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HYDERABAD, TUESDAY FEBRUARY 16, 2021; PAGES 12 `3

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‘RSS MARKING HOUSES OF DONORSFOR RAM TEMPLE, JUST AS NAZIS DID’

Former Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy onMonday accused the RSS of marking housesof those who gave donations for Ram

Temple in Ayodhya and alleged it was similar towhat the Nazis did in Germany. The RSSdismissed the allegations, saying they do notqualify for any response. In a series of tweets,the JD(S) leader claimed that the RSS was bornin India around the time Nazi Party was foundedin Germany. "It appears that those collectingdonations for the construction of Ram Mandirhave been separately marking the houses ofthose who paid money and those who did not,"Kumaraswamy said.

ALL CENTRAL GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEESTO ATTEND OFFICE ON WORKING DAYS

All central government employees havebeen asked to attend office on workingdays, according to a Personnel Ministry

order. The decision comes amid a significantdecline in the number of active COVID-19cases in the country, including in nationalcapital Delhi. However, all officers and staffresiding in containment zones shall beexempted from coming to office till theircontainment zone is de-notified, the statementsaid. Until now, officers of the level of UnderSecretary and above were only attendingoffice due to the coronavirus-inducedrestrictions imposed in March.

3 ARRESTED FOR CHEATING DELHICM’S DAUGHTER OF RS 34,000

Three people have been arrested by theDelhi Police for duping Chief MinisterArvind Kejriwal's daughter, officials said

on Monday. "Three accused named Sajid,Kapil, and Manvendra have been arrested forduping Harshita. One main accused isabsconding who used to make fake accountson e-commerce sites," police said. She wasduped of Rs 34,000 on February 7 while tryi-ng to sell a second-hand sofa online. Harshitahad listed the sofa on the online platform.When she finalised the deal with a person, heasked her to scan a bar code to transfer theagreed amount of sofa in her account.

KXIP OPT FOR NAME CHANGE, TO BECALLED PUNJAB KINGS FROM IPL-14

Kings XI Punjab will be called PunjabKings from the upcoming edition of theIPL, the franchise having opted for a

change in name after giving it a longthought. KXIP is one of the eight franchiseteams to have competed in the last editionof the T20 league in the UAE. "The teamwas planning to change the name for a longtime and thought it should be done beforethis IPL. So it is not a sudden decision," aBCCI source told PTI on Monday. Thefranchise, jointly owned by Mohit Burman,Ness Wadia, Preity Zinta and Karan Paul,have failed to win an IPL title so far.

5

Modi Government’sstern warning to

fissiparous forces

2

IT industry will grow by 2.3%: Nasscom

8

PNS n HYDERABAD

The number of cabs on cityroads has come to a mere40,000 from the 1.2 lakh lastyear on account of Covid-19.

The reasons are many, includ-ing lack of patronage from cus-tomers even after lifting of thelockdown, inability to pay EMIfor the vehicles, heavy rains thatleft over 5,000 cabs damagedafter being water-logged, aggre-gators like Ola and Uber notpaying commission to driverson time and so on.

Many drivers chose toswitch over to other profes-sions as they could not getthird party insurance sum forthe rain-damaged vehicles.

The Telangana Taxi DriversJAC has expressed concern

over Ola seizing over 3,000leased cabs.

At least 1.2 lakh cabs used toply on city roads, including10,000 that plied daily to the

airport at Shamshabad. Thedemand for cabs has comedown as the number of air pas-sengers has come down.Moreover, most of the IT

employees are working fromhome and their commute toand from their places of workhas vanished.

Changes to CRPC and IPC ‘very soon’PNS n HYDERABAD

Union Minister of State forHome Affairs G Kishan Reddyon Monday said that theCentral Government will ‘verysoon’ bring comprehensivechanges in the CRPC and IPCas the nation is still implement-ing the laws drafted during theBritish rule.

“An action plan has been ini-tiated in this regard under theleadership of Prime MinisterNarendra Modi. TheGovernment has been takingthe suggestions of judges, IASand IPS officers. The Centrewould also take suggestionsfrom key people of the societyand intellectuals,” KishanReddy said.

He made it clear that the

changes would be comprehen-sive.

Kishan Reddy was partici-

pating in a meeting withwomen voters at a privatehotel here on Monday as part

of the BJP’s preparations forelections to the LegislativeCouncil.

“Atrocities against womenacross the country and in theState are taking place. ManyActs like the Criminal Law(Amendment) Act, 2013(Nirbhaya Act) and Disha Act(AP) have been enacted andinitiatives like SHE Teams(Telangana) have been envis-aged to curb atrocities andmany changes are taking placein the system,” Kishan Reddysaid.

He said that successive gov-ernments, over the last 72years, amended existing lawsand changed some Sections oradded new one to the CrPCand IPC.

ML MELLY MAITREYI n HYDERABAD

Following the upward revisionof fuel prices again onMonday, people have begun tofeel the pinch and the cascad-ing effect on transportationcost and prices of essentialcommodities is showing. AfterMonday’s revision, the seventhconsecutive revision in thelast one week, petrol costs Rs92.24 a litre and cooking gascylinder price is enhanced byRs 50.

The State government, onthe other hand, reeling underthe fund crunch with its rev-enues hit by Covid-19 pan-demic for most part of the cur-rent fiscal 2020-21, has trainedits sight to recover the short-fall under the targeted com-mercial taxes revenue- bulk ofwhich comes from the VATimposed on fuel and liquor.

With the prices of vegeta-bles, fruits and edible oils spi-ralling upwards under theimpact of rise in transportation

costs, a demand is slowly gain-ing momentum from publicthat the Central and State gov-ernments should bring downexcise duty and sales taxrespectively on fuel whichwere imposed previously whenthe international crude oilprices had hit rock bottom.

But the State Government,sources say, is caught betweenthe rock and a hard place as it

cannot apparently considerthe demand for reducing theVAT when it has to shore upits revenues for its welfare pro-grammes that cost the exche-quer over Rs 40,000 crore andthe development works forwhich the government is hardpressed to release funds andspeed up the projects.

Union Minister of State for Home Affairs G Kishan Reddy addresses a meeting ofwomen representatives at a private hotel in Hyderabad on Monday.

The TS Taxi DriversJAC has expressedconcern over Olaseizing over 3,000leased cabs. Atleast 1.2 lakh cabsused to ply on cityroads, including10,000 that plieddaily to the airportat Shamshabad

No chance of reducingtax on fuel in Telangana

Bride-to-be, herparents drownas car falls into canalPNS n KARIMNAGAR

A 21-year old woman, whosemarriage was to be held inMay, and her parents drownedon Monday as a family pil-grimage trip ended in atragedy when their carplunged into a canal, about 60kms from here, in Jagtial dis-trict in Telangana, police said.

Her 18-year old brotherescaped unhurt as he managedto jump out of the car in time,they said. The deceased wereidentified as senior advocate KAmarender Rao (50) of Jagtial,his wife and daughter Shreya.

According to police, themarriage of Shreya was sched-uled to take place on May 21and they wanted to offerprayers at their family deitytemple in nearby Joginipalli.

The four left their homearound 4.30 am but soon Raolost control of the car whichveered off the road, fell intothe SRSP Canal and sank.

Police reached the spotand retrieved the bodies ofthe three.

Daily Covidcases dipbelow 100 in TelanganaPNS n HYDERABAD

After a gap of eight months,Telangana recorded less than100 fresh COVID-19 caseswhile two deaths pushed thetoll to 1,618, the state govern-ment said on Monday.

Only 99 new COVID-19infections were detected out ofthe 15,766 samples tested inthe state taking the tally of pos-itive cases to 2,96,673 as of 8pm on Saturday, a bulletin heresaid. It was on June 2 last yearthat the state previouslyreported fresh cases below100, adding 99 cases.

Twentyfour of the freshcases were from the GHMCareas while Rangareddy dis-trict accounted for ten, it said.

Cumulative recoveries roseto 2,93,379 with the dischargeof 169 more people from var-ious hospitals as the numberof active cases, recording asteady fall in the past severalweeks, further declined to1,676.

4 mid-sized, Govt-run banksshortlisted for privatisationBank of Maharashtra, Bank of India, Indian Overseas

Bank and the Central Bank of India in the listPNS n NEW DELHI

Government has shortlistedfour mid-sized state-runbanks for privatisation, undera new push to sell state assetsand shore up governmentrevenues, three governmentsources said.

Privatisation of the bankingsector, which is dominated bystate-run behemoths withhundreds of thousands ofemployees, is politically riskybecause it could put jobs atrisk but Prime MinisterNarendra Modi's administra-tion aims to make a start withsecond-tier banks.

The four banks on theshortlist are Bank ofMaharashtra, Bank of India,Indian Overseas Bank and theCentral Bank of India, twoofficials told Reuters on con-dition of anonymity as thematter is not yet public.

Two of those banks will beselected for sale in the

2021/2022 financial yearwhich begins in April, theofficials said. The shortlist hasnot previously been reported.

The government is consid-ering mid-sized to smallbanks for its first round ofprivatisation to test thewaters. In the coming years itcould also look at some of thecountry's bigger banks, theofficials said.

The government, however,will continue to hold a major-ity stake in India's largest

lender State Bank of India,which is seen as a 'strategicbank' for implementing initia-tives such as expanding ruralcredit.

A f inance ministr yspokesman declined to com-ment on the matter.

India's deepest economiccontraction on record causedby the pandemic is drivingthe push for bolder reforms,economists say.

PNS n HYDERABAD

TPCC chief N Uttam Kumar isreportedly upset over TPCCworking president andMalkajgiri MP A RevanthReddy’s ongoing padayatra,according to sources.

Uttam also haddeliberations withparty seniors onRevanth’s padaya-tra and decidednot to attend themeeting, which isbeing organised onthe last leg of hispadayatra, at Ravirala on

Tuesday. Uttam also decid-ed to participate in MLCelections meetings inKodad and Suryapet,along with Nalgonda-Khammam-WarangalGraduate MLC con-

stituency Congresscandidate Ramulu

Naik.It is learnt that

the party seniors,including Uttam,want Revanth

Reddy to explain hehas taken up padayatra

in Nagarkurnool districtand not his own constituency

Malkajgiri as perthe party high

c o m m a n ddirections.

In fact,R e v a n t hReddy had

transformedhis Rythu Barosa

Deeksha into apadayatra that has been goingon for nine days. On Tuesday,the 10th day, he will address apublic meeting at Ravirala andhe requested all Congressactivists to attend.

Polls to AP urban local bodies on March 10PNS n AMARAVATI

Elections to urban local bod-ies (ULBs) in Andhra Pradeshwould be held on March 10,the State Election Commissionannounced on Monday, elevenmonths after it suspended theprocess for the polls mid-waylast year in view of COVID-19

pandemic.According to a notification

issued by the SEC, the count-ing of votes polled in the elec-tions to 12 MunicipalCorporations, includingGreater Visakhapatnam andVijayawada, and 75Municipalities and NagarPanchayats would be taken

up on March 14.The announcement came

amid the ongoing four-phaseelections for panchayats in thestate of which two had beencompleted. The remainingphases would be held onFebruary 17 and 21.

PNS n HYDERABAD

With the election notificationbeing for the Nalgonda-Khammam-Warangal andHyderabad-Rangareddy-Mahbubnagar Graduates con-stituencies, all eyes are on theTRS after the main OppositionCongress and the BJPannounced their candidates.

While, the TRS hadannounced its candidate forN a l g o n d a - K h a m m a m -Warangal constituency, it hasnot done so for the Hyderabad-Rangareddy-Mahbubnagar seat.

According to sources, noone has expressed interest tocontest from this constituen-cy after the party's defeat inthe Dubbak by-elections andGHMC elections. Earlier, for-mer Mayor BonthuRammohan, PL Srinivas,Shubhapradh Patel andMinister Sabitha IndraReddy’s son Karthik Reddyhad sought the ticket for theHyderabad-Rangareddy-

Mahbubnagar constituency.Work had also spread that

Bonthu Rammohan’s namewas almost confirmed.However, after the recent pollsetbacks to the TRS, now,except PL Srinivas, no one isinterested to contest from thisconstituency, it is learnt.

In fact, the situation is suchthat even PL Srinivas is notrunning from pillar to post ashe had done earlier, though heis still interested. Earlier, TRScandidate Devi Prasad lostfrom this constituency.

TRS in a flux overcandidate forCouncil from Hyd

No. of cabs on Hyd roads down to just 40K

The four banks on the shortlist areBank of Maharashtra, Bank

of India, Indian OverseasBank and the Central

Bank of India, twoofficials told Reuters oncondition of anonymity

as the matter is not yet public

Uttam upset over Revanth’spadayatra, not to participate

Jolt to rulingCong in Pondy;MalladiKrishna Raoquits as MLA

Full report page 2

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War of words between

BJP and Opposition

over ‘Toolkit case’

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hyderabad 02HYDERABAD | TUESDAY | FEBRUARY 16, 2021

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(IN HYDERABAD)

Recent developmentsprove that vestedinterests create tur-

moil taking advantage ofprotests in India to sway thetide in their favour.

Environmental activistGreta Thunberg tagged atoolkit in a Twitter message.Those who opened the toolk-it were shocked at the con-tents. The creator of the toolk-it was Dhaliwal, a Khalistaniactivist belonging to Canada.Dhaliwal runs the PoeticJustice Foundation in Canada.

The toolkit details whoshould join which protest andwhen and how minor thingsin society should be blown outof proportions to indulge inmalicious campaigns.

Dhaliwal is running an anti-India campaign from foreignshores. Taking out a protest infront of Indian Embassy inCanada on Republic Day, hestated his objective was to splitIndia. Security forces neu-

tralised his uncle as part of theOperation Blue Star in 1984.

On the pretext of environ-mental protection, representa-tives of some overseas organ-isation took part in the mali-cious campaign using thetoolkit. Some Indians are partof the conspiracy. The policeclosed down over 300 Twitteraccounts that spill venomagainst India, used to createbad blood and fuel discontent.The security forces have infor-mation that one of the organ-isations is being funded by theISI of Pakistan.

Prime Minister NarendraModi made it clear that he isnot worried about protests buthe is against those who fueltrouble in the country.

What is the correlationbetween the farmers’ protestsand such elements? It is evi-dent that terrorist groups, tak-ing advantage of farmers’protests, have been trying tohijack the agitation as part of

a national and internationalconspiracy.

It has become a fashion forsome to raise their voiceagainst environmental prob-lems and human rights andtake part in one agitation orthe other. Knowingly orunknowingly, some educatedyouth are getting pulled intothe vicious circle by retweetingposts from foreign groups.

Recently arrested DishaRavi and Nikita Jacob andShantanu, against whom war-rants have been issued, wereintroduced to Poetic Justice

Foundation by a Canadian.The police learnt that theywere in conference via Zoom.

Unless they are interrogat-ed, the real hand behind themcould not be exposed. Thecountry alerted its embassiesto focus on such organisations.

Surprisingly, the Oppositionhas also become part of themalicious campaign.

The response of Congresssenior leaders to the timelyarrests indicates that its seniorsare aghast at the Centre’saction. The budget sessionproved that Congress is adept

at misleading the world byrepeating lies.

The Congress describes thefarmer welfare measures asmeasures initiated to benefitcorporates. The Congressfinds fault with every decisionthat Modi had taken duringthe Coronavirus crisis as onethat benefited only the rich.

That was why FinanceMinister Nirmala Sitharaman,

taking part in a debate on theUnion Budget,demanded toknow whob e n e f i t e dmost by theC e n t r e ’ sschemes – the rich orthe poor – of distri-bution of food grains free ofcost to over 80 crore people.

Free LPG connections weregiven to over 8 crore people.Cash was transferred intobank accounts of over 40crore. Who benefited from therelease of over Rs 2.76 lakh-crore under PM Garib KalyanYojna, under Awas Yojna (1.76crore houses built for thehomeless), over 2.67 lakhhouses were energised underSowbhagya scheme?

Micro and medium scaleindustries received orders tothe tune of Rs 8 lakh-crore.Under PMGSY, roads werelaid up to a distance of sever-al lakh km. Over nine crore

farmers registered their namewith the E-NAM portal

and sold their pro-duce across the coun-try. Do hey constitutewealthy corporates,

she questioned.Under Mudra Yojana,

beneficiaries received loans tothe tune of Rs 27,000 crore.Similarly, under PM SammanNidhi Yojna, 11 crore farmersreceived Rs 1,15,000 crore atthe rate of Rs 6,000 per head.

The highest quantum offunds was spent under theMGNREGA only in Modi rule.Under the scheme, Rs 90,000crore was spent in 2020-21. Infact, Rs 50,000 crore was spentunder the scheme to benefitmigrant workers in 116 dis-tricts in six states. About 1.15lakh street vendors benefited tothe tune of Rs 10,000 eachunder Pradhan MantriSwanidhi Yojna.

Right from the days of theJan Sangh, the BJP’s policy is

pro-poor. Those who criticisethe BJP should know about it.The objective of the policy isto bring sheen in the lives ofthose who figure at the otherend of the spectrum.

Unlike Congress regimes,the present dispensation hasinitiated policy reforms toensure every rupee spent reach-es the people. The AtmaNirbhar Package and agricul-tural laws have been initiatedonly to benefit not only farm-ers but also the poor, Dalits, SCsand STs and middle classes.

After Modi came to power,every Indian feels proud abouthis or her identity, culture andthe country. Those who arelosing their identity with eachpassing day, those who wantto fish in troubled waters andfissiparous forces that fearseeing Modi even in theirdreams are engaged in mud-slinging on the BJP.

But the people will seethrough their designs.

Y SATYA KUMAR

BJP National Secretary

TRULY

SPEAKING

It has become a fashion for some to raisetheir voice against environmental problemsand human rights and take part in oneagitation or the other. Knowingly orunknowingly, some educated youth aregetting pulled into the vicious circle byretweeting posts from foreign groups

Modi Government’s stern warning to fissiparous forces

Daily Covidcases dipbelow 100 in TelanganaContinued from page 1

Cumulatively, more than 83.11lakh samples have been tested.The samples tested per millionpopulation was over 2.23 lakh,the bulletin said.

The case fatality and recov-ery rates stood at 0.54 per centand 98.88 per cent against thenational average of 1.4 per centand 97.3 per cent, it added.

Uttam upset...Continued from page 1

It is learnt that RevanthReddy also invited partysenior leaders to attend.However, Manickam Tagorewill not be in attendance.

Revanth Reddy had initial-ly decided to organise themeeting at the SaroornagarStadium on February 18, butchanged his plans as the noti-fication for Graduate’s MLCpoll will be issued onFebruary 16, therefore, theelection code will into force.

It’s learnt that RevanthReddy had tried to get RahulGandhi to attend the meetingif it was held on February 18.

Continued from page 1

Insiders say that Hyderabad-Rangareddy-Mahbubnagargraduate MLC constituencyhas become a big headachefor the TRS. It is learnt thatthe party had also contem-plated extending support toindependent candidate andtwo-time MLC from theconstituency Prof KNageshwar, instead of risklosing face.

The insiders insist thatTRS seniors feel that it is noteasy to win the Hyderabad-Rangareddy-Mahbubnagargraduate MLC constituency,something the party hasnever done yet.

Moreover, employees,teachers and unemployedyouth are angry at the TRSwith regard to PRC, unem-ployment allowance and fill-ing up of vacant posts.

All these factors haveresulted in the party feelingthat it is better not to fieldits candidate from this con-stituency.

TRS in a flux overcandidatefor Council...

Continued from page 1

Government also wants tooverhaul a banking sectorreeling under a heavy load ofnon-performing assets, whichare likely to rise further oncebanks are allowed to cate-gorise loans that soured dur-ing the pandemic as bad.

PM Modi's office initiallywanted four banks to be putup for sale in the coming fis-cal year, but officials haveadvised caution fearing resis-tance from unions represent-ing the employees.

Bank of India has a work-force of about 50,000 andCentral Bank of India has

33,000 staff, while IndianOverseas Bank employs26,000 and Bank ofMaharashtra has about 13,000employees, according to esti-mates from bank unions.

Bank of Maharashtra'ssmaller workforce could makeit easier to privatise and there-fore potentially one of the firstto be sold, the sources said.

On Monday workers start-ed a two-day strike opposingthe government's move toprivatise banks and sell stakesin insurance and other com-panies.

The actual privatisationprocess may take 5-6 monthsto start, one of the govern-

ment sources said."Factors like number of

employees, pressure of thetrade unions and politicalrepercussions would impact afinal decision," the sourcesaid, noting that the privati-sation of a particular bankcould be subject to change atthe last moment due to thesefactors.

