent and approval of the Governor. Along with this, the powers of Municipal Corporation, Mayor and President of Municipality have also been abolished by the government. I am taking legal opinion in this regard,” he said. “Jharkhand Public Service Commission has not made any recruitment in universities after the year 2008. Universities are functioning only at 30 per cent faculty capacity. But, now the recruitment process has been started. Higher educational institutions actively participat- ed in the Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat program and organized various seminars, workshops and programmes. Under the Marang Gomke Jaipal Singh Munda Pardeshi Scholarship Scheme, this year 6 students of Scheduled Tribes were given scholarships for education in higher educational institutions in London,” he added. Bais said that Jharkhand has a unique identity at the national level in the field of sports. “I am proud that two daughters of Jharkhand's Salima Tete and Nikki Pradhan, members of Indian women's hockey team, impressed every- one with their excellent per- formance in the Tokyo Olympics,” he said. “Vaccination work is also going on at a fast pace in the state. The strategy of Test, Track, Isolate, Treat and Vaccinate is being adopted to prevent Covid-19 infection and possible third wave,” he said. The Jharkhand Governor said that Left Wing Extremism is the problem of many states today and Jharkhand is also no exception to it. But with the strictness and vigilance of the security forces, extremist orga- nizations are being dealt with and efforts are being made to bring them into the main- stream through surrender, he added. T he Central Government has declared November 15, the birthday of Bhagwan Birsa Munda as Janjatiya Gaurav Divas to commemorate the role of tribal freedom fighters in the freedom struggle of India. On November 15 and on this day Jharkhand was formed as a state. The decision was taken during the cabinet meet- ing chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi a day back. Modi in his Tweet announced that the birthday of Bhagwan Birsa Munda will be celebrated as the Janjatiya Gaurav Divas. He said that the life of Birsa Munda teaches us courage and service to the nation. “This is a great honour for the people of Jharkhand and the rest of the country. We as a nation pay our tribute to Bhagwan Birsa Munda who will keep inspiring us. It will make the coming generations aware of the sacrifices of the tribal freedom fighters during India’s freedom struggle,” said BJP Rajya Sabha MP Mahesh Poddar. The decision is part of the year-long celebrations of 75 years of India’s Independence called Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav. Born on November 15, 1875, Bhagwan Birsa Munda had spearheaded a tribal agi- tation against colonial exploita- tions. He raised an armed rebellion to drive Britishers out of the country. As part of the Janjatiya Gaurav Divas celebration the Centre along with state gov- ernments will launch a week- long celebration from November 15 to November 22 to display the glorious history of tribal society, culture, her- itage, the contribution of trib- al society in the freedom strug- gle. Every year the Janjatiya Gaurav Divas day will be marked by special programmes and displays of the rich tribal repository of India and to rec- ognize the role of tribal society in preserving cultural heritage and Indian values. The Prime Minister has been particularly fond of the life and contribution of Birsa Munda and the tribal society. In 2016, he had sanctioned set- ting up as many as 10 tribal freedom fighter museums across India including one in Ranchi. The old Ranchi jail where he took his last breath is being renovated as a museum.

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Page 1: 01+ !ˆ((!) $!%&’ 5 ’ ˇ.8˛2 8+˙ 697 ˛908 ˛+ 06.,70˘ ˘06

��������������������� ������������������������������������������������������� ��������� �������������������������������������������������� ��������������!"#$�� �������������� �$"���������������%&����������������� �����'�����������(��'���� ����������������)������&*����������� ���������� ���� ��� ���������&���������� ������������'�������������������������� �����������������������+����������,������&�-������.������/�0������'�������*

���������!"����������������� ��#��$����%������&���(�����&�'����������������(�������������������&������#1�������&������� ��'����� �����2������&'��3����4��������'�' ���� ����������3���� ��� ��������������*�����5�������������������������(�����&�'������������������������%���������������*

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Tamil Nadu has been wit-nessing incessant rain since

Wednesday, leading to death of20 people, with normal life inChennai and suburbs comingto a standstill. However, theGovernment is yet to come outwith any death figures.

The Airport Authority ofIndia (AAI) suspended thearrivals at Chennai Airportfrom 1.15 pm to 6 pm.However, the service wasresumed later in the day.

Several roads in Chennaiwere inundated on Thursday.The traffic police closed atleast seven roads and 11 sub-

ways, and created diversionsacross the city for commuters.Due to waterlogging on railtracks, some suburban trainswere suspended while otherswere delayed.

The RegionalMeteorological Centre has fore-cast that the metro and suburbsare likely to receive moderateto heavy rainfall during thenext 24 hours and this is like-ly to aggravate the situation.

S Balachandran, head,RMC, told The Pioneer thatTamil Nadu received 54 percent rainfall more than the nor-mal level during the North Eastmonsoon. “Chennai hasreceived 77 per cent more rain-

fall than normal level,” he said.In the next 24 hours, thun-

derstorms with scattered heavyto very heavy rainfall areexpected in Chennai,Kancheepuram, Tiruvallur andRanipet. Thunderstorm withheavy rain can be expected inVellore, Tirupattur, Vellore, Villupuram andChengalpattu. Strong winds of40-45 kmph likely overChennai and suburbs.

At the time of going toPress, there was an announce-ment from the RMC that theintensity of rain would comedown by Friday morning.

Last two days of rain inun-dated 1.5 lakh acres of stand-

ing crops in Cauvery Delta dis-tricts, known as rice bowl ofTamil Nadu. Chief Minister MK Stalin has rushed a team ofMinisters to Thanjavur to takestock of the situation.

Massive relief operationsare underway in Chennai andsuburbs to help the people gotstranded in the floods. Thestorm water drainages thatcarry the excess water from theseven reservoirs that feed themetro have been chocked andthis is being seen as the reasonfor water logging and floodingof the main thoroughfares andring roads.

Pravin Pillai, a resident ofIndira Nagar, a high end resi-dential premises, said he hasbeen held up in the housebecause of the flooded roadsand could not move out any-where for buying essentialitems.

“We did not expect thiskind of rain though the weath-er bureau had forecast of heavydownpours,” said Pillai.

The Chief Minister is tak-ing stock of the situation on around-the-clock basis and hasdeputed a team of ministers tolead and supervise the rescueand relief measures undertak-en by the national disasterresponse force.

Governor RN Ravi, himselfa former IPS officer, spoke tothe NDRF and conveyed to theCentre about the kind of reliefworks underway in the floodaffected areas.

Video images of a womanpolice inspector in the suburbscarrying a person on her shoulders to an autorickshawwent viral.

The inspector was seencarrying the 28 -year-old manon her shoulders to a waitingautorickshaw and asking thedriver to take him to the near-est hospital caught the attentionof the police chief who instant-ly complimented the officer.

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

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Punjab Vidhan Sabha onThursday adopted a reso-

lution against the Centre’s noti-fication extending the juris-diction of the Border SecurityForce from 15 to 50 km along the Indo-Pak interna-tional border in the State, call-ing it an “insult” to the Statepolice force and seeking itswithdrawal.

The House urged the StateGovernment to take up thematter with the Centre and getthe notification withdrawn.

The resolution was unan-imously passed by the House“rejecting” the Centre’s order inthe absence of the only two BJPMLAs — Arun Narang andDinesh Babbu — who left theHouse just before the DeputyChief Minister-cum-HomeMinister Sukhjinder SinghRandhawa was to move the resolution.

Notably, the CentralGovernment had the previousmonth amended the BSF Act toauthorise the border guardingforce to undertake search,seizure, and arrest within a 50km stretch, up from the exist-ing 15 km, from the interna-tional border in Punjab, WestBengal and Assam.

The resolution stated that“Punjab is a land of martyrs”,and “they have made exem-plary sacrifices in our country’sfreedom struggle”.

“Punjab police is a uniquepatriotic force which has con-tributed immensely in main-taining the unity and integrity

of the country. As per theConstitution of India, main-taining law and order is theresponsibility of the StateGovernment and for this pur-pose, Government of Punjab isfully competent,” read the resolution.

������� ����� 6.7��.8�2

Air quality deteriorated fromthe higher end of the very

poor to severe category onThursday.

According to the System ofAir Quality and WeatherForecasting and Research(SAFAR), the overall air qual-ity index (AQI) settled at 411micrograms per cubic.

Delhi will not get anyrespite from pollution as pol-lution monitoring agency,SAFAR, a unit of Ministry ofEarth Sciences (MoES), saidthat air quality is likely todeteriorate further and it maytouch the higher end of severecategory. Though the reason forthe high concentration of pol-

lutants in the city’s air is slowdispersion of particles due tometeorological factors, stubbleburning impact is also signifi-cant.

“It is likely to be in the‘upper end of very poor’ to‘severe’ category for the nexttwo days. The effective firecount was reduced to 3914today. Today’s share of cropresidue burning is about 26%in PM2.5,” SAFAR said.

According to MeT, at 12.6degree Celsius, Thursdaymorning was the coldest of theseason with the mercury fallingbelow 13 degrees for the firsttime. Values of SuspendedParticulate Matters (SPMs) onthe National Ambient AirQuality Index (NAAQI) alsorecorded many folds higherthan prescribed standards ofWHO and IMD.

As per the SAFAR’s index,Particulate Matters (PMs) 10and 2.5 were recorded at 387

and 237 micrograms per cubic.In the short range air pol-

lution forecast, values of bothparticles are expected to be 445and 272 for Friday and 368 and225 for Saturday!

An AQI between 201 and300 is categorised as “poor”,between 301 and 400 “verypoor” and over 400 is “severe”.At 8 am, at least 21 air qualitymonitoring stations were in thesevere range, with Anand Viharthe worst (453). Ghufran Beig,founder and project director atSAFAR, said local wind speed,which was hovering between 8-10 km/hr, was also expected todrop. “A combination of strongtransport-level winds, alongwith calm wind speed overDelhi is likely to see ‘severe’ airagain. If the farm fires remainthe same, the share of stubbleburning will start increasingagain from Thursday as windsfrom Punjab and Haryana willpick up,” he said.

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

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President on India Ram NathKovind on Thursday made

a special mention of theGovernor of Jharkhand,Ramesh Bais, and appreciatedthe work being done by him inthe direction of solar energy inRaj Bhavan, Jharkhand duringhis concluding speech at the51st Governors’ Conference atRashtrapati Bhawan in NewDelhi.

Governor Ramesh Bais, onthe occasion talked about sev-eral important issues pertain-ing to the State of Jharkhandincluding issues of Sarna Code,Tribal Advisory Council and

abrogation of the rights ofmunicipal heads in the State.

“There is a constantdemand for the implementa-tion of Sarna Dharma Code inthe State. Several delegationsmet me in this context,although officially this matterhas not come before me yet. Iwould like to inform that thepowers of the Governor in theformation of TAC and appoint-ment of members have beenabolished by the StateGovernment without the priorconsent and approval of theGovernor. Along with this, thepowers of MunicipalCorporation, Mayor andPresident of Municipality havealso been abolished by thegovernment. I am taking legalopinion in this regard,” he said.

“Jharkhand Public ServiceCommission has not made anyrecruitment in universities after

the year 2008. Universities arefunctioning only at 30 per centfaculty capacity. But, now therecruitment process has beenstarted. Higher educationalinstitutions actively participat-ed in the Ek Bharat ShreshthaBharat program and organizedvarious seminars, workshopsand programmes. Under theMarang Gomke Jaipal Singh

Munda Pardeshi ScholarshipScheme, this year 6 students ofScheduled Tribes were givenscholarships for education inhigher educational institutionsin London,” he added.

Bais said that Jharkhandhas a unique identity at thenational level in the field ofsports. “I am proud that twodaughters of Jharkhand's

Salima Tete and Nikki Pradhan,members of Indian women'shockey team, impressed every-one with their excellent per-formance in the TokyoOlympics,” he said.

“Vaccination work is alsogoing on at a fast pace in thestate. The strategy of Test,Track, Isolate, Treat andVaccinate is being adopted toprevent Covid-19 infection andpossible third wave,” he said.

The Jharkhand Governorsaid that Left Wing Extremismis the problem of many statestoday and Jharkhand is also noexception to it. But with thestrictness and vigilance of thesecurity forces, extremist orga-nizations are being dealt withand efforts are being made tobring them into the main-stream through surrender, headded.

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The Central Governmenthas declared November 15,

the birthday of Bhagwan BirsaMunda as Janjatiya GauravDivas to commemorate therole of tribal freedom fightersin the freedom struggle ofIndia.

On November 15 and onthis day Jharkhand was formedas a state. The decision wastaken during the cabinet meet-ing chaired by Prime MinisterNarendra Modi a day back.

Modi in his Tweetannounced that the birthday ofBhagwan Birsa Munda will becelebrated as the JanjatiyaGaurav Divas. He said that thelife of Birsa Munda teaches uscourage and service to thenation.

“This is a great honour forthe people of Jharkhand andthe rest of the country. We asa nation pay our tribute to

Bhagwan Birsa Munda whowill keep inspiring us. It willmake the coming generationsaware of the sacrifices of thetribal freedom fighters duringIndia’s freedom struggle,” saidBJP Rajya Sabha MP MaheshPoddar.

The decision is part of theyear-long celebrations of 75years of India’s Independencecalled Azadi Ka AmritMahotsav.

Born on November 15,1875, Bhagwan Birsa Mundahad spearheaded a tribal agi-tation against colonial exploita-tions. He raised an armedrebellion to drive Britishersout of the country.

As part of the JanjatiyaGaurav Divas celebration theCentre along with state gov-ernments will launch a week-long celebration fromNovember 15 to November 22to display the glorious historyof tribal society, culture, her-

itage, the contribution of trib-al society in the freedom strug-gle.

Every year the JanjatiyaGaurav Divas day will bemarked by special programmesand displays of the rich tribalrepository of India and to rec-ognize the role of tribal societyin preserving cultural heritageand Indian values.

The Prime Minister hasbeen particularly fond of thelife and contribution of BirsaMunda and the tribal society.In 2016, he had sanctioned set-ting up as many as 10 tribalfreedom fighter museumsacross India including one inRanchi. The old Ranchi jailwhere he took his last breath isbeing renovated as a museum.

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����������� ������ �������������������� ��������������������������� ������������������������ !"�#�����$�%�����#��������������#���#����&' "!!'�(���!)* " !!* ��&���+������������,-����������������.#/01��21/��3%�/��(/40��.(��(1�����0�� "*� ""��������%����#��#����&' "!!'�5������26�����7�2�����+07��3������#�������2�����+�������������#0/#�-��58�209:*!!':**) !�#291�0��#0&;"*:*!!'��/#�3#�8�#92��#��;�!!2��+�������%�� ���<��0����+���=���+��� �>����� ������+%�-����>�������������+��$�����1����4�����+0��?�%�����9�� %�<��%�������@����-�0�<1����&;;!!!*������+!;;&"!;;!"AA�������������4�����+B& ;�������?�04/1��9���%���0-�&*!; !;�3��������+!;*!&"'C)'!!>"'C))!!�������<4�����+"��B���������������-�������B�D �#���������<**?!;?�(���������+!A**&* "?"" �* "?"""�* "?""A�

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Standing waist-deep in waterfor the longevity and well-

being of their family members,thousands of devotees onThursday offered prayers to theSun God on the last day of thefour-day Chhath Puja celebra-tions in the city.

The banks of RiverSubarnarekha and Kharkaiwere abuzz with activities asdevotees headed towards the‘ghats’ from Wednesday after-noon.

Thousands of devoteesoffered ̀ `Araghya`` to the set-ting sun at various ghats inMango, Adityapur, Baghbera,Sidhgora. However, ghats atAdityapur and Mango likealways witnessed the maxi-mum devotees.

Several temporarycanopies were also put up bycity-based social and culturalorganisations to lend help andessential commodities to thedevotees and fast observers.Moreover, the district admin-istration had deployed policepersonnel and emergency ser-vices like an ambulance atriverbanks.

Some ardent devotees inBagbera covered the entireroute from their respective res-idences to the riverbanks

stretching the body on theground.

A medical team and anambulance were deployed atSubernarekha ghat andBodhanwala Ghat to meetemergencies. Danger zoneswere demarcated with red flagsand ropes at various river ghatsby Jamshedpur Notified AreaCommittee (JNAC) while localdivers were also deployed atSubernarekha ghat andDomuhani.