The government hopes thatthe Reserve Bank of India, thecountry's banking regulator,will soon ease lending restric-tions on Indian OverseasBank after an improvement inthe lender's finances thatcould help its sale.

Continued from page 1

At one time, many unem-ployed were dependent onthe transport demand of ITemployees, and had purchasedvehicles and tied up with Olaand Uber. In spite of theseagencies reducing their com-mission, the drivers still sailedwith them. Because of work-ing from home concept, manyIT workers are working fromtheir homes.

After the lockdown waslifted, over 60,000 cabs beganplying on the city roads. Butthe subsequent heavy rainsdealt a blow to the cab sector.Over 5,000 cabs were inun-dated and the rains renderedthem unfit for plying. Becauseof these and other reasons, the

number of cabs on city roadshas come down to mere40,000.

Meanwhile, cab drivershave been demandingincreasing their fare to Rs 17per km on the lines of theKarnataka government.Currently, the fare of cabs perkm is between Rs 10 and Rs12.

In recent times, the petroland diesel prices have shot updrastically. “Cab aggregatorslike Ola and Uber haveimposed cut in commissionpayable to the drivers.Therefore, survival of the cabdrivers has come under acloud,” said Shaik Salauddin,convener of the TelanganaCab and Travel DriversAssociation.

No. of cabs on Hyd roadsdown to just 40K

Share of completed flats in total housing sales during2020 rises to 21 per cent: ReportPNS n NEW DELHI

Demand for completed resi-dential properties is risingcompared to that for under-construction flats, as the shareof ready-to-move-in homes inthe total housing sales in 2020rose to 21 per cent from 18 percent in the previous year,according to News Corp-backed realty brokerage firmPropTiger.

A total of 1,82,640 unitswere sold in the 2020 calendaryear, of which 21 per centwere in the RTMI (ready-to-move-in) category and 79 percent were under-construction,PropTiger said quoting its RealInsight report for 2020.

In 2019, a total of 3,47,590units were sold of which 18 percent were RTMI, it said in astatement. PropTiger researchfound that the share of RTMIin the total sales has been onthe rise since 2016.

The share of RTMI in totalsales during 2015 was 7 percent, which increased to 10 percent in 2016, 12 per cent in2017, 15 per cent in 2018 and18 per cent in 2019, the state-ment said.

"Risk-averse home buyersare increasingly opting forready-to-move-in flats. Even inunder-construction properties,the preference is towardsbranded developers or thosewith an impeccable track

record of execution," saidDhruv Agarwala, Group CEO,Housing.com, Makaan.com

and PropTiger.com.Among various cities, the

share of RTMI units in the total

sales was the highest inChennai at 32 per cent andlowest in Hyderabad at 12 percent, during 2020.

However, the share of RTMIunits in the total salesincreased the most in Delhi-NCR at 27 per cent in 2020,from 17 per cent in the previ-ous year.

In line with the improvingoverall economic scenario,PropTiger said residentialdemand and supply are inch-ing back towards pre-COVIDlevels with sales and newlaunches witnessing a sharprecovery in the fourth quarterof the 2020 calendar year, aftera muted performance duringthe April-September period.

Jolt to ruling Cong inPondy; Malladi KrishnaRao quits as MLAPNS n PUDUCHERRY

In a jolt to the four-and-a-halfyear-old V Narayanasamy-ledCongress government here,senior party legislator MalladiKrishna Rao on Mondayresigned from the post ofMLA.

A communication purport-edly sent by Rao to the mediasaid that he conveyed his res-ignation in his letterhead toSpeaker V P Sivakolundhufrom his home town of Yanam.

He stated that he tendered"his resignation of my seat inthe House with effect fromFebruary 15." However, whencontacted a spokesman of theAssembly said the office ofSpeaker had not received anyletter from Rao today.

Rao had quit the post ofHealth Minister some weeksago. But the Chief Ministerdenied such reports at pressconferences that Rao had quitthe post. Rao was not availablefor confirmation over phonewhen PTI attempted to con-tact him.

An official source in theAssembly said that the Speaker

was "out of station."Malladi Krishna Rao is the

third Congress legislator toquit the post of MLA after theformer PWD Minister ANamassivayam and ETheeppainjan on January 25.N Dhanavelu, a Congressmember was disqualified inJuly last year for alleged anti-party activities.

If the Speaker accepts hisresignation, the strength of theCongress in the 30-memberHouse will come down to 11.The Congress had won 15assembly seats in the 2016Assembly polls including theSpeaker.

PNS n SIDDIPET

Minister for Finance THarish Rao has termedSiddipeta as home to sportsand games. Speaking afterinspecting the football courtworks here on Monday, hesaid that a running trackwould be set up around thefootball court. A footballcourt is being developed inthe town at a cost of Rs 2.5crore. The running trackwould be beneficial to thosewho are preparing for policetraining and the unem-ployed.

Earlier, he spoke with the

Volleyball Association repre-sentatives on the amenitiesneeded for the volleyball

players. He told the MarketCommittee chairman andmunicipal chairman to pro-

vide amenities for the partic-ipants of the four-day Inter-distr ic t Vol leyba l lAssociation Championshipto be held from February 18.

Municipal chairman RajNars, Siddipet Sports ClubConvener P Sairam, SUDAdirector M Venugopal Reddy,Sport Tech general manager KSudhir, Athletics Associationpresident G Parameshwar andothers were also.

E ar l i er, he pres ente dprizes to 10 sportspersonsfrom Siddipet district, whorecently emerged victori-ous in the recently con-cluded athletics.

Harish Rao terms Siddipetas home to sports, games

Minister for Finance T Harish Rao interacts with Volleyball Associationrepresentatives on the amenities needed for volleyball players in Siddipet on Monday

‘Four goverment banks...Polls to APurban localbodies on...Continued from page 1

After nominations were filedand scrutiny was completed,the commission had onMarch 15, 2020 suspendedthe election process for theULBs for six weeks in view ofCOVID-19 and later extend-ed it until further orders.

The latest notification saidthe SEC decided to resumethe election process from thestage where it was stopped.

Accordingly, it issued noti-fications on Monday to con-tinue the election processfrom the stage of withdraw-al of candidature and hold thepolls on March 10. No chance of

reducing tax onfuel in TelanganaContinued from page 1

Staring at the revenue short-fall of about Rs 50,000 crore,the State government hasdirected the CommercialTaxes department to stream-line tax collection and plug theloopholes in the next 45 days.

In Telangana, the spirallingprices of fuel and concomi-tant negative consequenceson consumer prices are slow-ly turning into an electionissue as an Assembly by-election in Nagarjunasagarconstituency and election totwo Graduate MLC seats arein the offing.

In the last financial year2019-20, the revenue throughsales tax/ VAT on fuel was Rs7,700 crore in the State andin 2020-21, till January-end,it was Rs 6,700 crore becauseof lockdown due to pan-demic and slow down in theeconomic activities whichimpacted fuel consumption.

The economy is just get-ting on to the track andState revenues are on therecovery mode.

Experts point out that afterthe imposition of GST, Stateshave no avenues to raise addi-

tional resources exceptthrough stamps and registra-tion, fuel and liquor. “Whenthe options are limited, theStates cannot afford to foregoany revenue from thesesources by bringing down thetax rates. Only poll-boundAssam has reduced the fueltax and Covid-19 cess onalcohol,” they point out.

The Union Governmentlevies excise duty of Rs 32.9per litre of petrol and Rs 31.8a litre on diesel. As per thedata available till January 6,State’s share of VAT on litre ofpetrol was 35.2 percent whena litre of petrol was Rs 87.06.The VAT on diesel was at 27percent on the cost of onelitre.

Sources pointed out that theUnion Budget 2021-22 did nottake measures to reduce taxesto leave more money in peo-ple’s hands to endure infla-tionary pressures due to risingfuel prices as the Centrefocused on its own tax collec-tion that fell by Rs 7 lakh-crore this year and the fiscaldeficit was pegged at 9.5 per-cent of GDP for 2020-21 andproposed to be brought downto 6.8 percent in 2021-22.

Changes to CRPCand IPC ‘very...Continued from page 1

“However, the Centre istrying to bring comprehensivechanges to the CrPC and IPCunder Modi’s leadership andguidance of Union HomeMinister Amit Shah. Already,the Union Home Minister hasaddressed letters to variousstakeholders,” Kishan Reddysaid.

He asked the BJP MahilaMorcha leaders and activistspresent at the meeting to givetheir suggestions with regardto the changes.

He said that the Centrewould keep the draft beforewomen, social organizationsand women advocates toenable them to give their sug-gestions. “We want to make itclear that two-three peoplewon’t be asked to sit togetherand write the changes. We willtake inputs from all sections ofthe people. The fact of thematter is that change to IPCand CrPC laws didn't takeplace in tune with the condi-tions prevailing geographical-ly, economically and socio-politically,” Kishan Reddy said.

Addressing the gathering,

Kishan Reddy said thatwomen form half of societyand are in key positions in allsectors. “However, some inci-dents taking place here havebrought a bad name toTelangana society. BJP is theonly party that has appointeda woman as the UnionDefence Minister. It is theparty with the highest numberof women MLAs,” he said.

Urging women to ensurethe victory of sitting MLC NRamchander Rao fromHyderabad-Rangareddy-Mahbubnagar Graduate con-stituency, Kishan Reddy saidthat BJP MLCs won the elec-tions in 2014 when the TRSwas dominant.

He said that the educated,intellectuals and employeesare against the TRS. “All of ushave to strive hard in tandemto retain the MLC seat.Ramchander Rao is one ofthose leaders who participat-ed in the Telangana movementsincerely,” Kishan Reddy said.

Ramchander Rao, formerMLA Chintala RamchandraReddy, Mahila Morcha leadersVijay Rathna, Geetha Murthyand others were present.

The share of RTMI intotal sales during

2015 was 7%, whichincreased to 10% in

2016, 12% in 2017, 15% in 2018 and 18% in

2019, the statementsaid

HYDERABAD | TUESDAY | FEBRUARY 16, 2021 hyderabad 03

HYDERABAD: Former PrimeMinister P V NarasimhaRao's grandson andTelangana BJP senior leaderN V Subhash on Mondaydonated Rs 21.5 lakh for theconstruction of Ram Mandirin Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh. He handed over a cheque forRs 21.5 lakh to BJP StatePresident and Karimnagar

MP Bandi Sanjay in Hyderabad. Speaking on the occasion, Subhashsaid he mobilised funds from his friends, acquaintances, BharatiyaJanata Party workers and leaders for the construction of mandir atRam Janmabhoomi. Subhash said that people voluntarily cameforward and gave donations for Ram Mandir. He thanked peoplewho raised funds for the Ram Janmabhoomi mandir.

CITY LIGHTS

CPI national general secretary having a vegetarian meal at the Janatha Mess in Nampally Court on Monday. Narayana, whowas fond of chicken, later turned into a veggie following a row that erupted when he ate chicken at a public meeting.

SIMPLE MMEAL

HYDERABAD: With 99 new infectionsbeing recorded on Sunday, the number ofconfirmed Covid cases in Telangana hassurged to 2,96,673 so far. The statesuffered two fresh fatalities due to Covid inthe past 24 hours taking the cumulativefatalities thus far to 1,618 translating acase fatality rate of 0.54 per cent as againstthe countrywide mortality rate of 1.4 percent, according to the bulletin released by

the state health department on Monday. As of Sunday, 169 peoplehave recovered from coronavirus statewide pushing the total numberof recoveries till date to 2,93,379 constituting a recovery rate of 98.88per cent while the national recovery rate was 97.3 per cent. The activecases in the state stand at 1,676 including 705 individuals in home orinstitutional isolation. A total of 15,766 samples have been tested inthe state as on date to detect the contagious virus out of which theresults of 415 swab samples are awaited. Cumulatively, more than83.111akh Covid tests have been carried out so far in the state sincethe outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic. Remaining the maincontributor of the infection cases,the Greater Hyderabad MunicipalCorporation reported 24 new coronavirus cases in the last 24 hoursfollowed by Rangareddy with 10 cases. The remaining coronaviruscases have been registered by other districts, the bulletin added.

99 new Covid cases, twofatalities recorded in TS

PV's grandson NV Subhashdonates `̀21.5L for Ram Mandir

HYDERABAD: A three-year-old baby girl with a brain tumor hasbecome the 10,000th patient at Yashoda Hospitals in Hyderabad tobe treated using RapidArc radiotherapy technology from VarianMedical Systems. The treatment comes just six years after RapidArcwas first introduced clinically at Yashoda hospital, which treats morethan 4,000 patients a year from the states of Telangana and AndhraPradesh. "The patient responded well to the treatment," said Dr. G SRao, director of Yashoda group of hospitals. Yashoda was the firsthospital in India to introduce RapidArc treatments and over the pastsix years it has phased out the use of 'static-field' intensitymodulated radiotherapy (IMRT) treatments and replaced them withRapidArc. It has become the first hospital to reach the landmark of10,000 RapidArc treatments. RapidArc technology delivers fast andprecise radiotherapy treatments in single or multiple rotations of thetreatment machine around the patient. Faster treatments allow forgreater precision, since there is less chance of patient or tumormovement during treatment delivery and the patient spends lesstime on the treatment couch.

Yashoda Hospitals treats 10K patients with RapidArc

Hyderabad: Thunderstorm with lightning is likely to occur at isolatedplaces in the districts Adilabad, Komaram Bheem, Nirmal, Jagtial,Nizamabad, Kamareddy of Telangana on February 17 and 18,Meteorological Centre said on Monday. In a release here, the Met saidthat light to moderate rain or thundershowers is likely to occur atisolated places in Telangana on February 17, 18 and 19. Mist or Haze islikely to prevail in the morning hours at isolated places in Telanganaduring the next two days. Dry weather is likely to prevail in CoastalAndhra Pradesh, Yanam and Rayalaseema during the next five days.Dry weather prevailed in Telangana, Coastal Andhra Pradesh, Yanamand Rayalaseema during the last 24 hours. The lowest minimumtemperature of 15.8 degree Celsius was recorded in Medak and 19.5degree Celsius in Hyderabad of Telangana. Arogyavaram inRayalaseema recorded the lowest minimum temperature of 15 degreeCelsius on the intervening night of Sunday and Monday.

Thunderstorm with lightning likely in Telangana

Petrol theft on the rise in Moosapet PNS n HYDERABAD

Bheemudu, a resident ofMoosapet, filled the fuel tankof his motorbike at night as hehad to go to hospital the nextmorning. However, in themorning his bike refused tostart. After failing to start hisbike following several attempts,he checked the fuel tank andfound that not a drop of petrolwas there. He wants the rob-bers to think twice beforestealing petrol from vehicles.

Bheemudu is not alone.Several other residents - most-ly poor workers of nearby fac-tories - living in Moosapet arefacing the same problem.Stealing petrol from parkedvehicles is on the rise in the city,especially in Moosapet region,as the robbers find it is lessrisky, compared to stealingcash, jewellery, cell phonesand robbing ATMs.

In Moosapet, the robberstarget the parked two wheelersafter 11 pm to steal petrol. Thepoor people, who are beingrobbed, often keep quiet out of

fear and are more inconve-nienced by the theft as theyoften are not in a position tobuy petrol again immediatelyafter the theft for rising petrolcost and shortage of cash.

Theft of petrol is beingreported from the Goodsshedroad, Janata Nagar, Yadav Basti,Mushkipet, Vaddera Basti ward

office, Anjaiah Nagar and otherlocalities in the region.

In the Moosapet locality,there are several multistoriedbuildings without any parkingfacility. As a result the peopleliving in those buildings are leftwith no other option, but topark their bikes on the open,thereby exposing themselves

more to the handiwork of thepetrol thieves. Theft of petrol- done out of mischievousnessor necessity - has been posingproblems to the vehicle owners.

If removing petrol in the eas-iest possible way becomes dif-ficult, the robbers are not hes-itating to break open the tankto steal petrol.

A person, who recentlymoved to Moosapet, notedthat fuel was stolen from hisvehicle tank as the robbersbroke open the fuel lock to stealthe fuel. As a remedy to petroltheft, the poor vehicle ownersof the area are now removingthe petrol from the tanks oftheir bikes at night and refill-ing it in the morning whenthey go to work.

If removingpetrol from two-wheelers in theeasiest possibleway becomesdifficult, therobbers are nothesitating tobreak open thetank to stealpetrol.

PNS n HYDERABAD

CPM Telangana unit secretaryThammineni Veerabhadramon Monday said that the Centreshould rein in the rising pricesof petrol, diesel and LPG.

Veerabhadram, in a pressrelease, said that the BJP-ledNDA government was puttingenormous burden on the com-mon people by abnormallyincreasing the prices of petrol,diesel and cooking gas.

People are not in a positionto bear the burden, he added.

He demanded that theCentral and State governmentsreduce the additional taxesimposed on the fuels to makethem available for commonpeople. In the last 11 days, theprice of a 14.2 kg LPG cylinderhas gone up by Rs 75 to Rs821.50 in Hyderabad, the CPMleader said.

The Union Government isannouncing that it wouldincrease the number of benefi-ciaries of the LPG scheme(Ujjwal) for poor women hesaid adding that how the poorpeople can afford to buy theLPG cylinders in the midst ofrising prices.

Stating that the Central gov-

ernments, in the past, used toset up a special account toadjust the prices whenever theyshot up by not putting a burdenon the consumers, the CPI(M) leader ridiculed that the

burden of price rise was put onconsumers due to abolition ofthat account.

"With petrol and diesel pricesrising day by day, prices ofessential commodities, includ-ing vegetables, are skyrocketing.In addition to the taxes, theCentral and State governmentsare collecting money from con-sumers in the name of taxes," hesaid.

The CPI (M) leader warnedthat the Central Governmentwould face people's ire if it con-tinued to increase petrol, dieseland LPG cylinder prices. TheCentre should immediatelytake necessary steps to controlthese prices, he added.

Rein in the rising fuel prices,CPM demands Centre

NDA government isputting enormousburden on the peopleby abnormallyincreasing the pricesof petrol, diesel andLPG cylinders, saysCPM leader

Rachakonda Commissioner of PoliceMahesh Bhagwat takes aim duringthe annual firing practice organisedat Telangana State Police Academy

on Monday. Police personnelworking in Rachakonda

commissionerate limits took part inthe firing practice using AK-47s, MP

5s and Glock pistols. RachakondaCP thanked TSPA Director forproviding logistics support.

ON TARGET

PNS n HYDERABAD

Tirumala TirupatiDevasthanam (TTD)Executive Officer Dr KSJawahar Reddy instructed theengineering officials concernedto send proposals to take updevelopment works of VedaPathashala in Keesaragutta,Telangana. The EO reviewedthe development of Vedicinstitution on Monday

Veda Pathashala Principal KMallikarjuna informed EO thatthe hostel building accommo-dates only 40 pupils, though asmany as 120 students werepresently studying in the insti-tution.

He urged the EO to getinstalled barricades to preventthe entry of wild beasts intoYagashala and Vedapathashala

premises. The EO instructed the offi-

cials concerned to send a pro-posal plan to take up the devel-opment works.

Later, the vedic studentsbrought to the notice of TTDEO that though they havebecome accomplished punditsafter pursuing Vedic course inTTD eight years, they aredenied employment in Vedicrelated posts by theEndowments Department ofTelangana State.

EO told them that he willdefinitely discuss the issue inthe ensuing TTD Trust BoardMeeting slated for February 27.

After having darshan of Sri

Ramalingeswara Swamy inKeesaragutta, the TTD EOalso visited TTD InformationCentre, Kalyana Mandapam,Guest House, Dining Hallwhich are under renovation.

The officials concernedinformed the EO that theworks would be completed bythis April. Later, he also visit-ed the SVBC Studio, HDPPOffice and interacted with theemployees.

Medchal MalkajgiriAdditional Joint CollectorVidyasagar, TTD Dy EENagaraju, AEO C Naik, AEORamesh, Manager of KalyanaMandapam Ramesh were alsopresent.

TTD will develop Keesaragutta VedaPathashala , assures Jawahar Reddy

PNS n HYDERABAD

Students of University of Hy-derabad on Monday staged adharna protesting against theadministration for collect-ing odd and even semester feetogether, Development fee,Lab, Sports and Internet fee.

The students sent mass e-mails to the administrationand staged protest by holdingplacards with a demand torevoke special fees.