"The festival is a way tothank Sun god for giving usenergy. Chhath Puja is per-formed to promote well being,progress and prosperity of thefamily, relatives and friends,"said Nisha Sinha, a housewife.

Lakhs of devotees offeredprayers after taking dip inrivers. The festival is alsobelieved to be of truth, non-violence, forgiveness and com-passion.

Devotees after offeringsalutations to the Sun indulgein singing folklores, hymnsfrom Rig Veda for the betterupkeep of their family. One ofthe popular beliefs associatedwith the festival is that wor-shiping Sun helps in curing dis-eases such as leprosy andensures longevity of familyand friends.

Youth attacked with bombat Chhath ghat

Jamshedpur. A youthnamed Vicky Nandi, who wasreturning from Beldih ChhathGhat under Adityapur policestation, was attacked by mis-creants with bullets and bombs.During the incident, twowomen including his relativeKriti received a splinter fromthe bomb. Vicky Nandi alongwith his partner was sitting inhis car after offering Arghya tothe rising sun when someoneattacked him with bombs and

bullets.After the incident, the girl

was taken to Tata MainHospital for treatment whereher condition is said to be outof danger. On the other hand,Adityapur police reached thespot as soon as the informationabout the matter was receivedand have started investigatingthe matter. Adityapur policestation in-charge Alok Dubeysaid that while returning fromChhath Ghat, the woman gothurt in her leg. The shell hasbeen recovered from the spot.

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Senior BJP leader AmarpreetSingh Kale has welcomed

the decision of Prime MinisterNarendra Modi ledGovernment to celebrate 15thNovember, the birth anniver-sary of tribal icon Birsa Munda,as Janjatiya Gaurav Divas. Hethanked Modi and UnionTribal Affairs Minister ArjunMunda for the decision.

The Union Cabinet hasapproved the declaration of15th November as JanjatiyaGaurav Divas dedicated in thememory of brave tribal free-dom fighters.

Kale said that Birsa Mundawas a revolutionary triballeader who died fighting for thecause of the people. He remem-bered the leader and said thatthe country cannot forgetMunda’s contribution in thefreedom struggle.

The Government of Indiahas planned week-long cele-brations starting from 15th

November to 22ndNovember 2021 to cel-ebrate and commem-orate 75 years of theglorious history oftribal people, cultureand achievements.

As part of the cel-ebration, several activ-ities have beenplanned in associationwith the state govern-ment and the themebehind each activity isto showcase theachievements of tribalpeople in IndianFreedom struggle, var-ious welfare measurestaken by theGovernment of Indiain education, health, liveli-hood, infrastructure and skilldevelopment.

“Whenever we talk aboutthe struggle of martyr BirsaMunda, our eyes becomemoist, his story of the immenseloyalty and bravery of such abrave revolutionary makes us

feel proud. Such a hero, whonot only fought the British forhis holy land, for his societyand his people, for his cultureand above all to protect his self-respect and the pride of thetribal community, he gave atough fight to the British,” saidKale.

����� �06��2

In commemoration of theWorld Quality Day, celebra-

tions were held at the SAILRanchi Units today. The qual-ity flags were hoisted by Dr.Kamakshi Raman, ED(HRD);Jagdish Arora, ED(CET) & N.Banerjee, ED (RDCIS). Head ofSafety S. Vashishtha, CGM wasalso present on the occasion. AtRDCIS, Banerjee administeredthe Quality Pledge, Dr. SKDhua, CGM, read out theQuality Policy and Qualityobjectives of RDCIS. At CET,pledge was administered byCGMs Mahendra Choudharyand Supriyo Joardar in Hindiand English respectively. AtMTI, P. Shaw, CGM spokeabout the theme of this year.

COVID protocols were fol-lowed everywhere.

The executive Directors intheir speech highlighted thevirtues of Sustainability, inter-nalization of quality in day-to-day life and aspects of QualityManagement relevant to thecontext of SAIL today. Also, theinextricable link between qual-ity and safety was deliberated.

Certificates were awardedto the winners of the QualitySlogan and Quality EssayCompetitions. The programswere coordinated by SP Das,Atanu Mukherjee and RajeevBaskiyar at CET, MTI & RDCISrespectively. At CET also in vir-tual mode with 80 participantsincluding sub centres withactive participation of AbhayaKumar and Rachna Ranjan.

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Health officials ofDaltonganj in a rare ges-

ture held two tables one of thefruits and other of the rapidantigen test on WednesdayChhath, said civil surgeonPalamu Anil Kumar.

It was a novel idea of theteam to offer fruits to theChhath devotees, said Kumar.

Conducting rapid antigentests was a challenge as manywho were asked to undergo thissped past.

Anil Kumar said he had toliterally support the head of aman on whom a rapid antigentest was done.

Police of Chainpur andRamgarh both laid out fruits'table for the devotees.

P R Rai officer in charge of

the Ramgarh police stationtoday said we laid our fruitstable in collaboration with thelocals.

He described it as a bridgebetween the public and thepolice.There were apples,oranges and bananas.

The Chhath festival passedoff peacefully barring one inci-dent where two brothers bothunder ten died by drowning inNawa Bazar police station, saidthe officer in charge of theNawa Bazaar police stationLalji Yadav.

The two minor brothersbelonged to the most deprivedclass Bhuiyan and had gone toNawa Bazaar's Rajhara basedmaternal house fromDaltonganj where in the Koyalriver they went to swim only todie in water.

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With offeringArghya to the

rising sun, the four-daylong festival of faith,Chhath concluded onThursday. On thethird day of Chhath, onW e d n e s d a y ,Chathvartis offeredArghya to the settingsun. There was a rushof devotees from Giridih townto other ghats of the villages.People reached Chhath Ghatswith gaiety with a dala ontheir forehead. Some peoplereached the ghat with a band.Various Chhath Ghats wereilluminated by the local wor-ship committees.

Children also threw fire-works at Chhath Ghats.

The Ghat resonated withthe sound of firecrackers andChhath songs.

The whole atmosphereremained devotional. Thedevotees prayed to LordBhaskar and sought the bless-ings of good wishes for them-selves and their family.Worshiped the idol of LordBhaskar installed on the ghats.During this, elaborate securityarrangements were made at allthe ghats. A large number ofpolice personnel were deployed

Describing the impor-tance of Chhath Mahaparv.

Pandit Shri DhaneshwarPandey said that the beginningof Chhath Mahaparv startedfrom Bihar and it started whenthe king of that place had gotleprosy, then that king askedthe Rishi to get rid of the dis-ease. And then the rishi askedthe king to celebrate SuryaShashthi, after which that kingbecame disease free and sincethen people started celebratingthis festival as ChhathMahaparv.

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Giridih's RJD leader AnilYadav, accused of run-

ning a stone quarry with ille-gal explosives, was arrested bythe Bengabad police onThursday from his house atChirayaghat in the city andsent to jail.

However, during the policeraid, the accused tried toescape but the police caughtthe accused after a lot of effort.

According to information,police got secret informationthat the accused RJD leaderhad come to his house. Afterthis information, the policeraided the house of BarmasiyaChirayaghat in his city andsucceeded in arresting him.

Notably, two months ago,

Bengabad police station hadregistered a case number199/2021 against the accusedAnil Yadav for illegal posses-sion of explosives.

The accused had abscond-ed after the case was registeredunder sections 414/34 ofBhadvi and 3/4 of non-bailablesections. In this sequence, hewas arrested on Thursday.

In September, police raid-ed under the leadership ofSadar SDPO Anil Singh in thestone quarry of Karmajora vil-lage of Bengabad police stationarea of accused RJD leaderAnil Yadav and recovered alarge amount of explosivematerial and at the that time 6more accused were arrestedfrom the mine and sent to jail.

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The enthusiasm of thedevotees was at its peak

regarding the festival of sunworship and folk faith, ChhathPuja on Wednesday andThursday. Chhathvratis offerArghya to the setting sun inthe evening. On behalf ofJharkhand Government,Finance and Food SuppliesMinister Dr. RameshwarOraon prayed for the happi-ness and prosperity of thepeople of the State by offeringarghya to the setting sun in an

artificial pond constructed atChappan Set colony inDoranda,.

On this occasion, Oraonsaid that since childhood, hehas been offering Arghya onthe occasion of ChhathMahaparv. In his childhood heused to have Chhath festival inhis house, he always offersArghya to the rising and ris-ing sun. He said that India isthe only country where boththe setting sun and the risingsun are worshipped. There isno discrimination in this. Hesaid in his message that just asLord Surya considers every-one equal, he has equal vision,in the same way we also needto forget all discriminationand look at the entire humansociety with one eye.

On this occasion, Chief

Patron of Chhath PujaCommittee, Alok KumarDubey and President LalKishore Nath Shahdev saidthat following the guidelinesof Covid-19, all Chhath Vratisoffered Arghya. He said thatIndian culture is different inthe world because we aredrowning. The sun worshipedfirst, Chhath Puja unites thewhole society in one threadand every person and everycommunity participates inChhath.

He said that in the capitalcity, Chhath Vratis and devo-tees offered Arghya in morethan 100 artificial ponds, 45ponds and two dams and var-ious ghats of three rivers andeverywhere in collaborationwith Mahanagar Chhath PujaCommittee administration,supported Chhath Vartis.

NDRF team was also deployedat major Chhath Ghats, KankeDam, Hatia Dam, Bada Talaband some other big ponds ofthe city. At the same time,lighting and changing roomswere also arranged at all theChhath Ghats. Due to goodrains this year, the water levelof most of the ponds, damsand rivers remained elevated,so the deep places weremarked with red ribbon anddevotees and Chhathvrati alsooffered Arghya by stayinginside the red ribbon.

All the Chhath Ghats werecleaned and decorated attrac-tively by the Chhath commit-tees.

Alok Dubey and LalKishore Shahdev said that thereligious songs of Chhathplaying all around includingChhath Ghats had made the

atmosphere more devotional.Meanwhile, fruits and otheritems were also being distrib-uted on the way by socialorganizations to Chhath Vratisgoing towards Chhath Ghats.Here, with traditional drumsand drums, Chhathvratireached the Ghats while pay-ing obeisance on the way andoffered the first Arghya to thesetting sun by standing in theponds. After that, variousChhath Ghats worshiped LordBhaskar with full devotionand devotion by Chhath Vratisand devotees.

On behalf of RanchiMahanagar Chhath PujaCommittee, Chief PatronAlok Dubey and KishoreShahdev thanked the Stategovernment for providing thebest arrangements throughFacebook Live.

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Chief Minister HemantSoren is likely to inaugu-

rate a museum constructed atthe old jail campus, which hasbeen dedicated to freedomfighters of the State, includingtribal leader and freedom fight-er Birsa Munda, on November15, the day on which the Statecelebrates its Foundation Day.The museum built at an old jailcomplex is where Birsa Mundapopularly known as DhartiAbba or Father of the Earthbreathed his last.

The museum design isbased on Cellular jail inAndaman and Nicobar islandsand is built at the cost of Rs 35crore having statues of BirsaMunda. As per museumdesign, a statue of Birsa Mundahas been installed in the roomwhere he was imprisoned by

the British, along with a 30-feet-high statue of BirsaMunda, built by sculptor RamSutar, has been installed on theleft side of the entrance. The jailcomplex also has a representa-tion of Ulihatu village inKhunti district where BirsaMunda was born.

At the entrance, there is aboard having informationabout the arrival of the Britishin India, history of Ranchi, andthe struggle of Birsa Munda.

The backside of the muse-um has 10 statues of martyrs,where their stories will be toldthrough a laser show. BirsaMemorial Park is also beingbuilt next to the jail complex.

During the tenure of theprevious Raghubar Das gov-ernment in Jharkhand, it wasdecided to develop Ranchi'sBirsa Munda Old Jail as a her-itage complex. The old central

jail was lying unused after thenew jail was built at Hotwar onthe outskirts of the city in2006.

The conservation andrestoration work of the muse-um has been done by IndianTrust for Rural Heritage andDevelopment, an NGO. Thenearby Smriti Park will show-

case the various tribes ofJharkhand in specially designedhuts and will host a war memo-rial containing the bust of trib-al martyrs who sacrificed theirlives in military warfare.

On November 15, on theoccasion of JharkhandFoundation Day, the Sorengovernment is going to give the

State launching various welfareschemes, introduction of newpolicies and inauguration ofvarious projects. Sources saidthat the State Government isalso going to provide appoint-ment letters to people and inthis connection Chief SecretarySukhdev Singh has written aletter to all the departmentsregarding their preparation.

The Chief Secretary hasdirected to make available thecomplete list of the schemes tobe inaugurated along with thecost. The Chief Secretary hassaid that the departmentswhich will not distribute theappointment letter, will submittheir report after registeringzero report. CS has asked toprovide all the informationwithin a day. This year the StateFoundation Day function willbe held in the Project BuildingSecretariat.

����� �06��2

Minister and the leader ofJharkhand Congress leg-

islative party Alamgir Alam hascalled a meeting of the legisla-tive body of the party on thedemand of party MLAs.

The meeting is scheduledfor Friday at the residence ofthe minister.

“Many MLAs want to con-vey to the government whatthey expect from the govern-ment since there are a lot ofpending issues, employmentand the policy decisions onimportant issues. As a matter ofpractice they need to conveytheir views to the leader of thelegislative fold,” said a seniorCongress leader.

But party insiders said thatthe meeting was called follow-ing pressure mounted byMahagama MLA DipikaPandey Singh and five otherMLAs.

Ahead of the next cabinetmeeting, they want Congress’ministers to put pressure on thegovernment to take importantdecisions.

“We want the governmentfor a relook into the languagepolicy in which Bhojpuri,Maithili and Magahi wereremoved from the list of lan-guages of Jharkhand. Youths

are disappointed as the gov-ernment has not delivered any-thing for employment.Examination schedules areannounced and cancelled.Youths are on the road,” said anMLA.

Congress MLAs fear that inthe next election they will facean anti-incumbency wave.There are four Congress min-isters in the government.

Mahagama MLA, on theother hand, said that there aremany issues that the govern-ment needs to resolve on a pri-

ority basis. “There should be acommon minimum pro-gramme to fix priorities. Youthsare still waiting for the job. Thegovernment had promised toincrease the honorarium ofAnganwadi workers and manyothers. But this still has notbeen done. Similarly, the gov-ernment has not made its standclear on 27 percent reservationto OBC,” she said.

She alleged the govern-ment officials ignore CongressMLAs and they are unable toget any work done.

����� �06��2

The long pending demand ofpeople of Jharkhand espe-

cially those of Ranchi andLohardaga district was ful-filled today as Ranchi-NewDelhi Rajdhani Special Expressstarted its maiden journey viathe Lohardaga-Tori rain link.

BJP parliamentariansincluding Ranchi MP SanjaySeth, Rajya Sabha membersDeepak Prakash, MaheshPoddar, Ranchi MLA CP Singhand DRM Pradeep Guptaflagged off the Ranchi-NewDelhi Rajdhani Express viaTori-Lohardaga route. Thetrain, decorated with flowers,will reach Delhi on Friday intwo hour less via a new route.

From Delhi, the train willleave every Wednesday andtravel on the altered route toreach Ranchi. According tothe railways, the train will stopat Tori, Daltonganj, GarhwaRoad — all three in Jharkhandreaching New Delhi with stop-pages at Pt. DeendayalUpadhyay Junction (MugalSarai), Prayagraj and Kanpurjunctions. The train will, how-ever, not halt at Lohardagajunction.

Ranchi Rajdhani runs fourdays a week via two routes. Thetrain cuts through Muri-Barkakhana for two days andtakes the Ranchi-Bokaro routeon the other days.

People especially those ofLohardaga district are upset

with the train havingno stoppage atLohardaga station asthey claimed that it willnot serve the very pur-pose of their demands.Jagmohan Agarwal, aresident of Lohardagasaid, “We have beendemanding from theRailway to operateRajdhani Express viaLohardaga. TheRailway has acceptedour demand, but notallotting a stoppage atLohardaga station willnot serve the very pur-pose of our demand.”

Agarwal furthersaid, “If Lohardaga toois allotted as a stoppage,residents especiallytraders of Lohardagawill be benefitted asthey don’t have to go to Ranchito board Rajdhani Express.Moreover, having a stoppage atLohardaga will help in devel-oping trade and commerce inbackward districts likeLohardaga.”

Ranchi MP Sanjay Sethwelcomed running of RajdhaniExpress via Lohardaga Toriroute saying that he had beenpursuing the issue with theUnion government for long.“This line was conceptualisedby the late Atal BehariVajpayee. Now that the railwayshave formally announced plansto run the Rajdhani via thisroute, Vajpayee’s dream projectis finally set to become a real-

ity,” said Seth.He also appealed to the rail

minister to consider a halt atLohardaga junction for theRanchi Rajdhani Express forthe benefit of local passengers.He said, “I will meet theRailway minister with thedemand to have a stoppage of

Rajdhani Express at Lohardagaand also running of Rajdhaniexpress via Mesra-Barkakhana-Hazaribagh route. The demandalso includes development ofPiska station on lines of AnandVihar station.”

The use of the Tori line willcut travel time between Ranchi

and Delhi by at least two hours,officials in Ranchi divisionsaid. The 111km- long Tori lineproject was conceived in 1997,but work began only in 2001.It was completed in 2017.

The successful trial on the111km Lohardaga-Tori linetook place in 2019 after layingoff the alternate route to Delhifrom Ranchi. Even during thepeak of the second wave of theCovid-19 pandemic, when spe-cial trains carrying oxygenwere run from Ranchi tonorthern parts of the country,the Lohardaga-Tori line wasused.

����� �06��2

Central Mine Planning andDesign Institute (CMPDI),

Ranchi has been grantedrenewal of recognition as an in-House R&D Unit fromDepartment of Scientific andIndustrial Research (DSIR),Ministry of Science andTechnology (DST),Government of India, NewDelhi, up to 31.03.2024.

Based on the state-of-the-art infrastructure facilities andwell-equipped laboratories, therecognition will facilitates R&Dunit to avail exemption of cus-tom duty as provided in theGovernment policy in force,during the period of recogni-tion.

Apart from the expertise in

different areas includingresearch work, CMPDI is alsonodal agency for coordinationand monitoring of coal S&Tprojects funded by the Ministryof Coal.

MoC has identified differ-ent thrust areas for researchprojects which includesAdvanced technology /methodology for improvementof production & productivity,Improvement of safety, healthand environment, Waste towealth, Alternative use of coaland clean coal technology, Coalbeneficiation and utilization,Exploration, Innovation andindigenization (Under Make-in-India concept). Rs. 103 Cr.has been earmarked by theMoC for promotion of researchactivities during 2021-2026.

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Union Health MinisterMansukh Mandaviya on

Thursday warned that Statesand Union Territories ‘should-n’t think that Covid-19 is over’and should ask people not tolower their guard.

Mandaviya virtually metHealth Ministers of all Statesand Union Territories to reviewthe campaign of ‘Har GharDastak’ to ensure vaccination ofall adults who have not gottheir first dose of Covid-19 vac-cine or are overdue for theirsecond dose.

During the meeting,Mandaviya said that in thenational interest, all States andUTs must work together in acollaborative spirit towards‘Har Ghar Dastak’ Covid-19vaccination drive so that no

household is left unvaccinatedin the country, said the state-ment.

The meeting of the HealthMinisters comes a week afterPrime Minister Narendra Modion November 3 interacted withdistrict magistrates and healthofficials of over 45 districtsacross 12 States and UnionTerritories where the first dosecoverage of Covid-19 vaccinewas less than 50 per cent.

As per the official figures,around 79.2 per cent of India’sadult population has beeninoculated with at least onedose of Covid-19 vaccine,while more than 37 per cent ofaround 94 crore adult popula-tion has been administeredboth doses.

Uttar Pradesh tops the listof States which have adminis-tered the highest number of

Covid vaccine doses.Maharashtra is at second spot

followed by West Bengal,Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh.

�������������������������������������� ����� 6.7��.8�2

Delta variant of Covid-19continues to be the main

variant of concern and othervariants of interest or concernare now negligible in sequenc-ing data from India, theIndian Sars-CoV-2 GenomicsConsortium (INSACOG) saidon Thursday.

Delta was first detected inIndia in October last year.Low frequency of the newAY.4.2 variant in IndiaEuropesees rise in Delta variant

The forum set up underthe Union Ministry of Healthand Family Welfare, furthersaid that it has outcompetedother variants in most coun-tries adding that other VOI orVOC are now negligible insequencing data from India.

In its bulletin, INSACOGsaid “there is no change in theglobal scenario and calledDelta, including B.1.617.2(AY) and AY.x sublineages,main VOC globally.”

Delta which was detectedin India in October last yearwas responsible for the dev-astating second wave of thecoronavirus pandemic in thecountry, which reached itspeak in April-May 2022.

There is now a decliningprevalence of other variantsamong SARS-CoV-2sequences submitted to pub-licly available datasets or

reported to the WHO, it said.In India, Delta (B.1.617.2

and AY.x) continues to be themain variant of concern(VOC).

“No new VOI or VOC arenoted and other VOC andVOI other than Delta arenow negligible in sequencingdata from India,” it said.

Last week, INSACOG hadsaid that AY.4.2 variant is lessthan 0.1 per cent of all variantsof concern and variant ofinterest (VOC/VOI), and thus,too low to be of concern atthis time.

However, AY.4.3 is rapid-ly spreading in several coun-tries of Europe

Meanwhile, AY.4.3, anoffshoot of the Delta variant,is rapidly spreading in sever-al countries of Europe.

It has already been spot-ted 8,138 times in Englandand makes up around one in24 cases in the country afterfirst being detected in mid-July.

In Belgium, it makes up40 per cent of infections,while in Germany, it makes up30 per cent and in Denmark,just 15 per cent.

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Rajasthan Chief MinisterAshok Gehlot on Thursday

met Congress president SoniaGandhi after Rahul Gandhiand Priyanka are said to haveasked him to expand hisCabinet in the next few days toend a long-standing feud withrival Sachin Pilot by accom-modating his loyalists. Thepush also comes as theCongress has somewhat sortedout the Punjab muddle.

AICC sources saidPriyanka Gandhi had report-edly urged Gehlot to accom-modate Sachin Pilot’s support-ers in his Ministry.

Sources confirmed Gehlot’smeeting with Sonia Gandhiwas on “expanding theRajasthan Cabinet andappointing chairmen of statecorporations”.

“The party high commandwill decide on the Cabinetreshuffle in Rajasthan. AjayMaken has all the informationon it. We want good gover-nance to continue in the State,”Gehlot told reporters after themeeting.

Sources said the Congressleadership wants the reshuffleto take place immediately, inkeeping with a major promiseto Pilot when he agreed to drophis rebellion more than a yearago.

Besides Priyanka Gandhi,other Congress leaders likeKC Venugopal and Rajasthan

in-charge Ajay Maken werepresent at a meeting at RahulGandhi’s home in Delhi whereGehlot was reminded about thelong-delayed cabinet changes.Rahul Gandhi was not in themeeting however, sources said.

Last year, Pilot camped inDelhi with 18 MLAs for weeksas he felt short-changed andsidelined by Gehlot in theRajasthan Congress. ThreeMLA’s had broken fromSachin to avert a repeat of theMadhya Pradesh situationwhen Jyotiraditya Scindiajoined the BJP and made theCongress government lose itsmajority . These MLA’s arealso expected to be compen-sated with a ministerial berthand other posts.

In 2018, when theCongress won the Rajasthanelection, Pilot was creditedwith the party’s win but had tosettle for the post of Gehlot’sdeputy leading to a revoltwithin two factions of party.

In September this Pilotmet Rahul Gandhi andPriyanka Gandhi on severaloccasions. Sources in partysaid the party high commandGandhis want Pilot to takecharge of Gujarat ahead ofelections in the State nextyear.

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India on Thursday slammedPakistan for playing spoil-

sport by refusing to attend aconclave here on Wednesday todiscuss the situation inAfghanistan.

The conclave of theNational Security Advisors(NSA) issued a DelhiDeclaration urging that Afghansoil should not be used forspreading international terror-ism and radicalisation. Eightcountries, including India, tookpart in the meet. The othercountries were Russia, Iranand five Central Asian coun-tries which share the borderwith Afghanistan.

India had invited Pakistanalso but it declined to come onthe pretext that New Delhi hadnot invited the Taliban. Iranhad held such conclave in 2018and 2019 but Pakistan did notattend. China, which attendedthe two earlier events, did notparticipate in Delhi conclaveclaiming “scheduling issues.” It,is however, taking part in a par-allel conclave on Afghanistanon Thursday in Islamabadbesides the US and Russia.

As regards Pakistan’s non-participation here, ministry ofexternal affairs spokespersonArindam Bagchi highlightedthat India has been extendingsupport to Afghanistan for

many years but the situation onthe ground has become “verydifficult” over the last fewmonths.

He criticised Pakistan’sdecision to not attend DelhiRegional Security Dialogue onAfghanistan, saying it showsIslamabad’s attitude regardingthe crisis in the war-torn coun-try.

In an apparent reference toPakistan, he said there havebeen difficulties in providinghumanitarian assistance toAfghanistan due to a lack ofunimpeded access.

He highlighted that Indiahas been extending support toAfghanistan for many years butthe situation on the ground hasbecome “very difficult” over thelast few months. Pakistan has,so far, denied India to sendfood to Afghan through roadfrom Attari.

“One of the key elementswhich we’ve seen in previousmeetings was the need forunimpeded, unhindered accessfor humanitarian assistanceproviders...There have beendifficulties due to lack of unim-peded access,” Bagchi added.

He said that the “very seri-ous humanitarian situation” inAfghanistan was discussed atlength during the meeting ofNSAs of eight regional coun-tries, including India, Russia,and Iran.

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New Delhi: India onThursday said it has neveraccepted illegal occupation ofits territory and claims byChina particularly inArunachal Pradesh. NewDelhi also said China hasundertaken construction allalong the border and in ille-gally occupied Indian land.This strong official reactionby the Ministry of externalaffairs came in response to arecent Pentagon report lastweek which said China hasbuilt a village of more than100 dwelling units inArunachal Pradesh last year.Reacting unofficially, theIndian security establishment

had on Monday said the vil-lage was constructed on apiece of land where an AssamRifles post was overrun in1959. Since then, the Chinesearmy has a post there and itcontrols that area. TheMinistry of External Affairssaid here on Thursday, “Wehave taken note of the USDepartment of Defence’report to US Congress whichinter-alia also makes a refer-ence to construction activitiesby Chinese side along theIndia-China border areas par-ticularly in the Eastern Sector.Reports had also appeared inthe media earlier this year onthis issue.”

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Vice President M VenkaiahNaidu on Thursday urged

Governors and LieutenantGovernors of Union Territoriesto be proactive in overseeingthe implementation of theCentral Government’s pro-grammes and in mobilisingpeople for nation-building ini-tiatives.

Addressing a conference ofGovernors and LGs, Naiduurged them to “monitor andguide” the initiatives launchedby the Central Governmentinspired by the philosophy of‘Sabka Saath—Sabka Prayas’to ensure the nation’s progresswith effective public participa-tion.

Naidu shared with the par-ticipants his thoughts and con-cerns over a range of issues,including environmental pro-tection, promotion of entre-preneurship among farmers,healthcare for all, and promo-tion of constitutional values

and ethics in public life.Referring to the vast expe-

rience of governors in publiclife, the vice-president stressedthat they have an importantrole in shaping policies andtheir execution, ensuring effec-tive utilisation of scarceresources and ensuring probityand ethics in public life.

“Governors and Lt.Governors should function notonly as a constitutional author-ity but with the moral author-ity of an elder statesman,”Naidu underlined, adding they

should pioneer environmentalprotection, preserve cultureand nature for a better future.

The vice-president urgedthe governors and L-Gs toensure that governance andpublic life are marked by strictadherence to the philosophyand provision of theConstitution.

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Congress students’ wing theNational Students Union of

India (NSUI) on Thursdaylaunched the ‘Shiksha Bachao,Desh Bachao’ campaign tooppose the anti-student policiesof Modi Government.

AICC CommunicationsSecretary, Dr. Vineet Punia andNSUI National President, NeerajKundan launched the nationalcampaign at AICC headquar-ters.

Addressing the media per-sons, Kundan said education isthe birth right of every youthand child. BJP is working dayand night to snatch fundamen-tal right by privatising the edu-cation sector, he added. BJP’santi-students policies have hurtthe students’ interests but it wastrying to distract the studentsthrough the divisive agenda, hesaid.

Kundan added that the need

for this campaign has surfacedbecause BJP since the time hascome in power is changing theeducation system for its ulteri-or motives. NEP was launchedsilently by BJP government dur-ing the time of Corona pan-demic, which exposes its motiveand hidden agenda. The onlyimpact of this will be distancingeducation from the commonpeople, he claimed.

NSUI has demanded therelaxation of age limit for jobs asthe students could not competefor jobs as the selections werenot held during the two years ofCovid pandemic.

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Prime Minister NarendraModi will launch two cus-

tomer centric initiatives—theRBI Retail Direct Scheme andthe Reserve Bank – IntegratedOmbudsman Scheme—onFriday via video conferencing.

The RBI Retail DirectScheme is aimed at enhancingaccess to government securitiesmarket for retail investors andoffers them a new avenue fordirectly investing in securitiesissued by the Government ofIndia and the StateGovernments, according tothe Prime Minister’s Office(PMO).

Investors will be able toeasily open and maintain theirgovernment securities accountonline with the RBI, free ofcost, said the PMO.

The Union FinanceMinister and RBI Governorwill also attend the event.

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Regional parties collected �445.774 crore from

unknown sources in 2019-20which is 55.50 per cent oftheir total income. Of them,95.616 per cent or �426.233crore of this came from elec-toral bonds and �4.976 crorecollected by them from volun-tary contributions. The amountof total contributions declaredby the AAP, IUML and the LJPin their audit reports is lessthan the amount of total dona-tions (above Rs 20,000 only)declared in their contributionreports by Rs 6.105 crore, Rs31.20 lakhs and Rs 4.16 lakhs,respectively.

The Association forDemocratic Reforms (ADR) inits latest report said that ananalysis of their Income TaxReturns and donations state-ments filed with the ElectionCommission of India (ECI)shows that the sources remainlargely unknown. At present,political parties are notrequired to reveal the name ofindividuals or organisationsgiving less than �20,000. As aresult, a substantial amount offunds cannot be traced and arefrom ‘unknown’ sources,” itsaid.

The ADR said that the

contribution reports of theAAP, IUML and the LJP areavailable \on the website, butthe parties’ donations datashows discrepancies as declaredin their annual audit report andcontribution report (donationsabove Rs 20,000) for FY 2019-20.”During FY 2019-20, totalincome of regional parties fromunknown sources amounted toRs 445.774 crore and consti-tuted 55.50 per cent of theirtotal income as declared intheir audit reports,” it added.

Some of the top regionalparties to declare highestunknown income include theTRS (Rs 89.158 crore), TDP (Rs81.694 crore), YSR-C (Rs 74.75crore), BJD (Rs 50.586 crore)and the DMK (Rs 45.50 crore).The ADR said the total incomeof political parties from knowndonors (details of donors asavailable from contributionreport submitted by parties tothe Election Commission) is Rs184.623 crore, which is 22.98per cent of the total income ofthese parties.

The total income of polit-ical parties from other knownsources (membership fees,bank interest, sale of publica-tions, party levy etc.) is Rs172.843 crore, or 21.52 per centof total income, the reportsaid.

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The CBI has sought assis-tance from authorities in

the US in tracking two accused,C Prabhakar Reddy who is alsoknown as “Punch” Prabhakarand Mani Annapureddy, sus-pected to be staying in thatcountry in connection with acase related to alleged deroga-tory social media posts againstjudges and the judiciary.

Meanwhile, the CBI onThursday filed six morechargehseets in the case.

The agency has also shared

with the US authorities thearrest warrants issued againstboth the accused from relevantcourt here to buttress its claimsseeking their custody, officialssaid.

The CBI, which is theNational Central Bureau(NCB) for India under theInterpol mechanism, hasapproached InterpolWashington, which is theNCB of the United States,with the arrest warrantsagainst the duo, the officialssaid.

The CBI had gathered

information on the location ofthe accused using a BlueCorner Notice of the Interpol,they said.

Every country has anNCB, which is the link agencywith the Interpol.