The university was closeddue to Covid-induced lock-down in March, last year. It isalmost one year and stu-dents have not been availingany facilities on the campus.

According to the students,as the new semester is begin-ning now, the university wascollecting the fees of both thesemesters together withoutany relaxation.

The Students Union hasappealed to the student com-munity not to pay the feesuntil the administrationrevokes the unwarranted fees.

The students union plansto gherao the administra-tion on Tuesday with ademand to revoke theDevelopment fees, Lab fees,Sports fees, Internet fees andcollection of odd and evensemesters' fee together.

UoH Students' Union pres-ident Abhishek Nandan said,"Students' Union had urgedthe administration not tocollect fees during last semes-ter registration. HCU is acampus where majority of thestudents are from margin-alised sections of society. Wehave been complaining aboutthis issue to the CE office andthe taskforce since long time.Instead of taking a positivestand, they are putting stu-dents to hardships. We willfight this autocratic and cal-lous attitude of the universi-ty administration.”

UoH studentsprotest special fees

PNS n HYDERABAD

Stating that Prime MinisterNarendra Modi would pre-side over the sixth governingcouncil meeting of the NitiAayog on February 20, ChiefSecretary Somesh Kumarurged the officials to preparea brief note highlighting thevarious achievements of thestate to be presented to theChief Minister.

The Chief Secretary direct-ed the officials to prepare atable indicating the rankingof the state on various indi-cators as envisaged by the NitiAayog. The state govern-ment's inputs on key issuesand policies should be pre-sented in the report based onChief Minister's vision, heasked the officials. He notedthat various initiatives of thestate such as TS-iPASS, KCRKits, Rythu Bandhu, RythuBhima, etc. and the areaswhere the state was at fore-front in the country shouldbe highlighted.

Rani Kumudini, SpecialChief Secretary, LET&F, K.Ramakrishna Rao, PrincipalSecretary Finance, SunilSharma, Principal Secretary,TR&B, Arvind Kumar,Principal Secretary,MA&UD, Jayesh Ranjan,Principal Secretary, IT&C,B. Janardhan Reddy,Secretary, Agriculture, SAMRizvi, Secretary, Health andFamily Welfare, Navin Mittal,Commissioner, TechnicalEducation, Christina ZChongthu, Secretary, TribalWelfare, Divya, SpecialSecretary, Women and ChildWelfare and other officialsattended the meeting.

NITI AAYOG MEET

ON FEB 20

CS tells staffto highlight TSachievementsat meet

PNS n HYDERABAD

Commissioner and Directorfor Municipal Administrationdepartment Dr. N. Satyanar-ayana on Monday appreciatedthe mobile She toilets.

Participating in the 'SafaiMitra Suraksha Challenge'workshop jointly organised byCentral and State governmentsunder the auspices of NizampetMunicipal Council, Dr. N.Satyanarayana shed light on theprecautions to be taken by themunicipal workers and toll freenumbers available for them.

Nizampet MunicipalCorporation Mayor KolanNeela Gopal Reddy said that

they would develop the cor-poration by taking inspirationfrom Kodad Municipality. Shesaid that mobile She toiletswould be set up in Nizampeton the lines of KodadMunicipality.

Speaking on the occasion, shepresented a four-minute video onmobile She toilets being operat-ed in Kodad Municipality.Central Government AdviserSravanti Kanamala advised thecivic bodies - municipalities andcorporations to compete indelivering services and winprizes worth crores of rupeesannounced by the CentralGovernment.

As many as 10 stalls dis-

playing modern machinerywere set up at the workshop formunicipal workers. The stallput up by Jalagam andAssociates (Sudheer Jalagam)from Kodad, which showcasedmobile She toilets, grabbed theattention of visitors.

National Safai KaramcharisFinance & DevelopmentCorporation genral ManagerBL Yadav, Nizampet MunicipalCommissioner Gopi,Administrative College teamand representatives fromKhammam, Karimnagar,Ramagundam, Nizamabadand Warangal districts, andmunicipal workers attendedthe programme.

HYDERABAD: The city police onMonday arrested a six-memberattention diversion gang inHyderabad. The police seizedsilver ornaments weighing 1,070grams, one autorickshaw and fourmobile phones from theirpossession. Acting on a tip off, thesleuths of the Commissioner'sTask Force, North Zone teamarrested a six-member attention

diversion gang of four women andtwo male. According to police, theaccused persons have formed agang and used to go to jewelleryshops as customers. They divertthe attention of shop owners, stealsilver ornaments and flee awayfrom the spot. The accused wereinvolved in three cases in thepolice station limits of Tukaram-gate, Chilkalguda and Nacharam.

Attention diversion gang busted Municipal Commissionerlauds mobile She toilets

HYDERABAD | TUESDAY | FEBRUARY 16, 2021 hyderabad 04

RAJESH JAIN NIDARKAR

n HYDERABAD

The farmers of Telangana, whohave been waiting for theTurmeric Board till now, are leftdisappointed. The Central gov-ernment has signaled that it willnot set up crop-wise boards inthe country. The UnionMinistry of Agriculture hasdecided to merge the existingboards across the country intothe Indian Council ofAgricultural Research (ICAR).

There is currently no board inthe country specifically for theturmeric crop. The Spices Boardis based in Kochi. Its regionaloffices are in Warangal andHyderabad. The board alsoincludes spices such as turmer-ic, ginger and garlic. Farmershave been demanding for along time to separate theturmeric from it and set up aspecial National Turmeric Boardin Nizamabad.

On the other hand, the SpicesBoard has not yet filled the postssanctioned for its regional officesin Warangal and Hyderabad.There is only one employee inthe Hyderabad office and onlyfour employees in Warangal. Inthe wake of the farmers' agita-tion for the turmeric board,political pressure led to the set-ting up of a regional office inNizamabad and the relocationof three employees fromWarangal.

The Central government has

recently made it clear that thecost is rising due to the presenceof several boards in the agricul-ture and allied sectors. Hence,the proposal given by theMinistry of Agriculture tomerge them into existingNational Research Institutes onbehalf of the ICAR.

The Committee of Experts,set up to study the decision ofthe Centre to merge the variousexisting boards suggested thatthe existing crop-wise boards bebrought under one umbrella (onthe same platform) in order to

bring about revolutionarychanges in the agricultural sec-tor and doubling the income ofthe farmers.

The Ministry of Agriculture,which has provided compre-hensive information on allsubjects, has decided to mergethe research institutes andstudy centers in the ICAR.Leaders of well-known oppo-sition parties are, however,agitating on the subject underthese circumstances. Thepromise made by NizamabadMP Dharmapuri Arvind that

he would resign if he does notget the turmeric board hasbeen used as a political weaponby some political parties inTelangana. Chengal Reddy,president of the All IndiaFederation of Farmers'Associations, condemned theabsurdity of the agitation. Hesuggested that the farmerscome forward voluntarily andset up a board. He said therewere many opportunities toturn turmeric into a profitablecrop with cooperation.

According to the leaders ofthe farmers' associations, havingone board for each crop is ben-eficial for the farmers. The sci-entists and experts on the boardthen will work on that crop.They will constantly study thelatest development concerningthis crop not only in the coun-try but also around the worldand try to make it available tofarmers.

Given the stance of the cen-tral government the formationof the turmeric board with theproposal to merge the spicesboard with the ICAR remainsquestionable. It will not be pos-sible to set up a turmeric boardin Telangana during this criticalcondition, experts dealing withthe subject feel. However, anofficial of the spices board, oncondition of anonymity, said theformation of the turmeric boardwould be possible only if PrimeMinister Modi took the initia-tive in these circumstances.

Separate Turmeric Boardremains a distant dream

n There is currently no board in the country specifically for the turmeric crop. TheSpices Board is based in Kochi. Its regional offices are in Warangal and Hyderabad.The board also includes spices such as turmeric, ginger and garlic

n Farmers have been demandingfor a long time to separate theturmeric from it and set up aspecial NationalTurmeric Board in Nizamabad

Sugna Metalsholds seminarfor masons

PNS n NIZAMABAD

Minister for BC WelfareGangula Kamalakar has putthe objective of the governmentis to pass laws in tune with theneeds of the BCs. Addressing ameeting of BCs held here onMonday, along with MLCKalvakuntla Kavitha, heexpressed concern over theneglect of the BCs by rulers ofthe undivided Andhra Pradesh.

The BCs got educationalopportunities only in the tenureof the Telangana government, hesaid pointing out how lakhs ofBC students pursuing educationin residential educational insti-tutions meant for them. Thecredit for creating a Corporationfor the BCs, including nomadic

tribes in the list of BCs, goes toChief Minister KChandrasekhar Rao, he said.

The TRS government hasbeen striving to improve theskills of BCs in their caste-basedvocations and trying to savethem, he said. He said that

financial assistance was extend-ed for the self-employment ofBCs through its industrial ser-vices business scheme. Underthe KCR Apathbandhu scheme,ambulances are being given tothe unemployed BC youth, hesaid. He demanded that the BJP

MPs elected from Nizamabaddistrict fight with the Centre toset up the Union Ministry forBCs. Kavitha said that every BCstudent should pursue an edu-cation in the State. It is thedream of the Chief Minister. Sheurged Kamalakar to set up twohostels in the city for BC boysand girls.

Govt strives for uplift of BCs: Gangulan The BCs got educational

opportunities only in thetenure of the TS govt,Minister for BC WelfareGangula Kamalakar saidpointing out how lakhs of BCstudents pursuing educationin residential educationalinstitutions meant for them

PNS n HYDERABAD

Several leaders from variouspolitical parties demandedthat the State governmentinstal freedom fighter,Communist leader and formerMP the late BommaganiDharma Biksham’s statue onTank Bund. They opined thatDharma Biksham’s ethical anddemocratic practices wouldhelp the movements beinglaunched by the present gen-eration against the undemoc-ratic policies.

Participating in‘Bommagani DharmaBiksham Centenary Birth

Anniversary celebrations’inaugural meeting atBasheerbagh Press Club hereon Monday, CPI State secre-tary Chada Venkat Reddy saidthat the CPI would organiseyear-long ‘Dharma Bikshamcentenary birth anniversary’celebrations and conduct apublic meeting on the con-cluding day of fete i.e; onFebruary 22.

Stating that he was fortunateto work with DharmaBiksham, TTDP chief LRamana demanded that thegovernment install DharmaBiksham’s statue on Tankbund.

CPI Statesecretary ChadaVenkat Reddy,TTDP chief L Ramana andothers pay tributesto freedom fighter,Communist leaderand former MP thelate BommaganiDharma Bikshamon his centenarybirth anniversarycelebrations’meeting at PressClub in Hyderabadon Monday

PNS n HYDERABAD

Telangana Pradesh CongressCommittee (TPCC) PresidentN Uttam Kumar Reddy exud-ed confidence that the Congresswould win the elections for theMahabubnagar-Rangareddy-Hyderabad and Khammam-Warangal-Nalgonda Graduates'constituencies of TelanganaLegislative Council.

He was addressing a pressconference at Gandhi Bhavanon Monday after officiallyhanding over B-forms to theCongress candidates - formerminister G Chinna Reddy(Mahabubnagar-Rangareddy-Hyderabad) and ex-MLCRamulu Naik (Khammam-Warangal-Nalgonda).

Uttam Kumar Reddy saidthat the Congress has pickedhighly efficient, able and com-mitted leaders as its candi-dates for MLC polls. He saidChinna Reddy holds a PhDdegree in Agriculture and isknown for his honesty andsimplicity. Chinna Reddy hasbeen serving the people selfless-ly without having expectations.

Similarly, he said RamuluNaik was born into a poor fam-ily and came up in his life afterthe struggle. He reminded thatRamulu Naik had played a keyrole during the Telanganamovement. Uttam Kumar

Reddy said both the candidateswere highly capable of servingthe people, especially inaddressing the needs of gradu-ates, including employees andjobless youth.

"Telangana became a realitydue to the struggle and sacri-fices made by the students.Similarly, thousands of employ-ees risked their jobs and careersof their children by participat-ing in the 'Sakala Janula Samme'for over 40 days to achieve state-hood. However, neither stu-dents nor employees benefitedfrom the formation ofTelangana. Chief Minister KChandrashekhar Rao and hisfamily took control of allresources and neglected every-one," he said.

Similarly, Uttam KumarReddy said that the TRS gov-ernment lured the jobless youth

in the 2018 Assembly elec-tions by promising them Rs.3,016 unemployment allowanceevery month. However, thispromise was not fulfilled evenafter two-and-a-half years. Healleged that CM has been cheat-ing the jobless youth ever sincehe came to power in June 2014.

Speaking about the BJP,Uttam Kumar Reddy said thatthe BJP government at theCentre has been renderinginjustice to Telangana sincethe beginning. He saidTelangana remained neglectedin the Union Budgets since2014. Furthermore, he saidthat the promises, which weremade under Andhra PradeshReorganisation Act was yet tobe fulfilled. He ridiculedTelangana BJP President BandiSanjay's attempts to incite com-munal hatred in Telangana.

‘Graduates must rejectunethical politics of TRS-BJP’

Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) President N Uttam KumarReddy addresses a press conference at Gandhi Bhavan in Hyderabad on Monday

PNS n KARIMNAGAR

Sugna Metals organised aseminar for masons andconstruction workers hereon Monday in associationwith Raghupathi Reddy, adealer of Sri Sai Enterprises.The seminar was attendedby masons and constructionworkers from acrossKarimnagar.

This is the first awarenessprogramme being conduct-ed under the aegis of SugnaMetals after lifting the lock-down. Company senior salesexecutives Satyam Mishraand Niranjan Pradhanexplained about their prod-ucts. Many accidents aretaking place at the construc-tion sites and workers areadvised to take precautions.Bharat Kumar Agarwallaunched Sugna Metals in2008 in Parigi to make thebest quality steel, which isused in constructions.

A mason receives a silver coin fromthe representative of Sugna Metals ata seminar in Karimnagar on Monday

Congressleaders wishShabbir Ali onhis birthdayPNS n HYDERABAD

Former minister MohammedAli Shabbir's 65th birthday wascelebrated across Telangana,including in Hyderabad andKamareddy, with fanfare onMonday.

Because of the Covid-19pandemic, Shabbir Ali haddecided to celebrate his birth-day in a simple manner with-out cutting the cake. Therefore,his followers organised blooddonation camps and distrib-uted food, fruits and milkamong the poor inKamareddy, Yellareddy,Banswada, Machareddy,Domukonda, Bibipet andBhiknoor.

Fruits were also distributedamong patients at theGovernment Hospitals inKamareddy, Banswada andYellareddy Assembly seg-ments. They also distributedblankets among the needy.Food distribution was alsoheld in Hyderabad and organ-ised in other parts of the State.

In Kamareddy, in all 65Congress workers donatedblood. Shabbir Ali's fans haveerected banners, hoarding andcut-outs at prime locations,especially in various parts ofTelangana, especially inKamareddy district.

Senior leaders of theCongress party, includingAICC In-charge ManickamTagore, AICC Secretaries BoseRaju, R Srinivasan, TPCCPresident Uttam KumarReddy, CLP leader BhattiVikramarka, WorkingPresident A Revanth Reddyand other senior leadersextended their greetings toShabbir Ali. Ex-PCC PresidentPonnala Lakshmaiah whosebirthday also falls on Mondayalso wished Shabbir Ali.

PNS n HYDERABAD

TPCC working president andMalkajgiri MP A RevanthReddy alleged that the farm-ers are committing suicides asthey are not getting the remu-nerative price to their produce.He demanded that the ChiefMinister comes out of hisfarmhouse and see the prob-lems of the farmers.

Addressing the gathering atKandukur, Debbadaguda vil-lages in Mahabubnagar districton Monday, he stated that thetime has come to teach a les-son to TRS leaders and alleged

that the TRS government isacquiring lands from the farm-ers forcefully in the name ofPharma City.

He said that the peoplewould dethrone PrimeMinister Narendra Modi incase he fails to repeal thefarm laws. He alleged that theModi government is suppress-ing the farmers’ agitation withthe pressure from the corpo-rate companies. He said thathe will announce his actionplan on the farmers’ move-ment against the farm laws inthe meeting to be held onTuesday at Ravirala.

PNS n HYDERABAD

To mark the birthday of ChiefMinister K ChandrasekharRao, Civil SuppliesCorporation under the super-vision of its chairmanMareddy Srinivas Reddy onecrore saplings would beplanted on February 17.

Addressing the media hereon Monday, Srinivas Reddydisclosed that the pro-gramme would be imple-mented under the auspices ofGreen India Challenge. Aspart of that initiative, theyhave promised to work forthe green Telangana by plant-ing saplings on the premisesof all ration shops, rice millsand warehouses across theState. Apart from this, herevealed that in all the districtheadquarters of the State,charity programmes wouldbe conducted and specialpujas would be performed.

Revanth’s actionplan against farm laws today

Civil SuppliesCorpn to plant1 cr saplings

‘Instal Dharma Biksham’sstatue on Tank Bund’

TRS MLC Kalvakuntla Kavitha submits a memorandum to Minister for BC WelfareGangula Kamalakar in Nizamabad on Monday urging him to construct a BC Bhavan

TPCC workingpresident A Revanth Reddyflanked by elderlywomen embarkson padayatra atKandukur,Debbadagudavillages inMahbubnagardistrict onMonday

PNS n NEW DELHI

The CBI has registered an FIRagainst nine former and serv-ing officials of the NTPC foralleged shortfall of cementand steel stock worth over Rsone crore at its upcoming4000 MW plant at Lara inChattisgarh, officials saidMonday.

The NTPC had approachedthe CBI in December, 2019with a complaint against itsofficials. The agency couldnot take any action as theChhattisgarh government hadwithdrawn its general consentto allow the CBI to operate inits jurisdiction in January thatyear.

The CBI approached thegovernment seeking permis-sion to probe the case whichwas granted in November lastyear following which the cen-tral probe agency registeredthe FIR against the nine offi-cials.

Those booked include thethen AGM BP Biswal (nowretired) and DGM BN Prasad(terminated), they said.

Serving officials includeDGM SN Mandal, AssistantManager SK Mishra, EngineerSK Sahu and Junior EngineersKanak Saha, HarshvardhanMathia, Sudhir Purohit and LPRatre, they said.

It is alleged that in spite ofclear directives about physicalverification of steel, cementand other construction relatedstocks procured by storesdepartment, the exercise wasnot carried out by officials con-cerned from 2012-15, they said.

HYDERABAD | TUESDAY | FEBRUARY 16, 2021 nation 05

Afire broke out inthe thicket inAarey Colony

area of Mumbai onMonday afternoon,and three firefightingvehicles andpersonnel wereengaged in dousingit, an official said.There is no report ofany injury or damageto property rom the fire that started in the grass banks near RoyalPalms Society and Royal Palms Hotel inside what is a major greenlung of the metropolis, a fire brigade official said."The blaze started around 2:40 pm. Efforts are on todouse it.

The state government should allot at least 7 per cent of itsfunds to the health and medical department in the upcomingbudget, its minister Amit Deshmukh said in Aurangabad on

Monday. He told reporters that this demand had been conveyed toChief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and Deputy CM Ajit Pawar and thestate cabinet had also discussed it. "The allocation forthe health and medical education department was 3.5 per cent lastyear. It should be 7 per cent this time," Deshmukh said.

Defence Minister RajnathSingh on Monday handedover the trophies of best

marching contingents of thisyear's Republic Day parade to theJat Regimental Centre and theDelhi Police."The Jat Regimental Centre

bagged the trophy of bestmarching contingent among thetri-services, while the Delhi Policewas adjudged as the best marching contingent among the CentralArmed Police Forces (CAPF) and other auxiliary services," theDefence ministry's statement noted.In his speech at the event, Singh lauded the "courage and valour" of

the Jat Regimental Centre while praising the Delhi Police for"effectively carrying out additional responsibilities".

INDIA CORNERFire in Aarey forest, dousingoperation on; no property damage

Maha health and educationdept must get 7 pc funds

Trophies to Jat RegimentalCentre, Delhi Police

PNS n NEW DELHI

The action taken by the DelhiPolice on an FIR related to atoolkit shared by climate cam-paigner Greta Thunberg insupport of the ongoing farmerprotests has triggered a war ofwords between the oppositionand the ruling BJP.

Accusing the government of"murdering democracy" byusing force against a 21-year-old, the opposition on Mondaysaid the voice of India cannot besilenced even as the BJP defend-ed the action, saying a crime isa crime no matter at what age.