The agency has filed sixmore chargesheets against asmany accused — SridharReddy Avuthu, JalagamVenkata Satyanarayana, GudaSridhar Reddy, SreenathSuswaram, Kishore KumarDarisa alias Kishore ReddyDarisa and Sudduluri AjayAmruth -- in the case.

����� 6.7��.8�2

Zakia Jafri, widow of slainCongress MP Ehsan Jafri,

told the Supreme Court onThursday that the SpecialInvestigation Team (SIT) whichgave a clean chit to then GujaratChief Minister Narendra Modiin the 2002 communal riotsshould itself be investigatedfor rendering conclusions con-trary to facts. Senior lawyerKapil Sibal, representing Jafri,alleged that the SIT did not do‘investigation’ but did a ‘collab-orative exercise’ and its probewas fraught with omissions toprotect conspirators.

“The SIT was renderingconclusions contrary to factsthey were aware of. In fact, SITshould be investigated. It istrue...I am not concerned withindividuals. I am concernedwith the process. I am only say-ing SIT did not do its job. It wasan act of protection. It did a col-laborative exercise,” said Sibal.He said that there was evidencein the form of electronic recordsincluding call data records ofsenior police officials and mobsidentifying houses of Muslims,all of which pointed towardsconspiracy.

But the SIT ignored all of itand did not conduct any furtherinvestigation into the and theMagistrate and High Court toochose to overlook the same, hecontended.

����� 6.7��.8�2

The Supreme Court onThursday agreed to hear a

plea of two advocates and ajournalist seeking quashing ofa criminal case lodged underthe harsh UAPA provisionsagainst them for allegedlybringing facts through socialmedia posts about the “target-ed violence” against the minor-ity community in Tripura.

A bench comprising ChiefJustice N V Ramana andJustices A S Bopanna and HimaKohli was informed by advo-cate Prashant Bhushan thatthe two lawyers and the scribewho had gone there on a factfinding mission have been pro-ceeded against by the Tripurapolice under the UAPA fortheir social media posts and anFIR has been lodged and anotice under the CrPC has

been issued to them. “Why did not go to the

High Court? You go before theHigh Court,” the benchobserved initially and lateragreed to consider listing theplea after the lawyer said thatbesides seeking relief of quash-ing of the FIR, the plea alsochallenged the constitutionalvalidity of some UAPA provi-sions. “Please list it as thesepeople are imminently underthreat,” Bhushan said.

“Circulate the bundle. Iwill give a date (for hearing),”the CJI said.

Advocates, Mukesh andAnsarul Haq, and journalistShyam Meera Singh have beenaccused in the FIR lodged at theWest Agartala Police Stationunder the IPC and the UAPAprovisions for allegedly dis-seminating information aboutcommunal violence in the State.

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L u c k n o w / G o r a k h p u r :Paediatrician Kafeel Khan ofGorakhpur's BRD MedicalCollege and Hospital, who hadbeen suspended in 2017 after thedeath of 70 children due to oxy-gen shortage, has been dismissed,a Government official said here onThursday.

Dr Khan has been sackedafter being found guilty in theprobe into the circumstances lead-ing to the death of children in thehospital, UP Principal Secretary(Medical Education) Alok Kumarsaid.

As the matter is sub judice, thedetailed information about DrKhan's dismissal will be given tothe court, Kumar added.

Dr Khan had been attached tothe office of Director GeneralMedical Education (DGME) afterhis suspension on August 22,2017, in the wake of the children'sdeath during the month.

Reacting to the report of DrKhan's dismissal, Congress gen-eral secretary Priyanka GandhiVadhra termed his dismissal asmalice-driven and aimed atharassing him.

Expressing surprise over thereports of his dismissal, Dr Khan,

said he does not know how he hasbeen terminated despite the courtgiving him a clean chit earlier.

“Principal Secretary AlokKumar had on Wednesdayreleased a statement about my ter-mination from the BRD Medicalcollege,” he said, adding he, how-ever, has not received any termi-nation letter as yet.

"They have no authority toterminate me. They should havetaken orders from Uttar PradeshPublic Service Commission(UPPSC) (to suspend me),” heasserted in a statement on thereports of his termination.

"Among the eight people sus-pended in the lack of oxygen casein the hospital, the suspension ofseven others except mine had beenrevoked. The court had punishedall of them in one or the othermanner but the honourable courthad given me a clean chit oncharges of medical negligenceand corruption," Dr Khanclaimed.

“I was suspended on August22, 2017 in the case and on March5, 2019, the Allahabad High courthad asked the UP Government toend the inquiry and on April 18,2019, the high court had given me

a clean chit,” Dr Khan said.“When I was in jail, the UP

government again set up aninquiry against me on February24, 2020, and on August 6, 2021,the state government declared infront of the court that they arewithdrawing the inquiry order ofthe then Chief SecretaryHimanshu Kumar,” Dr Khan said.

He also explained that even onWednesday, the government hadnot told the court about his ter-mination.

“On November 10, 2021, therewas a date in the court but the gov-ernment did not submit anypapers regarding termination.The next court date is onDecember 7, 2021. I have nohope of justice from this govern-ment,” Dr Khan added.

After Kafeel's dismissal,Congress general secretaryPriyanka Gandhi in a tweet inHindi said "Dr Khan's dismissal isdriven by malice. Motivated by ahate agenda, the government isdoing all this to harass him."

"But the Government shouldkeep in mind that it is not abovethe Constitution. The Congressparty is with Dr Khan in his fightfor justice," she said. PTI

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Apart from targeting the Bengali voters theTrinamool Congress is also trying to win

over the SC and STs of Tripura in the com-ing Agartala municipal elections and the Statepolls sources said adding the party has spe-cific plans for the three different segments ofthe voters.

“The BJP has done nothing save spread-ing mutual hatred among communities …they have attacked the opposition … misledthe youth and in the name of nationalism theyhave created communal disturbance … thepeople of this State particularly those fromAgartala have understood their policy and sothey are gradually tilting towards MamataBanerjee and the TMC,” said party leader RajibBanerjee.

Welcoming an Apex Court order direct-ing the Tripura Government and the StateDirector General of Police to allow peacefulcampaigning in the elections another TMCleader Shantanu Sen said “the order belongsto the people of Tripura who have been lan-guishing under the BJP rule … there is nodemocratic right in the State … But if the peo-ple give us a chance then Tripura will see thesame surge in their socio-economic life thathave come in Bengal under the MamataBanerjee regime.”

Ruling that every party has a right topeacefully campaign in the elections the Courthas asked the State Government to ensuresecurity of the contestants directing theDirector General of Police and the HomeSecretary to file a compliance report.

Rajib Banerjee said “in Tripura theGovernment is indifferent, the police a silentspectator and the democracy is

under threat … only the court can savedemocracy here.”

The order comes as a shot in the arm ofthe TMC which had been facing similarcharges in Bengal leveled by the BJP.

On the TMC’s chances of winning theelections the party leaders said “MamataBanerjee has shown in Bengal that she is afighter who pushed out the powerful LeftFront through years of struggle … she will doit in Tripura too and the people of this Stateknow it well.

Earlier party Raja Sabha MP SushmitaDev said that her party was targeting all sec-tion of the society “even the SC/ST voters areour voters…” She said “20 out of 60 seats arereserved for SC/ ST and those voters are equal-ly important. Biplab Deb Government hasdone nothing for Tripura … they have onlyexploited the people and tortured the oppo-sition … the people are determined to throwthem out … and as the Left and the Congressare in a bad shape the people have decided togive Trinamool Congress a chance.”

Reacting to the statements coming fromthe TMC's side senior Tripura BJP leaderNabyendu Bhattacharya said that “the TMChas been complaining of violence which ispeculiar to their own regime in Bengal … inTripura they have no cadre which is why theyare trying to get publicity through the media… but they will not be successful in this dirtygame … The BJP welcomes them to fightdemocratically in this State.”

Lucknow (UP): A delegation of healthworkers on Thursday met Congressgeneral secretary Priyanka GandhiVadra here, two days after they wereallegedly roughed up by police whiletrying to meet the Uttar Pradesh ChiefMinister in Shahjahanpur.

Priyanka had on Wednesdayaccused the State Government of"insulting" the work done by theAccredited Social Health Activists(ASHAs), promising an honorarium of�10,000 per month to them andAnganwadi workers if her party comesto power in the State next year.

The ASHAs had tried to meetUttar Pradesh Chief Minister YogiAdityanath during his visit toShahjahanpur but they were roughedup by police, a Congress spokesmansaid.

"The workers met Priyanka

Gandhi, who arrived in the state cap-ital on Thursday morning and told herabout the issues faced by them, includ-ing those related to their wages and ser-vice conditions," he said. "Theyalso showed the injuries sustained bythem in Shahjahanpur," the spokesmanadded.

On Wednesday, Priyanka hadshared a purported video of the"assault" by police on ASHAs inShahjahanpur.

"Every assault on the ASHA sistersby the UP Government is an insult tothe work done by them," she had said.

Meanwhile, ShahjahanpurCongress president Rajnish Guptasaid Priyanka sent a health worker toa hospital as her condition was notgood.

She also constituted a panel oflawyers, who will fight a legal battle for

the hospitalised worker, he said.Shahjahanpur Superintendent of PoliceS Anand said on November 9, therewas a programme of Chief MinisterYogi Adityanath there.

During this, the workers tried to goto the public meeting, when they werestopped, after which worker PoonamPandey scuffled with a woman inspec-tor and its video had surfaced on socialmedia, he said.

A case has been registered againstPoonam, the SP said.Poonam alleged that she was badlybeaten up by woman inspector JyotiTyagi and other police personnel dueto which she suffered injuries and herhand was fractured.

On being asked that she allegedlyhit the inspector first, Poonam saidsomeone kicked her from behind dueto which she fell on the officer. PTI

Muzaffarnagar: A SpecialPOCSO court here on Thursdaysentenced a man to 12 years'imprisonment for raping a 15-year-old girl five years back.

Special Judge Sanjiv KumarTiwari also imposed a fine of Rs50,000 on Zahid, the convict,after holding him guilty undersection 376 of the Indian PenalCode and sections 3 and 4 ofProtection of Children fromSexual Offences (POCSO) Act.

According to POCSO lawyerManmohan Verma, the girl wasabducted by Zahid on July 19,2016 from her village in the dis-trict and taken to Delhi where shewas kept in a room and raped.

Baghpat (UP): A teenage girlwas allegedly raped and a videoof the act was made at a villagehere, police said on Thursday.

Police have arrested fivepeople in this connection andsent two teenagers to a juvenilehome.

The 15-year-old girl wascalled near her house onNovember 9 by two teenagers,both students of her school.

She was taken to a college,where she was raped,Superintendent of Police NeerajKumar Jadaun said.

While they were rapingthe girl, four others reachedthere, took photographs andmade a video of the act, he said.

The four also tried to rapethe girl but she managed to fleeand reached a field where afarmer tried to rape her, policesaid.

The girl was later rescuedby police. While thetwo teenagers were accused ofraping her, the other five wereheld for trying to outrage hermodesty and make her obscenevideo. PTI

Jaipur: Congress leader SachinPilot here on Thursday saiddecisions regarding his partyGovernment and organisa-tion in Rajasthan will be takensoon, amid speculations overthe Cabinet expansion andother political appointments intheState.

The former RajasthanDeputy Chief Minister said theAll-India Congress Committeeand the State Government arein constant touch over it as thepanel, which was formed byparty president Sonia Gandhiover a year ago, has complet-ed its work.

"I met (K C) Venugopal acouple of days ago. We con-tinuously discuss and soondecisions will be taken withregard to the organisation andthe Government," he toldreporters in Dausa.

The Congress had formeda three-member panel for theresolution of the issues raisedby the legislators led by Pilot, who had revolt-ed against Chief MinisterAshok Gehlot last year.

The Congress leader alsoaccused the Centre of collect-ing �20 lakh crore through

cess on petrol and diesel, giv-ing no relief to people evenafter the price of crude in theinternational market "halved".

Even during the coron-avirus lockdown, the Centredid not give any relief, he said.

Now, when the elections offive states are approaching, thegovernment has extendedrelief, he added.

The former Rajasthandeputy CM also flayed theCentre for unemployment andprice rise.

"Inflation is increasing,domestic gas cylinder costsover ��900, petrol and dieselare getting costlier than ghee.There are no jobs, industries are getting ruined, the econo-my has collapsed and farmersare agitating," he stressed.

He said people under-stand that the Congress is abetter option. Pilot alsoclaimed that his partyGovernment has fulfilled mostpromises it made in its electionmanifesto. On the question ofVAT on petrol and diesel in thestate, he said the ChiefMinister has said that theState Government will reduceprices. PTI

Muzaffarnagar (UP): The peopleof Uttar Pradesh would havefaced no problem, had YogiAdityanath not migrated herefrom Uttarakhand, SamajwadiParty president Akhilesh Yadavsaid on Thursday.

Yadav took the dig at theUttar Pradesh Chief Ministerdays after he promised compen-sation for the families of industrialtown Kairana in adjoining Shamlidistrict, who had migrated fromhere under the extortion threat.

Referring to Yogi's visit toKairana, Yadav said, "He cameand recalled exodus, the reality isthat if there had not been the exo-dus of the CM from Uttarakhand,our five years would not havebeen wasted."

Adityanath was born as AjayMohan Bisht in Panchur villageof Pauri Garhwal in June 1972

before the formation ofUttarakhand out of UttarPradesh.

Addressing a public meetingin Kairana on Monday, Yogi hadslammed the "Taliban mentality",saying it will not be accepted inthe state. Referring to the 2013communal riots in Muzaffarnagar,Adityanath had said the opposi-tion did not act when houses ofHindus were being burnt andinnocent youths killed inMuzaffarnagar.

The alleged exodus fromKairana was a key poll issuebefore the 2017 assembly elec-tions as the BJP had claimed thenthat scores of Hindu families hadleft the town after receivingthreats from criminals. Theclaim, however, was contested byothers.

Addressing the 'Kashyap

mahasammelan' in Budhana areahere, Akhilesh Yadav said the"Baba CM” does not understandanything and makes tall claimson law and order.

“Can anyone tell if policeare indulging in murders any-where in the country? I can givemany examples of innocentsbeing killed in UP,” he said, recall-ing the Gorakhpur murder of aKanpur trader and Kasganj cus-todial death of a youth and held

BJP responsible for the same.“The CM who cannot extend

security to a trader in his homedistrict, what could be expectedof him on the law and orderfront,” Yadav said, adding that theNational Human RightsCommission data says that mostcases of injustice and custodialdeaths are in UP.

Accusing Adityanath of pur-suing a "thoko niti (stagedencounter policy)”, the SP chiefsaid this led to the beating of ajailor and deputy jailor inFarrukhabad and injuries to 30others as no one knew who hadto be beaten up.

Referring to Yogi repeated-ly as “Baba CM”, Akhilesh said heshould have read his 'sankalppatra' (poll manifesto) which hadmade several promises to farmersand youths. PTI

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Aizawl: The Mizoram Government is planning to admin-ister Covid-19 vaccine to Myanmar nationals who have takenrefuge in the State following a military coup in the neigh-bouring country in February, a health department officialsaid on Thursday.

Altogether 12,736 people of Myanmar are currently stay-ing in various parts of Mizoram, particularly in districts bor-dering that country, according to the State police's record.

The official said the authorities of those districts are gear-ing up to vaccinate all the eligible refugees.

East Mizoram's Champhai district has the highest num-ber of Myanmar nationals at 7,291, followed by the south-ernmost Lawngtlai district at 1,746 and State capital Aizawlat 1,622. A large section of those who have taken refuge inthe state belong to the Chin, also known as the Zo, com-munity. They share the same ancestry and culture as theMizos of Mizoram. They were mainly the residents of Chin,a State in Myanmar, which shares its Western border withMizoram.

The majority of the Myanmar nationals are lodged inrelief camps set up by villagers, while others live with theirrelatives in the state and some others in rented houses, policesaid. They are provided with food, utensils, blankets and otheressential items by local people, NGOs and churches, officialssaid. Earlier, Mizoram Chief Minister Zoramthanga had writ-ten to Prime Minister Narendra Modi urging him to pro-vide asylum to the Myanmar nationals on humanitariangrounds. The state government had also sent delegations toDelhi seeking assistance for those people.