Congress leader RahulGandhi led the oppositionoffensive following the arrest of21-year-old Disha Ravi in thecase and said the country willnot be silenced.

"Your lips are free to speak.Say that the truth is still alive.They are scared, not the coun-try," he said in a tweet in Hindi.

"India will not be silenced,"he added.

Delhi Chief Minister ArvindKejriwal said, "Arrest of 21year old Disha Ravi is anunprecedented attack onDemocracy. Supporting ourfarmers is not a crime."

RJD leader Manoj Jha saiddemocracy is under threat. "Iam worried about democracy,as it is passing through the mostdifficult times," he said.

Union minister andBharatiya Janata Party (BJP)leader Gajendra SinghShekhawat tweeted: "If age is thecriteria then Param VeerChakra Second Lt ArunKhetarpal, martyred at 21 iswho I am proud of. Not sometoolkit propagandists."

BJP general secretary B LSantosh tweeted: "21 yearold...environment activist...stu-dent...Are these credentials for

becoming a part of breakingIndia forces? How does she getthe access for editing tool kit...?Why she is part of anti-nation-al WhatsApp groups...? Manyquestions...But only oneanswer...21 year old."

"Bengaluru, Greta Thunberg,Vegan, sole bread winner, stu-dent, 21 year old, passionateactivist...so many attempts towhite wash a sin...!! Not oneanarchist ready to answer thequestion...How 21 year old stu-dent got access to edit Toolkit,"he asked.

Former Union ministers PChidambaram and JairamRamesh have also come outstrongly against the policeaction in the case, accusing thegovernment of running an

authoritarian regime as it wasthreatened by a student.

"I strongly condemn thearrest of Disha Ravi and urge allstudents and youth to raisetheir voices to protest againstthe authoritarian regime,"Chidambaram said.

"The Indian state must be

standing on very shaky founda-tions if Disha Ravi, a 22 year oldstudent of Mount Carmel col-lege and a climate activist, hasbecome a threat to the nation.

"A 'took kit' to support thefarmers' protest is more danger-ous than the intrusion by

Chinese troops into Indian ter-ritory. India is becoming thetheatre of the absurd and it issad that the Delhi Police hasbecome a tool of the oppres-sors," he said in a series oftweets.

Ramesh said, "Delhi Police onthe rampage. After Disha Ravi,

it is now the turn of anotheryoung woman, Nikita Jacob.More will no doubt follow...."

"This is Tanashaahi in NewIndia called Amit Shahi," hesaid.

"The arrest and the mannerof arrest of green activist DishaRavi shows clearly the intensi-fying Murder Of Democracy inIndia. But the young in Indiacannot be silenced. More powerto them," the former environ-ment minister added.

In a tweet in Hindi, Congressgeneral secretary PriyankaGandhi Vadra said, "The oneswith guns are afraid of anunarmed girl. The flames ofcourage from an unarmed girlhave spread." She also usedhashtags "ReleaseDishaRavi"

and "IndiaBeingSilenced".Congress leader Rajeev

Gowda said an activist whostands up for farmers, fights forthe planet is arrested on flimsygrounds. "Has the governmentlost its balance? Will not suchtrumped-up charges, seeingconspiracy in regular social

media mobilisation, do moredamage to democracy?" heasked.

New Delhi : Non-bailablewarrants have been issued againsta Mumbai lawyer and a Puneengineer for allegedly creating aprotest toolkit backing thefarmers' agitation along witharrested climate activist DishaRavi and collaborating with pro-Khalistani elements, Delhi Policeofficials said on Monday. Lawyer Nikita Jacob and engineerShantanu, who are absconding,also attended a Zoom meetingorganised by 'pro-Khalistani'group Poetic Justice Foundation,Joint Commissioner of Police(Cyber) Prem Nath said at a pressconference.

The three had created the toolkitand sent it to others, officials saidas a fierce political debate brokeout between the opposition andthe ruling BJP over the actionagainst 21-year-old Ravi in thecase related to the “toolkit Googledoc” that came to light when itwas shared by global climatecampaigner Greta Thunberg."Disha, Shantanu and Nikitacreated and edited the toolkit.Disha sent the toolkit to GretaThunberg through Telegram.Disha deleted a Whatsapp groupwhich she created to spread thetoolkit. Due procedure wasfollowed when Disha was

arrested," Nath said. Ravi was arrested from Bengaluruon Saturday and sent to policeremand for five days by a Delhicourt on Sunday with officialsclaiming she was an editor of the"toolkit Google doc" and "keyconspirator" in its formulation anddissemination.A day later, Delhi Police officialssaid they were conducting raids inMumbai and other places to nabJacob and Shantanu, known so faronly by one name. Jacob approached the BombayHigh Court seeking transitanticipatory bail for four weeks soshe can approach the concerned

Delhi police on lookout for 2 more activists

New Delhi : Social activists andenvironmentalists have calledfor immediate release of climateactivist Disha Ravi, who wasarrested in the ''toolkit''document case, and asked thegovernment to stop targetingIndia's youth.They have also demandeddropping of charges againstothers in the case.Ravi (22) was arrested onSaturday from Bengaluru forallegedly sharing with GretaThunberg the toolkit related tothe farmer's protest against theCentre's three new agriculturelaws, police said.The Delhi Police claimed thatRavi was an editor of the "toolkitGoogle doc" and "keyconspirator" in the document'sformulation and dissemination.Non-bailable warrants have alsobeen issued against advocateNikita Jacob and activistShantanu for their allegedinvolvement in preparing thedocument and being in directtouch with "pro-Khalistanielements". Many activists andenvironmentalists have comeout in support of Ravi, Jacoband Shantanu.Kavita Krishnan, secretary of AllIndia Progressive Women'sAssociation, said Ravi must bereleased and the police shouldstop "hounding" others.She further said people like Raviare India's best hope becausethey are concerned about notjust themselves, but the future

Environmentalists

demand release

of Disha Ravi

PNS n MUMBAI

In his upcoming directorial"1962: The War In The Hills",actor-filmmaker MaheshManjrekar on Monday said hehas attempted to showcase thehumane side of soldiers whorisk their lives to protect thecountry.

The Disney+ Hotstar series,fronted by actor Abhay Deol,is set against the backdrop ofthe 1962 India-China War. Itnarrates the untold tale ofbravery and valour of Army of125 Indians who fought with3,000 Chinese soldiers.

During a virtual press con-ference, Manjrekar said he wasfascinated with the show's set-ting and connected with it"emotionally".

"The show is about those 125soldiers who fought the war.They all had families back home,so we wanted to show their per-sonal lives. Soldiers are like us,but the only difference is thatthey are ready to sacrifice their

lives so that we are safe. "We needed that element,

their emotions needed to beout. We concentrated moreon the human angle. There iswar too, but we also put spot-light on those who laid downtheir lives," the 62-year-oldactor-director said.

The 10-part series also fea-tures "Sairat" star AakashThosar, Sumeet Vyas, RohanGandotra, Mahie Gill, MeiyangChang, Rochelle Rao andHemal Ingle.

Manjrekar, known for helm-

ing films like Sanjay Dutt-starrer "Vaastav" and "Astitva",said the series gave him anopportunity to helm a warepic, a territory he hadn'texplored before.

The director said the 1962War was not only a historicevent but also a part of the"development of the country".

"We were a young nationand this was the first majorwar. We were fighting anenemy who was 10 times big-ger. It was an extraordinarymotivation to jump and take

the opportunity. When theseries came (to me), I felt for-tunate," he added.

Gill, who was last seen in theBhumi Pednekar-led film"Durgamati", features on theshow as a wife of a soldier.

The actor said "1962: TheWar In The Hills" offers aninsight on the emotionally dif-ficult lives of those who are leftbehind when soldiers are calledfor duty.

"She (the character) is abrave woman who understandsthat the Army life comes withpleasure and pain. She under-stands her husband is a soldierfirst. Army wives sacrifice a lot,we need to salute them becauseno matter what, they alwaysput up a brave face.

"It's so important for them tobe strong when they knowtheir husbands have gone to asensitive area, without know-ing if they'd ever return. Theydouble up as both father andmother for their children," shesaid.

Film to show emotional side of soldiers

PNS n BENGALURU

India plans to have a sustainedhuman presence in space and iscoming out with a policy frame-work and a long-term roadmap.

The Department of Space(DoS) has envisaged a nation-al effort to meet the goal of suc-cessful demonstration of humanspaceflight capability and toachieve the vision of sustainedhuman presence in space.

India's maiden human space-flight module 'Gaganyaan' willbe launched after the secondunmanned mission planned in2022-23, Union MinisterJitendra Singh said last week.

In her Budget speech,Finance Minister NirmalaSitharaman has said the firstunmanned launch is slated forDecember this year.

The DoS has now put up forpublic consultation on the web-site of the Indian Space ResearchOrganisation (ISRO),whichcomes under the former, thedraft "Humans in Space Policyfor India -- 2021" and guidelinesand procedures for its imple-mentation.

DoS believes that given thecollaborative nature of human

spaceflight due to its multi-disciplinary nature, it is essen-tial to have a policy-frame-work, which not only fosters

partnerships but also address-es proliferation concerns andcompliance to existing poli-cies, laws and treaties.

"Human-spaceflight pro-gramme needs to be sustainedover longer periods to deliver

tangible benefits," according tothe draft.

Hence, it is essential that thepolicy enables sustained pres-ence in low earth orbit andbeyond through reliable, robust,safe and affordable means byundertaking appropriate capac-ity building measures like col-laborations, infrastructuredevelopment, facilities mod-ernisation, technology develop-ment and human resourcedevelopment.

This would also encouragenew industries, create high

technology jobs, enablesocio-economic growth andfurther enhance India's statureand role in space, it was noted.

"The Humans in SpacePolicy aims for sustainedhuman presence in space as aninstrument for development,innovation and foster collabo-rations in alignment withnational interests", the draftsaid.

Technological elements suchas development of human ratedlaunch vehicle, environmental

control and life support system,crew escape system, decelera-tion system, crew selectionand training and developmentof human centric productsshall be undertaken by theDoS, utilising expertise ofISRO, national research insti-tutions, academia, industryand others.

A long-term road map forsustained human presence inlow earth orbit (LEO) andundertaking exploration mis-sions beyond it would bedefined. "DoS/ISRO shallencourage start-ups and indus-tries through suitable mecha-nism.

Mechanism shall be estab-lished to explore spinoff oppor-tunities and their developmentfor societal benefits", accordingto the draft.

DoS/ISRO shall establish acomprehensive criterion forscreening and selection of crewmembers. For initial missions,pilots from Indian Armedforces will be inducted as crewmembers, it was stated.

India plans to have sustainedhuman presence in space

Samajwad Partyexpels Sirsaganj MLA PNS n LUCKNOW

The SP on Monday expelledMLA Hariom Singh Yadavfrom the party for six yearson charges of anti-partyactivities.

On the directives ofSamajwadi Party presidentAkhilesh Yadav, theSirsaganj MLA was expelledfrom the party for six years,a release quoting UttarPradesh SP chief Naresh

Uttam Patel said.Yadav was found

involved in anti-party activ-ities and hobnobbing withthe BJP, the release said.

After last year's bypoll tothe Tundla Assembly seat inFirozabad, which the SPlost, the Sirsaganj MLAhad issued a statementagainst the party presidentand other senior leaders,blaming them for thedefeat.

PNS n COIMBATORE

The ruling AIADMK has ful-filled its promises in electionmanifestos unlike arch-rivalDMK, Tamil Nadu ChiefMinister K Palaniswami saidhere on Monday.

The DMK had given a "tallpromise" of two acres of landeach to landless poor familiesin its manifesto in 2006, whichhowever, was never imple-mented, he said at a functionhere.

On the other hand, theAIADMK has fulfilled all itspromises from the days of itsfounder and late chief minis-

ter M G Ramachandran, heclaimed.

Palaniswami was speakingat a function of mass marriageof 123 couples, organised byMunicipal AdministrationMinister S P Velumani here aspart of the celebrations of latechief minister J Jayalalithaa's73rd birth anniversary fallingon February 24.

Highlighting schemes forthe welfare of women, he saidthe AIADMK governmenthad distributed over Rs.4,200crore worth marriage assis-tance in the last 10 years ben-efiting about 11.8 lakhwomen.

AIADMK always fulfilled pollpromises unlike DMK: TN CM

PNS nNEW DELHI

A Kolkata-based woman who haddonated her kidney to an orphan,has received a letter of admirationfrom Prime Minister NarendraModi who told her that noamount of praise can be enoughfor her act of selflessness.Manashi Halder (48) said she haddonated the kidney in 2014 afterhearing a speech of Modi in whichhe had hailed organ donation asa "maha daan" (great act of char-ity).

She decided to write to theprime minister about the incident

a few months back and washappy to receive a reply from himrecently.

"I am deeply touched to learnabout your noble act of donatinga kidney to save a precious life. Noamount of praise can be enoughfor your act of selflessness. The

virtues of sacrifice and compas-sion have always been central toour culture and traditions," hereplied to her.

Noting that organ donation isthe biggest donation as the personreceiving it gets a new lease of life,he said in our country where lakhsof people are in such a need, therecan be no greater donation thanthis.

"Your act of generosity is inspi-rational. It will motivate many tocome forward and strengthen thehumanitarian cause of organdonation," the prime ministerwrote to Halder.

PNS n GUWAHATI

External AffairsMinister S Jaishankaron Monday assertedthat Assam is thespringboard of India'sAct East Policy and itsall-round developmentis central to the successof the policy.

Addressing a pressconference here, theminister said, PrimeMinister NarendraModi is deeply com-mitted to the develop-ment of Assam, andJapan InternationalCooperation Agency(JICA)-aided projectsin the state are examplesof how internationalpolicies and partner-ships can contribute tothe development ofstates.

‘Assamspringboardof India's ActEast Policy’

Kidney donor receives letter of praise from PM

Disha Ravi

War of words between BJP andOpposition over ‘Toolkit case’

CBI books 9 NTPC officials forshortfall of cement, steel stock

PNS n BENGALURU

Gujarat Chief Minister VijayRupani has tested positive forcoronavirus, said a hospital-where the CM is admittedafter he fainted in a rally.

He has mild symptomsand his condition is stable,theAhmedabad-based med-ical facility said on Monday.

On Sunday, Rupani, 64,fainted on stage whileaddressing a rally inVadodara for the upcomingcivic polls in the state, fol-lowing which he was flownto Ahmedabad and admittedto the U N Mehta HeartHospital here.

Rupani's sample was col-lected on Sunday night andsentfor RT-PCR test whichhas come out positive forcoronavirus, said a healthbulletin issued by the hospi-tal on Monday.

"His symptoms are mildand his condition is stable,"itsaid.

The hospital also said thechief minister fainted onSunday due to "tirednessand physical weakness".

His ECG, blood test andother examinations wereconducted and their resultsare normal, it said.

State Deputy Chief

Minister Nitin Patel toldreportersthat on Sundaynight it was decided to keepRupani underobservation for24 hours.

"After his test report cameout positive for coronavirus,he is being treated for theinfection as per the courseand protocol," said Patel,who also holds charge of thehealth department.

It has been decided not toallow any visitors to meetRupani, he said.

Rupani had mild feversince the last couple of daysand was taking medicine forthe same, Patel said, addingthe CM does not have anyco-morbid condition likediabetes or blood pressure.The CM will undergo regu-lar medical checkup andwillbe given treatment asper the requirement. He will

be discharged as per thedecision of doctors, Patelsaid.

He said Rupani faintedduring the rally on Sundaydue to "exhaustion and sleep-lessness" caused due to hisvery busy schedule since thelast one week.

Rupani addressed rallies inBhavnagar, Jamnagar andVadodara in the last twodays.

He was regularly attendingmeetings of the BJP's stateparliamentary board andalso giving interviews to TVchannels in the wake of theupcoming local body polls,he said.

Patel also informed thatBJP's MP from Kutch VinodChavda and state party gen-eral secretary BhikhuDalsania had also tested pos-itive for coronavirus a fewdays back.

Both of them are undergo-ing treatment at the U NMehta Heart Hospital, headded.

Elections to six municipalcorporations, includingVadodara, will be held onFebruary 21, while those forvarious other municipali-ties, districts and taluka pan-chayats will be held onFebruary 28.

Gujarat CM Vijay Rupani tests positive for Coronavirus

lease and mortgage of the landor premises of the farmer. Hereagain, a dispute redressal mech-anism is envisaged and provid-ed for in Section 13(1).

The third law is the amend-ment to the EssentialCommodities Act, 1955. Theamendment says the supply offoodstuff, including cereals,pulses, potato, onions, edibleoilseeds and oils, “may be reg-ulated only under extraordi-nary circumstances which mayinclude war, famine, extraordi-nary price rise and naturalcalamity of grave nature”. Howcan any farmer have any objec-tion to this major initiative?

In short, the laws free thefarmers and traders from archa-ic laws, lift the barrier on inter-State and intra-State trade,bring in competition so thatfarmers are no longer at themercy of the cloistered taluk-level market and are exposed toprevailing prices. In otherwords, market forces will takecharge and mandis will becomemore competitive while theMSP system will continue. Thisliberates farmers from thestranglehold of the APMC andcommission agents and cartels.

If there is any section of thepopulation which should beworried about the consequencesof the new farm laws, it shouldbe the consumers. Now that the

Government has amended theEssential Commodities Act anddeprived itself of the right tointervene in respect of stocksand prices of some key essen-tials, the consumers will be atthe mercy of market forces.How are the farmers affected?

Finally, a word about theUPA’s hypocrisy with regard tothe laws. Since manyGovernments, including theones run by the UPA andsteered by the Congress for 10years, have dabbled in farm lawreforms over the last 20 years,their protests today sound hol-low. The politician who hasdone the biggest somersault isthe NCP’s Sharad Pawar. As theUnion Minister for Agriculturein 2010, he strongly advocatedamending the APMC Acts bythe States to encourage the pri-vate sector to provide “alterna-tive competitive marketingchannels in the overall interestof farmers/producers and con-sumers…”. He argued then thatagriculture needs “well-func-tioning markets to drivegrowth” and the involvement ofthe private sector “is essential”.He also drew the attention ofChief Ministers to his earlier let-ters to them in 2005 and 2007and to the draft APMC Rulesformulated by his Ministry.

In November 2011, hereturned to this subject and, in

a letter to Madhya PradeshChief Minister Shivraj SinghChouhan, reiterated that theagriculture sector needs well-functioning markets to driveinclusive growth and “the pri-vate sector needs to play animportant role in this regard”.Pawar is now singing a differ-ent tune. He says the mandiswill be affected and MSP is notguaranteed to farmers who sellto corporates. This is difficultto understand because farmerswill never lose the option to sellto the Government at MSP.

Also, the contention thatthis has been suddenly thruston the farmers is totally base-less. The opening up of theagriculture market has been inthe air for 20 years. The Centrecirculated a model AgricultureMarketing Act in 2017 and 11States adopted it fully and sixStates, partially. Finally, thefarmers of Punjab, Haryanaand Western Uttar Pradeshhave to realise that India com-prises 28 States and eightUnion Territories. Farmers inmany States have expressedhappiness over the new farmlaws. Mere geographical prox-imity to Delhi cannot meanthat they have the last word.

(The writer is an authorspecialising in democracy stud-ies. The views expressed arepersonal.)

Here’s to all those people who have had to grind their teeth this past week andlive amid saccharinely sick displays of love and affection all around, simply becausethey didn’t have a choice in the matter: The Valentine’s Week is officially over

and the Anti-Valentine Week, or rather brutally called the “unromantic week”, is here!Enough of red roses, candlelight dinners, red heart balloons and gifts. Some of us don’treally believe in the notion of soulmates, nor in concepts such as love, romance ortrust, just like some of us grownups don’t believe in that jolly rotund fellow called Santa

Claus, maybe because these ideas never really tookroot deep inside us or maybe because we grew adislike for these following a particularly racking heart-break. The singletons of any gender, who were madeto feel guilty just because they didn’t have a “sig-nificant other” or BAE to gift chocolates and rosesto, or to hug, can now rejoice and breathe normal-ly. If you are a person who hasn’t been very luckyin matters of the heart and steers clear of the ideaof love, romance and public displays of affection(PDA), then this is your week.

The polar opposite of the mushy week preced-ing it, Anti-Valentine Week begins on February 15(Slap Day) and ends on February 21 (Breakup Day).

Along the lines of the Valentine’s Week (which has Rose Day, Propose Day, ChocolateDay, Teddy Day, Promise Day, Hug Day and Kiss Day preceding Valentine’s Day), thisweek celebrates Slap Day, Kick Day, Perfume Day, Flirting Day, Confession Day, MissingDay and Breakup Day. But it is not as dangerous as it sounds; it refers to slapping andkicking out negative feelings about an ex-partner or a cheating mate out of the mind.In that sense, the Anti-Valentine Week actually works as an outlet to release negativefeelings that could have been lying dormant deep within against a (former) love inter-est. Better to speak out and let go rather than hold onto these feelings and allow themto fester. That said, moderation is an important component for everything in life. Onemust take care to ensure that such discharge of negativity doesn’t hurt either oneselfor anybody else: There’s no point, after all, in beating yourself down emotionally somuch that you would then need to go see a shrink, or make a fool of yourself walk-ing angrily into a crowded restaurant and slapping your current or former partner forwhatever injustice you believe they meted out to you. Now, is there?

The Governor of a State should not ideally be a political appointee; however, withthe Centre planting its trusted lieutenants as “puppets” at the Raj Bhawans, thestatus of the coveted post has only spiralled downwards. Although a Governor

is only a nominal head with no real power vested in him, s/he can play a decisive roleat crucial junctures much to the discomfiture of the State’s dispensation. The titularhead can “dilly-dally” approval to important Bills passed by the State Assembly, or cansit over these Bills indefinitely. And this is what makes the position really significant attimes, with the Centre expecting the Governor to “call the shots” on its diktats whilethe State Government looks for fair play. Especially, if the Centre and the State are at

loggerheads, the cold war between the Governor andthe Chief Minister can turn ugly and that belittles thedignity of both the titular and the real head. The ongo-ing tussle between Maharashtra Governor BhagatSingh Koshyari and the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA)Government led by Shiv Sena is a case in point. Theexisting friction between the Governor and the StateGovernment led by Shiv Sena’s Uddhav Thackerayescalated when Koshyari, much to his embarrass-ment, was made to disembark a State Governmentcarrier because the plane did not have the approvalto fly. Koshyari finally had to board a commercialflight to Dehradun.

It would have added to the grace of the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) had it shownsome modicum of decency by allowing the Governor to use the State aircraft. TheState Government must understand that even if the Governor is working as the Centre’s“stooge”, the reputation of the State and its institutions suffers from such shows ofdisagreement. It must be mentioned that West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankarand firebrand Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee are often at loggerheads. Likewise,daggers are drawn every now and then between Puducherry Lt Governor Kiran Bediand Chief Minister V Narayanasamy. Both West Bengal and Puducherry have non-BJP Governments while Dhankar and Bedi have been rewarded for their loyalty towardsthe saffron party and are toeing its line. The latest incident points to a new low inthe politics of Maharashtra. Sena’s outspoken spokesperson Sanjay Raut has saidthat it is an “open war” and that the BJP is pressuring Koshyari to destabilise theMVA Government spearheaded by the Shiv Sena supremo. The party has urged theCentre to recall Koshyari, asserting that it is necessary for upholding theConstitution, the laws and the norms. On the other hand, the Governor had a “closed-door” meeting with Union Home Minister Amit Shah in New Delhi. More action, there-fore, is expected in the ongoing war between the Raj Bhawan and the CMO, with thepeople, democracy and ethos standing at a crossroads.

At cross-purposes

P A P E R W I T H P A S S I O N

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HYDERABAD | TUESDAY | FEBRUARY 16, 2021

06

Anti-Valentine WeekBored of all the mush and PDA from last week?

Now it’s time for you to have your revenge

They free farmers and traders from archaic laws, lift the barrier on inter-State and intra-State trade and bring in healthy competition

PICTALK

Elderly people dance on Valentine's Day in Kyiv, Ukraine AP

IT IS DIFFICULT,THEREFORE, TO

FATHOM THEOPPOSITION TO

THESE PROVISIONSFROM FARMERS

BECAUSE THE ONLYONES HURT BY

THIS LAW ARE THECOMMISSIONAGENTS AND

DALALS, WHO AREALLEGEDLY

MISLEADING THEFARMERS ANDFUNDING THE

AGITATION

A SURYA PRAKASH

A Governor-State Govt spat belittles the dignity of both the titular and the real head

Why object tothe farm laws?

Acold and detachedassessment of the threefarm laws will indicatethat politics rather than

logic is driving the opposition tothese enactments, which seek toempower farmers and open up themarkets while ensuring a safety netby way of continuing the mini-mum support price (MSP) systemand the Agricultural ProduceMarket Committees (APMCs).

The first of these laws, TheFarmers’ Produce Trade andCommerce (Promotion andFacilitation) Act, 2020, enablesfarmers to sell their produce out-side the notified APMC yards.

Section 3 of this Act gives thefarmer the freedom to carry oninter-State or intra-State trade,while Section 4(3) says every trad-er who transacts with farmers shallmake the payment within threeworking days. The law enables theGovernment to develop a PriceInformation and MarketIntelligence System for farmers’produce and provides for a time-bound dispute redressal mecha-nism. Therefore, the grower getsthe option to either stick to theAPMC or look for markets outside.

It is difficult, therefore, to fath-om the opposition to these pro-visions from farmers because theonly ones hurt by this law are thecommission agents and dalals,who are allegedly misleading thefarmers and funding the agitation.

The second law is the Farmers(Empowerment and Protection)Agreement of Price Assuranceand Farm Services Act, 2020,which gives farmers the right toenter into a contract with retailers,wholesalers and agribusiness firms,processors, wholesalers or exportersfor the sale of future farming pro-duce at a pre-agreed price.

Section 3(1) of the Act says theminimum period of the farmingagreement should be one crop sea-son or one production cycle of live-stock with a maximum period offive years. The payment for farmproduce should be on delivery but,for seed production, the buyer hasto pay two-thirds of the agreedamount on delivery.

But the most important pro-vision in the Bill relates to inalien-ability of farm land. It declares thatno agreement shall be entered intofor any transfer, including sale,

SOUNDBITEKERALA HAS FAILED TO CONTROL COVIDSir— It is a matter of disappointment thatKerala saw its confirmed COVID-19 casesgo past the one million mark. The State,which once fought COVID-19 so bravelyand was a success story, has again plungedinto the menace.

This comes when Coronavirus casesin other States are decreasing. Kerala is onlythe second State after Maharashtra to haverecorded so many cases. It has witnessed themost unusual trajectory of the epidemic inthe country. It was the State where the firstCoronavirus case in India was detected inJanuary last year. For the next six months,it seemed to be the model State as far as con-taining the spread was concerned. PerhapsKeralites have stopped bothering about itand stopped taking adequate precautionsthat led to the surge in cases. Further, theimmigrants from foreign countries havecontributed immensely to the increase inthe number of cases.

The need of the hour is for the StateGovernment to make its quarantine rulesmore stringent. It is really a matter of shamethat the State has the highest number ofactive cases right now, almost half of theentire country. The increase in Corona casesin the coastal State is a cause of concern foreverybody.

CK Subramaniam | Mumbai

POOR PEOPLE MUST GET JUSTICE Sir —This is not the first time we havecome across disastrous blasts in fire-works units in Tamil Nadu resulting in theloss of several lives. As many as 17 peo-ple, including seven women, were killedand 35 others injured in an accident at aunit at Achankulam near Sattur on Friday. Every time such a calamity strikes, the

Government announces some financialcompensation to the bereaved families anddoes away with its responsibilities. As mostof the victims are from a poor background,the case will slowly go into oblivion andsoon the factory would be allowed toresume operations. The corrupt babus andnetas will try their best to bury the mat-ter or brush it aside. The poor families who

cannot afford good lawyers will eventual-ly lose the legal battle in court and will haveno option except to forget the tragedy andthe perpetrators. One really wonders whether those who

are complicit will be taken to task. Thereis no hope that action will be taken againstthe licensing authorities, concerned labourofficers, controllers , factory inspectorsbesides the operators and lease holders ofthe factories. All these officers should bepulled up for dereliction of duty and crim-inal charges should be slapped againstthem. An exemplary punishment shouldbe awarded to those guilty. This will actas an eye opener for all others who willperform their duties sincerely. Even the lifeof poor matters but the Government andauthorities just don’t care.

Tharcius S Fernando | Chennai

CHINA WILL LIKELY BACKSTAB Sir —Disengagement is good as it reducestension, but it should not be done at thecost of national security. The surrender-

ing of areas traditionally controlled byIndia means we were surrendering ourrights forever. Galwan Valley is Indian ter-ritory and never a disputed land. In my view, the Government is not under-standing the importance of the disengage-ment and creation of the buffer zone intrue sense. China is getting belligerent andPakistan continues to promote terrorism.

India is facing multiple challenges at theborder, a two-front war-like situation. TheGovernment must take the country andthe Opposition into confidence at suchtimes.We must stand united against theforeign forces hell bent on destroying ourpeace and territorial integrity. Also,China can help Pakistan in Siachen. Thecountry is facing serious challenges fromboth China and Pakistan and must takecalibrated steps.

TV Jayaprakash | Palakkad

Send yyour ffeedback tto:letterstopioneer@gmail.com

Former US President Donald Trump's second

acquittal by the US Senate has set the dan-

gerous precedent that even an autocratic

leader who violates the oath of office can escape

punishment if he bullies enough Senators to

stand by his side.There is no denying that Trump

put out a stream of falsehoods on losing the

presidential polls, and openly urged his support-

ers to march to the US Congress, endangering

lawmakers and scores of police officers as he

sought to overturn the election results. There's

no way he can escape responsibility for the attack

on the seat of US power. In fact, the Senate vote

revealed the dilemma that the Republican Party

faces with Trump still retaining considerable pop-

ularity among the party base. But Trump will also

go down in history as a disgraced figure who

escaped conviction on a technicality. And, the

failure to convict Trump highlights how divid-

ed America remains — repairing those fissures

won't be easy.

The entire world, however, is disappoint-

ed with the outcome of impeachment in the

Senate, and proponents of democracy across

the globe are baffled. Thus, the US which boasts

of the oldest democracy in the world and preach-

es lessons to others hasn't only lost the moral-

ity, but also emboldened dictators across the

globe.

N Sadhasiva Reddy | Bengaluru

Trump’s acquittal is dangerous Through inspiringexamples, January's‘Mann Ki Baat’ high-lighted diverse top-ics ranging from art,culture, tourism andagri innovation. Would love to hearmore such motivating anecdotes forthe February 28 programme.

Prime Minister—Narendra Modi

If COVID-19 ends up being likeflu, so we live ournormal lives and wemitigate through

vaccines and treatments, then wecan get on with everything again.

UK Health Secretary

—Matt Hancock

Every industry kid iscalled a ‘druggie'. No,we are not, we aregood people. We aresocially placed andwe do our CSR and I am very vocalabout it.

Actor—Suniel Shetty

Whoever harboursthe seed of anti-nationalism in theirminds, that has to bec o m p l e t e l ydestroyed, be it Disha Ravi or any-one else.

Haryana Home Minister

—Anil Vij

Postponement of theOlympics gave play-ers like myself anopportunity toimprove and make

the most out of the situation. Hockey player

—Dilpreet Singh

LETTERS TO TTHE EDITOR

The Govt should avoid a Catch-22 situation

WOULDN’T THEY (PROTESTING FARMERS) HAVE DIED

IF THEY WERE AT HOME? OUT OF ONE TO TWO LAKH,

DO 200 PEOPLE NOT DIE IN SIX MONTHS?

—HARYANA AGRICULTURE MINISTER

JAI PARKASH DALAL

VALUE OF HUMAN LIFE ‘ZILCH’! VALUE OF PEOPLE

WHO GROW YOUR FOOD ‘ZILCH’ MOCKING THEIR

DEATHS .... PRICELESS! SLOW CLAPS.

—ACTOR

TAAPSEE PANNU

In view of the complaints by the Confederationof All India Traders (CAIT) regarding blatantviolation of the Foreign Direct Investment

(FDI) policy and the Foreign ExchangeManagement Act (FEMA), 1999, by Amazon andWalmart-owned-Flipkart, Union CommerceMinister Piyush Goyal alluded to it while issuinga clarification to ensure that the e-commerce sec-tor works “in the true spirit of the law.” Earlier inDecember 2020, the Ministry of Commerce hadasked the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and theEnforcement Directorate (ED) to take necessaryaction against these global e-commerce giants.The above actions may not enthuse when viewedin the backdrop of numerous such representationsmade in the past by CAIT and other associationsof small traders, to no avail. At the outset, let ustake a look at the extant FDI policy under whichAmazon and Flipkart have come to India. As perthe guidelines issued in early 2016 (Press Note 3),100 per cent FDI is allowed under the so-calledmarketplace model.

The marketplace is a platform where vendorssell their products to consumers even as its ownermerely acts as a facilitator. The marketplace ownerprovides services such as booking orders, raisinginvoices, arranging delivery, accepting payments,handling rejections, warehousing and so on. But,s/he can’t hold inventory and undertake direct sell-ing. The permission for 100 per cent FDI in themarketplace is subject to two main riders, that is“the entity cannot permit more than 25 per centof total sales on its platform from one vendor orits group companies. Further, it can’t directly orindirectly influence the sale price.” Sans any men-tion as to “who the vendor is”, a firm linked tothe marketplace — either its subsidiary or a JointVenture (JV) with an Indian company — is eli-gible. Thus, contrary to the real intent of the pol-icy, which disallowed the marketplace owner fromdirect selling to individual consumers, the fineprint permitted them to do so — albeit by its sub-sidiary or JV. This is precisely what e-commercemajors such as Amazon and Flipkart/Walmarthave been doing even though they came in as mar-ketplace operators. A clarification to the PressNote 3 issued on December 26, 2018, said: “Theowner of the marketplace or its subsidiary or itsJV with an Indian company can’t have ownershipof the seller.” Further, “a seller/firm on the plat-form can’t source more than 25 per cent of itsinventory from a firm connected with the latter.”The owner can get around both; first, by havingless than 50 per cent shareholding in the seller firmand argue, s/he has no control (albeit majority)over the latter and second, by its wholesale armrestricting supplies to the seller within the 25 percent threshold.

As a consequence, the hold of e-commercegiants over Indian retail continues; they are dom-inant sellers themselves, giving little space to mil-lions of small vendors for whose benefit thisunique policy dispensation of marketplace wasdesigned. Meanwhile, Reliance Industries Limited(RIL) which last year received a major foreigninvestment of ̀ 1,50,000 crore (`43,450 crore fromUS internet giant, Facebook alone) in its 100 percent subsidiary Jio Platforms Limited (JPL) fortotal shareholding of 30 per cent has also joinedthe bandwagon. JPL has within its fold a range

of businesses including e-com-merce which is powered by JioMartcommerce. The platform offerstechnology-enabled wherewithalto help 30 million stores to deliverproducts to consumers in theneighbourhood (the plan is to tar-get a mammoth 400 million ofthem using the database ofWhatsApp — a 100 per cent sub-sidiary of Facebook) at theirdoorsteps. The business model is ahybrid of online and offline retailwhich will also integrate with itselfthousands of retail stores spread allover India operated by RelianceRetail Limited (RRL). Like Amazonet al, Reliance/Facebook, too, willbe operating as direct sellers, con-trolling inventory, giving discountsand so on, which is not in sync withthe policy on FDI in the e-com-merce marketplace that prohibitsthe inventory model and direct sell-ing. Yet, they can get around by cit-ing that foreign shareholding in theseller firm is less than 50 per centor a wholesaler linked to JioMartowner (Reliance/Facebook) willkeep its supplies to the vendor with-in the 25 per cent threshold.

The continued opaqueness inthe policy — even after the clarifi-cation to Press Note 3 issued onDecember 26, 2018 — has ensuredthat the foreign majors don’t violatethe rulebook even as their opera-tions go against the very spirit of thepolicy. No wonder, numerous rep-resentations by CAIT et al as alsopetitions before the courts havefailed as the latter go by the fineprint, which suits these giants. It is

therefore, unlikely that the latestaction of the Commerce Ministryasking the RBI and the ED to takeaction against these global e-com-merce giants will lead to any posi-tive outcome.

What about the Ministry issu-ing a clarification to the rules tofully reflect the true spirit of the lawas hinted by Piyush Goyal?

Thus, Press Note 3 can bemodified to say that “the owner ofthe marketplace or its subsidiary orits JV with the Indian company can’thave even one per cent sharehold-ing of the seller on the platform.”Further, “a seller/firm on the plat-form can’t source any suppliesfrom a firm connected with the lat-ter.” The above two stipulations willensure that the owner of the mar-ketplace platform has no connec-tion whatsoever with the seller onits platform — neither by way ofholding any shares in the latter’sfirm nor making any supplies to it.

This way, the fine print will bein sync with the spirit of the poli-cy i.e. to ensure that the foreigncompany only performs the role ofbringing sellers and buyers on acommon platform to conducttransactions and nothing beyond.Has the Government thoughtthrough the implications of goingthat far? Apart from being almostimpossible to implement (thisinvolves a microscopic watch onshareholding patterns includingcross-holding through a maze ofsubsidiaries and JVs as also thestock flow of each and every selleron the platform; Alas! We don’t

even have a regulator), this will tan-tamount to asking the foreignmajors to pack up. This will beviewed as a retrospective change ofpolicy and give a wrong signalabout India not being an attractivedestination.

For taking decisions, theinvestors are guided not merely bythe declaration of intent but moreimportantly, they go by what thepolicy document says (this is whatmatters when courts pronouncetheir verdict). It is here that theGovernment faces a ‘Catch-22’ sit-uation as the fine print of the 2016guidelines permitted direct sellingby marketplace owner (albeit indi-rectly).

Now, if, the Government re-writes the Press Note 3 — as indi-cated above — foreign majors willbe justified in arguing that this willbe a retrospective change of poli-cy; even the judiciary may upholdtheir stance. This course should beavoided. A pragmatic approachwould be one wherein, Team Modilegitimises direct selling by foreigncompanies in Indian retail — notjust online but also offline — with-out any riders. This will create alevel playing field and enable allentities, including brick and mor-tar players, to accept FDI up to 100per cent. Sans these changes, Indianretail will be cartelised by the likesof Amazon/Walmart and so on andthose who know how to exploit thevagueness in extant policy dispen-sation, making the consumers vul-nerable to exploitation in the medi-um to long-term.

Team Modi should legitimise direct selling by foreign companies in Indian retail — not just online but also offline — without any riders

KALYANI SHANKAR

THIS WILL CREATEA LEVEL PLAYING

FIELD AND ENABLEALL ENTITIES,

INCLUDING BRICKAND MORTARPLAYERS, TO

ACCEPT FDI UP TO100 PER CENT.

SANS THESECHANGES, INDIAN

RETAIL WILL BECARTELISED BY

THE LIKES OFAMAZON/WALMART

AND SO ON ANDTHOSE WHO KNOW

HOW TO EXPLOITTHE VAGUENESS IN

EXTANT POLICYDISPENSATION,

MAKING THECONSUMERS

VULNERABLE TOEXPLOITATION INTHE MEDIUM TO

LONG-TERM

Will well-known poll strategist Prashant Kishor become an assetor a liability in the forthcoming West Bengal Assembly pollsfor the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC)? Chief Minister

Mamata Banerjee has engaged him to help her perform a hat-trick.Though she has almost decimated the Left parties and the Congress,this time Mamata will be up against the emerging BJP which wants towrest the State from her. Dismayed by the TMC’s poor performancein the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, Didi engaged Kishor at the behest of hernephew Abhishek Banerjee, whom she has been grooming as her polit-ical heir. Kishor came into prominence as a successful election strate-gist after the 2014 Lok Sabha polls. Mamata chose Kishor becauseof his track record of delivering election victories for Prime MinisterNarendra Modi (2014), Nitish Kumar in Bihar (2015), Captain AmarinderSingh in Punjab (2017), Jagan Reddy in Andhra Pradesh (2019) andArvind Kejriwal in Delhi (2019). The DMK chief MK Stalin has also con-tracted him for the forthcoming Tamil Nadu polls.

Earlier, Mamata believed in her fighting capacities as she overthrewthe Left coalition which ruled Bengal for 33 years in 2011 by makinguse of the anger of the people against the Government. She won theState for the second time in 2016 as she had evolved as a nationalleader and continued to enjoy the people’s goodwill. However, for the2021 polls, she is not sure as the BJP is breathing down the TMC’sneck and deploying its top leadership in the campaign.