However, the Centre is yet to give a response. India isnot a signatory to the UN Convention on refugees.

Six Mizoram districts- Champhai, Lawngtlai, Siaha,Saitual, Hnahthial and Serchhip - share a 510-km interna-tional border with Myanmar's Chin state. PTI

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Palghar: An offence has been registered against an unidenti-fied person for allegedly throwing ink at a driver of theMaharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) ata bus depot in Vasai of Maharashtra's Palghar district onThursday, police said.

The alleged incident took place at Navghar bus depot inVasai, where an unidentified man threw ink on driverKamlakar Waghmare in the morning, the station house offi-cer of Manikpur police station said.

An offence under section 332 (voluntarily causing hurt todeter public servant from his duty) of the IPC has been regis-tered, he said.

According to reports at the depot, some drivers attempt-ed to ply buses, but following the incident all buses returnedto the depot.

Speaking to reporters, depot manager Dileep Bhosale saidsome drivers and conductors were seriously concerned aboutthe strike and some of them wanted to resume work andattempted to ply the buses. However, the ink-throwingincident has aggravated the situation, he added. PTI

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and their kin unable to gettreatment in hospitals.

Next on the list was terror-ism — the lesser said the bet-ter. Security experts would bebetter placed to tell if demon-etisation led to any let-up interrorism. It would be too sim-plistic to assume that motivat-ed terrorists would stopbecause they could notexchange their notes. After alltheir accounts were not frozen.

As for counterfeits, accord-ing to the Government's dec-laration, more than 99 per centof the currency notes got backinto the system.

Digitisation, no doubts,improved but is still a verysmall fraction of the cashtransactions. Moreover, digi-tisation in a country like oursis conceivable only in cities.India operates on cash. Andwhy should a farmer pay afraction of money to Paytmfor transacting? Digitisationcomes with a transaction cost.Japan is still largely a casheconomy.

So what was the motive —the real motive — of theGovernment? The motiveswere indeed different from theones propagated.

Maybe one was theupcoming UP elections. InIndian elections cash rules. Itstripped the Opposition par-

ties of their cash tranche. Ormaybe to shift the fulcrum ofthe economy from an unor-ganised to an organised sector.The money started flowingeven more vigorously from thecommon man to entrepre-neurs. Whatever it was, itmeant severe hardships for thepeople, small businesses andworkers. Eighty-five per centof the economy is the informalsector which works on 95 percent cash transactions. It wasparalysed with the so-calledmasterstroke. While the infor-mal sector shrunk the organ-ised sector ate into its chunk.Indeed, they were betterequipped to adapt and takeadvantage of the new digitisa-tion and other policies.

Another big reasoncould be that the party inpower wanted to do some-thing dramatic. To showthat it was different from theprevious Government andhad the wish to purge theeconomy. It was a quick fixsolution, which has hardlyever worked anywhere in theworld, but it could be easilysold to common people. The‘shock and awe’ paradigmwas being invoked and putto good political mileage.

An argument oftendoled out is that if peoplesuffered then how come the

NDA Government cameback to power in 2019. Thathas some merit to it. Butthen people are often unableto connect the dots especial-ly when they are stuck with'shock and awe'. They feelthe hardships they are facingare somehow their follies, ormaybe they are unlucky.They fail to connect it to agrand executive order.Moreover, PM Modi camewith a lot of goodwill and peo-ple presumed he can do nowrong, no evil. Even if it didnot work his intentions weregood so he deserved a betterchance. He was let down bybureaucracy, the corporatesand exonerated the concept ofdemonetisation.

However, after five years,the Government did not doa single press conference orpress release commemorat-ing the occasion. No TV ador newspaper ad was com-memorating the occasion.Even the ministers whotweet about anything andeverything, gave the fifthbirthday of demonetisationa skip. Even the Governmentwants to forget about it as anightmare. But can we?

(The writer is a columnistand documentary filmmaker.The views expressed are personal.)

��������������� ���������Sir — It is really heartening to see TamilNadu Chief Minister MK Stalin work-ing on the field right from the day rainsstarted in the State. He has been wad-ing through water in various areas andsupervising measures to alleviate the suf-ferings of the people in distress, includ-ing feeding them and giving instructionsto the officers for further action. Hispresence is definitely a moral support tothe people who are affected by the floodand an encouragement to all thoseengaged in public service.

At this juncture, it is unfortunate thatinstead of extending their support to theGovernment to tide over the precarioussituation, the Opposition leaders havebeen indulging in mud-slinging andaccusing the ruling dispensation oftheir failure in solving other unimpor-tant issues which can definitely wait. Itis an irony that the AIADMK — whichhas ruled the State for the last 10 yearsand is the major contributor to the suf-fering of the people — is trying to placethe entire blame on the ruling DMK.CM Stalin has asserted that funds allo-cated for related works have been swin-dled by the AIADMK and that was thereal reason for the State.

Tharcius S Fernand | Chennai

�������������������������Sir — It is welcoming that India begana new chapter by initiating the AfghanDialogue with eight like minded nations.Though the timing is a little late, India'smove to concentrate on uncertain situ-ations in Afghanistan is welcoming.India did Delhi Dialogue with regionalpartners of Central Asia so as to send amessage out to the whole world thatIndia is still a reliable friend and strate-gic partner to its troubled friendAfghanistan. However, it is regrettablethat for some countries geopoliticalrivalry still comes before the discussionof Afghanistan’s future.

The way Pakistan and China skippedthe dialogue and vowed to initiate theirown version of dialogue shows their nar-row mindness. That can't stand a dia-

logue on Afghanistan being led byIndia. Pakistan specifically wanted tolead such a dialogue, claiming that aMuslim nation should lead Afghanistan.It is very selfish of Pakistan. MeanwhileChina is supporting such irrationalagendas of Pakistan. This clearly indi-cates that China, too, can't stand inter-national developments like the AUKUS,QUAD, Malabar Exercise, etc.

Kirti Wadhawan | Kanpur

��������������������������Sir — In the last few years, tragic fireaccidents in hospitals in various parts ofthe country have shaken the citizens ofthis country and has further highlight-ed serious lapses in the enforcement offire safety norms by authorities. It isheart-wrenching to imagine how theseinnocent patients, some of whom can-not even run for safety due to theirhealth conditions, are burnt alive as fireengulfs them in such accidents. TheGovernment authorities seem lax about

enforcing fire safety guidelines. This isall due to carelessness, poor supervision,insufficient staff and lack of dedicationon duty.

As part of a larger emergencyresponse mechanism, with the growthof cities, we should further moderniseand expand fire- force to meet the needsof growing Indian cities which needmodern and well-equipped fire forces.India has had a history of such deadlyfire incidents, hence these must bemade an opportunity to create an inde-pendent fire safety monitoring agencyat the Central and State level, to carryout the safety audit of such places andstreamline safety procedures for thesefacilities. This Monitoring agency shouldfrequently visit these hospitals to seewhether fire safety guidelines are beingproperly followed.

Ramesh G Jethwani | Bengaluru

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It has been five long yearssince Prime MinisterNarendra Modi announcedon November 8, 2016, that

the 500 and 1000 notes wouldnot be legal tender from mid-night. The brief telecast made aparadigm shift in the life ofevery Indian. Chaos and confu-sion followed the announce-ment. Long serpentine queueswere seen outside of banks tochange the notes. It was themoment of truth for India. Morethan 70 people lost their lives toexchange their notes.

We were told it was anattempt to dig out the blackmoney from the system andstop terror funding. The otherbenefits enumerated includedweeding out counterfeits anddigitising the economy. Fiveyears have gone by. Let's assess ifthe cherished goals have beenachieved, as the Government isreluctant to do so. Was it at all amasterstroke? Was it a surgicalstrike on the black money or astrike on the Indian economy?

Demonetisation did awayalmost 95 per cent of the curren-cy on a four-hour notice. It waschaotic with the Governmentchanging the goal post every sec-ond day.

After some time PrimeMinister Modi declared that hewas no economist and that hehad never claimed to be one buthis intentions were good. In thesame fashion, I can say that Idon’t hold a degree in econom-ics but my intentions of revisit-ing the demonetisation are good.I approach demonetisation as acommoner. I saw and enduredthe months of upheaval that fol-lowed demonetisation.

I as any other countrymancan vouch for one fact that blackmoney or the unaccountedmoney is still there in the system.During the exchange period,some people made a killing byfacilitating the exchange. For afraction of the cost, the blackbecame the new white.Innovative ideas to exchangethe old notes were flying all over.You could do it by buying gold,booking railway tickets, buyingpetrol and so on. But commonmen saw their marriages broken,jobs lost, cottage business shut

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Controlling tuberculosis isa disconcerting chal-lenge for India. The

decades' old unrestrainedtransmission of the diseasehas impacted millions ofIndians leaving them withlatent TB infection. A signifi-cant number of people beingundernourished weakens theirimmunity making them proneto TB reactivation.The densi-ty of the growing urban infra-structure has facilitated inquick transmission of TBacross all economic spheres.

India has undertakenactivities to control TB formore than half a century, still,TB has been the country'smost severe health condition.Nearly, 480,000 TB-relateddeaths happen every year andover 1400 every day. In addi-tion to this, around one million

cases are undetected or inad-equately diagnosed in India.

These tragic losses occurdue to the existing poverty, lackof infrastructure and equip-ment and less knowledge.Fortunately, India is in a betterposition to deal withTuberculosis now. The recentinterventions and technologi-cal advancements for TB diag-nosis have been effective inproviding appropriate andtimely treatment.

The National Strategy Plan2017-2025 for TB eliminationhas obtained remarkable goalsin strengthening the pro-gramme structure, supportsystems and implementationsurroundings for controllingTB. This comprises compulso-ry notification of all TB cases,aligning the programme withpublic health services and

National Health Mission, one-stop service for TB-HIV cases,tactical drug-resistant TB man-agement and revaluation ofpartnership guidelines.

As per the India TB report2021 published by the Ministryof Health and Family Welfare,NTEP (National TuberculosisElimination Programme) iden-tified more than 4,11,000patients. With these steps andmeasures NTEP almost cov-ered the gap of enrolment ofTB treatment. Notificationswere sent to 18, 05,670 patientsaround that time, which is 11

per cent more than the antic-ipated numbers.

Early diagnosis of peoplepossessing a high probability ofhaving presumptive TB is anessential part of the case iden-tification strategy. Patients withpresumptive TB would beproactively identified andreferred to the nearby diagnos-tic facility for suitable investi-gation. Patients attending boththe private and the public sec-tor institutions need to beperiodically tested for TBsymptoms by the healthcarefacilitators. Passive case detec-tion alone results in missedcases and late diagnoses.Enhanced medical outreach fordetecting more TB cases areelementary for universal access.

TB screening has to beundertaken at all the points ofcontact with healthcare person-

nel among the key population,which include the socially andclinically vulnerable anddeprived people. New diagnos-tics approved by WHO can beused in high burden resourcesettings like India.

RNTCP gained location-wise coverage in March 2006and since then, case notifica-tion rates have increased up tothe time where it remained sta-tionary. The notification rateshave decreased in many partsof India despite growing effortsexamining symptomaticpatients in the public sector.Steps for ascertaining TB noti-fication from private medicalcentres have contributed toincreasing the overall notifica-tion, but it's still incrementalonly.

Prevalent surveys suggest-ed that not all people with chest

symptoms seek care and treat-ment and many do not payattention to them. This provesthat the health services' pro-gramme needs to draw specialattention to create awarenessabout how to identify symp-toms and seek treatment.

Active case finding (ACF)is one way to do the abovementioned. ACF is a provider-initiative with the main objec-tive of early detection of casesby actively finding targetedsegments and to begin prompttreatment. It must be noted that'screening' is a vigorous proce-dure and prioritizing theapproach of screening, vulner-able groups and screeninginterval will have a regularassessment done by the pro-gramme. While there is a cleardefinition of vulnerable targetgroups for other national pro-

grammes, TB is no exception.Moreover, while the pro-gramme is capable of increaseexamining symptomaticpatients by 50-60 per cent; itwill result in added case find-ing substantially.

Analysing the social, eco-nomic, and political context ofthe operation of the TB pro-gramme has highlighted theinsight and need to rapidlyrespond to the issues to addressthe unavoidable TB epidemic.

The consistent shortage ofresources, indifferent privatesector and a weak public healthsystem add to the pre-existingchallenges in Indian’s medicalinfrastructure. Nevertheless,the research has shown that theNSP has huge underlyingstrengths, and they could beutilised for making an everlast-ing epidemiological impact.

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There is a high concentration ofgreenhouse gas emissions in townsand cities where the populations aredense and per capita electricity con-

sumption is high. It is therefore necessaryfor every town and city to have an urbanforest. Urban forest refers to planting treesin densely populated areas, like parks, street-ways, and private properties.

Like any other forest, it captures andstores atmospheric carbon dioxide duringphotosynthesis to help mitigate climatechange.It is also crucial to properly man-age and log natural forest patches and pro-tect them from construction and otherdevelopment activities in order to maintaintheir carbon sink capabilities.

The implications of global warming,including sea-level rise, temperaturechanges, precipitation change and more fre-quent extreme weather events, made it cru-cial to examine greenhouse costs. Thus, thework by William Nordhaus (an Americaneconomist) such as the DICE (DynamicIntegrated model of Climate and theEconomy), FUND (Regional Integratedmodel of Climate and the Economy) &PAGE (Policy Analysis of GreenhouseEffect) [which are a part of IntegratedAssessment Models (IAM)] are used to esti-mate the social cost of carbon which is thepresent value of the net future harms causedby an additional ton of emissions in a par-ticular year. The IAM model is a quantita-tive model that describes how the econo-my and the climate are interwoven world-wide.

He also suggested that governmentsaround the world should impose a carbontax in order to combat negative externali-ties caused by greenhouse gas emissions.Furthermore, a carbon tax would provideadditional revenue to the federal govern-ment that could be used to conserve anddevelop forests, thereby reducing theunequal impact of climate change on theaffluent and the poor. The model concludesthat attempts should be made to reduceemissions, even at economic cost.

Tropical forests are home to manyunique species of animals and plants as wellas provide food, medicine, and cleandrinking water to the people. They regulateregional rainfall and prevent droughts andfloods in the region. Thus, their protectionfrom deforestation and degradation is crit-ical not only to reduce emissions, but alsoto conserve biodiversity and support sus-tainable development.

Spatial fragmentation affects matingpatterns, gene flow and pollen dispersionwithin plant populations that are essentialto maintaining genetic diversity. Presently,degradation and fragmentation of habitatsare the leading causes of biodiversity lossin terrestrial ecosystems. Therefore, the peo-ple who rely on these resources are likelyto suffer the most.

In the coming years, climate change willcause major ecological and economic dis-asters in coastal cities, where mangroves andwater bodies are rapidly disappearing.

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Mangrove vegetation will becomeuninhabitable if it is not aggressive-ly protected now. Furthermore,waves, storms, and cyclones will like-ly make coastal areas inhospitable.

Himalayan range forests providevital protection and are the most vul-nerable to climate change. A largevariety of medicinal plants grow inthe sub alpine and alpine regions ofthe western Himalayas due to theirdiverse topography and climate.Medical plants play a crucial role inhealth care. Millions of people makea living as traditional healers or col-lectors or vendors of these plants. Itis possible that climate change couldhave harmful effects on medicinalplants, such as a decrease in avail-ability and species extinction.

In 2009, State Governmentsand Union Territories were asked toassess their climate vulnerabilityand devise state action plans to com-bat climate change. This is the firsttime the SAPCCs has facilitated dis-cussions on state-specific climatechange solutions. One of the majorgoals of SAPCC (State Action Planon Climate Change) is to protect theState from the adverse effects of cli-mate change and improve its ecolog-ical sustainability.

Most coastal states have devel-oped climate change action plans,which are under the purview of theMinistry of Environment, Forest andClimate Change (MoEFCC).However, there are no clear guide-lines on how states should coordi-nate their strategies. In addition, itis less clear how the MoEFCC isgoing to steer independent min-istries towards a common climate-change mandate.