With Mamata’s full backing, Kishor’s team soon began workingas a parallel organisation with more powers than even the TMC func-tionaries. His company I-PAC began to develop tight control over theparty and the Bengal Government, ruffling many feathers in the process.On his advice, Mamata has revised some of her Government’s poli-cies, including a 10 per cent upper caste quota, a review of the salarystructure of the State police force, primary teachers and functionariesworking at the panchayats and many other populist schemes. The TMCleaders are upset with Kishor’s clean-up drive, as his team has assessedeach constituency and given Mamata a report, urging her to changeat least 150 sitting MLAs. Over the last few weeks, several senior andmid-level TMC functionaries have voiced their resentment publicly andprivately against Kishor’s dominance. Mamata then asked Kishor toadopt a consensual approach and avoid ruffling feathers but this couldnot stem the steady exodus from the TMC to the BJP. The erosion beganfirst with one or two MLAs leaving the TMC. It has gradually grown,with even senior leaders like Suvendu Adhikari, Silbhadra Dutta andDinesh Trivedi quitting. The Congress and the Left cannot attract thoseleaving because Didi decimated them in the last 10 years and left theOpposition space for the BJP to occupy. This time she has the anti-incumbency factor and party troubles staring her in the face.

However, Mamata has always been a street fighter and positivein her approach. She has seen ups and downs in her political careerbut has never given up. Didi’s strongest assets are her hard work, excel-lent booth-level management and her national stature. There is alsono lack of money for her party because the poll bonds have given herenough funds. Above all, strong local organisers will work hard to savethemselves, which could benefit the TMC. If she could keep her Muslimvote bank intact besides wooing Hindu votes she could succeed. Butbefore that, she has to stem the perception that the TMC has becomeweak. She is facing a similar situation the Congress did in 1997 beforeSonia Gandhi stepped in. Floating voters might think that the TMC isa sinking boat and Mamata has to check the erosion before it is toolate. For this, Kishor has to prove that he is an asset rather than aheadache. (The writer is a senior journalist.

The views expressed are personal.)

The recent flash floods inRishiganga river inChamoli district of

Uttarakhand had wreakedhavoc in the region and broughtuntold misery to the localsand families of those workerswho died in the catastrophe.The incident came as a surpriseto the scientific communityand locals as floods usuallyoccur during the monsoonseason and a deluge of such amagnitude was highly unex-pected in winter months.

The UttarakhandGovernment and the Centre’sdisaster management apparatusswung into action for the res-cue and relief operations.Though many lives have beensaved since then, it was alreadytoo late for those who drownedor were swept away by the flashflood.

So strong was the surge ofwater in Dhauliganga andRishiganga rivers that it ripped

through two hydel projects.The bodies of victims are stillbeing found at different loca-tions by the river, but rescuershave so far failed to reach any-one — dead or alive — in thetunnel network at the NationalThermal Power Corporation’sTapovan project.

In the meanwhile, satelliteimages have confirmed that thedebris accompanying the delugeearlier this week has blocked astream that joins the Rishigangariver, forming a temporarylake, which if breached, cancause another flash flood andmore devastation.

Uttarakhand is situated inthe western Himalayas, whichis of recent origin geologicallyand is an unstable mountainzone due to the gradual tecton-ic shift in the Himalayan platetowards the north every year.This makes it vulnerable toearthquakes and undergroundgeological changes which sud-

denly release energy and causenatural upheavals of giganticproportions, disturbing the eco-logical foundation of the regionand taking a toll on humanlives.

Glaciers are a slow-movingmass or river of ice, formedthrough the gradual accumula-tion of snow on mountains.This accumulation takes placeover decades. It is natural forglaciers to melt and breakbecause of climatic factors andalso due to underground geo-logical changes.

However, disasters like theglacier burst that took place inChamoli, are compounded byunabated and irresponsiblehuman activities and lopsidedGovernment policies with scantregard for environmental laws.However, this poor decision-making with regards to theenvironment by the bureaucratsand politicians is not just lim-ited to Uttarakhand but can be

witnessed all over the nation.The unscientific and haphazardconstruction of roads andbuildings on the hilly slopeswithout proper risk assessmentand other technical detailsincurs a heavy cost on theenvironment across India andUttarakhand. However, con-struction of dams and smallhydroelectric projects all along

the rivers in Uttarakhand is theroot cause of the misery we facetime and again in the State. TheTapovan 520-Megawatt (MW)and Rishiganga 13 MW pro-jects have been completelywashed away in this flood.More than 50 hydroelectricprojects were either sanctionedor are running in Uttarakhandand these were sanctioneddespite expert opinion againstthem. Even today many casesare pending in the SupremeCourt on this issue.

It is argued that the geolog-ical movement of the glaciersmight have been triggered bythe regular blasting of the hills.For such recurrent tragedies,the governance structures are tobe blamed.

The Ministry ofEnvironment, Forest andClimate Change, over the lastseveral years adopted an expe-ditious approach in giving clear-ances to hydroelectric and other

developmental projects. Thiswas allegedly done withoutundertaking proper scrutinyand brushing aside objectionsconcerning the environmentthat were raised time and again.It must be held accountable.

Be it mining or any otherdevelopmental projects, compli-ance with necessary conditionswas never monitored in a sys-tematic manner. InUttarakhand in most of thesehydro projects the disposal ofmuck and sludge is done in anunscientific manner. This isone of the main reasons forsuch calamities taking epicproportions.

It is high time theUttarakhand Government andthe Centre pay heed to the envi-ronmental experts who hadbeen advising the two govern-ments to change their develop-ment focus. It must be sustain-able and not reckless and unsci-entific. The Government must

set its priorities right and act onit before it is too late. If we con-tinue to inflict irreversible dam-age on the environment, naturewill act in its own manner torestore its balance.

The management of ourecology must be given equalpriority by policymakers, if notprecedence, over otherapproaches in resources man-agement. Over the years theshare of the environment in theUnion Budget has declined. Itis a pittance considering themagnitude of integration need-ed for the holistic manage-ment of natural resources andto tackle the challenge of cli-mate change. It is worthremembering an old saying:“Progress is impossible withoutchange and those who cannotchange their minds cannotchange anything.”

Top babus and Ministers atthe Centre and State mustadhere to this advice.

If we continue to inflict irreversible damage to the environment, nature will restore its balance in the way it likes

HYDERABAD | TUESDAY | FEBRUARY 16, 2021

07

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FIRSTCOLUMN

DIDI NEEDS TO HALTTHE TMC’S SLIDE

For this to happen, Prashant Kishor has to prove thathe is an asset to Mamata rather than a headache

UTTAM GUPTA

POINTCOUNTERPOINT

The writer is a New Delhi-based policy

analyst. The viewsexpressed are personal.

Time to revamp environment policy and set priorities right

VK BAHUGUNA

The writer isa retired

civil servant. The views expressed

are personal.

HYDERABAD | TUESDAY | FEBRUARY 16, 2021 Money 08

PNS n NEW DELHI

Petrol and diesel prices onMonday were hiked for theseventh day in a row as a rallyin international oil prices tookretail rates in India to newhighs.Petrol price wasincreased by 26 paise per litreand diesel by 29 paise, accord-ing to a price notification ofstate-owned fuel retailers.

This pushed retail rates,which differ from state to statedepending on the incidence oflocal sales tax or VAT andfreight charges, to theirhighest level.

The hike tookpetrol price inDelhi to a recordRs 88.99 perlitre and to ah i g h e s t -ever rateof Rs95.46 alitre in

Mumbai. Diesel rate climbed toRs 79.35 a litre in Delhi and toRs 86.34 in Mumbai.

Rajasthan, which levies thehighest VAT on fuel in thecountry, had thehighest petroland dieselprices.

I n

Sriganganagar town of thestate, petrol soared to Rs 99.56and diesel to Rs 91.48 per litre.

The Rajasthan governmenthad late last month cut VAT on

petrol and diesel by 2 percent. Despite

this, the state has the highestVAT at 36 per cent plus Rs1,500 per kilolitre road cess onpetrol. On diesel, the statelevies 26 per cent and Rs 1,750per kilolitre road cess.

Branded or additive mixedpetrol on Sunday crossed Rs100-mark at some places instates like Maharashtra andMP. Branded petrol atSriganganagar was priced atRs 102.34 a litre and similargrade diesel at Rs 95.15.

The main differencebetween regular and pre-mium fuel grades is theoctane number. Regularfuel has a lower octane

number -- 87, while pre-mium fuel generallygets a 91 octane ratingor higher.

Octane number is ameasure of the igni-

tion quality of fuel --higher the number, the less sus-ceptible is the fuel to 'knock-ing' when burnt in a standardengine. In seven straight days,prices have gone up by Rs 2.04per litre for petrol and Rs 2.22for diesel.

Petrol soars to `89 in Delhi,may touch `100 in Rajasthan PNS n NEW DELHI

The wholesale price-basedinflation rose sharply to 2.03per cent in January on costliernon-food manufactured itemsand experts are projecting fur-ther uptick in the rate of pricerise in the next few months.

The WPI inflation was 1.22per cent in December, 2020and 3.52 per cent in Januarylast year.

While food articles saw soft-ening in inflation, the sharprise in the WPI inflation inJanuary was led by manufac-tured non-food products, fueland power, and crude petrole-um and natural gas, datareleased by the Commerceand Industry ministry showedon Monday.

Food inflation in Januarystood at (-) 2.8 per cent, against(-) 1.11 per cent in the previ-ous month. In vegetables andpotatoes, it was (-) 20.82 percent and 22.04 per cent respec-tively. Core inflation rose to a27-month high of 5.1 per centin January 2021.

In non-food articles, infla-tion was higher at 4.16 percent, while in the fuel and

power basket it was (-) 4.78 percent, during the month underreview.

ICRA Principal EconomistAditi Nayar said a deeper dis-inflation in primary food arti-cles helped to cushion theimpact of the sharp rise in coreinflation.

Rising demand andstrengthening pricing powerwill make core inflation risefurther to as much as 7-7.5 percent during April-June quarter,

according to ICRA."... the headline WPI infla-

tion is set to record largeupticks over the course of thenext few months. We nowexpect the WPI inflation toaverage 5-5.5 per cent inFY2022, unless the availablevaccines turn out to be ineffec-tive against new COVID-19variants, causing commodityprices, consumer confidenceand business sentiment toplunge," Nayar added.

WPI inflation rises to 2.03% inJan on manufactured items

PNS n NEW DELHI

Domestic travel, which isalready showing signs of recu-perating, will continue to aidrecovery for hotels in 2021,according to global real estateconsultant JLL.

India's hospitality industrywitnessed a decline of 54.9 percent in revenue per availableroom (RevPAR) duringJanuary to December 2020, ascompared to calendar year2019, JLL's Hotel MomentumIndia (HMI) Q4 2020 said.

With the revival of domes-tic travel, emergence of recov-ery indicators has come to therescue of the sector. The recov-ery has been primarily drivenby leisure 'revenge travel' dur-ing weekends, festival season,weddings and demand of foodand beverage, it added in a

statement."We are already seeing signs

of domestic business travelpick up in the new year. Weexpect that occupancies inbusiness hotels will ramp upfrom March/April 2021onwards as companies gradu-

ally lift travel embargo", JLL,South Asia, Hotels andHospitality Group, MD JaideepDang said.

Furthermore, domesticleisure travel will continue todrive occupancies across thecountry. Food and beverage

(F&B) demand will continue togrow as eating out will increasealbeit cautiously, he added.

"We also expect investmentactivity to restart with seriousinvestors evaluating qualityassets on back of performancecycle uptick", Dang said.

Total number of signings inQ4 2020 stood at 45 hotelscomprising 4,326 keys, record-ing a decline of 43.6 per cent,compared to the same periodlast year, the statement said.

Goa continues to be theRevPAR leader in absoluteterms despite a decline of 33.3per cent in Q4 2020 comparedto Q4 2019.

Demand for domesticleisure travel amidst interna-tional travel restrictions hasmade Goa the fastest recover-ing market in absolute terms,it added.

Domestic travel will help hotels recover

PNS n MUMBAI

The Reserve Bank on Mondayset up a committee to draw avision document for strength-ening urban cooperative banks(UCBs) and exploring thepotential of consolidation inthe sector.

The committee, to be head-ed by former RBI DeputyGovernor N S Vishwanathan,will suggest "effective mea-sures for faster rehabilitationand resolution of UrbanCooperative Banks (UCBs)and also assess their potentialfor consolidation in the sector."

The panel will "draw up avision document for a vibrantand resilient urban co-opera-tive banking sector havingregards to the Principles ofCooperation as well as depos-itors' interest and systemicissues," said the terms of ref-erence of the committee whichwill be required to submit itsreport to the RBI in threemonths.

The eight-member panel,including former chairman ofNabard Harsh KumarBhanwala, will also reviewthe current regulatory andsupervisory approach and rec-

ommend suitable measuresto strengthen the sector, tak-ing into account recentamendments to the BankingRegulation Act, 1949.

As per the terms of refer-ence of the committee, it will"take stock of the regulatorymeasures taken by the ReserveBank and other authorities inrespect of UCBs and assesstheir impact over the last fiveyears to identify key con-straints and enablers, if any, infulfilment of their socio-eco-nomic objective."

Among other things, thecommittee will consider theneed for differential regula-tions and examine prospects toallow more leeway in permis-sible activities for UCBs witha view to enhancing theirresilience.

PNS n NEW DELHI

Kotak Mahindra Bank onMonday announced the launchof its outward forex remittanceservice, Kotak Remit, onmobile that will allow users tosend money abroad directlyfrom their mobile phones.

The outward forex remit-tance solution is live on theKotak Mobile Banking App.

For the first time, Kotakcustomers can convenientlytransfer money international-ly to their beneficiaries straightfrom their mobile, KotakMahindra Bank said in arelease.

The private sector lendersaid that it is an industry-firstmove, and customers will nothave to furnish any physicaldocuments for transactionsup to USD 25,000 or equiva-lent seamlessly to permissiblegeographies across the world.

"The mobile has been at thecentre of a revolution of sortsand it has changed the way webank, invest, shop and pay.

"Domestic payments hasbeen one of the core areas offocus. With the launch ofKotak Remit on mobile, we

have entered a new phase ofdigital transformation encom-passing international pay-ments, which gives our cus-tomers the advantage of bank-ing on mobile for makinginternational fund transfersas well,” said Phani Shankar,President & Co-Head –Treasury & Global Markets,Kotak Mahindra Bank.

Kotak Remit offers remit-tances in 15 currencies includ-ing the US dollar, AustralianDollar, UK Pound Sterling,Hong Kong Dollar, Saudi Riyal,Canadian Dollar, SingaporeDollar, Euro, Japanese Yen.

By entering transfer detailsand beneficiary details, cus-tomers can remit up to USD25,000 or equivalent per dayand up to USD 250,000 or

equivalent in a financial yearthrough Kotak Remit.

Customers will receive anotification at every stage ofthe transaction process, keep-ing them updated and can alsosave beneficiary details to facil-itate quick repeat remittances.

While outbound remit-tances under the LiberalisedRemittance Scheme (LRS) forresident individuals has seen adecline this year owing to thepandemic, remittances fromIndia have been consistentlygrowing prior to FY 2020-21and presents a significant mar-ket opportunity, said the bank.

In 2019-20, outboundremittances from India grewby nearly 36 per cent to USD18.8 billion in 2019-20, fromUSD 13.8 billion in 2018-19.

PNS n NEW DELHI

Gold prices declined mar-ginally by Rs 19 to Rs46,826 per 10 gram here onMonday in line with weakglobal cues and rupeeappreciation, according toHDFC Securities.

In the previous trade,the precious metal hadclosed at Rs 46,845 per 10gram. Silver, however,gained Rs 646 to Rs 69,072per kg from Rs 68,426 perkg in the previous trade.

"Spot gold prices for 24carat in Delhi fell by Rs 19in-line with global goldprices and rupee apprecia-tion," according to HDFCSecurities, Senior Analyst(Commodities), TapanPatel.

The rupee strengthenedby 14 paise to 72.61 againstthe US dollar in openingtrade on Monday.

Gold declinesmarginally

Kotak Mahindra Bank startsKotak Remit on mobile

PNS n NEW DELHI

HCL Technologies on Mondaysaid it has inked an agreementwith the Indian Institute ofTechnology Kanpur (IITK) tocollaborate in the area ofcybersecurity.

As part of the pact, the IT

company will work withC3iHub, a specialised cyberse-curity research centre at IITK,a statement said.

"This collaboration willbring together the country'sbrightest minds, advancedresearch capabilities and glob-al resources to develop

advanced solutions in the areaof cybersecurity. HCL andIITK will bring in real worldindustry exposure to carry outjoint initiatives and research,"it added.

The teams will develop asecurity framework and solu-tions for cybersecurity chal-lenges in current and futureoperational technologies as oneof the first areas of interest.

They will also work togeth-er to discover and managecyber threats, vulnerabilities,and risks for critical infrastruc-ture, the statement said.

HCL Technologies will alsowork with IITK to identifyselective research projects inorder to bring them to scale."The projects will be tested oninternational benchmarks forpotential commercialisationto products and services, withtesting and development per-formed in a special HCL envi-ronment," it said.

HCL inks pact with IITK

MONEY MATTERS

Danfoss Industries said onMonday it has signed an

MoU with Indian Institute ofScience here topromote useof natural refrigerants.Thecollaboration aims todevelopa research and trainingcentre focused onpromoting the use of natural

or CO2-based refrigerants, a company statement said. Refrigerantslie at the core of the cold chain andrefrigeration industry, buttraditional refrigerantssuch as Hydrochlorofluorocarbons andChlorofluorocarbons are known tocontribute to global warming, andthe depletion of the ozonelayer which protects the earth fromharmful UV light. In recent times, there has been an increase in theuse of natural refrigerants like ammonia andCO2-based refrigerants,R744 (CO2)and R290 (Propane). "To promote their wider adoptionacross India, the MoU between Danfoss India and IISc aims toincrease knowledge systems around natural refrigerants both at theacademic and industry level", the statement said.

Danfoss, IISc ink pact topromote natural refrigerants

PNS n NEW DELHI

Competition Commissionhas closed a case of allegedbid rigging after a detailedinvestigation found noevidence to suggestmanipulation in the bid-ding process by threefirms for three differenttenders. The matter per-tained to three separatetenders that were issuedby the Department ofPrinting under theMinistry of UrbanDevelopment. One tenderwas issued in 2014 andtwo other tenders in 2015.

There were complaintsthat the three firms --Chandra Prabhu OffsetPrinting Works Pvt Ltd,Saraswati Offset PrintersPvt Ltd and United IndiaTradex Pvt Ltd -- had con-spired to fix rates in bidssubmitted for the tenders.

CCI had directed itsprobe arm DG -- for adetailed investigation,which revealed close link-ages among the threefirms (opposite parties).

CCI closesalleged bidrigging case

PNS n MUMBAI

The Indian IT industry rev-enues are set to grow by 2.3 percent to USD 194 billion inFY2020-21 and the exportswill go up by 1.9 per cent toUSD 150 billion, industrylobby Nasscom said onMonday. The industryremained a net hirer in the fis-cal year, which saw a major hitacross the world because of theCOVID-19 pandemic, with1.38 lakh new jobs added totake overall employment to44.7 lakh, it said.

"We have emerged moreresilient and more relevantfrom the crisis. We have beenthe bellwether to lead the fightagainst COVID," the body'spresident Debjani Ghosh said.

She said the industry has

become the first sector torecover from the pandemic-induced crisis and hit growthdespite headwinds like a 3.2per cent dip in technologyspends across the world on a3.5 per cent contraction in theworld GDP. The overall dealpipeline is over USD 15 billion,if one were to go by the num-bers disclosed by listed com-panies, the body said.

On the outlook, 71 per centof the 100 industry chief exec-utives said global tech spendswill be better in 2021.

IT industry will grow by 2.3%: Nasscom

Will sendCovishield toCanada in amonth: SIIPNS n NEW DELHI

Vaccine maker SerumInstitute of India (SII) onMonday said it will sendCOVID-19 vaccine devel-oped by AstraZeneca andOxford University toCanada in less than amonth. SII CEO AdarPoonawalla in a tweet said,"Dear Hon'ble PM@JustinTrudeau, I thankyou for your warm wordstowards India and its vac-cine industry. As we awaitregulatory approvals fromCanada, Iassureyou,@SerumInstIndia willfly out #COVISHIELD toCanada in less than amonth; I'm on it!".

PNS n NEW DELHI

FMCG major HindustanUnilever expects its "COVIDimpacted" product categories,such as ice-cream and vendingsolutions, to rebound strong-ly in 2021 with increase inmobility. In an investor pre-sentation, the company alsosaid categories such as skincare and colour cosmetics,which slowed down last yearwill also rebound.

"These categories remainstructurally attractive for us,"HUL said in its presentation.

On the other hand, the com-pany said "COVID obsessive"categories such as hand sanitis-ers and hand wash which sawa sharp surge during the pan-

demic are also expected to nor-malise this year. Hand sanitis-er category surged 16 times in2020 compared to 2019, whilethe hand wash category grew 1.5times last year. Categories suchas hand, body and face care,classified as "COVID resis-tant" items are expected to "tonormalise with increase inmobility in 2021", HUL said.

From a peak decline of 73per cent in the second quarterof the calendar year 2020 dur-ing the lockdown these haverecovered, with the gradualunlocking that the countrywent through, to a decline of51 per cent in the third quar-ter and 30 per cent in thefourth quarter in line withimproving mobility, it added.

Covid-impacted itemsmay rebound: HUL

Panel to suggest stepsfor fortifying UCBs

Mumbai-basedHiranandani Groupon Monday said it

will set up an integratedlogistics and data centrepark with an aggregatedinvestment of around Rs10,000 crore.It has signed amemorandum of

understanding to acquire 100-acre land at Uttarpara in Hooghlydistrict from Hindustan Motors to set up the integrated logisticsand data centre park.Two group companies -GreenBase and Yotta-will develop the project. "The combined investment by the groupand their customers is estimated to cross Rs 10,000 crore," acompany statement said. The first facility of industrial and logisticspark will be ready by June 2022 and the first data centre by 2023,it said. GreenBase will deliver a modern and self-sustainableecosystem, consisting of three-million sq. feet of industrial andwarehousing space, while Yotta will involve in the development ofsix hyper-connected data centre buildings, according to thestatement.The data centre will be capable to serve the entireeastern region, it said. "Kicking off this project would not havebeen possible without the tremendous support of West BengalChief Minister Mamata Banerjee. The state is the gateway to theeast. It is an ideal hub for logistics and industrial development withexcellent road, rail and riverine connectivity," the group CEODarshan Hiranandani said. The announcement comes ahead of theWest Bengal Assembly elections, due in April-May.Speaking on theproposed project by the group, the chief minister said, "It isencouraging for West Bengal. We are ready to offer all thesupport." Echoing Banerjee, West Bengal Industrial Development

Hiranandani to set up logistics,data centre park with `10K cr

Leading microfinancecompany ArohanFinancial Services Ltdhas filed papers withthe capital marketregulator SEBI for aninitial public offering(IPO) and is planning toraise Rs 1,750-1,800

crore, sources said on Monday. The public offer comprises theraising of fund via a fresh issuance of shares, amounting to Rs 850crore and an OFS (offer for sale) of 27,055,893 equity shares by asection of the existing investors, they said. Promoted by AavishkaarGroup, the company may decide to undertake a pre-IPO placementof Rs 150 crore subject to consultation of the merchant bankers.ccording to the Draft Red Herring Prospectus filed with the regulator,the company may decide to undertake a pre IPO placement of Rs150 crore subject to consultation of the merchant bankers. A portionreserved for qualified institutional buyers will be up to 50 per cent ofthe offer, while up to 15 per cent will be kept for non-institutionalinvestors and up to 35 per cent for retail investors. The portionreserved for eligible employees will be up to five per cent of the offer."The net proceeds from the fresh issue will be utilised foraugmenting the company's capital base to meet its futurerequirements, which is expected to be deployed in FY22," themicrofinance firm said.The Kolkata-based company, whichcommenced its operations in 2006, claimed that it has servedapproximately 2.21 million borrowers across 17 states and stands asthe largest NBFC-MFI in eastern India as per gross loan portfolio.

Microlender Arohan to go forIPO, to raise `1,750-1,800 cr

ports players areconsidered to be fitindividuals whoshowcase theirstrength, enduranceand flexibility to flex

their bodies through toughcircumstances and pullthrough their sports perfor-mance. They train day in andout to have command overtheir body and techniques.Every sport has its owndemands and likewise, atraining schedule is devisedby their coaches and followedby players and their parentsfor optimal performance.

Long ago it was identifiedthat despite best body and

technique, something wasstopping the players toachieve their best. On deeperinvestigation, it was foundthat mind had a role to playin performance which wasoften not understood. Withtime, coaches, parents andplayers recognised this gapand started understandingthe need for mental training.

Despite increased aware-ness, the taboo of visiting amental health professionalacts as a huge barrier toadopt a positive and progres-sive change. Over the years,sport psychology (area ofspecialisation that uses psy-chological interventions in

sports set up) has found itsspace and parents, coachesand players are reaching outto professionals for perfor-mance enhancement.

Winning is still the biggestmotivator for everyoneinvolved in sports. Even afterhaving an emphasis on par-ticipation and excellence,achieving success and avoid-ing failures takes centre stagefor one and all. Whether oneis playing an individual sportor a team sport, chief coachto subordinate coaches, sportscience experts along withplayer’s parents make a cru-cial part of the team whichtogether influences the

course of action for long.Management of sports

players involves binding theentire team strongly andkeeping them on the samepage. In this competitiveworld, increased exposure tointernational competitiveevents, advances in supportfrom corporate and govern-ment sectors has led toincreased performance pres-sure. With time, sports hasmoved from mere joy, a senseof satisfaction to pride andprofessionalism. The demandto perform is so strong that itcomes with the tag of“Success at any cost.” But dowe really need success at thecost of our mental peace?Mental health when dis-turbed affects one’s ability torecognise the self-potentialand gets bogged down bystress. Talent wasted due tolack of professional help atright time can never standthe spirit of sports. Hence, itbecomes essential to learn themind-body connection andmental toughness to becomeresilient in testing momentsof matches.

It’s scientifically proventhat exercise promotes posi-tive mental health but some-times this observation doesn’thold true. With increasingcompetition, competitivestress, the pressure of expec-tations, financial crisis, logis-tic issues and infrastructuralconcerns, the challenges toperform well are not justvested in talent but in thingsbeyond one’s control too.

Anxiety, depression, per-sonality disorder, mood dis-orders, panic, PTSD, eatingdisorders, as well as moreserious mental health issues,are coming to surface in pop-ulation as young as age 10.The peak years of sports per-formance and the onset ofmultiple mental health issuescoincide and thus, this fact ofunderstanding the underlyingissues which need attentionare simply side-lined. Whilethe mind of a player is mostimportant, even the mind-setof their coaches and the par-ents are equally important. Itis essential to create a holisticapproach in bringing achange in their perspectivestowards winning and success.Lack of time, resources,myths that it is only for eliteplayers have been wiped-out;the need of the hour is men-tal health training for all.

Follow us on

@TheDailyPioneer

facebook.com/dailypioneer

TuesdayFebruary 16, 2021

Positive mentalhealth helps athleteshandle the pressure

and boosts theirperformance on the

ground. AmrutaKarkhanis

Deshmukh, a sportspsychologist, shares

how.

Play your mind

s women age, the likeli-hood of chromosomalabnormalities climbs,and with it, the risk ofmiscarriage, birthdefects or disorders that

make conceiving more difficult.Egg freezing is seen by some as away to stop the biological clock,expand reproductive options, andpreserve younger, possibly healthi-er, eggs. And for many womenlooking to extend their childbear-ing years, it has become anincreasingly attractive option.

Sasha, 28, chose fertility preser-vation which allowed her to con-ceive at a later stage in life whilebeing focussed now on her dreamcareer growth. Today we havemany girls coming up and daringto break the stereotype, choosingbold career choices like aviation,full-time travelling, surfing, DJ-ing, and bartending, etc., whichwill require them to give priorityto their career.

But just how successful is it?How invasive? How expensive?When it comes to the details, isthis something women shouldseriously consider? Dr KrishnaChaitanya, Scientific Head andClinical Embryologist, OasisFertility talks about how normal itis in India for a woman to freezeher eggs, procedure, and more.

What does egg freezingmean, exactly?

The process of egg-freezing, orin medical speak, oöcyte cryop-

reservation, involves stimulatingthe ovaries with hormones to pro-duce multiple eggs, retrieving theeggs from the ovaries and takingthem to the lab, where they’recooled to subzero temperatures tobe thawed at a later date.

What are the benefits of eggfreezing?

With the whole world-changing,even science is changing and theway we look at the medical prac-tice. After the invention of testtube or IVF procedures, we foundout that we can actually ‘create’babies. As a woman grows older,the quality of her eggs tends todecline. Eggs may contain morechromosomal abnormalities, andwomen will no longer ovulate aftermenopause. This means that herovaries will cease to release eggs. Ifa woman wants a child but is notable or ready to conceive at pre-sent, a dedicated facility can freezeher eggs for use at a later date.

Why might a woman opt tofreeze?

Reasons vary. Some womenchoose to freeze their eggs formedical reasons. Cancer treat-ment, for example, can be toxic tothe ovaries and cause prematuremenopause. The following aresome reasons that women freezetheir eggs:

Career and educationalplans

Women who wish to pursue

advanced degrees or demandingcareers may freeze their eggs whenthey are young to ensure access tohealthy eggs later on. Some com-panies, such as Facebook andApple, even fund egg-freezing forfemale employees who wish todelay childbirth for professionalreasons.

Personal circumstances

Women who want to have achild with a partner but have notyet found one may freeze theireggs for future use. Women insame-sex relationships may alsowish to have a baby further downthe line.

Cancer

Chemotherapy and other cancertreatments typically interfere withand sometimes end fertility.Reproductive cancers might leadto the removal of a woman’s

ovaries.Egg freezing might help reduce

the impact of some cancer treat-ments on fertility.

Infections, organ failure,and other health concerns

A wide range of health problemscan harm egg quality and fertility,such as endometriosis, a conditionthat causes uterine tissue to growoutside of the womb.

Freezing eggs offers hope towomen who are receiving treat-ment for a serious illness that mayreduce fertility.

How does egg freezingwork?

Although sperm and embryoshave proved easy to freeze, the eggis the largest cell in the humanbody and contains a large amountof water. When frozen, ice crystalsform that can destroy the cell.Over the years we have learnedthat we must dehydrate the eggand replace the water with an“anti-freeze” prior to freezing inorder to prevent ice crystal forma-tion. We also learned that becausethe shell of the egg hardens whenfrozen, sperm must be injectedwith a needle to fertilize the eggusing a standard technique knownas ICSI (Intracytoplasmic SpermInjection). Eggs are frozen using aflash-freezing process known asvitrification.

How open is India when itcomes to freezing eggs?

The country is now becomingopen to this procedure. Companieslike Google are providing financialassistance to women who want tofreeze their eggs in order to focuson their career. In India, womengo through a lot of psychologicalstress if she is not able to a child ofher genetics, that’s when freezingof eggs comes to play.

When should a womanfreeze her eggs?

During her late teens or earlytwenties. Freezing eggs early givesa brighter chance of an easy andsafe pregnancy. It’s important to dothe right things at the right age. Todate, approximately 5,000 babieshave been born from frozen eggs.The largest published study of over900 babies from frozen eggs

showed no increased rate of birthdefects when compared to the gen-eral population. Results from onestudy showed no increased rates ofchromosomal defects betweenembryos derived from frozen eggscompared to embryos derivedfrom fresh eggs. A 2014 studyshowed that pregnancy complica-tions were not increased after eggfreezing. There have also been over300,000 children born worldwidefrom frozen embryos using pri-marily slow-freeze cryopreserva-tion techniques, without anincrease in birth defects. Althoughthis data is reassuring, it will takemany years of follow-up to ensurethat babies born from egg freezingtechnology have no higher rates ofbirth defects than those conceivedthrough other means.

With more andmore womenlooking toconcentrate ontheir careergraph andchoosing tohave kidswheneverthey're ready,physically andmentally, eggfreezing isbecomingincreasinglypopular anddecreasinglystigmatised.The Pioneer'sK RAMYASREE talks toDr KrishnaChaitanya,Scientific Headand ClinicalEmbryologist,Oasis Fertility,who breaks thisdown for us.

Rethinking route

A

S

to motherhood

Live Telecastfails to impress

ost main-streamactressesare gradu-ally step-ping into

the digital space, final-ly realising there’snothing to lose bydoing so. After all,how long will theyonly play second fiddleto mainstream heroesfilm after film? RaashiKhanna, KajalAggarwal, Tamannaah,Samantha have shownthe way forward andproved that careers inthe digital space andfilm industry canmutually co-exist.

Kajal has just signedher second web seriesfor Aha recently, herfirst web show, LiveTelecast, that released

on February 12 butwas met with aninsipid response fromcrowds. Also markingdirector VenkatPrabhu’s debut in thedigital space, LiveTelecast was releasedin multiple languagesand was marketed as ahorror-comedy. Thestory was one of thefirst-ever scripts thatVenkat Prabhu hadwritten for a featurefilm that never gotmade.

In most SouthIndian industries, thehorror-comedy trendhas almost been doneto death and there’shardly been dimensionin the genre that hasbeen left untouched.The buzz for the show,as a result, has been

extremely low and itsfilmmaking and actingstandards have beenextremely poor.

The premise about alive reality show withghosts in a hauntedhouse is quirky onpaper, but the execu-tion has been illogical.Live Telecast feels likea never-ending featurefilm made with disap-pointing productionvalues. Vaibhav is onlythe saving grace in thisshow, while Anandhiis just okay.

It is surprising tosee Kajal choosingsuch a flimsy script fora web debut. Theactress has four featurefilms releasing thisyear — Mosagallu,Acharya, Mumbai Sagaand Hey Sinamika.

Kajal's web series

M

10

Hyderabad Tuesday February 16 2021what’s brewing?

PAR

TY

Rules

ARCHIE

GARFIELD

SUDOKU

REALITY CHECK SPEED BUMP CROSSWORD

GINGER MEGGS

NANCY

l Each row and column cancontain each number (1 to 9)exactly once.

l The sum of all numbers inany row or column mustequal 45.

Yesterday’s solution

CALVIN AND HOBBES

FUN

l Srinivas and Aditya

l Mynampally Hanumantha Rao

l K P Vivekanand

lA

nu

BookMyDiagnostic, a compelling new website and

app was launched at the Taj Deccan, in thepresence of MLAs Mynampally Hanumantha Rao

and KP Vivekanand. The heathcare start-up aims to delivermedical diagnosis to people's doorstep by bridging the

gap between users and labs. A new way of receiving healthupdates, BookMyDiagnostic is all set to re-design a typical

visit to the doctor.

DOC KNOCK

Ph

oto

s b

y S

V C

ha

ry

l Suchitra

ongratulationsare in orderfor MeghanMarkle, 39,and PrinceHarry, 36! The

couple — who tied theknot in May 2018 —are expecting baby #2.“We can confirm thatArchie is going to be abig brother,” a state-ment issued to anews agency readfrom a representativefor The Duke andDuchess of Sussex.

“The Duke andDuchess of Sussexare overjoyed to beexpecting their sec-ond child,” the state-ment also read. Thecouple also released a

stunning photo alongwith the announcement,taken by MisanHarriman. Meghan’sgrowing baby bump canbe seen in the sweetblack-and-white candidas she and Harry situnder a tree. MeghanMarkle cradles her babybump in the new photoshared on February14,2021.

Meghan and Harry arealready parents toadorable son ArchieHarrison Mountbatten-Windsor, 1, who theywelcomed in May 2019!They confirmed they

were pregnant the firsttime around via theRoyal Family, includingHarry’s brother PrinceWilliam, 38, and sister-in-law Kate Middleton,38, who noted they were“very pleased” by thenews via the KensingtonRoyal Twitter account.

Archie has becomequite the star on socialmedia, taking centerstage in the couple’sChristmas card back inDecember 2019.

The pregnancy newscomes after Meghan andHarry’s whirlwinddeparture from royalduties in January 2020and some difficult per-sonal loss. In November2020, Meghan and Harrysuffered a devastatingloss.

Meghan opened up inan emotional personalessay about enduring amiscarriage. “I droppedto the floor,” sherecalled. “[I] sensed thatsomething was not right.I knew, as I clutched myfirstborn child, that Iwas losing my second,”Meghan’s New YorkTimes piece read.

After such a devastat-ing loss, we’re so happyfor Meghan and Harryand wish them well onthis next chapter in theirlives.

Meghan Markle, Prince Harry

expecting second child

C

lN

amra

ta

fter join-ing thesets ofVasisthMallidi’s

fantasy peri-od dramasometimeback,

NandamuriKalyanram has lined up anoth-er project. The untitled film,which marks the directorialdebut of Rajendra Reddy, is aproduction venture of MythriMovie Makers, which is bask-ing in the accolades it isreceiving for last week’srelease Uppena. For themuhurat shot, Buchi BabuSana sounded the clap-board, while RadhaKrishna (of Jil fame) and

Bharat Kamma (DearComrade) switched onthe camera.

Speaking to us,Rajendra, who assistedthe likes of BommarilluBaskar and SurenderReddy, billed the pro-

ject as an intense action thrillerwith twists and turns.

“I’m approaching it realisti-cally. Kalyanram garu will beseen playing triple roles in thefilm. It, however, won’t be atypical triple role film. That Ican promise. He is excitedabout the project and evenwanted to start it in betweenthe filming of his next withVasisth but decided against it,”the director said with a smile.“We will roll from March sec-ond week.”

The soft-spoken directorfrom Chittoor added that theactor, who has been extremelypicky with his assignments inthe past two-three years, green-lit the story in the first narra-tion itself, saying it was superb.“He later told me to narrate itto his brother-in-law Hari(who executes projects underKalyanram’s NTR Arts banner).In the subsequent meeting,Hari garu too endorsed it andso, the journey began. In fact,the project was confirmed lastJanuary and we even planned

to go on floors in June but dueto COVID-19 outbreak, we arenow starting in March. Closeto 80 percent of the filmingwill be wrapped up inHyderabad, while parts of Goawill host some portions. We areplanning to shoot some por-tions in India-Myanmar borderas well,” the director concluded.

11

tollywoodHyderabad Tuesday February 16 2021

The project got confirmed last January itself but dueto COVID-19, the shoot had to be deferred. The

debutant director promises that it will not be aroutine action affair involving a hero in a triplerole (Kalyanram plays three roles in the film),

reports NAGARAJ GOUD

onal Gajjar andAkhil Sarthak,who set BiggBoss season 3on fire withtheir sizzling

chemistry, are now head-lining a web series titledTelugu Abbayi GujaratAmmayi. Dr A BhaskarRao is producing it underSaraswati Creations,while Bantupalli Bhaskaris directing it from hisown script.

Speaking about theproject, directorBhaskar said thatone of his friendssuggested that hemake a project withMonal and Gajjarin the lead. “I later

met Bhaskar Rao whorecommended that a webseries be made. He pro-posed the names ofMonal and Gajal as hegot connected to themduring their stint in theBigg Boss. I felt veryhappy and luckily, I had astory that fit both ofthem. I met Akhil imme-diately after Bigg Boss andhe agreed to do the pro-ject straightaway. Similarwas the case with Monal.

Everything hap-pened very

fast.

The project is a pure lovestory.”

Akhil said he plays therole of a guy who comesto Hyderabad from townin pursuit of a softwarejob. “The struggles heendures and how he fallsin love with a Gujaratigirl forms the role’s arc,”he said.

Monal said she will beseen as Gujarati girl whomakes Hyderabad herhome due to her profes-sion. Her struggles andhow she adjusts to theculture difference is what

the role treads,she added.

Monal Gajjar and Akhil Sarthak to headline a web series

ellamkondaSreenivas,who wasrecentlyseen in thebox-office

turkey Alludu Adhurs, is team-ing up with premier productionhouse UV Creations for his next.While the actor was to shift attentionto Chatrapathi Hindi remake afterAlludu Adhurs, the makers are find-ing it difficult to rope in a leadinglady for the project. As it is takingtime, UV recently made debutantSriram Reddy to narrate a story toSreenivas, who, it appears, gave hisnod pronto. Yes, it is the same pro-ject UV initially wanted to makewith Sharwanand but with the actor’sschedule crammed, they’ve chosenSreenu.