At the UN Climate ChangeConference (COP21) in Paris, abreakthrough was achieved in thefight against climate change and itsnegative effects. As part of the

agreement, all (192) countries havecommitted to reduce emissions andwork together to adapt climatechange. In addition, countries wereurged to strengthen their commit-ments over time. The countriesagreed to outline publicly what cli-mate protection measures theyintend to take in their IntendedNationally DeterminedContributions (INDCs). The INDCprovided India with a unique oppor-tunity to strengthen its institution-al capacity for climate change strate-gies, particularly in relation to devel-opment issues.But the INDC doc-uments are merely a collection ofdomestic policies with the exceptionof the forest pledge and is also lim-ited to ongoing actions rather thancoming up with new initiatives.There is little evidence to suggest thatthe NDC has made any additionalcontribution to the development andimprovement in a national climatepolicy. However, the process of itsformation demonstrated a deliber-ate attempt at inter-ministerial coor-dination. MoEFCC initiated inten-sive consultations with various min-istries, departments, state authoritiesand inter-ministerial committeeswere constituted to prepare sector-specific background materials.Research organizations and thinktanks were also consulted for inputon modelling studies.

The question arises, what can bedone at grassroots level to maketrees, forests, and biodiversity moreresilient and more adaptable to theimpending climate crisis? Climatechange and other environmentalchallenges have made it crucial tounderstand how we can buildresilience in society, nature andinterconnected socio-ecological sys-tems.

It is imperative that not onlypoliticians and bureaucrats, but all

groups of citizens are enlightenedenough to take action and put pres-sure on the decision makers torespect the forest for its ecologicalservices in the context of climatechange in India.

Climate change will have a last-ing impact on the way we produce,transport, build, and think aboutforests. Therefore massive efforts arerequired to promote research inengineering, agriculture, architec-ture, transportation, and health ser-vices, as pollution is one of the maincauses of most illnesses in India.

To keep the environmenthealthy, India needs more resilientplan driven by communities.Furthermore, to protect communi-ties, we need to develop ecological& reliable technical solutions.Different methods are required toachieve carbon-free agriculture,architecture, transport, production,and consumption, etc.

It is important to include'Conservation of Forest' in earlychildhood education so that the chil-dren become more conscious oftheir actions from a young age.Empathy towards environment andall living creatures is an importantvalue that schools need to inculcatein children. Broad brush approachneeds to be refined in order to makecurriculum more interesting forstudents of diverse streams.

Climate change has global impli-cations and nations must take coor-dinated action to reduce emissionsand adapt to climate change.Diplomats from developed countriessuch as the United States, Germany,Netherlands, Japan and other EUcountries should prioritize fosteringinternational cooperation to trans-fer technologies and funds forresearch, education, forest conserva-tion and development of forestresources.

(The writer is a formerIndian Forest Service offi-cer. The views expressed

are personal.)

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Wellington: Chinese PresidentXi Jinping warned on Thursdayagainst letting tensions in theAsia-Pacific region cause arelapse into a Cold War men-tality.

His remarks on the side-lines of the annual summit ofthe Asia-Pacific EconomicCooperation forum cameweeks after the U.S., Britain andAustralia announced a newsecurity alliance in the regionwhich would see Australiabuild nuclear submarines.China has harshly criticized thedeal. And in a separate illus-tration of strains within APEC,one Southeast Asian delegatetold The Associated Press thatthe group had so far failed toreach agreement on a U.S. bidto host the 2023 summit due tounmet demands from Russia.

Xi spoke in a pre-recorded

video to a CEO Summit atAPEC, which is being hostedby New Zealand in a virtualformat. Xi is scheduled to par-ticipate in an online meetingwith other Pacific Rim leadersincluding U.S. President JoeBiden on Saturday.

In his speech, Xi saidattempts to draw boundaries inthe region along ideological orgeopolitical lines would fail. Hisreference to the Cold Warechoes Beijing’s oft-stated posi-tion that the U.S. should aban-don that way of thinking indealing with China.

The Asia-Pacific regioncannot and should not relapseinto the confrontation anddivision of the Cold War era, Xisaid.

Xi also said the regionshould make sure to keep sup-ply lines functioning and to

continue liberalizing trade andinvestment.

China will remain firm inadvancing reform and openingup so as to add impetus to eco-nomic development, he said.

The most pressing task inthe region is to make an all-outeffort to fight the pandemic andto emerge from its shadow assoon as possible, he said.

Meanwhile, the SoutheastAsian delegate, who spoke onthe condition of anonymitybecause they weren’t authorizedto publicly discuss the issue,said Russia had refused to sup-port the U.S. bid unless someof its diplomats were removedfrom a U.S. blacklist or allowedto enter the U.S. to participatein the APEC meetings.

The delegate said the U.S.is unlikely to agree to Russia’sdemands because issues involv-

ing America’s security are con-sidered non-negotiable. Thedelegate added that China hadstayed silent on the U.S. offer.

If the 21 APEC leaders failto reach a consensus on the U.S.bid by Friday, the delegatesaid, a paragraph in a draft ofthe summit communique wel-coming the U.S. offer wouldhave to be deleted.

New Zealand’s ForeignMinister Nanaia Mahuta saidearlier this week that APEC wasfounded on consensus and thatthere was not yet a confirmedhost for 2023.

Human rights lawyer AmalClooney also spoke at the CEOsummit, saying she believedthat liberal democracies couldimprove global human rightsby pressuring autocraticnations. AP

�����-���������.��+������������/����%��-����"���0!� �1� LAHORE: Pakistan’s Punjab

province Government onThursday removed the name ofTehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan(TLP) chief Saad Hussain Rizvifrom the terrorism list, suc-cumbing to pressure from theradical Islamist party whichwas involved in deadly clasheswith the police.

The Government, howev-er, didn’t clarify whether itwill pursue a number of casesregistered against Rizvi inwhich he was booked for ter-rorism charges.

According to a notificationissued by the provincialGovernment, Rizvi’s name hasbeen removed from the FourthSchedule, a list of proscribedindividuals who are suspectedof terrorism or sectarianismunder the Anti-Terrorism Act(ATA) 1997.

Rizvi, who was arrested onApril 12 ahead of planned

protests by the TLP, has beenlanguishing at Kot Lakhpat jailunder terrorism charges.

His name was placed onthe Fourth Schedule shortlyafter, on April 16.

A source in the Punjabgovernment told PTI that Rizviis facing over 100 FIRs underterrorism and murder, attempt-ed murder and other cases.

The decision to removeRizvi’s name from the terrorismlist comes days after the ImranKhan government entered intoa ‘secret agreement’ with theTLP.

The federal Governmenthas already lifted the ban on theTLP, citing in the larger nation-al interest.

Early this week, tens ofthousands of TLP workersended their over a week-longsit-in at Wazirabad, some150kms from Lahore, theywere holding to press the gov-

ernment to expel the Frenchambassador over blasphemoussketches of ProphetMuhammad, release of its chiefSaad Hussain Rizvi and revokethe group’s proscribed status.

It is expected that Rizvi willbe freed from jail soon.

However, the source saidthat the expulsion of the Frenchenvoy does not figure in secretagreement between the gov-ernment and the TLP.

The government has alsoset free over 1,200 TLP work-ers so far arrested during theclashes with the police inLahore and on way toWazirabad, in which 11Islamists and eight policemenlost their lives.

The TLP had launchedprotests on October 18 fromLahore and announced tomarch to Islamabad to force theGovernment to accept itsdemands. PTI

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BEIJING: Leaders of China’sruling Communist Party onThursday set the stage forPresident Xi Jinping to extendhis rule next year, praising hisrole in the country’s rise as aneconomic and strategic power

and approving a political his-tory that gives him statusalongside the most importantparty figures.

Central Committee mem-bers declared Xi’s ideology the“essence of Chinese culture” as

they wrapped up a leadershipmeeting. In unusually effusivelanguage even for a Chineseleader, a party statement said itwas “of decisive significance”for “the great rejuvenation ofthe Chinese nation.”

Xi, who has amassed morepersonal authority than anyleader since at least DengXiaoping in the 1980s, haswidely been expected to pursuea third five-year term as partygeneral secretary. That wouldbreak with a two-decade-oldparty tradition that wouldrequire the 68-year-old leaderto step down next year.

The party leadership’s res-olution on its history is only thethird since its founding 100years ago, following one underMao Zedong, the first leader ofthe Communist government,and another under Deng. AP

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WASHINGTON: President JoeBiden, whose son Beau was anIraq war veteran, is using hisfirst Veterans Day in office toannounce an effort to betterunderstand, treat and identifymedical conditions suffered bytroops deployed to toxic envi-ronments.

It centers on lung problemssuffered by troops who breathein toxins and the potentialconnection between rare res-piratory cancers and time spentoverseas breathing poor air,according to senior WhiteHouse officials. Federal officialsplan to start by examininglung and breathing problemsbut said they will expand theeffort as science identifiespotential new connections.

Biden planned to travel toArlington National Cemeteryin Virginia on Thursday to par-

ticipate in a wreath-laying cer-emony and deliver remarks.

The new federal effort isalso designed to make it easi-er for veterans to make claimsbased on their symptoms, tocollect more data from troopswho are suffering and to giveveterans more time to makemedical claims after symp-toms such as asthma and sinusproblems develop.

“We’re discovering there isa whole host of lung conditionsrelated to deployment,” said Dr.Richard Meehan, an immu-nologist and rheumatologist.The retired U.S. Naval Reserveofficer, who served in theMideast during the 1990s andagain in 2008, is co-director ofthe Denver-based NationalJewish Hospital Center forExcellence on Deployment-Related Lung Disease. AP

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London: India has highlightedthe need to focus on the emis-sions related to two and threewheelers alongside other vehi-cles as part of a zero emissionstarget at the COP26 summit inGlasgow.

Under the EmergingMarkets and DevelopingEconomies section of theCOP26 declaration on accel-erating the transition to 100 percent zero emission cars andvans’ released on Wednesday,India flagged the importance offocussing on all kinds of vehi-cles on the road to cleanertransport.

NITI Aayog, on behalf ofthe government of India,extended its support to thenon-binding COP26 declara-tion, focused on a global-levelacceleration of transition tozero-emission vehicles.

Two-wheelers and three-wheelers constitute more than70 per cent of global sales andmore than 80 per cent in India.All governments should alsosupport the transition of theselight vehicles to zero emissionvehicles, notes India’s inputs onthe declaration.

PTI

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,�����������!������%����(�� ���������'����,����COPENHAGEN: Sweden hascharged two executives of aSwedish oil exploration andproduction company for com-plicity in the military’s warcrimes in Sudan from 1999 to2003, including in its dealingswith the country’s regime tosecure the company’s oil oper-ations in the African nation.

The two, who were notidentified by the SwedishProsecution Authority, had “adecisive influence” on the busi-ness of Stockholm-basedLundin Oil AB in Sudan, theprosecutors said, adding onewas indicted for complicity forthe period May 1999-March2003, and the other for theperiod October 2000-March2003. Lundin Oil later becameLundin Petroleum and is nowknown as Lundin Energy.

From 1983 to 2005, Sudanwas torn apart by a civil warbetween the Muslim-dominat-ed north and Christian south.A separate conflict in Darfur,the war-scarred region of west-ern Sudan, began in 2003.Thousands of people werekilled and nearly 200,000 dis-placed. AP

Seoul: Senior US and SouthKorean diplomats discussedhow to restart stalled talkswith North Korea on Thursday,days after the North conduct-ed artillery firing drills in its lat-est weapons tests.

US Assistant Secretary ofState for East Asian and PacificAffairs Daniel Kritenbrink wasin Seoul for talks on securityissues including North Korea,economic cooperation andother matters.

Kritenbrink and his SouthKorean counterpart Yeo Seung-bae agreed on the importanceof pursuing stability on theKorean Peninsula.

The two discussed ways toresume the talks with NorthKorea as quickly as possible, theSouth Korean Foreign Ministrysaid in a statement.

The US Embassy in Seoultweeted that the two spokeabout “how our Alliance cancontinue to promote the rules-based international order in theIndo-Pacific & beyond.”Since September, North Koreahas conducted a spate of mis-sile and other weapons tests,including the artillery drills lastSaturday.

Some experts say NorthKorea aims to pressure the USand South Korea to recogniseit as a nuclear state in the hopethey will work to ease interna-tional sanctions on the North.

Nuclear diplomacybetween Washington andPyongyang largely remainsstalled since early 2019.

Kritenbrink separately metwith South Korean officialsand discussed economic rela-tionships and partnerships . AP

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Mumbai:Key stock marketindices Sensex and Niftydeclined for a third straight dayon Thursday due to heavy sell-ing in banking, financials andinfra stocks following globalinflationary concerns and for-eign fund outflows.

The equity benchmarkSensex tumbled by 433.13

points or 0.72 per cent to closeat 59,919.69 points as 24 of itsscrips declined.

The index had openedlower and later touched a day’slow of 59,656.26 points asbanking giants SBI and ICICIBank and HDFC took a beat-ing.

PTI

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Indian economy is expectedto grow by more than 10 per

cent in the current fiscal sup-ported by a record kharif cropand bright rabi prospects, NitiAayog Vice-Chairman RajivKumar has said.

Kumar, however, cau-tioned that inflation is emerg-ing as a key risk to sustainableglobal economic recovery withsupply chain constraints andrising energy prices.

“We expect India’s realGDP growth in FY22 to exceed10 per cent supported by arecord kharif crop and brightrabi prospects. This will boostrural demand and spur the

revival in the manufacturingsector with improving capaci-ty utilisation,” he wrote in NitiAayog’s newsletter ‘arthNITI’.

According to Kumar, sig-nificant increase in exportswill also boost economicgrowth and employment gen-eration. “Gradual pickup incontact-intensive services sec-tor is further likely to supportthe growth momentum. Indiaachieved the landmark mile-stone of administering 1 billionCovid-19 vaccine doses on 21October, he said. The NitiAayog Vice-Chairman alsonoted that the rapid vaccina-tion drive across the countrywill ensure that the risk offuture wave is minimised.

���� 6.7��.8�2

The auction for the 5G spec-trum is likely to take place

around April-May next year,Communications MinisterAshwini Vaishnaw said onThursday.

While relief measuresannounced in September thisyear for telecom operatorsmarked the first set of reforms,the government will bring outa series of further reforms and“telecom regulatory structureshould change in coming 2-3years”, Vaishnaw said.

Speaking at the ‘TimesNow Summit 2021’, the minis-ter said India’s telecom sectorregulation has to be bench-marked with the global best,and added that “so, we willcome with a series of reformsin this, such that the globalbenchmark of regulations isachieved in India”.On the time-line for 5G auctions, Vaishnawnoted that the Telecom

Regulatory Authority of India(Trai), which looks at the struc-ture of auctions, is undergoingconsultations on the matter.

“I think they will submittheir report by February-mid iswhat we are thinking, maybeFebruary-end, maximum tomaximum March. Immediatelyafter that, we will have the auc-tions,” he said.

The comment assumessignificance as the Departmentof Telecommunications (DoT)was earlier hopeful of holding5G auctions by the end of thecurrent fiscal.

Giving a specific timelinefor the upcoming auction willbe difficult at this stage sincemuch depends on the time Traiwill take to finalise its views, theminister added. “But, today,our estimate is by April-May. Iwas earlier estimating March.But, I think it willtake...Because consultations arecomplex, diverse opinions arecoming...,” he said.

���� 6.7��.8�2

India’s GDP will rise by USD406 billion by 2050 and more

than 43 million jobs will be cre-ated, as the Asia’s third-largesteconomy leaps towards a net-zero target, according to areport by Observer ResearchFoundation (ORF).

At the 2021 ClimateChange Conference, alsoknown as COP26, PrimeMinister Narendra Modi out-lined a net-zero emissions tar-get by 2070 for India. Also,India is targeting to increase itslow-carbon power capacity to500 gigawatts (GW) by 2030,and meet 50 per cent of itsenergy requirements fromrenewable energy by 2030.

“India’s net-zero carbonemissions target of 2070 ismomentous and praisewor-thy, but highly ambitious to saythe least,” an ORF statementsaid.

Structural changes andaccelerants required to steerthis transformation while bal-ancing the twin goals of sus-tainability and developmentare detailed in the report‘Shaping Our Green Future:Pathways and Policies for aNet-Zero Transformation’.

The report, ORF said, is acompendium of essays thatoffers possible solutions to sev-eral pressing questions andaims to provide a roadmap forIndia’s transition to a decar-bonised and green economy.

“The net-zero pathwaywill require committing to alegally binding net-zero targetby a fixed year,” said JayantSinha, Chairperson of theStanding Committee onFinance, in the report.

A legally binding net-zerotarget and supportive govern-ment policies can lead to mas-sive investments in green tech-nologies and equipment.

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The states will forego around�44,000 crore of tax rev-

enue after they reduced VAT onpetrol and diesel in thereminder of the fiscal but high-er central tax devolution of�60,000 crore will offset thelosses, according to a report.

After months of calls forlowering the taxes on the fuels,the Centre on November 4 cutexcise duty on diesel by Rs 10a litre and by �5 on petrol.Following this, as many as 25states and Union territorieshave lowered value-added tax(VAT) on these fuels.

The FY22 revenue loss ofthe states from tax cut is

around �44,000 crore, of which�35,000 crore is by way of lowerVAT and the rest indirectly,Aditi Nayar, chief economist atrating agency ICRA, toldreporters on Thursday.

But, the states are not actu-ally losing money as they aregetting �60,000 crore of addi-tional revenue from the Centreas part of the higher-than-budgeted tax devolution, shesaid.

While the Central excisereduction leads to no directrevenue loss to the states, thereduction of VAT, which islevied on an ad valorem basis,the excise cut will lower theirVAT inflows by �9,000 crore,Nayar said.

����� 6.7��.8�2

The Union Civil AviationMinister Jyotiraditya

Scindia on Thursday launchedthe e-governance for CivilAviation (e-GCA) online plat-form through which theDirectorate General of CivilAviation will provide 298 ser-vices including pilot licensingand medical examination. Theonline platform will provideservices to various DGCAstakeholders such as Pilots,Aircraft MaintenanceEngineers, Air TrafficControllers, Air Operators,Airport Operators, FlyingTraining Organisations,Maintenance and Design orga-nizations, among others.

The launch of the e-GCA

project under DGCA was partof the Minister’s 100-day planfor the aviation sector. The por-tal was developed by TataConsultancy Services.

“Two hundred and nine-ty-eight services have beenmoved to the e-GCA platform- 99 in the first two phases and198 in the next two phases. Thefirst 99 cover about 70-75 percent of what DGCA doesincluding pilot licensing, med-ical examinations, permissionto flying training organisa-tions and connecting regionaloffices to the headquarters,” hestated.

The next two phases coverthe remaining 30 per cent ser-vices of the DGCA, he said inhis speech after launching theonline platform ‘e-GCA’ here.

“And through this transforma-tion (DGCA to e-GCA), wehave achieved a number ofobjectives of becoming a singlewindow online service plat-form, eliminating proceduralinefficiencies and automatingregulatory reporting,” he noted.

On pilot licensing throughthe e-GCA platform, Scindiasaid, “In India, we have close to17,860 CPLs (commercial pilotlicenses). Add to that, there arealmost 1500 helicopter pilotlicenses. There are close toanother 10,000 PPLs (privatepilot licenses). So you are look-ing at a universe of almost30,000 pilots”.

The medical examinationof pilots used to be a very cum-bersome process in the old sys-tem, he noted.

����� 6.7��.8�2

McAfee Enterprise andFireEye on Thursday

released Cybercrime in aPandemic World: The Impactof Covid-19 findings, revealingthe imminent need for organ-isations to prioritise andstrengthen their cybersecurityarchitecture.

The findings brought tolight that during the past 18months, 81 per cent of globalorganisations experiencedincreased cyber threats, with 77per cent of the organisations inIndia experiencing downtimedue to a cyber incident duringa peak festive season.

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Back-to-school anxiety is acommon concern. Many

kids experience stress going toschool after enjoying their sum-mer or winter vacations, whilesome become anxious whenthey go to a new school for thefirst time. Now after a longCovid break where studentsspent months out of the tradi-tional classroom and studiedonline at home, going back toschool might feel scary.

As schools prepare toreopen their doors, many chil-dren find it difficult to cope withthis decision. Children areuniquely impacted during thepandemic. They have stayed athome with their parents andmight have been affected due topoor health, economic andsocial consequences. The pan-demic has taken a toll on humanhealth and some might haveexperienced the loss of lovedones. On the other hand, wor-rying about wearing masks andbeing unvaccinated can makechildren more nervous aboutjoining back.

How to identify your childis anxious?

While the stress of return-ing to school is common in chil-dren, it is also important toaddress it. Being a parent or aguardian, one needs to identifythe signs of anxiety in childrenand help overcome them. Whena child is anxious, the majorityof the time he/she will neverexpress it in words. Instead, oneneeds to look for clues andobserve changes in their behav-iour.

Children who experienceanxiety or feel nervous mayappear more clingy than nor-mal. This behaviour is one of themost visible signs that can be lesspresent in older children butcommonly seen in primary-school-aged children. Apartfrom this, children become rest-less and they can be seen facingdifficulty concentrating. Thechanges in their eating andsleeping patterns can be seenand their complaints aboutstomach ache, upset stomachand indigestion increase.

Identifying anxiety in chil-dren is also crucial for parents.Untreated or unaddressed anx-iety can increase the risk of poorconcentration in children. Thisaffects their performance, rela-tionship with friends and teach-ers that might lead to other seri-ous consequences.

Ways to deal with anxietyThe most effective way to

overcoming anxiety is to makeyour child speak about what’stroubling them. Without judg-ing their point of view or feel-ings, listen to their concernthat will make them feel better.Here are a few useful tips to dealwith back-to-school anxiety:

�Make things familiarChildren become anxious

when they enter into a completestrange or unfamiliar environ-ment. Thus, as the schoolapproaches, try to make your

child familiar with the environ-ment they might experience onthe first day of their school. Notbeing comfortable about theirschool environment can makethem nervous and develop anx-iety. It is better to tell them aboutnew guidelines, rules and safe-ty measures taken by the schoolto give them time to prepare forthings that will be new forthem.

�Assure they are not aloneSpread positivity around

the child and make them under-stand they will not be alone infollowing stringent safety rules.Other students and their friendswill also be a part of the newenvironment and teachers willalways be there to make themcomfortable. Remind them ofthe time they spent in school inthe pre-Covid era, enjoyingtheir favourite activity with theirloving friends and teachers. Afeeling of reconnecting mighthelp in easing their anxiety.

�Be present for them in needTransitioning from home to

school after a long break can beextremely difficult for children.Make an effort to be there withthem at least in the initial daysof school. Offer your supportand provide counselling beforethey re-join. After coming back,give them time and listen to howtheir day went to make sure yourchild expresses his/her feelingsand concerns.

�Promote healthy livingThe best way to address and

combat anxiety in children is bymaking them indulge in healthyhabits. Observe their eating andsleeping habits and makeimprovements in their schedule.A child needs to eat a balanceddiet, sleep properly and developphysical exercise habits to makesure their brain functions prop-erly. Healthy living can alsoboost their mood, release happyhormones and help with betterconcentration.

�Know when to seek outsidehelp

If anxiety in children per-sists for a longer period evenafter trying your best, it's timeto get serious about it. Seek addi-tional help — talk to your child’steacher or counsellor to makethem feel relaxed. The phase ofanxiety is temporary and acounsellor can play a critical rolein easing anxiety in children.

Summing upThe key to overcoming anx-

iety in children is to address iton time. Be present for yourchild always. Understand whatthey are going through whichmight be a challenging situationfor them. Spreading positivitythrough your words and extend-ing unconditional support canhelp the child manage theirstress and anxiety with muchmore ease.

(The author is MBBS, MDin Paediatrics and consultantat Apollo Cradle & Children’s

Hospital, Amritsar.)

For ages, we have been hearing thatessential oils have always been

used in beauty rituals helping to givethe best and all-natural results to yourskin. Keeping that in mind, face oilscontinue to have their growing pop-ularity for those looking for all-nat-ural skin type glow.

From having oily skin to dry orsensitive skin, using oils daily cansurely help you have a beautiful andever-glowing skin.

Below is the list of effective oilsgood for particular skin types:

�Oily skinJojoba oil Jojoba oil regulates sebum, it

helps to trick your skin that there isenough oil and sebum present so itdoesn't need additional oil to be pro-tected and hydrated by.

The oil is good and beneficial forones with oily skin, helping them toremove their makeup at ease.

You can even apply overnightwhich will directly help you reduce thesecretion of oil from your pores giv-ing you, as a result, glowing skin.

Grapeseed oilUsing grapeseed oil is beneficial

due to the oil being high in linoleic acidas this acid helps to reduce cloggedpores which, in turn, naturally helpsreduce the natural oily content.

The oil is good in treating oily oracne-prone skin as it has omega-6 fattyacid which can be used as a skin bar-rier, reducing the water loss from the

skin, and fighting acne. Helps in hydrating as it contains

vitamin C and vitamin E, whichensures that your skin appears tighterand more youthful.

�Dry skinAlmond oilThis oil has been used for ages in

treating dry skin conditions includingfacial eczema.

Almond oil is a good option if youhave rashes on your skin or anyinfections on your face, the oil worksbeautifully on it.

Dry skin gets dehydrated moreoften which gives you a dull and tiredlook, applying almond oil on your faceregularly will revitalize and rejuvenateyour skin making it look hydrated andbrighter.

Marula oilMarula oil is a wonderful mois-

turizer very lightweight that pene-trates so easily in your skin provingit to be an effective moisturizer for dryand aging skin.

It is especially ideal for ultra-dryand chapped skin as it has amazinghealing properties that enhance yourskin firmness making it smoother andsoft

�Acne-prone skinPomegranate oil

Pomegranate oil contains natur-al antimicrobials Vitamin C whichhelps fight against bacteria and fun-gus treating from acnes

If you are annoyed because ofyour acne-prone skin, Pomegranateoil seed oil will offer salvation andsolutions as it contains antimicrobialand anti-inflammatory properties.

If this oil is mixed with your sun-screen, it levels up the game giving adaily boost to your sun protection,adding an edge to SPF.

Rosehip oilThis oil is commonly used for

solving acne problems due to theabundance of vitamins, antioxidantsand essential fatty acids.

Rosehip oil contains fatty acidswhich helps to not only have mois-ture in your skin but even locks themoisture so that the skin retains it forlonger.

It is rich in Vitamin A and has thepotential to fight against age spots anddo wonders in your daily skincare bytreating wrinkles and acne prone skin.

�Normal skinArgan oilThe argan oil contains the anti-

sebum-effects which control the oili-ness in the skin and gives a smoother

and calmer complexion, This oilworks perfectly for both dry and oilyskin.

The oil gives a subtle, glowy lookif applied regularly.

It is an all-natural skin healer thatplumps fine lines, wrinkles and fightsagainst sun and pollution damage.

Retinol oilIt stimulates skin cell turnover,

which manifests an “exfoliating effect”making your skin brighter and more-toned skin with an increased level ofelastin.

The oil improves the texture,pumping your normal and healthyskin more smoothly.

�Sensitive skinMoringa oilIf you have sensitive skin and

have to think a thousand times aboutwhat to apply on your skin, moringaoil can be your best partner as it's thebest to be used as a moisturizer andbeneficial for delicate skin.

Sensitive skin gets easily affectedby pollution so if one applies moringaoil it protects and works as a skin bar-rier to let pollutants penetrate yourskin.

Be it your dry skin or oily skin,the moringa oil helps in nourishingand cleansing

Aloe vera oilSensitive skins are prone to sun-

burns so being called a burningplant aloe vera oil is effective in sooth-ing sunburns helping in skin repairsand building new skin cells.

The oil has an antioxidant effectthat helps repair breakouts on yourskin and even slow down the agingprocess of your skin

(The author is the founder ofLove Earth, a herbal and organic

skin-care brand.)

It will not be right to notappreciate the latest effortson part of a number of

organisations or hotels topromote India's rich culturalheritage, and bring the cur-rent generation one step clos-er to decolonisation. Don’t getme wrong, I’m all for goingglobal, however, inculcatingforeign traditions while for-getting or ignoring our own issomething unacceptable, inmy opinion.

Thus, when I receivedthe opportunity to explore theLadakh Cultural Festival atThe Claridges, I was full ofexcitement. I had not, yet, vis-ited the union territory (forI’m still exploring my initialbucket-list places in India),

and so when I tell you I wasmade to experience the actu-al culture at the event yester-day, I mean it.

In order to celebrateLadakh’s fascinating cul-ture, The Claridges, NewDelhi, is hosting theMighty Maryul Festival,in the heart of the cap-ital from November 10.The nine-day fest willexhibit resplendent artand artefacts, of whichI caught a pretty greatglimpse.

As I entered theClaridges garden, I waswelcomed by a charm-ing lady in a costume inbright colours. She saidsomething I could not

comprehend, and the reasoncould either be that I was

mesmerised by the vibran-cy or the not-so-valid factthat I did not understand

the local language.Everywhere I looked, Icould see performersand guests who hadtravelled all the wayfrom the largerKashmiri region.

Dr Latika Nath,a wildlife photogra-

pher from Ladakhwho is often known asthe ‘tiger princess’ forshe has pursued PhDin tiger managementand makes docu-mentaries on snow

leopards, was the moderator

for the evening. With a focus on Ladakh’s

beautiful fashion, delectablecuisine and revelling music,the event began with an infor-

mative and engrossing pre-sentation by Dr MonishaAhmed, a researcher on tex-tiles from Himalayas and anexpert on the Changthangregion of Ladakh. She sharedher knowledge on the tex-t i l es f rom L adak h andemerging fashion in thedemonstration.

It was followed by a cul-tural pop-up, a fashion showput together by renownedLadakhi fashion designers,Jigmat Norbu and JigmetWangmo, that entranced thespectators.

On subsequent days,Jigmat Couture’s statementpieces will be showcased atthe premises, where patronscan buy the sustainable

brand’s products and enjoythe al luring textures ofLadakhi craftsmanship. Thepop-up was accompanied byan enthralling live musicalperformance by a Ladakhifolk singer and instrumental-ist, Tsewang Phuntsog. Onhaving a word with Phuntsog,he exclaimed that he washaving the time of his life per-forming and bringing to lifehis local culture.

Also being exhibited arethe accessories of LenaLadakh Pashmina by StanzinMinglak and Sonam Angmo,and exhibitions by landscapeartist Kunal Batra, andThakalis Art Gallery. I pre-sume this will be a visualtreat for the art and historyenthusiasts.

Since the Ladakhi cui-s ine i s a major themethroughout the festival,noted chefs Pankaj Sharmaand Nilza Wangmo will bepresenting traditional andcontemporary flavours ofLadakh every night.

In a conversation withNilza, a Nari Shakti awardeewho also owns a restaurantcalled Alchi Kitchen in Alchi,Ladakh, she expressed, “I’mcooking all the main dishes ofLadakh, including the tradi-tional tea, the dzomo (yakcheese), a lot of herbs andmountain spices. Throughme, Ladakh food is travellingout of Ladakh.”

Speaking about her signa-ture dishes, she added,“People must try the Khamer,Yakini pulao, and Gur gurchao (salty tea with butter).”

I noticed that the cultureof Ladakh is similar toTibetan culture on many lev-els. Ladakh was hugely influ-enced by Buddhism whichreflects in the Ladakhis’ cloth-ing. The traditional Ladakhiattire includes the Perak, aheadgear studded with pre-cious stones and usually wornby women on special occa-sions, a Kuntop or a woollenrobe, and a Bok shawl thatwas inherently used bywomen to carry children.Men wear Goncha, a tradi-tional robe, and a Skeragwaist-band. The art and craftof Ladakh include wovencloth-like Pashmina, stick andwood baskets, carvings ofwood, and various paintings.The aforementioned tradi-tions will be displayed at TheClaridges till November 19.

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As the fall season is uponus, we crave to soak upthe romanticised gold-

en fall sunshine. CaféStayWoke, located in the heartof Gurugram's Worldmark, isjust the place to do so. Walkinginto the café, a strong yetpleasing whiff of freshlybrewed coffee took over mysenses. The café, resembling abeautiful glass cube, had thegolden-hour sun brimmingthrough the glass walls addingto the aesthetic. It offers bothindoor and outdoor seatingoptions. The black and gold-en décor adds a touch of ele-gance and sophistication to thecafé. The elegant, full-sizedcoffee bar at the centre, is trulythe heart and soul of thiscafé.