A source informs, “A characterisa-tion-driven action-drama, the pro-ject will see Sreenu as a cop. Story

aside, UV’s reputation ensured thathe hops on board. While somepaperwork is still pending, themuhurat was held in a low-key affairrecently. “Sriram Reddy has earlierassisted Sriram Adittya for BhaleManchi Roju and has been with UVfor over three years with the copstory. Interestingly, this will be thesecond time-after Kavacham — thatSreenivas will be donning khaki for afilm. - NG

Film with Kalyanram is an intense action

thriller: Rajendra

Sreenivas to workwith UV Creations

he title and first look of producerLagadapati Sridhar’s 12th produc-tion venture under RamalakshmiCine Creations was unveiled byVaisshnav Tej, Krithi Shetty,Naveen Yerneni and Buchi Babu

Sana recently. Sridhar’s son VikramSahadav, who was seen in many films likeRace Gurram, Pataas, Naa Peru Suryaand Krishnamma Kalipindi Iddarini as achild talent is fronting the film, titledKotthaga Rekkalochena, along withSowmika, who has roots fromtheatre. She proved her act-ing talent with the Tamilmovie Champion.

Sridhar dubbed thefilm as a romanticdrama which reflectstoday’s youth mindsetand aspirations. On setsstill presently, it marksthe directorial debutof Pradeep Atluri,who is the son veter-an actor-producerAtluriPundarikakshaiah.

Vikram is alsoplaying the lead rolein Dil Raju’s pro-duction Rowdy Boys,which introducesthe producer’snephew AshishReddy (son of pro-ducer Sirish) as anactor.

Debutant SriramReddy, who has beenwith UV for over threeyears, is making a copdrama with Sreenivas

Lagadapati Sridhar's

Kotthaga Rekkalochena

with son Vikram

My commercial scripts didn’t get me an actor: Naandhi director Vijay

irector Vijay Kanakamedala, who islooking forward to the release ofNaandhi, starring Allari Naresh, saysduring the writing process itself, heand his writer Venkat thought of theactor to headline the film. “The story

demanded an actor not a star. After he agreedto do it, we took almost six months to researchon the subject of under trials. We met peopleJD Lakshmi Narayana, Professor K Nageswar,lawyers and cops to form a basic story. Weadded melodrama to make it emotional,” thedirector says.

A hard-hitting social drama, the film fol-lows an undertrial (played by Naresh) broughtto Chanchalguda prison, Hyderabad, for acrime that he didn’t commit.

It will draw attention to the torture he facesat the hands of cops and how he finally comesout of the prison.

“His attempts to come out of the jail legallyand how he fights against the people whoframed him in the case legally after servingfive years in prison forms the crux of thestory,” the director, who assisted HarishShankar for films like Mirapakay, Gabbar

Singh and DJ, states.In fact, Vijay was left with no option but to

attempt a different film for his debut. “I had commercial safe scripts with me and

I approached many actors to headline thembut to no avail. It is the reason why I wantedto attempt a new story,” the director informs.

A

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sport 12HYDERABAD | TUESDAY | FEBRUARY 16, 2021

RACING TEAM INDIA MAKES ALMS DEBUT Dubai: Racing Team India won its bid to become thefirst all-Indian squad to compete at the 24 Hours of LeMans with a solid debut over the opening two roundsof the Asian Le Mans Series in Dubai this weekend.The JK Tyres-backed team's ORECA 07 LMP2 car,driven by Narain Karthikeyan, Arjun Maini and NaveenRao, with technical support from reigning ALMSchampions Algarve Pro Racing, finished fifth andfourth in the two four-hour races held at the DubaiAutodrome on Saturday and Sunday respectively.

NAMAN OJHA ANNOUNCES RETIREMENT Bhopal: Former India wicketkeeper-batsman NamanOjha on Monday announced his retirement from allforms of cricket, bringing down curtains on a two-decade long illustrious domestic career. The 37-year-old from Madhya Pradesh, who holds the record forthe most dismissals by a wicketkeeper in the RanjiTrophy, has featured in one Test, one ODI and twoT20Is. “I would like to announce my retirement,” Ojhasaid in a virtual press conference. “It is time for me tomove on. It was a long journey, I am grateful I had thisopportunity and I could fulfil my dream of playing forcountry and state,” he said.

KXIP TO BE RENAMED PUNJAB KINGS New Delhi: Kings XI Punjab will be called PunjabKings from the upcoming edition of the IPL, thefranchise having opted for a change in name aftergiving it a long thought. “The team was planning tochange the name for a long time and thought it shouldbe done before this IPL. So it is not a suddendecision,” a BCCI source said on Monday.

FIR AGAINST YUVI OVER CASTEIST REMARKS Hissar: The Haryana Police has filed an FIR againstformer India cricketer Yuvraj Singh over his allegedcasteist remarks against Yuzvendra Chahal during anInstagram chat last year, officials said on Monday. Itwas during one of the Instagram Live sessions withRohit Sharma that Yuvraj made the offensive commentabout Chahal, while talking about his regular socialmedia posts.

PROTEAS TO VISIT IRELAND IN JULY Johannesburg: South Africa will embark on ahistoric first full limited-overs tour of Ireland in July,the country's cricket board said on Monday. Thematches are scheduled to be played from July 11-25and will comprise three ODIs, that will form part of theICC's Cricket World Cup Super League programme,and three T20 Internationals. The matches will beplayed in Malahide and Stormont.

ROSE LEAVING GLADBACH FOR DORTMUND Monchengladbach: Borussia Mönchengladbach onMonday said that coach Marco Rose will leave at theend of the season for league rival Borussia Dortmund.Gladbach sporting director Max Eberl said that Rosewould use a clause in his contract to make the move,subject to unspecified conditions.

PAHADI BILLAS LIFT KHO KHO C’SHIP New Delhi: Maharashtra's Pratik Waikar continuedhis spectacular show at the Super League Kho Khotournament as Pahadi Billas lifted the trophy with aconvincing six-point win over Panthers in the final hereon Monday. In the summit clash played at the IndiraGandhi Indoor Stadium, skipper Waikar dished out asolid all-round performance and guided his side to a31-25 win. The winners and runners-up team in themen's event received `2 lakh and `1.50 lakh prizemoney respectively. Agencies

SINGLES

PTI n CHENNAI

Ravichandran Ashwinfirst gave a lesson onhow to bowl on a rank

turner and then provided abatting master-class with asparkling hundred on a dete-riorating strip, putting India onthe brink of a massive series-levelling victory againstEngland on the third day of thesecond Test here on Monday.

Ashwin’s fifth Test hun-dred — a gutsy 106 off 148balls along with Virat Kohli’snear flawless 62 off 149 ballsgot India to a more than decent286 in 85.5 overs, leavingEngland with an improbabletarget of 482 runs on a dustbowl.

At stumps, England werealready crumbling at 53 for 3and it would take nothingshort of a miracle for Englandto bat for two days and save thematch.

Even their resolute captainJoe Root and coach ChrisSilverwood wouldn’t be opti-mistic on a track whereexploding divots are making itextremely difficult to bat.

But difficult doesn’t meanimpossible. Just like facing aquality seam bowler on a greentop is an art, one needs plen-ty of skills and mental fortitudeto counter spinners on a dustbowl.

Skipper Kohli and Ashwinshowed the likes of MichaelVaughan that they have abun-dant skills to tackle the condi-tions as India batted nearly 182overs across two innings on atrack that many deemed asunder-prepared after Englandfailed to score even 150.

For Ashwin, it was thethird time in his Test careerwhen he notched up a five-forand a hundred along with it.

Only England legend IanBotham stands ahead of himwith five such efforts in hiscareer.

India’s batting exhibition inthe second innings was a state-ment for all the DoubtingThomases on how to bat on athird-day track.

It only helped that MoeenAli (32-7-98-4) and Jack Leach(33-6-100-4) were not half asgood as Ashwin and AxarPatel were on the second day.

Both the Moeen and theLeach bowler were bowlingtheir deliveries at an identical

pace unlike Ashwin who var-ied the speed. Also anothermarked difference betweenAshwin’s deliveries was hispace through the air which wassignificantly more thanMoeen’s. If Rohit Sharma set itup with a classy Day 1 hun-dred, Ashwin and Kohli, in thenext two days, didn’t take theirfeet off the pedal to putEngland in the tightest of cor-ners.

Till the ball remained hard,England got three quick wick-ets leaving India in a spot at 65for 4 but Kohli again seemed

in a mood to make batting lookeasy.

He displayed defensive ele-gance, coming close to thepitch of the ball to take an off-stump guard in order to negateturn. He also used the sweepshot only for deliveries thatwere drifting down the leg-side.

There were seven bound-aries, mostly drives and inAshwin he found an able ally.They added 96 runs in 177balls, a partnership that deflat-ed England completely.

Ashwin relied on shotssquare of the wicket and leftKohli with the job of grafting,taking it upon himself to attackthe England bowling.

Apart from the square cutsand the pull shots off spinners,he was ready to hit the flat-bat-ted shots off pacers akin to ten-nis forehand shots.

There were 14 boundariesand a six in all during his bestbatting effort considering theprevious four hundreds cameagainst second-rate WestIndies sides.

Ravindra Jadeja’ ascendan-cy as India’s all-conditionsspecialist spin bowling all-rounder led to Ashwin losinga bit of confidence and the cut-ting edge he possessed with thewillow.

But everything changedafter the semi-fit Chennaiengineer pulled off a last daywonder in Sydney which hasnow helped him get his mojo

back.In the past one year, he has

tremendously upgraded hisvariations and the confidencein ‘Ashwin the bowler’ hasbrought to the fore ‘Ashwin thebatsman’.

The way he marshalledthe tail was commendable withtwo partnerships — 27 withIshant Sharma (7) and 49 withMohammed Siraj (16) for the10th wicket.

In both cases, he cleverlyshielded the strike and finallyreached 97 with a six.

A miscued shot got himhis hundred and the ensuingcelebrations, especially fromKohli punching his fists whilegiving a standing ovation,said it all.

Ashwin seemed finallyback where he belonged andthat’s right at the top.

AFP nMILAN

Romelu Lukaku scored twice toreach 300 career goals as Inter

Milan moved above AC Milan to thetop of Serie A with an impressive 3-1home win over Lazio on Sunday.

Lukaku’s brace came in the firsthalf as Inter made the most of their cityrivals’ surprising 2-0 loss at Spezia onSaturday.

Inter, bidding for a first Scudettosince winning the treble under JoseMourinho in 2010, are now one pointclear of AC Milan, with Roma sixpoints further back in third.

The stage is set for a mouthwater-ing Milan derby at the San Siro nextSunday.

“He (Lukaku) came back firing onall cylinders tonight and we need thisRomelu. We need this determinationand passion from everyone in theteam,” Inter coach Antonio Conte said.

“I am happy for the lads, inevitablythis must be a starting point for us andnot the finish line. We know the nextgame is the derby with Milan, goinginto it above them is obviously muchbetter. “It’s going to be a fascinatinggame between two teams who havestrong ambitions.”

Lukaku opened the scoring on 22minutes from the penalty spot afterWesley Hoedt fouled LautaroMartinez.

The Belgium forward then movedlevel with Cristiano Ronaldo at the topof the Serie A goalscoring charts justbefore the break, as he hit a loose ballfirst time on the half-volley for his 16thleague goal of the campaign.

The deficit was halved just afterthe hour mark as Gonzalo Escalante’sfree-kick was deflected to leave Intergoalkeeper Samir Handanovic flat-footed.

But Inter’s return to the summitwas secured in the 64th minute asLukaku turned the provider forMartinez.

PTI n CHENNAI

Debutant slow left-armbowler Axar Patel feels that

critics of spinner-friendly tracksneed to change their mindset asIndian cricket team has nevercomplained about tacklingseamer-friendly green tops over-seas.

The likes of former Englandcaptain Michael Vaughantermed the Chepauk pitch, usedfor the second Test, as “under-prepared” but India had twocenturions with three playersscoring half tons across twoinnings and 180 plus overs.

“If you are talking aboutpitch, I don’t think any ball hitthe helmet. There is normal spinon offer. We are playing on sametrack and scoring runs, so I don’tthink anyone should have anyproblems and feel that wicket islike this or that and so on andso forth,” Axar said.

The 27-year-old Gujaratleft-arm spinner, whose debutTest is also his 50th Internationalgame for India, took a dig at theEnglish commentators andmedia for their take on theChepauk surface.

“Also when we go overseas,

we never complained whileplaying on seaming track andcomplained that there is moregrass on the wicket. I think peo-ple need to change their mind-set rather than thinking aboutthe wicket,” he said at the end ofthird day’s play.

Axar explained that on thistrack, one needs to hit the deckhard in order to make use of the

turn on offer.“On this wicket, there is help

for spinners so you don’t needto do anything extra,” he said.

“When you are putting a bitmore effort and body into theball, then you are getting the ballto spin. When you are hitting thedeck hard, then only you are get-ting the ball to turn.

“If you are releasing it slow-

ly, there is not much help for theslow bowlers. So hitting the deckwith a decent speed is importantand that’s creating difficulty forbatsmen. If you bowl slow, thenbatsman are moving to back footand adjusting,” Axar said.

‘KNOW IT'S GOING TO SPIN’England spin bowling con-

sultant Jeetan Patel playeddown the talk about the qual-ity of the Chepauk pitch in theongoing second Test, saying“everyone knows it’s going tospin when you come to thesub-continent”.

“The first Test in Sri Lankaspun from ball one. We under-stand it all as a playing group,maybe it’s an educational thingfor someone outside the groupbut if you’re in the sub-conti-nent, wickets spin,” Patel said atthe media interaction at the endof third day’s play.

“The ball gets softer quick-er, it doesn’t seam as much, sothere has to be something in thewicket. Has it accelerated a bitquickly? Probably so, but that isplaying in the sub-continent,like when teams come toEngland or other places whereit seams around,” he added.

AFP nMELBOURNE

World No 2 Rafael Nadal beat oldnemesis Fabio Fognini in a scrap-

py affair to reach his 43rd Grand Slamquarter-final while Daniil Medvedevand Andrey Rublev ensured GrandSlam history will be made for Russia aftersetting up an Australian Open quarter-final on Monday.

With qualifier Aslan Karatsev alreadythrough to face Grigor Dimitrov in thetop half of the draw, it means there willbe three Russian men in the last eight ofa Slam for the first time since the Openera began in 1968.

Nadal, bidding for a first title atMelbourne Park since 2009, has yet todrop a set and kept the record intactagainst the fiery Italian, winning 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 on Rod Laver Arena.

Later, ninth seed Matteo Berrettinipulled out of his fourth-round clash withStefanos Tsitsipas because of an abdom-inal strain, giving the Greek fifth seed awalkover into a quarter-final againstNadal. The Italian was due to play in thelate night match on Rod Laver Arena, butwithdrew hours before it was due to start.

Fourth seed Medvedev extended his

win streak to 18 matches when he tookjust 89 minutes to blow away MackenzieMcDonald 6-4, 6-2, 6-3 and reach thequarter-finals while world No 8 Rublevfollowed Medvedev onto Margaret CourtArena and was back in the locker roomeven quicker, as Norway’s Casper Ruudretired with the scores at 6-2, 7-6 (7/3).

Rublev also reached the quarter-

finals at Roland Garros last year in abreakthrough season that saw him winfive ATP Tour titles, more than any otherplayer. He won 41 matches, equal withworld number one Novak Djokovic asthe best in 2020, and started 2021 on aneight-match streak after winning allfour of his singles to help Russia win theATP Cup, alongside Medvedev.

Fourth seed Medvedev’s best GrandSlam performance to date was reachingthe final at the 2019 US Open. Hisunbeaten run dates back to Novemberand includes titles at the Paris 1000, theATP Finals in London and the ATP Cup.

But Medvedev said the Russian pair,both in their first Australian Openquarter-finals, would push their friend-ship aside on Wednesday when they aimfor the last four.

“It’s our job — of course during thematch we’re going to try to win, fight forour best,” said Medvedev. “You neverknow. Sometimes you can maybe...argue on the court or something becausewe’re competitors. “After the match weare great friends.”

“At least one of us will be in the semi-finals. So it’s good news but yeah, it’sgoing to be a tough match,” said Rublev.“Last time he beat me in the quarters inthe US Open. So now we’re in the quar-ters in the Australian Open, so we’ll seewhat’s going to happen.”

The last Russian man to win a GrandSlam was Marat Safin at Melbourne Parkin 2005.

For Nadal, it is the 13th time he hasmade the last eight in Australia, moving

to joint third on the all-time list behindonly Roger Federer (15) and JohnNewcombe (14).

BARTY’S EXTENDS WINNING RUNAmerican Jessica Pegula beat a top-

10 player for the first time in her career,shocking fifth seed Elina Svitolina at theAustralian Open to make her first everGrand Slam quarter-final where she willtake on compatriot Jennifer Brady.

Also Czech 25th seed KarolinaMuchova edged Belgium’s Elise Mertensin two tight sets to reach her secondGrand Slam quarter-final while world No1 Ashleigh Barty extended her unbeat-en start to 2021.

Muchova was 0-4 down in the firstbefore recovering to win 7-6 (7/5), 7-5against Mertens, who beat BelindaBencic in the previous round. Barty wasbroken while serving for the match thefirst time but clinched it in the next gameto get past Shelby Rogers 6-3, 6-4.

Unseeded 26-year-old Pegula hasbeen in scintillating form at MelbournePark and overwhelmed the Ukrainian6-4, 3-6, 6-3 to set up a last-eight clash22nd seed Brady who beat DonnaVekic 6-1, 7-5.

PTI n CHENNAI

Seasoned off-spinnerRavichandran Ashwin on

Monday credited the Indianteam’s batting coach VikramRathour for his fiery perfor-mances with the willow inrecent times.

Amid the chatter aroundthe challenging Chepaukpitch, Ashwin came in atnumber eight and showedeveryone how to bat on adeteriorating surface with anexcellent century, puttingIndia on the brink of a series-levelling victory in the secondTest.

“I can’t say it’s been hap-pening in the last three days,I have been practising withVikram Rathour. I would loveto credit him with how mybatting has come throughover the last four-five match-es,” Ashwin said at the end ofthe third day’s play.

This was after his gutsy

show with the bat in Australia,where he stood his grounddespite hostile fast-bowling bythe home team.

He was glad that he shone

so bright in front of his homecrowd.

“I don’t know when thenext Test is going to be here,but I am pleased. Don’t know

if I will play another Test inChennai, and if at all, when...”

Ashwin’s number elevencompanion Mohammed Sirajcelebrated the senior player’sfifth Test hundred more thanthe man himself, who had gotto a century in the companyof Ishant Sharma in the past.

From the other end,Ashwin enjoyed watchingSiraj strike a couple of sixes.

“In the past when, he’s(Ishant) been with me whenI got hundreds at home andonce Siraj came, I knew howto approach.

“I was thrilled for hisbatting and told him to gothrough the line of the ball. Itwas amazing to see how excit-ed he was when I got my hun-dred.

“I don’t know what theteam is feeling like but I amsure they are thrilled. I can’tthank the crowd enough, theyhave been very supportive,”Ashwin said.

India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin’s wife Prithi Ashwin and his daughters Akhiraand Aadhya cheer for Team India during third day play of 2nd Test between India andEngland at MA Chidambaram stadium in Chennai @prithinarayanan/Twitter

CHENNAI’S SUPER KINGCENTURY AND FIVE-FOR IN A TEST MATCH

Player No of Times

Ian Botham (England) 5

Ravichandran Ashwin (India) 3

Garry Sobers (West Indies) 2

Mushtaq Mohammed (Pakistan) 2

Jacques Kallis (South Africa) 2

Shakib Al Hasan (Bangladesh) 2

RAVICHANDRAN ASHWIN’S DOUBLE IN TESTSScore Wkts Opponent Venue Season Result

103 5-156 West Indies Mumbai 2011-12 Drawn

113 7-83 West Indies North Sound 2015-16 Won

106 5-43 England Chennai 2020-21 Awaited

Faisel FFeatures

2nd Test. Day 4Live from 9:30am ISTSTAR SPORTS 1 NETWORK

Ashwin credits Rathour for his batting

Axar wants critics to change mindset about spinning pitches Inter go top of Serie A

Nadal breaks no sweat to reach quarters

Local boy Ashwin makes 106 after taking fifer in 1st innings to show how to perform in turning track

Ravichandran Ashwin raises his bat to acknowledge crowd gesture after he completeshis fifth Test century on day 3 of 2nd Test against England in Chennai BCCI/Twitter

Ravichandran Ashwin plays sweep shot during his 106 run innings PTI

Axar Patel celebrates with teammates after taking a wicket during the 3rd day PTI