Once I was shown to mytable, I noticed the raw yetmatte-finished tables with apot of pink-brocade plant act-ing as the centrepiece. Shortlyafter, two refreshing drinks

were brought to the table.The first one was the StayWokelemonade, which resembledthe taste of a virgin mojito —minty lemony goodness —minus the calories! The otherdrink was a Kaffir lime kom-bucha served in an elegantflute glass. This was extreme-ly refreshing with a strongpunch from the kaffir limeleaves, leaving a sweet and fra-grant after taste.

This refreshing drink waspaired with a slightly spicy andtangy Chicken ghee roast.Served in a beautiful blackceramic plate, the colours ofthe bright red chicken poppedon the plate. The chicken waspaired with fried South Indianpapadam, garnished withcoconut shavings. This SouthIndian signature dish had justthe right amount of heat, tin-gling my taste buds gently. Thetanginess from the tomatoesand strong flavour from thecurry leaves and the mustard

seeds defined the dish. Thesebold flavours of the southmade the dish near-perfect.

The next dish was theAvocado toast. This superfoodhas garnered a lot of attentionin recent years but no restau-rant makes their avocado toastthe way Café StayWoke did.Served over either a sour-dough or focaccia bread slice,the avocados were mashedcombined with some creamcheese, finely chopped onions,coriander, topped with hempoil and pomegranate seeds.

This version of the classicavocado toast caters to theIndian palate and showcasesthe versatility of an avocado.The sweetness from the pome-granate and crunchiness fromthe onions with a hint of gar-lic worked well together.

On the table next was theKeema appam which took meon yet another trip to SouthIndia. The chicken keemarested on a bed of appam,topped with a beautifullypoached egg. As I ran myspoon over the egg, the deli-

cate white covering tore, giv-ing way to the runny yolk thatperfectly covered the keema.The appam was crispy on theoutside yet light and fluffy onthe inside. The keema, tossedin a variety of spices, had astrong flavour of the comfort-ing curry leaves. The best partabout this entire dish was thelightness of the meal. One cancomfortably eat an entire plateand not be over-stuffed!

For the mains, I had theVegetarian green Thai curry andthe Orange chilli chicken. As forthe Thai curry, the veggies areserved separately for thosewho don't prefer a lot of veg-gies in their curry. The curry isserved with kaffir lime rice,which adds a touch of freshnessto the heavy and thick curry.The flavours of the Thai curryand rice is as authentic as it canget and is a must-try! On theother hand, the fragrant chillichicken is more on the sweet-er side with just a dash of heat.The chicken so soft and tenderon the inside and crunchy onthe outside, wrapped in thethick, shining orange glazewill have you craving more.

Finally, it was time to endmy day with some dessert. Iwas served the signature Cloudpudding. Made with tendercoconut, this dessert was a setand had the consistencyresembling that of a pannacotta. Served on a bananaleaf, this soft, gooey coconutdeliciousness was the perfectway to end a satisfying meal.

At Café StayWoke, thevibe is relaxed, the food is deli-cious and the staff is courte-ous. If you're looking to havea good time with some deli-cious plates of food fromaround the world while soak-ing the sun and connectingwith nature, this may just bethe place for you.

In the last few years, theconvenience food indus-

try has shown rapid growthin India. About 79 per centof Indian consumers preferto have instant food due totime constraints as indicat-ed by the recent surveyconducted by theAssociated Chambers ofCommerce and Industry ofIndia (ASSOCHAM). Asper market reports, the con-venience food segment isexpected to show a volumegrowth of 5.8 per cent in2022. This can mainly beattributed to a busierlifestyle, the growing num-ber of nuclear families andmore people preferring towork late hours. Duringthe pandemic, as peoplestarted to work from home,the demand for conveniencefood spiked, and all esti-mates suggest the trend willcontinue to grow.

However, what changedafter Covid is the con-sumers' tendency to behealth-conscious of the foodthey consume. You see,most packaged food isloaded with preservatives,chemicals and highlyunhealthy ingredients likerefined flour and refinedsugar. These ingredients notonly help increase the shelflife of the food but also givethem their addictive flavourthat makes the consumerwant more and more. So,while they do offer the con-venience of carrying andeating wherever you wish,their health impact is alarm-ing, to say the least.

Post-pandemic, mostconsumers are relooking atimmunity and the role offood in building the same.The food industry in turnhas reciprocated with thetwo overarching themes ofproducts with better immu-nity and products with bet-ter nutrition for a healthylifestyle.

But the big question iswhether the products beingpitched as healthy or immu-nity-boosting offer thesebenefits or are they justtrying to ride the wave andmanipulate the consumers?The answer is always writ-

ten on the package. The FoodSafety and Standards Authority ofIndia (FSSAI) mandates everymanufacturer to specify the list ofingredients used to make anypackaged product. And whilemost of us tend to not considerthis key aspect of the package,that is where one should look tounderstand the health quotient ofthe offered product.

To put it gen-erally, prefermillets overwheat, whole-grain f lourover refinedflour, jaggeryor maple overrefined sugar.Any product thathas a list of chem-icals and raisingagents or names thatyou don’t consider asnatural food, should beavoided. Another hint is to lookfor shelf life as there is a limit tohow long you can store a com-pletely natural food withoutadding artificial preservatives.So anything that has a shelf life ofover five months is bound to haveartificial preservatives unless it isstored at sub-zero temperaturesor in a well-designed tetrapack.

These guidelines would mostprobably eliminate most of theofferings of major multinationals

as their scale of operationsmake it necessary to have alonger shelf life and be moreaddictive. This specific gap hasopened the gates for severalyoung start-ups that cater toniche demands by makingsmaller batches and deliveringthem fresh through their web-sites or modern e-commerce

platforms.Lastly, since

we live in ac o n n e c t e dworld, ourhealth isd i r e c t l ydep endent

on the healthof our fellow

beings and thehealth of our

environment. Fora portion of truly

healthy food, we asconsumers should

demand food that has apositive socio-environmentalimpact by using eco-friendlytechnologies to procure, processand deliver the food and creat-ing a social balance by offeringlivelihood opportunities torural India.

It is only when we startlooking holistically that wetruly appreciate the potentialhealth impact of the food choic-es we make.

(The author is a dentist andthe co-founder of Kivu, India's

first solar-baked cookies.)

TASTE OF ELEGANCE

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Cricket South Africa (CSA)on Thursday named a 14-

member South Africa ‘A’ squadfor the upcoming three-matchfour-day contests against India‘A’ in Bloemfontein.

The home team will be ledby 32-year-old opening batterPieter Malan. The series, anopportunity for the players tovie for places in the seniorsquad before India’s upcomingtour of the country, will be heldfrom November 23 toDecember 9 at Mangaung Oval.

All-rounder George Lindeand fast bowler Lutho Sipamlaare in the squad with Warriorspacer Marco Jansen and Knightsbatter Raynard van Tonder alsoincluded.

CSA convenor of selectorsVictor Mpitsang stressed onthe significance of the series before the Indianteam’s tour.

“Test cricket remains one ofCSA’s key focus areas, along with

ensuring that the format contin-ues to thrive and hold relevancein our country.

“It is therefore vital that asteady stream of talent contin-ues to emerge from our high-performance programme,”Mpitsang said in a press release.

“The COVID-19 pandem-ic saw the disruption of theSouth Africa A team’s fixturesand CSA is pleased to see thereturn of content for this pro-gramme. We are looking for-

ward to more tours for this teamin particular, as the A team pro-gramme is a crucial one to CSA’soverall pipeline strategy.

“The senior South Africaand India teams will be clash-ing this summer here at home,so this is an ideal opportunityfor players with Proteas ambi-tions to put their hands up andmake a case for themselves.”

On Tuesday, the BCCI alsoannounced the India ‘A’ squadfor the tour with Gujarat’s

Priyank Panchal named as cap-tain of the team that also com-prises Prithvi Shaw, NavdeepSaini and rookie Kashmiri pacerUmran Malik.

South Africa ‘A’ squad: Pieter Malan (captain,

Rocks), Sarel Erwee (Dolphins),Dominic Hendricks (Lions),Raynard van Tonder (Knights),Sinethemba Qeshile (Warriors),Senuran Muthusammy (NorthWest Dragons), Marco Jansen(Warriors), Migael Pretorius(Knights), Beuran Hendricks(Western Province), LuthoSipamla (Lions), GlentonStuurman (Warriors), GeorgeLinde (Western Province), JasonSmith (Dolphins), Tony deZorzi (Western Province).

Fixtures: November 23-26: 1st Four-

Day game at Mangaung Oval,BloemfonteinNovember 29-December 2: 2nd Four-Daygame at Mangaung Oval,Bloemfontein December 6-9:3rd Four-Day game atMangaung Oval, Bloemfontein.

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England were “devastated”to lose to New Zealand in

the T20 World Cup semifinalsbut proud to have fought“unbelievably well”, said limit-ed overs captain Eoin Morgan,who hopes to continue as theleader of the side.

New Zealand avenged theirheartbreaking loss in the 2019ODI World Cup final againstEngland on boundary count bybeating the same opponents byfive wickets in the T20 WorldCup first semifinals here onWednesday.

“Yeah, we’re devastated. Tobe on the wrong side of a close

game is not easy to take. Wefought unbelievably well on awicket that didn’t necessarilysuit our batting, but we man-aged to post in and around apar score,” Morgan said at thepost-match press conference.

“I’m extremely proud of theperformance that we put in.When you play really well, itdoesn’t always guarantee thatyou win games. Unfortunately,we found ourselves on thewrong side of a really tightgame today.

“I hope to be back, I am stilloffering enough, and I loveplaying in this changing room.Incredibly proud to be theirleader,” said the 35-year-old,

who has led the English T20side since 2014.

Sent in to bat, Englandposted 166 for 4 with MoeenAli remaining not out on 51.The Black Caps chased downthe target with one over to sparewith opener Daryl Mitchellplaying a pivotal role with anunbeaten 47-ball 72.

James Neesham also playedan important cameo, hitting an11-ball 27 with one four andthree sixes to take New Zealandto the final.

Morgan said England werein the game till the arrival ofNeesham, who completelychanged the complexion of thematch, playing shots not even

his batters could execute on asluggish pitch.

“We were brilliant with theball. We were right in the gameprobably until Jimmy Neeshamcame to the wicket, if not aheadof the game. Everything workedright up until Neesham camein. It was a fantastic cameo inhigh-pressure circumstances.

“Throughout those inningseverybody struggled to clear theropes on both sides, that wasjust the nature of the pitch. Youhave to take your hat off to him.He played really well. We’veplayed against Jimmy a lot.He’s not struck the ball like thatagainst us ever. It’s really goodbatting.”

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Former England skipper Mike Athertonfeels New Zealand is the strongest team

across all three formats of the game at themoment after the Black Caps reached theirmaiden T20 World Cup final.

New Zealand registered a sensation-al five-wicket win over favourites Englandhere on Wednesday in the first semifinals.It would be their third final appearanceat an ICC global event in as many years.

Over the past few years, the BlackCaps have proved themselves to be a forcein all three formats. They reached the finalof the ODI World Cup in 2019, losing toEngland on boundary count and are theholders of the inaugural World TestChampionship title.

“They are an outstanding team, in allformats of the game really,” Atherton told‘Sky Sports’.

“They are through to another WorldCup final, they were a sliver away fromwinning the last World Cup in 2019, theyare the World Test Championship win-

ners. “Across formats, you would have tosay they are the strongest team at themoment so congratulations to them, a fan-tastic achievement with limited resourcesin terms of personnel and money andthings that we’ve often talked about,” headded.

Chasing 167, the Black Caps were onthe back foot when star opener MartinGuptill and skipper Kane Williamson weredismissed by Chris Woakes inside the firstthree overs of the reply.

England kept mounting pressure butopener Daryl Mitchell and JimmyNeesham had other plans.

Mitchell blazed his away to an unbeat-en 47-ball 72 before Neesham hit a flur-ry of sixes to give New Zealand the win.

“It just changed so quickly tonight. Fora long time in that chase,

I thought England were ahead of thegame,” Atherton said.

“The pitch looked two-paced andsluggish, no one really got going and sud-denly Neesham comes out and changedthat game with some fantastic hitting,”

Atherton said.Pakistan take on Australia in the sec-

ond semifinal and Atherton feels the for-mer champions have the edge over AaronFinch and Co.

“I’m going with Pakistan, I think theyhave got the best and most varied attackin this competition.

“You think of that attack: ShaheenShah Afridi, Haris Rauf, the spinners, thecombinations that they have so I reckonthey got the best attack and I think theywill win it,” he said.

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It was a “perfect and happy ending” forNisha Dahiya as she emerged national

champion in the women’s 65kg categorya day after her dramatic “murder story”turned out to be a case of mistaken iden-tity. The title clash ended in just 30seconds with Nisha, the U23 world cham-pionship bronze medallist, pinning herrival Jaspreet Kaur from Punjab.

Except for her semifinal againstHaryana’s Priyanka, it turned out to be aneasy day in the office for the 23-year-oldNisha, who represents Railways. “Itindeed is a happy and perfect end to mycampaign. I was so stressed yesterday. Icould not even sleep. I was already low onenergy due to weight cut and this incidentjust proved too much to handle,” Nishatold PTI after winning her third goldmedal at the Nationals. It was reportedthat Nisha had been shot dead in Sonepatbut later it came to light that the deceased

was her name sake and an upcomingwrestler.

Nisha’s agility and attacking moveswere too hot to handle for her opponents.She stood out with her leg attacks.

“Of course, an athlete wants to be dis-cussed and talked about but I am sure notin this way. I want people to know for myperformance and not for such freak inci-dents,” she said.

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SA ‘A’ Squad announced for 3-match series against India ‘A’

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Mohammad Rizwan struckhis third half-century ofthe tournament before

Fakhar Zaman roared back toform with a 32-ball unbeaten 55 topower Pakistan to 176 for four inthe second semifinal of the ICCT20 World Cup here on Thursday.

Openers Rizwan (67 off 52)and Babar Azam (39 off 44) shareda 71-run stand before Zamanended the innings on a high withhis unbeaten knock.

The last five overs yielded 59runs for Pakistan.

Pakistan enjoyed their bestpowerplay of the tournament, rac-ing to 47 for no loss in six oversafter Australia put them in to bat.

Rizwan, who was down withflu ahead of the game, did not lookat his best early on and Babar tookthe lead in attacking the Australianpace attack. The Aussies werelooking for some swing early onbut they were not able to get it.

The Pakistan skipper beganwith a regal cover drive off a lateoutswinger from Josh Hazlewood.Babar, who had shown supreme

form in the group stage, looked insublime touch. Among the fiveregal boundaries he hit, his short-arm jab between deep midwicketand long-on stood out.

Leg-spinner Adam Zampa,who has been Australia’s go tobowler in the middle overs, final-ly got the breakthrough Australianeeded by having Babar caught inthe deep with Pakistan reaching 71for one in 10 overs. More than theball, it was the pressure created byZampa that led to the wicket.

Rizwan, who was droppedtwice in the innings, got into theact after Babar’s dismissal. The

wicketkeeper batter grew in con-fidence as his innings progressedand once he he got his trademarkhalf full half sweep shot right offHazlewood, he looked much moredangerous.

Australia did well from overs7-11, conceding only 28 beforeRizwan changed Gears.

He decided to take the attackto the impressive Zampa in the12th over which went for 14 runsand included a slog sweep for six.

Rizwan got his second six offHazlewood two overs later, dis-patching the seasoned pacer overdeep midwicket.

Zaman, who did not have a lotof runs under his belt heading intothe semifinal, hit a flat six over longoff to gain confidence.

With Zampa completing histidy effort, Pakistan were lookingfor a big over and that happenedto be the 17th when Hazlewoodwas hammered for 21 runs, includ-ing a six off a free hit.

After Rizwan’s dismissal,Zaman displayed his power hittingskills against Mitchell Starc, club-bing him for a six and four in a 15-run over.

Six-hitting machine Asif Alihad a rare failure in the tourna-ment as he was out first ball offCummins.

Zaman finished the innings onan exhilarating note, depositingStarc for two massive sixes to takethe team past 170.

Zampa (1/22 in four overs) wasthe pick of the bowlers forAustralia while Hazlewood was themost expensive, leaking 49 runs infour overs.

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